This review focuses on the attachment of polymer brushes to polymeric biomaterial substrates by chemical surface modification methods for biomedical applications. In the first part of this paper, a general introduction to the synthesis of polymer brushes is given. Thereafter, a comprehensive overview of recent work on the chemical surface modification of polymeric biomaterials, with a focus on "grafting-to," "grafting-from," and "grafting-through" strategies, is provided. Finally, some representative cutting-edge biomedical applications of modified polymeric biomaterials, mainly including antifouling materials and biocompatible materials, are highlighted. On the basis of this literature study, a perspective on future trends in this field is provided. © 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.BACKGROUND This study examined the relationship between disordered eating (DE), body dissatisfaction (BD), and psychological variables; and identified correlates of DE in youth with type 1 diabetes. METHODS Data were from the Diabetes Management and Impact for Long-Term Empowerment and Success Youth Study-Australia, an online survey assessing the psychosocial impact of type 1 diabetes. Adolescents (N = 477; mean age 16 ± 2 years) with type 1 diabetes for at least 1 year, completed the Diabetes Eating Problem Survey-Revised, measures of BD, quality of life, well-being, depressive and anxiety symptoms, diabetes distress, and resilience. RESULTS DE correlated positively (moderate-large) with depressive and anxiety symptoms, diabetes distress, and BD; and negatively (moderate-large) with well-being, quality of life, and resilience. In contrast, BD correlated (moderately) with all psychological variables in females only. In the stepwise regression, high diabetes distress and BD were the strongest predictors of DE.  https://www.selleckchem.com/Bcl-2.html  While the magnitude of BD was almost five times higher in females, the level of DE risk across genders did not differ when BD was added into the model, which overall explained 71% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS This study explored potential risk and protective factors associated with DE. The novel finding that diabetes distress is a strong indicator of DE provides preliminary support for its inclusion into future risk models and potential target for intervention. Longitudinal studies are required to map how these factors predict changes over time with greater emphasis needed into understanding the gender-specific risks associated with BD, particularly during more difficult developmental phases, such as adolescence to young adulthood. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.AIMS The artificial liver support system (ALSS) is recognized as a bridge to liver transplantation (LT) in hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) patients. However, patient survival remains unknown. We aim to assess the effects of ALSS on survival in HBV-ACLF patients. METHODS The clinical data of HBV-ACLF patients receiving standard medical treatment (SMT) plus ALSS (ALSS group, n=507) or only SMT (SMT group, n=417) were collected for survival assessment. The main endpoints were cumulative survival rates at days 21, 28 and 90. Four different rigorous analyses were performed to reduce bias and confounding. RESULTS In the entire cohort, the cumulative survival rates at days 21, 28 and 90 were significantly higher in patients who underwent ALSS treatment (73.3% vs. 59.6%, 69.2% vs. 56.6%, 56.5% vs. 49.1%, respectively, P less then 0.01) than in those who underwent SMT only. In the 276-pair case-control matched cohort, a significantly higher survival rate was also observed in the ALSS group than in the SMT group on days 21, 28 and 90 (72.5% vs. 60.3%, 68.3% vs. 57.4%, 55.9% vs. 48.5%, respectively, P less then 0.05), especially in patients with ACLF-1 and -2. By a multivariable-adjusted analysis, ALSS treatment was associated with a significantly lower risk of mortality, especially for ACLF-2 at days 21, 28 and 90. These findings were also confirmed through propensity score matching and inverse probability treatment weighting analysis. CONCLUSIONS ALSS treatment can improve the short-term survival and associated with a significantly lower risk of short-term mortality in patients with HBV-ACLF, especially ACLF-2. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Silk-protein-based fibers have attracted considerable interest due to their low weight and extraordinary mechanical properties. Most studies on fibrous proteins focus on the recombinant spidroins, but these fibers exhibit moderate mechanical performance. Thus, the development of alternative structural proteins for the construction of robust fibers is an attractive goal. Herein, we report a class of biological fibers produced using a designed chimeric protein, which consists of the sequences of a cationic elastin-like polypeptide and a squid ring teeth protein. Remarkably, the chimeric protein fibers exhibit a breaking strength up to about 630 MPa and a corresponding toughness as high as about 130 MJ m-3 , making them superior to many recombinant spider silks and even comparable to some native counterparts. Therefore, this strategy is a novel concept for exploring bioinspired ultrastrong protein materials through the development of new types of structural chimeric proteins. © 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.OBJECTIVE To compare treatment regimens and glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c) levels in Type 1 (T1D) and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) using diabetes registries from two countries-U.S. SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth (SEARCH) and Indian Registry of youth onset diabetes in India (YDR). METHODS The SEARCH and YDR data were harmonized to the structure and terminology in the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership Common Data Model. Data used were from T1D and T2D youth diagnosed less then 20 years between 2006-2012 for YDR, and 2006, 2008, and 2012 for SEARCH. We compared treatment regimens and A1c levels across the two registries. RESULTS There were 4003 T1D (SEARCH = 1899; YDR = 2104) and 611 T2D (SEARCH = 384; YDR = 227) youth. The mean A1c was higher in YDR compared to SEARCH (T1D11.0% ± 2.9% vs 7.8% ± 1.7%, P  less then  .001; T2D9.9% ± 2.8% vs 7.2% ± 2.1%, P  less then  .001). Among T1D youth in SEARCH, 65.1% were on a basal/bolus regimen, whereas in YDR, 52.8% were on once/twice daily insulin regimen. Pumps were used by 16.