On-chip non-contact mechanical cell stimulation - quantification of SKOV-3 alignment to suspended microstructures.

Although the accumulation of random genetic mutations has been traditionally viewed as the main cause of cancer progression, altered mechanobiological profiles of the cells and microenvironment also play a major role as a mutation-independent element. To probe the latter, we have previously reported a microfluidic cell-culture platform with an integrated flexible actuator and its application for sequential cyclic compression of cancer cells. The platform is composed of a control microchannel in a top layer for introducing external pressure, and a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane from which a monolithically-integrated actuator protrudes downwards into a cell-culture microchannel.

Evaluation of Dynamic Respiratory Muscle Strength, Physical Fitness, and Physical Activity in Children with Asthma and Healthy Peers.

: Systemic inflammation, attacks, deterioration of thoracic region mechanics, medications used, and decreased physical activity level (PAL) and fitness negatively may affect respiratory muscle strength. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate dynamic inspiratory muscle strength (S-index), PAL, and physical fitness in children with asthma compared to healthy peers. The secondary aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between S-index and peak inspiratory flow (PIF) values and functional parameters in childhood asthma.

The impact of trans-sacral epiduroscopic laser decompression on quality of life in lumbar disc herniation.

Objectives: Trans-sacral epiduroscopic laser decompression (SELD), employing a video-guided catheter and laser, is one of the preferred options for minimally invasive treatment in lumbar disc disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of SELD treatment on pain, disability, and quality of life in patients with lumbar disc herniation.

Methods: Between January 2015 and June 2017, a total of 76 patients who underwent SELD were examined retrospectively.

Long-term mortality outcomes and mortality predictors in patients with myelomeningocele.

Objective: Despite advances, myelomeningocele remains a major cause of mortality and disability. This study aims to analyze factors influencing mortality and suggest ways to reduce it.

Methods: We reviewed 173 patients who underwent surgery for myelomeningocele from January 2010 to December 2021.

Exploring the geospatial variations in the public health workforce: implications for diversifying the supply of potential workers in governmental settings.

The US public health workforce has markedly declined, falling from 500 000 individuals in 1980 to 239 000 by 2022, a trend exacerbated by economic instability and an aging demographic. There was a temporary surge in staffing through emergency hires during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the permanence of these positions remains uncertain. Concurrently, public health degree conferrals have sharply increased, creating a mismatch between the growing number of graduates and the actual needs of health departments.

Not Only How Much But How: The Importance Of Diversifying Funding Streams In A Reimagined Public Health System.

Revenue diversification may be a synergistic strategy for transforming public health, yet few national or trend data are available. This study quantified and identified patterns in revenue diversification in public health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used National Association of County and City Health Officials' National Profile of Local Health Departments study data for 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2022 to calculate a yearly diversification index for local health departments.

Validity and intra- and inter-rater reliability of the Tinetti performance-oriented mobility assessment balance subscale using different tele-assessment methods in patients with chronic stroke.

Introduction: Balance assessments are an important component of rehabilitation. Considering the increasing use of telemedicine to meet rehabilitation needs, it is important to examine the feasibility of such assessments. This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment Balance Subscale (POMA-B) when applied via synchronous and asynchronous tele-assessment.

Public health workforce survey data (2016-2021) related to employee turnover: proposed methods for harmonization and triangulation.

Introduction: Public health workforce numbers are unsustainable at best and dire at worst: based on 2017 and 2019 data, 80,000 FTEs needed to be hired by health departments to provide basic public health foundational services COVID-19 hit, suggesting that the situation is worse after the mass exodus of public health officials due to the pandemic. As such, a better understanding of public health workforce turnover is critical to improving recruitment and retention in the discipline.

Methods: This methods report details how the authors harmonized four public health workforce surveys-the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS), the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Profile, the NACCHO Forces of Change survey, and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) Profile-in order to examine employee turnover.

A Review of the Nutritional Approach and the Role of Dietary Components in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Light of the Latest Scientific Research.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects several areas of mental development. The onset of ASD occurs in the first few years of life, usually before the age of 3 years. Proper nutrition is important to ensure that an individual's nutrient and energy requirements are met, and it can also have a moderating effect on the progression of the disorder.

The Urgent Need for Neuroscience Research to Consider Culture when Assessing the Development of Gait in Autistic Children: A Scoping Review.

Background: Over the last decade, there has been a steady increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on a global scale, impacting all racial and cultural groups. This increase in the diagnostic rate has prompted investigation into a myriad of factors that may serve as early signs of ASD. One of these factors includes the biomechanics of gait, or the manner of walking.

Application of sequential cyclic compression on cancer cells in a flexible microdevice.

Mechanical forces shape physiological structure and function within cell and tissue microenvironments, during which cells strive to restore their shape or develop an adaptive mechanism to maintain cell integrity depending on strength and type of the mechanical loading. While some cells are shown to experience permanent plastic deformation after a repetitive mechanical tensile loading and unloading, the impact of such repetitive compression on deformation of cells is yet to be understood. As such, the ability to apply cyclic compression is crucial for any experimental setup aimed at the study of mechanical compression taking place in cell and tissue microenvironments.

Microdevice-based mechanical compression on living cells.

Compressive stress enables the investigation of a range of cellular processes in which forces play an important role, such as cell growth, differentiation, migration, and invasion. Such solid stress can be introduced externally to study cell response and to mechanically induce changes in cell morphology and behavior by static or dynamic compression. Microfluidics is a useful tool for this, allowing one to mimic microenvironments in on-chip culture systems where force application can be controlled spatially and temporally.

Our Clinical Algorithmic Approach for Meningomyelocele Defects Reconstruction with Fasciocutaneous Flaps.

Aim: To evaluate fasciocutaneous flaps used for reconstruction of meningomyelocele defects in our clinic and to suggest an algorithm for flap selection.

Material And Methods: A retrospective analysis of 45 patients with meningomyelocele, who underwent repair with fasciocutaneous flaps, was carried out. Preoperative and postoperative photos were analyzed.

The Long-Term Effects of Plasma Disc Coagulation Therapy for Cervical Disc Hernia.

Objectives: Recently, plasma disc coagulation therapy (PDCT) has been used in the treatment of lumbar and cervical disc hernia (CDH), but the long-term effects of PDCT have not been well documented. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term effects of PDCT on pain score, disc volume and patient satisfaction in patients with CDH.

Methods: Eighty patients with CDH, who underwent PDCT treatment, were included in the study.

Art-on-a-Chip: Preserving Microfluidic Chips for Visualization and Permanent Display.

"After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved, science and art tend to coalesce in aesthetics, plasticity, and form. The greatest scientists are always artists as well." said Albert Einstein.

An Algorithm for the Diagnosis of Behçet Disease Uveitis in Adults.

: To develop an algorithm for the diagnosis of Behçet's disease (BD) uveitis based on ocular findings.: Following an initial survey among uveitis experts, we collected multi-center retrospective data on 211 patients with BD uveitis and 207 patients with other uveitides, and identified ocular findings with a high diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). Subsequently, we collected multi-center prospective data on 127 patients with BD uveitis and 322 controls and developed a diagnostic algorithm using Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis and expert opinion.

A graphical user interface for automated 2- or 3-dimensional image registration in dental treatment recovery planning: the DentIR application.

Objectives: Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans enable quantification of interproximal bone loss after implant procedures in dental patients. In order for this quantification to be accurate, software is typically used to manipulate image sets captured before and after implantation to obtain their exact registration (i.e.

[Effective pain therapy can improve the survival of patients with pancreatic cancer].

Objectives: In this study, characteristics and analgesic treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer who applied to the algology clinic were evaluated.

Methods: Demographic characteristics, pathologic diagnosis, metastasis, cancer treatment, and analgesic interventions in 60 patients with pancreatic cancer, referred to the algology clinic, were examined.

Results: The application time of the patients to the clinic was 3.

Comparison of automated quantification and semiquantitative visual analysis findings of IQ SPECT MPI with conventional coronary angiography in patients with stable angina.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the validity of automated quantitative and semiquantitative visual analysis of total perfusion deficit (TPD) using the IQ SPECT gamma camera system compared to conventional coronary angiographically detected significant coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: The study included patients with suspected CAD who underwent myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography and conventional coronary angiography. The summed stress score (SSS), summed rest score (SRS), and summed difference score (SDS) (semiquantitative visual analysis results) were assessed using a 5-point scale in a standard 17-segment model, and TPD (stress, rest, and ischemic TPD) was quantified using automated software.

Cross-linked α-galactosidase aggregates: optimization, characterization and application in the hydrolysis of raffinose-type oligosaccharides in soymilk.

Background: Cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs) of α-galactosidase, partially purified from maize (Zea mays) flour, were prepared. The impact of various parameters on enzyme activity was examined to optimize the immobilization procedure. Biochemical characterization of the free and immobilized enzyme was carried out.

Effect of Interferon alfa-2a Treatment on Adaptive and Innate Immune Systems in Patients With Behçet Disease Uveitis.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of interferon alfa-2a on T regulatory (Treg) cells, T helper 17 (Th17) cells, and expression of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in Behçet disease (BD) patients with uveitis.

Methods: Twenty-seven patients who received interferon alfa-2a for active BD uveitis despite conventional immunomodulatory therapies and healthy controls were enrolled. Peripheral blood Treg and Th17 cell frequencies were determined by flow cytometry as gated cells for CD3+CD4+Foxp3+ and CD3+CD4+IL17A+, respectively.

Unilateral paraneoplastic optic disc edema and retinal periphlebitis in pineal germinoma.

Purpose: To describe a unilateral ocular paraneoplastic syndrome in pineal germinoma.

Observations: A 24-year-old male presented with diplopia, excessive thirst, and frequent urination. Cranial MRI showed a mass in pineal gland.

Intradiscal ozone therapy for lumbar disc herniation.

The rationale behind intradiscal O2-O3 therapy is the pain elicited by the mechanical compression of the nerve root, which is associated with periganglionic and periradicular inflammation. This study aimed to determine the effect of intradiscal ozone injection on pain score and satisfaction of patients with low back pain (LBP) secondary to disc herniation. Patients with LBP diagnosed with disc herniation were enrolled in this clinical trial.