关键词： Intramedullary nail   Intramedullary fixation   Fibula nailing   Fibula fracture   Ankle fracture   Lateral malleolus fracture   Minimal invasive surgery  

摘要： Purpose Despite the fact that open reduction and internal fixation with a plate, either non-locked or locked, is the standard of care for managing lateral malleolus fractures, intramedullary (IM) fixation of the fibula has been recently introduced as an alternative, mainly for some potential complicated situations. We hypothesized that almost all patterns of distal fibula fracture can be safely fixed with an IM device, with the potential benefit of providing biomechanical efficiency, but using a soft-tissue friendly implant. Here, we present a multicenter case series based on a proposed algorithm. Patients and methods Sixty-nine consecutive patients were managed with fibular IM fixation for closed malleolar fractures. Twenty patients were managed by IM screw fixation and 49 by fibular nailing. Outcome was measured both according to the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score for ankle and hindfoot, and the time to bone union. Results The mean AOFAS for Group I was 99.35 +/- 1.95 points and that for Group II was 89.30 +/- 16.98 points. There were no significant differences between the fracture pattern, according to the Lauge-Hansen classification, and post-operative levels of pain and functional activity among patients in both groups (p > 0.05). All fractures healed uneventfully in both groups. The mean time to union for Group I was 8.15 weeks and for Group II was 8.25 weeks (p > 0.05). Conclusion In this multicenter case series, intramedullary fixation for the lateral malleolus fracture presented itself as a viable and safe option for the treatment of almost all patterns of fibula fracture in adults. Overall, we were able to demonstrate the potential indications of the proposed algorithm for the choice of IM implant for the lateral malleolus fracture in terms of the Lauge-Hansen staged classification.

关键词： Acute kidney injury   Congenital heart disease   COVID-19   Diarrhea   MIS-C  

摘要： We present the case of a 3-month-old male infant patient who initially presented with severe dehydration with acute kidney injury secondary to COVID-19. Regarding the individual's previous history, the patient had congenital heart disease and was taking furosemide and captopril. The patient improved after initial hydration therapy. However, on the fourth day of hospitalization, the patient suddenly deteriorated and was found to have MIS-C. The patient's clinical course progressively worsened despite maximum support, and he died from severe MIS C. We conclude that during the COVID-19 period, MIS-C is a serious health problem that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with acute kidney injury.

关键词： Five-equation model   Multi-component flows   Alternative WENO scheme   Stiffened gas EOS  

摘要： A fifth order finite difference alternative weighted essentially non-oscillatory scheme is studied for a five-equation model, which plays an important role in the modelling of compressible multi-component flows. In our algorithm, the primitive variables are used in the weighted essentially non-oscillatory interpolation, from which it can be proved that the equilibriums of the velocity and pressure are preserved respectively throughout the whole computation of contact moving interface problems, under the ideal and stiffened gases equations of state. In addition, it is found that with the interpolation being performed on the characteristic variables which are the projections of the primitive variables, non-physical oscillations appearing around the contact waves can be significantly restrained. Numerical examples verify the theory and illustrate the robustness of the proposed scheme.

关键词： Estimand   Last observation carried forward   Average response over time   Standardized area under the curve   Simple mean over time   Analysis of covariane   While on treatment strategy  

摘要： Missing data in longitudinal analysis has long been an important concern for drug developers and regulators. ICH published its E9 (R1) guidance in 2019, addressing the issue of estimands. In that guidance, five strategies are introduced. This manuscript focuses on the While on Treatment strategy, and attempts to propose average response over time as an alternative to last observation carried forward in the application of While on Treatment strategy. This is a simple summary statistics reflecting the average change a patient experiences during the trial. It is easy to interpret and easy to understand by non-statisticians. In clinical trials, with longitudinal data, average response over time has many applications. Two estimators are proposed to implement this estimand-simple mean over time, and standardized area under the curve (sAUC)

关键词： Phylogeography   Morphology   Marine worms   Annelids   Polychaete   Development  

摘要： Polychaetes belonging to the genus Capitella are known to represent a complex of opportunistic cryptic species that dominates the macrobenthos of organically enriched sediments, such as muddy areas particularly rich in sulfide. With the exception of the species, Capitella capitata (Fabricius) from West Greenland, Capitella spp. from the European Atlantic coast have never been accurately characterized both genetically and morphologically and were often reported as capitata in the literature. The life cycle of these European worms has not been described properly either, despite their widespread use as bio-indicators in ecological studies. The present study provides the first morphological description of Capitella specimens collected along the Brittany coast and the English Channel up to the entrance of the North Sea and their genetic diversification in this region. Both morphological and molecular data are congruent and support the co-occurrence of cryptic species at the tip of Brittany. The most frequent French mt lineages, C-Channel1, C-Atlantic and C-Channel2, although well distinct from Capitella teleta, are also divergent but closer to C. capitata initially described from Greenland. Following barcoding, the most abundant species (C-Channel1) was isolated and reared in the laboratory to describe its life cycle and predict both its dispersal ability and ecological success in the face of the sulfidic muddy habitats of the French harbors.

关键词： Acicule   Anchor worm   Oleoresin   Phytotherapic   Pinus  

摘要： This study evaluated the potential of alternative treatments against larval stages of Lernaea cyprinacea. For in vitro test, the nanoemulsified oils of Pinus sp. acicule and oleoresin were evaluated, along with Biogermex® (commercial product based on citrus biomass). For this, the motility of five larvae of the same stage (nauplii or copepodite) were evaluated in a 96-well microplate. Using the best results, on the in vivo test, fries of Rhamdia quelen were submitted to a long-term immersion bath (96 h) containing different concentrations of the product diluted directly in the water. It was possible to notice the antiparasitic potential of the oleoresin and the acicule of Pinus sp., as well as the citrus biomass extract against the parasites. The nanoemulsified oils successfully inhibited the development of nauplii (10 mg L⁻¹ in 24 h) and the fries showed to be tolerant to the presence of the compound (LC₅₀ 96 h—16.74 mg L⁻¹). The concentration of 30.5 mg L⁻¹ of Biogermex® eliminated the copepodites within 24 h, being more efficient than Pinus sp. when tested at the same stage, at the times analyzed. The results obtained indicate a potential use of these compounds as prophylactic agents against L. cyprinacea. © 2021, Indian Society for Parasitology.

关键词： Adult degenerative scoliosis   depression   quality of life   SCS   sleep quality  

摘要： Introduction In adult scoliosis, dorsal instrumentation and fusion can provide significant improvement of pain and disability scores (Owestry Index);however, complication rates of up to 39% have been reported. As such, recent attempts have been made at expanding the surgical spectrum to include less invasive techniques in patients such as neuromodulation, specifically spinal cord stimulation (SCS). We therefore aimed to evaluate its use in a larger cohort of adult scoliosis patients in the form of a pilot study. Materials and Methods We analyzed prospectively collected data from 18 adult scoliosis patients receiving SCS treatment in our institution between February 2019 and May 2020. Clinical follow-up was performed at 3, 6, and 12 months following implantation of an epidural SCS System. Patients reported numeric rating scale (NRS) values for the categories of lower back pain (LBP) and regional pain (RP) both at rest and in motion. Further, SF-36, ADS-K, PSQI, and ODI forms were completed. The study was approved by the institutional Ethics Committee (EA2/093/13). Results Initial preoperative NRS of LBP at rest was significantly reduced following SCS at three (45% reduction, p = 0.005) and six (43% reduction, p = 0.009) months follow-up. LBP in motion was also reduced at three (27% reduction, p = 0.002) and six (33% reduction vs. preoperative, p = 0.005) months. RP at rest was reduced at three (38% reduction, p = 0.003) and six (37% reduction, p = 0.007) and in movement at three (29% reduction, 0.006) and six (32% reduction, p = 0.011). Loss of thoracic kyphosis and increased pelvic incidence were associated with worse NRS response to SCS stimulation at six months follow-up. Discussion In overweight, older adults for whom the risks of corrective surgery must be carefully considered, neuromodulation can significantly reduce LBP as well as regional pain in the first six months following implantation. These findings may provide a reasonable alternative in patients not w

关键词： circular economy   waste materials   REOB   alternative binders   asphalt mixture  

摘要： Recent studies have worked towards addressing environmental issues such as global warming and greenhouse gas emissions due to the increasing awareness of the depletion of natural resources. The asphalt industry is seeking to implement measures to reduce its carbon footprint and to promote sustainable operations. The reuse of several wastes and by-products is an example of a more eco-friendly activity that fulfils the circular economy principle. Among all possible solutions, the road pavement sector encourages, on one hand, the use of recycled materials as a partial replacement of the virgin lithic skeleton;on the other hand, it promotes the use of recycled materials to substituting for a portion of the petroleum bituminous binder. This study aims to use Re-refined Engine Oil Bottoms (REOBs) as a main substitute and additives from various industrial by-products as a full replacement for virgin bitumen, producing high-performing alternative binders. The REOBs have been improved by utilizing additives in an attempt to improve their specific properties and thus to bridge the gap between REOBs and traditional bituminous binders. An even larger amount of virgin and non-renewable resources can be saved using these new potential alternative binders together with the RAP aggregates. Thus, the reduction in the use of virgin materials is applied at the binder and the asphalt mixture levels. Rheological, spectroscopic, thermogravimetric, and mechanical analysis were used to characterize the properties, composition, and characteristics of the REOBs, REOB-modified binders, and asphalt mixes. Thanks to the rheological investigations of possible alternative binders, 18 blends were selected, since they behaved like an SBS-modified bitumen, and then they were used for producing the corresponding asphalt mixtures. The preliminary mechanical analysis of the asphalt mixtures shows that six mixes have promising responses in terms of stiffness, tensile resistance, and water susceptibility

关键词： power series solution   Riemann-Liouville fractional derivative   symmetry reduction   time-fractional Burgers equations  

摘要： Based on the Lie symmetry method and taking the generalized time-fractional Burgers equations involving the Riemann-Liouville derivative for example, we propose a new similarity transformation which converts the time-fractional Burgers equation into a fractional ordinary differential equation without containing the Erdelyi-Kober fractional differential operator. Such type of reduced equations facilitates us to study the properties as well as construct analytical solutions. Consequently, we obtain an exact solution and a new power series solution of the time-fractional Burgers equation via the reduced equation.

关键词： Training   Adaptation models   Sensors   Predictive models   Informatics   Task analysis   Optimization   Continuous catalytic reforming process   deep learning   meta-learning   online quality prediction   soft sensor  

摘要： In soft sensing, relationship variation of process variables and quality indicators may cause the model trained from the training datasets unsuitable for the prediction on the testing datasets. As the model-agnostic meta-learning can utilize the supporting datasets to strengthen the prediction performance of the query samples, it can maintain reliable prediction performance in relationship variation. However, the traditional model-agnostic meta-learning contains inconsistencies between the parameters evaluated in the training stage and those adapted in the predicting stage. The phenomenon is inferred as the dilemma of getting valuable evaluated parameters related to the initial parameters and accurate parameters representing the parameters adapted in the predicting stage. In this article, we propose the stage-related adaption block to use the model-agnostic meta-learning modularly. Finally, the model-agnostic meta-learning method based on the optimal alternative scaling value is proposed and verified in a numerical example and an industrial application.