eWALL: An Open-Source Cloud-Based eHealth Platform for Creating Home Caring Environments for Older Adults Living with Chronic Diseases or Frailty

Independent living of older adults is one of the main challenges linked to the ageing population. Especially those living with diseases like COPD, MCI or frailty, need more support in everyday life and this is by itself a big societal challenge with impact in multiple sectors. In this paper we present eWALL, an innovative open-source eHealth platform that aims to address these challenges by means of an advanced cloud-based infrastructure. eWALL is designed in an innovative manner and achieved technical breakthroughs in eHealth platforms, while prioritizing user and market needs that are often abandoned and are the major reason for technically sound solutions that fail. We consider this as an opportunity and we aim to change the eHealth systems’ experience for older adults and break the barriers for the penetration of ICT solutions.     

InVADE: Integrated Vasculature for Assessing Dynamic Events

Drug screening with simplified 2D cell culture and relevant animal testing fail to predict clinical outcomes. With the rising cost of drug development, predictive 3D tissue models with human cells are in urgent demand. Establishing vascular perfusion of 3D tissues has always been a challenge, but it is necessary to mimic drug transport and to capture complex interorgan crosstalk. Here, a versatile multiwell plate is presented empowered by built‐in microfabricated vascular scaffolds that define the vascular space and support self‐assembly of various parenchymal tissues. In this configuration, assembly and organ‐specific function of a metabolically active liver, a free‐contracting cardiac muscle, and a metastatic solid tumor are demonstrated, tracking organ function using noninvasive analysis techniques. By linking the 3D tumor and the liver tissue in series, it is demonstrated that the presence of liver tissue is crucial to correctly reveal the efficacy of a chemotherapeutic drug, Tegafur. Furthermore, the complete cancer metastasis cascade is demonstrated across multiple organs, where cancer cells escaping from the solid tumor can invade a distant liver tissue connected through a continuous vascular interface. This combinatory use of microfabricated scaffold onto a standard cell culturing platform can offer important insights into the mechanics of complex interorgan biological events.     

In vitro and in vivo investigation of taste-masking effectiveness of Eudragit E PO as drug particle coating agent in orally disintegrating tablets

Abstract

Context: Considering that bitter taste of drugs incorporated in orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) can be the main reason for avoiding drug therapy, it is of the utmost importance to achieve successful taste-masking. The evaluation of taste-masking effectiveness is still a major challenge.

Objective: The objective of this study was to mask bitter taste of the selected model drugs by drug particle coating with Eudragit^® E PO, as well as to evaluate taste-masking effectiveness of prepared ODTs using compendial dissolution testing, dissolution in the small-volume shake-flask assembly and trained human taste panel.

Materials and methods: Model drugs were coated in fluidized bed. Disintequik? ODT was used as a novel co-processed excipient for ODT preparation. Selected formulations were investigated in vitro and in vivo using techniques for taste-masking assessment.

Results and discussion: Significantly slower drug dissolution was observed from tablets with coated drug particles during the first 3?min of investigation. Results of in vivo taste-masking assessment demonstrated significant improvement in drug bitterness suppression in formulations with coated drug. Strong correlation between the results of drug dissolution in the small-volume shake-flask assembly and in vivo evaluation data was established (R?≥?0.970).

Conclusion: Drug particle coating with Eudragit^® E PO can be a suitable approach for bitter taste-masking. Strong correlation between in vivo and in vitro results implicate that small-volume dissolution method may be used as surrogate for human panel taste-masking assessment, in the case of physical taste-masking approach application.     

Effect of estradiol and progesterone on thyroid gland in pigs: a histochemical, stereological, and ultrastructural study

The cellular and subcellular organization of thyroid follicular cells in peripubertal (6-month-old) male pigs treated with estradiol-dipropionate (Oe) plus progesterone (Pr) in combination on the first postnatal day was studied. A stereological method was used for morphometric determinations of the relative volume densities of the follicular epithelium, colloid and interstitium, and for establishing the epithelial height and index of activation rate. Statistically significant differences of the examined parameters between the control and Oe+Pr -treated groups were determined by Student's t-test. The subcellular organization of thyroid follicular cells was studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). When compared with the control group, in the Oe+Pr -treated pigs, thyroid follicles possessed a noticeably higher follicular epithelium when compared with the control animals. The observed changes were quantified and comparison between the experimental groups showed that the height, volume density of follicular epithelium, and index of activation rate were significantly (P < 0.05) increased, whereas the relative volume density of the colloid was significantly (P < 0.05) decreased. At the subcellular level the thyroid follicular cells of Oe+Pr -treated pigs were characterized by increased number of polysomes and dense bodies and extensive endoplasmatic reticulum. It was concluded that a single neonatal treatment with female gonadal steroids exerted a prolonged effect on the pig's thyroid, characterized by increased biosynthesis and reabsorption of the colloid by the follicular cells.     

Production of Antioxidant Egg White Hydrolysates in a Continuous Stirred Tank Enzyme Reactor Coupled with Membrane Separation Unit

Food and Bioprocess Technology - The objective of this research was to design an efficient continuously operated membrane reactor with a separation unit for egg white protein (EWP) hydrolysis and...     

Toxin producing Bacillus cereus persist in ready-to-reheat spaghetti Bolognese mainly in vegetative state

The potential of Bacillus cereus to cause a diarrheal toxico-infection is related to its ability to perform de novo enterotoxin production in the small intestine. A prerequisite for this is presence of sufficient numbers of B. cereus that have survived gastro-intestinal passage. It is known that the percentage of survival is much smaller for vegetative cells in comparison to spores and it is therefore important to know the state in which B. cereus is ingested. The results of the current study performed on twelve B. cereus strains, comprising both diarrheal and emetic type, indicate that exposure via contaminated foods mainly concerns vegetative cells. Inoculated vegetative cells grew to high counts, with the growth dynamic depending on the storage temperature. At 28 °C growth to high counts resulted in spore formation, in general, after 1 day of storage. One strain was an exception, producing spores only after 16 days. At 12 °C obtained high counts did not result in spore formation for 11 of 12 tested strains after two weeks of storage. The highest counts and time to sporulation were different between strains, but no difference was observed on the group level of diarrheal and emetic strains. The spore counts were always lower than vegetative cell counts and occurred only when food was obviously sensory spoiled (visual and odor evaluation). Similar observations were made with food inoculated with B. cereus spores instead of vegetative cells. Although the prospect of consuming spores was found very weak, the numbers of vegetative B. cereus cells were high enough, without obvious sensory deviation, to survive in sufficient level to cause diarrheal toxico-infection.