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Biomedical subjects

A Kidane

Publications and source records attributed to A Kidane.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

Magnetic beads (Dynabead) toxicity to endothelial cells at high bead concentration: implication for tissue engineering of vascular prosthesis.

Magnetic beads (Dynabeads) have been used for the purification of endothelial cells. One application for this procedure may be for single-stage seeding of bypass grafts. The number of endothelial cells (EC) isolated is crucial and therefore to increase the number of cells extracted, a higher number of Dynabeads per cell may need to be used. The effect of large numbers of CD31 Dynabeads on cell proliferation/metabolism is unknown. We undertook this study using CD31-coated Dynabeads and EC from human umbilical vein. EC were coated at concentrations of 4, 10, or 50 beads per cell. The cells were cultured for 6 days with control being normal EC. Cellular proliferation was assessed by trypsinization of cells and metabolism assessed with an Alamar blue viability assay. In a further experiment a compliant polyurethane graft was single-stage seeded with both coated Dynabeads and normal EC. The results showed that using a higher number of beads per cell resulted in a reduction in cell proliferation and a reduction in cell metabolism. The total number of Dynabeads-coated cells in culture compared to controls (%) by day 6 were 30.7 +/- 2.56, 41.3 +/- 9.8 and 59.2 +/- 7.3 for 50, 10, and 4 beads per cell, respectively. The corresponding results for Alamar blue were 43.7 +/- 1.2, 61.8 +/- 1.4, and 72.1 +/- 4.3. The seeded grafts showed reduced metabolism with the Dynabeads-coated EC. In conclusion, high numbers of beads per cell have a late detrimental effect on cell proliferation and metabolism. Therefore for single-stage seeding lower numbers of Dynabeads will need to be used with resultant reduction in the number of available EC.

Biocompatible Materials↗

Extraction of cells for single-stage seeding of vascular-bypass grafts.

Experimental data are reported for the seeding of prosthetic vascular grafts with either mesothelial or endothelial cells as part of a research strategy in tissue engineering with the aim of improving graft patency and developing new techniques for single-stage cell extraction and seeding that would give a step reduction in surgery time. New data are reported for two different sources of cells, peritoneal lavage and subcutaneous fat. All experiments were undertaken in patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Cells extracted from peritoneal lavage were insufficient for a single-stage seeding process. Subcutaneous fat was processed using either a positive cell-extraction method using CD31 Dynabeads or by a negative extraction method using CDw90-coated magnetic beads. Only positive cell extraction gave reliably sufficient numbers of endothelial cells as a source for single-stage seeding of vascular grafts.

Aged↗

Improving endothelial cell retention for single stage seeding of prosthetic grafts: use of polymer sequences of arginine-glycine-aspartate.

OBJECTIVE: single stage seeding within the timeframe of a typical vascular operation has not been successful. One reason for this is poor cell adherence to the graft lumen once exposed to pulsatile blood flow. In this study we have carried out investigations with the use of two different fibronectin-based peptides, fibronectin-like engineered protein polymer (FEPP) which contains multiple copies of arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) and fibronectin adhesion promoting peptide (FAPP) to improve cell adherence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FAPP and FEPP were coated onto native polyurethane and heparinised polyurethane grafts. The grafts were then seeded for either 1 or 2h with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). After the incubation period the cells were washed off and cell retention was calculated. Cell metabolism was measured using Alamar Blue, and confirmed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). RESULTS: heparinised grafts coated with FEPP showed the best cell retention after both 1 and 2h seeding (80+/-4% vs 81+/-3%). This graft had no significant difference in cell retention after both times whilst all the other grafts had better cell retention after a 2h seeding. The Alamar blue and SEM results confirmed cell viability and function for all graft types. CONCLUSION: heparinised graft coated with FEPP allows significant cell retention after only 1h of seeding and shows promise for single stage seeding.

Blood Vessel Prosthesis↗

Mucosal immune responses following oral immunization with rotavirus antigens encapsulated in alginate microspheres.

Availability of effective oral vaccine delivery vehicles should contribute to the success of oral immunization in domestic animals. To achieve this goal, we evaluated alginate microspheres for their capacity to induce mucosal immune responses following oral and enteric immunizations. Mice were immunized with either live porcine rotavirus (PRV) or its recombinant VP6 protein, encapsulated in alginate microspheres or unencapsulated. VP6-specific IgG (but no IgA) antibodies were detected in the sera of mice after a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) immunization with either VP6 in Incomplete Freund's adjuvant (VP6-IFA), VP6 in alginate microspheres (VP6-MS) or with live PRV in incomplete Freund's adjuvant (PRV-IFA). In contrast, VP6-specific IgA (but no IgG) was detected in culture supernatants of mesenteric lymph nodes from mice immunized i.p. with either VP6-IFA or with PRV-IFA. Oral immunization with VP6-MS induced the highest level of VP6-specific fecal IgA antibody, similar to responses induced by oral immunization with live PRV. Furthermore, the VP6-specific fecal IgA could be boosted by a secondary i.p. immunization with VP6. Further experiments were performed in a sheep intestinal 'loop' model to evaluate uptake of microspheres by Peyer's patches. Microspheres containing colloidal carbon were specifically bound and transported by follicle-associated epithelium of Peyer's patches. Additionally, mucosal immune responses were detected following enteric immunization with porcine serum albumin (PSA) encapsulated in alginate microspheres. Our results confirm that alginate microspheres are an effective oral delivery vehicle for protein antigens and intestinal IgA antibody responses are induced by antigens encapsulated in alginate microspheres without any additional mucosal adjuvant. These investigations confirm that alginate microspheres have the potential as an effective delivery vehicle for oral immunization of ruminants.

Administration, Oral↗

Induction of mucosal immune responses following enteric immunization with antigen delivered in alginate microspheres.

Oral immunization is the most effective way of inducing immune responses in the intestinal tract. Biodegradable microspheres have been used extensively for the delivery of antigens to the Peyer's patches (PPs) within the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). We evaluated various formulations of alginate microspheres for their capacity to induce mucosal immune responses in vivo. Multiple intestinal "loops" each containing a single PP, were surgically prepared in lambs. We have previously showed that PP in individual intestinal loops function as independent sites for the induction of immune responses. This animal model provides a system for directly comparing different antigen formulations within the same animal. Individual intestinal loops were injected with a model antigen, porcine serum albumin (PSA) encapsulated in three different formulations of alginate micropsheres. Three weeks after immunization, PSA-specific immune responses were assayed with antibody secreting cell (ASC) ELISPOT, lymphocyte proliferative responses (LPRs), IFN-gamma production and antibody secreted into intestinal loops. PSA encapsulated in alginate micropsheres or in saline induced humoral immune responses as indicated by the presence of numerous ASC. However, PSA-specific T-cell responses (LPR and IFN-gamma production) were not induced.

Alginates↗

Multiple intestinal 'loops' provide an in vivo model to analyse multiple mucosal immune responses.

Mucosal immunity plays an important role in preventing disease but the induction of protective mucosal immune responses remains a significant challenge. We describe a novel in vivo model to analyze the induction of multiple mucosal immune responses in the small intestine. A sterile segment of intestine ('intestinal-segment'; 2-3 m long) was surgically prepared in the jejunum of 4-6-month-old lambs. This 'intestinal-segment' was then subdivided into consecutive segments, designated as 'loops' (15-20 cm long), that included a Peyer's patch (PP), or 'interspaces' (15-70 cm long), that lacked a visible PP. All 'loops' were sterile when collected 1-4 weeks post-surgery and there was no macroscopic or histological evidence of altered lymph or blood flow. Flow cytometric analysis of cells isolated from PP, mucosal epithelium (IEL) and the lamina propria (LPL) revealed no significant alterations in the cell populations present in 'loop' tissues. The functional integrity of M-cell antigen uptake in sterile intestinal 'loops' was evaluated by comparing the immune response induced by varying doses of soluble versus particulate porcine serum albumin (PSA formulated in alginate microspheres). A dose-dependent, PSA-specific antibody-secreting cell response was restricted to PP present in 'loops' injected with particulate PSA. These observations suggested that PP present in sterile 'loops' were functional and this conclusion was confirmed by detecting cholera toxin-specific antibody-secreting cells and secreted antibody in PP and intestinal contents, respectively, of immunized 'loops.' Thus, each 'loop' provided an independent site to analyze antigen-uptake and the induction of mucosal immune responses by a variety of antigen or vaccine formulations.

Animal Population Groups↗

The efficacy of oral vaccination of mice with alginate encapsulated outer membrane proteins of Pasteurella haemolytica and One-Shot.

The goal of this study was to examine the efficacy of oral delivery of alginate encapsulated outer membrane proteins (OMP) of Pasteurella haemolytica and a commercial One-Shot vaccine in inducing protection in mice against lethal challenge with virulent P. haemolytica. We examined two alginate microsphere formulations and compared them with oral unencapsulated and subcutaneously administered vaccines. Alginate microspheres were made by the emulsion-cross-linking technique. They were examined for size, hydrophobicity, and antigen loading efficiency before they were used in the study. Mice were vaccinated by administering 200 microg of antigens in 200 microl of microspheres suspension orally or subcutaneously. One group of mice received blank microspheres and a second group was given unencapsulated antigen orally. A third and a fourth group received different formulations of alginate encapsulated antigens by oral administration. Three groups received subcutaneous inoculations (alginate encapsulated, non-adjuvanted and unencapsulated antigens, and adjuvanted One-Shot), and one group received water (naïve group). Mice were vaccinated orally for four consecutive days and challenged with P. haemolytica 5 weeks after the first vaccination. Weekly serum and feces samples were assayed for antigen specific antibodies. The number of dead mice in each group 4 days post challenge was used to compare the efficacy of the various vaccination groups. The mean volume sizes of blank alginate microsphere formulations A, and AA were 15.9, 16 and 9.2 microm, respectively. Hydrophobicity of the microspheres was evaluated by measuring contact angle on a glass slide coated with the microspheres. The contact angles on A and AA were 37.8 and 74.3 degrees, respectively. Antigen concentration in a 1:1 w/w suspension of microspheres in water was 0.9 mg/ml. Rate of death for the blank group was 42.8% whereas for groups vaccinated with antigens encapsulated in A and AA the death rates were 40 and 33.33%, respectively. The death rate in mice vaccinated with unencapsulated antigens was 55.6%. Groups vaccinated by subcutaneous inoculation showed the lowest death rate. These results show that encapsulating OMP and One-Shot in alginate microspheres improves their performance as an oral vaccine.

Administration, Oral↗

Surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate using PEO-polybutadiene-PEO triblock copolymers.

The initial step of thrombus formation on blood-contacting biomaterials is known to be adsorption of blood proteins followed by platelet adhesion. It is generally accepted that surface modification of the biomaterials with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) substantially reduces protein adsorption and cell adhesion. Dacron(R) (polyethylene terephthalate) fabric, which is one of the biomaterials commonly used in blood-contacting devices, was grafted with PEO. A simple two-step procedure for covalent grafting of PEO onto the surface of Dacron(R) fabric was used. The surface was first treated with PEO-polybutadiene-PEO (PEO-PB-PEO) triblock copolymer, to introduce a layer of double bonds onto the surface. The Dacron(R) surface was then exposed to a solution of Pluronic(R) F108 (PF108), a commercially available PEO-poly(propylene oxide)-PEO (PEO-PPO-PEO) triblock copolymer. The surface with two adsorbed layers of PEO-PB-PEO and PF108 was gamma-irradiated in the presence of PF108 in the bulk solution for a total radiation dose of 0.8 Mrad. The bulk concentrations of PEO-PB-PEO and PF108 were varied to maximize the efficiency of PEO grafting. Fibrinogen adsorption on PEO-grafted surfaces was reduced more than 90%, compared with that on control surfaces, irrespective of the bulk concentrations of polymers used for grafting. Platelet adhesion was also reduced substantially by PEO grafting. Only a few round platelets were able to adhere to the PEO-grafted surface, while the control surface was fully covered with aggregates of activated platelets. PEO grafting on polyethylene terephthalate using PEO-PB-PEO and PEO-PPO-PEO block copolymers is a simple approach that can be used for various other biomaterials.

Journal Article↗

Complement activation by PEO-grafted glass surfaces.

Activation of the complement system is one way in which the human body reacts to foreign materials that come in contact with blood. Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) has been used quite frequently to modify biomaterial surfaces to prevent protein adsorption and cell adhesion. Despite extensive use of PEO, however, PEO-induced complement activation has not been examined before. We examined the complement activation by PEO chains grafted to glass surfaces. PEO was grafted to trichlorovinylsilane-treated glass (TCVS-glass) by gamma-irradiation using PEO homopolymer, Pluronic F108 (PF108), and PEO-polybutadiene-PEO triblock copolymer (COP5000). Complement activation was assessed by measuring the plasma C3a level. Of the three polymers grafted (PEO, PF108, and COP5000), only PF108 showed significant increases in complement activation over controls. Complement C3a production on PF108-grafted glass was linearly dependent on surface concentration of grafted PF108. The C3a concentration increased from 46 ng/mL to 316 ng/mL as the surface PF108 concentration increased from 0-0.25 microg/cm(2). Kinetics of C3a generation by PF108-grafted surfaces show that 60% of the steady state C3a concentration was generated during the first hour of plasma exposure. When the same PF108-grafted glass surface was repeatedly exposed to fresh plasma, the amount of C3a generated decreased by 70% after the first exposure. This supports the "single-hit" mechanism in complement activation. PEO homopolymer did not activate complement in bulk solution, and, thus, it appears that C3a complement activation by PF108-grafted surfaces is due to the presence of poly(propylene oxide) units. Grafting of PEO using PEO-containing block copolymers requires examination of complement activating properties of the non-PEO segment.

Biocompatible Materials↗

Surface modification with PEO-containing triblock copolymer for improved biocompatibility: in vitro and ex vivo studies.

Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) has been frequently used to modify biomaterial surfaces for improved biocompatibility. We have used PEO-polybutadiene-PEO triblock copolymer to graft PEO to biomaterials by gamma-irradiation for a total radiation dose of 1 Mrad. The molecular weight of PEO in the block copolymer was 5000. In vitro study showed that fibrinogen adsorption to Silastic, polyethylene, and glass was reduced by 70 to approximately 95% by PEO grafting. On the other hand, the reduction of fibrinogen adsorption was only 30% on expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (e-PTFE). In vitro platelet adhesion study showed that almost no platelets could adhere to PEO-coated Silastic, polyethylene, and glass, while numerous platelet aggregates were found on the ePTFE. The platelet adhesion in vitro corresponded to the fibrinogen adsorption. When the PEO-grafted surfaces were tested ex vivo using a series shunt in a canine model, the effect of the grafted PEO was not noticeable. Platelet deposition on ePTFE was reduced by PEO grafting from 8170 +/- 1030 to 5100 +/- 460 platelets 10(-3) microm2, but numerous thrombi were still present on the PEO-grafted surface. The numbers of platelets cumulated on Silastic, polyethylene, and glass were 100 +/- 80, 169 +/- 35, and 24 +/- 22 platelets 10(-3) microm2, respectively. This is about 35% reduction in platelet deposition by PEO grafting. While the numbers of deposited platelets were small, the decreases were not as large as those expected from the in vitro study. This may be due to a number of reasons which have to be clarified in future studies, but it appears that in vitro platelet adhesion and fibrinogen adsorption studies may not be a valuable predictor for the in vivo or ex vivo behavior of the PEO-grafted surfaces.

Adsorption↗

Accelerated study on lysozyme deposition on poly(HEMA) contact lenses.

A technique was developed to accelerate lysozyme deposition on poly(HEMA) contact lenses and measure the amounts of the deposited lysozyme. This technique was for evaluation of bendazac lysine solution, a contact lens cleaning and wetting solution. Effect of temperature on lysozyme deposition on poly(HEMA) contact lenses was examined. Five temperatures ranging from 25 degrees C to 90 degrees C were chosen to examine the temperature effect. The amounts of lysozyme deposited on poly(HEMA) contact lenses at 25 C and 60 C were 0.27 microg/lens and 0.61 microg/lens, respectively. The amount increased sharply to 23 microg/lens at 70 degrees C with the maximum of 31 microg/lens at 90 degrees C. Kinetics of lysozyme deposition on poly(HEMA) contact lenses was examined at 80 degrees C. Lysozyme deposition increased sharply during the first 2 h and reached a plateau after 2 h. Effectiveness of various cleaning procedures was examined using bendazac lysine solution. When the contact lenses were washed without rubbing with fingers, the bendazac lysine reduced the amount of deposited lysozyme by more than 40% from 18.3 microg/lens to 10.6 microg/lens. The effect of bendazac lysine was most prominent when the contact lenses were shaken during storage in the presence of lysozyme in solution. If the contact lenses were cleaned by rubbing with fingers, the effect of bendazac lysine solution on the prevention of lysozyme deposition was negligible.

Biocompatible Materials↗

Mortality estimates of the 1984-85. Ethiopian famine.

A brief summary of famine and drought from a historical perspective is given. In an attempt to estimate the magnitude of deaths due to the 1984-85 famine in Ethiopia, a survey was conducted among the resettled famine victims. The results show that the expected life at birth among the male and female famine victims was 6.2 and 5.7 years, respectively. When compared with the highest mortality rates ever recorded (that is Coale-Demeny, West Model Life Table level 1), the Ethiopian famine induced rate seems to be considerably higher. Regional variations between the two famine affected regions show that mortality in Tigrai was slightly higher than that of Wello. Also prefamine socio-economic differentials between households did not seem to have an effect on mortality. The results suggest that as much as 700,000 excess deaths might have occurred during the 1984-85 famine period in Ethiopia.

Disasters↗

Demographic consequences of the 1984-1985 Ethiopian famine.

This article analyzes demographic responses to the 1984-1985 Ethiopian famine and compares them with Bongaarts and Cain's (1982) hypothesized responses. After briefly describing the data collection, I estimate the age distribution and the age-specific mortality and fertility rates of Ethiopian famine victims in a resettlement area and compare these with mortality estimates for the 1972-1973 Bangladesh famine and with fertility estimates from the 1981 Ethiopian demographic survey. The results show that the mortality rate among Ethiopian famine victims was about seven times higher than the rate among the Bangladesh victims and that the Ethiopian famine-related mortality was general and not a function of household socioeconomic variables. The data also show a 26 percent lower total fertility rate among famine victims.

Adolescent↗