In vitro evaluation of human endometrial stem cell-derived osteoblast-like cells’ behavior on gelatin/collagen/bioglass nanofibers’ scaffolds

New biomimetic nanocomposite scaffold was prepared by the combination of nanofibrilar bioglass containing copper ion as the inorganic phase and gelatin/collagen as the organic phase of bone tissue. In this study for fabrication of the scaffold, freeze drying and electrospinning methods were used, and genipin was used as the cross-linking agent for increasing the mechanical properties of the scaffold. The growth and viability of human endometrial stem cell-derived osteoblast-like cells were investigated on this biomimetic scaffold. Cellular biocompatibility assays illustrated that this scaffold has more viabilities and osteoblast growths in comparison with two-dimensional culture. Copper ion increased growth of the osteoblasts on nanocomposite scaffold containing nanofibrous bioglass. Thus, the results obtained from this study indicate that the prepared scaffold is suitable for osteoblast growth and attachment; thus, potentially, this nanocomposite scaffold is an appropriate scaffold for bone tissue engineering. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 2210–2219, 2016

Cross-sectional and prospective associations of neighbourhood environmental attributes with screen time in Japanese middle-aged and older adults

Objectives This study examined cross-sectional and 2-year prospective associations of perceived and objectively measured environmental attributes with screen time among middle-aged Japanese adults.Design Prospective cohort study.Setting Nerima and Kanuma cities of Japan.Participants Data were collected from adults aged 40–69 years living in two cities of Japan in 2011 (baseline: n=1011; 55.3±8.4 years) and again in 2013 (follow-up: n=533; 52.7% of baseline sample).Measures The exposure variables were five geographic information system-based and perceived attributes of neighbourhood environments (residential density, access to shops and public transport, footpaths, street connectivity), respectively. The outcome variables were baseline screen time (television viewing time and leisure-time internet use) and its change over 2 years. Multilevel generalised linear modelling was used.Results On average, participants’ screen time was not statistically different over 2 years (2.3 hours/day at baseline and 2.2 hours/day at follow-up; P=0.24). There were cross-sectional associations of objective (exp(β): 1.11; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.22) and perceived (1.12; 1.02 to 1.23) good access to public transport, perceived good access to shop (1.18; 1.04 to 1.36) and perceived good street connectivity (1.11; 1.01 to 1.23) with higher time spent in screen time at baseline. No objective and perceived environmental attributes were significantly associated with change in screen time.Conclusions Activity-supportive neighbourhood environmental attributes appear to be related to higher levels of screen time cross-sectionally. Pattern of screen time might be maintained rather than changed over time under the same neighbourhood environments. Environmental interventions that promote physical activity may need to consider the potential negative health impact of screen time in Japan

Associations of neighbourhood walkability indices with weight gain

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Physical Activity Environment and Japanese Adults’ Body Mass Index

Evidence about the impacts of the physical activity environment on adults’ weight in the context of Asian countries is scarce. Likewise, no study exists in Asia examining whether Walk Score®—a free online walkability tool—is related to obesity. This study aimed to examine associations between multiple physical activity environment measures and Walk Score® ratings with Japanese adults’ body mass index (BMI). Data from 1073 adults in the Healthy Built Environment in Japan study were used. In 2011, participants reported their height and weight. Environmental attributes, including population density, intersection density, density of physical activity facilities, access to public transportation, and availability of sidewalks, were calculated using Geographic Information Systems. Walk Scores® ratings were obtained from the website. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the association between each environmental attribute and BMI. Adjusting for covariates, all physical activity environmental attributes were negatively associated with BMI. Similarly, an increase of one standard deviation of Walk Score® was associated with a 0.29 (95% confidence interval (CI) of −0.49–−0.09) decrease in BMI. An activity-friendly built environment was associated with lower adults’ BMI in Japan. Investing in healthy community design may positively impact weight status in non-Western contexts

Lentiviral Mediated Overexpression of NGF in Adipose-derived Stem Cells

Introduction: Human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are multipotent stem cells that can self-renew and differentiate into various types of cells such as adipocytes, osteocytes, and neural cells. These stem cells can be isolated by minimally invasive technique in large amounts. ADSCs are a useful resource for cell therapy and regenerative medicine. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is the first neurotrophin factor discovered and characterized for its anti-apoptotic role in neural development. NGF can promote neuronal survival and neurite outgrowth and it also promotes neuron differentiation and migration. Moreover, research showed that NGF could protect axons from inflammatory damage, improve cognitive function in damaged brain models, and function in the prevention and treatment of neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. In this study we use Lentiviral vector-mediated gene transfer technique to deliver NGF gene to ADSCs and overexpress this factor in ADSCs. Method and Materials: ADSCs extracted from human adipose tissue after lipoaspiration by digestion method. ADSCs characterized with Flowcytometry and differentiation assay in adipogenic and osteogenic differential media. The NGF gene was cloned in pCDH-513B-1 (System Bioscience, Mountain View, CA, United States) under a cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter. Recombinant lentiviruses were produced according to the Prof. Trono lab protocol with some modifications in HEK 293T cells. The spinfection method was used to transduce ADSCs. NGF expression was assayed using fluorescent microscope to trace green fluorescent protein (GFP) marker, RT-PCR and western blotting. Results: Extracted ADSCs had mesenchymal morphology and differentiated into adipocytes and osteocytes in differentiating media. HEK293T easily transfected with pCDH-513B-1 and over 99% of them expressed GFP so we gathered pseudoviruses from the supernatant. ADSCs transduced with these pseudoviruses transferred NGF and after transduction expressed GFP, as seen under fluorescent microscope. RT-PCR and western blotting verified NGF overexpression in them

Associations of sedentary behavior and physical activity with older adults’ physical function: an isotemporal substitution approach

BackgroundsThe purpose of this study was to examine, in a sample of Japanese older adults, the associations of objectively-assessed sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) with performance-based physical function. The isotemporal substitution (IS) approach was used to model simultaneously the effects of the specific activity being performed and the activity being displaced, in an equal time-exchange manner.MethodsAmong 287 older adults (65–84 years), we used accelerometers to identify the daily average time spent on SB (≤1.5 METs); light-intensity PA (LIPA) (>1.5 to <3.0 METs); and moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) (≥3.0 METs). Physical function was assessed using five performance-based measures: hand grip strength, usual and maximum gait speeds, timed up and go, and one-legged stance with eyes open. We employed three linear regression models – a single-activity model, a partition model, and an IS model – to assess the associations of SB, LIPA, and MVPA with each of the five measures of physical function.ResultsThere were significant positive associations in the single-activity and partition models between MVPA and the measures of physical function (with the exception of hand grip strength). The IS models found that replacing SB or LIPA with MVPA was significantly and favorably associated with physical function measures.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that replacing small amounts of SB and LIPA with MVPA (such as 10 min) may contribute to improvements in older adults’ physical function

The challenges of communicating research evidence in practice: perspectives from UK health visitors and practice nurses

&lt;p&gt;Background: Health practitioners play a pivotal role in providing patients with up-to-date evidence and health information. Evidence-based practice and patient-centred care are transforming the delivery of healthcare in the UK. Health practitioners are increasingly balancing the need to provide evidence-based information against that of facilitating patient choice, which may not always concur with the evidence base. There is limited research exploring how health practitioners working in the UK, and particularly those more autonomous practitioners such as health visitors and practice nurses working in community practice settings, negotiate this challenge. This research provides a descriptive account of how health visitors and practice nurses negotiate the challenges of communicating health information and research evidence in practice.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Methods: A total of eighteen in-depth telephone interviews were conducted in the UK between September 2008 and May 2009. The participants comprised nine health visitors and nine practice nurses, recruited via adverts on a nursing website, posters at a practitioner conference and through recommendation. Thematic analysis, with a focus on constant comparative method, was used to analyse the data.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Results: The data were grouped into three main themes: communicating evidence to the critically-minded patient; confidence in communicating evidence; and maintaining the integrity of the patient-practitioner relationship. These findings highlight some of the daily challenges that health visitors and practice nurses face with regard to the complex and dynamic nature of evidence and the changing attitudes and expectations of patients. The findings also highlight the tensions that exist between differing philosophies of evidence-based practice and patient-centred care, which can make communicating about evidence a daunting task.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Conclusions: If health practitioners are to be effective at communicating research evidence, we suggest that more research and resources need to be focused on contextual factors, such as how research evidence is negotiated, appraised and communicated within the dynamic patient-practitioner relationship.&lt;/p&gt

Mechanisms controlling anaemia in Trypanosoma congolense infected mice.

Trypanosoma congolense are extracellular protozoan parasites of the blood stream of artiodactyls and are one of the main constraints on cattle production in Africa. In cattle, anaemia is the key feature of disease and persists after parasitaemia has declined to low or undetectable levels, but treatment to clear the parasites usually resolves the anaemia. The progress of anaemia after Trypanosoma congolense infection was followed in three mouse strains. Anaemia developed rapidly in all three strains until the peak of the first wave of parasitaemia. This was followed by a second phase, characterized by slower progress to severe anaemia in C57BL/6, by slow recovery in surviving A/J and a rapid recovery in BALB/c. There was no association between parasitaemia and severity of anaemia. Furthermore, functional T lymphocytes are not required for the induction of anaemia, since suppression of T cell activity with Cyclosporin A had neither an effect on the course of infection nor on anaemia. Expression of genes involved in erythropoiesis and iron metabolism was followed in spleen, liver and kidney tissues in the three strains of mice using microarrays. There was no evidence for a response to erythropoietin, consistent with anaemia of chronic disease, which is erythropoietin insensitive. However, the expression of transcription factors and genes involved in erythropoiesis and haemolysis did correlate with the expression of the inflammatory cytokines Il6 and Ifng. The innate immune response appears to be the major contributor to the inflammation associated with anaemia since suppression of T cells with CsA had no observable effect. Several transcription factors regulating haematopoiesis, Tal1, Gata1, Zfpm1 and Klf1 were expressed at consistently lower levels in C57BL/6 mice suggesting that these mice have a lower haematopoietic capacity and therefore less ability to recover from haemolysis induced anaemia after infection

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Project Implementation in Education Sector: Indonesian Case

Indonesia and China continue to develop their cooperation, especially through the BRI project. This project aims to strengthen people-to-people bonds and is considered a soft power diplomacy strategy. It includes cultural and educational exchange programs that are popular among students worldwide, including those from Indonesia. Through literature studies, it has been found that many Indonesian students and Santri view this cooperation positively, and it has changed their negative perception of China. One of Indonesia’s largest Islamic organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), closely cooperates with China in the education sector. However, they do not link this cooperation with the issue of discrimination against the Uyghur people in China. On the other hand, many Kiai from NU have different perspectives on the BRI project, particularly concerning China’s ideology and Indonesia’s history of communism. This paper aims to comprehensively explain the implementation of the BRI project in the education sector and the views of Indonesian students, Santri, and Kiai as representatives of Indonesia’s educational image worldwide

MEDIA AL TERNATIF PENGEMBANG-BIAKAN BAKTERI SELULOLITIK (Actinobacillus sp.) UNTUK PRODUKSI ENZIM PENDEGRADASI SERAT SECARA MASSAL

Call Number: KKC KK LP 16/12 Ala m Limbah pertanian mempunyai potensi yang besar sebagai pakan temak ruminansia karena produksinya yang tinggi, namun perIu diolah terlebih dahulu karena mempunyai kandungan protein yang rendah serta kandungan serat kasar yang tinggi. Pengolahan secara biologis menggunakan mikroba atau enzim merupakan cara pengolahan yang aman, namun untuk memproduksi enzim membutuhkan biaya yang relatif mahal. Penelitian ini dimaksudkan untuk mendapatkan komposisi media altematif yang sesuai untuk pertumbuhan bakteri selulolitik (Actinobacillus sp.), mendapatkan produksi enzim selulase dengan aktivitas yang tinggi atau sebanding dengan media kontrol serta mengetahui karakter enzim selulase yang dihasilkan. Dibuat sebuah media pertumbuhan bakteri selulolitik yang terdiri dari bahanbahan kimia pro-analisa (M-O); serta tiga macam media altematif yang menggunakan jerami padi sebagai sumber karbon serta bahan-bahan kimia teknis. Sumber protein menggunakan urea (M-1), susu bubuk (M-2) serta hati ayam (M-3). Sebanyak 1% bakteri selulolitik (Actinobacillus sp.) ditanam pada masing-masing media kemudian diinkubasi pada suhu 40°C selama 33 jam dengan kecepatan 140 rpm. Dilakukan pengukuran kurva pertumbuhan dan produksi enzim selulase setiap interval waktu 3 jam, serta pengukuran aktivitas enzim dan karakterisasi enzim. HasH penelitian menunjukkan bahwabakteri yang ditanam pada media altematif membutuhkan waktu adaptasi lebih lama sebelum memasuki fase log (pertumbuhan); namun media altematif menggunakan bati ayam (M3) dan susu bubuk (M2) mempunyai puncak: pertumbuhan yang bampir sarna dengan kontrol. Produksi dan aktivitas· enzim selulase paling tinggi didapatkan dari media altematif menggunakan susu bubuk pada jam ke-24. Suhu dan pH optimum enzim selulase pada 50°C dan 8