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Introduction Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a main, highly prevalent, and challenging public health issue. Suboptimal self-care for type II diabetes can lead to poor glycemic control, complications, and even death. Objective This study investigated the incidence of distress and its link with self-care habits of patients with diabetes type II. Methods A correlational, cross-sectional design with a convenient sample of 200 patients was used to conduct this study. Three questionnaires were administered: (A) the demographic and medical data questionnaire; (B) diabetes self-care activities in brief; and (C) the diabetes distress scale in Arabic language. Results The patients’ mean age was 51.78 ± 11.34; 80% of patients practiced lower levels of diabetes self-care, and 37% of them had a high level of diabetes distress. Self-care is associated with diabetes distress ( R = −0.152, p -value = .032). Conclusion Self-care activities can help in the early detection and management of diabetes distress. Sustained self-care education is promising to minimize diabetes distress. The potential advantages of association between diabetes distress and self-care can offer self-care programs that enhance diabetes distress management.

Introduction In Egypt, diabetic foot ulcers markedly contribute to the morbidity and mortality of diabetic patients. Accurately predicting the risk of diabetic foot ulcers could dramatically reduce the enormous burden of amputation. Objective The aim of this study is to design an artificial intelligence-based artificial neural network and decision tree algorithms for the prediction of diabetic foot ulcers. Methods A case–control study design was utilized to fulfill the aim of this study. The study was conducted at the National Institute of Diabetes and Endocrine Glands, Cairo University Hospital, Egypt. A purposive sample of 200 patients was included. The tool developed and used by the researchers was a structured interview questionnaire including three parts: Part I: demographic characteristics; Part II: medical data; and Part III: in vivo measurements. Artificial intelligence methods were used to achieve the aim of this study. Results The researchers used 19 significant attributes based on medical history and foot images that affect diabetic foot ulcers and then proposed two classifiers to predict the foot ulcer: a feedforward neural network and a decision tree. Finally, the researchers compared the results between the two classifiers, and the experimental results showed that the proposed artificial neural network outperformed a decision tree, achieving an accuracy of 97% in the automated prediction of diabetic foot ulcers. Conclusion Artificial intelligence methods can be used to predict diabetic foot ulcers with high accuracy. The proposed technique utilizes two methods to predict the foot ulcer; after evaluating the two methods, the artificial neural network showed a higher improvement in performance than the decision tree algorithm. It is recommended that diabetic outpatient clinics develop health education and follow-up programs to prevent complications from diabetes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare video modelling (VM) to a Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) aimed at improving the oral hygiene of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: This prospectively stratified randomized controlled trial was conducted on 50 children with mild and moderate ASD. Children were assigned into two balanced groups. The control group was educated through PECS, and the intervention group was exposed to VM. Oral hygiene was assessed using the Oral Hygiene Index-simplified (OHI-s) on four occasions (at baseline and at three, six, and 12 months). Quantitative data were analyzed using Fisher's exact test and a t-test at a five percent significance level and 95 percent confidence interval (95% CI), respectively. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (r) was used to correlate baseline characteristics in both groups to obtain average OHI-s scores. Results: The VM group showed a statistically significant reduction in average OHI-s scores compared to the PECS group over the follow-up period (P<0.001). At three, six, and 12 months, the OHI-s mean differences were 0.30 (95% CI equals 0.14 to 0.47), 0.58 (95% CI equals 0.39 to 0.77), and 0.57 (95% CI equals 0.30 to 0.84), respectively. For both groups, the severity of ASD was moderately associated with OHI-s scores at 12 months. Conclusion: Video modelling showed superior results in improving the oral hygiene of children with autism spectrum disorder compared to the Picture Exchange Communication System. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To compare the rates of catheter-associated bloodstream infection (CABSI) in preterm infants born at <30 weeks' gestation who received a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) versus an umbilical venous catheter (UVC) immediately after birth as their primary venous access. METHODS: This retrospective matched cohort study examined data from infants born at <30 weeks' gestation and admitted between January 2010 and December 2013 to neonatal units in the Canadian Neonatal Network. Eligible infants who received a PICC on the first day after birth (day 1) were matched with 2 additional groups of infants, those who received a UVC on day 1 and those who received a UVC on day 1 that was then changed for a PICC after 4 days or more. The primary outcome was number of infants with CABSI per 1000 catheter days, which was compared between the 3 groups using multivariable analyses. RESULTS: Data from 540 eligible infants were reviewed (180 per group). There was no significant difference in infants with CABSI/1000 catheter days between the 3 groups (9.3 vs 7.8 vs 8.2/1000 catheter days, respectively; P > .05) despite lower rates of late onset sepsis in the group of infants who received only a UVC. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in the incidence of CABSI between very preterm neonates who received a PICC, UVC, or UVC followed by PICC as the primary mode of venous access after birth. A prospective randomized controlled trial is justified to further guide practice regarding primary venous access and reduction of infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sorption behavior of uranium and thorium from their aqueous solutions by local Egyptian Bahariya oases glauconite has been investigated by batch technique. The parameters that affect the sorption of uranium and thorium on glauconite such as pH, contact time, their initial concentration, glauconite mass and temperature have been studied. Sorption experiments were expressed by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms and the results demonstrated that the sorption of uranium and thorium on glauconite correlated well with Freundlich isotherm. Kinetics studies showed that the sorption followed pseudo first order kinetic model with an activation energy (Ea) of 8.8 kJ/mol. Thermodynamic parameters such as ΔH°, ΔS°and ΔG°indicated that the sorption of uranium and thorium on glauconite was endothermic. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare video modelling (VM) to a Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) aimed at improving the oral hygiene of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: This prospectively stratified randomized controlled trial was conducted on 50 children with mild and moderate ASD. Children were assigned into two balanced groups. The control group was educated through PECS, and the intervention group was exposed to VM. Oral hygiene was assessed using the Oral Hygiene Index-simplified (OHI-s) on four occasions (at baseline and at three, six, and 12 months). Quantitative data were analyzed using Fisher's exact test and a t-test at a five percent significance level and 95 percent confidence interval (95% CI), respectively. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (r) was used to correlate baseline characteristics in both groups to obtain average OHI-s scores. Results: The VM group showed a statistically significant reduction in average OHI-s scores compared to the PECS group over the follow-up period (P<0.001). At three, six, and 12 months, the OHI-s mean differences were 0.30 (95% CI equals 0.14 to 0.47), 0.58 (95% CI equals 0.39 to 0.77), and 0.57 (95% CI equals 0.30 to 0.84), respectively. For both groups, the severity of ASD was moderately associated with OHI-s scores at 12 months. Conclusion: Video modelling showed superior results in improving the oral hygiene of children with autism spectrum disorder compared to the Picture Exchange Communication System.

The presence of chlorophenols in wastewater represents a serious challenge for its treatment and its further reuse. In this study, the use of commercial acid washed activated carbon as sorbent material for the removal of 2 chlorophenol, 2,4 dichlorophenol and 2,4,6 trichlorophenol from synthetic. aqueous solutions is evaluated. Variables affecting the uptake of these compounds (weight of sorbent material, pH, temperature and shaking time) are investigated to achieve the optimum conditions of removal process. The kinetics of the uptake process indicated that the process was best explained using a pseudo-second order model. As well, the adsorption of the studied chlorophenols on commercially available AC followed the Freundlich isotherm. The thermodynamic parameters further indicated the favorability of the process and that the adsorption was primarily physical in nature enhanced by chemisorptions.