Radiomics model based on computed tomography images for prediction of radiation-induced optic neuropathy following radiotherapy of brain and head and neck tumors.

Purpose: We aimed to build a machine learning-based model to predict radiation-induced optic neuropathy in patients who had treated head and neck cancers with radiotherapy.

Materials And Methods: To measure radiation-induced optic neuropathy, the visual evoked potential values were obtained in both case and control groups and compared. Radiomics features were extracted from the area segmented which included the right and left optic nerves and chiasm.

Assessing the effectiveness of targeted educational interventions on enhancing self-efficacy and foot care practices among diabetic women in Jordan.

Background: Diabetic foot is a major public health issue, leading to increased morbidity and mortality among diabetic patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of targeted health education interventions on self-efficacy and foot care practices among diabetic women in Jordan.

Methods: A pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design was used to collect data from 76 diabetic women at a tertiary hospital in northern Jordan.

Spontaneous blinking and brain health in aging: Large-scale evaluation of blink-related oscillations across the lifespan.

Blink-related oscillations (BROs) are newly discovered neurophysiological brainwave responses associated with spontaneous blinking, and represent environmental monitoring and awareness processes as the brain evaluates new visual information appearing after eye re-opening. BRO responses have been demonstrated in healthy young adults across multiple task states and are modulated by both task and environmental factors, but little is known about this phenomenon in aging. To address this, we undertook the first large-scale evaluation of BRO responses in healthy aging using the Cambridge Centre for Aging and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN) repository, which contains magnetoencephalography (MEG) data from a large sample ( = 457) of healthy adults across a broad age range (18-88) during the performance of a simple target detection task.

Microstructure, wear, and corrosion properties of PEEK-based composite coating incorporating titania- and copper-doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles.

Poor wear- and corrosion-resistance of 316L SS implants are critical problems in orthopedic implants. This study aims to improve the wear- and corrosion-resistance of 316L SS through surface coating. In this study, a bilayer composite coating consisting of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) as the first layer, and titania (TiO)- and Cu-doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (Cu-MBGNs) were deposited as the second layer on a 316L SS electrophoretic deposition (EPD).

Reproducibility of automatic adipose tissue segmentation using proton density fat fraction images between 1.5 and 3.0 T magnetic resonance.

Background: Deep learning (DL)-based adipose tissue segmentation methods have shown great performance and efficacy for adipose tissue distribution analysis using magnetic resonance (MR) images, an important indicator of metabolic health and disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of whole-body adipose tissue distribution analysis using proton density fat fraction (PDFF) images at different MR strengths.

Methods: A total of 24 volunteers were imaged using both 1.

Evaluation of gray-matter and white-matter microstructural abnormalities in children with growth hormone deficiency: a comprehensive assessment with synthetic magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: Pediatric growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a disease resulting from the impaired growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor-1 (GH-IGF-1) axis, but the effects of GHD on children's behavior and brain microstructural structure alterations have not yet been fully clarified. We aimed to investigate the quantitative profiles of gray matter and white matter in pediatric GHD using synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: The data of 50 children with GHD and 50 typically developing (TD) children were prospectively collected.

Collective motion and its connection to the energy landscape in 2D soft crystals.

We examine the collective motion in computational models of a two-dimensional dusty plasma crystal and a charged colloidal suspension as they approach their respective melting transitions. To unambiguously identify rearrangement events in the crystal, we map the trajectory of configurations from an equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation to the corresponding sequence of configurations of local potential energy minima ("inherent structures"). This inherent structure (IS) trajectory eliminates the ambiguity that arises from localized vibrational motion.

Enhancing oocyte competence in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome: A microfluidic study on the effects of follicular fluid meiosis-activating sterol in in vitro oocyte maturation.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a microfluidic culture system supplemented with follicular fluid meiosis-activating sterol (FF-MAS) on the maturation of immature oocytes in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

Methods: A total of 438 germinal vesicle oocytes from 163 PCOS patients were included. Oocytes were divided into five groups: (1) cultured in static drops without FF-MAS, (2) cultured in static drops with FF-MAS, (3) cultured in a microfluidic device without FF-MAS, (4) cultured in a microfluidic device with FF-MAS for the first 2 h, and (5) cultured in a microfluidic device with FF-MAS for 24 h.

Novel Self-Powered Sensitive X-Ray Detection Crystal BiMoWO with Effective Functional Motif Coupling in a Quasi-2D Perovskite Structure.

The demand for medical imaging with reduced patient dosage and higher resolution is growing, driving the need for advanced X-ray detection technologies. This paper proposes a design paradigm for X-ray detection semiconductors by coupling constituent motifs through crystal structure engineering. The study introduces a strongly anisotropic Aurivillius-type quasi-2D perovskite structure, combining [BiO] groups with stereochemically active lone pair electrons (SCALPEs) and [W/MoO] anionic groups, enabling enhanced X-ray Compton scattering and self-powered capabilities through local electric field ordering.

Tuning Fluorination of Carbon Molecular Sieve Membranes with Enhanced Reverse-Selective Hydrogen Separation From Helium.

Membrane technology has been explored for separating helium from hydrogen in natural gas reservoirs, a process that remains extremely challenging due to the sub-Ångstrom size difference between H and He molecules. Reverse-selective H/He separation membranes offer multiple advantages over conventional helium-selective membranes, which, however, suffer from low H/He selectivity. To address this hurdle, a novel approach is proposed to tune the ultra-micropores of carbon molecular sieves (CMS) membranes through fluorination of the polymer precursor.

Bionic Recognition Technologies Inspired by Biological Mechanosensory Systems.

Mechanical information is a medium for perceptual interaction and health monitoring of organisms or intelligent mechanical equipment, including force, vibration, sound, and flow. Researchers are increasingly deploying mechanical information recognition technologies (MIRT) that integrate information acquisition, pre-processing, and processing functions and are expected to enable advanced applications. However, this also poses significant challenges to information acquisition performance and information processing efficiency.

The Effect of Gallic Acid on the Alleviation of the Chemotherapy-Induced Myelosuppression.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the effect of Gallic Acid (GA) on the alleviation of chemotherapy-induced bone marrow suppression, with a comparison to Diyu sheng bai tablets (DYSB) and RhG-CSF.

Methods: A mouse model of bone marrow suppression was established in BALB/c mice using intraperitoneal injections of cyclophosphamide (CTX). All procedures were performed after obtaining ethical clearance from the institutional animal ethics committee.

Automating egg damage detection for improved quality control in the food industry using deep learning.

The detection and classification of damage to eggs within the egg industry are of paramount importance for the production of healthy eggs. This study focuses on the automatic identification of cracks and surface damage in chicken eggs using deep learning algorithms. The goal is to enhance egg quality control in the food industry by accurately identifying eggs with physical damage, such as cracks, fractures, or other surface defects, which could compromise their quality.

Essential Tremor Suppression with a Novel Anti-Tremor Orthosis: A Randomized Crossover Trial.

Background: Essential tremor (ET) is characterized by action tremor of the arms, which can interfere substantially with daily activities. Pharmacotherapy may be ineffective or associated with side effects, and stereotactic surgery is invasive. Hence, new accessible treatment options are urgently needed.

Evaluation and Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of Erbium YAG Laser Along With Normal Saline vs. Its Combination With Stromal Vascular Fraction (SVF) and Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) in the Treatment of Striae Distensae: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: There is no definitive solution for the treatment of striae distensae (SD), and effectiveness of each treatment method remains controversial. We aimed to investigate and compare the efficacy of the combination of Erbium YAG (Er:YAG) laser and stromal vascular fraction (SVF), the combination of Er:YAG laser and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and Er:YAG laser plus saline in the treatment of SD.

Materials And Methods: In 12 participating patients with at least three lesions (36 lesions in total), each lesion was treated with an Er:YAG laser.

Association between stress hyperglycemia ratio and all-cause mortality in critically ill patients with sepsis: results from the MIMIC-IV database.

Background: This study aimed to explore the association between the stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR) and short- and long-term outcomes in critically ill patients with sepsis.

Methods: This retrospective observational cohort study was conducted using the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV v2.2) database.

Machine learning algorithms for predicting PTSD: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study aimed to compare and evaluate the prediction accuracy and risk of bias (ROB) of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) predictive models. We conducted a systematic review and random-effect meta-analysis summarizing predictive model development and validation studies using machine learning in diverse samples to predict PTSD. Model performances were pooled using the area under the curve (AUC) with a 95% confidence interval (CI).

Patient and public involvement in the co-design and assessment of unobtrusive sensing technologies for care at home: a user-centric design approach.

Background: There is growing interest in developing sensing solutions for remote health monitoring to support the safety and independence of older adults. To ensure these technologies are practical and relevant, people-centred design is essential. This study aims to explore the involvement of various stakeholders across different developmental stages to inform the design and assess the capabilities of unobtrusive sensing solutions being developed as part of the Advanced Care Research Centre (ACRC), Edinburgh, UK.

Adsorption adaptive response exposed to algal organic matter: correlation to the characteristics of granular activated carbon.

The release of algal organic matter (AOM) during seasonal algal blooms increases the complexity and heterogeneity of natural organic matter (NOM) in water sources, altering its hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance and posing significant challenges to conventional water treatment processes. This study aims to verify whether the (Granular activated carbon) GAC selected for the adsorption of NOM in sand filtration effluent can adapt to water quality fluctuations caused by AOM release, and identify the criteria influencing GAC adsorption performance. Results indicated that external surface area, mesopore volume, pore size and surface functional groups were key indicators of GAC adsorption performance.

Vital signs-based healthcare kiosks for screening chronic and infectious diseases: a systematic review.

Background: Increasing demands, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have presented substantial challenges to global healthcare systems, resulting in staff shortages and overcrowded emergency rooms. Health kiosks have emerged as a promising solution to improve overall efficiency and healthcare accessibility. However, although kiosks are commonly used worldwide for access to information and financial services, the health kiosk industry, valued at $800 million, accounts for just 1.

Study on the evolution law of the 'Butterfly-type' plastic zone in the surrounding rock of deep dynamic pressure roadway.

The formation and development of plastic zone in the surrounding rock is the essence of large deformation damage to the surrounding rock in deep, highly stressed roadway. The -850 m roadway of the Qujiang mine is laid flat longitudinally under the 805 working face and coal pillar, and under the influence of the mining movement of the upper working face and the pre-stressing pressure of the coal pillar, the periphery of the roadway is no longer a pure non-uniform stress field, but a non-uniform stress field with both vertical and horizontal dynamic pressure. Based on the Hoek-Brown strength criterion, the unified strength theory is modified and the nonlinear unified strength theory of rock is established by comprehensively considering the intermediate principal stress, rock properties and rock structure.

Unlocking practical wisdom through the inner voice of robots.

As Artificial Intelligence and Robotics evolve, the ethical implications of autonomous systems are becoming increasingly paramount. This article explores the role of a robot's inner speech in enhancing human phronesis - the capacity for making ethical and contextually appropriate decisions. Phronesis is a complex human trait based on experience, personality, and values, and is crucial for decisions affecting others' well-being.

The effect of consuming bread contaminated with heavy metals on cardiovascular disease and calculating its risk assessment.

Heavy metals (HMs) may cause the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which results in oxidative stress and eventually leads to an increase in cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The Hoveyzeh Cohort Study Center provided clinical data for cardiovascular cases. The collection of samples was done randomly.

Polymorphism and magnetism in a Kitaev honeycomb cobaltate KCoAsO.

We report the synthesis, crystal structure, and magnetic properties of a new Kitaev honeycomb cobaltate, KCoAsO, which crystallizes in two distinct forms: P2/c and R[Formula: see text] space groups. Magnetic measurements reveal ordering temperatures of ~ 14 K for the P2/c structure and ~ 10.5 K for the R[Formula: see text] structure.

Sustainable application of waste gangue mortar in coal mine tunnel support.

With the increase in coal mining depths, soft and fractured roadway surrounding rocks require grouting and a sprayed protective layer for maintenance. Simultaneously, extensive accumulation of coal gangue causes diverse environmental issues. To enhance on-site coal gangue utilization, this study replaced river sand and cement with coal gangue to develop a novel cement-based mortar for supporting coal mine roadways.