Liver Adiposity and Metabolic Profile in Individuals with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury

Purpose. To quantify liver adiposity using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to determine its association with metabolic profile in men with spinal cord injury (SCI). Materials and Methods. MRI analysis of liver adiposity by fat signal fraction (FSF) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) was completed on twenty participants. Intravenous glucose tolerance test was conducted to measure glucose effectiveness (g) and insulin sensitivity (i ). Lipid panel, fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and inflammatory cytokines were also analyzed. Results. Average hepatic FSF was 3.7% ± 2.1. FSF was positively related to TG, non-HDL-C, fasting glucose, HbA1c, VAT, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-). FSF was negatively related to i and testosterone. FSF was positively related to VAT ( = 0.48, = 0.032) and TNF- ( = 0.51, = 0.016) independent of age, level of injury (LOI), and time since injury (TSI). The associations between FSF and metabolic profile were independent of VAT. Conclusions. MRI noninvasively estimated hepatic adiposity in men with chronic SCI. FSF was associated with dysfunction in metabolic profile, central adiposity, and inflammation. Importantly, liver adiposity influenced metabolic profile independently of VAT. These findings highlight the significance of quantifying liver adiposity after SCI to attenuate the development of metabolic disorders

Management of intercondylar femur fracture with distal femur locking compression plate: outcome analysis of 72 cases

Background: Supra-condylar and inter-condylar fractures of the distal femur account for 7% of all femoral fractures and have always been difficult to treat and regaining full knee function is often difficult. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the functional outcome, fracture healing, complications of distal femoral intercondylar fractures managed by locking compression plate.Methods: Total 72 patients of intercondylar femur fracture were operated by ORIF with distal femur-locking compression plate via the standard swashbuckler approach. The functional outcomes were analyzed using modified hospital for special surgery scoring system.Results: Muller type C2 fracture was the most common fracture type with 50 out of 72 patients. The average range of motion achieved was about 99.03°±24.73° (Closed fractures =105.83°±19.41°and open fractures = 89.50°±28.36°). There was also a significant difference in the duration of operative time, 84.28±18.32 minutes for closed fractures and 98.46±22.47 minutes for open fractures. The average duration for radiological union was 14.52±2.21 weeks for closed and 17.20±2.44 weeks for open fractures. The average knee score was 80.13±13.38 using modified Hospital for Special Surgery score.Conclusions: Closed fractures have a higher range of motion and a better knee score compared to open fractures, supporting the fact that soft tissue compromise also affects range of motion and post-op rehabilitation of the limb. The outcome seems to correlate with the nature of injury i.e. high vs low velocity, type of fracture, anatomic reduction, associated injuries, time elapsed since injury to fixation and the stability of fixation

What do we know about business and economics research during COVID-19: a bibliometric review

The destructive COVID-19 has emerged as the most lethal disease and dented the global economies in every aspect. Consequently, a large amount of research emerged to understand the dynamics of COVID-19. Using meta-literature approach with combination of both bibliometric (quantitative) and content analysis (qualitative) approach, this study aims to present a comprehensive review of COVID-19 business-related research of 477 articles. The results reveal the most the most relevant and influential scientific aspects of the literature such as authors, articles, institutions, journals, and countries. We also identify intellectual structure within six streams: 1) COVID-19 and global economy, 2) Dynamics of COVID-19 in business and management research, 3) COVID-19 and financial markets, 4) COVID-19 and its implication for tourism & hospitality industry, 5) Dynamic of supply chain and COVID-19 and 6) COVID-19 and functionality of government. Lastly, the review of the literature helps us to identify the research gaps and present 62 future research directions

Motion Planning for Autonomous Ground Vehicles Using Artificial Potential Fields: A Review

Autonomous ground vehicle systems have found extensive potential and practical applications in the modern world. The development of an autonomous ground vehicle poses a significant challenge, particularly in identifying the best path plan, based on defined performance metrics such as safety margin, shortest time, and energy consumption. Various techniques for motion planning have been proposed by researchers, one of which is the use of artificial potential fields. Several authors in the past two decades have proposed various modified versions of the artificial potential field algorithms. The variations of the traditional APF approach have given an answer to prior shortcomings. This gives potential rise to a strategic survey on the improved versions of this algorithm. This study presents a review of motion planning for autonomous ground vehicles using artificial potential fields. Each article is evaluated based on criteria that involve the environment type, which may be either static or dynamic, the evaluation scenario, which may be real-time or simulated, and the method used for improving the search performance of the algorithm. All the customized designs of planning models are analyzed and evaluated. At the end, the results of the review are discussed, and future works are proposed

Concurrent Lateral Condyle Mass Fracture With Olecranon Fracture: A Case Report and Brief Review of Literature

Introduction: There is very limited literature describing the association of lateral condyle mass (LCM) fracture of the distal humerus associated concurrently with olecranon fracture. Herein, a case is reported of a displaced LCM fracture with displaced olecranon fracture, due to complex trauma while getting out of a vehicle, which was managed by open reduction and internal fixation. Case Presentation: A 4.5- year- old boy suffered severe pain and swelling around his right elbow due to trauma which he suffered while trying to get out of a vehicle which was in motion. Plain radiographs of the anteroposterior, lateral, and oblique views showed a displaced lateral mass fracture associated with a displaced olecranon fracture. Open reduction and internal fixation was carried out and near normal function was achieved. Conclusions: In view of the paucity of literature and rare incidence of this injury, this case report highlights the need to be aware of other injuries which can occur in association with LCM fractures in children

Phylogeny of Artemisia L.: Recent developments

In this review, classification and phylogeny of genus Artemisia L. is discussed. Its centers of diversity lie in the temperate and cold temperate regions of the Eurasia, North America and Asia. Artemisia has two basic chromosome numbers, with ploidy levels x=9 and x=8. Chromosome number in diploid is most often 2n=18 or 16. The genus is divided into five large groups Absinthium DC., Artemisia L., Dracunculus Besser, Seriphidium Besser and Tridantatae (Rydb.) McArthur. Its phylogeny was based on the two hypothesized evolutionary trends, loss of fertility in the disc florets and loss of ray florets. Recently its molecular phylogeny based on internally transcribed spacer (ITS), externally transcribed spacer (ETS) regions of the DNA and chloroplast DNA suggested that the genus Artemisia is a monophyletic but it could not resolve the problem of infra-generic classification. This study revealed that there is need to search new genome regions to establish a natural classification based on modern molecular techniques

Detecting fake news and disinformation using artificial intelligence and machine learning to avoid supply chain disruptions

Fake news and disinformation (FNaD) are increasingly being circulated through various online and social networking platforms, causing widespread disruptions and influencing decision-making perceptions. Despite the growing importance of detecting fake news in politics, relatively limited research efforts have been made to develop artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) oriented FNaD detection models suited to minimize supply chain disruptions (SCDs). Using a combination of AI and ML, and case studies based on data collected from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan, we developed a FNaD detection model aimed at preventing SCDs. This model based on multiple data sources has shown evidence of its effectiveness in managerial decision-making. Our study further contributes to the supply chain and AI-ML literature, provides practical insights, and points to future research directions

A Comparison of Sperm Motility Between Fertile and Infertile Males

Background: To determine the sperm motility of proven fertile males and compare this with that of infertile males. Methods: The study design was cross-sectional comparative and was carried out at Islamic International Medical College Rawalpindi and its attached Railway hospital and Islamabad Clinic Serving Infertile Couples Islamabad, from June 2005 to July 2006. Fifty healthy fertile males were selected and their sperm motility was determined with the latest Makler’s chamber, while another 50 infertile males were recruited as controls. The sampling technique used was convenience non-probability. Inclusion criterion for proven fertile males was pregnancy achieved within one year of marriage with successful coituses. In case of infertile males it was failure to achieve pregnancy without the use of assisted reproductive techniques, with no infertility factors in the female partner. The semen samples were obtained at the laboratory after 3 to 4 days of sexual abstinence with clear written and oral instructions given to the subjects before the collection of the sample. Results: The infertile group was found to be statistically older than the proven fertile group i.e. (36.60 versus 31.32 years). Proven fertile group showed significantly higher motility (60.32 ± 10.80%) and progressive motility (14.32 ± 8.31%) than the infertile male group. Conclusion: Sperm motility is useful in in-vivo situation to find males having a greater possibility of infertility problem. More studies with a larger sample size are required to establish a cut-off value in the local population

Phylogenetic analysis of Artemisia L. (Asteraceae) based on micromorphological traits of pollen grains

The phylogenetic relationships within the genus Artemisia have been very controversial. In order to recognize the systematic inference of pollen grains in this genus, the micromorphological characteristics of pollens from 22 taxa were examined by means of light microscopy (LM) and scanningelectron microscopy (SEM). A phylogenetic analysis of Artemisia based on 9 micromorphological characters of pollens was conducted using Wagner parsimony method. In the resulting phylogenetic tree, relationships among different Artemisia species are shown. This study also presents thephylogenetic associations among 4 sections within the genus Artemisia. The reunion of genus Seriphidum with Artemisia was also confirmed