Applications of flow cytometry to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Applications of flow cytometry to clinical and experimental hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are discussed in this review covering the following topics: diagnosis and classification of lymphohematologic disorders, quantitation of hematopoietic progenitors in the graft, lymphohematopoietic reconstitution following HSCT and animal models of human HSCT. At the end, the utilization of flow cytometry in clinical HSCT by Brazilian transplant centers is briefly reviewed.

Best Practice Guidance on Joint Working between the HSC and the Pharmaceutical Industry and other relevant organisations (PDF 260KB)

HSS (GEN) 1) 1/95 update. It is intended to replace the guidance previously provided by former HSSBs and Trusts to assist employers and staff in maintaining strict ethical standards in the conduct of HSC business, in this instance, with the pharmaceutical industry

Nonclassical measurement error with applications to labor and development issues

Zero correlation between measurement error and model error has been assumed in existing panel data models dealing specifically with measurement error. We extend this literature and propose a simple model where one regressor is mismeasured, allowing the measurement error to correlate with model error. Zero correlation between measurement error and model error is a special case in our model where correlated measurement error equals zero. We ask two research questions. First, we wonder if the correlated measurement error can be identified in the context of panel data. Second, we wonder if classical instrumental variables in panel data need to be adjusted when correlation between measurement error and model error cannot be ignored. Under some regularity conditions the answer is yes to both questions. We then propose a two-step estimation corresponding to the two questions. The first step estimates correlated measurement error from a reverse regression; and the second step estimates usual coefficients of interest using adjusted instruments.

Ambulatory measurement of ankle kinetics for clinical applications.

This study aimed to design and validate the measurement of ankle kinetics (force, moment, and power) during consecutive gait cycles and in the field using an ambulatory system. An ambulatory system consisting of plantar pressure insole and inertial sensors (3D gyroscopes and 3D accelerometers) on foot and shank was used. To test this system, 12 patients and 10 healthy elderly subjects wore shoes embedding this system and walked many times across a gait lab including a force-plate surrounded by seven cameras considered as the reference system. Then, the participants walked two 50-meter trials where only the ambulatory system was used. Ankle force components and sagittal moment of ankle measured by ambulatory system showed correlation coefficient (R) and normalized RMS error (NRMSE) of more than 0.94 and less than 13% in comparison with the references system for both patients and healthy subjects. Transverse moment of ankle and ankle power showed R>0.85 and NRMSE<23%. These parameters also showed high repeatability (CMC>0.7). In contrast, the ankle coronal moment of ankle demonstrated high error and lower repeatability. Except for ankle coronal moment, the kinetic features obtained by the ambulatory system could distinguish the patients with ankle osteoarthritis from healthy subjects when measured in 50-meter trials. The proposed ambulatory system can be easily accessible in most clinics and could assess main ankle kinetics quantities with acceptable error and repeatability for clinical evaluations. This system is therefore suggested for field measurement in clinical applications.

Do voting advice applications have an effect on electoral participation and voter turnout ? : Evidence from the 2007 Swiss Federal Elections

Voting Advice Applications (VAAs) render a valuable platform for tackling one of democracy's central challenges: low voter turnout. Studies indicate that lack of information and cost-benefit considerations cause voters to abstain from voting. VAAs are online voting assistance tools which match own political preferences with those of candidates and parties in elections. By assisting voters in their decision-making process prior to casting their votes, VAAs not only rebut rational choice reasoning against voting but also narrow existing information gaps. In this paper we examine the impact of VAAs on participation and voter turnout. Specifically, we present results on how the Swiss VAA smartvote affected voter turnout in the 2007 federal elections. Our analyses suggest that smartvote does have a mobilizing capacity, especially among young voters who are usually underrepresented at polls. Moreover, the study demonstrates how VAAs such as smartvote do affect citizen's propensity to deal with politics in general.

Phase Contrast X-Ray Tomographic Microscopy for Biological and Materials Science Applications

The application of two approaches for high-throughput, high-resolution X-ray phase contrast tomographic imaging being used at the tomographic microscopy and coherent radiology experiments (TOMCAT) beamline of the SLS is discussed and illustrated. Differential phase contrast (DPC) imaging, using a grating interferometer and a phase-stepping technique, is integrated into the beamline environment at TOMCAT in terms of the fast acquisition and reconstruction of data and the availability to scan samples within an aqueous environment. A second phase contrast method is a modified transfer of intensity approach that can yield the 3D distribution of the decrement of the refractive index of a weakly absorbing object from a single tomographic dataset. The two methods are complementary to one another: the DPC method is characterised by a higher sensitivity and by moderate resolution with larger samples; the modified transfer of intensity approach is particularly suited for small specimens when high resolution (around 1 mu m) is required. Both are being applied to investigations in the biological and materials science fields.

Electron cryo-microscopy reveals mechanism of action of propranolol on artificial membranes.

The pharmacological activity of several amphiphilic drugs is often related to their ability to interact with biological membranes. Propranolol is an efficient multidrug resistance (MDR) modulator; it is a nonselective beta-blocker and is thought to reduce hypertension by decreasing the cardiac frequency and thus blood pressure. It is used in drug delivery studies in order to treat systemic hypertension. We are interested in the interaction of propranolol with artificial membranes, as liposomes of controllable size are used as biocompatible and protective structures to encapsulate labile molecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids or drugs, for pharmaceutical, cosmetic or chemical applications. We present here a study of the interaction of propranolol, a cationic surfactant, with pure egg phosphatidylcholine (EPC) vesicles. The gradual transition from liposome to micelle of EPC vesicles in the presence of propranolol was monitored by time-resolved electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) under different experimental conditions. The liposome-drug interaction was studied with varying drug/lipid (D/L) ratios and different stages were captured by direct thin-film vitrification. The time-series cryo-EM data clearly illustrate the mechanism of action of propranolol on the liposome structure: the drug disrupts the lipid bilayer by perturbing the local organization of the phospholipids. This is followed by the formation of thread-like micelles, also called worm-like micelles (WLM), and ends with the formation of spherical (globular) micelles. The overall reaction is slow, with the process taking almost two hours to be completed. The effect of a monovalent salt was also investigated by repeating the lipid-surfactant interaction experiments in the presence of KCl as an additive to the lipid/drug suspension. When KCl was added in the presence of propranolol the overall reaction was the same but with slower kinetics, suggesting that this monovalent salt affects the general lipid-to-micelle transition by stabilizing the membrane, presumably by binding to the carbonyl chains of the phosphatidylcholine.

Molecular approaches for the detection of Schistosoma mansoni: possible applications in the detection of snail infection, monitoring of transmission sites, and diagnosis of human infection

The detection of specific DNA sequences by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has proved extremely valuable for the analysis of genetic disorders and the diagnosis of a variety of infectious disease pathogens. However, the application to the detection of Schistosoma mansoni is rare, despite a recommendation of the World Health Organization that a major focus of research on schistosomiasis should be on the development and evaluation of new strategies and tools for control of the disease. In this context, a few studies were published for the detection of the parasite in snails, monitoring of cercariae in water bodies, and diagnosis of human infection. The present minireview describes sensitive and specific PCR based systems to detect S. mansoni, indicating possible applications in the detection of snail infection, monitoring of transmission sites, and diagnosis of human infection.

Speciation of antimony (III) and antimony (V) using hydride generation for meglumine antimoniate pharmaceutical formulationsquality control

The pentavalent antimonies, mainly the meglumine antimoniate, are recommends as first-choice medicines for leishmaniasis therapy. In this work we described the development of formulations of meglumine antimoniate injectable medication, as well as the analytical methodology used in the selective determination of Sb(III) and Sb(Total) by hydride generation - inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (HG-ICP-AES) and ICP-AES, respectively. On that purpose the analytical methodology was developed focusing on the HG-ICP-AES technique. The formulations using propylene glycol/water as vehicles in a 20:80 proportion were more appropriate for subsequent use in industrial scale. These formulations also showed a lower variation on Sb(III) percentage, no need of buffer solution to stabilize the formulation and no influence of the autoclaving in the quality of the product. The results of the development of the analytical methodology point out the proposed method as an efficient alternative for the determination of Sb(III) in the presence of large quantities of Sb(V) in injectable solutions of meglumine antimoniate, in a selective, linear, accurate and precise manner. In addition, the method showed a low limit of quantification, less interference of the matrix, and more resilience than batch techniques proposed in the Brazilian Pharmacopeia.

Innovative Applications : Open Educational Resources and Mobile Resources Repository for the Instruction of Educational Researchers in Mexico

The movement of Open Educational Resources (OER) is one of the most important trends that are helping education through the Internet worldwide. "Tecnológico de Monterrey" (http://tecvirtual.itesm.mx/) in Mexico, with other Mexican higher education institutions, is creating an Internet/web based repository of OERs and Mobile Resources for the instruction and development of educational researchers at undergraduate, Master's and Doctoral level. There is a lack of open educational resources and material available at the Internet that can help and assist the development and education of educational researchers in Spanish speaking countries. This OER repository is part of a project that is experimenting new technology for the delivery of OERs from one repository (http://catedra.ruv.itesm.mx/) through an indexed OER catalog (http://www.temoa.info/) to mobile devices (Ipod, Iphone, MP3, MP4). This paper presentation will describe and comment about this project: outcomes, best practices, difficulties and technological constraints.

WePreserve 2009: DPE/Planets/CASPAR/nestor Joint Training Event: The Preservation challenge: basic concepts and practical applications (Barcelona, 23-27 març 2009)

Reseña del congreso WePreserve 2009 que tuvo lugar los pasados 23 al 27 de marzo en Barcelona, organizadopor la Facultad de Biblioteconomía y Documentación de la Universitat de Barcelona, con la colaboración del Institut d'Estudis Catalans, la Biblioteca de Catalunya y el Consorci de Biblioteques de Barcelona. El seminario 2009 WePreserve se celebra anualmente desde el año 2007 y participan todas las figuras de referencia europeas en materia de investigación en sistemas y metodologías que garantizan la preservación digital de los documentos: Digital Preservation Europe (DPE), Preservation and Long-term Access Through Networked Services (Planets), Cultural Artistic and Scientific Knowledge for Preservation, Access and Retrieval (CASPAR), y Network of expertise in Digital long-term preservation (nestor).

Inteins in pathogenic fungi: a phylogenetic tool and perspectives for therapeutic applications

Inteins or "internal proteins" are coding sequences that are transcribed and translated with flanking sequences (exteins). After translation, the inteins are excised by an autocatalytic process and the host protein assumes its normal conformation and develops its expected function. These parasitic genetic elements have been found in important, conserved proteins in all three domains of life. Most of the eukaryotic inteins are present in the fungi kingdom and the PRP8 intein is one of the most widespread inteins, occurring in important pathogens such as Cryptococcus neoformans (varieties grubii and neoformans), Cryptococcus gattii, Histoplasma capsulatum and Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. The knowledge of conserved and non-conserved domains in inteins have opened up new opportunities for the study of population variability in pathogenic fungi, including their phylogenetic relationships and recognition or diagnoses of species. Furthermore, inteins in pathogenic fungi should also be considered a promising therapeutic drug target, since once the autocatalytic splicing is inhibited, the host protein, which is typically vital, will not be able to perform its normal function and the fungal cell will not survive or reproduce.

Operator expansion: definition and molecular integral applications

Es defineix l'expansió general d'operadors com una combinació lineal de projectors i s'exposa la seva aplicació generalitzada al càlcul d'integrals moleculars. Com a exemple numèric, es fa l'aplicació al càlcul d'integrals de repulsió electrònica entre quatre funcions de tipus s centrades en punts diferents, i es mostren tant resultats del càlcul com la definició d'escalat respecte a un valor de referència, que facilitarà el procés d'optimització de l'expansió per uns paràmetres arbitraris. Es donen resultats ajustats al valor exacte