The proliferation of the scientific literature in the field of biomedicine makes it difficult to keep abreast of current knowledge, even for domain experts. While general Web search engines and specialized information retrieval (IR) systems have made important strides in recent decades, the problem of accurate knowledge extraction from the biomedical literature is far from solved. Classical IR systems usually return a list of documents that have to be read by the user to extract relevant information. This tedious and time-consuming work can be lessened with automatic Question Answering (QA) systems, which aim to provide users with direct and precise answers to their questions. In this work we propose a novel methodology for QA based on semantic relations extracted from the biomedical literature. We extracted semantic relations with the SemRep natural language processing system from 122,421,765 sentences, which came from 21,014,382 MEDLINE citations (i.e., the complete MEDLINE distribution up to the end of 2012). A total of 58,879,300 semantic relation instances were extracted and organized in a relational database. The QA process is implemented as a search in this database, which is accessed through a Web-based application, called SemBT (available at http://sembt.mf.uni-lj.si). We conducted an extensive evaluation of the proposed methodology in order to estimate the accuracy of extracting a particular semantic relation from a particular sentence. Evaluation was performed by 80 domain experts. In total 7,510 semantic relation instances belonging to 2,675 distinct relations were evaluated 12,083 times. The instances were evaluated as correct 8,228 times (68%). In this work we propose an innovative methodology for biomedical QA. The system is implemented as a Web-based application that is able to provide precise answers to a wide range of questions. A typical question is answered within a few seconds. The tool has some extensions that make it especially useful for interpretation of DNA microarray results.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2048297218
A novel two-layered pain relieving wound dressing was prepared from a combination of biocompatible polymers carboxymethylcellulose and polyethyleneoxide, and two types of pain relieving drugs, the non-steroid anti-inflammatory diclofenac and the local anesthetic lidocaine. To achieve the two-layered structure, electrospinning and impregnation of a commercially available wound dressing Aquacel, were used for preparation of respective layers. The electrospun nanofibers have been shown to possess similar features as found in the extracellular matrix (ECM), an important component of the skin. This characteristic could significantly contribute to the efficiency of wound healing. The second layer is based on Aquacel, an important wound dressing in modern wound care. Since pain can drastically lower the wound healing process, as well as it is known to decrease the overall quality of patient life, pain relieving drugs are very interesting for wound care applications. For efficient pain reduction, two types of drugs were used. When combined, these can cover different types of wound related pain (due to the cause and treatment), and hence additionally aid the wound healing process. The combined features of the incorporated pain relieving drugs and the mentioned materials are therefore very interesting for future studies towards clinical testing of possible prototype products.
COBISS.SI-ID: 19019798
In order to survive in food-processing environments and cause disease, Campylobacter jejuni requires specific survival mechanisms, such as biofilms, which contribute to its transmission through the food chain to the human host and present a critical form of resistance to a wide variety of antimicrobials. Phytochemical analysis of thyme ethanolic extract (TE), thyme post-hydrodistillation residue (TE-R), and olive leaf extract (OE) using high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array indicates that the major compounds in TE and TE-R are flavone glucuronides and rosmarinic acid derivatives, and in OE verbascoside, luteolin 7-O-glucoside and oleuroside. TE and TE-R reduced C. jejuni adhesion to abiotic surfaces by up to 30% at 0.2-12.5 µg mL-1 , with TE-R showing a greater effect. OE from 3.125 to 200 µg mL-1 reduced C. jejuni adhesion to polystyrene by 10-23%. On the other hand, C. jejuni adhesion to PSI cl1 cells was inhibited by almost 30% over a large concentration range of these extracts. Our findings suggest that TE, the agro-food waste material TE-R, and the by-product OE represent sources of bioactive phytochemicals that are effective at low concentrations and can be used as therapeutic agents to prevent bacterial adhesion.
COBISS.SI-ID: 4558200
Wound dressings, capable of local controlled delivery of non-steroid anti-inflammatory pain-killing drugs (NSAIDs) to the wound bed, offer great potential to accelerate wound healing, hence increase the quality of patient life. With local NSAID delivery, unwanted side effects encountered in their systemic delivery, are drastically diminished. In this study, four functional fibrous wound dressing materials, namely viscose, alginate, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Na-CMC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) loaded with a NSAID, diclofenac sodium (DCF) are prepared, and their suitability to tune the release rate of DCF is evaluated. Through careful examination of material-drug combinations, in terms of their physicochemical properties (air permeability, wettability and water retention) and structural/morphological properties (infrared spectroscopy, wide angle X-ray scattering and scanning electron microscopy), possible wound care applications are proposed. In vitro release studies using an automated Franz diffusion cell system, combined with UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy for drug release profile determination, are performed as the final pre-formulation test. Results showed significant differences in the release profiles between different material-drug combinations, making the examined materials highly applicable for several wound care applications. The present study presents a novel cost effective approach for preparation of drug loaded wound dressing materials without a sacrifice in patient safety. Additionally, novel methods and material-drug combinations are introduced, paving the way for possible future wound treatment options.
COBISS.SI-ID: 18922262
Increasing evidence suggests that not only genetics, but also environmental factors like gut microbiota dysbiosis play an important role in the pathogenesis of celiac disease (CD). The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of two probiotic strains Bifidobacterium breve BR03 and B. breve B632 on serum production of anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 10 (IL-10) and pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-[alfa]) in children with CD. The study was a double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial that included 49 children with CD on gluten-free diet (GFD) randomized into two groups and 18 healthy children in the control group. The first group (24 children with CD) daily received B. breve BR03 and B632 (2 % 109 colony-forming units) and the second group (25 children with CD) received placebo for 3 months. TNF-[alfa] levels were significantly decreased in the first group after receiving B. breve for 3 months. On follow-up, 3 months after receiving probiotics, TNF-[alfa] levels increased again. Children with CD who were on GFD for less than 1 year showed similar baseline TNF-[alfa] levels as children who were on GFD for more than 1 year. IL-10 levels were in all groups of patients below detection level. Probiotic intervention with B. breve strains has shown a positive effect on decreasing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-[alfa] in children with CD on GFD.
COBISS.SI-ID: 512528696