Systematic review: cultural adaptation and feasibility of screening for autism in non-English speaking countries

Aim: To explore the feasibility of screening for Autism spectrum disorder in Non-English-Speaking Countries, the cultural influences and the nurses' role in the screening process.Background: The prevalence Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is rising worldwide, along with an increase in support for early intervention to improve outcomes. Increasingly, researchers investigated screening for autism in different health care settings to facilitate early detection for ASD. However, little is known about screening autism in non-English speaking countries, impact of culture and the nurse's role in the screening process.Design: Systematic Review Data source: Psych INFO, MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, ERIC databases and hand search were conducted from 1990 to March 2014.Review methods:PRISMA statement was used as a method to guide the discussion this review. Result: Five studies were identified from different geographical regions. In all studies children were screened with an adapted version of the Modified Checklist for Autism (M-CHAT) in different clinical settings of non-English speaking countries. Further investigation is required to validate the use of these instrumentinstruments within their general population. Nurses could be trained to undertake for the screening procedure.Conclusions: Screening for Autism spectrum disorder is challenging and requires knowledge, skills, as well as rigorous screening instrumentinstruments that are adapted to a specific nation`s culture. Although screening with the adapted Modified Checklist for Autism is viable in some healthcare settings of non-English speaking countries, using it in primary settings would necessitate further exploration. With proper training, nurses could screen children for Autism spectrum disorder

Characterisation of the Cullin-3 mutation that causes a severe form of familial hypertension and hyperkalaemia

Deletion of exon 9 from Cullin‐3 (CUL3, residues 403–459: CUL3Δ403–459) causes pseudohypoaldosteronism type IIE (PHA2E), a severe form of familial hyperkalaemia and hypertension (FHHt). CUL3 binds the RING protein RBX1 and various substrate adaptors to form Cullin‐RING‐ubiquitin‐ligase complexes. Bound to KLHL3, CUL3‐RBX1 ubiquitylates WNK kinases, promoting their ubiquitin‐mediated proteasomal degradation. Since WNK kinases activate Na/Cl co‐transporters to promote salt retention, CUL3 regulates blood pressure. Mutations in both KLHL3 and WNK kinases cause PHA2 by disrupting Cullin‐RING‐ligase formation. We report here that the PHA2E mutant, CUL3Δ403–459, is severely compromised in its ability to ubiquitylate WNKs, possibly due to altered structural flexibility. Instead, CUL3Δ403–459 auto‐ubiquitylates and loses interaction with two important Cullin regulators: the COP9‐signalosome and CAND1. A novel knock‐in mouse model of CUL3WT/Δ403–459 closely recapitulates the human PHA2E phenotype. These mice also show changes in the arterial pulse waveform, suggesting a vascular contribution to their hypertension not reported in previous FHHt models. These findings may explain the severity of the FHHt phenotype caused by CUL3 mutations compared to those reported in KLHL3 or WNK kinases

Biofuel production using cultivated algae: technologies, economics, and its environmental impacts

The process of looking for alternative energy sources is driven by the increasing demand for energy and environmental contamination caused by using fossil fuels. Recent investigations reported the efficiency of microalgae for biofuel production due to its low cost of production, high speed of growth, and ability to grow in harsh environments. In addition, many microalgae are photosynthetic, consuming CO2 and solar light to grow in biomass and providing a promising bioenergy source. This review presents the recent advances in the application of microalgae for biofuel production. In addition, cultivation and harvesting systems and environmental factors that affect microalgae cultivation for biofuel production have also been discussed. Moreover, lipid extraction and conversion technologies to biofuel are presented. The mixotrophic cultivation strategy is promising as it combines the advantages of heterotrophy and autotrophy. Green harvesting methods such as using bio-coagulants and flocculants are promising technologies to reduce the cost of microalgal biomass production. In the future, more investigations into co-cultivation systems, new green harvesting methods, high lipids extraction methods, and the optimization of lipid extraction and converting processes should be implemented to increase the sustainability of microalgae application for biofuel production

Microplastic in the environment: identification, occurrencand mitigation measures

Microplastic is an emerging pollutant causing trouble worldwide due to its extensive distribution and potential hazards to the ecological system. Some fundamental questions about micro-plastics, such as their presence, source, and possible hazards, remain unanswered. These issues develop because of a lack of systematic and comprehensive microplastic analysis. As a result, we thoroughly evaluated current knowledge on microplastics, including detection, characterization, occurrence, source, and potential harm. Microplastics are found in seawater, soil, wetlands, and air matrices worldwide based on findings. Visual classification, which can be enhanced by com-bining it with additional tools, is one of the most used methods for identifying microplastics. As soon as is practicable, microplastics analytical methods ought to be standardized. New techniques for analyzing nano-plastics are urgently needed in the meantime. Numerous studies have shown that microplastics’ impacts on people and soil are significantly influenced by their size, shape, and surface physicochemical characteristics. Finally, this study suggests areas for future research based on the knowledge gaps in the area of microplastics. © 2022 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved

Thermal based remediation technologies for soil and groundwater: a review

Thermal remediation technologies are fast and effective tools for the remediation of contaminated soils and sediments. Nevertheless, the high energy consumption and the effect of high temperature on the soil properties may hinder the wide applications of thermal remediation methods. This review highlights the recent studies focused on thermal remediation. Eight types of thermal remediation processes are discussed, including incineration, thermal desorption, stream enhanced extraction, electrical resistance heating, microwave heating, smoldering, vitrification, and pyrol-ysis. In addition, the combination of thermal remediation with other remediation technologies is presented. Finally, thermal remediation sustainability is evaluated in terms of energy efficiency and their impact on soil properties. The developments of the past decade show that thermal-based technologies are quite effective in terms of contaminant removal but that these technologies are associated with high energy use and costs and can has an adverse impact on soil properties. Nonetheless, it is anticipated that continued research on thermally based technologies can increase their sustainability and expand their applications. Low temperature thermal desorption is a prom-ising remediation technology in terms of land use and energy cost as it has no adverse effect on soil function after treatment and low temperature is required. Overall, selecting the sustainable remediation technology depends on the contaminant properties, soil properties and predicted risk level. © 2022 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved

Pediatric Kidney Biopsies in Oman: A Retrospective Study

Objectives: To determine the spectrum of kidney diseases in Omani children < 13 years of age and to evaluate the complications following kidney biopsy. Methods: This study retrospectively investigated the hospital data of children who underwent kidney biopsies from January 2014 to June 2019 at Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman. Results: The subjects comprised of 78 children with a median age of 8.0 years (range = 0–13 years). Histopathology showed minimal change disease in 15 (19.2%) children, lupus nephritis in 13 (16.7%), and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in 13 (16.7%). The most common post-biopsy complications were pain that required analgesia (38; 49.4%) followed by gross hematuria (10; 13.0%). No patient required blood transfusion or surgical intervention. Conclusions: Minimal change disease was the most common histopathological finding in this cohort of Omani children. The records did not mention any major complications following the renal biopsy procedure

Population prevalence of asthma and its determinants based on European Community Respiratory Health Survey in the United Arab Emirates

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>No population study has explored the population distribution of adult asthma in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The objective is to estimate asthma prevalence in general population in UAE.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using standard European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) questionnaires and tools, this is a cross-sectional assessment of a random sample of the population in established quotas of the seven Emirates in the UAE. We surveyed 1,220 participants, of which 63.2% were male, and 20.1% were UAE Nationals, with a mean (SD) age of 32.9 (14.1) years.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Prevalence of individual respiratory symptoms from the ECRHS screening questionnaire in all participants were generally ranging 8 - 10%, while participants 20-44 years presented lower prevalence in all symptoms (<it>p </it>< 0.05). The expected male:female ratio of reported wheezing and asthma attacks and its treatment by age was not observed. Participating women reported more individual symptoms than men. Overall, there were 15.4% (95% C.I. 13.5 - 17.5) participants who fulfilled our screening criteria for asthma, while for consistency with ECRHS, there were 12.1% (95% C.I. 10.4 - 14.1) participants who fulfilled the ECRHS asthma definition, being 9.8% (95% C.I. 7.8 - 12.2) of those 20-44 years, that is 8.6% of male and 11.8% of female young adults participating.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We conclude that asthma is common in the UAE, and gender differences are not observed in reported asthma symptoms in young adults. This being the first population based study exploring the prevalence of asthma and its determinants in the United Arab Emirates based on the ECRHS.</p