Independent Influence Research Articles

Operational Stress, Coping Strategies and Psychological Well- Being Among Paramilitary Officers in the Bade Local Government Area of Yobe State

There have been reported cases of operational stress experienced by security and paramilitary officers in Nigeria ranging from high to moderate on a continuum of duty posts. Many officers tend to experience operational stress that affects their psychological well-being and productivity. Thus, a study on the influence of operational stress and coping strategies on psychological well -being among paramilitary officers in Bade LGA., Yobe State. The study objectives were: to examine independent influence of operational stress and coping strategies on the psychological well-being of paramilitary officers in Bade, LGA; investigate the joint influence of operational stress and coping strategies on the psychological well-being of paramilitary officers in Bade, LGA. A total of 220 participants, comprising Police (60), Civil Defense (50), Correctional Service (45), and Federal Road Safety Corps (65) were used with purposive sampling techniques. Three standardized instruments namely: Operational Stress; Psychological well-being, and Coping Strategies Scales, were used. Simple linear and multiple regression analyses were performed. The findings revealed that operational stress and coping strategies independently and jointly predicted psychological well-being among paramilitary officers in Bade LGA [F (1,218) =43.956; P<.01; F(1,218) = 51.423; P<.01]; [F (2,137) = 47.153; P<.01] . The study recommended, among others, that the Federal Government of Nigeria should increase the number of paramilitary formations and personnel in Northeast Nigeria with a view to reducing workloads for efficiency and psychological well-being. Additionally, resilience training for coping strategies should be provided by the Federal Government of Nigeria to improve psychological well-being.

Adherence to treatment in patients with arterial hypertension at the wartime conditions in Ukrainian population

Abstract Background Adherence to therapy significantly affects the course and prognosis of the disease. However, the impact of military operations and related factors on adherence to therapy has not been studied. Purpose The aim of the study was to evaluate additional factors influencing adherence to antihypertensive treatment in wartime. Materials and Methods A total of 1299 patients with arterial hypertension from different regions of Ukraine included into the study. All regions were divided into 3 zones: active hostilities; regions with moderate intensity; relatively calm regions. Besides traditional factors (age, education, concomitant pathology, type of therapy), the individual patients’ status was included to analysis as being a resident of a given region, an immigrant from an occupied territory or from a region of hostilities, or a person temporarily displaced. Analysis was performed in 4 treatment groups: 1 – fixed three-component combination olmesartan medoxomil/ amlodipine/ hydrochlorothiazide, 2 – fixed two-component combination olmesartan/ hydrochlorothiazide, 3 – fixed two-component therapy with olmesartan/ amlodipine, 4 - other antihypertensive therapy. Adherence was assessed at 1, 2 and 3 treatment months. Uni- and multivariate statistical analyses was performed to identify factors independently associated with treatment adherence. Results In total, 50 patients stopped the drug during the first month (3.8%), 9.8% stopped medication after 2 months, and 19.1% after 3 months. When analyzing patients' adherence depending on whether or not the doctor arrived from another region, we found that the percentage of patients who stopped treatment was almost twice higher if the doctor was displaced (32%), compared to doctors who remained in the places (18%). Based on results of comparative analysis, adherence to therapy was influenced by several factors: age, presence of concomitant coronary artery disease, staying in a high-risk region, number of pills, and prescribed drug. After 3 months adherence was 89% in patients who received 1 tablet per day, 84% - 2 tablets, 82% - 3-5 tablets, and 52% - more than 5 pills. The highest adherence was observed with the three-component pill and with combination of olmesartan and amlodipine. These combinations showed higher adherence compared to other types of therapy. Patient's level of education had no effect on adherence to therapy. Multivariate regression analysis showed, that age over 55 years (p=0.01) and patient’s being in dangerous area (p<0.0001) had significant independent negative influence on adherence. The use of two-component combination olmesartan/amlodipine or three-component therapy significantly increased adherence (p<0.0001). Conclusion In the wartime adherence to antihypertensive treatment depends both on previously known and specific factors - activity of hostilities in the region, as well as relocation of both patients and prescribing physicians to another region.

Wellbeing at the Edges of Ownership: The Impacts of Housing Tenure, Social Capital, and Institutions

This paper presents a three-country analysis of the relationship between housing, indicators of social capital, and life satisfaction (a proxy for wellbeing) using cross-sectional data from national surveys in Australia, the UK and the US. Addressing a key policy debate we construct, for each jurisdiction, models of life satisfaction as a function of housing and social capital, with a view to better targeting policy interventions to achieve wellbeing outcomes. First, we show that the wellbeing premium associated with homeownership remains resilient despite housing market instability early in the 21st century. Second, we find that while social capital is an important independent positive influence on life satisfaction, its effect is weaker than that of housing tenure. Third, we include two measures of housing risk (repayment risk and investment risk). These position mortgagors on a continuum across the edges of owner-occupation, placing them closer to, or further from, the ‘ideal’ of outright ownership. The impact of these measures varies across the three countries, raising questions about the way life satisfaction at the edges of ownership may be shaped by institutional forces.

Independent and joint influence of depression and advanced lung cancer inflammation index on mortality among individuals with chronic kidney disease

BackgroundThe combined effect of depression and nutritional-inflammatory status on mortality in the chronic kidney disease (CKD) population is unclear.MethodsWe prospectively analyzed 3,934 (weighted population: 22,611,423) CKD participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007–2018). Depression and nutritional-inflammatory status were assessed with Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) and Advanced Lung Cancer Inflammation Index (ALI), respectively. Weighted multivariate COX regression models, restricted cubic splines (RCS) models, and stratified analyses were used to investigate the association of PHQ-9 scores and ALI with all-cause mortality.ResultsDuring a median follow-up of 5.8 years (interquartile range 3.4–8.6 years), a total of 985 patients died (25.0%). Each point increase in a patient’s PHQ-9 score increased the risk of all-cause mortality by 4% (HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02–1.06; p < 0.001), in the full adjusted model. However, an increase in ALI levels was associated with a decreased risk. HRs (95% CI) of 0.76 (0.65–0.90), 0.70 (0.57–0.86), and 0.51 (0.41–0.64) in the Q2, Q3, and Q4 of ALI compared with the Q1 of ALI, respectively. In addition, the joint analysis showed that CKD patients without depression and with higher ALI were associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality. Namely, patients in the highest ALI group (Q4) without depression had the lowest risk (HR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.21–0.48). Furthermore, this combined effect was consistent across all subgroups, and no significant interaction was found (p > 0.05 for interaction).ConclusionIn a nationally representative sample of US patients with CKD, coexisting depression and poorer nutrition-inflammation were associated with a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality.

A cross-sectional study of factors associated with carotid atherosclerosis

ObjectiveThe aim of this work was to study the relationship between carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) and several indexes and provide a basis for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.MethodsThere were 11,028 adults who underwent physical examination at the Guangzhou Cadre and Talent Health Management Center from January 2023 to December 2023 and were selected as research subjects. Retrospective analysis was used to understand the carotid atherosclerosis of the examined population and analyze its relationship with sex, age, blood pressure, blood glucose, blood lipids, renal function, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, neutrophil to lymphocyte count ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte count ratio (PLR), systemic immune inflammation index (SII), monocyte count to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR), triglyceride glucose body mass index (TyG-BMI), insulin resistance metabolic index (METS-IR), and other indicators.ResultsAmong 11,028 subjects, the detection rate of carotid atherosclerotic thickening (CAT) was 12.00% and carotid atherosclerotic plaque (CAP) was 25.11%. The CAT and CAP detection rates in men were 13.32% and 28.78%, respectively, which were higher than the CAT detection rate of 8.28% and CAP detection rate of 14.80% in women, and the differences were statistically significant (both p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis using TyG-BMI and METS-IR as two indicators was modeled separately, and the results showed that CAS was associated with men, increasing age, and systolic blood pressure. The area under the curve (AUC) was analyzed using the subject’s work characteristic (ROC) curve in the descending order of METS-IR, TyG-BMI, and MHR. The combination of the three indexes of sex, age, and METS-IR predicted atherosclerosis with the highest AUC values.ConclusionCarotid atherosclerosis is highly prevalent in men. Elevation of systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, MHR, and TyG-BMI (or METS-IR) with age are independent influences on carotid atherosclerosis. The three indexes of MHR, TyG-BMI, and METS-IR, respectively, in combination with sex and age, can be used as a new and effective index to predict CAS.

Sharing the motherload: A review and development of the CO-Parent conceptual model for early childhood obesity prevention.

Fathers remain under-represented in early childhood obesity prevention research and interventions, despite growing evidence that paternal biopsychosocial factors and behaviors from pre- and post-conception can influence lifelong offspring health. Informed by a literature review of high-quality evidence, "CO-Parent" (childhood obesity-Parent) is a new conceptual model underpinned by couple interdependence theory and a socioecological framework. Literature was searched for the concepts parental AND weight-related behaviors AND child weight or weight-related behaviors, in databases including MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Global Health, Scopus, and SocINDEX. Prior evidence syntheses were prioritized as source data to inform model development. "CO-Parent" illustrates the interdependent and independent effects of maternal and paternal weight, weight-related behaviors, and well-being, across preconception, pregnancy, postpartum, and the early years on child weight-related behaviors and weight up to age five. The influences of public policy, social, environmental, economic, community, and other complex modifiable mediating factors are included in the model. The "CO-Parent" conceptual model paves the way for a paradigm shift by recognizing fathers as key figures in early childhood obesity prevention initiatives, encouraging them to "share the motherload." It highlights both the independent and interdependent roles fathers play in the epidemiology of obesity starting from preconception. CO-Parent also provides the foundations necessary to guide future theory and research to be more inclusive of fathers to further understanding of the independent and interdependent influences of parents in early childhood obesity prevention.

Socioeconomic and Health Characteristics as Predictors of Social Support in Elderly People with Visual Impairment: Evidence from Serbia

Background: Social networks and support have an independent and strong influence on health and quality of life at all stages of the life cycle, especially in the elderly. We aimed to determine the level of social support among the elderly population of the Republic of Serbia. Methods: The survey is part of the fourth Health survey of the population of Serbia, which was conducted in 2019 by the Republic Institute of Statistics with the Institute for Public Health of Serbia "Dr. Milan Jovanović Batut" and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia. The research instrument was standardized questionnaires constructed in accordance with the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS, wave3) and the social support score (Oslo-3 Social Support Scale). For the purposes of this research, data on the population aged 65 and over were used. Results: In terms of social support, 85.8% of respondents had bad , 13.9% moderate and 0.3% strong. Univariate regression analysis determined that respondents from the territory of Vojvodina had a 1.6 times higher chance of poor social support compared to respondents from southern and eastern Serbia. The probability of bad social support was 1.5 times higher in persons who were never married/cohabiting, persons with secondary education were at 1.6 times higher risk of poor social support compared to persons with higher education. Inactive persons had poor social support 1.4 times more often than employed persons, as well as persons with comorbidities (OR=1.218). Conclusion: These researches are of great importance for public health because it provides valuable data for the creation of interventions that will intensify activities related to providing adequate social support to the elderly.

The amino acid composition of a protein influences its expression.

The quantity of each protein in a cell only is only partially correlated with its gene transcription rate. Independent influences on protein synthesis levels include mRNA sequence motifs, amino acyl-tRNA synthesis levels, elongation factor action, and protein susceptibility to degradation. Here we report that the amino acid composition of a protein can also influence its expression level in two distinct ways. The nutritional classification of amino acids in animals reflects their potential for scarcity-essential amino acids (EAA) are reliant on dietary supply, non-essential amino acids (NEAA) from internal biosynthesis, and conditionally essential amino acids (CEAA) from both. Accessing public proteomic datasets, we demonstrate that a protein's CEAA sequence composition is inversely correlated with expression-a correlation enhanced during rapid cellular proliferation-suggesting CEAA availability can limit translation. Similarly, proteins with the most extreme compositions of EAA are generally reduced in abundance. These latter proteins participate in biological systems such as taste and food-seeking behaviour, oxidative phosphorylation, and chemokine function, and so linking their expression to EAA availability may act as a homeostatic response to malnutrition. Protein composition can also influence general human phenotypes and disease susceptibility: stature proteins are enriched in CEAAs, and a curated dataset of over 700 cancer proteins is significantly under-represented in EAAs. We also show that individual amino acids can influence protein expression across all kingdoms of life and that this effect appears to be rooted in the unchanging structural and mRNA encoding features of each amino acid. Species-specific environmental survival pathways are shown to be enriched in proteins with individual amino acid compositions favouring higher expression. These two forms of amino acid-driven protein expression regulation promise new insights into systems biology, evolutionary studies, experimental research design, and public health intervention.

The Influence of Auditor Quality, Professional Ethics and Internal Auditor Independence on Fraud Detection with Information Technology as a Moderating Variable

The Influence of Auditor Quality, Professional Ethics and Internal Auditor Independence on Fraud Detection with Information Technology as a Moderating Variable

Evolution of Rotating Internal Channel for Heat Transfer Enhancement in a Gas Turbine Blade

To achieve higher thermal efficiency in a gas turbine, increasing the turbine inlet temperature is necessary. The rotor blade at the first stage tolerates the highest temperature, and the serpentine internal channel located in the middle chord of the rotor blade is vital in guaranteeing the blade’s service life. Therefore, it is essential to illustrate the evolution of the rotating internal channel in a gas turbine blade. In the paper, the influence of the Coriolis force, including its mechanisms, on the conventional rotating channel are reviewed and analyzed. A way to utilize the positive heat transfer effect of the Coriolis force is proposed. Recent investigations on corresponding novel rotating channels with a channel orientation angle of 90° (called bilaterally enhanced U-channels) are illustrated. Moreover, numerical investigations about the Re effects on bilaterally enhanced smooth U-channels were carried out in the study. The results indicated that bilaterally enhanced U-channels can utilize the Coriolis force positive heat transfer effect on the leading and the trailing walls at the same time. Re and Ro are vital non-dimensional numbers that influence the performance of bilaterally enhanced U-channels. Re and Ro have an independent influence on the heat transfer performance of the bilaterally enhanced U-channel. Ro is good for the heat transfer of the bilaterally enhanced U-channel on both the leading and the trailing walls. Therefore, the bilaterally enhanced U-channel is suitable for application in the middle chord region of a turbine blade, since it can utilize the rotation effect of the rotating blade to improve the heat transfer ability of the blade and thus reduced the blade temperature. At the same Ro, Re positively affects the Nu on the leading and the trailing walls of the Coriolis-utilization rotating smooth U-channel, but plays a negligible role on Nu/Nu0.

Nonlinear relationship between vitamin D status on admission and bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants.

This research will explore non-linear relationship between vitamin D status on admission and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants. Data were retrospectively collected on preterm infants ≤32 weeks gestation and ≥28 weeks gestation hospitalized in our hospital between Jan. 2019 and Jul. 2022, which were classified into BPD and non-BPD groups according to BPD diagnostic criteria. Independent influences between the two groups were staged using comparison of differences between groups, univariate analysis, multivariate analysis, smoothed curve fitting, and threshold effect staging. 255 preterm infants were enrolled in this research, including 135 males and 120 females, with a mean gestational age of 30.59 ± 0.86 weeks. Vitamin D status on admission was an independent protective factor for BPD in preterm infants, with a 6% reduction in the probability of BPD for every 1 ng/ml increase in vitamin D status on admission (p = 0.036). There was also a non-linear relationship, with each 1 ng/ml increase in vitamin D status on admission being associated with an 87% reduction in the incidence of BPD when vitamin D status was <12.82 ng/ml (p = 0.010). Vitamin D status on admission and BPD are non-linearly in preterm infants at 28-32 weeks gestation. Analyzing the relationship between vitamin D status on admission and BPD. A nonlinear relationship and turning point between vitamin D status on admission and BPD was derived by curve fitting and threshold effect. We provide a new reference point for vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of neonatal BPD and to avoid ineffective overmedication.

Multilayered politicized constructions of COVID-19 vaccines: A global south view of Pfizer and Sinovac

Despite their overwhelming public health benefits for pandemic response, Covid-19 vaccines have been subject to political controversy around the world. Multidisciplinary scholarship in the health and social sciences points to a wide range of factors that influence the public’s divided views of vaccines. But these factors have largely been considered in relative isolation from each other as independent influences on vaccine beliefs. In this paper, we propose a multilayered politico-psychological model of collective constructions of the Covid-19 vaccines. Borrowing from Montiel and Christie’s (2007) theoretical framework, we examine how the Covid-19 vaccines are holistically constructed in relation to interdependent social meanings across micro-level, meso-level, and macro-level socio-ecological layers. Harnessing a mixed methods research design, we apply this framework to analyze a large corpus of Filipino tweets (N = 229,236) about the Pfizer and Sinovac vaccines. Micro-level discourses feature competing individual emotions which construct Pfizer as an object of desire and Sinovac as an object of fear. Meso-level constructions invoke collective contexts of information and resource scarcity within which Pfizer is a serendipitous prize while Sinovac is a mandated responsibility. Finally, macro-level constructions embed the Covid-19 vaccines within national and international structures, framing Pfizer as a symbol of political integrity and Sinovac as an instrument of political corruption for government leaders. In conclusion, these multilayered discourses around the Covid-19 vaccines illuminate complex negotiations of agency among a Global South public during the pandemic. We discuss multilevel interventions and politico-psychological implications for public health campaigns more broadly.

Association of Vascular Risk Factors and Cerebrovascular Pathology With Alzheimer Disease Pathologic Changes in Individuals Without Dementia.

Vascular risk factors (VRFs) and cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) are common in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). It remains unclear whether this coexistence reflects shared risk factors or a mechanistic relationship and whether vascular and amyloid pathologies have independent or synergistic influence on subsequent AD pathophysiology in preclinical stages. We investigated links between VRFs, cSVD, and amyloid levels (Aβ1-42) and their combined effect on downstream AD biomarkers, that is, CSF hyperphosphorylated tau (P-tau181), atrophy, and cognition. This retrospective study included nondemented participants (Clinical Dementia Rating < 1) from the European Prevention of Alzheimer's Dementia (EPAD) cohort and assessed VRFs with the Framingham risk score (FRS) and cSVD features on MRI using visual scales and white matter hyperintensity volumes. After preliminary linear analysis, we used structural equation modeling (SEM) to create a "cSVD severity" latent variable and assess the direct and indirect effects of FRS and cSVD severity on Aβ1-42, P-tau181, gray matter volume (baseline and longitudinal), and cognitive performance (baseline and longitudinal). A total cohort of 1,592 participants were evaluated (mean age = 65.5 ± 7.4 years; 56.16% F). We observed positive associations between FRS and all cSVD features (all p < 0.05) and a negative association between FRS and Aβ1-42 (β = -0.04 ± 0.01). All cSVD features were negatively associated with CSF Aβ1-42 (all p < 0.05). Using SEM, the cSVD severity fully mediated the association between FRS and CSF Aβ1-42 (indirect effect: β = -0.03 ± 0.01), also when omitting vascular amyloid-related markers. We observed a significant indirect effect of cSVD severity on P-tau181 (indirect effect: β = 0.12 ± 0.03), baseline and longitudinal gray matter volume (indirect effect: β = -0.10 ± 0.03; β = -0.12 ± 0.05), and baseline cognitive performance (indirect effect: β = -0.16 ± 0.03) through CSF Aβ1-42. In a large nondemented population, our findings suggest that cSVD is a mediator of the relationship between VRFs and CSF Aβ1-42 and affects downstream neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment. We provide evidence of VRFs indirectly affecting the pathogenesis of AD, highlighting the importance of considering cSVD burden in memory clinics for AD risk evaluation and as an early window for intervention. These results stress the role of VRFs and cerebrovascular pathology as key biomarkers for accurate design of anti-amyloid clinical trials and offer new perspectives for patient stratification.

Correlation between Pulp Weight and Physio-Biochemical Traits of Mango (Mangifera indica L.) Germplasms

Aim: The present study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between pulp weight and various physio-biochemical attributes among 30 diverse mango (Mangifera indica L.) germplasms under the Tarai region of Uttarakhand. Place and Duration of Study: This investigation was carried out at Horticulture Research Centre, GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, during the years 2021 and 2022. Methodology: The selected 30 germplasms included two commercially grown cultivars and 28 primary germplasms sourced from different eco-geographical locations of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand states of India. Pulp weight, physical characteristics (fruit shape index, pulp/stone ratio) and biochemical parameters (Brix/Acid ratio and pH) were measured for each germplasm and statistically laid out in completely randomized design (CRD), and their relationships were analyzed using simple linear regression and Pearson’s correlation coefficients. Results: The maximum values recorded among the studied germplasms were 300.73 g for pulp weight (PMGC-19), 2.41 for fruit shape index (PMSS-31), 0.309 for pulp/stone ratio (PMGC-71), 140.87 for Brix/Acid ratio (PMGC-96) and 5.87 for pH (PMGC-96). Among the physical attributes, pulp weight exhibited a moderate positive correlation with fruit shape index (r = 0.419), indicating that fruits with a higher shape index tend to have increased pulp weight. Whereas, a moderate negative correlation was observed between pulp weight and pulp/stone ratio (r = -0.457), suggesting that as the pulp/stone ratio increases, pulp weight decreases. However, biochemical attributes such as Brix/Acid ratio and pH showed no significant correlation with pulp weight (r = 0.005 and r = 0.018, respectively), indicating an independent influence of these parameters on pulp characteristics. Conclusion: These findings provide important insights into the complex relationships between pulp weight and other physio-biochemical traits in mango, some traits for breeding programs aimed to improving fruit quality and pulp content and identified superior and promising germplasms for cultivation as well as potential parental genotypes in mango improvement programs.

Diagnostic value and clinical significance of lncRNA NEAT1 combined with miR-425-3p in children with viral myocarditis.

Viral myocarditis (VMC) is common in children. Previous studies have reported the clinical value of nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1) and microRNA-425-3p (miR-425-3p) in certain diseases, but not in VMC. This article was designed to investigate the expression of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) NEAT1 and miR-425-3p in the serum of patients with VMC and their clinical significance. We assessed VMC and healthy patients and analyzed differences in the expression levels of NEAT1 and miR-425-3p. The correlation and targeting relationship between the two were reported by Spearman correlation analysis and luciferase reporter assay. ROC curves were plotted to reflect the diagnostic effect of both. In addition, according to the 12-month prognostic effect grouping, patients with VMC were separated into a group with good vs. poor prognosis, and the difference in the expression levels of NEAT1 and miR-425-3p between the two groups were analyzed. The ability of the two markers in the prognosis of VMC was further analyzed by multiple logistic regression. NEAT1 expression was up-regulated in VMC and miR-425-3p expression was down-regulated, and there was a negative correlation and targeting link between the two. The diagnostic efficacy of both NEAT1 and miR-425-3p was higher than that of a single indicator. High expression of NEAT1 and low expression of miR-425-3p were found in VMC patients with poor prognosis. Both were independent influencers of VMC prognosis. NEAT1 and miR-425-3p expressions were affected by VMC and had important clinical implications for VMC, indicating for the first time the clinical function of NEAT1 and miR-425-3p in VMC.

Preoperative Serum Glycan Levels Reflect Progression of Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Abnormal glycosylation is associated with tumors. The clinical value of serum glycans in assessing progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients remains a challenge. A study dynamically comparing levels of fifteen lectin-specific glycans between preoperative and postoperative serum of 65 HCC patients was conducted via lectin biochip technology. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to address associations between serum glycan levels and clinicopathological characteristics. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate the impacts of serum glycan levels on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of the HCC patients. HCC patients presented significantly higher levels of the lectin-specific glycans in preoperative serum than disease-free individuals (p < 0.001 - p = 0.029), except ConA. The glycans in preoperative sera were significantly related to tumor size, pTNM, metastasis, BCLC stage, portal hypertension (PHT), and platelet count (PLT), respectively (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic analyses indicated that tumor size and pTNM independently impact on glycan-specific lectins either LTL, UEA-I, VVL, NPL, WGA, PNA, MAL-I, SNA, or PHA-L (p = 0.003 - p = 0.044); BCLC stage and PLT were independent factors influencing the serum glycans recognizable DSA (p = 0.024) and SNA (p = 0.050), respectively. Surgical excision of tumor mass significantly reduced glycan levels in sera. Tumor differentiation, albumin, and ABO type significantly revealed independent influence on glycan-specific lectins, such as RCA-I (p = 0.024), VVL (p = 0.024), and Con A (p = 0.026) in the postoperative serum. HCC patients with high levels of VVL-binding glycans significantly benefited from a longer OS time (p = 0.016, HR: 0.460, 95% CI: 0.237-0.892) and a better PFS time (p = 0.004; HR: 0.435, 95% CI: 0.237-0.799), respectively. Serum glycans could reflect surgical outcomes in at-risk patients and become valuable biomarkers in evaluating the progression of HCC patients.

Clinical significance and underlying mechanism of long non-coding RNA SNHG12 in lower extremity deep venous thrombosis.

D-dimer is widely used in the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), but the specificity is low. The study examined the diagnostic value of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) SNHG12 in DVT, and preliminarily discussed its mechanism. SNHG12 levels were detected in 200 elderly fracture patients via RT-qPCR, including 38 DVTs. Logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were applied for diagnostic value evaluation. HUVECs were used for function study. Cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis, release of inflammatory cytokines, and adhesion factors were detected. Student's t test and one-way ANOVA were applied for data comparison between two or among three or more groups. Correlation analysis of indicators was completed via Pearson's correlation analysis. Bioinformatics analysis predicted the target miRNAs and genes of SNHG12, with GO and KEGG for the function enrichment. It was found that SNHG12 was at low expression in DVT patients, and negatively correlated with D-dimer concentration (r = -0.535). SNHG12 and D-dimer were independent influence factors related to the development of DVT. SNHG12 and D-dimer combination had the best performance in DVT diagnosis. In HUVECs, SNHG12 promoted cell proliferation and migration and restricted the release of inflammatory cytokines and adhesion factors, but these influences were counteracted by miR-424-5p. A total of 208 overlapping target genes of miR-424-5p were identified, and their function was enriched in cellular cycle and senescence. PI3K-Akt signaling pathway was the most significant pathway based on KEGG results. In conclusion, SNHG12 had good diagnostic potential for DVT combined with D-dimer. SNHG12 maintains vascular endothelial cell function by acting as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-424-5p.

Independence, Competence, Objectivity, Ethics And Auditor Experience On Auditor Quality

This study aims to examine and analyse the influence of Independence, Competence, Objectivity, Auditor Ethics, and Auditor Experience on the Audit Quality of Auditors of Public Accountant Offices in South Jakarta in 2023. The sample in this study was an auditor who worked in 10 public Accountant Offices in South Jakarta. The sampling method used is a Purposive Sampling Method. The primary data used in this study was obtained directly from respondents. The data collection method used was a questionnaire method with 98 respondents as many respondents. Analysis of the data used is multiple linear regression analysis and using the Partial Least Square (SmartPLS) program version 3.2.9 for Windows Partial Least Square (SmartPLS) version 3.2.9 for Windows. The results of the tests showed that independence, competence, objectivity, auditor ethic, and auditor experience significantly positively affect audit quality.

Pengaruh Independensi Dan Gender Komite Audit Terhadap Audit Delay

The influence of audit committee independence and gender on audit delay is the subject of this research. This research was conducted using a quantitative approach combined with a descriptive approach. For this research, the data used was secondary data and the sampling technique used was purposive sampling. This research examines 33 banking companies over a period of 4 (four) years. The results of this research are that independence has a negative effect on audit delay and audit committee gender has a negative effect on audit delay. Therefore, it can be concluded that if the company has an audit committee that is independent then this can reduce the occurrence of audit delays and if the company has more female audit committees then this can reduce the occurrence of audit delays.This research aims to determine the influence of audit committee independence and gender on audit delay.

Impact of smoking on procedural outcomes and all-cause mortality following acute myocardial infarction: A misleading early-stage pseudoparadox with ultimately reduced survival

BackgroundSmoking has conflicting results on outcomes following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We evaluated the independent influence of smoking status on patient outcomes. MethodsWe included patients with AMI undergoing invasive coronary angiography with available self-reported smoking status. The incidence of death of any cause was evaluated during a median follow-up of 1.14 years (range 0.36–3.40 years). Association between smoking status and long-term mortality was evaluated using multivariable adjusted Cox regression analysis. ResultsFrom 1612 AMI patients (aged 65.7 ± 13.3 years, 72.1 % male), 378 patients (23.4 %) were current-smokers, 311 (19.3 %) ex-smokers, and 923 (57.3 %) non-smokers. Compared with non-smokers, current-smokers were younger (68.5 ± 13.0 vs. 58.6 ± 12.5, p < 0.0001) and more frequently presented with STEMI (21.6 % vs. 35,4 %, p < 0.0001), while ex-smokers with similar frequency of STEMI-manifestation as non-smokers (22.5 %, p = 0.79) constituted an intermediate-group in terms of age (65.8 ± 11,6 years). Although smoking status was not significantly associated with long-term survival in unadjusted-analysis, active-smokers had 56 % higher long-term mortality than non-smokers when adjusting for age, gender, medications and other traditional risk factors, whereas ex-smokers possessed comparable survival probability (current-smokers: 1.56[1.14–2.14], p = 0.006, ex-smokers 1.16[0.84–1.59], p = 0.37). Current-smokers had unadjusted lower NT-proBNP and modestly higher absolute in-hospital left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV GLS) values that did not differ among groups after the same adjustments (NT-proBNP: −0.08[-0.31; 0.15], p = 0.5, LV GLS: 0.65[-0.26; 1.55], p = 0.16). ConclusionActive smoking is associated with increased adjusted long-term mortality, earlier onset and more frequent manifestation as STEMI, compared to non-smoking. Comparable adjusted results for LV GLS and NT-proBNP between groups support the presence of the pseudoparadox.