Development of Polymer-Ceramic-Metal Graded Acoustic Matching Layers via Cold Sintering.

A family of three phase, polymer-ceramic-metal (Poly-cer-met) electrically conducting composites was developed via cold sintering for acoustic matching application in medical ultrasound transducers. A range of acoustic impedance ( Z ) between MRayl with low attenuation (<3.5 dB/mm, measured at 10 MHz) was achieved in composites of zinc oxide, silver, and in thermoplastic polymers like Ultem polyetherimide (PEI) or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) at sintering pressure less than 50 MPa and temperature of 150 °C.

Platelets and Immature Neutrophils in Preterm Infants with Feeding Intolerance.

Objective: Feeding intolerance (FI) is a common presentation of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and sepsis. NEC and sepsis are associated with hematological changes, but these changes alone are not reliable biomarkers for early diagnosis. This study examined whether the combination of hematological indices and FI can be used as an early diagnostic tool for NEC or sepsis.

Familial jejunal atresia with renal dysplasia.

Although jejunal atresia occasionally may occur with a familial pattern, an association with renal disease has not been described. The authors report on three family members treated over two generations, all of whom had both proximal jejunal atresia and renal dysplasia. This association was most likely inherited as an autosomal dominant trait.

Microtubule stability decreases axon elongation but not axoplasm production.

Microtubules are a primary cytoskeletal constituent of axons and growth cones. In addition to serving as a scaffolding for axon assembly, they also provide a means of transport of organelles that are essential for outgrowth and maintenance of synaptic function. Pharmacological manipulations that disrupt net assembly of microtubules also interfere with growth cone advance and axon extension.

Incorporation of [3H]thymidine into myocardial capillary cells in streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

It was the aim of this study to test the hypothesis that abnormal thickening of capillary basal laminae in the diabetic organism may be due to postulated cycles of capillary cell turnover of increasing frequency. The accelerated cell turnover, it was theorized, may lead to laminar thickening through adhesion of basal laminae synthesized by regenerating cells with residual laminae of previously degenerated capillaries. Nine streptozotocin-diabetic rats and six nondiabetic controls were injected ip with tritiated thymidine, 1.