Novel defense by honeybees against mass attack by giant wasps

Trabalho final de mestrado integrado em Medicina (Pediatria), apresentado á Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de CoimbraIntrodução: A perturbação do espectro do autismo (PEA) é uma patologia complexa do neurodesenvolvimento, muito prevalente, que surge precocemente na infância. Refere-se a uma disfunção neurológica, que clinicamente se manifesta por atraso ou desvio nas aquisições do neurodesenvolvimento e alterações do comportamento. A PEA caracteriza-se por défice na comunicação e interação social e por um padrão de comportamento repetitivo e limitado nos interesses. O recurso à farmacoterapia justifica-se quando existem comportamentos disruptivos, que interferem negativamente no sucesso educativo e na qualidade de vida das crianças e suas famílias. A risperidona foi o primeiro antipsicótico autorizado na PEA e é o mais vezes prescrito. Embora sendo um fármaco seguro e eficaz, preocupações relacionadas com o seu efeito no aumento do peso e distribuição anómala da gordura e a sua interferência no metabolismo da glicose com aumento do nível de hemoglobina glicada A1c (HbA1c) têm emergido, sobretudo durante o crescimento e o processo evolutivo do neurodesenvolvimento. Objetivos: Caracterizar o efeito da risperidona no aumento do peso e distribuição da gordura e nos níveis de HbA1c. Métodos: Procedeu-se um estudo prospetivo de um grupo de 39 crianças e jovens com uma idade que variou entre os 3 a 21,5 anos (média ± DP, 9 ± 4,2) (trinta do sexo masculino (30/39; 77 %) com o diagnóstico de autismo e indicação para tratamento com risperidona por comportamentos disruptivos com significado clínico. A caracterização dos efeitos adversos, através da avaliação do índice de massa corporal, perímetro abdominal e HbA1c, foi realizada no tempo 0 (sem terapêutica) e nos tempos 1, 3, 6 e 12 meses de terapêutica. Resultados: A risperidona associa-se a uma elevação significativa e mantida dos valores de índice de massa corporal e perímetro abdominal, ao longo do tratamento. No entanto, não se verificou um aumento significativo nos níveis de HbA1cBackground: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopment disorder, very prevalent, that appears very early in childhood. It is a neurological dysfunction, clinically manifested by a delay or a deviation in neurodevelopment acquisitions and changes in behaviour. ASD is characterized by difficulties in social interaction, limiting on verbal and nonverbal communication and rigid behaviour with repetitive and limited interests. The use of pharmacotherapy is justified when there are disruptive behaviours that negatively interfere with the successful education and quality of life of children and their families. Risperidone is the first antipsychotic authorized in ASD and more often prescribed. Although apparently safe and effective, concerns about its effects on the weight distribution and HbA1c levels have emerged, especially during growth and the evolutionary process of neurodevelopment. Objective: Analyze the impact on weight gain, adipose tissue distribution and HbA1c levels in patients medicated with risperidone. Methods: 39 patients, children and adolescents 3 to 21.5 years old (mean ± SD, 9 ± 4.2) and female/male ratio of 3/10, with previous diagnosis of autism and indication for treatment with risperidone for significant disruptive behaviour were evaluated at time 0 (no treatment) and on 1, 3, 6 and 12 months of therapy, using body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and HbA1c levels. Results: Risperidone was associated with a significant and sustained elevation of BMI values and waist circumference throughout the treatment. However, there was not a significant increase in HbA1c

Teachers’ feelings of safeness in school-family-community partnerships: Motivations for sustainable development in moral education

This study aims to get insights into teachers' safety feelings in families, schools, and communities’ partnerships to facilitate the Vietnam context’s moral education process. We used a survey method with the instrument having 19 Likert-scale items, namely teachers' feelings of safeness in SFC partnerships (SSFC). The data from 371 Vietnamese teachers followed a simple random sampling strategy. We conduct multiple regression analyses to get insight into the relationship between four groups of variables and teachers' feelings of safeness, namely teachers’ background, collaborated actions between teachers and families, families’ mental encouragement for teachers, and collaborated actions between families and communities. These results find that the school level, collaborated actions between teachers and families, and families’ mental encouragement for teachers are statistically significant to teachers’ feelings of safety. Moreover, the variable group of collaborated actions between teachers and families records the highest positive beta value in multiple regression analyses. In other words, the improvement of collaborated actions between teachers and families is a critical motivation to leverage teachers’ feelings of safeness in SFC partnerships. These results provide valuable information for sustainable development in moral education

SECURITY CAPABILITY ANALYSIS OF COGNITIVE RADIO NETWORK WITH SECONDARY USER CAPABLE OF JAMMING AND SELF-POWERING

This paper investigates a cognitive radio network where a secondary sender assists a primarytransmitter in relaying primary information to a primary receiver and also transmits its own information toa secondary recipient. This sender is capable of jamming to protect secondary and/or primary informationagainst an eavesdropper and self-powering by harvesting radio frequency energy of primary signals.Security capability of both secondary and primary networks are analyzed in terms of secrecy outageprobability. Numerous results corroborate the proposed analysis which serves as a design guidelineto quickly assess and optimize security performance. More importantly, security capability trade-offbetween secondary and primary networks can be totally controlled with appropriate selection of systemparameters

Promoting skills-based education in the 21st century: A dataset of Vietnamese secondary students

As the world has become more digitally interconnected than ever before in the 21stcentury, the next generation is required to possess various sets of new skills to succeed in their works and lives. The purpose of the article is to present a dataset of socio-demographic, in-school, out-of-school factors as well as the eight domains of 21st-century skills of Vietnamese secondary school students. A total of 1183 observations from 30 secondary schools in both rural and urban areas of Vietnam are introduced in this dataset. The linear regression analysis was also utilized as an analysis example for this dataset. The insights generated from the dataset are hoped to contribute to skills-based education and policy planning in Vietnam

Oseltamivir Is Adequately Absorbed Following Nasogastric Administration to Adult Patients with Severe H5N1 Influenza

In the absence of a parenteral drug, oral oseltamivir is currently recommended by the WHO for treating H5N1 influenza. Whether oseltamivir absorption is adequate in severe influenza is unknown. We measured the steady state, plasma concentrations of nasogastrically administered oseltamivir 150 mg bid and its active metabolite, oseltamivir carboxylate (OC), in three, mechanically ventilated patients with severe H5N1 (male, 30 yrs; pregnant female, 22 yrs) and severe H3N2 (female, 76 yrs). Treatments were started 6, 7 and 8 days after illness onset, respectively. Both females were sampled while on continuous venovenous haemofiltration. Admission and follow up specimens (trachea, nose, throat, rectum, blood) were tested for RNA viral load by reverse transcriptase PCR. In vitro virus susceptibility to OC was measured by a neuraminidase inhibition assay. Admission creatinine clearances were 66 (male, H5N1), 82 (female, H5N1) and 6 (H3N2) ml/min. Corresponding AUC0–12 values (5932, 10,951 and 34,670 ng.h/ml) and trough OC concentrations (376, 575 and 2730 ng/ml) were higher than previously reported in healthy volunteers; the latter exceeded 545 to 3956 fold the H5N1 IC50 (0.69 ng/ml) isolated from the H5N1 infected female. Two patients with follow-up respiratory specimens cleared their viruses after 5 (H5N1 male) and 5 (H3N2 female) days of oseltamivir. Both female patients died of respiratory failure; the male survived. 150 mg bid of oseltamivir was well absorbed and converted extensively to OC. Virus was cleared in two patients but two patients died, suggesting viral efficacy but poor clinical efficacy

A hidden HIV epidemic among women in Vietnam

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The HIV epidemic in Vietnam is still concentrated among high risk populations, including IDU and FSW. The response of the government has focused on the recognized high risk populations, mainly young male drug users. This concentration on one high risk population may leave other populations under-protected or unprepared for the risk and the consequences of HIV infection. In particular, attention to women's risks of exposure and needs for care may not receive sufficient attention as long as the perception persists that the epidemic is predominantly among young males. Without more knowledge of the epidemic among women, policy makers and planners cannot ensure that programs will also serve women's needs.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>More than 300 documents appearing in the period 1990 to 2005 were gathered and reviewed to build an understanding of HIV infection and related risk behaviors among women and of the changes over time that may suggest needed policy changes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>It appears that the risk of HIV transmission among women in Vietnam has been underestimated; the reported data may represent as little as 16% of the real number. Although modeling predicted that there would be 98,500 cases of HIV-infected women in 2005, only 15,633 were accounted for in reports from the health system. That could mean that in 2005, up to 83,000 women infected with HIV have not been detected by the health care system, for a number of possible reasons. For both detection and prevention, these women can be divided into sub-groups with different risk characteristics. They can be infected by sharing needles and syringes with IDU partners, or by having unsafe sex with clients, husbands or lovers. However, most new infections among women can be traced to sexual relations with young male injecting drug users engaged in extramarital sex. Each of these groups may need different interventions to increase the detection rate and thus ensure that the women receive the care they need.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Women in Vietnam are increasingly at risk of HIV transmission but that risk is under-reported and under-recognized. The reasons are that women are not getting tested, are not aware of risks, do not protect themselves and are not being protected by men. Based on this information, policy-makers and planners can develop better prevention and care programs that not only address women's needs but also reduce further spread of the infection among the general population.</p