Structural Insight into a Sixteen Cyanine Dye Construct via Exciton-Exciton Annihilation.

Molecular (dye) aggregates play a prominent role in light harvesting and are of interest in quantum information science; however, there are limited reports that programmably assemble many (>4) dye aggregates featuring strong coupling and exciton delocalization. Using oligonucleotides with four Cy5s covalently linked in series along the phosphate backbone, we bring 4, 8, and 16 Cy5s in close proximity by assembling four-armed junctions. We elucidate their structure via gel electrophoresis and steady-state and transient optical spectroscopy.

Correction: Towards control of excitonic coupling in DNA-templated Cy5 aggregates: the principal role of chemical substituent hydrophobicity and steric interactions.

Correction for 'Towards control of excitonic coupling in DNA-templated Cy5 aggregates: the principal role of chemical substituent hydrophobicity and steric interactions' by Sebastián A. Díaz , , 2023, , 3284-3299. https://doi.

Predictive Tool Use and Willingness for Surgery in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Despite the increasing number of tools available to predict the outcomes of total knee arthroplasty (TKA), the effect of these predictive tools on patient decision-making remains uncertain.

Objective: To assess the effect of an online predictive tool on patient-reported willingness to undergo TKA.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This parallel, double-masked, 2-arm randomized clinical trial compared predictive tool use with treatment as usual (TAU).

Exciton delocalization in a fully synthetic DNA-templated bacteriochlorin dimer.

A bacteriochlorophyll (Bchla) dimer is a basic functional unit in the LH1 and LH2 photosynthetic pigment-protein antenna complexes of purple bacteria, where an ordered, close arrangement of Bchla pigments-secured by noncovalent bonding to a protein template-enables exciton delocalization at room temperature. Stable and tunable synthetic analogs of this key photosynthetic subunit could lead to facile engineering of exciton-based systems such as in artificial photosynthesis, organic optoelectronics, and molecular quantum computing. Here, using a combination of synthesis and theory, we demonstrate that exciton delocalization can be achieved in a dimer of a synthetic bacteriochlorin (BC) featuring stability, high structural modularity, and spectral properties advantageous for exciton-based devices.

Factors associated with oral anticoagulant prescription status among patients with a new diagnosis of atrial fibrillation.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia in adults and increases stroke risk. Treatment with oral anticoagulants (OACs) may reduce this risk however many patients do not receive OAC therapy. This study aimed to use electronic health record data to identify newly diagnosed AF patients at high risk for stroke and not anticoagulated as well as factors associated with OAC prescription.

Electronic Structure and Excited-State Dynamics of DNA-Templated Monomers and Aggregates of Asymmetric Polymethine Dyes.

Aggregates of conjugated organic molecules (i.e., dyes) may exhibit relatively large one- and two-exciton interaction energies, which has motivated theoretical studies on their potential use in quantum information science (QIS).

Towards control of excitonic coupling in DNA-templated Cy5 aggregates: the principal role of chemical substituent hydrophobicity and steric interactions.

Understanding and controlling exciton coupling in dye aggregates has become a greater focus as potential applications such as coherent exciton devices, nanophotonics, and biosensing have been proposed. DNA nanostructure templates allow for a powerful modular approach. Using DNA Holliday junction (HJ) templates variations of dye combinations and precision dye positions can be rapidly assayed, as well as creating aggregates of dyes that could not be prepared (either due to excess or lack of solubility) through alternative means.

Exciton Chirality Inversion in Dye Dimers Templated by DNA Holliday Junction.

While only one enantiomer of chiral biomolecules performs a biological function, access to both enantiomers (or enantiomorphs) proved to be advantageous for technology. Using dye covalent attachment to a DNA Holliday junction (HJ), we created two pairs of dimers of bis(chloroindolenine)squaraine dye that enabled strongly coupled molecular excitons of opposite chirality in solution. The exciton chirality inversion was achieved by interchanging single covalent linkers of unequal length tethering the dyes of each dimer to the HJ core.

Tunable Electronic Structure via DNA-Templated Heteroaggregates of Two Distinct Cyanine Dyes.

Molecular excitons are useful for applications in light harvesting, organic optoelectronics, and nanoscale computing. Electronic energy transfer (EET) is a process central to the function of devices based on molecular excitons. Achieving EET with a high quantum efficiency is a common obstacle to excitonic devices, often owing to the lack of donor and acceptor molecules that exhibit favorable spectral overlap.

Dig Deeper: A Case Report of Finding (and Fixing) the Root Cause of Add-On Laboratory Failures.

Background: Venipunctures and the testing they facilitate are clinically necessary, particularly for hospitalized patients. However, excess venipunctures lead to patient harm, decreased patient satisfaction, and waste.

Objectives: We sought to identify contributors to excess venipunctures at our institution, focusing on electronic health record (EHR)-related factors.

Lost to Follow-Up: A Nationwide Analysis of Patients With Transient Ischemic Attack Discharged From Emergency Departments With Incomplete Imaging.

Purpose: Imaging guidelines for transient ischemic attack (TIA) recommend that patients undergo urgent brain and neurovascular imaging within 48 hours of symptom onset. Prior research suggests that most patients with TIA discharged from the emergency department (ED) do not complete recommended TIA imaging workup during their ED encounters. The purpose of this study was to determine the nationwide percentage of patients with TIA discharged from EDs with incomplete imaging workup who complete recommended imaging after discharge.

Assessing the performance of different outcomes for tumor growth studies with animal models.

The consistency of reporting results for patient-derived xenograft (PDX) studies is an area of concern. The PDX method commonly starts by implanting a derivative of a human tumor into a mouse, then comparing the tumor growth under different treatment conditions. Currently, a wide array of statistical methods (e.

Ordering Characteristics Predictive of Noncontrast CT Head Positivity in the Emergency Department.

Rationale And Objectives: Recent decades have seen a steady increase in noncontrast head CT utilization in the emergency department with a concurrent rise in the practice of physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs). The goal of this study was to identify ordering and patient characteristics predictive of positive noncontrast head CTs in the ED. We hypothesized NP/PAs would have lower positivity rates compared to physicians, suggestive of relative overutilization.

Tuning between Quenching and Energy Transfer in DNA-Templated Heterodimer Aggregates.

Molecular excitons, which propagate spatially via electronic energy transfer, are central to numerous applications including light harvesting, organic optoelectronics, and nanoscale computing; they may also benefit applications such as photothermal therapy and photoacoustic imaging through the local generation of heat via rapid excited-state quenching. Here we show how to tune between energy transfer and quenching for heterodimers of the same pair of cyanine dyes by altering their spatial configuration on a DNA template. We assemble "transverse" and "adjacent" heterodimers of Cy5 and Cy5.

Evaluating willingness for surgery using the SMART Choice (Knee) patient prognostic tool for total knee arthroplasty: study protocol for a pragmatic randomised controlled trial.

Background: Approximately 1 in 5 patients feel unsatisfied after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Prognostic tools may aid in the patient selection process and reduce the proportion of patients who experience unsatisfactory surgery. This study uses the prognostic tool SMART Choice (Patient Prognostic Tool for Total Knee Arthroplasty) to predict patient improvement after TKA.

Factors Associated with Retention and Adherence in a Comprehensive, Diverse HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Clinic.

Retention in HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) care and adherence to PrEP have been suboptimal in some populations, despite evidence that high adherence dramatically enhances PrEP efficacy. A comprehensive PrEP Clinic with a retention specialist and clinical pharmacist could impact patient's retention and adherence in PrEP care. A retrospective electronic medical record review of patients attending an academic PrEP Clinic was conducted between June 2018 and June 2019 (at least one visit attended for PrEP was required).

Organisation of the musculature of the rat stomach.

The strengths, directions and coupling of the movements of the stomach depend on the organisation of its musculature. Although the rat has been used as a model species to study gastric function, there is no detailed, quantitative study of the arrangement of the gastric muscles in rat. Here we provide a descriptive and quantitative account, and compare it with human gastric anatomy.

Mass-Like Fat at the Medial Midfoot: A Common Pseudolesion.

Fatty masses are common and may be encountered in the foot and ankle. In some cases, normal subcutaneous fat may be mistaken for a discrete mass. The aim of this study was to evaluate the common finding of prominent subcutaneous fat at the medial midfoot resembling a lipoma and to determine the prevalence of this pseudolesion by applying a series of potential size cutoff criteria.

Implementation and 1-year follow-up of the cardiovascular ICU standardised handover.

Background: Miscommunication during clinical handover can lead to partial information transfer and healthcare provider dissatisfaction. We hypothesised that a quality improvement project to standardise the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) handover could improve healthcare provider satisfaction and reduce information omission.

Methods: After institutional review board approval, the operating room (OR) to CVICU handover was audited prior, post and 1 year after standardisation implementation.

Small target repeatability of Ga and F: effects of target concentration and imaging time on SUV measurements in clinically relevant phantoms.

Quantification of tumor uptake using PET imaging is important for the evaluation of therapy response. For F FDG PET scans, a change in uptake of 25% is commonly considered significant. For scans using novel radiopharmaceuticals, the threshold of significance is unclear.

Excited-State Lifetimes of DNA-Templated Cyanine Dimer, Trimer, and Tetramer Aggregates: The Role of Exciton Delocalization, Dye Separation, and DNA Heterogeneity.

DNA-templated molecular (dye) aggregates are a novel class of materials that have garnered attention in a broad range of areas including light harvesting, sensing, and computing. Using DNA to template dye aggregation is attractive due to the relative ease with which DNA nanostructures can be assembled in solution, the diverse array of nanostructures that can be assembled, and the ability to precisely position dyes to within a few Angstroms of one another. These factors, combined with the programmability of DNA, raise the prospect of designer materials custom tailored for specific applications.

Alvimopan as part of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocol following radical cystectomy is associated with decreased hospital stay.

Objective: To study the effect of alvimopan and the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocol on length of hospital stay in patients undergoing radical cystectomy.

Methods: Our retrospective study involved 296 consecutive patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer at our institution from 2010 through 2018. Patients were grouped according to three stages of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocol implementation: (i) pre-Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (group A; n = 146); (ii) pre-alvimopan Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (group B; n = 102); and (iii) Enhanced Recovery After Surgery plus alvimopan (group C; n = 48).

Effects of acetate on cerebral blood flow, systemic inflammation, and behavior in alcohol use disorder.

Background: Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are associated with altered regulation of physiological processes in the brain. Acetate, a metabolite of ethanol, has been implicated in several processes that are disrupted in AUDs including transcriptional regulation, metabolism, inflammation, and neurotransmission. To further understand the effects of acetate on brain function in AUDs, we investigated the effects of acetate on cerebral blood flow (CBF), systemic inflammatory cytokines, and behavior in AUD.