Trends in Tissue Engineering for Blood Vessels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Judee Grace Nemeno-Guanzon

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Over the years, cardiovascular diseases continue to increase and affect not only human health but also the economic stability worldwide. The advancement in tissue engineering is contributing a lot in dealing with this immediate need of alleviating human health. Blood vessel diseases are considered as major cardiovascular health problems. Although blood vessel transplantation is the most convenient treatment, it has been delimited due to scarcity of donors and the patient’s conditions. However, tissue-engineered blood vessels are promising alternatives as mode of treatment for blood vessel defects. The purpose of this paper is to show the importance of the advancement on biofabrication technology for treatment of soft tissue defects particularly for vascular tissues. This will also provide an overview and update on the current status of tissue reconstruction especially from autologous stem cells, scaffolds, and scaffold-free cellular transplantable constructs. The discussion of this paper will be focused on the historical view of cardiovascular tissue engineering and stem cell biology. The representative studies featured in this paper are limited within the last decade in order to trace the trend and evolution of techniques for blood vessel tissue engineering.

Why are tumour blood vessels abnormal and why is it important to know?

Science.gov (United States)

Nagy, J A; Chang, S-H; Dvorak, A M; Dvorak, H F

2009-01-01

Tumour blood vessels differ from their normal counterparts for reasons that have received little attention. We report here that they are of at least six distinct types, we describe how each forms, and, looking forward, encourage the targeting of tumour vessel subsets that have lost their vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) dependency and so are likely unresponsive to anti-VEGF-A therapies. PMID:19240721

Distinct bone marrow blood vessels differentially regulate haematopoiesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Itkin, Tomer; Gur-Cohen, Shiri; Spencer, Joel A; Schajnovitz, Amir; Ramasamy, Saravana K; Kusumbe, Anjali P; Ledergor, Guy; Jung, Yookyung; Milo, Idan; Poulos, Michael G; Kalinkovich, Alexander; Ludin, Aya; Kollet, Orit; Shakhar, Guy; Butler, Jason M; Rafii, Shahin; Adams, Ralf H; Scadden, David T; Lin, Charles P; Lapidot, Tsvee

2016-04-21

Bone marrow endothelial cells (BMECs) form a network of blood vessels that regulate both leukocyte trafficking and haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) maintenance. However, it is not clear how BMECs balance these dual roles, and whether these events occur at the same vascular site. We found that mammalian bone marrow stem cell maintenance and leukocyte trafficking are regulated by distinct blood vessel types with different permeability properties. Less permeable arterial blood vessels maintain haematopoietic stem cells in a low reactive oxygen species (ROS) state, whereas the more permeable sinusoids promote HSPC activation and are the exclusive site for immature and mature leukocyte trafficking to and from the bone marrow. A functional consequence of high permeability of blood vessels is that exposure to blood plasma increases bone marrow HSPC ROS levels, augmenting their migration and differentiation, while compromising their long-term repopulation and survival. These findings may have relevance for clinical haematopoietic stem cell transplantation and mobilization protocols.

Automatic segmentation of blood vessels from retinal fundus images ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The retinal blood vessels were segmented through color space conversion and color channel .... Retinal blood vessel segmentation was also attempted through multi-scale operators. A few works in this ... fundus camera at 35 degrees field of view. The image ... vessel segmentation is available from two human observers.

Analysis of trends and prospects regarding stents for human blood vessels.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jeong Hee; Kim, Eung Do; Jun, Eun Jung; Yoo, Hyoung Sun; Lee, Joon Woo

2018-01-01

to supplement and complement the primary research. Interviews were conducted with physicians and surgeons from the key hospitals and senior sale/marketing managers from stent product suppliers in South Korea. The global stent market is estimated at US $ 7.98 billion in 2016 and is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 3.8% over the next 5 years. As of 2016, the global market for vascular stents is estimated at $ 7.22 billion, with coronary artery stents accounting for 67.3% of the vascular stent market. Among the coronary artery stents, BRS is notably expected to grow at an annual average rate of 8.8% by 2020, but the global adoption rate of BRS remains low at present. In the Korean market, stents for blood vessels account for most of the market, and the market size of stents for blood vessels in Korea was estimated to be 145 billion won as of 2016. In comparison to the sales growth rate of other medical devices, the future stent technology market is judged to be higher in growth potential.

Recovery of testicular blood flow following ligation of testicular vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pascual, J.A.; Villanueva-Meyer, J.; Salido, E.; Ehrlich, R.M.; Mena, I.; Rajfer, J.

1989-01-01

To determine whether initial ligation of the testicular vessels of the high undescended testis followed by a delayed secondary orchiopexy is a viable alternative to the classical Fowler-Stephens procedure, a series of preliminary experiments were conducted in the rat in which testicular blood flow was measured by the 133-xenon washout technique before, and 1 hour and 30 days after ligation of the vessels. In addition, testicular histology, and testis and sex-accessory tissue weights were measured in 6 control, 6 sham operated and 6 testicular vessel ligated rats 54 days after vessel ligation. The data demonstrate that ligation and division of the testicular blood vessels produce an 80 per cent decrease in testicular blood flow 1 hour after ligation of the vessels. However, 30 days later testis blood flow returns to the control and pre-treatment value. There were no significant changes in testis or sex-accessory tissue weights 54 days after vessel ligation. Histologically, 4 of the surgically operated testes demonstrated necrosis of less than 25 per cent of the seminiferous tubules while 1 testis demonstrated more than 75 per cent necrosis. The rest of the tubules in all 6 testes demonstrated normal spermatogenesis. From this study we conclude that initial testicular vessel ligation produces an immediate decrease in testicular blood flow but with time the collateral vessels are able to compensate and return the testis blood flow to its normal pre-treatment value. These preliminary observations lend support for the concept that initial ligation of the testicular vessels followed by a delayed secondary orchiopexy in patients with a high undescended testis may be a possible alternative to the classical Fowler-Stephens approach

Dissociation between vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 and blood vessel density in the caudate nucleus after chronic hydrocephalus.

Science.gov (United States)

Deshpande, Abhishek; Dombrowski, Stephen M; Leichliter, Anna; Krajcir, Natalie; Zingales, Nicholas; Inoue, Masahiro; Schenk, Soren; Fukamachi, Kiyotaka; Luciano, Mark G

2009-11-01

Chronic hydrocephalus (CH) is characterized by the presence of ventricular enlargement, decreased cerebral blood flow (CBF), and brain tissue oxygen delivery. Although the underlying pathophysiological role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is not clear, ischemic-hypoxic events in CH are known to trigger its release. Previously, we have shown increased VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) and blood vessel density (BVd) in the hippocampus after CH. We investigated changes in neuronal and glial VEGFR-2 density and BVd in the caudate nucleus in an experimental model of CH. Animals with CH were divided into short term (ST, 2 to 4 weeks) and long term (LT, 12 to 16 weeks) and were compared with surgical controls (SCs, 12 to 16 weeks). The cellular and BVds were estimated using immunohistochemical and stereological counting methods. Overall, percentage (%)VEGFR-2 neurons were approximately two times greater in CH (ST, LT) than in SC. By comparison, glial cell %VEGFR-2 was greater by 10% to 17% in ST and 4% to 11% lower in LT compared with that in SC. Blood vessel density was significantly lower in CH than in SC in the superficial caudate. Changes in cerebrospinal fluid ventricular volume and pressure, as well as in CBF did not correlate with either VEGFR-2 or BVd. These observed findings suggest that destructive forces may outweigh angiogenic forces and possibly show a disassociation between VEGFR-2 and BV expressions.

Application of morphological bit planes in retinal blood vessel extraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Fraz, M M; Basit, A; Barman, S A

2013-04-01

The appearance of the retinal blood vessels is an important diagnostic indicator of various clinical disorders of the eye and the body. Retinal blood vessels have been shown to provide evidence in terms of change in diameter, branching angles, or tortuosity, as a result of ophthalmic disease. This paper reports the development for an automated method for segmentation of blood vessels in retinal images. A unique combination of methods for retinal blood vessel skeleton detection and multidirectional morphological bit plane slicing is presented to extract the blood vessels from the color retinal images. The skeleton of main vessels is extracted by the application of directional differential operators and then evaluation of combination of derivative signs and average derivative values. Mathematical morphology has been materialized as a proficient technique for quantifying the retinal vasculature in ocular fundus images. A multidirectional top-hat operator with rotating structuring elements is used to emphasize the vessels in a particular direction, and information is extracted using bit plane slicing. An iterative region growing method is applied to integrate the main skeleton and the images resulting from bit plane slicing of vessel direction-dependent morphological filters. The approach is tested on two publicly available databases DRIVE and STARE. Average accuracy achieved by the proposed method is 0.9423 for both the databases with significant values of sensitivity and specificity also; the algorithm outperforms the second human observer in terms of precision of segmented vessel tree.

Fluid and mass transport in a single lymphatic blood vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bestman, A.R.

1987-08-01

The problem considers the single blood vessel model in pulmonary circulation in the presence of gravitation and mass transfer. The tissue surrounding the blood vessel is modelled as a permeable medium distinct from the blood vessel which is a normal free space. On the assumption that the mass concentration varies slowly at the interface between the blood vessel and the tissue, the problem is tackled by asymptotic approximation. A crucial point of the analysis is the dependence of the flow variables on the permeability K of the tissue in a completely arbitrary manner. A primary conjecture of the study is the intimacy of the pathological pulmonary edema and the parameter K. (author). 4 refs

Margination of Stiffened Red Blood Cells Regulated By Vessel Geometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yuanyuan; Li, Donghai; Li, Yongjian; Wan, Jiandi; Li, Jiang; Chen, Haosheng

2017-11-10

Margination of stiffened red blood cells has been implicated in many vascular diseases. Here, we report the margination of stiffened RBCs in vivo, and reveal the crucial role of the vessel geometry in the margination by calculations when the blood is seen as viscoelastic fluid. The vessel-geometry-regulated margination is then confirmed by in vitro experiments in microfluidic devices, and it establishes new insights to cell sorting technology and artificial blood vessel fabrication.

Immersive volume rendering of blood vessels

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Gregory; Kim, Han Suk; Marsden, Alison; Bazilevs, Yuri; Schulze, Jürgen P.

2012-03-01

In this paper, we present a novel method of visualizing flow in blood vessels. Our approach reads unstructured tetrahedral data, resamples it, and uses slice based 3D texture volume rendering. Due to the sparse structure of blood vessels, we utilize an octree to efficiently store the resampled data by discarding empty regions of the volume. We use animation to convey time series data, wireframe surface to give structure, and utilize the StarCAVE, a 3D virtual reality environment, to add a fully immersive element to the visualization. Our tool has great value in interdisciplinary work, helping scientists collaborate with clinicians, by improving the understanding of blood flow simulations. Full immersion in the flow field allows for a more intuitive understanding of the flow phenomena, and can be a great help to medical experts for treatment planning.

Interstitial Cells of Blood Vessels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimír Pucovský

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Blood vessels are made up of several distinct cell types. Although it was originally thought that the tunica media of blood vessels was composed of a homogeneous population of fully differentiated smooth muscle cells, more recent data suggest the existence of multiple smooth muscle cell subpopulations in the vascular wall. One of the cell types contributing to this heterogeneity is the novel, irregularly shaped, noncontractile cell with thin processes, termed interstitial cell, found in the tunica media of both veins and arteries. While the principal role of interstitial cells in veins seems to be pacemaking, the role of arterial interstitial cells is less clear. This review summarises the knowledge of the functional and structural properties of vascular interstitial cells accumulated so far, offers hypotheses on their physiological role, and proposes directions for future research.

Depiction of blood vessels by x-ray phase contrast

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Momose, Atsushi [School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan); Takeda, Tohoru; Itai, Yuji [Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan)

2001-04-01

Blood vessels in livers of a mouse and a rat were depicted by phase-contrast x-ray imaging with an x-ray interferometer without using contrast agents. X-ray interference patterns were converted to image mapping x-ray phase shift caused by the livers using the technique of phase-shifting x-ray interferometry. The arteries and veins to and from the livers were tied before excision in order to prevent blood from flowing out of the liver. The x-ray phase shift caused by blood was substantially different from that caused by other soft sues, and consequently trees of blood vessels were revealed in the images. Vessels of diameter smaller than 0.1 mm were detected. This result suggests new possibilities for investigating vascular systems. (author)

“Data characterizing microfabricated human blood vessels created via hydrodynamic focusing”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyle A. DiVito

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This data article provides further detailed information related to our research article titled “Microfabricated Blood Vessels Undergo Neovascularization” (DiVito et al., 2017 [1], in which we report fabrication of human blood vessels using hydrodynamic focusing (HDF. Hydrodynamic focusing with advection inducing chevrons were used in concert to encase one fluid stream within another, shaping the inner core fluid into ‘bullseye-like” cross-sections that were preserved through click photochemistry producing streams of cellularized hollow 3-dimensional assemblies, such as human blood vessels (Daniele et al., 2015a, 2015b, 2014, 2016; Roberts et al., 2016 [2–6]. Applications for fabricated blood vessels span general tissue engineering to organ-on-chip technologies, with specific utility in in vitro drug delivery and pharmacodynamics studies. Here, we report data regarding the construction of blood vessels including cellular composition and cell positioning within the engineered vascular construct as well as functional aspects of the tissues.

Acrolein generation stimulates hypercontraction in isolated human blood vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conklin, D.J.; Bhatnagar, A.; Cowley, H.R.; Johnson, G.H.; Wiechmann, R.J.; Sayre, L.M.; Trent, M.B.; Boor, P.J.

2006-01-01

Increased risk of vasospasm, a spontaneous hyperconstriction, is associated with atherosclerosis, cigarette smoking, and hypertension-all conditions involving oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and inflammation. To test the role of the lipid peroxidation- and inflammation-derived aldehyde, acrolein, in human vasospasm, we developed an ex vivo model using human coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) blood vessels and a demonstrated acrolein precursor, allylamine. Allylamine induces hypercontraction in isolated rat coronary artery in a semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase activity (SSAO) dependent manner. Isolated human CABG blood vessels (internal mammary artery, radial artery, saphenous vein) were used to determine: (1) vessel responses and sensitivity to acrolein, allylamine, and H 2 O 2 exposure (1 μM-1 mM), (2) SSAO dependence of allylamine-induced effects using SSAO inhibitors (semicarbazide, 1 mM; MDL 72274-E, active isomer; MDL 72274-Z, inactive isomer; 100 μM), (3) the vasoactive effects of two other SSAO amine substrates, benzylamine and methylamine, and (4) the contribution of extracellular Ca 2+ to hypercontraction. Acrolein or allylamine but not H 2 O 2 , benzylamine, or methylamine stimulated spontaneous and pharmacologically intractable hypercontraction in CABG blood vessels that was similar to clinical vasospasm. Allylamine-induced hypercontraction and blood vessel SSAO activity were abolished by pretreatment with semicarbazide or MDL 72274-E but not by MDL 72274-Z. Allylamine-induced hypercontraction also was significantly attenuated in Ca 2+ -free buffer. In isolated aorta of spontaneously hypertensive rat, allylamine-induced an SSAO-dependent contraction and enhanced norepinephrine sensitivity but not in Sprague-Dawley rat aorta. We conclude that acrolein generation in the blood vessel wall increases human susceptibility to vasospasm, an event that is enhanced in hypertension

Captopril improves tumor nanomedicine delivery by increasing tumor blood perfusion and enlarging endothelial gaps in tumor blood vessels.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Bo; Jiang, Ting; Tuo, Yanyan; Jin, Kai; Luo, Zimiao; Shi, Wei; Mei, Heng; Hu, Yu; Pang, Zhiqing; Jiang, Xinguo

2017-12-01

Poor tumor perfusion and unfavorable vessel permeability compromise nanomedicine drug delivery to tumors. Captopril dilates blood vessels, reducing blood pressure clinically and bradykinin, as the downstream signaling moiety of captopril, is capable of dilating blood vessels and effectively increasing vessel permeability. The hypothesis behind this study was that captopril can dilate tumor blood vessels, improving tumor perfusion and simultaneously enlarge the endothelial gaps of tumor vessels, therefore enhancing nanomedicine drug delivery for tumor therapy. Using the U87 tumor xenograft with abundant blood vessels as the tumor model, tumor perfusion experiments were carried out using laser Doppler imaging and lectin-labeling experiments. A single treatment of captopril at a dose of 100 mg/kg significantly increased the percentage of functional vessels in tumor tissues and improved tumor blood perfusion. Scanning electron microscopy of tumor vessels also indicated that the endothelial gaps of tumor vessels were enlarged after captopril treatment. Immunofluorescence-staining of tumor slices demonstrated that captopril significantly increased bradykinin expression, possibly explaining tumor perfusion improvements and endothelial gap enlargement. Additionally, imaging in vivo, imaging ex vivo and nanoparticle distribution in tumor slices indicated that after a single treatment with captopril, the accumulation of 115-nm nanoparticles in tumors had increased 2.81-fold with a more homogeneous distribution pattern in comparison to non-captopril treated controls. Finally, pharmacodynamics experiments demonstrated that captopril combined with paclitaxel-loaded nanoparticles resulted in the greatest tumor shrinkage and the most extensive necrosis in tumor tissues among all treatment groups. Taken together, the data from the present study suggest a novel strategy for improving tumor perfusion and enlarging blood vessel permeability simultaneously in order to improve

Blood Vessels in Allotransplantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Abrahimi, P; Liu, R; Pober, J S

2015-07-01

Human vascularized allografts are perfused through blood vessels composed of cells (endothelium, pericytes, and smooth muscle cells) that remain largely of graft origin and are thus subject to host alloimmune responses. Graft vessels must be healthy to maintain homeostatic functions including control of perfusion, maintenance of permselectivity, prevention of thrombosis, and participation in immune surveillance. Vascular cell injury can cause dysfunction that interferes with these processes. Graft vascular cells can be activated by mediators of innate and adaptive immunity to participate in graft inflammation contributing to both ischemia/reperfusion injury and allograft rejection. Different forms of rejection may affect graft vessels in different ways, ranging from thrombosis and neutrophilic inflammation in hyperacute rejection, to endothelialitis/intimal arteritis and fibrinoid necrosis in acute cell-mediated or antibody-mediated rejection, respectively, and to diffuse luminal stenosis in chronic rejection. While some current therapies targeting the host immune system do affect graft vascular cells, direct targeting of the graft vasculature may create new opportunities for preventing allograft injury and loss. © Copyright 2015 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

Predictive simulation of bidirectional Glenn shunt using a hybrid blood vessel model.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hao; Leow, Wee Kheng; Chiu, Ing-Sh

2009-01-01

This paper proposes a method for performing predictive simulation of cardiac surgery. It applies a hybrid approach to model the deformation of blood vessels. The hybrid blood vessel model consists of a reference Cosserat rod and a surface mesh. The reference Cosserat rod models the blood vessel's global bending, stretching, twisting and shearing in a physically correct manner, and the surface mesh models the surface details of the blood vessel. In this way, the deformation of blood vessels can be computed efficiently and accurately. Our predictive simulation system can produce complex surgical results given a small amount of user inputs. It allows the surgeon to easily explore various surgical options and evaluate them. Tests of the system using bidirectional Glenn shunt (BDG) as an application example show that the results produc by the system are similar to real surgical results.

Three-dimensional imaging of absolute blood flow velocity and blood vessel position under low blood flow velocity based on Doppler signal information included in scattered light from red blood cells

Science.gov (United States)

Kyoden, Tomoaki; Akiguchi, Shunsuke; Tajiri, Tomoki; Andoh, Tsugunobu; Hachiga, Tadashi

2017-11-01

The development of a system for in vivo visualization of occluded distal blood vessels for diabetic patients is the main target of our research. We herein describe two-beam multipoint laser Doppler velocimetry (MLDV), which measures the instantaneous multipoint flow velocity and can be used to observe the blood flow velocity in peripheral blood vessels. By including a motorized stage to shift the measurement points horizontally and in the depth direction while measuring the velocity, the path of the blood vessel in the skin could be observed using blood flow velocity in three-dimensional space. The relationship of the signal power density between the blood vessel and the surrounding tissues was shown and helped us identify the position of the blood vessel. Two-beam MLDV can be used to simultaneously determine the absolute blood flow velocity distribution and identify the blood vessel position in skin.

Laparoscopic prototype for optical sealing of renal blood vessels

Science.gov (United States)

Hardy, Luke A.; Hutchens, Thomas C.; Larson, Eric R.; Gonzalez, David A.; Chang, Chun-Hung; Nau, William H.; Fried, Nathaniel M.

2017-02-01

Energy-based, radiofrequency and ultrasonic devices provide rapid sealing of blood vessels during laparoscopic procedures. We are exploring infrared lasers as an alternative for vessel sealing with less collateral thermal damage. Previous studies demonstrated vessel sealing in an in vivo porcine model using a 1470-nm laser. However, the initial prototype was designed for open surgery and featured tissue clasping and light delivery mechanisms incompatible with laparoscopic surgery. In this study, a laparoscopic prototype similar to devices in surgical use was developed, and tests were conducted on porcine renal blood vessels. The 5-mm-OD prototype featured a traditional Maryland jaw configuration. Laser energy was delivered through a 550-μm-core fiber and side-delivery from the lower jaw, with beam dimensions of 18-mm-length x 1.2-mm-width. The 1470-nm diode laser delivered 68 W with 3 s activation time. A total of 69 porcine renal vessels with mean diameter of 3.3 +/- 1.7 mm were tested, ex vivo. Vessels smaller than 5 mm were consistently sealed (48/51) with burst pressures greater than malignant hypertension blood pressure (180 mmHg), averaging 1038 +/- 474 mmHg. Vessels larger than 5 mm were not consistently sealed (6/18), yielding burst pressures of only 174 +/- 221 mmHg. Seal width, thermal damage zone, and thermal spread averaged 1.7 +/- 0.8, 3.4 +/- 0.7, and 1.0 +/- 0.4 mm. A novel optical laparoscopic prototype with 5-mm- OD shaft integrated within a standard Maryland jaw design consistently sealed vessels less than 5 mm with minimal thermal spread. Further in vivo studies are planned to test performance across a variety of vessels and tissues.

Vessel Sampling and Blood Flow Velocity Distribution With Vessel Diameter for Characterizing the Human Bulbar Conjunctival Microvasculature.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Liang; Yuan, Jin; Jiang, Hong; Yan, Wentao; Cintrón-Colón, Hector R; Perez, Victor L; DeBuc, Delia C; Feuer, William J; Wang, Jianhua

2016-03-01

This study determined (1) how many vessels (i.e., the vessel sampling) are needed to reliably characterize the bulbar conjunctival microvasculature and (2) if characteristic information can be obtained from the distribution histogram of the blood flow velocity and vessel diameter. Functional slitlamp biomicroscope was used to image hundreds of venules per subject. The bulbar conjunctiva in five healthy human subjects was imaged on six different locations in the temporal bulbar conjunctiva. The histograms of the diameter and velocity were plotted to examine whether the distribution was normal. Standard errors were calculated from the standard deviation and vessel sample size. The ratio of the standard error of the mean over the population mean was used to determine the sample size cutoff. The velocity was plotted as a function of the vessel diameter to display the distribution of the diameter and velocity. The results showed that the sampling size was approximately 15 vessels, which generated a standard error equivalent to 15% of the population mean from the total vessel population. The distributions of the diameter and velocity were not only unimodal, but also somewhat positively skewed and not normal. The blood flow velocity was related to the vessel diameter (r=0.23, Psampling size of the vessels and the distribution histogram of the blood flow velocity and vessel diameter, which may lead to a better understanding of the human microvascular system of the bulbar conjunctiva.

Heritability of retinal vessel diameters and blood pressure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Taarnhøj, Nina C B B; Larsen, Michael; Sander, Birgit

2006-01-01

PURPOSE: To assess the relative influence of genetic and environmental effects on retinal vessel diameters and blood pressure in healthy adults, as well as the possible genetic connection between these two characteristics. METHODS: In 55 monozygotic and 50 dizygotic same-sex healthy twin pairs......%-80%) for CRAE, 83% (95% CI: 73%-89%) for CRVE, and 61% (95% CI: 44%-73%) for mean arterial blood pressure (MABP). Retinal artery diameter decreased with increasing age and increasing arterial blood pressure. Mean vessel diameters in the population were 165.8 +/- 14.9 microm for CRAE, 246.2 +/- 17.7 microm...... for CRVE, and 0.67 +/- 0.05 microm for AVR. No significant influence on artery or vein diameters was found for gender, smoking, body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, or 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test values. CONCLUSIONS: In healthy young adults with normal blood pressure...

Improvement of retinal blood vessel detection by spur removal and Gaussian matched filtering compensation

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Di; Vignarajan, Janardhan; An, Dong; Tay-Kearney, Mei-Ling; Kanagasingam, Yogi

2016-03-01

Retinal photography is a non-invasive and well-accepted clinical diagnosis of ocular diseases. Qualitative and quantitative assessment of retinal images is crucial in ocular diseases related clinical application. In this paper, we proposed approaches for improving the quality of blood vessel detection based on our initial blood vessel detection methods. A blood vessel spur pruning method has been developed for removing the blood vessel spurs both on vessel medial lines and binary vessel masks, which are caused by artifacts and side-effect of Gaussian matched vessel enhancement. A Gaussian matched filtering compensation method has been developed for removing incorrect vessel branches in the areas of low illumination. The proposed approaches were applied and tested on the color fundus images from one publicly available database and our diabetic retinopathy screening dataset. A preliminary result has demonstrated the robustness and good performance of the proposed approaches and their potential application for improving retinal blood vessel detection.

Fibre optic confocal imaging (FOCI) of keratinocytes, blood vessels and nerves in hairless mouse skin in vivo

Science.gov (United States)

BUSSAU, L. J.; VO, L. T.; DELANEY, P. M.; PAPWORTH, G. D.; BARKLA, D. H.; KING, R. G.

1998-01-01

Fibre optic confocal imaging (FOCI) enabled subsurface fluorescence microscopy of the skin of hairless mice in vivo. Application of acridine orange enabled imaging of the layers of the epidermis. The corneocytes of the stratum corneum, the keratinocytes in the basal layers and redundant hair follicles were visualised at depths greater than 100 μm. Cellular and nuclear membranes of keratinocytes of the skin were visualised by the use of acridine orange and DIOC5(3). Imaging of the skin after injection of FITC-dextran revealed an extensive network of blood vessels with a size range up to 20 μm. Blood cells could be seen moving through dermal vessels and the blood circulation through the dermal vascular bed was video-taped. The fluorescent dye 4-di-2-ASP showed the presence of nerves fibres around the hair follicles and subsurface blood vessels. Comparison was made between images obtained in vivo using FOCI and in vitro scanning electron microscopy and conventional histology. FOCI offers the potential to study dynamic events in vivo, such as blood flow, skin growth, nerve regeneration and many pathological processes, in ways which have not previously been possible. PMID:9643419

HIFU procedures at moderate intensities-effect of large blood vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hariharan, P; Myers, M R; Banerjee, R K

2007-01-01

A three-dimensional computational model is presented for studying the efficacy of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) procedures targeted near large blood vessels. The analysis applies to procedures performed at intensities below the threshold for cavitation, boiling and highly nonlinear propagation, but high enough to increase tissue temperature a few degrees per second. The model is based upon the linearized KZK equation and the bioheat equation in tissue. In the blood vessel the momentum and energy equations are satisfied. The model is first validated in a tissue phantom, to verify the absence of bubble formation and nonlinear effects. Temperature rise and lesion-volume calculations are then shown for different beam locations and orientations relative to a large vessel. Both single and multiple ablations are considered. Results show that when the vessel is located within about a beam width (few mm) of the ultrasound beam, significant reduction in lesion volume is observed due to blood flow. However, for gaps larger than a beam width, blood flow has no major effect on the lesion formation. Under the clinically representative conditions considered, the lesion volume is reduced about 40% (relative to the no-flow case) when the beam is parallel to the blood vessel, compared to about 20% for a perpendicular orientation. Procedures involving multiple ablation sites are affected less by blood flow than single ablations. The model also suggests that optimally focused transducers can generate lesions that are significantly larger (>2 times) than the ones produced by highly focused beams

HIFU procedures at moderate intensities-effect of large blood vessels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hariharan, P [Mechanical, Industrial, and Nuclear Engineering Department, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH (United States); Myers, M R [Division of Solid and Fluid Mechanics, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, US Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Building 62, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002 (United States); Banerjee, R K [Mechanical, Industrial, and Nuclear Engineering Department, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH (United States)

2007-07-21

A three-dimensional computational model is presented for studying the efficacy of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) procedures targeted near large blood vessels. The analysis applies to procedures performed at intensities below the threshold for cavitation, boiling and highly nonlinear propagation, but high enough to increase tissue temperature a few degrees per second. The model is based upon the linearized KZK equation and the bioheat equation in tissue. In the blood vessel the momentum and energy equations are satisfied. The model is first validated in a tissue phantom, to verify the absence of bubble formation and nonlinear effects. Temperature rise and lesion-volume calculations are then shown for different beam locations and orientations relative to a large vessel. Both single and multiple ablations are considered. Results show that when the vessel is located within about a beam width (few mm) of the ultrasound beam, significant reduction in lesion volume is observed due to blood flow. However, for gaps larger than a beam width, blood flow has no major effect on the lesion formation. Under the clinically representative conditions considered, the lesion volume is reduced about 40% (relative to the no-flow case) when the beam is parallel to the blood vessel, compared to about 20% for a perpendicular orientation. Procedures involving multiple ablation sites are affected less by blood flow than single ablations. The model also suggests that optimally focused transducers can generate lesions that are significantly larger (>2 times) than the ones produced by highly focused beams.

THE ALGORITHM OF DETERMINATION OF EYE FUNDUS VESSELS BLOOD FLOW CHARACTERISTICS ON VIDEOSEQUENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. V. Nedzvedz

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The method of determination of the dynamic characteristics like the vessel diameter change, the linear and volume blood velocities in the vessels of the eye fundus is considered. Such characteristics allow to determine blood flow changes in the microvasculature affecting the blood flow in the brain, kidneys and coronary vessels. Developed algorithm includes four stages: the video sequence stabilization, the vessels segmentation with the help of a neural network, the determination of the instantaneous velocity in the vessels based on the optical flow and the analysis of the results.

A Strategy for Rapid Construction of Blood Vessel-Like Structures with Complex Cell Alignments.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Nuoxin; Peng, Yunhu; Zheng, Wenfu; Tang, Lixue; Cheng, Shiyu; Yang, Junchuan; Liu, Shaoqin; Zhang, Wei; Jiang, Xingyu

2018-04-17

A method is developed that can rapidly produce blood vessel-like structures by bonding cell-laden electrospinning (ES) films layer by layer using fibrin glue within 90 min. This strategy allows control of cell type, cell orientation, and material composition in separate layers. Furthermore, ES films with thicker fibers (polylactic-co-glycolic acid, fiber diameter: ≈3.7 µm) are used as cell-seeding layers to facilitate the cell in-growth; those with thinner fibers (polylactic acid, fiber diameter: ≈1.8 µm) are used as outer reinforcing layers to improve the mechanical strength and reduce the liquid leakage of the scaffold. Cells grow, proliferate, and migrate well in the multilayered structure. This design aims at a new type of blood vessel substitute with flexible control of parameters and implementation of functions. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

New algorithm for detecting smaller retinal blood vessels in fundus images

Science.gov (United States)

LeAnder, Robert; Bidari, Praveen I.; Mohammed, Tauseef A.; Das, Moumita; Umbaugh, Scott E.

2010-03-01

About 4.1 million Americans suffer from diabetic retinopathy. To help automatically diagnose various stages of the disease, a new blood-vessel-segmentation algorithm based on spatial high-pass filtering was developed to automatically segment blood vessels, including the smaller ones, with low noise. Methods: Image database: Forty, 584 x 565-pixel images were collected from the DRIVE image database. Preprocessing: Green-band extraction was used to obtain better contrast, which facilitated better visualization of retinal blood vessels. A spatial highpass filter of mask-size 11 was applied. A histogram stretch was performed to enhance contrast. A median filter was applied to mitigate noise. At this point, the gray-scale image was converted to a binary image using a binary thresholding operation. Then, a NOT operation was performed by gray-level value inversion between 0 and 255. Postprocessing: The resulting image was AND-ed with its corresponding ring mask to remove the outer-ring (lens-edge) artifact. At this point, the above algorithm steps had extracted most of the major and minor vessels, with some intersections and bifurcations missing. Vessel segments were reintegrated using the Hough transform. Results: After applying the Hough transform, both the average peak SNR and the RMS error improved by 10%. Pratt's Figure of Merit (PFM) was decreased by 6%. Those averages were better than [1] by 10-30%. Conclusions: The new algorithm successfully preserved the details of smaller blood vessels and should prove successful as a segmentation step for automatically identifying diseases that affect retinal blood vessels.

Delayed astrocytic contact with cerebral blood vessels in FGF-2 deficient mice does not compromise permeability properties at the developing blood-brain barrier.

Science.gov (United States)

Saunders, Norman R; Dziegielewska, Katarzyna M; Unsicker, Klaus; Ek, C Joakim

2016-11-01

The brain functions within a specialized environment tightly controlled by brain barrier mechanisms. Understanding the regulation of barrier formation is important for understanding brain development and may also lead to finding new ways to deliver pharmacotherapies to the brain; access of many potentially promising drugs is severely hindered by these barrier mechanisms. The cellular composition of the neurovascular unit of the blood-brain barrier proper and their effects on regulation of its function are beginning to be understood. One hallmark of the neurovascular unit in the adult is the astroglial foot processes that tightly surround cerebral blood vessels. However their role in barrier formation is still unclear. In this study we examined barrier function in newborn, juvenile and adult mice lacking fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), which has been shown to result in altered astroglial differentiation during development. We show that during development of FGF-2 deficient mice the astroglial contacts with cerebral blood vessels are delayed compared with wild-type animals. However, this delay did not result in changes to the permeability properties of the blood brain barrier as assessed by exclusion of either small or larger sized molecules at this interface. In addition cerebral vessels were positive for tight-junction proteins and we observed no difference in the ultrastructure of the tight-junctions. The results indicate that the direct contact of astroglia processes to cerebral blood vessels is not necessary for either the formation of the tight-junctions or for basic permeability properties and function of the blood-brain barrier. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 1201-1212, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Improvement of retinal blood vessel detection using morphological component analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Imani, Elaheh; Javidi, Malihe; Pourreza, Hamid-Reza

2015-03-01

Detection and quantitative measurement of variations in the retinal blood vessels can help diagnose several diseases including diabetic retinopathy. Intrinsic characteristics of abnormal retinal images make blood vessel detection difficult. The major problem with traditional vessel segmentation algorithms is producing false positive vessels in the presence of diabetic retinopathy lesions. To overcome this problem, a novel scheme for extracting retinal blood vessels based on morphological component analysis (MCA) algorithm is presented in this paper. MCA was developed based on sparse representation of signals. This algorithm assumes that each signal is a linear combination of several morphologically distinct components. In the proposed method, the MCA algorithm with appropriate transforms is adopted to separate vessels and lesions from each other. Afterwards, the Morlet Wavelet Transform is applied to enhance the retinal vessels. The final vessel map is obtained by adaptive thresholding. The performance of the proposed method is measured on the publicly available DRIVE and STARE datasets and compared with several state-of-the-art methods. An accuracy of 0.9523 and 0.9590 has been respectively achieved on the DRIVE and STARE datasets, which are not only greater than most methods, but are also superior to the second human observer's performance. The results show that the proposed method can achieve improved detection in abnormal retinal images and decrease false positive vessels in pathological regions compared to other methods. Also, the robustness of the method in the presence of noise is shown via experimental result. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Von Willebrand factor regulation of blood vessel formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Randi, Anna M; Smith, Koval E; Castaman, Giancarlo

2018-06-04

Several important physiological processes, from permeability to inflammation to haemostasis, take place at the vessel wall and are regulated by endothelial cells (EC). Thus, proteins that have been identified as regulators of one process are increasingly found to be involved in other vascular functions. Such is the case for Von Willebrand Factor (VWF), a large glycoprotein best known for its critical role in haemostasis. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that lack of VWF causes enhanced vascularisation, both constitutively and following ischemia. This evidence is supported by studies on blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOEC) from patients with lack of VWF synthesis (type 3 von Willebrand disease [VWD]). The molecular pathways are likely to involve VWF binding partners, such as integrin αvβ3, and components of Weibel Palade bodies (WPB), such as Angiopoietin-2 and Galectin-3, whose storage is regulated by VWF; these converge on the master regulator of angiogenesis and endothelial homeostasis, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signalling. Recent studies suggest that the roles of VWF may be tissue-specific. The ability of VWF to regulate angiogenesis has clinical implications for a subset of VWD patients with severe, intractable gastrointestinal bleeding due to vascular malformations. In this article, we review the evidence showing that VWF is involved in blood vessel formation, discuss the role of VWF high molecular weight multimers in regulating angiogenesis, and the value of studies on BOEC in developing a precision medicine approach to validate novel treatments for angiodysplasia in congenital VWD and acquired von Willebrand syndrome. Copyright © 2018 American Society of Hematology.

Automatic detection of blood vessels in retinal images for diabetic retinopathy diagnosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Raja, D Siva Sundhara; Vasuki, S

2015-01-01

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of vision loss in diabetic patients. DR is mainly caused due to the damage of retinal blood vessels in the diabetic patients. It is essential to detect and segment the retinal blood vessels for DR detection and diagnosis, which prevents earlier vision loss in diabetic patients. The computer aided automatic detection and segmentation of blood vessels through the elimination of optic disc (OD) region in retina are proposed in this paper. The OD region is segmented using anisotropic diffusion filter and subsequentially the retinal blood vessels are detected using mathematical binary morphological operations. The proposed methodology is tested on two different publicly available datasets and achieved 93.99% sensitivity, 98.37% specificity, 98.08% accuracy in DRIVE dataset and 93.6% sensitivity, 98.96% specificity, and 95.94% accuracy in STARE dataset, respectively.

Subconjunctival Hemorrhage (Broken Blood Vessel in Eye)

Science.gov (United States)

Subconjunctival hemorrhage (broken blood vessel in eye) Overview A subconjunctival hemorrhage (sub-kun-JUNK-tih-vul HEM-uh-ruj) ... may not even realize you have a subconjunctival hemorrhage until you look in the mirror and notice ...

Polymer-based blood vessel models with micro-temperature sensors in EVE

Science.gov (United States)

Mizoshiri, Mizue; Ito, Yasuaki; Hayakawa, Takeshi; Maruyama, Hisataka; Sakurai, Junpei; Ikeda, Seiichi; Arai, Fumihito; Hata, Seiichi

2017-04-01

Cu-based micro-temperature sensors were directly fabricated on poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) blood vessel models in EVE using a combined process of spray coating and femtosecond laser reduction of CuO nanoparticles. CuO nanoparticle solution coated on a PDMS blood vessel model are thermally reduced and sintered by focused femtosecond laser pulses in atmosphere to write the sensors. After removing the non-irradiated CuO nanoparticles, Cu-based microtemperature sensors are formed. The sensors are thermistor-type ones whose temperature dependences of the resistance are used for measuring temperature inside the blood vessel model. This fabrication technique is useful for direct-writing of Cu-based microsensors and actuators on arbitrary nonplanar substrates.

Blood Vessel Normalization in the Hamster Oral Cancer Model for Experimental Cancer Therapy Studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ana J. Molinari; Romina F. Aromando; Maria E. Itoiz; Marcela A. Garabalino; Andrea Monti Hughes; Elisa M. Heber; Emiliano C. C. Pozzi; David W. Nigg; Veronica A. Trivillin; Amanda E. Schwint

2012-07-01

Normalization of tumor blood vessels improves drug and oxygen delivery to cancer cells. The aim of this study was to develop a technique to normalize blood vessels in the hamster cheek pouch model of oral cancer. Materials and Methods: Tumor-bearing hamsters were treated with thalidomide and were compared with controls. Results: Twenty eight hours after treatment with thalidomide, the blood vessels of premalignant tissue observable in vivo became narrower and less tortuous than those of controls; Evans Blue Dye extravasation in tumor was significantly reduced (indicating a reduction in aberrant tumor vascular hyperpermeability that compromises blood flow), and tumor blood vessel morphology in histological sections, labeled for Factor VIII, revealed a significant reduction in compressive forces. These findings indicated blood vessel normalization with a window of 48 h. Conclusion: The technique developed herein has rendered the hamster oral cancer model amenable to research, with the potential benefit of vascular normalization in head and neck cancer therapy.

Melanopsin mediates light-dependent relaxation in blood vessels.

Science.gov (United States)

Sikka, Gautam; Hussmann, G Patrick; Pandey, Deepesh; Cao, Suyi; Hori, Daijiro; Park, Jong Taek; Steppan, Jochen; Kim, Jae Hyung; Barodka, Viachaslau; Myers, Allen C; Santhanam, Lakshmi; Nyhan, Daniel; Halushka, Marc K; Koehler, Raymond C; Snyder, Solomon H; Shimoda, Larissa A; Berkowitz, Dan E

2014-12-16

Melanopsin (opsin4; Opn4), a non-image-forming opsin, has been linked to a number of behavioral responses to light, including circadian photo-entrainment, light suppression of activity in nocturnal animals, and alertness in diurnal animals. We report a physiological role for Opn4 in regulating blood vessel function, particularly in the context of photorelaxation. Using PCR, we demonstrate that Opn4 (a classic G protein-coupled receptor) is expressed in blood vessels. Force-tension myography demonstrates that vessels from Opn4(-/-) mice fail to display photorelaxation, which is also inhibited by an Opn4-specific small-molecule inhibitor. The vasorelaxation is wavelength-specific, with a maximal response at ∼430-460 nm. Photorelaxation does not involve endothelial-, nitric oxide-, carbon monoxide-, or cytochrome p450-derived vasoactive prostanoid signaling but is associated with vascular hyperpolarization, as shown by intracellular membrane potential measurements. Signaling is both soluble guanylyl cyclase- and phosphodiesterase 6-dependent but protein kinase G-independent. β-Adrenergic receptor kinase 1 (βARK 1 or GRK2) mediates desensitization of photorelaxation, which is greatly reduced by GRK2 inhibitors. Blue light (455 nM) regulates tail artery vasoreactivity ex vivo and tail blood blood flow in vivo, supporting a potential physiological role for this signaling system. This endogenous opsin-mediated, light-activated molecular switch for vasorelaxation might be harnessed for therapy in diseases in which altered vasoreactivity is a significant pathophysiologic contributor.

An approach to localize the retinal blood vessels using bit planes and centerline detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Fraz, M M; Barman, S A; Remagnino, P; Hoppe, A; Basit, A; Uyyanonvara, B; Rudnicka, A R; Owen, C G

2012-11-01

The change in morphology, diameter, branching pattern or tortuosity of retinal blood vessels is an important indicator of various clinical disorders of the eye and the body. This paper reports an automated method for segmentation of blood vessels in retinal images. A unique combination of techniques for vessel centerlines detection and morphological bit plane slicing is presented to extract the blood vessel tree from the retinal images. The centerlines are extracted by using the first order derivative of a Gaussian filter in four orientations and then evaluation of derivative signs and average derivative values is performed. Mathematical morphology has emerged as a proficient technique for quantifying the blood vessels in the retina. The shape and orientation map of blood vessels is obtained by applying a multidirectional morphological top-hat operator with a linear structuring element followed by bit plane slicing of the vessel enhanced grayscale image. The centerlines are combined with these maps to obtain the segmented vessel tree. The methodology is tested on three publicly available databases DRIVE, STARE and MESSIDOR. The results demonstrate that the performance of the proposed algorithm is comparable with state of the art techniques in terms of accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Correlation between blood and lymphatic vessel density and results of contrast-enhanced spectral mammography.

Science.gov (United States)

Luczynska, Elzbieta; Niemiec, Joanna; Ambicka, Aleksandra; Adamczyk, Agnieszka; Walasek, Tomasz; Ryś, Janusz; Sas-Korczyńska, Beata

2015-09-01

Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) is a novel technique used for detection of tumour vascularity by imaging the moment in which contrast, delivered to the lesion by blood vessels, leaks out of them, and flows out through lymphatic vessels. In our study, we included 174 women for whom spectral mammography was performed for diagnostic purposes. The relationship between enhancement in CESM and blood vessel density (BVD), lymphatic vessel density (LVD) or the percentage of fields with at least one lymphatic vessel (distribution of podoplanin-positive vessels - DPV) and other related parameters was assessed in 55 cases. BVD, LVD and DPV were assessed immunohistochemically, applying podoplanin and CD31/CD34 as markers of lymphatic and blood vessels, respectively. The sensitivity (in detection of malignant lesions) of CESM was 100%, while its specificity - 39%. We found a significant positive correlation between the intensity of enhancement in CESM and BVD (p = 0.007, r = 0.357) and a negative correlation between the intensity of enhancement in CESM and DPV (p = 0.003, r = -0.390). Lesions with the highest enhancement in CESM showed a high number of blood vessels and a low number of lymphatics. 1) CESM is a method characterized by high sensitivity and acceptable specificity; 2) the correlation between CESM results and blood/lymphatic vessel density confirms its utility in detection of tissue angiogenesis and/or lymphangiogenesis.

Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) Stabilizes Nascent Blood Vessels*

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobo, Sarah Melissa P.; Kazlauskas, Andrius

2015-01-01

Here we report that VEGF-A and IGF-1 differ in their ability to stabilize newly formed blood vessels and endothelial cell tubes. Although VEGF-A failed to support an enduring vascular response, IGF-1 stabilized neovessels generated from primary endothelial cells derived from various vascular beds and mouse retinal explants. In these experimental systems, destabilization/regression was driven by lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). Because previous studies have established that Erk antagonizes LPA-mediated regression, we considered whether Erk was an essential component of IGF-dependent stabilization. Indeed, IGF-1 lost its ability to stabilize neovessels when the Erk pathway was inhibited pharmacologically. Furthermore, stabilization was associated with prolonged Erk activity. In the presence of IGF-1, Erk activity persisted longer than in the presence of VEGF or LPA alone. These studies reveal that VEGF and IGF-1 can have distinct inputs in the angiogenic process. In contrast to VEGF, IGF-1 stabilizes neovessels, which is dependent on Erk activity and associated with prolonged activation. PMID:25564613

Vascular targeting of LIGHT normalizes blood vessels in primary brain cancer and induces intratumoural high endothelial venules.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Bo; Jabouille, Arnaud; Steri, Veronica; Johansson-Percival, Anna; Michael, Iacovos P; Kotamraju, Venkata Ramana; Junckerstorff, Reimar; Nowak, Anna K; Hamzah, Juliana; Lee, Gabriel; Bergers, Gabriele; Ganss, Ruth

2018-06-01

High-grade brain cancer such as glioblastoma (GBM) remains an incurable disease. A common feature of GBM is the angiogenic vasculature, which can be targeted with selected peptides for payload delivery. We assessed the ability of micelle-tagged, vascular homing peptides RGR, CGKRK and NGR to specifically bind to blood vessels in syngeneic orthotopic GBM models. By using the peptide CGKRK to deliver the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily member LIGHT (also known as TNF superfamily member 14; TNFSF14) to angiogenic tumour vessels, we have generated a reagent that normalizes the brain cancer vasculature by inducing pericyte contractility and re-establishing endothelial barrier integrity. LIGHT-mediated vascular remodelling also activates endothelia and induces intratumoural high endothelial venules (HEVs), which are specialized blood vessels for lymphocyte infiltration. Combining CGKRK-LIGHT with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor and checkpoint blockade amplified HEV frequency and T-cell accumulation in GBM, which is often sparsely infiltrated by immune effector cells, and reduced tumour burden. Furthermore, CGKRK and RGR peptides strongly bound to blood vessels in freshly resected human GBM, demonstrating shared peptide-binding activities in mouse and human primary brain tumour vessels. Thus, peptide-mediated LIGHT targeting is a highly translatable approach in primary brain cancer to reduce vascular leakiness and enhance immunotherapy. Copyright © 2018 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2018 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Feasibility of Using the Marginal Blood Vessels as Reference Landmarks for CT Colonography

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Zhuoshi; Yao, Jianhua; Wang, Shijun; Liu, Jiamin; Dwyer, Andrew J.; Pickhardt, Perry J.; Nowinski, Wieslaw L.; Summers, Ronald M.

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to show the spatial relationship of the colonic marginal blood vessels and the teniae coli on CT colonography (CTC) and the use of the marginal blood vessels for supine-prone registration of polyps and for determination of proper connectivity of collapsed colonic segments. MATERIALS AND METHODS We manually labeled the marginal blood vessels on 15 CTC examinations. Colon segmentation, centerline extraction, teniae detection, and teniae identification were automatically performed. For assessment of their spatial relationships, the distances from the marginal blood vessels to the three teniae coli and to the colon were measured. Student t tests (paired, two-tailed) were performed to evaluate the differences among these distances. To evaluate the reliability of the marginal vessels as reference points for polyp correlation, we analyzed 20 polyps from 20 additional patients who underwent supine and prone CTC. The average difference of the circumferential polyp position on the supine and prone scans was computed. Student t tests (paired, two-tailed) were performed to evaluate the supine-prone differences of the distance. We performed a study on 10 CTC studies from 10 patients with collapsed colonic segments by manually tracing the marginal blood vessels near the collapsed regions to resolve the ambiguity of the colon path. RESULTS The average distances (± SD) from the marginal blood vessels to the tenia mesocolica, tenia omentalis, and tenia libera were 20.1 ± 3.1 mm (95% CI, 18.5–21.6 mm), 39.5 ± 4.8 mm (37.1–42.0 mm), and 36.9 ± 4.2 mm (34.8–39.1 mm), respectively. Pairwise comparison showed that these distances to the tenia libera and tenia omentalis were significantly different from the distance to the tenia mesocolica (p marginal blood vessels to the colon wall was 15.3 ± 2.0 mm (14.2–16.3 mm). For polyp localization, the average difference of the circumferential polyp position on the supine and prone scans was 9

Effect of antiprogesterone RU486 on VEGF expression and blood vessel remodeling on ovarian follicles before ovulation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Annunziata Mauro

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The success of ovarian follicle growth and ovulation is strictly related to the development of an adequate blood vessel network required to sustain the proliferative and endocrine functions of the follicular cells. Even if the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF drives angiogenesis before ovulation, the local role exerted by Progesterone (P₄ remains to be clarified, in particular when its concentration rapidly increases before ovulation. AIM: This in vivo study was designed to clarify the effect promoted by a P₄ receptor antagonist, RU486, on VEGF expression and follicular angiogenesis before ovulation, in particular, during the transition from pre to periovulatory follicles induced by human Chorionic Gonadotropins (hCG administration. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Preovulatory follicle growth and ovulation were pharmacologically induced in prepubertal gilts by combining equine Chorionic Gonadotropins (eCG and hCG used in the presence or absence of RU486. The effects on VEGF expression were analyzed using biochemical and immunohistochemical studies, either on granulosa or on theca layers of follicles isolated few hours before ovulation. This angiogenic factor was also correlated to follicular morphology and to blood vessels architecture. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: VEGF production, blood vessel network and follicle remodeling were impaired by RU486 treatment, even if the cause-effect correlation remains to be clarified. The P₄ antagonist strongly down-regulated theca VEGF expression, thus, preventing most of the angiogenic follicle response induced by hCG. RU486-treated follicles displayed a reduced vascular area, a lower rate of endothelial cell proliferation and a reduced recruitment of perivascular mural cells. These data provide important insights on the biological role of RU486 and, indirectly, on steroid hormones during periovulatory follicular phase. In addition, an in vivo model is proposed to evaluate how periovulatory

Customizable engineered blood vessels using 3D printed inserts.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinnock, Cameron B; Meier, Elizabeth M; Joshi, Neeraj N; Wu, Bin; Lam, Mai T

2016-04-15

Current techniques for tissue engineering blood vessels are not customizable for vascular size variation and vessel wall thickness. These critical parameters vary widely between the different arteries in the human body, and the ability to engineer vessels of varying sizes could increase capabilities for disease modeling and treatment options. We present an innovative method for producing customizable, tissue engineered, self-organizing vascular constructs by replicating a major structural component of blood vessels - the smooth muscle layer, or tunica media. We utilize a unique system combining 3D printed plate inserts to control construct size and shape, and cell sheets supported by a temporary fibrin hydrogel to encourage cellular self-organization into a tubular form resembling a natural artery. To form the vascular construct, 3D printed inserts are adhered to tissue culture plates, fibrin hydrogel is deposited around the inserts, and human aortic smooth muscle cells are then seeded atop the fibrin hydrogel. The gel, aided by the innate contractile properties of the smooth muscle cells, aggregates towards the center post insert, creating a tissue ring of smooth muscle cells. These rings are then stacked into the final tubular construct. Our methodology is robust, easily repeatable and allows for customization of cellular composition, vessel wall thickness, and length of the vessel construct merely by varying the size of the 3D printed inserts. This platform has potential for facilitating more accurate modeling of vascular pathology, serving as a drug discovery tool, or for vessel repair in disease treatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of non-Newtonian characteristics of blood on magnetic particle capture in occluded blood vessel

Science.gov (United States)

Bose, Sayan; Banerjee, Moloy

2015-01-01

Magnetic nanoparticles drug carriers continue to attract considerable interest for drug targeting in the treatment of cancer and other pathological conditions. Magnetic carrier particles with surface-bound drug molecules are injected into the vascular system upstream from the desired target site, and are captured at the target site via a local applied magnetic field. Herein, a numerical investigation of steady magnetic drug targeting (MDT) using functionalized magnetic micro-spheres in partly occluded blood vessel having a 90° bent is presented considering the effects of non-Newtonian characteristics of blood. An Eulerian-Lagrangian technique is adopted to resolve the hemodynamic flow and the motion of the magnetic particles in the flow using ANSYS FLUENT. An implantable infinitely long cylindrical current carrying conductor is used to create the requisite magnetic field. Targeted transport of the magnetic particles in a partly occluded vessel differs distinctly from the same in a regular unblocked vessel. Parametric investigation is conducted and the influence of the insert configuration and its position from the central plane of the artery (zoffset), particle size (dp) and its magnetic property (χ) and the magnitude of current (I) on the "capture efficiency" (CE) is reported. Analysis shows that there exists an optimum regime of operating parameters for which deposition of the drug carrying magnetic particles in a target zone on the partly occluded vessel wall can be maximized. The results provide useful design bases for in vitro set up for the investigation of MDT in stenosed blood vessels.

Mass Spectrometry and Antibody-Based Characterization of Blood Vessels from Brachylophosaurus canadensis.

Science.gov (United States)

Cleland, Timothy P; Schroeter, Elena R; Zamdborg, Leonid; Zheng, Wenxia; Lee, Ji Eun; Tran, John C; Bern, Marshall; Duncan, Michael B; Lebleu, Valerie S; Ahlf, Dorothy R; Thomas, Paul M; Kalluri, Raghu; Kelleher, Neil L; Schweitzer, Mary H

2015-12-04

Structures similar to blood vessels in location, morphology, flexibility, and transparency have been recovered after demineralization of multiple dinosaur cortical bone fragments from multiple specimens, some of which are as old as 80 Ma. These structures were hypothesized to be either endogenous to the bone (i.e., of vascular origin) or the result of biofilm colonizing the empty osteonal network after degradation of original organic components. Here, we test the hypothesis that these structures are endogenous and thus retain proteins in common with extant archosaur blood vessels that can be detected with high-resolution mass spectrometry and confirmed by immunofluorescence. Two lines of evidence support this hypothesis. First, peptide sequencing of Brachylophosaurus canadensis blood vessel extracts is consistent with peptides comprising extant archosaurian blood vessels and is not consistent with a bacterial, cellular slime mold, or fungal origin. Second, proteins identified by mass spectrometry can be localized to the tissues using antibodies specific to these proteins, validating their identity. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD001738.

Leukemic Cells "Gas Up" Leaky Bone Marrow Blood Vessels.

Science.gov (United States)

Itkin, Tomer; Rafii, Shahin

2017-09-11

In this issue of Cancer Cell, Passaro et al. demonstrate how leukemia through aberrant induction of reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide production trigger marrow vessel leakiness, instigating pro-leukemic function. Disrupted tumor blood vessels promote exhaustion of non-malignant stem and progenitor cells and may facilitate leukemia relapse following chemotherapeutic treatment. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Ultrasound sonication with microbubbles disrupts blood vessels and enhances tumor treatments of anticancer nanodrug

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lin CY

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Chung-Yin Lin1*, Hsiao-Ching Tseng1*, Heng-Ruei Shiu1, Ming-Fang Wu2, Cheng-Ying Chou3, Win-Li Lin1,41Institute of Biomedical Engineering, 2Laboratory Animal Center, 3Department of Bio-Industrial Mechatronics Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; 4Division of Medical Engineering Research, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan*These authors contributed equally to this workAbstract: Ultrasound (US sonication with microbubbles (MBs has the potential to disrupt blood vessels and enhance the delivery of drugs into the sonicated tissues. In this study, mouse ear tumors were employed to investigate the therapeutic effects of US, MBs, and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD on tumors. Tumors started to receive treatments when they grew up to about 15 mm3 (early stage with injection of PLD 10 mg/kg, or up to 50 mm3 (medium stage with PLD 6 (or 4 mg/kg. Experiments included the control, PLD alone, PLD + MBs + US, US alone, and MBs + US groups. The procedure for the PLD + MBs + US group was that PLD was injected first, MB (SonoVue injection followed, and then US was immediately sonicated on the tumor. The results showed that: (1 US sonication with MBs was always able to produce a further hindrance to tumor growth for both early and medium-stage tumors; (2 for the medium-stage tumors, 6 mg/kg PLD alone was able to inhibit their growth, while it did not work for 4 mg/kg PLD alone; (3 with the application of MBs + US, 4 mg/kg PLD was able to inhibit the growth of medium-stage tumors; (4 for early stage tumors after the first treatment with a high dose of PLD alone (10 mg/kg, the tumor size still increased for several days and then decreased (a biphasic pattern; (5 MBs + US alone was able to hinder the growth of early stage tumors, but unable to hinder that of medium stage tumors. The results of histological examinations and blood perfusion measurements indicated that the application of MBs + US disrupts the tumor blood

Parametrically defined cerebral blood vessels as non-invasive blood input functions for brain PET studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asselin, Marie-Claude; Cunningham, Vincent J; Amano, Shigeko; Gunn, Roger N; Nahmias, Claude

2004-01-01

A non-invasive alternative to arterial blood sampling for the generation of a blood input function for brain positron emission tomography (PET) studies is presented. The method aims to extract the dimensions of the blood vessel directly from PET images and to simultaneously correct the radioactivity concentration for partial volume and spillover. This involves simulation of the tomographic imaging process to generate images of different blood vessel and background geometries and selecting the one that best fits, in a least-squares sense, the acquired PET image. A phantom experiment was conducted to validate the method which was then applied to eight subjects injected with 6-[ 18 F]fluoro-L-DOPA and one subject injected with [ 11 C]CO-labelled red blood cells. In the phantom study, the diameter of syringes filled with an 11 C solution and inserted into a water-filled cylinder were estimated with an accuracy of half a pixel (1 mm). The radioactivity concentration was recovered to 100 ± 4% in the 8.7 mm diameter syringe, the one that most closely approximated the superior sagittal sinus. In the human studies, the method systematically overestimated the calibre of the superior sagittal sinus by 2-3 mm compared to measurements made in magnetic resonance venograms on the same subjects. Sources of discrepancies related to the anatomy of the blood vessel were found not to be fundamental limitations to the applicability of the method to human subjects. This method has the potential to provide accurate quantification of blood radioactivity concentration from PET images without the need for blood samples, corrections for delay and dispersion, co-registered anatomical images, or manually defined regions of interest

Towards cavitation-enhanced permeability in blood vessel on a chip

Science.gov (United States)

De Luca, R.; Silvani, G.; Scognamiglio, C.; Sinibaldi, G.; Peruzzi, G.; Chinappi, M.; Kiani, M. F.; Casciola, C. M.

2017-08-01

The development of targeted delivery systems releasing pharmaceutical agents directly at the desired site of action may improve their therapeutic efficiency while minimizing damage to healthy tissues, toxicity to the patient and drug waste. In this context, we have developed a bio-inspired microdevice mimicking the tumour microvasculature which represents a valuable tool for assessing the enhancement of blood vessel permeability due to cavitation. This novel system allows us to investigate the effects of ultrasound-driven microbubbles that temporarily open the endothelial intercellular junctions allowing drug to extravasate blood vessels into tumour tissues. The blood vessel on a chip consists of a tissue chamber and two independent vascular channels (width 200 µm, height 100 µm, length 2762 µm) cultured with endothelial cells placed side-by-side and separated by a series of 3 µm pores. Its geometry and dimensions mimic the three-dimensional morphology, size and flow characteristics of microvessels in vivo. The early stage of this project had a twofold objective: 1. To define the protocol for culturing of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) within the vascular channel; 2. To develop a fluorescence based microscopy technique for measuring permeability. We have developed a reliable and reproducible protocol to culture endothelial cells within the artificial vessels in a realistic manner: HUVECs show the typical elongated shape in the direction of flow, exhibit tight junction formation and form a continuous layer with a central lumen that completely covers the channels wall. As expected, the permeability of cell-free device is higher than the one cultured with HUVECs in the vascular channels. The proposed blood vessel on a chip and the permeability measurement protocol have a significant potential to allow for the study of cavitation-enhanced permeability of the endothelium and improve efficiency in screening drug delivery systems.

A thresholding based technique to extract retinal blood vessels from fundus images

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jyotiprava Dash

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Retinal imaging has become the significant tool among all the medical imaging technology, due to its capability to extract many data which is linked to various eye diseases. So, the accurate extraction of blood vessel is necessary that helps the eye care specialists and ophthalmologist to identify the diseases at the early stages. In this paper, we have proposed a computerized technique for extraction of blood vessels from fundus images. The process is conducted in three phases: (i pre-processing where the image is enhanced using contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization and median filter, (ii segmentation using mean-C thresholding to extract retinal blood vessels, (iii post-processing where morphological cleaning operation is used to remove isolated pixels. The performance of the proposed method is tested on and experimental results show that our method achieve an accuracies of 0.955 and 0.954 on Digital retinal images for vessel extraction (DRIVE and Child heart and health study in England (CHASE_DB1 databases respectively.

Quantitative phase imaging characterization of tumor-associated blood vessel formation on a chip

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Peng; Huang, Jing; Moses, Marsha A.

2018-02-01

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from existing ones, is a biological process that has an essential role in solid tumor growth, development, and progression. Recent advances in Lab-on-a-Chip technology has created an opportunity for scientists to observe endothelial cell (EC) behaviors during the dynamic process of angiogenesis using a simple and economical in vitro platform that recapitulates in vivo blood vessel formation. Here, we use quantitative phase imaging (QPI) microscopy to continuously and non-invasively characterize the dynamic process of tumor cell-induced angiogenic sprout formation on a microfluidic chip. The live tumor cell-induced angiogenic sprouts are generated by multicellular endothelial sprouting into 3 dimensional (3D) Matrigel using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). By using QPI, we quantitatively measure a panel of cellular morphological and behavioral parameters of each individual EC participating in this sprouting. In this proof-of-principle study, we demonstrate that QPI is a powerful tool that can provide real-time quantitative analysis of biological processes in in vitro 3D biomimetic devices, which, in turn, can improve our understanding of the biology underlying functional tissue engineering.

Wide-field absolute transverse blood flow velocity mapping in vessel centerline

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Nanshou; Wang, Lei; Zhu, Bifeng; Guan, Caizhong; Wang, Mingyi; Han, Dingan; Tan, Haishu; Zeng, Yaguang

2018-02-01

We propose a wide-field absolute transverse blood flow velocity measurement method in vessel centerline based on absorption intensity fluctuation modulation effect. The difference between the light absorption capacities of red blood cells and background tissue under low-coherence illumination is utilized to realize the instantaneous and average wide-field optical angiography images. The absolute fuzzy connection algorithm is used for vessel centerline extraction from the average wide-field optical angiography. The absolute transverse velocity in the vessel centerline is then measured by a cross-correlation analysis according to instantaneous modulation depth signal. The proposed method promises to contribute to the treatment of diseases, such as those related to anemia or thrombosis.

Polysaccharides from astragali radix restore chemical-induced blood vessel loss in zebrafish

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Astragali Radix has been used widely for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and to enhance endurance and stamina in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for over 2000 years. The polysaccharide constituents of Astragali Radix (ARP) are considered as one of the major constituents contributing to the multiple pharmacological effects of this medicinal plant. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the vascular regenerative activities of ARPs in a chemically-induced blood vessel loss model in zebrafish. Methods Blood vessel loss was induced in both Tg(fli-1a:EGFP)y1 and Tg(fli-1a:nEGFP)y7 embryos by administration of 300 nM VEGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor II (VRI) for 3 h at 24 hpf (hour post-fertilization). Then, the blood vessel damaged zebrafish were treated with ARPs for 21 h and 45 h after VRI withdrawal. Morphological changes in intersegmental vessels (ISVs) of zebrafish larvae were observed under the fluorescence microscope and measured quantitatively. The rescue effect of ARPs in the zebrafish models was validated by measuring the relative mRNA expressions of Kdrl, Kdr and Flt-1 using real-time PCR. Results Two polysaccharide fractions, P4 (50000 D 0.1 μm), isolated from Astragali Radix by ultrafiltration, produced a significant and dose-dependent recovery in VRI-induced blood vessel loss in zebrafish. Furthermore, the down-regulation of Flk-1 and Flt-1 mRNA expression induced by VRI was reversed by treatment with P4. Conclusion The present study demonstrates that P4 isolated from Astragali Radix reduces VRI-induced blood vessel loss in zebrafish. These findings support the hypothesis that polysaccharides are one of the active constituents in Astragali Radix, contributing to its beneficial effect on treatment of diseases associated with a deficiency in angiogenesis. PMID:22357377

Fetal blood vessel count increases in compensation of hypoxia in premature placentas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Kartini

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Background Prematurity refers to live births before 37 weeks of gestation, wherein the baby is born before the body and its organ systems achieve perfect maturity, and this disorder is still a global problem. The high incidence of prematurity is a problem in developing and also in developed countries. Certain conditions accompanying pregnancies like preeclampsia, infection, and placental insufficiency, may trigger uterine hypoxia, causing premature birth. The placental condition is related to the intra-uterine fetal condition. In prolonged placental hypoxia, there occurs a compensatory mechanism, i.e. an increase in placental angiogenesis. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of hypoxia on fetal blood vessel count as compensatory mechanism for tissue hypoxia. Methods An observational-analytical cross-sectional design using paraffin blocks of conserved premature placentas, comprising 31 samples of hypoxic premature placentas and 28 samples of non-hypoxic premature placentas, selected using non-random consecutive sampling. The samples were made into slides and stained with hematoxylin-eosin for assessment of histological structure, including fetal blood vessel count and integrity, villus conditions, syncytiotrophoblastic nuclear changes, and syncytiotrophoblastic nuclear aggregation. Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the difference of blood vessel count between groups. Results Assessment of histological structure showed a significant increase in fetal blood vessel count in the hypoxic group [8.00 (5-15] as compared with the non-hypoxic group [7.50 (3-15]. Conclusion The hypoxia in premature placentas caused an increase in the number of fetal blood vessels as a form of compensation for disturbed oxygen homeostasis.

Fetal blood vessel count increases in compensation of hypoxia in premature placentas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K Kartini

2016-02-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Prematurity refers to live births before 37 weeks of gestation, wherein the baby is born before the body and its organ systems achieve perfect maturity, and this disorder is still a global problem. The high incidence of prematurity is a problem in developing and also in developed countries. Certain conditions accompanying pregnancies like preeclampsia, infection, and placental insufficiency, may trigger uterine hypoxia, causing premature birth. The placental condition is related to the intra-uterine fetal condition. In prolonged placental hypoxia, there occurs a compensatory mechanism, i.e. an increase in placental angiogenesis. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of hypoxia on fetal blood vessel count as compensatory mechanism for tissue hypoxia. METHODS An observational-analytical cross-sectional design using paraffin blocks of conserved premature placentas, comprising 31 samples of hypoxic premature placentas and 28 samples of non-hypoxic premature placentas, selected using non-random consecutive sampling. The samples were made into slides and stained with hematoxylin-eosin for assessment of histological structure, including fetal blood vessel count and integrity, villus conditions, syncytiotrophoblastic nuclear changes, and syncytiotrophoblastic nuclear aggregation. Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the difference of blood vessel count between groups. RESULTS Assessment of histological structure showed a significant increase in fetal blood vessel count in the hypoxic group [8.00 (5-15] as compared with the non-hypoxic group [7.50 (3-15]. CONCLUSION The hypoxia in premature placentas caused an increase in the number of fetal blood vessels as a form of compensation for disturbed oxygen homeostasis.

Bio-Adaption between Magnesium Alloy Stent and the Blood Vessel: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Jun; Zhao, Nan; Betts, Lexxus; Zhu, Donghui

2016-09-01

Biodegradable magnesium (Mg) alloy stents are the most promising next generation of bio-absorbable stents. In this article, we summarized the progresses on the in vitro studies, animal testing and clinical trials of biodegradable Mg alloy stents in the past decades. These exciting findings led us to propose the importance of the concept "bio-adaption" between the Mg alloy stent and the local tissue microenvironment after implantation. The healing responses of stented blood vessel can be generally described in three overlapping phases: inflammation, granulation and remodeling. The ideal bio-adaption of the Mg alloy stent, once implanted into the blood vessel, needs to be a reasonable function of the time and the space/dimension. First, a very slow degeneration of mechanical support is expected in the initial four months in order to provide sufficient mechanical support to the injured vessels. Although it is still arguable whether full mechanical support in stented lesions is mandatory during the first four months after implantation, it would certainly be a safety design parameter and a benchmark for regulatory evaluations based on the fact that there is insufficient human in vivo data available, especially the vessel wall mechanical properties during the healing/remodeling phase. Second, once the Mg alloy stent being degraded, the void space will be filled by the regenerated blood vessel tissues. The degradation of the Mg alloy stent should be 100% completed with no residues, and the degradation products (e.g., ions and hydrogen) will be helpful for the tissue reconstruction of the blood vessel. Toward this target, some future research perspectives are also discussed.

Accuracy of geometrical modelling of heat transfer from tissue to blood vessels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leeuwen, van G.M.J.; Kotte, A.N.T.J.; Bree, de J.; Koijk, van der J.F.; Crezee, J.; Lagendijk, J.J.W.

1997-01-01

We have developed a thermal model in which blood vessels are described as geometrical objects, 3D curves with associated diameters. Here the behaviour of the model is examined for low resolutions compared with the vessel diameter and for strongly curved vessels. The tests include a single straight

Bone marrow blood vessel ossification and "microvascular dead space" in rat and human long bone.

Science.gov (United States)

Prisby, Rhonda D

2014-07-01

Severe calcification of the bone microvascular network was observed in rats, whereby the bone marrow blood vessels appeared ossified. This study sought to characterize the magnitude of ossification in relation to patent blood vessels and adipocyte content in femoral diaphyses. Additionally, this study confirmed the presence of ossified vessels in patients with arteriosclerotic vascular disease and peripheral vascular disease and cellulitis. Young (4-6 month; n=8) and old (22-24 month; n=8) male Fischer-344 rats were perfused with barium sulfate to visualize patent bone marrow blood vessels. Femoral shafts were processed for bone histomorphometry to quantify ossified (Goldner's Trichrome) and calcified (Alizarin Red) vessels. Adipocyte content was also determined. Additional femora (n=5/age group) were scanned via μCT to quantify microvascular ossification. Bone marrow blood vessels from the rats and the human patients were also isolated and examined via microscopy. Ossified vessels (rats and humans) had osteocyte lacunae on the vessel surfaces and "normal" vessels were transitioning into bone. The volume of ossified vessels was 4800% higher (pnecrosis. Progression of bone microvascular ossification may provide the common link associated with age-related changes in bone and bone marrow. The clinical implications may be evident in the difficulties treating bone disease in the elderly. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Micropatterned coculture of vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells on layered electrospun fibrous mats toward blood vessel engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Huinan; Liu, Yaowen; Lu, Jinfu; Wei, Jiaojun; Li, Xiaohong

2015-06-01

A major challenge in vascular engineering is the establishment of proper microenvironment to guide the spatial organization, growth, and extracellular matrix (ECM) productions of cells found in blood vessels. In the current study, micropatterned fibrous mats with distinct ridges and grooves of different width were created to load smooth muscle cells (SMCs), which were assembled by stacking on vascular endothelial cell (EC)-loaded flat fibrous mats to mimic the in vivo-like organized structure of blood vessels. SMCs were mainly distributed in the ridges, and aligned fibers in the patterned regions led to the formation of elongated cell bodies, intense actin filaments, and expressions of collagen I and α-smooth muscle actin in a parallel direction with fibers. ECs spread over the flat fibrous mats and expressed collagen IV and laminin with a cobblestone-like feature. A z-stack scanning of fluorescently stained fibrous mats indicated that SMCs effectively infiltrated into fibrous scaffolds at the depth of around 200 μm. Compared with SMCs cultured alone, the coculture with ECs enhanced the proliferation, infiltration, and cytoskeleton elongation of SMCs on patterned fibrous mats. Although the coculture of SMCs made no significant difference in the EC growth, the coculture system on patterned fibrous scaffolds promoted ECM productions of both ECs and SMCs. Thus, this patterned fibrous configuration not only offers a promising technology in the design of tissue engineering scaffolds to construct blood vessels with durable mechanical properties, but also provides a platform for patterned coculture to investigate cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions in highly organized tissues. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of blood vessels on light distribution in optogenetic stimulation of cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Azimipour, Mehdi; Atry, Farid; Pashaie, Ramin

2015-05-15

In this Letter, the impact of blood vessels on light distribution during photostimulation of cortical tissue in small rodents is investigated. Brain optical properties were extracted using a double-integrating sphere setup, and optical coherence tomography was used to image cortical vessels and capillaries to generate a three-dimensional angiogram of the cortex. By combining these two datasets, a complete volumetric structure of the cortical tissue was developed and linked to a Monte Carlo code which simulates light propagation in this inhomogeneous structure and illustrates the effect of blood vessels on the penetration depth and pattern preservation in optogenetic stimulation.

Development of glia and blood vessels in the internal capsule of rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Earle, K L; Mitrofanis, J

1998-02-01

We have explored two aspects of internal capsule development that have not been described previously, namely, the development of glia and of blood vessels. To these ends, we used antibodies to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and to vimentin (to identify astrocytes and to radial glia) and Griffonia simplicifolia (lectin; to identify microglia and blood vessels). Further, we made intracardiac injections of Evans Blue to examine the permeability of this dye in the vessels of the internal capsule during neonatal development. Our results show that large numbers of radial glia, astrocytes and microglia are not labelled with these markers in the white matter of the internal capsule until about birth; very few are labelled earlier, during the critical stages of corticofugal and corticopetal axonal ingrowth (E15-E20). The large glial labelling in the internal capsule at birth is accompanied by a dense vascular innervation of the capsule; as with the glia, very few labelled patent vessels are seen earlier. After intracardiac injections of Evans Blue, we find that the blood vessels of the internal capsule are not particularly permeable to Evans Blue. At each age examined (P0, P5, P15), blood vessels are outlined very clearly and there is no diffuse haze of fluorescence within the extracellular space, which is indicative of a leaky vessel. There are three striking differences between the glial environment of the internal capsule and that of the adjacent thalamus. First, the internal capsule is never rich with radial glial fibres (vimentin- and GFAP-immunoreactive) during development (except at P0), whereas the thalamus has many radial fibres from very early development (E15-E17). Second, astrocytes (vimentin- and GFAP-immunoreactive) first become apparent in the internal capsule (E20-P0) well before they do in the thalamus (P15). Third, the internal capsule houses a large transient population of amoeboid microglia (P0-P22), whereas the thalamus does not; only ramified

Blood Vessel-Derived Acellular Matrix for Vascular Graft Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luigi Dall’Olmo

2014-01-01

Full Text Available To overcome the issues connected to the use of autologous vascular grafts and artificial materials for reconstruction of small diameter (<6 mm blood vessels, this study aimed to develop acellular matrix- (AM- based vascular grafts. Rat iliac arteries were decellularized by a detergent-enzymatic treatment, whereas endothelial cells (ECs were obtained through enzymatic digestion of rat skin followed by immunomagnetic separation of CD31-positive cells. Sixteen female Lewis rats (8 weeks old received only AM or previously in vitro reendothelialized AM as abdominal aorta interposition grafts (about 1 cm. The detergent-enzymatic treatment completely removed the cellular part of vessels and both MHC class I and class II antigens. One month after surgery, the luminal surface of implanted AMs was partially covered by ECs and several platelets adhered in the areas lacking cell coverage. Intimal hyperplasia, already detected after 1 month, increased at 3 months. On the contrary, all grafts composed by AM and ECs were completely covered at 1 month and their structure was similar to that of native vessels at 3 months. Taken together, our findings show that prostheses composed of AM preseeded with ECs could be a promising approach for the replacement of blood vessels.

Tracking blood vessels in human forearms using visual servoing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Savarimuthu, Thiusius Rajeeth; Ellekilde, Lars-Peter; Hansen, Morten

compensation. By using images taken with near-infrared light to locate the blood vessels in a human forearm and using the same images to detects movements of the arm, this paper shows that it is possible make a robot arm, potentially equipped with a needle for drawing the blood, compensate for the movements......Drawing an average of more than 2 blood sample per Danish citizen per year increases the demand for an automatic blood sampling method. This paper presents a proof of concept to one of the main challenges in making a fully automated blood sampling procedure, namely: the patient movement...

Acute effect of gamma-irradiation on blood vessels of the eye

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsushima, Hideno

1977-01-01

Radiation injuries to the eye were studied by examining the alteration of fine vasculature of irradiated rabbit eyes, by referring to the usual clinical findings, fundus photography, microangiography, and histological sections. These experiments were performed by using white rabbits whose eyes were locally irradiated with a single dose of 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, and 5000 R of 60 Co-γ-ray. The eyes were observed periodically for a period up to 10 weeks after irradiation, and the following results were obtained: 1) Radiation damage to the blood vessels was maximum around 6 weeks after irradiation for doses less than 2000 R, and the damage appeared to be reversible. 2) When given more than 3000 R irradiation, alteration of the blood vessels continued increasing for 10 weeks with no evidence of recovery. Experimental evidence from these studies supports the hypothesis that the degree of radiation injury of the eye depends highly on the damage to blood vessels serving each structure of the eye. (auth.)

Blood vessel damage correlated with irradiance for in vivo vascular targeted photodynamic therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jinde; Tan, Zou; Niu, Xiangyu; Lin, Linsheng; Lin, Huiyun; Li, Buhong

2016-10-01

Vascular targeted photodynamic therapy (V-PDT) has been widely utilized for the prevention or treatment of vascular-related diseases, including age-related macular degeneration, port-wine stains and prostate cancer. In order to quantitative assessment the blood vessel damage during V-PDT, nude mice were implanted with Titanium dorsal skin window chambers for in vivo V-PDT studies. For treatments, various irradiances including 50, 75, 100 and 200 mW/cm2 provided by a 532 nm semiconductor laser were performed with the same total light dose of 30 J/cm2 after the mice were intravenously injection of Rose Bengal for 25 mg/Kg body weight. Laser speckle imaging and microscope were used to monitor blood flow dynamics and vessel constriction during and after V-PDT, respectively. The V-PDT induced vessel damages between different groups were compared. The results show that significant difference in blood vessel damage was found between the lower irradiances (50, 75 and 100 mW/cm2) and higher irradiance (200 mW/cm2), and the blood vessel damage induced by V-PDT is positively correlated with irradiance. This study implies that the optimization of irradiance is required for enhancing V-PDT therapeutic efficiency.

Mathematical modelling for trajectories of magnetic nanoparticles in a blood vessel under magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, Shashi; Katiyar, V.K.; Singh, Uaday

2015-01-01

A mathematical model is developed to describe the trajectories of a cluster of magnetic nanoparticles in a blood vessel for the application of magnetic drug targeting (MDT). The magnetic nanoparticles are injected into a blood vessel upstream from a malignant tissue and are captured at the tumour site with help of an applied magnetic field. The applied field is produced by a rare earth cylindrical magnet positioned outside the body. All forces expected to significantly affect the transport of nanoparticles were incorporated, including magnetization force, drag force and buoyancy force. The results show that particles are slow down and captured under the influence of magnetic force, which is responsible to attract the magnetic particles towards the magnet. It is optimized that all particles are captured either before or at the centre of the magnet (z≤0) when blood vessel is very close proximity to the magnet (d=2.5 cm). However, as the distance between blood vessel and magnet (d) increases (above 4.5 cm), the magnetic nanoparticles particles become free and they flow away down the blood vessel. Further, the present model results are validated by the simulations performed using the finite element based COMSOL software. - Highlights: • A mathematical model is developed to describe the trajectories of magnetic nanoparticles. • The dominant magnetic, drag and buoyancy forces are considered. • All particles are captured when distance between blood vessel and magnet (d) is up to 4.5 cm. • Further increase in d value (above 4.5 cm) results the free movement of magnetic particles

Imaging Blood Vessel Morphology in Skin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schuh, Sandra; Holmes, Jon; Ulrich, Martina

2017-01-01

Conventional optical coherence tomography (OCT) enables the visualization of morphological changes of skin cancer. The use of OCT in the diagnostic investigation and in the therapy decision of non-melanoma skin cancer and other skin changes is already established, and has found its way into routine...... practice. With the development of speckle-variance OCT, also named dynamic OCT (D-OCT), the vascular architecture and the blood flow of the skin can be displayed in vivo and in 3D. This novel angiographic variant of OCT offers the ability to visualize and measure vessel morphology providing a new insight...... into healthy, inflammatory and neoplastic skin lesions such as malignant melanoma. This review focuses on the possibilities of using D-OCT on healthy and diseased skin. We suggest and illustrate key diagnostic characteristics by analyzing the initial publications and preliminary unpublished data on vessel...

Bio-Adaption between Magnesium Alloy Stent and the Blood Vessel: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Jun; Zhao, Nan; Betts, Lexxus; Zhu, Donghui

2016-01-01

Biodegradable magnesium (Mg) alloy stents are the most promising next generation of bio-absorbable stents. In this article, we summarized the progresses on the in vitro studies, animal testing and clinical trials of biodegradable Mg alloy stents in the past decades. These exciting findings led us to propose the importance of the concept “bio-adaption” between the Mg alloy stent and the local tissue microenvironment after implantation. The healing responses of stented blood vessel can be generally described in three overlapping phases: inflammation, granulation and remodeling. The ideal bio-adaption of the Mg alloy stent, once implanted into the blood vessel, needs to be a reasonable function of the time and the space/dimension. First, a very slow degeneration of mechanical support is expected in the initial four months in order to provide sufficient mechanical support to the injured vessels. Although it is still arguable whether full mechanical support in stented lesions is mandatory during the first four months after implantation, it would certainly be a safety design parameter and a benchmark for regulatory evaluations based on the fact that there is insufficient human in vivo data available, especially the vessel wall mechanical properties during the healing/remodeling phase. Second, once the Mg alloy stent being degraded, the void space will be filled by the regenerated blood vessel tissues. The degradation of the Mg alloy stent should be 100% completed with no residues, and the degradation products (e.g., ions and hydrogen) will be helpful for the tissue reconstruction of the blood vessel. Toward this target, some future research perspectives are also discussed. PMID:27698548

Bone Marrow Blood Vessel Ossification and “Microvascular Dead Space” in Rat and Human Long Bone

Science.gov (United States)

Prisby, Rhonda D.

2014-01-01

Severe calcification of the bone microvascular network was observed in rats, whereby the bone marrow blood vessels appeared ossified. This study sought to characterize the magnitude of ossification in relation to patent blood vessels and adipocyte content in femoral diaphyses. Additionally, this study confirmed the presence of ossified vessels in patients with arteriosclerotic vascular disease and peripheral vascular disease and cellulitis. Young (4–6 mon; n=8) and old (22–24 mon; n=8) male Fischer-344 rats were perfused with barium sulfate to visualize patent bone marrow blood vessels. Femoral shafts were processed for bone histomorphometry to quantify ossified (Goldner’s Trichrome) and calcified (Alizarin Red) vessels. Adipocyte content was also determined. Additional femora (n=5/age group) were scanned via µCT to quantify microvascular ossification. Bone marrow blood vessels from rats and the human patients were also isolated and examined via microscopy. Ossified vessels (rats and humans) had osteocyte lacunae on the vessel surfaces and “normal” vessels were transitioning into bone. The volume of ossified vessels was 4800% higher (p necrosis. The progression of bone microvascular ossification may provide the common link associated with age-related changes in bone and bone marrow. The clinical implications may be evident in the difficulties treating bone disease in the elderly. PMID:24680721

Tissue Engineering of Blood Vessels: Functional Requirements, Progress, and Future Challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Vivek A; Brewster, Luke P; Caves, Jeffrey M; Chaikof, Elliot L

2011-09-01

Vascular disease results in the decreased utility and decreased availability of autologus vascular tissue for small diameter (requires combined approaches from biomaterials science, cell biology, and translational medicine to develop feasible solutions with the requisite mechanical support, a non-fouling surface for blood flow, and tissue regeneration. Over the past two decades interest in blood vessel tissue engineering has soared on a global scale, resulting in the first clinical implants of multiple technologies, steady progress with several other systems, and critical lessons-learned. This review will highlight the current inadequacies of autologus and synthetic grafts, the engineering requirements for implantation of tissue-engineered grafts, and the current status of tissue-engineered blood vessel research.

A numerical analysis on the curved bileaflet Mechanical Heart Valve (MHV) : leaflet motion and blood flow in an elastic blood vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bang, Jin Seok; Kim, Chang Nyung; Choi, Choeng Ryul

2005-01-01

In blood flow passing through the Mechanical Heart Valve (MHV) and elastic blood vessel, hemolysis and platelet activation causing thrombus formation can be seen owing to the shear stress in the blood. Also, fracture and deformation of leaflets can be observed depending on the shape and material properties of the leaflets which is opened and closed in a cycle. Hence, comprehensive study is needed on the hemodynamics which is associated with the motion of leaflet and elastic blood vessel in terms of fluid-structure interaction. In this paper, a numerical analysis has been performed for a three-dimensional pulsatile blood flow associated with the elastic blood vessel and curved bileaflet for multiple cycles in light of fluid-structure interaction. From this analysis fluttering phenomenon and rebound of the leaflet have been observed and recirculation and regurgitation have been found in the flow fields of the blood. Also, the pressure distribution and the radial displacement of the elastic blood vessel have been obtained. The motion of the leaflet and flow fields of the blood have shown similar tendency compared with the previous experiments carried out in other studies. The present study can contribute to the design methodology for the curved bileaflet mechanical heart valve. Furthermore, the proposed fluid-structure interaction method will be effectively used in various fields where the interaction between fluid flow and structure are involved

Proteomic profiling of tissue-engineered blood vessel walls constructed by adipose-derived stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chen; Guo, Fangfang; Zhou, Heng; Zhang, Yun; Xiao, Zhigang; Cui, Lei

2013-02-01

Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) can differentiate into smooth muscle cells and have been engineered into elastic small diameter blood vessel walls in vitro. However, the mechanisms involved in the development of three-dimensional (3D) vascular tissue remain poorly understood. The present study analyzed protein expression profiles of engineered blood vessel walls constructed by human ASCs using methods of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) and mass spectrometry (MS). These results were compared to normal arterial walls. A total of 1701±15 and 1265±26 protein spots from normal and engineered blood vessel wall extractions were detected by 2DE, respectively. A total of 20 spots with at least 2.0-fold changes in expression were identified, and 38 differently expressed proteins were identified by 2D electrophoresis and ion trap MS. These proteins were classified into seven functional categories: cellular organization, energy, signaling pathway, enzyme, anchored protein, cell apoptosis/defense, and others. These results demonstrated that 2DE, followed by ion trap MS, could be successfully utilized to characterize the proteome of vascular tissue, including tissue-engineered vessels. The method could also be employed to achieve a better understanding of differentiated smooth muscle protein expression in vitro. These results provide a basis for comparative studies of protein expression in vascular smooth muscles of different origin and could provide a better understanding of the mechanisms of action needed for constructing blood vessels that exhibit properties consistent with normal blood vessels.

Chronic hydrocephalus-induced hypoxia: increased expression of VEGFR-2+ and blood vessel density in hippocampus.

Science.gov (United States)

Dombrowski, S M; Deshpande, A; Dingwall, C; Leichliter, A; Leibson, Z; Luciano, M G

2008-03-18

Chronic hydrocephalus (CH) is a neurological disease characterized by increased cerebrospinal fluid volume and pressure that is often associated with impaired cognitive function. By and large, CH is a complex and heterogeneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) disorder where the exact site of brain insult is uncertain. Several mechanisms including neural compression, fiber stretch, and local or global hypoxia have been implicated in the underlying pathophysiology of CH. Specifically, the hippocampus, which plays a significant role in memory processing and is in direct contact with expanding CSF ventricles, may be involved. Using our model of chronic hydrocephalus, we quantified the density of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2(+)) neurons, glial, endothelial cells, and blood vessels in hippocampal regions CA1, CA2-3, dentate gyrus and hilus using immunohistochemical and stereological methods. Density and %VEGFR-2(+) cell populations were estimated for CH animals (2-3 weeks vs. 12-16 weeks) and surgical controls (SC). Overall, we found approximately six- to eightfold increase in the cellular density of VEGFR-2(+) and more than double blood vessel density (BVd) in the hippocampus of CH compared with SC. There were no significant regional differences in VEGFR-2(+) cellular and BVd expression in the CH group. VEGFR-2(+) and BVds were significantly related to changes in CSF volume (Pblood vessel expression was related to focal compression alone or in combination with global ischemia/hypoxia conditions as previously described. These findings suggest that VEGFR-2 may play an adaptive role in angiogenesis after CH

Chronic mild hypoxia promotes profound vascular remodeling in spinal cord blood vessels, preferentially in white matter, via an α5β1 integrin-mediated mechanism.

Science.gov (United States)

Halder, Sebok K; Kant, Ravi; Milner, Richard

2018-05-01

Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to rapid destruction of neuronal tissue, resulting in devastating motor and sensory deficits. This is exacerbated by damage to spinal cord blood vessels and loss of vascular integrity. Thus, approaches that protect existing blood vessels or stimulate the growth of new blood vessels might present a novel approach to minimize loss or promote regeneration of spinal cord tissue following SCI. In light of the remarkable power of chronic mild hypoxia (CMH) to stimulate vascular remodeling in the brain, the goal of this study was to examine how CMH (8% O 2 for up to 7 days) affects blood vessel remodeling in the spinal cord. We found that CMH promoted the following: (1) endothelial proliferation and increased vascularity as a result of angiogenesis and arteriogenesis, (2) increased vascular expression of the angiogenic extracellular matrix protein fibronectin as well as concomitant increases in endothelial expression of the fibronectin receptor α5β1 integrin, (3) strongly upregulated endothelial expression of the tight junction proteins claudin-5, ZO-1 and occludin and (4) astrocyte activation. Of note, the vascular remodeling changes induced by CMH were more extensive in white matter. Interestingly, hypoxic-induced vascular remodeling in spinal cord blood vessels was markedly attenuated in mice lacking endothelial α5 integrin expression (α5-EC-KO mice). Taken together, these studies demonstrate the considerable remodeling potential of spinal cord blood vessels and highlight an important angiogenic role for the α5β1 integrin in promoting endothelial proliferation. They also imply that stimulation of the α5β1 integrin or controlled use of mild hypoxia might provide new approaches for promoting angiogenesis and improving vascular integrity in spinal cord blood vessels.

A Computational Model Predicting Disruption of Blood Vessel Development

Science.gov (United States)

Vascular development is a complex process regulated by dynamic biological networks that vary in topology and state across different tissues and developmental stages. Signals regulating de novo blood vessel formation (vasculogenesis) and remodeling (angiogenesis) come from a varie...

Classic beta-amyloid deposits cluster around large diameter blood vessels rather than capillaries in sporadic Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Armstrong, Richard A

2006-11-01

Various hypotheses could explain the relationship between beta-amyloid (Abeta) deposition and the vasculature in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Amyloid deposition may reduce capillary density, affect endothelial cells of blood vessels, result in diffusion from blood vessels, or interfere with the perivascular clearance mechanism. Hence, the spatial pattern of the classic ('cored') type of Abeta deposit was studied in the upper laminae (I,II/III) of the superior frontal gyrus in nine cases of sporadic AD (SAD). Sections were immunostained with antibodies against Abeta and with collagen IV to study the relationships between the spatial distribution of the classic deposits and the blood vessel profiles. Both the classic deposits and blood vessel profiles were distributed in clusters. In all cases, there was a positive spatial correlation between the clusters of the classic deposits and the larger diameter (>10 microm) blood vessel profiles and especially the vertically penetrating arterioles. In only 1 case, was there a significant spatial correlation between the clusters of the classic deposits and the smaller diameter (upper laminae of the frontal cortex. This aggregation could result from diffusion of proteins from blood vessels or from overloading the system of perivascular clearance from the brain.

Optics based signal processing methods for intraoperative blood vessel detection and quantification in real time (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Chaturvedi, Amal; Shukair, Shetha A.; Le Rolland, Paul; Vijayvergia, Mayank; Subramanian, Hariharan; Gunn, Jonathan W.

2016-03-01

Minimally invasive operations require surgeons to make difficult cuts to blood vessels and other tissues with impaired tactile and visual feedback. This leads to inadvertent cuts to blood vessels hidden beneath tissue, causing serious health risks to patients and a non-reimbursable financial burden to hospitals. Intraoperative imaging technologies have been developed, but these expensive systems can be cumbersome and provide only a high-level view of blood vessel networks. In this research, we propose a lean reflectance-based system, comprised of a dual wavelength LED, photodiode, and novel signal processing algorithms for rapid vessel characterization. Since this system takes advantage of the inherent pulsatile light absorption characteristics of blood vessels, no contrast agent is required for its ability to detect the presence of a blood vessel buried deep inside any tissue type (up to a cm) in real time. Once a vessel is detected, the system is able to estimate the distance of the vessel from the probe and the diameter size of the vessel (with a resolution of ~2mm), as well as delineate the type of tissue surrounding the vessel. The system is low-cost, functions in real-time, and could be mounted on already existing surgical tools, such as Kittner dissectors or laparoscopic suction irrigation cannulae. Having been successfully validated ex vivo, this technology will next be tested in a live porcine study and eventually in clinical trials.

Estimation of vessel diameter and blood flow dynamics from laser speckle images

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Postnov, Dmitry D.; Tuchin, Valery V.; Sosnovtseva, Olga

2016-01-01

Laser speckle imaging is a rapidly developing method to study changes of blood velocity in the vascular networks. However, to assess blood flow and vascular responses it is crucial to measure vessel diameter in addition to blood velocity dynamics. We suggest an algorithm that allows for dynamical...

Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis of Pulsatile Blood Flow Behavior in Modelled Stenosed Vessels with Different Severities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohsen Mehrabi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This study focuses on the behavior of blood flow in the stenosed vessels. Blood is modelled as an incompressible non-Newtonian fluid which is based on the power law viscosity model. A numerical technique based on the finite difference method is developed to simulate the blood flow taking into account the transient periodic behaviour of the blood flow in cardiac cycles. Also, pulsatile blood flow in the stenosed vessel is based on the Womersley model, and fluid flow in the lumen region is governed by the continuity equation and the Navier-Stokes equations. In this study, the stenosis shape is cosine by using Tu and Devil model. Comparing the results obtained from three stenosed vessels with 30%, 50%, and 75% area severity, we find that higher percent-area severity of stenosis leads to higher extrapressure jumps and higher blood speeds around the stenosis site. Also, we observe that the size of the stenosis in stenosed vessels does influence the blood flow. A little change on the cross-sectional value makes vast change on the blood flow rate. This simulation helps the people working in the field of physiological fluid dynamics as well as the medical practitioners.

An Experimental Study to Replace the Thoracic Descending Aorta for Pigs with a Self-Made Sutureless Blood Vessel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fenglin Song

2014-01-01

Full Text Available To simplify the procedure of blood vessel replacement operation and shorten the vascular anastomosis time, we developed a special artificial blood vessel which can be connected to native blood vessels without suture. The self-made sutureless blood vessel (SMSBV was made from two titanium connectors and a Gore-Tex graft. To investigate blood compatibility and histocompatibility of the SMSBV, we carried thoracic descending aorta replacement using either SMSBV or Gore-Tex, respectively, in pigs. The aortic clamp time and the operative blood loss in the experimental group (using SMSBV were less than those in the control group (using Gore-Tex. The whole blood hematocrit, platelet count, plasma soluble P-selectin, plasma free hemoglobin, and interleukins 2, 6 at each time point were not different significantly between the two groups. Light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy examination showed there were layers of vascular smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells adhered in the inner wall of artificial blood vessel without any signs of thrombosis. Based on the result, we have drawn the conclusion that the application of SMSBV can significantly shorten the vascular anastomosis time, reduce operative blood loss, and show good blood and tissue compatibility.

Waves and fluid-solid interaction in stented blood vessels

Science.gov (United States)

Frecentese, S.; Argani, L. P.; Movchan, A. B.; Movchan, N. V.; Carta, G.; Wall, M. L.

2018-01-01

This paper focuses on the modelling of fluid-structure interaction and wave propagation problems in a stented artery. Reflection of waves in blood vessels is well documented in the literature, but it has always been linked to a strong variation in geometry, such as the branching of vessels. The aim of this work is to detect the possibility of wave reflection in a stented artery due to the repetitive pattern of the stents. The investigation of wave propagation and possible blockages under time-harmonic conditions is complemented with numerical simulations in the transient regime.

Automatic segmentation of blood vessels from retinal fundus images ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The retinal blood vessels were segmented through color space conversion and color channel extraction, image pre-processing, Gabor filtering, image postprocessing, feature construction through application of principal component analysis, k-means clustering and first level classification using Naïve–Bayes classification ...

Fluid Dynamics of Magnetic Nanoparticles in Simulated Blood Vessels

Science.gov (United States)

Blue, Lauren; Sewell, Mary Kathryn; Brazel, Christopher S.

2008-11-01

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) can be used to locally target therapies and offer the benefit of using an AC magnetic field to combine hyperthermia treatment with the triggered release of therapeutic agents. Here, we investigate localization of MNPs in a simulated environment to understand the relationship between magnetic field intensity and bulk fluid dynamics to determine MNP retention in a simulated blood vessel. As MNPs travel through blood vessels, they can be slowed or trapped in a specific area by applying a magnetic field. Magnetic cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized and labeled with a fluorescent rhodamine tag to visualize patterns in a flow cell, as monitored by a fluorescence microscope. Particle retention was determined as a function of flow rate, concentration, and magnetic field strength. Understanding the relationship between magnetic field intensity, flow behavior and nanoparticle characteristics will aid in the development of therapeutic systems specifically targeted to diseased tissue.

DLC coating of textile blood vessels using PLD

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kocourek, Tomáš; Jelínek, Miroslav; Vorlíček, Vladimír; Zemek, Josef; Janča, T.; Žížková, V.; Podlaha, J.; Popov, C.

2008-01-01

Roč. 93, č. 3 (2008), s. 627-632 ISSN 0947-8396 R&D Projects: GA MPO FI-IM2/068; GA ČR GA202/06/0216 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100522 Keywords : blood vessels * PLD * DLC * sp2 * sp3 Subject RIV: BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers Impact factor: 1.884, year: 2008

Application of blood-pool agents in visualization of peripheral vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giovagnoni, A.; Catalano, C.

2007-01-01

Effective arterial imaging is essential in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in whom a revascularization procedure is planned. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) has traditionally been regarded as the gold standard for imaging in peripheral arterial disease, but this technique is subject to certain limitations, such as the risks of adverse reactions associated with arterial catheterization and iodinated contrast agents. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography is now recommended as an effective and useful imaging technique in peripheral arterial disease, since it offers high enhanced contrast between blood and stationary tissue and fast acquisition times. However, extracellular gadolinium contrast agents rapidly diffuse into the interstitial spaces, and thus are suitable only for first-pass imaging. This limitation can be overcome by the use of blood-pool (intravascular) contrast agents, such as gadofosveset trisodium (Vasovist, Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Berlin, Germany), which are retained within the blood vessels and hence facilitate both first-pass and steady-state imaging with high spatial resolution. Blood-pool agents, therefore, offer improved imaging, particularly of distal vessels, compared with extracellular contrast agents. Examples of first-pass and steady-state imaging with gadofosveset are presented. (orig.)

Establishment of an animal model of mice with radiation- injured soft tissue blood vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Daiyou; Yu Dahai; Wu Jiaxiao; Wei Shanliang; Wen Yuming

2004-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to establish an animal model of mice with radiation-injured soft tissue blood vessels. Methods: Forty male mice were irradiated with 30 Gy on the right leg. After the irradiation was finished each of the 40 male mice was tested with angiography, and its muscle tissues on the bilateral legs were examined with vessel staining assay and electron microscopy. Results: The results showed that the number of vessels on the right leg was less than that on the left leg, the microvessel density, average diameter and average sectional area of the right leg were all lower than those of the left, and the configuration and ultra-structure of vessels were also different between both sides of legs. Conclusion: In the study authors successfully established an animal model of mice with radiation-injured soft tissue blood vessels

Correlations Between the Density of Tryptase Positive Mast Cells (DMCT and that of New Blood Vessels (CD105+ in Patients with Gastric Cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Micu Gianina Viorica

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Mast cells proteases, tryptase and chymase are directly involved in the growth and progression of solid tumors due to their important role in tumor angiogenesis. We examined the density of tryptase positive mast cells and the mean density of new blood vessels in gastric malignant tumors of patients with and without Helicobacter pylori infection, using immunohistochemical staining for tryptase (for mast cells and CD 105 (for new vessels. Tryptase and CD 105 expression was detected in gastrectomy specimens. In this study, mast cell density correlates with angiogenesis and the growth and progression of gastric cancer. It also shows that the participation of Helicobacter pylori infection in the growth and progress of gastric neoplasia is due to an increase of peritumoral angiogenesis, with subsequent local and distant tumor spread and perivascular growth, but without perineural and nodal involvement.

Mouse lung contains endothelial progenitors with high capacity to form blood and lymphatic vessels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barleon Bernhard

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Postnatal endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs have been successfully isolated from whole bone marrow, blood and the walls of conduit vessels. They can, therefore, be classified into circulating and resident progenitor cells. The differentiation capacity of resident lung endothelial progenitor cells from mouse has not been evaluated. Results In an attempt to isolate differentiated mature endothelial cells from mouse lung we found that the lung contains EPCs with a high vasculogenic capacity and capability of de novo vasculogenesis for blood and lymph vessels. Mouse lung microvascular endothelial cells (MLMVECs were isolated by selection of CD31+ cells. Whereas the majority of the CD31+ cells did not divide, some scattered cells started to proliferate giving rise to large colonies (> 3000 cells/colony. These highly dividing cells possess the capacity to integrate into various types of vessels including blood and lymph vessels unveiling the existence of local microvascular endothelial progenitor cells (LMEPCs in adult mouse lung. EPCs could be amplified > passage 30 and still expressed panendothelial markers as well as the progenitor cell antigens, but not antigens for immune cells and hematopoietic stem cells. A high percentage of these cells are also positive for Lyve1, Prox1, podoplanin and VEGFR-3 indicating that a considerabe fraction of the cells are committed to develop lymphatic endothelium. Clonogenic highly proliferating cells from limiting dilution assays were also bipotent. Combined in vitro and in vivo spheroid and matrigel assays revealed that these EPCs exhibit vasculogenic capacity by forming functional blood and lymph vessels. Conclusion The lung contains large numbers of EPCs that display commitment for both types of vessels, suggesting that lung blood and lymphatic endothelial cells are derived from a single progenitor cell.

VEGF-B is dispensable for blood vessel growth but critical for their survival, and VEGF-B targeting inhibits pathological angiogenesis

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Fan; Tang, Zhongshu; Hou, Xu; Lennartsson, Johan; Li, Yang; Koch, Alexander W.; Scotney, Pierre; Lee, Chunsik; Arjunan, Pachiappan; Dong, Lijin; Kumar, Anil; Rissanen, Tuomas T.; Wang, Bin; Nagai, Nobuo; Fons, Pierre; Fariss, Robert; Zhang, Yongqing; Wawrousek, Eric; Tansey, Ginger; Raber, James; Fong, Guo-Hua; Ding, Hao; Greenberg, David A.; Becker, Kevin G.; Herbert, Jean-Marc; Nash, Andrew; Yla-Herttuala, Seppo; Cao, Yihai; Watts, Ryan J.; Li, Xuri

2009-01-01

VEGF-B, a homolog of VEGF discovered a long time ago, has not been considered an important target in antiangiogenic therapy. Instead, it has received little attention from the field. In this study, using different animal models and multiple types of vascular cells, we revealed that although VEGF-B is dispensable for blood vessel growth, it is critical for their survival. Importantly, the survival effect of VEGF-B is not only on vascular endothelial cells, but also on pericytes, smooth muscle cells, and vascular stem/progenitor cells. In vivo, VEGF-B targeting inhibited both choroidal and retinal neovascularization. Mechanistically, we found that the vascular survival effect of VEGF-B is achieved by regulating the expression of many vascular prosurvival genes via both NP-1 and VEGFR-1. Our work thus indicates that the function of VEGF-B in the vascular system is to act as a “survival,” rather than an “angiogenic” factor and that VEGF-B inhibition may offer new therapeutic opportunities to treat neovascular diseases. PMID:19369214

The efficiency of laser radiation absorption by hemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin in the skin blood vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asimov, M.; Asimov, R.; Gisbrecht, A.

1999-01-01

The results of the investigation of the efficiency of light absorption by oxyhemoglobin (HbO 2 ) and deoxyhemoglobin (Hb) in cutaneous blood vessels in dependence on the radiation wavelength and the optical properties of the tissue is presented. Using the Kubelka - Munk optical model of the tissue the spectral dependence of the efficiency of laser interaction both on HbO 2 and Hb of blood vessels at different depths of the tissue layer are calculated. The obtained results show that for blood vessels located in tissue up to a depth of 2500 μm the efficiency of laser radiation absorption follows the shape of the Q -absorption bands of HbO 2 and Hb

Simulative study on dose distribution of 103Pd stent in blood-vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Shuyu; Dai Guangfu; Xu Zhiyong; Sun Fuyin; Xu Shuhe; Ma Fengwu

2003-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the dose distribution of 103 Pd stent in the blood-vessel. Methods: Simulative study on dose distribution of endovascular 103 Pd stent was conducted with thermoluminescence dosimeter. The vessel wall was substituted by muscle equivalent material in this simulative study. Results: When radioactivity of the study 103 Pd stent was 9.8 MBq the absorbed dose from the stent surface by muscle equivalent material was 9.8 Gy at 17 d (the half-life period of 103 Pd). The radioactivity of 103 Pd stent surface rapidly attenuated over the radial distance. 80% of the radioactivity at the area that was radially 0.4 mm apart from the stent surface was absorbed by the simulative blood-vessel wall. Conclusion: Endovascular 103 Pd stent does not exert significant injury on the surrounding organs or tissues

3-D segmentation of retinal blood vessels in spectral-domain OCT volumes of the optic nerve head

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kyungmoo; Abràmoff, Michael D.; Niemeijer, Meindert; Garvin, Mona K.; Sonka, Milan

2010-03-01

Segmentation of retinal blood vessels can provide important information for detecting and tracking retinal vascular diseases including diabetic retinopathy, arterial hypertension, arteriosclerosis and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Many studies on 2-D segmentation of retinal blood vessels from a variety of medical images have been performed. However, 3-D segmentation of retinal blood vessels from spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) volumes, which is capable of providing geometrically accurate vessel models, to the best of our knowledge, has not been previously studied. The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a method that can automatically detect 3-D retinal blood vessels from spectral-domain OCT scans centered on the optic nerve head (ONH). The proposed method utilized a fast multiscale 3-D graph search to segment retinal surfaces as well as a triangular mesh-based 3-D graph search to detect retinal blood vessels. An experiment on 30 ONH-centered OCT scans (15 right eye scans and 15 left eye scans) from 15 subjects was performed, and the mean unsigned error in 3-D of the computer segmentations compared with the independent standard obtained from a retinal specialist was 3.4 +/- 2.5 voxels (0.10 +/- 0.07 mm).

Neutrophil-Mediated Delivery of Therapeutic Nanoparticles across Blood Vessel Barrier for Treatment of Inflammation and Infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Dafeng; Gao, Jin; Wang, Zhenjia

2015-12-22

Endothelial cells form a monolayer in lumen of blood vessels presenting a great barrier for delivery of therapeutic nanoparticles (NPs) into extravascular tissues where most diseases occur, such as inflammation disorders and infection. Here, we report a strategy for delivering therapeutic NPs across this blood vessel barrier by nanoparticle in situ hitchhiking activated neutrophils. Using intravital microscopy of TNF-α-induced inflammation of mouse cremaster venules and a mouse model of acute lung inflammation, we demonstrated that intravenously (iv) infused NPs made from denatured bovine serum albumin (BSA) were specifically internalized by activated neutrophils, and subsequently, the neutrophils containing NPs migrated across blood vessels into inflammatory tissues. When neutrophils were depleted using anti-Gr-1 in a mouse, the transport of albumin NPs across blood vessel walls was robustly abolished. Furthermore, it was found that albumin nanoparticle internalization did not affect neutrophil mobility and functions. Administration of drug-loaded albumin NPs markedly mitigated the lung inflammation induced by LPS (lipopolysaccharide) or infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These results demonstrate the use of an albumin nanoparticle platform for in situ targeting of activated neutrophils for delivery of therapeutics across the blood vessel barriers into diseased sites. This study demonstrates our ability to hijack neutrophils to deliver nanoparticles to targeted diseased sites.

"Sausage-string" appearance of arteries and arterioles can be caused by an instability of the blood vessel wall

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Jens Christian Brings; Beierholm, Ulrik; Mikkelsen, Rene

2002-01-01

Vascular damage induced by acute hypertension is preceded by a peculiar pattern where blood vessels show alternating regions of constrictions and dilations ("sausages on a string"). The pattern occurs in the smaller blood vessels, and it plays a central role in causing the vascular damage. A rela...... phenomenon. Experimental data suggest that the structural changes induced by the instability may cause secondary damage to the wall of small arteries and arterioles in the form of endothelial hyperpermeability followed by local fibrinoid necrosis of the vascular wall.......Vascular damage induced by acute hypertension is preceded by a peculiar pattern where blood vessels show alternating regions of constrictions and dilations ("sausages on a string"). The pattern occurs in the smaller blood vessels, and it plays a central role in causing the vascular damage....... A related vascular pattern has been observed in larger vessels from several organs during angiography. In the larger vessels the occurrence of the pattern does not appear to be related to acute hypertension. A unifying feature between the phenomenon in large and small vessels seems to be an increase...

MACROMICROSCOPIC AND ULTRAMICROSCOPIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HART AND ITS BLOOD VESSELS IN MICE EHRLICHIOSIS INFECTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pokhil S. I.

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The macromicroscopic, ultramicroscopic studying change’s in the hart and its blood vessels in unlinear immunocomprometive laboratory male and female mice with the experimental ehrlichiosis is presented in this article. The cardiac destructive and degenerative changes,cardiomyopathy, cardiosclerosis had been established inexperimental animal group’s. The blood vessels endothelial lieyr disorganization, stasis, thrombosis has been noted.

Blood Outgrowth Endothelial Cells Increase Tumor Growth Rates and Modify Tumor Physiology: Relevance for Therapeutic Targeting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pagan, Jonathan, E-mail: jdpagan@uams.edu; Przybyla, Beata; Jamshidi-Parsian, Azemat [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205 (United States); Gupta, Kalpna [Vascular Biology Center and Division of Hematology-Oncology Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, MN 72223 (United States); Griffin, Robert J. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205 (United States)

2013-02-18

Endothelial cell precursors from human peripheral blood have been shown to home to areas of neovascularization and may assist tumor growth by increasing or fortifying blood vessel growth. In the present study, the influence of these cells on tumor growth and physiology was investigated and the role of these cells as a therapeutic target or in determining treatment sensitivity was tested. After isolation from human blood and expansion in vitro, actively growing cells with verified endothelial phenotype (Blood Outgrowth Endothelial Cell, BOEC) were injected i.v. into tumor bearing mice for three consecutive days. The growth rate was significantly enhanced in relatively small RERF human lung tumors (i.e., less than 150 mm{sup 3}) grown in immunocompromised mice by an average of 1.5-fold while it had no effect when injections were given to animals bearing larger tumors. There were no signs of toxicity or unwanted systemic effects. We also observed evidence of increased perfusion, vessel number, response to 15 Gy radiation and oxygenation in RERF tumors of animals injected with BOECs compared to control tumors. In addition, FSaII murine fibrosarcoma tumors were found to grow faster upon injection of BOECs. When FSaII tumors were subjected to a partial thermal ablation treatment using high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) there was consistently elevated detection of fluorescently labeled and i.v. injected endothelial precursors in the tumor when analyzed with optical imaging and/or histological preparations. Importantly, we also observed that BOECs treated with the novel anti-angiogenic peptide anginex in-vitro, show decreased proliferation and increased sensitivity to radiation. In vivo, the normal increase in FSaII tumor growth induced by injected BOECs was blunted by the addition of anginex treatment. It appears that endothelial precursors may significantly contribute to tumor vessel growth, tumor progression and/or repair of tumor damage and may improve the

Blood Outgrowth Endothelial Cells Increase Tumor Growth Rates and Modify Tumor Physiology: Relevance for Therapeutic Targeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pagan, Jonathan; Przybyla, Beata; Jamshidi-Parsian, Azemat; Gupta, Kalpna; Griffin, Robert J.

2013-01-01

Endothelial cell precursors from human peripheral blood have been shown to home to areas of neovascularization and may assist tumor growth by increasing or fortifying blood vessel growth. In the present study, the influence of these cells on tumor growth and physiology was investigated and the role of these cells as a therapeutic target or in determining treatment sensitivity was tested. After isolation from human blood and expansion in vitro, actively growing cells with verified endothelial phenotype (Blood Outgrowth Endothelial Cell, BOEC) were injected i.v. into tumor bearing mice for three consecutive days. The growth rate was significantly enhanced in relatively small RERF human lung tumors (i.e., less than 150 mm 3 ) grown in immunocompromised mice by an average of 1.5-fold while it had no effect when injections were given to animals bearing larger tumors. There were no signs of toxicity or unwanted systemic effects. We also observed evidence of increased perfusion, vessel number, response to 15 Gy radiation and oxygenation in RERF tumors of animals injected with BOECs compared to control tumors. In addition, FSaII murine fibrosarcoma tumors were found to grow faster upon injection of BOECs. When FSaII tumors were subjected to a partial thermal ablation treatment using high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) there was consistently elevated detection of fluorescently labeled and i.v. injected endothelial precursors in the tumor when analyzed with optical imaging and/or histological preparations. Importantly, we also observed that BOECs treated with the novel anti-angiogenic peptide anginex in-vitro, show decreased proliferation and increased sensitivity to radiation. In vivo, the normal increase in FSaII tumor growth induced by injected BOECs was blunted by the addition of anginex treatment. It appears that endothelial precursors may significantly contribute to tumor vessel growth, tumor progression and/or repair of tumor damage and may improve the

The effects of Anadara granosa shell-Stichopus hermanni on bFGF expressions and blood vessel counts in the bone defect healing process of Wistar rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rima Parwati Sari

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Bone damage can be caused by various factors with treatment usually involving graft materials being applied to the defective area. Moreover, in the bone defect healing process, blood vessels are also considered to be an important energy source for cell proliferation. One of the angiogenic factors playing an important role in blood vessel formation is basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF. Furthermore, synthesized hydroxyapatite derived from Anadara granosa (AG shells constitutes one of the potential materials for use in bone graft. The gold sea cucumber genus Stichopus hermanni (SH possesses the ability to stimulate endothelial progenitor cells inducing bFGF. Purpose: This study aims to investigate the effects of AG shells and SH on bFGF expressions and blood vessel counts within the bone healing process. Methods: Twenty four male Wistar rats were divided into three groups, namely: a control group (C, a treatment group was administered with blood cockle shell (AG, and a treatment group with blood cockle shell and golden sea cucumber (AG+SH. Defects were made on their femurs measuring half the diameter of a circular, no. 018. bur These rats were subsequently sacrificed on day 7 after surgery. The expressions of bFGF were measured by means of IHC technique, while the number of blood vessels was quantified using HE technique. The resulting data was subjected to statistical analysis using an Anova test followed by an LSD test (p < 0.05. Results: The one-way Anova test results combined with those of an LSD test showed there to be significant differences in bFGF expressions and blood vessel counts between the control group (K and the treatment group (AG as well as between the treatment group (AG and the treatment group (AG+SH. Conclusions: A combination of Anadara granosa shell and Stichopus hermanni can increase the expression of bFGF and the number of blood vessels on day 7 during the bone healing process in Wistar rats.

An experimental system for the study of ultrasound exposure of isolated blood vessels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tokarczyk, Anna; Rivens, Ian; van Bavel, E.; Symonds-Tayler, Richard; ter Haar, Gail

2013-01-01

An experimental system designed for the study of the effects of diagnostic or therapeutic ultrasound exposure on isolated blood vessels in the presence or absence of intraluminal contrast agent is described. The system comprised several components. A microscope was used to monitor vessel size (and

Theoretical evaluations of magnetic nanoparticle-enhanced heating on tumor embedded with large blood vessels during hyperthermia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Q.; Deng, Z. S.; Liu, J.

2012-01-01

The large blood vessels surrounding the tumor would significantly result in heat sink, and thus seriously limit the thermal ablative area during tumor hyperthermia. Magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) was recently identified as an important heating enhancer to improve the treatment efficiency. It will not only help to absorb more energy under the irradiation of external magnetic field, but also can block the blood flow and subsequently weaken the heat sink effect of large vessels. In this study, these two critical factors, reserved to be undisclosed before in theory, were comprehensively investigated through three-dimensional numerical simulation. The results suggested that concerning the contribution to temperature increase in the tissues surrounding large vessel, the factor of blood flow blocking is more effective than that of energy absorption. Therefore, selective loading of MNPs to the target sites is expected to serve as a promising method to perform successful hyperthermia treatment for tumor tissues embedded with large blood vessels.

Theoretical evaluations of magnetic nanoparticle-enhanced heating on tumor embedded with large blood vessels during hyperthermia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Q. [Tsinghua University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine (China); Deng, Z. S. [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry (China); Liu, J., E-mail: jliubme@tsinghua.edu.cn [Tsinghua University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine (China)

2012-07-15

The large blood vessels surrounding the tumor would significantly result in heat sink, and thus seriously limit the thermal ablative area during tumor hyperthermia. Magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) was recently identified as an important heating enhancer to improve the treatment efficiency. It will not only help to absorb more energy under the irradiation of external magnetic field, but also can block the blood flow and subsequently weaken the heat sink effect of large vessels. In this study, these two critical factors, reserved to be undisclosed before in theory, were comprehensively investigated through three-dimensional numerical simulation. The results suggested that concerning the contribution to temperature increase in the tissues surrounding large vessel, the factor of blood flow blocking is more effective than that of energy absorption. Therefore, selective loading of MNPs to the target sites is expected to serve as a promising method to perform successful hyperthermia treatment for tumor tissues embedded with large blood vessels.

Modification method to reduce the impact of blood vessel on noncontact discrimination of human blood based on ;M+N; theory

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Linna; Ding, Hongyan; Lin, Ling; Wang, Yimin; Guo, Xin

2018-01-01

Noncontact discriminating human blood is significantly crucial for import-export ports and inspection and quarantine departments. We had already demonstrated that visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy combining PLS-DA method can successfully realize noncontact human blood discrimination. However, the circulated blood vessels may be produced with different materials. The use of various kinds of blood tubes may have a negative effect on the discrimination, based on ;M+N; theory (Li et al., 2016). In this research, we explored the impact of different material of blood vessels, such as glass tube and plastic tube, on the prediction ability of the discrimination model. Furthermore, we searched for the modification method to reduce the influence from the blood tubes. Our work indicated that generalized diffuse reflectance method can greatly improve the discrimination accuracy. This research can greatly facilitate the application of noncontact discrimination method based on visible and near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.

Segmentation of retinal blood vessels using artificial neural networks for early detection of diabetic retinopathy

Science.gov (United States)

Mann, Kulwinder S.; Kaur, Sukhpreet

2017-06-01

There are various eye diseases in the patients suffering from the diabetes which includes Diabetic Retinopathy, Glaucoma, Hypertension etc. These all are the most common sight threatening eye diseases due to the changes in the blood vessel structure. The proposed method using supervised methods concluded that the segmentation of the retinal blood vessels can be performed accurately using neural networks training. It uses features which include Gray level features; Moment Invariant based features, Gabor filtering, Intensity feature, Vesselness feature for feature vector computation. Then the feature vector is calculated using only the prominent features.

Sub-critical crack growth and clad integrity in a PWR reactor pressure vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tice, D.R.; Foreman, A.J.E.; Sharples, J.K.

1987-10-01

The possibility of in-service growth of sub-critical defects in a PWR reactor pressure vessel to a critical size which could result in vessel failure was addressed in both the 1976 and 1982 reports of the Light Water Reactor Study Group (LWRSG), under the Chairmanship of Dr W Marshall (now Lord Marshall). An addendum to this report was published by UKAEA in April 1987. The section of the addendum dealing with subcritical crack growth and the related issue of integrity of the stainless steel cladding on the inner vessel surface is reproduced in this report. This section of the LWRSG addendum provides a review of the current status of fatigue crack growth and environmentally assisted cracking research for pressure vessel steels in light water reactor environments, as well as a review of developments in crack growth assessment methods. The review concludes that the alternative assessment procedures now being developed give a more realistic prediction of in service crack growth than the ASME Section XI Appendix A fatigue crack growth curves. (author)

A three-temperature model of selective photothermolysis for laser treatment of port wine stain containing large malformed blood vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, D.; Wang, G.X.; He, Y.L.; Wu, W.J.; Chen, B.

2014-01-01

As congenital vascular malformations, port wine stain (PWS) is composed of ectatic venular capillary blood vessels buried within healthy dermis. In clinic, pulsed dye laser (PDL) in visible band (e.g. 585 nm) together with cryogen spray cooling (CSC) have become the golden standard for treatment of PWS. However, due to the limited energy deposition of the PDL in blood, large blood vessels are likely to survive from the laser irradiation. As a result, complete clearance of the lesions is rarely achieved. Assuming the local thermal non-equilibrium in skin tissue during the laser surgery, a three-temperature model is proposed to treat the PWS tissue as a porous media composed of a non-absorbing dermal matrix buried with the blood as well as the large malformed blood vessels. Three energy equations are constructed and solved coupling for the temperature of the blood in average-sized PWS vessels, non-absorbing dermal tissues and large malformed blood vessels, respectively. Subsequently, the thermal responses of human skin to visible (585 nm) and near-infrared (1064 nm) laser irradiations with various pulse durations in conjunction with cryogen spray cooling are investigated by the new model, and Arrhenius integral is used to analyze the thermal damage. The simulations show that the short pulse duration of 1.5 ms results in a higher selective heating of blood over epidermis, which will lead to a desired clinic outcome than the longer pulse duration. Due to a much deeper light penetration depth, laser irradiation with 1064 nm in wavelength is superior to that with 585 nm in treating patients with cutaneous hyper-vascular malformation. Complete coagulations are predicted in large-sized and deeply extending blood vessels by 1064 nm laser. - Highlights: •A three-temperature model is proposed for the laser treatment of port wine stain (PWS). •Average sized and large malformed blood vessels in porous medium (tissue) are considered. •Thermal responses of PWS to

Retinal blood vessel extraction using tunable bandpass filter and fuzzy conditional entropy.

Science.gov (United States)

Sil Kar, Sudeshna; Maity, Santi P

2016-09-01

Extraction of blood vessels on retinal images plays a significant role for screening of different opthalmologic diseases. However, accurate extraction of the entire and individual type of vessel silhouette from the noisy images with poorly illuminated background is a complicated task. To this aim, an integrated system design platform is suggested in this work for vessel extraction using a sequential bandpass filter followed by fuzzy conditional entropy maximization on matched filter response. At first noise is eliminated from the image under consideration through curvelet based denoising. To include the fine details and the relatively less thick vessel structures, the image is passed through a bank of sequential bandpass filter structure optimized for contrast enhancement. Fuzzy conditional entropy on matched filter response is then maximized to find the set of multiple optimal thresholds to extract the different types of vessel silhouettes from the background. Differential Evolution algorithm is used to determine the optimal gain in bandpass filter and the combination of the fuzzy parameters. Using the multiple thresholds, retinal image is classified as the thick, the medium and the thin vessels including neovascularization. Performance evaluated on different publicly available retinal image databases shows that the proposed method is very efficient in identifying the diverse types of vessels. Proposed method is also efficient in extracting the abnormal and the thin blood vessels in pathological retinal images. The average values of true positive rate, false positive rate and accuracy offered by the method is 76.32%, 1.99% and 96.28%, respectively for the DRIVE database and 72.82%, 2.6% and 96.16%, respectively for the STARE database. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the existing methods in detecting the various types of vessels and the neovascularization structures. The combination of curvelet transform and tunable bandpass

Fine structural alterations of the blood vessels in the delayed radionecrosis of the human brain and its pathogenesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsumura, H [Nagasaki Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine

1981-05-01

The blood vessels in the delayed radionecrosis of the human brain were studied under light and electron microscopes. Microscopically, the blood vessels demonstrated characteristic findings such as fibrinoid necrosis, hyalinized thickened vessels, perivascular fibrosis and thrombosed vessels. Electron microscopy revealed the formation of fenestrae, separation of endothelial cells, increased pinocytotic vesicles as well as the initial thrombus formation. Our results strongly verified that vascular alterations are primary in the pathogenesis of radionecrosis whereas the parenchymal changes are secondary.

Molecular imaging of tumor blood vessels in prostate cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Tilki, Derya; Seitz, Michael; Singer, Bernhard B; Irmak, Ster; Stief, Christian G; Reich, Oliver; Ergün, Süleyman

2009-05-01

In the past three decades many efforts have been undertaken to understand the mechanisms of tumor angiogenesis. The introduction of anti-angiogenic drugs in tumor therapy during the last few years necessitates the establishment of new techniques enabling molecular imaging of tumor vascular remodelling. The determination of tumor size as commonly used is not appropriate since the extended necrosis under anti-angiogenic therapy does not necessarily result in the reduction of tumor diameter. The basis for the molecular imaging of tumor blood vessels is the remodelling of the tumor vessels under anti-angiogenic therapy which obviously occurs at an early stage and seems to be a convincing parameter. Beside the enormous progress in this field during the last few years the resolution is still not high enough to evaluate the remodelling of the micro tumor vessels. New imaging approaches combining specific molecular markers for tumor vessels with the different imaging techniques are needed to overcome this issue as exemplarily discussed for prostate cancer in this review. Molecular contrast agents targeting the vasculature will allow clinicians the visualization of vascular remodelling processes taking place under anti-angiogenic therapy and improve tumor diagnosis and follow-up.

Engineering blood vessels through micropatterned co-culture of vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells on bilayered electrospun fibrous mats with pDNA inoculation.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yaowen; Lu, Jinfu; Li, Huinan; Wei, Jiaojun; Li, Xiaohong

2015-01-01

Although engineered blood vessels have seen important advances during recent years, proper mechanical strength and vasoactivity remain unsolved problems. In the current study, micropatterned fibrous mats were created to load smooth muscle cells (SMC), and a co-culture with endothelial cells (EC) was established through overlaying on an EC-loaded flat fibrous mat to mimic the layered structure of a blood vessel. A preferential distribution of SMC was determined in the patterned regions throughout the fibrous scaffolds, and aligned fibers in the patterned regions provided topological cues to guide the orientation of SMC with intense actin filaments and extracellular matrix (ECM) production in a circumferential direction. Plasmid DNA encoding basic fibroblast growth factors and vascular endothelial growth factor were integrated into electrospun fibers as biological cues to promote SMC infiltration into fibrous mats, and the viability and ECM production of both EC and SMC. The layered fibrous mats with loaded EC and SMC were wrapped into a cylinder, and engineered vessels were obtained with compact EC and SMC layers after co-culture for 3 months. Randomly oriented ECM productions of EC formed a continuous endothelium covering the entire lumenal surface, and a high alignment of ECM was shown in the circumferential direction of SMC layers. The tensile strength, strain at failure and suture retention strength were higher than those of the human femoral artery, and the burst pressure and radial compliance were in the same range as the human saphenous vein, indicating potential as blood vessel substitutes for transplantation in vivo. Thus, the establishment of topographical cues and biochemical signals in fibrous scaffolds demonstrates advantages in modulating cellular behavior and organization found in complex multicellular tissues. Copyright © 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aminopeptidase A is a functional target in angiogenic blood vessels.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marchio, S.; Lahdenranta, J.; Schlingemann, R.O.; Valdembri, D.; Wesseling, P.; Arap, M.A.; Hajitou, A.; Ozawa, M.G.; Trepel, M.; Giordano, R.J.; Nanus, D.M.; Dijkman, H.B.P.M.; Oosterwijk, E.; Sidman, R.L.; Cooper, M.D.; Bussolino, F.; Pasqualini, R.; Arap, W.

2004-01-01

We show that a membrane-associated protease, aminopeptidase A (APA), is upregulated and enzymatically active in blood vessels of human tumors. To gain mechanistic insight, we evaluated angiogenesis in APA null mice. We found that, although these mice develop normally, they fail to mount the expected

Aminopeptidase A is a functional target in angiogenic blood vessels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marchiò, Serena; Lahdenranta, Johanna; Schlingemann, Reinier O.; Valdembri, Donatella; Wesseling, Pieter; Arap, Marco A.; Hajitou, Amin; Ozawa, Michael G.; Trepel, Martin; Giordano, Ricardo J.; Nanus, David M.; Dijkman, Henri B. P. M.; Oosterwijk, Egbert; Sidman, Richard L.; Cooper, Max D.; Bussolino, Federico; Pasqualini, Renata; Arap, Wadih

2004-01-01

We show that a membrane-associated protease, aminopeptidase A (APA), is upregulated and enzymatically active in blood vessels of human tumors. To gain mechanistic insight, we evaluated angiogenesis in APA null mice. We found that, although these mice develop normally, they fail to mount the expected

Dependence of light scattering profile in tissue on blood vessel diameter and distribution: a computer simulation study.

Science.gov (United States)

Duadi, Hamootal; Fixler, Dror; Popovtzer, Rachela

2013-11-01

Most methods for measuring light-tissue interactions focus on the volume reflectance while very few measure the transmission. We investigate both diffusion reflection and diffuse transmission at all exit angles to receive the full scattering profile. We also investigate the influence of blood vessel diameter on the scattering profile of a circular tissue. The photon propagation path at a wavelength of 850 nm is calculated from the absorption and scattering constants via Monte Carlo simulation. Several simulations are performed where a different vessel diameter and location were chosen but the blood volume was kept constant. The fraction of photons exiting the tissue at several central angles is presented for each vessel diameter. The main result is that there is a central angle that below which the photon transmission decreased for lower vessel diameters while above this angle the opposite occurred. We find this central angle to be 135 deg for a two-dimensional 10-mm diameter circular tissue cross-section containing blood vessels. These findings can be useful for monitoring blood perfusion and oxygen delivery in the ear lobe and pinched tissues. © 2013 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Ultrasonographic Examination of Some Vessels in Dogs and the Characteristics of Blood Flow in These Vessels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Figurová M.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The examination by Doppler ultrasonography provides haemodynamic information about blood flow velocity in a respective vessel. It specifies high- and lowresistance flow patterns. The aim of our study was to record the flow in a. carotis communis, a. femoralis and aa. renales in 16 adult clinically healthy dogs of small and medium size; characterize the types of vessels and also determine the pulsatility index (PI and the resistive index (RI of these vessels. The a. femoralis is a high-resistance vessel with a pronounced three-peak waveform. The aa. renales gives a typical picture of a low-resistance flow pattern. The characteristics of a. carotis communis involves different images of its branches a. carotis interna and a. carotis externa. In the investigated groups we observed a medium degree of pulsatility (atypical highresistance flow pattern with an absence of reverse flow. The mean measured values of indices for a. carotis communis were: left side PI 1.824 and RI 0.742; right side PI 1.891 and RI 0.746, and for aa. renales: PI 1.366 ± 0.04 and RI 0.684 ± 0.05.

Vascular patterns in the heads of crocodilians: blood vessels and sites of thermal exchange.

Science.gov (United States)

Porter, William Ruger; Sedlmayr, Jayc C; Witmer, Lawrence M

2016-12-01

Extant crocodilians are a highly apomorphic archosaur clade that is ectothermic, yet often achieve large body sizes that can be subject to higher heat loads. Therefore, the anatomical and physiological roles that blood vessels play in crocodilian thermoregulation need further investigation to better understand how crocodilians establish and maintain cephalic temperatures and regulate neurosensory tissue temperatures during basking and normal activities. The cephalic vascular anatomy of extant crocodilians, particularly American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) was investigated using a differential-contrast, dual-vascular injection technique and high resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT). Blood vessels were digitally isolated to create representations of vascular pathways. The specimens were then dissected to confirm CT results. Sites of thermal exchange, consisting of the oral, nasal, and orbital regions, were given special attention due to their role in evaporative cooling and cephalic thermoregulation in other diapsids. Blood vessels to and from sites of thermal exchange were studied to detect conserved vascular patterns and to assess their ability to deliver cooled blood to neurosensory tissues. Within the orbital region, both the arteries and veins demonstrated consistent branching patterns, with the supraorbital, infraorbital, and ophthalmotemporal vessels supplying and draining the orbit. The venous drainage of the orbital region showed connections to the dural sinuses via the orbital veins and cavernous sinus. The palatal region demonstrated a vast plexus that comprised both arteries and veins. The most direct route of venous drainage of the palatal plexus was through the palatomaxillary veins, essentially bypassing neurosensory tissues. Anastomotic connections with the nasal region, however, may provide an alternative route for palatal venous blood to reach neurosensory tissues. The nasal region in crocodilians is probably the most

Hybrid PIV-PTV technique for measuring blood flow in rat mesenteric vessels.

Science.gov (United States)

Ha, Hojin; Nam, Kweon-Ho; Lee, Sang Joon

2012-11-01

The micro-particle tracking velocimetry (μ-PTV) technique is used to obtain the velocity fields of blood flow in the microvasculature under in vivo conditions because it can provide the blood velocity distribution in microvessels with high spatial resolution. The in vivo μ-PTV technique usually requires a few to tens of seconds to obtain a whole velocity profile across the vessel diameter because of the limited number density of tracer particles under in vivo conditions. Thus, the μ-PTV technique alone is limited in measuring unsteady blood flows that fluctuate irregularly due to the heart beating and muscle movement in surrounding tissues. In this study, a new hybrid PIV-PTV technique was established by combining PTV and particle image velocimetry (PIV) techniques to resolve the drawbacks of the μ-PTV method in measuring blood flow in microvessels under in vivo conditions. Images of red blood cells (RBCs) and fluorescent particles in rat mesenteric vessels were obtained simultaneously. Temporal variations of the centerline blood velocity were monitored using a fast Fourier transform-based cross-correlation PIV method. The fluorescence particle images were analyzed using the μ-PTV technique to extract the spatial distribution of the velocity vectors. Data from the μ-PTV and PIV methods were combined to obtain a better estimate of the velocity profile in actual blood flow. This technique will be useful in investigating hemodynamics in microcirculation by measuring unsteady irregular blood flows more accurately. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Feasibility evaluation of 3D photoacoustic imaging of blood vessel structure using multiple wavelengths with a handheld probe

Science.gov (United States)

Uchimoto, Yo; Namita, Takeshi; Kondo, Kengo; Yamakawa, Makoto; Shiina, Tsuyoshi

2018-02-01

Photoacoustic imaging is anticipated for use in portraying blood vessel structures (e.g. neovascularization in inflamed regions). To reduce invasiveness and enhance ease handling, we developed a handheld photoacoustic imaging system using multiple wavelengths. The usefulness of the proposed system was investigated in phantom experiments and in vivo measurements. A silicon tube was embedded into chicken breast meat to simulate the blood vessel. The tube was filled with ovine blood. Then laser light was guided to the phantom surface by an optical fiber bundle close to the linear ultrasound probe. Photoacoustic images were obtained at 750-950 nm wavelengths. Strong photoacoustic signals from the boundary between blood and silicon tube are observed in these images. The shape of photoacoustic spectrum at the boundary resembles that of the HbO2 absorption spectrum at 750-920 nm. In photoacoustic images, similarity between photoacoustic spectrum and HbO2 absorption spectrum was evaluated by calculating the normalized correlation coefficient. Results show high correlation in regions of strong photoacoustic signals in photoacoustic images. These analyses demonstrate the feasibility of portraying blood vessel structures under practical conditions. To evaluate the feasibility of three-dimensional vascular imaging, in vivo experiments were conducted using three wavelengths. A right hand and ultrasound probe were set in degassed water. By scanning a probe, cross-sectional ultrasound and photoacoustic images were obtained at each location. Then, all ultrasound or photoacoustic images were piled up respectively. Then three-dimensional images were constructed. Resultant images portrayed blood vessel-like structures three-dimensionally. Furthermore, to distinguish blood vessels from other tissues (e.g. skin), distinguishing images of them were constructed by comparing photoacoustic signal intensity among three wavelengths. The resultant image portrayed blood vessels as

An experimental system for the study of ultrasound exposure of isolated blood vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tokarczyk, Anna; Rivens, Ian; Symonds-Tayler, Richard; Ter Haar, Gail; Van Bavel, E

2013-01-01

An experimental system designed for the study of the effects of diagnostic or therapeutic ultrasound exposure on isolated blood vessels in the presence or absence of intraluminal contrast agent is described. The system comprised several components. A microscope was used to monitor vessel size (and thus vessel functionality), and potential leakage of intraluminal 70 kDa FITC-dextran fluorescence marker. A vessel chamber allowed the mounting of an isolated vessel whilst maintaining its viability, with pressure regulation for the control of intraluminal pressure and induction of flow for the infusion of contrast microbubbles. A fibre-optic hydrophone sensor mounted on the vessel chamber using a micromanipulator allowed pre-exposure targeting of the vessel to within 150 µm, and monitoring of acoustic cavitation emissions during exposures. Acoustic cavitation was also detected using changes in the ultrasound drive voltage and by detection of audible emissions using a submerged microphone. The suitability of this system for studying effects in the isolated vessel model has been demonstrated using a pilot study of 6 sham exposed and 18 high intensity focused ultrasound exposed vessels, with or without intraluminal contrast agent (SonoVue) within the vessels. (paper)

Blood vessel endothelium-directed tumor cell streaming in breast tumors requires the HGF/C-Met signaling pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Leung, E; Xue, A; Wang, Y; Rougerie, P; Sharma, V P; Eddy, R; Cox, D; Condeelis, J

2017-05-11

During metastasis to distant sites, tumor cells migrate to blood vessels. In vivo, breast tumor cells utilize a specialized mode of migration known as streaming, where a linear assembly of tumor cells migrate directionally towards blood vessels on fibronectin-collagen I-containing extracellular matrix (ECM) fibers in response to chemotactic signals. We have successfully reconstructed tumor cell streaming in vitro by co-plating tumors cells, macrophages and endothelial cells on 2.5 μm thick ECM-coated micro-patterned substrates. We found that tumor cells and macrophages, when plated together on the micro-patterned substrates, do not demonstrate sustained directional migration in only one direction (sustained directionality) but show random bi-directional walking. Sustained directionality of tumor cells as seen in vivo was established in vitro when beads coated with human umbilical vein endothelial cells were placed at one end of the micro-patterned 'ECM fibers' within the assay. We demonstrated that these endothelial cells supply the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) required for the chemotactic gradient responsible for sustained directionality. Using this in vitro reconstituted streaming system, we found that directional streaming is dependent on, and most effectively blocked, by inhibiting the HGF/C-Met signaling pathway between endothelial cells and tumor cells. Key observations made with the in vitro reconstituted system implicating C-Met signaling were confirmed in vivo in mammary tumors using the in vivo invasion assay and intravital multiphoton imaging of tumor cell streaming. These results establish HGF/C-Met as a central organizing signal in blood vessel-directed tumor cell migration in vivo and highlight a promising role for C-Met inhibitors in blocking tumor cell streaming and metastasis in vivo, and for use in human trials.

Angiogenesis and blood vessel stability in inflammatory arthritis.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Kennedy, Aisling

2012-02-01

OBJECTIVE: To assess blood vessel stability in inflammatory synovial tissue (ST) and to examine neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), oxidative DNA damage, and hypoxia in vivo. METHODS: Macroscopic vascularity and ST oxygen levels were determined in vivo in patients with inflammatory arthritis who were undergoing arthroscopy. Vessel maturity\\/stability was quantified in matched ST samples by dual immunofluorescence staining for factor VIII (FVIII)\\/alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA). NCAM and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2\\'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) were examined by immunohistochemistry. Angiogenesis was assessed in vitro, using human dermal endothelial cells (HDECs) in a Matrigel tube formation assay. RESULTS: A significant number of immature vessels (showing no pericyte recruitment) was observed in tissue from patients with inflammatory arthritis (P < 0.001), in contrast to osteoarthritic and normal tissue, which showed complete recruitment of pericytes. Low in vivo PO(2) levels in the inflamed joint (median [range] 22.8 [3.2-54.1] mm Hg) were inversely related to increased macroscopic vascularity (P < 0.04) and increased microscopic expression of FVIII and alpha-SMA (P < 0.04 and P < 0.03, respectively). A significant proportion of vessels showed focal expression of NCAM and strong nuclear 8-oxodG expression, implicating a loss of EC-pericyte contact and increased DNA damage, levels of which were inversely associated with low in vivo PO(2) (P = 0.04 for each comparison). Circulating cells were completely negative for 8-oxodG. Exposure of HDEC to 3% O(2) (reflecting mean ST in vivo measurements) significantly increased EC tube formation (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate the presence of unstable vessels in inflamed joints associated with hypoxia, incomplete EC-pericyte interactions, and increased DNA damage. These changes may further contribute to persistent hypoxia in the inflamed joint to further drive this unstable microenvironment.

Tight junction between endothelial cells: the interaction between nanoparticles and blood vessels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yue Zhang

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Since nanoparticles are now widely applied as food additives, in cosmetics and other industries, especially in medical therapy and diagnosis, we ask here whether nanoparticles can cause several adverse effects to human health. In this review, based on research on nanotoxicity, we mainly discuss the negative influence of nanoparticles on blood vessels in several aspects and the potential mechanism for nanoparticles to penetrate endothelial layers of blood vessels, which are the sites of phosphorylation of tight junction proteins (claudins, occludins, and ZO (Zonula occludens proteins, oxidative stress and shear stress. We propose a connection between the presence of nanoparticles and the regulation of the tight junction, which might be the key approach for nanoparticles to penetrate endothelial layers and then have an impact on other tissues and organs.

Multi-detector spiral CT study of the relationships between pulmonary ground-glass nodules and blood vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao, Feng; Li, Ming; Ge, Xiaojun; Ren, Qingguo; Hua, Yanqing; Zheng, Xiangpeng; Chen, Yan; Lv, Fangzhen

2013-01-01

To investigate the relationships between pulmonary ground-glass nodules (GGN) and blood vessels and their diagnostic values in differentiating GGNs. Multi-detector spiral CT imaging of 108 GGNs was retrospectively reviewed. The spatial relationships between GGNs and supplying blood vessels were categorized into four types: I, vessels passing by GGNs; II, intact vessels passing through GGNs; III, distorted, dilated or tortuous vessels seen within GGNs; IV, more complicated vasculature other than described above. Relationship types were correlated to pathologic and/or clinical findings of GGNs. Of 108 GGNs, 10 were benign, 24 preinvasive nodules and 74 adenocarcinomas that were pathologically proven. Types I, II, III and IV vascular relationships were observed in 9, 58, 21 and 20 GGNs, respectively. Type II relationship was the dominating relationship for each GGN group, but significant differences were shown among them. Correlation analysis showed strong correlation between invasive adenocarcinoma and type III and IV relationships. Subgroup analysis indicated that type III was more commonly seen in IAC with comparison to type IV more likely seen in MIA. Different GGNs have different relationships with vessels. Understanding and recognising characteristic GGN-vessel relationships may help identify which GGNs are more likely to be malignant. (orig.)

Neutrophil-Mediated Delivery of Therapeutic Nanoparticles across Blood Vessel Barrier for Treatment of Inflammation and Infection

OpenAIRE

Chu, Dafeng; Gao, Jin; Wang, Zhenjia

2015-01-01

Endothelial cells form a monolayer in lumen of blood vessels presenting a great barrier for delivery of therapeutic nanoparticles (NPs) into extravascular tissues where most diseases occur, such as inflammation disorders and infection. Here, we report a strategy for delivering therapeutic NPs across this blood vessel barrier by nanoparticle in situ hitchhiking activated neutrophils. Using intravital microscopy of TNF-α-induced inflammation of mouse cremaster venules and a mouse model of acute...

A computational model predicting disruption of blood vessel development.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicole Kleinstreuer

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Vascular development is a complex process regulated by dynamic biological networks that vary in topology and state across different tissues and developmental stages. Signals regulating de novo blood vessel formation (vasculogenesis and remodeling (angiogenesis come from a variety of biological pathways linked to endothelial cell (EC behavior, extracellular matrix (ECM remodeling and the local generation of chemokines and growth factors. Simulating these interactions at a systems level requires sufficient biological detail about the relevant molecular pathways and associated cellular behaviors, and tractable computational models that offset mathematical and biological complexity. Here, we describe a novel multicellular agent-based model of vasculogenesis using the CompuCell3D (http://www.compucell3d.org/ modeling environment supplemented with semi-automatic knowledgebase creation. The model incorporates vascular endothelial growth factor signals, pro- and anti-angiogenic inflammatory chemokine signals, and the plasminogen activating system of enzymes and proteases linked to ECM interactions, to simulate nascent EC organization, growth and remodeling. The model was shown to recapitulate stereotypical capillary plexus formation and structural emergence of non-coded cellular behaviors, such as a heterologous bridging phenomenon linking endothelial tip cells together during formation of polygonal endothelial cords. Molecular targets in the computational model were mapped to signatures of vascular disruption derived from in vitro chemical profiling using the EPA's ToxCast high-throughput screening (HTS dataset. Simulating the HTS data with the cell-agent based model of vascular development predicted adverse effects of a reference anti-angiogenic thalidomide analog, 5HPP-33, on in vitro angiogenesis with respect to both concentration-response and morphological consequences. These findings support the utility of cell agent-based models for simulating a

In vivo measurement of hemodynamic information in stenosed rat blood vessels using X-ray PIV.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hanwook; Park, Jun Hong; Lee, Sang Joon

2016-11-28

Measurements of the hemodynamic information of blood flows, especially wall shear stress (WSS), in animal models with circulatory vascular diseases (CVDs) are important to understand the pathological mechanism of CVDs. In this study, X-ray particle image velocimetry (PIV) with high spatial resolution was applied to obtain velocity field information in stenosed blood vessels with high WSS. 3D clips fabricated with a 3D printer were applied to the abdominal aorta of a rat cadaver to induce artificial stenosis in the real blood vessel of an animal model. The velocity and WSS information of blood flows in the stenosed vessel were obtained and compared at various stenosis severities. In vivo measurement was also conducted by fastening a stenotic clip on a live rat model through surgical intervention to reduce the flow rate to match the limited temporal resolution of the present X-ray PIV system. Further improvement of the temporal resolution of the system might be able to provide in vivo measurements of hemodynamic information from animal disease models under physiological conditions. The present results would be helpful for understanding the relation between hemodynamic characteristics and the pathological mechanism in animal CVD models.

Effect of a new specimen size on fatigue crack growth behavior in thick-walled pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shariati, Mahmoud; Mohammadi, Ehsan; Masoudi Nejad, Reza

2017-01-01

Fatigue crack growth in thick-walled pressure vessels is an important factor affecting their fracture. Predicting the path of fatigue crack growth in a pressure vessel is the main issue discussed in fracture mechanics. The objective of this paper is to design a new geometrical specimen in fatigue to define the behavior of semi-elliptical crack growth in thick-walled pressure vessels. In the present work, the importance of the behavior of fatigue crack in test specimen and real conditions in thick-walled pressure vessels is investigated. The results of fatigue loading on the new specimen are compared with the results of fatigue loading in a cylindrical pressure vessel and a standard specimen. Numerical and experimental methods are used to investigate the behavior of fatigue crack growth in the new specimen. For this purpose, a three-dimensional boundary element method is used for fatigue crack growth under stress field. The modified Paris model is used to estimate fatigue crack growth rates. In order to verify the numerical results, fatigue test is carried out on a couple of specimens with a new geometry made of ck45. A comparison between experimental and numerical results has shown good agreement. - Highlights: • This paper provides a new specimen to define the behavior of fatigue crack growth. • We estimate the behavior of fatigue crack growth in specimen and pressure vessel. • A 3D finite element model has been applied to estimate the fatigue life. • We compare the results of fatigue loading for cylindrical vessel and specimens. • Comparison between experimental and numerical results has shown a good agreement.

Vascular Patterns in Iguanas and Other Squamates: Blood Vessels and Sites of Thermal Exchange.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William Ruger Porter

Full Text Available Squamates use the circulatory system to regulate body and head temperatures during both heating and cooling. The flexibility of this system, which possibly exceeds that of endotherms, offers a number of physiological mechanisms to gain or retain heat (e.g., increase peripheral blood flow and heart rate, cooling the head to prolong basking time for the body as well as to shed heat (modulate peripheral blood flow, expose sites of thermal exchange. Squamates also have the ability to establish and maintain the same head-to-body temperature differential that birds, crocodilians, and mammals demonstrate, but without a discrete rete or other vascular physiological device. Squamates offer important anatomical and phylogenetic evidence for the inference of the blood vessels of dinosaurs and other extinct archosaurs in that they shed light on the basal diapsid condition. Given this basal positioning, squamates likewise inform and constrain the range of physiological thermoregulatory mechanisms that may have been found in Dinosauria. Unfortunately, the literature on squamate vascular anatomy is limited. Cephalic vascular anatomy of green iguanas (Iguana iguana was investigated using a differential-contrast, dual-vascular injection (DCDVI technique and high-resolution X-ray microcomputed tomography (μCT. Blood vessels were digitally segmented to create a surface representation of vascular pathways. Known sites of thermal exchange, consisting of the oral, nasal, and orbital regions, were given special attention due to their role in brain and cephalic thermoregulation. Blood vessels to and from sites of thermal exchange were investigated to detect conserved vascular patterns and to assess their ability to deliver cooled blood to the dural venous sinuses. Arteries within sites of thermal exchange were found to deliver blood directly and through collateral pathways. The venous drainage was found to have multiple pathways that could influence neurosensory

Vascular Patterns in Iguanas and Other Squamates: Blood Vessels and Sites of Thermal Exchange.

Science.gov (United States)

Porter, William Ruger; Witmer, Lawrence M

2015-01-01

Squamates use the circulatory system to regulate body and head temperatures during both heating and cooling. The flexibility of this system, which possibly exceeds that of endotherms, offers a number of physiological mechanisms to gain or retain heat (e.g., increase peripheral blood flow and heart rate, cooling the head to prolong basking time for the body) as well as to shed heat (modulate peripheral blood flow, expose sites of thermal exchange). Squamates also have the ability to establish and maintain the same head-to-body temperature differential that birds, crocodilians, and mammals demonstrate, but without a discrete rete or other vascular physiological device. Squamates offer important anatomical and phylogenetic evidence for the inference of the blood vessels of dinosaurs and other extinct archosaurs in that they shed light on the basal diapsid condition. Given this basal positioning, squamates likewise inform and constrain the range of physiological thermoregulatory mechanisms that may have been found in Dinosauria. Unfortunately, the literature on squamate vascular anatomy is limited. Cephalic vascular anatomy of green iguanas (Iguana iguana) was investigated using a differential-contrast, dual-vascular injection (DCDVI) technique and high-resolution X-ray microcomputed tomography (μCT). Blood vessels were digitally segmented to create a surface representation of vascular pathways. Known sites of thermal exchange, consisting of the oral, nasal, and orbital regions, were given special attention due to their role in brain and cephalic thermoregulation. Blood vessels to and from sites of thermal exchange were investigated to detect conserved vascular patterns and to assess their ability to deliver cooled blood to the dural venous sinuses. Arteries within sites of thermal exchange were found to deliver blood directly and through collateral pathways. The venous drainage was found to have multiple pathways that could influence neurosensory tissue temperature

Blood vessel formation during tail regeneration in the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius): The blastema is not avascular.

Science.gov (United States)

Payne, Samantha L; Peacock, Hanna M; Vickaryous, Matthew K

2017-03-01

Unique among amniotes, many lizards are able to self-detach (autotomize) their tail and then regenerate a replacement. Tail regeneration involves the formation of a blastema, an accumulation of proliferating cells at the site of autotomy. Over time, cells of the blastema give rise to most of the tissues in the replacement tail. In non-amniotes capable of regenerating (such as urodeles and some teleost fish), the blastema is reported to be essentially avascular until tissue differentiation takes place. For tail regenerating lizards less is known. Here, we investigate neovascularization during tail regeneration in the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius). We demonstrate that the gecko tail blastema is not an avascular structure. Beginning with the onset of regenerative outgrowth, structurally mature (mural cell supported) blood vessels are found within the blastema. Although the pattern of blood vessel distribution in the regenerate tail differs from that of the original, a hierarchical network is established, with vessels of varying luminal diameters and wall thicknesses. Using immunostaining, we determine that blastema outgrowth and tissue differentiation is characterized by a dynamic interplay between the pro-angiogenic protein vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the anti-angiogenic protein thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1). VEGF-expression is initially widespread, but diminishes as tissues differentiate. In contrast, TSP-1 expression is initially restricted but becomes more abundant as VEGF-expression wanes. We predict that variation in the neovascular response observed between different regeneration-competent species likely relates to the volume of the blastema. J. Morphol. 278:380-389, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Regulation of cellular communication by signaling microdomains in the blood vessel wall.

Science.gov (United States)

Billaud, Marie; Lohman, Alexander W; Johnstone, Scott R; Biwer, Lauren A; Mutchler, Stephanie; Isakson, Brant E

2014-01-01

It has become increasingly clear that the accumulation of proteins in specific regions of the plasma membrane can facilitate cellular communication. These regions, termed signaling microdomains, are found throughout the blood vessel wall where cellular communication, both within and between cell types, must be tightly regulated to maintain proper vascular function. We will define a cellular signaling microdomain and apply this definition to the plethora of means by which cellular communication has been hypothesized to occur in the blood vessel wall. To that end, we make a case for three broad areas of cellular communication where signaling microdomains could play an important role: 1) paracrine release of free radicals and gaseous molecules such as nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species; 2) role of ion channels including gap junctions and potassium channels, especially those associated with the endothelium-derived hyperpolarization mediated signaling, and lastly, 3) mechanism of exocytosis that has considerable oversight by signaling microdomains, especially those associated with the release of von Willebrand factor. When summed, we believe that it is clear that the organization and regulation of signaling microdomains is an essential component to vessel wall function.

Adaptable three-dimensional Monte Carlo modeling of imaged blood vessels in skin

Science.gov (United States)

Pfefer, T. Joshua; Barton, Jennifer K.; Chan, Eric K.; Ducros, Mathieu G.; Sorg, Brian S.; Milner, Thomas E.; Nelson, J. Stuart; Welch, Ashley J.

1997-06-01

In order to reach a higher level of accuracy in simulation of port wine stain treatment, we propose to discard the typical layered geometry and cylindrical blood vessel assumptions made in optical models and use imaging techniques to define actual tissue geometry. Two main additions to the typical 3D, weighted photon, variable step size Monte Carlo routine were necessary to achieve this goal. First, optical low coherence reflectometry (OLCR) images of rat skin were used to specify a 3D material array, with each entry assigned a label to represent the type of tissue in that particular voxel. Second, the Monte Carlo algorithm was altered so that when a photon crosses into a new voxel, the remaining path length is recalculated using the new optical properties, as specified by the material array. The model has shown good agreement with data from the literature. Monte Carlo simulations using OLCR images of asymmetrically curved blood vessels show various effects such as shading, scattering-induced peaks at vessel surfaces, and directionality-induced gradients in energy deposition. In conclusion, this augmentation of the Monte Carlo method can accurately simulate light transport for a wide variety of nonhomogeneous tissue geometries.

Regulation of Cellular Communication by Signaling Microdomains in the Blood Vessel Wall

Science.gov (United States)

Billaud, Marie; Lohman, Alexander W.; Johnstone, Scott R.; Biwer, Lauren A.; Mutchler, Stephanie; Isakson, Brant E.

2014-01-01

It has become increasingly clear that the accumulation of proteins in specific regions of the plasma membrane can facilitate cellular communication. These regions, termed signaling microdomains, are found throughout the blood vessel wall where cellular communication, both within and between cell types, must be tightly regulated to maintain proper vascular function. We will define a cellular signaling microdomain and apply this definition to the plethora of means by which cellular communication has been hypothesized to occur in the blood vessel wall. To that end, we make a case for three broad areas of cellular communication where signaling microdomains could play an important role: 1) paracrine release of free radicals and gaseous molecules such as nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species; 2) role of ion channels including gap junctions and potassium channels, especially those associated with the endothelium-derived hyperpolarization mediated signaling, and lastly, 3) mechanism of exocytosis that has considerable oversight by signaling microdomains, especially those associated with the release of von Willebrand factor. When summed, we believe that it is clear that the organization and regulation of signaling microdomains is an essential component to vessel wall function. PMID:24671377

Magnetic navigation system for the precise helical and translational motions of a microrobot in human blood vessels

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, S. M.; Jang, G. H.; Choi, H. C.; Park, S. H.; Park, J. O.

2012-04-01

Different magnetic navigation systems (MNSs) have been investigated for the wireless manipulation of microrobots in human blood vessels. Here we propose a MNS and methodology for generation of both the precise helical and translational motions of a microrobot to improve its maneuverability in complex human blood vessel. We then present experiments demonstrating the helical and translational motions of a spiral-type microrobot to verify the proposed MNS.

The effect of transluminal stent-graft placement on blood flow of abdominal branch vessels in type B aortic dissection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Lianjun; Yang Jian; Yu Feicheng; Sun Lizhong; Zhu Junming; Zhang Yan; Jiang Shiliang

2005-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the effect of TSGP on blood flow of abdominal branch vessels of Type B dissection. Methods: Thirty-five patients with type B aortic dissection underwent TSGP. The blood flow of abdominal branch vessels was analyzed via EBCT, MRI, and DSA before and after procedure. Results: A total of 140 important vessels from abdominal aorta in 35 patients, including celiac artery, SMA, right and left renal arteries were analyzed via EBCT, MRI, and DSA. 58 branches were affected by dissection, of which 14 (10% ) were dynamic impairment; and 44 (31.4%) were static impairment. After TSGP, the blood flow of impaired branches all showed improvement at different degrees, no post-operative ischemic complications occurred. Conclusion: TSGP could improve the blood flow immediately not only the dynamic but also the static ischemia of abdominal aorta branch vessels caused by type B aortic dissection. Further study is still need to observe the mid-term and long-term effect of TSGP. (authors)

[Conjunct changes in the resistance and engorgement of the cerebral vessels in shifts in the blood gas composition].

Science.gov (United States)

Krasil'nikov, V G; Artem'eva, A I

1982-08-01

In anesthetized cats, under perfusion and with constant volume of the hemodynamically isolated brain, hypercapnia and hypoxia led to a decrease of cerebral vessels resistance and to a reduction of the brain blood flow, whereas a decrease in the PCO2 and an increase in the PO2 in the blood exerted on opposite effect. The different responses of the vessels had some similar features in respect to threshold changes of the PCO2 and PO2, to potentiation of effects of both parts of the brain vascular system on increased shifts of the blood gas tension, to greater sensitivity of both parts to PCO2 changes, to effect of the blood gas tension on reactivity of both parts to noradrenaline. The authors suggest a possibility of alterations of the filter-absorption interrelationships in the brain due to different responses of arterial and venous vessels to changes of the blood gas tension.

Extraction of liver volumetry based on blood vessel from the portal phase CT dataset

Science.gov (United States)

Maklad, Ahmed S.; Matsuhiro, Mikio; Suzuki, Hidenobu; Kawata, Yoshiki; Niki, Noboru; Utsunomiya, Tohru; Shimada, Mitsuo

2012-02-01

At liver surgery planning stage, the liver volumetry would be essential for surgeons. Main problem at liver extraction is the wide variability of livers in shapes and sizes. Since, hepatic blood vessels structure varies from a person to another and covers liver region, the present method uses that information for extraction of liver in two stages. The first stage is to extract abdominal blood vessels in the form of hepatic and nonhepatic blood vessels. At the second stage, extracted vessels are used to control extraction of liver region automatically. Contrast enhanced CT datasets at only the portal phase of 50 cases is used. Those data include 30 abnormal livers. A reference for all cases is done through a comparison of two experts labeling results and correction of their inter-reader variability. Results of the proposed method agree with the reference at an average rate of 97.8%. Through application of different metrics mentioned at MICCAI workshop for liver segmentation, it is found that: volume overlap error is 4.4%, volume difference is 0.3%, average symmetric distance is 0.7 mm, Root mean square symmetric distance is 0.8 mm, and maximum distance is 15.8 mm. These results represent the average of overall data and show an improved accuracy compared to current liver segmentation methods. It seems to be a promising method for extraction of liver volumetry of various shapes and sizes.

Primo vessel inside a lymph vessel emerging from a cancer tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sungwoo; Ryu, Yeonhee; Cha, Jinmyung; Lee, Jin-Kyu; Soh, Kwang-Sup; Kim, Sungchul; Lim, Jaekwan

2012-10-01

Primo vessels were observed inside the lymph vessels near the caudal vena cava of a rabbit and a rat and in the thoracic lymph duct of a mouse. In the current work we found a primo vessel inside the lymph vessel that came out from the tumor tissue of a mouse. A cancer model of a nude mouse was made with human lung cancer cell line NCI-H460. We injected fluorescent nanoparticles into the xenografted tumor tissue and studied their flow in blood, lymph, and primo vessels. Fluorescent nanoparticles flowed through the blood vessels quickly in few minutes, and but slowly in the lymph vessels. The bright fluorescent signals of nanoparticles disappeared within one hour in the blood vessels but remained much longer up to several hours in the case of lymph vessels. We found an exceptional case of lymph vessels that remained bright with fluorescence up to 24 hours. After detailed examination we found that the bright fluorescence was due to a putative primo vessel inside the lymph vessel. This rare observation is consistent with Bong-Han Kim's claim on the presence of a primo vascular system in lymph vessels. It provides a significant suggestion on the cancer metastasis through primo vessels and lymph vessels. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V.

[Do double gloves protect against contamination during cannulation of blood vessels? A prospective randomized study].

Science.gov (United States)

Szarpak, Łukasz; Kurowski, Andrzej

2014-01-01

Undamaged medical gloves protect medical personnel from contact with physiological fluids of the patient. Thus they protect the assistance provider from hand skin contamination with potentially infectious biological materials. The aim of the study was to evaluate the occurrence of pierce, perforations or damage of medical gloves during cannulation of blood vessels. In the prospective randomized study 303 pairs of gloves, used during cannulation of blood vessels under simulated resuscitation, were analyzed. Gloves were tested by the water leak test. The water test revealed 44 cases of damage to the gloves used during cannulation of blood vessels. Significant differences were noted in the frequency of damage to both the outer and single pairs of gloves and the inner pair of gloves. The study showed that the use of double gloves provides a higher level of security for a paramedic than the use of a single pair of gloves, however, double gloves reduce the manual dexterity of a paramedic. A large number of damages to gloves are not noticed by medical personnel during surgery.

[Stem and progenitor cells in biostructure of blood vessel walls].

Science.gov (United States)

Korta, Krzysztof; Kupczyk, Piotr; Skóra, Jan; Pupka, Artur; Zejler, Paweł; Hołysz, Marcin; Gajda, Mariusz; Nowakowska, Beata; Barć, Piotr; Dorobisz, Andrzej T; Dawiskiba, Tomasz; Szyber, Piotr; Bar, Julia

2013-09-18

Development of vascular and hematopoietic systems during organogenesis occurs at the same time. During vasculogenesis, a small part of cells does not undergo complete differentiation but stays on this level, "anchored" in tissue structures described as stem cell niches. The presence of blood vessels within tissue stem cell niches is typical and led to identification of niches and ensures that they are functioning. The three-layer biostructure of vessel walls for artery and vein, tunica: intima, media and adventitia, for a long time was defined as a mechanical barrier between vessel light and the local tissue environment. Recent findings from vascular biology studies indicate that vessel walls are dynamic biostructures, which are equipped with stem and progenitor cells, described as vascular wall-resident stem cells/progenitor cells (VW-SC/PC). Distinct zones for vessel wall harbor heterogeneous subpopulations of VW-SC/PC, which are described as "subendothelial or vasculogenic zones". Recent evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies show that prenatal activity of stem and progenitor cells is not only limited to organogenesis but also exists in postnatal life, where it is responsible for vessel wall homeostasis, remodeling and regeneration. It is believed that VW-SC/PC could be engaged in progression of vascular disorders and development of neointima. We would like to summarize current knowledge about mesenchymal and progenitor stem cell phenotype with special attention to distribution and biological properties of VW-SC/PC in biostructures of intima, media and adventitia niches. It is postulated that in the near future, niches for VW-SC/PC could be a good source of stem and progenitor cells, especially in the context of vessel tissue bioengineering as a new alternative to traditional revascularization therapies.

Stem and progenitor cells in biostructure of blood vessel walls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krzysztof Korta

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Development of vascular and hematopoietic systems during organogenesis occurs at the same time. During vasculogenesis, a small part of cells does not undergo complete differentiation but stays on this level, “anchored” in tissue structures described as stem cell niches. The presence of blood vessels within tissue stem cell niches is typical and led to identification of niches and ensures that they are functioning. The three-layer biostructure of vessel walls for artery and vein, tunica: intima, media and adventitia, for a long time was defined as a mechanical barrier between vessel light and the local tissue environment. Recent findings from vascular biology studies indicate that vessel walls are dynamic biostructures, which are equipped with stem and progenitor cells, described as vascular wall-resident stem cells/progenitor cells (VW-SC/PC. Distinct zones for vessel wall harbor heterogeneous subpopulations of VW-SC/PC, which are described as “subendothelial or vasculogenic zones”. Recent evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies show that prenatal activity of stem and progenitor cells is not only limited to organogenesis but also exists in postnatal life, where it is responsible for vessel wall homeostasis, remodeling and regeneration. It is believed that VW-SC/PC could be engaged in progression of vascular disorders and development of neointima. We would like to summarize current knowledge about mesenchymal and progenitor stem cell phenotype with special attention to distribution and biological properties of VW-SC/PC in biostructures of intima, media and adventitia niches. It is postulated that in the near future, niches for VW-SC/PC could be a good source of stem and progenitor cells, especially in the context of vessel tissue bioengineering as a new alternative to traditional revascularization therapies.

The Behaviors of Ferro-Magnetic Nano-Particles In and Around Blood Vessels under Applied Magnetic Fields

Science.gov (United States)

Nacev, A.; Beni, C.; Bruno, O.; Shapiro, B.

2010-01-01

In magnetic drug delivery, therapeutic magnetizable particles are typically injected into the blood stream and magnets are then used to concentrate them to disease locations. The behavior of such particles in-vivo is complex and is governed by blood convection, diffusion (in blood and in tissue), extravasation, and the applied magnetic fields. Using physical first-principles and a sophisticated vessel-membrane-tissue (VMT) numerical solver, we comprehensively analyze in detail the behavior of magnetic particles in blood vessels and surrounding tissue. For any blood vessel (of any size, depth, and blood velocity) and tissue properties, particle size and applied magnetic fields, we consider a Krogh tissue cylinder geometry and solve for the resulting spatial distribution of particles. We find that there are three prototypical behaviors (blood velocity dominated, magnetic force dominated, and boundary-layer formation) and that the type of behavior observed is uniquely determined by three non-dimensional numbers (the magnetic-Richardson number, mass Péclet number, and Renkin reduced diffusion coefficient). Plots and equations are provided to easily read out which behavior is found under which circumstances (Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8). We compare our results to previously published in-vitro and in-vivo magnetic drug delivery experiments. Not only do we find excellent agreement between our predictions and prior experimental observations, but we are also able to qualitatively and quantitatively explain behavior that was previously not understood. PMID:21278859

Migraine aura pathophysiology: the role of blood vessels and microembolisation

OpenAIRE

Dalkara, Turgay; Nozari, Ala; Moskowitz, Michael A

2010-01-01

Migraine attacks with auras are sometimes associated with underlying hereditary or acquired cerebrovascular disorders. A unifying pathophysiological explanation linking migraine to these conditions has been diffcult to identify. On the basis of genetic and epidemiological evidence, we suggest that changes in blood vessels, hypoperfusion disorders, and microembolisation can cause neurovascular dysfunction and evoke cortical spreading depression, an event that is widely thought to underlie aura...

A Morphological Hessian Based Approach for Retinal Blood Vessels Segmentation and Denoising Using Region Based Otsu Thresholding.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khan BahadarKhan

Full Text Available Diabetic Retinopathy (DR harm retinal blood vessels in the eye causing visual deficiency. The appearance and structure of blood vessels in retinal images play an essential part in the diagnoses of an eye sicknesses. We proposed a less computational unsupervised automated technique with promising results for detection of retinal vasculature by using morphological hessian based approach and region based Otsu thresholding. Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE and morphological filters have been used for enhancement and to remove low frequency noise or geometrical objects, respectively. The hessian matrix and eigenvalues approach used has been in a modified form at two different scales to extract wide and thin vessel enhanced images separately. Otsu thresholding has been further applied in a novel way to classify vessel and non-vessel pixels from both enhanced images. Finally, postprocessing steps has been used to eliminate the unwanted region/segment, non-vessel pixels, disease abnormalities and noise, to obtain a final segmented image. The proposed technique has been analyzed on the openly accessible DRIVE (Digital Retinal Images for Vessel Extraction and STARE (STructured Analysis of the REtina databases along with the ground truth data that has been precisely marked by the experts.

Improved vascularization of planar membrane diffusion devices following continuous infusion of vascular endothelial growth factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Trivedi, N; Steil, G M; Colton, C K; Bonner-Weir, S; Weir, G C

2000-01-01

Improving blood vessel formation around an immunobarrier device should improve the survival of the encapsulated tissue. In the present study we investigated the formation of new blood vessels around a planar membrane diffusion device (the Baxter Theracyte System) undergoing a continuous infusion of vascular endothelial growth factor through the membranes and into the surrounding tissue. Each device (20 microl) had both an inner immunoisolation membrane and an outer vascularizing membrane. Human recombinant vascular endothelial growth factor-165 was infused at 100 ng/day (low dose: n = 6) and 500 ng/day (high dose: n = 7) for 10 days into devices implanted s.c. in Sprague-Dawley rats; noninfused devices transplanted for an identical period were used as controls (n = 5). Two days following the termination of VEGF infusion, devices were loaded with 20 microl of Lispro insulin (1 U/kg) and the kinetics of insulin release from the lumen of the device was assessed. Devices were then explanted and the number of blood vessels (capillary and noncapillary) was quantified using morphometry. High-dose vascular endothelial growth factor infusion resulted in two- to threefold more blood vessels around the device than that obtained with the noninfused devices and devices infused with low-dose vascular endothelial growth factor. This increase in the number of blood vessels was accompanied by a modest increase in insulin diffusion from the device in the high-dose vascular endothelial growth factor infusion group. We conclude that vascular endothelial growth factor can be used to improve blood vessel formation adjacent to planar membrane diffusion devices.

Evaluation of creep-fatigue crack growth for large-scale FBR reactor vessel and NDE assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joo, Young Sang; Kim, Jong Bum; Kim, Seok Hun; Yoo, Bong

2001-03-01

Creep fatigue crack growth contributes to the failure of FRB reactor vessels in high temperature condition. In the design stage of reactor vessel, crack growth evaluation is very important to ensure the structural safety and setup the in-service inspection strategy. In this study, creep-fatigue crack growth evaluation has been performed for the semi-elliptical surface cracks subjected to thermal loading. The thermal stress analysis of a large-scale FBR reactor vessel has been carried out for the load conditions. The distributions of axial, radial, hoop, and Von Mises stresses were obtained for the loading conditions. At the maximum point of the axial and hoop stress, the longitudinal and circumferential surface cracks (i.e. PTS crack, NDE short crack and shallow long crack) were postulated. Using the maximum and minimum values of stresses, the creep-fatigue crack growth of the proposed cracks was simulated. The crack growth rate of circumferential cracks becomes greater than that of longitudinal cracks. The total crack growth of the largest PTS crack is very small after 427 cycles. The structural integrity of a large-scale reactor can be maintained for the plant life. The crack depth growth of the shallow long crack is faster than that of the NDE short crack. In the ISI of the large-scale FBR reactor vessel, the ultrasonic inspection is beneficial to detect the shallow circumferential cracks.

Mathematical Modeling of Bingham Plastic Model of Blood Flow Through Stenotic Vessel

OpenAIRE

S.R. Verma

2014-01-01

The aim of the present paper is to study the axially symmetric, laminar, steady, one-dimensional flow of blood through narrow stenotic vessel. Blood is considered as Bingham plastic fluid. The analytical results such as pressure drop, resistance to flow and wall shear stress have been obtained. Effect of yield stress and shape of stenosis on resistance to flow and wall shear stress have been discussed through tables and graphically. It has been shown that resistance to flow and th...

Segmentation of retinal blood vessels for detection of diabetic retinopathy: A review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rezty Amalia Aras

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Diabetic detinopathy (DR is effect of diabetes mellitus to the human vision that is the major cause of blindness. Early diagnosis of DR is an important requirement in diabetes treatment. Retinal fundus image is commonly used to observe the diabetic retinopathy symptoms. It can present retinal features such as blood vessel and also capture the pathologies which may lead to DR. Blood vessel is one of retinal features which can show the retina pathologies. It can be extracted from retinal image by image processing with following stages: pre-processing, segmentation, and post-processing. This paper contains a review of public retinal image dataset and several methods from various conducted researches. All discussed methods are applicable to each researcher cases. There is no further analysis to conclude the best method which can be used for general cases. However, we suggest morphological and multiscale method that gives the best accuracy in segmentation.

Automated artery-venous classification of retinal blood vessels based on structural mapping method

Science.gov (United States)

Joshi, Vinayak S.; Garvin, Mona K.; Reinhardt, Joseph M.; Abramoff, Michael D.

2012-03-01

Retinal blood vessels show morphologic modifications in response to various retinopathies. However, the specific responses exhibited by arteries and veins may provide a precise diagnostic information, i.e., a diabetic retinopathy may be detected more accurately with the venous dilatation instead of average vessel dilatation. In order to analyze the vessel type specific morphologic modifications, the classification of a vessel network into arteries and veins is required. We previously described a method for identification and separation of retinal vessel trees; i.e. structural mapping. Therefore, we propose the artery-venous classification based on structural mapping and identification of color properties prominent to the vessel types. The mean and standard deviation of each of green channel intensity and hue channel intensity are analyzed in a region of interest around each centerline pixel of a vessel. Using the vector of color properties extracted from each centerline pixel, it is classified into one of the two clusters (artery and vein), obtained by the fuzzy-C-means clustering. According to the proportion of clustered centerline pixels in a particular vessel, and utilizing the artery-venous crossing property of retinal vessels, each vessel is assigned a label of an artery or a vein. The classification results are compared with the manually annotated ground truth (gold standard). We applied the proposed method to a dataset of 15 retinal color fundus images resulting in an accuracy of 88.28% correctly classified vessel pixels. The automated classification results match well with the gold standard suggesting its potential in artery-venous classification and the respective morphology analysis.

Detection of Blood Vessels in Color Fundus Images using a Local Radon Transform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reza Pourreza

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: This paper addresses a method for automatic detection of blood vessels in color fundus images which utilizes two main tools: image partitioning and local Radon transform. Material and Methods: The input images are firstly divided into overlapping windows and then the Radon transform is applied to each. The maximum of the Radon transform in each window corresponds to the probable available sub-vessel. To verify the detected sub-vessel, the maximum is compared with a predefined threshold. The verified sub-vessels are reconstructed using the Radon transform information. All detected and reconstructed sub-vessels are finally combined to make the final vessel tree. Results: The algorithm’s performance was evaluated numerically by applying it to 40 images of DRIVE database, a standard retinal image database. The vessels were extracted manually by two physicians. This database was used to test and compare the available and proposed algorithms for vessel detection in color fundus images. By comparing the output of the algorithm with the manual results, the two parameters TPR and FPR were calculated for each image and the average of TPRs and FPRs were used to plot the ROC curve. Discussion and Conclusion: Comparison of the ROC curve of this algorithm with other algorithms demonstrated the high achieved accuracy. Beside the high accuracy, the Radon transform which is integral-based makes the algorithm robust against noise.

Does Physical Fitness Buffer the Relationship between Psychosocial Stress, Retinal Vessel Diameters, and Blood Pressure among Primary Schoolchildren?

Science.gov (United States)

Endes, Katharina; Herrmann, Christian; Colledge, Flora; Brand, Serge; Donath, Lars; Faude, Oliver; Pühse, Uwe; Hanssen, Henner; Zahner, Lukas

2016-01-01

Background. Strong evidence exists showing that psychosocial stress plays an important part in the development of cardiovascular diseases. Because physical inactivity is associated with less favourable retinal vessel diameter and blood pressure profiles, this study explores whether physical fitness is able to buffer the negative effects of psychosocial stress on retinal vessel diameters and blood pressure in young children. Methods. 325 primary schoolchildren (51% girls, Mage = 7.28 years) took part in this cross-sectional research project. Retinal arteriolar diameters, retinal venular diameters, arteriolar to venular ratio, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were assessed in all children. Interactions terms between physical fitness (performance in the 20 m shuttle run test) and four indicators of psychosocial stress (parental reports of critical life events, family, peer and school stress) were tested in a series of hierarchical regression analyses. Results. Critical life events and family, peer, and school-related stress were only weakly associated with retinal vessel diameters and blood pressure. No support was found for a stress-buffering effect of physical fitness. Conclusion. More research is needed with different age groups to find out if and from what age physical fitness can protect against arteriolar vessel narrowing and the occurrence of other cardiovascular disease risk factors. PMID:27795958

Blood Vessel Extraction in Color Retinal Fundus Images with Enhancement Filtering and Unsupervised Classification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zafer Yavuz

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Retinal blood vessels have a significant role in the diagnosis and treatment of various retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, arteriosclerosis, and hypertension. For this reason, retinal vasculature extraction is important in order to help specialists for the diagnosis and treatment of systematic diseases. In this paper, a novel approach is developed to extract retinal blood vessel network. Our method comprises four stages: (1 preprocessing stage in order to prepare dataset for segmentation; (2 an enhancement procedure including Gabor, Frangi, and Gauss filters obtained separately before a top-hat transform; (3 a hard and soft clustering stage which includes K-means and Fuzzy C-means (FCM in order to get binary vessel map; and (4 a postprocessing step which removes falsely segmented isolated regions. The method is tested on color retinal images obtained from STARE and DRIVE databases which are available online. As a result, Gabor filter followed by K-means clustering method achieves 95.94% and 95.71% of accuracy for STARE and DRIVE databases, respectively, which are acceptable for diagnosis systems.

A computational study for investigating acoustic streaming and tissue heating during high intensity focused ultrasound through blood vessel with an obstacle

Science.gov (United States)

Parvin, Salma; Sultana, Aysha

2017-06-01

The influence of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) on the obstacle through blood vessel is studied numerically. A three-dimensional acoustics-thermal-fluid coupling model is employed to compute the temperature field around the obstacle through blood vessel. The model construction is based on the linear Westervelt and conjugate heat transfer equations for the obstacle through blood vessel. The system of equations is solved using Finite Element Method (FEM). We found from this three-dimensional numerical study that the rate of heat transfer is increasing from the obstacle and both the convective cooling and acoustic streaming can considerably change the temperature field.

Different Effects of Implanting Sensory Nerve or Blood Vessel on the Vascularization, Neurotization, and Osteogenesis of Tissue-Engineered Bone In Vivo

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Jun-jun; Mu, Tian-wang; Qin, Jun-jun; Bi, Long; Pei, Guo-xian

2014-01-01

To compare the different effects of implanting sensory nerve tracts or blood vessel on the osteogenesis, vascularization, and neurotization of the tissue-engineered bone in vivo, we constructed the tissue engineered bone and implanted the sensory nerve tracts (group SN), blood vessel (group VB), or nothing (group Blank) to the side channel of the bone graft to repair the femur defect in the rabbit. Better osteogenesis was observed in groups SN and VB than in group Blank, and no significant difference was found between groups SN and VB at 4, 8, and 12 weeks postoperatively. The neuropeptides expression and the number of new blood vessels in the bone tissues were increased at 8 weeks and then decreased at 12 weeks in all groups and were highest in group VB and lowest in group Blank at all three time points. We conclude that implanting either blood vessel or sensory nerve tract into the tissue-engineered bone can significantly enhance both the vascularization and neurotization simultaneously to get a better osteogenesis effect than TEB alone, and the method of implanting blood vessel has a little better effect of vascularization and neurotization but almost the same osteogenesis effect as implanting sensory nerve. PMID:25101279

[Pathophysiological changes of umbilical vessels in intrauterine growth restriction].

Science.gov (United States)

Jakó, Mária; Surányi, Andrea; Kaiser, László; Domokos, Dóra; Gáspár, Róbert; Bártfai, György

2014-12-14

The prevalence of intrauterine growth restriction is 4-5000/100,000 births, and they give the majority of perinatal morbidity. The aim of the authors was to compare the pathomorphologic data and vasoreactivity of umbilical vessels and placenta of small for date newborns to that of the normal pregnancies. Samples of the umbilical cord and placenta were divided into case and control groups. Two 10 cm long segments were cut of the umbilical cord at placental insertion. Tissue bath experiment was performed on umbilical vessels and pathomorphologic data were collected according to the Royal College of Pathologists' protocol. After the development of basal tone, oxytocin and desmopressin did not enhance the vascular contraction, but the pathomorphological and ultrasonographic data were significantly different in the two groups. The results indicate that umbilical vessels might not have oxytocin or vasopressin receptors. The pathomorphologic and flowmetric differences could be the causes of small birth weight.

Histomorphometric comparative study of blood vessels and their pattern in follicular cyst, odontogenic keratocyst, and ameloblastoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Seifi, Safora; Feizi, Farideh; Khafri, Thoraya; Aram, Mehrdad

2013-03-01

The present study aimed at assessment and histomorphometric analysis of intratumoral and peritumoral (cystic) blood vessels in odontogenic lesions and their pattern on their clinical behavior by immunohistochemistry and morphometry. In a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study, 45 paraffin blocks of ameloblastoma, odontogenic keratocyst, and follicular cyst were selected and stained immunohistochemically for CD34. In each slide, images of 3 microscopic fields with the highest microvessel density in intratumoral and peritumoral (cystic) areas were captured at 40× magnification with attached camera system. Inner vascular diameter (IVD) and outer vascular diameter (OVD), cross-sectional area (CSA), and the wall thickness (WT) of the vessels were measured with Motic Plus 2 software. The vascular pattern in odontogenic lesions was analyzed. Outer vascular diameter, IVD, and CSA of the vessels in peritumoral (cystic) areas were greater in ameloblastoma than keratocyst (P = 0.001) and follicular cyst (P keratocyst and follicular cyst. Morphometric specifications of blood vessels (IVD, OVD, CSA) and their pattern in peritumoral (cystic) areas may influence the aggressive clinical behavior of ameloblastoma in comparison with keratocyst and follicular cyst.

Did antepartum hypoxic insult caused by fetal vessel thrombosis influence the procalcitonin level in umbilical blood? A case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaneko, Masatoki; Yamauchi, Aya; Yamashita, Rie; Sato, Yuichiro; Kodama, Yuki; Sameshima, Hiroshi

2015-11-01

We report a case of marked elevation of the procalcitonin level in umbilical blood and neonatal blood at birth. The mother did not perceive fetal motion. Antepartum fetal heart rate monitoring showed a loss of variability and absence of acceleration. No fetal breathing movement, fetal movement, or fetal tone were observed by ultrasonography. The female neonate was delivered by cesarean section at 25 weeks of gestation, with birthweight 774 g. The umbilical arterial pH value at birth was 7.29. Mild elevation in interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α in umbilical blood were observed. Cytochrome c showed a high level in umbilical and neonatal blood at birth. Placental histopathology revealed multiple fetal vessel thrombosis in the large stem villi and chorionic vessels. The neonate showed no infectious signs throughout the neonatal period. Computed tomography at 3 months of age revealed atrophy in the cerebrum and cerebellum. At 1 year after birth, the infant showed spastic quadriplegia. In this case, antepartum asphyxia due to fetal vessel thrombosis may have influenced the elevation of procalcitonin level in umbilical blood and neonatal blood at birth. © 2015 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Vessel co-option in primary human tumors and metastases: an obstacle to effective anti-angiogenic treatment?

Science.gov (United States)

Donnem, Tom; Hu, Jiangting; Ferguson, Mary; Adighibe, Omanma; Snell, Cameron; Harris, Adrian L; Gatter, Kevin C; Pezzella, Francesco

2013-08-01

Angiogenesis has been regarded as essential for tumor growth and progression. Studies of many human tumors, however, suggest that their microcirculation may be provided by nonsprouting vessels and that a variety of tumors can grow and metastasize without angiogenesis. Vessel co-option, where tumor cells migrate along the preexisting vessels of the host organ, is regarded as an alternative tumor blood supply. Vessel co-option may occur in many malignancies, but so far mostly reported in highly vascularized tissues such as brain, lung, and liver. In primary and metastatic lung cancer and liver metastasis from different primary origins, as much as 10-30% of the tumors are reported to use this alternative blood supply. In addition, vessel co-option is introduced as a potential explanation of antiangiogenic drug resistance, although the impact of vessel co-option in this clinical setting is still to be further explored. In this review we discuss tumor vessel co-option with specific examples of vessel co-option in primary and secondary tumors and a consideration of the clinical implications of this alternative tumor blood supply.

Blood vessel classification into arteries and veins in retinal images

Science.gov (United States)

Kondermann, Claudia; Kondermann, Daniel; Yan, Michelle

2007-03-01

The prevalence of diabetes is expected to increase dramatically in coming years; already today it accounts for a major proportion of the health care budget in many countries. Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), a micro vascular complication very often seen in diabetes patients, is the most common cause of visual loss in working age population of developed countries today. Since the possibility of slowing or even stopping the progress of this disease depends on the early detection of DR, an automatic analysis of fundus images would be of great help to the ophthalmologist due to the small size of the symptoms and the large number of patients. An important symptom for DR are abnormally wide veins leading to an unusually low ratio of the average diameter of arteries to veins (AVR). There are also other diseases like high blood pressure or diseases of the pancreas with one symptom being an abnormal AVR value. To determine it, a classification of vessels as arteries or veins is indispensable. As to our knowledge despite the importance there have only been two approaches to vessel classification yet. Therefore we propose an improved method. We compare two feature extraction methods and two classification methods based on support vector machines and neural networks. Given a hand-segmentation of vessels our approach achieves 95.32% correctly classified vessel pixels. This value decreases by 10% on average, if the result of a segmentation algorithm is used as basis for the classification.

Retinal hemodynamic oxygen reactivity assessed by perfusion velocity, blood oximetry and vessel diameter measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klefter, Oliver Niels; Lauritsen, Anne Øberg; Larsen, Michael

2015-01-01

PURPOSE: To test the oxygen reactivity of a fundus photographic method of measuring macular perfusion velocity and to integrate macular perfusion velocities with measurements of retinal vessel diameters and blood oxygen saturation. METHODS: Sixteen eyes in 16 healthy volunteers were studied at two...... is a valid method for assessing macular perfusion. Results were consistent with previous observations of hyperoxic blood flow reduction using blue field entoptic and laser Doppler velocimetry. Retinal perfusion seemed to be regulated around individual set points according to blood glucose levels. Multimodal...

Mural cell associated VEGF is required for organotypic vessel formation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lasse Evensen

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Blood vessels comprise endothelial cells, mural cells (pericytes/vascular smooth muscle cells and basement membrane. During angiogenesis, mural cells are recruited to sprouting endothelial cells and define a stabilizing context, comprising cell-cell contacts, secreted growth factors and extracellular matrix components, that drives vessel maturation and resistance to anti-angiogenic therapeutics. METHODS AND FINDINGS: To better understand the basis for mural cell regulation of angiogenesis, we conducted high content imaging analysis on a microtiter plate format in vitro organotypic blood vessel system comprising primary human endothelial cells co-cultured with primary human mural cells. We show that endothelial cells co-cultured with mural cells undergo an extensive series of phenotypic changes reflective of several facets of blood vessel formation and maturation: Loss of cell proliferation, pathfinding-like cell migration, branching morphogenesis, basement membrane extracellular matrix protein deposition, lumen formation, anastamosis and development of a stabilized capillary-like network. This phenotypic sequence required endothelial-mural cell-cell contact, mural cell-derived VEGF and endothelial VEGFR2 signaling. Inhibiting formation of adherens junctions or basement membrane structures abrogated network formation. Notably, inhibition of mural cell VEGF expression could not be rescued by exogenous VEGF. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a unique role for mural cell-associated VEGF in driving vessel formation and maturation.

[Topography of the blood vessels in the hilum of the kidney of Myrmecophaga tridactyla].

Science.gov (United States)

Souza, W M; Miglino, M A; Arantes, I G; Nascimento, A A

1991-01-01

The study was undertaken in 10 formol-imbibed kidneys of great anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). After the dissection the following characteristics were showed: kidney blood vessels are distributed in 2 different sites, namely hilar and extrahilar, amounting 3 to 6 in the right side 3 to 7 in the left side. Arterial branches in extrahilar region range from 1 to 2 in both sides and in hilar region they present from 1 to 4 in the right and 1 to 2 in the left. Venous roots occur in 1 to 2 vessels in the right and 1 to 3 vessels in the left, occupying only the hilar region, except one case where it was present in the right side.

Heterogeneity of muscarinic receptor subtypes in cerebral blood vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia-Villalon, A.L.; Krause, D.N.; Ehlert, F.J.; Duckles, S.P.

1991-01-01

The identity and distribution of muscarinic cholinergic receptor subtypes and associated signal transduction mechanisms was characterized for the cerebral circulation using correlated functional and biochemical investigations. Subtypes were distinguished by the relative affinities of a panel of muscarinic antagonists, pirenzepine, AF-DX 116 [11-2-[[2-[diethylaminomethyl]- 1-piperidinyl]acetyl]-5,11-dihydro-6H- pyrido[2,3-b][1,4]benzodiazepine-6-one], hexahydrosiladifenidol, methoctramine, 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine methobromide, dicyclomine, para-fluoro-hexahydrosiladifenidol and atropine. Muscarinic receptors characterized by inhibition of [3H]quinuclidinylbenzilate binding in membranes of bovine pial arteries were of the M2 subtype. In contrast pharmacological analysis of [3H]-quinuclidinylbenzilate binding in bovine intracerebral microvessels suggests the presence of an M4 subtype. Receptors mediating endothelium-dependent vasodilation in rabbit pial arteries were of the M3 subtype, whereas muscarinic receptors stimulating endothelium-independent phosphoinositide hydrolysis in bovine pial arteries were of the M1 subtype. These findings suggest that characteristics of muscarinic receptors in cerebral blood vessels vary depending on the type of vessel, cellular location and function mediated

Imaging transient blood vessel fusion events in zebrafish by correlative volume electron microscopy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hannah E J Armer

Full Text Available The study of biological processes has become increasingly reliant on obtaining high-resolution spatial and temporal data through imaging techniques. As researchers demand molecular resolution of cellular events in the context of whole organisms, correlation of non-invasive live-organism imaging with electron microscopy in complex three-dimensional samples becomes critical. The developing blood vessels of vertebrates form a highly complex network which cannot be imaged at high resolution using traditional methods. Here we show that the point of fusion between growing blood vessels of transgenic zebrafish, identified in live confocal microscopy, can subsequently be traced through the structure of the organism using Focused Ion Beam/Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB/SEM and Serial Block Face/Scanning Electron Microscopy (SBF/SEM. The resulting data give unprecedented microanatomical detail of the zebrafish and, for the first time, allow visualization of the ultrastructure of a time-limited biological event within the context of a whole organism.

Tumor vessel normalization after aerobic exercise enhances chemotherapeutic efficacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Schadler, Keri L; Thomas, Nicholas J; Galie, Peter A; Bhang, Dong Ha; Roby, Kerry C; Addai, Prince; Till, Jacob E; Sturgeon, Kathleen; Zaslavsky, Alexander; Chen, Christopher S; Ryeom, Sandra

2016-10-04

Targeted therapies aimed at tumor vasculature are utilized in combination with chemotherapy to improve drug delivery and efficacy after tumor vascular normalization. Tumor vessels are highly disorganized with disrupted blood flow impeding drug delivery to cancer cells. Although pharmacologic anti-angiogenic therapy can remodel and normalize tumor vessels, there is a limited window of efficacy and these drugs are associated with severe side effects necessitating alternatives for vascular normalization. Recently, moderate aerobic exercise has been shown to induce vascular normalization in mouse models. Here, we provide a mechanistic explanation for the tumor vascular normalization induced by exercise. Shear stress, the mechanical stimuli exerted on endothelial cells by blood flow, modulates vascular integrity. Increasing vascular shear stress through aerobic exercise can alter and remodel blood vessels in normal tissues. Our data in mouse models indicate that activation of calcineurin-NFAT-TSP1 signaling in endothelial cells plays a critical role in exercise-induced shear stress mediated tumor vessel remodeling. We show that moderate aerobic exercise with chemotherapy caused a significantly greater decrease in tumor growth than chemotherapy alone through improved chemotherapy delivery after tumor vascular normalization. Our work suggests that the vascular normalizing effects of aerobic exercise can be an effective chemotherapy adjuvant.

Large potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal growth using a three-vessel system for fusion lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasaki, T.; Yokotani, A.; Yamanaka, T.; Nakai, S.; Yamanaka, C.

1989-01-01

Large scale laser fusion experiments are being performed in the Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, using the glass laser system Gekko-XII. For this laser, very large nonlinear crystals of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) with a cross section over 40 X 40 cm is needed as a frequency converter to obtain a short wavelength laser. Generally the temperature falling method (TFM) is used to grow such a huge crystal, but the volume of the growing vessel becomes tremendously large. The three-vessel system (TVS), which is a constant temperature and concentration method, allows better control of supersaturation than does the TFM, and the volume of the main growth vessel can be smaller than that in the case of the TFM. The authors have constructed a TVS. The KDP crystal grew in the growth tank that was kept at a constant temperature of 20 +- 0.01 0 C. The authors show the growth history of the KDP crystal of a 40- X 40-cm cross section. This system is now being operated to obtain the KDP of 100-cm height, and a theoretical estimate of the growth rate is under consideration. These results are presented

Modulation of radiosensitivity by growth factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paris, F.

2013-01-01

The full text of the publication follows. For the past 70 years, radiotherapy protocols were defined to target and kill cancer cells. New research developments showed that the tissue or tumor radiosensitivities might be directly modulated by its own microenvironment. Between all the micro-environmental cells, endothelial cells are playing a unique role due to the need of angio-genesis for tumor genesis and to the microvascular endothelial cell apoptosis involved in acute normal tissue and tumor radiosensitivities. Both endothelial behaviours may be controlled by specific growth factors secreted by tumor cells. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) are two cytokines involved in angio genesis and endothelial cell survival. Because radiation exposure develops opposite molecular and cellular responses by inhibiting proliferation and by enhancing apoptosis, inhibiting these cytokines has been proposed as a relevant strategy to improve radiotherapy efficiency. Drugs or antibody against VEGF, or other growth factors have been used with success to limit endothelial cell resistance, but also to transiently normalize of blood vessels to improve oxygen distribution into the tumor. However, better characterisation of the role of the cytokines will help to better improve the strategy of the use of their antagonists. We demonstrate that bFGF or sphingosin 1 phosphate (S1P), a lipid endothelial growth factor, protects endothelial cells from radiation stress by inhibiting the pre-mitotic apoptosis through enhancement of pro-survival molecular cascade, such as the Pi3K/AKT pathway, but not post-mitotic death. This discrepancy allowed a specific use of S1P as pharmacological drug protecting quiescent endothelial cells, present in normal tissue blood vessels, but not in proliferating angiogenic blood vessels, majority present in tumor blood vessel. In vivo studies are underway. (author)

[Markers of angiogenesis in tumor growth].

Science.gov (United States)

Nefedova, N A; Kharlova, O A; Danilova, N V; Malkov, P G; Gaifullin, N M

2016-01-01

Angiogenesis is a process of new blood vessels formation. The role of angiogenesis in growth, invasion and metastasis of malignant tumours is nowdays universally recognized. Though, investigation of mechanisms of blood vessels formation and elaboration methods for assessment of tumour angiogenesis are still up-dated. Another important concern are different aspects of usage of immunohistochemical markers of blood vessels endothelium (CD31 and CD34) for assessment of tumour aggressiveness and prognosis. The problems of malignant lymphangiogenesis are also up-to-date. The focus is on methods of immunohistochemical visualization of forming lymphatic vessels, role of podoplanin, the most reliable marker of lymphatic vessels, in their identification, and formulization of the main criteria for lymphangiogenesis estimation, its correlation with metastatic activity and prognostic potential. Studying of angiogenesis and lymph angiogenesis in malignant tumors is important and challenging direction for researching tumour progression and invention of antiangiogenic therapy.

Thermal Expansion of Vitrified Blood Vessels Permeated with DP6 and Synthetic Ice Modulators

Science.gov (United States)

Eisenberg, David P.; Taylor, Michael J.; Jimenez-Rios, Jorge L.; Rabin, Yoed

2014-01-01

This study provides thermal expansion data for blood vessels permeated with the cryoprotective cocktail DP6, when combined with selected synthetic ice modulators (SIMs): 12% polyethylene glycol 400, 6% 1,3-cyclohexanediol, and 6% 2,3-butanediol. The general classification of SIMs includes molecules that modulate ice nucleation and growth, or possess properties of stabilizing the amorphous state, by virtue of their chemical structure and at concentrations that are not explained on a purely colligative basis. The current study is part of an ongoing effort to characterize thermo-mechanical effects on structural integrity of cryopreserved materials, where thermal expansion is the driving mechanism to thermo-mechanical stress. This study focuses on the lower part of the cryogenic temperature range, where the cryoprotective agent (CPA) behaves as a solid for all practical applications. By combining results obtained in the current study with literature data on the thermal expansion in the upper part of the cryogenic temperature range, unified thermal expansion curves are presented. PMID:24769313

Rapid sealing of porcine renal blood vessels, ex vivo, using a high power, 1470-nm laser, and laparoscopic prototype

Science.gov (United States)

Hardy, Luke A.; Hutchens, Thomas C.; Larson, Eric R.; Gonzalez, David A.; Chang, Chun-Hung; Nau, William H.; Fried, Nathaniel M.

2017-05-01

Energy-based, radiofrequency (RF) and ultrasonic (US) devices currently provide rapid sealing of blood vessels during laparoscopic procedures. We are exploring infrared lasers as an alternate energy modality for vessel sealing, capable of generating less collateral thermal damage. Previous studies demonstrated feasibility of sealing vessels in an in vivo porcine model using a 1470-nm laser. However, the initial prototype was designed for testing in open surgery and featured tissue clasping and light delivery mechanisms incompatible with laparoscopic surgery. In this study, a laparoscopic prototype similar to devices currently in surgical use was developed, and performance tests were conducted on porcine renal blood vessels, ex vivo. The 5-mm outer-diameter laparoscopic prototype featured a traditional Maryland jaw configuration that enables tissue manipulation and blunt dissection. Laser energy was delivered through a 550-μm-core-diameter optical fiber with side-delivery from the lower jaw and beam dimensions of 18-mm length×1.2-mm width. The 1470-nm diode laser delivered 68 W with 3-s activation time, consistent with vessel seal times associated with RF and US-based devices. A total of 69 fresh porcine renal vessels with mean diameter of 3.3±1.7 mm were tested, ex vivo. Vessels smaller than 5-mm diameter were consistently sealed (48/51) with burst pressures greater than malignant hypertension blood pressure (180 mmHg), averaging 1038±474 mmHg. Vessels larger than 5 mm were not consistently sealed (6/18), yielding burst pressures of only 174±221 mmHg. Seal width, thermal damage zone, and thermal spread averaged 1.7±0.8, 3.4±0.7, and 1.0±0.4 mm, respectively. Results demonstrated that the 5-mm optical laparoscopic prototype consistently sealed vessels less than 5-mm diameter with low thermal spread. Further in vivo studies are planned to test the performance across a variety of vessels and tissues.

Limitations of quantitative photoacoustic measurements of blood oxygenation in small vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sivaramakrishnan, Mathangi; Maslov, Konstantin; Zhang, Hao F; Stoica, George; Wang, Lihong V

2007-01-01

We investigate the feasibility of obtaining accurate quantitative information, such as local blood oxygenation level (sO 2 ), with a spatial resolution of about 50 μm from spectral photoacoustic (PA) measurements. The optical wavelength dependence of the peak values of the PA signals is utilized to obtain the local blood oxygenation level. In our in vitro experimental models, the PA signal amplitude is found to be linearly proportional to the blood optical absorption coefficient when using ultrasonic transducers with central frequencies high enough such that the ultrasonic wavelengths are shorter than the light penetration depth into the blood vessels. For an optical wavelength in the 578-596 nm region, with a transducer central frequency that is above 25 MHz, the sensitivity and accuracy of sO 2 inversion is shown to be better than 4%. The effect of the transducer focal position on the accuracy of quantifying blood oxygenation is found to be negligible. In vivo oxygenation measurements of rat skin microvasculature yield results consistent with those from in vitro studies, although factors specific to in vivo measurements, such as the spectral dependence of tissue optical attenuation, dramatically affect the accuracy of sO 2 quantification in vivo

Modeling the Role of the Glymphatic Pathway and Cerebral Blood Vessel Properties in Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kyrtsos, Christina Rose; Baras, John S

2015-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, affecting over 10% population over the age of 65 years. Clinically, AD is described by the symptom set of short term memory loss and cognitive decline, changes in mentation and behavior, and eventually long-term memory deficit as the disease progresses. On imaging studies, significant atrophy with subsequent increase in ventricular volume have been observed. Pathology on post-mortem brain specimens demonstrates the classic findings of increased beta amyloid (Aβ) deposition and the presence of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) within affected neurons. Neuroinflammation, dysregulation of blood-brain barrier transport and clearance, deposition of Aβ in cerebral blood vessels, vascular risk factors such as atherosclerosis and diabetes, and the presence of the apolipoprotein E4 allele have all been identified as playing possible roles in AD pathogenesis. Recent research has demonstrated the importance of the glymphatic system in the clearance of Aβ from the brain via the perivascular space surrounding cerebral blood vessels. Given the variety of hypotheses that have been proposed for AD pathogenesis, an interconnected, multilayer model offers a unique opportunity to combine these ideas into a single unifying model. Results of this model demonstrate the importance of vessel stiffness and heart rate in maintaining adequate clearance of Aβ from the brain.

Nanobubbles Form at Active Hydrophobic Spots on the Luminal Aspect of Blood Vessels: Consequences for Decompression Illness in Diving and Possible Implications for Autoimmune Disease—An Overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ran Arieli

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Decompression illness (DCI occurs following a reduction in ambient pressure. Decompression bubbles can expand and develop only from pre-existing gas micronuclei. The different hypotheses hitherto proposed regarding the nucleation and stabilization of gas micronuclei have never been validated. It is known that nanobubbles form spontaneously when a smooth hydrophobic surface is submerged in water containing dissolved gas. These nanobubbles may be the long sought-after gas micronuclei underlying decompression bubbles and DCI. We exposed hydrophobic and hydrophilic silicon wafers under water to hyperbaric pressure. After decompression, bubbles appeared on the hydrophobic but not the hydrophilic wafers. In a further series of experiments, we placed large ovine blood vessels in a cooled high pressure chamber at 1,000 kPa for about 20 h. Bubbles evolved at definite spots in all the types of blood vessels. These bubble-producing spots stained positive for lipids, and were henceforth termed “active hydrophobic spots” (AHS. The lung surfactant dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC, was found both in the plasma of the sheep and at the AHS. Bubbles detached from the blood vessel in pulsatile flow after reaching a mean diameter of ~1.0 mm. Bubble expansion was bi-phasic—a slow initiation phase which peaked 45 min after decompression, followed by fast diffusion-controlled growth. Many features of decompression from diving correlate with this finding of AHS on the blood vessels. (1 Variability between bubblers and non-bubblers. (2 An age-related effect and adaptation. (3 The increased risk of DCI on a second dive. (4 Symptoms of neurologic decompression sickness. (5 Preconditioning before a dive. (6 A bi-phasic mechanism of bubble expansion. (7 Increased bubble formation with depth. (8 Endothelial injury. (9 The presence of endothelial microparticles. Finally, constant contact between nanobubbles and plasma may result in distortion of proteins and their

Comparison of the number of gingival blood vessels between type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic periodontitis patients: An immunohistological study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gautami Subhadra Penmetsa

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The relationship between diabetes and periodontitis has been studied for more than 50 years and is generally agreed that the periodontal disease is more prevalent in diabetic patients compared to nondiabetics. Vascular changes like increased thickness of basement membrane in small vessels has been reported in diabetic patients, but the quantity of blood vessels in gingiva of diabetic patients has not been discussed much. The aim of this study was to compare the number of blood vessels in gingiva between chronic periodontitis (CP patients, CP with diabetes (type 2, and normal healthy gingiva. Materials and Methods: The study included 75 patients, divided into three groups of 25 patients each-Group I with healthy periodontium (HP, Group II with CP, and Group III with CP with diabetes mellitus (CPDM.Gingival biopsies were obtained from the subjects undergoing crown lengthening procedure for Group I, and in patients with CP and in CPDM biopsies were collected from teeth undergoing extraction. Sections were prepared for immune histochemical staining with CD34. Results: Difference was observed in the average number of blood vessels when compared between HP, CP, and CPDM groups. Statistical significant difference was observed when the HP and CP groups and HP and CPDM groups were compared. Conclusion: The results of the study indicated that the number of blood vessels in gingival connective tissue is significantly higher in CP and CPDM patients.

X-ray PIV measurement of blood flow in deep vessels of a rat: An in vivo feasibility study.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hanwook; Yeom, Eunseop; Lee, Sang Joon

2016-01-18

X-ray PIV measurement is a noninvasive approach to measure opaque blood flows. However, it is not easy to measure real pulsatile blood flows in the blood vessels located at deep position of the body, because the surrounding tissues significantly attenuate the contrast of X-ray images. This study investigated the effect of surrounding tissues on X-ray beam attenuation by measuring the velocity fields of blood flows in deep vessels of a live rat. The decrease in image contrast was minimized by employing biocompatible CO2 microbubbles as tracer particles. The maximum measurable velocity of blood flows in the abdominal aorta of a rat model was found through comparative examination between the PIV measurement accuracy and the level of image contrast according to the input flow rate. Furthermore, the feasibility of using X-ray PIV to accurately measure in vivo blood flows was demonstrated by determining the velocity field of blood flows in the inferior vena cava of a rat. This study may serve as a reference in conducting in vivo X-ray PIV measurements of pulsatile blood flows in animal disease models and investigating hemodynamic characteristics and circulatory vascular diseases.

Spatial distribution of diffuse, primitive, and classic amyloid-beta deposits and blood vessels in the upper laminae of the frontal cortex in Alzheimer disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Armstrong, R A; Cairns, N J; Lantos, P L

1998-12-01

The spatial distribution of the diffuse, primitive, and classic amyloid-beta deposits was studied in the upper laminae of the superior frontal gyrus in cases of sporadic Alzheimer disease (AD). Amyloid-beta-stained tissue was counterstained with collagen IV to determine whether the spatial distribution of the amyloid-beta deposits along the cortex was related to blood vessels. In all patients, amyloid-beta deposits and blood vessels were aggregated into distinct clusters and in many patients, the clusters were distributed with a regular periodicity along the cortex. The clusters of diffuse and primitive deposits did not coincide with the clusters of blood vessels in most patients. However, the clusters of classic amyloid-beta deposits coincided with those of the large diameter (>10 microm) blood vessels in all patients and with clusters of small-diameter (upper cortical laminae.

Tumor vessel normalization by the PI3K inhibitor HS-173 enhances drug delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Soo Jung; Jung, Kyung Hee; Son, Mi Kwon; Park, Jung Hee; Yan, Hong Hua; Fang, Zhenghuan; Kang, Yeo Wool; Han, Boreum; Lim, Joo Han; Hong, Soon-Sun

2017-09-10

Tumor vessels are leaky and immature, which causes poor oxygen and nutrient supply to tumor vessels and results in cancer cell metastasis to distant organs. This instability of tumor blood vessels also makes it difficult for anticancer drugs to penetrate and reach tumors. Numerous tumor vessel normalization approaches have been investigated for improving drug delivery into tumors. In this study, we investigated whether phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors are able to improve vascular structure and function over the prolonged period necessary to achieve effective vessel normalization. The PI3K inhibitors, HS-173 and BEZ235 potently suppressed tumor growth and hypoxia, and increased tumor apoptosis in animal models. PI3K inhibitors also induced a regular, flat monolayer of endothelial cells (ECs) in vessels, improving stability of vessel structure, and normalized tumor vessels by increasing vascular maturity, pericyte coverage, basement membrane thickness, and tight-junctions. These effects resulted in a decrease in tumor vessel tortuosity and vessel thinning, and improved vessel function and blood flow. The tumor vessel stabilization effect of the PI3K inhibitor HS-173 also decreased the number of metastatic lung nodules in vivo metastasis model. Furthermore, HS-173 improved the delivery of doxorubicin into the tumor region, enhancing its anticancer effects. Mechanistic studies suggested that PI3K inhibitor HS-173-induced vessel normalization reflected changes in endothelial Notch signaling. Taken together, our findings indicate that vessel normalization by PI3K inhibitors restrained tumor growth and metastasis while improving chemotherapy by enhancing drug delivery into the tumor, suggesting that HS-173 may have a therapeutic value as an enhancer or an anticancer drug. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Numerical modeling of the pulse wave propagation in large blood vessels based on liquid and wall interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rup, K; Dróżdż, A

2014-01-01

The purpose of this article is to develop a non-linear, one-dimensional model of pulse wave propagation in the arterial cardiovascular system. The model includes partial differential equations resulting from the balance of mass and momentum for the fluid-filled area and the balance equation for the area of the wall and vessels. The considered mathematical model of pulse wave propagation in the thoracic aorta section takes into account the viscous dissipation of fluid energy, realistic values of parameters describing the physicochemical properties of blood and vessel wall. Boundary and initial conditions contain the appropriate information obtained from in vivo measurements. As a result of the numerical solution of the mass and momentum balance equations for the blood and the equilibrium equation for the arterial wall area, time- dependent deformation, respective velocity profiles and blood pressure were determined.

An Automatic Cognitive Graph-Based Segmentation for Detection of Blood Vessels in Retinal Images

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rasha Al Shehhi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a hierarchical graph-based segmentation for blood vessel detection in digital retinal images. This segmentation employs some of perceptual Gestalt principles: similarity, closure, continuity, and proximity to merge segments into coherent connected vessel-like patterns. The integration of Gestalt principles is based on object-based features (e.g., color and black top-hat (BTH morphology and context and graph-analysis algorithms (e.g., Dijkstra path. The segmentation framework consists of two main steps: preprocessing and multiscale graph-based segmentation. Preprocessing is to enhance lighting condition, due to low illumination contrast, and to construct necessary features to enhance vessel structure due to sensitivity of vessel patterns to multiscale/multiorientation structure. Graph-based segmentation is to decrease computational processing required for region of interest into most semantic objects. The segmentation was evaluated on three publicly available datasets. Experimental results show that preprocessing stage achieves better results compared to state-of-the-art enhancement methods. The performance of the proposed graph-based segmentation is found to be consistent and comparable to other existing methods, with improved capability of detecting small/thin vessels.

Creep crack growth in a reactor pressure vessel steel at 360 deg C

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Rui; Seitisleam, F; Sandstroem, R [Swedish Institute for Metals Research, Stockholm (Sweden)

1999-12-31

Plain creep (PC) and creep crack growth (CCG) tests at 360 deg C and post metallography were carried out on a low alloy reactor pressure vessel steel (ASTM A508 class 2) with different microstructures. Lives for the CCG tests were shorter than those for the PC tests and this is more pronounced for simulated heat affected zone microstructure than for the parent metal at longer lives. For the CCG tests, after initiation, the cracks grew constantly and intergranularly before they accelerated to approach rupture. The creep crack growth rate is well described by C*. The relations between reference stress, failure time and steady crack growth rate are presented for the CCG tests. It is demonstrated that the failure stress due to CCG is considerably lower than the yield stress at 360 deg C. Consequently, the CCG will control the static strength of a reactor vessel. (orig.) 17 refs.

Creep crack growth in a reactor pressure vessel steel at 360 deg C

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rui Wu; Seitisleam, F.; Sandstroem, R. [Swedish Institute for Metals Research, Stockholm (Sweden)

1998-12-31

Plain creep (PC) and creep crack growth (CCG) tests at 360 deg C and post metallography were carried out on a low alloy reactor pressure vessel steel (ASTM A508 class 2) with different microstructures. Lives for the CCG tests were shorter than those for the PC tests and this is more pronounced for simulated heat affected zone microstructure than for the parent metal at longer lives. For the CCG tests, after initiation, the cracks grew constantly and intergranularly before they accelerated to approach rupture. The creep crack growth rate is well described by C*. The relations between reference stress, failure time and steady crack growth rate are presented for the CCG tests. It is demonstrated that the failure stress due to CCG is considerably lower than the yield stress at 360 deg C. Consequently, the CCG will control the static strength of a reactor vessel. (orig.) 17 refs.

A SURVEY OF RETINA BASED DISEASE IDENTIFICATION USING BLOOD VESSEL SEGMENTATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P Kuppusamy

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The colour retinal photography is one of the most essential features to identify the confirmation of various eye diseases. The iris is primary attribute to authenticate the human. This research work presents the survey and comparison of various blood vessel related feature identification, segmentation, extraction and enhancement methods. Additionally, this study is observed the various databases performance for storing the images and testing in minimal time. This paper is also provides the better performance techniques based on the survey.

Modeling the Role of the Glymphatic Pathway and Cerebral Blood Vessel Properties in Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christina Rose Kyrtsos

Full Text Available Alzheimer's disease (AD is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, affecting over 10% population over the age of 65 years. Clinically, AD is described by the symptom set of short term memory loss and cognitive decline, changes in mentation and behavior, and eventually long-term memory deficit as the disease progresses. On imaging studies, significant atrophy with subsequent increase in ventricular volume have been observed. Pathology on post-mortem brain specimens demonstrates the classic findings of increased beta amyloid (Aβ deposition and the presence of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs within affected neurons. Neuroinflammation, dysregulation of blood-brain barrier transport and clearance, deposition of Aβ in cerebral blood vessels, vascular risk factors such as atherosclerosis and diabetes, and the presence of the apolipoprotein E4 allele have all been identified as playing possible roles in AD pathogenesis. Recent research has demonstrated the importance of the glymphatic system in the clearance of Aβ from the brain via the perivascular space surrounding cerebral blood vessels. Given the variety of hypotheses that have been proposed for AD pathogenesis, an interconnected, multilayer model offers a unique opportunity to combine these ideas into a single unifying model. Results of this model demonstrate the importance of vessel stiffness and heart rate in maintaining adequate clearance of Aβ from the brain.

Semiautomated segmentation of blood vessels using ellipse-overlap criteria: Method and comparison to manual editing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiffman, Smadar; Rubin, Geoffrey D.; Schraedley-Desmond, Pamela; Napel, Sandy

2003-01-01

Two-dimensional intensity-based methods for the segmentation of blood vessels from computed-tomography-angiography data often result in spurious segments that originate from other objects whose intensity distributions overlap with those of the vessels. When segmented images include spurious segments, additional methods are required to select segments that belong to the target vessels. We describe a method that allows experts to select vessel segments from sequences of segmented images with little effort. Our method uses ellipse-overlap criteria to differentiate between segments that belong to different objects and are separated in plane but are connected in the through-plane direction. To validate our method, we used it to extract vessel regions from volumes that were segmented via analysis of isolabel-contour maps, and showed that the difference between the results of our method and manually-edited results was within inter-expert variability. Although the total editing duration for our method, which included user-interaction and computer processing, exceeded that of manual editing, the extent of user interaction required for our method was about a fifth of that required for manual editing

Effects of X-irradiation on artificial blood vessel wall degradation by invasive tumor cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heisel, M.A.; Laug, W.E.; Stowe, S.M.; Jones, P.A.

1984-01-01

Artificial vessel wall cultures, constructed by growing arterial endothelial cells on preformed layers of rat smooth muscle cells, were used to evaluate the effects of X-irradiation on tumor cell-induced tissue degradation. Bovine endothelial cells had radiation sensitivities similar to those of rat smooth muscle cells. Preirradiation of smooth muscle cells, before the addition of human fibrosarcoma (HT 1080) cells, did not increase the rate of degradation and destruction by the invasive cells. However, the degradation rate was decreased if the cultures were irradiated after the addition of HT 1080 cells. The presence of bovine endothelial cells markedly inhibited the destructive abilities of fibrosarcoma cells, but preirradiation of artificial vessel walls substantially decreased their capabilities to resist HT 1080-induced lysis. These findings suggest that the abilities of blood vessels to limit extravasation may be compromised by ionizing radiation

High Endothelial Venules and Other Blood Vessels: Critical Regulators of Lymphoid Organ Development and Function

Science.gov (United States)

Ager, Ann

2017-01-01

The blood vasculature regulates both the development and function of secondary lymphoid organs by providing a portal for entry of hemopoietic cells. During the development of lymphoid organs in the embryo, blood vessels deliver lymphoid tissue inducer cells that initiate and sustain the development of lymphoid tissues. In adults, the blood vessels are structurally distinct from those in other organs due to the requirement for high levels of lymphocyte recruitment under non-inflammatory conditions. In lymph nodes (LNs) and Peyer’s patches, high endothelial venules (HEVs) especially adapted for lymphocyte trafficking form a spatially organized network of blood vessels, which controls both the type of lymphocyte and the site of entry into lymphoid tissues. Uniquely, HEVs express vascular addressins that regulate lymphocyte entry into lymphoid organs and are, therefore, critical to the function of lymphoid organs. Recent studies have demonstrated important roles for CD11c+ dendritic cells in the induction, as well as the maintenance, of vascular addressin expression and, therefore, the function of HEVs. Tertiary lymphoid organs (TLOs) are HEV containing LN-like structures that develop inside organized tissues undergoing chronic immune-mediated inflammation. In autoimmune lesions, the development of TLOs is thought to exacerbate disease. In cancerous tissues, the development of HEVs and TLOs is associated with improved patient outcomes in several cancers. Therefore, it is important to understand what drives the development of HEVs and TLOs and how these structures contribute to pathology. In several human diseases and experimental animal models of chronic inflammation, there are some similarities between the development and function of HEVs within LN and TLOs. This review will summarize current knowledge of how hemopoietic cells with lymphoid tissue-inducing, HEV-inducing, and HEV-maintaining properties are recruited from the bloodstream to induce the development and

High-resolution ultrasound imaging and noninvasive optoacoustic monitoring of blood variables in peripheral blood vessels

Science.gov (United States)

Petrov, Irene Y.; Petrov, Yuriy; Prough, Donald S.; Esenaliev, Rinat O.

2011-03-01

Ultrasound imaging is being widely used in clinics to obtain diagnostic information non-invasively and in real time. A high-resolution ultrasound imaging platform, Vevo (VisualSonics, Inc.) provides in vivo, real-time images with exceptional resolution (up to 30 microns) using high-frequency transducers (up to 80 MHz). Recently, we built optoacoustic systems for probing radial artery and peripheral veins that can be used for noninvasive monitoring of total hemoglobin concentration, oxyhemoglobin saturation, and concentration of important endogenous and exogenous chromophores (such as ICG). In this work we used the high-resolution ultrasound imaging system Vevo 770 for visualization of the radial artery and peripheral veins and acquired corresponding optoacoustic signals from them using the optoacoustic systems. Analysis of the optoacoustic data with a specially developed algorithm allowed for measurement of blood oxygenation in the blood vessels as well as for continuous, real-time monitoring of arterial and venous blood oxygenation. Our results indicate that: 1) the optoacoustic technique (unlike pure optical approaches and other noninvasive techniques) is capable of accurate peripheral venous oxygenation measurement; and 2) peripheral venous oxygenation is dependent on skin temperature and local hemodynamics. Moreover, we performed for the first time (to the best of our knowledge) a comparative study of optoacoustic arterial oximetry and a standard pulse oximeter in humans and demonstrated superior performance of the optoacoustic arterial oximeter, in particular at low blood flow.

Photoacoustic imaging of blood vessels with a double-ring sensor featuring a narrow angular aperture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kolkman, R.G.M.; Hondebrink, Erwin; Steenbergen, Wiendelt; van Leeuwen, Ton; de Mul, F.F.M.

2004-01-01

A photoacoustic double-ring sensor, featuring a narrow angular aperture, is developed for laser-induced photoacoustic imaging of blood vessels. An integrated optical fiber enables reflection-mode detection of ultrasonic waves. By using the cross-correlation between the signals detected by the two

Tumor blood vessel "normalization" improves the therapeutic efficacy of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) in experimental oral cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D. W. Nigg

2012-01-01

We previously demonstrated the efficacy of BNCT mediated by boronophenylalanine (BPA) to treat tumors in a hamster cheek pouch model of oral cancer with no normal tissue radiotoxicity and moderate, albeit reversible, mucositis in precancerous tissue around treated tumors. It is known that boron targeting of the largest possible proportion of tumor cells contributes to the success of BNCT and that tumor blood vessel normalization improves drug delivery to the tumor. Within this context, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of blood vessel normalization on the therapeutic efficacy and potential radiotoxicity of BNCT in the hamster cheek pouch model of oral cancer.

Tumor blood vessel 'normalization' improves the therapeutic efficacy of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) in experimental oral cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nigg, D.W.

2012-01-01

We previously demonstrated the efficacy of BNCT mediated by boronophenylalanine (BPA) to treat tumors in a hamster cheek pouch model of oral cancer with no normal tissue radiotoxicity and moderate, albeit reversible, mucositis in precancerous tissue around treated tumors. It is known that boron targeting of the largest possible proportion of tumor cells contributes to the success of BNCT and that tumor blood vessel normalization improves drug delivery to the tumor. Within this context, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of blood vessel normalization on the therapeutic efficacy and potential radiotoxicity of BNCT in the hamster cheek pouch model of oral cancer.

Subsurface thermal behaviour of tissue mimics embedded with large blood vessels during plasmonic photo-thermal therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Anup; Narasimhan, Arunn; Das, Sarit K; Sengupta, Soujit; Pradeep, Thalappil

2016-11-01

The purpose of this study was to understand the subsurface thermal behaviour of a tissue phantom embedded with large blood vessels (LBVs) when exposed to near-infrared (NIR) radiation. The effect of the addition of nanoparticles to irradiated tissue on the thermal sink behaviour of LBVs was also studied. Experiments were performed on a tissue phantom embedded with a simulated blood vessel of 2.2 mm outer diameter (OD)/1.6 mm inner diameter (ID) with a blood flow rate of 10 mL/min. Type I collagen from bovine tendon and agar gel were used as tissue. Two different nanoparticles, gold mesoflowers (AuMS) and graphene nanostructures, were synthesised and characterised. Energy equations incorporating a laser source term based on multiple scattering theories were solved using finite element-based commercial software. The rise in temperature upon NIR irradiation was seen to vary according to the position of the blood vessel and presence of nanoparticles. While the maximum rise in temperature was about 10 °C for bare tissue, it was 19 °C for tissue embedded with gold nanostructures and 38 °C for graphene-embedded tissues. The axial temperature distribution predicted by computational simulation matched the experimental observations. A different subsurface temperature distribution has been obtained for different tissue vascular network models. The position of LBVs must be known in order to achieve optimal tissue necrosis. The simulation described here helps in predicting subsurface temperature distributions within tissues during plasmonic photo-thermal therapy so that the risks of damage and complications associated with in vivo experiments and therapy may be avoided.

Electrospun silk fibroin/poly (L-lactide-ε-caplacton) graft with platelet-rich growth factor for inducing smooth muscle cell growth and infiltration.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Anlin; Bowlin, Gary L; Luo, Rifang; Zhang, Xingdong; Wang, Yunbing; Mo, Xiumei

2016-12-01

The construction of a smooth muscle layer for blood vessel through electrospinning method plays a key role in vascular tissue engineering. However, smooth muscle cells (SMCs) penetration into the electrospun graft to form a smooth muscle layer is limited due to the dense packing of fibers and lack of inducing factors. In this paper, silk fibroin/poly (L-lactide-ε-caplacton) (SF/PLLA-CL) vascular graft loaded with platelet-rich growth factor (PRGF) was fabricated by electrospinning. The in vitro results showed that SMCs cultured in the graft grew fast, and the incorporation of PRGF could induce deeper SMCs infiltrating compared to the SF/PLLA-CL graft alone. Mechanical properties measurement showed that PRGF-incorporated graft had proper tensile stress, suture retention strength, burst pressure and compliance which could match the demand of native blood vessel. The success in the fabrication of PRGF-incorporated SF/PLLA-CL graft to induce fast SMCs growth and their strong penetration into graft has important application for tissue-engineered blood vessels.

Generation of erythroid cells from polyploid giant cancer cells: re-thinking about tumor blood supply.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Zhigang; Yao, Hong; Fei, Fei; Li, Yuwei; Qu, Jie; Li, Chunyuan; Zhang, Shiwu

2018-04-01

During development and tumor progression, cells need a sufficient blood supply to maintain development and rapid growth. It is reported that there are three patterns of blood supply for tumor growth: endothelium-dependent vessels, mosaic vessels, and vasculogenic mimicry (VM). VM was first reported in highly aggressive uveal melanomas, with tumor cells mimicking the presence and function of endothelial cells forming the walls of VM vessels. The walls of mosaic vessels are randomly lined with both endothelial cells and tumor cells. We previously proposed a three-stage process, beginning with VM, progressing to mosaic vessels, and eventually leading to endothelium-dependent vessels. However, many phenomena unique to VM channel formation remain to be elucidated, such as the origin of erythrocytes before VM vessels connect with endothelium-dependent vessels. In adults, erythroid cells are generally believed to be generated from hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow. In contrast, embryonic tissue obtains oxygen through formation of blood islands, which are largely composed of embryonic hemoglobin with a higher affinity with oxygen, in the absence of mature erythrocytes. Recent data from our laboratory suggest that embryonic blood-forming mechanisms also exist in cancer tissue, particularly when these tissues are under environmental stress such as hypoxia. We review the evidence from induced pluripotent stem cells in vitro and in vivo to support this previously underappreciated cell functionality in normal and cancer cells, including the ability to generate erythroid cells. We will also summarize the current understanding of tumor angiogenesis, VM, and our recent work on polyploid giant cancer cells, with emphasis on their ability to generate erythroid cells and their association with tumor growth under hypoxia. An alternative embryonic pathway to obtain oxygen in cancer cells exists, particularly when they are under hypoxic conditions.

ICG-assisted blood vessel detection during stereotactic neurosurgery: simulation study on excitation power limitations due to thermal effects in human brain tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Rühm, Adrian; Göbel, Werner; Sroka, Ronald; Stepp, Herbert

2014-09-01

Intraoperative blood vessel detection based on intraluminal indocyanin-green (ICG) would allow to minimize the risk of blood vessel perforation during stereotactic brain tumor biopsy. For a fiber-based approach compatible with clinical conditions, the maximum tolerable excitation light power was derived from simulations of the thermal heat load on the tissue. Using the simulation software LITCIT, the temperature distribution in human brain tissue was calculated as a function of time for realistic single-fiber probes (0.72mm active diameter, numerical aperture 0.35, optional focusing to 0.29mm diameter) and for the optimum ICG excitation wavelength of 785nm. The asymptotic maximum temperature in the simulated tissue region was derived for different radiant fluxes at the distal fiber end. Worst case values were assumed for all other parameters. In addition to homogeneous (normal and tumor) brain tissue with homogeneous blood perfusion, models with localized extra blood vessels incorporated ahead of the distal fiber end were investigated. If one demands that destruction of normal brain tissue must be excluded by limiting the tissue heating to 42°C, then the radiant flux at the distal fiber end must be limited to 33mW with and 43mW without focusing. When considering extra blood vessels of 0.1mm diameter incorporated into homogeneously perfused brain tissue, the tolerable radiant flux is reduced to 22mW with and 32mW without focusing. The threshold value according to legal laser safety regulations for human skin tissue is 28.5mW. For the envisaged modality of blood vessel detection, light power limits for an application-relevant fiber configuration were determined and found to be roughly consistent with present legal regulations for skin tissue. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A composite chitosan-gelatin bi-layered, biomimetic macroporous scaffold for blood vessel tissue engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Badhe, Ravindra V; Bijukumar, Divya; Chejara, Dharmesh R; Mabrouk, Mostafa; Choonara, Yahya E; Kumar, Pradeep; du Toit, Lisa C; Kondiah, Pierre P D; Pillay, Viness

2017-02-10

A composite chitosan-gelatin macroporous hydrogel-based scaffold with bi-layered tubular architecture was engineered by solvent casting-co-particulate leaching. The scaffold constituted an inner macroporous layer concealed by a non-porous outer layer mimicking the 3D matrix of blood vessels with cellular adhesion and proliferation. The scaffold was evaluated for its morphological, physicochemical, physicomechanical and biodurability properties employing SEM, FTIR, DSC, XRD, porositometry, rheology and texture analysis. The fluid uptake and biodegradation in the presence of lysozymes was also investigated. Cellular attachment and proliferation was analysed using human dermal fibroblasts (HDF-a) seeded onto the scaffold and evaluated by MTT assay, SEM, and confocal microscopy. Results demonstrated that the scaffold had a desirable tensile strength=95.81±11kPa, elongation at break 112.5±13%, porosity 82% and pores between 100 and 230μm, 50% in vitro biodegradation at day 16 and proliferated fibroblasts over 20 days. These results demonstrate that scaffold may be an excellent tubular archetype for blood vessel tissue engineering. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synergistic actions of blocking angiopoietin-2 and tumor necrosis factor-α in suppressing remodeling of blood vessels and lymphatics in airway inflammation.

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Catherine T K; Laidlaw, Grace; Morehouse, Christopher A; Naiman, Brian; Brohawn, Philip; Mustelin, Tomas; Connor, Jane R; McDonald, Donald M

2015-11-01

Remodeling of blood vessels and lymphatics are prominent features of sustained inflammation. Angiopoietin-2 (Ang2)/Tie2 receptor signaling and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF)/TNF receptor signaling are known to contribute to these changes in airway inflammation after Mycoplasma pulmonis infection in mice. We determined whether Ang2 and TNF are both essential for the remodeling on blood vessels and lymphatics, and thereby influence the actions of one another. Their respective contributions to the initial stage of vascular remodeling and sprouting lymphangiogenesis were examined by comparing the effects of function-blocking antibodies to Ang2 or TNF, given individually or together during the first week after infection. As indices of efficacy, vascular enlargement, endothelial leakiness, venular marker expression, pericyte changes, and lymphatic vessel sprouting were assessed. Inhibition of Ang2 or TNF alone reduced the remodeling of blood vessels and lymphatics, but inhibition of both together completely prevented these changes. Genome-wide analysis of changes in gene expression revealed synergistic actions of the antibody combination over a broad range of genes and signaling pathways involved in inflammatory responses. These findings demonstrate that Ang2 and TNF are essential and synergistic drivers of remodeling of blood vessels and lymphatics during the initial stage of inflammation after infection. Inhibition of Ang2 and TNF together results in widespread suppression of the inflammatory response. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling the Role of the Glymphatic Pathway and Cerebral Blood Vessel Properties in Alzheimer’s Disease Pathogenesis

Science.gov (United States)

Kyrtsos, Christina Rose; Baras, John S.

2015-01-01

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, affecting over 10% population over the age of 65 years. Clinically, AD is described by the symptom set of short term memory loss and cognitive decline, changes in mentation and behavior, and eventually long-term memory deficit as the disease progresses. On imaging studies, significant atrophy with subsequent increase in ventricular volume have been observed. Pathology on post-mortem brain specimens demonstrates the classic findings of increased beta amyloid (Aβ) deposition and the presence of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) within affected neurons. Neuroinflammation, dysregulation of blood-brain barrier transport and clearance, deposition of Aβ in cerebral blood vessels, vascular risk factors such as atherosclerosis and diabetes, and the presence of the apolipoprotein E4 allele have all been identified as playing possible roles in AD pathogenesis. Recent research has demonstrated the importance of the glymphatic system in the clearance of Aβ from the brain via the perivascular space surrounding cerebral blood vessels. Given the variety of hypotheses that have been proposed for AD pathogenesis, an interconnected, multilayer model offers a unique opportunity to combine these ideas into a single unifying model. Results of this model demonstrate the importance of vessel stiffness and heart rate in maintaining adequate clearance of Aβ from the brain. PMID:26448331

Presence of intratumoral platelets is associated with tumor vessel structure and metastasis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Rong; Zhang, Xu; Zhang, Zhuo; Zhang, Xiao; Ran, Bing; Wu, Jianbo; Ren, Meiping; Chen, Ni; Luo, Mao; Deng, Xin; Xia, Jiyi; Yu, Guang; Liu, Jinbo; He, Bing

2014-01-01

Platelets play a fundamental role in maintaining hemostasis and have been shown to participate in hematogenous dissemination of tumor cells. Abundant platelets were detected in the tumor microenvironment outside of the blood vessel, thus, platelet -tumor cell interaction outside of the bloodstream may play a role in regulating primary tumor growth and metastasis initiation. However, it is unclear that platelet depletion affects tumor vessel structure and dynamics. Using thrombocytopenia induction in two different tumor-bearing mouse models, tumor tissues were performed by Westernblotting and immunohistochemical staining. Vascular permeability was evaluated by determination of intratumoral Evans blue and Miles vascular permeability assay. Furthermore, microdialysis was used to examining the intratumoral extracellular angiogenic growth factors (VEGF, TGF-β) by ELISA. Platelet depletion showed no change in tumor growth and reduced lung metastasis. Platelet depletion led to reduced tumor hypoxia and Met receptor activation and was associated with a decreased release of MMP-2, 9, PAI-1, VEGF, and TGF-β. Tumor vessels in platelet-depleted mice showed impaired vessel density and maturation. Our findings demonstrate that platelets within the primary tumor microenvironment play a critical role in the induction of vascular permeability and initiation of tumor metastasis

Corrosion fatigue crack growth of pressure vessel welds in PWR environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bamford, W.H.; Ceschini, L.J.; Moon, D.M.

1983-01-01

The fatigue crack growth rate behavior of several pressure vessel steel welds in PWR environment is discussed. The behavior is compared with associated heat-affected zone behavior, and with comparable base metal results. The welds show different degrees of susceptibility to the environmental influence, and this is discussed in some detail, along with fractographic observations on the tested specimens

Automatic blood vessel based-liver segmentation using the portal phase abdominal CT

Science.gov (United States)

Maklad, Ahmed S.; Matsuhiro, Mikio; Suzuki, Hidenobu; Kawata, Yoshiki; Niki, Noboru; Shimada, Mitsuo; Iinuma, Gen

2018-02-01

Liver segmentation is the basis for computer-based planning of hepatic surgical interventions. In diagnosis and analysis of hepatic diseases and surgery planning, automatic segmentation of liver has high importance. Blood vessel (BV) has showed high performance at liver segmentation. In our previous work, we developed a semi-automatic method that segments the liver through the portal phase abdominal CT images in two stages. First stage was interactive segmentation of abdominal blood vessels (ABVs) and subsequent classification into hepatic (HBVs) and non-hepatic (non-HBVs). This stage had 5 interactions that include selective threshold for bone segmentation, selecting two seed points for kidneys segmentation, selection of inferior vena cava (IVC) entrance for starting ABVs segmentation, identification of the portal vein (PV) entrance to the liver and the IVC-exit for classifying HBVs from other ABVs (non-HBVs). Second stage is automatic segmentation of the liver based on segmented ABVs as described in [4]. For full automation of our method we developed a method [5] that segments ABVs automatically tackling the first three interactions. In this paper, we propose full automation of classifying ABVs into HBVs and non- HBVs and consequently full automation of liver segmentation that we proposed in [4]. Results illustrate that the method is effective at segmentation of the liver through the portal abdominal CT images.

Glucose metabolism in diabetic blood vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, B.J.; Crass, M.F. III

1986-01-01

Since glycolysis appears to be coupled to active ion transport in vascular smooth muscle, alterations in glucose metabolism may contribute to cellular dysfunction and angiopathy in diabetes. Uptake and utilization of glucose were studied in perfused blood vessels in which pulsatile flow and perfusion pressure were similar to those measured directly in vivo. Thoracic aortae isolated from 8-wk alloxan diabetic (D) and nondiabetic control rabbits were cannulated, tethered, and perfused with oxygenated buffer containing 7 or 25 mM glucose and tracer amounts of glucose-U -14 C. Norepinephrine (NE) (10 -6 M) and/or insulin (I) (150 μU/ml) and albumin (0.2%) were added. NE-induced tension development increased glucose uptake 39% and 14 CO 2 and lactate production 2.3-fold. With 7 mM glucose, marked decreases in glucose uptake (74%), 14 CO 2 (68%), lactate (30%), total tissue glycogen (75%), and tissue phospholipids (70%) were observed in D. Addition of I or elevation of exogenous glucose to 25 mM normalized glucose uptake, but had differential effects on the pattern of substrate utilization. Thus, in D, there was a marked depression of vascular glucose metabolism that was partially reversed by addition of low concentrations of insulin or D levels of glucose

Rapid sealing and cutting of porcine blood vessels, ex vivo, using a high-power, 1470-nm diode laser.

Science.gov (United States)

Giglio, Nicholas C; Hutchens, Thomas C; Perkins, William C; Latimer, Cassandra; Ward, Arlen; Nau, William H; Fried, Nathaniel M

2014-03-01

Suture ligation with subsequent cutting of blood vessels to maintain hemostasis during surgery is time consuming and skill intensive. Energy-based electrosurgical and ultrasonic devices are often used to replace sutures and mechanical clips to provide rapid hemostasis and decrease surgery time. Some of these devices may create undesirably large collateral zones of thermal damage and tissue necrosis, or require separate mechanical blades for cutting. Infrared lasers are currently being explored as alternative energy sources for vessel sealing applications. In a previous study, a 1470-nm laser was used to seal vessels 1 to 6 mm in diameter in 5 s, yielding burst pressures of ∼500  mmHg. The purpose of this study was to provide vessel sealing times comparable with current energy-based devices, incorporate transection of sealed vessels, and demonstrate high vessel burst pressures to provide a safety margin for future clinical use. A 110-W, 1470-nm laser beam was transmitted through a fiber and beam shaping optics, producing a 90-W linear beam 3.0 by 9.5 mm for sealing (400  W/cm2), and 1.1 by 9.6 mm for cutting (1080  W/cm2). A two-step process sealed and then transected ex vivo porcine renal vessels (1.5 to 8.5 mm diameter) in a bench top setup. Seal and cut times were 1.0 s each. A burst pressure system measured seal strength, and histologic measurements of lateral thermal spread were also recorded. All blood vessels tested (n=55 seal samples) were sealed and cut, with total irradiation times of 2.0 s and mean burst pressures of 1305±783  mmHg. Additional unburst vessels were processed for histological analysis, showing a lateral thermal spread of 0.94±0.48  mm (n=14 seal samples). This study demonstrated that an optical-based system is capable of precisely sealing and cutting a wide range of porcine renal vessel sizes and, with further development, may provide an alternative to radiofrequency- and ultrasonic-based vessel sealing devices.

Comparison between PVHIS on the MRI and the permeability of brain blood vessels in elderly patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, Katsuhiko; Tanaka, Yuriko; Kubo, Hideki; Takagi, Yasushi; Tachikawa, Shinzo; Katsunuma, Hideyo.

1989-01-01

The degree of PVHIS (periventricular high intensity signal) on the MRI was composed with the permeability of brain blood vessels using the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)/serum ratio for albumin, and the CSF/serum ratio for IgG in elderly patients. The 47 elderly patients (mean age=79.9) were divided into three groups: (1) Mild group (20 cases, M:6, F:14, mean age=75.8), (2) Moderate group (18 cases, M:7, F:11, mean age=82.6), (3) Severe group (9 cases, M:2, F:7, mean age=82.9), in accordance with the degree of PVHIS on the MRI. The MRI was operated at a field strength of 0.22 tesla. The pulse sequence (used on all patients) had a repetition times (TR) of 2,000 msec and a time to echo (TE) of 40 msec. The levels of albumin and IgG in the serum and CSF were measured. The CSF/serum ratio for albumin was used of analyze the permeability of the brain blood vessels in each group. There was no significant difference in the level of the serum albumin, the CSF albumin, the serum IgG, the CSF IgG and the CSF/serum ratio for IgG among the three groups. The same was found to be true for the IgG index which indicates the synthesis of immunoglobulin in the central nervous system. However, there was a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) in the CSF/serum ratio for albumin between groups (1) and (3). The increased CSF/serum ratio for albumin in the severe group indicated there were confluent lesions involving the entire extent of the periventriular white matter on the MRI. This suggested an increased permeability of brain blood vessels which revealed the dysfunction of the blood brain barrier due to affected cerebral endothelial cells in capillaries. (author)

Hemodynamics in stenotic vessels of small diameter under steady state conditions: Effect of viscoelasticity and migration of red blood cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Dimakopoulos, Yannis; Kelesidis, George; Tsouka, Sophia; Georgiou, Georgios C; Tsamopoulos, John

2015-01-01

In microcirculation, the non-Newtonian behavior of blood and the complexity of the microvessel network are responsible for the high flow resistance and the large reduction of the blood pressure. Red blood cell aggregation along with inward radial migration are two significant mechanisms determining the former. Yet, their impact on hemodynamics in non-straight vessels is not well understood. In this study, the steady state blood flow in stenotic rigid vessels is examined, employing a sophisticated non-homogeneous constitutive law. The effect of red blood cells migration on the hydrodynamics is quantified and the constitutive model's accuracy is evaluated. A numerical algorithm based on the two-dimensional mixed finite element method and the EVSS/SUPG technique for a stable discretization of the mass and momentum conservation equations in addition to the constitutive model is employed. The numerical simulations show that a cell-depleted layer develops along the vessel wall with an almost constant thickness for slow flow conditions. This causes the reduction of the drag force and the increase of the pressure gradient as the constriction ratio decreases. Viscoelastic effects in blood flow were found to be responsible for steeper decreases of tube and discharge hematocrits as decreasing function of constriction ratio.

C-reactive protein and chitinase 3-like protein 1 as biomarkers of spatial redistribution of retinal blood vessels on digital retinal photography in patients with diabetic retinopathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Cekić, Sonja; Cvetković, Tatjana; Jovanović, Ivan; Jovanović, Predrag; Pesić, Milica; Stanković Babić, Gordana; Milenković, Svetislav; Risimić, Dijana

2014-08-20

The aim of the study was to investigate the correlation between the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and chitinase 3-like protein 1 (YKL-40) in blood samples with morpohometric parameters of retinal blood vessels in patients with diabetic retinopathy. Blood laboratory examination of 90 patients included the measurement of glycemia, HbA1C, total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides and CRP. Levels of YKL-40 were detected and measured in serum by ELISA (Micro VueYKL-40 EIA Kit, Quidel Corporation, San Diego, USA). YKL-40 correlated positively with diameter and negatively with number of retinal blood vessels. The average number of the blood vessels per retinal zone was significantly higher in the group of patients with mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy than in the group with severe form in the optic disc and all five retinal zones. The average outer diameter of the evaluated retinal zones and optic disc vessels was significantly higher in the group with severe compared to the group with mild diabetic retinopathy. Morphological analysis of the retinal vessels on digital fundus photography and correlation with YKL-40 may be valuable for the follow-up of diabetic retinopathy.

DSGOST inhibits tumor growth by blocking VEGF/VEGFR2-activated angiogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Hyeong Sim; Lee, Kangwook; Kim, Min Kyoung; Lee, Kang Min; Shin, Yong Cheol; Cho, Sung-Gook; Ko, Seong-Gyu

2016-04-19

Tumor growth requires a process called angiogenesis, a new blood vessel formation from pre-existing vessels, as newly formed vessels provide tumor cells with oxygen and nutrition. Danggui-Sayuk-Ga-Osuyu-Saenggang-Tang (DSGOST), one of traditional Chinese medicines, has been widely used in treatment of vessel diseases including Raynaud's syndrome in Northeast Asian countries including China, Japan and Korea. Therefore, we hypothesized that DSGOST might inhibit tumor growth by targeting newly formed vessels on the basis of its historical prescription. Here, we demonstrate that DSGOST inhibits tumor growth by inhibiting VEGF-induced angiogenesis. DSGOST inhibited VEGF-induced angiogenic abilities of endothelial cells in vitro and in vivo, which resulted from its inhibition of VEGF/VEGFR2 interaction. Furthermore, DSGOST attenuated pancreatic tumor growth in vivo by reducing angiogenic vessel numbers, while not affecting pancreatic tumor cell viability. Thus, our data conclude that DSGOST inhibits VEGF-induced tumor angiogenesis, suggesting a new indication for DSGOST in treatment of cancer.

Small-vessel Survey and Auction Sampling to Estimate Growth and Maturity of Eteline Snappers

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Small-vessel Survey and Auction Sampling to Estimate Growth and Maturity of Eteline Snappers and Improve Data-Limited Stock Assessments. This biosampling project...

KRN633, an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase, induces intrauterine growth restriction in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Abe, Naomichi; Nakahara, Tsutomu; Morita, Akane; Wada, Yoshiko; Mori, Asami; Sakamoto, Kenji; Nagamitsu, Tohru; Ishii, Kunio

2013-08-01

We previously reported that treatment with KRN633, a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, during mid-pregnancy caused intrauterine growth restriction resulting from impairment of blood vessel growth in the labyrinthine zone of the placenta and fetal organs. However, the relative sensitivities of blood vessels in the placenta and fetal organs to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors have not been determined. In this study, we aimed to examine the effects of KRN633 on the vasculatures of organs in mother mice and their newborn pups by immunohistochemical analysis. Pregnant mice were treated daily with KRN633 (5 mg/kg) either from embryonic day 13.5 (E13.5) to E17.5 or from E13.5 to the day of delivery. The weights of the pups of KRN633-treated mice were lower than those of the pups of vehicle-treated mothers. However, no significant difference in body weight was observed between the vehicle- and KRN633-treated mice. The vascular development in the organs (the pancreas, kidney, and intestine) and intestinal lymphatic formation of the pups of KRN633-treated mothers was markedly impaired. In contrast, the KRN633 treatment showed no significant effect on the vascular beds in the organs, including the labyrinthine zone of the placenta, of the mother mice. These results suggest that blood vessels in fetal organs are likely to be more sensitive to reduced VEGF signaling than those in the mother. A partial loss of VEGF function during pregnancy could suppress vascular growth in the fetus without affecting the vasculature in the mother mouse, thereby increasing the risk of intrauterine growth restriction. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

In vitro growth of Plasmodium falciparum in neonatal blood.

Science.gov (United States)

Sauerzopf, Ulrich; Honkpehedji, Yabo J; Adgenika, Ayôla A; Feugap, Elianne N; Ngoma, Ghyslain Mombo; Mackanga, Jean-Rodolphe; Lötsch, Felix; Loembe, Marguerite M; Kremsner, Peter G; Mordmüller, Benjamin; Ramharter, Michael

2014-11-18

Children below the age of six months suffer less often from malaria than older children in sub-Saharan Africa. This observation is commonly attributed to the persistence of foetal haemoglobin (HbF), which is considered not to permit growth of Plasmodium falciparum and therefore providing protection against malaria. Since this concept has recently been challenged, this study evaluated the effect of HbF erythrocytes and maternal plasma on in vitro parasite growth of P. falciparum in Central African Gabon. Umbilical cord blood and peripheral maternal blood were collected at delivery at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Gabon. Respective erythrocyte suspension and plasma were used in parallel for in vitro culture. In vitro growth rates were compared between cultures supplemented with either maternal or cord erythrocytes. Plasma of maternal blood and cord blood was evaluated. Parasite growth rates were assessed by the standard HRP2-assay evaluating the increase of HRP2 concentration in Plasmodium culture. Culture of P. falciparum using foetal erythrocytes led to comparable growth rates (mean growth rate = 4.2, 95% CI: 3.5 - 5.0) as cultures with maternal red blood cells (mean growth rate =4.2, 95% CI: 3.4 - 5.0) and those from non-malaria exposed individuals (mean growth rate = 4.6, 95% CI: 3.8 - 5.5). Standard in vitro culture of P. falciparum supplemented with either maternal or foetal plasma showed both significantly lower growth rates than a positive control using non-malaria exposed donor plasma. These data challenge the concept of HbF serving as intrinsic inhibitor of P. falciparum growth in the first months of life. Erythrocytes containing HbF are equally permissive to P. falciparum growth in vitro. However, addition of maternal and cord plasma led to reduced in vitro growth which may translate to protection against clinical disease or show synergistic effects with HbF in vivo. Further studies are needed to elucidate the pathophysiology of innate and acquired

C - reactive protein and chitinase 3-like protein 1 as biomarkers of spatial redistribution of retinal blood vessels on digital retinal photography in patients with diabetic retinopathy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sonja Predrag Cekic

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to investegate the correlation between the levels of CRP and YKL-40 in blood samples with morphometric parameters of retinal blood vessels in patients with diabetic retinopathy.Blood laboratory examination of 90 patients included the measurement of glycemia, HbA1C, total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides and CRP. Levels of YKL-40 were detected and measured in serum by ELISA (Micro VueYKL-40 EIA Kit, Quidel Corporation, San Diego, USA.Morphmetric analysis was performed with ImageJ software (http://rsbweb.nih.gov/ij/ for digital retinal photography. We measured the number, diameter of retinal blood vessels in five different parts concentric to the optic disc. Differences between the morphometric parameters and the blood test analysis results were evaluated using the Student’s t – test. One Way ANOVA was used to establish the significance of differences.CRP and YKL-40 levels were moderately higher in the group of patients with severe diabetic retinopathy. Levels of YKL-40 correlated positively with diameter and negatively with number of retinal blood vessels. The average number of the blood vessels per retinal zone was significantly higher in the group of patients with mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy than in the group with severe form in the optic disc and all five retinal zones. The average outer diameter of the evaluated retinal zones and optic disc vessels was significantly higher in the group with severe compared to the group with mild diabetic retinopathy.Morphological analysis of the retinal vessels on digital fundus photography and correlation with YKL-40 may be valuable for the follow-up of diabetic retinopathy.

Effect of heat transfer on unsteady MHD flow of blood in a permeable vessel in the presence of non-uniform heat source

OpenAIRE

A. Sinha; J.C. Misra; G.C. Shit

2016-01-01

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of blood flow and heat transfer in a permeable vessel in the presence of an external magnetic field. The unsteadiness in the coupled flow and temperature fields is considered to be caused due to the time-dependent stretching velocity and the surface temperature of the vessel. The non-uniform heat source/sink effect on blood flow and heat transfer is taken into account. This study is of potential value in the clinical treatment of cardiovascular disor...

Unique identification code for medical fundus images using blood vessel pattern for tele-ophthalmology applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Anushikha; Dutta, Malay Kishore; Sharma, Dilip Kumar

2016-10-01

Identification of fundus images during transmission and storage in database for tele-ophthalmology applications is an important issue in modern era. The proposed work presents a novel accurate method for generation of unique identification code for identification of fundus images for tele-ophthalmology applications and storage in databases. Unlike existing methods of steganography and watermarking, this method does not tamper the medical image as nothing is embedded in this approach and there is no loss of medical information. Strategic combination of unique blood vessel pattern and patient ID is considered for generation of unique identification code for the digital fundus images. Segmented blood vessel pattern near the optic disc is strategically combined with patient ID for generation of a unique identification code for the image. The proposed method of medical image identification is tested on the publically available DRIVE and MESSIDOR database of fundus image and results are encouraging. Experimental results indicate the uniqueness of identification code and lossless recovery of patient identity from unique identification code for integrity verification of fundus images. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Creep deformation and crack growth in a low alloy steel welded pressure vessel containing defects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coleman, M.C.

1982-01-01

A full-size pressure vessel was tested for effects of welding residual stresses on creep deformation and crack growth. The vessel, based on 1/2 Cr 1/2 Mo 1/4 V main steam pipe, contained four 2CrMo manual metal arc welds, two in the as-welded condition and two stress-relieved. All the welds contained pre-existing defects machined in the heat affected zones. Testing was carried out at two internal steam pressures, 250 and 350 bar, and 565 0 C. Cracked and uncracked areas of the vessel were monitored continuously. Results are presented for the continuous creep deformation observed in both the hoop and axial directions of the welds throughout the 11,400 h of testing, as well as the intermittent strain data obtained during inspections. Crack growth observations are described based on nondestructive examination. The residual stresses measured are also given for both the as-welded and stress relieved weldments. Results obtained are discussed in terms of the effects of welding residual stress on the hoop and axial deformations observed in the welds. Similarly, the effects of residual stress on creep crack growth are considered together with compositional and microstructural implications. 9 figures, 5 tables

Tests of the geometrical description of blood vessels in a thermal model using counter-current geometries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Leeuwen, G. M.; Kotte, A. N.; Crezee, J.; Lagendijk, J. J.

1997-01-01

We have developed a thermal model, for use in hyperthermia treatment planning, in which blood vessels are described as geometrical objects; 3D curves with associated diameters. For the calculation of the heat exchange with the tissue an analytic result is used. To arrive at this result some

An agent-based model of the response to angioplasty and bare-metal stent deployment in an atherosclerotic blood vessel.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonia E Curtin

Full Text Available PURPOSE: While animal models are widely used to investigate the development of restenosis in blood vessels following an intervention, computational models offer another means for investigating this phenomenon. A computational model of the response of a treated vessel would allow investigators to assess the effects of altering certain vessel- and stent-related variables. The authors aimed to develop a novel computational model of restenosis development following an angioplasty and bare-metal stent implantation in an atherosclerotic vessel using agent-based modeling techniques. The presented model is intended to demonstrate the body's response to the intervention and to explore how different vessel geometries or stent arrangements may affect restenosis development. METHODS: The model was created on a two-dimensional grid space. It utilizes the post-procedural vessel lumen diameter and stent information as its input parameters. The simulation starting point of the model is an atherosclerotic vessel after an angioplasty and stent implantation procedure. The model subsequently generates the final lumen diameter, percent change in lumen cross-sectional area, time to lumen diameter stabilization, and local concentrations of inflammatory cytokines upon simulation completion. Simulation results were directly compared with the results from serial imaging studies and cytokine levels studies in atherosclerotic patients from the relevant literature. RESULTS: The final lumen diameter results were all within one standard deviation of the mean lumen diameters reported in the comparison studies. The overlapping-stent simulations yielded results that matched published trends. The cytokine levels remained within the range of physiological levels throughout the simulations. CONCLUSION: We developed a novel computational model that successfully simulated the development of restenosis in a blood vessel following an angioplasty and bare-metal stent deployment based on

Nonparenchymal cells cultivated from explants of fibrotic liver resemble endothelial and smooth muscle cells from blood vessel walls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voss, B.; Rauterberg, J.; Pott, G.; Brehmer, U.; Allam, S.; Lehmann, R.; von Bassewitz, D.B.

1982-01-01

Tissue specimens from human fibrotic liver obtained by needle biopsy were cultured. Two cell types emerged from the tissue explants. From their morphology and biosynthetic products they resembled smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells from blood vessel walls. In the endothelial cells, factor VIII-associated protein was demonstrated by indirect immunofluorescence. Synthesis of collagen types I and III, basement membrane collagen types IV and V, and fibronectin by both cell types was observed by immunofluorescence microscopy. Homogeneous cultures of smooth muscle cells were observed in subcultures. After incubation with [ 14 C]glycine, collagen was isolated and characterized by CM cellulose chromatography, and consisted mainly of types I and III. These data suggest involvement of mesenchymal cells in hepatic fibrosis; they presumably originate from blood vessel or sinusoidal walls

Effects of x rays on the morphology and physiology of the CNS blood vessels of mice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gladysz, J [Akademia Medyczna, Poznan (Poland)

1974-01-01

Irradiation of the CNS of mice with 4000 to 7600 R produces transitional disorder of the permeability of vascular walls, followed by a permanent (irreversible) degenerative lesion of blood capillaries and the surrounding astrogial cells. Intensity of this alterations may however not be the same in different terminal blood vessels. It is very likely that the above described lesion appearing in the acute phase can be the main cause of further alterations in the CNS which are observed in late phase of postradiation disease.

Blood Vessel Enhancement and Segmentation for Screening of Diabetic Retinopathy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ibaa Jamal

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease caused by the increase of insulin in blood and it is one of the main cuases of blindness in idusterlized countries. It is a progressive disease and needs an early detection and treatment. Vascular pattern of human retina helps the ophthalmologists in automated screening and diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy. In this article, we present a method for vascular pattern ehnacement and segmentation. We present an automated system which uses wavelets to enhance the vascular pattern and then it applies a piecewise threshold probing and adaptive thresholding for vessel localization and segmentation respectively. The method is evaluated and tested using publicly available retinal databases and we further compare our method with already proposed techniques.

Blood vessels segmentation of hatching eggs based on fully convolutional networks

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, Lei; Qiu, Ling; Wu, Jun; Xiao, Zhitao

2018-04-01

FCN, trained end-to-end, pixels-to-pixels, predict result of each pixel. It has been widely used for semantic segmentation. In order to realize the blood vessels segmentation of hatching eggs, a method based on FCN is proposed in this paper. The training datasets are composed of patches extracted from very few images to augment data. The network combines with lower layer and deconvolution to enables precise segmentation. The proposed method frees from the problem that training deep networks need large scale samples. Experimental results on hatching eggs demonstrate that this method can yield more accurate segmentation outputs than previous researches. It provides a convenient reference for fertility detection subsequently.

An Original Approach for Quantification of Blood Vessels on the Whole Tumour Section

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nga Tran Kim

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Relative abundance of tumour angiogenesis has been shown to be of clinical relevance in cancers of various locations such as the ovary. Nevertheless, several problems are encountered when quantifying tumour microvessels: (i as many other tumour markers, vascularity pattern is often heterogeneous within the tumour mass and even within the same histological section. As a consequence, an adequate acquisition method must be developed for accurate field sampling. (ii Manual microvessel counting is long, tedious and subject to poor reproducibility. Introduction in routine practice requires a fast, reproducible and reliable automatic image processing. In this study we present an original procedure combining a slide scanner image acquisition and a fully automatic image analysis sequence. The slide scanner offers the advantage of recording an image of the whole histological section for subsequent automatic blood vessel detection and hot spot area location. Microvessel density and surface fraction were measured for the whole section as well as within hot spots. Different immunostaining methods were tested in order to optimise the procedure. Moreover, the method proposed was submitted to a quality control procedure, with reference to interactive identification of microvessels at scanner level. This experiment showed that 93 to 97% of blood vessels were detected, according to the staining protocol used. Colour figures can be viewed on http://www.esacp.org/acp/2003/25‐2/kim.htm.

Morphological evaluation of the cerebral blood vessels in the late gestation fetal sheep following hypoxia in utero.

Science.gov (United States)

Baburamani, Ana A; Lo, Camden; Castillo-Melendez, Margie; Walker, David W

2013-01-01

Hypoxia can significantly contribute to the development of permanent brain injury in the term neonate; however the response of cerebral blood vessels is not well understood. This study aimed to quantitatively measure vascular density and morphology using laminin immunohistochemistry as a marker of blood vessels, and determine the effects of a single, severe bout of hypoxia (umbilical cord occlusion, UCO) late in gestation on the developing cerebrovasculature in fetal sheep. At 124-126 days gestation singleton fetal sheep underwent surgery for implantation of catheters and placement of an inflatable cuff around the umbilical cord. A 10 min UCO or sham UCO (n=5) occurred at 132 days gestation. Fetal brains were collected at 24 h (n=5) or 48 h (n=4) after UCO for vascular density and morphology analysis of laminin immunohistochemistry. 48 h following a single, brief bout of severe hypoxia late in gestation decreased vascular density was seen in the caudate nucleus and no changes in vascular morphology occurred. However closer analysis revealed a significant shift in the frequency of smaller (≤10 μm) to larger (≤100 μm) perimeter blood vessels in periventricular and subcortical white matter. Close examination of the frequency distribution of vascular perimeter highlights that alterations in vascular morphology persist in the near term fetal brain for up to 48 h following a brief (10 min) hypoxia in white but not gray matter. These findings suggest that the near term brain may still be vulnerable to white matter injury following in utero hypoxia. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Disrupting established tumor blood vessels: an emerging therapeutic strategy for cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

McKeage, Mark J; Baguley, Bruce C

2010-04-15

The unique characteristics of tumor vasculature represent an attractive target that may be exploited by vascular-targeting anticancer agents. A promising strategy involves the selective disruption of established tumor blood vessels by tumor-vascular disrupting agents (tumor-VDAs), which exhibit antivascular activity, resulting in inhibition of tumor blood flow and extensive necrosis within the tumor core. The tumor-VDA class can be subdivided into flavonoid compounds, which are related to flavone acetic acid, and tubulin-binding compounds. ASA404, of the flavonoid class, is the most advanced tumor-VDA in clinical development and has been evaluated preclinically and in several phase 1 and phase 2 studies. Preclinical studies have demonstrated the selective apoptosis of tumor endothelial cells and the inhibition of tumor blood flow. Synergistic activity was observed with ASA404 and with several chemotherapeutic agents, particularly taxanes. In clinical trials, compared with chemotherapy alone, ASA404 was tolerated well and produced improved activity in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer when combined with paclitaxel and carboplatin. Phase 3 clinical trials are ongoing. Selectively targeting established tumor vasculature with tumor-VDAs represents a promising and innovative approach to improving the efficacy of standard anticancer therapies. (c) 2010 American Cancer Society.

Study of blood flow inside the stenosis vessel under the effect of solenoid magnetic field using ferrohydrodynamics principles

Science.gov (United States)

Badfar, Homayoun; Motlagh, Saber Yekani; Sharifi, Abbas

2017-10-01

In this paper, biomagnetic blood flow in the stenosis vessel under the effect of the solenoid magnetic field is studied using the ferrohydrodynamics (FHD) model. The parabolic profile is considered at an inlet of the axisymmetric stenosis vessel. Blood is modeled as electrically non-conducting, Newtonian and homogeneous fluid. Finite volume and the SIMPLE (Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure Linked Equations) algorithm are utilized to discretize governing equations. The investigation is studied at different magnetic numbers ( MnF=164, 328, 1640 and 3280) and the number of the coil loops (three, five and nine loops). Results indicate an increase in heat transfer, wall shear stress and energy loss (pressure drop) with an increment in the magnetic number (ratio of Kelvin force to dynamic pressure force), arising from the FHD, and the number of solenoid loops. Furthermore, the flow pattern is affected by the magnetic field, and the temperature of blood can be decreased up to 1.48 {}°C under the effect of the solenoid magnetic field with nine loops and reference magnetic field ( B0) of 2 tesla.

Evidence of Flicker-Induced Functional Hyperaemia in the Smallest Vessels of the Human Retinal Blood Supply.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angelina Duan

Full Text Available Regional changes in blood flow are initiated within neural tissue to help fuel local differences in neural activity. Classically, this response was thought to arise only in larger arterioles and venules. However, recently, it has been proposed that a the smallest vessels of the circulation make a comparable contribution, and b the response should be localised intermittently along such vessels, due to the known distribution of contractile mural cells. To assess these hypotheses in human neural tissue in vivo, we imaged the retinal microvasculature (diameters 3-28 μm non-invasively, using adaptive optics, before and after delivery of focal (360 μm patches of flickering visible light. Our results demonstrated a definite average response in 35% of all vessel segments analysed. In these responding vessels, the magnitude of proportional dilation (mean ± SEM for pre-capillary arterioles 13 ± 5%, capillaries 31 ± 8%, and post-capillary venules 10 ± 3% is generally far greater than the magnitudes we and others have measured in the larger retinal vessels, supporting proposition a above. The dilations observed in venules were unexpected based on previous animal work, and may be attributed either to differences in stimulus or species. Response heterogeneity across the network was high; responses were also heterogeneous along individual vessels (45% of vessel segments showed demonstrable locality in their response. These observations support proposition b above. We also observed a definite average constriction across 7% of vessel segments (mean ± SEM constriction for capillaries -16 ± 3.2%, and post-capillary venules -18 ± 12%, which paints a picture of dynamic redistribution of flow throughout the smallest vessel networks in the retina in response to local, stimulus-driven metabolic demand.

Automated tracking and quantification of angiogenic vessel formation in 3D microfluidic devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Mengmeng; Ong, Lee-Ling Sharon; Dauwels, Justin; Asada, H Harry

2017-01-01

Angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels, is a critical step in cancer invasion. Better understanding of the angiogenic mechanisms is required to develop effective antiangiogenic therapies for cancer treatment. We culture angiogenic vessels in 3D microfluidic devices under different Sphingosin-1-phosphate (S1P) conditions and develop an automated vessel formation tracking system (AVFTS) to track the angiogenic vessel formation and extract quantitative vessel information from the experimental time-lapse phase contrast images. The proposed AVFTS first preprocesses the experimental images, then applies a distance transform and an augmented fast marching method in skeletonization, and finally implements the Hungarian method in branch tracking. When applying the AVFTS to our experimental data, we achieve 97.3% precision and 93.9% recall by comparing with the ground truth obtained from manual tracking by visual inspection. This system enables biologists to quantitatively compare the influence of different growth factors. Specifically, we conclude that the positive S1P gradient increases cell migration and vessel elongation, leading to a higher probability for branching to occur. The AVFTS is also applicable to distinguish tip and stalk cells by considering the relative cell locations in a branch. Moreover, we generate a novel type of cell lineage plot, which not only provides cell migration and proliferation histories but also demonstrates cell phenotypic changes and branch information.

An automated vessel segmentation of retinal images using multiscale vesselness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ben Abdallah, M.; Malek, J.; Tourki, R.; Krissian, K.

2011-01-01

The ocular fundus image can provide information on pathological changes caused by local ocular diseases and early signs of certain systemic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension. Automated analysis and interpretation of fundus images has become a necessary and important diagnostic procedure in ophthalmology. The extraction of blood vessels from retinal images is an important and challenging task in medical analysis and diagnosis. In this paper, we introduce an implementation of the anisotropic diffusion which allows reducing the noise and better preserving small structures like vessels in 2D images. A vessel detection filter, based on a multi-scale vesselness function, is then applied to enhance vascular structures.

Distribution of Vascular Patterns in Different Subtypes of Renal Cell Carcinoma. A Morphometric Study in Two Distinct Types of Blood Vessels.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz-Saurí, Amparo; García-Bustos, V; Granero, E; Cuesta, S; Sales, M A; Marcos, V; Llombart-Bosch, A

2017-07-01

To analyze the presence of mature and immature vessels as a prognostic factor in patients with renal cell carcinoma and propose a classification of renal cancer tumor blood vessels according to morphometric parameters. Tissue samples were obtained from 121 renal cell carcinoma patients who underwent radical nephrectomy. Staining with CD31 and CD34 was used to differentiate between immature (CD31+) and mature (CD34+) blood vessels. We quantified the microvascular density, microvascular area and different morphometric parameters: maximum diameter, minimum diameter, major axis, minor axis, perimeter, radius ratio and roundness. We found that the microvascular density was higher in CD31+ than CD34+ vessels, but CD34+ vessels were larger than CD31+ vessels, as well as being strongly correlated with the ISUP tumor grade. We also identified four vascular patterns: pseudoacinar, fascicular, reticular and diffuse. Pseudoacinar and fascicular patterns were more frequent in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (37.62 and 35.64% respectively), followed by reticular pattern (21.78%), while in chromophobe tumors the reticular pattern predominated (90%). The isolated pattern was present in all papillary tumors (100%). In healthy renal tissue, the pseudoacinar and isolated patterns were differentially found in the renal cortex and medulla respectively. We defined four distinct vascular patterns significantly related with the ISUP tumor grade in renal cell carcinomas. Further studies in larger series are needed in order to validate these results. Analysis of both mature and immature vessels (CD34+ and CD31+) provides additional information when evaluating microvascular density.

Blood Pressure Control in Aging Predicts Cerebral Atrophy Related to Small-Vessel White Matter Lesions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyle C. Kern

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Cerebral small-vessel damage manifests as white matter hyperintensities and cerebral atrophy on brain MRI and is associated with aging, cognitive decline and dementia. We sought to examine the interrelationship of these imaging biomarkers and the influence of hypertension in older individuals. We used a multivariate spatial covariance neuroimaging technique to localize the effects of white matter lesion load on regional gray matter volume and assessed the role of blood pressure control, age and education on this relationship. Using a case-control design matching for age, gender, and educational attainment we selected 64 participants with normal blood pressure, controlled hypertension or uncontrolled hypertension from the Northern Manhattan Study cohort. We applied gray matter voxel-based morphometry with the scaled subprofile model to (1 identify regional covariance patterns of gray matter volume differences associated with white matter lesion load, (2 compare this relationship across blood pressure groups, and (3 relate it to cognitive performance. In this group of participants aged 60–86 years, we identified a pattern of reduced gray matter volume associated with white matter lesion load in bilateral temporal-parietal regions with relative preservation of volume in the basal forebrain, thalami and cingulate cortex. This pattern was expressed most in the uncontrolled hypertension group and least in the normotensives, but was also more evident in older and more educated individuals. Expression of this pattern was associated with worse performance in executive function and memory. In summary, white matter lesions from small-vessel disease are associated with a regional pattern of gray matter atrophy that is mitigated by blood pressure control, exacerbated by aging, and associated with cognitive performance.

Changes in peripapillary blood vessel density in Graves' orbitopathy after orbital decompression surgery as measured by optical coherence tomography angiography.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Kyle T; Bullock, John R; Drumright, Ryan T; Olsen, Matthew J; Penman, Alan D

2018-03-08

The purpose is to evaluate the utility of optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography in the evaluation of Graves' orbitopathy (GO) and response to orbital decompression in patients with and without dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON). This was a single-center, prospective case series in a cohort of 12 patients (24 orbits) with GO and ±DON, (6 orbits) who underwent bilateral orbital decompression. All patients underwent pre- and postoperative OCT angiography of the peripapillary area. Vessel density indices were calculated in a 4.5 mm × 4.5 mm ellipsoid centered on the optic disk using split-spectrum amplitude decorrelation angiography algorithm, producing the vessel density measurements. Mean change in vessel density indices was compared between pre- and postoperative sessions and between patients with and without DON. Patient 1, a 34-year-old male with GO and unilateral DON OD, showed a significant reduction in blood vessel density indices oculus dexter (OD) (DON eye) after decompression while a more modest reduction was found oculus sinister (OS) with the greatest change noted intrapapillary. Patient 2, a 50-year-old male with DON OU, showed worsening neuropathy following decompression OD that was confirmed by angiographic density indices. Patient 3, a 55-year-female with DON, showed a reduction in blood vessel density OD and increased density OS. Patients without DON showed overall less impressive changes in indices as compared to those with DON. Using OCT angiography, response to surgical treatment in GO orbits, more so in orbits with DON, can be demonstrated and quantified using vessel density indices with reproducibility.

Serum Hepatocyte Growth Factor Is Associated with Small Vessel Disease in Alzheimer’s Dementia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanan Zhu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background: While hepatocyte growth factor (HGF is known to exert cell growth, migration and morphogenic effects in various organs, recent studies suggest that HGF may also play a role in synaptic maintenance and cerebrovascular integrity. Although increased levels of HGF have been reported in brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF samples of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD, it is unclear whether peripheral HGF may be associated with cerebrovascular disease (CeVD and dementia. In this study, we examined the association of baseline serum HGF with neuroimaging markers of CeVD in a cohort of pre-dementia (cognitive impaired no dementia, CIND and AD patients.Methods: Serum samples from aged, Non-cognitively impaired (NCI controls, CIND and AD subjects were measured for HGF levels. CeVD (cortical infarcts, microinfarcts, lacunes, white matter hyperintensities (WMH and microbleeds were assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI.Results: After controlling for covariates, higher levels of HGF were associated with both CIND and AD. Among the different CeVD MRI markers in CIND and AD, only small vessel disease, but not large vessel disease markers were associated with higher HGF levels.Conclusion: Serum HGF may be a useful peripheral biomarker for small vessel disease in subjects with cognitive impairment and AD.

Ultrastructural analysis of small blood vessels in skin biopsies in CADASIL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lačković Vesna

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL is an inherited small- and medium-artery disease of the brain caused by mutation of the Notch3 gene. Very often, this disease is misdiagnosed. We examined skin biopsies in two members of the first discovered Serbian family affected by CADASIL. Electron microscopy showed that skin blood vessels of both patients contain numerous deposits of granular osmiophilic material (GOM around vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs. We observed degeneration of VSMCs, reorganization of their cytoskeleton and dense bodies, disruption of myoendothelial contacts, and apoptosis. Our results suggest that the presence of GOM in small skin arteries represents a specific marker in diagnosis of CADASIL.

Distinct mechanisms of relaxation to bioactive components from chamomile species in porcine isolated blood vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, R.E.; Allen, S.; Chang, A.P.Y.; Henderson, H.; Hobson, G.C.; Karania, B.; Morgan, K.N.; Pek, A.S.Y.; Raghvani, K.; Shee, C.Y.; Shikotra, J.; Street, E.; Abbas, Z.; Ellis, K.; Heer, J.K.; Alexander, S.P.H.

2013-01-01

German chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.), a widely-used herbal medicine, has been reported to have a wide range of biological effects, including smooth muscle relaxation. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of representative compounds from chamomile (apigenin, luteolin, (−)-α-bisabolol, farnesene, umbelliferone; 3–30 μM) on vascular tone using porcine coronary and splenic arteries mounted for isometric tension recording in isolated tissue baths and precontracted with the thromboxane-mimetic U46619. Apigenin, luteolin, and (−)-α-bisabolol produced slow, concentration-dependent relaxations in both the coronary and splenic arteries that were not blocked by inhibition of nitric oxide synthase or potassium channels. Removal of extracellular calcium inhibited the relaxations to all three compounds, and these compounds also inhibited calcium re-addition-evoked contractions, indicating that the relaxation response may be mediated through inhibition of calcium influx. Apigenin and luteolin, but not (−)-α-bisabolol, enhanced the relaxation to the nitric oxide donor sodium nitroprusside, indicating that apigenin and luteolin may act to regulate cyclic GMP levels. Umbelliferone produced a rapid, transient relaxation in the splenic artery, but not the coronary artery, that was inhibited by L-NAME and removal of the endothelium, suggesting an influence on nitric oxide production. Farnesene, at concentrations up to 30 μM, was without effect in either blood vessel. In conclusion, hydroxylated compounds (apigenin, luteolin and (−)-α-bisabolol) found in chamomile all caused a slow relaxation of isolated blood vessels through an effect on calcium influx. Umbelliferone, on the other hand, produced a rapid, transient relaxation dependent upon release of nitric oxide from the endothelium. - Highlights: • Apigenin, luteolin, and (-)-α-bisabolol are present in chamomile. • They produced slow, concentration-dependent relaxations in arteries. • These

Distinct mechanisms of relaxation to bioactive components from chamomile species in porcine isolated blood vessels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roberts, R.E., E-mail: Richard.roberts@nottingham.ac.uk; Allen, S.; Chang, A.P.Y.; Henderson, H.; Hobson, G.C.; Karania, B.; Morgan, K.N.; Pek, A.S.Y.; Raghvani, K.; Shee, C.Y.; Shikotra, J.; Street, E.; Abbas, Z.; Ellis, K.; Heer, J.K.; Alexander, S.P.H., E-mail: steve.alexander@nottingham.ac.uk

2013-11-01

German chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.), a widely-used herbal medicine, has been reported to have a wide range of biological effects, including smooth muscle relaxation. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of representative compounds from chamomile (apigenin, luteolin, (−)-α-bisabolol, farnesene, umbelliferone; 3–30 μM) on vascular tone using porcine coronary and splenic arteries mounted for isometric tension recording in isolated tissue baths and precontracted with the thromboxane-mimetic U46619. Apigenin, luteolin, and (−)-α-bisabolol produced slow, concentration-dependent relaxations in both the coronary and splenic arteries that were not blocked by inhibition of nitric oxide synthase or potassium channels. Removal of extracellular calcium inhibited the relaxations to all three compounds, and these compounds also inhibited calcium re-addition-evoked contractions, indicating that the relaxation response may be mediated through inhibition of calcium influx. Apigenin and luteolin, but not (−)-α-bisabolol, enhanced the relaxation to the nitric oxide donor sodium nitroprusside, indicating that apigenin and luteolin may act to regulate cyclic GMP levels. Umbelliferone produced a rapid, transient relaxation in the splenic artery, but not the coronary artery, that was inhibited by L-NAME and removal of the endothelium, suggesting an influence on nitric oxide production. Farnesene, at concentrations up to 30 μM, was without effect in either blood vessel. In conclusion, hydroxylated compounds (apigenin, luteolin and (−)-α-bisabolol) found in chamomile all caused a slow relaxation of isolated blood vessels through an effect on calcium influx. Umbelliferone, on the other hand, produced a rapid, transient relaxation dependent upon release of nitric oxide from the endothelium. - Highlights: • Apigenin, luteolin, and (-)-α-bisabolol are present in chamomile. • They produced slow, concentration-dependent relaxations in arteries. • These

Non-invasive assessment of vessel morphology and function in tumors by magnetic resonance imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiessling, Fabian; Jugold, Manfred; Woenne, Eva C.; Brix, Gunnar

2007-01-01

The switch to an angiogenic phenotype is an important precondition for tumor growth, invasion and spread. Since newly formed vessels are characterized by structural, functional and molecular abnormalities, they offer promising targets for tumor diagnosis and therapy. Previous studies indicate that MRI is valuable to assess vessel morphology and function. It can be used to distinguish between benign and malignant lesions and to improve delineation of proliferating areas within heterogeneous tumors. In addition, tracer kinetic analysis of contrast-enhanced image series allows the estimation of well-defined physiological parameters such as blood volume, blood flow and vessel permeability. Frequently, changes of these parameters during cytostatic, anti-angiogenic and radiation therapy precede tumor volume reduction. Moreover, target-specific MRI techniques can be used to elucidate the expression of angiogenic markers at the molecular level. This review summarizes strategies for non-invasive characterization of tumor vascularization by functional and molecular MRI, hereby introducing representative preclinical and clinical applications. (orig.)

Feather growth influences blood mercury level of young songbirds.

Science.gov (United States)

Condon, Anne M; Cristol, Daniel A

2009-02-01

Dynamics of mercury in feathers and blood of free-living songbirds is poorly understood. Nestling eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) living along the mercury-contaminated South River (Virginia, USA) had blood mercury levels an order of magnitude lower than their parents (nestling: 0.09 +/- 0.06 mg/kg [mean +/- standard deviation], n = 156; adult: 1.21 +/- 0.57 mg/kg, n = 86). To test whether this low blood mercury was the result of mercury sequestration in rapidly growing feathers, we repeatedly sampled free-living juveniles throughout the period of feather growth and molt. Mean blood mercury concentrations increased to 0.52 +/- 0.36 mg/kg (n = 44) after the completion of feather growth. Some individuals had reached adult blood mercury levels within three months of leaving the nest, but levels dropped to 0.20 +/- 0.09 mg/kg (n = 11) once the autumn molt had begun. Most studies of mercury contamination in juvenile birds have focused on recently hatched young with thousands of rapidly growing feathers. However, the highest risk period for mercury intoxication in young birds may be during the vulnerable period after fledging, when feathers no longer serve as a buffer against dietary mercury. We found that nestling blood mercury levels were not indicative of the extent of contamination because a large portion of the ingested mercury ended up in feathers. The present study demonstrates unequivocally that in songbirds blood mercury level is influenced strongly by the growth and molt of feathers.

Extracellular matrix and growth factor engineering for controlled angiogenesis in regenerative medicine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mikaël M Martino

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Blood vessel growth plays a key role in regenerative medicine, both to restore blood supply to ischemic tissues and to ensure rapid vascularization of clinical-size tissue-engineered grafts. For example, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF is the master regulator of physiological blood vessel growth and is one of the main molecular targets of therapeutic angiogenesis approaches. However, angiogenesis is a complex process and there is a need to develop rational therapeutic strategies based on a firm understanding of basic vascular biology principles, as evidenced by the disappointing results of initial clinical trials of angiogenic factor delivery. In particular, the spatial localization of angiogenic signals in the extracellular matrix is crucial to ensure the proper assembly and maturation of new vascular structures. Here we discuss the therapeutic implications of matrix interactions of angiogenic factors, with a special emphasis on VEGF, as well as provide an overview of current approaches, based on protein and biomaterial engineering that mimic the regulatory functions of extracellular matrix to optimize the signaling microenvironment of vascular growth factors.

Gliomas and the vascular fragility of the blood brain barrier

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luiz Gustavo eDubois

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Astrocytes, members of the glial family, interact through the exchange of soluble factors or by directly contacting neurons and other brain cells, such as microglia and endothelial cells. Astrocytic projections interact with vessels and act as additional elements of the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB. By mechanisms not fully understood, astrocytes can undergo oncogenic transformation and give rise to gliomas. The tumors take advantage of the BBB to ensure survival and continuous growth. A glioma can develop into a very aggressive tumor, the glioblastoma (GBM, characterized by a highly heterogeneous cell population (including tumor stem cells, extensive proliferation and migration. Nevertheless, gliomas can also give rise to slow growing tumors and in both cases, the afflux of blood, via BBB is crucial. Glioma cells migrate to different regions of the brain guided by the extension of blood vessels, colonizing the healthy adjacent tissue. In the clinical context, GBM can lead to tumor-derived seizures, which represent a challenge to patients and clinicians, since drugs used for its treatment must be able to cross the BBB. Uncontrolled and fast growth also leads to the disruption of the chimeric and fragile vessels in the tumor mass resulting in peritumoral edema. Although hormonal therapy is currently used to control the edema, it is not always efficient. In this review we comment the points cited above, considering the importance of the blood brain barrier and the concerns that arise when this barrier is affected.

Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma adjacent to large blood vessels using 1.5T MRI-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation combined with iodine-125 radioactive seed implantation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, Zheng-Yu, E-mail: linsinlan@yahoo.com.cn [The Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, 20 Chazhong Road, Fuzhou 350005 (China); Chen, Jin, E-mail: snow8968851@163.com [The Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, 20 Chazhong Road, Fuzhou 350005 (China); Deng, Xiu-Fen, E-mail: dxf197286@yahoo.com.cn [The Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, 20 Chazhong Road, Fuzhou 350005 (China)

2012-11-15

Objective: The objective is to study the technology associated with and feasibility of the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) adjacent to large blood vessels using 1.5T MRI-guided radiofrequency ablation combined with iodine-125 (I-125) radioactive seed implantation. Methods: Sixteen patients with a total of 24 HCC lesions (average maximum diameter: 2.35 {+-} 1.03 cm) were pathologically confirmed by biopsy or clinically diagnosed received 1.5T MRI-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treatment. Each patient had one lesion adjacent to large blood vessels ({>=}3 mm); after the ablation, I-125 radioactive seeds were implanted in the portions of the lesions that were adjacent to the blood vessels. Results: All the ablations and I-125 radioactive seed implantations were successful; a total of 118 seeds were implanted. The ablated lesions exhibited hypointense signals on the T2WI sequence with a thin rim of hyperintense signals; they also exhibited significant hyperintense signals on the T1WI sequence with clear boundaries. The average follow-up period was 11.1 {+-} 6.2 months. There were 23 complete responses and one partial response in the 24 lesions. The alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels of the patients significantly decreased. Conclusion: The 1.5T MRI-guided RFA combined with I-125 radioactive seed implantation for the treatment of HCC adjacent to large blood vessels is an effective technology.

Blood vessel-based liver segmentation through the portal phase of a CT dataset

Science.gov (United States)

Maklad, Ahmed S.; Matsuhiro, Mikio; Suzuki, Hidenobu; Kawata, Yoshiki; Niki, Noboru; Moriyama, Noriyuki; Utsunomiya, Toru; Shimada, Mitsuo

2013-02-01

Blood vessels are dispersed throughout the human body organs and carry unique information for each person. This information can be used to delineate organ boundaries. The proposed method relies on abdominal blood vessels (ABV) to segment the liver considering the potential presence of tumors through the portal phase of a CT dataset. ABV are extracted and classified into hepatic (HBV) and nonhepatic (non-HBV) with a small number of interactions. HBV and non-HBV are used to guide an automatic segmentation of the liver. HBV are used to individually segment the core region of the liver. This region and non-HBV are used to construct a boundary surface between the liver and other organs to separate them. The core region is classified based on extracted posterior distributions of its histogram into low intensity tumor (LIT) and non-LIT core regions. Non-LIT case includes normal part of liver, HBV, and high intensity tumors if exist. Each core region is extended based on its corresponding posterior distribution. Extension is completed when it reaches either a variation in intensity or the constructed boundary surface. The method was applied to 80 datasets (30 Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention (MICCAI) and 50 non-MICCAI data) including 60 datasets with tumors. Our results for the MICCAI-test data were evaluated by sliver07 [1] with an overall score of 79.7, which ranks seventh best on the site (December 2013). This approach seems a promising method for extraction of liver volumetry of various shapes and sizes and low intensity hepatic tumors.

Design and development of a blood vessel localization system using a Nir viewer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hernandez R, A.; Plascencia C, L. E.; Cordova F, T.; Padilla R, N.

2017-10-01

In addition to the multiple applications of ionizing radiation in clinical diagnosis there is the possibility of using another part of the electromagnetic spectrum such as near infrared (Nir). This paper presents the design and construction of a Nir Biosensor in a range between 800 and 900 nm, which allows the visualization of blood vessels for the venepuncture procedure with the aim of reducing the trauma of venous access to patients of all ages. The possibility that the device is used in the location of venous ulcers as an alternative to veno grams obtained by X-rays is also explored. (Author)

Remote non-invasive stereoscopic imaging of blood vessels: first in-vivo results of a new multispectral contrast enhancement technology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wieringa, F.P.; Mastik, F.; Cate, F.J. ten; Neumann, H.A.M.; Steen, A.F.W. van der

2006-01-01

We describe a contactless optical technique selectively enhancing superficial blood vessels below variously pigmented intact human skin by combining images in different spectral bands. Two CMOS-cameras, with apochromatic lenses and dual-band LED-arrays, simultaneously streamed Left (L) and Right (R)

3-D MDT with spherical targets by bilinear interpolation for determining blood velocity profiles including the vessel wall effect

Science.gov (United States)

Choomphon-anomakhun, Natthaphon; Natenapit, Mayuree

2018-02-01

A numerical simulation of three-dimensional (3-D) implant assisted-magnetic drug targeting (IA-MDT) using ferromagnetic spherical targets, including the effect from the vessel wall on the blood flow, is presented. The targets were implanted within arterioles and subjected to an externally uniform applied magnetic field in order to increase the effectiveness of targeting magnetic drug carrier particles (MDCPs). The capture area (As) of the MDCPs was determined by inspection of the particle trajectories simulated from the particle equations of motion. The blood flow velocities at any particle position around the target were obtained by applying bilinear interpolation to the numerical blood velocity data. The effects on As of the type of ferromagnetic materials in the targets and MDCPs, average blood flow rates, mass fraction of the ferromagnetic material in the MDCPs, average radii of MDCPs (Rp) and the externally applied magnetic field strength (μ0H0) were evaluated. Furthermore, the appropriate μ0H0 and Rp for the IA-MDT design is suggested. In the case of the SS409 target and magnetite MDCPs, dimensionless capture areas ranging from 4.1- to 12.4 and corresponding to particle capture efficiencies of 31-94% were obtained with Rp ranging from 100- to 500 nm, weight fraction of 80%, μ0H0 of 0.6 T and an average blood flow rate of 0.01 ms-1. In addition, the more general 3-D modelling of IA-MDT in this work is applicable to IA-MDT using spherical targets implanted within blood vessels for both laminar and potential blood flows including the wall effect.

Ultrastructure of Pericystic or Intracystic Blood Vessels in Epidermoid Cysts-A Transmission Electron Microscopy Study: Laboratory Investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Xiao-Hui; Ma, Jun; Zeng, Chun; Sun, Yi-Lin; Lin, Song

2017-07-01

Recently, we reported a tendency toward spontaneous hemorrhage in both the preoperative and postoperative periods in patients with intracranial epidermoid cyst (EC). According to our experience, this tendency for spontaneous hemorrhage was partly caused by the pathologic blood vessels adjacent to the EC. This study was designed to testify this hypothesis. Twenty-three removable pericystic or intracystic blood vessels from 17 patients with EC were collected during surgery and were then examined by transmission electron microscopy. The microvascular structure in gliomas was chosen as the control. Under electron microscopy, variant pathologic changes of vessels were found in all patients with EC. In the tunicae intima, we found vacuolization, apoptosis, necrosis, and intralumenal protrusion of endothelial cells, as well as swollen basement and highly flexed and discontinued elastic plate. In the tunicae media, vacuolization and swollen mitochondria were found in muscular cells. In the tunicae adventitia, extravascular erythrocytes, edema or apoptosis of pericytes, collagen predominance, and inflammatory cell infiltration and destruction were found. Neuron denature and necrosis were found in the peripheral brain tissue. In the microvascular structure of 5 glioma specimens, we found enlargement and hyperplasia of endothelial cells, swollen basement membrane, swollen pericytes, and astrocytic hyperplasia and neuron denature in adjacent brain tissues. Our findings provide strong evidence for the hypothesis that intracystic or pericystic vascular degeneration or destruction accounts for the spontaneous hemorrhage tendency before and after surgical resection of ECs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Inherited neurovascular diseases affecting cerebral blood vessels and smooth muscle.

Science.gov (United States)

Sam, Christine; Li, Fei-Feng; Liu, Shu-Lin

2015-10-01

Neurovascular diseases are among the leading causes of mortality and permanent disability due to stroke, aneurysm, and other cardiovascular complications. Cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) and Marfan syndrome are two neurovascular disorders that affect smooth muscle cells through accumulation of granule and osmiophilic materials and defective elastic fiber formations respectively. Moyamoya disease, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type II (MOPD II), and Fabry's disease are disorders that affect the endothelium cells of blood vessels through occlusion or abnormal development. While much research has been done on mapping out mutations in these diseases, the exact mechanisms are still largely unknown. This paper briefly introduces the pathogenesis, genetics, clinical symptoms, and current methods of treatment of the diseases in the hope that it can help us better understand the mechanism of these diseases and work on ways to develop better diagnosis and treatment.

Effects of High-sugar and High-fat Diet on Fat Deposition and Blood Vessel Wall on Sprague Dawley Rats Liver

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vera Citra Setiawan Hoei

2013-11-01

Full Text Available People nowadays tend to consume more fast food and sweetened beverages. These foods usually contain high amount sugar and fat that have effects on the body including liver.This study was conducted to explore the effects of extensive intake of sugar and fat on blood glucose and  cholesterol level as well as changes in liver. Research was conducted with experimental method using 20 Sprague Dawley rats which were divided into 4 groups; 2 controls and 2 treatments. Rats were given 5 ml sugar or lard alternatively every 2 consecutive days for 1-month and 2-month respectively. Data was retrieved include blood glucose and cholesterol level, fatty liver percentage and blood vessel thickening after intervention through HE staining. The results showed that both 1-month and 2-month intervention group has significant increase in blood glucose and cholesterol level. However, the enhancement of fatty liver percentage and number of thickened blood vessels (p<0.05 were only foundsignificant (p<0.05 in 1-month intervention group.  We concluded that high intake of sugar and fat within 1-monthintervention have significant effects on the rat body including liver. Nevertheless, it was not found significant in 2-months intervention. Further studies are still needed to analyze this incongruent result.Key words: high-sugar diet, high-fat diet, fatty liver, atherosclerosis 

Coupled Hybrid Continuum-Discrete Model of Tumor Angiogenesis and Growth.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jie Lyu

Full Text Available The processes governing tumor growth and angiogenesis are codependent. To study the relationship between them, we proposed a coupled hybrid continuum-discrete model. In this model, tumor cells, their microenvironment (extracellular matrixes, matrix-degrading enzymes, and tumor angiogenic factors, and their network of blood vessels, described by a series of discrete points, were considered. The results of numerical simulation reveal the process of tumor growth and the change in microenvironment from avascular to vascular stage, indicating that the network of blood vessels develops gradually as the tumor grows. Our findings also reveal that a tumor is divided into three regions: necrotic, semi-necrotic, and well-vascularized. The results agree well with the previous relevant studies and physiological facts, and this model represents a platform for further investigations of tumor therapy.

Prevention of Yersinia enterocolitica growth in red-blood-cell concentrates

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pietersz, R. N.; Reesink, H. W.; Pauw, W.; Dekker, W. J.; Buisman, L.

1992-01-01

In response to concern about Yersinia enterocolitica contamination of blood products, we have studied the effects on Y enterocolitica growth of holding whole blood at 22 degrees C for 20 h and then removing leucocytes. Thirty pools of three bags of blood were inoculated with Y enterocolitica (2 x

The absorbed dose to blood from blood-borne activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hänscheid, H; Fernández, M; Lassmann, M

2015-01-01

The radiation absorbed dose to blood and organs from activity in the blood is relevant for nuclear medicine dosimetry and for research in biodosimetry. The present study provides coefficients for the average absorbed dose rates to the blood from blood-borne activity for radionuclides frequently used in targeted radiotherapy and in PET diagnostics. The results were deduced from published data for vessel radius-dependent dose rate coefficients and reasonable assumptions on the blood-volume distribution as a function of the vessel radius. Different parts of the circulatory system were analyzed separately. Vessel size information for heart chambers, aorta, vena cava, pulmonary artery, and capillaries was taken from published results of morphometric measurements. The remaining blood not contained in the mentioned vessels was assumed to reside in fractal-like vascular trees, the smallest branches of which are the arterioles or venules. The applied vessel size distribution is consistent with recommendations of the ICRP on the blood-volume distribution in the human. The resulting average absorbed dose rates to the blood per nuclear disintegration per milliliter (ml) of blood are (in 10 −11  Gy·s −1 ·Bq −1 ·ml) Y-90: 5.58, I-131: 2.49, Lu-177: 1.72, Sm-153: 2.97, Tc-99m: 0.366, C-11: 4.56, F-18: 3.61, Ga-68: 5.94, I-124: 2.55. Photon radiation contributes 1.1–1.2·10 −11  Gy·s −1 ·Bq −1 ·ml to the total dose rate for positron emitters but significantly less for the other nuclides. Blood self-absorption of the energy emitted by ß-particles in the whole blood ranges from 37% for Y-90 to 80% for Tc-99m. The correspondent values in vascular trees, which are important for the absorbed dose to organs, range from 30% for Y-90 to 82% for Tc-99m. (paper)

Dilated thin-walled blood and lymphatic vessels in human endometrium: a potential role for VEGF-D in progestin-induced break-through bleeding.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacqueline F Donoghue

Full Text Available Progestins provide safe, effective and cheap options for contraception as well as the treatment of a variety of gynaecological disorders. Episodes of irregular endometrial bleeding or breakthrough bleeding (BTB are a major unwanted side effect of progestin treatment, such that BTB is the leading cause for discontinued use of an otherwise effective and popular medication. The cellular mechanisms leading to BTB are poorly understood. In this study, we make the novel finding that the large, dilated, thin walled vessels characteristic of human progestin-treated endometrium include both blood and lymphatic vessels. Increased blood and lymphatic vessel diameter are features of VEGF-D action in other tissues and we show by immunolocalisation and Western blotting that stromal cell decidualisation results in a significant increase in VEGF-D protein production, particularly of the proteolytically processed 21 kD form. Using a NOD/scid mouse model with xenografted human endometrium we were able to show that progestin treatment causes decidualisation, VEGF-D production and endometrial vessel dilation. Our results lead to a novel hypothesis to explain BTB, with stromal cell decidualisation rather than progestin treatment per se being the proposed causative event, and VEGF-D being the proposed effector agent.

Numerical modelling of the influence of stromal cells on tumor growth and angiogenesis

Science.gov (United States)

Sakiyama, Nobuyuki; Nagayama, Katsuya

2018-01-01

According to the statistics provided by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare the death of one in 3.5 Japanese people is attributed to tumor highlighting the need for active research on malignant tumors. Early detection can be cited as a countermeasure against malignant tumors, but it is often difficult to observe the growth process, and thorough understanding of the phenomena will aid in more efficient detection of such tumors. A malnourished benign tumor may create new blood vessels from existing ones and proliferate abnormally by absorbing nutrients from these newly created blood vessels to become malignant. Different factors influence the shape of tumors and shape is an important factor in evaluating their malignancy. Because interstitial cells greatly influence tumor growth, investigating the influence of stromal cells on tumor growth will help in developing a better understanding of the phenomenon.

Development of a system for measuring wall shear stress in blood vessels using magnetic resonance imaging and computational fluid dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Keita; Nagao, Taisuke; Okada, Kouji; Miyazaki, Shohei; Yang, Xiaomei; Yamazaki, Youichi; Murase, Kenya

2008-01-01

We developed a system for measuring the wall shear stress (WSS) in blood vessels using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The time-dependent velocity at the center of the blood vessel was measured by phase-contrast MRI and was approximated by finite Fourier series, which was used for generating the velocity profile at the inlet for the boundary condition to the CFD method. To validate the CFD method, we compared the WSS obtained by the CFD method with the theoretical value in a straight cylinder with various radii for both steady and pulsatile flows. We also investigated the dependence of the WSS on the inlet velocity profile incorporated into the CFD method. For steady flow, there was a good agreement between the WSS obtained by the CFD method and the theoretical value. For pulsatile flow, there was a relatively good agreement between them when the radius of the cylinder was 2.5 mm and the inlet velocity profile was given by the Womersley solution for fully developed pulsatile flow in a straight circular cylinder. When the radius of the cylinder was 5 mm and/or the inlet velocity profile was assumed to be parabolic, large differences were observed between them, suggesting that the assumption of fully developed flow does not hold true in these cases. In human studies, the vortex due to the secondary blood flow in the carotid arterial sinus was clearly observed. The WSS in the bifurcation was the highest, while that in the carotid arterial sinus was the smallest. In conclusion, the system presented here appears to be useful for measuring the WSS in blood vessels and for analyzing the cause and/or extent of atherosclerosis, and our results suggest that the inlet velocity profile should be carefully considered. (author)

Platelet-derived growth factor inhibits platelet activation in heparinized whole blood.

Science.gov (United States)

Selheim, F; Holmsen, H; Vassbotn, F S

1999-08-15

We previously have demonstrated that human platelets have functionally active platelet-derived growth factor alpha-receptors. Studies with gel-filtered platelets showed that an autocrine inhibition pathway is transduced through this tyrosine kinase receptor during platelet activation. The physiological significance of this inhibitory effect of platelet-derived growth factor on gel-filtered platelets activation is, however, not known. In the present study, we investigated whether platelet-derived growth factor inhibits platelet activation under more physiological conditions in heparinized whole blood, which represents a more physiological condition than gel-filtered platelets. Using flow cytometric assays, we demonstrate here that platelet-derived growth factor inhibits thrombin-, thrombin receptor agonist peptide SFLLRN-, and collagen-induced platelet aggregation and shedding of platelet-derived microparticles from the platelet plasma membrane during platelet aggregation in stirred heparinized whole blood. The inhibitory effect of platelet-derived growth factor was dose dependent. However, under nonaggregating conditions (no stirring), we could not demonstrate any significant effect of platelet-derived growth factor on thrombin- and thrombin receptor agonist peptide-induced platelet surface expression of P-selectin. Our results demonstrate that platelet-derived growth factor appears to be a true antithrombotic agent only under aggregating conditions in heparinized whole blood.

Porous hybrid structures based on P(DLLA-co-TMC) and collagen for tissue engineering of small-diameter blood vessels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buttafoco, L.; Boks, Niels P.; Engbers-Buijtenhuijs, P.; Grijpma, Dirk W.; Poot, Andreas A.; Dijkstra, Pieter J.; Vermes, I.; Feijen, Jan

2006-01-01

Poly (D,L-lactide)-7co-(1,3-trimethylene carbonate) [P(DLLA-co-TMC)] (83 mol % DLLA) was used to produce matrices suitable for tissue engineering of small-diameter blood vessels. The copolymer was processed into tubular structures with a porosity of 98% by melt spinning and fiber winding, thus

Crack growth rates in vessel head penetration materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez Briceno, D.; Lapena, J.; Blazquez, F.

1994-01-01

The cracks detected in reactor vessel head penetrations in certain European plants have been attributed to Primary Water Stress Corrosion Cracking (PWSCC). The penetrations in question are made from Inconel 600. The susceptibility of this alloy to PWSCC has been widely studied in relation to use of this material for steam generator tubes. When the first reactor vessel head penetration cracks were detected, most of the available data on crack propagation rates were from test specimens made from steam generator tubes and tested under conditions that questioned the validity of these data for assessment of the evolution of cracks in penetrations. For this reason, the scope of the Spanish Research Project on the Inspection and Repair of PWR reactor vessel head penetrations included the acquisition of data on crack propagation rates in Inconel 600, representative of the materials used for vessel head penetrations. (authors). 1 fig., 2 tabs., 6 refs

3-D trajectory model for MDT using micro-spheres implanted within large blood vessels

Science.gov (United States)

Choomphon-anomakhun, Natthaphon; Natenapit, Mayuree

2016-09-01

Implant assisted magnetic drug targeting (IA-MDT) using ferromagnetic spherical targets implanted within large blood vessels and subjected to a uniform externally applied magnetic field (H0) has been investigated and reported for the first time. The capture areas (As) of magnetic drug carrier particles (MDCPs) were determined from the analysis of particle trajectories simulated from equations of motion. Then, the effects of various parameters, such as types of ferromagnetic materials in the targets and MDCPs, blood flow rates, mass fraction of the ferromagnetic material in the MDCPs, average radii of MDCPs (Rp) and the strength of H0 on the As were obtained. Furthermore, the effects of saturation magnetization of the ferromagnetic materials in the MDCPs and within the targets on the As were analyzed. After this, the suitable strengths of H0 and Rp for IA-MDT designs were reported. Dimensionless As, ranging from 2 to 7, was obtained with Rp ranging from 500 to 2500 nm, μ0H0 less than 0.8 T and a blood flow rate of 0.1 m s-1. The target-MDCP materials considered are iron-iron, iron-magnetite and SS409-magnetite, respectively.

In-vivo imaging of blood flow in human retinal vessels using color Doppler optical coherence tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Yazdanfar, Siavash; Rollins, Andrew M.; Izatt, Joseph A.

1999-04-01

Quantification of retinal blood flow may lead to a better understanding of the progression and treatment of several ocular disorders, including diabetic retinopathy, age- related macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Current techniques, such as fluorescein angiography and laser Doppler velocimetry are limited, failing to provide sufficient information to the clinician. Color Doppler optical coherence tomography (CDOCT) is a novel technique using coherent heterodyne detection for simultaneous cross- sectional imaging of tissue microstructure and blood flow. This technique is capable of high spatial and velocity resolution imaging in highly scattering media. We implemented CDOCT for retinal blood flow mapping in human subjects. No dilation of the pupil was necessary. CDOCT is demonstrated for determining bidirectional flow in sub- 100micrometers diameter vessels in the retina. Additionally, we calculated Doppler broadening using the variance of depth- resolved spectra to identify regions with large velocity gradients within the Xenopus heart. This technique may be useful in quantifying local tissue perfusion in highly vascular retinal tissue.

Dioscin inhibits colon tumor growth and tumor angiogenesis through regulating VEGFR2 and AKT/MAPK signaling pathways

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tong, Qingyi [Regenerative Medicine Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041 (China); Qing, Yong, E-mail: qingyongxy@yahoo.co.jp [Department of Pharmacology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041 (China); Wu, Yang [State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041 (China); Hu, Xiaojuan; Jiang, Lei [Department of Pharmacology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041 (China); Wu, Xiaohua, E-mail: wuxh@scu.edu.cn [Regenerative Medicine Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041 (China)

2014-12-01

Dioscin has shown cytotoxicity against cancer cells, but its in vivo effects and the mechanisms have not elucidated yet. The purpose of the current study was to assess the antitumor effects and the molecular mechanisms of dioscin. We showed that dioscin could inhibit tumor growth in vivo and has no toxicity at the test condition. The growth suppression was accompanied by obvious blood vessel decrease within solid tumors. We also found dioscin treatment inhibited the proliferation of cancer and endothelial cell lines, and most sensitive to primary cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). What's more, analysis of HUVECs migration, invasion, and tube formation exhibited that dioscin has significantly inhibitive effects to these actions. Further analysis of blood vessel formation in the matrigel plugs indicated that dioscin could inhibit VEGF-induced blood vessel formation in vivo. We also identified that dioscin could suppress the downstream protein kinases of VEGFR2, including Src, FAK, AKT and Erk1/2, accompanied by the increase of phosphorylated P38MAPK. The results potently suggest that dioscin may be a potential anticancer drug, which efficiently inhibits angiogenesis induced by VEGFR2 signaling pathway as well as AKT/MAPK pathways. - Highlights: • Dioscin inhibits tumor growth in vivo and does not exhibit any toxicity. • Dioscin inhibits angiogenesis within solid tumors. • Dioscin inhibits the proliferation, migration, invasion, and tube formation of HUVECs. • Dioscin inhibits VEGF–induced blood vessel formation in vivo. • Dioscin inhibits VEGFR2 signaling pathway as well as AKT/MAPK pathway.

Antibody-linked drug destroys tumor cells and tumor blood vessels in many types of cancer | Center for Cancer Research

Science.gov (United States)

A team led by Brad St. Croix, Ph.D., Senior Associate Scientist, Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, has developed an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that destroys both tumor cells and the blood vessels that nourish them. The drug significantly shrank breast tumors, colon tumors and several other types of cancer and prolonged survival. Learn more...  

Discrepancy between growth of Coccidioides immitis in bacterial blood culture media and a radiometric growth index

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ampel, N.M.; Wieden, M.A.

1988-01-01

Spherules of Coccidioides immitis grew readily after inoculation in vented trypticase soy broth, biphasic brain heart infusion media, and aerobic tryptic soy broth bottles used in a radiometric system (BACTEC). However, visible growth was not accompanied by a significant radiometric growth index. Growth of C. immitis can be visually detected in routine bacterial blood culture media while the radiometric growth index remains negative

Vessel calibre and haemoglobin effects on pulse oximetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McEwen, M P; Reynolds, K J; Bull, G P

2009-01-01

Despite its success as a clinical monitoring tool, pulse oximetry may be improved with respect to the need for empirical calibration and the reports of biases in readings associated with peripheral vasoconstriction and haemoglobin concentration. To effect this improvement, this work aims to improve the understanding of the photoplethysmography signal—as used by pulse oximeters—and investigates the effect of vessel calibre and haemoglobin concentration on pulse oximetry. The digital temperature and the transmission of a wide spectrum of light through the fingers of 57 people with known haemoglobin concentrations were measured and simulations of the transmission of that spectrum of light through finger models were performed. Ratios of pulsatile attenuations of light as used in pulse oximetry were dependent upon peripheral temperature and on blood haemoglobin concentration. In addition, both the simulation and in vivo results showed that the pulsatile attenuation of light through fingers was approximately proportional to the absorption coefficients of blood, only when the absorption coefficients were small. These findings were explained in terms of discrete blood vessels acting as barriers to light transmission through tissue. Due to the influence of discrete blood vessels on light transmission, pulse oximeter outputs tend to be dependent upon haemoglobin concentration and on the calibre of pulsing blood vessels—which are affected by vasoconstriction/vasodilation. The effects of discrete blood vessels may account for part of the difference between the Beer–Lambert pulse oximetry model and empirical calibration

Comparison of the Blood and Lymphatic Microvessel Density of Pleomorphic Adenoma and Basal Cell Adenoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andresa Borges Soares

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background Pleomorphic adenoma (PA is the most common tumor of the salivary gland, while basal cell adenoma (BCA is an uncommon neoplasm. Blood and lymphatic vessels are crucial for tumor metabolism. The aim of this study was to compare the blood and lymphatic vascular density and vascular and endothelial growth factor (VEGF expression in PA and BCA tumors. In addition, cell proliferation was evaluated in these tumors. Methods Blood and lymphatic vessel content, VEGF expression, and cell proliferation were analyzed in 30 cases of PA and 13 cases of BCA by immu-nohistochemistry using antibodies for CD34, CD105, D2-40, VEGF, and Mcm -2. Results Regarding CD34 and CD105 expression, PA demonstrated a high vascularity and a low number of positive vessels, respectively. D2-40-positive lymphatic vessels were mainly located in the tumor capsules, with small intratumoral lymphatic vessels observed occasionally. VEGF expression revealed a remarkably heterogeneous immunoreactivity, alternating from weak or negative to positive or intense. BCA presented significantly higher CD34, CD34, CD105, D2-40, and VEGF expression compared to PA. No significant difference was found in cell proliferation between the tumors. Conclusion Although PA and BCA are considered part of the same spectrum of differentiation, this study showed that the blood and lymphatic vascularization of these tumors is different.

Micromechanisms of ductile stable crack growth in nuclear pressure vessel steels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belcher, W.P.A.; Druce, S.G.

1981-10-01

The objective of this work was to investigate the relationship between the micromechanisms of ductile crack growth, the microstructural constituent phases present in nuclear pressure vessel steel, and the observed fracture behavior as determined by impact and fracture mechanics tests. Results from a microstructural and mechanical property comparison of an A508 Class 3 pressurized water reactor nozzle forging cutout and a 150-mm-thick A533B Class 1 plate are reported. The variation of upper-shelf toughness between the two steels and its orientation sensitivity are discussed on the basis of inclusion and precipitate distributions. Inclusion clusters in A533B, deformed to elongated disks in the rolling plane, have a profound effect on short transverse fracture properties. Data derived using the multi-specimen J-integral method to characterize the initiation of ductile crack extension and resistance to stable crack growth are compared with equivalent Charpy results. Results of the J /SUB R/ -curve analyses indicate (1) that the A533B short transverse crack growth resistance is approximately half that observed from transverse and longitudinal specimen orientations, and (2) that the A508 initiation toughness and resistance to stable crack growth are insensitive to position through the forging wall, and are higher than exhibited by A533B at any orientation in the midthickness position.

Large vessel involvement by IgG4-related disease

Science.gov (United States)

Perugino, Cory A.; Wallace, Zachary S.; Meyersohn, Nandini; Oliveira, George; Stone, James R.; Stone, John H.

2016-01-01

Abstract Objectives: IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an immune-mediated fibroinflammatory condition that can affect multiple organs and lead to tumefactive, tissue-destructive lesions. Reports have described inflammatory aortitis and periaortitis, the latter in the setting of retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF), but have not distinguished adequately between these 2 manifestations. The frequency, radiologic features, and response of vascular complications to B cell depletion remain poorly defined. We describe the clinical features, radiology findings, and treatment response in a cohort of 36 patients with IgG4-RD affecting large blood vessels. Methods: Clinical records of all patients diagnosed with IgG4-RD in our center were reviewed. All radiologic studies were reviewed. We distinguished between primary large blood vessel inflammation and secondary vascular involvement. Primary involvement was defined as inflammation in the blood vessel wall as a principal focus of disease. Secondary vascular involvement was defined as disease caused by the effects of adjacent inflammation on the blood vessel wall. Results: Of the 160 IgG4-RD patients in this cohort, 36 (22.5%) had large-vessel involvement. The mean age at disease onset of the patients with large-vessel IgG4-RD was 54.6 years. Twenty-eight patients (78%) were male and 8 (22%) were female. Thirteen patients (36%) had primary IgG4-related vasculitis and aortitis with aneurysm formation comprised the most common manifestation. This affected 5.6% of the entire IgG4-RD cohort and was observed in the thoracic aorta in 8 patients, the abdominal aorta in 4, and both the thoracic and abdominal aorta in 3. Three of these aneurysms were complicated by aortic dissection or contained perforation. Periaortitis secondary to RPF accounted for 27 of 29 patients (93%) of secondary vascular involvement by IgG4-RD. Only 5 patients demonstrated evidence of both primary and secondary blood vessel involvement. Of those treated with

Vitamin K2 Ameliorates Damage of Blood Vessels by Glucocorticoid: a Potential Mechanism for Its Protective Effects in Glucocorticoid-induced Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head in a Rat Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yuelei; Yin, Junhui; Ding, Hao; Zhang, Changqing; Gao, You-Shui

2016-01-01

Glucocorticoid has been reported to decrease blood vessel number and harm the blood supply in the femoral head, which is recognized to be an important mechanism of glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). To prevent glucocorticoid-induced ONFH, medication that promotes both bone formation and angiogenesis would be ideal. Vitamin K2 has been revealed to play an important role in bone metabolism; however, few studies have focused on the effect of Vitamin K2 on new vascular formation. Thus, this study aimed to investigate whether Vitamin K2 promoted new blood vessel formation in the presence of glucocorticoids, both in vitro and in vivo. The effect of Vitamin K2 on viability, migration, in vitro tube formation, and VEGF, vWF, CD31, KDR, Flt and PDGFB in EAhy926 incubated with or without dexamethasone were elucidated. VEGF, TGF-β and BMP-2, angiogenesis-related proteins secreted by osteoblasts, were also detected in the osteoblast-like cell line of MG63. In addition, blood vessels of the femoral head in rats administered with or without methylprednisolone and Vitamin K2 were evaluated using angiography and CD31 staining. In vitro studies showed that Vitamin K2 significantly protected endothelial cells from dexamethasone-induced apoptosis, promoted endothelial cell migration and in vitro tube formation. Angiogenesis-related proteins both in EAhy926 and MG63 were also upregulated by Vitamin K2 when cotreated with dexamethasone. In vivo studies showed enhanced blood vessel volume and CD31-positive staining cells in rats cotreated with VK2 and methylprednisolone compared to rats treated with methylprednisolone only. Collectively, Vitamin K2 has the ability to promote angiogenesis in vitro and to ameliorate vessels of the femoral head in glucocorticoid-treated rats in vivo, indicating that Vitamin K2 is a promising drug that may be used to prevent steroid-induced ONFH.

An integrated 3-D image of cerebral blood vessels and CT view of tumor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suetens, P.; Baert, A.L.; Gybels, J.; Haegemans, S.; Jansen, P.; Oosterlinck, A.; Wilms, G.

1984-01-01

The authors developed a method that yields an integrated three-dimensional image of cerebral blood vessels and CT view of tumor. This method allows the neurosurgeon to choose any electrode trajectory that looks convenient to him, without imminent danger of causing a hemorrhage. Besides offering more safety to stereotactic interventions, this integrated 3-D image also has other applications. First, it gives a better characterization of most focal mass lesions seen by CT. Second, it allows high dose focal irradiation to be effected in such a way as to avoid arteries and veins. Third, it provides useful information for planning the strategy of open surgery

Automated classification and quantitative analysis of arterial and venous vessels in fundus images

Science.gov (United States)

Alam, Minhaj; Son, Taeyoon; Toslak, Devrim; Lim, Jennifer I.; Yao, Xincheng

2018-02-01

It is known that retinopathies may affect arteries and veins differently. Therefore, reliable differentiation of arteries and veins is essential for computer-aided analysis of fundus images. The purpose of this study is to validate one automated method for robust classification of arteries and veins (A-V) in digital fundus images. We combine optical density ratio (ODR) analysis and blood vessel tracking algorithm to classify arteries and veins. A matched filtering method is used to enhance retinal blood vessels. Bottom hat filtering and global thresholding are used to segment the vessel and skeleton individual blood vessels. The vessel tracking algorithm is used to locate the optic disk and to identify source nodes of blood vessels in optic disk area. Each node can be identified as vein or artery using ODR information. Using the source nodes as starting point, the whole vessel trace is then tracked and classified as vein or artery using vessel curvature and angle information. 50 color fundus images from diabetic retinopathy patients were used to test the algorithm. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy metrics were measured to assess the validity of the proposed classification method compared to ground truths created by two independent observers. The algorithm demonstrated 97.52% accuracy in identifying blood vessels as vein or artery. A quantitative analysis upon A-V classification showed that average A-V ratio of width for NPDR subjects with hypertension decreased significantly (43.13%).

Effects of temperature on corrosion fatigue crack growth of pressure vessel steels in PWR coolant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tice, D.R.; Bramwell, I.L.; Fairbrother, H.; Worswick, D.

1994-01-01

This paper presents experimental results concerning crack propagation rates in A508-III pressure vessel steel (medium sulphur content) exposed to PWR primary water at temperatures between 130 and 290 C. The results indicate that the greatest increase in corrosion fatigue crack growth rate occurs at temperatures in the range 150 to 200 C. Under these conditions, there was a marked change in the appearance of the fracture surface, with extensive micro-branching of the crack front and occasional bifurcation of the whole crack path. In contrast, at 290 C, the fracture surface is smoother, similar to that due to inert fatigue. The implication of these observations for assessment of the pressure vessel integrity, is examined. 14 refs., 15 figs., 3 tabs

Tubular inverse opal scaffolds for biomimetic vessels

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Ze; Wang, Jie; Lu, Jie; Yu, Yunru; Fu, Fanfan; Wang, Huan; Liu, Yuxiao; Zhao, Yuanjin; Gu, Zhongze

2016-07-01

There is a clinical need for tissue-engineered blood vessels that can be used to replace or bypass damaged arteries. The success of such grafts depends strongly on their ability to mimic native arteries; however, currently available artificial vessels are restricted by their complex processing, controversial integrity, or uncontrollable cell location and orientation. Here, we present new tubular scaffolds with specific surface microstructures for structural vessel mimicry. The tubular scaffolds are fabricated by rotationally expanding three-dimensional tubular inverse opals that are replicated from colloidal crystal templates in capillaries. Because of the ordered porous structure of the inverse opals, the expanded tubular scaffolds are imparted with circumferentially oriented elliptical pattern microstructures on their surfaces. It is demonstrated that these tailored tubular scaffolds can effectively make endothelial cells to form an integrated hollow tubular structure on their inner surface and induce smooth muscle cells to form a circumferential orientation on their outer surface. These features of our tubular scaffolds make them highly promising for the construction of biomimetic blood vessels.There is a clinical need for tissue-engineered blood vessels that can be used to replace or bypass damaged arteries. The success of such grafts depends strongly on their ability to mimic native arteries; however, currently available artificial vessels are restricted by their complex processing, controversial integrity, or uncontrollable cell location and orientation. Here, we present new tubular scaffolds with specific surface microstructures for structural vessel mimicry. The tubular scaffolds are fabricated by rotationally expanding three-dimensional tubular inverse opals that are replicated from colloidal crystal templates in capillaries. Because of the ordered porous structure of the inverse opals, the expanded tubular scaffolds are imparted with circumferentially

Numerical Simulation of the Coagulation Dynamics of Blood

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Bodnár

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The process of platelet activation and blood coagulation is quite complex and not yet completely understood. Recently, a phenomenological meaningful model of blood coagulation and clot formation in flowing blood that extends existing models to integrate biochemical, physiological and rheological factors, has been developed. The aim of this paper is to present results from a computational study of a simplified version of this coupled fluid-biochemistry model. A generalized Newtonian model with shear-thinning viscosity has been adopted to describe the flow of blood. To simulate the biochemical changes and transport of various enzymes, proteins and platelets involved in the coagulation process, a set of coupled advection–diffusion–reaction equations is used. Three-dimensional numerical simulations are carried out for the whole model in a straight vessel with circular cross-section, using a finite volume semi-discretization in space, on structured grids, and a multistage scheme for time integration. Clot formation and growth are investigated in the vicinity of an injured region of the vessel wall. These are preliminary results aimed at showing the validation of the model and of the numerical code.

About a mechanism of the influence of shear stress for viscosity of the blood in vessels of small diameter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Лев Николаевич Катюхин

2014-12-01

Full Text Available It is proposed a physiological and experimentally confirmed explanation of Fåhraeus-Lindqvist-effect in capillaries using the profile analyses of osmotic deformability of red blood cells. It was shown the dose-dependent change of the erythrocytes deformability in the stage of isotropic spheres after forming artificial water pores (nystatin and occlusion (PbCl2 of available pores. The Sigma-effect reducing of hematocrit and viscosity in a shear flow of blood through the vessels of a small diameter was conditioned by the interchange of liquid phase between the erythrocyte and the plasma.

Infrared tomography for diagnostic imaging of port wine stain blood vessels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goodman, D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)

1994-11-15

The objective of this work is the development of Infrared Tomography (IRT) for detecting and characterizing subsurface chromophores in human skin. Characterization of cutaneous chromophores is crucial for advances in the laser treatment of pigmented lesions (e.g., port wine stain birthmarks and tatoos). Infrared tomography (IRT) uses a fast infrared focal plane array (IR-FPA) to detect temperature rises in a substrate induced by pulsed radiation. A pulsed laser is used to produce transient heating of an object. The temperature rise, due to the optical absorption of the pulsed laser light, creates an increase in infrared emission which is measured by the IR-FPA. Although the application of IRT to image subsurface cracks due to metal fatigue is a topic of great interest in the aircraft industry, the application to image subsurface chromophores in biological materials is novel. We present an image recovery method based on a constrained conjugate gradient algorithm that has obtained the first ever high quality images of port wine blood vessels.

Quantitative ex-vivo micro-computed tomographic imaging of blood vessels and necrotic regions within tumors.

Science.gov (United States)

Downey, Charlene M; Singla, Arvind K; Villemaire, Michelle L; Buie, Helen R; Boyd, Steven K; Jirik, Frank R

2012-01-01

Techniques for visualizing and quantifying the microvasculature of tumors are essential not only for studying angiogenic processes but also for monitoring the effects of anti-angiogenic treatments. Given the relatively limited information that can be gleaned from conventional 2-D histological analyses, there has been considerable interest in methods that enable the 3-D assessment of the vasculature. To this end, we employed a polymerizing intravascular contrast medium (Microfil) and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) in combination with a maximal spheres direct 3-D analysis method to visualize and quantify ex-vivo vessel structural features, and to define regions of hypoperfusion within tumors that would be indicative of necrosis. Employing these techniques we quantified the effects of a vascular disrupting agent on the tumor vasculature. The methods described herein for quantifying whole tumor vascularity represent a significant advance in the 3-D study of tumor angiogenesis and evaluation of novel therapeutics, and will also find potential application in other fields where quantification of blood vessel structure and necrosis are important outcome parameters.

Pericyte coverage of abnormal blood vessels in myelofibrotic bone marrows

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zetterberg, Eva; Vannucchi, Alessandro M; Migliaccio, Anna Rita

2007-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Myelofibrotic bone marrow displays abnormal angiogenesis but the pathogenic mechanisms of this are poorly understood. Since pericyte abnormalities are described on solid tumor vessels we studied whether vessel morphology and pericyte coverage in bone marrow samples from...

Stable crack growth during over stressing or proof testing of pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Njo, D.H.

1985-07-01

In an earlier study several years ago an attempt has been made by a study group in Switzerland formed by representatives of utilities, manufacturers, inspection agency and the licensing authority to evaluate systematically the advantages and disadvantages of a proof test for a reactor pressure vessel (RPV) taking into account the different aspects involved. In this study, the present day practice in the requirements regarding proof testing in several countries with nuclear power plants were assessed. Using the method of fracture mechanics, taking into account the proof test conditions and material behaviour at hand, qualified quantitative statements were then sought for. One of the important findings of the study was that a sufficiently accurate determination of stable crack growth (SCG) during proof testing is a necessary precondition for a qualified quantitative statement. At that time this requirement could not be met. The aim of the present exercise of collecting available information on SCG was twofold: to get an overview of the present day requirements on pre-service and in-service proof testing of reactor pressure vessels in different countries with NPPs; to collect data on stable crack growth due to over stressing during proof tests to be used in the quantitative assessment, using fracture mechanics methods, and the potential benefit, if any, of proof tests. In the framework of the present study, the originally stipulated aims could not be achieved. It turned out to be a very complex and difficult problem, where various important aspects are little known and could not be assessed without further comprehensive theoretical and experimental investigations

[Aetiology and pathogenesis of damages to blood vessels in drug addicts].

Science.gov (United States)

Sultanaliev, T A; Tursynbaev, S E; Ivakin, V M

2007-01-01

The article deals with the problems concerning aetiology and pathogenesis of damages to blood vessels in patients practicing parenteral administration of surrogates of narcotic substances. In order to clinically and experimentally study the pattern of morphological alterations in the area of narcotic substances administration and to work out an appropriate classification of the forms and stages of development of the pathological process, the authors analysed the clinical course of vascular lesions and complications thereof in a total of 244 drug abusers having parenterally administered surrogates of narcotic substances and undergoing treatment at the Department of Vascular Surgery of the Municipal Clinical Hospital of the city of Almaty. Additionally, experimental studies were carried out on 16 rabbits with the induced model of parenteral administration of surrogates of narcotic substances, thus making it possible to study the degree of their effect and to confirm the theory of a chemical impact of the homemade drugs on the vascular wall. The findings of the carried out studies enabled us to single out the following clinical stages of vascular lesions: stage I - the initial stage of cicatricial-and-ulcerous lesions formation, stage II - formation of cutaneous-and-vascular fistulas, stage III - the stage of complications characterized by development of health-hazardous vascular lesions, i. e., arterial and venous thromboses of the major vessels, as well as arrosive bleedings. It was noted that more than 50% of patients were admitted to the clinic presenting with the third stage of vascular lesions. The experimental part of the study included 64 experiments on 16 rabbits (one experiment per each paw of the animal). The laboratory animals were subdivided into three groups. The first experimental group consisted of the rabbits with a mechanically inflicted injury to the vessels. The second and third experimental groups were composed of the rabbits having received

Blood vessels in subcaruncular and intercaruncular bovine endometriun possess oxytocin receptors (ORT) and express otr mRNA during pregnancy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fuchs, Anna-Ritta; Balvers, Marga; Ivell, Richard

2002-01-01

is taking place; marked changes were observed with advancing pregnancy. The epithelial cells of the trophoblast were strongly stained for ir OTR and OTR mRNA, as reported last year, but the fetal connective tissue and blood vessels within the trophoblast did not show any stain for ir OTR or OTR m...... placentation because episodic secretion of OT occurs throughout bovine pregnancy...

A method for increasing the homogeneity of the temperature distribution during magnetic fluid hyperthermia with a Fe-Cr-Nb-B alloy in the presence of blood vessels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tang, Yundong [College of Physics and Information Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116 (China); Flesch, Rodolfo C.C. [Departamento de Automação e Sistemas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC (Brazil); Jin, Tao, E-mail: jintly@fzu.edu.cn [College of Electrical Engineering and Automation, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116 (China)

2017-06-15

Highlights: • The effects of blood vessels on temperature field distribution are investigated. • The critical thermal energy of hyperthermia is computed by the Finite Element Analysis. • A treatment method is proposed by using the MNPs with low Curie temperature. • The cooling effects due to the blood flow can be controlled. - Abstract: Magnetic hyperthermia ablates tumor cells by absorbing the thermal energy from magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) under an external alternating magnetic field. The blood vessels (BVs) within tumor region can generally reduce treatment effectiveness due to the cooling effect of blood flow. This paper aims to investigate the cooling effect of BVs on the temperature field of malignant tumor regions using a complex geometric model and numerical simulation. For deriving the model, the Navier-Stokes equation for blood flow is combined with Pennes bio-heat transfer equation for human tissue. The effects on treatment temperature caused by two different BV distributions inside a mammary tumor are analyzed through numerical simulation under different conditions of flow rate considering a Fe-Cr-Nb-B alloy, which has low Curie temperature ranging from 42 °C to 45 °C. Numerical results show that the multi-vessel system has more obvious cooling effects than the single vessel one on the temperature field distribution for hyperthermia. Besides, simulation results show that the temperature field within tumor area can also be influenced by the velocity and diameter of BVs. To minimize the cooling effect, this article proposes a treatment method based on the increase of the thermal energy provided to MNPs associated with the adoption of low Curie temperature particles recently reported in literature. Results demonstrate that this approach noticeably improves the uniformity of the temperature field, and shortens the treatment time in a Fe-Cr-Nb-B system, thus reducing the side effects to the patient.

A novel vascular-targeting peptide for gastric cancer delivers low-dose TNFα to normalize the blood vessels and improve the anti-cancer efficiency of 5-fluorouracil.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Lan; Li, Zhi Jie; Li, Long Fei; Shen, Jing; Zhang, Lin; Li, Ming Xing; Xiao, Zhan Gang; Wang, Jian Hao; Cho, Chi Hin

2017-11-01

Various vascular-targeted agents fused with tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) have been shown to improve drug absorption into tumor tissues and enhance tumor vascular function. TCP-1 is a peptide selected through in vivo phage library biopanning against a mouse orthotopic colorectal cancer model and is a promising agent for drug delivery. This study further investigated the targeting ability of TCP-1 phage and peptide to blood vessels in an orthotopic gastric cancer model in mice and assessed the synergistic anti-cancer effect of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with subnanogram TNFα targeted delivered by TCP-1 peptide. In vivo phage targeting assay and in vivo colocalization analysis were carried out to test the targeting ability of TCP-1 phage/peptide. A targeted therapy for improvement of the therapeutic efficacy of 5-FU and vascular function was performed through administration of TCP-1/TNFα fusion protein in this model. TCP-1 phage exhibited strong homing ability to the orthotopic gastric cancer after phage injection. Immunohistochemical staining suggested that and TCP-1 phage/TCP-1 peptide could colocalize with tumor vascular endothelial cells. TCP-1/TNFα combined with 5-FU was found to synergistically inhibit tumor growth, induce apoptosis and reduce cell proliferation without evident toxicity. Simultaneously, subnanogram TCP-1/TNFα treatment normalized tumor blood vessels. Targeted delivery of low-dose TNFα by TCP-1 peptide can potentially modulate the vascular function of gastric cancer and increase the drug delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Gain-of-function somatic mutations contribute to inflammation and blood vessel damage that lead to Alzheimer dementia: a hypothesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Marchesi, Vincent T

2016-02-01

Amyloid deposits are a characteristic feature of advanced Alzheimer dementia (AD), but whether they initiate the disease or are a consequence of it remains an unsettled question. To explore an alternative pathogenic mechanism, I propose that the triggering events that begin the pathogenic cascade are not amyloid deposits but damaged blood vessels caused by inflammatory reactions that lead to ischemia, amyloid accumulation, axonal degeneration, synaptic loss, and eventually irreversible neuronal cell death. Inflammation and blood vessel damage are well recognized complications of AD, but what causes them and why the cerebral microvasculature is affected have never been adequately addressed. Because heritable autosomal dominant mutations of NLRP3, APP, TREX1, NOTCH3, and Col4A1 are known to provoke inflammatory reactions and damage the brain in a wide variety of diseases, I propose that one or more low abundant, gain-of-function somatic mutations of the same 5 gene families damage the microvasculature of the brain that leads to dementia. This implies that the pathogenic triggers that lead to AD are derived not from external invaders or amyloid but from oxidative damage of our own genes. © FASEB.

Effects of irradiation on renal vessels of rabbits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanayama, Hirotaka

1982-01-01

The male rabbits weighing approximately 3 kg were divided into two groups: one group received irradiation to the left kidney through 6 x 4 cm field size with doses of 5 Gy, while the other group was irradiated with 50 Gy. The vessel casts were observed using the injection replica scanning electron microscopic method. In 50 Gy irradiated group, the surface of blood vessel's lumen became irregular with a decrease in the number of glomeruli at 5 days. Partial narrowing was also seen in the cortex and glomerular vessels. The number of glomeruli decreased by 48% one week later and 90% 4 weeks later. The cortex vessels progressively narrowed, and irregularity of the net-like structure was also observed. Similarly, a decrease in the number of glomeruli and partial narrowing of the blood vessels were seen at 5 days on the nonirradiated side, but the damage was considerably less than that on the irradiated side. In the 5 Gy irradiated group, a decrease in the number of glomeruli was seen 5 days later and it became 71% 5 days later and 81% one week later. It returned to 95% 4 weeks later. No changes whatsoever were seen in the non-irradiated side after 4 weeks and changes in the number of glomeruli were not observed. The vasculation of medulla showed no changes in the 50 Gy or the 5 Gy irradiated group. There were seen no significant changes in the blood vessel diameter. (J.P.N.)

A kinematic study of pulsation in the dorsal blood vessel of the blackworm, Lumbriculus variegatus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kameko Halfmann

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The aquatic oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus has a segmented, dorsal blood vessel (DBV that acts as a peristaltic pump to move blood through the animal's closed circulatory system. We conducted a kinematic study using videography and computational modeling as a first step toward understanding the control of DBV pulsation. Results suggested that pulse rates were highest in the posterior segments, while interpulse intervals and intersegmental delays were longest in the midbody segments. Differences in the interpulse interval distributions across regions suggest that some peristaltic waves initiated in the posterior segments do not propagate all the way to the anterior segments. A simple model consisting of a chain of excitable neuromuscular units replicated these kinetics. This model may be useful in future research aimed at understanding the modulatory effect of biogenic amines on peristalsis of the DBV. Moreover, research into the mechanisms of peristalsis of the DBV may lead to insights into disorders of peristalsis in human and veterinary medicine

Treatment of radiation exposure and regeneration medicine. Regeneration treatment of blood vessels by transplantation of autologous marrow monocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagai, Kazuhiro; Kamihira, Shimeru; Matsumaru, Ichiro; Fukushima, Takuya; Yamaguchi, Hakuichiro; Miyazaki, Yasushi; Yamachika, Shiro; Eishi, Kiyoyuki; Tomonaga, Masao

2007-01-01

Described are usefulness and future view of regenerative medicine in the treatment of radiation exposure as exemplified by the vascular regeneration by autologous marrow cell transplantation. Vascular endothelial cells (VEC), possessing a high ability to divide, are known sensitive to radiation, which gives damage of blood vessel to alter its permeability leading to apoptosis of VEC, organ/tissue injuries and final damages in the cerebral blood vessels, central nervous system and skin, the acute radiation syndrome (ARS). Authors present successful cases of patients with chronic limb ischemia in the Therapeutic Angiogenesis using Cell Transplantation Trial (TACT), to whom the treatment is conducted with transplantation of autologous marrow monocyte fraction containing endothelial progenitor cells that differentiate to VEC. As well, they touch on a case of the patient encountered in a nuclear accident, mentioning that VEC are found partly derived from the donor after heamatopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Efficacy of HSCT in a literature is reviewed and commented to be an only limited one in 31 patients of various radiation accidents. However, treatment of ARS where stem cells are target, with regenerative medicine will become more useful in future, as basic and clinical researches will provide requisite findings. (T.I.)

Microscopic examination of crack growth in a pressure vessel steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isacsson, M.; Narstroem, T.

1997-01-01

A fairly systematic microscopic study concerning ductile and ductile-brittle crack growth in the A508B pressure vessel steel has been performed. The main method of investigation was to subject fracture mechanics specimens (sub-sized three point bend specimens) to predetermined load levels corresponding to different amounts of ductile crack extension. The specimens were then cut perpendicularly to the plane of the crack and the area in front of the crack was examined in a SEM. The object of these examinations was to determine if newly encountered computational results could be correlated to crack extension characteristics and to study whether the mechanism of ductile growth was of the void growth type or of the fast shear mechanism. This is important for further numerical modelling of the process. Both the original material and a specially heat treated piece were investigated. The heat treatment was performed in order to raise the transition temperature to about 60 deg C with the object to provide a more convenient testing situation. Charpy V tests were performed for the specially heat treated material to obtain the temperature dependence of the toughness. This was also studied by performing fracture toughness determination on the same type of specimens as were used for the microscopic study. The heat treatment used fulfilled the above purpose and the microscopic studies provide a good understanding of the micro mechanisms operating in the ductile fracture process for this material

Microscopic examination of crack growth in a pressure vessel steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Isacsson, M.; Narstroem, T. [Royal Inst. of Tech., Stockholm (Sweden)

1997-01-01

A fairly systematic microscopic study concerning ductile and ductile-brittle crack growth in the A508B pressure vessel steel has been performed. The main method of investigation was to subject fracture mechanics specimens (sub-sized three point bend specimens) to predetermined load levels corresponding to different amounts of ductile crack extension. The specimens were then cut perpendicularly to the plane of the crack and the area in front of the crack was examined in a SEM. The object of these examinations was to determine if newly encountered computational results could be correlated to crack extension characteristics and to study whether the mechanism of ductile growth was of the void growth type or of the fast shear mechanism. This is important for further numerical modelling of the process. Both the original material and a specially heat treated piece were investigated. The heat treatment was performed in order to raise the transition temperature to about 60 deg C with the object to provide a more convenient testing situation. Charpy V tests were performed for the specially heat treated material to obtain the temperature dependence of the toughness. This was also studied by performing fracture toughness determination on the same type of specimens as were used for the microscopic study. The heat treatment used fulfilled the above purpose and the microscopic studies provide a good understanding of the micro mechanisms operating in the ductile fracture process for this material. 19 refs, 8 figs, 3 tabs.

[Hemodynamic phenomena in retrobulhar and eyeball vessels].

Science.gov (United States)

Modrzejewska, Monika

2011-01-01

The purpose of this review was to evaluate factors connected with blood flow and indices regulating vascular diameter and some parameters influencing retrobulbar circulation such as type of vascular resistance, anatomical structure of vascular wall and vessel lumen. Neurogenic and angiogenic factors, rheological blood composition, presence of anatomical and pathological obstructions on blood flow pathway as well as degree of development of collateral circulation pathways--have influence on the volume and blood flow velocity in eyeball. There were discussed bulbar circulation hemodynamics, emphasizing the importance of perfusion pressure. The role of risk factors was underlined for pathological lesions in vessels supplying blood to eyeball and in ophthalmic artery (OA) and its collaterals, in central retinal artery (CRA) as well as posterior ciliary arteries (PCAs), and in venous system carrying away blood from eye. IN CONCLUSION--the results of many studies of retrobulbar blood flow in different types of ophthalmic diseases of the vascular etiopathogenesis indicate that registry of the mean values of blood flow parameters and vascular resistance indices parallel to measurement of blood flow spectrum in OA, CRA, PCAs arteries, might contribute much information to explain or to evaluate nature of pathological changes in retinal and choroidal circulation.

Evaluation of Mechanical Properties and Medical Applications of Polycaprolactone Small Diameter Artificial Blood Vessels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahnazsadat Mirbagheri

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Increasing the cardiovascular diseases and decreasing the possibility of autograft surgery are important factors that cause the choice of artificial vascular graft as an alternative treatment method. In this regard, producing artificial grafts similar to natural vessels is an important purpose that has long been followed as a gold standard by many researchers worldwide. In addition, mechanical properties including strength, long patency, bio-compatibility and hydrophobicity are necessary properties to achieve ideal vascular grafts. Hence there are various factors such as polymer type and preparation methods, which contribute to suitable mechanical properties. The electrospinning as an optimized method on one side and biocompatible, degradable and semicrystalline polycaprolactone (PCL on the other side are used for their acceptable mechanical properties to manufacture synthetic vessels. In this study, PCL vascular grafts have been reviewed and a wide range of parameters affecting the improvement of mechanical properties and their performance have been described along with clinical applications. Therefore, by investigating and comparing single and composite PCL vascular grafts, we achieved acceptable results in the field of cell growth and adhesion as well as implanting grafts in animals such as rat and rabbit. By reviewing other studies, it was revealed that synthetic composite vessels made of PCL and natural polymers such as collagen and chitosan and synthetic polymers such as polyurethane (PU for long patency and acceptable cell adhesion have shown good clinical results.

Effect of heat transfer on unsteady MHD flow of blood in a permeable vessel in the presence of non-uniform heat source

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Sinha

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a theoretical analysis of blood flow and heat transfer in a permeable vessel in the presence of an external magnetic field. The unsteadiness in the coupled flow and temperature fields is considered to be caused due to the time-dependent stretching velocity and the surface temperature of the vessel. The non-uniform heat source/sink effect on blood flow and heat transfer is taken into account. This study is of potential value in the clinical treatment of cardiovascular disorders accompanied by accelerated circulation. The problem is treated mathematically by reducing it to a system of coupled nonlinear differential equations, which have been solved by using similarity transformation and boundary layer approximation. The resulting nonlinear coupled ordinary differential equations are solved numerically by using an implicit finite difference scheme. Computational results are obtained for the velocity, temperature, the skin-friction coefficient and the rate of heat transfer in the vessel. The estimated results are compared with another analytical study reported earlier in scientific literatures. The present study reveals that the heat transfer rate is enhanced as the value of the unsteadiness parameter increases, but it reduces as the space-dependence parameter for heat source/sink increases.

Human growth hormone alters carbohydrate storage in blood and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

MJP

2015-06-02

Jun 2, 2015 ... is the key hormone to maintain the glucose ... homeostasis is tissue-specific.[3] ... Key words: Human growth hormone, blood glucose, hepatic glycogen, hypoglycaemia, ..... diabetic and glycogenolytic effect, which help.

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy change vessel tree geometry and metastatic spread in a small cell lung cancer xenograft mouse tumor model.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thorsten Frenzel

Full Text Available Tumor vasculature is critical for tumor growth, formation of distant metastases and efficiency of radio- and chemotherapy treatments. However, how the vasculature itself is affected during cancer treatment regarding to the metastatic behavior has not been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the influence of hypofractionated radiotherapy and cisplatin chemotherapy on vessel tree geometry and metastasis formation in a small cell lung cancer xenograft mouse tumor model to investigate the spread of malignant cells during different treatments modalities.The biological data gained during these experiments were fed into our previously developed computer model "Cancer and Treatment Simulation Tool" (CaTSiT to model the growth of the primary tumor, its metastatic deposit and also the influence on different therapies. Furthermore, we performed quantitative histology analyses to verify our predictions in xenograft mouse tumor model.According to the computer simulation the number of cells engrafting must vary considerably to explain the different weights of the primary tumor at the end of the experiment. Once a primary tumor is established, the fractal dimension of its vasculature correlates with the tumor size. Furthermore, the fractal dimension of the tumor vasculature changes during treatment, indicating that the therapy affects the blood vessels' geometry. We corroborated these findings with a quantitative histological analysis showing that the blood vessel density is depleted during radiotherapy and cisplatin chemotherapy. The CaTSiT computer model reveals that chemotherapy influences the tumor's therapeutic susceptibility and its metastatic spreading behavior.Using a system biological approach in combination with xenograft models and computer simulations revealed that the usage of chemotherapy and radiation therapy determines the spreading behavior by changing the blood vessel geometry of the primary tumor.

Wrong theories on the origin of blood vessels: Polybus and De Natura Hominis.

Science.gov (United States)

Shoja, Mohammadali M; Tubbs, R Shane; Loukas, Marios; Ardalan, Mohammad R

2008-06-06

Polybus of Cos (approximately 400 B.C.) was the son-in-law and the successor of Hippocrates. He is credited with founding the school of Dogmatism, and writing "The Nature of Man" which was important in advancing the theory of the four body humors (humoralism). Some earlier scholars negated Polybus' role as an independent medical figure. However, Corpus Aristotelicum quoted him as having a unique theory regarding the body vasculature which stated that this system was composed of four pairs of blood vessels originating from the head and that these supplied the whole body. In an interpretation of this theory, we opined that numerological mysticism might have been the common motive for both Hippocrates' humoralism and Polybus' theory of the vasculature. A discussion on this issue is presented.

Cyclic Crack Growth Testing of an A.O. Smith Multilayer Pressure Vessel with Modal Acoustic Emission Monitoring and Data Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Ziola, Steven M.

2014-01-01

Digital Wave Corp. (DWC) was retained by Jacobs ATOM at NASA Ames Research Center to perform cyclic pressure crack growth sensitivity testing on a multilayer pressure vessel instrumented with DWC's Modal Acoustic Emission (MAE) system, with captured wave analysis to be performed using DWCs WaveExplorerTM software, which has been used at Ames since 2001. The objectives were to document the ability to detect and characterize a known growing crack in such a vessel using only MAE, to establish the sensitivity of the equipment vs. crack size and / or relevance in a realistic field environment, and to obtain fracture toughness materials properties in follow up testing to enable accurate crack growth analysis. This report contains the results of the testing.

Application of optical coherence tomography for in vivo monitoring of the meningeal lymphatic vessels during opening of blood-brain barrier: mechanisms of brain clearing

Science.gov (United States)

Semyachkina-Glushkovskaya, Oxana; Abdurashitov, Arkady; Dubrovsky, Alexander; Bragin, Denis; Bragina, Olga; Shushunova, Nataliya; Maslyakova, Galina; Navolokin, Nikita; Bucharskaya, Alla; Tuchin, Valery; Kurths, Juergen; Shirokov, Alexander

2017-12-01

The meningeal lymphatic vessels were discovered 2 years ago as the drainage system involved in the mechanisms underlying the clearance of waste products from the brain. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a gatekeeper that strongly controls the movement of different molecules from the blood into the brain. We know the scenarios during the opening of the BBB, but there is extremely limited information on how the brain clears the substances that cross the BBB. Here, using the model of sound-induced opening of the BBB, we clearly show how the brain clears dextran after it crosses the BBB via the meningeal lymphatic vessels. We first demonstrate successful application of optical coherence tomography (OCT) for imaging of the lymphatic vessels in the meninges after opening of the BBB, which might be a new useful strategy for noninvasive analysis of lymphatic drainage in daily clinical practice. Also, we give information about the depth and size of the meningeal lymphatic vessels in mice. These new fundamental data with the applied focus on the OCT shed light on the mechanisms of brain clearance and the role of lymphatic drainage in these processes that could serve as an informative platform for a development of therapy and diagnostics of diseases associated with injuries of the BBB such as stroke, brain trauma, glioma, depression, or Alzheimer disease.

Unsupervised Retinal Vessel Segmentation Using Combined Filters.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wendeson S Oliveira

Full Text Available Image segmentation of retinal blood vessels is a process that can help to predict and diagnose cardiovascular related diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, which are known to affect the retinal blood vessels' appearance. This work proposes an unsupervised method for the segmentation of retinal vessels images using a combined matched filter, Frangi's filter and Gabor Wavelet filter to enhance the images. The combination of these three filters in order to improve the segmentation is the main motivation of this work. We investigate two approaches to perform the filter combination: weighted mean and median ranking. Segmentation methods are tested after the vessel enhancement. Enhanced images with median ranking are segmented using a simple threshold criterion. Two segmentation procedures are applied when considering enhanced retinal images using the weighted mean approach. The first method is based on deformable models and the second uses fuzzy C-means for the image segmentation. The procedure is evaluated using two public image databases, Drive and Stare. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed methods perform well for vessel segmentation in comparison with state-of-the-art methods.

Specific corrosion product on interior surface of a bronze wine vessel with loop-handle and its growth mechanism, Shang Dynasty, China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Yang; Bao Zhirong; Wu Taotao; Jiang, Junchun; Chen Guantao; Pan Chunxu

2012-01-01

In this paper, a kind of specific stalactitic product was found on the interior surface of a covered bronze wine vessel with loop-handle (Chinese name is you), which was fabricated in Shang Dynasty (1700 B.C.–1100 B.C.) and now is collected in Xiaogan Museum, Hubei province of China. The microstructures of the product were characterized systematically by using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and Raman microscopy. The experimental results revealed that the product belonged to a kind of malachite with high purity and high crystallinity. The growth of the product was considered to be a possible reason that the vessel was overly airtight within a museum display cabinet besides a lid of the vessel, which made the excess of H 2 O and CO 2 gas concentrations inside the vessel during long-term storage. This corrosion product is very harmful to bronze cultural relics, because of a large amount of copper consumption from the matrix which will reduce its life. The growth mechanism of the specific stalactitic product and the suggestions for preservation of the similar bronze relics in museum were proposed. - Highlights: ► The stalactitic product was the high purity and good crystallinity malachite. ► Its growth was related to the excess of H 2 O and CO 2 gas concentrations in museum. ► It is harmful to the bronzes, because copper will be consumed from the matrix. ► The suggestions for preservation of the similar bronzes in museum were proposed.

Fracture toughness and crack growth resistance of pressure vessel plate and weld metal steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moskovic, R.

1988-01-01

Compact tension specimens were used to measure the initiation fracture toughness and crack growth resistance of pressure vessel steel plates and submerged arc weld metal. Plate test specimens were manufactured from four different casts of steel comprising: aluminium killed C-Mn-Mo-Cu and C-Mn steel and two silicon killed C-Mn steels. Unionmelt No. 2 weld metal test specimens were extracted from welds of double V butt geometry having either the C-Mn-Mo-Cu steel (three weld joints) or one particular silicon killed C-Mn steel (two weld joints) as parent plate. A multiple specimen test technique was used to obtain crack growth data which were analysed by simple linear regression to determine the crack growth resistance lines and to derive the initiation fracture toughness values for each test temperature. These regression lines were highly scattered with respect to temperature and it was very difficult to determine precisely the temperature dependence of the initiation fracture toughness and crack growth resistance. The data were re-analysed, using a multiple linear regression method, to obtain a relationship between the materials' crack growth resistance and toughness, and the principal independent variables (temperature, crack growth, weld joint code and strain ageing). (author)

Role of arginase in vessel wall remodeling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William eDurante

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Arginase metabolizes the semi-essential amino acid L-arginine to L-ornithine and urea. There are two distinct isoforms of arginase, arginase I and II, which are encoded by separate genes and display differences in tissue distribution, subcellular localization, and molecular regulation. Blood vessels express both arginase I and II but their distribution appears to be cell-, vessel-, and species-specific. Both isoforms of arginase are induced by numerous pathologic stimuli and contribute to vascular cell dysfunction and vessel wall remodeling in several diseases. Clinical and experimental studies have documented increases in the expression and/or activity of arginase I or II in blood vessels following arterial injury and in pulmonary and arterial hypertension, aging, and atherosclerosis. Significantly, pharmacological inhibition or genetic ablation of arginase in animals ameliorates abnormalities in vascular cells and normalizes blood vessel architecture and function in all of these pathological states. The detrimental effect of arginase in vascular remodeling is attributable to its ability to stimulate vascular smooth muscle cell and endothelial cell proliferation, and collagen deposition by promoting the synthesis of polyamines and L-proline, respectively. In addition, arginase adversely impacts arterial remodeling by directing macrophages towards an inflammatory phenotype. Moreover, the proliferative, fibrotic, and inflammatory actions of arginase in the vasculature are further amplified by its capacity to inhibit nitric oxide synthesis by competing with nitric oxide synthase for substrate, L-arginine. Pharmacologic or molecular approaches targeting specific isoforms of arginase represent a promising strategy in treating obstructive fibroproliferative vascular disease.

Low level arsenic promotes progressive inflammatory angiogenesis and liver blood vessel remodeling in mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Straub, Adam C.; Stolz, Donna B.; Vin, Harina; Ross, Mark A.; Soucy, Nicole V.; Klei, Linda R.; Barchowsky, Aaron

2007-01-01

The vascular effects of arsenic in drinking water are global health concerns contributing to human disease worldwide. Arsenic targets the endothelial cells lining blood vessels, and endothelial cell activation or dysfunction may underlie the pathogenesis of both arsenic-induced vascular diseases and arsenic-enhanced tumorigenesis. The purpose of the current studies was to demonstrate that exposing mice to drinking water containing environmentally relevant levels of arsenic promoted endothelial cell dysfunction and pathologic vascular remodeling. Increased angiogenesis, neovascularization, and inflammatory cell infiltration were observed in Matrigel plugs implanted in C57BL/6 mice following 5-week exposures to 5-500 ppb arsenic [Soucy, N.V., Mayka, D., Klei, L.R., Nemec, A.A., Bauer, J.A., Barchowsky, A., 2005. Neovascularization and angiogenic gene expression following chronic arsenic exposure in mice. Cardiovasc.Toxicol 5, 29-42]. Therefore, functional in vivo effects of arsenic on endothelial cell function and vessel remodeling in an endogenous vascular bed were investigated in the liver. Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC) became progressively defenestrated and underwent capillarization to decrease vessel porosity following exposure to 250 ppb arsenic for 2 weeks. Sinusoidal expression of PECAM-1 and laminin-1 proteins, a hallmark of capillarization, was also increased by 2 weeks of exposure. LSEC caveolin-1 protein and caveolae expression were induced after 2 weeks of exposure indicating a compensatory change. Likewise, CD45/CD68-positive inflammatory cells did not accumulate in the livers until after LSEC porosity was decreased, indicating that inflammation is a consequence and not a cause of the arsenic-induced LSEC phenotype. The data demonstrate that the liver vasculature is an early target of pathogenic arsenic effects and that the mouse liver vasculature is a sensitive model for investigating vascular health effects of arsenic

Pulsatile blood flow, shear force, energy dissipation and Murray's Law

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bengtsson Hans-Uno

2006-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Murray's Law states that, when a parent blood vessel branches into daughter vessels, the cube of the radius of the parent vessel is equal to the sum of the cubes of the radii of daughter blood vessels. Murray derived this law by defining a cost function that is the sum of the energy cost of the blood in a vessel and the energy cost of pumping blood through the vessel. The cost is minimized when vessel radii are consistent with Murray's Law. This law has also been derived from the hypothesis that the shear force of moving blood on the inner walls of vessels is constant throughout the vascular system. However, this derivation, like Murray's earlier derivation, is based on the assumption of constant blood flow. Methods To determine the implications of the constant shear force hypothesis and to extend Murray's energy cost minimization to the pulsatile arterial system, a model of pulsatile flow in an elastic tube is analyzed. A new and exact solution for flow velocity, blood flow rate and shear force is derived. Results For medium and small arteries with pulsatile flow, Murray's energy minimization leads to Murray's Law. Furthermore, the hypothesis that the maximum shear force during the cycle of pulsatile flow is constant throughout the arterial system implies that Murray's Law is approximately true. The approximation is good for all but the largest vessels (aorta and its major branches of the arterial system. Conclusion A cellular mechanism that senses shear force at the inner wall of a blood vessel and triggers remodeling that increases the circumference of the wall when a shear force threshold is exceeded would result in the observed scaling of vessel radii described by Murray's Law.

PP096. The effect of preterm placental calcification on uteroplacental blood flow, fetal growth and perinatal outcome in hypertension complicating pregnancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, K-H; Chen, L-R

2012-07-01

Placental calcification is often found in pregnancy at term and regarded as a physiological aging process. However, its earlier presence, before 36weeks' gestation (preterm placental calcification) may have an unusual pathological implication [1-3]. This prospective cohort study aims to examine the effect of preterm placental calcification on uteroplacental blood flow, fetal growth and perinatal death (including intrauterine fetal death and neonatal death) in hypertension complicating pregnancy. Monthly ultrasound was performed starting at 28weeks' gestation to establish the diagnosis of Grade III placental calcification, with measurement of fetal growth and uteroplacental blood flow by Doppler velocimetry on the umbilical vessels at 34weeks' gestation. Participants (n=105) were classified into Group A (n=44), a hypertensive study group with notable preterm placental calcification at 28-36weeks' gestation, and Group B (n=61), a hypertensive control group without notable preterm placental calcification prior to 36weeks' gestation. Women who smoked or drank alcohol during their pregnancies, had multifetal gestations, or major fetal congenital anomalies were all excluded. In addition to the measurement of S/D ratio, poor uteroplacental blood flow was confirmed by absent or reversed end-diastolic velocity (AREDV). Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the risks of AREDV, poor fetal growth (IUGR) and perinatal death by calculating odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusted by maternal age, body mass index, economic status, co-morbidities (e.g. diabetes, marked anemia and placenta previa), type of delivery, and parity. In Group A, there is significant higher mean S/D ratio (3.80 Vs 3.28), as well as higher incidences of AREDV (28.2% Vs 10.5%), IUGR (45.5% Vs 26.2%), and perinatal deaths (20.5% Vs 6.6%) than those in Group B (pgrowth and perinatal death. Being an ominous sign, it may precede poor uteroplacental blood flow, fetal growth and

The influence of surrogate blood vessels on the impact response of a physical model of the brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Parnaik, Yednesh; Beillas, Philippe; Demetropoulos, Constantine K; Hardy, Warren N; Yang, King H; King, Albert I

2004-11-01

Cerebral blood vessels are an integral part of the brain and may play a role in the response of the brain to impact. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effects of surrogate vessels on the deformation patterns of a physical model of the brain under various impact conditions. Silicone gel and tubing were used as surrogates for brain tissue and blood vessels, respectively. Two aluminum cylinders representing a coronal section of the brain were constructed. One cylinder was filled with silicone gel only, and the other was filled with silicone gel and silicone tubing arranged in the radial direction in the peripheral region. An array of markers was embedded in the gel in both cylinders to facilitate strain calculation via high-speed video analysis. Both cylinders were simultaneously subjected to a combination of linear and angular acceleration using a two-segment pendulum. Marker motion was tracked, and maximum shear strain (MSS) and maximum principal strain (MPS) were calculated using markers clustered in groups of three. Four test series were conducted. Peak angular acceleration varied from 2,600 to 26,000 rad/s2, and peak angular speed varied from 17 to 29 rad/s. For a given impact condition, the test-to-test variation of these values was less than 5.5%. For all clusters, the peak MSS and peak MPS for both physical models were less than 26% and 32%, respectively. For 90% of the cluster locations, the absolute value of the difference in peak MSS and peak MPS between the physical models was 4% and 6%, respectively. In the physical model with tubing, strain tended to decrease in the periphery (near to the tubing), while it tended to increase toward the center (away from the tubing). Strain amplitudes were found to be sensitive to the peak angular speeds. In general, this study suggests that the vasculature could influence the deformation response of the brain.

Alteration of pulmonary blood flow in tetralogy of Fallot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashimoto, Kazuhiro; Matsui, Michihiko; Kurosawa, Hiromi; Arai, Tatsuta; Nakamura, Yuzuru.

1992-01-01

The pulmonary blood distribution was examined in 17 patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) pre and postoperatively with macroaggregates of 99m TC-labeled human serum albumin. Most of the patients with TOF demonstrated an abnormal preoperative distribution pattern. The abnormalities included not only an unbalanced distribution between the right and left lungs but also a maldistribution of peripheral vessels in each lung. The right/left lung counts ratio and pulmonary peripheral index (calculated in order to express the severity of peripheral maldistribution) correlated neither to the diameter nor the cross-sectional area of either right or left pulmonary arteries which were measured angiographically. Postoperatively, the pulmonary blood was shunted toward the developed side of the lung which further contributed to maldistribution of blood flow and unbalanced pulmonary growth. Since the patients with an unbalanced pulmonary blood distribution demonstrated a higher right ventricular pressure one year after the operation, a palliative operation facilitating the growth of the underdeveloped side of the lung might be considered as an effective procedure to precede intracardiac repair. (author)

Erratum to: Ungersma SE, Pacheco G, Ho C, Yee SF, Ross J, van Bruggen N, Peale FV Jr, Ross S, Carano RA. Vessel imaging with viable tumor analysis for quantification of tumor angiogenesis. Magn Reson Med 2010;63:1637–1647.

Science.gov (United States)

Ungersma, Sharon E; Pacheco, Glenn; Ho, Calvin; Yee, Sharon Fong; Ross, Jed; van Bruggen, Nicholas; Peale, Franklin V; Ross, Sarajane; Carano, Richard A D

2011-03-01

Imaging of tumor microvasculature has become an important tool for studying angiogenesis and monitoring antiangiogenic therapies. Ultrasmall paramagnetic iron oxide contrast agents for indirect imaging of vasculature offer a method for quantitative measurements of vascular biomarkers such as vessel size index, blood volume, and vessel density (Q). Here, this technique is validated with direct comparisons to ex vivo micro-computed tomography angiography and histologic vessel measurements, showing significant correlations between in vivo vascular MRI measurements and ex vivo structural vessel measurements. The sensitivity of the MRI vascular parameters is also demonstrated, in combination with a multispectral analysis technique for segmenting tumor tissue to restrict the analysis to viable tumor tissue and exclude regions of necrosis. It is shown that this viable tumor segmentation increases sensitivity for detection of significant effects on blood volume and Q by two antiangiogenic therapeutics [anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) and anti-neuropilin-1] on an HM7 colorectal tumor model. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor reduced blood volume by 36±3% (p<0.0001) and Q by 52±3% (p<0.0001) at 48 h post-treatment; the effects of anti-neuropilin-1 were roughly half as strong with a reduction in blood volume of 18±6% (p<0.05) and a reduction in Q of 33±5% (p<0.05) at 48 h post-treatment.

Experimental and numerical investigations of stable crack growth of axial surface flaws in a pressure vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brocks, W.; Krafka, H.; Mueller, W.; Wobst, K.

1988-01-01

In connection with the problem of the transferability of parameters obtained experimentally with the help of fracture-mechanical test specimens and used for the initiation and the stable propagation of cracks in cases of pulsating stress and of the elasto-plastic behaviour of construction components, a pressure vessel with an inside diameter of 1500 mm, a cylindrical length of 3000 mm and a wall thickness of 40 mm was hydraulically loaded with the help of internal pressure in the first stage, to attain an average crack growth of 1 mm at Δ a ≅, the loading taking place at about 21deg C. This stress-free annealed vessel exhibited an axial semielliptical vibration-induced surface crack about 181 mm long and 20 mm deep, as a test defect, in a welded circular blank made of the steel 20MnMoNi 55. The fractographic analysis of the first stable crack revealed that its growth rate of Δa was highest in the area of transition from the weak to the strong bend of the crack front (55deg m /σ v (average principal stress: σ m , Mises' reference stress: σ v v). A comparison of the experimental with the numerical results from the first stable crack shows that the local stable crack growth Δa cannot be calculated solely with reference to J, because Δa appears to depend essentially on the quotient σ m /σ v . (orig./MM) [de

Blood Clotting and Pregnancy

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... Blood Clots Blood Clotting and Pregnancy Clots and Travel DVT Myths vs. Facts Blood Disorder Fact Sheets ... that occurs when a DVT breaks off and travels to the blood vessels of the lungs. DVT ...

A confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope for retinal vessel oximetry

Science.gov (United States)

Lompado, Arthur

Measurement of a person's blood oxygen saturation has long been recognized as a useful metric for the characterizing ailments ranging from chronic respiratory disorders to acute, potentially life threatening, traumas. The ubiquity of oxygen saturation monitors in the medical field, including portable pulse oximeters and laboratory based CO-oximeters, is a testament to the importance of this technique. The work presented here documents the design, fabrication and development of a unique type of oxygen saturation monitor, a confocal scanning retinal vessel oximeter, with the potential to expand the usefulness of the present devices. A large part of the knowledge base required to construct the instrument comes from the consideration of light scattering by red blood cells in a blood vessel. Therefore, a substantial portion of this work is devoted to the process of light scattering by whole human blood and its effects on the development of a more accurate oximeter. This light scattering effect has been both measured and modeled stochastically to determine its contribution to the measured oximeter signal. It is shown that, although well accepted in the published literature, the model only correlates marginally to the measurements due to inherent limitations imposed by the model assumptions. Nonetheless, enough material has been learned about the scattering to allow development of a mathematical model for the interaction of light with blood in a vessel, and this knowledge has been applied to the data reduction of the present oximeter. This data reduction technique has been tested in a controlled experiment employing a model eye with a blood filled mock retinal vessel. It will be shown that the presently developed technique exhibited strong correlation between the known blood oxygen saturation and that calculated by the new system.

Analytical prediction of the heat transfer from a blood vessel near the skin surface when cooled by a symmetrical cooling strip

Science.gov (United States)

Chato, J. C.; Shitzer, A.

1971-01-01

An analytical method was developed to estimate the amount of heat extracted from an artery running close to the skin surface which is cooled in a symmetrical fashion by a cooling strip. The results indicate that the optimum width of a cooling strip is approximately three times the depth to the centerline of the artery. The heat extracted from an artery with such a strip is about 0.9 w/m-C which is too small to affect significantly the temperature of the blood flow through a main blood vessel, such as the carotid artery. The method is applicable to veins as well.

Agmatine Modulation of Noradrenergic Neurotransmission in Isolated Rat Blood Vessels.

Science.gov (United States)

Török, Jozef; Zemančíková, Anna

2016-06-30

Agmatine, a vasoactive metabolite of L-arginine, is widely distributed in mammalian tissues including blood vessels. Agmatine binding to imidazoline and α₂-adrenoceptors induces a variety of physiological and pharmacological effects. We investigated the effect of agmatine on contractile responses of the rat pulmonary artery and portal vein induced by electrical stimulation of perivascular nerves and by exogenous adrenergic substances. Experiments were performed on isolated segments of rat main pulmonary artery and its extralobular branches, and portal vein suspended in organ bath containing modified Krebs bicarbonate solution and connected to a force-displacement transducer for isometric tension recording. Electrical field stimulation (EFS) produced tetrodotoxin-sensitive contractile responses of pulmonary artery and portal vein. Besides the well known vasorelaxant actions, we found that agmatine also produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of neurogenic contractions induced by EFS in pulmonary arteries; however, the agmatine treatment did not influence the responses to exogenous noradrenaline. The inhibitory effect on EFS-induced contractions was not abolished by the α₂-adrenoceptor antagonist rauwolscine. In portal vein, in contrast, agmatine increased spontaneous mechanical contractions and enhanced the contractions induced by EFS. The results suggest that agmatine can significantly influence vascular function of pulmonary arteries and portal veins by modulating sympathetically mediated vascular contractions by pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms.

Specific corrosion product on interior surface of a bronze wine vessel with loop-handle and its growth mechanism, Shang Dynasty, China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Yang; Bao Zhirong; Wu Taotao [School of Physics and Technology, Center for Electron Microscopy and MOE Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Jiang, Junchun [Xiaogan Museum, Xiaogan 432000 (China); Chen Guantao [Center for Archaeometry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Pan Chunxu, E-mail: cxpan@whu.edu.cn [School of Physics and Technology, Center for Electron Microscopy and MOE Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Center for Archaeometry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China)

2012-06-15

In this paper, a kind of specific stalactitic product was found on the interior surface of a covered bronze wine vessel with loop-handle (Chinese name is you), which was fabricated in Shang Dynasty (1700 B.C.-1100 B.C.) and now is collected in Xiaogan Museum, Hubei province of China. The microstructures of the product were characterized systematically by using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and Raman microscopy. The experimental results revealed that the product belonged to a kind of malachite with high purity and high crystallinity. The growth of the product was considered to be a possible reason that the vessel was overly airtight within a museum display cabinet besides a lid of the vessel, which made the excess of H{sub 2}O and CO{sub 2} gas concentrations inside the vessel during long-term storage. This corrosion product is very harmful to bronze cultural relics, because of a large amount of copper consumption from the matrix which will reduce its life. The growth mechanism of the specific stalactitic product and the suggestions for preservation of the similar bronze relics in museum were proposed. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The stalactitic product was the high purity and good crystallinity malachite. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Its growth was related to the excess of H{sub 2}O and CO{sub 2} gas concentrations in museum. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It is harmful to the bronzes, because copper will be consumed from the matrix. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The suggestions for preservation of the similar bronzes in museum were proposed.

Preliminary fracture analysis on the integrity of HSST intermediate test vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zahoor, A.; Paris, P.C.

1980-01-01

Whenever pressure in the vessels is such that the vessel has not yielded the indication is for stable crack growth. With higher pressures which cause full thickness yielding there is unstable crack growth

Retinal blood vessel segmentation in high resolution fundus photographs using automated feature parameter estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Orlando, José Ignacio; Fracchia, Marcos; del Río, Valeria; del Fresno, Mariana

2017-11-01

Several ophthalmological and systemic diseases are manifested through pathological changes in the properties and the distribution of the retinal blood vessels. The characterization of such alterations requires the segmentation of the vasculature, which is a tedious and time-consuming task that is infeasible to be performed manually. Numerous attempts have been made to propose automated methods for segmenting the retinal vasculature from fundus photographs, although their application in real clinical scenarios is usually limited by their ability to deal with images taken at different resolutions. This is likely due to the large number of parameters that have to be properly calibrated according to each image scale. In this paper we propose to apply a novel strategy for automated feature parameter estimation, combined with a vessel segmentation method based on fully connected conditional random fields. The estimation model is learned by linear regression from structural properties of the images and known optimal configurations, that were previously obtained for low resolution data sets. Our experiments in high resolution images show that this approach is able to estimate appropriate configurations that are suitable for performing the segmentation task without requiring to re-engineer parameters. Furthermore, our combined approach reported state of the art performance on the benchmark data set HRF, as measured in terms of the F1-score and the Matthews correlation coefficient.

Renal blood flow and oxygenation drive nephron progenitor differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Rymer, Christopher; Paredes, Jose; Halt, Kimmo; Schaefer, Caitlin; Wiersch, John; Zhang, Guangfeng; Potoka, Douglas; Vainio, Seppo; Gittes, George K; Bates, Carlton M; Sims-Lucas, Sunder

2014-08-01

During kidney development, the vasculature develops via both angiogenesis (branching from major vessels) and vasculogenesis (de novo vessel formation). The formation and perfusion of renal blood vessels are vastly understudied. In the present study, we investigated the regulatory role of renal blood flow and O2 concentration on nephron progenitor differentiation during ontogeny. To elucidate the presence of blood flow, ultrasound-guided intracardiac microinjection was performed, and FITC-tagged tomato lectin was perfused through the embryo. Kidneys were costained for the vasculature, ureteric epithelium, nephron progenitors, and nephron structures. We also analyzed nephron differentiation in normoxia compared with hypoxia. At embryonic day 13.5 (E13.5), the major vascular branches were perfused; however, smaller-caliber peripheral vessels remained unperfused. By E15.5, peripheral vessels started to be perfused as well as glomeruli. While the interior kidney vessels were perfused, the peripheral vessels (nephrogenic zone) remained unperfused. Directly adjacent and internal to the nephrogenic zone, we found differentiated nephron structures surrounded and infiltrated by perfused vessels. Furthermore, we determined that at low O2 concentration, little nephron progenitor differentiation was observed; at higher O2 concentrations, more differentiation of the nephron progenitors was induced. The formation of the developing renal vessels occurs before the onset of blood flow. Furthermore, renal blood flow and oxygenation are critical for nephron progenitor differentiation. Copyright © 2014 the American Physiological Society.

Lymphatic vessels assessment in feline mammary tumours

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarli, Giuseppe; Sassi, Francesco; Brunetti, Barbara; Rizzo, Antonio; Diracca, Laura; Benazzi, Cinzia

2007-01-01

The lymphatic vessels play a crucial role in a variety of human cancers since tumour cell lymphatic invasion significantly influences prognosis. It is not known if pre-existing lymphatics are enough for tumour dissemination or de novo development is necessary. VEGFR-3 is an angiogenetic mediator for both lymphatic and blood vessels during embryonic development, and only for lymphatics after birth. VEGF is a mediator of both vasculogenesis and angiogenesis, regulates the growth of lymphatics in various experimental models, and is produced in many solid tumours. CD44 mediates hyaluronic acid (HA)-dependent cell adhesion: besides promoting invasion, this interaction also supports neoangiogenesis that indirectly stimulates tumour cell proliferation. The expression of VEGF-C (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor – C), its receptor VEGFR-3 and CD44, were studied on feline mammary samples to assess the importance of lymphangiogenesis and lymphangiotrophism in neoplasia. Samples were taken from six normal mammary glands (NMG), ten benign (BT) and 32 malignant (MT) tumours. Immunohistochemical laminin/VEGFR-3 double stain, VEGF-C and CD44 stains were applied to 4 μm-thick sections, and their expression evaluated in intratumoral/extratumoral and intramammary/extramammary fields. All groups revealed a higher number of lymphatics in the extratumoral/extramammary areas. VEGF-C expression in the epithelium paralleled the number of positive vessels in the NMG, BT and MT, whereas VEGF-C higher expression was noted in the intratumoral fields only in infiltrating MT. CD44 score was lower in extratumoral than intratumoral fields in tumours and showed a significant increase in extramammary/extratumoral fields from NMG to MT. Pearson test showed a significant and inversely proportional correlation between CD44 expression and the number of lymphatic vessels with VEGFR-3 in malignant infiltrating tumours. The number of both VEGFR-3 positive and negative lymphatics in the extratumoral

Galectin-1 Inhibitor OTX008 Induces Tumor Vessel Normalization and Tumor Growth Inhibition in Human Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Models.

Science.gov (United States)

Koonce, Nathan A; Griffin, Robert J; Dings, Ruud P M

2017-12-09

Galectin-1 is a hypoxia-regulated protein and a prognostic marker in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). Here we assessed the ability of non-peptidic galectin-1 inhibitor OTX008 to improve tumor oxygenation levels via tumor vessel normalization as well as tumor growth inhibition in two human HNSCC tumor models, the human laryngeal squamous carcinoma SQ20B and the human epithelial type 2 HEp-2. Tumor-bearing mice were treated with OTX008, Anginex, or Avastin and oxygen levels were determined by fiber-optics and molecular marker pimonidazole binding. Immuno-fluorescence was used to determine vessel normalization status. Continued OTX008 treatment caused a transient reoxygenation in SQ20B tumors peaking on day 14, while a steady increase in tumor oxygenation was observed over 21 days in the HEp-2 model. A >50% decrease in immunohistochemical staining for tumor hypoxia verified the oxygenation data measured using a partial pressure of oxygen (pO₂) probe. Additionally, OTX008 induced tumor vessel normalization as tumor pericyte coverage increased by approximately 40% without inducing any toxicity. Moreover, OTX008 inhibited tumor growth as effectively as Anginex and Avastin, except in the HEp-2 model where Avastin was found to suspend tumor growth. Galectin-1 inhibitor OTX008 transiently increased overall tumor oxygenation via vessel normalization to various degrees in both HNSCC models. These findings suggest that targeting galectin-1-e.g., by OTX008-may be an effective approach to treat cancer patients as stand-alone therapy or in combination with other standards of care.

Cannulation and continuous cross-sectional area measurement of small blood vessels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

VanBavel, E.; Mooij, T.; Giezeman, M. J.; Spaan, J. A.

1990-01-01

Techniques have been developed for the study of isolated small arteries. To pressurize and perfuse segments of these vessels, a cannula with a low resistance to flow was developed. This cannula consisted of two concentric micropipettes. The end of a vessel segment was sucked into the inner pipette

Beyond birth-weight: early growth and adolescent blood pressure in a Peruvian population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robie Sterling

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Background. Longitudinal investigations into the origins of adult essential hypertension have found elevated blood pressure in children to accurately track into adulthood, however the direct causes of essential hypertension in adolescence and adulthood remains unclear.Methods. We revisited 152 Peruvian adolescents from a birth cohort tracked from 0 to 30 months of age, and evaluated growth via monthly anthropometric measurements between 1995 and 1998, and obtained anthropometric and blood pressure measurements 11–14 years later. We used multivariable regression models to study the effects of infantile and childhood growth trends on blood pressure and central obesity in early adolescence.Results. In regression models adjusted for interim changes in weight and height, each 0.1 SD increase in weight for length from 0 to 5 months of age, and 1 SD increase from 6 to 30 months of age, was associated with decreased adolescent systolic blood pressure by 1.3 mm Hg (95% CI −2.4 to −0.1 and 2.5 mm Hg (95% CI −4.9 to 0.0, and decreased waist circumference by 0.6 (95% CI −1.1 to 0.0 and 1.2 cm (95% CI −2.3 to −0.1, respectively. Growth in infancy and early childhood was not significantly associated with adolescent waist-to-hip ratio.Conclusions. Rapid compensatory growth in early life has been posited to increase the risk of long-term cardiovascular morbidities such that nutritional interventions may do more harm than good. However, we found increased weight growth during infancy and early childhood to be associated with decreased systolic blood pressure and central adiposity in adolescence.

Thermographic venous blood flow characterization with external cooling stimulation

Science.gov (United States)

Saxena, Ashish; Ng, E. Y. K.; Raman, Vignesh

2018-05-01

Experimental characterization of blood flow in a human forearm is done with the application of continuous external cooling based active thermography method. Qualitative and quantitative detection of the blood vessel in a thermal image is done, along with the evaluation of blood vessel diameter, blood flow direction, and velocity in the target blood vessel. Subtraction based image manipulation is performed to enhance the feature contrast of the thermal image acquired after the removal of external cooling. To demonstrate the effect of occlusion diseases (obstruction), an external cuff based occlusion is applied after the removal of cooling and its effect on the skin rewarming is studied. Using external cooling, a transit time method based blood flow velocity estimation is done. From the results obtained, it is evident that an external cooling based active thermography method can be used to develop a diagnosis tool for superficial blood vessel diseases.

Theoretical modelling of physiologically stretched vessel in magnetisable stent assisted magnetic drug targeting application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mardinoglu, Adil; Cregg, P.J.; Murphy, Kieran; Curtin, Maurice; Prina-Mello, Adriele

2011-01-01

The magnetisable stent assisted magnetic targeted drug delivery system in a physiologically stretched vessel is considered theoretically. The changes in the mechanical behaviour of the vessel are analysed under the influence of mechanical forces generated by blood pressure. In this 2D mathematical model a ferromagnetic, coiled wire stent is implanted to aid collection of magnetic drug carrier particles in an elastic tube, which has similar mechanical properties to the blood vessel. A cyclic mechanical force is applied to the elastic tube to mimic the mechanical stress and strain of both the stent and vessel while in the body due to pulsatile blood circulation. The magnetic dipole-dipole and hydrodynamic interactions for multiple particles are included and agglomeration of particles is also modelled. The resulting collection efficiency of the mathematical model shows that the system performance can decrease by as much as 10% due to the effects of the pulsatile blood circulation. - Research highlights: →Theoretical modelling of magnetic drug targeting on a physiologically stretched stent-vessel system. →Cyclic mechanical force applied to mimic the mechanical stress and strain of both stent and vessel. →The magnetic dipole-dipole and hydrodynamic interactions for multiple particles is modelled. →Collection efficiency of the mathematical model is calculated for different physiological blood flow and magnetic field strength.

Lack of evidence for an association between hemodynamic variables and hematoma growth in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage.

Science.gov (United States)

Jauch, Edward C; Lindsell, Christopher J; Adeoye, Opeolu; Khoury, Jane; Barsan, William; Broderick, Joseph; Pancioli, Arthur; Brott, Thomas

2006-08-01

Early hematoma expansion in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is associated with worse clinical outcome. We hypothesized that hemodynamic parameters are associated with the increase in hematoma volume owing to their relationship to blood vessel wall stresses. We performed a post hoc analysis of clinical and computed tomography (CT) data from patients enrolled in a prospective observational study of ICH patients presenting within 3 hours from symptom onset. Hematoma volumes were measured at hospital arrival and at 1 and 20 hours from presentation. Blood pressure and heart rate, recorded at 19 time points between presentation and 20 hours, were used to derive hemodynamic variables. Multivariable logistic-regression models were constructed to assess the relation between hemodynamic parameters and hematoma growth, adjusted for clinical covariates. From the original study, 98 patients underwent baseline and 1-hour CT scans; of these, 65 had 20-hour CT scans. Substantial hematoma growth was observed in 28% within the first hour. Of the 65 patients not undergoing surgery within 20 hours, 37% experienced hematoma growth by 20 hours. Neither baseline or peak hemodynamic parameters nor changes in hemodynamic parameters were significantly associated with hematoma growth at either 1 or 20 hours. We found no blood pressure or heart rate parameters, individually or in combination, that were associated with hematoma growth. Our data suggest the influence of hemodynamic parameters on vessel wall stress to be an unlikely target for intervention in reducing the risk of early hematoma growth in ICH.

Characterization of Imidazoline Receptors in Blood Vessels for the Development of Antihypertensive Agents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mei-Fen Chen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available It has been indicated that activation of peripheral imidazoline I2-receptor (I-2R may reduce the blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs. Also, guanidinium derivatives show the ability to activate imidazoline receptors. Thus, it is of special interest to characterize the I-2R using guanidinium derivatives in blood vessels for development of antihypertensive agent(s. Six guanidinium derivatives including agmatine, amiloride, aminoguanidine, allantoin, canavanine, and metformin were applied in this study. Western blot analysis was used for detecting the expression of imidazoline receptor in tissues of Wistar rats. The isometric tension of aortic rings isolated from male rats was also estimated. The expression of imidazoline receptor on rat aorta was identified. However, guanidinium derivatives for detection of aortic relaxation were not observed except agmatine and amiloride which induced a marked relaxation in isolated aortic rings precontracted with phenylephrine or KCl. Both relaxations induced by agmatine and amiloride were attenuated by glibenclamide at concentration enough to block ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP channels. Meanwhile, only agmatine-induced relaxation was abolished by BU224, a selective antagonist of imidazoline I2-receptors. Taken together, we suggest that agmatine can induce vascular relaxation through activation of peripheral imidazoline I2-receptor to open KATP channels. Thus, agmatine-like compound has the potential to develop as a new therapeutic agent for hypertension in the future.

Blood circulation in the ascidian tunicate Corella inflata (Corellidae)

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

The body of the ascidian tunicate Corella inflata is relatively transparent. Thus, the circulatory system can be visualized by injecting high molecular weight fluorescein labeled dextran into the heart or the large vessels at the ends of the heart without surgery to remove the body wall. In addition, after staining with neutral red, the movement of blood cells can be easily followed to further characterize the circulatory system. The heart is two gently curved concentric tubes extending across the width of the animal. The inner myocardial tube has a partial constriction approximately in the middle. As in other tunicates, the heart is peristaltic and periodically reverses direction. During the branchial phase blood leaves the anterior end of the heart by two asymmetric vessels that connect to the two sides of the branchial basket. Blood then flows in both transverse directions through a complex system of ducts in the basket into large ventral and dorsal vessels which carry blood back to the visceral organs in the posterior of the animal. During the visceral phase blood leaves the posterior end of the heart in two vessels that repeatedly bifurcate and fan into the stomach and gonads. Blood velocity, determined by following individual cells in video frames, is high and pulsatory near the heart. A double peak in velocity at the maximum may be due to the constriction in the middle of the heart tube. Blood velocity progressively decreases with distance from the heart. In peripheral regions with vessels of small diameter blood cells frequently collide with vessel walls and cell motion is erratic. The estimated volume of blood flow during each directional phase is greater than the total volume of the animal. Circulating blood cells are confined to vessels or ducts in the visible parts of the animal and retention of high molecular weight dextran in the vessels is comparable to that seen in vertebrates. These are characteristics of a closed circulatory system. PMID:27994977

The Physics of Coronary Blood Flow

CERN Document Server

Zamir, M

2005-01-01

Coronary blood flow is blood flow to the heart for its own metabolic needs. In the most common form of heart disease there is a disruption in this flow because of obstructive disease in the vessels that carry the flow. The subject of coronary blood flow is therefore associated mostly with the pathophysiology of this disease, rarely with dynamics or physics. Yet, the system responsible for coronary blood flow, namely the "coronary circulation," is a highly sophisticated dynamical system in which the dynamics and physics of the flow are as important as the integrity of the conducting vessels. While an obstruction in the conducting vessels is a fairly obvious and clearly visible cause of disruption in coronary blood flow, any discord in the complex dynamics of the system can cause an equally grave, though less conspicuous, disruption in the flow. This book is devoted specifically to the dynamics and physics of coronary blood flow. While relevance to the clinical and pathophysiological issues is clearly maintaine...

Mutation of p107 exacerbates the consequences of Rb loss in embryonic tissues and causes cardiac and blood vessel defects.

Science.gov (United States)

Berman, Seth D; West, Julie C; Danielian, Paul S; Caron, Alicia M; Stone, James R; Lees, Jacqueline A

2009-09-01

The retinoblastoma tumor-suppressor protein, pRb, is a member of the pocket protein family that includes p107 and p130. These proteins have well-defined roles in regulating entry into and exit from the cell cycle and also have cell cycle-independent roles in facilitating differentiation. Here we investigate the overlap between pocket protein's function during embryonic development by using conditional mutant alleles to generate Rb;p107 double-mutant embryos (DKOs) that develop in the absence of placental defects. These DKOs die between e13.5 and e14.5, much earlier than either the conditional Rb or the germline p107 single mutants, which survive to birth or are largely viable, respectively. Analyses of the e13.5 DKOs shows that p107 mutation exacerbates the phenotypes resulting from pRb loss in the central nervous system and lens, but not in the peripheral nervous system. In addition, these embryos exhibit novel phenotypes, including increased proliferation of blood vessel endothelial cells, and heart defects, including double-outlet right ventricle (DORV). The DORV is caused, at least in part, by a defect in blood vessel endothelial cells and/or heart mesenchymal cells. These findings demonstrate novel, overlapping functions for pRb and p107 in numerous murine tissues.

Optoacoustic measurements of human placenta and umbilical blood oxygenation

Science.gov (United States)

Nanovskaya, T. N.; Petrov, I. Y.; Petrov, Y.; Patrikeeva, S. L.; Ahmed, M. S.; Hankins, G. D. V.; Prough, D. S.; Esenaliev, R. O.

2016-03-01

Adequate oxygenation is essential for normal embryogenesis and fetal growth. Perturbations in the intrauterine oxidative environment during pregnancy are associated with several pathophysiological disorders such as pregnancy loss, preeclampsia, and intrauterine growth restriction. We proposed to use optoacoustic technology for monitoring placental and fetal umbilical blood oxygenation. In this work, we studied optoacoustic monitoring of oxygenation in placenta and umbilical cord blood ex vivo using technique of placenta perfusion. We used a medical grade, nearinfrared, tunable, optoacoustic system developed and built for oxygenation monitoring in blood vessels and in tissues. First, we calibrated the system for cord blood oxygenation measurements by using a CO-Oximeter (gold standard). Then we performed validation in cord blood circulating through the catheters localized on the fetal side of an isolated placental lobule. Finally, the oxygenation measurements were performed in the perfused placental tissue. To increase or decrease blood oxygenation, we used infusion of a gas mixture of 95% O2 + 5% CO2 and 95% N2 + 5% CO2, respectively. In placental tissue, up to four cycles of changes in oxygenation were performed. The optoacoustically measured oxygenation in circulating cord blood and in placental lobule closely correlated with the actual oxygenation data measured by CO-Oximeter. We plan to further test the placental and cord blood oxygenation monitoring with optoacoustics in animal and clinical studies.

Relationship between cord blood IGF-I, IGFBP-3 levels and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Suqing; Chu Kaiqiu; Chen Shengjie

2008-01-01

Objective: To study the cord blood insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and its binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) levels in neonates with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). Methods: Cord serum IGF-I (with RIA) and IGFBP-3 (with IRMA) levels were measured in 22 neonates with IUGR and 64 neonates with appropriate gestational age (AGA). Results: Cord blood IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels in IUGR neonates were significantly lower than those in AGA neonates (P<0.001). Among the 86 neonates studied in this article, 44 were born pre-term and 42 were born full term. From the data, we could see that the cord blood IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels in pre-term neonates were significantly lower than those in full-term neonates (P also <0.001). IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels were mutually positively correlated (P<0.01). Conclusion: Cord blood IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels were useful indicator of neonates growth. (authors)

The effect of interstitial pressure on tumor growth: coupling with the blood and lymphatic vascular systems

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Min; Frieboes, Hermann B.; McDougall, Steven R.; Chaplain, Mark A.J.; Cristini, Vittorio; Lowengrub, John

2013-01-01

The flow of interstitial fluid and the associated interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) in solid tumors and surrounding host tissues have been identified as critical elements in cancer growth and vascularization. Both experimental and theoretical studies have shown that tumors may present elevated IFP, which can be a formidable physical barrier for delivery of cell nutrients and small molecules into the tumor. Elevated IFP may also exacerbate gradients of biochemical signals such as angiogenic factors released by tumors into the surrounding tissues. These studies have helped to understand both biochemical signaling and treatment prognosis. Building upon previous work, here we develop a vascular tumor growth model by coupling a continuous growth model with a discrete angiogenesis model. We include fluid/oxygen extravasation as well as a continuous lymphatic field, and study the micro-environmental fluid dynamics and their effect on tumor growth by accounting for blood flow, transcapillary fluid flux, interstitial fluid flow, and lymphatic drainage. We thus elucidate further the non-trivial relationship between the key elements contributing to the effects of interstitial pressure in solid tumors. In particular, we study the effect of IFP on oxygen extravasation and show that small blood/lymphatic vessel resistance and collapse may contribute to lower transcapillary fluid/oxygen flux, thus decreasing the rate of tumor growth. We also investigate the effect of tumor vascular pathologies, including elevated vascular and interstitial hydraulic conductivities inside the tumor as well as diminished osmotic pressure differences, on the fluid flow across the tumor capillary bed, the lymphatic drainage, and the IFP. Our results reveal that elevated interstitial hydraulic conductivity together with poor lymphatic function is the root cause of the development of plateau profiles of the IFP in the tumor, which have been observed in experiments, and contributes to a more uniform

Study on the Changes in Enzyme and Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Concentrations in Blood Serum and Growth Characteristics of Velvet Antler during the Antler Growth Period in Sika Deer (

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaehyun Park

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This study was conducted to investigate changes in blood enzyme parameters and to evaluate the relationship between insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1, antler growth and body weight during the antler growth of sika deer (Cervus nippon. Serum enzyme activity and IGF-1 concentrations were measured in blood samples collected from the jugular and femoral veins at regular intervals during the antler growth period. Blood samples were taken in the morning from fasted stags (n = 12 which were healthy and showed no clinical signs of disease. Alfalfa was available ad libitum and concentrates were given at 1% of body weight to all stags. The experimental diet was provided at 9 am with water available at all times. There were no significant differences in alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase during antler growth, but alkaline phosphatase concentrations increased with antler growth progression, and the highest alkaline phosphatase concentration was obtained 55 days after antler casting. Serum IGF-1 concentrations measured from blood samples taken from the jugular vein during antler growth, determined that levels of IGF-1 was associated with body weight and antler growth patterns. Serum IGF-1 concentrations were higher at the antler cutting date than other sampling dates. Antler length increased significantly during antler growth (p<0.001, and there was a similar trend to between right and left beams. Body weight increased with antler growth but was not significant. Consequently it appeared that serum alkaline phosphatase concentration was related to antler growth and both antler growth and body weight were associated positively with IGF-1 concentrations during antler growth.

Orthostatic leg blood volume changes assessed by near-infrared spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Truijen, J; Kim, Y S; Krediet, C T P

2012-01-01

posture, volume accumulation in small blood vessels contributes significantly to the total fluid volume accumulated in the legs. Considering that near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) tracks postural blood volume changes within the small blood vessels of the lower leg, we evaluated the NIRS-determined changes......-linear accumulation of blood volume in the small vessels of the leg, with an initial fast phase followed by a more gradual increase at least partly contributing to the relocation of fluid during orthostatic stress....

Knockdown of Zebrafish Blood Vessel Epicardial Substance Results in Incomplete Retinal Lamination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Ching Wu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Cell polarity during eye development determines the normal retinal lamination and differentiation of photoreceptor cells in the retina. In vertebrates, blood vessel epicardial substance (Bves is known to play an important role in the formation and maintenance of the tight junctions essential for epithelial cell polarity. In the current study, we generated a transgenic zebrafish Bves (zbves promoter-EGFP zebrafish line to investigate the expression pattern of Bves in the retina and to study the role of zbves in retinal lamination. Immunostaining with different specific antibodies from retinal cells and transmission electron microscopy were used to identify the morphological defects in normal and Bves knockdown zebrafish. In normal zebrafish, Bves is located at the apical junctions of embryonic retinal neuroepithelia during retinogenesis; later, it is strongly expressed around inner plexiform layer (IPL and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE. In contrast, a loss of normal retinal lamination and cellular polarity was found with undifferentiated photoreceptor cells in Bves knockdown zebrafish. Herein, our results indicated that disruption of Bves will result in a loss of normal retinal lamination.

Evaluation of WWER-1000 vessel materials fracture toughness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grinik, Eh.U.; Revka, V.N.; Chirko, L.I.; Chajkovskij, Yu.V.

2007-01-01

The lifetime of WWER-1000-type reactor vessels is finally conditioned by the fracture toughness (crack growth resistance) of RPV materials. Up to now in line with the regulations the fracture toughness is characterized by the critical temperature of brittleness determined by the results of the Charpy specimen impact testing. Such approach is typical for all countries operating the water pressure reactors. However, regulatory approach is known from the western specialists not always to characterize adequately the crack growth resistance of the vessel materials and in some cases to underestimate their characteristics in the reference state that leads to unreasonably high conservatism. Excessive conservatism may lead to the invalid restrictions in the operating modes and the service life of the reactor vessel. Therefore there appeared the necessity to apply another approaches based on the state-of-the-art experimental methods of the fracture mechanics and allowing evaluating the fracture toughness parameters sufficiently. The paper presents the results of the comparison of the regulatory approach and the Master curve approach from the point of view of the adequate determination of the vessel material crack growth resistance parameters. Analysis of the experimental data of the surveillance specimens illustrated the potential possibility of applying the new statistical method for the WWER-1000- type reactor vessel lifetime extension

Involvement of calcitonin gene-related peptide in migraine: regional cerebral blood flow and blood flow velocity in migraine patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lassen, L.H.; Jacobsen, V.B.; Haderslev, P.A.

2008-01-01

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-containing nerves are closely associated with cranial blood vessels. CGRP is the most potent vasodilator known in isolated cerebral blood vessels. CGRP can induce migraine attacks, and two selective CGRP receptor antagonists are effective in the treatment...

A new resorbable device for ligation of blood vessels - A pilot study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Borg Niklas

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background During surgery, controlled haemostasis to prevent blood loss is vital for a successful outcome. It can be difficult to ligate vessels located deep in the abdomen. A device that is easy to use and enables secure ligatures could be beneficial. Cable ties made of nylon have been used for ligation but the non-resorbable material caused tissue reactions. The objective of this study was to use a resorbable material to construct a device with a self-locking mechanism and to test its mechanical strength and ligation efficiency. Methods The device was manufactured by injection moulding of polydioxanone, a resorbable polymer used for suture materials. Polydioxanone with inherent viscosities of 1.9 dL/g and 1.3 dL/g were tested. The device consisted of a perforated flexible band which could be pulled through a case with a locking mechanism. After a first version of the device had been tested, some improvements were made. The locking case was downsized, corners were rounded off, the band was made thicker and the mould was redesigned to produce longer devices. Tensile tests were performed with the second version. The first version of the device was used to ligate the ovarian pedicle in a euthanized dog and to test echogenicity of the device with ultrasound. Compression of vessels of the ovarian pedicle was examined by histology. Both versions of the device were tested for haemostasis of and tissue grip on renal arteries in six anaesthetised pigs. Results The tensile strength of the flexible band of the devices with inherent viscosity of 1.9 dL/g was 50.1 ± 5.5 N (range 35.2-62.9 N, n = 11 and the devices with inherent viscosity of 1.3 dL/g had a tensile strength of 39.8 ± 8.1 N (range 18.6-54.2 N, n = 11. Injection moulding of the polymer with lower inherent viscosity resulted in a longer flow distance. Both versions of the device had an effective tissue grip and complete haemostasis of renal arteries was verified. The device attached

Intravital two-photon microscopy of immune cell dynamics in corneal lymphatic vessels.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philipp Steven

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The role of lymphatic vessels in tissue and organ transplantation as well as in tumor growth and metastasis has drawn great attention in recent years. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We now developed a novel method using non-invasive two-photon microscopy to simultaneously visualize and track specifically stained lymphatic vessels and autofluorescent adjacent tissues such as collagen fibrils, blood vessels and immune cells in the mouse model of corneal neovascularization in vivo. The mouse cornea serves as an ideal tissue for this technique due to its easy accessibility and its inducible and modifiable state of pathological hem- and lymphvascularization. Neovascularization was induced by suture placement in corneas of Balb/C mice. Two weeks after treatment, lymphatic vessels were stained intravital by intrastromal injection of a fluorescently labeled LYVE-1 antibody and the corneas were evaluated in vivo by two-photon microscopy (TPM. Intravital TPM was performed at 710 nm and 826 nm excitation wavelengths to detect immunofluorescence and tissue autofluorescence using a custom made animal holder. Corneas were then harvested, fixed and analyzed by histology. Time lapse imaging demonstrated the first in vivo evidence of immune cell migration into lymphatic vessels and luminal transport of individual cells. Cells immigrated within 1-5.5 min into the vessel lumen. Mean velocities of intrastromal corneal immune cells were around 9 µm/min and therefore comparable to those of T-cells and macrophages in other mucosal surfaces. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge we here demonstrate for the first time the intravital real-time transmigration of immune cells into lymphatic vessels. Overall this study demonstrates the valuable use of intravital autofluorescence two-photon microscopy in the model of suture-induced corneal vascularizations to study interactions of immune and subsequently tumor cells with lymphatic vessels under close as possible

Multilayer Pressure Vessel Materials Testing and Analysis Phase 2

Science.gov (United States)

Popelar, Carl F.; Cardinal, Joseph W.

2014-01-01

To provide NASA with a suite of materials strength, fracture toughness and crack growth rate test results for use in remaining life calculations for the vessels described above, Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®) was contracted in two phases to obtain relevant material property data from a representative vessel. An initial characterization of the strength, fracture and fatigue crack growth properties was performed in Phase 1. Based on the results and recommendations of Phase 1, a more extensive material property characterization effort was developed in this Phase 2 effort. This Phase 2 characterization included additional strength, fracture and fatigue crack growth of the multilayer vessel and head materials. In addition, some more limited characterization of the welds and heat affected zones (HAZs) were performed. This report

Streaming flow from ultrasound contrast agents by acoustic waves in a blood vessel model.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Eunjin; Chung, Sang Kug; Rhee, Kyehan

2015-09-01

To elucidate the effects of streaming flow on ultrasound contrast agent (UCA)-assisted drug delivery, streaming velocity fields from sonicated UCA microbubbles were measured using particle image velocimetry (PIV) in a blood vessel model. At the beginning of ultrasound sonication, the UCA bubbles formed clusters and translated in the direction of the ultrasound field. Bubble cluster formation and translation were faster with 2.25MHz sonication, a frequency close to the resonance frequency of the UCA. Translation of bubble clusters induced streaming jet flow that impinged on the vessel wall, forming symmetric vortices. The maximum streaming velocity was about 60mm/s at 2.25MHz and decreased to 15mm/s at 1.0MHz for the same acoustic pressure amplitude. The effect of the ultrasound frequency on wall shear stress was more noticeable. Maximum wall shear stress decreased from 0.84 to 0.1Pa as the ultrasound frequency decreased from 2.25 to 1.0MHz. The maximum spatial gradient of the wall shear stress also decreased from 1.0 to 0.1Pa/mm. This study showed that streaming flow was induced by bubble cluster formation and translation and was stronger upon sonication by an acoustic wave with a frequency near the UCA resonance frequency. Therefore, the secondary radiant force, which is much stronger at the resonance frequency, should play an important role in UCA-assisted drug delivery. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sensing of Vascular Permeability in Inflamed Vessel of Live Animal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sang A Park

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Increase in vascular permeability is a conclusive response in the progress of inflammation. Under controlled conditions, leukocytes are known to migrate across the vascular barriers to the sites of inflammation without severe vascular rupture. However, when inflammatory state becomes excessive, the leakage of blood components may occur and can be lethal. Basically, vascular permeability can be analyzed based on the intensity of blood outflow. To evaluate the amount and rate of leakage in live mice, we performed cremaster muscle exteriorization to visualize blood flow and neutrophil migration. Using two-photon intravital microscopy of the exteriorized cremaster muscle venules, we found that vascular barrier function is transiently and locally disrupted in the early stage of inflammatory condition induced by N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP. Measurement of the concentration of intravenously (i.v. injected Texas Red dextran inside and outside the vessels resulted in clear visualization of real-time increases in transient and local vascular permeability increase in real-time manner. We successfully demonstrated repeated leakage from a target site on a blood vessel in association with increasing severity of inflammation. Therefore, compared to other methods, two-photon intravital microscopy more accurately visualizes and quantifies vascular permeability even in a small part of blood vessels in live animals in real time.

[Telescopic adhesive anastomosis of small blood vessel applied in formation of arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis].

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, G; Leng, Y; Rong, G

1997-03-01

The formation of an arteriovenous fistual for dialysis by routine interrupted sutures anastomosing the vein and artery is difficult to perform and time-consuming. A new method, telescopic adhesive anastomosis was studied and applied in 10 hemodialysis patients, who were in need of an arteriovenous fistula. The external diameter of the vessels anastomosed was 2.40 +/- 0.20 mm (radial artery) or 2.40 +/- 0.35 mm (cephalic vein). After thorough debridement of the vascular ends, the arterial end was put in the venous lumen. In order to fix the telescopic vessels, two stitches were applied 180 degrees apart from each other and tied. Each stitch was inserted from vein (penetrating the whole wall) to artery (just through the adventitia and partial thickness of the media vasorum). The distance from the stitch to the edge of the vein was 0.5 mm, and that of the artery was approximated to the external diameter of the vessle. The medical adhesive was then applied for sealing the anastomotic adventitia. Ten seconds were given for the solidification of the adhesive. The patients were followed up for 8 months. The patency rate was 100%, and the rate of blood flow was more than 300 ml/min (measured by ultrasonography). It was shown that this method could be managed easily and quickly, and the so-formed fistula would fulfill the need of hemodialysis.

Development of an in silico stochastic 4D model of tumor growth with angiogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Forster, Jake C; Douglass, Michael J J; Harriss-Phillips, Wendy M; Bezak, Eva

2017-04-01

A stochastic computer model of tumour growth with spatial and temporal components that includes tumour angiogenesis was developed. In the current work it was used to simulate head and neck tumour growth. The model also provides the foundation for a 4D cellular radiotherapy simulation tool. The model, developed in Matlab, contains cell positions randomised in 3D space without overlap. Blood vessels are represented by strings of blood vessel units which branch outwards to achieve the desired tumour relative vascular volume. Hypoxic cells have an increased cell cycle time and become quiescent at oxygen tensions less than 1 mmHg. Necrotic cells are resorbed. A hierarchy of stem cells, transit cells and differentiated cells is considered along with differentiated cell loss. Model parameters include the relative vascular volume (2-10%), blood oxygenation (20-100 mmHg), distance from vessels to the onset of necrosis (80-300 μm) and probability for stem cells to undergo symmetric division (2%). Simulations were performed to observe the effects of hypoxia on tumour growth rate for head and neck cancers. Simulations were run on a supercomputer with eligible parts running in parallel on 12 cores. Using biologically plausible model parameters for head and neck cancers, the tumour volume doubling time varied from 45 ± 5 days (n = 3) for well oxygenated tumours to 87 ± 5 days (n = 3) for severely hypoxic tumours. The main achievements of the current model were randomised cell positions and the connected vasculature structure between the cells. These developments will also be beneficial when irradiating the simulated tumours using Monte Carlo track structure methods. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Requirement of vasculogenesis and blood circulation in late stages of liver growth in zebrafish

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wohland Thorsten

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Early events in vertebrate liver development have been the major focus in previous studies, however, late events of liver organogenesis remain poorly understood. Liver vasculogenesis in vertebrates occurs through the interaction of endoderm-derived liver epithelium and mesoderm-derived endothelial cells (ECs. In zebrafish, although it has been found that ECs are not required for liver budding, how and when the spatio-temporal pattern of liver growth is coordinated with ECs remains to be elucidated. Results To study the process of liver development and vasculogenesis in vivo, a two-color transgenic zebrafish line Tg(lfabf:dsRed; elaA:EGFP was generated and named LiPan for liver-specific expression of DsRed RFP and exocrine pancreas-specific expression of GFP. Using the LiPan line, we first followed the dynamic development of liver from live embryos to adult and showed the formation of three distinct yet connected liver lobes during development. The LiPan line was then crossed with Tg(fli1:EGFPy1 and vascular development in the liver was traced in vivo. Liver vasculogenesis started at 55–58 hpf when ECs first surrounded hepatocytes from the liver bud surface and then invaded the liver to form sinusoids and later the vascular network. Using a novel non-invasive and label-free fluorescence correction spectroscopy, we detected blood circulation in the liver starting at ~72 hpf. To analyze the roles of ECs and blood circulation in liver development, both cloche mutants (lacking ECs and Tnnt2 morphants (no blood circulation were employed. We found that until 70 hpf liver growth and morphogenesis depended on ECs and nascent sinusoids. After 72 hpf, a functional sinusoidal network was essential for continued liver growth. An absence of blood circulation in Tnnt2 morphants caused defects in liver vasculature and small liver. Conclusion There are two phases of liver development in zebrafish, budding and growth. In the growth phase

Holographic and acoustic emission evaluation of pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyd, D.M.

1980-01-01

Optical holographic interfereometry and acoustic emission monitoring were simultaneously used to evaluate two small, high pressure vessels during pressurization. The techniques provide pressure vessel designers with both quantitative information such as displacement/strain measurements and qualitative information such as flaw detection. The data from the holographic interferograms were analyzed for strain profiles. The acoustic emission signals were monitored for crack growth and vessel quality

Blood flow determinations utilizing digital densitometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lois, F.; Mankovich, N.J.; Gomes, A.S.

1987-01-01

A method of obtaining relative and absolute blood flow measurements from digital densitometry was evaluated with a simulated vessel phantom and a hydrodynamic model. A digital vascular imaging system capable of acquisition in 512 2 and 1024 2 mode was used. Relative and absolute blood flow were measured using parameters derived from the densitometric curve. Since application of densitometric data to absolute flow measurements requires the vessel diameter, an algorithm for vessel size determination was created. Gray scale changes were demonstrated to be linearly related to contrast concentration. The variance of vessel size determination was significantly different in all combinations of 1024 2 and 512 2 imaging with 15 cm or 35 cm field size. The error in vessel size determination was significantly less using the larger 1024 2 matrix and the smaller 15 cm image intensifier field size, as shown by the smaller variance. In relative flow determinations, there was good correlation between the flow and four parameters of the densitometric curve with no significant differences between 512 2 and 1024 2 imaging. Absolute flow determinations had slightly lower correlation to actual flow but were not significantly different from relative flow determinations. Relative and absolute blood flow determinations can be performed adequately with either 512 2 or 1024 2 imaging. The increased accuracy in vessel size determination with 1024 2 imaging makes this high resolution system potentially perferable to determine absolute blood flow. (orig.)

Smooth muscle cell recruitment to lymphatic vessels requires PDGFB and impacts vessel size but not identity.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yixin; Jin, Yi; Mäe, Maarja Andaloussi; Zhang, Yang; Ortsäter, Henrik; Betsholtz, Christer; Mäkinen, Taija; Jakobsson, Lars

2017-10-01

Tissue fluid drains through blind-ended lymphatic capillaries, via smooth muscle cell (SMC)-covered collecting vessels into venous circulation. Both defective SMC recruitment to collecting vessels and ectopic recruitment to lymphatic capillaries are thought to contribute to vessel failure, leading to lymphedema. However, mechanisms controlling lymphatic SMC recruitment and its role in vessel maturation are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGFB) regulates lymphatic SMC recruitment in multiple vascular beds. PDGFB is selectively expressed by lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) of collecting vessels. LEC-specific deletion of Pdgfb prevented SMC recruitment causing dilation and failure of pulsatile contraction of collecting vessels. However, vessel remodelling and identity were unaffected. Unexpectedly, Pdgfb overexpression in LECs did not induce SMC recruitment to capillaries. This was explained by the demonstrated requirement of PDGFB extracellular matrix (ECM) retention for lymphatic SMC recruitment, and the low presence of PDGFB-binding ECM components around lymphatic capillaries. These results demonstrate the requirement of LEC-autonomous PDGFB expression and retention for SMC recruitment to lymphatic vessels, and suggest an ECM-controlled checkpoint that prevents SMC investment of capillaries, which is a common feature in lymphedematous skin. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Improvements in the Quantitative Assessment of Cerebral Blood Volume and Flow with the Removal of Vessel Voxels from MR Perfusion Images

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Mu Huo Teng

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. To improve the quantitative assessment of cerebral blood volume (CBV and flow (CBF in the brain voxels from MR perfusion images. Materials and Methods. Normal brain parenchyma was automatically segmented with the time-to-peak criteria after cerebrospinal fluid removal and preliminary vessel voxel removal. Two scaling factors were calculated by comparing the relative CBV and CBF of the segmented normal brain parenchyma with the absolute values in the literature. Using the scaling factors, the relative values were converted to the absolute CBV and CBF. Voxels with either CBV > 8 mL/100 g or CBF > 100 mL/100 g/min were characterized as vessel voxels and were excluded from the quantitative measurements. Results. The segmented brain parenchyma with normal perfusion was consistent with the angiographic findings for each patient. We confirmed the necessity of dual thresholds including CBF and CBV for proper removal of vessel voxels. The scaling factors were 0.208 ± 0.041 for CBV, and 0.168 ± 0.037, 0.172 ± 0.037 for CBF calculated using standard and circulant singular value decomposition techniques, respectively. Conclusion. The automatic scaling and vessel removal techniques provide an alternative method for obtaining improved quantitative assessment of CBV and CBF in patients with thromboembolic cerebral arterial disease.

Inner ocular blood flow responses to an acute decrease in blood pressure in resting humans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikemura, Tsukasa; Kashima, Hideaki; Yamaguchi, Yuji; Miyaji, Akane; Hayashi, Naoyuki

2015-01-01

Whether inner ocular vessels have an autoregulatory response to acute fluctuations in blood pressure is unclear. We tried to examine the validity of acute hypotension elicited by thigh-cuff release as to assess the dynamic autoregulation in the ocular circulation. Blood flow velocity in the superior nasal and inferior temporal retinal arterioles, and in the retinal and choroidal vasculature were measured with the aid of laser speckle flowgraphy before and immediately after an acute decrease in blood pressure in 20 healthy subjects. Acute hypotension was induced by a rapid release of bilateral thigh occlusion cuffs that had been inflated to 220 mmHg for 2 min. The ratio of the relative change in retinal and choroidal blood flow velocity to the relative change in mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) was calculated. Immediately after cuff release, the MAP and blood flows in the all ocular target vessels decreased significantly from the baseline values obtained before thigh-cuff release. The ratio of the relative change in inner ocular blood flow velocity to that in the MAP exceeded 1% / %mmHg. An explicit dynamic autoregulation in inner ocular vessels cannot be demonstrated in response to an acute hypotension induced by the thigh-cuff release technique. (paper)

Erythropoietin-enhanced endothelial progenitor cell recruitment in peripheral blood and renal vessels during experimental acute kidney injury in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Cakiroglu, Figen; Enders-Comberg, Sora Maria; Pagel, Horst; Rohwedel, Jürgen; Lehnert, Hendrik; Kramer, Jan

2016-03-01

Beneficial effects of erythropoietin (EPO) have been reported in acute kidney injury (AKI) when administered prior to induction of AKI. We studied the effects of EPO administration on renal function shortly after ischemic AKI. For this purpose, rats were subjected to renal ischemia for 30 min and EPO was administered at a concentration of 500 U/kg either i.v. as a single shot directly after ischemia or with an additional i.p. dose until 3 days after surgery. The results were compared with AKI rats without EPO application and a sham-operated group. Renal function was assessed by measurement of serum biochemical markers, histological grading, and using an isolated perfused kidney (IPK) model. Furthermore, we performed flow cytometry to analyze the concentration of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in the peripheral blood and renal vessels. Following EPO application, there was only a statistically non-significant tendency of serum creatinine and urea to improve, particularly after daily EPO application. Renal vascular resistance and the renal perfusion rate were not significantly altered. In the histological analysis, acute tubular necrosis was only marginally ameliorated following EPO administration. In summary, we could not demonstrate a significant improvement in renal function when EPO was applied after AKI. Interestingly, however, EPO treatment resulted in a highly significant increase in CD133- and CD34-positive EPC both in the peripheral blood and renal vessels. © 2015 International Federation for Cell Biology.

What is cerebral small vessel disease?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onodera, Osamu

2011-01-01

An accumulating amount of evidence suggests that the white matter hyperintensities on T 2 weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging predict an increased risk of dementia and gait disturbance. This state has been proposed as cerebral small vessel disease, including leukoaraiosis, Binswanger's disease, lacunar stroke and cerebral microbleeds. However, the concept of cerebral small vessel disease is still obscure. To understand the cerebral small vessel disease, the precise structure and function of cerebral small vessels must be clarified. Cerebral small vessels include several different arteries which have different anatomical structures and functions. Important functions of the cerebral small vessels are blood-brain barrier and perivasucular drainage of interstitial fluid from the brain parenchyma. Cerebral capillaries and glial endfeet, take an important role for these functions. However, the previous pathological investigations on cerebral small vessels have focused on larger arteries than capillaries. Therefore little is known about the pathology of capillaries in small vessel disease. The recent discoveries of genes which cause the cerebral small vessel disease indicate that the cerebral small vessel diseases are caused by a distinct molecular mechanism. One of the pathological findings in hereditary cerebral small vessel disease is the loss of smooth muscle cells, which is an also well-recognized finding in sporadic cerebral small vessel disease. Since pericytes have similar character with the smooth muscle cells, the pericytes should be investigated in these disorders. In addition, the loss of smooth muscle cells may result in dysfunction of drainage of interstitial fluid from capillaries. The precise correlation between the loss of smooth muscle cells and white matter disease is still unknown. However, the function that is specific to cerebral small vessel may be associated with the pathogenesis of cerebral small vessel disease. (author)

Novel Computerized Method for Measurement of Retinal Vessel Diameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hichem Guedri

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Several clinical studies reveal the relationship between alterations in the topologies of the human retinal blood vessel, the outcrop and the disease evolution, such as diabetic retinopathy, hypertensive retinopathy, and macular degeneration. Indeed, the detection of these vascular changes always has gaps. In addition, the manual steps are slow, which may be subjected to a bias of the perceiver. However, we can overcome these troubles using computer algorithms that are quicker and more accurate. This paper presents and investigates a novel method for measuring the blood vessel diameter in the retinal image. The proposed method is based on a thresholding segmentation and thinning step, followed by the characteristic point determination step by the Douglas-Peucker algorithm. Thereafter, it uses the active contours to detect vessel contour. Finally, Heron’s Formula is applied to assure the calculation of vessel diameter. The obtained results for six sample images showed that the proposed method generated less errors compared to other techniques, which confirms the high performance of the proposed method.

Endothelial Dll4 overexpression reduces vascular response and inhibits tumor growth and metastasization in vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Trindade, Alexandre; Djokovic, Dusan; Gigante, Joana; Mendonça, Liliana; Duarte, António

2017-03-14

The inhibition of Delta-like 4 (Dll4)/Notch signaling has been shown to result in excessive, nonfunctional vessel proliferation and significant tumor growth suppression. However, safety concerns emerged with the identification of side effects resulting from chronic Dll4/Notch blockade. Alternatively, we explored the endothelial Dll4 overexpression using different mouse tumor models. We used a transgenic mouse model of endothelial-specific Dll4 overexpression, previously produced. Growth kinetics and vascular histopathology of several types of solid tumors was evaluated, namely Lewis Lung Carcinoma xenografts, chemically-induced skin papillomas and RIP1-Tag2 insulinomas. We found that increased Dll4/Notch signaling reduces tumor growth by reducing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced endothelial proliferation, tumor vessel density and overall tumor blood supply. In addition, Dll4 overexpression consistently improved tumor vascular maturation and functionality, as indicated by increased vessel calibers, enhanced mural cell recruitment and increased network perfusion. Importantly, the tumor vessel normalization is not more effective than restricted vessel proliferation, but was found to prevent metastasis formation and allow for increased delivery to the tumor of concomitant chemotherapy, improving its efficacy. By reducing endothelial sensitivity to VEGF, these results imply that Dll4/Notch stimulation in tumor microenvironment could be beneficial to solid cancer patient treatment by reducing primary tumor size, improving tumor drug delivery and reducing metastization. Endothelial specific Dll4 overexpression thus appears as a promising anti-angiogenic modality that might improve cancer control.

Monitoring Your Blood Sugar Level

Science.gov (United States)

... and NutritionHealth Insurance: Understanding What It CoversHigh Homocysteine Level: How It Affects Your Blood VesselsUnderstanding Your Medical ... Health Resources Healthcare Management Monitoring Your Blood Sugar Level Monitoring Your Blood Sugar Level Share Print What ...

Fabrication of subcutaneous veins phantom for vessel visualization system

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Kai; Narita, Kazuyuki; Morita, Yusuke; Nakamachi, Eiji; Honda, Norihiro; Awazu, Kunio

2013-09-01

The technique of subcutaneous veins imaging by using NIR (Near Infrared Radiation) is widely used in medical applications, such as the intravenous injection and the blood sampling. In the previous study, an automatic 3D blood vessel search and automatic blood sampling system was newly developed. In order to validate this NIR imaging system, we adopted the subcutaneous vein in the human arm and its artificial phantom, which imitate the human fat and blood vessel. The human skin and subcutaneous vein is characterized as the uncertainty object, which has the individual specificity, non-accurate depth information, non-steady state and hardly to be fixed in the examination apparatus. On the other hand, the conventional phantom was quite distinct from the human's characteristics, such as the non-multilayer structure, disagreement of optical property. In this study, we develop a multilayer phantom, which is quite similar with human skin, for improvement of NIR detection system evaluation. The phantom consists of three layers, such as the epidermis layer, the dermis layer and the subcutaneous fat layer. In subcutaneous fat layer, we built a blood vessel. We use the intralipid to imitate the optical scattering characteristics of human skin, and the hemoglobin and melanin for the optical absorption characteristics. In this study, we did two subjects. First, we decide the fabrication process of the phantom. Second, we compared newly developed phantoms with human skin by using our NIR detecting system, and confirm the availability of these phantoms.

Basic characteristics of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF): blood cell components and biological effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishiyama, Kazuhiko; Okudera, Toshimitsu; Watanabe, Taisuke; Isobe, Kazushige; Suzuki, Masashi; Masuki, Hideo; Okudera, Hajime; Uematsu, Kohya; Nakata, Koh; Kawase, Tomoyuki

2016-11-01

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is widely used in regenerative medicine because of its high concentrations of various growth factors and platelets. However, the distribution of blood cell components has not been investigated in either PRP or other PRP derivatives. In this study, we focused on plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF), a PRP derivative, and analyzed the distributions of platelets and white blood cells (WBCs). Peripheral blood samples were collected from healthy volunteers ( N  = 14) and centrifuged to prepare PRGF and PRP. Blood cells were counted using an automated hematology analyzer. The effects of PRP and PRGF preparations on cell proliferation were determined using human periosteal cells. In the PRGF preparations, both red blood cells and WBCs were almost completely eliminated, and platelets were concentrated by 2.84-fold, whereas in the PRP preparations, both platelets and WBCs were similarly concentrated by 8.79- and 5.51-fold, respectively. Platelet counts in the PRGF preparations were positively correlated with platelet counts in the whole blood samples, while the platelet concentration rate was negatively correlated with red blood cell counts in the whole blood samples. In contrast, platelet counts and concentration rates in the PRP preparations were significantly influenced by WBC counts in whole blood samples. The PRP preparations, but not the PRGF preparations, significantly suppressed cell growth at higher doses in vitro. Therefore, these results suggest that PRGF preparations can clearly be distinguished from PRP preparations by both inclusion of WBCs and dose-dependent stimulation of periosteal cell proliferation in vitro.

MDCTA diagnosis of cerebral vessel disease among patients with arterial hypertension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romanko-Hrushchak, Nataliya

2013-01-01

to study changes involving cerebral vessels in patients with hypertension and various levels of total cardiovascular risk. One hundred and thirty-four patients underwent CT-angiography of intracranial vessels. Ninety-eight of them were diagnosed with hypertension. Taking into consideration high blood pressure, presence of risk factors and target organ damage subjects were divided into 4 groups: with low, medium, high and very high total cardiovascular risk. Control group included 36 patients. They were not diagnosed with hypertension at the time of examination. One hundred and five patients were examined using a 4-slice CT scanner (Toshiba Asteion 4, Toshiba Medical System, Japan), and 29 patients were examined using a 128-slice scanner (Siemens Definition AS+, Siemens Healthcare, Germany) with an injection system. We used iodine-containing contrast agents such as iodixanol and iopromide for angiography. Anatomical and topographic changes of cerebral vessels were most frequently found in hypertensive patients with high and very high total cardiovascular risk. Narrowing of vertebral vessels was the most common change (27 patients (27.55%), 21 patients (21.43%) had narrowing of the right artery, and 6 (6.12%) subjects – of the left one). Tortuous course of internal carotid arteries at the neck level was visualized in 11 patients (11.22%). Narrowing of A1 segment of anterior cerebral artery was noted in 9 patients (9.18%), of the right one – in 8 patients (8.16%), of the left one – in 1 patient (1.02%). Aneurysmal dilation of intracranial vessels was visualized in 6 patients (6.12%). Saccular aneurysm of left internal carotid artery was diagnosed in 2 patients (2.04%), one patient (1.02%) had right internal carotid artery aneurysm and one patient (1.02%) had an aneurysm of the basilar artery. the most common changes of cerebral vessels diagnosed in MDCTA among patients with hypertension included various degrees of narrowing of vertebral vessels, anterior

Self-irradiation of the blood from selected nuclides in nuclear medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hänscheid, H; Fernández, M; Eberlein, U; Lassmann, M

2014-01-01

Nuclear medicine dosimetry and research in biodosimetry often require the knowledge of the absorbed dose to the blood. This study provides coefficients for the absorbed dose rates to the blood related to the activity concentration in the blood as a function of the vessel radius for radionuclides commonly used in targeted radiotherapy and in PET-diagnostics: C-11, F-18, Ga-68, Y-90, Tc-99 m, I-124, I-131, and Lu-177. The energy deposition patterns after nuclear disintegrations in blood vessel lumina (cylinders homogeneously filled with blood) with radii from 0.01 to 25.0 mm were simulated with the Monte-Carlo radiation transport code MCNPX. An additional contribution from photon radiation from activity in blood in the remainder of the body was taken into account based on a reasonable blood distribution model. The fraction of energy absorbed from non-penetrating radiation in the blood is low in thin blood vessels but approaches the total energy emitted by particles with increasing lumen radius. For photon radiation, irradiation to blood in small vessels is almost completely due to radioactive decays in distant blood distributed throughout the body, whereas the contribution from activity in the vessel becomes dominant for lumen radii exceeding 13 mm. The dependences of the absorbed dose rates on the lumen radius can be described with good accuracy by empirical functions which can be used to determine the absorbed doses to the blood and to the surrounding tissue. (paper)

Angiopoietin-2 impairs collateral artery growth associated with the suppression of the infiltration of macrophages in mouse hindlimb ischaemia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyong Tan

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2, a ligand of the Tie-2 receptor, plays an important role in maintaining endothelial cells and in destabilizing blood vessels. Collateral artery growth (arteriogenesis is a key adaptive response to arterial occlusion. It is unknown whether the destabilization of blood vessels by Ang-2 can affect arteriogenesis and modulate mononuclear cell function. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Ang-2 on collateral artery growth. Methods Hindlimb ischaemia model was produced in C57BL/6 mice by femoral artery ligation. Blood flow perfusion was measured using a laser Doppler perfusion imager quantitative RT-PCR analysis was applied to identify the level of angiogenic factors. Results After the induction of hindlimb ischaemia, blood flow recovery was impaired in mice treated with recombinant Ang-2 protein; this was accompanied by a reduction of peri-collateral macrophage infiltration. In addition, quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that Ang-2 treatment decreased monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1, platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB mRNA levels in ischaemic adductor muscles. Ang-2 can lead to macrophage M1/M2 polarization shift inhibition in the ischaemic muscles. Furthermore, Ang-2 reduced the in vitro inflammatory response in macrophages and vascular cells involved in arteriogenesis. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that Ang-2 is essential for efficient arteriogenesis, which controls macrophage infiltration.

Comparison of L-lysine aescinat and Kontrikal blood flow and morphology of the vessel in the brain is awake rabbits general vibration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. G. Belyakova

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Chronic experiments on conscious rabbits with needle-shaped platinum electrodes implanted into the brain cortex, thalamus and hypothalamus were made. The modeling of wide-frequency vibration causes slowing down of cerebral blood flow. L-lysine aescinat prevents changing of blood flow in hypothalamus, causes growth into the brain cortex and not significant lowering in thalamus. Contrykal provides absolute growth of a blood circulation in all structures that were studied. In acute experiments on conscious rabbits wide-frequency vibration causes spasm arterioles and dilation of veins. According to histologic dates L-lysine aescinat prevents changes in the bloodstream better than Contrykal.

High expression of insulin receptor on tumour-associated blood vessels in invasive bladder cancer predicts poor overall and progression-free survival.

Science.gov (United States)

Roudnicky, Filip; Dieterich, Lothar C; Poyet, Cedric; Buser, Lorenz; Wild, Peter; Tang, Dave; Camenzind, Peter; Ho, Chien Hsien; Otto, Vivianne I; Detmar, Michael

2017-06-01

Bladder cancer is a frequently recurring disease with a very poor prognosis once progressed to invasive stages, and tumour-associated blood vessels play a crucial role in this process. In order to identify novel biomarkers associated with progression, we isolated blood vascular endothelial cells (BECs) from human invasive bladder cancers and matched normal bladder tissue, and found that tumour-associated BECs greatly up-regulated the expression of insulin receptor (INSR). High expression of INSR on BECs of invasive bladder cancers was significantly associated with shorter progression-free and overall survival. Furthermore, increased expression of the INSR ligand IGF-2 in invasive bladder cancers was associated with reduced overall survival. INSR may therefore represent a novel biomarker to predict cancer progression. Mechanistically, we observed pronounced hypoxia in human bladder cancer tissue, and found a positive correlation between the expression of the hypoxia marker gene GLUT1 and vascular INSR expression, indicating that hypoxia drives INSR expression in tumour-associated blood vessels. In line with this, exposure of cultured BECs and human bladder cancer cell lines to hypoxia led to increased expression of INSR and IGF-2, respectively, and IGF-2 increased BEC migration through the activation of INSR in vitro. Taken together, we identified vascular INSR expression as a potential biomarker for progression in bladder cancer. Furthermore, our data suggest that IGF-2/INSR mediated paracrine crosstalk between bladder cancer cells and endothelial cells is functionally involved in tumour angiogenesis and may thus represent a new therapeutic target. Copyright © 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A method for increasing the homogeneity of the temperature distribution during magnetic fluid hyperthermia with a Fe-Cr-Nb-B alloy in the presence of blood vessels

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Yundong; Flesch, Rodolfo C. C.; Jin, Tao

2017-06-01

Magnetic hyperthermia ablates tumor cells by absorbing the thermal energy from magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) under an external alternating magnetic field. The blood vessels (BVs) within tumor region can generally reduce treatment effectiveness due to the cooling effect of blood flow. This paper aims to investigate the cooling effect of BVs on the temperature field of malignant tumor regions using a complex geometric model and numerical simulation. For deriving the model, the Navier-Stokes equation for blood flow is combined with Pennes bio-heat transfer equation for human tissue. The effects on treatment temperature caused by two different BV distributions inside a mammary tumor are analyzed through numerical simulation under different conditions of flow rate considering a Fe-Cr-Nb-B alloy, which has low Curie temperature ranging from 42 °C to 45 °C. Numerical results show that the multi-vessel system has more obvious cooling effects than the single vessel one on the temperature field distribution for hyperthermia. Besides, simulation results show that the temperature field within tumor area can also be influenced by the velocity and diameter of BVs. To minimize the cooling effect, this article proposes a treatment method based on the increase of the thermal energy provided to MNPs associated with the adoption of low Curie temperature particles recently reported in literature. Results demonstrate that this approach noticeably improves the uniformity of the temperature field, and shortens the treatment time in a Fe-Cr-Nb-B system, thus reducing the side effects to the patient.

In-vessel core debris retention experiments. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-10-01

The in-vessel cooling experimental program (Phase 1 and 2) was motivated by the survivability of the TMI lower vessel head during the TMI-2 accident. During that accident, molten debris relocation into the water filled lower head resulted in a localized hot spot in the lower head, but no lower head failure occurred. A postulated set of mechanisms which could be involved in and responsible for the survivability of the TMI lower head were identified and experimentally investigated as part of this program. These mechanisms included: the formation of a gap (contact resistance) between the relocated and frozen debris and the vessel wall was a key aspect of the in-vessel cooling mechanism; wall heatup due to the relocated debris in the presence of wall stress due to a pressure gradient across the vessel wall; gap growth due to a lack of debris adherence to the vessel wall and material creep of the heated vessel wall; and the potential for enhanced wall cooling due to gap growth. Each of these postulated mechanisms was investigated in this experimental program. This report summarizes the several insights and conclusions that were obtained from this experimental program. This report documents the entire set of five experiments completed in Phase 2 of this experimental program. Results from the Phase 1 effort were used to plan and select the Phase 2 test matrix. Conclusions from the Phase 1 and 2 experiments are identified and recommendations for future work are provided

Interleukin 1 is an autocrine regulator of human endothelial cell growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cozzolino, F.; Torcia, M.; Aldinucci, D.; Ziche, M.; Bani, D.; Almerigogna, F.; Stern, D.M.

1990-01-01

Proliferation of endothelial cells is regulated through the autocrine production of growth factors and the expression of cognate surface receptors. In this study, the authors demonstrate that interleukin 1 (IL-1) is an inhibitor of endothelial growth in vitro and in vivo. IL-1 arrested growing, cultured endothelial cells in G 1 phase; inhibition of proliferation was dose dependent and occurred in parallel with occupancy of endothelial surface IL-1 receptors. In an angiogenesis model, IL-1 could inhibit fibroblast growth factor-induced vessel formation. The autocrine nature of the IL-1 effect on endothelial proliferation was demonstrated by the observation that occupancy of cell-surface receptors by endogenous IL-1 depressed cell growth. The potential significance of this finding was emphasized by the detection of IL-1 in the native endothelium of human umbilical veins. A mechanism by which IL-1 may exert its inhibitory effect on endothelial cell growth was suggested by studies showing that IL-1 decreased the expression of high-affinity fibroblast growth factor binding sites on endothelium. These results point to a potentially important role of IL-1 in regulating blood vessel growth the suggest that autocrine production of inhibitory factors may be a mechanism controlling proliferation of normal cells

Small vessel vasculitis History, classification, etiology, histopathology, clinic, diagnosis and treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iglesias Gamarra, Antonio; Matteson, Eric L; Restrepo, Jose Felix

2007-01-01

Small-vessel vasculitis is a convenient descriptor for a wide range of diseases characterized by vascular inflammation of the venules, capillaries, and/or arterioles with pleomorphic clinical manifestations. The classical clinical phenotype is leucocytoclastic vasculitis with palpable purpura, but manifestations vary widely depending upon the organs involved. Histopathologic examination in leucocytoclastic vasculitis reveals angiocentric segmental inflammation, fibrinoid necrosis, and a neutrophilic infiltrate around the blood vessel walls with erythrocyte extravasation. The etiology of small-vessel vasculitis is unknown in many cases, but in others, drugs, post viral syndromes, malignancy, primary vasculitis such as microscopic polyarteritis, and connective tissue disorders are associated, The diagnosis of small- vessel vasculitis relies on a thorough history and physical examination, as well as relevant antibody testing including antinuclear antibody and anti neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody, hepatitis B and C serologies, assessment of complement, immunoglobulins, blood count, serum creatinine liver function tests, urinalysis, radiographic imaging and biopsy. The treatment is based primarily on corticosteroid and immunosuppressive agents

Blood-Vessel Mimicking Structures by Stereolithographic Fabrication of Small Porous Tubes Using Cytocompatible Polyacrylate Elastomers, Biofunctionalization and Endothelialization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Birgit Huber

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Blood vessel reconstruction is still an elusive goal for the development of in vitro models as well as artificial vascular grafts. In this study, we used a novel photo-curable cytocompatible polyacrylate material (PA for freeform generation of synthetic vessels. We applied stereolithography for the fabrication of arbitrary 3D tubular structures with total dimensions in the centimeter range, 300 µm wall thickness, inner diameters of 1 to 2 mm and defined pores with a constant diameter of approximately 100 µm or 200 µm. We established a rinsing protocol to remove remaining cytotoxic substances from the photo-cured PA and applied thio-modified heparin and RGDC-peptides to functionalize the PA surface for enhanced endothelial cell adhesion. A rotating seeding procedure was introduced to ensure homogenous endothelial monolayer formation at the inner luminal tube wall. We showed that endothelial cells stayed viable and adherent and aligned along the medium flow under fluid-flow conditions comparable to native capillaries. The combined technology approach comprising of freeform additive manufacturing (AM, biomimetic design, cytocompatible materials which are applicable to AM, and biofunctionalization of AM constructs has been introduced as BioRap® technology by the authors.

Differential effects of vascular endothelial growth factor A isoforms in a mouse brain metastasis model of human melanoma.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kusters, B.; Waal, R.M.W. de; Wesseling, P.; Verrijp, K.; Maass, C.N.; Heerschap, A.; Barentsz, J.O.; Sweep, C.G.J.; Ruiter, D.J.; Leenders, W.P.J.

2003-01-01

We reported previously that vascular endothelial growth factor isoform A (VEGF-A) expression by Mel57 human melanoma cells led to tumor progression in a murine brain metastasis model in an angiogenesis-independent fashion by dilation of co-opted, pre-existing vessels and concomitant enhanced blood

[Blood pressure was associated with body mass but no with pre- and postnatal growth in Mexican school-children].

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz Angeles, Laura Isabel; Ortiz-Hernández, Luis

2006-01-01

1) To know the prevalence of malnourishment and high values of arterial blood pressure in schoolchildren of Xochimilco county, Mexico. 2) To analyze the association of pre- and postnatal growth and the body mass with high values of blood pressure. It is a cross-sectional, observational and analytic study. During the elective year 2003-2004, 972 students of Xochimilco county was studied. The independent variables was age, sex, intrauterine and infant growth, body mass, body fat and socioeconomic status. It was assessed the relationship between the independent variables and the values of blood pressure by a logistic regression model. The indicators of intrauterine (birth weight and length) and infantile (head circumference and height-for-age index) growth were not associated with the high levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure. After adjusted other variables, women had more risk to show high levels of systolic blood pressure, as the overweight children had more risk to show high blood pressure systolic and diastolic levels. In the students the overweight and obesity increase the probability to show high blood pressure values therefore it is necessary to implement programs to promote an adequate nutritional status. In this study was not observed empiric support to the Barker hypothesis according to the intrauterine and infantile growth could have negative effects in the blood pressure levels.

Combination probe for optically assisted ultrasonic velocity-change imaging aimed at detecting unstable blood vessel plaque

Science.gov (United States)

Tanigawa, Shohei; Mano, Kazune; Wada, Kenji; Matsunaka, Toshiyuki; Horinaka, Hiromichi

2016-04-01

Blood vessel plaque with a large lipid core is at risk of becoming thrombus and is likely to induce acute heart disease. To prevent this, it is necessary to determine not only the plaque's size but also its chemical composition. We, therefore, made the prototype of a combination probe to diagnose carotid artery plaque. It is used to differentiate propagation characteristics between light spectra and ultrasonic images. By propagating light and ultrasound along a common direction, it is possible to effectively warm the diagnosis domain. Moreover, the probe is thought to be compact and be easy to use for diagnosing human carotid artery plaque. We applied the combination probe to a carotid artery phantom with a lipid area and obtained an image of the ultrasonic velocity change in the fatty area.

Synthesis and characterization of Gadolinium-Lectin conjugates as selective blood-vessel contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pashkunova-Martic, I.

2004-11-01

Molecular imaging without use of ionizing radiation has recently been developed for both magnetic resonance and ultrasound imaging (MRI, US) and is expected to play a major future role in diagnosis and monitoring of tumours. In MRI, targeted nanoparticle contrast media (CM) with high relaxivities are required in order to obtain adequate signal-to-noise ratios, due to the low number of target sites. The size, charge and chemical constitution of the targeted nanoparticle CM are expected to influence nanoparticle interactions with cells and tissue elements significantly, and hence the targeting, the accumulation and dwell time at the targeted site, and the type and rate of clearance of the nanoparticles. The work reported here aims to characterise and optimise these parameters in mouse and human models, using nanoparticles targeted to a major carbohydrate determinant of the endothelial cell surface which is present in all blood vessels. Specific binding to the endothelium was demonstrated in both living and chemically fixed human vessels and in mice. Long-standing spin-echo and FLASH-3D images were obtained in the vasculature of living mice, in strong contrast to the rapid renal clearance of gadolinium-DTPA chelates which are widely used in the clinic. Nanoparticle size was found to be a major determinant of the biological response, and our data indicate that an optimal nanoparticle size lies between 50-100 nm diameter. We expect that hyperpermeable vessels present in tumours will permit targeting of optimised nanoparticles to the tumour cells, permitting MRI monitoring of the tumour. (author)

Personal identification based on blood vessels of retinal fundus images

Science.gov (United States)

Fukuta, Keisuke; Nakagawa, Toshiaki; Hayashi, Yoshinori; Hatanaka, Yuji; Hara, Takeshi; Fujita, Hiroshi

2008-03-01

Biometric technique has been implemented instead of conventional identification methods such as password in computer, automatic teller machine (ATM), and entrance and exit management system. We propose a personal identification (PI) system using color retinal fundus images which are unique to each individual. The proposed procedure for identification is based on comparison of an input fundus image with reference fundus images in the database. In the first step, registration between the input image and the reference image is performed. The step includes translational and rotational movement. The PI is based on the measure of similarity between blood vessel images generated from the input and reference images. The similarity measure is defined as the cross-correlation coefficient calculated from the pixel values. When the similarity is greater than a predetermined threshold, the input image is identified. This means both the input and the reference images are associated to the same person. Four hundred sixty-two fundus images including forty-one same-person's image pairs were used for the estimation of the proposed technique. The false rejection rate and the false acceptance rate were 9.9×10 -5% and 4.3×10 -5%, respectively. The results indicate that the proposed method has a higher performance than other biometrics except for DNA. To be used for practical application in the public, the device which can take retinal fundus images easily is needed. The proposed method is applied to not only the PI but also the system which warns about misfiling of fundus images in medical facilities.

High blood pressure and eye disease

Science.gov (United States)

... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000999.htm High blood pressure and eye disease To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. High blood pressure can damage blood vessels in the retina . The ...

Lattice Boltzmann simulation of behaviour of particles moving in blood vessels under the rolling massage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hou-Hui, Yi; Cai-Feng, Wang; Xiao-Feng, Yang; Hua-Bing, Li

2009-01-01

The rolling massage is one of the most important manipulations in Chinese massage, which is expected to eliminate many diseases. Here, the effect of the rolling massage on a pair of particles moving in blood vessels under rolling massage manipulation is studied by the lattice Boltzmann simulation. The simulated results show that the motion of each particle is considerably modified by the rolling massage, and it depends on the relative rolling velocity, the rolling depth, and the distance between particle position and rolling position. Both particles' translational average velocities increase almost linearly as the rolling velocity increases, and obey the same law. The increment of the average relative angular velocity for the leading particle is smaller than that of the trailing one. The result is helpful for understanding the mechanism of the massage and to further develop the rolling techniques. (classical areas of phenomenology)

Biochemical assessment of growth factors and circulation of blood components contained in the different fractions obtained by centrifugation of venous blood.

Science.gov (United States)

Corigiano, M; Ciobanu, G; Baldoni, E; Pompa, G

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate a biochemical marker with different elements of a normal blood serum and centrifuged blood serum after a different rotation system. For this technique, we used five fractions of a blood Concentrated Growth Factors system (bCGF) and a particular device for the different rotation program. Blood samples were collected from 10 volunteers aged between 35 and 55 in the Operative Unit of the “Sapienza” University of Rome with only a fraction of different biochemical elements. Through an individual blood phase separator tube of venous blood, active factions of serum and 4 fractions of red buffy coat were taken. The biochemical markers with 14 elements were examined at times: P1-11 minutes, P2-12minutes, P3-15 minutes. Exclusively biological materials which are normally applied in the regeneration techniques for different defects and lesions were used with this technique. After specific rotation programs, a different result was obtained for each cycle: P1, P2, P3. In test tubes obtained by separated blood, we observed a higher concentration of proteins, ions, and other antigens compared to normal blood plasma. Examining the biochemical results of different elements, we observed an increase (P≤0,01). Since each person’s DNA is different, we could not have the same results in 5 fractions of blood concentration, we did, however, find a good increase in only a fraction of proteins, immunoglobulin and different ions. We obtained five fractions after centrifugation, and we had an increase in different biochemical elements compared to normal blood (P≤0,01) which is significant at different times. These biochemical elements were stimulated by different growth factors, which are used by the immune system, and they induced the formation of hard and soft tissues and good regeneration.

Integration of vessel traits, wood density, and height in angiosperm shrubs and trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Cabrera, Hugo I; Schenk, H Jochen; Cevallos-Ferriz, Sergio R S; Jones, Cynthia S

2011-05-01

Trees and shrubs tend to occupy different niches within and across ecosystems; therefore, traits related to their resource use and life history are expected to differ. Here we analyzed how growth form is related to variation in integration among vessel traits, wood density, and height. We also considered the ecological and evolutionary consequences of such differences. In a sample of 200 woody plant species (65 shrubs and 135 trees) from Argentina, Mexico, and the United States, standardized major axis (SMA) regression, correlation analyses, and ANOVA were used to determine whether relationships among traits differed between growth forms. The influence of phylogenetic relationships was examined with a phylogenetic ANOVA and phylogenetically independent contrasts (PICs). A principal component analysis was conducted to determine whether trees and shrubs occupy different portions of multivariate trait space. Wood density did not differ between shrubs and trees, but there were significant differences in vessel diameter, vessel density, theoretical conductivity, and as expected, height. In addition, relationships between vessel traits and wood density differed between growth forms. Trees showed coordination among vessel traits, wood density, and height, but in shrubs, wood density and vessel traits were independent. These results hold when phylogenetic relationships were considered. In the multivariate analyses, these differences translated as significantly different positions in multivariate trait space occupied by shrubs and trees. Differences in trait integration between growth forms suggest that evolution of growth form in some lineages might be associated with the degree of trait interrelation.

Autologous blood preparations rich in platelets, fibrin and growth factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Fioravanti, C; Frustaci, I; Armellin, E; Condò, R; Arcuri, C; Cerroni, L

2015-01-01

Bone regeneration is often needed prior to dental implant treatment due to the lack of adequate quantity and quality after infectious diseases. The greatest regenerative power was obtained with autologous tissue, primarily the bone alive, taken from the same site or adjacent sites, up to the use centrifugation of blood with the selection of the parts with the greatest potential regenerative. In fact, various techniques and technologies were chronologically successive to cope with an ever better preparation of these concentrates of blood. Our aim is to review these advances and discuss the ways in which platelet concentrates may provide such unexpected beneficial therapeutic effects. The research has been carried out in the MEDLINE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials database by choosing keywords as "platelet rich plasma", "platelet rich fibrin", "platelet growth factors", and "bone regeneration" and "dentistry". Autologous platelet rich plasma is a safe and low cost procedure to deliver growth factors for bone and soft tissue healing. The great heterogeneity of clinical outcomes can be explained by the different PRP products with qualitative and quantitative difference among substance.

Aberrant expression of erythropoietin in uterine leiomyoma: implications in tumor growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Asano, Ryoko; Asai-Sato, Mikiko; Miyagi, Yohei; Mizushima, Taichi; Koyama-Sato, Makiko; Nagashima, Yoji; Taguri, Masataka; Sakakibara, Hideya; Hirahara, Fumiki; Miyagi, Etsuko

2015-08-01

Myomatous erythrocytosis syndrome is a rare complication of uterine leiomyoma caused by erythropoietin (EPO) that is produced by tumor cells. We assessed the EPO expression in leiomyomas and investigated the effects of EPO on the tumor growth. Tissue samples were collected from 114 patients with uterine leiomyomas who underwent myomectomy or hysterectomy in Yokohama City University Hospital. From 17 patients, the corresponding normal myometrium was also collected. All samples were analyzed for EPO messenger RNA (mRNA) expression by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. EPO protein expression was determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The relationships between EPO expression and clinicopathological features were retrospectively analyzed using the patients' charts. Blood vessel density and maturity were assessed using hematoxylin-eosin staining and CD34 immunohistochemistry. EPO mRNA expression was detected in 108 of 114, or 95%, of the leiomyomas. The mean EPO mRNA expression in the leiomyoma was higher than the corresponding normal myometrium (3836 ± 4122 vs 1455 ± 2141; P = .025 by Wilcoxon rank test). The EPO mRNA expression in the leiomyomas varied extensively among samples, ranging from undetectable levels to 18-fold above the mean EPO mRNA of normal myometrium. EPO protein production was observed concomitant with mRNA expression. A positive correlation of leiomyoma size and EPO mRNA expression was shown by Spearman rank correlation coefficient (ρ = 0.294; P = .001), suggesting the involvement of EPO in leiomyoma growth. The blood vessel maturity was also significantly increased in EPO-producing leiomyomas (high vessel maturity in high vs low EPO group: 67% vs 20%; P = .013 by Fisher exact test). This report demonstrates that EPO is produced in most of conventional leiomyomas and supports a model in which EPO accelerates tumor growth, possibly by inducing vessel maturity. Our study suggests one possible mechanism by which

Multilayer Pressure Vessel Materials Testing and Analysis. Phase 1

Science.gov (United States)

Cardinal, Joseph W.; Popelar, Carl F.; Page, Richard A.

2014-01-01

To provide NASA a comprehensive suite of materials strength, fracture toughness and crack growth rate test results for use in remaining life calculations for aging multilayer pressure vessels, Southwest Research Institute (R) (SwRI) was contracted in two phases to obtain relevant material property data from a representative vessel. This report describes Phase 1 of this effort which includes a preliminary material property assessment as well as a fractographic, fracture mechanics and fatigue crack growth analyses of an induced flaw in the outer shell of a representative multilayer vessel that was subjected to cyclic pressure test. SwRI performed this Phase 1 effort under contract to the Digital Wave Corporation in support of their contract to Jacobs ATOM for the NASA Ames Research Center.

Plastic roles of pericytes in the blood-retinal barrier.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Do Young; Lee, Junyeop; Kim, Jaeryung; Kim, Kangsan; Hong, Seonpyo; Han, Sangyeul; Kubota, Yoshiaki; Augustin, Hellmut G; Ding, Lei; Kim, Jin Woo; Kim, Hail; He, Yulong; Adams, Ralf H; Koh, Gou Young