Current trends in biopharmaceuticals production in Escherichia coli.

Since the manufacture of the first biotech product for a fledgling biopharmaceutical industry in 1982, Escherichia coli, has played an important role in the industrial production of recombinant proteins. It is now 40 years since the introduction of Humulin® for the treatment of diabetes. E.

Insights into the mechanisms of Cronobacter sakazakii virulence.

Cronobacter species have adapted to survive harsh conditions, particularly in the food manufacture environment, and can cause life-threatening infections in susceptible hosts. These opportunistic pathogens employ a multitude of mechanisms to aid their virulence throughout three key stages: environmental persistence, infection strategy, and systemic persistence in the human host. Environmental persistence is aided by the formation of biofilms, development of subpopulations, and high tolerance to environmental stressors.

Treatments for the amelioration of persistent factors in complex anal fistula.

Anal fistulae are abnormal hollow connections between the wall of the anal canal and the perianal skin around the anus that have remained a burden on the medical sector for centuries. The complexity of this disease is attributed to a number of factors such as the degree of associated sphincter muscle, concomitant illnesses, existence of multiple fistulous tracts and the number of previous interventions. Persistence of a complex anal fistula can cause a decline in patient's physical quality of life as well as impact on the psychological status of patients who often suffer from anxiety and depression.

Nitinol thin films functionalized with CAR-T cells for the treatment of solid tumours.

Micropatterned nickel titanium (commonly known as nitinol) thin films with complex designs, high structural resolution and excellent biocompatibility can be cheaply fabricated using magnetron sputtering. Here, we show that these benefits can be leveraged to fabricate micromesh implants that are loaded with tumour-specific human chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells for the treatment of solid tumours. In a mouse model of non-resectable ovarian cancer, the cell-loaded nitinol thin films spatially conformed to the implantation site, fostered the rapid expansion of T cells, delivered a high density of T cells directly to the tumour and significantly improved animal survival.

Characterisation of polyamide 11/copper antimicrobial composites for medical device applications.

Direct incorporation of antimicrobial additive into the polymer matrix is a cost effective approach for the development of polymer/metal antimicrobial composites. Application of these antimicrobial composite systems for manufacturing medical devices addresses the issue of device related infections. In the present study, commercially available inorganic copper based additive, Plasticopper, was incorporated into a Polyamide 11(PA 11) matrix during the polymer processing stage.

Pain Management Interventions for Needle Stick Procedures: An Ambulatory EBP Project.

Pain is a prevalent global health concern, and pain assessment and treatment is a patient right. This evidence-based practice project targeted translating pain management interventions into practice for adult and pediatric patients undergoing needle stick procedures in ambulatory settings. Evidence-based interventions should consistently be offered to patients who often experience procedural pain or discomfort.

New approaches to antibiotic discovery.

New antibiotics are urgently required by human medicine as pathogens emerge with developed resistance to almost all antibiotic classes. Pioneering approaches, methodologies and technologies have facilitated a new era in antimicrobial discovery. Innovative culturing techniques such as iChip and co-culturing methods which use 'helper' strains to produce bioactive molecules have had notable success.

An in vivo pilot study of a microporous thin film nitinol-covered stent to assess the effect of porosity and pore geometry on device interaction with the vessel wall.

Sputter-deposited thin film nitinol constructs with various micropatterns were fabricated to evaluate their effect on the vessel wall in vivo when used as a covering for commercially available stents. Thin film nitinol constructs were used to cover stents and deployed in non-diseased swine arteries. Swine were sacrificed after approximately four weeks and the thin film nitinol-covered stents were removed for histopathologic evaluation.

In Vitro Study of a Superhydrophilic Thin Film Nitinol Endograft that is Electrostatically Endothelialized in the Catheter Prior to the Endovascular Procedure.

Electrostatic endothelial cell seeding has evolved as an exceptional technique to improve the efficiency of cell seeding in terms of frequency of attached cells and the amount of cell adhesion for the treatment of vascular diseases. In the recent times, both untreated and superhydrophilic thin film nitinol (TFN) have exhibited strong prospects as substrates for creation of small-diameter endovascular grafts due to their hallmark properties of superelasticity, ultra low-profile character, and grown hemocompatible oxide layer with the presence of a uniform endothelial layer on the surface. The purpose of the current study is to understand the effects of endothelial cell seeding parameters (i.

Influence of sweet whey protein concentrate and its hydrolysates on host-pathogen interactions in the emerging foodborne pathogen Cronobacter sakazakii.

Aims: Antimicrobial resistance poses a significant global healthcare predicament. An attractive approach to the dilemma of drug-resistant bacteria is the development and use of agents that interfere with the ability of pathogens to adhere to human tissue. The influence of sweet whey protein concentrate (SWPC), and selected hydrolysates of this material, on host-pathogen interactions of Cronobacter sakazakii (ATCC 29544) was investigated.

Preclinical Testing of a Novel Thin Film Nitinol Flow-Diversion Stent in a Rabbit Elastase Aneurysm Model.

Background And Purpose: Thin film nitinol can be processed to produce a thin microporous sheet with a low percentage of metal coverage (<20%) and high pore attenuation (∼70 pores/mm(2)) for flow diversion. We present in vivo results from the treatment of experimental rabbit aneurysms by using a thin film nitinol-based flow-diversion device.

Materials And Methods: Nineteen aneurysms in the rabbit elastase aneurysm model were treated with a single thin film nitinol flow diverter.

A prospective long-term study of external trigeminal nerve stimulation for drug-resistant epilepsy.

Background: External trigeminal nerve stimulation (eTNS) is an emerging noninvasive therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). We report the long-term safety and efficacy of eTNS after completion of a phase II randomized controlled clinical trial for drug-resistant epilepsy.

Methods: This was a prospective open-label long-term study.

Gravity-driven instability of a thin liquid film underneath a soft solid.

The gravity-driven instability of a thin liquid film located underneath a soft solid material is considered. The equations and boundary conditions governing the solid deformation are systematically converted from a Lagrangian representation to an Eulerian representation, which is the natural framework for describing the liquid motion. This systematic conversion reveals that the continuity-of-velocity boundary condition at the liquid-solid interface is more complicated than has previously been assumed, even in the small-strain limit.

Randomized controlled trial of trigeminal nerve stimulation for drug-resistant epilepsy.

Objective: To explore the safety and efficacy of external trigeminal nerve stimulation (eTNS) in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) using a double-blind randomized controlled trial design, and to test the suitability of treatment and control parameters in preparation for a phase III multicenter clinical trial.

Methods: This is a double-blind randomized active-control trial in DRE. Fifty subjects with 2 or more partial onset seizures per month (complex partial or tonic-clonic) entered a 6-week baseline period, and then were evaluated at 6, 12, and 18 weeks during the acute treatment period.

In vivo terahertz imaging of rat skin burns.

A reflective, pulsed terahertz (THz) imaging system was used to acquire high-resolution (d(10-90)/λ~1.925) images of deep, partial thickness burns in a live rat. The rat's abdomen was burned with a brass brand heated to ~220°C and pressed against the skin with contact pressure for ~10 sec.

In vitro and in vivo testing of a novel, hyperelastic thin film nitinol flow diversion stent.

A flexible, low profile, flow diversion stent could replace endovascular coiling for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms. Micropatterned-thin film nitinol (TFN) is a novel biomaterial with high potential for use in next-generation endovascular devices. Recent advancements in micropatterning have allowed for fabrication of a hyperelastic thin film nitinol (HE-TFN).

THz Medical Imaging: Hydration Sensing.

The application of THz to medical imaging is experiencing a surge in both interest and federal funding. A brief overview of the field is provided along with promising and emerging applications and ongoing research. THz imaging phenomenology is discussed and tradeoffs are identified.

Terahertz imaging of biological tissues.

A reflective THz imaging system sensitive to small variations in water concentrations has been developed. Biological tissues such as skin, eyes and teeth were imaged to ascertain the systems response to tissue hydration. Difference in water concentrations translated to contrast in the THz images.

Bacterial biofilm disruption using laser generated shockwaves.

A system was built to test the efficacy of bacterial biofilm disruption using laser generated shockwaves. The system is based on a Q-switched, ND:YAG pulsed laser operating at a rep rate of 10 Hz with 1500 mJ pulses centered at 1064 nm. The laser pulses were used to create shockwave pulses in Al coated polycarbonate substrates and a resulting peak stress of greater than 50 MPa was measured.

In vitro hemocompatibility of thin film nitinol in stenotic flow conditions.

Because of its low profile and biologically inert behavior, thin film nitinol (TFN) is ideally suited for use in construction of endovascular devices. We have developed a surface treatment for TFN designed to minimize platelet adhesion by creating a superhydrophilic surface. The hemocompatibility of expanded polytetrafluorethylene (ePTFE), untreated thin film nitinol (UTFN), and a surface treated superhydrophilic thin film nitinol (STFN) was compared using an in vitro circulation model with whole blood under flow conditions simulating a moderate arterial stenosis.

The reduced folate carrier (SLC19A1) c.80G>A polymorphism is associated with red cell folate concentrations among women.

Low folate status may be a consequence of suboptimal intake, transport or cellular utilization of folate and, together with elevated homocysteine, is a recognized risk factor or marker for several human pathologies. As folate transport across cell membranes is mediated in part by the reduced folate carrier (RFC1), variants within SLC19A1, the gene that encodes RFC1, may influence disease risk via an effect on folate and/or homocysteine levels. The present study was undertaken to assess the association between the SLC19A1 c.

The up-regulation of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in Ea.hy 926 endothelial cells under long-term low folate stress is mediated by the p38 MAPK pathway.

Objective: Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), encoded by the CCL2 gene, plays an important role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Ea.hy 926 endothelial cells grown under low folate conditions (LO cells) synthesize more MCP-1 mRNA and secrete more MCP-1 protein than folate-replete control cells (HI cells).

Dosing algorithms to predict warfarin maintenance dose in Caucasians and African Americans.

The objective of this study was to determine whether warfarin dosing algorithms developed for Caucasians and African Americans on the basis of clinical, environmental, and genetic factors will perform better than an empirical starting dose of 5 mg/day. From April 2002 through December 2005, 259 subjects (Caucasians and African Americans) who started using warfarin were prospectively followed until they reached maintenance dose. The Caucasian algorithm included 11 variables (R(2) = 0.