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In this paper, we introduce MiVitals—a Mixed Reality (MR) system designed for healthcare professionals to monitor patients in wards or clinics. We detail the design, development, and evaluation of MiVitals, which integrates real-time vital signs from a biosensor-equipped wearable, VitalitiTM. The system generates holographic visualizations, allowing healthcare professionals to interact with medical charts and information panels holographically. These visualizations display vital signs, trends, other significant physiological signals, and medical early warning scores in a comprehensive manner. We conducted a User Interface/User Experience (UI/UX) study focusing on novel holographic visualizations and interfaces that intuitively present medical information. This approach brings traditional bedside medical information to life in the real environment through non-contact 3D images, supporting rapid decision-making, vital pattern and anomaly detection, and enhancing clinicians' performance in wards. Additionally, we present findings from a usability study involving medical doctors and healthcare practitioners to assess MiVitals' efficacy. The System Usability Scale study yielded a score of 84, indicating that the MiVitals system has high usability.

One of the most significant physiological stressors that negatively impact plants in numerous vital areas of their growth and metabolism is water stress. This study estimates the effects of natural bio-stimulants (Origanum majorana, Nigella sativa and Curcurma longa) extracts for the first time, on water stress of sunflower plant in comparison with synthetic growth regulators (glycein betaine, proline, indole acetic acid, benzyl adenine and ascorbic acid). Water stress appeared to decrease of lengths, fresh and dry weights of shoot and root. Also caused a significant drop in chlorophylls and carotenoids. Foliar application of these synthetic and natural growth regulators significantly decreased the negative effects of drought stress on all studied morphological parameters and pigment contents of sunflower. HPLC analysis of bio-stimulants appeared six phenolic acids, one phenol and two flavonoids were found in all natural extracts. Gallic, rosmarinic, caffeic, syringic acids and kaempferol are the major phenolic compounds (more than 1000 µg/g) detected in Origanum majorana. While gallic acid, hesperetin and ferulic acid are the major phenolic compounds (more than 1000 µg/g) present in Curcurma longa. Chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, catechin, pyro catechol, coffeic acid and rutin are the dominant phenolic compounds present in Nigella sativa. The Nigella sativa treatment showed the highest decrease in proline levels. This may be due to the high concentration of caffeic acid (2406.97 g/g). The Origanum majorana treatment had the highest levels of chl. a and carotenoid contents, which rose by about 32% and 72%, respectively, compared to the stress-treated plant. The highly decrease in catalase activity, which is considered as most important indicator to water stress, appeared in Origanum majorana treatment. We suggest the use of these natural extracts as an alternative way, which appeared a significant increase in growth and biochemical near to synthetic regulators in the treatment of water stress due to the fact that these extracts contain many important phenolic compounds that have a role in the treatment of water stress.

This paper discusses the design and implementation of a portable IoT station. Communication and data synchronization issues in several installations are addressed here, making possible a detailed analysis of the entire system during its operation. The system operator requires a synchronized data stream, combining multiple communication protocols into one single time stamp. The hardware selected for the portable IoT station complies with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) industrial standards. A short discussion regarding interface customization shows how easily the hardware can be modified so that it is integrated with almost any system. A programmable logic controller enables the Node-RED to be utilized. This open-source middleware defines operations for each global variable nominated in the Modbus register. Two applications are presented and discussed in this paper; each application has a distinct methodology utilized to publish and visualize the acquired data. The portable IoT station is highly customizable, consisting of a modular structure and providing the best platform for future research and development of dedicated algorithms. This paper also demonstrates how the portable IoT station can be implemented in systems where time-based data synchronization is essential while introducing a seamless implementation and operation.

Abstract Introduction The emergence of resistance to the highly successful BCL2-directed therapy is a major unmet need in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an aggressive malignancy with poor survival rates. Towards identifying therapeutic options for AML patients who progress on BCL2-directed therapy, we studied a clinical-stage CDK7 inhibitor XL102, which is being evaluated in solid tumors (NCT04726332). Materials and methods To determine the anti-proliferative effects of XL102, we performed experiments including time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer, target occupancy, cell cycle and apoptosis-based assays. We also included genetically characterized primary myeloid blasts from de novo and relapsed/refractory AML patients. For mechanistic studies, CRISPR/Cas9 mediated knockout of CDK7 and c-Myc and immunoblotting were performed. NOD/SCID orthotropic and subcutaneous AML xenografts were used to determine anti-leukemic effects. To assess the synergistic effects of XL102 with Venetoclax, we performed RNA sequencing and gene set enrichment analysis using Venetoclax sensitive and resistant model systems. Results XL102, a highly specific, orally bioavailable covalent inhibitor of CDK7. Inhibitory effect on CDK7 by XL102 in primary myeloid blasts (n = 54) was in nanomolar range (mean = 300 nM; range = 4.0-952 nM). XL102 treated AML cells showed a reduction in phosphorylation levels of Serine 2/5/7 at carboxy-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II. T-loop phosphorylation of CDK1(Thr161) and CDK2(Thr160) was inhibited by XL102 in dose-dependent manner leading to cell-cycle arrest. c-Myc downregulation and enhanced levels of p53 and p21 in XL102 treated cells were observed. Increased levels of p21 and activation of p53 by XL102 were mimicked by genetic ablation of CDK7, which supports that the observed effects of XL102 are due to CDK7 inhibition. XL102 treated AML xenografts showed remarkable reduction in hCD45 + marrow cells (mean = 0.60%; range = 0.04%-3.53%) compared to vehicle control (mean = 38.2%; range = 10.1%-78%), with corresponding increase in p53, p21 and decrease in c-Myc levels. The data suggests XL102 induces apoptosis in AML cells via CDK7/c-Myc/p53 axis. RNA-sequencing from paired Venetoclax-sensitive and Venetoclax-resistant cells treated with XL102 showed downregulation of genes involved in proliferation and apoptosis. Conclusion Taken together, XL102 with Venetoclax led to synergistic effects in overcoming resistance and provided a strong rationale for clinical evaluation of XL102 as a single agent and in combination with Venetoclax.

Abstract Vehicle‐to‐Everything (V2X) communication has been proposed as a potential solution to improve the robustness and safety of autonomous vehicles by improving coordination and removing the barrier of non‐line‐of‐sight sensing. Cooperative Vehicle Safety (CVS) applications are tightly dependent on the reliability of the underneath data system, which can suffer from loss of information due to the inherent issues of their different components, such as sensors' failures or the poor performance of V2X technologies under dense communication channel load. Particularly, information loss affects the target classification module and, subsequently, the safety application performance. To enable reliable and robust CVS systems that mitigate the effect of information loss, a Context‐Aware Target Classification (CA‐TC) module coupled with a hybrid learning‐based predictive modeling technique for CVS systems is proposed. The CA‐TC consists of two modules: a Context‐Aware Map (CAM), and a Hybrid Gaussian Process (HGP) prediction system. Consequently, the vehicle safety applications use the information from the CA‐TC, making them more robust and reliable. The CAM leverages vehicles' path history, road geometry, tracking, and prediction; and the HGP is utilized to provide accurate vehicles' trajectory predictions to compensate for data loss (due to communication congestion) or sensor measurements' inaccuracies. Based on offline real‐world data, a finite bank of driver models that represent the joint dynamics of the vehicle and the drivers' behavior is learned. Offline training and online model updates are combined with on‐the‐fly forecasting to account for new possible driver behaviors. Finally, the framework is validated using simulation and realistic driving scenarios to confirm its potential in enhancing the robustness and reliability of CVS systems.

The present study has been carried out in Kashmir Basin (KB), NW Himalaya, to determine the relative tectonic activity using morphotectonic analysis, drainage patterns, lineament analysis and geomorphological field observations. Geomorphic signatures in KB indicate that intrabasinal faults have been quite active during the Quaternary time and have played a dominant role in kinematic and structural evolution of the basin. The manifestation of this activity has been recorded by terrain morphology, uplifted river terraces, warped fluvial surfaces, strath surfaces, fault scarps, offset of Holocene sedimentary successions, braided, and offsetted drainage patterns and recent seismic activity in the region. Presence of active mountain fronts; concave, convex, and concavo-convex hypsometric curves; ambiguous stream gradient index and drainage basin asymmetry, elongated sub-basins clearly manifest tectonic influences in sculpting the basin geometry. The presence of NW-SE to NNE-SSW lineaments that generally strike parallel with the major regional tectonic structures (faults) clearly suggest intense deformation zones produced by ongoing regional tectonism. We propose that the techniques employed, the data obtained and the technical interpretations, are potentially useful and may also be extrapolated to similar tectonically active regions.

The plight of antimicrobial resistance continues to limit the availability of antibiotic treatment effective in combating resistant bacterial infections. Despite efforts made to rectify this issue and minimise its effects on both patients and the wider community, progress in this area remains minimal. Here, we de-novo designed a peptide named KDEON WK-11, building on previous work establishing effective residues and structures active in distinguished antimicrobial peptides such as lactoferrin. We assessed its antimicrobial activity against an array of bacterial strains and identified its most potent effect, against Pseudomonas aeruginosa with an MIC value of 3.12 μM, lower than its counterparts developed with similar residues and chain lengths. We then determined its anti-biofilm properties, potential mechanism of action and in vitro cytotoxicity. We identified that KDEON WK-11 had a broad range of antimicrobial activity and specific capabilities to fight Pseudomonas aeruginosa with low in vitro cytotoxicity and promising potential to express anti-lipopolysaccharide qualities, which could be exploited to expand its properties into an anti-sepsis agent.

Introduction: This study was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant potential of crude extract of Solanum nigrum leaves and its active constituents as treatment against restraint stress in rat’s liver. Methods: For this purpose, male albino Wistar rats were treated with crude extract of leaves and its alkaloid and flavonoid fractions both before and after 6 h of acute restraint stress. Prooxidant status of rat liver was assessed by determining the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, reduced glutathione, alkaline phosphatase, alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferase (GST). Results: Six hours of restraint stress generated oxidative stress in rat’s liver resulted in a significant rise in the level of the aforementioned liver enzymes. On the other hand, SOD, CAT, and GST enzymatic activities showed a significant decline in their level. The administration of crude leaves extract, both before and after stress exposure, significantly prevented the rise in the level of liver enzymes and reverted the activities of studied biochemical parameters toward their normal control values. However, the reversion was found to be more prominent in after-stress group. Conclusion: The aforementioned results highlight the significant antioxidant potential of S. nigrum extracts. On the basis of our study, we suggest the possible use of S. nigrum leaves extract as a nutritional supplement for combating oxidative stress induced damage.

Use of haploidentical (haplo) donors for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has significantly increased in the last decade. The major advantage with this strategy is universal availability and faster acquisition of the donor, along with affordability and provision of immunotherapy in post-transplantation period. Historically, haplo-HCT was associated with compromised outcomes because of high rates of graft-versus-host disease and graft failure, but after the development of a post-transplantation high-dose cyclophosphamide strategy, which results in selective T-cell depletion, these issues have been addressed to a large extent. Nevertheless, graft failure, high treatment-related mortality due to graft-versus-host disease, infections, delayed immune reconstitution, and disease relapse remain significant concerns. As the experience with haplo-HCTs grows, the clinical outcomes are becoming more at par with those seen with fully matched unrelated donor allogeneic HCTs.

Acellular matrices produced by tissue decellularisation are reported to have tissue integrative properties. We examined the potential for incorporating acellular matrix grafts during procedures where there is an inadequate natural tissue bed to support an enduring surgical repair. Hypospadias is a common congenital defect requiring surgery, but associated with long-term complications due to deficiencies in the quality and quantity of the host tissue bed at the repair site. Biomaterials were implanted as single on-lay grafts in a peri-urethral position in male pigs. Two acellular tissue matrices were compared: full-thickness porcine acellular bladder matrix (PABM) and commercially-sourced cross-linked acellular matrix from porcine dermis (Permacol™). Anatomical and immunohistological outcomes were assessed 3 months post-surgery. There were no complications and surgical sites underwent full cosmetic repair. PABM grafts were fully incorporated, whilst Permacol™ grafts remained palpable. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated a non-inflammatory, remodelling-type response to both biomaterials. PABM implants showed extensive stromal cell infiltration and neovascularisation, with a significantly higher density of cells ( p

Current e-Health portal platforms provide support for patients only if they have previously registered and received service from a healthcare facility (e.g., hospital, healthcare clinic, etc.). These portals are usually connected to a central EMR/EHR system linked to a central system. Furthermore, these portals are restrictive in that they are only accessible by these patients at the exclusion of parents, relatives and others that participate in providing care to the patient. Further complications include the increasing demand from our healthcare systems for patients to receive more off-site, non-primary, in-homecare, and/or specialized healthcare services at home (e.g., therapy, nursing, personal support, etc.). Lastly, an increasing number of people would like to have more autonomy over their health in terms of increased access to their own medical records and the services they receive. In this work, we addressed these limitations by creating MyHealthPortal – a patient portal aimed at non-primary care, in-homecare, and/or special healthcare for patients. MyHealthPortal can assist homecare and clinic-based healthcare services along with the benefits of existing portals (e.g., online appointment scheduling, monitoring, and information sharing). MyHealthPortal is secure, robust, flexible and user-friendly. We developed it in partnership with our industry partner, Closing the Gap Healthcare. Closing the Gap is a prominent homecare and clinic-based healthcare service provider that became the first homecare agency to score 100% on standards from accreditation Canada and was awarded the exemplary standing. In this paper we present MyHealthPortal , the architectural framework that we designed and developed to support the system, and the results of a usability study conducted from real field studies. Our system was tested in a variety of conditions and achieved SUS usability scores of 92.5% (high).

Topiramate is an anti-epileptic drug that is commonly prescribed not just to prevent seizures but also migraine headaches, with over 8 million prescriptions dispensed annually. Topiramate use during pregnancy has been linked to significantly increased risk of babies born with orofacial clefts (OFCs). However, the exact molecular mechanism of topiramate teratogenicity is unknown. In this study, we first used an unbiased antibody array analysis to test the effect of topiramate on human embryonic palatal mesenchyme (HEPM) cells. This analysis identified 40 differentially expressed proteins, showing strong connectivity to known genes associated with orofacial clefts. However, among known OFC genes, only TGFβ1 was significantly upregulated in the antibody array analysis. Next, we validated that topiramate could increase expression of TGFβ1 and of downstream target phospho-SMAD2 in primary mouse embryonic palatal mesenchyme (MEPM) cells. Furthermore, we showed that topiramate treatment of primary MEPM cells increased expression of SOX9. SOX9 overexpression in chondrocytes is known to cause cleft palate in mouse. We propose that topiramate mediates upregulation of TGFβ1 signaling through activation of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors in the palate. TGFβ1 and SOX9 play critical roles in orofacial morphogenesis, and their abnormal overexpression provides a plausible etiologic molecular mechanism for the teratogenic effects of topiramate.

IntroductionMild obstructive sleep-disordered breathing (oSDB), characterised by habitual snoring without frequent apnoeas and hypopnoeas on polysomnography, is prevalent in children and commonly treated with adenotonsillectomy (AT). However, the absence of high-level evidence addressing the role of AT in improving health and behavioural outcomes has contributed to significant geographical variations in care and potential for surgery to be both overused and underused.Methods and analysisThe Pediatric Adenotonsillectomy Trial for Snoring (PATS) is a single-blinded, multicentre randomised controlled trial designed to evaluate the effect of AT in treating mild oSDB. Four hundred sixty eligible children, aged 3.0–12.9 years old, will be randomised to either early adenotonsillectomy or to watchful waiting with supportive care (WWSC) with a 1:1 ratio. The study’s coprimary endpoints are (1) change from baseline in executive behaviour relating to self-regulation and organisation skills as measured by the Behavioural Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) Global Composite Score (GEC); and (2) change from baseline in vigilance as measured on the Go-No-Go (GNG) signal detection parameter (d-prime). A mixed effects model will be used to compare changes in the BRIEF GEC score and GNG score at 6 and 12 months from baseline between the AT arm and the WWSC arm.Ethics and disseminationThe study protocol was approved by the institutional review board (IRB) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) on 3 October 2014 (14–0 11 214). The approval of CHOP as the central IRB of record was granted on 29 February 2016. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at academic conferences. The data collected from the PATS study will be deposited in a repository (National Sleep Research Resource, sleepdata.org) after completion of the study to maximise use by the scientific community.Trial registration numberNCT02562040; Pre-results.

In this paper fractional order averaged model for DC/DC Buck converter in continues condition mode (CCM) operation is established. DC/DC Buck converter is one of the main components in the wind turbine system which is used in this research. Due to some practical restriction there weren’t exist input voltage and duty cycle of converter therefor whole of the wind system was simulated in Matlab/Simulink and gathered data is used in proposed method based on trial and error in order to find the fractional order of converter. There is an obvious relationship between controller performance and mathematical model. More accurate model leads us to better controller.

Dupuytren’s contracture is a disease involving abnormal myofibroblast proliferation and collagen deposition leading to the formation of pathologic cords in the hand. Given that Dupuytren’s contractures rarely extend to the distal interphalangeal joint (DIP), affecting only 5% of patients, there are few cases reported in the literature. Collagenase injection is a frequently used option for minimally invasive treatment of Dupuytren’s disease with greater than a 20-degree joint contracture. Unfortunately, there is limited research on the effectiveness of these injections in isolated DIP joint deformities. We present a case of a 61-year-old right hand-dominant male with a 2-year history of isolated right small finger Dupuytren’s contracture at the DIP joint who achieved significant improvement after collagenase injection.

We determined the presence of neutralizing antibodies to Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in persons in Qatar with and without dromedary contact. Antibodies were only detected in those with contact, suggesting dromedary exposure as a risk factor for infection. Findings also showed evidence for substantial underestimation of the infection in populations at risk in Qatar.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of combined treatment with intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) and triamcinolone acetate (IVT) for patients with macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis of 20 eyes injected with 1.25 mg IVB and 2 mg IVT for clinically identified BRVO within 8 weeks of onset. All patients lacked concomitant ocular pathology and completed 6 months′ follow-up. Clinical examination including LogMAR visual acuity (VA) and central macular thickness (CMT) by spectralis optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed preoperatively and at 1, 3 and 6 months post-operatively. Results : Mean patient age was 61.3 years with a mean BRVO diagnosis time of 3 weeks at presentation. VA improved from logMAR 1.08 preoperatively to Mean logMAR VA of 0.55 ± 0.17 at 1 month (P < 0.001), 0.56 ± 0.21 at 3 months (P < 0.001), and 0.38 ± 0.1 at 6 months (P < 0.001) Mean CMT improved from 482 ± 107 μm preoperatively to 319 ± 53 μm at 1 month (P < 0.001), 344 ± 89 μm at 3 months (P < 0.001), and 241 ± 29 μm at 6 months (P < 0.001). Mean IOP preoperatively was 16.5 mmHg, 21 mmHg at 1 month, and 15 mmHg at 6 months. Six out of 20 patients (30%) were re-injected with IVB and IVT at 3 months. Conclusions: Early combined treatment with IVB and IVT is effective in improving anatomic and functional outcomes in patients with macular edema secondary to BRVO.

Extended-gate field-effect transistor (EGFET) is an electronic interface originally developed as a substitute for an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET). Although the literature shows that commercial off-the-shelf components are widely used for biosensor fabrication, studies on electronic interfaces are still scarce (e.g., noise processes, scaling). Therefore, the incorporation of a custom EGFET can lead to biosensors with optimized performance. In this paper, the design and characterization of a transistor association (TA)-based EGFET was investigated. Prototypes were manufactured using a 130 nm standard complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process and compared with devices presented in recent literature. A DC equivalence with the counterpart involving a single equivalent transistor was observed. Experimental results showed a power consumption of 24.99 mW at 1.2 V supply voltage with a minimum die area of 0.685 × 1.2 mm2. The higher aspect ratio devices required a proportionally increased die area and power consumption. Conversely, the input-referred noise showed an opposite trend with a minimum of 176.4 nVrms over the 0.1 to 10 Hz frequency band for a higher aspect ratio. EGFET as a pH sensor presented further validation of the design with an average voltage sensitivity of 50.3 mV/pH, a maximum current sensitivity of 15.71 mA1/2/pH, a linearity higher than 99.9%, and the possibility of operating at a lower noise level with a compact design and a low complexity.

Piezoelectric vibration based energy harvesting systems have been widely utilized and researched as powering modules for various types of sensor systems due to their ease of integration and relatively high energy density compared to RF, thermal, and electrostatic based energy harvesting systems. In this paper, a low-power CMOS full-bridge rectifier is presented as a potential solution for an efficient energy harvesting system for piezoelectric transducers. The energy harvesting circuit consists of two n-channel MOSFETs (NMOS) and two p-channel MOSFETs (PMOS) devices implementing a full-bridge rectifier coupled with a switch control circuit based on a PMOS device driven by a comparator. With a load of 45 kΩ, the output rectifier voltage and the input piezoelectric transducer voltage are 694 mV and 703 mV, respectably, while the VOUT versus VIN conversion ratio is 98.7% with a PCE of 52.2%. The energy harvesting circuit has been designed using 130 nm standard CMOS process.

Linear-low-density-polyethylene- (LLDPE-) based formulations with several near-infrared- (NIR-) reflective pigments were prepared by melt blending technique and their subsequent films were prepared by blown film extrusion process. Thermal properties of these films were evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results showed that the melting and crystallization temperatures (Tm and Tc, resp.) of these formulations were almost similar to that of control resin. The melt viscosity was measured by stress-controlled rotational rheometer and melt flow index (MFI) instruments. Rheological measurements indicated that the blend formulations with NIR-reflective additive have similar melt viscoelastic behavior (storage modulus and dynamic viscosity) to the control resin. The mechanical test performed on NIR-reflective films showed similar values of tensile strength for blend samples as that of control resin. The spectral radiometric properties of the blend films were evaluated in the solar wavelength range of 200–1100 nm and found to be improved over the control sample without having NIR-reflective pigment.