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Social support programs play a pivotal role in addressing the needs of underserved communities and enhancing their quality of life. This evaluation examines the effectiveness of social support programs in achieving these objectives. The assessment considers diverse forms of social support, encompassing financial aid, community engagement, healthcare services, and educational initiatives. Drawing on a comprehensive review of relevant literature, the evaluation scrutinizes the impact of such programs on key indicators of quality of life, including health outcomes, economic well-being, social cohesion, and educational attainment. The analysis explores the strengths and limitations of social support interventions, emphasizing the importance of context-specific approaches tailored to the unique challenges faced by underserved communities. Additionally, the evaluation considers the role of community empowerment, resilience-building, and sustainable development in ensuring the long-term success of social support initiatives. Findings indicate that well-designed and culturally sensitive social support programs can significantly contribute to enhancing the quality of life in underserved communities, but success is contingent upon strategic implementation, stakeholder collaboration, and a commitment to addressing systemic barriers. This evaluation underscores the multifaceted nature of social support interventions and advocates for a holistic and community-driven approach to foster lasting positive change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research aims to identify the social consequences of Coronavirus (Covid-19), the role of clinical social worker in addressing this issue, the obstacles that impede him/her and the mechanisms as well as suggestions that improve this role. The author adopted the descriptive analytical approach and designed a questionnaire to collect data. The results showed that the consequence of "concern about losing relatives and friends because of Coronavirus" was ranked the first. However, the consequence of "self-harm that may induce suicide due to the social restrictions imposed by home quarantine" was ranked the last. In addition, the most prominent role of the clinical social worker in addressing this crisis was educating community members about its risks and the relevant social behaviors. Moreover, the most prominent obstacle was lack of training social workers to address this issue. To improve his/her roles, the research recommends presenting courses and workshops to raise the competence of clinical social workers dealing with crises, in general, and Coronavirus, in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) allows recycling of CO2 into value added products by coupling renewable energy to the microbial ability for complex product formation. To improve biofilm formation on the cathode and the rates of product generation, the design of cathodes possessing a high specific surface area and enhanced electrode–microbe electron transfer is needed. This study aimed to demonstrate a novel cathode design that is made of porous nickel hollow fibers (Ni-PHFs), for facilitating direct delivery of CO2 to Sporomusa ovata in MES through the pores in the hollow fibers. Modification of the surface of Ni-PHFs with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) resulted in an 11-fold increase in the CO2 adsorption capability at atmospheric pressure, as well as 76.3% reduction of cathode electron transfer resistance. This cathode surface modification partially explained the higher acetate production rate of 247 ± 17 mM d−1 m−2 from direct CO2 delivery through the pores of the Ni-PHF/CNT cathode, compared to 145 ± 4 mM d−1 m2 for the Ni-PHF cathode. Higher electron recovery in the form of acetate (∼83%) was also observed for the Ni-PHF/CNT cathode. As for the tests where CO2 was sparged into the medium, acetate production was 36% lower than tests with direct CO2 delivery to S. ovata through the pores of the Ni-PHF/CNT cathode. These results demonstrate that using the PHF electrode design and modifying the cathode morphology to enhance the microbe–electrode interactions and CO2 availability for bacterial growth are effective approaches to increase the rates of CO2 reduction in MES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Admission rate to neonatal intensive care units (NICU) was considerably increased over the past few decades. Short-term outcomes had been enhanced, and mortality rates had decreased. However, the impact of advanced neonatal care interventions on long-term outcome of infants was not thoroughly reviewed. Objectives: the aim of this review is to investigate the effect of NICU admission on long-term developmental and nutritional outcomes in early childhood years. Methods: Medical database, particularly Medline and Cochrane Library were searched for studies, researches, and review articles about the long-term outcome of neonates who were admitted at neonatal intensive care unit, particularly from the nutritional and developmental perspectives. Results: Overall impact of NICU admission on long-term outcome is generally related to the etiological indication of admission; Hypoglycemia, tetanus, low birth weight, and prematurity had a negative impact on childhood development. Adequate nutrition and rapid growth velocity in NICU improved nutritional and physical development. Discussion: Long-term outcome of neonatal intensive care unit admission depends to a large degree on the etiology of admission. Adequate nutritional support at neonatal intensive care units had improved developmental and nutritional outcome of preterm and very preterm infants. Term and late term infants admitted at NICUs were not significantly different from their counterparts who were not admitted at NICUs on long-term outcomes. Conclusions: Admission at NICU is not an independent risk factor for poor nutritional or developmental outcome at early childhood years, but the etiological indication of NICU admission was more predicting. Early nutrition for low birth weight babies improved nutritional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a significant public health concern in women and a common cause of gynecological surgery in elderly women. The prevalence of POP has increased with an increase in the aging population. POP is usually diagnosed based on pelvic examination. However, an imaging study may be necessary for more accurate diagnosis. Translabial ultrasound (TLUS) was used to assess diverse types of POP, particularly posterior-compartment POP. It is beneficial to distinguish between true and false rectocele, and detect the rectocele as clinically apparent. TLUS can also establish whether the underlying cause is a problem of the rectovaginal septum, perineal hypermobility, or isolated enterocele. TLUS also plays a role in differentiating POP from conditions that mimic POP. It is a simple, inexpensive, and non-harmful diagnostic modality that is appropriate for most gynecologic clinics.

Microbial inocula from marine origins are less explored for CO 2 reduction in microbial electrosynthesis (MES) system, although effective CO 2 -fixing communities in marine environments are well-documented. We explored natural saline habitats, mainly salt marsh (SM) and mangrove (M) sediments, as potential inoculum sources for enriching salt-tolerant CO 2 reducing community using two enrichment strategies: H 2 :CO 2 (80:20) enrichment in serum vials and enrichment in cathode chamber of MES reactors operated at -1.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Porous ceramic hollow tube wrapped with carbon cloth was used as cathode and for direct CO 2 delivery to CO 2 reducing communities growing on the cathode surface. Methanogenesis was dominant in both the M- and SM-seeded MES and the methanogenic Archaea Methanococcus was the most dominant genus. Methane production was slightly higher in the SM-seeded MES (4.9 ± 1.7 mmol) compared to the M-seeded MES (3.8 ± 1.1 mmol). In contrast, acetate production was almost two times higher in the M-seeded MES (3.1 ± 0.9 mmol) than SM-seeded MES (1.5 ± 1.3 mmol). The high relative abundance of the genus Acetobacterium in the M-seeded serum vials correlates with the high acetate production obtained. The different enrichment strategies affected the community composition, though the communities in MES reactors and serum vials were performing similar functions (methanogenesis and acetogenesis). Despite similar operating conditions, the microbial community composition of M-seeded serum vials and MES reactors differed from the SM-seeded serum vials and MES reactors, supporting the importance of inoculum source in the evolution of CO 2 -reducing microbial communities., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)