A canine model of irreversible urethral sphincter insufficiency

OBJECTIVE To develop a canine model of external urinary sphincter insufficiency by creating irreversible damage to the sphincter, because there is a need for a reliable and reproducible large animal model for the study of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) caused by deficient sphincter function. MATERIALS AND METHODS About a quarter of the total external sphincter muscle was removed microsurgically from seven female dogs; three age-matched dogs served as normal controls. The dogs had standard urodynamic and radiographic studies before and at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 months after surgery. Three dogs were killed at 4 months and four at 7 months after surgery for tissue analyses. RESULTS The interventions produced a consistent outcome. Urodynamic studies showed a significant and sustained decrease in sphincter function, which included a static urethral pressure profile, stress urethral profile and detrusor leak-point pressure. Furthermore, in vivo pudendal nerve stimulation and organ-bath studies of the retrieved tissue strips confirmed the loss of sphincter tissue function. Histologically, absence of functional sphincter muscle was evident in the damaged sphincter region. CONCLUSIONS These results show that a reliable and reproducible canine model of irreversible sphincter insufficiency can be created by microsurgical removal of sphincter muscle tissue. This model of external sphincter insufficiency could be used for evaluating methods (e.g. cell therapies) for treating SUI

GeneChip analysis of human embryonic stem cell differentiation into hemangioblasts: an in silico dissection of mixed phenotypes

Transcriptional profiling of human embryonic stem cells differentiating into blast cells reveals that erythroblasts are the predominant cell type in the blast cell population. In silico comparisons with publicly available data sets revealed the presence of endothelia, cardiomyocytes and hematopoietic lineages

Bioink properties before, during and after 3D bioprinting

Bioprinting is a process based on additive manufacturing from materials containing living cells. These materials, often referred to as bioink, are based on cytocompatible hydrogel precursor formulations, which gel in a manner compatible with different bioprinting approaches. The bioink properties before, during and after gelation are essential for its printability, comprising such features as achievable structural resolution, shape fidelity and cell survival. However, it is the final properties of the matured bioprinted tissue construct that are crucial for the end application. During tissue formation these properties are influenced by the amount of cells present in the construct, their proliferation, migration and interaction with the material. A calibrated computational framework is able to predict the tissue development and maturation and to optimize the bioprinting input parameters such as the starting material, the initial cell loading and the construct geometry. In this contribution relevant bioink properties are reviewed and discussed on the example of most popular bioprinting approaches. The effect of cells on hydrogel processing and vice versa is highlighted. Furthermore, numerical approaches were reviewed and implemented for depicting the cellular mechanics within the hydrogel as well as for prediction of mechanical properties to achieve the desired hydrogel construct considering cell density, distribution and material-cell interaction

Use of Information and Communication Technologies among Extension Agents In Kano State, Nigeria

The study assessed the use of ICTs among extension agents in Kano State Nigeria. Two hundred and twenty-one (221) extension agents were randomly selected from the 44 local government areas. Data for the study were obtained with the aid of structured questionnaire administered to extension agents. Majority of extension agents were in the age range of 41-50 years. Majority (87.3%) of them were males and married (100%), with family sizes of 5-14 (53.95%). The entire extension agents had formal education including HND (35.8%), OND (33.3%) and secondary school certificate (27.2%). Most of the extension agents had an annual income of N100,000- N300,000, with N376,984 as mean. They were aware and had access to radio, television, telephone, DVD, video, camera, computer, satellite and printer. They however recorded a low usage of the Web, satellite, e-mail, CD-ROM, search engines, scanner, fax and Web publishing. The result also indicates a positive correlation between ICT use and socio-economic characteristics of the agents; including age, work experience, membership of agricultural associations (p<0.05). It was concluded that the benefits of the ICTs were not fully utilized by extension workers in the state due to some factors associated with low income, ICTs training, awareness and access

Use of Information and Communication Technologies among Extension Agents In Kano State, Nigeria

The study assessed the use of ICTs among extension agents in Kano State Nigeria. Two hundred and twenty-one (221) extension agents were randomly selected from the 44 local government areas. Data for the study were obtained with the aid of structured questionnaire administered to extension agents. Majority of extension agents were in the age range of 41-50 years. Majority (87.3%) of them were males and married (100%), with family sizes of 5-14 (53.95%). The entire extension agents had formal education including HND (35.8%), OND (33.3%) and secondary school certificate (27.2%). Most of the extension agents had an annual income of N100,000- N300,000, with N376,984 as mean. They were aware and had access to radio, television, telephone, DVD, video, camera, computer, satellite and printer. They however recorded a low usage of the Web, satellite, e-mail, CD-ROM, search engines, scanner, fax and Web publishing. The result also indicates a positive correlation between ICT use and socio-economic characteristics of the agents; including age, work experience, membership of agricultural associations (p<0.05). It was concluded that the benefits of the ICTs were not fully utilized by extension workers in the state due to some factors associated with low income, ICTs training, awareness and access

The use of mesenchymal stromal cells in treatment of lung disorders

The therapeutic use of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) represents a promising alternative clinical strategy for treating acute and chronic lung disorders. Several pre-clinical reports demonstrated that MSCs can secrete multiple paracrine factors and that their immunomodulatory properties can support endothelial and epithelial regeneration, modulate the inflammatory cascade, and protect lungs from damage. The effects of MSC transplantation into patients suffering from lung diseases should be fully evaluated through careful assessment of safety and associated risks, which is a prerequisite for translation of pre-clinical research into clinical practise. In this article we summarise the current status of pre-clinical research and review initial MSC-based clinical trials for treating lung injuries and lung disorders

Experimental Measurement of the Berry Curvature from Anomalous Transport

Geometrical properties of energy bands underlie fascinating phenomena in a wide-range of systems, including solid-state materials, ultracold gases and photonics. Most famously, local geometrical characteristics like the Berry curvature can be related to global topological invariants such as those classifying quantum Hall states or topological insulators. Regardless of the band topology, however, any non-zero Berry curvature can have important consequences, such as in the semi-classical evolution of a wave packet. Here, we experimentally demonstrate for the first time that wave packet dynamics can be used to directly map out the Berry curvature. To this end, we use optical pulses in two coupled fibre loops to study the discrete time-evolution of a wave packet in a 1D geometrical "charge" pump, where the Berry curvature leads to an anomalous displacement of the wave packet under pumping. This is both the first direct observation of Berry curvature effects in an optical system, and, more generally, the proof-of-principle demonstration that semi-classical dynamics can serve as a high-resolution tool for mapping out geometrical properties

Abelian gauge potentials on cubic lattices

The study of the properties of quantum particles in a periodic potential subject to a magnetic field is an active area of research both in physics and mathematics; it has been and it is still deeply investigated. In this review we discuss how to implement and describe tunable Abelian magnetic fields in a system of ultracold atoms in optical lattices. After discussing two of the main experimental schemes for the physical realization of synthetic gauge potentials in ultracold set-ups, we study cubic lattice tight-binding models with commensurate flux. We finally examine applications of gauge potentials in one-dimensional rings.Comment: To appear on: "Advances in Quantum Mechanics: Contemporary Trends and Open Problems", G. Dell'Antonio and A. Michelangeli eds., Springer-INdAM series 201