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.