Exploring Ester Prodrugs: A Comprehensive Review of Approaches, Applications, and Methods

The review provides an overview of the approaches, applications, and methods for ester prodrugs. Ester prodrugs are pharmacologically inactive compounds in their original form but become active drugs on biotransformation within the body, which offers advantages concerning the solubility, stability, and targeted delivery of the active drug. Several approaches of ester prodrugs have been reviewed in this review, including simple ester prodrugs, amino acid ester prodrugs, sugar ester prodrugs, lipid ester prodrugs, and polymeric ester prodrugs. This review incorporates in vitro and in vivo methods as well as the characterization of physical and chemical properties for ester prodrugs, cell culture systems, enzymatic assays, and animal models—all of these having a very important bearing on the evaluation of stability, bioavailability, and efficacy for ester prodrugs. While the benefits of using ester prodrugs are significant, there are also disadvantages like instability, poor or variable enzymatic hydrolysis, and toxicity from released promoieties or by-products. This review discusses solutions to the various limitations that include enhancing stability with ionizable promoieties and using physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling. The review also highlights the application of ester prodrugs in neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, and the ongoing efforts to address the critical limitations in treatment efficacy. Future prodrug strategies are poised to advance significantly by harnessing diverse transport mechanisms across the blood-brain barrier and integrating nanotechnology.

Regional Brand and High-quality Development of Fruits in Ethnic Areas of the Yangtze River Economic Belt under the Greater Food Approach

Establishing the Greater Food Approach and promoting the Yangtze River Economic Belt s national major regional development strategy can better support and serve the agricultural power and Chinese-style modernization.This paper introduces the characteristics of fruit industry in 16 autonomous prefectures and 47 autonomous counties under the jurisdiction of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.It studies the intellectual property resources of brand marks from the aspects of geographical indications,collective trademarks,certification trademarks,well-known trademarks in China and national design patents,and analyzes the main problems of brand and high-quality development of fruit industry in these ethnic autonomous areas.Finally,it puts forward some strategies,such as improving the protection of intellectual property rights of geographical indications,using intellectual property rights of brand signs,building modern seed industry upgrading project,drawing lessons from the experience of thousand villages demonstration project,ensuring that large-scale poverty does not occur,and building a diversified food supply system.

Squeezed Coherent States in Non-Unitary Approach and Relation to Sub- and Super-Poissonian Statistics

After developing the concept of displaced squeezed vacuum states in the non-unitary approach and establishing the connection to the unitary approach we calculate their quasiprobabilities and expectation values in general form. Then we consider the displacement of the squeezed vacuum states and calculate their photon statistics and their quasiprobabilities. The expectation values of the displaced states are related to the expectation values of the undisplaced states and are calculated for some simplest cases which are sufficient to discuss their categorization as sub-Poissonian and super-Poissonian statistics. A large set of these states do not belong to sub- or to super-Poissonian states but are also not Poissonian states. We illustrate in examples their photon distributions. This shows that the notions of sub- and of super-Poissonian statistics and their use for the definition of nonclassicality of states are problematic. In Appendix A we present the most important relations for SU (1,1) treatment of squeezing and the disentanglement of their operators. Some initial members of sequences of expectation values for squeezed vacuum states are collected in Appendix E.

Sequential Approach with Matrix Framework for Various Types of Economic Thermal Power Dispatch Problems

This paper presents a sequential approach with matrix framework for solving various kinds of economic dispatch problems. The objective of the economic dispatch problems of electrical power generation is to schedule the committed generating units output so as to meet the required load demand while satisfying the system equality and inequality constraints. This is a maiden approach developed to obtain the optimal dispatches of generating units for all possible load demands of power system in a single execution. The feasibility of the proposed method is demonstrated by solving economic load dispatch problem, combined economic and emission dispatch problem, multiarea economic dispatch problem and economic dispatch problem with multiple fuel options. The proposed methodology is tested with different scale of power systems. The generating unit operational constraints are also considered. The simulation results obtained by proposed methodology for various economic dispatch problems are compared with previous literatures in terms of solution quality. Numerical simulation results indicate an improvement in total cost saving and hence the superiority of the proposed method is also revealed for economic dispatch problems.

Exploring the Effects of Gap-Penalties in Sequence-Alignment Approach to Polymorphic Virus Detection

Antiviral software systems (AVSs) have problems in identifying polymorphic variants of viruses without explicit signatures for such variants. Alignment-based techniques from bioinformatics may provide a novel way to generate signatures from consensuses found in polymorphic variant code. We demonstrate how multiple sequence alignment supplemented with gap penalties leads to viral code signatures that generalize successfully to previously known polymorphic variants of JS. Cassandra virus and previously unknown polymorphic variants of W32.CTX/W32.Cholera and W32.Kitti viruses. The implications are that future smart AVSs may be able to generate effective signatures automatically from actual viral code by varying gap penalties to cover for both known and unknown polymorphic variants.

Physics as Final Opportunity to Prevent Harms Related to Theatricalization of Meteorology

Using Mbane Biouele formula derived in 2009 on the troposphere thermoelastic properties leads to thermal and kinematic profiles of major atmospheric disturbances which clearly indicate that these terrible events for men should not be viewed with fatalism. This unexpected truth is unfortunately always obscured by media outlets of brilliant TV presenters or famous workshops panelists that focus attention on the excessively sensational meteorology (unfortunately folk and pernicious) instead of worrying about the seriousness that should characterize all interventions on the climate study or prediction. Good weather conditions, it is undeniable, facilitate an excellent running of almost all human activities like sports, transport, agricultural activities, celebrations of events, etc.... Far more serious, the advent of supercomputers and satellites could, if their valuable information is used solely for the theatricalization of weather events, trigger the decline of the scientific discipline of great public utility that is meteorology. Indeed, many meteorologists acquire very big head when they succeed in acquiring advanced equipment. Without prejudging what meteorology will become in the future, we hope that the work done in this article will remind each researchers that much remains to be done to promote climate studies. We remind quite emphatically that both hurricanes and cyclones have their weak-points (or talon d’Achilles in French) and thus, researchers should begin to think about “how to neutralize atmospheric disturbances that have both a large and a strong destructive power”.

Validation of a Questionnaire to Diagnose the Baumann Skin Type in All Ethnicities and in Various Geographic Locations

The Baumann Skin Typing System diagnoses patients as having one of 16 skin types based on their answers to a validated questionnaire [i] known as the Baumann Skin Type Indicator [ii]. The BSTI questionnaire has been tested over the last decade on over 200,000 people of various ages and ethnicities in different geographic locations around the world. In this study, data were collected from 52,862 patients to compare skin type prevalence between those who presented to doctor’s offices and those who took the quiz without supervision online. The most common skin types varied only slightly between patients that took the quiz online and those that completed the questionnaire in their doctor’s office. This indicates that the prevalence of skin types seen in the doctor’s office is similar to that in the general population and that supervision is not necessary to get an accurate result on the BSTI. [iii] In addition, comparison of data gathered in China, Korea, and the US did not show a significant difference in skin type prevalence between Asian and Caucasian skin types. [iv] This study demonstrates that the English version of the BSTI is valid for English speaking patients online, and in doctors’ offices in the US, China and Korea.

Indication and surgical approach for reconstruction with endoprosthesis in bone-associated soft tissue sarcomas:Appropriate case management is vital

It is important for surgeons performing sarcoma surgery to know that bone resection and tumor prosthesis applications in soft tissue sarcomas(STS)have unique features in terms of indication,surgical approach and follow-up,in terms of the management of these cases.Some STS are associated with bone and major neurovascular structures.Bone-associated STS are generally relatively large and relatively deep-seated.Additionally,the tendency for metastasis is high.In some cases,the decision about which structures to resect is difficult.These cases are often accompanied by poor oncological and surgical outcomes.Management of cases should be done by a multidisciplinary team in advanced centers specialized in this field.The surgical team must have sufficient knowledge and experience in the field of limb-sparing surgery.Preoperative evaluation and especially good planning of bone and soft tissue reconstruction are vital.

An Overview of the Multi-Band and the Generalized BCS Equations-Based Approaches to Deal with Hetero-Structured Superconductors

We trace the conceptual basis of the Multi-Band Approach (MBA) and recall the reasons for its wide following for composite superconductors (SCs). Attention is then drawn to a feature that MBA ignores: the possibility that electrons in such an SC may also be bound via simultaneous exchanges of quanta with more than one ion-species—a lacuna which is addressed by the Generalized BCS Equations (GBCSEs). Based on several papers, we give a concise account of how this approach: 1) despite employing a single band, meets the criteria satisfied by MBA because a) GBCSEs are derived from a temperature-incorporated Bethe-Salpeter Equation the kernel of which is taken to be a “superpropagator” for a composite SC-each ion-species of which is distinguished by its own Debye temperature and interaction parameter and b) the band overlapping the Fermi surface is allowed to be of variable width. GBCSEs so-obtained reduce to the usual equations for the Tc and Δ of an elemental SC in the limit superpropagator → 1-phonon propagator;2) accommodates moving Cooper pairs and thereby extends the scope of the original BCS theory which restricts the Hamiltonian at the outset to terms that correspond to pairs having zero centre-of-mass momentum. One can now derive an equation for the critical current density (j0) of a composite SC at T = 0 in terms of the Debye temperatures of its ions and their interaction parameters— parameters that also determine its Tc and Δs;3) transforms the problem of optimizing j0 of a composite SC, and hence its Tc, into a problem of chemical engineering;4) provides a common canopy for most composite SCs, including those that are usually regarded as outside the purview of the BCS theory and have therefore been called “exceptional”, e.g., the heavy-fermion SCs;5) incorporates s±-wave superconductivity as an in-built feature and can therefore deal with the iron-based SCs, and 6) leads to presumably verifiable predictions for the values of some relevant parameters, e.g., the effective mass of electrons, for the SCs for which it has been employed.

Direct anterior compared to posterior approach for hip hemiarthroplasty following femoral neck fractures

The differences in complication rates between the direct anterior and posterior approaches for hemiarthroplasty in elderly patients with femoral neck fractures are not yet fully understood.Dislocation,a severe complication associated with increased mortality and often requiring additional surgery,may occur less frequently with the direct anterior approach compared to the posterior approach.Careful consideration of patient demographics is essential when planning the surgical approach.Future research in this area should focus on robust randomized controlled trials involving elderly patients recovering from femoral neck fractures.

Detecting a Regularity in the Generation and Utilization of Primes in the Multiplicative Number Theory

If Goldbach’s conjecture is true, then for each prime number p there is at least one pair of primes symmetric with respect to p and whose sum is 2p. In the multiplicative number theory, covering the positive integers with primes, during the prime factorization, may be viewed as being the outcome of a parallel system which functions properly if and only if Euler’s formula of the product of the reciprocals of the primes is true. An exact formula for the number of primes less than or equal to an arbitrary bound is given. This formula may be implemented using Wolfram’s computer package Mathematica.

Complication rates after direct anterior vs posterior approach for hip hemiarthroplasty in elderly individuals with femoral neck fractures

BACKGROUND Dislocation rates after hemiarthroplasty reportedly vary from 1%to 17%.This serious complication is associated with increased morbidity and mortality rates.Approaches to this surgery are still debated,with no consensus regarding the superiority of any single approach.AIM To compare early postoperative complications after implementing the direct anterior and posterior approaches(PL)for hip hemiarthroplasty after femoral neck fractures.METHODS This is a comparative,retrospective,single-center cohort study conducted at a university hospital.Between March 2008 and December 2018,273 patients(a total of 280 hips)underwent bipolar hemiarthroplasties(n=280)for displaced femoral neck fractures using either the PL(n=171)or the minimally invasive direct anterior approach(DAA)(n=109).The choice of approach was related to the surgeons’practices;the implant types were similar and unrelated to the approach.Dislocation rates and other complications were reviewed after a minimum followup of 6 mo.RESULTS Both treatment groups had similarly aged patients(mean age:82 years),sex ratios,patient body mass indexes,and patient comorbidities.Surgical data(surgery delay time,operative time,and blood loss volume)did not differ significantly between the groups.The 30 d mortality rate was higher in the PL group(9.9%)than in the DAA group(3.7%),but the difference was not statistically significant(P=0.052).Among the one-month survivors,a significantly higher rate of dislocation was observed in the PL group(14/154;9.1%)than in the DAA group(0/105;0%)(P=0.002).Of the 14 patients with dislocation,8 underwent revision surgery for recurrent instability(posterior group),and one of them had 2 additional procedures due to a deep infection.The rate of other complications(e.g.,perioperative and early postoperative periprosthetic fractures and infection-related complications)did not differ significantly between the groups.CONCLUSION These findings suggest that the DAA to bipolar hemiarthroplasty for patients with femoral neck fractures is associated with a lower dislocation rate(<1%)than the PL.

Wide-Area Delay-Dependent Adaptive Supervisory Control of Multi-machine Power System Based on Improve Free Weighting Matrix Approach

The paper demonstrates the possibility to enhance the damping of inter-area oscillations using Wide Area Measurement (WAM) based adaptive supervisory controller (ASC) which considers the wide-area signal transmission delays. The paper uses an LMI-based iterative nonlinear optimization algorithm to establish a method of designing state-feedback controllers for power systems with a time-varying delay. This method is based on the delay-dependent stabilization conditions obtained by the improved free weighting matrix (IFWM) approach. In the stabilization conditions, the upper bound of feedback signal’s transmission delays is taken into consideration. Combining theoriesof state feedback control and state observer, the ASC is designed and time-delay output feedback robust controller is realized for power system. The ASC uses the input information from Phase Measurement Units (PMUs) in the system and dispatches supplementary control signals to the available local controllers. The design of the ASC is explained in detail and its performance validated by time domain simulations on a New England test power system (NETPS).

Caudal approach to pure laparoscopic posterior sectionectomy under the laparoscopy-specific view

AIM:To study our novel caudal approach laparoscopic posterior-sectionectomy with parenchymal transection prior to mobilization under laparoscopy-specific view.METHODS:Points of the procedure are:(1) Patients are put in left lateral position and posterior sector is not mobilized;(2) Glissonian pedicle of the sector is encircled and clamped extra-hepatically and divided afterward during the transection;(3) Dissection of inferior vena cava(IVC) anterior wall behind the liver is started from caudal.Simultaneously,liver transection is performed to search right hepatic vein(RHV) from caudal;(4) Liver transection proceeds to the bifurcation of the vessels from caudal to cranial,exposing the surfaces of IVC and RHV.Since the remnant liver sinks down,the cutting surface is well-opend;and(5) After the completion of transection,dissection of the resected liver from retroperitoneum is easily performed using the gravity.This approach was performed for a 63 years old woman with liver metastasis close to RHV.RESULTS:RHV exposure is required for R0 resection of the lesion.Although the cutting plane is horizontal in supine position and the gravity obstructs the exposure in the small subphrenic space,the use of specific characteristics of laparoscopic hepatectomy,such as the good vision for the dorsal part of the liver and IVC and facilitated dissection using the gravity with the patient positioning,made the complete RHV exposure during the liver transection easy to perform.The operation time was 341 min and operative blood loss was 1356 mL.Her postoperative hospital stay was uneventfull and she is well without any signs of recurrences 14 mo after surgery.CONCLUSION:The new procedure is feasible and useful for the patients with tumors close to RHV and the need of the exposure of RHV.

Which approach of total hip arthroplasty is the best efficacy and least complication?

BACKGROUND Total hip arthroplasty is as an effective intervention to relieve pain and improve hip function.Approaches of the hip have been exhaustively explored about pros and cons.The efficacy and the complications of hip approaches remains inconclusive.This study conducted an umbrella review to systematically appraise previous meta-analysis(MAs)including conventional posterior approach(PA),and minimally invasive surgeries as the lateral approach(LA),direct anterior approach(DAA),2-incisions method,mini-lateral approach and the newest technique direct superior approach(DSA)or supercapsular percutaneouslyassisted total hip(SuperPath).AIM To compare the efficacy and complications of hip approaches that have been published in all MAs and randomized controlled trials(RCTs).METHODS MAs were identified from MEDLINE and Scopus from inception until 2023.RCTs were then updated from the latest MA to September 2023.This study included studies which compared hip approaches and reported at least one outcome such as Harris Hip Score(HHS),dislocation,intra-operative fracture,wound compliData were independently selected,extracted and assessed by two reviewers.Network MA and cluster rank and surface under the cumulative ranking curve(SUCRA)were estimated for treatment efficacy and safety.RESULTS Finally,twenty-eight MAs(40 RCTs),and 13 RCTs were retrieved.In total 47 RCTs were included for reanalysis.The results of corrected covered area showed high degree(13.80%).Among 47 RCTs,most of the studies were low risk of bias in part of random process and outcome reporting,while other domains were medium to high risk of bias.DAA significantly provided higher HHS at three months than PA[pooled unstandardized mean difference(USMD):3.49,95%confidence interval(CI):0.98,6.00 with SUCRA:85.9],followed by DSA/SuperPath(USMD:1.57,95%CI:-1.55,4.69 with SUCRA:57.6).All approaches had indifferent dislocation and intraoperative fracture rates.SUCRA comparing early functional outcome and composite complications(dislocation,intra-operative fracture,wound complication,and nerve injury)found DAA was the best approach followed by DSA/SuperPath.CONCLUSION DSA/SuperPath had better earlier functional outcome than PA,but still could not overcome the result of DAA.This technique might be the other preferred option with acceptable complications.

颞下经下颌入路相关骨性结构解剖及其临床意义

目的研究与颞下经下颌入路相关的骨性结构解剖,为扩大手术暴露提供解剖学参考。方法选用成人尸头10例(20侧),经模拟手术后去除软组织,显露相关骨性结构,进行观察和测量。结果颧弓是暴露中颅底和颞下窝的关键,颧弓长度和下颌关节窝宽度分别为32.9±2.6mm和15.5±1.3mm;下颌孔位于下颌升支内侧面中央略偏后上方,下颌升支的斜行截骨安全且可以获得最佳的纵向暴露;颞下窝,翼腭窝和咽旁间隙骨性结构复杂,腔隙众多且互为交通;茎突是重要的解剖标志,其根部至颈静脉孔后缘仅2.95±0.25mm。结论颞下经下颌入路暴露充分,掌握相关骨性解剖对手术治疗侧颅底区沟通性肿瘤具有重要意义。

Efficient Approach for 3D Stationary Optical Solitons in Dissipative Systems

We feature the stationary solutions of the 3D complex cubic-quintic Ginzburg-Landau equation (CGLE). Our approach is based on collective variables approach which helps to obtain a system of variational equations, giving the evolution of the light pulses parameters as a function of the propagation distance. The collective variables approach permits us to obtain, efficiently, a global mapping of the 3D stationary dissipative solitons. In addition it allows describing the influence of the parameters of the equation on the various physical parameters of the pulse and their dynamics. Thus it helps to show the impact of dispersion and nonlinear gain on the stationary dynamic.

Gastrointestinal tuberculosis:Diagnostic approaches for this uncommon pathology

A case report entitled“Primary gastroduodenal tuberculosis presenting as gastric outlet obstruction”recently published in the World Journal of Clinical Cases presented a rare cause of gastric outlet obstruction and highlighted the atypical manner in which gastrointestinal tuberculosis(TB)can present.The literature with regards to this rare pathology is limited to case reports and case series with the largest being published using data from between 2003 and 2013.However,since then the diagnostic tools available have significantly changed with more modern and increasingly accurate tests now available.This editorial reviews the current state of the art with regards to diagnosis in gastrointestinal TB.

Optimal Cooperative Secondary Control for Islanded DC Microgrids via a Fully Actuated Approach

DC-DC converter-based multi-bus DC microgrids(MGs) in series have received much attention, where the conflict between voltage recovery and current balancing has been a hot topic. The lack of models that accurately portray the electrical characteristics of actual MGs while is controller design-friendly has kept the issue active. To this end, this paper establishes a large-signal model containing the comprehensive dynamical behavior of the DC MGs based on the theory of high-order fully actuated systems, and proposes distributed optimal control based on this. The proposed secondary control method can achieve the two goals of voltage recovery and current sharing for multi-bus DC MGs. Additionally, the simple structure of the proposed approach is similar to one based on droop control, which allows this control technique to be easily implemented in a variety of modern microgrids with different configurations. In contrast to existing studies, the process of controller design in this paper is closely tied to the actual dynamics of the MGs. It is a prominent feature that enables engineers to customize the performance metrics of the system. In addition, the analysis of the stability of the closed-loop DC microgrid system, as well as the optimality and consensus of current sharing are given. Finally, a scaled-down solar and battery-based microgrid prototype with maximum power point tracking controller is developed in the laboratory to experimentally test the efficacy of the proposed control method.

Development of a DFN-based probabilistic block theory approach for bench face angle design in open pit mining

In open pit mining,uncontrolled block instabilities have serious social,economic and regulatory consequences,such as casualties,disruption of operation and increased regulation difficulties.For this reason,bench face angle,as one of the controlling parameters associated with block instabilities,should be carefully designed for sustainable mining.This study introduces a discrete fracture network(DFN)-based probabilistic block theory approach for the fast design of the bench face angle.A major advantage is the explicit incorporation of discontinuity size and spatial distribution in the procedure of key blocks testing.The proposed approach was applied to a granite mine in China.First,DFN models were generated from a multi-step modeling procedure to simulate the complex structural characteristics of pit slopes.Then,a modified key blocks searching method was applied to the slope faces modeled,and a cumulative probability of failure was obtained for each sector.Finally,a bench face angle was determined commensurate with an acceptable risk level of stability.The simulation results have shown that the number of hazardous traces exposed on the slope face can be significantly reduced when the suggested bench face angle is adopted,indicating an extremely low risk of uncontrolled block instabilities.