A stretchable human lung-on-chip model of alveolar inflammation for evaluating anti-inflammatory drug response.

This study describes a complex human in vitro model for evaluating anti-inflammatory drug response in the alveoli that may contribute to the reduction of animal testing in the pre-clinical stage of drug development. The model is based on the human alveolar epithelial cell line Arlo co-cultured with macrophages differentiated from the THP-1 cell line, creating a physiological biological microenvironment. To mimic the three-dimensional architecture and dynamic expansion and relaxation of the air-blood-barrier, they are grown on a stretchable microphysiological lung-on-chip.

A New Coding System for the Identification of Left Ventricular Rotation Patterns and Their Relevance to Myocardial Function.

Rotational mechanics is a fundamental determinant of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The coding system currently employed in clinical practice does not distinguish between rotational patterns. We propose an alternative coding system that makes possible to identify the rotational pattern of the LV and relate it to myocardial function.

Recombinant human soluble domain of CD39L3 and ticagrelor: cardioprotective effects in experimental myocardial infarction.

Background And Aims: The ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases of the CD39 family degrade ATP and ADP into AMP, which is converted into adenosine by the extracellular CD73/ecto-5-nucleotidase. This pathway has been explored in antithrombotic treatments but little in myocardial protection. We have investigated whether the administration of solCD39L3 (AZD3366) confers additional cardioprotection to that of ticagrelor alone in a pre-clinical model of myocardial infarction (MI).

3D bioprinting ofMG1655 biofilms on human lung epithelial cells for building complexinfection models.

Biofilm-associated infections are causing over half a million deaths each year, raising the requirement for innovative therapeutic approaches. For developing novel therapeutics against bacterial biofilm infections, complexmodels that allow to study drug effects on both pathogens and host cells as well as their interaction under controlled, physiologically relevant conditions appear as highly desirable. Nonetheless, building such models is quite challenging because (1) rapid bacterial growth and release of virulence factors may lead to premature host cell death and (2) maintaining the biofilm status under suitable co-culture requires a highly controlled environment.

Models using native tracheobronchial mucus in the context of pulmonary drug delivery research: Composition, structure and barrier properties.

Mucus covers all wet epithelia and acts as a protective barrier. In the airways of the lungs, the viscoelastic mucus meshwork entraps and clears inhaled materials and efficiently removes them by mucociliary escalation. In addition to physical and chemical interaction mechanisms, the role of macromolecular glycoproteins (mucins) and antimicrobial constituents in innate immune defense are receiving increasing attention.

Does hotel management matter to overcoming the COVID-19 crisis? The Spanish case.

This paper analyses the influence that the initial actions and strategies pursued by hotel managers have on the recovery of occupancy after a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. To do this, a specific survey is carried out on managers of Spanish hotels. The main findings show that labour actions, especially plans for temporary employment regulations, innovation and differentiation strategies, reorientation to closer markets and obtaining information from official sources as a guarantee of their certainty, are the measures that have a greater impact on the possibilities of recovering hotel activity.

Systematic Analysis of Composition, Interfacial Performance and Effects of Pulmonary Surfactant Preparations on Cellular Uptake and Cytotoxicity of Aerosolized Nanomaterials.

The interplay of particles with pulmonary surfactant, a lipid-protein material pivotal for lung function, is hypothesized as a key factor that has not been routinely considered in the current in vitro models when determining the fate of inhaled nanomaterials. To explain its influence on cellular uptake and protective effects, nanoparticles are studied on two models of alveolar cells, in the absence or presence of pulmonary surfactant. Composition and interfacial performance of native human and porcine surfactants, a commercially available bovine surfactant (Alveofact), and an artificial lung lining fluid are characterized using shotgun lipidomics and biophysical approaches (i.

Pulmonary Surfactant and Drug Delivery: An Interface-Assisted Carrier to Deliver Surfactant Protein SP-D Into the Airways.

This work is focused on the potential use of pulmonary surfactant to deliver full-length recombinant human surfactant protein SP-D (rhSP-D) using the respiratory air-liquid interface as a shuttle. Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is a collectin protein present in the pulmonary surfactant (PS) system, involved in innate immune defense and surfactant homeostasis. It has been recently suggested as a potential therapeutic to alleviate inflammatory responses and lung diseases in preterm infants suffering from respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

Cardiac MRI in Patients with Acute Chest Pain.

Acute chest pain is a common reason for visits to the emergency department. It is important to distinguish among the various causes of acute chest pain, because treatment and prognosis are substantially different among the various conditions. It is critical to exclude acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which is a major cause of hospitalization, death, and health care costs worldwide.

Pulmonary surfactant and drug delivery: Vehiculization, release and targeting of surfactant/tacrolimus formulations.

This work explores the potential for strategizing pulmonary surfactant (PS) for drug delivery over the respiratory air-liquid interface: the interfacial delivery. The efficacy of PS- and interface-assisted drug vehiculization was determined both in vitro and in vivo using a native purified porcine PS combined with the hydrophobic anti-inflammatory drug Tacrolimus (TAC), a calcineurin inhibitor. In vitro assays were conducted in a novel double surface balance setup designed to emulate compression-expansion dynamics applied to interfacially connected drug donor and recipient compartments.

Low Rate of Invasive Fungal Infections During Induction and Consolidation Chemotherapy for Adults with De Novo Acute Myeloid Leukemia Without Anti-mold Prophylaxis: Single-Center 2002-2018 Empirical/Pre-emptive Approach.

Broad-spectrum antifungal prophylaxis is currently considered the standard of care for adults with de novo AML for the prevention of invasive fungal infections (IFIs), especially invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). Because fluconazole has been used in our center as anti-yeast prophylaxis, we sought to analyze in detail the incidence of IFIs over a 17-year period, as well as their impact on outcome. A standardized protocol of patient management, including serum galactomannan screening and thoracic CT-guided diagnostic-driven antifungal therapy, was used in all patients.

The Lord of the Lungs: The essential role of pulmonary surfactant upon inhalation of nanoparticles.

The rapid development of nanotechnology is opening a huge world of promising possibilities in healthcare, but this is also increasing the necessity to study the potential risk of nanoparticles on public health and the environment. Since the main route for airborne particles to enter into our organism is through the lungs, it has become essential to prove that the nanoparticles generated by human activities do not compromise the respiratory function. This review explains the key role of pulmonary surfactant to sustain the normal function of breathing, as well as the stability and immunity of lungs.

Case 270: Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection Associated with Fibromuscular Dysplasia.

HistoryA 54-year-old woman presented with typical chest pain during physical training at the gym. She had a history of hypertension controlled with hydrochlorothiazide, without any other cardiovascular risk factor and with neither personal nor family history of ischemic heart disease. She was postmenopausal and had a long-standing history of migraine headaches without hormonal or drug therapy.

Efficient Activity Recognition in Smart Homes Using Delayed Fuzzy Temporal Windows on Binary Sensors.

Human activity recognition has become an active research field over the past few years due to its wide application in various fields such as health-care, smart home monitoring, and surveillance. Existing approaches for activity recognition in smart homes have achieved promising results. Most of these approaches evaluate real-time recognition of activities using only sensor activations that precede the evaluation time (where the decision is made).

Case 270.

History A 54-year-old woman presented with typical chest pain during physical training at the gym. She had a history of hypertension controlled with hydrochlorothiazide, without any other cardiovascular risk factor and with neither personal nor family history of ischemic heart disease. She was postmenopausal and had a long-standing history of migraine headaches without hormonal or drug therapy.

Interfacial Activity of Phasin PhaF from Pseudomonas putida KT2440 at Hydrophobic-Hydrophilic Biointerfaces.

Phasins, the major proteins coating polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) granules, have been proposed as suitable biosurfactants for multiple applications because of their amphiphilic nature. In this work, we analyzed the interfacial activity of the amphiphilic α-helical phasin PhaF from Pseudomonas putida KT2440 at different hydrophobic-hydrophilic interfacial environments. The binding of PhaF to surfaces containing PHA or phospholipids, postulated as structural components of PHA granules, was confirmed in vitro using supported lipid bilayers and confocal microscopy, with polyhydroxyoctanoate- co-hexanoate P(HO- co-HHx) and Escherichia coli lipid extract as model systems.

Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration for Assessing Suspected Deep Pelvic or Abdominal Recurrence in Gynecologic Cancer: A Feasibility Study.

Objectives: To assess the feasibility of gastrointestinal endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) for histologic confirmation of cancer recurrence in women with gynecologic cancer.

Methods: This work was a retrospective cohort study comprising 46 consecutive women treated for gynecologic cancer and suspected of having a deep pelvic or abdominal recurrence on ultrasound imaging, computed tomography, positron emission tomography-computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging, evaluated at our institution from January 2010 to December 2017. Primary cancer was ovarian (n = 22), cervical (n = 13), endometrial (n = 4), sarcoma (n = 4), and other (n = 3).

P2Y12 antagonists and cardiac repair post-myocardial infarction: global and regional heart function analysis and molecular assessments in pigs.

Aims: P2Y12 antagonists are the standard in antiplatelet therapy but their potential effects on functional myocardial recovery and cardioprotection post-myocardial infarction (MI) are unknown. We investigated in a preclinical model of MI whether ticagrelor and clopidogrel differently affect cardiac repair post-MI.

Methods And Results: Pigs either received: (i) clopidogrel (600 mg; 75 mg/qd); (ii) ticagrelor (180 mg; 90 mg/bid); and (iii) placebo control.

Violence Experiences in Childhood and Adolescence Among Gay Men and Transgender Women Living in Perú: A Qualitative Exploration.

The overall goal of this study was to qualitatively explore the different types of violence experienced by gay men (GM) and transgender women (TW) living in Peru during childhood and adolescence, as well as their potential consequences and sources of protection. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Recruitment took place in a community-based organization in Lima, Peru.

Efficient Interfacially Driven Vehiculization of Corticosteroids by Pulmonary Surfactant.

Pulmonary surfactant is a crucial system to stabilize the respiratory air-liquid interface. Furthermore, pulmonary surfactant has been proposed as an effective method for targeting drugs to the lungs. However, few studies have examined in detail the mechanisms of incorporation of drugs into surfactant, the impact of the presence of drugs on pulmonary surfactant performance at the interface under physiologically meaningful conditions, or the ability of pulmonary surfactant to use the air-liquid interface to vehiculise drugs to long distances.

Pulmonary surfactant and nanocarriers: Toxicity versus combined nanomedical applications.

Pulmonary surfactant is a membrane-based lipid-protein system essential for the process of breathing, which coats and stabilizes the whole respiratory surface and possesses exceptional biophysical properties. It constitutes the first barrier against the entry of pathogens and harmful particles in the alveolar region, extended through the lungs, but on the other hand, it can offer novel possibilities as a shuttle for the delivery of drugs and nanocarriers. The advances in nanotechnology are opening the doors to new diagnostic and therapeutic avenues, which are not accessible by means of the current approaches.