Bioengineering the Human Intestinal Mucosa and the Importance of Stromal Support for Pharmacological Evaluation In Vitro.

Drug discovery is associated with high levels of compound elimination in all stages of development. The current practices for the pharmacokinetic testing of intestinal absorption combine Transwell inserts with the Caco-2 cell line and are associated with a wide range of limitations. The improvement of pharmacokinetic research relies on the development of more advanced in vitro intestinal constructs that better represent human native tissue and its response to drugs, providing greater predictive accuracy.

Impact of the Physical Cellular Microenvironment on the Structure and Function of a Model Hepatocyte Cell Line for Drug Toxicity Applications.

It is widely recognised that cells respond to their microenvironment, which has implications for cell culture practices. Growth cues provided by 2D cell culture substrates are far removed from native 3D tissue structure in vivo. Geometry is one of many factors that differs between in vitro culture and in vivo cellular environments.

Rapid field assessment of RO desalination of brackish agricultural drainage water.

Rapid field evaluation of RO feed filtration requirements, selection of effective antiscalant type and dose, and estimation of suitable scale-free RO recovery level were demonstrated using a novel approach based on direct observation of mineral scaling and flux decline measurements, utilizing an automated Membrane Monitor (MeMo). The MeMo, operated in a stand-alone single-pass desalting mode, enabled rapid assessment of the adequacy of feed filtration by enabling direct observation of particulate deposition on the membrane surface. The diagnostic field study with RO feed water of high mineral scaling propensity revealed (via direct MeMo observation) that suspended particulates (even for feed water of turbidity <1 NTU) could serve as seeds for promoting surface crystal nucleation.

'Lessons learned': A comparative case study analysis of an emergency department response to two burns disasters.

Objective: The Royal Perth Hospital (RPH; Perth, Australia) has been the receiving facility for burns patients in two separate disasters. In 2002, RPH received 28 severely injured burns patients after the Bali bombing, and in 2009 RPH received 23 significantly burnt patients as a result of an explosion on board a foreign vessel in the remote Ashmore Reef Islands (840 km west of Darwin). The aim of this paper is to identify the interventions developed following the Bali bombing in 2002 and review their effectiveness of their implementation in the subsequent burns disaster.

Toward a 21st-century health care system: recommendations for health care reform.

The coverage, cost, and quality problems of the U.S. health care system are evident.

Health reform: a bipartisan view.

This optimistic assessment of the prospects for health reform from senior Democratic and Republican congressmen spells out several reasons why reform can be achieved early in the first year of the Obama administration. Political and policy factors suggest that President-elect Barack Obama is in a much better position than his predecessors to achieve comprehensive health reform, including universal coverage. The Obama administration will have to overcome numerous obstacles and resistance to enact reform.

Effects of succinobucol (AGI-1067) after an acute coronary syndrome: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Oxidative stress and inflammation are involved in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. Our aim was to assess the effects of the antioxidant succinobucol (AGI-1067) on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with recent acute coronary syndromes already managed with conventional treatments.

Methods: After an acute coronary syndrome occurring 14-365 days before recruitment, 6144 patients were randomly assigned with a computer-generated randomisation list, stratified by study site, to receive succinobucol (n=3078) or placebo (n=3066) in addition to standard of care.

Familial risk of preeclampsia in Newfoundland: a population-based study.

This study sought to quantify the familial risk of preeclampsia (proteinuric hypertension) in Newfoundland and to identify characteristics in probands that predict increased familial risk. Reviewed were 5173 obstetric charts from 10 hospitals, representing 99% of deliveries on the island of Newfoundland for a 1-yr period from April 1996 to March 1997; pregnancy-induced hypertension was diagnosed according to strict criteria. Family obstetric histories were obtained from identified probands with preeclampsia, and sisters and mothers of probands were interviewed.