Autoradiographic evaluation of circadian periodicity in cell proliferation in the periodontal ligament of the young mouse

Five-week-old BNL male mice were maintained on a 12-h light/dark cycle, subcutaneously injected with [3H]-thymidine 1 h before death and killed every 3 h for 24 h. Autoradiographs were made from demineralized, paraffin-wax embedded sagittal sections of maxillae. The labelling index was calculated for fibroblast-like cells of the periodontal ligament mesial to the first molar. A bimodal distribution of labelled cells was seen. Labelling index was highest at 0900 h (light period); a second, lower, peak was seen at 2400 h (dark period). Cell proliferation was significantly increased during the light period. The increased activity during the dark period may represent a superimposed secondary, ultradian, rhythm, differences in periodontal cell subtypes or may be related to the feeding and activity cycle of the mouse. Thus there is a 24-h cyclic rhythmicity in the proliferation of periodontal-ligament cells in the mouse.     

Assessment of health systems guidance using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation – Health Systems (AGREE-HS) instrument

Health systems guidance (HSG) documents contain systematically developed statements or recommendations intended to address a health system challenge. The concept of HSG is fairly new and considerable effort has been undertaken to build tools to support the contextualization of recommendations. One example is the Appraisal of Guidelines for REsearch and Evaluation - Health Systems (AGREE-HS), created by international stakeholders and researchers, to assist in the development, reporting and evaluation of HSG. Here, we present the quality appraisal of 85 HSG documents published from 2012 to 2017 using the AGREE-HS. The AGREE-HS consists of five items (Topic, Participants, Methods, Recommendations, and Implementability), which are scored on a 7-point response scale (1=lowest quality; 7=highest quality). Overall, AGREE-HS item scores were highest for the 'Topic' and 'Recommendations' items (means above the mid-point of 4), while the 'Participants', 'Methods', and 'Implementability' items received lower scores. Documents without a specific health focus and those authored by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence group, achieved higher AGREE-HS overall scores than their comparators. No statistically significant changes in overall scores were observed over time. This is the first time that the AGREE-HS has been applied, providing a current quality status report of HSG and identifying where improvements in HSG development and reporting can be made.     

Nutritional and Functional Properties of Defatted,Debittered and Off-Flavour Free High Protein Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) Meal Flour

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - A process for the preparation of defatted, debittered and off-flavour free guar meal flour (GMF) with high...     

Microsphere-based scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering: Using subcritical CO2 as a sintering agent

Shape-specific, macroporous tissue engineering scaffolds were fabricated and homogeneously seeded with cells in a single step. This method brings together CO₂ polymer processing and microparticle-based scaffolds in a manner that allows each to solve the key limitation of the other. Specifically, microparticle-based scaffolds have suffered from the limitation that conventional microsphere sintering methods (e.g., heat, solvents) are not cytocompatible, yet we have shown that cell viability was sustained with subcritical (i.e., gaseous) CO₂ sintering of microspheres in the presence of cells at near-ambient temperatures. On the other hand, the fused microspheres provided the pore interconnectivity that has eluded supercritical CO₂ foaming approaches. Here, fused poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microsphere scaffolds were seeded with human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells to demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing these matrices for cartilage regeneration. We also demonstrated that the approach may be modified to produce thin cell-loaded patches as a promising alternative for skin tissue engineering applications.     

Melphalan-Based Reduced-Intensity Conditioning is Associated with Favorable Disease Control and Acceptable Toxicities in Patients Older Than 70 with Hematologic Malignancies Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHCT) is offered increasingly to elderly patients with hematologic malignancies. However, outcome data in those who are 70 years or older are limited, and no standard conditioning regimen has been established for this population. In this retrospective study we evaluated the outcome of 53 consecutive patients aged 70 years and older who underwent alloHCT with melphalan-based reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) at City of Hope. Engraftment was prompt, with median time to neutrophil engraftment of 15 days. More than 95% of patients achieved complete donor chimerism within 6 weeks from HCT, consistent with the “semiablative” nature of this regimen. With a median follow-up of 31.1 months, the 2-year overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and nonrelapse mortality (NRM) were 68.9%, 63.8%, and 17.0%, respectively. Cumulative incidence of relapse at 1 and 2 years was 17.0% and 19.3%, respectively. One hundred–day cumulative incidence of grades II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease was 37.7% (grades III to IV, 18.9%), and 2-year cumulative incidence of chronic graft-versus-host disease was 61.9% (extensive, 45.9%). The only significant predictor for poor OS was high/very high disease risk index. Transplant-related complications and morbidities observed here did not differ from the commonly expected in younger patients treated with RIC. In conclusion, alloHCT with a melphalan-based conditioning regimen is associated with acceptable toxicities and NRM, lower incidence of relapse, and favorable OS and PFS in patients aged 70 years or older.     

Image-Guided Stereotactic Spine Radiosurgery on a Conventional Linear Accelerator

Stereotactic radiosurgery for spinal metastasis consists of a high radiation dose delivered to the tumor in 1 to 5 fractions. Due to the high radiation dose in a single or fewer treatments, the precision of tumor localization and dose delivery is of great concern. Many groups have published their experiences of spinal radiosurgery with the use of CyberKnife System (Accuray Inc.). In this study, we report in detail our approach to stereotactic spine radiosurgery (SSRS) using a conventional linear accelerator (Varian Trilogy), utilizing the features of kilovolt on-board imaging (kV-OBI) and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) for image guidance. We present our experience in various aspects of the SSRS procedure, including patient simulation and immobilization, intensity-modulated radiation treatment (IMRT) planning and beam selection, portal dosimetry for patient planning quality assurance (QA), and the use of image guidance in tumor localization prior to and during treatment delivery.