Bowel regimens before radical cystectomy: An analysis of a modern cohort.

Introduction: Bowel regimens (BR) before radical cystectomy (RC) are currently not recommended by Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols, as prior studies have shown BRs lead to worsened outcomes. However, many of those studies have used historic literature before recent surgical advancements such as minimally invasive RC and have not investigated the impact BRs have by type of urinary diversion. Our goal is to determine the outcomes of preoperative BR in patients undergoing RC based on diversion type using a modern patient cohort.

Atomically dispersed nickel in CeO aerogel catalysts completely suppresses methanation in the water-gas shift reaction.

Nickel-based catalysts are widely studied for water-gas shift (WGS), a key intermediate step in hydrogen production from carbon-based feedstocks. Their viability under practical conditions is limited at high temperatures when Ni aggregates and converts CO to methane, an undesirable side product. Because experimental and computational studies identify undercoordinated Ni step sites as most active toward CH formation, we eliminate Ni step sites by atomically dispersing Ni into networked, nanoparticulate CeO aerogels.

Changes in Facility Share of Medicaid-insured Patients With Urologic Cancers Following Implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Objective: To examine Medicaid-insurance acceptance at facilities treating urologic cancers following implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, longitudinal study with a pre-post design. We accessed 2010-2017 data from the National Cancer Database, calculating the facility-level change in proportion of urologic cancer patients with Medicaid following implementation of the ACA.

Implementation of a health system intervention to reduce time from presentation to surgical intervention for pediatric testicular torsion.

Purpose: Testicular salvage rates for torsion are time-dependent. Door to detorsion time has been identified as an independent testicular survival factor. We describe an initiative to reduce door to incision (DTI) time for pediatric testicular torsion.

A TriNetX Registry Analysis of the Need for Second Procedures following Index Anterior and Posterior Urethroplasty.

Background: We queried a global database to understand re-intervention rates following urethroplasty with the goal of evaluating whether they align with previously published data.

Methods: Using the TriNetX database and Common Procedural Terminology (CPT) and International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD) codes, we identified adult male patients with urethral stricture disease (ICD N35) who underwent one-stage anterior (CPT 53410) or posterior urethroplasty (CPT 53415), with or without (substitution urethroplasty) a tissue flap (CPT 15740) or buccal graft (CPT 15240 or 15241). We set urethroplasty as the index event and used descriptive statistics to report the incidence of secondary procedures (using CPT codes) within 10 years after the index event.

Access to urologic cancer care for Medicaid-insured patients.

Background: The expansion of state Medicaid programs associated with the Affordable Care Act has led to significant increases in insurance coverage for economically vulnerable patients, however barriers to accessing cancer care still exist. To develop strategies to improve healthcare access, we characterized access to new urologic cancer care for patients with Medicaid insurance in the United States.

Methods: Using a secret shopper approach, we contacted a representative sample of facilities designated for cancer care in United States.

Using Peritumor and Intratumor Vascularity on Preoperative Imaging to Predict Fuhrman Grade Histology of Renal Tumors.

To investigate if peritumor and/or intratumor vasculature is associated with high-grade tumor histology for renal cell carcinoma. A retrospective review at a tertiary care facility was performed of patients who underwent radical nephrectomy or partial nephrectomy for a renal tumor between January 2015 and December 2020. Data of tumor characteristics were collected from final pathology reports.

Facility-Level Variation in Use of Locoregional Therapy for Metastatic Prostate Cancer.

Introduction: We sought to understand patient- and institution-level factors associated with use of locoregional therapy for newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer in the era before the availability of evidence supporting its efficacy.

Methods: We queried the National Cancer Database to identify patients diagnosed with metastatic prostate adenocarcinoma (stage M1) between 2004 and 2017. We assessed patient factors associated with definitive local therapy with radiotherapy or radical prostatectomy using multilevel logistic regression accounting for clustering within institutions.

Management of a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in a pregnant patient.

Purpose: To describe the management of a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in a pregnant patient.

Observations: A 30-year-old, 26-week pregnant female presented with curtain vision loss in the left eye. Exam findings were significant in the left eye for an inferior fovea-sparing RRD.

The Role of Liquid Ink Transport in the Direct Placement of Quantum Dot Emitters onto Sub-Micrometer Antennas by Dip-Pen Nanolithography.

Dip-pen nanolithography (DPN) is used to precisely position core/thick-shell ("giant") quantum dots (gQDs; ≥10 nm in diameter) exclusively on top of silicon nanodisk antennas (≈500 nm diameter pillars with a height of ≈200 nm), resulting in periodic arrays of hybrid nanostructures and demonstrating a facile integration strategy toward next-generation quantum light sources. A three-step reading-inking-writing approach is employed, where atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of the pre-patterned substrate topography are used as maps to direct accurate placement of nanocrystals. The DPN "ink" comprises gQDs suspended in a non-aqueous carrier solvent, o-dichlorobenzene.

Randomized Clinical Trial of Computerized and Clinician-Delivered CBT in Comparison With Standard Outpatient Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: Primary Within-Treatment and Follow-Up Outcomes.

Objective: Previous trials have demonstrated the efficacy and durability of computer-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT4CBT) as an add-on to standard outpatient care in a range of treatment-seeking populations. In this study, the authors evaluated the efficacy and safety of CBT4CBT as a virtual stand-alone treatment, delivered with minimal clinical monitoring, and clinician-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) compared with treatment as usual in a heterogeneous sample of treatment-seeking outpatients with substance use disorders.

Method: This was a randomized clinical trial in which 137 individuals who met DSM-IV-TR criteria for current substance abuse or dependence were randomly assigned to receive treatment as usual, weekly individual CBT, or CBT4CBT with brief weekly monitoring.

Biexciton and trion energy transfer from CdSe/CdS giant nanocrystals to Si substrates.

Observation of energy transfer (ET) from multiexcitonic (MX) complexes in nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs) has been severely restricted due to efficient nonradiative Auger recombination leading to very low MX emission quantum yields. Here we employed "giant" CdSe/CdS NQDs with suppressed Auger recombination to study ET of biexcitons (BX) and charged excitons (trions) into Si substrate. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements of (sub)monolayers of gNQDs controllably assembled on various interacting surfaces and augmented by single gNQD's imaging reveal appearance of BX spectral signatures and progressive acceleration of PL lifetimes of all excitonic species on Si substrates.

Effect of computerized cognitive behavioral therapy on acquisition of coping skills among cocaine-dependent individuals enrolled in methadone maintenance.

Unlabelled: The acquisition of coping skills has long been considered one of the putative mechanisms of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for substance use disorders, yet consistent statistical support is lacking. This study sought to replicate and extend prior findings regarding the quality of coping skills as a mediator of abstinence outcomes from a computerized CBT program for substance users. Participants were methadone-maintained, cocaine dependent individuals enrolled in a clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of computer-based training for CBT ('CBT4CBT') as an add-on to treatment as usual (TAU+CBT4CBT) compared to TAU only.

Traceless Cleavage of Protein-Biotin Conjugates under Biologically Compatible Conditions.

Biotinylation of amines is widely used to conjugate biomolecules, but either the resulting label is non-removable or its removal leaves a tag on the molecule of interest, thus affecting downstream processes. We present here a set of reagents (RevAmines) that allow traceless, reversible biotinylation under biologically compatible, mild conditions. Release following avidin-based capture is achieved through the cleavage of a (2-(alkylsulfonyl)ethyl) carbamate linker under mild conditions (200 mm ammonium bicarbonate, pH 8, 16-24 h, room temperature) that regenerates the unmodified amine.

Strong plasmonic enhancement of biexciton emission: controlled coupling of a single quantum dot to a gold nanocone antenna.

Multiexcitonic transitions and emission of several photons per excitation comprise a very attractive feature of semiconductor quantum dots for optoelectronics applications. However, these higher-order radiative processes are usually quenched in colloidal quantum dots by Auger and other nonradiative decay channels. To increase the multiexcitonic quantum efficiency, several groups have explored plasmonic enhancement, so far with moderate results.

Performance-Based Contingency Management in Cognitive Remediation Training: A Pilot Study.

Impairments in attention, working memory, and executive function are common among substance users and may adversely affect SUD treatment outcomes. The ability of cognitive remediation (CR) interventions to improve these deficits is hindered in part because levels of engagement in CR training may be inadequate to achieve benefit. This pilot study aimed to increase CR engagement and improve outcome by implementing contingency management (CM) procedures that reinforce performance improvements on CR tasks.

Randomized Trial of Computerized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Alcohol Use Disorders: Efficacy as a Virtual Stand-Alone and Treatment Add-On Compared with Standard Outpatient Treatment.

Background: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for alcohol use disorders (AUDs), yet is rarely implemented with high fidelity in clinical practice. Computer-based delivery of CBT offers the potential to address dissemination challenges, but to date there have been no evaluations of a web-based CBT program for alcohol use within a clinical sample.

Methods: This study randomized treatment-seeking individuals with a current AUD to 1 of 3 treatments at a community outpatient facility: (i) standard treatment as usual (TAU); (ii) TAU plus on-site access to a computerized CBT targeting alcohol use (TAU + CBT4CBT); or (iii) CBT4CBT plus brief weekly clinical monitoring (CBT4CBT + monitoring).

Mechanistic examination of aerobic Pt oxidation: insertion of molecular oxygen into Pt-H bonds through a radical chain mechanism.

DFT calculations were performed in an effort to evaluate the mechanism of O2 insertion into the Pt-H bond of Tp(Me2)Pt(IV)Me2H catalyzed by AIBN or light. Results are consistent with a radical chain mechanism involving H˙ loss to form a Pt(III)˙ species followed by addition of O2 to form Pt(III)OO˙. Subsequent radical propagation involving this Pt(III)OO˙ species and an additional equivalent of the Pt(IV) starting material result in the formation of the observed Pt(IV)OOH and regeneration of the Pt(III)˙.

Quantum Yield Heterogeneity among Single Nonblinking Quantum Dots Revealed by Atomic Structure-Quantum Optics Correlation.

Physical variations in colloidal nanostructures give rise to heterogeneity in expressed optical behavior. This correlation between nanoscale structure and function demands interrogation of both atomic structure and photophysics at the level of single nanostructures to be fully understood. Herein, by conducting detailed analyses of fine atomic structure, chemical composition, and time-resolved single-photon photoluminescence data for the same individual nanocrystals, we reveal inhomogeneity in the quantum yields of single nonblinking "giant" CdSe/CdS core/shell quantum dots (g-QDs).

Matching Solid-State to Solution-Phase Photoluminescence for Near-Unity Down-Conversion Efficiency Using Giant Quantum Dots.

Efficient, stable, and narrowband red-emitting fluorophores are needed as down-conversion materials for next-generation solid-state lighting that is both efficient and of high color quality. Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are nearly ideal color-shifting phosphors, but solution-phase efficiencies have not traditionally extended to the solid-state, with losses from both intrinsic and environmental effects. Here, we assess the impacts of temperature and flux on QD phosphor performance.

Emerging strategies for the total synthesis of inorganic nanostructures.

New synthetic innovations are rapidly being developed to address the demand for complex, next-generation nanomaterials with rigorously controlled architectures and interfaces. This Review highlights key strategies for the chemical transformation and stepwise synthesis of multicomponent inorganic nanostructures, with the existing nanoscale transformations categorized into classes of reactions that are related to those used in the synthesis of organic molecules. The application of concepts used in molecular synthesis--including site-selectivity, regio- and chemoselectivity, orthogonal reactivity, coupling reactions, protection/deprotection strategies, and procedures for separation and purification--to nanoscale systems is emphasized.

A total-synthesis framework for the construction of high-order colloidal hybrid nanoparticles.

Colloidal hybrid nanoparticles contain multiple nanoscale domains fused together by solid-state interfaces. They represent an emerging class of multifunctional lab-on-a-particle architectures that underpin future advances in solar energy conversion, fuel-cell catalysis, medical imaging and therapy, and electronics. The complexity of these 'artificial molecules' is limited ultimately by the lack of a mechanism-driven design framework.

Purification and magnetic interrogation of hybrid Au-Fe3O4 and FePt-Fe3O4 nanoparticles.

Purifying heterodimers: differential magnetic catch and release separation is used to purify two important hybrid nanocrystal systems, Au-Fe(3)O(4) and FePt-Fe(3)O(4). The purified samples have substantially different magnetic properties compared to the as-synthesized materials: the magnetization values are more accurate and magnetic polydispersity is identified in morphologically similar hybrid nanoparticles.

On-wire conversion chemistry: engineering solid-state complexity into striped metal nanowires using solution chemistry reactions.

Multisegment template-grown metal nanowires have become important one-dimensional materials for a variety of applications in chemistry, physics, engineering, biology, and medicine. Segmented nanowires are traditionally fabricated in anodic alumina membranes using electrodeposition, and this technique is applicable to a range of metals, alloys, and semiconductors. Here we report an alternative and simple solution chemistry strategy for incorporating multimetal components of controllable length and composition into template-grown metal nanowires.