Impact of metal exposure on environmentally isolated Serratia marcescens' growth, oxidative-stress resistance, biofilm formation, and proliferation in eukaryotic co-culture models.

Environmental metals can be noxious to the surrounding biota, indirectly impact freshwater habitats, and also impact microbiological communities. In this study, zinc (Zn) (55.5 mg/kg), manganese (Mn) (863.

Stress Relaxation and Composition of Hydrazone-Crosslinked Hybrid Biopolymer-Synthetic Hydrogels Determine Spreading and Secretory Properties of MSCs.

The extracellular matrix plays a critical role in mechanosensing and thereby influences the secretory properties of bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs). As a result, interest has grown in the development of biomaterials with tunable properties for the expansion and delivery of MSCs that are used in cell-based therapies. Herein, stress-relaxing hydrogels are synthesized as hybrid networks containing both biopolymer and synthetic macromer components.

N-Acetyl Cysteine in Rodenticide Poisoning: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Treatment with N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) in rodenticide poisoning has not been well established due to mixed study results and insufficient evidence. This review aimed to summarize the clinical benefits of NAC in the management of rodenticide poisoning.

Methods: This review follows the PICOS framework and the PRISMA guidelines.

Cytotoxicity analysis of pre- and post-hurricane harvey soil samples collected from greater houston bayous.

Rapid urbanization, anthropogenic pollution and frequent flooding events are affecting the soil and water quality along the streams and bayous of Houston. Soil acts as sink and reservoir of heavy metals and nutrients affecting human and animal health. The objectives of the study are 1) to analyze the effects of the metal and nutrient concentration of bayou flood plain surface soil samples on the gut cell cytotoxicity and 2) to evaluate the spatial and temporal difference in soil contamination on cell viability of colon cancer (HT-29) and normal colon epithelial (CCD 841 CoN) cell lines.

Klebsiella spp. isolates from Houston bayous exhibit increased resistance to lead exposure and possess enhanced virulence potential.

Houston watersheds are susceptible to microbial contamination as well as chemical contaminations from bordering industrial facilities. Bacterial loads in various Houston bayous were determined, and pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria were isolated for characterization. Isolates included Klebsiella aerogenes and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Using Ultrasound Measurement of the Achilles Tendon in Asymptomatic Runners to Assist in Predicting Tendinopathy.

Objectives: The Achilles tendon is the strongest tendon in the human body, and Achilles tendinopathy is common in athletes due to the stress imparted by repetitive forces. The prevalence of Achilles tendon abnormalities in asymptomatic elite runners is unknown. Since there is a substantial risk of developing symptomatic tendinopathy in those with abnormal tendons, identifying those asymptomatic athletes with abnormal tendons and characterizing baseline characteristics of elite runners using ultrasound (US) are valuable injury prevention tools.

The utility of magnetic resonance imaging results in physician decision-making before initial lumbar spinal injection.

Background Context: The need for advanced imaging before spinal intervention is an area of ongoing debate. Many studies have demonstrated the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results in evaluating structural pathology in the lumbar spine, but few have addressed how frequently MRI findings change clinical management. A randomized controlled trial showed that viewing MRI results did not impact outcomes in patients with radiculopathy undergoing epidural steroid injection (ESI).

Clinical Course of Motor Deficits from Lumbosacral Radiculopathy Due to Disk Herniation.

Background: The clinical course of motor deficits from lumbosacral radiculopathy appears to improve with or without surgery. Strength measurements have been confined to manual muscle testing (MMT) and have not been extensively followed and quantified in prior studies.

Objective: To determine if motor weakness and patient-reported outcomes related to lumbosacral radiculopathy improve without surgical intervention over the course of 12 months.

Thermal Stabilization of Biologics with Photoresponsive Hydrogels.

Modern medicine, biological research, and clinical diagnostics depend on the reliable supply and storage of complex biomolecules. However, biomolecules are inherently susceptible to thermal stress and the global distribution of value-added biologics, including vaccines, biotherapeutics, and Research Use Only (RUO) proteins, requires an integrated cold chain from point of manufacture to point of use. To mitigate reliance on the cold chain, formulations have been engineered to protect biologics from thermal stress, including materials-based strategies that impart thermal stability via direct encapsulation of the molecule.

A Biosynthetic Scaffold that Facilitates Chondrocyte-Mediated Degradation and Promotes Articular Cartilage Extracellular Matrix Deposition.

Articular cartilage remains a significant clinical challenge to repair because of its limited self-healing capacity. Interest has grown in the delivery of autologous chondrocytes to cartilage defects, and combining cell-based therapies with scaffolds that capture aspects of native tissue and allow cell-mediated remodeling could improve outcomes. Currently, scaffold-based therapies with encapsulated chondrocytes permit matrix production; however, resorption of the scaffold often does not match the rate of matrix production by chondrocytes, which can limit functional tissue regeneration.

Development of a cellularly degradable PEG hydrogel to promote articular cartilage extracellular matrix deposition.

Healing articular cartilage remains a significant clinical challenge because of its limited self-healing capacity. While delivery of autologous chondrocytes to cartilage defects has received growing interest, combining cell-based therapies with scaffolds that capture aspects of native tissue and promote cell-mediated remodeling could improve outcomes. Currently, scaffold-based therapies with encapsulated chondrocytes permit matrix production; however, resorption of the scaffold does not match the rate of production by cells leading to generally low extracellular matrix outputs.

Covalently tethered TGF-β1 with encapsulated chondrocytes in a PEG hydrogel system enhances extracellular matrix production.

Healing articular cartilage defects remains a significant clinical challenge because of its limited capacity for self-repair. While delivery of autologous chondrocytes to cartilage defects has received growing interest, combining cell-based therapies with growth factor delivery that can locally signal cells and promote their function is often advantageous. We have previously shown that PEG thiol-ene hydrogels permit covalent attachment of growth factors.

Characterization of cell subpopulations expressing progenitor cell markers in porcine cardiac valves.

Valvular interstitial cells (VICs) are the main population of cells found in cardiac valves. These resident fibroblastic cells play important roles in maintaining proper valve function, and their dysregulation has been linked to disease progression in humans. Despite the critical functions of VICs, their cellular composition is still not well defined for humans and other mammals.

Alignment of multi-layered muscle cells within three-dimensional hydrogel macrochannels.

This work describes the development and testing of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels with independently controlled dimensions of wide and deep macrochannels for their ability to promote alignment of skeletal myoblasts and myoblast differentiation. A UV-photopatterned thiol-ene mold was employed to produce long channels, which ranged from ∼40 to 200 μm in width and from ∼100 to 200 μm in depth, within a PEG-RGD hydrogel. Skeletal myoblasts (C2C12) were successfully cultured multiple cell layers deep within the channels.