AIM:To evaluate effective alternative antibiotics in treatment of cefotaxime-resistant spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.METHODS:One hundred cirrhotic patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis [ascitic fluid pol...AIM:To evaluate effective alternative antibiotics in treatment of cefotaxime-resistant spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.METHODS:One hundred cirrhotic patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis [ascitic fluid polymorphonuclear cell count(PMNLs) ≥ 250 cells/mm 3 at admission] were empirically treated with cefotaxime sodium 2 g/12 h and volume expansion by intravenous human albumin.All patients were subjected to history taking,complete examination,laboratory tests(including a complete blood cell count,prothrombin time,biochemical tests of liver and kidney function,and fresh urine sediment),chest X-ray,a diagnostic abdominal paracentesis,and the sample subjected to total and differential cell count,chemical examination,aerobic and anaerobic cultures.Patients were divided after 2 d by a second ascitic PMNL count into group Ⅰ;patients sensitive to cefotaxime(n = 81),group Ⅱ(n = 19);cases resistant to cefotaxime(less than 25% decrease in ascitic PMNL count).Patients of group Ⅱ were randomly assigned into meropenem(n = 11) or levofloxacin(n = 8) subgroups.All patients performed an end of treatment ascitic PMNL count.Patients were considered improved when:PMNLs decreased to < 250 cells/mm 3,no growth in previously positive culture cases,and improved clinical manifestations with at least 5 d of antibiotic therapy.RESULTS:Age,sex,and Child classes showed no significant difference between group Ⅰ and group Ⅱ.Fever and abdominal pain were the most frequent manifestations and were reported in 82.7% and 80.2% of patients in group Ⅰ and in 94.7% and 84.2% of patients in group Ⅱ,respectively.Patients in group Ⅱ had a more severe ascitic inflammatory response than group Ⅰ and this was demonstrated by more ascitic lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) [median:540 IU/L(range:150-1200 IU/L) vs median:240 IU/L(range:180-500 IU/L),P = 0.000] and PMNL [median:15 000 cell/mm 3(range:957-23 822 cell/mm 3) vs 3400 cell/mm 3(range:695-26 400 cell/mm 3),P = 0.000] counts.Ascitic fluid culture was positive in 32% of cases.Cefot展开更多
Graphene oxide (GO) possesses excellent mechanical strength,biocompatibility,colloidal stability,large surface area and high adsorption capability.It has driven to cancer nanotechnology to defeat cancer therapy obstac...Graphene oxide (GO) possesses excellent mechanical strength,biocompatibility,colloidal stability,large surface area and high adsorption capability.It has driven to cancer nanotechnology to defeat cancer therapy obstacles,via integration into three-dimensional (3D) hydrogel network with biocompatible polymers as nanocomposites carrier,and controllable release of anticancer drugs.Specifically,the surface of GO affords π-π stacking and hydrophilic interactions with anticancer drugs.Additionally,modification of GO with various polymers such as natural and synthetic polymers enhances its biodegradability,drug loading,and target delivery.In this review,GO based hydrogels research accomplishments are reviewed on the aspects of crosslinking strategies,preparation methods,the model drug,polymer conjugation and modification with targeting ligands.Moreover,swelling kinetics,drug release profile and biological activity in vivo and in vitro are discussed.The biocompatibility of GO based hydrogels is also discussed from the perspective of its nano-bio interfaces.Apart from that,the clinical potential of GO based hydrogels and its major challenges are addressed in detail.Finally,this review concludes with a summary and invigorating future perspectives of GO based hydrogels for anticancer drug delivery.It is anticipated that this review can stimulate a new research gateway to facilitate the development of anticancer drug delivery by harnessing the unique properties of GO based hydrogels,such as large surface area,chemical purity,high loading capacity of drug,chemical stability,and the nature of lipophilic for cell membrane penetration.展开更多
The main goal of this study was to introduce a novel three-dimensional procedure to objectively quantify both inner and outer condylar remodelling on preoperative multi-slice computed tomography （MSCT） and postopera...The main goal of this study was to introduce a novel three-dimensional procedure to objectively quantify both inner and outer condylar remodelling on preoperative multi-slice computed tomography （MSCT） and postoperative cone-beam computed tomography （CBCT） images. Second, the reliability and accuracy of this condylar volume quantification method was assessed. The mandibles of 20 patients （11 female and 9 male） who underwent bimaxillary surgery were semi-automatically extracted from MSCT/CBCT scans and rendered in 3D. The resulting condyles were spatially matched by using an anatomical landmark-based registration procedure. A standardized sphere was created around each condyle, and the condylar bone volume within this selected region of interest was automatically calculated. To investigate the reproducibility of the method, inter- and intra-observer reliability was calculated for assessments made by two experienced radiologists twice five months apart in a set of ten randomly selected patients. To test the accuracy of the bone segmentation, the inner and outer bone structures of one dry mandible, scanned according to the clinical set-up, were compared with the gold standard, micro-CT. Thirty-eight condyles showed a significant （P〈O.05） mean bone volume decrease of 26.4%_ 11.4% （502.9 mm3＋ 268.1 mm3）. No significant effects of side, sex or age were found. Good to excellent （ICC〉 0.6） intra- and inter-observer reliability was observed for both MSCT and CBCT. Moreover, the bone segmentation accuracy was less than one voxel （0.4 mm） for MSCT （0.3 mm __. 0.2 mm） and CBCT （0.4 mm _ 0.3 mm）, thus indicating the clinical potential of this method for objective follow-up in pathological condylar resorption.展开更多
Hepatitis C virus(HCV) is a potent human pathogen and is one of the main causes of chronic hepatitis round the world. The present review describes the evidencebased consensus on the diagnosis, prevention and managemen...Hepatitis C virus(HCV) is a potent human pathogen and is one of the main causes of chronic hepatitis round the world. The present review describes the evidencebased consensus on the diagnosis, prevention and management of HCV disease. Various techniques, for the detection of anti-HCV immunoglobulin G immunoassays, detection of HCV RNA by identifying virus-specific molecules nucleic acid testings, recognition of core antigen for diagnosis of HCV, quantitative antigenassay, have been used to detect HCV RNA and core antigen. Advanced technologies such as nanoparticlebased diagnostic assays, loop-mediated isothermal amplification and aptamers and Ortho trak-C assay have also come to the front that provides best detection results with greater ease and specificity for detection of HCV. It is of immense importance to prevent this infection especially among the sexual partners, injecting drug users, mother-to-infant transmission of HCV, household contact, healthcare workers and people who get tattoos and piercing on their skin. Management of this infection is intended to eradicate it out of the body of patients. Management includes examining the treatment(efficacy and protection), assessment of hepatic condition before commencing therapy, controlling the parameters upon which dual and triple therapies work, monitoring the body after treatment and adjusting the co-factors. Examining the treatment in some special groups of people(HIV/HCV co-infected, hemodialysis patients, renal transplanted patients).展开更多
The influence of fly ash(FA)applied alone and/or with sewage sludge(SS)on wheat(Triticum vulgare)grain yield,biomass production and soil properties was studied in a field experiment.The results showed that both FA and...The influence of fly ash(FA)applied alone and/or with sewage sludge(SS)on wheat(Triticum vulgare)grain yield,biomass production and soil properties was studied in a field experiment.The results showed that both FA and SS significantly increased grain yield and plant biomass.FA applied alone increased significantly soil pH and EC while FA applied together with SS did not significantly affect them compared to mono FA treatment.Soil pH and EC values increased with time in FA and FA-SS treatments.SS increased soil organic matter and total N content and SS applied together with FA increased also available soil B.From the plant nutrients tested only tissue N concentration was increased significantly in all treatments compared to control.Copper,Zn,Mn,Ni,and Pb at both available and total concentrations are significantly affected.展开更多
Background: Bioenhancers augment the bioavailability of co-administered molecules without showing any significant effect on their own. Piperine, an alkaloid from Piper nigrum, is an established natural bioenhancer. Ni...Background: Bioenhancers augment the bioavailability of co-administered molecules without showing any significant effect on their own. Piperine, an alkaloid from Piper nigrum, is an established natural bioenhancer. Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), an antiaging supplement, is the precursor of coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) that plays an important role in intracellular redox reactions. Objective: The study compared the serum concentrations of NAD in normal healthy participants, supplemented with NMN 500 mg and NMN 500 mg + 5 mg BioPerine® (95% piperine). Methods: In a randomized, open-label, crossover study, NMN (500 mg) was compared to NMN + BioPerine® (500 mg + 5 mg) in 6 healthy adults, aged 18 - 45 years. The participants received a single oral dose of NMN or NMN + BioPerine® capsules with 240 mL water, and blood samples were collected over 8hr. After a 4-day washout period, the same procedures were repeated as per the crossover design. Total NAD (NADtotal), including oxidized NAD (the oxidized) and its reduced form NADH, was measured in human serum samples. Results: The maximum concentration (Cmax) of NAD in serum was higher with NMN + BioPerine® (282 pmol/mL) compared to NMN (246 pmol/mL) alone. In the presence of BioPerine®, the NAD concentrations reached 257 pmol/mL during the first 2 hr, whereas a comparable serum concentration (246 pmol/mL) was attained only after 6 hr in NMN alone. The AUC0-8hr was 1738 pmol/mL/hr in NMN compared to 2004 pmol/mL/hr in NMN+ BioPerine®. The time to reach peak concentration (t1/2) was similar (6hr) in both groups. No clinically relevant adverse events (AE) were observed, and safety parameters remained within normal ranges in all the participants with both formulations. Conclusion: These results reveal that BioPerine® can effectively increase the NAD concentrations in the serum following NMN supplementation in healthy volunteers. The present study was registered prospectively with the Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI/2023/11/059982).展开更多
In the area of pattern recognition and machine learning,features play a key role in prediction.The famous applications of features are medical imaging,image classification,and name a few more.With the exponential grow...In the area of pattern recognition and machine learning,features play a key role in prediction.The famous applications of features are medical imaging,image classification,and name a few more.With the exponential growth of information investments in medical data repositories and health service provision,medical institutions are collecting large volumes of data.These data repositories contain details information essential to support medical diagnostic decisions and also improve patient care quality.On the other hand,this growth also made it difficult to comprehend and utilize data for various purposes.The results of imaging data can become biased because of extraneous features present in larger datasets.Feature selection gives a chance to decrease the number of components in such large datasets.Through selection techniques,ousting the unimportant features and selecting a subset of components that produces prevalent characterization precision.The correct decision to find a good attribute produces a precise grouping model,which enhances learning pace and forecast control.This paper presents a review of feature selection techniques and attributes selection measures for medical imaging.This review is meant to describe feature selection techniques in a medical domainwith their pros and cons and to signify its application in imaging data and data mining algorithms.The review reveals the shortcomings of the existing feature and attributes selection techniques to multi-sourced data.Moreover,this review provides the importance of feature selection for correct classification of medical infections.In the end,critical analysis and future directions are provided.展开更多
Lanthanide-ion imprinted polymers（L-IIPs） were synthesized by stoichiometric amounts of rare earth ions and the cavities in the polymers were created for the corresponding lanthanide ions. The maximum sorption capac...Lanthanide-ion imprinted polymers（L-IIPs） were synthesized by stoichiometric amounts of rare earth ions and the cavities in the polymers were created for the corresponding lanthanide ions. The maximum sorption capacities were estimated to be 125.3, 126.5, 127.6, 128.2 and 129.1 mg/g for Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu and Gd, respectively at p H 6. In the selectivity study, the L-IIPs exhibited good selectivity to the specific rare earth ions in the presence of coexisting cations. The imprinting results were found to be excellent with some rare earth ions over other competitor rare earth ions with the same charges and close ionic radius.展开更多
Aim: To determine the frequency of genetic deletions within the azoospermia factors in Egyptian infertile males. Methods: The Yq microdeletions in 33 infertile males with undetectable chromosomal anomalies were examin...Aim: To determine the frequency of genetic deletions within the azoospermia factors in Egyptian infertile males. Methods: The Yq microdeletions in 33 infertile males with undetectable chromosomal anomalies were examined by mutiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Deletions were confirmed using single PCR amplifications. Results: Four out of the total 33 (12 %) men had Yq11 microdeletions, thus supporting the average reported figures in other populations. Three of those 4 cases had single short tandem sequence deletions with discrete histological findings of their testes. Single sY272 deletion within AZFc was associated with Sertoli cell only syndrome, whereas a patient with isolated sY84 deletion within AZFa had immature testicular structure. The remaining case had a large deletion in AZFa-c and short stature. Conclusion: The present study supports the hypothesis that the Yqn encompasses genetic determinants of stature besides genes controlling spermatogenesis.展开更多
Poly（hydroxamic acid）-poly（amidoxime） che- lating ligands were synthesized from poly（methyl acrylate-co-acrylonitrile） grafted acacia cellulose for removing toxic metal ions from industrial wastewaters. These li...Poly（hydroxamic acid）-poly（amidoxime） che- lating ligands were synthesized from poly（methyl acrylate-co-acrylonitrile） grafted acacia cellulose for removing toxic metal ions from industrial wastewaters. These ligands showed higher adsorption capacity to copper （2.80 mmol. g-l） at pH 6. In addition, sorption capacities to other metal ions such as iron, zinc, chromium, and nickel were also found high at pH 6. The metal ions sorption rate （tl/2） was very fast. The rate of adsorption of copper, iron, zinc, chromium, nickel, cobalt, cadmium and lead were 4, 5, 7, 5, 5, 8, 9 and 11 min, respectively. Therefore, these ligands have an advantage to the metal ions removal using the column technique. We have successfully investigated the known concentration of metal ions using various parameters, which is essential for designing a fixed bed column with ligands. The wastewater from electroplating plants used in this study, having chromium, zinc, nickel, copper and iron, etc. For chromium wastewater, ICP analysis showed that the Cr removal was 99.8% and other metal ions such as Cu, Ni, Fe, Zn, Cd, Pb, Co and Mn removal were 94.7%, 99.2%, 99.9%, 99.9%, 99.5%, 99.9%, 95.6% and 97.6%, respectively. In case of cyanide wastewater, the metal removal, especially Ni and Zn removal were 96.5 and 95.2% at higher initial concentra- tion. For acid/alkali wastewater, metal ions removing for Cd, Cr and Fe were 99.2%, 99.5% and 99.9%, respectively. Overall, these ligands are useful for metal removal by column method from industrial wastewater especially plating wastewater.展开更多
In this paper, novel mathematical expressions are derived for the Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver interference tolerance in the presence of different types of interference signals such as: continuous wave int...In this paper, novel mathematical expressions are derived for the Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver interference tolerance in the presence of different types of interference signals such as: continuous wave interference, narrowband interference, partial band interference, broadband interference, match spectrum interference and pulse interference. Also, in this paper the mean time to loss lock is determined in order to analyse the mentioned interferences effect on the GPS receiver. These derived analytical expressions are validated with the aid of extensive simulation experiments.展开更多
AIM: To identify the prevalence, risk factors and manifestations of asymptomatic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Egyptian children. METHODS: Children at the age of 1-9 years were screened for HCV antibodies and a...AIM: To identify the prevalence, risk factors and manifestations of asymptomatic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Egyptian children. METHODS: Children at the age of 1-9 years were screened for HCV antibodies and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. Every child with elevated ALT and/or detectable HCV antibodies was tested for HCV RNA by RT-PCR and compared with two negative controls for risk factors and signs and symptoms of liver disease.RESULTS: We screened 1042 children, six of them had elevated ALT, negative HCV antibody and positive RNA, likely representing acute hepatitis C cases. Fifteen children were HCV seropositive, 5 of them were HCV RNA positive. Asymptomatic HCV infection was present in 2.02% (positive results for either HCV antibodies or HCV-RNA or both). Symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, history of fatigue and school absence because of illness and risk factors such as dental care were significantly more common among HCV positive cases than among controls. None of the HCV positive children was diagnosed as having signs of advanced liver disease upon clinical or ultrasonographic examination. CONCLUSION: Asymptomatic HCV infection is detectable in 2.02% Egyptian children.展开更多
AIM： To evaluate and compare the efficacy of the astigmatic correction achieved with laser in situ keratomileusis（LASIK） in eyes with myopic astigmatism using wavefront-guided（WFG） and wavefront-optimized（WFO） ...AIM： To evaluate and compare the efficacy of the astigmatic correction achieved with laser in situ keratomileusis（LASIK） in eyes with myopic astigmatism using wavefront-guided（WFG） and wavefront-optimized（WFO） ablation profiles.METHODS： Prospective study included 221 eyes undergoing LASIK： 99 and 122 eyes with low and moderate myopic astigmatism（low and moderate myopia groups）.Two subgroups were differentiated in each group according to the ablation profile： WFG subgroup,109 eyes（45/64,low/moderate myopia groups） treated using the Advanced Custom Vue platform（Abbott Medical Optics Inc.）,and WFO subgroup,112 eyes（54/58,low/moderate myopia groups） treated using the EX-500 platform（Alcon）.Clinical outcomes were evaluated during a 6-month follow-up,including a vector analysis of astigmatic changes.RESULTS： Significantly better postoperative uncorrected visual acuity and efficacy index was found in the WFG subgroups of each group（P≤0.041）.Postoperative spherical equivalent and cylinder were significantly higher in WFO subgroups（P≤0.003）.In moderate myopia group,a higher percentage of eyes with a postoperative cylinder ≤0.25 D was found in the WFG subgroup（90.6% vs 65.5%,P=0.002）.In low and moderate myopia groups,the difference vector was significantly higher in the WFO subgroup compared to WFG（P〈0.001）.In moderate myopia group,the magnitude（P=0.008） and angle of error（P〈0.001） were also significantly higher in the WFO subgroup.Significantlyless induction of high order aberrations were found with WFG treatments in both low and moderate myopia groups（P≤0.006）.CONCLUSION： A more efficacious correction of myopic astigmatism providing a better visual outcome is achieved with WFG LASIK compared to WFO LASIK.展开更多
In this study, we report the effect of Zn doping on the thermoelectric properties of CO1-xZnxSbS0.85Se0.15 solid solutions （x = 0, 0.02, 0.05, 0.08）. The results show the dimensionless figure of merit （zT） increas...In this study, we report the effect of Zn doping on the thermoelectric properties of CO1-xZnxSbS0.85Se0.15 solid solutions （x = 0, 0.02, 0.05, 0.08）. The results show the dimensionless figure of merit （zT） increases from 0.17 to 0.34 at 875 K for Co0.95Zn0.05SbS0.85Se0.15 sample, due to the noticeable decrease in the lattice thermal conductivity by introducing point defect, which is further confirmed by an analysis based on the Debye-Callaway- Klemens model. Meanwhile, the thermoelectric power factor is maintained at high temperatures. This work highlights the important role of point defect in improving the thermoelectric performance of CoSbS-based compounds.展开更多
Inflammatory bowel diseases(IBD) are chronic idiopathic inflammatory conditions characterized by relapsing and remitting episodes of inflammation which can affect several different regions of the gastrointestinal trac...Inflammatory bowel diseases(IBD) are chronic idiopathic inflammatory conditions characterized by relapsing and remitting episodes of inflammation which can affect several different regions of the gastrointestinal tract, but also shows extra-intestinal manifestations. IBD is most frequently diagnosed during peak female reproductive years, with 25% of women with IBD conceiving after their diagnosis. While IBD therapy has improved dramatically with enhanced surveillance and more abundant and powerful treatment options, IBD disease can have important effects on pregnancy and presents several challenges for maintaining optimal outcomes for mothers with IBD and the developing fetus/neonate. Women with IBD, the medical team treating them(both gastroenterologists and obstetricians/gynecologists) must often make highly complicated choices regarding conception, pregnancy, and post-natal care(particularly breastfeeding) related to their choice of treatment options at different phases of pregnancy as well as post-partum. This current review discusses current concerns and recommendations for pregnancy duringIBD and is intended for gastroenterologists, general practitioners and IBD patients intending to become,(or already) pregnant, and their families. We have addressed patterns of IBD inheritance, effects of IBD on fertility and conception(in both men and women), the effects of IBD disease activity on maintenance of pregnancy and outcomes, risks of diagnostic procedures during pregnancy and potential risks and complications associated with different classes of IBD therapeutics. We also have evaluated the clinical experience using "top-down" care with biologics, which is currently the standard care at our institution. Post-partum care and breastfeeding recommendations are also addressed.展开更多
文摘AIM:To evaluate effective alternative antibiotics in treatment of cefotaxime-resistant spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.METHODS:One hundred cirrhotic patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis [ascitic fluid polymorphonuclear cell count(PMNLs) ≥ 250 cells/mm 3 at admission] were empirically treated with cefotaxime sodium 2 g/12 h and volume expansion by intravenous human albumin.All patients were subjected to history taking,complete examination,laboratory tests(including a complete blood cell count,prothrombin time,biochemical tests of liver and kidney function,and fresh urine sediment),chest X-ray,a diagnostic abdominal paracentesis,and the sample subjected to total and differential cell count,chemical examination,aerobic and anaerobic cultures.Patients were divided after 2 d by a second ascitic PMNL count into group Ⅰ;patients sensitive to cefotaxime(n = 81),group Ⅱ(n = 19);cases resistant to cefotaxime(less than 25% decrease in ascitic PMNL count).Patients of group Ⅱ were randomly assigned into meropenem(n = 11) or levofloxacin(n = 8) subgroups.All patients performed an end of treatment ascitic PMNL count.Patients were considered improved when:PMNLs decreased to < 250 cells/mm 3,no growth in previously positive culture cases,and improved clinical manifestations with at least 5 d of antibiotic therapy.RESULTS:Age,sex,and Child classes showed no significant difference between group Ⅰ and group Ⅱ.Fever and abdominal pain were the most frequent manifestations and were reported in 82.7% and 80.2% of patients in group Ⅰ and in 94.7% and 84.2% of patients in group Ⅱ,respectively.Patients in group Ⅱ had a more severe ascitic inflammatory response than group Ⅰ and this was demonstrated by more ascitic lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) [median:540 IU/L(range:150-1200 IU/L) vs median:240 IU/L(range:180-500 IU/L),P = 0.000] and PMNL [median:15 000 cell/mm 3(range:957-23 822 cell/mm 3) vs 3400 cell/mm 3(range:695-26 400 cell/mm 3),P = 0.000] counts.Ascitic fluid culture was positive in 32% of cases.Cefot
文摘Graphene oxide (GO) possesses excellent mechanical strength,biocompatibility,colloidal stability,large surface area and high adsorption capability.It has driven to cancer nanotechnology to defeat cancer therapy obstacles,via integration into three-dimensional (3D) hydrogel network with biocompatible polymers as nanocomposites carrier,and controllable release of anticancer drugs.Specifically,the surface of GO affords π-π stacking and hydrophilic interactions with anticancer drugs.Additionally,modification of GO with various polymers such as natural and synthetic polymers enhances its biodegradability,drug loading,and target delivery.In this review,GO based hydrogels research accomplishments are reviewed on the aspects of crosslinking strategies,preparation methods,the model drug,polymer conjugation and modification with targeting ligands.Moreover,swelling kinetics,drug release profile and biological activity in vivo and in vitro are discussed.The biocompatibility of GO based hydrogels is also discussed from the perspective of its nano-bio interfaces.Apart from that,the clinical potential of GO based hydrogels and its major challenges are addressed in detail.Finally,this review concludes with a summary and invigorating future perspectives of GO based hydrogels for anticancer drug delivery.It is anticipated that this review can stimulate a new research gateway to facilitate the development of anticancer drug delivery by harnessing the unique properties of GO based hydrogels,such as large surface area,chemical purity,high loading capacity of drug,chemical stability,and the nature of lipophilic for cell membrane penetration.
基金the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel(CAPES)programmeScience without borders from Brazilian governmentthe Research Foundation Flanders(FWO)from Flemish government for the fellowship support
文摘The main goal of this study was to introduce a novel three-dimensional procedure to objectively quantify both inner and outer condylar remodelling on preoperative multi-slice computed tomography （MSCT） and postoperative cone-beam computed tomography （CBCT） images. Second, the reliability and accuracy of this condylar volume quantification method was assessed. The mandibles of 20 patients （11 female and 9 male） who underwent bimaxillary surgery were semi-automatically extracted from MSCT/CBCT scans and rendered in 3D. The resulting condyles were spatially matched by using an anatomical landmark-based registration procedure. A standardized sphere was created around each condyle, and the condylar bone volume within this selected region of interest was automatically calculated. To investigate the reproducibility of the method, inter- and intra-observer reliability was calculated for assessments made by two experienced radiologists twice five months apart in a set of ten randomly selected patients. To test the accuracy of the bone segmentation, the inner and outer bone structures of one dry mandible, scanned according to the clinical set-up, were compared with the gold standard, micro-CT. Thirty-eight condyles showed a significant （P〈O.05） mean bone volume decrease of 26.4%_ 11.4% （502.9 mm3＋ 268.1 mm3）. No significant effects of side, sex or age were found. Good to excellent （ICC〉 0.6） intra- and inter-observer reliability was observed for both MSCT and CBCT. Moreover, the bone segmentation accuracy was less than one voxel （0.4 mm） for MSCT （0.3 mm __. 0.2 mm） and CBCT （0.4 mm _ 0.3 mm）, thus indicating the clinical potential of this method for objective follow-up in pathological condylar resorption.
文摘Hepatitis C virus(HCV) is a potent human pathogen and is one of the main causes of chronic hepatitis round the world. The present review describes the evidencebased consensus on the diagnosis, prevention and management of HCV disease. Various techniques, for the detection of anti-HCV immunoglobulin G immunoassays, detection of HCV RNA by identifying virus-specific molecules nucleic acid testings, recognition of core antigen for diagnosis of HCV, quantitative antigenassay, have been used to detect HCV RNA and core antigen. Advanced technologies such as nanoparticlebased diagnostic assays, loop-mediated isothermal amplification and aptamers and Ortho trak-C assay have also come to the front that provides best detection results with greater ease and specificity for detection of HCV. It is of immense importance to prevent this infection especially among the sexual partners, injecting drug users, mother-to-infant transmission of HCV, household contact, healthcare workers and people who get tattoos and piercing on their skin. Management of this infection is intended to eradicate it out of the body of patients. Management includes examining the treatment(efficacy and protection), assessment of hepatic condition before commencing therapy, controlling the parameters upon which dual and triple therapies work, monitoring the body after treatment and adjusting the co-factors. Examining the treatment in some special groups of people(HIV/HCV co-infected, hemodialysis patients, renal transplanted patients).
文摘The influence of fly ash(FA)applied alone and/or with sewage sludge(SS)on wheat(Triticum vulgare)grain yield,biomass production and soil properties was studied in a field experiment.The results showed that both FA and SS significantly increased grain yield and plant biomass.FA applied alone increased significantly soil pH and EC while FA applied together with SS did not significantly affect them compared to mono FA treatment.Soil pH and EC values increased with time in FA and FA-SS treatments.SS increased soil organic matter and total N content and SS applied together with FA increased also available soil B.From the plant nutrients tested only tissue N concentration was increased significantly in all treatments compared to control.Copper,Zn,Mn,Ni,and Pb at both available and total concentrations are significantly affected.
文摘Background: Bioenhancers augment the bioavailability of co-administered molecules without showing any significant effect on their own. Piperine, an alkaloid from Piper nigrum, is an established natural bioenhancer. Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), an antiaging supplement, is the precursor of coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) that plays an important role in intracellular redox reactions. Objective: The study compared the serum concentrations of NAD in normal healthy participants, supplemented with NMN 500 mg and NMN 500 mg + 5 mg BioPerine® (95% piperine). Methods: In a randomized, open-label, crossover study, NMN (500 mg) was compared to NMN + BioPerine® (500 mg + 5 mg) in 6 healthy adults, aged 18 - 45 years. The participants received a single oral dose of NMN or NMN + BioPerine® capsules with 240 mL water, and blood samples were collected over 8hr. After a 4-day washout period, the same procedures were repeated as per the crossover design. Total NAD (NADtotal), including oxidized NAD (the oxidized) and its reduced form NADH, was measured in human serum samples. Results: The maximum concentration (Cmax) of NAD in serum was higher with NMN + BioPerine® (282 pmol/mL) compared to NMN (246 pmol/mL) alone. In the presence of BioPerine®, the NAD concentrations reached 257 pmol/mL during the first 2 hr, whereas a comparable serum concentration (246 pmol/mL) was attained only after 6 hr in NMN alone. The AUC0-8hr was 1738 pmol/mL/hr in NMN compared to 2004 pmol/mL/hr in NMN+ BioPerine®. The time to reach peak concentration (t1/2) was similar (6hr) in both groups. No clinically relevant adverse events (AE) were observed, and safety parameters remained within normal ranges in all the participants with both formulations. Conclusion: These results reveal that BioPerine® can effectively increase the NAD concentrations in the serum following NMN supplementation in healthy volunteers. The present study was registered prospectively with the Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI/2023/11/059982).
文摘In the area of pattern recognition and machine learning,features play a key role in prediction.The famous applications of features are medical imaging,image classification,and name a few more.With the exponential growth of information investments in medical data repositories and health service provision,medical institutions are collecting large volumes of data.These data repositories contain details information essential to support medical diagnostic decisions and also improve patient care quality.On the other hand,this growth also made it difficult to comprehend and utilize data for various purposes.The results of imaging data can become biased because of extraneous features present in larger datasets.Feature selection gives a chance to decrease the number of components in such large datasets.Through selection techniques,ousting the unimportant features and selecting a subset of components that produces prevalent characterization precision.The correct decision to find a good attribute produces a precise grouping model,which enhances learning pace and forecast control.This paper presents a review of feature selection techniques and attributes selection measures for medical imaging.This review is meant to describe feature selection techniques in a medical domainwith their pros and cons and to signify its application in imaging data and data mining algorithms.The review reveals the shortcomings of the existing feature and attributes selection techniques to multi-sourced data.Moreover,this review provides the importance of feature selection for correct classification of medical infections.In the end,critical analysis and future directions are provided.
基金Project supported by the Ministry of Science,Technology and Innovation,Malaysia(RDU130505,SBK0260-ST-2016)
文摘Lanthanide-ion imprinted polymers（L-IIPs） were synthesized by stoichiometric amounts of rare earth ions and the cavities in the polymers were created for the corresponding lanthanide ions. The maximum sorption capacities were estimated to be 125.3, 126.5, 127.6, 128.2 and 129.1 mg/g for Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu and Gd, respectively at p H 6. In the selectivity study, the L-IIPs exhibited good selectivity to the specific rare earth ions in the presence of coexisting cations. The imprinting results were found to be excellent with some rare earth ions over other competitor rare earth ions with the same charges and close ionic radius.
文摘Aim: To determine the frequency of genetic deletions within the azoospermia factors in Egyptian infertile males. Methods: The Yq microdeletions in 33 infertile males with undetectable chromosomal anomalies were examined by mutiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Deletions were confirmed using single PCR amplifications. Results: Four out of the total 33 (12 %) men had Yq11 microdeletions, thus supporting the average reported figures in other populations. Three of those 4 cases had single short tandem sequence deletions with discrete histological findings of their testes. Single sY272 deletion within AZFc was associated with Sertoli cell only syndrome, whereas a patient with isolated sY84 deletion within AZFa had immature testicular structure. The remaining case had a large deletion in AZFa-c and short stature. Conclusion: The present study supports the hypothesis that the Yqn encompasses genetic determinants of stature besides genes controlling spermatogenesis.
文摘Poly（hydroxamic acid）-poly（amidoxime） che- lating ligands were synthesized from poly（methyl acrylate-co-acrylonitrile） grafted acacia cellulose for removing toxic metal ions from industrial wastewaters. These ligands showed higher adsorption capacity to copper （2.80 mmol. g-l） at pH 6. In addition, sorption capacities to other metal ions such as iron, zinc, chromium, and nickel were also found high at pH 6. The metal ions sorption rate （tl/2） was very fast. The rate of adsorption of copper, iron, zinc, chromium, nickel, cobalt, cadmium and lead were 4, 5, 7, 5, 5, 8, 9 and 11 min, respectively. Therefore, these ligands have an advantage to the metal ions removal using the column technique. We have successfully investigated the known concentration of metal ions using various parameters, which is essential for designing a fixed bed column with ligands. The wastewater from electroplating plants used in this study, having chromium, zinc, nickel, copper and iron, etc. For chromium wastewater, ICP analysis showed that the Cr removal was 99.8% and other metal ions such as Cu, Ni, Fe, Zn, Cd, Pb, Co and Mn removal were 94.7%, 99.2%, 99.9%, 99.9%, 99.5%, 99.9%, 95.6% and 97.6%, respectively. In case of cyanide wastewater, the metal removal, especially Ni and Zn removal were 96.5 and 95.2% at higher initial concentra- tion. For acid/alkali wastewater, metal ions removing for Cd, Cr and Fe were 99.2%, 99.5% and 99.9%, respectively. Overall, these ligands are useful for metal removal by column method from industrial wastewater especially plating wastewater.
文摘In this paper, novel mathematical expressions are derived for the Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver interference tolerance in the presence of different types of interference signals such as: continuous wave interference, narrowband interference, partial band interference, broadband interference, match spectrum interference and pulse interference. Also, in this paper the mean time to loss lock is determined in order to analyse the mentioned interferences effect on the GPS receiver. These derived analytical expressions are validated with the aid of extensive simulation experiments.
基金Supported by the Sustainable Sciences Institute, United States as part of the small grants program
文摘AIM: To identify the prevalence, risk factors and manifestations of asymptomatic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Egyptian children. METHODS: Children at the age of 1-9 years were screened for HCV antibodies and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. Every child with elevated ALT and/or detectable HCV antibodies was tested for HCV RNA by RT-PCR and compared with two negative controls for risk factors and signs and symptoms of liver disease.RESULTS: We screened 1042 children, six of them had elevated ALT, negative HCV antibody and positive RNA, likely representing acute hepatitis C cases. Fifteen children were HCV seropositive, 5 of them were HCV RNA positive. Asymptomatic HCV infection was present in 2.02% (positive results for either HCV antibodies or HCV-RNA or both). Symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, history of fatigue and school absence because of illness and risk factors such as dental care were significantly more common among HCV positive cases than among controls. None of the HCV positive children was diagnosed as having signs of advanced liver disease upon clinical or ultrasonographic examination. CONCLUSION: Asymptomatic HCV infection is detectable in 2.02% Egyptian children.
基金Partially supported by a grant from Abbott Medical Optics
文摘AIM： To evaluate and compare the efficacy of the astigmatic correction achieved with laser in situ keratomileusis（LASIK） in eyes with myopic astigmatism using wavefront-guided（WFG） and wavefront-optimized（WFO） ablation profiles.METHODS： Prospective study included 221 eyes undergoing LASIK： 99 and 122 eyes with low and moderate myopic astigmatism（low and moderate myopia groups）.Two subgroups were differentiated in each group according to the ablation profile： WFG subgroup,109 eyes（45/64,low/moderate myopia groups） treated using the Advanced Custom Vue platform（Abbott Medical Optics Inc.）,and WFO subgroup,112 eyes（54/58,low/moderate myopia groups） treated using the EX-500 platform（Alcon）.Clinical outcomes were evaluated during a 6-month follow-up,including a vector analysis of astigmatic changes.RESULTS： Significantly better postoperative uncorrected visual acuity and efficacy index was found in the WFG subgroups of each group（P≤0.041）.Postoperative spherical equivalent and cylinder were significantly higher in WFO subgroups（P≤0.003）.In moderate myopia group,a higher percentage of eyes with a postoperative cylinder ≤0.25 D was found in the WFG subgroup（90.6% vs 65.5%,P=0.002）.In low and moderate myopia groups,the difference vector was significantly higher in the WFO subgroup compared to WFG（P〈0.001）.In moderate myopia group,the magnitude（P=0.008） and angle of error（P〈0.001） were also significantly higher in the WFO subgroup.Significantlyless induction of high order aberrations were found with WFG treatments in both low and moderate myopia groups（P≤0.006）.CONCLUSION： A more efficacious correction of myopic astigmatism providing a better visual outcome is achieved with WFG LASIK compared to WFO LASIK.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 11344010. 11404044 and 51472036)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 106112016CDJZR308808)
文摘In this study, we report the effect of Zn doping on the thermoelectric properties of CO1-xZnxSbS0.85Se0.15 solid solutions （x = 0, 0.02, 0.05, 0.08）. The results show the dimensionless figure of merit （zT） increases from 0.17 to 0.34 at 875 K for Co0.95Zn0.05SbS0.85Se0.15 sample, due to the noticeable decrease in the lattice thermal conductivity by introducing point defect, which is further confirmed by an analysis based on the Debye-Callaway- Klemens model. Meanwhile, the thermoelectric power factor is maintained at high temperatures. This work highlights the important role of point defect in improving the thermoelectric performance of CoSbS-based compounds.
文摘Inflammatory bowel diseases(IBD) are chronic idiopathic inflammatory conditions characterized by relapsing and remitting episodes of inflammation which can affect several different regions of the gastrointestinal tract, but also shows extra-intestinal manifestations. IBD is most frequently diagnosed during peak female reproductive years, with 25% of women with IBD conceiving after their diagnosis. While IBD therapy has improved dramatically with enhanced surveillance and more abundant and powerful treatment options, IBD disease can have important effects on pregnancy and presents several challenges for maintaining optimal outcomes for mothers with IBD and the developing fetus/neonate. Women with IBD, the medical team treating them(both gastroenterologists and obstetricians/gynecologists) must often make highly complicated choices regarding conception, pregnancy, and post-natal care(particularly breastfeeding) related to their choice of treatment options at different phases of pregnancy as well as post-partum. This current review discusses current concerns and recommendations for pregnancy duringIBD and is intended for gastroenterologists, general practitioners and IBD patients intending to become,(or already) pregnant, and their families. We have addressed patterns of IBD inheritance, effects of IBD on fertility and conception(in both men and women), the effects of IBD disease activity on maintenance of pregnancy and outcomes, risks of diagnostic procedures during pregnancy and potential risks and complications associated with different classes of IBD therapeutics. We also have evaluated the clinical experience using "top-down" care with biologics, which is currently the standard care at our institution. Post-partum care and breastfeeding recommendations are also addressed.
