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Fecal egg count (FEC) has been widely used as an indicator of host resistance to gastrointestinal parasites in sheep and has been shown to be a heritable trait. Two other possible indicators of parasites, dag score (DS; accumulated fecal material) and fecal consistency score (FCS), were investigated in this study, along with BW. All four traits were studied to see how heritability and genetic correlations varied with age from weaning (4 mo) to hogget age (approximately 400 d). More than 1,100 lambs, the offspring of 37 rams, were recorded eight times between weaning (3 to 5 mo of age) and hogget age (13 to 18 mo of age) on two farms. Sire models were fitted to the data from each trait at each recording and in a repeatability model involving the whole data set. Overall, the heritabilities were 0.28 [+ or -] 0.072 (FEC), 0.11 [+ or -] 0.036 (DS), 0.12 [+ or -] 0.036 (FCS), and 0.23 [+ or -] 0.070 (BW). By fitting random regression models to the time-series data, it was possible to see how these heritability values varied as the lambs aged, from weaning to hogget age. The heritability of FEC rose from 0.2 at weaning to 0.65 at 400 d. Dag score had a higher heritability (0.25) in the middle of the age range and a low value at weaning ( Key Words: Body Weight, Fecal Egg Count, Gastrointestinal Parasites, Genetic Parameters, Random Regression, Sheep

Practical values to guide food choices for control of postprandial glycaemia need to refer to entire foods in amounts customarily consumed. We tested an in vitro method for determining the relative glycaemic impact (RGI) of customarily consumed portions of foods. Sugars released during in vitro pancreatic digestion of eighty-three foods were measured as glucose equivalents (GE) per gram of food, adjusted by the glycaemic indexes of the sugars to obtain glycaemic GE (GGE) per gram and multiplied by food portion weight to obtain the GGE contribution of the food portion, its RGI. The results were compared with clinical GGE values from subjects who consumed the same food amounts. In vitro and in vivo GGE values were significantly correlated, but the slope of the regression equation was significantly less than one, meaning in vitro GGE values overestimated in vivo GGE values. Bland-Altman method comparison showed the in vitro-in vivo disparity to increase as mean GGE increased, suggesting the need to allow for different rates of homeostatic blood glucose disposal (GD) due to different GGE doses in the customarily consumed food portions. After GD correction, Bland-Altman method comparison showed that the bias in predicting in vivo GGE values from in vitro GGE values was almost completely removed (y = 0.071x - 0.89; R2 0.01). We conclude that in vitro food values for use in managing the glycaemic impact of customarily consumed food quantities require correction for blood GD that is dependent on the GGE content of the food portions involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid expansion of telehealth as part of healthcare delivery. This study compared HIV-related no-shows by visit type (in-person; video; telephone) during the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020-September 2021) from the Data for Care Alabama project. Using all primary care provider visits, each visit's outcome was categorized as no-show or arrived. A logistic regression model using generalized estimating equations accounting for repeat measures in individuals and within sites calculated odds ratios (OR) and their accompanying 95% confidence interval (CI) for no-shows by visit modality. The multivariable models adjusted for sociodemographic factors. In-person versus telephone visits [OR (95% CI) 1.64 (1.48-1.82)] and in-person versus video visits [OR (95% CI) 1.53 (1.25-1.85)] had higher odds of being a no-show. In-person versus telephone and video no-shows were significantly higher. This may suggest success of telehealth visits as a method for HIV care delivery even beyond COVID-19., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: Consumption of green kiwifruit is known to relieve constipation. Previous studies have also reported improvements in gastrointestinal (GI) comfort. We investigated the effect of consuming green kiwifruit on GI function and comfort., Methods: Participants included healthy controls (n = 63), patients with functional constipation (FC, n = 60), and patients with constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C, n = 61) randomly assigned to consume 2 green kiwifruits or psyllium (7.5 g) per day for 4 weeks, followed by a 4-week washout, and then the other treatment for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the number of complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBM) per week. Secondary outcomes included GI comfort which was measured using the GI symptom rating scale, a validated instrument. Data (intent-to-treat) were analyzed as difference from baseline using repeated measures analysis of variance suitable for AB/BA crossover design., Results: Consumption of green kiwifruit was associated with a clinically relevant increase of ≥ 1.5 CSBM per week (FC; 1.53, P < 0.0001, IBS-C; 1.73, P = 0.0003) and significantly improved measures of GI comfort (GI symptom rating scale total score) in constipated participants (FC, P < 0.0001; IBS-C, P < 0.0001). No significant adverse events were observed., Discussion: This study provides original evidence that the consumption of a fresh whole fruit has demonstrated clinically relevant increases in CSBM and improved measures of GI comfort in constipated populations. Green kiwifruits are a suitable dietary treatment for relief of constipation and associated GI comfort., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The American College of Gastroenterology.)

We compared retention in care outcomes between a pre-COVID-19 (Apr19-Mar20) and an early-COVID-19 (Apr20-Mar21) period to determine whether the pandemic had a significant impact on these outcomes and assessed the role of patient sociodemographics in both periods in individuals enrolled in the Data for Care Alabama project (n = 6461). Using scheduled HIV primary care provider visits, we calculated a kept-visit measure and a missed-visit measure and compared them among the pre-COVID-19 and early-COVID-19 periods. We used logistic regression models to calculated odds ratios (OR) and accompanying 95% confidence intervals (CI). Overall, individuals had lowers odds of high visit constancy [OR (95% CI): 0.85 (0.79, 0.92)] and higher odds of no-shows [OR (95% CI): 1.27 (1.19, 1.35)] during the early-COVID-19 period. Compared to white patients, Black patients were more likely to miss an appointment and transgender people versus cisgender women had lower visit constancy in the early-COVID-19 period., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: According to the American Association of Medical Colleges, women comprise 26% of full professors and 19% of medical school department chairs. African American and Latino faculty comprise 4.6% of full professors and 6.9% of department chairs., Objective: Because of the lack of representation of women and racial/ethnic minority faculty at the highest levels of academic medicine, this study examines the perceptions of barriers to advancement by men and women academic medical school faculty of differing races and ethnicities to explore potential differences in perceptions by demographic group., Design: Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted between July and September 2017., Participants: In order to give all faculty a chance to participate, faculty of all ranks and specialties were recruited from one southeastern medical school to participate in the study., Approach: Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by 3 members of the research team using an inductive approach to thematic analysis. Participants were organized into 4 groups for analysis-underrepresented in medicine (URiM) women, majority women, URiM men, majority men., Key Results: Sixty-four faculty consented to participate in the study (56.2% women, 34.4% URiM). Subthemes were grouped under three main themes: Perceptions of Barriers to Advancement of Women Faculty, Perceptions of Barriers to Advancement of African American and Latino Faculty, and Perceptions of the Institutional Climate for Diversity. Majority men tended to voice distinctly different perspectives than the other three demographic groups, with the most notable differences between majority men and URiM women. Majority  men tended to suggest that the advancement of women and URiM faculty was acceptable or getting better, the lack of URiM faculty in leadership was due mainly to pipeline issues, and women choose not to advance to leadership positions., Conclusion: We found that participant gender and race/ethnicity shaped perspectives of medical school faculty advancement in distinct ways., (© 2021. Society of General Internal Medicine.)

Objective: The World Health Organization recommends disclosing HIV-status between 6 and 12 years; American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children are informed at "school age." Neither suggests an optimal age when children should learn of their status to improve viral load suppression. Considering that virally suppressed people do not transmit HIV and that interrupting the transmission cycle is critical to ending the HIV epidemic, our objective is to examine the relationship between age of disclosure and viral load suppression by evaluating data from a pediatric HIV clinic in the southern United States. Records from perinatal infected patients seen between 2008 and 2018 were analyzed (N = 61)., Results: Longitudinal suppression was low across all groups when benchmarked against the UNAIDS 90% global target; black patients were less likely to achieve suppression compared to white patients (41% vs. 75%, p = 0.04). Adopted children were more likely to achieve suppression than children living with biological family (71% vs. 44%, p < 0.05). Children who learned of their status between 10 and 12 had the highest rate of suppression (65%) compared to peers who learned of their status younger (56%) or older (38%). Our preliminary study is designed to spark research on refining the current recommendations on HIV-status disclosure to perinatal infected children.

HIV-positive people are at increased risk for malignancies associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, including oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). The purpose of this study was to determine whether cancer treatment disparities exist between HIV-positive and HIV-negative people with OPSCC. We conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing OPSCC treatment adequacy and treatment outcomes in HIV-positive and HIV-negative people in the post-antiretroviral therapy era. Treatment adequacy was determined by measuring two primary endpoints associated with OPSCC survival: time to therapy and total radiation dose. Treatment outcomes were assessed by measuring disease-free and overall survival. We identified a total of 37 HIV-positive and 149 HIV-negative people with OPSCC. HIV-positive people experienced a median delay of 10 days from time of OPSCC diagnosis to start of therapy compared with HIV-negative people [hazard ratio (HR) 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.38-0.98]. Total post-radiation dose in HIV-positive people was lower than that in HIV-negative people [58.5 Gray (Gy) versus 64.4 Gy, p  = .04]. HIV-positive people also experienced greater hazards for disease recurrence (HR 3.43, 95% CI 1.39-8.46) and death (HR 4.21, 95% CI 1.29-13.80) compared with HIV-negative people. In conclusion, we detected a clinically important delay in time to therapy as well as worse disease-free and overall survival in HIV-positive people with OPSCC compared with their HIV-negative counterparts. These findings are relevant to understanding how HIV-positive people are diagnosed and undergo therapy for HPV-associated malignancies and highlight the need to address cancer treatment disparities in this group.

Increasing water demand and decreasing freshwater availability in an area can cause water scarcity leading to damage to human health, ecosystem quality, and natural resources. Many countries around the world, including Thailand, have recognized the importance of this problem. The available water remaining (AWARE) characterization model provides water scarcity footprint characterization factors (WSF CFs) for assessing the WSF of products. AWARE CFs were prepared from WaterGAP model's data and are available in watershed and country levels. They were not provided for specific areas and could not accurately explain water scarcity situations in certain regions, potentially leading to inappropriate water management. This work calculates the annual and monthly local CFs from local data in the Chao Phraya watershed in Thailand. The monthly local CFs with local environmental water requirement (EWR) calculations ranged from 0.10 to 100. The mean difference between AWARE CFs and local CFs was statistically significant. The most sensitive parameters for local CFs in the dry season were water availability (WA) and agricultural water consumption and that in the wet season was WA. The weighting of AWARE CFs by each type of water consumption and an aggregate of AWARE CFs for product production has been recommended for WSF assessment. The AWARE methodology was modified to assess the individual water scarcity of each water user based on the order of priority. For the Chao Phraya watershed, the ranges of the monthly local individual CFs using local EWR calculations of domestic, environment, livestock, agriculture, and industry were 0.10-0.33, 0.10-0.37, 0.10-0.37, 0.10-100, and 0.10-100, respectively. This assessment of individual water scarcity is helpful for prioritizing the level and timing of water use to minimize their impacts on critical water scarcity., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This article describes Mayors Mentoring Mayors (3M), an initiative of the Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention (ArCOP), which expanded to five states to become the signature community initiative of the Mid-South Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center (Mid-South TCC) for Health Disparities Research., Methods: The 3M program is an extension of the Growing Healthy Communities (GHC) program, which sought to build capacity within communities to reduce obesity by implementing policy, system and environmental (PSE) changes that support healthy living. GHC where the mayor was involved had the most significant changes toward better health. These mayors were recruited to share their successes, lessons learned, and best practices with their colleagues through a series of Lunch & Learns. Following the GHC and 3M models, a multi-state approach to expand 3M to five additional states was developed. ArCOP partnered with the Mid-South TCC to recruit mayors in the five states., Results: Five Lunch & Learn events were held across Arkansas between March and May 2015, with a total of 98 participants (40 mayors, 37 community leaders, 21 guests). Each regional Lunch & Learn had 1-2 host mayor(s) in attendance, with a total of 9 host mayors. For the 3M regional expansion project, eight GHC Recognition Applications from five states were submitted. Five communities, designated as Emerging, were funded to implement GHC projects., Conclusion: ArCOP successfully engaged mayors, elected officials, and stakeholders who can influence policy across Arkansas as well as in an additional five states in the Mid-South TCC region to implement obesity PSE prevention strategies., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: None declared.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to describe the process of conducting an assessment of neighborhood perceptions and cohesion by a community coalition-academic team created in the context of community-based participatory research (CBPR), to guide the design of locally relevant health initiatives., Methods: Guided by CBPR principles, a collaborative partnership was established between an academic center and a local, urban, underserved neighborhood in Birmingham, Alabama to identify and address community concerns and priorities. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in September 2016 among community residents (N=90) to examine perceptions of neighborhood characteristics, including social cohesion and neighborhood problems., Results: The major concerns voiced by the coalition were violence and lack of neighborhood cohesion and safety. The community survey verified the concerns of the coalition, with the majority of participants mentioning increasing safety and stopping the violence as the things to change about the community and the greatest hope for the community. Furthermore, results indicated residents had a moderate level of perceived social cohesion (mean = 2.87 [.67])., Conclusions: The Mid-South TCC Academic and Community Engagement (ACE) Core successfully partnered with community members and stakeholders to establish a coalition whose concerns and vision for the community matched the concerns of residents of the community. Collecting data from different groups strengthened the interpretation of the findings and allowed for a rich understanding of neighborhood concerns., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: None declared.

This study investigated the impact of ACTAZIN™ green (2400 and 600 mg) and Livaux™ (2400 mg) gold kiwifruit supplements on faecal microbial composition and metabolites in healthy and functionally constipated (FC) participants. The participants were recruited into the healthy group ( n 20; one of whom did not complete the study) and the FC group ( n 9), each of whom consumed all the treatments and a placebo (isomalt) for 4 weeks in a randomised cross-over design interspersed with 2-week washout periods. Modification of faecal microbiota composition and metabolism was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and GC, and colonic pH was calculated using SmartPill ® wireless motility capsules. A total of thirty-two taxa were measured at greater than 1 % abundance in at least one sample, ten of which differed significantly between the baseline healthy and FC groups. Specifically, Bacteroidales and Roseburia spp. were significantly more abundant ( P < 0·05) in the healthy group and taxa including Ruminococcaceae, Dorea spp. and Akkermansia spp. were significantly more abundant ( P < 0·05) in the FC group. In the FC group, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii abundance significantly increased ( P = 0·024) from 3·4 to 7·0 % following Livaux™ supplementation, with eight of the nine participants showing a net increase. Lower proportions of F. prausnitzii are often associated with gastrointestinal disorders. The discovery that Livaux™ supplementation increased F. prausnitzii abundance offers a potential strategy for improving gut microbiota composition, as F. prausnitzii is a butyrate producer and has also been shown to exert anti-inflammatory effects in many studies.

'Hayward' kiwifruit anecdotally are associated with improved gastrointestinal comfort following the consumption of high protein meals, possibly because of the presence of a protease enzyme, actinidin. The study aimed to use SmartPill™ technology to investigate the acute effect of kiwifruit with actinidin ( Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa 'Hayward') and kiwifruit without actinidin ( A. chinensis var. chinensis 'Hort16A') on digestion of a large protein meal. Ten healthy male subjects were recruited. The participants attended the clinic three times, having fasted overnight. They consumed a test meal consisting of 400 g lean steak and two 'Hort16A' or two 'Hayward kiwifruit'. Subjects completed visual analogue scales (VAS) by rating feelings of hunger, satisfaction, fullness, and comfort and swallowed a SmartPill™ before completing further VAS scales. After 5 h, participants consumed an ad libitum lunch to assess satiety. SmartPill™ transponders were worn for five days. There were no significant differences in gastric emptying time, small bowel, or colonic transit time between the two kiwifruit arms of the study measured by SmartPill™. Similarly, no significant differences were observed in VAS satiety measures or energy consumption at the ad libitum meal. However, the measurement of overall gastric comfort tended to be lower, and bloating was significantly reduced following the consumption of the steak meal with 'Hayward' kiwifruit ( p < 0.028)., Conclusions: The SmartPill™ is marketed as a diagnostic tool for patients presenting with gastrointestinal disorders and is usually used with a standard 'SmartBar'. This small pilot study suggests that it is less likely to measure gastric emptying effectively following a high protein meal, as it may be delayed because of the meal's physical consistency. However, green kiwifruit, containing actinidin, may reduce bloating and other measures of gastric discomfort in healthy males. Possible future studies could use repeated measures with more readily digested protein and larger numbers of participants., Competing Interests: Juliet Ansell works for Zespri International Limited and was involved in the design and interpretation of data and the review of the manuscript. Lynley Drummond has served on advisory boards and has been paid to undertake the present work on behalf of Zespri International Ltd.

The title compound, C(9)H(14)N(+)·CHB(11)Cl(11)(-), was obtained in the course of our continuing studies of the low-melting salts of closo- and nido-carborane cage anions with alkylpyridinium and dialkylimidazolium cations. The title compound is the first example of a pyridinium salt of a perchlorinated carborane anion. The structure consists of one N-butylpyridinium cation counterbalanced by one perchlorinated carborane cage anion per asymmetric unit. By changing the counter-ion, different packings are observed, and to try to understand this the new structure is compared with five similar compounds.

To establish the effectiveness of a new phytosterol-containing spread derived from rice bran oil (RBO), a randomised, double-blind, cross-over human clinical trial was conducted over 12 weeks. A total of eighty mildly hypercholesterolaemic (total blood cholesterol level ≥ 5 and ≤ 7·5 mmol/l with a serum TAG level of ≤ 4·5 mmol/l) individuals were randomised into two groups (n 40). Group 1 consumed spread only daily for 4 weeks. They were randomised to consume 20 g RBO spread (RBOS), 20 g standard spread (SS) or 20 g phytosterol-enriched spread (PS). After a 4-week period, individuals changed to the next randomised treatment until all three treatments had been consumed. Group 2 consumed spread plus oil daily for 4 weeks. They consumed 20 g RBOS plus 30 ml RBO, 20 g SS plus 30 ml sunflower oil or 20 g RBOS. Blood samples were collected for the analysis of lipid parameters, and 3 d diet records were collected. Compared with SS, RBOS significantly reduced total cholesterol by 2·2 % (P = 0·045), total cholesterol:HDL by 4·1 % (P = 0·005) and LDL-cholesterol by 3·5 % (P = 0·016), but was not as effective overall as PS, which reduced total cholesterol by 4·4 % (P = 0·001), total cholesterol:HDL by 3·4 % (P = 0·014) and LDL-cholesterol by 5·6 % (P = 0·001). In group 2, the addition of RBO to the RBOS produced no differences in cholesterol levels. These results confirm that RBOS is effective in lowering serum cholesterol when consumed as part of a normal diet.

The title compound, [Ru(NCCH(3))(6)](CH(6)B(11)Br(6))(2)·CH(3)CN, consists of the 'naked' ruthenium(II) cation surrounded by six acetonitrile mol-ecules, each coordinated via the nitro-gen atoms in a linear or nearly-linear fashion in a typical octa-hedral over-all arrangement. The cation is balanced by the two hexa-bromo-carborane cage anionic fragments [CB(11)H(6)Br(6)]. Weak C-H⋯Br and B-H⋯Br inter-actions link neighboring anions.

The number of eggs from gastrointestinal nematodes per gram of faeces (worm egg count WEC) is commonly used to determine the need for anti-parasite treatments and the breeding value of animals when selecting for worm resistance. Diarrhoea increases faecal moisture and may dilute the number of worm eggs observed. To quantify this effect, egg counts in sheep at pasture were simulated by dosing 15 animals with chromic oxide particles. The simulated WEC diminished as faecal moisture increased. When faeces were dried, simulated WEC per unit dry matter was not influenced by the amount of faecal moisture present prior to drying. The results suggest that adjustment for faecal moisture may provide an improved estimate of FEC. Drying faeces to calculate the WEC per unit dry matter would provide such an adjustment but may not be practical for industry application. In the past, the CSIRO McMaster Laboratory has used an adjustment factor developed by Gordon based on the classification of faecal consistency derived from the morphology of faeces. To examine the utility of an adjustment factor based on faecal consistency score (FCS), the relationships between FCS and simulated WEC and dry matter were examined. Dry matter and simulated WEC exhibited an exponential decline as FCS increased. The relationship between FCS and dry matter was further examined in 368 samples collected over 12 months from sheep at pasture, where it was observed that dry matter showed a linear decline as FCS increased. Adjustment factors based on dry matter were similar to those proposed by Gordon however adjustment factors predicted from simulated WEC diverged from the remainder for FCS>4. As no samples scored FCS 5 in the study of simulated FEC, the adjustment factors based on the larger study that included samples with FCS 5 was therefore considered more robust. Adjustment factors were given by the equation: WEC(estimated)=(WEC(observed)/(34.21-5.15 FCS))x29.06. This equation estimates for samples with FCS>1 the WEC that would be expected if the samples were FCS 1, the faecal consistency score for normal faeces. The impact of adjustment of observed WEC for faecal moisture predicted by FCS on decision points for treatment and on estimated breeding values requires further examination.

Unlabelled: Endothelial cell seeding has been successful in reducing the thrombogenecity of prosthetic vascular grafts in animal models, but results from clinical trials have been largely disappointing. These poor results have been associated with poor graft coverage in immediate seeding trials, and failure of cell culture in staged procedures. These problems could be largely overcome by utilising a bank of allogeneic endothelial cells, providing an ever ready supply. However, one potential pitfall with this technique would be the possibility of a rejection response following transplantation., Aim: To study the effects of prolonged tissue culture, on the ability of endothelial cells to generate an immune response., Methods and Results: The immunogenecity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells was measured using the mixed lymphocyte endothelial reaction. It was demonstrated that prolonged tissue culture significantly reduced the immunogenecity of the cells, from a mean of 7261 cpm (S.E. +/- 243, n = 3) for cells of subculture 3, to 5478 cpm (+/- 156, p = 0.04) for cells of subculture 7 (p = 0.04, Wilcoxon paired rank test), but did not significantly impair morphology or antithrombotic function., Conclusion: This study provides evidence that prolonged tissue culture provides morphologically and functionally intact, immunomodified endothelial cells which may potentially be used in seeding prosthetic vascular grafts.

Unlabelled: Endothelial cell seeding of prosthetic surfaces has been proposed as a technique to improve the patency of vascular grafts following arterial reconstruction. The introduction of specific recombinant DNA into seeded endothelial cells may enhance the anti-thrombogenic nature of the endothelial-blood interface with a consequent reduction in graft thrombosis. However, the successful use of genetically modified endothelial cells in the seeding process relies on the cells retaining normal function in terms of cellular replication, attachment and secretion of anti-thrombotic mediators. Successful genetic manipulation of human endothelial cells has been accomplished by viral and chemical methods., Aim: To study the functional characteristics of electrontransfected endothelial cells., Methods and Results: Endothelial cells were electro-transfected with the test plasmid pTCF at a transfection efficiency of 10% utilising a single electric pulse with an electric field of 1000 volts/cm and a time constant of 12.8ms. The functional status of transfected endothelial cells was then compared with a control endothelial cell population. There were no significant differences in replication (p = 0.76), attachment (p = 0.43), basal (p = 0.89) or stimulated (p = 0.11) prostacyclin release between transfected cells as compared with control endothelial cells., Conclusions: Genetically modified cells are functionally normal, and may be used in endothelial cell seeding of prosthetic vascular surfaces.

Objectives: We have examined the conditions required to obtain optimum transfection efficiencies for human umbilical vein endothelial cells by transduction with a plasmid conferring neomycin resistance., Materials and Methods: Preliminary studies examined the effects of electric discharges using the Biorad Gene Pulser on endothelial cells. Post-electroporation, there was a significant decrease in cell survival with increasing voltages (100-400 volts; p = 0.03), capacitances [125-960 microFarads (microF); p = 0.02], number of electric pulses (1-2; p = 0.03) and decreasing cell concentrations (p = 0.01). The optimal cell concentration was 3 x 10(6) cells/ml. Transfection studies utilised the neomycin resistance expressing plasmid, pTCF; transfectants were selected with the neomycin analogue G-148., Results: Electro-transfection was optimised with increasing voltages (p = 0.02) and capacitances (p = 0.01) using a single pulse. Optimal transfection was obtained using 400 volts with a capacitance of 960 microF using a single pulse; the median transfection efficiency was 10%. Transduced endothelial cells stably expressed the plasmid for 12 days and at least two cell passages., Conclusions: The results indicate that endothelial cells can be efficiently transduced by electroporation to stably express an introduced gene. This may have important implications in vascular surgery.

Myointimal hyperplasia develops as a generalised response to vascular injury, and may cause stenoses in 40% of all peripheral arterial reconstructions. Disruption of the endothelial monolayer is a prerequisite for the development of intimal hyperplasia, and may be the initiating event in this process. This study examined the hypothesis that restenosis following balloon angioplasty may be reduced by rapid restoration of the endothelial monolayer, achieved by endothelial seeding. Bilateral iliac angioplasties were performed in 11 rabbits. A double balloon catheter was used to seed one angioplasty site with autogenous endothelial cells; the contralateral site was sham seeded with culture medium and acted as a control. Arterial patency rates, the degree of intimal hyperplasia (IH/IEL), and the extent of endothelialisation were quantified at 1 (n = 5) and 3 (n = 6) weeks following balloon dilatation. The results suggest that transluminal endothelial seeding may be a therapeutically applicable technique as it decreases myointimal hyperplasia, and increases patency following angioplasty. This study also illustrates the protective effect of the vascular endothelium following arterial injury, and indicates that intensive efforts should be made to preserve the endothelium during vascular reconstruction.

Purpose: Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of an atheromatous plaque causes endothelial desquamation and intimal dissection with the consequent formation of a thrombogenic flow surface. In this study we investigated the hypothesis that platelet deposition after balloon angioplasty may be decreased by rapid restoration of the endothelial cell monolayer, achieved by transluminally seeding angioplasty sites with endothelial cells., Methods: Bilateral external iliac angioplasty was performed in eight New Zealand white rabbits. One angioplasty site was isolated from the circulation and incubated with a supraconfluent endothelial cell suspension with a double balloon catheter; the contralateral angioplasty site was sham seeded with culture medium. The deposition of autologous indium 111-labeled platelets on the angioplasty sites was quantified 30 minutes after restoration of flow and was referenced to an undamaged segment of aorta that acted as a negative control., Results: Platelet deposition on the nonseeded angioplasty site (13.1 x 10(4) platelets/mm2) was significantly higher than on nondilated segments (3.4 x 10(4) platelets/mm2; p = 0.014). Restorationof endothelial cell coverage by endothelial seeding significantly reduced platelet deposition on dilated arterial segments to levels not significantly higher than in controls (3.6 x 10(4) platelets/mm2; p = 0.014)., Conclusions: These results illustrate that rapid reendothelialization of angioplasty sites decreases subsequent platelet deposition and may reduce the rate of acute arterial reocclusion complicating endovascular techniques.