Search

Diffusion in complex heterogeneous media, such as biological tissues or porous materials, typically involves constrained displacements in tortuous structures and sticky environments. Therefore, diffusing particles experience both entropic (excluded-volume) forces and the presence of complex energy landscapes. In this situation, one may describe transport through an effective diffusion coefficient. In this paper, we examine comb structures with finite-length 1D and finite-area 2D fingers, which act as purely diffusive traps. We find that there exists a critical width of 2D fingers, above which the effective diffusion along the backbone is faster than for an equivalent arrangement of 1D fingers. Moreover, we show that the effective diffusion coefficient is described by a general analytical form for both 1D and 2D fingers, provided the correct scaling variable is identified as a function of the structural parameters. Interestingly, this formula corresponds to the well-known general situation of diffusion in a medium with fast reversible adsorption. Finally, we show that the same formula describes diffusion in the presence of dilute potential energy traps, e.g., through a landscape of square wells. While diffusion is ultimately always the result of microscopic interactions (with particles in the fluid, other solutes, and the environment), effective representations are often of great practical use. The results reported in this paper help clarify the microscopic origins and the applicability of global, integrated descriptions of diffusion in complex media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healing outcomes of periodontal and implant-related regenerative procedures are closely related to wound stability, which is partially determined by biomechanical properties and behaviors of oral mucosal tissues. Studies on soft tissue behavior under biomechanical forces in oral regeneration models are scarce. Thus, this review aims to (1) contrast the microstructural differences between the attached gingiva (AM) and lining (LM) mucosa; (2) evaluate biomechanical behaviors of the two mucosal types; and (3) relate residual flap tension to the prevalence of wound opening after regenerative procedures. Compositional and structural differences between the AM and LM explain their biomechanical property differences. Wound destabilizers, including tissue recoil stemming from its viscoelastic property, muscle pull, and inflammatory edema (created after the flap-releasing procedure for primary wound closure) interfere with wound stability. Residual flap tension < 0.05 N is a prerequisite for sustained wound closure. Tissues under stress can exert negative cellular changes, resulting in necrosis and wound dehiscence. Biomechanical properties and the variations between AM and LM dictate the degree of wound stability. Efforts should be made to reduce the negative impact of the potential destabilizers to optimize wound stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the method of choice for noninvasive studies of micrometer-scale structures in biological tissues via their effects on the time- and frequency-dependent (restricted) and anisotropic self-diffusion of water. While new designs of time-dependent magnetic field gradient waveforms have enabled disambiguation between different aspects of translational motion that are convolved in traditional MRI methods relying on single pairs of field gradient pulses, data analysis for complex heterogeneous materials remains a challenge. Here, we propose and demonstrate nonparametric distributions of tensor-valued Lorentzian diffusion spectra, or "D(ω) distributions," as a general representation with sufficient flexibility to describe the MRI signal response from a wide range of model systems and biological tissues investigated with modulated gradient waveforms separating and correlating the effects of restricted and anisotropic diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroporation is a complex, iterative, and nonlinear phenomenon often studied through numerical simulations. In recent years, simulations of tissue electroporation have been conducted with static models. However, the results of a static model simulation are restricted to a fixed protocol signature of the pulsed electric field. In this paper, we describe a novel dynamic model of tissue electroporation that also accounts for tissue dispersion and temperature to allow time-domain simulations. We have implemented the biological dispersion of potato tubers and thermal analysis in a commercial finite-element method software. A cell electroporation model was adapted to account for the increase in tissue conductivity. The model yielded 12 parameters divided into three dynamic states of electroporation. The thermal analysis describes the dependence of tissue conductivity on temperature. The model parameters were evaluated using experiments with vegetal tissue (Solanum tuberosum) under electrochemotherapy protocols. The proposed model can accurately predict the conductivity of tissue under electroporation from 100 to 1000 V/cm. A negligible thermal effect was observed at 1000 V/cm, with a temperature increase of 0.89 ° C. We believe that the proposed model is suitable to describe the electroporation at the tissue level and provides a hint of the effects on the cell membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through allogeneic human tissue transplantation is unknown. To further evaluate the risk of virus transmission, tissues were obtained from deceased donors who had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA via nasopharyngeal swab. This study evaluated an array of human tissues recovered for transplantation, including bone, tendon, skin, fascia lata, vascular tissues, and heart valves. Tissue samples and plasma or serum samples, if available, were tested for viral RNA (vRNA) using a real time PCR system for the presence of virus RNA. All samples were tested in quadruplicate for both subgenomic (sgRNA) and genomic (gRNA) RNA encoding the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid gene. Amplification of a cellular housekeeping gene served as the positive control for every sample. A total of 47 tissue samples from 17 donors were tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Four donors had plasma or serum available for paired testing. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was not detected from any tissue or plasma/serum sample tested. Based on these findings, risk of transmission through the transplantation of tissue types studied from SARS-CoV-2 infected donors is likely to be low.

Purpose: To assess two types of abutment materials routinely used in daily practice--direct polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and a zirconia-on--Ti-base abutment--and their effects on peri-implant soft tissues and bone remodeling in a minipig model. Materials and Methods: A total of 40 implants were placed in five minipigs in a single-stage surgery. Four different types of abutment materials (n = 10 per group) were used: (1) titanium (control); (2) zirconia (control); (3) PMMA (test 1); and (4) Ti-base (zirconia bonded to a titanium framework; test 2). After 3 months of healing, the samples were collected and subjected to nondecalcified histology. The soft tissue dimensions (sulcus, junctional epithelium, and connective tissue attachment) were assessed on each abutment mesially and distally, and the distance from the implant margin to the first boneto-implant contact (BIC) was measured. Results: No statistically significant differences were found among the four groups regarding soft tissue dimensions (P = .21), and a long junctional epithelium (mean: 4.1 mm) and a short connective tissue attachment (mean: 0.3 mm) were found in the majority of abutments. In some samples, the junctional epithelium extended all the way to the bone level. The measured peri-implant bone remodeling was similar in all four groups (P = .25). Conclusions: The present findings indicate that both direct PMMA and zirconia-on-Ti-base abutments seem to allow soft tissue integration similar to that of titanium and zirconia abutments. However, clinical studies are warranted to either confirm or refute the observed findings and to further investigate the influence of different materials on mucointegration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare volumetric changes in buccal soft tissue and pink esthetic scores after immediate implant placement performed with a socket shield technique (SST) or the conventional technique (CT). Materials and Methods: This parallel-arm, randomized controlled trial included 22 participants requiring replacement of a single maxillary incisor with an immediate implant. Immediate implants were placed via either the SST or the CT, with patients randomly allocated to one of the two groups. All implants underwent an immediate loading protocol. Definitive crowns were placed 6 months after implant placement. Scans of casts were recorded with a digital white light scanner before implant placement and at the end of 12 months. Volumetric changes to soft tissues on the buccal aspect were assessed by superimposition of the scanned cast. Esthetic evaluation of the soft tissue was done by evaluating the pink esthetic score (PES) before implant placement and 6 and 12 months after implant placement. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using statistical software (Stata 16.0, StataCorp). Results: The mean volumetric change in buccal soft tissues at the end of 12 months in the SST group was -0.1520 ± 0.86 mm, and in the CT group, it was -0.643 ± 0.35 mm. The difference was statistically significant (P = .001). Higher PES was observed in the SST group at all time intervals. The difference was statistically significant at 6 months (P = .001) and 12 months (P = .007). Conclusions: The results of this study showed less volumetric changes in buccal soft tissues and higher PES when the SST is used rather than the CT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facial approximation is a technique that involves constructing the facial muscles and applying a suitable facial soft tissue depth (FSTD) dataset. To date, several FSTD studies have been conducted for varying population groups. This study aims to establish a FSTD dataset of an adult Greek population sample for the first time. The facial depths of subjects were measured on 100 head CT scans of 50 male and 50 female subjects aged from 18 to 99. The 3D head and skull models of subjects were segmented in Amira 6.1 by using histogram method. FSTDs were measured at 22 cranial landmarks (5 mid-sagittal, 17 bilateral). The FSTD dataset was generated by considering the age and sex of subjects. The impact of age and sex on the FSTD was limited. Slight inter-population depth variations were reported. Facial asymmetry calculated between the bilateral landmarks was insignificant for both male and female subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tissues' nearly incompressibility was well reported in the literature but little effort has been made to compare volume variations computed by simulations with in vivo measurements. In this study, volume changes of the fat pad during controlled indentations of the human heel region were estimated from segmented medical images using digital volume correlation. The experiment was reproduced using finite element modelling with several values of Poisson's ratio for the fat pad, from 0.4500 to 0.4999. A single value of Poisson's ratio could not fit all the indentation cases. Estimated volume changes were between 0.9% − 11.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide a brief review of the development and application of the Mesolens and its impact on microbiology. Microbial specimens such as infected tissue samples, colonies surfaces, and biofilms are routinely collected at the mesoscale. This means that they are relatively large multimillimetre‐sized samples which contain microscopic detail that must be observed to answer important questions across various sectors. The Mesolens presents the ideal imaging method to study these specimens as no other optical microscope can thanks to its unique combination of low magnification and high numerical aperture providing large field‐of‐view, high‐resolution imaging. We demonstrate the current applications of the Mesolens to microbial imaging and go on to outline the huge potential of the Mesolens to impact other key areas of microbiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyper spectral imaging (HSI) has emerged as a powerful technique for accurate disease diagnosis in medical environments. It provides high-resolution images with detailed spectral information, making it possible to identify subtle differences between healthy and diseased tissues. However, current HSI systems face challenges in terms of accuracy and efficiency, limiting their widespread application in sustainable medical environments. To overcome these challenges, our team has developed an improved HSI system that utilizes state-of-the-art spectral imaging technology and machine learning algorithms. This system is capable of capturing and analyzing a wider range of spectral data, enabling more precise identification of disease-specific spectral signatures. Furthermore, our system has been optimized to operate with minimal power consumption, making it environmentally friendly and suitable for sustainable medical environments. The improved HSI system has been successfully tested in clinical settings and has shown promising results in accurately diagnosing various diseases such as cancer, dermatitis, and cardiovascular conditions. Its high accuracy and fast processing time make it a valuable tool for early disease detection and treatment planning. Moreover, the ability to operate with low energy consumption makes it a sustainable solution for medical facilities in resourcelimited areas. In addition to its accuracy and efficiency, our improved HSI system is also user-friendly and can be easily integrated into existing medical imaging systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogels, known for their mechanical and chemical similarity to biological tissues, are widely used in biotechnologies, whereas semiconductors provide advanced electronic and optoelectronic functionalities such as signal amplification, sensing, and photomodulation. Combining semiconducting properties with hydrogel designs can enhance biointeractive functions and intimacy at biointerfaces, but this is challenging owing to the low hydrophilicity of polymer semiconductors. We developed a solvent affinity–induced assembly method that incorporates water-insoluble polymer semiconductors into double-network hydrogels. These semiconductors exhibited tissue-level moduli as soft as 81 kilopascals, stretchability of 150% strain, and charge-carrier mobility up to 1.4 square centimeters per volt per second. When they are interfaced with biological tissues, their tissue-level modulus enables alleviated immune reactions. The hydrogel’s high porosity enhances molecular interactions at semiconductor-biofluid interfaces, resulting in photomodulation with higher response and volumetric biosensing with higher sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light propagation in complex media results in strong scattering. While wavefront shaping (WFS) enables the focusing of light at depth, its speed is mainly limited by the frame rate of the area‐array detectors. The photodetector has been used to achieve fast focusing, but it cannot record sufficient speckle information, limiting its applications in multi‐point focusing and non‐invasive focusing. Here, a method for invasively or non‐invasively focusing through scattering media is proposed by using 1D speckle signals as feedback for wavefront shaping. Experimentally, not only invasive multi‐point focusing can be realized, but also by maximizing the contrast of linear fluorescent 1D speckle signals, non‐invasive focusing can be achieved, suggesting the effectiveness of the proposed method. This approach can be generalized to the utilization of linear array detectors in WFS and may hold interesting prospects for rapid focusing light within deep biological tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gynecologic cancers remain a frequent and deadly diagnosis. Historically, treatment has focused on a “one size fits all” approach, but there is an urgent need for more personal medicine. Hence, to enhance personal medicine, new biomarkers are needed. Samples from the Danish Cancer Biobank (DCB) may be well‐suited for biomarker studies, as the biobank contains samples from more than 100.000 cancer patients, and the samples are annotated with pre‐analytical variables. The aim of this study was to investigate if the recorded pre‐analytical variables indicate the gynecologic tissue in DCB are suited for biomarker studies. Data on processing time, transport time, and registration‐ and verification status were extracted from all patients with a gynecologic tissue sample collected between 2020 and 2022 in DCB. The mean processing time across centers was found to be 1.03 h (SD = 0.71), and the mean transport time was found to be 0.32 h (SD = 0.70). In total, 69% of the tissue samples were pathologically examined, and 91.5% of the pathologically examined samples were found to be concordant with the patient's final diagnosis. While differences were observed, 98% of the samples were processed within 3 h, indicating the majority of gynecologic tissue samples in DCB are of high quality and optimal for biomarker studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole‐organ imaging and characterization at a submicron level provide abundant information on development and diseases while remaining a big challenge, especially in the context of time load. Herein, a quantitative light‐sheet microscopy platform that enabled highly time‐efficient assessments of fibrous structures within the intact cleared tissue is developed. Dual‐view inverted selective plane illumination microscopy (diSPIM), followed by improved registration and deconvolution, led to submicron isotropic imaging of mouse upper genital tract with one hundred‐fold speed‐ups than previous efforts. Further, optical metrics quantifying 3D local density and structural complexity of targets based on parallel and vectorized convolution in both spatial and frequency domains are developed. Collectively, ≈400–2000 fold increases in time efficiency counting for imaging, postprocessing, and quantitative characterization compared to the traditional method is gained. Using this platform, automatic identification of medulla and cortex within the mouse ovary at over 90% overlap with manual selection by anatomy experts is achieved. Additionally, heterogeneous distributions of immune cells in the mouse ovary and fallopian tube, offering a unique perspective for understanding the immune microenvironment are discovered. This work paves the way for future whole‐organ study, and exhibits potential with promise for offering mechanistic insights into physiological and pathological alterations of biological tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress generation by the actin cytoskeleton shapes cells and tissues. Despite impressive progress in live imaging and quantitative physical descriptions of cytoskeletal network dynamics, the connection between processes at molecular scales and spatiotemporal patterns at the cellular scale is still unclear. Here, we review studies reporting actomyosin clusters of micrometre size and with lifetimes of several minutes in a large number of organisms, ranging from fission yeast to humans. Such structures have also been found in reconstituted systems in vitro and in theoretical analyses of cytoskeletal dynamics. We propose that tracking these clusters could provide a simple readout for characterising living matter. Spatiotemporal patterns of clusters could serve as determinants of morphogenetic processes that have similar roles in diverse organisms. Kruse et al. review studies of actomyosin clusters in different biological systems and discuss the physical properties of these clusters, linking such properties to specific morphogenetic processes. They propose that tracking these clusters could provide a simple readout for characterising living matter and that spatiotemporal patterns of clusters could serve as morphogenetic determinants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that provides information about the Brownian motion of water molecules within biological tissues. DWI plays a crucial role in stroke imaging and oncology, but its diagnostic value can be compromised by the inherently low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Conventional supervised deep learning-based denoising techniques encounter challenges in this domain as they necessitate noise-free target images for training. This work presents a novel approach for denoising and evaluating DWI scans in a self-supervised manner, eliminating the need for ground-truth data. By leveraging an adapted version of Stein's unbiased risk estimator (SURE) and exploiting a phase-corrected combination of repeated acquisitions, we outperform both state-of-the-art self-supervised denoising methods and conventional non-learning-based approaches. Additionally, we demonstrate the applicability of our proposed approach in accelerating DWI scans by acquiring fewer image repetitions. To evaluate denoising performance, we introduce a self-supervised methodology that relies on analyzing the characteristics of the residual signal removed by the denoising approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise Methods Results Discussion The selection of Arabidopsis as a model organism played a pivotal role in advancing genomic science. The competing frameworks to select an agricultural‐ or ecological‐based model species were rejected, in favor of building knowledge in a species that would facilitate genome‐enabled research.Here, we examine the ability of models based on Arabidopsis gene expression data to predict tissue identity in other flowering plants. Comparing different machine learning algorithms, models trained and tested on Arabidopsis data achieved near perfect precision and recall values, whereas when tissue identity is predicted across the flowering plants using models trained on Arabidopsis data, precision values range from 0.69 to 0.74 and recall from 0.54 to 0.64.The identity of belowground tissue can be predicted more accurately than other tissue types, and the ability to predict tissue identity is not correlated with phylogenetic distance from Arabidopsis. k‐nearest neighbors is the most successful algorithm, suggesting that gene expression signatures, rather than marker genes, are more valuable to create models for tissue and cell type prediction in plants.Our data‐driven results highlight that the assertion that knowledge from Arabidopsis is translatable to other plants is not always true. Considering the current landscape of abundant sequencing data, we should reevaluate the scientific emphasis on Arabidopsis and prioritize plant diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The major limitation of tumor microwave ablation (MWA) operation is the lack of predictability of the ablation zone before surgery. Operators rely on their individual experience to select a treatment plan, which is prone to either inadequate or excessive ablation. This paper aims to establish an ablation prediction model that guides MWA tumor surgical planning. Methods: An MWA process was first simulated by incorporating electromagnetic radiation equations, thermal equations, and optimized biological tissue parameters (dynamic dielectric and thermophysical parameters). The temperature distributions (the short/long diameters, and the total volume of the ablation zone) were then generated and verified by 60 cases ex vivo porcine liver experiments. Subsequently, a series of data were obtained from the simulated temperature distributions and to further fit the novel ablation coagulated area prediction model (ACAPM), thus rendering the ablation-dose table for the guiding surgical plan. The MWA clinical patient data and clinical devices suggested data were used to validate the accuracy and practicability of the established predicted model. Results: The 60 cases ex vivo porcine liver experiments demonstrated the accuracy of the simulated temperature distributions. Compared to traditional simulation methods, our approach reduces the long-diameter error of the ablation zone from 1.1cm to 0.29cm, achieving a 74% reduction in error. Further, the clinical data including the patients’ operation results and devices provided values were consistent well with our predicated data, indicating the great potential of ACAPM to assist preoperative planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The accurate emulation of the electrical impedance of biological tissues is crucial for the development and validation of bioimpedance measurement devices and algorithms. This paper describes a digitally controllable impedance emulator capable of reproducing values representative of tissue bioimpedance in user‐specified resistance, reactance, and frequency ranges up to 1 MHz. The presented solution uses a 2R‐1C impedance model to emulate the impedance characteristics of a biological tissue. Specific selection of each element value in this model is achieved using analog multiplexers with low Ron$$ {R}_{on} $$ resistance. A MATLAB algorithm was developed for value estimation using target impedance requirements. An example design to emulate impedance from 1 kHz to 1 MHz with 10 Ω$$ \Omega $$ to 400 Ω$$ \Omega $$ resistance and −45Ω$$ -45\Omega $$ maximum reactance is provided. The nonideal behavior of this design was evaluated and compared against experimentally collected impedance measurements. Deviations of <1% were observed between experimental and theoretical resistances for values >50Ω$$ >50\Omega $$ up to 100 kHz (with approximately 5% deviations up to 1 MHz) and reactance deviations were also <1% up to 10 kHz. High frequency deviations are attributed to the parasitic capacitance in the realization of the design. The experimental results validate the design approach and realization for low frequencies. Overall, the innovation of the proposed approach is the control of both resistance and reactance for emulating electrical impedance representative of biological tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis is a common degenerative disease characterized by continuous detachment of lubrication factors from damaged cartilage matrix. This study proposes a paradigm that combines natural polyanionic polysaccharides (hyaluronic acid, HA) with dopamine (DA) to design a synovial lubrication factors‐recruiting biomimetic polyphenolized lubrication system. The biomimetic lubricants can use DA's polarity and hydrophilic groups as specific binding sites of type II collagen's polarity and hydrophilic groups to stably bind cartilage surface, and further utilize molecular specific interaction to recruit detached, joint endogenous or chondrocytes expressed synovial lubrication factors, continuously forming supramolecular lubrication complex onto cartilage matrix to induce joint lubrication. Simultaneously, the biolubricants can also utilize catechol groups to eliminate anionic free radicals and resist reactive oxygen species invasion in the early stages of joint lubrication failure. The prepared biolubricants exhibit low coefficient of friction (µ < 0.08), which is attributed to fluid and hydration lubrication provided by HA and DA side chains through fluid dynamic effect and interfacial hydration adsorption. Cell and animal experiments also demonstrate polyphenolic biolubricants have good biocompatibility and promote cartilage regeneration. Therefore, the developed synovial lubricants‐recruiting biomimetic polyphenolized biolubricants have potential for treating osteoarthritis, and also provide a theoretical basis for other biological tissues with lubrication problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe3+‐doped MgGa2O4 (MGO: Fe3+) spinel‐type near‐infrared (NIR) phosphor with non‐toxicity, outstanding thermal stability, and tunable emission has recently gained great concern owing to its wide applications. Nevertheless, the existence of detrimental O defects in the MgGa2O4 host and the forbidden d‐d transitions of Fe3+ lead to unsatisfactory luminescence efficiency, limiting the commercial application. In this study, a vacancy repairing engineering has been innovatively developed via F− substitution in MGO: Fe3+ (MGOF: Fe3+) for significantly enhancing NIR emission and maintaining outstanding thermal stability. Specifically, F− substitution with a similar radius effectively repairs the intrinsic O vacancy defects of MGO, thereby prohibiting the detrimental electron‐capturing effect. Meanwhile, F− incorporation can make the lattice of MGO distort and break the forbidden transition of Fe3+. Significantly, the obtained MGOF: Fe3+ presents a 16‐fold higher emission intensity than that of MGO: Fe3+. More important, the MGOF: Fe3+ can remain at 91.17% (363 K) and 85.10% (423 K). Finally, the NIR emission of MGOF: Fe3+ can be used for night vision, non‐destructive biological tissue detection, and food analysis. The proposed vacancy repairing strategy can certainly stimulate some new thoughts and concepts in designing high‐performance phosphors for wider applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial biological structures hold the promise for modeling cellular assembly in vitro and have advanced considerable studies in cell biology, disease modeling, drug testing, and regenerative medicine. Biological functions are derived from micro‐ and macroscale interactions of various cell types, and a structural property matching the tissue in vivo is required to enable precision biological function. Despite various types of tissues and organs are successfully constructed by conventional biofabrication technologies, they mostly only show a small fraction of structural features found in real tissues. Tools for single‐cell manipulation provide the approach to fabricate artificial tissues cell‐by‐cell, and have enabled the construction of biological structures with single‐cell and heterogeneous features, recapitulating the complexity in vivo. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the construction of biological structures through manipulating single cells, covering single‐cell technologies with operation principles and main advances, biological structures associated with informative explanations of single‐cell manipulation during construction, and representative applications mainly focusing on analysis and modeling. Current challenges and future perspectives in this field are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self‐assembled networks of bottlebrush copolymers are promising materials for biomedical applications due to a unique combination of ultra‐softness and strain‐adaptive stiffening, characteristic of soft biological tissues. Transitioning from ABA linear‐brush‐linear triblock copolymers to A‐g‐B bottlebrush graft copolymer architectures allows significant increasing the mechanical strength of thermoplastic elastomers. Using real‐time synchrotron small‐angle X‐ray scattering, it is shown that annealing of A‐g‐B elastomers in a selective solvent for the linear A blocks allows for substantial network reconfiguration, resulting in an increase of both the A domain size and the distance between the domains. The corresponding increases in the aggregation number and extension of bottlebrush strands lead to a significant increase of the strain‐stiffening parameter up to 0.7, approaching values characteristic of the brain and skin tissues. Network reconfiguration without disassembly is an efficient approach to adjusting the mechanical performance of tissue‐mimetic materials to meet the needs of diverse biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) is a methodology for measuring the extent of non- Gaussian diffusion in biological tissue, which has shown great promise in clinical diagnosis, treatment planning, and monitoring of many neurological diseases and disorders. However, robust, fast, and accurate estimation of kurtosis from clinically feasible data acquisitions remains a challenge. In this study, we first outline a new accurate approach of estimating mean kurtosis via the sub- diffusion mathematical framework. Crucially, this extension of the conventional DKI overcomes the limitation on the maximum b-value of the latter. Kurtosis and diffusivity can now be simply computed as functions of the sub-diffusion model parameters. Second, we propose a new fast and robust fitting procedure to estimate the sub- diffusion model parameters using two diffusion times without increasing acquisition time as for the conventional DKI. Third, our sub-diffusion-based kurtosis mapping method is evaluated using both simulations and the Connectome 1.0 human brain data. Exquisite tissue contrast is achieved even when the diffusion encoded data is collected in only minutes. In summary, our findings suggest robust, fast, and accurate estimation of mean kurtosis can be realised within a clinically feasible diffusion- weighted magnetic resonance imaging data acquisition time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adhesives can intimately connect humans to machines, seamlessly bond diverse tissues in the human body, and manage various diseases. However, the precise spatial control of wet and tough adhesion of biocompatible hydrogels on biological tissues remains a major challenge. Inspired by the bioglue secreted by sandcastle worms, the design of printable tough adhesives (PTAs) is proposed, a supramolecular hydrogel that can be printed into defined structures, in situ mechanically reinforced into a tough matrix with physiologically relevant benign triggers, and strongly adhere to diverse substrates. With carefully selected polymer components and ratios, it is discovered that the 3D printed PTAs can achieve a marked increase in toughness, tensile strength, and stiffness after being immersed in water/saline solution or attached to biological tissues. To assess the robust toughening mechanism triggered by the supramolecular interactions, the effects of polymer content and pH on the mechanical performance of PTAs and the kinetics of their triggered reinforcement are thoroughly investigated. The potential of PTAs is further demonstrated for manufacturing tough connective tissue mimetics, controlling patterned bioadhesion, and designing programmable 4D soft robotics. The bioinspired, printable, benignly triggerable, and adhesive supramolecular PTAs are expected to find broad applications in engineering and medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatio-molecular data and microscopy images provide complementary information, essential to study structure and function of spatially organised multicellular systems such as healthy or diseased tissues. However, aligning these two types of data can be challenging due to distortions and differences in resolution, orientation, and position. Manual registration is tedious but may be necessary for challenging samples as well as for the generation of ground-truth data sets that enable benchmarking of existing and emerging automated alignment tools. To make the process of manual registration more convenient, efficient, and integrated, we created BoReMi, a python-based, Jupyter-integrated, visual tool that offers all the relevant functionalities for aligning and registering spatio-molecular data and associated microscopy images. We showcase BoReMi's utility using publicly available data and images and make BoReMi as well as an interactive demo available on GitHub. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate models for nonlinear ultrasound propagation in soft biological tissue based on the one that serves as the core for the software package k‐Wave. The systems are solved for the acoustic particle velocity, mass density, and acoustic pressure and involve a fractional absorption operator. We first consider a system that incorporates additional viscosity in the equation for momentum conservation. By constructing a Galerkin approximation procedure, we prove the local existence of its solutions. In view of inverse problems arising from imaging tasks, the theory allows for the variable background mass density, speed of sound, and the nonlinearity parameter in the systems. Second, under stronger conditions on the data, we take the vanishing viscosity limit of the problem, thereby rigorously establishing the existence of solutions for the limiting system as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Aim of this work is to illustrate and experimentally validate a model to evaluate the dielectric properties of biological tissues on a wide frequency band using the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique. Approach. The dielectric behaviour of biological tissues depends on frequency, according to the so-called relaxation mechanisms. The adopted model derives the dielectric properties of biological tissues in the frequency range 10 MHz–20 GHz considering the presence of two relaxation mechanisms whose parameters are determined from quantities derived from MRI acquisitions. In particular, the MRI derived quantities are the water content and the dielectric properties of the tissue under study at the frequency of the MR scanner. Main results. The model was first theoretically validated on muscle and fat using literature data in the frequency range 10 MHz–20 GHz. Results showed capabilities of reconstructing dielectric properties with errors within 16%. Then the model was applied to ex vivo muscle and liver tissues, comparing the MRI-derived properties with data measured by the open probe technique in the frequency range 10 MHz–3 GHz, showing promising results. Significance. The use of medical techniques based on the application of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) is significantly increasing. To provide safe and effective treatments, it is necessary to know how human tissues react to the applied EMF. Since this information is embedded in the dielectric properties of biological tissues, an accurate and precise dielectric characterization is needed. Biological tissues are heterogenous, and their characteristics depend on several factors. Consequently, it is necessary to characterize dielectric properties in vivo for each specific patient. While this aim cannot be reached with traditional measurement techniques, through the adopted model these properties can be reconstructed in vivo on a wide frequency band from non-invasive MRI acquisitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Proton spatially fractionated RT (SFRT) can potentially synergize the unique advantages of using proton Bragg peak and SFRT peak‐valley dose ratio (PVDR) to reduce the radiation‐induced damage for normal tissues. Uniform‐target‐dose (UTD) proton GRID is a proton SFRT modality that can be clinically desirable and conveniently adopted since its UTD resembles target dose distribution in conventional proton RT (CONV). However, UTD proton GRID is not used clinically, which is likely due to the lack of an effective treatment planning method. Purpose: This work will develop a novel treatment planning method using scissor beams (SB) for UTD proton GRID, with the joint optimization of PVDR and dose objectives. Methods: The SB method for spatial dose modulation in normal tissues with UTD has two steps: (1) a primary beam (PB) is halved with interleaved beamlets, to generate spatial dose modulation in normal tissues; (2) a complementary beam (CB) is added to fill in previously valley‐dose positions in the target to generate UTD, while the CB is angled slightly from the PB, to maintain spatial dose modulation in normal tissues. A treatment planning method with PVDR optimization via the joint total variation and L1 (TVL1) regularization is developed to jointly optimize PVDR and dose objectives. The plan optimization solution is obtained using an iterative convex relaxation algorithm. Results: The new methods SB and SB‐TVL1 were validated in comparison with CONV. Compared to CONV of relatively homogeneous dose distribution, SB had modulated spatial dose pattern in normal tissues with UTD and comparable plan quality. Compared to SB, SB‐TVL1 further maximized PVDR, with comparable dose‐volume parameters. Conclusions: A novel SB method is proposed that can generate modulated spatial dose pattern in normal tissues to achieve UTD proton GRID. A treatment planning method with PVDR optimization capability via TVL1 regularization is developed that can jointly optimize PVDR and dose objectives for proton GRID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, in vitro models emerge as valuable tools in biomedical research by enabling the investigation of complex physiological processes in a controlled environment, replicating some traits of interest of the biological tissues. This study focuses on the development of tubular polymeric scaffolds, made of electrospun fibers, aimed to generate three‐dimensional (3D) in vitro intestinal models resembling the lumen of the gut. Polycaprolactone (PCL) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) are used to produce tightly arranged ultrafine fiber meshes via electrospinning in the form of continuous tubular structures, mimicking the basement membrane on which the epithelial barrier is formed. Morphological, physical, mechanical, and piezoelectric properties of the PCL and PAN tubular scaffolds are investigated. They are cultured with Caco‐2 cells using different biological coatings (i.e., collagen, gelatin, and fibrin) and their capability of promoting a compact epithelial layer is assessed. PCL and PAN scaffolds show 42% and 50% porosity, respectively, with pore diameters and size suitable to impede cell penetration, thus promoting an intestinal epithelial barrier formation. Even if both polymeric structures allow Caco‐2 cell adhesion, PAN fiber meshes best suit many requirements needed by this model, including highest mechanical strength upon expansion, porosity and piezoelectric properties, along with the lowest pore size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Colorectal neoplasia developing from ulcerative colitis mucosa (CRNUC) can be divided into ulcerative colitis-associated neoplasia (UCAN) and non-UCAN; however, it is often difficult to distinguish UCAN from non-UCAN during a biopsy diagnosis. We investigated whether a genomic analysis could improve the diagnostic accuracy of UCAN using biopsy specimens. The pathological diagnosis of biopsy specimens using only hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining had a sensitivity of 33% and an accuracy of 38% for UCAN diagnosis. On the other hand, the combination of the HE pathology and p53 immunohistochemical staining had a sensitivity of 73% and an accuracy of 85% for UCAN diagnosis, while the combination of HE staining and a TP53 mutation had a sensitivity of 87% and an accuracy of 88% for UCAN diagnosis. An evaluation of TP53 mutations in biopsy specimens may be useful for diagnosing UCAN. However, further studies with larger sample sizes are required before this can be applied in clinical practice. Background/Objectives: Colorectal neoplasia developing from ulcerative colitis mucosa (CRNUC) can be divided into ulcerative colitis-associated neoplasia (UCAN) and non-UCAN; however, it is often difficult to distinguish UCAN from non-UCAN during a biopsy diagnosis. We investigated whether a genomic analysis could improve the diagnostic accuracy of UCAN using biopsy specimens. Methods: In step 1, 14 CRNUCs were used to examine whether the genomic landscape of biopsy and resection specimens matched. In step 2, we investigated the relationship between the genomic landscapes and the pathological diagnosis of 26 CRNUCs. The cancer genome was analyzed by deep sequencing using a custom panel of 27 genes found to be mutated in our previous CRNUC analysis. Results: In step 1, of the 27 candidate genes, 14 were mutated. The concordance rate of the pathogenic mutations in these 14 genes between the biopsy and resection specimens was 29% (4/14), while that of the pathogenic mutations in TP53 and KRAS was 79% (11/14). In step 2, the pathological diagnosis of biopsy specimens using only hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining had a sensitivity of 33% and an accuracy of 38% for UCAN diagnosis. On the other hand, the combination of the HE pathology and p53 immunohistochemical staining had a sensitivity of 73% and an accuracy of 85% for UCAN diagnosis, while the combination of HE staining and a TP53 mutation had a sensitivity of 87% and an accuracy of 88% for UCAN diagnosis. Conclusions: An evaluation of TP53 mutations in biopsy specimens may be useful for diagnosing UCAN. However, further studies with larger sample sizes are required before this can be applied in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, near‐infrared quantum dots (NIR QDs) have emerged as a promising candidate for biological imaging owing to their strong fluorescence penetrating into biological tissues and high imaging signal‐to‐noise ratio. Among various materials, InP QDs are environmentally friendly and have a relatively narrow bandgap of 1.35 eV, which provides a possibility for their emission wavelength to extend to the near‐infrared region. However, the strong reactivity of the precursor of phosphorus makes it challenging to synthesize NIR InP QDs, as it leads to rapid nucleation of the InP core. Herein, a method of epitaxial growth is reported to synthesize NIR InP QDs. Through high‐temperature nucleation and low‐temperature epitaxial growth, NIR InP QDs larger than 15 nm in size and with an emission wavelength of 807 nm are successfully synthesized. Furthermore, by removing InPOx defects on the surface of the core through HF etching, the quantum yield (QY) is increased from 6% to 12%. Ligand exchange successfully converted oil‐soluble ligands into water‐soluble ones, leading to excellent performance in cell imaging. The study provides a promising approach to the synthesis of desirable NIR InP QDs for use in biomedical imaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike human intestines, which are long, hollow tubes, the intestines of sharks and rays contain interior helical structures surrounding a cylindrical hole. One function of these structures may be to create asymmetric flow, favoring passage of fluid down the digestive tract, from anterior to posterior. Here, we design and 3D print biomimetic models of shark intestines, in both rigid and deformable materials. We use the rigid models to test which physical parameters of the interior helices (the pitch, the hole radius, the tilt angle, and the number of turns) yield the largest flow asymmetries. These asymmetries exceed those of traditional Tesla valves, structures specifically designed to create flow asymmetry without any moving parts. When we print the biomimetic models in elastomeric materials so that flow can couple to the structure's shape, flow asymmetry is significantly amplified; it is sevenfold larger in deformable structures than in rigid structures. Last, we 3D-print deformable versions of the intestine of a dogfish shark, based on a tomogram of a biological sample. This biomimic produces flow asymmetry comparable to traditional Tesla valves. The ability to influence the direction of a flow through a structure has applications in biological tissues and artificial devices across many scales, from large industrial pipelines to small microfluidic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a 5 µm‐diameter X‐ray beam, we collected scanning X‐ray microdiffraction in both the small‐angle (SAXS) and the wide‐angle (WAXS) regimes from thin sections of fixed human brain tissue from Alzheimer's subjects. The intensity of scattering in the SAXS regime of these patterns exhibits essentially no correlation with the observed intensity in the WAXS regime, indicating that the structures responsible for these two portions of the diffraction patterns, which reflect different length scales, are distinct. SAXS scattering exhibits a power‐law behavior in which the log of intensity decreases linearly with the log of the scattering angle. The slope of the log–log curve is roughly proportional to the intensity in the SAXS regime and, surprisingly, inversely proportional to the intensity in the WAXS regime. We interpret these observations as being due to the presence of sub‐micrometre‐sized voids formed during dehydration of the fixed tissue. The SAXS intensity is due largely to scattering from these voids, while the WAXS intensity derives from the secondary structures of macromolecular material surrounding the voids. The ability to detect and map the presence of voids within thin sections of fixed tissue has the potential to provide novel information on the degradation of human brain tissue in neurodegenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate mapping between single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq) and low‐resolution spatial transcriptomics (ST) data compensates for both limited resolution of ST data and missing spatial information of scRNA‐seq. Celloc, a method developed for this purpose, incorporates a graph attention autoencoder and comprehensive loss functions to facilitate flexible single cell‐to‐spot mapping. This enables either the dissection of cell composition within each spot or the assignment of spatial locations for every cell in scRNA‐seq data. Celloc's performance is benchmarked on simulated ST data, demonstrating superior accuracy and robustness compared to state‐of‐the‐art methods. Evaluations on real datasets suggest that Celloc can reconstruct cellular spatial structures with various cell types across different tissues and histological regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The absence of force feedback (FFB) is considered a technical limitation in robotic-assisted surgery (RAS). This pre-clinical study aims to evaluate the forces applied to tissues using a novel integrated FFB technology, which allows surgeons to sense forces exerted at the instrument tips. Methods: Twenty-eight surgeons with varying experience levels employed FFB instruments to perform three robotic-assisted surgical tasks, including retraction, dissection, and suturing, on inanimate or ex-vivo models, while the instrument sensors recorded and conveyed the applied forces to the surgeon hand controllers of the robotic system. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) models were used to analyze the mean and maximal forces applied during each task with the FFB sensor at the "Off" setting compared to the "High" sensitivity setting for retraction and to the "Low", "Medium", and "High" sensitivity settings for dissection and suturing. Sub-analysis was also performed on surgeon experience levels. Results: The use of FFB at any of the sensitivity settings resulted in a significant reduction in both the mean and maximal forces exerted on tissue during all three robotic-assisted surgical tasks (p < 0.0001). The maximal force exerted, potentially associated with tissue damage, was decreased by 36%, 41%, and 55% with the use of FFB at the "High" sensitivity setting while performing retraction, dissection, and interrupted suturing tasks, respectively. Further, the use of FFB resulted in substantial reductions in force variance during the performance of all three types of tasks. In general, reductions in mean and maximal forces were observed among surgeons at all experience levels. The degree of force reduction depends on the sensitivity setting selected and the types of surgical tasks evaluated. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that the utilization of FFB technology integrated in the robotic surgical system significantly reduced the forces exerted on tissue during the performance of surgical tasks at all surgeon experience levels. The reduction in the force applied and a consistency of force application achieved with FFB use, could result in decreases in tissue trauma and blood loss, potentially leading to better clinical outcomes in patients undergoing RAS. Future studies will be important to determine the impact of FFB instruments in a live clinical environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metastasis is one of the main causes of relapse and subsequent high mortality from cancer. Metastases can contain very few cells and spread throughout the body. Despite the existing variety of diagnostic imaging methods, in practice, the resolution of note of them allows unambiguously diagnosing the presence of a tumor (clump of cancer cells) smaller than 1–2 mm in size. After surgery and tumor removal, patients are typically offered chemotherapy, external beam radiation therapy, or - or -emitter radionuclide therapy. This therapy has side effects that lead to additional risks and may interfere with continued treatment. Recently, a number of works, in contrast to the traditional approach, have proposed using short-range radionuclides instead of - or -emitters [1–3]. It is convenient to use Auger or conversion electron emitters as short-acting therapeutic agents. Auger electrons and conversion electrons have a short range and high specific linear energy loss in biological tissue: they are capable of damaging cells within a few tens of microns, but do not have a radiotoxic effect over long distances, without damaging healthy cells and tissues. The most efficient and convenient Auger and conversion electron emitters for practical use include Rh ( min), which has the lowest ratio of the number of quanta to electrons [1] and can be obtained by a generator method. The predecessors of Rh ( min) in the generator can be Ru ( days) or Pd ( days). In order to clarify the prospects for producing these precursors, we have measured the rates of Ru() Ru and Pd() Pd reactions upon neutron irradiation of metal ruthenium of natural isotopic composition and metal palladium, enriched in the Pd isotope to 96.36 , in a horizontal experimental channel of the IR-8 reactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft biological tissues, such as arterial tissue, have the ability to grow and remodel in response to damage. Computational method plays a critical role in understanding the underlying mechanisms of tissue damage and healing. However, the existing healing model often requires huge computation time and it is inconvenient to implement finite element simulation. In this paper, we propose a computationally efficient gradient-enhanced healing model that combines the advantages of the gradient-enhanced damage model, the homeostatic-driven turnover remodeling model, and the damage-induced growth model. In the proposed model, the evolution of healing-related parameters can be solved explicitly. Additionally, an adaptive time increment method is used to further reduce computation time. The proposed model can be easily implemented in Abaqus, requiring only a user subroutine UMAT. The effectiveness of proposed model is verified through a semi-analytical example, and the influence of the variables in the proposed model is investigated using uniaxial tension and open-hole plate tests. Finally, the long-term development of aneurysms is simulated to demonstrate the potential applications of the proposed model in real biomechanical problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical mental health researchers may understandably struggle with how to incorporate biological assessments in clinical research. The options are numerous and are described in a vast and complex body of literature. Here we provide guidelines to assist mental health researchers seeking to include biological measures in their studies. Apart from a focus on behavioral outcomes as measured via interviews or questionnaires, we advocate for a focus on biological pathways in clinical trials and epidemiological studies that may help clarify pathophysiology and mechanisms of action, delineate biological subgroups of participants, mediate treatment effects, and inform personalized treatment strategies. With this paper we aim to bridge the gap between clinical and biological mental health research by (1) discussing the clinical relevance, measurement reliability, and feasibility of relevant peripheral biomarkers; (2) addressing five types of biological tissues, namely blood, saliva, urine, stool and hair; and (3) providing information on how to control sources of measurement variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Surgical reconstruction of large post-traumatic tibial bone and soft tissue defects following high-energy trauma presents a significant challenge for orthopaedic surgeons. This study aimed to evaluate the functional and radiological outcomes of large post-traumatic tibial bone and soft tissue defects managed by single or double-level bone transport using the Ilizarov technique. Material & methods: 13 patients who underwent treatment for large tibial bone defects (Gustillo IIIa, IIIb, IIIc) along with soft tissue defects with Ilizarov from 2010 to 2020 A.D were included. ASAMI functional and radiological outcomes were assessed at the final follow-up to report the outcome. Results: The mean age was 27.38 (18–48). An average bone defect was 7.69 cm (5–13 cm). Based upon the Gustillo-Anderson classification (GA), 2 (15%) of them were GA – 3 A, 7 (54%) were GA – 3B, and 4 (31%) were GA – 3 C. The average time of distraction was 11.76 weeks (8–16). The average time for the union was 37 weeks (27–48 weeks). The average bone lengthening was 7.69 cm (5–13 cm). The mean final leg length discrepancy (LLD) at the final follow-up was 1.96 cm (0–4 cm). The primary union was achieved in eight cases, and five required bone grafting at the docking site. Using the ASAMI (Association for the Study of the Method of Ilizarov) scoring system, the functional results were excellent in six and good in seven cases, while the bony results were excellent in eight, good in four and fair in one case. Conclusion: Good to excellent functional and radiological scores (ASAMI) can be expected when using the Ilizarov frame for simultaneous treatment of the large tibial bone and soft tissue defect when this method is applied with correct principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IntegraⓇ Dermal Regeneration Template (DRT) is a bioengineered dermal substitute that is becoming increasingly popular in the field of reconstruction. Its unique properties allow for immediate wound closure while providing a scaffold for tissue regeneration. Currently, it is commonly used to treat burns, ulcers, and complex wounds. In the setting of traumatic periocular tissue loss, only two prior reports have been published on its use for primary reconstruction. We present our institution's experience with a series of four young patients who received primary reconstruction with IntegraⓇ DRT as a full-thickness skin substitute for their large traumatic periorbital skin defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To provide a better understanding of the contribution of specific constituents (i.e. proteoglycan, collagen, fluid) to the mechanical behavior of the superficial zone of articular cartilage, a complex biological tissue with several time-dependent properties, a finite element model was developed. Optimization was then used to fit the model to microindentation experiments. We used this model to compare superficial zone material properties of mature human vs. immature bovine articular cartilage. Non-linearity and stiffness of the fiber-reinforced component of the model differed between human and bovine tissue. This may be due to the more complex collagen architecture in mature tissue and is of interest to investigate in future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing the signal intensity model for random freeze beams, which is an absorption- and diffraction-resistance beam, in the biological turbulent tissue, we investigate the signal intensity evolution of the random freeze beam as the function of the number of the superposition beam, beam waist, the topological charge of vortex modes, the fractal dimension, small length-scale factor, characteristic length of heterogeneity and the constant of refractive-index fluctuation of the tissue. The biological turbulent tissues include frozen human liver sections and the oxygenated (>99%) blood. The results are as follows: the signal transmittance of RF beam is greater than that of the BG beam. The impact of fractal dimension, the constant of refractive-index fluctuation, small length-scale factor and the natural length of heterogeneity on random freeze beam in the oxygenated (>99%) blood is similar to those in frozen human liver sections. The higher the number of superposition sub-beam, the larger the beam waist and the smaller the topological charge can efficiently improve the propagation performance of random freeze beams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasound (US) is the imaging modality of choice for evaluation of superficial palpable lesions. A large proportion of these lesions have characteristic sonographic appearance and can be confidently diagnosed with US without the need for biopsy or other intervention. The Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound (SRU) recently published a Consensus Conference Statement on superficial soft tissue masses. The goal of this manuscript is (a) to serve as a sonographic pictorial review for palpable lesions based on the SRU statement, (b) present the typical sonographic features of palpable lesions that can be confidently diagnosed with US, and (c) provide an overview of other palpable lesions with a framework to interpret the US studies and advise on appropriate further management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Inhomogeneous elastic properties are identified using an explicit inverse method. • High accuracy in identification can be achieved using limited surface deformation. • The explicit inverse method can reduce the relative error from 40 % to 5 %. Identifying the spatial variation of stiffness properties in soft tissues nondestructively, with limited surface measurements, poses significant challenges. In this paper, we present a novel explicit inverse approach designed to characterize the nonhomogeneous elastic property distribution of soft tissues using only surface displacement datasets. In contrast to the prevalent implicit inverse approach, which focuses on optimizing the elastic properties of individual pixels, our proposed method optimizes the geometric parameters of deformable and movable components, as well as shear moduli of each component. As a result, the proposed approach requires far fewer optimization variables, streamlining the process. Numerical tests conducted in this study demonstrate the superiority of the explicit inverse method over the implicit inverse method, providing much-improved reconstructed results. In particular for a ring structure, while the average relative error of reconstruction using the implicit inverse method can exceed 40 %, the explicit inverse method achieves a remarkable average relative error of only 5 %. Given that surface displacements are easily measurable, the integration of our proposed explicit inverse method with low-cost imaging techniques shows great potential in accurately mapping the elastic property distribution of biological tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacteria of the genus Brachyspira can cause enteric diseases in birds; thus, this study evaluated the efficacy of the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique for the identification of B. pilosicoli, B. hyodysenteriae and B. intermedia using cecum samples fixed in formaldehyde from laying hens and commercial broiler breeders. Samples were collected from 112 birds aged between 35 and 82 weeks that originated from commercial laying and broilers farms. For the initial evaluation, spirochaetes were isolated from the cloacal swabs. positive samples were analysed using qpCR to identify pathogenic species. Formalized cecum segments of these same birds were then analyzed using the FISH technique with labelled probes specific to B. pilosicoli, B. hyodysenteriae and B. intermedia. Forty isolates characteristic of Brachyspira were obtained, of which 14 were identified as B. hyodysenteriae and seven were identified as B. intermedia by qpCR; two samples were positive for both species, and 21 were not characterized. Using the FISH technique, 52 samples were positive for Brachyspira spp., 22 were positive for B. hyodysenteriae, 28 were positive for B. intermedia, seven were positive for B. pilosicoli, and eight were positive for two species. The FISH technique was able to identify significantly more positive birds compared with bacterial isolation followed by qPCR. Thus, it is concluded that the FISH technique was effective for identifying the three Brachyspira species evaluated and can thus be used as a rapid and effective diagnostic tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The luminescence in NIR-II and NIR-III ranges has high penetration, as well as lower scattering and absorption in biological tissues. It is crucial to develop phosphors with strong emissions covering both spectral ranges. A novel Cr3+-Yb3+-Er3+ activated KScP 2 O 7 phosphate phosphor has been reported in this work, which shows emission within the range from 800 to 1650 nm, covering both NIR-II and NIR-III regions, with a quantum efficiency of 35%. Effective Cr3+ → Yb3+, Cr3+ → Er3+, and Yb3+ → Er3+ energy transfers were confirmed. Near-infrared optical thermometry was also developed utilizing the non-thermally coupled 4I 13/2 → 4I 15/2 (Er3+) and 2F 5/2 → 2F 7/2 (Yb3+) levels, whose highest relative sensitivity (S R), and absolute sensitivity (S A) values were determined as 0.75% K−1 (348 K) and 84.6 × 10−4 K−1 (373 K), respectively. The KScP 2 O 7 : 0.05Cr3+, 0.02Yb3+, 0.01Er3+ phosphor was blended with a commercial low-cost blue LED chip (465 nm) in order to develop NIR-based pc-LED devices, and the highest recorded output power with a value of 38.0 mW (320 mA) was achieved in the studied range. A photoelectric efficiency of 5.9% (10 mA) was also obtained in the NIR region. Through screen printing, the developed phosphor was also proven to be suitable for night vision. This study provides a novel tri - doping approach to design blue light excitable phosphors simultaneously emitting strong NIR-II and NIR-III lights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To correlate the sagittal hard tissue movement and soft tissue changes among patients with skeletal class III malocclusion following bimaxillary orthognathic surgery. Material and Methods: Fifty-nine subjects with skeletal class III malocclusion treated consecutively with maxillary advancement and mandibular setback were assessed for skeletal and soft tissue linear changes using presurgical (T1) and post-treatment (T2) lateral cephalograms. Pearson's correlation coefficient test was used to correlate hard and soft tissue parameters. Results: The sagittal hard tissue movement and soft tissue changes for all the parameters assessed in maxilla and mandible showed statistically significant correlations. The ratios of changes for the maxillary protrusion [N-A (HP)] to horizontal subnasale (Sn), superior labial sulcus (Sls), and labrale superioris (Ls) were 0.574:1, 0.703:1, and 0.721:1 respectively. The ratio of horizontal labrale inferioris (Li), mentolabial fold (Mlf), and soft tissue (Pg′) to mandibular protrusion [N-B (HP)] were 0.992:1, 0.970:1, and 0.590:1 respectively and to chin protrusion [N-Pg (HP)] were 1.293:1, 1.252:1, and 1.001:1, respectively. The ratios were different for males and females in maxilla and mandible. Conclusion: Sagittal hard tissue movement and soft tissue changes are significantly correlated. The soft tissue movement in the mandible were more proportionate compared to the maxilla. The sagittal hard tissue to soft tissues movement ratios were greater in maxilla and lesser at pogonion and mentolabial sulcus in females compared to males. The ratios obtained can be used for predicting postsurgical soft tissue changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Przegląd Elektrotechniczny is the property of Przeglad Elektrotechniczny and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)