Safe Strategy Research Articles

Single-hit genome editing optimized for maturation in B cells redirects their specificity toward tumor antigens.

T-cell-based adoptive immunotherapy is a new pillar of cancer care. Tumor-redirected B cells could also contribute to therapy if their manipulation to rewire immunoglobulin (Ig) genes is mastered. We designed a single-chain Ig-encoding cassette ("scFull-Ig") that redirects antigen specificity when inserted at a single position of the IgH locus. This design, which places combined IgH and IgL variable genes downstream of a pVH promoter, nevertheless preserves all Ig functional domains and the intrinsic mechanisms that regulate expression from the IgM B cell receptor (BCR) expression to Ig secretion, somatic hypermutation and class switching. This single-locus editing provides an efficient and safe strategy to both disrupt endogenous Ig expression and encode a new Ig paratope. As a proof of concept, the functionality of scFull BCR and/or secreted Ig was validated against two different classical human tumor antigens, HER2 and hCD20. Once validated in cell lines, the strategy was extended to primary B cells, confirming the successful engineering of BCR and Ig expression and the ability of scFull-Ig to undergo further class switching. These results further pave the way for future B cell-based adoptive immunotherapy and strategies to express a therapeutic mAb with a variety of switched H-chains that provide complementary functions.

Two institutes' experience in laparoendoscopic "rendezvous" technique for patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy for stones in the gallbladder and bile duct: a prospective randomized comparative clinical trial.

There is stilldisagreement on the best treatment optionfor cholecystocholedocholithiasis.Although there are some benefits to the single-step procedure, the "laparoendoscopic rendezvous" (LERV) technique that include a lower risk of post-ERCP pancreatitis and a shorter hospital stay,the standard technique isstill the two-step approach forclearing the common bile duct (CBD) using ERCP and then performing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The purpose of this study was to assess theeffectiveness and safety of the LERV technique vs.the standard two-step approach. Four hundred thirty-six patients with symptomatized concomitant stones at both the gall bladder (GB) and the (CBD), at two gastroenterology centers in Zagazig city, Egypt, from January 2010 till April 2022, were analyzed. Patients were randomly divided into two equally groups. The overall length of hospital stay was the primary outcome, and the success of CBD clearance and morbidity, particularly post-ERCP pancreatitis, were the secondary endpoints. The LERV group experienced a significantly shorter hospital stay (median 2(2-8) days compared to 4.5 (4-11) days for the two-stage approach (p < 0.001)). The two groups did not differ in terms of CBD clearing success. Also, there was no significant difference in the number of patients with post-ERCP pancreatitis between the LERV group [14 patients (6.4%)] and the two-stage approach [26 patients (11.9%)] with p value = 0.703. For patients with cholecystocholedocholithiasis, the optimal treatment must be determined by the knowledge and resources that are accessible locally. Our data further supported the idea that treating patients with cholecystocholedocholithiasis in one stage is a safe and successful strategy.

The Realities of Caring for a Person with a Mental Disorder in Rural and Remote Capricorn District of South Africa: A Qualitative Study.

In rural African communities, family caregivers shoulder the responsibility of caring for loved ones with mental disorders, often without professional support. This qualitative explorative study, conducted in Limpopo Province, South Africa, aimed to explore the realities of caring for a family member with a mental disorder in rural and remote Capricorn District, in order to uncover insights that can inform support systems, the academic community, interventions, and policies. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to ensure the reproducibility and validity of the results by focusing on participants who are actively involved in caregiving, living in the rural and remote of Capricorn District, in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of their experiences, and this resulted in 15 participants (13 females, 2 males). Data saturation determined the sample size, with data collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using Tesch's open-coding method. The findings revealed that cultural and spiritual beliefs strengthen caregivers, who exhibit resilience and resourcefulness, yet face financial strain, career setbacks, social isolation, and health declines. The study underscores the critical role of healthcare professionals in recognizing and addressing the challenges faced by family caregivers, while also advocating for the academic community to prioritize the development and dissemination of educational programs focused on safe and ethical coping strategies for caregivers and for policymakers to develop comprehensive mental health services that are accessible and culturally sensitive to rural and remote communities. This is essential because the well-being of caregivers directly influences the rehabilitation and community integration outcomes for individuals with mental disorders.

Long-Term Survival and Immune Reconstitution of Donor-Derived Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy for Childhood Molecular Relapse of B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Measurable residual disease (MRD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is an independent risk factor for relapse in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This study aimed to assess the efficacy, safety, and immune reconstitution of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy in patients with molecular relapse after allo-HSCT. Eleven patients with molecular relapse of B-cell-ALL who underwent CAR-T therapy after allo-HSCT were enrolled. The rate of MRD negativity after a month of CAR-T infusion was 81.8%. Patients who bridged to second-HSCT after CAR-T therapy (n = 3) showed a trend of higher 3-year leukemia-free survival and 3-year overall survival than those who did not (n = 8; 100% vs. 75.0%; 95% CI, 45.0–104.9%; p = 0.370). No treatment-related mortalities were observed. Among patients who did not bridge to second-HSCT and remained in complete remission until the last follow-up (n = 6), five of them had not recovered normal immunoglobulin concentrations with a median follow-up of 43 months. CAR-T therapy may be a safe and effective treatment strategy to improve survival after allo-HSCT; however, the problem of prolonged hypogammaglobulinemia in patients who do not bridge to second-HSCT is worth noting.

Experimental study and life prediction for aero-engine turbine blade considering creep-fatigue interaction effect

As an important failure form of the turbine blade, creep-fatigue interaction damage affects the safe operation and maintenance strategy of aero-engine, and has been the focus of scientific research and the academic community. Firstly, based on the Kachanov-Rabotnov-Lemaitre continuum damage mechanics theory and the nonlinear symmetry of creep damage and fatigue damage, a creep-fatigue life prediction model is constructed considering the interaction effect in this paper. Then, based on the thermal-fluid–solid multi-physical field coupling numerical simulation of the turbine blade, the equivalent method of creep-fatigue load spectrum was explored according to the equal damage criterion and linear damage rule, and the creep-fatigue interaction test of smooth samples of the blade material was conducted to analyze the creep-fatigue fracture morphology. Finally, the stress term in the creep-fatigue life prediction model of blade material is modified by the correction factor α, and the modified creep-fatigue life prediction model of the turbine blade is constructed considering the interaction effect. The results show that the modified creep-fatigue life prediction model considering the interaction effect has a high life prediction ability with an error of 3.9%. The above research has important scientific research value for the life extension design of turbine blades and the improvement of aero-engine maintenance strategy.

Health-awareness energy management strategy for battery electric vehicles based on self-attention deep reinforcement learning

The economical and safe energy management strategy (EMS) is essential for a battery electric vehicle (BEV). With an improved deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG)-based EMS proposed for a dual-motor BEV, energy consumption and electric component aging are minimized. Firstly, this study incorporates health awareness of electric components into EMS. Then, this study employs a gated recurrent unit (GRU) as well as a self-attention (SA) mechanism for improving the original DDPG's performance. The GRU enhances the performance of DDPG agents, post-convergence, by furnishing them with additional state information. The SA mechanism empowers agents to distinguish the importance of state information, thus improving its adaptability in new environments. The proposed EMS decreases battery energy consumption to 7.95 kW-hour and enhances battery state of health (SOH) to 96.83 % of the dynamic programming (DP)-based EMS. The two motors of the proposed EMS possess the highest end-value SOH, i.e., 99.99929 % and 99.99978 %, respectively. The proposed EMS demonstrates superior adaptability to other EMSs, regardless of the initial state of charge (SOC). It shows the best adaptability at an initial SOC of 0.6, and achieves 95.87 % and 94.67 % of the energy consumption of DP-based EMS in the mixed and actual test cycles, respectively.

Empowering probiotics with high xanthine transport for effective hyperuricemia management

ABSTRACT Hyperuricemia, a prevalent metabolic disorder, poses a susceptibility to various complications. The conventional pharmacotherapeutic approaches for hyperuricemia often entail notable adverse effects, posing substantial clinical challenges. Hence, the imperative lies in the development of novel, safe and effective strategies for preventing and treating hyperuricemia. Here, we developed a probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 strain, designated as YES301, which contains a rationally designed xanthine importer XanQ, enabling efficient uptake of xanthine and hypoxanthine, consequently leading to reduced serum uric acid concentrations and amelioration of renal impairments in a murine model of hyperuricemia. Importantly, YES301 exhibited a therapeutic efficacy comparable to allopurinol, a conventional uric acid-lowering agent, and manifesting fewer adverse effects and enhanced biosafety. These findings highlight the promising potential of engineered probiotics in the management of hyperuricemia through reducing intestinal purine levels.

Isobavachalcone enhances sensitivity of colistin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae: In vitro and in vivo proof-of-concept studies

ObjectiveAntibiotic resistance poses a considerable worldwide concern, particularly in clinical environments where drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria like Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) present a major challenge. The objective of this research was to investigate the mechanisms by which isobavachalcone (IBC) restores the sensitivity of K. pneumoniae to colistin in vitro and to validate the synergistic therapeutic effect in vivo. ResultsThe results indicate that the combined administration of colistin and IBC exhibits a potent antibacterial effect both in vitro and in vivo. The in vitro concurrent administration of colistin and IBC resulted in increased membrane permeability, compromised cell integrity, diminished membrane fluidity, and disrupted membrane homeostasis. Additionally, this combination reduced biofilm production, inhibited the synthesis of the autoinducer factor, altered membrane potential, and affected levels of reactive oxygen species and adenosine triphosphate synthesis, ultimately leading to bacterial death. In vivo experiments on Galleria mellonella and mice demonstrated that the co-administration of colistin and IBC increased the survival rate and significantly reduced pathological damage compared to colistin alone. ConclusionThese results suggested that IBC effectively restores the sensitivity of colistin by inducing physical disruption of bacterial membranes and oxidative stress. The combination therapy of colistin and IBC presents a viable and safe strategy to combat drug-resistant K. pneumoniae-associated infections.

Intravenous Levosimendan versus Inhalational Milrinone in the Management of Pulmonary Hypertension during Adult Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Introduction: The perioperative management of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) undergoing cardiac surgery is challenging, mainly due to the potential risk of right ventricular failure (RVF). Levosimendan is a calcium-sensitizing agent that has primarily been used in the treatment of decompensated heart failure. However, recently levosimendan has been shown to be an effective and safe therapeutic strategy for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and PH associated with left heart disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential utility of the preemptive administration of levosimendan in cardiac surgical patients with preexisting PH and to compare its effectiveness with milrinone, which represents an already established therapeutic option in the management of PH during cardiac surgery. Materials and Methods: In this study, 40 adult cardiac surgical patients with PH were randomly assigned to receive either levosimendan intravenously or milrinone via inhalation in a double-blind fashion prior to a cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Hemodynamic and echocardiographic parameters were recorded and evaluated before and after the administration of the drugs. Results and Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated that both levosimendan and milrinone administered before CPB in cardiac surgical patients with PH may offer protective benefits, reducing pulmonary artery pressure and preventing the exacerbation of PH and RVF. Pulmonary vasodilation attributed to levosimendan is of longer duration and greater magnitude compared to pulmonary vasodilation afforded by milrinone.

Topiramate added to metformin for obesity control in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized clinical trial.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is often linked with obesity, and weight management can improve endocrine and cardiometabolic features. To evaluate the effects of adding topiramate (TPM) to metformin (MTF) on weight control, hormonal and metabolic outcomes in women with PCOS. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, participants with PCOS and body mass index ≥30 kg/m² or ≥27 kg/m² associated with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or dyslipidemia followed a 20 kcal/kg diet in addition to 850 mg of MTF or a previous MTF regimen. They were randomized to receive either TPM or placebo (P) alongside MTF. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, modified Ferriman-Gallwey score (mFGS), and adverse events were assessed every 4 weeks for 6 months. The primary endpoint was the percent change in body weight from baseline in both groups. Secondary endpoints included changes in clinical, cardiometabolic, and hormonal parameters and psychosocial features. Thirty-one participants were in the MTF+P group and 30 in the MTF+TPM group. The MTF+TPM group showed greater mean weight loss at 3 months (-3.4% vs. -1.6%, p=0.03) and 6 months (-4.5% vs. -1.4%, p=0.03). Both groups improved androgens, lipids, and psychosocial scores. Participants with ≥3% weight loss at 6 months improved mFGS (8.4 to 6.5, p=0.026). Paresthesia was more common in the MTF+TPM group (23.3% vs. 3.2%, p=0.026). Combining TPM with MTF and a low-calorie diet may be an effective, low-cost, easy-to-use, and safe strategy for weight management in women with PCOS, with mild adverse effects.

Research on safety strategies for nucleic acid testing in sudden epidemic conditions based on a SEIARD dynamic model

Infectious diseases have caused enormous disasters in human society, and asymptomatic carriers are an important challenge in our epidemic prevention and control process. Nucleic acid testing has played an important role in rapid testing for asymptomatic individuals. How to carry out nucleic acid testing in a scientific manner is a practical problem encountered in normal production and life. Based on the real COVID-19 epidemic data from Shanghai, we established a susceptible-exposed-infected-asymptomatic-recovered-death (SEIARD) dynamic model. The least squares method was used to fit the data and estimate the unknown parameters β and E(0) in the model, and MATLAB software was employed to simulate the development of the epidemic. The data fitting results indicated that the SEIARD model can better describe the early development patterns of the epidemic (R2 = 0.98; MAPE = 2.54%). We calculated the basic reproduction number of the Shanghai epidemic as R0 = 2.86. As the frequency of nucleic acid testing increased, the basic reproduction number R0 continued to decrease. When there is one latent carrier and one asymptomatic carrier in the nucleic acid testing team, the number of queues is directly proportional to the number of infected individuals, the nucleic acid testing team increases by 50 people, and the number of new asymptomatic cases increases by approximately 4 people. If both susceptible individuals (S) and asymptomatic patients (A) are not wearing masks, the infection rate reaches approximately 7%; after wearing masks, the final infection rate is less than 1% at 1.5 m between two people. The queue spacing is inversely proportional to the number of infected individuals. With a distance of d = 1 m, a nucleic acid testing team of 100 people added 8% of the infected individuals; when d = 1.5 m, fewer than 2% of the newly infected individuals. The results confirmed that controlling the queue size for nucleic acid testing, strictly wearing masks, and maintaining a queue spacing of more than 1.5 m are safe and effective nucleic acid testing strategies. Our findings are also applicable to the prevention of other newly emerging infectious diseases.

Transcutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation for Pain Management in Women with Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Primary dysmenorrhea is considered one of the main causes of pelvic pain during a woman's childbearing years, resulting in poor quality of life. The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS) in painful symptomatology improvement and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) intake reduction in women with primary dysmenorrhea (PD) compared with a control group in the short, medium, and long terms. A single-blind, controlled clinical trial was developed. Participants were randomized to the experimental (TTNS) and control group (sham TTNS). Both groups received 12-weekly 30-min sessions with a NeuroTracTM PelviTone electrostimulation device. The intensity and severity of pain and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) intake were evaluated in the short-term (after treatment), medium-term (1-3 months), and long-term (6 months). A total of 61 participants were randomized, with a split of 31 (experimental group) and 30 (control group), but 55 participants completed the study and were analyzed. Statistically significant differences between both groups in the maximum pain intensity decrease (F = 4.88, p = 0.0043) measured with the visual analogue scale, as well as NSAID intake decrease (F = 4.68, p = 0.011) and days of their ingestion (F = 4.57, p = 0.012) occurred in the short term. Furthermore, significant decreases in the total number of NSAIDs ingested during the cycle (F = 3.82, p = 0.011) and the number of days on which patients ingested NSAIDs (F = 3.59, p = 0.015) in the medium-long term occurred. TTNS could be an effective and safe strategy to reduce pain caused by PD, which could reduce or complement the use of pharmacological techniques and other more invasive methods.

Targeted quercetin delivery nanoplatform via folic acid-functionalized metal-organic framework for alleviating ethanol-induced gastric ulcer

Gastric ulcers, often caused by factors such as ethanol consumption and Helicobacter pylori infection, present significant treatment challenges due to the limited efficacy and adverse effects of current therapies. This study aimed to develop a nanoscale quercetin (Qu) delivery system using folic acid (FA)-functionalized cyclodextrin-based metal–organic frameworks (CD-MOFs), termed Qu@FA-CMOF nanoplatforms, to enhance therapeutic outcomes for acute gastric ulcers. The FA modification endowed the nanoplatforms with targeted delivery capabilities, improving cellular uptake and facilitating the sustained release of Qu. Comprehensive in vitro and in vivo evaluations demonstrated that Qu@FA-CMOF significantly attenuated gastric tissue injury, reduced oxidative stress, and suppressed inflammation by modulating the Nrf2/HO-1 and COX-2/NF-κB signaling pathways. Furthermore, the nanoplatform exhibited potent anti-apoptotic effects through regulation of the Bax/Bcl-2 pathway, and showed favorable biocompatibility with no significant toxicity observed in major organs. These findings highlight the potential of Qu@FA-CMOF nanoplatforms as a safe and effective therapeutic strategy for ethanol-induced gastric injury, offering a promising avenue for future nanomedicine-based therapies in gastric ulcer treatment.

Optimizing outcomes with maintenance IV UST in highly bio-exposed patients with IBD. Efficacy and adjusted regimen in real world

Background and aimsUstekinumab is an effective treatment for inflammatory bowel diseases. However, some patients do not respond to conventional doses. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of intravenous maintenance ustekinumab in patients with secondary failure. MethodsSingle-center, retrospective study in adult patients with intravenous maintenance ustekinumab. The reduction of biochemical activity markers, ustekinumab trough levels and clinical indices of activity were evaluated. Biological remission was defined as the percentage decrease fecal calprotectin ≥80% and/or final fecal calprotectin ≤250 and C reactive protein <5mg/L. ResultsThirty-one patients were included: Crohn's disease 77.4%. All included patients were bio-exposed and 61.3% had carried ≥2 biologics.Pre-intravenous maintenance mean Harvey–Bradshaw Index was 6.5±4.38 vs 5±3.1 at week 8 (p=0.024) vs 4.1±3.1 at week 24 (p=0.019). The median ustekinumab trough level pre-intravenous maintenance was 1.40μg/ml [IQR 2.3] vs 5.35μg/ml [IQR 4.1] at week 8 (p<0.001) vs 4.8μg/ml [IQR 3.9] at week 24 (p<0.001). The pre-intravenous maintenance median fecal calprotectin was 809μg/g [IQR: 2256] vs 423μg/g [IQR: 999] at week 8 (p=0.025) vs 333μg/g [508] (p=0.001) at week 24.At the end of follow-up 48% went into biological remission. The presence of perianal disease was associated with lower biological remission (70.6% vs 27.3%, p=0.025). Median intravenous ustekinumab maintenance time was 8.55 [IQR 23.9] months. In 83.9% of patients no serious infections or malignancy were documented. ConclusionsThe use of maintenance intravenous ustekinumab appears to be an effective and safe strategy that can be evaluated as a salvage treatment especially in highly bio-exposed patients.

A retrospective study on safety and efficacy of recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin to acute aortic dissection with disseminated intravascular coagulation

ObjectivesRecombinant human soluble thrombomodulin (rTM) has recently been used as a promising therapeutic natural anti-coagulant drug for disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Here we investigated the safety and efficacy of rTM after aortic surgery in patients with acute aortic dissection (AAD).MethodsA total of 316 patients diagnosed with AAD underwent emergent ascending aortic replacement or total arch replacement between 2010 and 2019. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical information of 62 patients with the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine’s acute-stage DIC diagnostic criteria (JAAM criteria) with a score of ≥ 4. We assigned 62 patients to two groups, either non-rTM group (n = 29) or rTM group (n = 33). Patient characteristics, surgical procedures, and postoperative outcome data including coagulation function and the JAAM DIC score in both groups were collected.ResultsThe decrease in the number of platelets was clearly suppressed on days 1–3 in the rTM group. On days 1–4, fibrin degradation product levels were upregulated in the non-rTM group but significantly downregulated in the rTM group. Five operative deaths occurred within 30 days postoperative (two [6.9%] in the non-rTM group vs. three [9.1%] in the rTM group). The JAAM DIC score showed a gradually improving trend from postoperative day 1 in the rTM group.ConclusionsPostoperative rTM administration for AAD may be a safe and promising novel treatment strategy for improving the JAAM DIC score.

Eravacycline improves the efficacy of anti-PD1 immunotherapy via AP1/CCL5 mediated M1 macrophage polarization in melanoma

Screening approved library is a promising and safe strategy to overcome the limitation of low response rate and drug resistance in immunotherapy. Accumulating evidence showed that the application of antibiotics has been considered to reduce the effectiveness of anti-PD1 immunotherapy in tumor treatment, however, in this study, an antibiotic drug (Eravacycline, ERV) was identified to improve the efficacy of anti-PD1 immunotherapy in melanoma through screening approved library. Administration of ERV significantly attenuated melanoma cells growth as well as directly or indirectly benefited M1 macrophage polarization. Meanwhile, ERV treatment significantly induced cellular autophagy via damage of mitochondria, leading to up-regulation of ROS production, subsequently, raised CCL5 secretion through elevation AP1 binding to CCL5 promoter via p38 or JNK1/2 activation. Knockdown of Ccl5 expression attenuated ERV triggered M1 macrophage polarization in melanoma cells. Clinical analysis revealed a positive association between high expression of CCL5 and improved prognosis as well as a favorable anti-PD1 therapy in melanoma patients. As expected, application of ERV improved the efficacy of anti-PD1. Overall, our results approved that ERV enhances the efficacy of anti-PD1 immunotherapy in melanoma by promoting the polarization of M1 macrophages, which provided novel therapeutic strategy for improving the effectiveness of melanoma anti-PD1 immunotherapy.

Vitamin B12 ameliorates gut epithelial injury via modulating the HIF-1 pathway and gut microbiota

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are immune chronic diseases characterized by recurrent episodes, resulting in continuous intestinal barrier damage and intestinal microbiota dysbiosis. Safe strategies aimed at stabilizing and reducing IBDs recurrence have been vigorously pursued. Here, we constructed a recurrent intestinal injury Drosophila model and found that vitamin B12 (VB12), an essential co-factor for organism physiological functions, could effectively protect the intestine and reduce dextran sulfate sodium-induced intestinal barrier disruption. VB12 also alleviated microbial dysbiosis in the Drosophila model and inhibited the growth of gram-negative bacteria. We demonstrated that VB12 could mitigate intestinal damage by activating the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 signaling pathway in injured conditions, which was achieved by regulating the intestinal oxidation. In addition, we also validated the protective effect of VB12 in a murine acute colitis model. In summary, we offer new insights and implications for the potential supportive role of VB12 in the management of recurrent IBDs flare-ups.

Current status of white mango scale (Aulacaspis Tubercularis Newstead) and associated factors in Assosa district western Ethiopia

White mango scale (Aulacaspis tubercularis Newstead; Hemiptera: Diaspididae) is a major insect pest of mango production threatening production and marketing of mango in Ethiopia. The present study was conducted to determine the current status of the white mango scale (WMS) and to identify the factors contributing to the damage level of the pest. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in ten selected kebeles in Assosa district, western Ethiopia, during 2021/2022 cropping season. Data on infestation level and WMS life-stage abundance were recorded from fifty randomly selected mango orchards. Data on the prevalence of WMS and factors influencing the distribution and damage levels of white mango scale infestations were analyzed using SAS and SPSS software respectively. The results of this study indicate that WMS infestation was prevalent in all assessed mango growing areas of the district. There was a significant (p < 0.05) difference between kebeles and mango orchards in infestation level and WMS life-stage population densities. Poor cultivation, crop husbandry practices, and pest management strategies have been identified as the major contributing factors for high pest infestation. The study indicates that WMS infestations are increasing in the study area; thus, there has to be strong efforts towards the implementation of safe and effective management strategies.

Rescue stenting in refractory mechanical thrombectomy: A review

Despite advancements in mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in the treatment of large vessel occlusions, failure to achieve recanalization remains a challenge in 10 &amp;ndash; 30% of patients. Several underlying pathologies have been postulated in refractory MT, including intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis, intracranial dissection, and recalcitrant emboli. Rescue strategies to maximize recanalization rates, such as alternative access routes, local thrombolysis, stent-assisted angioplasty, and acute &amp;ldquo;rescue&amp;rdquo; stenting, have been proposed. Considered an emerging treatment strategy for refractory MT, rescue stenting (RS) has been shown in non-randomized observational studies as a safe and effective strategy for increasing reperfusion rates and consequently improving clinical outcomes. The effective use of RS approach requires consideration of patient-specific characteristics, clot characteristics, and lesion anatomy. This review provides an overview of the understanding of refractory MT, epidemiology, pathophysiology, current evidence supporting RS in the anterior and posterior circulation, stents used, endovascular techniques, patient selection criteria, antithrombotic use, risks, and complications.

Multi-robot collision avoidance method in sweet potato fields.

Currently, precise spraying of sweet potatoes is mainly accomplished through semi-mechanized or single spraying robots, which results in low operating efficiency. Moreover, it is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the pests and diseases cannot be eliminated in time. Based on multi robot navigation technology, multiple robots can work simultaneously, improving work efficiency. One of the main challenges faced by multi robot navigation technology is to develop a safe and robust collision avoidance strategy, so that each robot can safely and efficiently navigate from its starting position to the expected target. In this article, we propose a low-cost multi-robot collision avoidance method to solve the problem that multiple robots are prone to collision when working in field at the same time. This method has achieved good results in simulation. In particular, our collision avoidance method predicts the possibility of collision based on the robot's position and environmental information, and changes the robot's path in advance, instead of waiting for the robot to make a collision avoidance decision when it is closer. Finally, we demonstrate that a multi-robot collision avoidance approach provides an excellent solution for safe and effective autonomous navigation of a single robot working in complex sweet potato fields. Our collision avoidance method allows the robot to move forward effectively in the field without getting stuck. More importantly, this method does not require expensive hardware and computing power, nor does it require tedious parameter tuning.