Ethical Limitations Research Articles

노인맞춤돌봄서비스 현장에서 ICT 활용과 사회복지 종사자의 전문가 윤리 기반 실천경험 연구

The use of science and technology and ethical considerations have recently been applied to the field of social welfare, and professional ethics for social welfare workers is emerging as a major task. In order to actively reflect these changes of the times, the ‘Korean Code of Ethics for Social Workers’ was revised in 2023 to strengthen the scientific and technological ethical standards of social workers. This study explored the meaning and limitations of social worker professional ethics for dedicated social workers who provide ICT services, focusing on customized care services for the elderly. In addition, directions for the use of science and technology and the professional development of social workers were proposed. To conduct this research In-depth interviews were conducted with five social workers working in customized care services for the elderly and analyzed using a qualitative case study method. As a result of the study, it was analyzed that 1) “Recognition of the need for training related to the use of ICT care devices and insufficient ethics education system”, 2) “Ethical issues that prevent workers from developing expertise and expanding services related to the use of ICT”, 3) “Ethical issues due to the structure of ICT safety support services that require sacrifices of workers”, 4) “Ethical issues due to personal information protection infringement and absence of alternative services that occur when responding to safety support”, 5) “Providing ICT devices with low technological acceptability to clients It was analyzed as an “ethical problem that arises from its use.”Based on the results of this study, policy and practical approaches and alternatives were presented to improve social welfare expertise related to the use of science and technology.

Evaluation of the Treatment Effects of Conditioned Medium from Human Orbital Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in a Corneal Alkali Burn Rabbit Model.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a new treatment-conditioned medium from human orbital adipose-derived stem cells (OASC-CM)-on corneal recovery after alkali burns in a rabbit model. Methods: The corneal alkali burn rabbit model was established and treated with OASC-CM, conditioned medium from human abdominal subcutaneous adipose-derived stem cells (ABASC-CM), and fresh control culture medium (con-CM) three times a day for 7 days, respectively. Subsequently, the treatment effects were evaluated and compared through clinical, histological, immunohistochemical, and cytokine evaluations. Results: Clinically, OASC-CM alleviated corneal opacity and edema and promoted recovery of corneal epithelium defect. Histologically and immunohistochemically, OASC-CM inhibited neovascularization, conjunctivalization, and immuno-inflammatory reaction, while promoting corneal regeneration and rearrangement. Increased secretion of interleukin-10 and inhibited protein levels of cluster of differentiation 45, interferon-γ, and tumor necrosis factor-α were observed in the alkali-burned cornea after OASC-CM treatment, which might be the relevant molecular mechanism. Conclusions: OASC-CM showed significant effects on the recovery of rabbit corneal alkali burns and eliminated immunological and ethical limitations, representing a new option for corneal wound treatment.

It's time we put agency into Behavioural Public Policy

Abstract Promoting agency – people's ability to form intentions and to act on them freely – must become a primary objective for Behavioural Public Policy (BPP). Contemporary BPPs do not directly pursue this objective, which is problematic for many reasons. From an ethical perspective, goals like personal autonomy and individual freedom cannot be realised without nurturing citizens’ agency. From an efficacy standpoint, BPPs that override agency – for example, by activating automatic psychological processes – leave citizens ‘in the dark’, incapable of internalising and owning the process of behaviour change. This may contribute to non-persistent treatment effects, compensatory negative spillovers or psychological reactance and backfiring effects. In this paper, we argue agency-enhancing BPPs can alleviate these ethical and efficacy limitations to longer-lasting and meaningful behaviour change. We set out philosophical arguments to help us understand and conceptualise agency. Then, we review three alternative agency-enhancing behavioural frameworks: (1) boosts to enhance people's competences to make better decisions; (2) debiasing to encourage people to reduce the tendency for automatic, impulsive responses; and (3) nudge+ to enable citizens to think alongside nudges and evaluate them transparently. Using a multi-dimensional framework, we highlight differences in their workings, which offer comparative insights and complementarities in their use. We discuss limitations of agency-enhancing BPPs and map out future research directions.

New Challenges and Prospects of the Eurasian Economic Commission as a Negotiating Platform

The study is devoted to the cognitive analysis of the current state of the Eurasian Economic Commission, which is the main institution of integration of the economies of the Western Eurasia. Deconstruction of the European principle of the “four freedoms” that was laid down in the basis of the EAEU allows authors to conclude that further implementation of the latter will lead to the reproduction of the EU’s weaknesses that have become obvious today. Moreover, it will lead to internal conflicts, primarily between corporations, which will be mainly Russian, and the member states. The predictable result will be a decrease in the functionality of the Eurasian Union, which has already taken noticeable forms. It produces the obvious risks of turning of this important negotiating platform into an artifact that does not meet the challenges that arose with the beginning of Russia’s Special military operation. The authors see a way out in «balancing» the principle of «four freedoms», which de facto leads to redistribution of resources in favor of corporations, with the principle of security. The extrapolation of latter to the economic sphere can allow not only to strengthen the regulatory role of states, but also to move to the creation of a production circuit within the Eurasian Economic Union based on the common system of division of labor. In their theoretical constructions, the authors appeal to the successful experience of China, which managed to introduce a system of moral and ethical restrictions for business, and thereby managed to make profitable a «long» investment focused not on the consumption of an individual, but on the prosperity of society as a whole.

Derrida’s Counter-Institution and Its Ethics of Promise and Responsibility

In this article, we consider Derrida’s grasp on counter-institution and outline a peculiar modality of ethics that it engenders. After evoking his counter-institutional public engagements in the introduction, we begin an analysis of the word counter-institution. In the first place, the polysemy of its prefix “counter” is exposed, followed by the claim that in Derrida’s philosophy this term denotes proximity and contact, rather than opposition – thus determining the architecture of the counter-institution. Furthermore, we discuss Derrida’s critique of traditional, sovereign institutions that he saw as unjust and violent, relating it to his theory of decision, and making the claim that counter-institutions are inseparable from justice. In the second part, we conceptualize what is named the counter-ethics of promise and responsibility. By juxtaposing Derrida’s unorthodox views on the notions of promise and responsibility, we seek to formulate a counter-ethical thought that animates the relations in and of the counter-institution and challenges the limits of ethics. Finally, we propose that Derrida’s idea of unfaithful fidelity could be understood as the very condition counter-ethics, and by consequence, of deconstruction.

Enabling Personalized Medicine in Orthopaedic Surgery Through Artificial Intelligence: A Critical Analysis Review.

» The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of orthopaedic surgery holds potential for revolutionizing health care delivery across 3 crucial domains: (I) personalized prediction of clinical outcomes and adverse events, which may optimize patient selection, surgical planning, and enhance patient safety and outcomes; (II) diagnostic automated and semiautomated imaging analyses, which may reduce time burden and facilitate precise and timely diagnoses; and (III) forecasting of resource utilization, which may reduce health care costs and increase value for patients and institutions.» Computer vision is one of the most highly studied areas of AI within orthopaedics, with applications pertaining to fracture classification, identification of the manufacturer and model of prosthetic implants, and surveillance of prosthesis loosening and failure.» Prognostic applications of AI within orthopaedics include identifying patients who will likely benefit from a specified treatment, predicting prosthetic implant size, postoperative length of stay, discharge disposition, and surgical complications. Not only may these applications be beneficial to patients but also to institutions and payors because they may inform potential cost expenditure, improve overall hospital efficiency, and help anticipate resource utilization.» AI infrastructure development requires institutional financial commitment and a team of clinicians and data scientists with expertise in AI that can complement skill sets and knowledge. Once a team is established and a goal is determined, teams (1) obtain, curate, and label data; (2) establish a reference standard; (3) develop an AI model; (4) evaluate the performance of the AI model; (5) externally validate the model, and (6) reinforce, improve, and evaluate the model's performance until clinical implementation is possible.» Understanding the implications of AI in orthopaedics may eventually lead to wide-ranging improvements in patient care. However, AI, while holding tremendous promise, is not without methodological and ethical limitations that are essential to address. First, it is important to ensure external validity of programs before their use in a clinical setting. Investigators should maintain high quality data records and registry surveillance, exercise caution when evaluating others' reported AI applications, and increase transparency of the methodological conduct of current models to improve external validity and avoid propagating bias. By addressing these challenges and responsibly embracing the potential of AI, the medical field may eventually be able to harness its power to improve patient care and outcomes.

The immediate effect of discrimination on mental health: A meta-analytic review of the causal evidence.

This meta-analysis synthesizes experimental studies on the immediate effects of discrimination on mental health, exploring the effects of different paradigms and discrimination types on diverse facets of mental health. We analyzed data from a systematic literature search (73 studies; 12,097 participants; 245 effect sizes) for randomized controlled trials with manipulation of discrimination as a predictor and mental health as an outcome using a three-level random-effects model. Experimentally manipulated discrimination led to poorer mental health (g = -0.30), also after controlling for publication year, region, education level, and methodological quality. Moderator analyses revealed stronger effects for pervasive (g = -0.55) compared to single-event manipulations (g = -0.25) and a trend toward weaker effects for samples with nonmarginalized (g = -0.16) compared to marginalized identities (g = -0.34). Gender and age did not moderate the effect. Discrimination had the largest effects on externalizing (g = -0.66) and distress-related outcomes (g = -0.41); heterosexism (g = -0.66), racism (g = -0.32), and sexism (g = -0.30) had the largest effects on mental health. Convenience sampling compromised generalizability to subgroups and the general population, downgrading methodological quality for all included studies. When interpreting the findings, selective samples (mostly young female adults with higher education), often limited ecological validity, and ethical restrictions of lab-induced discrimination need to be considered. These constraints likely led to conservative estimates of the mental health effects of discrimination in this meta-analysis. Future research should investigate more diverse samples, further explain the heterogeneity of findings, and explore protective factors of the effects of discrimination on mental health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Rational attenuation of canine distemper virus (CDV) to develop a morbillivirus animal model that mimics measles in humans.

Morbilliviruses are members of the family Paramyxoviridae and are known for their ability to cause systemic disease in a variety of mammalian hosts. The prototypic morbillivirus, measles virus (MeV), infects humans and still causes morbidity and mortality in unvaccinated children and young adults. Experimental infection studies in non-human primates have contributed to the understanding of measles pathogenesis. However, ethical restrictions call for the development of new animal models. Canine distemper virus (CDV) infects a wide range of animals, including ferrets, and its pathogenesis shares many features with measles. However, wild-type CDV infection is almost always lethal, while MeV infection is usually self-limiting. Here, we made five recombinant CDVs, predicted to be attenuated, and compared their pathogenesis to the non-attenuated recombinant CDV in a ferret model. Three viruses were insufficiently attenuated based on clinical signs, fatality, and systemic infection, while one virus was too attenuated. The last candidate virus caused a self-limiting infection associated with transient viremia and viral dissemination to all lymphoid tissues, was shed transiently from the upper respiratory tract, and did not result in acute neurological signs. Additionally, an in-depth phenotyping of the infected white blood cells showed lower infection percentages in all lymphocyte subsets when compared to the non-attenuated CDV. In conclusion, infection models using this candidate virus mimic measles and can be used to study pathogenesis-related questions and to test interventions for morbilliviruses in a natural host species.IMPORTANCEMorbilliviruses are transmitted via the respiratory route but cause systemic disease. The viruses use two cellular receptors to infect myeloid, lymphoid, and epithelial cells. Measles virus (MeV) remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality in humans, requiring animal models to study pathogenesis or intervention strategies. Experimental MeV infections in non-human primates are restricted by ethical and practical constraints, and animal morbillivirus infections in natural host species have been considered as alternatives. Inoculation of ferrets with wild-type canine distemper virus (CDV) has been used for this purpose, but in most cases, the virus overwhelms the immune system and causes highly lethal disease. Introduction of an additional transcription unit and an additional attenuating point mutation in the polymerase yielded a candidate virus that caused self-limiting disease with transient viremia and virus shedding. This rationally attenuated CDV strain can be used for experimental morbillivirus infections in ferrets that reflect measles in humans.

A Novel Ex Vivo Assay to Evaluate Functional Effectiveness of Plasmodium vivax Transmission-Blocking Vaccine Using Pvs25 Transgenic Plasmodium berghei.

Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax account for >90% global malaria burden. Transmission intervention strategies encompassing transmission-blocking vaccines (TBV) and drugs represent ideal public health tools to eliminate malaria at the population level. The availability of mature P. falciparum gametocytes through in vitro culture has facilitated development of a standard membrane feeding assay to assess efficacy of transmission interventions against P. falciparum. The lack of in vitro culture for P. vivax has significantly hampered similar progress on P. vivax and limited studies have been possible using blood from infected patients in endemic areas. The ethical and logistical limitations of on-time access to blood from patients have impeded the development of P. vivax TBVs. Transgenic murine malaria parasites (Plasmodium berghei) expressing TBV candidates offer a promising alternative for evaluation of P. vivax TBVs through in vivo studies in mice, and ex vivo membrane feeding assay (MFA). We describe the development of transmission-competent transgenic TgPbvs25 parasites and optimization of parameters to establish an ex vivo MFA to evaluate P. vivax TBV based on Pvs25 antigen. The MFA is expected to expedite Pvs25-based TBV development without dependence on blood from P. vivax-infected patients in endemic areas for evaluation.

Research on the brain phantom for transcranial electromagnetic neuromodulation

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a widely used neuroregulatory technique, has been proven to be effective in treating neurological and psychiatric disorders. The therapeutic effect is closely related to the intracranial electric field caused by TMS, thus accurate measurement of the intracranial electric field generated by TMS is of great significance. However, direct intracranial measurement in human brain faces various technical, safety, ethical and other limitations. Therefore, we have constructed a brain phantom that can simulate the electrical conductivity and anatomical structure of the real brain, in order to replace the clinical trial to achieve intracranial electric field measurement. We selected and prepared suitable conductive materials based on the electrical conductivity of various layers of the real brain tissue, and performed image segmentation, three-dimensional reconstruction and three-dimensional printing processes on each layer of tissue based on magnetic resonance images. The production of each layer of tissue in the brain phantom was completed, and each layer of tissue was combined to form a complete brain phantom. The induced electric field generated by the TMS coil applied to the brain phantom was measured to further verify the conductivity of the brain phantom. Our study provides an effective experimental tool for studying the distribution of intracranial electric fields caused by TMS.

Generation of chimpanzee induced pluripotent stem cell lines for cross-species comparisons.

As humans' closest living relatives, chimpanzees offer valuable insights into human evolution. However, technical and ethical limitations hinder investigations into the molecular and cellular foundations that distinguish chimpanzee and human traits. Recently, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have emerged as a novel model for functional comparative studies and provided a non-invasive alternative for studying embryonic phenomena. In this study, we generated five new chimpanzee iPSC lines from peripheral blood cells and skin fibroblasts with SeV vectors carrying four reprogramming factors (human OCT3/4, SOX2, KLF4, and L-MYC) and characterized their pluripotency and differentiation potential. We also examined the expression of a human-specific non-coding RNA, HSTR1, which is predicted to be involved in human brain development. Our results show that the chimpanzee iPSCs possess pluripotent characteristics and can differentiate into various cell lineages. Moreover, we found that HSTR1 is expressed in human iPSCs and their neural derivatives but not in chimpanzee counterparts, supporting its possible role in human-specific brain development. As iPSCs are inherently variable due to genetic and epigenetic differences in donor cells or reprogramming procedures, it is essential to expand the number of chimpanzee iPSC lines to comprehensively capture the molecular and cellular properties representative of chimpanzees. Hence, our cells provide a valuable resource for investigating the function and regulation of human-specific transcripts such as HSTR1 and for understanding human evolution more generally.

Proposing immersive virtual reality scenarios for validating verbal content analysis methods in adult samples.

Verbal content analyses to differentiate truthful and fabricated statements, such as the Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA), are used in lie detection research as well as in practice to assess the credibility of statements in criminal court proceedings. Meta-analyses demonstrate validity of verbal content analyses above chance, but the traditional research paradigms usually lack either ecological or internal validity. The authors discuss the usage of immersive virtual reality scenarios to solve this dilemma, as both types of validity can be increased by this approach. In this integrative review of existing literature on the current use of virtual scenarios in forensic and victimology research, the authors extract strengths and limitations for possible VR studies in the context of verbal content analysis. Furthermore, novel ethical challenges involved are summarized and implications for future studies proposed. Overall, we argue in favor of using virtual reality scenarios to validate methods for verbal content analysis, but also urge to consider ethical limitations regarding unwanted short- and long-term aftereffects.

Evaluating the understanding of the ethical and moral challenges of Big Data and AI among Jordanian medical students, physicians in training, and senior practitioners: a cross-sectional study

AimsTo examine the understanding of the ethical dilemmas associated with Big Data and artificial intelligence (AI) among Jordanian medical students, physicians in training, and senior practitioners.MethodsWe implemented a literature-validated questionnaire to examine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the target population during the period between April and August 2023. Themes of ethical debate included privacy breaches, consent, ownership, augmented biases, epistemology, and accountability. Participants’ responses were showcased using descriptive statistics and compared between groups using t-test or ANOVA.ResultsWe included 466 participants. The greater majority of respondents were interns and residents (50.2%), followed by medical students (38.0%). Most participants were affiliated with university institutions (62.4%). In terms of privacy, participants acknowledged that Big Data and AI were susceptible to privacy breaches (39.3%); however, 59.0% found such breaches justifiable under certain conditions. For ethical debacles involving informed consent, 41.6% and 44.6% were aware that obtaining informed consent posed an ethical limitation in Big Data and AI applications and denounced the concept of “broad consent”, respectively. In terms of ownership, 49.6% acknowledged that data cannot be owned yet accepted that institutions could hold a quasi-control of such data (59.0%). Less than 50% of participants were aware of Big Data and AI’s abilities to augment or create new biases in healthcare. Furthermore, participants agreed that researchers, institutions, and legislative bodies were responsible for ensuring the ethical implementation of Big Data and AI. Finally, while demonstrating limited experience with using such technology, participants generally had positive views of the role of Big Data and AI in complementing healthcare.ConclusionJordanian medical students, physicians in training and senior practitioners have limited awareness of the ethical risks associated with Big Data and AI. Institutions are responsible for raising awareness, especially with the upsurge of such technology.

Can There Be a Feminist Ethnography of the Undersea?

This article relies on an ethnography of commercial divers that involves the author’s training, certification, and activity underwater to propose an ecofeminist analysis of the undersea (furthermore with the undersea). It presents how feminist environmental theory engages with the ethnographic method of immersion and how underwater fieldwork grounded in feminist theory contributes, in turn, to reflections on the role of embodiment in the production of ethnographic knowledge. This article emphasizes the role of experiencing risky situations (gender-based violence and life-threatening situations) in the research process to address the reproduction of masculinity that is part of the commercial diving training supported by the profession’s equipment and technologies. By doing so, the article unveils how participating in underwater activities as part of fieldwork raises issues for feminist ethics, especially regarding multispecies relationality. Overcoming these ethical limits and reconciling ecofeminism and ethnography in the study of underwater ecologies can, as the article concludes, rely on creative methods.

Pledging after nudging improves uptake of plant-based diets: a field experiment in a German university cafeteria

Meat-based diets are carbon-intensive and incompatible with Paris climate targets. Reducing meat consumption is essential to mitigate climate change. Behavioural nudges, which present structured choices to citizens, have been increasingly used to reduce meat demand. But they face ethical challenges and limits when scaling up. We test if encouraging people to reflect after nudging improves the effectiveness of a nudge. We design and administer a novel randomised controlled trial in a German university cafeteria, lasting for five weeks (N participants = 129,N meals = 645). In week 1, we measure baseline dietary behaviours. In week 2, we introduce a labelling nudge in the cafeteria. Subsequently, in weeks 3 & 4, we assign participants randomly to three experimental conditions: a control group that continues to receive the labelling nudge and two treatment groups that get the labelling nudge with an opportunity to reflect, either on the nudge (nudge+ 1) or their own preferences (nudge+ 2). All treatments are discontinued in week 5. In the pooled sample, controlling for period fixed effects, we find that the labelling nudge is not associated with meaningful changes in meat-demand over time. Nonetheless, being encouraged to reflect reduces meat-demand significantly compared to the nudge—the nudge+ 1 reduces chances of buying a meat-based item in the cafeteria by 5% (μ = −0.25, 95% CI = [−0.49,−0.36]) whereas the nudge+ 2 reduces it by 7% (μ = −0.35, 95% CI = [−0.61,−0.08]). These treatment effects attenuate when the interventions are discontinued. We recommend that combining reflection with nudging can improve the uptake of climate-friendly diets, at least in the short-term.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ETHICAL LIMITATIONS TO MALAYSIAN JUDICIARY

The use of social media is widely accepted as an important tool to spread information easily and quickly. Judges must read and share opinions towards current and latest information using social media. As such, compliance with the adoption and exchange of information through the responsible use of social media for joint discussions is expected from judges and judicial members. The public confidence in the judicial system will diminish if the judges display improper online conduct. Therefore, the objective of this article is to identify the ethical limitation of the judges’ capacity in using social media for the maintenance of judicial integrity. By summarizing and reviewing the existing relevant framework, this article proposes a persistent and reasonable guideline on the use of social media for the judiciary following the growing risks posed by social media. Furthermore, judges and judicial officers might better exercise extreme care while requesting and accepting friend requests, including social media postings to avoid the manifestation of safety. Local judicial ethics advisory opinions are needed to prepare revised guidelines following the changing social media features.

Amino Acid Transporters Proteins Involved in the Glutamate-Glutamine Cycle and Their Alterations in Murine Models of Alzheimer's Disease.

The brain's ability to integrate external stimuli and generate responses is highly complex. While these mechanisms are not completely understood, current evidence suggests that alterations in cellular metabolism and microenvironment are involved in some dysfunctions as complex as Alzheimer's disease. This pathology courses with defects in the establishment of chemical synapses, which is dependent on the production and supply of neurotransmitters like glutamate and its recycling through the glutamate-glutamine cycle. Alterations in the expression and function of the amino acid transporters proteins involved in this cycle have recently been reported in different stages of Alzheimer's disease. Most of these data come from patients in advanced stages of the disease or post-mortem, due to the ethical and technical limitations of human studies. Therefore, genetically modified mouse models have been an excellent tool to analyze metabolic and even behavioral parameters that are very similar to those that develop in Alzheimer's disease, even at presymptomatic stages. Hence, this paper analyzes the role of glutamate metabolism and its intercellular trafficking in excitatory synapses from different approaches using transgenic mouse models; such an analysis will contribute to our present understanding of AD.

Potential applications of ChatGPT in obstetrics and gynecology in Korea: a review article.

The use of chatbot technology, particularly chat generative pre-trained transformer (ChatGPT) with an impressive 175 billion parameters, has garnered significant attention across various domains, including Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN). This comprehensive review delves into the transformative potential of chatbots with a special focus on ChatGPT as a leading artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Moreover, ChatGPT harnesses the power of deep learning algorithms to generate responses that closely mimic human language, opening up myriad applications in medicine, research, and education. In the field of medicine, ChatGPT plays a pivotal role in diagnosis, treatment, and personalized patient education. Notably, the technology has demonstrated remarkable capabilities, surpassing human performance in OBGYN examinations, and delivering highly accurate diagnoses. However, challenges remain, including the need to verify the accuracy of the information and address the ethical considerations and limitations. In the wide scope of chatbot technology, AI systems play a vital role in healthcare processes, including documentation, diagnosis, research, and education. Although promising, the limitations and occasional inaccuracies require validation by healthcare professionals. This review also examined global chatbot adoption in healthcare, emphasizing the need for user awareness to ensure patient safety. Chatbot technology holds great promise in OBGYN and medicine, offering innovative solutions while necessitating responsible integration to ensure patient care and safety.

Application of adipose-derived stem cells in ischemic heart disease: theory, potency, and advantage.

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) represent an innovative candidate to treat ischemic heart disease (IHD) due to their abundance, renewable sources, minor invasiveness to obtain, and no ethical limitations. Compared with other mesenchymal stem cells, ASCs have demonstrated great advantages, especially in the commercialization of stem cell-based therapy. Mechanistically, ASCs exert a cardioprotective effect not only through differentiation into functional cells but also via robust paracrine of various bioactive factors that promote angiogenesis and immunomodulation. Exosomes from ASCs also play an indispensable role in this process. However, due to the distinct biological functions of ASCs from different origins or donors with varing health statuses (such as aging, diabetes, or atherosclerosis), the heterogeneity of ASCs deserves more attention. This prompts scientists to select optimal donors for clinical applications. In addition, to overcome the primary obstacle of poor retention and low survival after transplantation, a variety of studies have been dedicated to the engineering of ASCs with biomaterials. Besides, clinical trials have confirmed the safety and efficacy of ASCs therapy in the context of heart failure or myocardial infarction. This article reviews the theory, efficacy, and advantages of ASCs-based therapy, the factors affecting ASCs function, heterogeneity, engineering strategies and clinical application of ASCs.

Characterization of Collagen from Jellyfish Aurelia aurita and Investigation of Biomaterials Potentials.

Marine collagen sources are potent alternatives due to abundant yield, low pathogen infection risk, high biocompatibility, and any religious and ethical restrictions compared to terrestrial collagen sources. In this research, we aim to investigate the biomaterials potential of the collagen from Aurelia aurita, which is a native jellyfish species in the Marmara Sea. Spectroscopic techniques were used to investigate the structure of jellyfish collagen (JCol) from acid-soluble fraction and compared to Jellagen® from Rhizostoma pulmo. MALDI-TOF showed the main peak of Jellagen® at 276,765.161Da and jellyfish collagen at 276,761.687Da. SDS-PAGE indicated α1 and α2 bands at about 122kDa and 140kDa, respectively. In FTIR and Raman spectra, the locations of amide bands of both species were almost the same. The pI of JCol was determined as 4.46. The particle size decreased abruptly at 43oC from 890 to 290nm. Water, organic and inorganic ratios of collagen were determined at 7.14%, 63.59, and 29.27 respectively. In DSC, the denaturation temperature (Td) of JCol was found at 43.7oC and found to be higher than that of the collagens from jellyfishes that have been reported so far in the literature. Biocompatibility testing by metabolic assay revealed significantly higher fibroblast proliferation on collagen film than on the Tissue Culture Plate. To conclude, Aurelia aurita collagen would be a suitable source of collagen when biomaterials are needed to have high biocompatibility and unique macromolecular properties such as high denaturation temperatures.