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Objective: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous and aggressive cancer. Although our previous study classified primary TNBC into four subtypes, comprehensive longitudinal investigations are lacking. Methods: We assembled a large-scale, real-world cohort comprised of 880 TNBC patients [465 early-stage TNBC (eTNBC) and 415 metastatic TNBC (mTNBC) patients] who were treated at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. The longitudinal dynamics of TNBC subtypes during disease progression were elucidated in this patient cohort. Comprehensive analysis was performed to compare primary and metastatic lesions within specific TNBC subtypes. Results: The recurrence and metastasis rates within 3 years after initial diagnosis in the eTNBC cohort were 10.1% (47/465). The median overall survival (OS) in the mTNBC cohort was 27.2 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 24.4–30.2 months], which indicated a poor prognosis. The prognostic significance of the original molecular subtypes in both eTNBC and mTNBC patients was confirmed. Consistent molecular subtypes were maintained in 77.5% of the patients throughout disease progression with the mesenchymal-like (MES) subtype demonstrating a tendency for subtype transition and brain metastasis. Additionally, a precision treatment strategy based on the metastatic MES subtype of target lesions resulted in improved progression-free survival in the FUTURE trial. Conclusions: Our longitudinal study comprehensively revealed the clinical characteristics and survival of patients with the original TNBC subtypes and validated the consistency of most molecular subtypes throughout disease progression. However, we emphasize the major importance of repeat pathologic confirmation of the MES subtype.

Microplastics and phthalates are prevalent and emerging pollutants that pose a potential impact on human health. Previous studies suggest that both microplastics and phthalates can adversely affect the reproductive systems of humans and mammals. However, the combined impact of these pollutants on the female reproductive system remains unclear. Here we show the impacts of exposure to polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) on female Sprague-Dawley rats’ reproductive systems. We find that co-exposure to PS-MPs and DEHP results in a marked increase in cystic and atretic follicles, oxidative stress, fibrosis, and dysregulation of serum sex hormone homeostasis in the ovaries of the rats. Proteomic analysis identified differentially expressed proteins that were predominantly enriched in signaling pathways related to fatty acid metabolism and tight junctions, regulated by transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1). We further confirm that co-exposure to DEHP and PS-MPs activates the TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway, and inhibiting this pathway alleviates oxidative stress, hormonal dysregulation, and ovarian fibrosis. These results indicate that exposure to the combination of microplastics and phthalates leads to a significant increase in atretic follicles and may increase the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Our study provides new insights into the reproductive toxicity effects of microplastics and DEHP exposure on female mammals, highlighting the potential link between environmental pollutants and the occurrence of PCOS. These findings highlight the need for comprehensive assessments of the reproductive health risks posed by microplastic pollution to women and contribute to the scientific basis for evaluating such risks.

Although extensively studied in cutaneous epithelial neoplasms, the TRPS1 immunoreactivity in cutaneous mesenchymal neoplasms and tumors of uncertain differentiation (CMNTUDs), such as atypical fibroxanthoma (AFX), remains largely unexplored. We assessed TRPS1 immunoreactivity in 135 CMNTUDs, comprising 46 fibrohistiocytic/fibroblastic tumors, 28 vascular tumors, 24 peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs), 21 tumors of uncertain differentiation, and 16 smooth muscle tumors. Additionally, we included selected cases of melanoma with spindled cell morphology or desmoplastic features (n = 9) and sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma (SSCC) (n = 5) to compare TRPS1 expression patterns with those of AFX. TRPS1 expression was prevalent in dermatofibromas (24/24), leiomyomas (8/8), AFXs/pleomorphic dermal sarcoma (PDS) (20/21), dermatofibrosarcomas protuberans (14/22), and leiomyosarcomas (6/8). It was uncommon in angiosarcomas (3/20), Kaposi sarcomas (2/8), and neurofibromas (5/17) and absent in perineuriomas (0/2). AFXs/PDS exhibited the highest median H-score of 240, contrasting with minimal TRPS1 immunoreactivity in vascular neoplasms and PNSTs, with median H-scores consistently below 10. Significant differences in H-score were observed between AFXs/PDS and angiosarcomas (p < 0.001), melanomas (p < 0.001), and leiomyosarcomas (p = 0.029). However, no significant difference was found compared to SSCCs, suggesting limited discriminatory power of TRPS1 in this context. This study sheds light on TRPS1 expression patterns in a subset of CMNTUDs, extending beyond prior studies primarily focused on epithelial tumors, while underscoring potential pitfalls associated with TRPS1 immunohistochemistry.

Abstract Background Increasing attention is being paid to the environmental and health impacts of nanoplastics (NPs) pollution. Exposure to nanoplastics (NPs) with different charges and functional groups may have different adverse effects after ingestion by organisms, yet the potential ramifications on mammalian blood glucose levels, and the risk of diabetes remain unexplored. Results Mice were exposed to PS-NPs/COOH/NH2 at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day for nine weeks, either alone or in a T2DM model. The findings demonstrated that exposure to PS-NPs modified by different functional groups caused a notable rise in fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance in a mouse model of T2DM. Exposure to PS-NPs-NH2 alone can also lead the above effects to a certain degree. PS-NPs exposure could induce glycogen accumulation and hepatocellular edema, as well as injury to the pancreas. Comparing the effect of different functional groups or charges on T2DM, the PS-NPs-NH2 group exhibited the most significant FBG elevation, glycogen accumulation, and insulin resistance. The phosphorylation of AKT and FoxO1 was found to be inhibited by PS-NPs exposure. Treatment with SC79, the selective AKT activator was shown to effectively rescue this process and attenuate T2DM like lesions. Conclusions Exposure to PS-NPs with different functional groups (charges) induced T2DM-like lesions. Amino-modified PS-NPs cause more serious T2DM-like lesions than pristine PS-NPs or carboxyl functionalized PS-NPs. The underlying mechanisms involved the inhibition of P-AKT/P-FoxO1. This study highlights the potential risk of NPs pollution on T2DM, and provides a new perspective for evaluating the impact of plastics aging.

Background Although trichorhinophalangeal syndrome type 1 (TRPS1) was initially thought to be highly sensitive and specific for carcinomas and mesenchymal tumors of mammary origin, more recent data suggest its expression is not limited to breast neoplasms but also can be seen in other cutaneous neoplasms, such as extramammary Paget disease and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in situ. Methods Two-hundred cases of non-melanocytic cutaneous neoplasm, including basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) (n = 41), SCCs (n = 35), Merkel cell carcinomas (MCCs) (n = 25), and adnexal neoplasms (n = 99), were tested for TRPS1 expression using a monoclonal anti- TRPS1 rabbit anti-human antibody. Results TRPS1 expression was present in almost all cases of SCC (94%), with a median H-score of 200, while it was either absent or only focally present in most BCCs (90%), with a median H-score of 5. The difference between BCCs and SCCs in H-score was significant (p < .001). All MCCs (100%) lacked TRPS1 expression. TRPS1 expression was frequently seen in most adnexal neoplasms, benign and malignant, in variable intensity and proportion but was consistently absent in apocrine carcinomas. All endocrine mucin-producing sweat gland carcinomas (EMPSGCs) (100%, 6/6) showed diffuse and strong TRPS1 immunoreactivity, with a median H-score of 300, which was significantly different (p < .001) than that of BCCs. Conclusions Our study shows that TRPS1 may be an effective discriminatory marker for BCCs and SCCs. It also has a role in distinguishing BCCs from EMPSGCs.

Indentation tests create complex stress–strain states in the region beneath the indentation tip. However, it is difficult to observe the indentation responses of bulk materials. Therefore, this study presents a wedge-indentation test technology that can investigate the subsurface deformation behavior during loading and unloading inside a scanning electron microscope. In situ observations based on multiple techniques, including a secondary electron detector, electron backscatter diffraction, and digital image correlation, are realized and used to investigate the texture evolution and stress–strain behavior of monocrystalline copper in the microregion beneath the indentation tip. Indentation induces kinked slip bands along the [01‾1‾] and [011‾] directions. The maximum shear strain of 0.324 occurs at the sides of the area in direct contact with the indentation tip. The lattice rotations in three dimensions are calculated and obtained quantitatively, and the geometrically necessary dislocation density beside the contact region reaches 0.70 × 1014/m2. The proposed method has considerable potential for explaining the deformation mechanisms of materials at microscale.

This study evaluated the potential and environmental benefits of using oil shale residue as a replacement for fine aggregate in concrete through a series of experiments. Initially, the crushing value test confirmed the oil shale residue’s value at 16.7%, meeting the load-bearing standards for fine aggregates, thus proving its viability as a complete substitute. Further, the oil shale residue was treated with a 60 mg/L concentration of Tween 80 and other surfactants for oil removal. The treated concrete specimens demonstrated excellent compressive performance and a dense internal structure. Building on this, the mechanical properties of the oil shale residue concrete were explored across different replacement ratios (from 40% to 100%), revealing an increase in compressive strength with higher replacement ratios. In the durability tests, compared to the JZ group, the oil shale residue concrete modified with desulfurization gypsum exhibited a 0.03% reduction in mass loss rate and a 10.13% reduction in relative moving elasticity modulus loss rate, particularly noticeable after 175 freeze–thaw cycles where specimens B1 to B4 exhibited no significant damage, highlighting its remarkable durability. Overall analysis indicated that using oil-removed oil shale residue as a substitute for fine aggregate in concrete, combined with desulfurization gypsum modification, not only enhances concrete performance but also significantly reduces the consumption of natural aggregates and environmental pollution, promoting resource utilization and sustainable development.

Abstract Background The incidence of incidental pulmonary embolism (IPE) has greatly increased, but its clinical characteristics and outcomes are still controversial. This study aimed to compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes between cancer patients with IPE and patients with symptomatic pulmonary embolism (SPE). Patients/Methods Clinical data of 180 consecutive patients with cancer complicated with pulmonary embolism admitted to Beijing Cancer Hospital from July 2011 to December 2019 were retrospectively collected and analysed. General characteristics, diagnosis time of pulmonary embolism (PE), location of PE, concurrent deep venous thrombosis, anticoagulant treatment, impact of PE on anti-tumor treatment, recurrent venous thromboembolism, rate of bleeding after anticoagulation therapy, survival and risk factors of IPE were compared with SPE. Results Of 180 patients, 88 (49%) had IPEs and 92 (51%) had SPEs. Patients with IPE and SPE did not differ in age, sex, tumor type, or tumor stage. Median diagnosis times of IPE and SPE after cancer were 108 (45, 432) days and 90 (7, 383) days, respectively. Compared to SPE, IPE tended to be central (44% versus 26%; P

The genus Sanicula L. possesses many medically important plants, belonging to the family Apiaceae. It is one of the most taxonomically difficult taxa, largely due to the great variability in habit, foliage, flowers and fruits. Previous studies have mainly focused on the molecular studies of this genus, and the morphological research for this genus was limited, especially in the micromorphological research. In the current study, we newly obtained leaf materials from twenty-two Sanicula members, fruit and pollen materials from twenty Sanicula members and performed comprehensively micromorphological analyses for this complicated genus. The results of the leaf epidermis showed that the upper and lower epidermis were smooth and glabrous, and the cell shape was polygonal or irregular. The patterns of anticlinal wall were shallowly undulating, deeply undulating, subflat or flat. The cuticular membrane ornamentations were diverse, and some species had epidermal appendage. All Sanicula species observed the stomata in the lower epidermis, and only five species (S. rugulosa, S. elongata, S. hacquetioides, S. tienmuensis and S. elata) observed stomata in the upper epidermis, which can easily identify them from other Sanicula members. In addition, we found that the fruits scarcely compressed, and some fruits had their distinctive shape, such as the fruit shape of S. tienmuensis was subglobose, S. subgiraldii was broadly ovate and S. pengshuiensis was ellipsoid. All Sanicula taxa fruits surfaces were covered with prickles, bristles, protuberance, or tubercles, prickles were either long or short, uncinate or straight, rarely scale-like, ribs inconspicuous or slightly prominent, but the prickles/bristles/tubercles were different in shape, sparseness and arrangement. The vittae were distinct in S. rubriflora, S. chinensis, S. caerulescens, S. pengshuiensis, S. pauciflora, S. lamelligera, S. oviformis, S. flavovirens and S. elata, and the remaining taxa were obscure. These findings indicated that the fruits can clearly distinguish these Sanicula members. Furthermore, the micromorphological characteristics of pollen showed that the equatorial view included four shapes: ellipsoid, subrectangular, equatorially constricted and super-rectangular-equatorially constricted; and the polar view possessed four shapes: triangular, triangular–circular, suborbicular and trilobate circular. The germ furrow and the outer wall ornamentation of all Sanicula taxa were quite similar, indicating that the genus was a natural unit. In summary, our study promoted the improvement of a taxonomic system for the genus and also provided additional evidence for future taxonomic study of the genus Sanicula.

The inability to distinguish two-bond from long-range HMBC correlation has historically impeded NMR structure elucidation. Here the authors developed a practical iHMBC methodology utilizing accurate isotope shift measurement to overcome this limitation.

A considerable amount of research on link prediction has recently been driven by missing relationships between knowledge graph entities and the problem of the incompleteness of knowledge graphs. Some recent studies have shown that convolutional neural networks based on knowledge embeddings are highly expressive and have good performance in link prediction. However, we found that the convolutional neural network (CNN)-based models do not handle the link between relations and entities well. For this reason, this paper proposes a link prediction model (LPM) based on feature mapping and bi-directional convolution. For the modeling of the task, an encoding layer–mapping layer–decoding layer structure is used. Among these layers, the encoding layer adopts a graph attention network to encode multi-hop triad information and obtains richer encoding of entities and relationships. The mapping layer can realize the mapping transformation between entities and relations and project the entity encoding in the space of relation encoding to capture the subtle connection between entities and relations. The decoding layer adopts bidirectional convolution to merge and decode the triples in a sequential inverse order, which makes the decoding layer model more advantageous in prediction. In addition, the decoding layer also adopts the r-drop training method to effectively reduce the distribution error generated by training between models and enhance the robustness of the model. Our experiments demonstrated the effectiveness of mapping relations, bidirectional convolution, and r-drop, and the accuracy of the proposed model showed significant improvements for each evaluation metric on two datasets, WN18RR and FB15k-237.

Background: Firefighters are required to carry self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), which increases the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. This study assessed the newly recruited firefighters’ internal forces and potential musculoskeletal disorders when carrying SCBA. The effects of SCBA strap lengths were also evaluated. Methods: Kinematic parameters of twelve male subjects running in a control condition with no SCBA equipped and three varying-strapped SCBAs were measured using 3D inertial motion capture. Subsequently, motion data and predicted ground reaction force were inputted for subject-specific musculoskeletal modeling to estimate joint and muscle forces. Results: The knee was exposed to the highest internal force when carrying SCBA, followed by the rectus femoris and hip, while the shoulder had the lowest force compared to the no-SCBA condition. Our model also revealed that adjusting SCBA straps length was an efficient strategy to influence the force that occurred at the lumbar spine, hip, and knee regions. Grey relation analysis indicated that the deviation of the center of mass, step length, and knee flexion-extension angle could be used as the predictor of musculoskeletal disorders. Conclusion: The finding suggested that the training of the newly recruits focuses on the coordinated movement of muscle and joints in the lower limb. The strap lengths around 98-105 cm were also recommended. The findings are expected to provide injury interventions to enhance the occupational health and safety of the newly recruited firefighters.

Relation extraction tasks aim to predict the type of relationship between two entities from a given text. However, many existing methods fail to fully utilize the semantic information and the probability distribution of the output of pre-trained language models, and existing data augmentation approaches for natural language processing (NLP) may introduce errors. To address this issue, we propose a method that introduces prompt information and Top-K prediction sets and utilizes ChatGPT for data augmentation to improve relational classification model performance. First, we add prompt information before each sample and encode the modified samples by pre-training the language model RoBERTa and using these feature vectors to obtain the Top-K prediction set. We add a multi-attention mechanism to link the Top-K prediction set with the prompt information. We then reduce the possibility of introducing noise by bootstrapping ChatGPT so that it can better perform the data augmentation task and reduce subsequent unnecessary operations. Finally, we investigate the predefined relationship categories in the SemEval 2010 Task 8 dataset and the prediction results of the model and propose an entity location prediction task designed to assist the model in accurately determining the relative locations between entities. Experimental results indicate that our model achieves high results on the SemEval 2010 Task 8 dataset.

Objectives: α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) and β-dicalcium silicate (β-C2S) have attracted much attention since these two types of self-curing Ca-phosphate and Ca-silicate are valuable biomaterials for bone defect or endodontic therapy. However, the injectable paste of their individual with high liquid/solid ratio is junior for root canal sealing due to very long self-setting time, low pH value and/or much volume shrinkage during paste-to-cement transformation. Methods: Our studies evaluated the effect of biphasic ratio, liquid/solid ratio and pH condition of aqueous medium on setting time and mechanical strength of this biphasic composite cement, and also the hydroxyapatite re-mineralization potential and anti-microleakage level of the cements with different α-TCP/β-C2S ratio were explored in vitro. A control group free of paste filler was included in the extracted teeth model. Dentine re-mineralization and microleakage degree were observed by scanning electron microscopy and microCT reconstruction analysis. Results: It indicated that the weak acidic solution with pH value of 6.0 may produce a significantly shorter initial setting time (from 90 min to less 20 min) and expected final setting time (

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic intestinal disease characterized by microbiota disturbance and intestinal mucosal damage. The current study aimed to investigate the preventive effects of Bifidobacterium bifidum BD-1 (BD-1) against long-term IBD and possible mechanism by which it alters the gut microbiota, immune response, and mucosal barrier. Our study found that early treatment of BD-1 + Ceftri (ceftriaxone followed by BD-1) and BD-1 confers a certain protective effect against the occurrence of long-term Dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis, which manifests as a decrease in inflammation scores and MPO activity levels, as well as a relatively intact intestinal epithelial structure. Moreover, compared to BD-1, Ceftri, and NS, early treatment with BD-1 + Ceftri promoted greater expression levels of mucosal barrier-related proteins [KI67, MUC2, ZO-1, secretory immunoglobulin A (slgA), Clauding-1, and Occludin], better local immune responses activation, and moderately better modulation of systemic immune responses during long-term colitis. This may be due to the fact that BD-1 + Ceftri can deliberately prolong the colonization time of some beneficial microbiota (e.g., Bifidobacterium) and reduce the relative abundance of inflammation-related microbiota (e.g., Escherichia/Shigella and Ruminococcus). Interestingly, we found that the changes in the gut barrier and immunity were already present immediately after early intervention with BD-1 + Ceftri, implying that early effects can persist with appropriate intervention. Furthermore, intervention with BD-1 alone in early life confers an anti-inflammatory effect to a certain degree in the long-term, which may be due to the interaction between BD-1 and the host’s native gut microbiota affecting intestinal metabolites. In conclusion, BD-1 was not as effective as BD-1 + Ceftri in early life, perhaps due to its failure to fully play the role of the strain itself under the influence of the host’s complex microbiota. Therefore, further research is needed to explore specific mechanisms for single strain and native microbiota or the combination between probiotics and antibiotics.

Embolic aortoiliac occlusion presenting with acute lower limb ischemia is uncommon and represents a challenge for appropriate management. Several techniques for reconstruction are available, taking into account patient's demographics, surgical risk, and aortoiliac anatomy. Several endovascular and open surgical options exist. We present a novel management strategy, with the use of an endovascular aneurysm stent graft for the reconstruction of native aortoiliac system in a middle-aged female. This allowed for successful revascularization of her lower limb ischemia, while maintaining options for future intervention. Long-term data on this option for the management of acute aorto-iliac occlusion are limited.

Summary: Unlike most cell types, many cancer cells survive at low extracellular pH (pHe), a chemical signature of tumors. Genes that facilitate survival under acid stress are therefore potential targets for cancer therapies. We performed a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 cell viability screen at physiological and acidic conditions to systematically identify gene knockouts associated with pH-related fitness defects in colorectal cancer cells. Knockouts of genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation (NDUFS1) and iron-sulfur cluster biogenesis (IBA57, NFU1) grew well at physiological pHe, but underwent profound cell death under acidic conditions. We identified several small-molecule inhibitors of mitochondrial metabolism that can kill cancer cells at low pHe only. Xenografts established from NDUFS1−/− cells grew considerably slower than their wild-type controls, but growth could be stimulated with systemic bicarbonate therapy that lessens the tumoral acid stress. These findings raise the possibility of therapeutically targeting mitochondrial metabolism in combination with acid stress as a cancer treatment option.

With the rapid development of the modern vehicle industry, the automated control of new vehicles is in increasing demand. However, traditional course control has been unable to meet the actual needs of such demand. To solve this problem, more precise path-tracking control technologies have attracted increased attention. This paper presents a new algorithm based on the latitude and longitude information, as well as a dynamic trigonometric function, to improve the accuracy of position deviation. First, the algorithm takes the course deviation and adjustment time as the optimization objectives and the given path and speed as the constraints. The controller continuously adjusts the output through a cyclic “adjustment and detection” process. Second, through an integration of the steering, positioning, and speed control systems, an experimental platform of a path-tracking control system based on the National Instruments (NI) myRIO controller and LabVIEW was developed. In addition, path-tracking experiments were carried out along a linear path, while changing lanes, and on a curved path. When comparing and analyzing the experimental results, it can be seen that the average deviation in lateral displacement along the linear and curved paths was 0.32 and −0.8 cm, and the standard deviation of the lateral displacement was 2.65 and 2.39 cm, respectively. When changing lanes, the total adjustment time for the vehicle close to the target line to reach stability was about 1.5 s. Finally, the experimental results indicate that the new algorithm achieves good stability and high control accuracy, and can overcome directional and positional errors caused by road interference while driving, meeting the precision requirements of automated vehicle control. Keywords: Path-tracking control, Trigonometric function, NI myRIO controller, LabVIEW

In the process of field operation management, determining how to accurately realize crop row identification and path tracking control is an essential part of tractor automatic navigation. According to the linear operation in the process of cotton field management, the tractor path tracking control system was designed based on binocular vision and the pure pursuit model. A new crop row detection method based on the Census transform and the PID control algorithm with dead zone were used. First, the upper computer software was developed by C++ with the functions of parameter setting and image acquisition and processing. Second, an automatic steering controller was developed based on microprocessor MC9S12XS128 of Freescale. The control program was developed based on modular design using CodeWarrior during development of the PID-based automatic steering control strategy. Finally, a field experiment platform of tractor path tracking control was built, and field experiments under the actual cotton were conducted. The optimal visibility distance was determined by several previous experiments. When the tractor tracks the path with the optimal visibility distance in the growth environment of actual cotton crops, the mean absolute deviation of course angle was 0.95°, and the standard deviation was 1.26°; the mean absolute deviation of lateral position was 4.00 cm, and the standard deviation was 4.97 cm; the mean absolute deviation of front wheel angle was 2.99°, and the standard deviation was 3.67°. The experimental results show that (1) the crop row detection method based on Census transform can identify the crop line and plan the navigation path well, and (2) the tractor path tracking control system based on binocular vision has good stability and high control precision; thus, the control system can realize the automatic path tracking control of cotton line operation and meets the agricultural requirements of cotton field operation management. Keywords: Binocular vision, Census transform, Pure pursuit model, Path tracking, Tractor

Controversies have been raised regarding the prevalence and potential clinical significance of mitral annular disjunction (MAD). We aim to address the anatomic characteristics of MAD and their association, if any, on survival. We retrospectively reviewed 1373 consecutive dissected hearts (1017 men, mean age at death 44.9 ± 0.4 y) and frequently detected MAD (median disjunctional length: 2.0 mm, range: 1.5 mm~8.5 mm), with the prevalence of 92.1% over the entire mitral annulus and 74.9% within the posterior annulus (pMAD). The presence of pMAD was associated with increased all-cause mortality (45 y vs. 49 y, hazard ratio [HR]: 1.28, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11~1.47, p < 0.001), which persisted in the context of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs; 46 y vs. 51 y, HR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.14~1.56, p < 0.001) but was insignificant in those without CVDs. Compared to those without pMAD, individuals with pMAD affecting the entire posterior annulus or having a mean standardized length of ≥1.78 showed other clinically significant cardiovascular phenotypes, including the enlargement of aortic annular circumferences and a higher occurrence of thoracic aortic aneurysm/dissection. This largest series of autopsies show that MAD is a common phenotype that may exert additive influence on the survival of individuals. It is necessary to establish a precise classification and stratification of MAD.

According to the experience of nurses and physiotherapists, the abdomen of constipated people becomes softer after abdominal massage. However, the relationship between the decrease in abdominal stiffness and the benefits of abdominal massage has not been examined quantitatively and is unclear. Furthermore, devices for measuring stiffness have been designed to measure relatively hard areas such as the shoulders and do not take into account the lateral outflow of the target tissue, which can be a problem when measuring the stiffness of soft areas such as the abdomen. To address these issues, this study presents a stiffness sensor suitable for measuring abdominal stiffness and investigates the relationship between the reduction in abdominal stiffness and the benefits of abdominal massage. The solution to prevent the lateral outflow of the target is the realization of a stopper, including a contact detection device, which enables a wide-area contact around the targeted area. The sensor consists of a stopper, probe, spring, and time-of-flight (ToF) sensors. The probe and spring provide appropriate pressure and deformation to the abdomen, whereas the stopper prevents the probe from being pushed into the abdomen more than necessary. The ToF sensor measures the deformation length when the deformation is stopped by the stopper. The abdominal stiffness can be derived from the deformation length. The investigation results indicate that the reduction in abdominal stiffness corresponds to the improvement of the stool condition or the maintenance of a healthy stool condition, whereas the maintenance of abdominal stiffness indicates the maintenance or deterioration of the stool condition.

The air gap between baby skin and top sheet of disposable diapers is the main place where baby’s metabolic heat, perspiration, and moisture produced by evaporation of urine stay and transfer. Heat and moisture transfer underneath a diaper are greatly affected by the shape and size of the air gap, therefore, it is of significant importance to explore the air gap between diaper and baby skin for comfort and skin health of babies. Currently, it is still a big problem to accurately measure and characterize the air gap of diaper for scholars. In this article, a new approach to measure the air gap, combining three-dimensional scanning, liquid silicone rubber filling, and image processing methods, was proposed to obtain the shape and size of the air gap between diaper and baby skin by region, for quantitative research on heat and moisture transfer mechanism of diapers. In addition, several indicators, including air volume, air gap thickness, and contact area, as well as clothing area factor of the diaper, were chosen to quantify the air gap size and distributions. After verification of accuracy and repeatability, this new approach can effectively measure the size of the air gap underneath the diaper, and provide a feasible way for exploration on quantitative relationship between thermal and moisture comfort of diapers and their structural design, fit, and diapering habits. Furthermore, diaper designers and baby care)givers can obtain guidelines of diaper structural design, wearing and change to improve the microclimate in the diaper for baby comfort and skin health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]