Effect of Schoolbag Weight on Musculoskeletal Pain among Primary School Children in Yaounde, Cameroon: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Heavy schoolbag is known to cause health problems for school children. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of carrying heavy schoolbags on the musculoskeletal pain among primary school children of the two subsystems in Yaounde, Cameroon. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in primary schools in Yaounde. A total of 457 school-children (8.2 ± 2.2 years) were included, 202 from the French-speaking subsystem, and 255 from the English-speaking subsystem. Parameters studied included weight, height, and schoolbag weight. A questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic information and potential musculoskeletal pain in three regions: back, shoulders, and neck. Results: The mean weight of children and their bags was 28.4 ± 8.2 kg and 5.2 ± 2.3 kg respectively. More than 50% of schoolchildren in the two subsystems carried a schoolbag weighing more than 15% of body weight. The back (38%) was the least affected area in comparison to the shoulders (58.6%) and neck (42.4%) (p < 0.001). Carrying heavy bags and walking to school was associated with pain in the back, shoulders, and neck. School-children in the French-speaking subsystem had lower risk (adjusted Odds Ratio 0.438, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 0.295-0.651; p < 0.001) to develop a sore neck compared to peers from the English-speaking subsystem. Conclusion: Carrying heavy schoolbags is associated to musculoskeletal pain in schoolchildren. The means moving to and from school is a main risk factor of developing musculoskeletal pain. French-speaking schoolchildren develop less neck pain than English-speaking schoolchildren

Metronomic Four-Drug Regimen Has Anti-tumor Activity in Pediatric Low-Grade Glioma; The Results of a Phase II Clinical Trial

Background: Metronomic chemotherapy (MC) is defined as the frequent administration of chemotherapy at doses below the maximal tolerated dose and with no prolonged drug-free break. MC has shown its efficacy in adult tumor types such as breast and ovarian cancer and has to some extent been studied in pediatrics.Objective: To assess the anti-tumor activity and toxicity of a four-drug metronomic regimen in relapsing/refractory pediatric brain tumors (BT) with progression-free survival (PFS) after two cycles as primary endpoint.Methods: Patients ≥4 to 25 years of age were included with progressing BT. Treatment consisted of an 8-week cycle of celecoxib, vinblastine, and cyclophosphamide alternating with methotrexate. Kepner and Chang two-steps model was used with 10 patients in the first stage. If stabilization was observed in ≥2 patients, 8 additional patients were recruited. Assessment was according WHO criteria with central radiology review.Results: Twenty-nine patients (27 evaluable) were included in two groups: ependymoma (group 1, N = 8), and miscellaneous BT (group 2): 3 medulloblastoma (MB), 5 high grade glioma (HGG), 11 low grade glioma (LGG), 2 other BT. After first stage, recruitment for ependymoma was closed [one patient had stable disease (SD) for 4 months]. Cohort 2 was opened for second stage since 1 HGG and 3 LGG patients had SD after two cycles. Recruitment was limited to LGG for the second stage and 2 partial responses (PR), 6 SD and 2 progressive disease (PD) were observed after two cycles. Of these patients with LGG, median age was 10 years, nine patients received vinblastine previously. Median number of cycles was 6.8 (range: 1–12). Treatment was interrupted in five patients for grade 3/4 toxicity.Conclusion: This regimen is active in patients with LGG, even if patients had previously received vinblastine. Toxicity is acceptable.Trial Registration: This study was registered under clinicaltrials.gov – NCT01285817; EUDRACT nr: 2010-021792-81

A study of world production and international trade in paper with emphasis on the problems of the Canadian newsprint industry

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston Universit

Discurso e identidade: breve caracterização linguístico-discursiva do populismo

Este artigo tem como objetivo discutir a relaçãoentre discurso e identidade no âmbito linguístico-discursivo, de modo a caracterizar o discurso político presidencial populista no contexto histórico brasileiro da década de 1950. Identificamos no populismo um objeto de estudo a ser explorado em função da escassa literatura referente à análise linguística desse fenômeno político, o qual marcou os governos latino-americanos entre as décadas de 1950 e 1960. Interessa-nos, assim, estabelecer uma aproximação teórica entre a análise retórica do discurso e o contexto histórico em que os pronunciamentos de Vargas foram realizados, de modo a contribuir para a caracterização discursivo-identitária, ainda que breve, do populismo. Para procedermos às análises, foram selecionados discursos proferidos por Getúlio Vargas no período de seu segundo mandato como presidente da República (1951-54), extraídos do livro O governo trabalhista do Brasil – volumes III e IV, reunidos e editados pela Livraria José Olympio, em 1969. Como aporte teórico sobre discurso político, recorremos aos trabalhos de Aquino (2005, 2003 e 1997) e Charaudeau (2006); sobre populismo, aos de Capelato (2001), Ferreira (2001) e Weffort (1982); e, finalmente, acerca de gêneros textuais, aos de Bakhtin (2003 [1927]) e Grillo (2006). Buscamos explicitar, ao longo do trabalho, as estratégias de seleção lexical que contribuem para a constituição identitária do populismo como fenômeno discursivo

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Seasonal variations of the depletion factor during recession periods in the Senegal, Gambia and Niger watersheds

International audienceThe daily depletion factor K describes the discharge decrease of rivers only fed by groundwater in the absence of rainfall. In the Senegal, Gambia and Niger river basins in West Africa, the flow recession can exceed 6 months and the precise knowledge of K thus allows discharge forecasts to be made over several months, and is hence potentially interesting for hydraulic structure managers. Seasonal flow recession observed at 54 gauging stations in these basins from 1950 to 2016 is represented by empirical and usual conceptual models that express K. Compared to conventional conceptual models, an empirical model representing K as a polynomial of the decimal logarithm of discharge Q gives better representations of K and better discharge forecasting at horizons from 1 to 120 days for most stations. The relationship between specific discharge Qs and K, not monotonous, is highly homogeneous in some sub-basins but differs significantly between the Senegal and Gambia basins on the one hand and the Niger basin on the other. The relationship K(Q) evolves slightly between three successive periods, with values of K generally lower (meaning faster discharge decrease) in the intermediate period centered on the years 1970–1980. These climate-related interannual variations are much smaller than the seasonal variations of K

Direct Identification of a Peptide Binding Region in the Opioid Receptor-like 1 Receptor by Photoaffinity Labeling with [Bpa10,Tyr14]Nociceptin

International audienc