Histopathological and epidemiological findings of colonoscopy screening in a population with an average risk of colorectal cancer in Kuwait

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cancer in women and the third most common in men worldwide, with a significantly rising incidence in the Middle East region over the last few decades. This study investigates the histopathological and epidemiological characteristics of colonoscopic findings in a population with an average risk of CRC in Kuwait.

METHODS

In this study, 1,005 asymptomatic average-risk Kuwaiti adults aged over 40 years had their first colonoscopy screening during the 2015-2018 period. Data on lifestyle behaviors (cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity), body mass index (BMI), and comorbidities were routinely collected from these individuals. All colorectal polyps or masses were assessed for their site, size, and number and then resected and sent for histopathological examination.

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 54 years, and 52.2% were women. In screened individuals, the polyp detection rate, adenoma detection rate, and carcinoma detection rate were 43.8%, 27.7%, and 1.2%, respectively. Tubular, tubulovillous, and villous types of adenoma constituted 17.3%, 2.8%, and 1.3% of all screened participants. Neoplastic lesions, particularly in the proximal colon, were more common among men aged 40-49 years. Age of 70 years and older (OR: 9.6; 95% CI: 4.7-19.9; P < 0.001), male gender (OR: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.1-2.3; P = 0.011), increased BMI (OR: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.02-1.08; P = 0.001), and smoking (OR: 3.5; 95% CI: 2.3-5.4; P < 0.001) were the most significant independent risk factors for colorectal neoplasia.

CONCLUSIONS

The high adenoma detection rate (ADR) in Kuwaiti population calls for the establishment of a national programe for CRC screening. The higher ADR in those younger than 50 years calls for assessment of the threshold age at which to start screening.

Advanced control of split source inverter through finite control-set model predictive control for improved system performance

Distributed power generation systems may necessitate connecting multiple independent energy sources that employ various converter topologies. A recent development in this field is the emergence of impedance source converters, offering the ability to deliver buck-boost functionality within a single stage. The split-source inverter (SSI) has been introduced as a novel choice in between this family. Many control strategies have emerged for electrical power systems control. Among the recent emerging controllers, model predictive control strategies have become an effective technique for control systems. Model predictive controllers (MPCs) offer a number of features compared to the conventional and counterpart models such as enhanced system response and improved system transients with reduced steady-state error. This research suggests a finite control-set MPC for three-phase single-stage SSI supporting a standalone load for remote area applications. Considering the proposed FCS-MPC, the output load current tracks its reference magnitude with minimized error. In addition, the proposed FCS-MPC enhances the proposed SSI system performance with a settling time of 10 μs, and approximately without overshoot in the output current. The system has been validated using Opal-RT OP-4510 and the power loss model of the inverter has been explained. In the end two comparisons have been presented to clarify the main points in the topology structure and the control technique.

Adaptive electronic relay for smart grid based on self-healing protection

The protection system is crucial for grid stability and safeguarding essential components, including generators, transformers, transmission systems, and power connections. The smart grid system increases the flexibility and complexity of the power system, making fault detection and isolation the primary challenges for the protection system. This paper presents an optimal protection solution using an adaptive electronic relay to enhance reliability and enable self-healing. The proposed protection algorithm quickly detects faults and automatically isolates them from the rest of the healthy system in 25ms. The relay operation algorithm has been validated using MATLAB SIMULINK software. The results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed smart electronic relay in various sections of the smart grid system, including transformers, transmission and distribution.