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The modified Lapidus procedure has emerged as a versatile solution for various pedal pathologies, particularly hallux abducto valgus. There have been numerous modifications over time regarding fixation techniques, joint preparation methods, graft utilization, and weightbearing protocols. However, concerns persist regarding prolonged nonweightbearing postoperatively, prompting the need for alternative approaches. This retrospective descriptive cohort analysis assessed the outcomes of 40 feet from 34 patients who underwent the modified Lapidus procedure with a medial plating system, aimed to evaluate immediate weightbearing outcomes on union rate, fixation-related complications, and functional outcomes. Among the 40 feet, findings showed a 95% (38/40) union rate within 6 months, with 2.5% (1/40) experiencing delayed union and 2.5% (1/40) facing fixation-related complications. There is a single case of malunion in the cohort. Additionally, statistically significant improvements were observed across all domains of the Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire at p <.001. These findings suggest immediate weightbearing as a potential alternative to traditional nonweightbearing protocols. However, the study's retrospective nature and lack of a comparative group warrant cautious interpretation. Further research is essential to validate these findings and refine postoperative care protocols. By challenging conventional practices, this study underscores the complexity of optimizing patient outcomes in modified Lapidus procedure management. Tailored approaches and prospective investigations are imperative for establishing definitive guidelines and enhancing surgical techniques in this domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe or CZT) materials, favored for their physical superiority in optoelectronic applications, can be efficiently produced as large-area epitaxial film via close space sublimation (CSS), enhancing potential in flat-panel detector imaging. However, the application of CdZnTe epitaxial film in medical imaging equipment is limited by their lower resistivity, prolonged response times, and diminished sensitivity. By elevating the substrate temperature, we enhanced the number and depth of reverse sublimation pits on the surface of the CdZnTe epitaxial film, established an approximately 100 nm Zn-rich layer, broadened the bandwidth, and minimized electrode injection. Additionally, we observed an aggregation of dislocations at the edges of the reverse sublimation pits, which promoted surface recombination and reduced leakage current. These modifications significantly increased the film's resistivity to 1011 Ω cm. Further, they notably decreased the rise and drop times to 2 m s and 4 m s, respectively. Integrated with thin-film transistors (TFTs), the optimized CdZnTe epitaxial film now distinctly differentiate between air, plastics, and metals under X-ray examination. This improved performance of X-ray flat panel detectors (FPDs) based on CdZnTe epitaxial film is promising for the development of next-generation X-ray detection systems. • An approximately 100 nm Zn-rich layer is grown on CdZnTe by increasing substrate temperature. • Resistivity of CdZnTe films at higher substrate temperature reaches 1011 Ω cm. • Response time of X-ray device is reduced to ms, 2 m s rise and 4 ms day. • X-ray device achieves clear imaging, distinguishes air, plastic, metal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel and disposable compliance pump was suggested and fabricated for supplying blood into a microfluidic channel. • Correction factor (β) was adopted for improving accuracy of fluid velocity obtained by micro-PIV technique. • A discrete fluidic circuit model was developed for obtaining flow rate and pressure in a microfluidic channel. • Four kinds of fluid property (i.e., fluidic resistance, viscosity, time constant, and compliance) was obtained by analyzing flow rate and pressure. • The proposed method was employed successfully to detect biophysical change in suspended blood. Blood viscosity is considered a promising indicator of cardiovascular disease and helps predict disease risks. However, conventional methods require two highly precise pumps to maintain consistent flow rates in co-flowing streams. In this study, a low-cost and disposable compliance pump was fabricated by inserting three components (a syringe needle, a blood-loaded syringe, and an air compliance unit [ACU]) into a three-way valve. Since the pump induces transient blood flow, accurately obtaining the transient flow rate is necessary. A correction factor was employed to improve the blood velocity obtained by microparticle image velocimetry. Air pressure inside the ACU was estimated using the ideal gas law. A discrete fluid circuit model was constructed to estimate the flow rate and pressure in a microfluidic channel. Four types of fluid physical properties (fluid resistance, fluid viscosity, time constant, and compliance coefficient) were obtained by analysing flow rate and pressure. The proposed method was employed to detect several types of suspended blood (variations in haematocrit, thermal-shocked RBCs, and RBC aggregation-enhanced blood). From the quantitative comparison, the proposed method provides better results than the previous method. Therefore, the proposed method is a promising tool for detecting biophysical variations in suspended blood. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radiation detection performance of CZT epitaxial single crystal grown by the Close Space Sublimation (CSS) method is hindered by inherent defects. However, significant improvement in this work is achieved through annealing in a Te 2 atmosphere. The saturation channel value of the total energy peak of the detector for 241Am α-particles has shown a substantial increase from 1900 to 6000, resulting in a notable enhancement of the carrier collection efficiency. After annealing, the detector's energy resolution to 241Am gamma-rays can reach 8.3%, representing the highest energy resolution achieved by CSS growth of CZT materials. This remarkable achievement holds great promise for its potential application in the field of low-energy detection. Analysis of the laser-beam-induced current (LBIC) curve results reveals that the surface recombination of the detector is more pronounced prior to annealing, adversely affecting the transport process of photogenerated carriers. The low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) results and I–V curve demonstrate a significant compensation effect on the shallow acceptor level V Cd after annealing, leading to a reduced concentration of free carriers and subsequently leading to lower leakage current and improved signal-to-noise ratio for the detector. The concurrent reduction in leakage current and surface recombination contributes collectively to improving the radiation detection performance of the CZT detector. These findings underscore the importance of annealing in a Te 2 atmosphere as a viable method for mitigating defects and optimizing the performance of CZT epitaxial single crystals, showcasing the potential for broader applications in the field of low-energy detection. • The leakage current is reduced from 1.3 nA to 0.59 nA under the applied bias voltage of 0.5 V, which makes the detector obtain a good signal-to-noise ratio. • The surface recombination rate decreased from 13.78 × 106 cm s−1 to 3.82 × 105 cm s−1, significantly improving the carrier collection efficiency. • The energy resolution to 241Am@59.5 KeV gamma-rays of the detector reached 8.3% for the first time, which is expected to be applied in the field of low energy detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-strength macroporous carbons with tunable pore sizes were fabricated by the simple mixing–pressing–hardening–carbonization of phenolic resin microspheres as a matrix with acid-catalyzed furfuryl alcohol as a binder. Pore-size tuning with the open cell structures was possible by changing the diameters of the phenolic microspheres in the range of 8–100 μm. After pressing the mixture of phenolic resin microspheres and binder, hardening at 170 °C for 5 h in air, and carbonizing at 1000 °C for 1 h in nitrogen flow, the macroporous carbon was formed. The mean pore sizes of the macroporous carbons were 1.8, 6.6, and 27.5 μm for 8-, 25-, and 100-μm-diameter phenolic microspheres, respectively, and the corresponding bulk densities were 1.01, 1.00, and 0.94 g/cm3. The compressive strengths of the fabricated macroporous carbon samples were 106.8, 83.5, and 43.6 MPa for the 8-, 25-, and 100-μm-diameter phenolic microspheres, respectively, which were notably higher than those of typical carbon foams. The simple fabrication process with easily tunable pore size, which yields macroporous carbons with remarkably high mechanical strength, has potential for large-scale production and many applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the practical application of CdZnTe photon counting detectors, severe detector counting distortion can be caused by pulse pileup. A count rate correction method in this paper is proposed to solve this problem. In this method, the case where multi-photons are recorded by higher energy regions due to pulse pileup crossing the energy threshold is considered to calculate the true count rates under all energy bins. A verification method based on Poisson distribution is also proposed to evaluate the accuracy of the correction method. A 16-pixel linear array CdZnTe photon counting detector was used for verification. Taking the dual-energy bin as an example, this method was introduced, and the true count rates of the high- and low-energy bins are successfully calculated. The result was highly consistent with the verification result, which proves the reliability of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal fire sponges (CFSs) are a type of sponge-like contaminated soil bulge common in coal fire areas. However, the impacts of CFSs on the local environment are not yet understood. Thus, this study investigated soil samples from CFSs in the Wuda coalfield, Inner Mongolia, China, focusing on the acidity, sulfate, and fluorine content. The results showed that the CFSs were highly acidic, with an average pH of 0.76, and contained high levels of SO 4 2− (257.29 × 103 μg/g), total fluorine (TF, 2011.6 μg/g), and water-soluble fluorine (WF, 118.94 μg/g), significantly exceeding those in the regional background soil and indicating that CFSs are a point source of heavy pollution. Soils in the 8000 m2 reclamation zone showed elevated acidity and high SO 4 2− (129.6 × 103 μg/g), TF (1237.8 μg/g), and WF (43.05 μg/g) levels, which was likely the result of the weathering and dissemination of CFS. The CFS samples were rich in hydrogen fluoride, releasing 202.05 ppb of it when heated to 40 °C. Correlation analysis indicated that the acid sulfate soils in CFSs are likely caused by HSO 4 −/SO 4 2−. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry detected four characteristic ions (F−, H 3 O+, H 2 SO 4 +, and HSO 4 −) in all micro-domains of each sample, indicating that ionic fluorine compounds and sulfuric acid hydrate were found in the CFS samples. Sulfate minerals detected in CFSs included CaSO 4 , Fe 2 (SO 4) 3 , CdSO 4 , NH 4 HSO 4 , and Na 2 SO 4. Thus, the results identified CFSs as a transmission channel for contamination, with erosional surface soils as the carrier, for the first time. CFSs pose a serious threat of contamination, albeit over limited areas. [Display omitted] • Coal fire sponges (CFSs) are found globally in soft soil above burning coal seams. • Samples compared CFSs with the local coalfield area and two reference sites. • High acidity, sulfate, and fluorine levels were detected in all CFS samples. • CFSs were confirmed as a source of environmental contamination. • Contamination from air deposition is wider, but CFS intensity is higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The GGC repeat expansion in the 5′-untranslated region of NOTCH2NLC was recently identified as the cause of neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID). To determine if the NIID repeat expansion contributes to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we screened 304 unrelated ALS patients and 637 healthy controls for the GGC repeat expansion in NOTCH2NLC using repeat-primed PCR and fragment analysis. None of the ALS patients carried the GGC repeat expansion. The sizes of the GGC repeats ranged from 7 to 36 in the ALS patients and 4 to 46 in the controls. The distribution of the GGC repeat sizes did not differ between the two groups. Our findings indicate that the NOTCH2NLC GGC repeat expansion is absent or extremely rare in Taiwanese patients with ALS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many different types of polycations have been vigorously studied for nucleic acid delivery, but a systematical investigation of the structure–property relationships of polycations for nucleic acid delivery is still lacking. In this study, a new library of biodegradable and biocompatible arginine-based poly(ester amide) (Arg-PEA) biomaterials was designed and synthesized with a tunable structure for such a comprehensive structure–property research. Nanoparticle (NP) complexes were formed through the electrostatic interactions between the polycationic Arg-PEAs and anionic nucleic acids. The following structure effects of the Arg-PEAs on the transfection efficiency of nucleic acids were investigated: 1) the linker/spacer length (length effect and odd–even effect); 2) salt type of arginine; 3) the side chain; 4) chain stiffness; 5) molecular weight (MW). The data obtained revealed that a slight change in the Arg-PEA structure could finely tune its physicochemical property such as hydrophobicity, and this could subsequently affect the nanoparticle size and zeta potential, which, in turn, regulate the transfection efficiency and silencing outcomes. A further study of the Arg-PEA/CpG oligodeoxynucleotide NP complexes indicated that the polymer structure could precisily regulate the immune response of CpG, thus providing a new potential nano-immunotherapy strategy. The in vitro data have further confirmed that the Arg-PEA NPs showed a satisfactory delivery performance for a variety of nucleic acids. Therefore, the data from the current study provide comprehensive information about the Arg-PEA structure–transfection property relationship; the tunable property of the library of Arg-PEA biomaterials can be one of the promising candidates for nucleic acid delivery and other biomedical applications. Statement of Significance Polycations have being intensive utilized for nucleic acid delivery. However, there has not been elucidated about the relationship between polycation’s structure and the physicochemical properties/biological function. In this timely report, an arginine based poly(ester amide) (Arg-PEA) library was prepared with finely tunable structure to systematically investigate the structure–property relationships of polycations for nucleic acid delivery. The results revealed that slight change of Arg-PEA structure could finely tune the physicochemical property (such as hydrophobicity), which subsequently affect the size and zeta potential of Arg-PEA/nucleic acid nanoparticles(NPs), and finally regulate the resulting transfection or silencing outcomes. Further study of Arg-PEA/CpG NPs indicated that the polymer structure could precisely regulate immuno response of CpG, providing new potential nano-immunotherapy strategy. In vitro evaluations confirmed that the NPs showed satisfied delivery performance for a variety types of nucleic acids. Therefore, these studies provide comprehensive information of Arg-PEA structure–property relationship, and the tunable properties of Arg-PEAs make them promising candidates for nucleic acid delivery and other biomedical applications. Overall, we have shown enough significance and novelty in terms of nucleic acid delivery, biomaterials, pharmaceutical science and nanomedicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zn 0.3 Mn 0.4 O 4 Nanospheres (ZnMnONs) were synthesized for the photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 to CH 4 . The average particle size was 70.1 nm and having composition of Zn, Mn and O are about 18.93, 21.30 and 59.77 wt% respectively. The catalysts were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), IR spectra and UV–vis spectrophotometer. Zn 0.3 Mn 0.4 O 4 is used for efficient photocatalytic CO 2 to methane which is an important component in a future sustainable post carbon energy system. It was reached to 2.65 μmol/g of CH 4 yield, and the photocatalyst presented a potential for reducing CO 2 emission. The recovered nanospheres sample from methane production is further used for phosphate adsorption for exploring its multifunction application. The maximum% adsorption observed at 200 mg of adsorbent concentration at 40 min of agitation time. The adsorption study follows the first order of kinetics, Langmuir isotherm graph deduced the q max value at 125 mg/g & Freundlich equilibrium isotherm also shows the linear plot. The essential features of the Langmuir isotherm can be expressed in terms of a dimensionless constant called separation factor. The value of R L indicates the shape of the isotherms to be either unfavorable (R L  > 1), linear (R L  = 1), favorable (0 < R L  < 1) or irreversible (R L  = 0). It was observed that the value of R L was in the range of 0–1 and finally the Thermodynamic parameter related to the adsorption process ΔG shows the value at −4587.24 J mol −1 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One major breakthrough in cystic fibrosis research in the past decade is the development of drugs that target the root cause of the disease — dysfunctional CFTR protein. One of the compounds, Ivacaftor or Kalydeco, which has been approved for clinical use since 2012, acts by promoting the gating function of CFTR. Our recent studies have led to a gating model that features energetic coupling between nucleotide-binding domain (NBD) dimerization and gate opening/closing in CFTR's transmembrane domains (TMDs). Based on this model, we showed that ATP analogs can enhance CFTR gating by facilitating NBD dimerization, whereas Ivacaftor works by stabilizing the open channel conformation of the TMDs. This latter idea also explains the near omnipotence of Ivacaftor. Furthermore, this model identifies multiple approaches to synergistically boost the open probability of CFTR by influencing distinct molecular events that control gating conformational changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the mechanical properties and biocompatibility of collagen I matrix, a novel and facile strategy was developed to modify porcine acellular dermal matrix (PADM) via dopamine self-polymerization followed by collagen immobilization to enhance the biological, mechanical and physicochemical properties of PADM. Mechanism study indicated that the polymerization of dopamine onto PADM surface could be regulated by controlling the amount of hydrogen bonds forming between phenol hydroxyl (C OH) and nitrogen atom (N C O) within collagen fibers of PADM. The investigations of surface interactions between PDA and PADM illustrated that PDA-PADM system yielded better mechanical properties, thermal stability, surface hydrophilicity and the structural integrity of PADM was maintained after dopamine coating. Furthermore, collagen (COL) was immobilized onto the fresh PDA-PADM to fabricate the collagen-PDA-PADM (COL-PDA-PADM) complexed scaffold. The MTT assay and CLSM observation showed that COL-PDA-PADM had better biocompatibility and higher cellular attachment than pure PADM and COL-PADM without dopamine coating, thus demonstrating the efficacy of PDA as the intermediate layer. Meanwhile, the expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) of COL-PDA-PADM were investigated by an in vivo study. The results revealed that COL-PDA-PADM could effectively promote bFGF and VEGF expression, possibly leading to enhancing the dura repairing process. Overall, this work contributed a new insight into the development of a semi-natural tissue engineering scaffold with high biocompatibility and good mechanical properties. Statement of Significance Obtaining scaffolds with high biocompatibility and good mechanical properties is still one of the most challenging issues in tissue engineering. To have excellent in vitro and in vivo performance, scaffolds are desired to have similar mechanical and biological properties as the natural extracellular matrix, such as collagen based matrix. Utilizing the surface self-crosslinking and coating strategy, we successfully obtained a novel semi-natural platform with excellent biological and mechanical properties from porcine acellular dermal matrix (PADM), polydopamine and collagen. The results confirmed that this scaffold platform has very excellent cellular performance and very little toxicity/side effects in vivo . Therefore, this semi-natural scaffold may be an appropriate platform for tissue engineering and this strategy would further help to develop more robust scaffolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]