Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, c-My (OSKM) gene therapy in the hypothalamus prolongs fertility and ovulation in female rats.

In middle-aged (MA) female rats, we have demonstrated that intrahypothalamic gene therapy for insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) extends the regular cyclicity of the animals beyond 10 months (the age at which MA rats stop ovulating). Here, we implemented long-term OSKM gene therapy in the hypothalamus of young female rats. The main goal was to extend fertility in the treated animals.

Ciliary muscle traction during accommodation is able to induce optic nerve head deformation.

Objectives: To use finite element (FE) modeling and in vivo optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging to explore the effect of ciliary muscle traction on optic nerve head (ONH) deformation during accommodation.

Methods: We developed a FE model to mimic the ciliary muscle traction during accommodation, and varied the stiffness of the sclera, choroid, Bruch's membrane (BM), prelaminar neural tissue and lamina cribrosa (LC) to assess their effects on accommodation-induced ONH strains. To validate the FE model, OCT images of the right eyes' ONHs from 20 subjects (25 ± 1.

Impact of lumbar cerebrospinal fluid drainage to control intracranial hypertension in patients with severe traumatic brain injury: a retrospective monocentric cohort.

Background: External lumbar drainage (ELD) of cerebrospinal fluid may help control intracranial pressure following a traumatic brain injury. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of ELD in post-traumatic intracranial hypertension (IH).

Methods: This retrospective monocentric cohort study was conducted in the trauma critical care unit of the regional Level-I trauma centre between January 2012 and December 2022.

Enrolment patterns in a randomized controlled trial of probiotics in critically ill patients: a retrospective analysis of the PROSPECT trial.

Background: Understanding site-related factors that influence enrolment within multicenter randomized controlled trials (RCT) may help reduce trial delays and cost over-runs and prevent early trial discontinuation. In this analysis of PROSPECT (Probiotics: Prevention of Severe Pneumonia and Endotracheal Colonization Trial), we describe patient enrolment patterns and examine factors influencing site-based monthly enrolment.

Design: Retrospective analysis of a multicenter RCT.

Prolonging neutrophil room temperature storage with clinically-approved solutions: Implications for granulocyte transfusion.

Introduction: Granulocyte concentrates (GC) are leukocyte preparations enriched in neutrophils that can potentially save neutropenic patients from life-threatening, antimicrobial-resistant infections. The main challenge of GC transfusions is preserving the viability and antimicrobial activity of neutrophils beyond 24 h to reduce the logistical burden on collection centers and increase the availability of this cell therapy. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore extending the ex vivo viability and antimicrobial activity of GC neutrophils up to 72 h with a unique combination of the clinically-approved additives Plasma-Lyte, SAGM, AS-3 and Alburex.