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Background: Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) presents significant treatment challenges due to its chronic nature, varied clinical presentations, and rarity. Subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIG) has emerged as a maintenance therapy, offering potential advantages in administration and patient experience over the previously recognized intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). Methods: We included all clinical studies involving CIDP patients treated with SCIG from eleven databases up to March 2024. Results: 50 clinical studies were included in the systematic review, with 22 involved in the meta-analysis. These studies offer clinical data on around 1400 CIDP patients. Almost all studies considered SCIG a maintenance therapy, with the majority of results suggesting it as a viable substitute that may offer comparable or enhanced advantages. Studies covered aspects such as efficacy, safety, quality of life, practicality, economic evaluation, and patient preference. Meta-analysis showed SCIG significantly improved muscle strength and sensory function, had fewer and milder side effects, reduced relapse rates, and received a strong preference. Conclusions: Findings suggest that SCIG for CIDP maintenance not only provides a more feasible alternative, with economic evaluations showing considerable cost reductions over time, and patient preference for SCIG being pronounced, but may also deliver comparable or superior health outcomes. Ongoing research lines on formulations, techniques, and direct comparative studies are critical to further illuminate, enhance, and expand SCIG's role in treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the association between anti-prothrombin IgM and IgG antibodies and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) in a cohort of Lebanese women, and their impact on pregnancy outcomes. This was a retrospective case–control study involving 207 women with RPL and 179 age-matched multiparous controls. Quantitative sandwich ELISA assayed anti-prothrombin IgM and IgG antibodies. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were employed to assess the risk imparted by anti-prothrombin antibodies, while ROC analysis was used to determine their sensitivity and specificity. Our study revealed that women with RPL had significantly higher serum levels of anti-prothrombin IgM and IgG than controls. Univariate regression analysis demonstrated that elevated anti-prothrombin IgM (OR = 1.13; 95% CI = 1.07, 1.19; P < 0.001) and IgG (OR = 1.05; 95% CI = 1.03, 1.08; P < 0.001) were associated with increased RPL risk. Multivariate analysis confirmed these findings, indicating that anti-prothrombin IgM (aOR = 1.13; 95% CI = 1.05, 1.20; P < 0.001) and IgG (aOR = 1.08; 95% CI = 1.05, 1.11; P < 0.001) are independent risk factors. ROC analysis yielded an AUC of 0.720 for IgM and 0.649 for IgG, underscoring their predictive value and offering hope for improved risk assessment and management of RPL. Elevated levels of anti-prothrombin IgM and IgG are significantly associated with RPL, suggesting an autoimmune component to pregnancy loss. These findings highlight the importance of screening for these antibodies in women with unexplained RPL to guide management and therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal diagnosis and management of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) needs access to specialized centers, frequent monitoring, and complex therapeutic options. In underprivileged areas, these necessities can often lead to barriers in delivering care. What are the ILD mortality disparities in the regions along the US-Mexico (US-MX) border? We obtained ILD mortality information through death certificate queries from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention repository. Death data were adjusted for age and stratified by US-MX border regions and nonborder regions in the United States. Log-linear regression models were used to analyze mortality trends in the period from 1999 to 2020 followed by calculation of annual percentage changes (APCs). Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) were compared across cumulative and subdemographic populations. ILD-related mortality among border regions (AAMR, 5.31) was higher than nonborder regions (AAMR, 4.86). Mortality within border regions remained unchanged from 1999 to 2020 (APC, 0.3; P =.269). Nonborder regions experienced a significant rise in mortality rates (APC, 2.6; P =.017) from 1999 to 2005 and remained unchanged from 2005 to 2020. Mortality was higher within both men (AAMR, 6.57) and women (AAMR, 4.36) populations among border regions compared with their nonborder counterparts (AAMR, 6.27 and 3.87, respectively). Hispanic populations among the border regions experienced higher mortality rates (AAMR, 6.15) than Hispanic populations within nonborder regions (AAMR, 5.44). Non-Hispanic populations encountered similar mortality rates between the two regions. Mortality rates among Hispanic (APC, 0.0; P =.938) and non-Hispanic (APC, 0.2; P =.531) populations in the border regions remained unchanged from 1999 to 2020. These results revealed ILD-related mortality disparities among the US-MX border regions, emphasizing the importance of public health measures to increase access to equitable medical care and implement targeted interventions among these vulnerable populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay argues that Inside Out 2's critical success lies in its canny translation of three contemporary mental health discourses including Tibetan Buddhist mindfulness, holistic medicine, and the internal family systems model of the psyche. By presenting human emotions as a series of autonomous but interconnected parts struggling against being repressed and compartmentalized, the film models for viewers what a healthy relationship to one's affective life might look like in an increasingly mentally distressed world. In so doing, it materially enacts the discourses of mental health, namely the injunction to reject emotional denial and compassionately embrace all one's part, as an everyday way of life capable of offering viewers equipment for living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: epidural analgesia has emerged as one of the best methods that can be used to reduce labour pain. this study was conducted to assess awareness, attitudes, and practices of pregnant women who visited maternity and antenatal healthcare clinics about epidural analgesia during normal vaginal birth. Methods: this multicentre study was conducted in a cross-sectional design among pregnant women using a pre-tested questionnaire. the study population in this study was pregnant women who visited maternity and antenatal healthcare clinics in Palestine. Results: in this study, a total of 389 pregnant women completed the questionnaire. Of the pregnant women, 381 (97.9%) were aware of the existence of epidural analgesia, 172 (44.2%) had already used epidural analgesia, and 57 (33.1%) experienced complications as a result of epidural analgesia. Of the pregnant women, 308 (79.2%) stated that epidural analgesia should be available during vaginal birth. Of the pregnant women, 243 (62.5%) stated that they would use epidural analgesia if offered for free or covered by insurance. Multivariate logistic regression showed that women who were younger than 32 years, who have used epidural analgesia, and those who stated that epidural analgesia should be available during vaginal birth were 2.78-fold (95% Cl: 1.54-5.04), 4.96-fold (95% Cl: 2.71-9.10), and 13.57-fold (95% Cl: 6.54-28.16) more likely to express willingness to use epidural analgesia, respectively. Conclusions: Pregnant women had high awareness of the existence, moderate knowledge, and positive attitudes towards epidural analgesia for normal vaginal birth. Future studies should focus on educating pregnant women about all approaches that can be used to reduce labour pain including their risks and benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We theoretically investigated the electron–surface optical phonon interaction across the long-range Fröhlich coupling in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides, such as WS2, WSe2, MoS2, and MoSe2 monolayers, on S i C and hexagonal BN dielectric substrates. We employed the effective Hamiltonian in the K + (K −) valley of the hexagonal Brillouin zone to assess the electronic energy shifts induced by the interaction between electronic states and surface polar optical phonons. Our results indicate that the interaction between electrons and surface optical phonons depends upon the polar nature of the substrate. We have also calculated the polaronic oscillator strength, as well as the polaronic scattering rate of the lower polaron state in monolayer WS2, WSe2, MoS2, and MoSe2 on S i C and hexagonal BN dielectric substrates. As a result, we have theoretically proved the following: firstly, the enhancement of the polaronic scattering rate with temperature, and secondly, the notable influence of the careful selection of surrounding dielectrics on both the polaronic oscillator strength and the polaronic scattering rate. Thus, optimal dielectrics would be those exhibiting both elevated optical phonon energy and a high static dielectric constant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exposome encompasses the full range of environmental exposures throughout a person's lifetime and plays an important role in cardiovascular health. Interactions with the social, natural, and built components of the exposome significantly impact cardiovascular disease prevalence and mortality. Robust data analytics, including machine learning and geospatial analysis, have advanced our understanding of how these factors converge to influence cardiovascular disease risk. The integration of multiomics platforms and advanced computational approaches enhances our ability to characterize the exposome, leading to targeted public health interventions and innovative risk reduction strategies aimed at improving cardiovascular health globally. These multiomics platforms that integrate factors such as genomics, epigenomics, clinical data, social factors, environmental factors, and wearable technology will characterize the exposome in greater detail concerning cardiovascular health. In this review, we aimed to elucidate the components of the exposome and discuss recent literature regarding their relationship to cardiovascular health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Stroke survivors have a significantly increased likelihood of developing osteoporosis, a condition characterized by weak and brittle bones as well as an elevated risk of bone fractures. However, previous studies on exercise intervention have mostly been on stroke survivors who are able to walk. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of walking exercise on bone health in non-ambulatory stroke survivors. Methods: This pre- and post-test study enrolled a group of chronic non-ambulatory stroke survivors. They were instructed to complete an 8-week aerobic walking exercise program, three sessions per week. Serum concentrations of osteocalcin (OC) and carboxy-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen (ICTP) were evaluated at baseline and after completing the walking exercise program. In addition, we assessed the ambulation capacity and balance control using the functional ambulation category (FAC) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS), respectively. Results: A total of 9 out of 10 non-ambulatory stroke survivors who were recruited completed the intervention. The serum concentration of OC significantly increased from 8.51 ± 2.28 ng/mL to 9.39 ± 2.97 ng/mL (p < 0.10). The serum concentration of ICTP significantly increased from 4.45 ± 2.58 ng/mL to 5.31 ± 2.92 ng/mL (p < 0.10). Both FAC and BBS scores significantly improved from 1.0 ± 0 to 1.33 ± 0.5 (p < 0.1) and from 7.22 ± 10.02 to 15.78 ± 14.81 (p < 0.01), respectively. Conclusions: The findings of this pilot study suggest that walking exercise may improve bone health by initiating a bone remodeling process in chronic non-ambulatory stroke survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Pakistan, a South Asian developing country, is experiencing a rapid increase in number of diabetes cases. High prevalence ratio of diabetes in Pakistani population and lack of genetic research studies prompted us to design this study. This present study investigated Pakistani Pashtun population for (known and novel SNPs) and its possible correlation with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Methods: This two stage (discovery & validation stage), case-control association study included one thousand individuals (Patients with T2DM=500 & controls=500) from eight districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. The study duration/period was from March 2018 to January 2020. In the first stage (the discovery stage) the target population was screened for known and novel T2DM-associated genetic markers. In the validation stage, identified variants were confirmed for T2DM association using MassARRAY genotyping and association analysis. Results: Exome sequencing detected eleven known and four novel/new genetic markers in the study population. Novel variants were preferred over the known for follow-up analysis/validation. Among the identified variants strong associations were confirmed for the following variants; rs1781133/ANKRD65 (OR=2.10, 95%Cl=1.06-3.08, P=0.003) rs2274791/TTLL10 (OR=1.97, 95%Cl=1.36-2.62, P=0.025), rs71628928/RNF223 (OR=1.82, 95%Cl=0.97-1.92, P=0.041), and rs609805/SCNN1D (OR=2.21, 95%Cl=1.92-3.09, P=0.001) with T2DM; other reported variants showed no noticeable association (having P>0.05) with T2DM. Conclusion: This study reports new genetic risk variants for T2DM in Pashtun population providing valuable insights into the genetic basis of T2DM in this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, we study a fractional elliptic Kirchhoff-type problem that has a singular term. More precisely, we start by proving some properties related to the energy functional associated with the studied problem. Then, we use the variational method combined with the min–max method to prove that the energy functional reaches its global minimum. Finally, since the energy functional has a singularity, we use the implicit function theorem to show that the point where the minimum is reached is a weak solution for the main problem. To illustrate our main result, we give an example at the end of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare researchers are increasingly utilizing smartphone sensor data as a scalable and cost-effective approach to studying individualized health-related behaviors in real-world settings. However, to develop reliable and robust digital behavioral signatures that may help in the early prediction of the individualized disease trajectory and future prognosis, there is a critical need to quantify the potential variability that may be present in the underlying sensor data due to variations in the smartphone hardware and software used by large population. Using sensor data collected in real-world settings from 3000 participants' smartphones for up to 84 days, we compared differences in the completeness, correctness, and consistency of the three most common smartphone sensors—the accelerometer, gyroscope, and GPS— within and across Android and iOS devices. Our findings show considerable variation in sensor data quality within and across Android and iOS devices. Sensor data from iOS devices showed significantly lower levels of anomalous point density (APD) compared to Android across all sensors (p  <  1 × 10−4). iOS devices showed a considerably lower missing data ratio (MDR) for the accelerometer compared to the GPS data (p  <  1 × 10−4). Notably, the quality features derived from raw sensor data across devices alone could predict the device type (Android vs. iOS) with an up to 0.98 accuracy 95% CI [0.977, 0.982]. Such significant differences in sensor data quantity and quality gathered from iOS and Android platforms could lead to considerable variation in health-related inference derived from heterogenous consumer-owned smartphones. Our research highlights the importance of assessing, measuring, and adjusting for such critical differences in smartphone sensor-based assessments. Understanding the factors contributing to the variation in sensor data based on daily device usage will help develop reliable, standardized, inclusive, and practically applicable digital behavioral patterns that may be linked to health outcomes in real-world settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Methods Results Conclusion The use of antidepressants in bipolar disorder (BD) remains contentious, in part due to the risk of antidepressant‐induced mania (AIM). However, there is no information on the architecture of mood regulation in patients who have experienced AIM. We compared the architecture of mood regulation in euthymic patients with and without a history of AIM.Eighty‐four euthymic participants were included. Participants rated their mood, anxiety and energy levels daily using an electronic (e‐) visual analog scale, for a mean (SD) of 280.8(151.4) days. We analyzed their multivariate time series by computing each variable's auto‐correlation, inter‐variable cross‐correlation, and composite multiscale entropy of mood, anxiety, and energy. Then, we compared the data features of participants with a history of AIM and those without AIM, using analysis of covariance, controlling for age, sex, and current treatment.Based on 18,103 daily observations, participants with AIM showed significantly stronger day‐to‐day auto‐correlation and cross‐correlation for mood, anxiety, and energy than those without AIM. The highest cross‐correlation in participants with AIM was between mood and energy within the same day (median (IQR), 0.58 (0.27)). The strongest negative cross‐correlation in participants with AIM was between mood and anxiety series within the same day (median (IQR), −0.52 (0.34)).Patients with a history of AIM have a different underlying mood architecture compared to those without AIM. Their mood, anxiety and energy stay the same from day‐to‐day; and their anxiety is negatively correlated with their mood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 global pandemic impacted the mental health of frontline workers of all disciplines across the world. The purpose of this study was to examine the protective and risk factors associated with depression scores (PHQ-9) and anxiety scores (GAD-7) of physicians practicing within the United States during the earliest phase of the pandemic. Anonymous online survey data was collected from 1,724 U.S. physicians between April – June of 2020 for this cross-sectional observational study. Recruitment was conducted via email and social media outlets. Multiple linear regression with multiple imputation of missing data was used to explore associations between each risk factor and outcome measure (PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores). Worry related to COVID-19 was associated with greater depression and anxiety scores. COVID-related changes (i.e. decreased exercise, increased alcohol intake, and decreased sleep) were each associated with greater mean depression and anxiety scores. Greater perception of employer support was associated with lower mean depression and anxiety scores while greater increase in telehealth usage was associated with greater mean depression and anxiety scores. Identification of protective and risk factors associated with depression and anxiety remains important to consider as the global pandemic continues to evolve, and healthcare workers continue to face ongoing stressors within the occupational setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alex Garland's Civil War imagines an America in which political differences have augmented into warring factions, split across varying ideological lines. Kirsten Dunst plays Lee Smith, a renowned photojournalist whom FQ columnist Ramzi Fawaz places in a lineage of white women intellectuals, from Hannah Arendt to Joan Didion, whose reportage documented the social and political atrocities of 20th century. Their observational style is described by literary theorist Deborah Nelson as "unsentimental": a methodology for how to approach the violence of everyday life in as objective a manner as possible. But what value does unsentimentality have in a political landscape in which politics and the ability to objectively understand competing points of view is clouded by identity, and when being a witness to recurring scenes of intense violence becomes too much to bear? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: S. pneumoniae (SPN) is the most common cause of pneumonia. The disease can be effectively prevented through immunisation. Since December 2020, the Malaysian Government has included the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) for all infants born on or after 1 January 2020 as part of the National Immunisation Programme (NIP). However, the epidemiology of pneumonia remains poorly understood. To fill the knowledge gap, we established a multicentre surveillance study to understand the burden of pneumococcal pneumonia among young children in Peninsular Malaysia. Methods: MY-Pneumo is a multicentre prospective case–control study conducted in three sentinel sites located in three different states of Peninsular Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur, Pahang, and Kelantan. A cohort of at least 500 incident cases and 500 controls is enrolled beginning in October 2021 and matched for age. Cases are hospitalised children < 5 years with radiologically confirmed pneumonia, and the controls are children without any features suggestive of pneumonia. Clinical samples, including nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) and urine, are collected according to the study protocol. Biological fluids such as blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and pleural fluid are obtained from invasive pneumonia disease (IPD) patients, if available. All children are tested for SPN using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and pneumococcal urine antigen test (PUAT) using BinaxNow. Discussion: Surveillance data, including carriage rate, serotype variations and the phylogeny data structure of SPN among young children in Malaysia during PCV implementation, will be generated from this study. Trends and patterns of pneumococcal serotypes by different regions are important for targeted public health strategies. Our data will provide baseline information for estimating the impact of PCV10 implementation and will influence policymakers' decisions regarding the upgrade from PCV10 to a higher-valency conjugate vaccine in Malaysia. Trial registration: This project was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04923035) on 2021, June 11. The study protocol was approved by the International Medical University Joint-Committee on Research & Ethics (4.15/JCM-216/2021) and the Institutional Review Board at sentinel sites (USM/JEPeM/21020190, IREC 2021–114, MREC ID No: 2021128–9769) and University of Southampton's Ethics and Research Governance (ERGo II 64844). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, an investigation was conducted to ascertain the impact of boron carbide (B4C) microparticles on soft and hard armor configurations, utilizing two distinct high‐performance fabrics namely, Kevlar and Ultra‐high Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE), also this work discerned the optimal fabric for protection against dagger attacks and 9 mm full metal jacket (FMJ) projectiles. Initially, rheological tests on four shear thickening fluid (STF) samples revealed that 70% of nano‐silicate (SiO2) content was the optimal ratio. Besides, scanning electronic microscope (SEM) tests showed that B4C affected the nano‐silicate dispersion. Hence, the use of STF as a matrix, led to complete protection in low‐velocity stab test and behavior improvement when subjected to NIJ ballistic test for both fabric types. On the other hand, the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of the thermosetting epoxy resin‐based composites reinforced by B4C indicated that the 10% ratio offered maximum rigidity, resulting in improved ballistic performance. This study revealed that Kevlar fabrics exhibit superior behavior in soft protection, while UHMWPE hard composite display further rigidity against high‐velocity impacts. Overall, this work contributes novel insights into the efficiency of B4C integration within soft and hard armor configurations using two ballistic fabrics, highlighting their performance characteristics in ballistic shielding. Highlights: Investigation of B4C microparticles: The research examines the impact of B4C microparticles on soft and hard armor configurations.High‐performance fabrics: Kevlar and UHMWPE uses.The use of STF as a matrix for soft and thermosetting epoxy resin for hard armor: enhanced composite performance.Low‐velocity and high‐velocity impact tests investigations; microparticles B4C incorporation: superior mechanical characteristics.Remarkable energy absorption: promising shielding uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the asymptotic behavior of trajectories of the continuous dynamical system(CDS) associated with the discrete viscosity approximation method for fixed point problem of nonexpansive mapping (DDS) which was introduced by Moudafi (J Math Anal Appl 241:46–55, 2000). We establish that the trajectories x(t) of the continuous dynamical system (CDS) has an asymptotic behavior similar to the behavior of the sequences (x n) generated by the discrete viscosity approximation (DDS) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this investigation, our primary objective is to explore the structural, morphological, and electrical characteristics of Bi0.75Ba0.25(FeMn)0.5O3 ceramic material synthesized by the sol-gel method. The prepared sample underwent synthesis through the conventional sol-gel technique. Examination through X-ray diffraction (XRD) unveiled a well-defined rhombohedral structure within the R 3 ´ C space group. Moreover, to evaluate the purity and nano-grain morphology, we utilized energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Electrical assessments were carried out over a frequency span of 100 Hz to 1 MHz and temperatures ranging from 200 to 340 K. Employing the correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model, we analyzed the AC conductivity of our specimen. The activation energy, determined from both DC conductivity and impedance spectra, demonstrated close correspondence, suggesting that both conductivity and r laxation processes are influenced by similar factors. Notably, the dielectric properties hold significant importance, potentially rendering our sample suitable for electronic applications. Furthermore, we calculated thermodynamic parameters, such as enthalpy (ΔH), entropy change (ΔS), and free energy of activation (ΔF), offering deeper insights into the material's behavior and conductivity mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is linked to immune-mediated pathogenesis and a pro-inflammatory state, leading to accelerated atherosclerosis. This earlier onset of clinical cardiovascular disease poses significant morbidity and mortality. We sought to identify IHD mortality trends in individuals with IBD in the United States (US). Mortality due to ischemic heart diseases (IHD) as the underlying cause of death with the IBD as a contributor of death were queried from death certificates using the CDC database from 1999 to 2020. Yearly crude mortality rates (CMR) were estimated by dividing the death count by the respective population size, reported per 100,000 persons. Mortality rates were adjusted for age using the Direct method and compared by demographic subpopulations. Log-linear regression models were utilized to assess temporal variation (annual percentage change [APC]) in mortality. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) decreased from 0.11 in 1999 to 0.07 in 2020, primarily between 1999 and 2018 (APC -4.41, p < 0.001). AAMR was higher among male (AAMR 0.08) and White (AAMR 0.08) populations compared to female populations (AAMR 0.06) and Black (AAMR 0.04) populations, respectively. No significant differences were seen when comparing mortality between urban (AAMR 0.07) and rural (AAMR 0.08) regions. Southern US regions (AAMR 0.06) had the lowest mortality rates when compared to the other US census regions: Northeastern (AAMR 0.08), Midwestern (AAMR 0.08), and Western (AAMR 0.08). Disparities in IHD mortality exist among individuals with IBD in the US based on demographic factors, with an overall decline in mortality during the 22-year period. Further investigation is warranted to confirm these findings and evaluate for contributors to the observed disparities. [Display omitted] • Ischemic heart disease mortality in populations with inflammatory bowel disease has decreased in recent years. • Ischemic heart disease mortality disproportionally impacted male and White populations with inflammatory bowel disease. • Southern regions had the lowest ischemic heart disease mortality in populations with inflammatory bowel disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices are now considered the standard of care for people with type 1 diabetes mellitus, the uptake among people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been slower and is focused on those receiving intensive insulin therapy. However, increasing evidence now supports the inclusion of CGM in the routine care of people with T2DM who are on basal insulin-only regimens or are managed with other medications. Expanding CGM to these groups could minimize hypoglycaemia while allowing efficient adaptation and escalation of therapies. Increasing evidence from randomized controlled trials and observational studies indicates that CGM is of clinical value in people with T2DM on non-intensive treatment regimens. If further studies confirm this finding, CGM could soon become a part of routine care for T2DM. In this Perspective we explore the potential benefits of widening the application of CGM in T2DM, along with the challenges that must be overcome for the evidence-based benefits of this technology to be delivered for all people with T2DM. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is an effective tool in the management of diabetes mellitus. This Perspective discusses the potential benefits of widespread adoption of CGM in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus at different stages of disease progression and treatment intensification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research which aimed to explore trends in cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality trends and disparities among individuals with liver disease. Cited are the characteristics and demographics of the study participants, gender, racial, and geographic subgroups in the U.S. where CVD-related mortality has increased between 1999 and 2020, and the reasons why cardiovascular death remains a leading cause of mortality in these patients despite advances in treatment.

There is limited information on the association between participants' clinical status or trajectories and missing data in electronic monitoring studies of bipolar disorder (BD). We collected self-ratings scales and sensor data in 145 adults with BD. Using a new metric, Missing Data Ratio (MDR), we assessed missing self-rating data and sensor data monitoring activity and sleep. Missing data were lowest for participants in the midst of a depressive episode, intermediate for participants with subsyndromal symptoms, and highest for participants who were euthymic. Over a mean ± SD follow-up of 246 ± 181 days, missing data remained unchanged for participants whose clinical status did not change throughout the study (i.e., those who entered the study in a depressive episode and did not improve, or those who entered the study euthymic and remained euthymic). Conversely, when participants' clinical status changed during the study (e.g., those who entered the study euthymic and experienced the occurrence of a depressive episode), missing data for self-rating scales increased, but not for sensor data. Overall missing data were associated with participants' clinical status and its changes, suggesting that these are not missing at random. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gut microbiome plays a fundamental role in metabolism, as well as the immune and nervous systems. Microbial imbalance (dysbiosis) can contribute to subsequent physical and mental pathologies. As such, interest has been growing in the microbiota–gut–brain brain axis and the bioelectrical communication that could exist between bacterial and nervous cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the bioelectrical profile (electrome) of two bacterial species characteristic of the gut microbiome: a Proteobacteria Gram-negative bacillus Escherichia coli (E. coli), and a Firmicutes Gram-positive coccus Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis). We analyzed both bacterial strains to (i) validate the fluorescent probe bis-(1,3-dibutylbarbituric acid) trimethine oxonol, DiBAC4(3), as a reliable reporter of the changes in membrane potential (Vmem) for both bacteria; (ii) assess the evolution of the bioelectric profile throughout the growth of both strains; (iii) investigate the effects of two neural-type stimuli on Vmem changes: the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate (Glu) and the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA); (iv) examine the impact of the bioelectrical changes induced by neurotransmitters on bacterial growth, viability, and cultivability using absorbance, live/dead fluorescent probes, and viable counts, respectively. Our findings reveal distinct bioelectrical profiles characteristic of each bacterial species and growth phase. Importantly, neural-type stimuli induce Vmem changes without affecting bacterial growth, viability, or cultivability, suggesting a specific bioelectrical response in bacterial cells to neurotransmitter cues. These results contribute to understanding the bacterial response to external stimuli, with potential implications for modulating bacterial bioelectricity as a novel therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Oral contraceptive pills are widely used for family planning worldwide. However, their effects on physiological processes including inflammation and iron homeostasis are not fully elucidated. The present study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the impact of oral contraceptives on serum ferritin as an indicator of iron stores, and C-reactive protein as a marker of inflammation, in women of reproductive age. Methods: The study enrolled 100 women aged 21-45 years, comprising 50 oral contraceptive users and 50 nonusers. Demographic and clinical data were gathered through questionnaires. Blood samples were collected for measurement of ferritin and C-reactive protein levels. Results: The findings revealed significantly elevated serum ferritin and C-reactive protein in oral contraceptive users compared to non-users. Moreover, increasing body weight was positively correlated with higher ferritin and C-reactive protein concentrations among contraceptive users. Menstrual irregularities and increased abortion rates were also observed in oral contraceptive users relative to non-users. Conclusion: The results highlight that long-term use of oral contraceptives may perturb iron homeostasis and provoke low-grade chronic inflammation in women of childbearing age. Additionally, overweight oral contraceptive users represent a particularly high-risk group warranting close monitoring of iron and inflammation markers. Further research into the intricate biomolecular mechanisms and downstream health impacts of altered ferritin and C-reactive protein levels with oral contraceptive use is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Breastmilk calcium concentrations can vary between lactating women and over the lactation period. This study assessed breastmilk calcium concentrations among Palestinian lactating women. Methods: The demographic and dietary variables of the lactating women were collected using a questionnaire. The women provided a sample of about 5 mL of breastmilk using hand expression. Breastmilk calcium concentrations were quantified using an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometric method. Results: Breastmilk samples were taken from 240 lactating women. The mean breastmilk calcium concentration was 285.4 ± 115.1 mg/L. Lower breastmilk calcium concentrations were associated with age, lactating period, unemployment, dissatisfaction with income and insufficient consumption of vitamins and minerals. Conclusion: Breastmilk calcium concentrations were affected by demographic variables of the lactating women and insufficient consumption of vitamins and minerals. The findings reported in this study are informative to healthcare providers and decision makers who might be interested in improving the health of lactating women and their infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mediterranean region is projected to experience severe drying trends and more extreme hydroclimate events as a consequence of anthropogenic climate change over the next century. In some places this signal may have already emerged from natural variability, but uncertainty in long-term paleoclimate reconstructions can be a significant challenge to the detection of the influence of rising CO 2 on droughts. Here we provide expanded context for recent and future hydroclimate changes with a new high-resolution (0.5 o ) spatial reconstruction of the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) using a tree-ring network that spans much of the last millennium. This network provides new perspective on the existing Old World Drought Atlas (OWDA) and allows us to characterize differences between OWDA and our reconstruction. In light of the uncertainties we identify, we also reexamine previous conclusions about the severity of recent droughts in the context of earlier centuries. We find that, in both the western Mediterranean and the Levant, recent dry periods remain the worst in at least the last 500 years, but our assessment of the significance and confidence in this finding is affected by differences in the tree-ring networks used for the reconstructions. Long millennium-length hydroclimate reconstructions in the Mediterranean do provide the opportunity to understand variability and trends in the hydroclimate of the region, but extant uncertainties arising from the existing tree-ring chronology network and methodological choices call attention to locations that require further proxy collection, chronology updates, and statistical scrutiny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the author's personal experience with "The Last of Us" video game series and its impact on his life, particularly during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics include the transformative nature of the game, its allegorical elements reflecting contemporary existential threats, and its portrayal of trauma and agency through gameplay.

This study determined the prevalence and the associated factors with meeting the recommended amount of physical activity among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients receiving care in resource-limited settings of the West Bank of Palestine. Physical activity was assessed using the World Health Organization's Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Associations were examined using multivariate logistic regression. Of the 302 patients included, 117 (38.7%) met the recommended amount of physical activity. Being younger than 58 years [aOR = 2.1 (95% CI 1.0–4.3], were employed [aOR = 2.3 (95% CI 1.1–4.9)], had high income [aOR = 3.9 (95% CI 1.3–11.9)], had thought that physical activity was crucial for T2DM patients [aOR = 32.7 (95% CI 3.9–275.5)], did not have comorbidities [aOR = 2.2 (95% CI 1.1–4.4)], had normal weight [aOR = 2.8 (95% CI 1.3–6.0)], and those who were overweight [aOR = 2.6 (95% CI 1.1–6.0)] were more likely to meet the recommended amount of physical activity compared to the patients who were 58 years or older, had low income, did not think that physical activity was crucial for T2DM patients, had comorbidities, and were obese, respectively. There is a need to increase physical activity among T2DM patients in resource limited settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Impaired insulin sensitivity is central in the etiology of type 2 diabetes in people with obesity. The effectiveness of resistance training (RE) alone in improving insulin sensitivity in people with obesity is undetermined. This study aimed to determine the influence of obesity on insulin sensitivity responses to RE. Methods: Nineteen sedentary men were allocated to Lean (BMI 22.7 ± 2.5 kg m−2; n = 10) or Obese group (BMI 33.2 ± 3.2 kg m−2; n = 9). Participants were evaluated before and after a 10-week supervised progressive RE (3 sets of 10 repetition maximum (RM), 3 d/wk) for insulin sensitivity indexes using an oral glucose tolerance test, body composition using anthropometrics, and strength using 1RM. Results: Groups were matched at baseline for all variables except for body composition and absolute strength. Body fat was not changed in both groups. Matsuda insulin sensitivity index, hepatic insulin resistance, and insulin area under the curve improved by 64.3 ± 61.9 unit, − 58.2 ± 102.9 unit, 2.3 ± 4.1 unit, and − 721.6 ± 858.2 µU/ml, respectively, only in the Lean group. The increased 1RM% for leg press was greater in the Lean (49.5 ± 18.7%) than in the Obese (31.5 ± 13.9), but not different for bench press (18.0 ± 9.1% vs. 16.4 ± 6.0%, respectively). Conclusion: Sustained obesity precludes insulin sensitivity improvements and attenuates strength gains in response to progressive RE. Additional strategies such as caloric restriction might be necessary for RE to improve insulin sensitivity, particularly at high levels of obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): The current study was conducted to assess the protective mechanisms of n-BuOH fraction from the aerial part of Genista cephontala (BEGC) on APAP-induced liver injury compared to necrostatine-1 (Nec-1). Materials and Methods: A model of APAP-induced hepatotoxicity was created in male rats by injecting a single dose; 1000 mg/kg APAP, the protective effect was performed with (200 mg/kg; 10 days) BEGC compared to Nec-1, (1.8 mg/kg). Results: BEGC or NeC-1 pretreatment significantly abolished impaired effects in APAP-rats, by decreasing the generation of TBARS and ROS in mitochondrial and cytosolic fractions and maintaining liver function activities. A marked response was observed in the levels of both GSH and GSH-system enzymes in liver homogenates and mitochondrial fractions to BEGC. BEGC/Nec-1 successfully regulated the inflammatory mediators (IL-β, TNF-α, HMGB1, and acHMGB1) and MPO levels. During APAP treatment, no caspase-3 or -8 activity was detected, and the level of fk18; M30 was higher than the levels of cck18; M65. Moreover, RIPK3 and MLKL levels were increased in the APAP group. These results suggested that necroptosis predominates during the APAP liver injury model. Interestingly, these necroptotic factors were significantly down-regulated by BEGC treatment. Both biochemical and histopathological findings were consistent with each other. Conclusion: From all these findings, the hepatoprotective effect of BEGC could be due to the abundance of polyphenols identified by LC-MS/MS analysis, as well as the synergistic interactions of all contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we will study a singular problem involving the fractional (q 1 (x ,.) - q 2 (x ,.)) -Laplacian operator in the whole space R N , (N ≥ 2) . More precisely, we combine the variational method with monotonicity arguments to prove that the associated functional energy admits a critical point, which is a weak solution for such a problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We analyzed the prevalence of active infection with common curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including N. gonorrhea, C. trachomatis, T. vaginalis, and T. pallidum, as well as active infection with HPV, herpes simplex virus types I (HSV-1) and II (HSV-2), M. hominis, M. genitalium, C. albicans, and Ureaplasma in 351 Lebanese women. Methods: A cross-sectional study, involving 351 sexually active women, 40 years or younger, who were recruited from outpatient Obstetrics and Gynecology clinic attendees between September 2016 and November 2017. Results: The prevalence of active infection was low at 0.3% for N. gonorrhea, 0.6% for HSV-2, 2.8% for C. trachomatis, and 2.9% for any curable STIs. Prevalence of active HPV infection was high assessed at 15.7% for high-risk and 12.2% for low-risk genotypes. Furthermore, the prevalence was 2.0% for M. genitalium, 6.8% for ureaplasma, 13.7% for Candida albicans, and 20.5% for M. hominis. No active infections with T. vaginalis, T. pallidum, or HSV-1 were observed. Significant age differences were noted in the prevalence of high-risk and low-risk HPV genotypes, but no such differences were noted in the prevalence of other infections. No appreciable variations were identified in the prevalence of key STIs based on smoking, marital status, or the number of sexual partners. Conclusions: The study documented active infection with substantial prevalence for multiple STIs among women attending outpatient gynecology and obstetrics clinics in Lebanon. These findings underscore the importance of strengthening STI surveillance, linkage to care, and prevention interventions in reducing STI incidence among women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In 2022, the global dissemination of mpox virus (MPXV) outside endemic regions prompted the expansion of diagnostic testing worldwide. This study assesses the performance characteristics of 5 real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays in detecting MPXV during the 2022 outbreak. Methods Clinical specimens collected from patients across Ontario, Canada, were tested on the following assays: RealStar Orthopoxyvirus PCR and FlexStar Monkeypox virus PCR (Altona Diagnostics), Novaplex MPXV (Seegene), VIASURE Monkeypox virus Real Time PCR Reagents (CerTest Biotec), and a laboratory-developed test. Positive percent agreement (PPA), negative percent agreement (NPA), relative limit of detection (LOD), and precision were evaluated and MPXV lineages were determined using an amplicon-based whole-genome sequencing (WGS) assay. Results Swabs were collected from various anatomic sites (65 positive and 30 negative). All assays demonstrated 100% NPA (95% confidence interval, 88.4%/88.1%–100.0%), with PPA ranging from 92.2% (82.7%–97.4%) to 96.9% (89.3%–99.6%). LOD and precision were comparable across assays, with coefficient of variations <3%. WGS analysis identified 6 lineages, all belonging to subclade IIb. Conclusions The assays exhibited excellent PPA, NPA, LOD, and precision. Ongoing performance monitoring is essential to detect assay escape mutants and ensure universal detection of evolving MPXV strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has shown that narcissistic individuals see themselves as victims of interpersonal transgressions more often than their less narcissistic counterparts. Yet, grandiose narcissism is a multidimensional construct and not all dimensions may necessarily demonstrate this positive relationship. Therefore, the purpose of the current study (N = 344) was to examine the narcissismvictimhood relationship while paying particular attention to agentic and antagonistic facets of narcissism and examining negative affect as a potential mediator. Results revealed that the two narcissism facets have divergent indirect effects on perceptions of victimhood (i.e., negative for agentic narcissism and positive for antagonistic narcissism). These findings provide further evidence of the narcissistic duality and extend our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the role of narcissism facets in the perception of victimhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large body of research has documented a positive link between narcissism and counterproductive work behavior (CWB). However, previous studies focused exclusively on explicit (self-reported) narcissism, thereby neglecting the role of implicit (indirectly measured) narcissism. Using a sample of 504 employees, the present investigation aimed for an integrative perspective. Applying a job-related narcissism questionnaire along with an implicit association measure of narcissism, for the first time, we address the question whether and to what extent explicit and implicit narcissism jointly influence CWB. Specifically, we show that the most toxic combination of narcissism (i.e., high explicit and high implicit narcissism) predicts the highest CWB levels. Explicit narcissism was positively related to CWB, and this relationship was stronger among individuals who were also high (vs. low) on implicit narcissism. Results suggest that implicit narcissism is an important, albeit hitherto neglected, determinant of CWB. The present work provides novel and valuable evidence on the role of implicit personality, which is crucial for understanding deviant behavior in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing demand for renewable energy has increased in the last decade due to climate change resulting from conventional energy and solar cells become popular. The perfect absorption in solar cells can be achieved with artificially engineered materials at low cost for solar absorbers with high efficiency. A perfect ultra-broadband solar absorber can be achieved by using metamaterial (MM) based on surface plasmon resonance phenomena. We design a near-ideal ultra-broadband plasmonic MM absorber for solar energy harvesting over an ultra-broadband wavelength range (0.4–4 μ m ). The structure is made up of periodic taper arrays consisting of a thin, multilayered titanium nitride–titanium dioxide MM. The proposed structure has an absorption greater than 96% between the visible to infrared (IR) regime. It is independent of both polarization and incident angle. The large operational bandwidth, high absorption percentage, and compact thin structure combined with the strong thermal stability of metal TiN make an advantageous choice for solar thermophotovoltaics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Consensus/evidence-based recommendations for assessing, managing, and monitoring bone health, pain, and mobility in patients with multiple myeloma were developed. This study was conducted to assess the adherence of the hematologists-oncologists to the consensus/evidence-based recommendations for assessing, managing, and monitoring bone health, pain, and mobility in patients with multiple myeloma who received care in the Palestinian healthcare system. Methods A mixed method was used in this study. The consensus/evidence-based recommendations were identified through a systematic search in Scopus, PubMed, SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. A panel of 5 researchers (3 hematologists-oncologists, 3 medical students, and 1 pharmacologist) sorted the consensus/ evidence-based recommendations and developed the survey tool during 3 iterative meetings. The extent to which the hematologists-oncologists in the 5 centers caring for patients with multiple myeloma adhered to the consensus/ evidence-based recommendations was assessed using a questionnaire. Results Responses were collected from 10 hematologists-oncologists in all 5 healthcare centers where patients with multiple myeloma receive healthcare in the West Bank of Palestine. The median number of years in the practice of the hematologists-oncologists was 7.5 [2.75, 14.0] years and the median number of patients with multiple myeloma care per month was 12.5 [7.5, 21.25]. The vast majority (90%) of the hematologists-oncologists reported inadequate adherence to screening for medication problems related to bone health, pain, cardiopulmonary fitness, healthy behaviors, nutritional deficits, and mental health. Of the hematologists-oncologists, 70% reported inadequate adherence to ordering and evaluating calcium, vitamin D, alkaline phosphatase, electrolytes, and phosphorus levels to monitor bone health and 60% reported inadequate adherence to prescribing calcium and vitamin D supplements whenever there was a need. Conclusion The findings of this study suggested inadequate adherence to the consensus/evidence-based recommendations and highlighted areas for improvement to ensure that patients receive optimal care. The findings suggested a need for further education and training on the latest guidelines and recommendations. Decision-makers and policymakers might need to design measures and implement policies to improve adherence to the consensus/ evidence-based recommendations. Addressing these gaps in adherence to the consensus/evidence-based recommendations may improve the care and outcomes of patients with multiple myeloma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Last responders constitute an occupational category that includes all those who are involved in the postmortem care of deceased persons and their families. The work of last responders is often considered "dirty work" and, as a result, stigmatized. Last responders are aware of this stigma, and stigma consciousness has been associated with negative health outcomes. Despite the wide acknowledgment of stigma among last responders, specific risk, or protective factors for experiencing stigma have not been investigated. This paper aims to identify determinants of stigma among last responders in the United States. The data for this study were obtained from a national cross-sectional survey of last responders. The survey included a measure of stigma and multiple sociodemographic characteristics. A hurdle model was used to assess the association between the characteristics of last responders and their perceived stigma. Respondents were predominantly male (55.1%), White non-Hispanic (90.2%), and employed full-time (96%). Seventy-seven percent reported having experienced at least one form of occupation-related stigma. There was no significant association between the experience of stigma and any socio-demographic variables. The experience of stigma is nearly ubiquitous among last responders—>75% of last responders in the sample experienced at least one form of stigma. Another aspect of its ubiquitous nature is the lack of evidence that stigma was experienced differentially across sex, race/ethnicity, employment type, and length of years as a last responder. Interventions are needed to decrease stigma among last responders and to support last responders in managing the consequences of the stigma they experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has been supported by expert consensus and clinical guidelines on glycemic management in diabetes with time in range (TIR 70–180 mg/dL) representing a key CGM-derived glucose metric. Time in tight range (TITR) has also been proposed for clinical use, spanning largely normal glucose levels of 70–140 mg/dL. However, keeping such narrow glucose ranges can be challenging, and understanding the factors modulating TITR can help achieve these tight glycemic targets. Our real-life study aimed to evaluate the relationship between average glucose (AG) and TIR/TITR in a large cohort (n = 22,006) of CGM users, divided into four groups: self-identified as having type 1 diabetes (T1D) treated with insulin using multiple daily injections (MDI) or pumps; type 2 diabetes (T2D) on MDI or insulin pumps; T2D on basal insulin only; and T2D not on insulin treatment. The T2D groups, regardless of treatment type, displayed the highest TIR and TITR values, associated with lowest glycemic variability measured as glucose coefficient of variation (CV; 23–30%). The T1D group showed the lowest TIR and TITR, associated with the highest CVs (36–38%). Overall, higher CV was associated with lower TIR and TITR for AG values below 180 and 140 mg/dL, respectively, with the reverse holding true for AG values above these thresholds. The discordance between AG and TIR/TITR was less pronounced in T2D compared with T1D, attributed to lower CV in the former group. It was also observed that TITR has advantages over TIR for assessing glycemia status and progress toward more stringent A1C, particularly when approaching normal glucose levels. The data detail how CV affects the AG relationship with TIR/TITR, which has implications for CGM interpretation. In many instances TITR, rather than TIR, may be preferable to employ once AG falls below 140 mg/dL and near-normal glucose levels are required clinically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fear is a fundamental response in the face of a life-threatening pandemic, such as COVID-19. To assess COVID-19-related fear, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) has been recently developed and validated in many countries across the globe. The current study aimed to adapt the FCV-19S into German and to examine its psychometric properties. Participants (N = 866) were asked to complete the FCV-19S, report their perceived risk of contracting the virus, and their willingness to comply with mask wearing. Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported both a two-factor structure (emotional and somatic fear) and a more parsimonious one-factor model. Among demographic variables, only female gender was positively associated with the FCV-19S. Moreover, the measure was associated with increased risk perception and compliance with mask wearing. Results suggest that the FCV-19S has good psychometric properties in German and can be used in future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc plays an important role in the biosynthesis and storage of insulin. Consequently, its deficiency may have a deleterious impact on the progression of diabetes and its associated consequences. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of hawthorn Crataegus azarolus on blood biochemical parameters, tissue zinc status, and oxidative stress biomarkers in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats fed a zinc-insufficient diet. Thirty-two male albino Wistar rats were divided into four groups: two groups were fed a zinc-sufficient diet (one non-diabetic and the other diabetic), while the other two groups of diabetic rats were fed a zinc-insufficient diet. One group was not treated, and the other was treated with an extract of Crataegus azarolus (150 mg/kg body weight). Body weight and food intake were regularly recorded. After 4 weeks of dietary manipulation, the fasting animals were sacrificed. Zinc-deficient feed decreased body weight, insulin, and tissue zinc levels (in the femur, liver, kidney, and pancreas), as well as glutathione concentrations, lactic dehydrogenase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase activities. It was also noted that inadequate dietary zinc intake increased concentrations of glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, urea, uric acid, creatinine, lipid peroxidation levels, and transaminase activities. However, oral administration of hawthorn extract was observed to improve all of the previously mentioned parameters, bringing them approximately back to their normal levels. The present study showed that Crataegus azarolus supplementation, presumably acting as an antioxidant, can be a natural source for reducing the development of diabetes caused by zinc deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as potential new biomarkers for diagnosing and prognosis a wide range of disorders. The study aimed to compare the sera levels of miRNA21 and miRNA124 among newly diagnosed patients e with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with their levels in apparently healthy subjects using blood samples. The time frame for this case-control research is August 2022 through March 2023, and it took place at Al-Sadr Teaching Hospital/Madina in Masin. One hundred patients with a recent di recently patients with T2DM (50 females) and 100 control participants appeared to be healthy but were really between the ages of 5 and 70. We took 2 ml of blood from each patient and healthy person, placed it in an EDTA tube with 1 ml of Trizole as a preservative, and put the tubes in the freezer at -20 degrees Celsius until we were ready to analyze the samples. Recent studies prove the relationship between miR-124 and inflammatory processes and insulin resistance; our emphasis suggests the role miR-124 in insulin resistance in T2DM. Studies have explored the potential of miR-124 as a diagnostic biomarker for T2DM. Altered expression levels of these miRNAs have been detected in sera of newly T2DM-diagnosed patients, which promises to be a non-invasive technique for the disease. Regarding therapeutic scope, miR-124 may be used as a target for insulin sensitivity. Modulating this miRNA may have a potential therapeutic impact in managing T2DM. It is important to note that significant progress has been made in understanding the involvement of miR-124 in T2DM. New studies may provide additional knowledge on its mechanism to decrease insulin receptor resistance and beta cell function, hence, the pathophysiology of T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Healthcare coverage has been shown to have implications in the prevalence of coronary artery disease. We explore the impact of lack of healthcare coverage on ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality in the US. Methods: We obtained county-level IHD mortality and healthcare coverage data from the CDC databases for a total of 3,119 US counties. The age-adjusted prevalence of current lack of health insurance among individuals aged 18 to 64 years were obtained for the years 2018 and 2019 and were placed into four quartiles. First (Q1) and fourth quartile (Q4) had the least and highest age-adjusted prevalence of adults without health insurance, respectively. IHD mortality rates, adjusted for age through the direct method, were obtained for the same years and compared among quartiles. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression for each demographic variable was conducted with the quartiles as an ordinal predictor variable and the age-adjusted mortality rate as the outcome variable. Results: We identified a total of 172,942 deaths related to ischemic heart disease between 2018 and 2019. Overall AAMR was higher in Q4 (92.79 [95% CI, 92.35–93.23]) compared to Q1 (83.14 [95% CI, 82.74–83.54]), accounting for 9.65 excess deaths per 100,000 person-years (slope = 3.47, p = 0.09). Mortality rates in Q4 for males (126.20 [95% CI, 125.42–126.98] and females (65.57 [95% CI, 65.08–66.05]) were higher compared to Q1 (115.72 [95% CI, 114.99–116.44] and 57.48 [95% CI, 57.04–57.91], respectively), accounting for 10.48 and 8.09 excess deaths per 100,000 person-years for males and females, respectively. Similar trends were seen among Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations. Northeastern, Southern, and Western regions had higher AAMR within Q4 compared to Q1, with higher prevalence of current lack of health insurance accounting for 49.2, 8.15, and 29.04 excess deaths per 100,000 person-years, respectively. Conclusion: A higher prevalence of adults without healthcare coverage may be associated with increased IHD mortality rates. Our results serve as a hypothesis-generating platform for future research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clustering divides a set of objects into several classes, where each class is composed of similar objects. Traditional centralized clustering algorithms target those objects located on the same site since they cannot perform on distributed objects. Distributed clustering algorithms, however, can fulfil this gap. They extract a classification model from the distributed objects even when they are in different sites and locations. With the trend of storing data in different locations and sites, and with the vast amount of data propagating throughout the web, it seems it will be one of the prevailing fields. Even though much research and work have been done on this topic, it is still considered in its infantry because of the challenges that are still popping up, such as bandwidth limitation, transferring data to a single site, and many others. In this work, we present DG-means, a greedy algorithm that performs on distributed data sets. Three datasets—the wholesale dataset, banknotes dataset, and Iris dataset, are used to compare multiple distributed clustering algorithms on different metrics: runtime execution, stability, and accuracy. DG-means exhibited superior performance when compared to the other algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Heterostructured nanomaterials tend to have a high proportion of oxygen vacancies (V O) due to the presence of heterogeneous interfaces. Herein, a new kind of heterostructured MoO 3 @CoWO 4 nanobelts was successfully evaluated as fascinating cathode material. SEM and TEM analysis indicated that the MoO 3 nanobelts were fully blanketed with CoWO 4 nanodots. The generation of Vo species was confirmed by XPS and EPR data. By profiting both synergistic and Vo generation effects, MoO 3 @CoWO 4 electrode displayed an excellent capacitance of 246 mAh·g−1 (1966 F·g-1at 0.5 A·g−1) with high-rate capability of 174 mAh·g−1 (1394 F·g−1 at 30 A·g−1) as well as superb stability of 94 % (over 15,000 cycles). Notably, all-solid-state device delivered a good energy value of 63.1 Wh·kg−1 at 375 W·kg−1. Interestingly, the supercapacitor device showed super-low self-discharge comportment of only 12.1 % during 24 h. Importantly, the generation of the V O defects could control the ions diffusion process and lead a sharp decrease in the self-discharge process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiac arrest (CA) is a leading cause of death in the United States (US). Social determinants of health may impact CA outcomes. We aimed to assess mortality trends, disparities, and the influence of the social vulnerability index (SVI) on CA outcomes in the young. Methods: We conducted a cross‐sectional analysis of age‐adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) related to CA in the United States from the Years 1999 to 2020 in individuals aged 35 years and younger. Data were obtained from death certificates and analyzed using log‐linear regression models. We examined disparities in mortality rates based on demographic variables. We also explored the impact of the SVI on CA mortality. Results: A total of 4792 CA deaths in the young were identified. Overall AAMR decreased from 0.20 in 1999 to 0.14 in 2020 with an average annual percentage change of −1.3% (p =.001). Black (AAMR: 0.30) and male populations (AAMR: 0.14) had higher AAMR compared with White (AAMR: 0.11) and female (AAMR: 0.11) populations, respectively. Nonmetropolitan (AAMR: 0.29) and Southern (AAMR: 0.26) regions were also impacted by higher AAMR compared with metropolitan (AAMR: 0.11) and other US census regions, respectively. A higher SVI was associated with greater mortality risks related to CA (risk ratio: 1.82 [95% CI, 1.77–1.87]). Conclusions: Our analysis of CA in the young revealed disparities based on demographics, with a decline in AAMR from 1999 to 2020. There is a correlation between a higher SVI and increased CA mortality risk, highlighting the importance of targeted interventions to address these disparities effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Researches in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) had shown signs of inflammation with inflammatory markers that had pivotal role in COPD. some studies proposed that elevated serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) is associated with negative impact on lung functions but up to our knowledge, no studies were performed to correlate the genotypes of IL-6 with COPD patients in Egyptian and middle east populations. Objectives To study both the correlation of serum level of IL-6 as well as its gene variant (also known as G174C)) as possible genetic marker for COPD patients in Egyptian patients. Materials and methods This study is case-control that enrolled ninety participants; it consisted of two groups. Group I included 45 patients who were diagnosed as stable COPD; Group II included 45 healthy participants. After full clinical and pulmonary functions assessment of all participants, blood samples were collected from both groups for the detection serum level of IL-6 by ELISA and the detection of IL6 variant by TaqMan Real-Time PCR. Results Our study revealed that there was statistically significant increase in serum level of interleukin-6 in COPD patients compared to normal individuals (P value <0.001) and the presence of G/G variant of interleukin 6 gene in COPD patients more than normal subjects with frequency of 84.4% and 53.3% for COPD patients and healthy controls respectively. There was significant correlation between the serum level of interleukin-6 and COPD staging (P value <0.007). Conclusion The genotype GG variant of IL6 contributes to the prediction of COPD and may be used as a marker for the prediction of COPD risk in Egyptian population. Serum level of IL6 is markedly higher in COPD patients and can be used as a parameter of correlation with COPD stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a comment on a recently published paper titled "Investigating Production Technology and Raw Material Sourcing in 17th-Century Bricks of Ghar El Melh Fortress (Tunisia) Through Geo Archaeological Analytical Techniques." The author of the comment, Azizi Ramzi, expresses disappointment and concern about scientific theft and the inclusion of false and omitted information in the paper. Ramzi points out discrepancies between figures and sections in the paper and references previous works that contradict the claims made in the paper. The comment aims to clarify these issues and provide scientific information for readers. [Extracted from the article]

This study identified the factors associated with adequate knowledge, attitude, and practice of exclusively breastfeeding women who visit maternity healthcare clinics in Palestine. This study was conducted in a cross-sectional design. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect the data. The women were recruited from different maternity care and primary healthcare clinics. In this study, 51 (51.0%) of the exclusively breastfeeding women reported that they did not receive counseling on breastfeeding from healthcare providers on the last visit to the maternity clinic before delivery, and 43 (43.0%) of the women reported that they did not receive counseling on breastfeeding from healthcare providers after delivery. Of the exclusively breastfeeding women, 36 (36.0%) reported facing challenges while breastfeeding the last child. Exclusively breastfeeding women who had a male last-child, pregnancy of = 37 weeks, received counseling on breastfeeding from healthcare providers in the last visit to the clinic before delivery, experienced sore/cracked nipples, and planned for another pregnancy were 5.55-fold (95% CI: 1.10-28.14), 6.51-fold (95% CI: 1.09-38.94), 7.08-fold (95% CI: 1.42-35.26), 7.26-fold (95% CI: 1.46-36.12), and 9.36-fold (95% CI: 1.93-45.55) more likely to score = 60% in the knowledge and attitudes test. Women who believed breastfeeding changed their body shape were 3.87-fold (95% CI: 1.12-13.44) more likely to score = 80% on the practice items. Most Palestinian women who practiced exclusive breastfeeding had good knowledge and positive attitudes toward breastfeeding. However, women reported less than optimal counseling by healthcare providers during their visits to the maternity healthcare clinics before and after delivery. Healthcare providers should counsel women about the benefits and good practices of breastfeeding, notably those whose last child is a female, had a short pregnancy period, and did not plan for another pregnancy. Larger studies are still needed to investigate the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among Palestinian women. Additionally, more studies are still needed to investigate the effect of support from husbands and families on practicing exclusive breastfeeding among Palestinian women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]