Introduction: The complex arborization of the feto-placental vasculature is crucial for optimal fetal nutrition, waste exchange and ultimately, development. Ethical and experimental limitations constrain research into the human placenta, hence experimental animal models such as mice and rats, are crucial to understand placental function. It is unclear how well the mouse and rat feto-placental vascular structure emulates human.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground & Purpose: (1) Evaluate efficacy of an abbreviated total spine protocol in triaging emergency department (ED) patients through retrospective evaluation. (2) Describe patient outcomes following implementation of a rapid cord compression protocol.
Methods: (1) All contrast-enhanced total spine magnetic resonance imaging studies (MRIs) performed on ED patients ( = 75) between 10/1-12/31/2022 for evaluation of cord compression were included.
As the International Space Station comes to the end of a transformative era of in-space research, NASA's Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destinations (CLD) Program aims to catalyze a new generation of platforms with co-investment from the private sector, preventing a potential gap in research performed in LEO, while building a robust LEO economy. In this paper, we provide insight into the CLD Program focusing on Orbital Reef, describing its operational and technical characteristics as well as new opportunities it may enable. Achieving about a third of the pressurized volume of the ISS with the launch of a single pressurized module and growing to support hundreds of Middeck Locker Equivalents (MLE) in passive and active payloads internally and externally, Orbital Reef will enable government, academic, and commercial institutions to continue and expand upon research and development (R&D) efforts currently performed on ISS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To compare image quality, assess inter-reader variability, and evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of routine clinical lumbar spine sequences at 0.55T compared with those collected at 1.5/3T to assess common spine pathology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRationale And Objectives: This study aims to assess the quality of abdominal MR images acquired on a commercial 0.55T scanner and compare these images with those acquired on conventional 1.5T/3T scanners in both healthy subjects and patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe investigated variations in haemodynamics in response to simulated microgravity across a semi-subject-specific three-dimensional (3D) continuous arterial network connecting the heart to the eye using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Using this model we simulated pulsatile blood flow in an upright Earth gravity case and a simulated microgravity case. Under simulated microgravity, regional time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS) increased and oscillatory shear index (OSI) decreased in upper body arteries, whilst the opposite was observed in the lower body.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCalcium phosphate cement remains the choice biomaterial for cranial reconstruction and augmentation in pediatric patients after 90% completion of cranial growth, especially compared with other nonallograft alternatives. While trauma to the site of calcium phosphate augmentation is a known risk for cement fracture, subsequent micro-fragmentation and sequestration of the cement beneath the fracture site can produce a localized inflammatory reaction that requires surgical intervention to adequately address. The authors present the course of a patient undergoing a prolonged inflammatory reaction to calcium phosphate micro-fragmentation after trauma to the site of previous augmentation performed to mend bitemporal hollowing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCerebrovascular haemodynamics are sensitive to multiple physiological stimuli that require synergistic response to maintain adequate perfusion. Understanding haemodynamic changes within cerebral arteries is important to inform how the brain regulates perfusion; however, methods for direct measurement of cerebral haemodynamics in these environments are challenging. The aim of this study was to assess velocity waveform metrics obtained using transcranial Doppler (TCD) with flow-conserving subject-specific three-dimensional (3D) simulations using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The stent-assisted balloon-induced intimal disruption and relamination (STABILISE) technique for treatment of type B dissection has shown promising clinical results at mid-term. Computational modeling is a way of noninvasively obtaining hemodynamic effects, such as pressure and wall shear stress, leading to a better understanding of potential benefits. Particular areas of interest are (1) the effect of intimal disruption and re-lamination and (2) the effect of the bare metal stent in the visceral aortic segment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The average nerve graft length utilized in cross-face nerve grafting for reconstruction of facial nerve palsy is 20-22 cm. While the graft length is thought to be one of the greatest determinants of muscle strength, the mechanism through which this happens remains unknown. We studied changes in axonal regeneration along the length of a 2 cm cross-face nerve graft in a rat model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA face shield is a secondary personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers (HCW). Worn with the appropriate face masks/respirators, it provides short term barrier protection against potentially infectious droplet particles. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused a spike in demand for PPE, leading to a shortage and risking the safety of HCW.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Physiotherapy interventions are prescribed as first-line treatment for people with sciatica; however, their effectiveness remains controversial. The purpose of this systematic review was to establish the short-, medium- and long-term effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions compared to control interventions for people with clinically diagnosed sciatica.
Methods: This systematic review was registered on PROSPERO CRD42018103900.
Health Promot Pract
November 2022
Background: Sugary drink consumption by young children is a public health concern. The State of Alaska, partnering with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, implemented the social marketing campaign in 2019-2021 to encourage parents to serve healthy drinks to young children. The campaign's intended audience was parents who experience disproportionately poor nutrition outcomes: Alaska Native people, those living in rural communities, and those with low incomes and/or educational attainment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) are the most commonly used invasive medical device, yet despite best efforts by end-users, PIVCs experience unacceptably high early failure rates. We aimed to design a new PIVC that reduces the early failure rate of in-dwelling PIVCs and we conducted preliminary tests to assess its efficacy and safety in a porcine model of intravenous access.
Methods: We used computer-aided design and simulation to create a PIVC with a ramped tip geometry, which directs the infused fluid away from the vein wall; we called the design the FloRamp™.
This study evaluates the cross-sectional trends in body fat percentage (BF%) and body mass index (BMI) percentile rank, and the relationship between the two in 332 (177 boys, 155 girls) 12- to 17-year-old children. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using measured height and body mass, and sex-specific BMI for age percentile rank was determined using CDC growth charts. Body fat percentage (BF%) was measured with DEXA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSkin can be mechanically stimulated to grow through a clinical procedure called tissue expansion (TE). Using a porcine TE model, we determined that expansion promptly activates transcription of SFRP2 in skin and we revealed that in the epidermis, this protein is secreted by Langerhans cells (LCs). Similar to well-known mechanosensitive genes, the increase in SFRP2 expression was proportional to the magnitude of tension, showing a spike at the apex of the expanded skin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In the operative treatment of insertional Achilles tendinopathy, the Achilles tendon is often released from its insertion to allow for adequate debridement of pathologic tissue. The use of a double row suture anchor construct has become increasingly favorable among surgeons after Achilles tendon debridement. This study hypothesized that the addition of a Krackow rip stop suture augment to the double row suture anchor construct would increase the repair's maximum load to failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Low shear stress has been implicated in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) expansion and clinical events. We tested the hypothesis that low shear stress in AAA at baseline is a marker of expansion rate and future aneurysm-related events.
Methods: Patients were imaged with computed tomography angiography at baseline and followed up every 6 months >24 months with ultrasound measurements of maximum diameter.
Background: Improved risk stratification is a key priority for type B aortic dissection (TBAD). Partial false lumen thrombus morphology is an emerging predictor of complications. However, partial thrombosis is poorly defined, and its evaluation in clinical studies has been inconsistent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF