Soft Metalens for Broadband Ultrasonic Focusing through Aberration Layers.

Aberration layers (AL) often present significant energy transmission barriers in microwave engineering, electromagnetic waves, and medical ultrasound. However, achieving broadband ultrasonic focusing through aberration layers like the human skull using conventional materials such as metals and elastomers has proven challenging. In this study, we introduce an inverse phase encoding method employing tunable soft metalens to penetrate heterogeneous aberration layers.

Aerosolized plus intravenous polymyxin B in comparison to intravenous polymyxin B alone for the management of HAP caused by carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria: a prospective multicenter cohort study.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of combined aerosolized (AER) and intravenous (IV) polymyxin B in managing patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) caused by carbapenem-resistant gram-negative organism (CRO) .

Methods: This multicenter prospective cohort study was conducted across six intensive care units in municipal and above-municipal hospitals in Shaanxi, China, from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022. Patients with CRO pneumonia were categorized into the intravenous group (IV polymyxin B alone) and the combination group (AER plus IV polymyxin B).

Pathological-microenvironment responsive injectable GelMA hydrogel with visualized biodegradation for pressure-assisted treatment of hypertrophic scars.

Intralesional injection of 5-fluorouracil for the clinical treatment of hypertrophic scars (HS) remains challenging due to its short half-life, as well as the absence of evidence-based dosage and frequency injection guidelines. Herein, we developed a matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)/reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive injectable prodrug hydrogel (GFP) that exhibits sustained drug release and fluorescence imaging capability, aiming to facilitate the optimization of injection dosage and frequency in HS treatment. The GFP hydrogel comprises gelatin methacryloyl and pendant methacryloyl-decorated tetrapeptide (PPPK) with 5-fluorouracil acetic acid/rhodamine B at the N-terminus.

Enhancing access to specialist appointments in tertiary healthcare in Shanghai, China: a structured reservation pathway using digital health technologies.

Objective: The aim of this study is to develop, implement the precise reservation path (PRP) and investigate its prediction function for scheduling shunting patients for specialist appointment registration in Shanghai, China.

Design: The PRP system was built on the hospital's existing information system, integrated with WeChat (WeCom) for user convenience. The outcome analysis employed a mixed-methods approach, integrating quantitative analysis with statistical and machine learning techniques, including multivariate logistic regression, random forest (RF) and artificial neural network (ANN) analysis.

Association Between Melanoma Metastasis and Metabolic Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Chinese Population.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains a significant global public health concern. However, the relationship between MetS, its individual components and melanoma metastasis remains unexplored. We analysed the clinical data of 258 Chinese melanoma patients who had not undergo systemic therapy.

Performance enhancement of mid-infrared NH sensor using 9.06 μm QCL based on spectral optimization and NGO-LSTM model.

A detection sensor for mid-infrared ammonia (NH) has been developed according to wavelength modulation spectroscopy-tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (WMS-TDLAS) technology, which can be applied in the chemical and aquaculture industries. A 9.06 µm quantum cascade laser (QCL) and a 41.

Commodity Wi-Fi-Based Wireless Sensing Advancements over the Past Five Years.

With the compelling popularity of integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), Wi-Fi sensing has drawn increasing attention in recent years. Starting from 2010, Wi-Fi channel state information (CSI)-based wireless sensing has enabled various exciting applications such as indoor localization, target imaging, activity recognition, and vital sign monitoring. In this paper, we retrospect the latest achievements of Wi-Fi sensing using commodity-off-the-shelf (COTS) devices from the past 5 years in detail.

Pulmonary CT Registration Network Based on Deformable Cross Attention.

Current Transformer structure utilizes the self-attention mechanism to model global contextual relevance within image, which makes an impact on medical image registration. However, the use of Transformer in handling large deformation lung CT registration is relatively straightforwardly. These models only focus on single image feature representation neglecting to employ attention mechanism to capture the across image correspondence.

Indications, Postoperative Outcomes, and Complications of the Lateral Arm Free Flap: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: The lateral arm free flap (LA-FF) has become an increasingly popular choice in the reconstruction of soft tissue defect in many anatomical regions. However, there is a paucity of literature regarding its safety and efficacy. The aim of this study is to analyze its different applications along with their surgical outcomes.

Near-Infrared Dual-Range Methane Sensor Using the OAIC-HC Mode Based on VMD-SG-Assisted Optical Noise Suppression.

Based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy and off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy, a dual-range methane hybrid sensor was constructed utilizing the overtone absorption band of CH gas molecules at 1653.7 nm. By simultaneously utilizing an off-axis integrated cavity and Herriott cell with an effective absorption path of 11 and 405 m, respectively, the two received photoelectric signals are decomposed into different frequency components by VMD and then reconstructed after SG filtering.

Does prepectoral placement delay adjuvant therapies compared to retropectoral immediate implant-based breast reconstruction? A retrospective analysis.

Background: Prepectoral (PP) immediate implant-based breast reconstruction (IBBR) is becoming increasingly popular compared to retropectoral (RP) reconstruction. This study compares the timing of administration of different adjuvant therapy (ATs) after PP or RP IBBR.

Patients And Methods: A monocentric retrospective analysis was conducted on patients undergoing mastectomy and IBBR from January 2018 to December 2023.

MerTK macrophages promote melanoma progression and immunotherapy resistance through AhR-ALKAL1 activation.

Despite our increasing understanding of macrophage heterogeneity, drivers of macrophage phenotypic and functional polarization in the microenvironment are not fully elucidated. Here, our single-cell RNA sequencing data identify a subpopulation of macrophages expressing high levels of the phagocytic receptor MER proto-oncogene tyrosine kinase (MerTK macrophages), which is closely associated with melanoma progression and immunotherapy resistance. Adoptive transfer of the MerTK macrophages into recipient mice notably accelerated tumor growth regardless of macrophage depletion.

Evaluation Methods and Coupled Optimization at Macro- and Micro-Scales for Profiled Ring Rolling of Inconel718 Alloy.

The forming quality of profiled ring rolling not only encompasses macroscopic accuracy but also emphasizes the microstructure. Due to the multiple process parameters and complex metal flow during profiled ring rolling, the various forming defects are difficult to control and difficult to study theoretically. The objective of this study is to establish a comprehensive method for evaluating the forming quality of profiled rings, which considers both the macroscopic forming accuracy and the microstructure.

Evolving patterns of COVID-19 mortality in US counties: A longitudinal study of healthcare, socioeconomic, and vaccination associations.

The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the need for pandemic preparedness strategies to mitigate its impacts, particularly in the United States, which experienced multiple waves with varying policies, population response, and vaccination effects. This study explores the relationships between county-level factors and COVID-19 mortality outcomes in the U.S.

Deficiency of 5-HT receptors alleviates atherosclerosis by regulating macrophage phenotype through inhibiting interferon signalling.

Background And Purpose: Elevated levels of 5-HT have been correlated with coronary artery disease and cardiac events, suggesting 5-HT is a potential novel factor in the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, the underlying pathological mechanisms of the 5-HT system in atherosclerosis remain unclear. The 5-HT receptor (5-HT2BR), which establishes a positive feedback loop with 5-HT, has been identified as a contributor to pathophysiological processes in various vascular disorders.

A Precise Pulmonary Airway Tree Segmentation Method Using Quasi-Spherical Region Constraint and Tracheal Wall Gap Sealing.

Accurate segmentation of the pulmonary airway tree is crucial for diagnosing lung diseases. To tackle the issues of low segmentation accuracy and frequent leaks in existing methods, this paper proposes a precise segmentation method using quasi-spherical region-constrained wavefront propagation with tracheal wall gap sealing. Based on the characteristic that the surface formed by seed points approximates the airway cross-section, the width of the unsegmented airway is calculated, determining the initial quasi-spherical constraint region.

AMPK Attenuation of β-Adrenergic Receptor-Induced Cardiac Injury via Phosphorylation of β-Arrestin-1-ser330.

Background: β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) overactivation is a major pathological cue associated with cardiac injury and diseases. AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase), a conserved energy sensor, regulates energy metabolism and is cardioprotective. However, whether AMPK exerts cardioprotective effects via regulating the signaling pathway downstream of β-AR remains unclear.