Improving material properties of a poloxamer P407 hydrogel-based hydroxyapatite bone substitute material by adding silica-A comparative in vivo study.

The structure and handling properties of a P407 hydrogel-based bone substitute material (BSM) might be affected by different poloxamer P407 and silicon dioxide (SiO) concentrations. The study aimed to compare the mechanical properties and biological parameters (bone remodeling, BSM degradation) of a hydroxyapatite: silica (HA)-based BSM with various P407 hydrogels in vitro and in an in vivo rat model. Rheological analyses for mechanical properties were performed on one BSM with an SiO-enriched hydrogel (SPH25) as well on two BSMs with unaltered hydrogels in different gel concentrations (PH25 and PH30).

Improving the Bias of Comparator Methods in Analytical Performance Assessments Through Recalibration.

Background: In analytical performance studies, the choice of comparator method plays an important role, as studies have shown that there exist relevant systematic differences (bias) between laboratory analyzers. The feasibility of retrospective recalibration of measurement results through comparison with methods or materials of higher metrological order to minimize bias was therefore assessed.

Method: Existing data from performance studies of continuous and blood glucose monitoring systems were retrospectively analyzed.

Zinc(II) Complex Containing Oxazole Ring: Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Characterization, DFT Calculations, and Hirshfeld Surface Analysis.

A new complex of Zn(II), with 5-chloro-2-methylbenzoxazole ligand (L), has been synthesized by the reaction of zinc dichloride with the ligand (L= C8H6ClNO) in ethanol solution: dichloridobis(5-chloro-2-methyl-1,3-benzoxazole)-zinc(II), C16H12Cl4N2O2Zn. The synthesized complex has been fully characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductivity, FT‑IR, UV‑Vis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD).  The XRD analysis reveals that the complex has a 1:2 metal-to-ligand ratio.

Sustainable Surface Modification of Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) Implants by Hydroxyapatite/Silica Coating-An In Vivo Animal Study.

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has the potential to overcome some of the disadvantages of titanium interbody implants in anterior cervical and discectomy and fusion (ACDF). However, PEEK shows an inferior biological behavior regarding osseointegration and bioactivity. Therefore, the aim of the study was to create a bioactive surface coating on PEEK implants with a unique nanopore structure enabling the generation of a long-lasting interfacial composite layer between coating material and implant.

Personalized medicine for reconstruction of critical-size bone defects - a translational approach with customizable vascularized bone tissue.

Tissue engineering principles allow the generation of functional tissues for biomedical applications. Reconstruction of large-scale bone defects with tissue-engineered bone has still not entered the clinical routine. In the present study, a bone substitute in combination with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) with or without growth factors BMP-2 and VEGF-A was prevascularized by an arteriovenous (AV) loop and transplanted into a critical-size tibia defect in the sheep model.

Subdural Displacement of an Epidural Catheter With Spinal Cord Compression in a Patient With Chronic Cancer Pain: A Case Report.

Here we present the case of a 76-year-old woman with pancreatic cancer receiving epidural analgesia for chronic cancer pain treatment. Attempts of running the epidural catheter sequentially resulted in unexpected and extensive sensory block together with sympathicolysis but insufficient pain control. Finally, after 3 failed attempts of epidural catheter placements with insufficient pain control and uncommon neurological signs, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the spine was ordered.

Sevoflurane Promotes Bactericidal Properties of Macrophages through Enhanced Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Expression in Male Mice.

Background: Sevoflurane with its antiinflammatory properties has shown to decrease mortality in animal models of sepsis. However, the underlying mechanism of its beneficial effect in this inflammatory scenario remains poorly understood. Macrophages play an important role in the early stage of sepsis as they are tasked with eliminating invading microbes and also attracting other immune cells by the release of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α.

Effect of Promotion via Social Media on Access of Articles in an Academic Medical Journal: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: To study the effect of a planned social media promotion strategy on access of online articles in an established academic medical journal.

Method: This was a single-masked, randomized controlled trial using articles published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a large-circulation general/internal medicine journal. Articles published during the months of October, November, and December 2015 (n = 68) were randomized to social media promotion (SoMe) using Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn or to no social media promotion (NoSoMe), for 30 days (beginning with the date of online article publication).

The implant surface and its role in affecting the dynamic processes of bone remodeling by means of distance osteogenesis: A comparative in vivo study.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate whether different surface modifications affect the dynamics of bone remodeling at the implant and the adjacent local bone.

Materials And Methods: Seventy-two dental implants with different surfaces (smooth and rough control [smCtrl; rCtrl], smooth and rough + O-plasma spray [smPlas; rPlas], smooth and rough + nanocrystalline SiO-hydroxyapatite coating [ncSiOHA] + O-plasma spray [smNB-C; rNB-C]; each n = 12) were bilaterally inserted into the femora of 36 New Zealand white rabbits. Intravital fluorochrome labeling was performed to visualize the dynamics of bone formation.

2018 ACC/HRS/NASCI/SCAI/SCCT Expert Consensus Document on Optimal Use of Ionizing Radiation in Cardiovascular Imaging-Best Practices for Safety and Effectiveness, Part 1: Radiation Physics and Radiation Biology: A Report of the American College of Cardiology Task Force on Expert Consensus Decision Pathways Developed in Collaboration With Mended Hearts.

The stimulus to create this document was the recognition that ionizing radiation-guided cardiovascular procedures are being performed with increasing frequency, leading to greater patient radiation exposure and, potentially, to greater exposure for clinical personnel. Although the clinical benefit of these procedures is substantial, there is concern about the implications of medical radiation exposure. The American College of Cardiology leadership concluded that it is important to provide practitioners with an educational resource that assembles and interprets the current radiation knowledge base relevant to cardiovascular procedures.

2018 ACC/HRS/NASCI/SCAI/SCCT Expert Consensus Document on Optimal Use of Ionizing Radiation in Cardiovascular Imaging-Best Practices for Safety and Effectiveness, Part 2: Radiological Equipment Operation, Dose-Sparing Methodologies, Patient and Medical Personnel Protection.

The stimulus to create this document was the recognition that ionizing radiation-guided cardiovascular procedures are being performed with increasing frequency, leading to greater patient radiation exposure and, potentially, to greater exposure to clinical personnel. While the clinical benefit of these procedures is substantial, there is concern about the implications of medical radiation exposure. ACC leadership concluded that it is important to provide practitioners with an educational resource that assembles and interprets the current radiation knowledge base relevant to cardiovascular procedures.

Radical Thermometers, Thermochemistry, and Photoelectron Spectra: A Photoelectron Photoion Coincidence Spectroscopy Study of the Methyl Peroxy Radical.

We investigated the simplest alkylperoxy radical, CHOO, formed by reacting photolytically generated CH radicals with O, using the new combustion reactions followed by photoelectron photoion coincidence (CRF-PEPICO) apparatus at the Swiss Light Source. Modeling the experimental photoion mass-selected threshold photoelectron spectrum using Franck-Condon simulations including transitions to triplet and singlet cationic states yielded the adiabatic ionization energy of 10.265 ± 0.

Defining Quality in Cardiovascular Imaging: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

The aims of the current statement are to refine the definition of quality in cardiovascular imaging and to propose novel methodological approaches to inform the demonstration of quality in imaging in future clinical trials and registries. We propose defining quality in cardiovascular imaging using an analytical framework put forth by the Institute of Medicine whereby quality was defined as testing being safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, equitable, and efficient. The implications of each of these components of quality health care are as essential for cardiovascular imaging as they are for other areas within health care.

Hydrogel-embedded nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite granules (elastic blocks) based on a cross-linked polyvinylpyrrolidone as bone grafting substitute in a rat tibia model.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the in vivo characteristics and levels of integration and degradation of a ready-to-use bone grafting block with elastic properties (elastic block) for the use in surgery.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-six male Wistar rats underwent surgical creation of a well-defined bone defect in the tibia. All created defects - one per animal - were filled with an unsintered nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite embedded either with a non-cross-linked hydrogel carrier (CONT, n=18) or a cross-linked hydrogel carrier (elastic block [EB], n=18) based on polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and silica sol, respectively.

CRF-PEPICO: Double velocity map imaging photoelectron photoion coincidence spectroscopy for reaction kinetics studies.

Photoelectron photoion coincidence (PEPICO) spectroscopy could become a powerful tool for the time-resolved study of multi-channel gas phase chemical reactions. Toward this goal, we have designed and tested electron and ion optics that form the core of a new PEPICO spectrometer, utilizing simultaneous velocity map imaging for both cations and electrons, while also achieving good cation mass resolution through space focusing. These optics are combined with a side-sampled, slow-flow chemical reactor for photolytic initiation of gas-phase chemical reactions.