Spectra and Eigenspaces of Arbitrary Lifts of Graphs

We describe, in a very explicit way, a method for determining the spectra and bases of all the corresponding eigenspaces of arbitrary lifts of graphs (regular or not)

The differential effects of dynamic assessment versus coded focused feedback on the process writing of EFL learners

The role of corrective feedback in general and focused feedback in particular has been investigated widely in second language (L2) writing over the past several decades. Moreover, Dynamic Assessment (DA) with its roots in socio-cultural theory has been noticed to play a role in fostering language learner development and assessment. However, their differential effects have rarely been investigated. Thus, the present study was an attempt to explore the impact of dynamic assessment (DA) and Coded Focused Feedback (CFF) on the Iranian EFL students’ writing performanc

Language and cultural peculiarities of gender realisation

The aim of the article is to reveal gender realisation peculiarities in English and German advertising text

PRIMORSKIJ TERRITORIAL ADMINISTRATION HEALTH DEPARTMENT WORK ORGANIZING TO PREVENT SPREADING OF SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME

Measures for SARS spreading prevention in treatment-and-prophylactic institutions of Primorski territoryand the experience of the pneumonia monitoring of different etiology are presented. The approaches for early detection of patients with SARS are determined

Mediastinal Emphysema as a Specific Complication of COVID-19 (Case Report)

During the care of patients with novel coronavirus infection at the Lomonosov MSU Medical Research and Education Center from April 21 to June 13, 2020, we observed cases of spontaneous mediastinal emphysema (spontaneous pneumomediastinum) as a manifestation or a probable complication of COVID-19.The aim of the paper. To provide clinical case descriptions and approaches to the management of patients with spontaneous pneumomediastinum in COVID-19 associated pneumonia, as they are not addressed in the current clinical guidelines, and therefore are worthy of special attention.Among 224 patients with laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of the novel coronavirus infection COVID-19, five cases of pneumomediastinum without pneumothorax were identified. Of these, in two cases the pneumomediastinum developed during noninvasive lung ventilation (NLV) (one case) and invasive lung ventilation (one case). In three cases, spontaneous mediastinal emphysema was not associated with lung ventilation. By the time of publication, one case of pneumomediastinum was completed, and four patients remained hospitalized. All five patients were males aged from 52 to 84 years.This paper presents in depth the description of two cases of mediastinal and subcutaneous emphysema in patients with COVID-19

Metabolite of the pesticide DDT and incident type 2 diabetes in urban India

BACKGROUND: Previous epidemiological studies, largely conducted in high-income countries and cross-sectional, have suggested a relatively strong association between exposure to dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), a metabolite of the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), and type 2 diabetes. DDT is widely used in India and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes there is increasing, but the association between these factors has not been explored to date. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to estimate the association of the p,p' isomer of DDE with incident type 2 diabetes in India. METHODS: A nested case-control study was conducted in a representative prospective cohort of adults from two cities in India. Participants were enrolled in 2010-11 (n = 12,271) and followed for annual assessment of chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes. Baseline plasma samples from incident cases of diabetes (n = 193) and sex-city-matched controls (n = 323) were selected for analysis of p,p-DDE. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: At baseline, cases had higher p,p-DDE concentrations: geometric mean (95% CI) 330 (273-399) ng/g lipid compared to 223 (189-262) ng/g lipid among controls. Delhi participants had higher p,p-DDE concentrations: 579 (521-643) ng/g lipid compared to 122 (102-145) ng/g lipid in Chennai. In unadjusted models, being in the highest versus lowest quartile of p,p-DDE was associated with a more than doubling of the odds of diabetes: unadjusted OR (95% CI), 2.30 (1.19, 4.43). However, this effect was no longer significant after adjustment for age: adjusted (95% CI), 0.97 (0.46, 2.06). DISCUSSION: Results suggest that levels of p,p'-DDE in Delhi are exceptionally high, but we did not observe a significant association between p,p-DDE and incident type 2 diabetes. As this is the first study to evaluate this association in India, more studies are needed to inform our understanding of the association in this context, including potential routes of exposure

Steroid pulse -therapy in patients With coronAvirus Pneumonia (COVID-19), sYstemic inFlammation And Risk of vEnous thRombosis and thromboembolism (WAYFARER Study)

Introduction: Coronavirus pneumonia not only severely affects the lung tissue but is also associated with systemic autoimmune inflammation, rapid overactivation of cytokines and chemokines known as “cytokine storm”, and a high risk of thrombosis and thromboembolism. Since there is no specific therapy for this new coronavirus infection (COVID-19), searching for an effective and safe anti-inflammatory therapy is critical.Materials and Methods: This study evaluated efficacy and safety of pulse therapy with high doses of glucocorticosteroids (GCS), methylprednisolone 1,000 mg for 3 days plus dexamethasone 8 mg for another 3-5 days, in 17 patients with severe coronavirus pneumonia as a part of retrospective comparative analysis (17 patients in control group). The study primary endpoint was the aggregate dynamics of patients’ condition as evaluated by an original CCS-COVID scale, which included, in addition to the clinical status, assessments of changes in the inflammation marker, C-reactive protein (CRP); the thrombus formation marker, D-dimer; and the extent of lung injury evaluated by computed tomography (CT). Patients had signs of lung injury (53.2 % and 25.6 %), increases in CRP 27 and 19 times, and a more than doubled level of D-dimer (to 1.41 µg/ml and 1.15 µg/ml) in the active therapy and the control groups, respectively. The GCS treatment group had a more severe condition at baseline.Results: The GCS pulse therapy proved effective and significantly decreased the CCS-COVID scores. Median score difference was 5.00 compared to the control group (р=0.011). Shortness of breath considerably decreased; oxygen saturation increased, and the NEWS-2 clinical status scale scores decreased. In the GCS group, concentration of CRP significantly decreased from 134 mg/dl to 41.8 mg/dl (р=0.009) but at the same time, D-dimer level significantly increased from 1.41 µg/ml to 1.98 µg/ml (р=0.044). In the control group, the changes were nonsignificant. The dynamics of lung injury by CT was better in the treatment group but the difference did not reach a statistical significance (р=0.062). Following the GCS treatment, neutrophilia increased (р=0.0001) with persisting lymphopenia, and the neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) ratio, a marker of chronic inflammation, increased 2.5 times (р=0.006). The changes in the N/L ratio and D-dimer were found to correlate in the GCS pulse therapy group (r =0.49, p=0.04), which underlined the relationship of chronic autoimmune inflammation with thrombus formation in COVID-19. No significant changes were observed in the control group. In result, four patients developed venous thromboembolic complications (two of them had pulmonary artery thromboembolism) after the GCS pulse therapy despite the concomitant antiplatelet treatment at therapeutic doses. Recovery was slower in the hormone treatment group (median stay in the hospital was 26 days vs 18 days in the control group, р=0.001).Conclusion: Pulse therapy with high doses of GCS exerted a rapid anti-inflammatory effect but at the same time, increased the N/L ratio and the D-dimer level, which increased the risk of thromboembolism

The organisation of physiotherapy for people with multiple sclerosis across Europe: a multicentre questionnaire survey

Background Understanding the organisational set-up of physiotherapy services across different countries is increasingly important as clinicians around the world use evidence to improve their practice. This also has to be taken into consideration when multi-centre international clinical trials are conducted. This survey aimed to systematically describe organisational aspects of physiotherapy services for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) across Europe. Methods Representatives from 72 rehabilitation facilities within 23 European countries completed an online web-based questionnaire survey between 2013 and 2014. Countries were categorised according to four European regions (defined by United Nations Statistics). Similarities and differences between regions were examined. Results Most participating centres specialized in rehabilitation (82 %) and neurology (60 %), with only 38 % specialising in MS. Of these, the Western based Specialist MS centres were predominately based on outpatient services (median MS inpatient ratio 0.14), whilst the Eastern based European services were mostly inpatient in nature (median MS inpatient ratio 0.5). In almost all participating countries, medical doctors - specialists in neurology (60 %) and in rehabilitation (64 %) - were responsible for referral to/prescription of physiotherapy. The most frequent reason for referral to/prescription of physiotherapy was the worsening of symptoms (78 % of centres). Physiotherapists were the most common members of the rehabilitation team; comprising 49 % of the team in Eastern countries compared to approximately 30 % in the rest of Europe. Teamwork was commonly adopted; 86 % of centres based in Western countries utilised the interdisciplinary model, whilst the multidisciplinary model was utilised in Eastern based countries (p = 0.046). Conclusion This survey is the first to provide data about organisational aspects of physiotherapy for people with MS across Europe. Overall, care in key organisational aspects of service provision is broadly similar across regions, although some variations, for example the models of teamwork utilised, are apparent. Organisational framework specifics should be considered anytime a multi-centre study is conducted and results from such studies are applied.PubMedWoSScopu

Molecular Genetic Analysis of 103 Sporadic Colorectal Tumours in Czech Patients

The Czech Republic has one of the highest incidences of colorectal cancer (CRC) in Europe. To evaluate whether sporadic CRCs in Czech patients have specific mutational profiles we analysed somatic genetic changes in known CRC genes (APC, KRAS, TP53, CTNNB1, MUTYH and BRAF, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at the APC locus, microsatellite instability (MSI), and methylation of the MLH1 promoter) in 103 tumours from 102 individuals. The most frequently mutated gene was APC (68.9% of tumours), followed by KRAS (31.1%), TP53 (27.2%), BRAF (8.7%) and CTNNB1 (1.9%). Heterozygous germline MUTYH mutations in 2 patients were unlikely to contribute to the development of their CRCs. LOH at the APC locus was found in 34.3% of tumours, MSI in 24.3% and MLH1 methylation in 12.7%. Seven tumours (6.9%) were without any changes in the genes tested. The analysis yielded several findings possibly specific for the Czech cohort. Somatic APC mutations did not cluster in the mutation cluster region (MCR). Tumours with MSI but no MLH1 methylation showed earlier onset and more severe mutational profiles compared to MSI tumours with MLH1 methylation. TP53 mutations were predominantly located outside the hot spots, and transitions were underrepresented. Our analysis supports the observation that germline MUTYH mutations are rare in Czech individuals with sporadic CRCs. Our findings suggest the influence of specific ethnic genetic factors and/or lifestyle and dietary habits typical for the Czech population on the development of these cancers