Four Cases of Sclerodermia Associated With Disease of the Thyroid Gland

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Determinants of Africa’s development: An exploratory study

The increasing sustainability and the causes of economic growth in African countries, provide a set of new research questions for development scholars around the World. The possible determinants of this phenomenon are usually considered to be of economic, social, and institutional natures. In this work is assessed which economic, social, and institutional determinants of economic development are important to the development of Africa countries, for the years 1996 and 2014. The similarities amongst countries and the evolution between the two years are also analyzed. A principal components analysis for categorical data to examine the inter-relationships between the indicators in 1996 and also in 2014. An agglomerative clustering algorithm was used through two different methods: ward’s method and complete linkage method (also called furthest neighbor). The Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) was suited by a k-means algorithm, to obtain an optimal solution and a typology of countries was identified for each year. The main contribution of the work is to make a joint analysis of the three determinants of economic growth and development – economic, social, and institutional, in which the literature is extremely scarce. Results indicate a positive association amongst institutional, economic, and social determinants of development, which means that countries that exhibit a good performance in institutional indicators also have a good performance in economic and social indicators, and vice-versa, although results are not as clear for 2014 as they are for 1996. Additionally, a higher concentration of countries in the two clusters in which these three indicators are better in 2014 (31 countries in 1996 and 49 countries in 2014), seems to indicate a positive evolution for development of African countries from 1996 to 2014. Results show that policy makers should take an integrated view regarding development and economic growth policies and take in consideration both the economic, social, and institutional characteristics of each country. If an economic, social, or institutional policy is designed independently of the other two, this policy will probably fail in reaching its development or economic growth goal, since all these three factors are interconnected.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Complications Associated with Proximal Hamstring Tendon Repair: A Systematic Review

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Fluorescence in nanostructured fulleride films

Applied Physics Letters, 89Nanostructuring of fullerene C60 beam deposited films is achieved by electrochemical reduction in a potassium hydroxide aqueous solution. Alkali fulleride clusters are formed at the electrode, as it is illustrated by cyclic voltammetry, x-ray diffraction, and scanning tunneling microscopy. Fluorescence emission from fluorophore doped fullerene reduced films was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy and scanning near-field optical microscopy. These techniques lead to results which also fit such nanometer-sized fulleride cluster interpretation. In particular, the fluorophore fluorescence lifetime decreases as long as aggregation in the film is more effective,which occurs with the increase of film thickness

Hyperprolinemia as a clue in the diagnosis of a patient with psychiatric manifestations

Lately, microdeletions of the 22q region, responsible for DiGeorge syndrome or velocardiofacial syndrome, have been increasingly related to neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. These manifestations seem to be related to certain genes located in the hemideleted region such as the proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) and the catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) genes. We describe a teenager who started his adolescent psychiatric care presenting cognitive impairment, irritable mood and aggressive behaviour with schizophrenia-like symptoms that scored 153 in the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS) assessment. Worsening of symptoms when the patient was treated with valproic acid, and plasma aminoacids showing an increase in alanine and proline, suggested a mitochondrial involvement of the proline metabolic pathway. Mild dysmorphic features also suggested a possible 22q11 deletion syndrome that was confirmed. A mutation for Hyperprolinemia type I was also detected. Knowledge of the correct diagnosis was crucial for an adequate treatment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Biomechanical Comparison of Open versus Percutaneous Techniques for Primary Mid-Substance Achilles Tendon Repair: A Meta-Analysis

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Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia: A Report of Two Infants Treated with Dextromethorphan and Sodium Benzoate

A hiperglicinémia não cetótica é um erro inato da degradação da glicina, resultando na sua excessiva acumulação nos tecidos corporais, designadamente no sistema nervoso central. Trata-se de uma doença muito grave e uma das terapêuticas recentemente propostas consiste na associação do dextrometorfano com o benzoato de sódio em altas doses. Admite-se a possibilidade de o dextrometorfano bloquear o complexo-canal receptor de N-metil-D-aspartato, implicado na toxicidade da hiperglicinémia ao nível do cérebro e de o benzoato reduzir os níveis de glicina, pela sua conjugação e eliminação como hipurato. Relatamos dois casos clínicos de crianças com hiperglicinémia não cetótita, actualmente com mais de 15 meses de idade, as quais foram medicadas com dextrometorfano e benzoato de sódio desde as primeiras semanas após o parto. Não obstante se ter verificado sobrevivência para além do período neonatal e aquisição de autonomia respiratória, a evolução neurológica, até à data, não tem sido satisfatória, porventura devido ao atraso no início da terapêutica

Compositional dependence of the strain-free optical band gap in InxGa1 - xN layers

The effect of strain on the compositional and optical properties of a set of epitaxial single layers of InxGa12xN was studied. Indium content was measured free from the effects of strain by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. Accurate knowledge of the In mole fraction, combined with x-ray diffraction measurements, allows perpendicular strain (e zz) to be evaluated. Optical band gaps were determined by absorption spectroscopy and corrected for strain. Following this approach, the strain free dependence of the optical band gap in InxGa12xN alloys was determined for x<0.25. Our results indicate an ‘‘anomalous,’’ linear, dependence of the energy gap on the In content, at room temperature: Eg(x)53.39– 3.57x eV. Extension of this behavior to higher concentrations is discussed on the basis of reported result

Quality of life in caregivers of patients with multiple myeloma

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the relationship between sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological variables with quality of life (QoL) and the moderating role of caregivers' age and caregiving duration in caregivers of patients with Multiple Myeloma.Method: The sample included 118 caregivers who completed questionnaires that assessed psychological morbidity, satisfaction with social support, coping, burden, unmet needs, and QoL.Results: High psychological morbidity, burden and information, financial and emotional unmet needs were associated with lower QoL, while higher satisfaction with social support and more effective use of coping strategies were associated with better QoL. Women caregivers reported more satisfaction with social support and those who did not choose to care reported greater financial unmet needs and more use of coping strategies. The relationship between caregivers' psychological morbidity/social support and QoL was mediated by emotional needs and double mediated by coping and burden. The caregivers' age moderated the relationship between psychological morbidity/social support and emotional needs.Conclusion: Interventions to support the caregiver's emotional needs to promote their QoL are needed. These should be particularly tailored for older caregivers reporting greater psychological morbidity and younger caregivers less satisfied with their social support, as they have a negative indirect impact on their QoL.Portuguese Associations of Portuguese Association against Leukemia and the PortugueseAssociation of Leukemias and Lymphoma