Publications

Primary canine oral mucosal epithelial cells were cultured on temperature-responsive dishes and cell culture inserts to fabricate transplantable epithelial cell sheets. When 3T3 feeder layers and fetal bovine serum were eliminated from dish culture, the harvested cell sheets became significantly more fragile. In contrast, when epithelial cells were cultured on inserts having submicron-scale pores, cell sheet fragility was eliminated. Keratin expression profiles showed no differences among the harvested cell sheets, but the expression of p63, a putative stem/progenitor marker, was strongly dependent on the presence of 3T3 feeder layers and serum. These results suggest that the maintenance of stem/progenitor cells is influenced by the apical/basal supply of nutrients as well as culture supplements.

Previously, we found that 4 weeks of treatment with lopinavir-ritonavir did not decrease insulin sensitivity but did increase adiponectin levels. In the present study, a single dose of lopinavir-ritonavir decreases insulin sensitivity but does not alter adiponectin levels. Insulin resistance from protease inhibitors may decrease with prolonged use; an increase in adiponectin levels may mediate this effect.

The aim of the present study was to predict which patients with severe or difficult-to-treat asthma are at highest risk for healthcare utilisation can be predicted so as to optimise clinical management. Data were derived from 2,821 adults with asthma enrolled in The Epidemiology and Natural History of Asthma: Outcomes and Treatment Regimens (TENOR) study. Multiple potential predictors were assessed at baseline using a systematic algorithm employing stepwise logistic regression. Outcomes were asthma-related hospitalisations or emergency department (ED) visits within 6 months following baseline. Overall, 239 subjects (8.5%) reported hospitalisation or ED visits at follow-up. Predictors retained after multivariate analysis were as follows: younger age; female sex; non-white race; body mass index > or =35 kg x m(-2); post-bronchodilator per cent predicted forced vital capacity <70%; history of pneumonia; diabetes; cataracts; intubation for asthma; and three or more steroid bursts in the prior 3 months. A final risk score derived from the logistic regression model ranged from 0-18 and was highly predictive (c-index: 0.78) of hospitalisation or ED visits. This tool was re-tested in a prospective validation using outcomes at 12- to 18-months follow-up among the same cohort (c-index: 0.77). The risk score derived is a clinically useful tool for assessing the likelihood of asthma-related hospitalisation or emergency department visits in adults with severe and difficult-to-treat asthma.