Laboratory Reports Research Articles

Understanding the Disease Burden of Severe Von Willebrand Disease in a Resource Poor Country: An Indian Cohort Study

Background : The national economic status impacts identification of rare diseases which also reflects access to standard healthcare infrastructure.Though VWD is the commonest bleeding disorder, the disease remains under-recognized and underdiagnosed in India due to its phenotypic and clinical heterogeneity and the need for multiple and complex diagnostic tests. The hospital based data shows a contrasting prevalence to that of the west, in that type 3 is the commonest subtype followed by type 1 and type 2 subtype. The treatment patterns of VWD too differs between countries and geographical regions. Unlike hemophilia, the bleed patterns and treatment details are not very well defined. There is a need to identify the unmet needs in the area of diagnosis and management. Aim : The study is aimed to increase understanding of clinical manifestations, treatment practices along with Quality of life (qoL) in severe VWD patients from India Methods : This is a cross-sectional, patient reported retrospective analysis of severe VWD patients from India. The eligibility criteria is confirmed diagnosis of VWD with documented laboratory reports. An informed consent was taken from each patient before participation in the study and the study was initiated after obtaining approval from Institute Ethics Committee. The EQ-5D instrumentswere used to measure patient reported health related QoL. Results : A total of sixty two severe VWD patients were included in the present study. Mean age of the patients was 23.8 years (SD + 13.2 years); median 22 years (range 5-56 years) and the mean age of diagnosis was 4.9 years (SD + 6.9 years). The mean ABR was 12.6 (SD + 8.9). Twenty five patients (40%) had a positive family history and 37 (60%) of the patients reported parental consanguinity. Common bleeding symptoms were of mucocutaneous nature like epistaxis, ecchymoses and gingival bleed .Prolonged bleed from cuts was reported by 46 (74%) of patients and 14 out of 27 women (52%) in the reproductive age group complained of severe menorrhagia ( Table 1). In approximately 76% of the patients, the major treatment product was intermediate purity FVIII whereas 3 patients were still being treated with either cryprecipitate or fresh frozen plasma. The EQ-5D data reported a worse health state in the EQ-5D-5L dimensions of pain/discomfort (34% moderate and 8% moderate to severe problems),usual activities (21% moderate problems and 3% moderate to severe problems), self-care (21% moderate problems) and anxiety (moderate 21% and 2% moderate to severe).There were two deaths due to bleeding in the previous 10 years . Conclusion : In a resource limited country like India, type 3 is the predominant subtype presenting in the treatment centers. All patients had mucocutaneous bleeding with epistaxis being the predominant manifestation, but joint bleeding is also not uncommon. The study also reveals much lower than optimal QoL in all patients, mobility being the least affected parameter. Despite India being the pharmacy of the world, these conditions are neglected by stakeholders.

Role of Cytogenetics and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization in the Laboratory Workup of Acute Myeloid Leukemias

AbstractA new understanding of acute myeloid leukemia as a varied group of unique biologic entity has emerged, as a result of the identification of various chromosomal aberrations and their association with clinical prognosis and diagnosis. Following induction treatment, cytogenetic examination can establish the presence of any residual malignant cells, it's recurrence, clonal evolution if any, or the formation of novel abnormalities. The G-banded karyotype has been the gold standard method for detecting all of these aberrations for years. The capacity to examine the entire genome through karyotype analysis quickly enabled the detection of deletions, duplications, and structural rearrangements across every chromosome, and the more frequent ones were associated with particular aberrant clinical symptoms. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a sensitive technology that aids in differential diagnosis or therapeutic planning and provides rapid results. Furthermore, the combination of cytogenetic and molecular profiling enables a more precise evaluation of disease prognosis, diagnosis, classification, risk stratification, and patient treatment. Interphase FISH analysis, in conjunction with G-banded chromosomal analysis, can be used as a major testing tool for the evaluation of hematological neoplasms. For accurate and consistent descriptions of genomic changes identified by karyotyping and FISH, a specified terminology is necessary. The International System for Human Cytogenomic Nomenclature is the main source and provides instructions for documenting cytogenetic and molecular findings in laboratory reports. This review discusses the two methods, karyotyping and FISH, their advantages and limitations, sample requirements, various FISH probes that are used, nomenclature for results reporting, and the necessary quality control measures.

Fuel Performance Analysis of Fast Flux Test Facility MFF-3 and -5 Fuel Pins Using BISON with Post Irradiation Examination Data

Using the BISON fuel-performance code, simulations were conducted of an automated process to read initial and operating conditions from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) database and reports, which contain metallic-fuel data from the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) MFF Experiments. This work builds on previous modeling efforts involving 1977 EBR-II metallic fuel pins from experiments. Coupling the FFTF PNNL reports to BISON allowed for all 338 pins from MFF-3 and MFF-5 campaigns to be simulated. Each BISON simulation contains unique power and flux histories, axial power and flux profiles, and coolant-channel flow rates. Fission-gas release (FGR), fuel axial swelling, cladding profilometry, and burnup were all simulated in BISON and compared to available post-irradiation examination (PIE) data. Cladding profilometry, FGR, and fuel axial swelling simulation results for full-length MFF metallic pins were found to be in agreement with PIE measurements using FFTF physics and models used previously for EBR-II simulations. The main two peaks observed within the cladding profilometry were able to be simulated, with fuel-cladding mechanical interaction (FCMI), fuel-cladding chemical interaction (FCCI), and thermal and irradiation-induced creep being the cause. A U-Pu-Zr hot-pressing model was included in this work to allow pore collapse within the fuel matrix. This allowed better agreement between BISON-simulated cladding profilometry and PIE measurements for the peak caused by FCMI. This work shows that metallic fuel models used to accurately represent fuel performance for smaller EBR-II pins may be used for full-length metallic fuel, such as FFTF MFF assemblies and the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR). As new material models and PIE measurements become available, FFTF MFF assessment cases will be reassessed to further BISON model development.

Student writing in the engineering curriculum: discursive rhetorical model of the laboratory report genre in Spanish.

The laboratory report is a widely used genre in the academic training process in civil computer engineering. Students produce this genre in the university classroom for diverse academic and professional purposes. Despite its relevance, empirical rhetorical-discursive descriptions of the value of student writing are still scarce in Spanish. Thus, we describe the rhetorical-discursive organization of the laboratory report genre in this subdiscipline. To fulfil this purpose, we followed a methodological design based on Swalesian Genre Analysis and used a corpus of ninety-eight texts. The sample was collected in a self-compiled form through consultation with teachers and students in the university classroom. The application of this method allowed us to determine the macro-moves, moves, and rhetorical steps of the genre, its communicative functions, and textual features. The resulting rhetorical model consisted of four macro-moves, twelve moves and seventeen steps. This model shows the highly dynamic and mesogeneric nature of this genre, the new functions of multimodal artefacts, and the genre's presence across the curriculum. To know about the teachers' and students' views on the process of training professional writers in engineering, the rhetorical model was complemented with an ethnographic phase (in the terms proposed by Swales: corroboration process with a couple of members of the community) before and after collecting the textual corpus. Finally, the implications for genre theory, Spanish language theory and pedagogy of the Spanish language and genre pedagogy are discussed.

Endomyocardial biopsy practice in non-transplant patients: a nationwide descriptive study

Abstract Background Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is an invasive diagnostic tool, mainly used during the follow-up of heart transplant patients (HTx). Its others indications have been established and discussed in position statement paper from international cardiac societies. However the use of EMB in real life remains controversial and differs widely from a center to another. Purpose We carried out a nationwide survey to describe the current use of EMB in non-heart transplant patients. Methods We used the National Hospital Discharge Database (PMSI) that contains diagnostic codes of all hospitalizations. Medical data is coded from different sources (e.g. laboratory reports, discharge reports) according defined terminologies and coding rules. We included all hospitalizations during which EMB (code CCAM DAHF001 – Endocardium or Myocardium Biopsy, transcutaneous vascular access) was performed from January 1st 2019 to December 31th 2020. We excluded all patients with a main or secondary or associated diagnosis of heart transplant. Main diagnosis as well as secondary and associated diagnoses were collected in order to define the medical indication of EMB. We aggregated EMB indications into 8 groups. Results Among 9735 EMB, 914 (9%) were carried out for non-transplant patients during the 2 years of analysis. Among the 212 hospitals with interventional cardiology units, only 53 (25%) carried out EMB in non-transplant patients and 86% of these procedures were carried out in transplant centers. Three hospitals carried out 37% of all non-transplant EMB while 23 centers carried out no more than 5 EMB over the 2-year survey. The figure displays main indications of EMB in non-transplant patients. According to the PMSI database, the 3 main indications of EMB were amyloïdosis (29%), non-ischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy (28%) and myocarditis (22%). The medical indication could not be specified in 155 (16%) patients. Conclusion In non-transplant patients, EMB is rarely performed in France, only in a few hospitals and with significant disparity in the annual rate of procedures carried out by each. Most EMB were performed because of amyloidosis or dilated cardiomyopathy and myocarditis. Further data about local constraints as well as clinical impact of EMB for each patient would be useful to understand further the role of EMB in real life.EMB indications in non HTx patients

Extracting laboratory test information from paper-based reports

BackgroundIn the healthcare domain today, despite the substantial adoption of electronic health information systems, a significant proportion of medical reports still exist in paper-based formats. As a result, there is a significant demand for the digitization of information from these paper-based reports. However, the digitization of paper-based laboratory reports into a structured data format can be challenging due to their non-standard layouts, which includes various data types such as text, numeric values, reference ranges, and units. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a highly scalable and lightweight technique that can effectively identify and extract information from laboratory test reports and convert them into a structured data format for downstream tasks.MethodsWe developed an end-to-end Natural Language Processing (NLP)-based pipeline for extracting information from paper-based laboratory test reports. Our pipeline consists of two main modules: an optical character recognition (OCR) module and an information extraction (IE) module. The OCR module is applied to locate and identify text from scanned laboratory test reports using state-of-the-art OCR algorithms. The IE module is then used to extract meaningful information from the OCR results to form digitalized tables of the test reports. The IE module consists of five sub-modules, which are time detection, headline position, line normalization, Named Entity Recognition (NER) with a Conditional Random Fields (CRF)-based method, and step detection for multi-column. Finally, we evaluated the performance of the proposed pipeline on 153 laboratory test reports collected from Peking University First Hospital (PKU1).ResultsIn the OCR module, we evaluate the accuracy of text detection and recognition results at three different levels and achieved an averaged accuracy of 0.93. In the IE module, we extracted four laboratory test entities, including test item name, test result, test unit, and reference value range. The overall F1 score is 0.86 on the 153 laboratory test reports collected from PKU1. With a single CPU, the average inference time of each report is only 0.78 s.ConclusionIn this study, we developed a practical lightweight pipeline to digitalize and extract information from paper-based laboratory test reports in diverse types and with different layouts that can be adopted in real clinical environments with the lowest possible computing resources requirements. The high evaluation performance on the real-world hospital dataset validated the feasibility of the proposed pipeline.

Rare Invasive Fungal Infections in Hematologic Patients: A Large Unicentric Series

Introduction: Invasive fungal infections (IFI) are a major cause of infectious mortality in immunocompromised hematologic patients. While Candida spp and Aspergillus spp account for most cases, IFI by so-called “rare” fungi (about 1% of all IFI) are clinically relevant, with challenging diagnoses (including difficult phenotypic identification and misinterpretation as contaminants) and insufficient data on antifungal susceptibility to guide treatment guidelines. International efforts to record the epidemiology of these rare IFIs are fundamental to help overcome the lack of data that hinders successful diagnosis and treatment. Methods: We reviewed all fungal infections diagnosed in our Hematology Department in adults (18 years and over) from 06.01.2006 to 03.31.2023, selecting cases with identification of rare fungi by mycologic methods. The date of “Diagnosis” (Dx) was that of collection of the first positive sample. Results: A total of 67 patients (pts, 52.2% male) with a median age of 63.6 years (mean: 59.2, range: 23.2-90.0) were included; 68.7% had acute leukemias - 89.4% of which myeloid (AML), 13.0% lymphoblastic, 4.4% promyelocytic and 2.2% of ambiguous lineage - and 4.5% had myelodysplastic syndromes; 20.9% had a chronic lymphoproliferative disease, 3.0% had aplastic anemia and 3.0% had plasma cell dyscrasias. There was an average of 4 cases of rare IFI per year (range: 0-9), with a peak in 2017 (13.4% of total); 50.8% of all infections diagnosed over the nearly 17 years of the study occurred in the 5 years between 2013-2017, a period of renovation work in our hospital. Time to Dx ranged from 0 (collection on the day of hospitalization) to 98 days (mean: 25.4; median: 22 days). Identification of the fungus took a median of 5 days (mean: 5.6, range: 2-16 days) from the time of collection. In 8 patients (12.9%), the lab report with a fungal identification was released post-mortem; in these pts, results were available a median of 3.5 days after exitus (mean: 5.4, range: 1-13 days). In 79.1% of pts, a yeast was isolated (68.7% Geotrichum-like), while in 20.9% a filamentous fungus was identified (3.0% Mucorales). The most frequent genera were Geotrichum (62.7%), Saprochaete (5.8%), Fusarium and Alternaria (4.5% each). Cryptococcus, Trichosporon and Penicillium accounted for 3% of infections each, with 9 additional species identified in single pts. Fungemia was found in 58.2% of pts (in peripheral blood in 52.2%; in central access blood in 38.8%; in both in 32.8%). Pulmonary isolates were obtained in 26.9% of pts (in sputum in 19.4%; in bronchial aspirate or lavage in 10.4%; in both in 3.0%). Urinary isolates were found in 6.0% of pts; 13.4% had fungi in other biologic samples. The median overall survival was 20 days; 32.6% of pts died within a week of Dx, 45.6% within the first fortnight and 60.9% within the first month; 26.1% died between 1 and 3 months from Dx; and 13.0% died over 3 months after Dx. At the time of the study, 5 pts (7.5% of the cohort) were still alive, all with yeast infections; survivors had evidence of fungemia in 20% of cases and pulmonary involvement in 60%. Discussion: In our large clinical series, AML was responsible for nearly 2/3 of cases of rare IFI, reflecting its overall increased risk for IFI. The rarity of these agents was highlighted by the fact that our tertiary hematology center, serving a population of 2.3 million, had an average of 4 cases of rare IFI per year; yearly variations were in part accounted for by construction work (which releases fungal spores). Dx varied from the day of admission to over 3 months into hospitalization, reflecting a range from community-acquired to nosocomial infections; the average pt had been in hospital for 3 weeks by the time they were diagnosed. There were 4-fold more yeast infections than filamentous fungi, with Geotrichum and related yeasts accounting for 2/3 of cases. Fungemia was present in over half of patients, and pulmonary infiltrates in 1/4, a proportion that was reversed in survivors. Fungal identification took up to a fortnight, and over 10% of patients were dead before a Dx was established, not benefiting from directed treatment. The high lethality of these infections was underlined by the fact that 1/3 died within a week of Dx, with a median OS of 3 weeks. About 1/10 of pts died more than 3 months from Dx, with progressive hematologic disease being the most likely cause of death in that pt subset; less than 10% of the cohort is currently alive, and in remission.

Study of HbA1c levels in non-diabetic individuals recovered from Covid-19.

To study the glycemic control by estimating HbA1c levels among previously non-diabetic individuals aged above 40 years, who recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infection. This is an analytical cross-sectional study of people affected with Covid-19 infection, who were home-isolated, hospitalized, and discharged. The simple random sampling technique was used for the study group. Tirupati City, Andhra Pradesh State, India. We assessed socio-demographic profiles, hba1c levels, RBS, and severity of infection. The obtained laboratory reports were analyzed by using means and proportions after entering data in MS Excel and converted to SPSS software new version. The study participants comprised mostly middle age group males and females (mostly 40-60 years, with 60% of them being females). Most of the study subjects were healthy, and 58% of them have normal hba1c levels. 32% of them are in border line diabetic. The prevalence of diabetes post Covid-19 infection is 10%. The majority of participants have normal random blood sugar levels (around 92%), and very less individuals have abnormal random blood sugar levels (2% of the subjects). There is no significant association between hypertension and raised blood sugar levels post Covid-19 infection. Based on the study, Covid-19 infection has an impact on blood sugar levels and altered glycemic control, switching a few individuals into diabetic and a significant number of individuals into the pre-diabetic state, who are non-diabetic individuals before Covid-19 infection.

Diagnostic Value of Red Cell Distribution Width and Red Blood Cell Distribution Width Index in Differentiating between Iron Deficiency Anemia and Beta Thalassemia Trait

Objective: To determine the diagnostic value of red blood cell distribution width and red cell distribution width index in differentiating iron deficiency anaemia and beta-thalassemia trait. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Dec 2021 to Feb 2022. Methodology: A study population of 110 children with an age limit of 1.5-7 years who reported low haemoglobin wassubjected to serum iron and ferritin levels with further evaluation of red cell count, blood morphology, and comparison of mean corpuscular volume. Red cell distribution width was taken from the lab report, whereas Red blood cell distribution width index value was computed for the samples. Results: A total of 110 patients were enrolled in the study. Seventy-five (68.18%) participants were diagnosed with IDA, 26(23.63%) participants were the candidate of βTT. Nine participants were suffering from anaemia of variable etiologies such as chronic ailment and sideroblastic, etc. βTT patients presented with higher RBC counts with a mean of 5.71±1.2 x1012 /l (6.8- 8.5 x1012 /l) when compared to IDA participants who deciphered values of 3.5±0.5 (2.6-4.3 x1012 /l). Mean MCV in βTT was 52.2±2.7(50.1-56.8) whereas for IDA were 72.5±1.2(61.2–78.3). In IDA low serum ferritin was recorded 4.02±1.1(2.2-9.2) as compared to mean values of βTT patients. Conclusion: Red cell distribution width index and Red blood cell distribution width are authentic variables and inexpensive modalities in differentiating between iron deficiency anaemia and beta-thalassemia trait with reliability.

Tata Kelola Rekam Medis Berbasis Elektronik dalam Kasus Pelaporan Pasien COVID-19 dengan Metode Rapid Application Development di RSUD AL IHSAN

Information on hospitalized patients with COVID-19-19 is available through the Corona Virus Disease 2019 Reporting Information System. As with the problem in every hospital, the officer in charge of collecting COVID-19 patient data is still not effective, such as recording data and lab reports of suspected COVID-19 cases before entering them into the information system using COVID-19 recording forms and Microsoft Excel. This of course results in late and inaccurate data delivery, resulting in difficulties in monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and COVID-19 mitigation programs in hospitals. In this investigation, the researchers used Rapid Application Development (RAD), a software development technique that prioritizes rapid iterations of the development cycle. Development teams can use the RAD methodology to concentrate on prototyping work and then quickly iterate depending on input from users or related parties. With this method, we have more leeway to adapt to future COVID-19-19 reporting requirements and rules. The creation of an information system that allows medical personnel or field personnel to relay case data directly from the scene is an example of the implementation of RAD in COVID-19-19 reporting This allows for proper data collection. The results obtained from the application of methods with problems that occur in COVID-19 reporting cases The process of collecting and reporting COVID-19 data becomes more effective, this system can also help officers in monitoring COVID-19 cases so that they can provide the necessary information to the COVID-19 response team.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a virtual laboratory for inorganic chemistry education

ABSTRACT Background The use of technology and computer science has significantly impacted education, including the field of inorganic chemistry. Virtual laboratories have emerged as a potent tool for fostering student interaction and learning. However, creating an effective virtual learning environment poses unique challenges and requires an interdisciplinary approach. This study examines a virtual laboratory created for inorganic chemistry education at the Kazakh National Women’s Teacher Training University. Purpose The study aims to assess the effectiveness of the developed virtual laboratory for inorganic chemistry, using JavaScript technology to provide interactive and engaging educational content. Sample The study involved two groups of 25 students each: a control group that undertook traditional offline laboratory classes and an experimental group that used the newly created virtual laboratory. Design and Methods Using a quasi-experimental setting, the study evaluated the impact of virtual experiments on students’ knowledge and skills. Students’ laboratory reports, evaluated according to established criteria, served as the main tool for assessment. Data were processed in Excel and analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics 23 package. Results The analysis showed significant improvements in the experimental group in terms of conceptual understanding, scientific process skills, working with laboratory tools, logical thinking, creativity, motivation, interests, perception and learning outcomes. Furthermore, a majority of students found the virtual laboratory helped them understand complex concepts and gain practical skills, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions The study concludes that the developed virtual interactive laboratory for inorganic chemistry significantly enhances students’ understanding and skills. Despite some limitations, such as small sample size, the results suggest the potential of virtual labs as valuable educational tools, not only in chemistry but also in other technological fields. Further research is recommended to explore the impact of virtual labs more extensively.

Sex differences in infective endocarditis: a Danish nationwide study.

Sex differences in infective endocarditis (IE) are reported, but patient characteristics are sparse and conflicting findings on the association between sex and short-term outcomes demand further research. We aimed to characterize sex differences in IE in terms of patient characteristics, frailty, microbiology, socioeconomic status, management and outcome on a nationwide scale. Between 2010 and 2020, we used Danish national registries to characterize patients with IE according to sex using ICD codes and microbiological lab reports. Frailty was assessed with the Hospital Frailty Risk Score. Mortality was reported with Kaplan-Meier estimates. Logistic regression and Cox regression were used for adjusted analyses. We included 6259 patients with IE with 2047 (32.7%) female patients and 4212 (67.3%) male patients. Female patients were older (median age 75.0years (64.3-82.2) vs. 71.7 (61.7-78.9)) and more frail (Intermediate frailty: 36.5% vs. 33.1%, High frailty: 11.4% vs. 9.2%). Staphylococcus aureus-IE were most common in both sexes (34.6% vs. 28.8%), but fewer female patients had Enterococcus-IE (10.5% vs. 18.1%). Female patients were less surgically treated (14.0% vs. 21.2%). Female sex was associated with increased in-hospital mortality (adj. OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.16-1.52), but no statistically significant difference in associated 1- and 5-year mortality from hospital discharge were identified (adj. HR 1.09, 95% CI 0.95-1.24 and 1.02, 95% CI 0.92-1.12, respectively). Female sex is associated with increased in-hospital mortality, but not in long-term mortality as compared with male patients. Female patients have a lower prevalence of Enterococcus-IE and rates of surgery. Further research is needed to understand these differences.

An Analysis of AI-Generated Laboratory Reports across the Chemistry Curriculum and Student Perceptions of ChatGPT

An Analysis of AI-Generated Laboratory Reports across the Chemistry Curriculum and Student Perceptions of ChatGPT

Hematological Indices in Patients With Goiter: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India.

Introduction A wide range of haematological abnormalities have been observed in patients with goitre. The aim of the study was to evaluate the abnormalities in haematological parameters among patients with goitre in a tertiary care hospital in south India. Methods This was a cross-sectional study carried out in the pathology department of Chengalpattu Medical College from April 1 to June 30, 2019. The lab reports, including the complete blood count (CBC) and serum thyroid profile that included thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4) of all the patients with goitre, were retrieved from the laboratory records. Results were tabulated and analysed. Results Out of a total of 200 patients with thyroid dysfunction, 12 (6%) were males and 188 (94%) were females, with the majority (51.5%) of them in the age group of 30-60 years. Serum TSH levels showed a statistically significant association with red cell distribution width (RCDW) (P-value = 0.000), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) (P-value = 0.020), and total white blood cell (WBC) count (P-value = 0.003) among the patients with goiter. There was no significant association between TSH and other parameters like haemoglobin, packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell (RBC) count, and platelet (PLT) count. Conclusions Red cell distribution width and mean corpuscular volume are useful haematological parameters that will help clinicians in the early diagnosis and proper treatment of haematological abnormalities seen in patients with goitre.

장애인의 리빙랩 활동 참여를 통한 학습경험에 관한 사례연구

Objectives The purpose of this study is to explore the learning experiences of adults with disabilities through their participation in living lab activities.
 Methods The site that this study paid attention to is a welfare center for the disabled in Daejeon Metropolitan City, which conducted the citizen-participating social problem-solving living lab project in 2020. The study was con-ducted over a year from March 2020 to February 2021, with a total of 14 participants, including 2 people with phys-ical disabilities, 3 people with developmental disabilities, 5 social workers, 2 parents with disabilities, and 2 assis-tants with disabilities. Based on the participants' experiences, the qualitative case study method was based on an in-depth understanding of the research topic. The retrospective records of participants in the collected Living Lab reports and results reports were referenced, and line-by-line analysis was conducted by repeatedly reading individual in-depth interview data for each person with physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, and social workers. Various efforts were made to comply with research ethics, such as completing research ethics educa-tion, preparing prior consent forms for research participants, reviewing research results, and discussing experts.
 Results As a result of the analysis, the learning experience that occurred in the process of the disabled becoming the main body and solving their problems on their own through living lab activities was found, which contributed to finding meaning and reward, improving self-directedness, and improving efficacy.
 Conclusions According to the results of these studies, it was found that people with disabilities, such as Living Lab activities, need to make continuous efforts to speak out and expand opportunities to participate in social activities. The study's findings show that learning experiences through living lab activities contribute to the ac-quisition of subjectivity and initiative of the disabled, and that the participation of the disabled in living lab activities needs to be actively utilized in a new way of lifelong education. Based on this, discussions and follow-up studies were proposed.

Association between Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and prostate cancer (Pca) are two different disease entities that occur frequently in the elderly populations. Researchers have identified some mechanisms that could link T2DM to the development, progression and prognosis of Pca. Although controversies surround this concept, T2DM has been reported to confer protection to the development of low grade Pca and to a lesser extent high grade Pca. Materials and Methods: One hundred and thirty-six (136) men with Pca were evaluated in this study. Information from their case-notes were retrospectively retrieved during their clinic visits including bio-data, history, physical examination findings, laboratory and radiological investigation results and reports of prostate biopsy. Patients were grouped as diabetic and non-diabetic based on the history and laboratory records. Age and prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels were also categorized. Collated data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 software. Results: One hundred and thirty six (136) men with a mean age of 69.10±8.40 years ranging from 48 to 91 years and diagnosed with Pca were evaluated. Diabetic men were older and had higher mean serum PSA and Gleason score (GS) than non-diabetic men (Table3i – iii). Conclusion: Diabetic men in this study had higher values of variables portraying more aggressive Pca than non-diabetic men. Therefore, in evaluating this group of patients presenting with symptoms suspicious of Pca, concerns of probably dealing with highly aggressive tumours should be held strong.

Analysing and developing linguistically responsive tasks within the frame-work of the cross-disciplinary Erasmus+ project sensiMINT

Abstract Scientific literacy is required to judge and act in an informed and responsible manner. Science education strives to enable learners to become scientific literate. To achieve this, there are science-specific and linguistic challenges to overcome. When teaching and learning chemistry, it is important to be aware that language varies according to the discourse topic, the relationship between the interlocutors, and the medium of communication. In the context of chemistry education, students are meant to learn how to extract information from subject-specific text-types such as lab reports, diagrams, etc., and to produce them autonomously. To do so, understanding and applying the conventions of academic language and the subject-specific scientific registers is necessary. To deal with these challenges, the Erasmus+ project sensiMINT was initiated to support both teachers and learners. In cross-disciplinary communities of practice, linguistically responsive tasks are analysed, developed, and refined. The paper presents the theoretical background and introduces genre charts of different chemistry-specific text-types as constructed by the sensiMINT experts. The application of the genre charts for understanding and producing chemistry-specific text-types is demonstrated with concrete examples.

Association between uncontrolled diabetes and periodontal disease in US adults: NHANES 2009–2014

This study examined the relationship between uncontrolled diabetes and periodontal disease (PD) among adults in the United States. We used data from the 2009–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) with a sample of 6108 adults ages 30 and over. To measure PD status, we used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/American Academy of Periodontology’s standards. To classify DM status (no DM, DM with HbA1c < 9%, diabetes with HbA1c ≥ 9%),we used self-reported Diabetes Mellitus (DM) diagnosis and laboratory report of HbA1c. Approximately 8.5% of the sample had controlled DM, and 1.7% had uncontrolled DM, for a total of 10.2% DM in the analysis. Multivariate logistic regression showed that compared to those without DM, PD was significantly increased with controlled DM (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.73, p < 0.05) and even more with uncontrolled DM (aOR = 2.48, 95% CI 1.52–4.04, p < 0.001), after adjusting for covariates. Factors that reduced the prevalence of PD included annual dental visits, female gender, and college education. Factors that significantly increased PD prevalence were cigarette smoking, non-white race, income < 200% Federal Poverty Level, and older age (age > 50 years). In conclusion, uncontrolled DM was significantly associated with higher odds of PD among adults in the US.

The secret life of crime labs

Houston TX experienced a widely known failure of its police forensic laboratory. This gave rise to the Houston Forensic Science Center (HFSC) as a separate entity to provide forensic services to the City of Houston. HFSC is a very large forensic laboratory and has made significant progress at remediating the past failures and improving public trust in forensic testing. HFSC has a large and robust blind testing program, which has provided many insights into the challenges forensic laboratories face. HFSC’s journey from a notoriously failed lab to a model also gives perspective to the resource challenges faced by all labs in the country. Challenges for labs include the pervasive reality of poor-quality evidence. Also that forensic laboratories are necessarily part of a much wider system of interdependent functions in criminal justice making blind testing something in which all parts have a role. This interconnectedness also highlights the need for an array of oversight and regulatory frameworks to function properly. The major essential databases in forensics need to be a part of blind testing programs and work is needed to ensure that the results from these databases are indeed producing correct results and those results are being correctly used. Last, laboratory reports of “inconclusive” results are a significant challenge for laboratories and the system to better understand when these results are appropriate, necessary and most importantly correctly used by the rest of the system.

Canine cutaneous tumours from three southwestern states of Nigeria: a retrospective study.

Over the years, studies have shown that the skin is the most commonly affected organ for both neoplastic and non-neoplastic conditions (Broden et al., 2010). This occurrence has been attributed to continuous exposure of the skin to physical, chemical, and environmental factors (Guzman et al., 2003; Pakhrin et al., 2007). Cutaneous tumours are the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in dogs resulting in approximately 30% of all tumours reported and are usually excised due to easy surgical access than tumours in other organs (Moraes et al., 2009). Several authors have reported the occurrence of tumours by utilizing data obtained from registries, animal hospital reports, and diagnostic laboratory reports. Most of these reports vary greatly in terms of data sources, sample numbers, the size of geographical regions assessed (Graf et al., 2018; Kok et al., 2019), prevalent environmental influences, and breed populations (Kaldrymidou et al., 2002; Sanja et al., 2005; Pakhrin et al., 2007). Previous studies have shown that dogs are susceptible to tumours at any age and there is a marked predisposition in aged dogs than young dogs because of a progressive accumulation of genetic mutations (Reif, 2007). Environmental chemical contaminants (especially pyrethroids) also have been implicated in the occurrence of mammary adenocarcinomas (Reif, 2007). Ultraviolet light rays have also been studied as a possible aetiology of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in animals with poor skin pigmentation (Reif, 2007). In Nigeria, different case reports on canine tumours have been documented (Amber and Ralph, 1982; Faramade et al., 2017), but the risk factors and distribution of the disease in these species are very limited and restricted to the databases of Veterinary Teaching Hospitals of universities and private veterinary clinics in the major cities. The documentation of occurrences of different tumour types in a particular geographical region is necessary because it provides easy access to data for further investigation and helps in prompt diagnosis and management by clinicians (Moraes et al., 2009).