In vitro-derived platelets: the challenges we will have to face to assess quality and safety.

Platelet transfusions are given to patients in hospital who have a low blood platelet count (thrombocytopenia) either because of major bleeding (following trauma or surgery) or because the bone marrow production of platelets is impaired often due to chemotherapy, infiltration with malignant cells, fibrosis or genetic disorders. We are currently entirely reliant on blood donors as a source of platelets in transfusion medicine. However, the demand for platelets continues to rise, driven by an aging population, advances in medical procedures and ever more aggressive cancer therapies, while the supply of blood donors continues to remain static. In recent years, several groups have made major advances toward the generation of platelets in vitro for human transfusion. Recent successes include results in both generating mature human megakaryocytes as well as in developing bioreactors for extracting platelets from these megakaryocytes. Platelets made in vitro could address several issues inherent to platelets derived from blood donors - the ability to scale up/down more flexibly according to demand and therefore less precarious supply line, reduction of the risk of exposure to infectious agents and finally the possibility of engineering stem cells to reduce immunogenicity. Here we define the quality control tools and suggest measures for implementation across the field for in vitro platelet genesis, to aid collaboration between laboratories and to aid production of the burdens of proof that will eventually be required by regulators for efficacy and biosafety. We will do this firstly, by addressing the quality control of the nucleated cells used to make the platelets with a particular emphasis to safety issues and secondly, we will look at how platelet function measurement are addressed particularly in the context of platelets derived in vitro.

[From the bench to the clinic: The challenge of translating platelet production in vitro]. / Du laboratoire à l'usage clinique : le défi de la production de plaquettes in vitro.

Platelet transfusions, which are currently totally dependent on altruistic donations, are absolutely necessary to the treatment of patients with thrombocytopenia following trauma, surgery or other pathologies (especially malignancies). Producing platelets in vitro represent a major technological and scientific breathrough that would address logistical issues (supply chain, stock holding…) and medical concerns (compatibility and biosafety). The translation of this innovation will need to be accompanied by rigorous quality control, harmonised between laboratory when it comes to functionality and biosafety for use in the clinic.

Streptococcus hillyeri sp. nov., isolated from equine trachea.

Strain 28462T, which had Gram-stain-positive, catalase-negative coccus-shaped cells, was isolated from a routine tracheal sample from a 3 year old thoroughbred horse. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed it to be most closely related to, but distinct from, Streptococcus henryi (95.7 % identity), Streptococcusplurextorum (95.8 %), Streptococcusporci (96.4 %) and Streptococcus caprae (95.1 %). Similarity values derived from sequences from sodA and rpoB genes were consistent with strain 28462T belonging to a species distinct from these four streptococci. At the whole genome level, strain 28462T had an average nucleotide identity value <95 % and an inferred DNA-DNA hybridization value <70 % when compared to S. henryi, Streptococcus. plurextorum and S. porci with no S. caprae genome sequence being available. Finally, various phenotypic characteristics distinguish strain 28462T from each of these species. Based on the genotypic and phenotypic results, it is proposed that strain 28462T is a novel species, with the name Streptococcus hillyeri sp. nov. The type strain is 28462T (=DSM 107591T=CCUG 72762T).

The first step in ensuring patient-centred quality of care: ask the patient.

Health providers may not be aware of their patients' needs or preferences, and patients reluctant to raise their concerns. Consequently, the first step in ensuring quality of care is to ask the patient about the care that they would like. A cross-sectional sample of 244 medical oncology outpatients were surveyed about provider-asking behaviours across six dimensions of patient-centred care defined by the Institute of Medicine. Specifically, were patients asked by clinic staff at the treatment centre about their physical and emotional symptoms, information needs to enable decision-making, preferences for involvement in decision-making, involvement of family and friends, and appointment scheduling. Patients were significantly (Cochran's χ2 (9) = 122.541, P < 0.001) less likely to be asked about emotional symptoms (35% infrequently asked), preferences for the involvement of family and friends (25% infrequently asked), and preferences for involvement in medical decision-making (23% infrequently asked). Only a minority of patients were infrequently asked about their treatment-related information needs (8%), physical symptoms (13% pain, 14% fatigue) and preferences for appointment scheduling (13%). Younger age, not Australian born and greater educational qualifications were associated with being infrequently asked. Improvements to care delivery can be made if clinic staff were to more regularly elicit patient's emotional symptoms, and their preferences for the involvement of family/friends and participation in medical decision-making.

The Video Interaction Guidance approach applied to teaching communication skills in dentistry.

PURPOSE: To examine dentists' views of a novel video review technique to improve communication skills in complex clinical situations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dentists (n = 3) participated in a video review known as Video Interaction Guidance to encourage more attuned interactions with their patients (n = 4). Part of this process is to identify where dentists and patients reacted positively and effectively. Each dentist was presented with short segments of video footage taken during an appointment with a patient with intellectual disabilities and communication difficulties. Having observed their interactions with patients, dentists were asked to reflect on their communication strategies with the assistance of a trained VIG specialist. RESULTS: Dentists reflected that their VIG session had been insightful and considered the review process as beneficial to communication skills training in dentistry. They believed that this technique could significantly improve the way dentists interact and communicate with patients. The VIG sessions increased their awareness of the communication strategies they use with their patients and were perceived as neither uncomfortable nor threatening. DISCUSSION: The VIG session was beneficial in this exploratory investigation because the dentists could identify when their interactions were most effective. Awareness of their non-verbal communication strategies and the need to adopt these behaviours frequently were identified as key benefits of this training approach. One dentist suggested that the video review method was supportive because it was undertaken by a behavioural scientist rather than a professional counterpart. CONCLUSION: Some evidence supports the VIG approach in this specialist area of communication skills and dental training.

Qualitative evaluation of care plans for Canadian breast and head-and-neck cancer survivors.

BACKGROUND: Survivorship care plans (scps) have been recommended as a way to ease the transition from active cancer treatment to follow-up care, to reduce uncertainty for survivors in the management of their ongoing health, and to improve continuity of care. The objective of the demonstration project reported here was to assess the value of scps for cancer survivors in western Canada. METHODS: The Alberta CancerBridges team developed, implemented, and evaluated scps for 36 breast and 21 head-and-neck cancer survivors. For the evaluation, we interviewed 12 of the survivors, 9 nurses who delivered the scps, and 3 family physicians who received the scps (n = 24 in total). We asked about satisfaction, usefulness, emotional impact, and communication value. We collected written feedback from the three groups about positive aspects of the scps and possible improvements (n = 85). We analyzed the combined data using qualitative thematic analysis. RESULTS: Survivors, nurses, and family physicians agreed that scps could ease the transition to survivorship partly by enhancing communication between survivors and care providers. Survivors appreciated the individualized attention and the comprehensiveness of the plans. They described positive emotional impacts, but wanted a way to ensure that their physicians received the scps. Nurses and physicians responded positively, but expressed concern about the time required to implement the plans. Suggestions for streamlining the process included providing survivors with scp templates in advance, auto-populating the templates for the nurses, and creating summary pages for physicians. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest ways in which scps could help to improve the transition to cancer survivorship and provide starting points for larger feasibility studies.

[Postvaccinal fatal Streptococcus zooepidemicus necrotizing fasciitis in a young dog: a case report]. / Fatale necrotiserende fasciitis door Strepto- coccus zooepidemicus na vaccinatie bij een jonge hond, een case report.

A 2.5-years-old female mongrel dog was routinely subcutaneously vaccinated. A few hours later mental dullness was noticed by the owner progressing into stupor the next day and resulting in a comatose state and death within 48 hours after vaccination. At post mortem examination, which was extended with histology and bacteriology, a necrotizing fasciitis and bacteremia caused by Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus were established. In the isolated Streptococcus strain four different superantigens were demonstrated that appeared to be able to produce exotoxins in vitro. Therefore, it is concluded that the minor skin trauma caused by vaccination enabled this strain to gain access to the subcutaneous tissue and to induce a necrotizing fasciitis. This process was complicated with a bacterial septicemia leading to death of the dog within 48 hours.

Untangling the stranglehold through mathematical modelling of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi transmission.

Strangles, a disease caused by infection with Streptococccus equi subspecies equi (S. equi), is endemic worldwide and one of the most frequently diagnosed infectious diseases of horses. Recent work has improved our knowledge of key parameters of transmission dynamics, but important knowledge gaps remain. Our aim was to apply mathematical modelling of S. equi transmission dynamics to prioritise future research areas, and add precision to estimates of transmission parameters thereby improving understanding of S. equi epidemiology and quantifying the control effort required. A compartmental deterministic model was constructed. Parameter values were estimated from current literature wherever possible. We assessed the sensitivity of estimates for the basic reproduction number on the population scale to varying assumptions for the unknown or uncertain parameters of: (mean) duration of carriership (1∕γC), relative infectiousness of carriers (f), proportion of infections that result in carriership (p), and (mean) duration of immunity after natural infection (1∕γR). Available incidence and (sero-)prevalence data were compared to model outputs to improve point estimates and ranges for these currently unknown or uncertain transmission-related parameters. The required vaccination coverage of an ideal vaccine to prevent major outbreaks under a range of control scenarios was estimated, and compared available data on existing vaccines. The relative infectiousness of carriers (as compared to acutely ill horses) and the duration of carriership were identified as key knowledge gaps. Deterministic compartmental simulations, combined with seroprevalence data, suggest that 0.05

Fractional flow reserve at 2013: an update.

Fractional flow reserve (FFR) has become an extremely valuable tool for assessing the hemodynamic significance of intermediate coronary lesions in patients with stable coronary syndromes. This manuscript delineates the current data supporting FFR use to guide cardiovascular interventions in comparison to other invasive and non-invasive modalities. The correlation between FFR, symptom severity and likelihood of future major cardiovascular events are critically examined in view of the FAME-2 study results. The authors delineate the scientific gaps, potential pitfalls and misconceptions related to FFR with regards to current and emerging indications. Described are the most important developments related to FFR in 2012: instantaneous wave free ratio and non-invasive CT angiography based FFR. The manuscript proposes areas of future research to enhance the scientific data supporting current FFR clinical algorithms and strategies.

Naturally occurring compensated insulin resistance selectively alters glucose transporters in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues without change in AS160 activation.

Although the importance of adipose tissue (AT) glucose transport in regulating whole-body insulin sensitivity is becoming increasingly evident and insulin resistance (IR) has been widely recognized, the underlying mechanisms of IR are still not well understood. The purpose of the present study was to determine the early pathological changes in glucose transport by characterizing the alterations in glucose transporters (GLUT) in multiple visceral and subcutaneous adipose depots in a large animal model of naturally occurring compensated IR. AT biopsies were collected from horses, which were classified as insulin-sensitive (IS) or compensated IR based on the results of an insulin-modified frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. Protein expression of GLUT4 (major isoform) and GLUT12 (one of the most recently discovered isoforms) were measured by Western blotting in multiple AT depots, as well as AS160 (a potential key player in GLUT trafficking pathway). Using a biotinylated bis-mannose photolabeled technique, active cell surface GLUT content was quantified. Omental AT had the highest total GLUT content compared to other sites during the IS state. IR was associated with a significantly reduced total GLUT4 content in omental AT, without a change in content in other visceral or subcutaneous adipose sites. In addition, active cell surface GLUT-4, but not -12, was significantly lower in AT of IR compared to IS horses, without change in AS160 phosphorylation between groups. Our data suggest that GLUT4, but not GLUT12, is a pathogenic factor in AT during naturally occurring compensated IR, despite normal AS160 activation.

Online screening for distress, the 6th vital sign, in newly diagnosed oncology outpatients: randomised controlled trial of computerised vs personalised triage.

BACKGROUND: This randomised controlled trial examined the impact of screening for distress followed by two different triage methods on clinically relevant outcomes over a 12-month period. METHODS: Newly diagnosed patients attending a large tertiary cancer centre were randomised to one of the two conditions: (1) screening with computerised triage or (2) screening with personalised triage, both following standardised clinical triage algorithms. Patients completed the Distress Thermometer, Pain and Fatigue Thermometers, the Psychological Screen for Cancer (PSSCAN) Part C and questions on resource utilisation at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. RESULTS: In all, 3133 patients provided baseline data (67% of new patients); with 1709 (54.5%) retained at 12 months (15.4% deceased). Mixed effects models revealed that both groups experienced significant decreases in distress, anxiety, depression, pain and fatigue over time. People receiving personalised triage and people reporting higher symptom burden were more likely to access services, which was subsequently related to greater decreases in distress, anxiety and depression. Women may benefit more from personalised triage, whereas men may benefit more from a computerised triage model. CONCLUSION: Screening for distress is a viable intervention that has the potential to decrease symptom burden up to 12 months post diagnosis. The best model of screening may be to incorporate personalised triage for patients indicating high levels of depression and anxiety while providing computerised triage for others.

Dual antiplatelet therapy for primary and secondary prevention.

The concomitant use of aspirin and an ADP receptor (P2Y12) blocker, also known as dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), has been extensively investigated as a primary and secondary prevention strategy in an effort to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. In this manuscript the authors review the current guideline recommendations for DAPT and discuss the scientific data that supports these recommendations. Reported are also the scientific knowledge gaps and how future studies are likely to delineate these issues. Incremental knowledge is not likely to be an alternative to individualized care provided by the astute clinician to his patient. In consideration for prescribing DAPT (drug, dosage and duration) the clinician will have to weigh the potential benefits (reduction in death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke) and risks (severe or life-threatening bleeding) for each and every patient.

Emerging oral anticoagulants for stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) warfarin has been the mainstay therapy for stroke prevention. In recent randomized clinical trials (RCTs) oral direct thrombin inhibitor (Dabigatran) and factor Xa inhibitors (Rivaroxaban and Apixaban) challenged the efficacy and safety benchmarks set by warfarin. These drugs boast a rapid onset of action, shorter half-life and fewer drug and dietary interactions. Moreover, these new anticoagulants do not require monitoring, titration or dose adjustments. These agents have already been approved for prevention of stroke or systemic embolism in patients with AF. Uncertainty regarding suitability, efficacy and safety in certain patient subsets and issues related to the ability effectively monitor the pharmacodynamic effects and reverse the therapeutic effects of these drugs should be addressed as we engage in a widespread use of these agents in various patient subsets.

Fractional flow reserve (FFR): changing the practice of interventional cardiology.

Fractional flow reserve (FFR) has become an extremely valuable tool for assessing the hemodynamic significance of intermediate coronary lesions. This manuscript delineates the current guidelines regarding the use of FFR and discusses emerging indications for the use of this diagnostic tool and how they compare with and complement non-invasive or other invasive diagnostic modalities. The manuscript addresses some of the key unanswered questions related to FFR, the potential pitfalls of this tool and discusses future directions of use and research.

Molecular characterisation of 'strangles' outbreaks in the UK: the use of M-protein typing of Streptococcus equi ssp. equi.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Strangles is the most commonly diagnosed and important infectious disease of horses worldwide. Very little is known about the temporo-spatial and molecular epidemiology of strangles. The disease is not notifiable in the UK and there are few published data on the geographical locations of outbreaks. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether typing of a surface protein (SeM) of Streptococcus equi ssp. equi (S. equi), the causative agent of strangles, is a useful epidemiological tool. METHODS: The variable region of the SeM gene was amplified from 145 isolates of S. equi by PCR and sequenced. Different SeM gene alleles were assigned based on the SeM database, grouped into phylogenetic clusters using split decomposition analysis and plotted against the submitting veterinary practices. RESULTS: In this study 21 S. equi SeM alleles were found, including 9 previously unidentified alleles and representing 4 phylogenetic groups. S. equi containing SeM alleles 9 and 7 were the most commonly isolated and there was a high number of low frequency alleles. The occurrence of an outbreak cluster in the north-west of the UK is also reported. CONCLUSIONS: Strangles outbreaks can be differentiated on the basis of their SeM allele sequences. The data provide further evidence of SeM mutation leading to the emergence of novel, but related SeM alleles that are geographically linked. Sequencing of the SeM gene is a useful tool for the elucidation of strangles epidemiology at a regional and a national level. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: This technique may allow differentiation or linkage of strangles outbreaks and as such may be an effective tool for local as well as national and international disease surveillance.

Clinical applicability of coronary atherosclerotic lesion characterization.

Native coronary atherosclerosis (CAS) is a diffuse and progressive disease process that is occasionally associated with either clinical atherothrombosis and/or major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including: ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), acute coronary syndromes without ST elevation (ACSWSTE), heart failure, cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac death. Both, the timing and coronary site responsible for the MACE are currently unpredictable. Cardiovascular investigators have engaged in the task of characterizing CAS lesions in order to enhance our knowledge of CAS pathophysiology. It was expected that the knowledge acquired will allow scientists and clinicians to develop effective strategies to detect and treat "vulnerable plaque" (VP) prior to the evolution of MACE. This review discusses the emerging data regarding the pathology and natural history of the VP and vulnerable patient and the progress made in characterizing atherosclerotic plaque instability and vulnerability. Future directions in the field of plaque characterization and their potential clinical and research applications are discussed.

Routine stress testing after percutaneous coronary interventions.

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the most frequently performed cardiovascular procedure. Many physicians caring for post-PCI patients have routinely subjected patients to periodic stress testing. In the recent years, due to widespread use of drug eluting stents the combined rates of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and in-stent restenosis (ISR) dropped <10% in the initial 12 months post-PCI, with only half of these patients bearing symptoms. This has translated into reduced pre-test probability of post-PCI ischemia. Consequently, the beneficial effect of this practice came into question. Moreover, in addition to its financial implications, routine post-PCI stress testing may carry potential harm: medication or exercise induced arrhythmia, infarction and/or death, patient irradiation exposure, false-positive tests resulting in excessive invasive testing or interventions, and the illusion of "wellness" in the face of a somewhat unpredictable disease. This review addresses the role stress testing post-PCI: it is concluded that routine stress testing in clinically stable asymptomatic post-PCI patients should be discouraged. Selective utilization of stress testing in patients with exceptionally high risk of ISR or MACE can be utilized to answer important clinical questions or guide and refine clinical care.

Severe Dumping Symptoms Are Uncommon Following Transthoracic Esophagectomy But Significantly Decrease Health-Related Quality of Life in Long-Term, Disease-Free Survivors.

BACKGROUND: High-quality documentation of dumping symptoms after esophagectomy is currently limited. The aim of the study was to describe the incidence of symptoms associated with dumping syndrome and their relationship with health-related quality of life after esophagectomy. METHODS: The study cohort was identified from prospective IRB-approved databases from two high-volume esophagectomy centers. Patients that were alive and without evidence of recurrence in April 2018 completed the validated Dumping Symptom Rating Scale and health-related quality of life questionnaires. Compound dumping symptom score was created by combining the individual scores for severity and frequency for each symptom. RESULTS: In total, 171 patients who underwent esophagectomy 1995-2017 responded to the questionnaires, corresponding to a response rate of 77.0%. Median age was 66 years and median time from operation to survey was 5.5 years. Absent or mild problems in all nine dumping symptoms were reported by 94 (59.5%) patients; 19 (12.0%) patients reported moderate or severe problems in at least three symptoms, the most common being postprandial "need to lie down," "diarrhea," and "stomach cramps." Increasing compound dumping symptom score was associated with significantly decreased function scores in all aspects of health-related quality of life except physical functioning (P < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Esophagectomy has the potential to change long-term eating patterns; however, the majority of patients in the study did not have severe postoperative dumping symptoms. On the other hand, moderate-to-severe dumping symptoms, which were reported by 12% of patients in this study, were strongly associated with decreased health-related quality of life.

Nutritional aspects of post exercise skeletal muscle glycogen synthesis in horses: a comparative review.

Carbohydrate (CHO) stored in the form of skeletal muscle glycogen is the main energy source for glycolytic and oxidative ATP production during vigorous exercise in mammals. In man, horse and dog both short-term high intensity and prolonged submaximal exercise deplete muscle glycogen. In horses, however, muscle glycogen synthesis is 2-3-fold slower than in man and rat, even when a diet high in soluble CHO is fed. There appear to be significant differences in CHO and glycogen metabolism between horses and other mammals, and it is becoming increasingly clear that many conclusions drawn from human exercise physiology do not apply to horses. This review aims to provide a comprehensive, comparative summary of the research on muscle glycogen synthesis in horse, man and rodent. Species differences in CHO uptake and utilisation are examined and the issues with feeding high soluble CHO diets to horses are discussed. Alternative feeding strategies, including protein and long and short chain fatty acid supplementation and the importance of rehydration, are explored.

Aspirin for the prevention of cardiovascular morbidity.

Aspirin (ASA) use for secondary prevention in patients with cardiovascular (CV) disease is well established through its beneficial effects on the reduction of myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke and CV mortality. This beneficial effect of ASA seems to consistently outweigh the risk in most patient subsets. Current guidelines endorse ASA for primary prevention of CV events in adults who are at moderate-high risk of CV morbidity. Recent emerging data on the efficacy and safety of ASA conflicts with former randomized clinical trials and raises concerns regarding the validity of these recommendations. The following manuscript describes the data emerging from contemporary trials regarding the efficacy and safety of ASA in various patient subsets. The authors propose certain strategies to enhance safety and efficacy in order to augment the beneficial effects of ASA along with other modalities of primary prevention for suitable candidates. When contemplating ASA prescription for primary prevention of CV events, physicians should carefully weigh the potential benefits of risk reduction versus likelihood of harm, mostly related to bleeding complications.