Carbon-nanotube-embedded hydrogel sheets for engineering cardiac constructs and bioactuators.

We engineered functional cardiac patches by seeding neonatal rat cardiomyocytes onto carbon nanotube (CNT)-incorporated photo-cross-linkable gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogels. The resulting cardiac constructs showed excellent mechanical integrity and advanced electrophysiological functions. Specifically, myocardial tissues cultured on 50 μm thick CNT-GelMA showed 3 times higher spontaneous synchronous beating rates and 85% lower excitation threshold, compared to those cultured on pristine GelMA hydrogels.

Coexistence of sickle cell disease and severe congenital neutropenia: first impressions can be deceiving.

We report an Omani family in whom the propositus had a rare coexistence of sickle cell disease and severe congenital neutropenia associated with a mutation in ELANE. In contrast to his siblings with sickle cell disease, the severity of HbSS-associated complications such as painful crises and acute chest syndrome was significantly reduced. His course of the disease had markedly worsened after initiating G-CSF therapy.

Growth parameters and endocrine function in relation to echocardiographic parameters in children with ventricular septal defect without heart failure.

To determine the effect of ventricular function, size of ventricular septal defect (VSD), and endocrine function on linear growth in children with VSD, we studied 88 children with VSD over a period of 1 year. Growth was assessed by determining the height standard deviation scores (HtSDS) and growth velocity (GV) every 4 months. Two hundred age-matched normal children served as controls for the growth data.

Defective growth hormone (GH) secretion and short-term treatment in Noonan syndrome.

Auxological and endocrine data from 12 prepubertal children (3 males, 9 females) with Noonan syndrome (NS) were compared with those of 15 children with constitutional short stature (CSS), 20 children with partial GH deficiency (GHD), and 6 children with Turner syndrome (TS). Four children with NS were treated with human growth hormone (hGH) (n = 4) (25 units/m2 week, divided on daily s.c.

Nocturnal growth hormone (GH) secretion and GH response to clonidine provocation in children before and after long-term prednisone therapy.

Glucocorticoids reduce growth hormone (GH) response to the majority of exogenously administered stimuli and can variably inhibit growth in man and animals. Recently, however, glucocorticoids have been shown to have varying effects on GH secretion depending on the time of administration and, furthermore, to be potent secretagogues. We evaluated growth parameters, GH response to high-dose clonidine and integrated (12-h) nocturnal and mean (12-h) nocturnal GH secretion in 10 prepubertal children before and after long-term alternate-day prednisone therapy (LTPT).