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Background: Pneumonia has a high incidence in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients and lacks effective treatments. Early mobilization (EM) may be a potentially effective treatment. Aim: To explore the impact of EM on TBI‐related pneumonia in the neurosurgical intensive care unit (NICU). Study Design: This study was a historical control study. 100 TBI patients who received EM intervention were prospectively included as the experimental group (EM cohort), and 250 TBI patients were retrospectively included as the control group. The propensity score matching (PSM) method was employed to balance baseline and minimize potential bias. The relationship between EM and TBI‐related pneumonia was investigated by univariate and multivariate logistic regression, then further determined by subgroup analysis. The influence of other variables was excluded by interaction analyses. Finally, the effect of EM on the prognosis of TBI patients was analysed by comparing the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the hospital stay. Results: After screening, 86 patients were included in the EM cohort and 199 patients were included in the control cohort. There were obvious differences between the two cohorts at baseline, and these differences were eliminated after PSM, when the incidence of pneumonia was significantly lower in the EM cohort than in the control cohort (35.0% vs. 61.9%, p <.001). Multivariate logistic regression showed that EM was an independent risk factor for TBI‐related pneumonia and was significantly associated with a decreased incidence of pneumonia. This correlation was present in most subgroups and was not affected by other variables (p for interaction >.05). Patients in the EM cohort had shorter length of ICU stay (6 vs. 7 days, p =.017) and higher GCS at discharge (12 vs. 11, p =.010). Conclusion: EM is a safe and effective treatment for TBI patients in NICU, which can reduce the incidence of pneumonia, help to improve prognosis and shorten the length of ICU stay. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Although the utilization rate of EM is low in TBI patients for various reasons, EM is still an effective method to prevent complications. Our study confirms that a scientific and detailed EM strategy can effectively reduce the incidence of pneumonia while ensuring the safety of TBI patients, which is worthy of further research and clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief presents a cascade pseudo 3-level time-to-digital converter (TDC) based on wideband phase-locked loops (PLLs) for photon time of flight measurement. In each pixel, a 9-bit pseudo random synchronous counter composed of linear feedback shift register is served as a high-level coarse TDC. Its counting clock is directly coming from the synchronous counter served as the middle-level TDC. The low-level fine TDC is based on time-interpolation technology and directly use the low-jitter multi-phase clock signal generated by the PLL to complete the fine quantization of the residue time. In addition, proper timing control and error suppression methods are implemented in the proposed TDC. The circuit is demonstrated in TSMC 0.35- ${\mu }\text{m}$ CMOS process. Under the condition of 10-MHz input reference frequency and 3.3-V supply voltage, the wideband PLL can be locked from 146 to 450 MHz. The resolution of the TDC will change from 856 to 278 ps. At 450 MHz, the measured DNL around $15\boldsymbol {\mu }\text{s}$ is–0.1 to 0.1 LSB and the INL is–0.05 to 0.2 LSB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The appendiceal diseases, particularly appendicitis, are the most common disorders in the digestive system localized at the right lower quadrant area. However, appendiceal carcinoma with vesico-appendiceal fistula is a rare clinical phenomenon. Lacking specific symptoms, appendiceal carcinomas with fistula formations are often misdiagnosed as acute appendicitis cases. The purpose of this study is to increase awareness of appendiceal neoplasms and appendicovesical fistulas. We reported our experiences in three complex cases related to digestive and urological systems, and reviewed the literature on diagnosis with various X-ray imaging techniques for this lesion. In this report, the first case failed to be diagnosed. The other two patients with appendicovesical fistulas secondary to appendiceal adenocarcinomas were successfully detected with computed tomography (CT) and cystoscopy. The patients recovered after right hemicolectomies and en bloc partial cystectomies and survived without tumor metastasis up to 7-year follow-up. In conclusion, a combined use of CT imaging and endoscopy techniques provides an accurate diagnostic alternative for appendicovesical fistula secondary to appendiceal adenocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasingly, the traditional professional development (PD) model at 4-year institutions fails to meet the evolving needs of faculty. The traditional model of PD faces unique implementation challenges, including developing offerings that appeal to a wide range of disciplines and topics, dealing with limited faculty availability, physical/campus location barriers, and limited training staff. This article discusses a collaborative initiative across five State University of New York (SUNY) colleges and universities to develop a web-based, on-demand, self-directed PD opportunity that can easily be shared and replicated throughout SUNY and the world under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 2.5 license. The Tools of Engagement Project: On-demand Discovery Learning Professional Development (here-after referred to as TOEP) allows faculty to explore emerging technologies and Web 2.0 tools at their own pace through a variety of rich media and textual tutorials. As a part of the grant research, the interactive community of TOEP learners also reflect on how they could incorporate emerging technologies and Web 2.0 tools into their pedagogy, thereby creating a knowledge base of technology implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoestrogens, which have a weak estrogenic effect, bind to estrogen receptors (ERs), thereby competing with estradiol, have an antiestrogenic effect on women of reproductive age with high estrogenic level. Herein, we examined the ability of the phytoestrogen Puerarin to treat endometriosis in rat models of endometriosis. In total, 75 adult, mature female Sprague-Dawley rats in which endometriotic implants were successfully induced by transplanting autologous endometrial tissue to ectopic sites were used in this study. Oral gavage of Puerarin (at doses of 600, 200, or 60 mg/kg per day) or Danazol (80 mg/kg per day) started 4 weeks after implantation. Control model rats received vehicle alone. After administration for 4 weeks, the weight of the ectopic implants, estradiol concentration, as well as ER-α and Aromatase P450 (P450arom) expression in different groups of rat tissues were evaluated after treatment. The endometriotic tissue weight and serum estrogen levels were significantly lower in high, medium, low dose of Puerarin and Danazol treatment groups than that in control group (P < .05 or P < .01). Low-dose Puerarin inhibited P450arom expression and significantly reduced estrogen levels in endometriotic tissue (P < .01). Three doses of Puerarin had no adverse effects on liver, kidney, and ovary, whereas high-dose Puerarin administration caused thinner bone trabecula with distortion and breakage and Danazol administration caused mild or moderate hepatic cell damage. These data demonstrate that Puerarin was able to effectively suppress the growth and development of ectopic endometrium in the rat endometriosis model, even at low doses, suggesting it may be an effective treatment for endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]