Opiate Abuse in Brandon, VT: Empowering Support Systems

Primary care physicians and emergency physicians have reported a surge in opiate abuse within the state of Vermont. It is being labeled as a public health epidemic and crisis, with a 2013 mortality rate of almost double what it was in 2012. There are several factors that play a role in why Vermont has seen such a growth in opiate abuse, from easy access to opiate dealers in major urban cities such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia to a decrease in law enforcement coverage in rural areas of the state. One major element, and the focus of this project, is the lack of communication and awareness of resources for family members of abuse victims. Opiate abuse does not only affect the victim, it also affects their relationships, families, and friends. The major barrier to family members and friends seeking emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental support is the stigma that surrounds opiate abuse. If people don’t talk about the issue, this barrier cannot be overcome. There needs to be more information available to families, so they may seek out the appropriate resources and support needed to make strides towards helping their loved ones through their addiction’ This lack of communication among families in the community also contributes to the public health problem and the stigma of substance abuse; it results in a vicious cycle.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1008/thumbnail.jp

Nutrition as the Foundation for Good Health: Evaluating the Impact of Food Programs on Health

Introduction. Previous studies have demonstrated a link between food insecurity and childhood behavioral problems, particularly internal problems such as anxiety and depression. Burlington Children’s Space (BCS), a local preschool and daycare in Burlington, VT, has created a healthy and nutritious meal program for their children, many of whom cannot afford enough to eat well at home.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1194/thumbnail.jp

Core-Shell Hydrogel Microcapsules for Improved Islets Encapsulation

Islets microencapsulation holds great promise to treat type 1 diabetes. Currently used alginate microcapsules often have islets protruding outside capsules, leading to inadequate immuno-protection. A novel design of microcapsules with core–shell structures using a two-fluid co-axial electro-jetting is reported. Improved encapsulation and diabetes correction is achieved in a single step by simply confining the islets in the core region of the capsules.Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (grant 17-2007-1063)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Postdoctoral Fellowship F32 EB011580- 01)Tayebati Family Foundatio

Combinatorial hydrogel library enables identification of materials that mitigate the foreign body response in primates

The foreign body response is an immune-mediated reaction that can lead to the failure of implanted medical devices and discomfort for the recipient. There is a critical need for biomaterials that overcome this key challenge in the development of medical devices. Here we use a combinatorial approach for covalent chemical modification to generate a large library of variants of one of the most widely used hydrogel biomaterials, alginate. We evaluated the materials in vivo and identified three triazole-containing analogs that substantially reduce foreign body reactions in both rodents and, for at least 6 months, in non-human primates. The distribution of the triazole modification creates a unique hydrogel surface that inhibits recognition by macrophages and fibrous deposition. In addition to the utility of the compounds reported here, our approach may enable the discovery of other materials that mitigate the foreign body response.Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust (3-SRA-2014-285-M-R)United States. National Institutes of Health (EB000244)United States. National Institutes of Health (EB000351)United States. National Institutes of Health (DE013023)United States. National Institutes of Health (CA151884)United States. National Institutes of Health (P41EB015871-27)National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (P30-CA14051

Size- and shape-dependent foreign body immune response to materials implanted in rodents and non-human primates

The efficacy of implanted biomedical devices is often compromised by host recognition and subsequent foreign body responses. Here, we demonstrate the role of the geometry of implanted materials on their biocompatibility in vivo. In rodent and non-human primate animal models, implanted spheres 1.5 mm and above in diameter across a broad spectrum of materials, including hydrogels, ceramics, metals, and plastics, significantly abrogated foreign body reactions and fibrosis when compared to smaller spheres. We also show that for encapsulated rat pancreatic islet cells transplanted into streptozotocin-treated diabetic C57BL/6 mice, islets prepared in 1.5 mm alginate capsules were able to restore blood-glucose control for up to 180 days, a period more than 5-fold longer than for transplanted grafts encapsulated within conventionally sized 0.5-mm alginate capsules. Our findings suggest that the in vivo biocompatibility of biomedical devices can be significantly improved by simply tuning their spherical dimensions

Colony Stimulating Factor-1 Receptor is a central component of the foreign body response to biomaterial implants in rodents and non-human primates

Host recognition and immune-mediated foreign body response (FBR) to biomaterials can compromise the performance of implanted medical devices. To identify key cell and cytokine targets, here we perform in-depth systems analysis of innate and adaptive immune system responses to implanted biomaterials in rodents and non-human primates. While macrophages are indispensable to the fibrotic cascade, surprisingly neutrophils and complement are not. Macrophages, via CXCL13, lead to downstream B cell recruitment, which further potentiated fibrosis, as confirmed by B cell knock out and CXCL13 neutralization. Interestingly, Colony Stimulating Factor-1 Receptor (CSF1R) is significantly increased following implantation of multiple biomaterial classes: ceramic, polymer, and hydrogel. Its inhibition, like macrophage depletion, leads to complete loss of fibrosis, but spares other macrophage functions such as wound healing, ROS production, and phagocytosis. Our results indicate targeting CSF1R may allow for a more selective method of fibrosis inhibition, and improve biomaterial biocompatibility without the need for broad immunosuppression