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ObjectiveTo establish validity evidence for the Essentials in Minimally Invasive Gynecology laparoscopic and hysteroscopic simulation systems.MethodsA prospective cohort study was IRB approved and conducted at 15 sites in the United States and Canada. The four participant cohorts based on training status were: 1) novice (postgraduate year [PGY]-1) residents, 2) mid-level (PGY-3) residents, 3) proficient (American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology [ABOG]-certified specialists without subspecialty training); and 4) expert (ABOG-certified obstetrician-gynecologists who had completed a 2-year fellowship in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery). Qualified participants were oriented to both systems, followed by testing with five laparoscopic exercises (L-1, sleeve-peg transfer; L-2, pattern cut; L-3, extracorporeal tie; L-4, intracorporeal tie; L-5, running suture) and two hysteroscopic exercises (H-1, targeting; H-2, polyp removal). Measured outcomes included accuracy and exercise times, including incompletion rates.ResultsOf 227 participants, 77 were novice, 70 were mid-level, 33 were proficient, and 47 were experts. Exercise times, in seconds (±SD), for novice compared with mid-level participants for the seven exercises were as follows, and all were significant (P

Thermoelectric materials are crucial components in thermoelectric devices employed for environmentally friendly solid‐state cooling and waste heat recovery, demanding not only high performance but also superior thermal or phase stability. The high‐performance thermoelectric material AgSbTe2 encounters challenges when utilized in thermoelectric modules due to the precipitation of Ag2Te, resulting in both thermally unstable characteristics and diminished performance. In this study, a thermal cycling process is employed to enhance the thermal stability and thermoelectric performance of AgSbTe2. Through thermal cycling, secondary phases of AgSbTe2 are made uniform, and the undesired Ag2Te is substituted with Sb2Te3 using an optimized thermal cycling process. As a result, the thermal stability of AgSbTe2 is enhanced due to its meta‐stable state, with <5% variance in thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) measurements, and the ZT value is raised from 0.8 to 1.7 at 643 K through the optimized thermal cycling. The findings indicate that thermal cycling is an effective strategy for enhancing the thermal stability and thermoelectric performance of AgSbTe2, presenting a novel approach for achieving uniform secondary phases in materials with phase separation or phase change characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The escalating threat of bacterial infections to human health necessitates innovative antibacterial strategies and materials. Despite this need, there is still a significant demand for materials that combine high mechanical and thermal properties with biocompatibility. To address these urgent issues, our study investigates the development of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite with graphene flakes (GF) as fillers. The aim is to strengthen the unique properties of graphene to enhance antibacterial activity. Graphene oxide (GO) was used as a surfactant to achieve stable graphene dispersion in water, preserving its inherent properties while avoiding the drawbacks associated with common surfactants, such as property reduction and complex removal processes. In this study, the mechanical and thermal properties of PVA composites containing GO and GF are superior to those of pristine PVA. Especially, the PVA‐2 composite exhibited a notable enhancement in both tensile strength and elongation at break compared with the PVA composite, with increases of 7.8% and 15% respectively. Moreover, PVA‐2, 4, and 6 composites exhibit significant antibacterial efficacy, achieving 4.8 and 4.9 log CFU/cm2 for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, respectively. These results indicate that the enhanced oxidative stress induced by GO as a surfactant, combined with the physical damage caused by the increased GF nanostructures. This study highlights the potential of PVA/GF/GO composites in biomedical and tissue engineering applications, providing a promising pathway for the development of new antibacterial materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf senescence is a crucial process throughout evolution, vital for plant fitness as it facilitates the gradual shift of energy allocation between photosynthesis and catabolism overtime. This onset is influenced by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors, making senescence a key adaptation mechanism for plants in their natural habitats. Our study investigated the genetic mechanism underlying age‐induced leaf senescence in Arabidopsis natural populations. Using a phenome high‐throughput investigator, we comprehensively analyzed senescence responses across 234 Arabidopsis accessions and identified that environmental factors (e.g., ambient temperature) and physiological factors (e.g., defense responses) are substantially linked to senescence phenotypes. Through genome‐wide association mapping, we identified the ACCELERATED CELL DEATH 6 (ACD6) locus as a potential regulator of senescence variation among natural accessions. Knocking out ACD6 in accessions with early and delayed senescence phenotypes resulted in varying degrees of delay in age‐induced senescence, highlighting the accession‐dependent regulatory role of ACD6 in leaf senescence. Furthermore, our findings suggest ACD6's involvement in senescence regulation via the salicylic acid signaling pathway. In summary, our study sheds light on the genetic regulation of leaf senescence in Arabidopsis natural populations, with the discovery of ACD6 as a potential candidate for genetic modification to enhance plant adaptation and survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We designed a multi-institutional retrospective study to investigate the previously unreported failure pattern, survivals, and prognostic factors after postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients in South Korea. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 699 patients with TNBC who underwent PORT at six institutions between 2008 and 2010. The median follow-up period was 94 months (range: 7–192 months). There were 216, 380, and 100 patients in stages I, II, and III, respectively. Results: After 94 months post-treatment, all patients with pathologic complete remission after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were alive without any failure. Distant metastasis was the main cause of failure. The 5-year overall survival rate was 91.4%, 5-year loco-regional relapse-free survival rate (LRRFS) was 92.3%, 5-year distant metastasis-free survival rate (DMFS) was 89.4%, and 5-year disease-free survival rate (DFS) was 85.2%. On multivariate (Cox) analysis, T and N stages were significant prognostic factors for survival, and lympho-vascular invasion (LVI) was a significant factor for LRRFS and DMFS. Ki-67 expression was significantly associated with LRRFS and DFS. Conclusion: We verified that T and N stages, LVI, and Ki-67 expression were significantly associated with survival outcomes after PORT in TNBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is well recognized as a leading cause of mortality. Although surgery tends to be the primary treatment option for many solid cancers, cancer surgery is still a risk factor for metastatic diseases and recurrence. For this reason, a variety of medications has been adopted for the postsurgical care of patients with cancer. However, conventional medicines have shown major challenges such as drug resistance, a high level of drug toxicity, and different drug responses, due to tumor heterogeneity. Nanotechnology-based therapeutic formulations could effectively overcome the challenges faced by conventional treatment methods. In particular, the combined use of nanomedicine with natural phytochemicals can enhance tumor targeting and increase the efficacy of anticancer agents with better solubility and bioavailability and reduced side effects. However, there is limited evidence in relation to the application of phytochemicals in cancer treatment, particularly focusing on nanotechnology. Therefore, in this review, first, we introduce the drug carriers used in advanced nanotechnology and their strengths and limitations. Second, we provide an update on well-studied nanotechnology-based anticancer therapies related to the carcinogenesis process, including signaling pathways related to transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K), Wnt, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), Notch, and Hedgehog (HH). Third, we introduce approved nanomedicines currently available for anticancer therapy. Fourth, we discuss the potential roles of natural phytochemicals as anticancer drugs. Fifth, we also discuss the synergistic effect of nanocarriers and phytochemicals in anticancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have demonstrated that excitatory amino acid carrier-1 (EAAC1) gene deletion exacerbates hippocampal and cortical neuronal death after ischemia. However, presently there are no studies investigating the role of EAAC1 in hippocampal neurogenesis. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that reduced cysteine transport into neurons by EAAC1 knockout negatively affects adult hippocampal neurogenesis under physiological or pathological states. This study used young mice (aged 3-5 months) and aged mice (aged 11-15 months) of either the wild-type (WT) or EAAC1 -/- genotype. Ischemia was induced through the occlusion of bilateral common carotid arteries for 30 minutes. Histological analysis was performed at 7 or 30 days after ischemia. We found that both young and aged mice with loss of the EAAC1 displayed unaltered cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation, as compared to age-matched WT mice under ischemia-free conditions. However, neurons generated from EAAC1 -/- mice showed poor survival outcomes in both young and aged mice. In addition, deletion of EAAC1 reduced the overall level of neurogenesis, including cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival after ischemia. The present study demonstrates that EAAC1 is important for the survival of newly generated neurons in the adult brain under physiological and pathological conditions. Therefore, this study suggests that EAAC1 plays an essential role in modulating hippocampal neurogenesis.