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The purpose of this study was to investigate the hierarchical organization of digit force production and its effect on stability and performance during the simulated archery task. The simulated archery shooting task required the production of a prescribed level of force in virtual space with the left hand and an equivalent force with all 4 fingers of right hand. A single trial had 2 phases, including static force production as aiming in archery and quick force release to shoot the virtual arrow. The timing of the force release was determined by the participant's choice or response to the external cue. The coordination indices, that is, the synergy index, of force stabilization were quantified in 2 hierarchies by decomposing the variance components. The accuracy and precision of the hit position of the virtual arrow were calculated as performance-related indices. The results confirmed that the precision, that is, reproducibility, of the performance was greater when the force release time was determined by the self-selected time, suggesting the beneficial effect of the anticipatory mechanism. There was a distinct synergistic organization of digit forces for the stabilization of net forces in both bimanual and multifinger levels, which was especially correlated with the precision of performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, polypropylene glycol (PPG) and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) with molecular weights (Mws) ranging from 8000 to 18,000 were used as starting materials to synthesize silylated polyurethanes (SLPUs) according to alkoxysilanes. FT-IR, GPC, and DSC were used to analyze composition and structure of the synthesized SLPU. Shore A-type, C-type hardness testers, and UTM were used to measure hardness, tensile strength, and elongation, respectively. It was revealed that mechanical properties and viscosity increased as the Mw of PPG increased. In particular, PPG 12,000 and (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane SLPU showed excellent storage stability and good mechanical properties. When alkoxysilane was applied as a capping agent, it was found that methoxysilane had a faster curing speed than ethoxysilane. However, it had insufficient workability and storage stability. Mechanical properties of ethoxysilane were relatively superior to those of methoxysilane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction of the Inonotus obliquus (Hymenochaetaceae) significantly inhibited nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)–induced murine BV2 microglial cells. A new triterpene, characterized as inonotusol H (1), was isolated from the EtOAc fraction using the bioactivity‐guided fractionation together with four known triterpenes, inotodiol (2), trametenolic acid (3), inonotsutriols A (4), and inonotusol A (5). Among them, Compounds 2–4 significantly reduced LPS‐induced nitric oxide production to 4.5 ± 0.8%, 47.4 ± 4.4%, and 2.8 ± 1.7%, respectively, at a concentration of 30 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives/hypothesis: Obesity is an increasing health concern worldwide. It has been associated with perioperative complications that could affect patient outcomes. Our aim was to compare surgical outcomes in obese and nonobese patients after transoral robotic thyroid (TORT) surgery.Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.Methods: A total of 304 consecutive patients who underwent TORT between January 2012 to December 2017 were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups according to their body mass index (BMI): BMI < 30 kg/m2 and BMI ≥30 kg/m2 . Patient demographics, operative extent, pathological data, surgical outcomes, and postoperative complications were included and analyzed. A χ2 test was used to compare categorical variables, and a Student t test was used to compare changes of continuous variables between groups. Statistical significance was conferred by a two-tailed P value of ≤.05.Results: There were 290 patients in the non-obese group and 14 patients in the obese group. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of patient demographics, operative procedure, or pathological characteristics. The only statistically significant difference was for lymph node dissection (P = .012); however, for both groups, unilateral central node dissection was the most common procedure. There was also no statistically significant difference found for operative time, length of stay, pain score, or postoperative complications including TORT-specific complications such as oral commissure tear and general complications such as recurrent nerve injury.Conclusions: This initial experience shows that TORT appears to be a safe and feasible option for obese patients pursuing scarless thyroid surgery.Level Of Evidence: NA Laryngoscope, 130:1343-1348, 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transoral vestibular approach endoscopic thyroidectomy has gained popularity worldwide because it avoids a cutaneous incision. Some surgeons have expressed reservations about operating with only 2 instruments in the endoscopic technique, and some therefore utilize an axillary incision as an adjunct to facilitate dissection. The Intuitive da Vinci single port robotic system offers the potential to overcome this limitation without an axillary incision. Methods: In this study, the Intuitive da Vinci single port robotic surgical system was used to perform transoral thyroidectomy on 2 human cadavers. Results: A total thyroidectomy was performed in 2 cadavers using the da Vinci single port (SP) robot via transoral vestibular technique. The dissections were performed with removal of the thyroid gland and preservation of the recurrent laryngeal nerves and parathyroid glands. Conclusion: In our evaluation, transoral vestibular approach robotic thyroidectomy using the Intuitive da Vinci SP system facilitated dissection without the need for an axillary incision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]