Major Factor Research Articles

Lipids: A Major Culprit in Diabetic Nephropathy.

The pathophysiology of diabetic nephropathy (DN) is too complex and involves a variety of pathways and mediators. Hyperglycaemia and dyslipidemia are identified as major risk factors for diabetic nephropathy. Various studies revealed the fact that dyslipidemia is a major contributor to the process of diabetic nephropathy. Dyslipidemia refers to abnormal lipid levels. Lipids like LDL, free fatty acids, abnormal lipoproteins, ceramides, etc., are unsafe for kidneys. They target proximal tubular epithelial cells, podocytes, and tubulointerstitial tissues through biochemical changes, especially by enhancing the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation, endorsing tissue inflammation and mitochondrial damage, which give rise to nephropathy. Major lipid targets identified are SREBP1, LXR, FXR PPAR, CD-36, PKc, AGE/RAGE pathway, and ferroptosis. The drug acting on these targets has shown improvement in DN patients. Various preclinical and clinical studies support the fact that hyperlipidemic agents are promising targets for DN. Therefore, in conjunction with other standard therapies, drugs acting on dyslipidemia can be added as a part of the regimen in order to prevent the incidence of ESRD and CVD.

Phytochemicals as Potential Lead Molecules against Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent form of liver cancer, accounting for 85-90% of liver cancer cases and is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The major risk factors for HCC include hepatitis C and B viral infections, along with chronic liver diseases, such as cirrhosis, fibrosis, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis associated with metabolic syndrome. Despite the advancements in modern medicine, there is a continuous rise in the annual global incidence rate of HCC, and it is estimated to reach >1 million cases by 2025. Emerging research in phytomedicine and chemotherapy has established the anti-cancer potential of phytochemicals, owing to their diverse biological activities. In this review, we report the major phytochemicals that have been explored in combating hepatocellular carcinoma and possess great potential to be used as an alternative or in conjunction with the existing HCC treatment modalities. An overview of the pre-clinical observations, mechanism of action and molecular targets of some of these phytochemicals is also incorporated.

Synthesis, Molecular Modeling and Biological Evaluation of Novel Trifluoromethyl Benzamides as Promising CETP Inhibitors.

Hyperlipidemia is considered a major risk factor for the progress of atherosclerosis. Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) facilitates the relocation of cholesterol esters from HDL to LDL. CETP inhibition produces higher HDL and lower LDL levels. Synthesis of nine benzylamino benzamides 8a-8f and 9a-9c was performed. In vitro biological study displayed potential CETP inhibitory activity, where compound 9c had the best activity with an IC50 of 1.03 μM. Induced-fit docking demonstrated that 8a-8f and 9a-9c accommodated the CETP active site and hydrophobic interaction predominated ligand/ CETP complex formation. Pharmacophore mapping showed that this scaffold endorsed CETP inhibitors features and consequently elaborated the high CETP binding affinity.

Finding the major risk factors for higher COVID-19 prevalence in various Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Finding the major risk factors for higher COVID-19 prevalence in various Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Investigating factors associated with operating room nurses’professional transition in Singapore health system

Background: The nursing workforce in Singapore has been highly depended on foreign nurses to fill its nursing shortfalls. The recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has further exacerbated issues of global nursing shortage onto the Singapore nursing workforce. This was reflected by the recent 1,500 healthcare workers, which included nurses, that have left the workforce entirely in the first half of 2021 due to the physical toll such pandemics had on the healthcare workforce. Within the operating room units, similar insights behind the nursing shortfall globally have been discussed in the extant literature. This issues however, lacked exploration in Singapore nursing context. The quintessential question was to understand the associating factors of nursing induction programmes on new nurses transitioning into their operating room unit. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate factors associated with nursing professional transition in the operating room units in Singapore health system. Design: The research used a cohort study design with a descriptive self-administered quantitative survey administered to obtain data. The researcher developed the self-administered quantitative survey titled the ‘Impacts on Operating Room Nurses with Transitional Support Programmes’survey. Results: At the time of the study, 91 of 96 responses received met the inclusion criteria. Respondents came from across majority of operating room units in Singapore. 75.3% (n = 75) of respondents had worked in their operating room unit for less than two years.13 questions from the self-developed survey were used to identify relationships that existed between variables that affected operating room nurses in Singapore because of the IP they received. The Spearman correlation test reflected 3 majors factors associated with nursing induction programmes on new nurses transitioning in the operating room units. These include lack of adaptation time, facilitators guidance and topic and skills insufficiency leading towards challenges reaching competence. Conclusions: The findings of this quantitative study called for the review of the contents outlined in existing operating room nursing induction programmes in Singapore. While the survey respondents mainly acknowledged that they were satisfied with their orientation programmes, responses in the survey outlined those nurses’ faced challenges with knowledge and skills acquired during their induction programme that affected their initial transition to practice in the operating room.

The Extent of Delay in Diagnosis, Treatment and their Associated Factors among Tuberculosis Patients Attending Government Hospitals of Rishikesh, Uttarakhand: A Cross-Sectional Study.

"Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem" worldwide, affecting almost all age groups. "Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential to significantly reducing the TB burden." However, a significant proportion of cases remain undiagnosed and untreated, which plays a vital role in the transmission of the disease and severity of the illness in the community in most developing countries. This study aimed to assess "the extent of delay in diagnosis and treatment of TB patients" and to identify the major factors associated with such delays (whether patient or health system-related) among TB patients in Rishikesh. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Rishikesh Town, Dehradun District, Uttara khand, India. Total of 130 newly diagnosed TB patients were recruited as study participants who attended the government hospitals of Rishikesh, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh and S P S Government Hospital, Rishikesh. A universal sampling technique was used in this study. The mean age of the study participant was 36.75 (Standard Deviation (SD), 17.6), and the median age was 34 years. Of the patients, 64.6% were men, and 35.4% were women. The extent of various delays, such as patient delay (median 16 days), diagnostic delay (median 78.5 days), treatment delay (median 4 days), health system delay (43 days), and total delay (median 81 days). The misconception of any chronic disease may lead to a false diagnosis or long treatment for symptomatic relief; the absence of proper diagnostic tests and doctor shopping could be the reasons for the prolonged diagnostic delay. Therefore, by strengthening the collaboration between private and public practitioners in order to meet the expectations of the Government of India to achieve the goals of the "National Strategic Plan for ending TB" in India by providing good quality care for all patients.

Patients with Heart Failure: Internet Use and Mobile Health Perceptions.

Heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome noted on approximately one in eight death certificates in the United States. Vital to reducing complications of heart failure and preventing hospital readmissions is adherence to heart failure self-care routines. Mobile health offers promising opportunities for enhancing self-care behaviors by facilitating tracking and timely reminders. We sought to investigate three characteristics of heart failure patients with respect to their heart failure self-care behaviors: (1) internet use to search for heart failure information; (2) familiarity with mobile health apps and devices; and (3) perceptions of using activity trackers or smartwatches to aid in their heart failure self-care. Forty-nine heart failure patients were asked about their internet and mobile health usage. The structured interview included questions adapted from the Health Information National Trends Survey. Over 50% of the patients had utilized the internet to search for heart failure information in the past 12 months, experience using health-related apps, and thoughts that an activity tracker or smartwatch could help them manage heart failure. Qualitative analysis of the interviews revealed six themes: trust in their physicians, alternatives to mobile health apps, lack of need for mobile health devices, financial barriers to activity tracker and smartwatch ownership, benefits of tracking and reminders, and uncertainty of their potential due to lack of knowledge. Trust in their physicians was a major factor for heart failure patients who reported not searching for health information on the internet. While those who used mobile health technologies found them useful, patients who did not use them were generally unaware of or unknowledgeable about them. Considering patients' preferences for recommendations from their physicians and tendency to search for heart failure information including treatment and management options, patient-provider discussions about mobile health may improve patient knowledge and impact their usage.

Freeway Revolts! The Quality of Life Effects of Highways

Abstract Why do freeways affect spatial structure? We identify and quantify the local disamenity effects of freeways. Freeways cause slower growth in central neighborhoods (where local disamenities exceed regional accessibility benefits) compared with outlying neighborhoods (where access benefits exceed disamenities). A quantitative model calibrated to Chicago attributes one-third of the effect of freeways on central-city decline to reduced quality of life. Barrier effects are a major factor in the disamenity value of a freeway. Local disamenities from freeways, as opposed to their regional accessibility benefits, had large effects on the spatial structure of cities, suburbanization, and welfare.

Emerging Role of Environmental Epitranscriptomics and RNA Modifications in Parkinson's Disease.

Environmental risk factors and gene-environment interactions play a critical role in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the relatively large contribution of environmental risk factors in the overwhelming majority of PD cases has been widely neglected in the field. A "PD prevention agenda" proposed in this journal laid out a set of research priorities focused on preventing PD through modification of environmental risk factors. This agenda includes a call for preclinical studies to employ new high-throughput methods for analyzing transcriptomics and epigenomics to provide a deeper understanding of the effects of exposures linked to PD. Here, we focus on epitranscriptomics as a novel area of research with the potential to add to our understanding of the interplay between genes and environmental exposures in PD. Both epigenetics and epitranscriptomics have been recognized as potential mediators of the complex relationship between genes, environment, and disease. Multiple studies have identified epigenetic alterations, such as DNA methylation, associated with PD and PD-related exposures in human studies and preclinical models. In addition, recent technological advancements have made it possible to study epitranscriptomic RNA modifications, such as RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A), and a handful of recent studies have begun to explore epitranscriptomics in PD-relevant exposure models. Continued exploration of epitranscriptomic mechanisms in environmentally relevant PD models offers the opportunity to identify biomarkers, pre-degenerative changes that precede symptom onset, and potential mitigation strategies for disease prevention and treatment.

Influential Signs of Dry Eye-Related Ocular Symptoms in Participants With Unstable Tear Film.

The aim of this study was to investigate the factors influencing dry eye disease (DED)-related ocular symptoms in participants with short fluorescein tear break-up time (FTBUT). This cross-sectional study included 82 participants with short FTBUT (<10 seconds). Examinations included Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), FTBUT, average noninvasive tear break-up time (NIBUTave), lid wiper epitheliopathy, lipid layer thickness, blink rate, partial blink, tear meniscus height, and meibomian gland (MG) evaluation which included ratio of residual MG area (RMGA) and MG grade in tarsal plates. One-way analysis of variance was used to detect differences between symptomatic tear film instability group (FTBUT <5 s, OSDI ≥13), asymptomatic tear film instability group (FTBUT <5 s, OSDI <13), and control group (FTBUT ≥5 s, OSDI <13). A bivariate correlation, partial correlation, and multiple linear regression analyses were used to identify major factors. Only the right eye was included. Among the participants with FTBUT <5 seconds, symptomatic group showed less upper RMGA ( P < 0.001) and NIBUTave ( P = 0.010). OSDI was negatively associated with upper RMGA ( r = -0.450, P < 0.001) and NIBUTave ( r = -0.414, P = 0.001), and positively associated with upper MG grade ( r = 0.277, P = 0.027). Linear regression analysis showed that the upper RMGA significantly affected OSDI (B = -41.895, P = 0.001), while not significantly correlated with age, upper MG grade, and NIBUTave. The upper RMGA might be the main factor affecting DED-related discomfort in participants with unstable tear film, indicating an early ocular change in DED.

Plasma viscosity, immunoglobulins and risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality: new data and meta-analyses

AimsAssociations of plasma viscosity and plasma Ig levels (a determinant of viscosity) with incident coronary heart disease (CHD) events; and with CHD, cardiovascular disease (CVD: CHD and stroke) and all-cause...

Prevalence of Visual Impairment in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Mini Review

The association between Visual Impairment (VI) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) remains an important research topic among children suffering from developmental delays and disabilities. The objective of this mini review was to evaluate previous literature on prevalence and etiology of visual impairment, frequency of visual impairment and types of refractive errors associated with autism in children. Previous researches on ASD found that the visual impairment is one of the major factors in autistic children. Hence measurement of vision screening in autism disorder is necessary for better explanation of the problem. The etiologies of visual impairment in autistic children were associated with refractive error and strabismus. Identification of refractive error in ASD children and providing them suitable corrective lenses may improve their visual functions and help in their daily activities. With these findings in mind, there is an urgent need to investigate further in this area and developed more detailed research. The findings would help optometrist, ophthalmologist in understanding types of visual impairment in autism school children.

Study on the evaluation model of the contribution of power industry expansion considering the influencing factors of new energy consumption

In the application of new energy consumption system engineering, in order to evaluate the contribution of electric power industry expansion, an evaluation model of electric power industry expansion contribution considering the influencing factors of new energy consumption is constructed. In the process of power industry expansion, the growth of new energy installed capacity, power system regulation ability, power grid interconnection and electricity demand are the core factors that affect the change of power contribution to power industry expansion. Using the characteristic extraction method of power consumption behavior of users with industrial expansion, after extracting two characteristics, namely, the utilization hours of user’s industrial expansion capacity and the proportion of new energy load put into operation under the change of four major factors, the monthly industrial expansion power consumption of typical users is predicted by the monthly industrial expansion power consumption forecasting method of users considering industrial expansion capacity, and then the growth curve of user’s industrial expansion power consumption is drawn. Based on the forecast method of monthly industry expansion electricity generated by industry expansion quantity, the industry expansion quantity of typical individual users is calculated, and the industry expansion quantity is input into RBF network model trained by particle swarm optimization algorithm to complete the forecast of monthly industry expansion electricity; Finally, the contribution ratio of each influencing factor is calculated, and the evaluation of power industry expansion contribution considering the influencing factors of new energy consumption is completed. After testing, this model can be used as an available model for evaluating the contribution of electric power industry under the condition of considering the influencing factors of new energy consumption.

Skin-derived precursor conditioned medium alleviated photoaging via early activation of TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway by thrombospondin1: In vitro and in vivo studies

Photoaging is one major exogenous factor of skin aging. Efficacy and safety of current anti-photoaging therapies remained to be improved. Our previous studies indicated that skin-derived precursors (SKPs) alleviated photodamage by early activation of TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway via thrombospondin1 (TSP1). However, the research concerning SKP conditioned medium (SKP-CM) has never been reported. In the current study, we aimed to explore the anti-photoaging effects of SKP-CM both in vitro and in vivo, and to elucidate the possible mechanisms. Mouse SKP-CM (mSKP-CM) collection was optimized by a comparative method. The concentration of protein and growth factors in mSKP-CM was detected using BCA protein assay kit and growth factor protein chip. The anti-photoaging effects of mSKP-CM and its regulation of key factors in the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway were explored using UVA + UVB photoaged mouse fibroblasts (mFBs) and nude mice dorsal skin. The research revealed that mSKP-CM contained significantly higher-concentration of protein and growth factors than mouse mesenchymal stem cell conditioned medium (mDMSC-CM). mSKP-CM alleviated mFBs photoaging by restoring cell viability and relieving senescence and death. ELISA, qRT-PCR, and western blot results implied the potential mechanisms were associated with the early activation of TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway by TSP1. In vivo experiments demonstrated that compared with the topical intradermal mDMSC-CM injection and retinoic acid cream application, the photodamaged mice dorsal skin intradermally injected with mSKP-CM showed significantly better improvement. Consistent with the in vitro results, both western blot and immunohistochemistry results confirmed that protein expression of TSP1, smad2/3, p-smad2/3, TGF-β1, and collagen I increased, and matrix metalloproteinases decreased. In summary, both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that mSKP-CM alleviated photoaging through an early activation of TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway via TSP1. SKP-CM may serve as a novel and promising cell-free therapeutical approach for anti-photoaging treatment and regenerative medicine.

Major Factors Influencing Safety Knowledge–Sharing Behaviors of Construction Field Workers: Worker-to-Worker Level Safety Communication

Major Factors Influencing Safety Knowledge–Sharing Behaviors of Construction Field Workers: Worker-to-Worker Level Safety Communication

Cochlear Implant Complications in Children: Libyan Scenario and Experience

cochlear implant (CI) is considered a safe procedure; however, complications may happen, either due to the presence of the implant itself which act as a foreign body or the presence of congenital anomalies of the ear. One hundred eighty-two children implanted by cochlear implant team in Specialty surgical center (SSC)/Benghazi-Libya between May 2012 to December 2021 were recruited in this study. Demographic data: about name, age and sex, vaccination history, audiological and radiological assessment in form of CT scan temporal bone and MRI brain, surgical procedure and any difficulties encountered during the operation, are recorded. Complications encountered were grouped as major and minor ones. one hundred eighty-two patients were studied; age range was from seventeen months to twelve years. The major complications that need hospitalization or surgical interventions were seen 3.29% whereas minor complications that do not need hospitalization but they resolve spontaneously or treated in out-patient department; accounts for 13.7%. Accidental trauma was the major risk factor that seen in both major and minor complications. Cochlear implantation in children continues to be reliable and safe in experienced hands, with a low percentage of severe complications as long as long-term medical follow up is there. Major Complications of CI in children in SSC are related to trauma and hematoma formation as a major factor.

Use of Waste Rubber Material as Crumb on Road Construction

Abstract: The growth rate of vehicles is the backbone of economic development of any country. India is the second fast growing automobile industry in the world. In today’s era, solid waste management is the thrust area. On the other side, the traffic intensity is also increasing. As a result, amount of waste tyres is also increasing. The increasing consumption of waste tire has generated many problems such as increasing landfill space, environmental pollution and causing health hazards. Parallel to this is the increasing of roads construction because of heavy traffic on roads. This study reviews to the use of crumb rubber (waste tires in powder form) in bitumen using the wet process. The study focuses on the crumb rubber as a replacement to the total weight of bitumen. The design or life span for all highways and urban roads is 10 – 20 years. Unfortunately, damages or distresses on pavements are still occurring before reaching the maximum period of the designed road serviceability. Among the major influencing factor that is contributing to this distress is the repeated heavy traffic loading on the road surfaces. Moreover, the use of waste crumb rubber in road construction as a pavement surface has a better skid resistance, fatigue crack resistance and increased rut resistance. The review includes physical tests that are used to determine the physical properties of bitumen and modified crumb rubber mix. The physical tests involve penetration test, softening point test, and ductility test. The expectations from the study are to develop bitumen with waste crumb rubber that would minimize the costs of bitumen and providing better physical properties compared to the convention bitumen based on the tests that was conducted.

A review on comparative study of effectiveness of pregabalin and carbamazepine in painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy using mc gill's pain questionnaire

Diabetic neuropathy is a unique degenerative disorder of the peripheral nervous system that preferentially targets sensory axons and autonomic axons. The loss of sensory function that begins distally in the lower extremities is known as Diabetic neuropathy. It is characterized by burning pain, paresthesias and numbness in stocking glove pattern that progress proximally from the feet and hands. Diabetic neuropathy is a highly prevalent condition that substantially affects patients by increasing falls causing pain and reducing quality of life. The major risk factors for diabetic neuropathy is hyperglycemia. In addition to poor glycemic control, more-severe symptoms of diabetic neuropathy are associated with advanced age, hypertension, the duration of diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking and heavy alcohol intake. Diabetic neuropathy is a major cause for disability of feet and hands globally. Anti-convulsants like pregabalin and carbamazepine are the medications used in the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy.

Vasúti közlekedés során keletkező zajok okainak és hatásainak elemzése

Noise emissions from rail transport are a major concern, as they affect both the environment and people's health and quality of life. Among the many sources of noise emissions, rail vehicles and infrastructure are a major factor. With regard to rail noise emissions, it can be concluded that noise effects are influenced by a number of factors. These factors include train speed, track condition, traction technology and the noise abatement methods used. The negative effects of noise exposure include sleep disturbance, stress and mental health deterioration. It also affects the quality of life of people in urban areas and property prices. It should be emphasised that reducing noise emissions from rail transport is key to creating a healthier and more sustainable urban environment. To achieve this, it is important to use modern noise abatement technologies, improve infrastructure and implement noise abatement actions effectively. Transport authorities and railway companies should work together to achieve a more noise-free rail transport, to improve people's quality of life and to protect the environment.

Future projections of compound temperature and precipitation extremes and corresponding population exposure over global land

Extreme climate events are hotspots in global change. However, research on the changes in future compound events and population exposure is still limited. Leveraging from the data of the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6), this paper aims to analyze the temporal and spatial changes of global compound temperature and precipitation extreme events in the future. We also predict the risk of population exposure and quantify the contribution of different factors to exposure. The results show that: (1) In the next 80 years, compound hot-dry event (CHDE) will increase at a rate of 0.02, 0.03, and 0.08 days per decade under the three scenarios of SSP1–2.6, SSP2–4.5 and SSP5–8.5, respectively. By comparison, compound hot-humidity event (CHHE) shows a downward trend under the three scenarios, with a downward rate of 0.01, 0.02, and 0.11 days per decade, respectively. (2) Under the SSP1–2.6 and SSP2–4.5 scenarios, CHDE and CHHE have two or more mutation points. Under the SSP5–8.5 scenario, CHDE shows a significant upward and CHHE shows a significant downward trend in the middle and late 21st century. These two indices exhibit periodic changes in all three scenarios (3) South Asia, West Asia, and Northeast Africa have higher CHDE values, while regions with higher CHHE values are located in North Asia and Greenland. (4) Climate change is a major factor affecting population exposure. For CHDE, climate, population, and their synergistic effects contribute about 75%, 20%, and 5% to the exposure, respectively. For CHHE, the contributions of these three factors are 85%, 10%, and 5% respectively. These findings provide scientific guidance for the rational formulation of population policies, the effective avoidance of climate disaster risks and the protection of human health.