Chevalier Jackson, M.D. (1865-1958): Il ne se repose jamais.

In the final year of the American Civil War, 1865, Chevalier Jackson was born on the 4th of November just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The eldest of three sons of a poor, livestock-raising family, Jackson was raised in a period of social and political unrest. He was perhaps an even more unrestful boy. The description of his childhood days from his father’s father—Il ne se repose jamais, ‘‘He never rests’’—would ultimately reflect the man, doctor, and evangelist Jackson would later become.1 Indeed, he never did rest, Jackson would tirelessly pave the way for modern bronchoscopy and endoscopy as a whole; bringing international renown not only to himself, but also to his specialty

Wafer-scale growth of highly textured piezoelectric thin films by pulsed laser deposition for micro-scale sensors and actuators

Piezoelectric lead-zirconate-Titanate (PZT) thin films were deposited on 4-inch (111)Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si(001) wafers using large-Area pulsed laser deposition (PLD). This study was focused on the homogeneity in film thickness, microstructure, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of PZT thin films. The results indicated that the highly textured (001)-oriented PZT thin films with wafer-scale thickness homogeneity (990 nm ± 0.8%) were obtained. The films were fabricated into piezoelectric cantilevers through a MEMS microfabrication process. The measured longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient (d 33f = 210 pm/V ± 1.6%) and piezoelectric transverse coefficient (e 31f = -18.8 C/m2 ± 2.8%) were high and homogeneity across wafers. The high piezoelectric properties on Si wafers will extend industrial application of PZT thin films and further development of piezoMEMS

False synergy between vancomycin and β-lactams against glycopeptide-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (GISA) caused by inappropriate testing methods

ABSTRACTThe combination of vancomycin and β-lactams is often considered synergistic and has been recommended for the treatment of glycopeptide-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (GISA) infections. In this study, the combination of vancomycin or teicoplanin with different β-lactams was tested. When using NaCl 4% w/v, for better expression of heterogeneous resistance to β-lactams, with a longer (48-h) incubation period and a higher (107 CFU/mL) inoculum, the association of vancomycin with β-lactams was antagonistic. However, a synergistic effect was observed for teicoplanin under the same conditions

Acute Lower Extremity Posterior Compartment Syndrome: A Rare Complication of Apixaban Use

Apixaban is an oral anticoagulant that directly inhibits Factor Xa and is indicated for the prophylaxis and treatment of deep venous thrombosis and stroke prevention in non-valvular atrial fibrillation. Acute lower extremity Posterior Compartment Syndrome is a rare complication of Apixaban use. We present a 78-year-old male with significant medical morbidities taking Apixaban for Atrial Fibrillation presenting with post-traumatic extensive hemorrhagic bullae on the left proximal pretibial region secondary to anticoagulation. We recommend that clinicians develop awareness of the potential for serious bleeding complications of anticoagulants and devise strategies to identify the need for early recognition and prompt management

Enhanced piezoelectric properties of (110)-oriented PbZr1−xTixO3 epitaxial thin films on silicon substrates at shifted morphotropic phase boundary

Piezoelectrical, ferroelectrical, and structural properties of epitaxial pseudocubic (110)pc oriented 500 nm thick PbZr1−xTixO3 thin films, prepared by pulsed laser deposition on (001) silicon substrates, were measured as a function of composition. The dependence of the measurement data on the Ti content is explained by an abrupt transition from the rhombohedral r-phase to the tetragonal (c/a) 45 phase for x  ≈  0.6, indicating a shift of the Morphotropic Phase Boundary to this value, where the effective piezoelectric coefficient e3 1 ,eff and dielectric constant ε33 ,eff reach their maximum values. These findings are of great significance for Si-based piezo-micro electro mechanical systems, in particular energy harvesters. The largest value of the figure-of-merit for such devices was found for x  = 0.6, FOM=24.0 GP

Impact of Obesity on Disease Activity and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

INTRODUCTION:We conducted a cohort study on the impact of obesity on disease activity and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measures in the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) Partners cohort.METHODS:We performed a cross-sectional and longitudinal study within IBD Partners, an internet-based cohort of >15,000 patients living with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). We included adult patients with IBD, with recorded body mass index (BMI), with at least 6 months of follow-up, excluding patients with BMI < 18.5 kg/m2. We evaluated the independent effect of World Health Organization classes of obesity on risk of clinical relapse or persistent disease activity (using validated disease activity indexes) and PROMIS measures, using multivariate logistic regression and linear regression, respectively.RESULTS:We included 7,296 patients with IBD (4,748 patients with CD, 19.5% obese; 2,548 patients with UC with intact colon, 20.3% obese). Obesity was independently, and in a dose-dependent fashion, associated with an increased risk of persistent disease activity or relapse in both patients with CD (class II or III obesity vs normal BMI: adjusted odds ratio, 1.86; 95% confidence interval, 1.30-2.68) and UC (adjusted odds ratio, 2.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.75-5.17). Obesity was also independently associated with higher anxiety, depression, fatigue, pain, and inferior social function scores in patients with CD and UC at baseline and with worsening depression, fatigue, pain, and social function in patients with CD on longitudinal assessment.DISCUSSION:Obesity at baseline is independently associated with worsening disease activity and PROMIS measures in patients with IBD