Dual Aliovalent Dopants Cu, Mn Engineered Eco-Friendly QDs for Ultra-Stable Anti-Counterfeiting.

Doping in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) using optically active dopants tailors their optical, electronic, and magnetic properties beyond what is achieved by controlling size, shape, and composition. Herein, we synergistically modulated the optical properties of eco-friendly ZnInSe/ZnSe core/shell QDs by incorporating Cu-doping and Mn-alloying into their core and shell to investigate their use in anti-counterfeiting and information encryption. The engineered "Cu:ZnInSe/Mn:ZnSe" core/shell QDs exhibit an intense bright orange photoluminescence (PL) emission centered at 606 nm, with better color purity than the undoped and individually doped core/shell QDs.

The inactive X chromosome drives sex differences in microglial inflammatory activity in human glioblastoma.

Biological sex is an important risk factor in cancer, but the underlying cell types and mechanisms remain obscure. Since tumor development is regulated by the immune system, we hypothesize that sex-biased immune interactions underpin sex differences in cancer. The male-biased glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive and treatment-refractory tumor in urgent need of more innovative approaches, such as considering sex differences, to improve outcomes.

Efficient Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Generation Using Eco-Friendly "Giant" InP/ZnSe Core/Shell Quantum Dots.

InP quantum dots (QDs) are promising building blocks for use in solar technologies because of their low intrinsic toxicity, narrow bandgap, large absorption coefficient, and low-cost solution synthesis. However, the high surface trap density of InP QDs reduces their energy conversion efficiency and degrades their long-term stability. Encapsulating InP QDs into a wider bandgap shell is desirable to eliminate surface traps and improve optoelectronic properties.

Application of Antibiotic-Impregnated Polymethyl-Methacrylate Bone Cement for the Treatment of Infected Cranioplasties: Initial Experience.

Background: Management of infected cranioplasty implants remains a surgical challenge. Surgical debridement, removal of the infected implant, and prolonged antibiotic therapy are part of the acute management. In addition, cranioplasty removal poses the risk of dural tear.

Nocturnal Respiratory Rate Dynamics Enable Early Recognition of Impending Hospitalizations.

The days and weeks preceding hospitalization are poorly understood because they transpire before patients are seen in conventional clinical care settings. Home health sensors offer opportunities to learn signatures of impending hospitalizations and facilitate early interventions, however the relevant biomarkers are unknown. Nocturnal respiratory rate (NRR) is an activity-independent biomarker that can be measured by adherence-independent sensors in the home bed.

Self-Assembly of CsPbBr Nanocubes into 2D Nanosheets.

All-inorganic metal halide perovskites have attracted considerable attention due to their high application potentials in optoelectronics, photonics, and energy conversion. Herein, two-dimensional (2D) CsPbBr nanosheets with a thickness of about 3 nm have been synthesized through a simple chemical process based on a hot-injection technique. The lateral dimension of CsPbBr nanosheets ranges from 11 to 110 nm, which can be tuned by adjusting the ratio of short ligands (octanoic acid and octylamine) over long ligands (oleic acid and oleylamine).

Traumatic ischemic injury in a top of the basilar distribution: a case report.

Background: Top of the basilar syndrome is a rare, heterogeneous disorder that has previously only been described in the setting of acute ischemic stroke in predominantly elderly patients. We present the first reported case of traumatic brain injury (TBI) causing ischemia in a top of the basilar distribution.

Case Presentation: A 19-year-old woman suffered an acute subdural hematoma and sustained hypoxemia after being struck by a motor vehicle.

Low-Cost, Air-Processed Quantum Dot Solar Cells via Diffusion-Controlled Synthesis.

Despite significant advances in the development of high-efficiency and stable quantum dot (QD) solar cells (QDSCs), recent synthetic and fabrication routes still require improvements to render QDSCs commercially feasible. Here, we describe a low-cost, industrially viable fabrication method of QDSCs under an ambient atmosphere (humid air and room temperature) using stable, high-quality, and small-sized PbS QDs prepared with low-cost, greener precursors [i.e.

Postmortem Analysis in a Clinical Trial of AAV2-NGF Gene Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease Identifies a Need for Improved Vector Delivery.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) gene therapy rescues and stimulates cholinergic neurons, which degenerate in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In a recent clinical trial for AD, intraparenchymal adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV2)-NGF delivery was safe but did not improve cognition. Before concluding that NGF gene therapy is ineffective, it must be shown that AAV2-NGF successfully engaged the target cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain.

Recovery of electro-mechanical properties inside self-healing composites through microencapsulation of carbon nanotubes.

We report the successful microencapsulation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes suspended in a 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene (5E2N) self-healing monomer, into poly melamine urea formaldehyde shells through in situ polymerization. The average size of the microcapsules, their size-distribution, shell wall structural integrity and thickness are  characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The presence of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) inside the core liquid content, as well as their release after breaking is confirmed by microscopy and spectroscopy analyses.

Epitaxial growth and defect repair of heterostructured CuInSeS/CdSeS/CdS quantum dots.

Heterostructured quantum dots (hetero-QDs) have outstanding optical properties and chemical/photostability, which make them promising building blocks for use in various optoelectronic devices. Here, CuInSeS/CdSeS/CdS hetero-QDs were synthesized through a facile two-step method. Their particle size, three-dimensional (3D) shapes and the epitaxial relationship between the CuInSeS/CdSeS core and CdS shell were investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM).

Correlation Structure in Micro-ECoG Recordings is Described by Spatially Coherent Components.

Electrocorticography (ECoG) is becoming more prevalent due to improvements in fabrication and recording technology as well as its ease of implantation compared to intracortical electrophysiology, larger cortical coverage, and potential advantages for use in long term chronic implantation. Given the flexibility in the design of ECoG grids, which is only increasing, it remains an open question what geometry of the electrodes is optimal for an application. Conductive polymer, PEDOT:PSS, coated microelectrodes have an advantage that they can be made very small without losing low impedance.

Optoelectronic Properties in Near-Infrared Colloidal Heterostructured Pyramidal "Giant" Core/Shell Quantum Dots.

Colloidal heterostructured quantum dots (QDs) are promising candidates for next-generation optoelectronic devices. In particular, "giant" core/shell QDs (g-QDs) can be engineered to exhibit outstanding optical properties and high chemical/photostability for the fabrication of high-performance optoelectronic devices. Here, the synthesis of heterostructured CuInSe S (CISeS)/CdSeS/CdS g-QDs with pyramidal shape by using a facile two-step method is reported.

Sub-millimeter ECoG pitch in human enables higher fidelity cognitive neural state estimation.

Electrocorticography (ECoG), electrophysiological recording from the pial surface of the brain, is a critical measurement technique for clinical neurophysiology, basic neurophysiology studies, and demonstrates great promise for the development of neural prosthetic devices for assistive applications and the treatment of neurological disorders. Recent advances in device engineering are poised to enable orders of magnitude increase in the resolution of ECoG without comprised measurement quality. This enhancement in cortical sensing enables the observation of neural dynamics from the cortical surface at the micrometer scale.

Adeno-Associated Viral Vector (Serotype 2)-Nerve Growth Factor for Patients With Alzheimer Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Nerve growth factor (NGF) is an endogenous neurotrophic factor that prevents the death and augments the functional state of cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain, a cell population that undergoes extensive degeneration in Alzheimer disease (AD).

Objective: To determine whether stereotactically guided intracerebral injections of adeno-associated viral vector (serotype 2)-nerve growth factor (AAV2-NGF) are well tolerated and exhibit preliminary evidence of impact on cognitive decline in mild to moderate AD-associated dementia.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In a multicenter phase 2 trial, 49 participants with mild to moderate AD were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive stereotactically guided intracerebral injections of AAV2-NGF or sham surgery.

Effect of nanocavities on Ge nanoclustering and out-diffusion in SiO.

Germanium nanocrystals (Ge-ncs) were synthesized by implantation of Ge ions into the fused silica, followed by a thermal annealing at 1000 °C. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy was employed to characterize both the morphology of the formed Ge-ncs and the evolution of their depth-distribution as a function of annealing durations. The formation of nanocavities in the vicinity of nanocrystal/SiO interface is evidenced, as well as their influence on the release of the compressive stress exerted on Ge-ncs by surrounding SiO.

Voriconazole increases the risk for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma after lung transplantation.

Lung transplant recipients (LTR) are at high risk of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Voriconazole exposure after lung transplant has recently been reported as a risk factor for SCC. We sought to study the relationship between fungal prophylaxis with voriconazole and the risk of SCC in sequential cohorts from a single center.

Development of regenerated fiber Bragg grating sensors with long-term stability.

The effect of annealing cycle on regeneration efficiency was investigated through isothermal treatments between 700 and 1000°C. We determined an inverse relationship between the recovery rate of the peak reflectivity and temperature. A regeneration efficiency of 85.

A clinic compatible, open source electrophysiology system.

Open source electrophysiology (ephys) recording systems have several advantages over commercial systems such as customization and affordability enabling more researchers to conduct ephys experiments. Notable open source ephys systems include Open-Ephys, NeuroRighter and more recently Willow, all of which have high channel count (64+), scalability, and advanced software to develop on top of. However, little work has been done to build an open source ephys system that is clinic compatible, particularly in the operating room where acute human electrocorticography (ECoG) research is performed.

Nerve Growth Factor Gene Therapy: Activation of Neuronal Responses in Alzheimer Disease.

Importance: Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder and lacks effective disease-modifying therapies. In 2001, we initiated a clinical trial of nerve growth factor (NGF) gene therapy in AD, the first effort at gene delivery in an adult neurodegenerative disorder. This program aimed to determine whether a nervous system growth factor prevents or reduces cholinergic neuronal degeneration in patients with AD.

Novel High-Frequency Peripheral Nerve Stimulator Treatment of Refractory Postherpetic Neuralgia: A Brief Technical Note.

Objectives: The study aims to describe an ultrasound (US)-guided peripheral nerve stimulation implant technique and describe the effect of high-frequency peripheral nerve stimulation on refractory postherpetic neuralgia.

Materials And Methods: Following a cadaver pilot trial using US and confirmatory fluoroscopic guidance, a 52-year-old man with refractory left supraorbital neuralgia underwent combined US and fluoroscopic-guided supraorbital peripheral nerve stimulator trial. The patient was subsequently implanted with a percutaneous lead over the left supraorbital and supratrochlear nerve utilizing a high-frequency stimulation paradigm.

Developmental and extracellular matrix-remodeling processes in rosiglitazone-exposed neonatal rat cardiomyocytes.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of rosiglitazone (Avandia(®)) on gene expression in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes.

Materials & Methods: Myocytes were exposed to rosiglitazone ex vivo. The two factors examined in the experiment were drug exposure (rosiglitazone and dimethyl sulfoxide vs dimethyl sulfoxide), and length of exposure to drug (½ h, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, 8 h, 12 h, 18 h, 24 h, 36 h and 48 h).

A phase1 study of stereotactic gene delivery of AAV2-NGF for Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Nerve growth factor (NGF) is an endogenous neurotrophic-factor protein with the potential to restore function and to protect degenerating cholinergic neurons in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but safe and effective delivery has proved unsuccessful.

Methods: Gene transfer, combined with stereotactic surgery, offers a potential means to solve the long-standing delivery obstacles. An open-label clinical trial evaluated the safety and tolerability, and initial efficacy of three ascending doses of the genetically engineered gene-therapy vector adeno-associated virus serotype 2 delivering NGF (AAV2-NGF [CERE-110]).

Delayed cerebritis after bilateral stereotactic implantation of globus pallidus interna electrodes for treatment of dystonia.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is being used to treat an increasing number of movement and psychiatric disorders. However, the risk of infection remains as a problem that can hinder the usefulness of this technology. We report a case of a patient with dystonia who underwent bilateral globus pallidus interna electrode and impulse generator (IPG) placement, developed an infection of his IPG, and later cerebritis.

Contractility assessment in enzymatically isolated cardiomyocytes.

The use of enzymatically isolated cardiac myocytes is ubiquitous in modern cardiovascular research. Parallels established between cardiomyocyte shortening responses and those of intact tissue make the cardiomyocyte an invaluable experimental model of cardiac function. Much of our understanding regarding the fundamental processes underlying heart function is owed to our increasing capabilities in single-cell stimulation and direct or indirect observation, as well as quantitative analysis of such cells.