Adamskragh4807

he robotic QA-phantom designed and developed in this study provides an independent phantom for performing Calypso lung-QA for commissioning and acceptance testing of Calypso for lung treatments.X-ray scatter remains a major physics challenge in volumetric computed tomography (CT), whose physical and statistical behaviors have been commonly leveraged in order to eliminate its impact on CT image quality. In this work, we conduct an in-depth derivation of how the scatter distribution and scatter to primary ratio (SPR) will change during the spectral correction, leading to an interesting finding on the property of scatter. Such a characterization of scatter's behavior provides an analytic approach of compensating for the SPR as well as approximating the change of scatter distribution after spectral correction, even though both of them might be significantly distorted as the linearization mapping function in spectral correction could vary a lot from one detector pixel to another. We conduct an evaluation of SPR compensations (SPRCs) on a Catphan phantom and an anthropomorphic chest phantom to validate the characteristics of scatter. In addition, this scatter property is also directly adopted into CT imaging using a spectral modulator with flying focal spot technology (SMFFS) as an example to demonstrate its potential in practical applications. For cone-beam CT (CBCT) scans at both 80 and 120 kVp, CT images with accurate CT numbers can be achieved after spectral correction followed by the appropriate SPRC based on our presented scatter property. In the case of the SMFFS based CBCT scan of the Catphan phantom at 120 kVp, after a scatter correction using an analytic algorithm derived from the scatter property, CT image quality was significantly improved, with the averaged root mean square error reduced from 297.9 to 6.5 Hounsfield units.Conventional acute myocardial infarction (AMI) diagnosis is quite accurate and has proved its effectiveness. However, despite this, discovering more operative methods of this disease detection is underway. From this point of view, the application of exhaled air analysis for a similar diagnosis is valuable. The aim of the paper is to research effective machine learning algorithms for the predictive model for AMI diagnosis constructing, using exhaled air spectral data. The target group included 30 patients with primary myocardial infarction. The control group included 42 healthy volunteers. The 'LaserBreeze' laser gas analyzer (Special Technologies Ltd, Russia), based on the dual-channel resonant photoacoustic detector cell and optical parametric oscillator as the laser source, had been used. The pattern recognition approach was applied in the same manner for the set of extracted concentrations of AMI volatile markers and the set of absorption coefficients in a most informative spectral range 2.900 ± 0.125µm. The created predictive model based on the set of absorption coefficients provided 0.86 of the mean values of both the sensitivity and specificity when linear support vector machine (SVM) combined with principal component analysis was used. The created predictive model based on using six volatile AMI markers (C5H12, N2O, NO2, C2H4, CO, CO2) provided 0.82 and 0.93 of the mean values of the sensitivity and specificity, respectively, when linear SVM was used.Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is a severe type of peripheral artery disease (PAD) which occurs due to an inadequate supply of blood to the limb extremities. Patients with CLI often suffer from extreme cramping pain, impaired wound healing, immobility, cardiovascular complications, amputation of the affected limb and even death. The conventional therapy for treating CLI includes surgical revascularization as well as restoration of angiogenesis using growth factor therapy. However, surgical revascularization is only suitable for a small percentage of CLI patients and is associated with a high perioperative mortality rate. The use of growth factors is also limited in terms of their poor therapeutic angiogenic potential, as observed in earlier clinical studies which could be attributed to their poor bio-availability and non-specificity issues. Therefore, to overcome the aforesaid disadvantages of conventional strategies there is an urgent need for the advancement of new alternative therapeutic biomaterials to treaan animal model that mimics CLI in humans. The behavioral studies, laser Doppler perfusion imaging, histopathology and immunofluorescence as well as estimation of serum NO level showed that the administration of ZONFs could ameliorate ischemia in rats at a faster rate by promoting therapeutic angiogenesis to the ischemic sites. Altogether, the present study offers an alternative nanomedicine approach employing ZONFs for the treatment of PADs.The effects of tube potential selection with a computed tomography (CT) automatic tube current modulation (ATCM) system on radiation dose and image quality have been investigated on a Canon CT scanner. The use of different values of tube voltage for imaging, and the appropriate settings of the ATCM system, were evaluated. The custom-made phantom consisted of three sections of different sizes with inserts of various materials. It was scanned using tube potentials of 80-140 kV and different image quality ATCM settings. CTDIvoland image quality in terms of noise, contrast, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) for air, polyethylene (PE), acrylic, polyoxymethylene (POM) and polyvinylchloride (PVC) were analysed. A figure of merit (FOM) was estimated by combining CNR and CTDIvol. CTDIvolvalues were similar for all values of tube voltage and individual image quality ATCM settings when tube current was not restricted by the maximum value. The contrasts were independent of ATCM image quality setting, but CNR increased at the higher image quality level as image noise decreased. Both contrast and CNR decreased with increasing tube voltage for PVC and PE, but increased for POM and acrylic. p38 MAPK inhibitor PVC was the only insert material for which there was a significant improvement in contrast at lower tube potentials. link2 FOM indicated that standard (SD = 10) and low dose (SD = 12.5) ATCM settings might be appropriate. The optimum tube voltage settings for imaging the PVC was 80-100 kV, but not for the lower contrast POM and acrylic, for which the standard tube voltage setting of 120 kV was better. The tube potential should be carefully set to gain radiological protection optimisation and keep the radiation dose as low as possible. Results indicate that 100 kV is likely to be appropriate for imaging small and medium-sized Thai patients when iodine contrast is used.The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of body fat distribution on postural balance and lower-limb muscle quality in women aged 60 years and over. Two hundred and twenty-two volunteers took part in this cross-sectional analysis. Participants underwent body fat distribution assessment using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and were classified as nonobese, gynoid obese, or android obese. Postural balance was assessed during quiet standing, with and without vision restriction, using a force platform. Specific torque was defined as the ratio of knee extensors peak torque (evaluated by an isokinetic dynamometer) to the lean mass of the same limb (evaluated by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry). Compared with nonobese participants, both obese groups exhibited higher range of postural sway along the anteroposterior and mediolateral axes (P less then .05). However, there were no differences between participants with gynoid and android obesity. The android obese group exhibited greater speed of postural sway in the condition without vision restriction than both nonobese (P = .040) and gynoid obese (P = .004) groups. link3 Regarding muscle quality, only participants with gynoid obesity (P = .004) presented lower specific torque than their nonobese peers. These results may be clinically useful when designing falls prevention exercises targeting the obese population.

While mental work has been shown to favor overconsumption, the present study compared the effect of a cognitive task alone, followed by acute exercise, or performed on a cycling desk, on short-term food intake and appetite in adults.

A total of 19 normal-weight adults randomly completed resting session (CON), 30-minute cognitive task (CT), 30-minute cognitive task followed by a 15-minute high-intensity interval exercise bout (CT-EX), and 30-minute cognitive task performed on a cycling desk (CT-CD). Energy expenditure was estimated (heart rate-workload relationship), and energy intake (EI; ad libitum) and appetite (visual analog scales) were assessed.

Energy expenditure was higher in CT-EX (P < .001) compared with the other conditions and in CT-CD compared with CON and CT (P < .01). EI was higher in CON (P < .05) and CT-CD compared with CT (P < .01). Relative EI was higher in CON compared with CT (P < .05) and lower in CT-EX compared with CT, CT-CD, and CON (all Ps < .001). Area under the curve desire to eat was higher in CON compared with CT (P < .05) and CT-EX (P < .01). Area under the curve prospective food consumption was higher in CON compared with CT-EX (P < .01). Overall composite appetite score was not different between conditions.

While cycling desks are recommended to break up sedentary time, the induced increase in energy expenditure might not be enough to significantly reduce overall short-term relative EI after mental work.

While cycling desks are recommended to break up sedentary time, the induced increase in energy expenditure might not be enough to significantly reduce overall short-term relative EI after mental work.

Physical activity (PA) levels vary across specific population groups, contributing to health inequalities. Little is known about how local authority leisure centers contribute to population PA and whether this differs by age, sex, or socioeconomic group.

The authors calculated weekly leisure center-based moderate/vigorous PA for 20,904 registered adult users of local authority leisure facilities in Northumberland, United Kingdom, between July 2018 and June 2019, using administrative data. The authors categorized activity levels (<30, 30-149, and ≥150min/wk) and used ordinal regression to examine predictors for activity category achieved.

Registered users were mainly female (58.7%), younger (23.9% of users aged 18-29y vs 10.1% of those aged 70+ y), and from the 2 most affluent socioeconomic quintiles (53.7%). Median weekly moderate/vigorous leisure center-based activity was 55 minutes per week (interquartile range 30-99). Being female (odds ratio 2.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.95-2.35), older (odds ratio 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.16), and using a large facility (odds ratio 1.21; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.42) were positive predictors of leisure center-based PA.

Older adults and females were more likely to be active and achieve the recommended PA levels through usage of the centers. Widespread use of this novel measure of leisure center-based activity would improve the understanding of how local authority leisure centers can address physical inactivity and its associated inequalities.

Older adults and females were more likely to be active and achieve the recommended PA levels through usage of the centers. Widespread use of this novel measure of leisure center-based activity would improve the understanding of how local authority leisure centers can address physical inactivity and its associated inequalities.