44 research outputs found
Nanotechnologies for tissue engineering and regeneration: Nanoengineered/nanopatterned materials for cell and tissue guidance
No full textStem cells (SCs) can self-renew or differentiate into different cell types, which makes them an ideal cell source for therapies based on tissue engineering. Despite these characteristics, the employment of SCs in clinics has seen alternating fortunes because of our limited understanding of the signals governing SC functions and fate, which impairs our ability to engineer systems to deliver SCs in vivo and to guide their correct biological processes. However, experimental evidence demonstrated that SCs are able to recognize biochemical and biophysical signals displayed by material surfaces; most importantly, cells integrate these signals to elaborate fate decisions. Although the mechanisms underlying signal recognition and response have not been thoroughly characterized, there is a general consensus that the cell adhesion process plays a central role. Adhesion represents a communication gate between exogenous signals and intracellular signaling cascades involving the cytoskeleton and the nucleus. In this work we present recent findings on materials engineered to control cell functions through adhesion processes. In particular, we emphasize the role of material signals on SC behavior. Finally, we discuss a few sensing and transductive molecular mechanisms in an effort to draw out unifying elements concerning cell recognition of and reaction to biophysical/biochemical material signals aimed at controlling cell fate through cell adhesion
Promoting wellbeing and coping skills in higher education
No full textThroughout this book, a range of factors have been explored that impact on educators and on students. Chapter 7 put the spotlight on the student experience of stress. What is critical, of course, is how well one copes and this is the focus of this final chapter. In trying to create a structure to see the key influences that relate to student stress, the author separated the sources of stress from their effects and from how students cope. This is an over-simplification of course. The sources and effects of stress and how students cope are all inter-related and bi-directional. The significance of a source of stress depends on one’s current wellbeing, and this is affected by how well one has and is coping. It was mentioned in Chapter 7, for example, that responses to stress can become new stressors, such as loneliness as a response to stress and this response interacts with other stressors, such as the student’s experience of academic stress leading to a greater impact on academic outcome. Moreover, students with an earlier history of childhood trauma were more likely to experience more adverse outcomes on wellbeing, health, and academic performance compared with students who did not report earlier trauma. This illustrates how sources of stress and their effects and coping are all inter-connected
Contemporary Irish Life Writing – How Fictional Is The Truth?
Get PDFThis thesis comprises a memoir entitled ‘Is It Yourself?’ and a critical commentary. The memoir tells the story of three generations of Irish women, the author, her mother and her grandmother. It describes the impact of family secrets and lies on their sense of identity. The commentary examines the process of writing the memoir within the context of contemporary Irish life writing. It looks at the difficult relationship between truth and fiction in autobiographical writing. It consists of an introduction that gives an overview of how issues of truth telling are particularly complex in an Irish literary context. The first chapter then looks at the connections between memory and place with reference to the work of J. M. Synge. The second chapter examines the use of language in life writing, particularly the influence of the Irish language on the memoir writer Hugo Hamilton. The third chapter looks at the role of the self as narrator, specifically in relation to Irish women writers and sexuality with reference to the work of Nuala O’Faolain and Nell McCafferty. The conclusion considers the idea of truth as multiple and permeated by fiction by looking at the writing of Brendan Behan and John McGahern as well as the influence of the short story and other forms of fiction on Irish life writing. Throughout, there is a connection made between the principal theme of the memoir, the difficulty of telling the truth in real life, and the difficulties of writing the truth on paper
Technology update: Dissolvable microneedle patches for vaccine delivery
No full textDespite vaccination representing one of the greatest advances of modern preventative medicine, there remain significant challenges in vaccine distribution, delivery and compliance. Dissolvable microarray patches or dissolving microneedles (DMN) have been proposed as an innovative vaccine delivery platform that could potentially revolutionize vaccine delivery and circumvent many of the challenges faced with current vaccine strategies. DMN, due to their ease of use, lack of elicitation of pain response, self-disabling nature and ease of transport and distribution, offer an attractive delivery option for vaccines. Additionally, as DMN inherently targets the uppermost skin layers, they facilitate improved vaccine efficacy, due to direct targeting of skin antigen-presenting cells. A plethora of publications have demonstrated the efficacy of DMN vaccination for a range of vaccines, with influenza receiving particular attention. However, before the viable adoption of DMN for vaccination purposes in a clinical setting, a number of fundamental questions must be addressed. Accordingly, this review begins by introducing some of the key barriers faced by current vaccination approaches and how DMN can overcome these challenges. We introduce some of the recent advances in the field of DMN technology, highlighting the potential impact DMN could have, particularly in countries of the developing world. We conclude by reflecting on some of the key questions that remain unanswered and which warrant further investigation before DMNs can be utilized in clinical settings.</p
Dissolving microneedles for intradermal vaccination:manufacture, formulation, and stakeholder considerations
No full textTechnology update : dissolvable microneedle patches for vaccine delivery
Get PDFDespite vaccination representing one of the greatest advances of modern preventative medicine, there remain significant challenges in vaccine distribution, delivery and compliance. Dissolvable microarray patches or dissolving microneedles (DMN) have been proposed as an innovative vaccine delivery platform that could potentially revolutionize vaccine delivery and circumvent many of the challenges faced with current vaccine strategies. DMN, due to their ease of use, lack of elicitation of pain response, self-disabling nature and ease of transport and distribution, offer an attractive delivery option for vaccines. Additionally, as DMN inherently targets the uppermost skin layers, they facilitate improved vaccine efficacy, due to direct targeting of skin antigen-presenting cells. A plethora of publications have demonstrated the efficacy of DMN vaccination for a range of vaccines, with influenza receiving particular attention. However, before the viable adoption of DMN for vaccination purposes in a clinical setting, a number of fundamental questions must be addressed. Accordingly, this review begins by introducing some of the key barriers faced by current vaccination approaches and how DMN can overcome these challenges. We introduce some of the recent advances in the field of DMN technology, highlighting the potential impact DMN could have, particularly in countries of the developing world. We conclude by reflecting on some of the key questions that remain unanswered and which warrant further investigation before DMNs can be utilized in clinical settings
Does reading a book in bed make a difference to sleep in comparison to not reading a book in bed? : The People's Trial- an online, pragmatic, randomised trial
Get PDFAcknowledgements The People’s Trial team members acknowledge with gratitude the study participants. We would also like to acknowledge and thank Claire O’Connell, Simone Lepage, Aoife O’Shaughnessy and Louise Foley for their support with the research project. Trial funder This research was funded by the Health Research Board in Ireland, through the Health Research Board – Trials Methodology Research Network as part of a Knowledge Exchange and Dissemination Scheme Award 2018 (grant reference KEDS-2018-012). The funder of the study had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report. The corresponding author had full access to all the data in the study and had final responsibility for the decision to submit.Peer reviewe
The Role of Epigenetic and Biological Biomarkers in the Diagnosis of Periodontal Disease: A Systematic Review Approach
Get PDFThe aim of this systemic review was to collate and analyze existing data from published literature sources to identify the current understanding of the role of epigenetic and biological biomarkers in periodontal disease and diagnostics. A comprehensive searching strategy was undertaken in Embase, Medline, The Dentistry and Oral Sciences and CINAHL databases. Grey literature searching strategies were also employed. Articles published in the English language between 2017–2020 were included. A total of 1014 studies were returned of which 15 studies were included. All included articles were cross-sectional, case–control studies. Relevant data were extracted according to various demographic and methodological factors including cohort size, oral biofluid sampled, number of examiners, smoking status and reported outcomes. A measure of the biomarker levels and corresponding significance were documented where possible. This review identified that exRNA has the greatest diagnostic potential, with four biomarkers (SPRR1A, lnc-TET3-2:1, FAM25A, CRCT1) displaying sensitivity of >71% and specificity of 100% in the assessed samples (p < 0.001) for gingivitis. This work also identifies the need for a unified approach to future research to draw meaningful comparison. Further investigations are warranted to definitively validate exRNA data and for the development of an exRNA-specific point-of-care diagnostic test.</p
Hydrogel-based devices for cancer diagnostics: a systematic review of materials and biomarkers
Get PDFA promising trend in complex cancer care is personalized therapy, a molecular profiling to tailor treatments to each patient's unique tumor attributes. Different methodologies have been used to identify cancer's mutation profile, including the use of hydrogel in liquid biopsy. This review aims to assess published works describing the performance of hydrogels as diagnostic devices for cancer biomarker detection. A systematic search was conducted following PRISMA guidelines across five databases: PubMed, Scopus, Embase, MEDLINE, and EBSCO. Studies were screened, selected, and assessed for quality. Relevant data were extracted, including the demographics of the studies, characteristics of the hydrogel, cancer, sample characteristics captured, and detection methods. From 33 studies, various types and forms of hydrogels were discussed. This review identified the most used hydrogel polymers, including acrylamide, PEG, DNA, and alginate. The most frequently observed cancer sites were breast, liver, and cervical uteri. In addition, this work reports that the most captured biomarkers were CTCs and protein markers. Hydrogels have demonstrated a promising platform for detecting cancer biomarkers in the early stages of research. Future investigations are required to optimize and validate the hydrogel application as a diagnostic device in the translational stage.</p
Bacterial outer membrane vesicles: role in pathogenesis and host-cell interactions
No full textOuter membrane vesicles (OMVs) are small, spherical structures released from the outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria into the surrounding environment. Investigations into OMVs range from their biogenesis and cargo composition to their ability to transfer virulence factors and modulate host immune responses. This emerging understanding of OMVs has unveiled their pivotal role in the pathogenicity of infectious diseases, shedding light on their interactions with host cells, their contributions to inflammation, their potential involvement in antimicrobial resistance, and their promising use for the development of novel treatments and therapies. Numerous studies have associated the OMVs of pathogenic bacteria with the exacerbation of inflammatory diseases, underlining the significance of understanding the mechanisms associated with these vesicles to find alternatives for combating these conditions. Additionally, OMVs possess the ability to act as decoys, absorbing and neutralizing antibiotics, which significantly diminishes the efficacy of a broad spectrum of antimicrobial agents. Another subtopic of interest is OMVs produced by commensal microbiota. These vesicles are increasingly acknowledged for their mutualistic functions, significantly influencing their host’s physiology and immune responses. Consequently, OMVs play a crucial role in maintaining a balanced gut microbiota by fostering symbiotic relationships that significantly contribute to the overall health and well-being of the host. This comprehensive review aims to provide an up-to-date review of OMVs derived from Gram-negative bacteria, summarizing current research findings, and elucidating the multifaceted role of these vesicles in diverse biological contexts
