Donor memorialization practices at religious institutions in the United States

Many institutions worldwide honor the gift of human body donors through memorial services, ceremonies, and various other means, such as guided reflection or art activities. Memorial services can vary when it comes to the name, who is involved in the planning, and who may attend. Within the United States, the role of religion in the planning and delivery of these ceremonies at religious institutions has yet to be actively explored. This study aimed to collect information about human body donor memorialization practices at religious institutions in the United States to help guide further suggestions for enhancing inclusivity in these practices. This study utilized a voluntary survey that was distributed to anatomy educators and human body donor programs to complete if they were from a religious institution that utilized human body donors. Based on the data collected in this study (n = 39), most religious institutions have some form of donor memorialization practices, which may or may not include a formal memorial service. In these practices described by survey participants, religion was commonly represented using an interfaith approach, in which campus ministry often assisted in planning and facilitating the memorialization. Those with masses/services refer to them by different names, and most occur in a religious-specific place on campus. In conclusion, among survey participants at religious institutions that utilize and memorialize human body donors, most take an inclusive interfaith approach to their memorialization practices, as this can be more representative of the body donors and students who learn from them.

Honoring human body donors: Five core themes to consider regarding ethical treatment and memorialization

Dissection of human body donors is a common component of anatomy curricula, as it provides opportunities for tactile and intellectual engagement unmatched otherwise. Additionally, interaction with human body donors contributes to the "hidden curriculum" of allowing students to begin to ethically practice patient care with empathy, respect, and compassion. With this, there have been various proposed guidelines for the ethical treatment of human body donors, with most focusing on student reflections and a final ceremony for honoring the donors, but there are numerous other ways throughout the course to incorporate ethical values and to guide students to consider the humanity of the donor. This article proposes that institutions consider the incorporation of five easily implemented formalized ethical themes for working with human body donations into daily practices: (1) reflect the donor as possessing human dignity, (2) recognize the donor's role of the "First Patient" or "Silent Teacher," (3) honor the gift of human body donation, (4) recognize the decedent's family, and (5) consider inclusivity in memorialization practices. Multiple recommendations for integrating these five themes throughout the course are provided. The incorporation of these five core themes can assist in alleviating the psychological stress that some students struggle with in dissection courses, foster the feelings and attributes that comprise the hidden curriculum and are the desired characteristics of a caring medical provider, and discourage misuse and mistreatment of donors.

Assessment of the Degree of Osteoarthritis in Aging Male and Female Femoral Condyles: A Cadaveric Study

OBJECTIVE

Determine if femoral chondral cartilage degeneration on cadaveric knee joints exacerbate differently with aging between the sexes.

METHODS

A total of 85 cadaveric femurs were assessed for macroscopic femoral condyle pathology using a scale for gross signs of osteoarthritis. Raters scored specimens and raters' scores were averaged to provide each specimen a Disease Severity Score (DSS).

RESULTS

The DSS for the 80+-year-old population was greater than the DSS of the 70- to 79-year-old population (*P < 0.05) and the <70-year-old population (**P < 0.01). Specimens that scored a DSS of 2 and higher were assessed for their specific site of most severe degeneration. The most severe degeneration on the articular cartilage was most regularly on the patellar fossa. The second most degenerated region varied by age and biomechanical alterations. There were no significant changes in DSS between the sexes within the age groups.

CONCLUSIONS

No difference was shown between the sexes in the severity or location of degeneration indicating that men and women are likely affected by the same biomechanical changes that spur on osteoarthritis in their eighth decade of life (70s) and later. Lateral femoral degeneration predominates in younger populations. When patients approach their 70s, medial degeneration begins to predominate likely based on an increase in shearing at the knee joint.

Use of multiplate electrode aggregometry for personalisonalisation of antiplatelet therapy in left ventricular assisst device patients

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Background

The use of Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD) has noticeably improved the survival for patients with advanced heart failure.  However, this treatment is associated with significant adverse effects. Personalisation of antiplatelet therapy is a key in control and reduction of bleeding/thromboembolic complications of this treatment. However, ISHLT and the manufacturer still recommend unified treatment of 150 mg of acetylsalicylic acid for all LVAD patients. In our centre, we base the treatment decision on clinical picture and patient’s responsiveness to antiplatelet therapy. 

The treatment of choice is acetylsalicylic acid in doses 37.5 mg (1 patient), 75 mg (25 patients) and 150 mg (33 patients). For patients unresponsive or intolerant to acetylsalicylic acid we use 75 mg of clopidogrel, currently 9 patients.  1 patient receives both, 75 mg clopidogrel and 75 mg acetylsalicylic acid. 

Purpose

To gain a better understanding of the platelets function and patients" responses to antiplatelet therapy. In aim to reduce the prevalence of bleeding/thromboembolic related adverse events in LVAD patients, and therefore improve patients outcome.

Methods

In 2020, we decided to introduce a structured/test-based approach to antiplatelet therapy in this patients group. With the use of Multiplate Electrode Aggregometry (MEA) we have attempted to diagnose platelet disorders and monitor effectiveness of antiplatelet therapy. Based on MEA platlets inhibition test we were able to tailor the therapy. 

The retrospective audit was conducted with inclusion criteria;

1. Thromboembolic events include pump thrombosis and any other ischemic complications. Bleeding events contains gastrointestinal (GI) and central nervous system (CNS) events.

2. Any thromboembolic and bleeding events after starting antiplatelet therapy, in the first year after LVAD implantation

Results

The tables below presents reduction in both thromboembolic and bleeding complications.

Conclusion

Presented data can be interpreted that, the test-based approach to antiplatelet therapy may be beneficial in limiting the adverse effects of LVAD therapy. However, it needs to be acknowledged that the observation was carried out on a small group of the patients, over a short period of time. Therefore, an extended period of observation is recommended to obtain further data.

Incidence and risk factors for feline lymphoma in UK primary-care practice

Objectives

The study aimed to estimate the incidence and prevalence of feline lymphoma in cats attending primary‐care practices across the UK and to identify patient‐based and environmental (radon and pesticide exposure) risk factors.

Materials and Methods

Case records from the VetCompass programme from primary‐care veterinary practices in the UK were searched for a diagnosis of lymphoma in cats in 2016. Cases were required to have had an external laboratory confirmed diagnosis based on cytology and/or histopathology. A nested case–control study design was used to identify risk factors for lymphoma using multivariable logistic regression.

Results

From a cohort of 562,446 cats under veterinary care at VetCompass participating practices in 2016, a total of 271 lymphoma cases were identified (prevalence: 48/100,000, 95% confidence interval (CI) 44 to 56/100,000; incidence 32/100,000, 95% CI 26 to 35/100,000). There were 180 incident lymphoma cases and 803 controls, all aged 2 years and older. Male (odds ratio (OR) 1.7, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.4), insured (OR 3.6, 95% CI 2.3 to 5.6) and older cats (compared to cats 2 to <5 years, OR 5.0, 95% CI 2.8 to 8.8) were associated with increased odds of lymphoma diagnosis. Vaccinated cats were associated with decreased odds (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.5 to 1.0) compared to unvaccinated cats, although the type of vaccination received was not statistically significant. Breed and environmental factors studied were not associated with a diagnosis of lymphoma.

Clinical Significance

This is the first study to estimate the frequency and report risk factors for lymphoma in cats attending UK primary‐care practice.

Transverse sectioning in the evaluation of skin biopsy specimens from alopecic dogs

OBJECTIVES

Transverse sectioning of skin biopsy specimens has revolutionised assessment of human alopecia by demonstration of every hair in each specimen, allowing quantitative evaluation of follicular activity. Since only vertical sectioning is performed routinely in veterinary laboratories, we aimed to determine whether transverse sectioning was a valuable technique in assessment of canine alopecia.

METHODS

Paired vertical and transverse sections of biopsy specimens from 31 alopecic dogs were examined independently in triplicate in random order and blinded to previous diagnosis using a standard check-list proforma. Assessments of key features (follicular activity [anagen/telogen], infundibular hyperkeratosis, sebaceous gland abnormalities, pigment clumping, dermal inflammation) by each sectioning method were compared.

RESULTS

In the 31 cases, (atrophic [n = 13], dysplastic [n = 12], inflammatory diseases [n = 6]), follicular inactivity scores (median, [lower-upper quartile]) in transverse sections significantly exceeded those in vertical sections (transverse 4 [3-5], vertical 3 [2-4]). Agreement between the two sectioning planes was moderate for infundibular hyperkeratosis (kappa = 0.5210) and dermal inflammation (0.4351), fair for sebaceous gland abnormalities (0.3966) and pigment clumping (0.2197), but slight for follicular activity (0.1041). Vertical sectioning demonstrated diagnostically important epidermal pathology (n = 2) and dermal thinning (n = 3) whereas transverse sectioning enhanced assessment of hair growth phase (n = 11), follicular structure and architecture (n = 11), and focal luminal or mural folliculitides (n = 3).

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Transverse sectioning confers significant benefits and complements traditional vertical sectioning in the histological assessment of canine hair follicle diseases, particularly when subtle abnormalities comprise distorted compound follicle architecture, hair cycle arrest or when relatively few adnexal structures are affected.

Continuous Free Cortisol Profiles-Circadian Rhythms in Healthy Men

CONTEXT

The pituitary-adrenal axis had historically been considered a representative model for circadian rhythms. A recently developed portable collection device has provided the opportunity to evaluate free cortisol profiles using the microdialysis approach in individuals free to conduct their day-to-day activities in their own surroundings.

METHODS

Two separate experiments were conducted in healthy male volunteers. The total and subcutaneous (SC) free cortisol levels were measured at 10-minute intervals for a 24-hour period in one experiment, and the SC free cortisol levels were measured at 20-minute interval for 72 consecutive hours in free-living individuals in the second experiment.

RESULTS

The characteristic circadian rhythm was evident in both serum total and SC free cortisol, with the lowest levels achieved and maintained in the hours surrounding sleep onset and the peak levels occurring in every individual around waking. In all free-living individuals, the circadian rhythm was consistent across the 72-hour period, despite a wide range of activities. All the participants also showed increased cortisol after the consumption of lunch. The lowest levels during all 24-hour periods were observed during the hours after lights off, at the onset of sleep.

CONCLUSIONS

To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to report up to three consecutive 24-hour measurements of SC free cortisol in healthy individuals. We believe our study is a landmark study that paves the way for ambulatory monitoring of free cortisol profiles continuously for a period of 72 hours in free-living individuals performing their day-to-day activities whether healthy or with diseases involving the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

A systematic review of the quality and scope of economic evaluations in child oral health research

BACKGROUND

Economic evaluations provide policy makers with information to facilitate efficient resource allocation. To date, the quality and scope of economic evaluations in the field of child oral health has not been evaluated. Furthermore, whilst the involvement of children in research has been actively encouraged in recent years, the success of this movement in dental health economics has not yet been explored. This review aimed to determine the quality and scope of published economic evaluations applied to children's oral health and to consider the extent of children's involvement.

METHODS

The following databases were searched: CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Econlit, EThOS, MEDLINE, NHS EED, OpenGrey, Scopus, Web of Science. Full economic evaluations, relating to any aspect of child oral health, published after 1997 were included and appraised against the Drummond checklist and the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards by a team of four calibrated reviewers. Data were also extracted regarding children's involvement and the outcome measures used.

RESULTS

Two thousand seven hundred fifteen studies were identified, of which 46 met the inclusion criteria. The majority (n = 38, 82%) were cost-effectiveness studies, with most focusing on the prevention or management of dental caries (n = 42, 91%). One study quantified outcomes in Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs), and one study utilised a child-reported outcome measure. The mean percentage of applicable Drummond checklist criteria met by the studies in this review was 48% (median = 50%, range = 0-100%) with key methodological weaknesses noted in relation to discounting of costs and outcomes. The mean percentage of applicable CHEERS criteria met by each study was 77% (median = 83%, range = 33-100%), with limited reporting of conflicts of interest. Children's engagement was largely overlooked.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a paucity of high-quality economic evaluations in the field of child oral health. This deficiency could be addressed through the endorsement of standardised economic evaluation guidelines by dental journals. The development of a child-centred utility measure for use in paediatric oral health would enable researchers to quantify outcomes in terms of quality adjusted life years (QALYs) whilst promoting child-centred research.

Developing a questionnaire to determine the impact of self-management in diabetes: giving people with diabetes a voice

Background

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is increasing dramatically, placing considerable financial burden on the healthcare budget of each country. Patient self-management is crucial for the control of blood glucose, which largely determines the chances of developing diabetes-related complications. Self-management interventions vary widely, and a method is required for assessing the impact of self-management. This paper describes the development of a questionnaire intended for use to measure the impact of self-management in diabetes.

Methods

An iterative development process was undertaken to identify the attributes of self-management using 5 steps. First, a literature review was undertaken to identify and understand themes relating to self-management of DM to inform a topic guide. Second, the topic guide was further refined following consultation with a Patient and Public Involvement group. Third, the topic guide was used to inform semi-structured interviews with patients with Type 1 DM (T1DM) and Type 2 DM (T2DM) to identify how self-management of DM affects individuals. Fourth, the research team considered potential attributes alongside health attributes from an existing measure (Diabetes Health Profile, DHP) to produce an instrument reflecting both health and self-management outcomes simultaneously. Finally, a draft instrument was tested in a focus group to determine the wording and acceptability.

Results

Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 32 patients with T1DM and T2DM. Eight potential attributes were identified: fear/worry/anxiety, guilt, stress, stigma, hassle, control, freedom, and feeling supported. Four of these self-management attributes were selected with four health attributes (mood, worry about hypos (hypoglycaemic episodes), vitality and social limitations) to produce the Health and Self-Management in Diabetes (HASMID^v1) questionnaire.

Conclusions

HASMID^v1 is a short questionnaire that contains eight items each with four response levels to measure the impact of self-management in diabetes for both T1DM and T2DM. The measure was developed using a mixed-methods approach that involved semi-structured interviews with people with diabetes. The measure has high face validity. Ongoing research is being undertaken to assess the validity of this questionnaire for measuring the impact of self-management interventions in economic evaluation.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12955-017-0719-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The FIELDS Instrument Suite for Solar Probe Plus: Measuring the Coronal Plasma and Magnetic Field, Plasma Waves and Turbulence, and Radio Signatures of Solar Transients

NASA's Solar Probe Plus (SPP) mission will make the first in situ measurements of the solar corona and the birthplace of the solar wind. The FIELDS instrument suite on SPP will make direct measurements of electric and magnetic fields, the properties of in situ plasma waves, electron density and temperature profiles, and interplanetary radio emissions, amongst other things. Here, we describe the scientific objectives targeted by the SPP/FIELDS instrument, the instrument design itself, and the instrument concept of operations and planned data products.

Development and Testing of a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Resource for Children's Dental Anxiety

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for dental anxiety; however, access to therapy is limited. The current study aimed to develop a self-help CBT resource for reducing dental anxiety in children, and to assess the feasibility of conducting a trial to evaluate the treatment efficacy and cost-effectiveness of such an intervention. A mixed methods design was employed. Within phase 1, a qualitative "person-based" approach informed the development of the self-help CBT resource. This also employed guidelines for the development and evaluation of complex interventions. Within phase 2, children, aged between 9 and 16 y, who had elevated self-reported dental anxiety and were attending a community dental service or dental hospital, were invited to use the CBT resource. Children completed questionnaires, which assessed their dental anxiety and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) prior to and following their use of the resource. Recruitment and completion rates were recorded. Acceptability of the CBT resource was explored using interviews and focus groups with children, parents/carers and dental professionals. For this analysis, the authors adhered to the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool criteria. There were 24 families and 25 dental professionals participating in the development and qualitative evaluation of the CBT resource for children with dental anxiety. A total of 56 children agreed to trial the CBT resource (66% response rate) and 48 of these children completed the study (86% completion rate). There was a significant reduction in dental anxiety (mean score difference = 7.7, t = 7.9, df = 45, P < 0.001, Cohen's d ES = 1.2) and an increase in HRQoL following the use of the CBT resource (mean score difference = -0.03, t = 2.14, df = 46, P < 0.05, Cohen's d ES = 0.3). The self-help approach had high levels of acceptability to stakeholders. These findings provide preliminary evidence for the effectiveness and acceptability of the resource in reducing dental anxiety in children and support the further evaluation of this approach in a randomized control trial. Knowledge Transfer Statement: This study details the development of a guided self-help Cognitive Behavioral Therapy resource for the management of dental anxiety in children and provides preliminary evidence for the feasibility and acceptability of this approach with children aged between 9 and 16 y. The results of this study will inform the design of a definitive trial to examine the treatment- and cost-effectiveness of the resource for reducing dental anxiety in children.

Statin-induced expression change of INSIG1 in lymphoblastoid cell lines correlates with plasma triglyceride statin response in a sex-specific manner

Statins are widely prescribed to lower plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. They also modestly reduce plasma triglyceride (TG), an independent cardiovascular disease risk factor, in most people. The mechanism and inter-individual variability of TG statin response is poorly understood. We measured statin-induced gene expression changes in lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from 150 participants of a simvastatin clinical trial and identified 23 genes (false discovery rate, FDR=15%) with expression changes correlated with plasma TG response. The correlation of insulin-induced gene 1 (INSIG1) expression changes with TG response (rho=0.32, q=0.11) was driven by men (interaction P=0.0055). rs73161338 was associated with INSIG1 expression changes (P=5.4 × 10⁻⁵) and TG response in two statin clinical trials (P=0.0048), predominantly in men. A combined model including INSIG1 expression level and splicing changes accounted for 29.5% of plasma TG statin response variance in men (P=5.6 × 10⁻⁶). Our results suggest that INSIG1 variation may contribute to statin-induced changes in plasma TG in a sex-specific manner.

Modelling the species jump: towards assessing the risk of human infection from novel avian influenzas

The scientific understanding of the driving factors behind zoonotic and pandemic influenzas is hampered by complex interactions between viruses, animal hosts and humans. This complexity makes identifying influenza viruses of high zoonotic or pandemic risk, before they emerge from animal populations, extremely difficult and uncertain. As a first step towards assessing zoonotic risk of influenza, we demonstrate a risk assessment framework to assess the relative likelihood of influenza A viruses, circulating in animal populations, making the species jump into humans. The intention is that such a risk assessment framework could assist decision-makers to compare multiple influenza viruses for zoonotic potential and hence to develop appropriate strain-specific control measures. It also provides a first step towards showing proof of principle for an eventual pandemic risk model. We show that the spatial and temporal epidemiology is as important in assessing the risk of an influenza A species jump as understanding the innate molecular capability of the virus. We also demonstrate data deficiencies that need to be addressed in order to consistently combine both epidemiological and molecular virology data into a risk assessment framework.

Influenza at the animal–human interface: a review of the literature for virological evidence of human infection with swine or avian influenza viruses other than A(H5N1)

Factors that trigger human infection with animal influenza virus progressing into a pandemic are poorly understood. Within a project developing an evidence-based risk assessment framework for influenza viruses in animals, we conducted a review of the literature for evidence of human infection with animal influenza viruses by diagnostic methods used. The review covering Medline, Embase, SciSearch and CabAbstracts yielded 6,955 articles, of which we retained 89; for influenza A(H5N1) and A(H7N9), the official case counts of the World Health Organization were used. An additional 30 studies were included by scanning the reference lists. Here, we present the findings for confirmed infections with virological evidence. We found reports of 1,419 naturally infected human cases, of which 648 were associated with avian influenza virus (AIV) A(H5N1), 375 with other AIV subtypes, and 396 with swine influenza virus (SIV). Human cases naturally infected with AIV spanned haemagglutinin subtypes H5, H6, H7, H9 and H10. SIV cases were associated with endemic SIV of H1 and H3 subtype descending from North American and Eurasian SIV lineages and various reassortants thereof. Direct exposure to birds or swine was the most likely source of infection for the cases with available information on exposure.

Outcome of selective non-operative management of penetrating abdominal injuries from the North American National Trauma Database

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to investigate trends in the practice of selective non-operative management (SNOM) for penetrating abdominal injury (PAI) and to determine factors associated with its failure.

METHODS

The National Trauma Data Bank for 2002-2008 was reviewed. Patients with PAI were categorized as those who underwent successful SNOM (operative management not required) and those who failed SNOM (surgery required more than 4 h after admission). Yearly rates of SNOM versus non-therapeutic laparotomy (NTL) were plotted. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with failed SNOM and mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 12 707 patients with abdominal gunshot and 13 030 with stab wounds were identified. Rates of SNOM were 22.2 per cent for gunshot and 33.9 per cent for stab wounds, and increased with time (P < 0.001). There was a strong correlation between the rise in SNOM and the decline in NTL (r = - 0.70). SNOM failed in 20.8 and 15.2 per cent of patients with gunshot and stab wounds respectively. Factors predicting failure included the need for blood transfusion (odds ratio (OR) 1.96, 95 per cent confidence interval 1.11 to 3.46) and a higher injury score. Failed SNOM was independently associated with mortality in both the gunshot (OR 4.48, 2.07 to 9.70) and stab (OR 9.83, 3.44 to 28.00) wound groups.

CONCLUSION

The practice of SNOM is increasing, with an associated decrease in the rate of NTL for PAI. In most instances SNOM is successful; however, its failure is associated with increased mortality. Careful patient selection and adherence to protocols designed to decrease the failure rate of SNOM are recommended.

Toxicological studies on 2,4,6-tribromoanisole

TBA, or 2,4,6-tribromoanisole, is a musty-smelling metabolite of 2,4,6-tribromophenol that is used as a flame retardant and an antifungal agent for wooden pallets and packaging materials. The compound can impart its peculiar, often offensive, odor on product packaging to the concern of consumers for the safety of the package contents. These studies were conducted to evaluate the safety of TBA to humans ingesting products tainted with TBA. In addition to the 28-day oral study, a bacterial reverse mutation study was conducted, and confirmed that TBA was not mutagenic. To evaluate oral safety, TBA was evaluated in single dose and 5-day and 4-week repeated dose oral toxicity studies in rats. The test article, administered in single gavage doses of 2000, 5000 and 7500 mg/kg body weight (bw), in 5 daily repeated doses of 1000, 2000 or 3000 mg/kg bw/day or in 28 daily oral gavage doses of 0 001, 0.01, 100, and 1000 mg/kg bw/day did not result in any deaths. Also, the single and repeat dose studies resulted in no significant differences between control and treated groups on body weight gain, food consumption, clinical observations, blood biochemical values, and hematology findings. Treatment-related adverse findings were only detected in male rats during repeated dose studies and were associated with high plasma concentrations of TBA. The test article-related finding of hyaline droplets in the cortical tubular epithelium of kidneys was associated with increases in α(2 μ)-globulin content in the kidneys as indicated by the intensity of immunohistochemical staining. These findings were correlated with an increased weight of kidneys in males administered 1000mg/kgbw/day for 28days. Chemical induction of hyaline droplets containing α(2μ)-globulin in the renal proximal tubule is a process unique to the male rat and is not relevant for human risk assessment. Findings of increased liver weight with minimal centrilobular to diffuse hepatocellular hypertrophy in males treated with TBA at 1000mg/kg bw/day for 28days were considered to be an adaptive metabolic response to xenobiotic administration. The increased volume of urine, noted in both males and females treated with 1000mg/kg bw/day was considered adaptive and necessary to excrete the high xenobiotic burden resulting from TBA administration. TBA appeared to be highly bioavailable since high concentrations of TBA were detected in plasma, at 1, 4 and 8h after administration of TBA at 100 and 1000mg/kg bw for 1 and 28days. Levels were dose-related but did not clarify the course of TBA elimination with time after administration. These studies indicate that TBA, administered orally to rats, produced male rat-specific, treatment-related toxicity at the highest orally administered dose in repeated dose (5-day at 3000mg/kg bw and 28-day at 1000mg/kg bw) studies. Therefore, the NOAEL for the 28-day oral study was determined to be 1000mg/kg bw/day for the rat.

Neural progenitor potential in cultured Müller glia: effects of passaging and exogenous growth factor exposure

The Müller radial glial cell is the principal support cell of the adult mammalian retina. Recent reports suggest that these cells retain the capacity to proliferate, express phenotypes reminiscent of retinal progenitor cells (RPC) and generate neuron-like progeny. We isolated rodent Müller cells and generated cultures that could be passaged under conditions used in neural stem/progenitor cell colonies. We demonstrate that during the early period of primary culture, Müller glia proliferate into sphere colonies and express a select regimen of phenotypes normally seen in RPCs. This effect correlates temporally with the loss of retinal neurons post-dissection. When chronically maintained in vitro, Müller cells can be repeatedly passaged, and up-regulate early RPC phenotypes that are suggestive of cellular de-differentiation. Furthermore, exposure of Müller glial cultures to differentiating conditions containing growth factors stimulates Müller glia to up-regulate phenotypes associated with retinal neurons. These data provide further evidence that isolated, adult Müller glia retain functional and phenotypic features of RPCs.

Synthesis and incorporation of a simple acyclic furan containing phosphoramidite

A novel furan containing phosphoramidite was synthesized and incorporated into model oligonucleotides. This glycol nucleic acid based building block contains a furan unit substituting the natural base, and can be used for post synthetic oligonucleotide modifications by orthogonal chemistries such as Schiff base formation after in situ oxidation or Diels-Alder cycloadditions.

A common variant of the interleukin 6 receptor (IL-6r) gene increases IL-6r and IL-6 levels, without other inflammatory effects

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a key inflammatory cytokine, signalling to most tissues by binding to a soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6r), making a complex with gp130. We used 1273 subjects (mean age 68 years) from the InCHIANTI Italian cohort to study common variation in the IL-6r locus and associations with interleukin 6 receptor (IL-6r), IL-6, gp130 and a battery of inflammatory markers. The rs4537545 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) tags the functional non-synonymous Asp358Ala variant (rs8192284) in IL-6r (r(2)=0.89, n=343). Individuals homozygous for the rs4537545 SNP minor allele (frequency 40%) had a doubling of IL-6r levels (132.48 pg/ml, 95% CI 125.13-140.27) compared to the common allele homozygous group (68.31 pg/ml, 95% CI 65.35-71.41): in per allele regression models, the rs4537545 SNP accounted for 20% of the variance in sIL-6r, with P=5.1 x 10(-62). The minor allele of rs4537545 was also associated with higher circulating IL-6 levels (P=1.9 x 10(-4)). There was no association of this variant with serum levels of gp130 or with any of the studied pro- and anti-inflammatory markers. A common variant of the IL-6r gene results in major changes in IL-6r and IL-6 serum levels, but with no apparent effect on gp130 levels or on inflammatory status in the general population.

Common genetic variation in the gene encoding interleukin-1-receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) is associated with altered circulating IL-1RA levels

Interleukin-1-receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) modulates the biological activity of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) and could play an important role in the pathophysiology of inflammatory and metabolic traits. We genotyped seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that capture a large proportion of common genetic variation in the IL-1RN gene in 1256 participants from the Invecchiare in Chianti study. We identified five SNPs associated with circulating IL-1RA levels with varying degrees of significance (P-value range=0.016-4.9 x 10(-5)). We showed that this association is likely to be driven by one haplotype, most strongly tagged by rs4251961. This variant is only in weak linkage disequilibrium (r(2)=0.25) with a previously reported variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism (VNTR) in intron-2 although a second variant, rs579543, that tags the VNTR (r(2)=0.91), may also be independently associated with IL-1RA levels (P=0.03). We found suggestive evidence that the C allele at rs4251961 that lowers IL-1RA levels is associated with an increased IL-1beta (P=0.03) level and may also be associated with interferon -gamma (P=0.03), alpha-2 macroglobulin (P=0.008) and adiponectin (P=0.007) serum levels. In conclusion, common variation across the IL-1RN gene is strongly associated with IL-1RA levels.

An evaluation of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of pulmonary artery catheters in patient management in intensive care: a systematic review and a randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of managing critically ill patients in adult, general intensive care with or without pulmonary artery catheters (PACs).

DESIGN

An open, multi-centre, randomised controlled trial with economic evaluation (cost-utility and cost-effectiveness analysis).

SETTING

The setting was general (mixed medical/surgical) intensive care units (ICUs) in the UK admitting adults.

PARTICIPANTS

Adult patients in participating ICUs deemed by the responsible treating clinician to require management with a PAC.

INTERVENTIONS

These were insertion of a PAC and subsequent clinical management, at the discretion of the responsible treating clinicians, using data derived from the PAC. The control group were managed without a PAC but with the option of using alternative cardiac output monitoring devices.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The main outcome measure was hospital mortality. Secondary outcome measures were length of stay in the ICU, length of stay in an acute hospital and organ-days of support in the ICU. For the economic evaluation, the main outcome measure was quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and the secondary outcome measure was hospital mortality.

RESULTS

Sixty-five ICUs in the UK participated. Of these, 43 (66%) used alternative cardiac output monitoring devices in control group patients. A total of 1263 patients were identified as being eligible for the trial. Of these, 1041 (82.4%) were randomised and allocated to management with (n = 519) or without (n = 522) a PAC. There were no losses to follow-up. However, 27 patients (13 in the PAC group and 14 in the control group) were withdrawn from the trial because either the patient withdrew consent on recovering mental competency or the relatives withdrew agreement following randomisation. Data on 1014 patients were included in the analysis. Participants in the two groups had similar baseline characteristics. There was no difference in hospital mortality for patients managed with (68.4%) or without (65.7%) a PAC. The adjusted hazard ratio (PAC versus no PAC) was 1.09 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.94 to 1.27]. There was no difference in the median length of stay in ICU, the median length of stay in an acute hospital or mean organ-days of support in ICU between the two groups. The economic evaluation found that the expected cost per QALY gained from the withdrawal of PAC was 2985 pounds. The expected cost per life gained from the withdrawal of PAC was 22,038 pounds.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical management of critically ill patients with a PAC, as currently practised in the UK, neither improves hospital survival for adult, general intensive care patients nor reduces length of stay in hospital. The lack of demonstrable benefit from a device previously believed to be beneficial could be explained by statistical chance, by misinterpretation of PAC-derived data, by ineffective treatment strategies based on data correctly interpreted using the current paradigm or by subsequent inaction following insertion of the device. It is also possible that detailed data on haemodynamics, however used, cannot modify the disease process sufficiently to influence disease outcome. The economic evaluation, using decision analysis techniques rather than conventional hypothesis testing, suggests that the withdrawal of the PAC from routine clinical practice in the NHS would be considered cost-effective in the current decision-making climate, and might result in lives or life-years being saved at modest cost. With the declining use of PACs in the UK and the findings of this report indicating no overall benefit from management with a PAC, it should now be possible to examine protocolised management with a PAC in selected groups of critically ill patients against appropriate controls, something that was difficult while PACs were the considered standard of care.