Guidelines for stem cell science and clinical translation.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research has released its updated guidelines for stem cell research in order to provide "assurance that stem cell research is conducted with scientific and ethical integrity and that new therapies are evidence-based." The guidelines were updated by a Guidelines Update Task Force consisting of twenty-five scientists, ethicists and experts in health care policy from nine countries. The chairpersons of this task force are Jonathan Kimmelman, George Daley and Insoo Hyun.

The functioning of the Medical Council of India analysed by the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Health and Family Welfare.

On March 8, 2016, the 92nd report on the functioning of the Medical Council of India (MCI) (1) was placed before both Houses of Parliament by Professor Ram Gopal Yadav, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Health and Family Welfare.

Three-dimensional tomographic imaging for dynamic radiation behavior study using infrared imaging video bolometers in large helical device plasma.

A three-dimensional (3D) tomography system using four InfraRed imaging Video Bolometers (IRVBs) has been designed with a helical periodicity assumption for the purpose of plasma radiation measurement in the large helical device. For the spatial inversion of large sized arrays, the system has been numerically and experimentally examined using the Tikhonov regularization with the criterion of minimum generalized cross validation, which is the standard solver of inverse problems. The 3D transport code EMC3-EIRENE for impurity behavior and related radiation has been used to produce phantoms for numerical tests, and the relative calibration of the IRVB images has been carried out with a simple function model of the decaying plasma in a radiation collapse.

Statin therapy and inflammation in patients with diabetes treated with high dose aspirin.

Background: Statin and aspirin form the therapeutic cornerstone in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and diabetes. Little is known about relationship of statins with blood thrombogenicity and inflammation in these patients.

Methods: Two hundred nine consecutive patients with diabetes and suspected CAD undergoing elective cardiac catheterization were divided in groups based on statin treatment in the Multi-Analyte, Thrombogenic, and Genetic Markers Atherosclerosis study.

Strain-induced growth instability and nanoscale surface patterning in perovskite thin films.

Despite extensive studies on the effects of epitaxial strain on the evolution of the lattice and properties of materials, considerably less work has explored the impact of strain on growth dynamics. In this work, we demonstrate a growth-mode transition from 2D-step flow to self-organized, nanoscale 3D-island formation in PbZr0.2Ti0.

New modalities of strain-control of ferroelectric thin films.

Ferroelectrics, with their spontaneous switchable electric polarization and strong coupling between their electrical, mechanical, thermal, and optical responses, provide functionalities crucial for a diverse range of applications. Over the past decade, there has been significant progress in epitaxial strain engineering of oxide ferroelectric thin films to control and enhance the nature of ferroelectric order, alter ferroelectric susceptibilities, and to create new modes of response which can be harnessed for various applications. This review aims to cover some of the most important discoveries in strain engineering over the past decade and highlight some of the new and emerging approaches for strain control of ferroelectrics.

Supplementation of host response by targeting nitric oxide to the macrophage cytosol is efficacious in the hamster model of visceral leishmaniasis and adds to efficacy of amphotericin B.

We investigated efficacy of nitric oxide (NO) against Leishmania donovani. NO is a mediator of host response to infection, with direct parasiticidal activity in addition to its role in signalling to evoke innate macrophage responses. However, it is short-lived and volatile, and is therefore difficult to introduce into infected cells and maintain inracellular concentrations for meaningful periods of time.

What do highly qualified professionally achieving women do after retirement in India? Exploring time use, leisure, and volunteering.

This study analyzes the time use of highly qualified professionally achieving (HQPA) women after retirement. Data were collected from a random sample of 1,023 HQPA women in the city of Mumbai, India. HQPA women spent their postretirement time in caregiving and family responsibilities, leisure activities, and volunteer work.

Rasch analysis of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-computer adaptive test (PEDI-CAT) item bank for children and young adults with spinal muscular atrophy.

Introduction: In this study we evaluated the suitability of a caregiver-reported functional measure, the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT), for children and young adults with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

Methods: PEDI-CAT Mobility and Daily Activities domain item banks were administered to 58 caregivers of children and young adults with SMA. Rasch analysis was used to evaluate test properties across SMA types.

Preparation and Preclinical Evaluation of Inhalable Particles Containing Rapamycin and Anti-Tuberculosis Agents for Induction of Autophagy.

Purpose: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) inhibits host defense mechanisms, including autophagy. We investigated particles containing rapamycin (RAP) alone or in combination with isoniazid (INH) and rifabutin (RFB) for: targeting lung macrophages on inhalation; inducing autophagy; and killing macrophage-resident Mtb and/or augmenting anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs.

Methods: PLGA and drugs were spray-dried.

Multiple hypertrophic relapsing remitting cranial neuropathies as an initial presentation of primary CNS lymphoma without any brain or spinal cord lesion.

Cranial nerve thickening as an initial isolated presentation of CNS lymphoma is rare. Once an extremely rare neoplasm, primary lymphoma of the central nervous system (CNS) now ranks only next to meningiomas and low-grade astrocytomas in prevalence. Multiple cranial nerve thickening can be a feature of primary CNS lymphoma.

Study on prevalence of Fasciolosis in buffaloes at Anand and Ahmedabad districts, Gujarat, India.

Aim: This study was undertaken to derive the prevalence rate of Fasciolosis in buffaloes by a collection of fecal and liver samples from Anand and Ahmedabad districts' local slaughter houses.

Materials And Methods: Fecal and liver samples were collected during ante- and post-mortem examination, respectively, and brought to the department laboratory preserved in 10% formalin for further processing. Fecal samples were processed with qualitative examination viz.

Study on hematological alterations induced by amphistomosis in buffaloes.

Aim: The study was undertaken to compare the alterations in the hematological parameters in buffaloes suffering from Amphistomosis with normal buffaloes and to correlate it with the subclinical infection that is hard to diagnose.

Materials And Methods: Blood samples from 50 amphistomes infected as well as 50 non-infected buffaloes from slaughter houses were taken into vacutainer tubes containing ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid for estimation of various hematological parameters by Automatic Analyzer Hema-2062 manufactured by Analytical Technologies Ltd.

Result: There was a significant reduction in the mean hemoglobin, total leukocyte count, total erythrocyte count and packed cell volume and significant increase in the neutrophils count and eosinophil count of infected buffaloes as compared to the non-infected buffaloes respectively.

Study on prevalence of ancylostomosis in dogs at Anand district, Gujarat, India.

Aim: This study was undertaken to derive the prevalence rate of ancylostomosis in dogs by a collection of fecal samples from Anand district.

Materials And Methods: The fecal samples were collected from the dogs brought to the Hospital of Veterinary College (Teaching Veterinary Clinical Service Complex) and the surrounding areas of Anand district. On the day of collection, fecal samples were collected and brought to the Department of Veterinary Parasitology and processed for standard qualitative examination.

Corticosteroid Treatment and Growth Patterns in Ambulatory Males with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Objectives: To evaluate growth patterns of ambulatory males with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) treated with corticosteroids compared with ambulatory, steroid-naïve males with DMD and age-matched unaffected general-population males and to test associations between growth and steroid treatment patterns among treated males.

Study Design: Using data from the Muscular Dystrophy Surveillance, Tracking, and Research Network, we identified a total of 1768 height, 2246 weight, and 1755 body mass index (BMI) measurements between age 2 and 12 years for 324 ambulatory males who were treated with corticosteroids for at least 6 months. Growth curve comparisons and linear mixed-effects modeling, adjusted for race/ethnicity and birth year, were used to evaluate growth and steroid treatment patterns (age at initiation, dosing interval, duration, cumulative dose).

Rehabilitative technology use among individuals with Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy.

Purpose: To document use of rehabilitative technology among individuals with Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy (DBMD) among sites of the Muscular Dystrophy Surveillance, Tracking, and Research network (MD STARnet).

Methods: Data from 362 caregivers who participated in the MD STARnet caregiver interview between April 2006 and March 2012 (54.7% response rate) were analyzed to assess the type, frequency and duration of use of assistive technology.

Physical therapy services received by individuals with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

Purpose: The consensus statement for standard of care in SMA recommends multidisciplinary medical care including physical therapy (PT) services. To date there are no reports regarding the implementation of these recommendations and the type of care or services received by individuals with SMA. The purpose of this study is to describe the PT services received by individuals with SMA.

Age at onset of first signs or symptoms predicts age at loss of ambulation in Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophy: Data from the MD STARnet.

Purpose: We investigated the prognostic utility of onset age at first signs and symptoms (SS) to predict onset age at loss of ambulation (LOA) for childhood-onset Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophies (DBMD).

Methods: Our cohort comprised male cases with DBMD ascertained by the population-based Muscular Dystrophy Surveillance, Tracking, and Research Network (MD STARnet). Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models for associations between onset ages of first SS and LOA.

A comparison between finite element modeling and various thermographic non-destructive testing techniques for the quantification of the thermal integrity of macro-brush plasma facing components used in a tokamak.

The plasma facing components (PFCs) inside a tokamak are typically exposed to extremely high heat flux of the order of MW/m(2). The brazing quality between the plasma facing materials (PFMs) and the heat sink will determine the structural integrity and hence the effective service life of these PFCs. Suitable non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques for the pre-qualification of these components are thus essential to evaluate their structural integrity at various stages of their service life.

Highly mobile ferroelastic domain walls in compositionally graded ferroelectric thin films.

Domains and domain walls are critical in determining the response of ferroelectrics, and the ability to controllably create, annihilate, or move domains is essential to enable a range of next-generation devices. Whereas electric-field control has been demonstrated for ferroelectric 180° domain walls, similar control of ferroelastic domains has not been achieved. Here, using controlled composition and strain gradients, we demonstrate deterministic control of ferroelastic domains that are rendered highly mobile in a controlled and reversible manner.

Randomized, placebo-controlled trials of dichlorphenamide in periodic paralysis.

Objective: To determine the short-term and long-term effects of dichlorphenamide (DCP) on attack frequency and quality of life in hyperkalemic (HYP) and hypokalemic (HOP) periodic paralysis.

Methods: Two multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials lasted 9 weeks (Class I evidence), followed by a 1-year extension phase in which all participants received DCP. Forty-four HOP and 21 HYP participants participated.

Thrombin-Induced Platelet-Fibrin Clot Strength Identified by Thrombelastography: A Novel Prothrombotic Marker of Coronary Artery Stent Restenosis.

Background And Objective: In-stent restenosis (ISR) is a limitation of percutaneous coronary intervention and has been linked to specific clinical and angiographic variables. We aimed to simultaneously assess thrombosis biomarkers and lipid levels in patients with and without ISR.

Methods: Consecutive patients (n = 170) with a history of coronary stenting undergoing elective angiography were studied.