Replicating the intricate architecture of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is an actual challenge in the field of bone tissue engineering. In the present research study, calcium alginate/cellulose nanofibrils-based 3D printed scaffolds, double-reinforced with chitosan/polyethylene oxide electrospun nanofibers (NFs) and graphene oxide (GO) were prepared using the 3D printing technique. The porous matrix was provided by the calcium alginate, while the anisotropy degree and mechanical properties were ensured by the addition of fillers with different sizes and shapes (CNFs, NFs, GO), similar to the components naturally found in bone ECM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis research paper presents a case study on the application of Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOX)-based VOC/TVOC sensors for indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring. This study focuses on the ease of use and the practical benefits of these sensors, drawing insights from measurements conducted in a university laboratory setting. The investigation showcases the straightforward integration of MOX-based sensors into existing IAQ monitoring systems, highlighting their user-friendly features and the ability to provide precise and real-time information on volatile organic compound concentrations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe emergence of SARS-CoV2 has presented itself as a significant global health crisis. The prevalence of thrombotic events is known to be high in these patients, affecting various organ systems, sometimes leading to cutaneous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism (PE), stroke, or coronary thrombosis. The available evidence suggests that thromboembolism, hypercoagulability, and the excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines play a significant role in the development of multiorgan failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThese first Australian National Standards of Care for Childhood-onset Heart Disease (CoHD Standards) have been developed to inform the healthcare requirements for CoHD services and enable all Australian patients, families and carers impacted by CoHD (paediatric CoHD and adult congenital heart disease [ACHD]) to live their best and healthiest lives. The CoHD Standards are designed to provide the clarity and certainty required for healthcare services to deliver excellent, comprehensive, inclusive, and equitable CoHD care across Australia for patients, families and carers, and offer an iterative roadmap to the future of these services. The CoHD Standards provide a framework for excellent CoHD care, encompassing key requirements and expectations for whole-of-life, holistic and connected healthcare service delivery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are one of the main reasons that the pediatric population goes to the doctor. The connection between ARTI and vitamin D (VD) is currently debated by the medical community, and so far, there has been little agreement with regard to the ideal level of 25(OH)D concentration that would provide protection for the respiratory tract, or the effectiveness of its administration in the treatment of respiratory infections. The purpose of this literature review was to bring attention to the immunomodulatory and antiviral function of vitamin D and its relation to the respiratory system by examining the main ARTIs, including SARS-CoV-2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeonatal diabetes mellitus is a rare genetic disease that affects 1 in 90,000 live births. The start of the disease is often before the baby is 6 months old, with rare cases of onset between 6 months and 1 year. It is characterized by low or absent insulin levels in the blood, leading to severe hyperglycemia in the patient, which requires temporary insulin therapy in around 50% of cases or permanent insulin therapy in other cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe intestinal microbiota is a diverse and complex microecosystem that lives and thrives within the human body. The microbiota stabilizes by the age of three. This microecosystem plays a crucial role in human health, particularly in the early years of life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF• Cardiac tamponade with hemodynamic compromise is an emergency, regardless of cause. • The causes of pericardial disease vary widely with population and geography. • Some causes of pericarditis require specific treatment and should be considered.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To report on 2-year results of accelerated corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) in progressive ectasia using the Avedro KXL system.
Design: Prospective interventional case series.
Methods: A total of 870 patients (1,192 eyes) attending Moorfields Eye Hospital after CXL were included.
To analyse the results of subCyclo (subliminal transscleral cyclophotocoagulation) laser procedure for patients with glaucoma. The study included 50 eyes of 32 patients diagnosed with various subtypes of glaucoma for which we performed subliminal transscleral cyclophotocoagulation under retrobulbar anesthesia. After the procedure, all patients were advised to continue their antiglaucoma medication until further notice and we added a topical steroid for 2 weeks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: An improvement in life expectancy in patients suffering from adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) has corresponded with a rise in heart failure incidence within this group. An area that has not been addressed in ACHD heart failure guidelines has been the use of combined inhibition of angiotensin receptor-neprolysin pathways. This case series sought to demonstrate tolerability and 6-month outcome measures of sacubitril/valsartan use in ACHD patients with a severely impaired systemic ventricle.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) is a relatively new subspecialty in the cardiology field. The prevalence of ACHD is estimated at ∼ 3,000 per million adult population. The ACHD patient group is estimated to grow at ∼ 5% per year and in the next decade it is forecast that 1 in 150 young adults will carry some form of ACHD diagnosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The aberrant immune response in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and immunosuppression may intrinsically predispose patients to infectious complications, such as herpes zoster (HZ). We quantified the incidence of HZ in IBD patients in the province of Quebec, Canada.
Methods: We performed a descriptive study using the provincial "Regie de l'Assurance Maladie du Québec" (RAMQ) health registry from 1996 to 2015.
Background: Peripartum cardiomyopathy is associated with significant risks of decline in left ventricular function and adverse maternal and fetal outcome in subsequent pregnancy. The risks of pregnancy in women with dilated cardiomyopathy are unclear. We aimed to assess the outcome of pregnancy in women with dilated cardiomyopathy seen at our institution and to review the literature on this subject.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe consider the problem of pattern matching with mismatches, where there can be don't care or wild card characters in the pattern. Specifically, given a pattern of length and a text of length , we want to find all occurrences of in that have no more than mismatches. The pattern can have don't care characters, which match any character.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation (TPVI) with the Melody® transcatheter pulmonary valve (TPV) has demonstrated good haemodynamic and clinical outcomes in the treatment of right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) conduit dysfunction in patients with repaired congenital heart disease CHD. We present the first Australian single centre experience of patients treated with Melody TPV.
Method: A prospective, observational registry was developed to monitor clinical and haemodynamic outcomes in patients with RVOT dysfunction treated with the Melody TPV (Medtronic Inc, Minneapolis, United States).
Obstacles to inferring species trees from whole genome data sets range from algorithmic and data management challenges to the wholesale discordance in evolutionary history found in different parts of a genome. Recent work that builds trees directly from genomes by parsing them into sets of small $k$-mer strings holds promise to streamline and simplify these efforts, but existing approaches do not account well for gene tree discordance. We describe a "seed and extend" protocol that finds nearly exact matching sets of orthologous $k$-mers and extends them to construct data sets that can properly account for genomic heterogeneity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRationale: :In its most severe form, developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is one of the most common congenital malformations. Uncorrected developmental dysplasia of the hip is associated with long-term morbidity such as gait abnormalities, chronic pain, and degenerative arthritis.
Aims: (1) to identify the risks and predisposing factors involved in DDH (2) to define the incidence of the disease locally; (3) to emphasize the importance of ultrasonography in early diagnosis of DDH.
The article presents an atypical case of bilateral postoperative macular edema, with an unfavorable outcome, however considering the treatment options and ways to prevent this complication.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of the study was to evaluate the refractive results on a large cohort of patients who were implanted spherical or toric multifocal IOL's for cataract surgery or for refractive purpose. Preoperative refractive investigations included auto refractometer topography, pentacam, contact and noncontact biometry and many non-refractive investigations. The target in multifocal IOL usage was emmetropia and it was achieved in most cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis paper presents a few clinical cases of patients with high ametropies and/or anisometropia, who underwent one or two surgical procedures in our clinic, in order to obtain independence of glasses or contact lenses. Twenty cases of high ametropies were included in our study, with or without astigmatism, with transparent lenses, who presented in our clinic for surgical treatment to correct their refractive errors. Postoperatively, we analyzed the results and took decisions for each case in particular; sometimes a second surgical procedure was needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMotivation: Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies have revolutionized genomic research by reducing the cost of whole genome sequencing. One of the biggest challenges posed by modern sequencing technology is economic storage of NGS data. Storing raw data is infeasible because of its enormous size and high redundancy.
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