Comparison of the McGRATHTM Video Laryngoscope and Macintosh Laryngoscope for Orotracheal Intubation in a Simulated Difficult Airway Scenario: An Open-Label, Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background and Objectives: Difficult intubation, which may be encountered unexpectedly during anesthesia, can increase patients' morbidity and mortality. The McGRATH video laryngoscope is known to provide improved laryngeal visibility in patients with difficult or normal airways. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the McGRATH video laryngoscope for orotracheal intubation compared with that of conventional Macintosh laryngoscopes in simulated difficult airway scenarios. Materials and Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, patients who were scheduled for surgery under general anesthesia requiring orotracheal intubation were assigned to the Macintosh laryngoscope (n = 50) or McGRATH video laryngoscope (n = 45) groups. In this study, to create a simulated difficult airway condition, the subjects performed manual in-line stabilization and applied a soft cervical collar. The primary outcome was the rate of successful intubation within 30 s. The time required for an intubation, glottis grade, intubation difficulty scale (IDS score), the subjective ease of intubation, and optimal external laryngeal manipulation (OLEM) were evaluated. In addition, complications caused by each blade were investigated. Results: The intubation success rate within 30 s was not significantly different between the two groups (44 (88.0%) vs. 36 (80.0%), p = 0.286). The glottic grade was better in the McGRATH group than in the Macintosh group (p = 0.029), but neither the intubation time (26.3 ± 8.2 s vs. 24.2 ± 5.0 s, p = 0.134) nor the rates of oral bleeding (2 (4.0%) vs. 0 (0.0%)) and tooth injury (0 (0.0%) vs. 1 (2.2%)) were significantly different between the two groups. Conclusions: The use of the McGRATH video laryngoscope did not improve the intubation success rate or shorten the intubation time. However, the McGRATH video laryngoscope provided a better glottis view than the conventional Macintosh laryngoscope in patients with a simulated difficult airway.

Trunk range of motion: A wearable sensor-based test protocol and indicator of fall risk in older people.

Conventionally, trunk range of motion (TROM) requires manual measurement by an external health professional with a general-purpose goniometer. This study aims to propose a convenient test protocol to assess TROM based on a single wearable sensor and to further investigate the relationship between TROM and fall risk of older people. We first explored the optimal sensor position by comparing TROMs from four representative locations (T1, T12, L5 and sternum) and optical motion capture system (golden reference). A follow-up experiment was conducted to evaluate the relationship between TROM and fall risk. The results showed that T12 achieved the minimum root mean square error (3.8 ± 2.2°) against the golden reference and the non-faller group had significantly higher TROMs than the faller group. These findings suggest that the newly proposed protocol is convenient yet valid and TROM can be a promising indicator of fall risk in older people.

Production of an EP/PDMS/SA/AlZnO Coated Superhydrophobic Surface through an Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition Process.

In this study, a superhydrophobic coating on glass has been prepared through a single-step aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) process. During the process, an aerosolized precursor containing polydimethylsiloxane, epoxy resin, and stearic acid functionalized Al-doped ZnO nanoparticles was deposited onto the glass at 350 °C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy showed that the precursor was successfully coated and formed a nano/microstructure (surface roughness: 378.0 ± 46.1 nm) on the glass surface. The coated surface had a water contact angle of 159.1 ± 1.2°, contact angle hysteresis of 2.2 ± 1.7°, and rolling off-angle of 1°, indicating that it was superhydrophobic. In the self-cleaning test of the coated surface at a tilted angle of 20°, it was shown that water droplets rolled and washed out dirt on the surface. The stability tests showed that the surface remained superhydrophobic after 120 h of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and even after heat exposure at 350 °C. In addition, the surface was highly repellent to water solutions of pH 1-13. The results showed that the addition of the functionalized nanoparticles into the precursor allowed for the control of surface roughness and provided a simplified single-step fabrication process of the superhydrophobic surface. This provides valuable information for developing the manufacturing process for superhydrophobic surfaces.

The effect of slider design and length on user performance and preference of smartphone versions of the visual analogue scale.

This study aims to investigate the effect of slider design and length on user performance and preference of smartphone versions of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Twenty-eight participants performed a task to set random target values with 8 smartphone versions of VAS: 2 slider designs (traditional design, modern design) × 4 slider lengths (4.3 cm, 5.8 cm, 10 cm landscape, 10 cm portrait). Experimental results showed that both slider design and length significantly affected the accuracy, task completion time and subject preference. Compared with the traditional slider design, the modern slider design showed significantly smaller bias in setting values, shorter task completion time, and higher subject preference. The slider length significantly affected all measures, and 5.8 cm was recommended due to small bias, short task completion time, dominant preference and excellent ability to closely fit the width of smartphone display with the portrait mode. These findings could provide mobile VAS and slider designers with useful references.

Shaping Rollable Display Devices: Effects of Gripping Condition, Device Thickness, and Hand Length on Bimanual Perceived Grip Comfort.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of the gripping condition, device thickness, and hand length on bimanual perceived grip comfort associated with unrolling hand-held rollable screens. BACKGROUND: Rollable displays can be rolled and unrolled to change screen size. Although diverse rollable display device concepts have been suggested, little is known regarding ergonomic forms for comfortable screen unrolling. METHOD: Thirty young individuals (10 in each hand-length group) evaluated three rollable display device prototypes in three gripping conditions (no restriction on using side bezels, minimal use of side bezels, and restriction on the gripping type). Prototypes differed in their right-side thickness (2, 6, and 10 mm). Side bezel regions grasped during screen unrolling and corresponding bimanual grip comfort ratings were obtained. RESULTS: To improve perceived grip comfort and accommodate user-preferred gripping methods, rollable display devices should be 6 mm (preferably 10 mm) thick (vs. 2 mm) and have at least 20-mm-wide side bezels. Relative to device thickness, gripping conditions were more influential on grip comfort ratings. The "no restriction" condition improved grip comfort ratings and strengthened bimanual coupling in terms of grip comfort ratings. CONCLUSION: Contrary to current smartphone trends toward thinner and bezel-less designs, hand-held rollable display devices should be sufficiently thick and have sufficiently wide side bezels for screen unrolling. APPLICATION: Hand-held rollable display devices should be 6- or preferably 10-mm thick (vs. 2 mm) and have at least 20-mm-wide side bezels to ensure higher perceived grip comfort during bilateral screen unrolling.

Novel aryl carbamate derivatives of metronidazole as potential antiamoebic agents.

A series of novel aryl carbamate derivatives of metronidazole (MNZ) were designed, synthesized, and screened for antiamoebic activity. As compared to MNZ, most of the derivatives exhibited moderate to excellent activity against the HM1:IMSS strain of Entamoeba histolytica. Compounds 7, 14, 16, 19, and 21 exhibited the most promising antiamoebic activity with IC50 values of 0.24, 0.08, 0.26, 0.26, and 0.15 µM, respectively, compared to that of MNZ (1.78 µM). Moreover, from the toxicological studies of these compounds on human melanocytes, the melan-a cell line revealed that the potent compounds are nontoxic at concentrations ranging from 2.5 to 50 µM.

Daurinol Enhances the Efficacy of Radiotherapy in Lung Cancer via Suppression of Aurora Kinase A/B Expression.

The aurora kinases constitute one family of serine/threonine kinases whose activity is essential for mitotic progression. The aurora kinases are frequently upregulated in human cancers and are associated with sensitivity to chemotherapy in certain ones. In the present study, we investigated whether aurora kinases could be a target to overcome radioresistance or enhance the radiosensitivity of lung cancer. For that purpose, we determined the therapeutic potential of daurinol, an investigational topoisomerase inhibitor, alone and in combination with radiation, by observing its effect on aurora kinases. Daurinol decreased cell viability and proliferation in human colon and lung cancer cells. Gene expression in daurinol-treated human colon cancer cells was evaluated using RNA microarray. The mRNA expression of 18 genes involved in the mitotic spindle check point, including aurora kinase A (AURKA) and aurora kinase B (AURKB), was decreased in daurinol-treated human colon cancer cells as compared with vehicle-treated cells. As expected, radiation increased expression levels of AURKA and AURKB. This increase was effectively attenuated by siRNAs against AURKA and AURKB, which suppressed cell growth and increased apoptosis under radiation. Furthermore, the expression of AURKA and AURKB was suppressed by daurinol in the presence or absence of radiation in colon and lung cancer cells. Daurinol alone or in combination with radiation decreased lung cancer growth in xenograft mouse models. Our data clearly confirm the antitumor and radiosensitizing activity of daurinol in human lung cancer cells through the inhibition of AURKA and AURKB.