miR-182, miR-221 and miR-222 are potential urinary extracellular vesicle biomarkers for canine urothelial carcinoma.

Current diagnostic methods for canine urothelial carcinoma (UC) are technically challenging or can lack specificity, hence there is a need for novel biomarkers of UC. To this end, we analysed the microRNA (miRNA) cargo of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from urine samples of dogs with UC to identify candidate miRNA biomarkers. Urine was fractionated using ultrafiltration combined with size-exclusion chromatography and small RNA sequencing analysis was performed on both the EV enriched and (EV free) protein fractions.

Towards optimised extracellular vesicle proteomics from cerebrospinal fluid.

The proteomic profile of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can reveal novel biomarkers for diseases of the brain. Here, we validate an ultrafiltration combined with size-exclusion chromatography (UF-SEC) method for isolation of EVs from canine CSF and probe the effect of starting volume on the EV proteomics profile. First, we performed a literature review of CSF EV articles to define the current state of art, discovering a need for basic characterisation of CSF EVs.

Effect of cell culture media on extracellular vesicle secretion from mesenchymal stromal cells and neurons.

Background: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by neuronal cells in vitro have promising therapeutic potential for brain diseases. Optimization of cell culture conditions and methodologies for high-yield isolation of EVs for preclinical and clinical applications, however, remains a challenge.

Objective: To probe the cell culture conditions required for optimal EV secretion by human-derived neuronal cells.

Isolation of Extracellular Vesicles From the Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid of Healthy and Asthmatic Horses.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-bound particles that engage in inflammatory reactions by mediating cell-cell interactions. Previously, EVs have been isolated from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of humans and rodents. The aim of this study was to investigate the number and size distribution of EVs in the BALF of asthmatic horses (EA, = 35) and healthy horses ( = 19).

Urinary extracellular vesicles as a source of protein-based biomarkers in feline chronic kidney disease and hypertension.

Objectives: To validate a methodology for isolating feline urinary extracellular vesicles and characterise the urinary extracellular vesicle population and proteome in cats with normal renal function and cats with normotensive or hypertensive chronic kidney disease.

Methods: Feline urinary extracellular vesicles were isolated using three different methods (precipitation alone, precipitation followed by size exclusion chromatography and ultrafiltration followed by size exclusion chromatography, which were compared via transmission electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis. Cats with normal renal function (n=9), normotensive chronic kidney disease (n=10) and hypertensive chronic kidney disease (n=9) were identified and urinary extracellular vesicles isolated from patient urine samples via ultrafiltration followed by size exclusion chromatography.

Long-term mortality and health-related quality of life of lower versus higher oxygenation targets in ICU patients with severe hypoxaemia.

Purpose: We assessed outcomes after 1 year of lower versus higher oxygenation targets in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with severe hypoxaemia.

Methods: Pre-planned analyses evaluating 1-year mortality and health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) outcomes in the previously published Handling Oxygenation Targets in the ICU trial which randomised 2928 adults with acute hypoxaemia to targets of arterial oxygen of 8 kPa or 12 kPa throughout the ICU stay up to 90 days. One-year all-cause mortality was assessed in the intention-to-treat population.

Trade-off between stimulation focality and the number of coils in multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation.

. Coils designed for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) must incorporate trade-offs between the required electrical power or energy, focality and depth penetration of the induced electric field (E-field), coil size, and mechanical properties of the coil, as all of them cannot be optimally met at the same time. In multi-locus TMS (mTMS), a transducer consisting of several coils allows electronically targeted stimulation of the cortex without physically moving a coil.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-induced Blindsight of Orientation is Degraded Conscious Vision.

Patients with blindsight are blind due to an early visual cortical lesion, but they can discriminate stimuli presented to the blind visual field better than chance. Studies using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of early visual cortex have tried to induce blindsight-like behaviour in neurologically healthy individuals, but the studies have yielded varied results. We hypothesized that previous demonstrations of TMS-induced blindsight may result from degraded awareness of the stimuli due to the use of dichotomous visibility scales in measuring awareness.

Size-Exclusion Chromatography Separation Reveals That Vesicular and Non-Vesicular Small RNA Profiles Differ in Cell Free Urine.

Urinary extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their RNA cargo are a novel source of biomarkers for various diseases. We aimed to identify the optimal method for isolating small (<200 nm) EVs from human urine prior to small RNA analysis. EVs from filtered healthy volunteer urine were concentrated using three methods: ultracentrifugation (UC); a precipitation-based kit (PR); and ultrafiltration (UF).

Increased expression of miR142 and miR155 in glial and immune cells after traumatic brain injury may contribute to neuroinflammation via astrocyte activation.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with the pathological activation of immune-competent cells in the brain, such as astrocytes, microglia and infiltrating immune blood cells, resulting in chronic inflammation and gliosis. This may contribute to the secondary injury after TBI, thus understanding of these processes is crucial for the development of effective treatments of post-traumatic pathologies. MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) are small noncoding RNAs, functioning as posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression.

Gender Division of Farm Work and Occupational Injuries.

Several studies have shown that males are at greater risk of agricultural injuries than females. We investigated if gender division of farm work helps explain this risk difference in the self-employed Finnish farming population. We used insurance claims data and postal survey data charting the relative division of farm work between male and female farmers.

Acute Downregulation of Novel Hypothalamic Protein Sushi Repeat-Containing Protein X-Linked 2 after Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes damage to the hypothalamo-hypophyseal axis, leading to endocrine dysregulation in up to 40% of TBI patients. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify non-invasive biomarkers for TBI-associated hypothalamo-hypophyseal pathology. Sushi repeat-containing protein X-linked 2 (SRPX2) is a novel hypothalamic protein expressed in both rat and human brain.

Extracellular Vesicles as Diagnostics and Therapeutics for Structural Epilepsies.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small vesicles involved in intercellular communication. Data is emerging that EVs and their cargo have potential as diagnostic biomarkers and treatments for brain diseases, including traumatic brain injury and epilepsy. Here, we summarize the current knowledge regarding changes in EV numbers and cargo in status epilepticus (SE) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), which are clinically significant etiologies for acquired epileptogenesis in animals and humans.

Vasoactive-inotropic score and the prediction of morbidity and mortality after cardiac surgery.

Background: The vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS) predicts mortality and morbidity after paediatric cardiac surgery. Here we examined whether VIS also predicted outcome in adults after cardiac surgery, and compared predictive capability between VIS and three widely used scoring systems.

Methods: This single-centre retrospective cohort study included 3213 cardiac surgery patients.

Precipitation-based extracellular vesicle isolation from rat plasma co-precipitate vesicle-free microRNAs.

The microRNA (miRNA) cargo contained in plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) offers a relatively little explored source of biomarkers for brain diseases that can be obtained noninvasively. Methods to isolate EVs from plasma, however, are still being developed. For EV isolation, it is important to ensure the removal of vesicle-free miRNAs, which account for approximately two-thirds of plasma miRNAs.

Pantoprazole in Patients at Risk for Gastrointestinal Bleeding in the ICU.

Background: Prophylaxis for gastrointestinal stress ulceration is frequently given to patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), but its risks and benefits are unclear.

Methods: In this European, multicenter, parallel-group, blinded trial, we randomly assigned adults who had been admitted to the ICU for an acute condition (i.e.

Farm operators' experiences of advanced technology and automation in Swedish agriculture: a pilot study.

This pilot study investigated how farm operators use and experience working with advanced farm technology and automated systems. The study participants included 10 farm operators at 4 modern and technically well-equipped arable and dairy farms. The informants reported that the technology allowed for more accuracy and efficiency in daily work, made the work less physically strenuous, and gave more time for leisure.

Standardization procedure for plasma biomarker analysis in rat models of epileptogenesis: Focus on circulating microRNAs.

The World Health Organization estimates that globally 2.4 million people are diagnosed with epilepsy each year. In nearly 30% of these cases, epilepsy cannot be properly controlled by antiepileptic drugs.

Occupational Health and Safety of Finnish Dairy Farmers Using Automatic Milking Systems.

Introduction: Conventional pipeline and parlor milking expose dairy farmers and workers to adverse health outcomes. In recent years, automatic milking systems (AMS) have gained much popularity in Finland, but the changes in working conditions when changing to AMS are not well known. The aim of this study was to investigate the occupational health and safety risks in using AMS, compared to conventional milking systems (CMS).

Characteristics and Costs of Disability Pensions in Finnish Agriculture Based on 5-Year Insurance Records.

The characteristics and costs of disability pensions in Finnish farmers were investigated. The data included a total of 4,088 permanent or temporary disability pensions of the self-employed Finnish farming population over a 5-year period (2008-2012), an annual rate of 1.04 new cases per 100 person-years (males 0.

Non-structural proteins P17 and P33 are involved in the assembly of the internal membrane-containing virus PRD1.

Bacteriophage PRD1, which has been studied intensively at the structural and functional levels, still has some gene products with unknown functions and certain aspects of the PRD1 assembly process have remained unsolved. In this study, we demonstrate that the phage-encoded non-structural proteins P17 and P33, either individually or together, complement the defect in a temperature-sensitive GroES mutant of Escherichia coli for host growth and PRD1 propagation. Confocal microscopy of fluorescent fusion proteins revealed co-localisation between P33 and P17 as well as between P33 and the host chaperonin GroEL.

Characteristics of and risk factors for compensated occupational injury and disease claims in dairy farmers: a case-control study.

Research indicates that dairy farmers have an elevated risk of work-related adverse health outcomes. This case-control study evaluated the characteristics of and risk factors for compensated occupational injury and disease claims among Finnish dairy farmers. The cases consisted of 19 farm couples in which both spouses had a history of multiple claims.

Subcellular localization of bacteriophage PRD1 proteins in Escherichia coli.

Bacteria possess an intricate internal organization resembling that of the eukaryotes. The complexity is especially prominent at the bacterial cell poles, which are also known to be the preferable sites for some bacteriophages to infect. Bacteriophage PRD1 is a well-known model serving as an ideal system to study structures and functions of icosahedral internal membrane-containing viruses.

Distribution and characteristics of occupational injuries and diseases among farmers: a retrospective analysis of workers' compensation claims.

Background: Research indicates occupational injuries and diseases are not evenly distributed among workers. We investigated the distribution and characteristics of compensated occupational injuries and diseases requiring medical care in the Finnish farming population.

Methods: The study population consisted of 93,564 Finnish farmers, spouses, and salaried family members who were covered by the mandatory workers' compensation insurance in 2002.

Occupational injury and disease incidence and risk factors in Finnish agriculture based on 5-year insurance records.

The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to evaluate the incidence of and risk factors for compensated occupational injuries and diseases in agriculture. The study population consisted of 78,679 Finnish farmers, spouses, and salaried family members covered by mandatory workers' compensation insurance. This population had a total of 24,424 occupational injuries and 1684 diseases from 2000 to 2004.