Syndecan-1 in mechanosensing of nanotopological cues in engineered materials

Publication date: February 2018
Source:Biomaterials, Volume 155
Author(s): Victoria Le, Jason Lee, Somali Chaterji, Adrianne Spencer, Yen-Liang Liu, Peter Kim, Hsin-Chih Yeh, Deok-Ho Kim, Aaron B. Baker
The cells of the vascular system are highly sensitive to biophysical cues from their local cellular microenvironment. To engineer improved materials for vascular devices and delivery of cell therapies, a key challenge is to understand the mechanisms that cells use to sense biophysical cues from their environment. Syndecans are heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) that consist of a protein core modified with heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan chains. Due to their presence on the cell surface and their interaction with cytoskeletal and focal adhesion associated molecules, cell surface proteoglycans are well poised to serve as mechanosensors of the cellular microenvironment. Nanotopological cues have become recognized as major regulators of cell growth, migration and phenotype. We hypothesized that syndecan-1 could serve as a mechanosensor for nanotopological cues and can mediate the responsiveness of vascular smooth muscle cells to nanoengineered materials. We created engineered substrates made of polyurethane acrylate with nanogrooves using ultraviolet-assisted capillary force lithography. We cultured vascular smooth muscle cells with knockout of syndecan-1 on engineered substrates with varying compliance and nanotopology. We found that knockout of syndecan-1 reduced alignment of vascular smooth muscle cells to the nanogrooves under inflammatory treatments. In addition, we found that loss of syndecan-1 increased nuclear localization of Yap/Taz and phospho-Smad2/3 in response to nanogrooves. Syndecan-1 knockout vascular smooth muscle cells also had elevated levels of Rho-associated protein kinase-1 (Rock1), leading to increased cell stiffness and an enhanced contractile state in the cells. Together, our findings support that syndecan-1 knockout leads to alterations in mechanosensing of nanotopographical cues through alterations of in rho-associated signaling pathways, cell mechanics and mediators of the Hippo and TGF-β signaling pathways.



http://ift.tt/2znV6r0

Tracking and protection of transplanted stem cells using a ferrocenecarboxylic acid-conjugated peptide that mimics hTERT

Publication date: February 2018
Source:Biomaterials, Volume 155
Author(s): Hyun-Hee Park, Kyu-Yong Lee, Dong Woo Park, Na-Young Choi, Young Joo Lee, Jeong-Woo Son, Sangjae Kim, Chanil Moon, Hyun-Wook Kim, Im Joo Rhyu, Seong-Ho Koh
In vivo tracking of transplanted stem cells has been a central aim of stem cell therapy. Although many tracking systems have been introduced, no method has yet been validated for clinical applications. We developed a novel sophisticated peptide (GV1001) that mimics hTERT (human telomerase reverse transcriptase) and analysed its ability to track and protect stem cells after transplantation. Ferrocenecarboxylic acid-conjugated GV1001 (Fe-GV1001) efficiently penetrated stem cells with no adverse effects. Moreover, Fe-GV1001 improved the viability, proliferation, and migration of stem cells under hypoxia. After Fe-GV1001-labelled stem cells were transplanted into the brains of rats after stroke, the labelled cells were easily tracked by MRI. Our findings indicate that Fe-GV1001 can be used for the in vivo tracking of stem cells after transplantation into the brain and can improve the efficacy of stem cell therapy by sustaining and enhancing stem cell characteristics under disease conditions.



http://ift.tt/2zXWccA

Nanoscaled red blood cells facilitate breast cancer treatment by combining photothermal/photodynamic therapy and chemotherapy

Publication date: February 2018
Source:Biomaterials, Volume 155
Author(s): Guoyun Wan, Bowei Chen, Ling Li, Dan Wang, Shurui Shi, Tao Zhang, Yue Wang, Lianyun Zhang, Yinsong Wang
Red blood cells (RBCs)-based vesicles have been widely used for drug delivery due to their unique advantages. Intact RBCs contain a large amount of oxyhemoglobin (oxyHb), which can assist with photodynamic therapy (PDT). Indocyanine green (ICG), a photosensitizer both for photothermal therapy (PTT) and PDT, shows potent anticancer efficacy when combined with chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX). In this study, we prepared nanoscaled RBCs (RAs) containing oxyHb and gas-generating agent ammonium bicarbonate (ABC) for co-loading and controlled release of ICG and DOX, thus hoping to achieve synergistic effects of PTT/PDT and chemotherapy against breast cancer. Compared to free ICG, ICG and DOX co-loaded RAs (DIRAs) exhibited nearly identical PTT efficiency both in vitro and in vivo, but meanwhile their PDT efficiency was enhanced significantly. In mouse breast cancer cells, DIRAs significantly inhibited cell growth and induced cell apoptosis after laser irradiation. In breast tumor-bearing mice, intratumoral injection of DIRAs and followed by local laser irradiation almost completely ablated breast tumor and further suppressed tumor recurrence and metastasis. In conclusion, this biomimetic multifunctional nanosystem can facilitate breast cancer treatment by combining PTT/PDT and chemotherapy.



http://ift.tt/2mMX0fb

Heteromultivalent targeting of integrin αvβ3 and neuropilin 1 promotes cell survival via the activation of the IGF-1/insulin receptors

Publication date: February 2018
Source:Biomaterials, Volume 155
Author(s): Tao Jia, Jungyoon Choi, Jéremy Ciccione, Maxime Henry, Ahmad Mehdi, Jean Martinez, Béatrice Eymin, Gilles Subra, Jean-Luc Coll
Angiogenesis strongly depends on the activation of integrins, especially integrin αvβ3, and of neuropilin-1 (NRP-1), a co-receptor of VEGFR2. Dual-targeted molecules that simultaneously block both of them are expected have increased anti-angiogenic and antitumor activity. Toward this goal, we generated bifunctional 40 nm-sized silica nanoparticles (NPs) coated with controlled amounts of cRGD and ATWLPPR peptides and studied their affinity, selectivity and biological activity in HUVECs. Sub-nanomolar concentrations of NPs grafted either with ATWLPPR alone or in combination with cRGD exhibit potent and specific antagonist activity against VEGFR2/AKT signaling. However, a 1 nM concentration of the cRGD/ATWLPPR-heteromultivalent particles (RGD/ATW-NPs) also blocks the phosphorylation of VEGFR2 while co-inducing an unexpected long-lasting activation of AKT via IGF-1R/IR-AKT/GSK3β/eNOS signaling that stimulates cell survival and abrogates the intrinsic toxicity of silica-NPs to serum-starved HUVECs. We also showed that their repeated intravenous administration was associated with the proliferation of human U87MG tumor cells engrafted in nude mice and a dilatation of the tumor blood vessels.We present biochemical evidence for the complex cross-talk generated by the binding of the heteromultivalent NPs with αvβ3-integrin and with NRP1. In particular, we show for the first time that such heteromultivalent NPs can trans-activate IGF-1/insulin receptors and exert dose-dependent pro-survival activity. This study demonstrates the difficulties in designing targeted silica-based NPs for antiangiogenic therapies and the possible risks posed by undesirable side effects.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2AkTjTT

Spontaneous hair follicle germ (HFG) formation in vitro, enabling the large-scale production of HFGs for regenerative medicine

Publication date: February 2018
Source:Biomaterials, Volume 154
Author(s): Tatsuto Kageyama, Chisa Yoshimura, Dina Myasnikova, Ken Kataoka, Tadashi Nittami, Shoji Maruo, Junji Fukuda
Hair follicle morphogenesis is triggered by reciprocal interactions between hair follicle germ (HFG) epithelial and mesenchymal layers. Here, we developed a method for large-scale preparation of HFGs in vitro via self-organization of cells. We mixed mouse epidermal and mouse/human mesenchymal cells in suspension and seeded them in microwells of a custom-designed array plate. Over a 3-day culture period, cells initially formed a randomly distributed single cell aggregate and then spatially separated from each other, exhibiting typical HFG morphological features. These self-sorted hair follicle germs (ssHFGs) were shown to be capable of efficient hair-follicle and shaft generation upon intracutaneous transplantation into the backs of nude mice. This finding facilitated the large-scale preparation of approximately 5000 ssHFGs in a microwell-array chip made of oxygen-permeable silicone. We demonstrated that the integrity of the oxygen supply through the bottom of the silicone chip was crucial to enabling both ssHFG formation and subsequent hair shaft generation. Finally, spatially aligned ssHFGs on the chip were encapsulated into a hydrogel and simultaneously transplanted into the back skin of nude mice to preserve their intervening spaces, resulting in spatially aligned hair follicle generation. This simple ssHFG preparation approach is a promising strategy for improving current hair-regenerative medicine techniques.



http://ift.tt/2znE5O0

Association of oxidative stress and dynamic thiol-disulphide homeostasis with atopic dermatitis severity and chronicity in children: a prospective study

Summary

Background

Oxidative stress (OS) has an important effect on the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD). Thiols are antioxidants that regulate intracellular redox metabolism and protect keratinocytes against OS damage in the stratum corneum.

Aim

To investigate dynamic thiol-disulphide homeostasis (dTDH) as a novel OS parameter in children with AD, and its relationship with disease severity and chronicity.

Methods

Severity of AD was determined by using the instruments SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) and Eczema Area And Severity Index (EASI) upon enrolment in the study (SCORAD₁ and EASI₁) and after 1 year (SCORAD₂ and EASI₂). Native thiol, total thiol and disulphide levels were measured as novel OS parameters, and the ratios of disulphide/native thiol, disulphide/total thiol and native/total thiol were calculated as dTDH.

Results

In the AD group, the serum disulphide level and the ratios of disulphide/native thiol and disulphide/total thiol were significantly lower than in healthy controls (P = 0.01, P < 0.01 and P < 0.01, respectively). There was no significant association between OS parameters and disease severity (P > 0.05). SCORAD₂ and EASI₂ were positively correlated with disulphide/native thiol ratio (r = 0.29, P < 0.03 and r = 0.35, P < 0.01, respectively), whereas they were negatively correlated with the native/total thiol ratio (r = −0.30, P = 0.02 for both).

Conclusions

Both OS and impaired dTDH were found to be related to childhood AD. None of the OS parameters was associated with AD severity. dTDH is a possible diagnostic tool to predict AD chronicity.

http://ift.tt/2hRIBwr

Procedural sedation and analgesia for adults in Europe: Safety first

No abstract available

http://ift.tt/2zrV01A

Neostigmine-based reversal of intermediate acting neuromuscular blocking agents to prevent postoperative residual paralysis: A systematic review

BACKGROUND Neostigmine is widely used to antagonise residual paralysis. Over the last decades, the benchmark of acceptable neuromuscular recovery has increased progressively to a train-of-four (TOF) ratio of at least 0.9. Raising this benchmark may impact on the efficacy of neostigmine. OBJECTIVE(S) The systematic review evaluates the efficacy of neostigmine to antagonise neuromuscular block to attain a TOF ratio of at least 0.9. DESIGN We performed a systematic search of the literature from January 1992 to December 2015. DATA SOURCES OR SETTING PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Controlled Clinical Trials database were searched for randomised controlled human studies. Search was performed without language restrictions, using the following free text terms: 'neostigmine', 'sugammadex', 'edrophonium' or 'pyridostigmine' AND 'neuromuscular block', 'reversal' or 'reverse'. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Studies were accepted for inclusion if they used quantitative neuromuscular monitoring and neostigmine as the reversal agent. Selected trials were checked by two of the authors for data integrity. Trials relevant for inclusion had to report the number of patients included, the type of anaesthetic maintenance, the type of neuromuscular blocking agent used, the reversal agent and dose used, the depth of neuromuscular block when neostigmine was administered and the reversal time (time from injection of neostigmine until a TOF ratio ≥0.9 was attained). RESULTS 19 trials were eligible for quantitative analysis. In patients with deep residual block [T1 (first twitch height) 25% of baseline), or that a recovery time longer than 15 min be accepted. Correspondence to Thomas Fuchs-Buder, MD, Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, University Hospital of Nancy, Rue du Morvan, F-54511 Vandoeuvre-Les-Nancy, France. Cedex E-mail: t.fuchs-buder@chru-nancy.fr © 2017 European Society of Anaesthesiology

http://ift.tt/2mRaTJj

A systematic review of group work interventions in UK high secure hospitals

Publication date: Available online 20 November 2017
Source:Aggression and Violent Behavior
Author(s): Michaela Sturgeon, Nichola Tyler, Theresa A. Gannon
BackgroundRehabilitating high secure hospital patients poses significant challenges. Group work is thought to play a key role in patient recovery; however, there have been no reviews conducted specifically assessing group work interventions for high secure hospital patients.ObjectivesTo review the focus of group work interventions that are being implemented and evaluated with high secure hospital patients in the UK and to examine the effectiveness of these interventions and the methods used to assess intervention effectiveness.MethodA systematic literature search combined with reference screening was conducted examining group work interventions with high secure hospital patients in the UK.ResultsIn total, 29 manuscripts were identified for review inclusion. Across these, ten focuses of group work intervention emerged: anger/aggression, offence-specific, enhancing insight and understanding of mental illness, thinking skills/problem solving, substance misuse, self-harm, relationships, self-esteem and well-being, relapse prevention, and moving on. Positive outcomes were generally reported across all ten areas.ConclusionsStudies assessing the impact of group work interventions could be improved by increasing sample sizes, reducing sole reliance on self-report measures, employing clear statistical and clinical significance testing, and increasing the use of follow-up assessments and control groups.



http://ift.tt/2zWw0Pg

Sixty years of child-to-parent abuse research: What we know and where to go

Publication date: Available online 16 November 2017
Source:Aggression and Violent Behavior
Author(s): Melanie Simmons, Troy E. McEwan, Rosemary Purcell, James R.P. Ogloff




http://ift.tt/2zYdNAX

Editorial Board

Publication date: November 2017
Source:Aggression and Violent Behavior, Volume 37





http://ift.tt/2hJbk2Q

Open-label study assessing the efficacy and tolerability of topical skincare and sun protection products following intense pulsed light treatment

Summary

Background

The visible signs of photodamage can be improved by intense pulsed light (IPL). Active ingredients in cosmeceuticals also have effects on skin quality and pigmentation, and can camouflage post-treatment side effects. Combination therapies utilizing different treatment modalities have been shown to optimize clinical outcomes for skin rejuvenation and patient satisfaction.

Aim

To evaluate the efficacy of a combination of IPL with a daily topical skincare and sunscreen regimen for the treatment of facial photodamage and for the improvement of IPL treatment tolerability.

Patients/Methods

Twenty female subjects with moderate-to-severe facial photodamage, with past history of IPL treatments, received one IPL treatment followed by the use of the topical skincare regimen for 8 weeks. An investigator assessed facial photodamage and hyperpigmentation at baseline, week 4, and week 8, and postprocedure erythema. Subject questionnaires were also administered at each visit.

Results

Compared to baseline, there was a significant improvement in photodamage and hyperpigmentation of bare facial skin. The application of the skincare regimen resulted in a significant reduction in post-IPL erythema, stinging/burning, and itching. The majority of patients were very satisfied or satisfied and felt the treatment regimen improved various aspects of skin quality and the tolerability of the procedure.

Conclusions

The addition of a topical skincare regimen after IPL treatment to the face resulted in significant improvements in facial photodamage and pigmentation, decreased post-treatment side effects, and increased tolerability.

http://ift.tt/2zaeVOD

Comparative study of buffered 50% glycolic acid (pH 3.0) + 0.5% salicylic acid solution vs Jessner's solution in patients with acne vulgaris

Summary

Background

Superficial chemical peels are frequently used in acne vulgaris treatment. Although glycolic acid (GA) has been widely used in clinical practice, its pH ranges from 0.08-2.75 and thus should be neutralized after application to avoid burns.

Objective

To evaluate treatment efficacy and safety of chemical peeling using buffered 50% GA (pH 3.0) + 0.5% salicylic acid (SA) solution that does not need to be neutralized in the treatment of acne vulgaris compared to the conventional peeling using Jessner's solution.

Methods

We performed a prospective, randomized, evaluator-blind, split-face clinical trial. Twenty patients were randomized by assigning one side of each patient's face to receive a 50% GA (pH 3.0) + 0.5% SA peel (GA side) and the other side to receive the Jessner's solution (Jessner's solution side). All patients underwent 2 sessions of treatment spaced 2 weeks apart. Lesion count, acne severity, subjective efficacy assessment, and side effects were evaluated.

Results

The total lesion count was significantly reduced for the GA and Jessner's solution sides (P < .001). However, there was no significant difference in the total lesion count, acne severity, or subjective efficacy assessment between the 2 sides (P > .05). The GA side had fewer side effects than the Jessner's solution side.

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest that chemical peeling using the 50% GA (pH 3.0) + 0.5% SA solution can be as effective and convenient as the conventional peeling using Jessner's solution in the treatment of acne vulgaris and may show fewer adverse events than the conventional peeling.

http://ift.tt/2BcHyfq

Revisiting in vitro release test for topical gel formulations: The effect of osmotic pressure explored for better bio-relevance

Publication date: 15 January 2018
Source:European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Volume 112
Author(s): Soorin Jeong, Seonghee Jeong, Sungyoon Chung, Aeri Kim
Release test methods for topical dosage forms including pharmacopeial tests require a large volume of release media, with limited application for high throughput screening. In the present study, we evaluated Transwell assay to miniaturize the release test method for optimization of thermoreversible topical gel formulations. We also explored the osmotic effect on the in vitro release rates from gel formulations to understand the bio-relevance of release media. An extreme vertices type of mixture design in Minitab®16 generated eleven formulations composed of poloxamer 407, poloxamer 188, and phosphate buffered saline (PBS). A quadratic equation adequately described the composition dependence of gelation temperature. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and trypan blue were used as model drugs for proteins and small molecules, respectively. Cumulative release in PBS containing 30% sucrose exhibited linear correlation with respect to the gel compositions, while PBS without sucrose did not differentiate various compositions. Higher release rates in PBS than in sucrose media are attributable to the osmotic water flow from PBS into the donor phase, and subsequent increase in diffusivity. The time course of in vivo near-infrared fluorescence imaging of topical EGF gels on the wound sites were consistent with the in vitro release profiles measured with PBS as the release media. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to propose a release test method suitable for high throughput screening of topical formulations with emphasis on the osmotic pressure effect. Bio-relevant release media composition for a topical formulation would vary depending on its clinical application because the osmotic water flow through the normal skin would be negligible compared to compromised skin.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2zaKrMi

Characterization of the IPEC-J2 MDR1 (iP-gp) cell line as a tool for identification of P-gp substrates

Publication date: 15 January 2018
Source:European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Volume 112
Author(s): Burak Ozgür, Lasse Saaby, Kristine Langthaler, Birger Brodin
Recently, we transfected the porcine intestinal cell line IPEC-J2, with human P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1). The resulting cell line, iP-gp, has a high expression of functional human P-gp in the apical membrane, and a low expression of nonhuman ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters. The aim of the present work was to investigate the usability of iP-gp cell line for determining transepithelial transport kinetics of the prototypical P-gp substrates digoxin and rhodamine 123.The cell line generated tight monolayers after 16days of culture, reflected by high transepithelial electrical resistance values (TEER>15,000Ω·cm²), immunocytochemistry and low fluxes of the paracellular flux marker [¹⁴C]-mannitol. Monolayer integrity was not affected the common solvents dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), methanol and ethanol in concentrations up to 2% (v/v).Transepithelial fluxes of [³H]-labeled digoxin and rhodamine 123 were measured at varying donor concentrations, and kinetic parameters were estimated. Km and Vmax of P-gp mediated basolateral-to-apical (B-A) flux of rhodamine 123 were estimated to 332±124μM and 111±16pmol·cm⁻²·min⁻¹ (n=3, total N=6), respectively. Vmax and Km of digoxin B-A flux could not be estimated due to the low aqueous solubility of digoxin. The half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of the selective P-gp inhibitor, zosuquidar (LY-335979), were estimated to 0.05±0.01μM (n=3, total N=6) and 0.04±0.01μM (n=3, total N=6) in transport experiments with digoxin and rhodamine 123 as substrates, respectively. Bidirectional fluxes of digoxin and rhodamine 123 were measured in transfected Madin Darby canine kidney cells (MDCK II MDR1) and compared with the fluxes obtained with the iP-gp cell monolayers. Efflux ratios were highest in the iP-gp cells, due to a tighter paracellular pathway. In conclusion, both digoxin and rhodamine 123 could be used to obtain IC50 values of inhibition, Ki values were only possible to obtain using rhodamine 123. The observed tightness, robustness towards solvents and the high efflux ratios confirmed that the iP-gp cell line may serve as a useful screening tool for investigations of substrate-P-gp interactions and modulation of P-gp function.



http://ift.tt/2zabKGH

Status and progress of hepatitis B control through vaccination in the South-East Asia Region, 1992–2015

Publication date: Available online 22 November 2017
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Lana Childs, Sigrun Roesel, Rania A. Tohme
In 2016, the Immunization Technical Advisory Group of the South-East Asia Region (SEAR) endorsed a regional goal to achieve ≤1% prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) among 5-year-old children by 2020. Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is largely preventable with a birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine (HepB-BD) followed by two to three additional doses. We reviewed the progress towards hepatitis B control through vaccination in SEAR during 1992–2015. We summarized hepatitis B vaccination data and reviewed the literature to determine the prevalence of chronic HBV infection pre- and post-vaccine introduction. We used a mathematical model to determine post-vaccine prevalence of HBsAg among 5 year olds in countries lacking national serosurvey data and estimated the impact of vaccination on disease burden. Regional coverage with three doses of hepatitis B vaccine (HepB3) increased from 56% in 2011 to 87% in 2015. By 2016, 7 of 11 countries had introduced universal HepB-BD. Regional HepB-BD coverage increased from 9% in 2011 to 34% in 2015. In 2015, estimated HBsAg among 5 year olds was 1.1% with variability among countries. Myanmar (3.8%), Timor-Leste (2.7%), Indonesia (1.8%), and India (1%) had the highest prevalence of HBsAg. During 1992–2015, vaccination prevented approximately 16 million chronic HBV infections and 2.6 million related deaths. In 2015, around 197,640 perinatal HBV infections occurred in SEAR with majority occurring in India (62%), Bangladesh (24%), and Myanmar (8%). Myanmar had the highest rate of perinatal chronic HBV infections at 16 per 1000 live births. Despite significant progress in the control of HBV, SEAR needs to secure political commitment for elimination and consider additional strategies, such as promoting health facility births, universal birth dose administration, developing strong coordination between health sectors, and using alternative vaccine delivery methods, to improve HepB-BD coverage and subsequently achieve HBV control and elimination.



http://ift.tt/2zZDcKv

The effect of cool water pack preparation on vaccine vial temperatures in refrigerators

Publication date: Available online 22 November 2017
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Geneva Goldwood, Steven Diesburg
Cool water packs are a useful alternative to ice packs for preventing unintentional freezing of vaccines during outreach in some situations. Current guidelines recommend the use of a separate refrigerator for cooling water packs from ambient temperatures to prevent possible heat degradation of adjacent vaccine vials. To investigate whether this additional equipment is necessary, we measured the temperatures that vaccine vials were exposed to when warm water packs were placed next to vials in a refrigerator. We then calculated the effect of repeated vial exposure to those temperatures on vaccine vial monitor status to estimate the impact to the vaccine. Vials were tested in a variety of configurations, varying the number and locations of vials and water packs in the refrigerator. The calculated average percentage life lost during a month of repeated warming ranged from 20.0% to 30.3% for a category 2 (least stable) vaccine vial monitor and from 3.8% to 6.0% for a category 7 (moderate stability) vaccine vial monitor, compared to 17.0% for category 2 vaccine vial monitors and 3.1% for category 7 vaccine vial monitors at a constant 5 °C. The number of vials, number of water packs, and locations of each impacted vial warming and therefore percentage life lost, but the vaccine vial monitor category had a higher impact on the average percentage life lost than any of the other parameters. The results suggest that damage to vaccines from repeated warming over the course of a month is not certain and that cooling water packs in a refrigerator where vaccines are being stored may be a useful practice if safe procedures are established.



http://ift.tt/2hKtnWA

Association of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis recombinant proteins rCP09720 or rCP01850 with rPLD as immunogens in caseous lymphadenitis immunoprophylaxis

Publication date: Available online 22 November 2017
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Mara Thais de Oliveira Silva, Francisco Silvestre Brilhante Bezerra, Rodrigo Barros de Pinho, Karine Rech Begnini, Fabiana Kommling Seixas, Tiago Collares, Ricardo Dias Portela, Vasco Azevedo, Odir Dellagostin, Sibele Borsuk
Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) is a chronic disease responsible for significant economic losses in sheep and goat breeding worldwide. The treatment for this disease is not effective, and an intense vaccination schedule would be the best control strategy. In this study, we evaluated the associations of rCP09720 or rCP01850 proteins from Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis with recombinant exotoxin phospholipase D (rPLD) as subunit vaccines in mice. Four experimental groups (10 animals each) were immunized with a sterile 0.9% saline solution (G1), rPLD (G2), rPLD + rCP09720 (G3), and rPLD + rCP01850 (G4). The mice received two doses of each vaccine at a 21-day interval and were challenged 21 days after the last immunization. The animals were evaluated daily for 40 days after the challenge, and mortality rate was recorded. The total IgG production level increased significantly in the experimental groups on day 42 after the first vaccination. Similarly, higher levels of specific IgG2a were observed in experimental groups G2, G3, and G4 compared to the IgG1 levels on day 42. G4 showed a significant (p < .05) humoral response against both antigens of the antigenic formulations. The cellular immune response induced by immunization was characterized by a significant (p < .05) production of interferon-γ compared to that in the control, while the concentrations of interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-12 were not significant in any group. A significant increase of tumor necrosis factor was observed only in G4. The survival rates after the challenge were 30% (rPLD), 40% (rPLD + rCP09720), and 50% (rPLD + rCP01850). Thus, the association of rCP01850 with rPLD resulted in the best protection against the challenge with C. pseudotuberculosis and induced a more intense type 1 T-helper cell immune response.



http://ift.tt/2zZ4LUk

A phase II randomized study to determine the safety and immunogenicity of the novel PIKA rabies vaccine containing the PIKA adjuvant using an accelerated regimen

Publication date: Available online 22 November 2017
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Shirin Kalimuddin, Limin Wijaya, Yvonne F.Z. Chan, Abigail W.L. Wong, Helen M.L. Oh, Lin-Fa Wang, Julaihabee A. Kassim, Jing Zhao, Zhongkai Shi, Jenny G. Low
BackgroundHuman Rabies infection continues to be potentially fatal despite the availability of post-exposure prophylaxis with rabies vaccine. The PIKA Rabies vaccine adjuvant is a TLR3 agonist and has been shown to be safe and immunogenic in clinical phase I studies.MethodsWe conducted a phase II, open label, randomized study in healthy adults to assess the safety and immunogenicity of the PIKA rabies vaccine under an accelerated regimen. 126 subjects were randomized into two groups: control vaccine classic regimen ("control-classic") and PIKA vaccine accelerated regimen ("PIKA-accelerated"). Subjects were followed up for safety and rabies virus neutralizing antibodies (RVNA).ResultsBoth the control and PIKA vaccines were generally well tolerated. 57.6% of subjects in the PIKA vaccine group, compared with 43.8% of subjects in the control-classic group, achieved the target RVNA titer of ≥0.5 IU/mL by Day 7. All subjects achieved the target RVNA titer by Day 14. The RVNA geometric mean titer at Day 7 was 0.60 IU/ml in the PIKA vaccine group and 0.39 IU/ml in the control-classic group. At Day 14, the RVNA geometric mean titer was 18.25 IU/ml in the PIKA-accelerated group and 19.24 IU/ml in the control-classic group. The median time taken to reach the target RVNA titer level of ≥0.5 IU/mL was 7.0 days (95% CI: 7.0–42.0 days) in the PIKA-accelerated group and 14.0 days (95% CI: 7.0–42.0 days) in the control-classic group.ConclusionThe accelerated regimen using the investigational PIKA Rabies vaccine was well-tolerated and demonstrated non-inferior immunogenicity compared to the classic regimen using the commercially available vaccine in healthy adults.Clinical trial registry: The study was registered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02956421).



http://ift.tt/2hKbqaC

Development of a broadly protective modified-live virus vaccine candidate against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

Publication date: Available online 22 November 2017
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Haiyan Sun, Aspen Workman, Fernando A. Osorio, David Steffen, Hiep L.X. Vu
Modified-live virus (MLV) vaccines are widely used to protect pigs against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). However, current MLV vaccines do not confer adequate levels of heterologous protection, presumably due to the substantial genetic diversity of PRRSV isolates circulating in the field. To overcome this genetic variation challenge, we recently generated a synthetic PRRSV strain containing a consensus genomic sequence of PRRSV-2. We demonstrated that our synthetic PRRSV strain confers unprecedented levels of heterologous protection. However, the synthetic PRRSV strain at passage 1 (hereafter designated CON-P1) is highly virulent and therefore, is not suitable to be used as a vaccine in pigs. In the present study, we attenuated CON-P1 by continuously passaging the virus in MARC-145 cells, a non-natural host cell line. Using a young pig model, we demonstrated that the synthetic virus at passages 90 and 122 (designated as CON-P90 and CON-P122, respectively) were fully attenuated, as evidenced by the significantly reduced viral loads in serum and tissues and the absence of lung lesion in the infected pigs. Most importantly, CON-P90 confers similar levels of heterologous protection as its parental strain CON-P1. Taken together, the results indicate that CON-P90 is an excellent candidate for the formulation of next generation of PRRSV MLV vaccines with improved levels of heterologous protection.



http://ift.tt/2zZPoLn

Factors influencing on influenza vaccination and its trends of coverage in patients with diabetes in Korea: A population-based cross-sectional study

Publication date: Available online 22 November 2017
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Hyun-Young Shin, Jae Ho Chung, Hee-Jin Hwang, Tae Ho Kim
BackgroundInfluenza infection is a contagious disease and annual influenza vaccination is recommended to the patients with chronic diseases. Although diabetes is an indication for influenza vaccination, the global rate of influenza vaccination is insufficient. Therefore, our study aimed to elucidate influenza vaccination statuses among patients with diabetes and the related factors in Korea.MethodsA total of 32,268 subjects (4,540 with and 27,728 without diabetes) from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III–VI (2005–2015) were included. Socioeconomic factors and health-related factors were analyses for the relation of influenza vaccination by Student's t-test, the chi-squared test and a multivariate logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe influenza vaccination coverage rates were 50.0% in the diabetes mellitus (DM) group and 38.2% in the non-DM group. The trends in influenza vaccination rates during KNHANES III–VI were not significant in each group (P trend  =  0.24 in the DM group, 0.30 in the non-DM group). Socioeconomic (older age, female sex, higher family income, and medical aid insurance) and health-related factors (lack of risky alcohol consumption, obesity, and recent health check-ups) were associated with influenza vaccination among patients with DM.ConclusionsThe rate of influenza vaccination among patients with diabetes is insufficient in Korea. More efforts are needed to increase the influenza vaccination rates among vulnerable at-risk populations.



http://ift.tt/2hKtnpy

Workshop report: Nucleic acid delivery devices for HIV vaccines: Workshop proceedings, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA, May 21, 2015

Publication date: Available online 22 November 2017
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Bruce G. Weniger, Ian E. Anglin, Tina Tong, Michael Pensiero, Jeffrey K. Pullen
On May 21st, 2015, the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) convened a workshop on delivery devices for nucleic acid (NA) as vaccines in order to review the landscape of past and future technologies for administering NA (e.g., DNA, RNA, etc.) as antigen into target tissues of animal models and humans. Its focus was on current and future applications for preventing and treating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) disease, among other infectious-disease priorities. Meeting participants presented the results and experience of representative clinical trials of NA vaccines using a variety of alternative delivery devices, as well as a broader group of methods studied in animal models and at bench top, to improve upon the performance and/or avoid the drawbacks of conventional needle-syringe (N–S) delivery. The subjects described and discussed included (1) delivery targeted into oral, cutaneous/intradermal, nasal, upper and lower respiratory, and intramuscular tissues; (2) devices and techniques for jet injection, solid, hollow, and dissolving microneedles, patches for topical passive diffusion or iontophoresis, electroporation, thermal microporation, nasal sprayers, aerosol upper-respiratory and pulmonary inhalation, stratum-corneum ablation by ultrasound, chemicals, and mechanical abrasion, and kinetic/ballistic delivery; (3) antigens, adjuvants, and carriers such as DNA, messenger RNA, synthesized plasmids, chemokines, wet and dry aerosols, and pollen-grain and microparticle vectors; and (4) the clinical experience and humoral, cellular, and cytokine immune responses observed for many of these target tissues, technologies, constructs, and carriers. This report summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop (http://ift.tt/2hJjQPp), which was webcast live in its entirety and archived online (http://ift.tt/1HPlZxC).



http://ift.tt/2hJjRmr

Development of an intelligent surgical training system for Thoracentesis

Publication date: Available online 21 November 2017
Source:Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
Author(s): Hirenkumar Nakawala, Giancarlo Ferrigno, Elena De Momi
Surgical training improves patient care, helps to reduce surgical risks, increases surgeon's confidence, and thus enhances overall patient safety. Current surgical training systems are more focused on developing technical skills, e.g. dexterity, of the surgeons while lacking the aspects of context-awareness and intra-operative real-time guidance. Context-aware intelligent training systems interpret the current surgical situation and help surgeons to train on surgical tasks. As a prototypical scenario, we chose Thoracentesis procedure in this work. We designed the context-aware software framework using the surgical process model encompassing ontology and production rules, based on the procedure descriptions obtained through textbooks and interviews, and ontology-based and marker-based object recognition, where the system tracked and recognised surgical instruments and materials in surgeon's hands and recognised surgical instruments on the surgical stand. The ontology was validated using annotated surgical videos, where the system identified "Anaesthesia" and "Aspiration" phase with 100% relative frequency and "Penetration" phase with 65% relative frequency. The system tracked surgical swab and 50mL syringe with approximately 88.23% and 100% accuracy in surgeon's hands and recognised surgical instruments with approximately 90% accuracy on the surgical stand. Surgical workflow training with the proposed system showed equivalent results as the traditional mentor-based training regime, thus this work is a step forward a new tool for context awareness and decision-making during surgical training.



http://ift.tt/2B1a2I7

An EEG-based functional connectivity measure for automatic detection of alcohol use disorder

Publication date: Available online 21 November 2017
Source:Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
Author(s): Wajid Mumtaz, Mohamad Naufal b Mohamad Saad, Nidal Kamel, Syed Saad Azhar Ali, Aamir Saeed Malik
BackgroundThe abnormal alcohol consumption could cause toxicity and could alter the human brain's structure and function, termed as alcohol used disorder (AUD). Unfortunately, the conventional screening methods for AUD patients are subjective and manual. Hence, to perform automatic screening of AUD patients, objective methods are needed. The electroencephalographic (EEG) data have been utilized to study the differences of brain signals between alcoholics and healthy controls that could further developed as an automatic screening tool for alcoholics.MethodIn this work, resting-state EEG-derived features were utilized as input data to the proposed feature selection and classification method. The aim was to perform automatic classification of AUD patients and healthy controls. The validation of the proposed method involved real-EEG data acquired from 30 AUD patients and 30 age-matched healthy controls. The resting-state EEG-derived features such as synchronization likelihood (SL) were computed involving 19 scalp locations resulted into 513 features. Furthermore, the features were rank-ordered to select the most discriminant features involving a rank-based feature selection method according to a criterion, i.e., receiver operating characteristics (ROC). Consequently, a reduced set of most discriminant features was identified and utilized further during classification of AUD patients and healthy controls. In this study, three different classification models such as Support Vector Machine (SVM), Naïve Bayesian (NB), and Logistic Regression (LR) were used.ResultsThe study resulted into SVM classification accuracy=98%, sensitivity=99.9%, specificity=95%, and f-measure=0.97; LR classification accuracy=91.7%, sensitivity=86.66%, specificity=96.6%, and f-measure=0.90; NB classification accuracy=93.6%, sensitivity=100%, specificity=87.9%, and f-measure=0.95.ConclusionThe SL features could be utilized as objective markers to screen the AUD patients and healthy controls.



http://ift.tt/2iG6Smg

Sensory Constraints on Perceptual Simulation During Sentence Reading.

Author: Gao, Xuefei; Jiang, Ting

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000475

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2AlgYDP

Emergent Perception of Gaze Direction Across Time.

Author: Mihalache, Diana; Gaeddert, Laurel A.; Sweeny, Timothy D.

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000479

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2zWesD5

How Does "Not Left" Become "Right"? Electrophysiological Evidence for a Dynamic Conflict-Bound Negation Processing Account.

Author: Dudschig, Carolin; Kaup, Barbara

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000481

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2Alt3ca

Automatic Imitation of Multiple Agents: Simultaneous or Random Representation?.

Author: Cracco, Emiel; Brass, Marcel

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000489

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2zVeT0F

Cognitive Control Over Prospective Task-set Interference.

Author: Whitehead, Peter S.; Egner, Tobias

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000493

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2AmLLA3

Alertness and Cognitive Control: Testing the Early Onset Hypothesis.

Author: Schneider, Darryl W.

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000497

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2zWemeH

Task Demands Determine Comparison Strategy in Whole Probe Change Detection.

Author: Udale, Rob; Farrell, Simon; Kent, Chris

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000490

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2Ak6q7G

Disentangling Inhibition-Based and Retrieval-Based Aftereffects of Distractors: Cognitive Versus Motor Processes.

Author: Singh, Tarini; Laub, Ruth; Burgard, Jan Pablo; Frings, Christian

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000496

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2zVy7mF

Attentional Effect on Contrast Appearance: From Enhancement to Attenuation.

Author: Zhou, Liu-Fang; Buetti, Simona; Lu, Shena; Cai, Yong-Chun

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000499

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2Al7LeH

Auditory Over Visual Advantage of Sensorimotor Synchronization in 6- to 7-Year-Old Children but Not in 12- to 15-Year-Old Children and Adults.

Author: Mu, Yan; Huang, Yingyu; Ji, Chao; Gu, Li; Wu, Xiang

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000500

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2zWedYH

Time-Based Expectancy in Temporally Structured Task Switching.

Author: Aufschnaiter, Stefanie; Kiesel, Andrea; Dreisbach, Gesine; Wenke, Dorit; Thomaschke, Roland

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000494

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2AnezIP

The Contribution of Perceptual Factors and Training on Varying Audiovisual Integration Capacity.

Author: Wilbiks, Jonathan M. P.; Dyson, Benjamin J.

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000503

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2zVxWaZ

Distinct Kinematic Markers of Demonstration and Joint Action Coordination? Evidence From Virtual Xylophone Playing.

Author: McEllin, Luke; Knoblich, Gunther; Sebanz, Natalie

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000505

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2Amd5y7

You 'Have' to Hear This: Using Tone of Voice to Motivate Others.

Author: Weinstein, Netta; Zougkou, Konstantina; Paulmann, Silke

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000502

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2zX75LP

The Bandwidth of VWM Consolidation Varies With the Stimulus Feature: Evidence From Event-Related Potentials.

Author: Hao, Renning; Becker, Mark W.; Ye, Chaoxiong; Liu, Qiang; Liu, Taosheng

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000488

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2Amd5hB

Seeing It Both Ways: Using a Double-Cuing Task to Investigate the Role of Spatial Cuing in Level-1 Visual Perspective-Taking.

Author: Michael, John; Wolf, Thomas; Letesson, Clement; Butterfill, Stephen; Skewes, Joshua; Hohwy, Jakob

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000486

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2zX6WIh

Optimal Task-Sets Override Attentional Capture by Rare Cues.

Author: Schonhammer, Josef G.; Kerzel, Dirk

DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000483

Publication Date: POST AUTHOR CORRECTIONS, 20 November 2017

http://ift.tt/2Am9bFM

Propofol attenuates myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury partly through inhibition of resident cardiac mast cell activation

Publication date: January 2018
Source:International Immunopharmacology, Volume 54
Author(s): Xiaoqian Yu, Xiaotong Sun, Meng Zhao, Yonghao Hou, Jingxin Li, Jingui Yu, Yuedong Hou
Cardiac mast cell activation is involved in the process of myocardial ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury and exacerbates myocardial infarction. Propofol, an anesthetic with antioxidant property, can reduce myocardial infarct size in I/R injury. The present study was designed to investigate whether propofol can attenuate myocardial I/R injury by inhibiting resident cardiac mast cell activation by a Langendorff model. Thirty rats were randomly assigned to 5 groups (n=6 per group): control group and four test groups (I/R, I/R+compound 48/80, I/R+propofol, I/R+compound 48/80+propofol). Cultured RBL-2H3 cells were pretreated with propofol and subjected to mast cell degranulator compound48/80 (C48/80).Microscopically, degradation of myofibrillar and degranulation of mast cells were studied using hematoxylin-eosin toluidine blue staining techniques. After the effluent was assayed for tryptase, LDH, CK-MB and cTnI, myocardial tissue was evaluated for cytokine levels and infarct area. Heart subjected to I/R showed significantly increased expression of cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6), LDH, CK-MB and cTnI. In addition, the I/R-induced heart also showed greater histopathological injury and a larger infarction zone, following increased mast cell degranulation with concomitant rise in tryptase. Mast cell degranulation by C48/80 further aggravated I/R injury. However, all of these effects were suppressed by propofol pretreatment, which also abrogated C48/80-mediated exacerbation of I/R injury. Also, propofol attenuated the C48/80-evoked tryptase and histamine release in RBL-2H3 cells. It is concluded that pretreatment of propofol confers protection against I/R injury partly by inhibiting resident cardiac mast cell activation.



http://ift.tt/2AmPihO

Esculentoside A specifically binds to ribosomal protein S3a and impairs LPS-induced signaling in macrophages

Publication date: January 2018
Source:International Immunopharmacology, Volume 54
Author(s): Ying-Hua Li, Jing Wang, Ying Liu, Lie Qiu, Jian-Zhong Li, Hong-Gang Hu, Zhen-Lin Hu, Wen Zhang, Bin Lu, Jun-Ping Zhang
Esculentoside A (EsA), a saponin isolated from Phytolacca esculenta, is reported as a potent suppressor of pro-inflammatory functions of macrophages. However, little is known about the target proteins of EsA for its anti-inflammatory activity. In the present study, to identify the intracellular target for EsA, affinity resins bearing immobilized EsA were used to capture binding proteins of EsA from RAW264.7 cell lysates. Mass spectrography and Western blot analysis of captured proteins indicated that ribosomal protein S3a preferentially bound to EsA affinity resin. Competition experiment further demonstrated that free EsA can disturb the specific interaction between recombinant RPS3a and affinity resin. Surface Plasmon Resonance analysis confirmed that EsA directly bound to RPS3a. Lentivirus-mediated RNAi RPS3a resulted in suppression of TNF-α and IL-6 production and impediment of signal transduction in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, indicating that RPS3a is required for LPS-triggered signaling during induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, EsA inhibited the expression of inflammatory factors more strongly in the case of RPS3a interference. These results suggest that EsA exerts its anti-inflammatory activity by targeting RPS3a and impairing its signaling function. These new findings not only extended our understanding on the intracellular mechanisms of EsA, but also indicated RPS3a as an essential component for LPS-mediated pro-inflammatory signaling, thus implying RPS3a as a novel therapeutic target for anti-inflammatory therapy.



http://ift.tt/2zXnFv1

Protective effect of catechin on humoral and cell mediated immunity in rat model

Publication date: January 2018
Source:International Immunopharmacology, Volume 54
Author(s): Aditya Ganeshpurkar, Ajay K. Saluja
The present study was focused on examining the effect of catechin on the cellular and humoral immunity in rat model. Immunomodulatory effect of catechin was determined by delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response, carbon clearance assay, leucocyte mobilization test and cyclophosphamide-induced myelosuppression and hemagglutinating antibody (HA) titer assay. Catechin in experimental dose (25, 50 and 100mg/kg, p.o.) elevated a significant increase in antibody titer in the hemagglutination test with increased levels of immunoglobulin. There was an enhancement in the delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction produced by sheep red blood cells. There was also restoration in the functioning of leucocytes in cyclophosphamide-treated rats with an increased clearance of carbon particles. The results of the present study signify that catechin possesses sufficient potential for modulating immune activity by cellular and humoral mechanisms.



http://ift.tt/2Ak4Keo

Family Caregivers Need Our Help-And Now It's the Law.

Author: Kennedy, Maureen Shawn MA, RN, FAAN

Page: 7

http://ift.tt/2AnbJUb

Social Determinants of Health: The Role of Nursing.

Author: Olshansky, Ellen F. PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FAAN

Page: 11

http://ift.tt/2zWhB5Y

Nurses' Use of On-the-Job Workarounds.

Author: H., Wendie via ajnoffthecharts.com

Page: 13

http://ift.tt/2AlWs5J

Nurses' Use of On-the-Job Workarounds.

Author: W., Amy via Facebook

Page: 13

http://ift.tt/2zWhw2a

Palliative Care for Advanced Dementia.

Author: M., Nomi via ajnoffthecharts.com

Page: 13

http://ift.tt/2Al57FN

Staying Professional on Social Media.

Author: Griffith, Linda RN-ONC

Page: 13

http://ift.tt/2zY9yWa

The Need to Improve Student Writing.

Author: Lanier, Regina MAEd, BSN, RN

Page: 13

http://ift.tt/2AlWj2b

Women in Rural America Are Losing Hospital-Based Obstetric Services.

Author: Sofer, Dalia

Page: 14-15

http://ift.tt/2zXWD6I

Repeal of the ACA Could Lead to RN Job Cuts.

Author: Potera, Carol

Page: 15

http://ift.tt/2Al4XOH

NewsCAP: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has increased health care access for adults with mental illness.

Author:

Page: 15

http://ift.tt/2zWhnf8

Study Finds Overall Prostate Cancer Mortality Decreases with PSA Screening.

Author: Zolot, Joan

Page: 16

http://ift.tt/2Al4UT1

NewsCAP: Some addicts abuse opioids prescribed for pets.

Author:

Page: 16

http://ift.tt/2zWhjfo

Updated Pediatric Blood Pressure Guidelines.

Author: Halpern, Lucy Wang

Page: 17

http://ift.tt/2Al4SKT

NewsCAP: Findings suggest cases of elder abuse or neglect in skilled nursing facilities.

Author:

Page: 17

http://ift.tt/2zXAi9y

Nurses on the ground in Puerto Rico.

Author:

Page: 18

http://ift.tt/2AlVZAv

Nurses rally in Illinois for legislation to end workplace violence.

Author:

Page: 18

http://ift.tt/2zW8Tob

World Health Roundup.

Author:

Page: 18

http://ift.tt/2Al4L1V

When Parents Disappear Behind Bars.

Author: Sofer, Dalia

Page: 19-20

http://ift.tt/2zW8Rwz

AJN On the Cover.

Author: Szulecki, Diane Editor

Page: 21

http://ift.tt/2Alm9n6

AJN On the Cover.

Author: Szulecki, Diane Editor

Page: 21

http://ift.tt/2zXocgz

Analysis of outcomes and patient’s satisfaction following monolateral and bilateral mastectomy using BREAST-Q

Abstract

Background

Breast reconstruction plays an important role in improving the quality of life of patients with breast cancer. The aim of this study is to verify if there is a difference in patient's satisfaction and in body perception following monolateral and bilateral mastectomy with breast reconstruction.

Methods

The study population were 144 women who had undergone mastectomy and breast reconstruction at our hospital between 2005 and 2016. They filled out BREAST-Q post-operative module after almost 1 year from breast reconstruction. We administered the questionnaire electronically almost 1 year after surgery for each procedure.

Results

This cross-sectional study compared two cohorts in which 121 women underwent monolateral mastectomy and breast reconstruction with or without contralateral adjustment and 23 women underwent bilateral mastectomy and breast reconstruction. After reconstruction procedures, patients that underwent bilateral mastectomy were more satisfied than monolateral mastectomy group in satisfaction with appearance of breast (P < 0.001). In the comparison between monolateral and bilateral nipple-sparing mastectomy groups, the bilateral nipple mastectomy group was more satisfied in satisfaction with appearance of breast (P = 0.005) and physical well-being (P = 0.003). In the comparison between bilateral nipple-sparing mastectomy and no nipple-sparing mastectomy, the first group was more satisfied in psychosocial well-being (P = 0.03) and physical well-being (P = 0.03).

Conclusions

Bilateral mastectomy has a favorable post-operative surgical cosmetic outcome with a better patient's body image perception and bigger post-operative satisfaction. This is the first study that compares monolateral and bilateral mastectomy using a validated patient-reported outcome measure.

Level of Evidence: Level III, risk/prognostic study.

http://ift.tt/2BaCNmp

Evaluation of the photophysicochemical properties and photodynamic therapy activity of nanoconjugates of zinc phthalocyanine linked to glutathione capped Au and Au3Ag1 nanoparticles

Publication date: March 2018
Source:Dyes and Pigments, Volume 150
Author(s): David O. Oluwole, Sello L. Manoto, Rudzani Malabi, Charles Maphanga, Saturnin Ombinda-Lemboumba, Patience Mthunzi-Kufa, Tebello Nyokong
We report on the synthesis of glutathione capped gold (AuNPs–GSH) and gold–silver (Au3Ag1NPs–GSH) nanoparticles and their covalent attachment to Zn monocarboxyphenoxy phthalocyanine (1) via amide bond formation. The photophysicochemical properties and photodynamic therapy (PDT) activity of the complex and its nanoconjugates were assessed. The conjugates afforded improved triplet and singlet oxygen quantum yield as well as PDT activity (except for 1-Au3Ag1NPs which afforded decreased activity) in comparison to complex 1.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2zZtOGu

Soil geochemistry of medieval arable fields in Lovětín near Třešť, Czech Republic

Publication date: March 2018
Source:CATENA, Volume 162
Author(s): Jan Horák, Martin Janovský, Michal Hejcman, Ladislav Šmejda, Tomáš Klír
Lovětín was a medieval village located in the Bohemian-Moravian Upland (Czech Republic). It existed approximately between the 14th and the 16th century and was comprised of up to 20 farmsteads. Arable farming based on a short-fallow cultivation system was its main means of subsistence. The fields of the village consisted of two main field areas (128 and 77ha) and six smaller field areas (up to 8ha). Our study focused on finding out how human activities have impacted the soil environment imprinted in its geochemical characteristics. The design was based on a 100-m grid (in some cases, a 50-m grid) covering the entire field system (plužina) of the village; soil samples were taken from the B horizon at a depth of 15cm. The analysis was based on XRF spectrometry, returning near total concentrations of the elements. The statistical and GIS analyses were performed on 338 samples, measuring the following elements: Al, Si, K, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Rb, Sr, Zr, Pb, Th, LE (light elements – combined concentrations for H to Na). The results of the analyses were processed by PCA after ilr transformation. The PCA indicated 16 principal components, of which three were interpreted as direct products of past human activities. The main elements reflecting human activities were Mn, Sr, Th, K, Zn; P contributed also to the interpretations, although it was detected and measured only in 132 cases. Some of the elements were spatially connected to the village in terms of their concentrations, but the PCA did not reveal a strong connection (Ti, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zr). The spatial distribution of the principal components was varied, indicating a diversity in the spatial distribution of agricultural activities or of their intensity, as well as differences in land use management. Management was most intensive in the vicinity of the village built-up area up to a distance of 300–400m. The village was probably deserted due to inadequate soil management strategies.



http://ift.tt/2zWHsu9

Solar chemical looping gasification of biomass with the ZnO/Zn redox system for syngas and zinc production in a continuously-fed solar reactor

Publication date: 1 March 2018
Source:Fuel, Volume 215
Author(s): Srirat Chuayboon, Stéphane Abanades, Sylvain Rodat
The high-temperature solar-driven chemical looping gasification of lignocellulosic biomass with ZnO/Zn redox pair was investigated as a novel process producing both syngas and metallic zinc. A lab-scale solar reactor (1.5 kW) was operated for continuous combined biomass gasification and ZnO carbo-thermal reduction using solar energy as the source of high-temperature process heat. Experiments were performed at temperatures ranging from 1050 °C to 1300 °C with biomass/ZnO molar ratios from 0.5 to 1, using beech wood as a biomass feedstock. The objective of this study was to unveil the advantages and reliability of the combined process involving biomass pyro-gasification with solid ZnO as an oxidizing agent under continuous process operation for co-production of syngas and metallic Zn. The influence of temperature and reactant molar ratio on syngas production was highlighted and compared to the case of a pyrolysis process without any oxidant. Moreover, the chemical conversion of ZnO to Zn obtained by this endothermic step was also addressed, confirming pure Zn production with low recombination in the collected solid products. The evolved H2 increased significantly, CO production also tended to increase slightly, while CO2 and CH4 decreased when increasing the temperature. The syngas yield of the combined gasification/carbo-thermal reduction (up to ∼8 molsyngas/molbiomass for a biomass/ZnO molar ratio of 0.75 at 1250 °C) was much higher in comparison with pyrolysis. The calorific value of the feedstock was solar up-graded through syngas and Zn production in the case of the biomass gasification using ZnO, whereas pyrolysis was not energetically efficient because of the energy content still remaining in the produced char. The optimal biomass/ZnO molar ratio was evidenced at 0.75 yielding maximum syngas production. The energy upgrade factor of the feedstock by the solar power input and the solar-to-fuel energy conversion efficiency were 1.17 and 19.8% respectively for a molar ratio of 0.75 at 1250 °C.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2hJesM0

Structural, magnetic and hyperfine characterization of ZnxFe3–xO4 nanoparticles prepared by sol-gel approach via inorganic precursors

Publication date: March 2018
Source:Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, Volume 114
Author(s): Dzmitry Kotsikau, Vladimir Pankov, Elena Petrova, Valentin Natarov, Dmitry Filimonov, Konstantin Pokholok
Structural characteristics and magnetic properties of ZnxFe3–xO4 (where х = 0; 0.09; 0.18; 0.45; 1) nanoparticles were studied with X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). Oxidation of Fe²⁺ ions, redistribution of Zn²⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions between octahedral and tetrahedral sites, and the formation of cation vacancies in spinel-type cubic structure of the obtained ZnxFe3–x–y□yO4 substitutional solid solutions were revealed by ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. The nanoparticles synthesized via a modified sol-gel method using inorganic precursors have a size of 4–10 nm, single-phase composition, superparamagnetic behavior at room temperature (300 K) and a relatively hydrophilic surface to form stable aqueous suspensions. The maximum magnetization of 59 emu/g at 300 K corresponds to Zn0.18Fe2.82O4 composition. The listed features make the materials promising candidates for various biological and medical applications such as contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, hyperthermia of pathological tissues, controlled drug release, and separation of nucleic acids.



http://ift.tt/2hGSTfg

H2 formation on interstellar dust grains: the viewpoints of theory, experiments, models and observations

Publication date: Available online 21 November 2017
Source:Molecular Astrophysics
Author(s): Valentine Wakelam, Emeric Bron, Stephanie Cazaux, Francois Dulieu, Cécile Gry, Pierre Guillard, Emilie Habart, Liv Hornekær, Sabine Morisset, Gunnar Nyman, Valerio Pirronello, Stephen D. Price, Valeska Valdivia, Gianfranco Vidali, Naoki Watanabe
Molecular hydrogen is the most abundant molecule in the universe. It is the first one to form and survive photo-dissociation in tenuous environments. Its formation involves catalytic reactions on the surface of interstellar grains. The micro-physics of the formation process has been investigated intensively in the last 20 years, in parallel of new astrophysical observational and modeling progresses. In the perspectives of the probable revolution brought by the future satellite JWST, this article has been written to present what we think we know about the H2 formation in a variety of interstellar environments.



http://ift.tt/2Bcnqdm

New method of detecting hydrophobic interaction between C-terminal binding domain and biomacromolecules

Publication date: Available online 21 November 2017
Source:Journal of Biotechnology
Author(s): JiaFeng Huang, RiBang Wu, CuiLing Wu, Dan Liu, Jiang Zhang, BinQiang Liao, Ming Lei, Xiao Xiao, ChangBei Ma, HaiLun He
The C-terminal domains of proteases play crucial roles in hydrolysis, substrate adsorption and targeted binding. Identifying and characterizing interactions between C-terminal domains and biomacromolecules can help to examine the diversity as well as the substrate-binding ability of C-terminal domains and to explore novel functions. The bacterial pre-peptidase C-terminal (PPC) domain is a typical C-terminal domain normally found at the C-terminus of bacterial secreted proteases. In this work, we successfully demonstrated that 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (ANS) could be used to rapidly determine the interactions between this C-terminal domain and biomacromolecules. The time-resolved ANS fluorescence of PPC and collagen interaction could be used for quantitative analysis of the collagen-binding capability based on the slope of the time-scanning curve. Using this method, we found that PPC domains had an obvious affinity to fibrillar proteins but had little or no capacity to bind polysaccharides or linear DNAs. Docking studies proved that collagen bound to the same hydrophobic site of PPC as the ANS probe, causing a decrease in the emission intensity. This method is simple and cost effective and provides an effective detection technique to analyze the interaction between this C-terminal domain and biomolecules.



http://ift.tt/2zdG1UP

Artful and multifaceted applications of carbon dot in biomedicine

Publication date: Available online 21 November 2017
Source:Journal of Controlled Release
Author(s): Jumana Abdul Jaleel, K. Pramod
Carbon dots (C-dots) are luminescent carbon nanomaterial having good biocompatibility and low toxicity. The characteristic fluorescence emission property of C-dots establishes their role in optical imaging. C-dots which are superior to fluorescent dyes and semiconductor quantum dots act as a safer in vivo imaging probe. Apart from their bioimaging application, other applications in biomedicine such as drug delivery, cancer therapy, and gene delivery were studied. In this review, we present multifaceted applications of C-dots along with their synthesis, surface passivation, doping, and toxicity profile.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2Bcnee8

Development and validation of makeup and sexualized clothing questionnaires

Abstract

Background

Body acceptance programs on college campuses indicated that collegiate women often report feeling pressure to dress in a sexualized manner, and use makeup to enhance beauty. Currently, no quantitative measures exist to assess attitudes and daily behaviors that may arise in response to perceived pressure to wear makeup or dress in a provocative manner. The goal of the current studies was to develop brief self-report questionnaires aimed at assessing makeup and sexualized clothing use and attitudes in young women.

Methods

An exploratory factor analysis in a sample of 403 undergraduate women was used in Study 1 to create items to measure the pressure women feel to wear makeup and sexualized clothing. A confirmatory factor analysis (N = 153) was used in Study 2 to confirm the factor structure found in Study 1. An incremental validity analysis was also conducted in Study 2. Across both studies, participants completed online questionnaires.

Results

In Study 1, items were developed for two questionnaires to assess perceived pressure to wear makeup and discomfort when not wearing makeup, and perceived pressure to wear sexualized clothing, and body image concerns with regards to sexualized clothing. The exploratory factor analyses revealed Unconfident and Unease scales for the Makeup Questionnaire (MUQ) and Body Dissatisfaction and Pressure scales for the Sexualized Clothing Questionnaire (SCQ). In Study 2, the confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the factor structure for the MUQ and SCQ. The incremental validity analysis revealed that these measures can be used to predict self-objectification and shape and weight concern in women.

Conclusion

These studies provide preliminary support for the factor structure of two novel questionnaires aimed at assessing perceived pressure to wear makeup and sexualized clothing.

http://ift.tt/2hJbXth

Zebrafish Infection: From Pathogenesis to Cell Biology

Publication date: Available online 21 November 2017
Source:Trends in Cell Biology
Author(s): Vincenzo Torraca, Serge Mostowy
The study of host–pathogen interactions has illuminated fundamental research avenues in both infection and cell biology. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae are genetically tractable, optically accessible, and present a fully functional innate immune system with macrophages and neutrophils that mimic their mammalian counterparts. A wide variety of pathogenic bacteria have been investigated using zebrafish models, providing unprecedented resolution of the cellular response to infection in vivo. In this review, we illustrate how zebrafish models have contributed to our understanding of cellular microbiology by providing an in vivo platform to study host–pathogen interactions from the single cell to whole animal level. We also highlight discoveries made from zebrafish infection that hold great promise for translation into novel therapies for humans.



http://ift.tt/2zXakTx

Microtubule-Organizing Centers: Towards a Minimal Parts List

Publication date: Available online 21 November 2017
Source:Trends in Cell Biology
Author(s): Joel Paz, Jens Lüders
Despite decades of molecular analysis of the centrosome, an important microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) of animal cells, the molecular basis of microtubule organization remains obscure. A major challenge is the sheer complexity of the interplay of the hundreds of proteins that constitute the centrosome. However, this complexity owes not only to the centrosome's role as a MTOC but also to the requirements of its duplication cycle and to various other functions such as the formation of cilia, the integration of various signaling pathways, and the organization of actin filaments. Thus, rather than using the parts lists to reconstruct the centrosome, we propose to identify the subset of proteins minimally needed to assemble a MTOC and to study this process at non-centrosomal sites.



http://ift.tt/2Al0QCa

Design, synthesis and evaluation against Mycobacterium tuberculosis of azole piperazine derivatives as dicyclotyrosine (cYY) mimics

Publication date: Available online 21 November 2017
Source:Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
Author(s): Hend A.A. Abd El-wahab, Mauro Accietto, Leonardo B. Marino, Kirsty J. McLean, Colin W. Levy, Hamdy M. Abdel-Rahman, Mahmoud A. El-Gendy, Andrew W. Munro, Ahmed S. Aboraia, Claire Simons
Three series of azole piperazine derivatives that mimic dicyclotyrosine (cYY), the natural substrate of the essential Mycobacterium tuberculosis cytochrome P450 CYP121A1, were prepared and evaluated for binding affinity and inhibitory activity (MIC) against M. tuberculosis. Series A replaces one phenol group of cYY with a C3-imidazole moiety, series B includes a keto group on the hydrocarbon chain preceding the series A imidazole, whilst series C explores replacing the keto group of the piperidone ring of cYY with a CH2-imidazole or CH2-triazole moiety to enhance binding interaction with the heme of CYP121A1. The series displayed moderate to weak type II binding affinity for CYP121A1, with the exception of series B 10a, which displayed mixed type I binding. Of the three series, series C imidazole derivatives showed the best, although modest, inhibitory activity against M. tuberculosis (17d MIC = 12.5 μg/mL, 17a 50 μg/mL). Crystal structures were determined for CYP121A1 bound to series A compounds 6a and 6b that show the imidazole groups positioned directly above the haem iron with binding between the haem iron and imidazole nitrogen of both compounds at a distance of 2.2 Å. A model generated from a 1.5 Å crystal structure of CYP121A1 in complex with compound 10a showed different binding modes in agreement with the heterogeneous binding observed. Although the crystal structures of 6a and 6b would indicate binding with CYP121A1, the binding assays themselves did not allow confirmation of CYP121A1 as the target.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2iDyNTU

Design, Synthesis, and Opioid Activity of Arodyn Analogs Cyclized by Ring-Closing Metathesis involving Tyr(Allyl)

Publication date: Available online 21 November 2017
Source:Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
Author(s): Wei-Jie Fang, Thomas F. Murray, Jane V. Aldrich
Kappa (κ) opioid receptor selective antagonists are useful pharmacological tools in studying κ opioid receptors and have potential to be used as therapeutic agents for the treatment of a variety of diseases including mood disorders and drug addiction. Arodyn (Ac[Phe^1–3,Arg4,D-Ala⁸]Dyn A-(1-11)NH2) is a linear acetylated dynorphin A (Dyn A) analog that is a potent and selective κ opioid receptor antagonist (Bennett et al. J. Med. Chem. 2002;45:5617-5619) and prevents stress-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior following central administration (Carey et al. Eur J Pharmacol 2007;569:84-89). To restrict its conformational mobility, explore possible bioactive conformations and potentially increase its metabolic stability we synthesized cyclic arodyn analogs on solid phase utilizing a novel ring-closing metathesis (RCM) reaction involving allyl-protected Tyr (Tyr(All)) residues. This approach preserves the aromatic functionality and directly constrains the side chains of one or more of the Phe residues. The novel cyclic arodyn analog 4 cyclized between Tyr(All) residues incorporated in positions 2 and 3 exhibited potent κ opioid receptor antagonism in the [³⁵S]GTPγS assay (KB = 3.2 nM) similar to arodyn. Analog 3 cyclized between Tyr(All) residues in positions 1 and 2 also exhibited nanomolar κ opioid receptor antagonist potency (KB = 27.5 nM) in this assay. These are the first opioid peptides cyclized via RCM involving aromatic residues, and given their promising pharmacological activity represent novel lead peptides for further exploration.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2iEyV5s

Bisindolylmethane Thiosemicarbazides as Potential Inhibitors of Urease: Synthesis and Molecular Modeling Studies

Publication date: Available online 21 November 2017
Source:Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
Author(s): Muhammad Taha, Hayat Ullah, Laode Muhammad Ramadhan Al Muqarrabun, Naseem Khan, Fazal Rahim, Norizan Ahmat, Muhammad Tariq Javid, Muhammad Ali, Khalid Mohammed Khan
Bisindolylmethane thiosemicarbazides1-18were synthesized, characterized by ¹HNMR and ESI MS and evaluated for urease inhibitory potential. All analogs showedoutstandingurease inhibitory potentials with IC50 values ranging between 0.14 ± 0.01 to 18.50 ± 0.90 μM when compared with the standard inhibitor thiourea having IC50 value 21.25 ± 0.90 μM. Among the series, analog 9 (0.14 ± 0.01 μM) with di-chloro substitution on phenyl ring was identified as the most potent inhibitor of urease. The structure activity relationship has been also established on the basis of binding interactions of the active analogs. These binding interactions were identified bymolecular docking studies.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2iDrifO

Synthesis, in vitro and in silico evaluation of novel trans-stilbene analogues aspotentialCOX-2 inhibitors

Publication date: Available online 20 November 2017
Source:Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
Author(s): Miłosz Regulski, Hanna Piotrowska-Kempisty, Wiesław Prukała, Zbigniew Dutkiewicz, Katarzyna Regulska, Beata Stanisz, Marek Murias
25 new trans-stilbene and trans-stilbazole derivatives were investigated using in vitro and in silico techniques. The selectivity and potency of the compounds were assessed using commercial ELISA test. The obtained results were incorporated into 2D QSAR assay. The most promising compound 4–nitro-3',4',5'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene (N1) was synthetized and its potency and selectivity were confirmed. N1 was classified as preferential COX-2 inhibitor. Its ability to inhibit COX-2 in MCF-7 cell line was established and its cytotoxicity by MTT test was assessed. The compound was more cytotoxic than celecoxib within studied concentration range. Finally, the studied trans-stilbene was docked into COX-1 and COX-2 active sites using "CDOCKER" protocol.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2iESkn3

Microwave-assisted diastereoselective two-step three-component synthesis for rapid access to drug-like libraries of substituted 3-amino-β-lactams

Publication date: Available online 16 November 2017
Source:Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
Author(s): Guido V. Janssen, Joyce A.C. van den Heuvel, Rik P. Megens, Jorg C.J. Benningshof, Huib Ovaa
Large, diverse compound libraries are an essential requisite in target-based drug development. In this work, a robust microwave-assisted synthesis for the diastereoselective generation of 3-saccharinyl-trans-β-lactams is reported. The method is optimised for combinatorial library synthesis in which decoration of the scaffold is varied on both the β-lactam and the saccharine moiety. Within the European Lead Factory (ELF) consortium, a library of 263 compounds was efficiently produced using the developed methodology.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2iEShHT

The Impact of Hyperosmolarity on Long-Term Outcome in Patients Presenting with Severe Hyperglycemic Crisis: A Population Based Study

Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-117416

Aims We compared characteristics of patients with hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS) and patients with severe hyperglycemia without the signs of hyperosmolarity and ketoacidosis; analyzed long-term all-cause mortality and potential prognostic factors. Methods The studied population included 261 749 adults. HHS was diagnosed in patients with plasma glucose >33.0 mmol/L, ketonuria <1+, and serum osmolarity >320 mmol/L. Patients with plasma glucose >33.0 mmol/L, ketonuria <1+ and serum osmolarity <320 mmol/L were considered as controls (nHHS). Results During the 5-year period, we observed 68 episodes of HHS in 66 patients and 51 patients with nHHS. Patients with HHS were significantly older, had lower BMI, higher serum C-reactive protein and used diuretics and benzodiazepines more frequently. Mortality rates one, three and 12 months after admission were 19.0, 32.1 and 35.7% in the HHS group, and 4.8, 6.3 and 9.4% in the nHHS group (P<0.001). However, after adjustment for patient age, these differences were not statistically significant. In multivariate Cox regression in HHS group, mortality was positively associated with age, male gender, leukocyte count, amylase, presence of dyspnea and altered mental status, and the use of benzodiazepines, ACE inhibitors and sulphonylureas, while it was inversely associated with plasma glucose, bicarbonate, and the use of thiazides and statins. A nomogram derived from these variables had an accuracy of 89% in predicting lethal outcome. Conclusions Infection, use of furosemide and benzodiazepines may be important precipitating factors of HHS. Prospective clinical trials are mandatory to analyze the safety of ACE-inhibitors and benzodiazepines in elderly patients with diabetes.
[...]

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Article in Thieme eJournals:
Table of contents  |  Abstract  |  Full text

http://ift.tt/2BbGnwE

Protective Effect and Potential Mechanism of Simvastatin on Myocardial Injury Induced by Diabetes with Hypoglycemia

Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-110481

Background Simvastatin has been reported to reduce cardiovascular related morbidity and mortality in clinical trials which was independent of its cholesterol-lowering effect. This study aims to investigate the protective effect of simvastatin on myocardial injury caused by diabetic hypoglycemia and the possible underlying mechanism. Methods We used streptozotocin (STZ) at a dose of 55 mg/kg to induce diabetes mellitus (DM) and over-dose insulin to induce hypoglycemia to establish diabetic hypoglycemia rat models. The cardiac protective effect of simvastatin treatment (at a dose of 40 mg/kg·d) upon diabetic hypoglycemia models was assessed. Ex vivo cardiac function, cardiomyocyte inotropic property and calcium transient were evaluated. The expression levels of microRNA (miRNA) and NF-κB in heart tissues were investigated. Results Both systolic and diastolic functions in diabetic rats were weakened, and further worsened in diabetic hypoglycemia rats, partially restored after administration of simvastatin. The protective effect of simvastatin on cardiac function under diabetic hypoglycermia was associated with decreased intracellular calcium and increased calcium sensitivity. miRNA array showed a differential profile of miRNA expression existed in diabetic hypoglycemia rats compared with diabetic non-hypoglycemia group, and that simvastatin could reverse the altered miRNA expression in diabetic hypoglycemia group. Conclusion Simvastatin has protective effect on myocardial injury caused by diabetes with hypoglycemia, which is associated with increased calcium sensitivity, decreased NF-κB expression and altered miRNA expression profile.
[...]

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Article in Thieme eJournals:
Table of contents  |  Abstract  |  Full text

http://ift.tt/2BbGk3W

Somatotrope Pituitary Function in Professional Soccer Players

Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-119876

Background and objective Soccer is associated with repetitive head trauma, which, as it is known from sports like football and boxing, can result in hypopituitarism. Gonadotropins and GH are the most common pituitary hormones to become deficient. GH deficiency is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality and has negative influence on body mass index, visceral fat mass, insulin resistance and sensitivity, bone mineral density and inflammatory markers. Therefore the aim of this study was to evaluate the somatotrope pituitary function in professional soccer players. Research design and methods This clinical study included 15 male, professional soccer players with at least 10 years of professional training. Basal hormonal parameters of the pituitary axis were obtained from the participants. To assess GH-IGF-I axis, glucagon stimulation tests were used. Rise in growth hormone during glucagon test was analyzed and the prevalence of newly diagnosed hormone deficiencies was evaluated. Results Mean age of all participants was 31±10 years. None of the 15 soccer players had GH deficiency. Mean rising factor of GH after stimulation with glucagon was 100 in all participants. We did not find signs of ACTH, TSH or LH/FSH deficiency in any player. Conclusions In this small collective of soccer players we did not find playing soccer to be a risk factor for the development of GH-deficiency. According to our data screening for somatotrope deficiency is not necessary. Further investigations in larger cohorts are needed.
[...]

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Article in Thieme eJournals:
Table of contents  |  Abstract  |  Full text

http://ift.tt/2BbGgBe

Solid fuel use for cooking and its health effects on the elderly in rural China

Abstract

Indoor air pollution is mainly caused by solid fuel use for cooking in developing countries. Many previous studies focused on its health risks on the children and in specific local area. This paper investigates household energy usage and transition for cooking in rural China and the health effects on the elderly. A national large-scale dataset CHARLS (China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study) covering 450 villages and communities is employed. Logit regressions were used to quantitatively estimate the effects, after controlling for some factors such as income, demographic, and geographical variables. The results robustly show that compared to non-solid fuels, solid fuel use significantly increases the possibility of chronic lung diseases (30%), exacerbation of chronic lung diseases (95%), seizure of heart disease (1.80 times), and decreases self-evaluated health status of the elderly (1.38 times). Thus, it is urgent to improve clean energy access for cooking in rural China.

http://ift.tt/2mQfueN

Assessment of water resource contamination by pesticides in vegetable-producing areas in Burkina Faso

Abstract

This study proposes a comprehensive approach to investigate water resource contamination by pesticides under the specific climatic and hydrological conditions of the Sudano-Sahelian climate. Samples were collected from traditional wells, boreholes, and a lake in Burkina Faso. A multiresidue analysis was developed for 25 pesticides identified during field surveys. Polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) were used to confirm trends observed with grab samples. Uptake kinetics of POCIS were assessed by in situ calibration. The proposed use of nonlinear least squares regression proved to be a robust approach for estimating time-weighted average concentration in cases of nonlinear uptake. High sampling rates for triazines in a quasi-stagnant lake were attributed to warm water temperatures (30.8 ± 1.3 °C). The combination of sampling techniques during a 3-year monitoring period allowed for identifying potential interactions between resources, seasonal patterns, and origins of contaminants. Atrazine, azadirachtin, carbofuran, chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, dieldrin, imidacloprid, and profenofos exceeded 0.1 μg L⁻¹, indicating a potential risk for the consumers. Ecological risk assessment was performed using the Pesticide Tool Index for fish, cladocerans, and benthic invertebrates. Peak concentrations of cypermethrin and chlorpyrifos were systematically associated with hazard to the studied taxa.

http://ift.tt/2zrAEFN

Bioagents and silicon promoting fast early upland rice growth

Abstract

Upland rice can overcome major challenges through the insertion of silicate fertilization and the presence of plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) during its cultivation, as these factors promote an increase in vigor and plant disease resistance. Two consecutive experiments were conducted to evaluate the beneficial effects of silicon fertilization combined with the PGPM, Pseudomonas fluorensces, Burkholderia pyrrocinia, and a pool of Trichoderma asperellum, in upland rice seedlings, cultivar BRS Primavera CL: (a) E1, selecting PGPM type and Si doses for rice growth promotion and leaf blast supression, and (b) E2, evaluating physiological characteristics correlated with mechanisms involved in the higher vegetative growth in highlighted treatments from E1. In E1, 2 Si t ha⁻¹ combined with the application of T. asperellum pool or PGPM mixture increased 54% in root dry matter biomass and 35 and 65% in shoot and root lengths, respectively; it also suppressed 99% of rice blast severity. In E2, shoot and root dry matter biomass and length, photosynthetic rate, water use efficiency, total soluble sugar, and chloroplastidic pigments were superior in BRS Primavera CL seedlings treated with 2 Si t ha⁻¹ and T. asperellum pool or PGPM mixture. Higher salicilic and jasmonic acid levels were found in seedlings treated with Si and T. asperellum pool, individually. These physiological characteristics may explain, in part, the higher vigor of upland rice seedlings promoted by the synergistic effect between silicate fertilization and beneficial microorganisms.

http://ift.tt/2mQf5Jj

Twin Models of Environmental and Genetic Influences on Pubertal Development, Salivary Testosterone and Estradiol in Adolescence

Abstract

Objective

Research on sources of variation in adolescent's gonadal hormone levels is limited. We sought to decompose individual differences in adolescent testosterone, estradiol and pubertal status, into genetic and environmental components.

Design

A sample of male and female adolescent twins from the greater Austin and Houston areas provided salivary samples, with a subset of participants providing longitudinal data at two waves.

Participants

The sample included 902 adolescent twins, 49% female, ages 13-20 years (M = 15.91) from the Texas Twin Project. Thirty-seven percent (37%) of twin pairs were monozygotic; 30% were same-sex dizygotic pairs; and 33% were opposite-sex dizygotic pairs.

Measurements

Saliva samples were assayed for testosterone and estradiol using chemiluminscense-immunoassays. Pubertal status was assessed using self-report. Biometric decompositions were performed using multivariate quantitative genetic models.

Results

Genetic factors contributed substantially to variation in testosterone in males and females in the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle (h² = 60% and 51%, respectively). Estradiol was also genetically influenced in both sexes, but was predominately influenced by non-shared environmental factors. The correlation between testosterone and estradiol was mediated by a combination of genetic and environmental influences for males and females. Genetic and environmental influences on hormonal concentrations were only weakly correlated with self-reported pubertal status, particularly for females.

Conclusions

Between-person variability in adolescent gonadal hormones and their inter-relationship reflects both genetic and environmental processes, with both testosterone and estradiol containing sizeable heritable components.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

http://ift.tt/2jM1j9i

Environmental mineralization of caffeine micro-pollutant by Fe-MFI zeolites

Abstract

Environmentally emerging micro-pollutant, caffeine, was mineralized (i.e., full degradation) by the isomorphic incorporation of Fe into silicalite-1 (mordenite framework inverted (MFI) structure zeolite) through a microwave synthesis method. The Fe incorporation conferred mesopore formation that facilitated caffeine access and transport to the MFI zeolite structure. Increasing the Fe content favored the formation of Fe(O)₄ sites within the MFI structure. The catalytic activity for the degradation of caffeine increased as a function of Fe(O)₄ sites via a Fenton-like heterogeneous reaction, otherwise not attainable using Fe-free pure MFI zeolites. Caffeine degradation reached 96% (TOC based) for zeolites containing 2.33% of Fe.

http://ift.tt/2jeE9Vg

Ameliorative effect of the anticancer agent salinomycin on cadmium-induced hepatotoxicity and renal dysfunction in mice

Abstract

This study presents experimental data on the effects of the tetraethylammonium salt of salinomycinic acid (Sal) on Cd-induced hepatotoxicity and renal dysfunction in Cd-treated mice compared to those of meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA). Forty 60-day-old male ICR mice were randomized into five groups: control group (untreated mice), Cd group (Cd(II) acetate 20 mg/kg body weight provided orally once per day for 14 days), Cd + DMSA group (exposed to Cd(II) acetate as the Cd-exposed group followed by DMSA 20 mg/kg body weight provided orally once per day for 14 days), and Cd + Sal group (exposed to Cd(II) acetate as the Cd-exposed group followed by Sal 20 mg/kg body weight once per day for 14 days). Cd intoxication of mice induced significant liver and kidney injury and a significant elevation of the concentration of Cd in both organs. Treatment of Cd-exposed mice with DMSA or Sal restored the levels of the renal and hepatic functional markers and significantly decreased the concentration of the toxic metal ion in both organs. Administration of Sal improved Cd-induced alterations of the endogenous levels of the essential metal ions. Histological studies revealed that the antibiotic more effectively ameliorated the Cd effect on the liver morphology compared to DMSA. Taken together, the results confirm that the anticancer agent salinomycin is a promising antidote to Cd poisoning.

http://ift.tt/2B14PjE

Assessment of pollutions and identification of sources of heavy metals in sediments from west coast of Shenzhen, China

Abstract

The sediment samples were collected from eight sites located in the Pearl River Estuary and the Shenzhen Bay of the west coast of Shenzhen. The distributions of the seven elements Zn, Cr, Hg, Cu, Cd, Pb and As have been analyzed, and their pollution degrees, corresponding potential ecological risks and source identifications have been studied using geo-accumulation index, potential ecological risk index and integrated multivariate statistical methods, respectively. Based on the calculated geo-accumulation indices, the contamination levels of all elements in the Pearl River Estuary are similar to those in the Shenzhen Bay, reflecting that these elements in the study areas have similar sources because of the adequate seawater exchange. The calculated potential ecological risk indices suggest that Cd and Hg are at considerable and moderate risk, respectively. Multivariate statistical analyses further reveal that Zn, Hg, Cd and Pb originated from industrial wastewater, while Cr and Cu are mainly from both industrial wastewater and agricultural sources, and As is mainly from natural source. These research results provide baseline information for both the coastal environment management and the worldwide heavy metal distribution and assessment.

http://ift.tt/2A3qvfB

Kinetic simulation and prediction of pyrolysis process for non-metallic fraction of waste printed circuit boards by discrete distributed activation energy model compared with isoconversional method

Abstract

Kinetic studies on the pyrolysis process for non-metallic fraction (NMF) of waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) were conducted using both the isoconversional SKAS method and the discrete distributed activation energy model (discrete DAEM). The pyrolysis process of the NMF sample could be classified into three stages, and a large mass loss was observed from 98 to 570 °C, attributed to thermal degradation of epoxy resins in the NMF sample. The kinetic parameters, including activation energies (E _i), pre-exponential factors (A _i), and contributed fractions (f _i,0), were determined. It indicated that the discrete DAEM could predict the pyrolysis process of the NMF more accurately and completely when compared with the isoconversional SKAS method. In the discrete DAEM, E _i and A _i values were evaluated at 99 equally spaced intervals of conversion. The E _i and A _i (in the form of lnA _i) transformed with reaction progress, ranging from 80.9 to 240.5 kJ/mol and 19.07 to 39.55 s⁻¹, respectively, with the conversion increased from 0.01 to 0.99. The pyrolysis of the NMF of WPCBs could be accurately characterized as 17 dominating reactions from f _i,0 results.

Graphical abstract

ᅟ

http://ift.tt/2jcHG6y

Pounding tools in HWK EE and EF-HR (Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania): Percussive activities in the Oldowan-Acheulean transition

Publication date: Available online 21 November 2017
Source:Journal of Human Evolution
Author(s): Adrián Arroyo, Ignacio de la Torre
In this paper, we present pounded objects from excavations at HWK EE and EF-HR, which are studied from macro and microscopic perspectives. Analysis of HWK EE revealed one of the largest collections of percussive objects from Olduvai Gorge, while excavations at EF-HR have allowed us to recover a much wider collection of percussive tools than previously recorded. Differences are observed between the two localities. At the Acheulean site of EF-HR, percussive tools were predominantly used in the production of flakes and large cutting tools (LCTs). At the Oldowan site of HWK EE, the tool repertoire probably related to a wider range of activities, including bone breaking and bipolar knapping. Comparison of these two assemblages, potentially produced by different hominin species, helps provide a wider picture of pounding activities during the Oldowan-Acheulean transition at Olduvai Gorge.



http://ift.tt/2zoWN7E

The effect of age and body composition on body mass estimation of males using the stature/bi-iliac method

Publication date: Available online 20 November 2017
Source:Journal of Human Evolution
Author(s): Juho-Antti Junno, Markku Niskanen, Heli Maijanen, Brigitte Holt, Vladimir Sladek, Sirpa Niinimäki, Margit Berner
The stature/bi-iliac breadth method provides reasonably precise, skeletal frame size (SFS) based body mass (BM) estimations across adults as a whole. In this study, we examine the potential effects of age changes in anthropometric dimensions on the estimation accuracy of SFS-based body mass estimation. We use anthropometric data from the literature and our own skeletal data from two osteological collections to study effects of age on stature, bi-iliac breadth, body mass, and body composition, as they are major components behind body size and body size estimations. We focus on males, as relevant longitudinal data are based on male study samples. As a general rule, lean body mass (LBM) increases through adolescence and early adulthood until people are aged in their 30s or 40s, and starts to decline in the late 40s or early 50s. Fat mass (FM) tends to increase until the mid-50s and declines thereafter, but in more mobile traditional societies it may decline throughout adult life. Because BM is the sum of LBM and FM, it exhibits a curvilinear age-related pattern in all societies. Skeletal frame size is based on stature and bi-iliac breadth, and both of those dimensions are affected by age. Skeletal frame size based body mass estimation tends to increase throughout adult life in both skeletal and anthropometric samples because an age-related increase in bi-iliac breadth more than compensates for an age-related stature decline commencing in the 30s or 40s. Combined with the above-mentioned curvilinear BM change, this results in curvilinear estimation bias. However, for simulations involving low to moderate percent body fat, the stature/bi-iliac method works well in predicting body mass in younger and middle-aged adults. Such conditions are likely to have applied to most human paleontological and archaeological samples.



http://ift.tt/2mPUvZA