Development and testing of a transcatheter heart valve with reduced calcification potential.

Introduction: Patients from developing countries who require heart valve surgery are younger and have less access to open heart surgery than those from developed countries. Transcatheter heart valves (THVs) may be an alternative but are currently unsuitable for young patients because of their inadequate durability. We developed and tested a THV utilizing two new types of decellularized bovine pericardial leaflets in an ovine model.

Monomeric glutaraldehyde fixation and amino acid detoxification of decellularized bovine pericardium for production of biocompatible tissue with tissue-guided regenerative potential.

The effect of monomeric glutaraldehyde fixation and amino acid detoxification on biocompatibility and tissue-guided regenerative potential of decellularized bovine pericardium was evaluated. The degree of cross-linking, porosity, enzymatic degradation, alpha-galactosyl content, the efficacy of detoxification, and cytotoxicity towards human epithelial cells were assessed. Tissue was subcutaneously implanted for eight weeks in male juvenile Sprague-Dawley rats, and mechanical properties, host cell infiltration, and calcification were evaluated.

Impact of Three Different Processing Techniques on the Strength and Structure of Juvenile Ovine Pulmonary Homografts.

Homografts are routinely stored by cryopreservation; however, donor cells and remnants contribute to immunogenicity. Although decellularization strategies can address immunogenicity, additional fixation might be required to maintain strength. This study investigated the effect of cryopreservation, decellularization, and decellularization with additional glutaraldhyde fixation on the strength and structure of ovine pulmonary homografts harvested 48 h post-mortem.

Advantages of decellularized bovine pericardial scaffolds compared to glutaraldehyde fixed bovine pericardial patches demonstrated in a 180-day implant ovine study.

Glutaraldehyde (GA)-fixed bovine pericardial patches remain the cardiovascular industry standard despite reports of degradation, thickening, inflammation, calcification and lack of tissue remodelling. Decellularization provides the opportunity to attenuate some of these immune-mediated processes. This study compared the mechanical and morphological integrity of bovine pericardium that is GA-fixated (Glycar® patches) or decellularized (BPS), using a proprietary protocol, following implantation in an ovine model.

Comparison of the function and structural integrity of cryopreserved pulmonary homografts versus decellularized pulmonary homografts after 180 days implantation in the juvenile ovine model.

Homograft availability and durability remain big challenges. Increasing the post-mortem ischaemic harvesting time beyond 24 h increases the potential donor pool. Cryopreservation, routinely used to preserve homografts, damages the extracellular matrix (ECM), contributing to valve degeneration.

Anti-Melanoma Activities of Artemisone and Prenylated Amino-Artemisinins in Combination With Known Anticancer Drugs.

The most frequently occurring cancers are those of the skin, with melanoma being the leading cause of death due to skin cancer. Breakthroughs in chemotherapy have been achieved in certain cases, though only marginal advances have been made in treatment of metastatic melanoma. Strategies aimed at inducing redox dysregulation by use of reactive oxygen species (ROS) inducers present a promising approach to cancer chemotherapy.

Interventions to prevent iron deficiency during the first 1000 days in low-income and middle-income countries: recent advances and challenges.

Purpose Of Review: Iron deficiency remains highly prevalent in women and young children in low-income and middle-income countries. To prevent the potentially life-long consequences of iron deficiency when occurring during early life, the WHO recommends iron supplementation of pregnant women and young children. However, increasing evidence of limited efficacy and risk of current iron intervention strategies are cause of concern.

Antimicrobial Peptides: the Achilles' Heel of Antibiotic Resistance?

Antibiotic resistance is an imminent threat to the effective treatment of bacterial infections, and alternative antibiotic strategies are urgently required. The golden epoch of antibiotics is coming to an end, and the development of new therapeutic agents to combat bacterial infections should be prioritized. This article will review the potential of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) to combat the threat of antimicrobial resistance.

The antimicrobial peptide nisin Z induces selective toxicity and apoptotic cell death in cultured melanoma cells.

Reprogramming of cellular metabolism is now considered one of the hallmarks of cancer. Most malignant cells present with altered energy metabolism which is associated with elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. This is also evident for melanoma, the leading cause of skin cancer related deaths.

Exposure to high levels of fumarate and succinate leads to apoptotic cytotoxicity and altered global DNA methylation profiles in vitro.

In the Krebs cycle, succinate is oxidized to fumarate by succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), followed by the conversion of fumarate to malate by fumarate hydratase (FH). In cells with defective SDH and FH, the Krebs cycle is congested, respiration impaired and fumarate and succinate accumulates. Several studies have indicated that the accumulation of these substrates are associated with cytotoxicity and oncogenesis.

The Potential Use of Natural and Structural Analogues of Antimicrobial Peptides in the Fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Recently, research into the development of new antimicrobial agents has been driven by the increase in resistance to traditional antibiotics and Emerging Infectious Diseases. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising candidates as alternatives to current antibiotics in the treatment and prevention of microbial infections. AMPs are produced by all known living species, displaying direct antimicrobial killing activity and playing an important role in innate immunity.

Using a medium-throughput comet assay to evaluate the global DNA methylation status of single cells.

The comet assay is a simple and cost effective technique, commonly used to analyze and quantify DNA damage in individual cells. The versatility of the comet assay allows introduction of various modifications to the basic technique. The difference in the methylation sensitivity of the isoschizomeric restriction enzymes HpaII and MspI are used to demonstrate the ability of the comet assay to measure the global DNA methylation level of individual cells when using cell cultures.