interzone

OBJECTIVE: Epileptic spasms (ES) are common in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). However, the underlying network alterations and relationship with epileptogenic tubers are poorly understood. We examined interictal functional connectivity (FC) using stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) in patients with TSC to investigate the relationship between tubers, epileptogenicity, and ES. METHODS: We analyzed 18 patients with TSC who underwent SEEG (mean age = 11...

Accurate prediction of the non-uniform contaminant distribution under stratum ventilation (SV) is crucial for optimal design for reducing contaminant exposure risks. Compared with experiments and computational fluid dynamics, zonal models are convenient to implement. This study proposes a zonal model for predicting dynamic non-uniform contaminant distribution in the stratum ventilated room. The zoning method is based on the unique airflow pattern under SV, and the room is divided into the jet zone, entrainment zone, and the mixing zone...

First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Biology Open, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Minwook Kim is first author on ' Synovial joint cavitation initiates with microcavities in interzone and is coupled to skeletal flexion and elongation in developing mouse embryo limbs', published in BiO. He is a postdoc in the lab of Maurizio Pacifici at the Abramson Research Center in Philadelphia, USA investigating developmental biology, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine in the context of the synovial joint...

The synovial cavity and its fluid are essential for joint function and lubrication, but their developmental biology remains largely obscure. Here, we analyzed E12.5 to E18.5 mouse embryo hindlimbs and discovered that cavitation initiates around E15.0 with emergence of multiple, discrete, µm-wide tissue discontinuities we term microcavities in interzone, evolving into a single joint-wide cavity within 12 h in knees and within 72-84 h in interphalangeal joints. The microcavities were circumscribed by cells as revealed by mTmG imaging and exhibited a carbohydrate and protein content based on infrared spectral imaging at micro and nanoscale...

This paper studies the effectiveness of several pandemic restriction measures adopted in Singapore during the COVID-19 outbreak. To this end, the classical Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered (SEIR) model widely used to describe the dynamic process of epidemic propagation is extended to an area-based SEIR model with the consideration of exposure to infections during commute and quarantine. The proposed model considers infections within areas and infections occurred during the commute of individuals. A case study of the Singapore MRT system is presented to show the effectiveness of pandemic restriction policies implemented in Singapore, namely social distancing, work shift and Circuit Breaker (CB) and phase advisories...

Background: Repetitive loading of the back puts elite rowers at risk for acute and chronic back injuries. Hypothesis: That asymptomatic elite rowers would demonstrate characteristic intervertebral disk (IVD) alterations on T2* magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) mapping compared with asymptomatic nonrowers. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: This study included 20 asymptomatic elite rowers (mean age, 23...

Growth differentiation factor 5 ( Gdf5 ) and doublecortin ( Dcx ) genes are both expressed in joint interzone cells during synovial joint development. In this study, we re-analyzed the single cell RNA-sequencing data (Gene Expression Omnibus GSE151985) generated from Gdf5 + cells of mouse knee joints at embryonic stages of E12.5, E13.5, E14.5, and E15.5, with a new focus on Dcx . We found that Dcx expression was enriched in clusters of Gdf5 + cells, with high expression levels of pro-chondrogenic genes including sex determining region Y-box transcription factor 5 ( Sox5 ), Sox6 , Sox9 , Gdf5 , versican, matrilin 4, collagen type II α 1 chain ( Col2a1 ), Col9a1 , Col9a2 , and Col9a3 at E12...

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to understand the role of the transcriptional co-factor Yes-associated protein (Yap) in the molecular pathway underpinning the pathogenic transformation of synovial fibroblasts (SF) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to become invasive and cause joint destruction. METHODS: Synovium from patients with RA and mice with antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) was analysed by immunostaining and qRT-PCR. SF were targeted using Pdgfrα-CreER and Gdf5-Cre mice, crossed with fluorescent reporters for cell tracing and Yap-flox mice for conditional Yap ablation...

The critical functions of the human liver are coordinated through the interactions of hepatic parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells. Recent advances in single-cell transcriptional approaches have enabled an examination of the human liver with unprecedented resolution. However, dissociation-related cell perturbation can limit the ability to fully capture the human liver's parenchymal cell fraction, which limits the ability to comprehensively profile this organ. Here, we report the transcriptional landscape of 73,295 cells from the human liver using matched single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq)...

BACKGROUND: Preservation of hamstring tendon insertion at the time of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is a well-known technique; however, its effect on graft integration is not well studied. The present study was conducted to study the graft integration inside the tibial and femoral tunnels, respectively, after ACL reconstruction using hamstring tendon graft with preserved insertion. METHODS: Twenty-five professional athletes who underwent ACL reconstruction using hamstring tendon graft with preserved tibia insertion were enrolled in the study...

Human umbilical cord (hUC)- or bone marrow (hBM)-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) were evaluated as an allogeneic source of cells for cartilage repair. We aimed to determine if they could enhance healing of chondral defects with or without the recruitment of endogenous cells. hMSCs were applied into a focal joint surface injury in knees of adult mice expressing tdTomato fluorescent protein in cells descending from Gdf5-expressing embryonic joint interzone cells. Three experimental groups were used: (i) hUC-MSCs, (ii) hBM-MSCs and (iii) PBS (vehicle) without cells...

Within developing synovial joints, interzone and anlagen cells progress through divergent chondrogenic pathways to generate stable articular cartilage and transient hypertrophic anlagen cartilage, respectively. Understanding the comparative cell biology between interzone and anlagen cells may provide novel insights into emergent cell-based therapies to support articular cartilage regeneration. The aim of this study was to assess the kinetics of gene expression profiles in these skeletal cell lines after inducing chondrogenesis in culture...

Fetal activity in utero is a normal part of pregnancy and reduced or absent movement can lead to long-term skeletal defects, such as Fetal Akinesia Deformation Sequence, joint dysplasia and arthrogryposis. A variety of animal models with decreased or absent embryonic movements show a consistent set of developmental defects, providing insight into the aetiology of congenital skeletal abnormalities. At developing joints, defects include reduced joint interzones with frequent fusion of cartilaginous skeletal rudiments across the joint...

The effect of UV curing and shearing on the structure and behavior of a polyimide (PI) binder as it disperses silicon particles in a battery electrode slurry was investigated. PI dispersant effectiveness increases with UV curing time, which controls the overall binder molecular weight. The shear force during electrode casting causes higher molecular weight PI to agglomerate, resulting in battery anodes with poorly dispersed Si particles that do not cycle well. It is hypothesized that when PI binder is added above a critical amount, it conformally coats the silicon particles and greatly impedes Li ion transport...

The Philippines has recently eased its local travel restrictions among fully vaccinated individuals. Filipinos who wish to travel locally will only need to present their vaccination cards as their passports for interzonal and intrazonal movement within the country. However, a few days after the release of the new resolution pertaining to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination card as a travel requirement, the Department of Health suggested to review the latest policy since many local government units expressed their disapproval in the new protocol...

Mechanical ventilation comprises a significant proportion of the total energy consumed in buildings. Sufficient natural ventilation in buildings is critical in reducing the energy consumption of mechanical ventilation while maintaining a comfortable indoor environment for occupants. In this paper, a new computerized framework based on building information modelling (BIM) and machine learning data-driven models is presented to analyze the optimum thermal comfort for indoor environments with the effect of natural ventilation...

Previous studies on mouse embryo limbs have established that interzone mesenchymal progenitor cells emerging at each prescribed joint site give rise to joint tissues over fetal time. These incipient tissues undergo structural maturation and morphogenesis postnatally, but underlying mechanisms of regulation remain unknown. Hox11 genes dictate overall zeugopod musculoskeletal patterning and skeletal element identities during development. Here we asked where these master regulators are expressed in developing limb joints and whether they are maintained during postnatal zeugopod joint morphogenesis...

Fetal activity in utero is a normal part of pregnancy and reduced or absent movement can lead to long-term skeletal defects, such as Fetal Akinesia Deformation Sequence, joint dysplasia and arthrogryposis. A variety of animal models with decreased or absent embryonic movements show a consistent set of developmental defects, providing insight into the aetiology of congenital skeletal abnormalities. At developing joints, defects include reduced joint interzones with frequent fusion of cartilaginous skeletal rudiments across the joint...

Air-change rate is an important parameter influencing residential air quality. This article critically assesses the state of knowledge regarding residential air-change rates, emphasizing periods of normal occupancy. Cumulatively, about 40 prior studies have measured air-change rates in approximately 10,000 homes using tracer gases, including metabolic CO2 . The central tendency of the air-change rates determined in these studies is reasonably described as lognormal with a geometric mean of 0.5 h-1 and a geometric standard deviation of 2...

PURPOSE: The effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on tendon allograft maturation in a large animal anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction model was reported for the first time. It was hypothesised that compared with non-augmented ACL reconstruction, BMSCs and PRP would enhance graft maturation after 12 weeks and this would be detected using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: Fifteen sheep underwent unilateral tendon allograft ACL reconstruction using aperture fixation and were randomised into three groups (n = 5)...