Identifying factors associated with of blood pressure using Structural Equation Modeling: evidence from a large Kurdish cohort study in Iran.

Background: Identifying the risk factors leading to hypertension can help explain why some populations are at a greater risk for developing hypertension than others. The present study seeks to identify the association between the risk factors of hypertension in 35- to 65-year-old participants in western Iran.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 9705 adults from baseline data of Ravansar Non-Communicable Disease (RaNCD) cohort study, in the west region of Iran.

An investigation into patient-specific 3D printed titanium stents and the use of etching to overcome Selective Laser Melting design constraints.

Due to limitations in available paediatric stents for treatment of aortic coarctation, adult stents are often used off-label resulting in less than optimal outcomes. The increasingly widespread use of CT and/or MR imaging for pre-surgical assessment, and the emergence of additive manufacturing processes such as 3D printing, could enable bespoke devices to be produced efficiently and cost-effectively. However, 3D printed metallic stents need to be self-supporting leading to limitations in their design.

The effect of child-abuse on the behavioral problems in the children of the parents with substance use disorder: Presenting a model of structural equations.

Child abuse may potentially create the behavioral problems particularly in the children of parents with substance use disorder. Thus, the current study was conducted to investigate the effects of child abuse on the behavioral problems in the children of parents with substance use disorder using the emotional regulation and social skills as mediators. In this paper, the method of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied.

Selective Laser Melting of Ti-6Al-4V: The Impact of Post-processing on the Tensile, Fatigue and Biological Properties for Medical Implant Applications.

One of the main challenges in additive manufacturing (AM) of medical implants for the treatment of bone tissue defects is to optimise the mechanical and biological performance. The use of post-processing can be a necessity to improve the physical properties of customised AM processed implants. In this study, Ti-6Al-4V coupons were manufactured using selective laser melting (SLM) in two build orientations (vertical and horizontal) and subsequently post-processed using combinations of hot isostatic pressing (HIP), sandblasting (SB), polishing (PL) and chemical etching (CE).

Investigating associated factors with glomerular filtration rate: structural equation modeling.

Background: Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is a valid indicator of kidney function. Different factors can affect GFR. The purpose of this study is to assess the direct and indirect effects of GFR-related factors using structural equation modeling.

Developing a highly selective method for preconcentration and determination of cobalt in water and nut samples using 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol and UV-visible spectroscopy.

Background: Heavy metal contamination in water and agricultural products is a major concern that causes risks for human health. This article describes a highly selective approach to preconcentrate cobalt(II) (Co(II)) ions based on the standard UV-visible measurement of Co(II)-1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol complex at λ = 628 nm in water and nut samples. In this method, magnetic silica (mSiO ) was utilized as a practical sorbent and 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol was employed as a complexing agent in the elution step.

Magnetic MnO nanocomposite covered with N,N'-bis(salicylidene)ethylenediamine for selective preconcentration of cadmium(II) prior to its quantification by FAAS.

This article describes a method for highly selective preconcentration of Cd(II) via magnetic MnO coated by N,N'-bis(salicylidene)ethylenediamine (BSED). The metal oxide components were prepared via combining sol-gel and precipitation methods. Then, BSED was added as the third component of the composite.

The design of additively manufactured lattices to increase the functionality of medical implants.

The rise of antibiotic resistant bacterial species is driving the requirement for medical devices that minimise infection risks. Antimicrobial functionality may be achieved by modifying the implant design to incorporate a reservoir that locally releases a therapeutic. For this approach to be successful it is critical that mechanical functionality of the implant is maintained.

Synthesis of a magnetic WO nanocomposite for use in highly selective preconcentration of Pb(II) prior to its quantification by FAAS.

A novel sorbent consisting of WO and FeO is described for preconcentration of Pb(II). It was prepared without consumption of organic solvents. The nano composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, alternating gradient force magnetometer and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller.

Surface Finish has a Critical Influence on Biofilm Formation and Mammalian Cell Attachment to Additively Manufactured Prosthetics.

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies enable greater geometrical design freedom compared with subtractive processes. This flexibility has been used to manufacture patient-matched implants. Although the advantages of AM are clear, the optimization at each process stage is often understated.

Adding functionality with additive manufacturing: Fabrication of titanium-based antibiotic eluting implants.

Additive manufacturing technologies have been utilised in healthcare to create patient-specific implants. This study demonstrates the potential to add new implant functionality by further exploiting the design flexibility of these technologies. Selective laser melting was used to manufacture titanium-based (Ti-6Al-4V) implants containing a reservoir.

Modification of gellan gum with nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite facilitates cell expansion and spontaneous osteogenesis.

Nanocomposites composed of hydrogels and calcium phosphates are of great interest in the development of bone graft replacements since they may have a structural and compositional resemblance to bone. Culture beads formed from such materials could be used in stirred tank culture and thereby enable cell expansion in a sufficiently efficient manner to allow for the generation of enough large number of cells for large-scale bone reconstruction. Although combinations of materials such as alginate, collagens, and various calcium phosphates have been investigated as culture beads, these materials are unsuitable for application since they have been shown to rapidly degrade in physiological conditions and enable relatively little tailoring of mechanical properties.

Preparation and characterisation of nanophase Sr, Mg, and Zn substituted hydroxyapatite by aqueous precipitation.

Hydroxyapatite (HA) substituted with 2 mol% Sr, 10 mol% Mg, and 2 mol% Zn were precipitated under identical alkaline conditions (pH 11) at 20°C from an aqueous solution. As-synthesised materials were confirmed to be phase pure by XRD and samples prepared in air contained surface adsorbed CO2 as observed by FTIR. SEM studies revealed a globular morphology and agglomeration behaviour, typical of precipitated nHA.

Low temperature aqueous precipitation of needle-like nanophase hydroxyapatite.

The use of tissue engineered biodegradable porous scaffolds has become an important focus of the biomedical research field. The precursor materials used to form these structures play a vital role in their overall performance thus making the study and synthesis of these selected materials imperative. The authors present a comparison and characterisation of hydroxyapatite (HA), a popular calcium phosphate (CaP) biomaterial, synthesised by an aqueous precipitation (AP) method.

Brushite cement additives inhibit attachment to cell culture beads.

Brushite-forming calcium phosphate cements are of great interest as bone replacement materials because they are resorbable in physiological conditions. Cell-attached culture beads formed from this material could be of great use for cell therapy. Despite a significant amount of work on optimizing the physicochemical properties of these materials, there are very few studies that have evaluated the capacity of the materials to facilitate cell adhesion.

Infrequent increases in stimulus intensity may interrupt central executive functioning during Rapid Eye Movement sleep.

This study examines the extent to which infrequent changes in the intensity of an auditory stimulus can interrupt the functioning of the central executive during natural sleep. In the waking, conscious state, highly relevant but unattended stimulus input may elicit a positive-going event-related potential, P3a, peaking at about 250 ms. P3a is presumed to reflect the interruption of the central executive controlling ongoing cognitive activities, resulting in potential awareness of stimulus input.

The effects of very slow rates of stimulus presentation on event-related potential estimates of hearing threshold.

The present study evaluated the use of slow rates of stimulus presentation on the accuracy of the N1-P2 cortical response in estimating hearing threshold. Long interstimulus intervals (ISI) allow the non-specific component of the N1 response to emerge, believed to reflect widespread cortical arousal that facilitates sensory and motor responses. We examined whether the non-specific N1 would be elicited at intensity levels near threshold.