Ultrasound versus computed tomography scan findings in pediatric blunt abdominal traumas

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the performance of ultrasonography (US) versus computed tomography (CT) scan in detecting intra-abdominal injury among pediatric patients with blunt abdominal trauma. Methods: Pediatric patients aged<18, who were admitted to the emergency department (ED) due to abdominal trauma and underwent both US and CT scan were evaluated retrospectively. Results: A total of 732 pediatric patients were included in this study. Pathology was detected on US of 418 (57.1%) cases, whereas, intra-abdominal pathology was detected in CT scan of 359 (48.7%) cases. The sensitivity of US in detecting pathology (fluid and/or organ injury) was 95.3%, and its specificity was 79.6%. The sensitivity of US in detecting free fluid was 94.9%, and its specificity was 80.5%. In patients with unstable and stable hemodynamic, the sensitivities of US in detection of pathology (fluid and/or organ injury) were 97.6% and 91.6%, and its specificities were 74.3% and 80.9%, respectively. Conclusions: In our study, the sensitivity of US in terms of detecting pathology in pediatrics with blunt abdominal trauma was high, whereas the specificity of US was low

Neuronal nitric oxide synthase phosphorylation induced by docosahexaenoic acid protects dopaminergic neurons in an experimental model of Parkinson’s disease

Introduction. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been shown to have beneficial effects on Parkinson’s disease(PD). The aim of this study was to investigate if the DHA acts on neurons of substantia nigra (SN) by phosphorylation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in an experimental mouse model of PD.Material and methods. An experimental model of PD was created by intraperitoneal injections (4 × 20 mg/kg)of the neurotoxin 1-methyl-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). Three-month-old male C57BL/6 micewere randomly divided into four groups as follows: control (C), DHA-treated (DHA), MPTP-injected (MPTP)and DHA-treated and MPTP-injected (DHA + MPTP). DHA (36 mg/kg/day) was administered daily by gavagefor four weeks. Motor activity of the mice was evaluated with pole, locomotor activity and rotarod tests. Caspase-3activity, nitrate/nitrite and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) levels were determined by spectrophotometric assays.Immunohistochemistry was used to localize and assess the expressions of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), nNOS andphospho-nNOS (p-nNOS) in SN.Results. An increased return and total down time in the MPTP group was observed in the pole test, while DHAtreatment decreased both parameters. The ambulatory activity, total distance and total locomotor activities weredecreased in the MPTP group, whereas they were increased by DHA treatment. MPTP-treated animals exhibitedshorter time on the rod test which was significantly increased by DHA treatment. DHA administration significantlydecreased 4-HNE and nitrate/nitrite levels of SN supernatants and protected the TH (+) dopaminergicneurons of SN in the DHA + MPTP group compared to the MPTP group. DHA treatment significantly decreasednNOS and increased p-nNOS immunoreactivities in the DHA + MPTP group compared to the MPTP group.Conclusions. These results indicate that DHA treatment protects dopaminergic neurons in SN via increasingnNOS serine 852 phosphorylation in the experimental mice model of PD

Supramolecular peptide nanofiber morphology affects mechanotransduction of stem cells

Chirality and morphology are essential factors for protein function and interactions with other biomacromolecules. Extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins are also similar to other proteins in this sense; however, the complexity of the natural ECM makes it difficult to study these factors at the cellular level. The synthetic peptide nanomaterials harbor great promise in mimicking specific ECM molecules as model systems. In this work, we demonstrate that mechanosensory responses of stem cells are directly regulated by the chirality and morphology of ECM-mimetic peptide nanofibers with strictly controlled characteristics. Structural signals presented on l-amino acid containing cylindrical nanofibers (l-VV) favored the formation of integrin β1-based focal adhesion complexes, which increased the osteogenic potential of stem cells through the activation of nuclear YAP. On the other hand, twisted ribbon-like nanofibers (l-FF and d-FF) guided the cells into round shapes and decreased the formation of focal adhesion complexes, which resulted in the confinement of YAP proteins in the cytosol and a corresponding decrease in osteogenic potential. Interestingly, the d-form of twisted-ribbon like nanofibers (d-FF) increased the chondrogenic potential of stem cells more than their l-form (l-FF). Our results provide new insights into the importance and relevance of morphology and chirality of nanomaterials in their interactions with cells and reveal that precise control over the chemical and physical properties of nanostructures can affect stem cell fate even without the incorporation of specific epitopes

A Soft+Rigid Hybrid Exoskeleton Concept in Scissors-Pendulum Mode: A Suit for Human State Sensing and an Exoskeleton for Assistance

In this paper, we present a novel concept that can enable the human aware control of exoskeletons through the integration of a soft suit and a robotic exoskeleton. Unlike the state-of-the-art exoskeleton controllers which mostly rely on lumped human-robot models, the proposed concept makes use of the independent state measurements concerning the human user and the robot. The ability to observe the human state independently is the key factor in this approach. In order to realize such a system from the hardware point of view, we propose a system integration frame that combines a soft suit for human state measurement and a rigid exoskeleton for human assistance. We identify the technological requirements that are necessary for the realization of such a system with a particular emphasis on soft suit integration. We also propose a template model, named scissor pendulum, that may encapsulate the dominant dynamics of the human-robot combined model to synthesize a controller for human state regulation. A series of simulation experiments were conducted to check the controller performance. As a result, satisfactory human state regulation was attained, adequately confirming that the proposed system could potentially improve exoskeleton-aided applications

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Multidrug Resistance Mechanisms in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer: Literature Review

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is one of the deadliest cancers for women. The standard care for the disease is the administration of paclitaxel and carboplatin chemotherapy drugs. However, almost 80% of the patients come back with recurrent, resistant disease. Also, similar polyresistance profiles among the patience suggest finding ways to solve the recurrent problem. Therefore, analyzing the most prominent and common signaling pathways specifically expressed by HGSOC resistant clones is essential to understand resistance. This literature review poster discusses current treatment methods, currently known resistance pathways, and potential treatment methods for the future, aiming to find the most effective way to prevent resistance in HGSOC.Chemistry, Department ofHonors Colleg

Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only curative therapy for primary immunodeficiency diseases. Early diagnosis, including prenatally, and early transplantation improve HSCT outcomes. Survival rates improve with advances in the methods of preparing hosts and donor cells, and in supportive and conditioning regimes

Sexual myths and attitudes regarding sexuality of nursing students: A mixed method study

Purpose To determine the nursing students' sexual myths and attitudes regarding sexuality, and to explore their views towards sexual care in practice. Design and Methods A mixed-method sequential explanatory design was used. Data were collected using Questionnaire Form, Sexual Myths Scale (SMS), Sexual Attitude and Beliefs Scale (SABS), and Focus-Group Interview Form. Findings The average scores on the SMS and the SABS were 58.66 +/- 18.74 and 37.50 +/- 6.97, respectively, indicating students' sexual myths and their attitudes regarding sexuality were moderate. A positive, significant correlation was found between SMS and SABS scores (p < 0.001). In the interviews, the views on the barriers and facilitators in sexual care and the negative effect of sexual myths on sexual care were revealed. Practice Implications Courses regarding sexuality should include into nursing curriculum from the first years of undergraduate education.WOS:0006031282000012-s2.0-85098150273PubMed: 3337307