The Impact of Obesity Surgery on Metabolic and Hormonal Changes in Iraqi Children

Background: Obesity is associated with a significant risk of comorbidities, which affect the metabolism of patients with obesity. Aim: This study was assessed changes of metabolic and hormonal for Iraqi children with obesity after post-operative. Patients and methods: Our study was conducted assessment the outcomes of obesity surgery on Iraqi children and its impact on metabolic and hormonal changes across 88 cases of both male and female genders. The study used the SPSS program to analyse databases collected from different hospitals in Iraq between June 16th, 2022, and September 25th, 2023. Preoperative clinical, demographic outcomes were modelled for patients aged between 3 to 13 years with BMIs ranging from 35 to 40.8. We assessed the preoperative baseline characteristics, including comorbidities, age, and sex, among obese patients undergoing Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Results and discussion: Our clinical outcomes indicated a higher incidence of obesity among males (58%) compared to females (42%). Preoperative findings revealed that 28 patients (31.8%) had hyperlipidemia, 20 (22.7%) had metabolic syndrome, and 15 (17.0%) had Type 2 diabetes. With regards to medical testing, the study analysed the pre-and post-operative test results of patients who underwent Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). The findings indicate that preoperative Hemoglobin levels were (12.5 ± 2), which increased to (13.3 ± 1.8) post-operatively. Iron profile levels were recorded at (45.82 ± 20.1) and (51.4 ± 33.71) pre-and post-operatively, respectively. Vitamin B12 levels were (165 ± 55) prior to surgery and (175 ± 162) post-operatively. In the postoperative stage, it was observed that TSH levels decreased to (3.9 ± 2.65) in comparison to the pre-operative stage, where they had risen. Additionally, T4 levels were higher in the pre-operative stage (14.2± 3.3) compared to the post-operative stage (14.3± 2.5). Finally, PTH levels were (65.4± 18.89) in the pre-operative stage and (78.1± 43.8) in the post-operative stage. The HBA1C levels in males were 6.1 before surgery and 5.4 after surgery, while the levels in females were 5.9 before surgery and 5.27 after surgery. Conclusions: Our study indicates the efficiency of Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), where HbA1c levels dropped for both males and females after surgery when compared to respective levels before surgery

Empirical analysis of school attainment/progression in Cameroon.

In Cameroon, only 1/3 of children progress to secondary education. This paper estimates a sequential model of school attainment to investigate the role played by family background and individual characteristics in keeping children at school up to the end of secondary school. Using data of the 2001 Cameroon Household survey, we find that while parental wealth has no effect on the probability to enter primary school. It is however a good predictor of completing primary and secondary education. The lack of schools supply reduces school progression, particularly the lack of secondary schools hinders primary school entry. Finally, we find that male children are more likely to stay at school up to the end of secondary education.Schooling; Sequential

20,000 years of societal vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in southwest Asia.

The Fertile Crescent, its hilly flanks and surrounding drylands has been a critical region for studying how climate has influenced societal change, and this review focuses on the region over the last 20,000 years. The complex social, economic, and environmental landscapes in the region today are not new phenomena and understanding their interactions requires a nuanced, multidisciplinary understanding of the past. This review builds on a history of collaboration between the social and natural palaeoscience disciplines. We provide a multidisciplinary, multiscalar perspective on the relevance of past climate, environmental, and archaeological research in assessing present day vulnerabilities and risks for the populations of southwest Asia. We discuss the complexity of palaeoclimatic data interpretation, particularly in relation to hydrology, and provide an overview of key time periods of palaeoclimatic interest. We discuss the critical role that vegetation plays in the human-climate-environment nexus and discuss the implications of the available palaeoclimate and archaeological data, and their interpretation, for palaeonarratives of the region, both climatically and socially. We also provide an overview of how modelling can improve our understanding of past climate impacts and associated change in risk to societies. We conclude by looking to future work, and identify themes of "scale" and "seasonality" as still requiring further focus. We suggest that by appreciating a given locale's place in the regional hydroscape, be it an archaeological site or palaeoenvironmental archive, more robust links to climate can be made where appropriate and interpretations drawn will demand the resolution of factors acting across multiple scales. This article is categorized under:Human Water > Water as Imagined and RepresentedScience of Water > Water and Environmental ChangeWater and Life > Nature of Freshwater Ecosystems

Organisational and strategic communication research: European perspectives II

(Excerto) This e-book presents a selection of the research papers presented at the 5th European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) Conference in Lisbon, November, 2015. The book reflects the work of researchers within the Organisational and Strategic Communication (OSC) Section of ECREA from different backgrounds and higher education institutions in Europe and highlights the diverse professional and scientific interests of the Section. At the 5th ECREA Conference, the OSC Section selected almost 50 papers from the 90 submitted abstracts, which were organized into two specialist panels (“Government Public Relations in Europe: Critical Perspectives” and “Inconsistences Organizational Communication”), eight parallel sessions and one poster session. Those papers selected for Lisbon 2015 made a valuable contribution to key contemporary communications debates and issues. The peer reviewed papers presented in this volume share findings and “state of the art” critical reflections, which address the core objective of the Organisational and Strategic Communication Section of ECREA. They also continue the tradition of the promoting scientific knowledge in our broad and diverse field of research, which has been central to Section’s raison d’être since its creation in 2006

Organisational and Strategic Communication Research: European Perspectives II

This e-book presents a selection of the research papers presented at the 5th European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) Conference in Lisbon, November, 2015. The book reflects the work of researchers within the Organisational and Strategic Communication (OSC) Section of ECREA from different backgrounds and higher education institutions in Europe and highlights the diverse professional and scientific interests of the Section

Incorporating Wildlife Connectivity into Forest Plan Revision Under the United States Forest Service\u27s 2012 Planning Rule

The United States Forest Service promulgated new planning regulations under the National Forest Management Act in 2012 (i.e., the Planning Rule). These new regulations include the first requirements in U.S. public land management history for National Forests to evaluate, protect, and/or restore ecological connectivity as they revise their land management plans. Data and resource limitations make single-species, functional connectivity analyses for the myriad species that occur within the 78 million ha the Forest Service manages implausible. We describe an approach that relies on freely available data and generic species, virtual species whose profile consists of ecological requirements designed to reflect the needs of a group of real species, to address the new Planning Rule requirements. We present high-resolution connectivity estimates for 10 different generic species across a 379,000 ha study area centered on the Custer Gallatin National Forest (CGNF) in Montana and South Dakota under two different movement models. We identify locations important for connectivity for multiple species and characterize the role of the CGNF for regional connectivity. Our results informed the Plan Revision process on the CGNF and could be readily exported to other National Forests currently or planning to revise their land management plans under the new Planning Rule

Synthesis and Properties of 2′-Deoxy-2′,4′-difluoroarabinose-Modified Nucleic Acids

We report the synthesis, thermal stability, and RNase H substrate activity of 2′-deoxy-2′,4′-difluoroarabino-modified nucleic acids. 2′-Deoxy-2′,4′-difluoroarabinouridine (2,′4′-diF-araU) was prepared in a stereoselective way in six steps from 2′-deoxy-2′-fluoroarabinouridine (2′-F-araU). NMR analysis and quantum mechanical calculations at the nucleoside level reveal that introduction of 4′-fluorine introduces a strong bias toward the North conformation, despite the presence of the 2′-βF, which generally steers the sugar pucker toward the South/East conformation. Incorporation of the novel monomer into DNA results on a neutral to slightly stabilizing thermal effect on DNA-RNA hybrids. Insertion of 2′,4′-diF-araU nucleotides in the DNA strand of a DNA-RNA hybrid decreases the rate of both human and HIV reverse transcriptase-associated RNase H-mediated cleavage of the complement RNA strand compared to that for an all-DNA strand or a DNA strand containing the corresponding 2′-F-araU nucleotide units, consistent with the notion that a 4′-fluorine in 2′-F-araU switches the preferred sugar conformation from DNA-like (South/East) to RNA-like (North)

The controllability of cardiac rhythm in elderly

Introduction: Recent reports have shown that rare fluctuations in cardiac cycles are ‘forgotten’ quickly in healthy individuals and it is possible to quantify the “memory length” of a physiological time-series using an inverse statistical approach. Methods: In the present study, we assessed the effect of aging on memory length in cardiac rhythm. Results: There was a longer memory length in cardiac time-series of elderly subjects in comparison with younger adults for both decelerating and accelerating rare fluctuations in cardiac rhythm. Conclusion: The increased memory length of the cardiac time-series in elderly subjects may indicate reduced controllability of cardiovascular regulatory system

Distinct roles of NMB and GRP in itch transmission

A key question in our understanding of itch coding mechanisms is whether itch is relayed by dedicated molecular and neuronal pathways. Previous studies suggested that gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) is an itch-specific neurotransmitter. Neuromedin B (NMB) is a mammalian member of the bombesin family of peptides closely related to GRP, but its role in itch is unclear. Here, we show that itch deficits in mice lacking NMB or GRP are non-redundant and Nmb/Grp double KO (DKO) mice displayed additive deficits. Furthermore, both Nmb/Grp and Nmbr/Grpr DKO mice responded normally to a wide array of noxious stimuli. Ablation of NMBR neurons partially attenuated peripherally induced itch without compromising nociceptive processing. Importantly, electrophysiological studies suggested that GRPR neurons receive glutamatergic input from NMBR neurons. Thus, we propose that NMB and GRP may transmit discrete itch information and NMBR neurons are an integral part of neural circuits for itch in the spinal cord

Island tameness and the repeatability of flight initiation distance in a large herbivore

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from NRC Research Press via the DOI in this record.Antipredator behaviours can be lost relatively quickly in populations that are relieved of predation, as is known for several species inhabiting islands. Flight initiation distance (FID) is often studied in the context of island tameness; however, little is known about the factors that influence and maintain FID variation in predation-free populations. Here, we studied FID in foals of an isolated predator-free population of feral horses (Equus caballus L., 1758) on Sable Island, Canada, to determine if FID could be used for research on consistent individual differences in risk aversion and island tameness. In addition to testing for temporal, spatial, and sex effects on FID, we compared repeatability estimates at two temporal scales (within and among days). Similar FID for measurements obtained on the same day and for males and females indicated an absence of short-term desensitization and sex effects. In contrast, FID decreased for measurements made on subsequent days and from east to west, which could reflect habituation to human presence and (or) other temporal and spatial processes. Repeatability was high (0.42 ± 0.06), but tended to decrease with increasing time intervals. This study highlights the potential of FID for individual-based research on the ecology and evolutionary dynamics of risk aversion in predation-free populations.Funding was provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC Discovery Grant No. 371535-2009 to P.D.M.), the Canada Foundation for Innovation (Leaders Opportunity Grant No. 25046 to P.D.M.), and a Royal Society International Exchange grant (J.P. and P.D.M.). D.A. was supported by an NSERC Ph.D. scholarship. D.C. received support from the University of Exeter M.Sc. program in Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology. J.P. was supported by a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Research Fellowship