Rear Window: Reconsidering the Clinic from the Perspective of the Patient Gown

Using the example of the patient-worn hospital gown, this thesis explores the role of mundane artefacts in the social structuring of clinical settings. Data used in the article was collected over the period March 2013 to December 2014 from interviews held with physicians, nurses, patients, linen services, and general clinical staff working in, or admitted in, the public hospital network of New South Wales, Australia. The argument put forward in the thesis is that often-overlooked artefacts, such as the patient gown, play an instrumental role in the arrangement of various actors within the clinic; prepping varied, individual bodies for the receipt of a standardised model of health care

Algorithms for Inferring Multiple Microbial Networks

The interactions among the constituent members of a microbial community play a major role in determining the overall behavior of the community and the abundance levels of its members. These interactions can be modeled using a network whose nodes represent microbial taxa and edges represent pairwise interactions. A microbial network is a weighted graph that is constructed from a sample-taxa count matrix and can be used to model co-occurrences and/or interactions of the constituent members of a microbial community. The nodes in this graph represent microbial taxa and the edges represent pairwise associations amongst these taxa. A microbial network is typically constructed from a sample-taxa count matrix that is obtained by sequencing multiple biological samples and identifying taxa counts. From large-scale microbiome studies, it is evident that microbial community compositions and interactions are impacted by environmental and/or host factors. Thus, it is not unreasonable to expect that a sample-taxa matrix generated as part of a large study involving multiple environmental or clinical parameters can be associated with more than one microbial network. However, to our knowledge, microbial network inference methods proposed thus far assume that the sample-taxa matrix is associated with a single network. This dissertation addresses the scenario when the sample-taxa matrix is associated with K microbial networks and considers the computational problem of inferring K microbial networks from a given sample-taxa matrix. The contributions of this dissertation include 1) new frameworks to generate synthetic sample-taxa count data; 2)novel methods to combine mixture modeling with probabilistic graphical models to infer multiple interaction/association networks from microbial count data; 3) dealing with the compositionality aspect of microbial count data;4) extensive experiments on real and synthetic data; 5)new methods for model selection to infer the correct value of K

THE SPATIOTEMPORAL STUDY OF ZEBRAFISH INTESTINAL EPITHELIUM RENEWAL

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

An Investigation of Factors Affecting the Employees' Quality of Work Life and Assessment of the Status of These Factors

The present study investigated the factors affecting the quality of work life of employees and assessed the status of these components in Mazandaran Gas Company. The population of this study included the employees of this company, and statistical sample involved 329 employees. Walton model was used to study the quality of work life components. To analyze data, test research hypotheses, and assess the status of components, the Chi-square test, Wilcoxon, Friedman, and confirmatory factor analysis were used. The results revealed that fair and appropriate compensation, providing opportunities for continued growth and safety, social  relevance of work life, and development of human capacities were at a good status, and healthy and safe environment as well as  social cohesion and integration were at an average status,  and total space of life and constitutionalism were at an adverse status

Strain maps characterize the symmetry of convergence and extension patterns during zebrafish gastrulation

Funder: Mechanobiology Institute, Singapore; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100007672Abstract: During gastrulation of the zebrafish embryo, the cap of blastoderm cells organizes into the axial body plan of the embryo with left–right symmetry and head–tail, dorsal–ventral polarities. Our labs have been interested in the mechanics of early development and have investigated whether these large-scale cell movements can be described as tissue-level mechanical strain by a tectonics-based approach. The first step is to image the positions of all nuclei from mid-epiboly to early segmentation by digital sheet light microscopy, organize the surface of the embryo into multi-cell spherical domains, construct velocity fields from the movements of these domains and extract strain rate maps from the change in density of the domains. During gastrulation, tensile/expansive and compressive strains in the axial and equatorial directions are detected as anterior and posterior expansion along the anterior–posterior axis and medial–lateral compression across the dorsal–ventral axis and corresponds to the well characterized morphological movements of convergence and extension. Following gastrulation strain is represented by localized medial expansion at the onset of segmentation and anterior expansion at the onset of neurulation. In addition to linear strain, symmetric patterns of rotation/curl are first detected in the animal hemispheres at mid-epiboly and then the vegetal hemispheres by the end of gastrulation. In embryos treated with C59, a Wnt inhibitor that inhibits head and tail extension, the axial extension and vegetal curl are absent. By analysing the temporal sequence of large-scale movements, deformations across the embryo can be attributed to a combination of epiboly and dorsal convergence-extension

Development and psychometric evaluation of the Persian version of the Phoneme Recognition Test A central auditory processing measure

  Objectives The present study evaluating the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Phoneme Recognition Test (P-PRT) in normal subjects and cochlear implant (CI) users. Material & Methods This study includes developing the Persian phoneme recognition test (PRT), determining its validity and reliability, and comparing the results of a control group versus CI users. The test reliability was examined through a test-retest with an approximately five-week interval. In the present survey, 363 subjects were investigated in three stages. The face validity evaluation stage was conducted on 40 subjects. The psychometric properties of the P-PRT were evaluated in 323 individuals (225 normal subjects and 98 CI users). The test-retest reliability was examined in all the 225 subjects in the control groupand 40 CI users. ResultsThe results confirmed the face validity of the P-PRT. No significant differences were observed between the two genders in terms of performance in the P-PRT. Significant differences were observed between the control and CI groups. Evaluating the test-retest reliability suggested perfect reliability (r>0.9) in both groups. Significant differences were observed in the P-PRT between the adults and the 7-year-old subjects compared to other age groups. Conclusion The P-PRT can be used as a valid and reliable test for clinically evaluating phoneme recognition abilities and monitoring the rehabilitation progres

The Prevalence of Allergic Rhinitis, Eczema and Asthma in Students of Guidance Schools in Mazandaran Province, Iran

BACKGROUND: Eczema, allergic rhinitis and asthma are common chronic allergic disorders in childhood.AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of common allergic disorders among Iranian guidance schools students in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran.METHODS: This analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 3000 children aged 11â€14 years old during 2012â€13 according to ISAAC study. Of 3000 recruited children 1576 (52.54%) were female and 1424 (47.46%) were male. Data gathered by ISAAC first phase questionnaire analysed by SPSS software 20.RESULTS: The prevalence of wheezing, allergic rhinitis symptoms (sneezing and pruritus) and atopic dermatitis symptoms (pruritus skin lesion) were 30.5%, 30% and 15% respectively. History of pets contact and smoking was positive 6.6% and 36 % respectively. About 52% was born with caesarian section. There was wheezing in 32.5% during sport. The diagnosis of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema were 12.2%, 28.5% and 15% respectively. Eczema, asthma and allergic rhinitis were significantly more common in boys students (p < 0.05).CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema have a high prevalence and they are more common in boys

Clinical Features and Risk Factors of Relapse and Mortality in Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Patients: A Seven-Year Experience

Background: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is associated with microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and microvascular thrombosis. No comprehensive report exists on clinical characteristics and risk factors of relapse and mortality in Iranian TTP patients. In this study, we aimed to report clinical features of Iranian TTP patients, to evaluate disease relapse and mortality rate and their associated risk factors. Materials and Methods: This study was a cohort study of patients diagnosed with microangiopathic hemolytic anemia admitted to the Shariati Hospital, Tehran, a referral center for TTP patients, from 2010 to 2017. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were recorded and patients were followed for 3 years regarding disease relapse and mortality. Results:  114 patients (80 female, 34 male) with a mean age of 39.3 ± 14.99 years were included.  Hematologic and neurologic symptoms were the most common manifestations. Abnormal laboratory findings at the presentation included thrombocytopenia, anemia, and elevated LDH. All patients were treated with plasma exchange, and 75.5% of them had a response to treatment, while the 3-year relapse and mortality rate was 23.6 and 26.3%.  Lower platelet count was a predictor of disease relapse. Age, hematological, or neurological initial presentation were associated with TTP mortality. Conclusion: Based on the largest study of TTP patients ever in Iran, the demographic and clinical characteristics of Iranian TTP patients are similar to other existing reports. Knowledge of the risk factors for TTP relapse and mortality could be useful to alert hematologists for prompt therapeutic actions when necessary

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe

The Oldest Hands in the World

Persian translation of The Oldest hands in the World, a volume of original poetry