Response to netarsudil in goniotomy-treated eyes and goniotomy-naïve eyes: a pilot study

Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology - To compare the intraocular pressure (IOP)–lowering effects of netarsudil on goniotomy-treated eyes versus...     

Nanovesicles engineered from ES cells for enhanced cell proliferation

Extracellular vesicles (Exosomes and microvesicles) have drawn wide attentions in both diagnostic and therapeutic applications, since they are considered to shuttle biological signals intercellularly. However, further research on exosomes is limited by their rarity and heterogeneity even after lengthy isolation processes. In particular, these limitations are challenging in therapeutic applications. To meet these demands, cell-derived nanovesicles that mimic exosomes were generated by extruding living embryonic stem cells through micro-filters. These nanovesicles have an enclosed lipid bilayer and contain cellular contents. The present study investigated the ability of these nanovesicles to improve proliferation by treating primary murine skin fibroblasts with the nanovesicles. The treated skin fibroblasts showed higher expression levels of mRNA, VEGF-α, protein levels of TGF-β collagen I, PCNA, and Ki-67, as well as enhanced cell proliferation rate and number, compared to non-treated cells. The results indicate that treatment with the nanovesicles could potentially contribute to recovery or wound healing process of tissues.     

Usefulness of a 3D-Printed Thyroid Cancer Phantom for Clinician to Patient Communication

Background

Thyroid glands and surrounding structures are very complex, and this complexity can pose a challenge for clinicians when explaining and communicating to the patient the details of a proposed surgery for thyroid cancer. A three-dimensional (3D) thyroid cancer model could help and improve this communication.

Methods

A 3D-printed phantom of a thyroid gland and its presenting cancer was produced from segmented head and neck contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) data from a patient with thyroid cancer. The phantom reflects the complex anatomy of the arteries, veins, nerves, and other surrounding organs, and the printing materials and techniques were adjusted to represent the texture and color of the actual structures. Using this phantom, patients and clinicians completed surveys on the usefulness of this 3D-printed thyroid cancer phantom. Participants: patients (n = 33) and clinicians (n = 10).

Results

In the patient survey, the patients communicated that the quality of understanding of their thyroid disease status was enhanced when clinicians explained using the phantom. The clinicians communicated that the 3D phantom was advantageous for explaining complex thyroid surgery procedures to patients, and that the 3D phantom was helpful in educating patients with relatively poor anatomical knowledge.

Conclusions

Using 3D printing technology, we produced a CT-based 3D thyroid cancer phantom, and patient and clinician surveys on its utility indicated that it successfully helped educate patients, providing them with an improved understanding of the disease.