Engineering of cell membranes with a bisphosphonate-containing polymer using ATRP synthesis for bone targeting

The field of polymer-based membrane engineering has expanded since we first demonstrated the reaction of N-hydroxysuccinimide ester-terminated polymers with cells and tissues almost two decades ago. One remaining obstacle, especially for conjugation of polymers to cells, has been that exquisite control over polymer structure and functionality has not been used to influence the behavior of cells. Herein, we describe a multifunctional atom transfer radical polymerization initiator and its use to synthesize water-soluble polymers that are modified with bisphosphonate side chains and then covalently bound to the surface of live cells. The polymers contained between 1.7 and 3.1 bisphosphonates per chain and were shown to bind to hydroxyapatite crystals with kinetics similar to free bisphosphonate binding. We engineered the membranes of both HL-60 cells and mesenchymal stem cells in order to impart polymer-guided bone adhesion properties on the cells. Covalent coupling of the polymer to the non-adherent HL-60 cell line or mesenchymal stem cells was non-toxic by proliferation assays and enhanced the binding of these cells to bone.     

The in vitro characterization of a gelatin scaffold,prepared by cryogelation and assessed in vivo as a dermal replacement in wound repair

A sheet gelatin scaffold with attached silicone pseudoepidermal layer for wound repair purposes was produced by a cryogelation technique. The resulting scaffold possessed an interconnected macroporous structure with a pore size distribution of 131 ± 17 μm at one surface decreasing to 30 ± 8 μm at the attached silicone surface. The dynamic storage modulus (G′) and mechanical stability were comparable to the clinical gold standard dermal regeneration template, Integra®. The scaffolds were seeded in vitro with human primary dermal fibroblasts. The gelatin based material was not only non-cytotoxic, but over a 28 day culture period also demonstrated advantages in cell migration, proliferation and distribution within the matrix when compared with Integra®. When seeded with human keratinocytes, the neoepidermal layer that formed over the cryogel scaffold appeared to be more advanced and mature when compared with that formed over Integra®. The in vivo application of the gelatin scaffold in a porcine wound healing model showed that the material supports wound healing by allowing host cellular infiltration, biointegration and remodelling. The results of our in vitro and in vivo studies suggest that the gelatin based scaffold produced by a cryogelation technique is a promising material for dermal substitution, wound healing and other potential biomedical applications.     

Prevalence of use and reported side effects of herbal medicine among adults in Saudi Arabia

ObjectiveDespite the availability of well characterized and scientifically proven medicines, many people prefer the use of the less known herbal therapies that have no-scientific or evidence-based values as their first line of treatment. While this represents a growing worldwide issue, it is commonly practiced in developing countries including Saudi Arabia. Hence, the aim of the present study is to assess the prevalence of herbal medicine use, the most reported side effects and influencing factors in Saudi Arabia.DesignA community based cross sectional survey study.SettingsParticipants were recruited by convenience sampling method from local malls and family recreation sites.Main outcome measuresPrevalence of herbal medicine use and the associated risks.ResultsOut of the 1300 surveyed individuals, 1226 respondents (94 %) used herbal medicines for therapeutic purposes with the majority of the respondents using them based on traditional beliefs 699 (57 %) or family recommendations 417 (34 %). Young respondents <35 year olds who live in urban cities, showed a significantly better knowledge about herbal medicines use and the associated risks than their counterparts (p < 0.001). Despite the high percentage of reported side effects (46 %), more than half of the respondents 702 (54 %) use herbal medicines as their first line of therapy. However, the most reported reasons for the use of herbal medicine are the belief that they are safer, more effective and cheaper to buy than the standard medicines.ConclusionThere is a high prevalence use of non-scientifically proven herbal medicine and a low level of knowledge about their risks amongst participants.     

Detection of human papillomavirus-16 in ovarian malignancy

Human papillomavirus is the causal factor for cervical cancer. However, the role of HPV infection in ovarian cancer is unclear. This study aimed to determine the presence of human papillomavirus-16 (HPV-16) in ovarian cancer tissues. Archived human ovarian cancer tissues (N=54 cases, 50 are epithelial cancer, four are nonepithelial cancer) embedded in paraffin blocks were used. Controls are 30 nonmalignant ovarian tissue blocks. In situ hybridisation (ISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to detect the presence of HPV-16 and p53 expression. In all, 52 or 36% of the epithelial ovarian tumours detected by ISH or IHC, respectively, were HPV-16 E6 positive. In contrast, only 6.7% of normal ovarian tissues were HPV-16 positive proved by ISH. Human papillomavirus-16 infection was significantly higher in cancer tissues compared to controls with an odds ratio of 16.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]=3.2-71.4, P<0.01). No significant correlation between HPV-16 infection and histological types of cancer was found (P>0.05). p53 gene expression was detected in 42% epithelial ovarian cancers. No correlation between p53 expression and HPV-16 infection was found. The results showed the presence of HPV-16 E6 in ovarian carcinoma, suggesting that HPV infection might play a role in ovarian carcinogenesis.     

Correspondence Between Clinician Ratings of Vulvovaginal Health and Patient-Reported Sexual Function After Cancer

BackgroundTools for diagnosing sexual dysfunction and for tracking outcomes of interest include clinician interviews, physical exam, and patient self-report. Limited work has described relationships among these three sources of information regarding female sexual dysfunction and vulvovaginal health.AimWe describe correlations among data collected from clinician interviews, clinical gynecological examination, and patient self-report.MethodsData are from a single-site, single-arm, prospective trial in 100 postmenopausal patients with a history of breast or endometrial cancer who sought treatment for vulvovaginal symptoms. The trial collected a standardized clinical gynecologic exam, clinician-reported outcome (ClinRO) measures of vulvovaginal dryness and pain, and patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures of sexual function, including PROMIS Sexual Function and Satisfaction (SexFS) lubrication, vaginal discomfort, labial discomfort, and clitoral discomfort and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) lubrication and pain. We examined polyserial correlations between measures with bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals from the baseline and 12–14-week timepoints.ResultsAll of the relationships between the ClinRO variables and the PRO variables were in the expected direction (ie, positive), but the strength of the relationships varied substantially. At 12–14 weeks, there were medium-to-large correlations between ClinRO vaginal dryness and SexFS Lubrication (0.64), ClinRO vulvar dryness and SexFS Lubrication (0.46), ClinRO vulvar discomfort and SexFS Labial Discomfort (0.70), and ClinRO vulvar discomfort and SexFS Clitoral Discomfort (0.43). With one exception, the correlations between the exam variables and the corresponding PRO scores were small (range 0.01–0.27).Strengths & LimitationsOur study included a comprehensive, standardized gynecologic exam designed specifically to evaluate sexual dysfunction as well as established PRO measures with significant evidence for validity. A limitation of our findings is that the sample size was relatively small, and our sample was restricted to women who received cancer treatments known to have dramatic effects on vulvovaginal tissue quality.ConclusionPatient- and clinician-reported vulvovaginal dryness and discomfort were moderately correlated with each other but not with clinical gynecologic exam findings. Understanding the relationships among these different types of data highlights the distinct contributions of each to understand vulvovaginal tissue quality and patient sexual function after cancer. Flynn KE, Lin L, Carter J, et al. Correspondence Between Clinician Ratings of Vulvovaginal Health and Patient-Reported Sexual Function After Cancer. J Sex Med 2021;18:1768–1774.     

2009-2018年内蒙古自治区鄂尔多斯市猩红热流行特征分析

目的了解内蒙古自治区鄂尔多斯市猩红热发病趋势及流行特征,为防控工作提供参考依据。方法利用描述流行病学方法分析鄂尔多斯市2009—2018年猩红热疫情资料。结果2009—2018年鄂尔多斯市共报告病例3150例,年平均发病率为16.50/10万,男性发病率为女性的1.58倍。发病率呈现一定的季节性,第一个高峰出现在5—7月,第二个高峰出现在10月至次年1月。病例以3~10岁年龄组高发,占病例总数的94.16%(2966/3150)。幼托儿童、学生、散居儿童报告发病数分别占全部报告发病数的60.32%(1900例)、28.22%(889例)和10.67%(336例)。结论近10年来鄂尔多斯市猩红热报告发病率整体呈上升趋势,以春末夏初和冬季高发,男性发病率高于女性。     

Paraprosthetic Complications After Endoprosthesis Replacement of Pelvis Joint with Implants

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is shaping of ideas about possible ways of decreasing complications of the analyzed types of operations and identification of opportunities of the impact on the socio-economic environment among the Afro-American population of USA. The paper demonstrates that the issue of coxofemoral prosthesis is not only a purely medical but also a social problem. In particular, availability of timely aid, as well as insurance in the form of surgery, refer to relevance of the range of problems.

草决明药理作用的研究

目的：研究草决明提取物对正常小鼠的血清总胆固醇影响,对高血脂症大白鼠的血脂影响,对大白鼠的棉球肉芽肿影响。方法：建立小白鼠和大白鼠高脂血症模型,给予草决明提取物治疗,研究草决明对小白鼠血清总胆固醇、对大白鼠血脂以及对大白鼠棉球肉芽肿的影响。结果：通过上述动物实验,证明草决明具有显著的保肝、利胆、降血压、降血脂作用,并有一定的抗动脉粥样硬化作用,是一种安全药物。结论：草决明安全、有效,可以应用于临床。     

小檗碱对改善大鼠动脉粥样硬化的影响及作用机制

目的:研究小檗碱对大鼠动脉粥样硬化的影响,并阐明其机制。方法:将30只大鼠随机分为5组,只饲基础饲料组作空白对照组(A),模型组(B)不予给药,C、D、E组给予不同剂量小檗碱,测定大鼠血液中TC、TG、LDL-C和HDL-C浓度,以及SOD活性和MDA水平。结果:给药大鼠与模型组相比较,TC、TG、LDL-C浓度明显降低(P<0.05),HDL-C浓度升高(P<0.05),SOD活性增强,MDA水平降低(P<0.05),SOD与MDA呈负相关。结论:小檗碱具有改善大鼠动脉粥样硬化的功效,可作为降血脂药应用于临床。