Development of a protocol for maintaining viability while shipping organoid‐derived retinal tissue

Retinal organoid technology enables generation of an inexhaustible supply of three‐dimensional retinal tissue from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) for regenerative medicine applications. The high similarity of organoid‐derived retinal tissue and transplantable human fetal retina provides an opportunity for evaluating and modeling retinal tissue replacement strategies in relevant animal models in the effort to develop a functional retinal patch to restore vision in patients with profound blindness caused by retinal degeneration. Because of the complexity of this very promising approach requiring specialized stem cell and grafting techniques, the tasks of retinal tissue derivation and transplantation are frequently split between geographically distant teams. Delivery of delicate and perishable neural tissue such as retina to the surgical sites requires a reliable shipping protocol and also controlled temperature conditions with damage‐reporting mechanisms in place to prevent transplantation of tissue damaged in transit into expensive animal models. We have developed a robust overnight tissue shipping protocol providing reliable temperature control, live monitoring of the shipment conditions and physical location of the package, and damage reporting at the time of delivery. This allows for shipping of viable (transplantation‐competent) hPSC‐derived retinal tissue over large distances, thus enabling stem cell and surgical teams from different parts of the country to work together and maximize successful engraftment of organoid‐derived retinal tissue. Although this protocol was developed for preclinical in vivo studies in animal models, it is potentially translatable for clinical transplantation in the future and will contribute to developing clinical protocols for restoring vision in patients with retinal degeneration.     

Vagal stimulation and laryngeal electromyography for recurrent laryngeal reinnervation in children

Ansa-to-recurrent laryngeal nerve (ANSA-RLN) reinnervation procedures are now often first-line treatments for some children with unilateral vocal fold immobility. Although many describe that children with prolonged denervation and true vocal fold atrophy should not undergo this procedure, there has been no gold-standard means of identifying true denervation. Here, we describe a novel technique using evoked vagal electromyography to predict degree of chronic nerve injury prior to recurrent laryngeal nerve reinnervation in children. This is a simple, readily available technique that may play an important role in predicting likelihood of success with pediatric ANSA-RLN reinnervation. Laryngoscope, 130:747–751, 2020     

Detecting white matter alterations in multiple sclerosis using advanced diffusion magnetic resonance imaging

Multiple sclerosis is a neurodegenerative and inflammatory disease, a hallmark of which is demyelinating lesions in the white matter. We hypothesized that alterations in white matter microstructures can be non-invasively characterized by advanced diffusion magnetic resonance imaging. Seven diffusion metrics were extracted from hybrid diffusion imaging acquisitions via classic diffusion tensor imaging, neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging, and q-space imaging. We investigated the sensitivity of the diffusion metrics in 36 sets of regions of interest in the brain white matter of six female patients(age 52.8 ± 4.3 years) with multiple sclerosis. Each region of interest set included a conventional T2-defined lesion, a matched perilesion area, and normal-appearing white matter. Six patients with multiple sclerosis(n = 5) or clinically isolated syndrome(n = 1) at a mild to moderate disability level were recruited. The patients exhibited microstructural alterations from normal-appearing white matter transitioning to perilesion areas and lesions, consistent with decreased tissue restriction, decreased axonal density, and increased classic diffusion tensor imaging diffusivity. The findings suggest that diffusion compartment modeling and q-spa ce analysis appeared to be sensitive for detecting subtle microstructural alterations between perilesion areas and normal-appearing white matter.     

Sex,drugs, & rurality: A brief qualitative analysis of rural gay and bisexual men’s substance use sex expectancies

Background: One well documented reason that individuals use alcohol and drugs is the belief that these substances will increase satisfaction of a sexual experience or somehow otherwise enhance the sexual experience. However, the unique experiences of MSM residing in rural areas are not well represented in the scientific literature.

Methods: We conducted 40 interviews with individuals who identified as a man who has sex with men and lived in rural areas in Oklahoma, a primarily rural and socio-politically conservative state in the United States. Data collection continued until thematic saturation was reached.

Results: Three main substances (and themes) were identified by participants: 1) marijuana (focus on the experience/person), alcohol (more open/playful and reduces anxiety), and methamphetamines (stamina and arousal).

Conclusions: While the themes for alcohol and methamphetamines were in line with previous research, this is one of the first studies to identify the sex expectancies of marijuana of increasing the ability to focus on the sexual experience and/or the partner. Taken together, participants endorsed some type of positive substance use sex expectancies. These results highlight the importance of accounting for substance use sex expectancies when developing interventions to reduce substance use and risky sexual behaviors.