Browse Articles

Increased sagittal abdominal diameter is associated with a higher risk of kidney stones

Background This study investigates the relationship between sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD), a measure of abdominal obesity, and kidney stone disease (KSD) in the U.S. population. Additionally, it explores potential underlying mechanisms and evaluates the clinical utility of a predictive model. Methods Data were collected from 11,671 participants, including 1,136 cases of KSD. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, dose-response curves, and mediation effect assessments were employed to examine the association between SAD and KSD. A predictive model was developed and validated using calibration curves, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and clinical decision curves. Additionally, hematological indicators were analyzed to identify potential mediating factors. Results SAD showed a strong and positive association with KSD, even after adjusting for confounders such as gender, age, and education. The predictive model demonstrated moderate accuracy (AUC =  0.661) and clinical utility. Hematological analyses indicated that granulocyte count (GRAN) significantly mediated the relationship between SAD and KSD (P <  0.001). Conclusions SAD is a significant risk factor for KSD, underscoring the role of abdominal obesity in kidney stone formation. The predictive model demonstrates potential clinical applications for early risk assessment and management of KSD.

Morphological diversity variation of seed traits among 587 germplasm resources of Medicago Genus and 32 germplasm resources of Trigonella Genus

Mechanical force-induced interlayer sliding in interfacial ferroelectrics

Level of tuberculosis-related stigma and associated factors in Ugandan communities

Tuberculosis (TB) stigma remains a significant barrier to TB control efforts globally, especially in countries with a high TB burden. Studies about TB stigma done in Uganda so far have been limited in scope and focused on data collected health facilities. In this study we report TB related stigma at community level for the period 2021/2022. We used the 2021/22 Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) data from a sample of 33,349 participants across 77 districts, to measure TB stigma determine factors associated. We included demographic characteristics, knowledge and participant perspectives as our study variables. Univariable and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with TB stigma. TB stigma was assessed as a categorical variable (below or above the median) due to the skewness of the data when fitting the scores. The data set had equal proportions of males and females. The largest age group was 20–29 years old (38.47%). Most participants were married (62.94%) and had primary level education (65.80%). The TB stigma scores were assigned on a scale from 0 to 30, with an average score of 21.67 (±8.22) and a median score of 24 (19–28). Overall, 45.48% of participants had TB stigma scores above the median. Variations in TB stigma levels were observed across different districts. Factors associated with higher TB stigma included older age, higher education levels, urban residence, and TB knowledge. To reduce TB stigma and misinformation that can make an impact on TB response, community interventions should balance increasing awareness with minimizing fear. These interventions should be well-rounded and context-specific to address disparities within communities and bolster TB control efforts in the country.

Genotype-phenotype correlations for 17 Chinese families with inherited retinal dystrophies due to homozygous variants

In-situ profiling of glycosylation on single cells with surface plasmon resonance imaging

Prediction of microvascular obstruction from angio-based microvascular resistance and available clinical data in percutaneous coronary intervention: an explainable machine learning model

Gene drive-based population suppression in the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi

Investigation of the osteogenic effects of ICA and ICSII on rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Carbon-carbon triple bond cleavage and reconstitution to achieve aryl amidation using nitrous acid esters

Salutary impact of spontaneous oxidation in CH3NH3SnI3 on CZTS-based solar cell

Diet-derived urolithin A is produced by a dehydroxylase encoded by human gut Enterocloster species

Analysis of geological characteristics and potential factors of formation damage in coalbed methane reservoir in Northern Qinshui basin

Correction: SARS-CoV-2 reinfections during the first three major COVID-19 waves in Bulgaria

Bearing characteristics and continuous–discontinuous numerical analysis of a pressure grouting pile in a calcareous sand foundation

The global convergence of some self-scaling conjugate gradient methods for monotone nonlinear equations with application to 3DOF arm robot model

Conjugate Gradient (CG) methods are widely used for solving large-scale nonlinear systems of equations arising in various real-life applications due to their efficiency in employing vector operations. However, the global convergence analysis of CG methods remains a significant challenge. In response, this study proposes scaled versions of CG parameters based on the renowned Barzilai-Borwein approach for solving convex-constrained monotone nonlinear equations. The proposed algorithms enforce a sufficient descent property independent of the accuracy of the line search procedure and ensure global convergence under appropriate assumptions. Numerical experiments demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed methods in solving large-scale nonlinear systems, including their applicability to accurately solving the inverse kinematic problem of a 3DOF robotic manipulator, where the objective is to minimize the error in achieving a desired trajectory configuration.

Segmental analysis of human hair reveals intra-annual variation in 25(OH)D3 concentrations in modern and archaeological individuals

Abstract Vitamin D is essential for healthy skeletal growth and is increasingly recognised for its role in chronic disease development, inflammation and immunity. 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) concentrations are an indicator of vitamin D status and are normally analysed in plasma or serum samples in clinical settings, while archaeological studies rely on the identification of skeletal markers of vitamin D deficiency, such as rickets. Here, we determined 25(OH)D3 concentrations in hair specimens (‘locks’) that had been sampled close to the root, aligned by cut end, and sliced into sequential segments from participants (n = 16), from Aberdeen, Scotland, using a modified protocol designed to minimise sample size. Concentrations were above detectable levels in 14 of 16 individuals, generating a (~ monthly) time-series of 25(OH)D3 concentrations, with fluctuating intra-hair trends consistent with the bioaccumulation of 25(OH)D3. In three participants, fluctuations in intra-hair 25(OH)D3 appear linked to recent significant weight loss, potentially due to the release of stored 25(OH)D3 from adipose tissue and subsequent uptake in hair. For the remaining participants, no statistically-significant correlations were determined between mean hair 25(OH)D3 levels and self-reported data, including age, sex, BMI, vitamin D supplementation, frequency of oily fish consumption, and hours spent outside. For a subset of our cohort (n = 4) isotope analysis highlighted potential relationships between elevated δ 18O values (which can indicate season of hair growth) and 25(OH)D3 concentrations in some individuals, which may reflect seasonally-increased UVB exposure. We also present data from an archaeological individual from the same city, with the addition of further isotope analysis (carbon, nitrogen, sulphur) to characterise diet. Results suggest possible positive correspondence of 25(OH)D3 levels with season in this archaeological individual, and possibly with marine protein consumption, highlighting the potential use of this approach in characterising the relationship between past vitamin D levels and diet. While results are promising, we recognise the limits of this study in terms of sample size and use of self-reported data, and further work is needed to better understand the relationship between serum and hair 25(OH)D3 before this approach can further be developed as either a non-invasive medical test or an archaeo-investigative technique.

Development and nutritional evaluation of pomegranate peel enriched bars

Pomegranate peel powder is used as a functional ingredient in the development of nutritional bars. Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is well known fruit belongs to punicaceae family having multiple health benefits, not only limited to its edible parts but also in its non-edible parts mostly the peel. Fruit wastes are rich source of nutrients, and can be used for the development of functional food products. Pomegranate peel is considered to be beneficial due to its functional and therapeutic properties as it is a source of many biological active components like polyphenols, tannins and flavonoids. Nutrient rich and ready-made foods are the demand of everyone due to their easy availability and cost effectiveness. Among the confectionary products, bars are liked by individuals of different age groups. Hence, nutritional properties of bars can be enhanced by using pomegranate peel powder. The current study was designed to develop bars enriched with pomegranate peel powder as a basic ingredient. Pomegranate peel powder is prepared and analyzed for proximate, mineral, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and anti-oxidant potential (DPPH). By using pomegranate peel powder, oats and jaggery, bars were prepared. In this research, five treatments T0 (0% pomegranate peel powder and 100% oats). T1 (5% pomegranate peel powder and 95% oats), T2 (10% pomegranate peel powder and 90% oats), T3 (15% pomegranate peel powder and 85% oats) and T4 (20% pomegranate peel powder and 80% oats) were used. The developed product is analyzed for proximate, mineral, total flavonoid contents, total phenolic content and anti-oxidant potential (DPPH). Proximate analysis of bars revealed that moisture, protein, fat, fiber, ash and nitrogen free extract ranges from T0 to T4 (13.38±1.21 to 11.32±1.15, 9.56±0.92 to 8.32±1.14, 9.05±1.21 to 7.93±1.08, 5.23±0.82 to 16.89±0.64, 2.05±0.87 to 2.92±1.25 and 62.51±0.85 to 52.62±0.93 respectively. Phytochemical analysis of bars enriched with pomegranate peel powder revealed that total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and antioxidant potential of bars ranges from T0 to T4 (142.74±0.65 to 211.79±0.63 mg GAE/100g, 129.16±0.64 to 192±0.53 mg QE/100g and 41.35±0.82 to 64.57±0.69%) respectively. Mineral analysis of bars enriched with pomegranate peel powder revealed that calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Iron, Magnesium content ranged from T0 to T4 (25.42±0.63 to 31.06±0.58, 51.00±1.01 to 45.05±1.09, 59.46±1.13 to 79.15±0.28, 1.32±1.20 to 1.95±0.83 and 54.17±0.88±0.58 to 57.36±0.68 mg/100g respectively). Sensory evaluation is done for color, aroma, taste, texture overall acceptability. T3 got maximum score. Then, the data obtained were evaluated by CRD design. On the basis of results revealed that treatment T3 with 15% pomegranate peel powder was overall highly acceptable.

Enhanced disturbance mitigation in nonlinear time delay systems with applications to double boost converters in microgrid environments

Factors contributing to visual intrapartum cardiotocograph interpretation variation among healthcare professionals: An integrative review

The reliability of cardiotocographs as diagnostic tools for fetal well-being is hampered by interpretational variations among healthcare professionals, contributing to high rates of cesarean sections and instrumental deliveries. While adjunct technologies may be used to confirm cases of fetal distress, those in resource constrained areas continue to rely on visual cardiotocograph interpretation to come up with the diagnosis of fetal hypoxia. This study investigated the factors contributing to variations in the visual interpretation of intrapartum cardiotocograph among healthcare professionals in the absence of adjunctive technologies. In this integrative literature review, we conducted a literature search of the following electronic databases: EBScohost, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. The following search terms and Boolean operators were used: (Intrapartum OR Labor OR Labour OR Childbirth OR Birth OR Delivery) AND (Cardiotocography OR CTG OR "Electronic Fetal Monitoring" OR EFM) AND (Interpretation OR Analysis) AND (Variations OR Differences) AND (“Healthcare Workers” OR Nurses OR “Medical Workers” OR “Healthcare Professionals” OR Midwives OR Obstetricians). After removal of duplicates, a total of 1481 articles and titles were screened, 60 full-text articles were examined to verify whether they addressed the scope of the literature review. Nine articles addressed the factors contributing to variations in the visual interpretation of intrapartum cardiotocographs among healthcare professionals. The quality of the studies was appraised using the Quality Appraisal Tool for Studies of Diagnostic Reliability. Thematic analysis identified the following themes: 1) Interpretational variations in cardiotocograph characteristics among health professionals, and 2) factors leading to increased interpretational variation among healthcare professionals. Our results highlight the need for increased cardiotocograph training to improve consistency among health professionals, especially for suspicious and pathological traces, which often lead to cesarean section.