Effect of β-Adrenergic Antagonists on In-Hospital Mortality after Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Ischemic stroke accounts for 85%-90% of all strokes and currently has very limited therapeutic options. Recent studies of β-adrenergic antagonists suggest they may have neuroprotective effects that lead to improved functional outcomes in rodent models of ischemic stroke; however, there are limited data in patients. We aimed to determine whether there was an improvement in mortality rates among patients who were taking β-blockers during the acute phase of their ischemic stroke.

Artificial muscle actuators in biorobotic fish fins.

Artificial muscle technologies offer the possibility of designing robotic systems that take full advantage of biological architectures. Of current artificial muscle technologies, nickel titanium (Ni-Ti) shape memory alloys are among a few that are readily usable by engineering labs without specialized skills in material science and/or chemistry. Ni-Ti actuators are now being used to replace servomotors in biorobotic fins.