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
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
Background:Mitral valve perforation refers to the occurrence of cracks or openings in the structure of the mitral valve,allowing blood to escape through these gaps.Typically,this is caused by infective endocarditis an...Background:Mitral valve perforation refers to the occurrence of cracks or openings in the structure of the mitral valve,allowing blood to escape through these gaps.Typically,this is caused by infective endocarditis and the most common site is the anterior leaflet.However,it is crucial to explore other potential causes of valve damage,particularly when conventional risk factors are not apparent.Case presentation:We present a case of a middle-aged male patient who developed mitral valve perforation because of aortic valve regurgitation in the absence of infective endocarditis.Conclusion:Exploring such rare cases contributes to a deeper understanding of valvular diseases and enhances clinical decision making for effective management.展开更多
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Background:Mitral valve perforation refers to the occurrence of cracks or openings in the structure of the mitral valve,allowing blood to escape through these gaps.Typically,this is caused by infective endocarditis and the most common site is the anterior leaflet.However,it is crucial to explore other potential causes of valve damage,particularly when conventional risk factors are not apparent.Case presentation:We present a case of a middle-aged male patient who developed mitral valve perforation because of aortic valve regurgitation in the absence of infective endocarditis.Conclusion:Exploring such rare cases contributes to a deeper understanding of valvular diseases and enhances clinical decision making for effective management.
