Degradable π-Conjugated Polymers.

The integration of next-generation electronics into society is rapidly reshaping our daily interactions and lifestyles, revolutionizing communication and engagement with the world. Future electronics promise stimuli-responsive features and enhanced biocompatibility, such as skin-like health monitors and sensors embedded in food packaging, transforming healthcare and reducing food waste. Imparting degradability may reduce the adverse environmental impact of next-generation electronics and lead to opportunities for environmental and health monitoring. While advancements have been made in producing degradable materials for encapsulants, substrates, and dielectrics, the availability of degradable conducting and semiconducting materials remains restricted. π-Conjugated polymers are promising candidates for the development of degradable conductors or semiconductors due to the ability to tune their stimuli-responsiveness, biocompatibility, and mechanical durability. This perspective highlights three design considerations: the selection of π-conjugated monomers, synthetic coupling strategies, and degradation of π-conjugated polymers, for generating π-conjugated materials for degradable electronics. We describe the current challenges with monomeric design and present options to circumvent these issues by highlighting biobased π-conjugated compounds with known degradation pathways and stable monomers that allow for chemically recyclable polymers. Next, we present coupling strategies that are compatible for the synthesis of degradable π-conjugated polymers, including direct arylation polymerization and enzymatic polymerization. Lastly, we discuss various modes of depolymerization and characterization techniques to enhance our comprehension of potential degradation byproducts formed during polymer cleavage. Our perspective considers these three design parameters in parallel rather than independently while having a targeted application in mind to accelerate the discovery of next-generation high-performance π-conjugated polymers for degradable organic electronics.

Patients' and caregivers' perspectives of the atopic dermatitis journey.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the patient journey is important to optimize care for patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and overcome challenges in diagnosis and management. OBJECTIVE: To explore patient and caregiver perspectives regarding their experience with AD. METHODS: Patients and caregivers of patients with AD completed a pre-meeting survey and were invited to join an advisory board meeting in their country (China, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan and Lebanon) to discuss the survey results. Data were analyzed descriptively. RESULTS: The survey included 31 participants (patients and caregivers) from Hong Kong (n = 7), China (n = 7), Ireland (n = 6), Japan (n = 6) and Lebanon (n = 5). The most challenging factors in the AD journey were management of symptoms before a confirmed diagnosis (68%), sudden recurrence of flares or worsening of symptoms (68%) and lifestyle changes (52%). In terms of overall AD management, 35% of participants indicated that AD was managed well, 23% had a clear treatment plan and 19% were generally satisfied with disease management. A collaborative relationship with healthcare professionals was favored. CONCLUSION: A holistic assessment of AD includes understanding patient and caregiver preferences, needs, experiences and disease perceptions. Addressing the identified gaps may improve the management of AD.

Integrated Safety Analysis of Ritlecitinib, an Oral JAK3/TEC Family Kinase Inhibitor, for the Treatment of Alopecia Areata from the ALLEGRO Clinical Trial Program.

BACKGROUND: The ALLEGRO phase 2a and 2b/3 studies demonstrated that ritlecitinib, an oral JAK3/TEC family kinase inhibitor, is efficacious at doses of ≥ 30 mg in patients aged ≥ 12 years with alopecia areata (AA). OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of ritlecitinib in an integrated analysis of four studies in AA. METHODS: Two cohorts were analyzed: a placebo-controlled and an all-exposure cohort. Proportions and study size-adjusted incidence rates (IRs) of adverse events (AEs) of interest and laboratory abnormalities are reported. RESULTS: In the placebo-controlled cohort (n = 881; median exposure: 169 days), the proportion of ritlecitinib-treated patients with AEs was 70.2-75.4% across doses versus 69.5% in the placebo group; serious AEs occurred in 0-3.2% versus 1.9% for the placebo. A total of 19 patients permanently discontinued due to AEs (5 while receiving the placebo). In the all-exposure cohort (n = 1294), median ritlecitinib exposure was 624 days [2091.7 total patient-years (PY)]. AEs were reported in 1094 patients (84.5%) and serious AEs in 57 (4.4%); 78 (6.0%) permanently discontinued due to AEs. The most common AEs were headache (17.7%; 11.9/100 PY), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive test (15.5%; 9.8/100 PY), and nasopharyngitis (12.4%; 8.2/100 PY). There were two deaths (breast cancer and acute respiratory failure/cardiorespiratory arrest). Proportions (IRs) were < 0.1% (0.05/100 PY) for opportunistic infections, 1.5% (0.9/100 PY) for herpes zoster, 0.5% (0.3/100 PY) for malignancies (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer), and 0.2% (0.1/100 PY) for major adverse cardiovascular events. CONCLUSIONS: Ritlecitinib is well tolerated with an acceptable safety profile up to 24 months in patients aged ≥ 12 years with AA (video abstract and graphical plain language summary available). TRIAL REGISTRIES: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02974868 (date of registration: 11/29/2016), NCT04517864 (08/18/2020), NCT03732807 (11/07/2018), and NCT04006457 (07/05/2019).

Sociodemographic profiles and career motivations of Australian dental students.

PURPOSE: Prior studies explored factors influencing dental study choice, but shifts from BDSc to DDS degrees in some countries impact demographics and motivations, potentially affecting the dental workforce. The aim of this study was to establish Australian DDS and BOH students' sociodemographics and career motivations. METHODS: Questionnaires conducted in mid-2019 assessed sociodemographic profiles and career motivations. Statistical analysis utilized descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 71.3%. DDS students had an average age of 25.2 years, while BOH students averaged 21.5 years. Most BOH (80.7%) and DDS students (52.0%) were female. They were mainly single, local, Australian citizens from metropolitan areas. Self-motivation ranked highest, particularly for DDS students (P < 0.05). Significant motivators included healthcare occupation, helping others, interesting career, and flexible hours (P < 0.05). DDS students were more motivated by flexible hours and independence (P < 0.05), while females emphasized a healthcare profession (P = 0.003). International students were motivated by being their own boss (P = 0.003), and private school graduates valued lifestyle within the profession (P = 0.049). CONCLUSION: Despite sociodemographic changes, the main motivations for studying dentistry remain consistent. DDS students prioritized lifestyle factors such as time and remuneration over BOH students.

Vertebral osteomyelitis secondary to Streptococcus cristatus infection.

A 66-year-old male with a history of low back pain was found to have discitis and osteomyelitis. Biopsy and PCR testing revealed Streptococcus cristatus infection. This bacteria does not typically cause disease, and only a few cases in the literature have reported it to cause infection in the bones or joints. This case illustrates that vertebral osteomyelitis with a rare causative agent, S. cristatus, is possible and can be identified with PCR. Treatment typically requires long-term antibiotics tailored to the causative agent for a minimum of 6 weeks and can sometimes include surgical management.

Hair Loss Profiles and Ritlecitinib Efficacy in Patients with Alopecia Areata: Post Hoc Analysis of the ALLEGRO Phase 2b/3 Study.

INTRODUCTION: Ritlecitinib demonstrated efficacy in patients with alopecia areata (AA) in the ALLEGRO phase 2b/3 study (NCT03732807). However, hair loss presentation may vary based on location (e.g., scalp, eyebrow/eyelash, body). Here, we sought to identify distinct hair loss profiles at baseline and evaluate whether they affected the efficacy of ritlecitinib. METHODS: Patients with AA aged ≥ 12 years with ≥ 50% scalp hair loss were randomized to daily ritlecitinib 10 mg (assessed for dose ranging only), 30 or 50 mg (± 4-week, 200-mg loading dose), or placebo for 24 weeks. Latent class analysis (LCA) identified hair loss profiles based on four baseline measurements: clinician-reported extent of scalp (Severity of Alopecia Tool score), eyebrow hair loss, eyelash hair loss, and patient-reported body hair loss. Logistic regression evaluated ritlecitinib (50 and 30 mg) efficacy vs placebo using Patient Global Impression of Change (PGI-C) and Patient Satisfaction with Hair Growth (P-Sat; amount, quality, and overall satisfaction) responses at Week 24, adjusting for key covariates, including latent class membership. RESULTS: LCA identified five latent classes: (1) primarily non-alopecia totalis (AT; complete loss of scalp hair); (2) non-AT with moderate non-scalp involvement; (3) extensive scalp, eyebrow, and eyelash involvement; (4) AT with moderate non-scalp involvement; and (5) primarily alopecia universalis (complete scalp, face, and body hair loss). Adjusting for latent class membership, patients receiving ritlecitinib 30 or 50 mg were significantly more likely to achieve PGI-C response (30 mg: odds ratio, 8.62 [95% confidence interval, 4.42-18.08]; 50 mg: 12.29 [6.29-25.85]) and P-Sat quality of hair regrowth (30 mg: 6.71 [3.53-13.51]; 50 mg: 8.17 [4.30-16.46]) vs placebo at Week 24. Results were similar for P-Sat overall satisfaction and amount of hair regrowth. CONCLUSION: Distinct and clinically relevant hair loss profiles were identified in ALLEGRO-2b/3 participants. Ritlecitinib was efficacious compared with placebo, independent of hair loss profile at baseline. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT03732807.

Efficacy and safety of ritlecitinib in adolescents with alopecia areata: Results from the ALLEGRO phase 2b/3 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This subgroup analysis of the ALLEGRO phase 2b/3 trial (NCT03732807) evaluated the efficacy and safety of ritlecitinib, an oral, selective dual JAK3/TEC family kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of alopecia areata (AA) in patients aged 12-17 years. METHODS: In ALLEGRO-2b/3, patients aged ≥12 years with AA and ≥50% scalp hair loss received once-daily ritlecitinib 50 or 30 mg (±4-week 200-mg loading dose) or 10 mg or placebo for 24 weeks. In a subsequent 24-week extension period, ritlecitinib groups continued their doses, and patients initially assigned to placebo switched to 200/50 or 50 mg daily. Clinician- and patient-reported hair regrowth outcomes and safety were assessed. RESULTS: In total, 105 adolescents were randomized. At Week 24, 17%-28% of adolescents achieved a Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score ≤20 (≤20% scalp without hair) in the ritlecitinib 30 mg and higher treatment groups versus 0% for placebo. At Week 48, 25%-50% of patients had a SALT score ≤20 across ritlecitinib treatment groups (30 mg and higher). Adolescents reporting that their AA "moderately" or "greatly" improved were 45%-61% in the ritlecitinib groups (30 mg and higher) (vs. 10%-22% for placebo) at Week 24 and 44%-80% at Week 48. The most common adverse events in adolescents were headache, acne, and nasopharyngitis. No deaths, major adverse cardiovascular events, malignancies, pulmonary embolisms, opportunistic infections, or herpes zoster infections were reported. CONCLUSION: Ritlecitinib treatment demonstrated clinician-reported efficacy, patient-reported improvement, and an acceptable safety profile through Week 48 in adolescents with AA with ≥50% scalp hair loss.

Improvement of Breast Cancer-Associated Pulmonary Tumor Thrombotic Microangiopathy With Carboplatin and Gemcitabine.

We present the case of a 50-year-old woman with stage IV invasive ER+/PR-/HER2-ductal breast carcinoma who was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with obstructive shock and hypoxic respiratory failure due to pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM), which significantly improved with chemotherapy. Upon presentation, her heart rate was 145 beats/min, her blood pressure was 86/47 mmHg, her respiratory rate was 25 breaths/min, and her oxygen saturation was 80% in room air. She underwent a broad non-diagnostic infectious evaluation, received fluid resuscitation, and was placed on broad-spectrum antibiotics. Transthoracic echocardiography showed evidence of severe pulmonary hypertension with a pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PASP) of 77 mmHg. She initially required oxygen via a high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) at 40 liters/minute and 80% FiO2 and was subsequently placed on inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) at 40 parts per million (PPM) as well as norepinephrine and vasopressin drips for acute decompensated right heart failure. Despite her poor performance status, she was started on chemotherapy with carboplatin and gemcitabine. Over the ensuing week, she was weaned off supplemental oxygen, vasoactive agents, and iNO and discharged home. Repeat echocardiography performed 10 days after the initiation of chemotherapy demonstrated marked improvement in her pulmonary hypertension with a PASP of 34 mmHg. This case highlights the potential role of chemotherapy in altering the course of PTTM in select patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Overview of alopecia areata for managed care and payer stakeholders in the United States.

Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease with a complex pathophysiology resulting in nonscarring hair loss in genetically susceptible individuals. We aim to provide health care decision makers an overview of the pathophysiology of AA, its causes and diagnosis, disease burden, costs, comorbidities, and information on current and emerging treatment options to help inform payer benefit design and prior authorization decisions. Literature searches for AA were conducted using PubMed between 2016 and 2022 inclusive, using search terms covering the causes and diagnosis of AA, pathophysiology, comorbidities, disease management, costs, and impact on quality of life (QoL). AA is a polygenic autoimmune disease that significantly impacts QoL. Patients with AA face economic burden and an increased prevalence of psychiatric disease, as well as numerous systemic comorbidities. AA is predominantly treated using corticosteroids, systemic immunosuppressants, and topical immunotherapy. Currently, there are limited data to reliably inform effective treatment decisions, particularly for patients with extensive disease. However, several novel therapies that specifically target the immunopathology of AA have emerged, including Janus kinase (JAK) 1/2 inhibitors such as baricitinib and deuruxolitinib, and the JAK3/tyrosine kinase expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (TEC) family kinase inhibitor ritlecitinib. To support disease management, a disease severity classification tool, the Alopecia Areata Severity Scale, was recently developed that evaluates patients with AA holistically (extent of hair loss and other factors). AA is an autoimmune disease often associated with comorbidities and poor QoL, which poses a significant economic burden for payers and patients. Better treatments are needed for patients, and JAK inhibitors, among other approaches, may address this tremendous unmet medical need. DISCLOSURES: Dr King reports seats on advisory boards for and/or is a consultant and/or clinical trial investigator for AbbVie, Aclaris Therapeutics Inc, AltruBio Inc, Almirall, Arena Pharmaceuticals, Bioniz Therapeutics, Bristol Meyers Squibb, Concert Pharmaceuticals Inc, Dermavant Sciences Inc, Eli Lilly and Company, Equillium, Incyte Corp, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, LEO Pharma, Otsuka/Visterra Inc, Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi Genzyme, TWi Biotechnology Inc, and Viela Bio; and speakers bureaus for AbbVie, Incyte, LEO Pharma, Pfizer, Regeneron, and Sanofi Genzyme. Pezalla is a paid consultant to Pfizer for market access and payer strategy concerns; Fung, Tran, Bourret, Takiya, Peeples-Lamirande, and Napatalung are employees of Pfizer and hold stock in Pfizer. This article was funded by Pfizer.

Biobased, Degradable, and Conjugated Poly(Azomethine)s.

Carotenoids are a class of biobased conjugated molecules that bear a resemblance to the substructure of polyacetylene, a well-known conductive but insoluble polymer. Solubility is an important physical attribute for processing materials using different techniques. To impart solubility in polymers, alkyl side chains are often included in the molecular design. While these design strategies are well explored in conjugated systems, they have not been implemented with carotenoids as a building block in polymers. Here, we show a series of carotenoid-based polymers with varying side chain lengths to tune solubility. Using carotenoid and p-phenylenediamine-based monomers, degradable and biobased poly(azomethine)s were synthesized via imine polycondensation. Maximum solubilities corresponding to the varying alkyl chain lengths were quantitatively determined by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectroscopy. Since carotenoids are biobased with known degradation products, the effect of acidic and artificial sunlight-promoted degradation was systematically investigated using UV-vis spectroscopy, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and high-resolution mass spectroscopy (HRMS). Our polymer system was found to have two modes of on-demand degradation, with acid hydrolysis accelerating the rate of polymer degradation and artificial sunlight generating additional degradation products. This work highlights carotenoid monomers as viable candidates in the design of biobased, degradable, and conjugated polymers.

Conductive and elastic bottlebrush elastomers for ultrasoft electronics.

Understanding biological systems and mimicking their functions require electronic tools that can interact with biological tissues with matched softness. These tools involve biointerfacing materials that should concurrently match the softness of biological tissue and exhibit suitable electrical conductivities for recording and reading bioelectronic signals. However, commonly employed intrinsically soft and stretchable materials usually contain solvents that limit stability for long-term use or possess low electronic conductivity. To date, an ultrasoft (i.e., Young's modulus <30 kPa), conductive, and solvent-free elastomer does not exist. Additionally, integrating such ultrasoft and conductive materials into electronic devices is poorly explored. This article reports a solvent-free, ultrasoft and conductive PDMS bottlebrush elastomer (BBE) composite with single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as conductive fillers. The conductive SWCNT/BBE with a filler concentration of 0.4 - 0.6 wt% reveals an ultralow Young's modulus (<11 kPa) and satisfactory conductivity (>2 S/m) as well as adhesion property. Furthermore, we fabricate ultrasoft electronics based on laser cutting and 3D printing of conductive and non-conductive BBEs and demonstrate their potential applications in wearable sensing, soft robotics, and electrophysiological recording.

Extent of Follow-Up on Abnormal Cancer Screening in Multiple California Public Hospital Systems: A Retrospective Review.

BACKGROUND: Inequitable follow-up of abnormal cancer screening tests may contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in colon and breast cancer outcomes. However, few multi-site studies have examined follow-up of abnormal cancer screening tests and it is unknown if racial/ethnic disparities exist. OBJECTIVE: This report describes patterns of performance on follow-up of abnormal colon and breast cancer screening tests and explores the extent to which racial/ethnic disparities exist in public hospital systems. DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from five California public hospital systems. We used multivariable robust Poisson regression analyses to examine whether patient-level factors or site predicted receipt of follow-up test. MAIN MEASURES: Using data from five public hospital systems between July 2015 and June 2017, we assessed follow-up of two screening results: (1) colonoscopy after positive fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) and (2) tissue biopsy within 21 days after a BIRADS 4/5 mammogram. KEY RESULTS: Of 4132 abnormal FITs, 1736 (42%) received a follow-up colonoscopy. Older age, Medicaid insurance, lack of insurance, English language, and site were negatively associated with follow-up colonoscopy, while Hispanic ethnicity and Asian race were positively associated with follow-up colonoscopy. Of 1702 BIRADS 4/5 mammograms, 1082 (64%) received a timely biopsy; only site was associated with timely follow-up biopsy. CONCLUSION: Despite the vulnerabilities of public-hospital-system patients, follow-up of abnormal cancer screening tests occurs at rates similar to that of patients in other healthcare settings, with colon cancer screening test follow-up occurring at lower rates than follow-up of breast cancer screening tests. Site-level factors have larger, more consistent impact on follow-up rates than patient sociodemographic traits. Resources are needed to identify health system-level factors, such as test follow-up processes or data infrastructure, that improve abnormal cancer screening test follow-up so that effective health system-level interventions can be evaluated and disseminated.

A Field Guide to Optimizing Peptoid Synthesis.

N-Substituted glycines (peptoids) are a class of peptidomimetic molecules used as materials for health, environmental, and drug delivery applications. Automated solid-phase synthesis is the most widely used approach for preparing polypeptoids, with a range of published protocols and modifications for selected synthetic targets. Simultaneously, emerging solution-phase syntheses are being leveraged to overcome limitations in solid-phase synthesis and access high-molecular weight polypeptoids. This Perspective aims to outline strategies for the optimization of both solid- and solution-phase synthesis, provide technical considerations for robotic synthesizers, and offer an outlook on advances in synthetic methodologies. The solid-phase synthesis sections explore steps for protocol optimization, accessing complex side chains, and adaptation to robotic synthesizers; the sections on solution-phase synthesis cover the selection of initiators, side chain compatibility, and strategies for controlling polymerization efficiency and scale. This text acts as a "field guide" for researchers aiming to leverage the flexibility and adaptability of peptoids in their research.

Warfarin Monitoring in Safety-Net Health Systems: Analysis by Race/Ethnicity and Language Preference.

BACKGROUND: Racial/ethnic disparities in anticoagulation management are well established. Differences in warfarin monitoring can contribute to these disparities and should be measured. OBJECTIVE: We assessed for differences in international normalized ratio (INR) monitoring by race/ethnicity and language preference across safety-net care systems serving predominantly low-income, ethnically diverse populations. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of process and safety data shared from the Safety Promotion Action Research and Knowledge Network (SPARK-Net) initiative, a consortium of five California safety-net hospital systems. PARTICIPANTS: Eligible patients were at least 18 years old, received warfarin for at least 56 days during the measurement period from July 2015 to June 2017, and had INR testing in an ambulatory care setting at a participating healthcare system. MAIN MEASURES: We conducted a scaled Poisson regression for adjusted rate ratio of having at least one INR checked per 56-day time period for which a patient had a warfarin prescription. Adjusting for age, sex, healthcare system, and insurance status/type, we assessed for racial/ethnic and language disparities in INR monitoring. KEY RESULTS: Of 8129 patients, 3615 (44%) were female; 1470 (18%), Black/African American; 3354 (41%), Hispanic/Latinx; 1210 (15%), Asian; 1643 (20%), White; and 452 (6%), other. Three thousand five hundred forty-nine (45%) were non-English preferring. We did not observe statistically significant disparities in the rate of appropriate INR monitoring by race/ethnicity or language; the primary source of variation was by healthcare network. Older age, female gender, and uninsured patients had a slightly higher rate of appropriate INR monitoring, but differences were not clinically significant. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find a race/ethnicity nor language disparity in INR monitoring; safety-net site was the main source of variation.

Monolithic optical microlithography of high-density elastic circuits.

Polymeric electronic materials have enabled soft and stretchable electronics. However, the lack of a universal micro/nanofabrication method for skin-like and elastic circuits results in low device density and limited parallel signal recording and processing ability relative to silicon-based devices. We present a monolithic optical microlithographic process that directly micropatterns a set of elastic electronic materials by sequential ultraviolet light-triggered solubility modulation. We fabricated transistors with channel lengths of 2 micrometers at a density of 42,000 transistors per square centimeter. We fabricated elastic circuits including an XOR gate and a half adder, both of which are essential components for an arithmetic logic unit. Our process offers a route to realize wafer-level fabrication of complex, high-density, and multilayered elastic circuits with performance rivaling that of their rigid counterparts.

Conducting polymer-based granular hydrogels for injectable 3D cell scaffolds.

Injectable 3D cell scaffolds possessing both electrical conductivity and native tissue-level softness would provide a platform to leverage electric fields to manipulate stem cell behavior. Granular hydrogels, which combine jamming-induced elasticity with repeatable injectability, are versatile materials to easily encapsulate cells to form injectable 3D niches. In this work, we demonstrate that electrically conductive granular hydrogels can be fabricated via a simple method involving fragmentation of a bulk hydrogel made from the conducting polymer PEDOT:PSS. These granular conductors exhibit excellent shear-thinning and self-healing behavior, as well as record-high electrical conductivity for an injectable 3D scaffold material (~10 S m-1). Their granular microstructure also enables them to easily encapsulate induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neural progenitor cells, which were viable for at least 5 days within the injectable gel matrices. Finally, we demonstrate gel biocompatibility with minimal observed inflammatory response when injected into a rodent brain.

Integrating Emerging Polymer Chemistries for the Advancement of Recyclable, Biodegradable, and Biocompatible Electronics.

Through advances in molecular design, understanding of processing parameters, and development of non-traditional device fabrication techniques, the field of wearable and implantable skin-inspired devices is rapidly growing interest in the consumer market. Like previous technological advances, economic growth and efficiency is anticipated, as these devices will enable an augmented level of interaction between humans and the environment. However, the parallel growing electronic waste that is yet to be addressed has already left an adverse impact on the environment and human health. Looking forward, it is imperative to develop both human- and environmentally-friendly electronics, which are contingent on emerging recyclable, biodegradable, and biocompatible polymer technologies. This review provides definitions for recyclable, biodegradable, and biocompatible polymers based on reported literature, an overview of the analytical techniques used to characterize mechanical and chemical property changes, and standard policies for real-life applications. Then, various strategies in designing the next-generation of polymers to be recyclable, biodegradable, or biocompatible with enhanced functionalities relative to traditional or commercial polymers are discussed. Finally, electronics that exhibit an element of recyclability, biodegradability, or biocompatibility with new molecular design are highlighted with the anticipation of integrating emerging polymer chemistries into future electronic devices.

Parental Acculturation and Children's Bilingual Abilities: A Study With Chinese American and Mexican American Preschool DLLs.

Previous studies support the link of parental acculturation to their children's academic achievement, identity, and family relations. Prior research also suggests that parental language proficiency is associated with children's vocabulary knowledge. However, few studies have examined the links of parental acculturation to young children's oral language abilities. As preschool oral language skills have been shown to predict future academic achievement, it is critical to understand the relations between parental acculturation and bilingual abilities with young immigrant children. Furthermore, few studies have examined the links between parental acculturation and children's bilingual ability among different immigrant groups who live in the same areas to understand possible similarities and differences. To address these gaps, this study examines these relations in two of the largest and fastest-growing immigrant populations in the United States, Chinese American and Mexican American families. A total of 119 dual language learners (DLLs; 64 Chinese Americans and 55 Mexican Americans) enrolled in Head Start programs in Northern California were recruited. DLLs were assessed on oral language measures in both their heritage language (HL) and English. Parental interviews were conducted to obtain parental acculturation and language proficiency. Results showed no significant group differences between Chinese American and Mexican American parents on the majority of their acculturation dimensions. Furthermore, there were no significant group differences in the bilingual abilities between Chinese American and Mexican American DLLs. Cluster analysis identified four groups of DLLs based on their bilingual ability: high language ability in both English and HL, low language ability in both, English-dominant, and HL-dominant. Results suggest that parental acculturation levels are more similar than different among the four groups. On average, parents in all four groups had stronger ties to their heritage culture and HL than to the American culture. Results also showed links between parental cultural identities and children's language dominance. Parents of English-dominant children had significantly higher levels of American identity than the parents of children with high ability in both languages. Implications are discussed.

Fully stretchable active-matrix organic light-emitting electrochemical cell array.

Intrinsically and fully stretchable active-matrix-driven displays are an important element to skin electronics that can be applied to many emerging fields, such as wearable electronics, consumer electronics and biomedical devices. Here, we show for the first time a fully stretchable active-matrix-driven organic light-emitting electrochemical cell array. Briefly, it is comprised of a stretchable light-emitting electrochemical cell array driven by a solution-processed, vertically integrated stretchable organic thin-film transistor active-matrix, which is enabled by the development of chemically-orthogonal and intrinsically stretchable dielectric materials. Our resulting active-matrix-driven organic light-emitting electrochemical cell array can be readily bent, twisted and stretched without affecting its device performance. When mounted on skin, the array can tolerate to repeated cycles at 30% strain. This work demonstrates the feasibility of skin-applicable displays and lays the foundation for further materials development.

Peanut butter-based formulations of amoxicillin for pediatric applications.

BACKGROUND: Child mortality is a major global health challenge, especially in regions of limited resources. Accessibility to lifesaving medicine and adequate nutrition is essential to reduce child mortality and improve the health and well-being of the world's most vulnerable children. METHODS: We have developed NutMox, a novel pediatric formulation of the ß-lactam antibiotic amoxicillin in a matrix of peanut-based ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) consisting of peanut butter, sugar, vegetable oil, dry milk and vitamins. NutMox is ready to use and thermostable, requires no chewing or pill swallowing and provides both an antibiotic and nutrition. RESULTS: Amoxicillin in NutMox formulations was stable for at least 12 months at storage temperatures of 4°C, 25°C and 37°C. Amoxicillin formulated in NutMox displayed similar pharmacokinetics in mice to that in suspension. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated the feasibility of a peanut butter-based matrix for pediatric formulations of amoxicillin, suggesting that such a matrix can serve as a base for delivering medications in addition to its current use as an RUTF.