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Herein, we investigated the effect of electrospun polycaprolactone fumarate (PCLF) nanofibers on neural stem cell (NSC) behavior in the in vitro setting. Murine NSCs were isolated from adult mice subventricular zone and immunophenotyped by flow cytometry assay and immunofluorescence staining. Cells were cultured on the plastic surface, laminin-coated surface, and electrospun PCLF nanofibers. Cell morphology, attachment, and spreading were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy analysis. Cell viability and proliferation rates were evaluated by MTT assay. The proliferation of plated cells was investigated by monitoring Ki-67-positive cells using flow cytometry analysis. The protein levels of Map-2 and GFAP were detected by using immunofluorescence staining to show neural and astrocyte differentiation capacity. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed an extensive distribution, morphological adaptation, and cell-to-cell connectivity in NSCs upon culture on the PCLF surface. MTT analysis showed that the NSCs had more survival rates on the PCLF surface compared to the laminin and control groups over time (p < 0.05). In contrast to the laminin group, Ki-67 analysis showed a decrease of proliferating cells in the PCLF group. Immunofluorescence staining revealed the prominent increase of Map-2 and GFAP reduction in NSCs from the PCLF group compared to the laminin and control groups, showing the stimulatory effect of PCLF on targeted maturation of NSCs (p < 0.05). In brief, PCLF based construct promotes NSCs morphological adaptation and neuronal differentiation, suggesting PCLF as an appropriate and applicable substrate in neural tissue engineering.

Introduction The Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) questionnaire is a tool designed for self-assessment of forearm pain and disability in patients with tennis elbow. The aims of this study were to translate and cross-culturally adapt the PRTEE questionnaire into Persian and evaluate its reliability and construct validity. Methods The PRTEE questionnaire was translated into and cross-culturally adapted to Persian in 90 consecutive patients with tennis elbow, according to well-established guidelines. Reliability was tested by means of test–retest and internal consistency. The measurement error was measured by calculating the standard error of measurement. Based on the standard error of measurement, the minimum detectable change was calculated. To evaluate construct and convergent validity, correlation with the PRTEE with the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire and Visual analogue scale was used. Results In the process of cross-cultural adaptation, two items (6 and 8) were modified. In item 6, the term “door knob” was changed to “turn a key”, and in the item 8, “cup of coffee” was changed to “cup of milk”. Item-total correlations were greater than 0.55 (ranged from 0.55 to 0.76), internal consistency was high (Cronbach’s alpha, 0.94) and a high intraclass correlation coefficient (0.98) indicated excellent reliability of the P-PRTEE. The standard error of measurement and minimum detectable change were 5.40 and 14.24, respectively. The Persian version of the PRTEE questionnaire (P-PRTEE) shows strong construct and convergent validity ( r values = 0.85, p < 0.05). Conclusions The P-PRTEE is valid and reliable in assessing disability and pain in Persian patients with tennis elbow. The excellent psychometric properties of the P-PRTEE endorse the use of this questionnaire in clinical settings.