A microfluidic device mimicking acinar concentration gradients across the liver acinus

The acinus-mimicking microfluidic chip, which simulates the in vivo condition of the liver, was developed and reported in this paper. The gradient microenvironment of the liver acinus is replicated within this proposed microfluidic chip. The advantage of this acinus-mimicking chip is capable of adjusting the concentration gradient in a relatively short period of time at around 10 s. At the same instance the non-linear concentration gradient can be presented in the various zones within this microfluidic chip. The other advantage of this proposed design is in the convenience of allowing the direct injection of the cells into the chip. The environment within the chip is multi-welled and gel-free with high cell density. The multi-row pillar microstructure located at the entrance of the top and bottom flow channels is designed to be able to balance the pressure of the perfusion medium. Through this mechanism the shear stress experienced by the cultured cells can be minimized to reduce the potential damage flow from the perfusion process. ⁽³⁾The fluorescence staining and the observations of the cell morphology verify the life and death of the cells. The shear stress experienced by the cells in the various zones within the chip can be effectively mapped. The serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) collected from the supernatants was used to determine the effects of the degassing process and the shear stress of the medium flow on the cultured cells.     

Post-ischemic treatment with a lazaroid (U74389G) prevents transient global ischemic damage in rat hippocampus

Abstract

The ability of an experimental lazaroid, U74389G, to prevent damage to hippocampal CA 1 cytoarchitecture due to transient global ischemia was studied by light and electron microscopy. Post-ischemic rats were given a single i.p. dose of lazaroid (6 or 18 mg kg-¹) at 5 min after revival by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Without lazaroid treatment the number of normal-appearing neurons in the CA1 region declined from a normal value of 75.49± 2.21 to 8.40± 10.08 per 100 μ,m² on day 7 after the ischemic episode, and there was extensive damage visible in the cytoarchitecture of this region. In lazaroid treated rats, the normal cytoarchitecture was retained and the number of normal-appearing cells was maintained at 15.1O± 2.22 per 100 ¼,m²? Ultrastructure studies indicated that pyknotic pyramidal cells laden with Pysosomal aggregates were common in untreated post-ischemic rats but rare in lazaroid-treated rats. These results indicate that U74389G maintained the structural integrity of this region of the brain after transient global ischemia and suggest that this lazaroid may be an effective neuroprotectant. [Neural Res 1997; 19: 431-434]     

Power seat function usage and wheelchair discomfort for power wheelchair users

Objectives: To investigate correlations between power seat functions (PSFs) usage and wheelchair discomfort.

Design: Quasi-experimental design: Time series design.

Setting: In-home trial in participants’ home/community.

Participants: Thirteen power wheelchair users who independently used power wheelchairs equipped with PSFs as their primary means of mobility.

Main Outcome Measures: PSF usage variables include the frequency of performing repositioning and using PSFs (tilt, recline, legrests and seat elevation), wheelchair occupancy, and driving distance. The Tool for Assessing Wheelchair disComfort (TAWC) were used to evaluate general discomfort and discomfort intensity.

Results: Spearman correlation coefficient showed that the frequency of using tilt, recline, and legrest is significantly correlated with discomfort intensity. Multiple regression analysis with backward stepwise indicated that these functions can explain 43.8% of the variance (R2?=?.438, F(3,33)?=?8.588, P?Conclusions: For people who used power wheelchairs equipped with PSFs, correlation analysis and regression modeling provided evidence from the quantitative data that increasing the frequency of using PSFs may decrease wheelchair discomfort. Future studies should include interventions to encourage people to use their PSFs appropriately.     

Hepatic Steatosis Assessment with Ultrasound Small-Window Entropy Imaging

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a type of hepatic steatosis that is not only associated with critical metabolic risk factors but can also result in advanced liver diseases. Ultrasound parametric imaging, which is based on statistical models, assesses fatty liver changes, using quantitative visualization of hepatic-steatosis–caused variations in the statistical properties of backscattered signals. One constraint with using statistical models in ultrasound imaging is that ultrasound data must conform to the distribution employed. Small-window entropy imaging was recently proposed as a non–model-based parametric imaging technique with physical meanings of backscattered statistics. In this study, we explored the feasibility of using small-window entropy imaging in the assessment of fatty liver disease and evaluated its performance through comparisons with parametric imaging based on the Nakagami distribution model (currently the most frequently used statistical model). Liver donors (n?=?53) and patients (n?=?142) were recruited to evaluate hepatic fat fractions (HFFs), using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and to evaluate the stages of fatty liver disease (normal, mild, moderate and severe), using liver biopsy with histopathology. Livers were scanned using a 3-MHz ultrasound to construct B-mode, small-window entropy and Nakagami images to correlate with HFF analyses and fatty liver stages. The diagnostic values of the imaging methods were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves. The results demonstrated that the entropy value obtained using small-window entropy imaging correlated well with log₁₀(HFF), with a correlation coefficient r?=?0.74, which was higher than those obtained for the B-scan and Nakagami images. Moreover, small-window entropy imaging also resulted in the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.80 for stages equal to or more severe than mild; 0.90 for equal to or more severe than moderate; 0.89 for severe), which indicated that non–model-based entropy imaging—using the small-window technique—performs more favorably than other techniques in fatty liver assessment.