Coronary heavy calcification (HC) poses a sturdy challenge to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Scores considering calcification length, thickness, or circumferential extent, are widely ...accepted to dictate upfront calcium modification to improve PCI outcomes. Although often marginalized, calcification shape (morphology) may require consideration during procedure planning in selected cases. This case demonstrates how a focal but spur-shaped calcification led to a massive proximal left anterior descending (LAD) dissecting intramural hematoma.
Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) and ambient backscatter communication (AmBC) have gained a lot of interest as key enabling technologies in wireless communications systems. NOMA is a key player ...for enhancing spectrum utilization either by multiplexing multiple messages for the same user or allowing multi-users access, while AmBC shows great potential for enhancing both spectrum and energy efficiency for battery-limited devices. In this paper, the performance of a downlink NOMA multiplexing based symbiotic-radio (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">SR</tex-math></inline-formula>) AmBC system is analyzed over Nakagami- m fading channels. New closed-form expressions for the exact and asymptotic outage probabilities are derived. Moreover, we analyze the diversity order and the influence of the system parameters on the outage performances. Besides, we proposed a power allocation optimization technique to achieve an outage-optimal performance. Through representative Monte-Carlo simulations, we have verified the analytical results. Finally, we compared the performance of the proposed system against a benchmark OMA-based system.
Let
R
be a finite commutative ring with unity, and let
G
=
(
V
,
E
)
be a simple graph. The zero-divisor graph, denoted by
Γ
(
R
)
is a simple graph with vertex set as
R
, and two vertices
x
,
y
∈
R
...are adjacent in
Γ
(
R
)
if and only if
x
y
=
0
. In
5
, the authors have studied the Laplacian eigenvalues of the graph
Γ
(
Z
n
)
and for distinct proper divisors
d
1
,
d
2
,
⋯
,
d
k
of
n
, they defined the sets as,
A
d
i
=
{
x
∈
Z
n
:
(
x
,
n
)
=
d
i
}
, where (
x
,
n
) denotes the greatest common divisor of
x
and
n
. In this paper, we show that the sets
A
d
i
,
1
≤
i
≤
k
are actually orbits of the group action:
A
u
t
(
Γ
(
R
)
)
×
R
⟶
R
, where
A
u
t
(
Γ
(
R
)
)
denotes the automorphism group of
Γ
(
R
)
. Our main objective is to determine new classes of threshold graphs, since these graphs play an important role in several applied areas. For a reduced ring
R
, we prove that
Γ
(
R
)
is a connected
threshold
graph if and only if
R
≅
F
q
or
R
≅
F
2
×
F
q
. We provide classes of
threshold
graphs realized by some classes of local rings. Finally, we characterize all finite commutative rings with unity of which zero-divisor graphs are not
threshold
.
Background
The suicide risk after a new cancer diagnosis remains a controversial issue. This study examines the suicide risk within the year after a cancer diagnosis. This is the largest study to ...assess recent trends in suicide risk after a cancer diagnosis.
Methods
Data were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. All patients diagnosed with cancer between 2000 and 2014 were selected. The event was defined as death due to suicide within the first year after a cancer diagnosis, and patients who experienced the event after their diagnosis were observed. The observed/expected (O/E) ratio was assessed as well as the excess risk per 10,000 person‐years to determine the suicide risk change after the diagnosis in comparison with the general population.
Results
A total of 4,671,989 patients with cancer were included; 1585 committed suicide within 1 year of their diagnosis. The risk of suicide increased significantly with an O/E ratio of 2.52 and with an excess risk of 2.51 per 10,000 person‐years. When the risk of suicide was studied according to the cancer site, the highest increases in the O/E ratio came after diagnoses of pancreatic cancer (8.01) and lung cancer (6.05). The risk of suicide also increased significantly after a diagnosis of colorectal cancer with an O/E ratio of 2.08. However, the risk of suicidal death did not increase significantly after breast and prostate cancer diagnoses.
Conclusions
The risk of suicide increases significantly in the first year after a diagnosis of cancer in comparison with the general population, and this increase varies with the type and prognosis of cancer. Close observation and referral to mental health services, when indicated, are important for mitigating such risk.
This study examines the suicide risk within the year after a cancer diagnosis in all patients with cancer in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database between 2000 and 2014. The risk of suicide increases significantly after a diagnosis of cancer in comparison with the general population, and this increase varies with the type of cancer and is greater with cancers with a poor prognosis.
The analysis of controlled drugs in forensic matrices, i.e., urine, blood, plasma, saliva, and hair, is one of the current hot topics in the clinical and toxicological context. The use of ...microextraction-based approaches has gained considerable notoriety, mainly due to the great simplicity, cost-benefit, and environmental sustainability. For this reason, the application of these innovative techniques has become more relevant than ever in programs for monitoring priority substances such as the main illicit drugs, e.g., opioids, stimulants, cannabinoids, hallucinogens, dissociative drugs, and related compounds. The present contribution aims to make a comprehensive review on the state-of-the art advantages and future trends on the application of microextraction-based techniques for screening-controlled drugs in the forensic context.
This epidemiological study examined ocular and orbital lymphomas in the United States from 1995 to 2018, using data from the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries database of 87,543 ...patients with ocular and adnexal malignancies. We identified 17,878 patients (20.4%) with ocular and orbital lymphomas, with an age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of 2.6 persons per million (ppm). The incidence was the highest in the orbit (ASIR = 1.24), followed by the conjunctiva (ASIR = 0.57). Non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma was the most prevalent subtype (85.4%), particularly marginal-zone lymphoma (45.7%). Racial disparities were noted, with Asia-Pacific Islanders showing the highest incidence (orbit, 1.3 ppm). The incidence increased significantly from 1995 to 2003 (Average Percent Change, APC = 2.1%) but declined thereafter until 2018 (APC = - 0.7%). 5-year relative survival (RS) rates varied, with the highest rate for conjunctival lymphoma (100%) and the lowest for intraocular lymphoma (70.6%). Survival rates have generally improved, with an annual increase in the 5-year RS of 0.45%. This study highlights the changing epidemiological landscape, pointing to initial increases and subsequent decreases in incidence until 2003, with survival improvements likely due to advancements in treatment. These findings underscore the need for further research to investigate the root causes of these shifts and the declining incidence of ocular lymphoma.
Infective endocarditis (IE) is commonly complicated by cerebral embolization and hemorrhage secondary to intracranial mycotic aneurysms (ICMAs). These complications are associated with poor outcome ...and may require diagnostic and therapeutic plans to be modified. However, routine screening by brain CT and CT angiography (CTA) is not standard practice. We aimed to study the impact of routine cerebral CTA on treatment decisions for patients with IE.
From July 2007 to December 2012, we prospectively recruited 81 consecutive patients with definite left-sided IE according to modified Duke's criteria. All patients had routine brain CTA conducted within one week of admission. All patients with ICMA underwent four-vessel conventional angiography. Invasive treatment was performed for ruptured aneurysms, aneurysms ≥ 5 mm, and persistent aneurysms despite appropriate therapy. Surgical clipping was performed for leaking aneurysms if not amenable to intervention.
The mean age was 30.43 ± 8.8 years and 60.5% were males. Staph aureus was the most common organism (32.3%). Among the patients, 37% had underlying rheumatic heart disease, 26% had prosthetic valves, 23.5% developed IE on top of a structurally normal heart and 8.6% had underlying congenital heart disease. Brain CT/CTA revealed that 51 patients had evidence of cerebral embolization, of them 17 were clinically silent. Twenty-six patients (32%) had ICMA, of whom 15 were clinically silent. Among the patients with ICMAs, 11 underwent endovascular treatment and 2 underwent neurovascular surgery. The brain CTA findings prompted different treatment choices in 21 patients (25.6%). The choices were aneurysm treatment before cardiac surgery rather than at follow-up, valve replacement by biological valve instead of mechanical valve, and withholding anticoagulation in patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis for fear of aneurysm rupture.
Routine brain CT/CTA resulted in changes in the treatment plan in a significant proportion of patients with IE, even those without clinically evident neurological disease. Routine brain CT/CTA may be indicated in all hospitalized patients with IE.
In the present work, bar adsorptive microextraction using miniaturized devices (7.5 × 3.0 mm) coated with suitable sorbent phases, combined with microliquid desorption (100 μL) followed by ...high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (BAμE-μLD/HPLC-DAD), is proposed for the determination of trace level of six pharmaceuticals (furosemide, mebeverine, ketoprofen, naproxen, diclofenac and mefenamic acid) in environmental water and urine matrices. By comparing ten distinct sorbent materials (five polymeric and five activated carbons), the polymer P5 proved to be the most suitable to achieve the best selectivity and efficiency. The solvent volume minimization in the liquid desorption stage demonstrated remarkable effectiveness, being more environmentally friendly, and simultaneously increased the microextraction enrichment factor two-fold. Assays performed through BAμE(P5, 0.9 mg)-μLD(100 μL)/HPLC-DAD on 25 mL of ultrapure water samples spiked at the 4.0 μg/L level yielded average recoveries ranging from 91.4% (furosemide) to 101.0% (ketoprofen) with good precision (RSD < 10.6%), under optimized experimental conditions. The analytical performance showed convenient detection limits (25.0 – 120.0 ng/L), good linear dynamic ranges (0.1 to 24.0 μg/L), appropriate determination coefficients (
r
2
> 0.9983), and excellent repeatability through intraday (RSD < 10.4%)) and interday (RSD < 10.0%) assays. By using the standard addition methodology, the application of the present analytical approach on environmental waters and urine samples revealed the occurrence of trace levels of some pharmaceuticals. The solvent minimization during the back-extraction step associated with the miniaturization of BAμE devices proved to be a very promising analytical technology for static microextraction analysis.
Graphical abstract
BAμE operating under the floating sampling technology for the determination of pharmaceuticals in aqueous media.
This work entailed the development, optimization, validation, and application of a novel analytical approach, using the bar adsorptive microextraction technique (BAμE), for the determination of the ...six most common tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs; amitriptyline, mianserin, trimipramine, imipramine, mirtazapine and dosulepin) in urine matrices. To achieve this goal, we employed, for the first time, new generation microextraction devices coated with convenient sorbent phases, polymers and novel activated carbons prepared from biomaterial waste, in combination with large-volume-injection gas chromatography-mass spectrometry operating in selected-ion monitoring mode (LVI-GC-MS(SIM)). Preliminary assays on sorbent coatings, showed that the polymeric phases present a much more effective performance, as the tested biosorbents exhibited low efficiency for application in microextraction techniques. By using BAμE coated with C
polymer, under optimized experimental conditions, the detection limits achieved for the six TCAs ranged from 0.2 to 1.6 μg L
and, weighted linear regressions resulted in remarkable linearity (
> 0.9960) between 10.0 and 1000.0 μg L
. The developed analytical methodology (BAμE(C18)/LVI-GC-MS(SIM)) provided suitable matrix effects (90.2-112.9%, RSD ≤ 13.9%), high recovery yields (92.3-111.5%, RSD ≤ 12.3%) and a remarkable overall process efficiency (ranging from 84.9% to 124.3%, RSD ≤ 13.9%). The developed and validated methodology was successfully applied for screening the six TCAs in real urine matrices. The proposed analytical methodology proved to be an eco-user-friendly approach to monitor trace levels of TCAs in complex urine matrices and an outstanding analytical alternative in comparison with other microextraction-based techniques.
In the present work we propose, for the first time, bar adsorptive microextraction coated with carbon-based phase mixtures, followed by microliquid desorption and high performance liquid ...chromatography-diode array detection (BAμE-μLD/HPLC-DAD) analysis, to enhance the performance of the determination of traces of benzotriazoles (BTRs), benzothiazoles (BTs), and benzenesulfonamide derivatives (BSDs) in environmental water matrices. Assessing six carbon-based sorbents (CA1, CN1, B test EUR, SX PLUS, SX 1, and R) with different selectivity properties allowed us to tailor the best phase mixture (R, 12.5%/CN1, 87.5%) that has convenient porosity, texture, and surface chemistry (pH
~6.5) for trace analysis of benzenesulfonamide, 1-hydroxybenzotriazole, 1
-benzotriazole, 5-methyl-1
-benzotriazole, benzothiazole, and 1,3-benzothiazol-2-ol chemicals in aqueous media. Optimized experimental conditions provided average recoveries ranging from 37.9% to 59.2%, appropriate linear dynamic ranges (5.0 to 120.0 µg L
;
≥ 0.9964), limits of detection between 1.0 and 1.4 μg L
, and good precisions (relative standard deviation (RSD) ≤ 9.3%). The proposed methodology (BAμE(R, 12.5%/CN1, 87.5%)-μLD/HPLC-DAD) also proved to be a suitable sorption-based static microextraction alternative to monitor traces of BTRs, BTs, and BSDs in rain, waste, tap, and estuarine water samples. From the data obtained, the proposed approach showed that the BAμE technique with the addition of lab-made devices allows users to adapt the technique to use sorbents or mixtures of sorbents with the best selectivity characteristics whenever distinct classes of target analytes occur simultaneously in the same application.
PDF
