Investigating The Lexical Support In Non-Native English Speakers Using The Phonemic Restoration Paradigm

Samuel and Frost (2015) investigated the differences between native and non-native English speakers’ lexical influence in speech perception. Using the selective adaptation method, the study showed that lexical support was weaker in less language proficient non-native speakers than native speakers; however, lexical support became stronger in more proficient non-native speakers. The present study investigated the lexical support in speech perception between native and non-native English speakers. Unlike the method used by Samuel and Frost (2015), the present study used the phonemic restoration paradigm. The benefit of using this method is to investigate the difference between native and non-native speakers in perceptually restoring missing phonemes. It was hypothesized that native speakers will show a higher phonemic restoration effect than non-native speakers, as well as greater sensitivity to the phoneme position in a word. In the current study, a group of native speakers and a group of non-native speakers participated in a phonemic restoration task. Both groups were presented with four-syllable stimuli words with one phoneme either replaced with white noise (replacement condition), or white noise added on that phoneme (added condition) in either the third syllable or the forth syllable, followed by an intact version of the same word. Participants rated the degradation of the manipulated word compared to its intact version. Results showed that both native and non-native speakers rated the added versions of the word more similar to the intact version than the replaced version. In addition, both native and non-native speakers rated the manipulated (i.e., added or replaced) versions of the word more similar to the intact version when the manipulated phoneme was in the fourth syllable than when the manipulated phoneme was in the third syllable. However, non-native speakers rated the replaced versions of manipulated words as similar to the intact versions as the native English speakers

The use of mobile text messaging as a behavioural intervention to increase physical activity in adults with T2DM in Saudi Arabia

This feasibility study has informed the suitability of the protocol design for a future full-size RCT. Our findings have demonstrated that the research processes for our feasibility design have been feasible and acceptable. Our collected data demonstrated a small but statistically significant increase in exercise self-efficacy, physical activity levels and barriers to physical activity, although these findings need to be confirmed by randomised experimental trials in the future

The Effectiveness of Mobile Phone Messaging–Based Interventions to Promote Physical Activity in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing in prevalence worldwide. Physical activity (PA) is an important aspect of self-care and first-line management for T2DM. Mobile text messages (SMS) can be used to support self-management in people with T2DM, but the effectiveness of mobile text messages-based interventions in increasing physical activity is still unclear.Objective: The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of mobile phone messaging on PA in people with T2DM by summarizing and pooling the findings of previous literature.Methods: A systematic review was conducted to accomplish this objective. Search sources included 5 bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science, EMBASE), the search engine “Google Scholar”, and backward and forward reference list checking of the included studies and relevant reviews. Two reviewers independently carried out the study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and quality of evidence evaluation. Results of included studies were synthesized narratively and statistically, as appropriate. Results: We included 6 of 541 retrieved studies. Four of the studies showed a statistically significant effect of text messages on physical activity. Although a meta-analysis of results of two studies showed a statistically significant effect (P=.05) of text messages on physical activity, the effect was not clinically important. A meta-analysis of findings of 2 studies showed a non-significant effect (P=.14) of text messages on glycaemic control. Two studies found a non-significant effect of text messages on anthropometric measures (weight and BMI).Conclusions: Text messaging interventions show promise for increasing physical activity. However, it is not possible to conclude from this review whether text messages have a significant effect on physical activity, glycaemic control, or anthropometric measures among patients with T2DM. This is due to the limited number of studies, the high overall risk of bias in most of the included studies and the low quality of meta-analysed evidence. There is a need for more high-quality primary studies

The Effectiveness of Mobile Phone Messaging–Based Interventions to Promote Physical Activity in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (Preprint)

Background:Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing in prevalence worldwide. Physical activity (PA) is an important aspect of self-care and first-line management for T2DM. Mobile text messages (SMS) can be used to support self-management in people with T2DM, but the effectiveness of mobile text messages-based interventions in increasing physical activity is still unclear.Objective:The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of mobile phone messaging on PA in people with T2DM by summarizing and pooling the findings of previous literature.Methods:A systematic review was conducted to accomplish this objective. Search sources included 5 bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science, EMBASE), the search engine “Google Scholar”, and backward and forward reference list checking of the included studies and relevant reviews. Two reviewers independently carried out the study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and quality of evidence evaluation. Results of included studies were synthesized narratively and statistically, as appropriate.Results:We included 6 of 541 retrieved studies. Four of the studies showed a statistically significant effect of text messages on physical activity. Although a meta-analysis of results of two studies showed a statistically significant effect (P=.05) of text messages on physical activity, the effect was not clinically important. A meta-analysis of findings of 2 studies showed a non-significant effect (P=.14) of text messages on glycaemic control. Two studies found a non-significant effect of text messages on anthropometric measures (weight and BMI).Conclusions:Text messaging interventions show promise for increasing physical activity. However, it is not possible to conclude from this review whether text messages have a significant effect on physical activity, glycaemic control, or anthropometric measures among patients with T2DM. This is due to the limited number of studies, the high overall risk of bias in most of the included studies and the low quality of meta-analysed evidence. There is a need for more high-quality primary studies

Prognostic Significance of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and Her-2 Protein in the Genesis of Cervical Carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Angiogenesis plays a pivotal role in the progression of tumours through the formation of new blood vessels. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a chief factor responsible for inducing and regulating angiogenesis. Additionally, the human epidermal growth factor receptor family of receptors also plays an important role in the pathogenesis of tumours.AIM: This study aimed to examine the association between VEGF and Her-2 protein expression and its correlation with clinic-pathological characteristics; in particular, prognosis.METHODS: A total of 65 cases of cervical carcinoma and 10 samples of inflammatory lesions were evaluated for VEGF and Her-2 protein expression.RESULTS: Expression of VEGF and Her-2 was detected in 63.07% and 43.07% in cervical carcinoma cases respectively whereas control cases did not show any expression. The difference in the expression pattern of both markers comparing cancer and control cases was statistically significant (p < 0.05). However, no significant difference in the expression pattern of VEGF protein was observed among the different grades and stages of tumours (p > 0.05). Comparing different grades of a tumour, expression of Her-2 was detected in 31.8% of well-differentiated tumours, 36.0 % in moderately differentiated tumours and 66.66 % in poorly differentiated cancers. The expression of Her-2 was increased in high-grade tumours, and the difference of expression level between tumour grades was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The expression level of Her-2 protein was not correlated with the stage of a tumour (p > 0.05).CONCLUSION: The present study supports earlier findings that over-expression / up-regulation of VEGF and Her - 2 is linked with poor prognosis and may play a vital role in the development and progression of cervical cancer

The performance of wearable AI in detecting stress among students : systematic review and meta-analysis

Students usually encounter stress throughout their academic path. Ongoing stressors may lead to chronic stress, adversely affecting their physical and mental well-being. Thus, early detection and monitoring of stress among students are crucial. Wearable artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a valuable tool for this purpose. It offers an objective, noninvasive, nonobtrusive, automated approach to continuously monitor biomarkers in real time, thereby addressing the limitations of traditional approaches such as self-reported questionnaires. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to assess the performance of wearable AI in detecting and predicting stress among students. Search sources in this review included 7 electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, ACM Digital Library, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, and Google Scholar). We also checked the reference lists of the included studies and checked studies that cited the included studies. The search was conducted on June 12, 2023. This review included research articles centered on the creation or application of AI algorithms for the detection or prediction of stress among students using data from wearable devices. In total, 2 independent reviewers performed study selection, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-Revised tool was adapted and used to examine the risk of bias in the included studies. Evidence synthesis was conducted using narrative and statistical techniques. This review included 5.8% (19/327) of the studies retrieved from the search sources. A meta-analysis of 37 accuracy estimates derived from 32% (6/19) of the studies revealed a pooled mean accuracy of 0.856 (95% CI 0.70-0.93). Subgroup analyses demonstrated that the accuracy of wearable AI was moderated by the number of stress classes (P=.02), type of wearable device (P=.049), location of the wearable device (P=.02), data set size (P=.009), and ground truth (P=.001). The average estimates of sensitivity, specificity, and F -score were 0.755 (SD 0.181), 0.744 (SD 0.147), and 0.759 (SD 0.139), respectively. Wearable AI shows promise in detecting student stress but currently has suboptimal performance. The results of the subgroup analyses should be carefully interpreted given that many of these findings may be due to other confounding factors rather than the underlying grouping characteristics. Thus, wearable AI should be used alongside other assessments (eg, clinical questionnaires) until further evidence is available. Future research should explore the ability of wearable AI to differentiate types of stress, distinguish stress from other mental health issues, predict future occurrences of stress, consider factors such as the placement of the wearable device and the methods used to assess the ground truth, and report detailed results to facilitate the conduct of meta-analyses. PROSPERO CRD42023435051; http://tinyurl.com/3fzb5rnp. [Abstract copyright: ©Alaa Abd-alrazaq, Mohannad Alajlani, Reham Ahmad, Rawan AlSaad, Sarah Aziz, Arfan Ahmed, Mohammed Alsahli, Rafat Damseh, Javaid Sheikh. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 31.01.2024.

Clinicopathological Significance of Vimentin and Cytokeratin Protein in the Genesis of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Cervix

Cervical cancer is one of the commonest types of cancers worldwide especially in developing countries. Intermediate filaments protein family has shown a role in the diagnosis of various cancers, but a few studies are available about the vimentin and cytokeratin roles in the cervical cancer. This case control study aimed to interpret the expression of vimentin and cytokeratin proteins in the development and progression of cervical cancer and its correlation with clinicopathological features. The cytoplasmic expression of vimentin was observed in 40% of cases, but not in inflammatory lesions of cervix. It was noticed that vimentin expression was increasing significantly with high grade of the tumour. Cytokeratin expression was observed in 48.33% and it was noticed that the expression was 62.5% in well differentiated (G1), 45% in moderately differentiated (G2), and 41.66% in poorly differentiated carcinoma, yet statistically insignificant. The expression of vimentin and cytokeratin proteins was not significantly associated with age groups. The current findings concluded a possible role of vimentin in the development and progression of cervical cancer and vimentin marker will be useful in the diagnosis and grading of cervical cancer

Clinical Correlation Between Back Pain and Osteoarthritis Among Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To investigate the clinical correlation between back pain and the role of osteoarthritis in the etiology of this pain. Methods: This research employs a cross-sectional study design to investigate the clinical correlation between back pain and osteoarthritis in adults. Cross-sectional studies provide a snapshot of data at a specific time, making them suitable for assessing the prevalence and potential associations between variables of interest. Results: The study included 1106 participants. The most frequent age among them was 40-50 years (n= 486, 43.9%), followed by 18-28 years (n= 340, 30.7%). The most frequent gender among study participants was female (n= 560, 50.6%) followed by male (n= 546, 49.4%). The most frequent marital status among study participants was married (n= 702, 63.5%), followed by single (n= 353, 31.9%). The most frequent job among study participants was a government job (n= 480, 43.4%), followed by a private sector job (n= 177, 16%). Duration of suffering from back pain among study participants with most of them being 1 to 5 years (n= 505, 45.7%), followed by nothing (n= 373, 33.7%), and the least was 23 years and above (n= 13, 1.2%). Participants were asked about evaluating the impact of back pain on life. For personal care, the most frequent was (currently, I do not feel any pain) (n= 514, 46.5%). The severity of pain, the most frequent, was (I can usually take care of myself and do my own things without adding to my pain) (n= 923, 83.5%). The lift and move things, the most frequent was (I can lift heavy objects without it adding to my pain) (n= 524, 47.4%). The walking, the most frequent was (The pain does not prevent me from walking any distance) (n= 801, 72.4%). The Sitting, the most frequent was (I can sit in any chair for as long as I want) (n= 661, 59.8%). The stand-up, most frequent was (I can stay standing as long as I want without increasing my pain) (n= 523, 47.3%). For sleep, the most frequent answer was (My sleep is never disturbed by pain) (n= 611, 55.2%). The Social-life, most frequent was (My social life is normal and does not cause me more pain) (n= 860, 77.8%). Conclusion: The results of the study showed that most of the participants were married and taught in government jobs. The majority of them do not suffer from severe back pain that affects their lives. In addition, most of the study participants had good and effective communicatio

The use of mobile text messaging as a behavioural intervention to increase physical activity in adults with T2DM in Saudi Arabia

This feasibility study has informed the suitability of the protocol design for a future full-size RCT. Our findings have demonstrated that the research processes for our feasibility design have been feasible and acceptable. Our collected data demonstrated a small but statistically significant increase in exercise self-efficacy, physical activity levels and barriers to physical activity, although these findings need to be confirmed by randomised experimental trials in the future

Factors that regulate thrombin generation in the blood : studies in healthy subjects and patients with thrombotic diseases

Cell-derived microparticles (MPs) have been demonstrated to play a major role in haemostasis and thrombosis, inflammation, vascular reactivity and angiogenesis. They are released from virtually all body cell types during activation or apoptosis. This project aimed to characterise the procoagulant properties of MPs derived from platelets and other vascular cells and evaluate the mechanisms whereby platelets generate procoagulant MPs. A lack of standardisation of pre-analytical variables has hindered MP analysis. Systematic analysis revealed that platelet contamination should be efficiently removed from MP preparations using appropriate centrifugation protocols and that repeated freezing and thawing has no significant impact on the procoagulant activity of MPs providing the plasma is free of platelets and cell fragments, but does cause a slight decay of clotting factor activity. Microparticles derived from platelets, endothelial cells and macrophages had significant procoagulant phospholipid (PPL) activity with macrophage-derived>platelet-derived >endothelial cell-derived microparticles. However, the tissue factor (TF) activity was different for each cell type with strong activity for macrophage-derived MPs, moderate activity for endothelial cell-derived MPs, but platelet-derived MPs did not express any TF activity. It was demonstrated that platelet immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM)-containing receptors; GPVI, FcγRIIA and CLEC-2, but not the G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), are the primary receptors eliciting platelet procoagulant response and MP formation. However, GPCRs play a crucial role in the feedback mechanism of platelet procoagulant response. Additionally, activation via CLEC-2 was demonstrated to induce platelet procoagulant responses and MP formation in a similar manner to GPVI. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is caused by the interaction between HIT-immune complexes with platelet FcγRIIA leading to platelet activation, MP generation and thrombocytopenia. MPs generated by HIT-immune complexes in suspected HIT patients was demonstrated to exhibit similar procoagulant activity to those generated through the other two platelet ITAM-containing receptors. Using their procoagulant activity measured in thrombin generation assay, it provides a rapid functional diagnostic assay for HIT with good correlation and association with other clinical and laboratory investigations