Notes

Attention Enhancement for Exoskeleton-Assisted Hands Treatment Using Finger Haptic Stimulation.
BACKGROUND Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have generated a great amount of interest over the past decade as a novel therapeutic treatment for a variety of diseases. Emerging studies have indicated that MSCs could enhance the repair of injured skin in canine cutaneous wounds. CASE PRESENTATION A healthy 2 years old Bodeguero Andaluz dog was presented with multiple skin bite wounds. Antibiotic and anti-inflammatory therapy was administered for 8 days. On day three, 107 allogeneic adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) were intradermally injected approximately equidistant to the ASCs treated wounds. Control wounds underwent conventional treatment with a topical antibacterial ointment until wound healing and closure. Wounds, skin morphology and healing progress were monitored via serial photographs and histopathology of biopsies obtained at day seven after ASC treatment. Histopathology revealed absence of inflammatory infiltrates and presence of multiple hair follicles in contrast to the non-ASCs treated control wounds indicating that ASC treatment promoted epidermal and dermal regeneration. ASCs were identified by flow cytometry and RT-PCR. The immunomodulatory role of ASCs was evidenced by coculturing peripheral blood mononuclear cells with allogeneic ASCs. Phytohemagglutinin was administered to stimulate lymphocyte proliferation. Cells were harvested and stained with an anticanine CD3-FITC antibody. The ASCs inhibited proliferation of T lymphocytes, which was quantified by reduction of carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester intensity using flow cytometry. CONCLUSIONS Compared with conventional treatment, wounds treated with ASCs showed a higher regenerative capacity with earlier and faster closure in this dog.BACKGROUND In preclinical models, recombinant human relaxin-2 (serelaxin) had anti-fibrotic effects and ameliorated portal hypertension (PH). A small exploratory study in patients with cirrhosis also suggested that serelaxin could reduce portal pressure. METHODS In a phase 2, double-blind, randomised controlled study conducted in a single centre (Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, UK), male and female adult participants with cirrhosis and clinically significant PH (CSPH; hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) > 10 mmHg) were enrolled. Participants were allocated to serelaxin or placebo in a 31 ratio. The placebo was matched to serelaxin on appearance and administration protocol to create and maintain blinding. The primary endpoint was the change from baseline in fasting HVPG after 2 h of peripheral i.v. serelaxin infusion (80 μg/kg/day for 60 min followed by 30 μg/kg/day for at least 60 min). Secondary endpoints included the change from baseline in hepatic blood flow and systemic haemodynamics (cardiac index, sysorded 12 adverse events in 7 participants treated with serelaxin; none were significant, and most were unrelated to the investigational medicinal product. There were no serious adverse events. CONCLUSION In a small randomised, phase 2, proof-of-concept study in patients with cirrhosis and CSPH, serelaxin infusion was safe and well-tolerated but had a neutral effect on HVPG. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02669875. Registered on 1 February 2016.BACKGROUND The World Health Organization (WHO) recently classified Enterobacteriaceae resistance to third-generation cephalosporin into the group of pathogens with critical criteria for future research. METHODS A study to assess the antibiogram and beta-lactamase genes among the cefotaxime resistant E. coli (CREc) from a South African wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) was conducted using standard phenotypic and molecular biology characterization methods. RESULTS Approximate total E. coli (TEc) concentration (log10 CFU/mL) ranged between 5.7 and 6.8 among which cefotaxime resistant E. coli were between 1.8 and 4.8 (log10 CFU/mL) for cefotaxime antibiotic concentration of 4 and 8 mg/L in the influent samples. Effluent samples, heavily influenced by the chlorination had only 0.3 log10 CFU/mL of TEc. read more Fifty-one cefotaxime resistant isolates were selected out of an overall of 75 isolates, and subjected to a new round of testing, with a follow up of 36 and 48 isolates for both colistin and gentamicin, respectively aogens via occupational and domestic exposure during the reuse of treated wastewater.BACKGROUND Non-infectious scleritis is a potentially sight-threatening condition in which the sclera, the white outer layer of the eye, becomes inflamed. Whilst scleritis can be infective, the majority of cases are due to non-infectious causes, often occurring in association with an underlying systemic autoimmune or auto-inflammatory condition. Thorough systemic work-up is crucial to identify disease aetiology and exclude infection; however, a significant proportion of disease remains idiopathic with the underlying cause unknown. Non-infectious scleritis is normally managed with systemic corticosteroid and immunosuppression, yet there is no widely agreed consensus on the most appropriate therapy, and no national or international guidelines exist for treatment of non-infectious scleritis. METHODS Standard systematic review methodology will be used to identify, select and extract data from comparative studies of pharmacological interventions used to treat patients with non-infectious scleritis. Searches of bibly studies have investigated the effectiveness of pharmacological agents used in the management of non-infectious scleritis. A systematic review is needed to collate and analyse this evidence. Findings of this systematic review will help guide ophthalmologists managing patients with non-infectious scleritis and may form the basis for evidence-based recommendations for future clinical practice and encourage standardisation of treatment protocols. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION PROSPERO CRD42019125198.BACKGROUND Rapamycin is known to be effective in suppressing senescence and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Therefore, it is highly expected to represent an anti-aging drug. Its anti-aging effect has been demonstrated at the mouse individual level. However, there are not many clinical findings with respect to its activity in humans. Here, we aimed to clarify the effect of rapamycin on human endothelial cells (ECs) as an in vitro model of human blood vessels. METHODS Over the course of oxidative stress-induced senescence using hydrogen peroxide, we examined the effect of rapamycin on human coronary artery ECs (HCAECs). Senescence was evaluated by detecting senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) activity and the real-time PCR analysis of p16INK4a. Furthermore, expression levels of SASP factors were examined by real-time PCR and the expression of senescence-related antigens, such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and ganglioside GM1, were examined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis and immunostaining.
Website: https://www.selleckchem.com/products/puromycin-aminonucleoside.html