Aims: To assess the occurrence of Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) after standard antiemetic therapy in the acute (24 h post-chemotherapy) and delayed (2–5 days post-chemotherapy) phases, as well as to identify risk factors for CINV in the acute and delayed phases. Methods: This prospective longitudinal and observational study analyzed the data of 400 breast cancer patients scheduled for chemotherapy over two cycles in two hospitals. The self-report survey was developed to assess the occurrence of CINV and their associated factors. CINV was evaluated with a Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer Antiemetic Tool (MAT) on days 2 and 6 of chemotherapy. The incidence of acute and delayed CINV were presented by frequency and percentage. Generalized equation estimates (GEE) was used to identify risk factors of acute and delayed CINV. Results: There were 400 evaluable patients with complete Round 1 data, 334 for Round 2 data. Among 400 patients, 29.8% and 23.5% experienced acute and delayed CINV, respectively. Risk factors associated with for acute CINV were pain/insomnia, history of CINV, history of motion sickness (MS), and highly emetogenic chemotherapy regimen, while history of MS, CINV history, number of completed chemotherapy cycle number < 3, and the incidence of acute CINV were risk factors of delayed CINV (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: The findings may help nurses working for Chinese population in identifying patients at risk for CINV and in planning effective program to reduce the occurrence of CINV.

Background: The aim of our study was to analyze the effect of socioeconomic inequalities, both at the individual and area of residence levels, on the probability of COVID-19 confirmed infection, and its variations across three pandemic waves. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. We included data from all individuals tested by COVID-19 during the three waves of the pandemic, from March to December 2020 (357,989 individuals). We studied the effect of inequalities on the risk of having a COVID-19 confirmed diagnosis after being tested using multilevel analyses with two levels of aggregation: individuals and basic healthcare area (BHA) of residence (deprivation level and type of zone). Results: Patient profile changed through the pandemic, with a predominance of low-paid employees living in deprived BHA. Workers with low salaries, unemployed and people on minimum integration income or who no longer receive the unemployment allowance, had a higher probability of COVID-19 infection than workers with salaries ≥€18,000 per year. Inequalities were higher in women and in the second wave. The deprivation level of BHA of residence influenced the risk of COVID-19 infection, especially in the second wave. Conclusions: There are inequalities in the risk of COVID-19 confirmed infection, both at individual and area level. It is necessary to develop individual and area coordinated measures in the control, diagnosis and treatment of the epidemic, in order to avoid an increase in the already existing inequalities.

The H7 subtype of avian influenza viruses (AIV) stands out among other AIV. H7 viruses circulate in ducks, poultry, equine and have repeatedly caused outbreaks of disease in humans. In order to study the pathogenicity factors of H7N1 viruses, several laboratory variants of the A/FPV/Rostock/34 (H7N1) strain were obtained by passages in the chicken lungs. After 10 such passages, a variant was obtained that differed from the parent virus by amino acid substitutions Val109Phe in PB2, Gln621Lys in PB1, Thr32Ala and Leu586Phe in PA Gly140Arg in HA1 and Ala101Thr in HA2 (numbering by H3), Ser82Arg in M2, Arg118Lys and Met124Arg in NS1. No differences were found in proteins NA, NP, M1 and NS2. The resulting variant was hundreds of times more pathogenic for chickens than the original laboratory variant of the virus. The study of intermediate passages showed that the jump in pathogenicity occurs sharply between the fifth and sixth passage through the chicken lungs. By cloning these variants, a pair of strains (R5p and R6p) were obtained, and the complete genomes of these strains were sequenced. Single amino acid substitution was revealed, namely Gly140Arg in HA1. It is important to emphasize that this substitution is a reversion, since Arg is located in position 140 HA1 of original the A/FPV/Rostock/34 (H7N1) virus (GenBank). This amino acid is located at the head part of the hemagglutinin, adjacent to the receptor-binding site. In addition to the increased pathogenicity, R6p differs from R5p by an increased affinity for a negatively charged receptor analogue, an increased affinity for MDCK cells, while maintaining a receptor specificity profile.

Every year, General Practitioners (GPs) see over 13 million patients for dermatological concerns making dermatology the highest referring speciality. Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems could improve system efficiency by supporting clinicians in making appropriate referrals, but they are, like human clinicians, imperfect and there may be a trade-off between sensitivity and specificity that is likely to result in false negatives. In this paper, a study is presented to explore two areas. Firstly, the aptitude of GPs to trust appropriately (or not trust) the outputs of a fictitious AI-based decision support tool when assessing skin lesions. Secondly, to identify which individual characteristics could make GPs less prone to adhere to erroneous diagnostics results and to refrain from passive adherence to AI. Findings suggest that when the AI is correct, there is a positive effect on GPs’ performance and confidence suggesting the potential to reduce referrals for benign lesions. However, when an inexperienced GP is presented with a false-negative result, they may passively deviate from their initial clinical judgement to accept the wrong diagnosis provided. AI systems will have a false-negative rate and, when adopting new technologies, this needs to be acknowledged and fed into risk-benefit discussions and considerations around additional safety measures.

Background: Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are transcription factors that get activated and stabilized in the heterodimerized form under hypoxic conditions. The three members of the HIF alpha factors share high structural similarity but have tissue-specific expression patterns. A majority of studies have reported the importance of the HIF1A and HIF2A activity in the survival, proliferation, metastatic potential, and metabolic regulation of hypoxic cancer cells. However, the importance of the expression pattern and activity of HIF3A in a variety of cancers remains unknown. Method and materials: The expression profile of 13 different types of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cancer samples were downloaded, normalized and differential gene expression analysis (DGE) was performed to compare the expression pattern of HIF alpha family members in cancer and adjacent normal tissues, as well as at different stages and tumor-sizes. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) test and survival analysis were carried out to estimate the diagnostic potential of HIF alpha isomers in different cancers, as well as the survival rate of patients with the varying expression levels of HIF alpha factors. Results: The expression status of HIF3A was notably less in all cancer samples in contrast to their adjacent normal tissues. The expression degree of HIF1A varied among distinct types of cancer and the expression degree of HIF2A was lower in nearly all types of cancers. The expression level of HIF alpha isomers did not significantly correlate with different sizes of tumor samples and stages of different tumor tissue samples. HIF3A had very weak diagnostic potential, while HIF2A had better diagnostic potential in most types of cancers compared to HIF1A. Patients who had a higher level of HIF3A had better survival, while the higher expression levels of HIF1A and HIF2A were associated with worse survival in many types of cancers. Conclusion: Our study shows the heterogenous expression pattern of HIF alpha subunits in distinctive kinds of cancers and the influence of HIF3A expression level in the survival of patients with varying types of cancers.

Thoracic aortic calcium (TAC) appears to be a subclinical marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to predict CV mortality. However, studies on TAC use tomographic scans obtained for coronary artery calcium (CAC) score, which does not include the aortic arch. This study evaluates TAC prevalence in aortic arch (AAC), ascending (ATAC) and descending thoracic aorta (DTAC) and verify whether they are associated with the same CV risk factors. Cross-sectional analysis, including 2,427 participants (mean age 55.6 ± 8.7; 54,1% women) of the ELSA-Brasil cohort. Nonenhanced ECG-gated tomographies were performed in 2015-2016. Multivariable logistic regression estimated the CV risk factors associated with calcium in each segment. Overall prevalence of ATAC, AAC and DTAC was, 23,1%, 62.1%, and 31.2%, respectively. About 90.4% of the individuals with TAC had AAC and only 19.5% had calcium in all segments. In the multivariable analysis, increasing age, lower levels of schooling, current smoking, higher body mass index, and hypertension remained associated with calcium in all segments. No sex or race/ethnicity differences were found in any aortic segment. Diabetes and Dyslipidemia were associated with ATAC and DTAC, but not with AAC, suggesting that AAC may reflect an overlap of mechanisms that impact vascular health, including atherosclerosis.

Delirium occurs in 50-80% of end-of-life patients but it is often misdiagnosed. Identification of clinical factors potentially associated with delirium onset can lead to a correct early diagnosis. To this aim, we conducted an observational prospective study on patients from an Italian Palliative Care Unit (PCU) in 2018-2019 and evaluated the presence of clinical factors at patients’ admission. We then compared their presence in patients who developed delirium and in those who did not during follow-up. On 503 enrolled patients, 95 (18.9%) developed delirium. In univariate analyses, factors significantly more frequent in patients with delirium were advanced age, care in hospice, very compromised performance status, hypoxia, high number of simultaneous clinical factors, presence of breathlessness, poor well-being, severe drowsiness, and background therapy with haloperidol and drugs acting on CNS. In multivariate analyses, setting of care (odds ratio, OR, 1.68 for hospice versus home care, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.02-2.75; p=0.040), and administration of psychiatric drugs (OR 1.74 for administration versus no administration, 95% CI 1.08-2.81; p=0.023) were significantly associated with the risk of developing delirium, while the associations with age (OR 1.82 for > 80 years versus ≤ 70 years, 95% CI=0.98-3.36; p=0.046) and presence of breathlessness (OR 1.70, 95%, CI 0.99-2.89, p=0.053) were of borderline significance. The study indicates that some clinical factors are associated with the probability of delirium onset. Their evaluation in PC patients could help the healthcare professionals to timely identify the development of delirium in those patients.

Low temperature is a common biological abiotic stress in major cotton growing areas. Cold stress significantly affects the growth, yield and yield quality of cotton. Therefore, it is important to develop a more robust and cold stress tolerant cotton germplasms. Climate change and erratic climatic condition, plants have evolved various survival mechanisms, one of which induction of various stress responsive transcriptome factors, such as the C-repeat binding factor GthCBF4, which have been found to enhance cold tolerance in various plants. In this study detailed evaluation of the cotton C-repeat binding factor has been carried out. A total of29, 28, 25, 21, 30, 26 and 15 proteins encoded by the C-repeat binding factor were identified in G. herbaceum, G. arboreum, G. thurberi, G. raimondii, G. turneri, G. longicalyx and G. australe, respectively. Phylogeny evaluation revealed that the proteins were grouped into seven clades, with clade 1 and 6 being the largest. Moreover, majority of the proteins encoded by the genes were predicted to be located within. the nucleus, while some are distributed in other parts of the cell. Based on the transcriptome and RT-qPCR analysis, Gthu17439 (GthCBF4) was highly upregulated and was further validated through forward genetics. The Gthu17439 (GthCBF4) overexpressed plants showed a significantly tolerance to cold stress, with higher growth vigour compared to the wild types. The results showed that the Gthu17439 (GthCBF4) could be playing a significant role in enhancing cold stress tolerance in cotton and can be further exploited in developing a more cold stress tolerance cotton germplasm

Despite the considerable focus on job characteristics and individual differences in job crafting research, the influence of social factors on job crafting has not been well-acknowledged. This meta-analysis estimates the associations between social factors and job crafting, and how social factors contribute to employee outcomes through their job crafting. Based on a sample of 51 empirical studies that included 54 independent effect sizes (N = 17,863), we found that social factors of positive leadership styles (e.g., empowering and transformational) and coworker support were positively related to employee job crafting. Further, our study showed that employee job crafting positively mediate the relationships between social factors and work outcomes (e.g., job performance and well-being). Our study contributes to job crafting literature by integrating social factors into the job crafting model and demonstrating that the social context of work (in particular organizational-insiders) play a crucial role in shaping employees’ job crafting behavior. We also emphasize the critical role that job crafting plays in transmitting valuable social resources into improved work outcomes. Building on our results, we provide future direction for job crafting research and discuss how our results can imply practice in terms of job crafting training.

Background: The hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway is a key regulator of embryonic patterning, tissue regeneration, stem cell renewal, and cancer growth. The smoothened (SMO) protein regulates the HH signaling pathway and has demonstrated oncogenic activity. Methods: To clarify the role of the HH signaling pathway in tumorigenesis, the expression profile of key HH signaling molecules, including SMO, PTCH1, GLI1, GLI2, and GLI3, were determined in thirty-three cancer cell lines. We performed a computational analysis of the upstream region of the SMO gene to identify the regulatory elements. Results: Three potential CpG islands and several putative SMO promoter elements were identified. Luciferase reporter assays mapped key SMO promoter elements, and functional binding sites for SP1, AP1, CREB, and AP-2a transcription factors in the core SMO promoter region were confirmed. A hypermethylated SMO promoter was identified in several cancer cell lines suggesting an important role for epigenetic silencing of SMO expression in certain cancer cells. Discussion: These results have important implications for our understanding of regulatory mechanisms controlling HH pathway activity and the molecular basis of SMO gene function. Moreover, this study may prove valuable for future research aimed at producing therapeutic downregulation of SMO expression in cancer cells.

The impact of monetary policies and their implementation by exchange rate covered the economic condition of Ghana. The social inclusion and conversion factors change the implemented policies of nations, where the real price, trade, technology, a price rate and price level of ratio take an important part of growth. The reform of the financial sector favors the free floating of the exchange rate and global trade by under the premise of flexible exchange rates. The tragedy of country growth and exchange rate toward a trajectory of growth with the growth-enhancing effect through social inclusion, conversion factors, price level ratio, exchange rate, merchant rate, export and trade services. The research study is based on secondary study and social inclusion equity indicators with public resources, building human resources and social protection for economic development has determined. The monetary policies are classified by the different evidence and trade indicators. The significant influence of growth and internal policies has affected trade and exchange rates with growth and reserve policies. The results have computed by linear regression and it proved that social inclusion and alternative conversion factors impact on the global trade and create short term binary relationship.

Importance: Because of the high prevalence of myopia in Taiwan, understanding the risk factors for its development and progression is important to public health. Background: This study investigated the risk factors for myopia and their influence on the progression of myopia in schoolchildren in Taiwan. Design: Patients’ clinical records were obtained retrospectively from ophthalmologists. Questionnaires were given to collect demographic information, family background, hours spent on daily activities, myopia progression, and treatment methods. Participants: A total of 522 schoolchildren with myopia from a regional medical hospital in northern Taiwan participated the study. Written informed consent was obtained from the participants of legal age or the parents or legal guardians. Methods: Multivariable regression analyses were performed. Myopia measured in dioptres was analysed, controlling for patients’ family and demographic information as well as their daily behaviours. Main Outcome Results: Children with high myopic parents were more myopic. Earlier onset age of myopia was associated with a higher level of myopia and greater annual myopic progression. Children reporting more near work activities had higher levels of myopia and greater progression of myopia. Lower levels of myopia were associated with more exercise, longer periods of sleep, and better vision care knowledge in children and parents. Intake of food supplements had no effect on myopia. Conclusions and Relevance: In addition to genetics, education, environment, and near work activity can influence the development of myopia. Health policies for schoolchildren should promote protective activities and vision care knowledge in order to protect the eyesight of schoolchildren.

Nucleolin is an RNA binding protein that is involved in many post-transcriptional regulation steps of messenger RNAs in addition to its nucleolar role in ribosomal RNA transcription and assembly in pre-ribosomes. Acetylated nucleolin was found to be associated with nuclear speckles and to co-localize with the splicing factor SC35. Previous nuclear pull down of nucleolin identified several splicing components and factors involved in RNA polymerase II transcription associated with nucleolin. In this report, we show that these splicing components are specifics of the pre-catalytic A and B spliceosomes, while proteins recruited in the Bact, C and P complexes are absent from the nucleolin interacting proteins. Furthermore, we show that acetylated nucleolin co-localized with P-SF3B1, a marker of co-transcriptional active spliceosomes. P-SF3B1 complexes can be pulled down with nucleolin specific antibodies. Interestingly, the alternative splicing of Fibronectin at the IIICS and EDB sites was affected by nucleolin depletion. These data are consistent with a model where nucleolin could be a factor bridging RNA polymerase II transcription and assembly of pre-catalytic spliceosome similarly to its function in the co-transcriptional maturation of pre-rRNA.

Introduction and objectives: a close association between metabolic syndrome among subjects with erectile dysfunction has been addressed, since mechanisms underlying metabolic syndrome compromise the blood flow to the penis in numerous ways. This study aims to analyze the relationship between erectile dysfunction and metabolic syndrome in a group of Mexican patients, to study the influence of other morbidity factors on erectile dysfunction, and to define the specific metabolic syndrome components most associated with erectile dysfunction severity. Methods: a descriptive and cross-sectional study was completed in a group of 86 adult Mexican patients with previous diagnosis of erectile dysfunction. Participants were classified as with or without metabolic syndrome. Erectile dysfunction severity, alcohol or tobacco consumption, and depressive behavior were identified through validated questionnaires and compared between both groups, as well as anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical parameters. Results: anthropometric measures, laboratory values, clinical characteristics and the Beck Depression Inventory score were significantly different among both groups. Additionally, more patients affected by severe and moderate erectile dysfunction were identified in the group with metabolic syndrome. Among the metabolic syndrome components, HbA1c >5.7% and fasting glucose >110 mg/dl were significantly associated to the development of erectile dysfunction (p = 0.004 and 0.04, respectively). Conclusions: metabolic syndrome components aggravate erectile dysfunction, particularly the lack of glycemic control manifested by Hb1Ac >5.7% and/or fasting glucose >110 mg/dL. The inclusion of fasting glucose and HbA1c as a complementary biochemical screening among patients with erectile dysfunction should be assessed.

Particulate matter is a severe source of atmospheric pollution in urban cities, and it has adverse effects on human health. This study was conducted during the whole year of 2016 to monitor the concentrations of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 on the Beijing Hanshiqiao wetland and bare land in Beijing to analyze their correlations with meteorological factors and compare the removal efficiency between two land surface types. The results indicated that (1) the PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 concentrations on the bare land were higher than those on wetland as a whole, reaching the highest value both at night and dusk and the lowest value near noon. The average concentration of PM₁₀ was higher in winter (wetland: 137.48 μg·m^-3; bare land: 164.75 μg·m^-3) and spring (wetland: 205.18 μg·m^-3; bare land: 244.85 μg·m^-3) and the concentration of PM_2.5 on the wetland also reached the higher value in winter and spring with the average of 84.52 μg·m^-3 and 98.98 μg·m^-3, whereas, it was higher in spring and summer on the bare land; (2) concentrations of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 were significantly positively affected by the relative humidity (P < 0.01) and negatively influenced by wind speed (P < 0.05). The relationship between PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 concentrations and temperature was found complicated: it showed a significantly negative correlation (P < 0.01) in winter and spring and was insignificant in autumn, but in summer, only the correlation between the PM₁₀ concentration and temperature on wetland was significant (P < 0.01); (3) the removal efficiencies of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 followed the order of spring > winter > autumn > summer on the wetland, and the removal efficiency of PM₁₀ was greater than that of PM_2.5. This study is aim to provide practical measures to improve the air quality and facilitate sustainable development in Beijing.

Multiple births or twinning in equids are dangerous, undesirable situations that compromise the life of the dam and resulting offspring. However, embryo vitrification and freezing techniques take advantage of individuals whose multiple ovulations allow flushing more fertilised embryos from the oviduct to be collected, increasing the productivity and profitability of such techniques. Embryo preservation is especially important in highly endangered populations such as certain donkey (Equus asinus) breeds; for which conventional reproductive techniques have previously failed. For instance, becoming an effective alternative to artificial insemination with frozen semen to preserve the individuals’ genetic material. The objective of this study was to examine the historical foaling records of Andalusian donkeys to estimate genetic parameters for multiple births, assessing the historical foal number born per animal, maximum foal number per birth and multiple birth number per animal. We designed an Animal Model with single records considering the fixed effects of birthyear, birth season, sex, farm, and husbandry system, and age as a linear and quadratic covariate. Restricted maximum likelihood reported heritability estimates ranging from 0.18±0.01 to 0.24±0.01. Genetic and phenotypic correlations ranged from 0.01±0.01 to 0.83±0.01 and 0.12±0.01 and 0.53±0.01, respectively. These estimates enable the potential for selection against/for these traits, offering a new perspective for donkey breeding and conservation.

The aim of this study was a large-scale ecological analysis of nutritional and other environmental factors potentially associated with the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in the global context. Indicators of CVDs from 158 countries were compared with the statistics of mean intake (supply) of 60 food items between 1993 and 2011, obesity rates, health expenditure and life expectancy. This comparison shows that the relationship between CVD indicators (raised blood pressure, CVD mortality, raised blood glucose) and independent variables in the global context is influenced by various factors such as short life expectancy, religiously conditioned dietary customs, the imprecision of some statistics and undernutrition. However, regardless of the statistical method used, the results always show very similar trends and identify high carbohydrate consumption (mainly in the form of cereals and wheat in particular) as a dietary factor most consistently associated with the risk of CVDs. These findings are in line with the changing view of the causes of CVDs. Because only the statistics of raised blood glucose include people using medications and reflect true prevalence that is independent of healthcare, more objective data on the prevalence of CVDs are needed to confirm these observed trends.

Aim: To analysis the relationship between healthy adults right ventricular diameter (RVD) and geographical factors. Location: China’s 22 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. Methods: Using correlation analysis the relationship between RVD and nine geographic factors, build predictive models by factor analysis. Results: There is significant correlation between RVD and geographical factors, and the annual average temperature is most relevant geographical factors, a predictive model was built by factor analysis: Ŷ = 19.46 + 0.0007072X1 + 0.001034X2 -0.05412X3 -0.001405X4 -0.0006351X5 + 0.02903X6 + 0.01243X7 -0.01033X8 + 0.03816X9 ± 0.63. Then using Kriging interpolation interpolate the geographical distribution of Chinese healthy adult right ventricular diameter reference value in ArcGIS software. Main Conclusion: If geographic factors can be derived in anywhere of China, RVD can be calculated by the model, you can also get RVD from geographical distribution.

Neurotrophins play a principal role in neuronal survival and differentiation during development, but also in the maintenance of appropriate adult neuronal circuits and phenotypes. In the oculomotor system, we have demonstrated that neurotrophins are key regulators of developing and adult neuronal properties, but with peculiarities depending on each neurotrophin. For instance, the administration of NGF, BDNF or NT-3 protects neonatal extraocular motoneurons from cell death after axotomy, but only NGF and BDNF prevent the downregulation in ChAT. In the adult, in vivo recordings of axotomized extraocular motoneurons have demonstrated that the delivery of NGF, BDNF or NT-3 recovers different components of the firing discharge activity of these cells, with some particularities in the case of NGF. All neurotrophins have also synaptotrophic activity, although to different degrees. Accordingly, neurotrophins can restore the axotomy-induced alterations acting selectively on different properties of the motoneuron. In this review we summarize these evidences and discuss them in the context of other motor systems.

Experimental quantification of retention factors related to post-fire strength as well as post-fire ductility of intentionally selected stainless steel grades applied in construction is the objective of research presented here. These steel grades are characterized by a two-phase austenitic-ferritic microstructure of the duplex type. In this context two mutually corresponding chromium-nickel-molybdenum steel grades have been subjected to analysis, namely X2CrNiMoN22-5-3 steel belonging to the standard duplex group (DSS 22% Cr) and X2CrMnNiN21-5-1 steel belonging to the lean duplex group (LDSS). The similarities and differences in the mechanical properties exhibited by these steel grades after effective cooling, following more or less prolonged simulated fire action conforming to several development scenarios, have been identified and indicated. The resistance of given steel grade to permanent structural changes induced by the heating program proved to be the critical factor determining these properties and resulting in many cases in increased susceptibility to brittle fracture.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) have recently emerged as global infections with consequential disability adjusted life years (DALYs) and economic burden. This study aimed to explore the spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the occurrence of CHIKV and ZIKV outbreaks throughout Barranquilla, Colombia during 2014 and 2016 and explored the potential for clustering. Incidence data were fitted using multiple Bayesian Poisson models based on a suite of explanatory variables as potential risk factors and multiple options for random effects. A best fit model was used to analyse the case incidence risk for both epidemics to identify any risk factors during their epidemics. Neighbourhoods in the northern region of Barranquilla were hotspots for the outbreaks of both CHIKV and ZIKV. Additional hotspots occurred in the south-western and central regions of the CHIKV and ZIKV outbreaks, respectively. Multivariate conditional autoregressive models strongly identified higher socioeconomic strata (SES) and residing in detached houses as risk factors for ZIKV case incidences. These novel findings challenge the belief that these infections are driven by social vulnerability and merits further study both in Barranquilla and throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) have recently emerged as global infections with consequential disability adjusted life years (DALYs) and economic burden. This study aimed to explore the spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the occurrence of CHIKV and ZIKV outbreaks throughout Barranquilla, Colombia during 2014 and 2016 and explored the potential for clustering. Incidence data were fitted using multiple Bayesian Poisson models based on a suite of explanatory variables as potential risk factors and multiple options for random effects. A best fit model was used to analyse the case incidence risk for both epidemics to identify any risk factors during their epidemics. Neighbourhoods in the northern region of Barranquilla were hotspots for the outbreaks of both CHIKV and ZIKV. Additional hotspots occurred in the south-western and central regions of the CHIKV and ZIKV outbreaks, respectively. Multivariate conditional autoregressive models strongly identified higher socioeconomic strata (SES) and residing in detached houses as risk factors for ZIKV case incidences. These novel findings challenge the belief that these infections are driven by social vulnerability and merits further study both in Barranquilla and throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

Background and Objectives: Peripheral vertigo is one of the most common symptoms for which patients are seen by a neurologist in the emergency room. Symptoms of peripheral vertigo can range from lightheadedness to an illusion of spinning. On average, vertigo is diagnosed for older patients as its predicting factors from medical history are yet to be determined. The objective of the study was to predict peripheral vertigo based on medical history and risk factors. Materials and Methods: A prospective case-control study at the Neurology Department of Lithuanian University Hospital was conducted. 71 patients diagnosed with vertigo and 43 controls was included. They completed questionnaires and underwent evaluation by neurologists or otolaryngologists, with statistical analysis performed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Results: 58% of vertigo patients were diagnosed with peripheral vertigo, with significant predictors including age (&gt;60), motion sickness, height intolerance, gastroesophageal reflux disease and dyslipidemia, leading to the development of a risk assessment table for the peripheral vertigo prediction. Conclusions: This study suggest that early identification of these predictors could enhance peripheral vertigo management, while further research with larger cohorts is needed to validate and expand upon these findings, emphasizing the importance of considering medical history and risk factors for predicting peripheral vertigo and improving patient care.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a highly prevalent and a critical complication of cardiac surgery (CS). Serum lactate levels (sLac) have consistently shown an association with morbimortality after CS. We performed a cross-sectional study including 264 adult patients that had a cardiac surgery between January and December 2020. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine factors associated with AKI development. We measured the postoperative levels of sLac to all participants immediately after CS (T0) and after 4 hours (T4) of the surgical intervention. Linear regression model was carried out to identify the factors influencing both levels of sLac. We identified four risk predictors of AKI; one was preoperative (atrial fibrillation), one intraoperative (cardiopulmonary bypass time), and two were postoperative (length of hospital stay and postoperative sLac). T0 and T4 sLac levels were higher among CS-AKI patients than in Non-CS-AKI. Postoperative sLac levels were significant independent predictors of CSA-AKI and the sLac levels are influenced by length of hospital stay, the number of packed red blood cells transfused and the use of furosemide in CS-AKI patients. These findings may facilitate the earlier identification of patients susceptible to AKI after CS.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer (CRC) are significant health problems and share some risk factors. The aim of our study was to develop and validate a predictive score for advanced colorectal neoplasia (CRN) based on risk factors for cardiovascular disease and CRC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study comprising a derivation cohort and an external validation cohort of 1049 and 308 patients respectively. A prediction score for advanced CRN (CRNAS: Colorectal Neoplasia Advanced Score) was developed from a logistic regression model, comprising sex, age, first-degree family history for CRC, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, body mass index, diabetes, smoking, and antihypertensive treatment. Other cardiovascular risk scores (Framingham-Wilson, REGICOR, SCORE and FRESCO) were also used to predict the risk of advanced CRN. The discriminatory capacity of each score was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: CRN were found in 379 subjects from the derivation cohort (36%) including 228 patients (22%) with an advanced CRN. Male sex, age, diabetes, and smoking were identified as independent risk factors for advanced CRN. The newly created score (CRNAS), showed an AUC of 0.68 (95% CI: 0.64-0.73) for advanced CRN, which was better than cardiovascular risk scores (p

In order to investigate the vertical distribution pattern of soil fauna community in low-altitude mountain areas. On July 8th, 2022, a low hill was selected as the study area to collect soil arthropods were collected through trap. Leaf litter, vegetation type and distribution quantity were investigated at each sampling site while soil fauna were collected. Also, the soil physical and chemical parameters were measured simultaneously. The results of one-way ANOVA showed that there were significant differences (P

Background and objectives: sickle cell disease is the most common hemoglobinopathy in the world. It is considered to be a real public health problem. Sickle cell patients are subjected to several factors causing inflammation such as iron metabolism. The study aimed to look for inflammation in children with sickle cell disease in Cameroon, identify the factors associated with inflammation, and raise the consequences for the patient including the iron profile and the profile of the hemogram. Materials and methods: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study for 03 months. The sickle cell disease patients coming and/or followed at the Hematology Department of the Regional Hospital of Bafoussam and the Central Hospital of Yaoundé have been recruited. The exploration of inflammation was made by determining CRP, IL6, and ferritin concentrations. The hematological parameters and iron profile were evaluated using standard methods. Statistical analysis of the data was performed; Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses allowed to identification of factors associated with inflammation in patients, using the statistical tool R version 4.1.1.. The proportions were compared with the chi-square test when the expected numbers were greater than 5 and the Fisher test when not. Results: The frequency of inflammation in the population was 42.3%. Hyperferritinemia was significantly greater (p<0.001) in patients with inflammation compared to the non-inflammatory patients (96.8% and 76.7% respectively). Patients with inflammation showed a significant elevation of iron parameters (p<0.05). In addition, ferritin and IL6 elevation were associated with inflammation during sickle cell disease respectively (Or = 4.96; 95% CI [1.15-36.42]; p=0.056) and (Or =6.23; 95% CI [1.43-45.96]; p=0.030). Conclusions: The elevated iron in plasma is an effect of inflammation in sickle cell patients. Hence the need of controlling inflammation and iron in the latter is necessary.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate fixed risk factors associated with PWM and to estimate genetic parameters for PWM. A total of 927 birth records from a mixed population of purebred and crossbred Boer and Spanish goats born between 2016 and 2023 at the International Goat Research Center (IGRC) were used for this study. Four binary traits were studied: D0-3 (death within 3 days after birth), D4-60 (death between 4 and 60 days), D61-90 (death between 61 and 90 days), and D0-90 (death within 90 days). Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the risk factors associated with PWM traits. Bayesian threshold models and Gibbs sampling were used to estimate the genetic parameters. Birth weight, season, litter size, sex, dam age, breed, and heterosis were found to be significantly associated with at least one of the PWM traits. Heritability estimates were 0.263, 0.124, 0.080, and 0.207, for D0-3, D4-60, D61-90, and D0-90, respectively. The genetic correlations between the studied traits ranged from 0.892 (D0-3 and D0-90) to 0.999 (D0-3 and D61-90). These results suggest that PWM in goats is influenced by both non-genetic and genetic factors and can be reduced by management, genetic selection, and crossbreeding approaches.

Background and Objectives: Cancer as the second leading cause of death in the United States poses a huge healthcare burden. Barriers to access to advanced therapies influence the outcome of cancer treatment. In this study, we examined whether insurance types affect the quality of cancer clinical care regarding access to an important monoclonal antibody, ramucirumab. Materials and Methods: Data for 13,340 cancer patients with Purchased or Medicaid insurance from the All of Us Database were collected for this study. The Chi-square test of proportions was employed to determine the significance of patient cohort characteristics and ramucirumab usage between Purchased and Medicaid insurance groups. The independent t-test was utilized to assess the influences of other determinants on insurance types. Results: Cancer patients who are African American, with lower socioeconomic status, or with lower educational attainment are more likely to be insured by Medicaid. Analysis of survey questions demonstrated the relationship between income and education level with insurance type as Medicaid cancer patients were less likely to receive primary care and specialist physician access and more likely to request lower cost medications. In addition, those with Medicaid insurance were identified to have poorer access to expensive therapeutics like ramucirumab compared to those with Purchased insurance.  Conclusions: The inequities of the US healthcare system are observed for cancer patient care; access to physicians and therapeutics are highly varied and dependent on insurance types. Socioeconomic status determines insurance type, which unfortunately generates a significant impact on cancer treatment and disease outcome.

Introduction: Cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) is the most common congenital face anomaly in the world of multifactorial etiology. Objective: To determine the prevalence and characteristics of cleft palate. To identify associated risk factors to guide prevention and/or prenatal detection for early intervention and better health outcomes. To assess the rehabilitation protocols after operations in cleft palate. Design: Retrospective descriptive and clinical study. Patients: One hundred and three children with cleft palate treated in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery Clinic for Children and Young Adults, Department of Clinical Pediatrics, University of Warmia and Mazury, were included in the study. Methods: Records evaluation was conducted regarding sex, cleft type, mother occupation, parents education, histories of cleft in any of parents. The data were analyzed using R (R core team 2021) and the ordinal logistic regression analyses. Results: Children of stressed mothers during pregnancy had 9.4 times higher odds of having bilateral cleft. While there was no evidence that children sex, order of birth, and body mass as well as risk of maternal toxicity at work or reporting infections or drugs toxicity had a significant effect on the dependent variable. Conclusions: Children of parents with cleft history and having low educated mothers had higher probability of bilateral cleft palate. Children of stressed mothers during pregnancy had higher odds of having bilateral cleft. In literature, there is a lack of reports about rehabilitation in different operations methods in children with cleft palates.

We assessed the association between cirrhosis and severe COVID-19-related outcomes among people with laboratory-diagnosed COVID-19 infection in British Columbia, Canada. We used data from the British Columbia (BC) COVID-19 Cohort, a population-based cohort that integrates data on all individuals tested for COVID-19 with data on hospitalizations, medical visits, emergency room visits, prescription drugs, chronic conditions, and deaths in the Canadian province of BC. We included all individuals, aged ≥ 18 who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, from January 01, 2021, to December 31, 2021. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between cirrhosis status and COVID-19-related hospitalization and ICU admission. Of the 162,509 individuals who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and were included in the analysis, 768 (0.5%) had cirrhosis. In the multivariable models, cirrhosis was associated with increased odds of hospitalization (aOR=1.97, 95% CI: 1.58 – 2.47) and ICU admission (aOR=3.33, 95% CI: 2.56 – 4.35). In the analyses stratified by age, we found that the increased odds of ICU admission among people with cirrhosis were present in all the assessed age-groups. Cirrhosis is associated with increased odds of hospitalization and ICU admission among COVID-19 patients.

This investigation aimed to knowledge of the presence of Brucella spp .in the samples from Babylon province and the relationship with environmental factors. The seasonal collection of animal soil samples for various villages in the middle, south, and north of Babylon province, Hilla City, Iraq, with physicochemical parameters (air and soil temperature, pH, EC, TDS, salinity, TOC), as well as heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Cd, and Pb). The results showed the presence of Brucella species in some of soil samples and its percentage varies according to the four seasons, where the highest percentage of Brucella spp. was in summer season and the lowest in winter season and these percentages were related to seasonal environmental indicators. After sending the positive bacterial samples isolated from the soil for sequencing analysis, it was found that the bacterial samples isolated from the soil have new strains recorded in Genbank as following: five strains for Brucella intermedia and one strain for Brucella rhizosphaerae, Also, phylogenetic analysis was for the drawing of phylogenetic tree and the determination of phylogenetic relationship for Knowledge the degree of convergence between species and their source. Through our research, we concluded that proportion of Brucella spp. presence in summer was high and also environmental factors which included (Air and Soil temperature, pH, EC, TDS and Salinity) were high, except TOC was lower in summer season whereas heavy metals for Cu, Fe, Cd were lower in summer except Pb was high. This indicated that differences of seasons affect to Brucella ratio in soil. The findings of sequencing for the bacterial samples from soil demonstrated that B. intermedia was found in both the spring and fall seasons while B.rhizosphaerae found in the spring season , These types of Brucella had genetic variations. Also concluded that during phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA sequences indicated that B.intermedia was nearest to Pakistan and other strain of B.intermedia was nearest to Russia while B.rhizosphaerae was nearest to Ukraine and Pakistan.

Aims. In a male Italian cohort (initially aged 40-59, n=1712) followed-up during 61 years and reaching practical extinction, the natural history of major CVD mortality categories including coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and other Heart Diseases of Uncertain Etiology (HDUE, including congestive heart failure) were studied along with their risk factor relationships. Methods and Results. Cox models were run with 12 covariates measured at entry as possible predictors. About 93% of all CVD deaths were covered by the 3 major groups selected here (N=751): 37.4% of them were diagnosed as CHD, 30.6% as stroke and 28.5 % as HDUE. CHD declined in the last 20 years of follow-up, while a sharp increase of HDUE mortality was seen. Baseline mean levels of serum cholesterol were 209.6, 204.2 and 198.0 mg/dl respectively for CHD, stroke and HDUE deaths: the multivariable coefficients of serum cholesterol were positive and significant for CHD (p<0.0001) and stroke (p=0.0203) and not significant for HDUE (p=0.3467). In Fine-Gray models, the algebraic signs of cholesterol coefficients were opposite for CHD versus the other mortality categories (t=3.13). The predictive performances of remaining risk factors were varied whereas that of Cox models was not very good, probably due to the attrition phenomenon and possible competing risks. Conclusion. Large differences in natural history and risk factors were found comparing the 3 CVD conditions, potentially indicating different etiologies and pointing to the need of not mixing them up in a grouped CVD category.

As the most important city in China, Beijing has experienced an economic soar, large-scale population growth and eco-environment changes in recent 20 years.Evaluating climate and human-induced vegetation changes could reveal the relationship of vegetation-climate-human activities and provide important insights for the coordination of economic growth and environmental protection. Based on a long-term MODIS vegetation index dataset, meteorological data (temperature, precipitation) and impervious surface data, the Theil-Sen regression and the Mann-Kendall method are used to estimate vegetation change trend in this study and the residual analysis is utilized to distinguish the impacts of climate factors and human activities on vegetation restoration and degradation from 2000 to 2019 in Beijing. Our results show that the increasing vegetation areas account for 80.2\% of Beijing. The restoration of vegetation is concentrated in the urban core area and mountainous area, while the degradation of vegetation is mainly concentrated in the suburbs. In recent years, the vegetation in most mountainous areas has changed from restoration to significant restoration, indicating that the growth of mountain vegetation has continued to restore. We also found that in the process of urban expansion, vegetation browning occurred in 53.1\% of the urban built-up area, while vegetation greening occurred in the rest part. We concluded that precipitation is the main climatic factor affecting the growth of vegetation in Beijing mountain areas through correlation analysis. Human activities have significantly promoted the vegetation growing in the northern mountainous area thanks to the establishment of environmental protection areas. The negative correlation between vegetation and the impervious surface tends to gradually expand outwards, which is consistent with the trend of urban expansion. The positive correlation region remains stable, but the positive correlation is gradually enhanced. The response of vegetation to urbanization demonstrated a high degree of spatial heterogeneity. These findings indicated that human activities played an increasingly important role in influencing vegetation changes in Beijing.

Background Aspergillus spp. is a widely distributed filamentous fungus in the environment due to its high sporulation capacity. Currently, invasive aspergillosis (IA) is the most common invasive fungal infection in patients with hematologic malignancies with high rates of mortality and morbidity. The multifactorial nature of the disease requires appropriate risk stratification to allow the most appropriate preventive measures to be adapted and implemented according to the characteristics of the patient. In this sense, the present research aims to identify recent risk factors and environmental control measures against invasive aspergillosis to establish preventive actions to reduce the incidence of invasive aspergillosis in hospitals; (2) Methods: We conducted a qualitative systematic review of the scientific literature on environmental risk factors and preventive measures for invasive aspergillosis in patients with hematological malignancies. The Medline, Cochrane and Scopus databases were consulted, following the PRISMA and STROBE guidelines; (3) Results Adequate implementation of environmental control measures is presented as the most efficient intervention in terms of prevention to decrease the incidence of invasive aspergillosis in hospitals. We identify neutropenia, fungal contamination, lack of adequate environmental control measures in hospitals and patients´ homes, duration of hospitalization, and anemia as independent risk factors. We show that HEPA, LAF and Plasmair® systems are suitable methods to reduce the concentration of airborne fungal spores. Antifungal prophylaxis did not influence the reduction of IA significantly in our study; (4) Conclusions: Proper professional training and environmental control measures in hospitals are essential for the prevention of invasive aspergillosis. We should optimize risk stratification for patients with hematologic malignancies. Antifungal prophylaxis should be complementary to environmental control measures and should never be substituted for these last ones. Studies should also be done to evaluate the efficiency of environmental control measures against IA at patients' homes.

Background: Hospital-acquired infections (HAI) pose a significant danger to global public health, mainly because their numbers are growing exponentially each year. Additionally, the rise of bacterial strains resistant to current treatment options further exacerbates this threat. The study aimed to examine the occurrences of HAIs identified in public hospitals at the county level. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study utilizing data provided to the Mures Public Health Directorate from all the public hospitals within this county. We examined HAIs reported during the period spanning from 2017 to 2021, which amounted to a total of 4603 cases. Results: The medical departments reported the highest prevalence of HAIs at 48.25%. The most common infections in-cluded enterocolitis with Clostridioides difficile (32.61%), COVID-19 (19.83%), bronchopneumonia (16.90%), sepsis, surgical wound infections, and urinary tract infections. The five most frequently identified pathogens were Clostridioides difficile (32.61%), SARS-CoV-2 (19.83%), Acinetobacter baumannii (11.82%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (9.58%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7.95%). Acinetobacter baumannii was the predominant agent causing bronchopneumonia, while Klebsiella pneumoniae was the leading cause of sepsis cases. Escherichia coli was the primary agent behind urinary tract infec-tions, and Staphylococcus aureus MRSA was identified as the main etiology for wound infections and central catheter infections. Throughout the study period, there was a significant rise in Clostridioides difficile cases, accounting for 40.36% of all reported HAIs in 2021. Conclusions: The study identifies Clostridioides difficile increase in HAI cases during COVID-19, highlighting the need for careful antibiotic use, and emphasizing the growing challenge of multi-resistant strains in post-pandemic state hospitals.

Cardiac hypertrophy typically follows myocardial damage, a process known to involve members of the Krüppel-Like Factors (KLFs) which have pro-hypertrophic and anti-hypertrophic roles. Our study delved into the molecular mechanisms underlying KLFs-cardiac hypertrophy interplay post myocardial infraction. We induced myocardial dam-age in rats using isoproterenol. Total RNA was extracted from the left ventricle and Quantitative Real Time RT-PCR was conducted to assess the expression of KLFs, cardiac commitment genes, inflammatory markers, and certain conduction-related genes. We devel-oped a computational approach to construct a proteomic network centered on KLFs. Initial results revealed early expression (2-3 days post-induction) of KLF3, KLF4 and KLF6, followed by the subsequent expression of KLF11 and KLF15 (5-8 days after induction). In the maturation stage, KLF12 and KLF13 regulators were found upregulated. IL-6 was gradually found to be upregulated through. Interaction analysis revealed KLF3, KLF8 and KLF12 interacted with cardiac electrical functions. RT-PCR confirmed up-regulation in cardiac genes linked to electrical function and scar maturation. Our findings underscore the central role of KLFs during the modulation of the cardiac hypertrophic response. Dysregulation of KLF expression resulted in damaged myocardium, participating in the progression of abnormal hypertrophy, highlighting their potential as therapeutic targets for heart diseases.

Traditional shipping ships abbreviated as Pelra have a different character from conventional ships. Hypothetically, the application of Safety Management System (SMS) on Pelra is influenced by technical and non-technical factors. These factors are control variables and determinants of action priorities if SMS is applied to the safety of traditional shipping, so that it has implications as a basis for formulating and developing safety policies for traditional shipping transportation in an effort to reduce the risk of accidents. This research uses Structural Equation Modeling by analyzing expert opinions. The results of the analysis show that technical and non-technical factors have a direct and interconnected effect on Pelra safety management. The dominant influences are non-technical factors of authority and responsibility of the company and crew as well as the feasibility of ship construction as technical and environmental factors..

The main objective of this research was to analyze the relationship between socioeconomic and demographic indicators and the level of transparency of municipalities in the state of Maranhão. The transparency index was constructed based on the LRF and LAI and consisted of 32 items. Subsequently , for To identify which factors explain the level of transparency, a multiple linear regression was carried out, comparing the explanatory variables for the level of transparency adopted in this study. The sample consisted of municipalities in the State of Maranhão, totaling 211 municipalities, as 7 did not have a website. The results of the multiple linear regression model indicate that the IDHM, the log of total GDP, the GDP per capita and the variable log of POP explain the NT of the municipalities surveyed to the point of explain the level of transparency of the municipalities of Maranhão, only the IFDM did not show a relationship with the NT among the variables analyzed.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are prevalent and lead to high morbidity and mortality globally. Physiotherapists regularly interact with patients with or at risk of CVDs (pwCVDs). This study aimed to assess the nature of existing evidence, interventional approaches used, and the population groups included in physiotherapy-led health promotion (PLHP) for pwCVDs. The scoping review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, and PEDro databases were searched from inception until June 2023. Two reviewers independently screened the titles, abstracts, full text and conducted data extraction. All conflicts were resolved with a third reviewer. A total of 4992 records were identified, of which 20 full-text articles were included in the review. The studies had varied populations, including those with stroke, coronary artery diseases, peripheral artery diseases, hypertension, diabetes, and multiple CVD risk factors. The interventions ranged from exercise and physical activity programs, dietary interventions, education, and counselling sessions with various supplementary approaches. Most interventions were short-term, with less than 12 months of follow-up. Interventions were personalised and patientcentred to promote adherence and health behaviour change. Among the included studies, 60% employed experimental designs, with the remainder using quasi-experimental designs. Although a wide range of PLHP strategies have been used for pwCVDs, exercise and physical activity were employed in 85% of included studies. Other components of health promotion, such as sleep, smoking, and alcohol abuse, should be investigated within PLHP.

Integrated cultivation strategies can significantly improve rice yield. However, it is unclear how integrated cultivation practices improve soil microbial diversity and its related mechanism in rice field. Therefore, four integrated cultivation practices i.e., no N application (N0), local farmers’ practice (FP), high-yield and high-efficiency practice (HYEY), and super-high-yield cultivation practice, impacts on soil properties and structure composition of microbial community were explored. Compared with N0, SHY treatment, significantly increased soil alkaline nitrogen and organic matter contents. HYHE and SHY treatments significantly altered soil fungal community and Alpha diversity. Based on Venn diagram analysis, the composition of bacterial communities under all treatments was similar, but with different compositions of fungal communities. Cluster analysis indicates that the Proteobacteria was the absolute dominant group of bacterial communities, and Chloroflexi, Bacteroidetes, and Acidobacteria were the dominant group. Different cultivation methods also led to changes in the main factors affecting soil bacteria and fungi composition. Available potassium and organic matter were the main environmental factors that affected bacteria, with the strong of available potassium on the soil. To sum up, SHY and HYEY were beneficial management options in terms of improved soil fertility Alpha diversity of the soil bacterial community respectively.

Objective: To study the factors affecting the time of umbilical cord shedding in premature infants.Methods: A total of 151 premature infants who were born in the obstetrics department of a Class III hospital in Hefei from November 2020 to June 2021 were selected as subjects. All premature infants and their families met the complete inclusion criteria. A total of 33 related factors from 3 aspects, including the birth situation of premature infants, the condition of premature infants in hospital and the condition of pregnant mothers, were collected for univariate analysis and multiple Logistic regression analysis. The relevant factors affecting the umbilical cord shedding time of premature infants were screened through the univariate analysis results, and the main factors affecting the umbilical cord shedding time of premature infants were screened through the multiple Logistic regression analysis results.it was found that the weight, gestural age, admission age, whether the premature infants were combined with NRDS, the use of antibiotics, the duration in the warm box, the initial temperature in the warm box, the duration of light therapy, the degree of Apgar for 1 minute, the maternal education level had an effect on the time of umbilical cord shedding of premature infants (P < 0.05). Through Logistic multiple regression analysis, it was screened that the duration of premature infants in the incubator was the main factor affecting the umbilical cord shedding time of premature infants (P < 0.05).Conclusion: Factors such as premature infants' weight, gestural age, admission age, whether they are combined with NRDS, antibiotic use, duration in the incubator, initial temperature in the incubator, duration of phototherapy, Apgar level of 1 minute, and maternal education level will affect the umbilical cord shedding time of premature infants. Among them, duration in the incubator is the main factor affecting the umbilical cord shedding time of premature infants.

Research on climacteric syndrome among middle-aged men remains scant than the research among women. Research is also scant on climacteric syndrome among older adults living alone, particularly men, who are more vulnerable than such females. This cross-sectional study investigated whether the prevalence of climacteric syndrome is associated with the type of household middle-aged men live in and identified the determinants of climacteric syndrome based on the household type. Six hundred middle-aged men living in multi-person households and 600 living alone were surveyed about general characteristics, diet-related factors, and climacteric syndrome. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s chi-squared test, Fisher’s exact test, and logistic regression. The risk of climacteric syndrome in single-person households was found to be 1.6 times higher than that among in multi-person households (p = 0.006). In multi-person households, income and breakfast frequency predicted climacteric syndrome (p < 0.05), while age, breakfast frequency, dinner frequency, and weekly eating out frequency predicted climacteric syndrome in single-person households (p < 0.05). Thus, dietary factors are more closely linked to the prevalence of climacteric syndrome in single-person households than in multi-person households. This highlights the need for climacteric syndrome interventions for middle-aged men whose health concerns may persist into older adulthood.

Accidental soft tissue injuries are a frequent injury. We report a case involving a 37-year-old man with a soft tissue wound failing conservative treatment. The use of applied fibrin membranes and concentrated growth factors yielded a resolution of the injury in 16 months without need of skin grafting.

Sweet sorghum is an important bioenergy grass and valuable forage with a strong adaptability to saline environments. However, little is known about the mechanisms of sweet sorghum coping with ion toxicity under salt stresses. Here, we first evaluated the salt tolerance of a sweet sorghum cultivar “Lvjuren” and determined its ion accumulation traits under NaCl treatments; then explored key genes involved in Na+, Cl−, K+ and NO3− transport using transcriptome profiling and qRT-PCR method. The results showed that the growth and photosynthesis of sweet sorghum were unaffected by 50 and 100 mM NaCl treatments, indicative of a strong tolerance of this species to salt stresses. Under NaCl treatments, sweet sorghum could efficiently exclude Na+ from shoots and accumulate Cl− in leaf sheaths to avoid their overaccumulation in leaf blades; meanwhile, it possessed a prominent ability to sustain NO3− homeostasis in leaf blades. Transcriptome profiling identified several differentially expressed genes associated with Na+, Cl−, K+ and NO3− transport in roots, leaf sheaths and leaf blades of sweet sorghum after 200 mM NaCl treatment for 6 and 48 h. Moreover, transcriptome data and qRT-PCR results indicated that HKT1;5, CLCc and NPF7.3-1 should be key genes involved in Na+ retention in roots, Cl− accumulation in leaf sheaths and maintenance of NO3− homeostasis in leaf blades, respectively. Many TFs were also identified after NaCl treatment, which should play important regulatory roles in salt tolerance of sweet sorghum. This work lays a preliminary foundation for clarifying the molecular basis underlying the adaptation of sweet sorghum to adverse environments.

As the global population rapidly ages with longer life expectancy and declining birth rates, the need for healthcare services and caregivers for older adults is increasing. Current research envisions addressing this shortage by introducing domestic service robots to assist with daily activities. The successful integration of robots as domestic service providers in our lives requires them to possess efficient manipulation capabilities, provide effective physical assistance, and have adaptive control frameworks that enable them to develop social understanding during human-robot interaction. In this context, human factors, especially quantifiable ones, represent a necessary component. The objective of this paper is to conduct an unbiased review encompassing studies on human factors studied in research involving physical interactions and strong manipulation capabilities. We identified the prevalent human factors in physical human-robot interaction (pHRI), noted the factors typically addressed together and determined the frequently utilized assessment approaches. Additionally, we gathered and categorized proposed quantification approaches based on measurable data for each human factor. We also formed a map of common contexts and applications addressed in pHRI for a comprehensive understanding and easier navigation of the field. We found out that most of the studies in direct pHRI (when there is direct physical contact) focus on social behaviors with belief being the most commonly addressed human factor type. Task collaboration is moderately investigated, while physical assistance is rarely studied. In contrast, indirect pHRI (when the physical contact is mediated via a third item) studies often involve industrial settings, with physical ergonomics being the most frequently investigated human factor. More research is needed on human factors in direct and indirect physical assistance applications, including studies that combine physical social behaviors with physical assistance tasks. We also found that while the predominant approach in most studies involves the use of questionnaires as the main method of quantification, there is a recent trend that seeks to address quantification approaches based on measurable data.

Background and Aim. Recently made analysis for anti-HBcor prevalence within Kazakhstan blood donors population concluded 17.2% rate. Considering these data are among the highest of infectivity results worldwide, an objective of this study was to define an association of positive Hepatitis B serology markers with risk and behavior factors. Methods. The blood donors’ samples were tested for anti-HBcore total (IgG/IgM) and anti-HBs, by CLIA on the Architect i2000SR platform (Abbott). Surrogate alanine transferase (ALT) markers for all blood donors were tested by kinetic method on the Biosystems A25 analyzer. A questionnaire was developed for socio-demographic characteristics, donors’ nutrition habits, cholesterol levels and history of smoking, alcohol consumption. Informed consent was obtained from all study participants. Statistics was calculated using the R software program (version 4.1.1, USA, 2021). Results. A group of 5709 blood donors participated in the study. Participants with positive anti-HBcore scores were on average older (41.8 vs 34.4 years, p<0.001), Kazakh (88.7% vs 83.0%, p<0.001), married (74.0% vs 55.6%, p<0.001), had a secondary education (70.1% vs. 59.4%, p=0.03), smoked (27.9% vs. 24.3%, p=0.05), had a longer smoking history (13.6±9.5 years vs. 9.8±8.5 years, p<0.001), and various hypercholestesterolaemia (6.2% vs 3.9%, p=0.02). Predominantly their main meal was dinner (17.0% vs 14.2%, p=0.03). Analysis for associations of socio-demographics characteristics, risk factors, nutrition with anti-HBs, showed that those who have secondary education level (70.1%) were more likely to be anti-HBs-positive (p=0.03). No other significant correlations for anti-HBs were observed. Conclusions. The risk factors and behavior analysis highlighted the blood donors’ overall health status. Positive Hepatitis B markers associated with statistically significant characteristics from socio-demography, nutrition habits or risk factors could support further pathogenesis studies looking for HBV treatment guides fulfilling the existing gaps.

The aim of this study was to determine the most common maternal and neonatal complications related to cesarean section at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) and to compare the outcomes between emergency and elective cesarean sections. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at SQUH from 1st January 2016 to 31st December 2016. This comparative study involved 300 women who underwent cesarean section, 150 in elective cesarean section group and 150 in emergency cesarean section group. Data was collected from the delivery ward maternity registry and Electronic Patient Records. SPSS software version 23 was used to analyze the data.The mean maternal age was 29.66 (± 4.96) and 33.22 (± 4.63) years in the elective and emergency cesarean section groups respectively (p=001). The main risk factor for both the groups was maternal diabetes and the most common indication for both was previous cesarean section. Hypotension related anesthetic complication was noted more in elective cesarean section (15.3%) than in emergency cesarean section group (4.0%) with p value=0.002. The most common major intraoperative complication in both groups was postpartum hemorrhage, 66.9% women in emergency group and 63.0% women in elective group. Post-partum fever was seen in 12.0% of women in emergency group as compared to 4% in elective group (p=0.019). Anemia was observed in 79.2% and 65.3% in emergency and elective groups respectively (p=0.011). Respiratory distress syndrome and transient tachypnea of the newborn were the main neonatal complications in both groups. There was no significant difference between emergency and elective cesarean section related maternal and neonatal complications except for transient intraoperative hypotension, maternal postoperative febrile morbidity and anemia. Future prospective studies including larger sample size and multiple centers is recommended.

There has been a rise in the prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) globally especially in low-and middle-income countries such as Nigeria. The condition has been linked to genetic predisposes, living conditions, and environmental factors. Environmental factors are considered a significant contributor to AD in low- and middle-income countries. This study determined the prevalence of AD in southwestern Nigeria and identified risk factors in home and school environments that children aged 6 to 14 years are exposed to. A cross-sectional study was adopted, and the total sample size was 349. Four randomly selected health facilities were used for the study. A questionnaire was used to determine the risk factors in the population. Data analysis was done using the latest version of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The prevalence of atopic dermatitis in this study is 25%. Atopic dermatitis was found to be common in females ( 27%). Children who lived where trucks pass on the street almost daily had the highest cases of atopic dermatitis (28%). Children with rugs in their houses and those whose houses are surrounded by bushes also had higher cases of atopic dermatitis at 26% and 26% respectively. Children who played on school grass, attended creche with rubber toys, and attended a school where wooden chairs and chalkboards were used had higher numbers of AD cases at 26%, 26%, 28%, and 27% respectively. This study identified home and school exposure that predisposes children to AD. It is envisaged that the study will serve as a basis for possible research on evidence-based treatment options.

Evaluating the efficacy of the traceability systems (TS) plays an important role not only for planning system implementation before development, but also for analyzing system performance once the system is in use. In the present work, we evaluate the traceability granularity using a comprehensive and quantifiable model and try find its influencing factors via an empirical analysis with 80 vegetable companies in Tianjin city, China. Granularity indicators were collected mostly by the TS platform to ensure the objectivity of the data, and the granularity score was evaluated by using a TS granularity model. The results show a clear imbalance in the distribution of companies as a function of score. The number of companies (21) scoring in the range [50,60] exceeded the number in the other score ranges. Furthermore, the influencing factors on traceability granularity were analyzed by using a rough set method based on nine factors pre-selected by using a published method. The results show that the factor “number of TS operation staff” is deleted because it is unimportant. The remaining factors rank according to importance as follows: Expected revenue &gt; Supply chain (SC) integration degree &gt; Cognition of TS &gt; Certification system &gt; Company sales &gt; Informationization management level &gt; System maintenance investment &gt; Manager education level. Based on these results, the corresponding implications are given with the goal of (i) establishing the market mechanism of high price with high quality, (ii) increasing government investment for constructing the TS, and (iii) enhancing the organization of SC companies.

The territory of Serbia is vulnerable to various types of natural and man-made disasters. The risk is not equal across the entire territory, depending on the type of hazard and the expected potential for damage. So far, the level of community disaster resilience has not been determined in Serbia. There are no scientific preconditions for its improvement to reduce the future material and intangible consequences of disasters. Regarding that, the project’s main objective is to develop and validate a predictive model of community disaster resilience based on social identity influences through an investigation impact of social identity indicators on the level of community disaster resilience in Serbia. The project is based on the upcoming research on whether the level of community disaster resilience can be predicted based on social identity indicators, how social identity indicators affect different dimensions of community disaster resilience, and how disasters shape social identity. The project is based on multimethod research in which quantitative (face-to-face interviews in 40 of the 191 municipalities), and qualitative (semi-structured interviews) research methodology will be applied. A developed predictive model with an index of community disaster resilience in Serbia will empower the creation of preconditions for designing public policies, strategies and procedures for improving resilience and reducing the consequences of disasters on people and their property and enhancing citizens’ security. The project will encourage the prediction of community disaster resilience based on social identity indicators, improving disaster foresight and preparing to limit disaster losses. Based on the development of analytical frameworks for understanding community disaster resilience and social identity in disasters, essential preconditions for designing innovative information systems will be created to enable local communities to increase their level of resilience.

Melioidosis, or Whitmore's disease, is an infectious disease initiated by a bacteria known as Burkholderia pseudomallei. This bacteria is commonly found in contaminated soil and water. In Malaysia, the mortality from melioidosis infection was reported to be higher than in other infectious diseases. The research on melioidosis is still limited in Malaysia but slightly increasing. The article's objective was to seek all the melioidosis research related to mortality in Malaysia. The information from the selected papers was then abstracted into two sections; Section 1: Review of literature and Section 2: Findings on mortality from melioidosis in Malaysia. In Section 1, the information on transmission and clinical features of melioidosis, demographic, severity of melioidosis, a clinical signs of melioidosis, diagnosis of melioidosis, management of melioidosis, the economic burden of melioidosis, and incidence of mortality from melioidosis were discussed in this paper. Meanwhile, in Section 2, the findings on mortality of melioidosis in Malaysia were discussed according to eight published articles. It is important to manage patients with melioidosis with appropriate treatment and management to reduce severe complications, high fatality rate, and relapse. More published research on melioidosis will provide input to the clinicians on a more detailed understanding of how to improve the diagnosis of melioidosis and the prognosis factors of this disease.

KLFs seem to associate with congenital heart disease-linked syndromes, malformations because of autosomal diseases, mutations that relate to protein instability, and/or loss functions such as atheroprotective activities. Ischemic damage also relates to KLF dysregulation because of differentiation of cardiac myofibroblasts or a modified fatty acid oxidation, related to the formation of a dilated cardiomyopathy; myocardial infarctions, left ventricular hypertrophy and diabetic cardiomyopathies. MicroRNA have been involved in certain regulatory loops of KLFs as they may function as critical modulators of vascular smooth muscle cells in atherosclerosis, in heart failure and as markers of endothelial damage in acute myocardial infarction.

In the context of the new crown epidemic, remote physical training will already be in order under the guidance of the Ministry of Education. There is a global focus on current lifestyle behaviors and the future health and well-being of youth. Youth physical activity, aerobic activity and muscle fitness levels are declining.[1] Research on the effects of youth physical training and group attitudes is still in its infancy. This study conducted in-depth interviews with online physical training students, parents, teachers involved in the construction of online physical training, and sports practitioners through interview methods, documentation, and mathematical statistics. The results of the interviews were qualitatively coded using NVivo to summarize the attitudes of different subjects toward physical fitness training and the influencing factors, (1) students were basically satisfied with the teaching effect of online physical fitness training (2) parents thought the teaching effect of online physical fitness training was average (3) physical education teachers thought the effect of online physical fitness training was average (4) physical education practitioners thought the effect of online teaching was poor.

Numerous studies have established the link between ADHD and antisocial behavior, one of the most serious functional impairments caused by the disorder. However, research on protective factors that mitigate this link is still lacking. The Salutogenic Model of Health offers the “Sense of Coherence” (SOC), establishing that individuals who see their lives as logical, meaningful, and manageable are more resistant to various risk factors and diseases. The present study examines for the first time whether SOC is also a protective factor against ADHD-related different types of antisocial behaviors (severe/mild violent behavior, verbal violence, property crimes, public disorder, and drug abuse). 2260 participants aged 15-50 completed online questionnaires assessing the level of ADHD symptoms, antisocial behaviors, and SOC. An interaction between ADHD and SOC was found in predicting each type of antisocial behavior. The link between ADHD and antisocial behavior was significantly weaker for high than low SOC participants, regardless of age group. The current study found that people with high SOC are protected against the effect of ADHD on one of the most serious functional impairments, antisocial behavior. These findings suggest that SOC is a protective factor from the adverse effects of ADHD, justifying further prospective and intervention studies.

Canine leptospirosis is a zoonosis of epidemiological importance. Dogs are recognized as primary reservoirs of Leptospira interrogans serogroup Canicola and a source of infection to the environment through urine. This study aimed to determine the presence of antibodies against Leptospira in canines from 49 municipalities in the Department of Antioquia, Colombia. We performed a cross-sectional study of dogs included in a neutering control program. We collected 1335 sera samples, assayed by a microagglutination test (MAT), and performed PCR detection in 21 urine samples. We also surveyed 903 dog owners. We found a seroreactivity of 11.2% (150/1335) in Antioquia with titers 1:50. Municipalities with the highest number of cases were Belmira (46.1%), Turbo (34.5%), and Concepción (31.0%). L. santarosai was identified by phylogenetic analysis in one urine sample from the municipality of Granada. The most important factor associated with a positive result was the lack of vaccination against leptospirosis (PR 3.3, p < 0.014). Environmental factors such as water presence and bare soil around the household were also associated with Leptospira seroreactivity in the Department of Antioquia. We reviewed a national epidemiological surveillance database for human cases in those municipalities. We found a correlation between the high number of cases in canines and humans, especially in the Uraba. Serological and molecular results showed the circulation of Leptospira. Future public health efforts in the municipalities with the highest numbers of seroreactivity should be directed towards vaccination to prevent animal disease and decrease the probability of transmission of Leptospira. Dogs actively participate in the Leptospira cycle in Antioquia and encourage the implementation of vaccination protocols and coverage.

The association between obesity and the risk of gliomas remains unclear. We sought to evaluate the potential association between general and abdominal obesity and the risk of gliomas based on a nationwide population-based cohort study of Koreans. Using data from the Korean National Health Insurance System cohort, 6,833,744 people older than 20 years who underwent regular national health examination in both 2009 and 2011 were followed until the end of 2017. We documented 4,771 glioma cases based on an ICD-10 code of C71 during the median follow-up period of 7.30 years. Individuals with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25.0 kg/m2 were at significantly higher risk of gliomas than those with a BMI < 25.0 kg/m2 (HR 1.08 CI 1.02-1.15). Individuals with a waist circumference (WC) ≥ 90 cm (males)/85 cm (females) also had a significantly higher risk of gliomas than those with a WC < 90 cm (males)/85 cm (females) (HR 1.16 CI 1.09-1.24). In the group with a BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2, individuals with abdominal obesity were at significantly higher risk of gliomas (HR 1.18 CI 1.09-1.27) than those without abdominal obesity. The role of abdominal obesity in this association was stronger in women than in men. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that obese people may be at higher risk of gliomas, especially centrally obese people from an Asian population with a BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2. Loss of visceral fat in people with abdominal obesity may reduce their risk of gliomas.

The aim of this study is to identify the effective institutional factors on the exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities of the sports tourism industry in developing countries. This research is a qualitative study, the systematic method of Strauss and Corbin (1990) has been used to analyze the data. Interviewing is the main method of collecting data in this research, which semi-structured interviews were done with 45 members of the research community. According to Shane and Venkataraman individual-opportunity nexus framework (2000), interview questions were drafted and simultaneously with data collection from interviews, data analysis was performed. Based on the research results, 75 indicators affecting the exploitation of entrepreneurship opportunities in sports tourism were identified. Our research findings show that the necessary institutional arrangements in regulatory/legal/administrative dimensions (rule of law, government policies), normative/cultural (social norms, values and beliefs), cognitive/educational (promotion of elite knowledge, promotion of social knowledge) and guidance measures/supporter (public sector support, private sector support, complementary attraction and information technology) can improve the rate of entrepreneurial behavior in this area by increasing the ability and willingness of entrepreneurs to take advantage of entrepreneurial opportunities in the field of sports tourism. Finally, according to the research results, it can be suggested that for the growth of the sports tourism industry in developing countries, The existence of a legal, normative, supportive and educational environment will affect the ability and desire of market participants to identify and exploit the entrepreneurial opportunities of this emerging industry.

Background: The extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the leading causes of health-associated infections (HAI), whose antibiotic treatments have been severely reduced. Besides, HAI bacteria may harbor pathogenic factors such as siderophores, enzymes, or capsules, which increase the virulence of these strains. Thus, new therapies such as antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI) are needed. Method: A collection of 118 clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae were characterized susceptibility and virulence through the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Amk, Cfx, Cfz, Imp, Mer, and Pip-taz, and by PCR, the frequency of the virulence genes, K2, magA, rmpA, entB, ybtS, and allS. Susceptibility to innate immunity, such as human serum, macrophages, and polymorphonuclear cells, was tested. All the strains were tested for sensitivity to the photosensitizer PSIR-3 (4µg/mL) in a 17µW/cm2 for 30 min aPDI. Results: A significantly higher frequency of virulence genes in ESBL than non-ESBL bacteria were observed. The isolates of the genotype K2+, ybtS+, and allS+ display enhanced virulence since they showed higher resistance to human serum as well as to phagocytosis. All strains are susceptible to the aPDI with PSIR-3 decreasing viability in 3log10. The combined treatment with Cfx improved the aPDI to 6log10 for the ESBL strains. The combined treatment is synergistic as it showed an FIC index value of 0.15. Conclusions: The aPDT effectively inhibits clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae, including the more risky strains of ESBL-producing bacteria and the K2+, ybtS+, and allS+ genotype. The aPDI with PSIR-3 is synergistic with Cfx.

Only two percent of Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients respond to standard care and survive beyond 36 months (long-term survivors, LTS) while the majority survive less than 12 months (short-term survivors, STS). To understand the mechanism leading to poor survival, we analyzed publicly available datasets of 113 STS and 58 LTS. This analysis revealed 198 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that characterize aggressive tumor growth and may be responsible for the poor prognosis. These genes belong largely to the GO-categories “epithelial to mesenchymal transition” and “response to hypoxia”. In this paper we applied upstream analysis approach which involves state-of-art promoter analysis and network analysis of the dysregulated genes potentially responsible for short survival in GBM. Binding sites for transcription factors associated with GBM pathology like NANOG, NF-κB, REST, FRA-1, PPARG and seven others were found enriched in the promoters of the dysregulated genes. We reconstructed the gene regulatory network with several positive feedback loops controlled by five master regulators – IGFBP2, VEGFA, VEGF165, PDGFA, AEBP1 and OSMR which can be proposed as biomarkers and as therapeutic targets for enhancing GBM prognosis. Critical analysis of this gene regulatory network gives insights on mechanism of gene regulation by IGFBP2 via several transcription factors including the key molecule of GBM tumor invasiveness and progression, FRA-1. All the observations are validated in independent cohorts and their impact on overall survival is studied.

Three decades ago, human arsenic (As) contamination has been recognized in Ron Phibun, a sub-district with tin mining activity in southern Thailand. Since then different government bodies have attempted to mitigate the As-contamination problem by providing safe water in households. The most recent study conducted during 2000-2002 reported only a small fraction of population still had high urinary As level. Less attention has been paid to this issue afterwards. The present study aimed to re-assess the current situation, including human As contamination, water use behavior as well as identify risk factors of elevated As concentration among residents of Ron Phibun. The survey of 560 participants living in Ron Phibun with urinary As assessment was conducted. The median urinary As concentration of study participants was higher than normal. Consumption of shallow well water, a source generally considered as As-contaminated, was higher than a previous survey. A significant association was observed between urinary As concentrations and water sources for drinking and cooking. Gender and educational level were found to be associated with urinary As concentration. Significant associations between urinary As concentration and certain diseases (respiratory diseases, dermatitis, and dyslipidemia) were observed. The findings suggested further investigation of all water sources in the area for As contamination.

The paper analyzes the actions that improve innovativeness in production enterprises in the Silesian province. Innovation is one of the elements that allows to achieve a competitive advantage. It turns out justified to research various factors that are important in improving innovativeness. The research includes selected production enterprises in the Silesian province, adopting the descriptive statistics measures and statistic tests: random sample test, chi-square independence test and the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test based on a survey questionnaire. As part of the most important factors determining the possibilities of innovation by manufacturing companies were detected contacts with other enterprises, R&D centers and counseling institutions, competitive position of the company and creating appropriate incentive systems.

Plant trichomes are specialized unicellular structures that originate and project from above ground epidermal tissues on the surfaces of leaves, petals, stems, petioles, peduncles, and seed coats depending on species. Trichomes (also called ‘hairs’) play well-recognized roles in defense against insect herbivores, both as a physical barrier that obstructs herbivore movement and by mediating chemical defenses. By virtue of their physical properties (size, density), trichome hairs can directly operate to protect buds of plants from insect damage, reduce leaf temperature, increase light reflectance, prevent water loss, and decrease leaf abrasion. Great variety of trichomes and their accessibility makes them a useful model for studying the molecular processes of cell fate determination, cell cycle control and cellular morphogenesis. In leaves, the developmental control of the trichomatous complement has highlighted a regulatory network based on four fundamental elements: (i) genes that activate and/or modify the normal cell cycle of epidermal cells (i.e. endoreduplication cycles); (ii) transcription factors that create activator/repressor complexes with a central role in determining cell fate, initiation and differentiation of an epidermal cell in trichome; (iii) evidences that point out the interplay of the aforesaid complexes with various phytohormones; (iv) epigenetic mechanisms involved in trichome development. Here, we describe trichome development in leaves, commonly subjected to environmental injury, and where most genetic regulators have been characterized.

Imatinib 400 mg is the standard of care for medical treatment of advanced GISTs. In the majority of cases, however, GISTs eventually develop resistance to imatinib. The optimal second line treatment has not been established yet and imatinib dose escalation (800 mg) or sunitinib represent two feasible options. The objective of this retrospective, multi-institutional, study is to analyze the validity of several parameters as possible predictive factors of response to sunitinib after imatinib failure. We reviewed 128 metastatic GISTs treated with sunitinib between January 2007 to June 2017. Primary tumour site, metastatic site, c-KIT/PDGFR-α mutational status, PET-FDG status and type of disease progression to sunitinib were assessed as possible predictive factors of response. This study identifies the gastric site of primary tumor as a predictive factor to sunitinib efficacy in second line setting. The mutational status (GIST WT), the site of metastasis (peritoneum) and the FDG-PET status (negative), although not statistically significant, seem to be elements of increased activity for sunitinib treatment. These results provide the rationale to drive physician for sunitinib choice in second line setting for metastatic GISTs, to improve patients selection and to maximize the benefit from the treatment, on the basis of possible predictive factors of response.

Liver cirrhosis is a chronic disease that is characterized by the presence of fibrosis and regeneration of nodules in the liver whose consequences are the development of portal hypertension and liver failure. Cirrhosis arises from a wide variety of chronic diseases, which progresses slowly after years or decades. Liver cirrhosis is a public health problem. It is usually associated with viral hepatitis, consumption of alcohol, metabolic syndrome, autoimmune processes, storage diseases, toxic substances, and medications. Cirrhosis is the fourteenth most common cause of death in adults throughout the world, the fourth in Europe and the ninth in the United States. The prevalence of this disease is underestimated because it is symptomatic it is not diagnosed in initial stages, and it usually goes to the decompensated stage at a rate of 5 to 7% per year. We review here the epidemiology, pathophysiology, etiology, and diagnosis of liver cirrhosis.

The potential of Sorghum bicolor L. (Moench) (Epuripur 1995) to phytoremediate petroleum oil-adulterated soils from an automobile repair workshop and the effect of enhancement factors: NPK fertilizer, cow dung and sewage sludge in in situ phytoremediation of the soil by the plant were assessed in this study. 50kg of petroleum oil-contaminated soil was collected from the workshop and divided into five equal portions. Four portions were potted with four sorghum plants with three subjected to equal amounts of enhancements (5%w/w) under normal growth conditions for 72 days. Representative soil samples were collected from spots at depths of 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm from the potted soils and subjected to Soxhlet oil extraction after 72 days. Experimental results revealed that S. bicolor survived in the petroleum oil-contaminated soils. Amendment of the petroleum oil-vitiated soils with cow dung, sewage sludge and NPK fertilizer augmented the remediation capacity of Epuripur 1995 by 12.5%, 6.3% and 9.1%. Addition of cow dung to crude oil contaminated soils could make such soils fully reestablished for agricultural activities. Further research aimed at determination of the phytoremediation potential of cereals such as corn, barley, rye, millet should be done.

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is considered the initial treatment for lung cancer patients with small-sized and limited number of brain metastases. The objective of this study was to assess clinical outcomes of SRS treatment using CyberKnife (CK) for recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) class II/III patients with one to three brain metastases from lung cancer and identify which patients in the high RPA class could benefit from SRS. A total of 48 lung cancer patients who received CK-based SRS for their metastatic brain lesions from 2010 to 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Radiographic response was evaluated during follow-up period. Overall survival (OS) and intracranial progression-free survival (IPFS) were calculated and prognostic variables associated with OS and IPFS were evaluated. Median follow-up time was 6.6 months. Local control rates at 6 months and 1-year following SRS were 98% and 92%, respectively. The median OS of all patients was 8 months. One-year and 2-year OS rates were 40.8% and 20.9%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, uncontrolled primary disease (p = 0.008) and ECOG performance status of 2 or 3 (p = 0.001) were independent prognostic factors for inferior OS. These two factors were also significantly associated with inferior IPFS. In subgroup analysis according to RPA class, primary disease status was the only prognostic factor, showing statistically significant OS differences in both RPA class II and III (controlled vs. uncontrolled: 41.1 vs. 12.3 months in RPA class II, p = 0.031; 26.9 vs. 4.1 months in RPA class III, p = 0.011). Our results indicated that SRS could be an effective treatment option for RPA class II/III patients with brain metastases from lung cancer in the modern treatment era. SRS might be particularly considered for patients with controlled primary disease.

The coastal dry zone areas of Sri Lanka mostly rely on ground water as the potable drinking water source because pipe born water is rarely provided. Most of the domestic units construct dug wells adjacent to houses where the ground water is exposed to fecal contamination due to pit – latrines. There available standards and commonly accepted factors regulating the construction of ground water extraction sources yet there is lack of evidence whether following them effectively prevent ground water fecal contamination. This research focus on applicability of commonly accepted factors on preventing the pit latrines correlated ground water contamination, taking twenty (20) sampling locations of Kalpitiya Peninsula of Sri Lanka as the case study area. The ground water was tested for Total coliform bacteria at 37 °C and E.Coil at 44 °C to identify the water quality level related to fecal contamination. The depth of water table, gap of infiltration layer, depth of latrine pit and distance between dug well and latrine pit were identified as the most commonly considered factors. Accordingly, case specific and area specific reasons apart from the ‘commonly accepted factors’ are highly influencing the pit latrines correlated ground water contamination in Kalpitiya Peninsula, Sri Lanka.

The most prevalent musculoskeletal disorder of childhood with unclear aetiology is Growing Pains (GPs). Anatomic deformities and factors that change bone turnover are implicated in GPs pathophysiology. Perinatal risk factors alter the bone metabolism affecting the bone mineral density and content. The aim of our study was to analyze the relationship between GPs, knock knees and perinatal factors. The examined population consisted of 276 children aged 3-7 years. Among them 10 pairs of dizygotic twins were evaluated. The data were collected by using a combination of semi-structured questionnaires, clinical examinations and medical charts of the children and the obstetric history of the mothers. 78 children presented GPs meeting Peterson’s criteria. Genu valgum severity was a significant factor for GPs manifestation and for their increased frequency and intensity. Subsequently, perinatal factors regarding gestational age, Apgar score, head circumference (lower than 33cm) and birth length or weight (smaller than 50 cm and 3000gr, respectively) made a remarkable contribution to the development of GPs. Conversely, antenatal corticosteroid treatment, increased maternal age and maternal smoking during pregnancy were not predictive for the disorder. Our data are potentially supportive for the “bone strength” theory and for the contribution of anatomical disturbances in GPs appearance.

The purposes of this study are based upon the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to examine the impact of past experiences of contract farming on selecting a specific type of contract farming in the future and then compare different psychological factors in the TPB for different potential contract farmer statuses. These statuses include homesteaders, farmers from cooperative farms, farmers from production and sales teams, professional farmers, and brokers. The impact of factors in the TPB for a particular contract type on potential contract farmers is further to compute. To this end, data are collected in three major sweet potato production areas in Taiwan. The results show that the farmers’ past contract farming experience does not influence the selection of the contract in the future. As for the selection of contract type, strengthening the perception and motivating the behavioral intention of contract farming for cooperative farms will increase the probability of selecting an unclassified sweet potato size contract. On the other hand, enhancing perceived behavioral control factors and behavioral intention factors for professional farmers and brokers is apt to have a relatively high probability of selecting those types involving the highest amount or the best price to obtain the best deal.

Abstract: DNA fragmentation factors 40 and 45 (DFF40 and DFF45) and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) expression were evaluated in the normal human endometrium and myometrium. DFF40, DFF45, and Bcl-2 expression was assessed via immunohistochemistry in the proliferative, secretory, and atrophic endometrium and myometrium collected postmenopausally and premenopausally during the proliferative and secretory phases of the menstrual cycle. The endometrium showed significantly higher DFF40 and DFF45 expression than that in the uterine myometrium; compared to the stroma, endometrial glands showed the highest expression in pre- and postmenopausal specimens. Glandular expression of DFF45 was dependent on the menstrual cycle, reaching its highest level in the secretory endometrium. The glandular expression of DFF40 and DFF45 was significantly lower in postmenopausal specimens than that in premenopausal tissue. No cycle-dependent changes were reported for stromal or myometrial DFF40 or DFF45 expression. Compared to the endometrial stroma and myometrium, Bcl-2 showed the highest expression in the glandular proliferative endometrium and the lowest expression in the stromal secretory endometrium and myometrium during the secretory phase of the cycle. DFF45 and Bcl-2 showed menstrual cycle-dependent expression, which was limited to the glandular layer of the endometrium.

Climate change poses a serious threat to the ancient Magnoliaceae family, particularly for the endangered Yulania trees. Until now, little is known about the suitable geographical range of Yulania zenii, and about how it responds to past and future climate scenarios. Here, we first employed ten models from Biomod2 to preliminarily simulate its potential distribution in China and selected MaxEnt for final modeling. The results showed that among the key environmental factors influencing its distribution, the top three factors were Bio2 (Mean diurnal range), Bio15 (Precipitation seasonality of variation coefficient) and Elevation. Its current suitable distribution were primarily concentrated in southern Anhui, central Hubei, eastern Hunan, southern Jiangsu, northern Jiangxi, and northern Zhejiang. The total suitable area of Yulania zenii was 14.68 × 104 km2, only taking 1.53% of China's total territory, which is larger than known. During the Last Interglacial and Middle Holocene, its suitable habitats were larger than currently, exhibiting a relatively continuous distribution. Under various future climate scenarios, its suitable habitats may averagely decrease by 20.26% compared with the current, and these habitats become more fragmented. Collectively, the centroid of Yulania zenii is expected to migrate towards the southeast in the future. Therefore, our findings demonstrate, for the first time, that climate change takes an adverse effect on this species in distribution from the past to current till future. Our study can contribute to the conservation and management of Yulania zenii in China, and can provide reference for other endangered Yulania species of this country under the condition of climate change.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons and the buildup of misfolded alpha-synuclein proteins. While its exact cause remains unknown, several factors may influence its development. This review examines how factors like chronic constipation, head injuries, cholesterol and uric acid levels, pesticide exposure, smoking, NSAIDs, and caffeine intake may affect PD risk. Chronic constipation appears to be linked to a higher risk of PD, potentially serving as an early warning sign. Head injuries, especially mild-to-moderate ones, may also play a role in increasing PD risk. Surprisingly, higher levels of cholesterol seem to protect against PD, while lower levels of uric acid might increase the risk in the presence of some differences according to gender type. Exposure to certain pesticides is associated with a higher PD risk. NSAIDs, on the other hand, may or may not have a protective effect, with conflicting evidence. Interestingly, caffeine and tobacco smoking appear to lower the PD risk. Further studies are needed to fully understand the complex interplay between these factors and PD. It's also important to remember that these are just general trends, and individual risk factors will vary depending on a person's unique genetic makeup, medical history, and overall health.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of serum inflammatory factor levels in acute ischemic stroke patients after revascularization therapy in assessing acute prognosis. METHODS: 94 patients with acute ischemic stroke who underwent revascularization therapy admitted to our hospital from January 01, 2022 to January 01, 2024 were studied. The main evaluation index was modified Rankin Scale score (mRS) after 3 months, and patients with mRS score >2 were categorized into the poor prognosis group, and the rest were the good prognosis group. As well as the treatment of revascularization in all patients was used as a division into a thrombus extraction group and an intravenous thrombolysis group. Logistic regression analysis was applied to explore the independent risk factors for the prognosis of patients treated with recanalization for acute ischemic stroke. RESULTS: Two groups with good (59 cases) and poor (35 cases) prognosis were divided according to the mRS score. There were some differences in age, gender, emergency GLU, INR, whether they had diabetes or hypertension and other contents between the two groups, but the differences were not statistically significant. The NIHSS score, hospitalization days, previous cardiac history, hospitalization days, LDL, fasting glucose, IL-6, and TNF-a at the time of admission were lower than those in the poor prognosis group, and the difference was statistically significant. In the patients in the embolization group, there were some differences in age, gender, emergency GLU, INR, whether they had diabetes or hypertension and other contents between the two groups, but the differences were not statistically significant. The pre-hospital NHISS score, IL-6, and TNF-a of patients in the good prognosis group were lower than those in the poor prognosis group, and the difference was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: IL-6 and TNF-α may be used as predictors of prognosis after revascularization therapy for acute ischemic stroke, and this conclusion also applies to patients in the embolization group.

Background: Metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is aggressive with a poor median overall survival (OS), ranging from 8 to 13 months. There exists considerable heterogeneity in the survival at the individual patient level. To better understand the survival heterogeneity and improve risk stratification, our study aims to identify the factors influencing survival utilizing a large patient sample in the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Methods: Women diagnosed with metastatic TNBC from 2010 to 2020 in the NCDB were included. Demographic, clinic-pathological, treatment data, and overall survival (OS) outcomes were collected. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate OS. The log-rank test was used to identify OS differences between groups for each variable in the univariate analysis. For the multivariate analysis, the Cox proportional hazard model with backward elimination was used to identify factors affecting OS. Adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals are presented. Results: 2,273 women had a median overall survival of 13.6 months. Factors associated with statistically significantly worse OS included older age, higher comorbidity scores, specific histologies, higher number of metastatic sites, presence of liver or other site metastases in those with only one metastatic site (excluding brain metastases), presence of cranial and extra-cranial metastases, lack of chemotherapy, lack of immunotherapy, lack of surgery to distant sites, lack of radiation to distant sites, and receipt of palliative treatment to alleviate symptoms. In the multivariate analysis, comorbidity score, histology, number of metastatic sites, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy had a statistically significant effect on the OS. Conclusions: Through NCDB analysis, we have identified prognostic factors for metastatic TNBC. These findings will help improve prognostication at diagnosis, optimize treatment strategies, and facilitate patient stratification in future clinical trials.

Oncolytic virotherapy is a promising immunotherapy approach for cancer treatment, utilizing viruses to preferentially infect and eliminate cancer cells while stimulating immune responses. In this review we synthesize current literature on the molecular circuits of immune sensing and response to oncolytic virotherapy; focusing on viral DNA or RNA sensing by infected cells, cytokine and danger-associated signal sensing by neighboring cells, and subsequent downstream activation of immune pathways. The sequential sense-and-response mechanisms involve the triggering of molecular sensors by viruses or infected cells to activate transcription factors and related genes for a breadth of immune responses. We describe how molecular signals induced in the tumor upon virotherapy can trigger diverse immune signaling pathways, activating both antigen-presenting cell-based innate and T cell-based adaptive immune responses. Insights into these complex mechanisms provide valuable knowledge for enhancing oncolytic virotherapy strategies.

Djibouti shares an exceptional geostrategic position by being close to one of the busiest maritime routes, which makes it possible to have a crucial position for the movement of international trade transported by sea. This study analyses the influence of port development on Djibouti’s economic growth in the case of Doraleh Container Terminal and identifies other significant variable factors. In this paper, we analyze the existence of an influence port development on economic growth and other variables, by applying the perspective of the multiple regression model in the analysis using Eviews software. the selected datasets in the analysis cover the period from 2010 to 2020. The result show that port development has a direct and strongly positive influence on the economic growth of Djibouti. In addition, this study also reveals that imports and exports trade is a mediating variable with a significant influence on economic growth in Djibouti. Furthermore, foreign direct investment has not directly and positive influences on Djibouti's economic growth. Therefore, we recommend that the Government of Djibouti attract and promote the benefits of foreign direct investment to enhance the development of various economic sectors and achieve significant economic growth in the coming years.

Objective: To evaluate which risk factors contribute directly or indirectly to Toxoplasma gondii infection in patients with ocular toxoplasmosis. Methods: Between 2018-2020, a total of 306 patients were selected, and treated at the Retinology Outpatient Clinic of the Specialty Hospital of Sāo José do Rio Preto, in the state of São Paulo. After the fundoscopy test, the Enzyme Linked Fluorescent Assay (ELFA) was used to determine IgG and IgM class anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies. Results: The results showed that individuals aged 60 years or older, and women who had a previous pregnancy, (p=0.000, OR= 8.137 and 95 % CI = 2.562 – 25.844), (p=0.016, OR= 7.395 and CI 95 % = 1,449 – 37,725) respectively, were 48.6 % more likely to develop ocular toxoplasmosis. Conclusion: In this way, previous pregnancy is a risk factor for the reactivation of toxoplasma, as well as for the generation of retinochoroiditis in previously infected women.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a severe parasitic disease transmitted by phlebotomine sandflies. VL is endemic in West Pokot County, Kenya, where effective strategies to interrupt transmission are impeded by the limited understanding of VL risk factors. Therefore, this case-control study aimed to explore environmental, behavioral and household determinants of VL in West Pokot. From November 2022 to January 2023, a structured questionnaire was administered to 36 symptomatic primary VL cases attending the Kacheliba Sub-County Hospital and to 50 controls from local villages. The VL status of all participants was confirmed using an rK39 rapid diagnostic test. In an age-corrected univariate logistic regression analysis, significant associations were found between VL and housing characteristics, such as window presence and floor type. Furthermore, outdoor activities, including traveling outside the residence for more than 2 weeks, activities near termite mounds, and forest activities during the rainy season increased the risk of VL. VL cases more frequently reported the presence of cattle, dogs and sheep in their house yards at night. VL was also associated with cutting down trees in the house yard and house proximity to several Acacia tree species. To conclude, this work reports a number of previously undescribed risk factors for VL in the understudied West Pokot focus. Our findings warrant further research into sandfly ecology and potential zoonotic parasite reservoirs in West Pokot.

The Cosmonaut Sea is an under-studied area and a “blank canvas” for macrobenthos research. Here, we report on the species diversity and community structure of macrobenthos collected using the tringle trawl on the 38th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE) in the Cosmonaut Sea, East Antarctica. A total of 11 tringle trawls were deployed at different depths across the shelf, slope and seamount of the Cosmonaut Sea. A total of 275 macrobenthic species were found from 207-1994 m. The species richness per station varied from 23 to 89. Echinoderms (100 species), arthropods (48 species) and mollusks (36 species) were the most dominant groups. Echinoderms and arthropods dominated in abundance at seamount stations, and echinoderms, arthropods and polychaetes dominated in abundance at slope stations, while bryozoans, corals, ascidians and sponges were abundant on the Cosmonaut Sea Shelf. Depth was the major driving force influencing the distribution of macrobenthos. The main components were two core communities. One was dominated by sessile suspension feeders and associated fauna. Variants of this community include sponges and bryozoans. The other core community was dominated by mobile deposit feeders, infauna and grazers–epifauna, which included arthropods and echinoderms. The results showed that the slope (40-50° E, 65-67° S) of the Cosmonaut Sea may be an important area with complex ecological processes. The results of this study contribute to the knowledge of species diversity and communities of macrobenthos in the Cosmonaut Sea and provide monitoring data for future ecosystem health assessments and better protection.

HIV diagnosis and poor HIV management have various detrimental impacts on the lives of people living with HIV (PLHIV). As part of a large qualitative study investigating HIV risk factors and impacts, with the suicide topic not being a focus, this paper describes factors contributing to suicidal ideation and attempts that arose naturally in the stories of women living with HIV (WLHIV) in Yogyakarta and Belu districts, Indonesia. The participants were recruited using the snowball sampling technique. Guided by a qualitative data analysis framework, the data were thematically analysed. Findings indicated participants experienced immense psychological challenges due to the infection, spousal transmission, fear of mother-to-child transmission, and losing a child due to AIDS, which triggered suicidal ideation and attempts. The women’s lack of awareness of HIV management strategies resulted in them feeling trapped and overwhelmed. Associated negative thoughts and the anticipation and experience of stigma relating to their HIV status were influencing factors for thoughts of suicide among participants. Lack of social support from family and friends during the early stage of HIV diagnosis, compounded with pre-existing financial difficulties, lack of income, unemployment, and feeling overburdened, also triggered the women’s thoughts of suicide. Other influencing factors for suicidal ideation and attempts among the women were family breakdown following HIV diagnosis and this was reflected in family disputes, husband-wife separation or divorce, mother-child separation by other family members, reported concern about future relationships, and fear of being rejected or abandoned by their partner due to their HIV positive status. The findings indicate the need for a nuanced approach to counselling within HIV care interventions for couples to support the acceptance of each other’s HIV status whilst maintaining psychological wellbeing. Additionally, the findings indicate the importance of HIV education and awareness among community members for the de-stigmatisation of HIV and to increase the acceptance of PLHIV within families and communities.

1. Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are India’s leading cause of mortality. This study aimed to recalibrate the original Framingham Risk Score (FRS) equations among adults in Kerala state. 2. Methods: Baseline survey data from the Kerala Diabetes Prevention Program were analyzed: 921 males and 567 females for lipid-based FRS scores and 1042 males and 646 females for BMI-based FRS scores. Recalibration of the original FRS scores was performed using local data on CVD risk factors and CVD mortality. 3. Results: Among males, the median 10-year CVD risk with the recalibrated lipid-based FRS score was 7.34 (IQR 4.33-12.42), compared with the original score of 8.88 (5.23-14.87) (p<0.001). For BMI-based FRS scores, the median 10-year CVD risk was 7.40 (4.27-11.83) with the recalibrated score, compared to 9.32 (5.40-14.80) for the original score (p<0.001). In females, the median 10-year CVD risk was 4.83 (2.90-8.36) with the recalibrated score, compared to 2.85 (IQR 1.71-4.98) with the original score (p<0.001). Similarly, the median 10-year CVD risk was 4.66 (2.74-8.81) with the recalibrated BMI-based FRS score, compared to 2.95 (1.72-5.61) with the original score (p<0.001). 4. Conclusions: Recalibrated FRS scores estimated a significantly lower 10-year CVD risk in males and a higher risk in females than the original FRS scores.

The current study aimed to examine the relationship between demographic variables within the family context and parenting behaviors among adolescent mothers (including affection, responsiveness, encouragement, and teaching). These factors were correlated with communication, problem-solving abilities, and personal-social development in typically developing infants. The study included a sample of 79 Chilean adolescent mother-child dyads with children aged 10 to 24 months. Communication, problem-solving, and personal-social development were assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3, along with a demographic information questionnaire. Parenting behaviors (affection, responsiveness, encouragement, and teaching) were observed using the Spanish version of Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes. The findings indicated that employed mothers and those who had not dropped out of school had children with better problem-solving skills. Additionally, children residing with their fathers and female children exhibited superior performance in communication, problem-solving, and personal-social development. Maternal responsiveness was associated with communication and problem-solving, while maternal encouragement was linked to improved problem-solving skills. Maternal teaching was connected to communication, problem-solving, and personal-social development. The study emphasized the significance of parenting and sociodemographic factors among adolescent mothers in influencing their children's development.

Lily database online genomic resource composed of Korean Lily Germplasm Collection, Transcriptome Sequences, molecular markers, transcription factors (TF) and DEGs data. A total of ~0.23 gb of RNA-sequences data were mined for gene identification, marker development and gene expression analysis. As a result, 47,863 SSR, 20,929 SNP and 1213 COS-marker were developed. A total of 1327 TF genes were identified and characterized. This is the first unique, user-friendly, genomic resource database for Lilium species. It is a relational database based on a ‘three-tier architecture’ that catalogs all the information in MySQL table and a user-friendly query interface and data visualization page developed using JavaScript, PHP and HTML code. The search parameters are highly flexible, user can be retrieved data by using either single or multiple search parameters. Data present in this database can be used for germplasm characterization, gene discovery, population structure analysis, QTL mapping and accelerating the lily variety improvements. This database can be accessed through this link: http://www.genomicsres.org/lilidb/.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Numerous pathophysiological mechanisms, such as abnormal cell proliferation, cell differentiation, resistance to apoptosis, invasion of structures adjacent to colorectal tumor cells, and distant metastasis, are involved in colorectal carcinogenesis. These processes are initiated by the complex interaction of a number of genetic and environmental factors, including sedentary lifestyle, obesity, alcohol consumption, smoking or gut microbiota. Despite the significant progress achieved in the diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients with colorectal cancer, there has been recently a noteworthy increase in the incidence of colorectal cancer in individuals below the age of 50 years. Early-onset colorectal cancer has a different frequency of oncogenic mutations, a higher prevalence of mucinous histology, a distinct deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation profile, a more distal location, and lower survival rates. A significant improvement in the prognosis of these patients can be achieved through the detection and removal of modifiable risk factors, along with the implementation of personalized screening strategies for individuals at high risk for this malignancy. Furthermore, gaining comprehension of the pathophysiological mechanisms by which these risk factors contribute to the process of oncogenesis may facilitate the discovery of novel therapeutic targets.

The rapid development of the regional economy in China has led to the rise of local ecological risks. It is very important to provide enjoyable ecosystem services to residents while reducing ecological risks. In order to understand spatial relationships between ecosystem services and ecological risks, we took Chongqing as an example in this study to assess the spatial relationship between ecosystem services and ecological risks at the county scale based on the ES-DPSIR system. The main findings include: (1) significant variation in the spatial distribution of the comprehensive ecosystem service index, where the lowest ecosystem service index (0.013) was found in the main urban area of Chongqing and the scores gradually increased outward from this center, reaching 0.689 in the outermost areas, (2) the increase of the comprehensive ecological risk index from east to west, ranging from -0.134 to 0.333, (3) the spatial relationship between ecosystem services and ecological risks was prominent, with 52.63% of the districts and counties being imbalanced or mild imbalanced, and (4) the significant differences between development trends of ecosystem services-ecological risks, including 60.53% being imbalanced districts and 30.47% mildly balanced. Overall, it was necessary to improve the relationship between ecosystem services and ecological risks in Chongqing by reducing ecological risks., and these research results could provide effective approaches and technical support for improving regional ecological security and enhancing ecosystem service capabilities.

The genus Clostridium is an important group of pathogenic and nonpathogenic Gram-positive anaerobic bacteria with sporulation capacity and wide distribution in different environments, including the gastrointestinal tract of healthy and diseased animals and humans. Among the pathogenic species of the genus, Clostridium chauvoei stands out as a histotoxic agent. It causes important myonecroses such as blackleg, a disease with high lethality and mortality, especially in young cattle, and is responsible for significant losses to livestock worldwide. The pathogenic-ity of the disease is complex and has not yet been fully elucidated. The hypotheses cover pro-cesses from the initial absorption to the transport and deposition of the agent in the affected tis-sues. The virulence factors of C. chauvoei were divided into somatic and flagellar antigens and soluble antigens/toxins, which are the main antigens involved in vaccines against blackleg in Brazil and worldwide. This review provides important information on the first and current ap-proaches to the agent C. chauvoei and its virulence factors, as well as provides a compilation of data on Brazilian studies related to blackleg.

Purpose: Metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) is a severe complication of cancer that can lead to irreversible neurological impairment, necessitating prompt recognition and intervention. This retrospective, single-center study aimed to determine the prognostic factors and survival rates among patients presenting with MSCC secondary to lung cancer. Methods and Materials: We identified 74 patients with epidural metastases-related spinal cord compression and a history of lung cancer, through the electronic database of Medway Maritime Hospital in United Kingdom (UK), spanning the period from April 2016 to September 2021. Among them, 39 were below 55 years old, while 35 were aged 55 years or older, whereas 24 patients were diagnosed with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and 50 patients had non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Results: The median overall survival (OS) was 5.5 months, with 52 out of 74 patients dying within 6 months of the diagnosis of MSCC. For the entire cohort, the statistically significant variables on multi-variate analysis were: cancer type (NSCLC had improved OS), number of involved vertebrae (one to two vertebrae involvement had improved OS) and time taken to develop motor deficits (≤10 days to develop motor deficits had worsened OS). For the NSCLC cohort, the statistically significant variables on multivariate analysis were: molecular alterations (patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation), pre-treatment ambulatory status, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, and time taken to develop motor deficits. Conclusions: Within the entire cohort, patients diagnosed with NSCLC and spinal metastases affecting one to two vertebrae exhibited enhanced OS. Within the NSCLC subgroup, those with EGFR mutations, who were ambulatory, and possessed an ECOG performance status of 1-2, demonstrated improved OS. In both the entire cohort and NSCLC subgroup, the development of motor deficits within a period of ≤10 days was associated with poorer OS.

The employment of PRP in regenerative medicine has not generated the promised grandiose outcomes. Nonetheless, it currently remains the gold standard strategy for tissue regeneration. Therefore, scientific research has focused on identifying other matrices rich in growth factors and cytokines to improve the efficacy of PRP. In the present study, a new technology called AMPLEX PLUS -compound derived from colostrum enriched with exosomes- was applied in combination with PRP to evaluate the concentration trend of 20 bioactive molecules. The results show that the concentration of all the compounds analyzed increased significantly in PRP samples with AMPLEX PLUS technology compared with samples containing only plasma or PRP, suggesting how this new strategy could improve the performance of PRP and make significant advances in regenerative medicine.

Epicatechin has been described as a polyphenol compound that promotes skeletal muscle restructuring, by expressing muscle regulation factors, activation of satellite cells and modulation of the main pathways associated with catabolism. However, the literature shows contrasting results of therapeutic effects and treatment protocols. Thus, the aim of this systematic review was to analyze the current literature addressing the molecular mechanism and clinical protocol of epicatechin on skeletal muscular atrophy in humans and animals. A search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases. The qualitative analysis showed a prevalence of the inhibitory action of epicatechin in myostatin expression and atrogenes FOXO, MAFbx and MuRF1. Epicatechin showed positive effects on increased follistatin and on the activation of the myogenic regulatory factors (Myf5, MyoD and myogenin). In addition, the studies evidenced the impact of epicatechin on the mitochondrias' biosynthesis in muscle fibers, activation of the signaling pathway of AKT/mTOR protein synthesis, and improvement of skeletal musculature performance, particularly when associated with physical training. Epicatechin showed promising clinical applicability through beneficial results under conditions that negatively affect the skeletal musculature. However, there is no protocol standardization allowing to draw more specific conclusions on its therapeutic use.

Background and Objectives: Since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, the infection primarily affected patients with following chronic conditions: cardiovascular disease, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity and cancer. The aim of this study was to explore clinical and epidemiological characteristics associated with COVID-19 outcomes in patients at the primary health care centre from March 2020 to September 2022. Materials and Methods: The study included 40,692 citizens of Banja Luka County, Bosnia and Herzegovina, who were confirmed and registered as RT-PCR positive on COVID-19. Differences regarding the distributions of patients between groups were analysed using Pearson chi square test and Mantel-Haenszel chi square test for trends, while differences in mean values were compared using independent samples t test. Relationship between mortality and independent variables were examined using logistic regression. Results: Out of 40,692 COVID-19 positive patients, 7.76% were hospitalized. The average age of hospitalized patients was significantly higher than the age of non-hospitalized patients (64.2±16.1 vs. 45.4±18.7; p&lt;0.001). The average age of patients with lethal outcome was nearly twice higher compared to patients with non-lethal outcome (74.6±11.5 vs. 45.7±18.6; p&lt;0.001). Male patients had higher hospitalization and mortality rate, compared to females (9.8% vs. 5.9%, p&lt;0.001; 4.8% vs. 3%, p&lt;0.001, respectively). The highest hospitalization rate was in patients with chronic renal failure, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, while the death rate was the highest among patients with CRF and hearth comorbidities. Fever, cough, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, chest pain, shortness of breath and appetite loss favoured hospitalization. Patients with fatigue and appetite loss had higher percentage of lethal outcome. Vaccinated patients had significantly lower rate of lethal outcome. Conclusions: Clinical symptoms, signs and outcomes, are posing as predictive parameters for further management of COVID-19. Vaccination has an important role in clinical outcomes of COVID-19.

Chronic diseases affect a disproportionate number of United States (U.S.) Veterans, causing significant long-term health issues and affecting entitlement spending. This longitudinal study examined the health status of U.S. Veterans as compared to non-Veterans pre- and post-COVID utilizing the annual Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey data. Age-adjusted descriptive point estimates were generated independently for 2003 through 2021, while complex weighted panel data were generated from 2011 and onward. General linear modeling revealed that the average U.S. Veteran reports a higher prevalence of disease conditions except for mental health disorders when compared to the non-Veteran. These findings were consistent with both pre- and post-COVID, however, both groups reported a higher prevalence of mental health issues during the pandemic years. The findings suggest that there have been no improvements in reducing Veteran comorbidities to non-Veteran levels and that COVID adversely affected the mental health of both populations.

Legionella is an opportunistic pathogen with a biphasic life cycle and humans are occasional hosts of Legionella. The aim of the study was to assess the distribution of virulence genes and genetic diversity among L. pneumophila isolated from water-supply systems of residential buildings in Latvia. In total, 492 water samples from 200 residential buildings were collected. Identification of Legionella spp. was performed according to ISO 11731 and 58 isolates were subjected to whole genome sequencing. At least one Legionella positive sample was found in 112 out of 200 apartment buildings (56.0%). The study revealed extensive sequence type diversity where 58 L. pneumophila isolates fell into 36 different sequence types. A total of 420 virulence genes were identified of which 260 genes were found in all sequenced L. pneumophila isolates. Virulence genes enhC, htpB, omp28, and mip were detected in all isolates, suggesting that adhesion, at-tachment, and entry into host cells are enabled for all isolates. The relative frequency of viru-lence genes among L. pneumophila isolates was high. High prevalence, extensive genetic diver-sity, and the wide range of virulence genes indicated that the virulence potential of environ-mental Legionella is high and proper risk management is of key importance to public health.

Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) are characterized by their multifactorial etiology and pathogenesis. A 3-year prospective study was conducted in a Portuguese TMD department to study the prevalence of different TMD signs and symptoms and their association with risk factors and comorbidities. Five hundred ninety-five patients were included using an online database: EUROTMJ. Most patients were female (80.50 %), with a mean age of 38.20±15.73 years. The main complaints were temporomandibular joint (TMJ) clicking (13.26%), pain (12.49%), and masticatory muscle tension (12.15%). The main clinical findings were myalgia (74%), TMJ clicking (60-62%) and arthralgia (31-36%). Risk factors such as clenching (60%) and bruxism (30%) were positively associated with TMJ pain and myalgia. Orthodontic treatment (20%) and wisdom tooth removal (19%) were positively associated with TMJ clicking, while jaw trauma (6%) tracheal intubation (4%) and orthognathic surgery (1%) were positively associated with TMJ crepitus, limited man-dibular range of motion and TMJ pain, respectively. 42.88% of TMD patients had other associated chronic diseases, most of them were mental behavioral or neurodevelopmental disorders (33.76%), namely, anxiety (20%) and depression (13%). The authors also observed a positively association of mental disorders with the degree of TMJ pain and myalgia. Online database seems to be a relevant scientific instrument for healthcare providers who treat TMD. The authors expect that EUROTMJ database can serve as a milestone for other TMD departments.

Understanding the hydrological behavior of watersheds and their driving factors is crucial for sustainable water resources management. However, at large scales, this task remains challenging due to the spatial heterogeneity in landscapes, topography, land use, geology, and soil properties. In this context, the aim of this study was to identify the key factors that influence the hydrological system of four watersheds: Ankavia (WS1: 55% forest cover), Ankaviabe (WS2: 77% forest cover), Sahafihitry (WS3: 41% forest cover), and Antsahovy (WS4: 48% forest cover), over a 10-month study period. These catchments are located within the SAVA region of northeastern Madagascar and have a humid-tropical climate. We investigated the relationship between selected catchment descriptors (CD) and hydrological signatures (HS) by using a Pearson coefficient-based correlation matrix. More specifically, CD extracted from topography/morphology (T), land use (LU), soil (S), and geological characteristics (G) were correlated with HS, including base flow index (BFI), runoff coefficient (rc), peak flow (Qp), runoff event time scales (ts), high flows (Q5), low flows (Q95), and mean discharge (q_mean). The analysis revealed that land use, soil properties, and geology seem to be the best predictors for BFI and Q95, while soil properties mainly govern rc, Qp, Q5, ts, and q_mean. These findings provide valuable insights into the key drivers of hydrologic behavior that can inform water resource management strategies. In particular, WS2 has better flood buffering capacity but suffers from lower base flows in the dry season potentially due to higher evapotranspiration. Conversely, WS3 and WS4 (and to a lesser extent WS1) have lower flood buffering capacity, but these watersheds experience less pronounced low flows in the dry season due to higher base flow index resulting from lower evapotranspiration. The results emphasize the importance of sustainable land use practices and conservation efforts, which are essential for the sustainable development of the region. By incorporating these practices into water management strategies, we can help ensure a more stable and reliable water supply for communities and ecosystems within the region.

Background: Primary cardiac sarcomas (PCS) are extremely rare malignant tumors involving the heart. Only isolated case reports have been described. There is a paucity of data on the epidemiological characteristics of PCS. This study has the objective of investigating the epidemiologic characteristics, survival outcomes, and independent prognostic factors of PCS. Methods: We enrolled a total of 362 patients with PCS, between 2000 and 2017, by retrieving the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. We analyzed demographics, clinical characteristics, and overall mortality (OM) as well as cancer-specific mortality (CSM) of PCS. Variables with a p-value < 0.1 in the univariate Cox regression were incorporated into the multivariate Cox model to determine the independent prognostic factors, with a hazard ratio (HR) of greater than 1 representing adverse prognostic factors. Results: Crude analysis revealed a high OM in age 80+ (HR=5.958, 95% CI 3.357-10.575, p=0), followed by age 60-79 (HR=1.429, 95% CI 1.028-1.986, p=0.033); and PCS with distant metastases (HR=1.888, 95% CI 1.389-2.566, p=0). Patients that underwent surgical resection of the primary tumor and patients with malignant fibrous histiocytomas (HR=0.657, 95% CI 0.455-0.95, p=0.025) had a better OM (HR=0.606, 95% CI 0.465-0.791, p=0). The highest cancer-specific mortality was observed in age 80+ (HR=5.037, 95% CI 2.606-9.736, p=0) and patients with distant metastases (HR=1.953, 95% CI 1.396-2.733, p=0). Patients with malignant fibrous histiocytomas (HR=0.572, 95% CI 0.378-0.865, p=0.008) and those who underwent surgery (HR=0.581, 95% CI 0.436-0.774, p=0) had a lower CSM. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses revealed higher OM in the age group 80+ (HR=13.261, 95% CI 5.839-30.119, p=0) and advanced disease with distant metastases (HR=2.013, 95% CI 1.355-2.99, p=0.001). Lower OM was found in patients with rhabdomyosarcoma (HR=0.364, 95% CI 0.154-0.86, p=0.021) and widowed patients (HR=0.506, 95% CI 0.263-0.977, p=0.042). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses of CSM also revealed higher mortality in the same groups, and lower mortality in patients with Rhabdomyosarcoma. Conclusion: In this United States population-based retrospective cohort study using the SEER database, we found that cardiac rhabdomyosarcoma was associated with the lowest CSM and OM. Furthermore, as expected, age and advanced disease at diagnosis were independent factors predicting poor prognosis. Surgical resection of the primary tumor showed lower CSM and OM in the crude analysis but when adjusted for covariates in the multivariate analysis, it did not significantly impact the overall mortality or the cancer-specific mortality. These findings allow for treating clinicians to recognize patients that should be referred to palliative/hospice care at the time of diagnosis and avoid any surgical interventions as they did not show any differences in mortality. Surgical resection in patients with poor prognoses should be reserved as a palliative measure rather than an attempt to cure the disease.

Access to healthcare services is an essential component of promoting public health and sustainable development. Our aim was to assess socio-demographic correlates of barriers to access healthcare services among children in Albania, a post-communist country in Europe. An online survey was conducted in September 2022, including a nationwide representative sample of 7831 schoolchildren (≈54% girls) pertinent to grades 6-9 from all regions of Albania. A structured and anonymous questionnaire was administered to all children inquiring about a range of potential barriers to access healthcare services. Overall, about 42% of the children reported that they had barriers to access healthcare services. There were no gender differences, but significant: ethnic differences (51% among Roma/Egyptian children vs. 42% among the general sample of the children); urban/rural differences (46% rural vs. 39% urban); and socioeconomic differences (52% among children with a lower maternal education vs. 31% among children with a higher maternal education; 66% among children from poor families vs. 35% among children with a higher family income). In transitional Albania, children residing in rural areas, children from Roma and/or Egyptian communities and especially those pertinent to low socioeconomic families report considerably more barriers to access healthcare services, which is a cause of concern.

This research paper aims to examine the various aspects of cryptocurrencies, from their inception to their current status in the financial market, using a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates mathematical and psychological methods to explore the factors that contribute to the success of celebrity endorsements and the potential risks associated with them. The first section (1.1) of this research paper will provide an overview of cryptocurrencies, exploring their history, functionality, and impact on the global financial market. This will involve examining the technical details behind cryptocurrencies, such as blockchain technology, and the differences between various types of virtual assets. The research will also discuss the potential advantages and disadvantages of investing in cryptocurrencies, as well as the regulatory challenges they face. The second section (2.1) of the research paper will focus on the psychological aspect of cryptocurrency investing, analyzing the connection between personality traits and the likelihood of purchasing a cryptocurrency based on a celebrity endorsement. This will involve investigating Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences to understand the qualities that make people more susceptible to investing in a cryptocurrency without prior knowledge (Gardner, 1983). The third section (3.1) of the research paper will delve into the mathematical side of cryptocurrency investing, examining the factors that contribute to the success of celebrity endorsements and the artificial growth of cryptocurrencies. This will involve developing software to calculate the artificial growth of a cryptocurrency over a 24-hour period and analyzing the data to understand the underlying factors driving its value. By taking a multidisciplinary approach, this research will shed light on the complexities of investing in virtual assets and help inform investors of the potential risks and benefits of investing in cryptocurrencies through qualitative and quantitative analyses and through the use of a Multi-Level Latent Class Analysis (LCA).

In recent years, the production of renewable energy represents one of the main challenges of modern and future society. The new cultivation method called Agrivoltaic (hereafter AV), combines and associates agricultural production and renewable energy (photovoltaic) production in a collaborative synergy from which both benefit. In this study, the dry matter and essential oils yield of six medicinal species (Salvia officinalis L., Origanum vulgare L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Lavendula angustifolia L., Thymus citriodorus L. and Mentha spicata L.) grown underneath a dynamic AV system in comparison to those in full sun (T), were evaluated. In particular, below the dynamic AV system, due to the rotation of the panels, two plot areas on the ground were distinguished: one always covered by the panels (UP), and another one covered alternatively (BP). During the aromatic crop cycles, the solar radiation, infrared leaf temperature and air temperatures in UP, BP and T plot, were measured. In addition, at harvest time, weed survey was carried out. The results showed that, in general, the solar radiation and infrared leaf temperature were lower in UP plot than in either the BP and T plots, while the air temperatures were similar in all compared plots. Also the weed cover percentage was lower in the UP plot than other ones. The essential oils yield in the sage, thyme, mint and rosemary plants were higher in both UP and BP plots than for T plot. Thus, shading and/or less weed infestation may have been the main factors favorably influencing the performance of medicinal crops under a dynamic AV system.

The long-term laboratory aspects of the effects of COVID-19 on liver function are still not well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the hepatic clinical-laboratory profile of patients with up to 20 months of long-term COVID-19. A total of 243 patients of both sexes aged 18 years or older hospitalised in the acute phase of COVID-19 were included in this study. Liver function analysis was performed. Changes were identified in the mean levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and ferritin. Inflammatory markers such as ferritin > 300 U/L were observed in the group that presented more changes in liver function markers (ALT, AST, and GGT). Age ≥ 60 years, male sex, AST > 25 U/L, and GGT ≥ 50 or 32 U/L were associated with ALT > 29 U/L. There was a correlation between ALT and AST, LDH, GGT, and ferritin. Our findings suggest that ALT and AST levels may be elevated in patients with long-term COVID, especially in those hospitalised in the acute phase. In addition, ALT > 29 U/L was associated with other markers of liver injury, such as LDH, GGT, and ferritin.