pHEMA: An Overview for Biomedical Applications

Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) as a biomaterial with excellent biocompatibility and cytocompatibility elicits a minimal immunological response from host tissue making it desirable for different biomedical applications. This article seeks to provide an in-depth overview of the properties and biomedical applications of pHEMA for bone tissue regeneration, wound healing, cancer therapy (stimuli and non-stimuli responsive systems), and ophthalmic applications (contact lenses and ocular drug delivery). As this polymer has been widely applied in ophthalmic applications, a specific consideration has been devoted to this field. Pure pHEMA does not possess antimicrobial properties and the site where the biomedical device is employed may be susceptible to microbial infections. Therefore, antimicrobial strategies such as the use of silver nanoparticles, antibiotics, and antimicrobial agents can be utilized to protect against infections. Therefore, the antimicrobial strategies besides the drug delivery applications of pHEMA were covered. With continuous research and advancement in science and technology, the outlook of pHEMA is promising as it will most certainly be utilized in more biomedical applications in the near future. The aim of this review was to bring together state-of-the-art research on pHEMA and their applications.     

Validation of a task demand measure for predicting mental workloads of physical therapists

The purpose of this study is to validate an analytical method in assessing demanded mental workloads for physical therapists, and to discuss its possible ergonomics implications on the design of healthcare working systems in which physical therapists are considered as the users. A task analysis was first used to understand the operation steps of three identified physical therapies. Then, the McCracken–Aldrich technique was applied to assign ratings of mental workload demanded for performing each step of the therapies. Finally, the assigned ratings were validated by the analysis of correlation with the answers of the NASA-TLX questionnaire collected from seventeen physical therapists in the rehabilitation center of a university-affiliated hospital. Results showed that the proposed McCracken–Aldrich technique was suitable as an analysis tool for predicting metal workloads of physical therapists. Some possible implications about the information provision and user interface design for reducing therapists' mental workloads on current therapy operations were discussed.Relevance to industryResults of this paper are expected to contribute the research and development in healthcare industry on its system design and workflow analysis.     

Brain mass estimation by head circumference and body mass methods in neonatal glycaemic modelling and control

Introduction

Hyperglycaemia is a common complication of stress and prematurity in extremely low-birth-weight infants. Model-based insulin therapy protocols have the ability to safely improve glycaemic control for this group. Estimating non-insulin-mediated brain glucose uptake by the central nervous system in these models is typically done using population-based body weight models, which may not be ideal.

Method

A head circumference-based model that separately treats small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) infants is compared to a body weight model in a retrospective analysis of 48 patients with a median birth weight of 750 g and median gestational age of 25 weeks. Estimated brain mass, model-based insulin sensitivity (S_I) profiles, and projected glycaemic control outcomes are investigated. SGA infants (5) are also analyzed as a separate cohort.

Results

Across the entire cohort, estimated brain mass deviated by a median 10% between models, with a per-patient median difference in S_I of 3.5%. For the SGA group, brain mass deviation was 42%, and per-patient S_I deviation 13.7%. In virtual trials, 87–93% of recommended insulin rates were equal or slightly reduced (Δ < 0.16 mU/h) under the head circumference method, while glycaemic control outcomes showed little change.

Conclusion

The results suggest that body weight methods are not as accurate as head circumference methods. Head circumference-based estimates may offer improved modelling accuracy and a small reduction in insulin administration, particularly for SGA infants.     

山东泰安岳麓康复花园景观规划设计

目前,社会对康复花园的关注度正不断提升,通过自然与人文环境营建促进人体健康的园林形式为未来园林规划设计发展提供了新的思路。山东泰安岳麓康复花园景观规划设计在场地环境现状分析基础上,以"植物疗法与文化景观结合"为设计理念,规划了对应人体各系统的五大植物保健区以及彰显中华建筑文化的北雄南秀景观带,从而营造出一个以康复花园为核心,养生保健旅游为特色,集传承地域文化与建设生态友好自然环境于一体的综合性主题公园。     

不可逆电穿孔治疗肿瘤与冷热消融治疗的原理比较

目前,针对肿瘤的治疗,非血管介入技术已经成为了常规手段,但是,其治疗方法和原理各不相同。总结了各种治疗手段的原理,介绍和比较了最新的不可逆电穿孔技术的优点和缺点,以期为其今后的应用提供必要的参考。     

尾静脉注射方法考察Stearic-PEI/SPIO 纳米基因载体的基因转染性能及磁共振可视化效果研究

实验应用硬脂酸-聚乙烯亚胺包裹超顺磁氧化铁(Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide,SPIO)装载目的基因构建可视化 纳米复合物,进行 BABL/c 雌性小鼠体内磁共振成像实验、组织学检测,探讨其是否能够有效地介导体内基因表达以及 产生磁共振成像(Magnetic Resonance Imaging,MRI)效果。MRI 实验结果显示,对小鼠尾静脉注射复合物 0.5 小时后进 行磁共振扫描,与注射生理盐水的对照组相比实验组 T2 加权信号明显降低,信号强度仅为对照组的 35%;48 小时后, 实验组 T2 加权信号强度略有回升,但与对照组信号强度相比仍存在显著差异。组织学结果显示可视化基因纳米复合物 能够穿过血管内皮细胞进入肝脏组织,并释放 DNA 在细胞内成功表达,但基因表达效果较差。综合 MRI 成像及组织检 查实验结果可知,该纳米颗粒具有优良的 MRI 成像性能,但通过尾静脉注射方法基因转染效率较低。     

Biofidelic child head FE model to simulate real world trauma

Biomechanics of human head has been widely studied since several decades. At a mechanical level, the use of engineering allowed investigating injury mechanisms developing numerical models of adult head. For children, the problem is more difficult and evaluating child injury mechanisms using data obtained from scaling adult injury criteria does not account for differences in morphology and structure between adults and children. During growth, child head undergoes different modifications in morphology and structure. The present paper compares the anthropometry and numerical simulations of a child head model based on medical CT scans to a child head model developed by scaling an adult head model using the method proposed by Mertz [H.J. Mertz, A procedure for normalizing impact response data, SAE paper 840884, 1984]. These analysis point out significant differences showing that scaling down an adult head to obtain a child head does not appear relevant. Biofidelic and specific child geometry is needed to investigate child injury mechanisms.     

"Evaluation of child witnesses for confrontation by criminal defendants": Erratum.

Reports an error in the original article by M. A. Small and G. B. Melton (Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 1994[August], Vol 25[3], 228–233). Footnote 1 incorrectly indicates that the Craig brief was written without the aid of private legal counsel. Though the brief in question was written with more APA member involvement than has been the case for other briefs, private legal counsel participated and was listed as a coauthor. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1994-43476-001.) States have passed legislation governing the procedures by which children may testify in cases of child abuse. In Maryland v. Craig (1990), the US Supreme Court reviewed the constitutionality of these procedures. As a result, psychologists may be asked to perform evaluations regarding the potential trauma a child faces in confronting a defendant in a criminal case. Specifically, opinions of psychologists may be sought as to the potential trauma a child may endure as a result of a face-to-face confrontation with a defendant. Research relevant to this assessment is reviewed, and it is suggested that psychologists may be of most help in preparing children to testify.… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nanoheterojunction Engineering Enables NIR-II-Triggered Photonic Hyperthermia and Pyroelectric Catalysis for Tumor-Synergistic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) as a non-invasive strategy shows high promise in cancer treatment. However, owing to the hypoxic tumor microenvironment and light irradiation-mediated rapid electron–hole pair recombination, the therapeutic efficacy of PDT is dramatically discounted by limited reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Herein, a multifunctional theranostic nanoheterojunction is rationally developed, in which 2D niobium carbide (Nb₂C) MXene is in situ grown with barium titanate (BTO) to generate a robust photo-pyroelectric catalyst, termed as BTO@Nb₂C nanosheets, for enhanced ROS production, originating from the effective electron–hole pair separation induced by the pyroelectric effect. Under the second near-infrared (NIR-II) laser irradiation, Nb₂C MXene core-mediated photonic hyperthermia regulates temperature variation around BTO shells facilitating the electron–hole spatial separation, which reacts with the surrounding O₂ and H₂O molecules to yield toxic ROS, achieving a synergetic effect by means of combinaterial photothermal therapy with pyrocatalytic therapy. Correspondingly, the engineered BTO@Nb₂C composite nanosheets feature benign biocompatibility and high antitumor efficiency with the tumor-inhibition rate of 94.9% in vivo, which can be applied as an imaging-guided real-time non-invasive synergetic dual-mode therapeutic nanomedicine for efficient tumor nanotherapy.