Objective: Profileplasty traditionally involves improving a nasal hump or an underprojected chin. However, this procedure can correct other facial defects like saddle nose or prognathism. To establish the best overall profile, the nose, the midface, and the chin should be considered altogether.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The coexistence of frailty and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the older population heightens the risk of adverse events. However, research on functional and wellness factors associated with frailty in this population is limited.
Purpose: To investigate the associations of physical performance, functional dependency, physical activity, nutritional status, sleep, self-perceived health and depression with frailty in community-dwelling older adults with coexisting frailty and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Objective: To analyse the performance of the urine Gram stain for predicting a positive urine culture (UC) in young infants with fever without source (FWS) and pyuria.
Design: Observational study; secondary analysis of a prospective registry-based cohort study.
Setting: Paediatric emergency department; tertiary teaching hospital.
Objectives: To analyze the performance of commonly used blood tests in febrile infants ≤90 days of age to identify patients at low risk for invasive bacterial infection (bacterial pathogen in blood or cerebrospinal fluid) by duration of fever.
Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of a prospective single-center registry that includes all consecutive infants ≤90 days of age with fever without a source evaluated at 1 pediatric emergency department between 2008 and 2021. We defined 3 groups based on caregiver-reported hours of fever (<2, 2-12, and ≥12) and analyzed the performance of the biomarkers and Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Step-by-Step clinical decision rules.
Background: Triple jaw surgery, inclusive of a LeFort osteotomy, bilateral sagittal split osteotomy, and genioplasty, is used to maximize functional and esthetic outcomes for patients. This is achieved through the procedure's measurable effects on the craniofacial skeleton but is also influenced by the soft tissue changes that occur as a result of the procedure. This study aims to characterize the three-dimensional (3D) soft tissue changes of triple jaw surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study investigated the relationship between physical activity, inactivity, physical function, and sleep in older adults with a frailty phenotype. A total of 184 pre-frail/frail older adults were included. Physical activity, inactive behavior, and sleep parameters were assessed using a wrist-worn accelerometer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHigh-density phase change memory (PCM) storage is proposed for materials with multiple intermediate resistance states, which have been observed in 1T-TaS due to charge density wave (CDW) phase transitions. However, the metastability responsible for this behavior makes the presence of multistate switching unpredictable in TaS devices. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of nanothick verti-lateral H-TaS/1T-TaS heterostructures in which the number of endotaxial metallic H-TaS monolayers dictates the number of resistance transitions in 1T-TaS lamellae near room temperature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) is a cytokine that is normally produced by immune cells when fighting an infection. But, when too much TNF-α is produced as in autoimmune diseases, this leads to unwanted and persistent inflammation. Anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibodies have revolutionized the therapy of these disorders by blocking TNF-α and preventing its binding to TNF-α receptors, thus suppressing the inflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are chemical antibody mimics obtained by nanomoulding the 3D shape and chemical functionalities of a desired target in a synthetic polymer. Consequently, they possess exquisite molecular recognition cavities for binding the target molecule, often with specificity and affinity similar to those of antigen-antibody interactions. Research on MIPs targeting proteins began in the mid-90s, and this review will evaluate the progress made till now, starting from their synthesis in a monolith bulk format through surface imprinting to biocompatible soluble nanogels prepared by solid-phase synthesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCadherins are cell-surface proteins that mediate cell-cell adhesion. By regulating their grip formation and strength, cadherins play a pivotal role during normal tissue morphogenesis and homeostasis of multicellular organisms. However, their dysfunction is associated with cell migration and proliferation, cancer progression and metastasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are tailor-made synthetic antibodies possessing specific binding cavities designed for a target molecule. Currently, MIPs for protein targets are synthesized by imprinting a short surface-exposed fragment of the protein, called epitope or antigenic determinant. However, finding the epitope par excellence that will yield a peptide "synthetic antibody" cross-reacting exclusively with the protein from which it is derived, is not easy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBioelectrochemical systems (BES), mainly microbial fuel cells (MEC) and microbial electrolysis cells (MFC), are unique biosystems that use electroactive bacteria (EAB) to produce electrons in the form of electric energy for different applications. BES have attracted increasing attention as a sustainable, low-cost, and neutral-carbon option for energy production, wastewater treatment, and biosynthesis. Complex interactions between EAB and the electrode materials play a crucial role in system performance and scalability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), often dubbed "synthetic antibodies", can recognize and bind their target molecule with high affinity and selectivity, making them serious competitors with regard to biological antibodies. MIPs have gained popularity in various clinical applications and have even been applied . However, only a few studies on the biocompatibility of MIPs have been reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: It is known that automatic breathing is controlled by centres in the lower brain stem, whereas volitional breathing is controlled by the cerebral cortical centres. In hemiplegia, lesions above the brain stem result in paralysis of limb muscles. This study was performed to determine whether the diaphragm might also be affected in patients with hemiplegia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although real time ultrasonography has been used in the last decade to record diaphragmatic motion, the relation between diaphragmatic excursion and different inspired volumes (VT) has not been assessed by ultrasound.
Methods: Ten normal subjects were studied in the supine posture. Diaphragmatic excursion and VT were assessed simultaneously by M mode ultrasonography and respiratory airflow measurements at different inspired volumes.
Background: In the investigation of patients with myasthenia gravis, repetitive supramaximal stimulation of an affected peripheral nerve is commonly performed to detect abnormal transmission at the neuromuscular junction. A study was undertaken to determine whether abnormal transmission could similarly be detected during stimulation of the phrenic nerves.
Methods: The phrenic nerves were stimulated supramaximally with surface electrodes in 13 patients with myasthenia gravis and in 16 control subjects (six control patients with diaphragmatic weakness but not with myasthenia and ten normal subjects).
1. Transcranial magnetic stimulation was performed using a figure-of-eight-shaped coil over the right motor cortex with the aim of identifying those areas involved with activation of the diaphragm. 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe transdiaphragmatic pressure (Pdi) generated during bilateral supramaximal phrenic nerve stimulation at 1 Hz from surface stimulating electrodes was compared with pressures obtained from needle electrodes inserted under local anaesthesia. Surface electrodes were used to obtain diaphragmatic electromyograms and magnetometers to monitor rib cage and abdominal configuration. Twitch Pdi was recorded at functional residual capacity in three normal subjects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMaximal static expiratory and inspiratory mouth pressures (PEmax and PImax) and quadriceps femoris muscle strength were measured in 25 patients aged 16-28 years with cystic fibrosis (mean FEV1 46% predicted). Mean (SD) PEmax was 64% (18%) predicted (below 75% predicted in 16 of the 25 patients), and PImax was 64% (24%) predicted (below 75% predicted in 14 patients). Quadriceps muscle strength was 68% (20%) predicted (below 75% predicted in 17 patients).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm Rev Respir Dis
September 1990
Tracheobronchial clearance was measured in seven patients with bilateral diaphragmatic weakness using a noninvasive objective radioaerosol technique. The data were compared with those from seven healthy nonsmoking control subjects matched for physical characteristics and studied under the same experimental conditions; the control subjects were drawn from a data bank of healthy subjects and were matched to the patients for age, sex, and the initial distribution of their radioaerosol deposition. Pulmonary function indices (FEV1, FVC, PEFR, and MMFR25-75) for the patients were all significantly (p less than 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA patient developed respiratory failure after surgical removal of a recurrent thymoma, which necessitated removal of part of the diaphragm. The respiratory failure was due to previously undiagnosed myasthenia gravis, which had selectively affected the respiratory muscles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransdiaphragmatic pressure was recorded during bilateral supramaximal percutaneous phrenic nerve stimulation at 1 Hz (twitch Pdi) to investigate the effect of lung volume and rib cage configuration on diaphragm contractility in man. Stimulations were performed in 5 normal supine subjects at resting end expiration (FRC) and at lung volumes above and below FRC, during relaxation against a closed airway and during isovolume manoeuvres. Twitch Pdi at FRC was 24.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF1. The response of the diaphragm to both transcranial magnetic stimulation and electrical phrenic nerve stimulation was studied in thirteen normal subjects under conditions of either a 'reflex' drive to ventilation with inhaled CO2 or during volitional ventilation of similar magnitude. 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo assess the value of phrenic nerve stimulation in the investigation of diaphragm function, transdiaphragmatic pressures were measured in 20 healthy subjects and in 15 patients with diaphragm weakness, during unilateral and bilateral transcutaneous phrenic nerve stimulation at 1 Hz at functional residual capacity (twitch Pdi). Diaphragm function was initially assessed by measuring transdiaphragmatic pressure during a voluntary manoeuvre, the maximal sniff (sniff Pdi); normal readings were confirmed in the control subjects (102-157 (normal greater than 98) cm H2O in the 10 men, 79-102 (normal greater than 70) cm H2O in the 10 women) and reduced values were found in the 15 patients with diaphragm weakness (7.5-90 cm H2O in the 13 men, 23 and 53 cm H2O in the two women).
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