Solar Disinfection of Drinking Water with Polyethylene Terephthalate Bottles Coated with Nano-Titanium Dioxide

Water disinfection processes in the presence of titanium dioxide as a photo-catalyst material provide an interesting route to destroy contaminants, being operational in the UV-A domain with a potential use of solar radiation. In recent years, advanced oxidation processes (AOP) have been developed to meet the increasing need of an effective wastewater treatment. AOP generates powerful oxidizing agent hydroxyl radicals which completely destroy the pollutants in waste water. Solar disinfection of drinking water with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles coated with photo-catalyst TiO2 has been shown to be very effective. The study is based on comparison between three systems for treating contaminated water samples using PET bottles. First system was a PET untreated bottle, the second system was a PET bottle coated with black paint on its outer surface. Finally the third system was a PET bottle coated also with a black coat on its outer surface and its inner part was treated with citric acid solution to enable np-TiO2 to cover the surface later on, then 0.2 g of np-TiO2 powder (of particle size <25 nm, Sigma-Aldrich) was added. The total bacterial accounts were determined to monitor the effect in the three systems. The experimental results have shown that disinfecting water with merely UV was less effective than combining the bottle with heat effect, and adding TiO2 film was further more benefited. This work can be applied in rural areas, with no technical support or need for expensive/dangerous chemicals for drinking safe water even if is stored for two days

Epidemiology of Stroke in the MENA Region: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Stroke is a major burden on the health system due to high fatality and major disability in survivors. Whilst Stroke incidence has declined in the developed world, it continues to increase in developing nations, including the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. This may reflect different risk factors and strategies to treat and manage patients prior to and after Stroke. Methods: We have conducted a systematic review of the prevalence, incidence and mortality of Stroke in the 23 countries of MENA region following the PRISMA guidelines. Results: 8,874 published papers were retrieved through both PubMed and Embase. Of those, 38 studies were found to be eligible for inclusion in this review. Only thirteen countries in the MENA region had data points for the critical stroke parameters. Of these qualified studies, 14 were prospective, population-based studies. In the age-adjusted studies, incidence ranged widely between 16/100,000 in a prospective population-based in Iran to 162/100,000 in Libya. Age-adjusted prevalence was available only from Tunisia at 184/100,000. Mortality for all strokes from the eight countries reporting this measure found the 30 day-case fatality ranged from 9.3% in Qatar to 30% in Pakistan. Most stroke studies in the MENA region were small sized, hospital-based, lacked confidence intervals and did not provide prevalence and mortality figures. Conclusion: National policymakers, public health and medical care stakeholders need more reliable epidemiologic studies on Stroke from the MENA region to plan more effective preventive and therapeutic strategies

How Can Bullying Victimisation Lead to Lower Academic Achievement? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Mediating Role of Cognitive-Motivational Factors

Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Bullying involvement may have an adverse effect on children’s educational outcomes, particularly academic achievement. However, the underlying mechanisms and factors behind this association are not well-understood. Previous meta-analyses have not investigated mediation factors between bullying and academic achievement. This meta-analysis examines the mediation effect of cognitive-motivational factors on the relationship between peer victimization and academic achievement. A systematic search was performed using specific search terms and search engines to identify relevant studies that were selected according to specific criteria resulting in 11 studies encompassing a sample total of 257,247 children (10 years and younger) and adolescents (11 years and older) (48–59% female). Some studies were longitudinal and some cross sectional and the assessment for each factor was performed by various methods (self, peer, teacher, school and mixed reports). Children involved in bullying behaviour were less likely to be academically engaged (k = 4) (OR = 0.571, 95% CI [0.43, 0.77], p = 0.000), to be less motivated (k = 7) (OR = 0.82, 95% CI [0.69, 0.97], p = 0.021), to have lower self-esteem (k = 1) (OR = 0.12, 95% CI [0.07, 0.20], p = 0.000) and lower academic achievement (k = 14) (OR = 0.62, 95% CI [0.49, 0.79], p = 0.000). Bullying involvement was also significantly related to overall cognitive-motivational factors (k = 17, OR = 0.67, 95% CI [0.59, 0.76], p = 0.000). Cognitive-motivational factors, taken together, mediated the association between bullying victimisation and academic achievement (k = 7, OR = 0.74, 95% CI (0.72, 0.77), p = 0.000). Bullying victimisation was negatively related to cognitive-motivational factors, which, in turn, was associated with poorer academic achievement. These findings were moderated by the design of the studies, assessment methods for the bullying reports, mediators and outcomes, country, age of children in the sample and/or types of bullying. The findings are of relevance for practitioners, parents, and schools, and can be used to guide bullying interventions. Interventions should focus on improving internal and external motivational factors including components of positive reinforcement, encouragement, and programs for enhancing academic engagement and achievement amongst children and adolescents.Qatar National Research Fun

Exploratory analysis of spontaneous versus paced breathing on heart rate variability in veterans with combat-related traumatic injury

Background: Respiration is a crucial determinant of autonomic balance and heart rate variability (HRV). The comparative effect of spontaneous versus paced breathing on HRV has been almost exclusively explored in healthy adults and never been investigated in an injured military cohort. Objective: To examine the effect of spontaneous versus paced breathing on HRV in veterans with combat-related traumatic injury (CRTI). Design: Observational cohort study. Setting: ArmeD serVices trAuma rehabilitatioN outComE (ADVANCE) study, Stanford Hall, UK. Participants: The sample consisted of 100 randomly selected participants who sustained CRTI (eg, amputation) during their deployment (Afghanistan 2003–2014) and were recruited into the ongoing ADVANCE prospective cohort study. Intervention: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure: HRV was recorded using a single-lead ECG. HRV data were acquired during a sequential protocol of 5-minute spontaneous breathing followed immediately by 5 minutes of paced breathing (six cycles/minute) among fully rested and supine participants. HRV was reported using time domain (root mean square of successive differences), frequency domain (low frequency and high frequency) and nonlinear (sample entropy) measures. The agreement between HRV during spontaneous versus paced breathing was examined using the Bland–Altman analysis. Results: The mean age of participants was 36.5 ± 4.6 years. Resting respiratory rate was significantly higher with spontaneous versus paced breathing (13.4 ± 3.4 vs. 7.6 ± 2.0 breaths/minute; p < .001), respectively. Resting mean heart rate and root mean square of successive differences were significantly higher with paced breathing than spontaneous breathing (p < .001). Paced breathing significantly increased median low frequency power than spontaneous breathing (p < .001). No significant difference was found in the absolute power of high frequency between the two breathing protocols. The Bland–Altman analysis revealed poor agreement between HRV values during spontaneous and paced breathing conditions with wide limits of agreement. Conclusion: Slow-paced breathing leads to higher HRV than spontaneous breathing and could overestimate resting “natural-state” HRV

The Influence of Physical and Mental Health Mediators on the Relationship Between Combat-Related Traumatic Injury and Ultra-Short-Term Heart Rate Variability in a U.K. Military Cohort: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Introduction: Combat-related traumatic injury (CRTI) adversely affects heart rate variability (HRV). The mediating effect of mental and physical health factors on the relationship between CRTI, its severity and HRV has not been previously studied and investigated. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional mediation analysis of the ArmeD SerVices TrAuma and RehabilitatioN OutComE (ADVANCE) prospective cohort study was performed. The sample consisted of injured and uninjured British male servicemen who were frequency-matched based on their age, rank, role-in-theater, and deployment to Afghanistan (2003-2014). CRTI and injury severity (the New Injury Severity Scores [NISS] [NISS < 25 and NISS ≥ 25]) were included as exposure variables. HRV was quantifed using the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) obtained using pulse waveform analysis. Depression and anxiety mediators were quantifed using the Patient Health Questionnaire and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, respectively. Body mass index and the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) represented physical health measures. Two mediation pathways between exposure and outcome variables were examined in comparison with the uninjured group using structural equation modeling. Results: Of 862 servicemen, 428 were injured and 434 were uninjured with the mean age at assessment of 33.9 ± 5.4 (range 23-59) years. Structural equation modeling revealed that depression, anxiety, and body mass index did not signifcantly mediate the relationship between injury/injury severity and RMSSD. However, the 6MWT significantly mediated the relationship between CRTI and RMSSD (27% mediation). The indirect effect of 6MWT on the relationship between injury severity (NISS ≥ 25 vs. uninjured) and RMSSD was −0.06 (95% CI: −0.12, −0.00, P < .05). Conclusions: The fndings suggest that greater physical function may improve HRV following CRTI. Longitudinal studies are warranted to further validate these fndings

Consumer perceptions of co-branding alliances: Organizational dissimilarity signals and brand fit

This study explores how consumers evaluate co-branding alliances between dissimilar partner firms. Customers are well aware that different firms are behind a co-branded product and observe the partner firms’ characteristics. Drawing on signaling theory, we assert that consumers use organizational characteristics as signals in their assessment of brand fit and for their purchasing decisions. Some organizational signals are beyond the control of the co-branding partners or at least they cannot alter them on short notice. We use a quasi-experimental design and test how co-branding partner dissimilarity affects brand fit perception. The results show that co-branding partner dissimilarity in terms of firm size, industry scope, and country-of-origin image negatively affects brand fit perception. Firm age dissimilarity does not exert significant influence. Because brand fit generally fosters a benevolent consumer attitude towards a co-branding alliance, the findings suggest that high partner dissimilarity may reduce overall co-branding alliance performance

Pioglitazone Decreases Hepatitis C Viral Load in Overweight, Treatment Naïve, Genotype 4 Infected-Patients: A Pilot Study

Insulin resistance (IR) is induced by chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 1 and 4 infections. It is not known whether drugs that affect IR such as Pioglitazone and Prednisone also affect serum HCV RNA titers independently of PEG-Interferon-α2/ribavirin treatment. The primary aim was to assess whether Pioglitazone by improving IR and/or inflammation decreases HCV viral load independently of standard of care HCV treatment. A secondary aim was to assess whether Prednisone, a drug that induces insulin resistance and stimulates HCV viral entry and replication in replicon culture systems, increases HCV viral load in this population.We designed a two-arm, parallel Pilot Study of overweight, treatment naïve genotype 4 HCV-infected patients at a public referral Liver Clinic in Giza, Egypt. The subjects received Pioglitazone (30 mg/day for 14 days) or Prednisone (40 mg/day for 4 days) in a randomized fashion, but the two arms can be considered independent pilot studies. Only changes from baseline within each arm were assessed and no contrasts of the interventions were made, as this was not an aim of the study. Among 105 consecutive HCV genotype 4 patients, 39 were enrolled based on the optimal sample size and power analysis according to the CONSORT statement; 20 to the Pioglitazone group and 19 to the Prednisone group. Pioglitazone was effective in decreasing serum HCV RNA at day-14 (n = 10; difference of means = 205,618 IU/ml; 95% CI 26,600 to 384,600; P<0.001). Although Prednisone did increase serum HCV RNA at day-4 (n = 10; change from baseline = -42,786 IU/ml; 95% CI -85,500 to -15,700; P = 0.049), the log(10) HCV RNA titers were statistically not different from baseline day-0.This is the first documentation that Pioglitazone decreases the serum HCV RNA titers independently of PEG-Interferon-α2/ribavirin treatment. The novel findings of our Study provide the foundation for basic and clinical investigations on the molecular mechanisms responsible for the Pioglitazone-induced decrease in HCV genotype 4 RNA titers.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01157975