Publications by authors named "H O McCarthy"

Magnesium (Mg) alloys have gained significant attention as a desirable choice of biodegradable implant for use in bone repair applications, largely owing to their unique material properties. More recently, Mg and Mg-based alloys have been used as load-bearing metallic scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications, offering promising opportunities in the field. The mechanical properties and relative density of Mg-based alloys closely approximate those of natural human bone tissue, thereby mitigating the risk of stress-shielding effects.

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  • New multipurpose prevention technologies for women prioritize reducing HIV risks and preventing unwanted pregnancies, promoting greater sexual health choices.
  • A novel long-acting injectable platform combines the HIV drug MIV-150 and the contraceptive etonogestrel using a specially designed D-peptide that forms a drug-releasing hydrogel after injection.
  • The technology shows promising biostability, low toxicity, and sustained delivery of both drugs in animal models for nearly 50 days, indicating its potential for effective long-term use.
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Cell-penetrating peptides (CPP) have gained rapid attention over the last 25 years; this is attributed to their versatility, customisation, and 'Trojan horse' delivery that evades the immune system. However, the current CPP rational design process is limited, as it requires several rounds of peptide synthesis, prediction and wet-lab validation, which is expensive, time-consuming and requires extensive knowledge in peptide chemistry. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising alternative which can augment the design process, for example by determining physiochemical characteristics, secondary structure, solvent accessibility, disorder and flexibility, as well as predicting in vivo behaviour such as toxicity and peptidase degradation.

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Background: Financial incentives delivered via apps appear to be effective in encouraging physical activity. However, the literature on different incentive strategies is limited, and the question remains whether financial incentives offer a cost-effective intervention that could be funded at the population level.

Objective: This study aimed to explore patterns of tracked physical activity by users of an incentive-based app before and after a change in incentive strategy.

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  • - The study investigates how tendon maturation into strong tissue is regulated, noting significant mechanical property changes in chick embryos between days E16 and E18, but lacking clarity on the underlying cellular and molecular factors.
  • - Researchers analyzed late tendon development by examining collagen fiber alignment, cell organization, and Yap pathway activity, assessing the impact of both constant loading and no loading on tendon maturation.
  • - Findings revealed that YAP signaling is influenced by movement, with collagen alignment improving under static loading; however, immobilization disrupted the organized structure of tendon cells, highlighting the importance of dynamic stimulation for proper tendon development.
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