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Introduction: People with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) are at high risk of sudden unexpected deaths and lower quality of life. Experiments showed thread embedding acupuncture (TEA) has a seizure-reducing effect; however, data on DRE has been limited. This trial aimed to establish the efficacy and safety of TEA in people with DRE. Method: This was a two-arm, randomized controlled trial conducted on 30 DRE outpatients, which was fulfilled drug-resistant International League Against Epilepsy. The study was conducted at the Epilepsy clinic, Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, from December 2020 to March 2022. All procedures for TEA and sham TEA (STEA) groups were identical. Seizure frequency diaries at the baseline and monthly follow-up visits by the participants. The Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31) scores at the baseline and 16 weeks; the National Hospital Seizure Severity Scale (NHS3) scores at the baseline, 8 weeks, and 16 weeks and the adverse events at monthly follow-up visits by a researcher. Results: A reduction in relative seizure frequency and the score change in QOLIE-31 and NHS3 in the TEA group were significantly different from the STEA group when analyzing each group separately (p0.05). Mild pain appeared in all participants after the intervention, but no serious adverse effects of TEA were observed. Conclusion: TEA is a safe technique to use in people with DRE. However, the effectiveness of TEA needs further study.

Intercultural student exchange can positively impact education, research, and society. Research-by-design has been put forward in design education as an approach to explicitly address the integration of education and research. The problem is that design schools develop their own interpretation of this approach, which brings difficulty in virtually comparing and learning from the generated design proposals. This case is evident in intercultural parallel design studios that deal with diverging socio-cultural and institutional traditions. In addressing this problem and maximizing the benefits of intercultural exchange, this study proposes to adopt a meta perspective and use the design as co-evolution model as a framework for analyzing and comparing design data generated by different research-by-design approaches. The study applies this meta perspective on an intercultural architectural design studio jointly organized by Ton Duc Thang University (Vietnam) and Hasselt University (Belgium). Keywords: North–South cooperation, Research-by-design, Design as co-evolution

With the rapid growth of the text mining technology, knowledge discovery in text is appealing more and more to researchers. Furthermore, association rule mining (ARM), an essential issue in data mining, is widely used in the field of text information. However, due to the exploding amount of information in different fields, the serial ARM algorithm has left much to be desired. In this paper, we propose a new parallel ARM algorithm on corpus, using MPI programming interface. The algorithm mainly makes use of distributed inverted hash index, a communication pattern based on chessboard decomposition and a multi-thread candidate item-set filtering method running on MIC platform to accelerate the generation of frequent item sets. We implemented the algorithm and run some test on the supercomputer cluster. The performance evaluations show that the speedup rate can reach 34 when using 7 nodes.

Aim The objectives of this study were to compare (a) esthetic, (b) clinical, (c) radiographic, and (d) patient-centered outcomes following immediate (Type 1) and early implant placement (Type 2). Material and methods Forty-six subjects needing a single extraction (premolar to premolar) were randomly allocated to Type 1 or Type 2 implant placement. One year following permanent restoration, evaluation of (a) Esthetics using soft tissue positions, and the pink and white esthetic scores (PES/WES), (b) Clinical performance using probing depth, modified plaque index, and sulcus bleeding index (c) Radiographic bone level, and (d) Patient satisfaction by means of visual analogue scales (VAS) was recorded. Results Thirty-five patients completed the one-year examination (Type 1, n = 20; Type 2, n = 15). Type 1 implants lost 1.03 ± 0.24 mm (mean ± SE) of mid-facial soft tissue height while Type 2 implants lost 1.37 ± 0.28 mm (p = 0.17). The papillae height on the mesial and distal was reduced about 1 mm following both procedures. Frequency of clinical acceptability as defined by PES ≥ 6 (Type 1: 55% vs. Type 2 40%), WES ≥ 6 (Type 1: 45% vs. Type 2 27%) was not significantly different between groups (p > 0.05). Clinical and radiographic were indicative of peri-implant health. Patient-centered outcomes failed to demonstrate significant differences between the two cohorts. Conclusion One year after final restoration, there were no significant differences in esthetic, clinical, radiographic, and patient-centered outcomes following Type 1 and Type 2 implant placement. At one year, patient satisfaction may be achieved irrespective of the two placement protocols.

High primary stability makes immediate loading more predictable, but immediately loaded implants are subjected to higher stresses and strains during the healing phase than implants that are left to heal for 3 months. Whether an earlier sensory-motor phenomenon with an immediate loading protocol helps to reduce the risk of overloading at the implant-bone interface is unclear.The purpose of this concurrent parallel design clinical study was to evaluate and compare active tactile sensibility for a single-tooth implant opposing a natural tooth in the mandibular posterior region with either a delayed or immediate functional loading -protocol.In this parallel group randomized trial, 2 test groups were formed: the DL group comprised 20 participants with the delayed loading protocol (loading after 3 months), and the IL group comprised 20 participants with the immediate loading protocol (loading within 2 days). Natural tooth-to-tooth contact on the side contralateral to the implant site (split mouth) in both test groups was used as a control to evaluate active tactile sensibility, which was evaluated in the test and control sites of both groups by using interocclusal articulating foils of varying thickness in maximum intercuspation. Active tactile sensibility was compared between the DL and IL groups at 3 and 6 months of follow-up. The nonparametric Mann-Whitney test was used for intergroup comparisons (P=.05).A significant difference was found for 8-μm- and 12-μm-thick articulating foil at 3 months and for 8-μm-thick foil at 6 months (P.05), indicating a difference in active tactile sensibility between the DL and IL groups. No implant failure was recorded in this short clinical study.An immediate loading protocol can be performed in implants with sufficient primary stability. Upon loading, the IL group has shown more active tactile perception than the DL group.

Taking a lot of time to solve optimization problems has become a challenge for metaheuristic algorithms. Due to independence of the metaheuristics components, parallel processing is a good option to reduce the computational time and to find high quality solutions that are close to the optimum with an acceptable cost. One of these metaheuristic algorithms is the Sailfish Optimizer (SFO) which inspired by a group of hunting sailfish. The SFO algorithm uses a simple method to provide a dynamic balance between exploration and exploitation phases, creates a swarm diversity, avoids local optima, and guarantees high convergence speed. It has been shown that the SFO algorithm outperforms various state-of-art metaheuristic algorithms for multimodal and high dimensional benchmark functions and complicated real-world optimization problems in terms of accuracy and speed by CPU and GPU implementation. In this paper, to speedup this algorithm and increase its performance we propose a reconfigurable hardware version of SFO implemented on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The FPGA-based SFO can be a very good option in many applications with massive calculations. Due to the inherent parallelism and high computing capabilities of FPGA, the SFO algorithm gain optimum computational time despite the complexity of optimization problems. We have compared the performance of the proposed FPGA-based SFO with its CPU and GPU implementation and some other metaheuristic algorithms. The results show the FPGA implementation is considerably faster than the CPU and GPU implementation. Also, it outperforms other compared FPGA-based metaheuristic algorithms in terms of execution time and convergence speed.

Background: Kaempfera (K.) parviflora (i.e., Thai ginseng) is believed to have medicinal properties associated with good health (e.g., increased vitality, metabolism booster) because it expands blood vessels, which allows for increased blood flow. These effects might extend into the realm of improving physical performance, specifically that of the cardiovascular system. Objectives: A randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel design study was conducted to determine the effects of 12 weeks of K. parviflora supplementation on the cardiovascular endurance of healthy male adults. Methods: Participants included 57 Thai air force cadets who were undergoing physical training for sports competition. Participants were randomly divided into either the treatment group (n = 30) (Age = 20.30 + 0.65 yrs.) or control group (n = 27) (Age = 20.37 + 0.68 yrs.). Treatment group participants received 360 mg of K. parviflora extract in capsule form, and those in the control group received a placebo capsule. Measurements included lactate threshold and heart rate recovery, assessed at baseline and weeks 6 and 12. Group differences were assessed using a 2 (group) × 3 (time) repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: No main or interaction effects were observed for the lactate threshold (all P > 0.05). No group differences were observed for heart rate recovery (P > 0.05); however, a significant time effect was observed for heart rate recovery at weeks 6 and 12 (P < 0.05), which also marked the beginning of an interaction effect showing that those in the experimental group improved more than those in the control group (P > 0.05). Conclusions: In this set of observations, 12-weeks of K. parviflora supplementation had no effect on the lactate threshold; however, it does appear that it might have improved heart rate recovery.

Purpose To investigate the effects of eating wholegrain rye bread with high or low amounts of phytate on iron status in women under free-living conditions. Methods In this 12-week, randomized, parallel-design intervention study, 102 females were allocated into two groups, a high-phytate-bread group or a low-phytate-bread group. These two groups were administered: 200 g of blanched wholegrain rye bread/day, or 200 g dephytinized wholegrain rye bread/day. The bread was administered in addition to their habitual daily diet. Iron status biomarkers and plasma alkylresorcinols were analyzed at baseline and post-intervention. Results Fifty-five females completed the study. In the high-phytate-bread group (n = 31) there was no change in any of the iron status biomarkers after 12 weeks of intervention (p > 0.05). In the low-phytate bread group (n = 24) there were significant decreases in both ferritin (mean = 12%; from 32 ± 7 to 27 ± 6 µg/L, geometric mean ± SEM, p p Conclusions In Swedish females of reproductive age, 12 weeks of high-phytate wholegrain bread consumption had no effect on iron status. However, consumption of low-phytate wholegrain bread for 12 weeks resulted in a reduction of markers of iron status. Although single-meal studies clearly show an increase in iron bioavailability from dephytinization of cereals, medium-term consumption of reduced phytate bread under free-living conditions suggests that this strategy does not work to improve iron status in healthy women of reproductive age.

Background: Influenza is a highly variable infection that can cause fatal complications. Universal approaches, such as general stimulation of the immune system to activate its natural antiviral capacities, seem to be a rational measure. Methods: A total of 410 patients with influenza-like infections (ILI) were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups and one control group. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) was administered by intranasal introduction of 1 to 3 drops into each nostril 5 times per day daily for 5 days. The first dose of investigational medicine was given within 48h of the onset of the influenza-like symptoms. One drop of the solution contains 1,000 IU of active substance. All patients received basic complex therapy without any antiviral or immunomodulating agents. The patients were followed up for 7 days. Treatment efficacy was evaluated by the mean duration of symptoms (MDS), the period of viral antigen detection (VAD) measured after 1-2 and 4-5 days of treatment, and the incidence of complications. We used conventional indicators to evaluate the safety of IFN-γ in the treatment of ILI. Results: The administration of 2 or 3 drops of IFN-γ in each nasal passage led to better outcomes manifested in the considerable (P

Background The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of acupuncture treatment for the management of subacute and chronic post-thoracotomy pain in patients with traumatic multiple rib fractures. Methods A total of 30 participants who have undergone thoracotomy after traumatic multiple rib fractures will be recruited. Participants will be invited and equally randomised into acupuncture plus usual care and usual care alone groups. A computer-generated random number sequence will be used and concealed using opaque, sealed, sequentially numbered envelopes. Twelve sessions of manual and electrical acupuncture performed by Korean medicine doctors will be provided over a span of 3 months to participants allocated to the acupuncture group. Participants in the usual care group will continue pain medication, exercise and physical therapy as required. Study feasibility will be measured based on the proportion of patients who complete the measurement of pain at 12 or 24 weeks after baseline. The clinical outcomes will include; the average pain intensity over the recent week at rest, movement and cough, quality of life, patient’s global assessment of recovery, respiratory function measured by the pulmonary function test and use of pain medication at 4, 8, 12 and 24 weeks after enrolment. Adverse events will be recorded for all participants. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. The local ethics committee has approved the study. This pilot trial will inform further studies investigating the potential role of acupuncture for subacute and chronic post-thoracotomy pain in patients with traumatic multiple rib fractures.