Differences in myocardial involvement between new onset and longstanding systemic lupus erythematosus patients assessed by cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Objectives: Subclinical myocardial involvement is common in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but differences between new onset and longstanding SLE are not fully elucidated. This study compared myocardial involvement in new onset versus longstanding SLE using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR).

Materials And Methods: We prospectively enrolled 24 drug-naïve new onset SLE patients, 27 longstanding SLE patients, and 20 healthy controls.

Enhancing detection of previously missed non-palpable breast carcinomas through artificial intelligence.

Purpose: To investigate the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) reading digital mammograms in increasing the chance of detecting missed breast cancer, by studying the AI- flagged early morphology indictors, overlooked by the radiologist, and correlating them with the missed cancer pathology types.

Methods And Materials: Mammograms done in 2020-2023, presenting breast carcinomas (n = 1998), were analyzed in concordance with the prior one year's result (2019-2022) assumed negative or benign. Present mammograms reviewed for the descriptors: asymmetry, distortion, mass, and microcalcifications.

Remote monitoring of patients with COPD disease using a tablet system: a randomised crossover study of quality-of-life measurements.

Background: Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has been evaluated in COPD, but with varying results. We aimed to evaluate whether a tablet system that monitors disease-related parameters in patients with COPD could influence physical and mental health-related quality of life, compared with usual care (UC).

Methods: 70 patients with Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) group D COPD (61% women, aged 71±8 years, forced expiratory volume in 1 s % predicted 41±13%, COPD Assessment Test (CAT) 19±7 points) were recruited at the COPD centre in Gothenburg, Sweden, and randomised to a tablet-based RPM system or UC for a 26-week period, after which they crossed over to the alternative management for another 26 weeks.

Cost-effectiveness of follow-up algorithms for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in pulmonary embolism survivors.

Introduction: Achieving an early diagnosis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) in pulmonary embolism (PE) survivors results in better quality of life and survival. Importantly, dedicated follow-up strategies to achieve an earlier CTEPH diagnosis involve costs that were not explicitly incorporated in the models assessing their cost-effectiveness. We performed an economic evaluation of 11 distinct PE follow-up algorithms to determine which should be preferred.

Brain radiotherapy and dorsal vagal complex irradiation: A new organ at risk to decrease radiation-induced nausea and vomiting?

Purpose: Nausea is a common symptom in patients irradiated for benign brain tumors. The dorsal vagal complex (DVC) located in the brainstem (BS) has been identified as the center of nausea and vomiting. The objective of our study was to determine an association between mean dose to the DVC and nausea.

Advances in lysosomal escape mechanisms for gynecological cancer nano-therapeutics.

Gynecological cancers present significant treatment challenges due to drug resistance and adverse side effects. This review explores advancements in lysosomal escape mechanisms, essential for enhancing nano-therapeutic efficacy. Strategies such as pH-sensitive linkers and membrane fusion are examined, showcasing their potential to improve therapeutic outcomes in ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancers.

How do Rates of Return to Sports Following Direct Anterior Approach Total Hip Arthroplasty Compare to Other Approaches? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: There is a paucity of literature analyzing data for return to sport (RTS) and return to work (RTW) in the setting of direct anterior approach (DAA) total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Objective: The aims of this systematic review are to identify existing literature and to aggregate rates of RTS/RTW following DAA THA in a meta-analysis.

Methods: A query of major databases yielded 1819 initial studies.

Smart interfaces to assist the operator in the context of industry 4.0 with a 5S human-centric approach.

This paper explores the integration of haptic gloves and virtual reality (VR) environments to enhance industrial training and operational efficiency within the framework of Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0.

Design, modeling, and preliminary evaluation of a simple wrist-hand stretching orthosis for neurologically impaired patients.

This work studies upper-limb impairment resulting from stroke or traumatic brain injury and presents a simple technological solution for a subset of patients: a soft, active stretching aid for at-home use. To better understand the issues associated with existing associated rehabilitation devices, customer discovery conversations were conducted with 153 people in the healthcare ecosystem (60 patients, 30 caregivers, and 63 medical providers). These patients fell into two populations: spastic (stiff, clenched hands) and flaccid (limp hands).

The effect of active exoskeleton support with different lumbar-to-hip support ratios on spinal musculoskeletal loading and lumbar kinematics during lifting.

While active back-support exoskeletons can reduce mechanical loading of the spine, current designs include only one pair of actuated hip joints combined with a rigid structure between the pelvis and trunk attachments, restricting lumbar flexion and consequently intended lifting behavior. This study presents a novel active exoskeleton including actuated lumbar and hip joints as well as subject-specific exoskeleton control based on a real-time active low-back moment estimation. We evaluated the effect of exoskeleton support with different lumbar-to-hip (L/H) support ratios on spine loading, lumbar kinematics, and back muscle electromyography (EMG).

Cryogenic, but not hypothermic, preservation disrupts the extracellular matrix of cell sheets.

Cell sheet (CS)-based approaches hold significant potential for tissue regeneration, relying on the extracellular matrix (ECM) for success. Like in native tissues, the ECM provides structural and biochemical support for cellular homeostasis and function. Effective preservation strategies that maintain ECM integrity are critical to enhance the therapeutic potential of CS-based approaches.

NIR-II photo-accelerated polymer nanoparticles boost tumor immunotherapy via PD-L1 silencing and immunogenic cell death.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy is a widely favored anti-tumor treatment, but it shows limited response to non-immunogenic "cold" tumors and suffers from drug resistance. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), as a powerful localized treatment approach, can convert a "cold tumor" into a "hot tumor" by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) in tumor cells, thereby enhancing tumor immunogenicity and promoting tumor immunotherapy. However, the effectiveness of PDT is largely hindered by the limited penetration depth into tumor tissues.

Compensatory effect-based oxidative stress management microneedle for psoriasis treatment.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) at elevated levels trigger oxidative DNA damage, which is a significant factor in psoriasis exacerbation. However, normal ROS levels are essential for cell signaling, cell growth regulation, differentiation, and immune responses. To address this, we developed ROS control strategies inspired by compensatory effects.

Interventions to Improve Sexual and Reproductive Health Related Knowledge and Attitudes Among the Adolescents: Scoping Review.

Many interventions have been studied to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge and attitudes. These interventions aim to prevent adolescents from the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unwanted pregnancy, and abortion. The lack of comprehensive sex education contributes to adolescents' limited understanding of SRH.

Cost-Effective Strategy of Enhancing Machine Learning Potentials by Transfer Learning from a Multicomponent Data Set on ænet-PyTorch.

Machine learning potentials (MLPs) offer efficient and accurate material simulations, but constructing the reference ab initio database remains a significant challenge, particularly for catalyst-adsorbate systems. Training an MLP with a small data set can lead to overfitting, thus limiting its practical applications. This study explores the feasibility of developing computationally cost-effective and accurate MLPs for catalyst-adsorbate systems with a limited number of ab initio references by leveraging a transfer learning strategy from subsets of a comprehensive public database.

Influence of Deposition Temperature on Cu-BDC Surface-Anchored Metal-Organic Framework Formation.

Surface-anchored metal-organic frameworks (surMOFs) are crystalline, nanoporous, supramolecular materials mounted to substrates that have the potential for integration within device architectures relevant for a variety of electronic, photonic, sensing, and gas storage applications. This research investigates the thin film formation of the Cu-BDC (copper benzene-1,4-dicarboxylate) MOF system on a carboxylic acid-terminated self-assembled monolayer by alternating deposition of solution-phase inorganic and organic precursors. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) characterization demonstrate that crystalline Cu-BDC thin films are formed via Volmer-Weber growth.

Assessment of Long-Term Degradation of Adsorbents for Direct Air Capture by Ozonolysis.

Porous adsorbents are a promising class of materials for the direct air capture of CO (DAC). Practical implementation of adsorption-based DAC requires adsorbents that can be used for thousands of adsorption-desorption cycles without significant degradation. We examined the potential degradation of adsorbents by a mechanism that appears to have not been considered previously, namely, ozonolysis by trace levels of ozone from ambient air.

Effect of the TiCT (T = O, OH, and H) Functionalization on the Formation of (TiO)/TiCT Composites.

First-principles density functional theory calculations are carried out on the (TiO) cluster supported on the TiCT (0001) surface with different chemical terminations, , -H, -O, and -OH, to study the interaction and understand the TiCT functionalization effect on the formation of (TiO)/TiCT composites. Results show an exothermic interaction for all cases, whose strength is driven by the surface termination, promoting weaker bonds when the MXene is functionalized with H atoms. For TiCH and TiC(OH) MXenes, the interaction is accompanied by a charge transfer towards the titania cluster.

Combined Experimental and Theoretical Approach to the Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Cu-Doped LaMnO Perovskites.

Cu-doped LaCu Mn O perovskites have been used as a model system for a joint experimental and theoretical assessment of the influence of the Cu doping level on the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties. The different Cu-doped phases LaCuMnO (LCM37), LaCuMnO (LCM55), and LaCuMnO (LCM73) including the respective Cu- and Mn-free benchmark materials LaCuO (LC) and LaMnO (LM) have been studied by magnetization measurements and electronic paramagnetic resonance. Ferromagnetic behavior was detected for pure LM and all Cu-doped perovskites, whereas antiferromagnetic behavior was revealed for LaCuO.

TiCT MXene Thin Films and Intercalated Species Characterized by IR-to-UV Broadband Ellipsometry.

MXenes are two-dimensional (2D) materials with versatile applications in optoelectronics, batteries, and catalysis. To unlock their full potential, it is crucial to characterize MXene interfaces and intercalated species in more detail than is currently possible with conventional optical spectroscopies. Here, we combine ultra-broadband ellipsometry and transmission spectroscopy from the mid-infrared (IR) to the deep-ultraviolet (UV) to probe quantitatively the composition, structure, transport, and optical properties of spray-coated TiCT MXene thin films with varying material properties.

Octaethyl vs Tetrabenzo Functionalized Ru Porphyrins on Ag(111): Molecular Conformation, Self-Assembly and Electronic Structure.

Metalloporphyrins on interfaces offer a rich playground for functional materials and hence have been subjected to intense scrutiny over the past decades. As the same porphyrin macrocycle on the same surface may exhibit vastly different physicochemical properties depending on the metal center and its substituents, it is vital to have a thorough structural and chemical characterization of such systems. Here, we explore the distinctions arising from coverage and macrocycle substituents on the closely related ruthenium octaethyl porphyrin and ruthenium tetrabenzo porphyrin on Ag(111).

Temperature-Dependent Formation of Carbon Nanodomains in Silicon Oxycarbide Glass-A Reactive Force Field MD Study.

Novel anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are constantly being explored to further improve battery performance. In this work, ReaxFF molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to model the early stages in the synthesis of nanostructured silicon carbide (SiC), which is one such promising material. The focus lies on its precursor, silicon oxycarbide glass of composition (SiOC) (17 mol% Si, 28 mol% O, and 54 mol% C), in the following referred to as SiOC.

Density Functional Theory Investigation of 2D Phase Separated Graphene/Hexagonal Boron Nitride Monolayers; Band Gap, Band Edge Positions, and Photo Activity.

Creating sustainable and stable semiconductors for energy conversion via catalysis, such as water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction, is a major challenge in modern materials chemistry, propelled by the limited and dwindling reserves of platinum group metals. Two-dimensional hexagonal borocarbonitride (h-BCN) is a metal-free alternative and ternary semiconductor, possessing tunable electronic properties between that of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and graphene, and has attracted significant attention as a nonmetallic catalyst for a host of technologically relevant chemical reactions. Herein, we use density functional theory to investigate the stability and optoelectronic properties of phase-separated monolayer h-BCN structures, varying carbon concentration and domain size.

Defect-Mediated Crystallization of the Particulate TiO Photocatalyst Grown by Atomic Layer Deposition.

Nanopowders or films of pure and mixed oxides in nanoparticulate form have gained specific interest due to their applicability in functionalizing high-surface-area substrates. Among various other applications, our presented work primarily focuses on the behavior of TiO as a photocatalyst deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on a quartz particle. The photocatalytic activity of TiO on quartz particles grown by ALD was studied in terms of ALD growth temperature and post-treatment heating rate.

Dynamical Disorder in the Mesophase Ferroelectric HdabcoClO: A Machine-Learned Force Field Study.

Hybrid molecular ferroelectrics with orientationally disordered mesophases offer significant promise as lead-free alternatives to traditional inorganic ferroelectrics owing to properties such as room temperature ferroelectricity, low-energy synthesis, malleability, and potential for multiaxial polarization. The ferroelectric molecular salt HdabcoClO is of particular interest due to its ultrafast ferroelectric room-temperature switching. However, so far, there is limited understanding of the nature of dynamical disorder arising in these compounds.