263 research outputs found
Pediatric traumatic brain injury in the Middle East and North Africa region: a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess characteristics, mechanisms, and risk factors
Pediatric traumatic brain injury (pTBI) represents a major cause of child injuries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This review aims to assess pTBIs in the MENA region and reports their clinical severity and outcomes. A search was conducted using major electronic databases, including Medline/Ovid, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and SCOPUS. Abstracts were screened independently and in duplicate to detect original research. The objective and study findings for each article were recorded, along with the mechanism of pTBI, patient age and sex, injury assessment tool(s) used, and outcome. A total of 1345 articles were retrieved, of which 152 met the criteria for full-text review, and 32 were included in this review. Males predominantly suffered from pTBIs (78%). Motor vehicle accidents, followed by child abuse, were the leading causes of pTBI. Overall, 0.39% of cases were mild, 0.58% moderate, 16.25% severe, and 82.27% unclassified. The mortality rate was 13.11%. Most studies used the computed tomography scan, Glasgow Coma Scale, Abbreviated Injury Scale, and Injury Severity Score as investigation methods. This review reports on the alarming rate of child-abuse-related pTBI and offers further understanding of pTBI-associated risk factors and insight into the development of strategies to reduce their occurrence, as well as policies to promote child well-being
Relational hopes: A study of the lived experience of hope in some patients hospitalized for intentional self-harm
Hopelessness is a well-established predictor of suicide, and inspiring hope is an important goal in mental health care, but there are few studies of hope among persons with suicidal behavior. The aim of this study was to interpret the lived experience of hope in some patients hospitalized for intentional self-harm. Twelve persons that had engaged in suicidal behavior by ingesting an overdose of medication were interviewed shortly after hospitalization and asked to narrate about their hopes. The transcripts were analyzed using a phenomenological hermeneutic method inspired by Ricoeur's theory of interpretation. The naïve reading was one of hope being relational. The structural analysis identified three themes: hopes for life, hopes for death, and the act of hoping. We interpreted the common theme of the interviews as being definite and indefinite relational hopes for life and death. For clinicians, expressions of indefinite hopes may raise concerns about the low likelihood of fulfillment. However, the expression of indefinite hope may serve to avoid experiencing failure, disappointment, and hopelessness
Electrophysiological study of local/global processing in Williams syndrome
Persons with Williams syndrome (WS) demonstrate pronounced deficits in visuo-spatial processing. The purpose of the current study was to examine the preferred level of perceptual analysis in young adults with WS (n = 21) and the role of attention in the processing of hierarchical stimuli. Navon-like letter stimuli were presented to adults with WS and age-matched typical controls in an oddball paradigm where local and global targets could appear with equal probability. Participants received no explicit instruction to direct their attention toward a particular stimulus level. Behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) data were recorded. Behavioral data indicated presence of a global precedence effect in persons with WS. However, their ERP responses revealed atypical brain mechanisms underlying attention to local information. During the early perceptual analysis, global targets resulted in reduced P1 and enhanced N150 responses in both participant groups. However, only the typical comparison group demonstrated a larger N150 to local targets. At the more advanced stages of cognitive processing, a larger P3b response to global and local targets was observed in the typical group but not in persons with WS, who instead demonstrated an enhanced P3a to global targets only. The results indicate that in a perceptual task, adults with WS may experience greater than typical global-to-local interference and not allocate sufficient attentional resources to local information
Super-resolution imaging as a method to study GPCR dimers and higher-order oligomers
The study of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) dimers and higher-order oligomers has unveiled mechanisms for receptors to diversify signaling and potentially uncover novel therapeutic targets. The functional and clinical significance of these receptor–receptor associations has been facilitated by the development of techniques and protocols, enabling researchers to unpick their function from the molecular interfaces, to demonstrating functional significance in vivo, in both health and disease. Here we describe our methodology to study GPCR oligomerization at the single-molecule level via super-resolution imaging. Specifically, we have employed photoactivated localization microscopy, with photoactivatable dyes (PD-PALM) to visualize the spatial organization of these complexes to <10 nm resolution, and the quantitation of GPCR monomer, dimer, and oligomer in both homomeric and heteromeric forms. We provide guidelines on optimal sample preparation, imaging parameters, and necessary controls for resolving and quantifying single-molecule data. Finally, we discuss advantages and limitations of this imaging technique and its potential future applications to the study of GPCR function
Risk of acute kidney injury and survival in patients treated with Metformin:an observational cohort study
Background: Whether metformin precipitates lactic acidosis in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains
under debate. We examined whether metformin use was associated with an increased risk of acute kidney injury
(AKI) as a proxy for lactic acidosis and whether survival among those with AKI varied by metformin exposure.
Methods: All individuals with type 2 diabetes and available prescribing data between 2004 and 2013 in Tayside,
Scotland were included. The electronic health record for diabetes which includes issued prescriptions was linked to
laboratory biochemistry, hospital admission, death register and Scottish Renal Registry data. AKI events were defined
using the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria with a rise in serum creatinine of at least 26.5 μmol/l or
a rise of greater than 150% from baseline for all hospital admissions. Cox Regression Analyses were used to examine
whether person-time periods in which current metformin exposure occurred were associated with an increased rate of
first AKI compared to unexposed periods. Cox regression was also used to compare 28 day survival rates following first
AKI events in those exposed to metformin versus those not exposed.
Results: Twenty-five thousand one-hundred fourty-eight patients were included with a total person-time of
126,904 person years. 4944 (19.7%) people had at least one episode of AKI during the study period. There
were 32.4 cases of first AKI/1000pyrs in current metformin exposed person-time periods compared to 44.9
cases/1000pyrs in unexposed periods. After adjustment for age, sex, diabetes duration, calendar time, number
of diabetes drugs and baseline renal function, current metformin use was not associated with AKI incidence,
HR 0.94 (95% CI 0.87, 1.02, p = 0.15). Among those with incident AKI, being on metformin at admission was
associated with a higher rate of survival at 28 days (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.69, 0.94, p = 0.006) even after
adjustment for age, sex, pre-admission eGFR, HbA1c and diabetes duration.
Conclusions: Contrary to common perceptions, we found no evidence that metformin increases incidence of
AKI and was associated with higher 28 day survival following incident AKI
Taxonomic diversity and identification problems of oncaeid microcopepods in the Mediterranean Sea
The species diversity of the pelagic microcopepod
family Oncaeidae collected with nets of 0.1-mm mesh
size was studied at 6 stations along a west-to-east transect
in the Mediterranean Sea down to a maximum depth of
1,000 m. A total of 27 species and two form variants have
been identified, including three new records for the
Mediterranean. In addition, about 20, as yet undescribed,
new morphospecies were found (mainly from the genera
Epicalymma and Triconia) which need to be examined
further. The total number of identified oncaeid species was
similar in the Western and Eastern Basins, but for some cooccurring
sibling species, the estimated numerical dominance
changed. The deep-sea fauna of Oncaeidae, studied
at selected depth layers between 400 m and the near-bottom
layer at >4,200 m depth in the eastern Mediterranean
(Levantine Sea), showed rather constant species numbers
down to ∼3,000 m depth. In the near-bottom layers, the
diversity of oncaeids declined and species of Epicalymma
strongly increased in numerical importance. The taxonomic
status of all oncaeid species recorded earlier in the
Mediterranean Sea is evaluated: 19 out of the 46 known
valid oncaeid species are insufficiently described, and most
of the taxonomically unresolved species (13 species) have
originally been described from this area (type locality). The
deficiencies in the species identification of oncaeids cast
into doubt the allegedly cosmopolitan distribution of some
species, in particular those of Mediterranean origin. The
existing identification problems even of well-described
oncaeid species are exemplified for the Oncaea mediacomplex,
including O. media Giesbrecht, O. scottodicarloi
Heron & Bradford-Grieve, and O. waldemari Bersano &
Boxshall, which are often erroneously identified as a single
species (O. media). The inadequacy in the species identification
of Oncaeidae, in particular those from the Atlantic
and Mediterranean, is mainly due to the lack of reliable
identification keys for Oncaeidae in warm-temperate and/or
tropical seas. Future efforts should be directed to the
construction of identification keys that can be updated
according to the latest taxonomic findings, which can be
used by the non-expert as well as by the specialist. The
adequate consideration of the numerous, as yet undescribed,
microcopepod species in the world oceans, in
particular the Oncaeidae, is a challenge for the study of the
structure and function of plankton communities as well as
for global biodiversity estimates
Outcomes of obstructed abdominal wall hernia: results from the UK national small bowel obstruction audit
Background:
Abdominal wall hernia is a common surgical condition. Patients may present in an emergency with bowel obstruction, incarceration or strangulation. Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is a serious surgical condition associated with significant morbidity. The aim of this study was to describe current management and outcomes of patients with obstructed hernia in the UK as identified in the National Audit of Small Bowel Obstruction (NASBO).
Methods:
NASBO collated data on adults treated for SBO at 131 UK hospitals between January and March 2017. Those with obstruction due to abdominal wall hernia were included in this study. Demographics, co-morbidity, imaging, operative treatment, and in-hospital outcomes were recorded. Modelling for factors associated with mortality and complications was undertaken using Cox proportional hazards and multivariable regression modelling.
Results:
NASBO included 2341 patients, of whom 415 (17·7 per cent) had SBO due to hernia. Surgery was performed in 312 (75·2 per cent) of the 415 patients; small bowel resection was required in 198 (63·5 per cent) of these operations. Non-operative management was reported in 35 (54 per cent) of 65 patients with a parastomal hernia and in 34 (32·1 per cent) of 106 patients with an incisional hernia. The in-hospital mortality rate was 9·4 per cent (39 of 415), and was highest in patients with a groin hernia (11·1 per cent, 17 of 153). Complications were common, including lower respiratory tract infection in 16·3 per cent of patients with a groin hernia. Increased age was associated with an increased risk of death (hazard ratio 1·05, 95 per cent c.i. 1·01 to 1·10; P = 0·009) and complications (odds ratio 1·05, 95 per cent c.i. 1·02 to 1·09; P = 0·001).
Conclusion:
NASBO has highlighted poor outcomes for patients with SBO due to hernia, highlighting the need for quality improvement initiatives in this group
Molecular Systematic of Three Species of Oithona (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) from the Atlantic Ocean: Comparative Analysis Using 28S rDNA
Species of Oithona (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) are highly abundant, ecologically important, and widely distributed throughout the world oceans. Although there are valid and detailed descriptions of the species, routine species identifications remain challenging due to their small size, subtle morphological diagnostic traits, and the description of geographic forms or varieties. This study examined three species of Oithona (O. similis, O. atlantica and O. nana) occurring in the Argentine sector of the South Atlantic Ocean based on DNA sequence variation of a 575 base-pair region of 28S rDNA, with comparative analysis of these species from other North and South Atlantic regions. DNA sequence variation clearly resolved and discriminated the species, and revealed low levels of intraspecific variation among North and South Atlantic populations of each species. The 28S rDNA region was thus shown to provide an accurate and reliable means of identifying the species throughout the sampled domain. Analysis of 28S rDNA variation for additional species collected throughout the global ocean will be useful to accurately characterize biogeographical distributions of the species and to examine phylogenetic relationships among them
A Genome-Wide Association Study of Diabetic Kidney Disease in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes
dentification of sequence variants robustly associated with predisposition to diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has the potential to provide insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms responsible. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of DKD in type 2 diabetes (T2D) using eight complementary dichotomous and quantitative DKD phenotypes: the principal dichotomous analysis involved 5,717 T2D subjects, 3,345 with DKD. Promising association signals were evaluated in up to 26,827 subjects with T2D (12,710 with DKD). A combined T1D+T2D GWAS was performed using complementary data available for subjects with T1D, which, with replication samples, involved up to 40,340 subjects with diabetes (18,582 with DKD). Analysis of specific DKD phenotypes identified a novel signal near GABRR1 (rs9942471, P = 4.5 x 10(-8)) associated with microalbuminuria in European T2D case subjects. However, no replication of this signal was observed in Asian subjects with T2D or in the equivalent T1D analysis. There was only limited support, in this substantially enlarged analysis, for association at previously reported DKD signals, except for those at UMOD and PRKAG2, both associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate. We conclude that, despite challenges in addressing phenotypic heterogeneity, access to increased sample sizes will continue to provide more robust inference regarding risk variant discovery for DKD.Peer reviewe
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