Pre-conditioning

Compressive sensing (CS) has been used to accelerate dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (DMRI). Currently, the online CS-DMRI is faster, whereas the offline CS-DMRI provides higher accuracy for image reconstruction. To achieve good image reconstruction performance in terms of both speed and accuracy, we propose a hybrid CS-DMRI method using periodic timevariant subsampling for different frames. In each period, there is one reference frame that is sampled at a higher subsampling ratio. The two nearby reference frames with good reconstruction quality can be used to provide rough predictions of the other frames between them...

Ischemic post-conditioning is considered as a potent method to combat ischemic reperfusion injury than pre-conditioning since the latter is non predictive and risky. Rapid initiation of reperfusion with potent anti oxidant compound can be one of the most effective treatments to reduce the infract size and behavioural deficits as a result of ischemic insult. Apoptosis/Necrotic events undisputedly hold significant role in determining the fate of cardiomyocytes post ischemic injury but current studies are speculative regrading the role of post-conditioning in maintaining cellular homeostasis...

BACKGROUND: Adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) with cancer antigen-reactive T cells following lymphodepletive pre-conditioning has emerged as a potentially curative therapy for patients with advanced cancers. However, identification and enrichment of appropriate T cell subsets for cancer eradication remains a major challenge for hematologic cancers. METHODS: PD-1(+) and PD-1(-) T cell subsets from myeloma-bearing mice were sorted and analyzed for myeloma reactivity in vitro...

BACKGROUND: In vitro cell testing of degradable bioceramics such as brushite or monetite is often challenging due to the ion release into or adsorption from the culture medium. These ionic changes are then mostly responsible for cell proliferation and activity, which prohibits the investigation of effects originating from surface topography or further material modifications. METHODS: Here, we aimed to solve this problem by developing a pre-conditioning regime following the repeated immersion of brushite and monetite samples in various Ca(2+), Mg(2+) and PO4(3-) containing electrolytes, followed by studying ion adsorption / release as well as changes in phase composition and in vitro cytocompatibility with MG63 cells...

BACKGROUND: Impaired T cell reconstitution remains a major deterrent in the field of bone marrow (BM) transplantation (BMT) due to pre-conditioning-induced damages inflicted to the thymi of recipient hosts. Given the previously reported thymo-stimulatory property of interleukin (IL)-21, we reasoned that its use post-BMT could have a profound effect on de novo T cell development. METHODS: To evaluate the effect of IL-21 on de novo T cell development in vivo, BM derived from RAG2p-GFP mice was transplanted into LP/J mice...

The recent episodes of haze in Southeast Asia have caused some of the worst regional atmospheric pollution ever recorded in history. In order to control the levels of airborne fine particulate matters (PM) indoors, filtration systems providing high PM capturing efficiency are often sought, which inadvertently also results in high airflow resistance (or pressure drop) that increases the energy consumption for air distribution. A pre-conditioning mechanism promoting the formation of particle clusters to enhance PM capturing efficiency without adding flow resistance in the air distribution ductwork could provide an energy-efficient solution...

Diatoms rapidly release extracellular oxylipins (oxygenated lipids) including polyunsaturated aldehydes in response to herbivory and other stresses. Oxylipins have several defense-related activities including inhibition of reproduction in herbivores and signaling to distant diatoms. Physiological changes in diatoms exposed to varying levels of oxylipins are only beginning to be understood. In this study, Phaeodactylum tricornutum cultures were treated with sublethal concentrations of the polyunsaturated aldehyde trans,trans-2,4-decadienal (DD) to assess effects on lipid composition and membrane permeability...

The possibility of individuals procreating post-transition has long stalked debates on transgender rights. In 1972, Sweden became the first European jurisdiction to formally acknowledge preferred gender. Under the original Swedish law, applicants for gender recognition were explicitly required to prove an incapacity to reproduce-either through natural infertility or through a positive act of sterilisation. Across the Council of Europe, 20 countries continue to enforce a sterilisation requirement. When considering reforms to their current gender recognition rules as recently as 2015, the Polish executive and the Finnish legislature both rejected proposals to remove mandatory infertility provisions...

With a constantly growing portion of elderly within our population and the advances of modern medicine, surgery on aged and very aged patients has become a daily hospital routine. Due to the physical and mental features of ageing these patients face special perioperative risks. They display a higher rate of complications, morbidity and cognitive deficits which might in the end lead to persisting need of care. Even in the healthy elderly, most organ functions are "physiologically" instable or deficient and the homeostasis of health and disease is fragile...

BACKGROUND: Angiogenin is a key molecule in the healing process which has been successfully applied in the field of regenerative medicine. The role of angiogenin in dental pulp regeneration is unclear. Here we aimed to reveal the impact of the hypoxia mimetic agent L-mimosine (L-MIM) and hypoxia on angiogenin in the dental pulp. METHODS: Human dental pulp-derived cells (DPC) were cultured in monolayer and spheroid cultures and treated with L-MIM or hypoxia. In addition, tooth slice organ cultures were applied to mimic the pulp-dentin complex...

BACKGROUND: Several studies have suggested investigation of health beliefs in children to be an important pre-condition for primary prevention of disease. However, little effort has been made to understand these in the context of podoconiosis. This study therefore aimed to explore the health beliefs of school-age rural children in podoconiosis-affected families. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A cross sectional qualitative study was conducted in March 2016 in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia...

The aim of the present study was to examine the possible role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of the dorsal hippocampus (CA1 regions), the medial prefrontal cortex or the basolateral amygdala in the effect of acute or sub-chronic stress on nicotine-induced conditioned place preference. Our results indicated that subcutaneous administration of nicotine (0.2 mg/kg) induced significant conditioned place preference. Exposure to acute or sub-chronic elevated platform stress potentiated the response of an ineffective dose of nicotine...

Purpose: Conditioning strategies constitute a relatively unexplored and exciting opportunity to shape tumor fate by targeting the tumor microenvironment. In this study we assessed how hemin, a pharmacological inducer of Heme Oxygenase-1 (HO-1), impacts upon prostate cancer (PCa) development in an in vivo conditioning model. <p>Experimental Design: The stroma of C57BL/6 mice was conditioned by subcutaneous administration of hemin prior to TRAMP-C1 tumor challenge. Complementary in vitro and in vivo assays were performed to evaluate hemin effect on both angiogenesis and the immune response...

BACKGROUND: This study examined a programme of pre-conditioning exercise with subsequent high intensity interval training (HIIT) on blood pressure, echocardiography, cardiac strain mechanics and maximal metabolic (MET) capacity in sedentary (SED) aging men compared with age matched masters athletes (LEX). METHODS: Using a STROBE compliant observational design, 39 aging male participants (SED; n=22, aged 62.7±5.2yrs) (LEX; n=17, aged=61.1±5.4yrs) were recruited to a study that necessitated three distinct assessment phases; enrolment (Phase A), following pre-conditioning exercise in SED (Phase B), then following 6weeks of HIIT performed once every five days by both groups before reassessment (Phase C)...

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are key mediators of ischemia-reperfusion injury but also required for the induction of the stress response that limits tissue injury and underlies the protection provided by ischemic-preconditioning protocols. Liver steatosis is an important risk factor for liver transplant failure. Liver steatosis is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and excessive mitochondrial ROS production. Studies aiming at decreasing the sensibility of the steatotic liver to ischemia-reperfusion injury using pre-conditioning protocols, have shown that the steatotic liver has a reduced capacity to respond to these protocols...

The understanding of the cell biological processes underlying development and regeneration of oral tissues leads to novel regenerative approaches. Over the past years, knowledge on key roles of the hypoxia-based response has become more profound. Based on these findings, novel regenerative approaches for dentistry are emerging, which target cellular oxygen sensors. These approaches include hypoxia pre-conditioning and pharmacologically simulated hypoxia. The increase in studies on hypoxia and hypoxia-based strategies in regenerative dentistry highlights the growing attention to hypoxia's role in regeneration and its underlying biology, as well as its application in a therapeutic setting...

Together, the Netherlands and Belgium are the largest indoor cannabis producing countries in Europe. In both countries, legal prosecution procedure of convicted illicit cannabis growers usually includes recovery of the profits gained. However, it is not easy to make a reliable estimation of the latter profits, due to the wide range of factors that determine indoor cannabis yields and eventual selling prices. In the Netherlands, since 2005, a reference model is used that assumes a constant yield (g) per plant for a given indoor cannabis plant density...

7,8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) is an abundant DNA lesion formed by oxidation of the nucleoside 2'-deoxyguanosine (2-dG) and one of the most studied and accepted oxidative stress biomarkers. 8-OHdG has a strong carcinogenic potential, and prolonged oxidative stress heightens pathological conditions and especially cancer risk. Our aim was to develop, validate and apply a reliable method to assess DNA oxidation in genomic cellular DNA of sensible target organs such as brain. A procedure to isolate and digest the DNA of brain tissue properly for further detection of 8-OHdG and 2-dG by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was optimized...

The exploitation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) for tracking and archiving the properties of structural construction components could be a potentially innovative disruption for the construction sector. This is because RFID can stimulate the reuse of construction components and reduce their wastage, hence addressing sustainability issues in the construction sector. To test the plausibility of that idea, this study explores the potential pre-conditions for RFID to facilitate construction components reuse, and develops a guidance for promoting their redistribution back to the supply chain...

Isoflurane, a volatile and inhalational anesthetic, has been extensively used in perioperative period for several decades. A large amount of experimental studies have indicated that isoflurane exhibits neuroprotective properties when it is administrated before or after (pre-conditioning and post-conditioning) neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., hypoxic ischemia, stroke and trauma). Multiple mechanisms are involved in isoflurane induced neuroprotection, including activation of glycine and γ-aminobutyric acid receptors, antagonism of ionic channels and alteration of the function and activity of other cellular proteins...