Tuning N-heterocyclic carbene wingtips to form electrochemically stable adlayers on metals.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are employed in electrochemical biosensors to passivate and functionalize electrode surfaces. These monolayers prevent the occurrence of undesired electrochemical reactions and act as scaffolds for coupling bioaffinity reagents. Thiols are the most common adlayer used for this application; however, the thiol-gold bond is susceptible to competitive displacement by naturally occurring solvated thiols in biological fluids, as well as to desorption under continuous voltage interrogation.

An Environmental Scan of Consumer-Initiated Germline Genetic Testing for Health Risks.

As patient access to laboratory testing outside the clinic grows, health care providers can expect to confront increasing questions about the utility and interpretation of consumer-initiated genetic testing for health risks. We sought to characterize the marketplace diversity of consumer-initiated germline genetic testing options. An environmental scan was conducted to identify germline genetic testing companies that offer testing for at least one diagnosable health condition and are available for purchase by consumers in the US market without a visit to one's health care provider.

Exposure to ethanol leads to midfacial hypoplasia in a zebrafish model of FASD via indirect interactions with the Shh pathway.

Background: Gene-environment interactions are likely to underlie most human birth defects. The most common known environmental contributor to birth defects is prenatal alcohol exposure. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) describe the full range of defects that result from prenatal alcohol exposure.

Incorporation of Whipstitch Suture in Tibial Interference Fixation Improves Pullout in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Soft Tissue Grafts.

Introduction: Interference screw fixation of soft tissue grafts is commonly used in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The purpose of this study was to determine whether including suture material at the graft-screw interface affects ultimate fixation strength of soft tissue grafts using a tibialis anterior tendon allograft model.

Materials And Methods: Forty fresh-frozen human tibialis anterior tendon allografts were fixed to rigid polyurethane foam simulating the tibial tunnel.

Demonstration of payer readiness for value-based care in a fee-for-service environment: Measuring provider performance on sealant delivery.

Objectives: Previously published sealant measures are not useful when applied to Medicaid claims data in states where dental services are carved out of managed care. A novel sealant measure was developed to assess the degree to which dental providers seal eligible teeth during preventive dental visits (PDVs) in an effort to ascertain if such a measure can be used to valuate provider performance, as condition of potential value-based care model implementation.

Methods: A single-county feasibility study was conducted using Medicaid claims.