Extracellular matrix (ECM) has been implicated in tumor progress and chemosensitivity. Ovarian cancer brings a great threat to the health of women with a significant feature of high mortality and poor prognosis. However, the potential significance of matrix stiffness in the pattern of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) expression and ovarian cancer drug sensitivity is still largely unkown. Here, based on RNA-seq data of ovarian cancer cell cultured on substrates with different stiffness, we found that a great amount of lncRNAs were upregulated in stiff group, whereas SNHG8 was significantly downregulated, which was further verified in ovarian cancer cells cultured on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) hydrogel. Knockdown of SNHG8 led to an impaired efficiency of homologous repair, and decreased cellular sensitivity to both etoposide and cisplatin. Meanwhile, the results of the GEPIA analysis indicated that the expression of SNHG8 was significantly decreased in ovarian cancer tissues, which was negatively correlated with the overall survival of patients with ovarian cancer. In conclusion, matrix stiffening related lncRNA SNHG8 is closely related to chemosensitivity and prognosis of ovarian cancer, which might be a novel molecular marker for chemotherapy drug instruction and prognosis prediction.
Female ; Humans ; Cisplatin/pharmacology* ; Elasticity/physiology* ; Etoposide ; Extracellular Matrix/physiology* ; Ovarian Neoplasms/metabolism* ; RNA, Long Noncoding/metabolism*

We wanted to determine whether shear wave elastography (SWE) could be used to evaluate the aging degree of the corpus cavernosum (CC) and to identify the histological basis of changes in SWE measurements during the aging process. We performed a cross-sectional study enrolling healthy participants of different ages. We measured the Young's modulus (YM) of the penile CCs by SWE and assessed erectile function using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5). Histological investigation was performed in surgically resected penile specimens from a separate group of patients to examine the smooth muscle and collagen content of the CCs. Furthermore, we measured the YM, erectile function, smooth muscle, and collagen content of the CCs in different age groups of rats. Finally, we enrolled 210 male volunteers in this study. The YM of the CC (CCYM) was positively correlated with age (r = 0.949, P < 0.01) and negatively correlated with erectile function (r = -0.843, P < 0.01). Histological examinations showed that CCs had increased collagen content but decreased smooth muscle content with increased age. The same positive correlation between CCYM and age was also observed in the animal study. In addition, the animal study showed that older rats, with increased CCYM and decreased erectile function, had lower smooth muscle content and higher collagen content. SWE can noninvasively and quantitatively evaluate the aging degree of the CC. Increased collagen content and decreased smooth muscle content might be the histological basis for the effect of aging on the CC and the increase in its YM.
Humans ; Male ; Rats ; Animals ; Erectile Dysfunction ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Penis/pathology* ; Penile Erection/physiology* ; Aging ; Collagen

The radial artery pulse wave contains a wealth of physiological and pathological information about the human body, and non-invasive studies of the radial artery pulse wave can assess arterial vascular elasticity in different age groups.The piezoelectric pulse wave transducers were used to non-invasively acquire radial artery pulse waves at different contact pressures in young and middle-aged and elderly populations. The radial artery waveforms were decomposed using a triangular blood flow model fitting method to obtain forward and reflected waves and calculate reflection parameters. Finally a correlation analysis and regression analysis of the contact pressure P_sensor with the reflection parameters was carried out. The results showed that the reflection parameters RM, RI and R_d had a strong negative correlation with P_sensor in both types of subjects, and the correlation coefficients and slopes of the regression curves were significantly different between the two types of subjects (P<0.05). Based on the results of this study, excessive contact pressure on the transducer should be avoided when detecting radial artery reflection waves in clinical practice. The results also show that the magnitude of the slope of the regression curve between the reflection parameters and the transducer contact pressure may be a potentially useful indicator for quantifying the elastic properties of the vessel.
Middle Aged ; Aged ; Humans ; Blood Pressure/physiology* ; Arteries ; Blood Flow Velocity/physiology* ; Elasticity ; Pulse Wave Analysis ; Radial Artery/physiology*

Study of the mechanical properties of in vivo corneal materials is an important basis for further study of corneal physiological and pathological phenomena by means of finite element method. In this paper, the elastic coefficient ( ) and viscous coefficient ( ) of normal cornea and keratoconus under pulse pressure are calculated by using standard linear solid model with the data provided by corneal visualization scheimpflug technology. The results showed that there was a significant difference of and between normal cornea and keratoconus cornea ( < 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under curve (AUC) for , and their combined indicators were 0.776, 0.895 and 0.948, respectively, which indicated that keratoconus could be predicted by and . The results of this study may provide a reference for the early diagnosis of keratoconus and avoid the occurrence of keratoconus after operation, so it has a certain clinical value.
Area Under Curve ; Cornea ; physiology ; Elasticity ; Humans ; Keratoconus ; pathology ; ROC Curve ; Viscosity

Structural alterations in fibroelastic components of the penile corpus cavernousum (CC) may impair its compliance, resulting in venous leakage and erectile dysfunction (ED). Our study evaluated the effectiveness of noninvasive two-dimensional shear-wave elastography (2-D SWE) in quantifying penile CC lesions in rabbits with hyperlipidemia-induced ED. A total of 12 New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into two groups. Six were fed a high-cholesterol diet containing 2% cholesterol and 8.5% lard for 10 weeks and the other six were fed normal diet as controls. We measured the shear-wave elastic quantitative (SWQ) value of penile CC by 2-D SWE. Erectile function was investigated by intracavernous injection of papaverine, and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and the western blot analysis to determine the penile CC lesions. After 10 weeks, the SWQ values obtained from penile CC were remarkably higher in the high-cholesterol-fed compared with the control group, and the ΔICP (ICP plateau minus ICP baseline)/MAP (ICP: intracavernous pressure, MAP: mean arterial pressure) was markedly decreased. The IHC staining and western blot revealed extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation in penile cavernous tissues, and the smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotypic transition was affected, as indicated by reduced alpha-smooth muscle actin and calponin-1 expression and increased phospho-myosin light chain₂₀ (p-MLC₂₀)/MLC₂₀ and osteopontin expression. Hyperlipidemia resulted in ECM accumulation accompanied with SMC phenotypic transition in penile CC and impaired the erectile function eventually. These might, in turn, lead to variations in the SWQ values. It suggests that 2-D SWE may be a novel, noninvasive and effective approach that distinguishes penile CC lesions secondary to hyperlipidemia from normal.
Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques/methods* ; Erectile Dysfunction/etiology* ; Hyperlipidemias/diagnostic imaging* ; Male ; Penile Erection/physiology* ; Penis/diagnostic imaging* ; Rabbits

PURPOSE: To correlate tumor stiffness and lymphangiogenesis in breast cancer and to find its clinical implications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 140 breast cancer patients were evaluated. Tumor stiffness was quantitatively measured by shear-wave elastography in preoperative ultrasound examination, calculated as mean elasticity value (kPa). Slides of resected breast cancer specimens were reviewed for most fibrotic area associated with tumor. D2-40 immunohistochemical staining was applied for fibrotic areas to detect the lymphatic spaces. Microlymphatic density, tumor stiffness, and clinicopathologic data were analyzed. RESULTS: Higher elasticity value was associated with invasive size of tumor, microlymphatic density, histologic grade 3, absence of extensive intraductal component, presence of axillary lymph node metastasis, and Ki-67 labeling index (LI) in univariate regression analysis, and associated with Ki-67 LI and axillary lymph node metastasis in multivariate regression analysis. Microlymphatic density was associated histologic grade 3, mean elasticity value, and Ki-67 LI in univariate regression analysis. In multivariate regression analysis, microlymphatic density was correlated with mean elasticity value. CONCLUSION: In breast cancer, tumor stiffness correlates with lymphangiogenesis and poor prognostic factors.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Breast/pathology ; Breast Neoplasms/*diagnostic imaging/*pathology ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques/*methods ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes/pathology ; Lymphangiogenesis/*physiology ; Lymphatic Metastasis/*pathology ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Staging ; Regression Analysis

OBJECTIVETo provide a theoretical basis for surface modification of titanium implants, the effects of the stiffness of polyelectrolyte multilayer films on titanium surface on bacterium adhesion was explored.

METHODSVia layer-by-layer technique, catechol functionalized polyelectrolyte multilayer film (cPEM) was constructed on titanium surface by using catechol functionalized hyaluronic acid (cHA) and lipopolysaccharide-amine nanopolymersomes (NP). The stiffness of cPEM was controlled by adjusting the catechol substitution degree of cHA (5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%). Titanium samples covered with cPEM were selected as test group, and the cPEM was constructed with the lowest, medium and highest stiffness. The polished titanium was used as a control. The surface topography of titanium before and after film construction was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). At 1 and 24 h after incubation, the adhesion and clonal formation of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) on different titanium surfaces were quantified, and their morphology and survival status were observed by SEM and laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM).

RESULTSWhen the catechol grafting ratio was 5%, 30% and 70%, the lowest, medium and highest cPEM stiffness were obtained, and the cPEM stiffness were (10.69±4.54) GPa(cPEM-L), (20.99± 5.81) GPa (cPEM-M) and (32.57±6.93) GPa (cPEM-H) respectively, and the stiffness of polished titanium was (107.12±8.68) GPa (P<0.05). SEM observation showed that after cPEM coating, the titanium surface became smoother. After incubation for 1 and 24 h, the amount of adhesion and clonal formation of S. mutans on cPEM were higher than those on control titanium, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). SEM images showed that for 1 h incubation, softer surfaces were beneficial for S. mutans adhering and agglomerating, while this difference nearly disappeared at 24 h. Observation under LSCM revealed that most of bacteria were alive on titanium disks at 1 h, and their amount decreased with the increase of stiffness. At 24 h, the living/dead bacterium ratios on cPEM-L and control titanium was higher than that on cPEM-M and cPEM-H, and cPEM-L surface was dominated by living bacteria, while stiffer cPEM-M and cPEM-H had more dead bacteria than living bacteria.

CONCLUSIONSIncreasing the stiffness of polyelectrolyte films on titanium limits the adhesion of S. mutans. As an independent factor, stiffness influences the bacterium adhesion.

Bacterial Adhesion ; Catechols ; Elasticity ; Hyaluronic Acid ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Nanoparticles ; Polymers ; chemistry ; Streptococcus mutans ; physiology ; Surface Properties ; Time Factors ; Titanium ; chemistry

This study evaluated the myocardial strain and aortic elasticity in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and then investigated the relation between them. Thirty-nine patients (30 males; mean age 44±19 years; range 6 to 75 years) with BAV were recruited as BAV group, and 29 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (21 males; mean age 42±11 years; range 20 to 71 years) served as control group. Aortic strain, distensibility and stiffness index were derived using M-mode echocardiography. Left ventricular global myocardial strain was acquired with speckle-tracking echocardiography. Correlation between aortic elasticity and myocardial strain was also analyzed. The results showed that aortic stiffness was higher (17.5±14.0 vs. 5.3±2.7, P<0.001), and aortic strain (4.9±4.7 vs. 11.0±4.1, P<0.001) and distensibility (1.8±2.1 vs. 3.7±1.6, P<0.001) were lower significantly in BAV group than in control group. Global circumferential strain (-19.1±4.2 vs.-22.5±3.7, P<0.001), radial stain (29.8±14.9 vs. 38.0±8.8, P<0.001) and longitudinal stain (-18.4±3.4 vs.-20.8±3.5, P<0.001) were significantly lower in BAV group than in control group. There was weak association between aortic elasticity and myocardial strain. These findings indicated BAV patients manifest reduced myocardial strain which had weak relationship with aortic elastic lesion.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aorta ; pathology ; Aortic Valve ; abnormalities ; pathology ; Child ; Echocardiography ; Elasticity ; Female ; Heart Valve Diseases ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardium ; pathology ; Sprains and Strains ; pathology ; Vascular Stiffness ; physiology

Quantitative measurement of strain distribution of arterial vessel walls due to pulsatile blood flow within the vascular lumen is valuable for evaluating the elasticity of arterial wall and predicting the evolution of plaques. The present paper shows that the three-dimensional (3D) strain distribution are estimated through uni-directional coupling for 3D vessel and blood models reconstructed from intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) images with the computational. fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulation technique. The morphology of vessel wall and plaques as well as strain distribution can be visually displayed with pseudo-color coding.
Arteries ; diagnostic imaging ; physiology ; Elasticity ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Pulsatile Flow ; Ultrasonography

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is an essential cofactor in NO synthesis by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) enzymes. It has been previously suggested that reduced intrahepatic BH4 results in a decrease in intrahepatic NO and contributes to increased hepatic vascular resistance and portal pressure in animal models of cirrhosis. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between BH4 and portal hypertension (PHT). One hundred ninety-three consecutive patients with chronic liver disease were included in the study. Liver biopsy, measurement of BH4 and hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) were performed. Hepatic fibrosis was classified using the Laennec fibrosis scoring system. BH4 levels were determined in homogenized liver tissues of patients using a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between BH4 and HVPG, grade of hepatic fibrosis, clinical stage of cirrhosis, Child-Pugh class. A positive relationship between HVPG and hepatic fibrosis grade, clinical stage of cirrhosis and Child-Pugh class was observed. However, the BH4 level showed no significant correlation with HVPG or clinical features of cirrhosis. BH4 concentration in liver tissue has little relation to the severity of portal hypertension in patients with chronic liver disease.
Adult ; Aged ; Biopterin/*analogs & derivatives/analysis ; *Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Chronic Disease ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Female ; Hepatic Veins/physiology ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal/complications/*diagnosis/metabolism ; Liver/pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis/ultrasonography ; Liver Diseases/complications/*diagnosis/metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nitric Oxide/metabolism ; Portal Pressure ; Regression Analysis ; Severity of Illness Index