Transferring the soft tissue around an interim implant-supported fixed partial denture to the definitive cast is difficult. A technique that can accurately record the soft tissue configuration when ...making an impression for an implant-supported fixed partial denture is described.
The Phenylethyl Resorcinol loaded nanostructured lipid carrier (PR-NLC) was developed by hot high-pressure homogenization method. The freshly prepared PR-NLC showed a spherical morphology under ...transmission electron microscope, and the particle size was 218.3 plus or minus 9.2nm. The value of the zeta potential of PR-NLC decreased from -30.2 plus or minus 1.9mV to -64.9 plus or minus 1.3mV when the dilution times reach 10. The loading amount of PR encapsulated in NLC was 2.94 plus or minus 0.03%, and the average entrapment efficiencies of PR-NLC determinated by size exclusion chromatography and ultrafiltration were 90.2 plus or minus 0.6% and 98.3 plus or minus 0.3%. Lyophilization was proved feasible for the storage of NLC dispersion. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) was exploited to investigate the possible drug-lipid complex formation. Advancements in water solubility of PR were demonstrated by NLC using a contact angle measurement. The hemolysis percentage of the NLC was less than 1.3% in a certain range of concentration. In 90 days' storage, 88.6 plus or minus 2.8% of PR remained unchanged in PR-NLC under natural daylight. In vitro release studies revealed a sustained drug release, and in vitro penetration studies showed an increase of retention amount of PR in the skin, when applying PR-NLC. Therefore, the NLC might be a potential delivery vehicle in cosmetic dermal products.
With the advancement of remote sensing technology, the demand for the accurate monitoring and tracking of various targets utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is increasing. However, challenges ...such as object deformation, motion blur, and object occlusion during the tracking process could significantly affect tracking performance and ultimately lead to tracking drift. To address this issue, this paper introduces a high-precision target-tracking method with anomaly tracking status detection and recovery. An adaptive feature fusion strategy is proposed to improve the adaptability of the traditional sum of template and pixel-wise learners (Staple) algorithm to changes in target appearance and environmental conditions. Additionally, the Moth Flame Optimization (MFO) algorithm, known for its strong global search capability, is introduced as a re-detection algorithm in case of tracking failure. Furthermore, a trajectory-guided Gaussian initialization technique and an iteration speed update strategy are proposed based on sexual pheromone density to enhance the tracking performance of the introduced re-detection algorithm. Comparative experiments conducted on UAV123 and UAVDT datasets demonstrate the excellent stability and robustness of the proposed algorithm.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is primarily caused by out-of-frame deletions in the dystrophin gene. Exon skipping using phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs) converts out-of-frame to ...in-frame mutations, producing partially functional dystrophin. Four single-exon skipping PMOs are approved for DMD but treat only 8 to 14% of patients each, and some exhibit poor efficacy. Alternatively, exons 45 to 55 skipping could treat 40 to 47% of all patients and is associated with improved clinical outcomes. Here, we report the development of peptide-conjugated PMOs for exons 45 to 55 skipping. Experiments with immortalized patient myotubes revealed that exons 45 to 55 could be skipped by targeting as few as five exons. We also found that conjugating DG9, a cell-penetrating peptide, to PMOs improved single-exon 51 skipping, dystrophin restoration, and muscle function in hDMDdel52;
mice. Local administration of a minimized exons 45 to 55-skipping DG9-PMO mixture restored dystrophin production. This study provides proof of concept toward the development of a more economical and effective exons 45 to 55-skipping DMD therapy.
This study was conducted to describe secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among non-smoking employees in the workplace, and identify factors related to SHS exposure in Qingdao.
The study participants ...covered key non-smoking places stipulated in the "Qingdao City Smoking Control Regulations," which included three categories: restaurants, bars, and office buildings. Airborne nicotine concentration in the workplace and saliva cotinine concentration of employees were measured. The questionnaire included employees' demographic factors, smoke-free measures in the workplace, employers' tobacco hazard knowledge, and attitudes towards smoke-free policy.
A total of 222 non-smoking employees and 46 non-smoking employers were included in the study. The median concentrations of airborne nicotine and salivary cotinine were 0.389 μg/m3 and 0.575 ng/mL, respectively. Educational status, average number of workplace smokers per day, exposure time to SHS in the workplace, and whether smoking and non-smoking areas were divided significantly related to airborne nicotine concentration. Age, educational status, exposure time to SHS in the workplace, tobacco control training and publicity, and whether the employers support the "Qingdao Tobacco Control Regulation" were significantly related to salivary cotinine concentration.
Despite the implementation of the "Qingdao Smoking Control Regulations" in 2013, the workplace remains an important location for SHS exposure. Interventions such as raising workers' awareness of the risks associated with SHS exposure through health education and developing smoking prevention and cessation programs to reduce SHS exposure in the workplace are urgently needed.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Objective
The treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) has continued to rapidly evolve over time. Increased utilization of novel, personalized therapies based upon the tumour's somatic mutation ...status has recently been integrated. The aim of this case series is to describe a series of patients that underwent rapid genomic testing upon their diagnosis of ATC, allowing for the early integration of novel therapies.
Design
A fast track pathway for genomic tumour analysis of patients with ATC was implemented at a single academic cancer hospital in January of 2020.
Patients
All patients were evaluated by head and neck surgery, endocrinology, and medical oncology upon diagnosis of ATC.
Measurements
Genetic work‐up was completed, which prompted a recommendation for dual BRAF/MEK inhibition with dabrafenib and trametinib for tumours with BRAF V600E mutation. For patients whose tumours were BRAF V600E wild‐type, pembrolizumab with lenvatinib was offered.
Results
A total of four patients were included in this series. Two patients (50%) had tumours that were BRAF V600E positive. Among patients that were BRAF V600E positive, both patients initiated urgent dabrafenib and trametinib dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy; with one patient demonstrating near‐complete clinical response allowing for posttreatment surgery, while the other demonstrated decreased tumour burden. Among patients who were BRAF V600E wild‐type, lenvatinib and pembrolizumab were recommended off‐label; one patient demonstrated decreased tumour burden, but developed severe pure red cell aplasia, while the other patient is demonstrating an early clinical response.
Conclusions
The integration of early genomic analysis and personalized neoadjuvant TKI therapy into the treatment of ATC can greatly benefit patient care outcomes and optimize tumour control.
Abstract
Background
Health literacy is a public health goal which can be used as an independent factor of health outcomes. This study aimed to assess the association between health literacy and ...health status, as well as the two mediating factors of behavior and self-efficacy among residents aged 15–69 years in Qingdao.
Methods
A cross-sectional survey was implemented among residents aged 15–69 years (
N
= 3793) in Qingdao, China. A combination of stratified cluster random and proportional probability sampling methods was used to select subjects for this study. Data were collected using “The Chinese Citizen Health Literacy Questionnaire (2019)”. We proposed a hypothetical model for the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics, health literacy, self-efficacy, health behavior, and health status, and used path analysis to validate the hypothesis.
Results
The path analysis showed that higher education (
β
= 0.293) and income (
β
= 0.135) are positively and directly associated with greater health literacy, which was positively associated with health status (
β
= 0.057). Health literacy is a direct influencing factor of health behavior (
β
= 0.070) and self-efficacy (
β
= 0.099). Health behavior (
β
= 0.041) and self-efficacy (
β
= 0.173) exerted a positive direct effect on health status. The model explained 14.1% of variance for health literacy, 3.8% for self-efficacy, 5.7% for health behavior, and 15.0% for health status.
Conclusions
Health literacy was identified to be a critical factor in health status. The results emphasized that the dissemination of health knowledge, development of healthy behavior, and cultivation of self-efficacy should be jointly promoted to reinforce the level of health status among residents in future work.
This paper investigates the finite-time consensus tracking control problem of uncertain nonlinear multi-agent systems with unknown input saturation and unknown control directions. An adaptive fuzzy ...finite-time consensus control law is proposed by combining the fuzzy logic system, command filter, and finite-time control theory. Using the fuzzy logic systems, the uncertain nonlinear dynamics are approximated. Considering the command filter and backstepping control technique, the problem of the so-called “explosion of complexity” in the design of virtual control laws and adaptive updating laws is avoided. Meanwhile, the Nussbaum gain function method is applied to handle the unknown control directions and unknown input saturation problems. Based on the finite-time control theory and Lyapunov stability theory, it was found that all signals in the closed-loop system remained semi-global practical finite-time stable, and the tracking error could converge to a sufficiently small neighborhood of the origin in the finite time. In the end, simulation results were provided to verify the validity of the designed control law.
Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) is a phenomenon of immune hyperactivation described in the setting of immunotherapy. Unlike other immune-related adverse events, CRS triggered by immune checkpoint ...inhibitors (ICIs) is not well described. The clinical characteristics and course of 25 patients with ICI-induced CRS from 2 tertiary hospitals were abstracted retrospectively from the medical records and analyzed. CRS events were confirmed by 2 independent reviewers and graded using the Lee et al. scale. The median duration of CRS was 15.0 days (Q1; Q3 6.3; 29.8) and 10 (40.0%) had multiple episodes of CRS flares. Comparing the clinical factors and biomarkers in Grades 1-2 and 3-5 CRS, we found that patients with Grades 3-5 CRS had following: (i) had longer time to fever onset 25.0 days (Q1; Q3 13.0; 136.5) vs. 3.0 days (Q1; Q3 0.0; 18.0), p=0.027; (ii) more cardiovascular (p=0.002), neurologic (p=0.001), pulmonary (p=0.044) and rheumatic (p=0.037) involvement; (iii) lower platelet count (p=0.041) and higher urea (p=0.041) at presentation compared to patients with Grades 1-2 CRS. 7 patients (28.0%) with Grades 1-2 CRS were rechallenged using ICIs without event. 9 patients (36.0%) were treated with pulse methylprednisolone and 6 patients (24.0%) were treated with tocilizumab. Despite this, 3 patients (50%) who received tocilizumab had fatal (Grade 5) outcomes from ICI-induced CRS. Longer time to fever onset, lower platelet count and higher urea at presentation were associated with Grade 3-5 CRS. These parameters may be used to predict which patients are likely to develop severe CRS.
This article proposes a linear parameter varying （LPV） switching tracking control scheme for a flexible air-breathing hypersonic vehicle （FAHV）. First, a polytopic LPV model is constructed to ...represent the complex nonlinear longitudinal model of the FAHV by using Jacobian linearization and tensor-product （T-P） model transformation approach. Second, for less conservative controller design purpose, the flight envelope is divided into four sub-regions and a non-fragile LPV controller is designed for each parameter sub-region. These non-fragile LPV controllers are then switched in order to guarantee the closed-loop FAHV system to be asymptotically stable and satisfy a specified performance criterion. The desired non-fragile LPV switching controller is found by solving a convex constraint problem which can be efficiently solved using available linear matrix inequality （LMI） techniques, and robust stability analysis of the closed-loop FAHV system is verified based on multiple Lypapunov functions （MLFs）. Finally, numerical simulations have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
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