Pressure Meter Research Articles

Analysis and influence of rainfall infiltration of ancient city wall based on in-situ monitoring：a case study of The XingChun gate Lishui Prefecture

Rainfall infiltration is an important factor affecting the stability of the ancient city wall. To state the wall line spring door where, for example, soil temperature and humidity sensor, the earth pressure meter and rain gauge carried out such as rainfall, volume moisture content and soil pressure monitoring, analyzed the inner core wall soil volume moisture content and soil pressure response law of rainfall different rainfall conditions is studied through numerical simulation method the stability of the ancient city wall. The results show that :(1) rainfall has a significant effect on the volume moisture content and earth pressure of the inner core soil;(2) The response to rainfall is different at different depths of the city wall, and the response to rainfall in the middle part of the city wall has a certain hysteresis;(3) Compared with the low-intensity and long-duration rainfall, the high-intensity and short-duration rainfall has a greater impact on the stability of the city wall. The research results have certain guiding significance for the protection and monitoring of the ancient city wall.

Numerical calculations of heat transfer during FC-72 flow in minichannels performed with ANSYS software

The main aim of the paper was to apply numerical calculations in ANSYS software to solve problems related to steady-state convective heat transfer during FC-72 flow in a minichannel heat sink. A mathematical model of fluid flow in a minichannel heat sink was proposed. Data from research conducted on the experimental stand with asymmetrically heated test section were selected. The element cooled by fluid flowing in minichannels was a thin foil. The distribution of temperature on the outer heated foil surface was measured using infrared thermography. Thermocouples and pressure meters were installed at the inlet and outlet of the minichannels. A CAD model was prepared with respect to the geometry of the test section. The mesh was created in ANSYS Mesher. A suitable model of turbulences was selected and materials temperature dependencies were considered. The iterative process of creating the model and comparing the results obtained by the CFD calculation was used to capture the fluid behavior. The velocity magnitudes and temperature distributions were presented as the main results of numerical calculations.

PKM Implementation of Complementary “Cupping” Nursing in Controlling Hypertension During Covid-19 Pandemic

The number of sufferers infected with Covid-19 is increasing in Indonesia. Kompas states that there were 3,874 people infected with Covid-19 as of September 27, 2020. There are 275,213 people infected with Covid-19 to date. This case increase gives special attention to various government and scientific disciplines. Kompas 18 May 2020 stated that based on reports that around 35 % of Covid-19 patients are people with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and other cardiovascular diseases. This community service staff will implement complementary nursing "wet cupping" in controlling hypertension during the Covid-19 pandemic. This service used the application of complementary nursing with wet cupping by pre-experimental method, namely one group pretest and posttest design. The people chosen were 16 participants who had hypertension problems. The community service participants will be measured their blood pressure before and after being given wet cupping. The final measurement was carried out after six hours of wet cupping. The instruments needed in this service are a set of cupping tools, a blood pressure meter, and an observation sheet. The evaluation results carried out on participants who had been given wet cupping were a decrease in blood pressure. After a statistical test was carried out, there was a significant effect of complementary "wet cupping" treatment on blood pressure with p-value at systolic = 0.004 and p-value at diastolic =0.036. The p-value for systolic and diastolic blood pressure was smaller than the alpha value of 0.05. Wet cupping is a prophetic treatment method with benefits and does not cause bad side effects. So that this cupping can be a recommendation for people with hypertension to control blood pressure levels by undergoing cupping regularly and can increase good immunity for people with hypertension.

Stabilization of natural gas foams using different surfactants at high pressure and high temperature conditions

AbstractNatural gas foam can be used for mobility control and channel blocking during natural gas injection for enhanced oil recovery, in which stable foams need to be used at high reservoir temperature, high pressure and high water salinity conditions in field applications. In this study, the performance of methane (CH4) foams stabilized by different types of surfactants was tested using a high pressure and high temperature foam meter for surfactant screening and selection, including anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate), non‐anionic surfactant (alkyl polyglycoside), zwitterionic surfactant (dodecyl dimethyl betaine) and cationic surfactant (dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride), and the results show that CH4‐SDS foam has much better performance than that of the other three surfactants. The influences of gas types (CH4, N2, and CO2), surfactant concentration, temperature (up to 110°C), pressure (up to 12.0 MPa), and the presence of polymers as foam stabilizer on foam performance was also evaluated using SDS surfactant. The experimental results show that the stability of CH4 foam is better than that of CO2 foam, while N2 foam is the most stable, and CO2 foam has the largest foam volume, which can be attributed to the strong interactions between CO2 molecules with H2O. The foaming ability and foam stability increase with the increase of the SDS concentration up to 1.0 wt% (0.035 mol/L), but a further increase of the surfactant concentration has a negative effect. The high temperature can greatly reduce the stability of CH4‐SDS foam, while the foaming ability and foam stability can be significantly enhanced at high pressure. The addition of a small amount of polyacrylamide as a foam stabilizer can significantly increase the viscosity of the bulk solution and improve the foam stability, and the higher the molecular weight of the polymer, the higher viscosity of the foam liquid film, the better foam performance.

Efficacy of chest expansion resistance exercise on respiratory function, trunk control and dynamic balance in patients with chronic stroke: A Comparative study.

BackgroundMotor impairments caused by stroke result in impaired diaphragmatic and respiratory muscle function, changes in thoracic biomechanics on the hemiparetic side ultimately resulting in decreased efficiency of lung ventilation. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of chest expansion resistance exercise (CERE) on respiratory function, trunk control ability, and balance in patients with chronic stoke. Following a purposive sampling, thirty-five patients with chronic stroke were randomly allocated into two groups, i.e., the experimental group receiving CERE with conventional therapy and the control group receiving conventional therapy alone. Both the groups received therapy four times per week for a period of four weeks (total 16 sessions). Following assessments were done before and after treatment in both the groups: chest expansion ( axillary, nipple, xiphisternal levels) using measure tape, respiratory muscle strength using micro-respiratory pressure meter, trunk control using the Trunk Impairment Scale, and balance using mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test.ResultsBoth groups had 17 participants each (n = 34, drop-outs = 1) consisting of 12 males and 5 females having a mean age of 56.5 ± 12.98 years and 59.7 ± 10.2 years, respectively. Intra-group analysis showed a statistically significant increase in mean values of chest expansion, respiratory muscle strength, trunk control ability, and balance in the experimental group whereas the control group showed improvement only in trunk control ability and balance. Inter-group comparison revealed a better improvement in all the outcome variables in experimental group compared to the control group.ConclusionsBased on these results, this study proved that CERE was more effective in improving respiratory function, trunk control, and balance in patients with chronic stroke.

Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Ideas for Inspiratory Muscle Training in Patients With Subacute Stroke

Objectives: This study aimed to elucidate the outcome of an Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) rehabilitation intervention on the lung function, functional mobilization, balance, and peripheral muscle strength of the paretic side in patients with subacute stroke. Methods: This double-blind, randomized controlled trial study was conducted on patients with stable subacute stroke. For 8 weeks, the intervention group (n=16) received 40% intensity IMT while the control group (n=16) received 10% intensity IMT. We assessed the patients’ lung function (spirometer) before and after the intervention, as well as their pulmonary muscle strength (micro-respiratory pressure meter [RPM]), quadriceps strength (handheld dynamometer), grip strength (Jamar), walking speed (10-m walk test), balance (Berg Balance Scale [BBS]), and functional mobilization (sit-to-stand test). Results: There were significant differences between the intervention group and the control group after IMT for forced vital capacity (FVC)% (P<0.01; d=3.20), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1)/FVC (P<0.001; d=2.55), FEV1% (P<0.001; d=5.10), walking speed (P<0.05; d=1.62), hand grip (P<0.001; d=2.45), quadriceps strength (P<0.001; d=4.18), functional mobilization (P<0.01; d=2.41), and maximal inspiratory mouth pressure (P<0.001; d=1.62), but no significant changes were seen in balance (P=0.304; d=0.57). Discussion: IMT improved lung function, functional mobilization, handgrip strength, and quadriceps strength on the paretic side of subacute stroke patients and is expected to improve functional status and allow the patient to participate in social activities. IMT exercise can be included in the rehabilitation program for subacute stroke patients.

A randomized trial of negative pressure wound therapy technology combined with intermittent instillation in the treatment of neck anastomotic leakage after esophageal cancer surgery.

This study aimed to examine the effects of applying the negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) combined with intermittent instillation (NPWTi) in patients with cervical anastomotic leakage (AL) after esophageal cancer surgery. From July 2019 to June 2021, 64 patients undergoing AL after esophageal cancer surgery were selected from our Hospital's Thoracic Department, and randomly allocated to the conventional nursing group (20 patients), the hospital central NPWTi group (23 patients), and the portable NPWTi group (21 patients). The hospital central NPWTi group was treated with central negative pressure combined with intermittent instillation, and the portable NPWTi group was treated with portable negative pressure combined with intermittent instillation. Indicators of fistula healing, healing days, treatment costs, comfort, and nursing satisfaction were examined in each group. The fistula healing rate, healing days, nursing satisfaction, and comfort level of the hospital central NPWTi group and the portable NPWTi group were better than those of the conventional nursing group (P<0.05). There was no difference in the fistula healing rates and healing days between the hospital central NPWTi group, and the portable NPWTi group (P>0.05). The treatment costs of the hospital central NPWTi group were lower than those of the portable NPWTi group (P<0.05). Negative pressure treatment technology combined with the intermittent instillation of the neck anastomotic fistula improved the fistula microenvironment, strengthened the sterilization effect, drained the leachate effectively, shortened the fistula healing time, improved the fistula cure rate, and increased patients' satisfaction with nursing. In relation to the negative pressure source, there was no difference in the therapeutic effects of hospital central NPWTi compared to the portable negative pressure meter, but the hospital central NPWTi treatment costs were lower and patients' acceptance of NPWT instillation was higher. Thus, central NPWT instillation treatment is worthy of promotion. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100052240.

NIR II Light-Response Au Nanoframes: Amplification of a Pressure- and Temperature-Sensing Strategy for Portable Detection and Photothermal Therapy of Cancer Cells.

Quantitative detection of cancer cells using portable devices is promising for the development of simple, fast, and point-of-care cancer diagnostic techniques. However, how to further amplify the detection signal to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of detecting cancer cells by portable devices remains a challenge. To solve the problem, we, for the first time, synthesized folic-acid-conjugated Au nanoframes (FA-Au NFs) with amplification of pressure and temperature signals for highly sensitive and accurate detection of cancer cells by portable pressure meters and thermometers. The resulting Au NFs exhibit excellent near-infrared (NIR) photothermal performance and catalase activity, which can promote the decomposition of NH4HCO3 and H2O2 to generate corresponding gases (CO2, NH3, and O2), thereby synergistically amplifying pressure signals in a closed reaction vessel. At the same time, Au NFs with excellent peroxidase-like activity can catalyze the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to produce TMB oxide (oxTMB) with a strong photothermal effect, thereby cooperating with Au NFs to amplify the photothermal signal. In the presence of cancer cells with overexpressing folate receptors (FRs), the molecular recognition signals between FA and FR can be converted into amplified pressure and temperature signals, which can be easily read by portable pressure meters and thermometers, respectively. The detection limits for cancer cells using pressure meters and thermometers are 6 and 5 cells/mL, respectively, which are better than other reported methods. Moreover, such Au NFs can improve tumor hypoxia by catalyzing the decomposition of H2O2 to produce O2 and perform photothermal therapy of cancer. Together, our work provides new insight into the application of Au NFs to develop a dual-signal sensing platform with amplification of pressure and temperature signals for portable and ultrasensitive detection of cancer cells as well as personalized cancer therapy.

Analysis of the mathematical modelling of a static expansion system

Static expansion systems are used to generate pressures in medium and high vacuum and are used in the calibration of absolute pressure meters in these pressure ranges. In the present study, the suitability of different models to represent the final pressures in a static expansion system with two tanks is analysed. It is concluded that the use of the ideal gas model is adequate in most simulated conditions, while the assumption that the residual pressure is zero before expansion presents problems under certain conditions. An uncertainty analysis of the process is carried out, which leads to evidence of the high importance of uncertainty in a first expansion over subsequent expansion processes. Finally, an analysis of the expansion system based on uncertainty is carried out to estimate the effect of the metrological characteristics of the measurements of the input quantities. Said design process can make it possible to determine a set of restrictions on the uncertainties of the input quantities.

Leakage detection in water networks by a calibration method

This paper presented a new method of locating the probable leakage zones in the water distribution networks. The proposed method has consisted of two steps: first, a zone with the most leakages is identified by analysing the results of the pressure metering at different parts of the network. In the second step, the leaky zone is divided into some virtual zones. According to the field pressure or flow metering results in the network, the simultaneous calibration of the nodal demand and the pipes' roughness coefficients are dealt with by the Imperialist Competitive Algorithm (ICA) at different hours of the day. Considering the implementation results at any time, the probability of the leakage in each virtual sub-zone and the roughness coefficient of the pipes are estimated, simultaneously. The proposed method was implemented on two hypothetical networks and a real network. The results showed that this method could prioritize the leaky zones with good accuracy. The proposed method can be used by the water utilities for leak detection in water distribution networks.

Design a Low-Cost Digital Pressure Meter Equipped with Temperature and Humidity Parameters

Calibration is a technical activity which consists of determining one or more properties and characteristics of a product, process or service according to a predetermined special procedure. The purpose of calibration is to ensure measurement results comply with national and international standards. The purpose of this study is to design two mode digital pressure meter (DPM) device equipped with a thermo-hygrometer and pressure in which the design is completed with a selection mode to determine the positive and negative pressure (vacuum) using MPX 5050GP sensor as a positive pressure sensor. In this design DHT 22 sensors is used to measure the humidity and temperature. To test the leak test this device is also equipped with timer. This design uses a 2.4 inch Nextion TFT LCD screen to display data. Data analysis was performed by comparing modul with standard tools. In the measurement process, Mercury tensimeter was carried out 6 times the data and the smallest results were 0 mmHg on the module and 0 mmHg on the standard tool and the largest was 298.0 mmHg on the module and 300 mmHg on the standard tool. Data were collected in a room with a temperature of 31̊C and humidity of 87%. Finally, this design is applicable for daily used for electromedical engineer to calibrate the sphygmomanometer in the hospitals

Effects of different techniques of peritoneal dialysis at the intra-abdominal pressure in a newborn

Introduction. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is considered a very effective care for newborns with severe acute renal injury , and it is a method of choice for treating newborns in the end-stage renal failure who require chronic renal replacement therapy (RRT). The classical modification of peritoneal dialysis involves the introduction of dialysis solution into the abdominal cavity, its presence there for a certain time (exposure time) and its passive evacuation from the abdominal cavity. However, this technique of peritoneal dialysis causes an increased intra-abdominal pressure leading to a number of complications. PD in premature newborns, including those with extremely low body weight, has a number of features associated with extremely immature organs and tissues. One more problem is hemodynamic instability in this category of patients. Besides, peritoneal dialysis in the classical modification accompanied by increase in the intra-abdominal pressure can cause hemodynamic and respiratory disorders. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the effect of the modified peritoneal dialysis, developed by the authors, at the intraabdominal pressure and compare it with the classical approach.Material and methods. A method of flow peritoneal dialysis in premature newborns has been developed, which significantly reduces the effect of peritoneal dialysis at the intra-abdominal pressure. Intra-abdominal pressure monitoring was performed using the invasive low pressure meter IInd 500/75 Triton. The values of intra-abdominal pressure in children receiving renal replacement therapy with various modifications of peritoneal dialysis were compared.Results. Our observations show that peritoneal dialysis in the flow modification avoids sharp fluctuations in intra-abdominal pressure. Conclusion. In our opinion, flow modification of peritoneal dialysis may be the method of choice for replacement therapy in deeply premature infants with low and extremely low birth weight.

Efficacy of Incentive Spirometry in Expiratory Muscle Training Following Abdominal Surgery

BACKGROUND: Incentive spirometry is a device which helps in the improvement of lung function after abdominal surgery. It motivates the patients by giving visual feedback about their lung volumes. It is one of the less expensive and user-friendlydevices. Incentive spirometry facilitates the patients to take slow deep breath and there by producing a sustained maximal inspiration (SMI) that mainly helps in the prevention of atelectasis. But it is a common practice for physiotherapists to teach the patients to do expiratory exercise by reversing the incentive spirometer. The simplest way to measure the maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures is by respiratory pressure meter in cmH2o. OBJECTIVE: To find out the efficacy of incentive spirometer in improving the expiratory muscle strength following abdominal surgery. METHODOLOGY: Quasi-Experimental study. PROCEDURE: 30 subjects were conveniently selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and allotted to group A (n=15) and group B (n= 15). Both groups were trained for inspiratory muscle and group A was also trained for expiratory muscle using incentive spirometry. OUTCOME MEASURES: Maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), Maximal expiratory pressure (MEP). RESULT: This study shows that the mean MIP value have improved from 2nd to 7th postoperative day, but it is not statistically significant (P&gt;0.05). The mean MEP values shows statistically significant (P&lt;0.05) improvement from second to 7th postoperative day in group A when compared to group B. CONCLUSION:This study concludes that there is significant improvement in the expiratory muscle strength along with inspiratory muscle strength by training with the Incentive spirometry in the upside down and upright positions respectively.

A Correction Method for Wet Gas Flow Metering Using a Standard Orifice and Slotted Orifices.

Flow measurements that utilize differential pressure meters are commonly applied in industry. In such conditions, gas flow is often accompanied by liquid condensation. For this reason, errors occur in the metering process that can be attributed to the fluctuations in continuous phase parameters in the flow. Furthermore, the occurrence of a dispersed phase results in flow disturbance and dynamic pressure pulsations. For the above reasons, new methods and tools are sought with the purpose of performing measurements of gas-liquid flows providing measurement results that can be considered as fairly accurate in the cases when flow involves a liquid phase form. The paper reports the results of a study involving measurement of wet gas flow using differential pressure flowmeters. The experiments were conducted for three constant mass air flow rates equal to 0.06, 0.078 and 0.086 kg/s. After stabilization of the air flow rates, water was fed into the pipe with flow rates in the range from 0.01 to 0.16 kg/s. The research involved a standard orifice and three types of slotted orifices with various slot arrangements and geometries. The analysis focused on the effect of orifice geometry on the flow metering results. On the basis of the results, it was found that the slotted orifice generates smaller differential pressure values compared to the standard orifice. The water mass fraction in the gas leads to overestimated results of measurements across the flowmeter. Regardless of the type of the orifice, is necessary to undertake a correction of the results. The paper proposes a method of gas mass flow correction. The results were compared with the common over-reading correction models available in the literature.

Multichannel Paper Chip-Based Gas Pressure Bioassay for Simultaneous Detection of Multiple MicroRNAs.

Simultaneous detection of multi-biomarkers not only enhances the accuracy of disease diagnosis but also improves detection efficiency and reduces cost. It is vital to achieve portable, simple, low-cost, and simultaneous detection of biomarkers for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics in a low-resource setting. Herein, a multichannel paper chip-based gas pressure bioassay was developed for the simultaneous detection of multiple biomarkers by combining multichannel paper chips with a portable gas pressure meter. Four DNA tetrahedral probes (DTPs) were used as capture probes and were immobilized in different detection zones of the paper chips to improve hybridization efficiency and reduce nonspecific adsorption. The formation of a sandwich structure between target microRNAs (miRNAs), the capture probe, and platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs)-modified complementary DNA (PtNPs-cDNA) transformed biomolecular recognition into quantitative detection of gas pressure. Four lung cancer-related miRNAs were detected simultaneously by a portable gas pressure meter. There is a good linear relationship between gas pressure and the logarithm of miRNA concentration in the range of 10 pM to 100 nM. Compared with single-stranded DNA capture probe, the signal-to-noise (S/N) of DNA tetrahedral probes improved more than 3 times. Using ring-oven washing, the unbound reagents in all channels of the paper chip were simultaneously and continuously washed away, leading to a more cheap, simple, and fast separation than magnetic separation. Therefore, it offers a promising multichannel paper chip-based gas pressure bioassay for portable and simultaneous detection of multiple biomarkers.

Density profile modeling for real-time estimation of liquid level in anaerobic digester using multiple pressure meters

The liquid level of a bioreactor is an important operating parameter governing the hydraulic retention time. In this study, a novel method is proposed to estimate the liquid level of anaerobic digesters. The proposed method has an advantage over typical differential pressure measurement as it considers the heterogeneity of the digestate along the level using multiple pressure meters. The real-time measurement generates a model to fit the densities at different liquid columns, predicts the density of the surface layer and determines the overall liquid level. A pilot-scale (0.33 m3 working volume; 1.2 m liquid level) digester, equipped with seven pressure meters, was operated to test the methodology. The performance of the digester was confirmed stable during a long-term (175 d) operation. A set of density-pressure models was developed and were validated using the long-term experimental data. The new method employing cubic model showed significantly better estimation of the reactor level (mean error rate of 1.31%) with improved CDF, as compared with the traditional differential pressure method (mean error rate of 5.71%). The methodology proposed in this study is simple, robust, and cost-effective and can be used to provide additional insights into the operation of an anaerobic digester such as assessing the mixing efficiency.

Influence of orthopedic shoes on the indicators of the interzonal load distribution on the foot when walking patients with cerebral palsy

BACKGROUND: Clinical observations of patients with spastic forms of cerebral palsy and surveys showed the most commonly used technical rehabilitative device of this patient contingent are orthopedic shoes. However, almost no clinical and instrumental studies examine the effect of such shoes on the walking characteristics of patients with cerebral palsy (CP).&#x0D; AIM: This study aims to estimate the effect of orthopedic shoes on the interzonal load distribution on the plantar foot surface in children with CP and adolescents with different levels of gross motor function disorders (GMFCS).&#x0D; MATERIALS AND METHODS: Biomechanical studies were conducted in 42 patients with CP 5-16 years old with GMFCS 13 level while wearing standard and orthopedic shoes. In 14 healthy children controls while wearing standard shoes (a total of 112 feet). Biomechanical examinations were performed on the software and hardware complex DiaSled-M-Scan with matrix plantar pressure meters in the form of insoles. Statistical data analysis was performed using nonparametric methods via SPSS software for Windows.&#x0D; RESULTS: The use of complex orthopedic shoes in patients with level GMFCS 1 did not improve but worsened their foot loading parameters. The shoes reduced the loading of the heel, increased the toe-heel load ratio, and mediolateral load distribution in the fascicle area. In patients with GMFCS 2, the positive effect of orthopedic shoes was limited to improving the mediolateral load distribution in the fascicle area. In patients with GMFCS 3, the positive effect of orthopedic shoes was noted in the majority of the tested parameters.&#x0D; CONCLUSION: Thus, the study showed that in children and adolescents with CP using complex orthopedic shoes led to the most significant normalization of interzonal load distribution under the foot in GMFCS 3 patients, less significant in GMFCS 2 patients, and worsened the parameters in GMFCS 1 patients.

LNG mass flowrate measurement using Coriolis flowmeters: Analysis of the measurement uncertainties

The uncertainty of Coriolis mass flowmeter (CMF) has been investigated for liquefied natural gas (LNG) mass flowrate measurement. The expanded uncertainty of the Young’s modulus of stainless steel 316 measured by NIST is evaluated to be 1.90%, taking into consideration the lot-to-lot variability of the material. We have shown thatthecorrected Young’s modulus value at cryogenic temperature (120 K) has a smaller expanded uncertainty of 0.47%, through calibration of the CMF using traceable water calibration facility and a correction term to compensate the Young’s modulus change from ambient to cryogenic temperature of 120 K. We have evaluated other mass flowrate measurement uncertainty factors including thermal expansion, pressure correction effect, temperature measurement, zero stability and meter repeatability. The expanded uncertainty of a CMF for LNG flowrate measurement is estimated to be 0.50% with the uncertainty coverage factor k = 2. The dominating component is from the uncertainty of the corrected Young’s modulus for stainless steel at cryogenic temperature. This uncertainty analysis shows that a CMF can provide very accurate mass flowrate measurement for LNG custody transfer.

Whole-body vibration mediates mechanical hypersensitivity through Aβ-fiber and C-fiber thermal sensation in a chronic pain model.

Whole-body vibration (WBV), which is widely used as a type of exercise, involves the use of vibratory stimuli and it is used for rehabilitation and sports performance programmes. This study aimed to investigate the effect of WBV treatment in a chronic pain model after 10 WBV sessions. An animal model (chronic pain) was applied in 60 male Wistar rats (±180 g, 12 weeks old) and the animals were treated with low intensity exercise (treadmill), WBV (vibrating platform), and a combined treatment involving both. The controls on the platform were set to a frequency of 42 Hz with 2 mm peak-to-peak displacement, g ≈ 7, in a spiral mode. Before and after the vibration exposure, sensitivity was determined. Aβ-fibers-mediated mechanical sensitivity thresholds (touch-pressure) were measured using a pressure meter. C-fibers-mediated thermal perception thresholds (hot pain) were measured with a hot plate. After each session, WBV influenced the discharge of skin touch-pressure receptors, reducing mechanical sensitivity in the WBV groups (P < 0.05). Comparing the conditions "before vs. after", thermal perception thresholds (hot pain) started to decrease significantly after the third WBV session (P < 0.05). WBV decreases mechanical hyperalgesia after all sessions and thermal sensitivity after the third session with the use of WBV.

Pressure/colorimetric dual-readout immunochromatographic test strip for point-of-care testing of aflatoxin B1

Immunochromatographic test strip (ITS) for point-of-care testing (POCT) has attracted prominent attention due to the advantages including rapid response, low cost and good portability. Here, we developed a sensitive ITS for detecting aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) by using dendritic platinum nanoparticles (DPNs) as novel pressure/colorimetric dual-readout probes. DPNs-labeled antibody of AFB1 were used as the signal tracer of the immunochromatographic process. After 10-min competitive immunoreaction, black color appeared on the test line of ITS due to the accumulation of DPNs, which was observed visually as a colorimetric readout for qualitation purpose. Furthermore, DPNs with peroxidase-like activity caused decomposition of hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution to produce pressure change signal in vials, which was detected by a hand-held pressure meter for quantitation purpose. With the pressure readout mode, the detection range was 0.05–10 ng mL−1, and the detection limit was 0.03 ng mL−1 (S/N = 3) for AFB1. The proposed ITS was successfully utilized for detecting AFB1 in herbal medicine samples, and the acceptable recoveries of 93.77–114.09% indicated the reliability for real sample detection. It provides a new avenue for POCT with great application potential in various area including drug and food quality control, pollutants monitoring as well as medical diagnosis.