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Organ transplantation is a modern medical success story. However, since its inception it has been limited by the need for pharmacological immunosuppression. Regulatory cellular therapies offer an attractive solution to these challenges by controlling transplant alloresponses through multiple parallel suppressive mechanisms. A number of cell types have seen an accelerated development into human trials and are now on the threshold of a long-awaited breakthrough in personalized transplant therapeutics. Here we assess recent developments with a focus on the most likely candidates, some of which have already facilitated successful immunosuppression withdrawal in early clinical trials. We propose that this may constitute a promising approach in clinical transplantation but also evaluate outstanding issues in the field, providing cause for cautious optimism.

Objective Fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair (FEVAR) is a well established treatment for complex abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). FEVAR with custom made devices (CMDs) has limitations in both the emergency and elective settings due to time consuming manufacture. “Off the shelf” (OTS) fenestrated stent grafts are a potential solution. The primary goal was to evaluate the five year outcome of the COOK Zenith p-Branch OTS device at a single centre. Methods Patients with juxtarenal AAA meeting the inclusion criteria for the COOK Zenith p-Branch device were enrolled in a prospective, non-randomised, non-comparative trial from July 2012 to September 2015. Demographic, anatomical, procedure related, and five year follow up data were collected, analysed, and adjudicated by a core laboratory. The primary aims were to assess intervention free survival and overall survival at five years. Results Twenty-three patients were treated and 21 completed follow up. Mean time to p-Branch implantation after patient presentation was 28 hours (range 0–122 hours) in emergency cases and 67 days (range 20–112 days) in elective cases. Median procedure time was 283 minutes (range 161–475 minutes) and technical success was 91%. Mean follow up was 45 months (standard deviation ± 24.4 months). The most common adverse events were renal injuries. Primary target vessel patency was 96.4% and 94.0% after one and five years respectively. Mean time to first re-intervention was 469 days (range 0–1 567 days). Survival during the follow up period was 76%, with no aneurysm related deaths. Conclusion FEVAR with the COOK Zenith p-Branch device is safe and effective for juxtarenal AAA in a selected patient population, in both elective and emergency settings. Long term outcomes are acceptable although inferior to CMDs. Mid and long term outcomes emphasise the p-Branch as a possible endovascular treatment for juxtarenal aortic pathology where CMD is not an option. Further innovation to address target vessel complications is needed, as these seem more prevalent than after repair with CMDs.

We describe a novel technique in which predictive holes, normally unique to patient-specific plates, may be utilized with off the shelf stock plates. This allows for the numerous benefits of predictive holes in mandibular reconstruction while negating the added cost of a custom milled plate. Three case examples are presented for technique illustration.

Background Ultra-high spatial resolution imaging of whole, ex vivo brains provides new opportunities to understand neurological disease. Recent work has demonstrated that 100 μm isotropic resolution can reveal anatomical details that are otherwise difficult to appreciate, but relied on fabrication facilities, fabrication expertise and programming expertise that is not available at clinical imaging sites that lack a dedicated research staff and resources. The purpose of this work is to describe a whole-brain, ultra-high spatial resolution imaging procedure for ex vivo specimens using equipment that can be purchased, assembled and implemented by most clinical sites. We provide enough detail so that other groups can readily reproduce the approach. Methods A container and hardware for holding the brain fixed for long scan times was developed, along with a procedure for removing bubbles, which can cause artifact. Imaging was performed on a standard knee coil on a whole-body 7 T MRI at 170 μm isotropic spatial resolution. Five specimens were examined in Fomblin or formalin to evaluate consistency of image quality. Results High quality images were acquired on all specimens. Anatomical features that are not readily observed at standard resolution, such as subthalamic nuclei, are readily observed. Disease-related features such as microscopic infarcts are also readily observed. Conclusions Ultra-high spatial resolution, whole-brain images can be readily achieved without specialized hardware and software development. The approach is expected to be valuable as a complement to histology and to discover relationships among pathology located at different places throughout the brain.

INTRODUCTION: Introducing a new arthroplasty system into clinical routine is challenging and could have an effect on early results. Since UKA are known to have failure mechanisms related to technical factors, reliable results and easy adoption are ideal. The question remains whether there are differences in objective procedure parameters in the early learning curve of different UKA systems. METHODS: two different UKA implants (Biomet Oxford[BO] followed by Conformis iuni[CI]) were introduced consecutively into clinical routine. We retrospectively analyzed the first 20 cases of each implant for one arthroplasty surgeon regarding operating time, correction of the mechanical axis, learning curve parameters, and revision rate of implants for 1.5 years postoperatively. RESULTS: Operating time (BO:98.3 ± 26.3min, CI:83.85 ± 21.8min (p

Objective The goal of this study was to select branched endograft designs that could fit most aortic arch anatomies. Such off-the-shelf endografts, once available, would be an endovascular therapeutic option to consider in the acute setting and would shorten the design and manufacturing process. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the endograft plans of all custom-made aortic arch branched endografts implanted between 2013 and early 2018 provided by the Cook Planning Center (EMEA Planning Services; Cook Medical, London, United Kingdom). Available data points of the endograft plans include proximal, intermediate, and distal endograft diameters; number of sealing stents; total length of the endograft; and number of branches. Results There were 286 two-branch endografts analyzed. We divided the endografts in three groups according to their proximal diameters: 34 mm, 36 mm, and 38 mm (group 1); 40 mm and 42 mm (group 2); and 44 mm and 46 mm (group 3). In group 1, 63% of the endografts had one proximal sealing stent, whereas in group 3, 63% had two proximal sealing stents. The distal diameters of the endografts ranged from 26 mm to 46 mm. The mean length was 236 mm (186-256 mm). A shorter standardized length of 211 mm was selected to anticipate distal extensions. According to our analysis, most group 1 patients could have been treated with a 38-mm proximal diameter and 30-mm distal diameter endograft with one sealing stent; most group 2 patients, with a 42-mm proximal diameter and 32-mm distal diameter endograft with both one and two proximal sealing stents; and most group 3 patients, with a 46-mm proximal diameter and 36-mm distal diameter endograft, also with both one and two proximal sealing stents. Conclusions Five standardized off-the-shelf endografts can cover a majority of aortic arch anatomies and offer an option for acute endovascular treatment of aortic arch disease.

Emerging memristor technology is as of late drawing broad consideration due to its potential for several applications. But, the non-availability of solid-state memristive devices puts a practical limitation. So, this paper proposed the concept and design of a practical memristor emulator, which can be used to imitate the behaviour of the well-known ideal memristor model developed by the HP Lab. This circuit contains off-the-shelf components such as AD844, AD633, voltage variable resistor (VVR) and few passive components. This circuit provides voltage tunability, an additional advantage over current tunability, which requires a complex circuitry. All the fingerprints of nano-scale memristor behavior are validated by the derived mathematical relations and simulation verification. Further, the robustness of the circuit has been demonstrated for statistical (10% deviation in passive components) and environmental variations (10% deviation in supply voltages). Also, the proposed circuit has been tested for a wide temperature range. Eventually, the proposed circuit is compared with the previously published emulators to illustrate the advantages of the proposed design.

Neoantigens derived from frameshift mutations in microsatellite unstable tumours are more commonly shared between different patients' cancers compared with neoantigens arising from missense mutations. A recent study by Roudko et al. evaluates the immunogenicity of shared frameshift neoantigens, which could potentially be used in 'off-the-shelf' neoantigen vaccines.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is an infectious viral disease that affects the main meat and dairy production animals, including cattle, sheep, goats and swine. It is readily transmissible and countries where the disease is present suffer harsh international trade restrictions on livestock products and serious economic losses. Vaccines are important tools to contain outbreaks and maintain the status of free with or without vaccination, as defined by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The efficacy of vaccines is reliant on the content and integrity of inactivated virus particles. The long-established method to quantify the viral content of vaccines along the manufacturing process and in the final product is the 140S sucrose density gradient analysis. This method has been a valuable tool for many decades. However, it requires gradient preparation for each sample, a lengthy ultracentrifugation and a manual UV reading of the gradient, rendering it highly operator dependent and almost impossible to automate. We present a method to quantify FMDV particles in vaccines and intermediate process samples that is based on separation of components by size exclusion high performance liquid chromatography (SE-HPLC) and measurement of virus by absorption at 254 nm. The method has been extensively validated; it is accurate, precise and linear. It is applicable to all FMDV strains and sample materials and has a good concordance with the 140S test. The proposed method uses off the shelf HPLC equipment and columns. It is easily automated for high throughput operation, affording a useful process analytical technology and a novel tool for control of final product by manufacturers and regulatory agencies.

Measurements of fish lengths are a basic requirement of most fisheries monitoring programmes globally, however traditional methods for collection of this data entails inherent inefficiencies and errors. Electronic devices for measuring fish and shellfish have been developed commercially, but for many organisations the cost of these devices is prohibitive. Low cost “build your own” devices have also been described, but construction of these requires considerable knowledge of electronics. Here, a design is presented for a USB electronic fish measuring board that can be assembled at low cost from “off the shelf” materials. This board was assembled using a set of skills that would be available in most research organisations. The design uses noncontact sensors activated by placing a magnet on the measurement board, which is easy to waterproof. The device is connected to a tablet computer, where a VB.NET programme records and validates the data. A running total of the estimated weight of the sample is provided, based on length-weight relationships. Length frequencies collected by both a conventional measuring board and this electronic board from the same commercial catches for 6 fish species showed no significant differences. The design described here allows the construction of a low cost unit which simultaneously improves both efficiency and accuracy of fish length data collection with minimal electronic construction skills.

Rising sales in the past and ongoing predicted growing sales in the future of industrial robots and especially collaborative robots endorse the trend of increasing human-robot-collaboration. Depending on the form of collaboration there are possible application scenarios in which there is no barrier between robot and worker whereby they share a common working space with the possibility of a mutual interference resulting in a potential safety hazard. Industrial robots are often used to perform handling tasks using vacuum gripping systems. But vacuum gripping systems manufacturers face new challenges when it comes to HRC. In case of an outage of all supply energy carrier like electrical power and compressed air the work piece eventually drops after an undefined period of time due to leakage. This can lead to severe damage considering that in case of handling heavy objects like car batteries the weight of said work pieces can reach up to more than 100 kg. Current methods for designing vacuum gripping systems solely focus on either positioning of the gripping point or the transmission of the gripping force between gripping system and work piece. This contribution presents a method of designing a vacuum gripping system focusing on how to determine which characteristics the gripping system should have in order to remain in a safe state for a predefined amount of time after the supply energy fails. This method allows expanding the current design process by implementing the applicability to HRC tasks based on an extended functional analysis. It can be applied to a broad range of use case scenarios as it is based on the use of scalable off the shelf products which are individually combined based on previous calculations especially designed for this purpose.

Decellularized biological scaffolds hold great promise in cardiovascular surgery. In order to ensure off-the-shelf availability, routine use of decellularized scaffolds requires tissue banking. In this study, the suitability of cryopreservation, vitrification and freeze-drying for the preservation of decellularized bovine pericardial (DBP) scaffolds was evaluated. Cryopreservation was conducted using 10% DMSO and slow-rate freezing. Vitrification was performed using vitrification solution (VS83) and rapid cooling. Freeze-drying was done using a programmable freeze-dryer and sucrose as lyoprotectant. The impact of the preservation methods on the DBP extracellular matrix structure, integrity and composition was assessed using histology, biomechanical testing, spectroscopic and thermal analysis, and biochemistry. In addition, the cytocompatibility of the preserved scaffolds was also assessed. All preservation methods were found to be suitable to preserve the extracellular matrix structure and its components, with no apparent signs of collagen deterioration or denaturation, or loss of elastin and glycosaminoglycans. Biomechanical testing, however, showed that the cryopreserved DBP displayed a loss of extensibility compared to vitrified or freeze-dried scaffolds, which both displayed similar biomechanical behavior compared to non-preserved control scaffolds. In conclusion, cryopreservation altered the biomechanical behavior of the DBP scaffolds, which might lead to graft dysfunction in vivo. In contrast to cryopreservation and vitrification, freeze-drying is performed with non-toxic protective agents and does not require storage at ultra-low temperatures, thus allowing for a cost-effective and easy storage and transport. Due to these advantages, freeze-drying is a preferable method for the preservation of decellularized pericardium. Statement of Significance: Clinical use of DBP scaffolds for surgical reconstructions or substitutions requires development of a preservation technology that does not alter scaffold properties during long-term storage. Conclusive investigation on adverse impacts of the preservation methods on DBP matrix integrity is still missing. This work is aiming to close this gap by studying three potential preservation technologies, cryopreservation, vitrification and freeze-drying, in order to achieve the off-the-shelf availability of DBP patches for clinical application. Furthermore, it provides novel insights for dry-preservation of decellularized xenogeneic scaffolds that can be used in the routine clinical cardiovascular practice, allowing the surgeon the opportunity to choose an ideal implant matching with the needs of each patient.

We investigate the frictional force which is acting on a pipeline pig. Two complementary experimental setups have been designed and used to study the sealing disc of a pig, which is responsible for the frictional force between the pig and the pipe wall. Six 12 ' ' off the shelf sealing discs from two different vendors have been used. The first setup is a static setup in which the sealing disc is subjected to a normal wall force and a tangential friction force. A unique feature of the setup is that the ratio between the friction force and the wall force can be readily adjusted. This allows to experimentally determine the force ratio which is directly related to the Coulomb friction coefficient, which is often a difficult parameter to predict. Furthermore, the static setup is used to systematically study the effect of oversize, thickness, and Young's modulus of the sealing disc on the frictional force. A direct comparison with Finite Element (FE) calculations is made. The second experimental facility consist of a dynamic setup in which a sealing disc is pulled through a vertical 1.7 m long pipe. The effect of possible lubrication on the frictional force is studied by applying water to the sliding contact and comparing the results with dry pull tests for different sliding velocities. The corresponding difference in the Coulomb friction coefficient was quantified using FE calculations which were successfully verified with the static setup. The sensitivity of possible wear of the sealing disc on the frictional force is discussed.

Treatment options for large or symptomatic complex aortic aneurysms that require urgent intervention remain limited. Patient factors and comorbidities often make open surgery unappealing, leading to increasing interest in endovascular solutions that can be employed in the urgent setting, such as off-the-shelf endografts. The E-nsideTM (Jotec GmbH, Hechingen, Germany) is a new off-the-shelf endograft with 4 pre-cannulated inner branches that has recently become available in Europe. We report the urgent treatment of two large complex aortic aneurysms using this device and discuss the benefits of this new technology. Conclusion The E-nside off-the-shelf endograft with inner branches is a useful addition to our treatment options for complex aortic aneurysms, particularly those with a narrow aortic lumen. Pre-cannulation of branches provides consistent access to the branches and a readily available option for establishment of a through and through wire for added stability during cannulation and bridging stent-grafts placement. The design of inner branches provides flexibility during deployment of the endograft and cannulation of the target vessels in varied, challenging anatomies.

The financial expense of tracking solutions often impedes effective characterisation of habitat use in threatened marine megavertebrates. Yet some of these taxa predictably aggregate at coastal breeding sites, providing conservation opportunities. Toward a low-cost solution for tracking marine megavertebrates, we trial conventional GPS data loggers against Argos satellite transmitters for assessing inter-nesting habitat use of marine turtles. Devices were attached to green (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) turtles nesting at a study site in Cyprus, where patrol teams were in place to retrieve GPS loggers from turtles returning to lay subsequent clutches. GPS tracking revealed loggerhead turtles to predominantly use areas outside the boundaries of an MPA proposed for the region, while both species under-used much of the MPA area. Due to high location error, Argos data were considered unsuitable for such fine-scale assessments (all location classes except Z were included in our analysis). However, Argos tracking showed half the loggerhead turtles sampled also nested outside of the patrolled study area, demonstrating connectivity with other proposed MPAs. This was not accounted for by GPS tracking, because females exhibiting this behaviour rarely returned to the study beach, precluding GPS retrieval, thus, demonstrating the power of remote data access. The low-cost GPS technology could be considered in similar cases, where recapture is likely and where funding barriers preclude the use of Argos-relay fast-acquisition GPS technology. In combining the accuracy GPS and the continuity of Argos, the latter provides the best solution in most scenarios, but at far greater cost.

The ocean circulation in the Great Australian Bight (GAB) is dominated by the surface-intensified Leeuwin Current (LC) over the outer continental shelf, and the Flinders Current farther offshore. In the GAB, the LC flows eastwards and varies seasonally, with strongest currents of up to 0.8 m/s (at 130.5°E), bringing warm and salty waters as far east as western Tasmania. The Flinders Current flows westwards, as an undercurrent at depths of around 500 m over the continental slope and at the surface offshore of the LC. Off the shelf, the GAB is rich in mesoscale eddies, with surface-intensified currents of up to 0.4 m/s that are coherent over the full water depth (getting weaker with depth). Within deep-water eddies, isotherms are displaced vertically by up to 200 m. Eddies in the eastern GAB are most energetic in austral winter and spring - coincident with the seasonal weakening of the LC. The eastern-most “penetration” of GAB eddies occurs in austral winter - when the LC starts to weaken. We hypothesise that the horizontal shear associated with the LC generates eddies in the eastern GAB. The volume transport of the LC at the head of the GAB is typically between 1 and 7 Sv, with a clear seasonal cycle, and the interannual variability of LC transport is up to 2 Sv.

This article reviews the design principles of custom total knee replacements and synthesizes the evidence in support of their use. When compared to off the shelf implants with conventional instrumentation, custom total knee replacements reproducibly improve radiographic alignment while effectively restoring knee kinematics. Custom total knee replacements are also associated with improved subjective and objective clinical outcomes. The use of custom total knee replacements has been shown to result in shorter surgical times, shorter lengths of hospitalization, improved discharge disposition to home, decreased rates of postoperative adverse events, and a reduction in overall episode of care costs.

An "off-the-shelf" cell therapy derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has entered clinical trials in the United States. Other companies are following suit, harnessing iPSCs' self-renewal ability to manufacture cell therapies that don't require customization for each patient. But some experts aren't sure such therapies are a good idea.

Objective We compared the theoretical anatomic feasibility of endovascular treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs) with three off-the-shelf multibranched stent-grafts: t-Branch (Zenith t-Branch; Cook Medical, Bloomington, Ind), Gore Excluder thoracoabdominal branch endoprosthesis (TAMBE; W. L. Gore & Associates, Flagstaff, Ariz), and E-nside (E-nside multibranch stent graft system; Jotec GmbH, Hechingen, Germany). Methods Computed tomography scans of patients with degenerative TAAAs treated from 2007 to 2019 were reviewed, and the anatomic feasibility of the multibranched stent-grafts was assessed according to the manufacturer's instructions for use. The anatomic factors determining the overall feasibility were divided into access feasibility, aortic feasibility, and visceral vessel feasibility. Results Degenerative TAAAs in 268 patients were analyzed. The overall feasibility did not differ significantly (TAMBE, 33%; t-Branch, 39%; E-nside, 43%; P = .271). Access, aortic, and visceral vessel feasibility alone excluded 18% to 22%, 35% to 49% and 21% to 26% of the patients respectively. The only significant difference between the devices was in aortic feasibility (P = .005), which was more frequently limited by the proximal aortic neck diameter in the TAMBE cohort and the inner visceral aortic diameter in the t-Branch cohort. The overall treatment feasibility using any of the three devices would have been 58%. Conclusions The new investigational off-the-shelf multibranched stent-grafts did not significantly improve the theoretical applicability in an extensive cohort of patients with TAAAs. Improvements are warranted to increase their overall feasibility.

Viologens and the stable, water-soluble nitroxide radical known as TEMPOL have been studied extensively with respect to applications in energy storage. Here we report formulations wherein high concentrations of both are achieved in a single solution and the reversible electrochemistry of each is retained. We demonstrate one of several potential applications by constructing a high optical density electrochromic device.

The rapid development of new medications and devices in diabetes research and clinical care has led to an increased need to assess their impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Unfortunately, the lack of consensus definitions and guidelines has led to the use of HRQOL measures that are often imprecise and inappropriate. The goal of this report is to provide a practical structure to the definition and measurement of HRQOL in diabetes research and clinical care. Following a brief historical background to provide context, we define HRQOL and provide a three-step framework for scale selection: identify the specific, proximal intervention targets; decide how reaching these targets will affect HRQOL; and select appropriate measures based on sample diversity, the intervention and the targets using a 2 × 2 grid (generic vs. diabetes specific measures; global vs. component measures). Practical tips for scale selection include: gaining patient input to document important potential HRQOL effects, varying scale selection by patient characteristics, considering common HRQOL measurement problems, and considering the timing of HRQOL assessment. We emphasize the importance of a careful, planned evaluation of HRQOL in diabetes, rather than an “off the shelf” approach.

Adoptive T-cell therapy to target and kill tumor cells shows promise and induces durable remissions in selected malignancies. However, for most cancers, clinical utility is limited. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes continuously exposed to viral or tumor antigens, with long-term expansion, may become unable to proliferate ("exhausted"). To exploit fully rejuvenated induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes is a potentially powerful approach. We review recent progress in engineering iPSC-derived T cells and prospects for clinical translation. We also describe the importance of introducing a suicide gene safeguard system into adoptive T-cell therapy, including iPSC-derived T-cell therapy, to protect from unexpected events in first-in-humans clinical trials.

Background & Aim Natural killer cells (NK) have been on the mainstay in cancer treatment for over two decades. Most of the clinical trials till date, have either used autologous or allogeneic NK cells that were often produced in limited quantities to tailor the needs of a single patient. With the highly unmet need to treat large cohort of patients and with multiple doses, a true off the shelf approach is the only way. Glycostem began to envision this, by setting up a world's first completely closed manufacturing platform for allogeneic NK cells (oNKord®) from fresh umbilical cord blood stem cells. A closed system is a process where the cells are never exposed to the open environment to avoid a potential risk for contamination. Methods, Results & Conclusion Glycostem manufactures oNKord® at its own state of the art Class C/D GMP clean room, using PVC Sterile Connection Device and Sealer (Terumo), C-Flex Biowelder and Sealer (Sartorius), to connect and seal two tubes aseptically and keeping the system closed. These equipments are key elements in the routine functioning of the closed system, while cells are transferred, or medium is added. In our process, fresh cord blood is used as a starting material, using fully automated CliniMACS Prodigy to select CD34+ cells, which are then expanded using static cultures in incubators and further differentiated into mature NK cells in Xuri bioreactors. After 40 days of culture, NK cells are harvested, washed and aliquoted into cryobags and cryopreserved in controlled rate freezing device. Optimised freezing and thawing conditions, which result in high recovery and product functionality, enabled cell banking of multiple infusion doses produced from one manufacturing batch. Frozen doses are shipped to clinical centres in temperature controlled dry shippers and thawed using waterbath at the time for infusion. The NK cell product is scalable resulting in a 2000 - 3000-fold expansion, averaging up to 11 billion NK cells from a single cord blood unit (n=3). Validated QC testing methods, in process controls using flow cytometry assays and standardised potency assays are in place to address product safety, identity and functionality for release. Setting up of a completely closed system faces many challenges, and during this journey over the last two years, Glycostem has successfully resolved several bottlenecks and worked closely with the regulatory authorities in achieving an “universal off the shelf” NK cell therapy product.

The cheap, accessible spiropyran nitroBIPS is a sensitive, selective colourimetric sensor for quantitative determination of sulfide in aqueous media at neutral pH.

The main argument that supports copyright extension in the United States and elsewhere has been that bad things happen once copyrighted works enter the public domain, where, more copyright extension means more distribution of copyright material. However, Paul Heald’s empirical legal research suggests that extending copyrights means fewer books available on the shelves. What seems to be going on is that publishers stop printing books that they don’t sell, and once copyrights enter the public domain, they are more likely published. This paper extends the discussion by analyzing the effects of copyright term extension in works written by Literature Nobel Prize Winners in the United States. Works written by literature Nobel Prize laureates would provide a higher standard to the findings that suggest that copyright extension has disappeared works from the printing at a certain point.

Background This study was performed to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of a novel off-the-shelf endograft (G-Branch™; Lifetech Scientific, Shenzhen, China) for the treatment of patients with complex thoracoabdominal/abdominal aortic aneurysms. Methods Three patients (1 with a suprarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm and 2 with thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms) were treated with the G-Branch endograft involving 2 proximal inner branches for the celiac axis and superior mesenteric artery and 2 distal side directional branches for the bilateral renal arteries. Results Technical success was achieved in all 3 patients, and no postoperative complications occurred. At 6-month follow-up, no adverse events occurred, and all the target vessels were patent. Conclusions The newly developed G-Branch device allows the achievement of total endovascular revascularization of the visceral and renal arteries. Use of this device is feasible and effective. Long-term follow-up and a larger clinical trial are necessary to evaluate its reliability and durability.

Health and safety regulations in many countries require workers at risk to wear safety shoes in a factory environment. These shoes are often heavy, rigid, and uncomfortable. Wearing safety shoes daily leads to foot problems, discomfort and fatigue, resulting also in the loss of numerous working days. Currently, knowledge of the biomechanical effects of insoles in safety shoes, during working activities, is very limited. Seventeen workers from a metalworking factory were selected and clinically examined for any foot conditions. Workers feet were 3D scanned, with regards to their plantar view, and the images used to design 34 custom-insoles, based on foot and safety shoe models. Three insoles were blind-tested by each worker: custom (CUS); prefabricated with the safety-shoe (PSS), and off-the-shelf (OTS). Foot-to-insole pressure distribution was measured in seven motor tasks replicating typical working activities: single and double-leg standing; weight lifting; stair ascending and descending; normal and fast walking. Wearing CUS within safety shoes resulted in a greater uniform pressure distribution across plantar regions for most of the working activities. Peak pressure at the forefoot during normal walking was the lowest in the custom insole (CUS 275.9±55.3kPa; OTS 332.7±75.5kPa; PSS 304.5±54.2kPa). Normal and fast walking were found to be the most demanding activities in terms of peak pressure. Wearing safety shoes results in high pedobarographic parameters in several foot regions. The use of custom insoles designed on the foot morphology helps decrease peak pressure and pressure-time integral compared to prefabricated featureless insoles.

An "off-the-shelf" microfluidic chip approach, utilizing lowcost, commercially available components, for liposome production, is presented. Microfluidic devices with different geometries have been conveniently designed and assembled, allowing the production of narrowly dispersed unilamellar and very reproducible liposomes. The presented results indicate that off-the-shelf microfluidic devices can hold great promises for the efficient preparation of different lipid based colloidal systems for biomedical applications.

Endovascular treatment of postdissection aortic aneurysms (PDAAs) is fascinating and challenging. The Colt branched graft (Jotec/Cryolife, Kennesaw, Georgia), because of its characteristics, can be used as an off-the-shelf device especially in urgent/emergency settings. In this report, we describe the first case of a PDAA successfully treated with a Colt device.

To assess the exposure of citizens to pollutants like NOx or particulate matter in urban areas, land use regression (LUR) models are a well established method. LUR models leverage information about environmental and anthropogenic factors such as cars, heating, or industry to predict air pollution in areas where no measurements have been made. However, existing approaches are often not globally applicable and require tedious hyper-parameter tuning to enable high quality predictions. In this work, we tackle these issues by introducing OpenLUR, an off-the-shelf approach for modeling air pollution that (i) works on a set of novel features solely extracted from the globally and openly available data source OpenStreetMap and (ii) is based on state-of-the-art machine learning featuring automated hyper-parameter tuning in order to minimize manual effort. We show that our proposed features are able to outperform their counterparts from local and closed sources, and illustrate how automated hyper parameter tuning can yield competitve results while alleviating the need for expert knowledge in machine learning and manual effort. Importantly, we further demonstrate the potential of the global availability of our features by applying cross-learning across different cities in order to reduce the need for a large amount of training samples. Overall, OpenLUR represents an off-the-shelf approach that facilitates easily reproducible experiments and the development of globally applicable models.

A wide range of interest has been recently focused on the reconstruction of long-segment tracheal defects, especially in the field of thoracic reconstructive surgery. Although a number of treatment methods for tracheal reconstruction have been developed, reconstruction of critical sized defects (>6 cm) is always a major challenge in trachea surgery. In the field of tissue engineering, reconstruction of tissues using artificial substitutes has shown promises in addressing this challenge, particularly with much success in tracheal reconstruction achieved by multiple institutions. The aim of this study is to develop an off-the-shelf treatment method that can be achieved without imposing cells even for urgent applications to tracheal disorders or injuries. We designed an off-the-shelf tracheal graft without imposing the cells for the concept of urgent transplantation from a porous PCL bellows framework that we developed in our previous works. We then evaluated the application of our off-the-shelf treatment method using an artificial graft in vivo at a proof-of-concept level using a rabbit model. We successfully demonstrated the potential of an off-the-shelf tracheal graft with luminal collagen stratification for immediate application in emergencies that require an artificial graft. Keywords: Tracheal reconstruction, Tissue engineering, Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting