Comparative Analysis Of Quality Research Articles

Сравнительная оценка качества жизни детей с бронхиальной астмой в разных возрастных группах.

The purpose of the study: assessment of quality of life indicators and their impact on life parameters in children aged 6–17 years with bronchial asthma. Materials and methods. The study was performed using the Russian version of the SF‑36 questionnaire, which was filled out by children with bronchial asthma of younger age (6–14 years old) with their parents, older age (15–17 years old), independently. The survey was conducted among 408 children (6–17 years old) on the basis of the pulmonology department of the Republican Children’s Clinical Hospital and children’s polyclinics of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. The average age in the sample is 13.0 years, of which 76.2% are boys, 23.8% are girls. A comparative analysis of quality of life indicators was carried out in four age groups: 6–8 years (12.3%), 9–11 years (16.7%), 12–14 years (28.2%), 15–17 years (42.8%). The average values and the standard deviation (M±SD) were determined. The processing of the obtained data was carried out using the SPSS application software package (vers. 21). Results. According to the design of the study, the assessment of the health status of children was carried out in different age groups from 6 to 17 years old. The most unsatisfactory assessments of their health were revealed in three older age groups, especially pronounced at the age of 12–14 years. At the same time, half of the surveyed children (50.2%) did not improve their health during the year and more than 8% of them began to feel worse. It was revealed that bronchial asthma affects the parameters of quality of life: the physical and psychological condition of children suffers, their social adaptation is disrupted. With equal indicators of these components in girls, boys have a slightly higher physical component than the mental one. When comparing the age groups, a more significant violation of the mental component of the quality of life with the age of children was revealed. The largest number of children with bronchial asthma (31.1%) experience significant limitations during heavy physical exertion. A direct correlation has been revealed between the increase in difficulty with physical exertion and their performance in a smaller volume with age. According to the evaluation scales, the total indicators of the quality of life of children with bronchial asthma are interpreted unambiguously, low, and amount to slightly more than 47 points. Older children who have pronounced negative symptoms and need correction of therapeutic and preventive measures require special attention. At the same time, the existing complex problems in the organization of effective dispensary monitoring of children with bronchial asthma are being updated. Conclusion. The obtained quantitative measures of the health of children suffering from bronchial asthma indicate a low level of quality of life for patients in all age groups. For the identified risk groups, a full-fledged individual monitoring of the condition of patients should be organized in the polyclinic link of children’s healthcare in the region with the development of targeted rehabilitation programs to improve and preserve the health of children with bronchial asthma. This approach will provide additional information about the child’s condition and will help improve treatment outcomes. Taking into account the results obtained, it is necessary to continue further studies of the quality of life in children suffering from bronchial asthma.

Algal biomass based bio-refineries: Concurrent pre-treatment strategies and perspectives for sustainable feedstock

The quest for viable and scalable biofuel sources has been at the forefront of scientific innovation for the past three decades. Due to its rich chemical constituents, microalgal biomass has emerged as a pivotal sustainable and scalable feedstock for biorefineries. This comprehensive review critically analyzes the different types of microalgae feedstock, concurrent extraction technologies, bio-pre-treatment procedures, and the key chemical and physical parameters influencing lipid formation and algal biofuel production. We propose a novel approach of photo-initiated culturing of algal biomass using photobioreactors (PBRs) to address the limitations of concurrent space and time-related constraints. The innovative photo bio-refinery strategy presented herein aims to enhance sustainability factors while minimizing emissions, catering to the needs of futuristic non-electric vehicles. A comparative quality analysis of microalgae-derived biofuel against conventional fossil fuels and other biofuels is conducted, considering chemical, environmental, economic, and social perspectives. Furthermore, we elucidate the efficacy of bio-pre-treatment strategies such as dehydration, hydrothermal liquefaction, pyrolysis, and gasification in optimizing biofuel production. The proposed photo biorefineries exhibit the potential to yield a diverse range of value-added products, including biodiesel, biogases, bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides, bio-alcohols, dyes, proteins, carotenoids, and drug vitals. This review provides a comprehensive framework for the development of sustainable and efficient microalgae-based biorefineries, paving the way for a greener and more economically viable future in the biofuel industry.

A Comparative Analysis of Quality of Life in Children Managed for Omphalocele and Gastroschisis.

Evaluation of quality of life (QoL) in paediatric surgical patients has not always received enough attention in the past. Our aim was to follow up patients with abdominal wall defects for a decade and (1) to analyse children's view on QoL and to analyse parent's view on QoL, (2) to evaluate satisfaction and psychological problems, (3) to assess present complaints including subjective aspects such as food intake, reduced appetite, pain in scar area and general abdominal pain and (4) verifiable clinical symptoms assessed through a physical examination and ultrasound. It was hypothesised that QoL would differ from gastroschisis (GS) and omphalocele (OC) children depending on the type of abdominal wall defect. A retrospective case-control design was used to compare children with GS (n = 36) and OC (n = 18). A clinical examination, including abdominal inspection, palpation and auscultation of bowel sounds with abdominal ultrasound, was offered, combined with a structured interview and specific QoL questionnaire (KINDL®). The focus was on QoL, child development, present complaints and satisfaction with the cosmetic outcome. During clinical examinations with ultrasound, GS children were significantly more likely to have bowel loops stuck at the scar area (P = 0.008) with bowel malrotation and abnormal appendix position, compared to OC children (P = 0.037). They were significantly more likely to report irregular stools (P = 0.02) but were satisfied with the cosmetic outcome of the abdominal skin scar in 81% of cases. The KINDL® evaluation showed in the dimensions of QoL, namely 'body awareness', 'mental health', 'self-esteem', 'family', 'friends' and 'school', that there were no significant differences to healthy children. OC/GS parents were satisfied with their children's physical development and QoL, noting no limitations in normal daily activities. Parents of OC children reported suffering from OC/GS-associated problems (P = 0.028) at the time point of interview. Subjective QoL did not differ significantly between OC and GS children. The satisfaction with the cosmetic outcome of the abdominal skin scar was good. On ultrasound examination, adherent bowel loops and bowel malrotation with resulting stool irregularities affect GS children. OC children's parents reported suffering from OC/OS-associated problems, and all parents need to be educated about the symptoms of recurrent sub-ileus events or atypical appendicitis.

Comparative Analysis of Quality of Life of Family Caregivers of Patients With Heart Failure and Cancer Who Receive Palliative Care.

Quality of life (QoL) is the criterion-standard outcome in palliative care for patients with various illnesses and their family caregivers. There is a need to determine the factors affecting caregivers' QoL in each population and the differences between groups to design differentiated intervention strategies. The aims of this study were to compare the role adoption, social support, and QoL of family caregivers of patients with heart failure and cancer in palliative care and to examine the determinants of QoL. A comparative study was conducted with the family caregivers of patients with cancer (n = 81) and heart failure (n = 80) in palliative care. Quality of life in life-limiting situations, role adoption, and social support questionnaires were also administered. A χ2 test, Student t test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used for between-group comparisons. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the effects of the correlated variables on caregivers' QoL. Caregivers of patients with heart failure had better QoL (P = .006) and lower tangible social support (P = .007) than caregivers of patients with heart failure. No differences were found in caregiver role adoption between the groups. Linear regression indicated that for caregivers of patients with cancer, social support, role adoption, caregiver age, and patient functional status affect caregiver QoL. For caregivers of patients with heart failure, role adoption and patient functional status are predictors of QoL. Overall, healthcare professionals should focus on improving social support and caregiver role adoption and provide greater attention to the QoL of caregivers of patients with cancer.

Comparative Analysis of QWL and Organizational Commitment among selected Public and Private Sector Banks in Karnataka, India

Two of the most important psychological phenomenon that affects an organization’s survival and growth are quality of work life and organizational commitment. The primary objective of this research study is to examine the association between quality of work life and organizational commitment and also to make a comparative analysis of quality of work life and organizational commitment between public and private sector bank employees. To conduct this research, the researcher has used stratified random sampling technique. The required information was collected from 322 people employed in public and private sector banks in and around Mysore and Bangalore city. A structured questionnaire was prepared by considering standard components of quality of work life and organizational commitment. The factors for Quality of work life considered for the study were adequate and fair compensation, use of capacities at work, social integration, occupied space by work in life, work condition, opportunities at work, constitutionalizing at work and social relevance and importance of work. Similarly, the dimensions of Organizational commitment were affective, continuance and normative component. The collected information was then subjected to pearson’s correlation to examine the association between quality of work life and organizational commitment. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to make a comparison between public and private sector bank employees. Results of the analysis revealed that the factors of quality of work life had a positive and significant relationship with the dimensions of organizational commitment. The results also indicated that there was no significant difference in the commitment of employees working in public and private sector banks. However, difference was seen only with adequate and fair compensation and use of capacities among public and private sector banks.

Comparative analysis of groundnut oil quality in the north-central zone of Nigeria: Determination and evaluation of heavy metals, fatty acids, Phospholipids, and iodine values in groundnut oil

The research presents a comparative analysis of the quality of locally produced groundnut oil (Arachis hypogaea) sold in the north-central zone of Nigeria markets (Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau States). The aim was to assess and compare the qualities of the oils and to know the safety of human consumption. The groundnut oil produced biodiesel, shampoo lubricants, and soap-making industries. The concentrations of the heavy metals were analyzed with atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). It showed that the lead, zinc, and copper (Pb, Zn, Cu) were within the FAO/WHO recommended limit, while Cd (0.201-0.331 mg kg-1) was above the limit (0.07 mg kg-1). Also, the gas chromatography (GC-FID) results indicated that twelve fatty acids (linoleic > oleic > palmitic > stearic >lignoceric > arachidic acid > behenic > erucic> arachidonic > margaric > linolenic > palmitoleic) were obtained in the groundnut oils in all markets and fatty acids include caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, and myristic acid were absent in oils. In addition, the magnitude of six Phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine > phosphatidylethanolamine> phosphatidylinositol > phosphatidylserine > phosphatidic acid > lysophosphatidylcholine) were also achieved, respectively. The iodine were below the FAO/WHO and the acid value was higher than the normal range.

Ant with Artificial Bee Colony Techniques in Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks

A VANET faces many problems due to dynamic changing of networks with certain requirements such as low delay, high (PDR) packet delivery ratio, low routing overhead and throughput. However, numerous routing protocols have been suggested to meet the demands of Quality of Service (QoS), but none of them can consistently maintain the highest level of QoS simultaneously. The proposed method Ant with Artificial Bee Colony Techniques provides better performance when compared to the existing techniques. This work is compared with latest developed Techniques in VANET to find the best path and different performance metrics are used to check the performance. This work premeditated the comparative analysis of Quality of services made by the performance of latest emerging techniques in VANET and will provide the best solution for the recognition problem in finding the best path based on the evaluation of performance of Quality of Service. Simulation results imply the benefits of the proposed Ant with Artificial Bee Colony Techniques (AABC) produces better result when compare to the other conventional method and Ant Colony Techniques(ACT)in terms of high packet delivery ratio, less end-to-end delay and less energy consumption level. The performance is evaluated by using Ns2 simulator and results shows that the AABC successfully achieve the optimal routes.

Comparative Analysis of Quality of Life Questionnaires in Low Vision Patients

Low vision affects large number of people globally, which can interfere with daily activities and lower quality of life. Objective: To evaluate the results of the Low Vision Quality of Life Questionnaire (LVQOL) and the National Eye Institute VFQ-25 as measures of patients' quality of life. Methods: Between August-October 2022, a comparative cross-sectional study was carried out at Madina Teaching Hospital, Faisalabad. Through Non-Probability Purposive Sampling Technique, 40 patients were included. Participants who were between the ages of 25 and 55, having visual acuity of less than 6/18 and had a visual field that did not extend more than 10° from the fixation point were considered. Every patient underwent a thorough ocular examination, which included testing for near visual acuity, BCVA, tonometry, fundus examination, and slit lamp bio microscopy. Results: Participants' average age was 47 ± 2.71. 17(42.5%) were female, whereas 23(57.5%) were male. Demographic data were recorded. Retinitis pigmentosa affected 12(30%) of patients, and age-related macular degeneration affected 9(22.5%) of the patients. Remaining diagnoses included glaucoma 8(20%), albinism 4(10 %), diabetic retinopathy 4(10%) and degenerative myopia 3(7.5 %). NEI VFQ-25 and LVQOL questionnaire's mean overall scores were 41 ± 5.02 and 44 ± 4.89 respectively. Ratings can vary from 0-100, with 0 representing the worst and 100 denoting no visual impairment. Conclusions: NEI VFQ-25 composite scores and LVQOL had a strong correlation. Especially useful for analyzing the growth of low-vision rehabilitation since they can be used to gauge the quality of life for people with vision impairment.

Comparative Analysis of Quality of Essential Oil of Wormwood Herb Synanthropic Flora of Voronezh Region

Introduction. The formation and accumulation of biologically active substances in plants is a complex process associated with a number of environmental factors, including anthropogenic ones. The study of the characteristics of the qualitative composition of essential oil of wormwood grass of bitter different from the ecological point of view of the places of harvesting is relevant.Aim. The aim of this study study of the qualitative composition of essential oil of bitter wormwood grass, harvested in areas of the Voronezh region that are different from an ecological point of view.Materials and methods. In the Voronezh region, 4 points of raw materials procurement were selected, diverse in terms of anthropogenic impact. Isolation of essential oil from the raw materials was carried out according to the method of PS "Wormwood of bitter grass". Component composition of the obtained essential oils was determined using Agilent 7890B GC System (Agilent Technologies, USA) with Agilent 5977A MSD mass selective detector (Agilent Technologies, USA). Data analysis and processing was carried out on the basis of NIST11 databases (from 19.05.2011), MassHunter ver. B.06.00 and NIST MS Search ver. 2.0 software were used.Results and discussion. In a sample of essential oil obtained from reserved raw materials, monoterpene compounds account for more than 82 %, and sesquiterpene compounds – 16.6 %, about 2 % are organic impurities. Intensive biosynthesis of monoterpenes was noted in a sample collected in the area of agricultural fields of the Verkhnekhavsky district, its mass fraction is more than 73 %. In samples of raw materials with anthropogenic load (OJSC "Minudobreniya" and Highway M4), the share of monoterpene compounds is significantly lower (63.7 and 49 %, respectively). The increase in the proportion of sesquiterpene compounds in the last samples of wormwood essential oil may be due to the excessive acidity of the urbanized places of the workpiece. The sesquiterpene compound hamazulene, which stains essential oil blue, is identified in only two samples of gorse grass wormwood harvested along agricultural fields and in M4 tracks, which explains the presence of a blue hue in these oils.Conclusion. The chromato-mass spectrometric analysis of the essential oil of the studied samples of bitter wormwood grass made it possible to identify more than 70 different components in them, while the qualitative composition of the essential oil of the raw materials of different places of the workpiece was significantly different, which may indicate a significant influence of the place of growth of the species and anthropogenic factors on the features of the secondary metabolism of terpene compounds in the plant organism.

Comparative Analysis of Quality of Marital Life in Wives of Patients Dependent on Alcohol and Opioid Substances in Western Rajasthan

Abstract Background: Alcohol and opioid dependence syndrome has deleterious consequences not only on the patient but also on the members of family especially his wife who is most vulnerable to develop significant marital discord leading to poor quality of marital life given the intimate nature of their relationship. Methods: For psychiatric morbidity, 50 spouses of men with alcohol dependence syndrome were evaluated and compared with 50 spouses of men with opioid dependence syndrome . Quality of marital life and marital satisfaction was assessed MQS ( Marital Quality Scale ) by Anita Shah (1995).1 Results: MQS score in wives of ADS group was found to be 134±30.22 and MQS score in wives of ODS group was found to be 124.02±24.34 with a p value =0.072 which suggests that there is a non significant difference between the marital quality among wives of both group but individually the wives of ADS group experiences greater marital discord and poorer quality of marital life. Coclusions: Addressing these issues will be beneficial as spouses are important source of moral support and assistance to the substance user’s quest toward abstinence.

Верификация детерминистского и вероятностного радиолокационного наукастинга осадков в теплый и холодный периоды года на Европейской территории России

Comparative quality analysis of ensemble radar precipitation nowcasting based on test results for the warm (May–September 2020) and cold (November 2021–March 2022) seasons are presented. Composite precipitation intensity fields obtained from radar observations were used as control data for verification. In both periods, a slight but systematic advantage of forecasts of the mean ensemble field was revealed, which indicates the expediency of using ensembles of even a small volume. For all the skill scores used (except for the frequency bias), forecasts in the cold season turn out to be better than forecasts in the warm season, however, the sample sizes for verification in the cold season may be significantly lower than the corresponding sample sizes in the warm season. The problems of comparative quality analysis are discussed, which are caused, in particular, by the loss of spatial connectivity of the composite field during the cold season. Keywords: ensemble nowcasting of meteorological fields, radar precipitation estimates, composite precipitation field, point and spatial field forecast verification

Comparative quality analysis and economic feasibility of solar assisted yogurt processing unit for decentralized dairy value chain

Due to the lack of farm-gate milk processing facilities, dairy farmers have to sell raw milk, resulting in economic and quality compromises. The study compared the quality of yogurt processed in solar assisted yogurt processing unit with the existing milk value chain and its techno-economic feasibility. For this, an investigation of the experiment was executed where four different milk processing approaches were compared. The quality attributes for processed milk like fat (5.283%), solid-not-fat (9.0833%), salts (0.6833%), protein (3.8%), lactose (4.1%), total solids (14.383%), pH (6.87), density (1.031 kg/L) and freezing point (− 0.532 °C) were found within the standardized ranges. Similarly, for the case of yogurt, these attributes were found as fat (5.5%), solid-not-fat (8.683%), acidity (0.93%), lactose (4.73%), total solids (14.183%), pH (4.3433), density (1.039 kg/L) syneresis (9.87 mL/100 g), S. thermophilus count range (10.18–10.30 log cfu/mL) and L. bulgaricus count range (10.26–10.34 log cfu/mL). Moreover, no detection of coliform count in solar-processed yogurt, endorsed the current idea to perform three processes of heating, fermentation, and cooling in a single unit. Based on the energy sources utilized, the payback period was calculated to be 1.3–9 years with an expected lifespan of 15 years while in terms of product profit, the payback period was predicted to be 1.78 years. The processing cost per liter of milk for yogurt production was calculated to be 0.0189 USD. Considering CO2 emission savings, it is anticipated that a solar-powered yogurt processing unit can generate 107.73 MWh of useful energy during its operating life with zero CO2 emission.

Quality Analysis of Various National and International Brands of Glimepirides Available in Pakistan

Objective: The primary focus of this research is to ascertain that these different generic drug products from national and multinational companies competing in the local market are equivalent in quality. Material and Methods: A comparative quality analysis was executed on national and multinational brands of glimepiride tablets obtained from local pharmacies of Hyderabad. A cumulative of 6 glimepiride brands were selected and internationally accepted in-vitro tests were carried out at Industrial pharmacy laboratory of Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, during time period August 2021 to August 2022 to compare with Pharmacopoeia standards. Results: All the drug products (Glimepiride tablets) obtained from local market were meeting the standards laid by BP for tests of weight uniformity, diameter, thickness, hardness, friability, disintegration, and content uniformity/assay. Conclusion: Every generic of glimepiride tablets from various local and multinational manufacturers are pharmaceutical equivalents and can be prescribed interchangeably. Keywords: National, International, Brand, Glimepiride, Quality, Pharmaceutical Equivalents

Quality of life indicators in children with non-traumatic and non-syncopal transient loss of consciousness and their families

Background. There are extremely limited research on the quality of life in children with non-traumatic and non-syncopal transient loss of consciousness (TLOC), which does not sufficiently reflect the impact of epilepsy, first unprovoked epileptic seizure or psychogenic TLOC on the parental quality of life and family functioning. The purpose was to provide a comparative analysis of quality of life in children with non-traumatic and non-syncopal TLOC, as well as to study the impact of these diseases on the family quality of life. Materials and methods. Twenty-two patients with epilepsy, 18 with first unprovoked epileptic seizure, and 18 with psychogenic TLOC aged 8–17 years were examined. The control group consisted of 40 apparently healthy children. Quality of life in children and their parents was assessed using the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales (child report, adolescent report, parent report), and the PedsQL™ 2.0 Family Impact Module (parent report). Results. Epilepsy and psychogenic TLOC have a negative impact on the quality of life of children. Epilepsy was accompanied by deterioration of physical (57.1 ± 5.2; 77.3 ± 4.8 points) and psychosocial health (60.7 ± 5.7; 76.3 ± 2.7 points), while psychogenic TLOC were characterized by only low physical health (55.0 ± 5.5; 77.3 ± 4.8 points) according to patient self-reports (p < 0.01). The quality of life of children with epilepsy was influenced by age (r = –0.55; r = 0.007) and features of clinical manifestation of the epileptic seizure (r = –0.56; r = 0.007). The number of previous non-epileptic seizures had an impact on quality of life among patients with psychogenic TLOC (r = –0.60; r = 0.0008). The first unprovoked epileptic seizure was not accompanied by quality of life deterioration among children and parents. Only epilepsy was associated with a decrease in the quality of life of parents and family as a whole, mainly due to an increased anxiety (38.8 ± 4.5; 63.2 ± 4.0 points), a decrease in emotional functioning (47.5 ± 3.9; 66.9 ± 3.3 points), a lack of effective communication between family members (50.0 ± 4.8; 79.4 ± 2.9 points); p < 0.01. Conclusions. The combined evaluation of quality of life in children and their parents helps better understand the impact of disease course peculiarities and treatment on the child’s and his family’s quality of life in order to provide timely medical and psychological assistance.

Comparative Quality Analysis of Three Marketed Melatonin Containing Products in Spain for the Improvement of Sleep

Background: Exogenous melatonin may effectively improve the sleep-wake cycle and sleep quality in subjects with age or disease related decrease in endogenous melatonin production or response. A controlled release melatonin-based medication, Circadin® has been developed and licensed for insomnia; in addition to several food supplements available on the market. However, the quality and release profile of these melatonin containing products may vary.
 Aims: The current study aimed to compare three melatonin containing products, all of them marketed in Spain: a licensed medicine prolonged release tablet, Circadin® 2 mg, and two food supplements, Aquilea® 1,95mg and Oniria® 1,98 mg.
 Materials and Methods: Three batches of each product were analyzed for melatonin content, inter-batch variability and dissolution profile.
 Results: Our results confirm a large gap in quality control of the two melatonin containing food supplements, where Aquilea® and Oniria® showed poorer quality control as demonstrated by high variability between batches in melatonin content compared to Circadin®. Moreover, the extended release characteristics of Circadin® were evident in its profile, which exhibited an initial release of 70% at the 4-hour mark, followed by a consistent and sustained release lasting up to 8 hours.
 Conclusion: In terms of the dissolution profile, only Circadin® provides the prolonged release profile as indicated in the specifications, with proven efficacy and safety for the improvement of sleep-onset, sleep maintenance and quality throughout the whole night.

Сравнительный анализ качества обработанной поверхности при прерывистом и традиционном шлифовании полимерных композиционных материалов на основе углеволокна

Based on the conducted experimental studies regarding the comparative quality analysis for treated surfaces in abrupt and traditional grinding of polymer composite materials, the abrupt grinding performance criteria were determined and an advice list for abrasive processing of PCM was also made

A comparative analysis of quality of holistic education for pre-primary and primary education in Europe: A comparative review

A comparative analysis of quality of holistic education for pre-primary and primary education in Europe: A comparative review

Comparative Analysis of Quality of Life of Patients with Dermatological Problems: Teledermatology Versus Face-to-Face Dermatology.

The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of the patients cared for with teledermatology (TD) services was analyzed as compared with face-to-face dermatology (F-F/D) at the hospital. This study was a controlled, non-blinded, intra-level, and multicenter randomized clinical trial, with a 6-month follow-up. A total of 450 patients were randomly assigned to two different groups. The Spanish version of the generic EuroQol-5-dimensions-5-Levels (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire and the specific Skindex-29 questionnaire were used at 0 and 6 months. The number of primary care visits (2.24 TD; 1.68 F-F/D) and number of hospital visits (0.01 TD; 1.48 F-F/D) were statistically significant. It was observed that from month 0 onwards, the users included in the F-F/D group self-perceived a lower HRQoL than the users included in the TD group (Skindex-29 total: p ≤ 0.00; EQ-5D-5L VAS = p ≤ 0.00; EQ-5D-5L utilities = p ≤ 0.00). At the end of the study, the patients included in the F-F/D group still obtained lower scores in their perception of HRQoL, as compared to those included in the other type of follow-up (Skindex-29 total: p ≤ 0.00; EQ-5D-5L VAS = p ≤ 0.00; EQ-5D-5L utilities = p ≤ 0.00). TD was an effective diagnosis and follow-up tool. At the end of the study period, the HRQoL of the patients in both groups was significantly higher as compared to their baseline levels. Additionally, both the general and specific HRQoL perceived by the TD patients was higher than the F-F/D group from the start of the study.

Comparative analysis of quality and nutritional traits from Lonicera caerulea (Honeyberry) cultivars and other berries grown in Scotland

AbstractLonicera caeruleabrix is a perennial shrub native to North America, Europe and Asia. It produces dark blue berries known as honeyberries or haskap berries which are produced commercially in several territories including Canada, Japan, Russia and Poland. Plants are suited to UK environments, but it is yet to be widely commercially developed in the UK. In the present work, quality and nutritional traits of six honeyberry cultivars grown in Scotland were compared with other commonly grown berry fruits (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, blackcurrant) to aid the identification of environmentally stable, high‐quality honeyberry cultivars suitable for UK cultivation. Differences were observed in fruit quality variables (soluble solids, titratable acidity and Brix/acid ratios) between honeyberry cultivars. Three of six cultivars examined exhibited notable variation in soluble solids dependent on harvest year with ‘Aurora’ and ‘Strawberry Sensation’ having consistently high oBrix values. Titratable acidity exhibited cultivar differences and there was limited variation over harvest years. ‘Aurora’ exhibited consistently high oBrix/titratable acidity ratio reflected by high glucose and fructose content. Honeyberry fruit had good nutritional profile relative to other soft fruits with higher polyphenol and anthocyanin content than strawberry, blueberry, blackberry and raspberry, manifested in greater antioxidant capacity. The major anthocyanins in aqueous honeyberry fruit extracts were cyanidin, pelargonidin and peonidin glycosides. These findings indicate that L. caerulea represents a crop suitable for UK cultivation capable of producing high quality fruit with a valuable nutritional profile relative to other soft fruits. Cultivars exhibit significant differences in fruit quality and nutritional profile as well as harvest consistency and growers should consider this when establishing new plantations.

Further detailed objectification within comparative analysis of quality of life - based on some sociodemographic characteris-tics/parameters and related statistical analysis - between mothers of children with congenital versus acquired neuropathology

Abstract: This study aimed to determine whether there is a difference in quality of life between mothers of children with congenital neuropathology and, respectively, those with acquired neuropathology based on some sociodemographic characteristics/parameters, taking into account data from the specialized literature on the influence of sociodemographic characteristics/parameters on mothers with disabled children. 85 subjects (divided into two groups, congenital and acquired) were included in the study conducted at the National Clinical Centre of Neurorehabilitation for Children “Dr. N. Robanescu. To objectify – if existing – such differences, as mentioned above, we used the clinical, functional quantified evaluation instrument PedsQL- Family Impact Module (PedsQL-FIM). According to our data, there were statistically significant differences between groups for physical functioning, emotional functioning, communication, and worry. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups for daily activity, social functioning, cognitive functioning, and family relationships. We also found weak negative correlations between the following dimensions of PedsQL-FIM: emotional functioning, social functioning, and communication) and education for the former group; a weak positive correlation between worry and education, a weak negative correlation between emotional functioning and income level, and two moderate negative correlations between social functioning, daily activities, and income level for the latter group. We can conclude that the variable education had the most significant influence on the quality of life for mothers of children with congenital neuropathology, in contrast, the variable income level had the most significant influence on mothers of children with acquired neuropathology. Keywords: sociodemographic characteristics, quality of life, disability