Showing papers by "Scott D. Swanson published in 2013"
TL;DR: The mechanical requirements to tissue-compliant implants based on critical rupture strength of brain tissue are formalized and miniature CNT-based devices can satisfy these requirements and in vivo functionality was demonstrated by successful registration of the low-frequency neural recording in the live brain of anesthetized rats.
Abstract: Current neural prosthetic devices (NPDs) induce chronic inflammation due to complex mechanical and biological reactions related, in part, to staggering discrepancies of mechanical properties with neural tissue. Relatively large size of the implants and traumas to blood-brain barrier contribute to inflammation reactions, as well. Mitigation of these problems and the realization of long-term brain interface require a new generation of NPDs fabricated from flexible materials compliant with the brain tissue. However, such materials will need to display hard-to-combine mechanical and electrical properties which are not available in the toolbox of classical neurotechnology. Moreover, these new materials will concomitantly demand different methods of (a) device micromanufacturing and (b) surgical implantation in brains because currently used processes take advantage of high stiffness of the devices. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) serve as a promising foundation for such materials because of their record mechanical and ...
77 citations
TL;DR: Anti-TNF&agr; prevents the development of bowel wall inflammation and fibrosis in the PG-PS rat model of CD and MT-MRI measurably demonstrates this decrease in intestinal fibrosis.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE Treatment of Crohn's disease (CD) with anti-tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) decreases intestinal inflammation, but the effect on fibrosis remains unclear. We hypothesized that treatment with rat-specific anti-TNFα will decrease the development of intestinal fibrosis in a rat model of CD. We further hypothesized that magnetization transfer magnetic resonance imaging (MT-MRI) will be sensitive in detecting these differences in collagen content. METHODS Rats were injected in the distal ileum and cecum with peptidoglycan-polysaccharide (PG-PS) or human serum albumin (control) at laparotomy and then received intraperitoneal injections of rat-specific anti-TNFα or vehicle daily for 21 days after laparotomy. Rats underwent MT-MRI abdominal imaging on day 19 or 20. MT ratio was calculated in the cecal wall. Cecal tissue histologic inflammation was scored. Cecal tissue procollagen, cytokine, and growth factor messenger RNAs were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS PG-PS-injected rats treated with anti-TNFα had less histologic inflammation, and cecal tissue expressed lower levels of proinflammatory cytokine messenger RNAs than vehicle-treated PG-PS-injected rats (IL-1β: 5.59 ± 1.53 versus 10.41 ± 1.78, P = 0.02; IL-6: 23.23 ± 9.33 versus 45.89 ± 11.79, P = 0.07). PG-PS-injected rats treated with anti-TNFα developed less intestinal fibrosis than vehicle-treated PG-PS-injected rats by tissue procollagen I (2.87 ± 0.66 versus 9.28 ± 1.11; P = 0.00002), procollagen III (2.25 ± 0.35 versus 7.28 ± 0.76; P = 0.0000009), and MT-MRI (MT ratio: 17.79 ± 1.61 versus 27.95 ± 1.75; P = 0.0001). Insulin-like growth factor I (2.52 ± 0.44 versus 5.14 ± 0.60; P = 0.0007) and transforming growth factor β1 (2.34 ± 0.29 versus 3.45 ± 0.29; P = 0.006) were also decreased in anti-TNFα-treated PG-PS-injected rats. CONCLUSIONS Anti-TNFα prevents the development of bowel wall inflammation and fibrosis in the PG-PS rat model of CD. MT-MRI measurably demonstrates this decrease in intestinal fibrosis.
41 citations
TL;DR: It is established that a LNG-IUS can be inserted into the baboon uterus and maintained without clinically adverse effects for at least 6 months and provides important support for studying IUD safety and efficacy in the baboons.
6 citations