Investigation of left ventricular ejection fraction in a Swiss heart failure population: Insights into mortality and sex differences.

Aims: Understanding heart failure (HF) characteristics is essential to improve patient outcomes. Categorizing HF beyond left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is challenging due to heterogeneous clinical presentation and aetiologies. Despite global studies on HF, the role of LVEF on mortality remains controversial.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Czech version of the core outcome measures index for low back and neck pain.

Purpose: The Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI) is a short, multidimensional instrument translated into several languages that covers five domains recommended in the assessment of outcome in patients with low-back and neck pain. The purpose of this study was to cross-culturally adapt the COMI from English to Czech language and to test the face and construct validity and reproducibility of its results in patients with low-back and neck pain.

Methods: Participants (n = 125) were included from primary and secondary care.

3D printing traceability in healthcare using 3Diamond software.

Background: 3D printing is one of the fastest-growing technologies in medicine, but it is essential to have a system for 3D printing documentation that is accessible for not only clinical engineers and surgeons, but also quality managers and data-privacy officers in hospitals. Dedicated software such as product lifecycle management (PLM) software could enable comprehensive management and traceability of all data relevant to 3D printing tasks in a hospital and would highly beneficial. Therefore, customizable software called 3Diamond was developed for 3D printing in medicine.

Pre-selection blade size choice for the microsurgical clipping of cerebral artery aneurysms: A numerical study.

Background: Brain strokes comprise the third leading cause of death worldwide. Microsurgical clipping is recognized as being one of the most effective approaches to the treatment of brain aneurysms. The incomplete closure of the distal-side aneurysm neck is the most common cause of the persistent filling of the dome.

Role of lamp type in conventional batch and micro-photoreactor for photocatalytic hydrogen production.

The use of an irradiation source with a homogeneous distribution of irradiation in the volume of the reaction mixture belongs to the essential aspects of heterogeneous photocatalysis. First, the efficacy of six lamps with various radiation intensity and distribution characteristics is contrasted. The topic of discussion is the photocatalytic hydrogen production from a methanol-water solution in the presence of a NiO-TiO photocatalyst.

Hollow @CuMgAl double layered hydrotalcites and mixed oxides with tunable textural and structural properties, and thus enhanced NH-NO-SCR activity.

Well-organized, spherical, mesoporous hollow @CuMgAl-LDHs (layered double hydroxides) are prepared by the controlled removal of the SiO from SiO@CuMgAl-LDH core-shell hybrids that in turn are synthesized a bottom-up strategy. The materials are prepared with various Cu/Mg molar ratios (Cu/Mg = 0.05-0.

Structural properties of the extracellular biopolymer (β-D-xylo-α-D-mannan) produced by the green microalga Gloeocystis vesiculosa Nägeli.

Many species of microalgae produce a relatively diverse range of metabolites that are interesting for biotechnological applications, and among them exopolysaccharides attract attention due to their structural complexity, biological activities, biodegradability or biocompatibility. An exopolysaccharide of high molecular weight (M) of 6.8 × 10 g/mol was obtained by cultivation of the freshwater green coccal microalga Gloeocystis vesiculosa Nägeli 1849 (Chlorophyta).

The Injection Molding of Biodegradable Polydioxanone-A Study of the Dependence of the Structural and Mechanical Properties on Thermal Processing Conditions.

Recent years have observed a significant increase in the use of degradable materials in medicine due to their minimal impact on the patient and broad range of applicability. The biodegradable polymer Polydioxanone (PDO) provides a good example of the use of such one polymer that can represent the aforementioned medical materials in the field of medicine, due to its high level of biocompatibility and interesting mechanical properties. PDO is used to produce absorbable medical devices such as sutures and stents, and is also suitable for the fabrication of certain orthopedic implants.

Biomechanics optimisation of the laminoplasty groove size and position: A numerical study.

Background: This study is focused on the opening technique of the cervical vertebrae during laminoplasty which serves to substantially reduce the most severe adverse effects of the simple resection of posterior vertebral elements. This computational study aims to clarify by an optimisation approach what shape and position upon the lamina the groove should have.

Methods: The computational model was developed in the computational software COMSOL Multiphysics 5.

Development of an additively-manufactured functionally-graded expandable implant via the application of the adaptive response surface method: feasibility study on intramedullary humerus nail.

The paper introduces the concept of the rational design of a deployable humeral intramedullary nail plug based on a honeycomb structure used for the surgical treatment of humeral shaft fractures. The concept serves for to restore the axial alignment of bone fragments and to maintain stability via bone-nail friction and locking screws. The design nail plug was gained by optimisation process the Latin Hypercube Sampling Design algorithm and Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm.

The stiffness variability of a silk fibroin scaffold during bone cell proliferation.

Complex assessment of gradual changes in scaffold morphology and stiffness is an essential step in bone filler development. Current approach, however, does not reflect long term cell proliferation effect as the mechanical tests are usually conducted on pristine materials without cells or cell influence on material stiffness is evaluated after one time period only. Here, biocompatible silk fibroin (SF) porous scaffolds envisioned for bone defect filling were prepared by dissolving of fibroin fibers, followed by dialysis, freeze-drying and final stabilization.

Reconstruction of the ZnAl Mixed Oxides Into the Layered Double Hydroxide Catalysts Active in the Aldol Condensation of Furfural: The Role of ZnO Particles.

A memory effect is the ability to restore the original, lamellar layered double hydroxide structure. Herein, we have described 1) the changes in the structural and basic properties of ZnAl mixed oxides during their transformation into ZnAl-reconstructed LDHs (RE-LDHs); 2) the extraordinary properties of ZnAl RE-LDHs compared to the original ZnAl LDHs; and 3) the changes of basic properties during the interaction of ZnAl RE-LDHs with atmospheric CO. Aldol condensation was selected as probe reaction to prove the catalytic potential of ZnAl RE-LDHs.

The wettability of electron spun membranes by synovial fluid.

Aseptic loosening due to periprosthetic osteolysis has been accepted as one of the leading causes of revision procedures in patients with previous joint arthroplasty. Recently, several strategies for suppression of osteolysis were proposed, mostly based on biological treatment such as mitigation of chronic inflammatory reactions. However, these biological treatments do not stop the debris migration but only reduce the inflammatory reaction.

The opening size of the laminoplasty is dependent on the groove size: A numerical study.

Background: The expansion of the cervical vertebrae lamina appears to be crucial to related surgical procedures. The dimensions of the groove influence the strain concentration within the lamina of the vertebra and, thus, the potential success or failure of respective surgical procedure. The aim of this computational study is to clarify both the role of the size of the groove with concern to both the open door and the double door laminoplasty techniques.

Congenital syphilis as a cause of death in a newborn in 31st week of pregnancy - significance of testing for syphilis during pregnancy.

Objective: Description of a case of newborn death after acute caesarean section in 31st week of pregnancy because of mothers syphilitic infection.

Results: Fifteen-years-old primigravid woman in 31st week of pregnancy was admitted to a secondary level hospital due to a high risk of preterm labor. The pregnancy was terminated with an acute caesarean section because of pathological cardiotocograph record.

Optimal structural pattern for maximal compliance using topology optimization based on phasefields: Application to improve skin graft meshing efficiency.

This article focuses on the problem of maximal compliance design of a hyper-elastic solid with the optimal design of human skin grafts as the application in mind. The solution method is a phasefield-based topology optimization method that supposes multiple local phasefields and a minimum distance constraint in order to prevent the phasefields from merging. Consequently, structurally disintegrating solutions such as by the coalescence of voids can be prevented.

Alternative Preparation of Improved NiMo-Alumina Deoxygenation Catalysts.

This investigation deals with NiMo-alumina hydrotreating catalysts effective in the deoxygenation of rapeseed oil. The main goal was to compare catalyst structure and their deoxygenation performance and to link these parameters to reveal important structural information regarding the catalyst's intended use. Catalysts were prepared from different precursors (nickel acetate tetrahydrate/molybdenyl acetylacetonate in ethanol and water vs.

Successful Immobilization of Lanthanides Doped TiO on Inert Foam for Repeatable Hydrogen Generation from Aqueous Ammonia.

We describe the successful possibility of the immobilization of a photocatalyst on foam, which is beneficial from a practical point of view. An immobilized photocatalyst is possible for use in a continuous experiment and can be easily separated from the reactor after the reaction concludes. Parent TiO, La/TiO, and Nd/TiO photocatalysts (containing 0.

Cement augmentation of odontoid peg fractures: the effect of cement volume and distribution on construct stiffness.

Purpose: The cement augmentation of a conventional anterior screw fixation in type II odontoid process fractures for elderly patients significantly increased stiffness and load to failure under anterior-posterior load in comparison with non-augmented fixation. The amount and quality of bone cement are usually taken ad hoc in clinical practise. In this study, we wanted to clarify the role of bone cement amount and its quality to the stiffness of odontoid and vertebrae body junction.

The Role of Fluorine in F-La/TiO Photocatalysts on Photocatalytic Decomposition of Methanol-Water Solution.

F-La/TiO photocatalysts were studied in photocatalytic decomposition water-methanol solution. The structural, textural, optical, and electronic properties of F-La/TiO photocatalysts were studied by combination of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), nitrogen physisorption, Ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and X-ray fluorescence (XPS). The production of hydrogen in the presence of 2.

Computational modal analysis of a composite pelvic bone: convergence and validation studies.

The purpose of the present study was to describe the structural density and geometry of the bone, as well as its sensitivity to the resolution of finite element discretisation. The study introduces a novel way to validate biomechanical model of the bone by experimental modal analysis. The structural density and geometry of the model was obtained from a composite bone.

Modal frequency and shape curvature as a measure of implant fixation: A computer study on the acetabular cup.

Modal parameters are often investigated in order to assess the initial fixation of an implant. Most of studies are focused on the natural frequencies and frequency response function. Usually the femoral stem is tested although the acetabular cup fixation is important as well.