Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Retinal Organoids:A Viable Platform for Investigating the Efficacy of Adeno-Associated Virus Gene Therapy

With recent advances in adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy, efficacy and toxicity screening have become essential for developing gene therapeutic drugs for retinal diseases. Retinal organoids from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) offer a more accessible and reproducible human test platform for evaluating AAV-based gene therapy.In this study, hPSCs were differentiated into retinal organoids composed of various types of retinal cells. The transduction efficiencies of AAV2 and AAV8, which are widely used in clinical trials of inherited retinal diseases, were analyzed using retinal organoids. These results suggest that retinal organoids derived from hPSCs serve as suitable screening platforms owing to their diverse retinal cell types and similarity to the human retina. In summary, we propose an optimal stepwise protocol that includes the generation of retinal organoids and analysis of AAV transduction efficacy, providing a comprehensive approach for evaluating AAV-based gene therapy for retinal diseases.

The Influence of Nurses' Communication Competency, Critical Thinking Disposition, and Perception of Patient Safety Culture on Patient Safety Competency in Armed Forces Hospitals / 한국직업건강간호학회지

Purpose@#This study examined the influence of nurses' communication competency, critical thinking disposition, and perception of patient safety culture on patient safety competency in armed forces hospitals. @*Methods@#A crosssectional design was employed with a convenience sample of 204 nurse officers from four armed forces hospitals in South Korea. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire from August 10~23, 2019, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. All analyses were conducted using SPSS for Windows 21.0. @*Results@#Patient safety competency scores were 4.35±0.40 for patient safety attitudes, 3.63±0.64 for patient safety knowledge, and 3.94±0.51 for patient safety skill. Communication competency, critical thinking disposition, and perception of patient safety culture were positively correlated with patient safety competency. Communication competency (β=.30, p=.002) and perception of patient safety culture (β=.24, p=.001) were identified as particularly important factors influencing patient safety competency. @*Conclusion@#This study’s results suggest that education programs to enhance communication competency and patient safety culture could increase patient safety competency among nurses in armed forces hospitals.