Combined corticosteroid therapy enhances outcomes of endoscopic sinus surgery in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps: a prospective cohort study.

Objectives: To compare the efficacy and safety of nasal endoscopic surgery combined with pharmacological therapy versus surgery alone for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP).

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 94 CRSwNP patients were randomized into two groups: a drug combination group (surgery + budesonide suspension, n=47) and a surgery-alone group (n=47). Outcomes were assessed at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months postoperatively, including Lund-Kennedy scores, SNOT-22 (with subdomain analysis), inflammatory biomarkers (blood/tissue eosinophils, IL-4, IL-5, IgE), nasal ventilation parameters (NMCA, DCAN), mucociliary clearance rate, and olfactory function scores.

An active insole to reduce plantar pressure loading: using predictive finite element driven soft hydraulic actuators to minimise plantar pressure and the pressure time integral for diabetic foot ulceration risk management.

Objective: This paper aims to design, manufacture and evaluate an active insole to reduce plantar tissue loading to minimise the risk of diabetic foot ulceration for people living with diabetes.

Methods: A prototype hydraulic soft robotic actuating insole was produced. It was controlled by an approximate finite element model of the participants' foot with a cost function to minimise plantar pressure loading and the pressure time integral.

In-shoe plantar temperature, normal and shear stress relationships during gait and rest periods for people living with and without diabetes.

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a common complication of diabetes. This study aims to investigate the relationships between in-shoe plantar temperature, normal and shear stress during walking and rest periods for participants with and without diabetes. For this purpose, a novel temperature, normal and shear stress sensing system was developed and embedded in an insole at the hallux, first metatarsal head and calcaneus region.

In-shoe plantar shear stress sensor design, calibration and evaluation for the diabetic foot.

Plantar shear stress may have an important role in the formation of a Diabetic Foot Ulcer, but its measurement is regarded as challenging and has limited research. This paper highlights the importance of anatomical specific shear sensor calibration and presents a feasibility study of a novel shear sensing system which has measured in-shoe shear stress from gait activity on both healthy and diabetic subjects. The sensing insole was based on a strain gauge array embedded in a silicone insole backed with a commercial normal pressure sensor.

Susceptibility and exposure risk to airborne aerosols in intra-urban microclimate: Evidence from subway system of mega-cities.

The health of intra-urban population in modern megacities relies largely on the biosafety within the microclimate of subway system, which can be vulnerable to epidemical challenges brought by virus-laden bioaerosols under varying factors. The literature has yet to address the association between the exposure risks to infectious pathogens and the dynamic changes of boundary conditions in this densely populated microclimate. This study aims at characterizing the bioaerosol dispersion, evaluating the exposure risks under various train arrival scenarios and hazard releasing positions in a real-world double-decker subway station.

Investigating the spatial distribution of volatile organic compounds in aircraft cabins from various emission sources.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) significantly affect the air quality in aircraft cabins, consequently affecting passenger health and comfort. Although VOC emission sources and their contributions have been studied extensively, the distribution characteristics of VOCs originating from diverse sources within cabins have received limited attention, and the correlation between VOC sources and concentrations in passenger breathing zones remains largely unexplored. To fill this knowledge gap, the concentration field of VOCs was investigated using a computational fluid dynamics model, and the results were experimentally validated in a typical single-aisle aircraft cabin with seven seat rows.

Peripheral Multiple Cytokine Profiles Identified CD39 as a Novel Biomarker for Diagnosis and Reflecting Disease Severity in Allergic Rhinitis Patients.

Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common clinical problem, and immune cells and cytokines were proven to be pivotal in its pathogenesis. Our aim is to measure the peripheral concentrations of multiple cytokines in AR patients and identify novel biomarkers for diagnosis and disease severity.

Methods: Peripheral blood samples were collected from 50 AR patients, including 25 mild AR (MAR) patients and 25 moderate-severe AR patients (MSAR), and 22 healthy controls (HCs), and multiple cytokine profiling was outlined by Luminex assay.

Development of CdSe⁻ZnO Flower-Rod Core-Shell Structure Based Photoelectrochemical Biosensor for Detection of Norovirous RNA.

In this work, the CdSe⁻ZnO flower-rod core-shell structure (CSZFRs) was prepared by ion-exchange method. The surface of CSZFRs was modified by 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), and then the DNA probe was immobilized on the surface via chemical bond between -NH₂ of DNA probe and -COOH of MPA. Finally, the target norovirous (NV) RNA was combined with the probe according to the principle of complementary base pairing, resulting in a decrease of the photocurrent.