Normal Population Research Articles

A-048 Reference Interval and Clinical Performance Studies for Vitros® Immunodiagnostic Products Intact PTH II Assay to Aid in Diagnosis of Calcium and Parathyroid Disorders and Intraoperative Testing

Abstract Background Intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) measurements aid in the differential diagnosis of hypercalcemia, hypocalcemia, and parathyroid disorders. The National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry has established guidelines for intraoperative PTH testing to monitor surgical success during parathyroidectomies. Studies were conducted to define the reference interval and clinical performance of the Vitros Immunodiagnostic Products Intact PTH II (Vitros iPTH II) assay, using samples from healthy individuals and patients with conditions commonly requiring iPTH testing, including intraoperative cases. Methods The reference interval study was conducted in accordance with Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guideline EP28-A3c in serum samples from 134 healthy individuals. For the clinical performance study, serum samples from individuals with hypoparathyroidism, primary hyperparathyroidism, chronic renal failure (secondary or tertiary hyperparathyroidism), hypercalcemia, hypercalcemia of malignancies, and hypocalcemia were tested. Intraoperative samples used were collected from parathyroidectomy patients in series at each surgical timepoint along with the standard plasma samples used to determine surgical success. Results The reference samples were composed of 134 serum donors that met all inclusion/exclusion criteria for healthy donors and had a normal test result on calcium, TSH, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, and phosphate assays. The reference interval for iPTH was determined to be 14.2-75.2 pg/mL. The results in various disease states demonstrated the clinical performance of the Vitros iPTH II assay. Of 32 intraoperative sample series included in the study, three samples demonstrated no intraoperative decrease in iPTH due to surgical failures. Consistent with the goal of the parathyroidectomy procedure, at least a 50% decrease in iPTH was observed between the presurgical and post-excision samples in all other sample series. The clinical concordance with the Roche PTH assay used intraoperatively in these procedures was 100%. Conclusions Defining the reference interval for a normal healthy population and results from the intended use population demonstrated that the Vitros iPTH II assay can be used as an aid in the diagnosis of calcium and parathyroid disorders and intraoperative testing.

A-108 Re-evaluation of reference intervals for circulating albumin, total calcium, and magnesium levels among subjects in Dallas County

Abstract Background Reference intervals are either directly established from normal volunteers, adopted from assay manufactures and verified as transferable to the normal population, or indirectly derived using patients’ archived laboratory data. This study describes indirect derivation of reference intervals for albumin, total calcium, and magnesium appropriate to the patient population of Dallas County. The tests were selected due to their often combine measurement in the assessment of calcium and bone mineral metabolism Methods Retrospective reported laboratory results during May 2022 for albumin (n=1342), total calcium (n=1945), and magnesium (n=2148) were obtained. Values were subjected to statistical analysis for nature of distribution, mean, and standard deviation as well as stratified for patients’ characteristics (gender, race, and age). Statistical analysis applied were Hoffman regression analysis, one-way ANOVA, and Tukey-Kramer tests. Results Following removal of outliers, statistically suggested reference intervals for albumin, total calcium, and magnesium were 5.5 to 2.4 g/dL, 10.5 to 7.5 mg/dL, and 2.6 to 1.6 mg/dL respectively. Although there was race specific differences in albumin and calcium levels (p=0.032) and (p=0.002) respectively, differences for magnesium were slightly nonsignificant (p=0.06). Similarly, significant differences due to age were observed for albumin, total calcium, and magnesium (P <0.00 for all). The data suggests that albumin, magnesium, and calcium levels are unequivocally dependent on age and race for patients in Dallas County. The upper limits of population derived, and manufacturer verified reference intervals were 5.45 and 5.2 g/dL for albumin, 10.5 and 10.2 mg/dL for calcium, and 4.6, and 2.6 mg/dL for magnesium respectively, the lower limits were 2.4 and 3.5, 7.5 and 8.4, 1.4, and 1.6 mg/dL respectively. Conclusions Reference intervals for albumin, total calcium, and magnesium appropriate to the patient population of Dallas County were derived. Derived values were statistically different from the manufacturer verified values in use. The study although limited by the small number of acceptable samples, highlights the need for laboratories to derive their respective population-based reference intervals. The study will be expanded to other biochemical parameters utilizing much larger sample volume.

Calculation of continuous reference intervals for biological parameters exhibiting strong age‐dependent level changes: Its application to glycosaminoglycans and sialic acid in urine

AbstractGlycosaminoglycan (GAG) and sialic acid (total and free) assays are used as first‐line screening tests for the diagnosis of mucopolysaccharidoses and glycoproteinoses, respectively. There is a pronounced age‐dependent variation in the urinary concentrations of these metabolites in the normal population, and the stratification of the reference values into discrete age ranges may lead to an undesirably high number of false‐positive or false‐negative results. The aim of this study was to design a method for calculating continuous reference intervals as a function of age and its application to the analysis of GAGs and sialic acid (total, free, and conjugated) in urine. In the postpubertal period, concentrations of urinary GAGs and sialic acid have reached a plateau, so a traditional calculation of the reference range in this specific age group was considered appropriate. In the prepubertal period, a nonlinear regression performed with the Excel add‐in Solver was used to fit the logarithmized concentrations of the controls to a curve that represents the mean values as a function of age. A uniform distribution of the residuals was obtained, which allowed the calculation of the reference intervals by adding the values of their 2.5 and 97.5 percentiles to the independent variable of the regression curve to calculate the upper and lower reference curves. The main advantages of the developed method are (1) a reduction in the number of control samples needed to obtain adequate reference intervals and (2) an improvement in the reliability of diagnostic screening by reducing the uncertainty generated by the gaps in the traditional age‐stratified method.

Effect of body mass index on semen quality, sperm chromatin integrity and sperm DNA methylation

Obesity represents a growing problem due to its impacts on human health and reproduction. In this study, we analysed semen quality, sperm DNA integrity and gene-specific CpG methylation in 116 healthy men from normal population. The men were divided into three groups according to their body mass index (BMI), and their ejaculates were analysed using standard methods, sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA), methylation next generation sequencing (NGS) and amplicon sequencing. The sperm methylation NGS revealed six significantly differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Using subsequent targeted amplicon sequencing in 116 men, two of the DMRs were proved as differentially methylated in sperm of men with normal BMI vs. BMI ≥ 25. The DMRs were located in the EPHA8 and ANKRD11 gene. Also, we detected a significant decline in the EPHA8, ANKRD11 and CFAP46 gene methylation in association with increasing BMI values. The genes EPHA8 and ANKRD11 are involved in the nervous system and brain development; the CFAP46 gene plays a role in a flagellar assembly and is associated with sperm motility. Significantly lower rates of motile and progressive motile sperm were observed in men with BMI ≥ 30. Our results show that excess body weight can modify CpG methylation of specific genes, affect sperm motility, and compromise sperm chromatin integrity. These factors can stand behind the observed reduced fertility in men with obesity. The methylation changes might be transmitted to their offspring through sperm, and become a basis for possible developmental and reproductive issues in the next generation.

A new perspective: Quantitative description of the Cupid's peak aesthetics essence

ObjectivesThe Cupid's peak triangle theory was established to reveal the aesthetics essence of the Cupid's peak through Gold-ratio deviation, to provide quantitative theoretical basis for lip plastic and cosmetic surgery. Materials and MethodsModel the Cupid's peak line on the lip bow ridge and construct expressions for Cupid's peak parameters and their associated triangle theory using the Angle Circle (AC) and Radius Circle (RC) of the Cupid's peak line. Calculate and establish functional relationships for Cupid's peak parameters and the concept of the Cupid's peak index Golden Ratio Deviation. ResultsIn the Cupid's Peak Triangle Theory, important parameters describing Cupid's peak morphology include Cupid's peak angle (ACp), arc (RCp), the smooth connection point (SI) of the Cupid's peak arc and line, and the Cupid's peak index (CPI). The parameters are interrelated in their functional relationships. ACp determines RCp, the SI point determines the proportion of the Cupid's peak arc to the line, and CPI determines GRD. Cupid's peak parameter ranges in the normal population are as follows: ACp is 109o-160o, RCp is 1.24-0.35 radians, CPI is 0.614-0.508, and GRD is 0.62-17.85%. ConclusionsThe Cupid's peak triangle theory reveals the functional relationship between the Cupid's peak parameters and quantifies the aesthetics essence of lip shape. Clinical RelevanceThe morphology of the Cupid's peak serves as a tangible manifestation of lip shape aesthetics. This study aims to elucidate the aesthetic essence and general principles of Cupid's peak morphology, offering a quantitative theoretical foundation for lip plastic and cosmetic surgery.

Impaired motor-to-sensory transformation mediates auditory hallucinations.

Distinguishing reality from hallucinations requires efficient monitoring of agency. It has been hypothesized that a copy of motor signals, termed efference copy (EC) or corollary discharge (CD), suppresses sensory responses to yield a sense of agency; impairment of the inhibitory function leads to hallucinations. However, how can the sole absence of inhibition yield positive symptoms of hallucinations? We hypothesize that selective impairments in functionally distinct signals of CD and EC during motor-to-sensory transformation cause the positive symptoms of hallucinations. In an electroencephalography (EEG) experiment with a delayed articulation paradigm in schizophrenic patients with (AVHs) and without auditory verbal hallucinations (non-AVHs), we found that preparing to speak without knowing the contents (general preparation) did not suppress auditory responses in both patient groups, suggesting the absent of inhibitory function of CD. Whereas, preparing to speak a syllable (specific preparation) enhanced the auditory responses to the prepared syllable in non-AVHs, whereas AVHs showed enhancement in responses to unprepared syllables, opposite to the observations in the normal population, suggesting that the enhancement function of EC is not precise in AVHs. A computational model with a virtual lesion of an inhibitory inter-neuron and disproportional sensitization of auditory cortices fitted the empirical data and further quantified the distinct impairments in motor-to-sensory transformation in AVHs. These results suggest that "broken" CD plus "noisy" EC causes erroneous monitoring of the imprecise generation of internal auditory representation and yields auditory hallucinations. Specific impairments in functional granularity of motor-to-sensory transformation mediate positivity symptoms of agency abnormality in mental disorders.

Skyrmion dynamics in attractive and repulsive local magnetic fields

The study of the behavior of magnetic skyrmions in local magnetic fields’ nanometric length-scale has gained increasing interest in recent years due to the theoretical proposal of magnetic skyrmion–superconducting vortex pairs as potential hosts for topologically protected bound states, which hold high promise for applications in quantum computing. From a magnetic interaction point-of-view, the key interest lies in understanding the skyrmion dynamics triggered by the magnetic energy landscape generated by the superconducting vortex. Here, we present a micromagnetic study of the dynamics of nanometric skyrmions inside a Gaussian magnetic field profile, which is used as a simplified version of the vortex magnetic flux. On the one hand, our calculations show that local non-linear magnetic fields can be very effective in controlling the dynamics of magnetic skyrmions; in particular, they offer the appealing possibility to manipulate skyrmions in a two dimensional space. On the other hand, they also show that the dynamics of a skyrmion in a local magnetic field can be manipulated via a uniform external magnetic field without any change in the magnetic field gradient. An analytical expression for the skyrmion velocity is given, and the corresponding microscopic dynamics are confirmed by the micromagnetic simulations. This work is expected to motivate more theoretical and experimental studies of the behavior of magnetic skyrmions in proximity to superconducting vortices.

A study on normal reference values of the left ventricular strain parameters in young adults

Background: The left ventricular (LV) function is an important prognostic determinant of cardiopulmonary pathologies in adult. Clinical application of cardiac strain by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography to measure LV function requires knowledge of the range of normal values. Reference values and associated variations of the deformation measures need to be “firmly established before routine clinical adoption” of LV strain measurements can be implemented in Indian population. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to establish normal values of LV strain parameters in normal Indian population. Materials and Methods: An observational, cross-sectional, single-center, hospital-based study. The study period October 2021–October 2022 in Nil Ratan Sircir Medical College, Kolkata. Cardiologically healthy adult subjects (sample size 250) both male and female, aged 18–45 years who were healthcare professionals of this medical college and hospital were included in the study. Routine history taking and investigations were done. Echodoppler was done with special emphasis on LV strain parameters. Results: Distribution of mean LV circumferential strain (LVCS) with age in years was statistically not significant (P=0.8068). The mean value in male and female were −18.9574(±0.9049) and −19.0257(±0.8908) respectively. In the current study, LVCS did not vary in statistically significant a way among different age groups too. The mean values in male and female were −22.5887(±1.8065) and −22.3312(±1.9007) respectively. Conclusion: This current study failed to show significant differences in LV strain parameters between age groups or male and female in Eastern India Population.

Testing for normality: a user's (cautionary) guide.

The normality assumption postulates that empirical data derives from a normal (Gaussian) population. It is a pillar of inferential statistics that enables the theorization of probability functions and the computation of p-values thereof. The breach of this assumption may not impose a formal mathematical constraint on the computation of inferential outputs (e.g., p-values) but may make them inoperable and possibly lead to unethical waste of laboratory animals. Various methods, including statistical tests and qualitative visual examination, can reveal incompatibility with normality and the choice of a procedure should not be trivialized. The following minireview will provide a brief overview of diagrammatical methods and statistical tests commonly employed to evaluate congruence with normality. Special attention will be given to the potential pitfalls associated with their application. Normality is an unachievable ideal that practically never accurately describes natural variables, and detrimental consequences of non-normality may be safeguarded by using large samples. Therefore, the very concept of preliminary normality testing is also, arguably provocatively, questioned.

Batch-sizing and machinability data systems for milling operations: An optimal sustainable cost of quality approach

Nowadays, manufacturers make every effort to achieve a higher quality of their products at an attractive cost. With all the introduced legislation and incentives in the developed world to address global warming, machining shops in the West also strive to cut greenhouse emissions. This article offers an optimal approach to the micro Computer-Aided Process Planning (CAPP) problem to optimize the internal quality cost and buffering effect while keeping the environmental impact low. To optimize the machining parameters, the mathematical model is developed for different milling operations, face, side, and peripheral. cutting speed, feed rate, axial depth of cut, radial depth of cut, nose radius, and batch sizing while maximizing profit and meeting customer demand. A Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programming (MINLP) model is formulated and solved using Classical Constrained Nonlinear Optimization (CCNO) and Genetic Algorithms (GAs). Surface roughness, used as a metric to evaluate the desired quality level of a finished machined part type, is modeled as a Gaussian random variable to model the surface roughness of the machined part utilizing a cumulative normal distribution. The ratio of rework and scrap is calculated in terms of the surface roughness of the machined part shifting away from the target and exceeding upper and lower specification limits. The internal failure cost model, addressing both scrap and rework, is developed based on Taguchi’s quadratic loss function. CCNO is employed to validate the results obtained by GAs, relaxing the lot-sizing integrality constraint and, thus, the convexity of the produced relaxed model. An iterative method employing a developed multi-regression model is used to solve for the expended power consumption (an inherent highly nonlinear environmental criterion of the developed model) within both GAs and CCNO. This study reveals that the machining parameters substantially impact the cost components of the objective function as well as the scrap and rework quantities. A stringent quality cost target can force the model to optimize the feed rate and nose radius to minimize the internal failure quality cost while improving the environmental impact, including direct and indirect power consumption and CO2 emissions considerations.

Multidisciplinary care to optimise pregnancy outcomes among Jehovah’s Witness: Case series over fifteen years in a tertiary teaching hospital

ObjectiveTo assess the obstetric and neonatal outcomes of Jehovah’s Witness (JW) mothers and the willingness to accept blood products after multidisciplinary management. Study DesignA retrospective case-control study was conducted at Queen Mary Hospital from 2005 to 2020. Delivery records of pregnant women who identified themselves as JW were reviewed. The immediate next age-matched non-JW patient in the booking register was assigned as control. ResultsA total of 96 subjects were identified within the study period (48 JW and 48 non-JW age-matched patients). The haemoglobin levels of JW and non-JW were similar at booking, 28 weeks of gestation, pre-delivery and postnatal day 2. JW mothers were more likely to receive iron supplements in the antenatal period than the control group (27.1 % vs. 6.3 %, p = 0.01) despite the similar rate of antenatal anemia in both groups (4.2 % vs. 4.2 %, p = 1.00). There were no differences in mode of delivery, total blood loss at delivery, rate of primary postpartum haemorrhage, gestational age at delivery, birth weight, and Apgar score at 1 and 5 min between JW and non-JW. There were no maternal deaths, hysterectomy or admissions to the adult intensive care unit in either group. Six JW women accepted packed cell transfusion at the initial consultation and did not receive multidisciplinary care. The remaining 42 JW women had consultant obstetric and anesthesiologist review before delivery. After multidisciplinary consultation, two (4.8 %, 2/42) accepted blood transmission and 11 (26.2 %, 11/42) accepted some components of blood. The remaining 29 (69 %, 29/42) women refused all blood products. ConclusionJW patients who received multidisciplinary care achieved comparable pregnancy and neonatal outcomes to the normal population. Antenatal iron supplement was more common among pregnant JW despite the similar rate of antenatal anemia compared with the non-JW women. 12.5% of JW women agreed packed cell transfusion at the initial consultation and a further 27.1% of JW women agreed to some forms of blood products after multidisciplinary counseling.

New model for evaluating the impact response of steel fiber reinforced concrete subjected to the repeated drop-weight

The investigation of available experimental results obtained in the non-instrumented drop weight test recommended by American Concrete Institute on the steel-fiber-reinforced concrete reveals that the data distribution does not match a normal distribution. For this reason, logarithmic scales of the first-crack (number of blows to cause the first visible crack) and failure strengths (number of blows to spread the cracks sufficiently) are adopted to increase the fitness of the normal curve to the frequency histogram. The authors propose a novel model to predict the failure strength and evaluate the steel fiber effect on the post-cracking behavior of steel-fiber-reinforced concrete. The new model improves the prediction of the experimental results obtained in literature review for the various ranges of volume fraction of steel fiber analyzed. The proposed model is compared with other models using statistical parameters and the comparison shows a significant improvement considering different failure states. To verify the performance of the proposed model, in addition to results from another research, an experimental impact test was conducted. Besides, a reliable regression model is developed to validate experimental results. The findings underscore the potential of the proposed model to significantly enhance predictive accuracy, thereby proposing valuable insights for optimizing steel-fiber-reinforced concrete.

Evaluation of the clinical significance of lymphocyte subsets and myeloid suppressor cells in patients with renal carcinoma

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to analyze the expression patterns of immune cells in renal cancer patients, including myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), regulatory T cells (Tregs), CD3 + /CD4 + T cells, CD3 + / CD8 + T cells, and CD3- CD16 + CD56 + cells. In addition, this study will explore the correlation between these immune markers and the progression of renal cell carcinoma and evaluate their potential application in predicting the therapeutic effect of renal cell carcinoma.MethodsIn this study, 80 renal cancer patients who received treatment in our hospital from October 2022 to December 2023 were selected as the research object and 50 healthy people who underwent a physical examination at the same time were selected as the control group. All participants had a 3 ml venous blood sample taken in the morning on an empty stomach. All patients with renal cell carcinoma have been confirmed by histopathological diagnosis. Clinicopathological data including age, gender, BMI, clinical stage, tumor size and pathological type were collected.MDSC, Treg, CD3 + /CD4 + T cells, CD3 + /CD8 + T cells, the ratio of CD3 + /CD4 + T cells/CD3 + /CD8 + T cell and the expression level of CD3-CD16 + CD56 + cells were detected by flow cytometry.ResultsThrough the detection of flow cytometry, we observed that there was no significant difference in gender, age, BMI and other baseline characteristics between renal cancer patients and healthy controls, and the P value was greater than 0.05. However, in the analysis of peripheral blood immune cell subsets, including CD3 + /CD4 + , CD3 + /CD8 + , CD3 + /CD4 + /CD3 + /CD8 + ratio, NK cells, regulatory T cells (T-reg), polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSC) and mononuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (M-MDSC) were significantly different between renal cell carcinoma group and normal control group (P < 0.05). Specifically, the expression levels of CD3 + /CD4 + and CD3 + /CD8 + cells in renal cancer patients were lower than those in normal subjects, while the expression levels of T-reg, PMN-MDSC and M-MDSC were relatively high. (2) In the flow cytometry analysis, the expression level of immune cell subsets in the peripheral blood of renal cancer patients was detected.The results showed that there was no significant correlation between the expression of CD3 + /CD4 + , CD3 + /CD8 + , CD3 + /CD4 + /CD3 + /CD8 + ratio, NK cells, T-reg cells, PMN-MDSC and M-MDSC and the sex, age, BMI and pathological type of the patients. These differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05).At the same time, CD3 + /CD8 + T cells, the ratio of CD3 + /CD4 + /CD3 + /CD8 + and the expression level of NK cells were not significantly correlated with tumor size and clinical stage (P > 0.05). However, the expression levels of CD3 + /CD4 + cells, M-MDSC, PMN-MDSC, and T-reg cells were statistically significantly different with tumor size and clinical stage (P < 0.05).There was a significant difference between these indexes and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). (3) The results of Logistic regression analysis showed that the low expression of CD3 + /CD4 + lymphocytes and the high expression of T-reg, PMN-MDSC and M-MDSC in peripheral blood may be related to the clinical stage of renal cell carcinoma.Conclusion(1) Compared with healthy individuals, patients with renal cell carcinoma showed a significant decrease in CD3 + /CD4 + T cells, CD3 + /CD8 + T cells and CD3-CD16 + CD56 + cells, while the CD4 + /CD8 + ratio increased. In addition, the number of PMN-MDSC, M-MDSC and T-reg cells was significantly increased compared with the normal population, indicating that the immune system function of patients was impaired. (2) The expression levels of CD3 + /CD4 + , PMN-MDSC, M-MDSC and T-reg were different in tumor size and clinical stage. Specifically, the expression levels of PMN-MDSC, M-MDSC, and T-reg increased correspondingly with the increase in tumor diameter and the progression of the clinical stage.

Modelling and Experimental Validation of the Flame Temperature Profile in Atmospheric Plasma Coating Processes on the Substrate

This work presents a characterisation model for the temperature distribution at different substrate depths during the atmospheric plasma spray (APS) coating process. The torch heat flow in this model is simulated as forced convection defined by a surface, a temperature profile, and a convection coefficient. The simulation model considers three plasma temperature profiles of the Al2O3 coating on a 5 mm thickness flat aluminium substrate. The simple and low-cost experimental procedure, based on a thermocouple, measures the plasma plume temperature distribution of the APS coating system, and their results are used to obtain the parameter values of each of the three proposed plasma temperature profiles. The experimental method for in situ non-contact temperature measurements inside the substrate is based on an infrared pyrometry technique and validates the simulation results. The Gaussian temperature profile shows excellent accuracy with the measured temperatures. The Gaussian approach could be a powerful tool for predicting residual stress through a coupled one-way thermal-mechanical analysis of the APS process.

Plasma atherogenicity index is a powerful indicator for identifying metabolic syndrome in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A cross-sectional study.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an important risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Elevated triglyceride (TG) levels and decreased high-density lipoprotein levels (HDL-C) are predisposing factors for the development of ASCVD. Evidence on the association between atherosclerotic index of plasma [AIP = log (TG/HDL-C)] and MetS is limited. Our study aimed to investigate the association between AIP and MetS. This is a cross-sectional study that determines the presence of MetS by assessing anthropometric and biochemical parameters. Multivariate log-binomial regression models were used to analyze the relationship between AIP and MetS risk. To further test the stability of the results, we performed sensitivity analyses in young, non-obese, and normal lipid population. Smoothing plots explored the potential nonlinear relationship between the AIP index for MetS and the estimated potential risk threshold. Predictive power of AIP for MetS using respondent operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The prevalence of MetS was 67.35%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed an independent and positive association between AIP and MetS (Per 1 SD increase, PR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.15-1.47). Sensitivity analysis demonstrated the stability of the results. Smoothing plot showed a nonlinear relationship between AIP and MetS, with an inflection point of 0.66. ROC curve analysis, AIP was an accurate indicator for assessing MetS in type 2 diabetics (AUC = 0.840, 95% CI: 0.819-0.862). AIP is a stable and independently powerful predictor of MetS in T2DM patients. AIP can be used as a simple assessment tool for the early detection of MetS and disease management for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Outcomes of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Cavovarus Surgical Reconstruction.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is a progressive inherited neurologic disorder causing muscle weakness and lower extremity deformity. The goal of foot and ankle surgical treatment is to create a stable, plantigrade foot, with the potential elimination of brace-wear for ambulation. The aim of this study was to report baseline CMT patient function and subsequent outcome improvement from surgical treatment, as determined by PROMIS physical function (PF), pain interference (PI), and mental health/depression (D) scores. Retrospective data were collected on consecutive CMT patients older than 18 years receiving surgical treatment by a single surgeon from 2018 to 2022 with minimum 1-year follow-up. Each patient prospectively completed PROMIS preoperatively and postoperatively after all planned surgical treatment was completed. Prospective clinical and radiographic data were collected to describe complications and correlation to outcome. Ninety-five feet in 64 patients older than 18 years were included for analysis. Mean follow-up was 21 months (range, 12-31) with 100% minimum 1-year follow-up. CMT patients had worse preoperative and baseline scores in all domains except PROMIS-D compared with population normal PROMIS scores. Significant improvements were identified in all PROMIS domains following surgical treatment. The mean PROMIS-PF score increased (40 to 45, delta = 4.9, P < .001), the mean PROMIS-PI score decreased (59 to 52, delta = 7.1, P < .001), and the mean PROMIS-D score decreased (50 to 47, delta = 3.0, P = .004). Subgroup analysis was performed for patients with severe radiographic deformity and those treated with arthrodesis in an attempt to demonstrate the impact of disease severity on outcome. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that arthrodesis led to worse overall PROMIS-PF outcome with the same change score. Surgical treatment for CMT patients provides significant clinical improvement in all measured outcome domains. CMT patients can be restored to normal population physical function and pain interference outcome scores. Patients with more severe deformity have similar improvement from surgical treatment, although their ultimate functional improvement is blunted due to a lower baseline.

Explicit Formulas of Average Run Length for Triple Moving Average Control Chart to Monitor Changes in Mean Parameter of Normal and Non-normal Process

In this research, a formula is presented for calculating the average run length of a triple moving average (TMA) control chart, which is used to measure control chart performance and determine control chart width. To apply appropriately to data in various processes, a TMA control chart is used to detect small changes in a process by finding the average value of the data over a specified period of time (w). However, determining measure control chart performance and control chart width is difficult because the formula for calculation is not created. The performance of the control charts is measured using the standard normal distribution probability properties and compared with the moving average (MA) control charts and the double moving average (DMA) control charts. The analysis results show that TMA is very effective at detecting small changes, when w is set to have a small value. The study determines that the data within the process are normally and non-normally distributed. Detecting changes on real data by TMA charts has the best detection performance compared to MA and DMA.

Fifty years marshland changes in a large floodplain lake: Natural driving or human impact?

Study region: Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater floodplain lake in China. Study focus: Marshlands in a floodplain, as the typical natural wetland offering vital habitats for various organisms, are sensitive to environmental changes. The spatiotemporal changes of marshlands were investigated and their driving forces from both natural factors and human activities were discussed. The remote sensing image data from 1973 to 2022 was adopted to explore the long-term changes of marshlands exposed in dry season. New hydrological insights for the region: Over the past fifty years, the total area of marshlands in Poyang Lake is around 2540–2718 km2 and has undergone substantial changes. It follows the bell-shaped curve pattern with continuous rise since 1970s and reach the maximum at the end of 20 century and then fluctuating decline. Different evolutionary patterns were identified in different lake regions owing to the combination of human activities and natural processes. The expanding marshlands mainly concentrate in the central lake, while the significant losses of marshlands are observed in the northern lake（By sand mining and dyke constructions）. In the southern lake, sediment input from inflow rivers deposited naturally in the river mouth elevated the lake bed and lead to delta expansion（A 3.1 km expansion has been observed）. The complex geomorphological processes and fishery activities also create the dish-shaped internal sub-lakes in marshlands.

CMFHMDA: a prediction framework for human disease-microbe associations based on cross-domain matrix factorization.

Predicting associations between microbes and diseases opens up new avenues for developing diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic strategies. Given that laboratory-based biological tests to verify these associations are often time-consuming and expensive, there is a critical need for innovative computational frameworks to predict new microbe-disease associations. In this work, we introduce a novel prediction algorithm called Predicting Human Disease-Microbe Associations using Cross-Domain Matrix Factorization (CMFHMDA). Initially, we calculate the composite similarity of diseases and the Gaussian interaction profile similarity of microbes. We then apply the Weighted K Nearest Known Neighbors (WKNKN) algorithm to refine the microbe-disease association matrix. Our CMFHMDA model is subsequently developed by integrating the network data of both microbes and diseases to predict potential associations. The key innovations of this method include using the WKNKN algorithm to preprocess missing values in the association matrix and incorporating cross-domain information from microbes and diseases into the CMFHMDA model. To validate CMFHMDA, we employed three different cross-validation techniques to evaluate the model's accuracy. The results indicate that the CMFHMDA model achieved Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve scores of 0.9172, 0.8551, and 0.9351$\pm $0.0052 in global Leave-One-Out Cross-Validation (LOOCV), local LOOCV, and five-fold CV, respectively. Furthermore, many predicted associations have been confirmed by published experimental studies, establishing CMFHMDA as an effective tool for predicting potential disease-associated microbes.

The Effect of Probiotics and Microbiota on Nervous System and Mental Illnesses.

The microbiota that inhabits the gastrointestinal tract has been linked to various gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal disorders. Scientists have been studying how the bacteria in our intestines have an effect on our brain and nervous system. This connection is called the "microbiota- gut-brain axis". Given the capacity of probiotics, which are live non-pathogenic microorganisms, to reinstate the normal microbial population within the host and confer advantages, their potential impact has been subjected to scrutiny with regard to neurological and mental conditions. Material sourced for this review included peer-reviewed literature annotated in the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. The result has indicated the integration of probiotics into a child's diet to enhance the neuro-behavioral symptoms. Notwithstanding this, the current data set has been found to be insufficient and inconclusive. The potential utility of probiotics for the prevention or treatment of neurologic and mental disorders has become a subject of substantial interest.