Regulation of inflammatory transcription factors by heat shock protein 70 in primary cultured astrocytes exposed to oxygen–glucose deprivation

Inflammation is an important event in ischemic injury. These immune responses begin with the expression of pro-inflammatory genes modulating transcription factors, such as nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), activator protein-1 (AP-1), and signal transducers and activator of transcription-1 (STAT-1). The 70-kDa heat shock protein (Hsp70) can both induce and arrest inflammatory reactions and lead to improved neurological outcome in experimental brain injury and ischemia. Since Hsp70 are induced under heat stress, we investigated the link between Hsp70 neuroprotection and phosphorylation of inhibitor of κB (IκB), c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) and p38 through co-immunoprecipitation and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay. Transcription factors and pro-inflammatory genes were quantified by immunoblotting, electrophoretic-mobility shift assay and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assays. The results showed that heat stress led to Hsp70 overexpression which rendered neuroprotection after ischemia-like injury. Overexpression Hsp70 also interrupts the phosphorylation of IκB, JNK and p38 and blunts DNA binding of their transcription factors (NF-κB, AP-1 and STAT-1), effectively downregulating the expression of pro-inflammatory genes in heat-pretreated astrocytes. Taken together, these results suggest that overexpression of Hsp70 may protect against brain ischemia via an anti-inflammatory mechanism by interrupting the phosphorylation of upstream of transcription factors

Substance related disorders and nursing interventions

Naziv teme ovog završnog rada glasi: “Tvarima povezani poremećaji i sestrinske intervencije”. Ova tema je odabrana zbog toga što nažalost, živimo u vremenu kada sve više mladih postaje ovisno o psihoaktivnim tvarima, dakle to nije problem samo pojedinca nego i cijeloga društva. Ono na što se želi skrenuti pozornost je prevencija, edukacija i liječenje poremećaja povezanih s zlopotrebom psihoaktivnih tvari. U prvom dijelu prikazat će se statistički podaci o ovisnostima u Hrvatskoj, kako bi se ukazalo na postojeći problem i reći će se nešto općenito o zloupotrebi tvari. U drugom dijelu prikazat će se svaku skupinu supstanca posebno, od definicije, simptoma pa sve do liječenja, jer da bi medicinska sestra mogla adekvatno intervenirati treba dobro raspolagati navedenim informacijama. Fokusirat će se na poremećaje koje bi medicinska sestra svojim vještinama i kompetencijama trebala znati riješiti, stoga u rješavanju sestrinskog problema osvrnut će se na sestrinske intervencije. Prikazat će se plan prevencije kako bi spriječili poremećaje i spasili što više mladih života, to je ujedno i cilj ovoga rada. Na kraju osvrnut će se na sveukupan rad i na naše nove spoznaje u ovom području sestrinstva. U izradi ovoga rada koristit će se domaćom i stranom stručnom literaturom.The name of the theme of this dissertation is: Substance-related disorders and nursing interventions. The topic has been selected because unfortunately we live in a time when more and more young people are becoming dependent on psychoactive substances, therefore it is not a problem only of the individual but also to the whole society. We wish to draw attention to the prevention, education and treatment of disorders associated with the abuse of psychoactive substances. In the first part we will show statistics on drug addiction in Croatia, to point out the existing problem and say something general about the abuse of substances. In the second part we will show each group of substances, separetly by definition, symptoms and treatment, because nurse could adequately work, only if knows this informations. We will focus on disorders that nurse with their skills and competencies must be able to solve, therefore, to solve the problem, we will look back on the nursing interventions. We will show prevention plan to prevent disorders and save more young lives, it is also aim of this disertation. In the end we will look at the overall performance and our new knowledge in this area of nursing

Substance related disorders and nursing interventions

Naziv teme ovog završnog rada glasi: “Tvarima povezani poremećaji i sestrinske intervencije”. Ova tema je odabrana zbog toga što nažalost, živimo u vremenu kada sve više mladih postaje ovisno o psihoaktivnim tvarima, dakle to nije problem samo pojedinca nego i cijeloga društva. Ono na što se želi skrenuti pozornost je prevencija, edukacija i liječenje poremećaja povezanih s zlopotrebom psihoaktivnih tvari. U prvom dijelu prikazat će se statistički podaci o ovisnostima u Hrvatskoj, kako bi se ukazalo na postojeći problem i reći će se nešto općenito o zloupotrebi tvari. U drugom dijelu prikazat će se svaku skupinu supstanca posebno, od definicije, simptoma pa sve do liječenja, jer da bi medicinska sestra mogla adekvatno intervenirati treba dobro raspolagati navedenim informacijama. Fokusirat će se na poremećaje koje bi medicinska sestra svojim vještinama i kompetencijama trebala znati riješiti, stoga u rješavanju sestrinskog problema osvrnut će se na sestrinske intervencije. Prikazat će se plan prevencije kako bi spriječili poremećaje i spasili što više mladih života, to je ujedno i cilj ovoga rada. Na kraju osvrnut će se na sveukupan rad i na naše nove spoznaje u ovom području sestrinstva. U izradi ovoga rada koristit će se domaćom i stranom stručnom literaturom.The name of the theme of this dissertation is: Substance-related disorders and nursing interventions. The topic has been selected because unfortunately we live in a time when more and more young people are becoming dependent on psychoactive substances, therefore it is not a problem only of the individual but also to the whole society. We wish to draw attention to the prevention, education and treatment of disorders associated with the abuse of psychoactive substances. In the first part we will show statistics on drug addiction in Croatia, to point out the existing problem and say something general about the abuse of substances. In the second part we will show each group of substances, separetly by definition, symptoms and treatment, because nurse could adequately work, only if knows this informations. We will focus on disorders that nurse with their skills and competencies must be able to solve, therefore, to solve the problem, we will look back on the nursing interventions. We will show prevention plan to prevent disorders and save more young lives, it is also aim of this disertation. In the end we will look at the overall performance and our new knowledge in this area of nursing

The meaning of higher education for people diagnosed with a mental illness: Four students share their experiences

In this qualitative study, four participants diagnosed with a mental illness were interviewed to explore their experiences while attending a post-secondary school. Each participant described how education helped them to find a sense of purpose in their lives. Education is also described as a means of transition from the patient role to other roles such as student or worker. However, the symptoms and stigma associated with their mental illness has created additional challenges for them while in a school setting. Supportive professors and counselors were viewed as helpful in overcoming these barriers. Copyright 2007 Trustees of Boston University

Transfection of arginine decarboxylase gene increases the neuronal differentiation of neural progenitor cells

Growing evidence suggests that the clinical use of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) is hampered by heterogeneity, poor neuronal yield and low survival rate. Recently, we reported that retrovirus-delivered human arginine decarboxylase (hADC) genes improve cell survival against oxidative insult in murine NPCs in vitro. This study investigates whether the induced expression of hADC gene in mNPCs induces any significant change in the cell fate commitment. The evaluation of induced hADC gene function was assessed by knockdown of hADC gene using specific siRNA. The hADC gene delivery triggered higher expression of N-CAM, cell adhesion molecule and MAP-2, neuronal marker. However, the hADC gene knockdown showed downregulation of N-CAM and MAP-2 expression suggesting that hADC gene delivery favors cell fate commitment of mNPCs towards neuronal lineage. Neurite outgrowth was significantly longer in the hADC infected cells. The neurotrophic signal, BDNF aided in the neuronal commitment, differentiation, and maturation of hADC-mNPCs through PI3K and ERK1/2 activation. The induction of neuron-like differentiation is believed to be regulated by the expression of GSK-3β and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways. Our findings suggest that hADC gene delivery favors cell fate commitment of mNPCs towards neuronal lineage, bring new advances in the field of neurogenesis and cell therapy

Transfection of arginine decarboxylase gene increases the neuronal differentiation of neural progenitor cells

Growing evidence suggests that the clinical use of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) is hampered by heterogeneity, poor neuronal yield and low survival rate. Recently, we reported that retrovirus-delivered human arginine decarboxylase (hADC) genes improve cell survival against oxidative insult in murine NPCs in vitro. This study investigates whether the induced expression of hADC gene in mNPCs induces any significant change in the cell fate commitment. The evaluation of induced hADC gene function was assessed by knockdown of hADC gene using specific siRNA. The hADC gene delivery triggered higher expression of N-CAM, cell adhesion molecule and MAP-2, neuronal marker. However, the hADC gene knockdown showed downregulation of N-CAM and MAP-2 expression suggesting that hADC gene delivery favors cell fate commitment of mNPCs towards neuronal lineage. Neurite outgrowth was significantly longer in the hADC infected cells. The neurotrophic signal, BDNF aided in the neuronal commitment, differentiation, and maturation of hADC-mNPCs through PI3K and ERK1/2 activation. The induction of neuron-like differentiation is believed to be regulated by the expression of GSK-3β and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways. Our findings suggest that hADC gene delivery favors cell fate commitment of mNPCs towards neuronal lineage, bring new advances in the field of neurogenesis and cell therapy. © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).2

Prevention of Corneal Myofibroblastic Differentiation In Vitro Using a Biomimetic ECM Hydrogel for Corneal Tissue Regeneration

Corneal scarring is one of the major causes of blindness, affecting millions worldwide. Despite recent advancements in surgical strategies, there is an unmet need for a clinically feasible material and methods to prevent scarring following corneal injury. In this study, we report the potential utility of a hydrogel derived from cadaveric animal corneas, using a decellularized corneal matrix hydrogel (abbreviated as dCMH), which is prepared by a simple method. This hydrogel is easily injectable, biocompatible, and has the ability to maintain good shape-retention properties at 37 °C, which make it suitable for in vivo applications. Furthermore, our gene expression studies and immunofluorescence studies indicate that dCMH maintains the morphology and function of keratocytes in vitro and prevents their transdifferentiation to myofibroblasts. From the above results, it is evident that dCMH maintains the keratocytes with the ability to regenerate the corneal defect without scar. We thus suggest a simple yet effective approach for corneal tissue decellularization and that dCMH can be a promising material for prophylaxis against blinding scar formation in an injured cornea

Video1_COVID-19 repellent cloth.MP4

In this research work, for the first time, we have developed and demonstrated a COVID-19 repellent coating on cotton cloth that not only repels the virus but also most of the human body fluids (superhemophobic). The coating was tested in the BSL3 lab. The controlled experiments revealed no significant increase in the log viral particles on coated fabric compared to the uncoated surface, evidence that the coated fabric resisted the SARS-CoV-2 inoculum. Further, the coated cloth exhibited excellent dust-free nature and stain resistance against body fluids (blood, urine, bovine serum, water, and saliva aerosol). It also shows sufficient robustness for repetitive usage. The fabrication process for the developed COVID-19 repellent cloth is simple and affordable and can be easily scaled up for mass production. Such coating could be applied on various surfaces, including daily clothes, masks, medical clothes, curtains, etc. The present finding could be a mammoth step towards controlling infection spread, including COVID-19.</p