Scale Criteria Research Articles

Investigation of scaling criteria and matching method of overall cooling effectiveness with thermal radiation

Ever-improving gas temperature and infrared stealth requirements for aero engines will make thermal radiation become a vital contribution to total heat transfer. To evaluate the cooling performance in laboratory conditions, the corresponding scaling criteria, and matching methods of overall cooling effectiveness (Φ) considering thermal radiation need to be studied. In this paper, a one-dimensional, simplified heat transfer analysis expression with thermal radiation was derived based on the principle of heat flux conservation. The scaling criterion about radiation (radiation Biot number: Bir) was proposed. The scaling criteria of Φ were established to guide experiments conducted reveal the Φ in actual engine condition. These criteria were well verified with an impingement-effusion model applied afterburner heat shield by conjugate radiation simulations. Two matching methods of Bir in scaling criteria were proposed and investigated in detail, which include adjusting the power of the radiation source alone and coating high emissivity paint combined with a lower power radiation source. The results indicate that thermal radiation has a very remarkable effect on Φ of the film plate. The area-average Φ decreased by 22.8%, 15.9%, 12.5% and 10.4% for blowing ratio M = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8, respectively. The Bir and Φ can be accurately matched under laboratory conditions using the two matching methods. The relative matching deviation of Φ between the laboratory and the engine conditions is less than 3%.

Revisão sistemática: o uso de probióticos gera benefícios para pacientes em tratamento de doenças inflamatórias intestinais?

Objectives: To review the literature that assesses whether the use of probiotics generates benefits for individuals with IBD and to describe the mechanisms of action of probiotics in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. Methods: This is a study classified as a systematic review. The selected publications were submitted to the Jadad Scale criteria to assess methodological quality. 15 articles were selected. Results: Of the five clinical trials that used placebo, only 1 did not show benefits from the use of probiotic therapy. The remainder showed a reduction in signs and symptoms and acute phase reagents or induction of remission in the groups treated with probiotics compared to placebo. Conclusion: The present systematic review suggests that the use of probiotics is beneficial in patients with IBD.

The association between premature rupture of membranes (PROM) and preterm gestational age with neonatal sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Sepsis is one of the main causes of neonatal mortality. The morbidity and mortality rates due to neonatal sepsis are as high as 9-20%. Premature rupture of membranes (PROM) and preterm gestational age are among the risk factors of neonatal sepsis.
 Objective To evaluate for potential associations between PROM as well as preterm gestational age to neonatal sepsis by meta-analysis and systematic review.
 Methods A meta-analysis and systematic review were performed using literature sourced from PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar according to PRISMA guidelines. We calculated the incidence of sepsis in neonates with and without PROM and premature gestational age. Journal quality was assessed according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) criteria.
 Results From the literature search for PROM, 21 case-control studies met the inclusion criteria. Neonatal sepsis was more common in neonates who had a maternal history of PROM than in those without [OR 2.69 (95%CI 1.56 to 4.65); P<0.00001]. From the literature search for gestational age, we found 17 case-control studies that met the inclusion criteria. Neonatal sepsis was more common in preterm than term neonates [OR 2.55 (95%CI 1.61 to 4.04); P<0.00001].
 Conclusion Neonates with a maternal history of PROM and/or preterm gestational age are at high risk of developing neonatal sepsis.

Komparasi Regulasi Tentang Perseroan Terbatas Perseorangan Bagi Usaha Mikro Dan Kecil Negara Indonesia Dan United Kingdom

Limited Liability Company, hereinafter referred to as the Company based on Law no. 6 of 2023 is a a legal entity which is a capital partnership, established based upon an agreement, carrying out business activities with an authorized capital wholly divided into shares or Individual Legal Entities that meet the criteria of Micro and Small Scale Businesses as regulated under laws and regulations on Micro and Small Scale Businesses. This research was carried out using a normative juridical approach that is descriptive in nature starting from the regulation regarding single member companies, establishments, and organs contained in single member company in Indonesia and the comparisons with the United Kingdom. The purpose of this paper is to make a comparison of the regulations governing single member companies in Indonesia and the United Kingdom.
 Keywords: single member companies; micro and small scale businesses; comparison.

Ecological indicators of forest regeneration in areas of Araucaria Forest in South Brazil

Assessing and monitoring are essential steps for the restoration process. These processes require ecological indicators to evaluate the re-establishment of the ecological processes that maintain the forest dynamics. However, the majority of studies involving ecological indicators developed in Brazil are aimed at monitoring active restorations, with specific indicators. In this context, the current study aimed to characterize the seed rain and litterfall, and verify their applicability as relevant ecological indicators in the evaluation of the passive forest restoration process in riparian forest. These areas are of different ages, post-harvest of Pinus taeda L. stands, within the Araucaria Forest, which is part of an important global hotspot for biodiversity conservation. We evaluated the floristic composition of the seed rain and the measurement of the litter supply at five different ages of the restoration process, for one year. The efficiency of these indicators was defined by means of a classification based on aspects and descriptors. We hypothesized that these two indicators are suitable for assessing and monitoring the restoration trajectory and can describe the reestablishment of ecological processes in anthropized areas. These indicators are important because they determine the restoration of the functionality of altered ecosystems. The results showed that both are good indicators, mainly due to the sensitivity and scale criteria, since the indicators showed seasonal differences in the evaluated period. They can be used as scientific indicators for monitoring forest restoration in altered ecosystems.

Evaluation of drug interaction between cyclosporine and lercanidipine: a descriptive study

ObjectivesCyclosporine is an immunosuppressive drug with a high potential for drug interactions that is frequently used in renal transplant patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the change...

Development of a Short Form Assessment Combining the Fugl-Meyer Assessment–Upper Extremity and the Wolf Motor Function Test for Evaluating Stroke Recovery

ObjectiveTo use Rasch methodologies to combine the items of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment–Upper Extremity (FMA-UE, motor skill) and the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT, motor function) onto a single measurement metric and create an FMA-UE+WMFT short form. DesignSecondary analysis of preintervention data from 2 upper extremity stroke rehabilitation trials. Confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch rating scale analysis were first applied to examine the properties of the pooled item bank and then item response theory methodologies were used to develop the short form. Confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis were then applied to the short form to examine the dimensionality and measurement properties. SettingOutpatient academic medical research center. ParticipantsData from 167 participants who completed the FMA-UE and WMFT (rating scale score) were pooled (N=167). Participants were eligible if they had a stroke ≥3 months prior and had upper extremity (UE) hemiparesis and excluded if they had severe UE hemiparesis, severe UE spasticity, or UE pain. InterventionNot applicable. Main Outcome MeasuresThe dimensionality and measurement properties of the pooled 30-item FMA-UE and the 15-item WMFT and short form were examined. ResultsFive items from the pool of 45 items were misfit and were removed. The 40-item pool demonstrated adequate measurement properties. A 15-item short form was then developed and met rating diagnostic scale criteria. All items on the 15-item short form met the Rasch fit criteria, and the assessment met criteria for reliability (Cronbach alpha=.94), separation (person separation = 3.7), and strata (number of strata = 5). ConclusionsItems from the FMA-UE and WMFT can be pooled to create a psychometrically sound 15-item short form.

A scaling methodology for high-power magnetically shielded Hall thrusters

The past two decades have seen an increasing interest in Hall thrusters in space propulsion, thanks to their favorable performance characteristics with respect to a wide variety of missions of current and future interest and to the significant extension in operational life potential achievable with magnetic shielding. Nevertheless, the physics underlying their behavior is complex and not yet fully understood, limiting the practical applications of models based on first principles due to their inability to self-consistently predict the device performance. Fortunately, modern Hall thrusters were developed through a lengthy process of gradual refinement, and thus they represent convenient reference devices to design new thrusters using appropriately defined scaling criteria. The objective of this work is to propose a new scaling methodology, especially intended for magnetically shielded high-power Hall thrusters. To this purpose, a novel phenomenological model for shielded thrusters is presented and discussed. This model includes free coefficients, whose values are chosen based on the agreement with the empirical data collected in a specially created high-power Hall thruster database. The proposed methodology features a new reference thruster and aims at keeping unchanged its main plasma intensive parameters in a scaling transformation. The possibility of creating performance maps at constant discharge power, which show how the scaling results vary with the channel dimensions, is also proposed as a preliminary design tool.

Efficacy and Safety of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Oligometastatic Uterine Cancer (MITO-RT2/RAD): A Large, Real-World Study in Collaboration With Italian Association of Radiation Oncology, Multicenter Italian Trials in Ovarian Cancer, and Mario Negri Gynecologic Oncology Group Groups

This retrospective, multicenter study analyzes the efficacy and safety of stereotactic body radiotherapy in a large cohort of oligometastatic/persistent/recurrent uterine cancer patients. Clinical and radiotherapy data from several radiotherapy centers treating patients by stereotactic body radiotherapy between March 2006 and October 2021 were collected. Objective response rate was defined as complete and partial response, while clinical benefit included objective response rate plus stable disease. Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events scales were used to grade toxicities. Primary endpoints were the rate of complete response to stereotactic body radiotherapy, and the 2-year actuarial local control rate 'per-lesion' basis. Secondary endpoints were progression-free survival and overall survival, as well as toxicity. 157 oligometastatic/persistent/recurrent uterine cancer patients bearing 272 lesions treated by stereotactic body radiotherapy at 14 centers were analyzed. Lymph node metastases (137, 50.4%) were prevalent, followed by parenchyma lesions (135, 49.6%). Median total dose was 35 Gy (10-75.2), in five fractions (range 1-10). Complete and partial responses were 174 (64.0%), and 54 (19.9%), respectively. Stable disease was registered in 29 (10.6%), while 15 (5.5%) lesions progressed. Type of lesion (lymph node), volume (≤ 13.7 cc) and total dose (BED10 >59.5 Gy) were significantly associated with a higher probability of achieving complete response. Patients achieving complete response (CR) 'per-lesion' basis experienced a 2-year actuarial local control rate of 92.4% versus 33.5% in lesions not achieving complete response (NCR) (p<0.001). Moreover, the 2-year actuarial progression-free survival rate in patients with CR was 45.4%, while patients with NCR had a 2-year rate of 17.6% (p value: <0.001). Finally, patients who had a CR had a 2-year overall survival rate of 82.7%, compared to 56.5% for NCR ONES (P VALUE: <0.001) . Severe acute toxicity was around 2%, including one toxic death due to gastric perforation, and severe late toxicity around 4%. The efficacy of stereotactic body radiotherapy in this setting was confirmed. The low toxicity profile and the high local control rate in complete responder patients encourage the wider use of this approach.

Evaluating Natural Hazards in Cities Using a Novel Integrated MCDM Approach (Case Study: Tehran City)

Tehran, the capital of Iran, is the largest and most populous city in Iran, which is of great importance due to its large population and abundant infrastructure. One of the most critical issues in this city is its need for resilience against all kinds of threats, including natural hazards, because its development was not based on territorial geography. In other words, in developing this 700 square kilometer area, attention has yet to be paid to its different zones. Different zones include the mountains, Shemiranat’s alluvial cone area, the Tehran plain, etc. Main and minor faults, surface and underground water resources of the land, differences in formations between various parts of the land, the microclimate of the land in its multiple aspects, local and synoptic air currents, etc., have not been influential in urban development. The most crucial goal of this study is to identify and screen natural hazards in Tehran to improve this city’s resilience by introducing a novel integrated MCDM method based on ANP and The Combined Compromise Solution method with Maximum Variance (MV-CoCoSo). Therefore, to increase the strength of Tehran against these disasters, the natural hazards of Tehran must first be identified and ranked. In this regard, practical criteria for evaluating Tehran’s resilience were identified using library resources and the formation of expert groups. Then, using the ANP method, the comparative weightings of these effective criteria was investigated. Based on the results obtained, the disaster consequence criterion had the highest importance with a weight of 0.4361, followed by the disaster severity scale criterion with a weight of 0.2371, and the secondary threat possibility criterion (with a weight of 0.1232) was ranked third. Finally, using the MV-CoCoSo method, the natural hazards of Tehran city were classified based on the evaluated criteria. Tehran City’s three significant disasters were earthquakes, floods, and landslides. In addition, two experiments were designed to assess the robustness of the research methodology.

Results of endoscopic hemostasis methods in treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with SARS-CoV-2

The development of gastrointestinal bleeding from erosive and ulcerative defects of the mucous membranes of the upper gastrointestinal tract, which, according to the world literature, occurs in 2–13 % of hospitalized patients with COVID-19, is a multifaceted problem that is still relevant, but has not been adequately reflected in scientific publications. The aim of the work was to study the clinical characteristics of patients with gastrointestinal bleeding on the background of SARS-CoV-2 and evaluate the methods of endoscopic hemostasis. The article analyzed cases of bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract in 115 patients suffering from the novel coronavirus infection. The severity of the course of COVID-19 was assessed according to the criteria of the NEWS scale, the degree of respiratory failure, and radiological data. 114 out of 115 patients had comorbidities; the most common diseases were cardiovascular diseases, endocrine pathology, chronic kidney disease, and oncopathology. The most common sources of bleeding (82 %) were acute or chronic ulcers of the stomach and/or duodenum against the background of erosive hemorrhagic lesions of the mucosa. The following methods of endoscopic hemostasis were used: endoscopic clipping, endoscopic injections, applications of hemostatic agents and solutions, and combined methods which were used more often. Hemostasis was achieved in all cases. Repeated bleeding occurred in 22 cases (19.1 %) with subsequent achievement of endo-hemostasis. Mortality was 66.95 % (77 patients), with such causes of adverse outcomes as increasing multiple organ failure, respiratory distress syndrome, and septic shock.

Prevalence and Preventability of Adverse Medicine Events in a Sample of Australian Aged-Care Residents: A Secondary Analysis of Data from the ReMInDAR Trial.

Aged care residents are vulnerable to the harmful effects of medicines; however, data on the prevalence and preventability of adverse medicine events in aged care residents are scarce. To determine the prevalence and preventability of adverse medicine events in Australian aged care residents. A secondary analysis of data from the Reducing Medicine-Induced Deterioration and Adverse Reactions (ReMInDAR) trial was conducted. Potential adverse medicine events were identified and independently screened by two research pharmacists to produce a short-list of potential adverse medicine events. An expert clinical panel reviewed each potential adverse medicine to determine the likelihood that the event was medicine related (based on the Naranjo Probability Scale criteria). The clinical panel assessed preventability of medicine-related events using Schumock-Thornton criteria. There were 583 adverse events due to medicines, involving 154 residents (62% of the 248 study participants). There was a median of three medication-related adverse events (interquartile range [IQR] 1-5) per resident over the 12-month follow-up period. The most common medication-related adverse events were falls (56%), bleeding (18%) and bruising (9%). There were 482 (83%) medication-related adverse events that were preventable, most commonly falls (66% of preventable adverse medicine events), bleeding (12%) and dizziness (8%). Of the 248 residents, 133 (54% of the cohort) had at least one preventable adverse medicine event, with a median of 2 (IQR 1-4) preventable adverse medicine events per resident. In total, 62% of aged care residents in our study had an adverse medicine event and 54% had a preventable adverse medicine event in a 12-month period.

Performance of the porous disk wind turbine model at a high Reynolds number: Solidity distribution and length scales effects

A new design methodology for porous disk wind turbine modeling is proposed, where a disk is matched to a horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) on (i) thrust coefficient, (ii) radial solidity distribution, and (iii) length scale criteria. Three disk designs are tested, allowing for isolation of the effects of each criterion, with performance evaluated through experimental wake comparisons with a model HAWT at a diameter-based Reynolds number of 4 × 106 and free-stream turbulence intensity of 1.2%. Wake velocity measurements reveal excellent agreement on mean profiles in the near wake (as early as 112 diameters downstream) when the rotor’s radial solidity distribution is incorporated into the disk design. Higher order velocity statistics can also be matched farther downstream (312 diameters). To match the higher order moments, the disk must generate near wake turbulence of similar characteristics to the rotor, since this turbulence dominates the development of the wake in a high Reynolds number, low free-stream turbulence environment. This is achieved by the third design criterion, where physical features that match the rotor length scales are incorporated. Thus, including all three criteria in a single porous disk yields a model that performs well at field-relevant Reynolds numbers, is not performance dependent on the free-stream turbulence intensity, and does not require iterative tuning.

Prostatectomy Bed Image-guided Dose-escalated Salvage Radiotherapy (SPIDER): An International Multicenter Retrospective Study

BackgroundManagement of macroscopic local recurrence (MLR) after radical prostatectomy is a challenging situation with no standardized approach. ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to assess the efficacy and safety of functional image-guided salvage radiotherapy (SRT) in patients with MLR in the prostate bed. Design, setting, and participantsIn this international multicenter retrospective study across 16 European centers, eligible patients were initially treated by radical prostatectomy (RP) with or without pelvic lymph node dissection for localized or locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the prostate. Outcome measurements and statistical analysisProstate-specific antigen (PSA) measured 4 wk after RP was <0.1 ng/ml. All patients presented a biochemical relapse after RP defined by an increase in PSA level of ≥0.2 ng/ml on two successive measures. Only patients with an MLR lesion in the prostatectomy bed visualized on functional imaging (multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography/computed tomography [PET/CT] choline, or PET/CT prostate-specific membrane antigen) were eligible. Patients with lymph node, bone, or visceral dissemination at restaging imaging (CT and/or bone scintigraphy and/or magnetic resonance imaging and/or PET) were excluded. Dose escalation was defined as a dose of >66 Gy prescribed to the prostate bed or to MLR. Toxicities were classified using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events scale, version 4.03. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary outcomes were metastasis-free survival (MPFS), biochemical progression-free survival, and overall survival. Genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) toxicities were analyzed. Results and limitationsBetween January 2000 and December 2019, 310 patients received at least one dose escalation on MLR and 25 patients did not receive any dose escalation. The median PSA level before SRT was 0.63 ng/ml (interquartile range [IQR], 0.27–1.7). The median follow-up was 54 mo (IQR, 50–56). Five-year PFS and MPFS were 70% (95% confidence interval [CI]: [64; 75]) and 84% (95% CI: [78; 88]), respectively. Grade ≥2 GU and GI late toxicities were observed in 43 (12%) and 11 (3%) patients, respectively. When the prescribed dose on the MLR lesion was ≥72 Gy, an improvement in 5-yr PFS was found for patients received at least one dose escalation (73% [95% CI: 65–79]) vs 60% [95% CI: 48; 70]; p = 0.03). ConclusionsIn this contemporary study integrating functional imaging data, we found potential efficacy of SRT with dose escalation ≥72 Gy for patients with MLR in the prostate bed and with an acceptable toxicity profile. Prospective data exploring this MLR dose escalation strategy are awaited. Patient summaryIn this report, we looked at the outcomes from salvage radiotherapy for prostate cancer and macroscopic relapse in a large European population. We found that outcomes varied with prostate-specific antigen at relapse, Gleason score, and dose escalation. We found potential efficacy of salvage radiotherapy with dose escalation for macroscopic relapse in the prostate bed, with an acceptable toxicity profile.

Blow-up criteria of the simplified Ericksen–Leslie system

In this paper, we establish scaling invariant blow-up criteria for a classical solution to the simplified Ericksen–Leslie system in terms of the positive part of the second eigenvalue of the strain matrix and orientation field in mixed-norm Lebesgue spaces. Our result may be also regarded as an extension or improvement of the corresponding results obatined by Neustupa and Penel (Trends in Partial Differential Equations of Mathematical Physics, pp. 197–212, 2005), Miller (Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 235(1):99–139, 2020) and Huang and Wang (Commun. Partial Differ. Equ. 37(5):875–884, 2012).

The case-control study on relationship between the serum concentration of IL-7 and the pathogenesis of psoriasis: ampere systematic review and meta-Analysis

Objective To explore the relationship between the serum concentration of IL-17 and the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Methods ampere database was established through literature search, and meta-analysis was used to evaluate the effect indicator of the included literatures. Results 5 articles were included in the study, and the quality evaluation score was 6–7 points by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) criteria. There was heterogeneity in the standardized mean difference (SMD) between the two groups (I2 = 98.63%). The random effect model analysis showed that the combined SMD = 2.11, 95%CI (0.79, 3.43), the effect size between studies was statistically significant (z = 3.13, p = 0.00). Conclusion There was a statistical difference in serum IL-17 concentration between the case group and the control group. The serum concentration of IL-17 in the case group was higher than that in the control group.

Circular Economy Industry 4.0 Technologies Using TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution Method

Circular Economy and Industry 4.0 Technologies Introduction: Markets that promote product reuse rather than product elimination and subsequent extraction of new resources are examples of a circular economy. All waste categories, including clothing, scrap metal, and outdated technology, are recycled or put to better use in such economies. This approach can offer a solution not only to safeguard the environment but also to use natural resources more wisely and produce new industries, jobs, and skill sets. A paradigm of production and consumption known as the "circular economy" incorporates sharing, leasing, reuse, repair, refurbishment, and recycling to lengthen the package's life cycle. The primary goal of a circular economic model is to design out waste. This model is predicated on the idea that there is no such thing as waste. To accomplish this, last-generation products are made with high-quality materials and are amenable to the extraction and reuse cycle, making it easier for users to handle, modify, or update them. The circular economic model is ultimately distinguished by these short product cycles, with the exception of disposal and recycling, which waste a significant amount of embodied energy and labor. The ultimate objective is to manage finite stocks and balance renewable resource flows to protect and enhance natural capital. Research significance: The circular economic model distinguishes between the cycles of technology and biology. Consumption only occurs during biological cycles when biologically-based goods are intended to replenish the system through procedures like food, compost, or anaerobic digestion of cork, linen, or other materials. These cycles recreate environments that give the economy renewable resources, such as soil or the ocean. Technical cycles, on the other hand, restore and reuse products through tactics like recycling, reusing, repairing, or producing something new. Ultimately, one of the goals of the circular economy is to increase resource yields by focusing on the components, goods, and services that are circulated and used most frequently across the technological and biological cycles. The concept of the circular economy gained popularity in China in the 1990s in response to economic expansion and the depletion of natural resources. The central idea of the circular economy concept is to strike a balance between resource and environmental use, capitalizing on material flow and recycling, and economic growth Methodology: ideal solution (TOPSIS) is prioritized through unity is a technique that provides, this is a multicriteria decision analytical method. TOPSIS stands for (PIS). Short geometric distance alternative to select is the positive ideal solution, basically distance to have ideal solution of thought (nis) negative too long from is geometry. Of TOPSIS the assumption is even greater is, is coming or going the criteria are the same are increasing. Many parameters in scaling problems or criteria often improper dimensions normalizations due to having are generally required. Alternative: Reliability, Responsiveness, Agility, Costs, Active management efficiency. Evaluation preference: Regenerate, Share, Optimise, Loop, Virtualise, Exchange. Results: From the result it is seen that Share is got the first rank where as is the Regenerate is having the lowest rank.

Robotics in Cervical Spine Surgery: Feasibility and Safety of Posterior Screw Placement.

Robot-assisted (RA) techniques have been widely investigated in thoracolumbar spine surgery. However, the application of RA methods on cervical spine surgery is rare due to the complex morphology of cervical vertebrae and catastrophic complications. Thus, the feasibility and safety of RA cervical screw placement remain controversial. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and safety of RA screw placement on cervical spine surgery. A comprehensive search on PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase Database, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Databases, and Wanfang Database was performed to select potential eligible studies. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), comparative cohort studies, and case series reporting the accuracy of cervical screw placement were included. The Cochrane risk of bias criteria and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale criteria were utilized to rate the risk of bias of the included literatures. The primary outcome was the rate of cervical screw placement accuracy with robotic guidance; subgroup analyses based on the screw type and insertion segments were also performed. One RCT, 3 comparative cohort studies, and 3 case series consisting of 160 patients and 719 cervical screws were included in this meta-analysis. The combined outcomes indicated that the rates of optimal and clinically acceptable cervical screw placement accuracy under robotic guidance were 88.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 84.1%-91.4%; p = 0.073; I2 = 47.941%) and 98.4% (95% CI, 96.8%-99.5%; p = 0.167; I2 = 35.954%). The subgroup analyses showed that the rate of optimal pedicle screw placement accuracy was 88.2% (95% CI, 83.1%-92.6%; p = 0.057; I2 = 53.305%); the rates of optimal screw placement accuracy on C1, C2, and subaxial segments were 96.2% (95% CI, 80.5%-100.0%; p = 0.167; I2 = 44.134X%), 89.7% (95% CI, 80.6%-96.6%; p = 0.370; I2 = 0.000X%), and 82.6% (95% CI, 70.9%-91.9%; p = 0.057; I2 = 65.127X%;), respectively. RA techniques were associated with high rates of optimal and clinically acceptable screw positions. RA cervical screw placement is accurate, safe, and feasible in cervical spine surgery with promising clinical potential.

Improved Quantitative Analysis Method for Magnetic Particle Imaging Based on Deblurring and Region Scalable Fitting.

Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is a technique for imaging magnetic particle concentration distribution. It has the advantages of high sensitivity, no signal attenuation with depth, and no ionizing radiation. Although MPI has been widely used in the biomedical field, accurate image analysis has been challenging due to its anisotropic point spread function (PSF). The purpose of this study is to propose an MPI image restoring and segmentation method to facilitate a more precise quantitative evaluation of the magnetic particle imaging in vivo. We proposed a DeRSF method that combined deblurring and region scalable fitting (RSF)to determine the imaging tracer distribution. Then a uniform erosion and scaling criterion was established based on simulation experiments to correct the segmentation results, which was further validated on phantom imaging. Finally, we imaged the MPI tracer at gradient concentrations to establish the calibration curve between the MPI signal and iron mass for iron quantification in phantom and in vivo imaging. The phantom imaging experiments showed that our method achieved improved segmentation performance. The mean value of the dice coefficients for segmentation was up to 0.86, demonstrating that our method can accurately map and quantify the distribution of the tracer. Moreover, the iron quantification on both phantom and in vivo mouse imaging was realized with the minimal error of 5.50%, by our established calibration curve. Our proposed DeRSF method was successfully used for improved MPI quantitative analysis. More importantly, this method also showed accurate quantitative results on images with different shapes and tracer concentrations in both phantom and in vivo data, which laid the foundation for the biomedical study of MPI.

COVID-19 Vaccination Safety Profiles in Patients With Solid Tumour Cancers: A Systematic Review

Vaccination has become an essential means of protection for solid tumour patients against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this systematic review, we sought to identify common safety profiles of the COVID-19 vaccine in patients with solid tumours. A search of Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane was conducted for studies in English full-text that reported side-effect data experienced by patients with cancer who were at least 12 years old with solid tumours or a recent history of solid tumours after receiving either one or multiple doses of the COVID-19 vaccination. Study quality was assessed with the Newcastle Ottawa Scale criteria. Acceptable study types were retrospective and prospective cohorts, retrospective and prospective observational studies, observational analyses and case series; systematic reviews, meta-analyses and case reports were excluded. Among local/injection site symptoms, the most commonly reported were injection site pain and ipsilateral axillary/clavicular lymphadenopathy, whereas the most commonly reported systemic effects were fatigue/malaise, musculoskeletal symptoms and headache. Most side-effects reported were characterised as mild to moderate. A thorough evaluation of the randomised controlled trials for each featured vaccine led to the conclusion that in the USA and abroad, the safety profile seen in patients with solid tumours is comparable with that seen in the general public.