Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate health education using videos and leaflets for preconception care (PCC) awareness among adolescent females up to six months after the health education. Methods: The...Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate health education using videos and leaflets for preconception care (PCC) awareness among adolescent females up to six months after the health education. Methods: The subjects were female university students living in the Kinki area. A longitudinal survey was conducted on 67 members in the intervention group, who received the health education, and 52 members in the control group, who did not receive the health education. The primary outcome measures were knowledge of PCC and the subscales of the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile. Surveys were conducted before, after, and six months after the intervention in the intervention group, and an initial survey and survey six months later were conducted in the control group. Cochran’s Q test, Bonferroni’s multiple comparison test, and McNemar’s test were used to analyze the knowledge of PCC data. The Health Awareness, Nutrition, and Stress Management subscales of the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile were analyzed by paired t-test, and comparisons between the intervention and control groups were performed using the two-way repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: In the intervention group of 67 people, the number of subjects who answered “correct” for five of the nine items concerning knowledge of PCC increased immediately after the health education (P = 0.006) but decreased for five items from immediately after the health education to six months later (P = 0.043). In addition, the number of respondents who answered “correct” for “low birth weight infants and future lifestyle-related diseases” (P = 0.016) increased after six months compared with before the health education. For the 52 subjects in the control group, there was no change in the number of subjects who answered “correct” for eight out of the nine items after six months. There was also no increase in scores for the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile after six months for either the intervention or control group. Conclusion: Providing health education about PCC using videos and leaflets to adolescent females was shown to enhance the knowledge of PCC immediately after the education.展开更多
The Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression system with conventional binary vectors is well established in tobacco leaves,while the same system applied to tomato leaflets has relatively low expression efficiency.H...The Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression system with conventional binary vectors is well established in tobacco leaves,while the same system applied to tomato leaflets has relatively low expression efficiency.However,impacts of the leaf age,inoculation method and incubation condition after Agrobacterium infiltration on transient protein expression efficiency are seldom investigated.In this study,we optimize Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression system using conventional binary vectors to achieve the high efficiency of target gene expression in tomato leaflets.We transiently express GFP and a nucleus-localized gene SlUVI4 fused with GFP in detached 10-,20-,and 30-day-old leaflets.The cutting points of leaflets are embedded in MS medium after the Agrobacterium-mediated vacuum infiltration,and all leaflets are kept in the dark before use.The 10-and 30-day-old leaflets have more damage than 20-day-old leaflets after the infiltration.展开更多
A chemically prepared carbon was synthesized from date palm leaflets via sulphuric acid carbonization at 160℃. Adsorption of ciprofloxacin （CIP） from aqueous solution was investigated in terms of time, pH, concentr...A chemically prepared carbon was synthesized from date palm leaflets via sulphuric acid carbonization at 160℃. Adsorption of ciprofloxacin （CIP） from aqueous solution was investigated in terms of time, pH, concentration, temperature and adsorbent status （wet and dry）. The equilibrium time was found to be 48 hr. The adsorption rate was enhanced by raising the temperature for both adsorbents, with adsorption data fitting a pseudo second-order model well. The activation energy, Ea, was found to be 17 kJ/mol, indicating a diffusion-controlled, physical adsorption process. The maximum adsorption was found at initial pH 6. The wet adsorbent showed faster removal with higher uptake than the dry adsorbent, with increased performance as temperature increased （25--45℃）. The equilibrium data were found to fit the Langmuir model better than the Freundlich model. The thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic. The adsorption mechanism is mainly related to cation exchange and hydrogen bonding.展开更多
The mechanisms of systolic anterior motion(SAM)of the mitral valve in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy(HOCM)remain unclear.To investigate the angle of attack between blood flow and mitral valve leaflets at pre-...The mechanisms of systolic anterior motion(SAM)of the mitral valve in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy(HOCM)remain unclear.To investigate the angle of attack between blood flow and mitral valve leaflets at pre-SAM time point,patient-specific CT-based computational models were constructed for 5 patients receiving septal myectomy surgery to obtain pre-and post-operative 2D vector flow mapping.The comparisons between pre-and post-operative angles of attack based on 2D vector flow mapping of 5 patients were performed.It was found that there was no statistically significant difference between pre-and post-operative angles of attack(61.1±t wa o vs.56.2±56.o,p=0.306,n=5).Therefore,we propose that the angle of attack might not play an important role in the initiation of SAM.展开更多
Health communication is critical component of effective health delivery. While there are studies on the readability Patient Information Leaflets (PILs) around the world, so far, there is only one Ghanaian study that e...Health communication is critical component of effective health delivery. While there are studies on the readability Patient Information Leaflets (PILs) around the world, so far, there is only one Ghanaian study that explored the language of patient information leaflets for malaria. The present study explores the language of PILs of seven common ailments in Ghana. In all, 68 leaflets were purposely sampled for the study. Using SMOG and Flesch Kincaid grade level readability formulae, the researcher measured the readability of PILs and discovered that the readability of all the PILs was difficult to read except the dewormer leaflets that scored standard reading score. Further statistical analysis reveal that the lexical and syntactic complexity of the leaflets were not statistically different. Finally, an interview with 20 patients confirmed that the leaflets are difficult to read due to the complex words and long sentence structures. It is recommended that the PILs be revised to make the leaflets readable.展开更多
Background Currently used heart valve prostheses are associated with anticoagulation complications or limited durability. The advancement of stem cell study and tissue-engineered heart valve research may offer a relat...Background Currently used heart valve prostheses are associated with anticoagulation complications or limited durability. The advancement of stem cell study and tissue-engineered heart valve research may offer a relatively ideal solution to these problems. Methods Bone marrow was aspirated from sternum of lamb goats to isolate BMCs. Cells were identified by flow cytometry and its capacity of differentiation. Cellular viability was assessed with Rhdomine 123 staining. 1 × 10^7cells were seeded on a patch of PGA sheet. After two-day in vitro culture, autologous cell/ scaffold sheets were used to replace the right posterior pulmonary valve leaflets under cardiopulmonary bypass. The leaflets were explanted at 2 days, 2, 6, 8 and 10 weeks after implantation. The samples were examined macroscopically, histologically, immunohistochemically, and by Scanning Electron Microscope （SEM）. Two goats were implanted with acellular sheets and established as a control group. Results BMCs exhibited fibroblastoid morphology with good viability. Flow cytometry showed negative CD14 and CD45 expression. In vitro cultured BMCs demonstrated the potential to differentiate into adipocytes. The explanted leaflets resembled the characteristics of native extracellular matrix was leaflets macroscopicaIly in the cellular group. Histology showed synthesized and cells were distributed in the single-layered leaflets.Immunohistochemistry revealed positive staining for yon Willebrand factor, α-SMA, vimentin. A confluent cell surface was formed on the explanted TEHLs. No calcium deposited on the leaflets. In control group, the acellular scaffolds were completely degraded, without leaflet remained at 8 weeks. Conclusions It is possible to create tissue-engineered heart valves in vivo using autologous bone marrow-derived cells.展开更多
Mitral regurgitation (MR) is a highly prevalent valvular heart disease globally,with untreated severe cases demonstrating associations with elevated morbidity,mortality,and adverse cardiovascular outcomes.[1,2]While t...Mitral regurgitation (MR) is a highly prevalent valvular heart disease globally,with untreated severe cases demonstrating associations with elevated morbidity,mortality,and adverse cardiovascular outcomes.[1,2]While transcatheter edge-toedge repair (TEER) has emerged as an alternative option for high surgical risk patients with severe MR,[3,4]severe MR of Carpentier class IIIa (characterized by restricted leaflet motion during both systole and diastole) has been considered a relative contraindication for TEER interventions due to stenosis risk and procedural complexity.[5,6]展开更多
Group B Streptococcus(GBS;Streptococcus agalactiae)is a gram-positive coccus that colonizes the gastrointestinal and genital tracts in adults,as well as the upper respiratory tract in infants.While it has been thought...Group B Streptococcus(GBS;Streptococcus agalactiae)is a gram-positive coccus that colonizes the gastrointestinal and genital tracts in adults,as well as the upper respiratory tract in infants.While it has been thought that GBS only results in invasive disease in pregnant females and neonates,recent literature has suggested an increasing incidence of invasive GBS among non-pregnant individuals within the United States.展开更多
Mitral valve(MV)tissue engineering is still in its early stage,and one major challenge in MV tissue engineering is to identify appropriate scaffold materials.With the potential of acellular MV scaffolds being demonstr...Mitral valve(MV)tissue engineering is still in its early stage,and one major challenge in MV tissue engineering is to identify appropriate scaffold materials.With the potential of acellular MV scaffolds being demonstrated recently,it is important to have a full understanding of the biomechanics of the native MV components and their acellular scaffolds.In this study,we have successfully characterized the structural and mechanical properties of porcine MV components,including anterior leaflet(AL),posterior leaflet(PL),strut chordae,and basal chordae,before and after decellularization.Quantitative DNA assay showed more than 90%reduction in DNA content,and Griffonia simplicifolia(GS)lectin immunohistochemistry confirmed the complete lack of porcine𝛼-Gal antigen in the acellular MV components.In the acellular AL and PL,the atrialis,spongiosa,and fibrosa trilayered structure,along with its ECM constitutes,i.e.,collagen fibers,elastin fibers,and portion of GAGs,were preserved.Never-theless,the ECM of both AL and PL experienced a certain degree of disruption,exhibiting a less dense,porous ECM morphology.The overall anatomical morphology of the strut and basal chordae were also maintained af-ter decellularization,with longitudinal morphology experiencing minimum disruption,but the cross-sectional morphology exhibiting evenly-distributed porous structure.In the acellular AL and PL,the nonlinear anisotropic biaxial mechanical behavior was overall preserved;however,uniaxial tensile tests showed that the removal of cellular content and the disruption of structural ECM did result in small decreases in maximum tensile modulus,tissue extensibility,failure stress,and failure strain for both MV leaflets and chordae.展开更多
Despite continuous efforts to improve the robustness of cardiac valve implants,neither bioprosthetic nor mechanical valves fulfill both hemodynamic and durability requirements.This study discussed novel flexible leafl...Despite continuous efforts to improve the robustness of cardiac valve implants,neither bioprosthetic nor mechanical valves fulfill both hemodynamic and durability requirements.This study discussed novel flexible leaflet designs,focusing on polymeric materials with proven hemocompatibility,such as polyether ether ketone,of much higher stiffness than native tissue,aiming at optimal valve implants.A biomimetic valve with a single-curvature belly-curve(B-C)was used as a reference for new design variants with a double-curvature B-C with varying radii.Soft(13.2 MPa)and stiff(2.4 GPa)leaflet materials and different thicknesses were studied using lean simulations and in vitro experiments under physiologic hemodynamic conditions.The performance was assessed using opening pressure(OP)and orifice area(OA).The latter was determined by a newly developed automatized image processing tool.Experimental trends are in agreement with simulations and demonstrated that a buckling-inspired double-curvature leaflet design significantly enhances the trileaflet valve opening behavior,which is particularly advantageous for stiffer leaflet materials.Compared to the reference,the best-performing variant showed an OP improvement of 47%and 44%based on simulations and experiments,respectively.In contrast,the achieved mean pressure differential was directly comparable to state-of-the-art bioprosthetic valves.The OA was slightly reduced for new variants but still in the satisfying range.展开更多
Objectives:Inpatient falls are a major patient safety issue in acute care hospitals.Multifactorial inhospital fall prevention programs have shown reductions in falls and related risks.One common element of successful ...Objectives:Inpatient falls are a major patient safety issue in acute care hospitals.Multifactorial inhospital fall prevention programs have shown reductions in falls and related risks.One common element of successful programs is active patient involvement.This study objective was to explore patients’and nurses’experiences with a structured intervention to foster patient involvement.Methods:This study was conducted between September 2020 and April 2021 in a university hospital neurological ward.The studied intervention consisted of a falls information leaflet,and a structured nurse-patient conversation about fall risk-reduction activities.Nurses were trained to deliver the intervention and supported throughout the study.Nurses’and patients’experiences regarding personal involvement,satisfaction,and confidence were surveyed and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.Results:Fifty-six patients recruited by ward nurses received the intervention.After receiving the intervention,patients reported high levels of satisfaction with the in-hospital fall prevention conversation.Twenty-one nurses indicated that they would use the leaflet and communication aid.Twenty-one nurses commented on intervention facilitators and barriers.More specific facilitators included their shared perception that“handing out the leaflet to patients was not problematic”and that the leaflet was seen as“applicable in many patient situations.”Their comments indicated two particularly prominent barriers to conducting the intervention in clinical practice:1)“finding the time for the implementation in the daily clinical routine and workload”and 2)“environmental factors like a noisy and busy atmosphere on the ward.”Conclusions:This study provides insights into a patient involvement intervention featuring a structured nurse-patient discussion about fall risks.The accompanying information leaflet and communication guide require adaptations to facilitate sustainable implementation into the hospital’s fall prevention program,but proved useful.展开更多
This document describes the creation of an informative Web GIS aimed at mitigating the impacts of flooding in the municipality of Ouagadougou, in Burkina Faso, a region that is highly sensitive to climate change. Burk...This document describes the creation of an informative Web GIS aimed at mitigating the impacts of flooding in the municipality of Ouagadougou, in Burkina Faso, a region that is highly sensitive to climate change. Burkina Faso, which is undergoing rapid urbanization, faces major natural threats, particularly flooding, as demonstrated by the severe floods of 2009 that caused loss of life, injury, structural damage and economic losses in Ouagadougou. The aim of this research is to develop a web map highlighting the municipality’s flood-prone areas, with a view to informing and raising awareness of flood risk reduction. Using the Leaflet JavaScript mapping library, the study uses HTML, CSS and JavaScript to implement web mapping technology. Data on Ouagadougou’s flood zones is generated by a multi-criteria analysis combining Saaty’s AHP method and GIS in QGIS, integrating seven (7) parameters including hydrography, altitude, slope, rainfall, soil types, land use and soil moisture index. QGIS processes and maps the themes, PostgreSQL with PostGIS serves as the DBMS and GeoServer functions as the map server. The Web GIS platform allows users to visualize the different flood risks, from very low to very high, or the high-risk areas specific to Ouagadougou. The AHP calculations classify the municipality into five flood vulnerability zones: very low (24.48%), low (27.93%), medium (23.01%), high (17.11%) and very high (7.47%). Effective risk management requires communication and awareness-raising. This online mapping application serves as a tool for communication, management and flood prevention in Ouagadougou, helping to mitigate flood-related natural disasters.展开更多
文摘Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate health education using videos and leaflets for preconception care (PCC) awareness among adolescent females up to six months after the health education. Methods: The subjects were female university students living in the Kinki area. A longitudinal survey was conducted on 67 members in the intervention group, who received the health education, and 52 members in the control group, who did not receive the health education. The primary outcome measures were knowledge of PCC and the subscales of the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile. Surveys were conducted before, after, and six months after the intervention in the intervention group, and an initial survey and survey six months later were conducted in the control group. Cochran’s Q test, Bonferroni’s multiple comparison test, and McNemar’s test were used to analyze the knowledge of PCC data. The Health Awareness, Nutrition, and Stress Management subscales of the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile were analyzed by paired t-test, and comparisons between the intervention and control groups were performed using the two-way repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: In the intervention group of 67 people, the number of subjects who answered “correct” for five of the nine items concerning knowledge of PCC increased immediately after the health education (P = 0.006) but decreased for five items from immediately after the health education to six months later (P = 0.043). In addition, the number of respondents who answered “correct” for “low birth weight infants and future lifestyle-related diseases” (P = 0.016) increased after six months compared with before the health education. For the 52 subjects in the control group, there was no change in the number of subjects who answered “correct” for eight out of the nine items after six months. There was also no increase in scores for the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile after six months for either the intervention or control group. Conclusion: Providing health education about PCC using videos and leaflets to adolescent females was shown to enhance the knowledge of PCC immediately after the education.
基金support of Taishan Scholar Foundation of Shandong Province(tsqn201909073,tsqn201812034)National Natural Science Foundation of China(31872951)。
文摘The Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression system with conventional binary vectors is well established in tobacco leaves,while the same system applied to tomato leaflets has relatively low expression efficiency.However,impacts of the leaf age,inoculation method and incubation condition after Agrobacterium infiltration on transient protein expression efficiency are seldom investigated.In this study,we optimize Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression system using conventional binary vectors to achieve the high efficiency of target gene expression in tomato leaflets.We transiently express GFP and a nucleus-localized gene SlUVI4 fused with GFP in detached 10-,20-,and 30-day-old leaflets.The cutting points of leaflets are embedded in MS medium after the Agrobacterium-mediated vacuum infiltration,and all leaflets are kept in the dark before use.The 10-and 30-day-old leaflets have more damage than 20-day-old leaflets after the infiltration.
文摘A chemically prepared carbon was synthesized from date palm leaflets via sulphuric acid carbonization at 160℃. Adsorption of ciprofloxacin （CIP） from aqueous solution was investigated in terms of time, pH, concentration, temperature and adsorbent status （wet and dry）. The equilibrium time was found to be 48 hr. The adsorption rate was enhanced by raising the temperature for both adsorbents, with adsorption data fitting a pseudo second-order model well. The activation energy, Ea, was found to be 17 kJ/mol, indicating a diffusion-controlled, physical adsorption process. The maximum adsorption was found at initial pH 6. The wet adsorbent showed faster removal with higher uptake than the dry adsorbent, with increased performance as temperature increased （25--45℃）. The equilibrium data were found to fit the Langmuir model better than the Freundlich model. The thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic. The adsorption mechanism is mainly related to cation exchange and hydrogen bonding.
基金The authors would like to acknowledge the research support from Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China(Grant No.2017J01009)Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(Grant No.20720180004)National Heart,Lung and Blood Institute grants R01 HL089269,and National Sciences Foundation of China(Grant No.11672001,81571691).
文摘The mechanisms of systolic anterior motion(SAM)of the mitral valve in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy(HOCM)remain unclear.To investigate the angle of attack between blood flow and mitral valve leaflets at pre-SAM time point,patient-specific CT-based computational models were constructed for 5 patients receiving septal myectomy surgery to obtain pre-and post-operative 2D vector flow mapping.The comparisons between pre-and post-operative angles of attack based on 2D vector flow mapping of 5 patients were performed.It was found that there was no statistically significant difference between pre-and post-operative angles of attack(61.1±t wa o vs.56.2±56.o,p=0.306,n=5).Therefore,we propose that the angle of attack might not play an important role in the initiation of SAM.
文摘Health communication is critical component of effective health delivery. While there are studies on the readability Patient Information Leaflets (PILs) around the world, so far, there is only one Ghanaian study that explored the language of patient information leaflets for malaria. The present study explores the language of PILs of seven common ailments in Ghana. In all, 68 leaflets were purposely sampled for the study. Using SMOG and Flesch Kincaid grade level readability formulae, the researcher measured the readability of PILs and discovered that the readability of all the PILs was difficult to read except the dewormer leaflets that scored standard reading score. Further statistical analysis reveal that the lexical and syntactic complexity of the leaflets were not statistically different. Finally, an interview with 20 patients confirmed that the leaflets are difficult to read due to the complex words and long sentence structures. It is recommended that the PILs be revised to make the leaflets readable.
基金supported by the grant from Guangdong Nature Science Foundation(7001117)
文摘Background Currently used heart valve prostheses are associated with anticoagulation complications or limited durability. The advancement of stem cell study and tissue-engineered heart valve research may offer a relatively ideal solution to these problems. Methods Bone marrow was aspirated from sternum of lamb goats to isolate BMCs. Cells were identified by flow cytometry and its capacity of differentiation. Cellular viability was assessed with Rhdomine 123 staining. 1 × 10^7cells were seeded on a patch of PGA sheet. After two-day in vitro culture, autologous cell/ scaffold sheets were used to replace the right posterior pulmonary valve leaflets under cardiopulmonary bypass. The leaflets were explanted at 2 days, 2, 6, 8 and 10 weeks after implantation. The samples were examined macroscopically, histologically, immunohistochemically, and by Scanning Electron Microscope （SEM）. Two goats were implanted with acellular sheets and established as a control group. Results BMCs exhibited fibroblastoid morphology with good viability. Flow cytometry showed negative CD14 and CD45 expression. In vitro cultured BMCs demonstrated the potential to differentiate into adipocytes. The explanted leaflets resembled the characteristics of native extracellular matrix was leaflets macroscopicaIly in the cellular group. Histology showed synthesized and cells were distributed in the single-layered leaflets.Immunohistochemistry revealed positive staining for yon Willebrand factor, α-SMA, vimentin. A confluent cell surface was formed on the explanted TEHLs. No calcium deposited on the leaflets. In control group, the acellular scaffolds were completely degraded, without leaflet remained at 8 weeks. Conclusions It is possible to create tissue-engineered heart valves in vivo using autologous bone marrow-derived cells.
基金supported by the 1·3·5 Project for Disciplines of Excellence from West China Hospital of Sichuan University(ZYGD23021&23HXFH009)Sichuan Science and Technology Program(No.2025ZNSFSC1698)the Sichuan Provincial Cadre Health Research Program(ZH2024-103).
文摘Mitral regurgitation (MR) is a highly prevalent valvular heart disease globally,with untreated severe cases demonstrating associations with elevated morbidity,mortality,and adverse cardiovascular outcomes.[1,2]While transcatheter edge-toedge repair (TEER) has emerged as an alternative option for high surgical risk patients with severe MR,[3,4]severe MR of Carpentier class IIIa (characterized by restricted leaflet motion during both systole and diastole) has been considered a relative contraindication for TEER interventions due to stenosis risk and procedural complexity.[5,6]
文摘Group B Streptococcus(GBS;Streptococcus agalactiae)is a gram-positive coccus that colonizes the gastrointestinal and genital tracts in adults,as well as the upper respiratory tract in infants.While it has been thought that GBS only results in invasive disease in pregnant females and neonates,recent literature has suggested an increasing incidence of invasive GBS among non-pregnant individuals within the United States.
基金supported in part by NIH R15HL159599,R15HL140503,and AHA GRNT17150041,GRNT959644.
文摘Mitral valve(MV)tissue engineering is still in its early stage,and one major challenge in MV tissue engineering is to identify appropriate scaffold materials.With the potential of acellular MV scaffolds being demonstrated recently,it is important to have a full understanding of the biomechanics of the native MV components and their acellular scaffolds.In this study,we have successfully characterized the structural and mechanical properties of porcine MV components,including anterior leaflet(AL),posterior leaflet(PL),strut chordae,and basal chordae,before and after decellularization.Quantitative DNA assay showed more than 90%reduction in DNA content,and Griffonia simplicifolia(GS)lectin immunohistochemistry confirmed the complete lack of porcine𝛼-Gal antigen in the acellular MV components.In the acellular AL and PL,the atrialis,spongiosa,and fibrosa trilayered structure,along with its ECM constitutes,i.e.,collagen fibers,elastin fibers,and portion of GAGs,were preserved.Never-theless,the ECM of both AL and PL experienced a certain degree of disruption,exhibiting a less dense,porous ECM morphology.The overall anatomical morphology of the strut and basal chordae were also maintained af-ter decellularization,with longitudinal morphology experiencing minimum disruption,but the cross-sectional morphology exhibiting evenly-distributed porous structure.In the acellular AL and PL,the nonlinear anisotropic biaxial mechanical behavior was overall preserved;however,uniaxial tensile tests showed that the removal of cellular content and the disruption of structural ECM did result in small decreases in maximum tensile modulus,tissue extensibility,failure stress,and failure strain for both MV leaflets and chordae.
基金provided by Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of TechnologyUniversitat Zürichthe Laboratory of Composite Materials and Adaptive structures。
文摘Despite continuous efforts to improve the robustness of cardiac valve implants,neither bioprosthetic nor mechanical valves fulfill both hemodynamic and durability requirements.This study discussed novel flexible leaflet designs,focusing on polymeric materials with proven hemocompatibility,such as polyether ether ketone,of much higher stiffness than native tissue,aiming at optimal valve implants.A biomimetic valve with a single-curvature belly-curve(B-C)was used as a reference for new design variants with a double-curvature B-C with varying radii.Soft(13.2 MPa)and stiff(2.4 GPa)leaflet materials and different thicknesses were studied using lean simulations and in vitro experiments under physiologic hemodynamic conditions.The performance was assessed using opening pressure(OP)and orifice area(OA).The latter was determined by a newly developed automatized image processing tool.Experimental trends are in agreement with simulations and demonstrated that a buckling-inspired double-curvature leaflet design significantly enhances the trileaflet valve opening behavior,which is particularly advantageous for stiffer leaflet materials.Compared to the reference,the best-performing variant showed an OP improvement of 47%and 44%based on simulations and experiments,respectively.In contrast,the achieved mean pressure differential was directly comparable to state-of-the-art bioprosthetic valves.The OA was slightly reduced for new variants but still in the satisfying range.
文摘Objectives:Inpatient falls are a major patient safety issue in acute care hospitals.Multifactorial inhospital fall prevention programs have shown reductions in falls and related risks.One common element of successful programs is active patient involvement.This study objective was to explore patients’and nurses’experiences with a structured intervention to foster patient involvement.Methods:This study was conducted between September 2020 and April 2021 in a university hospital neurological ward.The studied intervention consisted of a falls information leaflet,and a structured nurse-patient conversation about fall risk-reduction activities.Nurses were trained to deliver the intervention and supported throughout the study.Nurses’and patients’experiences regarding personal involvement,satisfaction,and confidence were surveyed and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.Results:Fifty-six patients recruited by ward nurses received the intervention.After receiving the intervention,patients reported high levels of satisfaction with the in-hospital fall prevention conversation.Twenty-one nurses indicated that they would use the leaflet and communication aid.Twenty-one nurses commented on intervention facilitators and barriers.More specific facilitators included their shared perception that“handing out the leaflet to patients was not problematic”and that the leaflet was seen as“applicable in many patient situations.”Their comments indicated two particularly prominent barriers to conducting the intervention in clinical practice:1)“finding the time for the implementation in the daily clinical routine and workload”and 2)“environmental factors like a noisy and busy atmosphere on the ward.”Conclusions:This study provides insights into a patient involvement intervention featuring a structured nurse-patient discussion about fall risks.The accompanying information leaflet and communication guide require adaptations to facilitate sustainable implementation into the hospital’s fall prevention program,but proved useful.
文摘This document describes the creation of an informative Web GIS aimed at mitigating the impacts of flooding in the municipality of Ouagadougou, in Burkina Faso, a region that is highly sensitive to climate change. Burkina Faso, which is undergoing rapid urbanization, faces major natural threats, particularly flooding, as demonstrated by the severe floods of 2009 that caused loss of life, injury, structural damage and economic losses in Ouagadougou. The aim of this research is to develop a web map highlighting the municipality’s flood-prone areas, with a view to informing and raising awareness of flood risk reduction. Using the Leaflet JavaScript mapping library, the study uses HTML, CSS and JavaScript to implement web mapping technology. Data on Ouagadougou’s flood zones is generated by a multi-criteria analysis combining Saaty’s AHP method and GIS in QGIS, integrating seven (7) parameters including hydrography, altitude, slope, rainfall, soil types, land use and soil moisture index. QGIS processes and maps the themes, PostgreSQL with PostGIS serves as the DBMS and GeoServer functions as the map server. The Web GIS platform allows users to visualize the different flood risks, from very low to very high, or the high-risk areas specific to Ouagadougou. The AHP calculations classify the municipality into five flood vulnerability zones: very low (24.48%), low (27.93%), medium (23.01%), high (17.11%) and very high (7.47%). Effective risk management requires communication and awareness-raising. This online mapping application serves as a tool for communication, management and flood prevention in Ouagadougou, helping to mitigate flood-related natural disasters.
