Cold atmospheric plasma deposition of antibacterial polypyrrole-silver nanocomposites on wearable electronics for prolonged performance.

Wearable electronics have become integral for monitoring physiological parameters in diverse applications, particularly in medical and military fields. e-Textiles, featuring integrated conductive threads or fabrics, offer seamless integration and comfort for prolonged contact with the body. Despite their potential, the biofouling of textile-based electrode systems by skin microbes remains a significant challenge, limiting their operational lifespan.

Non-destructive processing of silver containing glass ceramic antibacterial coating on polymeric surgical mesh surfaces.

Surgical meshes composed of bioinert polymers such as polypropylene are widely used in millions of hernia repair procedures to prevent the recurrence of organ protrusion from the damaged abdominal wall. However, post-operative mesh infection remains a significant complication, elevating hernia recurrence risks from 3.6% to 10%, depending on the procedure type.

Cold Atmospheric Plasma-Assisted Direct Deposition of Polypyrrole-Ag Nanocomposites for Flexible Electronic Sensors.

Conductive polymers and their composite materials have attracted considerable interest due to their potential applications in sensors, actuators, drug delivery systems, and energy storage devices. Despite their wide range of applications, many challenges remain primarily with respect to the complex synthesis and time-consuming manufacturing steps that are often required in the fabrication process of various devices with conductive polymers. Here, we demonstrate the novel use of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP)-assisted deposition technologies as a solvent-free and scalable approach for in situ polymerization and direct deposition of conductive polypyrrole-silver (PPy-Ag) nanocomposites onto the desired substrates under atmospheric conditions.

Low-Cost Flexible Glass-Based pH Sensor via Cold Atmospheric Plasma Deposition.

Many commercially available pH sensors are fabricated with a glass membrane as the sensing component because of several advantages of glass-based electrodes such as versatility, high accuracy, and excellent stability in various conditions. However, because of their bulkiness and poor mechanical properties, conventional glass-based sensors are not ideal for wearable or flexible applications. Here, we report for the first time the fabrication of a flexible glass-based pH sensor suitable for biomedical and environmental applications where flexibility and stability of the sensor are critical for long-term and real-time monitoring.

Performance of based microscale vertical flow constructed wetland under tropical conditions for domestic wastewater treatment.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) have great potential as low-cost natural wastewater treatment in developing countries. The present study appraises the performance of the vertical flow constructed wetland for domestic wastewater treatment. More specifically, the potential of in the removal of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus (CNP) from wastewater under tropical conditions.

Renal Artery Stenosis Treated Successfully With Shockwave Intravascular Lithotripsy.

Renal artery stenosis (RAS) typically involves varying degrees of calcification, and treatment can be fraught with risk and suboptimal results. Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) uses shockwaves to fragment calcium to facilitate angioplasty. We present a case of severe bilateral RAS successfully treated with IVL and stenting after conventional methods had failed.

Forecasting of extreme flood events using different satellite precipitation products and wavelet-based machine learning methods.

An accurate and timely forecast of extreme events can mitigate negative impacts and enhance preparedness. Real-time forecasting of extreme flood events with longer lead times is difficult for regions with sparse rain gauges, and in such situations, satellite precipitation could be a better alternative. Machine learning methods have shown promising results for flood forecasting with minimum variables indicating the underlying nonlinear complex hydrologic system.

Occupational exposure to photocopiers and their toners cause genotoxicity.

Photocopier machines are inevitable office equipment, but they are also sources of air pollution. Millions of people across the world are involved in the operation and maintenance of photocopiers. We aimed to evaluate the potential genotoxic effects of exposure to photocopiers in photocopier operators and maintenance personnel by Comet assay.

Evaluation of Cell Therapy on Exercise Performance and Limb Perfusion in Peripheral Artery Disease: The CCTRN PACE Trial (Patients With Intermittent Claudication Injected With ALDH Bright Cells).

Background: Atherosclerotic peripheral artery disease affects 8% to 12% of Americans >65 years of age and is associated with a major decline in functional status, increased myocardial infarction and stroke rates, and increased risk of ischemic amputation. Current treatment strategies for claudication have limitations. PACE (Patients With Intermittent Claudication Injected With ALDH Bright Cells) is a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-sponsored, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 exploratory clinical trial designed to assess the safety and efficacy of autologous bone marrow-derived aldehyde dehydrogenase bright (ALDHbr) cells in patients with peripheral artery disease and to explore associated claudication physiological mechanisms.

Chronic exposure to emissions from photocopiers in copy shops causes oxidative stress and systematic inflammation among photocopier operators in India.

Background: We assessed indoor air quality in photocopier centers and investigated whether occupational exposure to emissions from photocopiers is associated with decline in lung function or changes in haematological parameters, oxidative stress and inflammatory status.

Methods: Indoor air quality was monitored in five photocopier centers. Pulmonary function was assessed by spirometry in 81 photocopier operators (64 male and 17 female) and 43 healthy control (31 male and 12 female) subjects.

Bipolar radiofrequency-induced thermotherapy of great saphenous vein: Our initial experience.

The incidence of varicose veins in lower limbs is increasing in the Indian subcontinent. With the advent of radiofrequency ablation (RFA), an effective minimally invasive technique is now available to treat varicose veins. RFA can be performed with either unipolar or bipolar probes.

Implications of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators in urological practice.

Purpose: Pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators are widely used and often encountered in urology practices worldwide. Safety and performance during electrosurgery, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography and radiotherapy are not clearly defined. We reviewed the literature on their use and implications in urological practice.

Zinc pyrithione salvages reperfusion injury by inhibiting NADPH oxidase activation in cardiomyocytes.

Zinc pyrithione (ZPT), has a strong anti-apoptotic effect when administered just before reperfusion. Because oxidative stress has been proposed to contribute to myocardial reperfusion injury, we tested whether ZPT can reduce the production of reactive oxygen species during reoxygenation in cultured neonatal rat cardiac myocytes and evaluated the role of NADPH oxidase in hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury. The cells were subjected to 8h of simulated ischemia, followed by either 30 min or 16 h of reoxygenation.

Cardiac-restricted angiotensin-converting enzyme overexpression causes conduction defects and connexin dysregulation.

Renin-angiotensin (RAS) system activation is associated with an increased risk of sudden death. Previously, we used cardiac-restricted angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) overexpression to construct a mouse model of RAS activation. These ACE 8/8 mice die prematurely and abruptly.

Mice with cardiac-restricted angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) have atrial enlargement, cardiac arrhythmia, and sudden death.

To investigate the local effects of angiotensin II on the heart, we created a mouse model with 100-fold normal cardiac angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), but no ACE expression in kidney or vascular endothelium. This was achieved by placing the endogenous ACE gene under the control of the alpha-myosin heavy chain promoter using targeted homologous recombination. These mice, called ACE 8/8, have cardiac angiotensin II levels that are 4.

Association of pancreatitis with administration of contrast medium and intravenous lipid emulsion in a patient with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Computed tomography is widely used to diagnose acute pancreatitis. Iodinated contrast medium lengthens the duration of pancreatitis and may increase the incidence of local or systemic complications. Total parenteral nutrition including IV lipid emulsion plays an important role in the management of patients with pancreatitis.

Isolated metastatic myocardial carcinoid tumor in a 48-year-old man.

This brief report describes an asymptomatic patient with a myocardial mass. Two-dimensional echocardiography, technetium Tc 99m cardiac nuclear scan, and transesophageal echocardiography were performed to define the mass. The mass, which involved the subvalvar right ventricular free wall, was resected and determined to be a metastatic carcinoid tumor by histologic and immunohistochemical analysis.

Inhibition of src family kinases by a combinatorial action of 5'-AMP and small heat shock proteins, identified from the adult heart.

Src family kinases are implicated in cellular proliferation and transformation. Terminally differentiated myocytes have lost the ability to proliferate, indicating the existence of a down-regulatory mechanism(s) for these mitogenic kinases. Here we show that feline cardiomyocyte lysate contains thermostable components that inhibit c-Src kinase in vitro.

Differential activation of p70 and p85 S6 kinase isoforms during cardiac hypertrophy in the adult mammal.

An adult feline right ventricular pressure overload (RVPO) model was used to examine the two S6 kinase (S6K) isoforms, p70(S6K) and p85(S6K), that are involved in translational and transcriptional activation. Biochemical and confocal microscopy analyses at the level of the cardiocyte revealed that p70(S6K) is present predominantly in the cytosol, substantially activated in 1-h RVPO (>12 fold), and phosphorylated in the pseudosubstrate domain at the Ser-411, Thr-421, and Ser-424 sites. p85(S6K), which was localized exclusively in the nucleus, showed activation subsequent to p70(S6K), with a sustained increase in phosphorylation for up to 48 h of RVPO at equivalent sites of p70(S6K), Thr-421 and Ser-424, but not at Ser-411.

Association of tyrosine-phosphorylated c-Src with the cytoskeleton of hypertrophying myocardium.

Given the central position of the focal adhesion complex, both physically in coupling integrins to the interstitium and biochemically in providing an upstream site for anabolic signal generation, we asked whether the recruitment of non-receptor tyrosine kinases to the cytoskeleton might be a mechanism whereby cellular loading could activate growth regulatory signals responsible for cardiac hypertrophy. Analysis revealed cytoskeletal association of c-Src, FAK, and beta3-integrin, but no Fyn, in the pressure-overloaded right ventricle. This association was seen as early as 4 h after right ventricular pressure overloading, increased through 48 h, and reverted to normal in 1 week.