The quality of parent-child relationship and health in later life

Background: Epidemiological studies have shown that social and emotional support can protect against premature mortality and prevent illness. The longterm consequences of poor parent-child relationships on adult mental health have been a major focus of research. Much less attention has been directed towards the effects on physical health outcomes. Objective: Based on the life course model, this thesis assessed the extent to which child-parent relationships influence physical health in later life. Methods: The dissertation was based on a systematic review of longitudinal studies linking parent-child relationships and physical health in adulthood, and on secondary data-analyses of the Christchurch Health and Development Study. The role played by different confounders and mediators was discussed. The analyses were based on multivariate regression methods. Results: Most of the systematic review studies showed a positive association between poor parenting and health in later life. Supportive of the association were studies on general health relying on self-reports. Non-supportive were studies looking at mortality and rare diseases and relying on official records. Some of the studies presented their findings in relation to gender, girls being more likely to somatise in adolescence or in adulthood. An association was found for the Christchurch Health and Development Study between the quality of parent-child relationship and hospital admission or the number of doctor visits. These effects were more pronounced in females. Overall, adjusting for different confounders and mediators added some information, but did not replace the effect of the exposure variables on the outcomes. Conclusion: More research is required in understanding how the early behavioural, environmental and social factors work together in the development of long term health outcomes. Given the growing evidence of the long term effects of poor parent-child relationships, greater efforts are clearly needed in developing effective strategies for prevention and intervention

Evaluating the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in adults with sickle cell disease during the Omicron period of COVID-19 pandemic

Background and aimsThe Omicron variant, one of the variants causing the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), was first identified in November 2021 and became the predominant variant in 2022. Although causing less severe disease, this variant and its subvariants have been associated with increased transmissibility and limited protection despite vaccination and prior infection. Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) are particularly at greater risk of severe illness and death, and studies regarding the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination have been limited in this population. The study aims to determine the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during this period among individuals with SCD and to examine various factors that can influence the likelihood of COVID-19 infection and severity among SCD individuals.MethodsThis is a retrospective analysis of adult patients (≥18 years) with SCD who had emergency and inpatient encounters between January 1 and December 31, 2022. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to determine the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine among this population.ResultsThe study found that COVID-19 vaccination lowered the infection risk among SCD individuals by over 70% if they have received at least one dose of the vaccine. The study also found that individuals with SCD and a history of acute chest syndrome were over 3 times more likely to have a COVID-19 infection diagnosis than those without a history of acute chest syndrome.ConclusionThe study confirms the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine among individuals with SCD during the Omicron period of the COVID-19 pandemic

Minimum length effects in black hole physics

We review the main consequences of the possible existence of a minimum measurable length, of the order of the Planck scale, on quantum effects occurring in black hole physics. In particular, we focus on the ensuing minimum mass for black holes and how modified dispersion relations affect the Hawking decay, both in four space-time dimensions and in models with extra spatial dimensions. In the latter case, we briefly discuss possible phenomenological signatures.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figures. To be published in "Quantum Aspects of Black Holes", ed. X. Calmet (Springer, 2014

Industry 4.0: Key Questions in Manufacturing

The actual industrial revolution is bringing multiple opportunities of increased productivity through Cyber-Physical Systems, better cost control and decision making through Digitization and improved data communication chain through IoT. However, finding the best fit within Industry 4.0 context and writing the business case to support massive investments is not an easy task considering the organisations and the environment dynamics. The risk of disruptive implementation may be also high and involving massive implications. The paper proposes to highlight in a structured way . top-down approach . the key questions to address as an organization when leaving the awareness phase and preparing the implementation. This is a cross-industry study, covering as well different patterns: make to stock, make to order, engineering to order

A Case of Septic Arthritis of the Wrist due to Finegoldia magna

Finegoldia magna (F. magna) has been described as one of the most frequent pathogens in the etiology of postoperative and prosthetic implant associated septic arthritis. In this report, we document our first experience with septic arthritis of the wrist caused by F. magna occurring in a joint with primary disease from prior trauma

New insights on patient-related risk factors for venous thromboembolism in patients with solid organ cancers

Patient-related risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) are infrequently studied. We compared the role of patient-related risk factors for VTE in patients with solid organ cancers to their role in patients without cancer using National Inpatient Sample (NIS) data. Patients with cancer: risk of VTE hospitalization; Increased: chronic pulmonary disease (OR 1.172, 95% CI 1.102-1.247), obesity (OR 1.369, 95% CI 1.244-1.506). Decreased: liver disease (OR 0.654, 95% CI 0.562-0.762), chronic kidney disease (CKD) (OR 0.539, 95% CI 0.491-0.593), end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (OR 0.247, 95% CI 0.187-0.326). Patients without cancer: Risk of VTE hospitalization; Increased: age (OR 1.024, 95% CI 1.022-1.025), congestive heart failure (OR 1.221, 95% CI: 1.107-1.346), chronic pulmonary disease (OR 1.372, 95% CI 1.279-1.473), obesity (OR 2.627, 95% CI 2.431-2.838). Decreased: female gender (OR 0.772, 95% CI 0.730-0.816), diabetes (OR 0.756, 95% CI 0.701-0.815), ESRD (OR 0.315, 95% CI 0.252-0.395). In conclusion, chronic pulmonary disease and obesity increase VTE hospitalization risk in patients with and without cancer and the risk decreases in cancer patients with liver disease, CKD or ESRD

Acute Hepatitis due to Garcinia Cambogia Extract, an Herbal Weight Loss Supplement

The Drug Induced Liver Injury Network reports dietary supplements as one of the most important causes of drug induced hepatotoxicity, yet millions of people use these supplements without being aware of their potential life-threatening side effects. Garcinia cambogia (GC) extract is an herbal weight loss supplement, reported to cause fulminant hepatic failure. We present a case of a 57-year-old female with no previous history of liver disease, who presented with acute hepatitis due to GC extract taken for weight loss, which resolved after stopping it and got reaggravated on retaking it. Obtaining a history of herbal supplement use is critical in the evaluation of acute hepatitis

COVID-19-Current Therapeutical Approaches and Future Perspectives

The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) stimulated an unprecedented international collaborative effort for rapid diagnosis, epidemiologic surveillance, clinical management, prevention, and treatment. This review focuses on the current and new therapeutical approaches, summarizing the viral structure and life cycle, with an emphasis on the specific steps that can be interfered by antivirals: (a) inhibition of viral entry with anti-spike monoclonal antibodies; (b) inhibition of the RNA genome replication with nucleosidic analogs blocking the viral RNA polymerase; (c) inhibition of the main viral protease (Mpro), which directs the formation of the nonstructural proteins. An overview of the immunomodulatory drugs currently used for severe COVID-19 treatment and future therapeutical options are also discussed