Comparative study of Ti and Ti alloy for possible medical application

In the realm of modern medicine, the quest for innovation and improvement is relentless. One significant development that has transformed the landscape of medical devices and implants is the use of titanium and titanium alloys. Just as Titan stands as a resilient moon in the outer reaches of our cosmic neighborhood, titanium and its alloys have emerged as robust and versatile materials for a wide array of medical applications. From orthopedic implants to dental prosthetics, and even in cutting-edge biomedical engineering, titanium's exceptional combination of strength, biocompatibility, and corrosion resistance has made it an indispensable asset in modern medicine. Titanium and its alloys are not just elements on the periodic table; they are key elements in the quest for stronger, longer-lasting, and more effective medical treatments and devices

The Effect of Sustainable Feeding Systems, Combining Total Mixed Rations and Pasture, on Milk Fatty Acid Composition and Antioxidant Capacity in Jersey Dairy Cows

This study was carried out to assess the effect of using pasture combined with total mixed ration (TMR) on milk production and composition, fatty acid (FA) profiles, fat-soluble antioxidant content, and total milk antioxidant capacity (TAC). In addition, the effect of milk pasteurization and storage at 2 °C for 4 days, lipophilic antioxidants and TAC were assessed. Two homogeneous groups of Jersey cows (n = 8) were constituted, which were randomly assigned to one of the two treatments: TMR (without access to pasture), or partial mixed diet (pTMR: grazing 8 h/day + TMR indoors). To establish FA profiles and lipophilic antioxidants’ changes in milk during the grazing period, in case of the pTMR group the experimental period was spilt in three grazing periods: P1 (May), P2 (June), and P3 (June/July). Milk yielded from cows having limited access on pasture (pTMR diet) showed an improved FA profile, with higher concentrations of FAs considered benefic for human health (vaccenic acid (VA), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), omega-3 FA (n-3 FA)) (p < 0.01) and a lower concentration of FAs with hypercholesterolemiant potential (C12:0, C14:0, and C16:0) (p < 0.05), compared to that of the TMR diet. This change in FA profile was correlated with improved sanogenous lipid indices of milk fat (n-6/n-3 FA atherogenic index and thrombogenic index). Milk yielded during the P1 grazing period had higher concentrations of VA, CLA, and n-3 FA (p < 0.05) and lower concentrations of C14:0 and C16:0 (p < 0.01); it exhibited the best values for the main sanogenous fat lipid indices of fat. Moreover, pTMR milk showed a higher α-tocopherol, retinol, and β-carotene content (p < 0.05), positively correlated with TAC values in milk (P1 ˃ P2 ˃ P3). By comparison, cows fed using the TMR diet yielded a higher quantity of milk (p < 0.05), but a lower fat and protein content (p < 0.01), and also a higher saturated FAs and n-6 FA content (p < 0.05) together with a lower concentration of lipophilic antioxidants in milk. Thermal treatment showed no effect on α-tocopherol and retinol content in milk, but their concentrations decreased during the storage, at the same time a TAC decrease. The results of this study prove the positive effect of using pasture combined with TMR on FA profiles, milk antioxidant content, and antioxidant capacity, with beneficial effects on nutrition and health in humans

Chronic cavitary pulmonary aspergillosis in a teriflunomide-treated multiple sclerosis patient.

Teriflunomide is a once-daily oral therapy approved for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. Teriflunomide has been shown to reduce relapse rate and disability progression [1]. Its efficacy presumably results from of a selective and reversible inhibition of dihydro-orotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), a mitochondrial enzyme essential for de novo pyrimidine synthesis, and inducing a reduction of activated T and B cells without compromising mechanisms of adaptive immunity [2]. Although long-term risk of lymphopenia and infections is low in teriflunomide treated patients, monitoring lymphocyte counts is required [3]. We herein describe the case of a 55-year-old male patient with MS who developed pulmonary aspergilloma while receiving teriflunomide treatment

Resection of a Giant Middel Mediastinum Paraganglioma by Clamshell Incision without Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Paraganglioma is a tumor developed from paraganglia, which are groups of neuroendocrine cells located along the vascular and nerve axes of the head and neck and along the spine. These tumors are benign and still localized in more than 80% of cases. Middle mediastinal paragangliomas represent less than 1% of mediastinal tumors and grow from the superior or middle mediastinal autonomic ganglion; they mostly are non-functional and are found in older patients. The often large volume and complex location of these tumors make their surgical resection challenging forcing the surgical team to resort to cardiopulmonary bypass and practice transfection of the aortic artery. We successfully operated an 80-year-old patient by clamshell incision without bypass or arterial procedure

Secondary organizing pneumonia associated with sertraline: A case report.

Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia is a rare idiopathic interstitial lung disease, with a well-defined clinical-radiological and pathological entity. It may also be secondary to several causes. Rapid clinical and imaging improvement is usually obtained with corticosteroid therapy. We report here, to the best of our knowledge, a unique case of organizing pneumonia associated with Sertraline, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, commonly used in antidepressant therapy

Fibrin hydrogels promote scar formation and prevent therapeutic angiogenesis in the heart

Therapeutic angiogenesis is the delivery of factors to promote vascular growth and holds promise for the treatment of ischemic heart conditions. Recombinant protein delivery to the myocardium by factor-decorated fibrin matrices is an attractive approach, thanks to the ability to precisely control both dose and duration of the treatment, the use of a clinically approved material like fibrin, and the avoidance of genetic modification. Here, we investigated the feasibility of inducing therapeutic angiogenesis in the rat myocardium by a state-of-the-art fibrin-based delivery platform that we previously optimized. Engineered versions of murine vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF; 164; ) and platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) were fused with an octapeptide substrate of the transglutaminase coagulation factor fXIIIa (TG) to allow their covalent cross-linking into fibrin hydrogels and release by enzymatic cleavage. Hydrogels containing either 100 μg/mL TG-VEGF alone or in combination with 10 μg/mL TG-PDGF-BB or no factor were injected into rat myocardium. Surprisingly, vascular density was severely reduced in all conditions, both in and around the injection site, where large fibrotic scars were formed. Scar formation was not due to the presence of growth factors, adaptive immunity to human proteins, damage from injection, nor to mechanical trauma from the hydrogel stiffness or volume. Rather scar was induced directly by fibrin and persisted despite hydrogel degradation within 1 week. These results caution against the suitability of fibrin-based platforms for myocardial growth factor delivery, despite their efficacy in other tissues, like skeletal muscle. The underlying molecular mechanisms must be further investigated in order to identify rational targets to prevent this serious side effect

The impact of breast MRI workup on tumor size assessment and surgical planning in patients with early breast cancer.

The size and focality of the primary tumor in breast cancer (BC) influence therapeutic decision making. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether preoperative breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is helpful for the assessment of tumor size and surgical planning in early BC. We performed a retrospective review of a prospectively collected database of 174 patients treated at a single institution for invasive BC who had complete documentation of the tumor size from mammography (MMG), ultrasonography (US), and MRI. A total of 186 breast tumors were analyzed. Mean tumor size varied by imaging method: 14.7 mm by MMG, 13.8 mm by US, and 17.9 mm by MRI. The concordance between breast imaging techniques (BIT) and final pathology with a cutoff ≤ 2 mm was 34.8% for MRI, 32.1% for US, and 27.2% for MMG. US and MMG underestimated while MRI and MMG overestimated the real tumor size. Concordance was the same in premenopausal women for MRI and US at 35%, while concordance was higher in postmenopausal women for MRI. Correlations between size determined by BIT and histopathological size were best with MRI (0.59), compared to US (0.56) or MMG (0.42). Intrinsic subtypes of BC had different concordances according to imaging method, but no significant associations were found. MRI examination revealed additional lesions in 13.8% of patients, 69% of these lesions were malignant. MRI changed the surgical plan in 15 patients (8.6%), and the rate of mastectomy increased by 6.9%. MRI estimates BC tumor size more accurately than US or MMG, but a significant overestimation exists. Complementary MRI examination improved the concordance for tumor size between BIT and final pathology in 16.7%. MRI did not alter surgical planning for most patients and allowed more appropriate treatment for 8% of them

Morphological intratumor heterogeneity in ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast.

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast is a heterogeneous disease in terms of morphological characteristics, protein expression profiles, genetic abnormalities, and potential for progression. Molecular heterogeneity has been extensively studied in DCIS. Yet morphological heterogeneity remains relatively undefined. This study investigated morphological intratumor heterogeneity in a series of 51 large DCIS. Nuclear atypia, DCIS architecture, necrosis, calcifications, stromal architecture, and stromal inflammation were assessed in one biopsy slide and three representative slides from each corresponding resection. For each histopathological feature, a histo-score was determined per slide and compared between the biopsy and the resection, as well as within a single resection. Statistical analysis comprised of Friedman tests, post hoc Wilcoxon tests with Bonferroni corrections, Mann-Whitney U tests, and chi-square tests. Despite substantial morphological heterogeneity in around 50% of DCIS, the histopathological assessment of the biopsy did not statistically significantly differ from the resection. Morphological heterogeneity was not significantly associated with patient age, DCIS size, or type of surgery, except for a weak association between heterogeneous stromal inflammation and smaller DCIS size. At the group level, the degree of heterogeneity did not significantly affect the representativity of a biopsy. At the individual patient level, however, the presence of necrosis, intraductal calcifications, myxoid stromal changes, and high-grade nuclear atypia was underestimated in a minority of DCIS patients. This study confirms the presence of morphological heterogeneity in DCIS for all six evaluated histopathological features. This should be kept in mind when taking biopsy-based treatment decisions for DCIS patients

The Effect of Sustainable Feeding Systems, Combining Total Mixed Rations and Pasture, on Milk Fatty Acid Composition and Antioxidant Capacity in Jersey Dairy Cows

This study was carried out to assess the effect of using pasture combined with total mixed ration (TMR) on milk production and composition, fatty acid (FA) profiles, fat-soluble antioxidant content, and total milk antioxidant capacity (TAC). In addition, the effect of milk pasteurization and storage at 2 °C for 4 days, lipophilic antioxidants and TAC were assessed. Two homogeneous groups of Jersey cows (n = 8) were constituted, which were randomly assigned to one of the two treatments: TMR (without access to pasture), or partial mixed diet (pTMR: grazing 8 h/day + TMR indoors). To establish FA profiles and lipophilic antioxidants’ changes in milk during the grazing period, in case of the pTMR group the experimental period was spilt in three grazing periods: P1 (May), P2 (June), and P3 (June/July). Milk yielded from cows having limited access on pasture (pTMR diet) showed an improved FA profile, with higher concentrations of FAs considered benefic for human health (vaccenic acid (VA), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), omega-3 FA (n-3 FA)) (p p 1 grazing period had higher concentrations of VA, CLA, and n-3 FA (p p p 1 ˃ P2 ˃ P3). By comparison, cows fed using the TMR diet yielded a higher quantity of milk (p p p < 0.05) together with a lower concentration of lipophilic antioxidants in milk. Thermal treatment showed no effect on α-tocopherol and retinol content in milk, but their concentrations decreased during the storage, at the same time a TAC decrease. The results of this study prove the positive effect of using pasture combined with TMR on FA profiles, milk antioxidant content, and antioxidant capacity, with beneficial effects on nutrition and health in humans

The Effect of Sustainable Feeding Systems, Combining Total Mixed Rations and Pasture, on Milk Fatty Acid Composition and Antioxidant Capacity in Jersey Dairy Cows

This study was carried out to assess the effect of using pasture combined with total mixed ration (TMR) on milk production and composition, fatty acid (FA) profiles, fat-soluble antioxidant content, and total milk antioxidant capacity (TAC). In addition, the effect of milk pasteurization and storage at 2 &deg;C for 4 days, lipophilic antioxidants and TAC were assessed. Two homogeneous groups of Jersey cows (n = 8) were constituted, which were randomly assigned to one of the two treatments: TMR (without access to pasture), or partial mixed diet (pTMR: grazing 8 h/day + TMR indoors). To establish FA profiles and lipophilic antioxidants&rsquo; changes in milk during the grazing period, in case of the pTMR group the experimental period was spilt in three grazing periods: P1 (May), P2 (June), and P3 (June/July). Milk yielded from cows having limited access on pasture (pTMR diet) showed an improved FA profile, with higher concentrations of FAs considered benefic for human health (vaccenic acid (VA), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), omega-3 FA (n-3 FA)) (p &lt; 0.01) and a lower concentration of FAs with hypercholesterolemiant potential (C12:0, C14:0, and C16:0) (p &lt; 0.05), compared to that of the TMR diet. This change in FA profile was correlated with improved sanogenous lipid indices of milk fat (n-6/n-3 FA atherogenic index and thrombogenic index). Milk yielded during the P1 grazing period had higher concentrations of VA, CLA, and n-3 FA (p &lt; 0.05) and lower concentrations of C14:0 and C16:0 (p &lt; 0.01); it exhibited the best values for the main sanogenous fat lipid indices of fat. Moreover, pTMR milk showed a higher &alpha;-tocopherol, retinol, and &beta;-carotene content (p &lt; 0.05), positively correlated with TAC values in milk (P1 &#707; P2 &#707; P3). By comparison, cows fed using the TMR diet yielded a higher quantity of milk (p &lt; 0.05), but a lower fat and protein content (p &lt; 0.01), and also a higher saturated FAs and n-6 FA content (p &lt; 0.05) together with a lower concentration of lipophilic antioxidants in milk. Thermal treatment showed no effect on &alpha;-tocopherol and retinol content in milk, but their concentrations decreased during the storage, at the same time a TAC decrease. The results of this study prove the positive effect of using pasture combined with TMR on FA profiles, milk antioxidant content, and antioxidant capacity, with beneficial effects on nutrition and health in humans