bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What to expect from primary inferior oblique overaction after esotropia surgery
Authors: Freitas-da-Costa Paulo , Alves Hélio , Santos-Silva Renato , Falcão-Reis Fernando , Breda Jorge , Magalhães Augusto
Published: December 2023

Background

Overelevation in adduction is common in patients with primary esotropia. This study evaluates the variation in ocular motility pattern in patients with primary inferior oblique (IO) muscle overaction after esotropia surgery.

Methods

The medical records of consecutive patients who underwent surgery for infantile, partially accommodative, and basic esotropia over eleven years and had at least one year of follow-up were reviewed. Patients with primary inferior oblique muscle overaction (IOOA) presented at baseline or during follow-up were selected and divided according to the first surgery performed concurrently with horizontal rectus surgery: without IO recession (NO-recess), with unilateral IO recession (UNIL-recess), and with bilateral IO recession (BIL-recess). The success (version normalisation or at least 2 points upgrade in severity scale [0–4] in the operated eye), recurrence rates, and the evolution of the non-operated IO muscles were evaluated.

Results

One hundred and ten patients were included – 53 NO-recess, 26 UNIL-recess, and 31 BIL-recess. Medial rectus muscle posterior fixation sutures surgery (PFS) was performed in 88.2% of patients for esotropia. A recession with graded anterior transposition was the weakening IO procedure. In the NO-recess group, 28 (52.8%) patients normalised their mild IOOA after PFS surgery alone. In the UNI-recess group, the success rate was 88.5%, with 16 (61.5%) patients showing worsened IO muscle of the fellow eye, which prompted additional surgery in 10 patients. In the BIL-recess group, all 31 patients improved the adduction pattern of the operated eye for an 80.6% success rate (6 improved marginally).

Conclusion

Graded anterior transposition of the inferior oblique muscle effectively normalises versions. However, it’s frequent for a contralateral overaction to become manifest after unilateral IO surgery.
Application of entire dental panorama image data in artificial intelligence model for age estimation
Authors: Kahm Se Hoon , Kim Ji-Youn , Yoo Seok , Bae Soo-Mi , Kang Ji-Eun , Lee Sang Hwa
Published: December 2023

Background

Accurate age estimation is vital for clinical and forensic purposes. With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence(AI) technologies, traditional methods relying on tooth development, while reliable, can be enhanced by leveraging deep learning, particularly neural networks. This study evaluated the efficiency of an AI model by applying the entire panoramic image for age estimation. The outcome performances were analyzed through supervised learning (SL) models.

Methods

Total of 27,877 dental panorama images from 5 to 90 years of age were classified by 2 types of grouping. In type 1 they were classified by each age and in type 2, applying heuristic grouping, the age over 20 years were classified by every 5 years. Wide ResNet (WRN) and DenseNet (DN) were used for supervised learning. In addition, the analysis with ± 3 years of deviation in both types were performed.

Results

For the DN model, while the type 1 grouping achieved an accuracy of 0.1016 and F1 score of 0.058, the type 2 achieved an accuracy of 0.3146 and F1 score of 0.2027. Incorporating ± 3years of deviation, the accuracy of type 1 and 2 were 0.281, 0.7323 respectively; and the F1 score were 0.1768, 0.6583 respectively. For the WRN model, while the type 1 grouping achieved an accuracy of 0.1041 and F1 score of 0.0599, the type 2 achieved an accuracy of 0.3182 and F1 score of 0.2071. Incorporating ± 3years of deviation, the accuracy of type 1 and 2 were 0.2716, 0.7323 respectively; and the F1 score were 0.1709, 0.6437 respectively.

Conclusions

The application of entire panorama image data for supervised with classification by heuristics grouping with ± 3years of deviation for supervised learning models and demonstrated satisfactory outcome for the age estimation.
Immune indices and oral health in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus
Authors: Yang Yuxiang , Yu Feixue , Fei Yujie , Dong Guangyan , Cao Peilin , Liu Yi
Published: December 2023

Background

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the causative agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). During the incubation period of AIDS, oral manifestations may precede systemic symptoms; therefore, it is vitally important to explore the relationship between HIV and oral health and other indicators. This study aimed to further assess the correlation between demographic risk factors, the dental health of HIV-infected patients, and the correlation of oral health indicators with CD4+ T-cell counts (CTCCs) and HIV viral loads (HIV-VLs).

Methods

Demographic data on 108 HIV-infected patients were first recorded by questionnaire from March 2016 to November 2018. Patients’ dental health and oral lesions were assessed by a dental specialist; in addition, they were tested for CTCCs and HIV-VLs by flow cytometry and NucliSENS EasyQ® HIV-1 virometer. Finally, the links between CTCC, HIV-VL, and the dental health (including oral lesions) of the patients were analyzed.

Results

We found that age, marital status, and body mass index (BMI) were relevant to the patient’s dental health (P < 0.05) and that their oral hygiene was relevant to their dental health (P < 0.05). However, HIV-VL was not directly related to periodontal/dental clinical indicators (P > 0.05). We discovered that the oral lesions in HIV-infected patients were related to decreased CTCCs and increased HIV-VLs (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

We concluded that HIV-infected patients with severely impaired immune function tend to have poor dental health. Moreover, the prevalence of oral lesions was negatively correlated with CTCC and positively correlated with HIV-VL.
Antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of the leaf and stem extracts of Carissa bispinosa used for dental health care
Authors: Shekwa Wanda , Maliehe Tsolanku Sidney , Masoko Peter
Published: December 2023

Background

Carissa bispinosa (L.) Desf. ex Brenan is one of the plants used traditionally to treat oral infections. However, there is limited data validating its therapeutic properties and photochemistry. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective efficacy of the leaf and stem extracts of C. bispinosa against oral infections.

Methods

The phenolic and tannin contents were measured using Folin-Ciocalteau method after extracting with different solvents. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the extracts were assessed using the microdilution method against fungal (Candida albicans and Candida glabrata) and bacterial (Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis) strains. The 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing power (FRP) models were utilised to assess the antioxidant potential of the extracts. Cytotoxicity of the leaf acetone extract was evaluated using the methylthiazol tetrazolium assay.

Results

The methanol leaf extract had the highest phenolic content (113.20 mg TAE/g), whereas hexane extract displayed the highest tannin composition of 22.98 mg GAE/g. The acetone stem extract had the highest phenolic content (338 mg TAE/g) and the stem extract yielded the highest total tannin content (49.87 mg GAE/g). The methanol leaf extract demonstrated the lowest MIC value (0.31 mg/mL), whereas the stem ethanol extract had the least MIC value of 0.31 mg/mL. The stem methanol extract had the best DPPH free radical scavenging activity (IC50, 72 µg/mL) whereas the stem ethanol extract displayed maximum FRP with absorbance of 1.916. The leaf acetone extract had minimum cytotoxicity with the lethal concentration (LC50) of 0.63 mg/mL.

Conclusions

The results obtained in this study validated the protective effect of C. bispinosa against oral infections.
Exploratory factor analysis of constructs used for investigating research uptake for public healthcare practice and policy in a resource-limited setting, South Africa
Authors: Sigudla Jerry , Maritz Jeanette E.
Published: December 2023

Background

Low-resource settings are often less capable of responding to and implementing available quality research evidence for public healthcare practice and policy development due to various factors. In most low-resource settings, limited empirical evidence is available to help deal with localised factors that contribute to low public health research uptake, particularly from the perspective of key research stakeholders.

Methods

Although the study initially employed a two-phase exploratory sequential approach, this paper focuses on the results generated from a quantitative approach. Considering the determining factors that affect research uptake in the context of low-resource settings, a measuring instrument was developed and its reliability and validity were assessed using an exploratory factor analysis approach.

Results

A total of 212 respondents, according to their job roles and titles, were identified as researchers, front-line workers, programme managers, and directors/senior managers of higher learning institutions, indicating that the three constructs applied in the questionnaire, namely (1) individual factors, (2) organisational factors, and (3) research characteristics, demonstrated relatively high reliability with a Cronbach’s alpha of greater than 0.791.

Conclusion

The study concludes that the instrument can potentially be used to measure factors that affect research uptake in low-resource settings.
Is qPCR always the most sensitive method for malaria diagnostic quality surveillance?
Authors: Koepfli Cristian
Published: December 2023

In many studies to evaluate the quality of malaria diagnosis, microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) are compared to PCR. Depending on the method for sample collection and storage (whole blood or dried blood spot), volume of blood used for extraction, volume of DNA used as PCR template, and choice of PCR target (single vs. multi-copy gene), the limit of detection (LOD) of PCR might not exceed the LOD of expert microscopy or RDT. One should not assume that PCR always detects the highest number of infections.
Prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus infection among women in Jingzhou, China: a population-based study of 51,720 women
Authors: Liu Shun , Mei Bing , Ouyang Yaoling , Li Chengbin
Published: December 2023

Background

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide with a serious threat to women’s health. Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) has been identified as the main cause of cervical cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and genotype distribution of HR-HPV among women in Jingzhou, Hubei province, China, which is critical for the government to formulate the precision strategies of cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccine innoculation.

Methods

To obtain the baseline data on the population-based prevalence and genotype distribution of HR-HPV infection among age groups and different years, a total of 51,720 women from 2018 to 2022 who went to Jingzhou Hospital Affiliated to Yangtze University for physical examination or gynacological treatment and received HR-HPV DNA genotyping were included in this retrospective study. The possible cervicovaginal infection of 15 high-risk HPV genotypes were analyzed by multiplex fluorescent real-time PCR, including HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68 and 82.

Results

The overall high-risk HPV prevalence among 51,720 women was 18.75% (9,698/51,720), and the HPV-positive rate of physical examination group (PEG) was 13.22% (541/4,091), which was lower than the HPV-positive rate of gynacological checkup group (GCG) 19.23% (9,157/47,629), with statistical difference (χ2 = 89.069, P < 0.01). The five most common prevalent genotypes were HPV52 (6.55%), HPV58 (3.41%), HPV16 (2.58%), HPV68 (1.82%) and HPV51 (1.57%). Single HPV infection was the predominant (14.36%), which compared to double (3.34%) and multiple (1.05%) infections. The HPV-positive rate was the highest in the > 60 age group (31.73%), and the lowest in the 31–40 age group (15.46%).

Conclusions

The prevalence of high-risk HPV infection among women in Jingzhou area was 18.75%. HPV52, HPV58 and HPV16 genotypes were the most common. The higher prevalence was in the > 60 and ≤ 20 age group, which showed a “U” shape curve, suggesting the necessity of screening among older women to decrease the mortality of cervical cancer.
Healthy working in inclusive companies – a study protocol of the GAIN project
Authors: Holzgreve Fabian , Bredereck Bettina , Heim Christopher , Weber Britta , Ellegast Rolf , Groneberg David A. , Gaum Christian , Ohlendorf Daniela
Published: December 2023

Background

The research project GAIN (working healthy in inclusion companies) deals with the topics of health and work in inclusive companies. Due to a great need for research on (occupational) health (e.g. physical and mental health status) and workplace design in companies employing people with disabilities, this project pursues the primary goal of generating information for the development and implementation of health-preserving measures within the framework of occupational health and safety, and risk assessment, for employees with and without impairments in inclusive companies.

Methods

Within the framework of the project, the employees of three inclusive companies will be examined with the help of an interdisciplinary and triangulative approach. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, specific physical workloads and hazards will be investigated by means of baseline screening methods and measurement techniques, specifically among employees with physical disabilities and impairments. In the statistical analysis, descriptive methods will be used to record the current state, while inferential statistical methods will be used to evaluate health maintenance measures. Inferential statistics for continuous data with confidence intervals based on the statistical parametric mapping (SPM) method will also be performed. The significance level will be set at 5%. Qualitative methods will be used to analyse structures and working conditions within the companies, with particular attention to the specific construction of the relationship between work, health and disability.

Conclusions

The structures in inclusion companies must be specifically designed to support and promote the understanding of work and health in relation to the idea of one’s own body, its positioning in space and its performance. These characteristics are to be identified in the course of the project and bundled into best-practice recommendations. Furthermore, it is the aim of the research project to derive recommendations for action at its conclusion and to present further advice for the promotion of health in inclusive companies.
Pulmonary function assessment after COVID-19 in vaccinated healthcare workers
Authors: Ippoliti Lorenzo , Coppeta Luca , Somma Giuseppina , Bizzarro Giuseppe , Borelli Francesco , Crispino Teresa , Ferrari Cristiana , Iannuzzi Ilaria , Mazza Andrea , Paolino Agostino , Magrini Andrea , Pietroiusti Antonio
Published: December 2023

COVID-19 typically presents with flu-like symptoms due to the viral infection itself. The most severe cases are characterised by lung damage, an important factor in fatal outcome due to alveolar damage. In some cases, patients develop a long COVID with persistent symptoms of chest pain and fatigue. Causes, including organ damage or inflammation, are being investigated. Clinical outcomes are variable and permanent lung damage is not fully understood, while vaccination is effective against severe infection but its effect on respiratory function in mild cases remains uncertain. This retrospective study aims to analyse changes in lung function in HCWs who had COVID-19 between 2020 and 2022, comparing their spirometric test results before and after the pandemic and taking into account their vaccination status. 321 HCWs were included in the study. The study examined spirometric parameters both before and after the pandemic, and all measured outcomes except the FEV1/FVC ratio showed a significant decrease during the study period. We then assessed the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and changes in lung function parameters, analysing infections in 2020, 2021 and 2022 separately. We found a statistically significant difference in Forced vital capacity (FVC) between infected and non-infected subjects in 2020 and 2021, but not in 2022. To evaluate the protective effect of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on respiratory function, a linear regression analysis was performed using changes in FVC, Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FVC/FEV1 ratio and Peak expiratory flow (PEF) as dependent variables. The analysis showed that the decline in FVC was significantly lower in subjects who had been vaccinated prior to infection. The study concludes that subclinical SARS-CoV-2 infections in 2020 and 2021 worsened respiratory parameters (FVC and FEV1), but vaccination protected against these effects. Even healthy individuals with previous infections showed respiratory changes, with vaccination providing protection, especially for FVC decline. This highlights the importance of vaccinating healthcare workers against COVID-19.
Multiscale protein networks systematically identify aberrant protein interactions and oncogenic regulators in seven cancer types
Authors: Song Won-Min , Elmas Abdulkadir , Farias Richard , Xu Peng , Zhou Xianxiao , Hopkins Benjamin , Huang Kuan-lin , Zhang Bin
Published: December 2023

Global proteomic data generated by advanced mass spectrometry (MS) technologies can help bridge the gap between genome/transcriptome and functions and hold great potential in elucidating unbiased functional models of pro-tumorigenic pathways. To this end, we collected the high-throughput, whole-genome MS data and conducted integrative proteomic network analyses of 687 cases across 7 cancer types including breast carcinoma (115 tumor samples; 10,438 genes), clear cell renal carcinoma (100 tumor samples; 9,910 genes), colorectal cancer (91 tumor samples; 7,362 genes), hepatocellular carcinoma (101 tumor samples; 6,478 genes), lung adenocarcinoma (104 tumor samples; 10,967 genes), stomach adenocarcinoma (80 tumor samples; 9,268 genes), and uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma UCEC (96 tumor samples; 10,768 genes). Through the protein co-expression network analysis, we identified co-expressed protein modules enriched for differentially expressed proteins in tumor as disease-associated pathways. Comparison with the respective transcriptome network models revealed proteome-specific cancer subnetworks associated with heme metabolism, DNA repair, spliceosome, oxidative phosphorylation and several oncogenic signaling pathways. Cross-cancer comparison identified highly preserved protein modules showing robust pan-cancer interactions and identified endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) and N-acetyltransferase activity as the central functional axes. We further utilized these network models to predict pan-cancer protein regulators of disease-associated pathways. The top predicted pan-cancer regulators including RSL1D1, DDX21 and SMC2, were experimentally validated in lung, colon, breast cancer and fetal kidney cells. In summary, this study has developed interpretable network models of cancer proteomes, showcasing their potential in unveiling novel oncogenic regulators, elucidating underlying mechanisms, and identifying new therapeutic targets.
Preclinical evaluation of Affibody molecule for PET imaging of human pancreatic islets derived from stem cells
Authors: Cheung Pierre , Thorngren Julia , Zhang Bo , Vasylovska Svitlana , Lechi Francesco , Persson Jonas , Ståhl Stefan , Löfblom John , Korsgren Olle , Eriksson Jonas , Lau Joey , Eriksson Olof
Published: December 2023

Background

Beta-cell replacement methods such as transplantation of isolated donor islets have been proposed as a curative treatment of type 1 diabetes, but widespread application is challenging due to shortages of donor tissue and the need for continuous immunosuppressive treatments. Stem-cell-derived islets have been suggested as an alternative source of beta cells, but face transplantation protocols optimization difficulties, mainly due to a lack of available methods and markers to directly monitor grafts survival, as well as their localization and function. Molecular imaging techniques and particularly positron emission tomography has been suggested as a tool for monitoring the fate of islets after clinical transplantation. The integral membrane protein DGCR2 has been demonstrated to be a potential pancreatic islet biomarker, with specific expression on insulin-positive human embryonic stem-cell-derived pancreatic progenitor cells. The candidate Affibody molecule ZDGCR2:AM106 was radiolabeled with fluorine-18 using a novel click chemistry-based approach. The resulting positron emission tomography tracer [18F]ZDGCR2:AM106 was evaluated for binding to recombinant human DGCR2 and cryosections of stem-cell-derived islets, as well as in vivo using an immune-deficient mouse model transplanted with stem-cell-derived islets. Biodistribution of the [18F]ZDGCR2:AM106 was also assessed in healthy rats and pigs.

Results

[18F]ZDGCR2:AM106 was successfully synthesized with high radiochemical purity and yield via a pretargeting approach. [18F]ZDGCR2:AM106 retained binding to recombinant human DCGR2 as well as to cryosectioned stem-cell-derived islets, but in vivo binding to native pancreatic tissue in both rat and pig was low. However, in vivo uptake of [18F]ZDGCR2:AM106 in stem-cell-derived islets transplanted in the immunodeficient mice was observed, albeit only within the early imaging frames after injection of the radiotracer.

Conclusion

Targeting of DGCR2 is a promising approach for in vivo detection of stem-cell-derived islets grafts by molecular imaging. The synthesis of [18F]ZDGCR2:AM106 was successfully performed via a pretargeting method to label a site-specific covalently bonded fluorine-18 to the Affibody molecule. However, the rapid washout of [18F]ZDGCR2:AM106 from the stem-cell-derived islets graft indicates that dissociation kinetics can be improved. Further studies using alternative binders of similar classes with improved binding potential are warranted.
Effects of enhanced adsorption haemofiltration versus haemoadsorption in severe, refractory septic shock with high levels of endotoxemia: the ENDoX bicentric, randomized, controlled trial
Authors: Wendel-Garcia Pedro David , Eberle Barbara , Kleinert Eva-Maria , Hilty Matthias Peter , Blumenthal Stephan , Spanaus Katharina , Fodor Patricia , Maggiorini Marco
Published: December 2023

Background

Endotoxin adsorption is a promising but controversial therapy in severe, refractory septic shock and conflicting results exist on the effective capacity of available devices to reduce circulating endotoxin and inflammatory cytokine levels.

Methods

Multiarm, randomized, controlled trial in two Swiss intensive care units, with a 1:1:1 randomization of patients suffering severe, refractory septic shock with high levels of endotoxemia, defined as an endotoxin activity ≥ 0.6, a vasopressor dependency index ≥ 3, volume resuscitation of at least 30 ml/kg/24 h and at least single organ failure, to a haemoadsorption (Toraymyxin), an enhanced adsorption haemofiltration (oXiris) or a control intervention. Primary endpoint was the difference in endotoxin activity at 72-h post-intervention to baseline. In addition, inflammatory cytokine, vasopressor dependency index and SOFA-Score dynamics over the initial 72 h were assessed inter alia.

Results

In the 30, out of 437 screened, randomized patients (10 Standard of care, 10 oXiris, 10 Toraymyxin), endotoxin reduction at 72-h post-intervention-start did not differ among interventions (Standard of Care: 12 [1–42]%, oXiris: 21 [10–51]%, Toraymyxin: 23 [10–36]%, p = 0.82). Furthermore, no difference between groups could be observed neither for reduction of inflammatory cytokine levels (p = 0.58), nor for vasopressor weaning (p = 0.95) or reversal of organ injury (p = 0.22).

Conclusions

In a highly endotoxemic, severe, refractory septic shock population neither the Toraymyxin adsorber nor the oXiris membrane could show a reduction in circulating endotoxin or cytokine levels over standard of care.

Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT01948778. Registered August 30, 2013. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01948778
Mechanical Properties of Concrete Produced with Coarse Aggregates from Different Mineralogical Origins Using Ultrasonic Tests
Authors: da Silva Rodrigo Rogerio Cerqueira , Gonçalves Raquel , Bertoldo Cinthya
Published: December 2023

The use of nondestructive techniques in the technological control of concrete allows to evaluate and monitor the condition of the material without interfering with its properties; therefore, it is highly desirable in on-site inspections. Among these techniques, ultrasonic testing stands out as one of the most promising by its speed and simplicity to obtain results. However, inferences of strength and stiffness properties using ultrasound parameters should be made with caution, since many factors may interfere with wave propagation. This research aimed to evaluate the behavior of parameters obtained by ultrasonic testing (velocity of wave propagation [V] and stiffness coefficient [C = density × V2]) as predictors of the strength (fc) and stiffness (Eci) of concrete produced with coarse aggregates from different mineralogical origins. To achieve the objective, 128 specimens were produced with four aggregate mineralogical origins and four water-cement ratios, with 8 replications each. The ultrasonic tests were performed with two-frequency transducers (45 and 80 kHz). Prediction models of fc and Eci were statistically significant (P-value < 0,05) for both frequencies. The model using [C] as independent variable present better correlation with Eci (R2 > 91,2%) and with fc (R2 > 82%) than the model using only [V]. General regression models (regardless of the gravel type) were also statistically significant (P-value < 0.05), with R2 > 79% and prediction errors higher than those obtained for the specific models for different rock types.
Intraoperative Diagnosis of Bilateral Upper Limb Arteriovenous Fistulae in a Child: A Case Report
Authors: Trivedi Bhakti , Chawathey Shreyas A. , Pinjari Amit N. , Kataria Ketan K.
Published: December 2023

Arteriovenous fistulae have not been extensively reported in pediatric patients and are rare for pediatric anesthesiologists to encounter in their routine practice. Awareness of these lesions enables clinicians to avoid giving medications through the anomalous vascular connections. We report a child scheduled for an excision of a sacrococcygeal mass in whom we incidentally diagnosed the presence of arteriovenous fistulae in both his upper limbs. The affected limbs should be avoided and the vessels of the lower limbs should be cannulated for administration of fluid and medications during surgery.
Notes in Reply to Dr. Walker-Arnott
Authors: Donkin Dr.
Published: December 2023

Professor Walker-Arnott having considered it proper to attack me in the preceding number of this Journal (p. 164), on certain facts demonstrated by me in my paper on the ‘Marine Diatomaceæ of Northumberland,’ * I consider it my duty to offer a reply.
Μελέτη της μελάγχρωσης του επιπεφυκότα σε ασθενείς που πάσχουν από ρηγματογενή αποκόλληση αμφιβληστροειδούς, μετά τη χειρουργική αποκατάσταση με βιτρεκτομή 25G
Authors: Ντόκος Αθανάσιος
Published: December 2023

Σκοπός: Η εκτίμηση της συχνότητας και η διερεύνηση των παραγόντων κινδύνου για την εμφάνιση μελάγχρωσης του επιπεφυκότα στα σημεία των σκληροτομών μετά από pars plana υαλοειδεκτομή με βαλβιδωτά και μη βαλβιδωτά trocards (οδηγοί εισόδου), που πραγματοποιείται με διαφορετικές χειρουργικές τεχνικές / πλατφόρμες. Ασθενείς και μέθοδοι: Πρόκειται για μια προοπτική μελέτη παρατήρησης που περιλαμβάνει 70 οφθαλμούς 70 ασθενών που υποβλήθηκαν σε βιτρεκτομή δια την pars plana για ρηγματογενή αποκόλληση αμφιβληστροειδούς, με επισκέψεις παρακολούθησης τον 1ο, 3ο, 6ο, 12ο και 24ο μήνα. Είκοσι οκτώ οφθαλμοί χειρουργήθηκαν με το σύστημα Accurus Vitrectomy της Alcon χρησιμοποιώντας μη βαλβιδωτά trocards, διαμέτρου 25G (ομάδα Α), είκοσι δύο οφθαλμοί με το σύστημα Constellation Vision της Alcon, χρησιμοποιώντας κι εδώ μη βαλβιδωτά trocards 25G (ομάδα Β) και είκοσι οφθαλμοί με το σύστημα Constellation Vision χρησιμοποιώντας όμως βαλβιδωτούς οδηγούς εισόδου 25G (ομάδα Γ). Οι κλινικές παράμετροι που αξιολογήθηκαν περιλαμβάνουν την τεχνική / πλατφόρμα που χρησιμοποιήθηκε για την υαλοειδεκτομή, την ηλικία των ασθενών, τον αριθμό των ρωγμών του αμφιβληστροειδούς όπως αυτές μετρήθηκαν διεγχειρητικά, το μέσο επιπωματισμού, την παρουσία υπολειπόμενου υπαμφιβληστροειδικού υγρού (SRF) και τη διάρκεια της παραμονής σε πρηνή θέση μετεγχειρητικά. Αποτελέσματα: Το σύστημα Accurus Vitrectomy με τη χρήση μη βαλβιδωτών trocards 25G συσχετίστηκε με σημαντική μελάγχρωση του επιπεφυκότα έως και 6 μήνες μετά την επέμβαση. Ο επιπωματισμός με εξαφθοριούχο θείο (SF6) συσχετίστηκε με λιγότερη μελάγχρωση του επιπεφυκότα στην επίσκεψη παρακολούθησης 3 μηνών [OR 0,09 (95% CI 0.01; 0.67)], ενώ η παρουσία υπολειπόμενου υποαμφιβληστροειδικού υγρού ήταν σημαντικός παράγοντας κινδύνου για μετεγχειρητική μελάγχρωση, μέχρι και το πρώτο έτος παρακολούθησης [OR 5.89 (95% CI 1.84; 23.12)]. Η έκταση της μετρούμενης μελάγχρωσης επίσης, συσχετίστηκε θετικά με τον αριθμό των ρωγμών του αμφιβληστροειδούς σε όλες τις επισκέψεις παρακολούθησης και για τα 2 πρώτα έτη. Πάντως μια διαπίστωση που αξίζει να σημειωθεί είναι πως από το σύνολο των 70 ασθενών, μόνο 6 παρουσίασαν μελάγχρωση του επιπεφυκότα μέχρι και την τελευταία επίσκεψη, στα 2 έτη παρακολούθησης. Ποσοστό δηλαδή που δεν ξεπερνά το 8,5%.Συμπεράσματα: Οι νέες τεχνικές / πλατφόρμες υαλοειδεκτομής με βαλβιδωτά trocards αποτρέπουν τη μετεγχειρητική εμφάνιση μελάγχρωσης του επιπεφυκότα. Ο αριθμός των αμφιβληστροειδικών ρωγμών προεγχειρητικά, η παρουσία υπολειπόμενου υπαμφιβληστροειδικού υγρού και η χρήση παραγόντων επιπωματισμού μακράς δράσης και παραμονής στην υαλοειδική κοιλότητα ήταν οι σημαντικότεροι προδιαθεσικοί παράγοντες. Τα ευρήματα της παρούσας μελέτης υποδηλώνουν επίσης ότι η μετεγχειρητική μελάγχρωση του επιπεφυκότα μειώνεται σταδιακά με την πάροδο του χρόνου.
Case Report: Scrub Typhus manifesting as Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) with corresponding radiological findings
Authors: Dinesh Bhanushali Jay , Ghewade Babaji , Jadhav Ulhas
Published: December 2023

Background Scrub typhus is a life-threatening infectious disease endemic in the Asia-Pacific region. It typically presents with nonspecific symptoms such as fever, headache, and myalgia, making early diagnosis challenging. Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a severe pulmonary condition characterized by acute-onset hypoxemia, bilateral lung infiltrates on radiology, and increased pulmonary capillary permeability. Case Presentation An 18-year-old female student in central India presented with a seven-day history of recurrent fever, chills, dry cough, and severe shortness of breath, escalating to Modified Medical Research Council dyspnea grade III-IV. After unsuccessful local clinic treatment, a chest radiograph revealed bilateral pneumonia. On admission, she displayed tachycardia, tachypnea, hypotension, and hypoxia requiring non-invasive ventilation (NIV). Computed tomography confirmed scrub typhus-associated pneumonia, and serological testing was positive for scrub typhus. She was diagnosed with moderate ARDS and began treatment. Symptomatic improvement was seen in the ICU, and she was discharged on day 10 with radiological and clinical resolution. Management and Outcomes She received intravenous doxycycline and oral azithromycin for scrub typhus and any potential concurrent lung infection. In the ICU, she required continuous NIV and supplemental oxygen, with significant symptomatic improvement, evidenced by reduced tachypnoea and oxygen requirements after 72 hours. She was weaned off NIV and monitored for an additional four days. After satisfactory oxygen saturation on room air, she was discharged on the tenth day. High-resolution CT scan demonstrated resolution of ground glass opacities and consolidation. Sequential chest radiographs exhibited gradual reduction in bilateral alveolar infiltrates over time, in parallel with clinical improvement. Laboratory findings, including reduced CRP and D-dimer values, and a normal hemogram on discharge indicated a resolution of leukopenia. Conclusion This case underscores the importance of early recognition and intervention in scrub typhus-associated ARDS and highlights the utility of timely diagnostic imaging in monitoring the progress of the disease.
A CONCEPT OF RADIAL PSEUDO-FORCE FOR DAMAGE DETECTION IN WIND TURBINE TOWERS
Authors: XU WEI , CAO MAOSEN , SU ZHONGQING , OSTACHOWICZ WIESLAW
Published: December 2023

Damage in a plane structure can cause perturbation to the equation of out-of-plane motion, which can be equivalently regarded as the transverse pseudo-force (TPF) applied to the plane structure. Thereby, the detection of damage in the plane structure can be achieved by identifying the TPF. Nevertheless, it is difficult to formulate the pseudo-force in a cylinder structure such as a wind turbine tower because its radial, longitudinal, and circumferential motions are coupled. The aforementioned limitation leads to a noticeable barrier to extending the TPF to a cylinder structure. To overcome this barrier, a new concept of radial pseudo-force (RPF) is formulated to represent the damage-caused perturbation to the radial equilibrium of a cylinder structure, whose motions are dominated by radial components. The RPF is applied on the lateral surface of the cylinder and is an ideal indicator for the detection of damage in the cylinder structure because it appears in the damage region only and almost vanishes in intact locations. The concept of the RPF is experimentally validated on a wind turbine tower model, on the internal surface of which a pit was manufactured. The results reveal that the RPF-based approach is capable of detecting internal damage in cylinder structures such as wind turbine towers by graphically characterizing the occurrence, location, and size of the damage.
DEVELOPMENT AND INSTALLATION OF A ROBUST AND RELIABLE RESEARCH STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEM FOR GROUTED JOINTS OF OFFSHORE WIND TURBINES
Authors: KAPPEL JONAS , WIEMANN MARCEL , KASGEN JOHANNES , JACKEL MARCO , MAETZ THOMAS , MOLL JOCHEN , HUHN HOLGER , KRAEMER PETER
Published: December 2023

Offshore wind turbines are highly exposed to operating loads and extreme environmental conditions. To ensure technically reliable and economically worthwhile operation, high plant availability must be provided. Structural health monitoring (SHM) respectively condition monitoring (CM) makes a valuable contribution to this. The grout connection used in offshore foundations is usually monitored in compliance with regulatory requirements, e. g. VDI 4551 or insurance conditions. In the project "In-Situ-WIND" an extended hard, - and software concept adapted to the SHM-application, based on vibration-based methods, acoustic emission analysis and radar measurement technology was developed. The overall objective of the project is to find a suitable system configuration and appropriate methods to monitor the grout connection. The challenges are that the measurement system needs to operate reliable under extreme environmental conditions in the grout area, must be accessible remotely due to extremely limited accessibility and the offshore installation should be carried out timeefficiently under very difficult installation conditions. Due to this, a decentralized measurement system has been set up. A central server cabinet in the entrance area of the wind turbine contains the essential components for power supply, data storage and data processing. A redundant, diagnosable, and remotely maintainable design of many of these central components increases the reliability of the overall measuring system. One measurement system is placed directly in the grout area in a rugged offshore-ready control cabinet and receives signals from 50 channels of different sensors. Due to limited installation options, a hybrid cable for power supply and data transmission was used to connect the system with the control cabinet in the entrance area. Another measuring system records the vibrations of the tower by several acceleration sensors.
DIMENSIONALITY REDUCTION OF ACTIVE VIBRATION DATA FOR DETECTION AND MONITORING OF PROGRESSIVE DAMAGE IN WIND TURBINE BLADE
Authors: FREMMELEV MADS ANKER , LADPLI PURIM , ORLOWITZ ESBEN , DERVILIS NIKOLAOS
Published: December 2023

The present work considers the use of an active vibration monitoring system for wind turbine blade SHM. A test campaign is conducted with a 52-meter commercial wind turbine blade, investigating the potential for detection and monitoring of damage using the active vibration monitoring system. A crack is manually induced in the shear web laminate of the wind turbine blade, and progressive damage propagation is obtained during fatigue testing.
FATIGUE EVALUATION OF OFFSHORE WIND TURBINES USING IN-SITU STRAIN DATA
Authors: QIAO HOU , XU GUANGMING , SHEN CE , YONGLEI SU YONGLEI , LI WEI , GUO CHUANRUI
Published: December 2023

The development of offshore wind power has increased rapidly in recent years due to its clean and renewable nature. However, the design of offshore wind turbines is difficult and costly. As a result, the development cost remains high. Among them, fatigue of the steel structures in offshore wind turbine foundations is one of the most severe structural diseases, significantly affecting offshore wind development and maintenance costs. This paper proposes a feasible approach to study the fatigue damage of offshore wind turbines using the in-situ strain data based on a statistical analysis of stress amplitude and cycles. First, the hot-spot stress at the corresponding monitoring locations is calculated using the strain monitoring data from an offshore wind farm in the East China Sea. Second, the stress amplitude and cycles are solved using the rain-flow counting method. Subsequently, the weekly distribution statistics of stress amplitude and cycles are fitted using Weibull distribution. The Chi-square test is used to verify the confidence level of the probability density function of the weekly stress amplitude and cycles. Finally, according to the statistical distribution of stress amplitude and cycles, the cumulative damage is analyzed based on the hot-spot stress S-N curve of steel structures with cathodic protection in seawater. The fatigue damage obtained based on the monitored data is roughly consistent with the numerical calculation results. However, the proposed method underestimated the fatigue damage compared to the design results obtained by numerical prediction. Though these fatigue results are not mutually consistent, they can all confirm that the wind turbine would not suffer fatigue issues at present, as the fatigue damages are all below the threshold. Further efforts should be made to handle this inconsistency in fatigue prediction.
DEVELOPING DIGITAL TWINS OF DYNAMIC SYSTEMS USING VISION TECHNIQUES, MULTI-VIEW STITCHING, AND EXPANSION METHODS
Authors: BAQERSAD JAVAD , ATASHIPOUR RASOUL , ROUHOLLAHI FOROOGH
Published: December 2023

This study aims to create digital twins of structures such as wind turbines using noncontact techniques integrated with numerical methods. As part of this study, a stereo camera system mounted on a semi-autonomous drone captures the dynamic properties of a wind turbine. The drone with digital image correlation (DIC) cameras scans the entire structure to capture the deformation data of each field of view. The measured data includes the geometry, and displacement field data is mapped into a global coordinate system using 3D transformation matrices. The obtained data in the time domain for each field of view is transformed into the frequency domain to extract the operational deflection shapes and resonant frequencies for each field of view. The obtained deflection shapes are scaled and stitched in the frequency domain to extract the operating deflection shapes of the entire turbine. The operating data for the wind turbine is expanded using modal transformation techniques. A numerical model of the turbine is updated using expanded modal data. This methodology can be applied to any mechanical system subjected to dynamic loads. The work provides engineers with a new procedure to create and update digital twins using a limited set of measured data captured with non-contact techniques. The proposed approach to creating digital twins of structures can be used for full-field structural dynamic predictions, durability analysis, and structural health monitoring.
FLEXIBLE MULTIFUNCTIONAL STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEMS FOR INFLATABLE SPACE HABITAT STRUCTURES
Authors: LI FRANKLIN , WANG SERENA , JOSEPH ROSHAN , KUMAR AMRITA
Published: December 2023

Space structures are one of the most critical components for any spacecraft, as they must provide the maximum amount of livable volume with the minimum amount of mass. Inflatable, deployable structures in particular, have been investigated by NASA since the early 1950’s and used in a number of spaceflight applications. Inflatable habitats, airlocks, and space stations can be used for in-space living spaces and surface exploration missions. Inflatable structures are being pursued as candidates for long-term habitats in space and on the surfaces of the Moon and Mars. Many concepts by the NASA and industry utilize high-strength, low-weight softgoods materials, such as Vectran, as the primary load-bearing structure in inflatable habitats. The ability to monitor and assess the structural health of an inflatable module is an important factor in determining the feasibility of using inflatable technologies for habitat requirements, especially in the presence of micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) threats. There is therefore a need for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) methods to perform detection, localization, and quantification of damage to structural layers throughout the structure’s mission. This capability must be accomplished within real constraints for sensor volume, mass, and crew resources, including being able to perform effective damage monitoring of the inflatable habitat layers from the interior during a mission either on a routine basis or as a quickresponse basis. This paper discusses the development of an approach for SHM for inflatable softgoods, and testing a laboratory proof of concept of the preliminary design, which integrates the SHM approach into inflatable habitat test articles. An experimental test setup for performing the initial feasibility demonstration for impact detection using SMART Layer sensors. An initial test setup for testing was developed and testing performed for impact detection.
ON ENGLE-GRANGER COINTEGRATION USING TREED GAUSSIAN PROCESSES
Authors: WORDEN KEITH , CROSS ELIZABETH J.
Published: December 2023

Over the last decade or so, cointegration has emerged as arguably the state-of-the-art in terms of removing Environmental and Operational Variations (EOVs) from structural health monitoring (SHM) data. When data channels share common trends which can be removed by linear projection, the Johansen procedure, a maximum-likelihood approach developed within the field of econometrics, is provably optimal. Unfortunately, SHM problems can present where the trends occupy a nonlinear submanifold of the feature space, and in this case, linear cointegration/projection fails. It is still possible to make progress in this case by moving to the older Engle-Granger approach to cointegration, where one linearly regresses one of the feature space variables on the others; nonlinear cointegration is then ‘simply’ the application of an appropriate nonlinear regressor. Over the years, a number of nonlinear regression algorithms have been applied, motivated by machine learning or evolutionary computation; each with pros and cons. The aim of the current paper is to demonstrate an approach based on Treed Gaussian Processes (TGP); the advantage being that the algorithm allows switching between cointegration models in different parts of the feature space. Examination of the switching points can provide insight into the physical processes driving the nonlinearity. The approach is demonstrated here on the well-known Z24 Bridge data set, where the ambient temperature drives EOVs which cannot be removed by linear methods.
A DECISION FRAMEWORK FOR SELECTING INFORMATION-TRANSFER STRATEGIES IN POPULATION-BASED SHM
Authors: HUGHES AIDAN J. , POOLE JACK , DERVILIS NIKOLAOS , GARDNER PAUL , WORDEN KEITH
Published: December 2023

Decision-support for the operation and maintenance of structures provides significant motivation for the development and implementation of structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. Unfortunately, the limited availability of labelled training data hinders the development of the statistical models on which these decision-support systems rely. Population-based SHM seeks to mitigate the impact of data scarcity by using transfer learning techniques to share information between individual structures within a population. The current paper proposes a decision framework for selecting transfer strategies based upon a novel concept – the expected value of information transfer – such that negative transfer is avoided. By avoiding negative transfer, and by optimising information transfer strategies using the transfer-decision framework, one can reduce the costs associated with operating and maintaining structures, and improve safety.
AN ENSEMBLE LEARNING-BASED ALERT TRIGGER SYSTEM FOR PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE OF ASSETS WITH IN-SITU SENSORS
Authors: AO DAN , GUGARATSHAN GUGA , BARTHLOW DAKOTA , MIELE SARAH , BOUNDY JERI , WARREN JAMES
Published: December 2023

Failure of assets, such as machines, engines, or equipment, can cause significant loss to an enterprise. Real-time monitoring of the asset operation and early detection of failure could guide mechanics or engineers to check the assets in time and reduce the chance of a breakdown. With the availability of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and the development of machine learning, predictive maintenance has become an effective way to monitor asset performance and detect anomalies using sensor data and historical information. However, many use cases need more information to evaluate the results. Lack of validation can undermine confidence in predictive results. To solve this problem, a novel alert trigger schema that integrates sensor fusion, feature extraction, machine learning, ensemble strategy, and an alert format is proposed. The method offers a comprehensive and reliable approach to detecting anomalies based on unlabeled data, utilizing sensor and decision-level fusion techniques. Meanwhile, eight anomaly detection techniques were investigated, including K-Means Clustering, Gaussian Mixture Model, Autoencoder, and Isolation Forest. Various algorithms generate results with differing degrees of confidence. These results are consolidated into a single indicator representing the alert level. This amalgamation of data ensures the provision of robust and reliable predictions. Instead of simply combing the alert information, confidence in different algorithms is reflected in adding different weights in the ensemble process. In addition, while other existing frameworks focus on evaluating the algorithm’s accuracy, more effort was put into demonstrating a levelbased alert system, showing diagnosis changing with time. In that way, mechanics or engineers can get information to check the asset’s status. The proposed framework was validated using a synthetic dataset based on recordings from a rotating fault simulator that generates multi-modal data, including accelerometer, acoustic, and tachometer data, representing the run state of the rotating components. The alert system showed different levels of warning for predictive maintenance. The framework is designed with high flexibility and scalability. Therefore, this framework can be generalized to other in situsensor data from various assets.