[Pelvic floor reconstruction-update 2024: prolapse-associated symptoms and their treatment]. / Rekonstruktive Beckenbodenchirurgie ­ Update 2024: prolapsassoziierte Symptome und deren Heilung.

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and associated symptoms of urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, obstructive micturition, defecation, and pain are frequent and a widespread disease with relevant reduction of quality of life and high costs. New insights into functional anatomy and pathophysiology of these pelvic floor dysfunctions let us recognize how ligamentous laxities/defects lead to these dysfunctions. Results of the PROpel study (ClinicalTrials.gov-Identifier: NCT00638235) are shown in which a detailed observation of symptoms (patient-related outcome measures) pre- and postoperatively was performed. Ligamentous vaginal repair of POP enables symptom cure in high percentages for urinary urge incontinence (up to 82%), nocturia (up to 92%), obstructive micturition (up to 87%), fecal incontinence (58-72%), obstructive defecation (71-84%), and pain (53-90%), if caused by POP. Women with POP­Q stage 2 have similar symptom frequencies as women with POP­Q stage 3-4, and also similar cure rates of their symptoms. If good anatomical prolapse repair (in responders) was achieved, the cure rates for obstructive micturition, urinary urgency incontinence, and nocturia were significantly higher than in those women with less effective surgical repair. In the future, pelvic floor surgery should have symptom cure as the primary objective and should lead to improved quality of life. The different, currently performed techniques for POP repair have to be investigated concerning this matter.

Clonal KEAP1 mutations with loss of heterozygosity share reduced immunotherapy efficacy and low immune cell infiltration in lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: KEAP1 mutations have been associated with reduced survival in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), particularly in the presence of STK11/KRAS alterations. We hypothesized that, beyond co-occurring genomic events, clonality prediction may help identify deleterious KEAP1 mutations and their counterparts with retained sensitivity to ICIs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Beta-binomial modelling of sequencing read counts was used to infer KEAP1 clonal inactivation by combined somatic mutation and loss of heterozygosity (KEAP1 C-LOH) versus partial inactivation [KEAP1 clonal diploid-subclonal (KEAP1 CD-SC)] in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) MetTropism cohort (N = 2550). Clonality/LOH prediction was compared to a streamlined clinical classifier that relies on variant allele frequencies (VAFs) and tumor purity (TP) (VAF/TP ratio). The impact of this classification on survival outcomes was tested in two independent cohorts of LUAD patients treated with immunotherapy (MSK/Rome N = 237; DFCI N = 461). Immune-related features were studied by exploiting RNA-sequencing data (TCGA) and multiplexed immunofluorescence (DFCI mIF cohort). RESULTS: Clonality/LOH inference in the MSK MetTropism cohort overlapped with a clinical classification model defined by the VAF/TP ratio. In the ICI-treated MSK/Rome discovery cohort, predicted KEAP1 C-LOH mutations were associated with shorter progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to KEAP1 wild-type cases (PFS log-rank P = 0.001; OS log-rank P < 0.001). Similar results were obtained in the DFCI validation cohort (PFS log-rank P = 0.006; OS log-rank P = 0.014). In both cohorts, we did not observe any significant difference in survival outcomes when comparing KEAP1 CD-SC and wild-type tumors. Immune deconvolution and multiplexed immunofluorescence revealed that KEAP1 C-LOH and KEAP1 CD-SC differed for immune-related features. CONCLUSIONS: KEAP1 C-LOH mutations are associated with an immune-excluded phenotype and worse clinical outcomes among advanced LUAD patients treated with ICIs. By contrast, survival outcomes of patients whose tumors harbored KEAP1 CD-SC mutations were similar to those with KEAP1 wild-type LUADs.

Hematocolpos due to imperforate hymen: a case report and literature systematic review.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Hematocolpos is a rare condition, where menstrual blood fills the vagina, instead of being expelled, due to a series of uterovaginal pathologies, the most frequent of which is the imperforate hymen. To date, few cases of hematocolpos have been reported in the literature. METHODS: We report a case of hematometrocolpos due to imperforate hymen initially misdiagnosed as constipation and subsequently as ovarian mass; moreover, the present study undertakes a systematic review of studies on hematometrocolpos due to imperforate hymen to synthesize available knowledge on epidemiology, diagnosis, and management about this rare condition. RESULTS: A total of 35 studies, describing 61 patients, were identified. The presence of hematocolpos should be suspected in premenarchal patients complaining of low abdominal pain, abdominal swelling, and urinary retention. Genital examination disclosing a tender, pale hymen and ultrasound represent a useful tool for diagnosis. The goal of the management is to timely perform hymenotomy to drain the hematocolpos, followed by hymenectomy to prevent recurrence. Follow-up is needed to diagnose possible recurrences. CONCLUSIONS: In the case of an adolescent girl complaining of genital pain associated with primary amenorrhea, hematocolpos due to imperforate hymen should be suspected.

Evaluación de un cuestionario de conocimientos en insuficiencia cardíaca y su utilidad para guiar la intervención educativa / Evaluation of a heart failure knowledge questionnaire and its use in guiding the educational intervention

ntroducción y objetivo: La educación por enfermería es una pieza clave en todo programa de insuficiencia cardíaca (IC), pero existen modelos muy heterogéneos y faltan instrumentos de medida. Nuestro objetivo ha sido evaluar un cuestionario propio y su utilidad como guía de la educación.Métodos: Estudio de cohortes prospectivo de pacientes tras el diagnóstico de IC seguidos en una unidad especializada. El grupo expuesto recibió sesiones educativas guiadas por evaluación del conocimiento mediante el cuestionario, y se comparó con un grupo con educación estándar. Se evaluó la validez y la fiabilidad del cuestionario. La utilidad del modelo educativo se determinó por la variable combinada principal de muerte y/o ingreso hospitalario o atención en urgencias por IC.Resultados: Se incluyeron 152 pacientes, 88 con educación guiada y 64 estándar, con un seguimiento medio de 16±4 meses. En el grupo guiado, la puntuación del cuestionario de evaluación (pc) subió del 59 al 78,5% (p=0,018) y se asoció con un mayor autocuidado (28,5-0,6*pc; p=0,04) y una tendencia a mejor calidad de vida (51,1-1,1*pc; p=0,09) y adherencia (5,02+0,04*pc; p=0,06), con una fiabilidad aceptable (Alfa de Cronbach: 0,75). La variable combinada principal ocurrió en 12 pacientes (13,6%) con educación guiada frente a 19 (29,7%) con la estándar (hazard ratio: 0,46; intervalo de confianza del 95%: 0,24-0,88; p=0,019), aunque en el análisis multivariante, solo fueron predictores: el nivel educativo, la edad, NT-proBNP y la fibrilación auricular.Conclusión: El cuestionario de conocimientos en IC propuesto es una herramienta válida y fiable, y permite cuantificar el aprendizaje. Su utilidad para guiar la educación precisa de cierta habilidad del paciente que determina un grupo con mejor pronóstico. (AU)

Introduction and objective: Patient education by nurses is a cornerstone of any heart failure (HF) program, but the models are widely heterogeneous and few specific instruments exist. Our objective is to evaluate our own questionnaire and its utility as a guide for educational intervention.Methods: This work is a prospective cohort study of patients followed-up on in a specialized unit after diagnosis of HF. The intervention group received educational sessions guided according to their knowledge using the questionnaire and was compared to a group which received standard education. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated. The utility of the educational model was determined by the primary composite endpoint of death and/or hospital admission or emergency care for HF.Results: A total of 152 patients were included, 88 which received guided education and 64 which received standard education, with a mean follow-up time of 16±4 months. In the guided education group, the evaluation questionnaire score (qs) rose from 59% to 78.5% (P=0.018), which was associated with greater self-care (28.5-0.6*qs, P=0.04), a tendency toward better quality of life (51.1-1.1*qs, P=0.09), and adherence (5.02+0.04*qs, P=0.06), with acceptable reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.75). The primary composite endpoint was met in 12 patients (13.6%) in the intervention group compared to 19 (29.7%) in the control group (hazard ratio: 0.46; 95% confidence interval: 0.24-0.88; P=0.019). Only educational level, age, NT-proBNP, and atrial fibrillation were predictors in the multivariate analysis.Conclusion: The HF knowledge questionnaire proposed is a valid, reliable tool and allows for quantifying learning. Its utility in guiding education requires a certain degree of skill from the patient that determines a group with better prognosis. (AU)

Evaluation of a heart failure knowledge questionnaire and its use in guiding the educational intervention.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Patient education by nurses is a cornerstone of any heart failure (HF) program, but the models are widely heterogeneous and few specific instruments exist. Our objective is to evaluate our own questionnaire and its utility as a guide for educational intervention. METHODS: This work is a prospective cohort study of patients followed-up on in a specialized unit after diagnosis of HF. The intervention group received educational sessions guided according to their knowledge using the questionnaire and was compared to a group which received standard education. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated. The utility of the educational model was determined by the primary composite endpoint of death and/or hospital admission or emergency care for HF. RESULTS: A total of 152 patients were included, 88 which received guided education and 64 which received standard education, with a mean follow-up time of 16±4 months. In the guided education group, the evaluation questionnaire score (qs) rose from 59% to 78.5% (p=0.018), which was associated with greater self-care (28.5-0.6*qs, p=0.04), a tendency toward better quality of life (51.1-1.1*qs, p=0.09), and adherence (5.02+0.04*qs, p=0.06), with acceptable reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.75). The primary composite endpoint was met in 12 patients (13.6%) in the intervention group compared to 19 (29.7%) in the control group (hazard ratio: 0.46; 95% confidence interval: 0.24-0.88; p=0.019). Only educational level, age, NT-proBNP, and atrial fibrillation were predictors in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: The HF knowledge questionnaire proposed is a valid, reliable tool and allows for quantifying learning. Its utility in guiding education requires a certain degree of skill from the patient that determines a group with better prognosis.

Transforming a public university hospital and its area of influence into a comprehensive resource in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The outbreak of COVID-19 has overwhelmed healthcare systems all over the world. The aim of this article is to describe the process of transforming the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, the second largest hospital in Spain, into a COVID-19 centre coordinating response to the pandemic in its reference area. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study draws on the experience of the authors in transforming the hospital into a comprehensive resource in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The strategy is based on four central strategies: early planning, coordination of all healthcare agents in its reference area, definition of clear leadership roles, and the organisation of care based on multidisciplinary teams with minimal recruitment of new staff. RESULTS: The transformation strategy enabled the hospital to cope with the surge in patients without exceeding its capacity. During the response phases, which amounted to a period of 57 days, 3106 patients consulted the ER and 2054 were admitted, 346 of whom were treated at the ICU. To accommodate the number of adult COVID-19 patients, adult ICU availability was progressive increased by 371%, and ordinary beds increased by 240. A total of 671 staff members went on sick leave after testing positive for COVID-19. CONCLUSION: The transformation experience of the hospital provides insight into how effectively adapt the structures and functioning of large hospitals. The relevance of territorial coordination during the pandemic is stressed as an effective strategy that contributed coping the pandemic.

MicroRNA-based signatures impacting clinical course and biology of ovarian cancer: a miRNOmics study.

BACKGROUND: In Western countries, ovarian cancer (OC) still represents the leading cause of gynecological cancer-related deaths, despite the remarkable gains in therapeutical options. Novel biomarkers of early diagnosis, prognosis definition and prediction of treatment outcomes are of pivotal importance. Prior studies have shown the potentials of micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) as biomarkers for OC and other cancers. METHODS: We focused on the prognostic and/or predictive potential of miRNAs in OC by conducting a comprehensive array profiling of miRNA expression levels in ovarian tissue samples from 17 non-neoplastic controls, and 60 tumor samples from OC patients treated at the Regina Elena National Cancer Institute (IRE). A set of 54 miRNAs with differential expression in tumor versus normal samples (T/N-deregulated) was identified in the IRE cohort and validated against data from the Cancer Genoma Atlas (TCGA) related to 563 OC patients and 8 non-neoplastic controls. The prognostic/predictive role of the selected 54 biomarkers was tested in reference to survival endpoints and platinum resistance (P-res). RESULTS: In the IRE cohort, downregulation of the 2 miRNA-signature including miR-99a-5p and miR-320a held a negative prognostic relevance, while upregulation of miR-224-5p was predictive of less favorable event free survival (EFS) and P-res. Data from the TCGA showed that downregulation of 5 miRNAs, i.e., miR-150, miR-30d, miR-342, miR-424, and miR-502, was associated with more favorable EFS and overall survival outcomes, while miR-200a upregulation was predictive of P-res. The 9 miRNAs globally identified were all included into a single biologic signature, which was tested in enrichment analysis using predicted/validated miRNA target genes, followed by network representation of the miRNA-mRNA interactions. CONCLUSIONS: Specific dysregulated microRNA sets in tumor tissue showed predictive/prognostic value in OC, and resulted in a promising biological signature for this disease.

Perfusion Decellularization of Extrahepatic Bile Duct Allows Tissue-Engineered Scaffold Generation by Preserving Matrix Architecture and Cytocompatibility.

Reconstruction of bile ducts damaged remains a vexing medical problem. Surgeons have few options when it comes to a long segment reconstruction of the bile duct. Biological scaffolds of decellularized biliary origin may offer an approach to support the replace of bile ducts. Our objective was to obtain an extracellular matrix scaffold derived from porcine extrahepatic bile ducts (dECM-BD) and to analyze its biological and biochemical properties. The efficiency of the tailored perfusion decellularization process was assessed through histology stainings. Results from 4'-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stainings, and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) quantification showed proper extracellular matrix (ECM) decellularization with an effectiveness of 98%. Immunohistochemistry results indicate an effective decrease in immunogenic marker as human leukocyte antigens (HLA-A) and Cytokeratin 7 (CK7) proteins. The ECM of the bile duct was preserved according to Masson and Herovici stainings. Data derived from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed the preservation of the dECM-BD hierarchical structures. Cytotoxicity of dECM-BD was null, with cells able to infiltrate the scaffold. In this work, we standardized a decellularization method that allows one to obtain a natural bile duct scaffold with hierarchical ultrastructure preservation and adequate cytocompatibility.

Effects of NGF and BDNF on chondrocytes: a microarray analysis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) represents an inflammation-driven injury of articular tissues, progressively leading to structural and functional joint impairment. The main symptom of OA is pain. Although it has been well established that OA represents a whole joint disease, the source of pain remains to be clarified. Nowadays, it has been well established that neurotrophines expression is evident in joints affected by OA. In addition, elevated NGF levels are found in the synovial fluid of patients with inflammatory or degenerative rheumatic diseases, including OA, rheumatoid arthritis and spondylarthritis. Growing evidences indicate that blocking NGF signaling using an anti NGF agent (i.e. tanezumab) provides effective pain relief. This study analyzed the effects of NGF and BDNF on cultured human chondrocytes by evaluating and their effects on chondrogenesis, chondrocyte differentiation and cartilage degeneration through a microarray analysis. The whole transcriptome analysis performed in this study highlighted how NGF and BDNF could be able to induce a proinflammatory response in human chondrocytes. Moreover, NGF and BDNF treatments seems to be able to induce the activation of several genes involved in the OA pathogenesis as IL17AR, HLA-DRB1, GDF-15, NR1D1, MCF2L and TGF-Beta.

KEAP1-driven co-mutations in lung adenocarcinoma unresponsive to immunotherapy despite high tumor mutational burden.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have demonstrated significant overall survival (OS) benefit in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Nevertheless, a remarkable interpatient heterogeneity characterizes immunotherapy efficacy, regardless of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and tumor mutational burden (TMB). KEAP1 mutations are associated with shorter survival in LUAD patients receiving chemotherapy. We hypothesized that the pattern of KEAP1 co-mutations and mutual exclusivity may identify LUAD patients unresponsive to immunotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: KEAP1 mutational co-occurrences and somatic interactions were studied in the whole MSKCC LUAD dataset. The impact of coexisting alterations on survival outcomes in ICI-treated LUAD patients was verified in the randomized phase II/III POPLAR/OAK trials (blood-based sequencing, bNGS cohort, N = 253). Three tissue-based sequencing studies (Rome, MSKCC and DFCI) were used for independent validation (tNGS cohort, N = 289). Immunogenomic features were analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) LUAD study. RESULTS: On the basis of KEAP1 mutational co-occurrences, we identified four genes potentially associated with reduced efficacy of immunotherapy (KEAP1, PBRM1, SMARCA4 and STK11). Independent of the nature of co-occurring alterations, tumors with coexisting mutations (CoMut) had inferior survival as compared with single-mutant (SM) and wild-type (WT) tumors (bNGS cohort: CoMut versus SM log-rank P = 0.048, CoMut versus WT log-rank P < 0.001; tNGS cohort: CoMut versus SM log-rank P = 0.037, CoMut versus WT log-rank P = 0.006). The CoMut subset harbored higher TMB than the WT disease and the adverse significance of coexisting alterations was maintained in LUAD with high TMB. Significant immunogenomic differences were observed between the CoMut and WT groups in terms of core immune signatures, T-cell receptor repertoire, T helper cell signatures and immunomodulatory genes. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that coexisting alterations in a limited set of genes characterize a subset of LUAD unresponsive to immunotherapy and with high TMB. An immune-cold microenvironment may account for the clinical course of the disease.

Immunotherapy in HER2-positive breast cancer: state of the art and future perspectives.

Breast cancer (BC) is a complex disease with primary or acquired incurability characteristics in a significant part of patients. Immunotherapeutical agents represent an emerging option for breast cancer treatment, including the human epidermal growth factor 2 positive (HER2+) subtype. The immune system holds the ability to spontaneously implement a defensive response against HER2+ BC cells through complex mechanisms which can be exploited to modulate this response for obtaining a clinical benefit. Initial immune system modulating strategies consisted mostly in vaccine therapies, which are still being investigated and improved. However, the entrance of trastuzumab into the scenery of HER2+ BC treatment was the real game changing event, which embodied a dominant immune-mediated mechanism. More recently, the advent of the immune checkpoint inhibitors has caused a new paradigm shift for immuno-oncology, with promising initial results also for HER2+ BC. Breast cancer has been traditionally considered poorly immunogenic, being characterized by relatively low tumor mutation burden (TMB). Nevertheless, recent evidence has revealed high tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in a considerable proportion of HER2+ BC patients. This may translate into a higher potential to elicit anti-cancer response and, therefore, wider possibilities for the use and implementation of immunotherapy in this subset of BC patients. We are herein presenting and critically discussing the most representative evidence concerning immunotherapy in HER2+ BC cancer, both singularly and in combination with therapeutic agents acting throughout HER2-block, immune checkpoint inhibition and anti-cancer vaccines. The reader will be also provided with hints concerning potential future projection of the most promising immutherapeutic agents and approaches for the disease of interest.

Quantitative analysis of free water in ionic liquid-water mixtures.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the amount of water in ionic liquid aqueous solutions that does not form hydrogen bonds (that is to say, free water). Here, the amount of free water was determined in mixtures of water and four ionic liquids based on the imidazolium cation: 1-Butyl-3methylimidazolium acetate, 1-Butyl-3methylimidazolium bromide, 1-Butyl-3methylimidazolium chloride, and 1-3, dimethyl-imidazolium chloride. Their ionic liquid mass fraction was between 0% and 80%. The amount of free water in the mixtures was determined from the concentration profiles obtained by analysing the near infrared spectra of the mixtures between 800 and 1070 nm using multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares. The absorption band characteristic of the OH- group in the water is present in the spectral region considered. The analysis was done at three temperatures: 298.15, 313.15 and 333.15 K. The major conclusions obtained from a comparative analysis of the results are these: a) the length of the alkyl chain significantly affects the hydrophobicity of the cations when the molality of the ionic liquid in the solutions is higher than 1.435 mol/kg. b) for the solutions with the same cation, the amount of free water in the chloride solutions is lower than in the acetate and bromide solutions when the temperature is lower than 333.15 K. At this temperature, the capacity of acetate and bromide solutions to interact with water is the same. Between 298.15 and 333.15 K, the ionic liquid concentration at which there is no free water in the solutions ranges between 62.70% and 59.59% for the 1-3, dimethylimidazolium chloride, 66.72% and 87.75% for the 1-Butyl-3methylimidazolium chloride, 69.76% and 78.36% for the -1-Butyl-3methylimidazolium bromide and between 69.77% and 78.26% for the 1-Butyl-3methylimidazolium acetate. So, the ionic liquid with the greatest capacity to retain water is the 1-3, dimethylimidazolium chloride.

Preliminary investigation of orally administered benazepril in horses with left-sided valvular regurgitation.

BACKGROUND: Despite the paucity of data available, orally administered angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are empirically used in horses with valvular regurgitation. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the echocardiographic and hormonal changes in response to oral benazepril in horses with left-sided valvular regurgitation. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. METHODS: Horses with mitral valve (MR) and/or aortic valve regurgitation (AR) received oral benazepril (n = 6) at a dosage of 1 mg/kg q 12 h or a placebo (n = 5) for 28 days. Echocardiography was performed before drug administration and after 28 days of treatment. Plasma renin activity, serum ACE activity, angiotensin II concentration, aldosterone concentration and biochemical variables were measured before drug administration and after 7 and 28 days of treatment. RESULTS: Relative to baseline, horses treated with benazepril had statistically significant reduction in left ventricular internal diameter in systole (mean difference between groups = -0.97 cm; 95% CI = -1.5 to -0.43 cm), aortic sinus diameter (-0.31 cm; -0.54 to -0.07 cm), and percentage of the aortic annulus diameter occupied by the base of the AR jet (-17.05%; -31.17 to -2.93%) compared with horses receiving a placebo. In addition, horses treated with benazepril had a significantly greater increase in cardiac output (11.95 L/min; 1.17-22.73 L/min) and fractional shortening (7.59%; 3.3-11.88%) compared with horses receiving a placebo. Despite profound serum ACE inhibition, renin activity and concentrations of angiotensin II and aldosterone were not significantly different between treatment groups or among time points. MAIN LIMITATIONS: Very small sample size and short treatment period. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with oral benazepril resulted in statistically significant echocardiographic changes that might indicate reduced cardiac afterload in horses with left-sided valvular regurgitation. Additional studies with a larger sample size will be necessary to determine if administration of benazepril is beneficial in horses with valvular regurgitation. The Summary is available in Spanish - see Supporting Information.

Unravelling the mechanisms that determine the uptake and metabolism of magnetic single and multicore nanoparticles in a Xenopus laevis model.

Multicore superparamagnetic nanoparticles have been proposed as ideal tools for some biomedical applications because of their high magnetic moment per particle, high specific surface area and long term colloidal stability. Through controlled aggregation and packing of magnetic cores it is possible to obtain not only single-core but also multicore and hollow spheres with internal voids. In this work, we compare toxicological properties of single and multicore nanoparticles. Both types of particles showed moderate in vitro toxicity (MTT assay) tested in Hep G2 (human hepatocellular carcinoma) and Caco-2 (human colorectal adenocarcinoma) cells. The influence of surface chemistry in their biological behavior was also studied after functionalization with O,O'-bis(2-aminoethyl) PEG (2000 Da). For the first time, these nanoparticles were evaluated in a Xenopus laevis model studying their whole organism toxicity and their impact upon iron metabolism. The degree of activation of the metabolic pathway depends on the size and surface charge of the nanoparticles which determine their uptake. The results also highlight the potential of Xenopus laevis model bridging the gap between in vitro cell-based assays and rodent models for toxicity assessment to develop effective nanoparticles for biomedical applications.

A method based on near-infrared spectroscopy for the in-situ determination of the ammonia concentration in ammonia/water mixtures in an absorber test bench.

This paper discusses the development and implementation of a method based on NIR spectroscopy for the in-situ determination of the ammonia mass fraction of ammonia/water mixtures in an absorber test bench. The calibration model was established using a static measuring system. A cell was designed and constructed to prepare and measure samples at the ammonia mass fractions (0.332-0.482), pressures (3.4-4.6), bar and temperatures (25.0-35.5) °C typical in absorption refrigeration systems. A quadratic model for absorbance at 1041nm was established and validated. The root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) of the results was 2.1%. To implement NIR spectroscopy in the absorber test bench, a new flow cell was designed. The calibration model was transferred and used in the conditions of the absorber test bench. In these experimental conditions, the model was statistically validated using density measurements as a reference method for measuring the ammonia mass fraction. The root-mean-square deviation between the ammonia mass fractions obtained using the two methods was 1.1%.

Polycaprolactone- and polycaprolactone/ceramic-based 3D-bioplotted porous scaffolds for bone regeneration: A comparative study.

One of the critical challenges that scaffolding faces in the organ and tissue regeneration field lies in mimicking the structure, and the chemical and biological properties of natural tissue. A high-level control over the architecture, mechanical properties and composition of the materials in contact with cells is essential to overcome such challenge. Therefore, definition of the method, materials and parameters for the production of scaffolds during the fabrication stage is critical. With the recent emergence of rapid prototyping (RP), it is now possible to create three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds with the essential characteristics for the proliferation and regeneration of tissues, such as porosity, mechanical strength, pore size and pore interconnectivity, and biocompatibility. In this study, we employed 3D bioplotting, a RP technology, to fabricate scaffolds made from (i) pure polycaprolactone (PCL) and (ii) a composite based on PCL and ceramic micro-powder. The ceramics used for the composite were bovine bone filling Nukbone® (NKB), and hydroxyapatite (HA) with 5%, 10% or 20% wt. CONTENT: The scaffolds were fabricated in a cellular lattice structure (i.e. meshing mode) using a 0/90° lay down pattern with a continuous contour filament in order to achieve interconnected porous reticular structures. We varied the temperature, as well as injection speed and pressure during the bioplotting process to achieve scaffolds with pore size ranging between 200 and 400µm and adequate mechanical stability. The resulting scaffolds had an average pore size of 323µm and an average porosity of 32%. Characterization through ATR-FTIR revealed the presence of the characteristic bands of hydroxyapatite in the PCL matrix, and presented an increase of the intensity of the phosphate and carbonyl bands as the ceramic content increased. The bioplotted 3D scaffolds have a Young's modulus (E) in the range between 0.121 and 0.171GPa, which is compatible with the modulus of natural bone. PCL/NKB scaffolds, particularly 10NKBP (10% NKB wt.) exhibited the highest proliferation optical density, demonstrating an evident osteoconductive effect when cultured in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed osteoblast anchorage to all composite scaffolds, but a low adhesion to the all-PCL scaffold, as well as cell proliferation. The results from this study demonstrate the potential of PCL/NKB 3D bioplotted scaffolds as viable platforms to enable osseous tissue formation, which can be used in several tissue engineering applications, including improvement of bone tissue regeneration.

High-throughput microsatellite genotyping in ecology: improved accuracy, efficiency, standardization and success with low-quantity and degraded DNA.

Microsatellite markers have played a major role in ecological, evolutionary and conservation research during the past 20 years. However, technical constrains related to the use of capillary electrophoresis and a recent technological revolution that has impacted other marker types have brought to question the continued use of microsatellites for certain applications. We present a study for improving microsatellite genotyping in ecology using high-throughput sequencing (HTS). This approach entails selection of short markers suitable for HTS, sequencing PCR-amplified microsatellites on an Illumina platform and bioinformatic treatment of the sequence data to obtain multilocus genotypes. It takes advantage of the fact that HTS gives direct access to microsatellite sequences, allowing unambiguous allele identification and enabling automation of the genotyping process through bioinformatics. In addition, the massive parallel sequencing abilities expand the information content of single experimental runs far beyond capillary electrophoresis. We illustrated the method by genotyping brown bear samples amplified with a multiplex PCR of 13 new microsatellite markers and a sex marker. HTS of microsatellites provided accurate individual identification and parentage assignment and resulted in a significant improvement of genotyping success (84%) of faecal degraded DNA and costs reduction compared to capillary electrophoresis. The HTS approach holds vast potential for improving success, accuracy, efficiency and standardization of microsatellite genotyping in ecological and conservation applications, especially those that rely on profiling of low-quantity/quality DNA and on the construction of genetic databases. We discuss and give perspectives for the implementation of the method in the light of the challenges encountered in wildlife studies.