Clinical judgment is a cornerstone for validating and using clinical prediction rules: a head-to-head study on ambulation outcomes for spinal cord injured patients.

Study Design: Retrospective comparative study.

Objective: Clinical prediction rules (CPRs) are an effervescent topic in the medical literature. Recovering ambulation after a traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) is a priority for patients and multiple CPRs have been proposed for predicting ambulation outcomes.

Unexpected Cholesterol-Induced Destabilization of Lipid Membranes near Transmembrane Carbon Nanotubes.

Cholesterol is a crucial component of mammalian cell membranes that takes part in many vital processes. It is generally accepted that cholesterol stabilizes the membrane and induces transitions into ordered states. In contrast to expectations, we demonstrate that cholesterol can destabilize the membrane by creating a nanodomain around a perpendicularly embedded ultrashort carbon nanotube (CNT), and we show that cholesterol triggers the translocation of an ultrashort CNT through the cell membrane.

Nanomaterial interactions with biomembranes: Bridging the gap between soft matter models and biological context.

Synthetic polymers, nanoparticles, and carbon-based materials have great potential in applications including drug delivery, gene transfection, in vitro and in vivo imaging, and the alteration of biological function. Nature and humans use different design strategies to create nanomaterials: biological objects have emerged from billions of years of evolution and from adaptation to their environment resulting in high levels of structural complexity; in contrast, synthetic nanomaterials result from minimalistic but controlled design options limited by the authors' current understanding of the biological world. This conceptual mismatch makes it challenging to create synthetic nanomaterials that possess desired functions in biological media.

Direct proof of spontaneous translocation of lipid-covered hydrophobic nanoparticles through a phospholipid bilayer.

Hydrophobic nanoparticles introduced into living systems may lead to increased toxicity, can activate immune cells, or can be used as nanocarriers for drug or gene delivery. It is generally accepted that small hydrophobic nanoparticles are blocked by lipid bilayers and accumulate in the bilayer core, whereas big nanoparticles can only penetrate cells through slow energy-dependent processes, such as endocytosis, lasting minutes. In contrast to expectations, we demonstrate that lipid-covered hydrophobic nanoparticles may translocate through lipid membranes by direct penetration within milliseconds.

Standardized approach to valve repair using an expansible aortic ring versus mechanical Bentall: early outcomes of the CAVIAAR multicentric prospective cohort study.

Objective: The study objective was to compare the 30-day outcomes of a standardized aortic valve repair technique (REPAIR group) associating root remodeling with an expansible aortic ring annuloplasty versus mechanical composite valve and graft (CVG group) replacement in treating aortic root aneurysms.

Methods: A total of 261 consecutive patients with aortic root aneurysm were enrolled in this multicentric prospective cohort (131 in the CVG group, 130 in the REPAIR group) in 20 centers. The main end point is a composite criterion including mortality; reoperation; thromboembolic, hemorrhagic, or infectious events; and heart failure.

Transmission in heteronymous spinal pathways is modified after stroke and related to motor incoordination.

Changes in reflex spinal pathways after stroke have been shown to affect motor activity in agonist and antagonist muscles acting at the same joint. However, only a few studies have evaluated the heteronymous reflex pathways modulating motoneuronal activity at different joints. This study investigates whether there are changes in the spinal facilitatory and inhibitory pathways linking knee to ankle extensors and if such changes may be related to motor deficits after stroke.