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Impact of spontaneous ventilation with intubation on perioperative results in uniportal VATS lobectomy compared to general anaesthesia using a double-lumen tube

Publication Name: Journal of Thoracic Disease

Publication Date: 2025-02-28

Volume: 17

Issue: 2

Page Range: 774-783

Description:

Background: Minimally invasive thoracic surgery is the most frequently used approach for lung resection to minimize surgical stress on the patient. To further reduce invasiveness, the non-intubated spontaneous ventilation method is applied on the anesthesia side. However, due to the unsafe airway associated with this procedure, this method is not widely adopted. This study analyzes the surgical results of our method, which involves spontaneous ventilation with double lumen tube intubation and uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lung lobectomies. Methods: Between 2015 and 2023, 302 patients underwent uniportal VATS lobectomy in two different periods, depending on the type of anesthesia. Between 2015 and 2019, traditional relaxation, double lumen tube intubation, and general anesthesia (GA) with mechanical one-lung ventilation were used for lobectomies in 210 patients (93 males, 117 females, mean age 64.3 years) (GA-VATS group). Between 2021 and 2023, 92 cases (44 males, 48 females, mean age 66.3 years) underwent lobectomy with spontaneous ventilation after a short relaxation period, double lumen intubation, and vagus nerve blockade (SVI-VATS group). Perioperative data from 66 patients in each group were analyzed after 1:1 sample propensity score matching (caliper 0.1). Results: Respecting all patients, in the GA-VATS and SVI-VATS groups, the mortality and morbidity rates were 1 (0.47%) and 0 (0%), and 52 (24.7%) (P=0.050) and 19 (20.6%) (P=0.32), respectively. The rate of grade IIIB complications was 13 (6.1%) in the GA-VATS group and 0 (0%) in the SVI-VATS group (P=0.01). The length of surgery was 91.1 vs. 86.4 min (P=0.10), duration of chest drainage was 4.64±4.58 vs. 3.39± 3.39 days (P=0.02), the rate of permanent air leak was 43 (20.4%) vs. 8 (8.7%) (P=0.001), reoperation rate was 11 (5.2%) vs. 0 (0%) (P=0.02), and the number of removed mediastinal lymph nodes was 12.7 vs. 12.7 (P=0.97) in the GA-VATS and SVI-VATS groups, respectively. After propensity score-matched analysis, there were no cases of mortality in either group. Morbidity rates were 19 (28.8%) and 15 (22.7%) (P=0.55), length of surgery was 99 vs. 86.7 min (P=0.003), duration of chest drainage was 5.1 vs. 3.8 days (P=0.02), the rate of permanent air leak was 15 (22.7%) vs. 8 (12.1%) (P=0.10), and the reoperation rate was 5 (7.57%) vs. 0 (0%) (P=0.058) in the GA-VATS and SVI-VATS groups, respectively. Conclusions: SVI-VATS lobectomy resulted in fewer complications, particularly those requiring correction under anesthesia (IIIb) and a shorter postoperative period than GA-VATS. The number of removed mediastinal lymph nodes was similar between the groups.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.21037/jtd-24-1396

Applicability of a computer retinal model for scale-dependent investigation of legibility problems

Publication Name: Heliyon

Publication Date: 2025-02-28

Volume: 11

Issue: 4

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

Selecting an appropriate typeface is crucial in typography, web design, and other applications where text readability is essential. A key concept of this topic is legibility, the quality that shows how easy it is to recognize the letters of a particular font set. Previous works have measured legibility by human experiments, which has several limitations; for example, the methodology and circumstances were not entirely uniform, and the results may be distorted by the fatigue of the test subjects. This paper presents a new method using self-developed software to substitute human measurements in legibility testing. The software simulates the human retina's distortion effects (direction-dependent acuity) on test images of the assessed font's characters. Then, its output is analyzed using optical character recognition software. By integrating these techniques, we model the optical, biological, and cognitive steps of human character recognition as well. Although the simulation is imperfect, the software can perform significantly more measurements than human experiments with higher uniformity and give reproducible legibility information about significantly more fonts in various circumstances. In addition to the two scaling methods used in the literature (x-height, font-height), the tests are also performed with two other self-developed scaling methods, which provide a fairer comparison in the case of non-standard character types. This paper contains the legibility measurement results for 22 fonts under various simulated scenarios. The derived font ranking aligns closely with findings from prior human-based studies, demonstrating the robustness and reliability of the proposed method. Moreover, this approach provides valuable insights into font legibility across a broader spectrum of use cases, highlighting its potential for practical applications in typography and design.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e42484

Solving the mystery of non-gestational beta-hCG production: Primary choriocarcinoma in the lung

Publication Name: Orvosi Hetilap

Publication Date: 2025-02-16

Volume: 166

Issue: 7

Page Range: 272-275

Description:

Choriocarcinoma is a mostly very aggressive, malignant tumor that derives from syncytiotrophoblast cells and secretes beta human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG). Choriocarcinoma is mostly gestational associated with pregnancy and there are rare non-gestational choriocarcinomas, independent of gestation and originated from germ cells mainly occurred extragenitally. Primary choriocarcinoma in the lung is very rare, and its association with kidney metastasis seems to be a literary rarity, as in a 43-year-old woman whose case history and the solving of the hormoneproducing tissue of unknown origin is reported here. Histopathological and molecular genetic diagnosis were made on the lobectomy and the nephrectomy specimen. Operative procedures (extirpations of the tumor tissue) and postoperative adjuvant chemo- and immune (antibodies against programmed cell death 1 [PD1] and its ligand [PDL1]) therapy were successfully applied. The patient is being followed up by imaging procedures and beta-hCG measurements.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1556/650.2025.33232

Nonequilibrium dynamics of superconductivity in the Hatsugai-Kohmoto model

Publication Name: Physical Review B

Publication Date: 2025-02-15

Volume: 111

Issue: 7

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

We study the nonequilibrium dynamics of the superconducting order parameter in the Hatsugai-Kohmoto (HK) model. In the absence of superconductivity, its ground state is a non-Fermi liquid, whose properties are controlled by the HK interaction. Our protocol involves quantum quenching the HK interaction but leaving the interaction responsible for superconductivity unchanged. We map out the nonequilibrium dynamical phase diagram of the interacting model which contains three phases where, at long times, the order parameter amplitude vanishes, approaches a constant value, or persistently oscillates. We also investigate the Loschmidt echo in searching for dynamical quantum phase transition and find that its nonanalytic temporal behavior is close but does not match exactly the vanishing of the order parameter. The momentum space entanglement entropy between positive and negative momentum modes, relevant for Cooper pairing, is calculated. Counterintuitively, this momentum space entanglement does not change significantly during the quench dynamics and its value remains reasonably large even for a vanishing superconducting order parameter. Nevertheless, its derivative with respect to the HK interaction signals the dynamical phase transition associated to the late time vanishing of superconductivity.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.111.075115

Investigation of the Tribological Effects of Nano-Sized Transition Metal Oxides on a Base Oil Containing Pour Point Depressant and Viscosity Modifier

Publication Name: Chemengineering

Publication Date: 2025-02-01

Volume: 9

Issue: 1

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

This study investigates the tribological effects of nano-sized metal oxides (ZrO2, CuO, Y2O3 and TiO2) in Group III type base oil containing 0.3% pour point depressant (PPD) and 5% viscosity modifier (VM) to enhance friction and wear performance. The homogenized lubricant samples with varying concentrations of oxide nanoparticles (0.1–0.5 wt%) on a linear oscillating tribometer performed static and dynamic frictional tests. Optical and confocal microscopy surface analysis evaluated the wear of the specimen, and SEM and EDX analyses characterized the wear tracks, nanoparticle distributions, and quantification. The cooperation between PPD and nanoparticles significantly improved friction and wear values; however, the worn surface suffered extensively from fatigue wear. The collaboration between VM and nanoparticles resulted in a nanoparticle-rich tribofilm on the contact surface, providing excellent wear resistance that protects the component while also favorably impacting friction reduction. This study found CuO reduced wear volume by 85% with PPD and 43% with VM at 0.5 wt%, while ZrO2 achieved 80% and 63% reductions, respectively. Y2O3 reduced wear volume by 82% with PPD, and TiO2 reduced friction by 20% with VM. These nanoparticles enhanced tribological performance at optimal concentrations, but high concentrations caused tribofilm instability, highlighting the need for precise optimization.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3390/chemengineering9010001

Genome-Wide Association Study of Exercise Addiction Among Elite Wrestlers

Publication Name: Brain Sciences

Publication Date: 2025-02-01

Volume: 15

Issue: 2

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

Background: Exercise addiction, marked by an inability to control exercise and associated with distress that clinically impairs daily activities, is a significant but underrecognized issue in physical activity and health. While its physiological, psychological, and behavioral aspects have been studied, the genetic basis of exercise addiction remains poorly understood, requiring further investigation. The present study conducted a genome-wide association study of exercise addiction among elite Turkish wrestlers. Methods: The sample comprised 67 male wrestlers (34 freestyle wrestlers and 33 Greco-Roman wrestlers). Exercise addiction was assessed using the Exercise Addiction Scale. Whole-genome genotyping was performed using DNA microarray. Results: Using a genome-wide approach (p < 1.0 × 10⁵), we identified six suggestively significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with exercise addiction status. Of these, the high-addiction alleles of five SNPs (PRDM10 rs74345126, near PTPRU rs72652685, HADHB rs6745226, XIRP2 rs17614860, and near GAREM2 rs1025542) have previously been associated with an increased risk of mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression or higher levels of physical activity. We also examined potential associations between the genetic markers previously linked to addiction-related traits such as obsessive–compulsive disorder and cigarette smoking, and personality traits linked to negative emotions including neuroticism. Using this candidate gene approach (p < 0.05), we identified three additional SNPs associated with exercise addiction in the same direction of association (DEFB135 rs4841662, BCL11A rs7599488, and CSRNP3 rs1551336). Conclusions: The present study provides preliminary evidence for the genetic basis of exercise addiction, highlighting specific SNPs that may play a role in the development of this condition among elite wrestlers.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3390/brainsci15020102

Organizational Internal Factors and Sustainable Performance: A Serial Mediation Model

Publication Name: Emerging Science Journal

Publication Date: 2025-02-01

Volume: 9

Issue: 1

Page Range: 362-381

Description:

Objective: The present study aims to explore the relationships between big data analytics capability, circular economy practices, and SMEs’ sustainable performance in Pakistan. It investigates notable factors determining SMEs’ sustainable performance, including employees’ perceived usefulness, data-driven culture, and leadership competency mediating the mentioned relationships. Method: The study employs quantitative research based on a positivist philosophy orientation. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire distributed among the employees of 350 SMEs operating in Pakistan’s different regions. Findings: The study's results demonstrated the direct effects of big data analytics capability on sustainable performance, employee perceived usefulness, and data-driven culture. Additionally, circular economy practices influence sustainable performance; employee perceived usefulness and leadership competency. Finally, the results highlighted that each relationship is subject to partial mediation, which indicates the role of employee-perceived usefulness and data-driven culture in the relationship between big data analytics and sustainable performance and employee-perceived usefulness associated with the relationship between circular economy practices and sustainable performance. Novelty: The present study highlights that all three of the previous topics are consistent and significantly contribute to the existing literature by providing a model with the main factors that determine SMEs’ sustainable performance, which can be sufficient for countries’ developing economies.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.28991/ESJ-2025-09-01-020

Charpy Impact Test Result Comparison on Reinforcing Materials used in Continuous Filament 3D Printing

Publication Name: Engineering Technology and Applied Science Research

Publication Date: 2025-02-01

Volume: 15

Issue: 1

Page Range: 19354-19357

Description:

With the growing industrial demand for materials that can withstand dynamic loads, composite 3D printing, particularly utilizing continuous fiber reinforcements, presents a promising solution. This study investigates the toughness of three fiber-reinforced materials, namely carbon fiber, Kelvar, and fiberglass, by conducting Charpy impact tests. The results reveal that fiber-reinforced 3D materials significantly outperform standard 3D printed components, with fiberglass showing the highest toughness. These findings demonstrate that fiber-reinforced 3D printed materials offer a viable alternative for applications requiring high toughness and dynamic resistance.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.48084/etasr.8740

Evaluating 3D-Printed Polylactic Acid (PLA)-Reinforced Materials: Mechanical Performance and Chemical Stability in Concrete Mediums

Publication Name: Applied Sciences Switzerland

Publication Date: 2025-02-01

Volume: 15

Issue: 4

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

The optimization and evaluation of 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) materials for reinforcing concrete elements present a promising avenue for advancing sustainable construction methods. This study addresses the challenges associated with PLA’s dual nature—biodegradable yet mechanically limited for long-term applications—while leveraging its potential to enhance concrete reinforcement. The research identifies gaps in understanding PLA’s mechanical and chemical behavior in alkaline environments, particularly its interactions with concrete matrices. To bridge this gap, four distinct PLA variants (high-impact PLA, engineering PLA, electrical ESD PLA, and gypsum PLA) and ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) were subjected to dissolution tests in NaOH solutions (pH 12 and 12.55) and mechanical evaluation under three-point bending using digital image correlation (DIC) technology. Test specimens were prepared using optimized 3D printing strategies to ensure structural consistency and were embedded in concrete beams to analyze their reinforcement potential. Force–displacement data and GOM ARAMIS measurements revealed significant differences in mechanical responses, with peak loads ranging from 0.812 kN (high-impact PLA) to 1.021 kN (electrical ESD PLA). Notably, electrical ESD PLA exhibited post-failure load-bearing capacity, highlighting its reinforcement capability. Chemical dissolution tests revealed material-specific degradation patterns, with high-impact and Gypsum PLA showing accelerated surface changes and precipitation phenomena. Observations indicated white crystalline precipitates, likely lime (calcium hydroxide—Ca(OH)2), residue from the dissolution tests (sodium hydroxide—NaOH), or material-derived residues formed on and near PLA elements, suggesting potential chemical interactions. These findings underline the critical role of material selection and optimization in achieving effective PLA–concrete integration. While PLA’s environmental sustainability aligns with industry goals, its structural reliability under long-term exposure remains a challenge. The study concludes that electrical ESD PLA demonstrates the highest potential for application in reinforced concrete, provided its chemical stability is managed, as its peak value (1.021 kN) showed 25.7% higher load-bearing capacity than high-impact PLA (0.812 kN) and did not lose any of its structural stability in the dissolution tests. This work advances the understanding of PLA as a sustainable alternative in construction, offering insights for future material innovations and applications.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3390/app15042165