similar with respect to the preference rates for life-sustaining treatments compared with palliative care (46.9% vs 34.4% in the 60% survival group and 50.0% vs 40.6% in the 30% survival group; odds ratio [OR], 0.90; 95% CI, 0.31-2.63). A few patients were not able to formulate a preference (6 patients (18.8%) in the 60% survival group and 3 patients (9.4%) in the 30% survival group; OR, 0.423; 95% CI, 0.08-2.10). An analysis of the patients who formulated a preference showed that an attitude that mere survival is at least as important as quality of life was associated with a preference for life-sustaining treatments (OR, 10.28; 95% CI, 2.94-35.90). Increasing maternal age (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.61-0.98) and childlessness (OR, 0.12; 95% CI 0.01-0.98) were associated with a preference for palliative care. Most patients would decide together with their partners (63 of 64 [98.4%]) and preferred to be empowered by their physicians in the decision-making process (48 of 64 [75%]). Discussion | In this study, it appeared that treatment preferences originated from individual characteristics and values rather than from reasoning about numerical outcome estimates. However, generalizability is limited and the results should be interpreted in light of the methods used. Patients made a one-time decision without personal feedback and patients actually affected might indicate different preferences. More studies are needed to help to improve our understanding of the information that parents facing extremely preterm birth want and need.

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A novel type of multi-mode resonator (MMR) is proposed in this letter, which is constructed by cascading interdigital coupled microstrip line sections with short-ended stepped impedance stubs being loaded. Its transmission line model is set up and analyzed, which shows that it has seven resonances. Finally, an ultra-wideband filter based on this type of MMR is designed, fabricated and measured. The measured results show that the filter has a sharp skirt and an out-of-band rejection level as good as 40 dB. Meanwhile, return loss is better than 17 dB. Group delay is also flat in the passband.Index Terms-Multi-mode resonator (MMR), transmission zero, ultra-wideband (UWB) filter.

A novel substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) dual-mode filter is proposed. By using an orthogonal input and output feed line, and two slot lines for disturbing two degenerate modes, two transmission zeros are created. A SIW dual-mode filter with centre frequency of 14.42 GHz was fabricated and measured, in which bandwidth is 380 MHz. Measured results show good agreement with simulated results.Introduction: High performance microwave filters are key components which are finding increasing application in modern communication systems. The metal waveguide dual-mode filters have excellent performance owing to their higher resonator Q value and higher power-handing capability. However, they cannot be easily integrated with microwave planar circuits. In general, a dual-mode rectangular waveguide filter can be achieved by cutting corners, or by adding tuning screws. Reference [1] proposed a new family of dual-mode filters, in which two transmission poles and one transmission zero were produced using a single cavity without tuning elements.The substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) is a type of dielectric-filled waveguide that is synthesised in a planar dielectric substrate with linear arrays of metal vias to realise bilateral edge walls using a standard printed circuit board or other planar processes [2]. By this technique, planar and SIW structures can be integrated using various transitions between SIW and planar structures. The SIW provides a low cost, low profile, and low weight scheme, while high performance is maintained. Some dual-mode filters have been designed in SIW technology [3 -5].In [3], two types of dual-mode filters are introduced, in which two tuning metal vias are placed in corners or the central axis of the cavity. A single-cavity dual-mode filter which used a coplanar waveguide as a non-resonating node is proposed in [4]. A dual-mode filter using circular high-order mode cavities was realised in [4]. A microstrip dual-mode filter has been realised by crossed slot lines perturbation [6].In this Letter, a novel SIW dual-mode filter using slot lines perturbation is investigated theoretically and experimentally. To improve the selectivity of the filter, there are two finite frequency transmission zeros allocated at each side of its passband. It is very compact.

A novel miniature microstrip bandpass filter (BPF) using resonator-embedded dual-mode resonator is proposed. Two transmission zeros are created to improve the selectivity of the filter. Furthermore, source-load capacitive coupling is introduced to create a transmission zero above the passband. A 2.28 GHz BPF with 300 MHz bandwidth is designed and measured, the measured result agrees well with the simulation. The size of the filter is less than 0 21 0 15 , where is guided wavelength at the central frequency.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the diagnostic and clinical utility of trio-rapid genome sequencing in critically ill infants. DESIGN: In this prospective study, samples from critically ill infants were analyzed using both proband-only clinical exome sequencing and trio-rapid genome sequencing (proband and biological parents). The study occurred between April 2019 and December 2019. SETTING: Thirteen member hospitals of the China Neonatal Genomes Project spanning 10 provinces were involved. PARTICIPANTS: Critically ill infants (n = 202), from birth up until 13 months of life were enrolled based on eligibility criteria (e.g., CNS anomaly, complex congenital heart disease, evidence of metabolic disease, recurrent severe infection, suspected immune deficiency, and multiple malformations). INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of the 202 participants, neuromuscular (45%), respiratory (22%), and immunologic/infectious (18%) were the most commonly observed phenotypes. The diagnostic yield of trio-rapid genome sequencing was higher than that of proband-only clinical exome sequencing (36.6% [95% CI, 30.1–43.7%] vs 20.3% [95% CI, 15.1–26.6%], respectively; p = 0.0004), and the average turnaround time for trio-rapid genome sequencing (median: 7 d) was faster than that of proband-only clinical exome sequencing (median: 20 d) (p < 2.2 × 10–16). The metagenomic analysis identified pathogenic or likely pathogenic microbes in six infants with symptoms of sepsis, and these results guided the antibiotic treatment strategy. Sixteen infants (21.6%) experienced a change in clinical management following trio-rapid genome sequencing diagnosis, and 24 infants (32.4%) were referred to a new subspecialist. CONCLUSIONS: Trio-rapid genome sequencing provided higher diagnostic yield in a shorter period of time in this cohort of critically ill infants compared with proband-only clinical exome sequencing. Precise and fast molecular diagnosis can alter medical management and positively impact patient outcomes.

Most recurrent spontaneous miscarriages (RSMs) are attributed to 'unexplained' factors, the majority of which are immune factors. Furthermore, clinically, only a small number of RSM patients get early diagnosis by testing for antiphospholipid antibodies, whereas most of the patients, present no specific diagnostic indicators. We performed a meta-analysis of observational studies to detect the association between RSM and TNF-α levels. We searched PubMed, EMBase, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Chinese databases (including: Wanfang Data, CNKI, and VIP databases) for articles published up to 2014. Of the 151 initially identified studies, 11 case-control studies with 1371 patients were finally analyzed. Overall, baseline TNF-α levels were higher in patients than in controls. The standardized mean difference of the TNF-α levels of the patients was 2.82 units (95% confidence interval 1.57-4.06) and the overall effect z-score was 4.42 (P < 0.0001). The heterogeneity test revealed significant differences among individual studies (P = 0.000, I(2)  = 98.7%). Serum TNF-α levels were significantly increased in patients relative to those in controls. The heterogeneity could be attributed to the differences in the detection methods and sampling times used in the different studies.