Temperature and pH Responsive Microfibers for Controllable and Variable Ibuprofen Delivery

Electrospun microfibers (MFs) composed of pH and temperature responsive polymers can be used for controllable and variable delivery of ibuprofen. First, electrospinning technique was employed to prepare poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) (pNIPAM-co-MAA) MFs containing ibuprofen. It was found that drug release rates from PCL MFs cannot be significantly varied by either temperature (22–40°C) or pH values (1.7–7.4). In contrast, the ibuprofen (IP) diffusion rates from pNIPAM-co-MAA MFs were very sensitive to changes in both temperature and pH. The IP release from pNIPAM-co-MAA MFs was highly linear and controllable when the temperature was above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of pNIPAM-co-MAA (33°C) and the pH was lower than the of carboxylic acids (pH 2). At room temperature, however, the release rate was dramatically increased by nearly ten times compared to that at higher temperature and lower pH. Such a unique and controllable drug delivery system could be naturally envisioned to find many practical applications in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences such as programmable transdermal drug delivery

Catheter Direct Thrombolysis as a Modality of Management for Pulmonary Embolism: Risk Stratifying with the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index

Catheter Directed Thrombolysis (CDT) or Systemic Thrombolysis (ST) are current standards of care for patients experiencing a Massive (MPE) or Submassive (SPE) Pulmonary Embolism which are categories that are defined by AHA guidelines for the Emergency Department. The Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (PESI), a five-tier system, is a composite metric that can risk stratify PE into low risk (tiers 1,2) for SPE and high risk (tiers 3,4,5) for MPE, predicting mortality and outcomes. This study aims to determine if CDT or ST/no intervention (ST/NI) has better outcomes for MPE and SPE patients, while using PESI as a risk stratification tool. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients from 2010 – 2016 who underwent CDT or ST/NI, matching patients using ten variables to yield N= 336: with equal proportions receiving CDT and ST/NI. 96 patients were in the low risk PESI group and 240 patients were in the high risk PESI group. In both low and high risk PESI groups, CDT intervention was associated with longer length of stay, (

Controllable and Switchable Drug Delivery of Ibuprofen from Temperature Responsive Composite Nanofibers

Composited electrospun nanofibers made of temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) and biodegradable poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) can be utilized for ‘on-demand’ and controlled drug release of ibuprofen without burst effect for potential pharmaceutical applications. Three types of nanofibers, PCL, pNIPAM and pNIPAM/PCL composite NFs containing ibuprofen were fabricated using electrospinning techniques. Ibuprofen release rates from PCL NFs are not affected by the temperature in the range of 22–34°C (less than 10%). In contrast, the ibuprofen release rates from pNIPAM NFs are very sensitive to the change in temperature, which is five times higher at 22°C compared to 34°C. However, there is a serious burst effect at 22°C. Compared to other two types of NFs, pNIPAM/PCL composite NFs prepared demonstrated a variable and controlled release at both room and higher temperature, due to the extra protection from the hydrophobic poly (ε-caprolactone). The rate at 22°C is 75% faster compared to that at 34°C. This kind of composite design can provide a novel approach to suppress the burst effect in drug delivery systems for potential pharmaceutical applications

Assessing Peer Mentor Skill Development in Participating in a Novel Medical Student Mentoring Initiative

BackgroundLearning communities in medical schools create a bridge for senior students to engage with junior peers, providing advice and support as mentors. In this process, mentors are likely to gain skills in communication, empathy, and leadership - well received traits for residency. Methods We aim to elucidate an objective measure of mentor growth and development during the mentorship program. We will evaluate opinions on the program\u27s ability to foster professional attributes including leadership, communication, and empathy; determining features that benefit them while assessing for paradigms of improvement. We will survey 24 M2-students through self-rated queries on a Likert scale. This survey will be administered to mentors at two time-points: half-way and at the end of the program. Results From the mid-point survey, 22 out of 24 total mentors responded. Most mentors feel satisfied with the support that they receive from the program, specifically with the time commitment while not feeling overwhelmed with their duties. Finally, mentors find an importance in building mentee confidence and helping mentees to meet their goals, but most do not feel skilled at this. Conclusion The survey results provide valuable insight regarding mentors’ personal and professional development. We identified mentors’ needs for increased support. In a follow-up study, we will assess how the program can develop educational interventions to aid mentors in developing abilities to communicate, lead, and mentor. We additionally hope to establish a rigorous quality-assessment tool to be used year-over-year in assessing program development while also defining avenues to improve mentors’ professional development

Learning Community Student-Resident Physician Mentorship

Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSUSOM) in 2018 formed Learning Communities (LCs), that facilitate student engagement, comradery, and mentoring. These programs include medical student-premed, near-peer, and faculty/attending mentorships. There has been an identified gap in mentorship between near-peer and faculty/attending mentorship, and that is near-peer mentors at WSUSOM have yet to complete the residency process to guide other students through it. Moreover, faculty/attending mentors are more removed from residency and may not have relevant advice for students. As resident physicians are recent graduates, they are more likely to provide relevant insight about residency applications, academic challenges, and efficiency than attendings. We aim to assess the extent of the gap between faculty/attending and peer mentorships. MS4 at WSUSOM (N=33) self-reported their: confidence in transitioning to residency; the gaps they believe such mentorship will fill; and whether they, themselves, would participate in an MS-resident fellowship program. Results indicated that MS4s feel somewhat confident in their abilities to transition to residency. They believe that a resident-MS mentorship would help in the interview and application process, as well as, the residency program choosing process. Furthermore, if given the opportunity, all the students would consider joining the program. We hope to implement a student-resident mentorship program, to reassure students on their journey to residency

TCT-175 Safety and Complications Associated With the Use of Protamine in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background: There is a paucity of data on the use of protamine after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 168 patients who underwent PCI from 2015 to 2021. All patients received protamine intra- or immediately after index PCI. We evaluated baseline characteristics, intraprocedural characteristics including heparin dosing and protamine dosing, and complications such as acute stent thrombosis (ST), dissection, perforation, and access-site bleeding. The primary outcome was the incidence of acute ST, subacute ST, and other thrombotic complications. Secondary outcomes included mortality within 24 hours and within 28 days of the index procedure. Results: One hundred sixty-eight patients were included. The mean age of patients was 72 ± 12.1 years, and 36% were women. The majority of patients received antiplatelet therapy prior to the index procedure (90%), and the average ejection fraction (EF) was 50% ± 14.3%. Of the 33 insulin-dependent patients (20%), only 1 (0.5%) used neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin. One hundred fifteen of the procedures (68%) were elective, and the average procedure time was 3 hours 21 minutes (SD 1 hour 43 minutes). Fifty-nine patients underwent rotational, orbital, or laser atherectomy (27, 23, and 9 patients, respectively). An average of 2.59 ± 1.38 stents were deployed, and intravascular ultrasound was used in 96 patients (57%). An average protamine dose of 32 mg was administered. Seventy-three patients (43%) had coronary perforations, and 19 (11%) had pericardial effusions requiring pericardiocentesis. Twenty-one patients (13%) had coronary dissections following PCI, and 6 (4%) had access-site bleeding requiring transfusion. Three patients (2%) underwent urgent cardiac surgery. Eight (5%) died within 24 hours of PCI, and 6 (3.5%) died within 28 days of PCI. Four patients (2%) had acute ST, no patients experienced subacute ST, and 1 patient (0.5%) developed arterial thrombosis (common femoral artery). Conclusions: Use protamine in PCI typically occurred because of intraprocedural complications. In our series, protamine was tolerated well in the majority of patients, but 3% of patients experienced coronary or arterial thrombosis, warranting caution when using protamine in these challenging scenarios. Categories: CORONARY: Stents: Drug-Elutin

Gender correlation to sleeve length

<p>Data concerned with sleeve length and gender correlation. </p

Plant density correlated with insect number York University Quadrat sampling

<p>A meter by meter quadrat was used in York University grasslands (near stong pond. Within each quadrat plant density, number of insects, height of tallest plant was recorded. Each subsequent quadrat was 3 meters in any direction of the previous quadrat. Two sets were collected: 30 in grasslands and 30 in mowed grass. Collaborators: Davis Arkilander, Dante Cosentino, Sam Yang, Franz G. </p