Acceptance determinants of 5G services

5G is a revolutionary development in network technologies which is gradually becoming very common among people contributing significantly in different fields such as education, industry, agriculture, health, tourism and military. Currently, 5G is an outbreak change as opposed to the traditional service of the Internet since it offers better quality, ultra-fast connection, low-cost, reduced latency, energy saving, which makes its great impact even greater in people’s life. The present study examines various factors that have a significant impact on the Use of 5G in the Gulf area. The study extended the TAM (Technology Acceptance Model) to include factors such as Perceived Enjoyment, Perceived Resources and Perceived Skills Readiness. The present research has adopted a hybrid model that incorporates TAM determinants with other external factors which have a direct relation with 5G as internet service. Previous studies have focused on the importance of 5G in different environments and countries. However, this study focuses on the newly spread Use of 5G in the gulf area by adopting a hybrid conceptual model. The findings suggest that 5G may help in promoting the usage of internet service more effectively with its low-cost, faster data transfer and better quality. Moreover, the findings indicate a positive effect of the gender as a mediator between the variables: Perceived Skills Readiness, Perceived Ease of use, and Perceived Resources

Acceptance determinants of 5G services

5G is a revolutionary development in network technologies which is gradually becoming very common among people contributing significantly in different fields such as education, industry, agriculture, health, tourism and military. Currently, 5G is an outbreak change as opposed to the traditional service of the Internet since it offers better quality, ultra-fast connection, low-cost, reduced latency, energy saving, which makes its great impact even greater in people’s life. The present study examines various factors that have a significant impact on the Use of 5G in the Gulf area. The study extended the TAM (Technology Acceptance Model) to include factors such as Perceived Enjoyment, Perceived Resources and Perceived Skills Readiness. The present research has adopted a hybrid model that incorporates TAM determinants with other external factors which have a direct relation with 5G as internet service. Previous studies have focused on the importance of 5G in different environments and countries. However, this study focuses on the newly spread Use of 5G in the gulf area by adopting a hybrid conceptual model. The findings suggest that 5G may help in promoting the usage of internet service more effectively with its low-cost, faster data transfer and better quality. Moreover, the findings indicate a positive effect of the gender as a mediator between the variables: Perceived Skills Readiness, Perceived Ease of use, and Perceived Resources

Towards the clinical implementation of pharmacogenetics in bipolar disorder.

BackgroundBipolar disorder (BD) is a psychiatric illness defined by pathological alterations between the mood states of mania and depression, causing disability, imposing healthcare costs and elevating the risk of suicide. Although effective treatments for BD exist, variability in outcomes leads to a large number of treatment failures, typically followed by a trial and error process of medication switches that can take years. Pharmacogenetic testing (PGT), by tailoring drug choice to an individual, may personalize and expedite treatment so as to identify more rapidly medications well suited to individual BD patients.DiscussionA number of associations have been made in BD between medication response phenotypes and specific genetic markers. However, to date clinical adoption of PGT has been limited, often citing questions that must be answered before it can be widely utilized. These include: What are the requirements of supporting evidence? How large is a clinically relevant effect? What degree of specificity and sensitivity are required? Does a given marker influence decision making and have clinical utility? In many cases, the answers to these questions remain unknown, and ultimately, the question of whether PGT is valid and useful must be determined empirically. Towards this aim, we have reviewed the literature and selected drug-genotype associations with the strongest evidence for utility in BD.SummaryBased upon these findings, we propose a preliminary panel for use in PGT, and a method by which the results of a PGT panel can be integrated for clinical interpretation. Finally, we argue that based on the sufficiency of accumulated evidence, PGT implementation studies are now warranted. We propose and discuss the design for a randomized clinical trial to test the use of PGT in the treatment of BD

Natural Disaster and Risk of Psychiatric Disorders in Puerto Rican Children

We examined the persistence of psychiatric disorders at approximately 18 and 30 months after a hurricane among a random sample of the child and adolescent population (4–17 years) of Puerto Rico. Data were obtained from caretaker-child dyads (N = 1,886) through in person interviews with primary caretakers (all children) and youth (11–17 years) using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children IV in Spanish. Logistic regressions, controlling for sociodemographic variables, were used to study the relation between disaster exposure and internalizing, externalizing, or any disorder. Children’s disaster-related distress manifested as internalizing disorders, rather than as externalizing disorders at 18 months post-disaster. At 30 months, there was no longer a significant difference in rates of disorder between hurricane-exposed and non-exposed youth. Results were similar across age ranges. Rates of specific internalizing disorders between exposed and unexposed children are provided. Research and clinical implications are discussed

Blood pressure and associated factors in a North African adolescent population. a national cross-sectional study in Tunisia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In southern and eastern Mediterranean countries, changes in lifestyle and the increasing prevalence of excess weight in childhood are risk factors for high blood pressure (BP) during adolescence and adulthood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the BP status of Tunisian adolescents and to identify associated factors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study in 2005, based on a national, stratified, random cluster sample of 1294 boys and 1576 girls aged 15-19 surveyed in home visits. The socio-economic and behavioral characteristics of the adolescents were recorded. Overweight/obesity were assessed by Body Mass Index (BMI) from measured height and weight (WHO, 2007), abdominal obesity by waist circumference (WC). BP was measured twice during the same visit. Elevated BP was systolic (SBP) or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ 90th of the international reference or ≥ 120/80 mm Hg for 15-17 y., and SBP/DBP ≥ 120/80 mm Hg for 18-19 y.; hypertension was SBP/DBP ≥ 95th for 15-17 y. and ≥ 140/90 mm Hg for 18-19 y. Adjusted associations were assessed by logistic regression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of elevated BP was 35.1%[32.9-37.4]: higher among boys (46.1% vs. 33.3%; <it>P </it>< 0.0001); 4.7%[3.8-5.9] of adolescents had hypertension. Associations adjusted for all covariates showed independent relationships with BMI and WC: - obesity vs. no excess weight increased elevated BP (boys OR = 2.1[1.0-4.2], girls OR = 2.3[1.3-3.9]) and hypertension (boys OR = 3.5[1.4-8.9], girls OR = 5.4[2.2-13.4]), - abdominal obesity (WC) was also associated with elevated BP in both genders (for boys: 2nd vs. 1st tertile OR = 1.7[1.3-2.3], 3rd vs.1st tertile OR = 2.8[1.9-4.2]; for girls: 2nd vs. 1st tertile OR = 1.6[1.2-2.1], 3rd vs.1st tertile OR = 2.1[1.5-3.0]) but only among boys for hypertension. Associations with other covariates were weaker: for boys, hypertension increased somewhat with sedentary lifestyle, while elevated BP was slightly more prevalent among urban girls and those not attending school.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Within the limits of BP measurement on one visit only, these results suggest that Tunisian adolescents of both genders are likely not spared from early elevated BP. Though further assessment is likely needed, the strong association with overweight/obesity observed suggests that interventions aimed at changing lifestyles to reduce this main risk factor may also be appropriate for the prevention of elevated BP.</p

Concerted Regulation of cGMP and cAMP Phosphodiesterases in Early Cardiac Hypertrophy Induced by Angiotensin II

Left ventricular hypertrophy leads to heart failure and represents a high risk leading to premature death. Cyclic nucleotides (cAMP and cGMP) play a major role in heart contractility and cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs) are involved in different stages of advanced cardiac diseases. We have investigated their contributions in the very initial stages of left ventricular hypertrophy development. Wistar male rats were treated over two weeks by chronic infusion of angiotensin II using osmotic mini-pumps. Left cardiac ventricles were used as total homogenates for analysis. PDE1 to PDE5 specific activities and protein and mRNA expressions were explored

Twelve-month observational study of children with cancer in 41 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality. Methods Prospective cohort study in 109 institutions in 41 countries. Inclusion criteria: children &lt;18 years who were newly diagnosed with or undergoing active treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, retinoblastoma, Wilms tumour, glioma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, medulloblastoma and neuroblastoma. Of 2327 cases, 2118 patients were included in the study. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality at 30 days, 90 days and 12 months. Results All-cause mortality was 3.4% (n=71/2084) at 30-day follow-up, 5.7% (n=113/1969) at 90-day follow-up and 13.0% (n=206/1581) at 12-month follow-up. The median time from diagnosis to multidisciplinary team (MDT) plan was longest in low-income countries (7 days, IQR 3-11). Multivariable analysis revealed several factors associated with 12-month mortality, including low-income (OR 6.99 (95% CI 2.49 to 19.68); p&lt;0.001), lower middle income (OR 3.32 (95% CI 1.96 to 5.61); p&lt;0.001) and upper middle income (OR 3.49 (95% CI 2.02 to 6.03); p&lt;0.001) country status and chemotherapy (OR 0.55 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.86); p=0.008) and immunotherapy (OR 0.27 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.91); p=0.035) within 30 days from MDT plan. Multivariable analysis revealed laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 5.33 (95% CI 1.19 to 23.84); p=0.029) was associated with 30-day mortality. Conclusions Children with cancer are more likely to die within 30 days if infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, timely treatment reduced odds of death. This report provides crucial information to balance the benefits of providing anticancer therapy against the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children with cancer

Functionally impaired plasmacytoid dendritic cells and non-haematopoietic sources of type I interferon characterize human autoimmunity

Autoimmune connective tissue diseases arise in a stepwise fashion from asymptomatic preclinical autoimmunity. Type I interferons have a crucial role in the progression to established autoimmune diseases. The cellular source and regulation in disease initiation of these cytokines is not clear, but plasmacytoid dendritic cells have been thought to contribute to excessive type I interferon production. Here, we show that in preclinical autoimmunity and established systemic lupus erythematosus, plasmacytoid dendritic cells are not effector cells, have lost capacity for Toll-like-receptor-mediated cytokine production and do not induce T cell activation, independent of disease activity and the blood interferon signature. In addition, plasmacytoid dendritic cells have a transcriptional signature indicative of cellular stress and senescence accompanied by increased telomere erosion. In preclinical autoimmunity, we show a marked enrichment of an interferon signature in the skin without infiltrating immune cells, but with interferon-κ production by keratinocytes. In conclusion, non-hematopoietic cellular sources, rather than plasmacytoid dendritic cells, are responsible for interferon production prior to clinical autoimmunity