JW Medical Systems (China)

In quantitative photoacoustic tomography (qPAT), raw photoacoustic (PA) images offer only an indirect representation of the structural and physiological details of biological tissues. To address this issue, precise absorption coefficient (AC) extraction algorithms are essential for converting PA images into accurate AC maps, which involves mitigating the effects of non-uniform light fluence (LF). This study employs a dual-modality approach using photoacoustic tomography and ultrasound (PAUS), where ultrasonic segmentation identifies key structural boundaries, guiding the construction of Monte Carlo (MC) optical transport models. Leveraging sparse signal representation theory, we introduce a novel quantitative reconstruction algorithm that efficiently separates LF components from PA signals, refining AC imaging accuracy in complex tissues. Through numerical simulations and experiments with tissue-mimicking phantoms and in vivo mouse models using a PAUS system, we demonstrate our algorithm's capability. Results indicate significant improvements in feature visibility, boundary definition, and overall image quality, along with enhanced structural and functional information. This work aims to advance the detection and quantitative imaging of blood vessels and organs.

Health care spending growth is expected to outpace that of the gross domestic product (GDP) during the coming decade, resulting in a health share of GDP that reaches 19.7percent by 2032 (up from 17.3percent in 2022). National health expenditures are projected to have grown 7.5percent in 2023, when the COVID-19 public health emergency ended. This reflects broad increases in the use of health care, which is associated with an estimated 93.1percent of the population being insured that year. In 2024, Medicaid enrollment is projected to decline significantly as states continue their eligibility redeterminations. Simultaneously, private health insurance enrollment is projected to increase because of the extension of enhanced subsidies for direct-purchase health insurance under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, as well as a temporary special enrollment period for qualified people losing Medicaid coverage (after eligibility redeterminations). Over the course of 2024-26, the IRA expands Medicare's drug benefit generosity and implements drug price negotiations for beneficiaries; concurrently, the extended enhanced subsidies for direct-purchase health insurance expire in 2026. During 2027-32, personal health care price inflation and growth in the use of health care services and goods contribute to projected health spending that grows at a faster rate than the rest of the economy.

PurposeThis review aims to explore the history, research hotspots, and emerging trends of drug-eluting stents(DES)in the last two decades from the perspective of structural and temporal dynamics.MethodsPublications on DES were retrieved from WoSCC. The bibliometric tools including CiteSpace and HistCite were used to identify the historical features, the evolution of active topics, and emerging trends on the DES field.ResultsIn the last 20 years, the field of DES is still in the hot phase and there is a wide range of extensive scientific collaborations. In addition, active topics emerge in different periods, as evidenced by a total of 41 disciplines, 511 keywords, and 1377 papers with citation bursts. Keyword clustering anchored five emerging research subfields, namely #0 dual antiplatelet therapy, #3 drug-coated balloon, #4 bifurcation, 5# rotational atherectomy, and 6# quantitative flow ratio. The keyword alluvial map shows that the most persistent research concepts in this field are thrombosis, restenosis, etc., and the emerging keywords are paclitaxel eluting balloon, coated balloon, drug-eluting balloon, etc. There are 7 recent research subfields anchored by reference clustering, namely #2 dual antiplatelet therapy, #4 drug-coated balloon, #5 peripheral artery disease, #8 fractional flow reserve, #10 bioresorbable vascular scaffold, # 13 intravascular ultrasound, #14 biodegradable polymer.ConclusionThe findings based on the bibliometric studies provide the current status and trends in DES research and may help researchers to identify hot topics and explore new research directions in this field.

Abstract A new generation of elastomer is expected to incorporate exceptional healing, reprocessing, damage‐tolerant capacity and outstanding strength and toughness in view of a sustainable society. To search a suitable method to perfectly match the overall performance is yet a formidable challenge. Here, a thermal‐triggered self‐healing polyurethane composite elastomer was fabricated by crosslinking isocyanate terminated polyurethane with amidoxime‐modified silica particles. The rigid fillers (silica particles) can effectively dissipate energy under an external force. The prepared particles and elastomer were detailly characterized by various instruments. The developed elastomer (POUs@2SiPs) had great tensile strength (39.47 MPa), decent elongation at break (1056.51%), excellent toughness (170.58 MJ m−3) and outstanding fracture energy (81.14 KJ m−2). Meanwhile, the well‐designed healing capability enabled the material to regain its original mechanical performance and integrity after damage. In addition, the reprocessibility granted material reusability to extend the service lifespan. This work is supposed to provide a meaningful strategy for developing the elastomer, which can effectively balance those conflict properties of mechanical strength, damage‐tolerant capacity and self‐healing.

Background :Infectious disorders in general have high morbidity and mortality.. CNS infections include many disorders like bacterial meningitis, tuberculous and other subacute and chronic meningitis, viral meningitis, cerebral abscess, spinal cord infections, and others.Objective: To assess our locality about prevalence of CNS infections , to have more awareness regarding CNS infections, and to try to find the proper way to reduce their prevalence and to treat them in appropriate way.Method :We revised the records of all the cases of CNS infections excluding cases of spinal cord infections who were admitted in the wards of neuroscience hospital over the previous two years ( from July/2010 to June 2012 ),those were 132 cases.Seasonal incidenceand other clinical aspects and other parameters like age , sex, , fever are extracted and recordedResults: The most common CNS infections in sequence from the most to the least were bacterial meningitis, viral encephalitis, tuberculous meningitis, viral meningitis, and cerebral abscess.The most common age group which is affected by CNS infections was below 10 years.Males are affected more than females taking in consideration all types of infection.P values were statistically significant for age, fever, signs of meningeal irritation, focal neurological deficit, and seizures.Conclusion : The total rate of admission of CNS infections in our series was lower than other study.The most frequent type of CNS infections was bacterial meningitis which is the same as most of the studies.Males are affected more than females in our study in all types of CNS infections, this was approximate to other studies except for tuberculous meningitis.Bacterial meningitis and viral encephalitis were more common in preschool children in our study.Fever rate in bacterial and tuberculous meningitis was different from other studies.Seizure rate in bacterial meningitis and viral encephalitis was approximate to other results.Rate of focal deficit in viral encephalitis and tuberculous meningitis was different from other studies.Rate of CSF protein elevation in all CNS infections was approximate to other studies.Rate of hypoglycorrhachia was different from other studies only in tuberculous meningitis.CSF pleocytosis was approximate to other studies in all types of CNS infections.The two most common types of CNS infections , bacterial meningitis and viral encephalitis, are more common in preschool age groups.

Previous research suggests a need for improved matching of treatment delivery to specificity of depressive symptoms. Social work practitioners in mental health treatment settings may begin to meet this need through improved classification of symptoms associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). This study seeks to establish empirically derived MDD symptom profiles among individuals who experience major depressive episodes (MDEs). Data from the National Institute of Mental Health Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys examined symptoms of MDD among respondents with a past-year MDE (N = 1,543). Latent class analysis established symptom profiles, and multinomial regression models examined social and clinical correlates of symptom profiles. Four symptom profiles emerged: high cognitive functioning (3.8%), absolute depression (63.7%), diminished cognitive functioning and low suicidal ideation (24.7%), and diminished cognitive functioning and high suicidal ideation (7.7%). Regression models showed that race or ethnicity, age, and histories of posttraumatic stress disorder were correlates of class membership. MDD profiles may assist social work research and practice through improved assessment of cognition and suicidality and improved recognition of how clinical factors, including co-occurring mental health problems, relate to specific MDD profiles.

The effect of short-term pulsatile LHRH administration was studied in 8 healthy subjects ranging from 60 to 81 yr to see if the decrease of pituitary gonadal function could be in part due to changes in the discharge of LHRH from the hypothalamus. Gonadotropin and testosterone (T) secretion was evaluated two weeks before and during LHRH (122-160 ng/kg bw every 120 min sc) infusion. In addition, a bolus dosage of LHRH (50 mu iv) was given both at the beginning and at the end of pulsatile LHRH administration in order to test gonadotrophs sensitivity. A significant increase in gonadotropin levels from day 0 to day 4 was found, and was followed by a subsequent decrease from day 7 to day 14. A slight significant increase in T levels was observed during LHRH administration (p less than 0.01). LH pulses were identified in 5 out of 8 subjects on day 0. On day 14, all the exogenous LHRH pulses were followed by significant LH bursts. There was not a significant decrease in the pituitary LH responsiveness to LHRH test from day 0 to day 14. Our study seems to indicate that pituitary - gonadal unit in normal elderly men can be modulated by pulsatile administration of LHRH. A pulse frequency of LHRH which is probably similar to the physiological one, could induce a slight increase in T levels via qualitative changes in LH activity. We can assume that clinical changes in gonadal activity might also be connected to some disturbances in endogenous LHRH pulsar.