Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Acta Paediatr 2020 Jul 12. Epub 2020 Jul 12.

Warwick Medical School, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK.

Aim: To identify how British Child Death Overview Panels (CDOP) and paediatric pathologists classify cause of death for sleep-related Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI). To determine compliance with national requirements for SUDI investigation.

Methods: Electronic survey of CDOPs and pathologists using three vignettes of SUDI cases illustrating: accidental asphyxia, typical Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and SIDS with co-sleeping. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2020 Jul 12. Epub 2020 Jul 12.

Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Aim: To explore corticosteroid prescription practices and knowledge among paediatricians.

Methods: The Paediatricians Corticosteroids Survey, a cross-sectional, web-based survey distributed to Israeli paediatricians between February-July 2018.

Results: Three hundred and forty-nine paediatricians (105 general paediatricians, 207 subspecialists, and 37 paediatric endocrinologists) participated. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2020 Jul 12. Epub 2020 Jul 12.

Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.

Aim: To describe the physical activity (PA) of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) according to different assessment methods and compare their results with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted using five databases. We included cross-sectional, longitudinal, observational studies and clinical trials in a paediatric population with CHD. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2020 Jul 12. Epub 2020 Jul 12.

Boston College William F. Connell School of Nursing, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, United States.

Aim: The aims of this systematic review were to first identify and summarize original research that compared symptoms of problematic feeding in infants with tongue tie before and after frenotomy and then evaluate the quality of measures used to assess problematic feeding.

Methods: CINAHL and PubMed were searched for ((tongue-tie) or (ankyloglossia)) and ((feeding) or (breastfeeding) or (bottle-feeding)) and ((frenotomy) or (frenectomy) or (frenulectomy) or (frenulotomy)). Original research reporting on feeding before and after frenotomy in infants under 1 year old were included. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2020 Jul 12. Epub 2020 Jul 12.

Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit, Dana Children's Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Aim: We examined the impact of insertion of the Rotavirus vaccine (RVV) into the Israeli national immunization program (NIP) on hospitalizations due to both acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and Rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE( in children.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of children aged <5 years admitted with a diagnosis of AGE between 2008 and 2016 in two children's hospitals in central Israel. Clinical, laboratory, microbiological data and RV immunization status were retrieved. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2020 Jul 12. Epub 2020 Jul 12.

Division of Epidemiology and Prevention, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore City, MD, 21201, United States.

A response to the letter by the author Dimnjakovic Jelena . The author stated a general critique on breastfeeding studies that frequently regarded breastfeeding as 'intervention' and not 'control', which might form readers' opinion about breastfeeding as an optional feeding and not as a standard one . Specifically, this issue was addressed in a recent study published in Acta Paediatrica by Bigman . Read More

Acta Paediatr 2020 Jul 12. Epub 2020 Jul 12.

Department of Physiology/Endocrinology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Aim: To update the Swedish references for weight, weight-for-height, and body mass index (BMI) considering the secular trend for height but not including that for weight.

Methods: Longitudinal measures of height and weight were obtained (0-18years) from 1418 (698 girls) healthy children from the GrowUp 1990 Gothenburg cohort born at term to non-smoking mothers and Nordic parents. 145 individuals with extreme BMI value versus GrowUp 1974 BMI SDS reference were excluded (0-2years: ±4SDS, 2Read More

Acta Neurol Scand 2020 Jul 12. Epub 2020 Jul 12.

Developmental Neurosciences, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.

Since December 2019, the world has been experiencing a catastrophic pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV2. This virus primarily targets the human respiratory system. Available information suggests that people with epilepsy (PWE) are not at higher risk of being infected by the virus, nor of more severe COVID-19 manifestations, as a result of the epilepsy alone. Read More

Acta Psychiatr Scand 2020 Jul 12. Epub 2020 Jul 12.

Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Objective: Cardiometabolic risk prediction algorithms are common in clinical practice. Young people with psychosis are at high-risk for developing cardiometabolic disorders. We aimed to examine whether existing cardiometabolic risk prediction algorithms are suitable for young people with psychosis. Read More

Mikrochim Acta 2020 Jul 11;187(8):439. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

School of Environment and Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing, 100874, China.

A reusable optofluidic point-of-care testing platform (OPOCT) was successfully constructed through integrating evanescent wave fluorescence technology into an all-fiber-based optofluidic system. The compact design of the OPOCT allows it to be portable and suitable for on-site sensitive determination of biomarkers in serum without complicated and costly procedures. The sensitivity of 90. Read More

Acta Diabetol 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Centre Hospitalier Saint Joseph Saint Luc, Quai Claude Bernard, 69007, Lyon, France.

Mikrochim Acta 2020 Jul 11;187(8):440. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Department of Chemistry, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, MO, 65409, USA.

A simple binary copper selenide, CuSe nanostructure, has been investigated as electrochemical sensor for dopamine detection. The hydrothermally synthesized and electrodeposited CuSe nanostructures showed high sensitivity for dopamine detection with low limit of detection (LOD). A sensitivity of 26 μA/μM. Read More

Surg Radiol Anat 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Department of Oral Biochemistry, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam, Room 12 N-37, Gustav Mahlerlaan 3004, 1081 LA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Purpose: Determination of intra-oral surface areas might contribute to our understanding of the physiology of the oral cavity and oral diseases. In previous studies, the intra-oral surface area was determined using a laborious and technically challenging method. Our aim was to develop an easy and non-invasive method to determine the intra-oral surface areas. Read More

Acta Haematol 2020 Jul 10:1-4. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Institute of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck/Kiel, Germany.

Protein S (PS) is an important anticoagulant. Its main function is to act as a non-enzymatical cofactor of activated protein C. PS deficiency is defined as low plasma levels of PS and/or loss of function associated with variable risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Read More

Acta Haematol 2020 Jul 10:1-4. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Tianjin Key Laboratory of Marine Resource and Chemistry, Tianjin Marine Environmental Protection and Restoration Technology Engineering Center, College of Marine and Environment, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China.

Background: Previous studies had shown that glycosaminoglycan (GAG) from Urechis unicinctus exerts an obvious antiplatelet aggregation effect.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the effects of GAG from Urechis unicinctus on ADP-induced platelet calcium and membrane glycoprotein expressions in rats.

Methods: Fura-2/AM fluorescence probe was used to measure intracytosolic free-calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) of platelets and calculate platelet calcium influx and release concentrations. Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2020 Jul 2;241:118681. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Daxuecheng South Rd. 55, 401331 Chongqing, China. Electronic address:

The pure rotational spectrum of the complex of difluoromethane with formamide was investigated by means of microwave spectroscopy supplemented with theoretical calculations. The hyperfine structure arising from the N nuclear quadrupole coupling effect was completely resolved. The most stable isomer that displays the C symmetry with the ∠HCH angle of difluoromethane being bisected by the ab-plane of formamide was detected. Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2020 Jul 3;241:118672. Epub 2020 Jul 3.

College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China. Electronic address:

In this work, a dual-response ratiometric fluorescent probe (E)-3-(5-(2-nitrovinyl)thiophen-2-yl)-9-phenyl-9H-carbazole (NTPC) for high selectivity and sensitivity detection of ClO and NH was successfully developed. This probe NTPC showed ratiometric fluorescent response to ClO and NH, which induces obvious naked-eye color changes, respectively. In addition, the NTPC for ClO and NH detection displayed low detection limits of 71. Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2020 Jul 2;241:118669. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nanophotonic Functional Materials and Devices, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address:

Though it has been demonstrated that Chidamide (CS055/HBI-8000), a novel benzamide class of histone deacetylase (HDAC) subtype-selectively inhibitor, reveals better anticancer effect in acute leukemia, but it remains unknown about the precise mechanism of Chidamide-induced acute leukemia cell apoptosis due to the lack of in situ molecular changes information. Based on Raman spectral analysis, we find that the action of Chidamide on Jurkat cell will lead to an addition of an acetyl group to a specific lysine residue at the end of histone amino acid, and greatly enhance the acetylation of histones H1, H2A, H2B, H3, and H4, and then destroy the electrostatic force between the alkaline terminal of the positive charged arginine side chain and the negative charged DNA of phosphate group, finally cause the depolymerization of DNA and histone octamer in chromatin nucleosome depolymerization and the relaxation of chromatin. Accordingly, the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the decreasing of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) are observed. Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2020 Jul 4;241:118668. Epub 2020 Jul 4.

Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, 31111, Egypt; Pharmaceutical Services Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, 31111, Egypt. Electronic address:

A selective chitosan-based ion exchange molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared for ketorolac (KET) using the sol-gel method and glutaraldehyde as a crosslinker. The nonimprinted polymer (NIP) was prepared and used as a control, during the whole experiment. The chemical and morphological characteristics of the prepared polymers were investigated using FTIR and SEM, respectively. Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2020 Jul 2;241:118660. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil. Electronic address:

In recent years outbreaks of vector-borne diseases have caused great concern to the population, especially those diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. Repellents appear as an affordable alternative for prevention, making it increasingly important to control the quality of these products, since the content of the active ingredients are directly related to the efficiency and the protection time provided by the repellent. This paper proposes an analytical method for determining the DEET (N, N- Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) content in insect repellents in lotion using UV spectroscopy. Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2020 Jul 6;241:118685. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry, School of Chemistry & Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China. Electronic address:

Two fluorescent probes were designed by connecting indomethacin to coumarin through different linkers. The introduction of indomethacin quenched the fluorescence of coumarin-based probes with apparent red-shifts in the absorption and emission maxima, probably due to the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from the indomethacin to the fluorophore and the formation of folding conformation. The addition of human serum albumin (HSA) triggered about 40-fold fluorescence enhancements of ADC-IMC-2 and ADC-IMC-6 with 85 nm blue-shifts. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2020 Jul 9:129681. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador São-carlense, 400, São Carlos, SP 13566-590, Brazil. Electronic address:

Background Fungal aryl-alcohol oxidases (AAOx) are extracellular flavoenzymes that belong to glucose-methanol-choline oxidoreductase family and are responsible for the selective conversion of primary aromatic alcohols into aldehydes and aromatic aldehydes to their corresponding acids, with concomitant production of hydrogen peroxide (HO) as by-product. The HO can be provided to lignin degradation pathway, a biotechnological property explored in biofuel production. In the thermophilic fungus Thermothelomyces thermophilus (formerly Myceliophthora thermophila), just one AAOx was identified in the exo-proteome. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Biomembr 2020 Jul 9:183409. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

INSERM UMR-1082 IRTOMIT, Université de Poitiers, France. Electronic address:

J Dent 2020 Jul 9:103428. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Department of Preventive Dentistry, Gustav Mahlerlaan 3004, 1081 LA, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Electronic address:

Objectives: Large longitudinal cohort studies in infants are needed to understand oral microbiome maturation in relation to general health. The logistics of such studies are complex and costs involved high. Methods like home sampling by caretakers might be a solution to these issues. Read More

Clin Chim Acta 2020 Jul 9. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

Department of Neurosurgery, Affiliated Hospital of Shaoxing University of Arts and Sciences, 999 South Zhongxing Road, Shaoxing 312000, Zhejiang Province, PR China. Electronic address:

Background: Substance P (SP) is implicated in brain inflammation. We clarified relationship between serum SP concentrations and functional outcome of acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

Methods: We quantified admission serum SP concentrations in 106 ICH patients. Read More

Clin Chim Acta 2020 Jul 9. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China. Electronic address:

Background: COVID-19 infection is epidemic worldwide. We describe the serum lipid profile of the patients with COVID-19 infection.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we collected the first clinical laboratory data of 114 patients on admission, and 80 healthy controls. Read More

Clin Chim Acta 2020 Jul 9. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

School of Health Science and Education, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University.

Although, three decades have pasted from the introduction of "French Paradox", is still an issue for debate. Epidemiology supports the J-shaped relationship between wine consumption and vascular events as well as cardiovascular mortality with a maximum protection at 21g of alcohol consumption in the form of wine per day. Nevertheless, the aforementioned studies have used an observational design that raises concerns about potential confounding. Read More

Clin Chim Acta 2020 Jul 9. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510006, PR China. Electronic address:

Lack of clinically specific biomarkers has impeded the diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA) and limited understanding of pathogenesis for OA has also restrained the enhancement of therapeutic measures. In the study, plasma untargeted metabolomics of twelve OA patients and twenty healthy controls (HC) were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC/Q-TOF-MS). The differential metabolites (DMs) between OA and HC were evaluated by multivariate analysis and Bayes discriminant analysis was employed to discover potential diagnosis biomarkers. Read More

Clin Chim Acta 2020 Jul 9. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

Department of Natural Resource Management and Geoinformatics, Khallikote University, GMax Building, Konisi, Berhampur 761008, Odisha, India. Electronic address:

Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2020 Jul 9:188390. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050024, China. Electronic address:

Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) systematically guards proteome stability and proteostasis by regulating the expression of heat shock protein (HSP), thus rendering cancer cells addicted to HSF1. The non-canonical transcriptional programme driven by HSF1, which is distinct from the heat shock response (HSR), plays an indispensable role in the initiation, promotion and progression of cancer. Therefore, HSF1 is widely exploited as a potential therapeutic target in a broad spectrum of cancers. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Department of Gynecology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital Of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, P.R. China.

Vaginal bleeding in the prepubertal girl is an uncommon condition with complex etiological factors. We report a case of a 6-year-old girl brought to hospital when vaginal bleeding was noticed after defecation. Various common causes were excluded by genital and auxiliary examinations. Read More

Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Center for Fetal Care and High-risk Pregnancy, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Chieti, Chieti, Italy.

Introduction: Corpus callosum agenesis (ACC) is frequently diagnosed during fetal life; its prognosis depends also on additional anomalies. The additional value of fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in fetuses with 'isolated' complete (cACC) and partial (pACC) agenesis of the corpus callosum on ultrasound is still debated.

Material And Methods: We performed a systematic literature review and meta-analysis including fetuses with a prenatal diagnosis of cACC and pACC without associated structural anomalies on ultrasound, undergoing fetal MRI. Read More

Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Jawaharlal Institute of Medical Education & Research, Puducherry, India.

Introduction: Women undergoing instrumental delivery are known to be at higher risk of urinary retention, which can lead to long term complications such as voiding dysfunction Nulliparous women undergo a pronounced and sudden change in perineum due to stretching during delivery which may add to the perineal trauma from an episiotomy, increasing the risk of urinary retention. We aim to study the incidence and risk factors associated with postpartum urinary retention in women undergoing instrumental delivery.

Material And Methods: Pregnant women who had instrumental delivery after 37 weeks of gestation, at JIPMER, Puducherry, India between January - June 2017 were included in the study. Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2020 Jul 2;241:118679. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China. Electronic address:

A high level ab initio study on electronic states of sulfur dimer S is carried out by utilizing multi-reference configuration interaction plus Davidson correction (MRCI+Q) method. The modification to the electronic structures caused by spin-orbit coupling (SOC) effect is taken into consideration by the state-interacting method with the full Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian. The potential energy curves (PECs) of 19 Λ-S states and 52 Ω states generated from the Λ-S states are calculated. Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2020 Jul 2;241:118661. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

Instituto de Ciencias Aplicadas y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico.

The structural change by temperature of the ammonia borane has been studied through Raman spectroscopy and principal components analysis (PCA). Its phase transition, from tetragonal to orthorhombic, was observed at 212 K. In addition, between 99 and 83 K, a zone of structural stability was observed. Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2020 Jul 2;241:118659. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China.

Using quantum chemistry computations TDDFT//B3LYP/6-31G(d), we study resonance Raman spectra of the Q band for meso-tetrakis(3,5-di-tertiarybutylphenyl)-porphyrin (HTBPP) molecule due to the Franck-Condon and non-Condon mechanisms including the Herzberg-Teller and second-order Herzberg-Teller terms. Generally, the Herzberg-Teller terms are large. However, for some vibrational modes, the second-order Herzberg-Teller terms are the strongest and dominate resonance Raman spectra, which may also impact on fluorescence and absorption spectra. Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2020 Jul 3;241:118645. Epub 2020 Jul 3.

DEQ/EQ, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Tecnologia, bloco E, sala 209, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro CEP 21.941-972, Brazil.

Beer-Lambert-Bouguer law is for a limiting case and, therefore, it is not useful to describe the relationship between absorption signal and enantiomer concentration in a stream when there are nonlinear phenomena present. In this work, the Chiral Detector (CD-2095 JASCO) equipment was used to measure simultaneously the UV-Vis and circular dichroism (CD) signals of a stream with different compositions of praziquantel enantiomers. The tested models were calibrated (parameter estimation) and validated using the Leave-One-Out Cross Validation (LOOCV) method. Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2020 Jul 2;241:118674. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; Centre for Ionic Liquids, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia. Electronic address:

Inclusion complexes of R-ketoprofen and S-ketoprofen enantiomers with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) in aqueous solution were studied using various spectroscopic techniques such as Raman, FTIR, UV and fluorescence. The different relative intensities and characteristic band shifts of the two enantiomers from Raman spectra suggests different interaction when complexed with β-CD. Raman experiments revealed a noticeable diminishing of the CC vibration and ring deformation, which indicate the embedding of ketoprofen inside the β-CD cavity. Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2020 Jul 3;241:118677. Epub 2020 Jul 3.

Institute of Chemistry, St. Petersburg State University, 26 Universitetskii pr., Petergof, St. Petersburg 198504, Russia. Electronic address:

In this work applicability of proton donor group stretching vibration force constants k and intermolecular stretching force constants k for evaluations of hydrogen bond strength and geometry are discussed. For a set of 30 complexes with F···HF hydrogen bonds in a wide range 0.5-48 kcal/mol by means of quantum chemical calculations equilibrium geometries, complexation energies, vibrational frequencies and corresponding force constants were calculated (MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ). Read More

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2020 Jun 27;241:118647. Epub 2020 Jun 27.

Researcher, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Kasr El-Aini St., Cairo 11562, Egypt.

Four accurate and precise spectrophotometric methods were developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of a binary mixture of cefixime (CEF) and erdosteine (ERD) without previous separation. Method A was first derivative ratio spectrophotometric method (DD) where the amplitudes at 310 and 315 nm and the amplitude at 248 nm were chosen to simultaneously estimate CEF and ERD, respectively. Method B depends on ratio difference spectrophotometry (RDSM), in which the difference in amplitudes at 325 and 326 nm on the ratio spectrum of the mixture was directly proportional to the concentration of CEF; independent of the interfering component. Read More

Acta Biomater 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

State Key Laboratory of Turbulence and Complex Systems, Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, BIC-ESAT, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, People's Republic of China; CAPT, HEDPS and IFSA Collaborative Innovation Center of MoE, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, People's Republic of China. Electronic address:

130 years ago, Darwin observed that caudicles in vandoid orchids possess considerable elasticity and further hypothesized that their elasticity serves to improve pollination efficiency. However, there has been no study that seeks to either quantitatively backup Darwin's hypothesis or characterize this natural material for practical use. Here we show that vandoid caudicles are a novel kind of soft material with extremely high extensibility (1190%), low modulus (160 kPa) and density lower than that of water. Read More

Acta Biomater 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, AIIM Facility, Innovation Campus, University of Wollongong, Fairy Meadow, New South Wales, 2519, Australia. Electronic address:

Engineering substantia propria (or stroma of cornea) that mimics the function and anatomy of natural tissue is vital for in vitro modelling and in vivo regeneration. There are, however, few examples of bioengineered biomimetic corneal stroma. Here we describe the construction of an orthogonally oriented 3D corneal stroma model (3D-CSM) using pure electro-compacted collagen (EC). Read More

Acta Biomater 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

The First Affiliated Hospital; Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health; School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, PR China. Electronic address:

Although some formats of nanomedicines are now available for clinical use, the translation of new nanoparticles to the clinic remains a considerable challenge. Here, we describe a simple yet cost-effective strategy that converts a toxic drug, cabazitaxel, into a safe and effective nanomedicine. The strategy involves the ligation of drug molecules via a self-immolating spacer, followed by dimerization-induced self-assembly to assemble stable nanoparticles. Read More

Acta Biomater 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

3B's Research Group, I3Bs - Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Avepark - Zona Industrial da Gandra, 4805-017 Barco, Guimarães, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Guimarães, Portugal. Electronic address:

Injuries affecting load bearing tendon tissues are a significant clinical burden and efficient treatments are still unmet. Tackling tendon regeneration, tissue engineering strategies aim to develop functional substitutes that recreate native tendon milieu. Tendon mimetic scaffolds capable of remote magnetic responsiveness and functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) targeting cellular mechanosensitive receptors are potential instructive tools to mediate mechanotransduction in guiding tenogenic responses. Read More

Acta Biomater 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

School of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3GH, UK; Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100083, China; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, UK.

It is limiting to use conventional methods when characterising material properties of complex biological tissues with inhomogeneous and anisotropic structure, such as the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee joint. This study aims to develop and utilise a three-dimensional digital image correlation method (3D DIC) for the purpose of determining material properties of femur-ACL-tibia complex across the surface without any contact between the tissue and the loading equipment. A full-field (360° view) 3D DIC test setup consisting of six digital single-lens reflex cameras was developed and ACL specimens from skeletally mature dog knee joints were tested. Read More

Acta Biomater 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

W. M. Keck Biomedical Materials Research Laboratory, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States. Electronic address:

Recent challenges in post-surgical bone tumor management have elucidated the need for a multifunctional scaffold, which can be used for residual tumor-cell suppression, defect repair, and simultaneous bone regeneration. In this perspective, 3D printing allows to create a wide variety of patient-specific implant with complex porous architecture and compatible mechanical strength to that of cancellous bone. Here, a multifunctional bone graft substitute is designed by incorporating the three primary soy isoflavones: genistein, daidzein, and glycitein onto a 3D printed (3DP) tricalcium phosphate (TCP) scaffolds with designed pores, endowing them with in vitro chemopreventive, bone-cell proliferating and immune-modulatory potential. Read More

Acta Biomater 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, PR China; Institute of Orthopedics, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital; Beijing Key Lab of Regenerative Medicine in Orthopedics; Key Laboratory of Musculoskeletal Trauma & War Injuries PLA; No. 28 Fuxing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100853, PR China. Electronic address:

In the absence of timely and proper treatments, injuries to articular cartilage (AC) can lead to cartilage degeneration and ultimately result in osteoarthritis. Regenerative medicine and tissue engineering techniques are emerging as promising approaches for AC regeneration and repair. Although the use of cell-seeded scaffolds prior to implantation can regenerate and repair cartilage lesions to some extent, these approaches are still restricted by limited cell sources, excessive costs, risks of disease transmission and complex manufacturing practices. Read More

Clin Chim Acta 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Quality Department. Biomedical Diagnostic Center. Hospital Clínic of Barcelona. Electronic address:

Introduction: For the measurands of the newborn screening (NBS), there are no analytical performance specifications (APS) available based on the Milan consensus Models. The objective is to provide total error (TE) APS based on the state-of-the-art (SOTA) for the NBS.

Material And Methods: 23,662 results were collected from the Spanish NBS EQA scheme between May 2015 and September 2018. Read More

Clin Chim Acta 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Medicine Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.

Background: For epidemiologic, social and economic reasons, assessment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection prevalence and immunity are important to adapt decisions to current demands. Hence, immunoassays for detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies are introduced rapidly without requiring FDA emergency use authorization approval. Thus, evaluation of test performance predominantly relies on laboratories. Read More

Clin Chim Acta 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

S.C. Laboratorio Analisi, A.O. Ordine Mauriziano di Torino, Torino, Italy.

Background: The study aim was to evaluate whether is possible to harmonize the results of two hs-cTnI methods using a recalibration procedure based on linear regression models and measured values of external quality assessment (EQA) and clinical samples.

Methods: A two-step experimental approach was used. The preliminary step was performed using 16 EQA samples. Read More