Quality of life (QOL) is an important factor in evaluating the effectiveness of treatment in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of autologous bone ...marrow mononuclear cells (BM MNCs) on the QOL of children with CP.
From December 2015 to December 2016, 30 children with CP aged from 2 to 15 years received two intrathecal infusions of BM MNCs, one at baseline and the other 3 months later, at Vinmec International Hospital. The motor function and muscle tone of the patients were evaluated using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM)-88 and Modified Ashworth Score, respectively. Their QOL was assessed at baseline and 6 months after the first BM MNC transplant using the Vietnamese version of the Cerebral Palsy Quality of Life Questionnaire for children (CP QOL-Child)-the parental proxy report, which comprises seven domains. Nineteen mothers (mean age: 32.9±4.9 years) and 11 fathers (mean age: 36.1±6.8 years) were invited to complete the CP QOL-Child assessment before and after the transplantations, Paired t-tests and multivariate regression analyses were used to evaluate the changes in QOL and GMFM scores and to identify the key factors correlated with the QOL score.
Significant changes were observed in the children's gross motor function and muscle spasticity, as evidenced by the GMFM-88 total score, scores for each of its domains, the GMFM-66 percentile and the muscle tone (P < 0.001). Six months after the transplantations, the QOL scores of children with CP were markedly increased (P < 0.001) for all the domains, except for the domain of access to services. In the multivariate regression analysis, significant associations were found between higher age of children and higher QOL except for feeling about functioning and pain and impact of disability domains. Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level was negatively correlated with the score of pain and impact of disability domain, while the GMFM-88 scores were positively correlated with the QOL in terms of feelings about functioning and family health domain (P < 0.05).
The QOL of the children with CP was noticeably improved 6 months after BM MNC transplantation and was accompanied by improvements in gross motor function and muscle tone.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02574923 . Registered on October 14, 2015.
To present outcomes of single trocar thoracoscopic surgery in the treatment of pleural empyema (PE) in children.
The thoracoscopic surgery was performed using a single trocar inserted through the ...fifth intercostal space. A conventional rigid scope with a working channel was used. Pleural fluid was aspirated, followed by debridement and ablation of all septa using one instrument through the working channel.
Sixty patients from 1 month to 14 years of age underwent surgery without any intraoperative complications or death. The mean operative time was 67 ± 21 minutes. There was no conversion to open thoracotomy. Postoperative complications occurred in 4 patients. Reoperation was required in 1 patient. Mean duration of postoperative hospitalization was 15 ± 9 days. Follow-up was obtained in 57 patients and resulted in normal clinical and chest X-ray findings in all patients.
Single trocar thoracoscopic operation is safe, feasible, and effective in the treatment of PE in children. A future study with control group is required to draw accurate conclusions.
Stem cell-based therapy for human diseases Hoang, Duc M.; Pham, Phuong T.; Bach, Trung Q. ...
Signal transduction and targeted therapy,
08/2022, Letnik:
7, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Abstract
Recent advancements in stem cell technology open a new door for patients suffering from diseases and disorders that have yet to be treated. Stem cell-based therapy, including human ...pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), has recently emerged as a key player in regenerative medicine. hPSCs are defined as self-renewable cell types conferring the ability to differentiate into various cellular phenotypes of the human body, including three germ layers. MSCs are multipotent progenitor cells possessing self-renewal ability (limited in vitro) and differentiation potential into mesenchymal lineages, according to the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT). This review provides an update on recent clinical applications using either hPSCs or MSCs derived from bone marrow (BM), adipose tissue (AT), or the umbilical cord (UC) for the treatment of human diseases, including neurological disorders, pulmonary dysfunctions, metabolic/endocrine-related diseases, reproductive disorders, skin burns, and cardiovascular conditions. Moreover, we discuss our own clinical trial experiences on targeted therapies using MSCs in a clinical setting, and we propose and discuss the MSC tissue origin concept and how MSC origin may contribute to the role of MSCs in downstream applications, with the ultimate objective of facilitating translational research in regenerative medicine into clinical applications. The mechanisms discussed here support the proposed hypothesis that BM-MSCs are potentially good candidates for brain and spinal cord injury treatment, AT-MSCs are potentially good candidates for reproductive disorder treatment and skin regeneration, and UC-MSCs are potentially good candidates for pulmonary disease and acute respiratory distress syndrome treatment.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to carry out an empirical investigation about how the level of market concentration or competitiveness of the banking system and institutional quality are ...associated with bank’s financial stability.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses dynamic panel data techniques on the sample of 133 developing and emerging countries over the years 2002–2020.
Findings
The authors document several significant findings. First, there is evidence that bank stability is positively associated with the level of market concentration. The result is in line with the concentration–stability view that banks operating in a more concentrated market tend to be more stable than those in a less concentrated market. Second, the results confirm that the quality of the institutional environment plays a critical role in improving the stability of banks in developing and emerging countries. Third, the authors find that institutional development can moderate the effect of market concentration (or competitiveness of the banking system) on bank stability. Specifically, the results show that better institutional quality enhances the positive influence of bank concentration on the bank’s financial stability in developing and emerging countries. These results are robust to different specifications with the alternative measures of bank stability and market concentration.
Originality/value
This study provides further understanding regarding the effects of the level of market concentration or competitiveness of the banking system and institutional quality on bank stability in 133 developing and emerging countries over the years 2002–2020.
PurposeThis research investigates the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and bank risk-taking in Vietnam and introduces the constraint factor to see whether this link ...alters with different levels of constraint.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of commercial banks in Vietnam from 2008 to 2017, this study employs two-step system generalized method of moments (Sys GMM) with a finite sample correction mechanism to estimate the models.FindingsThe results suggest that CSR activities reduce bank risk-taking, and this relationship is only present in the case of financially constrained banks. Unconstrained banks, on the other hand, are more likely to invest in unnecessary CSR, thus reducing bank performance and increasing bank risk-taking.Research limitations/implicationsThe first implication from this study is that CSR activities might be considered as a risk-mitigating tool and should be invested in that respect. Secondly, regulatory units and investors should be more cautious about CSR expenditures since this type of spending could increase default risk, especially for banks with easy access to external financing. One particular limitation of this study is the low number of observations available for banks in Vietnam. Future studies could use texture analysis to expand the sample or consider macro-level governance characteristics to examine which factors might modify the relationship between CSR and bank risk.Originality/valueVery limited studies discussed the link between corporate social responsibility and bank performance and bank risk. There are even fewer papers examining the relationship between CSR and risk, and most of these papers deal with advanced economies. Furthermore, no studies investigate the interaction effect of CSR and financial constraint, which should be prevalent in developing countries on bank risk. As a consequence, the current study seeks to verify the impact of financial constraints on the link between CSR and bank risk.
Users of financial statements are in a better position to evaluate the performance of the firm in question if its accounting system and methods are comparable with those of other firms. Even though ...accounting comparability is markedly beneficial, the empirical studies on its impact on earnings management are scant, especially in the context of developing countries that have not applied International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). In the present study, we examined the association between comparability and accruals-based earnings management, considering the moderating impacts of financial constraints in the context a developing economy. The article used a sample of 502 Vietnamese non-financial listed firms from 2010 to 2019. Three proxies of comparability and two measures of accruals-based earnings manipulation, together with several empirical strategies, are employed. First, the research provides evidence suggesting that comparability reduces firms' tendency to engage in earnings management. Furthermore, there is evidence suggesting that firms could give more weighting to the comparability with a small number of firms rather than various firms in the same industry. Second, we are the first to identify that financial constraints have a moderating effect: more constrained firms do not reduce earnings manipulation as their accounting comparability improves. Based on research findings, we provided implications to stakeholders and propose directions for future studies.
This study aimed to identify the density of mononuclear cells (MNCs) and CD34+ cells in the bone marrow of patients with three neurologic conditions.
The study included 88 patients with three ...neurologic conditions: 40 with cerebral palsy (CP) due to oxygen deprivation (OD), 23 with CP related to neonatal icterus (NI), and 25 with neurological sequelae after traumatic brain injury. Bone marrow aspiration was conducted from the patients' bilateral anterior iliac crest under general anesthesia in an operating theater. MNCs were isolated by Ficoll gradient centrifugation and then infused intrathecally.
There was a significant difference in the average MNC per ml and percentage of CD34+ cells by the type of disease, age group, and infusion time (p value < 0.05). The multivariable regression model showed the percentage of CD34+ association with the outcome (gross motor function 88 items- GMFM-88) in patients with CP.
The density of MNCs was 5.22 million cells per mL and 5.03% CD34+ cells in patients with three neurologic conditions. The highest density of MNCs in each ml of bone marrow was found in patients with CP due to OD, whereas the percentage of CD34+ cells was the highest among patients with CP related to NI.
Recent outbreaks of avian influenza A (H5N1) in poultry throughout Asia have had major economic and health repercussions. Human infections with this virus were identified in Vietnam in January 2004.
...We report the clinical features and preliminary epidemiologic findings among 10 patients with confirmed cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) who presented to hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam, in December 2003 and January 2004.
In all 10 cases, the diagnosis of influenza A (H5N1) was confirmed by means of viral culture or reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction with primers specific for H5 and N1. None of the 10 patients (mean age, 13.7 years) had preexisting medical conditions. Nine of them had a clear history of direct contact with poultry (median time before onset of illness, three days). All patients presented with fever (temperature, 38.5 to 40.0 degrees C), respiratory symptoms, and clinically significant lymphopenia (median lymphocyte count, 700 per cubic millimeter). The median platelet count was 75,500 per cubic millimeter. Seven patients had diarrhea. In all patients, there were marked abnormalities on chest radiography. There was no definitive evidence of human-to-human transmission. Eight patients died, one patient has recovered, and one is recovering.
Influenza A (H5N1) infection, characterized by fever, respiratory symptoms, and lymphopenia, carries a high risk of death. Although in all 10 cases the infection appears to have been acquired directly from infected poultry, the potential exists for genetic reassortment with human influenzaviruses and the evolution of human-to-human transmission. Containment of influenza A (H5N1) in poultry throughout Asia is therefore urgently required.
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