Pyroelectric Polyelectrolyte Brushes.

Piezo- and pyroelectric materials are of interest, for example, for energy harvesting applications, for the development of tactile sensors, as well as neuromorphic computing. This study reports the observation of pyro- and piezoelectricity in thin surface-attached polymer brushes containing zwitterionic and electrolytic side groups that are prepared via surface-initiated polymerization. The pyro- and piezoelectric properties of the surface-grafted polyelectrolyte brushes are found to sensitively depend on and can be tuned by variation of the counterion.

Femoral condyle configuration and its impact on anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Background: Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most common knee injuries and has substantial impact on knee function. Beside primary ruptures, an increasing number of re-(re-)ruptures occur, representing a therapeutical challenge for the treating surgeon. Several risk factors for re-ruptures have been previously identified, including an increased tibial slope.

Induced giant piezoelectricity in centrosymmetric oxides.

Piezoelectrics are materials that linearly deform in response to an applied electric field. As a fundamental prerequisite, piezoelectric materials must have a noncentrosymmetric crystal structure. For more than a century, this has remained a major obstacle for finding piezoelectric materials.

Fracture resistance and crystal phase transformation of a one- and a two-piece zirconia implant with and without simultaneous loading and aging-An in vitro study.

Objective: To evaluate the influence of artificial aging on the transformation propagation and fracture resistance of zirconia implants.

Methods: One-piece (with integrated implant abutment, 1P; regular diameter [4.1mm]; n = 16) and two-piece (with separate implant abutment, 2P; wide diameter [5 mm]; n = 16) zirconia implants were embedded according to ISO 14801.

Control of polarization in bulk ferroelectrics by mechanical dislocation imprint.

Defects are essential to engineering the properties of functional materials ranging from semiconductors and superconductors to ferroics. Whereas point defects have been widely exploited, dislocations are commonly viewed as problematic for functional materials and not as a microstructural tool. We developed a method for mechanically imprinting dislocation networks that favorably skew the domain structure in bulk ferroelectrics and thereby tame the large switching polarization and make it available for functional harvesting.

Short-term outcomes of HIV-exposed and HIV-unexposed preterm, very low birthweight neonates: a longitudinal, hospital-based study.

Objective: To compare short-term outcomes of very low birthweight (VBLW, <1500 g) neonates by maternal HIV status.

Design: Retrospective hospital-based cohort in Cape Town, South Africa.

Results: Of 1579 mothers, 316 (20%) were HIV-positive; 183/316 (58%) received ≥8 weeks of antenatal antiretrovirals.

Antiretrovirals causing severe pre-eclampsia.

Background: Extremely low birth weight infants (ELBW) (⩽1000g) at our tertiary hospital have a much higher HIV exposure rate than bigger babies and are mainly delivered due to complications of pre-eclampsia. Studies investigating the effect of HIV or antiretroviral therapy on pre-eclampsia, a partially immune-mediated disease have produced contradictory results.

Objective: To determine if there was an association between pre-eclampsia and HIV and/or antiretrovirals in the mothers of ELBW infants.

Under the influence: informing oral health care providers about substance abuse.

Unlabelled: Treating the drug addicted dental patient is different than treating the non-addicted patient due to differences related to the emotional/behavioral/personality issues of the addict, the addict's often poor general health and poor nutrition, ongoing problems of oral hygiene and the effects of drugs on the oral mucosa, gingiva and dentition

Background: Oral health care providers need to be aware of the emerging trends in substance abuse, able to recognize patient's addicted to drugs and to be knowledgeable about the effects of substance abuse to provide the most efficacious treatment to avoid the consequences of contraindicated dental procedures and therapy. This article defines the scope of the problem of drug abuse and provides an overview of commonly abused substances and their effects on health and oral health.

Methods: A review of the literature combined with the authors' extensive experience in the substance abuse field explains parameters of oral health care treatment of the drug addicted individual for patient and provider safety.

DNA collection from used toothbrushes as a means to decedent identification.

Comparison of DNA profiles is often used in verifying the identification of deceased human beings when other easier, quicker, and less expensive means to identification are not possible. Fifty-five adult subjects divided into 3 groups provided a used toothbrush along with a small bloodstain control for DNA analysis and comparison. Results indicate that there is no significant difference in the quantity and quality of DNA recovered from a toothbrush that has been used for 1 month versus 3 months versus random periods.

Voltage-gated sodium channel modulation by sigma-receptors in cardiac myocytes and heterologous systems.

The sigma-receptor, a broadly distributed integral membrane protein with a novel structure, is known to modulate various voltage-gated K(+) and Ca(2+) channels through a mechanism that involves neither G proteins nor phosphorylation. The present study investigated the modulation of the heart voltage-gated Na(+) channel (Na(v)1.5) by sigma-receptors.