Efficient Design of Broadband and Low-Profile Multilayer Absorbing Materials on Cobalt-Iron Magnetic Alloy Doped with Rare Earth Element.

Magnetic metal absorbing materials have exhibited excellent absorptance performance. However, their applications are still limited in terms of light weight, low thickness and wide absorption bandwidth. To address this challenge, we design a broadband and low-profile multilayer absorber using cobalt-iron (CoFe) alloys doped with rare earth elements (REEs) lanthanum (La) and Neodymium (Nd). An improved estimation of distribution algorithm (IEDA) is employed in conjunction with a mathematical model of multilayer absorbing materials (MAMs) to optimize both the relative bandwidth with reflection loss (RL) below -10 dB and the thickness. Firstly, the absorption performance of CoFe alloys doped with La/Nd with different contents is analysed. Subsequently, IEDA is introduced based on a mathematical model to achieve an optimal MAM design that obtains a balance between absorption bandwidth and thickness. To validate the feasibility of our proposed method, a triple-layer MAM is designed and optimized to exhibit wide absorption bandwidth covering C, X, and Ku bands (6.16-12.82 GHz) and a total thickness of 2.39 mm. Then, the electromagnetic (EM) absorption mechanisms of the triple-layer MAMs are systematically investigated. Finally, the triple-layer sample is further fabricated and measured. The experimental result is in good agreement with the simulated result. This paper presents a rapid and efficient optimization method for designing MAMs, offering promising prospects in microwave applications, such as radar-stealth technology, EM shielding, and reduced EM pollution for electronic devices.

Predicting Acupuncture Efficacy in Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome: A Study on Model Development and Result Visualization.

INTRODUCTION: Acupuncture is one of primary treatment options for Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CP/CPPS), but its efficacy varies among patients. This study aimed to develop and validate a nomogram for predicting the efficacy of acupuncture in CP/CPPS. METHODS: This study enrolled 220 patients with CP/CPPS who received acupuncture. Patients were divided into a responder group and non-responder group based on the reduction in the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI). A nomogram was established using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression analysis. The performance of the nomogram was assessed by the receiver operating characteristic curves and calibration curves. RESULTS: 220 men were randomly assigned to the training cohort (n=154) and the internal test cohort (n=66). The developed nomogram included age, current drinking status, sedentary lifestyle, habit of staying up late, expectations for acupuncture, comorbidities, NIH-CPSI pain subscale and total scores. The area under the curve of the prediction model was 0.777 (95%CI: 0.702 to 0.851) in the training cohort, 0.752 (95%CI: 0.616 to 0.888) in the internal test cohort, demonstrating satisfactory discriminative ability as indicated by the calibration curve. CONCLUSIONS: The nomogram accurately identified CP/CPPS patients who would benefit from acupuncture. Factors such as youth, abstention from alcohol, avoiding sedentary habits and staying up late, having high expectations for acupuncture, being free from comorbidities, and baseline high scores on both the NIH-CPSI pain subscale and total scores may positively affect the efficacy of acupuncture. Further validation of our findings requires multicenter and large-sample prospective studies.

M4Raw: A multi-contrast, multi-repetition, multi-channel MRI k-space dataset for low-field MRI research.

Recently, low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has gained renewed interest to promote MRI accessibility and affordability worldwide. The presented M4Raw dataset aims to facilitate methodology development and reproducible research in this field. The dataset comprises multi-channel brain k-space data collected from 183 healthy volunteers using a 0.3 Tesla whole-body MRI system, and includes T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images with in-plane resolution of ~1.2 mm and through-plane resolution of 5 mm. Importantly, each contrast contains multiple repetitions, which can be used individually or to form multi-repetition averaged images. After excluding motion-corrupted data, the partitioned training and validation subsets contain 1024 and 240 volumes, respectively. To demonstrate the potential utility of this dataset, we trained deep learning models for image denoising and parallel imaging tasks and compared their performance with traditional reconstruction methods. This M4Raw dataset will be valuable for the development of advanced data-driven methods specifically for low-field MRI. It can also serve as a benchmark dataset for general MRI reconstruction algorithms.

Longitudinally tracking personal physiomes for precision management of childhood epilepsy.

Our current understanding of human physiology and activities is largely derived from sparse and discrete individual clinical measurements. To achieve precise, proactive, and effective health management of an individual, longitudinal, and dense tracking of personal physiomes and activities is required, which is only feasible by utilizing wearable biosensors. As a pilot study, we implemented a cloud computing infrastructure to integrate wearable sensors, mobile computing, digital signal processing, and machine learning to improve early detection of seizure onsets in children. We recruited 99 children diagnosed with epilepsy and longitudinally tracked them at single-second resolution using a wearable wristband, and prospectively acquired more than one billion data points. This unique dataset offered us an opportunity to quantify physiological dynamics (e.g., heart rate, stress response) across age groups and to identify physiological irregularities upon epilepsy onset. The high-dimensional personal physiome and activity profiles displayed a clustering pattern anchored by patient age groups. These signatory patterns included strong age and sex-specific effects on varying circadian rhythms and stress responses across major childhood developmental stages. For each patient, we further compared the physiological and activity profiles associated with seizure onsets with the personal baseline and developed a machine learning framework to accurately capture these onset moments. The performance of this framework was further replicated in another independent patient cohort. We next referenced our predictions with the electroencephalogram (EEG) signals on selected patients and demonstrated that our approach could detect subtle seizures not recognized by humans and could detect seizures prior to clinical onset. Our work demonstrated the feasibility of a real-time mobile infrastructure in a clinical setting, which has the potential to be valuable in caring for epileptic patients. Extension of such a system has the potential to be leveraged as a health management device or longitudinal phenotyping tool in clinical cohort studies.

Comparison of electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture for patients with plantar heel pain syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Plantar heel pain syndrome (PHPS), also known as plantar fasciitis, affects millions of people worldwide. Electroacupuncture (EA) and manual acupuncture (MA) are the two acupuncture modalities frequently used for PHPS in the clinical setting. However, which modality is more effective has yet to be determined. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether EA is more effective than MA with regards to pain relief for patients with PHPS. METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive 12 treatment sessions of EA or MA over 4 weeks with 24 weeks of follow-up. The primary outcome was the proportion of treatment responders, defined as patients with at least a 50% reduction from baseline in the worst pain intensity experienced during the first steps in the morning after a 4-week treatment, measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS, 0-100; higher scores signify worse pain). Analysis was by intention-to-treat. RESULTS: Ninety-two patients with a clinical diagnosis of PHPS were enrolled from 29 July 2018 through 28 June 2019. Of the patients, 78 (85%) completed the treatment and follow-up. The primary outcome occurred in 54.8% (23/42) of the EA group compared to 50.0% (21/42) of the MA group after the 4-week treatment (difference -4.76, 95% confidence interval, -26.10 to 16.57, P = 0.662). There were no significant between-group differences for any secondary outcomes after 4 weeks of treatment and at 16 weeks and 28 weeks of follow-up. There were no serious treatment-related adverse events in either group. CONCLUSION: Among patients with PHPS, EA did not have a better effect with respect to relieving pain intensity than MA at week 4, although both EA and MA appeared to have positive temporal effects, with decreased heel pain and improved plantar function. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR1800016531 (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry).

Efficacy of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture or waitlist control for patients with chronic plantar fasciitis: study protocol for a two-centre randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Plantar fasciitis (PF) is reported to be the most common cause of plantar heel pain. Acupuncture has been used for patients experiencing PF, but evidence of the efficacy of acupuncture on PF is limited. The primary objective of this trial is to compare combined acupuncture and sham acupuncture (SA) versus waitlist control for improving the level of pain experienced by patients suffering from chronic PF. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This will be a two-centre, parallel-group, sham and no-treatment controlled, assessor-blinded randomised trial. We will randomly allocate 120 participants with chronic PF to acupuncture, SA and waitlist control groups at a ratio of 2:1:1. Participants in the acupuncture and SA groups will receive a 30 min acupuncture or SA treatment for a total of 12 sessions over 4 weeks, with a 12-week follow-up. Participants in the waitlist control group will not undergo treatment for a period of 16 weeks but instead will have the option of 4 weeks (12 sessions) of acupuncture free of charge at the end of the follow-up period. The primary outcome will be the treatment response rate 4 weeks after randomisation, assessed as a minimum of 50% improvement in the worst pain intensity during the first steps in the morning compared with the baseline. All analyses will be performed with a two-sided p value of <0.05 considered significant following the intention-to-treat principle. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been approved by the Ethical Committee of the Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (approval no. 2019-210-KY). The results will be disseminated through presentation at a peer-reviewed medical journal, the relevant conferences and scientific meetings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04185259.

Efficacy of acupuncture for treatment of intermittent claudication in patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis: protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) is a common condition secondary to degenerative changes. Acupuncture may be effective for treating DLSS. However, there is a lack of sufficient evidence showing the efficacy of acupuncture. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for relieving neurogenic claudication in patients with DLSS. METHODS: A total of 196 patients will be randomly assigned to an acupuncture group or a sham acupuncture group at a ratio of 1:1. Patients will receive 18 sessions of treatment for 6 continuous weeks. The primary outcome will be the change in the Modified Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire score from baseline to week 6. The secondary outcomes will include the change in the scores from baseline for the Numerical Rating Scale, Swiss Spinal Stenosis Questionnaire, and Anxiety and Depression Scale. Additionally, the expectancy of acupuncture, blinding, and safety will also be assessed. All analysis will be performed based on intention-to-treat. DISCUSSION: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for the treatment of neurogenic claudication in patients with DLSS. A limitation of this study is that acupuncturists cannot be blinded according to the characteristics of acupuncture, which may introduce some bias. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03784729 and protocol ID 2018-161-KY. Registered on 18 December 2018.

FEM simulation and comparison of PMN-PT single crystals based phased array ultrasonic transducer by alternating current poling and direct current poling.

The Finite element modeling (FEM) simulation and comparison of electroacoustic properties for alternating current poling (ACP) phased arrays and direct current poling (DCP) phased arrays were investigated. The simulated electrical impedance reveals that the effective working bandwidth of ACP phased arrays is wider than that of DCP phased arrays as a whole. Besides, the ACP phased arrays have a higher effective electromechanical coupling coefficient keff compared to DCP arrays, which indicates that higher electromechanical conversion capacity is obtained. The average value of the ratio of longitudinal displacement Rdisp for ACP phased arrays is larger than that of DCP arrays, indicating that the longitudinal transmission efficiency of acoustic energy can be enhanced by using the ACP method. The simulation results of crosstalk are consistent with the results of vibration modal analysis. The coupling effect of transverse vibration for ACP phased arrays is weaker than that of DCP arrays, leading to reduce the interaction between the adjacent elements. The crosstalk of the ACP arrays is -11.87 dB, 0.91 dB lower than that of DCP arrays. The pulse-echo response of ACP phased arrays is 7.2% broader -6 dB bandwidth, 0.79 dB higher relative sensitivity compared to the DCP phased arrays, which prove that the longitudinal resolution and penetration depth of the ultrasonic imaging can be improved by using the ACP arrays. Besides, the consequences of the beam profile illustrate that the maximum acoustic pressure of ACP arrays is 13.8% higher than that of DCP arrays and the directivity of ACP array is slightly better than that of DCP arrays.

Ecchymosis combined with postinflammatory hyperpigmentation associated with acupuncture therapy: An observational study of 167 subjects.

To evaluate the incidence of ecchymosis combined with postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (ECPH) over the course of 10 sessions of acupuncture therapy and to examine associated factors.An observational study was conducted from March 7, 2017 through March 6, 2018. This study included a total of 167 subjects and 326 bodily locations where acupuncture needles had been inserted. A 1-page questionnaire that included 14 items was used to collect patient data. The information collected was used to determine the incidence of ECPH. Chi-square tests were used to observe the associations between ECPH and demographic characteristics, dermatologic features, acupuncture-related factors, and other associated factors. Cox proportional hazards regression models were applied to calculate hazard ratios for ECPH among subjects treated with various frequencies of acupuncture and needles that differed in diameter.Although 186 subjects were initially enrolled, the study ultimately included 167 subjects and 326 bodily locations at which acupuncture needles were inserted. Over 10 sessions of acupuncture, ECPH was observed in 117 (70.06%, 117/167) subjects and 221 (67.79%, 221/326) bodily locations. Factors found to be associated with ECPH included: frequency of acupuncture, diameter of acupuncture needle, total number of acupuncture sessions, and bodily location at which acupuncture was administered (P < .05). Among subjects who received >2 acupuncture sessions per week, a higher frequency of acupuncture was associated with increased incidence of ECPH. Thicker acupuncture needle diameter was associated with a higher incidence of ECPH.The incidence of acupuncture-associated ECPH among the subjects included in the study was high. There were significant associations between ECPH and higher frequency of acupuncture as well as thicker diameter of acupuncture needles. Additional studies are required to confirm the findings.Trial registration number: AMCTR-OOC-17000109.

Effects of electroacupuncture on patients with chronic urinary retention caused by a lower motor neuron lesion: An exploratory pilot study.

Chronic urinary retention (CUR) is defined as a non-painful bladder that remains palpable or percussible after the patient has passed urine. Acupuncture may decrease PVR and improve bladder function in patients with neurogenic CUR. The aim of this study was to preliminarily observe the effectiveness of electroacupuncture (EA) for patients with CUR caused by a lower motor neuron lesion and to provide some therapeutic data for further study.This study was a pilot study of 30 patients with CUR caused by a lower motor neuron lesion. Patients were treated with EA for 12 weeks with 36 sessions of EA.Responders were defined as participants with a decline in postvoid residual urine (PVR) volume after spontaneous urination of ≥50% from baseline. The proportion of responders, change in PVR volume from baseline after spontaneous urination, and the proportion of patients with severe difficulty with urination, who required assistance with bladder emptying and with stool retention, were measured at weeks 4, 8, and 12.Thirty patients were included in this study, and 23 completed 12 weeks of treatment. The proportion of responders at weeks 4, 8, and 12 was 6.67%, 28%, and 43.48%, respectively. Decrease in PVR volume, compared with baseline, was significant at all asessment timepoints. The proportion of patients with severe difficulty with urination, who required assistance with bladder emptying and with stool retention, decreased after treatment.EA is a potential treatment for improving bladder function in patients with CUR caused by a lower motor neuron lesion.

Electroacupuncture for women with urgency-predominant mixed urinary incontinence: secondary analysis of a randomized noninferiority trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects and safety of electroacupuncture (EA) and the integration of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) and solifenacin in women with urgency-predominant mixed urinary incontinence (MUI). METHODS: The study was a secondary analysis of a randomized noninferiority trial which recruited 500 women with MUI and randomized 178 with urgency-predominant MUI to either receive 12-week EA treatment and 24-week follow-up or 36-week PFMT-solifenacin treatment. Clinical response was defined as at least 50% reduction in average 24-h urgency incontinence episode frequency (IEF), measured by 72-h voiding diary through weeks 1-12. RESULTS: Of the patients randomized, 173 completed the study. The clinical response was 45.78% in EA group, similar with 50.0% in PFMT-solifenacin group, with a difference of - 3.54 (95% CI - 19.08 to 12.0; P = 0.66). In both groups, the proportion of patients with at least 50% reduction of IEF and stress IEF were improved, while the score of ICIQ-SF, episodes of urination, nocturia and urgency, 1-h amount of urinary leakage (AUL), proportion of patients using pads and the number consumed were all decreased after 12-week treatment. The effects could sustain till 36 weeks. Adverse events occurred less in EA group. CONCLUSIONS: EA might reduce IEF, AUL and improve the life quality of female patients with urgency-predominant MUI. The effect may sustain till 36 weeks.

Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture for Chronic Discogenic Sciatica, a Randomized Controlled Sham Acupuncture Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for discogenic sciatica. DESIGN: Single-center, parallel, randomized controlled sham acupuncture trial. METHODS: Twelve sessions of acupuncture or sham acupuncture at the same traditional acupoints over four weeks. The primary outcome was change from baseline in weekly mean leg pain, measured by the visual analog scale (VAS) over the four-week treatment period. The secondary outcomes were determined by the change from baseline in mean VAS scores for leg pain, VAS scores for low back pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores, and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) scores. Patients were followed for 28 weeks. RESULTS: Forty-six patients were enrolled in this study between June 2017 and January 2018, of which 23 were in the acupuncture group and 23 were in the sham acupuncture group. The between-group difference in weekly mean leg pain measured by the VAS over the four-week treatment period was -7.28 mm (95% confidence interval = -13.76 to -0.80, P = 0.029), which is larger than the minimum clinically important difference of 5 mm. The between-group differences in mean VAS scores for low back pain, ODI scores, and SF-36 scores were not significant in the study period (P > 0.05 for all). The proportion of acupuncture-related adverse events was 4.3%, and all adverse events were mild and transient. CONCLUSIONS: Twelve sessions of acupuncture showed short-term clinical benefits in relieving the symptoms of leg pain for patients with chronic discogenic sciatica compared with sham acupuncture. Acupuncture is safe in treating chronic discogenic sciatica. Further studies with larger sample sizes, a longer treatment period, and long-term follow-up should be conducted to verify these results.

Initial Effects of Electroacupuncture for Chronic Severe Functional Constipation and the Potential Underlying Factors: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Electroacupuncture (EA) has been found to be effective for treating chronic severe functional constipation (CSFC). However, the initial effects of treatment usually affect the acceptability and compliance of patients with chronic disease in particular. Which class of CSFC patients will have a better initial response to EA remains uncertain and requires investigation. METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of an original multicenter randomized controlled trial in which patients with CSFC were randomly assigned to receive 28 sessions of EA or sham electroacupuncture (SA) over 8 weeks with 12 weeks of follow-up. The primary outcome, namely, response with complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBMs), required participants to have ≥ 3 CSBMs and an increase of ≥ 1 CSBM from the baseline over the first week of treatment. Logistic regression analysis with bootstrapping techniques was performed to determine independent factors related to the response. RESULTS: A total of 1051 eligible patients were included in this study of whom 161 patients were classified as responders at week 1. The CSBM response rate was higher in the EA group (17.5%) than in the SA group (13.2%). And the proportion of these 1-week early responders remained to have higher clinical response at the end of 8-week treatment and 12 weeks after treatment. Age and higher baseline CSBMs were related to CSBM response within the first week: with every 1-year increase in age, the likelihood of clinical response was reduced by 1.7% (odds ratio [OR] 0.983, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.972 to 0.993; P=0.001). The odds of a CSBM response in patients with 1< CSBMs ≤ 2 at baseline were 4.64 times higher than that in patients with CSBMs ≤ 1 (OR 4.64, 95%CI 4.01 to 5.27). CONCLUSIONS: EA produced its initial effects within the first week of treatment. And the effects could last until week 8 and week 20. A younger age and higher number of CSBMs at baseline may increase likelihood of a response.

Computer assisted system for precise lung surgery based on medical image computing and mixed reality.

The key of a surgical treatment for the lung cancer is to remove the infected part with the least excision and to retain most of the healthy lung tissue. The traditional computer surgery assisted system show that the patient's CT images or three-dimensional structure in the PC screen. This assisted system is not a real three-dimensional system and can't display well the position of pulmonary vessels and trachea of the patients to surgeon. To solve the problem, a computer assisted system for precise lung surgery for precise surgery based on medical image and VR is developed in this paper. Firstly, the regional growth and filling algorithm is designed to segment lung trachea and lung vessels. Then, the reference edge grid algorithm is used to construct the model of the segmentation trachea and lung vessels. And the models are saved as an identifiable STL type file. Finally, according to the system analysis for the specific system function, the computer assisted system is implemented to display the three-dimensional pulmonary vessels and trachea on the mixed reality device. The surgeons can observe and interface precisely the real three-dimensional lung structure of the patient to help them operate accurately the lung surgery.

[Construction of specifically targeted chimeric hepatitis E virus DNA vaccine and its efficacy assessment].

OBJECTIVE: To design chimeric DNA vaccine targeted to antigen-presenting cells (APCs) with enhanced efficacy to induce immunization. METHODS: The plasmid containing the gene encoding cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4), a surface molecule on T cells, was directly fused to the gene fragment HEVE2 coding for hepatitis E virus antigen by molecular engineering technology. The plasmid containing HEVE2 gene fragment alone was also constructed to serve as control and transfection of COS-7 cells with the 2 resultant plasmids was performed respectively, followed by assay of the expressions of CTLA4- HEVE2 fusion protein and HEVE2 protein in COS-7 cells by way of Western blotting. BALB/c mice were injected intracutaneously with the DNA vaccine (100 microgram) for 3 times at 2-week intervals, and the titer of anti-HEVE2 total IgG and IgG subclasses were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The mammalian expression plasmids of CTLA4-HEVE2 fusion protein or HEVE2 protein alone were cloned. The culture supernants of COS-7 cells transfected with the plasmids showed the production of CTLA4-HEVE2 and HEVE2 proteins, which were secreted in the form of dimers. Mice immunized with pCTLA2-HEVE2 produced high levels of specific anti-HEVE2 total IgG titers with IgG2a, IgG2b and IgG1 subclasses predominant in the serum, approximately 50- to 100-fold higher than those in mice immunized with pHEVE2, whose serum contained predominantly IgG1. CONCLUSION: CTLA4-HEVE2 chimeric vaccine stimulates strong immune responses in mice, making it possible for further exploration into chimeric DNA vaccines that target the antigen to APCs.