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The mechanical and dynamic properties of developing networks near the gel point are susceptible to the distribution of clusters coexisting with percolating networks. The distribution of cluster numbers follows a broad power law, wrapped by a cutoff function that rapidly decays at a characteristic size. The form of the cutoff function has been speculated based on known results from lattice percolation and, in certain cases, solved. We obtained this cutoff function from simulated dynamic clusters of polymeric precursor chains using a hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm. The results obtained from three different precursor chain lengths are consistent with each other and are consistent with the expectation from lattice percolation.

Background: Many people with cystic fibrosis (PwCF) have chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). CRS requires additional management beyond that of pulmonary disease and leads to increased utilization of healthcare resources. Elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI) is a highly effective modulator therapy that has been shown to improve CRS in PwCF. However, the impact of ETI on rhinologic healthcare utilization is understudied. Objective: To compare rates of rhinologic healthcare utilization and procedures among PwCF prior to and after initiating ETI therapy. Methods: A single-center, cohort study investigating adult PwCF was performed in January 2023. Demographics, clinical characteristics, and data related to CF treatment were retrospectively abstracted. Characteristics of the cohort were compared over 2 periods: the 12-months prior to ETI initiation and the 12-months after ETI initiation. Post-ETI data were linearly extrapolated if a subject had not yet completed the full 12 months of ETI. Paired t-testing, Wilcoxon signed rank testing, and regression analysis were performed. Results: Of 126 PwCF, 98 (77.8%) were on ETI therapy and 35 (27.7%) were both on ETI and concurrently followed by the rhinology service (ETI-ENT). Rhinology clinic visits (P =.007) and frequency of obtaining nasal cultures (P =.046) decreased for the ETI-ENT cohort after initiating ETI treatment. There were no significant changes in the number of endoscopic sinus surgeries (P =.452) performed. Beyond ETI use, regression analysis did not identify any factors associated with changes in utilization. Conclusion: Aspects of rhinology healthcare utilization by PwCF decreased after initiation of ETI therapy. Additional studies are needed to determine rhinologic healthcare requirements for PwCF who remain on ETI for the long-term and to evaluate larger cohorts of PwCF on ETI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADMSC) therapy in combination with arthroscopic abrasion arthroplasty (AAA) in advanced knee osteoarthritis (OA). Materials & methods: 27 patients with Grade IV OA of the knee underwent AAA and ADMSC therapy (50 × 106 ADMSCs at baseline and 6 months). Clinical outcome was assessed over 36 months. Structural change was determined using MRI. Results: Treatment was well tolerated with no serious adverse events. Clinically significant improvements in pain and function were observed. Reproducible hyaline-like cartilage regeneration was seen in all participants. Conclusion: ADMSC therapy combined with AAA in Grade IV OA results in reproducible pain, functional and structural improvements. This represents a joint preservation technique for patients with advanced OA of the knee. Trial registration number:ACTRN12617000638336 Aim: In this study, we planned to test the safety and benefit of stem cell therapy in patients with advanced knee osteoarthritis (OA) when combined with keyhole knee surgery. Materials & methods: 27 patients with advanced knee OA received keyhole knee surgery and stem cell therapy. We measured the clinical effects of this treatment for 36 months and assessed any changes to the structure of the knee joint during that time using MRI scanning. Results: Patients tolerated the treatment well and there were no serious complications caused by it. Patients also experienced significant reduction in knee pain and improvement in knee function. Cartilage regeneration was also seen in all patients. Conclusion: Stem cell therapy combined with keyhole knee surgery in advanced OA leads to reduced pain, increased knee function and regrowth of cartilage. These results suggest this technique could in the future be used in patients with advanced knee OA to prevent the need for knee replacement surgery. Trial registration number:ACTRN12617000638336 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the safety, pain, functional and structural improvements after autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADMSC) therapy in combination with arthroscopic abrasion arthroplasty in focal chondral defects of the knee. Methods: Eight patients with a focal full thickness chondral defect of the knee underwent arthroscopic abrasion arthroplasty followed by postoperative intra-articular injections of autologous ADMSCs (50 × 106 ADMSCs at baseline and 6 months). Clinical outcome was assessed using numeric pain rating scale, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. Structural outcome was determined by magnetic resonance imaging. Outcome was assessed over 24 months. Results: No serious adverse events occurred. Participants observed clinically significant improvement in pain and function. Magnetic resonance imaging analysis showed cartilage regeneration with T2 mapping values comparable to hyaline cartilage. Conclusion: Arthroscopic abrasion arthroplasty in combination with intra-articular ADMSC therapy results in reproducible pain, functional and structural improvements with regeneration of hyaline-like cartilage. Trial registration number: ACTRN12617000638336 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isolated chondral defects have a limited capacity to heal and predispose to the development of osteoarthritis. Current surgical management can be unpredictable in outcome. Improved understanding of the action of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has seen renewed interest in their role in cartilage repair. A 26-year-old athlete presented with a post-traumatic, isolated patella chondral defect. The patient underwent an arthroscopy with removal of a chondral loose body. After failure to symptomatically improve 12 months following surgery, the patient received intra-articular autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADMSC) therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which explored the Hong Kong bridge protocol and the short-term evaluation of the protocol in a group of patients who had undergone dental implant treatment for their edentulous mandibles. Treatment strategies of the Hong Kong bridge protocol; Information on the surgical phase; Methodology of the study.

Background: The success of osseointegrated implants ad modum Branemark for single-tooth restorations is documented. Future developments should aim at improving the benefits to patients by decreasing treatment time, minimizing surgical stages, and maximizing esthetic outcomes. Using knowledge from studies of immediate implant placement, one-stage, immediate loading protocols, the authors developed the immediate provisional. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a protocol to provide an immediate solution for restoring a single missing tooth in the esthetic zone. The protocol should be simple, predictable, cost effective, and allow the use of other techniques to improve esthetic outcome. Materials and Method: This prospective clinical study included 24 patients treated from August 1999 to October 2000. Single-tooth implant replacement was done according to immediate provisional protocol. Thirteen of the 24 patients had immediate implant placement after tooth extraction. All implants were placed in the esthetic zone. During surgery, emphasis was placed on obtaining primary stability by achieving bicortical anchorage and maximum insertion torque of at least 40 Ncm. CeraOne (Nobel Biocare) abutments were used, and provisional crowns were fabricated immediately before wound closure. The occlusion was protected by adjacent teeth. Results: Within the follow-up period of between 1 month and 15 months, all fixtures in the 24 patients were stable. Crestal bone loss greater than one thread-width was not detected. The esthetic result was considered satisfactory by all patients. Conclusions: The implant placement and restoration protocol used in this study showed promising initial results for both the immediate implant and healed extraction site groups. The desirable goals of patient satisfaction, excellent esthetic outcomes, and no increase in treatment cost were achieved in this protocol. Further studies to elucidate the potential of the immediate... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and olfactory dysfunction (OD) are prevalent disease complications in people with cystic fibrosis. These understudied comorbidities significantly impact quality of life. The impact of highly effective modulator therapy (HEMT) in young children with cystic fibrosis (YCwCF) on these disease complications is unknown. This proposed study aims to characterise CRS and OD in YCwCF and assess the efficacy of HEMT in improving sinus and olfactory health in this young age group., Methods: This six-centre, prospective, observational study will enrol 80 YCwCF aged 2-8 years. Patients are divided into two groups: those receiving HEMT and those not on HEMT based on clinical indication. Both groups undergo sinus magnetic resonance imaging, psychophysical olfactory tests, and complete patient- or parent-reported quality of life surveys over 2 years. Outcomes will be compared before and after initiation of HEMT and between groups. Ethical approval has been obtained for all sites, and this study has been registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06191640)., Results: Enrolment began in April 2023. 21 participants have been enrolled as of October 2023 with ongoing enrolment at all sites., Conclusion: This investigation is expected to provide critical insights into the potential benefits of early HEMT initiation in managing CRS and OD in YCwCF. It will assist in developing targeted interventions and contribute to the understanding of HEMT's role in altering the disease course in this demographic., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: C.M. Liu reports an NIDCD grant related to this work. Conflict of interest: J.L. Fischer has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: E.T. Zermaick reports that in the last 36 months, she has received grants to her institution from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated; has received fees from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated related to consultation, participation on advisory boards, and grant review committees; she served as chair of the CFF Therapeutics Development Network steering committee, reviewed grants for CF Canada, and received travel support from the European CF Society Clinical Trials Network for speaking at their annual meeting. Conflict of interest: J.C. Woods reports that in the last 36 months, he has received grants to his institution from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated; and has received fees from Polarean LLC related to consultation on clinical and translational research. Conflict of interest: K.K. Markarian has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: S.B. Fain reports that in the last 36 months, he has served as a scientific advisor for Polarean LLC, and received research funding from Polarean LLC, Siemens Healthineers INC, and GE Healthcare INC for development of pulmonary CT and MRI methods. Conflict of interest: D. Froh reports that in the lasts 36 months, she has received grant support from the CF Foundation unrelated to this work, and from Vertex Pharmaceuticals Conflict of interest: S.L. Heltsche reports that in the last 36 months, they have received grant support from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; unrelated to this work they have has received grant support from National Institutes of Health and Boehringer Ingelheim, as well as service contracts from Calyx paid to their institution. Conflict of interest: L.R. Hoffman reports that in the past 36 months, they received grant funding from the CF Foundation and the NIH. Conflict of interest: S.M. Humphries declares grants from Boehringer Ingelheim and contracts from Calyx/Perceptive paid to their institution and unrelated to this work. E.L. Kramer reports that in the last 36 months, she has received grant support from the National Institutes of Health and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Conflict of interest: K.L. Ode reports that in the last 36 months, she has received grant support from the National Institutes of Health, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc. unrelated to this work Conflict of interest: M. Lewis participated in an advisory board serving as a consult for Pfizer to discuss RSV vaccines on 20 September 2023. Conflict of interest: D.A. Li reports that in the last 36 months, he has received grant support from the CF Foundation unrelated to this work. Conflict of interest: J. Mata reports that in the last 36 months, he has received grants to his institution from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, iThriv and Polarean LLC; and fees from Polarean LLC related to consultation on clinical and translational research. Conflict of interest: S.S. Milla has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: P.J. Niedbalski reports that in the last 36 months, he has received grants from the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association and Scleroderma Foundation. Conflict of interest: B.D. Sawatzky has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: M-S. Sim has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: J.S. Sullivan reports that in the last 36 months, she has received honoraria from the American Academy of Pediatrics to serve on the PREP-SA editorial board, unrelated to this work Conflict of interest: A.T. Trout reports that in the last 36 months, he has received grant to his institution from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, National Institutes of Health, GE Healthcare, Siemens Healthineers and Perspectum Inc.; and is a consultant for GE Healthcare and serves as an Assistant Editor for Pediatric Radiology. Conflict of interest: C.H. Gross reports that in the last 36 months, he has received grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Federal Drug Administration; has received fees from Enterprise Therapeutics for providing clinical trial design advice, honoraria from Gilead Sciences to serve as grant review committee chair and from Vertex Pharmaceuticals for speaking at the UK LEAD conference, served as a DSMB Chair for a trial supported by Novartis and the European Commission, and serves as the Deputy Editor of the Annals of the American Thoracic Society; he has stock in Air Therapeutics. Conflict of interest: J.L. Taylor-Cousar reports that faculty in an institution that is part of the CF TDN, she has been a site principal investigator on studies for Vertex, 4DMT, and Eloxx; has consulted/provided clinical trial design advice for Vertex and 4DMT; served as Chair of a Data Monitoring Committee for AbbVie (complete); and has received grant funding from the CFF and NIH; and is a member of the CFF Clinical Research Executive Committee, CFF TDN Sexual Health, Reproduction, and Gender Research Working Group (SHARING), and CFF Racial Justice Working Group, is ATS International Conference Committee Chair-Elect and Respiratory Health Awards Committee Member (Scientific Grant Review and Clinical Problems Programming Committee-complete), and is a member of the Emily's Entourage Scientific Advisory Board, and National Institutes of Health/National Heart, Blood, Lung Institute Clinical Trials Review Study Section. Conflict of interest: D.M. Beswick reports that in the last 36 months, he has received grant support from CF Foundation and American Rhinologic Society; and unrelated to this work, has received grant support from the International Society of Inflammation and Allergy of the Nose and the American Rhinologic Society; honoraria and consulting fees from Amgen and, on medicolegal cases, at Garner Health (equity)., (Copyright ©The authors 2025.)

Objectives: The 22-question SinoNasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) assesses chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) severity. We aimed to identify predictors of SNOT-22 score improvement following highly effective modulator therapy (HEMT) initiation and to corroborate the SNOT-22 minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in adults with cystic fibrosis (CF)., Methods: Prospective observational data was pooled from four studies across 10 US centers investigating people with CF (PwCF) and CRS. Three studies evaluated HEMT's impact on CRS. For participants enrolled prior to HEMT initiation, SNOT-22 scores were obtained at baseline and after 3-6 months of HEMT. Multivariate regression identified predictors of improvement. Cronbach's alpha and four distribution-based methods were used to assess internal consistency and calculate the MCID of the SNOT-22., Results: A total of 184 PwCF participated with mean baseline SNOT-22 scores ranging from 18.1 to 56.7. Cronbach's alpha was ≥0.90 across sites. Participants at sites with pre- and post-HEMT data reported improvement in SNOT-22 scores after initiating HEMT (all p < 0.05). Worse baseline SNOT-22 score (odds ratio (OR): 1.05, p < 0.001, 95% CI: 1.02-1.08), F508del homozygosity (OR: 4.30, p = 0.040, 95% CI: 1.14-18.99), and absence of prior modulator therapy (OR: 4.99, p = 0.017, 95% CI: 1.39-20.11) were associated with greater SNOT-22 improvement. The mean MCID calculated via distribution-based methods was 8.5., Conclusion: Worse baseline sinonasal symptoms, F508del homozygosity, and absence of prior modulator therapy predicted greater improvement after HEMT initiation. The mean MCID for SNOT-22 in PwCF is 8.5 points, similar to non-CF individuals with CRS, and provides a threshold specifically for PwCF. The SNOT-22 has strong internal consistency in PwCF., Level of Evidence: 3 Laryngoscope, 134:3965-3973, 2024., (© 2024 The Authors. The Laryngoscope published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)