Digital Commons Network^™

Live Siv Vaccine Correlate Of Protection: Immune Complex-Inhibitory Fc Receptor Interactions That Reduce Target Cell Availability, Anthony J. Smith, Stephen W. Wietgrefe, Liang Shang, Cavan S. Reilly, Peter J. Southern, Katherine E. Perkey, Lijie Duan, Heinz Kohler, Sybille Muller, James Robinson, John V. Carlis, Qingsheng Li, R. Paul Johnson, Ashley T. Haase

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Principles to guide design of an effective vaccine against HIV are greatly needed, particularly to

protect women in the pandemic’s epicentre in Africa. We have been seeking these principles by

identifying correlates of the robust protection associated with SIV_mac239Δnef vaccination in the

SIV-rhesus macaque animal model of HIV-1 transmission to women. We have identified one

correlate of SIV_mac239Δnef protection against vaginal challenge as a resident mucosal system for

SIV-gp41 trimer antibody production and neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn)-mediated concentration of

these antibodies on the path of virus entry to inhibit establishment of infected founder populations

at the …

Characteristics Of Participants In An Hiv Prevention Intervention For Youth In Rwanda: Results From A Longitudinal Study, Hanne Celis, Brian A. Jingwa, Olivier Degomme, Ronan Van Rossem, Marleen Temmerman, Kristien Michielsen

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Introduction: This paper studies determinants of participation in a peer-led school-based HIV prevention intervention in Rwanda.

Methods: A baseline survey among 1071 students (mean age 17 years) assessed potential determinants of participation, while a follow-up six months in the intervention measured actual participation in the intervention. Statistical models were built using multivariate linear and multinomial regression analysis predicting overall participation, participation in group discussions and individual counseling.

Results: Those who recently had sex, had been tested for HIV, feel more susceptible to HIV, have a higher sexual self-concept, a more positive future perspective (only for non-sexually active), and boys, were …

Sexual Health Is Dead In My Body: Participatory Assessment Of Sexual Health Determinants By Refugees, Asylum Seekers And Undocumented Migrants In Belgium And The Netherlands, Ines Keygnaert, Nicole Vettenburg, Kristien Roelens, Marleen Temmerman

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: Although migrants constitute an important proportion of the European population, little is known about migrant sexual health. Existing research mainly focuses on migrants’ sexual health risks and accessibility issues while recommendations on adequate sexual health promotion are rarely provided. Hence, this paper explores how refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in Belgium and the Netherlands define sexual health, search for sexual health information and perceive sexual health determinants.

Methods: Applying Community-based Participatory Research as the overarching research approach, we conducted 223 in-depth interviews with refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in Belgium and the Netherlands. The Framework Analysis Technique …

The Impact Of Prostate Cancer On Survivors' Sense Of Meaning In Life, Carol Lynn Brady

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has shown that meaning in life is a universal human need, regardless of cultural identity or education. This research study investigated how the encounter with prostate cancer impacted men's sense of well-being and what they considered meaningful in life. An interpretative phenomenological research design was used because of its descriptive nature and its focus on the individual's perspective. The sample included 6 men between the ages of 18 and 65 who had been out of treatment for 1 year. Participants completed essays about their perceptions and experiences over 3 periods of time: before diagnosis, during treatment, and as survivors. …

Reaching Perinatal Women Online: The Healthy You, Healthy Baby Website And App, Lydia Hearn, Margaret Miller, Leanne Lester

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Overwhelming evidence reveals the close link between unwarranted weight gain among childbearing women and childhood adiposity. Yet current barriers limit the capacity of perinatal health care providers (PHCPs) to offer healthy lifestyle counselling. In response, today's Internet savvy women are turning to online resources to access health information, with the potential of revolutionising health services by enabling PHCPs to guide women to appropriate online resources. This paper presents the findings of a project designed to develop an online resource to promote healthy lifestyles during the perinatal period. The methodology involved focus groups and interviews with perinatal women and PHCPs to …

Functional Genomic And Proteomic Analysis Of Highly Drug Resistant Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, Derrick Matthew Oaxaca

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) has served as a model for how cancer can be selectively targeted with advanced forms of chemotherapies known as kinase inhibitors. Such new therapies have significantly altered the field of oncology and have led to monumental increases in both survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients. However, approximately one-third of CML patients will go on to develop drug resistance against major kinase inhibitors. Along with this, other cancers are showing increased incidences of drug resistance. Understanding how these cancers, such as CML, overcome drug sensitivity is of major importance within the clinic. To predict …

Aetiology Of Acute Febrile Episodes In Children Attending Korogwe District Hospital In North-Eastern Tanzania, C. Mahende, B. Ngasala, J. Lusingu, A. Butichi, P. Lushino, M. Lemnge, Zul Premji

Pathology, East Africa

Introduction: Although the burden of malaria in many parts of Tanzania has declined, the proportion of children with fever has not changed. This situation underscores the need to explore the possible causes of febrile episodes in patients presenting with symptoms at the Korogwe District Hospital (KDH).

Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted at KDH, north-eastern Tanzania. Patients aged 2 to 59 months presenting at the outpatient department with an acute medical condition and fever (measured axillary temperature ≥37.5°C) were enrolled. Blood samples were examined for malaria parasites, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and bacterial infections. A urine culture was …

Using Verbal Autopsy To Measure Causes Of Death: The Comparative Performance Of Existing Methods, C.J.L. Mahende, R. Lozano, A.D. Flaxman, P. Serina, D. Phillips, A. Stewart, S.L. James, A. Vahdatpour, C. Atkinson, M.K. Freeman, S.L. Ohno, R. Black, S.M. Ali, A.H. Baqui, L. Dandona, E. Dantzer, G.L. Darmstadt, V. Das, U. Dhingra, A. Dutta, W. Fawzi, S. Gomez, B. Hernandez, R. Joshi, H.D. Kalter, A. Kumar, V. Kumar, M. Lucero, S. Mehta, Zul Premji, D. Ramirez-Villalobos, H. Remolador, I. Riley, M. Romero, M. Said, D. Sanvictores, S. Sazawal, V. Tallo, A. D. Lopez

Pathology, East Africa

Background: Monitoring progress with disease and injury reduction in many populations will require widespread use of verbal autopsy (VA). Multiple methods have been developed for assigning cause of death from a VA but their application is restricted by uncertainty about their reliability.

Methods: We investigated the validity of five automated VA methods for assigning cause of death: InterVA-4, Random Forest (RF), Simplified Symptom Pattern (SSP), Tariff method (Tariff), and King-Lu (KL), in addition to physician review of VA forms (PCVA), based on 12,535 cases from diverse populations for which the true cause of death had been reliably established. For adults, …

Harnessing Microbiome And Probiotic Research In Sub-Saharan Africa: Recommendations From An African Workshop, Gregor Reid, Nicholas Nduti, Wilbert Sybesma, Remco Kort, Tobias R. Kollmann, Rodney Adam, Hamadi Boga, Eric M. Brown, Alexandra Einerhand, Hani El-Nezami, Gregory B. Gloor, Irene I. Kavere, Johanna Lindahl, Amee Manges, Wondu Mamo, Rocio Martin, Amy Mcmillan, Jael Obiero, Pamela A. Ochieng’, Arnold Onyango, Stephen Rulisa, Eeva Salminen, Seppo Salminen, Antony Sije, Jonathan R. Swann, William Van Treuren, Daniel Waweru, Steve J. Kemp

Pathology, East Africa

To augment capacity-building for microbiome and probiotic research in Africa, a workshop was held in Nairobi, Kenya, at which researchers discussed human, animal, insect, and agricultural microbiome and probiotics/prebiotics topics. Five recommendations were made to promote future basic and translational research that benefits Africans.

Reevaluation Of The Aapm Tg-43 Brachytherapy Dosimetry Parameters For An 125I Seed, And The Influence Of Eye Plaque Design On Dose Distributions And Dose-Volume Histograms, Prakash Aryal

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

The TG-43 dosimetry parameters of the Advantage^{TM 125}I model IAI-125A brachytherapy seed were studied. An investigation using modern MCNP radiation transport code with updated cross-section libraries was performed. Twelve different simulation conditions were studied for a single seed by varying the coating thickness, mass density, photon energy spectrum and cross-section library. The dose rate was found to be 6.3% lower at 1 cm in comparison to published results. New TG-43 dosimetry parameters are proposed.

The dose distribution for a brachytherapy eye plaque, model EP917, was investigated, including the effects of collimation from high-Z slots. Dose distributions for …

Mothering And The Functional Self: A Hermeneutic Exploration Of Texts On Perinatal Mood And Anxiety Disorders, Kathleen M. Pape

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Mothering is a rich and complex experience involving challenging tasks, a developing relationship with one's child, and socially defined roles. How mothering is viewed varies depending on the cultural norms and historical era under consideration. This study is a textual interpretation of three books written about perinatal mental health, especially how those texts describe the challenges and struggles of birthing and mothering. I develop understandings about how clinicians respond to those issues and in the process understand themselves, their practices, and their sociocultural roles. I consider the shape of the current social terrain that brings to light the experiences of …

Hearing The Child's Voice: Their Lived Experience In The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Andrea Prentiss

All Publications

Background: More than 200,000 children are admitted annually to Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) in the US. Research has shown young children can provide insight into their hospitalization experiences; child reports rather than parental reports are critical to understanding the child’s experience. Information relating to children’s perceptions while still in the PICU is scarce.

Aims: The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate school age children’s and adolescents’ perceptions of PICU while in the PICU; changes in perceptions after transfer to the General Care Unit (GCU); differences in perceptions of school age children/adolescents and those with more invasive procedures. …

Automated Classification Of Malignant Melanoma Based On Detection Of Atypical Pigment Network In Dermoscopy Images Of Skin Lesions, Nabin K. Mishra

Doctoral Dissertations

“Melanoma causes more deaths than any other form of skin cancer. Early melanoma detection is important to prevent progression to a more deadly stage. Automated computer-based identification of melanoma from dermoscopic images of skin lesions is the most efficient method in early diagnosis. An automated melanoma identification system must include multiple steps, involving lesion segmentation, feature extraction, feature combination and classification. In this research, a classifier-based approach for automatically selecting a lesion border mask for segmentation of dermoscopic skin lesion images is presented. A logistic regression based model selects a single lesion border mask from multiple border masks generated by …

Pathway Profiling Of Replicative And Induced Senescence, Maggie Purcell

Wayne State University Dissertations

Senescence is a permanent withdrawal from cell cycle that occurs naturally in cells in response to the shortening of telomeres. This natural "clock" serves to limit the number of cell divisions and therefore protects the cell from potentially carcinogenic mutations. However, senescence also occurs in response to external stresses to the cell, which is known as induced senescence. This study compares the mechanisms of natural senescence, a response to the shortening of telomeres during replication, with induced senescence by using various drugs to induce senescence: 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine (a demethylating agent), Adriamycin (a chemotherapeutic drug), and H2O2 (an agent causing oxidative stress). …

Influence Of Social Class Perceptions On Attributions Among Mental Health Practitioners, Mindi Thompson, Jacob Diestelmann, Odessa Cole, Abiola O. Keller, Takuya Minami

Physician Assistant Studies Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: A vignette-based study assessed the influence of social class attributions toward a hypothetical client's difficulty. Method: 188 licensed mental health professionals who were recruited through professional listservs completed an online survey after reviewing one of two versions of a vignette describing a hypothetical client that varied based on social class cues. Results: As expected, this sample of licensed mental health practitioners detected social class differences based on the descriptors of the hypothetical client across the two vignettes. These perceived social class differences, however, did not impact participants' attributions toward the client for causing or solving her problems, level of …

Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices Of Parents Regarding Antibiotic Use In Children, Saad Siddiqui, Mubeen Sultan Cheema, Romana Ayub, Noreen Shah, Ameer Hamza, Sheraz Hussain, Muhammad Hamza Khan, Syed Musa Raza

Department of Radiology

Background: Emerging resistance to antimicrobial chemotherapy is becoming a challenge for medicine in recent times. Un-prescribed use of antibiotics is a major contributor to development of this problem. In Pakistan access to antibiotics remains unchecked and hence results in it are over use. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge of parents regarding use of antibiotics, its associated problems, their source of information and their expectations from Paediatricians for prescription of anti-biotics.Methods: This is a questionnaire based cross sectional study conducted in Hayatabad town, District Peshawar. Parents who were consenting, had children aged between 0-16 years, and were …

Characterization Of A Dual-Tropic Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv-1) Strain Derived From The Prototypical X4 Isolate Hxbc2, Shi-Hua Xiang, Beatriz Pacheco, Dane Bowder, Wen Yuan, Joseph Sodroski

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) coreceptor usage and tropism can be modulated by the V3 loop sequence of the gp120 exterior envelope glycoprotein. For coreceptors, R5 viruses use CCR5, X4 viruses use CXCR4, and dual-tropic (R5X4) viruses use either CCR5 or CXCR4. To understand the requirements for dual tropism, we derived and analyzed a dual-tropic variant of an X4 virus. Changes in the V3 base, which allow gp120 to interact with the tyrosine-sulfated CCR5 N-terminus, and deletion of residues 310/311 in the V3 tip were necessary for efficient CCR5 binding and utilization. Thus, both sets of V3 changes allowed …

Risk Factors For Early Childhood Infection Of Human Herpesvirus-8 In Zambian Children: The Role Of Early Childhood Feeding Practices, Kay L. Crabtree, Janet M. Wojcicki, Veenu Minhas, David R. Smith, Chipepo Kankasa, Charles D. Mitchell, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Background—Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) infection in early childhood is common throughout sub-Saharan Africa with prevalence increasing throughout childhood. Specific routes of transmission have not been clearly delineated, though HHV-8 is present in high concentrations in saliva.

Methods—To understand the horizontal transmission of HHV-8 within households to children we enrolled for cross-sectional analysis, 251 households including 254 children, age two and under, in Lusaka, Zambia. For all children, plasma was screened for HHV-8 and HIV-1 and health and behavioral questionnaires were completed. Multi-level logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess independent factors for HHV-8 infection in children.

Results—Risk factors for HHV-8 infection …

Pneumococcal Serotypes And Serogroups Causing Invasive Disease In Pakistan, 2005-2013, Sadia Shakoor, Furqan Kabir, Asif R. Khowaja, Shahida M. Qureshi, Fyezah Jehan, Farah Qamar, Cynthia G. Whitney, Anita K M Zaidi

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

While pneumococcal conjugate vaccines have been implemented in most countries worldwide, use in Asia has lagged in part because of a lack of data on the amount of disease that is vaccine preventable in the region. We describe pneumococcal serotypes elicited from 111 episodes of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) from 2005 to 2013 among children and adults in Pakistan. Seventy-three percent (n = 81) of 111 IPD episodes were cases of meningitis (n = 76 in children 0-15 years and n = 5 among adults). Serotypes were determined by target amplification of DNA extracted from pneumococcal isolates (n = 52) …

The Conceptual Framework And Assessment Methodology For The Systematic Reviews Of Community-Based Interventions For The Prevention And Control Of Infectious Diseases Of Poverty, Zohra S. Lassi, Rehana A. Salam, Jai K. Das, Zulfiqar A. Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

This paper describes the conceptual framework and the methodology used to guide the systematic reviews of community-based interventions (CBIs) for the prevention and control of infectious diseases of poverty (IDoP). We adapted the conceptual framework from the 3ie work on the 'Community-Based Intervention Packages for Preventing Maternal Morbidity and Mortality and Improving Neonatal Outcomes' to aid in the analyzing of the existing CBIs for IDoP. The conceptual framework revolves around objectives, inputs, processes, outputs, outcomes, and impacts showing the theoretical linkages between the delivery of the interventions targeting these diseases through various community delivery platforms and the consequent health impacts. …

Community Based Interventions For The Prevention And Control Of Non-Helmintic Ntd, Jai K. Das, Rehana A. Salam, Ahmed Arshad, Hasina Maredia, Zulfiqar A. Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

In this paper, we aim to systematically analyze the effectiveness of community based interventions (CBI) for the prevention and control of non-helminthic diseases including dengue, trypanosomiasis, chagas, leishmaniasis, buruli ulcer, leprosy and trachoma. We systematically reviewed literature published up to May 2013 and included 62 studies in this review. Findings from our review suggest that CBI including insecticide spraying; insecticide treated bednets and curtains; community education and cleanliness campaigns; chemoprophylaxis through mass drug administration; and treatment have the potential to reduce the incidence and burden of non-helminthic diseases. Lack of data limited the subgroup analysis for integrated and non-integrated delivery …

Impact Of Community-Based Interventions On Hiv Knowledge, Attitudes And Transmission, Rehana A. Salam, Sarah Haroon, Hashim H. Ahmed, Jai K. Das, Zulfiqar A. Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

In 2012, an estimated 35.3 million people lived with HIV, while approximately two million new HIV infections were reported. Community-based interventions (CBIs) for the prevention and control of HIV allow increased access and ease availability of medical care to population at risk, or already infected with, HIV. This paper evaluates the impact of CBIs on HIV knowledge, attitudes, and transmission. We included 39 studies on educational activities, counseling sessions, home visits, mentoring, women's groups, peer leadership, and street outreach activities in community settings that aimed to increase awareness on HIV/AIDS risk factors and ensure treatment adherence. Our review findings suggest …

Β-Lactamase Production And Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern Of Moraxella Catarrhalis Isolates: Report From Pakistan, Sadia Omer Sheikh, Naima Fasih, Seema Irfan, Afia Zafar

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: To assess the frequency of β-lactamase production and antimicrobial resistance in Moraxella catarrhalis isolated from clinical specimens in Pakistan. Methods: This cross sectional study (January to December 2010) was conducted in clinical microbiology laboratory of Aga Khan University Hospital. A total of 97 clinical respiratory specimens growing Moraxella catarrhalis were included. Frequency of β-lactamase production and antimicrobial resistance rates against ampicillin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin and tetracycline were noted by performing minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). MICs were calculated as MIC50 and MIC90.
Results: β-Lactamase production was detected in 84% of isolates, which correlated well with high MIC of …

Increasing Practitioner Knowledge Of Ketamine As An Adjunct Analgesic For Postoperative Pain, Allison Goldfarb

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Postoperative pain is of serious concern to patients and anesthesia providers alike. Management of a patients’ pain is a central component of anesthesia care. Ketamine as an anesthetic agent has been available for 50 years. It has been utilized as a general anesthetic and selectively as an anesthetic agent for high-risk patients. Due to dysphoric side effects associated with the dosage required to render general anesthesia, anesthesia providers may be reluctant to utilize this medication to its full potential. Recently there has been a resurgence of interest in ketamine as an analgesic agent. The researcher for this project performed a …

Sphingosine-1-Phosphate-Mediated Mobilization Of Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells During Intravascular Hemolysis Requires Attenuation Of Sdf-1-Cxcr4 Retention Signaling In Bone Marrow, Kasia Mierzejewska, Yuri M. Klyachkin, Janina Ratajczak, Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Magda Kucia, Mariusz Z. Ratajczak

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a crucial chemotactic factor in peripheral blood (PB) involved in the mobilization process and egress of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) from bone marrow (BM). Since S1P is present at high levels in erythrocytes, one might assume that, by increasing the plasma S1P level, the hemolysis of red blood cells would induce mobilization of HSPCs. To test this assumption, we induced hemolysis in mice by employing phenylhydrazine (PHZ). We observed that doubling the S1P level in PB from damaged erythrocytes induced only a marginally increased level of mobilization. However, if mice were exposed to PHZ together with the …

Using Expression Profiling To Understand The Effects Of Chronic Cadmium Exposure On Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cells, Zelmina Lubovac-Pilav, Daniel M. Borras, Esmeralda Ponce, Maggie Louie

Collected Faculty Scholarship

Cadmium is a metalloestrogen known to activate the estrogen receptor and promote breast cancer cell growth. Previous studies have implicated cadmium in the development of more malignant tumors; however the molecular mechanisms behind this cadmium-induced malignancy remain elusive. Using clonal cell lines derived from exposing breast cancer cells to cadmium for over 6 months (MCF-7-Cd4, -Cd6, -Cd7, -Cd8 and -Cd12), this study aims to identify gene expression signatures associated with chronic cadmium exposure. Our results demonstrate that prolonged cadmium exposure does not merely result in the deregulation of genes but actually leads to a distinctive expression profile. The genes deregulated …

The Ciliary Protein Cystin Forms A Regulatory Complex With Necdin To Modulate Myc Expression, Maoqing Wu, Chaozhe Yang, Binli Tao, Su Bu, Lisa Guay-Woodford

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Cystin is a novel cilia-associated protein that is disrupted in the cpk mouse, a well-characterized mouse model of autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD). Interestingly, overexpression of the Myc gene is evident in animal models of ARPKD and is thought to contribute to the renal cystic phenotype. Using a yeast two-hybrid approach, the growth suppressor protein necdin, known to modulate Myc expression, was found as an interacting partner of cystin. Deletion mapping demonstrated that the C-terminus of cystin and both termini of necdin are required for their mutual interaction. Speculating that these two proteins may function to regulate gene expression, …

Self-Reported Juvenile Firesetting: Results From Two National Survey Datasets, Carrie Howell Bowling, Joav Merrick, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

The main purpose of this study was to address gaps in existing research by examining the relationship between academic performance and attention problems with juvenile firesetting. Two datasets from the Achenbach System for Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) were used. The Factor Analysis Dataset (N = 975) was utilized and results indicated that adolescents who report lower academic performance are more likely to set fires. Additionally, adolescents who report a poor attitude toward school are even more likely to set fires. Results also indicated that attention problems are predictive of self-reported firesetting. The National Survey Dataset (N = 1158) …

The Impact Of A Large-Scale Power Outage On Hemodialysis Center Operations, Mahshid Abir, Sophia Jan, Lindsay Jubelt, Raina M. Merchant, Nicole Lurie

Emergency Medicine Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION:

On June 29, 2012, mid-Atlantic storms resulted in a large-scale power outage affecting up to three million people across multiple (US) states. Hemodialysis centers are dependent on electricity to provide dialysis care to end-stage renal disease patients. The objective of thisstudy was to determine how the power outage impacted operations in a sample of hemodialysis centers in the impacted regions.

METHODS:

The sample consisted of all hemodialysis centers located in the District of Columbia and a total of five counties with the largest power losses in West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland. A semi-structured interview guide was developed, and …

Layered Long Term Co-Culture Of Hepatocytes And Endothelial Cells On A Transwell Membrane: Toward Engineering The Liver Sinusoid, Young Bok (Abraham) Kang, Siddhartha Rawat, Joseph Cirillo, Michael Bouchard, Hongseok (Moses) Noh

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

This paper presents a novel liver model that mimics the liver sinusoid where most liver activities occur. A key aspect of our current liver model is a layered co-culture of primary rat hepatocytes (PRHs) and primary rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) or bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) on a transwell membrane. When a layered co-culture was attempted with a thin matrigel layer placed between hepatocytes and endothelial cells to mimic the Space of Disse, the cells did not form completely separated monolayers. However, when hepatocytes and endothelial cells were cultured on the opposite sides of a transwell membrane, PRHs …