Journals
2025 EN
Yeo Miji · Gupta Deepak · Derman Irem Deniz
+7 more
Craniomaxillofacial reconstruction is challenging due to the requirement for diverse manual surgical interventions, which significantly increase as the defect volume enlarges. To address these concerns, we utilized intraoperative bioprinting (IOB) to reconstruct cranial bone defects in surgical settings. We formulated an innovative collagen‐based bioink supplemented with human adipose‐derived stem cells (hADSCs) or bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (BMP‐2). The concentration and dispersion state of collagen along with hADSCs were precisely adjusted to enhance cytocompatibility, bioprintability, and osteogenic activities. IOB was first performed via a 3‐axis bioprinter on a rat model having a critical‐sized calvarial defect (39.3 mm 3 ), which was infilled within ≈30 s and resulted in ≈90% bone coverage area in 8 weeks. Secondly, IOB was conducted on sheep calvarial defects (1,209 mm 3 , ≈31‐fold larger compared to the rat defects) using a 6‐axis robotic arm, where IOB took ≈5 min per defect. On Week 12, sheep defects treated with IOB revealed accelerated bone repair (≈80% bone coverage area) and mechanical enhancement with 240%, 235%, and 358% increments in Young's modulus, peak force, and energy compared to the non‐treated group. The successful execution of IOB in small and large animal models validates the translation potential of IOB for automated surgical interventions.
Journals
2025 EN
NurEAlam Mohammad · Ferdaous Mohammad Tanvirul · Alghafis Abdullah
+7 more
The impact of dynamic sputtering geometry on the properties of ZnO: Ga (GZO) thin film nanomaterials is investigated by systematically varying Ar flow rates and substrate positions during the film growth. The structural, optical, and electrical characteristics of GZO layers, deposited from a ZnO: Ga (5.7 wt%) ceramic‐type sputtering target, are comprehensively evaluated to reveal the relationship between the sputtering geometry and material properties. The obtained electrical properties, comparatively high carrier mobility 11.3 × 10 1 cm 2 V −1 s −1 and the lowest resistivity 1.13 × 10 −3 Ω‐cm, together with a moderately high optoelectric figure of merit with the films prepared using around 6 sccm Ar‐flow rate (corresponding to around 4.92 mTorr Ar partial pressure) reveal distinct correlations between the sputtering conditions and thin film properties, providing insights into the optimization of sputtering parameters for tailored material synthesis required for advanced and emerging applications. The GZO thin film (prepared with the optimal setting of 6 sccm Ar flow rate) exhibits remarkable optoelectronic capabilities as a transport layer in solar cells, reaching peak efficiencies of 26.34% for CIGS, 14.142% for CdTe, and 24.289% for Cs 2 AgBiBr 6 perovskite in SCAPS‐1D simulated models. This study advances sputtering techniques for precise engineering of functional nanomaterials with enhanced performance and versatility, contributing to material synthesis optimization for emerging applications.
Journals
2025 EN
Mohammadzadeh Hadi · Baretzky Clemens · Jony Mohammad Kamrul Hasan
+4 more
Replacing metal top electrodes with carbon in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is a promising strategy to address stability issues arising from metal‐induced degradation. However, conventional blade‐coated carbon deposition can damage underlying charge transport layers, such as Spiro‐OMeTAD, due to solvent incompatibility. In contrast, laminating predried carbon films mitigates this issue and significantly enhances open‐circuit voltage and photoluminescence intensity, reaching levels comparable to devices with gold electrodes. Still, laminated carbon (LMC) electrodes often exhibit increased series resistance, which reduces overall device efficiency. This study demonstrates that treating the predried carbon film with o‐xylene prior to lamination significantly reduces its porosity, especially at the interface between carbon and the underlying layer. This leads to a significant reduction of both the contact and the sheet resistance (and therefore the overall series resistance), improving the fill factor and boosting the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of carbon electrode‐based PSCs from 15.6% to 18.9%. By introducing an alternative electron transport layer formulation, the PCE of gold‐based reference devices and laminated carbon‐based PSCs was improved to 21.4% and 20.4%, respectively. These results demonstrate that solvent treatment of predried carbon films is a key enabler for high‐efficiency carbon‐based PSCs, offering an alternative to metal‐based electrodes.
Journals
2025 EN
Joseph Dimas Skam · Ochie Kalu · Joseph Dlama Zirra
+13 more
ABSTRACT Introduction The splenic size is influenced by anthropometric parameters. This present study assessed the correlations between various sonographic splenic measurements with height, weight, and body mass index (BMI). Methods Following the ethical approval, the scanning procedure was explained to the 391 patients and consent was obtained. Using a purposive sampling technique, the spleen was measured using a Zianfeng XF30A(XF50) ultrasound system. The intra‐observer error was found to be < 5%. The heights and weights of the study subjects were measured using the FM‐S120 weight and height scale. Results The mean age of the study subjects was 35.15 ± 15.67 years with male and female consisting of 203 (51.92%) and 188 (48.08%), respectively. The mean cranio‐caudal length (CCL), width, depth, and volume were 9.97 ± 1.3, 4.41 ± 0.59, 7.60 ± 1.2 cm, and 180.34 ± 57.94 cm 3 , respectively. Student t ‐test revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in splenic size measurements between sexes. The mean height, weight, and BMI were 1.59 ± 0.15 m, 64.12 ± 15.71 kg, and 24.49 ± 4.35 kg/m 2 , respectively. Moderate to strong significant positive correlations ( r = 0.4–0.79, ρ < 0.05) were recorded for height and weight with CCL, splenic width, and splenic depth, while a significantly strong positive correlation ( r = 0.60–0.79, ρ < 0.05) was recorded for splenic volume with subject height and weight. Conclusion This study emphasizes the importance of anthropometric parameters (height and weight) in the assessment of splenic size.
Journals
2025 EN
Raja Shariff Raja Ezman · Ibrahim Khairul Shafiq
ABSTRACT Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) accounts for up to 50% of total heart failure cases globally, and yet diagnosis remains a challenge. Popular scoring systems like the HFA‐PEFF and the H 2 FPEF have since been recommended by guidelines, but limitations exist in their utility. We present a series of four cases referred to our heart failure clinic for undifferentiated dyspnoea suspicious of HFpEF, highlighting several instances where such discrepancies exist and discuss the implications from each of these cases. Two of these cases include a cardiometabolic phenotype of HFpEF (HFA‐PEFF score 6 and H 2 FPEF score 1) and exercise‐inducible case of HFpEF (HFA‐PEFF score 1 and H 2 FPEF score 4), respectively, which scored very differently depending on the scoring systems used. In addition, two additional cases of HFpEF mimics—a case of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HFA‐PEFF score 6 and H 2 FPEF score 1) and of constrictive pericarditis (HFA‐PEFF score 0 and H 2 FPEF score 5)—also demonstrated discrepancies in total scores when employing these internationally recognised scoring systems. HFpEF remains a largely heterogenous condition, which limits the robustness of existing scoring systems and guideline‐recommended diagnostic algorithms. Our case series, we believe, highlights the importance of combining both inductive‐deductive reasoning and pattern recognition in diagnosing HFpEF or its many mimics. Our case series also highlights how the diagnosis of HFpEF should ideally go beyond these scoring systems and additional effort should be placed in exploring underlying aetiologies and in phenotyping patients with HFpEF and their mimics.
Journals
2025 EN
Hammam Mennatallah A. · Zakaria Zainab · Rabee Mahmoud
+5 more
ABSTRACT The combination of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and silymarin has been shown to alleviate various hepatic conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the acute oral toxicity and in vivo pharmacokinetics of the combination in female Sprague Dawley rats. The acute oral toxicity and the pharmacokinetic studies were conducted using 17 rats divided into five groups and 30 rats assigned into four control groups and one treatment group, respectively. A new UHPLC/MS‐MS method was applied to determine silibinin (SIL) and UDCA in plasma, urine, and feces. This method used the BEH C8 column (1.7 µm, 100 × 2.1 mm) with a gradient elution of 0.01% formic acid in water and 0.01% formic acid in acetonitrile. The acute oral toxicity study revealed that administering the combination at 5000 mg/kg preserves a wide safety margin. In the pharmacokinetic study, the combination resulted in a significant enhancement of the absorption of both drugs and a reduction of the renal elimination of silymarin. The oral LD 50 of the combination was higher than 5000 mg/kg, so according to the OECD guidelines, it was classified in Category 5 GHS. The presented data serve as scientifically defensible safety data with a defined absorption and elimination profile for the combination.
Journals
2025 EN
Alamir Samy G. · Magdy Nancy · Hussein Lobna A.
+2 more
ABSTRACT Utilizing chromatography with green chemistry principles helps minimize harm to people and the environment. Since its recent release, the new combination of tazarotene (TAZ) and halobetasol propionate has gained popularity. Crisaborole (CRB) has recently also shown potential for treating psoriasis and can be coformulated with drugs like TAZ and anthralin. Currently, no method has been reported for the simultaneous determination of these drugs. In addition, an environmentally friendly high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for any of them has yet to be developed. The challenge arises mainly due to TAZ's strong retention on reversed phase (RP) columns, which prompts the use of high amounts of organic solvent. To develop a green isocratic HPLC‐photodiode array (PDA) method, the central composite and Box–Behnken quality‐by‐design approaches were employed to study the impact of various factors and their interactions on multiple responses. Since TAZ could not be eluted using micellar phases alone, ethanol was selected as an organic modifier due to its accessibility, environmental friendliness, and limited studies on its use in micellar HPLC. The separation was achieved using a mobile phase of 0.01 M Brij‐35, 0.143 M sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and 0.015 M ammonium acetate (pH 4.95): ethanol (83:17, v/v) at a 1.5 mL/min flow rate. The method utilized the monolithic Chromolith performance RP‐C 18 column (100 mm × 4.6 mm × 5µm) at 40°C with a run time less than 10 min. The linear range established was (3.00–150.00 µg/mL) with limits of detection (0.59–0.78 µg/mL) and quantification (1.79–2.37 µg/mL). The proposed method was applied to different dosage forms (ointment, cream, lotion) after optimizing a microextraction procedure with recoveries > 98.5%. It scored 0.7 on analytical greenness (AGREE), 76 on modified Green Analytical Procedure Index (MoGAPI), and 82.5 on Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI). Comparing these scores with reported methods underlines the value of incorporating a scoring system into GAPI and evaluating methods from the blue and green perspectives.
Journals
2025 EN
Abdalla Ibrahim · Elhassan Ahmed · Ali Salma
+5 more
Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) exhibit inherent dielectric properties that enhance electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption, yet challenges exist in expanding their effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) and improving flexibility. Many studies fail to adequately consider how structural factors influence performance when combining CNFs with magnetic materials. To address these issues, a 1D carbon nanocomposite is developed by embedding magnetic oxide nanoparticles within CNFs using a simple electrospinning technique. This approach improves membrane flexibility by disrupting rigid alignment and introducing dynamic magnetic interactions, while also creating defect‐rich interfaces that increase the amorphous content (61%) of the CNFsF composite, leading to improved EM wave absorption. The unique macro/mesoporous morphology provides internal interfaces and heterogeneous boundaries that effectively trap and dissipate EM waves. As a result, the flexible CNF composites demonstrate significant EM wave absorption performance, achieving a minimum reflection loss (RL min ) of −39.8 dB at 4.64 GHz and an abroad EAB of up to 7 GHz at only 2.5 mm thickness. Computer simulation technology (CST) simulations indicate a maximum radar cross‐section reduction of 21.1 dB m 2 , highlighting the material's radar stealth capability. This research advances the development of high‐performance materials and offers new strategies for enhancing absorption properties through composite engineering.
Journals
2025 EN
Boukhris Sébastien · Iacoban Alexandra C. · Ibrahim Mohamed
+7 more
Synchrotron‐based small‐ and wide‐angle X‐ray scattering is used to elucidate the structure of low‐dimensional lepidocrocite–titanate‐based nanofilaments. In the colloidal state, they consist of quantum‐confined 1D NFs, loosely associated into nanoribbons, one lepidocrocite sheet thick (about 4 Å), 30–40 Å wide (5–8 NFs), and more than 300 Å long. In the dry state, they reach a final state of extended sheets, stacked three to about twenty high, whose crystallinity increases with stack height, in parallel with a decrease in photocatalytic activity. These findings suggest a kinetic pathway for the self‐assembly of initially 1D titanate nanoribbons into 2D and ultimately 3D structures, providing context for a recent body of work on these low‐dimensional materials.
Journals
2025 EN
Zorzi Sandro · Avraham Efrat Shawat · Ibrahim Kassa Belay
+7 more
The sustainable production of renewable fuels and feedstocks is currently constrained by the slow kinetics of anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Precious metal‐based catalysts such as Ir suffer from stability issues as well as high capital cost. To enforce the future of green hydrogen production, this study develops Ru‐integrated W 18 O 49 nanowires (NWs), as an efficient and stable OER electrocatalyst. This study obtains Ru‐W 18 O 49 NWs by a combined physical vapor deposition–chemical vapor deposition approach. It discovers the NWs growth mechanism, characterized by two different growth kinetics. Herein, it finds that the integration of just 3% of Ru in the oxygen‐deficient W 18 O 49 NWs remarkably increases the number of active catalytic sites during OER, showing faster kinetics (60 mV dec −1 ) and a reduced overpotential of 360 mV at 10 mA cm −2 . The electrode's observed catalytic performance and long‐term durability over 36 h (12 h each at 10, 30, and 100 mA cm −2 ) combined with the versatility of the two‐step synthetic route, are a promising research approach for future industrial applications.