Facial Nerve Tractography Using Diffusion MRI: A Comparison of Acquisition b -Values and Single- and Multifiber Tracking Strategies.

Hypothesis: This study investigates the impact of different diffusion magnetic imaging (dMRI) acquisition settings and mathematical fiber models on tractography performance for depicting cranial nerve (CN) VII in healthy young adults.

Background: The aim of this study is to optimize visualization of CN VII for preoperative assessment in surgeries near the nerve in the cerebellopontine angle, reducing surgery-associated complications. The study analyzes 100 CN VII in dMRI images from the Human Connectome Project, using three separate sets with different b values ( b = 1,000 s/mm 2 , b =2,000 s/mm 2 , b =3,000 s/mm 2 ) and four different tractography methods, resulting in 1,200 tractographies analyzed.

National screening for colorectal cancer is associated with stage shift to earlier diagnosis.

Background: Australia's National Bowel Cancer Screening Program consists of an immunohistochemical faecal occult blood test, targeting adults aged 50-74. Existing literature supports the principle of early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) via national screening, but little is known about the association between colonoscopy or polypectomy rates and CRC stage over time. The aim of this study is to identify the longitudinal change to colonoscopy and polypectomy rates, and any stage shift associated with this screening program.

Interim clinical trial analysis of intraoperative mass spectrometry for breast cancer surgery.

Optimal resection of breast tumors requires removing cancer with a rim of normal tissue while preserving uninvolved regions of the breast. Surgical and pathological techniques that permit rapid molecular characterization of tissue could facilitate such resections. Mass spectrometry (MS) is increasingly used in the research setting to detect and classify tumors and has the potential to detect cancer at surgical margins.

Corrigendum to design data for the 3D printer modification to print gels and pastes and the corresponding firmware.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.

Dual stimuli-sensitive carrageenan-based formulation for additive manufacturing.

The design and development of controlled release systems of molecules of interest (nutrients, flavors, and drugs) have attracted significant attention over several years. Herein, we report a formulation of dual temperature and electro responsive κ- and ι-carrageenan based hydrogel for efficient food material and drug delivery. The microstructure and the thermal behavior of the hydrogel were characterized.

Understanding the mechanical performance of raw and cooked potato cells.

The micromechanics of individual potato cells comprising of cell wall and embedded native or gelatinised starch were explored. Micromanipulation can be used to compare cells of distinct strengths and study (bio)mechanical issues related to industrial processing (e.g.

Design data for the 3D printer modification to print gels and pastes and the corresponding firmware.

In order to deposit gel and paste-like materials, a commercially available HICTOP Prusa i3 plastic 3D printer was modified. The modification included replacing the existing plastic microextruder with a customised 3D printed syringe pump which could hold a syringe containing the printing material. The arrangement also allowed the temperature in the syringe to be controlled.

A simplified fluid resuscitation formula for burns in mass casualty scenarios: Analysis of the consensus recommendation from the WHO Emergency Medical Teams Technical Working Group on Burns.

Background: Burn fluid resuscitation guidelines have not specifically addressed mass casualty with resource limited situations, except for oral rehydration for burns below 40% total body surface area (TBSA). The World Health Organization Technical Working Group on Burns (TWGB) recommends an initial fluid rate of 100 mL/kg/24 h, either orally or intravenously, beyond 20% TBSA burned. We aimed to compare this formula with current guidelines.

Swelling of high acyl gellan gum hydrogel: Characterization of network strengthening and slower release.

This study examined the mechanism of swelling for high acyl (HA) gellan gum and the impacts on the hydrogel mechanical properties and the release of a model drug (glucose). Controlling the material properties and the release of entrapped drugs during use in aqueous environments, such as the stomach or bodily fluids, are crucial in designing functional applications. Swelling of HA gellan gum was controlled by varying the osmotic environment with salts and solvents, and effects on the gel network were characterized by uniaxial compression tests, DSC, and rheology.

COVID-19 and thermoregulation-related problems: Practical recommendations.

The COVID-19 pandemic started in the cold months of the year 2020 in the Northern hemisphere. Concerns were raised that the hot season may lead to additional problems as some typical interventions to prevent heat-related illness could potentially conflict with precautions to reduce coronavirus transmission. Therefore, an international research team organized by the Global Health Heat Information Network generated an inventory of the specific concerns about this nexus and began to address the issues.

Mechanical properties of starch-filled alginate gel particles.

The aim of this work was to investigate the mechanical behaviour of alginate-based composite particles. Alginate gel beads with entrapped starch were used as the replicates of storage cells of plant tissue. Beads were formulated using different ratios of both ingredients and were produced using two methods, resulting in particles in the macro- and micro-scale size range.

Independent co-delivery of model actives with different degrees of hydrophilicity from oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions stabilised by solid lipid particles via a Pickering mechanism: a-proof-of-principle study.

Hypothesis: The development of vehicles for the co-encapsulation of actives with diverse characteristics and their subsequent controllable co-delivery is gaining increasing research interest. Predominantly centred around pharmaceutical applications, the majority of such co-delivery approaches have been focusing on solid formulations and less so on liquid-based systems. Simple emulsions can be designed to offer a liquid-based microstructural platform for the compartmentalised multi-delivery of actives.

Recommendations for burns care in mass casualty incidents: WHO Emergency Medical Teams Technical Working Group on Burns (WHO TWGB) 2017-2020.

Health and logistical needs in emergencies have been well recognised. The last 7 years has witnessed improved professionalisation and standardisation of care for disaster affected communities - led in part by the World Health Organisation Emergency Medical Team (EMT) initiative. Mass casualty incidents (MCIs) resulting in burn injuries present unique challenges.

Imaging of dairy emulsions a novel approach of transmission electron cryogenic microscopy using beam exposure.

Emulsions containing small fat and protein particles are difficult to differentiate but low dose transmission electron cryogenic microscopy can visualize and distinguish between these droplets or particles. A controlled increase in electron dose caused the sample to bubble and visibly degrade at <25 e Å for fat globules and at >150 e Å for protein particles, allowing particle differentiation. This technique may be useful for the development of nanoemulsions, as well as nanostructured and 3D printed foods.

Creation of a novel trigeminal tractography atlas for automated trigeminal nerve identification.

Diffusion MRI (dMRI) tractography has been successfully used to study the trigeminal nerves (TGNs) in many clinical and research applications. Currently, identification of the TGN in tractography data requires expert nerve selection using manually drawn regions of interest (ROIs), which is prone to inter-observer variability, time-consuming and carries high clinical and labor costs. To overcome these issues, we propose to create a novel anatomically curated TGN tractography atlas that enables automated identification of the TGN from dMRI tractography.

A flow velocity dependence of dynamic surface tension in Plateau borders of foam.

Hypothesis: Liquid drainage through foams is a multiscale process, that primarily occurs through channels known as Plateau borders (PBs). Recent experimental studies of isolated PBs have observed variations in channel surface tension, γ, with liquid flow rate, Q, for systems containing soluble low molecular weight surfactant (LMWS). The current study proposes that the dynamic surface tension (DST) could be responsible for this effect, where the residence time of surfactant molecules in the PB is similar to the time required for their adsorption to the channel interface.

SlicerDMRI: Diffusion MRI and Tractography Research Software for Brain Cancer Surgery Planning and Visualization.

Purpose: We present SlicerDMRI, an open-source software suite that enables research using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI), the only modality that can map the white matter connections of the living human brain. SlicerDMRI enables analysis and visualization of dMRI data and is aimed at the needs of clinical research users. SlicerDMRI is built upon and deeply integrated with 3D Slicer, a National Institutes of Health-supported open-source platform for medical image informatics, image processing, and three-dimensional visualization.

Production of Oil-in-Water Emulsions with Varying Dispersed-Phase Content using Confined Impinging Jet Mixers.

This work reports for the first time on the use of Confined Impinging Jet Mixers (CIJM) for the production of emulsions with dispersed-phase content up to 80 wt %, in both the surfactant-poor and -rich regimes, following the exposure to varying CIJM hydrodynamic conditions. It was observed computationally and experimentally that the CIJM capacity resulted strictly dependent on the mass jet flow rate ( > 176 g/min) and the pre-emulsion droplet size (>10 μm). CIJM emulsification performance remained (almost) unaffected by the variation in the oil mass fraction.

Anatomical assessment of trigeminal nerve tractography using diffusion MRI: A comparison of acquisition b-values and single- and multi-fiber tracking strategies.

Background: The trigeminal nerve (TGN) is the largest cranial nerve and can be involved in multiple inflammatory, compressive, ischemic or other pathologies. Currently, imaging-based approaches to identify the TGN mostly rely on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which provides localization of the cisternal portion of the TGN where the contrast between nerve and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is high enough to allow differentiation. The course of the TGN within the brainstem as well as anterior to the cisternal portion, however, is more difficult to display on traditional imaging sequences.

Intraoperative Use of Functional MRI for Surgical Decision Making after Limited or Infeasible Electrocortical Stimulation Mapping.

Background And Purpose: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is becoming widely recognized as a key component of preoperative neurosurgical planning, although intraoperative electrocortical stimulation (ECS) is considered the gold standard surgical brain mapping method. However, acquiring and interpreting ECS results can sometimes be challenging. This retrospective study assesses whether intraoperative availability of fMRI impacted surgical decision-making when ECS was problematic or unobtainable.

Influence of Ethanol on Emulsions Stabilized by Low Molecular Weight Surfactants.

The effect of ethanol on oil-in-water emulsions stabilized with low molecular weight surfactants was investigated. Oil-in-water emulsions were prepared containing varying percentages of ethanol and sunflower oil, and stabilized with different emulsifiers (Tween 20, Tween 80, and Lecithin). Droplet size, viscosity, density, and interfacial tension measurements were carried out.

Development of a Kribbella-specific isolation medium and description of Kribbella capetownensis sp. nov. and Kribbella speibonae sp. nov., isolated from soil.

Two actinobacterial strains were isolated from samples collected from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. A third actinobacterial strain was isolated from soil collected in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa, using a newly-developed Kribbella-selective medium. Analysis of the 16S rRNA genes showed that the three strains belonged to the genus Kribbella.

A Consensus Framework for the Humanitarian Surgical Response to Armed Conflict in 21st Century Warfare.

Importance: Armed conflict in the 21st century poses new challenges to a humanitarian surgical response, including changing security requirements, access to patients, and communities in need, limited deployable surgical assets, resource constraints, and the requirement to address both traumatic injuries as well as emergency surgical needs of the population. At the same time, recent improvements in trauma care and systems have reduced injury-related mortality. This combination of new challenges and medical capabilities warrants reconsideration of long-standing humanitarian surgery protocols.

Impact of Pickering Intervention on the Stability of W/O/W Double Emulsions of Relevance to Foods.

Although water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) double emulsions have been associated with a spectrum of potential applications in foods, their complex microstructure is significantly unstable. Pickering stabilization, reputed for superior and longer-term interfacial stabilization when compared to surfactant-stabilized systems, could provide the opportunity to enhance double-emulsion stability. The current work presents a systematic study on the impact of progressively adopting such a Pickering intervention onto one or both interfaces of W/O/W emulsions relevant to foods.