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Background and Aim: Laboratory assessment of sialic acid as a marker of microvascular complications can be a diagnostic tool for diabetes mellitus. Microalbumin is an established predictor of diabetic nephropathy. The study was undertaken to evaluate serum sialic acid and microalbumin levels and to correlate it with glycemic control in diabetic nephropathy patients. Material and Methods: Clinically diagnosed diabetic nephropathy patientsvisiting the medicine OPD (outdoor patient department) and NCD (Non-Communicable Disease) were selected for the study. This study included 75 subjectswith diabetes types 2 of which 44 were males and 31were females. Control includes a total of 75 out of which 49 Males and 26 females. Blood samples were analysed for the glucose, C-reactive protein, and sialic acid. Urine sample was analyzed for microalbumin and sialic acid. Results: The mean value of FBS was 161±53.2 mg/dl which was significantlyhigher than controls 81±5.2. The Sialic acid in subjects was 105±21 mg/dl which is higher than controls 51±6 mg/dl. The urine microalbumin level was found to be 96.5±17.2 in subjects, whereas 6.4±1.6 mg/dl was in controls. Serum Creatinine level in subjects was 8.75±2.05 mg/dl which was higher than subjects 0.8±0.3mg/dl. Serum Urea in diabetic nephropathy subjects was 93.5±15.4 mg/dl, which is positively higher than controls 30.8±7.1 mg/dl. Conclusion: Urine microalbumin is established as a potential marker for diabetic nephropathy. The correlation of serum sialic acid, urine microalbumin and serum creatinine proposed serum sialic acid as an accessory diagnostic marker for diabetic nephropathy. Estimation of sialic acid before microalbumin in diabetic patients helps assess glycemic control and identify the risk for nephropathy and other secondary complications of diabetes mellitus, which are the main causes of mortality and morbidity among type-2 diabetes mellitus patients.

Author(s): Darshan B. Patel [sup.1] , Amanda C. Farris [sup.2] , Christian Hanna [sup.3] [sup.4] , Faris Hashim [sup.5] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.412408.b, Department of Pediatrics, Texas A&M Health Science [...]

Purpose- Obesity is a fast growing problem not only in developed countries but also in developing countries like India1 . Obesity is a risk factor in development of short stature, school teasing, precocious puberty, hypertension, diabetes, gall bladder disease and coronary heart disease, certain type of cancers and other comorbidities even at early age than usual² . Understanding the prevalence trend and factors contributing in developing obesity in adolescent children will be helpful in prevention of obesity and developing comorbidities in later life. Methods- A cross sectional analytical study conducted in 6 different schools of identified district of western India from 1st July 2022 to 31st June 2023 including school going adolescent children, of age between 10 to 16 years after taking necessary consent. Information regarding various predictors of obesity were taken by predesigned questionnaire, filled by participant along with his/her parentsand relevant anthropometric measurements were recorded. Detailed analysis of predictors which were present in obese and non- obese group was done and results interpreted. Results-Incidence of obesity in present study is 12.6%. Most common age of obesity is 16 years (46%) and most common age group is mid-adolescent (90.4%). Obesity and overweight is most common in upper middle class and in urbanc area. Positive correlation had been observed between adolescent obesity and parental obesity, calorie intake >2000kcal/day, eating >2 times snacks/day, >2 times junk food/week, sleeping > 8hrs/day and watching TV for >60 min, physical activity <30 min and light grade of physical activity. Conclusion-Restricting the calorie intake, food behavioural changes like restricting junk food and snacks consumption, daily physical activity could limit the development of obesity in adolescent age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School psychologists have training and expertise in consultation and evidence-based interventions that position them well to support early career teachers (ECTs). The current study involved iterative development and pilot testing of an intervention to help ECTs become more effective in classroom management and engaging learners, as well as more connected to colleagues. The intervention included group seminars, professional learning communities, and coaching. The sample included 15 ECTs and 57 school personnel in three high-poverty, urban schools. Feasibility and initial promise of the intervention were examined using a mixed-method design, which yielded promising trends in ECTs' effectiveness and connectedness. ECTs described facilitators to effectiveness and connectedness associated with the intervention and barriers associated with the structural realities of schools and gaps in their training. ECTs described effectiveness as neither static nor global and perceived meaningful progress, leveraging individual relationships and group formats to receive instrumental and emotional support.

Two series of C‐Mannich base derivatives were synthesized and evaluated through the reaction of formaldehyde, two thiazolo‐pyrimidine compounds, and various 2°‐amines. The chemical structures and inherent properties of the synthesized compounds were authenticated using a variety of spectroscopic techniques. The aseptic bactericidal potential of the compounds was assessed alongside five common bacterial microbes, with Ampicillin employed as the reference drug. Compounds 9b and 9d demonstrated comparable antibacterial activity to ampicillin against Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus megaterium, respectively, at 100 μg/mL. Furthermore, compounds 9f and 10f exhibited noteworthy action against Staphylococcus aureus (MIC: 250 μg/mL). Compounds 10b and 10f displayed excellent efficacy versus Escherichia coli, boasting (MIC: 50 μg/mL). Molecular docking studies elucidated the necessary connections and energies of molecular entities with the E. coli DNA gyrase B enzyme, a pivotal target in bacterial DNA replication. Further thermodynamic stability of the ligand‐receptor complex of 10b and 10f were further validated though 200 ns molecular dynamics simulation. The findings highlight the potential of these synthesized derivatives as effective antibacterial agents and provide valuable insights into their mechanism of action. Highlights: Two series of C‐Mannich base derivatives were synthesized by reacting formaldehyde, two thiazolo[3,2‐a] pyrimidine compounds, and seven heterocyclic amines.The antibacterial potential of the compounds was evaluated against five common bacterial pathogens, with Ampicillin as the reference drug.Compounds 9b and 9d showed comparable antibacterial activity to Ampicillin against Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus megaterium, respectively, at 100 μg/mL.Compounds 9 f and 10 f exhibited notable activity against Staphylococcus aureus, with MIC values of 250 μg/mL.Compounds 10b and 10 f displayed excellent efficacy against Escherichia coli, with MIC values of 50 μg/mL.Molecular docking studies revealed the binding interactions and energies of the compounds with the E. coli DNA gyrase B enzyme, a crucial target in bacterial DNA replication.The binding stability of promising compounds 10b and 10 f was further validated through 200 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study numerically investigates the dynamics of bubble ascent under the influence of a horizontally applied electric field. We have developed an in-house electrohydrodynamics solver integrated with the open-source solver interFoam. This solver underwent meticulous validation against existing literature and was then employed for conducting simulations. Our investigation reveals the impact of the electric capillary number (C a E) on the occurrence of wobbling. Higher (C a E) values induce wobbling in various steady-state bubble shapes, including ellipsoidal, ellipsoidal cap, dimpled ellipsoidal, and bi-oblate. For the selected conductivity (R) and permittivity ratios(S), (C a E) exhibits negligible influence on bubble rising velocity. However, its effect on deformation is significant for ellipsoidal and ellipsoidal cap shapes while marginal for other configurations. (C a E) minimally affects the shape alteration of the bubble until the onset of wobbling. The overall influence of Bond number (Bo) and Reynolds number (Re) on the dynamics of bubble ascent in the presence of an electric field mirrors their impact in its absence, with one notable exception—the occurrence of wobbling. Wobbling is observed at lower Bo and Re values compared to their counterparts in the absence of an electric field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Supreme Court ruling Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (June 2022) overturned federal protection of abortion rights, resulting in significant impact on both male and female reproductive rights and health care delivery. We conducted a retrospective review of all patients who underwent vasectomy at a single academic institution between June 2021 and June 2023. Our objective was to compare the rates of childless and partnerless vasectomies 1 year before and after this ruling, as these men may be more susceptible to postprocedural regret. Of total, 631 men (median age = 39 years, range = 20–70) underwent vasectomy consultation. Total vasectomies pre- and post-Dobbs were 304 (48%) versus 327 (52%). Total childless and partnerless vasectomies pre- and post-Dobbs were 44 (42%) versus 61 (58%) and 43 (46%) versus 50 (54%). Vasectomy completion rate was slightly increased post-Dobbs (90% vs. 88%; p =.240). The post-Dobbs cohort had significantly less children (1.8 vs. 2.0; p =.031). Men in the post-Dobbs era were significantly more likely to be commercially insured (72% vs. 64%) and less likely to be uninsured (1% vs. 6%; p =.002). Men who underwent childless vasectomy were significantly more likely to be younger (36.4 vs. 39.8 years; p <.001). There was a significantly greater proportion of Hispanic and Black men in the partnerless cohort compared to the cohort with partners (24% vs. 19% and 9% vs. 2%; p =.002). In conclusion, patients should be counseled on the permanent nature of this procedure, underscoring need for effective and reversible male contraception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Bladder cancer, with a greater incidence in males than in females, requires frequent cystoscopies. We aimed to evaluate the effect of music played through noise-canceling headphones on male bladder cancer patients during follow-up cystoscopy. Methods: A total of 160 male bladder cancer patients undergoing follow-up flexible cystoscopy were randomly divided into the noise-canceling headphones without music group and the noise-canceling headphones with music group (groups 1 and 2, respectively; n = 80 per group). The patients' clinical characteristics were examined, and objective and subjective measurements were compared before and after cystoscopy. The primary outcomes that were evaluated included the visual analog scale (VAS, 0–10) and the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI, 20–80). Other outcomes, including vital signs and scores for assessing satisfaction and the willingness to repeat the procedure, were also examined. Results: The characteristics of the patients in groups 1 and 2, and their pre-cystoscopy status, did not differ significantly. Although post-cystoscopy vital signs for the objective parameters and VAS pain scores were similar between the groups, subjective parameters were not. When compared with group 1, post-cystoscopy STAI-state scores were significantly lower in group 2, whereas patients' satisfaction scores and the willingness to repeat the procedure were significantly higher in group 2 (p = 0.002, 0.001, and 0.001, respectively). Additionally, in group 2, STAI-state scores changed significantly after the procedure when compared with before the procedure (p = 0.002). Conclusion: Providing music to male bladder cancer patients through noise-canceling headphones was found to reduce anxiety during cystoscopy and to improve patient satisfaction and willingness to undergo repeat cystoscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, has been extensively reported since the outbreak in Wuhan, China, and can progress to involve major respiratory complications (1). [...]