Device Off Research Articles

Efficacy and safety of the Aria pulmonary endovascular device in pulmonary hypertension

Abstract Background and aims A common feature of various forms of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is progressive decline of pulmonary arterial compliance (CPA), which correlates with reduced survival. In this acute study, we evaluated feasibility, safety and hemodynamic performance of the Aria pulmonary endovascular device in patients with PH associated with left heart disease (PH-LHD) and chronic lung disease (PH-CLD). Methods 8 patients with PH-LHD and 10 patients with PH-CLD were included in this study. The device was placed in the main pulmonary artery via the right femoral vein and was connected by a catheter to a gas-filled reservoir outside the body. During systole, gas shifts from the balloon to the reservoir, leading to deflation of the balloon. In diastole, the gas returns from the reservoir to the balloon, leading to balloon inflation and enhancing diastolic blood flow to the distal pulmonary capillary bed. Hemodynamics were assessed at baseline, and again with device off, device on and device off. The primary safety endpoint was the incidence of serious adverse events through 30 days after the procedure. Results No complications or investigational device-related serious adverse events occurred. Device activation in PH-LHD and PH-CLD patients decreased pulmonary arterial pulse pressure by 5.6±4.2mmHg (-12%; p=0.003) and 4.2±2.2mmHg (-11%; p<0.001), increased CPA by 0.4±0.2mL/mmHg (+23%; p=0.004) and 0.4±0.3mL/mmHg (+25%; p=0.001), and increased RV-PV coupling by 0.24±0.18 (+40%; p=0.012) and 0.11±0.07 (+21%; p=0.001), respectively. Conclusions Temporary implantation of the Aria endovascular device was feasible and safe. Device activation resulted in acute improvement of CPA and RV-PV coupling.Figure

Temperature Controller of Infant Incubator using Arduino

The factors affect the child within incubator are mainly the temperature, humidity. The organization of temperatures one of the basic criteria for building a stable environment for the child. This digital temperature controller uses an Arduino board as its primary controller. It can regulate any heating device's temperature within predetermined ranges and shows the device's status, including on and off, as well as its current temperature. A temperature controller is an instrument that regulates temperature, as the name suggests. The temperature controller receives data from a temperature sensor and outputs data to a control element, like a fan or heater. In order to regulate process temperature precisely and with minimal operator intervention, a temperature control system uses a controller that receives input from a temperature sensor (such as a thermocouple, RTD, or DHT22). After comparing the actual temperature to the set-point—the desired control temperature—it outputs the result to a control element.

The application of a single session of capacitive resistive electric transfer 24 h before exercise modifies the accelerometric pattern in standardbred racing trotters

BackgroundIt has been reported that capacitive resistive electric transfer (CRET) increases blood circulation, hemoglobin oxygenation and temperature in muscles. The attributed benefits of these changes have been linked to improved athletic performance, enhanced muscle flexibility and fastening recovery from exercise-induced fatigue. For all of this, the present research aims to investigate whether the application of CRET 24 h before exercise affects the accelerometric pattern in horses during exercise. Six sound Standardbred trotters were subjected to a CRET session of 40 min of duration, applied on both sides of the neck, back and croup, 24 h before a training session. Training sessions consisted of a warming-up (WU) for 6400 m and a training bout (TB) at their maximal training speed for 1600 m. The same protocol was followed for the device off (sham protocol), also applied 24 h before the training session. CRET and sham experiments were separated by one week, the order of application of both was randomly defined for each individual and drivers were blinded for the duration of the experiment. During the training sessions, horses wore an accelerometer fixed at the sternal level. Speed, stride frequency (SF), length (SL), regularity and symmetry and accelerometric activities were measured during WU and TB.ResultsCRET increased speed, mediolateral and total accelerometric activities during WU and speed, SL, dorsoventral, longitudinal and total accelerometric activities during TB, but stride regularity and symmetry decreased.ConclusionThe application of CRET 24 h before exercise increased speed and accelerometric activities, results that highlight the need to evaluate the interaction between CRET and training in order to develop new methods to limit fatigue. However, the decrease in stride regularity and symmetry after CRET application could be negative effects, which could be attributed to the increased speed.

Analysis of modified ilib therapy in patients submitted to plastic surgery.

The sample comprised 44 volunteers who had undergone some surgical procedure and were equally divided into four groups. G1 started the therapy 24h after the surgical procedure with the device off. G2 followed the same time pattern, 24h, but with the device turned on. G3 and G4 started therapy three days after the surgical procedure; in G3, the device was turned off, and in G4, the device remained on during therapy; each session lasted 30min, using 660nm (red), energy 180J. For all groups, the therapy started with daily use for seven days and followed the interval use of three times a week until completed 21days. The revaluation was performed after 7 and 21days.The results found show changes in HR at rest, systolic and diastolic BP, and in peripheral oxygen saturation, which showed a significant difference in the groups that used on-therapy (p < 0.05). In the MCGILL Scale evaluation, the mean total score showed a more accentuated drop in the groups that used ILIB, (p < 0.05). ILIB may have prevented a more significant evolution of firosis levels; however, no changes were observed in the evaluation of sleep and anxiety.The application of the ILIB in patients undergoing plastic surgery was supported in terms of hemodynamics and pain; in addition, starting the ILIB application 24h after the procedure proved to be more advantageous.

Conducting head-mounted eye-tracking research with young children with autism and children with increased likelihood of later autism diagnosis

BackgroundOver the past years, researchers have been using head-mounted eye-tracking systems to study young children’s gaze behaviors in everyday activities through which children learn about the world. This method has great potential to further our understanding of how millisecond-level gaze behaviors create multisensory experiences and fluctuate around social environments. While this line of work can yield insight into early perceptual experiences and potential learning mechanisms, the majority of the work is exclusively conducted with typically-developing children. Sensory sensitivities, social-communication difficulties, and challenging behaviors (e.g., disruption, elopement) are common among children with developmental disorders, and they may represent potential methodological challenges for collecting high-quality data.ResultsIn this paper, we describe our research practices of using head-mounted eye trackers with 41 autistic children and 17 children with increased likelihood of later autism diagnosis without auditory or visual impairments, including those who are minimally or nonspeaking and/or have intellectual disabilities. The success rate in gathering data among children with autism was 92.68%. 3 of 41 children failed to complete the play-session, resulting in an 86.36% success rate among 1–4-year-olds and a 100.00% success rate among 5–8-year-olds. 1 of 17 children with increased likelihood of later autism diagnosis failed to complete the play-session, resulting in a success rate of 94.11%. There were numerous “challenging” behaviors relevant to the method. The most common challenging behaviors included taking the eye-tracking device off, elopement, and becoming distressed. Overall, among children with autism, 88.8% of 1–4-year-olds and 29.4% of 5–8-year-olds exhibited at least one challenging behavior.ConclusionsResearch capitalizing on this methodology has the potential to reveal early, socially-mediated gaze behaviors that are relevant for autism screening, diagnosis, and intervention purposes. We hope that our efforts in documenting our study methodology will help researchers and clinicians effectively study early naturally-occuring gaze behaviors of children during non-experimental contexts across the spectrum and other developmental disabilities using head-mounted eye-tracking. Ultimately, such applications may increase the generalizability of results, better reflect the diversity of individual characteristics, and offer new ways in which this method can contribute to the field.

Efficacy and safety of the Aria pulmonary endovascular device in pulmonary hypertension.

A common feature of various forms of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is progressive decline of pulmonary arterial compliance (CPA), which correlates with reduced survival. In this acute study, we evaluated feasibility, safety and haemodynamic performance of the Aria pulmonary endovascular device in patients with PH associated with left heart disease (PH-LHD) and chronic lung disease (PH-CLD). Eight patients with PH-LHD and 10 patients with PH-CLD were included in this study. The device was placed in the main pulmonary artery via the right femoral vein and was connected by a catheter to a gas-filled reservoir outside the body. During systole, gas shifts from the balloon to the reservoir, leading to deflation of the balloon. In diastole, the gas returns from the reservoir to the balloon, leading to balloon inflation and enhancing diastolic blood flow to the distal pulmonary capillary bed. Haemodynamics were assessed at baseline, and again with device off, device on and device off. The primary safety endpoint was the incidence of serious adverse events through 30 days after the procedure. No complications or investigational device-related serious adverse events occurred. Device activation in PH-LHD and PH-CLD patients decreased pulmonary arterial pulse pressure by 5.6 ± 4.2 mmHg (-12%; p = 0.003) and 4.2 ± 2.2 mmHg (-11%; p < 0.001), increased CPA by 0.4 ± 0.2 ml/mmHg (+23%; p = 0.004) and 0.4 ± 0.3 ml/mmHg (+25%; p = 0.001), and increased right ventricular-to-pulmonary vascular (RV-PV) coupling by 0.24 ± 0.18 (+40%; p = 0.012) and 0.11 ± 0.07 (+21%; p = 0.001), respectively. Temporary implantation of the Aria endovascular device was feasible and safe. Device activation resulted in acute improvement of CPA and RV-PV coupling.

Electricity consumption of anesthesia workstations and potential emission savings by avoiding standby.

Anesthesiology has arelevant carbon footprint, mainly due to volatile anesthetics (scope 1emissions). Additionally, energy used in the operating theater (scope 2emissions) contributes to anesthesia-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Optimizing the electricity use of medical devices might reduce both GHG emissions and costs might hold potential to reduce anaesthesia-related GHG-emissions and costs. We analyzed the electricity consumption of six different anesthesia workstations, calculated their GHG emissions and electricity costs and investigated the potential to reduce emissions and cost by using the devices in amore efficient way. Power consumption (active power in watt, W) was measured with the devices off, in standby mode, or fully on with the measuring instrument SecuLife ST. Devices studied were: Dräger Primus, Löwenstein Medical LeonPlus, Getinge FlowC, Getinge FlowE, GE Carestation 750 and GE Aisys. Calculations of GHG emissions were made with different emission factors, ranging from very low (0.09 kg CO2-equivalent/kWh) to very high (0.660 kg CO2-equivalent/kWh). Calculations of electricity cost were made assuming aprice of 0.25 € per kWh. Power consumption during operation varied from 58 W (GE CareStation 750) to 136 W (Dräger Primus). In standby, the devices consumed between 88% and 93% of the electricity needed during use. The annual electricity consumption to run 96devices in alarge clinical department ranges between 45and 105 Megawatt-hours (MWh) when the devices are left in standby during off hours. If 80% of the devices are switched off during off hours, between 20and 46 MWh can be saved per year in asingle institution. At the average emission factor of our hospital, this electricity saving corresponds to areduction of GHG emissions between 8.5and 19.8 tons CO2-equivalent. At the assumed prices, acost reduction between 5000 € and 11,600 € could be achieved by this intervention. The power consumption varies considerably between the different types of anesthesia workstations. All devices exhibit ahigh electricity consumption in standby mode. Avoiding standby mode during off hours can save energy and thus GHG emissions and cost. The reductions in GHG emissions and electricity cost that can be achieved with this intervention in alarge anesthesiology department are modest. Compared with GHG emissions generated by volatile anesthetics, particularly desflurane, optimization of electricity consumption of anesthesia workstations holds amuch smaller potential to reduce the carbon footprint of anesthesia; however, as switching off anesthesia workstations overnight is relatively effortless, this behavioral change should be encouraged from both an ecological and economical point of view.

Shearer Control Algorithm and Identification of Control Parameters

This paper describes the concept of controlling the advancement speed of the shearer, the objective of which is to eliminate switching the devices off to the devices in the longwall and in the adjacent galleries. This is connected with the threshold limit value of 2% for the methane concentration in the air stream flowing out from the longwall heading, or 1% methane in the air flowing to the longwall. Equations were formulated which represent the emission of methane from the mined body of coal in the longwall and from the winnings on the conveyors in order to develop the numerical procedures enabling a computer simulation of the mining process with a longwall shearer and haulage of the winnings. The distribution model of air, methane and firedamp, and the model of the goaf and a methanometry method which already exist in the Ventgraph-Plus programme, and the model of the methane emission from the mined longwall body of coal, together with the model of the methane emission from the winnings on conveyors and the model of the logic circuit to calculate the required advancement speed of the shearer together all form a set that enables simulations of the control used for a longwall shearer in the mining process. This simulation provides a means for making a comparison of the output of the mining in the case of work using a control system for the speed advancement of the shearer and the mining performance without this circuit in a situation when switching the devices off occurs as a consequence of exceeding the 2% threshold limit value of the methane concentration. The algorithm to control a shearer developed for a computer simulation considers a simpler case, where the logic circuit only employs the methane concentration signal from a methane detector situated in the longwall gallery close to the longwall outlet.

High frame rate speckle tracking echocardiography for the mapping of cardiac mechanical activation sequence

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): KU Leuven. Background Cardiac arrhythmias are a leading cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality, with catheter ablation being an effective treatment. Current clinical practice includes performing an electrophysiological study in order to detect the focal source or the re-entrant circuit of the arrhythmia, i.e. the ablation target. This technique is invasive, with increased patient related risk and variable success rate. Conversely, echocardiography could be used to determine the correct ablation target. Indeed, high frame rate (HFR) ultrasound provides an adequately high temporal resolution, has proven helpful in detecting the onset of myocardial deformation and could be used for accurate localization of the arrhythmia sources. Purpose To test whether HFR speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) can be employed to construct cardiac mechanical activation maps. Methods 16 healthy volunteers (age: 30±6y; 69% males) and 11 heart failure patients treated with cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) (age: 69±10y; 73% males) were included. All participants were scanned with a research high frame rate ultrasound scanner (frame rate: 848±101fps) and apical 4-, 2- and 3-chamber views were acquired. Patients were scanned with CRT on and after turning the device off, in order to allow native ventricular conduction. All patients had a left bundle branch block (LBBB) pattern of intrinsic activation on the surface ECG. For each apical view, a manually placed contour was tracked during the cardiac cycle by a custom-made 2D HFR STE algorithm; the contours were divided in a standard 16 segment model and segmental strain rate (SR) curves were computed and used to measure the temporal distance between electrical and mechanical activation (i.e. distance between the beginning of QRS and the first zero crossing in the SR curve representing the onset of segmental shortening). Finally, an activation map for each subject was created by placing the extracted timings in the middle of the corresponding segment of a bull’s-eye plot and interpolating values between them. Results Tracking was feasible in 96% of the segments; extracted curves showed a physiological pattern (Fig. 1A). For the healthy participants, mechanical activation started from the mid-anteroseptal (69%) or mid-inferoseptal (31%) segment at 22±5ms, spreading to the basal posterolateral segment at 50±8ms from the start of QRS, in all but two cases, where activation ended in the basal inferoseptal and basal inferior segment respectively (Fig. 1B). During CRT off, the septal wall was activated 31±9ms and the lateral wall 73±20ms after the beginning of QRS (p&amp;lt;0.01) (Fig. 1C), whereas during CRT on, the septal wall was activated 40±11ms and the lateral wall 37±7ms after the beginning of QRS (p = 0.3) (Fig. 1D). Conclusion Our findings comply with left ventricular activation as described in the literature and show that HFR STE could be a useful tool in defining the ablation target for arrhythmia treatment.

Development of a Novel Tabletop Device With Suction and Sanitization of Droplets against COVID-19.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019and other viruses are transmissible by aerosols and droplets from infected persons. This study aimed to develop a portable device that can trap droplets and deactivate viruses, and verify whether the device in an enclosed room can suction droplets and sanitize them using a filter and an ultraviolet-C (UVC) light-emitting diode. Materials and methods The portable device was evaluated by placing it 50 cm away from the droplet initiation point. A particle image velocimetry laser dispersed into a sheet form was used to visualize the droplets splashed on the irradiated sagittal plane and captured using a charge-coupled device camera at 60 frames per second. The images were overlaid and calculated to determine the percentage of the droplets beyond the portable device. Droplets with a particle size larger than 50 µm that dispersed and were deposited more than 100 cm away were measured using a water-sensitive paper. The effect of UVC sanitization on viruses captured by a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter was determined using a plaque assay. Results The percentage of droplets was 13.4% and 1.1% with the portable device OFF and ON, respectively, indicating a 91.8% reduction. The deposited droplets were 86 pixels and 26 pixels with the portable device OFF and ON, respectively, indicating a 68.7% reduction. The UVC deactivated more than 99% of the viruses on the HEPA filter surface in 5 minutes. Conclusions Our novel portable device can suckand fall the dispersed droplets, and an active virus was not observed on the exhaust side.

Electrical Disturbances in Terms of Methods to Reduce False Activation of Aerial Fire Protection Systems

The paper presents an analysis of false triggers of fire protection systems installed on aircraft. They not only cause task interruption but also have a direct impact on flight safety, forcing the crew to land in a risky area. Simulation models of electronic actuators were developed to determine the conditions under which false alarms occur. Testing of the simulation models was carried out in the computational package Matlab-Simulink and Circum-Maker for different electrical disturbance generation conditions. The simulation of overvoltage, voltage drops and voltage decays in the on-board electrical network supplying the fire protection system, occurring during the start-up of aircraft engines and during the switching on and off of on-board high-power devices, was studied. The conducted studies have practical applications since the simulation results are an important element for planning experimental tests of the SSP-FK-BI executive blocks under electrical disturbance conditions. Based on the simulation and experimental studies, the conditions causing false tripping of the fire protection system and the parameters for selected disturbance factors have been determined.

A package for piezoresistive pressure sensors with embedded built-in self-test function based on bimetallic actuator

Piezoresistive pressure sensors have been widely used in the industry and many other fields. However, conventional pressure sensor inspection is performed with the device off, which causes several inconveniences. In this article, an electrothermal actuator is designed and fabricated on the basis of bimetallic alloy material to realise the self-test of the piezoresistive silicon pressure sensor, and a kind of pressure sensor package structure with self-test capability is developed using the electrothermal actuator. Experimental results show that the structure can realise the dual excitation of the pressure and temperature of the diffused silicon pressure sensor core and enable it to return to the normal working state in less than 3.3 s. The self-test module can be driven at a low voltage of 0.8 V at less than 618 mW and can reflect the performance of the pressure sensor quickly and accurately. The structure is suitable for most differential pressure, absolute pressure sensor chips.

Analysis of the Potential of Blood Transvascular Sublingual with Light-Emitting Diode Irradiation in COVID-19 Patients: A Pilot Clinical Study.

Background: Due to the high morbidity and mortality rates of this century, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the health of the global population. Objective: The aim was to evaluate the disturbing impact of in-hospital stay length and the appeal of severe problems for supplemental oxygen for our patients with COVID-19 in moderate stage who were undergoing transvascular blood irradiation onto sublingual vessels. The demand for supplemental oxygen and the serum oxygen levels were measured, and the impact on the length of hospital stay was assessed. Methods: This randomized, prospective, clinical pilot study evaluated the diagnosis of COVID-19 patients admitted to the ventilatory care unit and undergoing treatment protocol usage of light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation by transvascular application onto the sublingual vessels daily. Patients were selected and enrolled into two groups: the Placebo group (n = 7) that received conventional treatment by the device off (LED-off), and the photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) group (n = 7) that also received the same therapy plus LED irradiation. Results: There was a statistically significant clinical improvement, such as a reduction in serum creatinine, and oxygen usage per few days less in the PBMT group compared with the Placebo group. All patients in the PBMT group had normalized SatO2, while a quarter of patients in the Placebo group required longer O2 supplementation until hospital discharge. Conclusions: The surveillance of clinical improvement in moderate stage indicated that the daily PBMT was able to diminish oxygen supplementation within a short time, besides reducing the hospital stay length in the PBMT group, particularly, when compared with the Placebo group. Clinical Trial Registration number: The study was reviewed by the Ethics Committee in UNINOVE research under number 42325020.6.0000.5511 and approved through number 5,090,119.

연구단보: 변사사건 조사결과의 질적인 향상을 위한 사물인터넷 활용의 제안

In investigating the case of “Unnatural Death (UD)“, confirmation of the time of death is very important because the identity of the perpetrator may change depending on the time or the murder may be concealed as a suicide. However, it is not possible with current forensic techniques to know exactly when a person died, except when he died in a medical institution. The time of death can be schematically estimated from the unnatural dead body's temperature drop, corpse ankylosis, digestion accuracy of stomach contents, etc., because these techniques cause too large deviations due to peripheral factors and personal characteristics. As a solution to this, the recent Fourth Industrial Revolution has made human life inseparable from digital devices, and not only digital device logon and off recording, but also various “Internet of Things (IoT)” information. If you use it, it will be one step closer to confirming the time of death. Therefore, in this study, let's proposal a method that can confirm the death time by utilizing digital data information.

The Effectiveness of Auriculotherapy on Women's Sexual Function: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: Majority of breastfeeding women experience changes in sexual function. The present study was designed to assess effectiveness of auriculotherapy on improving sexual function in breastfeeding women. Method : In this randomized sham controlled trial, accomplished from January 2018 to May 2019 in a referral sexual health clinic in city of Qom, Iran, 60 eligible participants were assigned to either intervention and control groups via block randomization. In the intervention group, electrical stimulation was applied for 15 seconds on Shen Men, Zero, Thalamic, Master Cerebral, Libido, Relax, Excitement, Ovary, and Uterus points in 10 auriculotherapy sessions. Then, Vaccaria seeds were stuck on these points. The control group received the same procedure with the device off as a sham method. Data were gathered using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) at three different time points. Results: At baseline, mean scores of sexual function dimensions were not significantly different between the intervention and control groups except for orgasm. Post-intervention, the results showed significant differences in sexual desire (P = 0.002), sexual arousal (P = 0.008), lubrication (P = 0.001), sexual satisfaction (P = 0.001), and orgasm (P = 0.009). One month after the intervention, the results showed significant differences in sexual desire, sexual arousal, lubrication, sexual satisfaction (P = 0.001), orgasm (P = 0.006), and dyspareunia (P = 0.015). Differences in mean score of sexual function in post-intervention and one-month follow-up were only significant in the intervention group (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Based on evidence from this study, auriculotherapy is an effective technique for improving sexual function in breastfeeding women.

Changes in elbow flexion EMG morphology during adjustment of deep brain stimulator in advanced Parkinson's disease.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective treatment for motor symptoms of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). Currently, DBS programming outcome is based on a clinical assessment. In an optimal situation, an objectively measurable feature would assist the operator to select the appropriate settings for DBS. Surface electromyographic (EMG) measurements have been used to characterise the motor symptoms of PD with good results; with proper methodology, these measurements could be used as an aid to program DBS. Muscle activation measurements were performed for 13 patients who had advanced PD and were treated with DBS. The DBS pulse voltage, frequency, and width were changed during the measurements. The measured EMG signals were analysed with parameters that characterise the EMG signal morphology, and the results were compared to the clinical outcome of the adjustment. The EMG signal correlation dimension, recurrence rate, and kurtosis changed significantly when the DBS settings were changed. DBS adjustment affected the signal recurrence rate the most. Relative to the optimal settings, increased recurrence rates (median ± IQR) 1.1 ± 0.5 (-0.3 V), 1.3 ± 1.1 (+0.3 V), 1.7 ± 0.4 (-30 Hz), 1.7 ± 0.8 (+30 Hz), 2.0 ± 1.7 (+30 μs), and 1.5 ± 1.1 (DBS off) were observed. With optimal stimulation settings, the patients' Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor part (UPDRS-III) score decreased by 35% on average compared to turning the device off. However, the changes in UPRDS-III arm tremor and rigidity scores did not differ significantly in any settings compared to the optimal stimulation settings. Adjustment of DBS treatment alters the muscle activation patterns in PD patients. The changes in the muscle activation patterns can be observed with EMG, and the parameters calculated from the signals differ between optimal and non-optimal settings of DBS. This provides a possibility for using the EMG-based measurement to aid the clinicians to adjust the DBS.

Chemical Doping of the Organic Semiconductor C8‐BTBT‐C8 Using an Aqueous Iodine Solution for Device Mobility Enhancement

AbstractThe performance of organic field‐effect transistors is still severely limited by factors such as contact resistance and charge trapping. Chemical doping is considered to be a promising key enabler for improving device performance, although there is a limited number of established doping protocols as well as a lack of understanding of the doping mechanisms. Here, a very simple doping methodology based on exposing an organic semiconductor thin film to an aqueous iodine solution is reported. The doped devices exhibit enhanced device mobility, which becomes channel‐length independent, a decreased threshold voltage and a reduction in the density of interfacial traps. The device OFF current is not altered, which is in agreement with the spectroscopic data that points out that no charge transfer processes are occurring. Kelvin probe force microscopy characterization of the devices under operando conditions unambiguously proves that an important reduction of the contact resistance takes place after their exposition to the iodine solution, reaching almost ohmic contact.

Operating room noise hazards during laser lithotripsy: a comparison between the thulium fiber and holmium laser platforms.

To evaluate and assess the impact of noise hazard during laser lithotripsy using the gold standard holmium:YAG laser and the novel thulium fiber laser (TFL). Intraoperative noise measurements were obtained during ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsy from cases using both TFL and holmium laser. Readings were obtained from three key times: prior to laser activation, with the laser on but idle, and during laser activation. Questionnaires were circulated postoperatively to operating room staff regarding the effort required to perform tasks, concentrate, and communicate during the surgery. Noise levels were compared from 16 TFL and 15 holmium laser lithotripsy cases from 11/2020 to 5/2021. Significantly higher noise levels were recorded during holmium lithotripsy, with a mean of 3.1dB and 4.3dB higher noise with the device idle and device active, respectively. When compared to baseline noise with the device off, the holmium laser had a significant rise in recorded dB where the TFL had no statistically significant rise in noise over baseline once the laser was turned on. Operating room team members rated the noise level lower and the level of effort required for concentration, communication, and task completion lower with the TFL. The TFL produces 3.1 to 4.3dB less noise than the standard holmium laser, which, because of the logarithmic nature of the dB scale, translates into less than one half the overall noise energy. There was also less effort required by operating room staff to complete critical tasks during the quieter TFL cases.

The Combination Neuroprotective Abilities of Resveratrol and Naringenin in Attenuation of Sleep Deprivation Complications in Rats

Background: Sleep loss is one of the most important health problems in the world, and about 30 to 40 percent of ordinary people suffer from it. This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of the combination of resveratrol and naringenin in attenuation of sleep deprivation (SD) complications in rats. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 72 Wistar male rats were randomly divided into three main groups, including control, sham, and 7-days SD group. Each of its main groups consisted of three subgroups, including without drug, vehicle, and combination therapy groups (naringenin [100 mg/kg], resveratrol [100 mg/kg]). The day after the latest injection, the fear conditioning memory tests, locomotor activity test, hot plate, and forced swimming tests (FST) were carried out on all rats, and then sham and SD groups were induced 48 hours of non-REM SD (device off and on, respectively) and these behavioral tests were repeated for all rats again. Finally, the brains of all rats were removed and histopathologically examined, and stained with nissl and TUNNEL. Results: To assess fear condition memory, the rate of latency to first freezing in the visual and auditory phase increased in sham and SD rats that received vehicle or no drug (P&lt;0.001), which indicates memory corruption. Injection of the combination of naringenin and resveratrol reduced the latency to first freezing (P&lt;0.001), which means improved memory. In the FST test, injection of naringenin and resveratrol reduced the rate of immobility (P&lt;0.001), which means improved depressive behavior. The naringenin and resveratrol reduced the pain perception threshold. Also, the naringenin and resveratrol reduced apoptosis compared to the control and vehicle groups (P&lt;0.001). Conclusions: The combination of naringenin and resveratrol compared to other groups could improve memory and mood as well as reduce apoptosis, depression, and pain perception threshold. [GMJ.2021;10:e2315]

The Combination Neuroprotective Abilities of Resveratrol and Naringenin in Attenuation of Sleep Deprivation Complications in Rats

Background: Sleep loss is one of the most important health problems in the world, and about 30 to 40 percent of ordinary people suffer from it. This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of the combination of resveratrol and naringenin in attenuation of sleep deprivation (SD) complications in rats. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 72 Wistar male rats were randomly divided into three main groups, including control, sham, and 7-days SD group. Each of its main groups consisted of three subgroups, including without drug, vehicle, and combination therapy groups (naringenin [100 mg/kg], resveratrol [100 mg/kg]). The day after the latest injection, the fear conditioning memory tests, locomotor activity test, hot plate, and forced swimming tests (FST) were carried out on all rats, and then sham and SD groups were induced 48 hours of non-REM SD (device off and on, respectively) and these behavioral tests were repeated for all rats again. Finally, the brains of all rats were removed and histopathologically examined, and stained with nissl and TUNNEL. Results: To assess fear condition memory, the rate of latency to first freezing in the visual and auditory phase increased in sham and SD rats that received vehicle or no drug (P&lt;0.001), which indicates memory corruption. Injection of the combination of naringenin and resveratrol reduced the latency to first freezing (P&lt;0.001), which means improved memory. In the FST test, injection of naringenin and resveratrol reduced the rate of immobility (P&lt;0.001), which means improved depressive behavior. The naringenin and resveratrol reduced the pain perception threshold. Also, the naringenin and resveratrol reduced apoptosis compared to the control and vehicle groups (P&lt;0.001). Conclusions: The combination of naringenin and resveratrol compared to other groups could improve memory and mood as well as reduce apoptosis, depression, and pain perception threshold. [GMJ.2021;10:e2315]