Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Self‐assembled adult adipose‐derived stem cell spheroids combined with biomaterials promote wound healing in a rat skin repair model

Adult adipose‐derived stem cells (ASCs) are a type of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with easy availability and serve as a potential cell source for cell‐based therapy. Three‐dimensional MSC spheroids may be derived from the self‐assembly of individual MSCs grown on certain polymer membranes. In this study, we demonstrated that the self‐assembled ASC spheroids on chitosan‐hyaluronan membranes expressed more cytokine genes (fibroblast growth factor 1, vascular endothelial growth factor, and chemokine [C‐C motif] ligand 2) as well as migration‐associated genes (chemokine [C‐X‐C motif] receptor type 4 and matrix metalloprotease 1) compared with ASC dispersed single cells grown on culture dish. To evaluate the in vivo effects of these spheroids, we applied ASC single cells and ASC spheroids in a designed rat skin repair model. Wounds of 15 × 15 mm were created on rat dorsal skin, where ASCs were administered and covered with hyaluronan gel/chitosan sponge to maintain a moist environment. Results showed that skin wounds treated with ASC spheroids had faster wound closure and a significantly higher ratio of angiogenesis. Tracking of fluorescently labeled ASCs showed close localization of ASC spheroids to microvessels, suggesting enhanced angiogenesis through paracrine effects. Based on the in vitro and in vivo results, the self‐assembled ASC spheroids may be a promising cellular source for skin tissue engineering and wound regeneration.
Pivotal role of ATP in macrophages fast tracking wound repair and regeneration

Chronic wounds occurring during aging or diabetes pose a significant burden to patients. The classical four‐phase wound healing process has a 3–6 day lag before granulation starts to appear and it requires an intermediate step of activation of resident fibroblasts during the remodeling phase for production of collagen. This brief communication discusses published articles that demonstrate how the entire wound healing process can be fast tracked by intracellular ATP delivery, which triggers a novel pathway where alternatively activated macrophages play absolutely critical and central roles. This novel pathway involves an increase in proinflammatory cytokines (TNF, IL‐1β, IL‐6) and a chemokine (MCP‐1) release. This is followed by activation of purinergic receptor (a family of plasma membrane receptors found in almost all mammalian cells), production of platelets and platelet microparticles, and activation of ATP‐dependent chromatin remodeling enzymes. The end result is a massive influx and in situ proliferation of macrophages, increases in vascular endothelial growth factors that promote neovascularization, and most prominently, the direct production of collagen.
Probiotics and Fecal Microbiota Transplant for Primary and Secondary Prevention of Clostridium difficile Infection

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the most common cause of nosocomial diarrhea and is associated with an increased risk of mortality. The use of probiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been studied to reduce the incidence and severity of this infection, but variable efficacy and safety data have been reported. Probiotics are hypothesized to be effective in the management of CDI through a number of mechanisms that include maintenance of normal gastrointestinal flora, antimicrobial and antitoxin properties, and immunomodulatory effects. Despite promising results in small trials and meta‐analyses, prospective, randomized, controlled trials have not demonstrated probiotics to be effective in the primary prevention of C. difficile–associated diarrhea (CDAD). Probiotics may be effective for secondary prevention in patients with recurrent CDI, but guidelines acknowledge the lack of compelling evidence. Trials are limited by the use of varying types of strains, numbers of strains, and doses of probiotics, as well the definitions of CDI and CDAD. FMT has been proposed as a method for restoring gut microbiota and has been shown to significantly increase the rate of cure in patients with recurrent CDI. Current studies have demonstrated minimal adverse effects, with no reports of transmission of infectious diseases; however, the optimal delivery method, sample preparation, and donor selection remain unclear. In this review, findings from recent literature are highlighted, and guideline recommendations for the use of these agents in the primary and secondary prevention of CDI are summarized.
Clinical Equivalence of Laser Needle to Metal Acupuncture Needle in Treating Musculoskeletal Pain: A Pilot Study

Abstract Background: Acupuncture methodology has evolved over millennia with the introduction of new technologies. Modern laser “needle” systems can transmit light energy deep enough through the skin to influence channel acupoints and trigger points. Objectives: To compare whether musculoskeletal pain treatment outcomes with acupuncture are clinically equivalent whether using laser or traditional metal needles; and to determine statistical power estimates of cohort size for future double-blinded studies. Design: Prospective nonblinded cohort study using neuroanatomically based point selection in a crossover protocol alternating between laser and metal needles. Setting: Outpatient clinic at Mayo Clinic Florida in Jacksonville, FL. Participants: Thirty adults with degenerative joint or spine pain whose pain did not respond to allopathic interventions and were receiving metal needle acupuncture. Intervention: Laser stimulation at prescribed neuroanatomically based acupoints was alternated at successive treat.
Information Takeout and Delivery: A Case Study Exploring Different Library Service Delivery Models

This article explores the transformation from the traditional service delivery model of a hospital library (patrons come to the library to request materials and information) to a more dynamic service delivery model where library staff deliver all services on clinical floors, participate in clinical rounds, and teach in staff and physician offices. This model is similar to the “informationist role. ” The article discusses the “Information Takeout and Delivery Service” model and includes usage statistics comparing 2005 to 2008. It also shows that data from a questionnaire of 50 library users who were identified as “active library users” illustrate that this change in service had a positive effect on staff, physicians, and on patient care.
Exploring arts-based knowledge translation: sharing research findings through performing the patterns, rehearsing the results, staging the synthesis.

BACKGROUND Cultivation of knowledge translation (KT) strategies that actively engage health professionals in critical reflection of their practice and research-based evidence are imperative to address the research-practice gap. While research-based evidence is exponentially growing, our ability to facilitate uptake by nurses and other health professionals has not kept pace. Innovative approaches that extend epistemological bias beyond a singular standpoint of postpositivism, such as the utilization of arts-based methods, expand the possibility to address the complexities of context, engage audience members, promote dissemination within communities of practice, and foster new audiences interested in research findings. AIM In this paper, we address the importance of adopting a social constructivist epistemological stance to facilitate knowledge translation to diverse audiences, explore various arts-based knowledge translation (ABKT) strategies, and open a dialogue concerning evaluative tenets of ABKT. DISCUSSION ABKT utilizes various art forms to disseminate research knowledge to diverse audiences and promote evidence-informed practice. ABKT initiatives translate knowledge not based upon a linear model, which views knowledge as an objective entity, but rather operate from the premise that knowledge is socially situated, which demands acknowledging and engaging the learner within their context. Theatre, dance, photography, and poetry are art forms that are commonly used to communicate research findings to diverse audiences. Given the emerging interest and importance of utilizing this KT strategy situated within a social constructivist epistemology, potential challenges and plausible evaluative criteria specific to ABKT are presented. CONCLUSION ABKT is an emerging KT strategy that is grounded in social constructivist epistemological tenets, and holds potential for meaningfully sharing new research knowledge with diverse audiences. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION ABKT is an innovative and synergistic approach to traditional dissemination strategies. This creative KT approach is emerging as potent transformational learning tools that are congruent with the relational nature of nursing practice. ABKT facilitates learning about new research findings in an engaging and critical reflective manner that promotes learning within communities of practice.
[The Rostock Headache Questionnaire ("Rokoko")--validation of a tool to screen and to qualify primary headaches].

Primary headache disorders should be diagnosed based on the detailed history of the patient. However, only few questions are necessary to allocate the symptoms to migraine, tension-type headache or other primary headaches in most cases. The "Rostock Headache Questionnaire" (Rokoko) is suitable for being completed by the investigator or the patient him/herself within a few minutes. Validation parameters of a sample of n = 87 patients (median: 44 years), diagnosed by headache experts in a personal interview ("gold standard"), are presented. Sensitivity and specificity for migraine without aura (0.87/0.51), migraine with aura (0.71/0.95), tension-type headache (0.57/0.93), or a combination of both (0.22/0.93) are based on the parameters pain frequency (recurrent vs. permanent), and the presence or absence of aura symptoms. To differentiate tension-type headache into episodic or chronic forms, the questionnaire can be analysed individually based on the frequency of headache days. The questionnaire enables the fast acquisition of relevant data in headache diagnosis and headache research with sufficient sensitivity and specificity. In addition, further information about triggering and symptoms of headaches can be assessed. The questionnaire can be used both by neurologists or psychiatrists and by general practitioners. The questionnaire does not replace the physical examination.
Work System Barriers to Providing Safe Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medication Recommendations for Older Adults

Background: Unsafe medication use represents a major public health concern, especially for older adults. OTC medications, those that can be purchased without a formal prescription or advice from a health care professional, are one contributor to unsafe use because of their perceived safety and accessibility. Despite the recognition of pharmacists’ ability to help patients make safe OTC medication choices, the prevalence of older adult misuse of OTC medications is well documented. Objective: To identify barriers to pharmacists providing safe OTC medication recommendations to older adults. Methods: Twenty-one retail pharmacists in three focus groups with questions developed using the critical incident technique. Analysis was guided by the Input-Performance-Output Model for Health Care Professional Performance. Results: Thematic analysis revealed barriers within all of the input categories of the work system model, including provider, patient, work system, organizational factors, and external environment. The results provide support that any intervention to improve safe OTC medication use in older adults should take into consideration the role of individual and interacting components of the work system.
Synthesis, characterization and biodegradation studies of chain-coupled polyesters based on tartaric acid

A series of chain-coupled polyesters based on tartaric acid was synthesized and characterized following a two-step procedure. In the first step, tartaric acid based hydroxyl terminated polyesters with various alkane diols were prepared and then, in a second step, a chain-coupling approach using hexamethylene diisocyanate was employed on the synthesized polyesters to prepare a series of chain-coupled polyesters. The number-average molecular weights (Mn) of the polyesters were found to vary in the range (4.8 − 28.1) × 103 g mol−1. Thermomechanical studies demonstrate that the storage modulus of the chain-coupled polyesters decreases with increasing polymethylene chain length which is attributable to enhanced flexibility. The isolation of bacteria on medium containing polymer as the sole source of carbon indicates the ability of the synthesized polyesters to be taken up by microorganisms for growth. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry
Clinical Performance of the EuroSCORE II Compared with the Previous EuroSCORE Iterations

Abstract Background The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) II has been recently introduced as an update to the previous versions. We sought to evaluate the predictive performance of the EuroSCORE II model against the original additive and logistic EuroSCORE models. Patients and Methods The study included 1,247 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery procedures during a 14-month period starting from the beginning of 2012. The original additive and logistic EuroSCORE models were compared with the EuroSCORE II focusing on the accuracy of predicting hospital mortality. Results The overall hospital mortality rate was 3.45%. The discriminative power of the EuroSCORE II was modest and similar to other algorithms (C-statistics 0.754 for additive EuroSCORE; 0.759 for logistic EuroSCORE; and 0.743 for EuroSCORE II). The EuroSCORE II significantly underestimated the all-patient hospital mortality (3.45% observed vs. 2.12% predicted), as well as in the valvular (3.74% observed vs. 2% predicted), and combined surgery cohorts (6.87% observed vs. 3.64% predicted). The predicted EuroSCORE mortality significantly differed from the observed mortality in the third and the fourth quartile of patients stratified according to the EuroSCORE II mortality risk (p < 0.05). The calibration of the EuroSCORE II was generally good for the entire patient population (Hosmer-Lemeshow [HL] p = 0.139), for the valvular surgery subset (HL p = 0.485), and for the combined surgery subset (HL p = 0.639). Conclusion The EuroSCORE II might be considered a solid predictive tool for hospital mortality. Although, the EuroSCORE II employs more sophisticated calculation methods regarding the number and definition of risk factors included, it does not seem to significantly improve the performance of previous iterations.
Polyacetylenes from Radix et Rhizoma Notopterygii Incisi with an Inhibitory Effect on Nitric Oxide Production In Vitro

Abstract Notopterygium roots (Qiang Huo) have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating colds, inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, and as an analgesic. The anti-inflammatory activity of the roots of Notopterygium incisum has been evaluated by testing the inhibitory activity on nitric oxide production by inducible nitric oxide synthase. The apparent authenticity of the sample was checked by DNA sequence comparison. Using activity-guided isolation, different compounds were isolated and structurally characterized by means of NMR and mass spectroscopy. Eight polyacetylenes could be identified and were tested on their inhibitory activity on nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 mouse macrophages using the Griess assay. Different 3-hydroxy allyl polyacetylenes exhibited significant activity (IC50: 8-acetoxyfalcarinol, 20.1 µM; falcarindiol, 9.2 µM; 9-epoxyfalcarindiol, 8.8 µM; and crithmumdiol, 23.6 µM).
Retinal Vessel Oxygen Saturation in Patients Suffering from Inherited Diseases of the Retina

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the oxygen saturation in patients with inherited diseases of the retina. Methods: Fundus oximetry images were taken using a retinal vessel analyser (IMEDOS Systems UG, Jena, Germany). Retinal vessel oximetry was performed in 53 eyes of 27 patients suffering from inherited retinal diseases and compared to 22 eyes of 11 healthy controls. The oxygen saturation in all four major retinal arterioles (A-SO2) and venules (V-SO2) were measured and their difference (A − V SO2) was calculated. The data were compared within groups and to controls. Results: Based on V-SO2 values, the rod-cone dystrophy group (66.46 %; SD, ± 5.09) could well be differentiated from controls 54.02 % (SD, ± 3.04), from cone-rod dystrophies 57.56 % (SD, ± 5.66), as well as from inherited maculopathies 58.42% (SD, ± 4.74). The mean A-SO2 in the rod-cone dystrophy group was increased to 98.96 % (SD, ± 6.06, p < 0.014), while in the cone-rod group and in the maculopathy group it was 92.75 % (SD, ± 3.75), respectively 94.44 % (SD ± 4.85), closer to the normal values (92.68 %; SD, ± 3.53, p > 0.05). The A − V SO2 difference, as an indirect indicator for retinal oxygen use, was reduced in the rod-cone patients, however only when the controls were taken into account (p = 0.01). Conclusion: This is to our knowledge the first study which proposes the retinal vessel oximetry to be a sensitive measure for differentiating rod-cone dystrophy patients not only from controls, but also from patients with other inherited retinal dystrophies.
First update of the International Xenotransplantation Association consensus statement on conditions for undertaking clinical trials of porcine islet products in type 1 diabetes—Chapter 2a: source pigs—preventing xenozoonoses

Chapter 2 of the original consensus statement published in 2009 by IXA represents an excellent basis for the production of safe donor pigs and pig‐derived materials for porcine islet xenotransplantation. It was intended that the consensus statement was to be reviewed at interval to remain relevant. Indeed, many of the original salient points remain relevant today, especially when porcine islet xenotransplantation is performed in conjunction with immunosuppressants. However, progress in the field including demonstrated safe clinical porcine xenograft studies, increased understanding of risks including those posed by PERV, and advancement of diagnostic capabilities now allow for further consideration. Agents of known and unknown pathogenic significance continue to be identified and should be considered on a geographic, risk‐based, dynamic, and product‐specific basis, where appropriate using validated, advanced diagnostic techniques. PERV risk can be sufficiently reduced via multicomponent profiling including subtype expression levels in combination with infectivity assays. Barrier facilities built and operated against the AAALAC Ag Guide or suitable alternative criteria should be considered for source animal production as long as cGMPs and SOPs are followed. Bovine material‐free feed for source animals should be considered appropriate instead of mammalian free materials to sufficiently reduce TSE risks. Finally, the sponsor retention period for archival samples of donor materials was deemed sufficient until the death of the recipient if conclusively determined to be of unrelated and non‐infectious cause or for a reasonable period, that is, five to 10 yrs. In summary, the safe and economical production of suitable pigs and porcine islet xenograft materials, under appropriate guidance and regulatory control, is believed to be a viable means of addressing the unmet need for clinical islet replacement materials.
Proteomic analysis of the pathophysiological process involved in the antisnake venom effect of Mucuna pruriens extract

Previously, we reported the antisnake venom properties of a Mucuna pruriens seed extract (MPE) and tested its in vivo efficacy against Echis carinatus venom (EV) in short‐ (1 injection) and long‐term (three weekly injections) treatments. The aim of the present study was to investigate plasma proteome changes associated with MPE treatments and identify proteins responsible for survival of envenomated mice (CHALLENGED mice). Six treatment groups were studied. Three control groups: one saline, one short‐term and one long‐term MPE treatment. One group received EV alone. Two test groups received EV with either a short‐term or long‐term MPE treatment (CHALLENGED mice). The plasma from each group was analysed by 2‐DE/MALDI‐TOF MS. The most significant changes with treatment were: albumin, haptoglobin, fibrinogen, serum amyloid A and serum amyloid P. Most of these changes were explained by EV effects on coagulation, inflammation and haemolysis. However, MPE treatments prevented the EV‐induced elevation in HPT. Consequently, HPT levels were similar to controls in the plasma of CHALLENGED mice. The plasma of CHALLENGED mice showed substantial proteomic modifications. This suggests the mechanism of MPE protection involves the activation of counterbalancing processes to compensate for the imbalances caused by EV.
MassMatrix: A database search program for rapid characterization of proteins and peptides from tandem mass spectrometry data

MassMatrix is a program that matches tandem mass spectra with theoretical peptide sequences derived from a protein database. The program uses a mass accuracy sensitive probabilistic score model to rank peptide matches. The MS/MS search software was evaluated by use of a high mass accuracy dataset and its results compared with those from MASCOT, SEQUEST, X! Tandem, and OMSSA. For the high mass accuracy data, MassMatrix provided better sensitivity than MASCOT, SEQUEST, X! Tandem, and OMSSA for a given specificity and the percentage of false positives was 2%. More importantly all manually validated true positives corresponded to a unique peptide/spectrum match. The presence of decoy sequence and additional variable PTMs did not significantly affect the results from the high mass accuracy search. MassMatrix performs well when compared with MASCOT, SEQUEST, X! Tandem, and OMSSA with regard to search time. MassMatrix was also run on a distributed memory clusters and achieved search speeds of ∼100 000 spectra per hour when searching against a complete human database with eight variable modifications. The algorithm is available for public searches at http://www.massmatrix. net.
Solar Potential in the Himalayan Landscape

Estimation of solar energy reaching the earth’s surface is essential for solar potential assessment. Solar radiation data based on satellites provide higher spatial and temporal coverage of regions compared to surface based measurements. Solar potential of the Indian hill state of Himachal Pradesh has been assessed using reliable satellite based global horizontal insolation (GHI) datasets validated based on its complex terrain. Solar maps representing regional and temporal resource availability in the state have been generated using geographical information systems (GIS). Spatial analyses show that the state receives annual average GHI above 4.5 kWh/m2/day and a total of 99530395 million kWh (or million units, MU). The regional availability of GHI in Himachal Pradesh is influenced by its eclectic topography, seasons as well as microclimate. The lower and middle elevation zone ( 5 kWh/m2/day) for a major part of the year compared to the higher elevation zone (>3500 m) with dry-temperate to alpine climate (4–4.5 kWh/m2/day). Results show that Himachal Pradesh receives an average insolation of 5.86 ± 1.02–5.99 ± 0.91 kWh/m2/day in the warm summer months; 5.69 ± 0.65–5.89 ± 0.65 kWh/m2/day in the wet monsoon months; 3.73 ± 0.91–3.94 ± 0.78 kWh/m2/day in the colder winter months.