Young at Heart: Pioneering Approaches to Model Nonischaemic Cardiomyopathy with Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

A mere 9 years have passed since the revolutionary report describing the derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells from human fibroblasts and the first in-patient translational use of cells obtained from these stem cells has already been achieved. From the perspectives of clinicians and researchers alike, the promise of induced pluripotent stem cells is alluring if somewhat beguiling. It is now evident that this technology is nascent and many areas for refinement have been identified and need to be considered before induced pluripotent stem cells can be routinely used to stratify, treat and cure patients, and to faithfully model diseases for drug screening purposes. This review specifically addresses the pioneering approaches to improve induced pluripotent stem cell based models of nonischaemic cardiomyopathy

Genetic diversity of dinitrogen-fixing bacterial communities in soil amended with olive husks

The industrial production of olive oil is accompanied by the accumulation of large quantities of by-products from the olive milling industry that are commonly dispersed as fertilisers, which are nowadays suspected to have potential toxic effects on is omicroflora. The aim of this work has been the investigation of the genetic diversity of bacterial communities present in soil treated with olive husks focusing on the dinitrogen-fixing bacteria.nifH genes were amplified from total soil DNA using universal primers, cloned and typed by restriction analysis and sequencing of representative haplotypes. On the same samples, DGGE analysis on amplified 16S rDNA was performed aiming at monitoring modifications in the total community pattern. Results showed a high genetic diversity ofnifH genes within the community, which was well in agreement with the total community profiles obtained by DGGE on 16SrDNA. Most of thenifH gene fragments (19 out of 32) were found to be similar to sequences related with clostridia

Knowledge of public health informatics among Italian medical residents: design and preliminary validation of a questionnaire

Background: public health requires strong information skills and competencies, as it is information-intensive and information-driven. Public health informatics has been defined as the “systematic application of information, computer science, and technology to public health practice, research, and learning”. New information and communication technologies offer unprecedented opportunities, such as linking smart-phones and mobiles devices to web based tools for data collection, enabling and enhancing participatory epidemiology. However, being an emerging discipline, despite its potential and importance, public health informatics is often neglected and overlooked, being rarely offered as course. The present study was designed as a pilot study, with the aim of designing and validating a questionnaire on the knowledge of public health informatics among medical residents in public health in Italy.  Methods and Results: thirty-two Italian residents in public health volunteered to take part into the study. Mean age of the sample was 31.44±2.23 years, most responders were males (68.8%), from northern Italy (53.1%), at the third year of residency (34.4%) and currently doing practical training at the clinical management staff/hospital directorate (34.4%). Other places of training were the Prevention Department (21.9%), the Institute of Hygiene (18.8%), the local health units and the territory (12.5%), the occupational health service (6.3%) and the Regional Health Agency (3.1%). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient yielded a value of 0.909, demonstrating excellent psychometric properties of the instrument.  Conclusion: in conclusion, the developed questionnaire seems to be an appropriate and useful tool to detect gaps concerning knowledge, education and practices of public health informatics among residents in public health.&nbsp

Characterization of the Pall Celeris system as a point-of-care device for therapeutic angiogenesis

Abstract Background aims The Pall Celeris system is a filtration-based point-of-care device designed to obtain a high concentrate of peripheral blood total nucleated cells (PB-TNCs). We have characterized the Pall Celeris–derived TNCs for their in vitro and in vivo angiogenic potency. Methods PB-TNCs isolated from healthy donors were characterized through the use of flow cytometry and functional assays, aiming to assess migratory capacity, ability to form capillary-like structures, endothelial trans-differentiation and paracrine factor secretion. In a hind limb ischemia mouse model, we evaluated perfusion immediately and 7 days after surgery, along with capillary, arteriole and regenerative fiber density and local bio-distribution. Results Human PB-TNCs isolated by use of the Pall Celeris filtration system were shown to secrete a panel of angiogenic factors and migrate in response to vascular endothelial growth factor and stromal-derived factor-1 stimuli. Moreover, after injection in a mouse model of hind limb ischemia, PB-TNCs induced neovascularization by increasing capillary, arteriole and regenerative fiber numbers, with human cells detected in murine tissue up to 7 days after ischemia. Conclusions The Pall Celeris system may represent a novel, effective and reliable point-of-care device to obtain a PB-derived cell product with adequate potency for therapeutic angiogenesis

Late Myocardial Infarction and Repeat Revascularization after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients with Prior Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the risk of late mortality and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebral events after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with prior percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: A total of 2948 patients undergoing isolated CABGs were included in a prospective multicenter registry. Outcomes were adjusted for multiple covariates in logistic regression, Cox proportional hazards analysis and competing risk analysis. Results: In all, 2619 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria of this analysis. Of them, 2199 (79.1%) had no history of PCI and 420 (20.9%) had a prior PCI. An adjusted analysis showed that a single prior PCI and multiple prior PCIs did not increase the risk of 30-day and 5-year mortality. Patients with multiple prior PCIs had a significantly higher risk of 5-year myocardial infarction (SHR 2.566, 95%CI 1.379–4.312) and repeat revascularization (SHR 1.774, 95%CI 1.140–2.763). Similarly, 30-day and 5-year mortality were not significantly increased in patients with prior PCI treatment of single or multiple vessels. Patients with multiple vessels treated with PCI had a significantly higher risk of 5-year myocardial infarction (SHR 2.640, 95%CI 1.497–4.658), repeat revascularization (SHR 1.648, 95%CI 1.029–2.638) and stroke (SHR 2.215, 95%CI 1.056–4.646) at 5-year. The risk for repeat revascularization was also increased with a prior single vessel PCI, but not for other outcomes. Conclusions: Among patients undergoing CABGs, multiple prior PCIs seem to increase the risk of late myocardial infarction and the need for repeat revascularization, but not the risk of mortality

Late Myocardial Infarction and Repeat Revascularization after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients with Prior Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the risk of late mortality and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebral events after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with prior percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: A total of 2948 patients undergoing isolated CABGs were included in a prospective multicenter registry. Outcomes were adjusted for multiple covariates in logistic regression, Cox proportional hazards analysis and competing risk analysis. Results: In all, 2619 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria of this analysis. Of them, 2199 (79.1%) had no history of PCI and 420 (20.9%) had a prior PCI. An adjusted analysis showed that a single prior PCI and multiple prior PCIs did not increase the risk of 30-day and 5-year mortality. Patients with multiple prior PCIs had a significantly higher risk of 5-year myocardial infarction (SHR 2.566, 95%CI 1.379–4.312) and repeat revascularization (SHR 1.774, 95%CI 1.140–2.763). Similarly, 30-day and 5-year mortality were not significantly increased in patients with prior PCI treatment of single or multiple vessels. Patients with multiple vessels treated with PCI had a significantly higher risk of 5-year myocardial infarction (SHR 2.640, 95%CI 1.497–4.658), repeat revascularization (SHR 1.648, 95%CI 1.029–2.638) and stroke (SHR 2.215, 95%CI 1.056–4.646) at 5-year. The risk for repeat revascularization was also increased with a prior single vessel PCI, but not for other outcomes. Conclusions: Among patients undergoing CABGs, multiple prior PCIs seem to increase the risk of late myocardial infarction and the need for repeat revascularization, but not the risk of mortality

Bleeding in Patients Treated With Ticagrelor or Clopidogrel Before Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

BackgroundWe evaluated perioperative bleeding after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients preoperatively treated with ticagrelor or clopidogrel, stratified by discontinuation of these P2Y12 inhibitors.MethodsAll patients from the prospective, European Multicenter Registry on Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (E-CABG) treated with ticagrelor or clopidogrel undergoing isolated primary CABG were eligible. The primary outcome measure was severe or massive bleeding defined according to the Universal Definition of Perioperative Bleeding, stratified by P2Y12 inhibitor discontinuation. Secondary outcome measures included four additional definitions of major bleeding. Propensity score matching was performed to adjust for differences in preoperative and perioperative covariates.ResultsOf 2,311 patients who were included, 1,293 (55.9%) received clopidogrel and 1,018 (44.1%) ticagrelor preoperatively. Mean time between discontinuation and the operation was 4.5 ± 3.2 days for clopidogrel and 4.9 ± 3.0 days for ticagrelor. In the propensity score–matched cohort, ticagrelor-treated patients had a higher incidence of major bleeding according to Universal Definition of Perioperative Bleeding when ticagrelor was discontinued 0 to 2 days compared with 3 days before the operation (16.0% vs 2.7%, p = 0.003). Clopidogrel-treated patients had a higher incidence of major bleeding according to the Universal Definition of Perioperative Bleeding when clopidogrel was discontinued 0 to 3 days compared with 4 to 5 days before the operation (15.6% vs 8.3%, p = 0.031).ConclusionsIn patients receiving ticagrelor 2 days before CABG and in those receiving clopidogrel 3 days before CABG, there was an increased rate of severe bleeding. Postponing nonemergent CABG for at least 3 days after discontinuation of ticagrelor and 4 days after clopidogrel should be considered.</div

Improving CtxMatch by means of grammatical and ontological knowledge - in order to handle attributes

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Semantic Coordination of Hierarchical Classifications with Attributes

Semantic coordination, namely the problem of finding an agreement on the meaning of heterogeneous schemas, is one of the key issues in the development of the Semantic Web. In this paper, we propose a method for discovering semantic mappings across hierarchical classifications with attributes based on a new approach, which shifts the problem of semantic coordination from the problem of computing linguistic or structural similarities (what most other proposed approaches do) to the problem of deducing relations between sets of logical formulae that represent the meaning of concepts belonging to different schema. We show how to apply the approach and the algorithm to an interesting family of schemas, namely hierarchical classifications, and present the results of preliminary tests on two types of hierarchical classifications, web directories and catalogs. Finally, we argue why this is a significant improvement on previous approaches