Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Biochim Biophys Acta Biomembr 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science at SNS, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, United States of America.

A short sequence on the gp41 envelope protein of HIV-1 is integral to infection by the virus. Without this sequence, termed the fusion peptide (FP), the virus is far less effective at fusing with the cellular membrane. One of the interesting features of the isolated FP is that it transitions between an α-helical conformation and a β-sheet conformation in lipid bilayer membranes as a function of lipid composition and concentration, and the transition correlates with fusion. Read More

Health Psychol 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Warren Alpert Medical School.

Objective: Self-regulation interventions encouraging daily weighing prevent weight gain in young adults; however, concerns have been raised that such interventions may have undesirable effects on eating pathology, depression, and health-related quality of life (HRQL). The present study examined whether self-regulation interventions and self-weighing frequency were associated with these indices in normal weight individuals and those with overweight or obesity.

Methods: Young adults ( = 599), 18-35 years with a body mass index (BMI) 21. Read More

Laryngoscope 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, United Kingdom.

Objectives/hypothesis: To present yield of transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE) biopsies of upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) lesions and define the role of TNE as a safe alternative to rigid endoscopy.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Methods: All patients who underwent TNE-guided biopsies attempted over a 2-year period were included. Read More

Laryngoscope 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Nek Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.

Objective: Complaints of dysphonia and dysphagia frequently require rigid or flexible laryngoscopy in the office to aid in diagnosis. For young children, flexible laryngoscopy can be uncomfortable and often requires multiple adults to restrain the child. Rigid laryngoscopy does not result in crying but does require patient cooperation; thus, it is used primarily in adults. Read More

Minerva Urol Nefrol 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Urology, Sant'Andrea Hospital, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.

Background: We aimed to validate Imamura nomogram for prediction of stone free rate in patients undergoing ureterolithotripsy.

Methods: From January 2013 to June 2016, patients undergoing laser semi-rigid ureterolithotripsy were prospectively enrolled at our centre. All patients were preoperatively assessed with clinical history, blood samples, uranalysis and non-contrast enhanced CT. Read More

Phys Rev Lett 2018 Nov;121(22):224501

Department of Civil, Chemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Genova and INFN, via Montallegro 1, 16145 Genova, Italy.

Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) fluid turbulence through a bed of rigid, finite-size spheres is investigated by means of high-resolution direct numerical simulations, fully coupling the fluid and the solid phase via a state-of-the-art immersed boundary method. The porous character of the medium reveals a totally different physics for the mixing process when compared to the well-known phenomenology of classical RT mixing. For sufficiently small porosity, the growth rate of the mixing layer is linear in time (instead of quadratical) and the velocity fluctuations tend to saturate to a constant value (instead of linearly growing). Read More

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador Saocarlense 400, São Carlos, SP, 13560-970, Brazil.

Lignocellulose feedstock constitutes the most abundant carbon source in the biosphere; however, its recalcitrance remains a challenge for microbial conversion into biofuel and bioproducts. Bacillus licheniformis is a microbial mesophilic bacterium capable of secreting a large number of glycoside hydrolase (GH) enzymes, including a glycoside hydrolase from GH family 9 (BlCel9). Here, we conducted biochemical and biophysical studies of recombinant BlCel9, and its low-resolution molecular shape was retrieved from small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data. Read More

IEEE Robot Autom Lett 2019 Jan 19;4(1):145-152. Epub 2018 Nov 19.

Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH.

Robot-assisted medical interventions, such as robotic catheter ablation, often require the robot to perform tasks on a tissue surface. This paper presents a task-space motion planning method that generates actuation trajectories which steer the end- effector of the MRI-actuated robot along desired trajectories on the surface. The continuum robot is modeled using the pseudo-rigid-body model, where the continuum body of the robot is approximated by rigid links joined by flexible joints. Read More

Curr Mol Biol Rep 2018 Dec 20;4(4):151-160. Epub 2018 Sep 20.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA.

Purpose Of Review: The endplates form the interface between the rigid vertebral bodies and compliant intervertebral discs. Proper endplate function involves a balance between conflicting biomechanical and nutritional demands. This review summarizes recent data that highlight the importance of proper endplate function and the relationships between endplate dysfunction, adjacent disc degeneration, and axial low back pain. Read More

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

A porous polymer containing a fluorophenylphenanthroimidazole core was easily prepared via one-pot Suzuki-Miyaura cross coupling reactions under microwave heating. These new metal-free polymers have demonstrated heterogeneous photocatalytic activity toward aza-Henry reaction with reasonable recyclability. Their preparation require a minimal workup to build porous networks with control over the apparent surface area and pore volume from suitable molecular building blocks containing the 2-(1H-phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazol-2-yl)-3,5-difluorophenol (PhIm-2F), as rigid and multitopic node which afforded a conjugated porous polymer (CPP-PhIm-2F). Read More

Sensors (Basel) 2018 Dec 10;18(12). Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.

Wireless technology plays an important role in data communication and power transmission, which has greatly boosted the development of flexible and stretchable electronics for biomedical applications and beyond. As a key component in wireless technology, flexible and stretchable antennas need to be flexible and stretchable, enabled by the efforts with new materials or novel integration approaches with structural designs. Besides replacing the conventional rigid substrates with textile or elastomeric ones, flexible and stretchable conductive materials also need to be used for the radiation parts, including conductive textiles, liquid metals, elastomeric composites embedding conductive fillers, and stretchable structures from conventional metals. Read More

Magn Reson Imaging 2018 Dec 10. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Division of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, 5-11-80 Kodatsuno, Kanazawa, 920-0942, Japan. Electronic address:

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a novel technique for retrospective distortion correction based on non-rigid image registration in magnetic resonance diffusion image.

Methods: A 3.0 T MRI scanner with an 18-channel dedicated breast coil and the outer shell of the original breast phantom, which provided images with non-uniform fat-suppression based on clinical data were used. Read More

Appetite 2018 Dec 10. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, United States.

Background: Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is characterized by obsessions about eating healthily and rigid adherence to a perceived healthy diet. This study uses the Eating Habits Questionnaire to investigate the relationship of ON symptoms with self-reported food intake, eating-related impairment, obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms (OCD), gender, and BMI while controlling for other eating disordered symptoms. The aim of this study is to provide further evidence for the construct of ON as distinct from other forms of disordered eating. Read More

Traffic Inj Prev 2018 Dec 13:1-9. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

d Biomechanics and Accident Analysis , Ludwig Maximilians University , Munich , Germany.

Objective: The goal of the study was to develop experimental chest loading conditions that would cause up to Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) 2 chest injuries in elderly occupants in moderate-speed frontal crashes. The new set of experimental data was also intended to be used in the benchmark of existing thoracic injury criteria in lower-speed collision conditions.

Methods: Six male elderly (age >63) postmortem human subjects (PMHS) were exposed to a 35 km/h (nominal) frontal sled impact. Read More

Soft Matter 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Department of Physics and Biophysics, University of San Diego, San Diego, USA.

Non-equilibrium soft materials, such as networks of actin proteins, have been intensely investigated over the past decade due to their promise for designing smart materials and understanding cell mechanics. However, current methods are unable to measure the time-dependent mechanics of such systems or map mechanics to the corresponding dynamic macromolecular properties. Here, we present an experimental approach that combines time-resolved optical tweezers microrheology with diffusion-controlled microfluidics to measure the time-evolution of microscale mechanical properties of dynamic systems during triggered activity. Read More

Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

School of Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK. and George W Gray Centre for Advanced Materials, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK.

A significant impediment to the use of impedance spectroscopy in bio-sensing is the electrode polarization effect that arises from the movement of free ions to the electrode-solution interface, forming an electrical double layer (EDL). The EDL screens the dielectric response of the bulk and its large capacitance dominates the signal response at low frequency, masking information particularly relevant for biological samples, such as molecular conformation changes and DNA hybridization. The fabrication of nanogap capacitors with electrode separation less than the EDL thickness can significantly reduce electrode polarization effects and provide enormous improvement in sensitivity due to better matching of the sensing volume with the size of the target entities. Read More

Geriatr Orthop Surg Rehabil 2018 11;9:2151459318799856. Epub 2018 Nov 11.

Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

Introduction: Distal femoral fractures in elderly population had recorded an increase in incidence in the last 2 decades. Lateral distal femoral locking plating is considered one of the best options especially when dealing with comminuted fractures but varus collapse of the medial femoral condyle occurs frequently in patients with osteoporosis. Anatomical reduction of the fracture with stable rigid fixation using double-plating approach allows early mobilization of geriatric population and prevents varus collapse minimizing the comorbidities in such fractures. Read More

Chem Sci 2018 Nov 8;9(44):8325-8336. Epub 2018 Oct 8.

Center for Molecular Spectroscopy and Dynamics , Institute for Basic Science (IBS) , Korea University , Seoul 02841 , Republic of Korea . Email: ; Email:

Fluorescent proteins contain an internal chromophore constituted of amino acids or an external chromophore covalently bonded to the protein. To increase their fluorescence intensities, many research groups have attempted to mutate amino acids within or near the chromophore. Recently, a new type of fluorescent protein, called UnaG, in which the ligand binds to the protein through many noncovalent interactions was discovered. Read More

Chem Sci 2018 Nov 27;9(43):8228-8233. Epub 2018 Aug 27.

Singular Research Centre in Chemical Biology and Molecular Materials, (CIQUS) , Organic Chemistry Department , University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) , 15782 Santiago de Compostela , Spain . Email: ; Email:

Here we show that 4-aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acid is a rigid stretcher building block for the preparation of cyclic peptides that self-assemble to form peptide nanotubes with large diameter and hydrophobic pores. The hydrophobic properties of the resulting nanotubes provided by the two methylene groups per δ-residue allow the encapsulation of C moieties forming a new type of bionanopeapod structure. Read More

Med Phys 2018 Dec 7. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Cancer Epidemiology Department, Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, 12902 Bruce B. Downs Blvd, Tampa FL, 33612.

Purpose: We are developing a calibration methodology for full field digital mammography (FFDM). Calibration compensates for the image acquisition technique influences on this pixel representation, ideally producing improved inter-image breast density estimates. This approach relies on establishing references with rigid breast tissue equivalent phantoms (BTEs) and requires an accurate estimate of the compressed breast thickness because the system readout is nominal. Read More

Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018 Dec 7. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Department of Molecular Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan. and Elements Strategy Initiative for Catalysts and Batteries, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan.

The coordination self-assembly process of a Pd2L4 cage including rigid ditopic ligands, L, was studied numerically. A recently developed experimental approach (QASAP: quantitative analysis of self-assembly process) revealed that the rate-determining steps in the self-assembly of the Pd2L4 cage are intramolecular ligand exchanges at the late stages of the self-assembly. In this study, the self-assembly process before the rate-determining steps, which could not be investigated by experiment, was analyzed based on a minimal reaction network model. Read More

Chem Commun (Camb) 2018 Dec 7. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 E4-1 O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8552, Japan.

Partial dehydrobromination of a diprotic pincer-type ruthenium complex in the presence of a rigid 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)benzene linker provided a dinuclear cage containing a guest template KBr surrounded by hydrogen bonds and electrostatic interactions. Dinitrogen and carbon disulfide were encapsulated into the cage with proton channels formed by the pyrazole arms in the pincer ligands. Read More

Phys Med Biol 2018 Nov 14. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, UNITED STATES.

Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) with surface supervising is a common technique for cardiac dose reduction in left breast cancer radiotherapy. Surface supervision accuracy relies on the characteristics of surface region. In this study, a convolutional neural network (CNN) based automatic region-of-interest (ROI) selection method was proposed to select an optimal surface ROI for DIBH surface monitoring. Read More

Nanotechnology 2018 Nov 30. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Institute of Physics, CAS, Beijing, CHINA.

Flexible and stretchable nanostructures have broad technological applications. Although nanostructures synthesized with metallic glasses, the alloys of amorphous atomic structure, exhibit superior properties, they are typically too rigid to be used as flexible material with existing synthesis techniques. In this study, we report periodic and crumpled metallic glass nanostructures that can accommodate a large amount of stretching. Read More

Nanotechnology 2019 Feb;30(6):065705

School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, The University of Queensland, QLD, 4072, Australia.

A thermal resonant method was developed to accurately determine the temperature-dependent Young's moduli of nanowires. In this method, the frequency spectra of a [0001]-oriented ZnO nanowire cantilever at elevated temperatures were measured using scanning laser Doppler vibrometry. The temperature-dependent Young's moduli were derived from the resonant frequencies using Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. Read More

Phys Med Biol 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Computer Science and Systems Department, University of Zaragoza, Maria de Luna 1, 50018 Zaragoza, Zaragoza, SPAIN.

The class of non-rigid registration methods proposed in the framework of PDE-constrained Large Deformation Diffeomorphic Metric Mapping is a particularly interesting family of physically meaningful diffeomorphic registration methods. Inexact Gauss-Newton-Krylov optimization has shown an excellent numerical accuracy and an extraordinarily fast convergence rate in this framework. However, the Galerkin representation of the non-stationary velocity fields does not provide proper geodesic paths. Read More

EMBO J 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Peninsula Dental School, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK

Proper temporal and spatial activation of stem cells relies on highly coordinated cell signaling. The primary cilium is the sensory organelle that is responsible for transmitting extracellular signals into a cell. Primary cilium size, architecture, and assembly-disassembly dynamics are under rigid cell cycle-dependent control. Read More

J Acoust Soc Am 2018 Nov;144(5):EL453

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TR, United Kingdom

The analytical solution of the acoustic radiation force exerted by a beam of arbitrary shape on a small spheroidal rigid particle suspended in an ideal fluid is presented. The particle is assumed to be much smaller than the wavelength, i.e. Read More

Ear Nose Throat J 2018 Dec;97(12):413-416

Department of Medical Engineering, Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology, Nöthnitzer Straße 44, 01187 Dresden, Germany.

In minimally invasive surgeries, it can be difficult to reach desired anatomic areas with rigid instruments, especially when obstacles are present in the surgical corridor (e.g., during transnasal pituitary surgery). Read More

PLoS One 2018 12;13(12):e0208020. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Ecology and Evolution, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

The extinct marsupial 'lion' Thylacoleo carnifex was Australia's largest mammalian carnivore. Despite being the topic of more discussion than any other extinct Australian marsupial (excepting perhaps the Thylacine), basic aspects of its palaeobiology, including its locomotory repertoire, remain poorly understood. Recent discoveries allowed the first reconstruction of an entire skeleton including the first complete tail and hitherto-unrecognised clavicles. Read More

J Pediatr Orthop 2019 Jan;39(1):e12-e17

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

Introduction: The insertion of 2 elastic stable intramedullary nails (ESINs) is a common treatment for pediatric femur fractures. However, the use of this technique in length-unstable or metadiaphyseal fractures has historically been associated with higher complication rates. To improve stability, the addition of a third ESIN has been assessed biomechanically and clinically, but the addition of a fourth nail has only been evaluated biomechanically. Read More

JBJS Case Connect 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Southland Hospital/University of Otago, Invercargill, New Zealand.

Case: Congenital vertical talus (CVT) is a rare rigid flatfoot disorder with a rocker-bottom flatfoot appearance. It is characterized by hindfoot valgus and equinus, with associated midfoot dorsiflexion and forefoot abduction. We describe a patient who was born with dysmorphic features and subsequently was diagnosed with Beals contractural arachnodactyly. Read More

J Chem Theory Comput 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

The interaction of amino acids with metal electrodes plays a crucial role in bioelectrochemistry and the emerging field of bionanoelectronics. Here we present benchmark calculations of the adsorption structure and energy of all natural amino acids on Au(111) in vacuum using a van-der-Waals density functional (revPBE-vdW) that showed good performance on the S22 set of weakly bound dimers (mean relative unsigned error (MRUE) wrt CCSD(T)/CBS = 13.3%) and adsorption energies of small organic molecules on Au(111) (MRUE wrt experiment = 11. Read More

Soft Matter 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Physics, Williams College, Williamstown, MA, USA. and Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.

We characterize the mechanical recovery of compliant silicone gels following adhesive contact failure. We establish broad, stable adhesive contacts between rigid microspheres and soft gels, then stretch the gels to large deformations by pulling quasi-statically on the contact. Eventually, the adhesive contact begins to fail, and ultimately slides to a final contact point on the bottom of the sphere. Read More

Chem Commun (Camb) 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

School of pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350004, Fujian Province, China.

We propose a dynamic nanodevice based on a split G-quadruplex (G4). By splitting it apart, we can successfully decouple the G-tetrad formation from external stimuli, greatly expanding the stimulus for G4 based devices. Taking advantage of the rigid force from a DNA duplex, the nanodevice can be switched reversibly through the conformational transformation. Read More

Injury 2018 Dec 22;49(12):2248-2251. Epub 2018 Oct 22.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nagoya Ekisaikai Hospital, 4-66 Shonen-Cho, Nakagawa-Ku, Nagoya, 454-8502, Japan.

Introduction: Flexor tendon injury often occurs with concomitant injuries such as fracture, vascular injury, and extensor tendon injury. These injuries are repaired independently, without a comprehensive strategy. We aimed to identify the effect of concomitant injuries and treatment choice on the outcome of flexor tendon repair. Read More

Diagn Interv Imaging 2018 Dec 24;99(12):829-830. Epub 2018 Oct 24.

Department of Interventional Radiology, University of California, Los Angeles, 757 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.

Acta Neurochir (Wien) 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Department of Neurosurgery, Sainte-Anne Military Hospital, BP 600, 83800, Toulon Cedex 09, France.

Background: Every summer, several patients who suffer from vertebral fractures are hospitalized at the Sainte-Anne Military Hospital after going on a boat trip around the French Riviera. The uniqueness of these fractures lies in their mechanism of injury, called the "deck-slap" injury. The aim of this study is to describe the characteristics of the "deck-slap" injury. Read More

J Am Chem Soc 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

The development of rigid covalent chiroptical organic materials, with multiple, readily available redox states, which exhibit high photoluminescence is of particular importance in relation to both organic electronics and photonics. The chemically stable, thermally robust and redox-active perylene diimide (PDI) fluorophores have received ever-increasing attention owing to their excellent fluorescence quantum yields in solution. Planar PDI derivatives, however, generally suffer from aggregation-caused emission quenching in the solid state. Read More

Macromol Rapid Commun 2018 Dec 7:e1800730. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science MOE Key Lab for Materials Physics and Chemistry Extraordinary Condition, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710129, Shaanxi, China.

A negative-charged, metal-containing cyclomatrix polyphosphazene microsphere (MCPM) is synthesized using the strategy of precipitation polymerization of di-functionalized polyoxometalates (POMs) and hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene. The chemical structure of these MCPMs is well characterized by C MAS NMR and P MAS NMR, as well as FT-IR, electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The covalent grafting of the rigid POMs clusters into the framework of these microspheres prevents the collapsing of the pores, making these MCPMs porous materials. Read More

Chemistry 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

CHINA.

Oxidation of β-to-β directly linked and sulfur-bridged meso-amino NiII-porphyrin dimers with PbO2 gave helical tetrapyrrin (biliverdin analogue)-fused NiII-porphyrins. These ring cleaving reactions differ markedly from the previously reported oxidation of a β-β linked NiII-porphyrin dimer carrying one amino-group that gave an azepine-fused porphyrin dimer. The tetrapyrrin-fused NiII-porphyrins display intense NIR absorption bands reaching at 1200-1400 nm and reversible redox processes because of the highly π-conjugated networks and rigid structures. Read More

Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018 Dec 8. Epub 2018 Dec 8.

CR2P UMR 7207 (MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, Sorbonne Université), Département Origines et Evolution, Muséum National d'Histoire naturelle, CP 48, 57 rue Cuvier, F-75231 Paris cedex 05, France.

Sharks of Late Paleozoic oceans evolved unique dentitions for catching and eating soft bodied prey. A diverse but poorly preserved clade, edestoids are noted for developing biting teeth at the midline of their jaws. Helicoprion has a continuously growing root to accommodate more than 100 crowns that spiraled on top of one another to form a symphyseal whorl supported and laterally braced within the lower jaw. Read More

Anat Sci Educ 2018 Dec 7. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Division of Industrial Design, School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore, Singapore.

In recent decades, three-dimensional (3D) printing as an emerging technology, has been utilized for imparting human anatomy knowledge. However, most 3D printed models are rigid anatomical replicas that are unable to represent dynamic spatial relationships between different anatomical structures. In this study, the data obtained from a computed tomography (CT) scan of a normal knee joint were used to design and fabricate a functional knee joint simulator for anatomical education. Read More

Chemistry 2018 Dec 10. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Zhengzhou university, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, No 100,Science road, 450001, Zhengzhou, CHINA.

Developing highly luminescent and extensively stable silver cluster-assembled materials (SCAMs) from the inferior luminogens and unstable silver cluster is an important and challenging issue. Herein, a novel luminescent three-dimensional SCAM (Ag12CPPP) was designed and synthesized with a quadridentate rigid emission ligand (CPPP) and a silver-chalcogenolate cluster containing twelve Ag(I) atoms. Luminescence study indicates CPPP is an aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) molecule along with twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) character. Read More

J Neurooncol 2018 Dec 9. Epub 2018 Dec 9.

Children's Cancer Research Unit, Kids Research Institute, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Locked Bag 4001, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia.

Introduction: The brain is a very soft tissue. Glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumours are highly infiltrative into the surrounding healthy brain tissue and invasion mechanisms that have been defined using rigid substrates therefore may not apply to GBM dissemination. GBMs characteristically lose expression of the high molecular weight tropomyosins, a class of actin-associating proteins and essential regulators of the actin stress fibres and focal adhesions that underpin cell migration on rigid substrates. Read More

Chem Commun (Camb) 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Molecular Tectonics Laboratory, UMR UDS-CNRS, 7140 & icFRC, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000, France.

An achiral organic tecton bearing four coordinating sites of the pyridyl type leads to the formation of iso-structural 3D helical coordination polymers when combined with Co(SCN)2 and Fe(SCN)2 achiral neutral complexes. Their formation occurs during the self-assembly process in the solid state, which leads to crystals composed of homochiral coordination polymers. Read More

Dalton Trans 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, Sector 81, Manauli PO, S.A.S. Nagar, Mohali, Punjab 140306, India.

A microporous metal-organic framework, {[Co2(4,4'-bpy)(L)]·H2O·0.5(DMF)}n (1), was obtained from the self-assembly of cobalt(ii) nitrate hexahydrate, rigid tetrapodal carboxylic acid 4,4',4'',4'''-silanetetrayltetrabenzoic acid (H4L) and a rigid bifunctional linker 4'4'-bipyridine (4,4'-bpy) under solvothermal conditions. It was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, elemental analysis, and powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Read More

Arab J Urol 2018 Dec 21;16(4):429-434. Epub 2018 Jun 21.

Department of Urology, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University School of Medicine, Rize, Turkey.

Objectives: To compare the 7.5-9.5F ureteroscope (URS) with the 4. Read More

Arab J Urol 2018 Dec 26;16(4):422-428. Epub 2018 Jul 26.

Department of Urology, Benha Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha, Egypt.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of silodosin therapy, as a new α-adrenergic receptor (α-AR) blocker, on the success rate of semi-rigid ureteroscopy (URS) for the management of large distal ureteric stones.

Patients And Methods: This prospective study recruited 127 adult patients with single distal ureteric stone of ≥1 cm. The patients were randomly allocated to two groups: the first group included 62 patients who received silodosin (8 mg) for 10 days before URS (Silodosin group), whilst the second group included 65 patients who received placebo, in the form of multivitamins, for 10 days before URS (Placebo group). Read More

J Cutan Aesthet Surg 2018 Jul-Sep;11(3):150-152

AboutSkin Dermatology and DermSurgery, Denver, Colorado, USA.

Background And Objective: Reconstructing the contours of the auricle is a unique challenge. Various bolster techniques have been tried to help prevent complications such as hematoma, seroma, and morbidity. Here, we describe a simple technique using a button to maintain the natural ear contour when it is at risk of a poor aesthetic outcome. Read More