Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been reported to improve
survival of cardiomyocytes (CMCs) and overall regeneration of
cardiac tissue. Despite promising preclinical results, interactions
of MSCs and CMCs, both direct and indirect, remain unclear. In
this study, porcine bone marrow MSCs and freshly isolated
porcine primary adult CMCs were used for non-contact co-culture
experiments. Morphology, viability and functional parameters of
CMCs were measured over time and compared between CMCs
cultured alone and CMCs co-cultured with MSCs. In non-contact
co-culture, MSCs improved survival of CMCs. CMCs co-cultured
with MSCs maintained CMCs morphology and viability in
significantly higher percentage than CMCs cultured alone. In
viable CMCs, mitochondrial respiration was preserved in both
CMCs cultured alone and in CMCs co-cultured with MSCs.
Comparison of cellular contractility and calcium handling,
measured in single CMCs, revealed no significant differences
between viable CMCs from co-culture and CMCs cultured alone.
In conclusion, non-contact co-culture of porcine MSCs and CMCs
improved survival of CMCs with a sufficient preservation of
functional and mitochondrial parameters.
Red wine polyphenols have been reported to exert beneficial effects in preventing cardiovascular diseases but their molecular mechanisms of hemodynamic effects on functional cardiovascular and renal changes were studied much less. The review is focused on in vitro as well as in
vivo effects of red wine extract containing polyphenolic compounds
(Provinols™) on cardiovascular systems and kidney in relation to the molecular and biochemical mechanisms of these compounds. This review provides the evidence that Provinols™ is able to produce ex vivo
endothelium-dependent relaxation as a result of enhanced NO synthesis. Administration of Provinols™ partially prevents the development of hypertension during NO deficiency and accelerates the decrease of blood pressure in already established hypertension. The effects of Provinols™ include prevention and/or attenuation of myocardial fibrosis, reduction of aortic wall thickening and improvement of vascular functions. These functional and structural alterations are associated with significant augmentation of NO production, seen as the increase of NO synthase activity and eNOS protein expression. Moreover, it has been documented that Provinols™ decreased the oxidative stress within the cardiovascular system and kidney.
In the Pyrenees, brown bear population abundance is estimated from non-invasive genetic analyses of scat and hair samples. Although such analyses are highly beneficial for population monitoring and research, it can be especially difficult for humans to locate bear scats in the field. To address this, we have incorporated a dog (trained from an early age to detect bear scats) into these efforts since 2014. Here, we compared the effectiveness of the scat-detection dog/handler and human-only teams to locate bear scats using our work in the Pyrenees as a case study. A species validation was systematically carried out, either genetically or visually using a microscope, based on the presence of bear hair, for all scats collected from 2010 to 2019. From 2014 to 2019, the use of the dog/handler team in addition to human-only teams increased the average number of bear scats collected annually by four times in comparison with the 2010-2013 period when only humans were searching for scats. This temporal augmentation could not be explained by the increase in bear population size. From 2014 to 2019, the annual percentage of outings during which at least one bear scat was found was 17 times higher for the dog than for humans. The use of the dog also resulted indirectly in a better genotyping success and genetic identification of more individuals due to a larger choice of viable samples that could be sent to the molecular laboratory, as well as a larger number of cub scats detected by the dog. We found that even the use of a single scat-detection dog can greatly improve the efficiency of detecting target scats in challenging monitoring conditions.
Cíl: Přezkoumání benefitů metody klokánkování pro nedonošené novorozence, to znamená najít dostatek důkazů pro opodstatnění používání metody klokánkování na Jednotce intenzivní péče pro novorozence. Metodika: Vyhledávání validních indikátorů pozitivního vlivu metody klokánkování prostřednictvím metody praxe založené na důkazech. Pro získání relevantních zdrojů byly využity licencované databáze a volně přístupné databáze - Medline, Bibliomedica, Nursing: Best Evidence for Nursing care, Google Scholar. Výsledky: Analýza výsledků prokázala jednoznačně pozitivní vliv metody klokánkování na nedonošené novorozence umístěné na Jednotce intenzivní péče, a to zejména v oblasti vnímání bolesti u invazivních výkonů, efektivního kojení, zvýšení váhového přírůstku, delšího a klidnějšího spánku, pozitivnější interakce matka – dítě, udržení nebo zvýšení tělesné teploty, zkrácení doby hospitalizace, růstu do délky, růstu obvodu hlavičky a aktivace centrální nervové soustavy. Závěry: Výzkumné studie (n = 34) a jeden systematický přehled ukazují pozitivní vliv metody klokánkování na nedonošeného novorozence umístěného na Jednotce intenzivní péče v oblastech biopsychosociálních. V podmínkách českého zdravotnictví chybí vypracované platné standardy pro využívání metody v praxi., Objective: To review benefits of kangaroo care method for premature babies, it means finding enough evidence to justify using the kangaroo care method in the Intensive care unit for newborns. Methods: Searching for valid indicators of a positive influence method of kangaroo care through method evidence-based practice. To obtain relevant sources were used licensed databases and freely available databases - Medline, Bibliomedica, Nursing: Best Evidence for Nursing care, Google Scholar. Results: Analysis of results showed a clearly positive impact of the kangaroo care methods on premature infants placed in intensive care, especially in the perception of pain in invasive procedures, effective breastfeeding, increased weight gain, longer and quieter sleep, more positive interactions of mother - child, maintaining or increasing body temperature, reduced hospitalization, growth in length, head circumference growth and activation of the CNS. Conclusions: The research studies (n = 34) and one systematic review have shown a positive influence of the kangaroo care methods on premature newborns placed in intensive care in the areas of bio-psycho-social. In terms of the Czech healthcare system lacks established standards for the use of valid methods in practice., Lucie Sikorová, Monika Suszková, and Literatura