Effect of supramolecular peptide hydrogel scaffold charge on HepG2 viability and spheroid formation.

Supramolecular bioinspired self-assembling peptide hydrogel (SAPH) scaffolds represent a class of fully defined synthetic materials whose chemical and mechanical properties can be finely engineered. In this study, the relationship between SAPHs physicochemical properties and HepG2 cells viability, spheroid formation and function are discussed. We first report that negatively charged SAPHs promote hepatocyte proliferation and spheroids formation 3D culture while positively charged SAPHs lead to hepatocyte death irrespective of the hydrogel mechanical properties.

The LytSR two-component regulatory system promotes vaginal colonization and virulence .

(or group B , GBS) is a leading cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis globally. To sense and respond to variations in its environment, GBS possesses multiple two-component regulatory systems (TCSs), such as LytSR. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of LytSR in GBS pathogenicity.

Pain coping skills training un-locks patient-centered pain care during the COVID- 19 lockdown.

Background: In 2020, the COVID-19 virus sparked a crisis constituting a nationwide public health emergency that rapidly altered the provision of healthcare services for all Americans. Infectious disease mitigation led to widespread lockdowns of perceived nonessential services, programs, and non-emergent healthcare interventions. This lockdown exacerbated the public health dyad of uncontrolled pain and the opioid epidemic, which was already in a crisis state.

Neutrally charged self-assembling peptide hydrogel recapitulates in vitro mechanisms of breast cancer progression.

Self-assembling peptide hydrogels (SAPH) are a popular biomaterial due to their biocompatibility with a wide range of cell types, synthetic design, structural properties that provide a more accurate 3D microenvironment, and potential for cell- and/or drug-delivery system. Mimicking solid tumors in vitro using hydrogels is one method of testing anti-cancer drug efficacy and observing cancerous cell-ECM interactions within a 3D system. In this study, a SAPH, PeptiGel®Alpha1, was used to model in vitro the 3D breast tumor microenvironment.

Expanding access to nurse-managed medication for opioid use disorder.

Background: Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) are increasingly caring for individuals with opioid use disorder. Advances have been made to increase APRN education, outreach, and prescribing privileges, but as demand for medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) grows, evidence suggests that policy and care barriers inhibit the ability of APRNs to support MOUD.

Purpose: This paper highlights the significant challenges of expanding access to buprenorphine prescribing by APRNs.

TGF-β3-loaded graphene oxide - self-assembling peptide hybrid hydrogels as functional 3D scaffolds for the regeneration of the nucleus pulposus.

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a process that starts in the central nucleus pulposus (NP) and leads to inflammation, extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, and progressive loss of disc height. Early treatment of IVD degeneration is critical to the reduction of low back pain and related disability. As such, minimally invasive therapeutic approaches that can halt and reverse NP degeneration at the early stages of the disease are needed.

Engineering a cell-hydrogel-fibre composite to mimic the structure and function of the tendon synovial sheath.

The repair of tendon injuries is often compromised by post-operative peritendinous adhesions. Placing a physical barrier at the interface between the tendon and the surrounding tissue could potentially solve this problem by reducing adhesion formation. At present, no such system is available for routine use in clinical practice.

Barrett's Registry Collaboration of academic centers in Ireland reveals high progression rate of low-grade dysplasia and low risk from nondysplastic Barrett's esophagus: report of the RIBBON network.

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is the main pathological precursor of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Progression to high-grade dysplasia (HGD) or EAC from nondysplastic BE (NDBE), low-grade dysplasia (LGD) and indefinite for dysplasia (IND) varies widely between population-based studies and specialized centers for many reasons, principally the rigor of the biopsy protocol and the accuracy of pathologic definition. In the Republic of Ireland, a multicenter prospective registry and bioresource (RIBBON) was established in 2011 involving six academic medical centers, and this paper represents the first report from this network.

Anisotropic crack propagation and deformation in dentin observed by four-dimensional X-ray nano-computed tomography.

Understanding the cracking behaviour of biological composite materials is of practical importance. This paper presents the first study to track the interplay between crack initiation, microfracture and plastic deformation in three dimensions (3D) as a function of tubule and collagen fibril arrangement in elephant dentin using in situ X-ray nano-computed tomography (nano-CT). A nano-indenter with a conical tip has been used to incrementally indent three test-pieces oriented at 0°, 45° and 70° to the long axis of the tubules (i.

Four-Dimensional Imaging of Soft Tissue and Implanted Biomaterial Mechanics: A Barbed Suture Case Study for Tendon Repair.

Timely, recent developments in X-ray microcomputed tomography (XμCT) imaging such as increased resolution and improved sample preparation enable nondestructive time-lapse imaging of polymeric biomaterials when implanted in soft tissue, which we demonstrate herein. Imaging the full three-dimensional (3D) structure of an implanted biomaterial provides new opportunities to assess the micromechanics of the interface between the implant and tissues and how this changes over time as force is applied in load-bearing musculoskeletal applications. In this paper, we present a case study demonstrating in situ XμCT and finite element analysis, using a dynamically loaded barbed suture repair for its novel use in tendon tissue.

Machine Learning EEG to Predict Cognitive Functioning and Processing Speed Over a 2-Year Period in Multiple Sclerosis Patients and Controls.

Event-related potentials (ERPs) show promise to be objective indicators of cognitive functioning. The aim of the study was to examine if ERPs recorded during an oddball task would predict cognitive functioning and information processing speed in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients and controls at the individual level. Seventy-eight participants (35 MS patients, 43 healthy age-matched controls) completed visual and auditory 2- and 3-stimulus oddball tasks with 128-channel EEG, and a neuropsychological battery, at baseline (month 0) and at Months 13 and 26.

Biotransformation of Silver Released from Nanoparticle Coated Titanium Implants Revealed in Regenerating Bone.

Antimicrobial silver nanoparticle coatings have attracted interest for reducing prosthetic joint infection. However, few studies report in vivo investigations of the biotransformation of silver nanoparticles within the regenerating tissue and its impact on bone formation. We present a longitudinal investigation of the osseointegration of silver nanoparticle-coated additive manufactured titanium implants in rat tibial defects.

Cell response to sterilized electrospun poly(ɛ-caprolactone) scaffolds to aid tendon regeneration in vivo.

The functional replacement of tendon represents an unmet clinical need in situations of tendon rupture, tendon grafting, and complex tendon reconstruction, as usually there is a finite source of healthy tendon to use as donors. The microfibrous architecture of tendon is critical to the function of tendon. This study investigates the use of electrospun poly(ɛ-caprolactone) scaffolds as potential biomaterial substitutes for tendon grafts.

In vitro evaluation of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)/polyisoprene fibers for soft tissue engineering.

The polymeric blend of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and polyisoprene (PI) has recently been explored for application as stents for tracheal stenosis and spring for the treatment of craniosynostosis. From the positive results presented in other biomedical applications comes the possibility of investigating the application of this material as scaffold for tissue engineering (TE), acquiring a deeper knowledge about the polymeric blend by exploring a new processing technique while attending to the most fundamental demands of TE scaffolds. PLGA/PI was processed into randomly oriented microfibers through the dripping technique and submitted to physical-chemical and in vitro characterization.

Delayed P100-Like Latencies in Multiple Sclerosis: A Preliminary Investigation Using Visual Evoked Spread Spectrum Analysis.

Conduction along the optic nerve is often slowed in multiple sclerosis (MS). This is typically assessed by measuring the latency of the P100 component of the Visual Evoked Potential (VEP) using electroencephalography. The Visual Evoked Spread Spectrum Analysis (VESPA) method, which involves modulating the contrast of a continuous visual stimulus over time, can produce a visually evoked response analogous to the P100 but with a higher signal-to-noise ratio and potentially higher sensitivity to individual differences in comparison to the VEP.

Symptom overlap in anxiety and multiple sclerosis.

Background: The validity of self-rated anxiety inventories in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) is unclear. However, the appropriateness of self-reported depression scales has been widely examined. Given somatic symptom overlap between depression and MS, research emphasises caution when using such scales.

A comparison of the content of memory rehabilitation groups for patients with neurological disabilities.

The aim of the study was to compare the fidelity of manualised group memory rehabilitation programmes for participants with neurological disabilities. A sample of 11 neurological patients with memory problems, enrolled in a randomised controlled trial comparing compensation, restitution and self-help treatments, were observed during group sessions. Time-sampling was used to record the activity of the participants and the content of the discussion at one minute intervals.

Using a mixed methods research design to investigate complementary alternative medicine (CAM) use among women with breast cancer in Ireland.

Aim: To investigate complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among women with breast cancer in Ireland using a mixed methods modified sequential explanatory design.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with oncology professionals (n = 20) and CAM practitioners (n = 20) and this was followed by a survey of 406 women with breast cancer using the 'Use of Complementary and Alternative Therapies Survey' questionnaire (UCATS) (Lengacher et al., 2003).

Only low frequency event-related EEG activity is compromised in multiple sclerosis: insights from an independent component clustering analysis.

Cognitive impairment (CI), often examined with neuropsychological tests such as the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), affects approximately 65% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The P3b event-related potential (ERP), evoked when an infrequent target stimulus is presented, indexes cognitive function and is typically compared across subjects' scalp electroencephalography (EEG) data. However, the clustering of independent components (ICs) is superior to scalp-based EEG methods because it can accommodate the spatiotemporal overlap inherent in scalp EEG data.

Scleroderma renal crisis-like acute renal failure associated with mucopolysaccharide accumulation in renal vessels in a patient with scleromyxedema.

Scleromyxedema is a systemic disease characterized by lichenoid papules, nodules, and plaques on the skin and often diffuse skin induration resembling the cutaneous involvement of systemic sclerosis. The systemic involvement affects the musculoskeletal, pulmonary, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems, and the disorder is commonly associated with a paraproteinemia. Involvement of the kidney is rare and not considered a feature of the disease.

Gastric antral vascular ectasia in systemic sclerosis: demographics and disease predictors.

Objectives: To evaluate patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) who have gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE), to further characterize this disease association, and to identify factors that may predict which patients with SSc are at greatest risk for the development of GAVE.

Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of both SSc and GAVE were identified from the Division of Rheumatology at Georgetown University and Thomas Jefferson University. A chart review was conducted to obtain the demographic data.

Improvement of severe systemic sclerosis-associated gastric antral vascular ectasia following immunosuppressive treatment with intravenous cyclophosphamide.

Objective: We describe 3 patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) with severe, transfusion-dependent gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) refractory to laser ablation who showed remarkable clinical and endoscopic improvement following intravenous (IV) pulse cyclophosphamide (CYC) treatment.

Methods: Review of clinical records and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy images from 3 patients with SSc and severe GAVE before and after treatment with IV pulse CYC.

Results: IV CYC was followed by improvement and stabilization of hemoglobin levels, and marked reduction in blood transfusion requirements and the number and frequency of endoscopic laser treatments.