Machine-learning methodologies to predict disease progression in chronic hepatitis B in Africa.

Background: Little is known about the determinants of disease progression among African patients with chronic HBV infection.

Methods: We used machine-learning models with longitudinal data to establish predictive algorithms in a well-characterized cohort of Ethiopian HBV-infected patients without baseline liver fibrosis. Disease progression was defined as an increase in liver stiffness to >7.

Impact of Prolonged Cycle Length Resulting From Conversion of Atrial Fibrillation to Atrial Tachycardia on Ablation Outcome in Persistent Atrial Fibrillation Ablation.

There is limited available data regarding the impact of cycle length (CL) prolongation when converting atrial fibrillation (AF) to organized atrial tachycardia (AT) and its effect on clinical outcomes. We retrospectively screened and included a cohort of 132 patients with persistent or long-standing persistent AF who underwent circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (CPVI) and left atrial substrate modification (LASM) between January 2015 and October 2019. In all 132 consecutive patients, persistent AF was successfully converted into organized AT.

Atrial Fibrillation Termination as a Predictor for Persistent Atrial Fibrillation Ablation: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies.

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to validate the predictive role of atrial fibrillation (AF) termination in long-term arrhythmia recurrence. Our search encompassed databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library up to August 1, 2021. Three independent reviewers conducted screening and data extraction.

Simulation and Experimental Study on Wear of U-Shaped Rings of Power Connection Fittings under Strong Wind Environment.

The objective of this study was to investigate the wear characteristics of the U-shaped rings of power connection fittings, and to construct a wear failure prediction model of U-shaped rings in strong wind environments. First, the wear evolution and failure mechanism of U-shaped rings with different wear loads were studied by using a swinging wear tester. Then, based on the Archard wear model, the U-shaped ring wear was dynamically simulated in ABAQUS, via the Umeshmotion subroutine.