Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease- correlation between shear wave elastography and nafld fibrosis score: a descriptive single centre study

Background: Due to the global burden of obesity and type 2 diabetes, prevalence of NAFLD is now increasing, becoming one of the most common cause of chronic liver disease and liver transplantation both for end-stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although traditionally liver biopsy is gold standard for diagnosis of NAFLD, majority of patients can be non-invasively diagnosed with various tools like scoring systems (NAFLD fibrosis score, BARD score), ultrasound and MR elastographic techniques. The primary objective of this study was to assess the liver stiffness measurement by shear wave elastography and assess correlation between LSM by SWE and NAFLD fibrosis score in NAFLD patients.Methods: This is a descriptive study comprising 75 patients with clinical suspicion of NAFLD, referred from Gastroenterology department from January 2020 to June 2021. All patients had undergone SWE, NAFLD fibrosis score calculated and results analyzed.Results: Among the 75 patients studied, applying low cut off value of NAFLD fibrosis score (below -1.455), the presence of advanced fibrosis was excluded and by applying the high cut off point (>0.676) majority of subjects had advanced fibrosis. The NAFLD fibrosis score was correlated with E median values of liver stiffness measurement using Pearson correlation test and showed a moderate positive correlation (p=0.0001, =0.685) between both the variables.Conclusions: Our study showed positive moderate correlation between NAFLD fibrosis score and LSM by 2D SWE. Multistep strategies using liver 2D SWE and NAFLD fibrosis score in combination can be used in the future to accurately diagnose or exclude the presence of advanced fibrosis in NAFLD patients

Implementasi CHSE Pada Kawasan Wisata di Kecamatan Bolaang Uki, Kabupaten Bolaang Mongondow Selatan: Implementation of CHSE in Tourist Areas in Bolaang Uki District, South Bolaang Mongondow Regency

Abstrak Penerapan protokol kesehatan pada kawasan wisata sangat diperlukan karena pada tahun 2020 dunia diguncang oleh penyebaran pandemi wabah virus COVID-19. Kecamatan Bolaang Uki menjadi salah satu kecamatan di Kabupaten Bolaang Mongondow Selatan yang ikut dalam penerapan protokol kesehatan CHSE (Cleanliness, Healty, Safety, Environment Sustainability) pada kawasan wisata. Tujuan dalam penelitian ini yaitu, mengidentifikasi kondisi eksisting obyek wisata terhadap pedoman pelaksanaan CHSE pada kawasan wisata di Kecamatan Bolaang Uki pada masa pandemi dan mengetahui kesesuaian implementasi CHSE terhadap pedoman pelaksanaan CHSE pada kawasan wisata di Kecamatan Bolaang Uki pada masa pandemi. Metode yang digunakan adalah metode deskriptif kuantitatif dengan dari data yang diperoleh melalui observasi langsung, kuesioner dan wawancara dan menggunakan teknik analisis skoring. Berdasarkan hasil kajian dan analisis dapat diketahui bahwa kesesuaian implementasi CHSE di Kecamatan Bolaang Uki adalah mendekati tidak sesuai untuk penerapan protokol kesehatan pada pada keempat obyek wisata yaitu ekowisata Mangrove Panango, wisata Pantai Sondana, wisata Pantai Tersakiti dan ekowisata Mangrove Dudepo. Kata kunci: Kawasan Wisata; COVID-19; CHSE. Abstract The implementation of health protocols in tourist areas is very necessary because in 2020 the world was shaken by the spread of the COVID-19 virus outbreak pandemic. Bolaang Uki Subdistrict is one of the sub-districts in South Bolaang Mongondow Regency that participates in the implementation of CHSE (Cleanliness, Healty, Safety, Environment Sustainability) health protocols in tourist areas. The purpose of this study is to identify the existing conditions of tourist objects against the guidelines for the implementation of CHSE in tourist areas in Bolaang Uki District during the pandemic and find out the suitability of CHSE implementation to the guidelines for implementing CHSE in tourist areas in Bolaang Uki District during the pandemic. The method used is a quantitative descriptive method with from data obtained through direct observation, questionnaires and interviews and using scoring analysis techniques. Based on the results of the study and analysis, it can be seen that the suitability of CHSE implementation in Bolaang Uki District is close to being inappropriate for the implementation of health protocols in the four tourist attractions, namely Panango Mangrove ecotourism, Sondana Beach tourism, Tersakiti Beach tourism and Dudepo Mangrove ecotourism. Keyword: Tourist Area; COVID-19; CHSE

Examining Why and for Whom Reflection Diversity Training Works

This research introduces a novel approach to diversity training by theoretically developing and empirically testing a model that considers a new training exercise aimed at improving proximal and distal pro-diversity outcomes. This new training exercise, reflection, is proposed to be effective at increasing pro-diversity attitudes and behaviors due to the promotion of one\u27s internal motivations to respond without prejudice. Further, we test a critical trainee characteristic, social dominance orientation (SDO), as a boundary condition of our proposed effects. Results from an online experiment with two time points indicate that reflection can be an effective diversity training exercise and leads to better pro-diversity attitudes and behaviors through one\u27s internal motivation to respond without prejudice. Social dominance orientation moderated these indirect effects, such that reflection was more effective for those high in SDO, counter to expectations. Implications of this research and future directions are discussed

Nano-porosity in GaSb induced by swift heavy ion irradiation

Nano-porous structures form in GaSb after ion irradiation with 185 MeV Au ions. The porous layer formation is governed by the dominant electronic energy loss at this energy regime. The porous layer morphology differs significantly from that previously reported for low-energy, ion-irradiated GaSb. Prior to the onset of porosity, positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy indicates the formation of small vacancy clusters in single ion impacts, while transmission electron microscopy reveals fragmentation of the GaSb into nanocrystallites embedded in an amorphous matrix. Following this fragmentation process, macroscopic porosity forms, presumably within the amorphous phase.The authors thank the Australian Research Council for support and the staff at the ANU Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility for their continued technical assistance. R.C.E. acknowledges the support from the Office of Basic Energy Sciences of the U.S. DOE (Grant No. DE-FG02-97ER45656)

How prior knowledge of LGB identities alters the effects of workplace disclosure

© 2017 Elsevier Inc. Decisions to reveal one\u27s sexual orientation are assumed to be a volitional choice. Prior research has shown, however, that people often learn about the lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) identities of others through indirect means, such as gossip and stereotypical cues (Ambady, Hallahan, & Conner, 1999; Colgan, Creegan, McKearney, & Wright, 2007). We conduct two studies to determine the effects of these forms of prior identity-related knowledge on disclosure outcomes. First, a pre-test of study assumptions demonstrates that recipients of minority sexual orientation disclosures often have prior knowledge of those identities. Second, a survey study examining the target\u27s perspective finds that LGB people often suspect when others have prior knowledge of their identities, and this expected prior knowledge moderates the relationship between identity-management and subsequent experiences of discrimination. Lastly, a lab experiment manipulating the level of prior identity-related knowledge establishes that this information directly influences interpersonal workplace outcomes of disclosures through perceptions of awkwardness but not through liking. Together, these studies demonstrate support for our model of prior identity-related knowledge and highlight the importance of examining both prior identity-related knowledge as well as identity management strategies in predicting LGB workplace experiences

Development and Validation of a Sensitive Entropy-Based Measure for the Water Maze

In the water maze, mice are trained to navigate to an escape platform located below the water's surface, and spatial learning is most commonly evaluated in a probe test in which the platform is removed from the pool. While contemporary tracking software provides precise positional information of mice for the duration of the probe test, existing performance measures (e.g., percent quadrant time, platform crossings) fail to exploit fully the richness of this positional data. Using the concept of entropy (H), here we develop a new measure that considers both how focused the search is and the degree to which searching is centered on the former platform location. To evaluate how H performs compared to existing measures of water maze performance we compiled five separate databases, containing more than 1600 mouse probe tests. Random selection of individual trials from respective databases then allowed us to simulate experiments with varying sample and effect sizes. Using this Monte Carlo-based method, we found that H outperformed existing measures in its ability to detect group differences over a range of sample or effect sizes. Additionally, we validated the new measure using three models of experimentally induced hippocampal dysfunction: (1) complete hippocampal lesions, (2) genetic deletion of αCaMKII, a gene implicated in hippocampal behavioral and synaptic plasticity, and (3) a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Together, these data indicate that H offers greater sensitivity than existing measures, most likely because it exploits the richness of the precise positional information of the mouse throughout the probe test

Accelerated brain aging as a biomarker for staging in bipolar disorder:An exploratory study

Background:Two established staging models outline the longitudinal progression in bipolar disorder (BD) based on episode recurrence or inter-episodic functioning. However, underlying neurobiological mechanisms and corresponding biomarkers remain unexplored. This study aimed to investigate if global and (sub)cortical brain structures, along with brain-predicted age difference (brain-PAD) reflect illness progression as conceptualized in these staging models, potentially identifying brain-PAD as a biomarker for BD staging. Methods:In total, 199 subjects with bipolar-I-disorder and 226 control subjects from the Dutch Bipolar Cohort with a high-quality T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scan were analyzed. Global and (sub)cortical brain measures and brain-PAD (the difference between biological and chronological age) were estimated. Associations between individual brain measures and the stages of both staging models were explored. Results:A higher brain-PAD (higher biological age than chronological age) correlated with an increased likelihood of being in a higher stage of the inter-episodic functioning model, but not in the model based on number of mood episodes. However, after correcting for the confounding factors lithium-use and comorbid anxiety, the association lost significance. Global and (sub)cortical brain measures showed no significant association with the stages. Conclusions:These results suggest that brain-PAD may be associated with illness progression as defined by impaired inter-episodic functioning. Nevertheless, the significance of this association changed after considering lithium-use and comorbid anxiety disorders. Further research is required to disentangle the intricate relationship between brain-PAD, illness stages, and lithium intake or anxiety disorders. This study provides a foundation for potentially using brain-PAD as a biomarker for illness progression.</p

The Association Between Exposure to COVID-19 and Mental Health Outcomes Among Healthcare Workers

Due to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care systems, there has been great interest in the mental wellbeing of healthcare workers. While most studies investigated mental health outcomes among frontline vs. non-frontline healthcare workers, little is known about the impact of various work-related variables. The present study aimed to examine the association between work-related [i.e., having contact with COVID-19 patients, being redeployed due to the pandemic and availability of sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE)] and subjective (i.e., worries about getting infected or infecting others) exposures and self-reported mental health outcomes (i.e., psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress symptoms). Between February and May 2021, 994 healthcare workers employed at a variety of healthcare settings in the Netherlands filled out an online survey as part of the COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) study. Mental health outcomes were measured using the General Health Questionnaire-12, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5. Approximately 13% reported depressive symptoms, 37% experienced psychological distress, and 20% reported posttraumatic stress symptoms. Multilevel linear models consisted of three levels: individual (work-related and subjective exposures), healthcare center (aggregated redeployment and availability of sufficient PPE), and regional (cumulative COVID-19 infection and death rates). Worries about infection were associated with all three mental health outcomes, whereas insufficient PPE was associated with psychological distress and depressive symptoms. There were no differences in outcomes between healthcare centers or provinces with different COVID-19 infection and death rates. Our findings highlight the importance of adequate PPE provision and the subjective experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. These factors should be part of interventions aimed at mitigating adverse mental health outcomes among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase knockdown leads to lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells through the SIRT1-AMPK pathway

Objective: Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), which is responsible for biosynthesis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), has a regulatory role in cellular metabolism and thus, might be implicated in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study aimed to show how NAMPT down-regulation in liver cells influences lipid metabolism and sirtiun 1 (SIRT1), as the main NAD-dependent deacetylase enzyme. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, HepG2 cells were transfected with NAMPT siRNA and hepatic triglyceride (TG) content and SIRT1 deacetylase activity were measured by colorimetric and fluorometric methods, respectively. Gene expression of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP- 1c) was evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Total protein level and the phosphorylated form of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) were also investigated by western blotting. Results: Knockdown of NAMPT significantly promoted the accumulation of TG in HepG2 cells, accompanied by a remarkable decline in SIRT1 deacetylase activity. A significant rise in the gene expression of two key lipogenic factors, FAS and SREBP-1c was also observed. These effects were also accompanied by decreased phosphorylation of ACC and AMPK. On the other hand, treatment of transfected cells with either NAD, as the SIRT1 substrate or resveratrol, as the SIRT1 activator reversed the outcomes. Conclusion: These results demonstrated a protective role for NAMPT against NAFLD and its involvement in the regulation of de novo lipogenesis through the SIRT1/AMPK pathway. © 2020 Royan Institute (ACECR). All rights reserved