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The competence of educational staff in information technology is essential to finishing a job at a university. Good information technology competence can help them complete the work faster and more effectively. This study investigates the influence of communication competence and education level on work productivity at Sebelas Maret University. Two hundred ten respondents were involved, consisting of 125 male and 85 female staff. Pearson correlation is used for validation, and Cronbach's alpha is used for reliability tests. All items are valid and reliable (α =.05.) The data were analyzed using multiple linear regressions. The result shows that simultaneously, the two independent variables have a significant effect on the dependent variable (F = 9.63, p

Background: Lipodystrophy syndromes are a heterogeneous group of rare, life-limiting diseases characterized by a selective loss of adipose tissue and severe metabolic complications. There is a paucity of information describing the experiences and challenges faced by physicians who have seen and treated patients with lipodystrophy. This study aimed to provide a better understanding of the physician's perspective regarding the patient journey in lipodystrophy, including diagnosis, the burden of disease, and treatment approaches., Methods: Thirty-three physicians from six countries who had seen or treated patients with lipodystrophy were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Interviews were transcribed, anonymized, and analyzed for themes and trends. Four main themes were developed: (1) the diagnostic journey in lipodystrophy including the disease features or 'triggers' that result in the onward referral of patients to specialist medical centers with experience in managing lipodystrophy; (2) the impact of lipodystrophy on patient quality of life (QoL); (3) the use of standard therapies and leptin replacement therapy (metreleptin) in lipodystrophy, and (4) barriers to metreleptin use., Results: Participants reported that, due to their rarity and phenotypic heterogeneity, lipodystrophy cases are frequently unrecognized, leading to delays in diagnosis and medical intervention. Early consultation with multidisciplinary specialist medical teams was recommended for suspected lipodystrophy cases. The development and progression of metabolic complications were identified as key triggers for the referral of patients to specialist centers for follow-up care. Participants emphasized the impact of lipodystrophy on patient QoL, including effects on mental health and self-image. Although participants routinely used standard medical therapies to treat specific metabolic complications associated with lipodystrophy, it was acknowledged that metreleptin was typically required in patients with congenital generalized lipodystrophy and in some acquired generalized and partial lipodystrophy cases. A lack of experience among some participants and restrictions to access remained as barriers to metreleptin use., Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies describing the qualitative experiences of physicians regarding the diagnosis and management of lipodystrophy. Other physician-centered studies may help increase the awareness of lipodystrophy among the wider medical community and support clinical approaches to this rare disease., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Morbidity and mortality rates in patients with autosomal recessive, congenital generalized lipodystrophy type 4 (CGL4), an ultra-rare disorder, remain unclear. We report on 30 females and 16 males from 10 countries with biallelic null variants in CAVIN1 gene (mean age, 12 years; range, 2 months to 41 years). Hypertriglyceridemia was seen in 79% (34/43), hepatic steatosis in 82% (27/33) but diabetes mellitus in only 21% (8/44). Myopathy with elevated serum creatine kinase levels (346-3325 IU/L) affected all of them (38/38). 39% had scoliosis (10/26) and 57% had atlantoaxial instability (8/14). Cardiac arrhythmias were detected in 57% (20/35) and 46% had ventricular tachycardia (16/35). Congenital pyloric stenosis was diagnosed in 39% (18/46), 9 had esophageal dysmotility and 19 had intestinal dysmotility. Four patients suffered from intestinal perforations. Seven patients died at mean age of 17 years (range: 2 months to 39 years). The cause of death in four patients was cardiac arrhythmia and sudden death, while others died of prematurity, gastrointestinal perforation, and infected foot ulcers leading to sepsis. Our study highlights high prevalence of myopathy, metabolic abnormalities, cardiac, and gastrointestinal problems in patients with CGL4. CGL4 patients are at high risk of early death mainly caused by cardiac arrhythmias., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The objective of this study is dosimetric comparison between the O-ring Halcyon and C-arm Clinac iX linac for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans for head & neck (H&N) cancer and carcinoma cervix patients. Total 60 patients of H&N cancer and carcinoma cervix were enrolled prospectively from March 2021 to March 2023. VMAT plans with 6 MV photons for Halcyon and Clinac iX were generated and compared for each patient by dose volume histogram for planning target volume coverage and organ at risk (OAR) sparing. There were no differences in between both the linacs for PTV D2% and D98%, homogeneity index, conformity index, Dmax (maximum dose) and Dmean (mean dose) of OAR. Halcyon had significantly shorter treatment time compared to Clinac iX. Halcyon delivered higher integral dose and monitor units. O-ring Halcyon produces VMAT plans comparable to other C-arm linacs for H&N and carcinoma cervix patients., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Purpose: The head and neck cancer (HNC) literature is rife with reports of differences in planned versus actual radiation doses to the parotid gland (PG) due to changes in anatomy during the course of radiation therapy. We prospectively studied and quantified changes in planned and delivered doses due to weight loss and changes in lateral neck dimensions., Methods and Materials: Sixty patients were enrolled in this prospective non-randomized observational study. The inclusion criterion was having a newly diagnosed, histologically proven squamous cell carcinoma of HNC. Weight loss (WL) and change in lateral neck dimensions (LND) were assessed weekly, and new hybrid plans were generated using interval replanning CT scans. Dose variations were monitored and extrapolated for replanning CT scans and correlated with WL and change in LND., Results: The Pearson correlation coefficients for WL and difference in Dmean of ipsilateral and contralateral PG was 0.3292 ( P = .0124) and 0.4232 ( P = .0010), respectively. There was significantly higher change in the Dmean of bilateral PG (Ipsilateral(I) > contralateral(C)) in patients who experienced WL of >5%. Change in LND correlated with difference in Dmean of ipsilateral PG at 0.4829 ( P = .0001) and difference in D50 at 0.4146 ( P < .0013). Contralateral PG correlated with difference in Dmean at 0.5952 ( P < .0001). The difference in Dmean for ipsilateral PG was 1.8535 Gy for those showing reduction in LND of >1 cm compared with 0.8596 Gy ( P = .0091) for those who had ≤1 cm reduction in LND., Conclusions: Either WL of >5% or reduction in LND of >1 cm can be used as an external parameter to help select patients who might benefit most from replanning and adaptive radiation therapy., Competing Interests: None., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Purpose of Review: Pediatric dyslipidemias increase the risk of atherosclerosis and clinical cardiovascular disease and are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Lifestyle modifications and pharmacotherapies have measurably improved abnormal lipids and reduced cardiovascular events. The review will focus on current standards of care and investigative medications with the potential to improve cardiovascular health in children and adults., Recent Findings: Lifestyle interventions and statins remain cornerstones in the treatment of pediatric hyperlipidemias. Bile acid sequestrants and ezetimibe continue to be used in the pediatric population as well. In recent years, successful clinical trials have approved use of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors in children with familial hypercholesterolemia. Use of angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) inhibitors is also promising as it causes marked improvement in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol with safe side effect profiles. Additional medications undergoing pediatric clinical trials include inclisiran, bempedoic acid, and lomitapide., Summary: Recent advances in pharmacotherapy, especially for treatment of familial hypercholesterolemia, greatly impact treatment of dyslipidemias in children. Despite the overall progress in the development of these medications, therapies targeted towards treating hypertriglyceridemia have lagged behind. Continuing research for the treatment of pediatric dyslipidemias remains an important endeavor to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and future cardiovascular events in children., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: This study was done to quantify the translational setup errors with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in the image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) treatment of head-and-neck cancer (HNC) patients., Aims: The objective was to quantify the setup errors by CBCT., Methodology: One hundred patients of HNC were enrolled from March 2020 to March 2021 for IGRT treatment. Pretreatment kV-CBCT images were obtained at the first 3 days of irradiations, and setup error corrections were done in the mediolateral (ML), superior-inferior (SI), and anterior-posterior (AP) directions. Subsequently, a weekly kV-CBCT was repeated for whole duration of radiotherapy for the next 6-7 weeks. Adequacy of planning target volume (PTV) margins was assessed by van Herk's formula., Results: Total 630 CBCT scans of 100 patients were analyzed. Setup errors greater than 3 mm and 5 mm were seen in 11.4% and 0.31% of the patients, respectively. Systematic errors and random errors before correction in ML, SI, and AP directions were 0.10 cm, 0.11 cm, and 0.12 cm and 0.24 cm, 0.20 cm, and 0.21 cm, respectively. Systematic errors and random errors after correction in ML, SI, and AP directions were 0.06 cm, 0.07 cm, and 0.07 cm and 0.13 cm, 0.10 cm, and 0.12 cm, respectively., Conclusion: CBCT at the first 3 fractions and then weekly during radiotherapy is effective to detect the setup errors. An isotropic PTV margin of 5 mm over clinical target volume is safe to account for setup errors, however, in the case of close organ at risk, or with IGRT, a PTV margin of 3 mm can be considered., Competing Interests: None

The photovoltaic investigation of novel and efficient dye-sensitized solar cells is discussed in this paper. Ruthenium-based synthetic dye (N3) is used as a sensitizer. A less toxic alternative is suggested for toxic indium-based glass substrates by using aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) as charge collectors. Moreover, the electrolyte used is a mixture of polymer (polyaniline) and an iodide-triiodide couple to go for the approach involving a lower amount of iodine. In the paper study, on the extent of light, absorption of dye is done by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. The morphological study of sheets is done using scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images to understand the binding of titania on photoanode. Photovoltaic characteristics (I-V) and induced photon to current efficiency (IPCE) measurements, and light harvesting efficiency (LHE) are also investigated. The highest power conversion efficiency of 6.18% is observed in the suggested fabricated green solar cell. Hence, more efficient, indium-free, and novel cell is fabricated by the usage of different charge collector substrates and quasi solid-state electrolytes., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in the United States. Universal screening in all children aged 9 to 11 years and 17 to 21 years, and targeted screening in children with high-risk factors, can help in early identification and treatment of dyslipidemia during the youth, significantly reducing clinical CVD risk in adult life. Lifestyle modifications with heart-healthy diet and moderate-vigorous activity are fundamental in the management of pediatric dyslipidemia. Pharmacotherapy has been evolving in children, and statins, bile acid sequestrants, ezetimibe and PCSK9 inhibitors, fibrates, niacin, and omega-3 fish oils are available for use in pediatric population., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose of Review: Genetic or acquired lipodystrophies are characterized by selective loss of body fat along with predisposition towards metabolic complications of insulin resistance, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridemia, hepatic steatosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and acanthosis nigricans. In this review, we discuss the various subtypes and when to suspect and how to diagnose lipodystrophy., Recent Findings: The four major subtypes are autosomal recessive, congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL); acquired generalized lipodystrophy (AGL), mostly an autoimmune disorder; autosomal dominant or recessive familial partial lipodystrophy (FPLD); and acquired partial lipodystrophy (APL), an autoimmune disorder. Diagnosis of lipodystrophy is mainly based upon physical examination findings of loss of body fat and can be supported by body composition analysis by skinfold measurements, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and whole-body magnetic resonance imaging. Confirmatory genetic testing is helpful in the proband and at-risk family members with suspected genetic lipodystrophies. The treatment is directed towards the specific comorbidities and metabolic complications, and there is no treatment to reverse body fat loss. Metreleptin should be considered as the first-line therapy for metabolic complications in patients with generalized lipodystrophy and for prevention of comorbidities in children. Metformin and insulin therapy are the best options for treating hyperglycemia and fibrates and/or fish oil for hypertriglyceridemia. Lipodystrophy should be suspected in lean and muscular subjects presenting with diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridemia, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome, or amenorrhea. Diabetologists should be aware of lipodystrophies and consider genetic varieties as an important subtype of monogenic diabetes., (© 2022. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a premature aging condition that involves genetic mutations, resulting in debilitating phenotypic features. The present state of knowledge on the molecular pathways that contribute to the pathophysiology of HGPS and the techniques being tested  in vitro  and  in vivo  to combat progerin toxicity have been discussed here. Nuclear morphological abnormalities, dysregulated gene expression, DNA repair deficiencies, telomere shortening, and genomic instability are all caused by progerin accumulation, all of which impair cellular proliferative capability. In addition, HGPS cells and preclinical animal models have revealed new information about the disease's molecular and cellular pathways and putative mechanisms involved in normal aging. This article has discussed the understanding of the molecular pathways by which progerin expression leads to HGPS and how the advanced therapy options for HGPS patients can help us understand and treat the condition., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Lamis et al.)