Single-step laser-printed integrated sulfur cathode toward high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries.

Lithium-sulfur batteries are expected to supersede existing lithium-ion batteries due to the high theoretical energy density of sulfur cathodes (positive electrodes). Unfortunately, inefficient redox reactions and the "shuttle effect" hinder their commercial development. Assembling high-performance nanostructured sulfur host materials into a sulfur cathode presents a viable solution.

Advanced 3D Food Printing with Simultaneous Cooking and Generative AI Design.

3D food printing is an indispensable technology for emerging food technologies. However, conventional nonconcurrent postprocessing methods limit the final food quality, including the unappealing nature of food ink modification, imperfections in retaining the desired food shape, and the risk of microbial contamination. Here, an artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced solution is developed to achieve extrusion-based printing with simultaneous infrared heating, enabling in-line and rapid cooking of complex starch-based food.

Heterogeneous CuO Nano-Skeletons from Waste Electronics for Enhanced Glucose Detection.

Electronic waste (e-waste) and diabetes are global challenges to modern societies. However, solving these two challenges together has been challenging until now. Herein, we propose a laser-induced transfer method to fabricate portable glucose sensors by recycling copper from e-waste.

Multifunctional laser-induced graphene circuits and laser-printed nanomaterials toward non-invasive human kidney function monitoring.

Faced with the increasing prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD), portable monitoring of CKD-related biomarkers such as potassium ion (K), creatinine (Cre), and lactic acid (Lac) levels in sweat has shown tremendous potential for early diagnosis. However, a rapidly manufacturable portable device integrating multiple CKD-related biomarker sensors for ease of sweat testing use has yet to be reported. Here, a portable electrochemical sensor integrated with multifunctional laser-induced graphene (LIG) circuits and laser-printed nanomaterials based working electrodes fabricated by fully automatic laser manufacturing is proposed for non-invasive human kidney function monitoring.

In situ Electrical Impedance Tomography for Visualizing Water Transportation in Hygroscopic Aerogels.

The global water crisis demands immediate attention, and atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) provides a viable alternative. However, studying the real-time subtle relationship between water absorption, diffusion, and internal structure for hygroscopic materials is challenging. Herein, a dynamic visualization technique is proposed that utilizes an in situ electrical impedance tomography (EIT) system and a precise reconstruction algorithm to achieve real-time monitoring of the water sorption process within aerogels from an internal microstructural perspective.

Health Professional vs Layperson Values and Preferences on Scarce Resource Allocation.

Importance: COVID-19 prompted rapid development of scarce resource allocation (SRA) policies to be implemented if demand eclipsed health systems' ability to provide critical care. While SRA policies follow general ethical frameworks, understanding priorities of those affected by policies and/or tasked with implementing them is critical.

Objective: To evaluate whether community members and health care profesionals (HCP) agree with SRA protocols at the University of California (UC).

High-Throughput Automatic Laser Printing Strategy toward Cost-effective Portable Integrated Urea Tele-Monitoring System.

A portable sweat urea sensing system is a promising solution to satisfy the booming requirement of kidney function tele-monitoring. However, the complicated manufacturing route and the cumbersome electrochemical testing system still need to be improved to develop the urea point-of-care testing (POCT) and tele-monitoring devices. Here, a universal technical route based on a high-throughput automatic laser printing strategy for fabricating the portable integrated urea monitoring system is proposed.

Laser-Induced Transfer of Functional Materials.

Patterning is crucial for the large-scale application of functional materials. Laser-induced transfer is an emerging patterning method for additively depositing functional materials to the target acceptor. With the rapid development of laser technologies, this laser printing method emerges as a versatile method to deposit functional materials in either liquid or solid format.

Application of virtual reality for peritoneal dialysis exchange learning in patients with end-stage renal disease and cognitive impairment.

Cognitive impairment is not uncommon in patients with end-stage renal disease and can make it more difficult for these patients to carry out peritoneal dialysis (PD) on their own. Their attempts to do so may result in adverse consequences such as peritonitis. PD exchange is a complex procedure demanding knowledge and skill which requires close supervision and guidance by a renal nurse specialist.

Evaluating Translation of HIV-Related Legal Protections Into Practice: A Qualitative Assessment Among HIV-Positive Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men in Manila, Philippines.

Legal protections for people living with HIV (PLHIV) are important for protecting human rights, yet little research has examined how laws translate into awareness and understanding for key populations. The Philippines has recently revised their legal protections for PLHIV in response to its growing HIV epidemic, where HIV-positive gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men bear the majority of cases. We present findings from interviews with 21 HIV-positive gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Manila, Philippines regarding awareness, understanding, and needs regarding HIV-specific legal protections at the time just before new revisions to the omnibus HIV law were passed.

Introducing Long-Acting Contraceptive Removal Indicators in a Pilot Study in Mozambique: Dynamics of Discontinuation and Implications for Quality of Care.

Introduction: The recent increase in the use of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) will result in an equal increase in the need for removals. Few countries monitor the number of LARC removals and even fewer track reasons for removal, discontinuation, and method switching. We conducted a mixed-method study to pilot the introduction of 5 LARC removal indicators in Mozambique: (1) reason for seeking removal, (2) duration of use, (3) removal outcome, (4) reason for referral, and (5) family planning (FP) outcome.

Emergency department use among postpartum women with mental health disorders.

Background: Mental health disorders are becoming more recognized in pregnancy. Whether mental health disorders are associated with health services utilization after child birth is not completely understood.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate postpartum emergency department use within 30 days of delivery among women with preexisting mental health disorders during pregnancy.

Do male engagement and couples' communication influence maternal health care-seeking? Findings from a household survey in Mozambique.

Background: This study explored effects of couples' communication and male participation in birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPCR) on delivery in a health facility ("institutional delivery"). A cross-sectional, baseline household survey was conducted in November 2016 prior to an integrated maternal and child health project in Nampula and Sofala Provinces in Mozambique.

Methods: The study used the Knowledge, Practices and Coverage survey tool, a condensed version of the Demographic and Health Survey and other tools.

Na/H exchanger NHE1 acts upstream of rho GTPases to promote neurite outgrowth.

Na/H exchanger NHE1, a major determinant of intracellular pH (pH) in mammalian central neurons, promotes neurite outgrowth under both basal and netrin-1-stimulated conditions. The small GTP binding proteins and their effectors have a dominant role in netrin-1-stimulated neurite outgrowth. Since NHE1 has been shown previously to work downstream of the Rho GTPases-mediated polarized membrane protrusion in non-neuronal cells, we examined whether NHE1 has a similar relationship with Cdc42, Rac1 and RhoA in neuronal morphogenesis.

Perceived Hearing Loss, Social Disengagement, and Declines in Memory.

A growing body of evidence suggests that age-related hearing loss is related to changes in older adults' memory. We test the hypothesis that the association is due to social disengagement following the onset of perceived hearing loss. At ages 65 (2004) and 72 years (2011), 3,986 participants from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) self-reported on hearing problems and several types of social engagement and completed three tests of memory.

The Population Health Value Framework: Creating Value by Reducing Costs of Care for Patient Subpopulations With Chronic Conditions.

Problem: With the growth in risk-based and accountable care organization contracts, creating value by redesigning care to reduce costs and improve outcomes and the patient experience has become an urgent priority for health care systems.

Approach: In 2016, UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Health implemented a system-wide population health approach to identify patient populations with high expenses and promote proactive, value-based care. The authors created the Patient Health Value framework to guide value creation: (1) identify patient populations with high expenses and reasons for spending, (2) create design teams to understand the patient story, (3) create custom analytics and spending-based risk stratification, and (4) develop care pathways based on spending risk tiers.

MRI does not predict pathologic complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Background: This study assessed whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could accurately predict pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for patients receiving standardized treatment, pre- and post-NAC MRI on the same instrumentation using a consistent imaging protocol, interpreted by a single breast fellowship-trained radiologist.

Methods: A single-institution retrospective analysis was performed including clinical, radiographic, and pathologic parameters for all patients with breast cancer treated with NAC from 2015 to 2018. Radiographic complete response (rCR) was defined as absence of suspicious MRI findings in the ipsilateral breast or lymph nodes.

Sword and Shield: Perceptions of law in empowering and protecting HIV-positive men who have sex with men in Manila, Philippines.

Legal protections for people living with HIV (PLHIV) are important for protecting human rights and combatting stigma. While much focus has been on the pernicious impacts of criminalisation of HIV transmission or nondisclosure, little research has accounted for the ways in which perception of protective laws may affect the everyday lives of PLHIV. The Philippines has the fastest growing HIV epidemic in the Asia & Pacific region, with HIV-positive men-who-have-sex-with-men (HIV+ MSM) bearing the majority of cases, and has recently revised their legal protections for PLHIV.

Human organoids: a new dimension in cell biology.

Organoids derived from stem cells or tissues in culture can develop into structures that resemble the in vivo anatomy and physiology of intact organs. Human organoid cultures provide the potential to study human development and model disease processes with the same scrutiny and depth of analysis customary for research with nonhuman model organisms. Resembling the complexity of the actual tissue or organ, patient-derived human organoid studies may accelerate medical research, creating new opportunities for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, generating knowledge and tools for preclinical studies, including drug development and testing.

Prophylactic Versus Therapeutic Mastectomy: A Contemporary Analysis of the ACS-NSQIP Database.

Introduction: The objective of the study was to evaluate the morbidity, mortality, and postoperative outcomes associated with simple or subcutaneous mastectomy in the management of prophylactic versus therapeutic resection. In this study we aimed to assess if simple or subcutaneous mastectomy for prophylaxis affects perioperative outcomes compared with resection performed for biopsy proven malignancy.

Materials And Methods: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for subjects who underwent simple or subcutaneous mastectomy between 2007 and 2012.

Five-year PFS from the AETHERA trial of brentuximab vedotin for Hodgkin lymphoma at high risk of progression or relapse.

The phase 3 AETHERA trial established brentuximab vedotin (BV) as a consolidative treatment option for adult patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) at high risk of relapse or progression after autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (auto-HSCT). Results showed that BV significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) vs placebo plus best supportive care alone. At 5-year follow-up, BV continued to provide patients with sustained PFS benefit; 5-year PFS was 59% (95% confidence interval [CI], 51-66) with BV vs 41% (95% CI, 33-49) with placebo (hazard ratio [HR], 0.

Improvement of physicochemical properties of encapsulated echium oil using nanostructured lipid carriers.

Implementing ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFA), naturally found in echium oil (EO), can highly improve the nutritional value of fortified foods. However, PUFA is prone to oxidation. In this study, the role of nanostructured lipid carriers incorporated into whey protein isolate (WPI)-stabilized EO droplets in oil-in-water emulsions was analyzed.

A quick guide to effective grassroots advocacy for scientists.

The current political climate in the United States has mobilized scientists to become more cognizant of the need to advocate for sustainable science funding from the federal government and for acceptance of evidence-based policy making that relies on the best available scientific data. Many scientists, however, do not learn about science policy or how to advocate in Washington, D.C.

Sulfurization of Dissolved Organic Matter Increases Hg-Sulfide-Dissolved Organic Matter Bioavailability to a Hg-Methylating Bacterium.

Reactions of dissolved organic matter (DOM) with aqueous sulfide (termed sulfurization) in anoxic environments can substantially increase DOM's reduced sulfur functional group content. Sulfurization may affect DOM-trace metal interactions, including complexation and metal-containing particle precipitation, aggregation, and dissolution. Using a diverse suite of DOM samples, we found that susceptibility to additional sulfur incorporation via reaction with aqueous sulfide increased with increasing DOM aromatic-, carbonyl-, and carboxyl-C content.