Growth and characterization of semiconductor nanoparticles in porous sol-gel films

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Myocardial hypothermia increases autophagic flux, mitochondrial mass and myocardial function after ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Animal studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of therapeutic hypothermia on myocardial function, yet exact mechanisms remain unclear. Impaired autophagy leads to heart failure and mitophagy is important for mitigating ischemia/reperfusion injury. This study aims to investigate whether the beneficial effects of therapeutic hypothermia are due to preserved autophagy and mitophagy. Under general anesthesia, the left anterior descending coronary artery of 19 female farm pigs was occluded for 90 minutes with consecutive reperfusion. 30 minutes after reperfusion, we performed pericardial irrigation with warm or cold saline for 60 minutes. Myocardial tissue analysis was performed one and four weeks after infarction. Therapeutic hypothermia induced a significant increase in autophagic flux, mitophagy, mitochondrial mass and function in the myocardium after infarction. Cell stress, apoptosis, inflammation as well as fibrosis were reduced, with significant preservation of systolic and diastolic function four weeks post infarction. We found similar biochemical changes in human samples undergoing open chest surgery under hypothermic conditions when compared to the warm. These results suggest that autophagic flux and mitophagy are important mechanisms implicated in cardiomyocyte recovery after myocardial infarction under hypothermic conditions. New therapeutic strategies targeting these pathways directly could lead to improvements in prevention of heart failure

Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Human Small Artery Function Evidence for Reduction in Perivascular Adipocyte Inflammation, and the Restoration of Normal Anticontractile Activity Despite Persistent Obesity

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of bariatric surgery on small artery function and the mechanisms underlying this.BackgroundIn lean healthy humans, perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) exerts an anticontractile effect on adjacent small arteries, but this is lost in obesity-associated conditions such as the metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes where there is evidence of adipocyte inflammation and increased oxidative stress.MethodsSegments of small subcutaneous artery and perivascular fat were harvested from severely obese individuals before (n = 20) and 6 months after bariatric surgery (n = 15). Small artery contractile function was examined in vitro with wire myography, and perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) morphology was assessed with immunohistochemistry.ResultsThe anticontractile activity of PVAT was lost in obese patients before surgery when compared with healthy volunteers and was restored 6 months after bariatric surgery. In vitro protocols with superoxide dismutase and catalase rescued PVAT anticontractile function in tissue from obese individuals before surgery. The improvement in anticontractile function after surgery was accompanied by improvements in insulin sensitivity, serum glycemic indexes, inflammatory cytokines, adipokine profile, and systolic blood pressure together with increased PVAT adiponectin and nitric oxide bioavailability and reduced macrophage infiltration and inflammation. These changes were observed despite the patients remaining severely obese.ConclusionsBariatric surgery and its attendant improvements in weight, blood pressure, inflammation, and metabolism collectively reverse the obesity-induced alteration to PVAT anticontractile function. This reversal is attributable to reductions in local adipose inflammation and oxidative stress with improved adiponectin and nitric oxide bioavailability

Exploring the acceptability of human papillomavirus self-sampling among Muslim immigrant women

Aisha K Lofters,1–4 Mandana Vahabi,5,6 Mitra Fardad,7 Afrah Raza8 1Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, 2Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, 3Department of Family and Community Medicine, St. Michael’s Hospital, 4Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, 5Faculty of Community Services, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, 6Graduate Program in Immigration and Settlement Studies, Ryerson University, 7Faculty of Community Service, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada; 8University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA Background: With appropriate screening (ie, the Papanicolaou [Pap] test), cervical cancer is highly preventable, and high-income countries, including Canada, have observed significant decreases in cervical cancer mortality. However, certain subgroups, including immigrants from countries with large Muslim populations, experience disparities in cervical cancer screening. Little is known about the acceptability of human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling as a screening strategy among Muslim immigrant women in Canada. This study assessed cervical cancer screening practices, knowledge and attitudes, and acceptability of HPV self-sampling among Muslim immigrant women. Methods: A convenience sample of 30 women was recruited over a 3-month period (June–August 2015) in the Greater Toronto Area. All women were between 21 and 69 years old, foreign-born, and self-identified as Muslim, and had good knowledge of English. Data were collected through a self-completed questionnaire. Results: More than half of the participants falsely indicated that Pap tests may cause cervical infection, and 46.7% indicated that the test is an intrusion on privacy. The majority of women reported that they would be willing to try HPV self-sampling, and more than half would prefer this method to provider-administered sampling methods. Barriers to self-sampling included confidence in the ability to perform the test and perceived cost, and facilitators included convenience and privacy being preserved. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that HPV self-sampling may provide a favorable alternative model of care to the traditional provider-administered Pap testing. These findings add important information to the literature related to promoting cancer screening among women who are under or never screened for cervical cancer. Keywords: cancer screening, HPV, self-sampling, immigrant health&nbsp

KRAS and NRAS testing in metastatic colorectal cancer in Central Iran (Tehran): A review on literature of the middle east

Context: The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the past three decades in Iran has made it as a major public health burden. Aims: The aim of this study is to report the prevalence of KRAS and NRAS mutations in Iran and the correlation between KRAS mutation status with clinicopathological factors and survival. Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 144 patients were entered into the study based on the criteria. Age, sex, tumor site, grade, metastasis location, familial history, KRAS/NRAS status, and survival were checked for all patients, and the patients were followed for 1 year. DNA was extracted with FFPE QIAGEN kit and then polymerase chain reaction for amplification of gene segments of KRAS and NRAS genes. Results: The mean age at diagnosis was 52.9 years (range: 27-72 years) that 39.6 patients had age <50 years and 54.2 were men. KRAS mutation was significantly more in the patients with age �50 compared with KRAS wild type. Furthermore, the 6-month overall survival rate in KRAS mutation patients was significantly more than KRAS wild-type patients. Liver metastasis (72.9) had the highest prevalence of metastasis in the patients, and Grade II with 64.6 had the most prevalence. Conclusions: The metastatic CRC was more prevalent in men than women, and the mean age varied around 50-60 years. The results showed that the present study had the highest prevalence of KRAS mutation in the Middle East and Pakistan with the lowest prevalence in CRC patients. © 2018 Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow

Approximate solution for blood flow through an artery in Cosserat continuum

This investigation describes steady, laminar, and fully developed blood flow velocity and rotation fields in the rigid femoral artery using Cosserat continuum mechanics approach. The governing filed equations are derived and solution to the Hagen-Poiseuilli flow of a COSSERAT fluid in the artery is obtained analytically by Homotopy Perturbation Method (HPM) and numerically using finite difference method. Comparison of analytic results with numeric ones showed excellent agreement.Abas Ali Fardad, Gholamali Atefi, Nima Sedaghatizadeh, Mohammad Mofid