The use of height versus weight in determining praziquantel dose for treatment of Schistosomiasis in children

Background: Praziquantel (PZQ) is currently the drug of choice in treatment of Schistosomiasis because of its high efficacy, few and transient side effects, simple administration and competitive cost. In community-based management and during mass chemotherapy of Schistosomiasis, WHO recommended a dose pole where height is taken as a single parameter to select the required dose.Objective: To compare PZQ dose according to WHO dose pole with the calculated weightdependent dose and test their consistency.Method: We used a growth percentile ruler (MOSWAR) that includes weight, height, head circumference and body surface area according to age and sex. Data were then compiled into a table-form that included PZQ dose according to the dose pole and the calculated mean weightdependentdose.Results: The results showed that PZQ dose according to the dose pole is not consistent with the weight-dependent dose.Conclusion: During mass chemotherapy and community-based  management of Schistosomiasis in children, we recommend the use of a similar table or a device similar to (MOSWAR) to determine PZQ dose according to whichever of the growth parameters is available

The Impact of Ownership Structure and Dividends on Firm’s Performance: Evidence from Manufacturing Companies Listed on the Amman Stock Exchange

This study aims to present empirical analysis from Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) to address the impact of ownership structure and dividends on the performance of Jordanian Manufacturing Companies. To test the study hypotheses and to achieve its objectives, the annual financial reports of all manufacturing companies and other related data during the period 2011 to 2015 were analyzed. Thus, Ownership structure and dividends are presented as independent variables, while the firm\u27s performance is articulated as the dependent variable. It applies four diverse acceptable measurement tools as a proxy for the firm\u27s performance (dependent variable); (Tobin\u27s Q), (ROA), (ROE), and (NPM). The study found that the main variables (MO, CO, and DYLD) and the control variables (EPS and Total Assets) are good predictors of firm\u27s performance. Also; the study found that (ROA) and (Tobin\u27s Q) are the most representative indicators as proxies of the firm\u27s performance. The study recommends considering another control variable to enhance predicting the firm\u27s performance such as governance mechanisms, board structure, management competence, motivation-based payment structure, capital structure and external and internal auditing

Asynchronous, Option-Based Multi-Agent Policy Gradient: A Conditional Reasoning Approach

Multi-agent policy gradient methods have demonstrated success in games and robotics but are often limited to problems with low-level action space. However, when agents take higher-level, temporally-extended actions (i.e. options), when and how to derive a centralized control policy, its gradient as well as sampling options for all agents while not interrupting current option executions, becomes a challenge. This is mostly because agents may choose and terminate their options \textit{asynchronously}. In this work, we propose a conditional reasoning approach to address this problem, and empirically validate its effectiveness on representative option-based multi-agent cooperative tasks.Comment: Submitted to ICRA202

Decoherence induced deformation of the ground state in adiabatic quantum computation

Despite more than a decade of research on adiabatic quantum computation (AQC), its decoherence properties are still poorly understood. Many theoretical works have suggested that AQC is more robust against decoherence, but a quantitative relation between its performance and the qubits' coherence properties, such as decoherence time, is still lacking. While the thermal excitations are known to be important sources of errors, they are predominantly dependent on temperature but rather insensitive to the qubits' coherence. Less understood is the role of virtual excitations, which can also reduce the ground state probability even at zero temperature. Here, we introduce normalized ground state fidelity as a measure of the decoherence-induced deformation of the ground state due to virtual transitions. We calculate the normalized fidelity perturbatively at finite temperatures and discuss its relation to the qubits' relaxation and dephasing times, as well as its projected scaling properties.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Characterisation and induction of tissue-resident gamma delta T-cells to target hepatocellular carcinoma

Immunotherapy is now the standard of care for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), yet many patients fail to respond. A major unmet goal is the boosting of T-cells with both strong HCC reactivity and the protective advantages of tissue-resident memory T-cells (TRM). Here, we show that higher intratumoural frequencies of γδ T-cells, which have potential for HLA-unrestricted tumour reactivity, associate with enhanced HCC patient survival. We demonstrate that γδ T-cells exhibit bona fide tissue-residency in human liver and HCC, with γδTRM showing no egress from hepatic vasculature, persistence for >10 years and superior anti-tumour cytokine production. The Vγ9Vδ2 T-cell subset is selectively depleted in HCC but can efficiently target HCC cell lines sensitised to accumulate isopentenyl-pyrophosphate by the aminobisphosphonate Zoledronic acid. Aminobisphosphonate-based expansion of peripheral Vγ9Vδ2 T-cells recapitulates a TRM phenotype and boosts cytotoxic potential. Thus, our data suggest more universally effective HCC immunotherapy may be achieved by combining aminobisphosphonates to induce Vγ9Vδ2TRM capable of replenishing the depleted pool, with additional intratumoural delivery to sensitise HCC to Vγ9Vδ2TRM-based targeting

A contingent valuation study to estimate the parental willingness-to-pay for childhood diarrhoea and gender bias among rural households in India

We used contingent valuation technique to estimate the parental willingness to pay for an episode of diarrhoea among 324 children of both sexes aged between five and seven years in two rural villages of Chennai in India. The aim was to examine if there was any gender bias in the parental willingness to treat children for a diarrhoeal episode, and if so to what extent. The willingness to pay was specified as a hedonic function of the duration and severity of an episode, and of parents' socioeconomic characteristics. The findings suggest that parents were willing to pay more to protect their male child compared to the female child suffering from a diarrhoeal episode. The median willingness to pay to avoid an episode for male and female children were calculated at Rs. 33.7 (approx. US$0.72) and Rs. 25.2 (approx. US$ 0.54) respectively – a difference of around 34%. After adjusting for the greater duration and severity of the illness, it was found that the difference between the two medians increased to 51%

Does a perception of increased blood safety mean increased blood transfusion? An assessment of the risk compensation theory in Canada

BACKGROUND: The risk compensation theory is a widely used concept in transport economics to analyze driver risk behaviour. This article explores the feasibility of applying the theory in blood transfusion to raise important questions regarding the increased blood safety measures and their possible effects on blood usage (e.g., the appropriateness in transfusion). Further, it presents the findings of a pilot survey of physicians in Canada. DISCUSSION: While studies have attempted to define transfusion appropriateness, this article argues that if the risk compensation theory holds true for transfusion practice, physicians may actually be transfusing more. This may increase the possibility of contracting other unknown risks, such as the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), as well as increasing the risk of non-infectious transfusion risks, such as transfusion reactions. SUMMARY: A much larger study involving psychosocial assessment of physician decision making process to fully assess physician behaviour within the context of risk compensation theory and transfusion practice in Canada is needed to further explore this area

The natural history of primary sclerosing cholangitis in 781 children. A multicenter, international collaboration

There are limited data on the natural history of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) in children. We aimed to describe the disease characteristics and long-term outcomes of pediatric PSC. We retrospectively collected all pediatric PSC cases from 36 participating institutions and conducted a survival analysis from the date of PSC diagnosis to dates of diagnosis of portal hypertensive or biliary complications, cholangiocarcinoma, liver transplantation, or death. We analyzed patients grouped by disease phenotype and laboratory studies at diagnosis to identify objective predictors of long-term outcome. We identified 781 patients, median age 12 years, with 4,277 person-years of follow-up; 33% with autoimmune hepatitis, 76% with inflammatory bowel disease, and 13% with small duct PSC. Portal hypertensive and biliary complications developed in 38% and 25%, respectively, after 10 years of disease. Once these complications developed, median survival with native liver was 2.8 and 3.5 years, respectively. Cholangiocarcinoma occurred in 1%. Overall event-free survival was 70% at 5 years and 53% at 10 years. Patient groups with the most elevated total bilirubin, gamma-glutamyltransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index at diagnosis had the worst outcomes. In multivariate analysis PSC-inflammatory bowel disease and small duct phenotypes were associated with favorable prognosis (hazard ratios 0.6, 95% confidence interval 0.5-0.9, and 0.7, 95% confidence interval 0.5-0.96, respectively). Age, gender, and autoimmune hepatitis overlap did not impact long-term outcome. CONCLUSION: PSC has a chronic, progressive course in children, and nearly half of patients develop an adverse liver outcome after 10 years of disease; elevations in bilirubin, gamma-glutamyltransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index at diagnosis can identify patients at highest risk; small duct PSC and PSC-inflammatory bowel disease are more favorable disease phenotypes

The disabling consequences of Mycetoma

Mycetoma is a neglected tropical disease endemic in tropical and subtropical countries, particularly Sudan. The disease is characterised by the triad of painless subcutaneous mass, multiple sinuses and discharge that contain grains. It is a chronic, debilitating disease most commonly affecting the feet or hands and leads to substantial morbidity, loss of function and even amputation. It predominantly affects poor, rural populations and patients typically present late with advanced disease and complications. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, we characterise the disabling consequences of mycetoma. The study included 300 patients; 228 (76%) male and 72 (24%) female with confirmed mycetoma seen at the Mycetoma Research Centre, University of Khartoum, Sudan in the period May 2016 and January 2017. The study design was based upon the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, examining the impact of mycetoma on eight life domains. Our major finding is that mycetoma is a significantly disabling disease. Over 60% of the study population (181 patients) had moderate impairment or difficulty in at least one domain variable. The important disability was mobility impairment and walking difficulty that was reported in 119 patients (39.7%). There was significant pain associated with mycetoma lesions in 103 patients (34%), challenging the traditional view of mycetoma as a painless disease. The economic burden was also found to be substantial, with 126 patients (46.7%) reporting barriers to their ability to sustain themselves. This is the first study evaluating the disabling consequences of mycetoma and shows clear areas for intervention and further research. Options for mitigating social and economic impacts include routine integration of analgesia and physiotherapy into treatment protocols, and adapting educational provision and working practices based on disability assessment. Our data show that mycetoma is a public health issue with direct implications on quality of life