Health communication is critical component of effective health delivery. While there are studies on the readability Patient Information Leaflets (PILs) around the world, so far, there is only one Ghanaian study that e...Health communication is critical component of effective health delivery. While there are studies on the readability Patient Information Leaflets (PILs) around the world, so far, there is only one Ghanaian study that explored the language of patient information leaflets for malaria. The present study explores the language of PILs of seven common ailments in Ghana. In all, 68 leaflets were purposely sampled for the study. Using SMOG and Flesch Kincaid grade level readability formulae, the researcher measured the readability of PILs and discovered that the readability of all the PILs was difficult to read except the dewormer leaflets that scored standard reading score. Further statistical analysis reveal that the lexical and syntactic complexity of the leaflets were not statistically different. Finally, an interview with 20 patients confirmed that the leaflets are difficult to read due to the complex words and long sentence structures. It is recommended that the PILs be revised to make the leaflets readable.展开更多
The mechanisms of systolic anterior motion(SAM)of the mitral valve in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy(HOCM)remain unclear.To investigate the angle of attack between blood flow and mitral valve leaflets at pre-...The mechanisms of systolic anterior motion(SAM)of the mitral valve in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy(HOCM)remain unclear.To investigate the angle of attack between blood flow and mitral valve leaflets at pre-SAM time point,patient-specific CT-based computational models were constructed for 5 patients receiving septal myectomy surgery to obtain pre-and post-operative 2D vector flow mapping.The comparisons between pre-and post-operative angles of attack based on 2D vector flow mapping of 5 patients were performed.It was found that there was no statistically significant difference between pre-and post-operative angles of attack(61.1±t wa o vs.56.2±56.o,p=0.306,n=5).Therefore,we propose that the angle of attack might not play an important role in the initiation of SAM.展开更多
A chemically prepared carbon was synthesized from date palm leaflets via sulphuric acid carbonization at 160℃. Adsorption of ciprofloxacin （CIP） from aqueous solution was investigated in terms of time, pH, concentr...A chemically prepared carbon was synthesized from date palm leaflets via sulphuric acid carbonization at 160℃. Adsorption of ciprofloxacin （CIP） from aqueous solution was investigated in terms of time, pH, concentration, temperature and adsorbent status （wet and dry）. The equilibrium time was found to be 48 hr. The adsorption rate was enhanced by raising the temperature for both adsorbents, with adsorption data fitting a pseudo second-order model well. The activation energy, Ea, was found to be 17 kJ/mol, indicating a diffusion-controlled, physical adsorption process. The maximum adsorption was found at initial pH 6. The wet adsorbent showed faster removal with higher uptake than the dry adsorbent, with increased performance as temperature increased （25--45℃）. The equilibrium data were found to fit the Langmuir model better than the Freundlich model. The thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic. The adsorption mechanism is mainly related to cation exchange and hydrogen bonding.展开更多
This document describes the creation of an informative Web GIS aimed at mitigating the impacts of flooding in the municipality of Ouagadougou, in Burkina Faso, a region that is highly sensitive to climate change. Burk...This document describes the creation of an informative Web GIS aimed at mitigating the impacts of flooding in the municipality of Ouagadougou, in Burkina Faso, a region that is highly sensitive to climate change. Burkina Faso, which is undergoing rapid urbanization, faces major natural threats, particularly flooding, as demonstrated by the severe floods of 2009 that caused loss of life, injury, structural damage and economic losses in Ouagadougou. The aim of this research is to develop a web map highlighting the municipality’s flood-prone areas, with a view to informing and raising awareness of flood risk reduction. Using the Leaflet JavaScript mapping library, the study uses HTML, CSS and JavaScript to implement web mapping technology. Data on Ouagadougou’s flood zones is generated by a multi-criteria analysis combining Saaty’s AHP method and GIS in QGIS, integrating seven (7) parameters including hydrography, altitude, slope, rainfall, soil types, land use and soil moisture index. QGIS processes and maps the themes, PostgreSQL with PostGIS serves as the DBMS and GeoServer functions as the map server. The Web GIS platform allows users to visualize the different flood risks, from very low to very high, or the high-risk areas specific to Ouagadougou. The AHP calculations classify the municipality into five flood vulnerability zones: very low (24.48%), low (27.93%), medium (23.01%), high (17.11%) and very high (7.47%). Effective risk management requires communication and awareness-raising. This online mapping application serves as a tool for communication, management and flood prevention in Ouagadougou, helping to mitigate flood-related natural disasters.展开更多
Mitral valve(MV)tissue engineering is still in its early stage,and one major challenge in MV tissue engineering is to identify appropriate scaffold materials.With the potential of acellular MV scaffolds being demonstr...Mitral valve(MV)tissue engineering is still in its early stage,and one major challenge in MV tissue engineering is to identify appropriate scaffold materials.With the potential of acellular MV scaffolds being demonstrated recently,it is important to have a full understanding of the biomechanics of the native MV components and their acellular scaffolds.In this study,we have successfully characterized the structural and mechanical properties of porcine MV components,including anterior leaflet(AL),posterior leaflet(PL),strut chordae,and basal chordae,before and after decellularization.Quantitative DNA assay showed more than 90%reduction in DNA content,and Griffonia simplicifolia(GS)lectin immunohistochemistry confirmed the complete lack of porcine𝛼-Gal antigen in the acellular MV components.In the acellular AL and PL,the atrialis,spongiosa,and fibrosa trilayered structure,along with its ECM constitutes,i.e.,collagen fibers,elastin fibers,and portion of GAGs,were preserved.Never-theless,the ECM of both AL and PL experienced a certain degree of disruption,exhibiting a less dense,porous ECM morphology.The overall anatomical morphology of the strut and basal chordae were also maintained af-ter decellularization,with longitudinal morphology experiencing minimum disruption,but the cross-sectional morphology exhibiting evenly-distributed porous structure.In the acellular AL and PL,the nonlinear anisotropic biaxial mechanical behavior was overall preserved;however,uniaxial tensile tests showed that the removal of cellular content and the disruption of structural ECM did result in small decreases in maximum tensile modulus,tissue extensibility,failure stress,and failure strain for both MV leaflets and chordae.展开更多
Background Currently used heart valve prostheses are associated with anticoagulation complications or limited durability. The advancement of stem cell study and tissue-engineered heart valve research may offer a relat...Background Currently used heart valve prostheses are associated with anticoagulation complications or limited durability. The advancement of stem cell study and tissue-engineered heart valve research may offer a relatively ideal solution to these problems. Methods Bone marrow was aspirated from sternum of lamb goats to isolate BMCs. Cells were identified by flow cytometry and its capacity of differentiation. Cellular viability was assessed with Rhdomine 123 staining. 1 × 10^7cells were seeded on a patch of PGA sheet. After two-day in vitro culture, autologous cell/ scaffold sheets were used to replace the right posterior pulmonary valve leaflets under cardiopulmonary bypass. The leaflets were explanted at 2 days, 2, 6, 8 and 10 weeks after implantation. The samples were examined macroscopically, histologically, immunohistochemically, and by Scanning Electron Microscope （SEM）. Two goats were implanted with acellular sheets and established as a control group. Results BMCs exhibited fibroblastoid morphology with good viability. Flow cytometry showed negative CD14 and CD45 expression. In vitro cultured BMCs demonstrated the potential to differentiate into adipocytes. The explanted leaflets resembled the characteristics of native extracellular matrix was leaflets macroscopicaIly in the cellular group. Histology showed synthesized and cells were distributed in the single-layered leaflets.Immunohistochemistry revealed positive staining for yon Willebrand factor, α-SMA, vimentin. A confluent cell surface was formed on the explanted TEHLs. No calcium deposited on the leaflets. In control group, the acellular scaffolds were completely degraded, without leaflet remained at 8 weeks. Conclusions It is possible to create tissue-engineered heart valves in vivo using autologous bone marrow-derived cells.展开更多
It has been hypothesized that leaflet substrates with a trilayer structure and anisotropicmechanical properties could be useful for the production of functional and long-lasting tissue-engineered leaflets.To investiga...It has been hypothesized that leaflet substrates with a trilayer structure and anisotropicmechanical properties could be useful for the production of functional and long-lasting tissue-engineered leaflets.To investigate the influence of the anisotropic structural and mechanical characteristics of a substrate on cells,in this study,we electrospun trilayer anisotropic fibrous substrates and randomly oriented isotropic fibrous substrates(used as controls)from polycaprolactone polymers.Consequently,the random substrates had higher radial and lower circumferential tensile properties than the trilayer substrates;however,they had similar flexural properties.Porcine valvular interstitial cells cultured on both substrates produced random and trilayer cell-cultured constructs,respectively.The trilayer cell-cultured constructs had more anisotropic mechanical properties,17%higher cellular proliferation,14%more extracellular matrix(i.e.,collagen and glycosaminoglycan)production,and superior gene and protein expression,suggesting that more cells were in a growth state in the trilayer constructs than in the random constructs.Furthermore,the random and radial layers of the trilayer constructs had more vimentin,collagen,transforming growth factor-beta 1(TGF-ß1),transforming growth factor-beta 3(TGF-ß3)gene expression than in the circumferential layer of the constructs.This study verifies that the differences in structural,tensile,and anisotropic properties of the trilayer and random substrates influence the characteristics of the cells and ECM in the constructs.展开更多
On the sunny days, there were little diurnal changes in both azimuth and directional angle for either sun_ or shade_leaflet. However, there existed a significant diurnal change in midrib angle that reflected movements...On the sunny days, there were little diurnal changes in both azimuth and directional angle for either sun_ or shade_leaflet. However, there existed a significant diurnal change in midrib angle that reflected movements regarding evasion of light stress around noon hours. On the cloudy day, a very little diurnal difference was found in azimuth, directional and midrib angle. It is suggested that changing light environment is the main factor for inducing leaflet movement of Robinia pseudoacacia , and the rhythmical movement does not attribute to the leaflet movement. Leaf orientation control test showed that the photosynthetic rate ( Pn ), stomatal conductance ( g s ) and transpiration ( Tr ) of the artificial fixed_leaflets were significantly lower than that of control_leaflets. And the leaf temperature ( Tl ) of the fixed leaflets significantly exceeded that of control_leaflets, which may attribute to the significant difference of light interception between the fixed and control_leaflets. The light_dependent leaflet movement is the morphological adjustment of maintaining optimal physiological status.展开更多
文摘Health communication is critical component of effective health delivery. While there are studies on the readability Patient Information Leaflets (PILs) around the world, so far, there is only one Ghanaian study that explored the language of patient information leaflets for malaria. The present study explores the language of PILs of seven common ailments in Ghana. In all, 68 leaflets were purposely sampled for the study. Using SMOG and Flesch Kincaid grade level readability formulae, the researcher measured the readability of PILs and discovered that the readability of all the PILs was difficult to read except the dewormer leaflets that scored standard reading score. Further statistical analysis reveal that the lexical and syntactic complexity of the leaflets were not statistically different. Finally, an interview with 20 patients confirmed that the leaflets are difficult to read due to the complex words and long sentence structures. It is recommended that the PILs be revised to make the leaflets readable.
基金The authors would like to acknowledge the research support from Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China(Grant No.2017J01009)Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(Grant No.20720180004)National Heart,Lung and Blood Institute grants R01 HL089269,and National Sciences Foundation of China(Grant No.11672001,81571691).
文摘The mechanisms of systolic anterior motion(SAM)of the mitral valve in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy(HOCM)remain unclear.To investigate the angle of attack between blood flow and mitral valve leaflets at pre-SAM time point,patient-specific CT-based computational models were constructed for 5 patients receiving septal myectomy surgery to obtain pre-and post-operative 2D vector flow mapping.The comparisons between pre-and post-operative angles of attack based on 2D vector flow mapping of 5 patients were performed.It was found that there was no statistically significant difference between pre-and post-operative angles of attack(61.1±t wa o vs.56.2±56.o,p=0.306,n=5).Therefore,we propose that the angle of attack might not play an important role in the initiation of SAM.
文摘A chemically prepared carbon was synthesized from date palm leaflets via sulphuric acid carbonization at 160℃. Adsorption of ciprofloxacin （CIP） from aqueous solution was investigated in terms of time, pH, concentration, temperature and adsorbent status （wet and dry）. The equilibrium time was found to be 48 hr. The adsorption rate was enhanced by raising the temperature for both adsorbents, with adsorption data fitting a pseudo second-order model well. The activation energy, Ea, was found to be 17 kJ/mol, indicating a diffusion-controlled, physical adsorption process. The maximum adsorption was found at initial pH 6. The wet adsorbent showed faster removal with higher uptake than the dry adsorbent, with increased performance as temperature increased （25--45℃）. The equilibrium data were found to fit the Langmuir model better than the Freundlich model. The thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic. The adsorption mechanism is mainly related to cation exchange and hydrogen bonding.
文摘This document describes the creation of an informative Web GIS aimed at mitigating the impacts of flooding in the municipality of Ouagadougou, in Burkina Faso, a region that is highly sensitive to climate change. Burkina Faso, which is undergoing rapid urbanization, faces major natural threats, particularly flooding, as demonstrated by the severe floods of 2009 that caused loss of life, injury, structural damage and economic losses in Ouagadougou. The aim of this research is to develop a web map highlighting the municipality’s flood-prone areas, with a view to informing and raising awareness of flood risk reduction. Using the Leaflet JavaScript mapping library, the study uses HTML, CSS and JavaScript to implement web mapping technology. Data on Ouagadougou’s flood zones is generated by a multi-criteria analysis combining Saaty’s AHP method and GIS in QGIS, integrating seven (7) parameters including hydrography, altitude, slope, rainfall, soil types, land use and soil moisture index. QGIS processes and maps the themes, PostgreSQL with PostGIS serves as the DBMS and GeoServer functions as the map server. The Web GIS platform allows users to visualize the different flood risks, from very low to very high, or the high-risk areas specific to Ouagadougou. The AHP calculations classify the municipality into five flood vulnerability zones: very low (24.48%), low (27.93%), medium (23.01%), high (17.11%) and very high (7.47%). Effective risk management requires communication and awareness-raising. This online mapping application serves as a tool for communication, management and flood prevention in Ouagadougou, helping to mitigate flood-related natural disasters.
基金supported in part by NIH R15HL159599,R15HL140503,and AHA GRNT17150041,GRNT959644.
文摘Mitral valve(MV)tissue engineering is still in its early stage,and one major challenge in MV tissue engineering is to identify appropriate scaffold materials.With the potential of acellular MV scaffolds being demonstrated recently,it is important to have a full understanding of the biomechanics of the native MV components and their acellular scaffolds.In this study,we have successfully characterized the structural and mechanical properties of porcine MV components,including anterior leaflet(AL),posterior leaflet(PL),strut chordae,and basal chordae,before and after decellularization.Quantitative DNA assay showed more than 90%reduction in DNA content,and Griffonia simplicifolia(GS)lectin immunohistochemistry confirmed the complete lack of porcine𝛼-Gal antigen in the acellular MV components.In the acellular AL and PL,the atrialis,spongiosa,and fibrosa trilayered structure,along with its ECM constitutes,i.e.,collagen fibers,elastin fibers,and portion of GAGs,were preserved.Never-theless,the ECM of both AL and PL experienced a certain degree of disruption,exhibiting a less dense,porous ECM morphology.The overall anatomical morphology of the strut and basal chordae were also maintained af-ter decellularization,with longitudinal morphology experiencing minimum disruption,but the cross-sectional morphology exhibiting evenly-distributed porous structure.In the acellular AL and PL,the nonlinear anisotropic biaxial mechanical behavior was overall preserved;however,uniaxial tensile tests showed that the removal of cellular content and the disruption of structural ECM did result in small decreases in maximum tensile modulus,tissue extensibility,failure stress,and failure strain for both MV leaflets and chordae.
基金supported by the grant from Guangdong Nature Science Foundation(7001117)
文摘Background Currently used heart valve prostheses are associated with anticoagulation complications or limited durability. The advancement of stem cell study and tissue-engineered heart valve research may offer a relatively ideal solution to these problems. Methods Bone marrow was aspirated from sternum of lamb goats to isolate BMCs. Cells were identified by flow cytometry and its capacity of differentiation. Cellular viability was assessed with Rhdomine 123 staining. 1 × 10^7cells were seeded on a patch of PGA sheet. After two-day in vitro culture, autologous cell/ scaffold sheets were used to replace the right posterior pulmonary valve leaflets under cardiopulmonary bypass. The leaflets were explanted at 2 days, 2, 6, 8 and 10 weeks after implantation. The samples were examined macroscopically, histologically, immunohistochemically, and by Scanning Electron Microscope （SEM）. Two goats were implanted with acellular sheets and established as a control group. Results BMCs exhibited fibroblastoid morphology with good viability. Flow cytometry showed negative CD14 and CD45 expression. In vitro cultured BMCs demonstrated the potential to differentiate into adipocytes. The explanted leaflets resembled the characteristics of native extracellular matrix was leaflets macroscopicaIly in the cellular group. Histology showed synthesized and cells were distributed in the single-layered leaflets.Immunohistochemistry revealed positive staining for yon Willebrand factor, α-SMA, vimentin. A confluent cell surface was formed on the explanted TEHLs. No calcium deposited on the leaflets. In control group, the acellular scaffolds were completely degraded, without leaflet remained at 8 weeks. Conclusions It is possible to create tissue-engineered heart valves in vivo using autologous bone marrow-derived cells.
基金supported by the National Institute of Health(No.NIH R00HL134823).
文摘It has been hypothesized that leaflet substrates with a trilayer structure and anisotropicmechanical properties could be useful for the production of functional and long-lasting tissue-engineered leaflets.To investigate the influence of the anisotropic structural and mechanical characteristics of a substrate on cells,in this study,we electrospun trilayer anisotropic fibrous substrates and randomly oriented isotropic fibrous substrates(used as controls)from polycaprolactone polymers.Consequently,the random substrates had higher radial and lower circumferential tensile properties than the trilayer substrates;however,they had similar flexural properties.Porcine valvular interstitial cells cultured on both substrates produced random and trilayer cell-cultured constructs,respectively.The trilayer cell-cultured constructs had more anisotropic mechanical properties,17%higher cellular proliferation,14%more extracellular matrix(i.e.,collagen and glycosaminoglycan)production,and superior gene and protein expression,suggesting that more cells were in a growth state in the trilayer constructs than in the random constructs.Furthermore,the random and radial layers of the trilayer constructs had more vimentin,collagen,transforming growth factor-beta 1(TGF-ß1),transforming growth factor-beta 3(TGF-ß3)gene expression than in the circumferential layer of the constructs.This study verifies that the differences in structural,tensile,and anisotropic properties of the trilayer and random substrates influence the characteristics of the cells and ECM in the constructs.
文摘On the sunny days, there were little diurnal changes in both azimuth and directional angle for either sun_ or shade_leaflet. However, there existed a significant diurnal change in midrib angle that reflected movements regarding evasion of light stress around noon hours. On the cloudy day, a very little diurnal difference was found in azimuth, directional and midrib angle. It is suggested that changing light environment is the main factor for inducing leaflet movement of Robinia pseudoacacia , and the rhythmical movement does not attribute to the leaflet movement. Leaf orientation control test showed that the photosynthetic rate ( Pn ), stomatal conductance ( g s ) and transpiration ( Tr ) of the artificial fixed_leaflets were significantly lower than that of control_leaflets. And the leaf temperature ( Tl ) of the fixed leaflets significantly exceeded that of control_leaflets, which may attribute to the significant difference of light interception between the fixed and control_leaflets. The light_dependent leaflet movement is the morphological adjustment of maintaining optimal physiological status.
