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Implantable drug depots have the capacity to locally meet therapeutic requirements by maximizing local drug efficacy and minimizing potential systemic side effects. Tubular organs including the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract and vasculature all manifest with endoluminal disease. The anatomic distribution of localized drug delivery for these organs using existing therapeutic modalities is limited. Application of local depots in a circumferential and extended longitudinal fashion could transform our capacity to offer effective treatment across a range of conditions. Here we report the development and application of a kirigami-based stent platform to achieve this. The stents comprise a stretchable snake-skin-inspired kirigami shell integrated with a fluidically driven linear soft actuator. They have the capacity to deposit drug depots circumferentially and longitudinally in the tubular mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract across millimetre to multi-centimetre length scales, as well as in the vasculature and large airways. We characterize the mechanics of kirigami stents for injection, and their capacity to engage tissue in a controlled manner and deposit degradable microparticles loaded with therapeutics by evaluating these systems ex vivo and in vivo in swine. We anticipate such systems could be applied for a range of endoluminal diseases by simplifying dosing regimens while maximizing drug on-target effects through the sustained release of therapeutics and minimizing systemic side effects.

Background: Peri-device leak (PDL) following left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) may lead to an increased risk of thrombosis. However, current modalities for PDL detection, such as trans-esophageal echo (TEE) and cardiac CT do not provide quantitative measures of PDL. Objective: to use dielectric imaging (DI) to measure PDL from a Watchman (WM) LAAO device. Methods: A conductivity contrast agent is injected into the left atrium (LA) through the WM delivery system, while making DI measurements. Recordings are analyzed with a two-compartment model and the flow from the left atrial appendage (LAA) characterized by a “% clearance / beat” (CPB) parameter. With ethics approval, four dogs (26 $\pm$ 1.8 kg) were anesthetized and ventilated. Body-surface electrodes were placed and impedance data continuously acquired. WM devices (0–35% oversized) were introduced and placed into the LAA. During the study, the WM was either fully or partial deployed. At each deployment level, 10 mL of conductivity contrast was injected through the WM delivery sheath. At twenty-two deployment conditions, Doppler-flow TEE measurements were made, and compared to the DI-based value. Results: In all cases, CPB values correctly predicted the TEE-based assessment of PDL (100% sensitivity/specificity). The TEE leak size also corresponded to CPB values with a correlation of r = 0.914 (p $ 0.001). Conclusion: Using DI signals, the leak flow from the WM LAAO can be measured and yields comparative results to TEE for detection of PDL. The DI method requires no other imaging modality or ionizing radiation and iodine contrast agent injection.

Paclitaxel coated balloon catheters (PCB) were developed as a polymer-free non-implantable alternative to drug eluting stents, delivering similar drug payloads in a matter of minutes. While PCB have shown efficacy in treating peripheral arterial disease in certain patient groups, restenosis rates remain high and there is no class effect. To help further optimize these devices, we developed a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging technique and computational modeling approach that provide insights into the coating micromorphology dependence of in vivo drug transfer and retention. PCBs coated with amorphous/flaky or microneedle coatings were inflated for 60 sec in porcine femoral arteries. Animals were euthanized at 0.5, 24 and 72 h and treated arteries processed for SEM to image endoluminal coating distribution followed by paclitaxel quantification by mass spectrometry (MS). Endoluminal surfaces exhibited sparse coating patches at 0.5 h, predominantly protruding (13.71 vs 0.59%, P 0.001), with similar micro-morphologies to nominal PCB surfaces. Microneedle coating covered a 1.5-fold endoluminal area (16.1 vs 10.7%, P = 0.0035) owing to higher proximal and distal delivery, and achieved 1.5-fold tissue concentrations by MS (1933 vs 1298 μg/g, P = 0.1745) compared to amorphous/flaky coating. Acute longitudinal coating distribution tracked computationally predicted microindentation pressure gradients (r = 0.9, P 0.001), with superior transfer of the microneedle coatings attributed to their amplification of angioplasty contact pressures. By 24 h, paclitaxel concentration and coated tissue areas both declined by93% even as nonprotruding coating levels were stable between 0.5 and 72 h, and 2.7-fold higher for microneedle vs flaky coating (0.64 vs 0.24%, P = 0.0195). Tissue retained paclitaxel concentrations at 24-72 h trended 1.7-fold higher post treatment with microneedle coating compared to the amorphous/flaky coating (69.9 vs 39.9 μg/g, P = 0.066). Thus, balloon based drug delivery is critically dependent on coating micromorphologies, with superior performance exhibited by micromorphologies that amplify angioplasty pressures.

Objective To evaluate the impact of COVID‐19 pandemic migitation measures on of ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) care. Background We previously reported a 38% decline in cardiac catheterization activations during the early phase of the COVID‐19 pandemic mitigation measures. This study extends our early observations using a larger sample of STEMI programs representative of different US regions with the inclusion of more contemporary data. Methods Data from 18 hospitals or healthcare systems in the US from January 2019 to April 2020 were collecting including number activations for STEMI, the number of activations leading to angiography and primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI), and average door to balloon (D2B) times. Two periods, January 2019–February 2020 and March–April 2020, were defined to represent periods before (BC) and after (AC) initiation of pandemic mitigation measures, respectively. A generalized estimating equations approach was used to estimate the change in response variables at AC from BC. Results Compared to BC, the AC period was characterized by a marked reduction in the number of activations for STEMI (29%, 95% CI:18–38, p

Improvements in spatial and temporal resolution now permit robust high quality characterization of presence, morphology and composition of coronary atherosclerosis in computed tomography (CT). These characteristics include high risk features such as large plaque volume, low CT attenuation, napkin-ring sign, spotty calcification and positive remodeling. Because of the high image quality, principles of patient-specific computational fluid dynamics modeling of blood flow through the coronary arteries can now be applied to CT and allow the calculation of local lesion-specific hemodynamics such as endothelial shear stress, fractional flow reserve and axial plaque stress. This review examines recent advances in coronary CT image-based computational modeling and discusses the opportunity to identify lesions at risk for rupture much earlier than today through the combination of anatomic and hemodynamic information.

Introduction: Substantial heterogeneity exists in reperfusion strategies for patients with ST-segment myocardial infarction (STEMI) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We sought to compare outcomes associated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) and non-primary percutaneous coronary intervention (nPPCI) reperfusion strategies in patients with STEMI in Kerala, India.Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with STEMI (n = 8665) from the Acute Coronary Syndrome Quality Improvement in Kerala (ACS QUIK) randomized trial receiving either PPCI (n = 6623) or nPPCI (n = 2042). nPPCI included all PCI strategies implemented when PPCI was not available including all post-fibrinolysis PCI strategies and PCI without fibrinolysis. Clinical outcomes among patients undergoing PPCI and nPPCI were compared after propensity-score matching. The main outcomes were the rates of in-hospital and 30-day major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as the composite of death, reinfarction, stroke, and major bleeding.Results: In the propensity-score matched cohort (n = 1266 in each group), nPPCI had longer symptom onset to hospital arrival time (347.5 vs. 195.0 minutes, p < 0.001), door to balloon time (108 minutes vs. 75 minutes, p < 0.001), and were less likely to receive a coronary stent (89.4% vs. 95%, p < 0.001), including drug-eluting stents (89.5% vs. 94.4%, p < 0.001). There were no clinically meaningful differences in discharge medical therapy. However, patients treated with nPPCI were less commonly referred for cardiac rehabilitation (20.2% vs. 24.2%; p = 0.019). In-hospital (3.6% vs. 3.3%, p = 0.74%) and 30-day (4.4% vs. 4.6%, p = 0.77) MACE did not differ between nPPCI and PPCI matched groups.Conclusion: In a large, contemporary population of STEMI patients from a LMIC, patients treated with a nPPCI reperfusion strategy had comparable short- and intermediate-term outcomes compared to PPCI despite differences in hospital presentation time and coronary stent use. These findings are reassuring but highlight the need for continued quality improvement in the delivery of STEMI care in resource-limited settings.

This research aims to study the arrest of crack propagation in oil or gas steel pipelines by using circumferential ribs as arresters. The use of ribs is much cheaper than high-grade steel with high fracture toughness. It has been shown that two ribs per pipe could prevent the most dangerous type of the pipeline fracture, which is a large length longitudinal crack. In this paper, two types of simplified estimations were used: the first is by calculations of stress intensity factors (KI) and the second is by analysis of perfectly viscous (plastic) fracture. Both estimations were done on a pipe with plane wall and a pipe with ribs. The results showed that the sizes of ribs that can be technologically obtained increase the resistance of pipes to cracking by 30–50% and could be useful in preventing longitudinal crack propagation. Experimental verification of the results obtained on small-scale models has shown that there are some difficulties that can make direct transfer of results from small-scale model to full-scale structure impossible, and these difficulties are also discussed in this paper.

There is a strong relation between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and left ventricular (LV) mass in Hispanic patients. This population also tends to have a higher incidence of kidney disease, with progression to dialysis. We analyzed the change in LV mass in 982 Hispanic patients with MetS and used these data to anticipate the progression of renal dysfunction. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was calculated using the formula described by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration. Echocardiographic data were collected using 2-dimensionally guided M-mode echocardiography measures. The data collected were then analyzed using linear regression analyses. Results showed a lower average GFR in individuals classified as having a severe change in LV mass in comparison to those with milder change in LV mass (P < 0.0001). This relation was also demonstrated when those with severe change in LV mass were compared with the control group (P < 0.0001). In those ≥54 years old, the presence of MetS and LV mass were negatively correlated with GFR (regression coefficient [RC] = 14.76, P < 0.063; RC = 0.11, P < 0.0001 respectively). In patients

IEEE 802.16e is a platform capable of meeting those standards in modern wireless networks that demand broad bandwidth and high-speed mobility. One of the most significant problems with IEEE 802.16e is that although the handover technology provides smooth high volume data services at a high speed scale, it only specifies a mechanism without including precise methods or algorithms for handover that can be delegated. Another issue is handover signaling during the re-entry process when a mobile station requests access to the next possible base station. This paper proposes PAA (Pre-Authorization Algorithm) which accepts incoming requests quickly because it already has the incoming request’s information saved. PAA reduces call dropping for high speed users at the edge of cell and mitigates the ping-pong effect. Finally MATLAB was used to present the results that shows reducing in signaling time.

Home Automation System (HAS) has seen an increase in popularity as developments in connectivity and information technology. A Smart Home (SH) is a form of advanced applications for the Internet of Things (IoT) that allows users to track and manage their electronic devices through the internet. This paper describes an affordable, secure, WiFi- based smart home or home automation system, that enables the monitoring of home devices by homeowners at local and remote locations. The Arduino Mega 2560 and Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ were used to configuring the server automation framework. Further, various sensors were used to observe current, voltages, humidity, temperature, movement, flame, smoke, gas, doors and other household conditions. The proposed automation system can monitor home conditions via the Blynk IoT Platform for both Android or IOS.

Background: TAPUR is a phase II basket study evaluating anti-tumor activity of commercially available targeted agents in pts with advanced cancers with genomic alterations. S is an oral multi-kinase inhibitor that inhibits Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor family members 1-4 (FGFR1-4) in biochemical and cellular assays and is FDA approved in several tumor types. Results in a cohort of mBC pts with FGFR1 mutations (mut) or amplifications (amp) treated with S are reported. Methods: Eligible pts had mBC, no standard treatment (tx) options, measurable disease, ECOG Performance Status (PS) 0-2, and adequate organ function. Genomic testing was performed in CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited site selected labs. Pts received S 50 mg orally daily for four weeks followed by two weeks off, until tumor progression. Simon 2-stage design tested the null disease control (DC) - defined as partial (PR), complete response (CR) or stable disease at 16+ weeks (SD 16+) - rate of 15% vs. 35% (power = 0.85; α = 0.10). If ≥2 of 10 pts in stage 1 have DC, 18 more pts are enrolled. If ≥7 of 28 pts have DC, the null DC rate is rejected. Secondary endpoints are progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and safety. Results: Thirty pts with mBC with FGFR1 mut (1 pt), amp (28 pts), or both (1 pt) were enrolled from Oct 2016 to June 2019. 3 were not evaluable and excluded from efficacy analyses. Demographics and outcomes are summarized in Table 1. Two partial responses (PR) and 5 SD16+ (FGFR1 amp only) were observed for DC and OR rates of 29% (95% CI: 13%, 42%) and 7% (95% CI: 1%, 24%), respectively, and the null DC rate of 15% was rejected (p=0.09). S related grade 3-5 TAEs (Table 1) were consistent with the product label for S except encephalopathy. Conclusions: Monotherapy S showed modest anti-tumor activity and clinically significant TAEs in heavily pre-treated pts with mBC with FGFR1 amplification. Table 1.Demographics, Efficacy (N=27) and Toxicity Outcomes (N=30)Median age, yrs (range)61 (28, 81)Female, %97ECOG PS, %047137217Prior systemic regimens, %1-210≥390Hormone Receptor (HR) & HER2 Status, %HR (+) HER2 (-)77HR (-) HER2(-)13HR (+) HER2 (+)7Not reported3DC rate, % (OR or SD16+) (95% CI)29 (13, 42)OR rate, % (95% CI)7 (1, 24)Median PFS, wks (95% CI)8.7 (8.1, 15.7)Median OS, wks (95% CI)33.9 (23.0, 49.0)Number of Pts with Treatment-related AEs/SAEs (TAEs, maximum grade reported)Grade 211Grade 329Grade 4321Skin infection (SAE)2Cytopenia, encephalopathy (SAE), febrile neutropenia (SAE), increased alkaline phosphatase, Palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome, vomiting3Cytopenia, hypertension Citation Format: Carmen Calfa, Michael Rothe, Pam K. Mangat, Elizabeth Garrett-Mayer, Eugene Ahn, Keerthi Gogineni, Nitin Rohatgi, Monika L. Burness, Anu Gaba, Omid Hamid, Tareq Albaghdadi, Alison Conlin, Philip Gold, Jordi Rodon, Ramya Thota, Richard L. Schilsky. Sunitinib (S) in patients (pts) with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) with FGFR1 mutations or amplifications: Results from the Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) Study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr CT173.

The tremendous development in technology used in our daily life was one of the most important incentives for researchers to add technology that is easy to use and useful in human life, an example internet of things (IoT) and systems of intelligence used in various fields. This article provides an overview of the smart home (SH) study of the Internet of Things as smart homes (SHs) have attracted great interest with communication technology advancements. The intelligent home is an Internet of Things technology that allows the monitoring and control of devices via the Internet using a home automation system (HAS). Followed by the justification for choosing the smart home and smart home engineering, and what are the most used communication protocols for smart homes, whether wired or wireless.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents a major public health problem in low- and middle-income countries. Global health partnerships emphasizing training and sustainability have begun to emerge in an effort to stem the tide of CVD [(1)][1]. As has been described by other fellows-in-training (FITs

Албагдади Бара Мохсен Хоссеин, аспирант кафедры прикладной механики, динамики и прочности машин, Южно-Уральский государственный университет, г. Челябинск; преподаватель, Технологический университет, г. Багдад, Ирак, baraa.albaghdadi@gmail.com. Чернявский Александр Олегович, доктор технических наук, прикладной механики, динамики и прочности машин, Южно-Уральский государственный университет, г. Челябинск, a.o.cher@mail.ru. B.M.H. Albaghdadi1,2, baraa.albaghdadi@gmail.com, A.O. Cherniavsky1, a.o.cher@mail.ru 1South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation, 2University of Technology, Baghdad, Iraq