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The handheld nonthermal plasma (HNP) treatment may alter the surface properties, bone metabolism, and inflammatory reactions of polyaryletherketone (PAEK) dental implant materials. This study tested whether the HNP treatment might increase the biocompatibility, surface hydrophilicity, surface free energies (SFEs), and the cell adhesion and mineralization capability of PAEK materials. Disk-shaped samples of titanium (Ti), zirconia (Zr), polyetheretherketone (PEEK [PE]), and polyetherketoneketone (PEKK [PK]) were subjected to HNP treatment and termed as TiPL, ZrPL, PEPL, and PKPL, respectively. Water-surface reactions were examined using a goniometer. MG-63 cells were cultured on all samples to assess the cell viability, cytotoxicity, cell attachment, and mineralization characteristics. The expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6) and key mineralization markers (alkaline phosphatase [ALKP], osteopontin [OPN], and dentin matrix protein 1 [DMP1]) was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. The HNP-treated samples exhibited significantly enhanced surface hydrophilicities and SFEs compared to the untreated samples. The cell viability remained high across all samples, indicating no cytotoxic effects. The HNP treatment significantly enhanced MG-63 cell adherence and proliferation. Elevated levels of ALKP and OPN were observed for the plasma-treated PEPL and PKPL specimens, while DMP1 levels increased significantly only in the PKPL specimen. Pro-inflammatory cytokine levels were low across all samples, suggesting no inflammatory response. The HNP-treated PAEKs have enhanced the surface hydrophilicity and SFEs as well as superior cell adhesion and mineralization capability, and thus may be good clinical dental implant materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ludwig's angina (LA) is a life-threatening infection that can affect the floor of the mouth and neck, potentially causing serious airway obstruction. In such cases, rescue airway management and oxygenation can be challenging due to swelling of the mouth floor, trismus, and limited mouth opening. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of the Trachway video-stylet (VS) and Pentax AWS hyperangulated videolaryngoscope with channel (HAVL-C) compared to the standard geometric video-laryngoscope (SGVL, Macintosh 3, Trachway) in simulating Ludwig's angina with cadavers. Three fresh frozen cadavers were prepared with varying degrees of difficulty to simulate the airway conditions of patients with LA, including mouth floor swelling, restricted mouth opening, and trismus. Fifty-five second-year resident physicians from various specialties participated in the study and received training in airway management using SGVL, VS, and HAVL-C devices. Participants were randomly assigned to intubate simulated LA with cadavers using the three devices in a random order, and intubation times and success rates were recorded. Participants also rated the difficulty of intubation using a visual analogue scale (VAS) score. The primary outcome assessed the first-pass intubation success or failure, while the secondary outcomes measured the intubation time and subjective difficulty using a visual analogue scale with different laryngoscopes. The success rates for intubation within 90 s were 40% for SGVL, 82% for VS, and 76% for HAVL-C. VS and HAVL-C had significantly higher success rates than SGVL, with hazard ratios of 3.4 and 2.7, and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of 2.0–5.7 and 1.6–4.6, p < 0.001, respectively. The odds ratios of successful intubation for VS and HAVL-C were 8.1 and 6.3, respectively, with a 95% CI of 3.7–17.8 and 2.4–16.7, p < 0.001, compared to SGVL. The VAS score was significantly correlated with intubation success rate and time. In cases of LA, the use of VS and HAVL-C is preferable over SGVL. These findings suggest that using VS and HAVL-C can improve intubation success rates and reduce intubation time in patients with LA. • First-pass intubation: SGVL 40%, VS 81.8%, Pentax 76.4% for Ludwig's angina. • VS and Pentax improve intubation success over SGVL in Ludwig's angina. • Subjective difficulty correlates with intubation success and time. • VS and Pentax AWS preferred over SGVL in Ludwig's angina cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate physical activity levels of individuals with ataxia and correlate fitness to ataxia severity. An observational study An outpatient ataxia clinic in a large, tertiary, urban hospital in the US. Individuals with cerebellar ataxia (N=42). Not applicable. Participants were classified as sedentary or physically active using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF). Maximal oxygen consumption (V̇ o 2 max) as an indicator of fitness level was measured, and ataxia severity was determined by the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA). Mixed effect models were used to correlate ataxia severity to fitness levels. Most participants (28 out of 42) lived sedentary lifestyles, and these individuals had poor fitness levels (only 67.3% of their predicted measure). The main barriers to physical activity included lack of energy, lack of time, and fear of falling. There were no differences in age, sex, disease type, disease duration, ataxia severity, fatigue level, and medication use between sedentary and active groups. Measures of V̇ o 2 max, maximal work, maximal heart rate, and anerobic threshold demonstrated statistically significant differences between groups whereas maximal respiratory rate and expired ventilation/carbon dioxide production were similar between groups. When adjusting for age, sex, functional mobility status, and disease duration, ataxia severity was inversely correlated with fitness level in the sedentary group. There was no relationship between ataxia severity and fitness level in the 14 individuals who were physically active. Lower fitness levels were associated with more ataxia symptoms in the sedentary group. This relationship was not seen in individuals who were more active. Given the poor health outcomes associated with low fitness, physical activity should be encouraged in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cauchy problem for hyperbolic systems of balance laws admits global smooth solutions near the constant states under stability condition. This was widely studied in previous works. In this paper, we concern hyperbolic systems with time-dependent damping μ (1 + t) − λ G (U) with μ > 0 , λ > 0. In the following two cases, (i) λ = 1 , μ > μ 0 , where μ 0 > 0 is a constant depending only on the coefficients of the system; (i i) 0 < λ < 1 , μ > 0 , we prove that the smooth solutions exist globally when the initial data is small. To obtain these stability results, we establish uniform energy estimates and various dissipative estimates for all time and employ an induction argument on the order of derivatives of smooth solutions. Finally, we apply these results to some physical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reported data that were collected from 11 consecutive patients undergoing treatment for acute cardioembolic extracranial carotid artery (ECCA) occlusion with extensive clot burden via the guide catheter aspiration (GCA) technique. The GCA technique was performed as a direct aspiration using 2 60-mL syringes simultaneously through an 8-F guide catheter. Successful reperfusion was achieved in all 11 patients at the end of thrombectomy, and successful reperfusion was observed in 4 patients after a single GCA procedure pass. A favorable clinical outcome was achieved in 6 (54.5%) cases after 90 days. Thus, the GCA technique is efficacious for patients with cardioembolic ECCA occlusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs), emerging environmental toxicants, have drawn attention because of their wide distribution in the environment. Exposure to MPs induces gut microbiota dysbiosis, intestinal barrier dysfunction, metabolic perturbations, and neurotoxicity in different rodents. However, the relationship between MPs, gut microbiota, and the metabolome of the gut and brain in mice remains unclear. In this study, female C57BL/6 mice were orally gavaged with vehicle, 200 nm MP, and 800 nm MP three times per week for four weeks. Cecal contents were collected for gut microbiota analysis using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Intestinal and brain tissues from mice were used to determine metabolic profiles using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The results showed that MP altered microbiota composition, accompanied by metabolic perturbations in the mouse gut and brain. Specifically, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were suggested to be important phyla for MP exposure, partially dominating further metabolite alterations. Simultaneously, MP-induced metabolic profiles were associated with energy homeostasis and bile acid, nucleotide, and carnitine metabolic pathways. The results of the mediation analysis further revealed an MP-microbiota-metabolite relationship. Our results indicate that MPs can induce gut dysbiosis and disturb metabolic dysfunction in the mouse brain and/or intestine. Integrative omics approaches have the potential to monitor MP-induced molecular responses in various organs and systematically elucidate the complex mechanisms of human health effects. [Display omitted] • MP exposure altered the microbiota profile, especially the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. • MP exposure induced metabolic perturbations in the mouse gut and brain. • An MP-microbiota-metabolite relationship was found in the 200-nm MP group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In solid-liquid systems, a variety of electrokinetic effects can generate electricity utilizing diverse forms of gradients, for instance, pressure and salinity gradients. Here we report a new electrokinetic effect that moving a water droplet on an electret surface with a charge gradient can induce electricity in circuit between the droplet and an electrode underneath the electret film. While the droplet moves along the charge gradient, electric double layers at the solid-liquid interfaces continue to be charged or discharged through the circuit due to the change in surface charge density, leading to a direct-current output that can be quantitatively described by a proposed model. Furthermore, the direct correlation between the electrical output and the surface charge gradient endows the droplet with intelligence to sense the surface charge distribution, and the read of binary digital information stored in a charge matrix using a tiny water droplet was achieved. The reported electrokinetic effect not only promises a new sustainable avenue to deliver application-friendly direct-current electricity, distinct from the instantaneous pulsed output of traditional devices, but also extends the intelligent functionality of water droplets. [Display omitted] • A new electrokinetic effect that moving water droplets along a surface charge gradient can induce electricity is reported. • Distinct from the pulsed output of traditional devices, direct-current electricity can be generated by the effect. • The reported electrokinetic effect endows the droplet with intelligence to sense the surface charge distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, tailoring the microstructures and ferroelectric(FE)/antiferroelectric(AFE) properties of nanoscale ZrO 2 thin films is demonstrated with an intentional introduction of sub-nanometre interfacial layers. The ferroelectricity of ZrO 2 thin films is significantly enhanced by the HfO 2 interfacial layers, while the TiO 2 interfacial layers lead to a dramatic transformation of ZrO 2 from ferroelectricity into antiferroelectricity. The HfO 2 and TiO 2 interfacial layers boost the formation of the polar orthorhombic phase with (111)-texture and the non-polar tetragonal phase with (110)-texture in the FE/AFE ZrO 2 thin films, respectively, as evidenced by grazing incidence, out-of-plane, and in-plane X-ray diffraction measurements. Furthermore, the modulation of ferroelectricity and antiferroelectricity of nanoscale ZrO 2 thin films by the HfO 2 /TiO 2 interfacial layers can be achieved without high-temperature annealing, which is highly advantageous to process integration. The findings demonstrate the important role of the interfaces in the effective tuning of FE/AFE properties of nanoscale thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is little knowledge on the growth of cranial defects, appropriate timing and outcomes of application of titanium mesh for cranioplasty in the pediatric population, especially pre-school age (2–5 years old) and school age (6–12 years old) children. We hypothesised that cranioplasty for pre-schoolers could be delayed to school age due to the expected cranium growth, whereas, for the school age group, it is better to perform routine cranioplasty (3–6 months) to protect the brain and therefore ensure their timely return to school life. A retrospective review of pediatric patients (2–12 years old) who underwent titanium mesh cranioplasty for cranial defects from 2006 to 2012 was performed. Patient demographic data, radiological data, and clinical information were collected. Specifically, cranial defect sizes were evaluated by three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of computed tomography data after craniectomy, before cranioplasty and 2-years after cranioplasty. Patients were routinely followed up at an outpatient clinic for complications and school attendance. A total of 18 titanium mesh cranioplasties were performed in 18 patients. The average interval between craniectomy and cranioplasty was 3 years for pre-schoolers and 4 months for the school age group. Patients in the pre-schooler group showed significant enlargements in cranial defects during the interval as compared with the school age group (26% vs. 4%, P < 0.05). There were no surgery-related complications except in one patient, who had titanium mesh exposure 11 months later. Two years after cranioplasty, there was no significant difference in mild cranial defect enlargements between the two groups (11% vs. 6%, P > 0.05). Patients were followed for an average of 5 (range, 2–8) years. All patients had satisfactory recovery of cranial contour, sufficient protection of the brain and active participation in school study. All patients had satisfactory recovery of cranial contour, sufficient protection of the brain and active participation in school. Timing of titanium mesh cranioplasty after decompressive craniectomy based on their age is a workable solution for school-age pediatric patients. The enlargement of cranium defects in pre-schoolers supports a delayed repair until school age. The long-term outcomes for these patients with titanium mesh cranioplasty are favourable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]