Management of severe low back pain with a focused vibro-percussion wave treatment: A Case Report

A 49 year-old male with severe low back pain showed multilevel disc bulges with spinal stenosis. After 18 treatments of low-frequency vibro-percussion stimulation initial VAS pain score of 9.5 reduced to 2.5 and the Rolland-Morris score of 13 reduced to 3. The MRI showed some resolution of L3-L4 and L4-L5.

Naturally Occurring Rock Type Influences the Settlement of Fucus spiralis L. zygotes

The settlement of spores and larvae on hard substrates has been shown to be influenced by many factors, but few studies have evaluated how underlying bedrock may influence recruitment. The characteristics of coastal rock types such as color, heat capacity, mineral size, and free energy have all been implicated in settlement success. We examined the influence of naturally occurring rock types on the initial attachment of zygotes of the brown alga Fucus spiralis Linnaeus 1753. We also assessed the dislodgment of zygotes on four bedrock types after initial attachment in laboratory experiments using wave tanks. Settling plates were prepared from limestone, basalt, schist, and granite, found in the region of Orrs Island, Maine, USA. The plate surfaces tested were either naturally rough or smooth-cut surfaces. We measured the density of attached zygotes after 1.5 h of settlement and subsequently after a wave treatment, in both winter and summer. The pattern of initial attachment was the same on natural and smooth surfaces regardless of season: highest on limestone (range 7.0–13.4 zygotes/cm2), intermediate on schist (1.8–8.5 zygotes/cm2) and basalt (3.5–14.0 zygotes/cm2), and lowest on granite (0.8–7.8 zygotes/cm2). Patterns of survivorship following the wave treatment were similar to those of initial settlement with the mean survivorship varying from 60.1% (SE = 3.8) (limestone, smooth substrate) to 31.8% (SE = 0.59) (granite, natural substrate), and with the highest mean survival on limestone, basalt, and schist, and the lowest on granite. Our results suggest that rock type has a significant effect on zygote attachment and persistence. Patterns of attachment were the same on smooth and rough surfaces, indicating that surface roughness is not the predominant factor controlling the difference in successful attachment among rock types. Other properties of bedrock, possibly grain size, surface free energy, or chemical interaction with the adhesives used by the zygotes, directly affect the attachment of these algal propagules. These results suggest that patterns of benthic community structure could be determined in part by the distribution of bedrock types.

Ultrasonic-Assisted Removal of Undesirable Submicron-Sized Particulates To Realize Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Circulation of Drilling Fluid

Summary Removal of useless and submicrometer-sized solids from drilling fluid, which exert significant effects on drilling performance, is a crucial part of sustainable and eco-friendly circulation in drilling operations. However, current solid-control methods for drilling-fluid reuse and recirculation, such as electronic-adsorption and chemical-flocculation methods, are associated with high cost and low efficiency and/or pollution of drilling fluid. In this study, a novel method using ultrasonic waves has been proposed to remove unwanted submicrometer-sized solids from polysulfonate drilling fluids. The results show that the suspension stability, viscosity, and particle size can all be significantly reduced, while the solid-separation ratio of the drilling fluid can be greatly enhanced by ultrasonic-wave treatment. The parameters of ultrasonic waves are optimized to be power of 3 kW, treating time of 30 minutes, treating frequency of 20 kHz, and ventilation (i.e., air) for 5 minutes in a laboratory scale. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis shows that solid particles exhibit more obvious crystal morphology after ultrasonic-wave treatment, indicating that the breaking of gel-structure of drilling fluid due to the cavitation, mechanical, and heat effects of ultrasonic waves is the main mechanism for decreasing the suspension stability. Thus, the proposed ultrasonic-assisted technique has a high potential for removing undesirable solids from drilling fluid and fulfilling its recirculation in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner. This new technology has been successively applied to 12 wells, and good results were obtained.

Clinical Efficacy of Electroacupuncture Dilatational Wave Treatment of Acute Stage Facial Paralysis

ObjectiveTo discuss and analyze the clinical efficacy and prognostic effect of an electroacupuncture dilatational wave in acute stage facial paralysis. <br>Method Sixty patients with acute facial paralysis who received treatment in the inpatient departmentof our hospital from April 2018 to January 2019 were randomly divided into two groups : a treatment group and a control group. Both groups were treated with the same procedures, such as antivirus, nerve nutrition, circulation improvement, anti-inflammatory, infrared radiation on the affected side, electroacupuncture in quiescent period and Chinese herbal decoction. Dilatational wave treatment was also performed in the treatment group in the acute stage, and the clinical efficacy and effect on prognosis were compared between the two groups. <br>Results The total effective rate of the treatment group was 96.7%, and the total effective rate of the control group was 70%. The difference in the level of efficacy between the two groups was statistically different (P < 0.05). <br>Conclusions For the acute stage of facial paralysis patients who underwent conventional treatment using an electroacupuncture dilatational wave showed a significantly improved efficacy rate , as well as other clear advantages . The treatment is , worthy of further investigation .

Application of laser"shock"wave treatment to increase crack resistance of materials

A finite element model is developed for predicting the appearance of new and the propagation of existing cracks during laser-shock-wave treatment (LSWT) of materials with linear and V-shaped cracks. The optimal modes of LSWT were determined for the maximum reduction in the rate of crack propagation. Keywords laser-shock-wave treatment, finite element method, residual stresses, stress intensity factor, crack growth rate, crack resistance. [email protected]