RESULTS IN THE LICENSURE EXAMINATION FOR TEACHERS: AN ANALYSIS

Results in the Licensure Examination for Teachers are contributory to the institutional overall performance, hence, analyzing the results is essential. Results of the 67 takers who took the examination from 2015 to 2017 were analyzed. Employing Mean, t-test, and Pearson Moment Correlation, the results revealed that the performance of both BSED and PEC Graduate Takers in General Education Courses is higher compared to Professional Education Courses, there is a significant difference in the results of the Licensure Examination for Teachers in both the General Education and Professional Education Courses among BSEd and PEC Graduate Takers. Also, there is a significant relationship between the general education course result and professional education course result. It also revealed that the general education course results and professional education course result are directly proportional. It means as general education course result is high, the professional education course result will follow. On the other hand, if general education course result is low; the professional education course result is also low

Mediterranean diet adherence and synergy with acute myocardial infarction and its determinants. a multicenter case-control study in Italy.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in Western countries. The possible synergistic effect of poor adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MD) and other risk factors for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) such as hypertension, cholesterol, ever smoker, BMI> 25, diabetes, has not been deeply studied. Design Case-control study. Methods Patients with first AMI and controls from four tertiary referral Italian centers were screened for enrolment. Dietary information was collected through a questionnaire and a MD adherence score was calculated. Physical activity and smoking habits were also registered. The Synergy Index was calculated according to Rothman. Results 127 cases and 173 controls were enrolled. The analysis was conducted using a dichotomous variable for the MD score with values 7 representing good adherence. Multivariate analysis showed the following variables associated to AMI: ever smoker (OR = 2.08), diabetes (OR = 1.42), hypertension (OR = 2.08), hypercholesterolemia (OR = 2.47), BMI> 25 (OR = 1.99), while a protective effect emerged both in subjects scoring > 7 on the MD score(OR = 0.55) and in subjects resident of Southern Italy (OR = 0.38). A synergistic effect does exist between poor adherence to the MD and the following risk factors: hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, BMI >25, diabetes and being a resident in central and northern Italy. Conclusion Synergy between heart disease risk factors and MD underlines the need to enlarge the list of known modifiable cardiovascular risk factors to include and promote adherence to Mediterranean dietary habits

A case report of pseudoxanthoma elasticum with rare sequence variants in genes related to inherited retinal diseases

A case of a patient with an early and severe visual impairment is described. Due to the occurrence of skin papules a suspect of pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) was posed. PXE is a rare autosomal recessive disease clinically characterized by skin, cardiovascular and ocular manifestations, these last being those that most severely affect patients’ quality of life. A whole exome sequencing approach focusing on 340 genes related to the calcification process and/or to inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) was performed. Rare monoallelic sequence variants in ABCA4, ABCC6, IMPG1, POC1B and RAX2 were found. The presence of calcified elastic fibers was assessed by ultrastructural analysis on a skin biopsy. Diagnosis of PXE was based on clinical, biomolecular and morphological results, although the additional involvement of several IRD genes is important to explain the unexpectedly severe ophthalmological phenotype of the patient also in prognostic and therapeutic perspectives. Data indicate that genetic screening using a wide‐spectrum analysis approach is essential to assist ophthalmologists in improving patient counseling

From Clinical Diagnosis to the Discovery of Multigene Rare Sequence Variants in Pseudoxanthoma elasticum: A Case Report

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a rare autosomal recessive disease clinically characterised by early cutaneous alterations, and by late clinically relevant ocular, and cardiovascular manifestations. ABCC6 genetic tests are used to confirm clinical PXE diagnosis, but this strategy may be rather challenging when only one ABCC6 pathogenic variant is found. A next-generation sequencing approach focusing on 362 genes related to the calcification process and/or to inherited retinal diseases was performed on a patient with clinical PXE diagnosis (skin papules and laxity, angioid streaks, and atrophy) who was carrier of only one ABCC6 rare sequence variant. Beside ABCC6, several rare sequence variants were detected which can contribute either to the occurrence of calcification (GGCX and SERPINF1 genes) and/or to ophthalmological manifestations (ABCA4, AGBL5, CLUAP1, and KCNV2 genes). This wide-spectrum analysis approach facilitates the identification of rare variants possibly involved in PXE, thus avoiding invasive skin biopsy as well as expensive and time-consuming diagnostic odyssey and allows to broaden and to deepen the knowledge on this complex rare disease and to improve patients' counselling, also with a future perspective of personalised medicine

Phenotypic Features and Genetic Findings in a Cohort of Italian Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum Patients and Update of the Ophthalmologic Evaluation Score

Background: Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a rare ectopic calcification genetic disease mainly caused by ABCC6 rare sequence variants. The clinical phenotype is characterized by typical dermatological, ophthalmological and cardiovascular manifestations, whose frequency and severity are differently reported in the literature. Methods: A retrospective study was performed on 377 PXE patients of Italian origin, clinically evaluated according to the Phenodex Index, who underwent ABCC6 biomolecular analyses. Moreover, 53 PXE patients were further characterized by in-depth ophthalmological examinations. Results: A total of 117 different ABCC6 rare sequence variants were detected as being spread through the whole gene. The severity of the clinical phenotype was dependent on age, but it was not influenced by gender or by the type of sequence variants. In-depth ophthalmological examinations focused on the incidences of coquille d'oeuf, comet lesions, pattern dystrophy-like lesions, optic disk drusen and posterior-pole atrophy. Conclusion: Given the large number of patients analyzed, we were able to better evaluate the occurrence of less frequent alterations (e.g., stroke, myocardial infarction, nephrolithiasis). A more detailed description of ophthalmological abnormalities allowed us to stratify patients and better evaluate disease progression, thus suggesting a further update of the PXE score system

Case report of an atypical early onset X-linked retinoschisis in monozygotic twins

Background: X-linked Retinoschisis (XLRS) is one of the most common macular degenerations in young males, with a worldwide prevalence ranging from 1:5000 to 1:20000. Clinical diagnosis of XLRS can be challenging due to the highly variable phenotypic presentation and limited correlation has been identified between mutation type and disease severity or progression. Case presentation: We report the atypical early onset of XLRS in 3-month-old monozygotic twins. Fundus examination was characterized by severe bullous retinal schisis with pre-retinal and intraretinal haemorrhages. Molecular genetic analysis of the RS1 was performed and the c.288G > A (p. Trp96Ter) mutation was detected in both patients. Conclusions: Early onset XLRS is associated with a more progressive form of the disease, characterized by large bullous peripheral schisis involving the posterior pole, vascular abnormalities and haemorrhages. The availability of specific technology permitted detailed imaging of the clinical picture of unusual cases of XLRS. The possible relevance of modifying genes should be taken into consideration for the future development of XLRS gene therapy

Cross-sectional relationship among different anthropometric parameters and cardiometabolic risk factors in a cohort of patients with overweight or obesity

Background Body fat distribution influences the risk of cardio-metabolic disease in people with overweight. This study was aimed at identifying the anthropometric parameters more strongly associated with the majority of cardio-metabolic risk factors. Methods This study included 1214 subjects (840 women), with a body-mass-index (BMI) = 25 Kg/ m2, aged 39.2 ± 13 years. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglycerides (TG), total, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol, uric acid, vitamin D, high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), white blood cells (WBC), platelets, insulin and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), smoking habit and snoring were evaluated as cardio-metabolic risk factors.We also included the Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) to estimate cardiovascular risk in our study population. BMI, waist circumference (WC), waistto- height-ratio (WHtR) and neck circumference (NC) were evaluated as anthropometric parameters. Results All four anthropometric parameters were positively associated to SBP, DBP, TG, FBG, insulin, HOMA-IR, WBC, and snoring (p<0.001), and negatively associated with HDL-cholesterol (p<0.001). NC showed a positive association with LDL-cholesterol (ß = 0.76; p = 0.01; 95% C.I. 0.19 to 1.32), while vitamin D was negatively associated to WC (ß = -0.16; p<0.001; 95% C.I. -0.24 to -0.09), BMI (ß = 0.42); p<0.001; 95% C.I. -0.56 to -0.28) and WHtR (ß = -24.46; p<0.001; 95% C.I. -37 to -11.9). Hs-CRP was positively correlated with WC (ß = 0.003; p = 0.003; 95% C.I. 0.001 to 0.006), BMI (ß = 0.01; p = 0.02; 95% C.I. 0.001 to 0.012) and WHtR (ß = 0.55; p = 0.01; 95% C.I. 0.14 to 0.96). SCORE was associated to NC (ß = 0.15; 95% CI 0.12 to 0.18; p<0.001), BMI (ß = -0.18; 95% CI -0.22 to 0.14; p<0.001) and WHtR (ß = 7.56; 95% CI 5.30 to 9.82; p<0.001). Conclusions NC, combined with BMI and WC or WHtR could represent an essential tool for use in clinical practice to define the cardio-metabolic risk in individuals with excess body weight

Adherence to a mediterranean diet and thyroid function in obesity: A cross-sectional Apulian survey

BackgroundMuch research suggests that Mediterranean eating habits and lifestyle contribute to counteract the risk of chronic diseases while promoting longevity, but little information is available on the effects of the Mediterranean diet (Med-Diet) on thyroid function, particularly among overweight/obese subjects. Nevertheless, consistent data reported a slight increase in serum levels of the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and a higher rate of conversion of thyroxine (T4) to triiodothyronine (T3) in obesity. This cross-sectional study was aimed at investigating the relationship between adherence to the Med-Diet and circulating thyroid hormones in a cohort of overweight/obese subjects from Apulia (Southern Italy). Methods: We studied 324 consecutive outpatient subjects (228 women and 96 men, age range 14–72 years) taking no drug therapy and showing normal levels of thyroid hormones, but complicated by overweight and obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 Kg/m2). The PREDIMED (PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea) questionnaire was cross-sectionally administered to assess the adherence to the Med-Diet, and hormonal, metabolic, and routine laboratory parameters were collected. Results: Higher adherence to Med-Diet was found to be inversely related to free T3 (p < 0.01) and T4 (p < 0.01) serum levels. Considering each item in the PREDIMED questionnaire, people consuming at least four spoonfuls of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) per day, as well as those consuming at least two servings of vegetables per day, had lower free T3 levels (p 0.033 and p 0.021, respectively). Furthermore, consuming at least four spoonfuls of EVOO per day was found to be associated to lower free T4 serum concentrations (p 0.011). Multinomial logistic regression models, performed on tertiles of thyroid hormones to further investigate the relationship with Med-Diet, corroborated the significance only for free T4. Conclusion: Increased adherence to the Med-Diet was independently associated to a slightly reduced thyroid function, but still within the reference range for free T3 and T4 serum levels. This first finding in this field opens up a research line on any underlying biological interplay

Distribué fibre optique des infrastructures du CERN dans la région des molasse

The European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) is a large underground laboratory and it is home to two large particle accelerators, including the «Large Hadron Collider» (LHC). The particles travel at the speed of light through a series of tunnels which must comply with the high serviceability requirements. However, the underground facilities have expanded over a period of 40 years with new tunnels, shafts and caverns. Structural ageing and deterioration of the infrastructure can alter the drainage conditions around tunnels and this can cause, in turn, excess deformation of the tunnels and serviceability issue for the particle accelerators. A remote monitoring system based on distributed fibre-optic strain sensing technology has been implemented in some of the concrete-lined tunnels in order to gain insight in the long-term mechanical behaviour of the underground system. This paper presents the results of the monitoring programme and the results show a slow development of ovalisation of the tunnel over a period of three years.Le Centre Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN) est un grand laboratoire souterrain qui héberge deux accélérateurs de particules dont le « Large Hadron Collider » (LHC). Les particules se déplacent à la vitesse de la lumière à travers un réseau de tunnels qui doivent répondre à des exigences élevées de service. L’infrastructure souterraine du CERN s’est étendue sur une période de 40 ans avec la construction de nouveaux tunnels, puits et cavernes. Le vieillissement des matériaux et la détérioration structurelles des ouvrages peuvent altérer les conditions de drainage autour des tunnels ce qui peut engendrer, à son tour, des déformations excessives et atteindre la limite de service des accélérateurs de particules. Un système de monitoring à distance avec des câbles en fibre optique a été mis en place dans certains tunnels afin d’étudier le comportement à long terme. Cet article présente les résultats de la compagne de monitoring et démontre une ovalisation des tunnels sur une période de trois ans

The endocanabinnoid system and diabetes - critical analyses of studies conducted with rimonabant

Rimonabant is the first CB1 receptor inhibitor available in the Brazilian market. This new drug has been approved for the treatment of obese or overweight patients associated with cardiovascular risk factors. In this article it is compared the effects of rimonabant treatment in obese patients with cardiovascular risk factors to usual obesity pharmacological treatment