Safety and feasibility analysis of rapid daratumumab infusion in Chinese patients with multiple myeloma.

BACKGROUND: With the increasing use of daratumumab (DARA)-containing regimens for multiple myeloma (MM) patients in China, the standard infusion time of DARA is long, with the potential for infusion-related reactions (IRRs) and increased hospitalization and use of resources. Shortening the duration of DARA infusion helps to optimize the hospital stay and enhance the patient treatment experience. The current, commonly used 90-min rapid DARA infusion regimen may not be applicable to Chinese MM patients, and therefore, we explored a new 110-min rapid DARA infusion regimen aimed at reducing the treatment burden on patients to guarantee therapeutic safety. METHODS: MM inpatients treated with the DARA regimen were divided into two groups according to the number of times the DARA regimen was used: a standard infusion regimen for patients treated with the first two doses of DARA and a 110-min rapid infusion regimen for patients treated with more than two doses of DARA. Anti-allergy medications were routinely administered prior to the start of DARA infusion, patient consent, and authorization was obtained for all treatments, and statistical evaluation of the results was conducted via descriptive analyses, one-way ANOVA and chi-square tests. RESULTS: A total of 129 patients were included in this study: 68 in the standard infusion group, with 121 DARA infusions, and 129 in the rapid infusion group (patients who participated in the standard infusion subsequently participated in the rapid infusion), with 738 DARA infusions. The incidence of IRRs was 27.27% (36/121) in the standard infusion group and 1.35% (10/738) in the rapid infusion group, which were significantly different (p < 0.001). The incidence of IRRs after rapid infusion in other studies was <6%. The incidence of grade 1 IRRs in the rapid infusion group was 0.81% (6/738), the incidence of grade 2 IRRs was 0.54% (4/738), and there were no IRRs above grade 3; age, sex, and underlying disease had no effect on the choice of infusion method (p > 0.05). The mean infusion time after the occurrence of IRRs was also shorter in the rapid infusion group than in the standard infusion group (F = 24.781, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The 110-min rapid infusion DARA regimen is feasible and safe for use in Chinese MM patients.

Application of 3D reconstruction technology based on an improved MC algorithm in a shotcreting robot.

A shotcreting robot needs to reconstruct the arch surface in three dimensions (3D) during the process of spraying a tunnel. To solve this problem, we propose an improved marching cube (MC) reconstruction method based on a point cloud splice and normal re-orient. First, we use the explosion-proof LIDAR to acquire the point cloud data of the tunnel arch, followed by the use of the iterative closest point algorithm, a PassThrough filter, and a StatisticalOutlierRemoval filter for point cloud splicing, data segmentation, and simplification, respectively. In order to improve the reconstruction accuracy, we adjusted the estimated point cloud normal for normal consistency and obtained the geometric features of the complex point cloud surface. Furthermore, combined with the improved MC algorithm, the 3D reconstruction of the tunnel arch is realized. The experimental results show that the proposed method can reconstruct the 3D model of the tunnel arch surface quickly and accurately, which lays a foundation for further research on a trajectory plan, spraying status monitors, and control strategies.

Improved A* Path Planning Method Based on the Grid Map.

In obstacle spatial path planning, the traditional A* algorithm has the problem of too many turning points and slow search speed. With this in mind, a path planning method that improves the A* (A-Star) algorithm is proposed. The mobile robot platform was equipped with a lidar and inertial measurement unit (IMU). The Hdl_graph_slam mapping algorithm was used to construct a two-dimensional grid map, and the improved A* algorithm was used for path planning of the mobile robot. The algorithm introduced the path smoothing strategy and safety protection mechanism, and it eliminated redundant points and minimal corner points by judging whether there were obstacles in the connection of two path nodes. The algorithm effectively improved the smoothness of the path and facilitated the robot to move in the actual operation. It could avoid the wear of the robot by expanding obstacles and improving the safety performance of the robot. Subsequently, the algorithm introduced the steering cost model and the adaptive cost function to improve the search efficiency, making the search purposeful and effective. Lastly, the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm was verified by experiments. The average path search time was reduced by 13%. The average search extension node was reduced by 11%. The problems of too many turning points and slow search speed of traditional A* algorithm in path planning were improved.

Design and implementation of improved LsCpLp resonant circuit for power supply for high-power electromagnetic acoustic transducer excitation.

This paper investigates the design and implementation of an improved series-parallel inductor-capacitor-inductor (LsCpLp) resonant circuit power supply for excitation of electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs). The main advantage of the proposed resonant circuit is the absence of a high-permeability dynamic transformer. A high-frequency pulsating voltage gain can be achieved through a double resonance phenomenon. Both resonant tailing behavior and higher harmonics are suppressed by the improved resonant circuit, which also contributes to the generation of ultrasonic waves. Additionally, the proposed circuit can realize impedance matching and can also optimize the transduction efficiency. The complete design and implementation procedure for the power supply is described and has been validated by implementation of the proposed power supply to drive a portable EMAT. The circuit simulation results show close agreement with the experimental results and thus confirm the validity of the proposed topology. The proposed circuit is suitable for use as a portable EMAT excitation power supply that is fed by a low-voltage source.

An Improved Design of the Spiral-Coil EMAT for Enhancing the Signal Amplitude.

The low energy transition efficiency of electromagnetic ultrasonic transducer (EMAT) is a common problem in practical application. For the purpose of enhancing the amplitude of the received signal, an improved double-coil bulk wave EMAT is proposed for the thickness measurement of metallic block. This new configuration of magnets consists of a solid cylindrical magnet and a ring-shaped magnet encircling the outer side of the solid cylindrical one. A double-coil was applied instead of a single spiral-coil. Numerical simulations were performed to analyze and optimize the proposed configuration of the EMAT by the 2-D axisymmetric finite element model (FEM). The experiment effectively verifies the rationality of the new configuration and the feasibility of improving the signal strength.

Diet Quality Scores and Risk of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Chinese Adults: A Case-Control Study.

Many studies show that dietary factors may affect the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). We examined the association between overall diet quality and NPC risk in a Chinese population. This case-control study included 600 NPC patients and 600 matched controls between 2009 and 2011 in Guangzhou, China. Habitual dietary intake and various covariates were assessed via face-to-face interviews. Diet quality scores were calculated according to the Healthy Eating Index-2005 (HEI-2005), the alternate Healthy Eating Index (aHEI), the Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I), and the alternate Mediterranean Diet Score (aMed). After adjustment for various lifestyle and dietary factors, greater diet quality scores on the HEI-2005, aHEI, and DQI-I-but not on the aMed-showed a significant association with a lower risk of NPC (p-trends, <0.001-0.001). The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) comparing the extreme quartiles of the three significant scores were 0.47 (0.32-0.68) (HEI-2005), 0.48 (0.33-0.70) (aHEI), and 0.43 (0.30-0.62) (DQI-I). In gender-stratified analyses, the favorable association remained significant in men but not in women. We found that adherence to the predefined dietary patterns represented by the HEI-2005, aHEI, and DQI-I scales predicted a lower risk of NPC in adults from south China, especially in men.

Folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and methionine intakes and risk for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Chinese adults: a matched case-control study.

Many studies have suggested that folate-related one-carbon metabolism-related nutrients may play a role in certain cancer risks, but few studies have assessed their associations with the risk for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this study, we investigated the association between four folate-related one-carbon metabolism-related nutrients (folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and methionine) and NPC risk in Chinese adults. A total of 600 patients newly diagnosed (within 3 months) with NPC were individually matched with 600 hospital-based controls by age, sex and household type (urban v. rural). Folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and methionine intakes were measured using a validated seventy-eight-item FFQ. A higher dietary folate or vitamin B6 intake was associated with a lower NPC risk after adjusting for potential confounders. The adjusted OR of NPC for quartiles 2-4 (v. 1) were 0·66 (95% CI 0·48, 0·91), 0·52 (95% CI 0·37, 0·74) and 0·34 (95% CI 0·23, 0·50) (P(trend)<0·001) for folate and 0·72 (95% CI 0·52, 1·00), 0·55 (95% CI 0·39, 0·78) and 0·44 (95% CI 0·30, 0·63) (P(trend)<0·001) for vitamin B6. No significant association with NPC risk was observed for dietary vitamin B12 or methionine intake. The risk for NPC with dietary folate intake was more evident in the participants who were not exposed to toxic substances than in those who were exposed (P(interaction)=0·014). This study suggests that dietary folate and vitamin B6 may be protective for NPC in a high-risk population.

Approach for designing and developing high-precision integrative systems for strip flatness detection.

In this paper, we propose an approach for designing and developing high-precision integrative systems for strip flatness detection. Algorithms are developed for camera calibration, which are more accurate than the general method calculating all the camera parameters. On the basis of this method, a detection system is developed including an integrative device for easy calculation and repeated usage. On-site experiment results confirm that the proposed method works well under hostile environmental conditions in mills.

Habitual consumption of soy products and risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Chinese adults: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Many studies have shown a negative association between the consumption of soy products and the risk of some cancers, but little is known about the effect of soy consumption on nasopharyngeal carcinoma. We assessed the association between the consumption of soy products on nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk in Chinese individuals. METHODS: This case-control study included 600 (448 males and 152 females) incident cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and an equal number of controls, matched according to gender, age (± 3 y) and household type to the nasopharyngeal carcinoma cases. All subjects were recruited from hospitals in Guangzhou, China. A face-to-face interview was conducted with each study individual to collect general information and habitual dietary intake using a 78-item quantitative food-frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were estimated using conditional logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The median intakes of soy foods (in protein) were 0.5/0.5, 1.4/1.7, 2.7/3.3 and 6.1/7.7 (male/female) g/d in the quartiles 1 to 4. Both univariate and multivariate analyses showed no significant association between the consumption of soy proteins or soy isoflavones and the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) between extreme quartiles were 0.97 (0.66-1.45) for soy proteins and 0.97 (0.66-1.42) for total isoflavones. Null associations were also observed between intake of the individual isoflavones daidzein, genistein and glycitein and NPC risk, with adjusted odds ratios for the extreme quartiles ranging between 0.73 and 1.23. CONCLUSION: Habitual consumption of soy products had no significant effect on the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Chinese adults with a relatively low intake.

Greater intake of fruit and vegetables is associated with lower risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Chinese adults: a case-control study.

PURPOSE: The effect of fruit and vegetable intake on the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains uncertain due to limited published evidence. We performed a matched case-control study to investigate the relationship between the intake of fruit and vegetables and the risk of NPC. METHODS: Between July 2009 and March 2011, 600 (448 male, 152 female), NPC incident cases from a single hospital in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, a high-incidence area, were enrolled in the study. 600 controls, matched by gender, age (± 3 years) and household type (urban/rural) were also enrolled. Face-to-face interviews were used to collect habitual dietary intakes and information on various covariates. RESULTS: Multivariate conditional logistic regression analyses showed significant, dose-dependent inverse associations between the intake of vegetables, fruit or a combination of the two and the risk of NPC, even after adjustments for social-economic status, body mass index, dietary factors and other potential covariates. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for NPC in the top quartile of vegetable intake, fruit intake or a combination of the two, as compared to the lowest quartile, were 0.33 (0.22-0.50), 0.70 (0.47-1.04) and 0.37 (0.25-0.55), respectively. Dark green leafy vegetables, carrots, peppers and tomatoes, citrus fruit and pome fruit showed much more pronounced benefits with regards to NPC than other types of fruit and vegetables. Interaction analyses demonstrated that the effects of total combined vegetable and fruit intake were much more significant in subjects with a higher education level (p interaction: 0.027), and the benefits of fruit were observed in males, but not in females (p interaction: 0.088). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that a greater consumption of fruit and vegetables may lower the risk of NPC in Chinese adults.