Wharton's Jelly-Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Engineered Conduit for Pulmonary Artery Reconstruction in Growing Piglets.

Surgical treatment of congenital heart defects affecting the right ventricular outflow tract often requires complex reconstruction and multiple reoperations. With a randomized controlled trial, we compared a novel tissue-engineered small intestine submucosa-based graft for pulmonary artery reconstruction (seeded with mesenchymal stem cells derived from Wharton's Jelly) with conventional small intestine submucosa in growing piglets. Six months after implantation, seeded grafts showed integration with host tissues at cellular level and exhibited growth potential on transthoracic echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Comparison of consciousness level assessment in the poisoned patient using the alert/verbal/painful/unresponsive scale and the Glasgow Coma Scale.

Study Objective: We determine how the alert/verbal/painful/unresponsive (AVPU) responsiveness scale (alert, responsive to verbal stimulation, responsive to painful stimulation, and unresponsive) corresponds to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) when assessing consciousness level in the poisoned patient.

Methods: Consciousness level was assessed using the AVPU responsiveness scale and the GCS in all patients admitted to the hospital during a 6-month period with deliberate or accidental poisoning. An AVPU responsiveness scale algorithm and details of the individual components of the GCS were provided.