Research of control method for pneumatic control of pneumatic microchips.

A novel composite control method for actuated chamber air pressure of pneumatic microfluidic chip via a three-way electromagnetic microvalve is presented in this paper. The purpose of the control methods is to improve air pressure controlling precision for pneumatic control. By using the Bang-Bang (on-off) controller for pneumatic control, the step-response time, air pressure steady-state accuracy, and air pressure fluctuations are performed with different maximum thresholds and minimum thresholds.

Comparison and correlation study of synovial ultrasound indices and serum VEGF in rheumatoid wrist arthritis before and after treatment.

Objective: Rheumatoid wrist arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease, resulting in joint deformity and functional impairment. We aimed to compare the wrist synovial ultrasound indices and serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level in patients with RA before and after treatment, and to explore the correlation between the two.

Methods: Forty patients with RA in wrist underwent ultrasound examination to determine wrist synovial thickness, synovial blood flow grade, and synovial artery resistive index (RI) before and after treatment.