Gluten-Dependent Activation of CD4 T Cells by MHC Class II-Expressing Epithelium.

Background & Aims: Intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) damage is a hallmark of celiac disease (CeD); however, its role in gluten-dependent T-cell activation is unknown. We investigated IEC-gluten-T-cell interactions in organoid monolayers expressing human major histocompatibility complex class II (HLA-DQ2.5), which facilitates gluten antigen recognition by CD4 T cells in CeD.

Second-year results from CINEMA: A novel, patient-centered, team-based intervention for patients with Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes at high cardiovascular risk.

Background: The care for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) necessitates a multidisciplinary team approach to reduce cardiovascular (CV) risk but implementation of effective integrated strategies has been limited.

Methods And Results: We report 2-year results from a patient-centered, team-based intervention called CINEMA at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. Patients with T2DM or prediabetes at high-risk for CV events, including those with established atherosclerotic CVD, elevated coronary artery calcium score ≥100, chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 2-4, and/or prevalent metabolic syndrome were included.

Crohn's disease proteolytic microbiota enhances inflammation through PAR2 pathway in gnotobiotic mice.

Emerging evidence implicates microbial proteolytic activity in ulcerative colitis (UC), but whether it also plays a role in Crohn's disease (CD) remains unclear. We investigated the effects of colonizing adult and neonatal germ-free C57BL/6 mice with CD microbiota, selected based on high (CD-HPA) or low fecal proteolytic activity (CD-LPA), or microbiota from healthy controls with LPA (HC-LPA) or HPA (HC-HPA). We then investigated colitogenic mechanisms in gnotobiotic C57BL/6, and in mice with impaired Nucleotide-binding Oligomerization Domain-2 (NOD2) and Protease-Activated Receptor 2 (PAR2) cleavage resistant mice (; R38E-PAR2 respectively).

Lessons Learned From a Patient-Centered, Team-Based Intervention for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes at High Cardiovascular Risk: Year 1 Results From the CINEMA Program.

Background The care for patients with type 2 diabetes necessitates a multidisciplinary team approach to reduce cardiovascular risk, but implementation of effective integrated strategies has been limited. Methods and Results We conceptualized and initiated a patient-centered, team-based intervention called Center for Integrated and Novel Approaches in Vascular-Metabolic Disease (CINEMA) at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. Patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk for cardiovascular events, including those with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, elevated coronary artery calcium score >100, chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and/or chronic kidney disease stages 2 to 4 were included.

Antibiotic-Impregnated Liquid-Infused Coatings Suppress the Formation of Methicillin-Resistant Biofilms.

Medical device-associated infections are an ongoing problem. Once an implant is infected, bacteria create a complex community on the surface known as a biofilm, protecting the bacterial cells against antibiotics and the immune system. To prevent biofilm formation, several coatings have been engineered to hinder bacterial adhesion or viability.

Polysiloxane Nanofilaments Infused with Silicone Oil Prevent Bacterial Adhesion and Suppress Thrombosis on Intranasal Splints.

Like all biofluid-contacting medical devices, intranasal splints are highly prone to bacterial adhesion and clot formation. Despite their widespread use and the numerous complications associated with infected splints, limited success has been achieved in advancing their safety and surface biocompatibility, and, to date, no surface-coating strategy has been proposed to simultaneously enhance the antithrombogenicity and bacterial repellency of intranasal splints. Herein, we report an efficient, highly stable lubricant-infused coating for intranasal splints to render their surfaces antithrombogenic and repellent toward bacterial cells.

Intestinal organoids: A new paradigm for engineering intestinal epithelium in vitro.

In recent years, the advent of intestinal organoid culture systems has revolutionized in vitro studies of the small intestine epithelium. Intestinal organoids are derived from self-organizing and self-renewing intestinal stem cells and closely recapitulate the native intestinal epithelium. They therefore represent a more physiologically-relevant in vitro model than conventional cell cultures for studying intestinal development, biology and pathophysiology.

Cryoballoon-to-Pulmonary Vein Occlusion Assessment via Capnography Technique: Where Does Occlusion Testing by End-Tidal CO2 Measurement "Fit" as a Predictor of Long-Term Efficacy?

Introduction: Parameters used to gauge the effectiveness of a cryoballoon lesion have been described that monitor the ablation at the time of balloon-to-pulmonary vein (PV) occlusion, during the cryoablation freeze, and at the thaw phase of the cryoablation. This study examines the balloon-to-PV occlusion step and monitors the completeness of occlusion using capnography to measure end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2). Specifically, the main objective was to determine if ETCO2 measurements can be used to quantify the amount of balloon-to-PV occlusion and to determine if acute ETCO2 parameters could predict long-term freedom from atrial fibrillation (AF).

Probing the interaction of silver nanoparticles with tau protein and neuroblastoma cell line as nervous system models.

Interestingly pharmaceutical sciences are using nanoparticles (NPs) to design and develop nanomaterials-based drugs. However, up to recently, it has not been well realized that NPs themselves may impose risks to the biological systems. In this study, the interaction of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with tau protein and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line, as potential nervous system models, was examined with a range of techniques including intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-Yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) dual staining method.

Acute procedural and cryoballoon characteristics from cryoablation of atrial fibrillation using the first- and second-generation cryoballoon: a retrospective comparative study with follow-up outcomes.

Purpose: There is limited data available on the safety and efficacy of the second-generation cryoballoon (CB-2) for cryoablation of atrial fibrillation (Cryo-AF). We evaluated the procedural, biophysical, and clinical outcomes of Cryo-AF in a large patient cohort using CB-2 as compared with the first-generation cryoballoon (CB-1).

Methods: Three-hundred and forty consecutive patients undergoing Cryo-AF with CB-1 (n = 140) and CB-2 (n = 200) were retrospectively evaluated.

Increasing angulation decreases measured aortic stent graft pullout forces.

Objective: Experimentally measured pullout forces for stent grafts (SGs) are used in clinical discussions and as reference values in bench studies and computer simulations. Previous values of these forces are available from studies in which the SG was pulled out in the straight caudal direction. However, clinical and numerical studies have suggested that displacement forces acting on SGs are directed more anteriorly.