Differentiation and proliferation of spermatogonial stem cells using a three-dimensional decellularized testicular scaffold: a new method to study the testicular microenvironment in vitro

International Urology and Nephrology - Successful in vitro transplantation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) demands effective culture systems for SSCs proliferation and differentiation. Natural...     

One-year outcomes with the Taxus Liberté stent in the real world: the Taxus Olympia registry (phase I)

Background: The TAXUS OLYMPIA registry is a prospective, postapproval registry collecting clinical outcomes data on patients receiving the TAXUS Liberté paclitaxel‐eluting stent during routine interventional cardiology practice. Methods: Between February and July 2005, 529 patients receiving the TAXUS Liberté stent at 16 centers in the Middle East, South/Central America, and Asia/Pacific regions were enrolled in Phase I of OLYMPIA. The primary end‐point was TAXUS Liberté stent‐related cardiac events (cardiac death, MI, and revascularization) at 30 days postimplant. Additional clinical assessment was conducted at 6 and 12 months. OLYMPIA phases II and III are in clinical follow‐up and will be reported separately. Results: One‐year clinical follow‐up is available for 98% of patients. Complex patients and lesions were prevalent, including: 50% diabetes mellitus, 49% multivessel disease, 30% multiple stenting, 48% AHA/ACC type B2/C lesions, 19% long lesions (>26 mm), and 40% small vessels (≤2.75 mm). At 1 year, the cardiac event rate was 4.1%, including 1.5% cardiac death, 1.5% MI, and 2.3% target vessel revascularization (TVR). The TAXUS Liberté stent‐related cardiac event rate was 3.7% at 1 year. Stent thrombosis (ST) occurred in 1.7% of patients, with three cases occurring >30 days postprocedure. One‐year cardiac event rates among complex subpopulations (diabetics 5.0%, multiple stents 3.8%, long lesions 3.1%, and small vessels 2.9%) were comparable to the overall study population. Conclusions: In conclusion, this first report of real‐world experience with the TAXUS Liberté stent demonstrates the safety and clinical utility of this stent in the broader spectrum of coronary disease treated in everyday practice.     

Selective protein adsorption modulates platelet adhesion and activation to oligo(ethylene glycol)-terminated self-assembled monolayers with C18 ligands

This study focuses on the selective binding of albumin to a nanostructured surfaces to inhibit other blood proteins from adsorbing thereby reducing platelet adhesion and activation. Tetra (ethylene-glycol)-terminated self-assembled monolayers (EG4 SAMs) with different percentages of C18 ligands on the surface were characterized by contact angle measurements, X-ray photoelectron microscopy, infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy, and ellipsometry. A specific surface (2.5% C18 SAM) was found to be selective for human serum albumin (HSA) in the presence of both albumin and fibrinogen (HFG). The importance of this concentration of C18 ligands was stressed in reversibility studies since that surface exchanged almost all the preadsorbed HSA by HSA in solution, but not by HFG. The effect of protein adsorption in the subsequent adhesion and activation of platelets was studied by pre-immersing the surfaces in albumin and plasma before contact with platelets. Scanning electron microscopy and glutaraldehyde induced fluorescence technique images showed that as surfaces got more hydrophobic due to the immobilization of C18 ligands, the number of adherent platelets increased and their morphology changed from round to fully spread. Pre-immersion in HSA led to an 80% decrease in platelet adhesion and reduction of activation. Pre-immersion in 1% plasma was only relevant in 2.5% C18 SAMs since this was the only surface that demonstrated less adhesion of platelets comparing with buffer pre-immersion. However, they still adsorb more platelets then when HSA was preadsorbed. This was confirmed in competition studies between HSA and plasma that suggested that other plasma proteins were also adsorbing to this surface.     

The Relationship Between Emotional Dependence on Facebook and Psychological Well-Being in Adolescents Aged 13–16

In most countries, Facebook is one of the top social networking sites among children and adolescents. Several studies have investigated the effect of Facebook dependency on individuals’ psychological well-being. However, inadequate studies have examined the impacts of Facebook in eudaimonic well-being. The current study explores how emotional dependence on Facebook relates to psychological well-being in eudaimonic approach. A total of 401, 13 to 16 yearsold who studied at an upper secondary school in Malaysia participated in this study. We expected a negative association between emotional dependence on Facebook and psychological wellbeing. The moderation effect of self-efficacy was examined in the current research. The results of structural equation modeling revealed that emotional dependence on Facebook negatively effects adolescents’ overall psychological well-being. The influence was more pronounced on autonomy, purpose in life, and positive relationship with others. The results also demonstrated that high self-efficacy did not reduce negative impacts of Facebook emotional dependence on adolescents’ psychological well-being.     

Antimicrobial Activity of Methanolic Extracts of Sambucus Ebulus and Urtica Dioica Against Clinical Isolates of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus

Background

Increase in the emergence of drug -resistant pathogens led to the development of natural antimicrobials. In this study the antimicrobial effect of methanolic extracts of Sambucus ebulus and Urtica dioica on 16 skin and wound infections isolates of methicillin resistant S. aureus have been studied.

Material and Methods

Solvent extraction procedure was done using soxhlet apparatus for extracting antimicrobial agents from freeze dried plants. Antibacterial activity was measured using agar well diffusion method.

Results

The MIC of Sambucus ebulus and Urtica dioica extracts against the standard strain of S. aureus ATCC 6538 were determined using the micro dilution method at 15 mg and 20 mg respectively. All the test bacteria were found sensitive to the Sambucus ebulus extract and only one isolate was resistant to Urtica dioica extract.

Conclusion

Extracts of Sambucus ebulus and Urtica dioica possess antibacterial potency against MRSA isolates and may be used as a natural antiseptics and antimicrobial agents in medicine.     

Contribution of EVX1 in Aggressiveness of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Homeobox genes play an overruling role in the regional cell fate determination during development. EVX1 is known as a new target gene of BMP signaling pathway, a group of morphogens which are making the largest subset within the transformation growth factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily. In this study, we aimed to enlighten the expression level of EVX1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and to disclose its apparent roles in maintenance and progression of the disease. The expression level of EVX1 was analyzed in fresh tumoral tissues in comparison with distant tumor-free tissues of 50 ESCC patients using relative comparative real-time PCR. The importance of EVX1 in development and cancer was also reviewed. EVX1 was underexpressed in 70 % of tumor samples. There was a significant correlation between down-regulation of EVX1 and lymph node metastasis of tumor cells (p = 0.027). Furthermore, EVX1 underexpression was significantly correlated with depth of tumor cell invasion (P = 0.037). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report highlighting EVX1 expression in ESCC to date. The clinicopathological relevance of EVX1 mRNA expression in ESCC targeted this gene as a new independent molecular marker for advanced tumor, which determine the characteristics and behavior of aggressive ESCC.