Texas Children’s Hospital 2 articles published in JoVE Medicine Evaluation of Hepatic Glucose Production in a Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Mouse Model Alexandra L. Gannon1,2, Shaji K. Chacko3, Inka C. Didelija3, Juan C. Marini3,4, Chellakkan S. Blesson1,2 1Department of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Baylor College of Medicine, 2Family Fertility Center, Texas Children’s Hospital, 3Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, 4Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine This study describes the direct measurement of hepatic glucose production in a polycystic ovary syndrome mouse model by using a stable isotopic glucose tracer via tail vein in both fasting and glucose-rich states in tandem. Bioengineering Preparation of Monodomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Liquid Crystal Elastomer Nanocomposites Hojin Kim1, Bohan Zhu1, Huiying Chen2, Oluwatomiyin Adetiba2, Aditya Agrawal1, Pulickel Ajayan3, Jeffrey G. Jacot2,4, Rafael Verduzco1,3 1Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, 2Bioengineering, Rice University, 3Materials Sciences and NanoEngineering, Rice University, 4Congenital Heart Surgery Services, Texas Children’s Hospital We demonstrate the preparation of siloxane-based and epoxy-based liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) and LCE nanocomposites. The LCEs are characterized with respect to reversible strain, liquid crystal ordering, and stiffness. As a potential application, we demonstrate their use as shape-responsive substrates in a custom device for active cell culture.
