Epidemiology and risk factors for resistance to treatment of Kawasaki disease in Cyprus

Kawasaki disease (KD) is one of the most common vasculitides of early childhood. There are no previous studies on KD in Cyprus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology of KD in Cyprus, risk factors for resistance to treatment and the development of cardiac complications. This is a retrospective multicenter study of pediatric patients with KD hospitalized between January 2000 and-December 2019. The data were collected from medical records. A total of 136 patients with KD were included in the study. 83% of patients were < 5 years of age and 10% were < 6 months. Thirty patients (22%) developed coronary artery lesions. Serum sodium ≤ 133 mmol/L, albumin ≤ 3.2 g/dl, ALT ≥ 80 U/L and neutrophils percentage ≥ 80% at diagnosis, were identified as risk factors for resistance to IVIG. Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of KD in Cyprus population were similar to those reported in the literature. Although the majority of cases received appropriate treatment in time, cardiac complications still occurred

Leveraging Deep Learning and Online Source Sentiment for Financial Portfolio Management

Financial portfolio management describes the task of distributing funds and conducting trading operations on a set of financial assets, such as stocks, index funds, foreign exchange or cryptocurrencies, aiming to maximize the profit while minimizing the loss incurred by said operations. Deep Learning (DL) methods have been consistently excelling at various tasks and automated financial trading is one of the most complex one of those. This paper aims to provide insight into various DL methods for financial trading, under both the supervised and reinforcement learning schemes. At the same time, taking into consideration sentiment information regarding the traded assets, we discuss and demonstrate their usefulness through corresponding research studies. Finally, we discuss commonly found problems in training such financial agents and equip the reader with the necessary knowledge to avoid these problems and apply the discussed methods in practice

Exposure to natural environments during pregnancy and birth outcomes in 11 European birth cohorts

Research suggests that maternal exposure to natural environments (i.e., green and blue spaces) promotes healthy fetal growth. However, the available evidence is heterogeneous across regions, with very few studies on the effects of blue spaces. This study evaluated associations between maternal exposure to natural environments and birth outcomes in 11 birth cohorts across nine European countries. This study, part of the LifeCycle project, was based on a total sample size of 69,683 newborns with harmonised data. For each participant, we calculated seven indicators of residential exposure to natural environments: surrounding greenspace in 100m, 300m, and 500m using Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) buffers, distance to the nearest green space, accessibility to green space, distance to the nearest blue space, and accessibility to blue space. Measures of birth weight and small for gestational age (SGA) were extracted from hospital records. We used pooled linear and logistic regression models to estimate associations between exposure to the natural environment and birth outcomes, controlling for the relevant covariates. We evaluated the potential effect modification by socioeconomic status (SES) and region of Europe and the influence of ambient air pollution on the associations. In the pooled analyses, residential surrounding greenspace in 100m, 300m, and 500m buffer was associated with increased birth weight and lower odds for SGA. Higher residential distance to green space was associated with lower birth weight and higher odds for SGA. We observed close to null associations for accessibility to green space and exposure to blue space. We found stronger estimated magnitudes for those participants with lower educational levels, from more deprived areas, and living in the northern European region. Our associations did not change notably after adjustment for air pollution. These findings may support implementing policies to promote natural environments in our cities, starting in more deprived areas

Green spaces and respiratory, cardiometabolic, and neurodevelopmental outcomes:An individual-participant data meta-analysis of &gt;35.000 European children

Studies evaluating the benefits and risks of green spaces on children's health are scarce. The present study aimed to examine the associations between exposure to green spaces during pregnancy and early childhood with respiratory, cardiometabolic, and neurodevelopmental outcomes in school-age children. We performed an Individual-Participant Data (IPD) meta-analysis involving 35,000 children from ten European birth cohorts across eight countries. For each participant, we calculated residential Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) within a 300 m buffer and the linear distance to green spaces (meters) during prenatal life and childhood. Multiple harmonized health outcomes were selected: asthma and wheezing, lung function, body mass index, diastolic and systolic blood pressure, non-verbal intelligence, internalizing and externalizing problems, and ADHD symptoms. We conducted a two-stage IPD meta-analysis and evaluated effect modification by socioeconomic status (SES) and sex. Between-study heterogeneity was assessed via random-effects meta-regression. Residential surrounding green spaces in childhood, not pregnancy, was associated with improved lung function, particularly higher FEV1 (β = 0.06; 95 %CI: 0.03, 0.09 I2 = 4.03 %, p &lt; 0.001) and FVC (β = 0.07; 95 %CI: 0.04, 0.09 I2 = 0 %, p &lt; 0.001) with a stronger association observed in females (p &lt; 0.001). This association remained robust after multiple testing correction and did not change notably after adjusting for ambient air pollution. Increased distance to green spaces showed an association with lower FVC (β = −0.04; 95 %CI: −0.07, −0.02, I2 = 4.8, p = 0.001), with a stronger effect in children from higher SES backgrounds (p &lt; 0.001). No consistent associations were found between green spaces and asthma, wheezing, cardiometabolic, or neurodevelopmental outcomes, with direction of effect varying across cohorts. Wheezing and neurodevelopmental outcomes showed high between-study heterogeneity, and the age at outcome assessment was only associated with heterogeneity in internalizing problems. This large European meta-analysis suggests that childhood exposure to green spaces may lead to better lung function. Associations with other respiratory outcomes and selected cardiometabolic and neurodevelopmental outcomes remain inconclusive.</p

High Expressed Emotion and Warmth among Families of Patients with Schizophrenia in Greece

Expressed emotion (EE) is an established prognostic factor for relapse in schizophrenia. Through critical comments (CC), hostility (H) and emotional overinvolvement (EOI), a relative can be rated as high or low EE, but the role of warmth should also be evaluated in order to consider the influence of a positive affect within the family context. In this study, EE was assessed in a sample of 48 relatives of patients with schizophrenia using the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI). Questionnaires assessing coping (brief-COPE), their wellbeing (World Health Organization Well-Being Index WHO-5) and the socio-demographic variables were also administered. Relatives who expressed a higher level of warmth were found to make fewer CC (5.2 &plusmn; 4.6 vs. 8.4 &plusmn; 4.6, p = 0.009) and have, on average, higher EOI scores (3.2 &plusmn; 1.0 vs. 1.9 &plusmn; 1.1, p = 0.002) than those who expressed no or very little warmth. High EE was found to be associated with having fewer family members (p = 0.035), while relatives with a higher level of education expressed less warmth (p = 0.007). Relatives with a low level of warmth had higher maladaptive coping scores and tended to score worse for their overall wellbeing in comparison to relatives who showed a higher level of warmth (28.4 &plusmn; 5.0 vs. 24.1 &plusmn; 5.2, p = 0.006 and 39.1 &plusmn; 20.4 vs. 51.3 &plusmn; 22.0, p = 0.073, respectively). Since the role of warmth is important, it should be taken into account when designing family interventions, independently from lowering EE. Customized interventions to promote warmth and the routine screening of relatives are recommended

The Lower Cretaceous “Vigla” Shales Potentiality to Be Source Rocks in the Ionian Basin, Greece

As Lower Cretaceous “Vigla” shales have been suggested as one of the main source rocks for the Ionian Basin in Greece, a geochemical analysis was performed for “Vigla” shales in Kastos Island and the Araxos peninsula, far from the already studied areas. Results, based on Rock-Eval VI analysis, sample fractionation, and biomarkers analysis, showed that the studied rocks could be of low production capacity, are type II/III of kerogen, and can produce liquid and gas hydrocarbons for Kastos Island. Organic matter (total organic carbon-TOC 0.02–3.45%) of the studied samples is thermally immature, in the early stages of diagenesis, and was accumulated in an anoxic environment. Additionally, the geochemical analyses confirmed the combination of marine and terrestrial origin of the organic matter. On the other hand, TOC (0.01–0.72%) from the Araxos peninsula shows fair oil potential and type IV kerogen. The results based on the Odd–Even Predominance, OEP (27–31), OEP (2), and OEP (1), valued for samples AG1, AG2, AG5, and AG6, indicated an anoxic deposition environment. As the Ionian Basin was sub-divided into three sub-basins (internal, middle, and external) during its syn-rift evolution, different depositional conditions were developed from one sub-basin to the other, with different sedimentary thicknesses within the same sub-basin or among different sub-basins and with different amounts of TOC. The fact that there is a great difference in geochemical indices between the two studied areas during the same period suggests that probable different depositional conditions could exist. It seems that the richness in Kastos Island could be related to the neighboring Apulian Platform, whereas the poorness in the Araxos peninsula could be related to the Gavrovo platform, or the differences could be related to restrictions produced regions. The comparison with previous studies indicates that different quality and quantity of organic matter could be accumulated either within the same sub-basin or from one sub-basin to the other

The Lower Cretaceous &ldquo;Vigla&rdquo; Shales Potentiality to Be Source Rocks in the Ionian Basin, Greece

As Lower Cretaceous &ldquo;Vigla&rdquo; shales have been suggested as one of the main source rocks for the Ionian Basin in Greece, a geochemical analysis was performed for &ldquo;Vigla&rdquo; shales in Kastos Island and the Araxos peninsula, far from the already studied areas. Results, based on Rock-Eval VI analysis, sample fractionation, and biomarkers analysis, showed that the studied rocks could be of low production capacity, are type II/III of kerogen, and can produce liquid and gas hydrocarbons for Kastos Island. Organic matter (total organic carbon-TOC 0.02&ndash;3.45%) of the studied samples is thermally immature, in the early stages of diagenesis, and was accumulated in an anoxic environment. Additionally, the geochemical analyses confirmed the combination of marine and terrestrial origin of the organic matter. On the other hand, TOC (0.01&ndash;0.72%) from the Araxos peninsula shows fair oil potential and type IV kerogen. The results based on the Odd&ndash;Even Predominance, OEP (27&ndash;31), OEP (2), and OEP (1), valued for samples AG1, AG2, AG5, and AG6, indicated an anoxic deposition environment. As the Ionian Basin was sub-divided into three sub-basins (internal, middle, and external) during its syn-rift evolution, different depositional conditions were developed from one sub-basin to the other, with different sedimentary thicknesses within the same sub-basin or among different sub-basins and with different amounts of TOC. The fact that there is a great difference in geochemical indices between the two studied areas during the same period suggests that probable different depositional conditions could exist. It seems that the richness in Kastos Island could be related to the neighboring Apulian Platform, whereas the poorness in the Araxos peninsula could be related to the Gavrovo platform, or the differences could be related to restrictions produced regions. The comparison with previous studies indicates that different quality and quantity of organic matter could be accumulated either within the same sub-basin or from one sub-basin to the other

A Review of the Energy Storage Systems of Non-Interconnected European Islands

The ongoing energy transition has caused a paradigm shift in the architecture of power systems, increasing their sustainability with the installation of renewable energy sources (RES). In most cases, the efficient utilization of renewable energy requires the employment of energy storage systems (ESSs), such as batteries and hydro-pumped storage systems. The need for ESS becomes more apparent when it comes to non-interconnected power systems, where the incorporation of stochastic renewables, such as photovoltaics (PV) systems, may more frequently reduce certain power quality indicators or lead to curtailments. The purpose of this review paper is to present the predominant core technologies related to ESSs, along with their technical and life cycle analysis and the range of ancillary services that they can provide to non-interconnected power systems. Also, it aims to provide a detailed description of existing installations, or combinations of installations, in non-interconnected European islands. Therefore, it provides an overview and maps the current status of storage solutions that enhance the sustainable environmentally friendly operation of autonomous systems

Comparison between Siliceous Concretions from the Ionian Basin and the Apulian Platform Margins (Pre-Apulian Zone), Western Greece: Implication of Differential Diagenesis on Nodules Evolution

Siliceous concretions (nodules), from two different geological settings—the Apulian platform margins in Kefalonia island, and the Ionian Basin in Ithaca, Atokos, and Kastos islands—have been studied both in the field and in the laboratory. Nodule cuttings are mainly characterized by the development of a core, around which a ring (rim) has been formed. Mineralogical study, using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) analysis, showed that the rim is usually richer in moganite than the core. Homogeneous concretions, without discernible inner core and outer ring, were observed generally in both settings. Mineralogical analysis of the selected siliceous concretions from Kefalonia island showed the presence mostly of quartz and moganite, while calcite either was absent or participated in a few samples in minor/trace abundances. Moganite was generally abundant in all the samples from Kefalonia island. Concretions from the Ionian Basin showed a variation in the quartz, moganite, and calcite contents. Mineralogical differences were recognized both between the different studied geodynamic settings and internally in the same setting, but with different stages of development. The above-mentioned differential diagenesis on nodules evolution could be related to the presence and/or abundance of stylolites, later fluid flows, restrictions from one area to another due to synchronous fault activity, and the composition of substances dissolved in fluids. Moreover, the development of concretions produced secondary fractures in the surrounding area of the nodule-bearing rocks