Intraoperative navigation in craniofacial surgery.

Craniofacial surgery requires comprehensive anatomical knowledge of the head and neck to ensure patient safety and surgical precision. Over recent decades, there have been significant advancements in imaging techniques and the development of real-time surgical navigation systems. Intraoperative navigation technology aligns surgical instruments with imaging-derived information on patient anatomy, enabling surgeons to closely follow preoperative plans.

The trends of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (pfas) in drinking water systems in Maryland, United States.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have become a major concern in water quality management because of their persistence in the environment and associated health risks. In Maryland, the diverse water resources and densely populated areas, faces unique challenges culminating from PFAS contamination. This research paper presents a comprehensive overview of PFAS contamination trends in Maryland's drinking water systems across four distinct phases, spanning from 2019 to 2022, it highlights the trends of PFAS contamination, environmental and public health risks, and strategies for effective management.

Geometric feature extraction in nanofiber membrane image based on convolution neural network for surface roughness prediction.

As a technique in artificial intelligence, a convolution neural network model has been utilized to extract average surface roughness from the geometric characteristics of a membrane image featuring micro- and nanostructures. For surface roughness measurement, e.g.

Inactivation of VRK1 sensitizes ovarian cancer to PARP inhibition through regulating DNA-PK stability.

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of gynecologic cancer death. Among the most innovative anti-cancer approaches, the genetic concept of synthetic lethality is that mutations in multiple genes work synergistically to effect cell death. Previous studies found that although vaccinia-related kinase-1 (VRK1) associates with DNA damage repair proteins, its underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Soft Sensors and Actuators for Wearable Human-Machine Interfaces.

Haptic human-machine interfaces (HHMIs) combine tactile sensation and haptic feedback to allow humans to interact closely with machines and robots, providing immersive experiences and convenient lifestyles. Significant progress has been made in developing wearable sensors that accurately detect physical and electrophysiological stimuli with improved softness, functionality, reliability, and selectivity. In addition, soft actuating systems have been developed to provide high-quality haptic feedback by precisely controlling force, displacement, frequency, and spatial resolution.

Synthesis of Superabsorbent Hydrogels with Predefined Geometries and Controlled Swelling Properties for Versatile 3D Cell Culture Scaffolds.

This research presents a simple but general method to prepare water-soluble-polymer-based superabsorbent hydrogels with predefined microscale geometries and controlled swelling properties. Unlike conventional hydrogel preparation methods based on bulk solution-phase cross-linking, poly(vinyl alcohol) is homogeneously mixed with polymer-based cross-linkers in the solution phase and thermally cross-linked in the solid phase after drying; the degree of cross-linking is modulated by controlling the cross-linker concentration, pH, and/or thermal annealing conditions. After the shape definition process, cross-linked films or electrospun nanofibers are treated with sulfuric acid to weaken hydrogen bonds and introduce sulfate functionality in polymer crystallites.

Degradation of AZGP1 suppresses apoptosis and facilitates cholangiocarcinoma tumorigenesis via TRIM25.

Alpha-2-Glycoprotein 1, Zinc-binding (AZGP1, ZAG) is a secreted protein that is synthesized by adipocytes and epithelial cells; it is downregulated in several malignancies such as breast, prostate, liver and lung cancers. However, its function remains unclear in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Here, we evaluated the impact AZGP1 in CCA using Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and GEPIA.

TCOF1 promotes the colorectal cancer progression by stabilizing β-catenin.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the highest mortality rates worldwide, and various studies reported to the occurrence of CRC. In particular, the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is known to be a major factor in the progression of CRC and β-catenin involved in the expression of its downstream target genes. We searched for TCOF1 through sliver staining to identify a new binding partner for β-catenin and to investigate the role of the gene involved in CRC.

Shape-Configurable MXene-Based Thermoacoustic Loudspeakers with Tunable Sound Directivity.

Film-type shape-configurable speakers with tunable sound directivity are in high demand for wearable electronics. Flexible, thin thermoacoustic (TA) loudspeakers-which are free from bulky vibrating diaphragms-show promise in this regard. However, configuring thin TA loudspeakers into arbitrary shapes is challenging because of their low sound pressure level (SPL) under mechanical deformations and low conformability to other surfaces.

Rapid Quantification of Microvessels of Three-Dimensional Blood-Brain Barrier Model Using Optical Coherence Tomography and Deep Learning Algorithm.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a selective barrier that controls the transport between the blood and neural tissue features and maintains brain homeostasis to protect the central nervous system (CNS). models can be useful to understand the role of the BBB in disease and assess the effects of drug delivery. Recently, we reported a 3D BBB model with perfusable microvasculature in a Transwell insert.

Orbital wall restoration with primary bone fragments in complex orbital fractures.

Background: Complex orbital fractures are impure orbital fractures because they involve the orbital walls and mid-facial bones. The author reported an orbital wall restoration technique in which the primary orbital wall fragments were restored to their prior position in complex orbital fractures in 2020. As a follow-up to a previous preliminary study, this study retrospectively reviewed the surgical results of complex orbital wall fractures over a 4-year period and compared the surgical outcomes by dividing them into groups with and without balloon restoration.

3D Printing of Collagen Scaffold with Enhanced Resolution in a Citrate-Modulated Gellan Gum Microgel Bath.

3D printing in a microgel-based supporting bath enables the construction of complex structures with soft and watery biomaterials but the low print resolution is usually an obstacle to its practical application in tissue engineering. Herein, high-resolution printing of a 3D collagen organ scaffold is realized by using an engineered Gellan gum (GG) microgel bath containing trisodium citrate (TSC). The introduction of TSC into the bath system not only mitigates the aggregation of GG microgels, leading to a more homogeneous bath morphology but also suppresses the diffusion of the collagen ink in the bath due to the dehydration effect of TSC, both of which contribute to the improvement of print resolution.

Aqueous electrolyte-gated solution-processed metal oxide transistors for direct cellular interfaces.

Biocompatible field-effect-transistor-based biosensors have drawn attention for the development of next-generation human-friendly electronics. High-performance electronic devices must achieve low-voltage operation, long-term operational stability, and biocompatibility. Herein, we propose an electrolyte-gated thin-film transistor made of large-area solution-processed indium-gallium-zinc oxide (IGZO) semiconductors capable of directly interacting with live cells at physiological conditions.

Low-Voltage Stretchable Electroluminescent Loudspeakers with Synchronous Sound and Light Generation.

Stretchable sound-in-displays, which can generate synchronous sound and light directly from the display without a separate speaker, allow immersive audio and visual perception even on curved surfaces. In stretchable sound-in-displays, alternating current electroluminescent (ACEL) devices have been used as light-emitting sources owing to their high brightness and stability. However, stretchable ACEL devices that use low dielectric constant (κ) materials require a high operating voltage for generating light and sound.

Instant formation of horizontally ordered nanofibrous hydrogel films and direct investigation of peculiar neuronal cell behaviors atop.

Background: Hydrogels have been widely used in many research fields owing to optical transparency, good biocompatibility, tunable mechanical properties, etc. Unlike typical hydrogels in the form of an unstructured bulk material, we developed aqueous dispersions of fiber-shaped hydrogel structures with high stability under ambient conditions and their application to various types of transparent soft cell culture interfaces with anisotropic nanoscale topography.

Method: Nanofibers based on the polyvinyl alcohol and polyacrylic acid mixture were prepared by electrospinning and hydrogelified to nano-fibrous hydrogels (nFHs) after thermal crosslinking and sulfuric acid treatment.

Sequencing of panfacial fracture surgery: a literature review and personal preference.

Background: Treating panfacial fractures (PFFs) can be extremely difficult even for experienced surgeons. Although several authors have attempted to systemize the surgical approach, performing surgery by applying a unidirectional sequence is much more difficult in practice. The purpose of this study was to review the literature on PFF surgery sequence and to understand how different surgical specialists-plastic reconstructive surgery (PRS) and oral maxillofacial surgery (OMS)-chose sequence and review PFFs fixation sequence in clinical cases.

Inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa LPS-Induced airway inflammation by RIPK3 in human airway.

Although the physiological function of receptor-interacting protein kinase (RIPK) 3 has emerged as a critical mediator of programmed necrosis/necroptosis, the intracellular role it plays as an attenuator in human lungs and human bronchial epithelia remains unclear. Here, we show that the expression of RIPK3 dramatically decreased in the inflamed tissues of human lungs, and moved from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. The overexpression of RIPK3 dramatically increased F-actin formation and decreased the expression of genes for pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-1β), but not siRNA-RIPK3.

Repair of severed recurrent thenar branch of median nerve after open carpal tunnel release.

An anatomical understanding of median nerve variation is essential for successful decompression of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Although iatrogenic injury of the thenar branch after carpal tunnel release (CTR) has not been reported in many cases, it can cause serious damage to the patient. In case of rapidly progressing thenar atrophy after CTS surgery, thenar branch of median nerve injury should be suspected.

Bioreactor media for treatment of slag leachate.

Blast furnace slag (BFS) used in the road construction as base/subbase materials leads to leachate problems under poor drainage conditions. The BSF leachate is a source of high pH, sulfur, and dissolved solids which will be affected to surrounding ecosystem. A column experiment was performed to evaluate the treatment of BFS leachate by media commonly used in passive treatment systems.

Facial injury burden of personal mobility devices: a single-center retrospective analysis.

Background: Personal mobility devices (PMDs) have become an increasingly popular transport modality globally. With increasing social interest in and demand for PMDs, the number of individuals visiting emergency departments with PMD-related injuries has also increased annually. This study aimed to evaluate injury patterns and treatment costs for patients treated in the department of plastic surgery in a trauma center.

The Effects of Switching from Sevoflurane to Short-Term Desflurane prior to the End of General Anesthesia on Patient Emergence and Recovery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

While sevoflurane and desflurane have been regarded as inhalation agents providing rapid induction and emergence, previous studies demonstrated the superiority of desflurane-anesthesia compared to sevoflurane-anesthesia in the postoperative recovery in obese and geriatric patients. We investigated whether a short-term switch of sevoflurane to desflurane at the end of sevoflurane-anesthesia enhances patient postoperative recovery profile in non-obese patients. We randomly divide patients undergoing elective surgery (n = 60) into two groups: sevoflurane-anesthesia group (Group-S, = 30) and sevoflurane-desflurane group (Group-SD, = 30).

Development of a three-dimensional blood-brain barrier network with opening capillary structures for drug transport screening assays.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB), a selective barrier regulating the active and passive transport of solutes in the extracellular fluid of the central nervous system, prevents the delivery of therapeutics for brain disorders. The BBB is composed of brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC), pericytes and astrocytes. Current BBB models cannot reproduce the human structural complexity of the brain microvasculature, and thus their functions are not enough for drug assessments.

Frequency-selective acoustic and haptic smart skin for dual-mode dynamic/static human-machine interface.

Accurate transmission of biosignals without interference of surrounding noises is a key factor for the realization of human-machine interfaces (HMIs). We propose frequency-selective acoustic and haptic sensors for dual-mode HMIs based on triboelectric sensors with hierarchical macrodome/micropore/nanoparticle structure of ferroelectric composites. Our sensor shows a high sensitivity and linearity under a wide range of dynamic pressures and resonance frequency, which enables high acoustic frequency selectivity in a wide frequency range (145 to 9000 Hz), thus rendering noise-independent voice recognition possible.

Comparison of bolus administration effects of lidocaine on preventing tourniquet-induced hypertension in patients undergoing general anesthesia: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: This study assessed the effect of a single bolus administration of lidocaine on the prevention of tourniquet-induced hypertension (TIH) and compared the effect of lidocaine to that of ketamine in patients undergoing general anesthesia.

Methods: This randomized, controlled, double-blind study included 75 patients who underwent lower limb surgery using a tourniquet. The patients were administered lidocaine (1.

Electrostatic Charge Retention in PVDF Nanofiber-Nylon Mesh Multilayer Structure for Effective Fine Particulate Matter Filtration for Face Masks.

Currently, almost 70% of the world's population occupies urban areas. Owing to the high population density in these regions, they are exposed to various types of air pollutants. Fine particle air pollutants (<2.