Morphological

Emulsions have become a crucial product form in various industries in modern times. Expanding the class of substances used to stabilize emulsions can improve their stability or introduce new properties. Particularly, the use of stimuli-responsive microgels makes it possible to create "smart" emulsions whose stability can be controlled by changing any of the specified stimuli. Thus, finding new ways to stabilize emulsions may broaden their application. In this work, for the first time, we applied microgels based on interpenetrating polymeric networks (IPNs) of poly( N -isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) as stabilizing agents for "oil-in-water" emulsions...

BACKGROUND: Post-oncologic surgical reconstruction of lower limbs in pediatrics remains a challenging topic. Microsurgical techniques allow reconstructions of large bony defects. The use of vascularized fibular flap with allograft has proven to be an ideal biologic construct. We aim to assess the success rate of this operation, including flap survival, bony union, weight-bearing ambulation, and complications in a long-term follow-up in our case series compared to the literature. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Our case-series includes 18 femoral resections (9 osteosarcomas, 8 Ewing sarcoma, and 1 desmoid tumor) and 15 tibial resections (10 osteosarcoma, 4 Ewing sarcoma, and 1 Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma)...

Amphibian larvae inhabiting temporary ponds often exhibit the capacity to accelerate development and undergo metamorphosis in challenging conditions like desiccation. However, not all species exhibit this ability, the yellow-bellied toad (Bombina variegata) is one such example. The underlying mechanisms behind the inability to accelerate development under desiccation remain largely unexplored. The hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis and corticosterone (CORT), which act synergistically with thyroid hormone, are thought to facilitate metamorphosis in response to desiccation stress...

Endometrial somatically derived yolk sac tumors are characterized by yolk sac morphology with AFP, SALL-4, and/or Glypican-3 immunoexpression. Yolk sac marker expression, however, is not limited to tumors with overt yolk sac histology. Three hundred consecutive endometrial malignancies were assessed for immunomarkers of yolk sac differentiation. Of these, 9% expressed ≥1 yolk sac marker, including 29% of high-grade tumors. Only 3 (1%) met morphologic criteria for yolk sac differentiation; these were originally diagnosed as serous, high-grade NOS, and dedifferentiated carcinoma...

In this work, the first dimerized nonfused electron acceptor (NFEA), based on thieno[3,4- c ]pyrrole-4,6-dione as the core, has been designed and synthesized. The dimerized acceptor and its single counterpart exhibit similar energy levels but different absorption spectra due to their distinct aggregation behavior. The dimerized acceptor-based organic solar cells (OSCs) demonstrate a higher power conversion efficiency of 11.05%, accompanied by enhanced thermal stability. This improvement is attributed to the enhancement of the short-circuit current density and fill factor, along with an increase in the glass transition temperature...

The brachiopods are sessile invertebrates with an unusual blood system, which consists of a long-branched dorsal vessel. It is still unknown how blood circulates in this system. In the present study, for the first time we propose the circulation of blood in brachiopod Hemithiris psittacea based on morphological and experimental data. The main heart is located on the dorsal side of the stomach and divides the dorsal vessel into anterior and posterior parts. The anterior part enters the lophophore, where it gives off blind branches to each tentacle...

The feeding habits and habitats of fish influence the morphology of the oral cavity. This study used gross anatomy, light microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, in addition to morphometric analysis, to investigate the anatomical characteristics of the oral cavity roof in Pagrus pagrus and Boops boops, which have different dietary habits. The oral cavity roof appeared U-shaped and divided into the palate and upper pharyngeal regions. The upper lip of P. pagrus was broad, while B. boops' upper lip was small and thin...

Photopolymerization induced phase separation (PIPS) is a platform capable of creating heterogeneous materials from initially miscible resin solutions, where both the reaction's governing thermodynamics and kinetics significantly influence the resulting phase composition and morphology. Here, PIPS is used to develop materials in a single photopolymerization step that are hydrophobic on one face and hydrophilic on the other. These two faces possess a water contact angle difference of 50°, bridged by a bulk-scale chemical gradient...

In this study, two novel donor-acceptor (D-A) copolymers are designed and synthesized, DTBT-2T and DTBT-2T2F with 2,2'-bithiophene or 3,3'-difluoro-2,2'-bithiophene as the donor unit and dithienobenzothiadiazole as the acceptor unit, and used them as donor materials in non-fullerene organic solar cells (OSCs). Due to enhanced planarity of polymer chains resulted by the intramolecular F···S noncovalent interactions, the incorporation of 3,3'-difluoro-2,2'-bithiophene unit instead of 2,2'-bithiophene into the polymers can enhance their molecular packing, crystallinity and hole mobility...

In response to the escalating demand for sustainable agricultural methodologies, the utilization of microbial volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as antagonists against phytopathogens has emerged as a viable eco-friendly alternative. Microbial volatiles exhibit rapid diffusion rates, facilitating prompt chemical interactions. Moreover, microorganisms possess the capacity to emit volatiles constitutively, as well as in response to biological interactions and environmental stimuli. In addition to volatile compounds, these bacteria demonstrate the ability to produce soluble metabolites with antifungal properties, such as APE Vf, pyoverdin, and fragin...

Coastal environments present dynamic challenges necessitating rapid and efficient responses during aquatic emergencies. Lifeguards, as pivotal links in the intervention chain, rely on various tools, with rescue time being paramount. The choice of fins, specifically long versus short ones, plays a critical role in optimizing lifeguard performance during rescues. This randomized cross-over study explores the impact of flipper size on ocean rescues, employing a sample of 14 lifeguards. Long fins (LFs) and short fins (SFs) were compared in terms of rescue time (RT) and physiological load (PL)...

Athletes have a high risk of injury. Kinesiophobia is a condition in which an individual experiences a fear of physical movement and activity after an injury occurs. Our purpose was to systematically review the literature about Kinesiophobia in athletes. A systematic review was conducted in February 2023 using PubMed, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Medline. Studies were included if they were peer-reviewed, in English, within the last 20 years and included athletes who had been injured and tracked Kinesiophobia...

Although the measurements of the lumbar spine and pelvic flexion have shown that subjects with radiculopathy exhibited greater decreases of motion when compared with subjects with low back pain, there is still a lack of evidence regarding the changes in flexion relaxation ratio in patients with radiculopathy. The aims of this study were to investigate the flexion relaxation ratio and flexion of the lumbar spine and pelvis in subjects with low back pain (LBP) and LBP with radiculopathy (LBPR) in comparison with healthy subjects (CG-control group)...

Four weeks before competition in the 2023 Marathon des Sables, a 6-stage, ~250 km running event in the Sahara Desert, we examined the effects of a 7-day intake of New Zealand blackcurrant extract (210 mg anthocyanins per day) on 1 h treadmill running-induced physiological and metabolic responses in the heat (~34 °C, relative humidity: ~30%) in non-acclimatized amateur female and male athletes (age: 23, 38 yrs, BMI: 24.2, 28.4 kg·m-2 , body fat%: 29.2, 18.8%, V˙O2max : 50.1, 52.1 mL·kg-1 ·min-1 )...

During the ascent phase of a maximal barbell back squat after an initial acceleration, a deceleration region occurs as the result of different biomechanical factors. This is known as the sticking region. However, whether this region is similar in the last repetition of different repetition maximums and if sex has an impact on biomechanics of this region are not known. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of sex (men/women) and repetition maximum (1-, 3-, 6-, and 10RM) on kinematics and surface electromyography around the sticking region...

Blood flow restriction (BFR) is a commonly used training modality that has been demonstrated to enhance muscle characteristics such as size and function. The purpose of this study was to determine if a 4-week walking program with or without BFR in healthy, active adults has an effect on body composition, anaerobic, and aerobic running performance. Thirty-three participants, randomized among three groups, completed the walking program, which included five sets of 2 min walking intervals with 1 min rest, with or without BFR, or 10 min walking with BFR...

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of pelvic tilt angle on maximum hip and knee muscles' strength and antagonist/agonist strength ratios. Twenty-one young males and females performed maximum isokinetic concentric knee extension-flexion and hip extension-flexion efforts at 60°·s-1 , 120°·s-1 , and 180°·s-1 from three positions: anterior, neutral, and posterior pelvic tilt. Peak torques and knee flexor-to-extensor and hip flexor-to-extensor torque ratios were analyzed...

Bone tumors of the upper limb are a common cause of bone pain and pathological fractures in both old and young populations. Surgical reconstruction and limb salvage have become valid options for these patients despite this kind of surgery being challenging due to the need for wide bone resection and the involvement of surrounding soft tissues. Computer-assisted technology helps the surgeon in pre-operative planning and in designing customized implants. The aim of this study was to investigate the surgical outcomes and complications of custom-made prostheses in oncologic reconstruction of the upper limb and if they are reliable options for patients suffering from aggressive tumors...

The development of biomaterials in recent years has made it possible to broaden their use in the surgical field. Although iliac crest bone graft harvesting currently remains the gold standard as an autograft, the properties of hydroxyapatite bone substitutes appear to be beneficial. The first fundamental step to consider is the safety of using these devices. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study is to consider all the adverse events observed in our population and assess their relationships with the bone substitute device...

Core stability training is crucial for competitive athletes, individuals who want to improve their health and physical performance, and those undergoing clinical rehabilitation. This study compared the ultrasound (US) muscle thickness of the abdominals and lumbar multifidus (LM) muscles between seven popular trunk stability exercises performed using hollowing and bracing maneuvers. Forty-four healthy young adults, aged between 21 and 32 years, performed a plank, bird dog, beast crawl, dead bug, Pilates tap, bridge, and side planks using the bracing and the hollowing maneuver...