Ex vivo expansion of peripheral blood haematopoietic stem cells: preclinical studies

published_or_final_versio

A critical role for the ATP-sensitive potassium channel subunit KIR6.1 in the control of cerebral blood flow.

KIR6.1 (KCNJ8) is a subunit of ATP sensitive potassium channel (KATP) that plays an important role in the control of peripheral vascular tone and is highly expressed in brain contractile cells (vascular smooth muscle cells and pericytes). This study determined the effect of global deletion of the KIR6.1 subunit on cerebral blood flow, neurovascular coupling and cerebral oxygenation in mice. In KIR6.1 deficient mice resting cerebral blood flow and brain parenchymal partial pressure of oxygen ( PO2) were found to be markedly lower compared to that in their wildtype littermates. However, cortical blood oxygen level dependent responses triggered by visual stimuli were not affected in conditions of KIR6.1 deficiency. These data suggest that KATP channels containing KIR6.1 subunit are critically important for the maintenance of normal cerebral perfusion and parenchymal PO2 but play no significant role in the mechanisms underlying functional changes in brain blood flow.This work was supported by The Wellcome Trust (AVG), British Heart Foundation (RG/15/15/31742 to AT) and The National Institute for Health Research Barts Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit. AVG is a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow (Refs: 095064 and 200893). ML receives funding from the EPSRC (EP/ N034864/1); the King’s College London and UCL Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre CR-UK & EPSRC, in association with the MRC and DoH (England); UK Regenerative Medicine Platform Safety Hub (MRC: MR/ K026739/1); Eli Lilly and Company

Evaluation and implications of natural product use in preoperative patients: a retrospective review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Medication Reconciliation and Medication Safety are two themes emphasized in a variety of healthcare organizations. As a result, health care facilities have established methods for obtaining a patient's medication history. However, these methods may vary among institutions or even among the health care professionals in a single institution, and studies have shown that patients are reluctant to disclose their complementary and alternative medicine use to any health care professional. This lack of disclosure is important in surgical patients because of potential herbal interactions with medications and drugs used during the surgical procedure; and the potential for adverse reactions including effects on coagulation, blood pressure, sedation, electrolytes or diuresis. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to identify patterns of natural product use, to identify potential complications among patients scheduled for surgery, to improve existing medication reconciliation efforts, and to develop discontinuation guidelines for the use of these products prior to surgery.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A retrospective review of surgery patients presenting to the Anesthesia Preoperative Evaluation Clinic (APEC) at the University of Kansas Hospital was conducted to identify the prevalence of natural product use. The following data was collected: patient age; gender; allergy information; date of medication history; number of days prior to surgery; source of medication history; credentials of person obtaining the history; number and name of prescription medications, over-the-counter medications and natural products; and natural product dosage. Following the collection of data and analysis of the most common natural products used, possible complications and interactions were identified, and a protocol regarding the pre-operative use of natural products was developed and implemented.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Approximately one-fourth of patients seen in the APEC indicated the use of natural products. Patients taking natural products were significantly older, were more likely to undergo cardiac or chest surgery, and were more likely to be taking more prescription and non-prescription medications (all p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Based on the results of this study, it is concluded that there is a need for established guidelines regarding discontinuation of selected natural products prior to surgery and further education is needed concerning the perioperative implications of natural products.</p

Validity of self-reported weight, height, and body mass index among university students in Thailand: Implications for population studies of obesity in developing countries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Large-scale epidemiological studies commonly use self-reported weights and heights to determine weight status. Validity of such self-reported data has been assessed primarily in Western populations in developed countries, although its use is widespread in developing countries. We examine the validity of obesity based on self-reported data in an Asian developing country, and derive improved obesity prevalence estimates using the "reduced BMI threshold" method.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Self-reported and measured heights and weights were obtained from 741 students attending an open university in Thailand (mean age 34 years). Receiver operator characteristic techniques were applied to derive "reduced BMI thresholds."</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Height was over-reported by a mean of 1.54 cm (SD 2.23) in men and 1.33 cm (1.84) in women. Weight was under-reported by 0.93 kg (3.47) in men and 0.62 kg (2.14) in women. Sensitivity and specificity for determining obesity (Thai BMI threshold 25 kg/m²) using self-reported data were 74.2% and 97.3%, respectively, for men and 71.9% and 100% for women. For men, reducing the BMI threshold to 24.5 kg/m²increased the estimated obesity prevalence based on self-reports from 29.1% to 33.8% (true prevalence was 36.9%). For women, using a BMI threshold of 24.4 kg/m², the improvement was from 12.0% to 15.9% (true prevalence 16.7%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Young educated Thais under-report weight and over-report height in ways similar to their counterparts in developed countries. Simple adjustments to BMI thresholds will overcome these reporting biases for estimation of obesity prevalence. Our study suggests that self-reported weights and heights can provide economical and valid measures of weight status in high school-educated populations in developing countries.</p

The epidemiology and transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the community in Singapore: study protocol for a longitudinal household study.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most common multidrug-resistant organisms in healthcare settings worldwide, but little is known about MRSA transmission outside of acute healthcare settings especially in Asia. We describe the methods for a prospective longitudinal study of MRSA prevalence and transmission. METHODS: MRSA-colonized individuals were identified from MRSA admission screening at two tertiary hospitals and recruited together with their household contacts. Participants submitted self-collected nasal, axilla and groin (NAG) swabs by mail for MRSA culture at baseline and monthly thereafter for 6 months. A comparison group of households of MRSA-negative patients provided swab samples at one time point. In a validation sub-study, separate swabs from each site were collected from randomly selected individuals, to compare MRSA detection rates between swab sites, and between samples collected by participants versus those collected by trained research staff. Information on each participant's demographic information, medical status and medical history, past healthcare facilities usage and contacts, and personal interactions with others were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Understanding the dynamics of MRSA persistence and transmission in the community is crucial to devising and evaluating successful MRSA control strategies. Close contact with MRSA colonized patients may to be important for MRSA persistence in the community; evidence from this study on the extent of community MRSA could inform the development of household- or community-based interventions to reduce MRSA colonization of close contacts and subsequent re-introduction of MRSA into healthcare settings. Analysis of longitudinal data using whole-genome sequencing will yield further information regarding MRSA transmission within households, with significant implications for MRSA infection control outside acute hospital settings

Determinants of the Incidence of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease in China Using Geographically Weighted Regression Models

Child population density and climate factors are potential determinants of the HFMD incidence in most areas in China. The strength and direction of association between these factors and the incidence of HFDM is spatially heterogeneous at the local geographic level, and child population density has a greater influence on the incidence of HFMD than the climate factors

Equity Ownership Strategy in Greenfield Investments : Influences of Host Country Infrastructure and MNE Resources in Emerging Markets

This chapter addresses equity ownership strategy in greenfield investments by multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the emerging markets (EMs). It is one of the few studies to hypothesize and analyze influences of host EM physical infrastructure in relation to investment decisions of MNEs. We use resource dependence theory (RDT) as a theoretical basis and test the moderating effects of firm resources like size and host country investment experience. Moreover, the current study assumes a more nuanced approach to studying equity ownership by analyzing wholly owned subsidiaries versus joint ventures (JVs) and including majority versus minority JVs in the analysis as well. The empirical results based on greenfield investments undertaken by Nordic (Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish) MNEs in EMs during 1990–2015 reveals the importance of host country physical infrastructure for high equity ownership strategy. Moreover, host country investment experience moderates the effect of physical infrastructure on equity ownership strategy. Finally, the analysis of a sub-sample of greenfield JVs reveals that determinants of equity ownership strategy differ somewhat between greenfield JV or greenfield wholly owned subsidiaries (WOS).© The Author(s) 2019.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed