Pharmacokinetics and Disposition of Green Tea Catechins

Green tea reportedly possesses many health beneficial effects as a beverage. Its usage has even been elevated to therapeutic level for treatment of diseases, including cancer, after increasing the catechin constituents in green tea extract or through purified catechins compounds. However, the therapeutic effectiveness of green tea extract or catechin formulae on different diseases is still questionable and inconsistent in reported studies. One reason is the low and variable bioavailability of catechins or unknown constituents in green tea extract. The plasma levels of total catechins are usually at submicromolar level which is well below the effective dose in many in vitro studies. Besides their variable chemical structures that cause heterogeneity of absorption, green tea catechins are subject to extensive metabolism by phase II process and catabolism by colonic microbes that result in complicated pharmacokinetics. It is essential to understand the factors affecting the pharmacokinetics and metabolic profiles in plasma and tissues based on animal and human studies before green tea catechins can be applied for therapeutic use

Cryopreservation of Umbilical Cord Tissue for Stem Cell Harvesting

Stem cell transplantation has become an important process used to treat patients with bone marrow diseases. When implanted into patients, stem cells from the umbilical cord have been found to successfully proliferate as new neurons and glia, thereby improving the patients? health. Neurons and glia are imperative for the health and normal function of our nervous system. Neurons are electrically active cells that can produce action potentials to transmit signals based on electrochemical impulses. Glia, which comprise a large part of our nervous systems (90% of the brain alone), were once dismissed as mere padding in the nervous system. However, it is now known that they are actually an integral component of the system, serving to facilitate and ensure the proper transmission of signals between neurons. Damage to or loss of neural cells, whether due to physical injury, removal (as in the case of cancer) or diseases such as Motor Neuron Disease (MND) and Parkinson?s disease is severely detrimental to one?s health. Using current tissue engineering technology, stem cells harvested from the matrix of the umbilical cord (known as Wharton?s Jelly), may be differentiated into neurons or glia, effectively replacing those that were lost or damaged. To ensure biocompatibility, umbilical cord matrix cells from direct relatives are used. Therefore, cryopreservation of these cells is imperative to the stem cell treatment to be used in the future. Our goal is to use FIDAP and GAMBIT software solutions and mesh to compare the effectiveness of glycerol, propylene glycol, and DMSO, three commonly used cryopreservatives, in order to determine the cryopreservation agent that will maximize viability of umbilical cord stem cells

Calibration of Parshall Flumes with Non-Standard Entrance Transitions

The 9-ince and 18-inch Parshall flumes with the throat section installed level with the bottom of an incoming pipe were tested. The measured discharges for given flow depths (free flow) or differences in flow depths (submerged flow) were found to deviate quite significantly fromt he computed standard Parshall flume disharges at both low and high flow rates. New empirical formulats have been developed to take such deviations into account. It is noted that values of the coefficients and exponents contained in the new formulas depend on the throat size of the flume and the slope of the incoming pipe. Calibration curves and tables were prepared for convenient applications of the new formulas

Treatment Outcome Prediction for Intracerebral Hemorrhage via Generative Prognostic Model with Imaging and Tabular Data

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the second most common and deadliest form of stroke. Despite medical advances, predicting treat ment outcomes for ICH remains a challenge. This paper proposes a novel prognostic model that utilizes both imaging and tabular data to predict treatment outcome for ICH. Our model is trained on observational data collected from non-randomized controlled trials, providing reliable predictions of treatment success. Specifically, we propose to employ a variational autoencoder model to generate a low-dimensional prognostic score, which can effectively address the selection bias resulting from the non-randomized controlled trials. Importantly, we develop a variational distributions combination module that combines the information from imaging data, non-imaging clinical data, and treatment assignment to accurately generate the prognostic score. We conducted extensive experiments on a real-world clinical dataset of intracerebral hemorrhage. Our proposed method demonstrates a substantial improvement in treatment outcome prediction compared to existing state-of-the-art approaches. Code is available at https://github.com/med-air/TOP-GP

Relationship between cortical thickness and neuropsychological performance in normal older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been extensively investigated in recent decades to identify groups with a high risk of dementia and to establish effective prevention methods during this period. Neuropsychological performance and cortical thickness are two important biomarkers used to predict progression from MCI to dementia. This study compares the cortical thickness and neuropsychological performance in people with MCI and cognitively healthy older adults. We further focus on the relationship between cortical thickness and neuropsychological performance in these two groups. Forty-nine participants with MCI and 40 cognitively healthy older adults were recruited. Cortical thickness was analysed with semiautomatic software, Freesurfer. The analysis reveals that the cortical thickness in the left caudal anterior cingulate (p=0.041), lateral occipital (p=0.009) and right superior temporal (p=0.047) areas were significantly thinner in the MCI group after adjustment for age and education. Almost all neuropsychological test results (with the exception of forward digit span) were significantly correlated to cortical thickness in the MCI group after adjustment for age, gender and education. In contrast, only the score on the Category Verbal Fluency Test and the forward digit span were found to have significant inverse correlations to cortical thickness in the control group of cognitively healthy older adults. The study results suggest that cortical thinning in the temporal region reflects the global change in cognition in subjects with MCI and may be useful to predict progression of MCI to Alzheimer's disease. The different pattern in the correlation of cortical thickness to the neuropsychological performance of patients with MCI from the healthy control subjects may be explained by the hypothesis of MCI as a disconnection syndrome

Assessing the accuracy of a large observational registry of neovascular age-related macular degeneration

PURPOSE To evaluate the accuracy of an observational database that tracks real-world treatment outcomes for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. METHODS We audited 245 randomly sampled eyes from 189 patients with 3,356 visits from 11 doctors in the Fight Retinal Blindness! DATABASE Sex, birth year, previous treatments received, treatment, and visual acuity were validated against the clinical notes. Error rates, the proportion of missed visits (the number of visits present in the patient record but not entered into Fight Retinal Blindness!), the level of agreement using Cohen's kappa (κ) and intraclass correlation coefficients, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated. A visual acuity error was defined as an absolute difference of ≥5 letters. RESULTS The overall error rate was 3.5% (95% confidence interval: 3.1-3.9). The error rate for visual acuity was 5.1% (95% confidence interval: 4.2-5.9) and <5% for the remaining fields. The level of agreement for each field ranged from good to excellent (κ or intraclass correlation ≥ 0.75). The positive predictive value and negative predictive value for visits were 99% and 89%, respectively. The proportion of missed visits was 10.2%. CONCLUSION Accuracy of the Fight Retinal Blindness! database was good (>95%). The rate of missed visits was high, possibly due to the high burden of retrospective data entry or patients switching practitioners during treatment

Delayed Wound Closure in Fibromodulin-Deficient Mice Is Associated with Increased TGF-β3 Signaling

Fibromodulin (FMOD), a small leucine-rich proteoglycan, mediates scarless fetal skin wound repair through, in part, transforming growth factor-Β (TGF-Β) modulation. Using an adult fmod-null (fmod -/-) mouse model, this study further elucidates the interplay between FMOD and TGF-Β expression during cutaneous repair and scar formation. Full-thickness skin wounds on fmod -/- and wild-type (WT) mice were closed primarily and analyzed. Histomorphometry revealed delayed dermal cell migration leading to delayed wound closure and significantly increased scar size in fmod -/- mice relative to WT, which was partially rescued by exogenous FMOD administration. In addition, fmod -/- wounds exhibited early elevation (within 24 hours post-wounding) of type I and type II TGF-Β receptors as well as unexpectedly high fibroblast expression of TGF-Β3, a molecule with reported antifibrotic and antimigratory effects. Consistent with elevated fibroblastic TGF-Β3, fmod -/- fibroblasts were significantly less motile than WT fibroblasts. fmod -/- fibroblasts were also more susceptible to migration inhibition by TGF-Β3, leading to profound delays in dermal cell migration. Increased scarring in fmod -/- mice indicates that TGF-Β3\u27s antimotility effects predominate over its antifibrotic effects when high TGF-Β3 levels disrupt early fibroblastic wound ingress. These studies demonstrate that FMOD presence is critical for proper temporospatial coordination of wound healing events and normal TGF-Β bioactivity. © 2011 The Society for Investigative Dermatology

Oral health of community dwelling elders in Hong Kong

Introduction: The world’s population is ageing and the elders are vulnerable to oral health problems. This project aimed to observe the oral health status of community dwelling elders in Hong Kong, investigate the oral health impact on their quality of life and nutritional status, and provide oral health education and preventive service. Methods: Community dwelling elders (65 or above) were recruited from five community centers. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was completed to collect information on their socio-demographic background and oral health perception/practice. Their oral health related quality of life (OHQoL) and nutritional status were measured by using the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) and Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA), respectively. Their tooth and periodontal status, oral hygiene and soft tissues were examined. Individualized advice, oral health education and scaling were provided. Results: A total of 195 elders participated. Despite their sound knowledge on dental caries, their awareness of the causes and risk factors of periodontal diseases was low. Several misconceptions of oral health were common and their expectation towards oral health was low. Although 81% brush their teeth at least twice a day, over 75% did not perform interdental cleaning mainly due to unawareness of the necessity (32%) and lack of skills (42%). Their dental visits were treatment-driven and mainly for pain-relieving and emergency care. Only 19% were regular dental attendees. The mean (SD) DMFT was 8.9 (7.8). Over 60% had periodontal pockets; 6% were edentulous and 38% had fewer than 20 teeth. The mean (SD) total GOHAI score was 56.4 (8.0); 60% reported negative impact of oral health on their quality of life. The mean (SD) MNA score was 25.2 (2.9); 30% had malnutrition or were at risk. Multivariate analysis showed that tooth loss and untreated decayed teeth (DT) were significant determinants of poor OHQoL; older age, higher education level, and poorer OHQoL were significantly associated with higher risk of malnutrition (all p<0.05). Conclusions: Oral health problems are common among community dwelling elders in Hong Kong. Their oral health awareness and practice are yet to be improved. Tooth loss and unmet treatment need for dental caries significantly compromise elders’ quality of life, which in turn increases their risk for malnutrition. Outreach oral health education and service are well received by the community.published_or_final_versio