Energy Consumption, Finance and Growth: The Role of Urbanization and Industrialization in South Africa

The paper investigates the relationship between energy consumption, financial development (FD), economic growth, industrialization and urbanization in the case of South Africa for the period of 1970-2014. The study employs Johansen co-integration test and vector error correction model with granger causality test as estimation techniques. The results confirm that there is a long-run equilibrium relationship between these variables in case of South Africa. More so, urbanization, FD, and industrialization are positively correlated to the energy consumption in the long run. The results obtained also shows the long run bi-directional causality between industrialization and energy utilization, FD and energy consumption and also FD and industrialization. Keywords: Energy, Finance, Growth, Time Series JEL Classifications: B26, C21, Q4

Severe periodontal destruction in a patient with advanced anemia: A case report

Anemia is a worldwide health problem that manifests in different types. This illness has some causes, which affect body health generally. Studies have shown that some anemia types make humans more sensitive to infections

Primary Diagnosis of an Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma by the Dentist: Case Report

Za primarnu procjenu i vođenje slučaja u stomatološkim ordinacijama najvažnija je detaljna sustavna anamneza te ekstra/intraoralni pregled pacijenata s bilo kakvom cervikalnom i facijalnom patologijom. Taj je pristup ključan u inicijalnoj procjeni i zbrinjavanju bolesnika s nekoliko kliničkih stanja u cervikalnoj regiji koja se često mogu primarno dijagnosticirati kod stomatologa. Na taj se način sprječavaju nepotrebne terapijske intervencije u klinikama. U ovom prikazu opisujemo slučaj 85-godišnjakinje kojoj je u našoj klinici postavljena dijagnoza anaplastičnog karcinoma štitne žlijezde nakon inicijalne procjene zbog bola u srednjem dijelu mandibularne regije. Povijest bolesti bila je bez osobitosti, osim zabilježene hipertenzije. Tijekom temeljitoga intraoralnog pregleda nije uočena nikakva patologija koja bi objasnila bolove. Maksila je bila bezuba. Ekstraoralnim pregledom otkrivena je cervikalna asimetrija nastala zbog neprepoznate mase u lijevom lobusu štitnjače, zajedno s oteklinom lijevoga inferiornog cervikalnog limfnog čvora. Nije bila planirana nikakva stomatološka terapijska intervencija u ordinaciji. Nakon dijagnostičke obrade pacijentica je bila podvrgnuta operaciji totalne tiroidektomije, bez cervikalne disekcije. Histopatološkom diferencijacijom bio je potvrđen anaplastični karcinom štitnjače. Slučaj je zanimljiv zato što podsjeća na to koliko je važno imati detaljnu sustavnu anamnezu i obaviti ekstra-/intraoralni pregled tijekom inicijalne procjene pacijenata u stomatološkoj ordinaciji, što se ne bi smjelo zanemarivati ako se u klinikama žele izbjeći nepotrebne intervencije.A thorough/systematic medical history taking and extra-/intraoral examination is essential in the primary evaluation and in the management of the patients with any neck and facial pathology in the dental clinics. This approach is crucial in the initial evaluation and the management of the patients with several clinical conditions which may be frequently diagnosed primarily by the dentist in the neck and prevent unnecessary therapeutic interventions in the dental clinics. In this case report, an 85 years old female, who was primarily diagnosed with anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid gland after initial evaluation for pain in the middle mandibular region in our dental clinic, was presented. Medical history was not specific except hypertension. In thorough intraoral examination no pathology was observed to explain the pain. Maxillary jaw was edentulous. In extra oral examination cervical asymmetry due to an unrecognized mass in the left thyroidal lobe with the enlargement of the left inferior cervical lymph nodes was noted. No dental therapeutic intervention was planned in the dental clinic. After diagnostic workup the patient was treated with total thyroidectomy without cervical dissection. Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma was confirmed with histopathological examination. This case was interesting to recall the importance of the thorough/systemic medical history taking and extra-/intraoral examination in the initial evaluation of the patients in the dental clinic, which should not be ignored to prevent unnecessary interventions in the dental clinics

Removal of the broken part of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator's electrode causing pulmonary embolism via femoral vein

AbstractA 66-year-old patient with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy underwent transvenous extraction of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. The distal part of the electrode was broken during manual traction through the left subclavian vein. In the present case, we showed a rare complication of transvenous lead extraction and its management

MDCT Findings of Denim-Sandblasting-Induced Silicosis: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Denim sandblasting is as a novel cause of silicosis in Turkey, with reports of a recent increase in cases and fatal outcomes. We aimed to describe the radiological features of patients exposed to silica during denim sandblasting and define factors related to the development of silicosis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Sixty consecutive men with a history of exposure to silica during denim sandblasting were recruited. All CT examinations were performed using a 64-row multi-detector CT (MDCT). The nodules were qualitatively and semi-quantitatively analyzed by grading nodular profusion (NP) on CT images.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Silicosis was diagnosed radiologically in 73.3% of patients (44 of 60). The latency period (the time between initial exposure and radiological imaging) and duration of silica exposure was longer in patients diagnosed with silicosis than in those without silicosis (p < 0.05). Nodules were present in all cases with centrilobular type as the commonest (63.6%). All cases of silicosis were clinically classified as accelerated and 11.4% had progressive massive fibrosis (PMF). Mild NP lesions were the most prevalent in all six zones of the lung. The NP score was significantly correlated with the duration of silica exposure, the latency period, presence of PMF, and pleural thickening. Enlarged lymphadenopathy was present in 45.5% of patients.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The duration of exposure and the latency period are important for development of silicosis in denim sandblasters. MDCT is a useful tool in detecting findings of silicosis in workers who has silica exposure.</p

Trace Elements, Heavy Metals and Vitamin Levels in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Aim: In the present study, we aimed to assess serum concentrations of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), vitamins A (retinol), D (cholecalciferol) and E (α-tocopherol) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and to compare with healthy controls

Learning Fourier-Constrained Diffusion Bridges for MRI Reconstruction

Recent years have witnessed a surge in deep generative models for accelerated MRI reconstruction. Diffusion priors in particular have gained traction with their superior representational fidelity and diversity. Instead of the target transformation from undersampled to fully-sampled data, common diffusion priors are trained to learn a multi-step transformation from Gaussian noise onto fully-sampled data. During inference, data-fidelity projections are injected in between reverse diffusion steps to reach a compromise solution within the span of both the diffusion prior and the imaging operator. Unfortunately, suboptimal solutions can arise as the normality assumption of the diffusion prior causes divergence between learned and target transformations. To address this limitation, here we introduce the first diffusion bridge for accelerated MRI reconstruction. The proposed Fourier-constrained diffusion bridge (FDB) leverages a generalized process to transform between undersampled and fully-sampled data via random noise addition and random frequency removal as degradation operators. Unlike common diffusion priors that use an asymptotic endpoint based on Gaussian noise, FDB captures a transformation between finite endpoints where the initial endpoint is based on moderate degradation of fully-sampled data. Demonstrations on brain MRI indicate that FDB outperforms state-of-the-art reconstruction methods including conventional diffusion priors

Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Cures Adenosine Deaminase 2 Deficiency : Report on 30 Patients

Correction; Early Access: ' DOI: 10.1007/s10875-022-01280-y Early Access: APR 2022Purpose Deficiency of adenosine deaminase 2 (DADA2) is an inherited inborn error of immunity, characterized by autoinflammation (recurrent fever), vasculopathy (livedo racemosa, polyarteritis nodosa, lacunar ischemic strokes, and intracranial hemorrhages), immunodeficiency, lymphoproliferation, immune cytopenias, and bone marrow failure (BMF). Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) blockade is the treatment of choice for the vasculopathy, but often fails to reverse refractory cytopenia. We aimed to study the outcome of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in patients with DADA2. Methods We conducted a retrospective study on the outcome of HCT in patients with DADA2. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). Results Thirty DADA2 patients from 12 countries received a total of 38 HCTs. The indications for HCT were BMF, immune cytopenia, malignancy, or immunodeficiency. Median age at HCT was 9 years (range: 2-28 years). The conditioning regimens for the final transplants were myeloablative (n = 20), reduced intensity (n = 8), or non-myeloablative (n = 2). Donors were HLA-matched related (n = 4), HLA-matched unrelated (n = 16), HLA-haploidentical (n = 2), or HLA-mismatched unrelated (n = 8). After a median follow-up of 2 years (range: 0.5-16 years), 2-year OS was 97%, and 2-year GvHD-free relapse-free survival was 73%. The hematological and immunological phenotypes resolved, and there were no new vascular events. Plasma ADA2 enzyme activity normalized in 16/17 patients tested. Six patients required more than one HCT. Conclusion HCT was an effective treatment for DADA2, successfully reversing the refractory cytopenia, as well as the vasculopathy and immunodeficiency. Clinical Implications HCT is a definitive cure for DADA2 with > 95% survival.Peer reviewe

Electrical stimulation with non-implanted electrodes for overactive bladder in adults

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Management of Crown-related Fractures in Children: An Update Review

Traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) are a serious public health problem. Epidemiology of dental trauma indicates that these injuries are more prevalent in child population of the world. Children are the sufferers in two-thirds of all TDIs observed. Although being a major fraction, crown-related fractures are a less severe form of TDIs with respect to their complications and sequelae. However, as with other types of traumatic injuries, the delay in seeking for immediate care following a traumatic injury and the lack of appropriate treatment may compromise long-term outcomes. This article reviews the occurrence, management, and prognosis of crown-related fractures in primary and permanent teeth in light of the recent literature