Current Criteria Research Articles

ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕ СУБЪЕКТНО-ОРИЕНТИРОВАННОГО ПОДХОДА ПРИ ОКАЗАНИИ ПОДДЕРЖКИ СУБЪЕКТАМ МСП

The article analyzes the current criteria for small and medium-sized businesses, as well as government measures to support business entities. As a result of the research and analysis, the need to change the existing criteria was identified and a more detailed system based on a subject-oriented approach using industry specifics was proposed. The proposed categorization system ensures the systematization and ordering of the support provided, so that its effectiveness is expressed in targeting specific economic entities.

Expecting the Unexpected: Predicting Panic Attacks From Mood, Twitter, and Apple Watch Data.

Panic attacks are an impairing mental health problem that affects 11% of adults every year. Current criteria describe them as occurring without warning, despite evidence suggesting individuals can often identify attack triggers. We aimed to prospectively explore qualitative and quantitative factors associated with the onset of panic attacks. Of 87 participants, 95% retrospectively identified a trigger for their panic attacks. Worse individually reported mood and state-level mood, as indicated by Twitter ratings, were related to greater likelihood of next-day panic attack. In a subsample of participants who uploaded their wearable sensor data (n = 32), louder ambient noise and higher resting heart rate were related to greater likelihood of next-day panic attack. These promising results suggest that individuals who experience panic attacks may be able to anticipate their next attack which could be used to inform future prevention and intervention efforts.

Knowledge Creation as Influence the Achievement of Organisational Social Innovation

This research investigates the effects of knowledge creation on organisational social innovation in R&D organisations. Organisational social innovation deviated from the concept by presenting a new paradigm in business, the potential for innovation of which was viewed as knowledge creation as a factor to solve business economic problems and unfulfilled demands in society. In the post-industrial era, managing intellectual assets has become a crucial component of organisational effectiveness. Organisations require knowledge creation that will enable them to respond quickly to changes, fulfil the demand for constantly changing business knowledge, and improve their ability for long-term organisational innovation. As a result, this research investigates the impact of knowledge creation on the achievement of organisational social innovation. However, there is a lack of interest of previous researcher in this area. In this paper, a partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) was used, and a survey questionnaire was chosen to collect data for this descriptive study. This finding includes 171 Malaysian R&D organisations. This study showed a substantial relationship between knowledge creation and organisational social innovation. The findings of this study extended and improved knowledge-based view (KBV), emphasising the need of understanding a firm's competitive advantage in terms of knowledge creation on achievement of organisational social innovation. However, this study has some limitations, especially in terms of breadth and sample size. Furthermore, the application of current criteria may limit the examination of additional determinants.

Pediatric Cluster Headache Case Series: Symptomatic Cases and the Migraine Relationship.

Current criteria help differentiate cluster headache from migraine. However, children may have overlapping features making it difficult to distinguish the 2 conditions, which may delay diagnosis. Differentiating cluster headache from migraine is important regarding treatment as well as diagnostic workup of secondary headache etiologies. Cases at a single pediatric children's hospital from 2015 to 2023 diagnosed with cluster headache before the age of 18 years were reviewed. Twenty-five cases were identified of which 22 cases met criteria for either chronic, episodic, or probable cluster headache. Three cases were diagnosed with cluster headache by their provider, but documentation was insufficient to meet criteria for cluster headache. There were 16 females and 9 males between ages 6 and 17 years. Five cases were identified as symptomatic, 2 cases as chronic, 7 cases as episodic, and 13 cases as probable cluster headache. Symptomatic etiologies include Graves disease, optic neuritis, prolactinoma, hypothalamic pilocytic astrocytoma with carotid stenosis, and congenital right eye blindness. Migrainous features were common, including 76% with nausea, 36% with vomiting, 68% with photophobia, and 56% with phonophobia. Patients with cluster headache also had an independent diagnosis of migraine in 64%. Children with cluster headache have a high frequency of migrainous symptoms and co-occurrent diagnosis of migraine. A careful history may differentiate cluster headache from migraine and treated accordingly. Children with cluster headache features should undergo screening for secondary causes with appropriate imaging and other studies. Except for prolactinoma, the symptomatic associations noted in this case series have not been reported before.

Cubosomes: Recent Developments and Applications from a Global Perspective

Liquid crystalline cubosomes are self-assembly of aqueous lipid and surfactant mixture. They are discrete and sub-micron in size. It is an innovative lipid-based nanosystem resembling well-known vesicular systems including niosomes and liposomes. Cubic phases incorporate lipophobic, amphiphilic and hydrophilic, components through the utilization of a rounded bi-continuous lipid bilayer and water channels. Cubosomes contain lipids such as phytantriol (PHYT) and glycerol monooleate (GMO) which are amphiphilic in nature that are diffused in water and structured in 3-D as a “honeycomb” structure with suitable stabilizer (Poloxamer 407). Cubosomes are generated by mostly two techniques i.e., top-down, bottom-up methods. UV spectrophotometer, X-ray scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and photon correlation spectroscopy are used to characterize and evaluate cubosomes. They are commonly used in the administration of oral, ophthalmic, transdermal, and chemotherapeutic drugs. The liquid crystalline phase and bicontinuous cubic form nanoparticles are thoroughly discussed in this paper. In the current review search criterion used parameters affecting cubosomes bi-continuous lipid bilayer by top-down and bottom-up methods mostly. The sources referred from peer-reviewed recognized journals. Keywords used as filters were cubosomes, amphiphilic lipids, top-down, bottom-up, bicontinuous, GMO, and phytantriol (PHYT). For the purpose of a comprehensive update literature review over a range (1976–2023) has been conducted on the recent developments cubosomes system.

A new similarity criterion for wind tunnel testing of floating wind turbines achieving dynamic aerodynamic characteristics similarity

Floating offshore wind turbines have rapidly advanced in recent years, prompting numerous experiments. Small-scale turbines require blade redesign with low Reynolds number airfoils due to the scale effect. Consequently, the chord length of these blades no longer corresponds to the length scale, leading to dissimilar dynamic aerodynamic phenomena during platform movement. To address this, a new criterion is proposed for wind tunnel tests of floating offshore wind turbines. The criterion incorporates reduced frequency correction and optimal tip speed ratio (TSR) matching. It ensures hydrodynamic similarity through Froude number similarity and avoids excessive low wind speed through wind speed correction. Optimal TSR matching ensures the model and prototype turbines operate within similar power curve intervals. Reduced frequency corrects the platform sine motion parameters, providing the model turbine with a dynamic aerodynamic effect similar to the prototype. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s 5 MW wind turbine is chosen as the prototype, and the model wind turbine blades are designed using NACA 4412 airfoil and the criterion of thrust coefficient similarity. The sub-module of the FAST, AeroDyn is employed to validate the new criterion for different surge motions between the NREL 5 MW and the model. Under the new similarity criterion, the model turbine exhibits a relative root mean square error of 4.61 % and 1.54 % in power coefficient and thrust coefficient, a significant improvement compared to the current similarity criterion's relative root mean square error of 24.74 % and 8.36 %. The results reveal a circular trend variation in both thrust coefficient and power coefficient with position. Notably, the new criterion demonstrates a closer alignment with the dynamic aerodynamic characteristics of the prototype when contrasted with the current similarity criterion. Furthermore, this model design, tailored for the NREL 5 MW turbine, can be applied to model experiments with various turbine configurations. It has been successfully verified for the IEA 15 MW turbine, exhibiting promising simulation results. The proposed similarity criterion is suitable for wind tunnel testing, addressing the problem that the current similarity criterion cannot reflect the dynamic aerodynamic characteristics of prototype wind turbines. Additionally, it enables experiments on different prototype configurations using a single model turbine, reducing wind tunnel testing costs.

The six most frequent peripheral vestibular syndromes

Three forms of peripheral vestibular disorders, each with its typical symptoms and clinical signs, can be differentiated functionally, anatomically and pathophysiologically: 1. inadequate unilateral paroxysmal stimulation or rarely inhibition of the peripheral vestibular system, e. g., BPPV, Menière's disease, vestibular paroxysmia or syndrome of the third mobile windows; 2. acute unilateral vestibulopathy leading to an acute vestibular tone imbalance manifesting as an acute peripheral vestibular syndrome; and 3. loss or impairment of function of the vestibular nerve and/or labyrinth: bilateral vestibulopathy. For all of these diseases, current diagnostic criteria by the Bárány-Society are available with a high clinical and scientific impact, also for clinical trials. The treatment depends on the underlying disease. It basically consists of 5 principles: 1. Explaining the symptoms and signs, pathophysiology, aetiology and treatment options to the patient; this is important for compliance, adherence and persistence. 2. Physical therapy: A) For BPPV specific liberatory maneuvers, depending on canal involved. Posterior canal: The new SémontPLUS maneuver is superior to the regular Sémont and Epley maneuvers; horizontal canal: the modified roll-maneuver; anterior canal the modified Yacovino-maneuver; 3. Symptomatic or causative drug therapy. There is still a deficit of placebo-controlled clinical trials so that the level of evidence for pharmacotherapy is most often low. 4. Surgery, mainly for the syndrome of the third mobile windows. 5. Psychotherapeutic measures for secondary functional dizziness.

Current status of ECMO for massive pulmonary embolism.

Massive pulmonary embolism (MPE) carries significant 30-day mortality and is characterized by acute right ventricular failure, hypotension, and hypoxia, leading to cardiovascular collapse and cardiac arrest. Given the continued high mortality associated with MPE, there has been ongoing interest in utilizing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to provide oxygenation support to improve hypoxia and offload the right ventricular (RV) pressure in the belief that rapid reduction of hypoxia and RV pressure will improve outcomes. Two modalities can be employed: Veno-arterial-ECMO is a reliable process to decrease RV overload and improve RV function, thus allowing for hemodynamic stability and restoration of tissue oxygenation. Veno-venous ECMO can support oxygenation but is not designed to help circulation. Several societal guidelines now suggest using ECMO in MPE with interventional therapy. There are three strategies for ECMO utilization in MPE: bridge to definitive interventional therapy, sole therapy, and recovery after interventional treatment. The use of ECMO in MPE has been associated with lower mortality in registry reviews, but there has been no significant difference in outcomes between patients treated with and without ECMO in meta-analyses. Considerable heterogeneity in studies is a significant weakness of the available literature. Applying ECMO is also associated with substantial multisystem morbidity due to a systemic inflammatory response, hemorrhagic stroke, renal dysfunction, and bleeding, which must be factored into the outcomes. The application of ECMO in MPE should be combined with an aggressive pulmonary interventional program and should strictly adhere to the current selection criteria.

Business Perspectives of Distributed System Operators for Solar Rooftop-as-a-Service

Rising fossil energy prices and the significantly decreasing prices of energy technology have resulted in electricity consumers having the option to install solar PV rooftops to rely on the self-consumption of clean energy. However, the increase in this amount is affecting the revenue of electricity as a utility, which must adapt and develop its business model to accommodate the situation. If the utility cannot be adapted in time, it may lead to a loss of income from services and the sale of electricity from fossil energy. The utility in Thailand’s electricity market that acts as the distribution system operator (DSO) is known as the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), and the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) is responsible for managing distribution networks and customers. There are four types of solar rooftop-as-a-service (RaaS) business perspectives they could consider as opportunities through which to minimize revenue impact. The business services were designed for the DSO customer as follows: Consulting, Design, and Installation (CDI); Operation and Maintenance (O&M); Energy Service Company (ESCO); and Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The model comprises four customer segments: residential buildings and small-, medium-, and large-scale commercial buildings. This paper applies SWOT, Five Forces, 4P marketing, and economic impact analyses to identify the possibilities when using the DSO business model. The SWOT analysis demonstrates that ESCO and PPA are strengths in the DSO’s performance characteristics and existing customer data. In the electricity industry, both models offer enormous customer bargaining power in terms of a Five Forces analysis. The main reason is that there is currently high competition in the installation service. In the 4P analysis result, the price per unit is found to be significantly lower than in residential scenarios. Therefore, there is a format for presenting promotions with an advantage over competitors. Deploying an after-sales service that brings convenience to all customer segments is needed. The economic analysis conducted using Cournot competition game theory shows a significant differential in the Medium (M) and Large (L) customer sectors’ competition due to lower technology prices. In conclusion, with the current regulatory framework and criteria, the ESCO and PPA show the best practical model from a utility business perspective. The recommendation for DSO is to create a strategic ecosystem and to link it with private companies as their partnership business.

Comparison of fecal calprotectin levels and endoscopic scores for predicting relapse in patients with ulcerative colitis in remission.

Although the usefulness of endoscopic scores, such as the Mayo Endoscopic Subscore (MES), Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity (UCEIS), and Ulcerative Colitis Colonoscopic Index of Severity (UCCIS), and biomarkers such as fecal calprotectin (FC) for predicting relapse in ulcerative colitis (UC) has been reported, few studies have included endoscopic scores for evaluating the entire colon. To compare the usefulness of FC value and MES, UCEIS, and UCCIS for predicting relapse in patients with UC in clinical remission. In total, 75 patients with UC in clinical and endoscopic remission who visited our institution between February 2019 and March 2022 were enrolled. The diagnosis of UC was confirmed based on the clinical presentation, endoscopic findings, and histology, according to the current established criteria for UC. Fecal samples were collected the day before or after the colonoscopy for measurement of FC. Endoscopic evaluations were performed using MES, UCEIS, and UCCIS. The primary outcome measure of this study was the assessment of the association between relapse within 12 mo and MES, UCEIS, UCCIS, and FC. The secondary outcome was the comparison between endoscopic scores and biomarkers in enrolled patients with UC with mucosal healing. FC and UCCIS showed a significant correlation with UCEIS (r = 0.537, P < 0.001 and r = 0.957, P < 0.001, respectively). Receiver-operating characteristic analysis for predicting MES 0 showed that the area under the curve of UCCIS was significantly higher than that of FC (P < 0.01). During the 1-year observation period, 18 (24%) patients experienced a relapse, and both the FC and UCCIS of the relapse group were significantly higher than that of the remission group. The cut-off values for predicting relapse were set at FC = 323 mg/kg and UCCIS = 10.2. The area under the curve of the receiver-operating characteristic analysis for predicting relapse did not show a significant difference between FC and UCCIS. The accuracy of the endoscopic scores and biomarkers in predicting relapse was 86.7% for UCCIS, 85.3% for UCEIS, 76.0% for FC, and 73.3% for MES. The three endoscopic scores and FC may predict UC relapse during clinical remission. Among these scores, UCEIS may be the most useful in terms of ease of evaluation and accuracy.

Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) Syndrome: A 10-Year Retrospective Cohort Study in an Italian Centre of Pediatric Rheumatology.

Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) syndrome is a rare pediatric disorder consisting of a sudden onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and/or tics after a group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection. In the period between 2013 and 2023, 61 children presented to our Pediatric Rheumatology unit with a suspicion of PANDAS syndrome. Among these, a retrospective analysis was conducted, and 19 fulfilled the current classification criteria and were included in this study. The male-to-female ratio was 14:5, the median age at onset was 7.0 (2.0-9.5) years, and the median age at diagnosis was 8.0 (3.0-10.4) years. The median follow-up period was 16.0 (6.0-72.0) months. Family and personal history were relevant in 7/19 and 6/19 patients. Tics were present in all patients. Details for motor tics were retrospectively available in 18/19 patients, with the eyes (11/18) and neck/head (10/18) being most often involved. Vocal tics were documented in 8/19, behavioral changes in 10/19, and OCD in 2/19. Regarding the therapeutic response, all patients responded to amoxicillin, 12/13 to benzathine benzylpenicillin, and 7/9 to azithromycin. Our findings partially overlap with previous reports. Larger prospective studies are needed to improve treatment strategies and classification criteria.

Reliability-Based Service III Evaluation for Prestressed Girder Bridges Under Platoon Loads

Platooning may benefit heavy truck transportation through fuel savings, reduced congestion, enhanced safety, and lower emissions. In the future, platoons may be able to act as mobile-WIM stations, and their permit process and allowable load limits may differ from unregulated trucks in a convoy. Previous reliability-based studies have focused on the Strength I limit state and have shown that trucks can operate at weights exceeding standard legal load limits even with short headways at operating-level reliability. However, the Service III limit state often governs prestressed concrete bridges. The AASHTO Manual for Bridge Evaluation does not specify a target reliability index (β) nor reliability-based evaluation guidance for the Service III limit state. The work presented here performed reliability analyses to investigate implicit reliability indices (βImplicit) inferred from bridges designed according to current and past AASHTO criteria, as well as cracking probabilities. Design live loads were used to evaluate the Service III limit state for prestressed concrete NU I-girder bridges, optimally designed using LRFD and LFD/allowable stress design (ASD). Various span lengths, numbers, continuity conditions, prestress loss methods, and allowable tension stress levels were considered. Cracking probabilities ranged between 10% and 67%, which indicates that optimally designed bridges may crack during their service life. Although beyond the scope of the study, the present work suggests a reexamination of service behavior and performance is appropriate, using an alternate mechanistic approach to estimate potential cyclic damage and aid life-cycle assessment. Such assessments could provide a more rational framework for platoon operations while maintaining bridge health and safety.

MDM2 FISH testing criteria in adipose tissue tumors with mature adipocytic morphology-A resection case-based study

The current criteria for utilizing MDM2 Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) in adipose-derived tumors were first introduced in 2015 and have been widely adopted. However, these criteria may fail to identify some atypical lipomatous tumors / well-differentiated liposarcoma (ALT/WDL) with mature adipocytic morphology in clinical practice, possibly due to the fact that the existing criteria are primarily based on biopsy cases. Hence, a criterion based on resection cases is needed. In this study, we included 87 adipose tissue tumors with mature adipocytic morphology which were first resected, as well as 9 consultation cases and 25 recurrent resection cases. The final diagnosis was based on MDM2 amplification status. Among the 87 first-time resection cohort, MDM2 FISH amplification was observed in only 2 (5%) of the 39 superficial cases. Marginal infiltration was significantly different in both the MDM2 FISH negative and positive groups (p<0.05). Of the 37 intramuscular tumors, 17 (46%) showed MDM2 FISH amplification. The MDM2 amplification positive group had a larger tumor size than MDM2 amplification negative group (p=0.042). Tumors of larger size (≥11cm) were highly correlated with MDM2 amplification (p=0.003), but still, 35.3% of the MDM2 amplification-positive cases had tumor sizes less than 11cm. Eight (66.7%) out of twelve retroperitoneal/ pelvic cases were MDM2 FISH positive. Among the 25 recurrent cases, twenty (80%) of them had MDM2 FISH amplification. In conclusion, we recommend MDM2 FISH for: 1. superficial cases with marginal infiltration based on adequate margin sampling; 2. all intramuscular tumors, retroperitoneal/pelvic tumors and recurrent tumors, both in resection cases and biopsy cases.

Eosinophil Involvement Outside the Esophagus in Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs) are chronic, immune-mediated disorders, characterized clinically by gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and histologically by eosinophil-predominant infiltration in ≥1 GI tract segment.1 A recent, international consensus by 91 experts proposed a new framework for EGID nomenclature to establish updated terms, designations, and conventions.2 Although this framework offers a standardized starting point for the field, debate is ongoing regarding the appropriate terminology for cases involving multiple areas, such as "non-eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) EGID and EoE" or "non-EoE EGID with esophageal involvement (EI)." Notably, in a survey of these experts, 61% agreed with the later term "non-EoE EGID with EI," because EoE is isolated to the esophagus by current diagnostic criteria.3 However, limited molecular and pathogenic data exist to support the distinction. Furthermore, disease burden of symptoms and comorbidities generally is higher in non-EoE EGIDs than EoE.4 Presently, there is no screen to predict non-EoE EGID concomitance in EoE; therefore, decision-making to further explore other GI segment involvement is clinically challenging. We aimed to answer 2 fundamental questions in the field (Figure1A): Is there a shared or distinct pathogenesis between patients with isolated EoE and non-EoE EGIDs with EI as assessed by patient characteristics and molecular profiles? Can we predict concomitant non-EoE EGIDs when EoE exists? Herein, we report a similar molecular signature between EoE and EI and a potential predictive model to identify concomitant non-EoE EGIDs in patients with EoE.

Structural gray matter changes in primary progressive aphasia variants

BACKGROUND: Primary progressive aphasia is a rare neurodegenerative disease with high clinical, genetic, and pathomorphological heterogeneity that greatly complicates its diagnosis. Voxel-based morphometry can be used to objectively assess structural gray matter changes and determine atrophy patterns in variants of primary progressive aphasia, which can improve the diagnosis and our understanding of its pathogenesis. AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the patterns of atrophy in each of the primary progressive aphasia variants in comparison with the control group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients diagnosed with one of the primary progressive aphasia variants, established in accordance with the current diagnostic criteria, were included in the main group. The control group consisted of healthy volunteers without any neurological symptoms or structural brain changes. All participants underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging. The obtained images were processed and used for voxel-based morphometry, which was performed by comparing the gray matter volume between each of the primary progressive aphasia variants and the control group. The study was adjusted for the sex, age, and intracranial volume of the participants. RESULTS: The study enrolled 25 patients with nonfluent, 11 with semantic, and 9 with logopenic variants of primary progressive aphasia, as well as 20 healthy volunteers. Voxel-based morphometry showed a specific atrophy pattern in each of the variants of primary progressive aphasia, with predominant involvement of the frontal and insular lobes in nonfluent, temporal lobe and hippocampus in semantic, and a more diffuse frontotemporal pattern in logopenic variants. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed gray matter atrophy patterns specific to each variant of primary progressive aphasia. The obtained results mainly correspond to the clinical presentations of the disease. Moreover, some findings (e.g., absence of the posterior perisylvian atrophy and reduced motor cortex volume in the logopenic variant, atrophy of the orbitofrontal cortex and cerebellum in the nonfluent variant, and premotor cortex, precentral, and inferior frontal gyrus degeneration in the semantic variant) do not correlate with the usual understanding of primary progressive aphasia pathogenesis and require further study.

Food security of the Republic of Kazakhstan: criteria and indicators

Global approach to qualitatively new consideration of the problem of food security of the Republic of Kazakhstan and state of agro-industrial complex, which in the current conditions needs to find and implement effective forms and mechanisms of state regulation and support for agricultural producers in order to stabilize domestic food market - all this becomes particularly relevant. The goal is to develop comprehensive methodology for analyzing food problem in the republic based on system of indicators that determine current situation and assessment criteria. Methods – monitoring the correlation between main parameters and threshold values. The availability of food (financial, economic, physical), quality and food safety, and availability of resource potential of agro-industrial production were taken into account and analyzed. Results - it is noted that the degree of financial affordability of food products for employed population and retirement age has decreased; coefficients assessing economic accessibility of food products are within normal limits. At the same time, physical accessibility indicators indicate difficulties with food supply. Conclusions - it was revealed that the level of food supply in Kazakhstan exceeds the average data in the countries of Central Asia. The food program is complex and multi-factorial, including economic, social, cultural and environmental indicators. By maintaining competitiveness of national producer, country gains the opportunity for more sustainable and efficient development of its own agricultural sector. Assessing the parameters of the effective functioning of AIC becomes main content of monitoring process, based on the results of which one can judge the possibilities and prospects of providing the population of the Republic of Kazakhstan with food in the required volume of quantitative and qualitative aspects of their needs.

Ambient air pollution and the dynamic transitions of stroke and dementia: a population-based cohort study

Stroke and dementia are the leading causes of neurological disease burden. Detrimental effects of air pollution on both conditions are increasingly recognised, while the impacts on the dynamic transitions have not yet been explored, and whether critical time intervals exist is unknown. This prospective study was conducted based on the UK Biobank. Annual average air pollution concentrations at baseline year 2010 estimated by land-use regression models were used as a proxy for long-term air pollution exposure. Associations between multiple air pollutants (PM2.5, PM2.5-10, and NO2) indicated by air pollution score and the dynamic transitions of stroke and dementia were estimated, and the impacts during critical time intervals were explored. The date cutoff of this study was February 29,2020. During a median follow-up of 10.9 years in 413,372 participants, 6484, 3813, and 376 participants developed incident stroke, dementia, and comorbidity of stroke and dementia. For the overall transition from stroke to comorbid dementia, the hazard ratio (HR) for each interquartile range (IQR) increase in air pollution score was 1.38 (95% CI, 1.15, 1.65), and the risks were limited to two time intervals (within 1 year and over 5 years after stroke). As for the transition from dementia to comorbid stroke, increased risk was only observed during 2-3 years after dementia. Our findings suggested that air pollution played an important role in the dynamic transition of stroke and dementia even at concentrations below the current criteria. The findings provided new evidence for alleviating the disease burden of neurological disorders related to air pollution during critical time intervals. The State Scholarship Fund of China Scholarship Council.

Susceptibility Genes Associated with Multiple Primary Cancers.

With advancements in treatment and screening techniques, we have been witnessing an era where more cancer survivors harbor multiple primary cancers (MPCs), affecting approximately one in six patients. Identifying MPCs is crucial for tumor staging and subsequent treatment choices. However, the current clinicopathological criteria for clinical application are limited and insufficient, making it challenging to differentiate them from recurrences or metastases. The emergence of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has provided a genetic perspective for defining multiple primary cancers. Researchers have found that, when considering multiple tumor pairs, it is crucial not only to examine well-known essential mutations like MLH1/MSH2, EGFR, PTEN, BRCA1/2, CHEK2, and TP53 mutations but also to explore certain pleiotropic loci. Moreover, specific deleterious mutations may serve as regulatory factors in second cancer development following treatment. This review aims to discuss these susceptibility genes and provide an explanation of their functions based on the signaling pathway background. Additionally, the association network between genetic signatures and different tumor pairs will be summarized.

An NEA/OECD benchmark-experiment for the validation of CFD for mixing and thermal fatigue in T-junction dead leg flows

The current screening criteria for thermal fatigue used in isolated branch lines at nuclear power plants are based on simplified approaches, which, on one hand, tend to be overly conservative, and on the other hand, appear to miss important physics. This is demonstrated by the fact that a number of affected pipes were missed by the current screening methods.The purpose of the present work is to produce novel and accurate experimental data, which can be used for a benchmark of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in order to advance the prediction capabilities of thermal mixing and fatigue in dead leg T-junctions and improve the accuracy of the screening criteria. The ultimate value creation is increased safety and availability at nuclear power plants. This is of great interest and utmost importance to the nuclear reactor safety community.A new pressurized experimental setup of a T-junction has been designed and constructed for the purpose. The experimental setup, with a temperature difference of 120 °C, more closely resembles plant conditions than in earlier experiments. The boundary conditions in terms of the flowrates and temperatures are controlled and stable within their measurement uncertainty – a prerequisite for CFD-grade experiments.The novelty of the present work is measurements of the temperature fluctuations both in the near wall fluid mixing region and throughout the solid pipe wall material.It has been shown that the interaction between the swirl penetration of hot water and the stratified layer in the cold dead leg has an intermittent character and that random clusters of bursts of hot water penetrate into the stratification and the stagnant cold water below. The average time scale of this process is of the order of hundreds of seconds.The stratification between the hot and the cold water in the dead leg has also shown to have a low frequency oscillation of the order of 0.1 Hz, which wiggles in the circumferential direction. After hot water has penetrated downward and excited the instability, the temperature falls back to the initial one in a manner similar to a damped oscillation.The vertical temperature profiles have shown to be self-similar, for moderate temperatures, when scaled with the temperature difference between the hot and the cold water and with the penetration length.The penetration length increases with the velocity in the hot leg confirming earlier reported correlations.A small (less than 0.1 % of the hot main flow) cold leakage flow into the T-junction is sufficient to suppress the swirl penetration and substantially reduces the penetration length. However, the temperature fluctuations have a larger amplitude and range across the whole mixing zone. The fluid temperature fluctuations are shifted towards a more high frequency content, however, the low frequency nature of the swirl penetration is still present.The obtained novel dataset will be provided for a blind CFD benchmark exercise as part of an OECD/NEA project in 2023 and 2024.

“Low-age, low-frequency” lung cancer screening strategies maybe adaptable to the situation in China

BackgroundThe object was to compare changes in patients undergoing lung surgery before and after COVID-19 outbreak, and to explore the impact of COVID-19 on lung surgery and its coping strategies.MethodA retrospective review of patients undergoing thoracic surgery at a single institution was conducted. Group A included patients treated between January 23, 2019, and January 23, 2020, while Group B included patients treated between June 1, 2020, and June 1, 2021, at our center. We compared the reasons of seeking medical treatment, the general characteristics of patients, imaging features, pathological features, surgical methods and postoperative recovery.ResultCompared to Group A, the number of patients with pulmonary nodules screened by routine check-up increased in Group B (57.6% vs 46.9%, p < 0.05). Female patient increased (55.2%vs 44.7%). Patient without smoking history or with family history of lung cancer increased (70.7% vs 60.7%) (10.1%vs 7.8%). Early stage lung cancer increased. Lobectomy decreased (53.4% vs 64.1%). Segmental resection increased (33.3% vs 12.7%). Patients without postoperative comorbidities increased (96.1%vs 85.7%).In the case of patients with Ground Glass Opacity(GGO), their age was comparatively lower (52 ± 9.9 vs. 55 ± 10.7), the female patients increased, patient without smoking history, tumor history, family history of tumor increased, small GGO increased. Lobectomy decreased (35.2% vs 49.7%). Segmental resection increased (49.6% vs 21.2%). Patients without postoperative comorbidities increased (96.5% vs 87.4%).ConclusionSince COVID-19 outbreak, more young, non-smoking, female lung cancers, more Ground Glass Opacity, none high risk patients have been detected through screening, suggesting that our current screening criteria for lung cancer may need to be revised. Higher requirements, including the selection of the timing of nodular surgery, surgical methods were put forward for thoracic surgeons’ skills.