A Pilot Study about the First Cases of Coronary Angioplasty in Democratic Republic of Congo/Kinshasa: Patient Profile

Background: The objective of this pilot study was to describe clinical profile, electric, echocardiographic and angiographic caracteristics with procedural outcome of congolease patients undergoing coronarography in the first and only one cardiac catheterization center opened in Kinshasa. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out over a period from October 2019 (date of establishment of the first coronary angiography unit in DR Congo) to March 2021. We proceeded to a serial sampling of the consecutive cases of all the patients who have an angiographic exploration of coronary arteries. Clinical, ECG and cardiac ultrasound data were collected in all patients. The indications for the coronary angiography examination were set by differents cardiologists on the basis of repolarization troubles in the electrocardiogram, cinetic troubles in echocardiography, positive stress test and chest pain in patients with cardiovascular risq factors. Results: The serie (47 patients) was predominantly male with a sex ratio M/W of 2.6. The average age was 59.8 ± 10.5 years. Arterial hypertension (HBP) was the main risk factor (89.4%);followed by diabetes mellitus (14.9%). Chest pain was the main functional sign with an atypical character in 44.7%. The ECG showed ST segment depression (17%) and T wave inversion (17%), the anterior region being the most affected. Hypokinesia was the most common echocardiographic abnormality (34%), followed by akinesia (10.6%). The anteroseptal and apical territories were affected in 12.8%. Dilated myocardiopathy (DMC) was significantly predominant in the male sex (29.4% vs 7.7%;p = 0.011). With radial puncture as the main approach, coronary angiography was pathological in 44% revealing mono-truncal lesions. The left coronary network was the most affected: the middle inter ventricular artery (12.8%), the proximal interventricular artery (10.6%) and the proximal circonflex artery (10.6%). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, age (for age > 50 years for men and >60 years for women), arterial hypertension and dilated cardiomyopathy emerged as independent determinants of pathological coronary angiography. Transluminal angioplasty was performed in 27.7% of patients. The bypass indication was retained in 4.3% of cases and medical treatment in 68%. Conclusion: Coronary angiography was used to diagnose lesions responsible for ischemic heart disease and to treat 27.7% of patients locally. The young age of patients and limited financial resources encourage the strengthening of preventive measures against cardio vascular risq factors.

Effect of a novel dietary supplement on pH levels of healthy volunteers:a pilot study

OBJECTIVE： To examine the effects of a greens alkalizing dietary supplement on urinary pH levels in individuals with lower-than-average pH levels. METHODS： The present study investigated the effects of an alkalizing formula （Reserveage Wholeganic GreensTM） on four individuals who had average urinary pH levels below 6.0 for three consecutive days. Following the three-day, baseline period, participants received Reserveage Wholeganic GreensTM for four consecutive days and were instructed to continue to measure their urine pH levels. Paired samples t-tests were used to examine pH levels before and after a four-day treatment period with Reserveage Wholeganic GreensTM. RESULTS： Compared to baseline, mean urine pH levels in all volunteers were significantly higher following the supplementation with Reserveage Wholeganic GreensTM （5.89 ±0.20 vs 5.56 ± 0.23; P〈0.01）. Participants＇ pH levels were also significantly higher than baseline on days 5, 6, and 7 of the treatment period （P 〈 0.05）. Noteworthy, on day 7, participants＇ mean pH levels were significantly higher than at the beginning of the treatment period （6.03 ± 0.15 at day 7 vs 5.65 ± 0.24 at day 4; P 〈 0.01）. CONCLUSION： The findings of this study suggest that supplementation with Reserveage Wholeganic GreensTM has an alkalizing effect on the body and can increase the urine pH levels in individuals with lower-than-average pH levels.

A Knowledge-Based Pilot Study on Assessing the Music Influence

A knowledge-driven approach is proposed for assessing the music influence on university students.The proposed method of modeling and conducting the interactive pilot study can be useful to convey other surveys,interviews,and experiments created in various phases of the user interface(UI)design processes,as part of a general human-computer interaction(HCI)methodology.Benefiting from existing semantic Web and linked data standards,best practices,and tools,a microservice-oriented system is developed as a testbed platform able to generate playlists in a smart way according to users’music preferences.This novel approach could bring also benefits for user interface adaptation by using semantic Web techniques.Statistical analysis based on the ANOVA method and post-experiment survey data led to the conclusion that music listened has a significant impact on students’cognitive abilities in various contexts.All obtained results were semantically enhanced by using different conceptual models in order to create a knowledge graph providing support for automated reasoning.Also,a knowledge-based persona Web smart editor was implemented in order to include music preferences for certain categories of the potential users operating a specific interactive system.

Some Preliminary Results on Pilot Study of Global Change in China

On the basis of existing data and research results the changes of life supporting environment in China in the history are briefly described. The differences between regional climate variations and climate jump are the very important features and phenomena in estimating the trend of environmental evolution in the future. Finally, it is pointed out that sensitive zone is an ideal place to study global change. Many evidences show that the response of environmental elements in the sensitive zones to global change events is very obvious, so that much attention should be paid to the study of sensitive zone.

TEGAFUR PLUS MMC OR ACNU IN THE TREATMENT OF ADVANCED GASTRIC CANCER-A PILOT STUDY

Twenty four cases of advanced gastric cancer were divided into two groups according to the general condition of the patients (PS 0-2 and 3-4), further subdivided into localized abdominal form, liver metastatic form, ascitic form and distant metastatic form. These patients were allocated randomly into Regimen A or B. Regimen A: Tegafur 600 mg daily and Mitomycin C (MMC) 5 mg/m2/1-2 weeks. Regimen B: Tegafur 600 mg daily and ACNU (Nimustine, water-soluble Nitrosourea) 60 mg/week for 2 weeks. After a course of ACNU, it was with drawn for 4 weeks and then resumed again. The response rate of Regimen A was 3/11 (27%), that of Regimen B was 3/13 (23%).

Preoperative evaluation of human crystalline lens hardness using A-scan ultrasound biometry： a pilot study

Dear Editor,I write to present the results of a study on the correlation between the ultrasound energy consumed during phacoemulsification with various preoperative parameters,including best corrected distance visual acuity（BCDVA）,the signal to noise ratio（SNR）obtained by partial coherence laser interferometry and primarily,lens spikes measurements derived by A-scan ultrasound biometry.Quantification of crystalline lens hardness before cataract removal has been attempted by several researchers in the past.These have been in humans and in animals,in vivo and in vitro,and have used a variety of imaging modalities.

Results and analysis:a pilot study on quality of life of soldiers in the first response army

Objective： To explore the fundamental theory, methods and data of the quality of life （QOL） of soldiers and its influence factors in the first response army. Methods： Totally 215 soldiers in the first response army of a military area in China were inquired by using self-regulating questionnaire and WHOQOL-BREF （Chinese Edition）. Resalts： WHOQOL-BREF had good acceptability, reliability and validity in the first response army. QOL of soldiers in the first response army was middling. The influencing factors of QOL of the soldiers in first army includes self-report health, different areas where the army men come from, different arms of services, whether only child in family. And the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion： WHOQOL-BREF is fit for evaluating the quality of life of soldiers in the first response army. There are differences of the quality of life among the soldiers in the first response army. So we should take appropriate measures to improve the soldiers＇ quality of life.

Differentiation of periapical granulomas and cysts by using dental MRI: a pilot study

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate whether periapical granulomas can be differentiated from periapical cysts in vivo by using dental magnetic resonance imaging(MRI). Prior to apicoectomy, 11 patients with radiographically confirmed periapical lesions underwent dental MRI, including fat-saturated T2-weighted(T2 wFS) images, non-contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images with and without fat saturation(T1 w/T1 wFS), and contrast-enhanced fat-saturated T1-weighted(T1 wFS+C) images. Two independent observers performed structured image analysis of MRI datasets twice. A total of 15 diagnostic MRI criteria were evaluated, and histopathological results(6 granulomas and 5 cysts) were compared with MRI characteristics. Statistical analysis was performed using intraclass correlation coefficient(ICC), Cohen’s kappa(κ), Mann–Whitney U-test and Fisher’s exact test. Lesion identification and consecutive structured image analysis was possible on T2 wFS and T1 wFS+C MRI images. A high reproducibility was shown for MRI measurements of the maximum lesion diameter(intraobserver ICC = 0.996/0.998; interobserver ICC = 0.997), for the "peripheral rim" thickness(intraobserver ICC = 0.988/0.984; interobserver ICC = 0.970), and for all non-quantitative MRI criteria(intraobserver-κ = 0.990/0.995; interobserver-κ = 0.988). In accordance with histopathological results, six MRI criteria allowed for a clear differentiation between cysts and granulomas:(1) outer margin of lesion,(2) texture of "peripheral rim" in T1 wFS+C,(3)texture of "lesion center" in T2 wFS,(4) surrounding tissue involvement in T2 wFS,(5) surrounding tissue involvement in T1 wFS+C and(6) maximum "peripheral rim" thickness(all: P < 0.05). In conclusion, this pilot study indicates that radiation-free dental MRI enables a reliable differentiation between periapical cysts and granulomas in vivo. Thus, MRI may substantially improve treatment strategies and help to avoid unnecessary surgery in apical periodontitis.

Ultrasound comparison of diffusion of local anesthetic solution after a peribulbar and a sub-Tenon's block: a pilot study

Dear Sir,Iam Dr.Emile Calenda,from the Department of Anesthesiology in Ophthalmology,Rouen University Hospital,Institute for Biomedical Research,Rouen,France.I write to present ultrasound visualization of local anesthetic spread after a sub-Tenon＇s anesthesia（3 patients）and after a peribulbar anesthesia（3 patients）.

Hand self-Shiatsu for sleep problems in p ersons with chronic pain: a pilot study

OBJECTIVE： Difficulty falling asleep （sleep latency） and staying asleep （sleep maintenance） are common problems for persons living with pain. Research demonstrates that sleep problems are, in turn, related to exacerbation of chronic pain. There is a growing body of evidence for a range of pragmatic, non-pharmacological sleep interventions that can potentially be incorporated into pain management programs. This study looks at the outcome of teaching patients with musculoskeletal pain standardized pre-bedtime hand self-Shiatsu （HSS） to reduce sleep latency. METHODS： A case series design, with participants acting as their own controls, was selected to facilitate hypothesis generation for this novel, under-researched intervention. Sleep efficiency, latency and maintenance, sleep beliefs, pain intensity and basic participant demographics were collected at baseline with actigraphy and standardized self-report questionnaires. After one week of baseline data collection, the HSS intervention was taught to participants. Follow-up data were collected at 2 and 8 weeks post-intervention. RESULTS： Data collected at baseline and the two follow-up periods revealed no apparent changes in the objective actigraphy data. However a trend toward improved self-reported sleep latency （time to fall asleep） and sleep duration （time spent asleep） emerged. A number of participants reported they were more concerned with increasing their period of unbroken sleep as opposed to their total sleep time and it is possible that HSS may be useful to be applied during nighttime awakenings as well as before bed. None of the participants reported adverse effects of the intervention. CONCLUSION： These preliminary findings are promising and future studies exploring the mechanism of action and with stronger control of treatment fidelity are indicated.

Four-week pegylated interferon a-2a monotherapy for chronic hepatitis C with genotype 2 and low viral load:A pilot,randomized study

AIM:To assess the efficacy and advantages of 4-wk pegylated interferon a-2a(peg-IFN-a2a) monotherapy for chronic hepatitis C patients with strong predictors of sustained virologic response(SVR).METHODS:Patients(n = 33) with genotype 2 and low viral load(< 100 KIU/mL),who became HCV RNA negative after 1 wk of IFN treatment,were randomly allocated to receive a 4-or 12-wk treatment course at a ratio of 2:1,respectively,with a subsequent 24-wk follow-up period.Peg-IFN-a2a was administered subcutaneously at a dose of 180 μg or 90 μg once weekly.SVR was defined as absence of serum HCV RNA at the end of the follow-up period.RESULTS:All patients completed the treatment schedule,and more than half were symptom-free during the treatment.In the 4-wk treatment group,20 of 22(91%) patients achieved SVR.Two patients relapsed,but achieved SVR following re-treatment with peg-IFN-a2a alone.In the 12-wk treatment group,11 of 11(100%) patients attained SVR.CONCLUSION:Our results show that a 4-wk course of peg-IFN-a2a monotherapy can achieve a high SVR rate in "IFN-sensitive" patients,without negatively affecting outcome.

Development of a comprehensive finite element cervical spine model for studying neck injury of pilot

Introduction-The cervical spine is subjected to injury frequently,especially among pilots who are usually on the condition of high acceleration.Injuries of the cervical spine will be potential risk of damage to the spinal cord,which could be result in life threatening

A comparison of Kneipp hydrotherapy with conventional physiotherapy in the treatment of osteoarthritis: a pilot trial

BACKGROUND： An increasingly aging population implies an increasing prevalence of osteoarthritis （OA） of hip or knee. It has been ascertained that unspecific hydrotherapy of OA according to Sebastian Kneipp not only improves the range of mobility but also reduces pain significantly and increases the quality of life of the patients affected. OBJECTIVE： The main aim of this pilot study was to determine the effects of hydrotherapy in comparison to conventional physiotherapy, and to analyze the feasibility of the study design under clinical circumstances. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS： The study design is a prospective randomized controlled three-arm clinical pilot trial, carried out at a specialist clinic for integrative medicine. Thirty patients diagnosed with symptomatic OA of hip or knee and radiologic findings were randomly assigned to one of two intervention groups and a control group： hydrotherapy （group 1）, physiotherapy （group 2）, and both physiotherapy and hydrotherapy （group 3, control group） of the affected joint. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Primary outcome： pain intensity of the affected joint in the course of inpatient treatment; secondary outcome： health-related quality of life, joint-specific pain and mobility in the course of the study. RESULTS： Concerning the main outcome, intervention group 1 showed most beneficial effects in the course of inpatient treatment, followed by groups 3 and 2, and also the indirect flexion ability of hip or knee together with the general patient mobility through the ＂timed up and go＂ test were mainly improved within group 1 followed by groups 3 and 2. CONCLUSION： The results of this pilot study demonstrate beneficial effects of hydrotherapy. The study design is feasible. For statistically significant evidence and a robust conclusion of efficacy of Kneipp＇s hydrotherapy, a larger sample size is necessary. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER： NCT 00950326.

Biodegradable stent or balloon dilatation for benign oesophageal stricture: Pilot randomised controlled trial

AIM: To undertake a randomised pilot study comparing biodegradable stents and endoscopic dilatation in patients with strictures.

Pilot Trial on the Efficacy and Safety of a Natural Mineral Water Rich in Hydrogen Carbonate on Functional Dyspepsia and Heartburn

Background: Dyspepsia and heartburn are among the most frequent complaints of the upper gastrointestinal tract impacting quality of life. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of drinking a natural mineral water (medicinal product category “Heilwasser” in Germany) high in hydrogen carbonate (Staatl. Fachingen STILL) on functional dyspeptic complaints and heartburn. Methods: 56 men and women with self-reported heartburn were enrolled to this one-arm pilot study. They had to drink 1.5 L of a hydrogen carbonate rich mineral water each day over a course of six weeks. Participants reported the number and duration of heartburn episodes in a daily dairy. The Reflux Disease Questionnaire (RDQ), Quality of Life in Reflux and Dyspepsia questionnaire (QOLRAD) and the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GILQI) were used to assess the therapeutic course of the treatment and the Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) to assess general quality of life. Mean ± standard deviation were calculated and pre- and post-treatment changes were compared using the Wilcoxon test. Results: The consumption of a hydrogen carbonate rich mineral water decreased the number of heartburn episodes per week significantly by 4.8 ± 8.2 at the end of the study (p < 0.001). The duration of episodes was also significantly reduced by 25.7 minutes after six weeks of intervention (p < 0.001). Accordingly, the subjectively perceived severity of heartburn, regurgitation and dyspeptic complaints as well as the GERD dimension as assessed by Reflux Disease Questionnaire improved significantly. There was a significant improvement in the disease-specific quality of life as measured by the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (p < 0.001) and by the Quality Of Life in Reflux and Dyspepsia (p < 0.001) questionnaires and the general health-related quality of life as assessed by SF-12 (p < 0.007). Conclusions: The present pilot study provides evidence that supplementation with natural mineral water rich in hydrogen carbonate may improve heartburn and dyspeptic symptoms, which finally resulted in an improvement of the subjectively perceived quality of life. Drinking mineral water rich in hydrogen carbonate may be an alternative remedy for the treatment of dyspeptic symptoms and heartburn. Trial Registration: Eudra CT No 2013-001256-36.

First Pilot Studies on Transgenic Carp Completed at CAS

After the examination and approval by a nine-member panel headed by two members of CAS (The Chinese Academy of Sciences) and one member of CAE (The Chinese Academy of Engineering), successful pilot test on the cultivation of a new strain of transgenic Yellow River carp was announced on October 17 at the Wuhan-based CAS Institute of Hydrobiology. Scientists believe the success would lay a solid foundation for the industrialization of

Single injection of platelet-rich plasma as a novel treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome

Both in vitro and in vivo experiments have confirmed that platelet-rich plasma has therapeutic effects on many neuropathies, but its effects on carpal tunnel syndrome remain poorly understood. We aimed to investigate whether single injection of platelet-rich plasma can improve the clinical symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Fourteen patients presenting with median nerve injury who had suffered from mild carpal tunnel syndrome for over 3 months were included in this study. Under ultrasound guidance, 1-2 m L of platelet-rich plasma was injected into the region around the median nerve at the proximal edge of the carpal tunnel. At 1 month after single injection of platelet-rich plasma, Visual Analogue Scale results showed that pain almost disappeared in eight patients and it was obviously alleviated in three patients. Simultaneously, the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand questionnaire showed that upper limb function was obviously improved. In addition, no ultrasonographic manifestation of the carpal tunnel syndrome was found in five patients during ultrasonographic measurement of the width of the median nerve. During 3-month follow-up, the pain was not greatly alleviated in three patients. These findings show very encouraging mid-term outcomes regarding use of platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome.

River Water Purification via a Coagulation-Porous Ceramic Membrane Hybrid Process

Membrane filtration technology combined with coagulation is widely used to purify river water.In this study,microfiltration(MF)and ultrafiltration(UF)ceramic membranes were combined with coagulation to treat local river water located at Xinghua,Jiangsu province,China.The operation parameters,fouling mechanism and pilot-scale tests were investigated.The results show that the pore size of membrane has small effect on the pseudo-steady flux for dead-end filtration,and the increase of flux in MF process is more than that in UF process for cross-flow filtration with the same increase of cross-flow velocity.The membrane pore size has little influence on the water quality.The analysis on membrane fouling mechanism shows that the cake filtration has significant influence on the pseudo-steady flux and water quality for the membrane with pore size of 50,200 and 500 nm.For the membrane with pore size of 200 nm and backwashing employed in our pilot study,a constant flux of 150L·m 2·h 1was reached during stable operation,with the removal efficiency of turbidity,total organic carbon(TOC)and UV254 higher than 99%,45%and 48%,respectively.The study demonstrates that coagulation-porous ceramic membrane hybrid process is a reliable method for river water purification.

Difference between the effects of one-site and three-site abdominal hot-stone stimulation on the skin-temperature changes of the lower limbs

To determine whether any difference exists in the skin-temperature responses of the lower limbs to hot-stone application relative to one-site and three-site abdominal application. METHODS： Twenty-five female students participated in experimental sessions after a random allocation： 14 participants received a hot-stone application on the umbilicus, superior-umbilicus, and inferior-umbilicus regions （hereafter referred to as the three-site stimulation group）; and 11 participants received the hot-stone application on the umbilicus region only （hereafter referred to as the one-site stimulation group）. Heated stones were applied for 9 min to participants in both groups. Four arbitrary frames （the lower leg, ankle, proximal foot, and distal foot regions） were created in order to observe and analyze the skin temperature of a lower limb using a thermograph. Observation periods were as follows： before hot-stone stimulation, immediately after stimulation, and 5, 10, 15, and 20 min after stimulation. RESULTS： There was a significant offset interaction of distal foot skin temperature between the groups. The left-side distal foot skin temperature increased at 15 and 20 min following the three-site abdominal hot-stone stimulation. The right-side distal foot skin temperature increased immediately and at 5, 10, 15, and 20 min following the three-site abdominal hot-stone stimulation. No significant change in distal foot skin temperature was observed following the one-site stimulation. CONCLUSION： Lower-limb skin temperature was altered following hot-stone stimulation applied to the abdomen, and the one-site stimulation and three-site stimulation yielded different distal foot skin-temperature reactions.