3D printed drug-eluting stents: Toward personalized therapy for airway stenosis.

Airway stents are life-saving medical devices used to treat malignant or benign central airway stenoses. Unfortunately, these devices, typically manufactured from silicone alone and/or nitinol, can result in serious complications, such as stent migration, bacterial colonization, and tissue granulation, eventually forcing stent removal. Customized airway stents exhibit reduced migration and they can be tailored to address other complications by releasing drugs, such as the antibiotic levofloxacin and the antifibrotic drug nintedanib.

Predictors of study dropout in cognitive-behavioural therapy with a trauma focus for post-traumatic stress disorder in adults: An individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: Available empirical evidence on participant-level factors associated with dropout from psychotherapies for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is both limited and inconclusive. More comprehensive understanding of the various factors that contribute to study dropout from cognitive-behavioural therapy with a trauma focus (CBT-TF) is crucial for enhancing treatment outcomes.

Objective: Using an individual participant data meta-analysis (IPD-MA) design, we examined participant-level predictors of study dropout from CBT-TF interventions for PTSD.

4D printing of biodegradable elastomers with tailorable thermal response at physiological temperature.

4D printing has a great potential for the manufacturing of soft robotics and medical devices. The alliance of digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing and novel shape-memory photopolymers allows for the fabrication of smart 4D-printed medical devices in high resolution and with tailorable functionalities. However, most of the reported 4D-printed materials are nondegradable, which limits their clinical applications.

Digital Light 3D Printed Bioresorbable and NIR-Responsive Devices with Photothermal and Shape-Memory Functions.

Digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing is a promising technique for the rapid manufacturing of customized medical devices with high precision. To be successfully translated to a clinical setting, challenges in the development of suitable photopolymerizable materials have yet to be overcome. Besides biocompatibility, it is often desirable for the printed devices to be biodegradable, elastic, and with a therapeutic function.

Light-Based Printing of Leachable Salt Molds for Facile Shaping of Complex Structures.

3D printing is a powerful manufacturing technology for shaping materials into complex structures. While the palette of printable materials continues to expand, the rheological and chemical requisites for printing are not always easy to fulfill. Here, a universal manufacturing platform is reported for shaping materials into intricate geometries without the need for their printability, but instead using light-based printed salt structures as leachable molds.

3D printed elastomers with Sylgard-184-like mechanical properties and tuneable degradability.

The 3D printing of biodegradable elastomers with high mechanical strength is of great interest for personalized medicine, but rather challenging. In this study, we propose a dual-polymer resin formulation for digital light processing of biodegradable elastomers with tailorable mechanical properties comparable to those of Sylgard-184.

Physical methods for enhancing drug absorption from the gastrointestinal tract.

Overcoming the gastrointestinal (GI) barriers is a formidable challenge in the oral delivery of active macromolecules such as peptide- and protein- based drugs. In the past four decades, a plethora of formulation strategies ranging from permeation enhancers, nanosized carriers, and chemical modifications of the drug's structure has been investigated to increase the oral absorption of these macromolecular compounds. However, only limited successes have been achieved so far, with the bioavailability of marketed oral peptide drugs remaining generally very low.

Digital light 3D printing of customized bioresorbable airway stents with elastomeric properties.

Central airway obstruction is a life-threatening disorder causing a high physical and psychological burden to patients. Standard-of-care airway stents are silicone tubes, which provide immediate relief but are prone to migration. Thus, they require additional surgeries to be removed, which may cause tissue damage.

Influence of 340 mT static magnetic field on germination potential and mid-infrared spectrum of wheat.

In a number of studies, a static magnetic field was observed to positively influence the growing process of various plants; however, the effect has not yet been related to possible structural changes. We investigate if the static magnetic field that improves germination of wheat also alters wheat's near-infrared spectrum. Two groups of seeds were exposed to 340 mT for 16 h cumulatively.

Ischemic heart disease and early diagnosis. Study on the predictive value of 2D strain.

Introduction: Two-dimensional strain echocardiography (2D-SE) quantifies left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) and global circumferential strain (GCS). Our aim was to test 2D-SE during dipyridamole stress echocardiography (Dipy-Stress) in patients with non-diagnostic result, checking by way of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) the possible presence of coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: Over twenty-four months 65 consecutive patients with non-diagnostic Dipy-Stress were studied by 2D-SE and by CCTA.

Functionalised isocoumarins as antifungal compounds: Synthesis and biological studies.

A series of novel 3-substituted isocoumarins was prepared via Pd-catalysed coupling processes and screened in vitro for antifungal activity against Candida species. The study revealed antifungal potential of isocoumarins possessing the azole substituents, which, in some cases, showed biological properties equal to those of clinically used voriconazole. Selected compounds were also screened against voriconazole resistant Candida krusei 6258 and a clinical isolate Candida parapsilosis CA-27.

Arterial stiffness as a predictor of recovery of left ventricular systolic function after acute myocardial infarction treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) are acknowledged as independent risk factors in different high-risk populations. We investigated the effects of arterial stiffness on LV function at 3 and 6 months after acute myocardial infarction. Changes in LVEF were evaluated in 136 consecutive patients who were diagnosed with ST-segment elevation coronary syndrome and treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Nanocrystalline CeO2-δ as effective adsorbent of azo dyes.

Ultrafine CeO2-δ nanopowder, prepared by a simple and cost-effective self-propagating room temperature synthesis method (SPRT), showed high adsorption capability for removal of different azo dyes. Batch type of adsorption experiments with fixed initial pH value were conducted for the removal of Reactive Orange 16 (RO16), Methyl Orange (MO), and Mordant Blue 9 (MB9). The equilibrium adsorption data were evaluated using Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models.

Superparamagnetism in iron-doped CeO₂-y nanocrystals.

We have measured the magnetization of undoped and Fe(2+/3+) doped CeO(2-y) nanocrystals at various temperatures and magnetic fields. The Stoner condition N(0)I > 1 is multiply fulfilled in the case of nano-CeO(2-y), favoring the band ferromagnetism approach. In the case of Fe-doped samples, the magnetization versus magnetic field dependence is well fitted with a weighted Langevin function.

Suppression of inherent ferromagnetism in Pr-doped CeO₂ nanocrystals.

Ce(1-x)Pr(x)O(2-δ) (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) nanocrystals were synthesized by self-propagating method and thoroughly characterized using X-ray diffraction, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and magnetic measurements. Undoped CeO₂ nanocrystals exhibited intrinsic ferromagnetism at room temperature.

Memory bias for faces that are perceived as hostile by crime victims with acute post-traumatic stress disorder.

The present study tested, and found support for, the hypotheses that crime victims with acute post-traumatic stress disorder have: (i) a general memory impairment for faces; and (ii) a memory bias for faces that they perceive as hostile, even when these faces are not arranged to show any hostile face expressions. It is suggested that crime victims with acute post-traumatic stress disorder perform worse on recognition memory due to impaired concentration, and that they allocate their limited attentional resources to the detection of hostility in others in order to avoid being victimized again. This produces a memory bias for perceived hostility even in relatively innocuous everyday interactions with others, which contributes to maintaining the sense of serious current threat that characterizes post-traumatic stress disorder.

Psychometric properties of a Swedish translation of the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale--Diagnostic Version.

Internal consistency (N = 172) and convergent validity (N = 73) of a Swedish translation of the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale-Diagnostic Version (CAPS-DX) were evaluated with violence victims with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The CAPS-DX evidenced a promising internal consistency, and significant correlations (Pearson product-moment) with the PTSD Symptom Scale Self-Report version (PSS-SR) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Additionally, each subscale of the CAPS-DX (intrusion, avoidance/numbing, and arousal) was significantly correlated with the corresponding subscales of the PSS-SR and the IES-R.

Prolonged exposure counterconditioning as a treatment for chronic posttraumatic stress disorder.

A counterconditioning model is presented from which the behavioral treatment prolonged exposure counterconditioning (PEC) was developed. The first part of a PEC session is intended to increase trauma exposure tolerance and counter numbing symptoms, the second to elicit trauma responses fully, and the third to weaken trauma responses. The first client with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who was treated with PEC is presented.

Cognitive-behavior therapy vs exposure therapy in the treatment of PTSD in refugees.

The present study investigated the efficacy of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy (E) in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in refugees. Sixteen outpatients fulfilling the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD were randomized to one of the two treatments. Assessor and self-report measures of PTSD-symptoms, generalized anxiety, depression, quality of life and cognitive schemas were administered before and after treatment, and at a 6-month follow-up.

Exposure counterconditioning (EC) as a treatment for severe PTSD and depression with an illustrative case.

Cognitive behavioral therapies have strong empirical support as the treatments of choice for PTSD. Still, a significant proportion of the patients retain distressing PTSD symptoms after treatment. A treatment named Exposure Counterconditioning (EC), based on Wolpe's (1995, Theories of behaviour therapy (pp.