heart failure is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. end stage disease often requires heart transplantation, which is hampered by donor organ shortage. tissue engineering represents a promising alternative approach for cardiac repair. for the generation of artificial heart muscle tissue several cell types, scaffold materials and bioreactor designs are under investigation. in this revi...

Solvent-free graphite anode is fabricated successfully with the synergistic effect of polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). PTFE acts as a processing aid reagent to form self-supporting electrode film, while PVDF functional binder when decomposes in first lithiation process. The solvent-free high loading 15 mg cm?2 shows good stability more than 95% capacity retentio...

Surface texturing and solid lubricants have demonstrated the ability to substantially reduce friction wear under dry conditions. In recent decades, these two technologies been combined leverage advantages of both for superior tribological performance. This review article first summarizes state-of-the-art regarding surface lubricants, including soft metals, polytetrafluorethylene, diamond-like c...

Superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome caused by malignant tumors in the upper mediastinum is not uncommon. Radiation therapy or endovascular treatment with stenting is the first choice of treatment to relieve symptoms. However, surgical treatment may be considered when the less invasive treatment modalities failed. In this report, we present two cases of severe symptomatic SVC syndrome as a result ...

OBJECTIVES Although uncommon, prolonged postoperative air leaks are a troublesome complication of lung surgery. This study was performed to determine if buttressing pulmonary staple lines would reduce air leakage at varying airway pressures, and if there was a difference between buttressing materials. METHODS Using cadaver lungs, the development of air leak from staple lines was evaluated at ...

A retrospective review of the American Association for Surgery Trauma PROspective Observational Vascular Injury Treatment (AAST-PROOVIT) registry from November 2013 to January 2019. Of 460 patients 19 institutions, 402 were treated with autologous vein grafts (AVGs) and 58 prosthetic interposition (PGs) (45 polytetrafluorethylene grafts, 5 Dacron, 8 other). The PG group was more severely injure...