Individualized small bowel preparation for computed tomography enterography: A prospective randomized controlled trial.

Background And Aim: The study aims to evaluate the feasibility of body mass index (BMI)-based individualized small bowel preparation for computed tomography enterography (CTE).

Methods: In this prospective randomized controlled study, patients undergoing CTE were randomly assigned to the individualized group or standardized group. Those in individualized group were given different volumes of mannitol solution based on BMI (1000 mL for patients with BMI < 18.

A stepwise strategy integrating dynamic stress CT myocardial perfusion and deep learning-based FFR in the work-up of stable coronary artery disease.

Objectives: To validate a novel stepwise strategy in which computed tomography-derived fractional flow reserve (FFR) is restricted to intermediate stenosis on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (CT-MPI) was reserved for vessels with gray zone FFR values.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study included 87 consecutive patients (age, 58 ± 10 years; 70% male) who underwent CCTA, dynamic CT-MPI, interventional coronary angiography (ICA), and fractional flow reserve (FFR) for suspected or known coronary artery disease. FFR was computed using a deep learning-based platform.

The association between obesity indicators and metabolic risk factors in type-2 diabetic patients.

Rationale And Objectives: Obesity, accumulation of adipose tissue, is a global disease that can lead to cardiovascular and metabolic complications. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between obesity indicators and metabolic risk factors in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients.

Materials And Methods: A total of 337 T2DM subjects were included in our study.

Evaluating the Impact of Intracranial Volume Correction Approaches on the Quantification of Intracranial Structures in MRI: A Systematic Analysis.

Background: In neuroscience, accurately quantifying individual brain regions in large cohorts is a challenge. Differences in intracranial structures can suggest functional differences, but they also reflect the effects of other factors. However, there is currently no standardized method for the correction of intracranial structure measurements.

Review on Progress of Lamellar Orientation Control in Directionally Solidified TiAl Alloys.

TiAl alloys have excellent high-temperature performance and are potentially used in the aerospace industry. By controlling the lamellar orientation through directional solidification (DS) technology, the plasticity and strength of TiAl alloy at room temperature and high temperatures can be effectively improved. However, various difficulties lie in ensuring the lamellar orientation is parallel to the growth direction.

Cardiac computed tomography based analysis of mitral annulus, coronary sinus and left circumflex artery in patients with mitral regurgitation: Implications for transcatheter mitral annuloplasty techniques.

Introduction: CT imaging analysis of mitral annulus (MA), coronary sinus (CS) and left circumflex artery (LCX) is critical to transcatheter mitral annuloplasty (TMA), which, however, is scantly reported. We aimed to comprehensively assess MA, CS and LCX anatomy and geometry in mitral regurgitation (MR) based on 3-D reconstruction of cardiac CT images.

Methods: Patients with primary or secondary MR and patients without MR were recruited and underwent cardiac CT examination.

The value of cardiac CT in the diagnosis of unroofed coronary sinus syndrome.

Background: Unroofed coronary sinus syndrome (UCSS) is a rare cardiovascular malformation with nonspecific clinical manifestations that easily causes misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. The aim of this study is to present the different features of UCSS by various CCT (cardiac CT) postprocessing techniques and evaluate the diagnostic advantages of CCT.

Methods: 9 UCSS patients who were diagnosed by imaging and undergone both CCT and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) were included in this study, and their CCT images were reviewed.

Neural Regulations in Tooth Development and Tooth-Periodontium Complex Homeostasis: A Literature Review.

The tooth-periodontium complex and its nerves have active reciprocal regulation during development and homeostasis. These effects are predominantly mediated by a range of molecules secreted from either the nervous system or the tooth-periodontium complex. Different strategies mimicking tooth development or physiological reparation have been applied to tooth regeneration studies, where the application of these nerve- or tooth-derived molecules has been proven effective.

Fluorine Effect for Improving Oxidation Resistance of Ti-45Al-8.5Nb Alloy at 1000 °C.

In-depth analyses of the anti-oxidation behavior and structure of γ-TiAl alloys are of great significant for their maintenance and repair in engineering applications. In this work, fluorine-treated Ti-45Al-8.5Nb alloys and fluorine-treated oxidized specimens with artificial defects were prepared by isothermal oxidation treatment at 1000 °C.

Switching Diagram of Core-Shell FePt/Fe Nanocomposites for Bit Patterned Media.

In the current work, a core-shell type exchange coupled composite structure was constructed by micromagnetic simulation with a phase FePt core and an iron shell. Four types of switching loops with magnetic domain structure evolution were demonstrated. Based on the simulation results, a switching type diagram was constructed, which displays various hysteresis loops as a function of core radius and shell thickness.

Human Resource Planning and Configuration Based on Machine Learning.

Human resources are the core resources of an enterprise, and the demand forecasting plays a vital role in the allocation and optimization of human resources. Starting from the basic concepts of human resource forecasting, this paper employs the backpropagation neural network (BPNN) and radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) to analyze human resource needs and determine the key elements of the company's human resource allocation through predictive models. With historical data as reference, the forecast value of current human resource demand is obtained through the two types of neural networks.

Airway foreign body caused by pepper inhalation 7 years previously retrieved under conscious sedation with spontaneous respiration: a case report.

A 26-year-old man who had inhaled a dried pepper 7 years previously was admitted to our hospital for repeated coughing with yellow sputum and occasional hemoptysis. A thoracic high-resolution computed tomography scan revealed a foreign body at the proximal end of the right lower bronchus. We attempted to remove the foreign body by flexible bronchoscopy, but this was unsuccessful because the foreign body fell deeper into the bronchus.

Ti-40Al-10Nb-10Cr Porous Microfiltration Membrane with Hierarchical Pore Structure for Particulate Matter Capturing from High-Temperature Flue Gas.

TiAl-based porous microfiltration membranes are expected to be the next-generation filtration materials for potential applications in high-temperature flue gas separation in corrosive environments. Unfortunately, the insufficient high-temperature oxidation resistance severely limits their industrial applications. To tackle this issue, a Ti-40Al-10Nb-10Cr porous alloy was fabricated for highly effective high-temperature flue gas purification.

Knowledge of Hyperemic Myocardial Blood Flow in Healthy Subjects Helps Identify Myocardial Ischemia in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease.

Backgrounds: Dynamic CT myocardial perfusion imaging (CT-MPI) allows absolute quantification of myocardial blood flow (MBF). Although appealing, CT-MPI has not yet been widely applied in clinical practice, partly due to our relatively limited knowledge of CT-MPI. Knowledge of distribution and variability of MBF in healthy subjects helps in recognition of physiological and pathological states of coronary artery disease (CAD).

Lattice Phase Field Model for Nanomaterials.

The lattice phase field model is developed to simulate microstructures of nanoscale materials. The grid spacing in simulation is rescaled and restricted to the lattice parameter of real materials. Two possible approaches are used to solve the phase field equations at the length scale of lattice parameter.

Refinement of Nanoporous Copper with Poly(vinyl alcohol) During Dealloying Amorphous MgCuY Precursors.

Ultrafine nanoporous copper (UNP Cu) with a characteristic pore size of about 12 nm and a ligament size of about 14 nm was fabricated from amorphous MgCuY precursor alloys after dealloying in a 0.1 M H₂SO₄ solution modified by poly(vinyly alcohol) polymers with a molecular weight of 105000 g/mol (PVA-124). The suppression of the surface diffusion from PVA-124 reduced the size of the nanopores and ligaments to 20 nm when the concentration of the added PVA-124 exceeded 0.

Friction Weldability of a High Nb Containing TiAl Alloy.

The friction weldability of Ti-45Al-8.5Nb-0.2W-0.

Ti leaching differences during acid leaching of coal gangue based on different thermal fields.

Two thermal fields, namely, microwave assistance and traditional heating, were used in this study to extract valuable Ti mineral resources from industrial solid waste (i.e., coal gangue) through acid leaching.

Medical Thoracoscopy-Assisted Argon Plasma Coagulation Combined with Electrosurgical Unit for the Treatment of Refractory Pneumothorax in Elderly Patients.

Purpose: This study aims to compare the effects and prognosis of medical thoracoscopy-assisted argon plasma coagulation (APC) combined with electrosurgical unit (ESU) surgery, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), and pleurodesis surgery, in providing appropriate treatment for elderly refractory pneumothorax patients.

Methods: Patients with refractory pneumothorax aged over 65 years were divided into three groups: APC combined with ESU (N = 20), VATS (N = 26), and pleurodesis (N = 24). Data on demographic characteristics, lung function evaluation, and short- and long-term prognoses were collected.

Asynchronous Evolution of Nanoporous Silver on Dual-Phase Ag⁻Sn Alloys by Potentiostatic Dealloying in Hydrochloric Acid Solution.

Evolution behavior of the nanoporous architectures has been investigated via potentiostatic electrochemical dealloying of dual-phase AgSn ( = 20, 30, 40 at.%) alloys, which consist of β-Sn and ε-AgSn phases with different volume fractions in 1.2 M HCl solution.

A Feasible Strategy for Fabricating Surface Porous Network in Fe-Si Ribbons.

Porous materials have always attracted extensive attention owing to their low density, tunable porosity and high surface area. Generally, porosity is introduced in amorphous materials through dealloying or electrochemical dealloying processes. In this work, an iron-based surface porous network was successfully fabricated utilizing selective electrochemical dissolution of Fe-Si alloy ribbons based on the cellular structure prepared by melt-spinning technique.

Electrolytic plasma processing-an innovative treatment for surface modification of 304 stainless steel.

There is widespread attention to surface profile and modification of 304 stainless steel for research development and application. Here, a successful electrolytic plasma processing (EPP) technique has been developed for both surface pretreatment and coating deposition of 304 stainless steel. Representative images confirm that the number of the pits increases and the ravines gradually disappear on the steel pretreated by EPP with the increase of processing time and applied voltage.

Probing the rheological properties of supported thin polystyrene films by investigating the growth dynamics of wetting ridges.

Despite its importance in the processing of nanomaterials, the rheological behavior of thin polymer films is poorly understood, partly due to the inherent measurement challenges. Herein, we have developed a facile method for investigating the rheological behavior of supported thin polymeric films by monitoring the growth of the "wetting ridge"-a microscopic protrusion on the film surface due to the capillary forces exerted by a drop of ionic liquid placed on the film surface. It was found that the growth dynamics of the wetting ridge and the behavior of polystyrene rheology are directly linked.

[Study on chemical constituents from the root of Hemerocallis citrina].

Objective: To study the chemical constituents root of Hemerocallis citrina.

Methods: The chemical constituents were extracted by microwave method and purified by silica gel column. Their structures were elucidated by their physical and chemical properties and spectral methods.