Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics

ISSN: 1556-5297 (print)
ISSN: 1556-5300 (online) Publication Frequency: Quarterly

About the Journal

The field of biomechanics concerns with motion, deformation, and forces in biological systems. With the explosive progress in molecular biology, genomic engineering, bioimaging, and nanotechnology, there will be an ever-increasing generation of knowledge and information concerning the mechanobiology of genes, proteins, cells, tissues, and organs. Such information will bring new diagnostic tools, new therapeutic approaches, and new knowledge on ourselves and our interactions with our environment. It becomes apparent that biomechanics focusing on molecules, cells as well as tissues and organs is an important aspect of modern biomedical sciences. The aims of this journal are to facilitate the studies of the mechanics of biomolecules (including proteins, genes, cytoskeletons, etc.), cells (and their interactions with extracellular matrix), tissues and organs, the development of relevant advanced mathematical methods, and the discovery of biological secrets. As science concerns only with relative truth, we seek ideas that are state-of-the-art, which may be controversial, but stimulate and promote new ideas, new techniques, and new applications. This journal will encourage the exchange of ideas that may be seminal, or hold promise to stimulate others to new findings.

Indexing and Abstracting

Applied Mechanics Reviews; BIOBASE (Elsevier); BIOSIS Preview-Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics); Cambridge Scientific Abstracts-Proquest; Ei Compendex/Engineering Village (Elsevier); EMBASE (Elsevier); GEOBASE (Elsevier); INSPEC (IET); Science Navigator; Scopus (Elsevier): Citescore 2018: 0.64; SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper 2018): 0.528; World Textiles and Scopus; Zentralblatt fur Mathematik; Portico, etc...

Current Issue - Vol.17, No.3, 2020 Most Viewed

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ARTICLE
Genetically Encoded FRET Biosensor Detects the Enzymatic Activity of Prostate-Specific Antigen
Hui Yao¹, Liqun Wang³, Jia Guo¹, Weimin Liu⁴, Jingjing Li¹, Yingxiao Wang², Linhong Deng^1,*, Mingxing Ouyang^1,2,3,*
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.17, No.3, pp. 101-111, 2020, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2020.09595
Abstract Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men beyond 50 years old, and ranked the second in mortality. The level of Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in serum has been a routine biomarker for clinical assessment of the cancer development, which is detected mostly by antibody-based immunoassays. The proteolytic activity of PSA also has important functions. Here a genetically encoded biosensor based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology was developed to measure PSA activity. In vitro assay showed that the biosensor containing a substrate peptide ‘RLSSYYSGAG’ had 400% FRET change in response to 1 µg/ml PSA within 90 min, and… More
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ARTICLE
Morphologies of Fibronectin Fibrils Formed under Shear Conditions and Their Cellular Adhesiveness Properties
Phuong-Thao Nguyen-Thi¹, Quoc Phong Le¹, Volker R. Stoldt², Ngoc Quyen Tran^3,4, Anh Tho Le⁵, Khon Huynh^1,*
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.17, No.3, pp. 113-118, 2020, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2020.09643
Abstract Fibrillar fibronectin (FFN) is a biological active form of FN which form linear and branched meshwork around cells and support cellular activities. Previous studies have demonstrated that shear stress can induce cell-free FN fibrillogenesis. In this study, we further examined the effect of shear stress conditions on morphology of formed FFN and preliminarily looked for relationship between FFN’s morphology and cell adhesion. Plasma FN at 50 µg/ml was perfused through channel slides at shear rates of 500 s^-1 or 4000 s^-1. Our results showed that there were four FFN structures formed: (1) FN nodules, (2) fibril in different sizes (3)… More
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ARTICLE
Meta-Analysis of the Relationship between Normal Tension Glaucoma, Open-Angle Glaucoma, and Fractional Pressure Reserve
Qi Li^1,2, Ningli Wang³, Zhicheng Liu^1,2, Lin Li^1,2, Zhicheng Liu^1,2, Wenjia Wang^1,2, Xiaoxue Long^1,2, Hongfang Song^1,2,*
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.17, No.3, pp. 119-137, 2020, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2020.09529
Abstract Aim: To investigate the relationship between glaucoma and intraocular pressure (IOP), intracranial pressure (ICP), trans-laminar cribrosa pressure difference (TLCPD), and the newly proposed fractional pressure reserve (FPR). Methods: Ten articles were analyzed by meta-analysis, and subgroup analysis of three factors was conducted. Results: The patients with normal tension glaucoma (NTG) and open-angle glaucoma (OAG) have higher TLCPD and lower ICP than healthy subjects, with obvious heterogeneity. The greater heterogeneity may arise from different ICP measurements and from different countries or regions. FPR performs better than TLCPD in some ways. Conclusion: Both FPR and TLCPD can be used as indicators of… More
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ARTICLE
Hierarchical Rigid Registration of Femur Surface Model Based on Anatomical Features
Xiaozhong Chen^*
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.17, No.3, pp. 139-153, 2020, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2020.08933
Abstract Existing model registration of individual bones does not have a high certainly of success due to the lack of anatomic semantic. In light of the surface anatomy and functional structure of bones, we hypothesized individual femur models would be aligned through feature points both in geometrical level and in anatomic level, and proposed a hierarchical approach for the rigid registration (HRR) of point cloud models of femur with high resolution. Firstly, a coarse registration between two simplified point cloud models was implemented based on the extraction of geometric feature points (GFPs); and then, according to the anatomic feature points (AFPs)… More
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ARTICLE
Kinematic and Dynamic Characteristics of Pulsating Flow in 180^o Tube
Tin-Kan Hung^1,*, Ruei-Hung Kuo², Cheng-Hsien Chiang³
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.17, No.1, pp. 19-24, 2020, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07817
Abstract Kinematic and dynamic characteristics of pulsating flow in a model of human aortic arch are obtained by a computational analysis. Three-dimensional flow processes are summarized by pressure distributions on the symmetric plane together with velocity and pressure contours on a few cross sections for systolic acceleration and deceleration. Without considering the effects of aortic tapering and the carotid arteries, the development of tubular boundary layer with centrifugal forces and pulsation are also analyzed for flow separation and backflow during systolic deceleration. More
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ABSTRACT
Molecular Mechanoimmunology
Cheng Zhu^1,*
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 11-11, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.08411
Abstract The immune response is orchestrated by a variety of immune cells. The function of each cell is determined by the collective signals from various immunoreceptors whose expression and activity depend on the developmental stages of the cell and its environmental context. Recent studies have highlighted the presence of mechanical forces on specific immunoreceptor–ligand bonds, which are transmitted across the cell membrane, potentially inducing mechanotransduction. As mechanobiology intersects with immunology, the interest to explore how immune cells sense, respond and adapt to their mechanical environment is rapidly growing. In this talk, I will review recent advances in the emerging field of… More
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ABSTRACT
Finite Element Modelling Predicts Large Accommodation Induced Optic Nerve Head Deformations
Xiaofei Wang^1,2,*, Yubo Fan^1,2
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 112-112, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07053
Abstract Accommodation is the ability of the eye to adjust its lens thickness to alter the refractive power through the contraction of ciliary muscles. The loss of accommodation ability due to aging leads to presbyopia, a condition in which the eye is unable to focus on near objects. Glaucoma is a disease that vision is impaired due to damage of the retinal ganglion cell at the optic nerve head (ONH) region, which is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The biomechanical theory of glaucoma suggests that the deformations of ONH tissues could (directly or indirectly) drive retinal ganglion cell death.… More
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ABSTRACT
Multifrequency Microwave Imaging for Brain Stroke Detection
Lulu Wang^1,*
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 125-125, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07101
Abstract Early diagnosis of stroke with timely treatment could reduce adult permanent disability significantly [1]. Conventional medical imaging tools such as X-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) have been widely used for diagnosis of brain disease. However, each of these methods has some limitations. X-ray imaging produces harmful radiation to the human body and challenging to identify early-stage abnormal tissue due to the relatively small dielectric proprieties contrast between the healthy tissue and abnormal tissue at X-ray frequencies [2]. PET provides useful information about soft tissues, but it is expensive and produces poor… More
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ABSTRACT
Engineering Zap70 Biosensor Through Directed Evolution for Applications in Single-Cell Imaging and Immunotherapy
Longwei Liu¹, Praopim Limsakul¹, Shaoying (Kathy) Lu¹, Peter Yingxiao Wang^1,*
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 82-82, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07360
Abstract Genetically-encoded biosensors based on Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET biosensors) have been widely used to dynamically track the activity of Protein Tyrosine Kinases (PTKs) in living cells because of their sensitive ratiometric fluorescence readout, high spatiotemporal resolution. However, the limitation in sensitivity, specificity, and dynamic range of these biosensors have hindered their broader applications, and there was a lack of efficient ways to optimize FRET biosensors. Here we established a rapid, systematic and universal approach for FRET biosensor optimization through directed evolution which involves generating genetic diversity and screening for protein variants with desired properties at the same time and… More
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ABSTRACT
Mechano-Electric Feedback and Arrhythmogenic Current Generation in A Computational Model of Coupled Myocytes
Viviane Timmermann¹, Kevin Vincent², Joakim Sundnes¹, Andrew D. McCulloch^2,*
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 133-133, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07311
Abstract Heterogeneous mechanical dyskinesis has been implicated in arrhythmogenic phenotypes. Strain-induced perturbations to cardiomyocyte electrophysiology (EP) may trigger arrhythmias via a variety of mechano-electric feedback (MEF) mechanisms. While the role of stretch-activated ionic currents (SACs) has been investigated intensively using computational models, experimental studies have shown that mechanical strain can also trigger intra- and inter-cellular calcium waves. To investigate whether the inherent strain dependence of myofilament calcium affinity may promote arrhythmogenic intra- and inter-cellular calcium waves under conditions of pathologic mechanical heterogeneity, we coupled a mathematical model of excitation-contraction coupling (ECC) in rabbit ventricular myocytes to a model of myofilament activation… More
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