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Introduction: Cephalic arch stenosis (CAS) is often recurrent, resistant to treatment and the intervention outcome is not well validated so far. We purposed to assess the clinical outcomes of CAS treatment in patients with hemodialysis access.Methods: Electronic bibliographic sources were searched up to December 4 2023 to identify studies reported outcome after treating CAS. Direct and indirect evidence was combined to compare odds ratios (OR) and surfaces under the cumulative ranking curves across the different treatment modalities through meta-analysis and network meta-analyses (NMA). This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-P. The review is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022296513).Results: Four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 15 non-RCTs were included in the analysis. The study population differed in fistula type, restenosis or thrombosis, and significant heterogeneity was observed among the publications. The risk of bias was low to serious. Meta-analysis found no significant difference between DCB and PTA in primary patency at 6 and 12 months (OR 1.16 and 0.60, respectively; low certainty of evidence). Favorable result with STG compared to stent or PTA at 3, 6, and 12 month was observed (OR 4.28, 5.13, and 13.12, and 4.28, 5.13, 13.12, respectively; low certainty of evidence). Regarding primary patency, the treatment rankings, from highest to lowest, were STG (92.7%), transposition (76.0%), stent (67.5%), DCB (46.3%), and PTA (64.5%) at 12 months.Conclusion: Despite data limitations, the low-quality evidence suggests that STG may merit consideration as a primary treatment option when all alternatives are applicable, given their potential for better primary patency and higher treatment ranking.

An external fuel tank, one of the main components of an aircraft, is a component that extends the range of the aircraft and that should be separable from the aircraft in emergency situations. During flight, if structural damage occurs in an external fuel tank, the survivability of the aircraft may be catastrophically affected. Therefore, the structural integrity of such external fuel tanks must be proven under flight-load conditions applied to the external fuel tank during flight. This study presents the results of a structural test conducted to verify the structural integrity of an external fuel tank for flight-load conditions. In the main text, the process of converting the six-component flight load into a test load is described, and a whiffle tree application plan is presented for efficient testing. Then, the reliability of the test load was confirmed by comparing it with the required flight load. As a result of the structural test, the test loads were stably controlled. It was also confirmed that the internal pressure of the test specimen measured in real time during the test was maintained well within the required pressure range and that the behavior of the EFT was suitably predicted through a numerical analysis. After the structural test, it was found through an inspection that the test specimen did not undergo serious structural damage under the required flight-load condition. In conclusion, through structural testing, it was validated that the newly developed external fuel tank had sufficient structural integrity under all required flight-load conditions.

Thermoresponsive and biodegradable linear–dendritic nanoparticles containing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), poly(l-lactic acid), and poly(l-lysine) dendrons were investigated for sustained release of nerve growth factor (NGF) in response to temperature change. The nanoparticles and their degradants were not cytotoxic to neuron-like PC12 cells for at least one month. The nanoparticles were preferentially taken up by PC12 cells 6–13-times more at temperatures above (37 °C) than below (25 °C) the lower critical solution temperature of the nanoparticles. NGF could be loaded into the nanoparticles in aqueous solution and slowly released from the nanoparticles for 12 and 33 days at 25 and 37 °C, respectively. The released NGF was biologically active by promoting neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells. This work demonstrates a new concept of using thermoresponsive and biodegradable linear–dendritic nanoparticles for thermally targeted and sustained release of NGF and other protein drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders.