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Although bone has some capacity to regenerate, large bone defects cannot be healed without major medical procedures. Metallic implants are widely used, but their bioinertness poses a challenge. In Biointerphases, researchers showcase approaches that are alternatives to metallic implants and use natural polymer coatings to improve bone-implant integration, also known as osseointegration. Establishing a strong chemical interaction between a metal and a completely organic and natural polymer is a significant advancement in bone tissue engineering.

Freshwater accounts for only about 2.5% of water on Earth, so much of the world experiences serious water shortages. In AIP Advances, scientists report the development of a highly efficient desalination device that uses a titanium-containing layer capable of absorbing solar energy. When sunlight strikes the layer, it heats rapidly and vaporizes the water. By placing the unit in a transparent container with a sloped quartz roof, the water vapor can be condensed and collected.

A four-year effort has reduced the rate of cesarean sections for low-risk, first-time mothers in California, according to a study led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative.

Ambitious climate policies could help to reduce extreme poverty in developing countries. This is the result of a new study by scientists of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) - a result that is in contrast to wide-spread assumptions that climate change mitigation comes with a trade-off for poverty reduction. To turn climate policies and poverty reduction into a win-win situation for planet and people, a progressive redistribution of emission pricing revenues and a fair international burden sharing are key.

What The Study Did: This analysis uses the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database to explore the potential safety signal of facial paralysis after COVID-19 vaccination. When compared with other viral vaccines, mRNA COVID-19 vaccines did not display a signal of facial paralysis.

Bottom Line: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) reaffirms its earlier recommendation of screening for high blood pressure in adults 18 years or older with office blood pressure measurement and obtaining measurements outside of the clinical setting for confirming a diagnosis of high blood pressure before starting treatment.

What The Study Did: Researchers compared reasons for hospitalizations in children's hospitals in the United States before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What The Study Did: Survey data were used to estimate the rate of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among young adults ages 18 to 21 in the United States.

What The Study Did: Researchers examined whether younger age at onset of type 2 diabetes was associated with an increased risk of subsequent dementia.

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is suspected of being linked to a small number of deep vein thrombosis cases, which led several countries to suspend AstraZeneca injections. Researchers explored a hypothesis that this pause, even if short, could cause additional deaths from the faster spread of COVID-19. They report using an epidemiological model and statistical analysis to estimate excess deaths resulting from suspending AstraZeneca vaccinations and those potentially linked to DVT-adverse events in France and Italy.

Wearable electronics have increasingly become a part of everyday life, so researchers wondered if these could be powered by harvesting electricity from waste heat. Further inspiration came from a desire to ultimately fabricate energy converting devices from the same materials as the active devices themselves. In Applied Physics Letters, the researchers report the design and fabrication of single-wall carbon nanotube thermoelectric devices on flexible polyimide substrates as a basis for wearable energy converters.

Nuclear physicists have made a new, highly accurate measurement of the thickness of the neutron "skin" that encompasses the lead nucleus in experiments conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and just published in Physical Review Letters. The result, which revealed a neutron skin thickness of .28 millionths of a nanometer, has important implications for the structure and size of neutron stars.

A combination of remdesivir, a drug currently approved in the United States for treating COVID-19 patients, and repurposed drugs for hepatitis C virus (HCV) was 10 times more effective at inhibiting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Nurses and other clinicians rely heavily upon the electronic health record (EHR) to provide patient care. This includes clinical decision-making, care planning, patient surveillance, medication ordering and administration, and communication with other health care team members. While data show that EHR technology usability can put added burden on clinicians, the relationships between EHR usability and the job outcomes of hospital staff nurses and surgical patient outcomes have not been explored.

Am I infected with SARS-CoV-2? Is it one of the dangerous variants? Being able to answer these questions with a single diagnostic test can be decisive for gauging the spread of disease and selecting the right therapy. In a study published in the journal "Science," researchers from the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) and the University of Wuerzburg tackle this challenge with a new CRISPR discovery they translated into a diagnostic platform.

Clinicians from TMDU discovered a novel mode of transmission for human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1). A patient with sudden blurred vision was diagnosed with HTLV-1 uveitis and underwent corticosteroid therapy over the course of several years with several recurrences. When the patient's mother was found to be HTLV-1-negative, horizontal transmission seemed the most likely route of infection. This study highlights a novel mode of transmission for HTLV-1 uveitis.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) - the world's largest plastic surgery organization, representing nearly 8,000 members - today released the 2020 results of the organization's annual procedure survey coupled with national consumer research reflecting trends during the COVID-19 era to help predict what 2021 will bring.

New research method combines different types of data, revealing that the deep-sea basins in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans have unique species communities that are threatened by economic exploitation.

Simultaneous measurement of neural rhythms and spikes across five brain areas in animals reveals how propofol induces unconsciousness. Slow rhythm signature can guide anesthesiologists to improve patient care.

Army researchers developed a technique that allows robots to remain resilient when faced with intermittent communication losses on the battlefield.