A Practical Framework for Delivering Strength-Based Technology Clubs for Autistic Adolescents.

Autistic individuals experience poor vocational outcomes internationally. Transition planning and interventions during adolescence may assist in improving outcomes in adulthood. Strength-based technology clubs show promise in improving outcomes for autistic adolescents by developing skills specific to the Information and Communication Technology industry, and fostering positive traits, such as self-determination.

Monitoring the appropriate prescription of low molecular weight heparins and Fondaparinux through administrative data. A retrospective observational study in the Tuscany region.

Introduction: Low Molecular Weight Heparins (LMWHs) and Fondaparinux have been widely used as anticoagulants. Mass prescription may lead to prescriptive inappropriateness, which causes Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and other side effects.

Objectives: The study investigates the appropriate prescription of LMWHs and Fondaparinux in Tuscany.

Monitoring Appropriate Monoclonal Antibodies Prescribing via Administrative Data: An Application to Psoriasis.

The Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) and the Italian Regional Health Systems have implemented measures together with data collection and analysis to improve medicines' appropriate prescription. Administrative databases represent rich Real-World Evidence (RWE) sources that may be leveraged for research purposes. Thus, such heritage may allow for appropriate prescription studies to be carried out on complex pharmaceutical molecules, as the appropriateness of prescriptions is essential both for patients' treatment and to ensure healthcare systems' sustainability.

Simulator assessment of innovative intersection designs on driver speeds and trajectories.

Intersections are over-represented in crash statistics internationally, suggesting that treatments targeting intersections could substantially improve road safety. Aligning with a Safe Systems approach, several innovative intersection configurations have been proposed. We evaluated the effectiveness of five designs on reducing speed and modifying conflict angles using a driving simulator.

Harnessing pharmaceutical innovation for anti-cancer drugs: Some findings from the Italian regions.

Background: Governing the provision of innovative drugs is unanimously recognized as a key factor in steering the future of health care systems, by jointly affecting health outcomes and financial sustainability.

Aim Of The Study: This paper describes the recent reforms in Italy governing the provision of innovative oncological drugs, with a focus on the different strategies implemented by the regions. It provides some preliminary findings about economic performance potentially associated with different governance models.

Performance of care for end-of-life cancer patients in Tuscany: The interplay between place of care, aggressive treatments, opioids, and place of death. A retrospective cohort study.

Supportive and palliative care at the end of life (EOL) is a core component of health systems. Providing care at the EOL may require the interaction of several care providers working in different settings including nursing homes, home care, hospices, and hospitals. This work aims to (a) provide evidence on the performance of EOL care for cancer patients across healthcare organizations, with a focus on the place of care, aggressive treatments, opioids, and the place of death and (b) analyze factors associated with dying in hospital.

Mandibular distraction osteogenesis: a systematic review of stability and the effects on hard and soft tissues.

Mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO) has been widely adopted in modern maxillofacial surgery due to its less invasive approach and the consistent aesthetic and functional improvements obtained. The aim of the present systematic review was to analyze the available evidence on the skeletal and soft tissue effects of MDO. The medical literature was searched to identify all peer-reviewed papers meeting the selection criteria for the final review process.

The true cost of cardiovascular imaging: focusing on downstream, indirect, and environmental costs.

To develop a more realistic assessment of costs, herein named "true" costs, the extra-cancer from medical radiation, environmental damage from imaging paraphernalia and radioactive wastes must be included as long-term costs from imaging examinations. It is urgent to define the "true" costs across imaging modalities as it interferes on physicians' decision to request an exam and on research projects such as cost-effectiveness analysis. Cardiology is the specialty that most will benefit from the outcome as cardiovascular exams represent almost 30% of the total exams acquired annually worldwide.

Glucose and fatty acid metabolism in a 3 tissue in-vitro model challenged with normo- and hyperglycaemia.

Nutrient balance in the human body is maintained through systemic signaling between different cells and tissues. Breaking down this circuitry to its most basic elements and reconstructing the metabolic network in-vitro provides a systematic method to gain a better understanding of how cross-talk between the organs contributes to the whole body metabolic profile and of the specific role of each different cell type. To this end, a 3-way connected culture of hepatocytes, adipose tissue and endothelial cells representing a simplified model of energetic substrate metabolism in the visceral region was developed.

Realization of a poro-elastic ultrasound replica of pulmonary tissue.

In this work we describe the fabrication of a biocompatible hydrophilic scaffold composed of cross-linked gelatin that mimics the porous three-dimensional structure of pulmonary tissue as well as its water content and mechanical properties. The lung replica also reproduces the characteristic sonographic signs of pulmonary interstitial syndrome, the B-lines or ultrasound lung comets.

Assessing the suitability of a partial water reuse system for rearing juvenile Chinook salmon for stocking in Washington State.

To assess the suitability of water reuse technology for raising Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. for stocking purposes, fish health and welfare were compared between two groups of juvenile Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha from the same spawn: one group was reared in a pilot partial water reuse system (circular tanks), and the other group was reared in a flow-through raceway.

An in vitro model of glucose and lipid metabolism in a multicompartmental bioreactor.

The energy balance in vivo is maintained through inter-organ cross-talk involving several different tissues. As a first step towards recapitulating the metabolic circuitry, hepatocytes, endothelial cells and adipose tissue were connected in a multicompartmental modular bioreactor to reproduce salient aspects of glucose and lipid metabolism in vitro. We first examined how the two-way cellular interplay between adipose tissue and endothelial cells affects glucose and lipid metabolism.

A flexible bioreactor system for constructing in vitro tissue and organ models.

To develop in vitro models of cells, tissues and organs we have designed and realized a series of cell culture chambers. Each chamber is purpose designed to simulate a particular feature of the in vivo environment. The bioreactor system is user friendly, and the chambers are easy to produce, sterilize and assemble.

Modular bioreactor for primary human hepatocyte culture: medium flow stimulates expression and activity of detoxification genes.

Down-regulation of detoxification genes, notably cytochrome P450 (CYPs), in primary hepatocyte cultures is a long-standing and major concern. We evaluated the influence of medium flow in this model. Hepatocytes isolated from 12 different liver donors were cultured either in a multichamber modular bioreactor (MCmB, flow rate 250-500 μL/min) or under standard/static conditions, and the expression of 32 genes, enzyme activities and biological parameters were measured 7-21 days later.

Flow-regulated glucose and lipid metabolism in adipose tissue, endothelial cell and hepatocyte cultures in a modular bioreactor.

Static cell culture has serious limitations in its ability to represent cellular behaviour within a live organism. In vivo, cells are constantly exposed to the flow of bodily fluids and contact with other cell types. Bioreactors provide the opportunity to study cells in an environment that more closely resembles the in vivo setting because cell cultures can be exposed to dynamic flow in contact with or in proximity to other cell types.

The cost and effectiveness of solids thickening technologies for treating backwash and recovering nutrients from intensive aquaculture systems.

The cost and effectiveness of three solids thickening processes, i.e., gravity thickening settlers (GTS), inclined belt filters (IBF), geotextile bag filters (GBF), were individually evaluated with the biosolids backwash produced in intensive aquaculture systems equipped with microscreen drum filters and radial-flow settlers.

In vitro liver model using microfabricated scaffolds in a modular bioreactor.

Hepatocyte function on 3-D microfabricated polymer scaffolds realised with the pressure-activated microsyringe was tested under static and dynamic conditions. The dynamic cell culture was obtained using the multicompartment modular bioreactor system. Hepatocyte cell density, glucose consumption, and albumin secretion rate were measured daily over a week.

Simplified cell culture method for the diagnosis of atypical primary ciliary dyskinesia.

Background: The diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) can be challenging, and it may be particularly difficult to distinguish primary ciliary disease from the secondary changes after infections.

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to evaluate if nasal epithelial cells, obtained with nasal brushing instead of a biopsy, could be used in a culture system for the diagnosis of PCD in difficult cases.

Methods And Main Results: Ciliary motion analysis (CMA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed on 59 subjects with persistent or recurrent pneumonia.

A new library of HEMET model: Insulin effects on hepatic metabolism.

Prediction and simulation of cell culture behaviour, under different chemical and physical stimuli by a mathematical model, represent an innovative way to create a virtual cell laboratory, where it is possible to perform and optimize experimental protocol, saving time and money. In silico experiments permit to reproduce pathological and physiological situations and make toxicological tests. In this paper we introduce a new library of HEMET (HEpatocyte METabolism) software that allows the insulin effects on hepatic metabolism to be simulated.

HEMET: mathematical model of biochemical pathways for simulation and prediction of HEpatocyte METabolism.

Many computer studies and models have been developed in order to simulate cell biochemical pathways. The difficulty of integrating all the biochemical reactions that occur in a cell in a single model is the main reason for the poor results in the prediction and simulation of cell behaviour under different chemical and physical stimuli. In this paper we have translated biochemical reactions into differential equations for the development of modular model of metabolism of a hepatocyte cultured in static and standard conditions (in a plastic multiwell placed in an incubator at 37 degrees C with 5% of CO(2)).

Criticality of the biological and physical stimuli array inducing resident cardiac stem cell determination.

The replacement of injured cardiac contractile cells with stem cell-derived functionally efficient cardiomyocytes has been envisaged as the resolutive treatment for degenerative heart diseases. Nevertheless, many technical issues concerning the optimal procedures to differentiate and engraft stem cells remain to be answered before heart cell therapy could be routinely used in clinical practice. So far, most studies have been focused on evaluating the differentiative potential of different growth factors without considering that only the synergistic cooperation of biochemical, topographic, chemical, and physical factors could induce stem cells to adopt the desired phenotype.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)/poly(epsilon-caprolactone) blends for tissue engineering applications in the form of hollow fibers.

In this work, hollow fibers to be used as guides for tissue engineering applications were produced by dry-jet-wet spinning of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)/poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PHBHV/PCL) solutions in chloroform with various weight ratios between the components (PHBHV/PCL 100/0; 80/20; 60/40; 50/50; 40/60; 20/80; 0/100 w/w). Fibers obtained from PHBHV/PCL blends had a low degree of surface and bulk porosity, depending on composition. Physicochemical characterization involving scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that PHBHV/PCL blends are compatible.

Rapid-prototyped and salt-leached PLGA scaffolds condition cell morpho-functional behavior.

Three dimensional scaffolds microfabricated using pressure-assisted microsyringe (PAM) with controlled geometry and porous membranes obtained using salt leaching were both tested with three different cell types to identify an optimal microstructural architecture for tissue engineering. MG63 (osteoblast-like cells) were used as models of mesenchymal bone tissue and human endothelial cells and NCTC2544 (keratinocytes) represented two epithelial tissues. Both porosity and stiffness of PLGA structures were measured, and cell morphology and cytoskeletal organization analyzed using SEM and actin labeling.