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Particle accelerators are extremely complex systems that are expected to operate on high availability. Predicting impending failures only by utilizing data collected from diagnostic equipment already on board can help operators to avoid installing expensive sensors, unscheduled downtime and associated costs. For this purpose we explore the predictive power of Machine Learning algorithms to detect faulty beams prior to the failure. In this study, we propose a Machine Learning approach to model mapping from a pair of sensors located across the accelerator. While the model is trained to represent normal operation, we evaluate the predictive performance on known faulty beam pulses. We also investigate the model performance on unseen data through k-fold cross-validation. Then we recap the analysis with a neural architecture search and hyperparameter optimization study to fine tune our initial model. This paper will also introduce a sustainable framework that can standardize Machine Learning workflow applied to particle accelerators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point-of-care (POC) glucometry is commonly used in horses; however, measurement error with this method when analysing hypoglycaemic samples (<4 mmol/L) is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the precision and accuracy of glucometry in hypoglycaemic horses in comparison to a laboratory method of glucose measurement (LAB). Repeatability coefficients were 0.47 mmol/L for POC and 0.09 mmol/L for LAB, and coefficients of variation were 10 % and 2.11 %, for the POC and LAB methods, respectively. Systemic bias with the POC method was present, with a mean bias of −0.26 mmol/L (95 % limits of agreement: −0.88 – 0.37) in comparison to LAB, and <70% of measurements were within 20 % of paired LAB results. Prior to use of glucometers, assessment of the diagnostic performance of the equipment is necessary, including determination of acceptable criteria and reference ranges for hypoglycaemic samples. • Glucose concentration influenced glucometer measurement error. • Systematic bias during hypoglycaemia resulted in glucometer inaccuracy. • Determination of glucometer reference ranges for hypoglycaemic samples is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early detection of mild cognitive impairment is crucial in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aims to explore the changes in gait and brain co-functional connectivity between cognitively healthy and cognitively impaired groups under dual-task walking through the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and gait analysis devices. Method: This study used fNIRS device and gait analysis devices to collect the data of 54 older adults. According to the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scales, the older adults were cognitively healthy (control group) and cognitively impaired (experimental group), of which 38 were in the control group and 16 were in the experimental group. The experiment was divided into a total of three sets of task experiments: a walking-only experiment, a dual-task walking-easy (DTW-easy) experiment, and a dual-task walking-difficult (DTW-difficult) experiment. Main Result: For the cognitively impaired and cognitively healthy populations, there were no significant differences in overall functional connectivity, region of interest (ROI) connection strength, and gait performance during single-task walking between the two groups.Whereas the performances of DTW differed significantly from the single-task walking in terms of between-group variability of functional connectivity strength change values, and ROI connection strength change values in relation to the dual-task cost of gait. Finally, the cognitively impaired group was significantly more affected by DTW-difficult tasks than the cognitively healthy group. Conclusion: This study provides a new approach to assist in the diagnosis of people with cognitive impairment and provides a new research pathway for the identification of cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry eye disease (DED) has a higher prevalence than many important systemic disorders like cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus, representing a significant quality of life burden for the affected patients. It is a common reason for consultation in general eye clinics worldwide. Nowadays, the diagnostic and therapeutic approach at the high corneal and ocular surface specialty level should be reserved for cases of severe and chronic dry eye disease associated with systemic autoimmune diseases or complicated corneal and ocular surface pathologies. In such cases, the diagnostic and therapeutic approach is often complex, elaborate, time-consuming, and costly due to the use of extensive dry eye questionnaires, noninvasive electronic diagnostic equipment, and clinical laboratory and ancillary tests. However, other eye care specialists attend a fair amount of DED cases; therefore, its diagnosis, classification, and management should be simple, practical, achievable, and effective. Considering that many patients attending non-specialized dry eye clinics would benefit from better ophthalmological attention, we decided to elaborate a practical DED classification system based on disease severity to help clinicians discriminate cases needing referral to subspecialty clinics from those they could attend. Additionally, we propose a systematic management approach and general management considerations to improve patients' therapeutic outcomes according to disease severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

About 15% of the global population-more than 1 billion people-have a disability. People with early-onset disability are now living into middle and older ages and are therefore at risk for adult cancer. Overall, disabled people are more disadvantaged in social determinants of health and are more likely to have risk factors associated with cancer than people without disabilities. People with disabilities often experience disparities in breast and cervical cancer screening compared with people who do not have disabilities, and patterns in colorectal cancer screening disparities are inconsistent. The minimal evidence that exists relating to the timeliness of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for people with disabilities suggests differential treatment and higher cancer-related mortality than for people without disabilities. Worldwide, disabled people face barriers to obtaining cancer care, including inaccessible medical diagnostic equipment, ineffective communication accommodations, and potentially biased attitudes among clinicians. Ensuring equitable cancer care for people with disabilities will therefore require eliminating not only physical but also attitude-based barriers to their care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death, with 80% of the total death occurring in low‐ to middle‐income countries (LMICs). Nepal is one of the LMIC; COPD is a highly prevalent and significant public health issue often underdiagnosed. Medical physicians' good knowledge and practice to diagnose and treat COPD can help reduce the disease burden. Objectives: To determine the level of knowledge, practice and factors influencing the practice of physicians regarding COPD management based on GOLD guidelines. Design A cross‐sectional descriptive study using a structured questionnaire was conducted among medical physicians working in Bagmati and Gandaki province of Nepal. Out of total scores, physicians knowledge and practice were graded according to Bloom's original cut‐off point for good (≥80%), satisfactory (60%–78%) and poor (<60%). Result: A total of 152 medical physicians participated in this study. Out of the possible total score 20, the mean score on knowledge was 17.8 ± 2.4, and out of possible total score eight, the mean score on practice was 5.3 ± 1.3. The correlation test between total knowledge and practice scores showed r = 0.18 and p value <0.02. The most selected factors hindering the appropriate management of COPD was lack of patient follow up and lack of professional training in COPD. Other factors included patient unwillingness to discuss smoking quit plan, lack of screening tool, unavailability of spirometry and physician unawareness of available medicine to treat COPD. Conclusion: Despite physicians having good knowledge in COPD, the practice in COPD management is below guideline‐recommended. There is a significant, very low positive correlation between total knowledge score and practice score. Proper COPD training to physicians, disease awareness among patients, easy availability of diagnostic equipment and medication can help improve physicians' practice and appropriately manage COPD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Recent protocols for posturographic assessment of postural control and balance have included head shake test conditions to challenge the vestibular contributions of postural control in an effort to increase the diagnostic accuracy of identifying individuals with impaired balance. However, evidence is limited regarding the test-retest reliability of such assessment protocols. Purpose. The purpose of this study was twofold: to determine the test-retest reliability of postural control assessment on the Biodex Biosway™, an accessible and field expedient tool for posturographic assessment, and to determine the test-retest reliability of the Head Shake Sensory Interaction and Balance Test (HS-SIB), an adaptation of the modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction and Balance (mCTSIB) which adds two head shake conditions to challenge the vestibular contributions to postural control. Study Design. This was a correlational time series cohort study completed in a biomechanics laboratory. Methods. The sample consisted of nineteen healthy adults (10 females, 9 males). Sway Index, Equilibrium Score, and the area of the ellipse enclosing 95% of the anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) center of gravity (COG) displacement (AREA95) are the 3 summary variables. Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) and Minimum Detectable Change (MDC) are also reported. Results. Test-retest reliability was generally poor with limited exceptions. Moderate to good reliability was observed for the more challenging stance conditions (ICC range 0.58-0.81), including those with head shake. Conclusions. Field-expedient systems, such as the Biodex BioSway™, may offer reliable posturographic testing where gold-standard methods are not available. Clinicians should be aware that less demanding test conditions have limited reliability; however, test-retest reliability of this assessment tool is improved with more challenged stance conditions and the inclusion of a head shake task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to Assess the Benefits of Coordination in Managing Hospital Resources In providing patient care, hospitals rely on multiple types of resources, such as operating rooms, recovery beds, labs, and diagnostic equipment, that are often controlled and managed as separate entities and by different decision makers. In "Surgical Case-Mix and Discharge Decisions: Does Within-Hospital Coordination Matter?" Hessam Bavafa, Lerzan Örmeci, Sergei Savin, and Vanitha Virudachalam focus on the interaction between "front-end" resources, such as operating rooms, and "backroom" resources, such as recovery beds, and compare hospital profitability under the fully coordinated, optimal approach to hospital resource management and under alternative decentralized approaches often encountered in practice. The paper identifies settings in which the benefits of coordination are likely to be high as well as settings in which those benefits are at best moderate. In a given hospital, only hospital managers are in a position to estimate with any degree of certainty potential costs of coordinated management of hospital resources, and the paper's analysis of the benefits of coordination empowers hospital managers to make informed decisions on the desirability of replacing the often decentralized "status quo" by centralized resource management. We study the problem faced by a profit-maximizing, resource-constrained hospital that controls patient inflows by designing a case-mix of its elective procedures and patient outflows via patient discharges. At the center of our analysis is the model that evaluates hospital profit for any combination of elective portfolio and patient discharge policies. Our model analyzes the impact of patient flow management decisions on the utilization of two main classes of hospital resources: "front end" (e.g., operating rooms) and "backroom" (e.g., recovery beds). We introduce a new approach for modeling the patient recovery process and use it to characterize the relationship between patient length of stay and probability of readmission. Using this modeling approach, we develop a two-moment approximation for the utilization of front-end and backroom resources. We focus on assessing the benefits associated with the hospital employing a coordinated decision-making process in which both portfolio and discharge decisions are made in tandem. Specifically, we compare the hospital's profits in the coordinated setting to those under two decentralized approaches: a front-end approach, under which both decisions are made based exclusively on the front-end costs, and a "siloed" approach, in which discharge decisions are made based on backroom costs and the case-mix is determined as the optimal match for the discharge policy. We show that hospitals operating under the front-end policy can significantly benefit from coordination when backroom costs are sufficiently high even if they do not exceed surgical costs. On the other hand, for hospitals operating under the siloed policy, coordination brings significant benefits only when surgical costs are high and significantly dominate the cost structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasound is very effective in performing procedures and assessment of complications in peritoneal dialysis. The ultrasound examination can be applied for preoperative assessment, during the peritoneal catheter placement, for the detection and monitoring of infection, as well as for the evaluation of the catheter malfunction. Despite being not only a cost‐ and time‐saving technique but also a bedside procedure, ultrasonography remains an underrated clinical tool in the field of peritoneal dialysis. This publication wants to explain and reinforce the clinical utility of US in PD and to expand the diagnostic equipment for the clinician. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast augmentation has been linked to various complications, including cancerous tumors. The majority type of breast cancer associated with breast augmentation is adenocarcinoma. Primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the breast is extremely rare in both augmented and non-augmented women. Due to the low incidence, the possible origin and the mechanism of carcinogenesis of the breast SCC are not well understood. Here, we report a rare case of pure SCC 16 years after breast augmentation with liquid silicone injection. Case presentation: A 51-year-old Japanese woman was suffered from prolonged breast fluid retention in her left breast. Multiple unknown foreign bodies caused difficulties to investigate the inflammatory focus with ultrasonography. After unsuccessful surgical drainage and antibiotics treatments, the long-standing fluid retention was surgically removed and pathologically investigated. SCC was found in the removed tissue, and the patient underwent a total left mastectomy followed by postoperative chemotherapy. Pathological analysis revealed multiple cystic structures with a hard shell which enclosed high viscous liquid. A qualitative analysis using a Fourier transform infrared spectroscope defined the liquid as pure silicon, which possibly caused the squamous cell carcinogenesis. Conclusions: Although liquid silicone injection is not a current option for breast augmentation, the injected silicone could result in cancerous tumor generation after years. This case revealed that unphysiological substances could lead to unexpected biological reactions, which caused difficulties in diagnosis with our routine examination. It will be required that accumulate information from more cases and develop novel diagnostic equipment and biomarkers to address these artificial substance-derived tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author of the article presents the current topic regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agritourism. In the first part, the international and Polish literature is reviewed in terms of the impact of the pandemic and its consequences in the area of agritourism. In the further part of the work, the author presents the materials and methods used in the study. The results of the research, along with descriptions and explanations, are developed in the third part of the article. The last part of the work presents the conclusions of the research, confirming the thesis. The aim of the article is to show the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the agritourism area in five provinces. The diagnostic survey method was used and the questionnaire was sent via social media. The most important conclusion is that the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on agritourism, causing changes both in the financial issue and in the forms of marketing used to improve business operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additive manufacturing, more popularly known as three-dimensional (3D) printing, is based on the development of an object with the help of computer-aided design software followed by its printing through the deposition of a material, layer by layer, to create the desired product. There are several types of 3D printing techniques and the type of printing process chosen depends on the specific application of the object to be developed, the materials to be used, and the resolution required to print the final product. 3D printing has brought new perspectives to research and revolutionized the field of health sciences, with the possibility of creating and developing customized products in a faster, more economical, and more centralized way than in the traditional manufacturing process. Additive manufacturing technologies have reformulated medical diagnostics, preventive, preoperative, treatment, and rehabilitation, as well as tissue engineering processes in recent years. In ophthalmology, the applications of 3D printing are extensive. Anatomical models for application in education and surgical planning, development of implants, lenses, diagnostic equipment, new therapeutic applications, and development of ocular tissues (3D bioprinting) are already under development. As it has a wide field and is the subject of constant research, the ophthalmic area allows additive manufacturing to still be widely used in favor of doctors and patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever was a health problem in Indonesia. Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever in West Kalimantan Province in 2017 the death rate was ranked second in Indonesia. The city of Pontianak as the center of West Kalimantan Province plays an important role in the spread of dengue disease, to the surrounding regencies/cities. Objectives: To analyze the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the diagnostic tools used, namely; fever/heat, chills, headache, combination of fever and chills, combination of fever and headache, and combination of fever, chills and headache. Methods: The design in this study used an analytical observational design with a cross-sectional design. Results: The validity as measured by clinical symptoms was compared with the standard, namely a complete blood count, the results of clinical symptoms that had high sensitivity were obtained, namely a single clinical symptom of fever/heat, namely Se; 75.00%, Sp: 89.36%, PPV: 17.64% and NPV: 99.15%, while the combination symptoms that have the highest validity are fever/heat, headache, rash on the skin, and bleeding from the nose. and Guzi with the value of Se; 87.78%, Sp:92.96%, PPV: 41.18% and NPV: 99.18%. Develop an application. A simple diagnostic tool, a Wi-fi-based diagnostic tool that can be accessed with a cellphone and has succeeded in making a Flowchart of the Dengue Fever Suggestion: Combination of symptoms of fever, headache, skin rash, and bleeding from the nose and Guzi are typical symptoms found in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, three versions of implementation of non-invasive bronchial asthma diagnostic system based on the author’s technique of noninvasive diagnosis of bronchopulmonary diseases are considered. The offered variants of diagnostic system can be used both in medical institutions and at patient’s home for the control of the patient’s condition with the purpose of monitoring the dynamics of the disease during treatment, as well as for preventive purposes. Three variants of implementation of the diagnostic system with various complexity are considered. The results of a radiofrequency scanning of a human chest phantom with included heterogeneity simulating the presence of sputum in the human chest is a consequence of bronchial asthma.

Background: There is a risk of bacterial contamination of nasal swabs during passage of the narrow nasal vestibule in patients carrying Staphylococcus aureus in their nares. We aimed to test if a newly developed contamination-free bacterial swab (CFS) device for swab introduction could reduce the risk of contamination with Staphylococcus aureus from the nasal vestibule in patients with acute upper respiratory tract infections. Methodology: A single-blinded non-randomized controlled trial that included 64 participants with acute upper respiratory tract infections. The left and right nasal cavities were swabbed using the present-day technique and the CFS device, respectively. Primary outcome was frequency of Staphylococcus aureus positive cultures; secondary outcome was growth of other bacteria. Results: We found a significantly higher frequency of Staphylococcus aureus in cultures taken with the present-day technique (23%) when compared to the new device (8%, p=0.008). Growth of other bacteria did not differ markedly between sample techniques. Conclusions: The newly developed device reduces contamination with Staphylococcus aureus significantly. It has the potential to increase diagnostic accuracy in acute upper respiratory tract infections, decrease the overall use of antibiotics and thereby counteract overuse of antibiotics and emerging antibiotic resistance.

Given the increasing incidence of yeast infections and the presence of drug-resistant isolates, accurate identification of the pathogenic yeasts is essential for the management of yeast infections. In this review, we tried to introduce the routine and novel techniques applied for yeast identification. Laboratory identification methods of pathogenic yeast are classified into three categories; I. conventional methods, including microscopical and culture-base methods II. biochemical/physiological-processes methods III. molecular methods. While conventional and biochemical methods require more precautions and are not specific in some cases, molecular diagnostic methods are the optimum tools for diagnosing pathogenic yeasts in a short time with high accuracy and specificity, and having various methods that cover different purposes, and affordable costs for researchers. Nucleotide sequencing is a reference or gold standard for identifying pathogenic yeasts. Since it is an expensive method, it is not widely used in developing countries. However, novel identification techniques are constantly updated, and we recommend further studies in this field. The results of this study will guide researchers in finding more accurate diagnostic method(s) for their studies in a short period of time.

Predicting factors of diagnostic yield in electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB) have been explored in a number of previous studies based on data from experienced operators. However, little is known about predicting factors when the procedure is carried out by operators in the beginning of their learning curve. We here aim to identify the role of operators’ experience as well as lesion– and procedure characteristics on diagnostic yield of ENB procedures in the hands of novice ENB operators. Four operators from three centers without prior ENB experience were enrolled. The outcome of consecutive ENB procedures was assessed and classified as either diagnostic or non-diagnostic and predicting factors of diagnostic yield were assessed. A total of 215 procedures were assessed. A total of 122 (57%) of the ENB procedures resulted in diagnostic biopsies. Diagnostic ENB procedures were associated with a minor yet significant difference in tumor size compared to non-diagnostic/inconclusive ENB procedures (28 mm vs. 24 mm; p = 0.03). Diagnostic ENB procedures were associated with visible lesions at either fluoroscopy (p = 0.003) or radial endobronchial ultrasound (rEBUS), (p = 0.001). In the logistic regression model, lesion visibility on fluoroscopy, but none of operator experience, the presence of a bronchus sign, lesion size, or location nor visibility on rEBUS significantly impacted the diagnostic yield. In novice ENB operators, lesion visibility on fluoroscopy was the only factor found to increase the chance of obtaining a diagnostic sample.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is leading a global effort to deliver improved diagnostic testing to people living in low-resource settings. A reliance on the healthcare technologies marketplace and industry, shapes many aspects of the WHO project, and in this situation normative guidance comes by way of the ASSURED criteria - Affordable, Sensitive, Specific, User-friendly, Rapid and robust, Equipment-free, and Delivered. While generally improving access to diagnostics, I argue that the ASSURED approach to distributive justice - efficiency - and assessment of worth - productivity - may constrain efforts to deliver timely and accurate diagnosis in the developing world equitably by holding back new and innovative diagnostics and indirectly encouraging program and device design that may unfairly discriminate against certain groups. Even as we try to overcome the problem of global healthcare injustice, we may be entrenching disadvantage. I present my critique of ASSURED by 1) referencing Boltanski and Thévenot's theory of orders of worth to highlight the industrial and market foundations of the ASSURED guidelines; 2) comparing ASSURED with other normative guides that elevate the importance of civic responsibility in evaluations of distributive justice; 3) presenting a case study of the failed promise of microfluidic diagnostic devices. I conclude that a new approach to normative guidance is required to assess the value of developing world diagnostics, preferably, one that does not force global public goods into the marketplace., (© 2023 The Authors. Developing World Bioethics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has infected millions worldwide, therefore there is an urgent need to increase our diagnostic capacity to identify infected cases. Although RT-qPCR remains the gold standard for SARS-CoV-2 detection, this method requires specialised equipment in a diagnostic laboratory and has a long turn-around time to process the samples. To address this, several groups have recently reported the development of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) as a simple, low cost and rapid method for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Herein we present a comparative analysis of three LAMP-based assays that target different regions of the SARS-CoV-2: ORF1ab RdRP, ORF1ab nsp3 and Gene N. We perform a detailed assessment of their sensitivity, kinetics and false positive rates for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics in LAMP or RT-LAMP reactions, using colorimetric or fluorescent detection. Our results independently validate that all three assays can detect SARS-CoV-2 in 30 min, with robust accuracy at detecting as little as 1000 RNA copies and the results can be visualised simply by color changes. Incorporation of RT-LAMP with fluorescent detection further increases the detection sensitivity to as little as 100 RNA copies. We also note the shortcomings of some LAMP-based assays, including variable results with shorter reaction time or lower load of SARS-CoV-2, and false positive results in some experimental conditions and clinical saliva samples. Overall for RT-LAMP detection, the ORF1ab RdRP and ORF1ab nsp3 assays have faster kinetics for detection but varying degrees of false positives detection, whereas the Gene N assay exhibits no false positives in 30 min reaction time, which highlights the importance of optimal primer design to minimise false-positives in RT-LAMP. This study provides validation of the performance of LAMP-based assays as a rapid, highly sensitive detection method for SARS-CoV-2, which have important implications in development of point-of-care diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rates of unacceptable diagnosis and clinically significant diagnostic discrepancy in radiology sections and imaging modalities through a peer review of teleradiology. Materials and Methods Teleradiology peer reviews in a Korean teleradiology clinic in 2018 and 2019 were included. The peer review scores were classified as acceptable and unacceptable diagnoses and clinically insignificant and significant diagnostic discrepancy. The diagnostic discrepancy rates and clinical significance were compared among radiology sections and imaging modalities using the chi-square test. Results Of 1312 peer reviews, 117 (8.9%) cases had unacceptable diagnoses. Of 462 diagnostic discrepancies, the clinically significant discrepancy was observed in 104 (21.6%) cases. In radiology sections, the unacceptable diagnosis was highest in the musculoskeletal section (21.4%) (p < 0.05), followed by the abdominal section (7.3%) and neuro section (1.3%) (p < 0.05). The proportion of significant discrepancy was higher in the chest section (32.7%) than in the musculoskeletal (19.5%) and abdominal sections (17.1%) (p < 0.05). Regarding modalities, the number of unacceptable diagnoses was higher with MRI (16.2%) than plain radiology (7.8%) (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in significant discrepancy. Conclusion Peer review provides the rates of unacceptable diagnosis and clinically significant discrepancy in teleradiology. These rates also differ with subspecialty and modality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millions of consumer sport and fitness wearables (CSFWs) are used worldwide, and millions of datapoints are generated by each device. Moreover, these numbers are rapidly growing, and they contain a heterogeneity of devices, data types, and contexts for data collection. Companies and consumers would benefit from guiding standards on device quality and data formats. To address this growing need, we convened a virtual panel of industry and academic stakeholders, and this manuscript summarizes the outcomes of the discussion. Our objectives were to identify (1) key facilitators of and barriers to participation by CSFW manufacturers in guiding standards and (2) stakeholder priorities. The venues were the Yale Center for Biomedical Data Science Digital Health Monthly Seminar Series (62 participants) and the New England Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting (59 participants). In the discussion, stakeholders outlined both facilitators of (e.g., commercial return on investment in device quality, lucrative research partnerships, and transparent and multilevel evaluation of device quality) and barriers (e.g., competitive advantage conflict, lack of flexibility in previously developed devices) to participation in guiding standards. There was general agreement to adopt Keadle et al.'s standard pathway for testing devices (i.e., benchtop, laboratory, field-based, implementation) without consensus on the prioritization of these steps. Overall, there was enthusiasm not to add prescriptive or regulatory steps, but instead create a networking hub that connects companies to consumers and researchers for flexible guidance navigating the heterogeneity, multi-tiered development, dynamicity, and nebulousness of the CSFW field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rates of unacceptable diagnosis and clinically significant diagnostic discrepancy in radiology sections and imaging modalities through a peer review of teleradiology. Materials and Methods Teleradiology peer reviews in a Korean teleradiology clinic in 2018 and 2019 were included. The peer review scores were classified as acceptable and unacceptable diagnoses and clinically insignificant and significant diagnostic discrepancy. The diagnostic discrepancy rates and clinical significance were compared among radiology sections and imaging modalities using the chi-square test. Results Of 1312 peer reviews, 117 (8.9%) cases had unacceptable diagnoses. Of 462 diagnostic discrepancies, the clinically significant discrepancy was observed in 104 (21.6%) cases. In radiology sections, the unacceptable diagnosis was highest in the musculoskeletal section (21.4%) (p < 0.05), followed by the abdominal section (7.3%) and neuro section (1.3%) (p < 0.05). The proportion of significant discrepancy was higher in the chest section (32.7%) than in the musculoskeletal (19.5%) and abdominal sections (17.1%) (p < 0.05). Regarding modalities, the number of unacceptable diagnoses was higher with MRI (16.2%) than plain radiology (7.8%) (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in significant discrepancy. Conclusion Peer review provides the rates of unacceptable diagnosis and clinically significant discrepancy in teleradiology. These rates also differ with subspecialty and modality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of flexible electronics, human–computer interaction, wireless technology, the Internet of Things, and internet health is promoting fast-past innovation in the field of wearable medical devices. Wearable devices are a category of personalized devices that include specialized sensors, which can make conformal contact with the human body or tissue to collect biochemical or electrophysiological signals. Hence, the development of high-precision flexible devices is attracting increasing interest as they can provide real-time medical data for monitoring the physiological state of patients and their diagnosis and treatment, as well as help individuals to pursue a healthier lifestyle. This Perspective reviews the developments and requirements of wearable flexible electronic devices in medical monitoring and then discusses the possible applications and challenges of using flexible sensor technology for point-of-care devices. Finally, an up-to-date discussion of the flexible sensor, its future prospects, and solutions it could provide in medical and diagnostic equipment are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companion diagnostics (CDx) hail promise of improving the drug development process and precision medicine. However, there are various challenges involved in the clinical development and regulation of CDx, which are considered high-risk in vitro diagnostic medical devices given the role they play in therapeutic decision-making and the complications they may introduce with respect to their sensitivity and specificity. The European Union (E.U.) is currently in the process of bringing into effect in vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulation (IVDR). The new Regulation is introducing a wide range of stringent requirements for scientific validity, analytical and clinical performance, as well as on post-market surveillance activities throughout the lifetime of in vitro diagnostics (IVD). Compliance with General Safety and Performance Requirements (GSPRs) adopts a risk-based approach, which is also the case for the new classification system. This changing regulatory framework has an impact on all stakeholders involved in the IVD Industry, including Authorized Representatives, Distributors, Importers, Notified Bodies, and Reference Laboratories and is expected to have a significant effect on the development of new CDx. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The MRI is one of the most expensive departments in hospitals due to high number of referrals and use of advanced equipment and diagnostic devices. The purpose of this study was to calculate the cost of services of this unit at Imam Reza Hospital and compare it with the tariffs for their correct pricing. Methods: In this descriptive and applied study, the cost price of selected MRI services was calculated using the step-down costing method for the radiology department of Imam Reza Hospital in Urmia in 2018. Data collection tools were standard forms related to the cost list of MRI services and related activity centers. Also, to estimate the share of costs of other departments in MRI services of the radiology department, appropriate sharing bases were determined and, then, using these bases and Excel software, the costs were calculated. Results: According to the research findings, the cost of selected services of this unit including MRI of the brain without injection was calculated to be 1449224 Rials, brain with injection was 1793634 Rials, brain simultaneous with and without injection was 3121783 Rials, lumbar spine without injection was 1994881 Rials, and lumbar spine with and without injection was 3449832 Rials. Conclusion: Based on the results, there was a difference between the actual price of MRI services and tariffs, and personnel costs had the highest share of MRI costs. Therefore, accurate calculation of the cost of MRI services can help reduce costs and increase efficiency by identifying and modifying, merging, or eliminating costly centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the lack of access to medical equipment clear to see throughout the developing world in comparison to the developed world, solutions to bridge the gap are key to reducing the inequality of healthcare between the two. It has been identified that healthcare systems in developed countries have a rapid turnover of medical imaging equipment (X-ray, MRI, CT scanners, etc.) due to the high rate of technological advancement. There is therefore a stockpile of used medical equipment that could still be of use in developing countries thanks to remanufacturing. The aim of this paper is to investigate the applicability of remanufacturing medical equipment with the intent of supplying said equipment to the countries that need it. This investigation provides a clearer picture of the feasibility of using remanufacture to supply developing countries with the medical imaging devices they require. This is done through studying current remanufacturing processes carried out in developed countries, whether that be directly through OEMs or third parties, and assessing how the methods used could be applied to developing countries. It is identified that remanufacturing practices could benefit developing countries not only by increasing access to diagnostic equipment, but also society as a whole by creating jobs for instance. A key remanufacturing stage that should initially be focused on is inspection as it helps to filter and select the medical devices that are most suited for the remanufacturing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare postural stability errors in individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and healthy controls through instrument-detected center of pressure excursion. Methods: Forty-two participants (20 participants with ACLR and 22 healthy controls) completed balance tasks in a single-leg stance in three positions (straight knee, bent knee, and single-leg squat) on two surfaces (firm and foam) with their eyes closed for 10-second trials. Balance tasks were measured with clinician-scored errors on the Balance Error Scoring System and an instrument (Tekscan MobileMat; Tekscan, Inc) that detected center of pressure excursions. Results: Participants in the ACLR group had more balance errors in the bent knee position than participants in the healthy group. There was a weak to non-existent agreement between clinician-scored balance errors and instrument-scored errors. Conclusions: The agreement between clinician and instrument scores was poor, indicating that clinician scoring may not detect the subtle deficits in postural stability that are detectable with instrumented measures and automated error detection software. [Athletic Training & Sports Health Care. 2021;13(5):e323–e328.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a global public health emergency. Adherence to biosafety practices is mandatory to protect the user as well as the environment, while handling infectious agents. A biological safety cabinet (BSC) is the most important equipment used in diagnostic and research laboratories in order to safeguard the product, the person, and the environment. The World Health Organization has emphasized the use of validated BSCs in order to ensure quality of the results. There are different classes of BSCs that are used in various work environments based on the need. It is imperative to use appropriate levels of biosafety and types of BSCs in laboratories based on the risk assessment of the pathogen used. During the development of COVID-19 laboratories and training of laboratory staff, we came across several queries about the functions and selection of BSCs and realized that the knowledge about the detailed information on selections and applications of BSCs is scanty. There are several guidelines regarding the biosafety aspects for diagnostic and research laboratories handling infectious pathogens from national and international agencies. However, there is no detailed information on the use of appropriate types of BSCs and their functions in the context of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In view of this, the present paper describes in detail the selection and applications of BSCs, which could be useful for laboratories handling or planning to handle SARS-CoV-2 and suspected samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to findings of this article, the wireless healthcare system is suggested which makes use of wearable sensors to capture noises for the purpose of health diagnosis and monitoring. This may help to avoid the harm that can be done to human bodies by diagnostic equipment that utilize active power transmission, including Xray scan as well as sound tracking, which are presently available on the market. The typical operation of the sensor for heart sound tracking is illustrated in this illustration. The sensor that has been created catches the sounds of the heart beating and may be utilized for both long-term heart rate monitoring and real-time applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Medical procedures can be difficult to perform on anatomy that is constantly moving. Respiration displaces internal organs by up to several centimeters with respect to the surface of the body, and patients often have limited ability to hold their breath. Strategies to compensate for motion during diagnostic and therapeutic procedures require reliable information to be available. However, current devices often monitor respiration indirectly, through changes on the outline of the body, and they may be fixed to floors or ceilings, and thus unable to follow a given patient through different locations. Here we show that small ultrasound‐based sensors referred to as "organ configuration motion" (OCM) sensors can be fixed to the abdomen and/or chest and provide information‐rich, breathing‐related signals. Methods: By design, the proposed sensors are relatively inexpensive. Breathing waveforms were obtained from tissues at varying depths and/or using different sensor placements. Validation was performed against breathing waveforms derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and optical tracking signals in five and eight volunteers, respectively. Results: Breathing waveforms from different modalities were scaled so they could be directly compared. Differences between waveforms were expressed in the form of a percentage, as compared to the amplitude of a typical breath. Expressed in this manner, for shallow tissues, OCM‐derived waveforms on average differed from MRI and optical tracking results by 13.1% and 15.5%, respectively. Conclusion: The present results suggest that the proposed sensors provide measurements that properly characterize breathing states. While OCM‐based waveforms from shallow tissues proved similar in terms of information content to those derived from MRI or optical tracking, OCM further captured depth‐dependent and position‐dependent (i.e., chest and abdomen) information. In time, the richer information content of OCM‐based waveforms may enable better respiratory gating to be performed, to allow diagnostic and therapeutic equipment to perform at their best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balance deficits after brain injury, including reactive recovery from unexpected perturbations, can persist well after rehabilitation is concluded. While traditional clinical assessments are practical, the anticipatory nature of the tasks may mask perceptible balance control. Computerized dynamic posturography can directly quantify capacity to respond to unexpected, external perturbations. This study examined the reliability of the computerized dynamic posturography assessment with the device PROPRIO® 4000 in adults with traumatic brain injury and created the minimal detectable change for its standardized test. Ten adults (ages 21–55 years) with chronic (average 10 ± 6 years post-injury) severe (loss of consciousness 2–75 days) brain injury performed three trials of the Propriotest® on two separate days. The average of three trials and the best scores were used separately for analysis. Test-retest reliability was verified using Intraclass Correlation Coefficients with 95% confidence interval and standard error of measurement in relation to the Intraclass Correlation Coefficients at 95%. The minimal detectable change was calculated at 95% confidence level (minimal detectable change95) and Bland-Altman plots were created to express agreement between measurement days. The results exhibited excellent reliability for both average (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient of 0.969, standard error of measurement 50.9 points) and best (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient of 0.985, standard error of measurement 31.3 points) scores, with average and best minimal detectable change95 of 141.0 and 86.7 points, respectively. Clinicians and rehabilitation researchers can use these findings to determine if a Propriotest® change score represents a true post-treatment effect with adults with chronic brain injury. After brain injury, balance deficits are common and can persist well after completion of rehabilitation programs. Computerized dynamic posturography allows for objective quantification of one's capacity to respond to external perturbations. The device PROPRIO® 4000 provides reliable quantification of balance deficits of community dwelling individuals who have experienced a severe traumatic brain injury. The minimal detectable change scores created can assist clinicians and rehabilitation researchers detect whether a change in balance score represents a true effect of an intervention at post-treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection has been known to pose one of the most formidable challenges to progress and development. It is a public health burden associated with high morbidity. Chest radiograph is an important tool in manifesting some of the findings associated with HIV. Aims and Objectives: To determine the baseline chest radiographic findings among HIV positive adults in a poor resource economy. Materials and Methods: 140 Newly diagnosed adult HIV positive, HAART naïve, participants were recruited in the Radiology Department of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) Sokoto and had their chest radiograph done using Silhoutte VR System GE diagnostic x-ray equipment. The processed radiographs were viewed using an illuminated viewing box and then reported by the investigator and cross-checked by another consultant Radiologist. Data collated was analysed using SPSS version 23. Results: The study showed female to male ratio of 2.2: 1. Normal chest radiographic finding was found in 67(47.9%) participants. Pulmonary consolidation 32 (22.9%) constituted the highest abnormal chest finding. The least of the abnormal radiographic findings were emphysematous bullae 1(0.7%) and plate atelectasis 1(0.7%). Majority of the lesions were in the upper zone, 43(30.7%) and on the right side. Conclusion: The study provides baseline data on the chest radiographic patterns among the HAART naïve HIV positive adult patients in a poor resource economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In current research works, a number of intelligent fault diagnosis methods have been proposed with the assistance of domain adaptation approach, which attempt to distinguish the health modes for target domain data using the diagnostic knowledge learned from source domain data. An important assumption for these methods is that the label information for the source domain data should be known in advance. However, the high-quality condition monitoring data with sufficient label information is difficult to be acquired in the actual field, which can greatly hinder the effectiveness of domain adaptation–based fault diagnosis methods. The simulation model of the rotating machine is an effective approach to provide an insight into the characteristics of the mechanical equipment, which can also easily carry the sufficient label information for the mechanical equipment under various operating conditions. In this study, a simulation data–driven domain adaptation approach is proposed for the intelligent fault diagnosis of mechanical equipment. The simulation data from a rotor-bearing system are used to build the source domain data set, and the diagnostic knowledge learned from the simulation data is used to realize the healthy mode identification of mechanical equipment in the actual field. The proposed domain adaption approach consists of two parts. The first part is to achieve the conditional distribution alignment between source domain data and target domain supervised data in an alternative way. The second part is to achieve the marginal distribution alignment between source domain data and target domain unsupervised data in an adversarial training process. The proposed domain adaptation method is evaluated on two case studies, the diagnostic results on two case studies indicate that the proposed domain adaptation method is capable of realizing the fault diagnosis of mechanical equipment using the diagnostic knowledge learned from simulation data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic performance of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) values for glioma grading. Methods. A total of 42 patients who underwent biopsy or surgery and were histologically diagnosed with glioma from September 2019 to December 2020 were enrolled in this retrospective study. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed preoperatively using 3 Tesla MRI in all cases. The FA and MD values were measured in the solid portion of the tumor, the peritumoral area, and the normal white matter. The diagnostic performances of the absolute and relative FA and MD values for glioma grading were analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results. The MD value in the solid portion of the tumor (tMD), the MD value of the solid portion of the tumor relative to that in the normal white matter (rMDt/w), and the FA value for the peritumoral region relative to that of the normal white matter (rFAp/w) showed significant differences between the low-grade (LGG) and high-grade glioma (HGG) groups. The combination of these three parameters provided the largest area under the curve value of 89% with sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, negative predictive, and positive predictive values of 72%, 100%, 81%, 62%, and 100%, respectively, for distinguishing between the LGG and HGG groups. Conclusion. The tMD, rMDt/w, and rFAp/w values represent useful indices for the differentiation between LGG and HGG. The combination of these indices can improve diagnostic specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Van Tip Dergisi is the property of Yuzuncu Yil University, Faculty of Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Older people living in residential aged care homes experience frequent emergency transfers to hospital. These events are associated with risks of hospital acquired complications and invasive treatments or interventions. Evidence suggests that some hospital transfers may be unnecessary or avoidable. The Early Detection of Deterioration in Elderly residents (EDDIE) program is a multi-component intervention aimed at reducing unnecessary hospital admissions from residential aged care homes by empowering nursing and care staff to detect and manage early signs of resident deterioration. This study aims to implement and evaluate the program in a multi-site randomised study in Queensland, Australia.Methods: A stepped-wedge randomised controlled trial will be conducted at 12 residential aged care homes over 58 weeks. The program has four components: education and training, decision support tools, diagnostic equipment, and implementation facilitation with clinical systems support. The integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (i-PARIHS) framework will be used to guide the program implementation and process evaluation. The primary outcome measure will be the number of hospital bed days used by residents, with secondary outcomes assessing emergency department transfer rates, admission rates, length of stay, family awareness and experience, staff self-efficacy and costs of both implementation and health service use. A process evaluation will assess the extent and fidelity of program implementation, mechanisms of impact and the contextual barriers and enablers.Discussion: The intervention is expected to improve outcomes by reducing unnecessary hospital transfers. Fewer hospital transfers and admissions will release resources for other patients with potentially greater needs. Residential aged care home staff might benefit from feelings of empowerment in their ability to proactively manage early signs of resident deterioration. The process evaluation will be useful for supporting wider implementation of this intervention and other similar initiatives.Trial Registration: The trial is prospectively registered with the Australia New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ( ACTRN12620000507987 , registered 23/04/2020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: The relative rates of detection of atrial fibrillation (AF) or atrial flutter from evaluating patients with prolonged electrocardiographic monitoring with an external loop recorder or implantable loop recorder after an ischemic stroke are unknown.Objective: To determine, in patients with a recent ischemic stroke, whether 12 months of implantable loop recorder monitoring detects more occurrences of AF compared with conventional external loop recorder monitoring for 30 days.Design, Setting, and Participants: Investigator-initiated, open-label, randomized clinical trial conducted at 2 university hospitals and 1 community hospital in Alberta, Canada, including 300 patients within 6 months of ischemic stroke and without known AF from May 2015 through November 2017; final follow-up was in December 2018.Interventions: Participants were randomly assigned 1:1 to prolonged electrocardiographic monitoring with either an implantable loop recorder (n = 150) or an external loop recorder (n = 150) with follow-up visits at 30 days, 6 months, and 12 months.Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the development of definite AF or highly probable AF (adjudicated new AF lasting ≥2 minutes within 12 months of randomization). There were 8 prespecified secondary outcomes including time to event analysis of new AF, recurrent ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, death, and device-related serious adverse events within 12 months.Results: Among the 300 patients who were randomized (median age, 64.1 years [interquartile range, 56.1 to 73.7 years]; 121 were women [40.3%]; and 66.3% had a stroke of undetermined etiology with a median CHA2DS2-VASc [congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥75 years, diabetes, stroke or transient ischemic attack, vascular disease, age 65 to 74 years, sex category] score of 4 [interquartile range, 3 to 5]), 273 (91.0%) completed cardiac monitoring lasting 24 hours or longer and 259 (86.3%) completed both the assigned monitoring and 12-month follow-up visit. The primary outcome was observed in 15.3% (23/150) of patients in the implantable loop recorder group and 4.7% (7/150) of patients in the external loop recorder group (between-group difference, 10.7% [95% CI, 4.0% to 17.3%]; risk ratio, 3.29 [95% CI, 1.45 to 7.42]; P = .003). Of the 8 specified secondary outcomes, 6 were not significantly different. There were 5 patients (3.3%) in the implantable loop recorder group who had recurrent ischemic stroke vs 8 patients (5.3%) in the external loop recorder group (between-group difference, -2.0% [95% CI, -6.6% to 2.6%]), 1 (0.7%) vs 1 (0.7%), respectively, who had intracerebral hemorrhage (between-group difference, 0% [95% CI, -1.8% to 1.8%]), 3 (2.0%) vs 3 (2.0%) who died (between-group difference, 0% [95% CI, -3.2% to 3.2%]), and 1 (0.7%) vs 0 (0%) who had device-related serious adverse events.Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with ischemic stroke and no prior evidence of AF, implantable electrocardiographic monitoring for 12 months, compared with prolonged external monitoring for 30 days, resulted in a significantly greater proportion of patients with AF detected over 12 months. Further research is needed to compare clinical outcomes associated with these monitoring strategies and relative cost-effectiveness.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02428140. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: Patients with ischemic stroke attributed to large- or small-vessel disease are not considered at high risk for atrial fibrillation (AF), and the AF incidence rate in this population is unknown.Objectives: To determine whether long-term cardiac monitoring is more effective than usual care for AF detection in patients with stroke attributed to large- or small-vessel disease through 12 months of follow-up.Design, Setting, and Participants: The STROKE-AF trial was a randomized (1:1), multicenter (33 sites in the US) clinical trial that enrolled 496 patients between April 2016 and July 2019, with primary end point follow-up through August 2020. Eligible patients were aged 60 years or older or aged 50 to 59 years with at least 1 additional stroke risk factor and had an index stroke attributed to large- or small-vessel disease within 10 days prior to insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) insertion.Interventions: Patients randomized to the intervention group (n = 242) received ICM insertion within 10 days of the index stroke; patients in the control group (n = 250) received site-specific usual care consisting of external cardiac monitoring, such as 12-lead electrocardiograms, Holter monitoring, telemetry, or event recorders.Main Outcomes and Measures: Incident AF lasting more than 30 seconds through 12 months.Results: Among 492 patients who were randomized (mean [SD] age, 67.1 [9.4] years; 185 [37.6%] women), 417 (84.8%) completed 12 months of follow-up. The median (interquartile range) CHA2DS2-VASc (congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥75 years, diabetes mellitus, stroke or transient ischemic attack, vascular disease, age 65 to 74 years, sex category) score was 5 (4-6). AF detection at 12 months was significantly higher in the ICM group vs the control group (27 patients [12.1%] vs 4 patients [1.8%]; hazard ratio, 7.4 [95% CI, 2.6-21.3]; P < .001). Among the 221 patients in the ICM group who received an ICM, 4 (1.8%) had ICM procedure-related adverse events (1 site infection, 2 incision site hemorrhages, and 1 implant site pain).Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with stroke attributed to large- or small-vessel disease, monitoring with an ICM compared with usual care detected significantly more AF over 12 months. However, further research is needed to understand whether identifying AF in these patients is of clinical importance.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02700945. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to determine the changes of redox indicators such as reactive oxygen metabolites (dROMs), plasma antioxidant test (PAT) and the oxidative stress index (OSI) in dairy cows at different stages of lactation using a diagnostic equipment which is suitable for in vivo oxidative stress (OS) monitoring procedures. In total, 628 dairy cows were examined in the pre-parturient period (days in milk [DIM]: -21 to -1 day; n = 117), in the calving and maternity period (DIM: 0 to 7; n = 137), in the early lactation period (DIM: 8 to 30; n = 139), and the in the peak lactation (DIM: 31 to 150; n = 235). The dROMs and OSI values were significantly different (P < 0.05) when comparing the 1st and 2nd+ lactation cows in each group. The highest mean value of dROMs was detected at the calving and maternity stage in 1st lactation cows (141 ± 25 U. Carr) and the lowest (103 ± 29 U. Carr) was found in peak lactation. The OSI developed similarly, with the highest value of 5.58 ± 0.94 in the calving and maternity period in the 1st lactation cows and the lowest value of 4.05 ± 1.21 in peak lactation and significant differences were found in many cases. Based on the results, the measurement of dROMs and OSI may be suitable for detecting oxidative stress in different lactation stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the short and long-term effects of Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) therapy on spasticity and motor performance in children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy. We recruited 26 patient participants from among children undergoing conventional physiotherapy in a private rehabilitation center. We randomly assigned 22 participants to equally sized treatment (n = 11) and control (n = 11) groups. We evaluated the participants at the beginning of the study with the Gross Motor Function Measure-88, LEGSys™ Spatio-Temporal Gait Analyzer, SportKAT550™ Portable Computerized Kinesthetic Balance Device and the Modified Ashworth Scale. While children in the treatment group were treated with Compex-Winplate™ to administer WBV in three 15-minute sessions per week for eight weeks, children in the control group received continued conventional physiotherapy during this period. We then re-evaluated all participants both immediately after the treatment and again 12 weeks after the treatment. Following WBV, both gross motor functions and gait and balance skills were significantly improved (p < 0.05), and spasticity in lower and upper extremity muscles was significantly inhibited (p < 0.05). These improvements were preserved even after 12 weeks. We conclude that WBV is an effective incremental approach to conventional physiotherapy in children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy for inhibiting spasticity and improving motor performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Military Engineer / Hadmérnök is the property of National University of Public Service and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Subjective visual vertical (SVV) and subjective visual horizontal (SVH) tests can be used to evaluate the perception of verticality and horizontality, respectively, and can aid the diagnosis of otolith dysfunction in clinical practice. In this study, SVV and SVH screen version tests are implemented using virtual reality (VR) equipment; the proposed test method promotes a more immersive feeling for the subject while using a simple equipment configuration and possessing excellent mobility. To verify the performance of the proposed VR-based SVV and SVH tests, a reliable comparison was made between the traditional screen-based SVV and SVH tests and the proposed method, based on 30 healthy subjects. The average results of our experimental tests on the VR-based binocular SVV and SVH equipment were -0.15° ± 1.74 and 0.60° ± 1.18, respectively. The proposed VR-based method satisfies the normal tolerance for horizontal or vertical lines, i.e., a ±3° error, as defined in previous studies, and it can be used to replace existing test methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the ever-increasing challenge of emerging and reemerging infections on global health, the development of POCT tools has been propelled. However, conventional point-of-care testing methods suffer from several limitations, including cumbersome operation, long detection times, and low accuracy, which hamper their widespread application. Compared to traditional disease diagnostic equipment, mobile health platforms offer several advantages, including portability, ease of operation, and automated analysis of detection results through recognition algorithms. Consequently, they hold great promise for the future. Here, we developed a smartphone-based centrifugal mHealth platform implementing daisy-shaped quick response chip for hematocrit measurement. The centrifugal microfluidic chip is combined with a smartphone through a back-clip-on mobile phone adapter whose control circuit is designed with low power consumption to enable the platform to operate without requiring a high-power source that is inconvenient to carry, thereby achieving the goal of portability. Concurrently, we designed a quick response chip featuring a unique hollow daisy structure that is in line with the properties of hematocrit detection. The distinctive configuration of the chip enables adequate centrifugal force to be supplied for hematocrit detection. Additionally, our customized quick response code recognition algorithm is able to recognize this chip, facilitating non-experts in performing hematocrit intelligent recognition with their smartphones. • The proposed mHealth platform highly integrated components, such as a low power motor, and Bluetooth Low Energy circuit, resulting in high portability without the need for a large power source. • The proposed mHealth platform is equipped with a hollow-structured quick response chip tailored to the requirements of the low-power motor for high-speed centrifugation under low power consumption. This chip enables automated high-throughput detection according to the detection protocol stored in the smartphone, with the ability to detect 36 samples simultaneously in a chip within only 5 min, using a small sample volume of about 10 μL. • A customized quick response code recognition algorithm has been specifically designed for the centrifugal microfluidic chip. The algorithm utilizes perspective transformation and star-ray radiating sampling to "decode" the hematocrit value from the quick response chip, enabling non-experts to perform intelligent hematocrit recognition with their smartphones. • The proposed mHealth platform has great potential for POCT with the characteristics of portability and intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]