Air remodeling

Living cells actively interact biochemically and mechanically with the surrounding extracellular matrices (ECMs) and undergo dramatic morphological and dimensional transitions, concomitantly remodeling ECMs. However, there is no suitable method to quantitatively discuss the contribution of mechanical interactions in such mutually adaptive processes. We herein developed a highly deformable "living" cellular scaffold to evaluate overall mechanical energy transfer between cell and ECMs. It is based on the water-perfluorocarbon interface decorated with phospholipids bearing a cell-adhesive ligand and fluorescent tag...

This research endeavors to elevate indoor air quality within aging school environments by concentrating on refining interior finishing materials and windows. Renovations, encompassing window and floor remodeling in classrooms, aim to mitigate particulate matter (PM) infiltration and enhance air exchange rates. Utilizing SPS30 sensors for the analysis of 0.3-2.5 μm particles, with a focus on their implications for human health, the study evaluated air exchange rates, deposition rates, infiltration rates, and particle generation during classroom activities...

Wildland firefighters (WLFFs) experience lung function decline due to occupational exposure to fire smoke. To pinpoint the biological underpinnings of abnormal respiratory function following 3-7 years of WLFF service, we exposed mice to Douglas Fir Smoke (DFS) over 8 weeks. Following exposure, we assessed changes in lung structure through Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and histological analysis, which was supported by immunohistochemistry staining. With MRI, we assessed the signal decay time, T2*, from ultrashort echo time images and utilized this metric as a measure of airspace enlargement...

PURPOSE: No large-mammal surgical models exist for geographic atrophy (GA), choroidal neovascularization (CNV), and pachychoroidal vascular remodeling. Our goal was to develop a porcine RPE debridement model of advanced macular degeneration to study photoreceptor cell loss and choroidal remodeling. METHODS: Seven 2-month-old female domestic pigs were used for this study. After 25G vitrectomy, the area centralis was detached via subretinal bleb. A nitinol wire (Finesse Flex Loop) was used to debride RPE cells across a 3- to 5-mm diameter region...

OBJECTIVE: Increasing evidence suggests a link between middle ear inflammation and the development of diesel exhaust particles (DEPs). Chronic middle ear inflammation can lead to bone damage and remodeling. This study aimed to explore the impact of DEPs on the expression of interleukin (IL)-6 and RANKL under conditions of middle ear inflammation. METHODS: DEPs were collected by burning fuel in a diesel engine at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology. Human middle ear epithelial cells were cultured to 70-80% confluence in culture plates and then treated with DEPs at concentrations of 0, 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 μg/mL for 24 h...

Air pollution plays an important role in the mortality and morbidity of chronic airway diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Particulate matter (PM) is a significant fraction of air pollutants, and studies have demonstrated that it can cause airway inflammation and injury. The airway epithelium forms the first barrier of defense against inhaled toxicants, such as PM. Airway epithelial cells clear airways from inhaled irritants and orchestrate the inflammatory response of airways to these irritants by secreting various lipid mediators, growth factors, chemokines, and cytokines...

BACKGROUND: Bronchial asthma is a persistent inflammatory respiratory condition that restricts the passage of air and causes hyperresponsiveness. Chronic asthma can be classified into three categories: mild, moderate, and severe. Remodeling took place as the extracellular matrix accumulated in the walls of the airways. Inflammation occurs as a result of the damage caused by matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) to basement membrane type IV collagen. The severity of asthma may be associated with miR-196a2...

Physiologically-relevant in vitro skin models hold utmost importance for efficacy assessments of pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical formulations, offering valuable alternatives to animal testing. Here, we present an advanced immunocompetent three-dimensional (3D) bioprinted human skin model to assess skin sensitization. Initially, a photopolymerizable bioink is formulated using silk fibroin methacrylate, gelatin methacrylate, and photoactivated human platelet releasate. The developed bioink shows desirable physicochemical and rheological attributes for microextrusion bioprinting...

Many adult lung diseases involve dysregulated lung repair. Deciphering the molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern intrinsic lung repair is essential to develop new treatments to repair/regenerate the lungs. Aberrant Wnt signalling is associated with lung diseases including emphysema, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary arterial hypertension but how Wnt signalling contributes to these diseases is still unclear. There are several alternative pathways that can be stimulated upon Wnt ligand binding, one of these is the Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) pathway which induces actin cytoskeleton remodelling...

Single-particle cryo-EM is widely used to determine enzyme-nucleosome complex structures. However, cryo-EM sample preparation remains challenging and inconsistent due to complex denaturation at the air-water interface (AWI). Here, to address this issue, we develop graphene-oxide-coated EM grids functionalized with either single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or thiol-poly(acrylic acid-co-styrene) (TAASTY) co-polymer. These grids protect complexes between the chromatin remodeler SNF2h and nucleosomes from the AWI and facilitate collection of high-quality micrographs of intact SNF2h-nucleosome complexes in the absence of crosslinking...

BACKGROUND: Airway basal cells (BC) from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) regenerate abnormal airway epithelium and this was associated with reduced expression of several genes involved in epithelial repair. Quercetin reduces airway epithelial remodeling and inflammation in COPD models, therefore we examined whether quercetin promotes normal epithelial regeneration from COPD BC by altering gene expression. METHODS: COPD BC treated with DMSO or 1 µM quercetin for three days were cultured at air/liquid interface (ALI) for up to 4 weeks...

Dry eye syndrome (DES) is a complex ocular condition characterized by an unstable tear film and inadequate tear production, leading to tissue damage. Despite its common occurrence, there is currently no comprehensive in vitro model that accurately reproduce the cellular characteristics of DES. Here we modified a corneal epithelium-on-a-chip (CEpOC) model to recapitulate DES by subjecting HCE-T human corneal epithelial cells to an air-liquid (AL) interface stimulus. We then assessed the effects of AL stimulation both in the presence and absence of diclofenac (DCF), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug...

OBJECTIVE: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic esophageal inflammatory disorder characterized by eosinophil-rich mucosal inflammation and tissue remodeling. Transcriptional profiling of esophageal biopsies has previously revealed upregulation of type I and II interferon (IFN) response genes. We aim to unravel interactions between immune and epithelial cells and examine functional significance in esophageal epithelial cells.Design We investigated epithelial gene expression from EoE patients using single-cell RNA sequencing and a confirmatory bulk RNA-sequencing experiment of isolated epithelial cells...

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of respiratory infections, causing significant morbidity and mortality, especially in young children. Why RSV infection in children is more severe as compared to healthy adults is not fully understood. In the present study, we infect both pediatric and adult human nose organoid-air liquid interface (HNO-ALIs) cell lines with two contemporary RSV isolates and demonstrate how they differ in virus replication, induction of the epithelial cytokine response, cell injury, and remodeling...

Due to impaired immune function, diabetic wounds are highly susceptible to the development of excessive inflammatory responses and prolonged recurrent bacterial infections that impede diabetic wound healing. Therefore, it is necessary to design and develop a wound dressing that controls bacterial infection and inhibits excessive inflammatory response. In this study, hyaluronic acid (HA) was modified using dopamine (DA). Subsequently, cordycepin (COR) was loaded into dopamine-modified hyaluronic acid (OHDA)/gelatin (GEL) nanofiber wound dressing by electrostatic spinning technique...

The effect of electronic cigarette (E-cig) vaping on cardiac and vascular function during the healing phase of myocardial infarction (MI), and post-MI remodeling was investigated. Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to left coronary artery ligation to induce MI. One week later, rats were randomized to receive either 12 weeks of exposure to purified air (n = 37) or E-cig vapor (15 mg/ml of nicotine) (n = 32). At 12 weeks, cardiac and vascular function, and post-MI remodeling were assessed...

The presence of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) at a skin wound site is an important factor affecting wound healing. ROS scavenging, which regulates the ROS microenvironment, is essential for wound healing. In this study, we used novel electrospun PCL/gelatin/arbutin (PCL/G/A) nanofibrous membranes as wound dressings, with PCL/gelatin (PCL/G) as the backbone, and plant-derived arbutin (hydroquinone-β-d-glucopyranoside, ARB) as an effective antioxidant that scavenges ROS and inhibits bacterial infection in wounds...

Evidence suggests that myocardial interstitial fibrosis, resulting from cardiac remodeling, may possibly be influenced by mechanisms activated through the inhalation of airborne pollutants. However, limited studies have explored the relationship between lifetime exposure to carbon-based particles and cardiac fibrosis, specially using post-mortem samples. This study examined whether long-term exposure to air pollution (estimated by black carbon accumulated in the lungs) is associated with myocardial fibrosis in urban dwellers of megacity of Sao Paulo...

Since its invention in the late 1980s, the air-liquid-interface (ALI) culture system has been the standard in vitro model for studying human airway biology and pulmonary diseases. However, in a conventional ALI system, cells are cultured on a porous plastic membrane that is much stiffer than human airway tissues. Here, we develop a gel-ALI culture system by simply coating the plastic membrane with a thin layer of hydrogel with tunable stiffness matching that of healthy and fibrotic airway tissues. We determine the optimum gel thickness that does not impair the transport of nutrients and biomolecules essential to cell growth...

Lymphedema, resulting from impaired lymphatic drainage, causes inflammation, fibrosis and tissue damage leading to symptoms such as limb swelling and restricted mobility. Despite various treatments under exploration, no standard effective therapy exists. Here a novel technique using the pyro-drive jet injection (PJI) was used to create artificial clefts between collagen fibers, which facilitated the removal of excess interstitial fluid. The PJI was used to deliver a mixture of lactated Ringer's solution and air into the tail of animals with secondary skin edema...