The Crosstalk of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells (ADSC), Oxidative Stress,and Inflammation in Protective and Adaptive Responses

The potential use of stem cell-based therapies for the repair and regeneration of various tissues and organs is a major goal in repair medicine. Stem cells are classified by their potential to differentiate into functional cells. Compared with other sources, adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have the advantage of being abundant and easy to obtain. ADSCs are considered to be tools for replacing, repairing, and regenerating dead or damaged cells. The capacity of ADSCs to maintain their properties depends on the balance of complex signals in their microenvironment. Their properties and the associated outcomes are in part regulated by reactive oxygen species, which mediate the oxidation-reduction state of cells as a secondary messenger. ADSC therapy has demonstrated beneficial effects, suggesting that secreted factors may provide protection. There is evidence that ADSCs secrete a number of cytokines, growth factors, and antioxidant factors into their microenvironment, thus regulating intracellular signaling pathways in neighboring cells. In this review, we introduce the roles of ADSCs in the protection of cells by modulating inflammation and immunity, and we develop their potential therapeutic properties.     

The factorial structure of the Dutch translation of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems: A test of the long and short versions.

In this article, the authors study the factorial structure of 2 versions (64 items and 32 items) of the Dutch translation of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP; L. M. Horowitz, L. E. Alden, J. S. Wiggins, & A. L. Pincus, 2000) in both a clinical sample (n = 382) and a student sample (n = 287). First, the authors test whether both inventories are constituted by correlated uni-dimensional subscales, and they conclude that this is true only for the short version. Second, the authors study whether the correlations between the subscales follow a circumplex pattern. This proves to be true for both versions. Coefficients alpha and correlations between the IIP-64 and IIP-32 subscales are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A birth-process approach to Moranda's geometric software-reliability model

To alleviate some of the objections to the basic Jelinski Moranda (JM) model for software failures, Moranda proposed a geometric de-eutrophication model. This model assumes that the times between failures are statistically-independent exponential random variables with given failure rates. In this model the failure rates decrease geometrically with the detection of a fault. Using an intuitive approach, Musa, Iannino, Okumoto , see also Farr , derived expressions for the mean and the intensity functions of the process N (t) which counts the number of faults detected in the time interval [O, t] for the Moranda geometric de-eutrophication model. N (t) is studied as a pure birth stochastic process; its probability generating function is derived, as well as its mean, intensity and reliability functions. The expressions for the mean and intensity functions derived by MIO are only approximations and can be quite different from the true functions for certain choices of the failure rates. The exact expressions for the mean function and the intensity function of N (t) are used to find the optimum release time of software based on a cost structure for Moranda's geometric de-eutrophication model.     

Modeling of Moisture Behavior of Wood Planks in Nonvented Flat Roofs

A computer model was extended and adapted to simulate the hygrothermal behavior of building envelope-wood components. The model was used to predict moisture movement in wood planks forming the decks of nonvented flat roofs insulated with cellulose. The gradient of water potential was considered as the driving force for moisture movement in wood. The model required the determination of convective heat- and mass-transfer coefficients, the sorption curves, the effective water conductivity for different wood species, and the hygrothermal conditions within the assembly to characterize the mass-conservation equation. Once these parameters were integrated in the computer model, this approach was then validated by carrying a simulation of the drying process of wood planks using experimental data from a large-scale test.     

L'échelle des Orientations Générales à la Causalité: Validation canadienne fran?aise du General Causality Orientations Scale.

Conducted a reliability and validity study of the French version of E. L. Deci and R. M. Ryan's (1985) General Causality Orientations Scale (GCOS), which measures the extent to which people are oriented toward the autonomy, control, and impersonal aspects of the initiation and regulation of behavior. Findings support the psychometric and construct validity of the French version of the GCOS; suggestions for its use in French-Canadian psychological research are discussed. (English abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Raman studies of structural rearrangements induced in human plasma lipoprotein carotenoids by malondialdehyde

Raman and resonance Raman spectra of plasma lipoproteins ± malondialdehyde were studied at concentrations which block the normal receptor-mediated uptake by cells. The strong resonance Raman bands at about 1010, 1162 and 1530 cm⁻¹, due to the presence of carotenoids in the lipoproteins, are envisaged as structural probes. High resolution resonance Raman spectra of the 1500–1600 cm⁻¹ region reveal multiple features suggesting the coexistence of several structural populations of β-carotene whose precise assignment is complex. When plasma lipoproteins are reacted with malondialdehyde, a complex change occurs in the resonance Raman banding of β-carotene in the 1500–1600 cm⁻¹ region. Malonaldehyde (MDA) also modifies the acoustical region (70–200 cm⁻¹ of low density lipoprotein (LDL) lipids. We suggest that malondialdehyde association with plasma lipoproteins alters the lipid structure via apoprotein or apoprotein/lipid associations.     

Minimizing the number of tool switches on a flexible machine

This article analyzes a tool switching problem arising in certain flexible manufacturing environments. A batch of jobs have to be successively processed on a single flexible machine. Each job requires a subset of tools, which have to be placed in the tool magazine of the machine before the job can be processed. The tool magazine has a limited capacity, and, in general, the number of tools needed to produce all the jobs exceeds this capacity. Hence, it is sometimes necessary to change tools between two jobs in a sequence. The problem is then to determine a job sequence and an associated sequence of loadings for the tool magazine, such that the total number of tool switches is minimized. This problem has been previously considered by several authors; it is here revisited, both from a theoretical and from a computational viewpoint. Basic results concerning the computational complexity of the problem are established. Several heuristics are proposed for its solution, and their performance is computationally assessed.     

Randomized multicenter comparison of conventional anticoagulation versus antiplatelet therapy in unplanned and elective coronary stenting. The full anticoagulation versus aspirin and ticlopidine (fantastic) study

BACKGROUND: Dual therapy with ticlopidine and aspirin has been shown to be as effective as or more effective than conventional anticoagulation in patients with an optimal result after implantation of intracoronary metallic stents. However, the safety and efficacy of antiplatelet therapy alone in an unselected population has not been evaluated. METHODS: Patients were randomized to conventional anticoagulation or to treatment with antiplatelet therapy alone. Indications for stenting were classified as elective (decided before the procedure) or unplanned (to salvage failed angioplasty or to optimize the results of balloon angioplasty). After stenting, patients received aspirin and either ticlopidine or conventional anticoagulation (heparin or oral anticoagulant). The primary end point was the occurrence of bleeding or peripheral vascular complications; secondary end points were cardiac events (death, infarction, or stent occlusion) and duration of hospitalization. RESULTS: In 13 centers, 236 patients were randomized to anticoagulation and 249 to antiplatelet therapy. Stenting was elective in 58% of patients and unplanned in 42%. Stent implantation was successfully achieved in 99% of patients. A primary end point occurred in 33 patients (13.5%) in the antiplatelet group and 48 patients (21%) in the anticoagulation group (odds ratio=0.6 [95% CI 0.36 to 0.98], P=0.03). Major cardiac-related events in electively stented patients were less common (odds ratio=0.23 [95% CI 0.05 to 0.91], P=0.01) in the antiplatelet group (3 of 123, 2.4%) than the anticoagulation group (11 of 111, 9.9%). Hospital stay was significantly shorter in the antiplatelet group (4.3+/-3.6 versus 6. 4+/-3.7 days, P=0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Antiplatelet therapy after coronary stenting significantly reduced rates of bleeding and subacute stent occlusion compared with conventional anticoagulation.