The Effect of Replacing Fetal Bovine Serum with Platelet Releasate on the Characterization of MSCs

Substituting fetal bovine serum (FBS) for platelet derivatives in mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) culture media is a current area of interest in orthopedic regenerative medicine. FBS, commonly used in ex vivo cell expansion, is a xenogen and can cause an immunological response in the subject after transplantation. Our objective was to determine if platelet releasate (PR) is a suitable replacement for FBS in the isolation and expansion of equine MSCs. MSCs were isolated from the raw bone marrow of five horses and plated with media containing either 10% FBS or 10% autologous PR. Cells were passaged three times once a sufficient confluency was reached, then cryopreserved. At each feeding, cells were photographed and counted, and morphology, debris, and confluence were recorded. Compared to cells grown in FBS, the MSCs grown in PR media had poorer morphology and showed signs of osteo-differentiation. Additionally, cells of the PR condition grew larger than those of FBS, which is an indication of 2 cell degradation. From this, we concluded that PR is not a suitable replacement for FBS in equine MSC cell expansion media

PULSE WAVE ANALYSIS IN TYPE 1 DIABETES:RELATIONSHIP WITH HISTORICAL MEASURES AND PREVALENT DISEASE

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is associated with numerous complications. These include renal and cardiovascular disease which are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in T1D. Renal complications also increase the risk for cardiovascular disease. Early detection and treatment of their risk factors may help to prevent or at least delay these complications. This dissertation examines potential risk factors for altered measures of pulse wave analysis (PWA), which have been linked to cardiovascular events and mortality in other populations. It also examines how PWA measures relate to prevalent cardiovascular and renal complications in T1D.Prospective analyses of potential risk factors for increased arterial stiffness indices, augmentation index (AIx) and augmentation pressure (AP), and decreased estimated myocardial perfusion, i.e. subendocardial viability ratio (SEVR), showed autonomic neuropathy, smoking history, low HDL cholesterol and poorer glycemic control, to be associated with altered PWA measures 18 years later.Next, cross-sectional analyses between PWA measures and prevalent CVD showed AP and SEVR to be significantly related to coronary artery disease and coronary artery calcification, respectively, although age was the major predictor of both. AP was also higher, although not significantly, and SEVR significantly lower in those with peripheral vascular disease.Finally, SEVR, but not AIx nor AP, was significantly associated with the presence of microalbuminuria (MA), and preferentially entered multivariate models over brachial blood pressure measures. SEVR was also related to degree of albuminuria in those within the normo- and MA range, and was significantly associated, multivariately, with low renal function.This dissertation thus yields significant Public Health findings by identifying factors (AN, smoking, glycemic control, lipid levels) that may delay increased arterial stiffness (AIx and AP) and decreased myocardial perfusion (SEVR). As it additionally shows that these same PWA measures are altered in the presence of CVD and renal damage in T1D a potential role for PWA measures, especially SEVR, in risk stratification and early intervention for T1D complications is apparent

Benefits of low-dose inhaled fluticasone on airway response and inflammation in mild asthma

SummaryRationaleCurrent guidelines suggest that asthma should be controlled with the lowest dose of maintenance medication required.ObjectivesTo evaluate the effects of a low dose of inhaled corticosteroid compared to a placebo, on airway inflammation and responsiveness in patients with mild symptomatic asthma.MethodsIn this randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study, we looked at the influence of inhaled fluticasone propionate 250μg/day for 3 months followed by 100μg/day for 9 months on airway inflammation and methacholine responsiveness in non-smoking subjects with mild allergic asthma. Subjects were evaluated at baseline and 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after treatments; a 2-week evaluation of respiratory symptoms and peak expiratory flow measurements was done before each visit.ResultsFifty-seven subjects completed the 3-month study period. Airway responsiveness, expressed as the PC20 methacholine, increased by 0.27 and 1.14 doubling concentrations, respectively, in placebo-treated (n=33) and in fluticasone-treated (n=24) asthmatic subjects (p=0.03). An additional improvement in PC20 up to 2.16 doubling concentrations was observed in the fluticasone-treated group during the 9-month lower-dose treatment (p=0.0004, end of low-dose period compared with placebo). Sputum eosinophil counts decreased after 3 months of fluticasone 250μg/day compared with placebo (p<0.0001) and remained in the normal range during the 9-month lower-dose treatment. Respiratory symptoms and peak expiratory flows did not change significantly throughout the study in both groups.ConclusionIn mild asthma, keeping a regular minimal dose of ICS after asthma control has been achieved, may lead to a further reduction in airway responsiveness and keep sputum eosinophil count within the normal range

The Effect of Replacing Fetal Bovine Serum with Platelet Releasate on the Characterization of MSCs

Substituting fetal bovine serum (FBS) for platelet derivatives in mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) culture media is a current area of interest in orthopedic regenerative medicine. FBS, commonly used in ex vivo cell expansion, is a xenogen and can cause an immunological response in the subject after transplantation. Our objective was to determine if platelet releasate (PR) is a suitable replacement for FBS in the isolation and expansion of equine MSCs. MSCs were isolated from the raw bone marrow of five horses and plated with media containing either 10% FBS or 10% autologous PR. Cells were passaged three times once a sufficient confluency was reached, then cryopreserved. At each feeding, cells were photographed and counted, and morphology, debris, and confluence were recorded. Compared to cells grown in FBS, the MSCs grown in PR media had poorer morphology and showed signs of osteo-differentiation. Additionally, cells of the PR condition grew larger than those of FBS, which is an indication of 2 cell degradation. From this, we concluded that PR is not a suitable replacement for FBS in equine MSC cell expansion media

Safe Driving Attitudes and Behaviors Among Vermont Student Drivers

Distracted driving contributes to approximately 10% of all driver fatalities and 17% of injuries in the US. Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the US. Drivers aged 16-19 are 3 times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than those \u3e 20 years. Increased teen risk is related to attachment to technology, limited driving experience, and an illusion of invincibility. Previous National Highway Traffic Safety Administration assessment of distracted driving attitudes and behaviors does not include significant data on teenage drivers. The goal of this project is to assess safe driving attitudes and behaviors among Vermont Student Drivers.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1284/thumbnail.jp

Dietary Protein and Bone Health Across the Life-Course : an updated systematic review and meta-analysis over 40 years

Abstract Purpose: This systematic review and meta-analysis analysed the relationship between dietary protein and bone health across the life-course. Methods: The PubMed database was searched for all relevant human studies from the 1st 4 January 1976 to 22nd January 2016, including all bone outcomes except calcium metabolism. Results: The searches identified 127 papers for inclusion, including 74 correlational studies, 23 fracture or osteoporosis risk studies and 30 supplementation trials. Protein intake accounted for 0 - 4% of areal BMC and areal BMD variance in adults and 0-14% of areal BMC variance in children and adolescents. However, when confounder adjusted (5 studies) adult lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD associations were not statistically significant. There was no association between protein intake and relative risk (RR) of osteoporotic fractures for total (RR(random) = 0.94; 0.72 to 1.23, I2=32%), animal (RR (random) = 0.98; 0.76 to 1.27, I2 = 46%) or vegetable protein (RR (fixed)= 0.97 (0.89 to 1.09, I2 = 15%). In total protein supplementation studies, pooled effect sizes were not statistically significant for LSBMD (total n=255, MD(fixed)=0.04 g/cm2 (0.00 to 0.08, P=0.07), I2=0%) or FNBMD (total n=435, MD(random)=0.01 g/cm2 (-0.03 to 0.05, P=0.59), I2=68%). Conclusions: There appears to be little benefit of increasing protein intake for bone health in healthy adults but there is also clearly no indication of any detrimental effect, at least within the protein intakes of the populations studied (around 0.8-1.3 g/Kg/day). More studies are urgently required on the association between protein intake and bone health in children and adolescents. Key Words: Aging, Epidemiology, IGF-1, Nutrition, Osteoporosis, Die

Cruciferous and allium vegetable intakes are inversely associated with 15‐year atherosclerotic vascular disease deaths in older adult women

Background Higher vegetable intake is consistently associated with lower atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD) events. However, the components responsible and mechanisms involved are uncertain. Nonnutritive phytochemicals may be involved. The objective of this study was to investigate the associations of total vegetable intake and types of vegetables grouped according to phytochemical constituents with ASVD mortality. Methods and Results The cohort consisted of 1226 Australian women aged 70 years and older without clinical ASVD or diabetes mellitus at baseline (1998). Vegetable intakes were calculated per serving (75 g/d) and were also classified into prespecified types relating to phytochemical constituents. ASVD‐related deaths were ascertained from linked mortality data. During 15 years (15 947 person‐years) of follow‐up, 238 ASVD‐related deaths occurred. A 1‐serving increment of vegetable intake was associated with a 20% lower hazard of ASVD‐related death (multivariable‐adjusted hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.69–0.94 [P=0.005]). In multivariable‐adjusted models for vegetable types, cruciferous (per 10‐g/d increase: hazard ratio, 0.87; 95% confidence interval, 0.81–0.94 [PP=0.003]) vegetables were inversely associated with ASVD‐related deaths. The inclusion of other vegetable types, as well as lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors, did not alter these associations. Yellow/orange/red (P=0.463), leafy green (P=0.063), and legume (P=0.379) vegetables were not significant. Conclusions Consistent with current evidence, higher cruciferous and allium vegetable intakes were associated with a lower risk of ASVD mortality. In addition, cruciferous and allium vegetables are recognized to be a good source of several nonnutritive phytochemicals such as organosulfur compounds. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.anzctr.org.au. Unique identifier: ACTRN12617000640303

Dietary nitrate intake is associated with muscle function in older women

Background In younger individuals, dietary nitrate supplementation has been shown to improve short‐term vascular and muscle function. The role of higher habitual nitrate intake as part of a typical diet on muscle function in ageing has not been investigated. A cross‐sectional study of relationships between dietary nitrate and measures of muscle function in older community‐dwelling Australian women (n = 1420, ≥70 years) was undertaken. Methods Participants completed a semi‐quantitative food frequency questionnaire assessing dietary intake over the previous year. Total nitrate from vegetables and non‐vegetable sources was calculated from a validated instrument that quantified the nitrate content of food recorded within the food frequency questionnaire. Handgrip strength and timed‐up‐and‐go (TUG) were assessed, representing muscle strength and physical function, respectively. Cut‐points for weak grip strength (kg) and slow TUG (\u3e10.2 s) were selected due to their association with adverse outcomes. Linear and logistic regressions were used to examine the relationship between total nitrate intake and muscle function measures. Results Mean ± standard deviation (SD) total nitrate intake was 79.5 ± 31.2 mg/day, of which 84.5% came from vegetables. Across the unadjusted tertiles of nitrate intake (P= 0.027) and faster TUG (per second, β −0.27, P = 0.001). The proportion of women with weak grip strength (kg) or slow TUG (\u3e10.2 s) was 61.0% and 36.9%, respectively. Each SD higher nitrate intake (31.2 mg/day) was associated with lower odds for weak grip strength (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.74–0.95, P = 0.005) and slow TUG (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.76–0.98, P = 0.021). Compared with women in the lowest tertile of nitrate intake, women in the highest nitrate intake tertile had lower odds for weak grip strength (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.49–0.87, Ptrend=0.004) and slow TUG (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.53–0.97, Ptrend = 0.044). Conclusions This investigation highlights potential benefits of nitrate‐rich diets on muscle strength and physical function in a large cohort of older women. Considering poor muscle strength and physical function is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes such as falling, fractures, cardiovascular disease, and mortality, increasing dietary nitrate, especially though vegetable consumption may be an effective way to limit age‐related declines in muscle function

Ensure Follow-up for Functional Issues Post COVID-19

What\u27s the Problem? Patients post COVID-19 infection have functional limitations at home related to the multi-system effects of the infection, in addition to elevated risk for post-intensive care syndrome. Our goals were to ensure patients had the resources they needed to safely mobilize at home, ensure referral to appropriate agencies for home care and therapies, and provide guidance on return to life activities in the setting of the stay-at-home order, need to self-quarantine, and limited outpatient therapy options