No abstract

Mice are increasingly used in vascular research for studying perturbations and responses to vasoactive agents in small artery preparations. Historically, small artery function has preferably been studied in rat isolated mesenteric resistance‐sized arteries (MRA) using the wire myograph technique. Although different mouse arteries have been studied using the wire myograph no establishment of optimal settings has yet been performed. Therefore, the purposes of this study were firstly to establish the optimal settings for wire myograph studies of mouse MRA and compare them to those of rat MRA. Second, by surveying the literature, we aimed to evaluate the overall translatability of observed pharmacological vasomotor responses of mouse MRA to those obtained in rat MRA as well as corresponding and different arteries in terms of vessel size and species origin. Our results showed that the optimal conditions for maximal active force development in mouse MRA were not significantly different to those determined in rat MRA. Furthermore, we found that the observed concentration‐dependent vasomotor responses of mouse MRA to noradrenaline, phenylephrine, angiotensin II, sarafotoxin 6c, 5‐hydroxytryptamine, carbachol, sodium nitroprusside, and retigabine were generally similar to those described in rat MRA as well as arteries of different sizes and species origin. In summary, the results of this study provide a framework for evidence‐based optimization of the isometric wire myograph setup to mouse MRA. Additionally, in terms of translational value, our study suggests that mouse MRA can be applied as a useful model for studying vascular reactivity.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented close engagement with students to avoid the spread of the virus. Hence, the transition from the traditional classroom methods to fully online teaching mode is essential. Academicians need to be equipped with the necessary devices and technical skills to conduct live video meetings (synchronous) and create recorded video (asynchronous). In this study, we have conducted a survey to assess the readiness of the academicians at the Center for Foundation Studies in Science, University of Malaya to teach online. 88 academicians participated in this study which consists of 68 local staff and 20 Japanese staff. The survey was conducted using Google Form, which focused on three main aspects of readiness. They were hardware readiness, software readiness and behavior (which include experiences, opinions, and expectation on online teaching). The results show that necessary equipment to conduct video meetings for lectures and tutorials such as webcam, microphone and should be provided. Continuous training should be provided to increase academicians’ competencies in using the applications used. We hope that this research will provide some insights on the current condition that our academicians are having, what is the problem that they are facing and to plan ahead.

Achieving multidisciplinary team handover requires a change in embedded traditional practices. Several aspects of the clinical handover activities of nursing and medical staff appear to diverge from best-practice evidence.

Angiotensin II (Ang II) might induce pro-inflammatory effects directly in the vascular wall independently of its haemodynamic effects. The aim of our study was to investigate the putative direct pro-inflammatory and vasomotor effects of Ang II and compare to those of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in mouse isolated mesenteric resistance-sized arteries (MRA) supported by experiments in cultured human primary endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells. Results showed that 24-hr organ culture of mouse MRA with 10 nM Ang II had, unlike 100 ng/mL LPS, no effects on IL-6 or MCP-1 secretion, VCAM1 mRNA expression or endothelial function, while Ang II significantly decreased maximal vasomotor responses to phenylephrine. In support, 24-hr organ culture of mouse MRA significantly suppressed Agtr1a mRNA and augmented Tlr4 mRNA along with attenuated vasomotor responses to Ang II. Moreover, contrary to LPS and TNF-α, Ang II and [Sar1]-Ang II had no concentration- or time-dependent effects on IL-6 and MCP-1 secretion in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMC). AGTR1 or AGTR2 mRNA expression was undetectable in HUVEC, whereas HASMC expressed only AGTR1 mRNA. In summary, contrary to previous studies and the observed effects of LPS, we could not demonstrate direct vascular pro-inflammatory effects of Ang II ex vivo or in vitro. As indicated by our results, down-regulation or desensitization of AT R during culture may explain our findings.