Development of a local controlled release system for therapeutic proteins in the treatment of skeletal muscle injuries and diseases.

The present study aims to develop and characterize a controlled-release delivery system for protein therapeutics in skeletal muscle regeneration following an acute injury. The therapeutic protein, a membrane-GPI anchored protein called Cripto, was immobilized in an injectable hydrogel delivery vehicle for local administration and sustained release. The hydrogel was made of poly(ethylene glycol)-fibrinogen (PEG-Fibrinogen, PF), in the form of injectable microspheres.

Ischemic Stroke due to Intracranial Embolization of a Pelvic Phlebolith in a Pregnant Patient Successfully Treated by Surgical Embolectomy following Attempted Endovascular Thrombectomy.

An unusual case of ischemic stroke due to calcified cerebral embolus occurring in a pregnant patient during the peripartum period is reported. The source of the embolus was suspected to be a pelvic phlebolith in origin which paradoxically embolized via a patent foramen ovale to the supraclinoid right internal carotid artery. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of calcified cerebral embolus attributed to paradoxical embolism of a pelvic phlebolith, and we theorize that introduction of the phlebolith into the venous system may have occurred as a consequence of vascular remodeling due to pregnancy-related hemodynamic changes.

Biomanufacturing Recombinantly Expressed Cripto-1 Protein in Anchorage-Dependent Mammalian Cells Growing in Suspension Bioreactors within a Three-Dimensional Hydrogel Microcarrier.

Biotherapeutic soluble proteins that are recombinantly expressed in mammalian cells can pose a challenge when biomanufacturing in three-dimensional (3D) suspension culture systems. Herein, we tested a 3D hydrogel microcarrier for a suspension culture of HEK293 cells overexpressing recombinant Cripto-1 protein. Cripto-1 is an extracellular protein that is involved in developmental processes and has recently been reported to have therapeutic effects in alleviating muscle injury and diseases by regulating muscle regeneration through satellite cell progression toward the myogenic lineage.

Retrograde peri-implantitis: incidence and possible co-existing factors: a retrospective analysis.

Objectives: To evaluate the incidence of retrograde peri-implantitis (RPI) generally and the incidence of RPI with an endodontic-treated adjacent tooth and/or a periapical radiolucency.

Method: The retrospective case-control study included the follow-up periapical images of single dental implants. Two calibrated graduate endodontic residents evaluated simultaneously the presence of RPI and the adjacent teeth status (a previous root canal treatment (RCT) and the periapical status).

Systematic monitoring of 2-Cys peroxiredoxin-derived redox signals unveiled its role in attenuating carbon assimilation rate.

Transmission of reductive and oxidative cues from the photosynthetic electron transport chain to redox regulatory protein networks plays a crucial role in coordinating photosynthetic activities. The tight balance between these two signals dictates the cellular response to changing light conditions. While the role of reductive signals in activating chloroplast metabolism is well established, the role of their counterbalanced oxidative signals is still unclear, mainly due to monitoring difficulties.

Opioid-Prescribing Trends in San Diego County, 2008-2019.

Context: In 2019, drug overdoses accounted for 70 630 deaths in the United States, 70.6% of which involved an opioid. Approximately 28% of these deaths involved prescription medications, representing a significant number nationally.

Diet Practices, Body Mass Index, and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Adults with Periodontitis- A Case-Control Study.

Objectives: To assess and compare dietpractices, body mass index (BMI), and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in adults with and without periodontitis.

Methods: Demographics, health-related behaviors, BMI, dental and periodontal parameters, diet practices, and Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) were collected from 62periodontitis patients and 100 controls without periodontitis.

Results: Havingperiodontitis was positively associated with male sex (=0.

Opioid prescribing decreases after learning of a patient's fatal overdose.

Most opioid prescription deaths occur among people with common conditions for which prescribing risks outweigh benefits. General psychological insights offer an explanation: People may judge risk to be low without available personal experiences, may be less careful than expected when not observed, and may falter without an injunction from authority. To test these hypotheses, we conducted a randomized trial of 861 clinicians prescribing to 170 persons who subsequently suffered fatal overdoses.

Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome: Public Health Implications and a Novel Model Treatment Guideline.

Introduction: Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) is an entity associated with cannabinoid overuse. CHS typically presents with cyclical vomiting, diffuse abdominal pain, and relief with hot showers. Patients often present to the emergency department (ED) repeatedly and undergo extensive evaluations including laboratory examination, advanced imaging, and in some cases unnecessary procedures.

Demographic profile, Oral Health Impact Profile and Dental Anxiety Scale in patients with chronic periodontitis: a case-control study.

Objectives: To examine whether dental anxiety (DA) and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) differ between persons with and those without chronic periodontitis.

Methods: One-hundred patients with chronic periodontitis and 50 age- and- sex-matched controls were included. Data were collected on the following: demographics; smoking habits; Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for dental pain assessment; Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS); Oral Health Impact Profile 14 (OHIP-14); Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index; Plaque Index (PI); probing depth (PD); bleeding on probing (BOP); and radiographic bone loss.

Using Cell Phone Technology to Investigate a Deliberate Bacillus anthracis Release Scenario.

Unusual biological events and outbreaks require rapid epidemiologic investigation and contact tracing procedures, allowing optimal handling of resources. Currently, these are resource intensive, time consuming, and extremely complex, requiring large teams of trained and prepared personnel. The goal of this study was to determine whether a technological alternative to the classic systems, based on the use of mobile phones and a unique algorithm, could perform a complete epidemiologic investigation in a setting of a bioterrorism scenario.

Hydrogel biomaterials and their therapeutic potential for muscle injuries and muscular dystrophies.

Muscular diseases such as muscular dystrophies and muscle injuries constitute a large group of ailments that manifest as muscle weakness, atrophy or fibrosis. Although cell therapy is a promising treatment option, the delivery and retention of cells in the muscle is difficult and prevents sustained regeneration needed for adequate functional improvements. Various types of biomaterials with different physical and chemical properties have been developed to improve the delivery of cells and/or growth factors for treating muscle injuries.

Dental anxiety and oral health-related quality of life in aggressive periodontitis patients.

Objectives: To measure dental anxiety levels and oral health-related qualities of life (OHRQoL) in patients with aggressive periodontitis (AgP) compared to controls and analyze their association with various demographic and clinical parameters.

Methods: Sixty consecutive patients with AgP were compared to 80 age- and sex-matched controls with no known history of periodontal disease. Collected data included demographics, smoking habits, numerical rating scale (NRS), Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14), DMFT index (Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth), Plaque Index (PI), probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), and radiographic bone loss.

[Necrotizing ulcerative diseases in military population].

Necrotizing ulcerative diseases were prevalent in military personnel throughout history. Nowadays, its prevalence declined substantially in industrialized countries. Studies among immunocompromised patients suggest it is still a reason for concern among this population.

A description of Medical Examiner prescription-related deaths and prescription drug monitoring program data.

Background: The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention have declared prescription drug abuse an epidemic in the United States. However, demographic data correlating prescription-related deaths with actual prescriptions written is not well described. The purpose of this study is to compare toxicology reports on autopsy for prescription-related deaths with Prescription Drug Monitor Program (PDMP) data.

Methadone related deaths compared to all prescription related deaths.

Background: Methadone is increasingly implicated in unintentional overdose deaths. Despite major interventions, rates continue to remain high. One primary intervention, Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMP) are limited in their ability to impact this epidemic due to federal law restricting Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs) from sharing data to PDMPs, despite being a major source of Methadone dispensing.

Who is prescribing controlled medications to patients who die of prescription drug abuse?

Background: Prescription drug-related fatalities remain a significant issue in the United States, yet there is a relative lack of knowledge on the specialty-specific prescription patterns for drug-related deaths.

Methods: We designed a study that investigated medical examiner reports of prescription drug-related deaths that occurred in San Diego County during 2013. A Prescription Drug Monitoring Program search was performed on each of these cases to ascertain which physician specialties had prescribed controlled substances to these patients.

Enhanced pain expectation in migraine: EEG-based evidence for impaired prefrontal function.

Background: Dysexcitability characterizes the interictal migraineous brain. The main central expressions of this dysexcitability are decreased habituation and enhanced anticipation and attention to pain and other external sensory stimuli.

Objective: This study evaluates the effects of anticipation on pain modulation and their neural correlates in migraine.