Quality of life and physical functioning of the diabetic middle aged and older adults

Objective: To compare the physical functioning and quality of life for the diabetic middle aged and older adults.Methodology: A descriptive study design was used, the study was conducted at the outpatient clinics of two hospitals in Alexandria, Egypt. A total number of 118 diabetic patients diagnosed with diabetes at least for one year, aged 20-59 for the middle aged adults group & ≥60 for the elderly group, had no current physical disabilities or mental impairments were included. Four measures were used in this study; the socio-demographic and clinical data structured interview questionnaire, the Katz Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Scale, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short version (IPAQ), and the Short Form 36 General Health questionnaire (SF-36).Results: A statistical difference was observed between the two groups in all domains of generic health related quality of life except role limitations due to emotional problems, and social functioning. Adults' group with normal fasting blood sugar test had better quality of life and physical functioning than the elderly group.Conclusion& recommendations: The elderly patients with diabetes had poorer quality of life and functional status in comparison with the adults. These findings suggest that, health education programs that stress a balanced diet and increased activity should be a public health priority for all ages to control diabetes mellitus and its complications

Development of technical economic analysis for optimal sizing of a hybrid power system: a case study of an industrial site in Tlemcen Algeria

The current study aimed to develop an optimal sizing simulation model for an off-grid photovoltaic-wind hybrid power system of an industrial site in Algeria. The loss of power supply probability algorithm was used for sizing our hybrid system. The technical and economic evaluation for the case study showed that the storage system occupied the most critical part of the total investment cost of the hybrid system. The investment cost analysis indicated a unique optimal configuration for each size of the batteries bank. For one day's autonomy, the best size of the hybrid system corresponded to 61 PV panels and 9 wind turbines. Based on a levelized cost of energy analysis, the cost of the batteries represented for this combination is 52% of the total investment cost. The wind turbines accounted for 42% and the PV panels for only 3%. This combination of the hybrid system resulted in an energy cost that was very competitive with most European countries. However, the public energy grid cost in the case study region was still six times lower due to government subsidies. The findings are very encouraging and can help decision-makers adopt alternative and more sustainable solutions in energy policy. These results will aid in determining future research directions in Algeria's hybrid renewable energy systems.National funds funded Luís Frölén Ribeiro through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, through project UIDB/50022/2020 – LAETAinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Construction, characterization, properties and multifunctional applications of stimuli-responsive shape memory polymeric nanoarchitectures:a review

Due to the advent of nanotechnology, deficiencies and limitations inherent in stimuli-responsive shape memory polymeric matrices (SMP), have been effectively mitigated, through the inclusion of a versatile range of organic or inorganic nanoparticulates within the confines of SMP matrice/s. This phenomenon has resulted in the emergence of shape-memory polymeric nanoarchitectures (SMPNs) possessing enhanced and outstanding properties, when compared with the pristine SMP, and this has subsequently enlarged their scope of applications (civil engineering, biomedical gadgets, aerospace, bionics engineering, energy, electronic engineering, household products, and textile engineering). Furthermore, SMPNs enhances athermal stimuli-activities including electroactivity, magneto-activity, water-activity, and photo-activity, as well as shape memory effect (SME) including multiple-shape memory effect (MSME), spatial shape memory effect (SSME), as well as dual-route shape memory effect (DRSME). This elucidation is essential and imperative at this time to enlighten the polymeric universe on new advancements in fabrication, features and applications of stimuli responsive SMPNs. Therefore, this paper, presents, very recently emerging advancements, in construction, characterization, properties and multifunctional applications of stimuli-responsive SMPNs with special emphasis on carbon nanotubes (CNT), carbon nanofibers (CNF), cellulose nanocrystals, and nanoclay reinforced SMPNs.</p

Evaluation of in vitro cytotoxicity effect of Clinacanthus nutans (Brum. f.) Lindau standardized leaf extracts

Purpose: To standardize Clinacanthus nutans (CN) leaf extracts, evaluate their contents of orientin, vitexin and isovitexin using a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method, and also to investigate in vitro cytotoxicity of CN. Methods: CN leaf powder was macerated in distilled water, methanol, methanol (50 %), ethanol, and ethanol (50 %) over a hot water bath at 50 - 55 °C for 24 h. The extracts were standardized for total phenolic, flavonoid, proteins and polysaccharides content by ultra-violet (UV) spectrophotometry. Moreover, RP-HPLC was used to determine the contents of orientin, vitexin and isovitexin in the extracts. The anti-proliferative effect of the extracts against human colorectal carcinoma cell line (HCT116) and human colon normal cell line (CCD-18Co) was assessed using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)- 2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The most active extract was fractionated using silica gel flash column chromatography to produce 20 fractions. All the fractions were subjected to the MTT test. Results: The extracts showed modest cytotoxicity against HCT-116 and non-cytotoxicity against CCD18Co cell lines. Of all the extracts tested, the methanol extract (CN-M) showed the highest activity of all the extracts and had the highest content of flavonoid and phenolic compounds. Twenty fractions were obtained from this extract. Fraction nos. F3, F4, F14 and F16 showed significant (p &lt; 0.05) cytotoxicity against HCT-116, with F14 having the highest activity. Conclusion: Fraction F14 has the potential to be developed to anti-colon cancer agent. However, further studies including chemical profiling, mechanism of action and safety profile of this fraction are required

Ancestral diversity improves discovery and fine-mapping of genetic loci for anthropometric traits - the Hispanic/Latino Anthropometry Consortium

Hispanic/Latinos have been underrepresented in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for anthropometric traits despite their notable anthropometric variability, ancestry proportions, and high burden of growth stunting and overweight/obesity. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed densely-imputed genetic data in a sample of Hispanic/Latino adults to identify and fine-map genetic variants associated with body mass index (BMI), height, and BMI-adjusted waist-to-hip ratio (WHRadjBMI). We conducted a GWAS of 18 studies/consortia as part of the Hispanic/Latino Anthropometry (HISLA) Consortium (Stage 1, n=59,771) and generalized our findings in 9 additional studies (HISLA Stage 2, n=10,538). We conducted a trans-ancestral GWAS with summary statistics from HISLA Stage 1 and existing consortia of European and African ancestries. In our HISLA Stage 1+2 analyses, we discovered one BMI locus, as well as two BMI signals and another height signal each within established anthropometric loci. In our trans-ancestral meta-analysis, we discovered three BMI loci, one height locus, and one WHRadjBMI locus. We also identified three secondary signals for BMI, 28 for height, and two for WHRadjBMI in established loci. We show that 336 known BMI, 1,177 known height, and 143 known WHRadjBMI (combined) SNPs demonstrated suggestive transferability (nominal significance and effect estimate directional consistency) in Hispanic/Latino adults. Of these, 36 BMI, 124 height, and 11 WHRadjBMI SNPs were significant after trait-specific Bonferroni correction. Trans-ancestral meta-analysis of the three ancestries showed a small-to-moderate impact of uncorrected population stratification on the resulting effect size estimates. Our findings demonstrate that future studies may also benefit from leveraging diverse ancestries and differences in linkage disequilibrium patterns to discover novel loci and additional signals with less residual population stratification

A global research priority agenda to advance public health responses to fatty liver disease

Background & aims An estimated 38% of adults worldwide have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). From individual impacts to widespread public health and economic consequences, the implications of this disease are profound. This study aimed to develop an aligned, prioritised fatty liver disease research agenda for the global health community. Methods Nine co-chairs drafted initial research priorities, subsequently reviewed by 40 core authors and debated during a three-day in-person meeting. Following a Delphi methodology, over two rounds, a large panel (R1 n = 344, R2 n = 288) reviewed the priorities, via Qualtrics XM, indicating agreement using a four-point Likert-scale and providing written feedback. The core group revised the draft priorities between rounds. In R2, panellists also ranked the priorities within six domains: epidemiology, models of care, treatment and care, education and awareness, patient and community perspectives, and leadership and public health policy. Results The consensus-built fatty liver disease research agenda encompasses 28 priorities. The mean percentage of ‘agree’ responses increased from 78.3 in R1 to 81.1 in R2. Five priorities received unanimous combined agreement (‘agree’ + ‘somewhat agree’); the remaining 23 priorities had >90% combined agreement. While all but one of the priorities exhibited at least a super-majority of agreement (>66.7% ‘agree’), 13 priorities had 90% combined agreement. Conclusions Adopting this multidisciplinary consensus-built research priorities agenda can deliver a step-change in addressing fatty liver disease, mitigating against its individual and societal harms and proactively altering its natural history through prevention, identification, treatment, and care. This agenda should catalyse the global health community’s efforts to advance and accelerate responses to this widespread and fast-growing public health threat. Impact and implications An estimated 38% of adults and 13% of children and adolescents worldwide have fatty liver disease, making it the most prevalent liver disease in history. Despite substantial scientific progress in the past three decades, the burden continues to grow, with an urgent need to advance understanding of how to prevent, manage, and treat the disease. Through a global consensus process, a multidisciplinary group agreed on 28 research priorities covering a broad range of themes, from disease burden, treatment, and health system responses to awareness and policy. The findings have relevance for clinical and non-clinical researchers as well as funders working on fatty liver disease and non-communicable diseases more broadly, setting out a prioritised, ranked research agenda for turning the tide on this fast-growing public health threat

International nosocomial infection control consortium (INICC) report, data summary of 36 countries, for 2004-2009

The results of a surveillance study conducted by the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) from January 2004 through December 2009 in 422 intensive care units (ICUs) of 36 countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe are reported. During the 6-year study period, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN; formerly the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system [NNIS]) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infections, we gathered prospective data from 313,008 patients hospitalized in the consortium's ICUs for an aggregate of 2,194,897 ICU bed-days. Despite the fact that the use of devices in the developing countries' ICUs was remarkably similar to that reported in US ICUs in the CDC's NHSN, rates of device-associated nosocomial infection were significantly higher in the ICUs of the INICC hospitals; the pooled rate of central line-associated bloodstream infection in the INICC ICUs of 6.8 per 1,000 central line-days was more than 3-fold higher than the 2.0 per 1,000 central line-days reported in comparable US ICUs. The overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia also was far higher (15.8 vs 3.3 per 1,000 ventilator-days), as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (6.3 vs. 3.3 per 1,000 catheter-days). Notably, the frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates to imipenem (47.2% vs 23.0%), Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (76.3% vs 27.1%), Escherichia coli isolates to ceftazidime (66.7% vs 8.1%), Staphylococcus aureus isolates to methicillin (84.4% vs 56.8%), were also higher in the consortium's ICUs, and the crude unadjusted excess mortalities of device-related infections ranged from 7.3% (for catheter-associated urinary tract infection) to 15.2% (for ventilator-associated pneumonia). Copyright © 2012 by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

A century of trends in adult human height

Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.5-22.7) and 16.5 cm (13.3-19.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8-144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries

On the use of wind energy to power reverse osmosis desalination plant: A case study from Ténès (Algeria)

The aim of this study was to provide a detailed analysis of wind energy resources for seawater reverse osmosis desalination (SWRO), in a case study region of Ténès Algeria, by using commercial Wasp software. An economic analysis of the environmental benefits was also done using RETScreen software to give details about financial investment hazards and CO2 emissions reduction. An energy yield and economical analysis was performed of a hypothetical wind farm consisting of 5 wind turbines of type Bonus 2 MW. It was found that wind energy can successfully power a SWRO desalination plant in the case study region.Wind energy Desalination Reverse osmosis Wasp RETScreen