A streamlined multidisciplinary metabolic clinic in psychiatric recovery service: a pilot study.

Background: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a collection of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes, that includes central obesity, hypertension, hyperglycaemia and dyslipidaemia. An audit indicated inadequate MetS screening in an Australian psychiatric recovery service.

Objectives: We aimed to improve MetS screening, identification and intervention by offering streamlined lifestyle education, clinical reviews and discharge planning.

Validation of the Malignant Wound Assessment Tool - Research (MWAT-R) using cognitive interviewing.

Malignant wounds as a result of cancer are under-recognized for the physical and emotional distress they cause patients and their families. Unfortunately, there is a lack of valid and reliable screening and assessment tools to aid in the management of malignant wounds. This study aims to validate a patient-reported outcome measurement tool, Malignant Wound Assessment Tool - Research (MWAT-R).

Validation par entretien cognitif de l'outil d'évaluation des plaies malignes MWAT-R.

La détresse physique et émotionnelle que peuvent causer au patient et à sa famille les plaies malignes dues à un cancer est souvent négligée. Malheureusement, nous ne disposons pas d'outils de dépistage et d'évaluation fiables et valides pouvant aider à mieux traiter ces plaies. Cette étude a cherché à valider un outil de mesure des résultats rapportés par les patients : le Malignant Wound Assessment Tool - Research (MWAT-R).

Geographic clusters in underimmunization and vaccine refusal.

Background And Objective: Parental refusal and delay of childhood vaccines has increased in recent years and is believed to cluster in some communities. Such clusters could pose public health risks and barriers to achieving immunization quality benchmarks. Our aims were to (1) describe geographic clusters of underimmunization and vaccine refusal, (2) compare clusters of underimmunization with different vaccines, and (3) evaluate whether vaccine refusal clusters may pose barriers to achieving high immunization rates.

When small words foretell academic success: the case of college admissions essays.

The smallest and most commonly used words in English are pronouns, articles, and other function words. Almost invisible to the reader or writer, function words can reveal ways people think and approach topics. A computerized text analysis of over 50,000 college admissions essays from more than 25,000 entering students found a coherent dimension of language use based on eight standard function word categories.

Spontaneous cardiomyocyte differentiation of mouse embryoid bodies regulated by hydrogel crosslink density.

Cellular therapies have great potential to provide alternative treatment options for those suffering from heart disease. In order to optimize cell delivery for therapeutic efficacy, a greater understanding of parameters that impact stem cell differentiation, survival, growth, and development are needed. In this study, we examine the role of hydrogel crosslink density on spontaneous cardiomyocyte (CM) differentiation of murine embryoid bodies (EBs).

MEMS-based shear characterization of soft hydrated samples.

We have designed, fabricated, calibrated and tested actuators for shear characterization to assess microscale shear properties of soft substrates. Here we demonstrate characterization of dry silicone and hydrated polyethelyne glycol. Microscale tools, including atomic force microscopes and nanoindenters, often have limited functionality in hydrated environments.

In verbis, vinum? Relating themes in an open-ended writing task to alcohol behaviors.

Alcohol's function as a regulator of emotions has long been denoted in figures of speech, most famously 'in vino, veritas' (in wine, truth). In contrast, we ask whether an individual's self-reported alcohol consumption and related attitudes can be correlated with the words they use to write about alcohol. Participants completed an open-ended essay as part of a survey on alcohol attitudes and behaviors.

Hydrogel crosslinking density regulates temporal contractility of human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes in 3D cultures.

Systematically tunable in vitro platforms are invaluable in gaining insight to stem cell-microenvironment interactions in three-dimensional cultures. Utilizing recombinant protein technology, we independently tune hydrogel properties to systematically isolate the effects of matrix crosslinking density on cardiomyocyte differentiation, maturation, and function. We show that contracting human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) remain viable within four engineered elastin-like hydrogels of varying crosslinking densities with elastic moduli ranging from 0.

Protein-engineered injectable hydrogel to improve retention of transplanted adipose-derived stem cells.

Improved retention of transplanted stem cells is achieved through minimally invasive delivery in MITCH, a mixing-induced two-component hydrogel that was engineered to possess shear-thinning and self-healing thixotropic properties. MITCH, an ideal injectable cell-delivery vehicle, supports 3D stem-cell culture, resulting in high cell viability and physiologically relevant cell morphology.

Tetrakis(hydroxymethyl) phosphonium chloride as a covalent cross-linking agent for cell encapsulation within protein-based hydrogels.

Native tissues provide cells with complex, three-dimensional (3D) environments comprised of hydrated networks of extracellular matrix proteins and sugars. By mimicking the dimensionality of native tissue while deconstructing the effects of environmental parameters, protein-based hydrogels serve as attractive, in vitro platforms to investigate cell-matrix interactions. For cell encapsulation, the process of hydrogel formation through physical or covalent cross-linking must be mild and cell compatible.

Experimental manipulations of perspective taking and perspective switching in expressive writing.

Previous studies suggest that those who naturally vary their pronoun use over the course of expressive writing subsequently report the greatest improvements in physical and mental health. To explore possible perspective taking or perspective switching effects, two studies manipulated writing perspectives about emotional events from either a first-person, second-person, or third-person perspective. In Study 1, 55 students were randomly assigned to one of the three writing perspectives and were asked to write from the same perspective for three 5-minute writing sessions.

Protein-engineered biomaterials: nanoscale mimics of the extracellular matrix.

Background: Traditional materials used as in vitro cell culture substrates are rigid and flat surfaces that lack the exquisite nano- and micro-scale features of the in vivo extracellular environment. While these surfaces can be coated with harvested extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins to partially recapitulate the bio-instructive nature of the ECM, these harvested proteins often exhibit large batch-to-batch variability and can be difficult to customize for specific biological studies. In contrast, recombinant protein technology can be utilized to synthesize families of 3 dimensional protein-engineered biomaterials that are cyto-compatible, reproducible, and fully customizable.

Identification of osteoconductive and biodegradable polymers from a combinatorial polymer library.

Combinatorial polymer syntheses are now being utilized to create libraries of materials with potential utility for a wide variety of biomedical applications. We recently developed a library of photopolymerizable and biodegradable poly(beta-amino ester)s (PBAEs) that possess a range of tunable properties. In this study, the PBAE library was assessed for candidate materials that met design criteria (e.

Tuning hydrogel properties for applications in tissue engineering.

Biomaterial design is an important component towards tissue engineering applications. There are many parameters that may be adjusted including physical properties (i.e.

Inpatient treatment to online aftercare: e-mailing themes as a function of therapeutic outcomes.

The authors applied the meaning extraction method (MEM) to 4,241 e-mails written by 297 participants of an email-based aftercare program following inpatient psychotherapy. Principal-components analysis of the most frequently used nouns in the e-mails yielded nine components: life decisions and coping, relationship conflict, psychological and physical symptoms, family of origin, social and leisure activities, present family and household, treatment, exercise and diet, and work. Relative to men, women focused more on symptoms, exercise and diet, and family of origin, but less on work.

The influence of degradation characteristics of hyaluronic acid hydrogels on in vitro neocartilage formation by mesenchymal stem cells.

The potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a viable cell source for cartilage repair hinges on the development of engineered scaffolds that support adequate cartilage tissue formation. Evolving networks (hydrogels with mesh sizes that change over time due to crosslink degradation) may provide the control needed to enhance overall tissue formation when compared to static scaffolds. In this study, MSCs were photoencapsulated in combinations of hydrolytically and enzymatically degradable hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels to investigate the tunability of these hydrogels and the influence of network evolution on neocartilage formation.

Influence of three-dimensional hyaluronic acid microenvironments on mesenchymal stem cell chondrogenesis.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent progenitor cells whose plasticity and self-renewal capacity have generated significant interest for applications in tissue engineering. The objective of this study was to investigate MSC chondrogenesis in photo-cross-linked hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels. Because HA is a native component of cartilage, and MSCs may interact with HA via cell surface receptors, these hydrogels could influence stem cell differentiation.

Differential maturation and structure-function relationships in mesenchymal stem cell- and chondrocyte-seeded hydrogels.

Degenerative disease and damage to articular cartilage represents a growing concern in the aging population. New strategies for engineering cartilage have employed mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a cell source. However, recent work has suggested that chondrocytes (CHs) produce extracellular matrix (ECM) with superior mechanical properties than MSCs do.

Differential behavior of auricular and articular chondrocytes in hyaluronic acid hydrogels.

Chondrocytes isolated from a variety of sources, including auricular (AU) and articular (AR) cartilage, can differ in cell behavior, growth, and extracellular matrix (ECM) production, which can impact neocartilage properties in tissue engineering approaches. This behavior is also affected by the surrounding microenvironment, including soluble factors, biomaterials, and mechanical loading. The objective of this study was to investigate differences in juvenile AU and AR chondrocyte behavior when encapsulated in radically polymerized hyaluronic acid hydrogels.

Hydrolytically degradable hyaluronic acid hydrogels with controlled temporal structures.

Polysaccharides are being processed into biomaterials for numerous biological applications due to their native source in numerous tissues and biological functions. For instance, hyaluronic acid (HA) is found abundantly in the body, interacts with cells through surface receptors, and can regulate cellular behavior (e.g.

Variations in the spacing of expressive writing sessions.

Objectives: In a test to determine whether a brief version of the expressive writing (EW) method was viable, 106 college students participated in an experiment dealing with the study of life transitions.

Design: Individuals were randomly assigned to write for 15 minutes on three occasions: either three times separated by 10-min break (1-hour condition), 35-min break (3-hour condition), or 24-hour break (3-day condition).

Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to write about their thoughts and feelings about the transitions (N=80), or to describe daily behaviours surrounding the transitions in a non-emotional way (N=26).

The relations between personality and language use.

The authors of this study provided basic descriptive data on the correlation between personality tests and Korean language use. Native Korean-speaking students (N = 80) at Pusan National University completed 2 personality tests, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI; I. B.

Engineering cartilage tissue.

Cartilage tissue engineering is emerging as a technique for the regeneration of cartilage tissue damaged due to disease or trauma. Since cartilage lacks regenerative capabilities, it is essential to develop approaches that deliver the appropriate cells, biomaterials, and signaling factors to the defect site. The objective of this review is to discuss the approaches that have been taken in this area, with an emphasis on various cell sources, including chondrocytes, fibroblasts, and stem cells.