Validation of the iHealth Track upper-arm blood pressure monitor KN-550BT in general population according to the AAMI/ESH/ISO Universal Standard (ISO 81060-2:2018+AMD1:2020).

OBJECTIVE: To validate the iHealth Track KN-550BT oscillometric upper-arm blood pressure monitor in general population according to the AAMI/ESH/ISO Universal Standard (ISO 81060-2:2018+AMD1:2020). METHODS: Participants were recruited and the same left-arm sequential method was used for blood pressure measurement according to the ISO 81060-2:2018+AMD1:2020. The validation results were assessed following the protocol and the Bland-Altman scatterplot was used to show the difference between the test device and reference results. RESULTS: A total of 89 qualified participants were included in the final analysis. For the validation Criterion 1, the mean ± SD of the differences between the test device and reference readings was -1.22 ±â€…5.76 mmHg and -0.08 ±â€…4.40 mmHg for systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively. For Criterion 2, the mean ± SD of the differences between the test device and reference readings per participant was -1.22 ±â€…5.06 mmHg and -0.08 ±â€…3.84 mmHg for systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively. CONCLUSION: The iHealth Track KN-550BT upper-arm blood pressure monitor passed all the requirements of the AAMI/ESH/ISO Universal Standard (ISO 81060-2:2018+AMD1:2020) and can be recommended for clinical use and self-measurement in general population.

Observation and Characterization of Multiple Resonance Modes in a Chiral Helimagnet CrNb3S6.

The chiral helimagnet CrNb3S6 hosts various temperature- and magnetic-field-stabilized chiral soliton lattices (CSLs) and corresponding exotic collective spin resonance modes, which make it an ideal candidate for future magnetic storage/memory and magnon-based information processing. While most studies have focused on characterizing various static spin textures in this chiral helimagnet, its corresponding collective dynamics have rarely been explored. This study systematically investigates the temperature- and magnetic-field-dependent magnetic dynamics of a single crystal of CrNb3S6 using broadband microwave spectroscopy. We observe an optical mode with a temperature-independent mode number in addition to Kittel-like ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) modes in the CSL phase, consistent with the temperature-independent normalized CSL period L(H)/L(0) based on the 1D chiral sine-Gordon model. Furthermore, combining theoretical model fitting and micromagnetic simulation, we provide a detailed phase diagram and temporal-spatial resolution of dynamic modes, which may help to develop high-frequency exchange-coupling-based spintronic devices.

Visible-Light-Mediated Deacylated Alkynylation of Unstrained Ketone.

Deconstructive alkynylation of an unstrained ketone catalyzed by an organic photocatalyst under blue light irradiation is reported for the first time. A broad substrate scope with up to 63 examples, excellent functional group tolerance, and gram scale reaction demonstrated the practicality of this novel alkynylation method. The dihydroquinazolinone derivative of trifluoroacetophenone had been proved to have potential as a novel trifluoromethylation reagent after working well for the trifluoromethylation reaction with various alkynyl bromides.

ALK inhibitors in ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer with and without brain metastases: systematic review and network meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors in ALK-rearranged positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with brain metastases, and update the overall survival (OS) outcomes of the second-generation and third-generation ALK (ALK-2ndG/3rdG) inhibitors versus first-generation (ALK-1stG) inhibitors. DESIGN: The study is in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis guidelines. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published up to 3 November 2021 were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and ClinicalTrials.gov. SETTING: RCTs from any country and healthcare setting. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with advanced ALK-positive NSCLC with or without brain metastases. INTERVENTIONS AND COMPARISONS: The interventions were ALK-2ndG/3rdG; the control arm was ALK-1stG or crizotinib. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes included median progression-free survival and median OS. Secondary outcomes included systemic objective response rate, intracranial response rate and rate of grade ≥3 adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: A total of 12 RCTs involving 3156 patients were analysed. Compared with ALK-1stG (crizotinib), ALK-2ndG (alectinib, brigatinib, ceritinib and ensartinib) significantly improved the OS (HR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.57 to 0.90, p=0.004) and intracranial response of patients with any brain metastases, especially with measurable (diameter ≥10 mm) brain metastases. Network meta-analysis demonstrated that ALK-3rdG (lorlatinib) had superior efficacy for patients with brain lesions, but performed a distinct side-effect profile. Moreover, alectinib showed superior efficacy and lower toxicity in ALK-positive NSCLC. CONCLUSION: Treatment with ALK-2ndG inhibitors significantly improved OS compared with crizotinib, and alectinib has less severe AEs than any other ALK inhibitors with moderate-high efficacy. The limited OS follow-up and inadequate sample sizes might contribute to having no statistically significant difference in OS of lorlatinib versus crizotinib. More high-quality and longer follow-up RCTs are warranted to prove our findings. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021292245.

Controllable excitation of multiple spin wave bullet modes in a spin Hall nano-oscillator based on [Ni/Co]/Pt multilayers.

Spin-torque nano-oscillators are promising candidates for many radio frequency and magnon-based nanodevices due to their broad frequency tunability, easy fabrication and high durability. To explore the tunability, we chose a [Ni/Co]/Pt-based spin Hall nano-oscillator with a moderate uniaxial anisotropy to systematically study the corresponding magnetodynamics excited by locally injecting a dc current into a nanoscale region of the extended multilayers [Ni/Co]/Pt under certain conditions. We find that the excitation current, the magnitude and orientation of magnetic field, and temperature can be used as a tool to selectively excite certain frequency bullet modes. The transition between nonlinear self-localized bullet modes with different frequencies is caused by the experimental parameter-induced change of energy landscape because, in the [Ni/Co]/Pt system, the strong spatial fluctuation of interfacial magnetic anisotropy leads to the variations of the internal magnetic field of the actual device. Our results demonstrate that the fluctuations of magnetic properties can promote experimental control of spin-torque driven magnetization dynamics in spin Hall nano-oscillators, and the application of expediting nonlinear magnetization oscillators in magnon-based devices and neuromorphic computing.

Contributions of Limb Joints to Energy Absorption during Landing in Cats.

There is a high risk of serious injury to the lower limbs in a human drop landing. However, cats are able to jump from the same heights without any sign of injury, which is attributed to the excellent performance of their limbs in attenuating the impact forces. The bionic study of the falling cat landing may therefore contribute to improve the landing-shock absorbing ability of lower limbs in humans. However, the contributions of cat limb joints to energy absorption remain unknown. Accordingly, a motion capture system and plantar pressure measurement platform were used to measure the joint angles and vertical ground reaction forces of jumping cats, respectively. Based on the inverse dynamics, the joint angular velocities, moments, powers, and work from different landing heights were calculated to expound the synergistic mechanism and the dominant muscle groups of cat limb joints. The results show that the buffering durations of the forelimbs exhibit no significant difference with increasing height while the hindlimbs play a greater role than the forelimbs in absorbing energy when jumping from a higher platform. Furthermore, the joint angles and angular velocities exhibit similar variations, indicating that a generalized motor program can be adopted to activate limb joints for different landing heights. Additionally, the elbow and hip are recognized as major contributors to energy absorption during landing. This experimental study can accordingly provide biological inspiration for new approaches to prevent human lower limb injuries.

Comprehensive Biomechanism of Impact Resistance in the Cat's Paw Pad.

Cats are able to jump from a high-rise without any sign of injury, which is attributed in large part to their impact-resistant paw pads. The biomechanical study of paw pads may therefore contribute to improving the impact resistance of specific biomimetic materials. The present study is aimed at investigating the mechanics of the paw pads, revealing their impact-resistant biomechanism from macro- and microscopic perspectives. Histological and micro-CT scanning methods were exploited to analyze the microstructure of the pads, and mechanical testing was conducted to observe the macroscopic mechanical properties at different loading frequencies. Numerical micromodels of the ellipsoidal and cylindrical adipose compartments were developed to evaluate the mechanical functionality as compressive actions. The results show that the stiffness of the pad increases roughly in proportion to strain and mechanical properties are almost impervious to strain rate. Furthermore, the adipose compartment, which comprises adipose tissue enclosed within collagen septa, in the subcutaneous tissue presents an ellipsoid-like structure, with a decreasing area from the middle to the two ends. Additionally, the finite element results show that the ellipsoidal structure has larger displacement in the early stage of impact, which can absorb more energy and prevent instability at touchdown, while the cylindrical structure is more resistant to deformation. Moreover, the Von Mises of the ellipsoidal compartment decrease gradually from both ends to the middle, making it change to a cylindrical shape, and this may be the reason why the macroscopic stiffness increases with increasing time after contact. This preliminary investigation represents the basis for biomechanical interpretation and can accordingly provide new inspirations of shock-absorbing composite materials in engineering.

Inequality trends of health workforce in different stages of medical system reform (1985-2011) in China.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to identify whether policies in different stages of medical system reform had been effective in decreasing inequalities and increasing the density of health workers in rural areas in China between 1985 and 2011. METHODS: With data from China Health Statistics Yearbooks from 2004 to 2012, we measured the Gini coefficient and the Theil L index across the urban and rural areas from 1985 to 2011 to investigate changes in inequalities in the distributions of health workers, doctors, and nurses by states, regions, and urban-rural stratum and account for the sources of inequalities. RESULTS: We found that the overall inequalities in the distribution of health workers decreased to the lowest in 2000, then increased gently until 2011. Nurses were the most unequally distributed between urban-rural districts among health workers. Most of the overall inequalities in the distribution of health workers across regions were due to inequalities within the rural-urban stratum. DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS: Different policies and interventions in different stages would result in important changes in inequality in the distribution of the health workforce. It was also influenced by other system reforms, like the urbanization, education, and employment reforms in China. The results are useful for the Chinese government to decide how to narrow the gap of the health workforce and meet its citizens' health needs to the maximum extent.

Dietary ellagic acid improves oxidant-induced endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis: role of Nrf2 activation.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress-induced vascular endothelial cell injury is a major factor in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Several evidences indicate that ellagic acid (EA), a phenolic compound, contributes to cardiovascular health. This study was to investigate the effects of EA on endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis via antioxidant-related mechanisms. METHODS: In animal studies, wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice and apolipoprotein E-deficient mice (ApoE(-/-)) mice were fed: a high-fat (21%) diet (HFD) or a HFD plus with EA (HFD+EA), for 14weeks. Vascular reactivity was studied in mice aortas. The effect of EA in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HAECs) exposed to hypochlorous acid (HOCl) was also investigated. RESULTS: Compared with animals on HFD alone, EA attenuated atherosclerosis in WT mice. In aortic rings from two mice models, EA significantly improved endothelium-dependent relaxation and attenuated HOCl-induced endothelial dysfunction. Besides, EA significantly improved nitric oxide synthase activity, antioxidant capacity and markers of endothelial dysfunction in plasma. Western blot analysis showed that EA increased NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) expression in the aortas (P<0.05). In a separate experiment, EA did not protect against HOCl-induced endothelial dysfunction in arteries obtained from Nrf2 gene knockout mice compared with WT mice. In HAECs, EA prevented HOCl-induced cellular damage and induced HO-1 protein expression, and these effects markedly abolished by the siRNA of Nrf2. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide further support for the protective effects of dietary EA particularly oxidant-induced endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis partly via Nrf2 activation.

[A randomized controlled study on the efficacy of modified sclerotherapy in treating angioma of ear, nose and throat].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and security of modified and traditional sclerotherapy in treating angioma in ENT. METHOD: For the Angioma of derma and hypodermis (naso face, auricles, neck) 56 cases and 82 cases of mucosa and hypomucosa (the cavities of nose, throat and mouth) were randomized divided into 2 groups each.: The 5% Sodium Morrhate + Triamcinolone Acetonide (The Modified Sclerotherapy n = 28, n = 41) and only 5% Sodium Morrhate (Traditional Sclerotherapy n = 28, n = 41) were respectively injected into bodies of Angioma, as one time a week for 2-6 weeks, on average 19 days. RESULT: The rates of cure and effective for Modified and Traditional Sclerotherapies were 84.1%, 65.2% and 91.3%, 85.5% respectively. There is a significant in statistics for effective rates and there is a notable difference in cured rates between the two therapies. It shows that Modified Sclerotherapy has an obvious advantage (P < 0.05). Although the efficacy is similar between the two therapies for angioma of mucosa and hypomucosa, the difference has a significant in efficacy for angioma of derma and hypoderma between the two therapies (P < 0.05) and the side-effects were very slight for Modified Sclerotherapy. CONCLUSION: There is a more prominent efficacy and security for Modified Sclerotherapy than Traditional Sclerotherapy.