Group For Many Years Research Articles

A Horizontal and Longitudinal Study on the Changes of Aging Thyroid Function in Elderly Male Population.

There are few follow-up studies on thyroid function in the same group for many years. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to retrospectively analyze the changes of thyroid function in a group of people for 8 years and to explore the changes of thyroid function in elderly men with normal thyroid function with age. Reviewing the records of elderly men who underwent physical examination in the Beijing Hospital physical examination center from 2013 to 2020, 354 subjects were included in the study. According to age, they are divided into 4 groups. The differences in thyrotropin (TSH), anti-triiodothyronine (rT3), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and free thyroid hormone (FT4) among different age groups in initial time (2013) were compared. Longitudinal comparison of changes of thyroid function in the same age group for 8 years was compared too. At the initial time, age was negatively correlated with FT3 (r = 0.349, p < 0.001), positively correlated with rT3 and TSH (r = 0.182, p < 0.001, r = 0.212, p < 0.001), but not correlated with FT4. The results of eight years of analysis show that, for TSH, during the whole follow-up period, the TSH of the >80 years group was higher than that of the <60 years and 60-69 years groups, and the difference was statistically significant. The 70-79 age group was higher than the <60 years group at different time points, except for the age group <60 years. The other three groups showed an increasing trend with age, especially in the group of ≥80 years. For FT3, in 2013, the age ≥80 years group was significantly lower than that of the 70-79 years, 60-69 years, and <60 years old groups (p < 0.05). The analysis results at different time points in each age group showed a downward trend and then an upward trend. For FT4, there was no significant difference in FT4 among different age groups in 2013. Still, during the follow-up period, the age group ≥80 was lower than other age groups in 2019 and lower than the <60 years groups in 2014, 2015, 2019, and 2020, and the difference was statistically significant. The change rule of FT4 with the increase of age was not clear. For rT3, during the whole follow-up period, the rT3 of the >80 years group was higher than that of the <60 years and 60-69 years groups, and the difference was statistically significant. The analysis results at different time points in each age group showed a trend of rising first, then falling, and finally rising. After 2017, the rT3 of the 70-79 years and ≥80 years groups increased with age. The thyroid function index of elderly men changes with age. In transverse analysis, the value of TSH is the highest, and FT3 is the lowest in the group ≥80 years old. There are differences between the changes in the longitudinal analysis and the results of the horizontal analysis. Therefore, the law of thyroid function changing with age in different individuals is not the same as that of the same individual with age, which should be paid more attention in medical research and clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Risk management of critical information infrastructure: threats-vulnerabilities-consequences

Today, interaction between people and objects, including industrial ones, has become an integral part of our everyday life. Access to communications, finance, and all forms of information management and permission to use them can be obtained from almost anywhere using compact devices.&#x0D; For example, operators can remotely control individual sectors and control operations in several areas at the same time, surgeons can operate on patients thousands of miles away, and car manufacturers can detect when one of their vehicles has been in an accident within a few seconds after the accident.&#x0D; As a result of the spread of the Internet and wireless data networks, the interconnection of so much data, technology and network equipment and devices has quickly become the basis of modern society. At present, we have become a knowledge-based society that often relies on technology to execute or support almost all tasks and functions of human life. Undoubtedly, this has greatly expanded the range of tasks to be solved, but at the same time, the society became much more vulnerable to threats in information and communication systems.&#x0D; The vulnerability is explained by the fact that at some point most of the production of different directions and industries is supported by the introduction, storage and search of data/information in a interconnected network of hard disks and data servers, locally or remotely located. And at each of these stages there is an opportunity to steal data, bypass protection, manipulate or replace information. But the risks associated with unintentional accidents caused by human errors, system failures, incompatibility or other unexpected problems, as well as “natural disasters,” must also be taken into account.&#x0D; Therefore, the security of computer or cyber systems is a matter of national security. Actually, cyber-threats are so great that more and more security experts are pointing out that protection of cyber systems and data is more of a problem than terrorism. Given the scale of the threat (in terms of cyberattacks) and the actual damage it can be argued, certain systems and structures are at risk [1, 2]. It is proved that hackers can break into government and business websites, steal personal data, change the traffic light scheme, accelerate and slow down travel, and much more.&#x0D; As an example, the implementation of a specially created malware program - Stuxnet. The effects of its use were the self-destruction in 2010 of dozens of centrifuges, which supported Iranʼs nuclear program [3, 4]. Some experts think that Stuxnet was created not by independent attackers and possibly with the support of the government. Thus, as a conclusion, it can be confirmed that hackers operate from anywhere in the world, and the links and boundaries between cyberspace and physical systems are sufficiently leveled. Thus, as a conclusion, it can be confirmed that intruders operate from anywhere in the world, and the links and borders between cyberspace and physical systems are sufficiently leveled.&#x0D; Society is increasingly faced with the fact that a group or even a person armed with a complex computer virus or knowledge about the vulnerability of software or hardware can cause a lot of physical damage to people’s lives or physical destruction, impose significant social or economic damage, and so on. For example, there are facts published by the Financial times on May 8, 2012 (http://on.ft.com/1wviXHW) that an unknown group for many years is trying to penetrate into the systems of managing the networks of gas pipelines of the USA. At the end of 2014, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States announced that hackers from China successfully broke and destroyed American satellite networks, causing loss of services related to the prediction of various natural cataclysms, air flight corridors, navigation and other industries within a few days (http://wapo.st/1u7N9dJ).&#x0D; As a rule, the critical infrastructure includes power and transport main networks, oil and gas pipelines, sea ports, high-speed and governmental communication channels, systems of life support (water and heat supply) of mega-cities, waste management, emergency services and emergency response services, high-tech enterprises and enterprises of military-industrial complex, as well as central authorities.&#x0D; The government critical information infrastructure is only one of many important systems and networks that create our modern society. Therefore, the state and society are fully dependent on the functioning of different objects and subjects of critical information infrastructure, and the loss of integrity of any of them can lead to various kinds of failures (termination of production and transfer of electricity, temporary and long-term interruptions, improper access to medical care, and much more). Each state is a separate critical information infrastructure, but cooperation between states takes place within the framework of global critical information infrastructure. At the same time, large investments in each sector of critical information infrastructure have led to an increase in economic development rates and improvement in the quality of life.

Nigel Oscar Weiss. 16 December 1936—24 June 2020

Nigel Weiss was an astrophysicist and applied mathematician, born in South Africa but based in Cambridge for most of his career. He made a number of important contributions to the study of sunspots, where he produced a detailed model of their complex structure. He also made important contributions to theory of the solar 22-year magnetic cycle, using pioneering numerical modelling and drawing attention to the dynamical effects of symmetry breaking and of historic proxy data through observations of radioactive isotopes in tree rings and ice cores. A major part of his work was the numerical and theoretical investigation of many aspects of the interaction of magnetic fields with thermal convection in the Sun and stars. The numerical studies in particular were pioneering in the context of computer resources at that time. He led a talented group of students and postdocs, many of whom have held senior positions in UK and US universities. He combined great physical insight with expertise in numerical computation, nonlinear dynamics and bifurcation theory, and was an inspirational supervisor and mentor, combining high academic standards with an open generous nature. Apart from his work he had a strong interest in twentieth-century art and served on the National Gallery Consultative Group for many years.

From the EDITOR’S DESK

As we begin the year 2022, we, in the young group ‘Women in Nephrology, India’, are filled with a new hope. Hope of a new dawn in the academic horizon, hope of making a new beginning and a new mark in the Nephrology world. We take a new step in this direction by presenting the first issue of our official scientific publication ‘Indian Journal of Kidney Diseases’(IJKD). Although the women nephrologists in India, had the dream of coming together as a group for many years, it attained fruition just about six months back. But it is remarkable that over a short span of six months, the group has made a commendable impact in the academic world. The dynamism of its leaders has taken the shape of a quarterly, open access, journal covering all aspects of Nephrology-General Nephrology, dialysis and transplantation. We aim to provide a platform for the young nephrologists of India and elsewhere to publish their scientific work and shape their academic career. It is my privilege and honor to present the first issue of Indian Journal of Kidney Diseases to the readership. I am grateful to Dr Swarnalatha G for literally taking the publication from the stage of conception to reality, going stage-by-stage through the publication process. Words are not enough to thank the WIN Leads headed by Dr Urmila Anandh and editors, Dr Anita Saxena and Dr Manisha Sahay who guided us at crucial steps. We have a young, enthusiastic editorial team with us to help with the publication. Thanks are also due to the energetic reviewers who helped us with the peer review process and completed the process in very short time periods, varying between two hours and a week. In this issue, we present a variety of clinical materials and I am thankful to each author for the time they have spent on this. Firstly, there is a perspective article from our dynamic leader, Dr Urmila Anandh, regarding her views on the challenges ahead of the women nephrologists and the barriers for their growth. She presents her solutions for enhancing the productivity and mitigation of stress to the women in medicine. Dr Swarnalatha presents the results of a comparative analysis of the outcomes of live donor renal transplants and cadaver renal transplants. Dr Priyamvada and her co-author discuss the nuances of xenotransplantation, which is making the news these days in different parts of the world. There is an interesting case report of recurrent crescentic glomerulonephritis in a young girl. There is also an illustrative image of calciphylaxis. In view of the March month being the Kidney month, on the occasion of the World Kidney Day, there is a topical commentary on the theme of ‘Kidney Health for all’ and its implications for India. As we present this first issue, we are aware of the numerous challenges ahead. We intend to get our journal indexed in some of the prominent indexing sites and for this we need quality publications. Funds are a very prominent challenge. But hope runs eternal and we are hopeful to face the challenges one-by-one and turn them in our favour. In this context, it would serve us well to remember these immortal lines by the ancient Indian poet Kalidasa in ‘Salutations to the dawn’. Look well to this day, For it and it alone is life. In its brief course Lie all the essence of your existence: The Glory of Growth The Satisfaction of Achievement The Splendor of Beauty For yesterday is but a dream, And tomorrow is but a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

W świecie birmańskiego terroryzmu religijnego

The text focuses on the discussion of religious terrorism by the Buddhist majority against the Muslim minority, which has been a discriminated group for many years. The precursor to today's Burmese fundamentalism is the clergyman, Saydaw Wirathu. Wirathu calls himself Burmese bin Laden.

ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISES IN THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA AND ASSESSMENT OF THEIR FINANCIAL RISK

The paper investigates how financially insecure public companies in the Republic of Srpska are using the Altman EM score model and the RAPO model developed on business entities in the Republic of Srpska. Public companies are classified as low, medium and high risk companies in terms of the probability of going bankrupt. The results show that in the observed period from 2013 to 2018, half of public companies are constantly in the problem zone, while about 40% are in the safe zone. That is, companies that have been identified as problematic have been in that group for many years, while those with low business risk have been consistently successful. The paper also presents the state's participation in the capital of public companies, as well as expenditures in the form of subsidies and recapitalizations that are allocated from the budget every year.

Efficacy of Mastodinone® for mastalgia correction in pre- and perimenopausal women

The purpose of the study wasto examine the effectiveness of the drug Mastodynon® for the treatment of mastopathy in pre- and perimenopausal women.Materials and methods. The research was carried out within 12 months. Patient presenting complaints of pain in the breast, passed a comprehensive examination (clinical and Х-ray and/or sonographic) and questionnaires at the first visit and every 6 months. The plant-based drug Mastodynon®.Results. We examined 38 patients aged 45–56 years. Most women in this group for many years were observed due to mastopathy of different forms and degrees of severity. After 6 months after start of treatment with Mastodynon® the majority of patients reported decrease or absence of pain in the breasts, improvement of psycho-emotional condition. The positive effect of various degree was observed in 71,05% of the patients. After 1 year revealed a stabilization of the therapeutic effect of the drug Mastodynon® in 83,3% of cases. Mastodynon® has shown high effectiveness, good tolerability in the treatment of mastopathy in women of pre- and perimenopausal age, it has improved thepatients quality of life.

From Therapeutic Drug Monitoring to Model-Informed Precision Dosing for Antibiotics.

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and model-informed precision dosing (MIPD) have evolved as important tools to inform rational dosing of antibiotics in individual patients with infections. In particular, critically ill patients display altered, highly variable pharmacokinetics and often suffer from infections caused by less susceptible bacteria. Consequently, TDM has been used to individualize dosing in this patient group for many years. More recently, there has been increasing research on the use of MIPD software to streamline the TDM process, which can increase the flexibility and precision of dose individualization but also requires adequate model validation and re-evaluation of existing workflows. In parallel, new minimally invasive and noninvasive technologies such as microneedle-based sensors are being developed, which-together with MIPD software-have the potential to revolutionize how patients are dosed with antibiotics. Nonetheless, carefully designed clinical trials to evaluate the benefit of TDM and MIPD approaches are still sparse, but are critically needed to justify the implementation of TDM and MIPD in clinical practice. The present review summarizes the clinical pharmacology of antibiotics, conventional TDM and MIPD approaches, and evidence of the value of TDM/MIPD for aminoglycosides, beta-lactams, glycopeptides, and linezolid, for which precision dosing approaches have been recommended.

An Evaluation of Portuguese Societal Opinion towards the Practice of Bullfighting.

Simple SummaryBullfighting is one of the most controversial topics in animal welfare and ethics in recent years. This activity is an issue at the forefront of many animal welfare organizations. In the present study, an online questionnaire was used to seek Portuguese citizens’ opinions towards bullfighting and to relate these opinions to certain demographic characteristics. The majority of respondents had negative opinions about bullfights. Most questioned the artistic reasons to take the bull’s life in the name of culture and did not attend bullfighting events. However, the population interviewed was not representative of the Portuguese population. Men, older people, Roman Catholics, and people from rural areas (underrepresented in the study sample) showed a more favorable attitude towards bullfighting. Contrast between regions was also reflected; the districts where the most favorable opinions were collected (Satarém, Évora, Beja, and Portalegre) were those with the greatest presence of bull breeders. Public opinion research is an important policy-making instrument that could be useful in the face of possible initiatives to ban bullfighting at regional or country levels. Bullfighting is a controversial sport that continues to be legally permitted in a number of countries around the world, including Portugal. The spectacle has attracted significant attention from animal protectionist groups for many years because of concerns for animal distress, pain, and suffering during the fights. While there has been strong support for the sport in Portugal in the past, there is a need to study social profiles regarding the acceptability of this sport before a case can be made for changes in regional and national legislation. In this study, Portuguese attendance patterns at bullfights were assessed in addition to public opinions on welfare and ethical aspects of bullfighting, based on demographic variables. Study participants (n = 8248) were largely recruited through Portuguese social media channels (respondents may not be representative of the Portuguese population). Questionnaire data were evaluated by means of frequency tables, multiple correspondence analyses, and a two-step cluster analysis. Most respondents had a negative opinion about bullfighting and perceived that bullfighting had no positive impact on the country. However, while most respondents thought that the bull suffered during bullfighting, the opinion regarding banning bullfighting was far from unanimous. Based on the demographic analysis, the profile of individuals with more favorable responses towards bullfighting were men > 65 years old, of Roman Catholic faith, of low- or high-income levels, from more rural areas of Portugal. Somewhat surprisingly, there was a tendency to favor bullfighting amongst veterinary professionals. We conclude that there were still large pockets of individuals who desire to maintain the practice of traditional bullfighting within Portuguese society, despite recognition of animal suffering during the event.

Takashi Yonetani: A stellar biochemist, a man with dignity. The Roman connection

Takashi Yonetani: A stellar biochemist, a man with dignity. The Roman connection

COVID‐19: diabetes and death. A call to action

<scp>COVID</scp>‐19: diabetes and death. A call to action

Биоэтика и культурные войны

The term “culture wars” has been used to describe deep, apparently intractable, disagreements between groups for many years. In contemporary discourse, it refers to disputes regarding significant moral matters carried out in the public square and for which there appears to be no way to achieve consensus or compromise. One set of battle lines is drawn between those who hold traditional Christian commitments and those who do not. Christian bioethics is nested in a set of moral and metaphysical understandings that collide with those of the dominant secular culture. The result is a gulf between a moral life and an approach to bioethics framed in the face of a transcendent God and a final judgment versus a moral life and an approach to bioethics framed as if the world were without ultimate meaning and as if death were the end of personal existence. These approaches are separated by a moral and metaphysical gulf that sustains incompatible life worlds and incompatible understandings of bioethics. Attempts to bridge the gulf with secular reason are ineffective because there is no shared conception of reason or standard of evidence. Efforts to use the state to enforce a particular set of metaphysical and moral commitments, whether secular or religious, lead to public disputes with a war-like character.

A Delphi consensus study for teaching \u201cBasic Trauma Management\u201d to third-year medical students

BackgroundThe Basic-Trauma Management (BTM) course has been taught to third-year medical students in small groups for many years without substantial changes. With the introduction of a new curriculum for Swiss medical students, it was necessary to revise the BTM content and re-align it. Our aim was to identify core competencies for the revised BTM course.MethodsWe applied a three-round step-wise Delphi consensus. First, we asked open-ended questions on what were the most important competencies to be taught for BTM; the second round used Likert scales to ensure agreement on the competencies; and the final round reached out for consensus on these BTM competencies. Stakeholders were selected based on their long-standing experience in teaching BTM and in managing trauma patients.ResultsConsensus was found on 29 competencies out of an initial 130 proposals. “Human Factors”, which had not been taught previously, scored relatively high, at 22%. The sole specific trauma skill agreed upon was the use of tourniquets.ConclusionsThis is an example of curricular revision of a clinical skills course after the introduction of a regulatory framework for undergraduate medical education. The revised course curriculum tailors the concepts and skills in trauma that fulfill stakeholder needs, and are in agreement with the new Swiss learning outcomes.

John A. Macdonald, “the Chinese” and Racist State Formation in Canada

In 1885, John Alexander Macdonald took the right to vote away from men racialized as Chinese on the grounds that they were biologically different from “Canadians” and that their presence threatened “the Aryan character” of Canadian society. Through the 1885 Electoral Franchise Act, Macdonald was seeking to consolidate colonial expansion into the west by constituting the federal polity around the owners of private property, i.e., of land that had been converted from the collective control of Indigenous people. As elsewhere in the world, European colonialism in Canada involved taking control of Indigenous people’s territories and converting it to the private ownership of European colonizers. Making ownership of property the key to membership in the federal polity explains Macdonald’s initial support for giving the vote to women. It also explains why his legislation gave the vote to Indigenous people who met the property qualification. For Macdonald, ownership of private property was the final proof of an individual’s acculturation to colonial dominance. Property-owners from China, by contrast, threatened European dominance in British Columbia. Basing exclusion on alleged biological difference made it inescapable and permanent. The 1885 Act was thus a key moment in forming the racist state in Canada. Indeed, the strong opposition to Macdonald’s introduction of biological racism, including in the Canadian Senate on the part of his own appointees, underscores the significance of this change, one that would have consequences for racialized and excluded groups for many years to come

The representation of physical functional diversity in the Spanish press

This article presents the results of research into the treatment of physical functional diversity in the Spanish press. The research has involved the analysis of news items referring to functional diversity in two high-circulation newspapers in Spain (ABC and El País) between 1978 and 2012. The results show that the number of news items on functional diversity has risen over this period, with an evolution in the terminology and approach to the information. The creation of communication departments in some of the organizations in the sector, the production of style guides and/or norms and the recommendations of international organizations may have encouraged these changes. Even so, news items still appear in which the news is the functional diversity in itself, which does not help to deconstruct the stereotyped image that has accompanied this group for many years.

Discursos sobre los roles sociales de las mujeres mayores en la prensa

In recent decades we have seen that older women’s ageing experience is experiencing changes focused on a more active ageing and the enhancement of values, attitudes and roles that break with negative stereotypes associated with this age group for many years. The aim of this paper is to analyse a sample of data and interviews published in El Mundo, El Diario Vasco newspapers and their supplements to know the type of people and issues where the current situation of these older women is present in the discourses disseminated by the press and whether that media presence somehow reflects this situation and the positive redefinition of female ageing that is being perceived in modern society.

Эффективность препарата Мастодинон для коррекции масталгии у женщин в пре- и перименопаузе

The purpose of the study wasto examine the effectiveness of the drug Mastodynon® for the treatment of mastopathy in pre - and perimenopausal women. Materials and methods. The research was carried out within 12 months. Patient presenting complaints of pain in the breast, passed a comprehensive examination (clinical and Х-ray and/or sonographic) and questionnaires at the first visit and every 6 months. The plant-based drug Mastodynon®. Results. We examined 38 patients aged 45-56 years. Most women in this group for many years were observed due to mastopathy of different forms and degrees of severity. After 6 months after start of treatment with Mastodynon® the majority of patients reported decrease or absence of pain in the breasts, improvement of psycho-emotional condition. The positive effect of various degree was observed in 71.05% of the patients. After 1 year revealed a stabilization of the therapeutic effect of the drug Mastodynon® in 83.3% of cases. Mastodynon® has shown high effectiveness, good tolerability in the treatment of mastopathy in women of pre - and perimenopausal age, it has improved thepatients quality of life.

Life care planning and long-term care for individuals with brain injury in the UK

This article explores Life Care Planning and the models of the provision of rehabilitation, case management and care for people with brain-injury in the context of the health and social care systems in the UK. Life Care Planning for individuals with brain injury is not generally a term recognised or understood in the UK. The authors have worked in the field of rehabilitation, case management and care with this client group for many years and integrated their knowledge of the systems associated with Life Care Planning in the UK. The article explains the process of assessment and Life Care Planning for individuals with brain injury in the UK. Case management, rehabilitation and care are described, highlighting the positive and negative influences that can affect the provision of these services. Research evidence is given of potential factors that can predict needs for brain-injured clients and their families in a Life Care Plan. In the UK, Life Care Planning is only undertaken by Care Experts in a one-off assessment for the litigation process for individuals claiming compensation; and, by those acting as Case Managers with a specialism in brain injury, who review or provide clinical work with clients on a long-term basis.

From pond slime to rain forest: the evolution of ABA signalling and the acquisition of dehydration tolerance.

Keywords: abscisic acid (ABA); comparative genomics; dehydration tolerance; land plant evolution; Physcomitrella patens ; zeaxanthin epoxidase

Synthesis and characterization of hybrid membranes based on sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) and polysiloxane

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) for hydrogen and methanol have attracted the attention of research groups for many years mainly because they are promising candidates for clean and renewable power sources. The most common commercial product used as PEM is Nafion®. However, certain limitations and high production costs stimulate the research of new materials. In this work, new hybrid proton-conducting membranes for PEMFC based on sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) and an inorganic–organic polysiloxane phase were obtained with the objective of improving its mechanical, thermal, and chemical resistance properties. The hybrid membranes were prepared by dissolving the base polymer in DMSO and adding different amounts of the polysiloxane phase previously obtained from polydimethylsiloxane and a cross-linking agent (tetraethyl orthosilicate or phenyltrimetoxysilane). Membranes were characterized using infrared spectroscopy and thermal analysis. Macroscopic properties as water uptake, ion-exchange capacity, and proton conductivity were determined. The methanol permeabilities were in the range of 5.53 × 10−7− 8.36 × 10−7 cm2/s, which is several times lower than that of Nafion® 117 (1.55 × 10−6 cm2/s). The hybrid membranes with both cross-linkers also exhibited higher proton conductivity with respect to Nafion® 117 (40 mS/cm) at 80°C and 90% relative humidity.