Evaluation of canine adipose-derived multipotent stromal cell differentiation to ligamentoblasts on tensioned collagen type I templates in a custom bioreactor culture system.

Objective: To evaluate differentiation of canine adipose-derived multipotent stromal cells (ASCs) into ligamentoblasts on tensioned collagen type I (Col1) templates in a perfusion culture system.

Samples: Infrapatellar fat pad ASCs from healthy stifle joints of 6 female mixed-breed dogs.

Procedures: Third-passage ASCs (6 × 10 cells/template) were loaded onto suture-augmented Col1 templates under 15% static strain in perfusion bioreactors.

Spiral valve parasites of blue and common thresher sharks as indicators of shark feeding behaviour and ecology.

This study documented the parasite faunas of the spiral valves of blue sharks Prionace glauca (L. 1758) and common thresher sharks Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788) caught in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) north of the Mexican border. The spiral valves of 18 blue and 19 thresher sharks caught in the CCLME from 2009 to 2013 were examined for parasites.

Apomorphine subcutaneous infusion in patients with Parkinson's disease with persistent motor fluctuations (TOLEDO): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Subcutaneous apomorphine infusion is a clinically established therapy for patients with Parkinson's disease with motor fluctuations not optimally controlled by oral medication. Open-label studies have shown that apomorphine infusion is effective in reducing off time (periods when antiparkinsonian drugs have no effect), dyskinesias, and levodopa dose, but confirmatory evidence from double-blind, controlled studies is lacking. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of apomorphine infusion compared with placebo in patients with Parkinson's disease with persistent motor fluctuations despite optimised oral or transdermal treatment.

The indestructible insect: Velvet ants from across the United States avoid predation by representatives from all major tetrapod clades.

Velvet ants are a group of parasitic wasps that are well known for a suite of defensive adaptations including bright coloration and a formidable sting. While these adaptations are presumed to function in antipredator defense, observations between potential predators and this group are lacking. We conducted a series of experiments to determine the risk of velvet ants to a host of potential predators including amphibians, reptiles, birds, and small mammals.

Children's Attitudes Toward Peers With Unintelligible Speech Associated With Cleft Lip and/or Palate.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate whether reduced speech intelligibility in children with cleft palate affects social and personal attribute judgments made by typically developing children of different ages.

Design: The study (1) measured the correlation between intelligibility scores of speech samples from children with cleft palate and social and personal attribute judgments made by typically developing children based on these samples and (2) compared the attitude judgments made by children of different ages. Participants   A total of 90 typically developing children, 30 in each of three age groups (7 to 8 years, 9 to 10 years, and 11 to 12 years).