Veno-occlusive disease nurse management: Development of a dynamic monitoring tool by the GITMO nursing group

Veno-occlusive disease (VOD) is a complication arising from the toxicity of conditioning regimens that have a significant impact on the survival of patients who undergo stem cell transplantation. There are several known risk factors for developing VOD and their assessment before the start of conditioning regimens could improve the quality of care. Equally important are early identification of signs and symptoms ascribable to VOD, rapid diagnosis, and timely adjustment of support therapy and treatment. Nurses have a fundamental role at the stages of assessment and monitoring for signs and symptoms; therefore, they should have documented skills and training. The literature defines nurses' areas of competence in managing VOD, but in the actual clinical practice, this is not so clear. Moreover, there is an intrinsic difficulty in managing VOD due to its rapid and often dramatic evolution, together with a lack of care tools to guide nurses. Through a complex evidence-based process, the Gruppo Italiano per il Trapianto di Midollo Osseo (GITMO), cellule staminali emopoietiche e terapia cellulare nursing board has developed an operational flowchart and a dynamic monitoring tool applicable to haematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients, whether they develop this complication or not

Adverse Effect of Metallic Gold and Silver Nanoparticles on Xenopus laevis Embryogenesis

Exposure to metal nanoparticles is potentially harmful, particularly when occurring during embryogenesis. In this study, we tested the effects of commercial AuNPs and AgNPs, widely used in many fields for their features, on the early development of Xenopus laevis, an anuran amphibian key model species in toxicity testing. Through the Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay—Xenopus test (FETAX), we ascertained that both nanoparticles did not influence the survival rate but induced morphological anomalies like modifications of head and branchial arch cartilages, depigmentation of the dorsal area, damage to the intestinal brush border, and heart rate alteration. The expression of genes involved in the early pathways of embryo development was also modified. This study suggests that both types of nanoparticles are toxic though nonlethal, thus indicating that their use requires attention and further study to better clarify their activity in animals and, more importantly, in humans

Easy-to-fill asymmetric polymeric micro-reservoirs

In this work, we demonstrate the feasibility of micrometric asymmetric reservoirs made of thermoplastic polymers by using the gas foaming method, which has been recently introduced, and consists in forming bubbles in micro- or nano-metric bulk particles as it is done with carbonated drinks. As this simplicity anticipates, this represents a breakthrough in the area of micro and nano-particles as it responds to the needs of: i) breaking the symmetry of commonly available systems, ii) filling the particles with a multitude of host molecules and solutions, iii) having different shapes, iv) having a wide range of particle dimensions, v) having particles made of a wide range of materials. Here we report the achievement of micrometric spherical particles and of micrometric ellipsoidal particles with eccentric holes, filled with crystal violet or with quantum dots as model host molecules. Raman spectroscopy and optical and electron imaging are utilized to verify the effectiveness of the method. This study should open up the use of micro- and nano-metric reservoirs in a multitude of research areas, from the biomedicine and pharmacology, to electronics, energy and optics

Urinary epidermal growth factor/monocyte chemotactic peptide 1 ratio as non-invasive predictor of Mayo clinic imaging classes in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

Age- and height-adjusted total kidney volume is currently considered the best prognosticator in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. We tested the ratio of urinary epidermal growth factor and monocyte chemotactic peptide 1 for the prediction of the Mayo Clinic Imaging Classes