Search results for "Biome"
showing 10 items of 4164 documents
Comparative measurement of collagen bundle orientation by Fourier analysis and semiquantitative evaluation: reliability and agreement in Masson's tri…
2017
Summary Measurement of collagen bundle orientation in histopathological samples is a widely used and useful technique in many research and clinical scenarios. Fourier analysis is the preferred method for performing this measurement, but the most appropriate staining and microscopy technique remains unclear. Some authors advocate the use of Haematoxylin-Eosin (H&E) and confocal microscopy, but there are no studies comparing this technique with other classical collagen stainings. In our study, 46 human skin samples were collected, processed for histological analysis and stained with Masson's trichrome, Picrosirius red and H&E. Five microphotographs of the reticular dermis were taken with a 20…
Amorphous polyphosphate–hydroxyapatite: A morphogenetically active substrate for bone-related SaOS-2 cells in vitro
2015
There is increasing evidence that inorganic calcium-polyphosphates (polyP) are involved in human bone hydroxyapatite (HA) formation. Here we investigated the morphology of the particles, containing calcium phosphate (CaP) with different concentrations of various Na-polyP concentrations, as well as their effects in cell culture. We used both SaOS-2 cells and human mesenchymal stem cells. The polymeric phosphate readily binds calcium ions under formation of insoluble precipitates. We found that addition of low concentrations of polyP (10wt.%, referred to the CaP deposits) results in an increased size of the HA crystals. Surprisingly, at higher polyP concentrations (10wt.%) the formation of cr…
Wet Chemistry and Peptide Immobilization on Polytetrafluoroethylene for Improved Cell-adhesion
2016
Endowing materials surface with cell-adhesive properties is a common strategy in biomaterial research and tissue engineering. This is particularly interesting for already approved polymers that have a long standing use in medicine because these materials are well characterized and legal issues associated with the introduction of newly synthesized polymers may be avoided. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is one of the most frequently employed materials for the manufacturing of vascular grafts but the polymer lacks cell adhesion promoting features. Endothelialization, i.e., complete coverage of the grafts inner surface with a confluent layer of endothelial cells is regarded key to optimal perfo…
Parsimonious Scenario for the Emergence of Viroid-Like Replicons De Novo
2019
This article belongs to the Special Issue Viroid-2018: International Conference on Viroids and Viroid-Like RNAs. Viroids are small, non-coding, circular RNA molecules that infect plants. Different hypotheses for their evolutionary origin have been put forward, such as an early emergence in a precellular RNA World or several de novo independent evolutionary origins in plants. Here, we discuss the plausibility of de novo emergence of viroid-like replicons by giving theoretical support to the likelihood of different steps along a parsimonious evolutionary pathway. While Avsunviroidae-like structures are relatively easy to obtain through evolution of a population of random RNA sequences of fixe…
Microbiome restoration diet improves digestion, cognition and physical and emotional wellbeing
2017
Manipulating gut bacteria in the microbiome, through the use of probiotics and prebiotics, has been found to have an influence on both physical and emotional wellbeing. This study uses a dietary manipulation 'The Gut Makeover' designed to elicit positive changes to the gut bacteria within the microbiome. 21 healthy participants undertook 'The Gut Makeover' for a four week period. Weight and various aspects of health were assessed pre and post intervention using the Functional Medicine Medical Symptoms Questionnaire (MSQ). Paired sample t-tests revealed a significant reduction in self-reported weight at the end of the intervention. Adverse medical symptoms related to digestion, cognition and…
Evidence that the endometrial microbiota has an effect on implantation success or failure
2016
Background Bacterial cells in the human body account for 1–3% of total body weight and are at least equal in number to human cells. Recent research has focused on understanding how the different bacterial communities in the body (eg, gut, respiratory, skin, and vaginal microbiomes) predispose to health and disease. The microbiota of the reproductive tract has been inferred from the vaginal bacterial communities, and the uterus has been classically considered a sterile cavity. However, while the vaginal microbiota has been investigated in depth, there is a paucity of consistent data regarding the existence of an endometrial microbiota and its possible impact in reproductive function. Objecti…
Release of copper-amended particles from micronized copper-pressure-treated wood during mechanical abrasion
2016
Background We investigated the particles released due to abrasion of wood surfaces pressure-treated with micronized copper azole (MCA) wood preservative and we gathered preliminary data on its in vitro cytotoxicity for lung cells. The data were compared with particles released after abrasion of untreated, water (0% MCA)-pressure-treated, chromated copper (CC)-pressure-treated wood, and varnished wood. Size, morphology, and composition of the released particles were analyzed. Results Our results indicate that the abrasion of MCA-pressure-treated wood does not cause an additional release of nanoparticles from the unreacted copper (Cu) carbonate nanoparticles from of the MCA formulation. Howev…
The expression and prognostic relevance of programmed cell death protein 1 in tongue squamous cell carcinoma
2020
Background Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD‐1) is an immune checkpoint receptor which plays an important role in a patient´s immune responses to microbial and cancer antigens. It is expressed in tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) with many different malignancies. The aim of the study was to evaluate PD‐1 expression and its prognostic value in tongue cancer. Methods The data of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) patients (N=81) treated in Tampere University Hospital between 1999‐2013 was used. Control data consisted of patients with non‐malignant tongue mucous membrane lesions (N=48). The formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded samples were stained immunohistochemically and scanned via dig…
Protease‐activated receptor signaling in intestinal permeability regulation
2019
Protease-activated receptors (PARs) are a unique class of G-protein-coupled transmembrane receptors, which revolutionized the perception of proteases from degradative enzymes to context-specific signaling factors. Although PARs are traditionally known to affect several vascular responses, recent investigations have started to pinpoint the functional role of PAR signaling in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This organ is exposed to the highest number of proteases, either from the gut lumen or from the mucosa. Luminal proteases include the host's digestive enzymes and the proteases released by the commensal microbiota, while mucosal proteases entail extravascular clotting factors and the enzy…
Under control: how a dietary additive can restore the gut microbiome and proteomic profile, and improve disease resilience in a marine teleostean fis…
2017
[Background]: The constant increase of aquaculture production and wealthy seafood consumption has forced the industry to explore alternative and more sustainable raw aquafeed materials, and plant ingredients have been used to replace marine feedstuffs in many farmed fish. The objective of the present study was to assess whether plant-based diets can induce changes in the intestinal mucus proteome, gut autochthonous microbiota and disease susceptibility of fish, and whether these changes could be reversed by the addition of sodium butyrate to the diets. Three different trials were performed using the teleostean gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) as model. In a first preliminary short-term tr…