Characterization of the Protein Corona of Three Chairside Hemoderivatives on Melt Electrowritten Polycaprolactone Scaffolds

In tissue engineering, the relationship between a biomaterial surface and the host’s immune response during wound healing is crucial for tissue regeneration. Despite hemoderivative functionalization of biomaterials becoming a common tissue-engineering strategy for enhanced regeneration, the characteristics of the protein–biomaterial interface have not been fully elucidated. This study characterized the interface formed by the adsorbed proteins from various hemoderivatives with pristine and calcium phosphate (CaP)-coated polycaprolactone (PCL) melt electrowritten scaffolds. PCL scaffolds were fabricated by using melt electrospinning writing (MEW). Three hemoderivatives (pure platelet-rich plasma (P-PRP), leucocyte platelet-rich plasma (L-PRP) and injectable platelet-rich fibrin (i-PRF)) and total blood PLASMA (control) were prepared from ovine blood. Hemoderivatives were characterized via SEM/EDX, cross-linking assay, weight loss, pH and protein quantification. The interface between PCL/CaP and hemoderivative was examined via FTIR, XPS and electrophoresis. i-PRF/PCL-CaP (1653 cm−1), PLASMA/PCL-CaP (1652 cm−1) and i-PRF/PCL (1651 cm−1) demonstrated a strong signal at the Amide I region. PLASMA and i-PRF presented similar N1s spectra, with most of the nitrogen involved in N-C=O bonds (≈400 eV). i-PRF resulted in higher adsorption of low molecular weight (LMW) proteins at 60 min, while PLASMA exhibited the lowest adsorption. L-PRP and P-PRP had a similar pattern of protein adsorption. The characteristics of biomaterial interfaces can be customized, thus creating a specific hemoderivative-defined layer on the PCL surface. i-PRF demonstrated a predominant adsorption of LMW proteins. Further investigation of hemoderivative functionalized biomaterials is required to identify the differential protein corona composition, and the resultant immune response and regenerative capacity

THE INFLUENCE OF FOLIAR FERTILIZATION WITH ORGANIC FERTILIZERS ON THE YIELD AND THE CHEMICAL CONTENT OF POTATOES GROWN IN STRUMICA REGION

The effect of foliar fertilization with organic fertilizers on the yield and the chemical content of potatoes grown in Strumica region were studied, in the period from the year of 2011-2012. The experiment was set in four variants and three repetitions. The variants in the experiment were: Control (no-fertilizing variant); Humusil (organic matter 1.86%; organic carbon 1.08%; humin acids 0.14%; N 224 mg/L; P2O5 71 mg/L; K2O 1024 mg/L; CaO 180 mg/L); Humustim (organic matter 58.63 %; dry matter 12.38 %; humin acids 20.40 %; fulvo acids 2.15%; N 3%; P2O5 1.02%; K2O 7.92%; Ca 3.70 %; Mg 1.03%); Ingrasamant foliar (N 0 %; P2O5 130 g/L; K2O 130 g/L; ME in helate form and plant extracts 0.005 g/L). The experiment was arranged in 12 rows and in each variant and repetition was involved 100 plants, total in all experiment were involved 1200 plants. The planting was made in rows at a distance of 60 cm row by row and 20 cm in the rows. The row’s length was 20 m. Three foliar treatments were applied with given above fertilizers at a concentration of 0.4%. The soil where the experiment was carried had a good fertility with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The foliar fertilization had a positive influence on potatoes yield in all of the variants treated with different organic fertilizers. The highest potatoes yield of 54.62 t ha-1 was established in variant 4. The foliar fertilization had a positive influence on the chemical content of tubers potato, too. In three variants treated with different fertilizers, higher content of all tested parameters was found, compared to the control untreated variant. The highest average content of vitamin C (2.60 mg/100g), phosphorus (0.90 %), and potassium (1.30 %) was determined in the tubers potato in variant 3

Multiple sulfatase deficiency with neonatal manifestation.

Multiple Sulfatase Deficiency (MSD; OMIM 272200) is a rare autosomal recessive inborn error of metabolism caused by mutations in the sulfatase modifying factor 1 gene, encoding the formylglycine-generating enzyme (FGE), and resulting in tissue accumulation of sulfatides, sulphated glycosaminoglycans, sphingolipids and steroid sulfates. Less than 50 cases have been published so far. We report a new case of MSD presenting in the newborn period with hypotonia, apnoea, cyanosis and rolling eyes, hepato-splenomegaly and deafness. This patient was compound heterozygous for two so far undescribed SUMF1 mutations (c.191C > A; p.S64X and c.818A > G; p.D273G)

Utilisation of an operative difficulty grading scale for laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background A reliable system for grading operative difficulty of laparoscopic cholecystectomy would standardise description of findings and reporting of outcomes. The aim of this study was to validate a difficulty grading system (Nassar scale), testing its applicability and consistency in two large prospective datasets. Methods Patient and disease-related variables and 30-day outcomes were identified in two prospective cholecystectomy databases: the multi-centre prospective cohort of 8820 patients from the recent CholeS Study and the single-surgeon series containing 4089 patients. Operative data and patient outcomes were correlated with Nassar operative difficultly scale, using Kendall’s tau for dichotomous variables, or Jonckheere–Terpstra tests for continuous variables. A ROC curve analysis was performed, to quantify the predictive accuracy of the scale for each outcome, with continuous outcomes dichotomised, prior to analysis. Results A higher operative difficulty grade was consistently associated with worse outcomes for the patients in both the reference and CholeS cohorts. The median length of stay increased from 0 to 4 days, and the 30-day complication rate from 7.6 to 24.4% as the difficulty grade increased from 1 to 4/5 (both p < 0.001). In the CholeS cohort, a higher difficulty grade was found to be most strongly associated with conversion to open and 30-day mortality (AUROC = 0.903, 0.822, respectively). On multivariable analysis, the Nassar operative difficultly scale was found to be a significant independent predictor of operative duration, conversion to open surgery, 30-day complications and 30-day reintervention (all p < 0.001). Conclusion We have shown that an operative difficulty scale can standardise the description of operative findings by multiple grades of surgeons to facilitate audit, training assessment and research. It provides a tool for reporting operative findings, disease severity and technical difficulty and can be utilised in future research to reliably compare outcomes according to case mix and intra-operative difficulty

Characterization of the Autocrine/Paracrine Function of Vitamin D in Human Gingival Fibroblasts and Periodontal Ligament Cells

Background: We previously demonstrated that 25-hydroxyvitamin D-3, the precursor of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3, is abundant around periodontal soft tissues. Here we investigate whether 25-hydroxyvitamin D-3 is converted to 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 in periodontal soft tissue cells and explore the possibility of an autocrine/paracrine function of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 in periodontal soft tissue cells. Methodology/Principal Findings: We established primary cultures of human gingival fibroblasts and human periodontal ligament cells from 5 individual donors. We demonstrated that 1 alpha-hydroxylase was expressed in human gingival fibroblasts and periodontal ligament cells, as was cubilin. After incubation with the 1 alpha-hydroxylase substrate 25-hydroxyvitamin D-3, human gingival fibroblasts and periodontal ligament cells generated detectable 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 that resulted in an up-regulation of CYP24A1 and RANKL mRNA. A specific knockdown of 1 alpha-hydroxylase in human gingival fibroblasts and periodontal ligament cells using siRNA resulted in a significant reduction in both 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 production and mRNA expression of CYP24A1 and RANKL. The classical renal regulators of 1 alpha-hydroxylase (parathyroid hormone, calcium and 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3) and Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide did not influence 1 alpha-hydroxylase expression significantly, however, interleukin-1 beta and sodium butyrate strongly induced 1 alpha-hydroxylase expression in human gingival fibroblasts and periodontal ligament cells. Conclusions/Significance: In this study, the expression, activity and functionality of 1 alpha-hydroxylase were detected in human gingival fibroblasts and periodontal ligament cells, raising the possibility that vitamin D acts in an autocrine/paracrine manner in these cells.http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000305781700070&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=8e1609b174ce4e31116a60747a720701Multidisciplinary SciencesSCI(E)PubMed13ARTICLE6e39878

DART Impact Ejecta Plume Evolution: Implications for Dimorphos

The NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft impacted the moon Dimorphos of the [65803] Didymos binary system and changed the binary orbit period, demonstrating asteroid deflection by a kinetic impact and indicating that more momentum was transferred to Dimorphos by escaping impact ejecta than was incident with DART. Images of the DART impact ejecta plume were obtained by the Light Italian cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids (LICIACube) in the first few minutes after the DART impact. The ejecta plume imaged by LICIACube 158 s after the DART impact prior to closest approach shows no evidence for plume clearing at low altitude. The ejecta plume imaged 175 s after the DART impact is optically thick up to projected altitudes of 200 m above the surface of Dimorphos. These observations are compared with models of the impact ejecta plume optical depth, structure, and evolution, which are developed from point-source scaling models fitted to numerical simulations of the DART impact into a rubble pile Dimorphos with different material strengths. The observations of the impact plume optical depth and the high momentum transfer from the DART impact are not consistent with impact and ejecta plume models assuming the Dimorphos cohesive strength to be as high as 5000 Pa. Models with 5 and 50 Pa Dimorphos cohesive strength provide the overall best consistency with plume opacity observations and high momentum transfer

DART Impact Ejecta Plume Evolution: Implications for Dimorphos

The NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft impacted the moon Dimorphos of the [65803] Didymos binary system and changed the binary orbit period, demonstrating asteroid deflection by a kinetic impact and indicating that more momentum was transferred to Dimorphos by escaping impact ejecta than was incident with DART. Images of the DART impact ejecta plume were obtained by the Light Italian cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids (LICIACube) in the first few minutes after the DART impact. The ejecta plume imaged by LICIACube 158 s after the DART impact prior to closest approach shows no evidence for plume clearing at low altitude. The ejecta plume imaged 175 s after the DART impact is optically thick up to projected altitudes of 200 m above the surface of Dimorphos. These observations are compared with models of the impact ejecta plume optical depth, structure, and evolution, which are developed from point-source scaling models fitted to numerical simulations of the DART impact into a rubble pile Dimorphos with different material strengths. The observations of the impact plume optical depth and the high momentum transfer from the DART impact are not consistent with impact and ejecta plume models assuming the Dimorphos cohesive strength to be as high as 5000 Pa. Models with 5 and 50 Pa Dimorphos cohesive strength provide the overall best consistency with plume opacity observations and high momentum transfer

Deep phenotyping of the neuroimaging and skeletal features in KBG syndrome: a study of 53 patients and review of the literature

Background: KBG syndrome is caused by haploinsufficiency of ANKRD11and is characterised by macrodontia of upper central incisors, distinctive facial features, short stature, skeletal anomalies, developmental delay, brain malformations and seizures. The central nervous system (CNS) and skeletal features remain poorly defined. Methods: CNS and/or skeletal imaging were collected from molecularly confirmed individuals with KBG syndrome through an international network. We evaluated the original imaging and compared our results with data in the literature. Results: We identified 53 individuals, 44 with CNS and 40 with skeletal imaging. Common CNS findings included incomplete hippocampal inversion and posterior fossa malformations; these were significantly more common than previously reported (63.4% and 65.9% vs 1.1% and 24.7%, respectively). Additional features included patulous internal auditory canal, never described before in KBG syndrome, and the recurrence of ventriculomegaly, encephalic cysts, empty sella and low-lying conus medullaris. We found no correlation between these structural anomalies and epilepsy or intellectual disability. Prevalent skeletal findings comprised abnormalities of the spine including scoliosis, coccygeal anomalies and cervical ribs. Hand X-rays revealed frequent abnormalities of carpal bone morphology and maturation, including a greater delay in ossification compared with metacarpal/phalanx bones. Conclusion: This cohort enabled us to describe the prevalence of very heterogeneous neuroradiological and skeletal anomalies in KBG syndrome. Knowledge of the spectrum of such anomalies will aid diagnostic accuracy, improve patient care and provide a reference for future research on the effects ofANKRD11variants in skeletal and brain development

After DART: Using the First Full-scale Test of a Kinetic Impactor to Inform a Future Planetary Defense Mission

NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is the first full-scale test of an asteroid deflection technology. Results from the hypervelocity kinetic impact and Earth-based observations, coupled with LICIACube and the later Hera mission, will result in measurement of the momentum transfer efficiency accurate to ∼10% and characterization of the Didymos binary system. But DART is a single experiment; how could these results be used in a future planetary defense necessity involving a different asteroid? We examine what aspects of Dimorphos’s response to kinetic impact will be constrained by DART results; how these constraints will help refine knowledge of the physical properties of asteroidal materials and predictive power of impact simulations; what information about a potential Earth impactor could be acquired before a deflection effort; and how design of a deflection mission should be informed by this understanding. We generalize the momentum enhancement factor β, showing that a particular direction-specific β will be directly determined by the DART results, and that a related direction-specific β is a figure of merit for a kinetic impact mission. The DART β determination constrains the ejecta momentum vector, which, with hydrodynamic simulations, constrains the physical properties of Dimorphos’s near-surface. In a hypothetical planetary defense exigency, extrapolating these constraints to a newly discovered asteroid will require Earth-based observations and benefit from in situ reconnaissance. We show representative predictions for momentum transfer based on different levels of reconnaissance and discuss strategic targeting to optimize the deflection and reduce the risk of a counterproductive deflection in the wrong direction