Search

This paper presents a high-order low-pass filter for the equivalent-input-disturbance (EID) approach to improving the disturbance-rejection performance. The configuration characteristic of the presented filter clearly explains the reason why the disturbance-rejection performance is improved and provides a guideline to design it. Using the presented filter to replace the conventional filter derives a high-order EID (HEID) approach. It is easy to apply the small-gain theorem in deriving stability conditions of the HEID-based control system. Moreover, the presented filter is proved to be better than the conventional one. Finally, a comparison shows the validity and superiority of the presented method. And a simulation result shows that the HEID approach is easily extended in a multiple-input, multiple-output system even with effects of a white noise and parameter uncertainties.

Automated preprocessing methods are critically needed to process the large publicly-available EEG databases, but the optimal approach remains unknown because we lack data quality metrics to compare them. Here, we designed a simple yet robust EEG data quality metric assessing the percentage of significant channels between two experimental conditions within a 100 ms post-stimulus time range. Because of volume conduction in EEG, given no noise, most brain-evoked related potentials (ERP) should be visible on every single channel. Using three publicly available collections of EEG data, we showed that, with the exceptions of high-pass filtering and bad channel interpolation, automated data corrections had no effect on or significantly decreased the percentage of significant channels. Referencing and advanced baseline removal methods were significantly detrimental to performance. Rejecting bad data segments or trials could not compensate for the loss in statistical power. Automated Independent Component Analysis rejection of eyes and muscles failed to increase performance reliably. We compared optimized pipelines for preprocessing EEG data maximizing ERP significance using the leading open-source EEG software: EEGLAB, FieldTrip, MNE, and Brainstorm. Only one pipeline performed significantly better than high-pass filtering the data.

In this synopsis, we give an overview of recent research and propose a selection of best papers published in 2021 in the field of Clinical Information Systems (CIS).As CIS section editors, we annually apply a systematic process to retrieve articles for the IMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics. For eight years now, we use the same query to find relevant publications in the CIS field. Each year we retrieve more than 2,400 papers which we categorize in a multi-pass review to distill a preselection of up to 15 candidate papers. External reviewers and yearbook editors then assess the selected candidate papers. Based on the review results, the IMIA Yearbook editorial board chooses up to four best publications for the section at a selection meeting. To get a comprehensive overview of the content of the retrieved articles, we use text mining and term co-occurrence mapping techniques.We carried out the query in mid-January 2022 and retrieved a deduplicated result set of 2,688 articles from 1,062 different journals. This year, we nominated ten papers as candidates and finally selected two of them as the best papers in the CIS section. As in the previous years, the content analysis of the articles revealed the broad spectrum of topics covered by CIS research, but - on the other side - no real innovations or new upcoming research trends. However, the significant impact of COVID-19 on CIS research was observable also this year.The trends in CIS research, as seen in recent years, continue to be observable. The content analysis revealed nothing really new in the CIS domain. What was very visible was the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which still effects our lives and also CIS.

Aim Tenofovir and para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS) may be co-prescribed to treat patients with concomitant infections of human immunodeficiency virus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. Both drugs are known to have remarkable renal uptake transporter-mediated clearance. Owing to the lack of clinical studies on drug-drug interaction between the two drugs, we conducted a translational clinical study to investigate the effect of PAS on tenofovir pharmacokinetics. Methods Initially, we studied in vitro renal uptake transporter-mediated drug-drug interactions using stably transfected cells with human organic anion transporters (organic anion transporter 1 and 3 [OAT1 and OAT3]). Later, we estimated clinical drug interactions using static and physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling. Finally, we investigated the effects of PAS-calcium formulation (PAS-Ca) on tenofovir disoproxil fumarate pharmacokinetics in healthy male Korean subjects. Results PAS inhibited OAT1- and OAT3-mediated tenofovir uptake in vitro. The PBPK drug-drug interaction model suggested a 1.26-fold increase in tenofovir peak plasma concentration when co-administered with PAS. By contrast, an open-label, randomized, crossover clinical trial evaluating the effects of PAS-Ca on tenofovir pharmacokinetics showed significantly altered geometric mean ratio (90% confidence intervals) of maximum plasma concentration (Cmax ) and area under the curve (AUC0-inf ) by 0.33 (0.28-0.38) and 0.29 (0.26-0.33), respectively. Conclusions Our study findings suggest that the PAS-Ca formulation significantly reduced systemic exposure to tenofovir through an unexplained mechanism, which was contrary to the initial prediction. Caution should be exercised while predicting in vivo PK profiles from in vitro data, particularly when there are potential confounders such as pharmaceutical interactions.

Стаття присвячена порівняльній характеристиці різних похідних 5-аміносаліцилової кислоти. Дослідження останніх десятиліть змінили уявлення про можливості застосування аміносаліцилатів у терапії різних запальних захворювань кишечника. У зв’язку з невідомою етіологією хвороби Крона та неспецифічного виразкового коліту етіотропної терапії цих захворювань немає. Сутність лікування зводиться до гальмування активності запалення при загостреннях і проведенні курсів протирецидивної терапії. Численні дослідження, проведені протягом останніх 20 років, показали, що основу базисної терапії хронічних неспецифічних запальних захворювань кишечника становлять препарати 5-аміносаліцилової кислоти, або саліцилати. При виборі лікарської форми слід ураховувати відмінності між препаратами месалазину залежно від типу оболонки. Показано, що з точки зору фармакокінетики найбільш ефективними лікарськими формами месалазину для лікування неспецифічного виразкового коліту та хвороби Крона з ураженням товстої кишки є таблетки з кишковорозчинним покриттям, що забезпечує рН-залежне поступове вивільнення 5-аміносаліцилової кислоти на протязі усієї товстої кишки. Наявні на сьогодні на фармацевтичному ринку препарати 5-аміносаліцилової кислоти здатні контролювати перебіг виразкового коліту та хвороби Крона з ураженням товстої кишки в переважної більшості пацієнтів. Застосування препаратів 5-аміносаліцилової кислоти не обмежується терапією неспецифічного виразкового коліту та хвороби Крона. Препарат широко застосовується при інших захворюваннях кишечника, таких як дивертикулярна хвороба товстої кишки, банальні коліти, променеві ураження ободової кишки, а також для лікування такої поширеної хвороби, як синдром подразненого кишечника. Результати дослідження, що було проведено у відділенні захворювань кишечника ДУ «Інститут гастроентерології НАМН України» упродовж 2 років, показали позитивний ефект 20-денного лікування Месаколом неускладненої дивертикулярної хвороби. Месакол у дозі 1600 мг на добу призвів до повного купірування абдомінальної симптоматики у 68,7 % хворих.

In this paper, a novel form of the Gaussian filter, the Mittag–Leffler filter is presented. This new filter uses the Mittag–Leffler function in the probability-density function. Such Mittag–Leffler distribution is used in the convolution kernel of the filter. The filter has three parameters that may adjust the curve shape due to the filter-forgetting factor. Illustrative examples present the main advantages of the proposed filter compared to classical Gaussian filtering techniques, as well as real ECG-signal denoising. Some implementation notes, along with the Matlab function, are also presented.

This study presents a multi-gas analyzer based on tunable filter non-dispersive IR (TF-NDIR) sensors that operate with a wide dynamic range of wavelength and concentration. A pyroelectric sensor coupled with a microsized Fabry–Perot interferometer, namely a tunable filter, enables sensing within a narrowly selected wavelength band. Three detectors capable of tuning the bandpass wavelength with a range of 3.8–5.0 μm, 5.5–8.0 μm, and 8.0–10.5 μm are combined to encompass the entire mid-IR region. single-pass cell with an optical path length (OPL) of 5 cm and a multi-pass cell with an OPL of 10.5 m is selected to encompass a concentration range from ppmv to percent. The TF-NDIR sensors and gas cells can be reconfigured by manipulating the beam path. A homemade lock-in amplifier is used to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio 88 times greater than that of the bare signal. The performance of the gas analyzer is evaluated by measuring the SF6 and Novec-4710/CO2 mixture, which are the dielectric gas medium for a gas-insulated switch (GIS). The mixing ratio of the Novec-4710/CO2 mixture is measured within a range of 3–7% using premixes. The measurement precision is 0.72% for 0.5 s. Trace level measurements of Novec-4710, CO2, SF6, which are measurands for detecting gas leakage from the GIS, CO, and SO2 which are measurands for detecting product generated by the arc or thermal decomposition in the switching electrode, are conducted based on dynamic partial pressure adjustment using 1000 ppmv mother premixes in N2. The limit of detection is 54.7 ppmv for Novec-4710, 112.8 ppmv for CO, 118.1 ppmv for CO2, 69.5 ppmv for SO2, and 33.5 ppmv for SF6.

Infraslow activity (ISA) is a biomarker that has recently become of interest in the characterization of seizure recordings. Recent data from a small number of studies have suggested that the epileptogenic zone may be identified by the presence of ISA. Investigation of low frequency activity in clinical seizure recordings, however, has been hampered by technical limitations. EEG systems necessarily include a high-pass filter early in the measurement chain to remove large artifactual drifts that can saturate recording elements such as the amplifier. This filter, unfortunately, attenuates legitimately seizure-related low frequencies, making ISA difficult to study in clinical EEG recordings. In this study, we present a deconvolution-based digital inverse filter that allows recovery of attenuated low frequency activity in intracranial recordings of temporal lobe epilepsy patients. First, we show that the unit impulse response (UIR) of an EEG system can be characterized by differentiation of the system’s step response. As proof of method, we present several examples that show that the low frequency component of a high-pass filtered signal can be restored by deconvolution with the UIR. We then demonstrate that this method can be applied to biologically relevant signals including clinical EEG recordings obtained from seizure patients. Finally, we discuss how this method can be applied to study ISA to identify and assess the seizure onset zone.

Background & Objectives Accurate determination of antimicrobial resistance profiles is of great importance to formulate optimal regimens against multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Although para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS) has been widely used clinically, the reliable testing methods for PAS susceptibility were not established. Herein, we aimed to establish critical test concentration for PAS on the Mycobacterial Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) 960 in our laboratory settings. Methods A total of 102 clinical isolates were included in this study, including 82 wild-type and 20 resistotype isolates. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by MGIT 960. Whole-genome sequencing was used to identify the mutation patterns potentially conferring PAS resistance. Sequence alignment and structure modelling were carried out to analyze potential drug-resistant mechanism of folC mutant. Results Overall, the Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) distribution demonstrated excellent separation between wild-type and resistotype isolates. The wild-type population were all at least 1 dilution below 4 μg/ml, and the resistotype population were no lower than 4 μg/ml, indicating that 4 μg/ml was appropriate critical concentration to separate these two populations. Of 20 mutant isolates, 12 (60.0%) harbored thyA mutations, 2 (10%) had a mutation on upstream of dfrA, and the remaining isolates had folC mutations. Overall, thyA and folC mutations were scattered throughout the whole gene without any one mutation predominating. All mutations within thyA resulted in high-level resistance to PAS (MIC > 32 μg/ml); whereas the MICs of isolates with folC mutations exhibited great diversity, ranged from 4 to > 32 μg/ml, and sequence and structure analysis partially provided the possible reasons for this diversity. Conclusions We propose 4 μg/ml as tentative critical concentration for MGIT 960. The major mechanism of PAS resistance is mutations within thyA and folC in MTB isolations. The whole-gene deletion of thyA locus confers high-level resistance to PAS. The diversity of many distinct mutations scattered throughout the full-length folC gene challenges the PCR-based mutation analysis for PAS susceptibility.

In this study, the effect of non-covalent interactions on the para-aminosalicylic acid complex is explored using density functional theory (DFT) in the gas phase and the solution. Our findings exhibit that the achieved binding energies considerably change on going from the gas phase to the solution. Based on the obtained results, the absolute value of the binding energy of the complex in the polar solvents is lower than the non-polar ones while in the gas phase it is higher than the solution. The atoms in molecules (AIM) and the natural bond orbital (NBO) analyses are applied to estimate the topological properties and the charge transfer during complexation, respectively. The results indicate that the presence of the cation-π interaction increases the strength of the intramolecular hydrogen bond in the studied complex. Finally, the various electronic descriptors such as energy gap, hardness, softness, and electronic chemical potential are investigated to gain further insight into these interactions. According to the achieved results, the high energy gap of the complex in the water solvent indicates high chemical stability and low reactivity compared to the others. On the other hand, the most reactive as well as the softest complex belongs to the gas phase.

Lead (Pb) is a naturally occurring heavy metal, which can damage the brain and affect learning and memory. Sodium para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS-Na), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, can readily cross the blood-brain barrier. Our previous studies have found that PAS-Na alleviated Pb-induced hippocampal ultrastructural damage and neurodegeneration, but the mechanism has yet to be defined. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms that mediate Pb-induced apoptosis in hippocampal neurons, and the efficacy of PAS-Na in alleviating its effects. This work showed that juvenile developmental Pb exposure impaired rats cognitive ability by inducing apoptotic cell death in hippocampal neurons. Pb-induced neuronal apoptosis was accompanied by increased inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP

Treatment options for children with Rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) remain limited, and para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS) is still a relevant component of treatment regimens. Prevention of resistance to companion drugs by PAS is dose related, and at higher concentrations, PAS may exhibit significant bactericidal activity in addition to its bacteriostatic properties. The optimal dosing of PAS in children is uncertain, specifically for delayed-release granule preparations, which are the most used. A population pharmacokinetic model was developed describing PAS pharmacokinetics in children receiving routine RR-TB treatment. Model-based simulations evaluated current World Health Organization (WHO) weight-band doses against the adult pharmacokinetic target of 50 to 100 mg/liter for peak concentrations. Of 27 children included, the median (range) age and weight were 3.87 (0.58 to 13.7) years and 13.3 (7.15 to 30.5) kg, respectively; 4 (14.8%) were HIV positive. PAS followed one-compartment kinetics with first-order elimination and transit compartment absorption. The typical clearance in a 13-kg child was 9.79 liters/h. Increased PAS clearance was observed in both pharmacokinetic profiles from the only patient receiving efavirenz. No effect of renal function, sex, ethnicity, nutritional status, HIV status, antiretrovirals (lamivudine, abacavir, and lopinavir-ritonavir), or RR-TB drugs was detected. In simulations, target concentrations were achieved only using the higher WHO dose range of 300 mg/kg once daily. A transit compartment adequately describes absorption for the slow-release PAS formulation. Children should be dosed at the higher range of current WHO-recommended PAS doses and in a once-daily dose to optimize treatment.

Para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS) is an antibiotic that was largely used for the multi-therapy of tuberculosis in the twentieth century. To try to overcome the inconvenience of its low efficacy and poor tolerance, we searched for novel chemical entities able to synergize with PAS using a combination screening against growing axenic Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The screening was performed at a sub-inhibitory concentration of PAS on a library of about 100,000 small molecules. Selected hit compounds were analyzed by dose–response and further probed with an intracellular macrophage assay. Scaffolds with potential additive effect with PAS are reported, opening interesting prospects for mechanism of action studies. We also report here evidence of a yet unknown bio-activation mechanism, involving activation of pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-4-one (PP) derivatives through the Rv3087 protein.

Our objective was to evaluate the performance of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) from early positive liquid cultures for predicting Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) drug resistance. Clinical isolates were obtained from tuberculosis patients at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital (SPH). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) was performed, and WGS from early Bactec mycobacterial growth indicator tube (MGIT) 960-positive liquid cultures was performed to predict the drug resistance using the TB-Profiler informatics platform. A total of 182 clinical isolates were enrolled in this study. Using phenotypic AST as the gold standard, the overall sensitivity and specificity for WGS were, respectively, 97.1% (89.8 to 99.6%) and 90.4% (83.4 to 95.1%) for rifampin, 91.0% (82.4 to 96.3%) and 95.2% (89.1 to 98.4%) for isoniazid, 100.0% (89.4 to 100.0%) and 87.3% (80.8 to 92.1%) for ethambutol, 96.6% (88.3 to 99.6%) and 61.8% (52.6 to 70.4%) for streptomycin, 86.8% (71.9 to 95.6%) and 95.8% (91.2 to 98.5%) for moxifloxacin, 86.5% (71.2 to 91.5%) and 95.2% (90.3 to 98.0%) for ofloxacin, 100.0% (54.1 to 100.0%) and 67.6% (60.2 to 74.5%) for amikacin, 100.0% (63.1 to 100.0%) and 67.2% (59.7 to 74.2%) for kanamycin, 62.5% (24.5 to 91.5%) and 88.5% (82.8 to 92.8%) for ethionamide, 33.3% (4.3 to 77.7%) and 98.3% (95.1 to 99.7%) for para-aminosalicylic acid, and 0.0% (0.0 to 12.3%) and 100.0% (97.6 to 100.0%) for cycloserine. The concordances of WGS-based AST and phenotypic AST were as follows: rifampin (92.9%), isoniazid (93.4%), ethambutol (89.6%), streptomycin (73.1%), moxifloxacin (94.0%), ofloxacin (93.4%), amikacin (68.7%), kanamycin (68.7%), ethionamide (87.4%), para-aminosalicylic acid (96.2%) and cycloserine (84.6%). We conclude that WGS could be a promising approach to predict MTBC resistance from early positive liquid cultures.

In this work we present the synthesis and characterization of six new ruthenium compounds with general formulae [Ru(L)(dppb)(bipy)]PF

Despite several recent advances in therapy in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) therapy has retained its place especially in ulcerative colitis. This consensus on 5-ASA is obtained through a modified Delphi process, and includes guiding statements and recommendations based on literature evidence (randomized trials, and observational stud ies), clinical practice, and expert opinion on use of 5-ASA in IBD by Indian gastroenterologists. The aim is to aid practitioners in selecting appropriate treatment strategies and facilitate optimal use of 5-ASA in patients with IBD. (Intest Res 2020;18:355-378)

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has increased in incidence and prevalence in Asian countries since the end of the 20th century. Moreover, differences in the cause, phenotypes, and natural history of IBD between the East and West have been recognized. Therefore, the Asian Organization for Crohn's and Colitis and the Asia Pacific Association of Gastroenterology have established recommendations on medical management of IBD in Asia. Initially, the committee members drafted 40 recommendations, which were then assessed according to Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation. Eight statements were rejected as this indicated that consensus had not been reached. The recommendations encompass pretreatment evaluation; medical management of active IBD; medical management of IBD in remission; management of IBD during the periconception period and pregnancy; surveillance strategies for colitis-associated cancer; monitoring side effects of thiopurines and methotrexate; and infections in IBD.

Current machine learning classifiers have successfully been applied to whole-genome sequencing data to identify genetic determinants of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), but they lack causal interpretation. Here we present a metabolic model-based machine learning classifier, named Metabolic Allele Classifier (MAC), that uses flux balance analysis to estimate the biochemical effects of alleles. We apply the MAC to a dataset of 1595 drug-tested Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains and show that MACs predict AMR phenotypes with accuracy on par with mechanism-agnostic machine learning models (isoniazid AUC = 0.93) while enabling a biochemical interpretation of the genotype-phenotype map. Interpretation of MACs for three antibiotics (pyrazinamide, para-aminosalicylic acid, and isoniazid) recapitulates known AMR mechanisms and suggest a biochemical basis for how the identified alleles cause AMR. Extending flux balance analysis to identify accurate sequence classifiers thus contributes mechanistic insights to GWAS, a field thus far dominated by mechanism-agnostic results., Current machine learning classifiers have been applied to whole-genome sequencing data to identify determinants of antimicrobial resistance, but they lack interpretability. Here the authors present a metabolic machine learning classifier that uses flux balance analysis to estimate the biochemical effects of alleles.

5-Aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) is used as first line therapy for symptom remission and maintenance of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Because 5-ASA is well absorbed from the small intestine when orally administered, several 5-ASA formulations for selective delivery to the colon have been developed and used in clinical practice. However, its delivery efficiency to local inflamed colonic sites remains low. Intestinal H+-coupled oligopeptide transporter 1 (PEPT1) expression in the colon is low, whereas its expression is induced in the colon under chronic inflammation conditions, such as IBD. Therefore, we considered that PEPT1 would be a target transporter to improve 5-ASA delivery efficiency to local colonic lesions. We evaluated the transport characteristics of dipeptide-like 5-ASA derivatives, which were coupling glycine (Gly), lysine, glutamic acid (Glu), valine (Val) and tyrosine to amino or carboxyl group of 5-ASA, in Caco-2 cells. [3H]Glycylsarcosine (Gly-Sar) uptake into Caco-2 cells was inhibited by all 5-ASA derivatives. In addition, 5-ASA derivatives (Gly-ASA, Glu-ASA and Val-ASA), which were coupled by glycine, glutamic acid and valine to amino group of 5-ASA, were taken up in a pH- and concentration-dependent manner and their uptake was inhibited by excess Gly-Sar. Two-electrode voltage-clamp experiment using human PEPT1 expressing Xenopus oocytes showed that Gly-ASA, Glu-ASA and Val-ASA induced marked currents at pH 6.0. Taken together, these results showed that these 5-ASA derivatives are transportable substrates for PEPT1.

The article discusses the possible relationships between intestinal microbiota and the therapeutic efficacy of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) in inflammatory bowel diseases. Intestinal microbiota may be involved in 5-ASA enzymatic biotransformation, but the metabolism of drugs by the intestinal microbiota has been studied in less detail, and little is known about the relationships between anti-inflammatory efficacy of 5-ASA with bacterial viability, quantity and activity. It remains unclear whether 5-ASA affects the microbiota depending on the different segments of gastrointestinal tract. Drugs and diet can both improve and worsen the composition of the intestinal microbiota. However, it is not known whether drugs affect the intestinal microbiota regardless of diet. Further research is needed to answer these questions.