Increase In Volume Research Articles

Response of orange Saplings to spraying with brassinolide and add-ing organic fertilizer in some of vegetative and root growth charac-teristics

The experiment was carried out at the Horticulture station in the Al-Hindiya district / Karbala governorate during the 2023 growing season, using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The study aimed to investigate the response of two orange Cultivars (Blood and Navel) to spraying with the growth regulator brassinolide at three concentrations (0, 0.3 and 0.6 mg L-1) and the addition of organic fertilizer (Humzinc) to the soil at three concentrations (0, 0.5 and 1 g L-1). The results showed the superiority of the Blood Cultivar over the Navel Cultivar in stem length, stem diameter, Leaves number, root length, and root volume, while the Navel Cultivar excelled in leaf area. Treatment with brassinolide at a concentration of 0.6 mg L-1 or the addition of organic fertilizer at a concentration of 1 g L-1 resulted in the highest significant increase in stem length, stem diameter, Leaves number, leaf area, root length, and root volume. Regarding the interactions between study factors, the binary and ternary interactions had a significant effect on improving vegetative and root growth Traits. The ternary interaction treatment (Blood Cultivar + brassinolide 0.6 mg L-1 + 1 g L-1) outperformed by giving the highest average increase in stem length (35.98 cm), stem diameter (7.993 mm), average Leaves number (117.66 leaves seedling-1), root length (120.67 cm), and root volume (52.33 cm3), while the treatment (Navel Cultivar + brassinolide 0.6 mg L-1 + 1 g L-1) significantly excelled in leaf area (38.57 cm2).

Carbon neutralization frontier tracking

This systematic study on the international research trends in carbon neutrality underscores its critical role in combating global warming and advancing sustainable development. By leveraging the “Web of Science Core Collection” databases and employing CiteSpace software for visual analysis, we examined 2223 research papers to track the influence and trends of key countries, institutions, and authors. Our results reveal a significant increase in publication volume, indicating a robust development potential for carbon neutrality research. The study also identifies environmental science, environmental research, and energy and fuel science as central interdisciplinary hubs, highlighting the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration. Notably, China leads in publication output but has room for improvement in citation impact, suggesting a need for enhanced research quality and international visibility. The study's findings are instrumental for guiding future research directions, policy-making, and interdisciplinary cooperation, particularly in the fields of environmental science and energy, to accelerate progress towards carbon neutrality and global climate governance.

Neuroanatomical changes observed over the course of a human pregnancy

Pregnancy is a period of profound hormonal and physiological changes experienced by millions of women annually, yet the neural changes unfolding in the maternal brain throughout gestation are not well studied in humans. Leveraging precision imaging, we mapped neuroanatomical changes in an individual from preconception through 2 years postpartum. Pronounced decreases in gray matter volume and cortical thickness were evident across the brain, standing in contrast to increases in white matter microstructural integrity, ventricle volume and cerebrospinal fluid, with few regions untouched by the transition to motherhood. This dataset serves as a comprehensive map of the human brain across gestation, providing an open-access resource for the brain imaging community to further explore and understand the maternal brain.

LEAN Methodology to Improve Endoscopy Unit Efficiency in a Multi-subspecialty Ambulatory Surgery Center: A Pilot Study.

Background and objective Efforts to improve gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy unit efficiency may lead to increases in colon cancer screening volumes. LEAN management principles applied to GI endoscopy unit practices may serve as a novel foundation for efficiency improvements.We conducted apilot study in an outpatient, hospital-based GI endoscopy unit with the goal of improving endoscopy efficiency by using LEAN principles Methodology A single endoscopist and anesthesiologist along with the nursing care team implemented changes to their practice based on LEAN principles. Efficiency metrics were tracked before these changes and after to assess for improvements. Results We observed statistically significant improvements in waiting room time (13.1 minutes vs. 25.6 minutes, p<0.001), recovery room duration (55.5 minutes vs. 61.8 minutes, p=0.01), total facility time (172.5 minutes vs. 196.1 minutes, p<0.001), and true completion time (19.7 minutes vs. 32.3 minutes, p=0.002) after the implementation of LEAN interventions. Conclusions A systematic and standardized approach using LEAN methodology canimprove GI endoscopy unit operational efficiency. Larger studies are needed to validate our findings and generalize the results to the field broadly.

Modeling of Applying Road Pricing to Airport Highway Using VISUM Software in Jordan

Road congestion in Amman City has been increasing yearly, due to the increase in private car ownership and traffic volumes. This study aims to (a) evaluate the toll road’s effects on society and the economy in Amman, Jordan, through a survey questionnaire using statistical software (SPSS), (b) assess the impact of the toll road on reducing congestion and delays using micro-simulation (VISUM), (c) identify the optimal toll price for a selected road using VISUM and (d) validate the simulated models with the optimal revenue. Traffic, geometric, and cost data about the toll technique of two sections on the Airport Highway (from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Madaba Interchange; and from the Madaba Interchange to the Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) Interchange) were used for simulation purposes. The toll road (across seven different scenarios at different prices) was evaluated for optimal revenue. The survey questionnaire was made based on all scenarios, including the AM peak hour. The operation cost for the toll road was determined based on the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM). The best scenario was determined based on the value of revenue (JOD). The results indicate that higher acceptance is achieved when applying road pricing during the AM peak hour and that users prefer the charging method based on travelled distance (54.02%). Additionally, the total cost of the manual toll collection (MTC) method is 126,935 JOD. Road pricing can reduce traffic delay (or speed up traffic flow) by 4.61 min in the southbound direction and by 9.52 min in the northbound direction. The optimal toll value is 0.25 JOD (34.08%), with revenues of 1089.6 JOD for 2024 and 1122.6 JOD for 2025. Eventually, applying road pricing on the airport road is shown to be effective and economically feasible only when using the manual method.

Study on the Diffusion Characteristics of Polymer Grouting Materials Applied for Crack Filling in Underground Mines Based on Numerical Simulation and Experimental Methods.

Polymer grouting materials are increasingly used in the filling of mine fissures. Unlike conventional inorganic grouting materials, the self-expansion of polymers adds complexity to their diffusion process within the crack. The objective of this research was to examine how polymer grouting material spreads in cracks at ambient temperatures and pressure. The investigation involved conducting grouting tests and performing numerical fluid simulation calculations using the finite-volume method in the computational fluid dynamics software, ANSYS FLUENT 2022 R1. The fluid volume approach was employed to determine the boundary between fluid and air and to ascertain the variation patterns of density in the slurry and the fracture system. This study applied the principles of fluid mechanics to investigate the patterns of variation in the physical characteristics of polymer grouting materials, including their density, pressure, flow velocity, and movement distance, during the diffusion process. The results indicated that the density of the polymer grouting material decreased exponentially over time throughout the diffusion process. With the increase in the grouting's volume, the grout's pressure and the permeable distance of the grout increased. The slurry's pressure near the grouting hole exceeded the other points' pressure. The physical parameters of the slurry were numerically simulated by ANSYS FLUENT 2022 R1 software, and the results were compared with the experimental data. After comparing the numerical simulation results with the test data, it was clear that the numerical simulation method was superior in accurately predicting the distribution pattern of each parameter of the polymer slurry during diffusion. The grouting volume, pressure distribution, and real-time change in the position of the flow of slurry could be efficiently determined through numerical calculation and simulated grouting tests. This work can offer valuable information for designing polymer grouting materials used in underground mine fissures.

Substantial increase of organic carbon storage in Chinese lakes

Previous studies typically assumed a constant total organic carbon (OC) storage in the lake water column, neglecting its significant variability within a changing world. Based on extensive field data and satellite monitoring techniques, we demonstrate considerable spatiotemporal variability in OC concentration and storage for 24,366 Chinese lakes during 1984–2023. Here we show that dissolved OC concentration is high in northwest saline lakes and particulate OC concentration is high in southeast eutrophic lakes. Along with increasing OC concentration and water volume, dissolved and particulate OC storage increase by 44.6% and 33.5%, respectively. Intensified human activities, water input, and wind disturbance are the key drivers for increasing OC storage. Moreover, higher OC storage further leads to an 11.0% increase in nationwide OC burial and a decrease in carbon emissions from 71.1% of northwest lakes. Similar changes are occurring globally, which suggests that lakes are playing an increasingly important role in carbon sequestration.

A mechanism study of thermal resistance formation and post-fire strength recovery in cement paste with carbon nanotubes and nanosilica via focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy tomography

Although carbon nanotubes (CNT) and nanosilica (NS) have shown substantial potential for enhancing the thermal resistance and post-fire mechanical recovery of cementitious composites, their combined synergistic effects remain unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the influence of CNT and NS double-hybrids on the physicochemical properties of cementitious composites under different heating temperatures (200, 500, and 800 °C) and re-curing conditions (25 °C/65 % RH and water immersion). We assessed the changes in the compressive and tensile strengths, bulk density, surface morphology, hydration products, and pore characteristics using focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy to visualize the evolving nanoscale pore structures. Our findings reveal a remarkable synergistic effect on the thermal resistance and strength recovery properties of the CNT/NS hybrid samples, owing to the stable matrix observed after heating to 800 °C. Following exposure to 800 °C, the tensile strength exhibited a remarkable 69.6 % increase compared to its pre-heating state, without any indication of crack formation. The CNT served as nucleation sites, expediting the pozzolanic reaction of NS during heating and resulting in a homogenized pore structure with interconnected hydrates. The CNT/NS hybrid samples exhibited uniform shrinkage of hydrates without creating nanoscale rod-like pores typical in ordinary cement paste, while the increase in pore volume was predominantly attributed to the expansion of existing pores and the formation of nearby new pores.

The effect of vitamin C on the recovery of activity and survival of autografted ovaries through inhibition of oxidation and inflammation

Ovarian tissue autografting is a valuable clinical option to help restore fertility in women with cancer. However, many follicles are lost due to ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury, which depletes follicles after grafting. We aimed to investigate the effect of vitamin C, an antioxidant with anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory properties, on improving the structure and function of autografted ovaries in mice. Thirty-six female NMRI mice (4–5 weeks old) were divided into three groups of 12: control (no grafting), autograft + vitamin C (50 mg/kg/day intraperitoneally), and autograft + saline (100 µl/day/animal, intraperitoneally). After the ovarian autografting and before the start of the experiment, each group was further divided into 7-day and 28-day subgroups. Seven days after ovary autografting, serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and inflammatory factors were measured. On day 28, ovarian histology, DNA fragmentation, and estradiol and progesterone levels were assessed. Results were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test, with significance set at p<0.05. In the autograft + vitamin C group, there were significant increases in the mean total volume of the ovary, cortex (p<0.05), medulla, number of follicles, and levels of IL-10, progesterone, estradiol, and TAC (p<0.001), compared to the autograft group. Conversely, the rate of apoptosis and serum levels of MDA, IL-6, and TNF-α were notably reduced in the autograft + vitamin C group (p<0.001). These results suggest that vitamin C can significantly enhance the recovery of autografted ovaries through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects.

Zoom Boom or Bust? Understanding Post-Pandemic Interest in Facial Plastic Surgery via Google Trends.

To understand post-pandemic interest in plastic surgery procedures via Joinpoint analysis of Google Trends search data. Google Trends was used to quantify search volumes from January 2019-December 2022 for select cosmetic face and body procedures in the United States. A keyword analytic tool (Keywords Everywhere) extracted absolute search volumes (average monthly searches). Joinpoint analysis assessed search trends over time reported as monthly percentage change (MPC). All procedures queried, including a non-cosmetic control (cataract surgery), demonstrated expected declines at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Blepharoplasty, face lift, neck lift, and Botox demonstrated statistically significant increase in search volumes that remained elevated relative to pre-pandemic levels. Rhinoplasty, fillers, and abdominoplasty interest increased initially followed by return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022. The remainder of search terms did not show a clear temporal associated with COVID-19 lockdowns. The "Zoom Boom" appears to be a real phenomenon reflected by sustained increase in public interest in relation to facial plastic procedures. NA Laryngoscope, 2024.

Adaptive incentive mechanism with predictors for on-time attended home delivery problem

The widespread use of the Internet and smart devices has led to a fast growth in online shopping, offering new chances for online retailers to boost profits. However, this expansion has also brought various challenges, such as the heavy workload faced by delivery riders. To meet customers’ delivery time preferences and increase earnings, riders often work long hours, especially during busy periods. This study explores how historical delivery data can be used to balance workload in on-time attended home delivery. Drawing on the actual delivery operations and data of an online shopping platform, we propose a framework that combines delivery demand and customer behavior predictors with an adaptive incentive system to balance rider workload. Specifically focusing on same-day attended home delivery, we introduce a method to forecast future delivery demand, an algorithm to estimate customer choice behavior using a simple model, and an adaptive incentive system to influence customer decisions and achieve workload balance. We show that as order volume increases, the proposed incentive system achieves the pre-determined workload target. Using real data, we conduct numerical experiments which not only underscore the superior predictive performance of our models but also affirm the efficacy of the proposed incentive structure.

Laboratory investigation of the swelling pressure of bentonite with quicklime and hydrated lime using ASTM-4546-96 and constant volume methods

The swelling soils, also known as expansive soils, increase in volume due to an increase in moisture content. The settlement of expansive soils could be the main reason for considerable damage to roads, highways, structures, irrigation channel covers, and the protective shell of tunnels that use bentonite for wall stability. Therefore, it is important to determine the amount of swelling pressure in expansive soils. This research uses two laboratory swelling test methods with constant volume (CVS) and ASTM-4546-96 standard, the swelling pressure of lime-stabilized bentonite soil has been estimated. Based on the key findings of this study, the swelling pressure values of pure bentonite samples tested using the ASTM-4546-96 method, compared to the constant volume swelling test, show an approximately 170% increase.

Predictive models of intent to repurchase based on customer data

As the business environment becomes ever more complex, predicting future buying patterns has become increasingly important. Moreover, there has been growth in the number of consumers focusing on health and self-care given rapid societal and economic changes. This shift is leading to heightened interest in athleisure wear and an increase in sales volume in this domain. It is accordingly necessary for companies in this field to establish marketing strategies based on predicting consumers’ future purchases to maintain continuous growth and competitiveness. This paper surveyed 400 consumers who purchased athleisure wear and established a predictive model for consumer buying behavior using Multivariate Discriminant Analysis. This paper found that a brand's authenticity and the purchaser’s involvement in sports were significant factors prediction customers’ repurchase behavior. Companies should accordingly engage in authentic business practices and consider clothing designs and marketing strategies that can connect consumers' daily lives with their sports activities.

Evaluation of Left Ventricular Remodeling and Prognosis after PCI in Acute Myocardial Infarction Using Real-Time, Three-Dimensional Echocardiography Combined with Layer-Specific Strain Imaging

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate left atrial and left ventricular volumes, strains, and strain rates in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using real-time three-dimensional echocardiography and layer-specific strain techniques. The relationships between these parameters and left ventricular remodeling (LVR) and prognosis were also explored. Methods: The study included 217 patients with first-episode STEMI who underwent emergency PCI. Echocardiography and myocardial strain analyses were performed within 24 h post-PCI. Patients were categorized into early and non-early LVR groups based on the increase in left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV). The occurrence of major cardiovascular adverse events (MACE) was followed up for one-year post-PCI. Differences in clinical data and ultrasound parameters between the groups were compared, and the predictive value of myocardial strain indicators for late LVR was analyzed using a multivariate logistic regression model and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: Early LVR occurred in 54.8% of patients and was characterized by decreased left ventricular systolic function, more segments with abnormal movement, and reduced absolute strain values in the three layers of the left ventricular wall myocardium, with a compensatory increase in left atrial strain rate during the contraction phase. The early LVR group showed a higher incidence of MACE at the one-year follow-up. At 6 months post-PCI, 29.9% of patients developed late LVR, which was not completely related to early LVR. Late LVR was associated with a higher incidence of MACE. The longitudinal strain value of each layer of left ventricular myocardium obtained from layer-specific strain imaging showed predictive value for advanced LVR. Conclusions: More than half of patients with STEMI develop early LVR post-PCI, with a higher incidence of MACE during one-year of follow-up, necessitating attention to early LVR in clinical practice. Late LVR, which develops in some patients after 6 months, is also linked to a higher incidence of MACE. Accurate monitoring of the myocardial deformation function using layer-specific strain imaging is expected to become a reference indicator for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Monitoring the structure and function of the left atrium and mitral valve alongside the LVR is important for prognostic assessment and for formulating diagnostic and treatment plans.

Progress of intracranial metastases during the interval before stereotactic radiosurgery, a retrospective cohort analysis

IntroductionThe incidence of intracranial metastatic disease is increasing worldwide. As a valuable treatment modality, stereotactic radiosurgery requires detailed imaging, and this study evaluated the differences between imaging obtained on the day of treatment compared to historical or referral imaging. Materials and methodsA retrospective cohort study was performed, evaluating all the patients presenting with eligible referral imaging in a 13-month period and comparing this imaging to the imaging taken on the day of treatment. Numbers of additional metastases, volumes and volume differences among the images were compared. ResultsThere was a median interval of 19 days between the acquisition of the diagnostic or referral scan and the day of treatment imaging. Even the group that had the shortest interval (up to 2 weeks) showed at least one additional deposit in 50 % of the patients. Volume was increased in 75 % of this group. Longer intervals were associated with higher increases in volume. ConclusionThese results demonstrate the increase in the disease burden in patients with intracranial metastatic disease, in relation to number and volume, in the interval between the referral and treatment imaging. This has significant implications for planning pathways, to ensure that metastatic deposits are not missed or undertreated.

Long-term trends in co-occurring medical and psychiatric hospitalizations among children and adolescents in Ontario, Canada.

BackgroundPsychiatric conditions are common amongst hospitalized children. Co-occurring psychiatric conditions for medical hospitalizations contribute to length of stay, costs, and readmissions. We sought to measure trends over 20 years in pediatric hospitalizations for co-occurring medical and psychiatric conditions and compare with those without psychiatric comorbidity, overall and in free-standing children’s hospitals. MethodsWe identified all 3- to 17-year-olds hospitalized in Ontario, Canada between April 1, 2003 and March 31, 2022. Using health record discharge diagnoses, hospitalizations were assigned to 1 of 4 groups: 1) medical-diagnosis-only, 2) psychiatric-diagnosis-only, 3) primary medical diagnosis with psychiatric comorbidity, and 4) primary psychiatric diagnosis with medical comorbidity. Hospitalization trends for 1) all hospitals, and 2) free-standing children’s hospitals were described and compared. ResultsFrom 2003 to 2022, medical-diagnosis-only hospitalizations declined 39% (41,909 to 25,486 hospitalizations), psychiatric-diagnosis-only hospitalizations increased 96% (3227 to 6337), medical hospitalizations with psychiatric comorbidity increased 127% (977 to 2221) and psychiatric hospitalizations with medical comorbidity increased 100% (2051 to 4096). Among pediatric hospitals, medical-diagnosis-only hospitalizations increased 23% (12,430 to 15,318), psychiatric-diagnosis-only hospitalizations increased 420% (271 to 1408), psychiatric hospitalizations with medical comorbidity increased 172% (539 to 1468) and medical hospitalizations with psychiatric comorbidity increased 235% (478 to 1599). ConclusionsHospitals have experienced large absolute and relative increases in volumes for psychiatric conditions both with and without co-occurring medical conditions, particularly among free-standing children’s hospitals. Healthcare provider training, hospital resourcing, and health system planning must consider how best to accommodate the increasing acute psychiatric care needs of hospitalized children and adolescents.

Central Hemodynamic and Thermoregulatory Responses to Food Intake as Potential Biomarkers for Eating Detection: Systematic Review.

Diet-related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, require strict dietary management to slow down disease progression and call for innovative management strategies. Conventional diet monitoring places a significant memory burden on patients, who may not accurately remember details of their meals and thus frequently falls short in preventing disease progression. Recent advances in sensor and computational technologies have sparked interest in developing eating detection platforms. This review investigates central hemodynamic and thermoregulatory responses as potential biomarkers for eating detection. We searched peer-reviewed literature indexed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus on June 20, 2022, with no date limits. We also conducted manual searches in the same databases until April 21, 2024. We included English-language papers demonstrating the impact of eating on central hemodynamics and thermoregulation in healthy individuals. To evaluate the overall study quality and assess the risk of bias, we designed a customized tool inspired by the Cochrane assessment framework. This tool has 4 categories: high, medium, low, and very low. A total of 2 independent reviewers conducted title and abstract screening, full-text review, and study quality and risk of bias analysis. In instances of disagreement between the 2 reviewers, a third reviewer served as an adjudicator. Our search retrieved 11,450 studies, and 25 met our inclusion criteria. Among the 25 included studies, 32% (8/25) were classified as high quality, 52% (13/25) as medium quality, and 16% (4/25) as low quality. Furthermore, we found no evidence of publication bias in any of the included studies. A consistent postprandial increase in heart rate, cardiac output, and stroke volume was observed in at least 95% (heart rate: 19/19, cardiac output: 18/19, stroke volume: 11/11) of the studies that investigated these variables' responses to eating. Specifically, cardiac output increased by 9%-100%, stroke volume by 18%-41%, and heart rate by 6%-21% across these studies. These changes were statistically significant (P<.05). In contrast, the 8 studies that investigated postprandial thermoregulatory effects displayed grossly inconsistent results, showing wide variations in response with no clear patterns of change, indicating a high degree of variability among these studies. Our findings demonstrate that central hemodynamic responses, particularly heart rate, hold promise for wearable-based eating detection, as cardiac output and stroke volume cannot be measured by any currently available noninvasive medical or consumer-grade wearables. PROSPERO CRD42022360600; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=360600.

Administrative health data validity: Changes over 19 years

ObjectiveTo evaluate validity of hospital-discharged abstract administrative health data (DAD) over years through chart reviews. MethodsWe analyzed three chart review cohorts (4,008 patients in 2003, 3,045 in 2015, and 9,024 in 2022) in Calgary, Canada. Nurse reviewers determined the presence or absence of 17 clinical conditions employing similar protocols. The reviews were linked with DAD using a unique lifetime identifier, chart number, and admission date. We evaluated the validity of DAD, coded in ICD-10-Canada version, in recording conditions by comparing against chart reviews. The C-statistics was calculated in predicting in-hospital mortality. ResultsThe mean difference in prevalence between chart reviews and DAD for these 17 conditions was 2.1% in 2003, 7.6% in 2015, and 6.3% in 2022. However, some conditions were relatively stable, such as diabetes (1.9%, 2.1%, and 1.1%) and metastatic cancer (0.3%, 1.1%, and 0.4%). For 17 conditions, the sensitivity ranged 39.6-85.1% in 2003, 1.3-85.2% in 2015, and 3.0-89.7% in 2022. The C-statistics for in-hospital mortality based on DAD was 0.84 in 2003, 0.81 in 2015, and 0.78 in 2022. ConclusionDAD increasingly under-coded conditions over 19 years. The validity of DAD decreased but remained relatively stable for certain conditions mandated for coding. The under-coding exerted minimal impact on in-hospital mortality prediction. ImplicationsThe under-coding could be primarily due to the increase of hospital patient volumes and the limited time allocated to coders. Consequently, there is a need to develop artificial intelligence methods based on electronic medical records to support coding practices and improve coding quality.

Clinical Characteristics and Underlying Pathophysiology in 4 Subtypes of Dysthyroid Optic Neuropathy Patients

Objective: To analyze different subtypes, clinical characteristics, and pathophysiologies of dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON) based on orbital fat and extraocular muscle (EOM) volume increases on orbital CT images. Methods: The author retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 80 patients (152 eyes) who were diagnosed with DON and treated at Anam, Guro, or Ansan hospitals of the Korea University College of Medicine from February 2006 to December 2023. Clinical features, ophthalmic examination, demographic characteristics, thyroid status, and radiographic findings from computed tomography scans (prevalence of fat or muscle volume increases) were analyzed. Results: Four groups were designated based on EOM volume (MV) and orbital fat volume (FV). Group 1 had no increase in MV or FV (5.3%, 8 eyes), group 2 had increased FV only (8.66%, 13 eyes), group 3 had an increase in MV only (52.6%, 80 eyes), while group 4 had both MV and FV increase (33.6%, 51 eyes). Patients in group 1 were younger and had low diplopia scores than patients in the other groups. Decreases in visual acuity, color vision abnormalities, diplopia score, and apical crowding were less frequent in groups 1 and 2 than groups 3 and 4 (P=0.000). Patients in groups 3 and 4 had significantly more apical crowding and higher diplopia scores and CAS scores than patients in groups 1 and 2 (P=0.000 and 0.013, respectively). The number of patients who underwent decompression surgery was significantly higher in groups 3 and 4 than groups 1 and 2 (P=0.000). Conclusion: Extraocular muscle enlargement occurred in 86% of DON patients and compression of the optic nerve due to enlargement of EOMs at the orbital apex is the main cause of DON. Optic nerve stretch and vascular insufficiency due to increased orbital pressure are other potential mechanisms underlying DON in groups without an increase in FV or MV. Although decreased visual acuity, color vision abnormalities, and diplopia were less frequent in these groups, greater attention should be paid to the timely diagnosis of DON.

Correlation of Doppler Indices Within the Umbilical Vein Compared With Gestational Age and Fetal Weight in a Normal Pregnancy

Objective: Given the sophistication of ultrasonography, it is possible to explore and better comprehend the link between gestational age (GA), fetal weight (FW), and the diameter of the umbilical vein (UV). Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether a correlation exists between the Doppler indices, within the UV, compared with GA and FW, in a normal pregnancy. Materials and Methods: The design of this work was a cross-sectional analytical study. The sample size was calculated to include a sample size of 61, for statistical significance. A convenient sampling technique was used to collect the data. The inclusion criteria were to recruit pregnant women between the ages of 18 and 45 years, in the second and third trimester of pregnancy. In this cohort, the exclusion criteria were to be no co-existing maternal medical conditions chronic hypertension, gestational diabetes, cardiovascular problems, infections, hypercoagulability, and endocrine disorders. Results: A total of 61 pregnant women participated in this study, with a mean age of 25.21 ± 2.79 years. The mean GA was 32.4 ± 6.5 weeks. GA demonstrated a strong positive correlation with UV diameter ( r = .772, P &lt; .001), UV velocity ( r = .687, P &lt; .001), and UV volume ( r = .732, P &lt; .001). UV diameter showed a strong positive correlation with UV velocity ( r = .593, P &lt; .001) and an even stronger positive correlation with UV volume ( r = .928, P &lt; .001). UV velocity showed a strong positive correlation with UV volume ( r = .754, P &lt; .001). These findings may suggest that as GA increases, there are corresponding increases in UV diameter, velocity, and volume. Conclusion: In this cohort, the data collected demonstrated significant correlations between UV Doppler indices, GA, and FW, in normal pregnancies.