Search

Background: Eczema (atopic dermatitis) is a major global public health issue with high prevalence and morbidity. Our goal was to evaluate eczema prevalence over time, using standardized methodology. Methods: The Global Asthma Network (GAN) Phase I study is an international collaborative study arising from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC). Using surveys, we assessed eczema prevalence, severity, and lifetime prevalence, in global centres participating in GAN Phase I (2015–2020) and one/ both of ISAAC Phase I (1993–1995) and Phase III (2001–2003). We fitted linear mixed models to estimate 10‐yearly prevalence trends, by age group, income, and region. Results: We analysed GAN Phase I data from 27 centres in 14 countries involving 74,361 adolescents aged 13–14 and 47,907 children aged 6–7 (response rate 90%, 79%). A median of 6% of children and adolescents had symptoms of current eczema, with 1.1% and 0.6% in adolescents and children, respectively, reporting symptoms of severe eczema. Over 27 years, after adjusting for world region and income, we estimated small overall 10‐year increases in current eczema prevalence (adolescents: 0.98%, 95% CI 0.04%–1.92%; children: 1.21%, 95% CI 0.18%–2.24%), and severe eczema (adolescents: 0.26%, 95% CI 0.06%–0.46%; children: 0.23%, 95% CI 0.02%–0.45%) with larger increases in lifetime prevalence (adolescents: 2.71%, 95% CI 1.10%–4.32%; children: 3.91%, 95% CI 2.07%–5.75%). There was substantial heterogeneity in 10‐year change between centres (standard deviations 2.40%, 0.58%, and 3.04%), and strong evidence that some of this heterogeneity was explained by region and income level, with increases in some outcomes in high‐income children and middle‐income adolescents. Conclusions: There is substantial variation in changes in eczema prevalence over time by income and region. Understanding reasons for increases in some regions and decreases in others will help inform prevention strategies.

Background: Small Airways Obstruction (SAO) is a common feature of obstructive lung diseases. There is limited research on SAO, its global prevalence and risk factors. Methods: Using data from 41 sites in the cross-sectional Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study (N=26,448), we defined SAO as either: 1) mean forced expiratory flow rate between 25% and 75% of the forced vital capacity (FEF25-75) less than lower limit of normal (LLN), or 2) forced expiratory volume in three seconds to forced vital capacity ratio (FEV3/FVC) less than the LLN. We estimated the prevalence of pre- and post-bronchodilator SAO for each site. To identify risk factors for SAO, we performed multivariable regression analyses within each site, and pooled estimates using random effects meta-analysis. Findings: Prevalence of pre-bronchodilator SAO ranged from 5% (34/624) in Tartu (Estonia) to 34% (189/555) in Mysore (India) for FEF25-75, while for FEV3/FVC it ranged from 5% (31/667) in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) to 31% (287/981) in Salzburg (Austria). Prevalence of post-bronchodilator SAO was universally lower. Risk factors associated with FEV3/FVC included increasing age, low body mass index, active and passive smoking, low level of education, working in a dusty job for more than 10 years, and previous tuberculosis. Results were similar for FEF25-75, except for increasing age, which was associated with reduced odds of SAO. Interpretation: Despite the wide geographical variation, SAO is common and more prevalent than chronic airflow obstruction worldwide. SAO shows the same risk factors as chronic airflow obstruction. However, further research is required to investigate whether it also associates with respiratory symptoms and lung function decline. Funding: National Heart and Lung Institute; Wellcome Trust (085790/Z/08/Z).

Background: Aerobic fitness (AF) and Physical activity (PA) has shown a numerous valuable effects on physical and mental health of school children. However, research on relationship of AF and PA with Academic achievement (AA) has been less explored in the developing countries. So the present study was undertaken to examine the relationship of AF and PA with AA among school children of Surat city, Western India.Methods: A total of 579 children aged between 10 to 14 years, were enrolled from 14 granted/nongranted schools of Surat city. Data on children’s demographics, anthropometric measures (height, weight, Body Mass Index), AF (20m shuttle run test) were abstracted. Information regarding head of the family, parents’ education, occupation and monthly income along with physical activity readiness questionnaire (PARQ) were also noted from the parents. PA was measured with cross culturally adapted English and Gujarati version of Physical activity questionnaire – children (PAQ-C). Children’s AA was measured by their recent examination results in mathematics, science, social study and language (Gujarati and English) subjects along with overall grades provided by the administrative services of the schools participating in the study. Spearmen’s correlation coefficient was used to assess relationship of AF and PA with AA among children. Results: Overall, mean VO2max for 20m shuttle run test among the children was 35.33±2.20 ml/kg/minute. Results of the study showed a significant moderate positive association of AF (VO2max and no.of laps) and PA (PAQ-C) with mathematics (rho=0.46, p

In modern times, Cloud Computing is viewed as more promising technology than any other traditional Information Technology Computing paradigms. It basically serves as an on-demand resource provisioning platform without any active intervention by its user. The resource provisioning strategies require appropriate load distribution management across the cloud network, without which the cloud would face biased workload performance. Virtualization is the backbone of Cloud Computing, which enables the distribution and management of data by initiating the Virtual Machines (VMs). Furthermore, a Cloud Service Provider(CSP) has to monitor, analyze, and manage the workload distribution for servers when VMs are migrated. It presents the need to consider VM migration as an important activity that would unload the cloud server that is overloaded to migrate it to the server that can handle the workload. This paper proposes a technique that initiates the migration of VMs between heterogeneous cloud environments that would lead to a stable and well-balanced cloud network. The process of VM migration is very intensive in terms of resources, and hence intelligent approaches are required. It should effectively reduce the utilization of network bandwidth by minimizing the downtime of the server. However, the migration of VMs between the heterogeneous cloud would be challenging, but the right solution would benefit the cloud network managers on a large scale. Our proposed technique demonstrates heterogeneous VM migration between various cloud platforms built on different architectures. Various parameters have to be technically tuned for the conversion of VM images according to the Cloud Architecture. The performance of the proposed technique is evaluated based on the time taken for migration.

ProceduresTo assess the relationship between Manganese Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MEMRI) and the expression of calcium receptors in human prostate and breast cancer animal models.MethodsNOD/SCID mice were inoculated with MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and prostate PC3 cancer cells to develop orthotopic or pseudometastatic cancer animal models. Mice were studied on a clinical 3T scanner by using a prototype birdcage coil before and after intravenous injection of MnCl2. Assessment of receptor’s status was carried out after the MR images acquisition by immunohistochemistry on excised tumours.ResultsManganese contrast enhancement in breast or prostate cancer animal models well correlated with CaSR expression (pConclusionMEMRI appears an efficient tool to characterize human breast and prostate cancer animal models in the presence of different expression level of CaSR.

Objectives: We aimed to examine associations between chronic airflow obstruction (CAO) and unemployment across the world. Methods: Cross-sectional data from 26 sites in the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) Study were used to analyze effects of CAO on unemployment. Odds ratios (OR) for unemployment in subjects 40-65 years old were estimated with multilevel mixed-effects generalized linear model with study site as random effect. Site-by-site heterogeneity was assessed using individual participant data meta-analyses. Results: Of 18710 participants, 11.3% had CAO. Ratio of unemployed subjects with CAO divided by subjects without CAO showed large site discrepancies, though these were no longer significant after adjusting for age, sex, smoking and education. Site-adjusted OR for unemployment (95%CI) was 1.79 (1.41, 2.27) for CAO cases, decreasing to 1.43 (1.14, 1.79) after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, comorbidities and forced vital capacity. Of other covariates that were associated with unemployment, age and education were important risk factors in high-income sites (OR (95%CI) 4.02 (3.53, 4.57) and 3.86 (2.80, 5.30) respectively), while female gender was important in low-to-middle-income sites (OR 3.23 (2.66, 3.91)). Conclusions: In the global BOLD study, CAO was associated with increased levels of unemployment, even after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, comorbidities and lung function.

The Bepkong gold deposit is one of several gold camps in the Paleoproterozoic Wa-Lawra greenstone belt in northwest Ghana. These deposits lay along the Kunche-Atikpi shear zone, which is part of the larger transcurrent Jirapa shear zone. The formation of these shear zones can be attributed to the general ESE-WNW major shortening that took place in the Wa-Lawra belt. Gold mineralization in the Bepkong deposit mainly occurs within graphitic shales and volcaniclastic rocks. The ore consists of four N-S trending lenticular bodies, plunging steeply to the south, that are lithologically and structurally controlled. Their shape and thickness are variable, though a general strike length of 560 m and an overall thickness of 300 m can be defined. An alteration mineral assemblage characterises the ore, and consists of chloritecalcite-sericite-quartz-arsenopyrite-pyrite. Pyrite, as distinct from arsenopyrite, is not limited to the altered rocks and occurs throughout the area. At Bepkong, gold is associated with arsenopyrite and pyrite, which occur disseminated in the mineralized wall rock, flanking Type-1 quartz veins, or within fractures crossing these veins. Textural observations indicate the early formation of abundant arsenopyrite, followed by pyrite, with chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite and pyrrhotite occurring as inclusions within pyrite and altered arsenopyrite. Detailed petrography, coupled with SEM, LA-ICP-MS and EMP analyses, indicate that gold in the Bepkong deposit occurs in three distinct forms: (i) invisible gold, mostly in arsenopyrite (ii); visible gold as micron-size grains within fractures and altered rims of arsenopyrite, as well as at the interface of sulphide grains; (iii) free visible gold in fractures in quartz veins and their selvages. We interpret the invisible gold to have co-precipitated with the early-formed arsenopyrite. The small visible gold grains observed within the sulphide interfaces, altered arsenopyrite, fractures and grain boundaries, are interpreted to have formed as a result of the dissolution and redistribution of the invisible gold during later alteration of arsenopyrite, which took place at lower temperatures during crenulation and fracturing accompanying late deformation, and was accompanied by pervasive pyritization of the wall rock.

The Nassara-Au prospect is located in the Birimian Boromo Greenstone Belt in southwestern Burkina Faso. It is part of a larger mineralized field that includes the Cu-Au porphyry system of Gaoua, to the north. At Nassara, mineralization occurs within the West Bade Shear Zone that follows the contact between volcanic rocks (basalt and andesite) and volcano-sediments (pyroclastics and black shales) at the southern termination of the Boromo Belt. Gold is associated with pyrite and other Fe-bearing minerals that occur disseminated within the sheared volcanic and volcano-sedimentary rocks. In particular, highest grades are distinguished in alteration halos of small quartz-albite-ankerite veins that form networks along the shear zone. Here, pyrites are marked by As-poor and As-rich growth zones, the latter containing gold inclusions. Gold mineralization formed during D2(NA). Subsequent shear fractures related to D3(NA) related are devoid of gold. Nassara is a classical orogenic gold occurrence where gold is associated to disseminated pyrite along quartz veins.

The interpretation of high-resolution airborne geophysical data integrated with field structural and lithological observations were employed in the creation of a litho-structural framework for the Gaoua region, Burkina Faso. The granite-greenstone domain of Paleoproterozoic age was affected by multiple deformation and mineralization events. The early tectonic phase is characterized by the emplacement of voluminous tholeiitic and calc-alkaline lavas, probably in a volcanic arc setting. The copper mineralization in Gongondy, Dienemera and Mt Biri is concentrated in a diorite/andesite breccia, and is interpreted as porphyry-copper style formed at an early stage of the evolution of the area. Evidence for the first deformation event D1(Ga) corresponding to N-S shortening was only found in the E-W trending mafic unit bordering the Gaoua batholith to the south. A second deformation phase D2(Ga) occurred under greenschist facies conditions and lead to a development of more or less penetrative metamorphic foliation and its subsequent folding under overall E-W compression. At later stages, the D2(Ga) switched to a transcurrent regime characterized by intense N-S to NW-trending steeply dipping shear zones. The first significant gold mineralization event is related to this transcurrent tectonic phase. During subsequent D3(Ga), intense network of brittle to brittle ductile NW and NE faults developed. Economic gold concentrations are attributed to the D3(Ga) event and are associated with the remobilization of early disseminated low grade gold concentrations. Significant deposits in the area are Nassara, Gomblora, Batie West and Kampti. The last deformation event D4(Ga) resulted in E-W trending thrust faults and crenulation cleavage planes, under overall N-S compression. No mineralization events related to this stage have been seen.

Collections of deletion mutants are important tools for functional genomics in crops. In order to establish an efficient physical gamma-ray-based mutagenesis protocol and estimate the frequency of induced chromosome deletion events in apple, we mutagenized a total of 338 leaves of the apple cultivar 'Golden Delicious' with a range of irradiation doses (from 0 to 30 Gy). After in vitro culture and regeneration, a total of 248 plantlets were genotyped by a custom-made 384 SNP-based array suited to identify homozygous regions, corresponding to chromosome deletions produced by the irradiation and/or the in vitro culture treatments. With this approach, we identified nine multi-SNP chromosome deletions corresponding to 3.7 % of all regenerated plantlets and ranging from one to 44 cM (0.1-20.2 Mb). Chromosome deletions were also observed at mildly, not significantly lower frequency in plantlets regenerated from non-irradiated leaves. Our results confirm the possibility to generate apple plants with sizeable deletions of known dimension and location, opening the way to creating a collection of deletions spanning the apple genome useful for functional genomics. The high frequency of deletions apparently caused by somaclonal variation deserves further investigation.

The Ianapera emerald deposit is located in the Neoproterozoic Vohibory Block of southern Madagascar. The local geology consists of intercalated migmatitic gneissic units and calcareous metasedimentary rocks, containing boudinaged metamorphosed mafic/ultramafic lenses, all intruded by pegmatite veins. These units occur near the hinge of the tightly folded Ianapera antiform, within a few kilometers of the Ampanihy shear zone. Emerald mineralization is hosted by metasomatic phlogopite veins, and bodies developed within the mafic/ultramafic rocks. Based on field and textural relationships, we distinguish proximal and distal styles of mineralization. Proximal mineralization occurs at the contact of pegmatite veins with mafic/ultramafic units; in the distal style, pegmatites are not observed. Three types of emeralds could be distinguished, mainly on the basis of color and mineral zoning. Some of these emeralds have the most Al-depleted and Cr-rich composition ever recorded. Another characteristic feature to the Ianapera deposit and, to our knowledge, yet unreported, is the association of some emeralds with scapolite in metasomatised mafic rocks. Mineral inclusions are common in most emeralds and include phlogopite, carbonates, barite, K-feldspar, quartz, pyrite, zircon, monazite, bastnaesite, phenakite, plus Fe and Cr oxides. However, feldspar and rare earth element-bearing minerals occur predominantly in proximal emeralds, which also have a more incompatible trace-element signature than distal emeralds. We propose a model related to syn- to post-tectonic magmatic-hydrothermal activity. Pegmatitic bodies intruded units of the Ianapera antiform probably during tectonic relaxation. Exsolution of fluids rich in halogens and incompatible elements from the cooling pegmatites caused hydrothermal metasomatism of Cr-bearing mafic/ultramafic rocks in direct contact with the pegmatites. Local fracturing favored fluid infiltration, permitting the formation of distal mineralization. Emerald composition was controlled by the chemistry of the host rock. The presence of carbonate mineral inclusions in the emeralds and the high F-activity indicated by elevated F-contents in newly formed minerals suggest transport of Be as a fluoride-carbonate complex. It seems likely that beryl formation was triggered by precipitation of F-rich phlogopite, which removed the complexing ligand from the fluid.

Clinical Summary A 49-year-old man with no previously known pathology or risk factors complained of brutal abdominal pain, vomiting, headache, and malaise. On arrival to his referring hospital, he presented with a massive pulmonary edema, followed by cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Initial laboratory findings showed troponin I and pro-brain natriuretic peptid levels at 0.23 g/L and 5667 pg/mL, respectively (normal, 0.06 g/L and 84 pg/mL, respectively). Arterial blood gases revealed a partial oxygen pressure of 218 mm Hg at a fraction of inspired oxygen of 1. Electrocardiography did not identify signs of ischemia or infarction, and chest radiography showed bilateral infiltration consistent with pulmonary edema. An echocardiogram revealed a severe global hypokinesia (left ventricular ejection fraction, 12%) without ventricular dilatation, no valvulopathy, no pulmonary artery hypertension, and a nonincreased septal thickness. Hemodynamic and respiratory status worsened despite mechanical ventilation, volume expansion, and an intake of dobutamine (8 g) and norepinephrine (2 g). The results of coronorography were normal, and during the procedure, an intraaortic balloon pump was introduced. A thoracoabdominal computed tomographic (CT) scan revealed a 3 3-cm mass in the right adrenal gland. The diagnosis was orientated toward pheochromocytoma, and initial dosages of catecholamines were provided. We were approached as the patient’s condition got worse with signs of multiorgan failure. We then decided to implant an ECLS device (Medos Delta stream) by means of peripheral cannulation (common femoral artery and vein) in the referring hospital’s emergency department (located 200 km from our department). Medical transport, although risky, then ensued safely by road to our institution. ECLS provided an adequate flow (4 L/min), allowing norepinephrine and dobutamine disruption on day 2. The dosage of catecholamines was consistent with the presumed diagnosis of pheochromocytoma: both epinephrine and norepinephrine levels were high, at 12.5 nmol/L and 3.5 nmol/L (normal, 4 nmol/L), respectively, and the urinary vanyl mandelic acid value was 81.23 mg/24 hours (normal, 7 mg/24 hours). At day 4 on ECLS, the patient presented with an intractable hypertension, despite triple therapy (calcium-channel blocker, –blocker, and vasodilator), which was soon followed by a massive pulmonary edema. We decided to carry on with the surgical treatment of pheochromocytoma and the placement of a left ventricular assist device (DeBakey axial pump) as a bridge to recovery. ECLS was used as extracorporeal circulation to achieve the surgical procedure, including sternotomy, right subcostal laparotomy, right surrenalectomy, and DeBakey axial pump ventricular assist device (Micromed) implantation. Histologic examination of the adrenal gland confirmed the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma, and cardiac biopsy specimens showed slight nonspecific changes (hypertrophy and fibrosis). Blood and urinary samples for the dosage of catecholamines were obtained on postoperative days 10 and 30. Norepinephrine was at 10.9 and 4.8 nmol/L, and epinephrine was at 0.54 nmol/L and nondetectable, respectively. Urinary metanephrine was 3.8 mol/24 hours (normal, 3.7 mol/24 hours) and 1.3 mol/24 hours, respectively. Progressive cardiac function recovery was confirmed by means of echocardiography and an isotopic scintigraphy, allowing DeBakey ventricular assist device explantation on day 70. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged from the hospital on day 90. At 12 months’ follow-up, he has recovered a normal cardiac function (left ventricular ejection fraction, 60%). The thoracoabdominal control CT scan shows no abnormality.

Among 251 eyes successfully operated on for retinal detachment, the postoperative visual acuity was better in those without preoperative macular detachment (72 eyes) than in those with macular detachment (179 eyes). In eyes with macular detachment, the level of visual acuity obtained postoperatively was not statistically correlated with the duration of detachment for up to eight weeks. After eight weeks, the prognosis for recovery of macular function was reduced significantly according to the duration of detachment.