Controlled local release of PPARγ agonists from biomaterials to treat peripheral nerve injury.

OBJECTIVE: Poor clinical outcomes following peripheral nerve injury (PNI) are partly attributable to the limited rate of neuronal regeneration. Despite numerous potential drug candidates demonstrating positive effects on nerve regeneration rate in preclinical models, no drugs are routinely used to improve restoration of function in clinical practice. A key challenge associated with clinical adoption of drug treatments in nerve injured patients is the requirement for sustained administration of doses associated with undesirable systemic sideeffects. Local controlled-release drug delivery systems could potentially address this challenge, particularly through the use of biomaterials that can be implanted at the repair site during the microsurgical repair procedure. APPROACH: In order to test this concept, this study used various biomaterials to deliver ibuprofen sodium or sulindac sulfide locally in a controlled manner in a rat sciatic nerve injury model. Following characterisation of release parameters in vitro, ethylene vinyl acetate tubes or polylactic-co-glycolic acid wraps, loaded with ibuprofen sodium or sulindac sulfide, were placed around directly-repaired nerve transection or nerve crush injuries in rats. MAIN RESULTS: Ibuprofen sodium, but not sulindac sulfide caused an increase in neurites in distal nerve segments and improvements in functional recovery in comparison to controls with no drug treatment. SIGNIFICANCE: This study showed for the first time that local delivery of ibuprofen sodium using biomaterials improves neurite growth and functional recovery following PNI and provides the basis for future development of drug-loaded biomaterials suitable for clinical translation.

Bone mineral density and insulin-like growth factor-1 in children with spastic cerebral palsy.

BACKGROUND: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have significant decrease linear growth rate and low bone mineral density (BMD). AIMS: This study is to evaluate BMD in children with CP and its relation to the levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 58 children suffering from spastic CP with the age range 4-12 years compared to 19 controls. All assessed by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to measure BMD, serum level of IGF-1, and serum vitamin D. The patients were classified according to their GMFCS. RESULTS: Fractures were reported in seven (12.1%) of cases. Our study demonstrated that, IGF-1 level and BMD decrease in correlation with the severity of CP. IGF-1correlates positively with serum vitamin D, BMI, and BMD. CP children with severe GMFCS level or who use anticonvulsive drugs are at a high risk for low BMD and low levels of IGF-1. CONCLUSION: Both BMD and IGF-1 were significantly in low children with spastic CP; IGF-1 negatively correlates with the severity of osteopenia in children with spastic. Children with CP who are not independently ambulant or with severe GMFCS level or who use anticonvulsive drugs are at a high risk for developing low BMD.

Quantitative post-coital test: sperm counts in cervical mucus after enzymatic liquefaction.

The post-coital test involves direct microscopic examination of sperm number and motility in cervical mucus. The results depend on the quality of the mucus and the distribution of spermatozoa within the sample. To progress from such qualitative data to quantitative measurements of the spermatozoa present in post-coital mucus, we have developed methods to measure sperm concentrations in enzymatically liquefied post-coital cervical mucus. The mucus score and sperm motility were measured prior to mucus liquefaction, and, together with sperm concentration, they allowed the calculation of the total number of motile spermatozoa present. A combination of bromelin and glycosidases proved to be more efficient in achieving reliable mucus liquefaction than treatment with bromelin alone, and was used to liquefy a series of 36 post-coital test samples. Total sperm numbers ranged between 19 x 10(3) and 16.8 x 10(6). Of the samples, 75% contained < 3 x 10(6) spermatozoa, and 39% contained < 1 x 10(6) spermatozoa. Sperm motility was very high in these samples, except for a distinct subset of samples (19%) in which the total sperm motility was markedly decreased ( < 20%). The measurement of sperm concentration in liquefied cervical mucus will help to determine normal values for the post-coital test, and to estimate the number of motile spermatozoa reaching the upper female genital tract.

Evaluation of infertility.

The most important goal of fertility investigation is to identify the cause(s) of infertility and to prescribe adequate therapy. The couple should be treated as a single unit as each partner contributes a share to the infertility potential of the couple. Evaluation should begin with the taking of a detailed history and a complete physical examination of both partners, which may point the investigation in a particular direction. However, other pertinent fertility factors should not be overlooked. A standardized and comprehensive approach to the investigation of infertility is proposed and is presented as a series of flow charts.

Study on sex-specific transferrin polymorphism and on the identification of transferrins by radioactive labelling.

Sex-specific differences with regard to the intensity of transferrin bands were observed in a noninbred adult mouse population after separation of the serum proteins by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Amongst the female animals, an additional protein fraction was found just above the position of the transferrin bands. By means of a tracer method, using 59Fe-labelling, it could be shown that the additional fraction is not a part of the transferrin bands.