Personalizing Prediction of High Opioid Use in the Neurointensive Care Unit: Development and Validation of a Stratified Risk Model for Acute Brain Injury Due to Stroke or Traumatic Brain Injury.

This study aimed to develop and validate a stratified risk model for predicting high opioid use in patients with acute brain injury due to stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI) admitted to a neurocritical care intensive care unit. : We examined the factors associated with the use of high-opioids (≥75th quartile, ≥17.5 oral morphine equivalent/ICU day) in a retrospective cohort study including patients with acute ischemic stroke, spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage, and TBI.

Kidney organoids: steps towards better organization and function.

Kidney organoids - 3D representations of kidneys made either from pluripotent or tissue stem cells - have been available for well over a decade. Their application could confer notable benefits over longstanding in vivo approaches with the potential for clinically aligned human cells and reduced ethical burdens. They been used, at a proof-of-concept level, in development in disease modeling (including with patient-derived stem cells), and in screening drugs for efficacy/toxicity.

Portable gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the in-field screening of organic pollutants in soil and water at pollution incidents.

Environmental pollution incidents generate an emergency response from regulatory agencies to ensure that the impact on the environment is minimised. Knowing what pollutants are present provides important intelligence to assist in determining how to respond to the incident. However, responders are limited in their in-field capabilities to identify the pollutants present.

Innervation of the developing kidney in vivo and in vitro.

Within the adult kidney, renal neurites can be observed alongside the arteries where they play a role in regulating blood flow. However, their role and localization during development has so far not been described in detail. In other tissues, such as the skin of developing limb buds, neurons play an important role during arterial differentiation.

Stratified tissue biofabrication by rotational internal flow layer engineering.

The bioassembly of layered tissue that closely mimics human histology presents challenges for tissue engineering. Existing bioprinting technologies lack the resolution and cell densities necessary to form the microscale cell-width layers commonly observed in stratified tissue, particularly when using low-viscosity hydrogels, such as collagen. Here we present rotational internal flow layer engineering (RIFLE), a novel, low-cost biofabrication technology for assembling tuneable, multi-layered tissue-like structures.

Bioactive α,β-conjugated 3-keto-steroids from the Australian brown alga Cystophora xiphocarpa.

As part of our ongoing study of the specialised metabolites present in brown algae belonging to the Cystophora genus, eight new steroids including three pairs of diastereoisomers were isolated from Cystophora xiphocarpa (Harvey) (Sargassacea, Fucales). The metabolites identified by standard spectrometric methods are (16S,22S)-16,22-dihydroxyergosta-4,24(28)-dien-3-one and (16S,22R)-16,22-dihydroxyergosta-4,24(28)-dien-3-one, (16S,22S,24R)-16,22,24-trihydroxyporifera-4,28-dien-3-one and (16S,22S,24S)-16,22,24-trihydroxystigma-4,28-dien-3-one along with (16S,22S,24E)-16,22-dihydroxystigma-4,24(28)-dien-3-one and (16S,20S)-16,20-dihydroxyergosta-4,24(28)-dien-3-one. (16S,22S,24E)-16,22-Dihydroxystigma-4,24(28)-dien-3-one possessed the most potent cytotoxicity of the steroids in this series with cell growth inhibitions of GI 8.

COVID-19 Outbreaks in Correctional Facilities with Work-Release Programs - Idaho, July-November 2020.

As of April 16, 2021, U.S. correctional and detention facilities reported 399,631 cases of COVID-19 in incarcerated persons, resulting in 2,574 deaths (1).

Automation in the Life Science Research Laboratory.

Protocols in the academic life science laboratory are heavily reliant on the manual manipulation of tools, reagents and instruments by a host of research staff and students. In contrast to industrial and clinical laboratory environments, the usage of automation to augment or replace manual tasks is limited. Causes of this 'automation gap' are unique to academic research, with rigid short-term funding structures, high levels of protocol variability and a benevolent culture of investment in people over equipment.

3D biofabrication for tubular tissue engineering.

The therapeutic replacement of diseased tubular tissue is hindered by the availability and suitability of current donor, autologous and synthetically derived protheses. Artificially created, tissue engineered, constructs have the potential to alleviate these concerns with reduced autoimmune response, high anatomical accuracy, long-term patency and growth potential. The advent of 3D bioprinting technology has further supplemented the technological toolbox, opening up new biofabrication research opportunities and expanding the therapeutic potential of the field.

Towards non-invasive characterisation of coronary stent re-endothelialisation - An in-vitro, electrical impedance study.

The permanent implantation of a stent has become the most common method for ameliorating coronary artery narrowing arising from atherosclerosis. Following the procedure, optimal arterial wall healing is characterised by the complete regrowth of an Endothelial Cell monolayer over the exposed stent surface and surrounding tissue, thereby reducing the risk of thrombosis. However, excessive proliferation of Smooth Muscle Cells, within the artery wall can lead to unwanted renarrowing of the vessel lumen.

Phosphate Homeostasis in Conditions of Phosphate Proficiency and Limitation in the Wild Type and the phoP Mutant of Streptomyces lividans.

Phosphate, as a constituent of the high energy molecules, ATP/GTP and polyphosphate, plays a crucial role in most of the metabolic processes of living organisms. Therefore, the adaptation to low Pi availability is a major challenge for bacteria. In Streptomyces, this adaptation is tightly controlled by the two component PhoR/PhoP system.

Management of white patches.

White patches are a worrying finding for patients, in particular with concern arising about the possibility of the lesions being or becoming cancerous. This paper looks at some of the common white patches that present and relevant considerations in deciding on a management plan for them.

Steroids from an Australian sponge Psammoclema sp.

Investigation of an extract of the Australian marine sponge Psammoclema sp. for dynamin I inhibitory activity led to the isolation of four new trihydroxysterols (1-4) related to aragusterol G. These compounds were largely identified by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic methods.

The fractured edentulous atrophic mandible--open or closed treatment?

Data Sources: The Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medline and Embase were used for searches. The Internet was searched for potentially relevant meta-analyses and non-Cochrane systematic reviews, ongoing clinical trials and published dissertations. Reference lists of identified studies were cross-checked for any potentially relevant clinical trials.

Translocation of bacterial proteins--an overview.

Recent progress in the understanding of the nature of the extraordinary variety of protein translocation systems, mainly in Gram negative bacteria, is reviewed. This takes us from the insertion of proteins into the inner membrane via the sophisticated Sec apparatus, the lethal injection of Type III proteins into host cells and on to the beautiful machine that assembles the flagellum. Attempts are made to establish some order, some common principles that might explain the variety and the complexity of some systems.