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J Colloid Interface Sci 2021 Mar 26;596:420-430. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Hypothesis: Improved oil recovery by low-salinity injection correlates to the optimal brine concentration to achieve maximum dewetting of oil droplets on rock surfaces. While interfacial tension and electrical double layer forces are often cited as being determinant properties, we hypothesize that other structural/interfacial forces are more prominent in governing the system behavior.

Experiments: The sessile droplet technique was used to study the receding dynamics of oil droplets from flat hydrophilic substrates in brines of different salt type (NaCl and CaCl) and concentration, and were studied at both low and elevated temperatures (60 and 140 °C) and pressures (1, 10, 100 and 200 bar). Read More

BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2021 Apr 12;22(1):345. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Orthopedics, General Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army, 100853, Beijing, China.

Background: In the late stage of spinal tuberculosis, the bony destruction and vertebral collapse often leads to significant kyphosis, presenting clinically as a painful gibbus deformity, with increased instability, vertebral body translations and increased risk of neurologic involvement. Spinal osteotomy is thought to be suitable for most patients with severe rigid kyphosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of transpedicular bi-vertebrae osteotomy technique in the patients with Pott's kyphosis and other post-tubercular spinal deformity. Read More

J Xray Sci Technol 2021 Apr 2. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

School of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.

Objective: In order to solve the blurred structural details and over-smoothing effects in sparse representation dictionary learning reconstruction algorithm, this study aims to test sparse angle CT reconstruction with weighted dictionary learning algorithm based on adaptive Group-Sparsity Regularization (AGSR-SART).

Methods: First, a new similarity measure is defined in which Covariance is introduced into Euclidean distance, Non-local image patches are adaptively divided into groups of different sizes as the basic unit of sparse representation. Second, the weight factor of the regular constraint terms is designed through the residuals represented by the dictionary, so that the algorithm takes different smoothing effects on different regions of the image during the iterative process. Read More

Hua Xi Kou Qiang Yi Xue Za Zhi 2021 Apr;39(2):233-237

State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & Dept. of Prosthodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.

When design an implant restoration for edentulous patients, many doctors ignore the sufficiency of the interarch distance (vertical distance) or horizontal distance of the patient to accommodate the superstructure and restoration before designing the implant plan. However, the connotation of measuring the interarch distance or horizontal distance has not been clarified in clinical practice. It is often based on visual estimation after operation, and the decision-making path of implant restoration is inverted, resulting in many mistakes regarding the restoration after implantation. Read More

Heart Vessels 2021 Apr 8. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Department of Cardiology, Osaka Saiseikai Nakatsu Hospital, 2-10-39 Shibata, Kita-ku, Osaka, Osaka, 530-0012, Japan.

This retrospective, single-center study evaluated the patency rate and predictors of restenosis after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) for femoropopliteal stenotic lesions using intravascular ultrasound. We assessed 78 de novo femoropopliteal stenotic lesions (64 patients; mean age, 73.6 ± 9. Read More

Optom Vis Sci 2021 Apr 5. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

Eye Associates of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico Michael E. DeBakey Houston VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas Crownpoint Indian Health Services, Crownpoint, New Mexico

Significance: Although corneal biomechanical parameters are well linked with glaucoma, their clinical utility has not yet been fully elucidated. This study was designed to provide unique evidence about the dynamic nature of corneal biomechanical parameters and their potential prognostic ability for glaucoma.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of acute intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation on corneal hysteresis (CH) and corneal resistance factor (CRF) and the associations of these biomechanical parameters with glaucomatous disease. Read More

Br J Ophthalmol 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Population, Policy and Practice Research and Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK

Background: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are increasingly used in paediatric ophthalmology. However, little is known about the distribution of PROM scores among children and young people with visual impairment.

Aim: To investigate the distributions and predictors of scores on the VQoL_CYP () and FVQ_CYP (). Read More

Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2021 Apr;62(4):10

Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Purpose: To investigate the change of border tissue configuration during axial elongation in childhood.

Methods: Fifty-four subjects (108 eyes; age range, 29.3-132. Read More

Curr Eye Res 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Clinical & Experimental Optometry Research Lab (CEORLab), Center of Physics, University of Minho. Braga Portugal.

: To investigate changes in the multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) response in eyes with keratoconus when corrected with scleral lenses (SL) compared with the best correction in glasses.: The mfERG response s in 10 eyes with keratoconus were recorded with the best correction using both a trial frame (baseline) and a hexafocon A SL using an electrophysiological diagnostic system. Electrophysiologic measurements were performed with the pupils fully dilated with instillation of 1% phenylephrine. Read More

ACS Omega 2021 Mar 16;6(12):8131-8141. Epub 2021 Mar 16.

Department of Research and Development, C&A Corporation, Sendai 980-0845, Japan.

This study presents the criteria for shape control in the micro-pulling-down (μ-PD) method for low-wettability systems (dewetting μ-PD method), which enables us to achieve highly shape-controllable crystal growth. In the dewetting μ-PD method, the presence of the die wall inhibits the direct observation of the meniscus during the process. Therefore, in this study, the meniscus shape was calculated using the Young-Laplace equation to predict the optimal crystal growth conditions. Read More

Front Oncol 2021 19;11:620978. Epub 2021 Mar 19.

Department of Radiotherapy, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Purpose: Enhance rectum and bladder sparing in prostate SBRT with minimum increase in treatment time by complementing dual-arc coplanar VMAT with a two-beam non-coplanar IMRT class solution (CS).

Methods: For twenty patients, an optimizer for automated multi-criterial planning with integrated beam angle optimization (BAO) was used to generate dual-arc VMAT plans, supplemented with five non-coplanar IMRT beams with individually optimized orientations (VMAT+5). In all plan generations, reduction of high rectum dose had the highest priority after obtaining adequate PTV coverage. Read More

BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2021 Apr 2;22(1):327. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Department of Orthopedics, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, No. 382 Wuyi Road, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030001, People's Republic of China.

Background: Two ipsilateral hemivertebrae is less common and presents severe growth imbalance caused by the vertebral anomalies. However, there is a paucity of reports regarding to two ipsilateral thoracolumbar hemivertebrae. The purpose of present study is to evaluate the long-term outcomes of the posterior surgical correction of thoraco-lumbar spine deformity caused by two ipsilateral hemivertebrae. Read More

Life (Basel) 2021 Mar 22;11(3). Epub 2021 Mar 22.

Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.

Concentric retinitis pigmentosa (RP), in which retinal degeneration is limited in the periphery, is rare and little information exists to date on the subject. Herein, we describe the clinical and genetic characteristics of this atypical form of RP. We retrospectively reviewed our database and identified 14 patients with concentric RP. Read More

Sensors (Basel) 2021 Mar 5;21(5). Epub 2021 Mar 5.

Aeronautics Engineering College, Air Force Engineering University, Xi'an 710038, China.

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) path planning problem is a type of complex multi-constraint optimization problem that requires a reasonable mathematical model and an efficient path planning algorithm. In this paper, the fitness function including fuel consumption cost, altitude cost, and threat cost is established. There are also four set constraints including maximum flight distance, minimum flight altitude, maximum turn angle, and maximum climb angle. Read More

Vision (Basel) 2021 Mar 25;5(2). Epub 2021 Mar 25.

Department of Ophthalmology, Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal de Créteil and University Paris Est, 94000 Créteil, France.

The aim of this study was to report unusual progression of type 2 macular neovascularization (MNV) associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), high myopia or angioid streaks. Retrospective multicentric observational case series data were used. Eyes that progressed from type 2 MNV secondary to AMD, high myopia or angioid streaks to fibrovascular pigment epithelial detachment (PED) were included. Read More

J Funct Morphol Kinesiol 2021 Mar 15;6(1). Epub 2021 Mar 15.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, The Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health Care System (PAVAHCS), Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.

: This study compares knee kinematics in two groups of patients who have undergone primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) using two different modern designs: medially congruent (MC) and posterior-stabilized (PS). The aim of the study is to demonstrate only minimal differences between the groups. : Ten TKA patients (4 PS, 6 MC) with successful clinical outcomes were evaluated through 3D knee kinematics analysis performed using a multicamera optoelectronic system and a force platform. Read More

J Clin Med 2021 Mar 18;10(6). Epub 2021 Mar 18.

Department of Ophthalmology, University Vita-Salute, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy.

Purpose: To investigate whether the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic-associated postponement in care had effects on the baseline clinical presentation of patients with newly diagnosed treatment-naïve exudative neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods: We included the first 50 consecutive patients referred within the COVID-19 pandemic with a diagnosis of treatment-naïve exudative neovascular AMD. Two groups of fifty consecutive patients with newly diagnosed neovascular exudative AMD presenting in 2018 and 2019 (control periods) were also included for comparisons. Read More

Membranes (Basel) 2021 Mar 10;11(3). Epub 2021 Mar 10.

Faculty of Chemistry, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 101, 02-089 Warsaw, Poland.

The increasing resistance of bacteria to available antibiotics has stimulated the search for new antimicrobial compounds with less specific mechanisms of action. These include the ability to disrupt the structure of the cell membrane, which in turn leads to its damage. In this context, amphiphilic lipopeptides belong to the class of the compounds which may fulfill this requirement. Read More

Molecules 2021 Mar 14;26(6). Epub 2021 Mar 14.

CanmetENERGY Research Centre, Natural Resources Canada, 1 Haanel Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 1M1, Canada.

A latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) unit can store a notable amount of heat in a compact volume. However, the charging time could be tediously long due to weak heat transfer. Thus, an improvement of heat transfer and a reduction in charging time is an essential task. Read More

Phytochemistry 2021 Mar 31;186:112746. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China. Electronic address:

Seven undescribed compounds, namely (+)-psiflavanone A, (-)-psiflavanone A, (+)-psiflavanone B, (-)-psiflavanone B, (+)-psiketide, (-)-psiketide, and psidinone, were isolated and chirally separated from the 95%-ethanol extract of Psidium guajava leaves. (+)/(-)-Psiflavanone A and (+)/(-)-psiflavanone B are two pairs of rare enantiomeric C-benzoylated flavanones isolated from the title plant for the first time. (+)/(-)-Psiketide are a pair of enantiomeric aromatic polyketides, and psidinone is the first example of a C phenanthrenediquinone with an angle-type 6/6/6 tricyclic skeleton. Read More

Appl Ergon 2021 Mar 30;94:103421. Epub 2021 Mar 30.

Centro de Estudio del Trabajo y Factores Humanos, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile. Electronic address:

This study evaluated the potential mismatch between vacuum-sealed jar opening demands and wrist torque strength of 758 (384 males and 374 females) participants aged 5-74 years in Iran. Wrist ulnar/radial (U/R) torque strength of participants and required torque for opening the existing jars (with 2 different sizes - 65 mm and 85 mm diameter lids) were measured using a digital angle torque adaptor and then compared together to identify any potential mismatch between them. The mismatch percentages were defined as the number of participants whose maximal wrist U/R torque strength were lower than the minimum required torque strength for opening the vacuum-sealed jars. Read More