Proposed Correction Method Research Articles

Comparative analysis of methods of surgical correction of post-hysterectomy pelvic organ prolapse

BACKGROUND: The incidence of prolapse after hysterectomy requiring surgical intervention is estimated at 36 cases per 10,000 women. A universal surgical treatment method for post-hysterectomy pelvic organ prolapse is lacking, prompting the need for new approaches. AIM: To comparatively analyze the results of laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy, sacrospinous fixation, and the developed new method of surgical correction of pelvic organ prolapse after hysterectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective non-randomized study included 57 patients with stage II, III, or IV symptomatic post-hysterectomy prolapse of the pelvic organs who were admitted at the clinical hospital RZD-Medicine in Tula, Russia, between August 2019 and September 2023. The first group (n=18) consisted of women who underwent surgical correction of post-hysterectomy pelvic organ prolapse in a newly developed method; the second group (n=19) included women who underwent laparoscopic promontofixation according to the conventional technique; and the third group (n=20) involved patients who underwent installation of an apical sling using a UroSling-1 mesh endoprosthesis (Lintex LLC, St. Petersburg). The patients’ quality of life was assessed using specialized validated questionnaires: Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory and Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire. Patients were asked to complete questionnaires before surgery and 12 and 24 months after surgical correction of PGP. The patients were invited for a follow-up examination after 1, 6, 12, and 24 months. RESULTS: The duration of the operation in the second group significantly exceeded the indicators of the first and third groups. The average duration of hospital stay of patients was 4.4±0.6 (95% CI: 4.1–4.7) bed days in the first group, 4.9±1.1 (95% CI: 4.6–5.3) in the second, and 4.6±0.6 (95% CI: 4.3–4.9) in the third. The differences were insignificant (p1–2=0.437; p1–3=0.137; p2–3=0.235). The anatomical results after 24 months at points Aa and Ba showed significant differences. At point Aa, p1–3=0.007 and p2–3=0.004, and at point Ba, p1–3=0.032 and p2–3=0.041. A comparative assessment of the questionnaire data before surgery and 12 and 24 months after surgery showed a significant improvement in the quality of life of patients in the three groups. CONCLUSION: The proposed method of correction of post-hysterectomy pelvic organ prolapse provides high anatomical and functional results and reduces the posibility of repeated surgical intervention for recurrence.

Aberration correction by polynomial approximation for synthetic aperture ultrasound imaging

AbstractBackgroundPreviously, there has been some work in the field of optical imaging on phase compensation by employing Legendre polynomials as an expansion of the phase function, and this seems to be an appealing unstudied area in the field of ultrasound imaging.PurposeThe paper is devoted to solving one of the problems of enhancing the authenticity of diagnostics data obtained in ultrasound visualization systems and presents a novel approach to aberration correction, which ensures a reliable eliminating of phase distortions. The novelty of the proposed approach consists in the use of the decomposition of the wave front by Legendre polynomials to approximate aberrations of the phase front of ultrasonic waves propagating through distorting layers.MethodsThe phase aberrations are corrected using a single sector probe that captures echoes in synthetic aperture mode. The proposed method approximates the changes in the wave front by means of the Legendre polynomials. The performance was investigated by placing a 13‐mm‐wide ultrasonic probe with 64 elements operating at 2 MHz on the surface of a commercial quality control phantom ATS Model 539 through a distorting layer. The following metrics were measured: peak value, root mean square (RMS), full width at half maximum (FWHM), contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR). During the experiments, three different aberrators were used interchangeably as distorting layers, two of which were made of photopolymer resin with RMS values of 39 and 97 ns and a speed of sound close to that of a human temporal bone tissue, and the third was an ex vivo human temporal bone with the RMS value of 44 ns. To test the correction, three regions inside the phantom were examined. Two‐sided nonparametric Wilcoxon rank‐sum test was used for assessing the statistical significance. The significance level for this study was set at α ≤ 0.05. To counteract the problem of multiple comparisons, the p‐values were adjusted by the Holm–Bonferroni correction method.ResultsThe statistically significant results have demonstrated the possibility of increasing peak intensity value up to 3.08 times, reducing the RMS width and FWHM of the intensity angular distribution down to 60% and 82%, respectively, and increasing CNR up to 2.12 times by using the proposed phase distortion correction method, compared with the case without correction. The results show that the method can be used as an effective aberration correction technique for all tested regions inside the phantom and distorting layers. Its usage allowed correcting up to 97% of the aberrations caused by the ex vivo temporal bone model.ConclusionThe results show that the usage of the proposed method for aberration correction can successfully increase the intensity and reduce the angular width of the ultrasound wave scattered by the point targets inside the phantoms. The method works with different distorting layers and is capable of correcting phase aberrations in multiple sections of the sonogram. The limitation of the proposed method consists in the fact that it requires the use of aperture synthesis and access to raw radiofrequency data, which restricts its application in common scanners.

Correction of student’s psycho-emotional state using athletic gymnastics

The psycho- emotional state is one of the main factors affecting a person's life, as it can lead to both an increase in tone and a decline in vitality. The general psycho-emotional state consists of many factors, including well-being, activity and mood. An active movement regime accelerates the process of acquiring psychological stability and adaptation to professional activity, significantly improves the general condition and well-being of a person, and increases his work capacity and the ability to resist fatigue. All this allows us to believe that the development and substantiation of pedagogical conditions, the system of athletic gymnastics tools for the program of correction of the psycho-emotional state of student youth before educational activities is a modern and relevant research. The purpose of the study: to theoretically substantiate and empirically investigate the psycho-emotional state of student youth, to develop and implement a method of training in athletic gymnastics aimed at correcting a negative psycho-emotional state. Methodology: The research was conducted in two stages. At the 1st stage, research methods were used to solve the tasks: psychological and pedagogical observation - with the aim of finding out the motivation of student youth to achieve success in activities; survey; methods of psychological diagnosis "Self-assessment of mental states" by H. Eysenka - to determine indicators of students' mental states (anxiety, frustration, aggressiveness, rigidity); the method of research of emotional intelligence of N. Hall - to determine indicators and level of development of emotional intelligence among student youth. At the II stage, the following methods were used: questionnaires; anthropometric measurements; medical and pedagogical observation (pulsometry, tonometry, functional tests); movement test methods, N. Hall's emotional intelligence research method, and the Hot Iron strength gymnastics method. Conclusions. The conducted research makes it possible to state that the proposed method of psycho-emotional correction of negative states of student youth using cardio-strength training proved to be effective both in improving the psycho-emotional state and in physical training and in indicators of functional state, contributes to the formation of a healthy lifestyle, increases motivation for physical education.

Improved response spectrum analysis procedure for an adaptive variable friction pendulum isolated structure considering frictional dependency

The effectiveness of the conventional friction pendulum isolator (FPI) is limited in complex geographical environments and unpredictable earthquake events due to its complex frictional properties and the requirement for a unified setup target. With a view to addressing the aforementioned issues, in conjunction with an adaptive variable friction pendulum isolator (AVFPI), a simple and practical mechanical model is proposed. After applying the mechanical model with a friction-dependent influence model, an improved response spectrum analysis procedure (IRS) is proposed for variable friction pendulum isolation systems. Notably, the proposed procedure allows for the consideration of the effects of variations in velocity, temperature, and pressure on the friction characteristics without the necessity for nonlinear response history analysis (NRHA). The procedure commences with obtaining a numerical model of friction dependency through friction material examinations, then proceeds to verifying the reliability of both the friction dependency and mechanical model through prototype tests of AVFPIs. The following study presents a proposed correction method that depends on random vibration theory to establish a functional relationship between the pseudo-velocity spectrum and the velocity spectrum. Additionally, an association is established between the peak velocity and the generation of frictional heat. Finally, the procedure is evaluated based on the results of an NRHA that takes friction dependence into account through a numerically variable friction pendulum isolation system. The results of the study indicate that the IRS provides a more accurate and secure assessment of the isolator displacement at various temperatures than the response spectrum method, which does not account for the influence of frictional dependency. The failure to consider the influence of friction dependency in high-temperature environments produces an underestimation of isolator slip displacement and a subsequent increase in failure rates. The Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) friction materials that are currently in widespread use exhibit a strong correlation with friction dependence and, as a consequence, cause relatively large displacements at temperatures that are both low and high. The results of this study present an opportunity to expand how response spectrum analysis techniques can be applied to friction pendulum isolation systems.

Investigation of the Possibility of Using Turn-by-Turn Measurements to Detect Perturbations in the Magnetic Structure of Accelerators

The PCA correction method consists of a global analysis of turn-by-turn data obtained from beam position monitors (BPMs). One of its main advantages is speed of operation and the ability to detect pulsating power supplies. Along with this, a wide range of applications characterizes the PCA method: determination of perturbations of the accelerator magnetic structure, calculation of transport matrix elements and optical functions, and determination of the magnitude of the transverse coupling. A software prototype implementing the proposed correction method was written and tested on the electron-positron collider VEPP-4M for experimental validation. In the experiments, perturbations were introduced one by one into individual elements of the skew-quadrupole and quadrupole corrections. In one case, the excitation of betatron oscillations was carried out by the kick of the inflector. In another case, the oscillations were excited by resonant swing with a depolariser. It was found that, despite the simplicity of practical implementation, the examined method has some nuances that make it difficult to obtain and identify correct results. Nevertheless, it was possible to identify the introduced perturbations of quadrupole and skew-quadrupole corrections. Moreover, it was possible to detect a magnet with low-frequency pulsations by characteristic changes in the estimated invariants. In addition, the possibility of determining the integral coupling parameters in experiments on the observation of resonantly excited eigen modes having the shape of ellipses in the plane transverse to the beam motion axis is considered.

In situ Fe isotope analysis of Cr-rich iron oxides using pure chromium metal for isobaric interference corrections by femtosecond LA–MC–ICP–MS

Iron oxide minerals, such as hematite and magnetite, are commonly found in a wide range of geological environments. Their Fe isotopic composition acts as a potent geochemical tracer, finding applications across various realms of Earth sciences. However, natural iron oxide minerals often have a high Cr content up to percentile levels, necessitating correction of isobaric interference caused by 54Cr+ on 54Fe+ to ensure accurate and precise in situ Fe isotopic compositions. In this study, a pure chromium metal with homogeneous isotopic compositions was examined within the analysis sequence to obtain the fractionation factor of Cr (βCr) for isobaric interference correction. A femtosecond laser ablation system combined with wet plasma conditions was used to decrease the matrix effect. We synthesized a series of magnetite and hematite samples with simple matrix as well as natural magnetite samples with complex matrix to evaluate the feasibility of Cr interference correction. By employing our proposed correction method, the deviation caused by the isobaric interference of 54Cr+ was effectively eliminated. The corrected δ56Fe values for hematite and magnetite samples, even with a Cr/Fe ratio of as high as 1.27, exhibited good agreement with the reference values within the long-term reproducibility uncertainty of 0.10‰. These results indicate the robustness of Cr interference correction in obtaining accurate Fe isotopic compositions of Cr-rich iron oxides.

Surgical correction of senile entropion of the lower eyelid in non-hospital setting

Aim. To present a method for surgical correction of senile entropion by excision of a triangular musculocutaneous flap in non-hospital setting.Material and methods. We analyzed the outcome of surgical treatment of 11 patients aged 60–83 years diagnosed with senile entropion (3 men and 8 women). Out of the studied group, 3, 5 and 3 patients suffered from a mild, average and pronounced entropion degree, respectively (Bystrov’s classification, 1979). The results were assessed based on the presence of complications and the occurrence of relapses.Results. The recovery was observed in 9 patients; the disease recurrence – in 2 cases.Conclusion. The proposed method of surgical correction of senile entropion implies excision of a triangular musculocutaneous flap with the base to the outer or inner commissure of the eyelid with the movement of the sliding skin flap. The method showed high efficiency (81.8%) in eliminating the horizontal and vertical weakness of the musculocutaneous plate of the lower eyelid.

On determination of elastic modulus and indentation hardness by instrumented spherical indentation: influence of surface roughness and correction method

Although, surface roughness can influence the determination of elastic moduli and indentation hardness to some extent by instrumented spherical indentation test, limited work has been done to quantitatively reveal and minimize these influences. In the present work, through a large number of finite element (FE) simulations and analyses, we clarified the evolution trend of determined elastic moduli and indentation hardness corresponding to different normalized indentation depths (h/R) and normalized roughness (S q/R). On this basis, an area correction method was proposed to improve the measurement accuracy in the elastic moduli and indentation hardness. The FE results show that, with the newly proposed correction method, the maximum relative error in determined elastic moduli is reduced from about ±7% to ±2%, and that in the determined indentation hardness is reduced from about ±13% to ±5%, when S q/R ≤ 2.2 × 10−3 and h/R = 5%. Applications were then illustrated on four typical metallic materials (i.e., AA 7075, AA 2014, steel 316 L, and copper T2). The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed correction method is able to mitigate the effects of surface roughness on the determination of elastic moduli and indentation hardness to obtain more correct results.

THE USE OF MEDICINES BASED ON HYALURONIC ACID IN THE COMPLEX TREATMENT OF DISORDERS OF THE ARCHTECTONICS OF THE VESTIBULE OF THE MOUTH

Improving the effectiveness of diagnosis, comlex treatment of patients with maxillomandibular anomalies on the background of architectonics disorders of the vestibule of the mouth. The frenulum of the lips, buccal frenulums, ankyloglossia are the etiological factors in the development of maxillofacial anomalies. They are the reason for the change in the position of a separate group of teeth after the end of active treatment. Often architectonics disorders of the vestibule of the mouth course of gum. 30 people with maxillomandibular anomalies 12-15 years old on the background of architectonics disorders of the vestibule of the mouth were examined and treated, where plastic interventions on the vestibule of the mouth were important. All patients had plastic surgery of the vestibule of the mouth by the classical method. There was secondary tension of wound. Patients of the I group were prescribed chlorhexidine-denta in the postoperative period. Patients of the II group were prescribed chlorhexedine-denta and gengigel.
 The peculiarity of the clinical course of maxillomandibular anomalies on the background of disorders of the architectonics of the vestibule of the mouth was a pronounced change in the architecture of the vestibule of the mouth (less than 5 mm, 96.7% (29/30) of all patients have buccal frenulum). Indicators of cytomorphometric and rheographic researches indicated a deficiency of blood supply in these areas. The results of clinical and laboratory examination showed a significant difference between surgical interventions, where the wound healed by primary and secondary tension. Long-term results after the proposed method of correction of disorders of the architectonics of the vestibule of the mouth and the use wound-healing drug based on hyaluronic acid in the postoperative period indicate the formation of a normorphic scar, no recurrence and recession of the gums in the projection of buccal frenulum, normalization of clinical and laboratory indicators. The obtained data differ significantly from those in other groups of patients (p <0.05).
 Surgical correction of architectonics disorders of the vestibule of the mouth is an important step in the complex treatment of patients with maxillomandibular anomalies on the background of architectonics disorders of the vestibule of the mouth. The peculiarity of the clinical course of maxillomandibular anomalies on the background of architectonics disorders of the vestibule of the mouth was a pronounced change in frenulum fixation less than 5 mm, 85.0% (51/60) of patients have connective tissue strands in the area of canines and premolars, in 78.3% of patients - catarrhal hygnivitis). The results of the clinical research were confirmed by cytomorphometric and rheographic researches and indicated a lack of blood supply in these areas. Long-term results after the proposed method of correction of architectonics disorders of the vestibule of the mouth and the use of chlorhexidine dent and gingigel in the postoperative period indicate the formation of normorthophic scar, no recurrence and recession of the gums in the projection of canines and premolars, normalization of clinical and laboratory results. The obtained data differ significantly from those in other groups of patients (p <0.05).

Sinogram interpolation combined with unsupervised image-to-image translation network for CT metal artifact correction

To propose a framework that combines sinogram interpolation with unsupervised image-to-image translation (UNIT) network to correct metal artifacts in CT images. The initially corrected CT image and the prior image without artifacts, which were considered as different elements in two different domains, were input into the image transformation network to obtain the corrected image. Verification experiments were carried out to assess the effectiveness of the proposed method using the simulation data, and PSNR and SSIM were calculated for quantitative evaluation of the performance of the method. The experiment using the simulation data showed that the proposed method achieved better results for improving image quality as compared with other methods, and the corrected images preserved more details and structures. Compared with ADN algorithm, the proposed algorithm improved the PSNR and SSIM by 2.4449 and 0.0023 when the metal was small, by 5.9942 and 8.8388 for images with large metals, and by 8.8388 and 0.0130 when both small and large metals were present, respectively. The proposed method for metal artifact correction can effectively remove metal artifacts, improve image quality, and preserve more details and structures on CT images.

Color Saturation: Upper and Lower Percentage Histogram Manipulation

There are various color correction techniques that can be applied to digital photographs to account for environmental lighting variations. This manuscript contains a proposed method for such color correction. The method involves saturating an image by a specified percentage of its pixels via upper and lower percentage histogram manipulation using the image’s RGB histograms. Variations of this new technique, the white balance (WB) correction method, and a multivariable fit are used to test its performance against common color correction techniques. The findings demonstrate that the upper and lower percentage histogram manipulation method is not only more applicable to photos because it doesn’t require calibration regions to be sampled but it is also more consistent in its correction of photos when there are substantial gray scale features (e.g. a black and white grid or text). Our motivation for testing these techniques is to find the most robust color correction technique that is broadly applicable (not requiring a color checker chart) and is consistent across different lighting. KEYWORDS: Color Correction; Histogram Manipulation; Saturation; White Balance; Scientific Image Analysis; Color Comparisons; Euclidean Distance; Standard Deviation; Color Difference

B1 mapping using pre-learned subspaces for quantitative brain imaging.

To develop a machine learning-based method for estimation of both transmitter and receiver B1 fields desired for correction of the B1 inhomogeneity effects in quantitative brain imaging. A subspace model-based machine learning method was proposed for estimation of B1t and B1r fields. Probabilistic subspace models were used to capture scan-dependent variations in the B1 fields; the subspace basis and coefficient distributions were learned from pre-scanned training data. Estimation of the B1 fields for new experimental data was achieved by solving a linear optimization problem with prior distribution constraints. We evaluated the performance of the proposed method for B1 inhomogeneity correction in quantitative brain imaging scenarios, including T1 and proton density (PD) mapping from variable-flip-angle spoiled gradient-echo (SPGR) data as well as neurometabolic mapping from MRSI data, using phantom, healthy subject and brain tumor patient data. In both phantom and healthy subject data, the proposed method produced high-quality B1 maps. B1 correction on SPGR data using the estimated B1 maps produced significantly improved T1 and PD maps. In brain tumor patients, the proposed method produced more accurate and robust B1 estimation and correction results than conventional methods. The B1 maps were also applied to MRSI data from tumor patients and produced improved neurometabolite maps, with better separation between pathological and normal tissues. This work presents a novel method to estimate B1 variations using probabilistic subspace models and machine learning. The proposed method may make correction of B1 inhomogeneity effects more robust in practical applications.

A Correction Method for Muscle Stiffness Sensors to Measure Transversus Abdominis Activity

The transversus abdominis muscle is important for various human functions, including the prevention of back pain and the use of muscle activity values as an indicator for the treatment of urinary incontinence. Measuring muscle activity is an effective means of evaluating whether correct training has been performed. The transversus abdominis muscle stiffness sensor developed in a previous study used a method in which a belt with a sensor attached was wrapped around the lower back, which made measurement simple but also caused problems owing to the influence of phenomena other than muscle activity on the measurement data. Therefore, we propose a novel correction method to calculate the muscle activity of this sensor accurately, which can be used for simple measurements. We propose a formula to compensate for effects other than muscle activity based on a model equation that includes contact conditions and belt tension, which affect the muscle stiffness sensor value. We evaluated the validity of the correction equation from simulations and the change in similarity owing to the correction by simultaneously measuring the muscle action potentials and muscle stiffness sensor values during breathing movements with muscle activity. The proposed correction method improved the muscle stiffness data during respiration and contraction. It is possible to improve the measurement accuracy by improving the calibration method and hardware.

A Correction Method for the Measurement of Frequency-Dependent Attenuation Coefficient With Curved Surface Specimens Using Normal Contact Transducer

The ultrasonic pulse-echo technique has been widely employed for the measurement of the frequency-dependent attenuation coefficient in polycrystalline metals. However, the nonuniform thickness of the coupling layer between the transducer piston and the curved surface is inevitable for curved specimens, resulting in a significant overestimation. In addition, the curved surface also affects the diffraction loss caused by the divergence and convergence of ultrasonic beams during the propagation path. In this study, a correction method is proposed for the experimental calculation of the frequency-dependent attenuation with the curved surface components using a contact transducer. First, with the analysis of the nonuniform coupling layer created by the curved surface and transducer piston, the integral over the effective cross-sectional area is introduced to determine the reflection coefficient. Second, an equivalent rectangular transducer sound field model is proposed to calculate the diffraction loss for different curvatures and propagation distances based on the multi-Gaussian beam (MGB) theory. Then, a correction model is established to compensate for the deviation caused by the curved surfaces. To verify the feasibility of the proposed method, two cylindrical bars and five blanks with different curvatures were designed. The experimental results show that the proposed correction method can effectively eliminate the deviation caused by the curved surface and improve the stability of measurement. With the correction, the variation of the attenuation spectrum for the curved specimens is reduced by approximately 5%. This facilitates researchers to better develop and use frequency-dependent attenuation coefficients of materials for further applications.

Scaling the failure of concrete gravity dam subjected to underwater explosion — Part II: Correction method to consider the strain-rate effect

Part I of this work indicates that the dimensional analysis-based scaling law fails to scale the dynamic tensile responses and failures of concrete gravity dams subjected to underwater explosions owning to the dissimilar strain-rate effects between small-scale dam models and prototypes. In Part II of this work, a correction method is proposed to address this challenge based on a dimensionless damage number Dni suggested in Part I of this work. The core idea is to keep Dni equal for small-scale dam models and prototypes by adjusting the other terms of Dni according to the differences in the strain-rate effects between small-scale dam models and prototypes. Detailed scaling procedure with the correction method using a small-scale dam model as a reference is given, where both the explosive weight and the static tensile strength of the concrete gravity dam of the prototype need to be corrected. For validation purposes, the fully-coupled numerical model established based on centrifuge tests in Part I of this work is still employed. Geometrically similar dam models with geometrical scaling factors β = 1, 1/2, 1/5, 1/10, 1/20, 1/30, 1/40, 1/50, 1/60, 1/70, 1/80, and 1/100 are used. Results demonstrate that the proposed correction method can well address the non-scalability of the strain-rate effect between small-scale dam models and prototypes. With the correction method, the failures of geometrically similar dam models with β = 1–1/100 are almost identical, and Dni exhibits a uniformly linear relation with the dimensionless displacement δ/H of geometrically similar dam models with β = 1–1/100. Besides, the proposed correction method makes it possible to apply the well-known concept of “modeling of models” to verify the scaling relations of concrete gravity dams subjected to underwater explosions in a centrifuge.

Surgical Correction of Rectocele Via Transvaginal Access: Optimization Option, Immediate and Long-Term Outcomes

Introduction. The transvaginal technique with application of patient's proper tissues is considered the most suitable for the surgical correction of the lower and middle rectocele. However, despite the complete anatomical correction, functional results are not satisfactory in 7-20% of patients.The aim of the study was to improve functional results of surgical treatment of rectocele via transvaginal access.Materials and methods. The study included 45 female patients who were randomly divided into two groups. In the control group, patients underwent posterior colporrhaphy and anterior levatorplasty using the conventional technique. In patients of the main group the operation was performed with the creation of the connective tissue layer between the levator ani muscles. The results of treatment were clinically assessed immediately after surgery, in one year and in 3 years after surgery by performing defecography and anorectal functional tests.Results. According to a ten-point scale the pain syndrome was 3.60.8 points in the main group and 4.10.7 points in the control group (P=0,639). No purulent complications were observed in patients. Defecography evidenced that in patients of both groups, rectocele correction was achieved after a year and corresponded to stage 0-I in 3 years, the results achieved were preserved in most patients. The rate of barium evacuation approached the norm and was 5.30.7 g/sec in the main group and 5.20.6 g/sec in the control group (P=0,913), in 3 years - 5.40.6 g/sec and 5.10.5 g/sec (P=0,701), respectively. According to the study terms, there were almost normal parameters of the residual volume of barium after emptying in both groups: 18.55.2% and 21.65.5% (P=0,683) and 19.15.3% and 21.14.1% (P=0,766). Evaluation of the reflex function of the rectum demonstrated an improvement in its sensitivity to small volumes of filling and a decrease in the volumes that cause the urge to defecate in the main and control groups, which persisted over the long-term follow-up. 18 patients of the control group noted a feeling of discomfort in the perineum during the first year after surgery and dyspareunia. In 3 years, 10 out of 18 patients noted a feeling of discomfort, dyspareunia persisted in 8 of them. The patients of the main group did not make these complaints.Conclusions. The proposed method of rectocele correction with the creation of the connective tissue layer between the muscles allowed the authors to avoid negative effects with simultaneous restoration of normal anatomical and defecatory function.

Experimental evaluation of the effect of supplementary nutrition and glutargine on regenerative properties

The problem of alimentary dystrophy, which develops due to various reasons, is an urgent problem, especially in patients with tumors of the head and neck. After removal of tumors, patients have large postoperative defects that interfere with proper nutrition. Therefore, to provide the body with the necessary nutrients, enteral nutrition is especially important. In addition, successful wound healing requires adequate blood supply and sufficient levels of nutrients, which depends on the general condition of the body and the patient's diet. However, the degree of reparative processes correlates not only with the number of substrates of anabolism, but also with the proper functioning of the liver. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of the drug for enteral nutrition and glutargin on the reparative properties of rats’ wounds on the background of partial food deprivation. The study was performed on 60 adult male rats weighing 280±20 grams of the Wistar line, with a mean age of 15 weeks. Prior to the experimental study the regenerative properties of the animals were on partial food deprivation. On the 10th day, a wound with a diameter of 2.0 cm was inflicted. Then the rats were divided into 4 groups: 1 group (control) received food according to physiological needs; Group 2 (food derivation (FD)); Group 3 (FD+enteral nutrition); Group 4 (FD+enteral nutrition +glutargin). Against the background of alimentary dystrophy (20% weight loss) on the first day there was a significant difference in the edges of the wound due to loss of its elasticity. Wound contraction processes up to 14-15 days in all observation groups were quite active, regardless of the factors of malnutrition with cereals or additional therapeutic diet "Peptamen" or in combination with glutargin. Thus, every three days the area of wounds decreased by 30-40 mm2 on an average. Only on the 15th-17th day the difference in the rate of wound contraction becomes visible and statistically significant. Thus, on the 15th day the largest wounds were in the second group on the background of partial food deprivation (p<0.05), at the same time in the first (control) and in the fourth groups the average area was almost equal (p>0.05). The smallest (p<0.05) area of wounds was observed in the first group (control) on the 15th day. On the 17th day wound healing was observed in the fourth group (FD+enteral nutrition+glutargin), despite the expansion of wounds on the first day. A pronounced therapeutic effect correcting alimentary dystrophy was obtained with enteral nutrition (Peptamen) and glutargin at a dose of 50 mg/kg, where the wounds healed simultaneously with those in the first (control) group, ie in animals with a normal diet, indicating a high effectiveness of the proposed method of correction of alimentary dystrophy. Enteral nutrition alone (Peptamen) was also effective, as evidenced by the small size of virtually epithelialized wounds on the 17th day.

Development and Verification of CTIndex Correction Methods to Normalize Air Void Content and Thickness of Field Cores

The IDEAL cracking test (IDEAL-CT) (ASTM D8225) provides a fracture mechanics-based parameter: cracking tolerance index or CTIndex which is sensitive to specimen thickness and air void (AV) content. The CTIndex of field cores with variable thicknesses and AV contents are not comparable to those of laboratory-compacted specimens prepared at specified values. This study analyzed the CTIndex sensitivity to these features by preparing reheated plant-mixed laboratory-compacted (RPMLC) specimens with variable thickness and AV content and developing thickness and AV content correction factors. The correction factors were obtained using trendline equations from the relationships between CTIndex and varying thickness and CTIndex and varying AV content. The correction factors were then applied to RPMLC specimens fabricated with variable thickness and AV content and compared with RPMLC specimens prepared at 62 ± 1 mm and 7 ± 0.5% AV. CTIndex results were comparable, and one correction method was proposed. This method was applied to replicate field cores of 22 independent mixtures and compared with RPMLC specimens fabricated at 62 ± 1 mm and 7 ± 0.5% AV. CTIndex results of field cores and the RPMLC specimens still showed differences after applying the correction method, suggesting the need for a different (larger) CTIndex threshold for field cores. Finally, more data are required to improve the proposed correction methods and more mixtures need to be evaluated to consider a wider range of thickness, AV, component materials, and aging conditions.

Impact of correlations between prioritized outcomes onthenet benefit and its estimate by generalized pairwise comparisons.

Benefit-risk balance is gaining interest in clinical trials. For the comprehensive assessment of benefits and risks, generalized pairwise comparisons are increasingly used to estimate the net benefit based on multiple prioritized outcomes. Although previous research has demonstrated that the correlations between the outcomes impact the net benefit and its estimate, the direction and magnitude of this impact remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact of correlations between two binary or Gaussian variables on the true net benefit values via theoretical and numerical analyses. We also explored the impact of correlations between survival and categorical variables on the net benefit estimates based on four existing methods (Gehan, Péron, Gehan with correction, and Péron with correction) in the presence of right censoring via simulation and application to actual oncology clinical trial data. Our theoretical and numerical analyses revealed that the true net benefit values were impacted by the correlations in various directions depending on the outcome distributions. With binary endpoints, this direction was governed by a simple rule with a threshold of 50% for a favorable outcome. Our simulation showed that the net benefit estimates based on Gehan's or Péron's scoring rule could be substantially biased in the presence of right censoring, and that the direction and magnitude of this bias were associated with the outcome correlations. The recently proposed correction method greatly reduced this bias, even in the presence of strong outcome correlations. The impact of correlations should be carefully considered when interpreting the net benefit and its estimate.

Simultaneous time-skew and time-walk correction for TOF-PET detector

Time-of-flight (TOF) has become a very important technology in PET, as it reduces noise to improve the PET imaging performance significantly. To obtain a high coincidence resolving time (CRT), it is effective to eliminate inter-crystal scattering (ICS). In one-to-one readout detectors, ICS events can be easily eliminated by setting an energy window for each photo sensor. Removal of ICS events improves CRT but greatly reduces sensitivity. In this work, we developed a simultaneous time-skew and time-walk correction method that suppresses the degradation of CRT even when ICS events are used for a whole-body TOF-PET scanner. A TOF detector with one-to-one readout using fast LGSO and multi pixel photo counter (MPPC) was developed to apply the proposed correction method. To maximize the sensitivity, the crystal size was 3.1 × 3.1 × 20 mm 3 and all sides were chemically polished as the surface treatment. The fast LGSO array was optically connected to an 8 × 8 MPPC array so that the crystals and MPPCs were in one-to-one coupling. In the detector calibration, we worked to improve CRT by separating individual crystal clusters into photoelectric absorption and multiple ICSs on a 2D position histogram and performing simultaneous time-skew and time-walk correction. A pair of TOF detectors was assembled and CRT was measured. When ICS events were removed as much as possible, the CRT of 230.4 ps was obtained, but about 80% of the coincidence events were removed as ICS events. On the other hand, with all events including ICS, the CRT was 320.2 ps. Using the proposed correction method, we improved the CRT to 268.5 ps without causing sensitivity loss.