The role of prostatic urethral angle and intravesical prostatic protrusion on surgical capsule calculi formation in the prostate: A retrospective study.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between prostatic urethral angle (PUA) and the development of surgical capsule calculi (SCC) within the prostate, and to examine the presence and impact of intravesical prostatic protrusion (IPP).

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 90 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy, with preoperative assessments using both transrectal ultrasound of the prostate (TRUS) and magnetic resonance imaging. Patients were divided into groups with and without SCC and further categorized into type 1 and type 2 stones based on the location and severity of the calculi.

Sweat induction using Pilocarpine microneedle patches for sweat testing in healthy adults.

Background: The sweat test using pilocarpine iontophoresis remains the gold standard for diagnosing cystic fibrosis, but access and reliability are limited by specialized equipment and insufficient sweat volume collected from infants and young children. These shortcomings lead to delayed diagnosis, limited point-of-care applications, and inadequate monitoring capabilities.

Methods: We created a skin patch with dissolvable microneedles (MNs) containing pilocarpine that eliminates the equipment and complexity of iontophoresis.

Value-Added Utilization of Wheat Straw: From Cellulose and Cellulose Nanofiber to All-Cellulose Nanocomposite Film.

To accelerate the high value-added usage of agricultural residue, cellulose and cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) were extracted from wheat straw and then formed into all-cellulose nanocomposite films. The acid-alkali method (AM) and the extraction method (EM) were respectively adopted to prepare wheat straw cellulose (WSC), and the TEMPO oxidation method was used to extract CNFs. The nanocomposite films were fabricated by dissolving WSC and adding different CNF contents of 0.

Core-shell microneedle patch for six-month controlled-release contraceptive delivery.

There is a tremendous need for simple-to-administer, long-acting contraception, which can increase access to improved family planning. Microneedle (MN) patches enable simple self-administration and have previously been formulated for 1-2 months' controlled release of contraceptive hormone using monolithic polymer/drug MN designs having first-order release kinetics. To achieve zero-order release, we developed a novel core-shell MN patch where the shell acts as a rate-controlling membrane to delay release of a contraceptive hormone, levonorgestrel (LNG), for 6 months.

Immune and Epigenetic Pathways Linking Childhood Adversity and Health Across the Lifespan.

Childhood adversity is associated with a host of mental and physical health problems across the lifespan. Individuals who have experienced childhood adversity (e.g.

Childhood maltreatment, subjective social status, and health disparities in bereavement.

Background: Spousal bereavement can lead to adverse health outcomes; however, not all widow(er)s experience the same degree of health problems. Thus, it is important to understand the contribution of disparities (e.g.

Fabrication of all-cellulose nanocomposites from corn stalk.

Background: There is a need to help farmers and industries develop value-added composite and nanocomposite materials from agricultural residuals. Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) were made using a TEMPO oxidation method and celluloses were prepared by acid-base method and extracting method, which were all from corn stalk, an agricultural residual. The prepared celluloses were dissolved separately in dimethylacetamide/LiCl solvent and CNFs were added at 0.

Thermal and Physico-Mechanical Characterizations of Thromboresistant Polyurethane Films.

Hemocompatibility remains a challenge for injectable and/or implantable medical devices, and thromboresistant coatings appear to be one of the most attractive methods to down-regulate the unwanted enzymatic reactions that promote the formation of blood clots. Among all polymeric materials, polyurethanes (PUs) are a class of biomaterials with excellent biocompatibility and bioinertness that are suitable for the use of thromboresistant coatings. In this work, we investigated the thermal and physico-mechanical behaviors of ester-based and ether-based PU films for potential uses in thromboresistant coatings.

Preparation, characterization and evaluation of cellulose nanocrystal/poly(lactic acid) in situ nanocomposite scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) in situ nanocomposite scaffolds were fabricated by in situ polymerization of lactic acid and CNC which was directly utilized as aqueous suspension, followed by a process of thermally induced phase separation. The CNC/PLA in situ nanocomposite porous scaffolds were characterized by mechanical test, protein adsorption, hemolysis test, in vitro degradation measurement, TEM, FTIR, SEM and WAXD. Compared to the PLA scaffold, the CNC/PLA in situ nanocomposite scaffolds showed a greatly increased compression modulus, an improved hemocompatibility and protein adsorption capacity.

Cell-secreted extracellular matrix, independent of cell source, promotes the osteogenic differentiation of human stromal vascular fraction.

Lipoaspirates contain a readily accessible heterogeneous cell source for use in bone regeneration collectively referred to as the stromal vascular fraction (SVF). However, the osteogenic potential of SVF is inferior to other progenitor cell populations, thereby requiring alternative strategies to potentiate its effective use in cell-based therapies of bone repair. Cell-secreted extracellular matrix (ECM) is a promising substrate to guide cell phenotype or for use in biomaterial design, yet the instructional capacity of ECMs produced by various cell types is unknown.

Physico- and bio-activities of nanoscale regenerated cellulose nonwoven immobilized with lysozyme.

Lysozyme-cellulose conjugates are of wide interest for food packaging, tissue scaffolding, wound healing, and antimicrobial applications. Here a recycled cotton-based source of regenerated cellulose in combination with carboxylated carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide was configured as nonwoven nanofibrous mats through electrospinning and utilized to immobilize lysozyme. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform-infrared spectra, thermal-gravimetric analysis, tensile test, and antibacterial assessments were conducted to characterize and determine physical and bioactive properties of the nonwoven nanofibrous mats.

Regenerated cellulose micro-nano fiber matrices for transdermal drug release.

In this work, biobased fibrous membranes with micro- and nano-fibers are fabricated for use as drug delivery carries because of their biocompatibility, eco-friendly approach, and potential for scale-up. The cellulose micro-/nano-fiber (CMF) matrices were prepared by electrospinning of pulp in an ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride. A model drug, ibuprofen (IBU), was loaded on the CMF matrices by a simple immersing method.

Biobased Nano Porous Active Carbon Fibers for High-Performance Supercapacitors.

Activated carbon fibers (ACFs) with different pore structure have been prepared from wood sawdust using the KOH activation method. A study was conducted to examine the influence of the activation parameters (temperature, alkali/carbon ratio, and time) on the morphology and structure of the as-prepared ACFs developed in the process of pore generation and evolution. Activation temperature was very essential for the formation of utramicropores (<0.

Crystalline characteristics of cellulose fiber and film regenerated from ionic liquid solution.

Regenerated cellulose fiber, fiber extrudate, and film were produced from cellulose solution prepared with raw pulp and ionic liquid solvent 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl). Spinning setting was based on a dry-jet and wet-spun approach including extrusion, coagulation, drawing, drying, and winding. Crystallization of the experimental fiber, fiber extrudate, and film was evaluated using a technique of wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD).

Fungal colonization of a pneumonectomy stump.

A 59-year-old woman developed mild recurring hemoptysis once a week for several months after a fall with trauma to the chest. Sixteen years earlier she had undergone a right pneumonectomy at a hospital elsewhere for sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis. Bronchoscopy, performed because of the recent hemoptysis, showed material in the pneumonectomy stump.

Kinetics modeling of dynamic pyrolysis of bagasse fibers.

The thermal decomposition mechanism of raw and treated bagasse fibers was modeled with three parallel independent first-order reactions. The kinetic parameters and pseudo components which best fit the experimental dynamic pyrolysis rate of bagasse was determined by means of the Matlab program using the least-square method. The calculated rate of thermal decomposition for each bagasse sample was consistent with experimental pyrolysis rate very well.