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    Quantification of osseointegration of plasma-polymer coated titanium alloyed implants by means of microcomputed tomography versus histomorphometry
    (New York [u.a.] : Hindawi, 2015) Gabler, Carolin; Zietz, Carmen; Bieck, Richard; Göhler, Rebecca; Lindner, Tobias; Haenle, Maximilian; Finke, Birgit; Meichsner, Jürgen; Testrich, Holger; Nowottnick, Mathias; Frerich, Bernhard; Bader, Rainer
    A common method to derive both qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate osseointegration of implants is histomorphometry. The present study describes a new image reconstruction algorithm comparing the results of bone-to-implant contact (BIC) evaluated by means of µCT with histomorphometry data. Custom-made conical titanium alloyed (Ti6Al4V) implants were inserted in the distal tibial bone of female Sprague-Dawley rats. Different surface configurations were examined: Ti6Al4V implants with plasma-polymerized allylamine (PPAAm) coating and plasma-polymerized ethylenediamine (PPEDA) coating as well as implants without surface coating. After six weeks postoperatively, tibiae were explanted and BIC was determined by µCT (3D) and afterwards by histomorphometry (2D). In comparison to uncoated Ti6Al4V implants demonstrating low BIC of 32.4% (histomorphometry) and 51.3% (µCT), PPAAm and PPEDA coated implants showed a nonsignificant increase in BIC (histomorphometry: 45.7% and 53.5% and µCT: 51.8% and 62.0%, resp.). Mean BIC calculated by µCT was higher for all surface configurations compared to BIC detected by histomorphometry. Overall, a high correlation coefficient of 0.70 () was found between 3D and 2D quantification of BIC. The μCT analysis seems to be suitable as a nondestructive and accurate 3D imaging method for the evaluation of the bone-implant interface.
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    Denoising for Improved Parametric MRI of the Kidney: Protocol for Nonlocal Means Filtering
    (Totowa, NJ : Humana Press, 2021) Starke, Ludger; Tabelow, Karsten; Niendorf, Thoralf; Pohlmann, Andreas; Pohlmann, Andreas; Niendorf, Thoralf
    In order to tackle the challenges caused by the variability in estimated MRI parameters (e.g., T2* and T2) due to low SNR a number of strategies can be followed. One approach is postprocessing of the acquired data with a filter. The basic idea is that MR images possess a local spatial structure that is characterized by equal, or at least similar, noise-free signal values in vicinities of a location. Then, local averaging of the signal reduces the noise component of the signal. In contrast, nonlocal means filtering defines the weights for averaging not only within the local vicinity, bur it compares the image intensities between all voxels to define “nonlocal” weights. Furthermore, it generally compares not only single-voxel intensities but small spatial patches of the data to better account for extended similar patterns. Here we describe how to use an open source NLM filter tool to denoise 2D MR image series of the kidney used for parametric mapping of the relaxation times T2* and T2. This chapter is based upon work from the COST Action PARENCHIMA, a community-driven network funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) program of the European Union, which aims to improve the reproducibility and standardization of renal MRI biomarkers.
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    Orchestrated control of filaggrin-actin scaffolds underpins cornification
    (London [u.a.] : Nature Publishing Group, 2018) Gutowska-Owsiak, Danuta; de La Serna, Jorge Bernardino; Fritzsche, Marco; Naeem, Aishath; Podobas, Ewa I.; Leeming, Michael; Colin-York, Huw; O’Shaughnessy, Ryan; Eggeling, Christian; Ogg, Graham S.
    Epidermal stratification critically depends on keratinocyte differentiation and programmed death by cornification, leading to formation of a protective skin barrier. Cornification is dynamically controlled by the protein filaggrin, rapidly released from keratohyalin granules (KHGs). However, the mechanisms of cornification largely remain elusive, partly due to limitations of the observation techniques employed to study filaggrin organization in keratinocytes. Moreover, while the abundance of keratins within KHGs has been well described, it is not clear whether actin also contributes to their formation or fate. We employed advanced (super-resolution) microscopy to examine filaggrin organization and dynamics in skin and human keratinocytes during differentiation. We found that filaggrin organization depends on the cytoplasmic actin cytoskeleton, including the role for α- and β-actin scaffolds. Filaggrin-containing KHGs displayed high mobility and migrated toward the nucleus during differentiation. Pharmacological disruption targeting actin networks resulted in granule disintegration and accelerated cornification. We identified the role of AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1), which controls binding preference and function of heat shock protein B1 (HspB1), facilitating the switch from actin stabilization to filaggrin processing. Our results suggest an extended model of cornification in which filaggrin utilizes actins to effectively control keratinocyte differentiation and death, promoting epidermal stratification and formation of a fully functional skin barrier.