Association of Cognitive Symptoms and Abnormal Oculomotor Signs With Recovery in Adolescents After Sport-Related Concussion.

Objective: Sport-related concussion (SRC) affects cognitive and oculomotor function. We evaluated recovery from SRC in athletes with cognitive symptoms and/or oculomotor impairments who were prescribed early aerobic exercise treatment.

Design: Secondary exploratory analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Differing clinical characteristics among individuals with concussions sustained at work, in motor vehicle collisions, and sport.

Purpose: To compare clinical characteristics in patients with concussions sustained by prevalent, but understudied, mechanisms (work-related concussion [WRC] and motor vehicle collision [MVC]-related concussion) to sport-related concussion (SRC).

Methods: Retrospective review of 281 electronic medical records from an outpatient concussion clinic. Time since injury (days), duration of care (days), amount of care (number of visits), and perceived health (Short-Form 12) were collected.

Antimicrobial Biphasic Polymer Coatings Enabled by Fast Diffusion of Active Compounds.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic and the prospect of future global pandemics highlight the long-standing need to passively eliminate viruses and bacteria on surfaces. Conventional antimicrobial surfaces and coatings are typically constrained by a trade-off between antimicrobial efficacy and physical durability. A biphasic polyurethane coating has been developed that breaks this trade-off by incorporating a durability-imparting polycarbonate (PC) discrete phase with a continuous poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) transport phase that absorbs, stores, and releases antimicrobial active compounds for extended microbial inactivation.

An Exploratory Analysis of Physical Examination Subtypes in Pediatric Athletes With Concussion.

Objective: Pediatric athletes with concussion present with a variety of impairments on clinical assessment and require individualized treatment. The Buffalo Concussion Physical Examination is a brief, pertinent clinical assessment for individuals with concussion. The purpose of this study was to identify physical examination subtypes in pediatric athletes with concussion within 2 weeks of injury that are relevant to diagnosis and treatment.

Identification of pre-race ultrasonographic abnormalities of the Achilles tendon and association with future injuries in runners.

Objective: To determine if specific morphological changes in ultrasonographic images of Achilles tendons are associated with the development of pain in distance runners.

Methods: This study is a blinded, retrospective analysis of 276 Achilles tendon ultrasound images, which were used to determine if specific morphologic findings could positively or negatively predict future Achilles tendon pain development in distance runners. Pre-race ultrasound scans were performed on 138 asymptomatic half- and full marathon runners (276 tendons in total) who were followed for 12 months after their races.

Guided, motor, and mental imagery adjuncts to teaching central venous access.

Background: Mental, motor, and guided imagery techniques are commonly used in sports psychology, but less often in medical education. Utilization of imagery-based techniques (IBTs) in combination with traditional teaching methods may provide a low-cost, innovative approach to improving outcomes in graduate medical education.

Objective: The objective was to assess whether medical students demonstrate greater proficiency in the ability to obtain central venous access in simulation trainers following exposure to guided, mental, and motor imagery teaching methods in comparison to traditional methods.

Sensitivity and Specificity of Exercise Intolerance on Graded Exertion Testing for Diagnosing Sport-Related Concussion: A Systematic Review and Exploratory Meta-Analysis.

There is no single gold standard test to diagnose sport-related concussion (SRC). Concussion-related exercise intolerance, that is, inability to exercise to the individual's appropriate level due to exacerbation of concussion-like symptoms, is a frequent finding in athletes early after SRC that has not been systematically evaluated as a diagnostic test of SRC. We performed a systematic review and proportional meta-analysis of studies that evaluated graded exertion testing in athletes after SRC.

Dual Component Passive Icephobic Coatings with Micron-Scale Phase-Separated 3D Structures.

A passive icephobic coating (τ < 20 kPa) is an enabling technology to many industries, including aerospace and energy and power generation, with recent efforts in materials research identifying strategies to achieve this low adhesion threshold. To better meet this need, we have combined low surface energy perfluoropolyether (PFPE) and hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) species in a segmented polyurethane thermoplastic elastomer. Coating microstructure presents a segregated 3D morphology at the micron-scale (1-100 μm) with discrete PFPE and continuous PEG phases self-similar through the thickness.

htsget: a protocol for securely streaming genomic data.

Summary: Standardized interfaces for efficiently accessing high-throughput sequencing data are a fundamental requirement for large-scale genomic data sharing. We have developed htsget, a protocol for secure, efficient and reliable access to sequencing read and variation data. We demonstrate four independent client and server implementations, and the results of a comprehensive interoperability demonstration.

Highly curved image sensors: a practical approach for improved optical performance.

The significant optical and size benefits of using a curved focal surface for imaging systems have been well studied yet never brought to market for lack of a high-quality, mass-producible, curved image sensor. In this work we demonstrate that commercial silicon CMOS image sensors can be thinned and formed into accurate, highly curved optical surfaces with undiminished functionality. Our key development is a pneumatic forming process that avoids rigid mechanical constraints and suppresses wrinkling instabilities.

Hierarchical carbon foams with independently tunable mesopore and macropore size distributions.

Hierarchical carbon foams with independently tunable mesopore and macropore size distributions were formed in a high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) template. The HIPE consists of an internal oil phase that controls the macropore dimensions and an aqueous resorcinol-formaldehyde precursor solution external phase that directs the mesopore size distribution. Once the emulsion is formed, the precursor solution is cured, fluid elements are extracted from the monolith via solvent exchange, and then the sample is pyrolyzed to create a hierarchical open-cell foam consisting of macropores with mesoporous carbon xerogel walls.

Bacterial plaque retention on oral hard materials: effect of surface roughness, surface composition, and physisorbed polycarboxylate.

Bacterial adhesion to oral hard materials is dependent on various factors, for example, surface roughness and surface composition. In this study, bacteria retention on three oral hard substrates, hydroxyapatite (HAP), enamel, and polished enamel (p-enamel) were investigated. The surface morphology and roughness of the three substrates were measured by scanning probe microscopy.

Biocompatibility of amphiphilic diblock copolypeptide hydrogels in the central nervous system.

Amphiphilic diblock copolypeptide hydrogels (DCHs) are synthetic materials whose properties can be varied readily and predictably by altering copolymer chain length or composition and which are of potential interest for biomaterial applications. We tested the biocompatibility in the central nervous system (CNS) of DCH composed of lysine, homoarginine or glutamate in combination with leucine. A range of DCH formulations with rheological properties similar to brain tissue were injected into mouse forebrain and examined after 1-8 weeks using light microscopy, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy.

Effect of chemistry and morphology on the biofunctionality of self-assembling diblock copolypeptide hydrogels.

Amphiphilic, diblock copolypeptides of hydrophilic lysine or glutamic acid and hydrophobic leucine or valine have been observed to self-assemble into rigid hydrogels in aqueous solution at neutral pH and very low volume fraction of polymer, > or =0.5 wt % polypeptide. Laser scanning confocal microscopy and ultra small angle neutron scattering revealed a heterogeneous microstructure with distinct domains of hydrogel matrix and pure water pores.

Unusual salt stability in highly charged diblock co-polypeptide hydrogels.

The stability and properties of dilute solution hydrogels, synthesized by transition metal mediated polymerization of amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs), have been studied in deionized (DI) water as well as various ionic media. These hydrogels are diblock amphiphilic copolymers of hydrophilic, charged segments of poly(l-lysine HBr) or poly(l-glutamic acid sodium salt), and helical, hydrophobic segments of poly(l-leucine). While many of these samples are able to form strong gels in deionized water at polymer concentrations as low as 0.

Rapidly recovering hydrogel scaffolds from self-assembling diblock copolypeptide amphiphiles.

Protein-based hydrogels are used for many applications, ranging from food and cosmetic thickeners to support matrices for drug delivery and tissue replacement. These materials are usually prepared using proteins extracted from natural sources, which can give rise to inconsistent properties unsuitable for medical applications. Recent developments have utilized recombinant DNA methods to prepare artificial protein hydrogels with specific association mechanisms and responsiveness to various stimuli.