Pressure Measurements Research Articles

Concept, study design, and baseline nighttime blood pressure control status of the WISDOM-Night Study using a wrist-type oscillometric home blood pressure monitoring device.

There is growing evidence that nocturnal hypertension is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure. However, brachial blood pressure (BP) measurements during sleep might themselves disturb sleep quality. We initiated a nationwide, multicenter observational prospective study using a wrist-type oscillometric nighttime BP monitoring device with new algorithms to measure supine BP accurately without sleep disturbance. This study, named the Wrist ICT-based Sleep and Circadian Blood Pressure Monitoring Program-Night BP Study (WISDOM-Night Study), was designed to clarify the impact of wrist-measured daily nighttime BPs on cardiovascular prognosis (stroke, coronary artery disease, heart failure, etc.) using 7 days of BP measurements at 2:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m., 4:00 a.m., and 4 h after bedtime. A total of 2751 patients with one or more cardiovascular risk factors were recruited between March 2021 and March 2024 and are currently being followed up for 7 years. Additionally, 1416 of the WISDOM-Night Study-enrolled patients who also agreed to participate in the WISDOM-Hypertension-Mediated Organ Damage (HMOD) Study underwent echocardiography to evaluate the association between wrist-measured BP and left ventricular structure. Data from this WISDOM-Night Study should provide the prospective association between nighttime BP and cardiovascular disease and reveal the indexes of nighttime BP with clinical pathological relevance. This first report of the WISDOM-Night Study describes the study design, baseline characteristics, and BP control status.

Fluid-filled lattices for responsive orthotic insoles

Abstract Orthotic insoles are essential for alleviating discomfort and preventing injuries in the foot caused by high peak pressures in the plantar tissue. Traditional orthotic insoles, often prescribed to address these issues, are designed based on the static foot shape and pressure measurements, lacking responsiveness to dynamic movements. This study explores the behaviour of fluid-filled lattices for improving the functionality of orthotic insoles, focusing on energy dissipation and pressure redistribution capabilities. Using numerical homogenisation, the research integrates hyperelastic and permeability models to simulate the behaviour of Solid-Liquid Composites (SLCs). Experimental tests validated these models, examining the influence of fluid viscosity and structural variations on energy dissipation and pressure distribution. Results show that fluid-filled lattices provide enhanced energy dissipation and reduce peak pressures by evening out the pressure distribution compared to non-fluid-filled samples. These findings highlight the potential of fluid-filled lattices to improve the performance and comfort of orthotic insoles.

Correlation Between Quantitative Cage Pressure Measurements and Surgeons' Qualitative Tactile Assessments During Extraction in Lumbar Lateral Interbody Fusion: A Cadaveric Study.

A cadaveric study. Measuring the pressure exerted on lumbar lateral interbody fusion (LLIF) cages and examining its correlation with qualitative assessment of tactile feedback related to pullout strength during cage extraction to determine the optimal cage height. No data exists on the relationship between the surgeon's tactile feedback related to pullout strength during the LLIF cage extraction and the cage pressures measured during surgery. We used four cadavers to insert the original stress-measuring cages at the L2/3 to L4/5 levels (12 intervertebral spaces) using the oblique lumbar lateral approach. The intervertebral disc height (IDH) was measured before cage insertion. These stainless-steel stress-measuring cages were designed with the same shape as standard cages and included a built-in load cell to measure the stress applied. The cage heights were set at 8, 10, and 12 mm and they were inserted sequentially from 8mm, with stress measurements taken at each step. Four spine surgeons qualitatively evaluated the extraction strength using three rating categories ("loose," "appropriate," and "hard to extract"). After cage removal, endplate damage (ED) and anterior longitudinal ligament injury (ALLI) were checked. The anterior part of the vertebral body was dissected to expose the ALL and it is checked for obvious injuries. Additionally, a surgical probe is used to check for ED and ALLI. The measured cage pressures were 45, 120, and 191 N for the "loose," "appropriate," and "hard to extract" ratings, respectively (P < 0.001). ED was observed in five intervertebral spaces, whereas no ALLI was noted. The average maximum pressure when ED occurred was 127 N. The primary risk factor for ED was identified as the difference between the height of the inserted cage and IDH, with a cut-off value of 4.5mm. The appropriate extraction strength corresponded to a cage pressure of 120 N. A cage pressure ≥127 N posed a risk for ED. ED incidence was high when the difference between the IDH and the height of the inserted cage exceeded 4.5mm. Level Three.

Prediction of the Contact Behavior of Stepseals: Experimental and Numerical Investigations

The contact behavior of a stepseal affects its reliability and remaining life. In this study, experimental and numerical analyses were performed to investigate the contact behavior of a typical stepseal. Its dimensions and material properties were also tested. The Mooney–Rivlin hyperelastic model was used to fit the stress–strain data of the rubber. A static contact pressure of 105.1 MPa was obtained using the Fujifilm pressure measurement film. A finite element model of a stepseal with reasonable element sizes was established. A comparison between the experimental results and finite element (FE) predictions shows that the finite element method underpredicts the maximum static contact pressure and contact length. For the maximum contact pressure, the test results were approximately 30.4% higher than those of the FE predictions.

Accurate and 30-plus days reliable cuffless blood pressure measurements with 9-minutes personal photoplethysmograph data and mixed deduction learning

Cuffless blood pressure (BP) measurements have long been anticipated, and the PPG (Photoplethysmography)-only method is the most promising one since already embedded in many wearable devices. To further meet the clinical accuracy requirements, PPG-only BP predictions with personalized modeling for overcoming personal deviations have been widely studied, but all required tens to hundreds of minutes of personal PPG measurements for training. Moreover, their accurate test periods without calibration practice were not reported. In this work, we collected records of PPG data from our recruited subjects in real-life scenarios instead of relying on the openly available MIMIC dataset obtained from intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Since our objective is commercial application and a substantial reduction in training data, we tailored our model training to closely mimic real-world usage. To achieve this, we developed a training approach that only requires 9-minutes of personal PPG signal recordings and mixed with other PPG data from our recruited 364 subjects. The modeling is conducted with two-channel paired inputs to the convolutional neural network (CNN)-based model, which we called Mixed Deduction Learning (MDL). The test results of 88 samples from 15 subjects, under testing period up to 30-plus days without extra calibration, revealed that MDL meets most of the standards of AAMI, BHS, and IEEE 1708–2014 (for static test only) for BP measurement devices, which indicates MDL’s long-term stability and consistency. Furthermore, we found that the model with two-channel inputs presents a trend of improving performance as the pool of mixed training data increased, while the conventional one-channel input revealed degraded performance. The outperformance of MDL is attributed to many significant features remained in the first CNN layer even when mixing personal 9-minutes data with the other 364 subjects. Consequently, PPG-only with MDL introduces a new avenue for overcoming challenges in training due to personal physiological variations. Given our consideration of real-life usage, this technology can be seamlessly translated to commercial applications.

The Role of Urban Residence, Race and Ethnicity, and Glycemic Control in Receiving Standards of Care and Progression to Vision-Threatening Diabetic Retinopathy.

Among patients with diabetes living in the U.S. with newly detected mild or moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) without diabetic macular edema (DME), we aimed to characterize determinants for receiving standards of care and progression to vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR) (severe NPDR, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, DME). Electronic health records of patients newly detected with NPDR without DME between 2015 and 2023 were analyzed with use of the Epic Cosmos research platform. We characterized the adjusted associations of urban versus rural residence, race and ethnicity (Hispanic, non-Hispanic [NH] White, NH Black, other), and glycemic control (HbA1c <7.0%, 7.0%-8.9%, ≥9%, unavailable) separately with guideline-recommended care (two of three: ophthalmology visit, primary care visit, and measurement of HbA1c, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol) in the 2 years after diagnosis and with progression to VTDR. Average (SD) age for the analytic sample (n = 102,919) was 63 (13.5) years, and 51% were female, 59% NH White, and 7% rural residents. Only 40% received guideline-recommended care, and 14% progressed to VTDR (median follow-up 35 months [interquartile range 18-63]). Urban residence was associated with receiving standards of care in both years (risk ratio 1.08 [95% CI 1.05-1.12]) and progression to VTDR (hazard ratio 1.07 [95% CI 0.99-1.15]). Racial and ethnic minority individulas were more likely to progress to VTDR. Individuals with poor or unknown glycemic control were less likely to receive standards of care and more likely to progress to VTDR. Understanding the management and progression of newly detected NPDR will require disentangling the independent and interdependent contributions of geography, race and ethnicity, and glycemia.

Immunoregulatory Macrophages Modify Local Pulmonary Immunity and Ameliorate Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension.

Macrophages play a significant role in the onset and progression of vascular disease in pulmonary hypertension, and cell-based immunotherapies aimed at treating vascular remodeling are lacking. To evaluate the effect of pulmonary administration of macrophages modified to have an anti-inflammatory/proresolving phenotype in attenuating early pulmonary inflammation and progression of experimentally induced pulmonary hypertension. Mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages were polarized in vitro to a regulatory (M2reg) phenotype. M2reg profile and anti-inflammatory capacity were assessed in vitro upon lipopolysaccharide/IFNγ (interferon-γ) restimulation, before their administration to 8- to 12-week-old mice. M2reg protective effect was evaluated at early (2-4 days) and late (4 weeks) time points during hypoxia (8.5% O2) exposure. Levels of inflammatory markers were quantified in alveolar macrophages and whole lung, while pulmonary hypertension development was ascertained by right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) and right ventricular hypertrophy measurements. Bronchoalveolar lavage from M2reg-transplanted hypoxic mice was collected and its inflammatory potential evaluated on naive bone marrow-derived macrophages. M2reg macrophages expressing Tgfβ, Il10, and Cd206 demonstrated a stable anti-inflammatory phenotype in vitro, by downregulating the induction of proinflammatory cytokines and surface molecules (Cd86, Il6, and Tnfα) upon a subsequent proinflammatory stimulus. A single dose of M2reg attenuated hypoxic monocytic recruitment and perivascular inflammation. Early hypoxic lung and alveolar macrophage inflammation leading to pulmonary hypertension development was significantly reduced, and, importantly, M2reg attenuated right ventricular hypertrophy, right ventricular systolic pressure, and vascular remodeling at 4 weeks post-treatment. Adoptive transfer of M2reg halts the recruitment of monocytes and modifies the hypoxic lung microenvironment, potentially changing the immunoreactivity of recruited macrophages and restoring normal immune functionality of the lung. These findings provide new mechanistic insights into the diverse role of macrophage phenotype on lung vascular homeostasis that can be explored as novel therapeutic targets.

Association between early pulmonary arterial pressure measurements and bronchopulmonary dysplasia or mortality in very preterm infants: a prospective cohort study

BackgroundPrematurity is a significant risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia related pulmonary artery pressure.ObjectiveTo determine the association between pulmonary artery pressure in the early days of life and the development of bronchopulmonary...

Does sheath size matter: benchtop comparison of flow and pressure across variety of continuous flow endoscopes.

Laser enucleation utilizes purpose-built endoscopes for laser stabilization and continuous flow. No evaluation has been done with respect to flow or intravesical pressure with these scopes. We sought to evaluate the effect different endoscopes and sheath sizes on irrigation outflow and intravesical pressure. Using a benchtop model using a silicone bladder model, five outer/inner sheath combinations were assessed: Storz 28/26Fr, Storz 26/26Fr, Wolf 26/24Fr, Wolf 26/22Fr, and Wolf 24/22Fr. A urodynamics pressure transducer was inserted alongside the scope for bladder pressure measurement and outflow from scope to drain was measured using uroflowmetry device. Four 1-minute trials were recorded for each sheath and the steady state flow and pressure was recorded. The Storz 28F outer sheath and 26F inner sheath had the highest outflow (12.4 ± 0.5 mL/s, p < 0.01). The Wolf 24F outer and 22F inner had the lowest outflow (7.0 ± 0.0 mL/s, p < 0.01). The steady state bladder pressure was the lowest in the Storz 28/26 (1.5 ± 1.7cm H2O, p < 0.01)) and the greatest in the Storz 26/26 (24.2 ± 1.9cm H2O, p < 0.01). The Storz 28/26 combination had best outflow rate and lowest intravesical pressures in our benchtop study. Flow rates generally decreased with smaller sheath sizes and steady state bladder pressures increased as the difference between the outflow and inflow sheath size narrowed. These findings provide initial parameters that could guide sheath selection in future to optimize visualization and success of voiding trials.

Association of magnesium deficiency, tobacco smoke exposure and hypertension in children and adolescents: evidence from the NHANES 2007–2018

BackgroundRecent studies suggested that the combination of tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) and dietary nutrients intake may be related to a higher or lower risk of hypertension. However, the relationship between dietary magnesium (Mg) intake, TSE and the odds of hypertension remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the association of TSE, dietary Mg intake and the odds of hypertension among children and adolescents.MethodData of this study were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2007–2018. Dietary Mg intake was calculated as the average of two days of dietary and supplementations intake. Serum cotinine concertation ≥ 0.05 µg/L or at least one-person smoking in the household was considered as exposing to the tobacco smoke. The weighted univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were utilized to explore the associations of dietary Mg intake, TSE and the odds of hypertension among children and adolescents with the evaluation index of odds ratio (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analyses based on different age, gender and overweight were further assessed these associations.ResultsA total of 7,122 children and adolescents aged 8–17 years old and with the blood pressure measurement were included. Of which, 948 (13.31%) had hypertension. After adjusting all covariates, we observed children and adolescents exposed to tobacco smoke was related to higher odds of hypertension (OR = 1.34, 95%CI: 1.01–1.78); children and adolescents not reached the dietary Mg references intakes was related to higher odds of hypertension (OR = 1.48, (95%CI: 1.11–1.97); compared to children and adolescents non-TSE and reached the DRIs of Mg, those not reached the DRIs of Mg and exposed to tobacco smoke have the highest odds of hypertension (OR = 1.94, 95%CI: 1.30–2.89, P for trend = 0.002). These associations of dietary Mg intake, TSE and hypertension remain robust after the stratified analysis based on age, gender and overweight was conducted.ConclusionOur findings suggested there were a robust association between dietary Mg intake, TSE and hypertension in children and adolescents. Those children and adolescents with deficiency dietary Mg intake and exposed to tobacco smoke may have the high odds of hypertension. More restrictions on smoking as well as Mg supplementation in the prevention and treatment of hypertension among children and adolescents might be justified.

Clinical Impact of 3- versus 5-Minute Delay and 30- versus 60-Second Intervals on Unattended Automated Office Blood Pressure Measurements.

Guidelines advise automated office blood pressure (AOBP) with an initial 5-minute delay and multiple measurements at least 60 seconds apart. Recent studies suggest that AOBP may be accurate with shorter delays or intervals, but evidence in clinical settings is limited. Patients referred to one hypertension (HTN) center underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and one of four non-randomized, unattended AOBP protocols: a 3- or 5-minute delay with a 30 or 60-second interval, i.e., 3min/30sec/30sec, 3/60/60, 5/30/30 and 5/60/60 protocols. HTN was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥140 or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg. We compared differences in mean blood pressure and HTN classification between average AOBP and awake-time ABPM by t-tests and Fisher's exact test. Among 212 participants (mean 58.9 years, 61% women, 25% Black), there was substantial overlap in the probability distributions of awake-time ABPM and each of the three AOBP measures. Systolic blood pressure means were similar between the 5/60/60 and 3/30/30 protocols and 5/30/30 and 3/60/60 protocols. The 5/30/30 was associated with a higher proportion of systolic HTN, while the 3/60/60 protocol was associated with a higher proportion of diastolic HTN. There were no significant differences in systolic or diastolic HTN between 5/60/60 and 3/30/30 protocols with respect to awake-time ABPM. In this quality improvement study, the shortest AOBP protocol did not differ significantly from the longest protocol. The time savings of shorter protocols may improve AOBP adoption in clinical practice without meaningfully compromising accuracy.

Intelligent control of pressure based on ureteral access sheaths: renal pelvic pressure during flexible ureteroscope perfusion at different sites.

This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and effectiveness of renal pelvic pressure (RPP) control during flexible ureteroscopic perfusion at various sites. Flexible ureteroscopy for the intelligent control of RPP was based on a ureteral access sheath (UAS) that integrated pressure measurement and suction functions (with automatic adjustment). Eleven consecutive patients with indurating nephrostomy tubes were enrolled. The nephrostomy tube was connected to a disposable invasive blood pressure sensor. The RPP was zeroed after the pressure stabilized. The flow rate and control value were set at 100ml/min and - 5 mmHg, respectively. An 8.5 Fr flexible ureteroscope was irrigated at the renal pelvis, as well as the upper, middle, and lower calyces of the kidney for 1min. All 11 patients with upper urinary tract calculi underwent successful UAS placement. Pressures measured by the sheath and fistula during perfusion were - 5.07 ± 1.41 and - 4.89 ± 1.07 mmHg at the renal pelvis, -5.16 ± 1.36 and - 5.12 ± 1.32 mmHg at the upper calyces, -4.98 ± 0.87 and - 5.39 ± 1.01 mmHg at the middle calyces, as well as -4.95 ± 1.56 and - 5.64 ± 1.24 mmHg at the lower calyces, respectively. There were no significant differences in pressure between the sheath and fistula groups or in sheath and fistula pressures among parts. The RPP fluctuated; however, all values were within the safe limit of 20 mmHg. The UAS-based pressure monitoring technology can accurately and reliably monitor and control RPP within a set range.

Synchronous measurement of wind pressure and flow field in wind tunnel: device, method and application

Accurate assessment of the relationship between flow field and surface wind pressure distribution around buildings in wind tunnel tests is crucial for understanding the interaction mechanism between wind and buildings. Despite notable technological advancements in dynamic pressure measurement and flow visualization, the acquirement of synchronous data on flow and wind pressure around buildings still faces challenges in terms of accuracy, cost, and operational complexity. Given this, a frame synchronization technique has been developed to collect flow field and wind pressure data based on particle image velocimetry and Scanivalve dynamic pressure measurement. Meanwhile, this study established a more precise correction method for the distortion effect of the synchronously measured wind pressure signal. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates the feasibility of synchronously measuring the flow field and the corrected wind pressure in time through the flow around triangular prism test. Experimental results indicate that the corrected wind pressure distribution on triangular prism surface is consistent with the temporal variations in instantaneous flow velocity and vorticity change, thereby verifying the reliability of the synchronous test system.

Analysis of wind vibration characteristics of a slab‐type high‐rise residential building

AbstractA slab‐type high‐rise residential building with a depth‐to‐width ratio exceeding 6 was studied. Multi‐point surface pressure measurements and high‐frequency force balance (HFFB) wind tunnel tests were conducted to investigate the wind‐induced dynamic characteristics of the building. The dynamic responses, especially accelerations closely related to serviceability performance, were determined and examined in both time and frequency domains. The spectral properties of the time‐history acceleration responses were compared with frequency‐domain results. Analyses showed acceleration responses were amplified when along‐wind or across‐wind directions aligned with the shorter building axis. The slab‐type cross‐section reduced vortex shedding in the across‐wind direction. As a result, peak accelerations were often dominated by along‐wind excitations. Torsional accelerations approached those induced by along‐wind winds, likely due to both fundamental and higher modes.

Methallylsulfonate Polymeric Antiscalants for Application in Thermal Desalination Processes

Nine copolymers of acrylic acid and sodium methallyl sulfonate were tested as scale inhibitors in thermal desalination. The nine antiscalants covered molar masses between 2000 and 9500 g.mol–1 and concentrations of sulfonated monomer ranging between 10 and 30 mole percent. A pressure measurement and control (P-MAC) unit and a high-temperature pressurized vessel were used to measure the effectiveness of the scale inhibitors in seawater, concentrated seawater, and model solutions at 125 °C. The effectiveness of the novel copolymers was comparable to commercial antiscalant at times up to 15 min and improved at longer times. Molar mass was a more important determinant of effectiveness than degree of sulfonation, with the greatest mitigation of calcium sulfate precipitation observed for antiscalants of molar mass 2000 to 2500 g.mol–1 regardless of sulfonate content. Antiscalants of molar mass 4500 to 5000 g.mol–1 showed a higher threshold effect than antiscalants of molar mass 7000 to 9500 g.mol–1, with a 30% sulfonated polymer of molar mass 4500 g.mol–1 performing appreciably better than other polymers of a similar molar mass.

Acupuncture as Adjuvant Therapy for Glaucoma: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Glaucoma is a chronic progressive optic neuropathy that necessitates lifelong treatment to reduce the decline of the optic nerve. Due to the extended and continuous treatments required for patients, complementary therapies are often considered alongside conventional treatments to enhance the effectiveness of the treatment. Acupuncture has demonstrated the potential to lower intraocular pressure in previous clinical trials, making it a promising glaucoma intervention. The primary objective of this study is to conduct a single-center randomized control trial involving patients with glaucoma. Acupuncture will be evaluated as an adjunctive therapy. The trial aims to explore its effectiveness for glaucoma. In this single-center randomized controlled trial, participants (N=50) with primary open-angle glaucoma will be randomly assigned to the treatment group, receiving ophthalmic acupuncture with "De Qi" sensation, or the control group, receiving minimum acupuncture stimulation on nonophthalmic acupoints. The intervention will consist of weekly acupuncture treatments for a total of 6 sessions. Participants will be assessed at 8 time points, which are baseline, during the intervention (6 times), and at a 3-month follow-up. The primary outcome measure is a change in the intraocular pressure before and after each acupuncture treatment. Secondary outcomes will include measurements of heart rate and blood pressure before and after acupuncture, best-corrected visual acuity, visual field, optical coherence tomography, optical coherence tomography angiography, the Glaucoma Symptom Scale, and the Glaucoma Quality of Life-15 questionnaire. Recruitment of participants for the trial commenced on June 28, 2023. A total of 10 participants have been enrolled to test the feasibility of the experiment. We anticipate that the preliminary data from this trial will be completed by December 2025. This trial uses rigorous methodology and comprehensive outcome measurements to assess the clinical efficacy of acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy for glaucoma, providing valuable insights for future clinical treatment guidelines. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05753137; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05753137. DERR1-10.2196/57888.

A New NDSA (Normalized Differential Spectral Attenuation) Measurement Campaign for Estimating Water Vapor Along a Radio Link

The Normalized Differential Spectral Attenuation (NDSA) technique was proposed years ago as an active method for measuring integrated water vapor (IWV) along a Ku/K-band radio link immersed (totally or partially) in the troposphere. The approach is of the active kind, as it relies on the transmission of a couple of sinusoidal signals, whose power is measured at the receiver, thus providing the differential attenuation measurements from which IWV estimates can be in turn derived. In 2018, a prototype instrument providing such differential attenuation measurements was completed and set up for a first measurement campaign aimed at demonstrating the NDSA method. By the end of June 2022, the instrument was profoundly modified and upgraded so that a second measurement campaign could be carried out from 1 August to 30 November 2022. The transmitter was placed on the top of Monte Gomito (44.1277°lat, 10.6434°lon, 1892 m a.s.l.) and the receiver on the roof of the Department of Information Engineering of the University of Florence (43.7985°lat, 11.2528°lon, 50 m a.s.l.). The resulting radio link length was 61.15 km. Four ground weather stations of the regional weather service were selected among those available. In this paper, we describe the upgraded instrument and present the outcomes of the new measurement campaign, whose purpose was mainly to compare the IWV estimates provided by the instrument with the ground sensor measurements of air temperature, air humidity, barometric pressure, and rainfall. In particular, we show that the temporal trends of the two IWV estimates are qualitatively consistent, and that the instrument is able to provide IWV estimates also in the presence of fog and rainfall. Conversely, a quantitative evaluation through comparison with IWV data from point weather station measurements appears challenging due to the significant spatial variability in temperature and relative humidity, even between couples of stations that are quite close to each other.

The impact of an organized physical activity program on the health indicators of students from differ-ent cultural groups in second chance school setting

The primary objective of this research was to assess the impact of a structured physical activity program on the health indicators of adult students attending a multicultural Second Chance School (SCS). The study encompassed a total of 62 SCS students aged 19 to 57, who were divided into two groups: experimental and control. The intervention program consisted of two sessions per week spanning 20 weeks, with each session lasting 60 minutes. The exercise intensity ranged from 65% to 85% of HRmax and included various activities such as aerobics, weight exercises, dumbbell routines, and hiking. Measurements were taken at both the commencement and conclusion of the organized physical activity program. Specialized equipment, including a wall-mounted stadiometer, precision scales, a unique tape measure, an automated sphygmomanometer, and the DXA machine, was employed for data collection. Data analysis involved ANOVA variance analyses, descriptive statistics, and T-Tests utilizing the SPSS software. The results revealed a statistically significant primary influence attributed to the 'measurement' factor (p&lt;.001) across all health indicators, except for total BMD and total BMC, when comparing the experimental and control groups. In terms of gender disparities, men exhibited higher measurements in body mass, fat-free mass, belly size, and blood pressure, while women displayed greater fat mass and total body fat. To conclude, the intervention program had a positive impact on improving the health indicators of adult SCS students. Future research endeavors should explore the implementation of Physical Activity programs in other SCSs throughout Greece. Keywords: Adult Students; Health Indicators; Organized Physical Activity; Second Chance Schools

Dexmedetomidine-propofol versus ketamine-propofol for sedation of cancer patients undergoing computerized tomography guided bone biopsy: a randomized double-blind trial

Background &amp; Objective: Patients suffering from malignancy, often need to undergo computed tomography (CT) for evaluation or for CT-guided bone biopsy. They are shifted to the radio-diagnostic suite and require sedation and analgesia during this procedure. We compared the efficacy and safety of combining dexmedetomidine (DEX) or ketamine with propofol for better sedation among these patients undergoing CT-guided bone biopsy. Methodology: This randomized, double-blind study was done on 60 adult cancer patients undergoing CT-guided bone biopsy. Patients were randomized into two equal groups. Group D received DEX 1 µg/kg (over 10 min) + propofol 2.5 mg/kg intravenous (IV). It was followed by DEX 0.5 µg/kg/h + propofol 2.5 mg/kg/h infusion. Group K received ketamine 1 mg/kg + propofol 2.5 mg/kg IV, followed by ketamine 0.25 mg/kg/h + propofol 2.5 mg/kg/h infusion. Results: The total intra-procedure propofol consumption was significantly decreased in Group D than in Group K (P &lt; 0.05). The visual analog scale score at 15 min and 30 min post-procedure, number of patients requiring morphine and paracetamol within one hour of procedure and the recovery times were significantly decreased in Group D than in Group K (P &lt; 0.05). Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) measurements at 10 min, 20 min, end of the procedure, and 15 min, 30 min post-procedure was significantly decreased in Group D than in Group K (P &lt; 0.05). Adverse events, e.g., postoperative nausea and vomiting, hypotension, and bradycardia, were comparable. Conclusion: DEX-propofol combination had superior sedation efficacy as noted through lower pain scores, intraprocedural propofol or postprocedural morphine and paracetamol consumption, and the shorter recovery time during CT-guided bone biopsy compared to ketamine-propofol combination. However, ketamine-propofol combination exhibited superior hemodynamic stability, as shown by more consistent HR and MAP. Keywords: Dexmedetomidine; Ketamine; Propofol; Computed tomography; Bone biopsy; Morphine Citation: Abdelgalil AS, Mohammed AM, Abdelrahman AS, Zayed NOA. Dexmedetomidine-propofol versus ketamine-propofol for sedation of cancer patients undergoing computerized tomography guided bone biopsy: a randomized double-blind trial. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2024;28(5):809−815; DOI: 10.35975/apic.v28i5.2554 Received: Jun 17, 2024; Reviewed: Jul 31, 2024; Accepted: Aug 19, 2024

Development of an Additively Manufactured Stationary Diffusion System for a Research Aeroengine Centrifugal Compressor

Abstract This paper introduces the next generation of the Centrifugal Stage for Aerodynamic Research (CSTAR) facility at the Purdue University Compressor Research Lab. The research centrifugal compressor is designed with an additively manufactured stationary diffusion system which comprises a vaned diffuser, a turn-to-axial bend, and deswirler vanes. The dimensional accuracy and surface finish of the diffusion system has allowed for rapid prototyping of several iterative diffusion system designs and has allowed for configuration of in situ pressure and temperature measurements to experimentally evaluate the aerodynamics and performance of centrifugal compressor diffusion systems. The diffusion system is manufactured from a commercially available stereolithography (SLA) resin, and the design of the parts is adapted to the constraints imposed by current technological and material limits of resin 3D printing. The implementation of additive manufacturing in the prototyping of the diffusion system has allowed for decreased cost and lead time while allowing rapid turnaround to generate experimental data. Performance data have verified the repeatability and temperature independence of the additively manufactured diffusion system through several design iterations. A survey of candidate materials for additively manufacturing these parts is also presented, and the tradeoffs of their material properties are discussed.