Search

bibliog

Introduction: Early diagnosis and aggressive treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE) are crucial for preventing severe complications after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This study aimed to examine the efficacy of measuring oxygen saturation (SpO2) using a pulse oximeter for early diagnosis of PE after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Materials and methods: We consecutively examined 1645 patients who underwent TKA between January 2015 and November 2019. Postoperative SpO2was measured with a pulse oximeter, which was stopped if SpO2was maintained at ≥ 95% until postoperative day 2 (POD2). To diagnose PE, computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA) was performed for specific indications, including persistently low SpO2< 95% (group 1), sudden decrease in SpO2(group 2), and decrease in SpO2after POD3 with presenting symptoms (group 3). Also, we divided the patients into unilateral, simultaneous and sequential TKA groups and compared the results with specific statistical techniques. Results: Of the 1645 patients who underwent TKA, there were 20 patients with PE (1.2%), and symptomatic PE was observed in only 4 patients (0.24%). CTPA was performed in 58 (3.5%) patients, of whom 20 were diagnosed with PE. In groups 1 (n= 34), 2 (n= 21), and 3 (n= 3), CTPA was performed 2.4, 2.6, and 8.3 days after TKA, respectively, and 12, 8, and 0 patients were diagnosed with PE, respectively. Of the 782, 416, and 447 unilateral, simultaneous, and sequential (done in same admission with interval 1 or 2 weeks) patients with TKA, 38, 18, and 2 received CTPA, and 13, 6, and 1 were diagnosed with PE, respectively. All patients diagnosed with PE have persistently low SpO2< 95% (group 1), or sudden decrease in SpO2 (group 2) until POD2. Of the patients diagnosed with PE, SpO2decreased without the presentation of symptoms in 16 patients (11 and 5 from groups 1 and 2, respectively) and with the presentation of symptoms, such as mild dyspnea and chest discomfort, in 4 patients (1 and 3 from groups 1 and 2, respectively). Conclusions: Measuring SpO2using a pulse oximeter until POD2 was an effective method for early diagnosis of PE after TKA. No case of morbidity or mortality was observed after early diagnosis with early stage CTPA and management of PE. We recommend measuring SpO2with a pulse oximeter for early diagnosing of PE in TKA.

The photocatalytic activity of different titanium oxide nanowires containing gold (Au@TiO2NWs), and gold-graphene (Au@TiO2NWs-graphene), was evaluated by studying the reaction of hydrogen production by water splitting under UV–vis light. The composites showed high surface areas, with values above 300 m2per gram, even after the incorporation of gold and graphene on the surface of titanium oxide nanowires. The highest hydrogen production of Au@TiO2NWs was 1436 μmol h–1g–1, under irradiation at 400 nm, and with a gold loading of 10 wt %. This photocatalytic activity was 11.5 times greater than that shown by the unmodified TiO2NWs. For the Au@TiO2NWs-graphene composites, the highest hydrogen amount obtained was 1689 μmol h–1g–1, at loadings of 10 and 1 wt % of gold and graphene, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of the gold-graphene compounds was 1.2 times greater than that shown by the titanium oxide catalysts and 13.5 times higher than the bare TiO2NWs. Even at wavelengths greater than 500 nm, the compounds exhibited yields of hydrogen above 1000 μmol h–1g–1, demonstrating the high catalytic activity of the compounds. In addition, TiO2-based materials are of great interest for energy storage and conversion devices, in particular for rechargeable lithium ion batteries. TiO2has a significant advantage due to its low volume change (<4%) during the Li ion insertion/desertion process, short paths for fast lithium ion diffusion, and large exposed surface, offering more lithium insertion channels. However, the relatively low theoretical capacity and electrical conductivity of TiO2greatly hamper its practical application. In this work, free-standing electrodes composed by TiO2NWs and carbon nanotubes, CNT@TiO2NWs, were used as anode materials for Li-ion batteries. As a result, the electronic conductivity and mechanical properties of the composite were greatly improved and a good cycling performance was obtained in these batteries. This research shows the potential of TiO2-based materials for the development of new catalysts for hydrogen production and energy storage systems.

With a layered crystal structure and good Li+storage performance, vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) is potentially a high-energy and cost-effective cathode material for Li-ion batteries (LiBs). Networks of two-dimensional V2O5nanosheets (2D V2O5NS), with large interlayer distance, are ideal for enhancing the Li+diffusion kinetics and thus for building high power LiBs. However, the lack of a simple, scalable and environmentally friendly route to nanosheet production still hinders the development of V2O5applications. Here we demonstrate, liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE) of commercial V2O5powder in environmental friendly solvents (water and ethanol) to achieve large quantities of 2D V2O5NS dispersions. The V2O5NS are of high-quality whose interlayer spacing can be well manipulated, ranging from 4.4Å to 11.5Å in ethanol and water (forming NS xerogel), respectively. Ultrasonic aerosol printing of V2O5NS xerogel/single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) blended dispersions resulted in large-area, flexible, and binder-free hybrid electrodes, which showcase a high discharge capacity of 370mAhg−1at 0.05C, high energy density (555Whkg−1) and power density (2175Wkg−1), etc. These properties can be attributed to the synergistic effects between the expanded hydrated NS and the conductive SWCNT matrix; the latter improves the reversible phase transition reactions of the NS, enhances the ion diffusion kinetics, maintains the electrode's mechanical integrity and provides electron transport pathways. The Li+storage mechanism was investigated, suggesting the capacity was majorly contributed by the non-diffusion controlled process (pseudocapacitive). We believe the LPE/aerosol printing approach is environmentally green, general and scalable, and could be extended to other layered transitional metal oxides or dichalcogenides for fabrication of corresponding flexible, binder-free, conductive composites for energy storage systems.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Two-dimensional lithiated nanosheets usually show excellent electrochemical performance due to an increase in surface area and shorter diffusion paths. However, processing techniques, such as shear mixing or liquid phase exfoliation could induce phase changes or knock out some of the structural lithium (Li) ions, what in turn might result in poor electrochemical performance. Here different lithiated layered compounds mainly LiCoO2, LiMn2O4, and Li5Ti4O12were chemically exfoliated and investigated using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) for their Li-K edge. Further analyses were carried out, looking at the oxygen (O) K edge with their respective transition metal core loss peak (Mn, Co and Ti) which revealed changes in the Energy loss near edge structures (ELNES) when compared to the unlithiated compounds. STEM-EELS analyses confirmed uneven distribution of lithium within the lithiated layered materials. In this work, EELS was used for the first time to detect and to probe the chemical environment of the lithium in liquid phase exfoliated material.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic issue. In addition to the well-known respiratory and fever symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms have also been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and prognosis of patients with COVID-19 infection complicated with acute pancreatitis in intensive care unit (ICU).

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional liquid electrolyte batteries due to their potential for higher energy density and improved safety. However, achieving high performance in SSBs is difficult because of inadequate contact and interfacial reactions that generate high interfacial resistance, as well as inadequate solid–solid contact between electrodes. These chronic issues are associated with inhomogeneous ion and electron transport networks owing to imperfect solid–solid interfacial contact. This study developed an optimal interfacial engineering strategy to facilitate an ion–electron transport network by designing an active material (NCM622) uniformly filled with a thin layer of a solid electrolyte (garnet-type Li6.25Ga0.25La3Zr2O12) and conductive additives. The optimal composite electrode architecture enhanced the high capacity, high rate capability, and long-term cycle stability, even at room temperature, owing to the percolating network for facile ionic conduction that assured a homogeneous reaction. In addition to mitigating the mechanical degradation of the cathode electrode, it also reduced the crosstalk effects on the anode–solid electrolyte interface. Effectively optimizing the selection and use of conductive additives in composite electrodes offers a promising approach to addressing key performance-limiting factors in SSBs, including interfacial resistance and solid–solid contact issues. This study underscores the critical importance of cathode architecture design for achieving high-performance SSBs by ensuring that the interfaces are intact with solid electrolytes at both the cathode and anode interfaces while promoting uniform reactions. This study provides valuable insights into the development of SSBs with improved performance, which could have significant implications for a wide range of applications.

Transparent, conductive electrodes are important in many applications such as touch screens, displays and solar cells. Transparent energy storage systems will require materials that can simultaneously act as current collectors and active storage media. This is challenging as it means improving the energy storage capability of conducting materials while retaining transparency. Here, we have used aerosol-jet spraying strategy to prepare transparent supercapacitor electrodes from ruthenium oxide/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene-4-sulfonate), (RuO2/PEDOT: PSS) hybrid thin films. These films combine excellent transparency with reasonably high conductivity (DC conductivity =279S/cm) and excellent volumetric capacitance (CV=190F/cm3). We demonstrate electrodes with historical high transparency of 93% which display an areal capacitance of C/A=1.2 mF/cm2, significantly higher than the rest reported electrodes with comparable transparency. We have assembled flexible, transparent, solid-state symmetric devices which exhibit T=80% and C/A=0.84 mF/cm2and are stable over 10,000 charge/discharge cycles. Asymmetric solid-state device with RuO2/PEDOT: PSS and PEDOT: PSS thin films as positive and negative electrodes, respectively, display an areal capacitances of 1.06 mF/cm2, a maximum power density (P/A)of 147 μW/cm2and an energy density (E/A)of 0.053 μWh/cm2. Furthermore, large area transparent solid-state supercapacitor device has been built. We believe the solution-processed transparent films could be easily scaled-up to meet the industrial demands.

This work describes silicon nanoparticle-based lithium-ion battery negative electrodes where multiple nonactive electrode additives (usually carbon black and an inert polymer binder) are replaced with a single conductive binder, in this case, the conducting polymer PEDOT:PSS. While enabling the production of well-mixed slurry-cast electrodes with high silicon content (up to 95 wt %), this combination eliminates the well-known occurrence of capacity losses due to physical separation of the silicon and traditional inorganic conductive additives during repeated lithiation/delithiation processes. Using an in situsecondary doping treatment of the PEDOT:PSS with small quantities of formic acid, electrodes containing 80 wt % SiNPs can be prepared with electrical conductivity as high as 4.2 S/cm. Even at the relatively high areal loading of 1 mg/cm2, this system demonstrated a first cycle lithiation capacity of 3685 mA·h/g (based on the SiNP mass) and a first cycle efficiency of ∼78%. After 100 repeated cycles at 1 A/g this electrode was still able to store an impressive 1950 mA·h/g normalized to Si mass (∼75% capacity retention), corresponding to 1542 mA·h/g when the capacity is normalized by the total electrode mass. At the maximum electrode thickness studied (∼1.5 mg/cm2), a high areal capacity of 3 mA·h/cm2was achieved. Importantly, these electrodes are based on commercially available components and are produced by the standard slurry coating methods required for large-scale electrode production. Hence, the results presented here are highly relevant for the realization of commercial LiB negative electrodes that surpass the performance of current graphite-based negative electrode systems.

One-dimensional, hydrous ruthenium oxide nanotubes (RuO2·1.84H2O) have been successfully achieved using a template-free, microwave-hydrothermal process. These were found to be amorphous in nature and have a large specific surface area of 250 m2·g–1, producing a specific and volumetric capacitance of 511 F·g–1and 531 F·cm–3, respectively, at a discharging current density of 0.5 A·g–1. When used as an electrode material in an electrochemical capacitor or ultracapacitor, they produced a significant improvement in capacitance, rate capability, and cyclability that can be attributed to the hollow nature of tubes allowing greater contact between the active surface of the electrode and the electrolyte.

Gastrodia elata(GE) is traditionally used for treatment of various disorders including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. To investigate the neuroprotective effect of GE, amyloid-β peptide (Aβ)-treated PC12 cells were cultured with GE aqueous extract. In vitroassay demonstrated that 50 µM of pre-aggregated Aβ was lethal to about a half portion of PC12 cells and that Aβ aggregate-induced cell death was significantly decreased with GE treatment at ≤10 mg/mL in a dose-dependent manner. To further examine in vivocognitive-improving effects, an artificial amnesic animal model, scopolamineinjected Sprague-Dawley rats, were orally administered the extract for 6 weeks followed by behavioral tests (the passive avoidance test and Morris water maze test). The results showed that an acute treatment with scopolamine (1 mg/kg of body weight) effectively induced memory impairment in normal rats and that the learning and memory capability of scopolamine-treated rats improved after prolonged administration of GE extract (50, 250 and 500 mg/kg of body weight for 6 weeks). These findings suggest that a GE regimen may potentially ameliorate learning and memory deficits and/or cognitive impairments caused by neuronal cell death.

A nanocomposite of Co3O4and reduced graphene oxide (Co3O4-rGO) was successfully synthesized as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries by a one-pot microwave-assisted hydrothermal process. In the nanocomposite, Co3O4nanoparticles with narrow size distribution in the range of 10–30 nm uniformly decorated the surface of rGO, indicating that rGO could act as a two-dimensional template for the heterogeneous precipitation of Co3O4nanoparticles. To investigate the effect of mass ratios of Co3O4and rGO on the electrochemical properties, the Co3O4loading in the nanocomposite was controlled during the microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis. The resulting nanocomposite electrode exhibited high electrochemical performance in terms of specific capacity and cyclability, indicating that rGO served as an efficient template material to provide a highly conducting and buffering network for Co3O4nanoparticles.

Considerable effort has been made to develop unique methods of preparing and characterizing nanoparticles and nanocomposites in order to exploit the true potential of nanotechnology. We used a facile, versatile phase-transition method for forming Group 6A nanoparticles on carbonaceous templates to produce homogeneous 5–10 nm diameter Group 6A nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO), to obtain nanocomposites. The method involved melting and recrystallizing mixtures of elemental sulfur and either CNTs or RGO on carbonaceous templates. The surface tension and hydrophilicity of the molten Group 6A species surfaces and the oxygen functional groups on the carbonaceous template surfaces were considered in depth to provide important guidelines for forming Group 6A nanoparticles on carbonaceous templates. The surface tension of the molten Group 6A species should be intrinsically low, leading to effective wetting on the carbonaceous template. In addition, the molten Group 6A species hydrophilic surfaces were essential for enabling hydrophilic–hydrophilic interaction for selective wetting at the oxygen functional groups on the carbonaceous template, leading to the heterogeneous nucleation of nanoparticles. Furthermore, the size and morphology (isolated vslayer-like) of the Group 6A nanoparticles were tuned by adjusting the oxidation state of the carbonaceous template. We investigated the potential application of the nanocomposites prepared using this method to cathode materials in lithium–sulfur secondary batteries.

Ti-6Al-4V ELI (Extra Low Interstitial) alloy have been widely used as alternative bone due to its excellent biocompatibility, although it still has many problems such as high elastic modulus and toxic. Therefore, biomaterial with low elastic modulus and nontoxic has to be developed. In this study, the raw materials which are nontoxic elements such as Nb and Mo were mixed and milled in a mixing machine (24h) and a high energy mechanical ball milling machine (1h, 4h and 8h) respectively. Ti-Nb-Mo-CPP composites were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1000˚C under 70MPa using mixed and milled powders. The effects of CPP contents and milling time on biocompatibility and mechanical property have been investigated. By X-ray diffraction (XRD), chemical reaction during the sintering was occurred and revealed new phases, Ti2O, CaO, CaTiO3, and TixPy. Vickers hardness of composites increases with increase milling time and addition of CPP contents. Biocompatibility of CPP added Ti-Nb-Mo alloys were improved.

Ti-6Al-4V ELI (Extra Low Interstitial) alloy have been widely used as alternative bone due to its excellent biocompatibility, although it still has many problems such as high elastic modulus and toxic. Therefore, biomaterial with low elastic modulus and nontoxic has to be developed. In this study, the raw materials which are nontoxic elements such as Nb and Mo were mixed and milled in a mixing machine (24h) and a high energy mechanical ball milling machine (1h, 4h and 8h) respectively. Ti-Nb-Mo-CPP composites were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1000˚C under 70MPa using mixed and milled powders. The effects of CPP contents and milling time on biocompatibility and mechanical property have been investigated. By X-ray diffraction (XRD), chemical reaction during the sintering was occurred and revealed new phases, Ti2O, CaO, CaTiO3, and TixPy. Vickers hardness of composites increases with increase milling time and addition of HA contents. Biocompatibility of HA added Ti-Nb-Si alloys were improved.

Pancreatitis is the most common major complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Efforts have been made to identify pharmacologic agents capable of reducing its incidence and severity. The aim of this trial was to determine whether prophylactic nafamostat mesilate, a synthetic protease inhibitor, would reduce the frequency and severity of post-ERCP pancreatitis.

The endocranial morphology of the skull base is an important factor in determining craniofacial asymmetry. Moreover, although the patency of cranial suture would be the first determining factor, unicoronal, unilambdoid synostosis and deformational plagiocephaly can also be differentiated by means of axis angulation of anterior and posterior cranial fossa. These findings indicate the importance of endocranial morphology in craniofacial asymmetry. The authors hypothesized that distraction of the skull base might cause stress on the skull base that could modify skull base angulation deformities.

High frequency induction heated sintering (HFIHS) method is one of the rapid sintering methods. The advantage of rapid sintering method is that grain growth can be prevented during sintering at high temperature. Refinement of grains was known to increase the yield and flow stresses of crystals. The relation between the yield stress and the grain size is known as Hall-Petch relation. NbC-10vol.%Co, Ni and Fe composites were fabricated by HFIHS at 1060℃ for 0 and 3 min as holding times under a pressure of 80MPa.The relative density of NbC-10vol.%Co, Ni and Fe composites which were sintered at 1060℃ for 0min as holding time under 80MPa were 91.90%, 91.26% and 91.26%, respectively. These composites are difficult to use industrial parts due to low relative density. The longer sintering time was conducted for increasing relative density in this study. Nano-sized specimens, which were calculated grain size by full-width at half maximum (FWHM), can be obtained by HFIHS. The value of hardness and fracture toughness was investigated using 20kgf load Vickers indenter.

Background:This study retrospectively analyzed conventional tomograms to estimate the prognostic value of the cross‐sectional ridge morphology on the clinical outcome of guided bone regeneration (GBR). Methods:Presurgical conventional tomograms of 23 single‐implant sites were analyzed retrospectively in 20 patients. All sites had a non–space‐making buccal dehiscence defect associated with the subsequently placed dental implant. Simultaneous GBR procedures were performed, and 6‐month clinical outcomes were assessed. Measurements at baseline and at the 6‐month reentry included defect height (from smooth–rough junction to the most apical part of the defect) and horizontal bone gain at three locations (smooth–rough junction, middle, and most apical portion of the defect). All measurements were taken from a reference template. Tomographic parameters included the implant‐associated ridge angle and width measured at 6 mm below the alveolar crest and at the most apical point of the implant. Implant exposure and the presence of the barrier membrane were controlled for during statistical analyses. Results:The presurgical ridge angle had a significant negative correlation with the percentage of defect height reduction (r = −0.621; P= 0.002) and horizontal bone gain (r = −0.469; P= 0.024). This difference remained significant even after controlling for implant/membrane exposure (P= 0.001 and P= 0.019, respectively). A statistically and clinically greater percentage of defect height reduction was observed for ridge angles <28° (P= 0.023). Ridge width did not have a significant effect on the regenerative outcome. Conclusion:Cross‐sectional presurgical ridge angles may have prognostic value in estimating the outcome of simultaneous GBR.

Abstract: Electromagnetic properties of dielectric and magnetic composite materials were studied with various weight fractions and particle sizes of ferrite. The composite materials were prepared through Ni-Zn spinel ferrite and silicon elastomer, and were characterized with regard to permittivity, permeability, loss tangente, and loss tangentu. Those properties of Ni-Zn spinel ferrite were approximately 7.0, 8.4, 0.01 and 0.1 MHz to 150 MHz, respectively; loss tangentu, in particular, increased nearly exponentially with frequency above 80 MHz. Increase of loss tangentu was overcome by composite with polymer. The 40 wt. % loaded composite material changed these properties (approximately 3.8, 2.2, 0.003 and 0.1 at 161 MHz.); therefore, a higher frequency can be used. This material was optimized by particle size distribution. Composite material with smaller particle size is most useful because it shows similar magnetic loss of up to 211 MHz. Magneto-dielectric composite materials are more useful for antenna because they have lower values of complex permittivity and permeability, and higher application frequency. These results are certificated by simulation of antennas.

Inadequate bowel preparation is important because it can result in missed lesions, cancelled procedures, increased procedural time, and a potential increase in complication rates. This prospective study was designed to look at the quality of colon preparation using polyethylene glycol solution and evaluate potential associations between specific patient characteristics and inadequate bowel preparation.

The sagittal split ramus osteotomy is a well-established procedure, and many authors have attempted various modifications of the surgical technique. Nowadays, it is widely acknowledged that people in Korea, Japan, and China prefer an oval face, the lower part of which is slender. Therefore, among facial contouring procedures, the mandible reduction procedure is the most popular procedure in these countries. It is quite difficult for patients to undergo two different procedures on almost the same region separately.

Background:Membrane exposure has been associated with poor clinical outcomes in guided bone regeneration. This prospective human study examined the effect of incision locations on flap survival and membrane exposure. Methods:Twenty‐nine implant‐associated buccal dehiscence defects in 25 patients were augmented using particulate mineralized human allograft. Ten sites received a collagen bioabsorbable membrane, 10 sites received acellular dermal matrix, and nine sites were treated with bone graft alone. All implants achieved primary stability and passive flap tension at the time of flap closure. Incision location was measured as the distance from the initial incision line to the mucogingival junction. The same measurements were made at 2 weeks and 1 month to represent the length of the flap that survived. The length of the flap that survived at 2 weeks was compared to the mean width of buccal keratinized gingiva (KG) of adjacent teeth. Other clinical parameters recorded included incidence of early membrane exposure and gingival thickness at mid‐crest and 6 mm buccal and lingual to the mid‐crest at baseline. Results:At 2 weeks, 10 sites experienced early exposure. Exposed sites that were not covered by 1 month remained exposed. Membrane‐treated groups showed no significant difference between the width of adjacent buccal KG and the length of the flap that survived at 2 weeks. The length of the flap that survived beyond the mean width of adjacent KG was significantly greater for the graft alone group (1.6 ± 0.4 mm; P= 0.002). When the gingival thicknesses of exposed and non‐exposed cases were compared, only palatal/lingual gingival thickness showed a significant difference (P= 0.002). Conclusions:Within the limits of the study, it was concluded that the location of the crestal incision might be a significant factor in reducing the incidence of membrane exposure by minimizing flap necrosis. The mean KG width of adjacent teeth may be used as a guide to determine the initial incision location. However, this effect may be less significant in palatal/lingual gingiva >3.0 mm.

This paper studies the microstructure of drawn gold wires to equivalent strain of 10 and to equivalent strain of 8.5 then heat-treated. The texture of gold wire drawn to strain of 10 is mainly composed of <100> and <111> fibers. Tensile strength of the gold wire increases with <111> fiber fraction, while the grain size does not appear to affect the tensile property. With an exception at heat treatment at 600oC, the texture of gold wire drawn the strain of 8.5 is replaced with <100> fiber component by heat treatment process at 400~700oC. Heat treatment at 600oC produces <110> fiber or <112> fiber, depending upon annealing time.

Brachycephaly is the result of premature fusion of the bilateral coronal suture. Various surgical procedures have been devised to manage brachycephaly, but there is no standard surgical method in brachycephalic treatment. Suboptimal results may be related to the tendency of misdirected bone growth of the remaining cranium in brachycephaly. Therefore, the abnormal growth vectors should be corrected toward a more normal configuration. Between 1997 and 2001, three nonsyndromic brachycephalic patients were treated using the described procedure. The cranial remodeling procedure used consists of supraorbital bar advancement and the rotation-reposition of multiple frontoparietal bone flaps. The frontoparietal bone was cut into seven segments consisting of two upper frontal, two lower frontal, one anterior parietal (T-shaped), and two posterior parietal segments. Each lower frontal segment was rotated 180° and transposed with the corresponding contralateral upper frontal segment. Each upper frontal segment was then transposed to the upper margin of the supraorbital bar. The posterior margin of the frontal segment was not fixed (floating forehead). Anterior parietal and two posterior parietal segments were trimmed and repositioned to the original position. The postoperative follow-up period ranged from 17 to 52 months (mean 30 months). The cranial configuration obtained after the operation was considerably improved, approaching a normal shape in all cases. The mean length of frontal advancement was 11 mm (range 7–15 mm). The preoperative mean value of the cephalic index was markedly raised to 104.7 (range 100–111). The postoperative (at last follow-up) mean value of the cephalic index was 89.2 (range 86.3–94.3). A better skull contour could be obtained easily by converting abnormally directed long upward and transverse dimensions to short anteroposteriorly directed dimensions. Cranial remodeling using repositioned multiple bone flaps can produce excellent results functionally and esthetically in brachycephaly.

Not Available

Bromidrosis is a condition of abnormal offensive body odor caused mostly by apocrine gland secretion from the axilla. Although no morbid sequelae are known, the odor can be disturbing enough to cause social impairment and psychological distress. Medical care is available but is temporary and yields limited clinical benefit. Surgical treatment may provide a more definite remedy through reduction of the apocrine gland. However, there are risks for complication following surgical treatment such as subdermal excision, subcutaneous shaving, en bloc excision, and liposuction. The search for a less invasive but still effective procedure has led the authors to use ultrasound-assisted liposuction, which has reduced the risk of complication and recurrence. The purpose of this article was to evaluate the long-term outcome of ultrasound-assisted liposuction for the treatment of bromidrosis. From August 1998 to September 2002, 375 consecutive patients underwent ultrasound-assisted liposuction for bromidrosis of the axilla. The average age of the patients was 25.7 years (range, 15 to 55 years) and the average follow-up period was 18.8 months (range, 7 to 56 months). Subjective complaints of recurrences were noted in 22 patients (5.9 percent) and secondary ultrasound-assisted liposuction was performed, resulting in no further complaints. Complications other than recurrences were mild skin sloughing (3.2 percent), hematoma (1.3 percent), subcutaneous band (0.3 percent), and hypesthesia of the hand (0.3 percent), all of which healed spontaneously. Through a questionnaire that was answered by 264 patients, a subjective satisfaction rate was measured. Among the completed questionnaires, 91.7 percent reported satisfactory reduction of odor. Ultrasound-assisted liposuction to treat bromidrosis of the axilla provides advantages such as rapid recovery, less restriction of movement, unnoticeable scars, and a low rate of recurrence. The long-term outcome supports the benefits of this procedure. The authors recommend the use of ultrasound-assisted liposuction as first-line treatment for bromidrosis of the axilla.

Ag doped Hydroxyapatites (Ag-HAp) was prepared through either ion exchange or coprecipitation to compare the durability of antimicrobial effect. In case of ion exchanged Ag-HAp, the microbials reproliferated after 100 h, in spite of the rapid reduction of E.Coli during the initial moment. On the contrary, coprecipitated Ag-HAp effectively suppressed the reproliferation until 1000 h. The difference in durability depending on synthesis route was analysed with respect to the amount of silver released at each interval. In case of ion exchanged Ag-HAp, more than 60% of overall silver was released during initial 10 minitues. On the contrary, coprecipitated Ag-HAp released less than 40% of overall silver during the same period, meaning the comparatively uniform release behavior.

A new efficient meshfree method is presented in which the first-order least-squares method is employed instead of the Galerkin's method. In the meshfree methods based on the Galerkin formulation, the source of many difficulties is in the numerical integration. The current method, in this respect, has different characteristics and is expected to remove some of the integration-related problems. It is demonstrated through numerical examples that the present formulation is highly robust to integration errors. Therefore, numerical integration can be performed with great ease and effectiveness using very simple algorithms. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A systematic way of obtaining the effective viscoelastic moduli in time and frequency domain is presented for viscoelastic composites with periodic microstructures. The problem of estimating the effective moduli is formulated using the asymptotic homogenization method. For theoretical aspects, the memory effects due to the homogenization are shown in general form and a sufficient condition for the effects to disappear is fully discussed. The computational procedure is divided into two steps. The effective relaxation moduli are computed in Laplace transformed domain and are numerically inverse-transformed into time domain. The effective complex moduli are then readily obtained by using simple formulae of the Fourier transform. Several numerical examples are presented to illustrate and verify present approach and to discuss the memory effects.

Objective: Supramalleolar tibial osteotomy (SMO) for asymmetric ankle osteoarthritis (OA) is known to lead to satisfactory. Here, authors present a preliminary report on SMO surgical treatment in patients with asymmetric ankle arthritis.Materials and Methods: We reviewed cases of asymmetric ankle OA treated by modified SMO between January 2011 and October 2015. Clinical assessment was performed with the use of the ankle and hindfoot score of the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS), foot function index, and visual analogue scale (VAS). Patient satisfaction with surgery and postoperative subjective symptoms were examined. Radiographic evaluation included preoperative and postoperative tibial anterior surface angle (TAS angle), talar tilt angle (TT angle), and tibial lateral surface angle (TLS angle). Takakura stage was measured.Results: The average follow-up period was 46.3 months. The AOFAS score was 55.7 ± 6.03 preoperatively and 76.0 ± 4.73 postoperatively. Foot function index was 60.7 ± 8.78 preoperatively and 30.8 ± 7.59 postoperatively. VAS was 7.2 ± 0.53 before surgery and 1.9 ± 0.85 after surgery. Clinical evaluations showed statistically significant improvement. The majority of patients reported satisfactory results in the subjective satisfaction evaluation. TAS angle was 84.6 ± 1.82 preoperatively and 94.0 ± 2.79 postoperatively. TLS angle was 78.8 ± 2.11 preoperatively and 81.8 ± 1.80 postoperatively. TT angle was 3.6 ± 1.26 before surgery and 2.1 ± 0.79 after surgery. Thirteen cases showed radiographic improvement of Takakura stage. Complications were not observed.Conclusion: Modified SMO is a useful procedure that provides for the union and stability of osteotomy with the advantages of the existing SMO and can be performed without bone graft.

Zinc-manganese mixed oxide (ZMO)/carbon nanotube (CNT) composites are synthesized based on an electronic wiring design for use in Li-ion batteries. The resulting composite consists of ZMO nanoparticles in intimate contact with CNT. The ZMO nanoparticles, which are in the electrical wiring with the CNTs, exhibit an additional conversion reaction involving MnO/Mn3O4, resulting in an enhanced reversible capacity up to 1050 mA h g−1, which exceeds the theoretical reversible capacity of ZnMn2O4(780 mA h g−1). During the synthesis of the ZMO/CNT composite, calcination in the presence of NH3gas not only inhibits the oxidative decomposition of the CNTs but also reduces the oxidation state of Mn in the resulting composite. The elimination of superfluous oxygen (decrease in oxidation state of Mn in ZMO) leads to a decrease in irreversible capacities during the first cycle, directly related to energy efficiency.