Aortic Wave Reflection Following Maximal Exercise in Healthy Young Adults

Increased magnitude and early return of aortic wave reflection decrease coronary perfusion during diastole and augment systolic blood pressure (SBP). Exaggerated SBP in responses to maximal exercise is an indicator of future cardiovascular disease. Several studies investigated aortic wave reflection in response to maximal exercise. However, most of these studies did not provide a comprehensive assessment of wave reflection, including the forward and backward components of the pressure waves. The former are generated by ventricular contraction and the latter are the function of forward waves and waves reflected from the periphery. PURPOSE: This study was to investigate aortic wave reflection in response to maximal exercise using wave separation analysis. METHODS: Twenty-eight healthy young adults (17 male, age: 28±4 yrs, body mass index: 24.0±2.6 kg/m2; mean±SD) underwent maximal graded cycle ergometry tests. Aortic wave reflection was assessed at pre-exercise and immediately after the exercise (0-5 min). Using a cuff-based SphygmoCor device (XCEL, AtCor Medical), aortic SBP, pulse pressure (PP), and augmentation pressure (AP) were derived from the aortic pressure waveforms generated from the brachial pressure waveforms. Augmentation index (AIx), expressing AP as a percentage of PP, was then calculated. Aortic pressure waveforms were separated into forward (Pf) and backward pressure waves (Pb). Reflection magnitude (RM) was calculated as Pb divided by Pf × 100%. RESULTS: After exercise, aortic SBP and PP increased (P=0.021 and P=0.016 respectively), while AP (5±4 to 4±5 mmHg, P=0.017) and AIx decreased (13.2±9.9 to 9.5±12.0%, P=0.022). Both Pf (26±4 to 34±6 mmHg, P=0.002) and Pb (13±3 to 15±2 mmHg, P=0.015) increased, but RM was decreased following exercise (49.0±7.0 to 43.6±5.9 %, P=0.036). After exercise, aortic SBP was positively associated with Pf (B=0.57, P=0.002), but not Pb, AP, AIx, and RM (P≥0.2). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that in young healthy adults, increased SBP following maximal exercise may be primarily due to increased ventricular contraction. Although the magnitude of wave reflection increases following maximal exercise, this reflected wave may arrive relatively later within a cardiac cycle, which may benefit coronary perfusion instead of causing exaggerated SBP. This study helps extend our understanding of aortic hemodynamics during maximal exercise

Challenges of industrial wastewater treatment: utilizing Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) in conjunction with artificial intelligence (AI) technology

\ua9 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.In the past, decisions on wastewater treatment methods have predominantly rested on expert opinions, utilizing the Delphi method. Yet, with an anticipated increase in diversification and customization, especially in the “small-batch and diverse” market over the next decade, addressing the formulation and execution of wastewater treatment for these non-traditional production processes will present substantial challenges. Relying solely on Delphi experts’ decision-making within a short and time-constrained production planning window is expected to prove inadequate. Predominantly relies on the authors’ over 15 years of industry experience in wastewater treatment, this perspective paper proposes an inventive solution that integrates Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs) with Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications. This approach signifies a more advanced method for industrial wastewater treatment compared to conventional methods, with the intention of garnering increased interest for future research endeavors

Outcomes and prognostic factors of simple partial cystectomy for localized bladder urothelial cell carcinoma

AbstractRadical cystectomy has remained the gold standard for recurrent superficial or muscle invasive bladder tumor. However, partial cystectomy still has a role in those who reject or have contraindications for radical cystectomy. In this study, we sought to identify predictors of bladder recurrence and overall survival after simple partial cystectomy. We included 27 patients with bladder tumor who received simple partial cystectomy without pelvic lymph node dissection between March 2000 and September 2013. Adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy was prescribed according to the pathological results. Parameters were compared on the basis of bladder recurrence and overall survival. During a mean follow-up time of 39 months, five patients (18.5%) experienced bladder recurrence. An older age, a higher pathological stage, positive surgical margins, and distant metastases were significant predictors of overall survival (p = 0.031, p = 0.001, p = 0.001, and p = 0.011, respectively). Meanwhile, previous bladder instillation and positive surgical margins were significant predictors of bladder recurrence (p = 0.026 and p = 0.027, respectively). The rate of consecutive distant metastases (33.3%) was almost twice the rate of bladder recurrence (18.5%), and six patients developed consecutive distant metastases without first experiencing bladder recurrence. In patients who received a simple partial cystectomy as an alternative treatment, previous bladder instillation and positive surgical margins were significant predictors of bladder recurrence. Patients with an older age, positive surgical margins, and consecutive distant metastases had worse overall survival. Partial cystectomy with routine lymph node dissection may be a better option for achieving favorable long-term outcomes

Adaptive weights learning in CNN feature fusion for crime scene investigation image classification

The combination of features from the convolutional layer and the fully connected layer of a convolutional neural network (CNN) provides an effective way to improve the performance of crime scene investigation (CSI) image classification. However, in existing work, as the weights in feature fusion do not change after the training phase, it may produce inaccurate image features which affect classification results. To solve this problem, this paper proposes an adaptive feature fusion method based on an auto-encoder to improve classification accuracy. The method includes the following steps: Firstly, the CNN model is trained by transfer learning. Next, the features of the convolution layer and the fully connected layer are extracted respectively. These extracted features are then passed into the auto-encoder for further learning with Softmax normalisation to obtain the adaptive weights for performing final classification. Experiments demonstrated that the proposed method achieves higher CSI image classification performance compared with fix weights feature fusion. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Challenges of industrial wastewater treatment: Utilizing Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs) in conjunction with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology

In the past, decisions on wastewater treatment methods have predominantly rested on expert opinions, utilizing the Delphi method. Yet, with an anticipated increase in diversification and customization, especially in the ‘small-batch and diverse’ market over the next decade, addressing the formulation and execution of wastewater treatment for these non-traditional production processes will present substantial challenges. Relying solely on Delphi experts’ decision-making within a short and time-constrained production planning window is expected to prove inadequate. Predominantly relies on the authors’ over 15 years of industry experience in wastewater treatment, this perspective paper proposes an inventive solution that integrates Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs) with Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications. This approach signifies a more advanced method for industrial wastewater treatment compared to conventional methods, with the intention of garnering increased interest for future research endeavors

Biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of 188Re-liposomes and their comparative therapeutic efficacy with 5-fluorouracil in C26 colonic peritoneal carcinomatosis mice

Chia-Che Tsai1, Chih-Hsien Chang1, Liang-Cheng Chen1, Ya-Jen Chang1, Keng-Li Lan2, Yu-Hsien Wu1, Chin-Wei Hsu1, I-Hsiang Liu1, Chung-Li Ho1, Wan-Chi Lee1, Hsiao-Chiang Ni1, Tsui-Jung Chang1, Gann Ting3, Te-Wei Lee11Institute of Nuclear Energy Research, Taoyuan, 2Cancer Center, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 3National Health Research Institutes, Taipei, Taiwan, ROCBackground: Nanoliposomes are designed as carriers capable of packaging drugs through passive targeting tumor sites by enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effects. In the present study the biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, micro single-photon emission computed tomography (micro-SPECT/CT) image, dosimetry, and therapeutic efficacy of 188Re-labeled nanoliposomes (188Re-liposomes) in a C26 colonic peritoneal carcinomatosis mouse model were evaluated.Methods: Colon carcinoma peritoneal metastatic BALB/c mice were intravenously administered 188Re-liposomes. Biodistribution and micro-SPECT/CT imaging were performed to determine the drug profile and targeting efficiency of 188Re-liposomes. Pharmacokinetics study was described by a noncompartmental model. The OLINDA|EXM® computer program was used for the dosimetry evaluation. For therapeutic efficacy, the survival, tumor, and ascites inhibition of mice after treatment with 188Re-liposomes and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), respectively, were evaluated and compared.Results: In biodistribution, the highest uptake of 188Re-liposomes in tumor tissues (7.91% ± 2.02% of the injected dose per gram of tissue [%ID/g]) and a high tumor to muscle ratio (25.8 ± 6.1) were observed at 24 hours after intravenous administration. The pharmacokinetics of 188Re-liposomes showed high circulation time and high bioavailability (mean residence time [MRT] = 19.2 hours, area under the curve [AUC] = 820.4%ID/g*h). Micro-SPECT/CT imaging of 188Re-liposomes showed a high uptake and targeting in ascites, liver, spleen, and tumor. The results were correlated with images from autoradiography and biodistribution data. Dosimetry study revealed that the 188Re-liposomes did not cause high absorbed doses in normal tissue but did in small tumors. Radiotherapeutics with 188Re-liposomes provided better survival time (increased by 34.6% of life span; P < 0.05), tumor and ascites inhibition (decreased by 63.4% and 83.3% at 7 days after treatment; P < 0.05) in mice compared with chemotherapeutics of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).Conclusion: The use of 188Re-liposomes for passively targeted tumor therapy had greater therapeutic effect than the currently clinically applied chemotherapeutics drug 5-FU in a colonic peritoneal carcinomatosis mouse model. This result suggests that 188Re-liposomes have potential benefit and are safe in treating peritoneal carcinomatasis of colon cancer.Keywords: biodistribution, dosimetry, 5-fluorouracil, micro-SPECT/CT, 188Re-liposome

Isolation, Characterization, and Molecular Modeling of a Rheumatoid Factor from a Hepatitis C Virus Infected Patient with Sjögren’s Syndrome

We have previously isolated several IgG rheumatoid factors (RFs) from patients with both rheumatoid arthritis and idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura using phage display system. To study IgG RFs in patients with other autoimmune diseases, phage display antibody libraries from a hepatitis C virus infected patient with Sjögren’s syndrome were constructed. After panning, a specific clone RFL11 was isolated for characterization in advance. The binding activity and specificity of RFL11 to IgG Fc fragment were comparable to those of RFs previously isolated. The analysis with existed RF-Fc complex structures indicated the homology model of RFL11 is similar to IgM RF61 complex with high binding affinity of about 6×10-8 M. This effect resulted from longer complementarity-determining region (CDR) combining key somatic mutations. In the RFL11-Fc interfaces, the CDR-H3 loop forms a finger-like structure extending into the bottom of Fc pocket and resulting in strong ion and cation-pi interactions. Moreover, a process of antigen-driven maturation was proven by somatically mutated VH residues on H2 and H3 CDR loops in the interfaces. Taken together, these results suggested that high affinity IgG RFs can be generated in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of this autoimmune disease

Testing the viability of the interacting holographic dark energy model by using combined observational constraints

Using the data coming from the new 182 Gold type Ia supernova samples, the shift parameter of the Cosmic Microwave Background given by the three-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe observations, and the baryon acoustic oscillation measurement from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, $H(z)$ and lookback time measurements, we have performed a statistical joint analysis of the interacting holographic dark energy model. Consistent parameter estimations show us that the interacting holographic dark energy model is a viable candidate to explain the observed acceleration of our universe.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in JCA