Koert de Waal¹, Nilkant Phad¹, Nick Collins², Andrew Boyle²

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.12, No.3, pp. 364-372, 2017, DOI:10.1111/chd.12454

Abstract Background: Sustained volume load due to a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) leads to cardiac remodeling. Remodeling changes can become pathological and are associated with cardiovascular disease progression. Data on remodeling changes in preterm infants is not available.
Methods: Clinical and echocardiography data were collected in preterm infants <30 weeks gestation on postnatal day 3 and then every 7–14 days until closure of the ductus arteriosus. Images were analyzed using conventional techniques and speckle tracking. Remodeling changes of infants with prolonged (>14 days) exposure to a PDA were compared to control infants without a PDA.
Results: Thirty out of 189 infants… More >

Weiguang Yang¹, Frank L. Hanley², Frandics P. Chan³, Alison L. Marsden^1,4, Irene E. Vignon-Clementel⁵, Jeffrey A. Feinstein^1,4

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.2, pp. 241-250, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12556

Abstract Background: Up to 90% of individuals with Alagille syndrome have congenital heart diseases. Peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis (PPS), resulting in right ventricular hypertension and pulmonary flow disparity, is one of the most common abnormalities, yet the hemodynamic effects are illdefined, and optimal patient management and treatment strategies are not well established. The purpose of this pilot study is to use recently refined computational simulation in the setting of multiple surgical strategies, to examine the influence of pulmonary artery reconstruction on hemodynamics in this population.
Materials and Methods: Based on computed tomography angiography and cardiac catheterization data, preoperative pulmonary artery models… More >

Yan Gao¹, Chunli Wang¹, Li Yang^1,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 93-93, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07322

Abstract At present, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) damage repair is still a huge challenge. Our previous studies indicated that the Lysyl oxidase (LOX) were significantly reduced in injurious ACL fibroblasts, which is the major reason for its poor healing ability. The main purpose of our study was to detected the potential of LOX to act as an anabolic agent in injured ACL. The effect of LOX on the ACL at a concentration of 20ng/mL was investigated. The molecular mechanisms and signaling pathway were elucidated by RNA-sequencing, q-PCR and western blotting. For the in vivo study, the LOX was injected into the… More >

Taiji Adachi^1,*, Yoshitaka Kameo¹

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 88-88, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07417

Abstract Bone adaptation by remodeling is a process to change its outer shape and internal structure to the changing mechanical environment by osteoclastic bone resorption and osteoblastic bone formation. These cellular activities are regulated by mechanosensory network of osteocytes embedded in bone matrix. An imbalance between bone resorption and formation due to low loadings or disuse results in metabolic bone disorders such as osteoporosis. Many studies have identified various signaling pathways that regulate these cellular activities; however, the physiological and pathological conditions of bone as a system remain difficult to understand because of the complexity of the signaling networks including mechano-biochemical… More >

Zhu Zeng^1,*, Zuquan Hu¹, Qinni Zheng¹, Xiaoli Xu¹, Rong Dong¹, Hui Xue¹, Hui Yang¹

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 68-69, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07085

Abstract Dendritic cells (DCs) play a crucial role in initiating and amplifying both the innate and adaptive immune responses [1]. Clinically, the DCs-based immunotherapy against cancer is considered one of the most promising therapies to overcome cancers, but there are still many challenges need to be overcome [2]. The motility of DCs is especially crucial for migration of immature DCs into peripheral tissue and dynamic physical interaction between mature DCs and naive T cells in the secondary lymph node. This study focuses on the investigations of DCs at different differentiation stages and under various suppressive cytokines (VEGF, TGF-β1 and IL-10) conditioned… More >

Yufan Huang¹, Pei Niu², Li Li², Yunlong Huo^3,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.1, pp. 47-47, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.05726

Abstract We aimed to illustrate the association between short-term exposure PM0.1 and heart failure in myocardial infarction (MI) mice. Six-week-old ICR mice were divided into three groups randomly: sham group, MI group and MI exposure group, 12 mice in each group. LAD ligation operation was performed in MI group and MI exposure group. After postoperative two weeks MI exposure mice were put into ventilation chamber which filled with 500 ug/m³ PM_0.1 for 6 hours per day, while MI group mice and sham group mice were cultivated in normal environment. After exposure 8 weeks, we use Vevo 2100 machine to acquire heart… More >

Alireza Mohammadkarim¹, Manijhe Mokhtari-Dizaji^2,*, Ali Kazemian³, Hazhir Saberi⁴, Mohammad Mehdi Khani⁵, Mohsen Bakhshandeh⁶

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, No.4, pp. 275-287, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.06280

Abstract The mechanical properties of living cells are known to be promising biomarkers when investigating the health and functions of the human body. Ionizing irradiation results in vascular injury due to endothelial damage. Thus, the current study objective was to evaluate the influence of continuous radiation doses on the mechanical properties of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and to identify Young’s modulus (E) and viscoelastic behavior. Single-dose (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 Gy) radiation was applied to HUVECs using a Cobalt-60 treatment machine in the current vitro irradiation study. Thereafter, a micropipette-aspiration technique was used to measure the elastic… More >

Quang Dang^1,1, Hans Gregersen^2,2, Birgitte Duch^2,2, Ghassan S. Kassab^1,1

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.2, No.2, pp. 53-62, 2005, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2005.002.053

Abstract Biliary duct obstruction is an important clinical condition that affects millions of people worldwide. We have previously shown that the common bile duct (CBD) undergoes significant growth and remodelling post obstruction. The mechanical stress-strain relation is expected to change due to growth and remodeling in response to obstruction and hence pressure-overload. The objective of the present study was to characterize the material properties of the CBD of the sham group and at 3 hours, 12 hours, 2 days, 8 days and 32 days (n=5 in each group) after obstruction. The Fung's exponential strain energy function was used to relate stress… More >

Wei Zhang^1,2, Carly Herrera¹, Satya N. Atluri¹, Ghassan S. Kassab^2,3

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 41-52, 2005, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2005.002.041

Abstract It is well known that blood vessels shorten axially when excised. This is due to the perivascular tethering constraint by side branches and the existence of pre-stretch of blood vessels at the \textit {in situ} state. Furthermore, vessels are radially constrained to various extents by the surrounding tissues at physiological loading. Our hypothesis is that the axial pre-stretch and radial constraint by the surrounding tissue homogenizes the stress and strain distributions in the vessel wall. A finite element analysis of porcine coronary artery and rabbit thoracic aorta based on measured material properties, geometry, residual strain and physiological loading is used… More >

I. J. Rao¹, J.D. Humphrey², K.R. Rajagopal³

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.4, No.3&4, pp. 439-456, 2003, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2003.004.439

Abstract Recent discoveries in molecular and cell biology reveal that many cell types sense and respond (via altered gene expression) to changes in their mechanical environment. Such mechanotransduction mechanisms are responsible for many changes in structure and function, including the growth and remodeling process. To understand better, and ultimately to use (e.g., in tissue engineering), biological growth and remodeling, there is a need for mathematical models that have predictive and not just descriptive capability. In contrast to prior models based on reaction-diffusion equations or the concept of volumetric growth, we examine here a newly proposed constrained mixture model for growth and… More >