This article introduces an innovative approach for creating a circular polarization (CP) antenna-based rotation-insensitive implantable wireless power transfer (WPT) system for medical devices. The system is constructed to work in the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) frequency band of 902-928 MHz. Initially, a flexible, wide-band, and bio-compatible open-ended CP slot antenna is designed within a single-layer human skin tissue model to serve as the receiving (Rx) element.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: For a long time, chronic pruritus was considered difficult to treat. Modern therapy options and detailed guidelines have created new opportunities for patients to improve their quality of life. However, due to the complexity of the disease, the need for multimodal treatment remains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) is a well described facial functional unit in humans. SMAS connects mimic musculature to the skin having many implication in facial mimic expression. One of the various morphological and physiological analogies in human and Macaca mulatta species is the facial mimic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDisadvantages of systemically administered immunomodulatory anti-tumor therapies include poor efficacy and high toxicity. Direct intratumoral injection of a drug is often associated with rapid efflux from the site of administration, thus reducing local exposure and therapeutic efficacy, while potentially increasing systemic adverse events. To address this, a sustained release prodrug technology was developed using a transient conjugation (TransCon) technology to provide long-term high local drug exposure after injection in the tumor while minimizing systemic exposure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFYellow fever virus (YFV) is a reemerging global health threat, driven by several factors, including increased spread of the mosquito vector and rapid urbanization. Although a prophylactic vaccine exists, vaccine hesitancy, supply deficits, and distribution difficulties leave specific populations at risk of severe YFV disease, as evidenced by recent outbreaks in South America. To establish a treatment for patients with severe YFV infection, we tested 37 YFV-specific monoclonal antibodies isolated from vaccinated humans and identified two capable of potently neutralizing multiple pathogenic primary YFV isolates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Intratumoral (IT) delivery of toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists has shown encouraging anti-tumor benefit in preclinical and early clinical studies. However, IT delivery of TLR agonists may lead to rapid effusion from the tumor microenvironment (TME), potentially limiting the duration of local inflammation and increasing the risk of systemic adverse events.
Methods: To address these limitations, TransCon TLR7/8 Agonist-an investigational sustained-release prodrug of resiquimod that uses a TransCon linker and hydrogel technology to achieve sustained and predictable IT release of resiquimod-was developed.
SIVmac239 infection of macaques is a favored model of human HIV infection. However, the SIVmac239 envelope (Env) trimer structure, glycan occupancy, and the targets and ability of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) to protect against SIVmac239 remain unknown. Here, we report the isolation of SIVmac239 nAbs that recognize a glycan hole and the V1/V4 loop.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTotal knee arthroplasty (TKA) is an important treatment option for knee osteoarthritis (OA) that improves self-reported pain and physical function, but objectively measured physical function typically remains reduced for years after surgery due, in part, to precipitous reductions in lower extremity neuromuscular function early after surgery. The present study examined intrinsic skeletal muscle adaptations during the first 5 weeks post-TKA to identify skeletal muscle attributes that may contribute to functional disability. Patients with advanced stage knee OA were evaluated prior to TKA and 5 weeks after surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLoss of quadriceps strength after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is most pronounced acutely but persists long-term, negatively impacting physical function in daily activities. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) early after surgery is an effective adjuvant to standard of care rehabilitation (SOC) for attenuating strength loss following TKA, but the mechanisms whereby NMES maintains strength are unclear. This work aimed to determine the effects of early NMES on quadriceps strength and skeletal muscle fiber size 2 weeks after TKA compared to SOC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The aim of this study was to determine how attitudes toward the return of genomic research results vary internationally.
Methods: We analyzed the "Your DNA, Your Say" online survey of public perspectives on genomic data sharing including responses from 36,268 individuals across 22 low-, middle-, and high-income countries, and these were gathered in 15 languages. We analyzed how participants responded when asked whether return of results (RoR) would motivate their decision to donate DNA or health data.
Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most common autoimmune disorders. In addition to chronic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis may present a variety of extra-articular manifestations, most commonly of the skin.
Objectives: Cutaneous manifestations associated with rheumatoid arthritis can be diverse, both specific and nonspecific.
Genetic discrimination (GD) is the differential or unfair profiling of an individual on the basis of genetic data. This article summarizes the actions of the Genetic Discrimination Observatory (GDO) in addressing GD and recent developments in GD since late 2020. It shows how GD can take many forms in today's rapidly evolving society.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeocortical networks have a characteristic constant ratio in the number of glutamatergic projection neurons (PN) and GABAergic interneurons (IN), and deviations in this ratio are often associated with developmental neuropathologies. Cultured networks with defined cellular content allowed us to ask if initial PN/IN ratios change the developmental population dynamics, and how different ratios impact the physiological excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance and the network activity development. During the first week , the IN content modulated PN numbers, increasing their proliferation in networks with higher IN proportions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Public trust is central to the collection of genomic and health data and the sustainability of genomic research. To merit trust, those involved in collecting and sharing data need to demonstrate they are trustworthy. However, it is unclear what measures are most likely to demonstrate this.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMuscle dysfunction following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) may evolve from alterations in muscle contractility at the myofilament protein level. Using a prospective, within-subject case-control design, we evaluated cellular-level contractility, cross-sectional area (CSA), and myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform expression on single muscle fibers 3 weeks post ACLR, and evaluated their relationship to whole muscle strength and patient-oriented outcomes 6 months post operation. Biopsies of the vastus lateralis were performed 3 weeks post ACLR in 11 subjects (5 females, mean age ± SD = 24.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe antiviral properties of broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV are well-documented but no vaccine is currently able to elicit protective titers of these responses in primates. While current vaccine modalities can readily induce non-neutralizing antibodies against simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and HIV, the ability of these responses to restrict lentivirus transmission and replication remains controversial. Here, we investigated the antiviral properties of non-neutralizing antibodies in a group of Indian rhesus macaques (RMs) that were vaccinated with , , and , as part of a previous study conducted by our group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe therapy of chronic skin diseases is challenging for both the dermatologist and the patient. Current standards of therapy and individual circumstances of the patient have to be considered. Furthermore, chronic skin diseases are often associated with comorbidities that require treatment adapted to the individual.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnalyzing genomic data across populations is central to understanding the role of genetic factors in health and disease. Successful data sharing relies on public support, which requires attention to whether people around the world are willing to donate their data that are then subsequently shared with others for research. However, studies of such public perceptions are geographically limited and do not enable comparison.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and reconstruction (ACLR) promote quadriceps muscle atrophy and weakness that can persist for years, suggesting the need for more effective rehabilitation programs. Whether neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) can be used to prevent maladaptations in skeletal muscle size and function is unclear.
Purpose: To examine whether early NMES use, started soon after an injury and maintained through 3 weeks after surgery, can preserve quadriceps muscle size and contractile function at the cellular (ie, fiber) level in the injured versus noninjured leg of patients undergoing ACLR.
Exercise has numerous benefits for patients with cancer, but implementation is challenging because of practical and logistical hurdles. This study examined whether neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) can serve as a surrogate for classic exercise by eliciting an exercise training response in skeletal muscle of women diagnosed with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Patients ( = 22) with histologically confirmed stage I, II, or III breast cancer scheduled to receive neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy were randomized to 8 wk of bilateral neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES; 5 days/wk) to their quadriceps muscles or control.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis paper reports findings from Germany-based participants in the "Your DNA, Your Say" study, a collaborative effort among researchers in more than 20 countries across the world to explore public attitudes, values and opinions towards willingness to donate genomic and other personal data for use by others. Based on a representative sample of German residents (n = 1506) who completed the German-language version of the survey, we found that views of genetic exceptionalism were less prevalent in the German-language arm of the study than in the English-language arm (43% versus 52%). Also, people's willingness to make their data available for research was lower in the German than in the English-language samples of the study (56% versus 67%).
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