"Simulation of medical goggles to stop airborne transmission of viruses: computational fluid dynamics in ergonomics".

This paper presents a position statement on combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and ergonomics to guide the design of personal protective equipment (PPE). We used CFD to simulate 36 exposure scenarios of an infected patient sneezing at different distances and different angles while facing either the front or the side of a healthcare worker with or without goggles. The results show that medical goggles indeed block most droplets from the outer surface, but many droplets still deposit on the bottom edge (especially at the nose), inside the air holes and on the side edge. However, the edges of medical goggles have fitment problems with people in different regions, and the air holes do not function as filters and cannot prevent fine droplets from entering the interior and contacting the eyes. Our research demonstrates the feasibility of studying the design of PPE for airtightness and protection by means of CFD.Practitioner summary: Computational fluid dynamics can quickly and efficiently reflect the airtightness design problems of PPE. A model was developed using CFD to examine the protective effect of medical goggles in preventing the airborne transmission of viruses. The model demonstrates the feasibility of using CFD to solve ergonomic problems.Abbreviations: CFD: computational fluid dynamics; PPE: personal protective equipment; WHO: the World Health Organisation; COVID-19: coronavirus disease 2019; SARS-CoV-2: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; OSHA: the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; CDC: the Centres for Disease Control; FEM: finite element method; 3M: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Corporation; SPH: smoothed particle hydrodynamics; AROM: active range of motion; DPM: discrete phase model; PISO: pressure implicit with splitting of operators; VR: virtual reality; AR: augmented reality.

Research on the recycling and disposal of Chinese pesticide packaging waste based on evolutionary game theory.

This study aims to determine the optimal strategy and driving factors of the critical nodes of pesticide packaging waste recycling by constructing the recycling process of "village collection-town transport-county management." Counties, towns, and villages are the central nodes of collection, coordination, and communication in the recycling process. Their strategy selection and influencing factor analysis are related to the development of recycling. The county processing center, township transit center, and village recycling center were selected to construct a game model, and strategy and parameter assumptions were made to obtain the optimal strategy combination. The results showed that strict supervision, professional transportation and strict implementation are the best strategies for counties, towns and villages, respectively. Simulation analysis confirmed that factors such as cost, reward restricted the strategy selection of each subject. The higher the supervision, transport, and input costs, the lower the enthusiasm of counties, towns, and villages to participate in recycling, respectively. Reasonable control of reward could help each participant choose a stable strategy. The study provided the idea of a pilot before promotion for the government and emphasized the importance of controlling incentive policies and relative costs to improve the recycling process of pesticide packaging waste.

High baseline FGF21 levels are associated with poor glucose-lowering efficacy of exenatide in patients with type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: To investigate the association between fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) levels and glycemic response to exenatide in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: The exploratory analysis of a multi-center trial included 190 patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled by monotherapy or combination therapy of metformin and insulin secretagogues. All participants received exenatide twice daily as an add-on therapy for 16 weeks. Serum FGF21 and other information at the baseline and end of follow-ups were obtained. Linear regression analysis was used to determine the correlations between baseline FGF21 levels and HbA1c reduction from baseline after the treatment. RESULTS: After 16 weeks of treatment with exenatide, a decline in the HbA1c levels from baseline was associated with higher baseline FGF21 levels among all participants (r = 0.193, P = 0.008) and in subgroup of the participants receiving background metformin monotherapy (r = 0.231, P = 0.034). Compared with patients in the lowest FGF21 quartile, patients in the highest FGF21 quartile showed a significantly weakened decline in HbA1c levels from baseline among all participants (ß = - 0.16 [95% Cl - 0.31 to - 0.01], P < 0.05) and in subgroup of the participants receiving background metformin monotherapy (ß = - 0.23 [95% Cl - 0.43 to - 0.03], P < 0.05), after adjusting for the confounding factors, including age, sex, and baseline HbA1c levels. CONCLUSIONS: The high baseline FGF21 levels are associated with poor glycemic responses to exenatide in patients with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, FGF21 could be used as a biomarker for predicting the efficacy of exenatide treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR-IPR-15006558, date registered May 27, 2015.

[Effect of pulsed dye laser on inhibiting early scar after maxillofacial trauma].

PURPOSE: The study was designed to explore an effective method to control early scar after maxillofacial trauma and improve the satisfaction of clinical treatment. METHODS: Fifty skin lesions after maxillofacial trauma were divided into the experimental group and control group. Patients in the experimental group were treated with pulsed dye laser when taking out stitches, 15, 30 and 60 days later. Digital microscope photos were taken and lesion area was measured before and 3 months after laser irradiation. Adverse effects were recorded during and after each treatment as well. All patients were asked to rate their satisfaction at 3-month of follow-up. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 13.0 software package. RESULTS: The efficiency of the experimental group was 74% and 37 lesions were cured or significantly improved, while the efficiency rate was 22% in the control group. Area reduction of maxillofacial lesions before and after treatment between the two groups was significantly different (P＜0.05). Patients in the experimental group were highly satisfied with the final outcomes. No severe adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Pulsed dye laser is safe and effective in inhibiting early scar following maxillofacial trauma.