Fibrin as a cell carrier in cardiovascular tissue engineering applications

In cardiovascular tissue engineering approaches, efficient seeding methods are essential. To achieve this and to save time, cells can be encapsulated in gels. Combining the advantages of a gel as a cell carrier with the advantages of a fiber-based scaffold, providing structural integrity to the developing tissue, might offer several advantages. In this study, seeding by using fibrin as a cell carrier is compared to the conventional static seeding method with regard to tissue development. Seeding with fibrin resulted in less loss of soluble collagen into the medium and a more mature extracellular matrix in a shorter period of time. The use of fibrin degradation inhibitors was shown to inhibit extracellular matrix formation, although it did not hamper cell proliferation. The use of fibrin as a cell carrier to seed cells into a fiber-based scaffold may represent a promising, timesaving approach in cardiovascular tissue engineering applications.     

Developing resources to teach and assess the core competencies: a collaborative approach.

Graduate medical education programs face new challenges as they seek to comply with the mandate from the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education to demonstrate that they are teaching and assessing residents on the six core competencies. The authors describe a project designed as a collaborative venture between the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) and the Center for Educational Outcomes at Dartmouth College (CEdO) to provide residency programs in allergy/immunology with resources for teaching and assessing the core competencies. The goal was to create a set of learning and assessment resources that maximized the content knowledge expertise provided by the AAAAI and the learning expertise provided by CEdO. A highly interactive, iterative process was used to create a set of Web-based modules. Bilateral communication, buy-in, and active involvement in the process were seen as crucial to the development of resources and their successful implementation. Approximately 18 months after the modules were made available to training program directors, 80% of the directors surveyed were aware of and had accessed the modules. The joint creation process used in this project, designed to be generally applicable across specialties, reveals how the burden of meeting new requirements can be decreased when experts in content knowledge and experts in learning collaborate.     

Genotypic differences in larval olfactory discrimination in twoDrosophila melanogaster strains

Wild-type (+B) and compound chromosome mutant(bB) Drosophila melanogaster larvae were tested in a U-maze. FreshDrosophila food or food and larvae were placed in each of the two goals (+B only in goal 1,bB in goal 2) and served as stimulus. Separate trials were conducted using +B andbB larvae to test for preference in the maze. Significantly more test larvae went to the arm of the maze containing their own strain as stimulus when (1) both goals contained larvae, (2) one goal contained homogenetic larvae and the other fresh food only, and (3) the goals contained biotic residues of stimulus larvae. The strength of the stimulus necessary to elicit the response differed for the two strains, the +B strain apparently being more sensitive. As the density of the stimulus larvae was increased, the choices of the test larvae became statistically nonsignificant and the number of larvae remaining in the starting arm of the maze increased. The data suggested that the strains of larvae utilized here have the capacity for olfactory discrimination.Part of this investigation was supported by National Institutes of Health Award 1 F 32 NS05155-01 CMS from the Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke to A. P.     

T-antigen expression by peanut agglutinin staining relates to mucosal dysplasia in ulcerative colitis

Staining of 326 rectal mucosal biopsies from ulcerative colitis patients with peanut agglutinin (PNA), which binds to the T-blood group antigen and has been claimed to reflect a cancer-associated mucin alteration, showed highly significant direct associations with mucosal dysplasia (P less than 0.001), disease activity (P less than 0.001), and subsequent development of rectal cancer in a smaller series of patients (P = 0.005). Staining for normal colonic mucin by the Dolichos biflorus (DBA) lectin related significantly and inversely to dysplasia. Intense normal colon mucin staining by DBA related significantly (P less than 0.025) to long disease duration and to subsequent development of cancer (P = 0.02). The latter association is based on a small number of patients only and is not considered conclusive evidence, but may provide a link with goblet-cell hyperplasia. The authors conclude that although T-antigen expression relates to dysplasia, the findings of "false" positive and negative rates of 22 and 33 percent respectively, make it unlikely that staining of biopsy sections for the T-antigen by peanut agglutinin will contribute materially to routine assessment for dysplasia and cancer risk prediction in patients with ulcerative colitis.     

Efficacy of vaccination with StroVac for recurrent urinary tract infections in women: a comparative single-centre study

International Urology and Nephrology - To assess the efficacy of prophylaxis for urinary tract infections (UTI) in a two-year follow-up in women with StroVac compared to a therapy with...