An Evaluation of Prediction Equations for the 6 Minute Walk Test in Healthy European Adults Aged 50-85 Years

This study compared actual 6 minute walk test (6MWT) performance with predicted 6MWT using previously validated equations and then determined whether allometric modelling offers a sounder alternative to estimating 6MWT in adults aged 50-80 years.We compared actual 6MWT performance against predicted 6MWT in 125 adults aged 50-85 years (62 male, 63 female). In a second sample of 246 adults aged 50-85 years (74 male, 172 female), a new prediction equation for 6MWT performance was developed using allometric modelling. This equation was then cross validated using the same sample that the other prediction equations were compared with.Significant relationships were evident between 6MWT actual and 6MWT predicted using all of the commonly available prediction equations (all P<0.05 or better) with the exception of the Alameri et al prediction equation (P>0.05). A series of paired t-tests indicated significant differences between 6MWT actual and 6MWT predicted for all available prediction equations (all P<0.05 or better) with the exception of the Iwama et al equation (P = .540). The Iwama et al equation also had similar bias (79.8m) and a coefficient of variation of over 15%. Using sample 2, a log-linear model significantly predicted 6MWT from the log of body mass and height and age (P = 0.001, adjusted R2 = .526), predicting 52.6% of the variance in actual 6MWT. When this allometric equation was applied to the original sample, the relationship between 6MWT actual and 6MWT predicted was in excess of values reported for the other previously validated prediction equations (r = .706, P = 0.001). There was a significant difference between actual 6MWT and 6MWT predicted using this new equation (P = 0.001) but the bias, standard deviation of differences and coefficient of variation were all less than for the other equations.Where actual assessment of the 6MWT is not possible, the allometrically derived equation presented in the current study, offers a viable alternative which has been cross validated and has the least SD of differences and smallest coefficient of variation compared to any of the previously validated equations for the 6MWT

MINI FACTORY

The project focuses on designing and operating a mini factory using standard and customized Festo components. The project shows the integration of various components to create a flexible manufacturing system. The goal of this project is to build a small factory that can make customized products. The current product to be manufactured is a box containing a ring and a keychain with the Abu Dhabi Polytechnic logo. The mini factory consists of processing, handling, and pick-and-place stations. The purpose of the project is to improve and confirm students’ skills in the field of industrial automation and Industry 4.0 via the simulation and implementation of the production process, therefore, the project contributes to learning how products are designed and manufactured. The organizational goals of the project are lab equipment development, customization and upgrade for support of the mechatronics program and to build a demonstration solution for exhibitions and fairs with the feature to give visitors customized products with the organization logo which leads to the organization's promotion and recognition

Effects of honey and bee venom on human health

Throughout history, humans have always been exposed to numerous pathogenic and non-pathogenic threatening factors and have used various methods and agents to treat and control them, one of these methods is the use of honey and bee stings. Honey is a natural sweetener produced by bees from the nectar of flowers with the secretions of living parts of plants. Nowadays, honey and bee stings are used to remedy a wide range of diseases include allergies, blood, digestive, heart, lung, skin, etc. Databases were searched to obtain articles including “Google Scholar”, “ISI”, “Scopus”, “PubMed”, and “Science Direct”. Keywords used in this study included honey, bees and human health in their titles. The recent findings have shown that there is a complex combination of fifty different substances in bee venom, including protein, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, copper, folic acid, glucose, fructose, histamine and amino acids. Allergic reactions are involved. In general, bees and their stings can play a role in the treatment of disorders

Contamination of honey products by Clostridium botulinum spores and fungi along with their effects on human health

Bee products, such as honey, are widely consumed as food and medicine. Because of its sticky nature, honey does absorb bacterial spores from dust or bee activity, and their contamination may carry serious health hazards. Databases searched to obtain articles included “Google Scholar”, “SID”, “Scopus”, “PubMed”, “Science Direct”, and “ISI”. Keywords used in this study included Clostridium botulinum, Honey, bees, fungi in their titles. This study focused on published articles from 2016 to 2022. Result showed that this product may contain a great variety of bacteria and particularly, fungi that eventually entered the food chain at an early stage (e.g., via pollen). The ranges of samples with C. botulinum, yeast and mould infections were 0.5% - 68%, 15.78% - 100% and 17.22 - 100%, respectively. Overall, the amount of honey contaminated with Cl. botulinum spores, yeast, and molds in some of the samples that were evaluated was nil, however certain samples from the Lithuanian Kazakh, Turkey, and Brazil regions exhibited varying levels of contamination

High prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors amongst young adults in the United Arab Emirates: the UAE Healthy Future Study

BackgroundCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the world. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it accounts for 40% of mortality. CVD is caused by multiple cardiometabolic risk factors (CRFs) including obesity, dysglycemia, dyslipidemia, hypertension and central obesity. However, there are limited studies focusing on the CVD risk burden among young Emirati adults. This study investigates the burden of CRFs in a sample of young Emiratis, and estimates the distribution in relation to sociodemographic and behavioral determinants.MethodsData was used from the baseline data of the UAE Healthy Future Study volunteers. The study participants were aged 18 to 40 years. The study analysis was based on self-reported questionnaires, anthropometric and blood pressure measurements, as well as blood analysis.ResultsA total of 5167 participants were included in the analysis; 62% were males and the mean age of the sample was 25.7 years. The age-adjusted prevalence was 26.5% for obesity, 11.7% for dysglycemia, 62.7% for dyslipidemia, 22.4% for hypertension and 22.5% for central obesity. The CRFs were distributed differently when compared within social and behavioral groups. For example, obesity, dyslipidemia and central obesity in men were found higher among smokers than non-smokers (p \u3c 0.05). And among women with lower education, all CRFs were reported significantly higher than those with higher education, except for hypertension. Most CRFs were significantly higher among men and women with positive family history of common non-communicable diseases.ConclusionsCRFs are highly prevalent in the young Emirati adults of the UAE Healthy Future Study. The difference in CRF distribution among social and behavioral groups can be taken into account to target group-specific prevention measures

The interrelationship and accumulation of cardiometabolic risk factors amongst young adults in the United Arab Emirates: The UAE Healthy Future Study.

INTRODUCTION: Similar to other non-communicable diseases (NCDs), people who develop cardiovascular disease (CVD) typically have more than one risk factor. The clustering of cardiovascular risk factors begins in youth, early adulthood, and middle age. The presence of multiple risk factors simultaneously has been shown to increase the risk for atherosclerosis development in young and middle-aged adults and risk of CVD in middle age. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to address the interrelationship of CVD risk factors and their accumulation in a large sample of young adults in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). METHODS: Baseline data was drawn from the UAE Healthy Future Study (UAEHFS), a volunteer-based multicenter study that recruits Emirati nationals. Data of participants aged 18 to 40 years was used for cross-sectional analysis. Demographic and health information was collected through self-reported questionnaires. Anthropometric data and blood pressure were measured, and blood samples were collected. RESULTS: A total of 5126 participants were included in the analysis. Comorbidity analyses showed that dyslipidemia and obesity co-existed with other cardiometabolic risk factors (CRFs) more than 70% and 50% of the time, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of the risk factors with age and gender showed that all risk factors were highly associated with each other. The strongest relationship was found with obesity; it was associated with four-fold increase in the odds of having central obesity [adjusted OR 4.70 (95% CI (4.04-5.46)], and almost three-fold increase odds of having abnormal glycemic status [AOR 2.98 (95% (CI 2.49-3.55))], hypertension (AOR 3.03 (95% CI (2.61-3.52))] and dyslipidemia [AOR 2.71 (95% CI (2.32-3.15)]. Forty percent of the population accumulated more than 2 risk factors, and the burden increased with age. CONCLUSION: In this young population, cardiometabolic risk factors are highly prevalent and are associated with each other, therefore creating a heavy burden of risk factors. This forecasts an increase in the burden of CVD in the UAE. The robust longitudinal design of the UAEHFS will enable researchers to understand how risk factors cluster before disease develops. This knowledge will offer a novel approach to design group-specific preventive measures for CVD development

Marine turtles: a comprehensive review and an assessment of climate change-associated impacts in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Climate change threatens marine turtles that depend on beaches for nesting with temperature changes affecting embryonic development and sex determination. Sea level rise may destroy their nesting habitats, and warming temperatures may cause complete development failure and imbalanced sex ratios. It is critical, therefore, to understand the likely climate change impacts to ensure mitigation is undertaken. It is particularly useful to examine climate change impacts in areas already facing extreme environmental conditions. The northwestern Indian Ocean (NWIO) is a relatively understudied region regarding marine turtles. Key knowledge gaps helped shape the main aims of this thesis, and these are: 1. to understand the status of marine turtles in the NWIO region from published material and regional expert elicitation; 2. to analyze 20 years of available data on marine turtles in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 3. to investigate nest temperatures in Abu Dhabi to estimate primary sex ratios and the likely impact of global climate change on population dynamics and conservation, and; 4. to estimate the level of nest inundation that might result from forecast sea level rises associated with climate change. My key findings were that: 1. Significant research and conservation efforts have focused on marine turtles across the NWIO region. I identified major threats, knowledge gaps, impediments to practical conservation, and strengths and opportunities towards creating a knowledge base for future research. 6 2. The long-term marine turtle conservation plan in Abu Dhabi Emirate covers nesting ecology, foraging, mortality investigations, and rehabilitation initiatives. The mean estimate of hawksbill turtle clutches per year was 220 while the foraging population of all species and all sizes found in the emirate is 5,550–7,488 individuals. The majority of mortality was due to drowning in abandoned nets. Further research, including additional in-water foraging studies, population structure, and comprehensive nesting trends, is vital. 3. Primary sex ratios of hawksbill hatchlings are prone to be highly female-biased (> 80 % female), and only nests in the first three weeks of the breeding season were likely to have produced male hatchlings. 4. Beaches at major nesting islands will be profoundly affected by inundation due to sea level rise, however, the core nesting areas will remain as potential nesting sites. I propose additional management approaches under each aspect and a detailed list of research priorities for Abu Dhab