Development of Uniform Polydimethylsiloxane Arrays through Inkjet Printing.

The inkjet printing method is a promising method to deposit polymer and functional nanoparticles at the microscale. It can be applied in the fabrication of multicolor polymer light emitting diodes (polyLEDs), polymer base electronics, multicolor color conversion layers, and quantum dot light emitting diodes (QLEDs). One of the main challenges is to print high-resolution polymer dots from dilute polymer solution. In addition, the quality of printed multicolor polyLEDs, QLEDs and multicolor color conversion layers is currently limited by non-uniformity of the printed dots. In this paper, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is selected as the functional polymer, due to its high transparency, good reflective index value, inflammable and flexible properties. The optimal ink to form a uniform PDMS dot array is presented in this paper. Both the solvent and PDMS were tuned to form the uniform PDMS dot array. The uniform PDMS dot array was printed with a diameter of around 50 µm, and the array of closely spaced green quantum dots (QDs) mixed with PDMS ink was also printed on the substrate uniformly. While the green QD-PDMS film was printed at a resolution of 1693 dpi, the uniformity was evaluated using the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum and color coordinate value.

Proteomics based markers of clinical pain severity in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

INTRODUCTION: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a cluster of autoimmune rheumatic diseases occurring in children 16 years of age or less. While it is well-known that pain may be experienced during inflammatory and non-inflammatory states, much remains ambiguous regarding the molecular mechanisms that may drive JIA pain. Thus, in this pilot study, we explored the variability of the serum proteomes in relation to pain severity in a cohort of JIA patients. METHODS: Serum samples from 15 JIA patients (male and female, 12.7 ± 2.8 years of age) were assessed using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Correlation analyses were performed to determine the relationships among protein levels and self-reported clinical pain severity. Additionally, how the expression of pain-associated proteins related to markers of inflammation (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)) or morphological properties of the central nervous system (subcortical volume and cortical thickness) implicated in JIA were also evaluated. RESULTS: 306 proteins were identified in the JIA cohort of which 14 were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with clinical pain severity. Functional properties of the identified pain-associated proteins included but were not limited to humoral immunity (IGLV3.9), inflammatory response (PRG4) and angiogenesis (ANG). Associations among pain-associated proteins and ESR (IGHV3.9, PRG4, CST3, VWF, ALB), as well as caudate nucleus volume (BTD, AGT, IGHV3.74) and insular cortex thickness (BTD, LGALS3BP) were also observed. CONCLUSIONS: The current proteomic findings suggest both inflammatory- and non-inflammatory mediated mechanisms as potential factors associated with JIA pain. Validation of these preliminary observations using larger patient cohorts and a longitudinal study design may further point to novel serologic markers of pain in JIA.

Characterization and Evaluation of 3D-Printed Connectors for Microfluidics.

3D printing is regarded as a useful tool for the fabrication of microfluidic connectors to overcome the challenges of time consumption, clogging, poor alignment and bulky fixtures existing for current interconnections. 3D-printed connectors without any additional components can be directly printed to substrate with an orifice by UV-assisted coaxial printing. This paper further characterized and evaluated 3D-printed connectors fabricated by the proposed method. A process window with an operable combination of flow rates was identified. The outer flow rate could control the inner channel dimensions of 3D-printed connectors, which were expected to achieve less geometric mismatch of flow paths in microfluidic interfaces. The achieved smallest inner channel diameter was around 120 µm. Furthermore, the withstood pressure of 3D-printed connectors was evaluated to exceed 450 kPa, which could enable microfluidic chips to work at normal pressure.

A multidisciplinary assessment of pain in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

INTRODUCTION: Pain is prevalent in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Unknowns regarding the biological drivers of pain complicate therapeutic targeting. We employed neuroimaging to define pain-related neurobiological features altered in JIA. METHODS: 16 male and female JIA patients (12.7 ± 2.8 years of age) on active treatment were enrolled, together with age- and sex-matched controls. Patients were assessed using physical examination, clinical questionnaires, musculoskeletal MRI, and structural neuroimaging. In addition, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected during the resting-state, hand-motor task performance, and cold stimulation of the hand and knee. RESULTS: Patients with and without pain and with and without inflammation (joint and systemic) were evaluated.  Pain severity was associated with more physical stress and poorer cognitive function. Corrected for multiple comparisons, morphological analysis revealed decreased cortical thickness within the insula cortex and a negative correlation between caudate nucleus volume and pain severity. Functional neuroimaging findings suggested alteration within neurocircuitry structures regulating emotional pain processing (anterior insula) in addition to the default-mode and sensorimotor networks. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with JIA may exhibit changes in neurobiological circuits related to pain. These preliminary findings suggest mechanisms by which pain could potentially become dissociated from detectable joint pathology and persist independently of inflammation or treatment status.

Radiographic and clinical outcomes of the treatment of immature permanent teeth by revascularization or apexification: a pilot retrospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: This retrospective cohort study compared clinical and radiographic outcomes of endodontic treatment performed in immature nonvital permanent teeth by apexification (calcium hydroxide or apical barrier with mineral trioxide aggregate) versus revascularization. METHODS: A comprehensive chart review was performed to obtain a cohort of previously completed cases with recalls. Clinical and radiographic data were collected for 31 treated teeth (19 revascularization and 12 apexification) with an average follow-up time of 17 months and a recall rate of 63%. Tooth survival, success rate, and adverse events were analyzed. Changes in radiographic root length, width, and area were quantified. RESULTS: The majority of treated teeth survived throughout the study period, with 30 of 31 (97%) teeth surviving (18/19 [95%] revascularization and 12/12 apexification). Most cases were also clinically successful, with 27 of 31 (87%) meeting criteria for success (15/19 [78%] revascularization and 12/12 apexification; nonsignificant difference). A greater incidence of adverse events was observed in the revascularization group (8/19 [42%] vs 1/12 [11%] in apexification) (risk ratio = 5.1; P = .04; 95% confidence interval, 0.719-35.48). Although more revascularization cases than apexification cases showed an increase in radiographic root area and width, the effect was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, revascularization was not superior to other apexification techniques in either clinical or radiographic outcomes. Studies with large subject cohorts and long follow-up periods are needed to evaluate outcomes of revascularization and apexification while accounting for important covariants relevant to clinical success.