Activity

Manipulation of pH showed the ability to selectively tailor CHA particle size from 200-900 nm in a reproducible manner while maintaining the chemical composition. In addition, 500 nm particles elicited the most rapid increase in osteoblastic differentiation and did not decrease cell viability compared to 200 and 900 nm particles.

Intraocular pressure is the main risk factor for glaucoma; however, additional risk factors may also matter. This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to summarize the evidence regarding the association of cholesterol parameters (total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels) and glaucoma.

Four electronic databases were searched for all publications containing ‘glaucoma’ and one of various forms of ‘cholesterol’ or ‘lipoprotein’. Two independent reviewers screened abstracts and potentially full texts of identified articles for eligibility. Risk of bias was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A random-effects meta-analysis was used to investigate the differences in total cholesterol, LDL and HDL levels between patients with and without glaucoma.

Overall, 29 observational studies were included in the systematic review and 26 reported quantitative information to investigate differences in cholesterol parameters between patients with glaucoma lipid levels pose an additional risk for glaucoma development, heterogeneity was substantial and causality cannot be presumed from identified observational studies.Over the past two decades, computer assistance has revolutionalized surgery and has enabled enormous advancements in knee prosthesis surgery. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a hot topic of orthopaedic research. Reflecting population dynamics, its use continues to increase, especially in high demand populations. Therefore, efforts to achieve the best fit and precise alignment in TKA continue. Computer assistance is valuable for knee prosthesis surgeons in this regard. This manuscript investigated the use of computer assistance in knee prosthesis surgery. The effects of computer use on important facets of knee prosthesis surgery, such as precision, clinical aspects, and costs, were examined. Moreover, an overall review of the recent literature on the navigation and personalized cutting guides was conducted.The chemical and self-assembly properties of nucleic acids make them ideal for the construction of discrete structures and stimuli-responsive devices for a diverse array of applications. Amongst the various three-dimensional assemblies, DNA tetrahedra are of particular interest, as these structures have been shown to be readily taken up by the cell, by the process of caveolin-mediated endocytosis, without the need for transfection agents. Moreover, these structures can be readily modified with a diverse range of pendant groups to confer greater functionality. This minireview highlights recent advances related to applications of this interesting DNA structure including the delivery of therapeutic agents ranging from small molecules to oligonucleotides in addition to its use for sensing and imaging various species within the cell.Spinal cord injury (SCI) always leads to functional deterioration due to a series of processes including cell death. In recent years, programmed cell death (PCD) is considered to be a critical process after SCI, and various forms of PCD were discovered in recent years, including apoptosis, necroptosis, autophagy, ferroptosis, pyroptosis and paraptosis. Unlike necrosis, PCD is known as an active cell death mediated by a cascade of gene expression events, and it is crucial for elimination unnecessary and damaged cells, as well as a defence mechanism. Therefore, it would be meaningful to characterize the roles of PCD to not only enhance our understanding of the pathophysiological processes, but also improve functional recovery after SCI. This review will summarize and explore the most recent advances on how apoptosis, necroptosis, autophagy, ferroptosis, pyroptosis and paraptosis are involved in SCI. This review can help us to understand the various functions of PCD in the pathological processes of SCI, and contribute to our novel understanding of SCI of unknown aetiology in the near future.Mast cell tumours (MCT) have been documented in numerous species and mutations within the KIT proto-oncogene are implicated in the neoplastic biology of mast cells in humans, dogs and cats. This study determined high KIT gene nucleotide and Kit amino acid sequence homology between several species known to suffer mast cell neoplasia and especially high sequence conservation between the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and domestic cat (Felis catus) KIT sequences. As a result, we hypothesised that KIT mutations would exist in the neoplastic DNA of four cheetahs diagnosed with MCT from a recent case series. PCR and Sanger sequencing identified conservative exon 6 KIT mutations in two of the four cheetahs. The mutations were different between the two cheetahs. Only wild-type DNA in exons 6, 8, 9 and 11 of KIT was observed in the MCTs of the remaining two cheetahs. Twenty cutaneous MCTs from domestic cats were collected for KIT mutation comparison. Twelve tumours possessed a mutation within KIT exons 6, 8 or 9 (60%, 95% CI 38.5%-81.5%). No mutations were detected in exon 11. There was no significant association between domestic feline MCT KIT mutation status and tumour histological grade (traditional schematic, P = .934; Sabattini 2-tier schematic, P = .762) or mitotic index (P = .750). KIT mRNA and Kit protein sequences are conserved across species but the role of KIT in feline MCT pathogenesis is not completely understood.Protein cysteine palmitoylation, or S-palmitoylation, has been known for about 40 years, and thousands of proteins in humans are known to be modified. Because of the large number of proteins modified, the importance and physiological functions of S-palmitoylation are enormous. However, most of the known physiological functions of S-palmitoylation can be broadly classified into two categories, neurological or immunological. SGI-1776 Pim inhibitor This review provides a summary on the function of S-palmitoylation from the immunological perspective. Several important immune signaling pathways are discussed, including STING, NOD1/2, JAK-STAT in cytokine signaling, T-cell receptor signaling, chemotactic GPCR signaling, apoptosis, phagocytosis, and endothelial and epithelial integrity. This review is not meant to be comprehensive, but rather focuses on specific examples to highlight the versatility of palmitoylation in regulating immune signaling, as well as the potential and challenges of targeting palmitoylation to treat immune diseases.