Embodied Medicine: Integrating Dance/Movement Therapy into Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) is a field of medicine that addresses a variety of disorders impacting the brain, spinal cord, muscles, and bones. When approaching patient care, the goals of dance/movement therapists are similar to those of physiatrists, because both strive for a holistic approach to treatment that considers more than just physical ailments. Adding dance/movement therapy sessions in parallel with PM&R services would enhance the overall patient experience and quality of life. Previous studies that explore the use of dance/movement therapy with various neurodegenerative diseases, neuromuscular diseases, and sustained injuries are reviewed for potential application in PM&R settings. The benefits of dance/movement therapy for patient autonomy and body image are discussed, along with the inclusion of music and rhythm for emotional expression. This includes the delineation of prospective dance/movement therapy interventions and techniques for treating neurodegenerative diseases, neuromuscular diseases and sustained injuries in parallel with PM&R treatment. Future research should explore the quantitative impacts of dance/movement therapy on rehabilitation outcome measures, as well as the qualitative impacts of dance/movement therapy on patients’ mental and emotional welfare while undergoing PM&R treatment. The tailored integration of emotional, social, and cognitive therapeutic interventions directly alongside physical rehabilitation supports the healing process from multiple angles, which can promote better patient outcomes and satisfaction. Overall, physiatry and dance/movement therapy have separately helped so many people but developing a synergy between these fields has the potential to transform rehabilitative medicine

Enumerating Stable Nanopores in Graphene and their Geometrical Properties Using the Combinatorics of Hexagonal Lattices

Nanopores in two-dimensional (2D) materials, including graphene, can be used for a variety of applications, such as gas separations, water desalination, and DNA sequencing. So far, however, all plausible isomeric shapes of graphene nanopores have not been enumerated. Instead, a probabilistic approach has been followed to predict nanopore shapes in 2D materials, due to the exponential increase in the number of nanopores as the size of the vacancy increases. For example, there are 12 possible isomers when N=6 atoms are removed, a number that theoretically increases to 11.7 million when N=20 atoms are removed from the graphene lattice. The development of a smaller, exhaustive dataset of stable nanopore shapes can help future experimental and theoretical studies focused on using nanoporous 2D materials in various applications. In this work, we use the theory of 2D triangular "lattice animals" to create a library of all stable graphene nanopore shapes based on a modification of a well-known algorithm in the mathematical combinatorics of polyforms known as Redelmeier's algorithm. We show that there exists a correspondence between graphene nanopores and triangular polyforms (called polyiamonds) as well as hexagonal polyforms (called polyhexes). We develop the concept of a polyiamond ID to identify unique nanopore isomers. We also use concepts from polyiamond and polyhex geometry to eliminate unstable nanopores containing dangling atoms, bonds, and moieties. The exclusion of such unstable nanopores leads to a remarkable reduction in the possible nanopores from 11.7 million for N=20 to only 0.184 million nanopores, thereby indicating that the number of stable nanopores is almost two orders of magnitude lower and is much more tractable. Not only that, by extracting the polyhex outline, our algorithm allows searching for nanopores with dimensions and shape factors in a specified range.Comment: 27 pages and 12 figures in the main text, 6 pages and 5 figures in the supporting informatio

Thermally Comfortable Affordable Housing: A Study on Residential Building Code In India

On an average, India has more than 3000 Cooling Degree Days (CDD). The multifamily public housing being constructed under India’s Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY) is aimed at providing formal housing to the society’s Economic Weaker Section (EWS). It is essential that this housing delivers thermally comfortable in-doors to the occupants. This study mapped the design and construction practices followed under PMAY Urban (PMAY-U) against India’s Residential Energy Building Code, Eco Niwas Samhita (ENS). The metric prescribed in ENS is Residential Envelope Transmittance Value (RETV). For 80 PMAY-U projects, information related to spatial design, and walling assemblies was collated. 30 projects were short-listed for detailed analysis. The RETV for selected projects was calculated. The analysis demonstrated that walling assemblies and technologies having a lower thermal transmittance value (U-value) resulted in meeting the ENS prescribed RETV numbers, hence, code compliance. The study further extended to assess the energy performance of the housing unit by exploring the change in walling assemblies. The change in thermally comfortable hours were reported in the range of 4145 and 6034, and Energy Performance Index (EPI) of the dwelling units were reported between 64 and 68 kWh/m2/year for the various walling assemblies

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 IRAN POLICY DECISION-MAKING OF THE UNITED STATES DURING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION: A POLIHEURISTIC ANALYSIS

Abstract This thesis deals with one of the most intriguing political and security issues of this decade, namely the Iran policy decision-making of the United States during the Obama administration, specifically from January 2009 to July 2014. The primary objective of this thesis is to address two questions: (1) why did the Obama administration choose to pursue the specific policy instruments of sanctions, sabotage and diplomacy, when dealing with Iran? (2) What were the variables considered by the decision-makers, when making the Iran policy decisions of the United States? (2.a) How, if at all, did the make-up of those variables change over time? (2.b) How, if at all, did the relative significance of variables change between different decision-making episodes? By drawing upon the theoretical framework of poliheuristic theory, this thesis provides a nuanced analysis of the Iran policy decision-making of the United States, by discussing three in-depth case studies dealing with three different Iran policy decisions. This thesis argues that, the United States had very few policy options when dealing with Iran. Even so, until Hassan Rouhani was elected as the President of Iran, the United States had made no commitment to pursue diplomacy with Iran to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue, because the Obama administration was more concerned with fighting domestic political battles, and appeasing America's international allies. However, since the election of President Rouhani, the Obama administration gave diplomacy a chance, by resisting pressure from domestic opponents and international allies who tried to derail diplomacy, because during this period the Obama administration had to deal with the security crisis in the Middle East, and cooperation with Iran was essential to cope with the turmoil in the region. These findings have profound implications for poliheuristic theory, because it reinforces the claim that decision-makers are not primarily concerned with utility maximisation on the same topic as the decision. By providing a better understanding of the Iran policy making of the United States, this thesis contributes to the literature on US foreign policy, as well as Ph theory, through the use of important and interesting case studies

Synthesis and characterization of magnetic imprinted polymer for selective extraction of cephalexin from food matrices

431-436Magnetic imprinted polymer having selectivity for cephalexin has been synthesized and evaluated for extraction of the antibiotic from selected food matrix. Fe3O4 magnetite has been prepared by co-precipitation of FeCl2.4H2O and FeCl3.6H2O in 1:2 molar ratios. Imprinted polymer has been synthesized by polymerization of methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in the presence of cephalexin over the surface of Fe3O4 magnetite. Selectivity of imprinted polymer over non-imprinted polymer is determined under different solvent conditions. Selectivity in both methanol and acetonitrile is found to be  > 35. Selectivity is pH  dependent in aqueous buffer solution and is in range of 2.33 to 21.3, maximum being at pH 5.0. Electrostatic interaction between amino group of cephalexin and carboxylic group in polymer appears to be main force contributing to selectivity of imprinted polymer. Cephalexin imprinted magnetic polymer extracted 80, 88, 63 and 78% cephalexin from water, milk, honey and egg white, respectively

Synthesis and characterization of magnetic imprinted polymer for selective extraction of cephalexin from food matrices

Magnetic imprinted polymer having selectivity for cephalexin has been synthesized and evaluated for extraction of the antibiotic from selected food matrix. Fe3O4 magnetite has been prepared by co-precipitation of FeCl2.4H2O and FeCl3.6H2O in 1:2 molar ratios. Imprinted polymer has been synthesized by polymerization of methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in the presence of cephalexin over the surface of Fe3O4 magnetite. Selectivity of imprinted polymer over non-imprinted polymer is determined under different solvent conditions. Selectivity in both methanol and acetonitrile is found to be  > 35. Selectivity is pH  dependent in aqueous buffer solution and is in range of 2.33 to 21.3, maximum being at pH 5.0. Electrostatic interaction between amino group of cephalexin and carboxylic group in polymer appears to be main force contributing to selectivity of imprinted polymer. Cephalexin imprinted magnetic polymer extracted 80, 88, 63 and 78% cephalexin from water, milk, honey and egg white, respectively

Pediatric hematological malignancy: Identification of issues involved in the road to diagnosis

Introduction: Childhood malignancy, although a rare phenomenon, is still the leading cause of mortality in the pediatric population. Early diagnosis and treatment are imperative for the achievement of optimal prognosis. The study of factors facilitating the delay in diagnosis is thus of utmost importance, to both shorten the diagnostic delay and allow for early therapeutic intervention, facilitating a higher prognosis. Objective: To assess the referral pattern and the identification of potential delays in the diagnosis of childhood malignancy in a developing country. Methodology: The study was conducted in the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology department of Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai, India. The study included randomly selected 70 pediatric patients diagnosed with a hematological malignancy, from July 2012-August 2013. The parents were interviewed using a prepared questionnaire about patient symptomatology, interaction with healthcare providers, final diagnosis, and referral details. Data were statistically analyzed using Statistica® (STATsoft). Results: 70 patients were included in the study (69% boys, 31% girls). The diagnostic delay was primarily due to the delay experienced in the healthcare system, with a mean delay of 26 days (Median: 18; Range: 5-39). Those from a lower socioeconomic background and whom opted for a non-allopathic treatment approach experienced higher diagnostic delays. Diagnostic time was significantly shorter for those who visited a pediatrician versus the patients who visited a general physician or super specialties (P = 0.043). Conclusions: Diagnostic delay is often associated with an extensive disease presentation, an aggressive therapeutic approach, and has a negative impact on patient prognosis. To lower mortality rate and facilitate a favourable prognosis, diagnosis requires a high degree of clinical suspicion and immediate intervention

Arginine methylation augments Sbp1 function in translation repression and decapping

The fate of messenger RNA in cytoplasm plays a crucial role in various cellular processes. However, the mechanisms that decide whether mRNA will be translated, degraded or stored remain unclear. Single stranded nucleic acid binding protein (Sbp1), an Arginine-Glycine-Glycine (RGG-motif) protein, is known to promote transition of mRNA into a repressed state by binding eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4G1 (eIF4G1) and to promote mRNA decapping, perhaps by modulation of Dcp1/2 activity. Sbp1 is known to be methylated on arginine residues in RGG-motif; however, the functional relevance of this modification in vivo remains unknown. Here, we report that Sbp1 is arginine-methylated in an hnRNP methyl transferase (Hmt1)-dependent manner and that methylation is enhanced upon glucose deprivation. Characterization of an arginine-methylation-defective (AMD) mutant provided evidence that methylation affects Sbp1 function in vivo. The AMD mutant is compromised in causing growth defect upon overexpression, and the mutant is defective in both localizing to and inducing granule formation. Importantly, the Sbp1-eIF4G1 interaction is compromised both for the AMD mutant and in the absence of Hmt1. Upon overexpression, wild-type Sbp1 increases localization of another RGG motif containing protein, Scd6 (suppressor of clathrin deficiency) to granules; however, this property of Sbp1 is compromised in the AMD mutant and in the absence of Hmt1, indicating that Sbp1 repression activity could involve other RGG-motif translation repressors. Additionally, the AMD mutant fails to increase localization of the decapping activator DEAD box helicase homolog to foci and fails to rescue the decapping defect of a dcp1-2 Delta ski8 strain, highlighting the role of Sbp1 methylation in decapping. Taken together, these results suggest that arginine methylation modulates Sbp1 role in mRNA fate determination