Automating Blueprints for the Assembly of Colloidal Quasicrystal Clusters.

One of the frontiers of nanotechnology is advancing beyond the periodic self-assembly of materials. Icosahedral quasicrystals, aperiodic in all directions, represent one of the most challenging targets that has yet to be experimentally realized at the colloidal scale. Previous attempts have required meticulous human-designed building blocks and often resulted in interactions beyond the current experimental capabilities.

Effect of home-based isometric training on blood pressure in older adults with high normal BP or stage I hypertension: A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: This trial analyzes the effects of home-based isometric handgrip training (IHT) and aerobic exercise training (AET) on ambulatory and office blood pressure (BP) in older adults with high normal to established hypertension.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial included 84 participants (46 women, 71.1 ± 3.

Inverse Design of Self-Folding 3D Shells.

Self-folding is an emerging paradigm for the inverse design of three-dimensional structures. While most efforts have concentrated on the shape of the net, our approach introduces a new design dimension-bond specificity between the edges. We transform this design process into a Boolean satisfiability problem to derive solutions for various target structures.

Brain Hemispheric Asymmetry in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder.

Background: This study aimed to compare brain asymmetry in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BPD), and healthy controls to test whether asymmetry patterns could discriminate and set boundaries between two partially overlapping severe mental disorders.

Methods: We applied a fully automated voxel-based morphometry (VBM) approach to assess structural brain hemispheric asymmetry in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) anatomical scans in 60 participants (SCZ = 20; BP = 20; healthy controls = 20), all right-handed and matched for gender, age, and education.

Results: Significant differences in gray matter asymmetry were found between patients with SCZ and BPD, between SCZ patients and healthy controls (HC), and between BPD patients and HC.

Design strategies for the self-assembly of polyhedral shells.

The control over the self-assembly of complex structures is a long-standing challenge of material science, especially at the colloidal scale, as the desired assembly pathway is often kinetically derailed by the formation of amorphous aggregates. Here, we investigate in detail the problem of the self-assembly of the three Archimedean shells with five contact points per vertex, i.e.

[Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the Medical Curricula in Portugal: A Cross-Sectional Analysis].

Introduction: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has gained relevance as a method of prevention for HIV in certain people and settings. Following the publication of the guideline on PrEP prescribing in Portugal, we aimed to assess the knowledge of Portuguese Medical Students about PrEP.

Material And Methods: An online survey was sent to Medical students of Portuguese Medical Schools.

ctDNA on liquid biopsy for predicting response and prognosis in locally advanced rectal cancer: A systematic review.

Background: The management of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) requires a multidisciplinary approach, with an increasing interest for non-operative strategies. Liquid biopsy for obtaining circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can provide information on neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) pathological response and cancer-specific prognosis, and therefore might be a promising guide for these treatments.

Methods: A systematic review of the studies available in literature has been performed to assess the role of ctDNA as a predictive and prognostic biomarker in LARC patients.

Wearable Devices for Physical Activity and Healthcare Monitoring in Elderly People: A Critical Review.

The availability of wearable devices (WDs) to collect biometric information and their use during activities of daily living is significantly increasing in the general population. These small electronic devices, which record fitness and health-related outcomes, have been broadly utilized in industries such as medicine, healthcare, and fitness. Since they are simple to use and progressively cheaper, they have also been used for numerous research purposes.

Long-Term Prognosis of Endodontic Microsurgery-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The long-term outcome of endodontic microsurgery (EMS) performed on root-filled teeth affected by post-treatment apical periodontitis (AP) has been a matter of debate, re-launched by the introduction of novel root-end filling materials which have been proven to improve the short-term outcome of EMS. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the clinical and radiographic long-term outcome of endodontic microsurgery in teeth diagnosed with secondary AP through radiographic evaluation. This systematic review and meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

Modulation of the in vitro angiogenic potential of human mesenchymal stromal cells from different tissue sources.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been widely exploited for the treatment of several conditions due to their intrinsic regenerative and immunomodulatory properties. MSC have demonstrated to be particularly relevant for the treatment of ischemic diseases, where MSC-based therapies can stimulate angiogenesis and induce tissue regeneration. Regardless of the condition targeted, recent analyses of MSC-based clinical trials have demonstrated limited benefits indicating a need to improve the efficacy of this cell product.

Random sequential adsorption on mobile patches.

An extension of the random sequential adsorption model has been proposed recently, motivated by the coverage of oil droplets by DNA-functionalized colloidal particles. Particles arrive to a flat substrate with a uniform flux F but they can only adsorb on patches. Patches diffuse on the substrate with a diffusion coefficient D if they are free and they remain immobile when attached to an adsorbed particle.

Kinetic control of the coverage of oil droplets by DNA-functionalized colloids.

We report a study of reversible adsorption of DNA-coated colloids on complementary functionalized oil droplets. We show that it is possible to control the surface coverage of oil droplets using colloidal particles by exploiting the fact that, during slow adsorption, compositional arrest takes place well before structural arrest occurs. As a consequence, we can prepare colloid-coated oil droplets with a "frozen" degree of loading but with fully ergodic colloidal dynamics on the droplets.