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An Stochastic Epidemic Model with Two Types of Infectious Diseases and Vertical Trans...
Wang xunyang
Qihong Shi

Wang xunyang

and 3 more

January 31, 2024
In this paper, a stochastic epidemic model with two different types of infectious diseases that spread through both horizontal and vertical transmission is investigaed. By constructing suitable Lyapunov functions and applying Itˆ o’s formula as well as Chebyshev’s inequality, the sufficient conditions for stochastic ultimate boundedness and permanence are established. The reliability of theoretical results are further illustrated by numerical simulations.
The existence of positive solutions for the Neumann problem of p-Laplacian elliptic s...
Bingyu Kou
Tianqing An

Bingyu Kou

and 2 more

January 31, 2024
The paper is concerned with the Neumann boundary problems: \begin{equation*} \left\{\begin{array}{l} -\Delta _{p} u+\lambda_{1} u^{p-1}=|u|^{p^{*}-2}u+\frac{\alpha}{p^{*}}|u|^{\alpha-2} |v|^{\beta} u,\,\,\,\,\,x\in \Omega\\ -\Delta _{p} v+\lambda_{2} v^{p-1}=|v|^{p^{*}-2}v+\frac{\beta}{p^{*}}|u|^{\alpha} |v|^{\beta -2} v,\,\,\,\,\,x\in \Omega\\ \frac{\partial u}{\partial n}=\frac{\partial v}{\partial n}=0,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,x\in \partial \Omega\\ u>0,v>0\,\,\,\,\,\,\,x\in \Omega. \end{array}\right. \end{equation*} where $\Delta _{p} u= div(|\nabla u|^{p-2}\nabla u)$, $\alpha, \beta >1, \alpha +\beta=p^{*}=\frac{Np}{N-p}$, and $\Omega$ is a bounded domain with a smooth $C^2$ boundary in $\mathbb{R}^N(N\geq 3)$, and $n$ denotes the unit outward normal to $\partial \Omega$. For various parameters $\alpha, \beta, \lambda_{1}, \lambda_{2}, N,p$, we dicuss the existence of positive solutions for the system.
Outcome of using Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) in critically ill COVID-19 patient...
Mohammadreza  Salehi
Mahdi Barkhori Mehni

Mohammadreza Salehi

and 10 more

January 31, 2024
Abstract Background: To access the effect of Intravenous immunoglobulin ‎‎(IVIG) in critically ill corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Method: In this retrospective matched cohort study, records of three tertiary centers with large number of COVID-19 admissions were evaluated and used. Based on treatment options, ‎patients were divided into two groups, standard COVID-19 treatment (109 patients) and IVIG treatment (74 patients) patients. Also, the effect of IVIG in different dosages was evaluated. Patients with IVIG treatment were divided into three groups of ‎low (0.25 gr/kg), medium (0.5 gr/kg), and high (1 gr/kg) dose. Data analysis was performed using independent t-test and ‎One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare the ‎outcomes between two groups, including duration of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, and mortality rate.‎ Result: The duration of hospitalization in the IVIG group ‎were significantly longer than standard treatment (13.74 days vs. 11.10 days, p<0.05). There was not a significant difference between the two groups in ICU length of stay, number of intubated patients and duration of mechanical ventilation (P>0.05).‎ Also initial ‎outcomes in IVIG subgroups were compared separately with the standard ‎treatment group. The results indicated that only the duration of hospitalization ‎in the IVIG subgroup with medium dose is significantly longer than the standard ‎treatment group (P<0.01). Conclusion: Using IVIG is not beneficial for COVID-19 patients based on no remarkable differences in duration of hospitalization, ICU length of stay, duration of mechanical ventilation and even mortality rate.
EFFECTIVENESS OF KEGEL EXERCISE TRAINING IN WOMEN WITH URINARY INCONTINENCE: A METHOD...
Kevser Özdemir
Ayse Cevirme

Kevser Özdemir

and 1 more

January 31, 2024
Introduction: Although urinary incontinence is not a life threatening problem with effects on daily life, it is a health problem with a social aspect that negatively affects the quality of life. Objective: This study was carried out to evaluate the Kegel Exercise training efficacy given to women diagnosed with urinary incontinence and to develop the “Evaluation of the Usefulness and Applicability of Kegel Exercise Training Scale” and to test its validity reliability. Methods:The study, which was planned methodologically and experimentally with pre-test and post-test, was carried out on 105 women with urinary incontinence between March and July 2017. Results: The average age of women was 49.10 ± 8.99 years. According to the data before the Kegel Exercise training and 8 weeks after the Kegel Exercise application, the average scores of the scales changed over time (p <0.05). The scale developed in the study was found to be a valid and reliable scale that can measure the effectiveness of Kegel Training training. Conclusion: Kegel Exercise training positively affected the quality of life and it was determined that the Evaluation Scale of the Developed Kegel Exercise Training Activity is a valid and reliable measurement tool. Nurses are asked to work on issues related to UI, to evaluate and transfer these studies to their applications, and thus, it is expected that evidence-based practices will be increased.
PROLIDASE LEVEL IS INCREASED IN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE AND ISCHEMIC MITRAL VALVE INS...
Mehmet Salih Aydın
Vedat Agrıç

Mehmet Salih Aydın

and 4 more

January 31, 2024
Background: Serum prolidase levels change decisively in coronary artery disease and valvular disease. The aims of this study are to determine how the serum prolidase level will vary in patients who have undergone coronary bypass surgery due to mitral insufficiency and those without ischemic mitral regurgitation and those with ischemic mitral regurgitation. Methods: A total of 45 patients who were operated with coronary bypass surgery were selected. Group 1 patients were defined as patients who had coronary artery bypass surgery and did not have mitral insufficiency (25 patients), and Group 2 patients were defined as patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery and had mitral insufficiency (20 patients). Before and after coronary artery bypass surgery, blood was taken from the patients and their prolidase levels were measured. Results: In Group 1 patients, pre- and postoperative serum prolidase levels were calculated as 1038.2 and 1289.43 U/L, respectively. In Group 2 patients, pre- and postoperative serum prolidase levels were calculated as 1084.07 and 1337.74 U/L, respectively. There is a significant difference between the serum prolidase (U/L) levels in the blood of group 1 and group 2 patients entering the operation and the blood after CPB (p<0.05). Conclusion: Serum prolidase level was found to be high in both patient groups. Pre- and postoperative serum prolidase levels were higher in patients with mitral valve insufficiency. Prolidase level is increased in coronary artery disease and mitral valve insufficiency.
Evaluating the Association between Cardiac Memory T-wave and Cardiac Resynchronizatio...
Mohammad Assadian Rad
Zahra Emkanjoo

Mohammad Assadian Rad

and 4 more

January 31, 2024
Background and Aims: We evaluated whether cardiac memory T-wave (CMT) is associated with reverse remodeling of left ventricular as an indicator of response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Methods and Results: CMT was defined as a negative T-wave in right and mid precordial leads with negative wide QRS complexes before CRT implantation. We studied 100 patients (50 consecutive patients with CMT and 50 consecutive patients without CMT) who underwent CRT. Patients’ resting 12-lead ECGs before and immediately after implantation of CRT were analyzed by an electrophysiologist to confirm the presence or absence of CMT. Response to CRT was defined as at least one NYHA class decrease and ≥15% decrease in left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) 6 months after CRT implantation. Patients with and without CMT were compared in terms of response to CRT. The number of patients with CMT who responded to CRT was higher in comparison to the patients without CMT (64% vs, 36%, p<0.001). In the multivariate regression model, CMT remained associated with response to CRT after adjusting for baseline characteristics [odds ratio (OR) (95% CI) 4.79 (2.01–11.43), P < 0.001]. Conclusion: There is a strong relationship between the presence of CMT as a marker of reversed ventricular remodeling and the response to CRT. Moreover, since CMT occurs just after CRT implantation, it can be considered as an early valuable predictor of response to CRT. Consequently, the presence of CMT can be administered as a measure of response to CRT.
Use of medicine safety surveillance tools in a primary healthcare setting
Ayodeji Oluwafemi Adebayo
Babafunso Aderemi ADENUGA

Ayodeji Oluwafemi Adebayo

and 1 more

January 31, 2024
Despite the implementation of pharmacovigilance centres in developing countries and institution of Therapeutic Committees at different healthcare delivery levels, use of official medicine safety surveillance tools among healthcare workers is not widespread. This study seeks to provide evidence on the knowledge and practice of healthcare professionals in the public sector on the use of medicine safety reporting tools. A cross‐sectional survey using a self‐administered questionnaire to assess the use of medicine safety surveillance tools amongst healthcare workers in Eenhana State Hospital was carried out. Data from the questionnaires were entered into the statistical package Epi Info® version 7 for analysis. About fifty percent of the healthcare workers in this study have identified at least one adverse drug reaction (ADR) in their professional practice while only 29% have reported ADR using at least one of the officially prescribed medicine safety reporting tools. Nursing cadre seems to be the cadre with least knowledge of both medicine safety surveillance tools and practice of pharmacovigilance. Pre-registration healthcare workers training and continuing professional trainings for registered healthcare workers has to be strengthened so as to encourage the use of medicines safety surveillance tools, in particular and pharmacovigilance, in general.
It is possible to use a 100% Medical Grade Honey in the premature babies.
BUZZI FEDERICA
Hevan Al-Atroushy2

BUZZI FEDERICA

and 4 more

January 31, 2024
At the Hevi Pediatric Teaching Hospital at Duhok an Extreme Low Birth Weight baby, with foot injury from drug extravasation was treated with the use of Medical Grade Honey. After 28 days the lesion healed, without the use of surgical removal of tissue and without allergic complications for the patient.
Efficient enzymatic degradation of hyaluronic acid by hyaluronidase-conjugated polyam...
Asieh Soozanipour
Asghar Taheri-Kafrani

Asieh Soozanipour

and 3 more

January 31, 2024
In this work hyper-branched poly (amide amine) (PAMAM) nanoparticles were conjugated with Hyaluronidase to produce a robust nano-biocatalyst for hyaluronic acid (HA) degradation. The success enzyme attachment process was confirmed by FTIR, UV-Vis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The influence of pH, temperature, and inhibitor on enzymatic activity of hyaluronidase (Hyal) were also investigated. The optimum pH, temperature and storage time of Hyal-PAMAM nanocomplex were higher than free enzyme. Also, ascorbic acid showed more inhibitory effect on free enzyme, the IC50 values were determined to be around 55±0.7 and 70±0.3 mM for free Hyal and Hyal-PAMAM nanocomplex, respectively. Based on the grater υmax and lower Km, the Hyal-PAMAM showed a better catalytic efficiency for HA degradation. Moreover, the in silico screening of PAMAM/Hyal interactions further confirmed the experimental results. The novel strategy for combining Hyal and PAMAM dendrimer can hold great promise for applications in biomedical, sensing, and industrial catalysis.
Cell@MOF nanocomposites with improved catalytic performance for the enzymatic biosynt...
xiang-e chen
Heng-jun Di

xiang-e chen

and 8 more

January 31, 2024
Recently, zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) with tunable pore sizes and large surface areas have been widely used as effective supports for enzyme immobilization. A bienzyme system for the biosynthesis of L-alanyl-L-glutamine (Ala-Gln) with effective ATP regeneration was established in this study. Cells (E. coli BL21 (DE3)) expressing L-amino acid ligase (Lal) from Bacillus altitudinis (BABD) and polyphosphate kinase (PPK) were immobilized on ZIF-8 using a one-step molecular organic framework (MOF)-embedded approach. The immobilized bienzyme system, named BP@ZIF-8, was successfully fabricated and characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The resulting BP@ZIF-8 exhibited high thermostability at 50 °C and high pH stability in neutral and alkaline reaction buffers. BP@ZIF-8, for example, lost little activity after 150 minutes in carbonate buffer solution (pH 10.0). However, BP@ZIF-8 displayed poor pH stability in acidic environments. Furthermore, after seven successive uses, it still maintained 58.9% of their initial activity, exhibiting satisfactory reusability. After 14 hours, the yield of Ala-Gln catalysed by BP@ZIF-8 was around 14.56 mM, which represented an increase of roughly 14.3% above that catalysed by free cells. These findings showed that BP@ZIF-8 has a great deal of potential for practical Ala-Gln biosynthesis.
Effect of particle shape on raceway size and pressure drop: experimental, numerical a...
Guangchao Wei
Hao Zhang

Guangchao Wei

and 6 more

January 31, 2024
Experiments and simulations are conducted to explore the changing laws of blast furnace raceway morphology and pressure drop with cylindrical particles. Experimental data show that there are five typical stages for the pressure drop during the raceway formation. The closer the aspect ratio (Ar) of particle to 1, the bigger the raceway size and the wider the particle moving band will be. When the raceway is in stable stage, the pressure drop can be ascribed to the cooperative action of the bed height, inlet gas velocity and Ar. Numerical results reveal that the large raceway formation for sphere-like particle is due to the small drag and contact forces. The contact forces in the prolate particle system are very large and thus result in a small raceway. Finally, the influence of particle shape is employed to improve a raceway size predictive correlation which can increase the average calculational accuracy by 3.4%.
COVID-19 and Vaccine Hesitancy: Could Health Literacy be the Solution?
Funda Kocaay
Fatih Yığman

Funda Kocaay

and 2 more

January 31, 2024
Aim: Practices such as the use of masks, cleaning measures, and social distancing have come to the fore to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to this, the most important way to fight the epidemic seems to be vaccination. However, “vaccine hesitancy” is seen as an important obstacle to attempts to control the pandemic. With this study, we have aimed to evaluate the effects of having inadequate or incorrect information, one of the possible determinants of attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine. Study Design: A cross-sectional design was used. Methods: The data were collected via an online questionnaire from patients who agreed to participate in the study. Sociodemographic Data Form, Turkey Health Literacy Scale-32 (THLS-32) and Anti-Vaccine Scale are filled by 496 participants in total. Results: According to the results of our study, 7.5% of the participants stated that they would not be vaccinated and 14.3% are indecisive. We have found a negative correlation between vaccine refusal and health literacy, thus confirming the main hypothesis of our study. Also, education year was a negative predictor of vaccine hesitation. Conclusions: Currently, the most important approach in fighting the pandemic is the vaccination of society. Having the right information is extremely important to fight vaccine refusal attitudes. The fight against vaccination requires joint efforts from governments and media resources, including social media.
Vitamin C induced hemolysis: Meta summary and review of literature
Ravi Jain
Deven Juneja

Ravi Jain

and 2 more

January 31, 2024
Background: Vitamin C is increasingly being used for treating myriad clinical conditions. Even high doses of vitamin C are considered safe, but complications including hemolysis have been reported. Methods: We performed a systematic search, from PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases, from January 1975 till 31st July 2021. The search terms used were “Vitamin C” OR “ascorbic acid” AND “hemolysis” OR “hemolytic anemia” and data regarding patient’s demographics, dose, duration, and form of vitamin C therapy and the patient outcomes were extracted. Results: A total of 14 case reports matched the selected criteria. The age of the patients ranged from 3 weeks to 75 years with 78.6% being males. 71.4% were diagnosed to have Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency but the previous history of hemolysis was reported in only two patients. 57.1% were prescribed vitamin C for nutritional supplementation. The dose ranged from 1 to 200 gm/day with 57.1% receiving intravenous formulations. Half of these patients also developed other complications including acute kidney injury (AKI), disseminated intravascular coagulation, oxalosis and methemoglobinemia. A great majority (78.6%) developed complications within 3 days of starting vitamin C and only 1 death (7%) was reported. Conclusions: Vitamin C is generally a safe drug but like any other drug it should be prescribed with caution and only when clinically indicated. Physicians should be aware of potential complications like severe hemolysis and AKI which may be precipitated when using high dose vitamin C, especially in a patient with G6PD deficiency.
Giant mucinous cystadenoma at the Surgical Department of the State University Hospita...
Axler Jean Paul
Novensky Aurelien

Axler Jean Paul

and 3 more

January 31, 2024
Giant tumors of the ovary are very rare. Mucinous Cystadenomas are the most common cause of these giant tumors and are often associated with digestive symptoms such as abdominal bloating, pain and nausea. The most incriminating risk factors are nulliparity, early puberty, menopause and infertility. A married postmenopausal woman aged 62 years, nulliparous (G0P0), known hypertensive for 24 years with history of myomectomy and unilateral oophorectomy, was seen at the surgical Department of the State University of Haiti (HUEH) for important increase of the abdomen. On arrival, she had an abdominal sonography describing a cystic mass with several septa and complex cystic pockets alternating with simple pockets. The mass was 46*31.7*26.4 cm in size and compress some abdominal organs. There was no ascites or adenopathy revealed. The blood screenings were within normal limits except for the liver enzymes which were slightly elevated: SGOT 48 IU/L and SGPT 39 IU/L. After evaluation it was concluded that she had a benign giant mucinous cystadenoma and was prepared for the operation room. In the OR, the abdomen was approached with a xipho-umbilical incision and after dissection of the different abdominal planes and opening of the peritoneum, a large polycystic mass was revealed. Citrin, clear fluid was aspirated from the septa to reduce the tension and then the mass was delivered.
Reorganizing the device clinic: remote monitoring of cardiac implantable electronic d...
Elisa Ebrille
Claudia Amellone

Elisa Ebrille

and 9 more

January 31, 2024
COVID-19 pandemic has caused a necessary reorganization of the elective outpatient device clinic. Remote monitoring (RM) of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) has been validated as a safe and effective tool to follow patients, limiting the need for in-person visits. We provided a snapshot of the current clinical practice in a tertiary electrophysiology center in Italy, suggesting a potential model of care for patients with CIEDs. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators/cardiac resynchronization therapy (ICD/CRTs) were evaluated in the device clinic twice a year and patients with pacemakers (PMs) once a year; loop recorder (ILR) patients were followed remotely only. In the COVID-19 period RM was implemented for all compatible CIEDs. Patients with RM were not seen in clinic anymore and were followed with RM. In the COVID-19 period, 100% of newly implanted devices received RM (82 ILR, 194 PMs, 80 ICDs/CRTs), compared to 68% in the same months of 2019 (106/106 ILR, 83/203 PMs, 78/82 ICD/CRTs), p<0.01. Moreover, 502 previously implanted patients with RM compatible devices were contacted and received RM. By the end of February 2021, 1676 patients were remotely monitored at our Institution, with a potential saving of outpatient visits of 1683 visits/year, against an average of 8514 RM transmissions/year needing evaluation. RM of CIEDs is essential to reduce in-person visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. The potential for elective outpatient appointments reduction has to be counterbalanced by the sustainability of a large number of transmissions and data to analyze.
Investigation of Red Cell Distribution Width as a Prognostic Criterion in Severe Burn...
Mehmet Fatih AKKOÇ
Semra BULBULOGLU

Mehmet Fatih AKKOÇ

and 1 more

January 31, 2024
Objective: This study was conducted to examine the effects of red cell distribution width (RDW) as prognostic criterion in severe burns. Method: The study is a descriptive correlational study, and carried out retrospectively. Patients with high RDW and low albumin values among severe burn injuries in the burn unit of a university hospital constituted half of the sample. Severe burns with RDW within normal range and a prognostic criterion which Albumin level normal and closest to normal accounted for the other half (n=120). RDW and albumin values were compared with the clinical results of patients with severe burns. IBM SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) Statistics 25 was used for data analysis. Results: Of the burn patients, 38.33% were between the ages of 65-80, 51.67% were men, and 92.5% had third-degree burns. The mean albumin level of the patients was 2.39±0.34 g/dL, and the mean RDW level was 18.47±6.15%. The length of the stay in the intensive care unit was 13.45±7.83 days, and the duration of central venous catheter use was 23.41±8.25 days. High RDW and low albumin values were found to be associated with death, length of stay in the intensive care unit and more blood transfusion. Conclusion: High RDW and hypoalbuminemia significantly affect the clinical results of severe burns. Both parameters are effective in determining the clinical course of burn patients, the length of hospital stay, presence of catheters and medication treatment protocol.
Solitary wave solution, breather wave solution and rogue wave solution for a KP-equat...
Zhenjie Niu
Zenggui Wang

Zhenjie Niu

and 1 more

January 31, 2024
In this paper, we investigate KP equation by the Hirota bilinear method and obtain its bilinear form successfully. On the basis of above bilinear form, a number of explicit solutions including one-solitary wave solution, two-solitary wave solution and their generalized form N-solitary wave solution are obtained successfully. Moreover, in view of the homoclinic breather limit method, we also express breather wave solutions and rogue wave solutions of KP-equation. Finally, with mathematical software Maple, we obtained overhead views, perspective views and wave propagation pattern of solutions in different parameter areas.
Hematuria frequency and association with abnormal urological findings in medical chec...
Mehmet Sarıer
Meltem Demir

Mehmet Sarıer

and 3 more

January 31, 2024
Background: Hematuria is one of the most common findings in urology. The management of hematuria detected in routine medical check-ups is also important in this respect. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of hematuria in patients undergoing medical check-ups and evaluate its association with abnormal urological findings in laboratory tests and imaging. Methods: Asymptomatic patients who presented to the check-up clinic between January 1 and December 31, 2020 were included. All patients underwent a complete laboratory workup and total abdominal ultrasound (TAUS). The distributions of hematuria by sex and age and the relationship between hematuria and abnormal urological findings in the laboratory tests and TAUS were calculated. Results: The mean age of the 2077 check-up patients was 45.8±12.8 years. The female to male ratio was 1.07:1 and there was no significant difference in age between the sexes (p=0.655). Microscopic hematuria was detected in 15.9% of the patients. The frequency of hematuria was 10.8% in men and 20.7% in women (p<0.001). Men with hematuria were significantly older than men without hematuria (p=0.033), while hematuria was not associated with age in women (p=0.521). When its relationship between abnormal urological findings was evaluated, hematuria had sensitivity of 21.70% (95% CI: 18.84, 24.86) and specificity of 87.11% (95% CI: 85.23, 88.79). Conclusion: The frequency of hematuria in check-up patients was remarkable, at 15.9%. Hematuria in women is more common and unrelated to age, unlike in men. Hematuria had high specificity but low sensitivity for urological abnormal findings.
On the asymptotic behaviour of an unreliable M/G/1 retrial queue with impatience
Djamel Hamadouche
amar aissani

Djamel Hamadouche

and 2 more

January 31, 2024
This paper studies the unreliable M/G /1 retrial queuing system with impatient customers and preventive maintenance. The performance analysis of this system has been carried out in a recent paper by Aissani et al [1]. In this article, we find the stationary distribution of the numbers of customers in the orbit at the service completion epoch. We obtain asymptotic behaviour of the number of customers in the orbit under some extreme conditions: heavy traffic and
Comparison of spermiograms of men presenting due to infertility before and during the...
Mehmet Sarıer
Meltem Demir

Mehmet Sarıer

and 6 more

January 31, 2024
Background: Following the rapid global spread of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Over the intervening year, there has been interest in the impact of both SARS-CoV-2 infection and pandemic-induced social restrictions on male reproductive health. This study aimed to evaluate the spermiogram values of men who presented to a urology clinic due to infertility during the pandemic and compare the results with those in the previous two years. Materials and Methods: Patients who presented to the urology outpatient clinic of Medical Park Antalya Hospital Complex for the first time due to infertility were included. The patients’ age, semen volume, and spermiogram results were recorded. The patients were divided by presentation date into pre-pandemic group 1 (March 2018 - February 2019), pre-pandemic group 2 (March 2019 - February 2020), and the pandemic group (March 2020 - February 2021) for comparison. Results: A total of 594 patients were included in the study. There was no significant difference between the three groups in terms of the number of patients who presented (207, 190, and 197 patients, respectively; p=0.691). The mean age was 36.6±7.2 in pre-pandemic group 1, 35.5±7.1 in pre-pandemic group 2, and 33.1±6.3 in the pandemic group. Patients who presented during the pandemic were significantly younger (p<0.001). There was no difference in semen volume among the groups (p=0.910). Analysis of spermiogram results revealed no significant differences in normospermia and pathological spermiogram rates by year (p=0.222). Conclusion : In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no significant difference in the number of men who presented for infertility or in their spermiogram results compared to 2018 and 2019. However, it is noteworthy that the patients were significantly younger during the pandemic than in the previous two years.
Hydroxychloroquine safety, comparison between no Covid-19 and Covid-19 patients. Data...
María Sainz-Gil
Nieves Merino

María Sainz-Gil

and 6 more

January 31, 2024
Aim. To compare the cases reported to the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System (SEFV-H) with HCQ used in COVID-19 vs. HCQ used in other indications. Methods. All cases of adverse drug reactions (ADR) submitted to the Spanish Pharmacovigilance database (FEDRA) from 1 January 1982 to 19 February 2021 suspected to be induced by HCQ were identified. Cases were classified into two groups: no-Covid patients and Covid patients. Frequencies of ADR were compared. Reporting Odds Ratios (ROR) with its lower limit of the 95% confidence interval (-ROR) and Omega (Ω) and its lower limit of the 95% credibility interval (Ω -025) were obtained to estimate disproportionalities. Results. More severe cases were reported with the use of HCQ in Covid. Main differences in frequency were observed in hepatobiliary, skin, gastrointestinal, eye, nervous system and heart ADRs. During the Covid-19 pandemic, disproportionality was found for Torsade de Pointes/QT prolongation with a ROR (-ROR) of 132.8 (76.7); severe hepatotoxicity, 18.7 (14.7); dyslipidaemias, 12.1 (6.1); shock, 9.5 (6.9) and ischaemic colitis, 8.9 (2.6). Myopathies, haemolytic disorders and suicidal behaviour increased their disproportionality during the pandemic. Disproportionality was observed for neoplasms, haematopoietic cytopaenias and interstitial lung disease in the pre-Covid period. Ω showed potential interactions between HCQ and azithromycin, ceftriaxone, lopinavir and tocilizumab . Conclusions. The use of HCQ in Covid-19 changed its safety profile. Of particular concern during the pandemic were arrhythmias, hepatotoxicity, severe skin reactions and suicide risk, but not ocular disorders. Some ADRs identified as signals would require more detailed analyses.
Effects of intra-variety root competition and soil fertility on resource allocation i...
Li Zhu
Jun Xiang

Li Zhu

and 5 more

January 31, 2024
Darwinian agriculture (also called Evolutionary agroecology) which focuses on the trade-off between individual fitness and community performance, can provide an efficient approach to enhance crop production. However, evolutionary or ecological processes, in particular the tragedy of the commons in crops, remain poorly understood. We used a pot experiment to examine whether wheat plants fell into this ‘tragedy’ when confronted with roots of an intra-variety neighbour and how the magnitude was influenced by soil fertility. Two varieties (old landrace Monkhead and modern variety 92-46) were selected for this study. Root competition scenarios were set by growing two plants of the same variety with a mesh or plastic partition. Soil fertility gradients were set by adding nutrient solutions with low or high application frequency. Biomass were tested and allometric relationship were analyzed to reveal resource allocation pattern. Old Monkhead had similar relative allocation to root biomass with modern 92-46, but had greater relative allocation to stem&leaf biomass and lower relative allocation to seed biomass. The presence of neighbour affected allometric relationships only in 4 out of 24 allometic comparisons, which all appeared in low fertility treatments. Fertilizer addition increased stem&leaf biomass allocation of Monkhead and decreased root and seed biomass allocation at the same time. By contrast, stem&leaf and seed allocation of 92-46 was not changed by fertilizer addition although root allocation was decreased. Our results demonstrated that there was a trade-off between non-reproductive and reproductive allocation for wheat varieties. There was not notable tragedy of the commons in wheat varieties, although a small degree was observed in Monkhead. Moreover, the occurrence and magnitude of the tragedy was dependent on resource availability and variety resource-use strategy. Our results underlie the importance of understanding the mechanisms behind the tragedy of the commons in crop varieties with different ecological strategies, and provide insights into the role of Darwinian agriculture in global food production.
FBPase controls gluconeogenesis: new insights to regulation of fructose 1,6 bisphosph...
Aakriti Gupta
Anchal Varma

Aakriti Gupta

and 2 more

January 31, 2024
Abstract The red eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) undergoes numerous changes to its physiological and metabolic processes to survive without oxygen. During anoxic conditions, its metabolic rate drops drastically to minimise energy requirements. The alterations in central metabolic pathways are often accomplished by the regulation of key enzymes. The regulation of one such enzyme, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase; EC 3.1.3.11), was characterized in the present study during anoxia in liver. FBPase is a crucial enzyme of gluconeogenesis. FBPase was purified from liver tissue in both control and anoxic conditions and subsequently assayed to determine the kinetic parameters of the enzyme. Studies revealed the relative degree of posttranslational modifications in FBPase from control and anoxic turtles. Further, this study demonstrated a significant decrease in the maximal activity in anoxic FBPase and decreased sensitivity to its substrate fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) when compared to the control. Immunoblotting demonstrated increased threonine phosphorylation (~1.4 fold) in the anoxic FBPase. Taken together these results suggest that phosphorylation of liver FBPase is an important step in suppressing FBPase activity ultimately leading to inhibition of gluconeogenesis in the liver of the red eared slider during anaerobic conditions.
Gestational hypertensive disease and birthweight discordance in twin pregnancies: a s...
Yuan Wang
Hongying Zeng

Yuan Wang

and 3 more

January 31, 2024
Background: For singletons, the relationship between gestational hypertensive disease (GHD) and fetal growth anomalies has been established. However, the association between GHD and birthweight discordance in twin pregnancies is inclusive. Objective: To explore the association between GHD and birthweight discordance in twin pregnancies. Search strategy: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were systematically searched from establishment until July 2021. Selection criteria: Studies reporting the risk of birthweight discordance in twin pregnancies complicated by GHD compared with those not were included. Data collection and analysis: Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were extracted. Study heterogeneity was evaluated by I2 index. Sub-group analyses and stratification were performed. Risk of bias was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Main results: Ten studies (304181 twin pregnancies) were included. GHD (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.41-1.94) was a risk factor for intertwin birthweight discordance [preeclampsia (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.32-2.08); chronic hypertension (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.46-1.73)]. No evident association was observed between gestational hypertension (GH) and intertwin birthweight discordance (OR 1.24, 95% CI 0.96-1.60). After stratification, birthweight discordance was related to GHD (OR 2.51, 95% CI 2.01-3.14), GH (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.33-3.25) and preeclampsia (OR 2.74, 95% CI 2.09-3.61) in dichorionic pregnancies, but no longer associated with GHD and preeclampsia in monochorionic group. Conclusions: Twin gestations complicated with GHD, especially in DC pregnancies, were at significantly higher risk of birthweight discordance. Funding: Science and Technology Program of Nantong City (MS12020036). Keywords: gestational hypertensive disease, birthweight discordance, twin pregnancies, chorionicity, systematic review
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