The Roles of Imaging Biomarkers in the Management of Chronic Neuropathic Pain

Chronic neuropathic pain (CNP) affects around 10% of the general population and has a significant social, emotional, and economic impact. Current diagnosis techniques rely mainly on patient-reported outcomes and symptoms, which leads to significant diagnostic heterogeneity and subsequent challenges in management and assessment of outcomes. As such, it is necessary to review the approach to a pathology that occurs so frequently, with such burdensome and complex implications. Recent research has shown that imaging methods can detect subtle neuroplastic changes in the central and peripheral nervous system, which can be correlated with neuropathic symptoms and may serve as potential markers. The aim of this paper is to review available imaging methods used for diagnosing and assessing therapeutic efficacy in CNP for both the preclinical and clinical setting. Of course, further research is required to standardize and improve detection accuracy, but available data indicate that imaging is a valuable tool that can impact the management of CNP.     

Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Protects against Retinal Dysfunction in a Murine Model of Carotid Artery Occlusion

Cardiovascular abnormality-mediated retinal ischemia causes severe visual impairment. Retinal ischemia is involved in enormous pathological processes including oxidative stress, reactive gliosis, and retinal functional deficits. Thus, maintaining retinal function by modulating those pathological processes may prevent or protect against vision loss. Over the decades, nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a crucial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) intermediate, has been nominated as a promising therapeutic target in retinal diseases. Nonetheless, a protective effect of NMN has not been examined in cardiovascular diseases-induced retinal ischemia. In our study, we aimed to investigate its promising effect of NMN in the ischemic retina of a murine model of carotid artery occlusion. After surgical unilateral common carotid artery occlusion (UCCAO) in adult male C57BL/6 mice, NMN (500 mg/kg/day) was intraperitoneally injected to mice every day until the end of experiments. Electroretinography and biomolecular assays were utilized to measure ocular functional and further molecular alterations in the retina. We found that UCCAO-induced retinal dysfunction was suppressed, pathological gliosis was reduced, retinal NAD⁺ levels were preserved, and the expression of an antioxidant molecule (nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2; Nrf2) was upregulated by consecutive administration of NMN. Our present outcomes first suggest a promising NMN therapy for the suppression of cardiovascular diseases-mediated retinal ischemic dysfunction.     

Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis: Pathogenic Mechanisms Involving the Cartilage and Subchondral Bone,and Potential Therapeutic Strategies for Joint Regeneration

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a specialized synovial joint that is crucial for the movement and function of the jaw. TMJ osteoarthritis (TMJ OA) is the result of disc dislocation, trauma, functional overburden, and developmental anomalies. TMJ OA affects all joint structures, including the articular cartilage, synovium, subchondral bone, capsule, ligaments, periarticular muscles, and sensory nerves that innervate the tissues. The present review aimed to illustrate the main pathomechanisms involving cartilage and bone changes in TMJ OA and some therapeutic options that have shown potential restorative properties regarding these joint structures in vivo. Chondrocyte loss, extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, and subchondral bone remodeling are important factors in TMJ OA. The subchondral bone actively participates in TMJ OA through an abnormal bone remodeling initially characterized by a loss of bone mass, followed by reparative mechanisms that lead to stiffness and thickening of the condylar osteochondral interface. In recent years, such therapies as intraarticular platelet-rich plasma (PRP), hyaluronic acid (HA), and mesenchymal stem cell-based treatment (MSCs) have shown promising results with respect to the regeneration of joint structures or the protection against further damage in TMJ OA. Nevertheless, PRP and MSCs are more frequently associated with cartilage and/or bone repair than HA. According to recent findings, the latter could enhance the restorative potential of other therapies (PRP, MSCs) when used in combination, rather than repair TMJ structures by itself. TMJ OA is a complex disease in which degenerative changes in the cartilage and bone develop through intricate mechanisms. The regenerative potential of such therapies as PRP, MSCs, and HA regarding the cartilage and subchondral bone (alone or in various combinations) in TMJ OA remains a matter of further research, with studies sometimes obtaining discrepant results.     

Development of a laser wavefront sensor for measurement of discharges in air

A laser wavefront sensor of the Shack‐Hartmann type capable of simultaneous measurement at two wavelengths was constructed. The sensor uses a single optical path, and is suited for applications such as high‐voltage discharges in air, in which large insulation distances are necessary. The sensor was used to detect optical path differences due to an impulse discharge in air across a needle–plane electrode gap of gap length 17 mm. Optical path differences were measured at laser wavelengths of 532 and 1064 nm at 1.6 µs after insulation breakdown across the gap. From the difference in optical path differences at the two wavelengths, a line‐integrated electron density distribution in the direction perpendicular to the gap was obtained near the high‐voltage electrode. The distribution had a peak value of 1.4 × 10²⁰m^?2 and a full width at half maximum of 4.4 mm. Because of the coverage of a large observation area including the entire gap, the spatial resolution was 1.4 mm, which was inadequate to obtain the precise form of the electron density distribution. However, the results show the possibility of applying laser wavefront sensing to electron density measurement. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 146(4): 10–17, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10247     

Effect of thermomechanical transformation and type of stabilization on formability of ELI 18 Cr 2 Mo and 21 Cr 3 Mo ferritic stainless steels

Effect of Ti, Nb, Ti+Nb and of cold rolling shedule on formability of stabilized ELI 18 Cr 2 Mo and 21 Cr 3 Mo steels. Single step reduction of around 80 % followed by continuous annealing: 3 min at 900 °C confer exceptional deep drawing properties. Ti strongly favours textures, Nb slackens them, Ti+Nb is a satisfactory balance of very high deep drawing properties and low planar anisotropy.     

Die Porosität und Hydrophilie des Rostes von niedriglegierten Stählen

Gewichtsmessungen, Röntgenuntersuchungen, Ermittlung der spezifischen Oberfläche und der Porenverteilung an Rostsorten verschiedener niedriglegierter Stähle bei unterschiedlichen Feuchtigkeitsgehalten. Ermittlung der Kapillarstruktur des Rostes aus den Isothermen der Feuchtigkeitsadsorption. Beurteilung der physikalisch-chemischen Oberflächeneigenschaften des Rostes unter Berücksichtigung der als Kosinus des in Wasser gemessenen Kontaktwinkels Wasser/Rost/Luft ausgedrückten Benetzbarkeit. Berücksichtigung der chemischen Kondensation neben der Kapillarkondensation und der Kondensation durch Adsorption.     

Die Kinetik der Entstickung von Eisen-Stickstoff-Legierungen durch Wasserstoff

An reinsten Eisen-Stickstoff-Legierungen mit rd. 0,015% N Untersuchung des Einflusses der Temperatur von 500 bis 800 °C, des Wasserstoffdruckes von 150 bis 760 Torr und der Probendicke im Bereich von 0,22 bis 0,60 mm auf die Geschwindigkeit der Entstickung durch trockenen strömenden Wasserstoff.     

Effect of the Preparation Conditions of Ru/CeO2 Catalysts for the Liquid Phase Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol

Ceria colloidal particles with a mean crystallite size of 2 nm were synthesized by a solvothermal reaction. The Ru/CeO₂ catalyst prepared from the CeO₂ colloids exhibited higher activity than the catalyst prepared from Ce(NO₃)₃. Temperature-programmed reduction analysis indicated that the reduction of surface Ce⁴⁺ was accelerated by highly dispersed Ru species on the CeO₂ particles and occurred at low temperatures. The single component CeO₂ sample prepared by the coagulation of the CeO₂ colloid was more easily reduced and re-oxidized than the CeO₂ sample prepared by the precipitation method from Ce(NO₃)₃. The higher activity of Ru/CeO₂ prepared from the CeO₂ colloids came from the inherent nature of the CeO₂ support itself.