A Multi-Layer Non-Newtonian Model of Cardiovascular Inflammation

Cellular functions related to the maintenance of homoeostasis are regulated by shear forces sensed by endothelial cells. The endothelial cells sense local changes in shear stress. The resulting signals are either transduced into chemical responses or transmitted to the surroundings to regulate the cellular activity.

In the current literature, models of blood flow applied to the characterization of atherosclerotic plaques consider blood as a Newtonian fluid because of the characteristic length of the domain. At predilection sites for plaque deposition, the diameter of the blood particles is much smaller than the normal arterial diameter. However, under disease condition, the proportions can dramatically change due to a reduction greater than 80% in the arterial cross-section, in cases of severe stenosis. Here we show that in diseased arteries, the local particle concentration can peak at locations associated to high inflammation.

The Standing Acoustic Wave Principle within the Frequency Analysis of Acoustic Signals in the Cochlea

The organ of hearing is responsible for the correct frequency analysis of auditory perceptions coming from the outer environment. The article deals with the principles of the analysis of auditory perceptions in the cochlea only, i.e., from the overall signal leaving the oval window to its decomposition realized by the basilar membrane. The paper presents two different methods with the function of the cochlea considered as a frequency analyzer of perceived acoustic signals.

First, there is an analysis of the principle that cochlear function involves acoustic waves travelling along the basilar membrane; this concept is one that prevails in the contemporary specialist literature. Then, a new principle with the working name “the principle of standing acoustic waves in the common cavity of the scala vestibuli and scala tympani” is presented and defined in depth. According to this principle, individual structural modes of the basilar membrane are excited by continuous standing waves of acoustic pressure in the scale tympani.

Preliminary Evaluation of the Effects of Cold Atmospheric Plasma Application Rate on the Proliferation Behavior of Keratinocytes in Vitro Measured Using CK-5, CK-10, CK-14, Ki-67 and p53 Expression

Tissue tolerable plasma has been used in preclinical and more recently in clinical settings for the debridement of dead tissue and the removal of bacterial biofilms. Cold plasma therapy is an emerging field in medical sciences; it is mainly due to the beneficial effects that low temperature plasma has demonstrated: anti-inflammatory, ant tumorigenic and anti-microbial effects. 

The advantage of cold plasma therapy over conventional thermal plasma treatments, arc coagulators and desiccators, is that it allows for more precise application and therefore more controllable effects on the tissue. Additionally, cold plasma treatment showed stimulatory effects on wound healing and tissue regeneration. Experiments show that cold atmospheric plasma treatment allows for efficient, non-contact, painless, and antiseptic effects without damaging healthy tissue. As a result of the better understanding of complex plasma phenomena and the development of new plasma sources in the past few years, plasma medicine has developed into an innovative and promising field of research.