Cyber-Physical Systems for High-Performance Machining of Difficult to Cut Materials in I5.0 Era-A Review.

The fifth Industrial revolution (I5.0) prioritizes resilience and sustainability, integrating cognitive cyber-physical systems and advanced technologies to enhance machining processes. Numerous research studies have been conducted to optimize machining operations by identifying and reducing sources of uncertainty and estimating the optimal cutting parameters. Virtual modeling and Tool Condition Monitoring (TCM) methodologies have been developed to assess the cutting states during machining processes. With a precise estimation of cutting states, the safety margin necessary to deal with uncertainties can be reduced, resulting in improved process productivity. This paper reviews the recent advances in high-performance machining systems, with a focus on cyber-physical models developed for the cutting operation of difficult-to-cut materials using cemented carbide tools. An overview of the literature and background on the advances in offline and online process optimization approaches are presented. Process optimization objectives such as tool life utilization, dynamic stability, enhanced productivity, improved machined part quality, reduced energy consumption, and carbon emissions are independently investigated for these offline and online optimization methods. Addressing the critical objectives and constraints prevalent in industrial applications, this paper explores the challenges and opportunities inherent to developing a robust cyber-physical optimization system.

Feasible feeding strategies for sustainable management of serve heat stress conditions: Effect of Milk Thistle extract on growth performance and health status of newly weaned rabbits.

The trail aimed to explore the effect of dietary supplementation of Milk Thistle (MT) extract on growth performance and health status of growing rabbits exposed to serve heat stress condition, considering the economic efficiency of supplementation. A total of 96 weaned male rabbits were divided into 4 groups (24 rabbits/group). The first group received the basal diet without any supplementation and served as a control (MT0), while 2nd, 3rd and 4th groups supplemented with MT at levels of 5 (MT5), 10 (MT10) and 15 (MT15) g/kg diet, respectively, for 10 consecutive weeks. Both of growth performance and feed utilisation were significantly enhanced by the dietary treatment, the optimum dose of MT was 12 g/kg diet for average daily gain, specific growth rate and performance index. However, it was 13 g/kg diet for feed conversation ratio. The polynomial regression analysis showed that the lowest values of rectal temperature and respiration rate were observed at doses of 11 and 13 g/kg diet respectively. The dressing percentage and the relative weights of liver and total edible giblets were significantly improved by the treatment (p = 0.0416, 0.0112 and 0.0032, respectively), maximising in the MT10 group. The MT10 and MT15 groups showed higher erythrocytes and leucocytes counts and lower levels of urea, creatinine and total cholesterol compared to the control (p < 0.05). Liver functions significantly enhanced in aforementioned two treated groups, the liver ultrastructure represented normal cytoplasmic organelles, and nucleus and mitochondria in MT10 group, while the MT15 group showed hepatocytes with dilated nucleus with most cytoplasmic organelles appeared well organised and normal except few small cytoplasms vacuolated. The levels glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase and total antioxidant capacity as well as immunoglobulin M, and immunoglobulin G significant improved in the MT-Treated groups compared to the control (p < 0.05). Economically, MT supplemented diets improved the net revenue of fattened rabbits during the summer season. In conclusion, the supplementation of MT extract at levels of 10 or 15 g/kg diet enhanced growth performance, feed utilisation, dressing percentage, hemato-biochemical attributes, immunity and redox balance of heat stressed growing rabbits during the hot season.

Effect of channel density, inverse solutions and connectivity measures on EEG resting-state networks reconstruction: A simulation study.

Along with the study of brain activity evoked by external stimuli, the past two decades witnessed an increased interest in characterizing the spontaneous brain activity occurring during resting conditions. The identification of connectivity patterns in this so-called "resting-state" has been the subject of a great number of electrophysiology-based studies, using the Electro/Magneto-Encephalography (EEG/MEG) source connectivity method. However, no consensus has been reached yet regarding a unified (if possible) analysis pipeline, and several involved parameters and methods require cautious tuning. This is particularly challenging when different analytical choices induce significant discrepancies in results and drawn conclusions, thereby hindering the reproducibility of neuroimaging research. Hence, our objective in this study was to shed light on the effect of analytical variability on outcome consistency by evaluating the implications of parameters involved in the EEG source connectivity analysis on the accuracy of resting-state networks (RSNs) reconstruction. We simulated, using neural mass models, EEG data corresponding to two RSNs, namely the default mode network (DMN) and dorsal attentional network (DAN). We investigated the impact of five channel densities (19, 32, 64, 128, 256), three inverse solutions (weighted minimum norm estimate (wMNE), exact low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (eLORETA), and linearly constrained minimum variance (LCMV) beamforming) and four functional connectivity measures (phase-locking value (PLV), phase-lag index (PLI), and amplitude envelope correlation (AEC) with and without source leakage correction), on the correspondence between reconstructed and reference networks. We showed that, with different analytical choices related to the number of electrodes, source reconstruction algorithm, and functional connectivity measure, high variability is present in the results. More specifically, our results show that a higher number of EEG channels significantly increased the accuracy of the reconstructed networks. Additionally, our results showed significant variability in the performance of the tested inverse solutions and connectivity measures. Such methodological variability and absence of analysis standardization represent a critical issue for neuroimaging studies that should be prioritized. We believe that this work could be useful for the field of electrophysiology connectomics, by increasing awareness regarding the challenge of variability in methodological approaches and its implications on reported results.

BRAFV600E mutational status assessment in cutaneous melanocytic neoplasms in a group of the Egyptian population.

BACKGROUND: Melanocytic neoplasms range from banal nevi to malignant melanomas. The genetic background has been extensively studied in the Caucasian population. BRAF mutations were reported among the early driver mutations in nevogenesis. Nevertheless, the pathogenesis in the Egyptian population has not been elucidated. AIM AND METHODS: The present study was carried out to assess the sensitivity and specificity of immunohistochemistry (IHC) using the RM-08 clone in reference to allele-specific real-time PCR (CAST-PCR) for the detection of the BRAF V600E mutation in 50 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks of melanocytic neoplasms with prior bleaching using hydrogen peroxide in Tris-HCL and Bovine Serum Albumin respectively. RESULTS: IHC staining was interpreted using staining reaction (positive versus negative) and staining pattern (negative and heterogeneous versus homogenous). Using the staining pattern, the specificity increased from 73.3 to 88.2%, the negative predictive value increased from 73.3 to 100%, the diagnostic accuracy increased from 71.4 to 90.48% and the overall accuracy increased from 69.9 to 77.3%. The sensitivity and positive predictive value remained unchanged. The K-agreement coefficient increased from 0.364 (fair agreement) to 0.741 (good agreement) and was statistically significant (p = 0.00). Next-generation sequencing was performed in 11 cases, 8 cases with IHC-positive and BRAF wild type in addition to 3 cases that failed PCR analysis and revealed no BRAF V600E. No statistically significant difference was found in the clinicopathological parameters between BRAF V600E and BRAF wild-type melanomas. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that IHC staining homogeneity may be more accurate in predicting BRAF V600E mutational status. However, IHC cannot replace molecular methods.

Identification of Parkinson's Disease Subtypes from Resting-State Electroencephalography.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) patients present with a heterogeneous clinical phenotype, including motor, cognitive, sleep, and affective disruptions. However, this heterogeneity is often either ignored or assessed using only clinical assessments. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to identify different PD sub-phenotypes in a longitudinal follow-up analysis and their electrophysiological profile based on resting-state electroencephalography (RS-EEG) and to assess their clinical significance over the course of the disease. METHODS: Using electrophysiological features obtained from RS-EEG recordings and data-driven methods (similarity network fusion and source-space spectral analysis), we have performed a clustering analysis to identify disease sub-phenotypes and we examined whether their different patterns of disruption are predictive of disease outcome. RESULTS: We showed that PD patients (n = 44) can be sub-grouped into three phenotypes with distinct electrophysiological profiles. These clusters are characterized by different levels of disruptions in the somatomotor network (Δ and ß band), the frontotemporal network (α2 band) and the default mode network (α1 band), which consistently correlate with clinical profiles and disease courses. These clusters are classified into either moderate (only-motor) or mild-to-severe (diffuse) disease. We showed that EEG features can predict cognitive evolution of PD patients from baseline, when the cognitive clinical scores were overlapped. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of novel PD subtypes based on electrical brain activity signatures may provide a more accurate prognosis in individual patients in clinical practice and help to stratify subgroups in clinical trials. Innovative profiling in PD can also support new therapeutic strategies that are brain-based and designed to modulate brain activity disruption. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Biofertilizer effect of some zinc dissolving bacteria free and encapsulated on Zea mays growth.

Crop nutrition depends on zinc for enzymatic, oxidative, and metabolic processes. In the current study 20 different bacteria were isolated from five soil samples collected from different fields in Egypt. Bacterial isolates were screened for their ability to solubilize insoluble zinc oxide and zinc carbonate. The ability of selected isolates to tolerate soluble zinc was determined using different concentrations of (ZnSO4). Three bacterial isolates were selected with efficiency in solubilizing zinc oxide and zinc carbonate while tolerating high levels of soluble zinc. Molecular identification by 16S rRNA sequencing of the chosen isolates identified them as B3 (Acinetobacter calcoaceticus), B5 (Bacillus proteolyticus) and C6 (Stenotrophomonas pavanii). Sodium alginate beads formulated with the isolated bacteria were tested for stability under different storage conditions for 3 months. A pot experiment was conducted to study and compare the effect of using chosen isolates as an in vivo Zn solubilizer with amended ZnCO3 either alone or embedded in beads as carrier in the soil and its effect on growth parameters of Zea mays after 2 months. There was an increase in Zn uptake in all treatments compared to the control. However, plants grown in a pot treated with ZnCO3 and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus showed the highest zinc content and plant dry weight as compared to the control. Finally, selected isolates in both free and encapsulated forms showed improved plant growth parameters and higher zinc content and can be applied as biofertilizers to enhance soil fertility.

Neuropsychiatric post-acute sequelae of COVID-19: prevalence, severity, and impact of vaccination.

The potential long-term neuropsychiatric effects of COVID-19 are of global concern. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and predictors of neuropsychiatric post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 among Egyptian COVID-19 survivors and to study the impact of full vaccination before COVID-19 infection on the occurrence and severity of these manifestations. Three months after getting COVID-19 infection, 1638 COVID-19 survivors were screened by phone for possible neuropsychiatric sequelae. Subjects suspected to suffer from these sequelae were invited to a face-to-face interview for objective evaluation. They were requested to rate the severity of their symptoms using visual analogue scales (VAS). The mean age of participants was 38.28 ± 13 years. Only 18.6% were fully vaccinated before COVID-19 infection. Neuropsychiatric post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 were documented in 598 (36.5%) subjects, fatigue was the most frequent one (24.6%), followed by insomnia (16.4%), depression (15.3%), and anxiety (14.4%). Moderate and severe COVID-19 infection and non-vaccination increased the odds of developing post-COVID-19 neuropsychiatric manifestations by 2 times (OR 1.95, 95% CI = 1.415-2.683), 3.86 times (OR 3.86, 95% CI = 2.358-6.329), and 1.67 times (OR 1.67, 95% CI = 1.253-2.216), respectively. Fully vaccinated subjects before COVID-19 infection (n = 304) had significantly lesser severity of post-COVID-19 fatigue, ageusia/hypogeusia, dizziness, tinnitus, and insomnia (P value = 0.001, 0.008, < 0.001, 0.025, and 0.005, respectively) than non-vaccinated subjects. This report declared neuropsychiatric sequelae in 36.5% of Egyptian COVID-19 survivors, fatigue being the most prevalent. The effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in reducing the severity of some post-COVID-19 neuropsychiatric manifestations may improve general vaccine acceptance.

A Real-Time Deep Machine Learning Approach for Sudden Tool Failure Prediction and Prevention in Machining Processes.

Tool Condition Monitoring systems are essential to achieve the desired industrial competitive advantage in terms of reducing costs, increasing productivity, improving quality, and preventing machined part damage. A sudden tool failure is analytically unpredictable due to the high dynamics of the machining process in the industrial environment. Therefore, a system for detecting and preventing sudden tool failures was developed for real-time implementation. A discrete wavelet transform lifting scheme (DWT) was developed to extract a time-frequency representation of the AErms signals. A long short-term memory (LSTM) autoencoder was developed to compress and reconstruct the DWT features. The variations between the reconstructed and the original DWT representations due to the induced acoustic emissions (AE) waves during unstable crack propagation were used as a prefailure indicator. Based on the statistics of the LSTM autoencoder training process, a threshold was defined to detect tool prefailure regardless of the cutting conditions. Experimental validation results demonstrated the ability of the developed approach to accurately predict sudden tool failures before they occur and allow enough time to take corrective action to protect the machined part. The developed approach overcomes the limitations of the prefailure detection approach available in the literature in terms of defining a threshold function and sensitivity to chip adhesion-separation phenomenon during the machining of hard-to-cut materials.

The benefits of Maca (Lepidium meyenii) extract administration for male rabbits affected by environmental heat stress.

Heat stress (HS) is the most substantial environmental issue in rabbit health status impairment, which can lower productivity. Maca is a common medicinal plant with important biological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-fatigue, and neuroprotective effects. The present research explored the alleged protective role of Maca extract in alleviating the adverse impact of HS on rabbits. Growing V-line 6-week-old buck rabbits (N = 48) were orally administered Maca extract at levels of 0 (MAC0), 200 (MAC2), 400 (MAC4), or 600 (MAC6) mg/head twice per week. Compared to the control groups, rabbits provided Maca had better growth performance, feed intake and feed conversion ratio. Liver and tests weights were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in Maca treated groups compared to the control. hemoglobin, white blood cell, red blood corpuscles, platelet count, hematocrit, and lymphocytes were significantly increased in the MAC4 group compared with the control group. MAC4 treatment significantly reduced aspartate aminotransferase and malondialdehyde levels compared with other groups. Moreover, the concentrations of total bilirubin, creatinine, glucose, total cholesterol, and triglycerides were lower (p < 0.05) in the MAC4 group than in the controls. Oral administration of Maca improved cortisol and testosterone values, total antioxidant capacity, and superoxide dismutase. The MAC4 group exhibited significant improvement (p < 0.05) in sperm motility, survival, membrane functionality, concentration, and libido, with a significant decrease in abnormal sperm compared with the control group. Also, aforementioned group showed sperm cells with a normal structure and intact plasma membranes, acrosomes, and well-organised axonemal components. Histopathological screening of liver sections showed moderate to severe degenerative and necrotic changes in rabbits exposed to HS, which were alleviated with Maca oral administration. In conclusion, oral administration of Maca extract at 400 or 600 mg/head-weekly enhanced growth performance, hemato-biochemical attributes, antioxidant status, and semen quality in rabbits during the hot season.

Assessing the effectiveness of green synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles in controlling multidrug-resistant clinical bacteria.

Multi-drug resistant pathogenic bacteria are life threaten agent associated with the misuse and overuse of antibiotics. The biological synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles is a promising alternative treatment. The current study reported the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) using different plants extracts of garlic (Allium sativum), ginger (Zingiber officinale), and lemon (Citrus lemon). The plant extracts not only acts as reducing agents but as stabilizing agents for the produced nanoparticles. Biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray studies (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. XRD analysis confirmed the production of pure ZnONPs. UV-vis spectroscopy revealed the presence of ZnONPs and reported the characteristic absorption peak of ZnONPs at 370 nm. SEM and TEM confirmed the shape and size of nanoparticles, with an average mean size of 0.3-11.40 nm. This study reported the antibacterial activity and minimum inhibitory concentration of biosynthesized ZnONPs using the broth microdilution method against some clinical pathogenic bacteria. This study also reported the antimicrobial activity of ZnONPs prepared with garlic extract against Enterococcus sp. and Pseudomonas sp. While, those prepared with ginger extract were effective against Enterococcussp. and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. ZnONPs synthesized by garlic extract were more powerful and effective than ZnONPs synthesized by ginger and lemon extracts. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12088-022-01048-3.

Spatio-temporal dynamics of large-scale electrophysiological networks during cognitive action control in healthy controls and Parkinson's disease patients.

Among the cognitive symptoms that are associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), alterations in cognitive action control (CAC) are commonly reported in patients. CAC enables the suppression of an automatic action, in favor of a goal-directed one. The implementation of CAC is time-resolved and arguably associated with dynamic changes in functional brain networks. However, the electrophysiological functional networks involved, their dynamic changes, and how these changes are affected by PD, still remain unknown. In this study, to address this gap of knowledge, 10 PD patients and 10 healthy controls (HC) underwent a Simon task while high-density electroencephalography (HD-EEG) was recorded. Source-level dynamic connectivity matrices were estimated using the phase-locking value in the beta (12-25 Hz) and gamma (30-45 Hz) frequency bands. Temporal independent component analyses were used as a dimension reduction tool to isolate the task-related brain network states. Typical microstate metrics were quantified to investigate the presence of these states at the subject-level. Our results first confirmed that PD patients experienced difficulties in inhibiting automatic responses during the task. At the group-level, we found three functional network states in the beta band that involved fronto-temporal, temporo-cingulate and fronto-frontal connections with typical CAC-related prefrontal and cingulate nodes (e.g., inferior frontal cortex). The presence of these networks did not differ between PD patients and HC when analyzing microstates metrics, and no robust correlations with behavior were found. In the gamma band, five networks were found, including one fronto-temporal network that was identical to the one found in the beta band. These networks also included CAC-related nodes previously identified in different neuroimaging modalities. Similarly to the beta networks, no subject-level differences were found between PD patients and HC. Interestingly, in both frequency bands, the dominant network at the subject-level was never the one that was the most durably modulated by the task. Altogether, this study identified the dynamic functional brain networks observed during CAC, but did not highlight PD-related changes in these networks that might explain behavioral changes. Although other new methods might be needed to investigate the presence of task-related networks at the subject-level, this study still highlights that task-based dynamic functional connectivity is a promising approach in understanding the cognitive dysfunctions observed in PD and beyond.

Functional Brain Dysconnectivity in Parkinson's Disease: A 5-Year Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: Tracking longitudinal functional brain dysconnectivity in Parkinson's disease (PD) is a key element to decoding the underlying physiopathology and understanding PD progression. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this follow-up study were to explore, for the first time, the longitudinal changes in the functional brain networks of PD patients over 5 years and to associate them with their cognitive performance and the lateralization of motor symptoms. METHODS: We used a 5-year longitudinal cohort of PD patients (n = 35) who completed motor and non-motor assessments and sequent resting state (RS) high-density electroencephalography (HD-EEG) recordings at three timepoints: baseline (BL), 3 years follow-up (3YFU) and 5 years follow-up (5YFU). We assessed disruptions in frequency-dependent functional networks over the course of the disease and explored their relation to clinical symptomatology. RESULTS: In contrast with HC (n = 32), PD patients showed a gradual connectivity impairment in α2 (10-13 Hz) and ß (13-30 Hz) frequency bands. The deterioration in the global cognitive assessment was strongly correlated with the disconnected networks. These disconnected networks were also associated with the lateralization of motor symptoms, revealing a dominance of the right hemisphere in terms of impaired connections in the left-affected PD patients in contrast to dominance of the left hemisphere in the right-affected PD patients. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our findings suggest that with disease progression, dysconnectivity in the brain networks in PD can reflect the deterioration of global cognitive deficits and the lateralization of motor symptoms. RS HD-EEG may be an early biomarker of PD motor and non-motor progression. © 2022 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

The potential impact of nutritional intake on symptoms severity in patients with comorbid migraine and irritable bowel syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Specific dietary recommendations for migraine patients with comorbid irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are lacking. This work aimed to study the severity scores of such two common pain-related disorders in relation to various macronutrients and micronutrients intake. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with concomitant migraine and IBS. The frequency and intensity of migraine attacks and the severity of IBS were evaluated. Data on dietary intake were collected using food frequency questionnaires and 24-hour dietary recall. RESULTS: One-hundred patients with a median age of 36 years participated. The severity scores for migraine and IBS were positively correlated with fat and copper and negatively correlated with fiber and zinc intake. Copper intake was an independent predictor of the severity of both migraine and IBS (P 0.033, < 0.001). Patients with episodic migraine (n = 69) had a significantly higher frequency of cooked, fresh vegetables, and wheat bran bread intake (P 0.009, 0.004, 0.021) and lower frequency of hydrogenated oils intake (P 0.046), in comparison to patients with chronic migraine (n = 31). Patients with moderate intensity of migraine (n = 37) had a significantly higher frequency of herbal drinks intake (P 0.014) than patients with a severe intensity of migraine (n = 63). Patients with mild (n = 13) and moderate IBS (n = 41) had a significantly higher frequency of wheat bran bread and sen bread intake (P 0.003, 0.022) than patients with severe IBS (n = 46). CONCLUSION: Patients with comorbid migraine and IBS are advised to adhere to a diet low in fat and copper and rich in fiber and zinc.

Mean-Field Modeling of Brain-Scale Dynamics for the Evaluation of EEG Source-Space Networks.

Understanding the dynamics of brain-scale functional networks at rest and during cognitive tasks is the subject of intense research efforts to unveil fundamental principles of brain functions. To estimate these large-scale brain networks, the emergent method called "electroencephalography (EEG) source connectivity" has generated increasing interest in the network neuroscience community, due to its ability to identify cortical brain networks with satisfactory spatio-temporal resolution, while reducing mixing and volume conduction effects. However, no consensus has been reached yet regarding a unified EEG source connectivity pipeline, and several methodological issues have to be carefully accounted to avoid pitfalls. Thus, a validation toolbox that provides flexible "ground truth" models is needed for an objective methods/parameters evaluation and, thereby an optimization of the EEG source connectivity pipeline. In this paper, we show how a recently developed large-scale model of brain-scale activity, named COALIA, can provide to some extent such ground truth by providing realistic simulations of source-level and scalp-level activity. Using a bottom-up approach, the model bridges cortical micro-circuitry and large-scale network dynamics. Here, we provide an example of the potential use of COALIA to analyze, in the context of epileptiform activity, the effect of three key factors involved in the "EEG source connectivity" pipeline: (i) EEG sensors density, (ii) algorithm used to solve the inverse problem, and (iii) functional connectivity measure. Results showed that a high electrode density (at least 64 channels) is required to accurately estimate cortical networks. Regarding the inverse solution/connectivity measure combination, the best performance at high electrode density was obtained using the weighted minimum norm estimate (wMNE) combined with the weighted phase lag index (wPLI). Although those results are specific to the considered aforementioned context (epileptiform activity), we believe that this model-based approach can be successfully applied to other experimental questions/contexts. We aim at presenting a proof-of-concept of the interest of COALIA in the network neuroscience field, and its potential use in optimizing the EEG source-space network estimation pipeline.

Comparison of the efficacy of two doses of dexmedetomidine as an adjunct to levobupivacaine in infraclavicular brachial plexus block: prospective double-blinded randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: This prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial compared the efficacy of two dexmedetomidine doses (50 and 100-µg) combined with levobupivacaine on sensory block duration in infraclavicular brachial plexus block. We hypothesized that perineural dexmedetomidine would extend sensory block duration dose-dependently. METHODS: The study included 60 patients aged 20 to 60 years of both sex with an ASA I/II undergoing forearm and hand surgery. The patients were randomly assigned into three equal groups (n = 20) for ultrasound-guided infraclavicular brachial plexus block. The L group received 35-mL 0.5% levobupivacaine plus normal saline, the LD50 group received 35-mL 0.5% levobupivacaine plus 50-µg dexmedetomidine, and the LD100 group received 35-mL 0.5% levobupivacaine plus 100-µg dexmedetomidine. Patients were investigated for onset and duration of sensory blockade, time to first postoperative rescue analgesia, and the total 24-h postoperative morphine requirement. RESULTS: The LD100 group had a longer sensory block duration (15.55 ± 1.1 h; 95% confidence interval (CI), 15.04-16.06) than the LD50 group (12.8 ± 1.2 h; 95% CI, 12.24-13.36 h) (p < 0.001) or the L group (9.95 ± 1.05 h; 95% CI, 9.46-10.44 h) (p < 0.001). The LD100 group took longer to request postoperative rescue analgesia and required fewer postoperative morphine doses than the LD50 and L groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Sensory block duration was longer with perineural 100-µg dexmedetomidine as an adjunct to levobupivacaine than with 50-µg dexmedetomidine. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Aswan University Hospital (approval number: aswu/125/4/17) (date of registration: 04/04/2017). Furthermore, the trial was retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrial.gov (NCT04729868) with a verification date of January 2021.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in the context of paediatric COVID-19 infection in the Republic of Ireland April 2020 to April 2021.

AIM: Our aim was to describe the epidemiology of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) in the Republic of Ireland, in the context of all cases of COVID-19 in children, during the first year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. METHODS: Cases of MIS-C were identified by prospective surveillance in Irish hospitals from April 2020 to April 2021. Paediatric COVID-19 cases and outbreaks in schools or childcare facilities were notified to and routinely investigated by Public Health. Univariate and bivariate analyses were carried out in Excel, Stata and JMP statistical package. RESULTS: Fifty-four MIS-C cases (median age 7.58 years; males 57%) were identified over the study period. MIS-C incidence was higher in certain ethnicities ('black' 21.3/100,000 [95% CI 4.3-38.4]; and 'Irish Traveller' 14.7/100,000 [95% CI -5.7-35.1]) than those of 'white' ethnicity (3.4 /100,000). MIS-C cases occurred in three temporal clusters, which followed three distinct waves of community COVID-19 infection, irrespective of school closures. Formal contact tracing identified an epidemiological link with a COVID-19-infected family member in the majority of MIS-C cases (77%). In contrast, investigation of COVID-19 school outbreaks demonstrated no epidemiological link with MIS-C cases during the study period. CONCLUSION: Efforts at controlling SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the community may be a more effective means to reduce MIS-C incidence than school closures. Establishing a mandatory reporting structure for MIS-C will help delineate the role of risk factors such as ethnicity and obesity and the effect of vaccination on MIS-C incidence.

Effect of addition of l-carnitine to cryopreservation extender on rabbit post-thaw semen parameters, antioxidant capacity, mitochondrial function, apoptosis and ultrastructure changes.

l-Carnitine (LC) is considered to be a natural antioxidant agent that could be used to improve the efficiency of reproduction. However, the precise machinery of the effect of LC supplementation on frozen-thawed rabbit sperm has not been evaluated. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of LC to a freezing medium on parameters and ultrastructure changes in frozen-thawed rabbit sperm. Rabbit bucks (7 months of age) were involved, and semen was collected using the artificial vagina method. Pooled rabbit semen was cryopreserved in a tris yolk fructose extender without any supplement (LC0, control group) or with LC at levels of 1, 2 or 4 mM (LC1, LC2 and LC4, respectively). The samples were then loaded into 0.25-ml straws and frozen over liquid nitrogen vapours before being plunged into the liquid nitrogen and stored at -196°C until evaluation. Data showed that the addition of LC significantly increased sperm motility, viability and membrane function, while sperm abnormalities decreased (p < .001). Sperm-like apoptosis (early, late and necrosis spermatozoa) was lower in the LC4 group compared with the other groups. l-Carnitine addition significantly enhanced the total antioxidant capacity and superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxide activities and significantly reduced the protein carbonyl and malondialdehyde levels compared with the control group. Moreover, electron microscopy images demonstrated that LC addition (2 or 4 mM) preserved the acrosome and plasma membrane and protected the ultrastructure integrity of the cryopreserved spermatozoa in relation to the control group. Spermatozoa treated with LC exhibited higher mitochondria membrane potential (MMP) values compared with the control group. We conclude that the addition of LC (4 mM) to the freezing extender enhanced the quality, increased the antioxidant capabilities, preserved the ultrastructure integrity and reduced lipid and protein peroxidation as well as increased MMP activity of frozen-thawed rabbit sperm.

Quantitative Evaluation of Palatal Lengthening After Cleft Palate Repair When a Buccal Flap Is Routinely Combined With Furlow's Z-Plasty.

INTRODUCTION: The use of a buccinator myomucosal flap in combination with Furlow's Z-plasty during primary and secondary palatal repairs has been proposed by many authors to overcome some of the limitations of Furlow's technique. However, there have been no studies that quantitatively measured the effective palatal lengthening when the buccal flap is added. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The buccal flap is routinely used during primary palate repair in order to fill the gap between the hard palate and reoriented palatal muscle sling. The soft palatal length was measured in the midline from the posterior edge of the hard palate to the base of the uvula. All patients were measured before starting the surgery and just after palatal closure in the standard position for cleft palate repair. RESULTS: Seventy-three patients with cleft palate who were candidates for primary repair were included. The mean age at the time of operation was 11.4 ± 3.5 months. The mean preoperative palatal length was 21.36 ± 3.529 mm, whereas the mean postoperative palatal length was 29.64 ± 4.171) mm. The mean palatal length change was 8.29 ± 2.514 mm (P < 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: The Combined use of a buccinator myomucosal flap with modified Furlow's Z-plasty in primary cleft palate repair has proven effective for palatal lengthening and achieved tensionless closure without the need for relaxing incision. It also provided a pliable soft tissue attachment of the palatal muscles to the hard palate allowing for better muscle function and mobility.

Tool Condition Monitoring for High-Performance Machining Systems-A Review.

In the era of the "Industry 4.0" revolution, self-adjusting and unmanned machining systems have gained considerable interest in high-value manufacturing industries to cope with the growing demand for high productivity, standardized part quality, and reduced cost. Tool condition monitoring (TCM) systems pave the way for automated machining through monitoring the state of the cutting tool, including the occurrences of wear, cracks, chipping, and breakage, with the aim of improving the efficiency and economics of the machining process. This article reviews the state-of-the-art TCM system components, namely, means of sensing, data acquisition, signal conditioning and processing, and monitoring models, found in the recent open literature. Special attention is given to analyzing the advantages and limitations of current practices in developing wireless tool-embedded sensor nodes, which enable seamless implementation and Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) readiness of TCM systems. Additionally, a comprehensive review of the selection of dimensionality reduction techniques is provided due to the lack of clear recommendations and shortcomings of various techniques developed in the literature. Recent attempts for TCM systems' generalization and enhancement are discussed, along with recommendations for possible future research avenues to improve TCM systems accuracy, reliability, functionality, and integration.

Ginseng® as a reproductive enhancer agent for African catfish, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822).

Ginseng (Ge) is one of the most famous and precious consumed herbal medicines around the world. Ge plant roots have many advantages regarded as important in increasing fish production. Thus, the present study was conducted to investigate the possibility of using different levels (0.0, 100, and 200 mg/kg diet) of Ge as a reproductive enhancer agent for African catfish, Clarias gariepinus males. Results revealed that fish fed 200 mg Ge/kg diet significantly (P ˂ 0.05) increased growth performance, feed efficiency, gonado-somatic index, hematological parameters, serum follicle-stimulating hormone, total antioxidant capacity, sperm quality parameters, and ultrastructure of spermatozoa, as well as led to positively improved of the histological structure of the testes tissue compared to other treatments. Based on the obtained findings, it could be concluded that the effective use of dietary Ge at a level of 200 mg/kg as a promising reproductive agent for adult African catfish males consequently led to the sustainability of aquaculture for African catfish.