An unrecognized inertial force induced by flow curvature in microfluidics.

Modern inertial microfluidics routinely employs oscillatory flows around localized solid features or microbubbles for controlled, specific manipulation of particles, droplets, and cells. It is shown that theories of inertial effects that have been state of the art for decades miss major contributions and strongly underestimate forces on small suspended objects in a range of practically relevant conditions. An analytical approach is presented that derives a complete set of inertial forces and quantifies them in closed form as easy-to-use equations of motion, spanning the entire range from viscous to inviscid flows. The theory predicts additional attractive contributions toward oscillating boundaries, even for density-matched particles, a previously unexplained experimental observation. The accuracy of the theory is demonstrated against full-scale, three-dimensional direct numerical simulations throughout its range.

Geometry for low-inertia aerosol capture: Lessons from fog-basking beetles.

Water in the form of windborne fog droplets supports life in many coastal arid regions, where natural selection has driven nontrivial physical adaptation toward its separation and collection. For two species of Namib desert beetle whose body geometry makes for a poor filter, subtle modifications in shape and texture have been previously associated with improved performance by facilitating water drainage from its collecting surface. However, little is known about the relevance of these modifications to the flow physics that underlies droplets' impaction in the first place. We find, through coupled experiments and simulations, that such alterations can produce large relative gains in water collection by encouraging droplets to "slip" toward targets at the millimetric scale, and by disrupting boundary and lubrication layer effects at the microscopic scale. Our results offer a lesson in biological fog collection and design principles for controlling particle separation beyond the specific case of fog-basking beetles.

Machine learning algorithms to predict colistin-induced nephrotoxicity from electronic health records in patients with multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infection.

OBJECTIVES: Colistin-induced nephrotoxicity prolongs hospitalisation and increases mortality. The study aimed to construct machine learning models to predict colistin-induced nephrotoxicity in patients with multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infection. METHODS: Patients receiving colistin from three hospitals in the Clinical Research Database were included. Data were divided into a derivation cohort (2011-2017) and a temporal validation cohort (2018-2020). Fifteen machine learning models were established by categorical boosting, light gradient boosting machine and random forest. Classifier performances were compared by the sensitivity, F1 score, Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC), area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve, and area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC). SHapley Additive exPlanations plots were drawn to understand feature importance and interactions. RESULTS: The study included 1392 patients, with 360 (36.4%) and 165 (40.9%) experiencing nephrotoxicity in the derivation and temporal validation cohorts, respectively. The categorical boosting with oversampling achieved the highest performance with a sensitivity of 0.860, an F1 score of 0.740, an MCC of 0.533, an AUROC curve of 0.823, and an AUPRC of 0.737. The feature importance demonstrated that the days of colistin use, cumulative dose, daily dose, latest C-reactive protein, and baseline haemoglobin were the most important risk factors, especially for vulnerable patients. A cutoff colistin dose of 4.0 mg/kg body weight/d was identified for patients at higher risk of nephrotoxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Machine learning techniques can be an early identification tool to predict colistin-induced nephrotoxicity. The observed interactions suggest a modification in dose adjustment guidelines. Future geographic and prospective validation studies are warranted to strengthen the real-world applicability.

Modeling and simulation of complex dynamic musculoskeletal architectures.

Natural creatures, from fish and cephalopods to snakes and birds, combine neural control, sensory feedback and compliant mechanics to effectively operate across dynamic, uncertain environments. In order to facilitate the understanding of the biophysical mechanisms at play and to streamline their potential use in engineering applications, we present here a versatile numerical approach to the simulation of musculoskeletal architectures. It relies on the assembly of heterogenous, active and passive Cosserat rods into dynamic structures that model bones, tendons, ligaments, fibers and muscle connectivity. We demonstrate its utility in a range of problems involving biological and soft robotic scenarios across scales and environments: from the engineering of millimeter-long bio-hybrid robots to the synthesis and reconstruction of complex musculoskeletal systems. The versatility of this methodology offers a framework to aid forward and inverse bioengineering designs as well as fundamental discovery in the functioning of living organisms.

Associations between maternal exposure to incense burning and blood pressure during pregnancy.

Incense burning is a popular practice in Asian and Arabic countries. Previous studies show that incense burning was associated with increased risks of adverse outcomes among non-pregnant population. However, very few studies explored its health effects among pregnant women, who are more susceptible to environmental stressor. We aimed to examine the association between incense burning at home and hypertensive disorders as well as blood pressure levels during pregnancy, using data from 10,563 pregnant women recruited in Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study, China between January 2013 and December 2015. Information on frequency and duration of exposure to incense burning were collected at early and late pregnancy using questionnaire. Data on outcome variables, including hypertensive disorders diagnosis and blood pressure levels at the final antenatal visit before delivery, were extracted from medical records. We used Poisson regression model and general linear model to examine the associations between incense exposure and the outcomes. We found incense use at early pregnancy was not significantly associated with outcomes. Pregnant women who frequently smelled the incense burning at late pregnancy was associated with higher risk of hypertensive disorders (relative risk, 1.84; 95% confidence interval, 1.14-2.98) and higher levels of blood pressure (1.6mmHg increase of systolic blood pressure; 95% confidence interval, 0.4-2.8mmHg) before delivery, compared to those did not burn incense. These associations tended to more evident among women without active and passive smoking. We did not observe significant dose-response relationship between exposure duration and the risk of hypertensive disorders. We firstly reported exposure to incense burning was associated with the risk of hypertensive disorders and blood pressure levels during pregnancy. Given hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are well-established risk factors for a variety of adverse outcomes and the incense burning is a modifiable factor, our finding may have important public health significance.

Birth weight changes in a major city under rapid socioeconomic transition in China.

Estimates of trends in birth weight may be useful in evaluating population health. We aimed to determine whether temporal changes in birth weight have occurred amongst 2.3 million neonates born in Guangzhou, China, during 2001-2015 and investigate the socioeconomic determinants of any changes. Trends in mean birth weight and annualized changes with the associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in the incidence of small for gestational age (SGA) and large for gestational age (LGA), defined as birth weight <10th or >90th centile respectively for gestational age and sex, were examined using linear and Poisson regression models. We found that mean birth weight declined by 1.07 grams/year from 2001 to 2015. After adjustment for gestational length, the decline in birth weight was attenuated (0.37 grams/year). The incidence of both SGA and LGA significantly decreased during the study period (annual decrease of 1.6% [95% CI, 1.5% to 1.7%] for SGA, 1.6% [95% CI, 1.5% to 1.8%] for LGA). We found a narrowing of disparities in SGA and LGA incidence across different maternal educational levels and residence location. Our results demonstrate that there has been an increase in the proportion of neonates born in the healthy birth weight range in Guangzhou.

Maternal Dietary Patterns and Fetal Growth: A Large Prospective Cohort Study in China.

There was limited evidence revealing the association of Chinese maternal dietary patterns with fetal growth. We aimed to examine the relationship of maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy to neonatal birth weight and birth weight for gestational age in a Chinese population. A total of 6954 mother-child pairs were included from the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study. Maternal diet during pregnancy was assessed using a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Cluster analysis was used to identify dietary patterns. The following six dietary patterns were identified: "Cereals, eggs, and Cantonese soups" (n 1026, 14.8%), "Dairy" (n 1020, 14.7%), "Fruits, nuts, and Cantonese desserts" (n 799, 11.5%), "Meats" (n 1066, 15.3%), "Vegetables" (n 1383, 19.9%), and "Varied" (n 1224, 17.6%). The mean neonatal birth weight Z scores of women in the above patterns were 0.02, 0.07, 0.20, 0.01, 0.06, and 0.14, respectively. Women in the "Fruits, nuts, and Cantonese desserts" and "Varied" groups had significantly heavier infants compared with those in the "Cereals, eggs, and Cantonese soups" group. Compared with women in the "Cereals, eggs, and Cantonese soups" group, those in the "Varied" group had marginally significantly lower odds of having a small-for-gestational age (SGA) infant after adjustment for other confounders (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.57, 1.04, p = 0.08). These findings suggest that compared to a traditional Cantonese diet high in cereals, eggs, and Cantonese soups, a diet high in fruits, nuts, and Cantonese desserts might be associated with a higher birth weight, while a varied diet might be associated with a greater birth weight and also a decreased risk of having a SGA baby.

The clinical value of tumor markers HE 4 ,CA125 ,CA199 ,CA153 and AFP in the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer / 国际检验医学杂志

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of serum human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) ,carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) ,carbohydrate antigen antigen (CA199) ,carbohydrate antigen 153 (CA153) and alpha fetoprotein (AFP) in the early di-agnosis of ovarian cancer .Methods From February 2014 to October 2016 ,117 patients with ovarian cancers who were treated in this hospital were selected ,including 69 cases of ovarian cancer and 48 cases of benign ovarian lesions ,and 70 healthy volunteers were selected as control group .The serum levels of HE4 ,CA125 ,CA199 ,CA153 and AFP were measured in all subjects . Results The positive rates of HE4 ,CA125 ,CA199 ,CA153 and AFP in the ovarian cancer group were 59 .42% ,68 .12% ,33 .33% , 46 .38% and 39 .13% ,respectively ,which were significantly higher than those in the benign ovarian lesion group and the control group (P<0 .05) .The sensitivity of CA125 in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer was 68 .11% ,the specificity was 88 .98% ,the nega-tive predictive value was 78 .33% ,the positive predictive value was 82 .68% ,Youden index was 0 .571 .The diagnostic efficiency was better than that of other tumor markers .Pathological examination revealed 34 cases of serous adenocarcinoma ,18 cases of mucinous adenocarcinoma and 17 cases of endometrioid carcinoma in 69 cases of ovarian cancer .The positive rate of serous adenocarcinoma CA125 was 85 .29% ,significantly higher than mucinous carcinoma and endometrioid carcinoma (χ2 =9 .398 ,P<0 .05) .Conclusion CA125 has a good application value in the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer ,the positive rate is higher in serous adenocarcinoma .

The clinical value of tumor markers HE 4 ,CA125 ,CA199 ,CA153 and AFP in the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer / 国际检验医学杂志

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of serum human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) ,carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) ,carbohydrate antigen antigen (CA199) ,carbohydrate antigen 153 (CA153) and alpha fetoprotein (AFP) in the early di-agnosis of ovarian cancer .Methods From February 2014 to October 2016 ,117 patients with ovarian cancers who were treated in this hospital were selected ,including 69 cases of ovarian cancer and 48 cases of benign ovarian lesions ,and 70 healthy volunteers were selected as control group .The serum levels of HE4 ,CA125 ,CA199 ,CA153 and AFP were measured in all subjects . Results The positive rates of HE4 ,CA125 ,CA199 ,CA153 and AFP in the ovarian cancer group were 59 .42% ,68 .12% ,33 .33% , 46 .38% and 39 .13% ,respectively ,which were significantly higher than those in the benign ovarian lesion group and the control group (P<0 .05) .The sensitivity of CA125 in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer was 68 .11% ,the specificity was 88 .98% ,the nega-tive predictive value was 78 .33% ,the positive predictive value was 82 .68% ,Youden index was 0 .571 .The diagnostic efficiency was better than that of other tumor markers .Pathological examination revealed 34 cases of serous adenocarcinoma ,18 cases of mucinous adenocarcinoma and 17 cases of endometrioid carcinoma in 69 cases of ovarian cancer .The positive rate of serous adenocarcinoma CA125 was 85 .29% ,significantly higher than mucinous carcinoma and endometrioid carcinoma (χ2 =9 .398 ,P<0 .05) .Conclusion CA125 has a good application value in the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer ,the positive rate is higher in serous adenocarcinoma .

A cell co-culture model for studying bystander effect and its application on bystander DNA double-strand breaks induced by alpha-particles irradiation / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective To establish an experimental model for the study of α-particle-induced bystander effect of DNA damage and investigate the characteristics of bystander DNA double-strand break (DSB).Methods The red fluorescence fusion protein of HsBrkl-RFP was used to mark the cytoplasm of one cell line to distinguish the irradiated target cells (HFS-RFP) and the non-irradiated bystander cells (HFS) in the co-culture cellular model.After α-particle irradiation,cellular DSB and its repair kinetics were analyzed by the immunofluorescence staining of γH2AX and laser confocal microscope observation.Results A bystander studying model was established by co-culturing human HFS-RFP cells with its partner HSF cells.After 0.1 Gy or 0.2 Gy α-particle irradiation,the similar kinetics of γH2AX foci production and abatement were observed in both irradiated HFS-RFP cells and non-irradiated bystander HFS cells,in which the highest level of γH2AX foci was detected at 1 h post-irradiation.The second peak of γH2AX foci formation appeared at 8 h post-irradiation,which possibly indicates the occurrence of secondary DSB.However,the production of secondary DSB in the bystander cells was weaker than that in the irradiated cells.Conclusions The cell co-culture model can be used for bystander effect investigation.Bystander DSB can be effectively induce by irradiation and the secondary breakage of DNA DSB in the bystander cells may relative to the consequential biochemical processing of clustered DNA damage.

Designing reverse-flow packed bed reactors for stable treatment of volatile organic compounds.

Reverse-flow packed bed reactors can be used to treat gaseous pollutants from chemical plants. This article describes the design and operation of a modified reverse-flow reactor (MRFR) which has a recuperator on each end of the reactor and a reaction zone in the middle. The recuperators have low thermal dispersion and the reaction zone has a high thermal dispersion, obtained by placing metal inserts into the bed, parallel with the gas flow. Performance of the MRFR during extended lean and rich conditions is determined with analytical analysis and compares well with numerical simulations of CO oxidation; however, the theory is expected to be useful for any reaction kinetics. A major advantage of this MRFR design is an extended time for the reactor to extinguish during lean conditions. This work also describes MRFR performance with internal reactor cooling, which can be used as a control mechanism to maintain reactor temperature for proper removal of volatile organic compounds.