Development and evaluation of an affordable lift device to reduce musculo-skeletal injuries among home support workers

Home support workers (HSWs) work in clients' homes assisting with rehabilitation and activities of daily living. Like all health-care professionals, HSWs are at an increased risk for developing back injuries. Lift devices have been shown to reduce injuries to the worker. Presently, there are few lifting devices for home use that cost under $4000 CDN. Our study involved designing a safe and affordable lift device (retail cost under $2000 CDN) to be used by HSWs in the home and evaluating it in a typical bathroom. Thirty-eight HSWs and three seniors evaluated the BCIT lift, a commercially available lift (BHM Medical Inc.) and the manual method of transfer and lift. Results indicated that the BCIT lift was an improvement over the manual method of transferring, and approximated the more expensive, automatic lift in terms of perceived exertion, ease of use and safety. Feedback provided to the researchers has been incorporated into a new, ergonomically sound and marketable lift device.     

Activation of the Interleukin-33/ST2 Pathway Exerts Deleterious Effects in Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease

Mitral valve disease (MVD) is a frequent cause of heart failure and death worldwide, but its etiopathogenesis is not fully understood. Interleukin (IL)-33 regulates inflammation and thrombosis in the vascular endothelium and may play a role in the atherosclerotic process, but its role in mitral valve has not been investigated. We aim to explore IL-33 as a possible inductor of myxomatous degeneration in human mitral valves. We enrolled 103 patients suffering from severe mitral regurgitation due to myxomatous degeneration undergoing mitral valve replacement. Immunohistochemistry of the resected leaflets showed IL-33 and ST2 expression in both valve interstitial cells (VICs) and valve endothelial cells (VECs). Positive correlations were found between the levels of IL-33 and molecules implicated in the development of myxomatous MVD, such as proteoglycans, extracellular matrix remodeling enzymes (matrix metalloproteinases and their tissue inhibitors), inflammatory and fibrotic markers. Stimulation of single cell cultures of VICs and VECs with recombinant human IL-33 induced the expression of activated VIC markers, endothelial–mesenchymal transition of VECs, proteoglycan synthesis, inflammatory molecules and extracellular matrix turnover. Our findings suggest that the IL-33/ST2 system may be involved in the development of myxomatous MVD by enhancing extracellular matrix remodeling.     

Chlorotrifluoroethylene oligomer based nonflammable hydraulic fluid. 1 Fluid,additive, and elastomer development

A chlorotrifluoroethylene (CTFE) based nonflammable hydraulic fluid for use in the −54 °C to 175 °C temperature range has been developed for use in future aircraft and armoured land vehicles to reduce fire losses and improve survivability. The desired flammability, chemical, and physical properties of a non- flammable hydraulic fluid were defined in the 1970s and extensive screening tests were performed to determine the best candidate nonflammable hydraulic fluid basestock. CTFE was selected because it had the best overall properties of all the candidates investigated. Structurelproperty correlation studies were conducted better to understand the behaviour capabilities and limitations of the CTFE basestock. Extensive research and development have been per- formed to develop soluble, effective antiwear and antirust additives to improve some of the critical properties of CTFE. A successful formulation utilising a stabilised zinc, containing corrosion inhibitor and a sulphonamide antiwear additive, has been developed which meets all temperature, lubricity, compatibility, and thermal stability requirements. Research was concurrently conducted to develop elastomers and seals compatible with the CTFE fluid. Several materials have been developed which are usable in somewhat limited applications and Viton GLT has been found to be successful for wide temperature range applications. This paper also discusses toxicity studies and results, environmental effects, future plans and applications, and the current military specification, MIL-H-53119.     

Long-chain lipids are required for the innate immune recognition of trehalose diesters by macrophages

Going to any length? Trehalose diesters of various chain lengths have been synthesised in order to determine the effect of lipid length on innate immune recognition, as determined by NO and cytokine production by macrophages. In this work, we show that longer lipids (C(20) -C(26)) are required for macrophage activation, with C(22) giving optimal activity.     

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae enolase‐related regions encode proteins that are active enolases

In addition to two genes (ENO1 and ENO2) known to code for enolase (EC4.2.1.11), the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome contains three enolase‐related regions (ERR1, ERR2 and ERR3) which could potentially encode proteins with enolase function. Here, we show that products of these genes (Err2p and Err3p) have secondary and quaternary structures similar to those of yeast enolase (Eno1p). In addition, Err2p and Err3p can convert 2‐phosphoglycerate to phosphoenolpyruvate, with kinetic parameters similar to those of Eno1p, suggesting that these proteins could function as enolases in vivo. To address this possibility, we overexpressed the ERR2 and ERR3 genes individually in a double‐null yeast strain lacking ENO1 and ENO2, and showed that either ERR2 or ERR3 could complement the growth defect in this strain when cells are grown in medium with glucose as the carbon source. Taken together, these data suggest that the ERR genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae encode a protein that could function in glycolysis as enolase. The presence of these enolase‐related regions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and their absence in other related yeasts suggests that these genes may play some unique role in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Further experiments will be required to determine whether these functions are related to glycolysis or other cellular processes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimization of Focused Ultrasound Extraction and Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Volatile Compounds and Antioxidants from Aromatic Plants

In this work, we have accomplished the optimization of focused ultrasound extraction and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of volatile oils and phenolic compounds from aromatic plants such as rosemary, oregano, and chamomile. The response surface analysis was the overall procedure to tackle this work. On the one hand, the focused ultrasound extraction method of volatile compounds was studied based on the use of cyclohexane as extractant (chamomile required cyclohexane:isopropanol (95:5)), and three parameters were optimized (cycles, amplitude, and time) for each plant. The quantification of the volatile compounds was performed by means of GC?×?GC-MS analysis and the volatile oil concentration rounded 10–310 μg/g for the oregano; 7–2,920 μg/g for the rosemary, and 0.8–244.2 mg/g for the chamomile. In the SFE method, four parameters were studied (oven temperature, pressure, CO₂ flow, and EtOH?%). The total polyphenol content was determined by Folin–Ciocalteu obtaining values from 1,000 to 12,000 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g plant. The antioxidant capacity was measured by Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity obtaining values from 1.1 to 46.7 μmol Trolox equivalent/g plant.     

Toxicity Evaluation for Safe Use of Nanomaterials: Recent Achievements and Technical Challenges

Recent developments in the field of nanotechnology involving the synthesis of novel nanomaterials (NM) have attracted the attention of numerous scientists owing to the possibility of degradative perturbations in human health. This Review evaluates previous investigations related to NM toxicity studies using biological models and describes the limitations that often prevent toxicologists from identifying whether NM pose a real hazard to human health. One major limitation to assess toxicity is the characterization of the NM prior to and after exposure to living cells or animals. The most relevant physicochemical characteristics of NM are: size, surface chemistry, crystallinity, morphology, solubility, aggregation tendency, homogeneity of dispersions, and turbidity. All of these properties need to be assessed in order to determine their contribution to toxicity. Due to the lack of appropriate methods to determine the physicochemical nature of nanoparticles in biological systems, the exact nature of NM toxicity is not fully described or understood at this time. This Review emphasizes the need for state‐of‐the‐art physicochemical characterization, the determination of appropriate exposure protocols and reliable methods for assessing NM internalization and their kinetics in living organisms. Once these issues are addressed, optimal experimental conditions could be established in order to identify if NM pose a threat to human health. Multidisciplinary research between materials scientists and life scientists should overcome these limitations in identifying the true hazards of NM.