Correlates of desire for children among women

Objective: To describe levels of desire for children and identify factors influencing women’s desire for children (DFC).Design: Descriptive correlational study.Setting: Participants were recruited from a Qualtrics online panel.Participants: 228 women from the following nations: Columbia, South America, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Honduras, India, Nigeria, Philippines, United Kingdom, and the USA.Methods: DFC was measured using the Modified Index of Parenthood Motivation (MIPM), a 14-item self-reporting tool, and the Motives Toward Parenthood Scale (MTPS), a 30-item tool with four subscales.Results: MIPM was related to education levels, employment status, the number of children she had, and her parity. One-way ANOVA revealed significant relationships between MIPM with race and nationality. As shown in Mean DFC Scores by Nationality, post hoc tests revealed significant differences in mean MIPM scores when comparing Colombians to Nigerians, Ghanaians to both Colombians and Honduran participants, and finally, significant differences in mean MIPM scores when comparing between Philippine and Colombian, as well as Honduran participants. Subjective norms, consequences, and individual costs mean scores were below midpoints.&nbsp;Conclusion: Participants with increased DFC had increased education, were employed, had more children, and had been pregnant more times than participants with decreased DFC. Women who identified as Black had significantly greater DFC than those who identified as White or Hispanic. Women from Nigeria, Ghana, and the Philippines had significantly greater DFC than participants from Colombia and Honduras. Participants disagreed with subjective norms but agreed with the positive consequences of motherhood.&nbsp;</p

J/Ψ (1S) and Ψ (2S) Production in p-p Collisions at E=5.44 TeV

I estimate the differential rapidity cross sections for J/Ψ and Ψ (2S) via pp (proton-proton) collisions at E=510 GeV. The J/Ψ&nbsp; is a standard charm quark and anti-charm quark, c and&nbsp; while Ψ (2S) is a mixed hybrid c meson. For the Ψ (2S) I use the mixed heavy quark hybrid theory, with states approximately 50% standard and 50% hybrid charmonium.&nbsp;</p

Comparison of the performances between the gray and non-gray media approaches of thermal transport in silicon-tin

We have compared the performances of the gray and non–gray media approaches of thermal transport in Silicon – Tin using Monte Carlo Simulation. The Boltzmann Transport Equation (BTE) for phonons was used to describe the heat flow and ballistic conduction in semiconducting alloy systems. In this work, we have attempted solving the BTE using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation Computational domains for both gray and non-gray media approaches are modeled and the geometry and dimensions of unit cell and sub-cells in the domain are determined. In addition, the computational performances of the gray and non-gray media approaches are compared. The results revealed that when compared to non- gray approach, the gray media approach has more errors in the sub-cells. The maximum relative error is about 3.5%. The results also show that the non–gray media approach of thermal transport in Silicon – Tin exhibited numerical predictions with a very close match to experimental data.</p

An innovative method and a medical screening device for cancer detection in real-time

Histopathology is the main technique to assess the presence of cancer cells in biopsy material and for the evaluation of positive resection margins, but it is not real-time. Older methods to assess resection margin intraoperatively are either time-consuming or exhibit a low accuracy. More recent imaging techniques have various drawbacks, like the need for exogenous contrast agents or excessive time to assess the entire resection surface or a low diagnostic performance in detecting certain types of cancer. The purpose of the current research work is the development of a medical screening device for cancer cells detection with very high accuracy and selectivity, based on a newly developed method in order to experimentally measure in real-time the excitation response of the charged elements of the biological tissue under study to the applied alternative electrical field, over a wide range of frequency spectra.&nbsp;The aim of this study is to present an innovative method and results from a prototype medical screening device, which allows the selective and “real-time” detection of cancer cells of any type among normal cells in any tissue type.&nbsp;The innovation of the proposed method lies in the view of the cell membrane emulation as an electrical circuit and also in the ability to experimentally measure in real-time the excitation response of the charged elements of the biological tissue under studies like ions, interfaces or dipoles to the applied alternative electrical field, over a wide range of frequency spectra according to the dielectric spectroscopy method. The ions can very easily follow the variations of the applied alternating electric field moving along the dynamic lines of the field. In contrast, the incapability of the abnormal neoplastic cellular formations to follow the frequency changes causes them to perform dipole oscillation instead of moving along the dynamic lines of the field. This experimentally appears as a significant increase of the capacitive component contribution to the total impedance of the tissue, relative to the purely electrical resistance contribution of the ions. A model, backed by the relevant mathematical equations, has been developed to integrate the unknown impedance of both the tissue under assessment and the interdigital micro-sensor with the known complex impedance of the data acquisition system. The ability to selectively detect cancer cells has an obvious interest and various applications in cancer diagnosis and therapy.&nbsp;</p

Demonstration of Rhodes grass (<em>Chloris gayana</em> Kunth) varieties at selected highland and midland agro-ecologies of Guji zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Guji zone has different agro-ecologies suitable for livestock production. However, grazing land was shrinking for the production of feed which is the most pre-request for livestock production. As a result, farmers used pasture and crop residues which are insufficient and not available during the dry season. Hence, there was a feed shortage at different agroecologies. Rhodes grass is used as livestock feed, soil, and water conservation but improved Rhodes grass varieties were not intensively produced by farmers and hence feed shortage is affecting the supply of livestock products for household consumption. Improved Rhodes grass is the possible solution for feed shortage due to it is intensively harvested throughout the year and ensures feed availability for livestock. Therefore, a demonstration of Rhodes grass is needed on a farmer’s field. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of Rhodes grass on farmers’ plots. Adola Rede (midland agroecology) and Ana Sora (highland agroecology) were selected based on their livestock and Rhodes grass production potential. Masaba and ILRI-7384 Rhodes grass varieties were demonstrated on a 50 m2 plot area. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Accordingly, the Masaba variety was highly performed in plant height (108.6 cm), fresh biomass (4.24t/ha), and survival rate (83.4%) than ILRI-7384 accession at both agroecologies. Except in seed yield at the highland area in all traits, the Masaba variety was well performed than ILRI-7384. The result of one-way ANOVA revealed that across agroecology fresh biomass yield and survival rate of Masaba was a statistically significant difference at 10% and 5% respectively. Farmers liked to produce Rhode grass varieties. Fresh biomass and survival rate was important trait obtained from the Masaba variety in both agro-ecologies. Thus, the Masaba variety was recommended for livestock feed at highland and midland agro-ecologies of the Guji zone.</p

Sustainability and property: A legal perspective

Property and sustainability both represent strongly felt concepts of society but in very different ways. While the protection of the individual property is at the heart of the capitalist system and deeply embedded in our laws, concerns for ecological sustainability feature less prominently and only indirectly impact private property. Critically, the integrity of Earth’s ecological systems is hardly protected at all. Environmental laws in the world over-regulate the use and protection of natural “resources” in a strict instrumental fashion and tend to take the integrity of Earth’s ecological systems for granted.&nbsp;This article explores some of the histories of environmental law, sustainability and property in the European context. It then shows how ecological sustainability can shape the content and scope of the private property using some examples in New Zealand and Germany. The overall thesis is that both concepts can be reconciled on the basis of ecological integrity as a fundamental norm of law.</p

Updates in management of abdominal sepsis

Sepsis is an organ dysfunction caused by a disproportionate host response to infection. The condition is responsible for 1 in every 3 admissions to an intensive care unit (ICU) and about 6 million deaths worldwide. As a result of the imbalance in the inflammatory response, immune dysfunction, mitochondrial damage and other pathophysiological processes, sepsis progresses extremely. This research aimed to search the literature for updates inherent to the therapeutic approach of patients with diseases secondary to intra-abdominal sepsis. The present work is a narrative review with a bibliographical survey carried out in the PUBMED and Virtual Health Library (VHL) research bases, through the search strategy using the following descriptors, in both virtual libraries: “sepsis OR surviving sepsis” AND “intra abdominal infection” AND “therapeutic”. At the end of reading the articles in full, ten papers were selected, from which it was observed that new recommendations regarding volume operative source control, and use of additional therapies therapy.&nbsp; The open abdomen technique is being further explored, as well as more in-depth studies on new drugs for this condition, such as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and the use of glucocorticoids became contraindicated, due to low scientific evidence. Therefore, it is concluded that, as it is a medical emergency with high mortality, it is relevant to develop scientific research aimed at the effectiveness, feasibility and safety of new forms of management.</p

Using recombinant human G-CSF to treat chemotherapy-induced neutropenia over 3 decades: What is next?

Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenia (CIN) is a potentially fatal side effect of cancer treatment, affecting &gt; 50% of cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. Clinical use of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) has allowed for primary and secondary prophylaxis of CIN and its sequela (i.e., febrile neutropenia, fatal infection) during myelosuppressive chemotherapy. Here, we review the translation and properties of first, second, and third-generation rhG-CSF molecules, including filgrastim (Neupogen, FDA approved in 1991) and biosimilars, pegfilgrastim (Neulasta, FDA approved in 2002) and biosimilars, and F-627 (Ryzneuta, NMPA approved in 2023), a novel long-acting rhG-CSF agent developed this past decade. Even with the development of increasingly personalized and targeted cancer therapy, chemotherapy, and stem cell transplantation remains a backbone for the majority of patients with advanced cancers, especially in the hematopoietic system. As such, more than 20 million cancer patients have been treated with rhG-CSF drugs since the first approval of filgrastim. In the next decade, we envision third-generation rhG-CSF products such as Ryzneuta lowering costs to patients and healthcare providers, expanding access to this essential medication for cancer patients worldwide, particularly for patients who require more aggressive chemotherapy treatment.&nbsp;</p

A dashboard proposal for pre-scheduling elective orthopedic surgeries in Brazil

The procedure for receiving materials from the CME - Material and Sterilization Center, begins after the surgery is released by the agreement together with the approval of the supplier, once this is approved, the delivery of the materials to be used in the hospital will commence. This delivery may take place hours or even a day before the scheduled date since the materials need to be washed and sterilized, and in some cases, there is a lack of a certain instrument that may cancel or even postpone the surgery that is only identified when the articles are opened while in the operating room and even with the patient undergoing anesthetic induction, bringing inconvenience to the patient, the medical team and the hospital. In this article we will be proposing the construction of a Dashboard to help reduce the errors or problems encountered during the scheduling of surgeries to be performed in Hospitals in Brazil, we are only dealing with Elective surgeries, those schedules that depend on third-party materials for their performance.</p

Combined HPV and CINtec PLUS testing for triaging cervical cancer screening in a Belgian cohort

Background: Cytological screening with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) triage for equivocal results has been the routine screening procedure for cervical cancer for years worldwide. The dual-marker stain p16/Ki67 (CINtec PLUS) has been shown to offer high sensitivity and specificity in the triage of women at risk of developing HPV-related precancerous lesions. We evaluated the utility of CINtec PLUS in women with normal cytology and a positive HPV test, to see if this test can be used as a prognostic biomarker. &nbsp;Methods: Women of 18 years or older were assembled between January 2018 and December 2022 at two different study sites. These were cytology negative for intra-epithelial Neoplasia (NILM) and a positive HPV test. The prognostic value of the CINtec PLUS test for NILM samples and the confounding effect of HPV subtype, age, university, and follow-up stage were evaluated. &nbsp;Results: CINtec PLUS was positive in 63 out of 312 (20%) NILM/ HPV-positive cases. The Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of CINtec PLUS was 92% for high-grade dysplastic lesion (HSIL), 64% for NILM, and 31% for low-grade dysplasia. The negative predictive value was 83% for HSIL, 64% for NILM, and 83% for low-grade dysplasia. &nbsp;Conclusion: Adding CINtec PLUS with NILM cytology and HPV-positive test can be an important prognostic tool to identify women at risk for a high-grade dysplastic cervical lesion. Importantly, the test can also be used in primary HPV screening programs. However, women with low-grade dysplasia remain at risk for over- and under-treatment. &nbsp;</p