The Perceptions of Macao Undergraduates Regarding Help Websites for Problem Gambling

This study conducted a web-surfing exercise and a questionnaire survey among a group of Macao undergraduate students regarding the websites that offered help with problem gambling. The results of this study found that most help websites in Macao and Hong Kong provided basic information-sharing service. The students indicated that they would choose their preferred help organization based on factors such as trust, familiarity, and the characteristics of the websites. They also gave comments/suggestions related to the publicity, design, contents, and focus of the websites. This study discussed the results and their implications for future research and practice

Utilidad del dímero D como factor pronóstico de severidad en pacientes con COVID-19: revisión de artículo

El COVID-19 causado por el SARS-CoV-2 ha puesto en peligro la vida de la población mundial. Pacientes llegaron a padecer fases críticas conllevándolos al internamiento en Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos y a procesos de coagulopatías como trombosis venosa profunda, coagulación intravascular diseminada, embolia pulmonar. El valor del dímero D elevado al ingreso o durante el progreso de la enfermedad se han relacionado con un mayor riesgo de mortalidad en pacientes con COVID-19 en comparación con los sobrevivientes.COVID-19 caused by SAR-CoV-2 has been life-threating in worldwide. Patients came to suffer critical phases leading to admission to the Intensive Care Unit and coagulopathy processes such as deep vein thrombosis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, pulmonary embolism. Elevated D-dimer values at admission or during disease progression have been associated with an increased risk of mortality in COVID-19 patients compared to survivors.Tesi

Assessment of Vessel Density on Non-Contrast Computed Tomography to Detect Basilar Artery Occlusion

Introduction: Basilar artery occlusion (BAO) may be clinically occult due to variable and non-specific symptomatology. We evaluated the qualitative and quantitative determination of a hyperdense basilar artery (HDBA) on non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) brain for the diagnosis of BAO.Methods: We conducted a case control study of patients with confirmed acute BAO vs a control group of suspected acute stroke patients without BAO. Two EM attending physicians, one third-year EM resident, and one medical student performed qualitative and quantitative assessments for the presence of a HDBA on axial NCCT images. Our primary outcome measures were sensitivity and specificity for BAO. Our secondary outcomes were inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the qualitative and quantitative assessments.Results: We included 60 BAO and 65 control patients in our analysis. Qualitative assessment of the hyperdense basilar artery sign was poorly sensitive (54%–72%) and specific (55%–89%). Quantitative measurement improved the specificity of hyperdense basilar artery assessment for diagnosing BAO, with a threshold of 61.0–63.8 Hounsfield units demonstrating relatively high specificity of 85%–94%. There was moderate inter-rater agreement for the qualitative assessment of HDBA (Fleiss’ kappa statistic 0.508, 95% confidence interval: 0.435–0.581). Agreement improved for quantitative assessments, but still fell in the moderate range (Shrout-Fleiss intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.635). Intra-rater reliability for the quantitative assessments of the two attending physician reviewers demonstrated substantial consistency.Conclusion: Our results highlight the importance of carefully examining basilar artery density when interpreting the NCCT of patients with altered consciousness or other signs and symptoms concerning for an acute basilar artery occlusion. If the Hounsfield unit density of the basilar artery exceeds 61 Hounsfield units, BAO should be highly suspected

A genome-wide synthetic dosage lethality screen reveals multiple pathways that require the functioning of ubiquitin-binding proteins Rad23 and Dsk2

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ubiquitin regulates a myriad of important cellular processes through covalent attachment to its substrates. A classic role for ubiquitin is to flag proteins for destruction by the proteasome. Recent studies indicate that ubiquitin-binding proteins (e.g. Rad23, Dsk2, Rpn10) play a pivotal role in transferring ubiquitylated proteins to the proteasome. However, the specific role of these ubiquitin receptors remains poorly defined. A key to unraveling the functions of these ubiquitin receptors is to identify their cellular substrates and biological circuits they are involved in. Although many strategies have been developed for substrate isolation, the identification of physiological targets of proteolytic pathways has proven to be quite challenging.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using a genome-wide functional screen, we have identified 11 yeast genes that cause slower growth upon their overexpression in cells lacking two ubiquitin-binding proteins Rad23 and Dsk2. Our results suggest that proper functioning of Rad23 and Dsk2 is required for efficient pheromone response, transcription, amino acid metabolism, and DNA damage response. Two proteins identified by the screen are shown to be proteolytic substrates of Dsk2, validating the large scale synthetic dosage lethality screen as a new strategy for identifying substrates of a specific degradation pathway.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In conclusion, as proof-of-concept, we show that a synthetic dosage lethality screen, which is based on the toxicity induced by gene overexpression, offers an effective, complementary method to elucidating biological functions of proteolytic pathways.</p

Visiting Urban Green Space and Orientation to Nature Is Associated with Better Wellbeing during COVID-19 : International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely challenged mental health and wellbeing. However, research has consistently reinforced the value of spending time in green space for better health and wellbeing outcomes. Factors such as an individual’s nature orientation, used to describe one’s affinity to nature, may influence an individual’s green space visitation behaviour, and thus influence the wellbeing benefits gained. An online survey in Brisbane and Sydney, Australia (n = 2084), deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2021), explores if nature experiences and nature orientation are positively associated with personal wellbeing and if increased amounts of nature experiences are associated with improvement in wellbeing in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that both yard and public green space visitation, as well as nature orientation scores, were correlated with high personal wellbeing scores, and individuals who spent more time in green space compared to the previous year also experienced a positive change in their health and wellbeing. Consistently, people with stronger nature orientations are also more likely to experience positive change. We also found that age was positively correlated to a perceived improvement in wellbeing over the year, and income was negatively correlated with a decreased change in wellbeing over the year, supporting other COVID-19 research that has shown that the effects of COVID-19 lifestyle changes were structurally unequal, with financially more established individuals experiencing better wellbeing. Such results highlight that spending time in nature and having high nature orientation are important for gaining those important health and wellbeing benefits and may provide a buffer for wellbeing during stressful periods of life that go beyond sociodemographic factors.Peer reviewe

Weekend effect: analysing temporal trends in solid organ donation

Background: Research suggests patients treated over weekends experience poorer outcomes. Only one US-based study explored this weekend effect in organ donation, specifically the kidney discard rate. In Australia potential donors are referred to a donation service, and donation proceeds if family consent is granted and the donor is deemed medically suitable to donate. Organ procurement occurs when utilization is almost certain hence discard rates are much lower than in the USA. We aimed to characterize the effect of weekend referral on organ donation in Australia. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all New South Wales Organ and Tissue Donation Service logs from 2010 to 2016. Our primary outcome was progression to organ procurement, and secondary outcomes were family consent and meeting medical suitability thresholds. We used logistic regression with random effects adjusting for clustering of referral hospitals. Results: Of 3496 potential donors referred for consideration, 694 (20%) progressed to organ procurement. There were fewer referrals on weekends (average 415 versus 588 for weekdays). However, donation rates were no lower for weekend compared to weekday referrals (adjusted OR 1.17; 95% CI 0.95, 1.44). Family consent (adjusted OR 1.20; 95% CI 1.00, 1.44) and medical suitability (adjusted OR 1.15; 95% CI 0.96, 1.38) were not lower for weekend compared to weekday referrals. Similar results were found for all sensitivity analyses conducted. Conclusions: In Australia, the donation pathway operates consistently throughout the week, with donation no less likely to proceed on weekends and holidays. This finding contrasts with findings in the USA