A document by Hong Huang. Click on the document to view its contents.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the morbidity of anorexia increased both in its scope and in its severity. Research conducted thus far, has raised questions regarding the unique influences that the pandemic imposed on individuals with anorexia and those at risk for developing it. This opinion article offers a psychoanalytic understanding for the increased morbidity of anorexia following the outbreak of COVID-19. It argues that the encounter between an external reality saturated with restrictions and prohibitions and the anorexic internal reality intensified the anorexic symptomology. The authors present explanations regarding the ways in which the pandemic undermined the anorexic defenses and contributed to the increase of anorexia. They conclude that COVID-19 has led to the exacerbation of anorexia through employment of two key defense mechanisms of anorexia, which are: 1. Implementation of prohibitions, reductions, and restrictions. 2. Having an omnipotent sense of self, in which the body is regarded as controllable.

Background : The parent stress is as ‘the experience by a mother of unpleasant emotions, such as tension, frustration, anxiety, anger, and depression, specially when they see their child admitted in NICU of neonate as a parent. Objectives :To assess the stress level & coping strategies of mothers of neonates admitted in N.I.C.U.To establish the correlation between the stress & coping strategies among mother of neonates. Materials & methods : A descriptive design was used for this research which was done in selected tertiary care hospital in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The sample consisted of 106 mothers whose baby admitted in NICU. The standardized tool and including modified likert scale used for data collection. In this study non-probability purposive sampling technique was used . After collection of the data, the selected samples was analysed by using Karl Pearson’s Coefficient of Correlation and chi-square test. and SPSS software version 20 and Microsoft Excel, 2007 used for statistical analysis . Results : After statistical analysis the result was found that majority (86.8 %) mother comes under severe stress and (13.2 %) of mothers comes under moderate stress. In case of coping strategies maximum mothers 96(90.6 %) were undergone moderate coping strategies to reduce the stress, and only few mothers 10 (9.4%) with poor coping strategy & did not find any relationship between the stress level & coping strategies ( r = 0.065, P=0.618). Here, the null hypothesis was rejected. The final table revealed that there is negative significant association between the stress level of mothers & socio demographic variables such as mothers age, Education qualification, family Income per month, mode of delivery, living area, Number of Children, and treatment pattern except four variables and these are education (p < 0.005), Income (p < 0.33) , mode of delivery ( p < 0.001) & family type (p < 0.001) etc.

This work provides the generalized fractional differential quadrature method, which is focused on the generalized Caputo kind and has been utilized for the first time for solving nonlinear fractional equations. The cardinal sine shape function is one of the effective shape functions of this method that is used in conjunction with the fractional operator of the generalized Caputo kind to convert nonlinear fractional equations into a nonlinear algebraic system. The nonlinearity problem is then solved using an iterative approach. Numerical simulations for a variety of chaotic systems are introduced using the MATLAB program and compared with previous theoretical and numerical results to ensure their reliability, convergence, accuracy, and efficiency. As a result, numerical simulations show that the cardinal sine shape function outperforms other techniques in terms of accuracy, convergence, and reliability. We confidently predict that the presented generalized fractional differential quadrature method and algorithm will be used to express and simulate many chaotic systems and generalized Caputo-type fractional problems in the future.

Widespread school closures and other non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), used to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2, significantly disrupted transmission patterns of seasonal respiratory viruses. As NPIs were relaxed, populations were vulnerable to resurgence. This study within a small community assessed acute respiratory illness among kindergarten through grade 12 students as they returned to public schools from September through December 2022 without masking and distancing requirements. The 277 specimens collected demonstrated a shift from rhinovirus to influenza. With continued circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and return of seasonal respiratory viruses, understanding evolving transmission patterns will play an important role in reducing disease burden.

Reproductive isolation plays an important role in maintaining the species integrity of sympatric close relatives. For sympatric Arisaema species, interspecific gene flow is expected to be effectively prevented by pre-pollination barriers, particularly strong pollinator isolation mediated by fungus gnats. However, due to the lack of quantitative studies combining multiple pre- and post-pollination barriers, it is not known whether pre-pollination isolation is complete, and whether post-pollination barriers also contribute to reproductive isolation among some Arisaema species. We studied five pre- and post-pollination barriers (geographic isolation, phenological isolation, pollinator isolation, hybrid fruit production, and hybrid seed formation) among three sympatric Arisaema species (A. bockii, A. lobatum, and A. erubescens). The strength of individual barriers and their contribution to total isolation were quantified.The habitat elevations of the three Arisaema species mostly overlapped. Although phenological isolation and pollinator isolation reduced the frequencies of interspecific pollen transfer among these species, the partial overlap of flowering times and pollinator assemblages resulted in pre-pollination isolation that does not adequately prevent interspecific hybridization. Post-pollination barriers also contributed to reproductive isolation at the hybrid fruit and seed formation stages.We propose that, although pre-pollination barriers are expected to contribute more to total isolation than post-pollination barriers in Arisaema, pre-pollination barriers may not completely prevent interspecific pollen transfer among some Arisaema species. Post-pollination barriers, which are generally ignored, may also have contributed significantly to reproductive isolation in Arisaema.

The Mississippi River channel from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is a key deep draft navigation channel and an active deltaic lobe. Natural and engineered lateral exits from this reach into adjacent receiving basins historically has provided mineral sediment for wetland accretion in the face of rising relative sea level and supported estuarine-coastal food webs. However, our analysis indicates water losses from the channel have increased by 25% since 2004 due to (1) bank failures during large floods since 2012 that have created several large exit channels downriver of the flood protection levee, and (2) the opening of an engineered diversion at West Bay in 2004. This has resulted in a 60-80% loss in stream power in the lowermost navigation channel that is accompanied by net shoaling between 2012 and 2022 and an increased dredging need. Our 2022 survey in the GOM exit passes indicates that only 20% of the freshwater, 5% of the total suspended sediment (2% of the sand) at New Orleans now reaches the GOM: this supports previous research indicating the delta front is retreating after centuries of progradation. Together these results indicate that (1) river containment and the sustainability of the navigation channel is threatened, (2) sediment load reaching the seaward end of the delta may be insufficient to avoid major degradation, and (3) the increased freshwater flux into adjacent shallow coastal water bodies has unknown implications for coastal hypoxia and food webs, including commercial species (e.g., oysters) and marine mammals. Future acceleration in sea level rise rates and tropical storm frequency/intensity likely will worsen these trends.

Background. Cortical visual impairment (CVI) is a severe loss of visual function caused by damage to the visual cortex or its afferents, usually as a consequence of hypoxic insults during birth. It is one of the leading causes of vision loss in children, and it is most often permanent. Objective. Several studies have demonstrated limited vision restoration in adults who trained on well-controlled psychophysical tasks, after acquiring CVI late in life. Other studies have shown improvements in children who underwent vision training. However, little is known about the prospects for the large number of patients who acquired CVI at birth but received no formal therapy as children. Methods. We therefore conducted a proof-of-principle study in one CVI patient long after the onset of cortical damage (age 18), to test the training speed, efficacy and generalizability of vision rehabilitation using protocols that had previously proven successful in adults. The patient trained at home and in the laboratory, on a psychophysical task that required discrimination of complex motion stimuli presented in the blind field. Visual function was assessed before and after training, using perimetric measures, as well as a battery of psychophysical tests. Results. The patient showed remarkably rapid improvements on the training task, with performance going from chance to 80% correct over the span of 11 sessions. With further training, improved vision was found for untrained stimuli and for perimetric measures of visual sensitivity. Some, but not all, of these performance gains were retained upon retesting after one year. Conclusion. These results suggest that existing vision rehabilitation programs can be highly effective in adult patients who acquired CVI at a young age. Validation with a large sample size is critical, and future work should also focus on improving the usability and accessibility of these programs for younger patients.

Background: Approximately 10% of the global population identify themselves as penicillin allergic, yet 90% are not truly allergic and could safely tolerate penicillin. There is no simple way to identify these people. Current in vitro diagnostics include specific immunoglobulin E, sIgE (with a sensitivity of 19% and specificity of 97%) and basophil activation testing (BAT) with undefined sensitivity and specificity. Objective: To define the sensitivity and specificity of BAT in the diagnosis of penicillin allergyMethods: PubMed and EMBASE searched from inception to 04/02/2023 for original studies evaluating the performance characteristics of basophil activation test for penicillin allergy in adults. Study selection, data extraction, risk of bias, assessment with QUADAS-2 tool, certainty assessment with GRADE methodology were performed independently, in duplicate. Meta-analysis was performed using Reitsma methodology.Results: Twenty-two studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Twelve used the same positive threshold giving a summary point sensitivity 51% (95% CI, 46%-56%) and specificity 89% (95% CI, 85%-93%). Significant risk of bias was identified due to patient selection. GRADE certainty of evidence rated sensitivity “very low” due to imprecision and specificity as “low”. There was great heterogeneity in methods used. Use of 1000 basophils per test did not improve performance above 500 basophils. Conclusion: BAT sensitivity is highly variable across studies and remains too low to be considered as a routine element of clinical practice. BAT specificity is not as good as sIgE in penicillin allergy diagnosis. Significant further work is required in this field before clinical application of BAT in routine practice.

Clinical Validity and Conceptual Interpretation of Impact of alcohol consumption on COVID-19 severityRama Jayaraj 1*, Sameep Shetty 2, A Devi3, Suja S4, Yash Merchant5

H63D Syndrome Type-2 is a complex genetic disorder with diverse manifestations, including erratic iron metabolism, micro-inflammatory cascades, neuropsychiatric issues, organ damage, and other rare multi-faceted symptoms. A comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiology underlying this condition is essential for accurate diagnosis, appropriate management, and the development of targeted therapeutic approaches. Healthcare professionals should adopt a multidisciplinary approach to patient care and emphasize the importance of early detection, intervention, and patient education in the management of H63D Syndrome Type-2. Future research should focus on gene editing technologies and novel therapies to address the underlying genetic mutation and the diverse symptoms associated with the disorder.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are rare but life-threatening skin reactions, often triggered by medications such as antiepileptic drugs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and certain antibiotics. Carbamazepine is one of the most common antiepileptic medicine that causes SJS. A 13-year-old male with a history of 2 years of epilepsy presented with a painful rash and extensive blistering with mucous membrane involvement, along with fever and Nilkolsky sign. Based on clinical presentation and previous medication history, the patient was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and carbamazepine was identified as the cause. Carbamazepine was discontinued, and the patient was given nutritional support, wound care, and intravenous fluids, along with steroid and antihistamine treatment. The patient’s symptoms improved, and he was discharged after 13 days. Physicians must be aware of the potential for life-threatening drug hypersensitivity reactions in patients taking certain medications, particularly antiepileptic drugs. A thorough history and careful monitoring are essential for the early recognition and treatment of SJS and TEN. We want to advise all physicians that for patients with a previous drug reaction to this class of medication, carbamazepine prescribing should be avoided. KEYWORDS: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), carbamazepine (CBZ), phenytoin (PHT), ADR.

Objective: To investigate the ENT department’s (OPD, IPD) antibiotic prescribing practices at a tertiary care hospital in Lucknow, India. Material and Methods A prospective, cross-sectional, non-experimental (observational) study was performed in (OPD, IPD) department of Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) over a period of 6 months. Result In this study, 100 ENT patients (51 male, 49 female) were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Ear infections were the most common reason for visits (86 patients), followed by nose (7 patients) and throat infections (5 patients). The most commonly prescribed antibiotics were β-lactam antibiotics, with penicillin’s (amoxicillin with clavulanic acid) and cephalosporin’s (cefixime) being the most commonly used. Combination therapy was used in 117 patients, with an average of 1.9 antibiotics per patient per course. A total of 40 antibiotics were prescribed, with oral being the most common route of administration. Only one adverse drug reaction was reported, with a suspected link to cefixime causing an increase in rashes in one patient. The study population had comorbid conditions of anxiety, epilepsy, and anaemia. Conclusions To conclude, our study in the university teaching hospital (IIMSR) highlighted lesser utilization of antibiotics in ENT infections, as some of the ENT infections are not due to bacteria. The majority of ENT patients admitted to the hospital appear to have bacterial infections, and most of them reacted favourably to antibiotic treatment. Majority of the patients used the regimen in accordance with the current guidelines. Keywords: Antibiotic agents, drug utilization, adverse drug reaction, ENT infection.

Background: Students’ academic achievement is regarded as the scholastic standing of students at the end of a given study period that is expressed in terms of grades. The key to bridging the attainment gap at the end of their study period is through their cumulative grade points over the duration of the study. Predictive validity study on students first-year GPA as a predictor of their final-year CGPA was carried out to predict the students’ academic performance in Chemical, Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering. Purpose/Hypothesis: This study examined the relationship between first-year GPA and final-year CGPA, as well as the relationship between Age, Gender and Geopolitical zones on first-year GPA and CGPA of Engineering students in the Faculty of Engineering students University of Abuja, Nigeria. The data obtained from the four Departments; Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical were analyzed. Two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Design/Method: An ex-post factor research approach was adopted, and Pearson’s correlation and Regression Analysis were fitted with the data using Minitab software. Results: The results of the study highlighted that first-year GPA had a strong positive relationship with final-year CGPA. Age, Gender and Geopolitical zones have no correlation with students’ final-year CGPA. The regression equations can be used to predict students’ CGPA to bridge the attainment gap at the end of their studies. Conclusions: Finally, the study emphasized the need to admit more female students in Engineering studies as they constitute 12.9% of the population.

Conventional vision systems suffer from lots of data handling between memory and processing units. Inspired by how humans recognize noisy images and the flexible modulation on the timescale of ion dynamics inside an emerging memtransistor, we report a novel neuromorphic vision system based on the ion-modulated memtransistors. By controlling the ion doping processes under adequate stimuli strengths, both short-term and long-term ion dynamics can be utilized to deliver energy-efficient data processing. When dealing with image reconstructions, the short-term accumulation effect of the device can help filter noises in a set of received noisy images while enhancing the original pattern information. The increased contrast can help distinguish the actual contents. To demonstrate systematic performances with the reconfiguration of devices, we extract the nonlinear relationship between channel conductance variation and the amplitude of gate pulses into the network-level simulation. Also, with the nonvolatile conductance change characteristic, the task of recognizing noisy images is performed to verify the versatility of ion-modulated memtransistors in the neuromorphic artificial vision systems.

Partial discharge (PD) diagnostics test is reliable for estimating insulation health conditions in power system components. During laboratory PD diagnostics, the effect of harmonic components in the voltage waveform generated by variable frequency drives (VFD) fed electric motors (EMs) is often overlooked. However, these harmonic components can cause significant distortion in the applied voltage waveform. As VFD-fed EMs operate at low speeds, the harmonic concentration in the voltage increases. It has been found that PD activity in VFD-fed EM is significantly affected by the addition of harmonic components in the voltage, thus making it necessary to consider their impact when performing true PD diagnostics. This paper investigates the influence of voltage harmonic distortion produced in VFD-fed EM on PD severity and the subsequent insulation degradation. Eight VFD-fed EM are used to study PD behavior under different levels of harmonic pollution. The PD characteristics, such as inception voltage, pulse repetition rate, accumulated apparent charge, average discharge current, discharge power, and quadratic rate, are determined. With the help of probability distribution functions, the chance of PD activity and its severity at various voltage harmonic levels are estimated. The proposed technique can be used to plan maintenance activities that ensure reliability for industrial applications dealing with voltage harmonic distortion.

This study explores the development and testing of a social resilience psychometric scale, through physical and social unrest during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative interviews (N = 40) were aggregated to define social resilience measured statements. When tested in quantitative analysis respondents (N = 901) “see myself as a monster” when evaluating others and are “scared to let people know the real me” fearing loss of relationships. Anxiety is heightened through a perception through the measure “could have done better.” When testing for “want to be liked even when disagree on issues” Black respondents are significantly different than White, Asian and those expressing other races. Liberals and moderate conservatives are significantly different in perception of social resilience, as are those exemplifying feminine versus masculine traits. Logistic regression testing for “comfortable with who I am in society” indicates narcissism (65% more likely) and negative social resilience (56% more likely) are key adapters. Human wellbeing, the act of perceiving self as a healthy or unhealthy actor in society, has been influenced through groupthink and polarization of the “other.” This study suggests the construct of self-esteem has been pushed into reactive mode. Research that explicates the psychological dimensions of modern resilience, is warranted.

In contrast to the Western world, China is a less religious country. whether in a country without real religions believing in religion would contribute to the variation in value strain is a worth noting issue. Based on previous studies, this study further examined the relationship between religion and suicidality with value strain as a mediating factor among Chinese college students. Employing cluster sampling, there were 13,250 college students recruited across seven provinces in China. Three psychometric scales were used to examine religiousness (Religious Orientation-Revised Scale), value strain levels (Psychological Strain Scale), and suicidal behaviors (Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised). Both univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify the influencing power of religion on value strain and suicidality. In addition, a series of linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the mediating effect of value strain on the association between religion and suicidality. the findings showed that first, positive relationships between religion and value strain, and suicidality were both detected; second, adherents to religion were marginalized which may have caused more value conflict further leading to a higher suicidal risk among believers.

This work focused on determining the dissociation constants (pKa) for eight amines, namely, 3-(Diethylamino) propylamine, 1,3-Diaminopentane, 3-Butoxypropylamine, 2-(Methylamino) ethanol, Bis(2-methoxyethyl) Amine, α-Methylbenzylamine, 2-Aminoheptane, and 3-Amino-1-phenylbutane at temperatures ranging from 293.15 K to 323.15 K. The protonated order of two polyamines, 3-(Diethylamino) propylamine and 1, 3-Diaminopentane, were determined using computational chemistry methods. The dissociation constants at the standard temperature of 298.15 K were estimated using group functional models (paper-pencil) and computational methods using software such as COSMO-RS and Gaussian. In addition, the pKas at various temperatures were calculated using computational methods for two different thermodynamic cycle. A simple artificial neural network (ANN) method was also employed to reduce the calculation time as well as improve the accuracy. Instead of using the experimental property data, these could be generated using Aspen Plus or CosmothermX. The simulated model provided a very good fit to the pKa values.

A document by Santiago PENA CLAVIJO. Click on the document to view its contents.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are typically asymptomatic. When symptomatic, AAA may present as a chief concern of musculoskeletal hip and low back pain. Assessment in the orthopaedic clinic should focus on a holistic examination of the patient.

Objective: To describe the vaginal microbiome of women with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) receiving systemic hormone therapy (HT). Study design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Methods: Forty women with POI receiving systemic HT for at least 6 months, were included in the study. Vaginal secretion was collected for DNA extraction followed by Pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA. The samples were pooled into phylogenetic groups (Ravel – I, II, III, IV, V). Results: Women had mean age of 37.13 (± 7.27) years and POI diagnosis at 27.90 (± 8.68) years, a mean HT duration of 8.20 (± 8.73) years. It was observed that 33.4% of the women presented group I flora, with a predominance of L. crispatus; 9% group II flora, with a predominance of L. gasseri; 33.4% group III flora, with predominance of L. iners; 15.2% group IV flora, with a predominance of anaerobic bacteria; and 9% group V flora, with a predominance of L. jensenii. Conclusion: Women with POI receiving HT presented a vaginal microbiome with a predominance of lactobacilli in the composition of the vaginal flora, specifically L. crispatus and L. iners when evaluated by molecular biology through the pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA.

In vascular dementia (VD), memory impairment caused by the damage of synaptic plasticity is the most prominent feature that afflicts patients and their families. Treadmill exercise has proven beneficial for memory by enhancing synaptic plasticity in animal models including stroke, dementia, and mental disorders. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of treadmill exercise on recognition memory, and structural synaptic plasticity in VD rat model. Here, our study demonstrated that VD rat exhibited significantly recognition impairment, while treadmill exercise improved recognition memory in VD rat. To further investigate potential mechanisms for the treadmill exercise-induced improvement of recognition memory, we examined hippocampal structural synaptic plasticity by means of transmission electron microscopy and golgi staining in VD rat that had undergone 4 weeks of treadmill exercise. The results demonstrated that VD rat causes the damage of structural synaptic plasticity. However, treadmill exercise led to increases in synapse numbers and the number of dendritic spines in VD rat. Together, the improvement of VD-associated recognition memory by treadmill exercises is associated with enhanced structural synaptic plasticity in VD rat model.

Fingertip soft tissue defect caused by periungual warts: a case report