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Bacterial infections and the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria threaten human health. Photothermal sterilization has the advantages of temporal and spatial control, no drug resistance, and high efficiency and speed. Photothermal therapy (PTT) causes cell death by means of heat generation. In this work, V2CTx nanosheets are successfully prepared by an improved etching method and the biocompatibility is verified by cytotoxicity. The experiments show that the photothermal properties of V2CTx materials have a significant positive correlation with laser power and material concentration. Only 20 μg/mL of V2CTx can be heated above 70 °C in just 5 min. Photothermal conversion efficiency of V2CTx reaches 45.15% and has good photothermal stability. Taking the typical Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) as experimental bacteria. The results prove that V2CTx itself is a good antibacterial agent, but antibacterial need more than 4 h of culture time. Instead, the photothermal sterilization method shows only 0.125% and 12.72% survival rates for S. aureus and E. coli within 8 min, respectively. Therefore, the prepare V2CTx in this paper only needs 20 μg/mL to achieve efficient photothermal sterilization, which provides a good prospect for clinical treatment of diseases caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Subjective scoring of pupil reactivity is a fundamental element of the neurological examination for which the pupillometer provides an objective measure.Methods: This single-blinded observational study examined interrater reliability of pupil exam findings between two practitioners and between practitioners and a pupillometer.Results: From 2329 paired assessments, the interrater reliability between practitioners was only moderate for pupil size (k = 0.54), shape (k = 0.62), and reactivity (k = 0.40). Only 33.3% of pupils scored as non-reactive by practitioners were scored as non-reactive by pupillometry.Conclusions: Despite the strong emphasis placed on the traditional pupil examination, especially for patients with a neurological illness, there is limited interrater reliability for subjective scoring of pupillary assessments. Thus, the use of automated pupillometers should be examined as a potential method to increase the reliability of measuring of pupil reactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ischaemic stroke is a devastating condition that is the leading cause of disability in the USA. Over the last 2 decades, the focus of management has shifted from secondary stroke prevention to acute treatment. Coordinated care starts in the field with the emergency medical service providers and continues in the ambulance and the emergency department through to the intensive care unit. After diagnosis and stabilization, a major goal is reperfusion therapy with intravenous fibrinolytics. Neuroimaging research is focused on improving patient selection, expanding treatment windows, and increasing the safety of therapeutic intervention. The role of adjunctive intra-arterial and mechanical thrombectomy remains undefined, and methods to improve reperfusion using sonolysis and new-generation fibrinolytics are currently investigational. Treatment in the intensive care unit targets prevention of secondary brain injury through optimization of blood pressure, cerebral perfusion, glucose, and temperature management, ventilation, and oxygenation. The most feared complications include malignant cerebral edema and symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation. Decompressive craniectomy is life saving, but questions regarding patient selection and timing remain. Hyperosmolar agents are currently used to mitigate cerebral edema, but newer agents to prevent the formation of cerebral edema at the molecular level are being studied. We outline a practical approach to current emergency and intensive care management based on consensus guidelines and the best available evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]