Journal: BioMed Research International

Abbreviation

BioMed res. int.

Publisher

Hindawi

Journal Volumes

ISSN

2314-6133
2314-6141

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2013 - 201911
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Publications 1 - 10 of 11
  • How to Take Autophagy and Endocytosis Up a Notch
    Item type: Journal Article
    Barth, Julia M.I.; Köhler, Katja (2014)
    BioMed Research International
    The interconnection of the endocytic and autophagosomal trafficking routes has been recognized more than two decades ago with both pathways using a set of identical effector proteins and sharing the same ultimate lysosomal destination. More recent data sheds light onto how other pathways are intertwined into this network, and how degradation via the endosomal/autophagosomal system may affect signaling pathways in multicellular organisms. Here, we briefly review the common features of autophagy and endocytosis and discuss how other players enter this mix with particular respect to the Notch signaling pathway.
  • Corrigendum to “Prediction of Local Ultimate Strain and Toughness of Trabecular Bone Tissue by Raman Material Composition Analysis”
    Item type: Other Journal Item
    Carretta, Roberto; Stüssi, Edgar; Müller, Ralph; et al. (2017)
    BioMed Research International
  • Making More of IT: Enabling Intensive Motor Cognitive Rehabilitation Exercises in Geriatrics Using Information Technology Solutions
    Item type: Review Article
    McCaskey, Michael A.; Schättin, Alexandra; Martin-Niedecken, Anna L.; et al. (2018)
    BioMed Research International
    Although the health benefits of physical activity and exercise for older people are well established, a largely sedentary lifestyle still prevails in ageing western societies. Finding new ways to make exercise more accessible and acceptable for older adults must be developed to fully unleash its potential in preventing and weakening age-related physical and cognitive decline. Existing barriers to implement effective exercise-based treatment plans include motivational reservations on both the clinician’s and patient’s side, but also physical limitations caused by disease or deconditioning. Particularly in the more senior population, debilitating conditions do not allow adherence to currently recommended exercise regimes. A major rethinking of age- and user-adapted exercise is overdue. The high intensities required for physical and mental adaptations must be modifiable and personalized according to the functional status of each patient. Emerging information and communication technologies (ICT) have brought forward a plethora of attractive solutions for smart and adapted exercise, but there remains a vast gap between technological advancement and clinical relevance. Where in the beginning ICT for active ageing mainly focussed on aspects of usability and user experience, the current status of IT as applied in ageing populations noticeably shifted toward new services, applications, and devices that can be offered with the aim to prevent, compensate, care, and/or enhance daily life functioning of senior citizens. In this perspective paper, we aim to summarize the current state of the art in ICT-based interventions aimed at improved motor-cognitive control and make suggestions about how these could be combined with high-intensive interval exercise regimes to make rehabilitation for the impaired older adults more effective, and more fun.
  • Inhibition of ACE Retards Tau Hyperphosphorylation and Signs of Neuronal Degeneration in Aged Rats Subjected to Chronic Mild Stress
    Item type: Journal Article
    AbdAlla, Said; Hakim, Ahmed el; Abdelbaset, Ahmed; et al. (2015)
    BioMed Research International
    With increasing life expectancy, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other types of age-associated dementia are on the rise worldwide. Treatment approaches for dementia are insufficient and novel therapies are not readily available. In this context repurposing of established drugs appears attractive. A well-established class of cardiovascular drugs, which targets the angiotensin II system, is such a candidate, which currently undergoes a paradigm shift with regard to the potential benefit for treatment of neurodegenerative symptoms. In search for additional evidence, we subjected aged rats to chronic unpredictable mild stress, which is known to enhance the development of AD-related neuropathological features. We report here that four weeks of chronic mild stress induced a strong upregulation of the hippocampal angiotensin-converting enzyme (Ace) at gene expression and protein level. Concomitantly, tau protein hyperphosphorylation developed. Signs of neurodegeneration were detected by the significant downregulation of neuronal structure proteins such as microtubule-associated protein 2 (Map2) and synuclein-gamma (Sncg). Ace was involved in neurodegenerative symptoms because treatment with the brain-penetrating ACE inhibitor, captopril, retarded tau hyperphosphorylation and signs of neurodegeneration. Moreover, ACE inhibitor treatment could counteract glutamate neurotoxicity by preventing the downregulation of glutamate decarboxylase 2 (Gad2). Taken together, ACE inhibition targets neurodegeneration triggered by environmental stress.
  • Prevention of Peritendinous Adhesions Using an Electrospun DegraPol Polymer Tube: A Histological, Ultrasonographic, and Biomechanical Study in Rabbits
    Item type: Journal Article
    Meier Bürgisser, Gabriella; Calcagni, Maurizio; Müller, Angela; et al. (2014)
    BioMed Research International
    One of the great challenges in surgical tendon rupture repair is to minimize peritendinous adhesions. In order to reduce adhesion formation, a physical barrier was applied to a sutured rabbit Achilles tendon, with two different immobilization protocols used postoperatively. Methods. Thirty New Zealand white rabbits received a laceration on the Achilles tendon, sutured with a 4-strand Becker suture, and half of the rabbits got a DegraPol tube at the repair site. While fifteen rabbits had their treated hind leg in a 180° stretched position during 6 weeks (adhesion provoking immobilization), the other fifteen rabbits were recasted with a 150° position after 3 weeks (adhesion inhibiting immobilization). Adhesion extent was analysed macroscopically, via ultrasound and histology. Inflammation was determined histologically. Biomechanical properties were analysed. Results. Application of a DegraPol tube reduced adhesion formation by approximately 20%—independently of the immobilization protocol. Biomechanical properties of extracted specimen were not affected by the tube application. There was no serious inflammatory reaction towards the implant material. Conclusions. Implantation of a DegraPol tube tightly set around a sutured tendon acts as a beneficial physical barrier and prevents adhesion formation significantly—without affecting the tendon healing process.
  • Application of Machine Learning Approaches for Classifying Sitting Posture Based on Force and Acceleration Sensors
    Item type: Journal Article
    Zemp, Roland; Tanadini, Matteo; Plüss, Stefan; et al. (2016)
    BioMed Research International
    Occupational musculoskeletal disorders, particularly chronic low back pain (LBP), are ubiquitous due to prolonged static sitting or nonergonomic sitting positions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop an instrumented chair with force and acceleration sensors to determine the accuracy of automatically identifying the user’s sitting position by applying five different machine learning methods (Support Vector Machines, Multinomial Regression, Boosting, Neural Networks, and Random Forest). Forty-one subjects were requested to sit four times in seven different prescribed sitting positions (total 1148 samples). Sixteen force sensor values and the backrest angle were used as the explanatory variables (features) for the classification. The different classification methods were compared by means of a Leave-One-Out cross-validation approach. The best performance was achieved using the Random Forest classification algorithm, producing a mean classification accuracy of 90.9% for subjects with which the algorithm was not familiar. The classification accuracy varied between 81% and 98% for the seven different sitting positions. The present study showed the possibility of accurately classifying different sitting positions by means of the introduced instrumented office chair combined with machine learning analyses. The use of such novel approaches for the accurate assessment of chair usage could offer insights into the relationships between sitting position, sitting behaviour, and the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders.
  • In Vivo Spinal Posture during Upright and Reclined Sitting in an Office Chair
    Item type: Journal Article
    Zemp, Roland; Taylor, William R.; Lorenzetti, Silvio (2013)
    BioMed Research International
    Increasing numbers of people spend the majority of their working lives seated in an office chair. Musculoskeletal disorders, in particular low back pain, resulting from prolonged static sitting are ubiquitous, but regularly changing sitting position throughout the day is thought to reduce back problems. Nearly all currently available office chairs offer the possibility to alter the backrest reclination angles, but the influence of changing seating positions on the spinal column remains unknown. In an attempt to better understand the potential to adjust or correct spine posture using adjustable seating, five healthy subjects were analysed in an upright and reclined sitting position conducted in an open, upright MRI scanner. The shape of the spine, as described using the vertebral bodies' coordinates, wedge angles, and curvature angles, showed high inter-subject variability between the two seating positions. The mean lumbar, thoracic, and cervical curvature angles were 29 ± 15°, - 29 ± 4°, and 13 ± 8°for the upright and 33 ± 12°, - 31 ± 7°, and 7 ± 7°for the reclined sitting positions. Thus, a wide range of seating adaptation is possible through modification of chair posture, and dynamic seating options may therefore provide a key feature in reducing or even preventing back pain caused by prolonged static sitting. © 2013 Roland Zemp et al.
  • Wheelchair Tilt-in-Space and Recline Functions: Influence on Sitting Interface Pressure and Ischial Blood Flow in an Elderly Population
    Item type: Journal Article
    Zemp, Roland; Rhiner, Joël; Plüss, Stefan; et al. (2019)
    BioMed Research International
    Pressure ulcers (PUs) result from localised injury to the skin and underlying tissue and usually occur over a bony prominence as a result of pressure, often in combination with shear forces. Both pressure magnitude and duration are thought to be key risk factors in the occurrence of PUs, thus exposing wheelchair-bound subjects to high risk of PU development. As a result, wheelchairs that incorporate tilt-in-space and recline functions are routinely prescribed to redistribute pressure away from their ischial tuberosities. The goal of this study was to analyse the role of full-body tilt and recline angles in governing sitting interface pressure and blood circulation parameters in elderly subjects and thereby investigate the efficacy of tilt-in-space wheelchairs for aiding pressure relief activity. Sitting interface pressure and ischial blood flow parameters were examined in 20 healthy elderly subjects while seated in a tilt-in-space and recline wheelchair. Five different angles of seat tilt (5°, 15°, 25°, 35°, and 45°) were assessed in combination with three different angles of backrest recline (5°, 15°, and 30°). The results of the study show that when compared to the upright reference posture, every position (except 15°T/5°R) resulted in a significant decrease in sitting interface pressure. Ischial blood flow also showed significant increases at four different positions (45°T/15°R, 15°T/30°R, 35°T/30°R, and 45°T/30°R) but only at larger tilt-in-space and recline angles. The results therefore suggest that small tilt-in-space and recline angles are indeed able to reduce sitting interface pressures, whereas changes in ischial blood flow only occur at larger angles. In the literature, cell deformation is thought to be dominant over tissue ischemia in the development of tissue necrosis and PUs. Therefore, together with our findings it can be concluded that frequently undertaking small adjustments in tilt-in-space and recline angle might be important for preventing cell deformation and any associated cell necrosis. Larger angles of tilt-in-space and recline seem to support blood flow returning to the tissues, which is likely to play a positive role in healing damaged tissue.
  • Prediction of Local Ultimate Strain and Toughness of Trabecular Bone Tissue by Raman Material Composition Analysis
    Item type: Journal Article
    Carretta, Roberto; Stüssi, Edgar; Müller, Ralph; et al. (2015)
    BioMed Research International
  • Mechanotransduction and Metabolism in Cardiomyocyte Microdomains
    Item type: Review Article
    Pasqualini, Francesco S.; Nesmith, Alexander P.; Horton, Renita E.; et al. (2016)
    BioMed Research International
    Efficient contractions of the left ventricle are ensured by the continuous transfer of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from energy production sites, the mitochondria, to energy utilization sites, such as ionic pumps and the force-generating sarcomeres. To minimize the impact of intracellular ATP trafficking, sarcomeres and mitochondria are closely packed together and in proximity with other ultrastructures involved in excitation-contraction coupling, such as t-tubules and sarcoplasmic reticulum junctions. This complex microdomain has been referred to as the intracellular energetic unit. Here, we review the literature in support of the notion that cardiac homeostasis and disease are emergent properties of the hierarchical organization of these units. Specifically, we will focus on pathological alterations of this microdomain that result in cardiac diseases through energy imbalance and posttranslational modifications of the cytoskeletal proteins involved in mechanosensing and transduction.
Publications 1 - 10 of 11