Co-Culturing of Endothelial and Cancer Cells in a Nanofibrous Scaffold-Based Two-Layer System.

Angiogenesis is critical for local tumor growth. This study aimed to develop a three-dimensional two-layer co-culture system to investigate effects of cancer cells on the growth of endothelial cells (ECs). Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibrous membranes were generated via electrospinning of PCL in chloroform (C-PCL-M) and chloroform and dimethylformamide (C/DMF-PCL-M). We assembled a two-layer co-culture system using C-PCL-M and C/DMF-PCL-M for EC growth in the upper layer with co-cultured cancer cells in the lower layer. In the absence of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), growth of bEND.3 ECs decreased on C/DMF-PCL-M but not on C-PCL-M with time. Growth of bEND.3 cells on C/DMF-PCL-M was enhanced through co-culturing of CT26 cancer cells and enhanced growth of bEND.3 cells was abrogated with anti-VEGF antibodies and sorafenib. However, EA.hy926 ECs displayed steady growth and proliferation on C/DMF-PCL-M, and their growth was not further increased through co-culturing of cancer cells. Moreover, chemical hypoxia in CT26 cancer cells upon treatment with CoCl2 enhanced the growth of co-cultured bEND.3 cells in the two-layer system. Thus, EC growth on the nanofibrous scaffold is dependent on the types of ECs and composition of nanofibers and this co-culture system can be used to analyze EC growth induced by cancer cells.

The moderation of resilience on the negative effect of pain on depression and post-traumatic growth in individuals with spinal cord injury.

PURPOSE: To determine the moderating effect of resilience on the negative effects of chronic pain on depression and post-traumatic growth. METHOD: Community-dwelling individuals with SCI (n = 37) were recruited at short-term admission for yearly regular health examination. Participants completed self-rating standardized questionnaires measuring pain, resilience, depression and post-traumatic growth. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was performed to identify the moderating effect of resilience on the relationships of pain with depression and post-traumatic growth after controlling for relevant covariates. RESULTS: In the regression model of depression, the effect of pain severity on depression was decreased (ß was changed from 0.47 to 0.33) after entering resilience into the model. In the final model, both pain and resilience were significant independent predictors for depression (ß = 0.33, p = 0.038 and ß = -0.47, p = 0.012, respectively). In the regression model of post-traumatic growth, the effect of pain severity became insignificant after entering resilience into the model. In the final model, resilience was a significant predictor (ß = 0.51, p = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Resilience potentially mitigated the negative effects of pain. Moreover, it independently contributed to reduced depression and greater post-traumatic growth. Our findings suggest that resilience might provide a potential target for intervention in SCI individuals.

Cyclic vomiting syndrome developed after stroke.

Cyclic vomiting syndrome is characterized by recurrent episodes of stereotyped vomiting separated by regular symptom-free periods. We describe a case of cyclic vomiting syndrome developed after stroke, which has not been reported to date. A 69-year-old woman experienced recurrent vomiting following left cerebral infarct. The patient's vomiting pattern was consistent with cyclic vomiting syndrome, and the diagnosis of cyclic vomiting syndrome was established by exclusion of other known disorders which could have resulted in vomiting. She was treated with imipramine hydrochloride and her symptom was well controlled.

Fear of falling in subacute hemiplegic stroke patients: associating factors and correlations with quality of life.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the associating factors of fear of falling (FOF) and the correlations between FOF and quality of life (QOL) on subacute stroke patients in Korea. METHOD: Fifty hemiplegic subacute stroke patients in our clinic were recruited. We directly asked patients with their fear of falling and interviewed them with the Korean version of falls efficacy scale-international (KFES-I). We divided the participants into two groups; with FOF and without FOF. We compared these groups with the strength of hemiplegic hip abductor, knee extensor, ankle plantar flexor, functional ambulation category (FAC) scale, stroke specific quality of life (SSQOL), and hospital anxiety depression scale (HADS). RESULTS: Thirty-four participants were enrolled, and more than half of the patients with subacute stroke had FOF. We compared the patients with and without FOF. According to the results, FOF was associated with the strength of hemiplegic hip abductor, knee extensor and ankle plantar flexor, FAC, total SSQOL, and domains (energy, mobility, self care, upper extremity function) of SSQOL (p<0.05). FOF was also associated with the anxiety score of HADS (p<0.05). KFES-I had a significant negative correlation with the strength of hemiplegic hip abductor, knee extensor and ankle plantar flexor, FAC, total SSQOL, and domains (energy, mobility, self care, upper extremity function) of SSQOL (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The FOF was associated with not only QOL but also with the physical and psychological factors, and in particular, anxiety. Therefore, further concerns about FOF in subacute stroke patients might be required.

Resilience as a possible predictor for psychological distress in chronic spinal cord injured patients living in the community.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether higher resilience level predicts low levels of psychological distress in chronic SCI patients living in the community. METHOD: Thirty seven patients (mean age 41.5±10.9, male : female=28 : 9) with chronic spinal cord injury (duration 8.35±7.0 years) living in the community are included, who were hospitalized for annual checkups from November, 2010 to May, 2011. First, their spinal cord injury level, completeness and complications were evaluated. The patients completed questionnaires about their educational status, religion, employment status, marital status, medical and psychological history and also the following questionnaires: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-alcohol consumption questions (AUDIT-C) and Health-related quality of life (EQ-5D). The patients were divided into two subgroups: patients with HADS ≥13 are classified as high psychological distress group and others as low psychological distress group. We compared the two groups to find statistically significant differences among the variables. RESULTS: CD-RISC, EQ-5D and employment status are significantly different between two groups (p<0.05). In a forward stepwise regression, we found that EQ-5D had a greater contribution than CD-RISC to the psychological distress level. CONCLUSION: In addition to health-related quality of life, resilience can be suggested as a possible predictor of psychological distress in chronic SCI patients.