Characterization of chronic lung allograft dysfunction phenotypes using spectral and intrabreath oscillometry.

Chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) is the major cause of death beyond 2 years after lung transplantation and develops in 50% of all patients by 5 years post-transplant. CLAD is diagnosed on the basis of a sustained drop of 20% for at least 3 months in the forced expiratory volume (FEV), compared to the best baseline value achieved post-transplant. CLAD presents as two main phenotypes: bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) is more common and has better prognosis than restrictive allograft syndrome (RAS).

Epicardial delivery of a conductive membrane synchronizes conduction to reduce atrial fibrillation.

Conductive polymers have been investigated as a medium for the transmission of electrical signals in biological tissues, but their capacity to rewire cardiac tissue has not been evaluated. Myocardial tissue is unique in being able to generate an electrical potential at a fixed rate; this potential spreads rapidly among cells to trigger muscle contractions. Tissue injuries result in myocardial fibrosis and subsequent non-uniform conductivity, leading to arrhythmia.

Cervical Ripening Efficacy of Synthetic Osmotic Cervical Dilator Compared With Oral Misoprostol at Term: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To evaluate whether a synthetic osmotic cervical dilator is noninferior to oral misoprostol for cervical ripening.

Methods: In an open-label, noninferiority randomized trial, pregnant women undergoing induction of labor at 37 weeks of gestation or more with Bishop scores less than 6 were randomized to either mechanical cervical dilation or oral misoprostol. Participants in the mechanical dilation group underwent insertion of synthetic osmotic cervical dilator rods, and those in the misoprostol group received up to six doses of 25 micrograms orally every 2 hours.

Bio-Conductive Polymers for Treating Myocardial Conductive Defects: Long-Term Efficacy Study.

Following myocardial infarction (MI), the resulting fibrotic scar is nonconductive and leads to ventricular dysfunction via electrical uncoupling of the remaining viable cardiomyocytes. The uneven conductive properties between normal myocardium and scar tissue result in arrhythmia, yielding sudden cardiac death/heart failure. A conductive biopolymer, poly-3-amino-4-methoxybenzoic acid-gelatin (PAMB-G), is able to resynchronize myocardial contractions in vivo.

Aging impairs human bone marrow function and cardiac repair following myocardial infarction in a humanized chimeric mouse.

Ventricular remodeling following myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of heart failure, a condition prevalent in older individuals. Following MI, immune cells are mobilized to the myocardium from peripheral lymphoid organs and play an active role in orchestrating repair. While the effect of aging on mouse bone marrow (BM) has been studied, less is known about how aging affects human BM cells and their ability to regulate repair processes.

Neostigmine: an alternative treatment for constipation.

Constipation is a common complication of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), especially as the disease progresses. While ALS patients may experience disturbed gastrointestinal motility due to the nature of the disease and decreased physical activity, the constipation is not usually caused by mechanical obstruction. Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction (ACPO) is a syndrome characterized by massive dilation of the colon without mechanical obstruction.

An integrated microfabricated cell sorter.

We have developed an integrated microfabricated cell sorter using multilayer soft lithography. This integrated cell sorter is incorporated with various microfluidic functionalities, including peristaltic pumps, dampers, switch valves, and input and output wells, to perform cell sorting in a coordinated and automated fashion. The active volume of an actuated valve on this integrated cell sorter can be as small as 1 pL, and the volume of optical interrogation is approximately 100 fL.