Application of iron oxide anoparticles in neuronal tissue engineering

<正>Since the introduction of nanotechnology,nanoscale materials have developed rapidly and have been applied in various fields including in the pharmaceutical industry,medicine,and tissue engineering.Among a variety of nanomaterials,magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles(IONPs)have been intensively investigated for numerous in vivo applications such as gene and drug delivery,diagnostics,cell labeling and sorting.Compared to nanoparticles made from other ma-     

The effect of commonly used sutures on inflammation inducing pathogens – An in vitro study

IntroductionSutures are a vital part of nearly every surgical procedure designed to close and stabilize wound margins consequently allowing undisturbed wound healing.AimThe aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro antimicrobial effect of 4 commonly used sutures.Materials and methodsThe Direct Contact Test was used to evaluate the antibacterial properties of 4 types of sutures: 2 absorbable and 2 non-absorbable braided sutures, immediately or after aging for 2 or 7 days. The tested bacteria were: Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Three-way ANOVA, two-way ANOVA, one-way ANOVA and Tukey multiple comparison were used for statistical analysis.ResultsThe absorbable Vicryl Plus exhibited a bactericidal effect against the Staphylococcus strains, which was unaffected by aging. With P. aeruginosa, there was only an initial delay in bacterial growth. All other tested sutures did not have antibacterial effects against any of the tested bacteria (p < 0.001).ConclusionsVicryl Plus had sustained bactericidal effect against the Staphylococcus strains but not against P. aeruginosa. None of the other sutures presented any antibacterial properties.     

The logic of the interaction between beneficence and respect for autonomy

Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy - Beneficence and respect for autonomy are two of the most fundamental moral duties in general and in bioethics in particular. Beyond the usual questions of how...     

Bringing big data analytics closer to practice: A methodological explanation and demonstration of classification algorithms

Background

Big data analytics are becoming more prevalent due to the recent availability of health data. Yet in spite of evidence supporting the potential contribution of big data analytics to health policy makers and care providers, these tools are still too complex to be routinely used. Further, access to comprehensive datasets required for more accurate results is complex and costly. Consequently, big data analytics are mostly used by researchers and experts who are far removed from actual clinical practice. Hence, policy makers should allocate resources to encourage studies that clarify and simplify big data analytics so it can be used by non-experts (e.g., clinicians, practitioners and decision-makers who may not have advanced computer skills). It is also important to fund data collection and integration from various health IT, a pre-condition for any big data analytics project.

Nonenhanced ECG-gated time-resolved 4D Steady-state free precession (SSFP) MR angiography (MRA) for assessment of cerebral collateral flow: comparison with digital subtraction angiography (DSA)

Objectives

To evaluate a nonenhanced time-resolved 4D SSFP MRA for dynamic visualization of intracranial collateral blood flow.

Methods

22 patients (59.0?±?11.8 years) with steno-occlusive disease of brain-supplying arteries were included in this study. 4D SSFP MRA of the intracranial arteries was acquired with 15 temporal phases and a temporal resolution of 115 ms using 1.5 T MR. Cerebral DSA served as the reference standard and was available in all patients.

Results

Nonenhanced 4D SSFP MRA allowed for detailed dynamic visualization of blood flow in the circle of Willis and its branches in 21 of 22 (95.5%) patients. Collateral flow was excluded with both 4D SSFP MRA and DSA in 4 patients. In 17 patients, DSA detected anterior collateral flow (n?=?8), posterior collateral flow via the right (n?=?8) and left (n?=?7) posterior communicating artery as well as patent EC-IC bypasses (n?=?8). 29 of 31 collateral flow pathways were visualized by 4D SSFP MRA. As compared to DSA, 4D SSFP MRA showed a high sensitivity (92.3%), specificity (100%), positive predictive value (100%) and negative predictive value (95.2%) for visualization of intracranial collateral flow.

Conclusions

4D SSFP MRA is a promising non-invasive imaging technique for dynamic visualization of intracranial collateral flow.     

Tracking the implementation of medical referrals: responsibility versus benefit

According to the court's position, an absence of procedure that flows the medical information between the specialists and the family doctors is considered malpractice on the part of the fund that insures. In the medical practice of the Israel Defense Force, there is an uncompromised system to deal with this issue because of the special responsibility for the soldiers. In this study, we proposed changing the military system in a way that will limit the amount of resources used, as well as to track directly only to those referrals for which the primary care physician has predetermined to be important for the purposes of patient risk management. The results have shown that the new method not only better stands the test of medical malpractice but also is just as effective, and possibly even more so, than the previous method.