53 research outputs found
Lung Regeneration: Endogenous and Exogenous Stem Cell Mediated Therapeutic Approaches
The tissue turnover of unperturbed adult lung is remarkably slow. However, after injury or
insult, a specialised group of facultative lung progenitors become activated to replenish damaged
tissue through a reparative process called regeneration. Disruption in this process results in healing by
fibrosis causing aberrant lung remodelling and organ dysfunction. Post-insult failure of regeneration
leads to various incurable lung diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Therefore, identification of true endogenous lung progenitors/stem
cells, and their regenerative pathway are crucial for next-generation therapeutic development. Recent
studies provide exciting and novel insights into postnatal lung development and post-injury lung
regeneration by native lung progenitors. Furthermore, exogenous application of bone marrow stem
cells, embryonic stem cells and inducible pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) show evidences of their
regenerative capacity in the repair of injured and diseased lungs. With the advent of modern tissue
engineering techniques, whole lung regeneration in the lab using de-cellularised tissue scaffold
and stem cells is now becoming reality. In this review, we will highlight the advancement of our
understanding in lung regeneration and development of stem cell mediated therapeutic strategies in
combating incurable lung diseases
Restored Agricultural Wetlands in central Iowa: Habitat Quality and Amphibian Response
Amphibians are declining throughout the United States and worldwide due, partly, to habitat loss. Conservation practices on the landscape restore wetlands to denitrify tile drainage effluent and restore ecosystem services. Understanding how water quality, hydroperiod, predation, and disease affect amphibians in restored wetlands is central to maintaining healthy amphibian populations in the region. We examined the quality of amphibian habitat in restored wetlands relative to reference wetlands by comparing species richness, developmental stress, and adult leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) survival probabilities to a suite of environmental metrics. Although measured habitat variables differed between restored and reference wetlands, differences appeared to have sub-lethal rather than lethal effects on resident amphibian populations. There were few differences in amphibian species richness and no difference in estimated survival probabilities between wetland types. Restored wetlands had more nitrate and alkaline pH, longer hydroperiods, and were deeper, whereas reference wetlands had more amphibian chytrid fungus zoospores in water samples and resident amphibians exhibited increased developmental stress. Restored and reference wetlands are both important components of the landscape in central Iowa and maintaining a complex of fish-free wetlands with a variety of hydroperiods will likely contribute to the persistence of amphibians in this landscape
Gender differences in criminogenic needs among Irish offenders
This study examined gender differences between offenders on
criminogenic needs as measured by the Level of Service Inventory – Revised (LSIR).
The LSI-R is the primary risk/needs assessment instrument used by the Irish
Probation Service in assessment. 231 Probation Service clients (131 male and 100
female) were included in this study for comparison purposes. Results showed that
male offenders had higher levels of criminogenic needs in the areas of criminal history
and substance abuse than females; the latter demonstrated higher levels of need in
the areas of accommodation, emotional/personal and family/marital. Implications for
effective treatment for female offenders are discussed
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