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In this study, the control volume method is used to determine the air temperature at the outlet of an air-to-ground heat exchanger. Its implementation consists in dividing the duct of the ground-air heat exchanger into micro-volumes of identical size. An energy balance is then established for each micro-volume. The input parameters used to implement this model are related to the city of Yaoundé in the equatorial zone. The results show that when the total length of the air-to-ground heat exchanger duct varies between 0 and 100 m, the air temperature at the outlet also varies between 34.5 and 24 °C. The air-to-ground heat exchanger operates in cooling mode. As the length of the air-to-ground heat exchanger duct increases, the temperature of the air at the outlet of the air-to-ground heat exchanger decreases, approaching that of the ground. Based on the results obtained using the control volume model, the minimum total length of air-to-ground heat exchanger duct recommended for this zone is 40 m. Admittedly, air pressure drops, air humidity and the geometry of the air-to-ground heat exchanger are aspects that have not yet been taken into account in the implementation of this model. Nevertheless, the control volume method can be used to optimise the parameters influencing the thermal performance of an air-to-ground heat exchanger. • The control volume method is implemented here by dividing the air-to-ground heat exchanger duct into identical micro-volumes and then establishing an energy balance for each micro-volume; • In this work, the control volume method was used to optimise the total length of the duct of a ground air heat exchanger installed in an equatorial zone; • Some important aspects such as air pressure drops, air humidity, and the geometry of the air-to-ground heat exchanger are not yet taken into account in the implementation of the control volume method.

Author(s): S. G. Gregory (corresponding author) [1, 2]; K. F. Barlow [1]; K. E. McLay [1]; R. Kaul [3]; D. Swarbreck [1]; A. Dunham [1]; C. E. Scott [1]; K. [...]

Data presented in this paper were collected with the aim of describing the mean monthly temperature evolution of a lateritic soil in an equatorial zone during the dry season. The site is located in Cameroon and has the following geographical coordinates: latitude 3.879444° North and longitude 11.468333° East. Data collection involved measuring the water temperature and depth of existing wells at the site and determining their geographical coordinates. The data were collected manually. The temperatures of the various wells were measured daily throughout February 2022, and the average monthly temperatures were then calculated. These are presented in this paper, along with the other measured data. Several pieces of equipment were used for this purpose. An infrared laser thermometer was used to measure the temperatures of the various wells. A UTM GPS (Universal Transverse Mercator Global Positioning System) unit was used to determine the geographical position of each well in the study area. A plumb line was used to measure the depths of the various wells. The length of the plumb line inserted into the well was measured using an ankle brace. An infrared rangefinder was used to measure the distance, surface area, and volume of each well. The Coordinate Converter application was used to convert the east longitude and north latitude of each well in the study area into decimal degrees. Microsoft Excel was used to draw up tables of measured and converted data and to plot a graph. Surfer software was used to produce isothermal maps. The data collected provide information on changes in the average monthly temperature of the soil at the site as a function of its depth and geographical position. This information facilitates the installation of heat pumps and other heat exchangers to meet the heating and cooling needs of buildings in the area. Additionally, this data can be reused to identify suitable locations for the construction of new water wells and buildings at the site.

This study aims to estimate the demand for petroleum products (PP) in the Chadian road sector by 2030 and to determine which of the two models used is the most efficient. The methodology is based on two optimised Grey models, namely: the Sequential-GM(1,N)-GA and NeuralODE-GM(1,1) models. These models reduce forecasting errors compared with the conventional Grey model. The forecasts confirm that both models are robust, with MAPEs of 1.16% and 2.5% respectively for gasoline and diesel obtained with the Sequential-GM(1,N)-GA, and 3.3% and 4.8% respectively for gasoline and diesel obtained with the NeuralODE-GM(1,1). We note that the Sequential-GM(1,N)-GA is more robust than NeuralODE-GM(1,1) with regard to MAPEs. The estimated consumption needs for gasoline and diesel in the road transport sector by 2030 are 294376818.5 and 381570061.5 litres respectively for the Sequential-GM(1,N)-GA and 264376818.5 and 375570061.5 litres for the NeuralODE-GM(1,1). Based on these results, securing the supply of PP in the road transport sector requires the development of the downstream petroleum sector. The development of alternative energies and the acquisition of hybrid vehicles. A policy encouraging mass transport in urban areas can considerably reduce energy consumption in this sector. This study adds to the literature through the simultaneous use of two new optimised grey models and their comparison in terms of predicting demand for PP in the Chadian road transport sector.

Grey systems theory can be used to predict the evolution of a system with insufficient information. Unfortunately, the most used version of the grey model (GM), namely, GM(1,1), works best when the system series have an increasing exponential rate. In any other case, the GM(1,1) produces inaccurate predictions. In this paper, we examine the mathematical formulation of the conventional GM(1,1) in order to propose a new GM that addresses its shortcomings through a new time response function. Examples are presented to demonstrate the flexibility and accuracy of the new model when implemented with series of various natures. Comparisons with other intelligent GM(1,1) show that the proposed model performs better than the reference models.

Abstract Background The use of hydroxocobalamin has long been advocated for treating suspected cyanide poisoning after smoke inhalation. Intravenous hydroxocobalamin has however been shown to cause oxalate nephropathy in a single-center study. The impact of hydroxocobalamin on the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) and survival after smoke inhalation in a multicenter setting remains unexplored. Methods We conducted a multicenter retrospective study in 21 intensive care units (ICUs) in France. We included patients admitted to an ICU for smoke inhalation between January 2011 and December 2017. We excluded patients discharged at home alive within 24 h of admission. We assessed the risk of AKI (primary endpoint), severe AKI, major adverse kidney (MAKE) events, and survival (secondary endpoints) after administration of hydroxocobalamin using logistic regression models. Results Among 854 patients screened, 739 patients were included. Three hundred six and 386 (55.2%) patients received hydroxocobalamin. Mortality in ICU was 32.9% (n = 243). Two hundred eighty-eight (39%) patients developed AKI, including 186 (25.2%) who developed severe AKI during the first week. Patients who received hydroxocobalamin were more severe and had higher mortality (38.1% vs 27.2%, p = 0.0022). The adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of AKI after intravenous hydroxocobalamin was 1.597 (1.055, 2.419) and 1.772 (1.137, 2.762) for severe AKI; intravenous hydroxocobalamin was not associated with survival or MAKE with an adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 1.114 (0.691, 1.797) and 0.784 (0.456, 1.349) respectively. Conclusion Hydroxocobalamin was associated with an increased risk of AKI and severe AKI but was not associated with survival after smoke inhalation. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03558646

OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess the applicability of the Canadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) in the prehospital setting by comparing CTAS scores as - signed during ambulance transportation by base hospital (BH) nurses with CTAS scores given by emergency department (ED) nurses on patients' arrival. METHODS: We recruited a prospective sample of consecutive patients who were transported to the ED by ambulance between December 2006 and March 2007 for whom a contact was made with the BH. Patients were triaged by the BH nurse with online communication and vital signs transmission. On arrival, patients were blindly triaged again by the ED nurse. We used the quadratic weighted kappa statistic to measure the agreement between the 2 CTAS scores. RESULTS: Ninety-four patients were triaged twice by 2 nursing teams (9 nurses at the BH and 39 nurses in the ED). The agreement obtained on prehospital and ED CTAS scores was moderate (kappa = 0.50; 95% confidence interval 0.37-0.63). CONCLUSION: The moderate interrater agreement we obtained may be a result of the changing conditions of patients during transport or may indicate that CTAS scoring requires direct contact to produce reliable triage scores. Our study casts a serious doubt on the appropriateness of BH nurses performing triage with CTAS in the prehospital setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Healthcare professionals are increasingly using wikis as collaborative tools to create, synthesize, share, and disseminate knowledge in healthcare. Because wikis depend on collaborators to keep content up-to-date, healthcare professionals who use wikis must adopt behaviors that foster this collaboration. This protocol describes the methods we will use to develop and test the metrological qualities of a questionnaire that will assess healthcare professionals' intentions and the determinants of those intentions to use wiki-based reminders that promote best practices in trauma care. Methods Using the Theory of Planned Behavior, we will conduct semi-structured interviews of healthcare professionals to identify salient beliefs that may affect their future use of wikis. These beliefs will inform our questionnaire on intended behavior. A test-retest of the survey will verify the questionnaire's stability over time. We will interview 50 healthcare professionals (25 physicians and 25 allied health professionals) working in the emergency departments of three trauma centers in Quebec, Canada. We will analyze the content of the interviews and construct and pilot a questionnaire. We will then test the revised questionnaire with 30 healthcare professionals (15 physicians and 15 allied health professionals) and retest it two weeks later. We will assess the internal consistency of the questionnaire constructs using Cronbach's alpha coefficients and determine their stability with the intra-class correlation (ICC). Discussion To our knowledge, this study will be the first to develop and test a theory-based survey that measures healthcare professionals' intentions to use a wiki-based intervention. This study will identify professionals' salient beliefs qualitatively and will quantify the psychometric capacities of the questionnaire based on those beliefs.

Background: Wikis are knowledge translation tools that could help health professionals implement best practices in acute care. Little is known about the factors influencing professionals' use of wikis.Objectives: To identify and compare the beliefs of emergency physicians (EPs) and allied health professionals (AHPs) about using a wiki-based reminder that promotes evidence-based care for traumatic brain injuries.Methods: Drawing on the theory of planned behavior, we conducted semistructured interviews to elicit EPs' and AHPs' beliefs about using a wiki-based reminder. Previous studies suggested a sample of 25 EPs and 25 AHPs. We purposefully selected participants from three trauma centers in Quebec, Canada, to obtain a representative sample. Using univariate analyses, we assessed whether our participants' gender, age, and level of experience were similar to those of all eligible individuals. Participants viewed a video showing a clinician using a wiki-based reminder, and we interviewed participants about their behavioral, control, and normative beliefs-that is, what they saw as advantages, disadvantages, barriers, and facilitators to their use of a reminder, and how they felt important referents would perceive their use of a reminder. Two reviewers independently analyzed the content of the interview transcripts. We considered the 75% most frequently mentioned beliefs as salient. We retained some less frequently mentioned beliefs as well.Results: Of 66 eligible EPs and 444 eligible AHPs, we invited 55 EPs and 39 AHPs to participate, and 25 EPs and 25 AHPs (15 nurses, 7 respiratory therapists, and 3 pharmacists) accepted. Participating AHPs had more experience than eligible AHPs (mean 14 vs 11 years; P = .04). We noted no other significant differences. Among EPs, the most frequently reported advantage of using a wiki-based reminder was that it refreshes the memory (n = 14); among AHPs, it was that it provides rapid access to protocols (n = 16). Only 2 EPs mentioned a disadvantage (the wiki added stress). The most frequently reported favorable referent was nurses for EPs (n = 16) and EPs for AHPs (n = 19). The most frequently reported unfavorable referents were people resistant to standardized care for EPs (n = 8) and people less comfortable with computers for AHPs (n = 11). The most frequent facilitator for EPs was ease of use (n = 19); for AHPs, it was having a bedside computer (n = 20). EPs' most frequently reported barrier was irregularly updated wiki-based reminders (n = 18); AHPs' was undetermined legal responsibility (n = 10).Conclusions: We identified EPs' and AHPs' salient beliefs about using a wiki-based reminder. We will draw on these beliefs to construct a questionnaire to measure the importance of these determinants to EPs' and AHPs' intention to use a wiki-based reminder promoting evidence-based care for traumatic brain injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 hurricane, made landfall in southern Louisiana in August of 2021, causing widespread wind damage and flooding. The objective of this study was to investigate knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to post-hurricane mold exposure and cleanup among residents and workers in areas of Louisiana affected by Hurricane Ida and assess changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practices that have occurred over the past 16 years since Hurricane Katrina. We conducted in-person interviews with 238 residents and 68 mold-remediation workers in areas in and around New Orleans to ask about their mold cleanup knowledge and practices, personal protective equipment use, and risk perceptions related to mold. Knowledge of recommended safety measures increased since the post-Katrina survey but adherence to recommended safety measures did not. Many residents and some workers reported using insufficient personal protective equipment when cleaning up mold despite awareness of the potential negative health effects of mold exposure.

Objectives: The Louisiana Department of Health identified a need for greater outreach in low-income Black communities that addressed environmental asthma triggers. We piloted an asthma virtual home visit (VHV) program and evaluated its reach and ability to promote asthma self-management strategies in communities with a high prevalence of poorly controlled asthma., Methods: Participants from Louisiana were continuously recruited into the VHV program starting in March 2021 and provided with asthma education materials. Participants reporting poorly controlled asthma and environmental triggers were also offered 3 VHVs with a respiratory therapist. All participants were asked to complete a preintervention and postintervention knowledge test, an Asthma Control Test (ACT) (maximum score = 25; scores ≤19 indicate poorly controlled asthma), and a final survey that assessed perceptions about asthma management and reduction of environmental triggers., Results: As of October 2022, 147 participants were enrolled in the program, and 52 had consented to and received ≥1 VHV. Forty VHV recipients (77%) were aged <18 years, 40 (77%) were Black people, and 46 (88%) were from families with extremely low or low incomes. Asthma symptoms improved across all participants, with a median increase of 2.4 points on the ACT. Knowledge tests revealed that 86% of participants learned about ≥1 new asthma trigger; a larger percentage of VHV recipients than nonrecipients (68% vs 36%) had an improved knowledge test score postintervention. Compared with preintervention, about three-quarters of participants reported feeling more empowered to self-manage their asthma and a significant improvement in their quality of life postintervention., Conclusions: The program provided virtual asthma education to communities with a high burden of asthma and improved asthma outcomes for participants. Similar virtual models can be used to promote health equity, especially in areas with limited access to health care., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Introduction: Frontline treatment of hairy cell leukemia (HCL) with a single course of the purine nucleoside analog (PNA) produces a high rate of complete remission (CR) with prolonged durations. At the time of relapse, although treatment guidelines recommend re-treatment with a PNA alone or in combination with rituximab (R), practice patterns vary and data supporting each approach are limited., Methods: We conducted a multisite outcomes analysis of patients treated for HCL between 1995 and 2018 at six US medical centers. All patients were treated with frontline PNA and subsequently required treatment with a PNA alone (PNA) or with R (+R)., Results: Of the 88 patients analyzed, 56 (63.6%) received second-line PNA and 22 (36.4%) received a PNA + R. Baseline characteristics of both groups were similar. There was no difference in median PFS [67 months (95% CI 43.8 non-reached (NR)) vs. 65 months (95% CI 60-NR)] or 5-year OS [98% (95% CI 0.94-1) vs. 94% (95% CI 0.83-1), p = .104] in the PNA versus PNA + R cohorts, respectively., Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the largest study evaluating the role of R in treatment of relapsed HCL and suggests that there is no advantage to the addition of R to PNA therapy at the time of first re-treatment., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected the socially and environmentally vulnerable, including through indirect effects on other health conditions. Asthma is one such condition, which may be exacerbated by both prolonged adverse in-home exposures if quarantining in unhealthy homes and prolonged outdoor exposures if the ambient air quality is unhealthy or hazardous. As both are often the case in Environmental Justice (EJ) communities, here we have analyzed data at the census tract (CT) level for Louisiana to assess any correlation between social and environmental vulnerability, and health issues like COVID-19 and asthma. Higher Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), Particulate Matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) and Ozone levels were associated with higher rates of cumulative COVID-19 incidence at various time points during the pandemic, as well as higher average annual asthma hospitalization rates and estimated asthma prevalence. Further, cumulative COVID-19 incidence during the first three months of the pandemic was moderately correlated with both asthma hospitalizations and estimated prevalence, suggesting similar underlying factors may be affecting both conditions. Additionally, 137 CTs were identified where social and environmental vulnerabilities co-existed, of which 75 (55%) had high estimated prevalence of asthma. These areas are likely to benefit from asthma outreach that considers both social and environmental risk factors. Fifteen out of the 137 CTs (11%) not only had higher estimated prevalence of asthma but also a high burden of COVID-19. Further research in these areas may help to elucidate any common social determinants of health that underlie both asthma and COVID-19 burdens, as well as better clarify the possible role of the environment as related to the COVID-19 burden in Louisiana., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The release of the report of the Commission d'étude des hôpitaux psychiatriques (Bédard report) in 1962 was long considered a transformative moment in the history of Québec psychiatry. But recent historiography suggests that deinstitutionalization in Québec features initiatives dating back to the early 20 th century. Following this line of argumentation, we suggest that the Bédard report was primarily a political tool to obtain funding in the wake of the 1961 Hospital Insurance Act, and that the report's recommendations built upon ongoing changes. This article proposes a new reading of the commission's report on Beauport's Hôpital Saint-Michel-Archange , and offers a new perspective on deinstitutionalization in Québec. Data gathered from medical records help illustrate the organizational changes that occurred between 1962 and 1972 through new public funding.

Engineered adipose tissues are developed for their use as substitutes for tissue replacement in reconstructive surgery. To ensure a timely perfusion of the grafted substitutes, different strategies can be used such as the incorporation of an endothelial component. In this study, we engineered human adipose tissue substitutes comprising of functional adipocytes as well as a natural extracellular matrix using the self-assembly approach, without the use of exogenous scaffolding elements. Human microvascular endothelial cells (hMVECs) were incorporated during tissue production in vitro and we hypothesized that their presence would favor the early connection with the host vascular network translating into functional enhancement after implantation into nude mice in comparison to the substitutes that were not enriched in hMVECs. In vitro, no significant differences were observed between the substitutes in terms of histological aspects. After implantation, both groups presented numerous adipocytes and an abundant matrix in addition to the presence of host capillaries within the grafts. The substitutes thickness and volume were not significantly different between groups over the short-term time course of 14 days (d). For the microvascularized adipose tissues, human CD31 staining revealed a human capillary network connecting with the host microvasculature as early as 3 d after grafting. The detection of murine red blood cells within human CD31+ structures confirmed the functionality of the human capillary network. By analyzing the extent of the global vascularization achieved, a tendency towards increased total capillary network surface and volume was revealed for prevascularized tissues over 14 d. Therefore, applying this strategy on thicker reconstructed adipose tissues with rate-limiting oxygen diffusion might procure added benefits and prove useful to provide voluminous substitutes for patients suffering from adipose tissue loss or defects.

Inflammation is a normal phase of the wound healing process, which likely occurs following tissue transplantation. For reconstructive surgery purposes, engineered adipose tissues represent promising alternatives to autologous fat grafts. It is therefore important to study the impact of an inflammatory microenvironment on the cellular functions of the different cell types comprised within matrix-rich reconstructed tissues. In this study, human reconstructed adipose tissues (hrATs) featuring a preformed capillary network formed by microvascular endothelial cells (hMVECs) were produced from adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (ASCs) by the self-assembly approach of tissue engineering. We hypothesized that a prolonged inflammatory context, mediated by tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), would impact hrATs' secretory profile and mediate detrimental effects on the microvascular network in vitro. Analysis of conditioned media established tissue responsiveness through the increased secretion of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (up to 23 fold), interleukin-6 (up to 69 fold) and angiopoietin-1 (up to 2.7 fold) after 3 and 6 days of cytokine exposure, along with a significant reduction in adiponectin secretion. Imaging of the preformed capillary network within the hrATs revealed increased disorganization in the presence of TNF/IL-1β, featuring a less extended and less ramified network with apoptotic hMVECs in the remaining capillary structures. These results indicate that a prolonged inflammatory context can be deleterious to the capillary network featured by in vitro engineered tissues. Strategies aiming at preserving the integrity of the vascular network will help develop substitutes that are better suited to face inflammatory conditions upon grafting.

Representative modelling of human adipose tissue functions is central to metabolic research. Tridimensional models able to recreate human adipogenesis in a physiological tissue-like context in vitro are still scarce. We describe the engineering of white adipose tissues reconstructed from their cultured adipose-derived stromal precursor cells. We hypothesize that these reconstructed tissues can recapitulate key functions of AT under basal and pro-inflammatory conditions. These tissues, featuring human adipocytes surrounded by stroma, were stable and metabolically active in long-term cultures (at least 11 weeks). Secretion of major adipokines and growth factors by the reconstructed tissues was determined and compared to media conditioned by human native fat explants. Interestingly, the secretory profiles of the reconstructed adipose tissues indicated an abundant production of leptin, PAI-1 and angiopoietin-1 proteins, while higher HGF levels were detected for the human fat explants. We next demonstrated the responsiveness of the tissues to the pro-inflammatory stimulus TNF-α, as reflected by modulation of MCP-1, NGF and HGF secretion, while VEGF and leptin protein expression did not vary. TNF-α exposure induced changes in gene expression for adipocyte metabolism-associated mRNAs such as SLC2A4, FASN and LIPE, as well as for genes implicated in NF-κB activation. Finally, this model was customized to feature adipocytes representative of progressive stages of differentiation, thereby allowing investigations using newly differentiated or more mature adipocytes. In conclusion, we produced tridimensional tissues engineered in vitro that are able to recapitulate key characteristics of subcutaneous white adipose tissue. These tissues are produced from human cells and their neo-synthesized matrix elements without exogenous or synthetic biomaterials. Therefore, they represent unique tools to investigate the effects of pharmacologically active products on human stromal cells, extracellular matrix and differentiated adipocytes, in addition to compounds modulating adipogenesis from precursor cells.

Adipose tissue (AT) substitutes are being developed to answer the strong demand in reconstructive surgery. To facilitate the validation of their functional performance in vivo, and to avoid resorting to excessive number of animals, it is crucial at this stage to develop biomedical imaging methodologies, enabling the follow-up of reconstructed AT substitutes. Until now, biomedical imaging of AT substitutes has scarcely been reported in the literature. Therefore, the optimal parameters enabling good resolution, appropriate contrast, and graft delineation, as well as blood perfusion validation, must be studied and reported. In this study, human adipose substitutes produced from adipose-derived stem/stromal cells using the self-assembly approach of tissue engineering were implanted into athymic mice. The fate of the reconstructed AT substitutes implanted in vivo was successfully followed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is the imaging modality of choice for visualizing soft ATs. T1-weighted images allowed clear delineation of the grafts, followed by volume integration. The magnetic resonance (MR) signal of reconstructed AT was studied in vitro by proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H-NMR). This confirmed the presence of a strong triglyceride peak of short longitudinal proton relaxation time (T1) values (200 ± 53 ms) in reconstructed AT substitutes (total T1=813 ± 76 ms), which establishes a clear signal difference between adjacent muscle, connective tissue, and native fat (total T1 ~300 ms). Graft volume retention was followed up to 6 weeks after implantation, revealing a gradual resorption rate averaging at 44% of initial substitute's volume. In addition, vascular perfusion measured by dynamic contrast-enhanced-MRI confirmed the graft's vascularization postimplantation (14 and 21 days after grafting). Histological analysis of the grafted tissues revealed the persistence of numerous adipocytes without evidence of cysts or tissue necrosis. This study describes the in vivo grafting of human adipose substitutes devoid of exogenous matrix components, and for the first time, the optimal parameters necessary to achieve efficient MRI visualization of grafted tissue-engineered adipose substitutes.

The development of tissue-engineered substitutes of substantial volume is closely associated with the need to ensure rapid vascularization upon grafting. Strategies promoting angiogenesis include the in vitro formation of capillary-like networks within engineered substitutes. We generated both connective and adipose tissues based on a cell sheet technology using human adipose-derived stromal cells. This study evaluates the morphology and extent of the capillary networks that developed upon seeding of human microvascular endothelial cells during tissue production. We posited that adipocyte presence/secretory products could modulate the resulting capillary network when compared to connective substitutes. Analyses including confocal imaging of CD31-labeled capillary-like networks indicated slight differences in their morphological appearance. However, the total volume occupied by the networks as well as the frequency distribution of the structure's volumes were similar between connective and adipose tissues. The average diameter of the capillary structures tended to be 20% higher in reconstructed adipose tissues. Quantification of pro-angiogenic molecules in conditioned media showed greater amounts of leptin (15×), angiopoietin-1 (3.4×) and HGF (1.7×) secreted from adipose than connective tissues at the time of endothelial cell seeding. However, this difference was attenuated during the following coculture period in endothelial cell-containing media, correlating with the minor differences noted between the networks. Taken together, we developed a protocol allowing reconstruction of both connective and adipose tissues featuring well-developed capillary networks in vitro. We performed a detailed characterization of the network architecture within engineered tissues that is relevant for graft assessment before implantation as well as for in vitro screening of angiogenic modulators using three-dimensional models., (Copyright © 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Collaborative writing applications (eg, wikis and Google Documents) hold the potential to improve the use of evidence in both public health and health care. The rapid rise in their use has created the need for a systematic synthesis of the evidence of their impact as knowledge translation (KT) tools in the health care sector and for an inventory of the factors that affect their use., Objective: Through the Levac six-stage methodology, a scoping review was undertaken to explore the depth and breadth of evidence about the effective, safe, and ethical use of wikis and collaborative writing applications (CWAs) in health care., Methods: Multiple strategies were used to locate studies. Seven scientific databases and 6 grey literature sources were queried for articles on wikis and CWAs published between 2001 and September 16, 2011. In total, 4436 citations and 1921 grey literature items were screened. Two reviewers independently reviewed citations, selected eligible studies, and extracted data using a standardized form. We included any paper presenting qualitative or quantitative empirical evidence concerning health care and CWAs. We defined a CWA as any technology that enables the joint and simultaneous editing of a webpage or an online document by many end users. We performed qualitative content analysis to identify the factors that affect the use of CWAs using the Gagnon framework and their effects on health care using the Donabedian framework., Results: Of the 111 studies included, 4 were experimental, 5 quasi-experimental, 5 observational, 52 case studies, 23 surveys about wiki use, and 22 descriptive studies about the quality of information in wikis. We classified them by theme: patterns of use of CWAs (n=26), quality of information in existing CWAs (n=25), and CWAs as KT tools (n=73). A high prevalence of CWA use (ie, more than 50%) is reported in 58% (7/12) of surveys conducted with health care professionals and students. However, we found only one longitudinal study showing that CWA use is increasing in health care. Moreover, contribution rates remain low and the quality of information contained in different CWAs needs improvement. We identified 48 barriers and 91 facilitators in 4 major themes (factors related to the CWA, users' knowledge and attitude towards CWAs, human environment, and organizational environment). We also found 57 positive and 23 negative effects that we classified into processes and outcomes., Conclusions: Although we found some experimental and quasi-experimental studies of the effectiveness and safety of CWAs as educational and KT interventions, the vast majority of included studies were observational case studies about CWAs being used by health professionals and patients. More primary research is needed to find ways to address the different barriers to their use and to make these applications more useful for different stakeholders.

The rapid rise in the use of collaborative writing applications (eg, wikis, Google Documents, and Google Knol) has created the need for a systematic synthesis of the evidence of their impact as knowledge translation (KT) tools in the health care sector and for an inventory of the factors that affect their use. While researchers have conducted systematic reviews on a range of software-based information and communication technologies as well as other social media (eg, virtual communities of practice, virtual peer-to-peer communities, and electronic support groups), none have reviewed collaborative writing applications in the medical sector. The overarching goal of this project is to explore the depth and breadth of evidence for the use of collaborative writing applications in health care. Thus, the purposes of this scoping review will be to (1) map the literature on collaborative writing applications; (2) compare the applications' features; (3) describe the evidence of each application's positive and negative effects as a KT intervention in health care; (4) inventory and describe the barriers and facilitators that affect the applications' use; and (5) produce an action plan and a research agenda. A six-stage framework for scoping reviews will be used: (1) identifying the research question; (2) identifying relevant studies within the selected databases (using the EPPI-Reviewer software to classify the studies); (3) selecting studies (an iterative process in which two reviewers search the literature, refine the search strategy, and review articles for inclusion); (4) charting the data (using EPPI-Reviewer's data-charting form); (5) collating, summarizing, and reporting the results (performing a descriptive, numerical, and interpretive synthesis); and (6) consulting knowledge users during three planned meetings. Since this scoping review concerns the use of collaborative writing applications as KT interventions in health care, we will use the Knowledge to Action (KTA) framework to describe and compare the various studies and collaborative writing projects we find. In addition to guiding the use of collaborative writing applications in health care, this scoping review will advance the science of KT by testing tools that could be used to evaluate other social media. We also expect to identify areas that require further systematic reviews and primary research and to produce a highly relevant research agenda that explores and leverages the potential of collaborative writing software. To date, this is the first study to use the KTA framework to study the role collaborative writing applications in KT, and the first to involve three national and international institutional knowledge users as part of the research process.

We present a detailed study of the influence of pH on the dispersion and film-forming properties of poly(acrylic acid)-stabilized carbon nanotubes. Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) is a weak polyelectrolyte, with a pH-responsive behavior in aqueous solution. We obtain quantitative UV-visible measurements to show that the amount of polyelectrolyte in optimal pH conditions is weak, showing a good efficiency of the polymer as a carbon nanotube dispersing agent. The best dispersion conditions are achieved at pH 5, a value close to the pK(a) of PAA. Apart from this tenuous pH value, the PAA is not efficient at stabilizing nanotubes and atomic force microscopy allows us to explain the delicate balance between the PAA adsorption and the suspension stability. This study finally permits optimal conditions for making homogeneous and conductive composite films to be determined.

Purpose/objectives: This quasi-experimental research aims to (1) evaluate the implementation process of a community nursing care management model and (2) assess the effects of this model on patients followed at home., Primary Practice Setting: Two community healthcare centers had introduced a community nursing care management model in their practice (experimental groups), whereas another health community care center with no experience with such a model served as a control group. The community nursing care management model included clinical pathways designed for a clientele who had been hospitalized for cardiac surgery., Findings/conclusions: Even though the implementation process was challenging, the community nursing care management model was found useful enough to be integrated into routine nursing home care practice after cardiac surgery. Although the effects produced by this systematic home care program on the clientele did not differ significantly from those produced by usual nursing care, there was a positive effect for the clientele recorded on all measurement indicators used., Implications for Case Management Practice: The introduction of the nursing care management model enabled nurses to structure the care provided and reduced interindividual variation. The application of this program also proved to be an opportunity to initiate and assimilate new professional roles. Additional studies should be conducted to assess its effectiveness in home care for other health problems.

Nanomechanical resonators have shown potential application for mass sensing and have been used to detect a variety of biomolecules. In this study, a dynamic resonance-based technique was used to detect prion proteins (PrP), which in conformationally altered forms are known to cause neurodegenerative diseases in animals as well as humans. Antibodies and nanoparticles were used as mass labels to increase the mass shift and thus amplify the frequency shift signal used in PrP detection. A sandwich assay was used to immobilize PrP between two monoclonal antibodies, one of which was conjugated to the resonator's surface while the other was either used alone or linked to the nanoparticles as a mass label. Without additional mass labeling, PrP was not detected at concentrations below 20 microg/mL. In the presence of secondary antibodies the analytical sensitivity was improved to 2 microg/mL. With the use of functionalized nanoparticles, the sensitivity improved an additional 3 orders of magnitude to 2 ng/mL.

Most HIV-1 isolates depend on CCR5 or CXCR4 to infect target cells, and efficient use of other coreceptors is rare. We cloned HIV-1 envelopes from virus at acute infection and found that most use CCR3 efficiently. This result contradicts prevailing data, suggesting that CCR3 usage is rare. We hypothesized that direct isolation into PBMC biases selection of viruses that use CCR5 and not CCR3. We therefore compared coreceptor use of isolates obtained by PBMC coculture with envelopes cloned directly from patient blood samples, which should represent actively replicating species. Viruses derived by cloning generally used CCR3 and CCR5 with equally efficiently. In contrast, we found that viruses isolated by PBMC coculture largely, or exclusively, used CCR5. Regardless of whether CCR3 use contributes to HIV-1 transmission or pathogenesis, our results demonstrate that "primary isolates" generated by PBMC culture are unlikely to accurately represent the in vivo replicating quasi-species.