Development of a Patient-Reported Experience Measure Tool for Ambulatory Patients With Acute Unexpected Needs: The APEX Questionnaire.

The aim of this study was to develop a patient-reported experience measure (PREM) for comparing the experience of care received by ambulatory patients with acute unexpected needs presenting in emergency departments (EDs), walk-in clinics, and primary care practices. The Ambulatory Patient EXperience (APEX) questionnaire was developed using a 5-phase mixed-methods approach. The questionnaire was pretested by asking potential users to rate its clarity, usefulness, redundancy, content and face validities, and discrimination on a 9-point scale (1 = strongly disagree to 9 = strongly agree).

Functional impairment of MSC induced by transient warming events: Correlation with loss of adhesion and altered cell size.

Background: We recently showed that transient warming effects decreased the functional and adhesion properties of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) while post-thaw viability remained high. In an attempt to better predict functional impairment of cryopreserved MSC, we further analysed the correlation between viability, immunosuppressive activity and adhesion of cells exposed or not to warming events.

Methods: MSC prepared from six umbilical cords were frozen to -130°C and immediately transferred in a dry ice container or exposed to room temperature for 2 to 10 min (warming events) prior to storage in liquid nitrogen.

Transient warming events occurring after freezing impairs umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells functionality.

Background: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have shown promising results for the treatment of refractory acute graft-versus-host disease. While safety of MSC infusion has been demonstrated, the use of cryopreserved MSCs in clinical trials has raised concerns regarding the retention of their functional activity. This has led to the recommendation by experts in the field to use freshly harvested MSCs, even though this approach is much less practical from a logistic point of view.

Spatiotemporal patterns and relationships among the diet, biochemistry, and exposure to flame retardants in an apex avian predator, the peregrine falcon.

Flame retardants (FR) are industrial chemicals and some are proven environmental contaminants that accumulate in predatory birds. Few studies have examined the influence of diet on FR profiles in nestling raptors and the possible physiological implications of such FR exposure. The objectives of this research were (1) to determine spatial patterns of ≤ 48 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners and ≤ 26 non-PBDE FRs, including organophosphate esters (OPEs), in nestling peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) across the Canadian Great Lakes-St.

MiR-146a potentially promotes IVIg-mediated inhibition of TLR4 signaling in LPS-activated human monocytes.

IVIg is used as an immunomodulatory agent in inflammatory disorders such as sepsis. IVIg also affects monocyte differentiation and functions, two processes in which microRNAs play a crucial role. Monocytes detect microorganisms through pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs) such as TLR4.

Population census of a large common tern colony with a small unmanned aircraft.

Small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) may be useful for conducting high-precision, low-disturbance waterbird surveys, but limited data exist on their effectiveness. We evaluated the capacity of a small UAS to census a large (>6,000 nests) coastal Common tern (Sterna hirundo) colony of which ground surveys are particularly disruptive and time-consuming. We compared aerial photographic tern counts to ground nest counts in 45 plots (5-m radius) throughout the colony at three intervals over a nine-day period in order to identify sources of variation and establish a coefficient to estimate nest numbers from UAS surveys.

Involvement of the TNF-α/TGF-β/IDO axis in IVIg-induced immune tolerance.

The immune tolerance induced by IVIg treatment is generally attributed to its capacity to modulate the functions of antigen presenting cells and to induce the expansion of regulatory T cells by mechanisms that are not well-defined. Herein, we investigated the contribution of the TNF-α/TGF-β/IDO axis to IVIg-induced immune tolerance. We show that high dose IVIg is able to markedly increase the expression (>3 fold) of the well-known tolerogenic cytokine TGF-β in monocytes.

Intravenous immunoglobulin modulates the expansion and cytotoxicity of CD8+ T cells.

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) is successfully used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases involving self-reactive CD8(+) T cells. However, its direct influence on the cytotoxic response remains unknown. Using an antigen cross-presentation assay and a mouse model of ovalbumin (OVA) immunization, we showed that IVIg decreases the in vitro activation, proliferation and cytokine secretion of OVA-specific CD8(+) T cells (OT-I), as well as the in vivo generation of OVA-specific CD8(+) T cells.