3D-Printed Piezoelectric Stents for Electricity Generation Driven by Pressure Fluctuation.

Vascular stenting is a common procedure used to treat diseased blood vessels by opening the narrowed vessel lumen and restoring blood flow to ischemic tissues in the heart and other organs. In this work, we report a novel piezoelectric stent featuring a zigzag shape fabricated by fused deposition modeling three-dimensional (3D) printing with a built-in electric field. The piezoelectric composite was made of potassium sodium niobite microparticles and poly(vinylidene fluoride--hexafluoropropylene), complementing each other with good piezoelectric performance and mechanical resilience.

Avoiding ecosystem and social impacts of hydropower, wind, and solar in Southern Africa's low-carbon electricity system.

The scale at which low-carbon electricity will need to be deployed to meet economic growth, electrification, and climate goals in Africa is unprecedented, yet the potential land use and freshwater impacts from this massive build-out of energy infrastructure is poorly understood. In this study, we characterize low-impact onshore wind, solar photovoltaics, and hydropower potential in Southern Africa and identify the cost-optimal mix of electricity generation technologies under different sets of socio-environmental land use and freshwater constraints and carbon targets. We find substantial wind and solar potential after applying land use protections, but about 40% of planned or proposed hydropower projects face socio-environmental conflicts.

Assessment of the Enzymatic Dephosphorylation Kinetics in the Assemblies of a Phosphopentapeptide that Forms Intranuclear Nanoribbons.

Although the formation of peptide assemblies catalyzed by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) has received increasing attention in inhibiting cancer cells, the detailed enzyme kinetics of the dephosphorylation of the corresponding phosphopeptide assemblies have yet to be determined. We recently discovered that assemblies from a phosphopentapeptide can form intracellular nanoribbons that kill induced pluripotent stem cells or osteosarcoma cells, but the kinetics of enzymatic dephosphorylation remain unknown. Thus, we chose to examine the enzyme kinetics of the dephosphorylation of the phosphopentapeptide [NBD-LLLLpY ()] from concentrations below to above its critical micelle concentration (CMC).

The Critical Intersect of Regulations, Health Technology Assessment, and Drug Safety Assessments.

Health technology assessment (HTA) is a multidisciplinary process that determines the value of health technology at different points in its lifecycle. Safety issues have become more important since regulatory authorities are increasingly adopting flexible standards, processes, and evidentiary requirements for drug approval. In this article, we compared the different role of regulatory authorities and HTA agencies.

Other Novel PET Radiotracers for Breast Cancer.

Many novel PET radiotracers have demonstrated potential use in breast cancer. Although not currently approved for clinical use in the breast cancer population, these innovative imaging agents may one day play a role in the diagnosis, staging, management, and even treatment of breast cancer.

Injectable Treatments and Nonsurgical Aspects of Gender Affirmation.

Injectable treatments are valuable tools to be considered in those seeking facial gender-affirming therapies. As stand-alone procedures, they are unlikely to meet expectations, particularly in those seeking facial feminization. However, injectables can be useful for those seeking to transition into another gender role, who are not ready for more permanent surgical treatment.

Hyaluronic Acid Basics and Rheology.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is the most common dermal filler in use. It improves wrinkles and volume loss not only by filling and volumizing but also by hydrating the injected area with its water affinity. It is a naturally occurring component of skin, and there is a negligible risk of immunologic or allergic reaction with injection.

Minimizing habitat conflicts in meeting net-zero energy targets in the western United States.

The scale and pace of energy infrastructure development required to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are unprecedented, yet our understanding of how to minimize its potential impacts on land and ocean use and natural resources is inadequate. Using high-resolution energy and land-use modeling, we developed spatially explicit scenarios for reaching an economy-wide net-zero GHG target in the western United States by 2050. We found that among net-zero policy cases that vary the rate of transportation and building electrification and use of fossil fuels, nuclear generation, and biomass, the "High Electrification" case, which utilizes electricity generation the most efficiently, had the lowest total land and ocean area requirements (84,000 to 105,000 km vs.

Hyaluronic Acid Basics and Rheology.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is the most common dermal filler in use. It improves wrinkles and volume loss not only by filling and volumizing but also by hydrating the injected area with its water affinity. It is a naturally occurring component of skin, and there is a negligible risk of immunologic or allergic reaction with injection.

Auditing Management of Acute Pancreatitis Using Comprehensive Quality Indicators.

Objectives: Recently, 40 comprehensive quality indicators in various management domains were created. The aim was to determine if these indicators could be used to audit the management of acute pancreatitis.

Methods: A retrospective study of consecutive patients admitted with acute pancreatitis in 2018 was conducted.

Advance care planning in patients undergoing surgery to resect pancreatic adenocarcinoma: Underlying tension between balancing hope and realism.

Background: The timing and the dose of Advanced Care Planning in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma undergoing curative-intent resection are generally dictated by the surgeon performing the operation.

Methods: A qualitative investigation using 1:1 interviews with 40 open-ended questions was conducted with a convenience sample of 10 high-volume pancreatic surgeons from across the country. The grounded theory approach was used for data analysis.

Ampullary Neuroendocrine Tumors: Insight into a Rare Histology.

Background: Ampullary neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) make up < 1% of all gastroenteropancreatic NETs, and information is limited to case series. This study compares patients with ampullary, duodenal, and pancreatic head NETs.

Methods: The National Cancer Database (2004-2016) was queried for patients with ampullary, duodenal, and pancreatic head NETs.

An early experience on the effect of solid organ transplant status on hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

We compared the outcome of COVID-19 in immunosuppressed solid organ transplant (SOT) patients to a transplant naïve population. In total, 10 356 adult hospital admissions for COVID-19 from March 1, 2020 to April 27, 2020 were analyzed. Data were collected on demographics, baseline clinical conditions, medications, immunosuppression, and COVID-19 course.

Comparing Caliper versus Computed Tomography Measurements of Cranial Dimensions in Children.

Objectives/hypothesis: We have found no study assessing the accuracy of caliper cranium measurements compared to computed tomography (CT) measurements of the head. The objective of this study was to assess the reliability of caliper measurements in comparison to CT measurements.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review.

Update in myopia and treatment strategy of atropine use in myopia control.

The prevalence of myopia is increasing globally. Complications of myopia are associated with huge economic and social costs. It is believed that high myopia in adulthood can be traced back to school age onset myopia.

Do Parents and Clinicians Agree on Ratings of Autism-Related Behaviors at 12 Months of Age? A Study of Infants at High and Low Risk for ASD.

Given the emphasis on early screening for ASD, it is crucial to examine the concordance between parent report and clinician observation of autism-related behaviors. Similar items were compared from the First Year Inventory (Baranek et al. First-Year Inventory (FYI) 2.

Left ventricular global longitudinal strain predicts mortality and heart failure admissions in African American patients.

Background: Several studies have demonstrated the importance of left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) as a reliable prognostic indicator in patients with heart failure (HF). These studies have included few African American (AA) patients, despite the growing prevalence and severity of HF in this patient population.

Hypothesis: LV GLS predicts long-term HF admission and all-cause mortality in AA patients with chronic HF on optimal guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT).

A model for oxygen conservation associated with titration during pediatric oxygen therapy.

Background: Continuous oxygen treatment is essential for managing children with hypoxemia, but access to oxygen in low-resource countries remains problematic. Given the high burden of pneumonia in these countries and the fact that flow can be gradually reduced as therapy progresses, oxygen conservation through routine titration warrants exploration.

Aim: To determine the amount of oxygen saved via titration during oxygen therapy for children with hypoxemic pneumonia.