Radiological Density, Atomic Numbers, and Stone Fragmentation of Bego Stones Used for Research in Endourology: Comparison to Real Urinary Stones.

Objective: The aim of the study was to characterize artificial stones used for research in endourology in terms of radiological properties and hardness, based on stone fragmentation, and to compare them with real stones. Materials and Methods: We built artificial stones using BegoStone Plus™ powder (BEGO, Lincoln, RI), with powder (g)-water (mL) ratios ranging from 15:03 to 15:12. The CT Gemstone Spectral Imaging Software® (GE Medical Systems, LLC, Waukesha, WI) was used to evaluate the radiological density in HU and spectral properties. Stone fragmentation was assessed in an in vitro experimental setting. These properties of artificial stones were compared with real urinary calculi. Results: Regarding radiological density in terms of HUs, 15:03 artificial calculi showed similar results when compared with real stones comprising calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate. The 15:03 and 15:04 artificial stones showed similar spectral property results to calcium pyrophosphate stones. The 15:11 artificial stones showed similar stone fragmentation results to real stones comprising uric acid, and 15:03 artificial calculi showed similar results to apatite and cystine stones. Conclusions: Artificial stones are useful for research in endourology. Stones with a powder (g)-water (mL) ratio of 15:03 proved to mimic real hard stones in terms of HUs, atomic number, and stone fragmentation in our study and could be used as artificial hard stones, and 15:11 stones showed similar stone fragmentation to uric acid stones. Our study might suggest that standard Bego stones are useful to investigate different areas in endourology, but not radiological properties because radiological homogeneity is not ensured unless more sophisticated mixing methods are used.

The Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Merremia umbellata Extract.

Merremia umbellata Hallier f. (MU) has been used as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat burns and scales. However, the potential anti-inflammatory mechanisms of action of this plant have not been elucidated. This study aimed to assess the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of the leaf and shoot of MU grown in Bangladesh. The MU extract exhibited antioxidant activities as demonstrated by DPPH and ABTS free-radical-scavenging activities and the total polyphenol and total flavonoid contents. MU extract significantly reduced the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 macrophage. Accordingly, the gene levels of inducible NO synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 were suppressed. The MU extract alleviated the LPS-induced expression of TLR4, NF-κB, and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1ß). The constituents of a MU extract were tentatively identified using UHPLC-PDA-QTOF/MS techniques. The main compounds were identified as 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, quercitrin, and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid. Molecular docking analysis revealed that these compounds interact with TLR4 protein, with quercitrin showing the highest binding affinity among them. Overall, our findings demonstrate the antioxidant and in vitro anti-inflammatory activities of MU and its potential compounds to target the TLR4-NF-κB signaling pathway. These findings are potentially used to further explore promising natural food ingredients that are effective in regulating inflammation.

Stress-induced senescence in mesenchymal stem cells: Triggers, hallmarks, and current rejuvenation approaches.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as promising cell-based therapies in the treatment of degenerative and inflammatory conditions. However, despite accumulating evidence of the breadth of MSC functional potency, their broad clinical translation is hampered by inconsistencies in therapeutic efficacy, which is at least partly due to the phenotypic and functional heterogeneity of MSC populations as they progress towards senescence in vitro. MSC senescence, a natural response to aging and stress, gives rise to altered cellular responses and functional decline. This review describes the key regenerative properties of MSCs; summarises the main triggers, mechanisms, and consequences of MSC senescence; and discusses current cellular and extracellular strategies to delay the onset or progression of senescence, or to rejuvenate biological functions lost to senescence.

Isolated, PSMA-negative penile metastasis from castration resistant prostate adenocarcinoma, identified by FDG-PET.

Penile metastases are a rare entity and are associated with widespread metastatic disease. It is associated with significant morbidity with a poor prognosis. There have been few case reports about metastatic prostate adenocarcinoma to the penis. Diagnosis is often clinical, however, the use of PSMA PET has a high sensitivity. We report the first case of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer with an isolated penile metastatic site. This was not identified on conventional staging or PSMA PET, but using FDG PET. A radical penectomy was performed with ongoing survival.

Design of Volumetric Nanolayers via Rapid Proteolysis of Silk Fibroin for Tissue Engineering.

Various methods have been studied to make a regenerated silk fibroin solution. However, most of them take too much time and effort to liquefy. Here, we report that a regenerated silk fibroin solution could be prepared within seconds through acid proteolysis for the first time. The solubilized fibroin could be applied to advanced tissue engineering. Our method shortened the production time to one day (more than 10 times) compared to the general fibroin solution preparation method. It was confirmed that the initial protein affinity nearly doubled from 0.028 to 0.076 µg·mm-2 in FF(ac) compared to FF(aq). A fibroin nanofiber layer having a volumetric hierarchical structure was prepared by electrospinning an acid-proteolyzed fibroin solution, followed by gas foaming. In vitro results of cell adhesion and proliferation capacity of the gas-foamed scaffold were not significantly different compared to the two-dimensional (2D) fibroin nanofiber membrane, overcoming the limitations of volumetric nanofiber scaffolds. We are confident that our research will greatly contribute to the development of regenerative engineering using other proteins.

Ambiguity is a linking feature for interocular grouping.

Ambiguity is implicit in neural representations of the physical world. Previous work has examined how the visual system resolves ambiguous neural signals that represent various features, such as the percept resulting from rivalrous chromaticities or forms. Relatively little is known, however, about the contribution of unambiguous neural representations to perceptual resolution of ambiguous ones. This is addressed here by measuring perceptual resolution of ambiguity by grouping, which is operationalized as the tendency for multiple similar ambiguous representations to be seen as identical to each other. Multiple chromatically ambiguous representations were created using interocular switch rivalry and presented together with a nearby but separate unambiguous (non-rivalrous) chromaticity. The magnitude of grouping the chromatic regions was compared when ambiguous regions were seen alone versus with unambiguous regions seen simultaneously. Contrary to prevailing theory that the resolution of the ambiguous percepts would follow the unambiguous ones, the ambiguous chromatic regions consistently appeared identical to each other, but their appearance was not found to be attracted to the unambiguous color percept. This supports the proposition that the ambiguity itself in a neural representation is a linking feature contributing to perceptual disambiguation.

Reduction of Transition-Metal Columbite-Tantalite as a Highly Efficient Electrocatalyst for Water Splitting.

We successfully report a liquid-liquid chemical reduction and hydrothermal synthesis of a highly stable columbite-tantalite electrocatalyst with remarkable hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance in acidic media. The reduced Fe0.79Mn0.21Nb0.16Ta0.84O6 (CTr) electrocatalyst shows a low overpotential of 84.23 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and 103.7 achieved at 20 mA cm-2 current density in situ for the HER and OER, respectively. The electrocatalyst also exhibited low Tafel slopes of 104.97 mV/dec for the HER and 57.67 mV/dec for the OER, verifying their rapid catalytic kinetics. The electrolyzer maintained a cell voltage of 1.5 V and potential-time stability close to that of Pt/C and RuO2. Complementary first-principles density functional theory calculations identify the Mn sites as most active sites on the Fe0.75Mn0.25Ta1.875Nb0.125O6 (100) surface, predicting a moderate Gibbs free energy of hydrogen adsorption (ΔGH* ≈ 0.08 eV) and a low overpotential of η = 0.47 V. The |ΔGMnH*| = 0.08 eV on the Fe0.75Mn0.25Ta1.875Nb0.125O6 (100) surface is similar to that of the well-known and highly efficient Pt catalyst (|ΔGPtH*| ≈ 0.09 eV).

A Novel Design of Tri-Layer Membrane with Controlled Delivery of Paclitaxel and Anti-Biofilm Effect for Biliary Stent Applications.

Here, we developed a novel biliary stent coating material that is composed of tri-layer membrane with dual function of sustained release of paclitaxel (PTX) anticancer drug and antibacterial effect. The advantages of using electrospinning technique were considered for the even distribution of PTX and controlled release profile from the nanofiber mat. Furthermore, film cast method was utilized to fabricate AgNPs-immobilized PU film to direct the release towards the tumor site and suppress the biofilm formation. The in vitro antibacterial test conducted against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria species showed excellent antibacterial effect. The in vitro drug release study confirmed the sustained release of PTX from the tri-layer membrane and the release profile fitted first order with correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.98. Furthermore, the release mechanism was studied using Korsmeyer-Peppas model, revealing that the release mechanism follows Fickian diffusion. Based on the results, this novel tri-layer membrane shows curative potential in clinical development.

Integrated design and fabrication strategies for biomechanically and biologically functional PLA/ß-TCP nanofiber reinforced GelMA scaffold for tissue engineering applications.

We present an integrated design and fabrication strategy for the development of hierarchically structured biomechanically and biologically functional tissue scaffold. An integration of ß-TCP incorporated fluffy type nanofibers and biodegradable interpenetrating gelatin-hydrogel networks (IGN) result in biomimetic tissue engineered constructs with fully tunable properties that can match specific tissue requirements. FESEM images showed that nanofibers were efficiently assembled into an orientation of IGN without disturbing its pore architecture. The pore architecture, compressive stiffness and modulus, swelling, and the biological properties of the composite constructs can be tailored by adjusting the composition of nanofiber content with respect to IGN. Experimental results of cell proliferation assay and confocal microscopy imaging showed that the as-fabricated composite constructs exhibit excellent ability for MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation, infiltration and growth. Furthermore, ß-TCP incorporated functionalized nanofiber enhanced the biomimetic mineralization, cell infiltration and cell proliferation. Within two weeks of cell-seeding, the composite construct exhibited enhanced osteogenic performance (Runx2, osterix and ALP gene expression) compared to pristine IGN hydrogel scaffold. Our integrated design and fabrication approach enables the assembly of nanofiber within IGN architecture, laying the foundation for biomimetic scaffold.

Pharmacological blockage of fibro/adipogenic progenitor expansion and suppression of regenerative fibrogenesis is associated with impaired skeletal muscle regeneration.

Acute skeletal muscle injury triggers an expansion of fibro/adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) and a transient stage of fibrogenesis characterized by extracellular matrix deposition. While the perpetuation of such phase can lead to permanent tissue scarring, the consequences of its suppression remain to be studied. Using a model of acute muscle damage we were able to determine that pharmacological inhibition of FAP expansion by Nilotinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor with potent antifibrotic activity, exerts a detrimental effect on myogenesis during regeneration. We found that Nilotinib inhibits the damage-induced expansion of satellite cells in vivo, but it does not affect in vitro proliferation, suggesting a non cell-autonomous effect. Nilotinib impairs regenerative fibrogenesis by preventing the injury-triggered expansion and differentiation of resident CD45(-):CD31(-):α7integrin(-):Sca1(+) mesenchymal FAPs. Our data support the notion that the expansion of FAPs and transient fibrogenesis observed during regeneration play an important trophic role toward tissue-specific stem cells.

Nilotinib reduces muscle fibrosis in chronic muscle injury by promoting TNF-mediated apoptosis of fibro/adipogenic progenitors.

Depending on the inflammatory milieu, injury can result either in a tissue's complete regeneration or in its degeneration and fibrosis, the latter of which could potentially lead to permanent organ failure. Yet how inflammatory cells regulate matrix-producing cells involved in the reparative process is unknown. Here we show that in acutely damaged skeletal muscle, sequential interactions between multipotent mesenchymal progenitors and infiltrating inflammatory cells determine the outcome of the reparative process. We found that infiltrating inflammatory macrophages, through their expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), directly induce apoptosis of fibro/adipogenic progenitors (FAPs). In states of chronic damage, however, such as those in mdx mice, macrophages express high levels of transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1), which prevents the apoptosis of FAPs and induces their differentiation into matrix-producing cells. Treatment with nilotinib, a kinase inhibitor with proposed anti-fibrotic activity, can block the effect of TGF-ß1 and reduce muscle fibrosis in mdx mice. Our findings reveal an unexpected anti-fibrotic role of TNF and suggest that disruption of the precisely timed progression from a TNF-rich to a TGF-ß-rich environment favors fibrotic degeneration of the muscle during chronic injury.

Outcomes of single-dose peri-procedural antibiotic prophylaxis for endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration of pancreatic cystic lesions.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a technique frequently used to diagnose solid and cystic lesions of the pancreas. Antibiotic prophylaxis has been recommended for EUS-FNA of pancreatic cystic lesions but is not universally observed. The most effective antibiotic and the most efficacious route and regimen of administration are also unknown. OBJECTIVE: This cohort study was undertaken to evaluate whether single-dose piperacillin/tazobactam or ciprofloxacin given at the time of the procedure effectively prevents major adverse events and to audit the adherence to this protocol in the setting of EUS-FNA of pancreatic cystic lesions. DESIGN: Consecutive EUS-FNA procedures of pancreatic cystic lesions were performed at Concord Hospital and significant variables regarding the procedure and adverse events were recorded. Patients were also contacted by telephone to follow-up any subacute adverse events they may have experienced. PATIENTS: Over a 30 month period (January 2010-July 2012), a total of 85 EUS-FNAs of pancreatic cysts were performed on 80 different patients. The mean age was 63.2 years (range 17-89 years; 58% females). INTERVENTIONS: Single-dose piperacillin/tazobactam IVs was administered to 87% of patients, while 12% of patients received ciprofloxacin IVs. RESULTS: No patients developed cyst infection, fever, or sepsis (0%) and one patient (1.2%) was hospitalised for self-limited nausea without adverse sequelae. CONCLUSIONS: Single-dose piperacillin/tazobactam at the time of EUS-FNA of pancreatic cysts is an effective prophylaxis of cyst infection or sepsis and can be conveniently given as a single-dose peri-procedurally without further oral antibiotics.

Analgesic use, pain and daytime sedation in people with and without dementia in aged care facilities: a cross-sectional, multisite, epidemiological study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: People living with dementia may experience and express pain in different ways to people without dementia. People with dementia are typically prescribed fewer analgesics than people without dementia indicating a potential difference in how pain is identified and treated in these populations. The objectives of this study are to (1) investigate the prevalence of analgesic load, pain and daytime sedation in people with and without dementia in Australian residential aged care facilities (RACFs), and (2) investigate the clinical and diagnostic associations between analgesic load, pain and daytime sedation in people with and without dementia in Australian RACFs. METHODS/ANALYSIS: This will be a cross-sectional study of 300 permanent residents of up to 10 low-level and high-level RACFs in South Australia with and without dementia. Trained study nurses will administer validated and dementia-specific assessments of self-reported and clinician-observed pain, sedation and other clinical and humanistic outcomes. Medicine-use data will be extracted directly from each resident's medication administration chart. Binary and multinominal logistic regression will be used to compute unadjusted and adjusted ORs and 95% CIs for factors associated with pain, analgesic load and daytime sedation. These factors will include dementia severity, behavioural and psychological symptoms, quality of life, resident satisfaction, attitudes towards medicines, activities of daily living and nutritional status. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Institutional ethics approval has been granted. The findings will be disseminated through public lectures, professional and scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed journal articles. The findings of this study will allow for a better understanding of the prevalence and factors associated with analgesic use, pain and other outcomes in residential care. The findings of this study will be used to inform the development and implementation of strategies to improve the quality of life of people with dementia.

(--)-Catechin glycosides from Ulmus davidiana.

Extensive chromatographic separation of the n-BuOH soluble fraction obtained from the stem and root barks of U. davidiana resulted in five hitherto unknown compounds together with a known one (-)-catechin 1. Structures of the five compounds were elucidated by chemical and spectroscopic analyses, to be (-)-catechin-7-O-gallate-5-O-(5″″-trans-caffeoyl)-ß-D-apiofuranoside-3-O-ß-D-apiofuranosyl-(1 → 2)-ß-D-glucopyranoside 2, (-)-catechin-7-O-gallate-5-O-(5″″-trans-caffeoyl)-ß-D-apiofuranoside-3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside 3, (-)-catechin-7-O-gallate-5-O-ß-D-apiofuranoside-3-O-(2″-O-galloyl)-ß-D-glucopyranoside 4, (-)-catechin-7-O-gallate-5-O-(5″″-trans-caffeoyl)-ß-D-apiofuranoside 5, and (-)-catechin-7-O-gallate-5-O-(5″″-trans-feruloyl)-ß-D-apiofuranoside 6.

Inhibition of DNA topoisomerases I and II and cytotoxicity of compounds from Ulmus davidiana var. japonica.

Twenty five compounds including ten triterpenes (1-3, 5-11), six flavonoids (12-15, 24, 25), five lignans (17, 18, 21-23), two butenyl clohexnone glycosides (19-20), one fructofuranoside (16) and one fatty acid (4) were isolated from the roots of Ulmus davidiana var. japonica. The structures of those compounds were identified by comparing their physicochemical and spectral data with those of published in literatures. All the compounds were evaluated for DNA topoisomerase inhibitory activities and cytotoxicities. Among the purified compounds, 4 and 19 showed more potent inhibitory acitivities (IC(50): 39 and 19 µM, respectively) than camptothecin, as the positive control (IC(50): 46 µM) against topoisomerase I. Compounds, 4, 10, 12, 19, 24 and 25 showed strong inhibitory activities toward DNA topoisomerase II (IC(50): 0.1, 0.52, 0.47, 0.42, 0.17 µM and 17 nM, respectively), which were more potent than that of etoposide as positive control (IC(50): 20 µM). In A549 cell line, 5 and 6 showed cytotoxicities (IC(50): 4 µM and 3 µM, respectively, with IC(50) of camptothecin as positive control: 10.3 µM). In the HepG2 cell line, 3, 5 and 7 showed cytotoxicity (IC(50): 4, 3 and 4 µM, respectively, with IC(50) of camptothecin: 0.3 µM). Compounds 6, 12 and 23 showed cytotoxicities in the HT-29 cell line (IC(50): 19, 19 and 15 µM, respectively, with IC(50) of camptothecin: 2 µM).

Prolonged and severe dysphagia following anterior cervical surgery.

While mild swallowing difficulties are commonly reported transiently following anterior cervical surgery, marked dysphagia is unusual. The authors report a patient who experienced severe and prolonged dysphagia following elective cervical corpectomies with iliac grafting and anterior plate fusion for multilevel cervical canal stenosis. The literature is reviewed and discussed.