Outcomes of treatment of male urethral stricture：a multivariate analysis

目的：分析外伤性和前列腺术后尿道狭窄各种治疗方法的优缺点及影响因素，为临床上合理选择治疗方式、减少狭窄复发提出有益建议。方法：对本科64例外伤性和59例前列腺术后的尿道狭窄初次治疗共123例进行回顾性多因素分析。结果：64例外伤性尿道狭窄患者中，尿扩22例，20例（90．9％）复发；尿道内切开21例，16例（76．2％）复发；尿道端端吻合21例，4例（19％）复发；59例前列腺术后尿道狭窄中，尿扩16例，15例（93．6％）复发；尿道内切开37例，5例（13．5％）复发；6例切开膀胱行膀胱颈疤痕切开切除膀胱颈整形术，3例（50％）复发。结论：①经尿道疤痕切开切除治疗外伤性尿道狭窄，其疗效与狭窄长度有关，狭窄长度〈2cm复发率低，〉2121／1则复发率高。②尿道疤痕切除端端吻合治疗外伤性尿道狭窄，其疗效与狭窄长度、狭窄部位、既往手术史无关，与手术本身有关，即术中如彻底切除狭窄疤痕及坏死组织、吻合无张力则复发率低，反之则高。⑧尿扩适用于尿道黏膜下狭窄，不适用于合并有尿道海绵体纤维化的尿道狭窄。④尿道内切开是治疗前列腺术后尿道狭窄的首选方法且疗效好。

Telomerase-related advances in hepatocellular carcinoma:A bibliometric and visual analysis

BACKGROUND As a critical early event in hepatocellular carcinogenesis,telomerase activation might be a promising and critical biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)patients,and its function in the genesis and treatment of HCC has gained much attention over the past two decades.AIM To perform a bibliometric analysis to systematically assess the current state of research on HCC-related telomerase.METHODS The Web of Science Core Collection and PubMed were systematically searched to retrieve publications pertaining to HCC/telomerase limited to“articles”and“reviews”published in English.A total of 873 relevant publications related to HCC and telomerase were identified.We employed the Bibliometrix package in R to extract and analyze the fundamental information of the publications,such as the trends in the publications,citation counts,most prolific or influential writers,and most popular journals;to screen for keywords occurring at high frequency;and to draw collaboration and cluster analysis charts on the basis of coauthorship and co-occurrences.VOSviewer was utilized to compile and visualize the bibliometric data.RESULTS A surge of 51 publications on HCC/telomerase research occurred in 2016,the most productive year from 1996 to 2023,accompanied by the peak citation count recorded in 2016.Up to December 2023,35226 citations were made to all publications,an average of 46.6 citations to each paper.The United States received the most citations(n=13531),followed by China(n=7427)and Japan(n=5754).In terms of national cooperation,China presented the highest centrality,its strongest bonds being to the United States and Japan.Among the 20 academic institutions with the most publications,ten came from China and the rest of Asia,though the University of Paris Cité,Public Assistance-Hospitals of Paris,and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research(INSERM)were the most prolific.As for individual contributions,Hisatomi H,Kaneko S,and Ide T were the three most prolific authors.Kaneko S ranked first by H-index,G-index,and overall publication count,while Zucman-Rossi J ranked first in citation count.The five most popular journals were the World Journal of Gastroenterology,Hepatology,Journal of Hepatology,Oncotarget,and Oncogene,while Nature Genetics,Hepatology,and Nature Reviews Disease Primers had the most citations.We extracted 2293 keywords from the publications,120 of which appeared more than ten times.The most frequent were HCC,telomerase and human telomerase reverse transcriptase(hTERT).Keywords such as mutational landscape,TERT promoter mutations,landscape,risk,and prognosis were among the most common issues in this field in the last three years and may be topics for research in the coming years.CONCLUSION Our bibliometric analysis provides a comprehensive overview of HCC/telomerase research and insights into promising upcoming research.

Analysis of bacterial community structures in two sewage treatment plants with different sludge properties and treatment performance by nested PCR-DGGE method

The bacterial community structures in two sewage treatment plants with different processes and performance were investigated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE） of nested polymerase chain reaction （nested PCR） amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments with group-specific primers. Samples of raw sewage and treated effluents were amplified using the whole-cell PCR method, and the activated sludge samples were amplified using the extracted genomic DNA before the PCR products were loaded on the same DGGE gel for bacterial community analysis. Ammonia-oxidizing bacterial and actinomycetic community analysis were also carried out to investigate the relationship between specific population structures and system or sludge performance. The two plants demonstrated a similarity in bacterial community structures of raw sewage and activated sludge, but they had different effluent populations. Many dominant bacterial populations of raw sewage did not appear in the activated sludge samples, suggesting that the dominant bacterial populations in raw sewage might not play an important role during wastewater treatment. Although the two plants had different sludge properties in terms of settleability and foam forming ability, they demonstrated similar actinomycetic community structures. For activated sludge with bad settling performance, the treated water presented a similar DGGE pattern with that of activated sludge, indicating the nonselective washout of bacteria from the system. The plant with better ammonium removal efficiency showed higher ammonia-oxidizing bacteria species richness. Analysis of sequencing results showed that the major populations in raw sewage were uncultured bacterium, while in activated sludge the predominant populations were beta proteobacteria.

Identification of microRNAs and messenger RNAs involved in human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell treatment of ischemic cerebral infarction using integrated bioinformatics analysis

In recent years,a large number of differentially expressed genes have been identified in human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell(hUMSC)transplants for the treatment of ischemic cerebral infarction.These genes are involved in various biochemical processes,but the role of microRNAs(miRNAs)in this process is still unclear.From the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database,we downloaded two microarray datasets for GSE78731(messenger RNA(mRNA)profile)and GSE97532(miRNA profile).The differentially expressed genes screened were compared between the hUMSC group and the middle cerebral artery occlusion group.Gene ontology enrichment and pathway enrichment analyses were subsequently conducted using the online Database for Annotation,Visualization,and Integrated Discovery.Identified genes were applied to perform weighted gene co-suppression analyses,to establish a weighted co-expression network model.Furthermore,the protein-protein interaction network for differentially expressed genes from turquoise modules was built using Cytoscape(version 3.40)and the most highly correlated subnetwork was extracted from the protein-protein interaction network using the MCODE plugin.The predicted target genes for differentially expressed miRNAs were also identified using the online database starBase v3.0.A total of 3698 differentially expressed genes were identified.Gene ontology analysis demonstrated that differentially expressed genes that are related to hUMSC treatment of ischemic cerebral infarction are involved in endocytosis and inflammatory responses.We identified 12 differentially expressed miRNAs in middle cerebral artery occlusion rats after hUMSC treatment,and these differentially expressed miRNAs were mainly involved in signaling in inflammatory pathways,such as in the regulation of neutrophil migration.In conclusion,we have identified a number of differentially expressed genes and differentially expressed mRNAs,miRNA-mRNAs,and signaling pathways involved in the hUMSC treatment of ischemic cerebral infarction.Bioinformatics and interaction analyses can provide novel clues for further research into hUMSC treatment of ischemic cerebral infarction.

Meta-analysis of the effects of 1-methylcyclopropene(1-MCP)treatment on climacteric fruit ripening

1-Methylcyclopropene(1-MCP)is an inhibitor of ethylene perception that is widely used to maintain the quality of several climacteric fruits during storage.A large body of literature now exists on the effects of 1-MCP on climacteric fruit ripening for different species and environmental conditions,presenting an opportunity to use meta-analysis to systematically dissect these effects.We classified 44 ripening indicators of climacteric fruits into five categories:physiology and biochemistry,quality,enzyme activity,color,and volatiles.Meta-analysis showed that 1-MCP treatment reduced 20 of the 44 indicators by a minimum of 22%and increased 6 indicators by at least 20%.These effects were associated with positive effects on delaying ripening and maintaining quality.Of the seven moderating variables,species,1-MCP concentration,storage temperature and time had substantial impacts on the responses of fruit to 1-MCP treatment.Fruits from different species varied in their responses to 1-MCP,with the most pronounced responses observed in rosaceous fruits,especially apple,European pear fruits,and tropical fruits.The effect of gaseous 1-MCP was optimal at 1μl/l,with a treatment time of 12–24 h,when the storage temperature was 0℃for temperate fruits or 20℃for tropical fruits,and when the shelf temperature was 20℃,reflecting the majority of experimental approaches.These findings will help improve the efficacy of 1-MCP application during the storage of climacteric fruits,reduce fruit quality losses and increase commercial value.

Reliability assessment and correlation analysis of evaluating orthodontic treatment outcome in Chinese patients

This study aimed to assess the reliability of experienced Chinese orthodontists in evaluating treatment outcome and to determine the correlations between three diagnostic information sources. Sixty-nine experienced Chinese orthodontic specialists each evaluated the outcome of orthodontic treatment of 108 Chinese patients. Three different information sources： study casts （SC）, lateral cephalometric X-ray images （LX） and facial photographs （PH） were generated at the end of treatment for 108 patients selected randomly from six orthodontic treatment centers throughout China. Six different assessments of treatment outcome were made by each orthodontist using data from the three information sources separately and in combination. Each assessment included both ranking and grading for each patient. The rankings of each of the 69 judges for the 108 patients were correlated with the rankings of each of the other judges yielding 13 873 Spearman rs values, ranging from -0.08 to ＋0.85. Of these, 90% were greater than 0.4, showing moderate-to-high consistency among the 69 orthodontists. In the combined evaluations, study casts were the most significant predictive component （R2=0.86, P〈0.000 1）, while the inclusion of lateral cephalometric films and facial photographs also contributed to a more comprehensive assessment （R2=0.96, P〈0.000 1）. Grading scores for SC＋LX and SC＋PH were highly significantly correlated with those for SC＋LX＋PH （r（SC＋LX）vs.（SC＋LX＋PH）=0.96, r（SC＋PH）vs.（SC＋LX＋PH）=0.97）, showing that either SC＋LX or SC＋PH is an excellent substitute for all three combined assessment,

Thermodynamic analysis on tin precipitation behavior in Ti-bearing peritectic steel after magnesium treatment

TiN,which is ubiquitous in Ti-bearing steel,has a critical influence on both the mechanical properties and the welding process of steel,and therefore researche on the precipitation behavior of TiN in molten steel bath is of great significance.In this paper,Ti-bearing peritectic steel was taken as the study object and FactSage was adopted to explore how the precipitation behavior of typical inclusions in steel was affected by the steel composition.Furthermore,microsegregation models were used to analyze the precipitation process of TiN at solidification front,and the calculation results were finally verified by scanning electron microscope(SEM).Research showed that a multitude of dispersed particles of high melting oxide MgAl2O4 or MgO always existed in molten steel after magnesium treatment.In consideration of the segregation and enrichment of solute elements at the solidification front,the Ohnaka microsegregation model was employed to compute the precipitation during solidification.In the event of the solid fraction reaching 0.95 or more,the concentration product of[Ti][N]at the solidification front exceeded the equilibrium concentration product,then TiN began to precipitate.MgO or MgAl2O4 cores were generally found in TiN particles of peritectic steel after the magnesium treatment,which was consistent with the thermodynamic calculation results.Moreover,the average size of TiN particles was reduced by approximately 49%.This demonstrated that Mg-rich high melting inclusions were formed after the magnesium treatment,by which the heterogeneous nucleation of TiN was promoted it;therefore,favorable nucleation sites were provided for further refining the high-temperature ferrite phase.

Research progress in rehabilitation treatment of stroke patients A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND： Stroke presents as a transient or chronic brain dysfunction and is associated with high morbidity and high mortality. The doctors and scientists would like to argue how to enhance the validity of the rehabilitation treatment and how to further improve the level of treatment on stroke. OBJECTIVE： The aim of this study was to quantitatively analyze the current worldwide progress in research on stroke rehabilitation treatment based on Web of Science database and CiinicalTrial.gov in the past 10 years. METHODS： We conducted a quantitative analysis of clinical trial articles regarding stroke rehabilitation published in English from 2003 to 2013 and indexed in the National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials registry and Web of Science databases. Data were downloaded on March 15, 2013. RESULTS： （1） From 2003 to 2013, 2 654 clinical trials investigating stroke were indexed in ClinicalTrials.gov. There were only 58 clinical trials registered in 2003, and there was a marked increase from 2005. A total of 605 clinical trials on the rehabilitation of stroke were conducted in the past 10 years. （2） The analysis showed that most of the trials in the field were registered by North American institutions. With respect to the Asian countries, China and Taiwan Region of China also published a reasonable proportion of the trials, but comparatively speaking, the number of trials is really rare. Most of the interventions were drugs, followed by the devices, and behavioral interventions were ranked third. （3） In the past 10 years, there were 4 052 studies on stroke indexed by Web of Science database. CONCLUSION： From perspective of research progress, we found that the number of clinical trials and papers on stroke rehabilitation has increased significantly in the past 10 years, between them a remarkable positive correlation exists.

Global trends and hotspots of treatment for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease:A bibliometric and visualization analysis(2010-2023)

BACKGROUND Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)is chronic,with its progression leading to liver fibrosis and end-stage cirrhosis.Although NAFLD is increasingly common,no treatment guideline has been established.Many mechanistic studies and drug trials have been conducted for new drug development to treat NAFLD.An up-to-date overview on the knowledge structure of NAFLD through bibliometrics,focusing on research hotspots,is necessary to reveal the rational and timely directions of development in this field.AIM To research the latest literature and determine the current trends in treatment for NAFLD.METHODS Publications related to treatment for NAFLD were searched on the Web of Science Core Collection database,from 2010 to 2023.VOSviewers,CiteSpace,and R package“bibliometrix”were used to conduct this bibliometric analysis.The key information was extracted,and the results of the cluster analysis were based on network data for generating and investigating maps for country,institution,journal,and author.Historiography analysis,bursts and cluster analysis,cooccurrence analysis,and trend topic revealed the knowledge structure and research hotspots in this field.GraphPad Prism 9.5.1.733 and Microsoft Office Excel 2019 were used for data analysis and visualization.RESULTS In total,10829 articles from 120 countries(led by China and the United States)and 8785 institutions were included.The number of publications related to treatment for NAFLD increased annually.While China produced the most publications,the United States was the most cited country,and the United Kingdom collaborated the most from an international standpoint.The University of California-San Diego,Shanghai Jiao Tong University,and Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine produced the most publications of all the research institutions.The International Journal of Molecular Sciences was the most frequent journal out of the 1523 total journals,and Hepatology was the most cited and co-cited journal.Sanyal AJ was the most cited author,the most co-cited author was Younossi ZM,and the most influential author was Loomba R.The most studied topics included the epidemiology and mechanism of NAFLD,the development of accurate diagnosis,the precise management of patients with NAFLD,and the associated metabolic comorbidities.The major cluster topics were“emerging drug,”“glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist,”“metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease,”“gut microbiota,”and“glucose metabolism.”CONCLUSION The bibliometric study identified recent research frontiers and hot directions,which can provide a valuable reference for scholars researching treatments for NAFLD.

Retrospective analysis of results of treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Macao

Background： Nasopharyngeal carcinoma （NPC） is a common malignancy in Southeast Asia, however, a full consensus has not yet been reached as to the value of comprehensive treatment for NPC. This study was designed to evaluate the epidemiological characteristics of NPC and their prognostic value, as well as the long-term efficacy of NPC treatment. Patients and methods： A total of 248 patients, with different stages of NPC, were included in this study. Results： The 5-year overall survival （OS） rates for patients in stages I, II, lII and IV were 90.48%, 76.71%, 76.89% and 33.87%, respectively （P=0.000）, while the respective 5-year progression-free survival （PFS） rates were 85.15%, 72.36%, 63.88% and 26.26% （P=0.000）. The respective 5-year OS rates, according to stage, for the group that received radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy and for the group that received radiotherapy only were as follows： stages I and II, 81.67% and 79.59% （P=0.753）; stage III, 79.91% and 70.38% （P=0.143）; stage IV,, 35.22% and 0% （P=0.000）. The respective 5-year PFS rates in these groups were as follows： stages I and II, 75.83% and 74.98% （P=0.814）; stage III, 74.08% and 42.25% （P=0.027）; stage IV,, 27.31% and 0% （P=0.000）. Conclusions： Clinical staging appears to be the most important prognostic factor for NPC. As the stage number increases, both the 5-year OS and PFS significantly decrease. Adding chemotherapy to radiotherapy was not advantageous for patients with stage I or II NPC, however the addition of chemotherapy to radiotherapy significantly improved OS and PFS in patients with stage IV NPC. The addition of chemotherapy improved PFS, but not OS in patients with stage III NPC.

Impact of failure mode and effects analysis-based emergency management on the effectiveness of craniocerebral injury treatment

BACKGROUND Craniocerebral injuries encompass brain injuries,skull fractures,cranial soft tissue injuries,and similar injuries.Recently,the incidence of craniocerebral injuries has increased dramatically due to the increased numbers of traffic accidents and aerial work injuries,threatening the physical and mental health of patients.AIM To investigate the impact of failure modes and effects analysis(FMEA)-based emergency management on craniocerebral injury treatment effectiveness.METHODS Eighty-four patients with craniocerebral injuries,treated at our hospital from November 2019 to March 2021,were selected and assigned,using the random number table method,to study(n=42)and control(n=42)groups.Patients in the control group received conventional management while those in the study group received FMEA theory-based emergency management,based on the control group.Pre-and post-interventions,details regarding the emergency situation;levels of inflammatory stress indicators[Interleukin-6(IL-6),C-reactive protein(CRP),and procalcitonin(PCT)];incidence of complications;prognoses;and satisfaction regarding patient care were evaluated for both groups.RESULTS For the study group,the assessed parameters[pre-hospital emergency response time(9.13±2.37 min),time to receive a consultation(2.39±0.44 min),time needed to report imaging findings(1.15±4.44 min),and test reporting time(32.19±6.23 min)]were shorter than those for the control group(12.78±4.06 min,3.58±0.71 min,33.49±5.51 min,50.41±11.45 min,respectively;P<0.05).Pre-intervention serum levels of IL-6(78.71±27.59 pg/mL),CRP(19.80±6.77 mg/L),and PCT(3.66±1.82 ng/mL)in the study group patients were not significantly different from those in the control group patients(81.31±32.11 pg/mL,21.29±8.02 mg/L,and 3.95±2.11 ng/mL respectively;P>0.05);post-intervention serum indicator levels were lower in both groups than pre-intervention levels.Further,serum levels of IL-6(17.35±5.33 pg/mL),CRP(2.27±0.56 mg/L),and PCT(0.22±0.07 ng/mL)were lower in the study group than in the control group(30.15±12.38 pg/mL,3.13±0.77 mg/L,0.38±0.12 ng/mL,respectively;P<0.05).The complication rate observed in the study group(9.52%)was lower than that in the control group(26.19%,P<0.05).The prognoses for the study group patients were better than those for the control patients(P<0.05).Patient care satisfaction was higher in the study group(95.24%)than in the control group(78.57%,P<0.05).CONCLUSION FMEA-based craniocerebral injury management effectively shortens the time spent on emergency care,reduces inflammatory stress and complication risk levels,and helps improve patient prognoses,while achieving high patient care satisfaction levels.

Analysis on the Variation Expression of Difficult-Dissolved-Proteins of Diapause Eggs After Activating by Acid Treatment

Using HCl to activate the diapause eggs is a traditional technique of artificial hatching applied in silkworm egg production. Its mechanism has not yet been clarified. This experiment explored the effect of HCl on the termination of diapause of silkworm eggs cold-stored for 45 days from the point of proteomes. Two-dimensional electrophoresis techniques and ESI- MS-MS were used to compare and analyze the variation expression of difficult-dissolved-proteins of diapause eggs coldstored for 45 days before and after acid treatment. Through analysis on the two-dimensional electrophoretogram, there were 296 dots before acid treatment and 302 after the treatment, respectively. Amongst them 265 dots were matchable. The matchability reached 88.6%. There were 31 specific protein dots before acid treatment and 37 after acid treatment, respectively. ESI-MS-MS analysis was conducted for two specific protein-rich dots which disappeared after acid treatment. The results indicated that the sequence of No. 1 protein dot had 55 amino acids＇ peptide matched with those of chorion protein （Bombyx mori）. While the sequence of No. 2 protein dot had only 15 amino acids＇ peptide matched with those of heat shock protein hsp 19.9 （Bombyx mori）, and it was presumed to be an unknown protein. The difficult-dissolvedproteins of diapause eggs have variation expression after acid treatment. Some proteins before and after acid treatment are changed in MW.

Corrosion behavior of 2A97 Al-Cu-Li alloys in different thermomechanical conditions by quasi-in-situ analysis

As a promising material in the aircraft industry,2A97 Al-Cu-Li alloy exhibits high corrosion susceptibility that may limit its application.In the present work,to illustrate the influences of precipitate and grain-stored energy on localized corrosion evolution in 2A97 Al-Cu-Li alloy,cold working and artificial aging were carried out to produce 2A97 Al-Cu-Li alloys under different thermomechanical conditions.Quasi-in-situ analysis,traditional immersion test and electrochemical measurement were then conducted to examine the corrosion behavior of 2A97 alloys.It is revealed that precipitate significantly affects Cu enrichment at corrosion fronts,which determines corrosion susceptibility of alloys,whereas grain-stored energy distribution is closely associated with localized corrosion propagation.It is also indicated that quasi-in-situ analysis exhibits a consistent corrosion evolution with traditional immersion tests,which is regarded as a proper method to explore localized corrosion mechanisms by providing local microstructural information with enhanced time and spatial resolutions.

Conjugate Heat Transfer Analysis of an Ultrasonic Molten Metal Treatment System

In piezoceramic ultrasonic devices,the piezoceramic stacks may fail permanently or function improperly if their working temperatures overstep the Curie temperature of the piezoceramic material.While the end of the horn usually serves near the melting point of the molten metal and is enclosed in an airtight chamber,so that it is difficult to experimentally measure the temperature of the transducer and its variation with time,which bring heavy difficulty to the design of the ultrasonic molten metal treatment system.To find a way out,conjugate heat transfer analysis of an ultrasonic molten metal treatment system is performed with coupled fluid and heat transfer finite element method.In modeling of the system,the RNG model and the SIMPLE algorithm are adopted for turbulence and nonlinear coupling between the momentum equation and the energy equation.Forced air cooling as well as natural air cooling is analyzed to compare the difference of temperature evolution.Numerical results show that,after about 350 s of working time,temperatures in the surface of the ceramic stacks in forced air cooling drop about 7 K compared with that in natural cooling.At 240 s,The molten metal surface emits heat radiation with a maximum rate of about 19 036 W/m2,while the heat insulation disc absorbs heat radiation at a maximum rate of about 7922 W/m2,which indicates the effectiveness of heat insulation of the asbestos pad.Transient heat transfer film coefficient and its distribution,which are difficult to be measured experimentally are also obtained through numerical simulation.At 240 s,the heat transfer film coefficient in the surface of the transducer ranges from–17.86 to 20.17 W/（m2？K）.Compared with the trial and error method based on the test,the proposed research provides a more effective way in the design and analysis of the temperature control of the molten metal treatment system.

Comparison of Pharmacological Treatment Versus Acupuncture Treatment for Migraine Without Aura——Analysis of Socio-medical Parameters

This study was carried out in 120 patients affected by migraine without aura, treated in 4 public health centers and randomly divided into acupuncture group (AG) and conventional drug therapy group (CDTG). The evaluation of clinical results was made 6 and 12 months after the beginning of treatment and was worked out as well according to socio-medical parameters. Acupuncture was applied to the following points: Touwei (ST 8), Xuanlu (GB 5), Fengchi (GB 20), Dazhui (GV 14), Lieque (LU 7), treated with the reducing method. In AG, the figure scoring the entity and frequency of migraine attacks drops from 9,823 before treatment to 1,990 6 months after and 1,590 12 months after; while in CDTG, it drops from 8,405 before treatment to 3,927 6 months after and 3,084 12 months after. In AG, the total absence from work amounted to 1,120 working days/year, with a total cost (private + social costs) of 186,677,000 Italian liras. In CDTG, the absence from work amounted to 1,404 working days/year, with a total cost of 266,614,000 Italian liras. If we consider that in Italy the patients affected by migraine without aura are around 800,000, and that acupuncture therapy is able to save 1,332,000 Italian liras on the total average cost supported for every single patient, the application of acupuncture in the treatment of migraine without aura would allow a saving of the health expenses in Italy of over 1,000 billion liras.

Improved Monitoring Protocol for Evaluating the Performance of a Sewage Treatment Works Based on Sensitivity Analysis of Mathematical Modelling

Extensive historical data of a sewage treatment works are required by numerical models in order to simulate the biological processes accurately. However, the data are recorded mostly for daily operational purpose. They are basically not comprehensive enough to meet the modelling’s requirements. A comprehensive sampling protocol to accurately characterise the influent is required in order to determine all model components, which is very time-consuming and expensive. In a project of evaluating a sewage treatment works in Chongqing by using BioWin 4.1 for mathematical modelling, sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the most critical parameters for process monitoring. It was found that influent characteristics, wasted sludge flow rate, water temperatures, DO levels of the biological tanks and five bio-kinetic parameters were the most influential parameters governing the plant performance. Therefore, apart from monitoring the effluent quality, regular checking of the afore-mentioned influential parameters can help examine the performance of a sewage treatment works. Moreover, operators of the sewage treatment works can conduct “what-if” analysis to determine how these most influential parameters can be adjusted to improve the treatment performance of the sewage treatment works.

Volumetric fluid analysis of fixed monthly anti-VEGF treatment in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration

·AIM:To evaluate visual outcomes and changes in fluid after administering monthly anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)injections to treat neovascular agerelated macular degeneration(n AMD)with subretinal fluid(SRF)and pigment epithelial detachment(PED).·METHODS:This prospective study included eyes with n AMD previously treated with as-needed anti-VEGF injections.The patients were treated with six monthly intravitreal injections of ranibizumab.Quantitative volumetric segmentation analyses of the SRF and PED were performed.The main outcome measures included best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA),and SRF and PED volumes.·RESULTS:Twenty eyes of 20 patients were included in this study.At the 6-month follow-up,BCVA and PED volume did not change significantly(P=0.110 and 0.999,respectively)but the mean SRF volume decreased from 0.53±0.82 mm3 at baseline to 0.08±0.23 mm3(P=0.002).The absorption rate of the SRF volume was negatively correlated with the duration of previous antiVEGF treatment(P=0.029).Seven of the 20 eyes(35%)showed a fluid-free macula and significant improvement in BCVA(P=0.036)by month 6.·CONCLUSION:Quantifying the SRF can precisely determine the patient’s responsiveness to anti-VEGF treatment of n AMD.

AIDS Treatments Efficiency Analysis Based on Cost Efficiency Data Envelopment Analysis Model

Three data envelopment analysis (DEA) models were used to analyse the relative efficiencies of four AIDS treatments in AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) Study 193A(1 309 patients in total, classified into 4 age groups). Results from the output-oriented BCC model show that Treatment 4 ( 600 mg of zidovudine plus 400 mg of didanosine plus 400 mg of nevirapine) is particularly efficient for age group 14—25, but not efficient for the older age groups; Treatment 1 (600 mg of zidovudine alternating monthly with 400 mg of didanosine)and Treatment 2 (600 mg of zidovudine plus 2.25 mg of zalcitabine) are efficient for the age groups 35—45 and 45— ; age group 25—35 does not have a particularly efficient treatment, but Treatments 1 and 2 are relatively good. The cost efficiency BCC model, which takes the treatment cost into account, gives similar results as the output-oriented model. Results from the indirect output-oriented BCC model, which allows the replacement among medicines, show that the efficiency of Treatment 2 has greatly decreased compared with that of the output-oriented model, and a set of optimal medicine amounts for different age groups is obtained.

Analysis of the Significance of Key Points of Patient Interventional Psychological Care and Pain Care

Interventional therapy has become increasingly popular in clinical practice due to advancements in medical technology.However,patients often experience psychological and physiological pressure due to its invasive nature.The management of patient discomfort and tension is crucial to ensure effective treatment.Psychological and pain management are essential components of interventional therapy,as they significantly impact patient recovery and prognosis.This article discussed the importance of interventional psychological and pain care for patients,starting with the development and spread of interventional therapy.The significance of providing high-quality nursing services to patients and improving their quality of life was also discussed.

Common effluent treatment plant(CETP):Reliability analysis and performance evaluation

Common effluent treatment plants(CETPs) have been installed and are in operation at numerous industrial clusters throughout India. They serve to reduce effluent treatment cost, provide better collective treatment, and reduce land cost for small-scale industrial facilities that cannot afford individual treatment plants. Optimum working conditions for treatment of effluent to be at par with discharge standards is a major mandate for any CETP. In this study, the reliability and removal efficiencies(REs) of a CETP in the industrial area of Maharashtra State in India were examined. An established methodology was adopted to determine the effectiveness of the CETP in terms of biochemical oxygen demand(BOD), chemical oxygen demand(COD), total suspended solids(TSS), and oil and grease(O&G) concentrations. The CETP's compliance with respect to design standards and its operation were studied in detail. This paper highlights the results of RE and the coefficient of determination(R2) values obtained from the CETP data, estimates the pollutants removed at the highest and lowest rates over a period of time, and highlights the reasons for problem areas along with remedial measures. It was observed that, except O&G, all the parameters(BOD, COD, and TSS)showed fluctuations in removal efficiencies and their reliabilities. This situation can be improved by releasing effluent containing hydraulic and organic loading to the CETP as per standards and optimizing treatment processes, especially primary clari-flocculators and aeration tanks, both of which are important units of any CETP.