简介:AbstractBackground and objective:Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) increases the nasal volume, and thereby it can alter the nasal resonance. The objectives were to measure the percentage of nasal resonance following FESS and compare it with healthy individuals with normal nasal findings.Methods:The nasometric analysis of voice was done using n/p/m consonant sounds in 72 individuals with healthy post FESS cavities (group 1) and 72 healthy individuals with normal nasal findings without any nasal pathology (group 2). The scores of nasal resonances were expressed in percentages and were compared between the two groups. Both in group 1 and group 2, 32 (44.4%) were females, and 40(55.6%) were males. In group 1, 51 participants had bilateral FESS cavities, and 21 had unilateral FESS cavities. Kannada was the mother tongue in 30 (41.7%) participants in group 1 and 36 (50.0%) in group 2. Malayalam was the mother tongue in 42(58.3%) participants in group 1 and 36 (50.0%) in group 2.Results:In both cases and control groups, more than 80% of the participants were showing less than 20% of nasal resonance. In group 1, the mean values of/n/p/m sounds were 11.23%, 10.23% and 11.42% respectively, and in group 2 the mean values were 8.27%, 8.58% and 8.58% respectively. But the P value was not statistically significant. Individuals with unilateral FESS cavities had more nasal resonance values compared to bilateral FESS cavities. Similarly, Kannada speaking people had more values compared to Malayam speaking individua.Conclusion:Changes in nasal resonance after FESS is minimal, and it is unnoticed. But it may affect the speech quality in professional voice users, depending on their language. Though the nasometer is considered as the most validated instrument to record nasal resonance, we feel that further standardization is needed to evaluate the nasalance.
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简介:AbstractAvian influenza remains a threat to human wellbeing. Hypochlorite derivatives are commonly used as disinfectants to prevent the spread of the disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed chlorine dioxide (ClO2) as an A1-level, safe, and efficient disinfectant. In this study, we tested the efficacy of ClO2, in aqueous solution and gas forms, against avian influenza A (H7N9) virus. The virus suspension was mixed with ClO2 aqueous solutions of various concentrations and for various time intervals. Aliquots of the mixture were then serially diluted, and the 50% tissue culture infective dose (TCID50) was measured with a hemagglutination test on MDCK cells. ClO2 gas produced from generators was introduced in a chamber containing the virus suspension in a Petri dish. The infective activity of the surviving virus was measured by the hemagglutination test. An aqueous solution of ClO2 at 126 µg/mL for 15 s was effective given that no surviving virus was detected with the hemagglutination test. ClO2 gas at >5 µL/L sustained for 1 h inactivated the virus effectively, while at 2.5 µL/L for 1 h, it only partially inactivated the virus. ClO2 as gas or aqueous solution at a certain concentration is effective in inactivating the H7N9 virus, and can be applied for the decontamination and disinfection of environments.
简介:摘要:我国社会经济在发展过程中,计算机技术得到了不断的创新,影视制作行业得到较大发展。其中,在进行影视后期制作的过程中,为了提高制作质量,需要采用After Effect软件,它在影视后期制作中有较大的应用效果。After Effect软件能够有效提升图形视频的处理质量,并且在此基础上可有效提高其制作质量,此外After Effect软件具有功能丰富、制作成本低等优点。所以,在对影视后期制作期间,制作者应对After Effect软件科学应用引起足够的重视,只有这样,才能有效提高影视后期制作质量,以此推动我国影视行业的较快发展,为提升我国影视行业在国际中的地位奠定良好的基础。
简介:AbstractObjective:The majority of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases remain undiagnosed until advanced stages of the disease. Accumulating studies have highlighted the utility of palliative care as an effective treatment option, which relieves patients’ suffering by activating placebo effect in the body. To evaluate the clinical significance of palliative care, data from NSCLC drug-randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were collected and the effects of placebo treatment examined.Methods:PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched from January 1,1978 to September 1,2020. Placebo-controlled phase II/III pharmaceutical RCTs enrolling patients with solely stage III/IV NSCLC were included. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Jadad method. Single-arm and two-arm meta-analyses of the therapeutic and adverse effects of placebo, that is, the primary and secondary outcome measures, were subsequently performed using either Bayesian or conventional models.Results:Five RCTs including 2245 drug-treated and 1510 placebo-treated patients at NSCLC stage III or IV were included for the study. Low risk of bias was observed for all five included studies using the Cochrane method. Following placebo treatment, controlled disease rate of 24.1% (95% credible interval [CrI], -0.126-0.609) and dropout rate of 2.1% (95% CrI, 0.007-0.039) were calculated, with a dose reduction rate of 3.0% (95% CrI, 0.017-0.045). Compared with active drug treatment, the placebo treatment group had a risk ratio of 0.81 (95% confidence interval, 0.68-0.97) and 0.85 (95% confidence interval, 0.76-0.96) for the achievement of progression-free survival and overall survival, respectively.Conclusion:In NSCLC drug RCTs, placebo treatment is indicated to generally induce low toxicity in patients by dropout and dose reduction rates and adverse events, although the therapeutic responses could not be precisely determined. The results suggest that under specific circumstances, palliative care which can activate placebo effect may have similar effects as active drugs (such as erlotinib, vandetanib, or pemetrexed) in terms of prolonging survival time.
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简介:AbstractN-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) is an efficacious treatment for sensorineural hearing loss in animal models, such as noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), however previous research into the effect of NAC on patients with hearing loss produced contradictory results. In this study, we investigated the effect of NAC treatment on sensorineural hearing loss. PubMed, Web of Science and Embase databases were searched in their entirety using the key words: hearing loss, NAC, N-acetylcysteine, and sensorineural hearing loss. Studies which included assessment of hearing loss with pure-tone threshold (PTA) data were selected. Eligible studies regarding the effects of NAC treatment on patients with hearing loss were collected by two independent reviewers. A total of 1197 individuals were included from seven published studies. Two studies reported data for a sudden idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss (SISNHL) group. Three studies reported data for a NIHL group. Other studies reported data for drug-induced hearing loss. The meta-analysis demonstrated that the overall effect of NAC treatment on sensorineural hearing loss was invalid. However, NAC treatment was linked with improved patient outcomes of hearing tests in cases of sudden hearing loss, but did not prevent hearing loss induced by noise or ototoxicity. However, there is a need for better-designed studies with larger samples to further prove the correlation between the effect of NAC and hearing loss.
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简介:AbstractObjective:To evaluate the effect of morphologic factors on survival rate (SR), pregnancy rate (PR), and implantation rate (IR) of human embryo vitrification following frozen embryo transfer (FET) on day 3 post-ovulation.Methods:Women undergoing FET (n = 921) with embryos cryopreserved by vitrification between 2012 and 2013 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study.Results:Embryos with >9 blastomeres yielded the highest SR of 100%. Lower SR was observed in embryos with 5 to 6 (57.5%) and 4 blastomeres (41.4%). In terms of blastomere symmetry, the SR of embryos with equally sized blastomeres was significantly higher than that of embryos with unequally sized cells (82.5% vs. 64.6%, P < 0.05). As fragmentation increased, SR decreased from 92.1% to 20.6% (P < 0.05). Significant differences were observed among groups when analyzing PR and IR according to the 3 embryonic parameters before vitrification. Embryos with 13 to 16 blastomeres yielded the highest PR (39.5%) and IR (24.1 %). The PR and IR of embryos with blastomeres of equal size were significantly higher than those with unequally sized blastomeres (36.5% vs. 21.7%, 23.7% vs. 12.4%, P < 0.05). After warming, embryos with 13 to 16 blastomeres yielded the highest PR and IR (40.9% and 24.2%, respectively). The PR and IR were observed to grow with an increase in the percentage of intact blastomeres (23.2%-38.2%, 14.2%-23.2%).Conclusions:These results show that vitrification methods do not effectively improve survival outcomes for embryos of poor quality and it is needed to develop a comprehensive vitrification protocol that considers all the practical aspects, including the current limitation regarding cleavage-stage embryos of poor quality.
简介:AbstractBackground:New insecticides with a novel mode of action such as neonicotinoids have recently been recommended for public health by WHO. Resistance monitoring of such novel insecticides requires a robust protocol to monitor the development of resistance in natural populations. In this study, we comparatively used three different solvents to assess the susceptibility of malaria vectors to neonicotinoids across Africa.Methods:Mosquitoes were collected from May to July 2021 from three agricultural settings in Cameroon (Njombe-Penja, Nkolondom, and Mangoum), the Democratic Republic of Congo (Ndjili-Brasserie), Ghana (Obuasi), and Uganda (Mayuge). Using the CDC bottle test, we compared the effect of three different solvents (ethanol, acetone, MERO) on the efficacy of neonicotinoids against Anopheles gambiae s.l. In addition, TaqMan assays were used to genotype key pyrethroid-resistant markers in An. gambiae and odds ratio based on Fisher exact test were used to evaluate potential cross-resistance between pyrethroids and clothianidin.Results:Lower mortality was observed when using absolute ethanol or acetone alone as solvent for clothianidin (11.4-51.9% mortality in Nkolondom, 31.7-48.2% in Mangoum, 34.6-56.1% in Mayuge, 39.4-45.6% in Obuasi, 83.7-89.3% in Congo and 71.1-95.9% in Njombe pendja) compared to acetone+ MERO for which 100% mortality were observed for all the populations. Similar observations were done for imidacloprid and acetamiprid. Synergist assays (PBO, DEM and DEF) with clothianidin revealed a significant increase of mortality suggesting that metabolic resistance mechanisms are contributing to the reduced susceptibility. A negative association was observed between the L1014F-kdr mutation and clothianidin resistance with a greater frequency of homozygote resistant mosquitoes among the dead than among survivors (OR= 0.5; P= 0.02). However, the I114T-GSTe2 was in contrast significantly associated with a greater ability to survive clothianidin with a higher frequency of homozygote resistant among survivors than other genotypes (OR= 2.10; P= 0.013).Conclusions:This study revealed a contrasted susceptibility pattern depending on the solvents with ethanol/acetone resulting to lower mortality, thus possibly overestimating resistance, whereas the MERO consistently showed a greater efficacy of neonicotinoids but it could prevent to detect early resistance development. Therefore, we recommend monitoring the susceptibility using both acetone alone and acetone+ MERO (4 µg/ml for clothianidin) to capture the accurate resistance profile of the mosquito populations.
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简介:摘要ObjectiveTo demonstrate the efficacy of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the ipsilesional dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on neurological recovery in patients with subacute phase stroke.MethodsPatients with supratentorial hemispheric stroke who were hospitalized for intensive rehabilitation in the subacute phase were enrolled for this retrospective analysis. Two groups of patients were selected: the rTMS group who received high-frequency (20 Hz) rTMS ≥ 5 times over the ipsilesional DLPFC, and a control group who did not receive any rTMS. The patients were further divided into groups with right- or left-side brain lesions. Functional measurements for cognitive ability, mood, speech, and activities of daily living, which were assessed at baseline and at the 1-month follow-up as a routine clinical practice, were used for analyses.ResultsAmong 270 patients with available clinical data, 133 (women, 51; age, 61.0±13.8 years) met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled for analysis. There were no differences in demographic data and functional scores at baseline between the rTMS (n=49) and control (n=84) groups. The rTMS group showed a higher gain in the mini-mental status examination (MMSE) total score and subscores of all domains, forward digit span, and FIM-cognition than the control group (P<0.05). Among the patients with left hemispheric lesions (n=57), the rTMS group showed better outcomes in cognition and depression through scores of total and " attention and concentration" subscores of MMSE, FIM-cognition, and the geriatric depression scale (P<0.05). Among the patients with right hemispheric lesions (n=76), the rTMS group showed better outcomes in cognition through the MMSE total score and subscores of " attention and concentration," " registration," and " recall," and scores of both forward and backward digit spans (P<0.05).ConclusionsHigh-frequency rTMS over the ipsilesional DLPFC has beneficial effects on the recovery of cognition on both sides as well as mood in patients with left-sided hemispheric lesions.
简介:摘要ObjectivePost-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is resistant to treatment. Recent studies have widely applied repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to treat various brain dysfunctions, such as post-stroke syndromes. Nonetheless, a protocol for PSCI has not been established. Therefore, this study is aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of our high-frequency rTMS protocol for PSCI during the chronic phase of stroke.MethodsIn this prospective study, ten patients with PSCI were enrolled and received high-frequency rTMS on the ipsilesional dorsola-teral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) for 10 sessions (5 days per week for 2 weeks). Cognitive and affective abilities were assessed at baseline and 2 and 14 weeks after rTMS initiation. To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of rTMS, the mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β,transforming growth factor beta [TGF-β], and tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α]) in peripheral blood samples were quantified using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and cognitive functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was conducted at baseline and 14 weeks in two randomly selected patients after rTMS treatment.ResultsThe scores of several cognitive evaluations, i.e., the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, auditory verbal learning test (AVLT), and complex figure copy test (CFT), were increased after completion of the rTMS session. After 3 months, these improvements were sustained, and scores on the Mini-Mental Status Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were also increased (P<0.05). While the Geriatric Depression Scale (GeDS) did not show change among all patients, those with moderate-to-severe depression showed amelioration of the score, with marginal significance. Expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was decreased immediately after the ten treatment sessions, among which, IL-1β remained at a lower level after 3 months. Furthermore, strong correlations between the decrease in IL-6 and increments in AVLT (r=0.928) and CFT (r=0.886) were found immediately after the rTMS treatment (P<0.05). Follow-up fMRI revealed significant activation in several brain regions, such as the medial frontal lobe, hippocampus, and angular area.ConclusionsHigh-frequency rTMS on the ipsilesional DLPFC may exert immediate efficacy on cognition with the anti-inflammatory response and changes in brain network in PSCI, lasting at least 3 months.
简介:AbstractBackground:The first-line treatment for lung cancer is surgical resection, and one-lung ventilation (OLV) is the most basic anesthetic management method in lung surgery. During OLV, inflammatory cytokines are released in response to the lung tissue damage and promote local and contralateral lung damage through the systemic circulation. We designed a randomized, prospective study to evaluate the effect of the urinary trypsin inhibitor (UTI) ulinastatin on the inflammatory response after video-assisted thoracic lobectomy in patients with lung cancer.Methods:Adult patients aged 19 to 70 years, who were scheduled for video-assisted thoracic lobectomy surgery to treat lung cancer between May 2020 and August 2020, were enrolled in this randomized, prospective study. UTI (300,000 units) mixed with 100 mL of normal saline in the ulinastatin group and 100 mL of normal saline in the control group was administered over 1 h after inducing anesthesia.Results:The baseline (T0) interferon-γ (IFN-γ)/interleukin-4 (IL-4) ratio was not different between the groups (6941.3 ± 2778.7 vs. 6954.3 ± 2752.4 pg/mL, respectively; P > 0.05). The IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio was significantly higher in ulinastatin group at 30 min after entering the recovery room than control group (20,148.2 ± 5054.3 vs. 6674.0 ± 2963.6, respectively; adjusted P < 0.017). Conclusion: Administering UTI attenuated the anti-inflammatory response, in terms of INF-γ expression and the IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio, after video-assisted thoracic surgery in lung cancer patients.Trial registration:Clinical Research Information Service of Korea National Institute of Health (CRIS), KCT0005533.
简介:AbstractObjective:Collected human cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) are usually inseminated after 4 to 6 hours in in vitro fertilization (IVF) laboratories. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of short-term pre-IVF incubation in culture medium on subsequent oocyte maturation, fertilization, and embryonic development, as well as clinical outcomes.Methods:Sixty patients were divided randomly into 2 groups, pre-IVF incubation for 5 hours: 1) with (+) the designed oocyte maturation medium; 2) without (-) the designed oocyte maturation medium (transferred directly to fertilization medium for 5 hours before insemination). Oocyte maturation and fertilization were assessed, and the rate of cleavage and good quality embryos were evaluated between the 2 groups on days 2 and 3, respectively. Blastocyst development was based on the remaining number of embryos on day 3, continuously cultured to day 5 after embryo transfer or frozen on day 3, and was compared between the 2 groups. Clinical pregnancy, implantation, and miscarriage rates were also compared.Results:Oocyte maturation rates did not differ between groups (85.8 ± 14.1% vs. 90.7 ± 9.1%). However, the range of oocyte maturation rates (58.3%-100.0%) for each patient was significantly higher in the (-) group than in the (+) pre-incubation group (71.4%-100.0%). There were no differences in fertilization rates (89.9 ± 10.0% vs. 86.5 ± 12.2%) and good quality embryos (70.8 ± 19.1% vs. 62.1 ± 23.7%) between groups; however, the blastocyst development rates were significantly different between groups (73.1 ± 20.1% vs. 58.8 ± 18.2%, P <0.05). Nevertheless, clinical pregnancy (62.5% vs. 61.1%) and implantation (46.9% vs. 47.2%) rates did not differ between groups.Conclusions:These results indicate that a short pre-IVF incubation time in the designed culture medium promotes oocyte maturation and embryonic development, suggesting that short pre-IVF incubation of COCs in the designed culture medium may be important for subsequent final oocyte maturation and early embryonic development.
简介:摘要ObjectiveThis research was designed to probe into the effects of fluoxetine combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the psychological emotions and the cognitive and neurological functions of acute post-stroke depression patients.MethodsThis experiment recruited 115 acute post-stroke depression patients who were treated in our hospital from February 2018 to April 2020 as the study cohort. 55 of the patients were treated with fluoxetine, and 60 were treated with fluoxetine combined with rTMS. Both groups were treated for 2 months. The self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), the self-rating depression scale (SDS), the National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS), the mini mental state scale (MMSE), the Barthel index, and the quality of life scale (SF-36) scores were observed.ResultsCompared with the control group (CG), the SAS, SDS, and NIHSS scores in the research group (RG) decreased, while the MMSE and Barthel index scores increased (P<0.05). After the treatment, the SF-36 scores in the RG were higher than they were in the CG (P<0.05).ConclusionsFluoxetine combined with rTMS can effectively improve the psychological emotions and the cognitive and neurological functions of acute post-stroke depression patients, so it is worthy of clinical promotion.
简介:摘要PurposeTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (rESWT) according to total number of pulses on hamstring muscle spasticity in children with spastic type cerebral palsy (CP).MethodsThis study is a randomized controlled trial consisting of thirteen patients with spastic CP, 9 males and 4 females, aged 5 to 14 years (mean age 9.2). Twenty-five spastic hamstring muscles were divided in four groups. Group I: 500 pulses, Group II: 1,000 pulses, Group III: 1,500 pulses, and Group IV: 2,000 pulses. Australian Spasticity Assessment Scale (ASAS) was measured at four different time points (pre-ESWT, post-ESWT, 2 weeks post-ESWT, and 4 weeks post-ESWT).ResultsAll four groups showed improvement in ASAS relative to pre-treatment, although only significant in Group III (1,500 pulses). There were no statistically significant differences in ASAS between all four groups in pre-ESWT [|2(2)=3.907, P=0.272], immediately post-ESWT [|2(2)=1.250, P=0.741], 2 weeks post-ESWT vs pre-ESWT [|2(2)=3.367, P=0.338], and 4 weeks post-ESWT vs pre-ESWT [|2(2)=1.566, P=0.667].ConclusionThe effect of rESWT on spastic hamstring in children with spastic CP is not dependent on the number of pulses.