Rapid Sterilization of Clinical Apheresis Blood Products using Ultra-High Dose Rate Radiation.

Background And Objectives: Apheresis platelets products and plasma are essential for medical interventions, but both still have inherent risks associated with contamination and viral transmission. Platelet products are vulnerable to bacterial contamination due to storage conditions, while plasma requires extensive screening to minimize virus transmission risks. Here we investigate rapid irradiation to sterilizing doses for bacteria and viruses as an innovative pathogen reduction technology.

Compression ratio: a novel method to quantify compressibility as a diagnostic measurement in giant cell arteritis.

Objectives: Ultrasonographic assessment of giant cell arteritis (GCA) relies on the demonstration of a non-compressible halo. Several ultrasonographic methods have been developed to quantify arterial wall thickness, however arterial compressibility has not been quantified. This study presents a possible solution for quantifying compressibility to assist in diagnosing GCA.

Should our older, edentulous patients live with their teeth sitting in a glass of water?

Over 20 years ago, the McGill consensus statement stated that a mandibular two-implant overdenture should be the first choice of care for our edentulous patients. We have around three million edentulous patients in England and Wales currently, many over the age of 60, and many of whom are not able to wear a satisfactory set of complete dentures, let alone able to eat a normal diet. In 2009, the York consensus statement produced by the British Society of Prosthodontics concluded that "a substantial body of evidence is now available demonstrating that patients' satisfaction and quality of life with implant-supported overdentures in the mandible is significantly greater than conventional dentures".

PHA4GE quality control contextual data tags: standardized annotations for sharing public health sequence datasets with known quality issues to facilitate testing and training.

As public health laboratories expand their genomic sequencing and bioinformatics capacity for the surveillance of different pathogens, labs must carry out robust validation, training, and optimization of wet- and dry-lab procedures. Achieving these goals for algorithms, pipelines and instruments often requires that lower quality datasets be made available for analysis and comparison alongside those of higher quality. This range of data quality in reference sets can complicate the sharing of sub-optimal datasets that are vital for the community and for the reproducibility of assays.

Optogenetic manipulation of BMP signaling to drive chondrogenic differentiation of hPSCs.

Optogenetics is a rapidly advancing technology combining photochemical, optical, and synthetic biology to control cellular behavior. Together, sensitive light-responsive optogenetic tools and human pluripotent stem cell differentiation models have the potential to fine-tune differentiation and unpick the processes by which cell specification and tissue patterning are controlled by morphogens. We used an optogenetic bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling system (optoBMP) to drive chondrogenic differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).

Are clinical skills no longer a prerequisite to being a competent dental surgeon?

The clinical standards of dentists are never re-assessed and the dental regulator, unlike the General Medical Council, has not introduced revalidation; therefore, the clinical standards of a dentist are rarely, if ever, re-evaluated.

The energetics of muscle contractions resembling in vivo performance.

Muscle energetics has expanded into the study of contractions that resemble in vivo muscle activity. A summary is provided of experiments of this type and what they have added to our understanding of muscle function and effects of compliant tendons, as well as the new questions raised about the efficiency of energy transduction in muscle.

Advances in understanding the energetics of muscle contraction.

Muscle energetics encompasses the relationships between mechanical performance and the biochemical and thermal changes that occur during muscular activity. The biochemical reactions that underpin contraction are described and the way in which these are manifest in experimental recordings, as initial and recovery heat, is illustrated. Energy use during contraction can be partitioned into that related to cross-bridge force generation and that associated with activation by Ca.

The Effect of Mini Dental Implant Number on Mandibular Overdenture Retention and Attachment Wear.

Purpose: Evaluate the effect of different mini-implant numbers on overdenture retention and evaluate attachment wear following one year of simulated placement/removal. . Nine models simulating atrophic mandibles held 27 mini dental implants in three groups of 2, 3, and 4 mini-implants.

Barriers to recruiting primary care practices for implementation research during COVID-19: A qualitative study of practice coaches from the Stop Unhealthy (STUN) Alcohol Use Now trial.

Unlabelled: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought widespread change to health care practice and research. With heightened stress in the general population, increased unhealthy alcohol use, and added pressures on primary care practices, comes the need to better understand how we can continue practice-based research and address public health priorities amid the ongoing pandemic. The current study considers barriers and facilitators to conducting such research, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, within the context of recruiting practices for the STop UNhealthy (STUN) Alcohol Use Now trial.

A century of exercise physiology: key concepts in muscle energetics.

In the mid-nineteenth century, the concept of muscle behaving like a stretched spring was developed. This elastic model of contraction predicted that the energy available to perform work was established at the start of a contraction. Despite several studies showing evidence inconsistent with the elastic model, it persisted into the twentieth century.

Does the Length of Mini Dental Implants Affect Their Resistance to Failure by Overloading?

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the failure resistance of different lengths of mini dental implants from the same manufacturer, and to assess their failure following overloading. Materials and Methods: According to the ISO 14801, 15 mini dental implants 2.4 mm in diameter, with lengths of 8.

The Effect of Number and Distribution of Mini Dental Implants on Overdenture Stability: An In Vitro Study.

The rotational movement of mini dental implants (MDIs) overdenture disturbs the function of the prosthesis. Many dentists place more MDIs to improve the overdenture stability; however, the influence of the MDIs number and distribution on the overdenture resistance to para-axial dislodgment has not been investigated. Seven resin models simulating atrophic mandibles housed twenty MDIs placed according to seven arrangements.

A mathematical model to quantify RYR Ca2+ leak and associated heat production in resting human skeletal muscle fibers.

Cycling of Ca2+ between the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and myoplasm is an important component of skeletal muscle resting metabolism. As part of this cycle, Ca2+ leaks from the SR into the myoplasm and is pumped back into the SR using ATP, which leads to the consumption of O2 and generation of heat. Ca2+ may leak through release channels or ryanodine receptors (RYRs).

The legacy of A. V. Hill's Nobel Prize winning work on muscle energetics.

A. V. Hill was awarded the 1922 Nobel Prize, jointly with Otto Meyerhof, for Physiology or Medicine for his work on energetic aspects of muscle contraction.

Ca leak through ryanodine receptor 1 regulates thermogenesis in resting skeletal muscle.

Mammals rely on nonshivering thermogenesis (NST) from skeletal muscle so that cold temperatures can be tolerated. NST results from activity of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca pump in skeletal muscle, but the mechanisms that regulate this activity are unknown. Here, we develop a single-fiber assay to investigate the role of Ca leak through ryanodine receptor 1 (RyR1) to generate heat at the SR Ca pump in resting muscle.

Analysis of Residual Ridge Morphology in a Group of Edentulous Patients Seeking NHS Dental Implant Provision-A Retrospective Observational Lateral Cephalometric Study.

A convenience sample of 154 edentulous patients referred for implant provision at a Regional National Health Service Dental Hospital in the North West of England were identified. The cephalometric radiographs that were taken as part of the patient baseline investigation were assessed. Digital tracing was used to measure the anterior maxillary and mandibular bone height and ridge angle with respect to the maxillary and mandibular planes.

The STUN (STop UNhealthy) Alcohol Use Now trial: study protocol for an adaptive randomized trial on dissemination and implementation of screening and management of unhealthy alcohol use in primary care.

Background: Unhealthy alcohol use is a leading cause of preventable deaths in the USA and is associated with many societal and health problems. Less than a third of people who visit primary care providers in the USA are asked about or ever discuss alcohol use with a health professional.

Methods/design: This study is an adaptive, randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the effect of primary care practice facilitation and telehealth services on evidence-based screening, counseling, and pharmacotherapy for unhealthy alcohol use in small-to-medium-sized primary care practices.

Ryanodine receptor leak triggers fiber Ca redistribution to preserve force and elevate basal metabolism in skeletal muscle.

Muscle contraction depends on tightly regulated Ca release. Aberrant Ca leak through ryanodine receptor 1 (RyR1) on the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membrane can lead to heatstroke and malignant hyperthermia (MH) susceptibility, as well as severe myopathy. However, the mechanism by which Ca leak drives these pathologies is unknown.

Global Burden of Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Targeted Literature Review.

Purpose: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness, particularly in higher-income countries. Although dry AMD accounts for 85% to 90% of AMD cases, a comprehensive understanding of the global dry AMD burden is needed.

Methods: A targeted literature review was conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (1995-2019) to identify data on the epidemiology, management, and humanistic and economic burden of dry AMD in adults.

Screening for Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes: Updated Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force.

Importance: Type 2 diabetes is common and is a leading cause of morbidity and disability.

Objective: To review the evidence on screening for prediabetes and diabetes to inform the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

Data Sources: PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and trial registries through September 2019; references; and experts; literature surveillance through May 21, 2021.

Lessons learned from value-based pediatric appendectomy care: A shared savings pilot model.

Purpose: We aim to assess the healthcare value achieved from a shared savings program for pediatric appendectomy.

Methods: All appendectomy patients covered by our health plan were included. Quality targets were 15% reduction in time to surgery, length of stay, readmission rate, and patient satisfaction.