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Objectives: The disposable esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) system is a novel endoscopic device which is highly portable and is designed to eliminate the risk of cross‐infection caused by reusable EGD. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and safety of disposable EGD in emergency, bedside, and intraoperative settings. Methods: This was a prospective, single‐center, noncomparative study. Disposable EGD was used for emergency, bedside, and intraoperative endoscopies in 30 patients. The primary end‐point was the technical success rate of the disposable EGD. Secondary end‐points included technical performance indicators including clinical operability, image quality score, procedure time, the incidence of device malfunction and/or failure, and the incidence of adverse events. Results: A total of 30 patients underwent diagnosis and/or treatment with disposable EGD. Therapeutic EGD was performed on 13/30 patients, including hemostasis (n = 3), foreign body retrieval (n = 6), nasoenteric tube placement (n = 3), and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (n = 1). The technical success rate was 100%: all procedures and indicated interventions were completed without changing to a conventional upper endoscope. The mean image quality score obtained immediately after procedure completion was 3.72 ± 0.56. The mean (± SD) procedure time was 7.4 (± 7.6) min. There were no device malfunctions or failures, device‐related adverse events, or overall adverse events. Conclusion: The disposable EGD may be a feasible alternative to the traditional EGD in emergency, bedside, and intraoperative settings. Preliminary data show that it is a safe and effective tool for diagnosis and treatment in emergency and bedside upper gastrointestinal cases. Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Trial ID: ChiCTR2100051452, https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=134284). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a hybrid intelligent algorithm by combining the particle swarm optimization (PSO) with variable neighborhood search (VNS) is presented on the basis of analyzing the problem of nonlinear bilevel programming. This method integrates the fast search capability of PSO with the global search ability of VNS. Firstly, the bilevel programming is transformed into a single level programming problem by use of the Kuhn-Tucker conditions. Then, the preferable swarm is obtained by PSO algorithm. Furthermore, the swarm get into local optima, which is estimated by convergence criterions, is optimized by VNS algorithm. Finally, the result of benchmark problems demonstrates the proposed algorithm is effective than the compared algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking a city in Guangdong Province as the research area, the concentration and spatial distribution characteristics of heavy metals in the surface soil were studied to clarify the situation of soil heavy metal pollution and priority control factors, providing basic data for the prevention and control of soil heavy metal pollution in the city. The content characteristics of heavy metals in 221 soil samples in the city were analyzed, and the potential health risk assessment and source analysis were carried out through the Monte Carlo model, the potential health risk assessment (HRA) model, and the PMF receptor model. It was found that heavy metals ω (As), ω (Hg), ω (Cd), ω (Pb), ω (Cr), ω (Cu), ω (Ni), and ω (Zn) in the soil of the city were 18.16, 0.43, 1.46, 68.57, 98.34, 64.19, 26.53, and 257.32 mg·kg -1 , respectively, with a moderate to high degree of variation. Except for Ni concentration, the soil concentrations of other heavy metal elements exceeded the background values of soil in Guangdong Province to a certain extent, and the concentrations of Cd and Zn exceeded the national secondary standards, resulting in severe heavy metal pollution; the main sources of heavy metals were industrial sources, and natural parent materials, lead battery manufacturing, transportation, artificial cultivation, and pesticide and fertilizer inputs also had an undeniable impact on the accumulation of heavy metals in the soil. Heavy metals in the soil had a certain degree of tolerable carcinogenic health risk for both children and adults, whereas non-carcinogenic risks could be ignored. The potential health risk of children was greater than that of adults, and the main exposure route was through oral intake. The input sources of pesticides and fertilizers and As should be the main controlling factors for the health risks of heavy metals in the city's soil, followed by mixed sources and Cr. There were differences in the spatial distribution characteristics and relative pollution levels of heavy metals, and it is necessary to deepen zoning monitoring and control, strengthen soil pollution prevention and control, and reduce human input of heavy metals in soil.

In order to comprehensively study the pollution characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） in soils of Guangzhou， 222 topsoil samples were collected and analyzed. The ecological risk of soil PAHs pollution was evaluated using the effect interval low/median method （ERL/ERM） and the （BaP） toxicity equivalent method， and the health risk of soil PAHs pollution was evaluated using the lifelong cancer risk increment model. The source of PAHs was analyzed using the characteristic compound ratio method and PMF model. The results indicated that： the content of surface soil （∑16PAHs） in Guangzhou was 38-11 115 μg·kg -1 ， with an average of 526 μg·kg -1 ， and 16 types of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon monomers showed strong variation. There was a certain degree of ecological risk of PAHs in Guangzhou， and there was already a significant ecological risk of PAHs pollution in individual sampling points， which were generally in a state of mild pollution. Based on the results of the health risk assessment， the contribution rates of total cancer risk in both adults and children were presented as follows： skin contact > ingestion of soil > respiratory intake. The health risk of children was greater than that of adults， and the overall health risk was within an acceptable range. Source analysis showed that the main sources of soil PAHs in Guangzhou were coal （37.1%）； diesel （32%）； coking （17.3%）； and mixed sources of traffic emissions， biomass combustion， and petrochemical product volatilization （13.6%）. The overall source of soil PAHs belonged to mixed sources. The research results have enriched our understanding of the pollution status of PAHs in the surface soil of Guangzhou and are helpful in promoting soil pollution prevention and control actions.

Objective: To evaluate clinical outcomes of acetabular cup position on high hip and anatomical position in total hip arthroplasty for Crowe III developmental dysplasia of hip joint., Methods: Forty-six patients(58 hips) treated with high hip center THA from January 2010 to December 2015, including 6 males (8 hips) and 40 females(50 hips) aged from 40 to 70 years old with an average of(54.3±7.6) years old. While 20 patients(28 hips) treated with anatomical position in THA from January 2004 and December 2009 were analyzed as control, including 4 males (5 hips) and 16 females (23 hips), aged from 42 to 68 years old with an average of (53.0±7.1) years old. Operative time, blood loss, Harris score (HHS), gait analysis, Trendelanburg signal, imaging examinations and prosthesis survivorship were compared between two groups., Results: Operative time and blood loss in high hip group(75.1±13.3) min and (108.4±47.1) ml respectively were lower than that of in anatomical position group(107.7±17.1) min and(201.0±58.6) ml respectively. There was no statistical difference in HSS score at 2 years after operation in high hip group(92.3±3.7) scores and anatomical position group(91.4±3.6) scores. No obvious meaning in lower limb differences in high hip group (3.8±2.1) mm and anatomical position group (3.5±1.6) mm. The vertical distance between center of rotation to teardrop in high hip group(31.6±7.8) mm was higher than that of anatomical group(19.3±7.4) mm;while there was no significant differences in horizontal distance between high hip group (30.1±7.7) mm and anatomical group(29.4±7.5) mm. There was no statistical significance in prosthesis survivorship. The gait was good without lameness and positive features of Trendelanburg signal caused by insufficient of abductor., Conclusions: For Crowe III DDH, a high hip center cementless cup without bone graft is a liable method with good function and high rate of prosthesis survivorship. And satisfying short-term clinical and radiographic results could be achieved by this method., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© 2018 by the China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology Press.)