Differentiation of definitive endoderm from human induced pluripotent stem cells on hMSCs feeder in a defined medium

Background: The Definitive Endoderm (DE) differentiation using the undefined media and non-human feeders can cause contaminations in the generated cells for therapeutic applications. Therefore, generating safer and more appropriate DE cells is needed. This study compared five different methods to establish an appropriate method for inducing an efficient DE differentiation from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSCs) on an appropriate feeder in a more defined medium. Methods: Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSCs) were cultured on inactivated feeders. Passaged hiPSCs, without feeder, were incubated for three days with Activin-A and different endodermal differentiation media including 1-FBS, 2-B27, 3- ITS and albumin fraction-V, 4-B27 and ITS and 5-like the third medium. The feeder cells in the first four methods were Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts (MEFs) and in the fifth method were human adult bone marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hMSCs). DE markers FOXA2, SOX17 and CXCR4 and also pluripotency marker OCT4 were evaluated using qRT-PCR, as well as FOXA2 by the immunocytochemistry. Results: QRT-PCR analysis showed that after three days, the expression levels of DE and pluripotency markers in the differentiated hiPSCs among all five groups did not have any significant differences. Similarly, the immunocytochemistry analysis demonstrated that the differentiated hiPSCs expressed FOXA2, with no significant differences. Conclusion: Despite this similarity in the results, the third differentiation medium has more defined and cost effective components. Furthermore, hMSC, a human feeder, is safer than MEF. Therefore, the fifth method is preferable among other DE differentiation methods and can serve as a fundamental method helping the development of regenerative medicine. © 2016, Avicenna Journal of Medical Biotechnology. All rights reserved

Gambaran Tingkat Capaian Terapi Insulin Pada Pasien Rawat Jalandiabetes Melitus Tipe 2 Di Bagian Penyakit Dalam RSUD Arifin Achmad Provinsi Riauperiode Januari – Desember 2011

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic diseases, the characteristic is hyperglycemia that causes by abnormal of insulin secretion, insulin action or both of it. Insulin is a therapy of type 2 DM. Data of International Diabetes Federation showed that using insulin therapy in type 2 DM patient in Indonesia was classified low. This study aims to determine the description of the achievement insulin terapy level in type 2 DM patient's. Design of this study is retrospective descriptive is done with and collect data from medical record to 114 type 2 DM patients who received combination oral antidiabetic agents with insulin therapy and intensive insulin therapy. The result of this research were found that combination oral antidiabetic agents with insulin therapy USAge are higher than intensive insulin therapy is 77,2%. The most used combination therapy was combination long acting insulins with biguanids and sulfonylureas is 14,8%. The most used intensif insulin therapy was long acting insulin and rapid acting insulin is 38,4%. Achievement of therapeutic targets DM is 69,8% fasting blood glucose levels and 82,8% 2-hour postprandial blood glucose levels in bad catagory, 46% Triglycerides levels in avarege catagory, 64,2% HDL cholesterol in low catagory, 61,8% LDL cholesterol in bad catagory, 34% total cholesterol in bad catagory and 50% blood preassure in avarege catagory. Incidence of hypoglycemia is 7%. Conclusion of this study is the avhievement insulin therapy in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients is low catagory

Numerical prediction of turbulent boundary layer noise from a sharp-edged flat plate

© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. An efficient hybrid uncorrelated wall plane waves–boundary element method (UWPW-BEM) technique is proposed to predict the flow-induced noise from a structure in low Mach number turbulent flow. Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are used to estimate the turbulent boundary layer parameters such as convective velocity, boundary layer thickness, and wall shear stress over the surface of the structure. The spectrum of the wall pressure fluctuations is evaluated from the turbulent boundary layer parameters and by using semi-empirical models from literature. The wall pressure field underneath the turbulent boundary layer is synthesized by realizations of uncorrelated wall plane waves (UWPW). An acoustic BEM solver is then employed to compute the acoustic pressure scattered by the structure from the synthesized wall pressure field. Finally, the acoustic response of the structure in turbulent flow is obtained as an ensemble average of the acoustic pressures due to all realizations of uncorrelated plane waves. To demonstrate the hybrid UWPW-BEM approach, the self-noise generated by a flat plate in turbulent flow with Reynolds number based on chord Rec = 4.9 × 105 is predicted. The results are compared with those obtained from a large eddy simulation (LES)-BEM technique as well as with experimental data from literature

Transient cooling of a lithium-ion battery module during high-performance driving cycles using distributed pipes - A numerical investigation

Transient effects are often excluded from the design and analysis of battery thermal management systems (BTMS). However, electric vehicles are subjected to significant dynamic loads causing transient battery heating that is not encountered in a steady state. To evaluate the significance of such effects, this paper presents a time-dependent analysis of the battery cooling process, based on an existing cooling system that satisfactorily operates in steady conditions. To resemble realistic conditions, the temporal variations in the battery power withdrawal are inferred from different standard driving cycles. Computational fluid dynamics is then utilized to predict the coolant and battery temperatures inside a battery module for a period of 900 s. It is shown that, for air cooling, the batteries temperature can exceed the safe limit. For example, in a high-performance driving cycle, after 200 s, the battery temperature goes beyond the critical value of 308 K. Nonetheless, the temperatures are always within the safe region when liquid is used to cool the battery module. Also, during a high-performance cycle where the flow rate is 1.230 g/s, the battery temperature decreased below the critical threshold and reached 304 K. In addition, to maintain the temperature of the batteries below the critical threshold during NYCC traffic and US06 driving cycles, a maximum coolant pressure inlet of 1.52 and 0.848 g/s, equivalent to 100 Pa and 50 Pa, respectively, are required. The temporal changes in Nusselt number distribution over the battery module, induced by the acceleration of the vehicle during the driving cycles, are also discussed. It is concluded that the assumption of a steady state might lead to the non-optimal design of BTMSs

Effect of Insulin Storage and Administration Methods on Long Term Glycaemic Control among Adult Diabetic Patients in a Kenyan Referral Hospital

Insulin storage methods and the techniques of its administration impact on bloodsugar control. A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted to assess theeffects of insulin administration techniques and storage on the long term control ofblood glucose among 73 freely consenting adult diabetic outpatients at KenyattaNational Hospital. Participants were selected through convenient sampling andinterviewed using a pre-designed questionnaire. Long term glycaemia control wasassessed by measuring the blood levels of glycated haemoglobin. Ethical approvalwas granted by the institutional review board and participants’ confidentiality wasmaintained throughout the study. Data analysis was done using STATA version 10software; with statistical significance set at 95% confidence limit. Logisticregression was used to determine associations between glycated haemoglobin levelsversus insulin storage methods and the administration techniques. Correctperformance of the critical injection techniques (p=0.0001), insulin storage byrefrigeration (p=0.041) and during travel (p=0.019) were associated with good longterm glycaemic control. Patients need to be regularly encouraged on good insulininjection techniques and storage methods in order to improve long term glycaemiccontrol.Key words: Insulin storage, injection technique, glycated haemoglobin, glycaemic contro

Spatial impact of new public transport system on station neighbourhoods: The cases of Jubilee Line Extension in London

The implementation of a new public transport system is considered to have a significant impact on the flow of people and economies in cities and towns. Though, spatial configuration that could stimulate urban growth has yet to be clearly identified in transport and urban studies. The new public transport services are believed to increase transport network accessibility and facilitate daily commute. In the transport system, stations could be the “nodes” that enhance the transport integration by providing connection for flows of people and goods, as well as be the “places” where they emerge within urban fabric to support the diversity of socio-economic activities. In this regard, the objective of this study was to verify the spatial impact of new public transport systems, with particular attention paid to the neighbourhoods surrounding stations, to identify whether stations are embedded in better locations to optimise urban regeneration. // This study focused on the latest implementation of the London Underground system, the Jubilee Line Extension (JLE) which connects Central London to the East and South-east London. Four neighbourhood stations along the JLE (Bermondsey, Canada Water, Canning Town, and West Ham) have been analysed in this study. By applying space syntax theory and tools, this study accessed both qualitative and quantitative spatial analysis with demographic and land use data. The results revealed that the location of stations, in terms of the configurational urban network, would be a factor in optimising socio-economic development in the station neighbourhoods. It also suggested that space syntax could be an effective analytical methodology used to understand the relationship between transport network and urban morphology for future studies in land use and transport planning

Patient Associated Factors that Affect Adherence to Warfarin Therapy in a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Kenya

Warfarin is the most widely used oral anticoagulant but non-adherence to its therapy contributes significantly to sub-optimal anticoagulation control. A crosssectional study was carried out among 147 adult outpatients at Kenyatta National Hospital to determine the level of adherence and explore the associated factors. Adherence was associated with age, gender heart valve surgery, alcohol consumption, and cost of treatment. On multivariate analysis, the independent variables associated with adequate adherence were age (OR = 0.429, 95% CI = 0.228-0.808; p = 0.009), gender (OR = 0.299, 95% CI = 0.123-0.728; p = 0.008) and the type of thromboembolic disease (OR = 0.385, 95% CI = 0.214-0.690; p = 0.001). Adherence was better among females, older age groups and patients who had undergone heart valve surgery. Adherence was poorer among males, younger participants and patients with venous thromboembolism. We suggest that medication adherence counseling to warfarin therapy should be emphasized in poor-adherent patient populations.Key words: Warfarin, adherence, patient factors, Keny

Postoperative Blepharoptosis After Modern Phacoemulsification Procedure

Purpose: To investigate the frequency of transient (1 month) and persistent (at least 6 months) postoperative ptosis following clear corneal sutureless phacoemulsification and to analyze the factors affecting them. Design: Cohort study. Methods: Patients who underwent phacoemulsification cataract surgery from October 2016 to June 2018 in a tertiary center were enrolled. Margin reflex distance 1 (MRD1), MRD2, and levator function were measured and facial photography was taken before, 1 month, and at least 6 months after the surgery. Clinical ptosis was defined as any postoperative drop of MRD1 and clinically significant ptosis as MRD1 drop of �2 mm. Photo-based ptosis was assessed by a masked oculofacial plastic surgeon at the end of the study. Results: A total of 234 patients (313 eyelids) were included. The majority of surgeries were performed by senior residents (65.5, 205/313) and under topical anesthesia (78.0, 244/313). Persistent clinical, clinically significant, and photo-based ptosis were 25.4 (71/279), 3.2 (9/279), and 3.3 (9/276). Eyelids with persistent postoperative ptosis showed a significantly (P = .03) lower preoperative levator function (13.9 vs 15.8 mm). No other factor was significantly different between the eyelids with and without postoperative ptosis. Conclusion: Persistent clinically significant ptosis was observed in more than 3 of patients undergoing clear corneal sutureless phacoemulsification cataract surgery. It should be counseled preoperatively. Lower preoperative levator function was significantly associated with a higher frequency of postoperative ptosis. Duration of surgery, level of surgeons, and other variables did not have any significant effect on the frequency of postoperative ptosis. © 2020 Elsevier Inc

Transient cooling of a lithium-ion battery module during high-performance driving cycles using distributed pipes - A numerical investigation

Transient effects are often excluded from the design and analysis of battery thermal management systems (BTMS). However, electric vehicles are subjected to significant dynamic loads causing transient battery heating that is not encountered in a steady state. To evaluate the significance of such effects, this paper presents a time-dependent analysis of the battery cooling process, based on an existing cooling system that satisfactorily operates in steady conditions. To resemble realistic conditions, the temporal variations in the battery power withdrawal are inferred from different standard driving cycles. Computational fluid dynamics is then utilized to predict the coolant and battery temperatures inside a battery module for a period of 900 s. It is shown that, for air cooling, the batteries temperature can exceed the safe limit. For example, in a high-performance driving cycle, after 200 s, the battery temperature goes beyond the critical value of 308 K. Nonetheless, the temperatures are always within the safe region when liquid is used to cool the battery module. Also, during a high-performance cycle where the flow rate is 1.230 g/s, the battery temperature decreased below the critical threshold and reached 304 K. In addition, to maintain the temperature of the batteries below the critical threshold during NYCC traffic and US06 driving cycles, a maximum coolant pressure inlet of 1.52 and 0.848 g/s, equivalent to 100 Pa and 50 Pa, respectively, are required. The temporal changes in Nusselt number distribution over the battery module, induced by the acceleration of the vehicle during the driving cycles, are also discussed. It is concluded that the assumption of a steady state might lead to the non-optimal design of BTMSs

Effects of Contact Network Models on Stochastic Epidemic Simulations

The importance of modeling the spread of epidemics through a population has led to the development of mathematical models for infectious disease propagation. A number of empirical studies have collected and analyzed data on contacts between individuals using a variety of sensors. Typically one uses such data to fit a probabilistic model of network contacts over which a disease may propagate. In this paper, we investigate the effects of different contact network models with varying levels of complexity on the outcomes of simulated epidemics using a stochastic Susceptible-Infectious-Recovered (SIR) model. We evaluate these network models on six datasets of contacts between people in a variety of settings. Our results demonstrate that the choice of network model can have a significant effect on how closely the outcomes of an epidemic simulation on a simulated network match the outcomes on the actual network constructed from the sensor data. In particular, preserving degrees of nodes appears to be much more important than preserving cluster structure for accurate epidemic simulations.Comment: To appear at International Conference on Social Informatics (SocInfo) 201