The effect of information framing and motivation on health mobile applications

Obesity is a global public health crisis, with mobile health interventions emerging as promising tools for promoting healthy eating habits and supporting fat loss efforts. This study compared the effectiveness of two mobile applications, HealthDiet and Yuka, in promoting healthy food choices and facilitating body fat loss over a six-week period. HealthDiet utilized activity-based calorie framing, presenting users with the physical activities required to burn the calories of scanned food items. In contrast, Yuka provided traditional calorie information and healthier food alternatives.Sixteen participants were randomly assigned to use either HealthDiet or Yuka for six weeks. Body fat percentage measurements and surveys were conducted at baseline, two weeks, and six weeks. A repeated measures ANOVA analyzed the effects of app type and time on body fat percentage. While there was no significant main effect of app type on body fat percentage, a significant interaction was observed between time and app type. Post hoc analyses using Tukey’s HSD test revealed a significant reduction in body fat percentage from baseline to 6 weeks among HealthDiet users (p ¡ 0.05, mean difference = 6.247). A significant difference was also found between HealthDiet users at two weeks and six weeks (p ¡ 0.05, mean difference = 4.997). No other pairwise comparisons reached statistical significance. The findings partially support the effectiveness of activity-based calorie framing in promoting fat loss and healthier food choices compared to traditional calorie tracking. The study highlights the potential benefits of this novel approach in enhancing motivation, self-monitoring, and decision-making processes related to dietary intake, ultimately supporting fat loss efforts. However, the study’s limitations, including the small sample size, underscore the need for further research to replicate and extend these findings. The practical implications suggest that activity-based calorie framing may be a valuable tool for individuals, healthcare professionals, and public health initiatives to promote healthier eating habits and reduce obesity rates

The effect of 980 nm and 1480 nm pumping on the performance of newly Hafnium Bismuth Erbium-doped fiber amplifier

An experimental study on the comparison of optical amplifying performance between 980 nm and 1480 nm pumping for the newly Hafnium Bismuth Erbium co-doped fiber (HB-DF) has been presented. A short length of 1-meter HB-EDF was used as the gain medium of the optical amplifier. 1480 nm pumping is found to provide higher attainable gain and lower noise figure compared to 980 nm pumping. At 1480 nm pumping, the average small signal gain for HB-EDFA in the single pass configuration has improved by 13.4 dB in the C-band region range from 1525 nm to 1565 nm. In the double-pass configuration, a maximum small signal gain of 36.6 dB was achieved at the wavelength of 1560 nm, this is 11.6 dB higher compared to the HB-EDFA with 980 nm pumping. The double pass HB-EDFA with 1480 nm pumping has exhibited a reduction of average noise figure by 23.4% and 29.8% for-30 dBm and-10 dBm of input signal power respectively in the C- and L-band region

Management of Canadian Pediatric Patients With Glomerular Diseases During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Recommendations From the Canadian Association of Pediatric Nephrologists COVID-19 Rapid Response Team

Purpose: The goal of these recommendations is to provide guidance on the optimal care of children with glomerular diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients with glomerular diseases are known to be more susceptible to infection. Risk factors include decreased vaccine uptake, urinary loss of immunoglobulins, and treatment with immunosuppressive medications. The Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN) recently published guidelines on the care of adult glomerulonephritis patients. This guideline aims to expand and adapt those recommendations for programs caring for children with glomerular diseases. Sources of information: We used the CSN COVID-19 Rapid Response Team adult glomerulonephritis recommendations, published in the Canadian Journal of Kidney Health and Disease, as the foundation for our guidelines. We reviewed documents published by nephrology and non-nephrology societies and health care agencies focused on kidney disease and immunocompromised populations. Finally, we conducted a formal literature review of publications relevant to pediatric and adult glomerular disease, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, and immunosuppression in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The leadership of the Canadian Association of Pediatric Nephrologists (CAPN), which is affiliated with the CSN, identified a team of clinicians and researchers with expertise in pediatric glomerular diseases. The aim was to adapt Canadian adult glomerulonephritis guidelines to make them applicable to children and discuss pediatric-specific considerations. The updated guidelines were peer-reviewed by senior clinicians with expertise in the care of childhood glomerular diseases. Key findings: We identified a number of key areas of glomerular disease care likely to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including (1) clinic visit scheduling, (2) visit types, (3) provision of multidisciplinary care, (4) blood work and imaging, (5) home monitoring, (6) immunosuppression, (7) other medications, (8) immunizations, (9) management of children with suspected COVID-19, (10) renal biopsy, (11) patient education and support, and (12) school and child care. Limitations: There are minimal data regarding the characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 in adult or pediatric glomerular disease patients, as well as the efficacy of strategies to prevent infection transmission within these populations. Therefore, the majority of these recommendations are based on expert opinion and consensus guidance. To expedite the publication of these guidelines, an internal peer-review process was conducted, which may not have been as rigorous as formal journal peer-review. Implications: These guidelines are intended to promote optimal care delivery for children with existing or newly diagnosed glomerular diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic. The implications of modified care delivery, altered immunosuppression strategies, and limited access to existing resources remain uncertain. </jats:sec

Efficacy and Safety of Tofacitinib in Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Patients: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Ulcerative colitis (UC), an inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), is a chronic illness of unknown mechanism affecting the colonic mucosa, mainly causing diarrhea and bleeding. It can potentially disrupt the quality of life. Tofacitinib, a Janus Kinase inhibitor, showed a promising effect in inducing remission in IBD patients. In this study, we aim to assess the efficacy and safety of Tofacitinib in treating children with ulcerative colitis. Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA), we searched four electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science) to identify eligible studies reported up to July 2024. We reported outcomes as frequencies and proportions in our study. Results: We identified five studies encompassing 83 children diagnosed with IBD, of which 57 children had ulcerative colitis. The proportion of patients achieving a clinical response across one included study was 66.67%. The proportion of patients achieving clinical remission was 38.46%. Also, the proportion of patients achieving steroid-free remission across the three studies was 48.57%. The rate for serious adverse events was 25.53% across the three included studies. Conclusion: Tofacitinib could be useful in achieving clinical remission in children with UC and reducing colectomy rates. Also, a low infection rate and the incidence of serious adverse events were observed. Future randomized controlled trials with larger samples and longer follow-up periods are needed to support these findings

Canadian Association of Paediatric Nephrologists COVID-19 Rapid Response: Guidelines for Management of Acute Kidney Injury in Children

Purpose: This article provides guidance on managing acute kidney injury (AKI) and kidney replacement therapy (KRT) in pediatrics during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Canadian context. It is adapted from recently published rapid guidelines on the management of AKI and KRT in adults, from the Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN). The goal is to provide the best possible care for pediatric patients with kidney disease during the pandemic and ensure the health care team’s safety. Information sources: The Canadian Association of Paediatric Nephrologists (CAPN) COVID-19 Rapid Response team derived these rapid guidelines from the CSN consensus recommendations for adult patients with AKI. We have also consulted specific documents from other national and international agencies focused on pediatric kidney health. We identified additional information by reviewing the published academic literature relevant to pediatric AKI and KRT, including recent journal articles and preprints related to COVID-19 in children. Finally, our group also sought expert opinions from pediatric nephrologists across Canada. Methods: The leadership of the CAPN, which is affiliated with the CSN, solicited a team of clinicians and researchers with expertise in pediatric AKI and acute KRT. The goal was to adapt the guidelines recently adopted for Canadian adult patients for pediatric-specific settings. These included specific COVID-19-related themes relevant to AKI and KRT in a Canadian setting, as determined by a group of kidney disease experts and leaders. An expert group of clinicians in pediatric AKI and acute KRT reviewed the revised pediatric guidelines. Key findings: (1) Current Canadian data do not suggest an imminent threat of an increase in acute KRT needs in children because of COVID-19; however, close coordination between nephrology programs and critical care programs is crucial as the pandemic continues to evolve. (2) Pediatric centers should prepare to reallocate resources to adult centers as needed based on broader health care needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. (3) Specific suggestions pertinent to the optimal management of AKI and KRT in COVID-19 patients are provided. These suggestions include but are not limited to aspects of fluid management, KRT vascular access, and KRT modality choice. (4) Considerations to ensure adequate provision of KRT if resources become scarce during the COVID-19 pandemic. Limitations: We did not conduct a formal systematic review or meta-analysis. We did not evaluate our specific suggestions in the clinical environment. The local context, including how the provision of care for AKI and acute KRT is organized, may impede the implementation of many suggestions. As knowledge is advancing rapidly in the area of COVID-19, suggestions may become outdated quickly. Finally, most of the literature for AKI and KRT in COVID-19 comes from adult data, and there are few pediatric-specific studies. Implications: Given that most acute KRT related to COVID-19 is likely to be required in the pediatric intensive care unit initial setting, close collaboration and planning between critical care and pediatric nephrology programs are needed. Our group will update these suggestions with a supplement if necessary as newer evidence becomes available that may change or add to the recommendations provided. </jats:sec

Wideband and flat gain series erbium doped fiber amplifier using hybrid active fiber with backward pumping distribution technique

A modern wideband and flat gain erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) is suggested and accomplished, by employing a recently fabricated hafnia-bismuth-erbium doped fiber (HB-EDF) and zirconia-erbium doped fiber (Zr-EDF) as a hybrid active fiber. The performance of the proposed EDFA is examined in both forward and backward pumping schemes, using 0.5m long HB-EDF and 4m long Zr-EDF in series structure to fulfill a wideband amplification that cover C- and L-telecommunication bands, respectively. At the optimumlaser diodes powers, the backward pumping amplifier attained a gain flatness of 14.6dB with the maximum gain variation of±1.8dB, throughout a wide bandwidth of 70nm, that is from 1530nm to 1600nm. The noise figure fluctuates from 4.3dB to 7.9dB within the gain flatness band. Using the backward pumping distribution technique, the proposed amplifier demonstrates not only an efficient performance, but also a cost reduction since only one laser diode is utilized to pump two stages

High‐throughput sequencing approach in analysis of microbial communities colonizing natural gas pipelines

This study provides a deep modern insight into the phylogenetic diversity among bacterial consortia found in working and nonworking high‐methane natural gas pipelines located in Poland. The working pipeline was characterized by lower biodiversity (140–154 bacterial genera from 22 to 23 classes, depending on the source of the debris) in comparison to the off‐gas pipeline (169 bacterial genera from 23 classes). The sediment recovered from the working pipeline contained mostly DNA identified as belonging to the phylum Firmicutes (66.4%–45.9% operational taxonomic units [OTUs]), predominantly Bacillus (41.4%–31.1% OTUs) followed by Lysinibacillus (2.6%–1.5% OTUs) and Clostridium (2.4%–1.8% OTUs). In the nonworking pipeline, Proteobacteria (46.8% OTUs) and Cyanobacteria (27.8% OTUs) were dominant. Over 30% of the Proteobacteria sequences showed homologies to Gammaproteobacteria, with Pseudomonas (7.1%), Enhydrobacter (2.1%), Stenotrophomonas (0.5%), and Haempohilus (0.4%) among the others. Differences were noted in terms of the chemical compositions of deposits originating from the working and nonworking gas pipelines. The deposits from the nonworking gas pipeline contained iron, as well as carbon (42.58%), sulphur (15.27%), and oxygen (15.32%). This composition can be linked to both the quantity and type of the resident microorganisms. The presence of a considerable amount of silicon (17.42%), and of aluminum, potassium, calcium, and magnesium at detectable levels, may likewise affect the metabolic activity of the resident consortia in the working gas pipeline. All the analyzed sediments included both bacteria known for causing and intensifying corrosion (e.g., Pseudomonas, Desulfovibrio, Shewanella, Serratia) and bacteria that can protect the surface of pipelines against deterioration (e.g., Bacillus). Biocorrosion is not related to a single mechanism or one species of microorganism, but results from the multidirectional activity of multiple microbial communities. The analysis presented here of the state of the microbiome in a gas pipeline during the real gas transport is a particularly valuable element of this work

System biology approach to identify the novel biomarkers in glioblastoma multiforme tumors by using computational analysis

Introduction: The most common primary brain tumor in adults is glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), accounting for 45.2% of all cases. The characteristics of GBM, a highly aggressive brain tumor, include rapid cell division and a propensity for necrosis. Regretfully, the prognosis is extremely poor, with only 5.5% of patients surviving after diagnosis.Methodology: To eradicate these kinds of complicated diseases, significant focus is placed on developing more effective drugs and pinpointing precise pharmacological targets. Finding appropriate biomarkers for drug discovery entails considering a variety of factors, including illness states, gene expression levels, and interactions between proteins. Using statistical techniques like p-values and false discovery rates, we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) as the first step in our research for identifying promising biomarkers in GBM. Of the 132 genes, 13 showed upregulation, and only 29 showed unique downregulation. No statistically significant changes in the expression of the remaining genes were observed.Results: Matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9) had the greatest degree in the hub biomarker gene identification, followed by (periostin (POSTN) at 11 and Hes family BHLH transcription factor 5 (HES5) at 9. The significance of the identification of each hub biomarker gene in the initiation and advancement of glioblastoma multiforme was brought to light by the survival analysis. Many of these genes participate in signaling networks and function in extracellular areas, as demonstrated by the enrichment analysis.We also identified the transcription factors and kinases that control proteins in the proteinprotein interactions (PPIs) of the DEGs.Discussion: We discovered drugs connected to every hub biomarker. It is an appealing therapeutic target for inhibiting MMP9 involved in GBM. Molecular docking investigations indicated that the chosen complexes (carmustine, lomustine, marimastat, and temozolomide) had high binding affinities of −6.3, −7.4, −7.7, and −8.7 kcal/mol, respectively, the mean root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) value for the carmustine complex and marimastat complex was 4.2 Å and 4.9 Å, respectively, and the lomustine and temozolomide complex system showed an average RMSD of 1.2 Å and 1.6 Å, respectively. Additionally, high stability in root-mean-square fluctuation (RMSF) analysis was observed with no structural conformational changes among the atomic molecules. Thus, these in silico investigations develop a new way for experimentalists to target lethal diseases in future

Effectiveness of Educational and Vaccination Interventions in Preventing Monkeypox: Case of Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)

Preventing the spread of Monkeypox in endemic countries in low-resource settings is important to address the prevalence of this disease and avoid outbreaks in other regions, mostly in the Central African countries and Northern Europe. The concepts covered in this area are educational and vaccination interventions to prevent Monkeypox transmission as a vital public health priority. The aim of this dissertation is to review evidence about the effectiveness of educational and vaccination interventions in low- and-middle-income countries (LMICs) and to examine factors affecting successful implementation of these interventions. A critical review of current literature enabled to evaluate the preventative interventions and factors affecting their implementation to address Monkeypox incidence. The range of evidence included comprised nine studies, eight of which provided evidence from LMICs, while one study was from a high-resource economy, namely the United States. This paper on a high-resource setting was included to assist in establishing factors that have enabled the effective implementation of an intervention in this context to promote public health and suggest ways in which low-income settings could manage implementation challenges. LMICs have differing abilities to handle the factors that affect the successful implementation of intervention efforts. The educational intervention activities increase the ability to identify and address suspected and confirmed Monkeypox cases, while vaccination intervention approaches reduce vulnerability to Monkeypox virus exposure among community members and health care workers. A major finding revealed is that vaccination interventions increased the safety levels among the health care workers infected by Monkeypox virus over a period of four years, with an incidence of 17.4 cases per 10,000 people compared to a range of 0.6-1.8% by year. Corrective and concentrated intervention efforts by the government, health workers, and community members through relaying information and providing follow-up programs is an opportunity to cushion against vulnerability to Monkeypox in low-and-middle-income countries

Repurposing the oncolytic virus VSV∆51M as a COVID-19 vaccine

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic imposes an urgent and continued need for the development of safe and cost-effective vaccines to induce preventive responses for limiting major outbreaks around the world. To combat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), we repurposed the VSV∆51M oncolytic virus platform to express the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) antigen. In this study, we report the development and characterization of the VSV∆51M-RBD vaccine. Our findings demonstrate successful expression of the RBD gene by the VSV∆51M-RBD virus, inducing anti-RBD responses without attenuating the virus. Moreover, the VSV∆51M-RBD vaccine exhibited safety, immunogenicity, and the potential to serve as a safe and effective alternative or complementary platform to current COVID-19 vaccines