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Background: Centrifugation is a common procedure to improve the quality of chilled and frozen canine semen by removing debris and seminal plasma and adding semen extenders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and influence of a second centrifugation after 48 h of storage at 5 °C on the sperm quality of canine semen. The ejaculates of 45 healthy male dogs, divided into three groups according to body weight, were analyzed for macro- and microparameters such as ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, kinematic parameters, morphology, and integrity of plasma membrane. Samples were analyzed at baseline conditions (T0), after 24 h (T24) and after 48 h (T48) to assess the effects of the different treatments on sperm quality. Results: The results showed a significant effect of a second centrifugation on the improvement of chilled sperm quality compared to the other techniques, especially up to 48 h. Conclusions: Analysis of the data showed that the semen samples centrifuged and then cooled at 5 °C had acceptable semen parameters, especially in terms of motility, with a gradual decrease in serial evaluations after 24 and 48 h. A second centrifugation after 48 h of storage may lead to better semen quality and improve the kinetics of sperm parameters, the percentage of morphologically normal sperm and the percentage of sperm with intact membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ginsenoside Rg-1 (Rg-1), a triterpenoid saponin abundantly present in Panax ginseng, is a type of naturally occurring steroid with known anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we sought to confirm the effects and mechanisms of action of Rg-1 on store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) in human vascular endothelial cell line (EA) and murine aortic vascular smooth muscle cell line (MOVAS) cells exposed to high glucose. Methods: Cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations in EA and MOVAS cells were measured by monitoring fluorescence of the ratiometric Ca2+-indicator, Fura-2 AM. Results: High glucose significantly increased Ca2+ influx by abnormally activating SOCE in EA and MOVAS cells. Notably, this high glucose-induced increase in SOCE was restored to normal levels in EA and MOVAS cells by Rg-1. Moreover, Rg-1 induced reductions in SOCE in cells exposed to high glucose were significantly inhibited by the plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase (PMCA) blocker lanthanum, the Na+/K+-ATPase blocker ouabain, or the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) blockers Ni2+ and KB-R7943. These observations suggest that the mechanism of action of Rg-1 inhibition of SOCE involves PMCA and Na+/K+-ATPase, and an increase in Ca2+ efflux via NCXs in both EA and MOVAS cells exposed to high glucose. Conclusions: These findings indicate that Rg-1 may protect vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells from Ca2+ increases following exposure to hyperglycemic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Implementation of clinical practice guidelines into daily care is hampered by a variety of barriers related to professional knowledge and collaboration in teams and organizations. To improve guideline concordance by changing the clinical decision-making behavior of professionals, computerized decision support (CDS) has been shown to be one of the most effective instruments. However, to address barriers at the organizational level, additional interventions are needed. Continuous monitoring and systematic improvement of quality are increasingly used to achieve change at this level in complex health care systems. The study aims to assess the effectiveness of a web-based quality improvement (QI) system with indicator-based performance feedback and educational outreach visits to overcome organizational barriers for guideline concordance in multidisciplinary teams in the field of cardiac rehabilitation (CR). Methods A multicenter cluster-randomized trial with a balanced incomplete block design will be conducted in 18 Dutch CR clinics using an electronic patient record with CDS at the point of care. The intervention consists of (i) periodic performance feedback on quality indicators for CR and (ii) educational outreach visits to support local multidisciplinary QI teams focussing on systematically improving the care they provide. The intervention is supported by a webbased system which provides an overview of the feedback and facilitates development and monitoring of local QI plans. The primary outcome will be concordance to national CR guidelines with respect to the CR needs assessment and therapy indication procedure. Secondary outcomes are changes in performance of CR clinics as measured by structure, process and outcome indicators, and changes in practice variation on these indicators. We will also conduct a qualitative process evaluation (concept-mapping methodology) to assess experiences from participating CR clinics and to gain insight into factors which influence the implementation of the intervention. Discussion To our knowledge, this will be the first study to evaluate the effect of providing performance feedback with a web-based system that incorporates underlying QI concepts. The results may contribute to improving CR in the Netherlands, increasing knowledge on facilitators of guideline implementation in multidisciplinary health care teams and identifying success factors of multifaceted feedback interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]