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Synovial sarcoma is a rare type of soft tissue sarcoma that typically arises in the lower extremities and rarely in the upper extremities. Here, we present an unusual case of a middle-aged man who complained of dyspnea, dry cough, and chest pain and was found to have a mass-like lesion on the ulnar side of his left wrist during physical examination. The patient also exhibited gynecomastia and had elevated β-human chorionic gonadotropin (βHCG) levels. Subsequent imaging and histopathological analysis of the wrist mass confirmed the diagnosis of synovial sarcoma with disseminated lung metastasis.This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the clinical and pathological characteristics of synovial sarcoma, highlight the importance of considering synovial sarcoma as a differential diagnosis in patients with abnormal hormonal assays, and emphasize the need for clinicians to be vigilant about any pathologic lesions existing on the upper extremity to avoid late diagnosis and the development of advanced cancerous diseases.

Abstract Herein, we report polyphosphonate covalent organic frameworks (COFs) constructed via P-O-P linkages. The materials are synthesized via a single-step condensation reaction of the charge-assisted hydrogen-bonded organic framework, which is constructed from phenylphosphonic acid and 5,10,15,20‐tetrakis[p‐phenylphosphonic acid]porphyrin and is formed by simply heating its hydrogen-bonded precursor without using chemical reagents. Above 210 °C, it becomes an amorphous microporous polymeric structure due to the oligomerization of P-O-P bonds, which could be shown by constant-time solid-state double-quantum 31P nuclear magnetic resonance experiments. The polyphosphonate COF exhibits good water and water vapor stability during the gas sorption measurements, and electrochemical stability in 0.5 M Na2SO4 electrolyte in water. The reported family of COFs fills a significant gap in the literature by providing stable microporous COFs suitable for use in water and electrolytes. Additionally, we provide a sustainable synthesis route for the COF synthesis. The narrow pores of the COF effectively capture CO2.

ABSTRACTParkinson’s disease (PD) often results in hippocampal dysfunction, which leads to cognitive and emotional challenges and synaptic irregularities. This study attempted to assess behavioral anomalies and identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) within the hippocampus of a hemiparkinsonian rat model to potentially uncover novel genetic candidates linked to hippocampal dysfunction. Striatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) infusions were performed unilaterally in the brains of adult SD rats, while dopaminergic impairments were verified in rats with 6-OHDA-lesioned striata. RNA sequencing and gene expression analysis unveiled 1018 DEGs in the ipsilateral rat hippocampus following 6-OHDA infusion: 631 genes exhibited upregulation, while 387 genes were downregulated (with FDR-adjusted p-value 1.5). Gene ontology analysis of DEGs indicated that alterations in the hippocampi of 6-OHDA-lesioned rats were primarily associated with synaptic signaling, axon development, behavior, postsynaptic membrane, synaptic membrane, neurotransmitter receptor activity, and peptide receptor activity. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis of DEGs demonstrated significant enrichment of the neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction, calcium signaling pathway, cAMP signaling pathway, axon guidance, and notch signaling pathway in rat hippocampi that had been subjected to striatal 6-OHDA infusion. STRING analysis confirmed a notable upregulation of eight hub genes (Notch3, Gng4, Itga3, Grin2d, Hgf, Fgf11, Htr3a, and Col6a2), along with a significant downregulation of two hub genes (Itga11 and Plp1), as validated by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. This study provides a comprehensive transcriptomic profile of the hippocampi in a hemiparkinsonian rat model, thereby offering insights into the signaling pathways underlying hippocampal dysfunction.

Abstract Vascular tissue engineering is a promising approach for regenerating damaged blood vessels and developing new therapeutic approaches for heart disease treatment. To date, different sources of cells have been recognized that offer assistance within the recovery of heart supply routes and veins with distinctive capacities and are compelling for heart regeneration. However, some challenges still remain that need to be overcome to establish the full potential application of these cells. In this paper, we review the different cell sources used for vascular tissue engineering, focusing on extraembryonic tissue-derived cells (ESCs), and elucidate their roles in cardiovascular disease. In addition, we highlight the intricate interplay between mechanical and biochemical factors in regulating mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation, offering insights into optimizing their application in vascular tissues.

Abstract Background Autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a therapeutic option for many diseases. Hypertensive kidney disease (HKD) might impair MSCs’ reparative ability by altering the biomolecular properties, but the characteristics of this impairment are unclear. In our previous pre-clinical studies, we found hypoxic preconditioning (HPC) enhanced angiogenesis and suppressed senescence gene expression. Thus, we hypothesize that HPC would improve human MSCs by enhancing their functionality and angiogenesis, creating an anti-inflammatory and anti-senescence environment. Methods MSC samples (n = 12 each) were collected from the abdominal fat of healthy kidney donors (HC), hypertensive patients (HTN), and patients with hypertensive kidney disease (HKD). MSCs were harvested and cultured in Normoxic (20% O2) or Hypoxic (1% O2) conditions. MSC functionality was measured by proliferation assays and cytokine released in conditioned media. Senescence was evaluated by senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-gal) activity. Additionally, transcriptome analysis using RNA-sequencing and quantitative PCR (qPCR) were performed. Results At baseline, normoxic HTN-MSCs had higher proliferation capacity compared to HC. However, HPC augmented proliferation in HC. HPC did not affect the release of pro-angiogenic protein VEGF, but increased EGF in HC-MSC, and decreased HGF in HC and HKD MSCs. Under HPC, SA-β-gal activity tended to decrease, particularly in HC group. HPC upregulated mostly the pro-angiogenic and inflammatory genes in HC and HKD and a few senescence genes in HKD. Conclusions HPC has a more favorable functional effect on HC- than on HKD-MSC, reflected in increased proliferation and EGF release, and modest decrease in senescence, whereas it has little effect on HTN or HKD MSCs.

Background: Given that peripheral arterial disease (PAD) disproportionately affects people of lower socioeconomic status, out-of-pocket expenses for preventive medications are a major barrier to their use. We carried out a cost comparison of drug therapies for PAD to identify prescribing strategies that minimize out-of-pocket expenses for these medications. Methods: Between March and June 2019, we contacted outpatient pharmacies in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, to assess pricing of pharmacologic therapies at dosages included in the 2016 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline for management of lower extremity PAD. We also gathered pricing information for supplementary charges, including delivery, pill splitting and blister packaging. We calculated prescription prices with and without dispensing fees for 30-day brand-name and generic prescriptions, and 90-day generic prescriptions. Results: Twenty-four pharmacies, including hospital-based, independent and chain, were included in our sample. In the most extreme scenario, total 90-day medication costs could differ by up to $1377.26. Costs were affected by choice of agent within a drug class, generic versus brand-name drug, quantity dispensed, dispensing fee and delivery cost, if any. Conclusion: By opting for prescriptions for 90 days or as long as possible, selecting the lowest-cost generic drugs available in each drug class, and identifying dispensing locations with lower fees, prescribers can minimize out-of-pocket patient medication expenses. This may help improve adherence to guideline-recommended therapies for the secondary prevention of vascular events in patients with PAD. Contexte : La maladie artérielle périphérique (MAP) affectant de manière disproportionnée les personnes à faible statut socioéconomique, les dépenses personnelles liées aux médicaments préventifs restreignent fortement leur utilisation. Nous avons comparé les coûts des traitements médicamenteux de la MAP pour cerner des stratégies de prescription qui réduisent au minimum les dépenses personnelles associées. Méthodes : Entre mars et juin 2019, nous avons contacté des pharmacies pour patients externes à Hamilton (Ontario, Canada) afin d'évaluer la tarification de traitements pharmacologiques aux doses incluses dans la ligne directrice de prise en charge de la MAP des membres inférieurs publiée en 2016 par l'American College of Cardiology et l'American Heart Association. Nous avons aussi recueilli des informations sur les frais supplémentaires, dont ceux pour la livraison, la coupe des comprimés et l'emballage. Nous avons calculé le prix d'un approvisionnement de 30 jours de médicaments d'ordonnance génériques et de marque et d'un approvisionnement de 90 jours de médicaments d'ordonnance génériques avec et sans frais d'exécution d'ordonnance. Résultats : Notre échantillon comprenait 24 pharmacies, dont des pharmacies d'hôpital, indépendantes et faisant partie d'une chaîne. La différence la plus élevée pour le prix total d'un approvisionnement de 90 jours de médicaments a atteint 1377,26 $. Les paramètres de variation des coûts comprenaient l'agent choisi dans une classe de médicaments, l'emploi d'un médicament générique ou de marque, la quantité délivrée, les frais d'exécution d'ordonnance et les frais de livraison, le cas échéant. Conclusion : Pour réduire au minimum les dépenses personnelles liées aux médicaments, les médecins prescripteurs peuvent privilégier une ordonnance de 90 jours ou d'une durée aussi longue que possible, choisir les médicaments génériques les moins chers dans chaque classe et repérer les établissements de distribution aux frais inférieurs. Cela peut améliorer l'adhésion aux thérapies recommandées par la ligne directrice pour la prévention secondaire d'accidents vasculaires chez les patients atteints de MAP., An estimated 1.5 million Canadians older than 40 years live with symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD), and globally it affects more than 230 million people, a burden that will rise [...]

Optical mapping is a widely used tool to record and visualize the electrophysiological properties in a variety of myocardial preparations such as Langendorff-perfused isolated hearts, coronary-perfused wedge preparations, and cell culture monolayers. Motion artifact originating from the mechanical contraction of the myocardium creates a significant challenge to performing optical mapping of contracting hearts. Hence, to minimize the motion artifact, cardiac optical mapping studies are mostly performed on non-contracting hearts, where the mechanical contraction is removed using pharmacological excitation-contraction uncouplers. However, such experimental preparations eliminate the possibility of electromechanical interaction, and effects such as mechano-electric feedback cannot be studied. Recent developments in computer vision algorithms and ratiometric techniques have opened the possibility of performing optical mapping studies on isolated contracting hearts. In this review, we discuss the existing techniques and challenges of optical mapping of contracting hearts.

Iran’s historical and complicated social situation has led to diverse attitudes toward Sufism and interpretations of Ibn ʿArabī’s legacy. Many of Ibn ʿArabī’s prominent followers and commentators were originally from Iran; however, many of his notable opponents were also from Iran. These two historical currents of followers and opponents of Ibn ʿArabī are still quite alive. Other currents with unique attitudes toward Ibn ʿArabī also have been established recently in Iran. In this article, different attitudes towards Ibn ʿArabī in contemporary Iran are presented and contextualized. Attitudes represent not only the scholarly tendencies of Iranian academics and Islamic scholars but also their role in forming diverse collective identities.

Abstract Objective The skills of coping with stress and pressure within emergency medicine are conveyed informally and inconsistently throughout residency training. This study aims to identify key psychological competencies used by elite athletes in high-pressure situations, which can be integrated into a formal curriculum to support emergency medicine residents’ performance in high acuity settings. Design We conducted a scoping review spanning 20 years to identify the relevant psychological competencies used by elite athletes (Olympic or World level) to perform under pressure. We used controlled vocabulary to search within Medline, PsycInfo and SportDiscuss databases. A standardized charting method was used by the team of four authors to extract relevant data. Results The scoping review identified 18 relevant articles, including 707 athletes from 49 different sports and 11 countries, 64 data items were extracted, and 6 main themes were identified. The main psychological competencies included the ability to sustain a high degree of motivation and confidence, to successfully regulate thoughts, emotions and arousal levels, and to maintain resilience in the face of adversity. Conclusion We used the main psychological competencies identified from our scoping review to develop a hypothesis generated framework to guide the integration of performance psychology principles into future emergency medicine residency programs.

Abstract Surface modification of titanium and its alloys has been seriously considered by researchers to improve their biological behaviors, in the past few decades. In present research, hydroxyapatite (HA) based composite coatings with different concentrations of 0, 2, 4, and 6 wt% of silver (Ag) nanoparticles were electrophoretically deposited (EPD) on anodized and non-anodized Ti6Al4V, using a direct current at a voltage of 30 V for 10 min at room temperature. The specimens were then characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The cell adhesion images and cell viability results showed that HA-Ag composite coatings significantly promoted the biocompatibility of samples compared with the non-anodized and anodized Ti6Al4V. The viabilities of Mg-63 cells on HA-4%Ag coating and bi-layer coating (HA-4%Ag on anodized specimen) were approximately 91% and they were considered as the best coatings in term of biocompatibility. On the other hand, the antibacterial assessments demonstrated that HA-6%Ag coating had the best antibacterial performance compared with other samples. Furthermore, Tafel polarization curves indicated that corrosion resistance of the bi-layer coating was higher than those of the other specimens. The polarization resistance of this coating was about 7 times more than that of theTi6Al4V alloy. Graphical Abstract

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EoGE) is a group of infrequent conditions that arise from the accumulation of eosinophils in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract without any secondary causes of eosinophilia. Most cases of EoGE cases show involvement of different parts of the GI tract. Herein, we report a case of EoGE with the sole involvement of Jejunum. A 57-year-old male patient presented to our center with a chief complaint of acute abdominal pain. The patient had experienced chronic abdominal pain and intermittent diarrhea for several years, but he presented to the emergency department with severe acute flank pain. The patient was first diagnosed with renal stone and treated accordingly. However, the computed tomography (CT) scan also showed other incidental findings related to his chronic abdominal pain from several years ago, including mesenteric infiltration which shows fluid appearance in some areas, mild wall thickening, and mucosal edema of the duodenum and jejunal loops with normal appearance of the ileum. Complete blood count (CBC) showed increased eosinophil (15.5%) and decreased lymphocytes (13.1%) percent. Pathological examination of enteroscopy samples of jejunum showed a mild increase in the number of eosinophils in lamina propria. Neither parasites nor granuloma was detected. However, no such changes were found in other parts of the GI tracts. Based on pathological examination, the patient was diagnosed with eosinophilic enteritis of the jejunum. EoGE does not typically involve a specific part of the GI and generally affects both the stomach and intestine. This study reported the first case of EoGE where only the jejunal part of the intestine was involved and other parts of the GI tract were spared.

Objective: Abdominal ultrasonography (AUS) assessment of the neonatal abdomen is emerging as a potential useful addition to traditional abdominal radiographs (AXR) to confirm the diagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). The goal of this study was to assess the abdominal sonographic findings of premature infants with NEC, in order to determine whether AUS is more effective than AXR in the diagnosis of NEC. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on consecutive neonates with clinical suspicion of NEC admitted in our hospital’s NICU (Ali-Asghar Children’s Hospital, Tehran, Iran). We prospectively evaluated the hospitalized subjects using AXR and AUS from May 2018 to May 2020. Results: A total of 53 neonates were included in the study. These patients were divided into two groups: suspected NEC patients (stage I) including 31 subjects and definite NEC patients (stage II and III) including 22 neonates. We found a substantial agreement between the two modalities regarding the detection of pneumoperitoneum and pneumatosis intestinalis (κ: 0·658 for both). The concordance concerning portal venous gas detection was considered slight (κ: 0·315). Thirty-eight patients did not show any signs of portal venous gas in either of AUS or AXR. On the contrary, four patients demonstrated evidences of portal venous gas in both AUS and AXR. AUS detected ten more portal venous gas than AXR. AXR found no cases with positive portal venous gas that were undetected by AUS. The most predictive indicator for surgical intervention in neonates was the presence of free echogenic ascites and loculated fluid. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that AUS is superior to AXR in demonstrating portal venous gas and pneumatosis intestinalis. Hence, it seems that AUS is a useful adjunct to AXR in the management of NEC.

Background/objective: Oculomotor palsy is one of the most frequent neuro-ophthalmologic complications in patients with diabetes. Specifically, sixth nerve palsy is the most common. Case report: A 51-year-old female with a past medical history of type 1 diabetes on insulin and hypertension presented with complaints of worsening headache and diplopia. Physical exam was remarkable for recurrent sixth-nerve palsy. Patient was hemodynamically stable. Labs showed blood glucose of 367 mg/dL (70–100 mg/dL), an anion gap of 2 mmol/L (3–13 mmol/L), creatinine of 0.61 mg/dl (0.66–1.25 mg/dL), sodium of 129 mmol/L (135–145 mmol/L), and potassium of 4.4 mmol/L (3.5–5.1 mmol/L). Her hemoglobin A1C was 13.0 % Her complete blood count shows a white blood cell count of 6000/μL (3600-10,700/μL) and a hemoglobin of 14 g/dL (13.0–18.0 g/dL). Magnetic resonance venography of the head was negative for cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was negative for acute abnormalities. Blood glucose readings improved during hospitalization after optimizing her insulin regimen. She was recommended to follow-up with outpatient endocrinology to discuss use of an insulin pump to better control her diabetes. Discussion: Sixth-nerve palsy is a frequent but lesser-known neuro-ophthalmologic complication of poorly controlled diabetic patients. Conclusion: Studies have shown a higher incidence of diabetes in patients with sixth-nerve palsy, warranting a more focused medical evaluation along with close observation and tighter control of blood glucose levels and hemoglobin A1C.

ABSTRACTVisual impairment is occasionally observed in multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Although uveitis and optic neuritis have been reported in MS and EAE, the precise mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of these visual impairments remain poorly understood. This study aims to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the retinas of mice with EAE to identify genes that may be implicated in EAE-induced visual impairment. Fourteen adult mice were injected with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein35–55 to induce the EAE model. Transcriptomes of retinas with EAE were analyzed by RNA-sequencing. Gene expression analysis revealed 347 DEGs in the retinas of mice with EAE: 345 were upregulated, and 2 were downregulated (adjusted p-value 1). Gene ontology (GO) analysis showed that the upregulated genes in the retinas of mice with EAE were primarily related to immune responses, responses to external biotic stimuli, defense responses, and leukocyte-mediated immunity in the GO biological process. The expression of six upregulated hub genes (c1qb, ctss, itgam, itgb2, syk, and tyrobp) from the STRING analysis and the two significantly downregulated DEGs (hapln1 and ndst4) were validated by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In addition, gene set enrichment analysis showed that the negatively enriched gene sets in EAE-affected retinas were associated with the neuronal system and phototransduction cascade. This study provides novel molecular evidence for visual impairments in EAE and indicates directions for further research to elucidate the mechanisms of these visual impairments in MS.

Proliferative myositis (PM) is a benign intramuscular tumor that might mimic a malignant one due to its unusual pseudosarcomatous inflammatory nature. In this report, we describe a patient who developed PM after vaccination with Sinopharm coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine. A 73 years old man was admitted due to rapidly-growing painful mass in his left thigh from a few days ago, curtailing his walking. He received a recent COVID-19 vaccination (Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine) about 5 days before the beginning of symptoms. No history of trauma was present. On physical exam, a round firm mass was found in lateral side of mid portion of left thigh within the muscle with tenderness on palpation. An oval-shaped well-defined intramuscular mass measured 15 × 41 mm was noted in vastus lateralis muscle in ultrasonography. Left thigh magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a well-defined intramuscular mass with a definite margin of 19 × 39 mm. Finally, ultrasound (US)-guided core needle biopsy showed muscular tissue with a loose mass composed of plump fibroblasts and myofibroblasts and large ganglion-like cell with abundant amphophilic to basophilic cytoplasm, vesicular nuclei and prominent nucleoli. Pathology report showed a very rare case identified as proliferative myositis. It should be noted that we cannot make a direct link between these 2 events. PM is an extremely rare entity; however, its relation with COVID-19 vaccination might be a coincidence.

ABSTRACTGenetically modified organisms or GMOs offer significant advantages in food production, including increased yield, decreased pesticide usage, and better disease resistance. However, adoption and public sentiment toward GMOs is highly variable. Without positive sentiment toward GMOs, consumption of GMO-based foods may not have an adequate market for further investment. In order to better understand overall public sentiment toward GMO-based foods, a Boolean search was created using a commercial web-crawling service to collect and analyze public sentiment of GMOs across multiple social media and web-based services from May 1, 2019, to May 31, 2021. The Boolean query identified 2 million mentions of GMOs during the study period. Using the commercial software’s sentiment analysis (i.e. classifying mentions as either neutral, negative, or positive), 54% of the mentions were categorized as having a neutral sentiment, 32% as having a negative sentiment, and 14% as having a positive sentiment. Further emotional analysis (classifying posts by the emotion expressed, e.g., disgust, joy, sadness, anger, fear, surprise) produced by the software shows that the majority of the mentions were categorized as expressing a negative emotion: 31% of mentions expressed disgust, 28% joy, 18% sadness, 16% anger, 7% fear, and 1% surprise. Among the various social media sources collected, Twitter was the main source of data, providing 62% of the total 2 million mentions, followed by 14% from news sources and 12% from Reddit. These types of data can be used to better understand trends in sentiment toward GMOs and ultimately play an important role in combating mis-information.

Obesity, a complex condition that involves genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors, is a non-infectious pandemic that affects over 650 million adults worldwide with a rapidly growing prevalence. A major contributor is the consumption of high-fat diets, an increasingly common feature of modern diets. Maternal obesity results in an increased risk of offspring developing obesity and related health problems; however, the impact of maternal diet on the adipose tissue composition of offspring has not been evaluated. Here, we designed a generational diet-induced obesity study in female C57BL/6 mice that included maternal cohorts and their female offspring fed either a control diet (10% fat) or a high-fat diet (45% fat) and examined the visceral adipose proteome. Solubilizing proteins from adipose tissue is challenging due to the need for high concentrations of detergents; however, the use of a detergent-compatible sample preparation strategy based on suspension trapping (S-Trap) enabled label-free quantitative bottom-up analysis of the adipose proteome. We identified differentially expressed proteins related to lipid metabolism, inflammatory disease, immune response, and cancer, providing valuable molecular-level insight into how maternal obesity impacts the health of offspring. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with the identifier PXD042092.

Agastache rugosa, a traditional Asian herbal medicine, is primarily used for digestive problems; yet, its cognitive benefits remain unexplored. This study evaluated the anti-amnesic effects of A. rugosa extract (ARE) on scopolamine (SCO)-induced memory impairment in mice. Mice received 100 or 200 mg/kg ARE orally for 5 days, followed by SCO injection. The ARE demonstrated significant antioxidant (DPPH IC50: 75.3 µg/mL) and anti-inflammatory effects (NO reduction). Furthermore, the ARE significantly improved memory performance in the passive avoidance test (escape latency: 157.2 s vs. 536.9 s), the novel object recognition test (novel object preference: 47.6% vs. 66.3%) and the Morris water maze (time spent in the target quadrant: 30.0% vs. 45.1%). The ARE reduced hippocampal acetylcholinesterase activity (1.8-fold vs. 1.1-fold) while increasing choline acetyltransferase (0.4-fold vs. 1.0-fold) and muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtype I (0.3-fold vs. 1.6-fold) expression. The ARE improved hippocampal neurogenesis via doublecortin- (0.4-fold vs. 1.1-fold) and KI-67-positive (6.3 vs. 12.0) cells. Therefore, the ARE exerts protective effects against cognitive decline through cholinergic system modulation and antioxidant activity, supporting its potential use as a cognitive enhancer.

This investigation aims to study the effect of laser cladding parameters on the microstructure of Stellite 6 on the X19CrMoNbVN11-1 stainless-steel substrate. First, Stellite 6 powder was coated on the X19CrMoNbVN11-1 substrate using the laser cladding method. The effect of laser cladding parameters (i.e., laser power, scanning speed, and powder feed rate) was studied on the microstructure of deposits. The secondary dendritic arm spacing was assessed, and the structural defects were studied (e.g., lack of bonding, porosity, and crack). The results revealed that the microstructure has changed from coating/substrate interface to coating surface, from plate-cellular to columnar and equiaxed dendrites. Also, an increase in the laser power increased the cellular structure in the coating/substrate interface and equiaxed dendrites in the coating surface. The cooling rate (G × R) increased by increasing the scanning and powder injection rates. The microstructure of the Stellite 6 was composed of cobalt solid-solution γFCC.

TiB2+TiB coatings were formed on Ti–6Al–4V through a molten-salt diffusional process at temperatures of 850 °C and 900 °C for 16 h. The thickness of the TiB layer increased by about two times at the higher process temperature, while the thickness of the TiB2 layer remained constant. Tribocorrosion rate of Ti–6Al–4V and the coated samples was evaluated in a reciprocating sliding under a normal load of 15 N in a phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution for 3600–36000 cycles against an alumina ball. The results showed that the tribocorrosion rate of the borided samples decreased up to 56 times compared with Ti–6Al–4V after 36000 cycles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies showed the presence of oxide-rich patches on the wear surface of Ti–6Al–4V with a thickness of up to 1 μm. TEM and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images also revealed the presence of a tribofilm with a thickness of up to 200 nm on the surface of the boride coating. In addition, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed the tribofilm formed on the wear surface of coated samples contained B2O3/H3BO3 compound, resulting in a more stable fluctuation in coefficient of friction and open circuit potential during sliding. The SEM images of the alumina wear surface showed cracks and titanium transfer layers in contact with the borided layers and Ti–6Al–4V, respectively.

SUMMARY: Background: Collection of patient-reported outcome (PRO) data can facilitate cost-effective, evidence-based, and patient-centered care. The BREAST-Q has become the gold standard tool to measure PRO data in breast surgery. The last review of its application indicated that it was underutilized. Considering the evolution in breast surgery, the purpose of this study was to perform a scoping review of BREAST-Q application since 2015 and identify emerging trends and potential persistent gaps to guide patient-centered practice and future research in breast surgery. Methods: We performed an electronic literature review to identify publications published in English that used the BREAST-Q to assess patient outcomes. We excluded validation studies, review papers, conference abstracts, discussions, comments, and/or responses to previously published papers. Results: We identified 270 studies that met our inclusion criteria. Specific data was extracted to examine the evolution of the BREAST-Q application and examine clinical trends and research gaps. Discussion: Despite a significant increase in BREAST-Q studies, gaps in the understanding of the patient experience remain. The BREAST-Q is uniquely designed to measure quality of life and satisfaction with outcome and care. The prospective collection of center-specific data for every type of breast surgery will generate important information for the provision of patient-centered and evidence-based care.