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This study investigated the effect of feeding vitamin E, vitamin C, and two sources of vegetable oil on immune response and meat quality of broilers. A total of 320 one-day-old chicks were used in a completely randomised design with eight treatments arranged as a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial with two levels of vitamin E (0 and 200 mg/kg), two levels of vitamin C (0 and 1000 mg/kg), and two sources of vegetable oil (soybean and canola). Dietary supplementation of either vitamin E or C increased (P < 0.05) secondary humoral response, whereas oil sources had no significant effect. Broilers fed soybean oil had lower cellular response to the phytohemagglutinin skin test than those fed canola oil in diet, and supplementation of vitamin E increased cellular immune response. However, fat, cholesterol and pH of meat were not affected by source of oil or antioxidants, lipid oxidation was higher (P < 0.05) in thigh and breast meat of broilers fed soybean oil than canola oil. Dietary supplementation of vitamin E decreased (P < 0.05) lipid oxidation in thigh and breast of broilers fed diet containing soybean oil, without any effect on meat oxidation of those fed canola oil. Dietary supplementation of vitamin C increased lipid oxidation in thigh meat of broilers (P < 0.05). It can be concluded that inclusion of soybean oil to the diet, compared with canola oil, increased need for antioxidant. Vitamin E had beneficial effects on immune response and reduced meat lipid oxidation; nonetheless future studies should explore the antioxidant effect of vitamin C in stored meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the effect of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and savory (Satureja hHortensis) essential oils and their mixture on performance, some characteristics of carcass, organs and blood parameters of broiler chickens in a factorial arrangement of 3 × 3 based on a completely randomized design with 9 treatments and 4 replicates and 15 pieces Broiler chickens were taken from 0 to 42 days in each replicate. The experimental diets included the control diet (without essential oil) and the levels of 0.15 and 0.25 g/kg essential oil of fennel and savory. At the end of the experiment period, from each replication three birds were selected and killed in order to examination of different parts of the carcass. The results of the experiment showed that the use of mixture of essential oils of fennel and savory in the level of 0.25 g/kg was effective in increasing feed intake. This difference was significant between treatment containing the mixture of essential oils of fennel and savory in the level of 0.25 g/kg with control treatment and other experimental treatments (p=0.05). The highest kidney and heart weights were in treatments 3 and 4 respectively. The highest weight of pancreas and proventiculus were related to treatment 9. The relative weight of these organs was not affected by experimental diets (p=0.05). Adding the essential oils of fennel, savory and their mixture increased the cholesterol to HDL ratio compared to the control treatment, so that the highest amount was in the treatment containing fennel 0.25, but this difference was not significant (p=0.05). Therefore, the use of mixture of essential oils of fennel and savory had a more beneficial effect on growth performance than separate consumption of fennel and savory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was carried out to compare the effects of laying hen's diet supplemented with inorganic and different organic sources of selenium (Se) on quality and oxidative stability of eggs during storage. A total of 81, (35-week old) laying hens of Lohmann LSL-White were assigned to cages in a completely randomized design with 9 groups of treatment and 3 replicates of 3 birds. Hens in each group were fed their corresponded diet included the basal diet supplemented with sodium selenite, Se-enriched yeast, Cytoplexselenium and Selenomax at two different levels of 0.3 and 0.6 mg/kg, or 200 mg/kg vitamin E. To prevent brand judgment challenge, A, B and C letters were applied for different organic source of Se. After 56 days of feeding experimental diets, eggs were collected from the hens to analysis. Egg weight loss during storage at 4 °C was lower (P<0.05) in the group fed 0.3 mg of B source Se/kg of feed. Vitamin E and Se supplemented groups had lower malondialdehyde values than those from the non-supplemented (P<0.01). The C Source of organic Se resulted in lower malondialdehyde compared with the other sources of Se or control. The supplementation of Se in diet increased (P<0.01) yolk Se concentration, with the effect being more significant by C source of Se. Selenium and vitamin E supplementation decreased serum and yolk cholesterol content (P<0.01). The results demonstrate the better efficacy of the C source of organic Se to increase Se deposition in egg and improved egg quality compared with the other sources of Se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents successful incorporation of ibuprofen in polylactic acid (PLA) nanofibers to create scaffolds for the treatment of both acute and chronic wounds. Nanofibrous PLA scaffolds containing 10, 20, or 30 wt % ibuprofen were created and ibuprofen release profiles quantified. In vitro cytotoxicity to human epidermal keratinocytes (HEK) and human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) of the three scaffolds with varying ibuprofen concentrations were evaluated and compared to pure PLA nanofibrous scaffolds. Thereafter, scaffolds loaded with ibuprofen at the concentration that promoted human skin cell viability and proliferation (20 wt %) were evaluated in vivo in nude mice using a full thickness skin incision model to determine the ability of these scaffolds to promote skin regeneration and/or assist with scarless healing. Both acellular and HEK and HDF cell-seeded 20 wt % ibuprofen loaded nanofibrous bandages reduced wound contraction compared with wounds treated with Tegaderm™ and sterile gauze. Newly regenerated skin on wounds treated with cell-seeded 20 wt % ibuprofen bandages exhibited significantly greater blood vessel formation relative to acellular ibuprofen bandages. We have found that degradable anti-inflammatory scaffolds containing 20 wt % ibuprofen promote human skin cell viability and proliferation in vitro, reduce wound contraction in vivo, and when seeded with skin cells, also enhance new blood vessel formation. The approaches and results reported here hold promise for multiple skin tissue engineering and wound healing applications. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 327-339, 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Porcine mucosa hydrolysate sprayed into a soybean meal carrier (PMH) is a co-product of heparin production from clean endothelial digestive tissues. An experiment was conducted to evaluate growth performance and ileal morphology of broilers fed diets with or without PMH inclusion. There were 8 dietary treatments arranged as a 2×4 factorial with two levels of PMH (0 vs. 25g/kg diet) and four levels of lysine (Lys; 11, 12, 13 and 14g/kg diet). Diets were formulated to have similar apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn) content and within each Lys level, the indispensable amino acid to AMEn ratio was maintained constant. Birds received the experimental diets from d 1 to 21 and then, a common commercial finisher diet without PMH inclusion from d 21 to 32. Each treatment was replicated five times and the experimental unit was the pen with 32 chicks. An interaction between PMH inclusion and Lys content of the diet was detected for body weight gain (BWG) from d 1 to 7; PMH inclusion improved BWG (P =0.013) in all cases but the effects were more noticeable in birds fed the low Lys diets (P <0.05 for the interaction). PMH inclusion did not affect BWG after this age but improved (P <0.01) feed to gain ratio (F:G) from d 1 to 21. From d 1 to 21, an increase in dietary Lys improved BWG (P <0.001) but F:G was not affected. From d 22 to 32, when all bird received a common finisher diet, growth performance was not affected by type of diet fed during the starter period. At d 14, villus height and crypt depth of the ileum were not affected by dietary treatment. The results indicate that the inclusion of 25g PMH/kg diet improved F:G from d 1 to 21 and BWG during the first 7 d of life. From d 1 to 21, broilers required at least 13g Lys/kg diet to optimize growth performance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the current study, the nutritional value of various hydrolyzed feather meals (HFM) was investigated in two separate experiments (an in vitro and an in vivo experiment). The in vitro experiment was based on a completely randomized design with five replications and seven treatments including (1) Raw feather meal (RFM), (2) HFM by autoclave (Au-HFM), (3) Fermented feather meal (FFM) by Bacillus licheniformis (Bl-FFM), (4) FFM by Bacillus subtilis (Bs-FFM), (5) FFM by Aspergillus niger (An-FFM), (6) FFM by Bacillus licheniformis  +  Bacillus subtilis  +  Aspergillus niger (Co-FFM), and (7) HFM by an enzyme (En-HFM). The highest in vitro pepsin-pancreatin and apparent ileal CP digestibility were observed in Co-FFM, and the lowest amount belonged to RFM (P < 0.05). For the in-vivo experiment, 480 1-d-old male Ross 308 broilers were distributed in the experimental units in a completely randomized design with 8 treatments and 5 replicates (12 chicks/replicate). The treatments were: (1) Control diet (without feather meal (FM)), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), and (8), diets containing 4 % RFM, Au-HFM, Bl-FFM, Bs-FFM, An-FFM, Co-FFM, and En-HFM, respectively. For the in-vivo study, the birds fed control and Co-FFM diets had the highest feed intake, body weight gain, and the lowest feed conversion ratio compared to the other treatments (P < 0.05). The broilers fed the control and FFMs diets had the lowest relative weight of abdominal fat and liver compared to the other groups (P < 0.05). Therefore, our findings advise the poultry feed industry to look for Co-FFM as an effective alternative and cheaper feed ingredient to replace part of soybean meal in poultry diet., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

This study investigated the effects of feather meal (FM) processing methods on production parameters, blood biochemical indices, intestinal morphology, digestive and hepatic enzyme activities, and gastrointestinal tract pH and microflora of broilers. A total of 480-d-old male broilers were used for 42 d in a completely randomized design with eight treatments and five replicates (12 chicks/replicate). Treatments were 1) a control diet (without FM), 2) a diet containing 4% raw FM (RFM), 3) a diet containing 4% processed FM (PFM) by autoclave (Au-PFM), 4) a diet containing 4% fermented FM (FFM) by Bacillus licheniformis (Bl-FFM), 5) a diet containing 4% FFM by Bacillus subtilis (Bs-FFM), 6) a diet containing 4% FFM by Aspergillus niger (An-FFM), 7) a diet containing 4% FFM by B. licheniformis + B. subtilis + A. niger (Co-FFM), and 8) a diet containing 4% PFM by an enzyme (En-PFM). Results showed that in the FFMs the contents of ash, ether extract, total volatile nitrogen, and amino acids including Lys, Met, Thr, Trp, His, Leu, Gly, Ile, Phe, and Tyr increased (P < 0.05), while crude fiber, crude protein, and dry matter content decreased (P < 0.05). Compared with the control, the Co-FFM diet had no significant differences (P > 0.05) in total body weight gain (2,827 vs. 2,791 g/chick), total feed intake (5,018 vs. 4,991 g/chick), European production efficiency factor (375 vs. 377), European Broiler Index (371 vs. 371), and feed conversion ratio (1.77 vs. 1.78 g/g). Feeding FFM decreased (P < 0.05) serum total cholesterol (1.46-fold), triglyceride (1.61-fold), very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (1.61-fold), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (2.27-fold) compared to the control. Also, FFM increased (P < 0.05) villus height (1,045 to 1,351, 661 to 854, and 523 to 620 μm), and villus height to crypt depth ratio (6.15 to 8.45, 4.55 to 7.04, and 4.27 to 5.45), in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, respectively, compared to the control. Compared to the control, the Co-FFM diet increased (P < 0.05) protease (34, 39, and 45 %) in the pancreas, duodenum, and jejunum, as well as amylase (73, and 97 %) activities in the duodenum, and jejunum, respectively. Diets containing FFM reduced (P < 0.05) pH in the crop, gizzard, and ileum, and decreased (P < 0.05) Escherichia coli (6.12 to 5.70) count in ileum compared to the control. The Co-FFM diet increased (P < 0.05) lactic acid bacteria count in crop (6.77 to 7.50) and ileum (6.94 to 7.73), also decreased (P < 0.05) coliforms (6.31 to 5.75) count in ileum compared to the control. In conclusion, FM fermentation, particularly Co-FFM, improves the nutritional value of FM, converting it into a decent source of dietary protein for broilers., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The structure of the skin only allows those hydrophobic elements to penetrate through the depth of the skin with low molecular weight (less than 500 Da) and low daily dose (less than 100 mg/day). Skin penetration of many drugs such as antibiotics at a high daily dose remains an unresolved challenge. In this study a transdermal patch using cephalexin as an antibiotic drug model was developed. Cephalexin was loaded into α-tocopherol succinate-based solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs). Cephalexin-loaded SLNs with a drug/lipid ratio of 20%, diameter of 180 ± 7 nm, and drug loading 7.9% led to the greatest inhibition zone of Staphylococcus aureus and showed the highest skin permeation capabilities. Cephalexin-loaded SLNs were distributed into poly-iso-butylene adhesive solution and final patches prepared using solvent casting. The physico-chemical characteristics, in vitro drug release, antimicrobial efficacy, and skin cell proliferation properties of patches were evaluated. Results indicated that the optimal transdermal patch formulation containing 90% adhesive solution, 7% cephalexin, and 3% cephalexin-loaded SLNs (with antibiotic content approximately 28% less) inhibited growth of S.aureus better than the formulation containing 90% adhesive solution and 10% cephalexin. In vitro evaluation of the growth of human fibroblast skin cells in media with the optimal patch exhibited greater proliferation (about 25.5%) than those in media without the patch., (Copyright © 2022 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Agricultural productivity relies on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, yet half of that reactive nitrogen is lost to the environment. There is an urgent need for alternative nitrogen solutions to reduce the water pollution, ozone depletion, atmospheric particulate formation, and global greenhouse gas emissions associated with synthetic nitrogen fertilizer use. One such solution is biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), a component of the complex natural nitrogen cycle. BNF application to commercial agriculture is currently limited by fertilizer use and plant type. This paper describes the identification, development, and deployment of the first microbial product optimized using synthetic biology tools to enable BNF for corn ( Zea mays ) in fertilized fields, demonstrating the successful, safe commercialization of root-associated diazotrophs and realizing the potential of BNF to replace and reduce synthetic nitrogen fertilizer use in production agriculture. Derived from a wild nitrogen-fixing microbe isolated from agricultural soils, Klebsiella variicola 137-1036 ("Kv137-1036") retains the capacity of the parent strain to colonize corn roots while increasing nitrogen fixation activity 122-fold in nitrogen-rich environments. This technical milestone was then commercialized in less than half of the time of a traditional biological product, with robust biosafety evaluations and product formulations contributing to consumer confidence and ease of use. Tested in multi-year, multi-site field trial experiments throughout the U.S. Corn Belt, fields grown with Kv137-1036 exhibited both higher yields (0.35 ± 0.092 t/ha ± SE or 5.2 ± 1.4 bushels/acre ± SE) and reduced within-field yield variance by 25% in 2018 and 8% in 2019 compared to fields fertilized with synthetic nitrogen fertilizers alone. These results demonstrate the capacity of a broad-acre BNF product to fix nitrogen for corn in field conditions with reliable agronomic benefits.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that limits mobility of the affected joint due to the degradation of articular cartilage and subchondral bone. The limited regenerative capacity of cartilage presents significant challenges when attempting to repair or reverse the effects of cartilage degradation. Tissue engineered medical products are a promising alternative to treat osteochondral degeneration due to their potential to integrate into the patient's existing tissue. The goal of this study was to create a scaffold that would induce site-specific osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASC) to generate a full osteochondral implant. Scaffolds were fabricated using 3D-bioplotting of biodegradable polycraprolactone (PCL) with either β-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) or decellularized bovine cartilage extracellular matrix (dECM) to drive site-specific hASC osteogenesis and chondrogenesis, respectively. PCL-dECM scaffolds demonstrated elevated matrix deposition and organization in scaffolds seeded with hASC as well as a reduction in collagen I gene expression. 3D-bioplotted PCL scaffolds with 20% TCP demonstrated elevated calcium deposition, endogenous alkaline phosphatase activity, and osteopontin gene expression. Osteochondral scaffolds comprised of hASC-seeded 3D-bioplotted PCL-TCP, electrospun PCL, and 3D-bioplotted PCL-dECM phases were evaluated and demonstrated site-specific osteochondral tissue characteristics. This technique holds great promise as cartilage morbidity is minimized since autologous cartilage harvest is not required, tissue rejection is minimized via use of an abundant and accessible source of autologous stem cells, and biofabrication techniques allow for a precise, customizable methodology to rapidly produce the scaffold., (© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Pre-clinical and clinical studies have shown that engineered tumoricidal neural stem cells (tNSCs) are a promising treatment strategy for the aggressive brain cancer glioblastoma (GBM). Yet, stabilizing human tNSCs within the surgical cavity following GBM resection is a significant challenge. As a critical step toward advancing engineered human NSC therapy for GBM, we used a preclinical variant of the clinically utilized NSC line HB1.F3.CD and mouse models of human GBM resection/recurrence to identify a polymeric scaffold capable of maximizing the transplant, persistence, and tumor kill of NSC therapy for post-surgical GBM. Using kinetic bioluminescence imaging, we found that tNSCs delivered into the mouse surgical cavity wall by direct injection persisted only 3 days. We found that delivery of tNSCs into the cavity on nanofibrous electrospun poly-l-lactic acid scaffolds extended tNSC persistence to 8 days. Modifications to fiber surface coating, diameter, and morphology of the scaffold failed to significantly extend tNSC persistence in the cavity. In contrast, tNSCs delivered into the post-operative cavity on gelatin matrices (GEMs) persisted 8-fold longer as compared to direct injection. GEMs remained permissive to tumor-tropic homing, as tNSCs migrated off the scaffolds and into invasive tumor foci both in vitro and in vivo. To mirror envisioned human brain tumor trials, we engineered tNSCs to express the prodrug/enzyme thymidine kinase (tNSCs tk ) and transplanted the therapeutic cells in the post-operative cavity of mice bearing resected orthotopic patient-derived GBM xenografts. Following administration of the prodrug ganciclovir, residual tumor volumes in mice receiving GEM/tNSCs were reduced by 10-fold at day 35, and median survival was extended from 31 to 46 days. Taken together, these data begin to define design parameters for effective scaffold/tNSC composites and suggest a new approach to maximizing the efficacy of tNSC therapy in human patient trials., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Surgical site infection (SSI) is the most common cause of surgical failure, increasing the risks of postoperative mortality and morbidity. Recently, it has been reported that the use of antimicrobial dressings at the incision site help with prevention of SSI. Despite the increased body of research on the development of different types of antimicrobial dressings for this application, to our knowledge, nobody has reported a reliable large animal model to evaluate the efficacy of developed materials in a preclinical SSI model. In this study, we developed a porcine full-thickness incision model to investigate SSI caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the leading cause of SSI in the United States. Using this model, we then evaluated the efficacy of our newly developed silver releasing nanofibrous dressings for preventing and inhibiting MRSA infection. Our results confirmed the ease and practicality of a new porcine model as an in vivo platform for evaluation of biomaterials for SSI. Using this model, we found that our silver releasing scaffolds significantly reduced bacterial growth in wounds inoculated with MRSA relative to nontreated controls and to wounds treated with the gold standard, silver sulfadiazine, without causing inflammation at the wound site. Findings from this study confirm the potential of our silver-releasing nanofibrous scaffolds for treatment/prevention of SSI, and introduce a new porcine model for in vivo evaluation of additional SSI treatment approaches.

Electrospun scaffolds provide a dense framework of nanofibers with pore sizes and fiber diameters that closely resemble the architecture of native extracellular matrix. However, it generates limited three-dimensional structures of relevant physiological thicknesses. 3D printing allows digitally controlled fabrication of three-dimensional single/multimaterial constructs with precisely ordered fiber and pore architecture in a single build. However, this approach generally lacks the ability to achieve submicron resolution features to mimic native tissue. The goal of this study was to fabricate and evaluate 3D printed, electrospun, and combination of 3D printed/electrospun scaffolds to mimic the native architecture of heterogeneous tissue. We assessed their ability to support viability and proliferation of human adipose derived stem cells (hASC). Cells had increased proliferation and high viability over 21 days on all scaffolds. We further tested implantation of stacked-electrospun scaffold versus combined electrospun/3D scaffold on a cadaveric pig knee model and found that stacked-electrospun scaffold easily delaminated during implantation while the combined scaffold was easier to implant. Our approach combining these two commonly used scaffold fabrication technologies allows for the creation of a scaffold with more close resemblance to heterogeneous tissue architecture, holding great potential for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications of osteochondral tissue and other heterogeneous tissues.

Bone infection, also called osteomyelitis, can result when bacteria invade a bone. Treatment of osteomyelitis usually requires surgical debridement and prolonged antimicrobial therapy. The rising incidence of infection with multidrug-resistant bacteria, in particular methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), however, limits the antimicrobial treatment options available. Silver is well known for its antimicrobial properties and is highly toxic to a wide range of microorganisms. We previously reported our development of biocompatible, biodegradable, nanofibrous scaffolds that released silver ions in a controlled manner. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of these scaffolds in treating or preventing osteomyelitis. To achieve this objective, antimicrobial efficacy was determined using a 3D coculture system of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASC) and MRSA. Human ASC were seeded on the scaffolds and induced to undergo osteogenic differentiation in both the absence and presence of MRSA. Our results indicated that the silver ion-releasing scaffolds not only inhibited biofilm formation, but also supported osteogenesis of hASC. Our findings suggest that these biocompatible, degradable, silver ion-releasing scaffolds can be used at an infection site to treat osteomyelitis and/or to coat bone implants as a preventative measure against infection postsurgery., Competing Interests: Statement No competing financial interests exist.

Engineered stem cell (SC)-based therapy holds enormous promise for treating the incurable brain cancer glioblastoma (GBM). Retaining the cytotoxic SCs in the surgical cavity after GBM resection is one of the greatest challenges to this approach. Here, we describe a biocompatible electrospun nanofibrous scaffold (bENS) implant capable of delivering and retaining tumor-homing cytotoxic stem cells that suppress recurrence of post-surgical GBM. As a new approach to GBM therapy, we created poly(l-lactic acid) (PLA) bENS bearing drug-releasing human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). We discovered that bENS-based implant increased hMSC retention in the surgical cavity 5-fold and prolonged persistence 3-fold compared to standard direct injection using our mouse model of GBM surgical resection/recurrence. Time-lapse imaging showed cytotoxic hMSC/bENS treatment killed co-cultured human GBM cells, and allowed hMSCs to rapidly migrate off the scaffolds as they homed to GBMs. In vivo, bENS loaded with hMSCs releasing the anti-tumor protein TRAIL (bENS(sTR)) reduced the volume of established GBM xenografts 3-fold. Mimicking clinical GBM patient therapy, lining the post-operative GBM surgical cavity with bENS(sTR) implants inhibited the re-growth of residual GBM foci 2.3-fold and prolonged post-surgical median survival from 13.5 to 31 days in mice. These results suggest that nanofibrous-based SC therapies could be an innovative new approach to improve the outcomes of patients suffering from terminal brain cancer., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We have previously shown that elevating extracellular calcium from a concentration of 1.8 to 8 mM accelerates and increases human adipose-derived stem cell (hASC) osteogenic differentiation and cell-mediated calcium accretion, even in the absence of any other soluble osteogenic factors in the culture medium. However, the effects of elevated calcium on hASC chondrogenic differentiation have not been reported. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of varied calcium concentrations on chondrogenic differentiation of hASC. We hypothesized that exposure to elevated extracellular calcium (8 mM concentration) in a chondrogenic differentiation medium (CDM) would inhibit chondrogenesis of hASC when compared to basal calcium (1.8 mM concentration) controls. We further hypothesized that a full osteochondral construct could be engineered by controlling local release of calcium to induce site-specific chondrogenesis and osteogenesis using only hASC as the cell source. Human ASC was cultured as micromass pellets in CDM containing transforming growth factor-β1 and bone morphogenetic protein 6 for 28 days at extracellular calcium concentrations of either 1.8 mM (basal) or 8 mM (elevated). Our findings indicated that elevated calcium induced osteogenesis and inhibited chondrogenesis in hASC. Based on these findings, stacked polylactic acid nanofibrous scaffolds containing either 0% or 20% tricalcium phosphate (TCP) nanoparticles were electrospun and tested for site-specific chondrogenesis and osteogenesis. Histological assays confirmed that human ASC differentiated locally to generate calcified tissue in layers containing 20% TCP, and cartilage in the layers with no TCP when cultured in CDM. This is the first study to report the effects of elevated calcium on chondrogenic differentiation of hASC, and to develop osteochondral nanofibrous scaffolds using a single cell source and controlled calcium release to induce site-specific differentiation. This approach holds great promise for osteochondral tissue engineering using a single cell source (hASC) and single scaffold.

Wound infection presents a challenging and growing problem. With the increased prevalence and growth of multidrug-resistant bacteria, there is a mounting need to reduce and eliminate wound infections using methodologies that limit the ability of bacteria to evolve into further drug-resistant strains. A well-known strategy for combating bacterial infection and preventing wound sepsis is through the delivery of silver ions to the wound site. High surface area silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) allowing extensive silver ion release have therefore been explored in different wound dressings and/or skin substitutes. However, it has been recently shown that AgNPs can penetrate into the stratum corneum of skin or diffuse into the cellular plasma membrane, and may interfere with a variety of cellular mechanisms. The goal of this study was to introduce and evaluate a new type of high surface area metallic silver in the form of highly porous silver microparticles (AgMPs). Polylactic acid (PLA) nanofibers were successfully loaded with either highly porous AgMPs or AgNPs and the antimicrobial efficacy and cytotoxicity of the two silver-based wound dressings were assessed and compared. To better mimic the physiological environment in vivo where both human cells and bacteria are present, a novel coculture system combining human epidermal keratinocytes and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria was designed to simultaneously evaluate human skin cell cytotoxicity with antimicrobial efficacy in a three-dimensional environment. We found that highly porous AgMPs could be successfully incorporated in nanofibrous wound dressings, and exhibited comparable antimicrobial efficacy and cytotoxicity to AgNPs. Further, PLA nanofibers containing highly porous AgMPs exhibited steady silver ion release, at a greater rate of release, than nanofibers containing AgNPs. The replacement of AgNPs with the newly introduced AgMPs overcomes concerns regarding the use of nanoparticles and holds great promise as skin substitutes or wound dressings for infected wound sites.

Nanofibers, with their morphological similarities to the extracellular matrix of skin, hold great potential for skin tissue engineering. Over the last decade, silver nanoparticles have been extensively investigated in wound-healing applications for their ability to provide antimicrobial benefits to nanofibrous scaffolds. However, the use of silver nanoparticles has raised concerns as these particles can penetrate into the stratum corneum of skin, or even diffuse into the cellular plasma membrane. We present and evaluate a new silver ion release polymeric coating that we have found can be applied to biocompatible, biodegradable poly(l-lactic acid) nanofibrous scaffolds. Using this compound, custom antimicrobial silver-ion-releasing nanofibers were created. The presence of a uniform, continuous silver coating on the nanofibrous scaffolds was verified by XPS analysis. The antimicrobial efficacy of the antimicrobial scaffolds against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria was determined via industry-standard AATCC protocols. Cytotoxicity analyses of the antimicrobial scaffolds toward human epidermal keratinocytes and human dermal fibroblasts were performed via quantitative analyses of cell viability and proliferation. Our results indicated that the custom antimicrobial scaffolds exhibited excellent antimicrobial properties while also maintaining human skin cell viability and proliferation for silver ion concentrations below 62.5μgml(-1) within the coating solution. This is the first study to show that silver ions can be effectively delivered with nanofibrous scaffolds without the use of silver nanoparticles., (Copyright © 2013 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the main cause of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in elderly men. Some patients respond poorly to routine medical therapy and are not well suited for surgery, too. This study was planned to evaluate the effect of Botulinum-A on BPH refractory to current medical therapy in poor surgical candidates., Methods: In this clinical trial, 10 patients with LUTS suggestive of BPH who had responded poorly to medical therapy for at least 6 months and were poor surgical candidates, were received different doses of transurethral Botulinum-A injection based on their prostate volume. The prostate volume, PSA, Qmax, IPSS, PVR and frequency of nocturia were evaluated and compared before and after treatment., Results: The mean IPSS was 24.50 ± 3.8 and 13.40 ± 2.67 before and after the treatment, respectively (P < 0.001). The mean prostate volume was decreased from 41.50 ± 10.85 mL to 30.40 ± 8.05 mL (P < 0.001). The Qmax was increased from 7.87 ± 2.01 mL/s to 16.19 ± 1.76 mL/s (P < 0.001). The mean PSA was 3.12 ± 0.49 ng/mL and 1.71 ± 0.39 ng/mL before and after treatment, respectively (P < 0.001). The mean PVR was 75.6 ± 51.63 mL and 63.50 ± 36.59 mL before and after treatment, respectively (P = 0.096). The mean number of nocturia was decreased from 4.1 ± 0.87 to 2.4 ± 0.84 (P < 0.001). The mean IPSS, Prostate volume, PSA and frequency of nocturia were decreased significantly. Although mean PVR was decreased but it wasn't statistically significant. The mean Qmax was increased significantly., Conclusion: Intraprostatic injection of Botulinum-A may be an effective and safe treatment for symptomatic BPH in selected patients whose medical treatment has faced failure and are poor surgical candidates. Transurethral method could be selected as a preferable technique of injection.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of dietary vitamin E and C on serum metabolites, yolk cholesterol, egg quality, and performance of layer hens. One hundred sixty-eight commercial Hy-Line W-36 layer hens were randomly divided into seven groups and six replicates with four hens in each. Dietary treatments were introduced after the pre-experimental period (10 days) to adjust egg production. Treatments were levels of vitamin E or C (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg diet) supplementation to the basal diet for 4 weeks, whereas the control group received no supplementation. Egg production, egg weight, and feed consumption were recorded during the study. Shell thickness, Haugh unit score, yolk color, yolk weight, yolk cholesterol, and blood parameters were measured at the end of experiment. There was no significant effect of dietary vitamin E or C on hen performance. Egg yolk cholesterol concentrations decreased linearly by antioxidant vitamin supplementation (P < 0.01). Egg yolk cholesterol reduction did not have any negative effect on egg production rate. Antioxidants, especially vitamin C, increased serum glucose concentration (P < 0.05). Serum total cholesterol content did not change by vitamin supplementation but cholesterol in high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) decreased and cholesterol in low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) increased (P < 0.05), as dietary vitamin E or C supplementation increased in diets. These results are in conflict with the previous hypothesis that antioxidants have a role in LDL-C removal from the blood or increasing HDL-C. Vitamin E was more effective than vitamin C in this case and if these results are confirmed by further studies, they may result to revision in researchers' point of view about antioxidant especially in human medicine.