Preclinical in vivo research of magnesium-based implants for fracture treatment: A systematic review of animal model selection and study design

Background:Degradable magnesium implants are promising for clinical fracture treatment,providing less stress-shielding mechanical support and superior bone-strengthening benefits to traditional materials.The quality of preclinical research is essential for developing Mg implants;however,there are considerable variations in the model selection and study design in published studies,posing challenges for safe and effective clinical translation of lab discoveries.Objective:The purpose of this systematic review is to investigate the current progress on in vivo research of Mg implants for fracture treatment,focusing on model selection,Mg materials,implant design,methodological and analyzing techniques,aiming to provide comprehensive guidance for future preclinical research.Materials and methods:Pub Med and Embase online databases were searched to identify researches investigating Mg implants in animal models of fracture from 1960 to December 2019,using a combination of keywords:magnesium and fracture.Eligible studies were included without language restriction.Data extraction was conducted for qualitative analysis.Meta-analysis was not performed due to extensive heterogeneities among studies.Results:Twenty studies published from 2014 to 2019 were included.Publication information,animal model,methodological quality,implants preparation,and evaluation techniques were extracted.The methodological assessment revealed low to high risk of bias among studies.Both rodent and non-rodent species were selected,and the anatomical sites for inducing fractures included both cranial-facial and limb bones.Pure Mg and alloys with or without surface modification were evaluated,covering implant designs of both intra-medullary and extra-medullary fixation.Radiological and histological evaluations were commonly conducted.Conclusions:Published in vivo evidence confirmed the role of Mg-based implants in promoting fracture healing.However,considering heterogeneity in animal selection,implant preparation,and evaluation methods,there still lacks a standardized reference model.By analyzing the information extracted from included studies,the systematic review may facilitate planning and conducting preclinical research with translational perspective.

Curriculum Ideological and Political Teaching and Practice of Study Tour Course Design in Higher Vocational Colleges: A Case Study of Qingdao Preschool Education College

Curriculum ideology and politics are critical for colleges and universities to fulfill theirfundamental mission of fostering moral and intellectual development. Within this framework, professionalcourses serve as the primary vehicles for integrating ideological and political education. Specifically, inthe field of study tours, the Study Tour Course Design emerges as a pivotal component for actualizingthe educational objectives of such programs. To construct a robust ideological and political curriculum,it is essential to devise a comprehensive system that aligns with professional teaching standards, industrybenchmarks, and vocational skill requirements. This involves a thorough exploration of ideologicaland political elements within the curriculum, ensuring their seamless integration throughout the coursedevelopment process.

A guide to human microbiome research: study design, sample collection, and bioinformatics analysis

The purpose of this review is to provide medical researchers,especially those without a bioinformatics background,with an easy-to-understand summary of the concepts and technologies used in microbiome research.First,we define primary concepts such as microbiota,microbiome,and metagenome.Then,we discuss study design schemes,the methods of sample size calculation,and the methods for improving the reliability of research.We emphasize the importance of negative and positive controls in this section.Next,we discuss statistical analysis methods used in microbiome research,focusing on problems with multiple comparisons and ways to compare β-diversity between groups.Finally,we provide step-by-step pipelines for bioinformatics analysis.In summary,the meticulous study design is a key step to obtaining meaningful results,and appropriate statistical methods are important for accurate interpretation of microbiome data.The step-by-step pipelines provide researchers with insights into newly developed bioinformatics analysis methods.

Ambient air pollution and lung disease in China： health effects, study design approaches and future research

Ambient air pollution in China has worsened following dramatic increases in industrialization, automobile use and energy consumption. Particularly bothersome is the increase in the PM2.5 fraction of pollutants. This fraction has been associated with increasing rates of cardio-respiratory disease in China and elsewhere. Ambient pollutant levels have been described in many of China＇s cities and are comparable to previous levels in southern California. Lung cancer mortality in China has increased since the 1970s and has been higher in men and in urban areas, the exact explanation for which has not been determined. The estimation of individual risk for Chinese citizens living in areas of air pollution will require further research. Occupational cohort and casecontrol designs each have unique attributes that could make them helpful to use in this setting. Other important future research considerations include detailed exposure assessment and the possible use of biomarkers as a means to better understand and manage the threat posed by air pollution in China.

Study design of deep learning based automatic detection of cerebrovascular diseases on medical imaging: a position paper from Chinese Association of Radiologists

In recent years,with the development of artificial intelligence,especially deep learning technology,researches on automatic detection of cerebrovascular diseases on medical images have made tremendous progress and these models are gradually entering into clinical practice.However,because of the complexity and flexibility of the deep learning algorithms,these researches have great variability on model building,validation process,performance description and results interpretation.The lack of a reliable,consistent,standardized design protocol has,to a certain extent,affected the progress of clinical translation and technology development of computer aided detection systems.After reviewing a large number of literatures and extensive discussion with domestic experts,this position paper put forward recommendations of standardized design on the key steps of deep learning-based automatic image detection models for cerebrovascular diseases.With further research and application expansion,this position paper would continue to be updated and gradually extended to evaluate the generalizability and clinical application efficacy of such tools.

Chapter 5 Study design

Ⅰ Why do we need to conduct a study?·To fill in knowledge gap·To identify the good and the bad management·To find out new diagnostic methods·To prevent adverse outcome·To improve patient care FINER is the key concept when we start to think about to conduct a study.

A central analgesic mechanism of acupuncture for migraine An ongoing functional MRI study

Shaoyang acupoints are the most frequently used in migraine treatment. However, the central anal- gesic mechanism remains poorly understood. Studies have demonstrated that single stimulus of the verum acupuncture in healthy subjects can induce significant connectivity or activity changes in pain- related central networks compared with sham acupuncture. However, these findings are not indicative of the central analgesic mechanism of acupuncture at Shaoyang acupoints. Thus, we recruited 100 migraine sufferers and randomly assigned them into five groups： Shaoyang uncommon acupoint, Shaoyang common acupoint, Yangming uncommon acupoint, non-acupoint control, and blank control groups. Subjects were subjected to evaluation of curative effects and functional MRI prior to and after 10 and 20 acupuncture treatments. All subjects were diagnosed by physicians and enrolled following clinical physical examination. Subjects were observed during 1-4 weeks after inclusion. At the fifth week, the first clinical evaluation and resting functional MRI were conducted. The Shaoyang uncom- mon acupoint, Shaoyang common acupoint, Yangming uncommon acupoint, and non-acupoint control grousp then were treated with acupuncture, five times per week, 20 times in total over 4 weeks. The second and third clinical evaluations and resting functional MRI screenings were conducted following 10 and 20 acupuncture treatments. The blank control group was observed during the 5 to 8 week pe- riod, followed by clinical evaluation and resting functional MRI. The aim of this study was to examine changes in brain functional activity and central networks in subjects with migraine undergoing acu- puncture at Shaoyang uncommon acupoints. This study provides a further explanation of the central analgesic mechanism by which acupuncture at Shaoyang acupoints treats migraine,

Comment on “Outcomes of different minimally invasive surgical treatments for vertebral compression fractures: An observational study”

Recently we read the article entitled“Outcomes of different minimally invasive surgical treatments for vertebral compression fractures:An observational study”.This was an observational study that reviewed the safety and efficacy of different cement augmentation modalities for vertebral compression fractures under osteoporotic condition.Overall,this is a valuable study that can provide a reference for clinical practice.On the other hand,we also noticed some points in the article and are willing to share our views.Further studies with a higher level of evidence can add more knowledge regarding relevant concerns.

Optimization Study on a Single-cylinder Compressed Air Engine

The current research of compressed air engine（CAE） mainly focused on simulations and system integrations. However, energy efficiency and output torque of the CAE is limited, which restricts its application and popularization. In this paper, the working principles of CAE are briefly introduced. To set a foundation for the study on the optimization of the CAE, the basic mathematical model of working processes is set up. A pressure-compensated valve which can reduce the inertia force of the valve is proposed. To verify the mathematical model, the prototype with the newly designed pressure-compensated intake valve is built and the experiment is carried out, simulation and experimental results of the CAE are conducted, and pressures inside the cylinder and output torque of the CAE are obtained. Orthogonal design and grey relation analysis are utilized to optimize structural parameters. The experimental and optimized results show that, first of all, pressure inside the cylinder has the same changing tendency in both simulation curve and experimental curve. Secondly, the highest average output torque is obtained at the highest intake pressure and the lowest rotate speed. Thirdly, the optimization of the single-cylinder CAE can improve the working efficiency from an original 21.95% to 50.1%, an overall increase of 28.15%, and the average output torque increases also increases from 22.047 5 N · m to 22.439 N · m. This research designs a single-cylinder CAE with pressure-compensated intake valve, and proposes a structural parameters design method which improves the single-cylinder CAE performance.

Intermittent androgen deprivation therapy in patients with prostate cancer: Connecting the dots

Intermittent androgen deprivation therapy(IADT)is now being increasingly opted by the treating physicians and patients with prostate cancer.The most common reason driving this is the availability of an off-treatment period to the patients that provides some relief from treatment-related side-effects,and reduced treatment costs.IADT may also delay the progression to castration-resistant prostate cancer.However,the use of IADT in the setting of prostate cancer has not been strongly substantiated by data from clinical trials.Multiple factors seem to contribute towards this inadequacy of supportive data for the use of IADT in patients with prostate cancer,e.g.,population characteristics(both demographic and clinical),study design,treatment regimen,on-and off-treatment criteria,duration of active treatment,endpoints,and analysis.The present review article focuses on seven clinical trials that evaluated the efficacy of IADT vs.continuous androgen deprivation therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer.The results from these clinical trials have been discussed in light of the factors that may impact the treatment outcomes,especially the disease(tumor)burden.Based on evidence,potential candidate population for IADT has been suggested along with recommendations for the use of IADT in patients with prostate cancer.

Full-face excavation of large tunnels in difficult conditions

Following a few preliminary remarks on the tunneling methods at the beginning of the 20th century, thesuccessful applications of the full-face method also in difficult conditions are underlined. The attention isposed on the use of a systematic reinforcement of the face and of the ground, by means of fiber-glasselements. A selection of tunnels where this method was used successfully is reported with the purposeof illustrating the wide spectrum of ground conditions where it has been applied. Then, following adescription of the main concepts behind the method, the attention moves from the so-called “heavymethod”, where deformations are restrained, to the “light method”, where deformations are allowedwith the intention to decrease the stresses acting on the primary and final linings. The progress in theapplication of the “light method” is underlined, up to the development of a novel technique, which relieson the use of a yielding support composed of top head steel sets with sliding joints and specialdeformable elements inserted in the primary lining. The well-known case study of the Saint Martin LaPorte access adit, along the Lyon-Turin Base Tunnel, is described. In this tunnel, a yield-control supportsystem combined with full-face excavation has been adopted successfully in order to cope with the largedeformations experienced during face advance through the Carboniferous formation. The monitoringresults obtained during excavation are illustrated, together with the modeling studies performed whenpaying attention to the rock mass time-dependent behavior.

Research on Courtyard Landscape Sight

From the perspectives of physiology and psychology, this article not only analyzes the interrelation between landscape and sight, but also classifies and studies the courtyard landscape sight. According to the studies of courtyard sight, courtyard space and courtyard construction, how to optimize the courtyard landscape construction is to be discussed to provide references for further researches and field applications.

DESIGNING A FEASIBILITY STUDY ON THE USE OF ACUPUNCTURE FOR PHANTOM LIMB PAIN

People with diabetes are 30 times more likely to undergo amputation than the general population.A total of 3.2million people in the UK have been diagnosed with diabetes and by 2025 this number is estimated to be 5million.One potential complication post amputation is phantom limb pain(PLP),a prevalent and often chronic condition which is difficult to treat.To inform a

Pivotal Factors Concerned in Design of Acupuncture Clinical Research:From Two Articles in JAMA

Two randomized controlled trials of acupuncture concerning polycystic ovary syndrome（PCOS） and stress urinary incontinence（SUI） were published simultaneously in the 24 th issue, 2017 of The Journal of the American Medical Association（JAMA）. A trial involving PCOS indicated that active acupuncture did not increase live birth compared with sham acupuncture; meanwhile, another trial referring to SUI showed that electroacupuncture resulted in less urine leakage compared with sham electroacupuncture. With an eye to the negative and positive results of acupuncture, three pivotal factors should be contemplated：（1） proper illness for acupuncture, that is, a problem need to be solved in current medical science, and acupuncture may really work for it;（2） proper pre-studied primary outcome, which is better be objective and repeatedly measurable to reveal the therapeutic effect of acupuncture truly and objectively;（3） proper sham control, which can blind the patients to the upmost extent with minimal biological effects. Through the publication of clinical trials of acupuncture in high-impact journals in recent years, researchers should have confidence in their clinical trials by pondering over these three pivotal factors.

Design and analysis of high-risk medical device clinical trials for diabetes monitoring and treatment: a review

Class III medical devices are those devices that support or sustain human life or prevent impairment of human health but,when used,pose high risks to the patients.There were 15 class III medical devices that were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration from September 1,2005 to December 31,2018 for glucose monitoring and diabetes treatment.In this article,we reviewed the study design and statistical analysis in clinical trials that were conducted to provide evidences for safety and effectiveness of these medical devices.Two exemplars of clinical trials for"Eversense continuous glucose monitoring system"and"t:slim X2 Insulin Pump with Basal-IQ Technology"are discussed in details.

Chowing down:diet considerations in rodent models of metabolic disease

Diet plays a substantial role in the etiology, progression, and treatment of chronic disease and is best considered as a multifacetedset of modifiable input variables with pleiotropic effects on a variety of biological pathways spanning multiple organ systems. Thisbrief review discusses key issues related to the design and conduct of diet interventions in rodent models of metabolic disease andtheir implications for interpreting experiments. We also make specific recommendations to improve rodent diet studies to help betterunderstand the role of diet on metabolic physiology and thereby improve our understanding of metabolic disease.

To Be,Or Not To Be:The Calculated Politics of Acupuncture in JAMA

Ten acupuncture-related articles were published in The Journal of the American Medical Association（JAMA） between 1998 and 2017. Five studies showed positive results in terms of the effectiveness of acupuncture/Chinese medicine（CM）; five studies showed negative results. This article summarizes the acupuncturerelated clinical trials published over the last 20 years in JAMA, and addresses what seems to be a fundamental ambivalence in Western medical journals regarding the scientific validity of acupuncture/CM. As yet there has been no consensus on the role of acupuncture in healthcare in Western countries. This is hardly surprising, considering the conflicting evidence found in published studies. Skepticism regarding acupuncture/CM is largely grounded in the fact that an accurate model for assessing the true clinical effects of acupuncture has yet to be created. This article discusses some of the pitfalls which result from applying Western-based scientific principles to CM, and suggests that in many cases, ＂negative＂ studies have been misinterpreted. The clinical experience of acupuncture practitioners is often in direct conflict with many of the negative conclusions published in journals. We are in need of an accurate model for sham and placebo treatments, and must analyze all published studies for design flaws and faulty conclusions.

Experimental models of endocrine responsive breast cancer: strengths, limitations, and use

Breast cancers characterized by expression of estrogen receptor-alpha(ER;ESR1)represent approximately 70%of all new cases and comprise the largest molecular subtype of this disease.Despite this high prevalence,the number of adequate experimental models of ER+breast cancer is relatively limited.Nonetheless,these models have proved very useful in advancing understanding of how cells respond to and resist endocrine therapies,and how the ER acts as a transcription factor to regulate cell fate signaling.We discuss the primary experimental models of ER+breast cancer including 2D and 3D cultures of established cell lines,cell line-and patient-derived xenografts,and chemically induced rodent models,with a consideration of their respective general strengths and limitations.What can and cannot be learned easily from these models is also discussed,and some observations on how these models may be used more effectively are provided.Overall,despite their limitations,the panel of models currently available has enabled major advances in the field,and these models remain central to the ability to study mechanisms of therapy action and resistance and for hypothesis testing that would otherwise be intractable or unethical in human subjects.

Experimental models of endocrine responsive breast cancer: strengths, limitations, and use

Breast cancers characterized by expression of estrogen receptor-alpha(ER;ESR1)represent approximately 70%of all new cases and comprise the largest molecular subtype of this disease.Despite this high prevalence,the number of adequate experimental models of ER+breast cancer is relatively limited.Nonetheless,these models have proved very useful in advancing understanding of how cells respond to and resist endocrine therapies,and how the ER acts as a transcription factor to regulate cell fate signaling.We discuss the primary experimental models of ER+breast cancer including 2D and 3D cultures of established cell lines,cell line-and patient-derived xenografts,and chemically induced rodent models,with a consideration of their respective general strengths and limitations.What can and cannot be learned easily from these models is also discussed,and some observations on how these models may be used more effectively are provided.Overall,despite their limitations,the panel of models currently available has enabled major advances in the field,and these models remain central to the ability to study mechanisms of therapy action and resistance and for hypothesis testing that would otherwise be intractable or unethical in human subjects.

RiskVA:A Visual Analytics System for Consumer Credit Risk Analysis

Consumer credit risk analysis plays a significant role in stabilizing a bank＇s investments and in maximizing its profits. As a large financial institution, Bank of America relies on effective risk analyses to minimize the net credit loss resulting from its credit products （e.g., mortgage and credit card loans）. Due to the size and complexity of the data involved in this process, analysts are facing challenges in monitoring the data, comparing its geospatial and temporal patterns, and developing appropriate strategies based on the correlation from multiple analysis perspectives. To address these challenges, we present RiskVA, an interactive visual analytics system that is tailored to support credit risk analysis. RiskVA provides interactive data exploration and correlation, and visually facilitates depictions of market fluctuations and temporal trends for a targeted credit product. When evaluated by analysts from Bank of America, RiskVA was appreciated for its effectiveness in facilitating the bank＇s risk management.