We studied the growth-stimulating effect of platelet-based preparations obtained by different methods on cultured human fibroblasts M-22. Platelet lysates prepared from platelet-rich plasma, ...platelet-poor plasma, concentrated suspension of platelets washed from plasma, and platelet-rich plasma activated with calcium chloride (ActPRP) were used. The volume of the platelet preparations was 10-500 μl per 10
4
cells. The most effective dose of platelet-rich and platelet-poor plasma in cell culture was 20 μl, whereas for ActPRP, the most effective dose was 500 μl. Lysates of platelet-rich and platelet-poor plasma in doses of 100-500 μl inhibited fibroblast growth and disturbed their structural integrity. At the same time, lysates of washed platelets in doses of 10-500 μl stimulated cell growth and preserved their viability. An inverse correlation was found between the number of cells in culture and the level of proinflammatory cytokines in the platelet preparations.
Abstract
Background
Opioid misuse is a significant public health problem. As initial exposures to opioids are frequently encountered through the management of postoperative pain, we examined patterns ...of opioid prescribing following surgical treatment for nephrolithiasis.
Methods
We identified patients with nephrolithiasis in the national Women Veterans Cohort Study (WVCS) who were treated surgically by diagnosis and procedure codes. Using standard conversion factors, we calculated the morphine milligram equivalent (MME) dose prescribed. We used descriptive statistics to characterize opioid prescription across management strategy and multivariable regression to examine clinical and demographic characteristics associated with dispensed dose.
Results
We identified 22,609 patients diagnosed with kidney stones during 1999–2014, 1,976 of whom were treated surgically and 1,582 (80.1%) of whom received an opioid prescription. The median age was 39 years, and 1,366 (90%) were male; 1,314 (86.3%) were treated with ureteroscopy, 172 (11.3%) with extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, and 36 (2.4%) with percutaneous nephrolithotomy. The median number of days supplied per opioid prescription (interquartile range) was 10 (5–14), and patients were dispensed a median of 180 (140–300) MME. A total of 6.4% of patients received ≥50 MME/d. On multivariable analysis, comorbid diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was associated with higher total dispensed dose, whereas surgery type was not.
Conclusions
We observed substantial variation in opioid prescribing following surgical treatment of nephrolithiasis. Although type of surgical intervention did not impact opioid dosing, patients with a diagnosis of PTSD were more likely to receive higher doses. This work can inform efforts to improve the safety and efficacy of postoperative opioid prescribing.
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) currently reach high efficiencies, while their insufficient stability remains an obstacle to their technological commercialization. The introduction of hole-transport ...materials (HTMs) into the device structure is a key approach for enhancing the efficiency and stability of devices. However, currently, the influence of the HTM structure or properties on the characteristics and operational stability of PSCs remains insufficiently studied. Herein, we present four novel push-pull small molecules, H1-4, with alternating thiophene and benzothiadiazole or fluorine-loaded benzothiadiazole units, which contain branched and linear alkyl chains in the different positions of terminal thiophenes to evaluate the impact of HTM structure on PSC performance. It is demonstrated that minor changes in the structure of HTMs significantly influence their behavior in thin films. In particular, H3 organizes into highly ordered lamellar structures in thin films, which proves to be crucial in boosting the efficiency and stability of PSCs. The presented results shed light on the crucial role of the HTM structure and the morphology of films in the performance of PSCs.
Reducing inappropriate use of imaging to stage incident prostate cancer is a challenging problem highlighted recently as a Physician Quality Reporting System quality measure and by the American ...Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Urological Association in the Choosing Wisely campaign. Since 2000, the National Prostate Cancer Register (NPCR) of Sweden has led an effort to decrease national rates of inappropriate prostate cancer imaging by disseminating utilization data along with the latest imaging guidelines to urologists in Sweden. We sought to determine the temporal and regional effects of this effort on prostate cancer imaging rates.
We performed a retrospective cohort study among men diagnosed with prostate cancer from the NPCR from 1998 to 2009 (n = 99 879). We analyzed imaging use over time stratified by clinical risk category (low, intermediate, high) and geographic region. Generalized linear models with a logit link were used to test for time trend.
Thirty-six percent of men underwent imaging within 6 months of prostate cancer diagnosis. Overall, imaging use decreased over time, particularly in the low-risk category, among whom the imaging rate decreased from 45% to 3% (P < .001), but also in the high-risk category, among whom the rate decreased from 63% to 47% (P < .001). Despite substantial regional variation, all regions experienced clinically and statistically (P < .001) significant decreases in prostate cancer imaging.
A Swedish effort to provide data on prostate cancer imaging use and imaging guidelines to clinicians was associated with a reduction in inappropriate imaging over a 10-year period, as well as slightly decreased appropriate imaging in high-risk patients. These results may inform current efforts to promote guideline-concordant imaging in the United States and internationally.
Nonlinear propagation and focusing within a metallic ring of intense (near or higher than metal ablation threshold) surface plasmon-polaritons excited by a femtosecond laser pulse was experimentally ...and theoretically studied. Fundamental possibility of local fluence increasing at focus of such plasmonic lens (the ring) by two orders of magnitude was shown. Formation of surface nanostructures as a result of the surface plasmon-polaritons focusing was experimentally observed.
While chemical analysis of contaminant mixtures remains an essential component of environmental monitoring, bioactivity-based assessments using in vitro systems increasingly are used in the detection ...of biological effects. Historically, in vitro assessments focused on a few biological pathways, for example, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) or estrogen receptor (ER) activities. High-throughput screening (HTS) technologies have greatly increased the number of biological targets and processes that can be rapidly assessed. Here we screened extracts of surface waters from a nationwide survey of United States streams for bioactivities associated with 69 different end points using two multiplexed HTS assays. Bioactivity of extracts from 38 streams was evaluated and compared with concentrations of over 700 analytes to identify chemicals contributing to observed effects. Eleven primary biological end points were detected. Pregnane X receptor (PXR) and AhR-mediated activities were the most commonly detected. Measured chemicals did not completely account for AhR and PXR responses. Surface waters with AhR and PXR effects were associated with low intensity, developed land cover. Likewise, elevated bioactivities frequently associated with wastewater discharges included endocrine-related end points ER and glucocorticoid receptor. These results underscore the value of bioassay-based monitoring of environmental mixtures for detecting biological effects that could not be ascertained solely through chemical analyses.
Three experiments investigated the role of target-target perceptual similarity within the attentional blink (AB). Various geometric shapes were presented in a rapid serial visual presentation task. ...Targets could have 2, 1, or 0 shared features. Features included shape and size. The second target was presented after five or six different lags after the first target. The task was to detect both targets on each trial. Second-target report accuracy was increased by target-target similarity. This modulation was observed more for mixed-trial design as compared with blocked design. Results are discussed in terms of increased stability of working memory representations and reduced interference for second-target processing.
This paper shows how generic protection relay models available in planning tools can be augmented with settings that are based on NERC standards or best engineering practice. Selected generic relay ...models in Siemens PSS ® E have been used in dynamic simulations in the proposed approach. Undervoltage, overvoltage, underfrequency, and overfrequency relays have been modeled for each generating unit. Distance-relay protection was modeled for transmission system protection. Two types of load-shedding schemes were modeled: underfrequency (frequency-responsive non-firm load shedding) and underfrequency and undervoltage firm load shedding. Several case studies are given to show the impact of protection devices on dynamic simulations. This is useful for simulating cascading outages.
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