Long-term Rates Research Articles

Process and mechanism analysis of typical permafrost area surface deformation at two sites along the Qinghai-Tibet highway based on long-term leveling observation

Surface deformation indicates permafrost changes and multi-year surveys can reflect its characteristics and causes. In this study, surface deformations in Wudaoliang (WDL) and Xidatan (XDT) were determined based on long-term leveling measurements, hydrothermal data, precipitation and soil sampling. In-situ observations can be used to study the influence of hydrothermal changes in the active layer on the surface. The amplitude and onset date of seasonal deformation are different due to the soil moisture (SM) and soil texture in the two permafrost regions. High SM and fine-grained soils can cause significant seasonal surface deformation. A good correlation existed between the freeze-thaw front migration rate and deformation in the active layer with a uniform distribution of SM. The inter-annual subsidence rate in the WDL was higher than in the XDT, owing to the different rates of ground ice thawing near the permafrost table. The long-term subsidence rate positively correlates with the increased seasonal deformation amplitude, especially in fine-grained soils.

Timor-Leste: preliminary assessment of a rapidly eroding landscape in the Coral Triangle

Context Sedimentation in the rivers and on the coasts of Timor-Leste has increased since deforestation, affecting floods and probably living aquatic resources. Aims To provide scientifically based estimates of long-term and short-term erosion rates to assess the apparent role of deforestation, a topic that has not received sufficient quantitative attention in the Coral Triangle. Methods Short-term erosion rates have been estimated from regional relationships between river sediment yield and catchment areas and cosmogenic nuclides for long-term rates. An attempt has also been made to estimate changes in rates of delta progradation to determine whether recent increases have occurred following deforestation. Key results The major scientific finding is that reduction in vegetation cover for agriculture and timber harvesting, particularly in the mountains, increased sediment yield by factors up to 120, mainly by landsliding. And there has been a large amount of sediment exported to the delta and offshore from river-channel change. Implications Impacts on living resources are likely both in rivers and on the coast, but require assessment. Revegetation of hillslopes is likely to reduce these impacts and improve the livelihoods of local people.

Long-term psychopathology rates of children and adolescents and associated factors in the worst-sticken area of 2023 Kahramanmaras earthquake

Long-term psychopathology rates of children and adolescents and associated factors in the worst-sticken area of 2023 Kahramanmaras earthquake

Primary resistance to nivolumab plus ipilimumab therapy affects second-line treatment outcomes in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Nivolumab plus ipilimumab (NIVO+IPI) has a long-term response rate of 30% for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). However, 20% of patients develop primary resistant disease (PRD) to NIVO+IPI and show poor survival outcomes. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of PRD as a second-line treatment in patients with mRCC. The data used in this multi-institutional, retrospective cohort were collected between August 2015 and January 2023. In total, 189 patients with mRCC were treated with NIVO+IPI and then with a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Associations between PRD and progression-free survival of second-line treatment (PFS), progression-free survival 2 (PFS2), and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. The median age at NIVO+IPI initiation was 67 years in the male-dominant population (n = 140, 74.1%), and most patients had clear cell histology (n = 140, 74.1%). PRD was recorded in 42 (22.2%) of 189 patients during NIVO+IPI therapy. Patients who experienced PRD showed poor PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.788; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.176-2.718; p = 0.007), PFS2 (HR, 4.127; 95% CI, 2.649-6.431; p < 0.001), and OS (HR, 3.330; 95% CI, 2.040-5.437; p < 0.001). Before starting second-line therapy, patients with PRD tended to have a poor performance status compared with non-PRD patients and a higher IMDC risk. Second-line drug therapy was not associated with treatment outcomes in patients with PRD. PRD in patients with mRCC receiving NIVO+IPI as first-line treatment was associated with poor clinical course, even with second-line therapy.

The effect of ischemic preconditioning on the cardiac autonomic nervous system after exercise: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Aims: The objective of this study is to comprehensively evaluate the influence of ischemic preconditioning intervention on the autonomic control nerves of athletes during the post-exercise period. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were sourced from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Wipo, CNKI, and Cochrane databases, covering the period from inception to December 2023. The quality of the included RCTs was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk Assessment Tool, and a systematic assessment was conducted using RevMan 5.3. Results: Seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 88 subjects were included in the analysis. The meta-analysis indicated that ischemic preconditioning significantly improved heart rate during both short-term recoveries (mean difference [MD] = -3.99, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -5.93 to -2.05, p &lt; 0.00001) and long-term recovery post-exercise (MD = -9.73, 95% CI: -12.74 to -6.73, p &lt; 0.00001). However, there was no significant effect observed on resting state heart rate variability (HRV) or peak heart rate (HR peak) at the end of exercise (MD = -0.16, 95% CI: -2.46 to 2.14, p = 0.89). Conclusion: Ischemic preconditioning facilitates the prompt reactivation of cardiac parasympathetic nerves following exercise and enhances both short-term and long-term heart rate recovery. The extent of this recovery effect may be influenced by factors such as the dosage of the intervention, the individual’s training level, and the intensity of the exercise performed. Limitation: Given the limited number of included studies, the small sample size, and the unclear definition of some experimental procedures, it is essential to design more rigorous and comprehensive high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the future to investigate the effects of ischemic preconditioning on cardiac autonomic control nerves following exercise. Registration: INPLASY202440069

Predictive value of contrast-enhanced MRI for the regrowth of residual uterine fibroids after high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment.

To investigate whether the signal intensity (SI) ratio of residual fibroid (RF) to myometrium using Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CE-MRI) could predict fibroid regrowth after high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment. A retrospective analysis was conducted among 164 patients with uterine fibroids who underwent HIFU. To predict the RF regrowth, the SI perfusion parameters were quantified using the RF-myometrium SI ratio on CE-MRI on day 1 post-HIFU and then compared with the fibroid-myometrium SI ratio on the T2-weighted image (T2WI) and Funaki classification 1 year later. Thirty cases from another center were used as an external validation set to evaluate the performance of RF-myometrium SI ratio. The predictive performance of the RF-myometrium SI ratio on CE-MRI on day 1 post-HIFU (Area Under Curve, AUC: 0.869) was superior to that of the preoperative and postoperative fibroid-myometrium SI ratios on the T2WI (AUC: 0.724, 0.696) and Funaki classification (AUC: 0.663, 0.623). Multivariate analysis showed that the RF- myometrium SI ratio and RF thickness were independent factors. The RF-myometrium SI ratio reflects the long-term rate of re-intervention (r = 0.455, p < 0.001). The RF-myometrium SI ratio on CE-MRI exhibits greater accuracy in predicting RF regrowth compared to the SI classification and the SI ratio on T2WI. The ratio of residual uterine fibroid to myometrial signal intensity on contrast-enhanced (CE)-MRI can reflect residual blood supply, predict regrowth of fibroids, and thus reflect long-term re-intervention rate and recovery situation of clinical high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment. Contrast-enhanced (CE)-MRI can indicate the blood supply of residual uterine fibroids after high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment. The predictive capability of CE-MRI ratio surpasses T2WI ratio and the Funaki. Residual fibroids can serve as a measure of the long-term efficacy of HIFU.

The long-term conditional mortality rate in older ICU patients compared to the general population.

Understanding how preexisting comorbidities may interact with a critical illness is important for the assessment of long-term survival probability of older patients admitted to the ICU. The mortality after a first ICU admission in patients ≥ 55years old registered in the Swedish Intensive Care Registry was compared to age- and sex-matched individuals from the general population with a landmark after 1 year. The comparison was adjusted for age, sex, and baseline comorbidity using Cox regression. The 7-year study period included 140 008 patients, of whom 23% were 80 years or older. Patients surviving the first year remained at an increased risk compared to the general population, but much of this difference was attenuated after adjustment for baseline comorbidity (HR, 1.03; 95% CI 1.02-1.04). Excluding cardio-thoracic ICU admissions, the increased risk remained slightly elevated (adjusted HR, 1.15; 95% CI 1.13-1.16). Also, the subgroup ≥ 75years old surviving the first year returned to a mortality rate comparable to the general population (HR, 0.98; 95% CI 0.96-0.99). Stratified by admission diagnosis an increased mortality rate remained beyond the first year for acute-on-chronic respiratory failure (adjusted HR, 1.47; 95% CI 1.36-1.58) but not for other respiratory causes (adjusted HR, 1.03; 95% CI 0.99-1.07) or admission for septic shock (adjusted HR, 1.04; 95% CI 0.95-1.13). No substantial increased mortality rate was notable beyond the first year for other admission diagnoses. Older ICU patients that survive the first year after an ICU admission return to a mortality rate close to that of the general population having similar baseline comorbidity, but variability is seen depending on the ICU admission diagnosis. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT06234709, date 02/01/2024.

Calibration of the Ueno’s Shadow Rate Model of Interest Rates

Shadow rate models of interest rates are based on the assumption that the interest rates are determined by an unobservable shadow rate. This idea dates back to Fischer Black, who understood the interest rate as an option that cannot become negative. Its possible zero values are consequences of negative values of the shadow rate. In recent years, however, the negative interest rates have become a reality. To capture this behavior, shadow rate models need to be adjusted. In this paper, we study Ueno’s model, which uses the Vasicek process for the shadow rate and adjusts its negative values when constructing the short rate. We derive the probability properties of the short rate in this model and apply the maximum likelihood estimation method to obtain the parameters from the real data. The other interest rates are—after a specification of the market price of risk—solutions to a parabolic partial differential equation. We solve the equation numerically and use the long-term rates to fit the market price of risk.

The Measurement of Intra-Distributional Mobility: An Investigation of District Long-Term Housing Vacancies

It is not unusual for government reports to place spatial inequalities into a league table, highlighting poorly performing jurisdictions in some form of yardstick competition. A case in point is long-term dwelling vacancies. Action on Empty Homes, which works closely with local governments in the UK, provides commentary about poor performance, including recording persistently higher rates in certain regions and mentioning the worst rankings at the local level. How the distribution of vacant dwellings changes is not well explored. How rigid this league is has been a feature of a discussion in the growth literature. A useful dynamic policy measure in this regard is how far the average jurisdiction changes its league position over a given period. A type of convergence proposed here, implied by Sala-i-Martin, features the time for the initial rankings to become discordant with the current order. One could see this sort of measure being used widely, wherever performances are judged relatively as a means of highlighting good practice. Using English data on vacant dwellings, this paper shows that there is a ‘long memory’ in long-term vacancy rates, both at the local and regional levels. The industrial and housing inheritances of districts in the North of England, evident in the league table in 2004, remain influential after 18 years, even with general population growth. Although the use of incentives to bring dwellings back into use is thought to be successful, it is suggested that the role of the buy-to-let investor may have been overlooked. Changes in the treatment of their rewards appear to coincide with a rise in long-term vacancies.

Perioperative Evaluation and Monitoring of Percutaneous Balloon Compression in Treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Multiple factors may influence the clinical outcomes of percutaneous balloon compression (PBC), including intraluminal balloon pressure, volume, and Meckel's cave volume. In this article, we aimed to investigate the clinical value of the perioperative assessment and monitoring of balloon compression in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia (TN). METHODS: Thirty-seven patients who underwent PBC were prospectively enrolled. The patient underwent preoperative high-resolution 3.0-T MRI for the 3-dimensional reconstruction of Meckel's cave, while intraoperative recordings of intraluminal pressure and balloon volume were conducted simultaneously. Primary outcomes included postoperative numbness and pain recurrence up to 24 months after discharge. RESULTS: Sensory deficiency was primarily reported within the first month, and approximately 38% of the patients presented with symptomatic numbness in the facial region. Subgroup analysis indicated no statistically significant difference in intraluminal balloon pressure between patients with facial numbness and asymptomatic individuals. This impairment in trigeminal sensation eventually recovered at the 24-month follow-up. By contrast, the long-term recurrence rate of TN was approximately 25% (5/20 patients) 2 years postoperatively. Furthermore, we found that the intraluminal balloon pressure was significantly lower among patients with recurrent pain (102.8 ± 11.0 vs 135.7 ± 5.1 kPa, P &lt; .05). Although no significant differences in balloon or Meckel's cave volume were observed between subgroups, we found a positive and significant correlation between the volume of Meckel's cave and balloon. CONCLUSION: Facial numbness remains a common but short-term symptom of PBC for TN. This study indicates that a higher intraluminal balloon pressure may be associated with a lower risk of recurrent trigeminal pain. Preoperative reconstruction of Meckel cave may help to predict the volume of intraoperative balloon compression. We consider it feasible and necessary to conduct a perioperative assessment of balloon compression in the treatment of TN.

Long-term risk of heart failure in patients with postoperative atrial fibrillation following non-cardiac surgery: Insights from a nationwide cohort.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with heart failure (HF). However, it is unclear if postoperative AF (POAF) following non-cardiac surgery differs from non-surgical AF in terms of the risk of HF. We compared the long-term rate of incident HF in patients developing new-onset POAF following non-cardiac surgery with patients who did not develop POAF following non-cardiac surgery and patients with non-surgical non-valvular AF (NVAF). Using Danish nationwide registries, all patients aged ≥30 years who developed POAF following non-cardiac surgery (1996-2020) were identified and matched in a 1:3 ratio by age, sex, surgery type (only for the surgery group), selected comorbidities, and inclusion year with patients without POAF following non-cardiac surgery and individuals with NVAF, respectively. A total of 2270 patients with POAF were matched with 6810 patients without POAF following non-cardiac surgery, and 1846 patients with POAF were matched with 5538 patients with NVAF. The median follow-up was 7.2 years. Compared with patients without POAF, those with POAF had a higher associated long-term rate of incident HF (2.6 vs. 1.2 events per 100 person-years; adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 2.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.06-2.78). Compared with individuals with NVAF, patients with POAF did not have a significantly different rate of incident HF (2.7 vs. 3.0 events per 100 person-years; adjusted HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.78-1.03). Patients with new-onset POAF following non-cardiac surgery had a higher associated long-term rate of incident HF compared to those without POAF, with no significant difference in the rate of incident HF when compared to patients with NVAF.

Low Infection Rates With Long-Term Dupilumab Treatment in Patients Aged 6 Months to 5 Years: An Open-Label Extension Study.

To evaluate long-term infection rates in children aged 6 months to 5 years with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) treated with dupilumab. This was a post hoc analysis of an ongoing open-label extension (OLE) study of dupilumab. Pediatric patients aged 6 months to 5 years with moderate-to-severe AD who had previously taken part in the LIBERTY AD PRESCHOOL phase 2 and 3 clinical trials received weight-based subcutaneous dupilumab every 2 or 4 weeks. Exposure-adjusted infection rates after a median dupilumab exposure of 52 weeks are compared with data from the earlier randomized, placebo-controlled, 16-week LIBERTY AD PRESCHOOL phase 3 trial. Infection rates were overall lower in the OLE study compared with the dupilumab and placebo groups in the earlier 16-week trial, including total infections (101.0 patients/100 patient-years [PY]), nonherpetic skin infections (22.7 patients/100PY), herpetic infections (7.3 patients/100PY), and nonskin infections (92.9 patients/100PY). The frequency of severe and serious infections was low (3.1 patients/100PY), compared with 17.1 placebo-treated patients/100PY and 0 dupilumab-treated patients in the earlier 16-week trial, and no infections leading to treatment discontinuation were observed. Systemic anti-infective medication use (58.9 patients/100PY) was lower in the OLE study compared with both the dupilumab and placebo groups in the 16-week trial. Overall, reduced infection rates are observed in infants and young children with moderate-to-severe AD treated with dupilumab long-term, supporting the known safety profile of dupilumab.

SURG-54. RECURRENT BRAIN METASTASES (RBM) TREATED WITH SURGICALLY TARGETED RADIATION THERAPY (START): PRELIMINARY SAFETY EVALUATION FROM A MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL PROSPECTIVE REGISTRY

Abstract BACKGROUND Resection and intraoperative brachytherapy for operable recurrent brain metastasis allows for pathologic confirmation of recurrent disease, mass effect relief, and immediate initiation of radiotherapy (RT). In this analysis, we report patterns-of-use and treatment-related adverse events (AEs) for rBM patients treated with Cs-131 collagen tiles, an FDA-cleared intracranial brachytherapy device. METHODS Patients with rBM who underwent resection and surgically-targeted radiation therapy (GammaTile, GT Medical Technologies Inc., Tempe, AZ USA) on a prospectively enrolling phase 4 registry study (NCT04427384) were analyzed. AEs were graded per CTCAE v5.0. RESULTS Between 11/2020 and 2/2024, 56 rBM in 51 consecutive patients underwent STaRT at 19 centers, with 5 patients having 2 metastases implanted concurrently. 44 patients (86%) had prior same-site RT (median interval 14.5 mo, range 3-56). Primary tumor histologies were lung (27), melanoma (8), breast (7), renal (4), colon (2), and “other” (3). Median pre-operative maximum diameter was 3.0 cm (range 1.4-5.7); age 63 (range 28-81); 53% females; KPS median 90 (range 40-100); and median implantation time 3 minutes. 26 patients were implanted at a 1st, 15 at a 2nd, and 10 at ≥ 3rd same-site recurrence (range 1-9). At a median follow-up of 6.2 months (range &amp;lt;1-35.1), 6/51 patients (11.8%) experienced ≥Gr 3 AEs at a median of 12 (range 1-69) days postoperatively (POD). No radiation necrosis (RN) events were observed, and no AEs occurred in multi-implant cases or where STaRT was the initial form of RT. CONCLUSIONS In this prospective multi-institutional study, STaRT demonstrated an excellent safety profile in a cohort of larger rBM, even in the setting of multi-recurrent disease. Accrual and follow-up are on-going and will provide data on tumor control and long-term RN rates.

RADT-15. THE ROLE OF STEREOTACTIC RADIOSURGERY IN WHO GRADE II MENINGIOMAS: RESULTS FROM A LARGE EUROPEAN MULTICENTER STUDY

Abstract BACKGROUND This study evaluates the outcomes of WHO grade II meningiomas treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) using a large, multi-institutional European database. We aim to investigate the long-term tumor control rate and morbidity associated with SRS. METHODS Data from 355 consecutive patients treated between 1992 and 2022 at 16 European radiosurgery centers were retrospectively analyzed. After excluding 40 patients due to loss to follow-up, results from 315 patients were included. Clinical and imaging data were independently collected by each center and uniformly entered into a multicenter database. RESULTS The median age of patients was 56 years, with 54% being female. The median follow-up duration was 46.3 ± 36.9 months. Tumors had prior surgical treatment and biopsy in 99% and 1% of cases, respectively. Tumors received previous radiotherapy or SRS in 27.4% of cases. SRS was performed due to local progression in 89.6% of cases, residual tumor in 6.4%, and distant progression in 4.0%. SRS characteristics included a median target volume of 5.1 cm³ and a median margin dose of 16 Gy (53.5% isodose). The 3-year local control rate was 72.0%, with a progression-free survival rate of 66.6% and an overall survival rate of 89.7%. Transient and permanent morbidity rates were 6.4% and 3.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified previous radiotherapy and age as significant factors influencing these outcomes. CONCLUSIONS This study is the largest to date on SRS in WHO grade II meningiomas. Our data shows that SRS is a viable and safe treatment option for residual and recurrent WHO grade II meningiomas

Survival and Complication Rates of Feldspathic, Leucite-Reinforced, Lithium Disilicate and Zirconia Ceramic Laminate Veneers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

To analyze survival and complication rates for anterior and premolar laminate-veneers out of different ceramic materials (feldspathic, leucite-reinforced glass-ceramic [LRGC], lithium-disilicate [LDS] and zirconia). A systematic literature search was conducted across multiple databases for clinical studies on ceramic laminate-veneers with a minimum-follow-up of ≥ 1 year. The date of last search was on February 19, 2024. Survival, technical, esthetic and biological events were assessed for different laminate-veneer materials at three observation periods (short- [1-3 years], mid- [4-6 years] and long-term [≥ 7 years]). Twenty-nine studies were included. Meta-analysis revealed a pooled survival-rate of 96.13% for feldspathic, 93.70% for LRGC and 96.81% for LDS at 10.4 years. No difference was found between materials. Complication rates (technical/esthetic/biological) were as follows: Feldspathic: 41.48%/19.64%/6.51%; LRGC: 29.87%/17.89%/4.4%; LDS: 6.1%/1.9%/0.45% at 10.4 years. Zirconia showed a 100% survival-rate with no complications at 2.6 years. No long-term data was available for zirconia. Feldspathic, LRGC and LDS laminate-veneers showed high survival-rates at long-term observation. LDS slightly outperforms feldspathic and LRGC laminate-veneers with lower long-term complication rates. More studies providing long-term data on zirconia laminate-veneers are needed. Ceramic laminate-veneers are a reliable treatment option. LDS may be preferred as a restorative material for long-term success.

Assessment of Cardiac Autonomic Function by Short-Term Sensor-Based and Long-Term Heart Rate Variability Analyses in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury After Long-Term Table Tennis Training

This study aimed to examine the acute and chronic effects of an exercising table tennis program on cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and functional capacity in people with tetraplegia. Twenty males with tetraplegia (C6–C7), with a mean age of 38.50 ± 4.04 years old, were randomly assigned into two equal groups: A, who followed a 6-month exercise training program with table tennis 3 times per week, and B, who remained untrained. Additionally, 11 healthy sedentary men (group C) with a mean age of 39.71 ± 5.87 years old participated in the study as healthy controls. At baseline, all participants underwent a short-term (5 min) and a long-term (24 h ambulatory) ECG monitoring to evaluate the heart rate variability (HRV) indices and a maximal arm ergometric and dynamometric testing of the upper limbs. Moreover, the acute cardiac autonomic responses to maximal arm cycle exercise test were evaluated by Polar S810i sensor chest strap. At the end of the 6-month study, all parameters were revaluated only in groups A and B. At baseline, there was no statistically significant difference between the two patient groups. However, intra-group changes at the end of the 6-month study regarding the 24-h HRV monitoring indicated that group A statistically increased the standard deviation of R-R intervals (SDNN) by 13.9% (p = 0.007), the standard deviation of R-R intervals calculated every 5 min (SDANN) by 8.4% (p = 0.007), the very low frequency (VLF) by 7.1% (p = 0.042), and the low frequency [LF (ms2)] by 10.5% (p = 0.009), which almost reached the levels of group C. Favorable improvements were also noticed at the end of the study for group A in maximal exercise time of the upper limbs by 80.4% (p &lt; 0.001) and maximal strength of the right hand by 27.8% (p &lt; 0.001). Linear regression analysis after training showed that maximal exercise time was positively correlated with SDNN (r = 0.663, p = 0.036) and with LF (ms2) (r = 0.623, p = 0.045). Our results indicate that a 6-month table tennis training program is efficient and can improve cardiac ANS activity mainly by increasing sympathovagal balance.

Kết quả điều trị và một số yếu tố liên quan ở người bệnh nhược cơ sau phẫu thuật cắt tuyến ức

Objective: To evaluate the treatment outcomes and associated factors in myasthenia gravis patients after thymectomy. Subjects and Methods: The study included 66 myasthenia gravis patients who underwent thymectomy at the Neurology Center and Thoracic Surgery Department of Bach Mai Hospital from October 2019 to January 2023. Results: The rate of improvement after thymectomy was 77.3%. The long-term stable rate was 33.3%; pharmacologically stable rate was 18.4%; minimal manifestation rate was 25.8%; 10.6% of patients showed no improvement, 7.6% had worsening conditions, and 4.6% of patients died. The average time to improvement was 20.25 months, with a median of 18 months. The likelihood of improvement in patients who underwent surgery within one year of symptom onset was 5.04 times higher than those who had surgery after one year, with p&lt;0.05. Patients without bulbar or respiratory symptoms had a higher likelihood of improvement compared to those with symptoms. Specifically, patients without dysphagia had a significant improvement (p&lt;0.05, OR=9.80, 95%CI: 1.20–80.35), and patients without dyspnea had an OR=5.00 (95%CI: 1.31–19.07), both showing statistically significant relationships with p&lt;0.05. Patients in clinical stages I and IIA (mild stage) had a higher likelihood of improvement compared to those in stage III (p&lt;0.05, OR=14.67, 95%CI: 1.16–185.23; OR=12.67, 95%CI: 1.56–102.30). Patients in the mild clinical stage had a significantly higher likelihood of improvement compared to those in moderate and severe stages (p&lt;0.05, OR=164.50, 95%CI: 152.3–708.50). Conclusion: The majority of patients showed improvement after surgery, with an average improvement time of 20.22 months. Factors associated with improvement after thymectomy included: surgery performed within one year of symptom onset, absence of bulbar and respiratory symptoms, and mild clinical stages (I, IIA).

Three-dimensional finite element analysis of occlusal stress on maxillary first molars with different marginal morphologies restored with occlusal veneers

BackgroundThere are differences in the research results regarding which edge design of occlusal veneers can achieve the best long-term success rate as a relatively new fixed prosthesis restoration method. Further research is needed. The three-dimensional finite element method was used to conduct stress analysis on occlusal veneers of maxillary first permanent molars with different thicknesses and margin preparation designs. The aim of this study was to provide mechanical research evidence and a reference for exploring standardized clinical protocols for the design of occlusal veneer restorations of maxillary first molars.MethodA 3Shape (Intraoral Scanner) was used to scan the maxillary first molar teeth in vitro, after which 3D printing was carried out. Three different edge designs were applied to identical teeth: straight-beveled finishing line(SFL), chamfer finishing line(CFL), and standard cuspal inclination(SCI). Preparation was carried out with a thickness of 0.5 mm. Using the surface deformation feature, the occlusal veneer was thickened to 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm, and periodontal ligaments were added. They were then placed into the upper and lower jaws and dental arches. Finite element analysis was performed after applying bite force dispersion to the loading area on the mandible following dynamic contact.Results(1) As the thickness increased, the maximum Von Mises stress in the occlusal veneers SFL and CFL also increased, while the SCI exhibited the opposite trend. (2). The trend of the maximum Von Mises stress in the adhesive layer decrease gradually with increasing thickness of the occlusal veneer. The stresses of the SFL and CFL is concentrated primarily at the edge position below the functional cusp, resulting in relatively low adhesive stress. However, in the SCI group, the maximum stress at the edge of the adhesive layer exceeds the maximum shear strength of commonly used adhesives.ConclusionsUnder the experimental conditions, the mechanical properties of the maximum Von Mises stress in the SFL, CFL, and SCI occlusal veneers meet clinical needs. Incorporating the minimally invasive concept of tooth preservation, a thickness of 1.0 mm are optimal for glass ceramic occlusal veneers on maxillary first molars.

Rational Design of Two-Dimensional MA2Z4 Monolayers as Effective Anchoring Materials for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Advances in lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) are impeded by the inefficiency of anchoring materials in facilitating long-term cycling and rate performance. To address this challenge, an exploration of two-dimensional MA2Z4 monolayers as potential anchoring materials for LSBs is proposed based on density functional theory calculations and machine learning (ML) techniques. Adsorption features, sulfur reduction reaction behaviors, and solvent interactions are assessed and analyzed; and MoGe2N4 and WGe2N4 are identified as the most promising candidates because they have optimal adsorption energies for lithium polysulfides to suppress the shuttle effect and exhibit enhanced catalytic activity. Meanwhile, ML analysis highlights the critical influence of the electronegativity of element Z in MA2Z4 on anchoring properties, providing valuable insights into future anchoring material design for high-performance LSBs.

МНОГОЛЕТНИЕ ЭПИДЕМИОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ТРЕНДЫ ДИНАМИКИ АЛЛЕРГИЧЕСКОГО РИНИТА И АТОПИЧЕСКОГО ДЕРМАТИТА У ДЕТЕЙ

Background. Allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis are common allergic diseases in children. Analysis of the incidence and trends of allergic diseases development is necessary for successful solving the problem of morbidity, helping the child population at the regional level, disease forecasting and control. Purpose of the study. To study the long-term dynamics of the main epidemiological indicators of the general and primary incidence of allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis in the child population of the Grodno region. Material and methods. Retrospective analysis of indicators of general and primary incidence of allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis in the child population of the Grodno region was performed. The study periods were 1999-2023 years (children aged 0-14 years old) and 2008-2023 years (children aged 15-17 years old). Results. The average long-term age-standardized overall morbidity rate of allergic rhinitis in children aged 0-14 years old was 266.89 (95% CI: 238.33-295.47), the primary morbidity rate was 67.67 (95% CI: 57.36-77.9) per 100,000 children of the corresponding age. The average long-term overall incidence rate of allergic rhinitis in children aged 15-17 years (2008-2023) was 791.97 (95% CI: 680.79-903.14), the primary incidence rate was 113.73 (95% CI: 92.84- 134.61) per 100,000 children of the same age. The average long-term age-standardized rate of overall incidence of atopic dermatitis in children aged 0-14 years old was 872.89 (95% CI: 825.27-919.782) per 100,000 children of the corresponding age, the primary incidence rate was 459.1 (95% CI: 399. 96-518.24) per 100,000 children of the same age. The average long-term overall incidence rate of atopic dermatitis in children aged 15-17 years was 415.68 (95% CI: 377.63-453.73), the primary incidence rate was 143.88 (95% CI: 120.53-167.23) per 100,000 child population of the corresponding age. The long-term epidemic dynamics of allergic rhinitis was characterized by a moderately pronounced tendency towards an increase in the overall incidence rate among children aged 0-14 years old (average growth (decrease) rate = +2.4%) and 15-17 years old (average growth (decrease) rate = +3.62 %) as well as stabilization of the primary morbidity rate in children aged 0-14 years old (average growth (decrease) rate = -0.67%) and 15-17 years old (average growth (decrease) rate = +0.72%). The long-term epidemic dynamics of atopic dermatitis was characterized by a moderately pronounced tendency towards a decrease in the overall morbidity rate for children aged 0-14 years old (average growth (decrease) rate = -1.57%) and an increase in the morbidity rate for children of 15-17 years old (average growth (decrease) rate = +2.1%). There also was a pronounced downward trend in the primary morbidity rate of children aged 0-14 years old (average growth (decrease) rate = -5.42%) and children aged 15-17 years old (average growth (decrease) rate = -5.89%). The cartograms of the territorial distribution of incidence rates of allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis in the child population of the Grodno region in the periods 1999-2023 (0-14 years old) and 2008-2023 (15-17 years old) are presented. Conclusions. The reasons for the established patterns of changes in the incidence of allergic diseases in children of different age groups, as well as those living in different territories, are most likely due to the influence of environmental and socio-economic factors. The presented cartograms make it possible to visualize the incidence rates of allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis in individual territorial and administrative regions of the region.