The doppler ultrasonographic evaluation of hemodynamic changes in hepatic vascular structures in patients with hepatosteatosis

Background: The hemodynamic changes in hepatic vascular structures of hepatosteatosis patients were examined using Doppler ultrasonography. Material/Methods: Ninety hepatosteatosis patients, classified as mild, moderate or severe, and 30 healthy volunteers were included in this 120-person study. The height, weight, liver size, blood lipids and blood liver function tests of the subjects were measured. Those values were compared in the patient and control groups. In the patient and control groups, color duplex Doppler ultrasonography was used to examine portal vein peak velocity, portal vein flow volume, hepatic artery resistive index (RI), hepatic artery pulsatility index (PI) and hepatic artery flow volume. Results: Similarly to the degree of hepatosteatosis, increases in body mass index, liver size, liver enzyme levels and blood lipid levels were statistically significant (p0.05). As the degree of hepatosteatosis increased, there was a reduction in hepatic artery flow volume, portal vein flow volume and total flow volume that was not statistically significant. In the mild hepatosteatosis group, hepatic artery RI and PI values were statistically significantly lower than in the other groups (p<0.05). In the severe hepatosteatosis group, although the hepatic artery RI and PI values were not statistically significant, there was a minimal increase compared to the other groups. Conclusions: It is believed that those results were caused by a reduction in liver compliance and hepatic vascular compliance, in addition to resistance increase in vascular structures. © Pol J Radiol, 2014

Full-scale CFD Analysis of Double-M Craft Seakeeping Performance in Regular Head Waves

This study presents the full-scale resistance and seakeeping performance of an awarded Double-M craft designed as a 15 m next-generation Emergency Response and Rescue Vessel (ERRV). For this purpose, the Double-M craft is designed by comprising the benchmark Delft 372 catamaran with an additional center and two side hulls. First, the resistance and seakeeping analyses of Delft 372 catamaran are simulated on the model scale to verify and compare the numerical setup for Fr = 0.7. Second, the seakeeping performance of the full-scale Double-M craft is examined at Fr = 0.7 in regular head waves (λ/L = 1 to 2.5) for added resistance and 2-DOF motion responses. The turbulent flow is simulated by the unsteady RANS method with the Realizable Two-Layer k-ε scheme. The calm water is represented by the flat VOF (Volume of Fluid) wave, while the incident long waves are represented by the fifth-order Stokes wave. The residual resistance of the Double-M craft is improved by 2.45% compared to that of the Delft 372 catamaran. In the case of maximum improvement (at λ/L = 1.50), the relative added resistance of the Double-M craft is 10.34% lower than the Delft 372 catamaran; moreover, the heave and pitch motion responses were 72.5% and 35.5% less, respectively

COVID-19 Treatment at a Glance

As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads across the world, the ongoing clinical trials are leading to a big race worldwide to develop a treatment that will help control the pandemic. Unfortunately, COVID-19 does not have any known effective treatment with reliable study results yet. In this pandemic, there is not a lot of time to develop a new specific agent because of the rapid spread of the disease. The process of developing a vaccine is long and requires hard work. Although the pathophysiology of the disease is not fully understood, some of the proposed treatment alternatives are based on old evidence and some have been used with the idea that they might work owing to their mechanism of action. The efficacy, reliability, and safety of the currently available treatment alternatives are therefore a matter of debate. Currently, the main therapies used in the treatment of COVID-19 are antiviral drugs and chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine. Other proposed options include tocilizumab, convalescent plasma, and steroids, but the mainstay of the treatment in intensive care units remains supportive therapies