Publications by authors named "Vilma Zigmantaite"

Article Synopsis
  • Acute kidney injury (AKI) can lead to chronic kidney disease (CKD), and effective treatments for AKI are urgently needed.
  • Researchers isolated and characterized human placental mesenchymal stromal cells (hpMSCs) to test their effects in a rat model of AKI, where one group received hpMSCs and others received saline or no treatment.
  • The study found that hpMSCs significantly improved kidney function, increased survival rates, and prevented early kidney damage, while also establishing a reliable manufacturing process for these cells.
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Ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (VABP) is among the most intractable of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. New antimicrobial agents are critically needed for the treatment of VABP. However, current conventionally used animal model systems are inadequate to meet this challenge.

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Background: Currently, there are no reliable clinical tools that allow non-invasive therapeutic support for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. This study aims to propose a low-frequency ultrasound device for pulmonary hypertension therapy and to demonstrate its potential.

Methods: A novel low-frequency ultrasound transducer has been developed.

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Intracranial pressure measurement is frequently used for diagnosis in neurocritical care but cannot always accurately predict neurological deterioration. Intracranial compliance plays a significant role in maintaining cerebral blood flow, cerebral perfusion pressure, and intracranial pressure. This study's objective was to investigate the feasibility of transferring external pressure into the eye orbit in a large-animal model while maintaining a clinically acceptable pressure gradient between intraorbital and external pressures.

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This study investigates the therapeutic potential of human placental mesenchymal stem cells (P-MSCs) and their extracellular vesicles (EVs) in a murine model of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a condition with growing relevance due to its association with severe COVID-19. We induced ARDS-like lung injury in mice using intranasal LPS instillation and evaluated histological changes, neutrophil accumulation via immunohistochemistry, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cell count, total protein, and cytokine concentration, as well as lung gene expression changes at three time points: 24, 72, and 168 h. We found that both P-MSCs and EV treatments reduced the histological evidence of lung injury, decreased neutrophil infiltration, and improved alveolar barrier integrity.

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essential oil () has been reported to have an impact on the cardiovascular system. However, its toxicity remains unknown. Therefore, the objective of this investigation was to evaluate the toxicological aspects of the extract.

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A recent in vivo study in pigs demonstrated the hypotensive properties of essential oil extracted from the blossoming plant . This study was designed to examine the effect of essential oil (EO) on smooth muscle contraction. Tension measurements were performed on prostate strips and intact aortic rings isolated from rats.

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Bovine colostrum (COL), the first milk secreted by lactating cows postpartum, is a rich source of bioactive compounds that exert a significant role in the survival, growth, and immune development of neonatal calves. This study investigated the immunomodulatory effects of COL on cytokine production in vitro using a Caco-2/THP-1 macrophage co-culture model stimulated with Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). COL pretreatment significantly reduced IL-6 (241.

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Adding potassium nitrate (KNO) to the diet improves the physiological properties of mammalian muscles (rebuilds weakened muscle, improves structure and functionality). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of KNO supplementation in a mouse model. BALB/c mice were fed a KNO diet for three weeks, followed by a normal diet without nitrates.

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Bovine colostrum (BC) is the first milk produced by lactating cows after parturition. BC is rich in various amino acids, proteins, and fats essential for the nutrition of the neonate calves. Despite the evident beneficial effect of BC on calves, the effect of BC on blood biomarkers is poorly understood.

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The rising incidence of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and associated long-term high mortality constitutes an urgent clinical issue. Unfortunately, the study of possible interventions to treat this pathology lacks a reproducible pre-clinical model. Indeed, currently adopted small and large animal models of MI mimic only full-thickness, ST-segment-elevation (STEMI) infarcts, and hence cater only for an investigation into therapeutics and interventions directed at this subset of MI.

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The demand for the development of novel medicines with few side effects and no proarrhythmic properties is increasing. Extensive research on herbal extracts has been conducted with the expectation that the compounds will exert precise effects without harmful side effects. (Thunb.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the osteogenic potential of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and to assess the influence of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) on bone regeneration using ADSCs. Bone defects were randomly allocated to the five treatment modalities: spontaneous healing, natural bovine bone mineral (BBM), BBM loaded with PRGF, BBM loaded with ADSCs and BBM loaded with a combination of ADSCs and PRGF. The PRGF significantly enhanced the biomaterial-to-bone contact.

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The emergence of optical imaging has revolutionized the investigation of cardiac electrical activity and associated disorders in various cardiac pathologies. The electrical signals of the heart and the propagation pathways are crucial for elucidating the mechanisms of various cardiac pathological conditions, including arrhythmia. The synthesis of near-infrared voltage-sensitive dyes and the voltage sensitivity of the FDA-approved dye Cardiogreen have increased the importance of optical mapping (OM) as a prospective tool in clinical practice.

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carbapenemase-producing (KPC-) is an emerging global public health threat that causes life-threatening pneumonia and bacteremia. Ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) represents a promising advance for the treatment of serious infections caused by KPC- We investigated the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of ceftazidime-avibactam in the treatment of experimental KPC- pneumonia in persistently neutropenic rabbits. For single-dose and multidose (administration every 8 h) pharmacokinetics, rabbits received ceftazidime-avibactam intravenous infusions at 60/15, 90/22.

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So far, the optical mapping of cardiac electrical signals using voltage-sensitive fluorescent dyes has only been performed in experimental studies because these dyes are not yet approved for clinical use. It was recently reported that the well-known and widely used fluorescent dye indocyanine green (ICG), which has FDA approval, exhibits voltage sensitivity in various tissues, thus raising hopes that electrical activity could be optically mapped in the clinic. The aim of this study was to explore the possibility of using ICG to monitor cardiac electrical activity.

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