Pathways to paediatric urology subspecialisation:a study of casemix, incumbent attitudes and opinions

Objective: To identify any self-reported differences or attitudes towards certification, publication, or practice patterns between adult urology and paediatric general surgery-trained paediatric urology providers. There are no known published differences in clinical/operative/research outcomes in either group. Methods: An 18-item cross-sectional survey was compiled through the EAU Young Academic Urologists (YAU) office and disseminated to a trans-Atlantic convenience sample of current practising paediatric urologists. This was created using a mini-Delphi method to provide current semi-quantitative data relating to current opinions and attitudes of this cohort. Results: A total of 228 respondents completed the survey, with female respondents representing 37% and 34% for urology and paediatric general surgery, respectively. Nearly 90% overall respondents felt that a full 2-year paediatric fellowship program was very important and 94% endorsed a collaborative dedicated paediatric urology on call service, with 92% supporting the joint development of transitional care. Urology managed higher numbers of bedwetting (p = 0.04), bladder bowel dysfunction (p = 0.02), endourological procedures (p = 0.04), and robotics (p = 0.04). Paediatric general surgery managed higher numbers of laparoscopic reconstruction (p = 0.03), and posterior urethral valve ablation (p = 0.002). Conclusion: This study represents the first time that a cross-sectional cohort of paediatric urologists from different training backgrounds were compared to assess their productivity, practice patterns and attitudes. Paediatric urology is in a unique position to have two contributing specialities, with the ability to provide optimal transitional and lifelong care. We believe that there should be a strong emphasis on collaboration and to remove any historically-created barriers under policies of equity, diversity and inclusivity.</p

Bioactive injectable mucoadhesive thermosensitive natural polymeric hydrogels for oral bone and periodontal regeneration

Periodontitis is an inflammation-related condition, caused by an infectious microbiome and host defense that causes damage to periodontium. The natural processes of the mouth, like saliva production and eating, significantly diminish therapeutic medication residency in the region of periodontal disease. Furthermore, the complexity and diversity of pathological mechanisms make successful periodontitis treatment challenging. As a result, developing enhanced local drug delivery technologies and logical therapy procedures provides the foundation for effective periodontitis treatment. Being biocompatible, biodegradable, and easily administered to the periodontal tissues, hydrogels have sparked substantial an intense curiosity in the discipline of periodontal therapy. The primary objective of hydrogel research has changed in recent years to intelligent thermosensitive hydrogels, that involve local adjustable sol-gel transformations and regulate medication release in reaction to temperature, we present a thorough introduction to the creation and efficient construction of new intelligent thermosensitive hydrogels for periodontal regeneration. We also address cutting-edge smart hydrogel treatment options based on periodontitis pathophysiology. Furthermore, the problems and prospective study objectives are reviewed, with a focus on establishing effective hydrogel delivery methods and prospective clinical applications

Fibroblast cell-based therapy prevents induction of alopecia areata in an experimental model

YesAlopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune hair loss disease with infiltration of proinflammatory cells into hair follicles. Current therapeutic regimens are unsatisfactory mainly because of the potential for side effects and/or limited efficacy. Here we report that cultured, transduced fibroblasts, which express the immunomodulatory molecule indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), can be applied to prevent hair loss in an experimental AA model. A single intraperitoneal (IP) injection of IDO-expressing primary dermal fibroblasts was given to C3H/HeJ mice at the time of AA induction. While 60–70% of mice that received either control fibroblasts or vehicle injections developed extensive AA, none of the IDO-expressing fibroblast-treated mice showed new hair loss up to 20 weeks post injection. IDO cell therapy significantly reduced infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells into hair follicles and resulted in decreased expression of TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-17 in the skin. Skin draining lymph nodes of IDO fibroblast-treated mice were significantly smaller, with more CD4+ CD25+ FoxP3+ regulatory T cells and fewer Th17 cells than those of control fibroblast and vehicle-injected mice. These findings indicate that IP injected IDO-expressing dermal fibroblasts can control inflammation and thereby prevent AA hair loss.Canadian Institutes of Health Researches (Funding Reference Number: 134214 and 136945)

Increase in synthesis of human monoclonal antibodies by transfected Sp2/0 myeloma mouse cell line under conditions of microgravity

Microgravity can influence cell growth and function. A transfected Sp2/0 myeloma cell line P3A2 producing a human IgG1 anti-TNFalpha monoclonal antibody was cultivated in static culture, spinner flasks and simulated microgravity using a rotating wall vessel bioreactor. Microgravity significantly decreased cell growth ( from 1.7 x 10(6) to 7.9 x 10(5) cells/ml), but facilitated the synthesis of antibodies, (1.8, 1.3 and 0.5 mug of anti-TNFalpha hmAb per 10(6) viable cells for cells cultivated under microgravity, in spinner flasks and static cultures, respectively). The results suggest that microgravity could be applied to improve the specific productivity of cell lines producing potentially important therapeutic proteins

Do community pharmacists in Qatar manage acute respiratory conditions rationally? A simulated client study

Objectives: This study evaluated Qatar's community pharmacists' therapeutic recommendations, medication labelling, dispensing and counselling practices in response to common cold and allergic rhinitis symptoms. Methods: A simulated client method was used to assess the practice behaviour of community pharmacists. Twenty-five pharmacies in Qatar were randomly selected and further randomised into two groups: common cold (n = 15) and allergic rhinitis (n = 10). The pharmacies were visited or called according to the study group twice by two independent simulated clients; each simulated client visited or called the 25 pharmacies once. Therapeutic recommendations, labelling, dispensing and counselling practices from the studied pharmacies were compared to Joint FIP/WHO (International Pharmaceutical Federation/World Health Organization) standard guidelines. Data analyses were performed using both descriptive and inferential statistics (? = 0.05). Key findings: Cough syrups (37%), analgesics (31%) and antihistamines (19%) were the most frequently dispensed medicines in the common cold scenario. Pharmacists were less likely to dispense cough syrups (12%) and analgesics (12%), but were more likely to dispense antihistamines (35%) in the allergic rhinitis scenario. Antibiotics were found in three encounters for each scenario. Many community pharmacists did not adhere to medicine labelling standard. No significant differences were found regarding labelling practices and important questions to be asked (P > 0.05), except questions related to fever and cough symptoms (P < 0.05). The median cost for treating allergic rhinitis was higher, but this did not reach statistical significance (QAR 60 versus QAR 51 (equivalent to USD 16.44 versus USD 13.97), P = 0.586). Furthermore, no significant differences were found between pharmacists' gender (P = 0.642), pharmacy type (P = 0.487) and duration of encounter (P = 0.266). Conclusions: Community pharmacists in Qatar appeared to exhibit practices that are below the established standards in response to common cold and allergic rhinitis symptoms. - 2017 Royal Pharmaceutical SocietyThe authors would like to thank Qatar University for funding this research (QU/Qatar University Student Grant (ID: QUST-CPH-SPR-12/13-14).Scopu

Controversies in calcium-sensing in bone

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