Efficacy of Sapheno-Femoral A-V Fistula in Cronic Renal Failure Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis

Introduction: To describe the outcome of the sapheno-femoral fistula as an alternative blood access site for maintenance hemodialysis in a prospective cohort of patients with end - stage renal failure. Methods: Twenty-two patients with vascular access failure in the arms were admitted for establishing sapheno-femoral fistula as a puncture site for hemodialysis. The major saphenous vein was exposed at the junction site with femoral vein and its tributary veins were ligated . The saphenous vein was isolated and mobilized throughout the thigh and end to side anastomosis accomplished with the superficial femoral artery by a running 6-0 prolene suture after conducting the vein through a subcutaneous tunnel. Results: Failure rate of saphenofemoral fistula was 22. 7% at two years follow up. Mean ± SE survival of fistula was 16.4+/- 2.75 months. Significant survival difference wasn’t seen between two sexes. Rate of wound infection and chronic pain of surgery site was similar( 9.1%). Conclusions: Two-year survival rate of 77% and morbidity less than 10% leads to suggestion of saphenofemoral fistula as an alternative for upper extremity fistulas in end- stage renal failure patient

Root and shoot parts of strawberry: factories for production of functional human pro-insulin

Diabetes, a disease caused by excessive blood sugar, is caused by the lack of insulin. For commercial production, insulin is made in bacteria or yeast by protein recombinant technology. The focus of this research is evaluating another resource and producing of recombinant insulin protein in as strawberry as this plant has high potential in production of pharmaceutical proteins. Strawberry is a suitable bioreactor for production of recombinant proteins especially edible vaccines. In this research, human pro-insulin gene was cloned in pCAMBIA1304 vector under CaMV35S promoter and NOS terminator. Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404, AGL1, EHA105, EHA101, C58, C58 (pGV2260) and C58 (pGV3101) strains were used for transformation of pro-insulin gene into strawberry cv. Camarosa, Selva, Sarian Hybrid, Pajaro, Paros, Gaviota, Alpine. Additionally, Agrobacterium rhizogenes K599, R1000, A4 and MSU440 strains were utilized for gene transformation into hairy roots. PCR analysis indicated the presence of transformed human pro-insulin gene in the strawberry and hairy roots. Also, its transcription was confirmed using RT-PCR. Furthermore, the analysis of plants, fruits and hairy roots at the level of proteins using dot blot, ELISA, SDS-PAGE and ECL tests re-confirmed the expression of this protein in the transgenic plants as well as hairy roots. Protein purification of human pro-insulin from transgenic tissues was performed using affinity chromatography. Finally, the bioassay of recombinant pro-insulin was performed. The analysis of second generations of transgenic plants (T1) at DNA and protein levels was also performed as a complementary experiment. This study opens a new avenue in molecular farming of human pro-insulin through its mass production in roots and shoots of strawberry.Ashkan Tavizi, Mokhtar Jalali Javaran, Ahmad Moieni, Manijeh Mohammadi-Dehcheshmeh, Mehdi Mohebodini, Esmaeil Ebrahimi

Generativity and Social Well-Being in Older Women: Expectations Regarding Aging Matter.

ObjectivesBeliefs about aging can contribute to health and well-being in older adults. Feeling generative, or that one is caring for and contributing to the well-being of others, can also impact health and well-being. In this study, we hypothesized that those with more positive expectations regarding aging (ERA) in the mental health domain would report greater levels of perceived social support (PSS) and lower levels of loneliness in response to a generativity intervention (vs control condition).MethodParticipants in this study (n = 73, 100% female) were randomly assigned to a 6-week generativity condition, which involved writing about life experiences and sharing advice with others, or to a control condition, which involved writing about neutral topics. Pre- and postintervention, PSS, and feelings of loneliness were measured.ResultsThose in the generativity condition with more positive ERA in the mental health domain reported greater PSS and lower loneliness postintervention.DiscussionThese results highlight the importance of psychological factors, such as ERA, in moderating the efficacy of interventions to promote social well-being in older adults

Generativity and Social Well-Being in Older Women: Expectations Regarding Aging Matter.

ObjectivesBeliefs about aging can contribute to health and well-being in older adults. Feeling generative, or that one is caring for and contributing to the well-being of others, can also impact health and well-being. In this study, we hypothesized that those with more positive expectations regarding aging (ERA) in the mental health domain would report greater levels of perceived social support (PSS) and lower levels of loneliness in response to a generativity intervention (vs control condition).MethodParticipants in this study (n = 73, 100% female) were randomly assigned to a 6-week generativity condition, which involved writing about life experiences and sharing advice with others, or to a control condition, which involved writing about neutral topics. Pre- and postintervention, PSS, and feelings of loneliness were measured.ResultsThose in the generativity condition with more positive ERA in the mental health domain reported greater PSS and lower loneliness postintervention.DiscussionThese results highlight the importance of psychological factors, such as ERA, in moderating the efficacy of interventions to promote social well-being in older adults

Exploring the role of gratitude and support-giving on inflammatory outcomes.

Although there has been much interest in understanding the effect of gratitude on health-related outcomes, this remains an understudied area of research, particularly regarding mechanisms and measurement of biological outcomes. The present study explored whether a gratitude intervention could reduce inflammatory outcomes and whether this occurred through increased support-giving. Healthy women (n = 76) were randomly assigned to a 6-week gratitude intervention (i.e., writing on topics intended to induce gratitude) or a control condition (i.e., neutral writing). Support-giving and markers of inflammation were measured pre- and postintervention. Those in the gratitude intervention (vs. control) reported higher postintervention levels of support-giving. Moreover, those with lower levels of psychological distress gave more support as a function of the gratitude intervention. Regarding inflammatory outcomes, although there was no effect of the gratitude intervention on postintervention inflammatory markers, increases in support-giving across the entire sample were related to decreases in inflammatory markers. These results, along with a scarcity of work in this area, suggest that further work is needed to more fully understand the relationships between gratitude and biological markers relevant to health. Finally, these novel findings linking support-giving and decreases in inflammation also indicate that the mammalian caregiving system, associated with enhanced support-giving and reduced physiological stress responding, is a mechanism worth further examination to elucidate the links between social support and health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)

Feeling needed: Effects of a randomized generativity intervention on well-being and inflammation in older women.

Generativity, or concern for and contribution to the well-being of younger generations, plays an important role in successful aging. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel, writing-based intervention to increase feelings of generativity and test the effect of this intervention on well-being and inflammation in a sample of older women. Participants in this study (n = 73; mean age = 70.9 years, range 60-86 years) were randomly assigned to a 6-week generativity writing condition (writing about life experiences and sharing advice with others) or a control writing condition (neutral, descriptive writing). Self-reported measures of social well-being, mental health, and physical health, as well as objective measures of systemic and cellular levels of inflammation (plasma pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α; genome-wide RNA transcriptional profiling), were assessed pre- and post-intervention. The generativity intervention led to significant improvements across multiple domains, including increases in participation in social activities, decreases in psychological distress, more positive expectations regarding aging in the physical health domain, and decreases in pro-inflammatory gene expression. Thus, this study provides preliminary evidence for the ability of a novel, low-cost, low-effort intervention to favorably impact inflammation and well-being in older women

Feeling needed: Effects of a randomized generativity intervention on well-being and inflammation in older women.

Generativity, or concern for and contribution to the well-being of younger generations, plays an important role in successful aging. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel, writing-based intervention to increase feelings of generativity and test the effect of this intervention on well-being and inflammation in a sample of older women. Participants in this study (n = 73; mean age = 70.9 years, range 60-86 years) were randomly assigned to a 6-week generativity writing condition (writing about life experiences and sharing advice with others) or a control writing condition (neutral, descriptive writing). Self-reported measures of social well-being, mental health, and physical health, as well as objective measures of systemic and cellular levels of inflammation (plasma pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α; genome-wide RNA transcriptional profiling), were assessed pre- and post-intervention. The generativity intervention led to significant improvements across multiple domains, including increases in participation in social activities, decreases in psychological distress, more positive expectations regarding aging in the physical health domain, and decreases in pro-inflammatory gene expression. Thus, this study provides preliminary evidence for the ability of a novel, low-cost, low-effort intervention to favorably impact inflammation and well-being in older women