Search Results (51)

According to the World Health Organization, malocclusion type III is third, most important oral health problem. It may be the least prevalent malocclusion, but it is the most noticeable and challenging for orthodontic therapy. With this narrative review, we wanted to give a summation of the most current knowledge about diagnostics, different therapy options, limitations, and additional factors that can influence the therapy of class III malocclusion to help clinicians and researchers focus on the specific approaches. Therapy options were divided into the following groups: orthopedic, orthodontic, and surgical. The SNA, SNB, and ANB angles (cephalometric values) are the best ones to examine improvements in different skeletal improvements, while dentoalveolar improvements were also described, emphasizing the limitation of orthopedic therapy to change the skeletal discrepancy. Eruption-guided appliances and chin cups are more effective in early childhood, mixed dentition, during permanent teeth eruption, with no significant skeletal discrepancy. If a discrepancy exists, a face mask is the first therapy choice. The therapy of an underdeveloped maxilla can be solved with different palate expanders. Bulkiness, lack of long-term results, and duration of therapy make fixed orthodontic appliances with braces and elastic traction favorable nowadays. If the skeletal discrepancy is major, a surgical approach should be considered. One of the main limitations in articles is the combination of different therapy approaches, ages, and dentition preferred for device application, duration of therapy, and lack of information about long-term outcomes. On the other hand, the lack of original articles is noticeable, so further research should be done. Full article

The cyclization of propargyl alcohols with CO₂ represents a highly significant method for the utilization of CO₂. The resulting cyclic carbonates possesses high chemical value and hold great potential for applications in battery electrolytes, polymer precursors, and pharmaceutical intermediates. However, most existing reports on this cyclization have been limited to simple propargyl alcohol substrates that are substituted with inert alkyl, cycloalkyl, and phenyl groups. For functionalized propargyl alcohols, such as alkyne-1,2-diols, only a single report has been documented thus far. In this study, we have developed an innovative catalytic system comprising cost-effective copper salts and environmentally friendly ionic liquids (CuCl/1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate) for the cyclization of alkyne-1,2-diols with CO₂. Compared to the previously reported AgF/bulky monophosphine ligand (BrettPhos) system, our system is free of traditional volatile solvents, phosphine ligands, and additives. Notably, this is the first reported Cu(I)-catalyzed system for this cyclization, offering significant advantages in terms of cost-effectiveness and reduced toxicity compared to silver salts. Moreover, the use of ionic liquids ensures considerable recyclability, further enhancing the sustainability and practicality of this approach. Full article

The use of organic halide salts to passivate metal halide perovskite (MHP) surface defects has been studied extensively. Passivating the surface defects of the MHP is of critical importance for realizing highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Here, the successful application of a multifunctional organic salt, methyltriphenylphosphonium iodide (MTPPI), used as a passivation additive for grain boundary defects and as a molecular sealing layer in terms of stabilization, has been used to stabilize the mixed cation perovskite RbCsMAFA-PbIBr. To assess the passivating and stabilizing effects of MTPPI on RbCsMAFA-PbIBr PSCs, maximum power point tracking (MPPT) was applied as the most realistic and closest-to-application condition for the ageing test. Here, perovskite solar cells were aged under a light source yielding an excitation intensity corresponding to one sun with maximum power point tracking, which was interrupted periodically by current–voltage sweeps. This allowed for the extraction of all photovoltaic parameters necessary for a proper understanding of the ageing process. The MTPPI additive can donate iodine anions to halide vacancies and compensate a negative surface excess charge with cation interactions. On top of this, the large and bulky methyltriphenylphosphonium (MTPP⁺) cation may block both the escape of volatile perovskite components and the ingress of oxygen and water vapour. These collective roles of MTPPI have improved both the efficiency and stability of the solar cells compared to the reference without passivation additives. Full article

Background: The clinical outcome of inoperable sarcoma patients treated with LATTICE (LRT) is limited and therefore the objective of our study was to report treatment response, overall survival (OS), local-recurrence free survival (LRFS) and toxicity. Methods: This retrospective observational study includes 15 histologically proven inoperable non-extremity sarcoma patients with no treatment options or no response to systemic therapy, treated at our institution between 2020 and 2024. The patients were treated with a combination of LRT and normo- or hypo-fractionated external beam radiotherapy. Treatment response was evaluated by RECIST1.1 criteria, toxicity by CTCAE 5.0 and OS and LRFS by Kaplan–Meier curves. Results: The median follow-up (F-UP) since the beginning of the treatment was 10 months (range 4–32). Nine patients were male and six female. Their mean age was 60 years. The median gross tumor volume (GTV) was 1058 cm³ (range 142–6103 cm³). The median number of spheres was 9 (4–30). All patients with symptoms reported symptoms’ relief. Based on RECIST1.1 criteria, 10 patients (67%) had stable local disease at 1–2 months F-UP on computed tomography (CT). Surgical resection was feasible in five patients. Three of them are alive without disease and two died due to metastatic progression. From 10 (67%) non operated patients, 5 patients died (50%) due to disease. The remaining five patients (50%) are alive, three with stable disease at 21, 22, and 32 months of F-UP and two with disease progression who are currently receiving palliative chemotherapy treatment. Reported G2 toxicity was as follows: gastrointestinal (2), asthenia (1). Two patients had G3 toxicity: esophagitis (1) and inguinal dermatitis (1). No acute or chronic G4–G5 toxicity was observed. Conclusions: LRT is a feasible and well-tolerated radiation technique for inoperable bulky soft-tissue sarcomas. Further studies are needed to establish protocols to determine which patients could benefit from palliative or preoperative treatment. Full article

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a chronic neurological disorder with the severity directly linked to the diagnosis age. The severity can be reduced if diagnosis and intervention are early (age < 2 years). This work presents a novel ear-worn wearable EEG system designed to aid in the early detection of ASD. Conventional EEG systems often suffer from bulky, wired electrodes, high power consumption, and a lack of real-time electrode–skin interface (ESI) impedance monitoring. To address these limitations, our system incorporates continuous, long-term EEG recording, on-chip machine learning for real-time ASD prediction, and a passive ESI evaluation system. The passive ESI methodology evaluates impedance using the root mean square voltage of the output signal, considering factors like pressure, electrode surface area, material, gel thickness, and duration. The on-chip machine learning processor, implemented in 180 nm CMOS, occupies a minimal 2.52 mm² of active area while consuming only 0.87 µJ of energy per classification. The performance of this ML processor is validated using the Old Dominion University ASD dataset. Full article

Background: Inguinal lymph node (LN) dissection (iLND) is mandatory in cN2 penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC). Open iLND (OIL) is often omitted due to the high rate of complications. A minimally invasive approach may reduce morbidity; however, evidence supporting its role to treat bulky nodes is limited. This study aimed to present the outcomes of the largest European single-center series of robot-assisted iLND (RAIL) for the treatment of cN2 PSCC and to compare the surgical and survival outcomes of this approach with the standard of care. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on men with cT1-4N2M0 PSCC undergone either OIL or RAIL at our institution from January 2014 onwards. Baseline demographics, perioperative data, and oncologic outcomes were analyzed. Results: Overall, 47 patients were included; 38 (81%) underwent OIL. Median age was 59 years, with 23 men (48%) presenting with a ≥4 Charlson comorbidity index. Operation time was significantly longer in the robotic cohort (212 min vs. 145 min; p < 0.001), while the length of stay (p = 0.09) and time to inguinal drainage removal (p = 0.08) were not. Estimated blood loss favored the robotic approach (60 mL vs. 300 mL; p < 0.001). Post-operative complications rates were comparable in the two groups (25% vs. 47%; p = 0.17): four major complications were observed overall, and these were all in the OIL cohort. Median LN yield was comparable between the two groups (18 vs. 25; p = 0.05). Final pathology reports showed no significant differences in tumor stage distribution between the cohorts (p = 0.54). Kaplan–Meier analysis did not reveal any significant differences in RFS probabilities between the two treatment groups (Log Rank = 0.99). Conclusions: RAIL demonstrated comparable perioperative and oncologic outcomes to OIL for cN2 PSCC, with the benefit of reduced estimated blood loss. RAIL is a feasible option for cases where a minimally invasive approach is preferred, offering comparable perioperative safety and oncological outcomes. Full article

Background: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is recommended over systematic lymphadenectomy in early-stage endometrial cancer due to its lower morbidity and comparable detection rate. The objective of this study was to identify clinical factors associated with unsuccessful mapping. Methods: Between April 2020 and June 2024, 120 patients over the age of 18 and diagnosed with early-stage endometrial cancer were enrolled in this prospective study at a single institution. Demographic, clinicopathologic, and treatment data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Univariate and multiple linear regressions were performed to identify predictors of failed mapping. Results: The mean age of the patient cohort was 62.5 years (range 33 to 83), and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 32 kg/m² (range 18 to 50). Patients underwent intracervical injections with methylene blue (MB), indocyanine green (ICG), or a combination of both tracers, with 40 patients in each group. A total of 108 patients (90.0%) were diagnosed with endometrioid carcinoma and 12 (10.0%) with non-endometrioid cancers. Additionally, 110 patients (91.7%) were diagnosed in early stages of the disease. The overall SLN detection rate was 73.4%, with bilateral detection at 49.2% and unilateral detection at 24.2%. Univariate analysis showed that older age (p < 0.001), menopause (p = 0.001), the use of MB as the sole tracer (p = 0.006), a shorter tumor-to-serosa distance (p = 0.048), and bulky lymph nodes (p = 0.18) were associated with unsuccessful mapping. Multiple linear regression model analysis identified age (p = 0.007), tracer type (p = 0.013), and enlarged lymph nodes (p = 0.013) as independent predictors of SLN mapping failure. Conclusions: Advanced age, tracer type, and intraoperative detection of enlarged lymph nodes were identified as independent risk factors for unsuccessful mapping in patients undergoing laparoscopic SLN mapping. Full article

This study assesses the gas and water vapor permeance of PIM-derivative thin-film composite (TFC) membranes using pervaporation and “pressure increase” methods, and provides a comparative view of “time lag” measurements of thick films obtained from our previous work. In this study, TFC membranes were prepared using PIM-1 and homopolymers that were modified with different side groups to explore their effects on gas and water vapor transport. Rigid and bulky aliphatic groups were used to increase the polymer’s free volume and were evaluated for their impact on both gas and water transport. Aromatic side groups were specifically employed to assess water affinity. The permeance of CO₂, H₂, CH₄ and water vapor through these membranes was analyzed using the ‘pressure increase’ method to determine the modifications’ influence on transport efficiency and interaction with water molecules. Over a 20 h period, the aging and the permeance of the TFC membranes were analyzed using this method. In parallel, pervaporation experiments were conducted on samples taken independently from the same membrane roll to assess water flux, with particular attention paid to the liquid form on the feed side. The significantly higher water vapor transport rates observed in pervaporation experiments compared to those using the “pressure increase” method underline the efficiency of pervaporation. This efficiency suggests that membranes designed for pervaporation can serve as effective alternatives to conventional porous membranes used in distillation applications. Additionally, incorporating “time lag” results from a pioneering study into the comparison revealed that the trends observed in “time lag” and pervaporation results exhibited similar trends, whereas “pressure increase” data showed a different development. This discrepancy is attributed to the state of the polymer, which varies significantly depending on the operating conditions. Full article

The design and study of rich, bulky phosphorus ligands is a key area of research for homogeneous catalysis. Here, we describe an original strategy using a hydrophosphination reaction to produce phosphines of interest for coordination chemistry and homogenous catalysis. In particular, the phosphine obtained by reacting diphenylphosphine with acenaphthylene (ligand 2) gives a ligand that adopts an unusual spatial geometry. The coordination chemistry of the ligand has been investigated with Au(I), Ag(I), Cu(I), and Pd(II), for which a complete characterization could be made, particularly in X-ray diffraction studies. The reactivity of some of these complexes has been demonstrated, particularly in Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions and Au-catalyzed hydroaminations and in the hydration of alkynes. Full article

Medical devices have progressed from their initial bulky forms to smart devices. However, their rigidity hampers their seamless integration into everyday life. The fields of stretchable, textile, and flexible electronics are emerging research areas with the potential to drive significant technological progress. This research presents a laboratory-based technique to produce highly sensitive and flexible biosensors for detecting the chikungunya virus. These biosensors are based on 0D nanomaterials and demonstrate significant advancements in voltammetry. The electrochemical platform was created utilizing the stencil printing (StPE) technique. Adapting the biosensor setup involved the selection of aptamer as the biorecognition element bound with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). This biosensor was employed in the voltammetric identification of the Chikungunya virus antigen (CHIKV-Ag) within a solution containing 0.5 mM potassium ferro/ferri cyanide, a redox pair. The biosensor was employed to evaluate CHIKV-Ag within a human serum sample. It demonstrated a linear detection span ranging from 0.1 ng/mL to 1 μg/mL, with a detection limit of 0.1 ng/mL for CHIKV-Ag. The proposed approach, due to its flexibility in production and the electrocatalytic attributes displayed by the zero-dimensional nanostructure, presents innovative opportunities for cost-effective and tailored aptamer-based bioelectronics, thereby broadening the scope of this domain. Full article

This work aims to expand the structure–property relationships of bromo-containing polyimides and the influence of bromine atoms on the gas separation properties of such materials. A series of intrinsically microporous polyimides were synthesized from 2,2′-dibromo-4,4′,5,5′-bipohenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (Br-BPDA) and five bulky diamines, (7,7′-(mesitylmethylene)bis(8-methyldibenzo[b,e][1,4]dioxin-2-amine) (MMBMA), 7,7′-(Mesitylmethylene)bis(1,8-dimethyldibenzo[b,e][1,4] dioxin-2-amine) (MMBDA), 4,10-dimethyl-6H,12H-5,11-methanodibenzo[b,f][1,5]diazocine-2,8-diamine (TBDA1), 4,10-dimethyl-6H,12H-5,11-methanodibenzo[b,f][1,5]diazocine-3,9-diamine (TBDA2), and (9R,10R)-9,10-dihydro-9,10-[1,2]benzenoanthracene-2,6-diamine (DAT). The Br-BPDA-derived polyimides exhibited excellent solubility, high thermal stability, and good mechanical properties, with their tensile strength and modulus being 59.2–109.3 MPa and 1.8–2.2 GPa, respectively. The fractional free volumes (FFVs) and surface areas (S_BET) of the Br-BPDA-derived polyimides were in the range of 0.169–0.216 and 211–342 m² g⁻¹, following the order of MMBDA > MMBMA > TBDA2 > DAT > TBDA1, wherein the Br-BPDA-MMBDA exhibited the highest S_BET and FFV and thus highest CO₂ permeability of 724.5 Barrer. Moreover, Br-BPDA-DAT displayed the best gas separation performance, with CO₂, H₂, O₂, N₂, and CH₄ permeabilities of 349.8, 384.4, 69.8, 16.3, and 19.7 Barrer, and H₂/N₂ selectivity of 21.4. This can be ascribed to the ultra-micropores (<0.7 nm) caused by the high rigidity of Br-BPDA-DAT. In addition, all the bromo-containing polymers of intrinsic microporosity membranes exhibited excellent resistance to physical ageing. Full article

Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) especially affects the older population. Old (≥60 years) and very old age (≥80 years) DLBCL patients often present high-risk molecular alterations, lower tolerability to conventional immunochemotherapy, and poor clinical outcomes. In this scenario, attenuated therapeutic strategies, such as the R-MiniCHOP and R-MiniCHOP of the elderly regimens, have emerged for this particularly fragile population. However, the responses, clinical outcomes, and toxicities of these regimens currently remain poorly understood, mainly because these individuals are not usually included in controlled clinical trials. Methods: This retrospective, observational, and single-center real-world study included 185 DLBCL, NOS patients older than 70 years treated at the largest oncology center in Latin America from 2009 to 2020. We aimed to assess the outcomes, determine survival predictors, and compare responses and toxicities between three different primary therapeutic strategies, including the conventional R-CHOP regimen and the attenuated R-MiniCHOP and R-MiniCHOP of the elderly protocols. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 75 years (70–97 years), and 58.9% were female. Comorbidities were prevalent, including 19.5% with immobility, 28.1% with malnutrition, and 24.8% with polypharmacy. Advanced clinical stage was observed in 72.4%, 48.6% had bulky disease ≥7 cm, 63.2% had B-symptoms, and 67.0% presented intermediate–high/high-risk IPI. With a median follow-up of 6.3 years, the estimated 5-year OS and PFS were 50.2% and 44.6%, respectively. The R-MiniCHOP of the elderly regimen had a lower ORR (p = 0.040); however, patients in this group had higher rates of unfavorable clinical and laboratory findings, including hypoalbuminemia (p = 0.001), IPI ≥ 3 (p = 0.013), and NCCN-IPI ≥ 3 (p = 0.002). Although associated with higher rates of severe neutropenia (p = 0.003), the R-CHOP regimen promoted increased OS (p = 0.003) and PFS (p = 0.005) in comparison to the attenuated protocols. Additionally, age ≥ 75 years, high levels of LDH, B-symptoms, advanced clinical stage (III/IV), neutrophilia, and low lymphocyte/monocyte ratio were identified as poor prognostic factors in this cohort. Conclusions: In this large and real-life Latin American cohort, we demonstrated that patients with DLBCL, NOS older than 70 years still do not have satisfactory clinical outcomes in 2024, with half of cases not reaching 5 years of life expectancy after diagnosis. Although the conventional R-CHOP offers response and survival advantages over attenuated regimens, its myelotoxicity is not negligible. Therefore, the outcomes reported and the prognostic factors here identified may assist clinicians in the appropriate selection of therapeutic strategies adapted to the risk for old and very old DLBCL patients. Full article

Multifunctional nanocomposites from an equimolar As₄S₄/Fe₃O₄ cut section have been successfully fabricated from coarse-grained bulky counterparts, employing two-step mechanochemical processing in a high-energy mill operational in dry- and wet-milling modes (in an aqueous solution of Poloxamer 407 acting as a surfactant). As was inferred from the X-ray diffraction analysis, these surfactant-free and surfactant-capped nanocomposites are β-As₄S₄-bearing nanocrystalline–amorphous substances supplemented by an iso-compositional amorphous phase (a-AsS), both principal constituents (monoclinic β-As₄S₄ and cubic Fe₃O₄) being core–shell structured and enriched after wet milling by contamination products (such as nanocrystalline–amorphous zirconia), suppressing their nanocrystalline behavior. The fluorescence and magnetic properties of these nanocomposites are intricate, being tuned by the sizes of the nanoparticles and their interfaces, dependent on storage after nanocomposite fabrication. A specific core–shell arrangement consisted of inner and outer shell interfaces around quantum-confined nm-sized β-As₄S₄ crystallites hosting a-AsS, and the capping agent is responsible for the blue-cyan fluorescence in as-fabricated Poloxamer capped nanocomposites peaking at ~417 nm and ~442 nm, while fluorescence quenching in one-year-aged nanocomposites is explained in terms of their destroyed core–shell architectures. The magnetic co-functionalization of these nanocomposites is defined by size-extended heterogeneous shells around homogeneous nanocrystalline Fe₃O₄ cores, composed by an admixture of amorphous phase (a-AsS), nanocrystalline–amorphous zirconia as products of contamination in the wet-milling mode, and surfactant. Full article

Normal vision is a precious gift to mankind. Any vision defect or degradation is actually an intimidating problem for individuals and societies. Therefore, researchers are continually working to find effective solutions for vision disorders. In some retinal diseases such as Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), visual aids are required to improve vision ability and/or stop the progress of the disease. Recently, augmented vision techniques have been used to provide aid to people suffering from retinal impairment. However, in such techniques, the images of real scenes are electronically deformed to compensate for vision impairment. Therefore, the natural scene is displayed as an electronic image on glasses. Intuitively, it is annoying to the patient to see electronic rather than natural scenes. Moreover, these visual aids are bulky and produce electric fields that might be harmful with continuous use. In this work, a novel optical solution to provide a visual aid to patients with central vision loss has been proposed. The proposed optical solution deforms the wavefront of the scene to entirely fall on the healthy parts of the retina. This, in turn, conveys all scene information to the brain to be perceived by the patient. As it provides optical processing, the proposed solution overcomes all drawbacks of the electronic solutions. To prove the validity of the proposed solution, three lenses were designed, fabricated, and tested to visualize simple shapes, reading, and obtaining aid during walking and driving. Obtaining the expected results from these tests, they were tried by three volunteers to clinically prove the validity and feasibility of the proposed optical aid. The feedback from the three patients was promising since all of them could recognize some of the details they used to miss with at least one of the lenses. Full article

The Amperometric Gas Sensor (AGS) uses an electrode as the transducer element which converts its signal into a current from the electrochemical reaction of analytes taking place at the electrode surface. Many attempts to improve AGS performance, such as modifying the working electrode, applying a particular gas-permeable membrane, and selecting the proper electrolyte, etc., have been reported in the scientific literature. On the other hand, in the materials community, atomic gold has gained much attention because its physicochemical properties dramatically differ from those of gold nanoparticles. This paper provides an overview of the use of atomic gold in AGSs, both in a bulky AGS and a miniaturized AGS. In the miniaturized AGS, the system must be redesigned; for example, the aqueous electrolyte commonly used in a bulky AGS cannot be used due to volatility and fluidity issues. A Room Temperature Ionic Liquid (RTIL) can be used to replace the aqueous electrolyte since it has negligible vapor pressure; thus, a thin film of RTIL can be realized in a miniaturized AGS. In this paper, we also explain the possibility of using RTIL for a miniaturized AGS by incorporating a quartz crystal microbalance sensor. Several RTILs coated onto modified electrodes used for isomeric gas measurement are presented. Based on the results, the bulky and miniaturized AGS with atomic gold exhibited a higher sensor response than the AGS without atomic gold. Full article