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© 2016 Leung et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.B

Fatemeh Ejeian,1,2 Amir Razmjou,1,3 Mohammad Hossein Nasr-Esfahani,2 Munirah Mohammad,3 Fereshteh Karamali,2 Majid Ebrahimi Warkiani,4 Mohsen Asadnia,5 Vicki Chen6 1Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan 73441-81746, Iran; 2Department of Animal Biotechnology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran; 3UNESCO Center for Membrane Technology, School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia; 4School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia; 5School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia; 6School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, AustraliaCorrespondence: Amir RazmjouUNESCO Center for Membrane Technology, School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, AustraliaTel +61 (2) 9385 4341Fax +61 (2) 9385 5966Email amirr@unsw.edu.auMohammad Hossein Nasr-Esfahani Department of Animal Biotechnology, Cell Science Research CenterRoyan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, IranTel +98 31 95015680Fax +98 31 95015687Email mh.nasr-esfahani@royaninstitute.orgPurpose: Despite the significant advances in modeling of biomechanical aspects of cell microenvironment, it remains a major challenge to precisely mimic the physiological condition of the particular cell niche. Here, the metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been introduced as a feasible platform for multifactorial control of cell-substrate interaction, given the wide range of physical and mechanical properties of MOF materials and their structural flexibility.Results: In situ crystallization of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) on the polydopamine (PDA)-modified membrane significantly raised surface energy, wettability, roughness, and stiffness of the substrate. This modulation led to an almost twofold increment in the primary attachment of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) compare to conventional plastic culture dishes. The findings indicate that polypropylene (PP) membrane modified by PDA/ZIF-8 coating effectively supports the growth and proliferation of DPSCs at a substantial rate. Further analysis also displayed the exaggerated multilineage differentiation of DPSCs with amplified level of autocrine cell fate determination signals, like BSP1, BMP2, PPARG, FABP4, ACAN, and COL2A. Notably, osteogenic markers were dramatically overexpressed (more than 100-folds rather than tissue culture plate) in response to biomechanical characteristics of the ZIF-8 layer.Conclusion: Hence, surface modification of cell culture platforms with MOF nanostructures proposed as a powerful nanomedical approach for selectively guiding stem cells for tissue regeneration. In particular, PP/PDA/ZIF-8 membrane presented ideal characteristics for using as a barrier membrane for guided bone regeneration (GBR) in periodontal tissue engineering.Keywords: metal–organic framework, mesenchymal stem cell, ZIF-8, cell culture platform, barrier membrane

A set of new millimeter-wave diagnostics will deliver unique measurement capabilities for National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade to address a variety of plasma instabilities believed to be important in determining thermal and particle transport, such as micro-tearing, global Alfvén eigenmodes, kinetic ballooning, trapped electron, and electron temperature gradient modes. These diagnostics include a new integrated intermediate-k Doppler backscattering (DBS) and cross-polarization scattering (CPS) system (four channels, 82.5–87 GHz) to measure density and magnetic fluctuations, respectively. The system can access reasonably large normalized wavenumbers kθρs ranging from ≤0.5 to 15 (where ion sound gyroradius ρs = 1 cm and kθ is the binormal density turbulence wavenumber). The system addresses the challenges for making useful DBS/CPS measurements with a remote control of launch polarization (X- or O-mode), probed wavenumber, polarization match of the launch beam with the edge magnetic field pitch angle, and beam steering of the launched beam for wave-vector alignment. In addition, a low-k DBS system consisting of eight fixed frequencies (34–52 GHz) and four tunable frequencies (55–75 GHz) for low-k density turbulence and fast ion physics will be located at a nearby port location. The combined systems cover the near LCFS and pedestal regions (34–52 GHz), the pedestal or mid-radius (50–75 GHz), and core plasmas (82.5–87 GHz). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nawaf M Alotaibi,1,2 Virginia Chen,1,3,4 Zsuzsanna Hollander,1,3,4 Jonathon A Leipsic,5 Cameron J Hague,5 Darra T Murphy,5 Mari L DeMarco,1,6 JM FitzGerald,3,7,8 Bruce M McManus,1,3,4,6 Raymond T Ng,4,9 Don D Sin1,3,7 1Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, James Hogg Research Centre, St Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 2Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3Institute for Heart and Lung Health, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 4PROOF Centre of Excellence, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 5Department of Radiology, St Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 6Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 7Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 8The Lung Centre, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 9Department of Computer Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada Background: Etiologies of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) are heterogeneous. We phenotyped severe AECOPD based on molecular pathogen detection of sputum samples collected at hospitalization of COPD patients and determined their outcomes.Methods: We phenotyped 72 sputum samples of COPD patients who were hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of AECOPD using a molecular array that detected common bacterial and viral respiratory pathogens. Based on these results, the patients were classified into positive or negative pathogen groups. The pathogen-positive group was further divided into virus or bacteria subgroups. Admission day 1 blood samples were assayed for N-terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptide, CRP, and complete blood counts.Results: A total of 52 patients had a positive result on the array, while 20 patients had no pathogens detected. The most common bacterial pathogen detected was Haemophilus influenzae and the most common virus was rhinovirus. The pathogen-negative group had the worse outcomes with longer hospital stays (median 6.5 vs 5 days for bacteria-positive group, P=0.02) and a trend toward increased 1-year mortality (P=0.052). The bacteria-positive group had the best prognosis, whereas the virus-positive group had outcomes somewhere in between the bacteria-positive and pathogen-negative groups.Conclusion: Molecular diagnostics on sputum can rapidly phenotype serious AECOPD into bacteria-, virus-, or pathogen-negative groups. The bacteria-positive group appears to have the best prognosis, while pathogen-negative group has the worst. These data suggest that AECOPD is a heterogeneous event and that accurate phenotyping of AECOPD may lead to novel management strategies that are personalized and more precise. Keywords: COPD, molecular pathogen detection, exacerbation phenotypes

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a cardiovascular disorder that affects approximately 4.6 million Americans and is a leading cause of death in the United States. Current research shows that strategies to promote early recognition and treatment of symptoms and enhance self-care management behaviors reduce unnecessary hospitalizations. However, mechanisms to monitor patients' health status and behaviors are limited by constraints imposed by the patient's geography, infirmity, or resources. Remote monitoring supports a more dynamic connection between healthcare providers and patients, improves health promotion and patient care through monitoring of health data, communicates health reminders, and makes provisions for patient feedback. This paper will describe two versions of Weight and Activity with Blood Pressure Monitoring System (WANDA [22]) that leverages sensor technology and wireless communication to monitor health status of patients with CHF. The WANDA system is built on a three-tier architecture consisting of sensors, a web server, and back-end database tiers. The system was developed in conjunction with the UCLA School of Nursing and the UCLA Wireless Health Institute to enable early detection of key clinical symptoms indicative of CHF-related decompensation in a real-time automated fashion and allows health professionals to offer surveillance, advice, and continuity of care and triggers early implementation of strategies to enhance adherence behaviors. The small study has enabled patients to reduce or maintain the number of readings which are out of the acceptable range. For diastolic, systolic, and heart rate values, the t-test results show that the WANDA study is effective for patients with CHF. © 2010 ACM.

Heart failure is a leading cause of death in the United States, with around 5 million Americans currently suffering from congestive heart failure. The WANDA B. wireless health technology leverages sensor technology and wireless communication to monitor heart failure patient activity and to provide tailored guidance. Patients who have cardiovascular system disorders can measure their weight, blood pressure, activity levels, and other vital signs in a real-time automated fashion. The system was developed in conjunction with the UCLA Nursing School and the UCLA Wireless Health Institute for use on actual patients. It is currently in use with real patients in a clinical trial. © 2010 IEEE.

Nawaf M Alotaibi,1,2 Virginia Chen,1,3,4 Zsuzsanna Hollander,1,3,4 Cameron J Hague,5 Darra T Murphy,5 Jonathon A Leipsic,5 Mari L DeMarco,1,6 J Mark FitzGerald,7,8 Bruce M McManus,1,3,4,6 Raymond T Ng,4,9 Don D Sin1,3,7 1Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, James Hogg Research Centre, St Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 2Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3Institute for Heart Lung Health, 4PROOF Centre of Excellence, 5Department of Radiology, St Paul’s Hospital, 6Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, 7Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 8The Lung Centre, Vancouver General Hospital, 9Department of Computer Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada Rationale: Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) are caused by a variety of different etiologic agents. Our aim was to phenotype COPD exacerbations using imaging (chest X-ray [CXR] and computed tomography [CT]) and to determine the possible role of the blood tests (C-reactive protein [CRP], the N-terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptide [NT-proBNP]) as diagnostic biomarkers. Materials and methods: Subjects who were hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of AECOPD and who had had CXRs, CT scans, and blood collection for CRP and NT-proBNP were assessed in this study. Radiologist blinded to the clinical and laboratory characteristics of the subjects interpreted their CXRs and CT images. ANOVA and Spearman’s correlation were performed to test for associations between these imaging parameters and the blood-based biomarkers NT-proBNP and CRP; logistic regression models were used to assess the performance of these biomarkers in predicting the radiological parameters. Results: A total of 309 subjects were examined for this study. Subjects had a mean age of 65.6±11.1 years, 66.7% of them were males, and 62.4% were current smokers, with a mean FEV1 54.4%±21.5% of predicted. Blood NT-proBNP concentrations were associated with cardiac enlargement (area under the curve [AUC] =0.72, P

Measurements of the turbulent density wavenumber spectrum, δ n ˆ e (k ⊥) , using the Doppler Back-Scattering (DBS) diagnostic are reported from DIII-D H-mode plasmas with electron cyclotron heating as the only auxiliary heating method. These electron-heated plasmas have low collisionality, ν e ∗ < 1 , T e / T i > 1 , and zero injected torque—a regime expected to be relevant for future fusion devices. We probe density fluctuations in the core (ρ ≈ 0.7) over a broad wavenumber range, 0.5 ⩽ k ⊥ ⩽ 16 cm−1 ( 0.1 ⩽ k ⊥ ρ s ⩽ 5), to characterize plasma instabilities and compare with theoretical predictions. We present a novel synthetic DBS diagnostic to relate the back-scattered power spectrum, P s (k ⊥) —which is directly measured by DBS—to the underlying electron density fluctuation spectrum, δ n ˆ e (k ⊥). The synthetic DBS P s (k ⊥) spectrum is calculated by combining the SCOTTY beam-tracing code with a model δ n ˆ e (k ⊥) predicted either analytically or numerically. In this work we use the quasi-linear code Trapped Gyro-Landau Fluid (TGLF) to approximate the δ n ˆ e (k ⊥) spectrum. We find that TGLF, using the experimental profiles, is capable of closely reproducing the DBS measurements. Both the DBS measurements and the TGLF-DBS synthetic diagnostic show a wavenumber spectrum with variable decay. The measurements show weak decay (k −0.6) for k < 3.5 cm−1, with k −2.6 at intermediate- k ( 3.5 ⩽ k ⩽ 8.5 cm−1), and rapid decay (k −9.4) for k > 8.5 cm−1. Scans of physics parameters using TGLF suggest that the normalized ∇ T e scale-length, R / L T e , is an important factor for distinguishing microturbulence regimes in these plasmas. A combination of DBS observations and TGLF simulations indicate that fluctuations remain peaked at ITG-scales (low k) while R / L T e -driven TEM/ETG-type modes (intermediate/high k) are marginally sub-dominant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitis heyneana Schult. (family Vitaceae) is locally known as 'Wild Grapes'. It has long been used traditionally as a remedy for irregular menstruation, furuncle, bronchitis, and arthritis-related diseases. Antioxidant and xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory activities have not been reported in this species. Therefore, the present study aim to investigate the antioxidant and XO inhibitory activities of the plant. Phytochemical screening of the ethanol stem extract was carried out using standard method. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging method. The XO inhibitory activity was evaluated using standard procedure. Phytochemical screening showed the presence of carbohydrates, essential oils, amino acids, triterpenoids, saponins, coumarins, flavonoids, and tannins. The ethyl acetate fraction showed the highest antioxidant activity with IC50 value of 21.90 ± 0.17 μg/mL, followed by chloroform fraction (IC50 = 35.92 ± 0.28 μg/mL), petroleum ether fraction (IC50 = 52.22 ± 0.20 μg/mL), and aqueous fraction (IC50 = 143.37 ± 1.12 μg/mL). The plant extract exhibited significant XO inhibitory activity with the ethyl acetate fraction showing the highest activity (IC50 = 11.28 ± 0.41 μg/mL) followed by the aqueous fraction (IC50 = 17.51 ± 0.38 μg/mL), chloroform fraction (IC50 = 35.75 ± 0.19 μg/mL), and the petroleum ether fraction (IC50 = 130.20 ± 0.24 μg/mL). These results suggest the potential use of V. heyneana stems in the management of gout as well as an antioxidant to eliminate free radicals and reduce the oxidative stress associated with gout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a rationale for a class of mobile, casual, and educational games, which we call UbiqGames. The study is motivated by the desire to understand how students use educational games in light of additional distractions on their devices, and how game design can make those games appealing, educationally useful, and practical. In particular, we explain the choices made to build an engaging and educational first example of this line of games, namely Weatherlings. Further, we report results from a pilot study with 20 students that suggest that students are engaged by the game and are interested in learning more about academic content topics, specifically weather and climate, after playing the game. Research should continue to determine whether Weatherlings specifically does increase learning in these areas, and more generally to determine whether any learning gains and similar results with regard to engagement can be replicated in other content areas following the general model for game design. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

Raj K Maturi,1,2 Vincent Chen,3 Dan Raghinaru,3 Laurie Bleau,1 Michael W Stewart4 1Midwest Eye Institute, Indianapolis, IN, USA; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; 3Jaeb Center for Health Research, Tampa, FL, USA; 4Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA Aims: To determine if intravitreal bevacizumab combined with the dexamethasone intravitreal implant 0.7 mg improves visual acuity and macular thickness more than bevacizumab monotherapy in eyes with macular edema due to branch and central retinal vein occlusions. Methods: Thirty eyes were randomly assigned to receive either combination therapy or bevacizumab monotherapy. All patients received intravitreal bevacizumab at baseline, followed by dexamethasone implants or sham injections 1 week later. Monthly bevacizumab injections were given if the central subfield thickness (CST) was >250 µm, and the combined group received a second implant at month 4 or 5 if CST was >250 µm. Results: At 6 months, several secondary endpoints were met. Patients receiving combined therapy required fewer bevacizumab reinjections compared to those receiving monotherapy (two versus three; P=0.02), experienced greater mean reductions in CST from randomization (–56 µm versus +45 µm; P=0.01), and were more likely to have resolved all edema (CST