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Magnetic field-driven strategies for biofilm disruption: from iron oxide nanoparticles to adaptive swarms of magnetic microrobots
Full text linkBiofilms, structured communities of microbial cells embedded in extracellular polymeric substances, are notorious for their resilience against conventional antimicrobial treatments. They contribute significantly to chronic infections and industrial biofouling, necessitating innovative strategies for their eradication. Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have emerged as a promising tool in combating biofilms due to their biocompatibility and unique physicochemical properties, which enable magnetic delivery of antibacterial agents, magnetic hyperthermia, magneto-mechanical actuation including mechanical biofilm disruption, and reversible dynamic magnetic assembly into hierarchical structures. This review describes developing stages of magnetic nanoscale weapons against biofilms ranging from individual iron oxide nanoparticles to complex hierarchical nanoparticle assemblies in the form of magnetic robots and their swarms. A vast array of possible antibiofilm and antibacterial functionalities originating from iron ions, individual iron oxide nanoparticles, spherical nanoparticle assemblies, magnetic robots, and swarms of robots are presented. Magnetic nanotools offer significant improvements and advantages over conventional methods for biofilm eradication, yet their successful future applications depend on addressing and overcoming critical material, biological, and engineering challenges
Psychological distress in young adults with well-controlled psoriasis
Full text linkIntroduction: Psychological distress is common in psoriasis, but its prevalence and possible biological correlates in young adults with well-controlled disease remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to assess the presence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in young, well-treated psoriasis patients, who were primarily expected to have no or minimal psychological distress, and to explore potential associations with inflammatory and metabolic markers. Methods: In a cross-sectional cohort of 80 psoriasis patients (women/male: 45/35mean age 38.7 ± 4.2 years) psychological symptoms were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), with HADS-A and HADS-D subscales evaluating anxiety and depression symptoms. Exploratory associations with inflammatory cytokines and metabolic indices were examined using regression analyses and random forest machine-learning models. Results: Anxiety symptoms were identified only in 5 patients (women/male: 4/16%), and depressive symptoms in 10 patients (women/male: 6/412%). Affected individuals had clinically significant anxiety (HADS-A: 12/21) and borderline depressive symptoms (HADS-D: 10/21). No significant associations between HADS scores and inflammatory or metabolic markers were found. Exploratory random forest models tentatively identified IL-6, IL-23, FIB-4, HOMA-IR, and waist circumference as the strongest contributors to variance in depressive symptoms, while no clear contributors emerged for anxiety. Discussion: Anxiety and depressive symptoms can occur in well-treated young psoriasis patients. Although prevalence is low, their impact may be substantial. These findings indicate the potential importance of targeted psychological screening in this population. Associations with inflammatory and metabolic markers should be considered hypothesis-generating and warrant validation in larger, independent cohorts
Pediatric interventional neuroradiology
Full text linkPediatric interventional neuroradiology (PINR) is a relatively new field of diagnostic and therapeutic care in the pediatric population that has seen considerable advances in recent decades. However, it is still lagging behind adult interventional neuroradiology due to a variety of reasons, including the lack of evidence validating pediatric-specific procedures, the relative absence of pediatric-specific equipment, and the challenges in establishing and maintaining PINR competencies in a relatively small number of cases. Despite these challenges, the number and variety of PINR procedures are expanding for a variety of indications, including unique pediatric conditions, and are associated with reduced morbidity and psychological stigma. Continued technological advances, such as improved catheter and microwire designs and novel embolic agents, are also contributing to the growth of the field. This review aims to increase awareness of PINR and provide an overview of the current evidence base for minimally invasive neurological interventions in children. Important considerations, such as sedation, contrast agent use, and radiation protection, will also be discussed, taking into account the distinct characteristics of the pediatric population. The review highlights the usefulness and benefits of PINR and emphasizes the need for ongoing research and development to further advance this field
A five-finger mnemonic for teaching schoolchildren the theoretical components of adult basic life support
Full text linkBackground: A mnemonic is a cognitive aid frequently used in health-related education. The main goal of this study was to develop and test a 5-finger mnemonic for teaching schoolchildren the theoretical aspects of adult Basic Life Support (BLS) steps, a process rarely described in the context of instructing laypersons. Methods: Experts from the European Resuscitation Council’s Basic Life Support Science and Education Committee (ERC BLS SEC), specializing in teaching adult BLS, participated in the first phase of the pilot study. This phase employed the modified reactive Delphi to develop a 5-finger mnemonic for teaching schoolchildren the theoretical aspects of adult BLS steps, in accordance with the 2021 ERC BLS guidelines. The mnemonic underwent revision rounds based on expert suggestions and was evaluated using a 9-point Likert scale. The process was repeated until there was unanimous approval. In the second phase, a pilot test was conducted with schoolchildren at a summer camp to assess their recall of the 5-finger mnemonic. Following their training in adult BLS steps utilizing the 5-finger mnemonic, schoolchildren were tasked with arranging cards depicting images from the mnemonic both before and after the training. Results: From March to October 2022, a four-round modified reactive Delphi engaged four experts from the ERC BLS SEC. Initial expert consensus was moderate, 6.0 (IQR = 4.5–7.5, min = 1, max = 9), on a scale 1 (“totally disagree”) to 9 (“totally agree”). The experts consensus improved over subsequent rounds, resulting in two final versions of the 5-finger mnemonic. Both versions concentrate on the comprehensive adult BLS, differing only in their approach to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): one employs a method of 30 chest compressions followed by two rescue breaths, while the other utilizes compression-only CPR. In August 2023, a recall pilot test involved mostly female schoolchildren (12/13, 92.3%). Pre-training, no cards with 5-finger mnemonic content were arranged correctly, but post-training, progress improvement was observed, especially in older schoolchildren (Z = -2.727, p = 0.006). Conclusions: The pilot study highlights the potential of using tailored educational tools, such as mnemonics, to teach important lifesaving skills to different age groups. This suggests that the 5-finger mnemonic effectively improved schoolchildren’s understanding of the theoretical aspects of adult BLS steps
Bootstrap percolation and -hull number in direct products of graphs
Full text linkThe -neighbor bootstrap percolation is a graph infection process based on the update rule by which a vertex with infected neighbors becomes infected. We say that an initial set of infected vertices propagates if all vertices of a graph are eventually infected, and the minimum cardinality of such a set in is called the -bootstrap percolation number, , of . In this paper, we study percolating sets in direct products of graphs. While in general graphs there is no non-trivial upper bound on , we prove several upper bounds under the assumption . We also characterize the connected graphs and with minimum degree that satisfy . In addition, we determine the exact values of , which are if and are of different parities, and otherwise
Načrtovanje tehnologij in presoja kakovosti izvajanja del v gozdovih v podporo biogospodarstvu
Full text linkEnhancing the performance of ▫▫/ PVDF‑HFP composites through tailored functionalization of barium stannate titanate ▫▫ fillers
No full textNanocomposites are currently attracting significant attention in the energy sector, particularly for storage applications. However, controlling interfacial compatibility remains a challenge. This work introduces a novel interfacial functionalization strategy that enables the achievement of exceptional dielectric properties and addresses the persistent issue of poor filler–matrix interaction in nanocomposites. A poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) matrix was filled with lead-free BaTi0.89Sn0.11O3 (BTS11) nanoparticles, which exhibit ultra-high piezoelectric performance near ambient temperature. These nanoparticles were functionalized with various modifying agents, including ethylenediamine (EDA), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polydopamine (PDA), and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS). The study demonstrated that the functionalized HO-BTS11@modifier/PVDF-HFP nanocomposites exhibit distinct dielectric characteristics depending on the modifying agent. The HO-BTS11@EDA/PVDF-HFP nanocomposites, which included hydroxylated HO-BTS11 nanoparticles modified with EDA, outperformed other modified systems with the maximum energy storage efficiency (~ 77%) and a dielectric permittivity of 70 at 1 kHz. EDA with small molecular size, low polarity, and ability to form hydrogen bonds enable improved interfacial adhesion with the hydrophobic PVDF-HFP matrix making the composite suitable for enhancing energy storage performance. This selective functionalization strategy not only provides new insights into interface engineering but also offers a promising pathway for the development of high-performance materials for energy storage and harvesting devices, embedded capacitors, flexible electronics, and next-generation dielectric systems
The toll walk transit function of a graph: axiomatic characterizations and first-order non-definability
Full text linkA walk , , is called a toll walk if and are the only neighbors of on in a graph . A toll walk interval , , contains all the vertices that belong to a toll walk between and . The toll walk intervals yield a toll walk transit function . We represent several axioms that characterize the toll walk transit function among chordal graphs, trees, asteroidal triple-free graphs, Ptolemaic graphs, and distance hereditary graphs. We also show that the toll walk transit function can not be described in the language of first-order logic for an arbitrary graph