DADOS-Survey: an open-source application for CHERRIES-compliant Web surveys

BACKGROUND: The Internet has been increasingly utilized in biomedical research. From online searching for literature to data sharing, the Internet has emerged as a primary means of research for many physicians and scientists. As a result, Web-based surveys have been employed as an alternative to traditional, paper-based surveys. We describe DADOS-Survey, an open-source Web-survey application developed at our institution that, to the best of our knowledge, is the first to be compliant with the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES). DADOS-Survey was designed with usability as a priority, allowing investigators to design and execute their own studies with minimal technical difficulties in doing so. RESULTS: To date, DADOS-Survey has been successfully implemented in five Institutional Review Board-approved studies conducted by various departments within our academic center. Each of these studies employed a Web-survey design as their primary methodology. Our initial experience indicates that DADOS-Survey has been used with relative ease by each of the investigators and survey recipients. This has been further demonstrated through formal and field usability testing, during which time suggestions for improvement were incorporated into the software design. CONCLUSION: DADOS-Survey has the potential to have an important role in the future direction of Web-survey administration in biomedical research. This CHERRIES-compliant application is tailored to the emerging requirements of quality data collection in medicine

Using viral vectors as gene transfer tools (Cell Biology and Toxicology Special Issue: ETCS-UK 1 day meeting on genetic manipulation of cells)

In recent years, the development of powerful viral gene transfer techniques has greatly facilitated the study of gene function. This review summarises some of the viral delivery systems routinely used to mediate gene transfer into cell lines, primary cell cultures and in whole animal models. The systems described were originally discussed at a 1-day European Tissue Culture Society (ETCS-UK) workshop that was held at University College London on 1st April 2009. Recombinant-deficient viral vectors (viruses that are no longer able to replicate) are used to transduce dividing and post-mitotic cells, and they have been optimised to mediate regulatable, powerful, long-term and cell-specific expression. Hence, viral systems have become very widely used, especially in the field of neurobiology. This review introduces the main categories of viral vectors, focusing on their initial development and highlighting modifications and improvements made since their introduction. In particular, the use of specific promoters to restrict expression, translational enhancers and regulatory elements to boost expression from a single virion and the development of regulatable systems is described

Radical oxygen species and bile secretion

Oxidative stress is a common feature in most hepatopathies. Accumulating evidences indicate that reactive oxygen species (ROS) induce a number of functional changes either deleterious or adaptive in the capability of the hepatocytes to produce bile and to secrete exogenous and endogenous compounds. This review is aimed to describe the mechanisms involved in these changes. For this purpose, we will summarize: 1. The current evidence that acutely induced oxidative stress is cholestatic, by describing the mechanisms underlying the hepatocyte secretory failure, including the disorganization of the actin cytoskeleton and its most noticeable consequences, that is, the impairment of tight-junctional structures and the endocytic internalization of canalicular transporters relevant to bile formation. 2. The role for oxidative-stress-activated signalling pathways in the pathomechanisms described above, particularly those involving Ca2+ elevation and its consequent activation via Ca2+ of “classical” and “novel” PKC isoforms. 3. The mechanisms involved in the adaptive response against oxidative stress mediated by ROS-responsive transcription factors, such as upregulation of GSH synthesis pathway, antioxidant enzymes, and hepatocellular efflux pumps. 4. The consequences on hepatocellular secretory function when this adaptive response can be surpassed by the sustained/high production of ROS. This deleterious effects include transcriptional and posttranscriptional changes in the expression of transporters relevant to bile formation, as has been shown to occur, for example, after long-term administration of aluminum to rats, in the Long-Evans Cinnamon rat (a model of chronic hepatic copper accumulation mimicking Wilson’s disease), and in ischemia-reperfusion injury.Fil: Basiglio, Cecilia Lorena. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Fisiología Experimental (IFISE‑CONICET); Argentina.Fil: Toledo, Flavia D. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Fisiología Experimental (IFISE‑CONICET); Argentina.Fil: Sánchez Pozzi, Enrique J. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Fisiología Experimental (IFISE‑CONICET); Argentina.Fil: Roma, Marcelo Gabriel. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Fisiología Experimental (IFISE‑CONICET); Argentina