Effects of a Single Bout of Exercise on Lipoprotein Fractions in Hypercholesterolemic Women

Effects of a Single Bout of Exercise on Lipoprotein Fractions in Hypercholesterolemic Women Allen Sexton, Kavya Chelikani, and Yunsuk Koh Department of Health and Kinesiology, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX 77710 Classification of First Author: Master’s Background: Abnormal lipoprotein profiles are strongly associated with premature cardiovascular disease. Sedentary lifestyle and menopause may accelerate abnormal lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in women. A single bout of aerobic exercise at moderate intensity may positively alter serum lipoprotein fractions in postmenopausal women with high cholesterol levels. Objectives: The current study investigated how a single bout of exercise affects lipoprotein fractions in sedentary, postmenopausal women with hypercholesterolemia. Methods: Thirteen (N=13) sedentary, hypercholesterolemic (defined as total cholesterol \u3e 200 mg/dl; average TC = 241.7 ± 5.8 mg/dl) postmenopausal women (age = 57.4 ± 2.0 years) randomly performed both exercise and rest trials. For the exercise trial, participants performed a single bout of exercise at 60% of heart rate reserve on a treadmill until 400 kcal were expended. Serum samples were collected at pre (0), 24, and 48 hours following each trial to analyze the lipoprotein fractions (α, pre-β, and β) using electrophoresis. A 2 (trial: rest and exercise) x 3 (time: 0, 24, and 48 hours) repeated ANOVA was employed to determine the significant changes in serum lipoprotein fractions. The p value \u3c .05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The α-lipoprotein fraction in the exercise trial was significantly higher than the rest trial (35.7 vs. 34.9%, p=.006), while the β-lipoprotein fraction in the exercise trial was significantly lower than the rest trial (56.8 vs. 57.6%, p=.001). Additionally, the β-lipoprotein fraction at 24 hours (56.3%) was significantly lower (p=.008) than 0 (57.8%) or 48 hours (57.5%). The pre-β fraction remained unchanged. Conclusion: A single bout of moderate intensity aerobic exercise can favorably alter serum α- and β- lipoprotein fractions in postmenopausal women with hypercholesterolemia

Controlling the product quality attributes of a complex recombinant protein in a high cell density perfusion bioreactor process

Perfusion processes for biopharmaceutical manufacturing have gained significant attention over the last few years as a means to significantly improve productivity and product quality over conventional fed batch processes. A few cases have recently been reported that higher cell densities (100-200E6 vc/mL) and higher productivities (2-4 g/L/day) were successfully achieved with perfusion processes. At Shire, perfusion platforms have been established and multiple perfusion processes for the production of complex and heavily glycosylated proteins have been developed and scaled up to clinical and commercial scales successfully. In this presentation, we will discuss our experience and challenges encountered during the development of a high cell density perfusion process for a complex and heavily glycosylated recombinant protein and our approaches to overcome these challenges. A baseline perfusion bioreactor process at 50-60E6 vc/mL utilizing an ATF retention device was initially established but some of the product quality attributes could not be maintained robustly when the cell density was further increased to 80-90E6 vc/mL. The impact of nutrient availability, inhibitor accumulation & product retention were investigated to understand the product quality differences at different cell densities. The overall strategy and approach to control and improve product quality attributes will be discussed

SIMULATION OF A BACKREST MOMENT TEST FOR AN AUTOMOTIVE FRONT SEAT USING NONLINEAR CONTACT FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

Computer aided engineering and finite element simulation are essential in order to predict accurately the safety performance of automotive structures in an event of crash. In this work, finite element simulation is used to evaluate the strength and deflection characteristics of a reference automotive front seat in an event of vehicle rear impact. Understanding the strength-deflection characteristics of front automotive seats during vehicle rear impact is important to ensure the safety function of the seat. The safety function is measured based on a moment test in accordance with government (ECE R17) regulations. Accurate finite element modeling of a reference seat which has passed ECE R17 moment test requirements is important to provide a benchmark reference to compare new concepts and designs which reduce weight while maintaining minimum test requirements. In this work, simulation of the moment test of the reference seat is done beyond the component level by using a complete seat model formed by integrating the major structural components including the base frame, slider rails and backrest. The stamped sheet metal structural frames are represented in the finite element using shell elements. Contact within the seat structure is defined in order to simulate joints between side flanges and cross tube members of the base frame. Contact modeling is also used to simulate the interaction of a SAE J826 rigid body form with the backrest. Height adjustment, front tilt adjustment and the backrest tilt angle adjustment locking mechanisms are represented in the finite element model using rigid connections. The bolt connections between different parts in the model are represented using multi-point constraints. An elastic-plastic material is used to model the ductile steel structures. Different grades of steel with low, medium, and high ultimate strength are considered for the different components. In order to confirm the strength requirements, moment deflection characteristics of the seat are studied in accordance with ECE R17. The strength and deflection characteristics of the seat are obtained by simulating the quasi-static moment test in ABAQUS/Explicit using two complementary loading cases, constant horizontal force and constant angular velocity. For the moment test, simulated using constant horizontal force, the results show that the seat satisfies a maximum moment requirement and, at the end of the deformation travel, the developed moment is maintained above a minimum requirement. For the moment test simulated using the constant angular velocity, the maximum moment is not reached, yet after the end of deformation travel, the developed moment stays above the minimum. Since the ECE R17 regulations do not provide precise specifications for the height of the applied force and test setup for the body form pivot mechanism, a study is conducted in order to understand the influence of body form rotation and height of the body form above the H-point, representing the physical pivot of the occupant hip area. The influence of plastic material properties of different grades of steel used for the seat model, front mesh contour on the backrest and connection between the backrest and connector are also modified to analyze the influence of load path on moment deflection characteristics of a seat. The moment test setup with increased distance of 430 mm between H-point and reference point of the body form shows higher strength for initial deflection and lower strength towards the end of the deformation path when compared to original length of 360mm. The moment test setup with body rotation about the reference point axis constrained shows higher strength for initial deflection and similar strength towards the end of the deformation path when compared to free rotation of the body form reference point axis. The front mesh without contour on the backrest decreases the strength of the seat below the requirement. Changing the ultimate strength of steel used on the major load bearing components does change the component stress, but shows only a small change in the moment deflection characteristics of the model. Using a high yield strength steel material for the connector increases the maximum moment that the seat can suppor

The effect of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) silage chop length and inclusion rate within a total mixed ration on the ability of lactating dairy cows to cope with a feed withholding and refeeding challenge

Cows fed diets containing a lower concentration of alfalfa silage (replacing corn silage) experienced greater reductions in rumen pH following a six hour feed witholding/refeeding challenge than those fed higher alfalfa concentration diets and also suffered greater short-term milk loss on the day of the challenge. Lower rumen pH in animals fed a long chop length compared to a shorter chop length raised questions over the effect of long forage particles in the diet during and following short-term feed deprivation. This research highlights the importance of maintaining feeding routines and ensuring adequate feed access throughout the day in dairy systems

Numerical simulation for the management of steady and unsteady flows in the presence of mixing for biomedical applications

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. January 2014. Major: Mechanical Engineering. Advisor:Ephraim M. Sparrow. 1 computer file (PDF); vii, 159 pages, appendices A-C.Numerical simulation models can be a highly effective starting point for the optimal design of biomedical devices. This concept forms the underpinnings of the research to be reported in this thesis. Three unique medical device applications are considered, and numerical modeling and simulation is performed to enable a near approach to an optimal design. Furthermore, numerical models can also provide valuable guidelines for experimentation and product development. Each of the considered applications serves a therapeutic function. The common denominator to all of the applications is the major role played by fluid dynamics. For each of these applications, a model that conforms closely to the physical situation is formulated and subsequently implemented by numerical computation to yield outcomes of practical utility. The first of the applications was motivated by the reality that certain patients require frequent access to the vascular system. For example, drug infusion during chemotherapy and dialysis treatment requires such access. To facilitate these intrusions, infusion ports are implanted at suitable sites. The design of such ports must enable convenience in injecting and extracting fluid media. Furthermore, if blood is one of the media, the geometry of the port must be tailored to avoid hemolysis. Filtration is a major issue in the sanitary handling of biological fluids. The manufacture of such filtration media and other biomedical sterile fabrics makes use of very fine diameter fibers. The second major focus of this thesis is to provide a highly effective means for the production of the needed fibers. The manufacturing process which was majorly improved by the present innovations is the melt-blowing process.There are many situations in which biomedical fluids must be extracted from the human body. For example, spent tracer fluids used in angiographies become a possible source of kidney damage unless they are extracted. The final focus of the thesis research was to develop a highly effective numerical model whose application guides the design of suction catheters suitable to the existing biological conditions

Development of a novel high-throughput platform for efficient perfusion-based cell culture process development

Perfusion technology has been successfully used for the commercial production of biotherapeutics, in particular unstable recombinant proteins, for more than a decade. However, there has been a general lack of high-throughput cell culture tools specifically for perfusion-based cell culture processes. Here we have developed a high-throughput cell retention operation for use with the ambr® 15 bioreactor system. Metabolite, titer, and cell concentrations were modeled using Matlab software and process parameters were defined to mimic continuous perfusion systems, with experimental results confirming model fidelity. Employing an offline process for cell retention and a variable volume approach, the established platform has demonstrated cell culture performance (\u3e 90 E6 cells/mL and \u3e95% viability) comparable to bench scale bioreactors. The model was successfully implemented for use in media development and clone screening with similar ranking of clones across scales, highlighting the accuracy of a microreactor screening approach and the utility of the ambr® 15 perfusion mimic. The automated, single use, high-throughput perfusion platform is a powerful tool that allows for rapid and efficient process development and demonstrates significant improvements over other established methods

Process improvements for AAV production by transient transfection of HEK293 cells

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Use of Candida albicans and its oestrogen binding protein as a bio-recognition element for detection of oestrogen

Compared with bacteria, yeast have rarely been studied for use as a biocomponent for biosensors. Yeast are easy to culture and are eukaryotes, which means their biochemistry in many respects is similar to that of higher organisms. C. albicans and some other yeast species are known to have an oestrogen binding protein (EBP), which oxidises NAD(P)H to NAD(P)+ Oestrogen, when present, binds to the NAD(P)H oxidation site which leads to an accumulation of NAD(P)H (Madani, et al. 1994). Previous research has shown that oestrogen can be quantified using S. cerevisiae whole cells as the detection element and measuring NAD(P)H with a double mediator electrochemical system. This thesis employs the mediated electrochemical systems to investigate the influence of growth phase on EBP production in C. albicans and the response of cells of different ages to different concentrations of oestrogen. A cell not known to possess EBP (Arxula adeninivorans) was also investigated for its response to 17β-oestradiol. As expected, A. adeninivorans did not show a detectable response to 17β-oestradiol but surprisingly, its catabolism was inhibited. By using C. albicans cell lysate in the oestrogen detecting assay, utility was systematically increased and the complexity of the whole cell assay was decreased. In this assay, only a hydrophilic mediator was used, removing the need for a lipophilic mediator. The assay was used successfully in a complex medium, the upper detection limit was raised to 100 nM of 17β-oestradiol, and the assay period was reduced to 20 min. The electrodes were modified to directly detect NAD(P)H in cell lysate at a lower potential to avoid interference by oxidants such as ascorbic acid. Furthermore, EBP was purified using 17β-oestradiol affinity chromatography, and the protein was used with NADH in an oestrogen bioassay. In this assay NADH was electrochemically detected directly and could differentiate ‘with’ and ‘without oestrogen’ samples. This research also showed that a mediator can interact directly with EBP, i.e. without the use of NADH and further, direct electron transfer from EBP to both glassy carbon and pyrolyzed photoresist film (PPF) electrodes were demonstrated (i.e. without the use of a mediator). This research has further simplified the assay and will facilitate the development of rapid oestrogen detecting protein biosensor

Adding pharmacist-led home blood pressure telemonitoring to usual care for blood pressure control: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Health systems have been quickly adopting telemedicine throughout the United States, especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are limited data on whether adding pharmacist-led home blood pressure (BP) telemonitoring to office-based usual care improves BP. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase for randomized controlled trials from January 2000 until April 2022, comparing studies on pharmacist-led home BP telemonitoring with usual care. Six randomized controlled trials, including 1,550 participants, satisfied the inclusion criteria. There were 774 participants in the pharmacist-led telemonitoring group and 776 in the usual care group. The addition of pharmacist-led telemonitoring to usual care was associated with a significant decrease in systolic BP (mean difference -8.09, 95% confidence interval -11.15 to -5.04, p \u3c0.001,