Coxsackievirus B3 replication and persistence in intestinal cells from mice infected orally and in the human CaCo-2 cell line

Although the transmission of coxsackievirus B3 occurs mainly via the oral route, little is known about the primary replication and persistence of this agent in the intestine. To address this question, BALB/c mice were inoculated by gavage with coxsackievirus B3, Nancy strain. The mice were killed from 1 hr to 90 days after infection. The viral markers were detected in the small intestine using RT-PCR, cell culture and detection of VP1 protein. Coxsackievirus B3 was detected positive by the three methods from hr 2 to day 45 after infection. By using monoclonal antibodies directed towards VP1, CD40 and CD26, the virus was shown to be present in the lymphocytes of the mucosa as soon as 2 hr after infection; in contrast, no virus was detected in the epithelial cells lining the intestinal lumen. Further experiments were performed to evaluate the capacity of coxsackievirus B3 to establish a persistent infection in two intestinal cell lines. In contrast to HT29 cells, the CaCo-2 cells were shown to develop a persistent infection for up to 20 passages, as demonstrated by the detection of viral RNA and VP1 protein. This study provides further evidence that, after infection by the oral route, the viral particles are concentrated in the lymphocytes of the mucosal layer. In addition, the results suggest that coxsackievirus B3 is capable of establishing a persistent infection in the small intestine that may act as a reservoir of viral particles for the delayed spread of the virus to other target organs.     

Design and Mechanical Properties of a Novel Cerebral Flow Diverter Stent

Brain arterial aneurysms are localised dilatation in the wall of cerebral arteries that are common among adult population and associated with high incidence of morbidity and mortality. Using flow diverter stent alone to treat cerebral aneurysm is recognized as a safe and effective method. However, flow diverter stents currently available have limitations due to their braided structures. In this paper a novel flow diverter stent is proposed. It is made out of nitinol tubes that provide adequate radial stiffness and tailored surface coverage to overcome problems of currently available braided stents while retaining low porosity and excellent longitudinal flexibility. Finite element analysis using Abaqus has been conducted to investigate radial stiffness, longitudinal flexibility, and maximum strain during packaging of a series of novel stent designs with varied geometric parameters. Results show that porosity below 70% can be achieved and provides radial stiffness and longitudinal flexibility comparable to those of the Neuroform stent that is commonly used for stent assisted coiling. The novel flow diverter has showed great potential for direct treatment of cerebral aneurysms.     

Social media and cadaveric dissection: A survey study

The use of social media opens content to the general public and, as a result, places images of cadaveric dissection in an open forum. This raises the question: should the general public have access to such material? A survey was conducted examining whether the general public should have access to gross cadaveric dissection images and videos for educational purposes via social media. Both medical and laypersons were queried. Questions included in the survey considered whether images were too graphic, whether online cadaveric content should be age‐restricted, and whether consent by the deceased was necessary. A link to the survey was accessible to 63,562 followers through the Seattle Science Foundation's Facebookpage for 3 weeks. Among 300 responders, 89% (267/300) agreed that portrayals of cadaveric specimens/dissection on social media should be accessible by the general public for anatomical education, and 84.67% (254/300) stated that cadaveric dissection is not too graphic for untrained eyes. There was agreement by 60.33% (181/300) that an age restriction should be in place for the viewing of cadaveric dissection on social media, and 39.33% (253/300) of responders suggested restriction to 18 years and older. No statistically significant association was noted between a prior or current history of anatomy education and the frequency of positive responses to the survey questions. Social media is an innovative tool for dispensing anatomical education. The use of cadaveric images and videos provides accessibility to the general public who wish to learn more about human anatomy and their own body. Clin. Anat. 32:1033–1041, 2019. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Binocular Energy Estimation Based on Properties of the Human Visual System

3D applications are very popular nowadays. They allow to bring new sensations (e.g., cinema, gaming, etc) and new ways for analyzing data (e.g., video-surveillance, pattern recognition, etc). The large availability of 3D data ia better understanding of human 3D perception in order to improve the quality of 3D visual data, increase the visual comfort and avoid visual fatigue and visual illness. In this paper, we explore the binocular perception through its various indices. The focus is put on the binocular energy and its evolution with regard to image impairments. Two types of cells are explored, that is, simple and complex cells responsible of the sensory fusion in the visual cortex. A model is proposed for these cells in order to estimate the binocular energy from color stereo-pairs. The integration of stereoscopic constraints such as unicity, coherence and occlusion allows to refine the proposed model described previously by taking into account the occluded and the non-occluded information. A deep experimentation demonstrates the efficiency of the described modeling. The estimated binocular energy presents a correlation with the impairment level caused by compression or noise.     

Physico-chemical characterization and pharmacological evaluation of sulfated polysaccharides from three species of Mediterranean brown algae of the genus Cystoseira

Background

Seaweed polysaccharides are highly active natural substances having valuable applications. The present study was conducted to characterize the physico-chemical properties of sulphated polysaccharides from three Mediterranean brown seaweeds (Cystoseira sedoides, Cystoseira compressa and Cystoseira crinita) and to evaluate their anti-radical, anti-inflammatory and gastroprotective activities.

Methods

The different rates of neutral sugars, uronic acids, L-fucose and sulphate content were determined by colorimetric techniques. The different macromolecular characteristics of isolated fucoidans were identified by size exclusion chromatography equipped with a triple detection: multiangle light scattering, viscometer and differential refractive index detectors, (SEC/MALS/VD/DRI). Anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated, using the carrageenan-induced rat paw edema test in comparison to the references drugs Acetylsalicylate of Lysine and Diclofenac. The gastroprotective activity was determined using HCl/EtOH induced gastric ulcers in rats and to examine the antioxidant effect of fucoidans in the three species, the free radical scavenging activity was determined using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl.

Results

The pharmacological evaluation of the isolated fucoidans for their anti-inflammatory, and their gastroprotective effect established that these products from C. sedoides, C. compressa and C. crinita exhibited a significant anti-inflammatory activity at a dose of 50 mg/kg, i.p; the percentages of inhibition of the oedema were 51%, 57% and 58% respectively. And, at the same dose, these fucoidans from C. sedoides and C. compressa showed a significant decrease of the intensity of gastric mucosal damages compared to a control group by 68%, whereas, the fucoidan from C. crinita produced a less gastroprotective effect. Furthermore, the isolated fucoidans exhibited a radical scavenging activity.

Conclusion

The comparative study of fucoidans isolated from three species of the genus Cystoseira showed that they have similar chemicals properties and relatives anti-radical, anti-inflammatory and gastroprotective activities which are found to be promising.     

Redistribution of the Lamin B1 genomic binding profile affects rearrangement of heterochromatic domains and SAHF formation during senescence

Senescence is a stress-responsive form of stable cell cycle exit. Senescent cells have a distinct gene expression profile, which is often accompanied by the spatial redistribution of heterochromatin into senescence-associated heterochromatic foci (SAHFs). Studying a key component of the nuclear lamina lamin B1 (LMNB1), we report dynamic alterations in its genomic profile and their implications for SAHF formation and gene regulation during senescence. Genome-wide mapping reveals that LMNB1 is depleted during senescence, preferentially from the central regions of lamina-associated domains (LADs), which are enriched for Lys9 trimethylation on histone H3 (H3K9me3). LMNB1 knockdown facilitates the spatial relocalization of perinuclear H3K9me3-positive heterochromatin, thus promoting SAHF formation, which could be inhibited by ectopic LMNB1 expression. Furthermore, despite the global reduction in LMNB1 protein levels, LMNB1 binding increases during senescence in a small subset of gene-rich regions where H3K27me3 also increases and gene expression becomes repressed. These results suggest that LMNB1 may contribute to senescence in at least two ways due to its uneven genome-wide redistribution: first, through the spatial reorganization of chromatin and, second, through gene repression.     

Atrial fibrillation in heart failure: drug therapies for rate and rhythm control

Pharmacological treatment of atrial fibrillation in the context of heart failure poses numerous challenges. Management decisions are limited by contraindications to several drugs and the paucity of robust clinical trials that provide evidence-based guidance. This review proposes a structured action plan for managing atrial fibrillation coexisting with heart failure that considers published clinical guidelines and integrates recent data derived from substudies of randomized trials, including the atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure (AF-CHF) trial. Areas of uncertainty, such as target heart rates in atrial fibrillation and upstream therapies, are also discussed.