Unfavorable Consequences Research Articles

ВЛИЯНИЕ БИОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО СРЕДСТВА ЗАЩИТЫ РАСТЕНИЙ НА МИКОЦЕНОЗ ПОЧВ ПРИ ВЫРАЩИВАНИИ ЛИСТОВОГО САЛАТА В УСЛОВИЯХ АРИДНОГО КЛИМАТА АСТРАХАНСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ

Territories with arid climate are characterized by insufficient atmospheric humidification at high air temperatures. Therefore, the use of drip irrigation during the growing season of plants is an effective agrotechnical method of farming. However, its use causes a number of unfavorable consequences that can be avoided by using biological plant protection agents with pronounced biological activity against phytopathogenic bacteria, micromycetes, insects and viruses. These remedies are based on the introduction of microorganisms and their metabolites into the biotechnological process. A biological plant protection agent based on Bаcillus atrophaeus ACIM В–11474 has been developed and its effect on the mycocenosis of the studied soils when growing lettuce in the arid climate of the Astrakhan region using drip irrigation has been studied.

Impact of corporate governance and financial stability on bank risk in Malaysia

Banks may not survive a major financial shock or in the coming financial crisis especially in Asia are most at risk. As bank governance and financial stability have potential adverse and destabilising effects on banks, this study is carried out to investigate the influence of bank corporate governance and financial stability on bank risk. Based on a panel of Malaysian listed conventional banks from 2010 to 2018, we adopt panel cointegration test and fully modified ordinary least squares estimator. The results provide strong evidence of the adverse influence of financial instability and poor bank governance on bank risk. Thus, policy makers should attempt to formulate appropriate course of actions to overcome the unfavourable consequences stemming from the bank financial instability and quality of bank governance, considering of the multidimensional facets of financial instability and bank governance.

Tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterases are involved in mutagenic events at a ribonucleotide embedded into DNA in human cells.

Ribonucleoside triphosphates are often incorporated into genomic DNA during DNA replication. The accumulation of unrepaired ribonucleotides is associated with genomic instability, which is mediated by DNA topoisomerase 1 (Top1) processing of embedded ribonucleotides. The cleavage initiated by Top1 at the site of a ribonucleotide leads to the formation of a Top1-DNA cleavage complex (Top1cc), occasionally resulting in a DNA double-strand break (DSB). In humans, tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterases (TDPs) are essential repair enzymes that resolve the trapped Top1cc followed by downstream repair factors. However, there is limited cellular evidence of the involvement of TDPs in the processing of incorporated ribonucleotides in mammals. We assessed the role of TDPs in mutagenesis induced by a single ribonucleotide embedded into DNA. A supF shuttle vector site-specifically containing a single riboguanosine (rG) was introduced into the human lymphoblastoid TK6 cell line and its TDP1-, TDP2-, and TDP1/TDP2-deficient derivatives. TDP1 and TDP2 insufficiency remarkably decreased the mutant frequency caused by an embedded rG. The ratio of large deletion mutations induced by rG was also substantially lower in TDP1/TDP2-deficient cells than wild-type cells. Furthermore, the disruption of TDPs reduced the length of rG-mediated large deletion mutations. The recovery ratio of the propagated plasmid was also increased in TDP1/TDP2-deficient cells after the transfection of the shuttle vector containing rG. The results suggest that TDPs-mediated ribonucleotide processing cascade leads to unfavorable consequences, whereas in the absence of these repair factors, a more error-free processing pathway might function to suppress the ribonucleotide-induced mutagenesis. Furthermore, base substitution mutations at sites outside the position of rG were detected in the supF gene via a TDPs-independent mechanism. Overall, we provide new insights into the mechanism of mutagenesis induced by an embedded ribonucleotide in mammalian cells, which may lead to the fatal phenotype in the ribonucleotide excision repair deficiency.

Hybrid Renewable Resource Power Generation using Back to Back Voltage Source Converter with Output Regulation

There is a massive and rapid development in the industry and prevailing population inflation due to which the energy demand spikes. The increase in demand dilates the gap between the energy supplied and usage which makes the power quality important to consider, otherwise it causes voltage, current or frequency deviations which has unfavourable consequences in customer’s equipment or result in failure. To overcome this the concept of complementary usage of wind and solar cogeneration system is introduced along with the topology with Neutral Point Clamped inverter which has 3-level output converter that decreases the harmonics and the switching rate, it also features the regulation of the VSC through fuzzy based control scheme in the rotating reference frame of wind-solar cogeneration system with no extra DC/DC conversion stages.

Features of entrepreneurship development during the recession in the northern raw material regions

The relevance of the study is determined by the importance of small business in the northern raw material regions in the context of a decrease in hydrocarbon production and a decrease in the role of large business in the economic development of the territory. It is determined that modern studies of small business at the regional level mainly consider the mechanisms of development of small business, the sphere of interaction between small and large business, the state of the institutional environment. But they do not take into account the peculiarities of specific territories and the life cycle of the extraction of raw materials. The article analyzes trends in the development of small business in Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra and identifies factors that have a significant impact on it. It is noted that the indicators of the development of small business in the region had predominantly positive dynamics for 2011-2019, namely, the number of small businesses increased, the number of people employed in this sector and the turnover of small businesses increased. It is determined that the activities of small businesses have become more efficient. It was revealed that macroeconomic crises had an impact on the development of this sector of the economy, which was manifested by a decrease in its activity in the pre-crisis periods. Based on the analysis of the sociological study results, it was determined that the population of the region has a positive attitude to the entrepreneurship. This made it possible to conclude that there is a potential for the development of this sector in the regional economy. It is proposed to consider small business as a factor of stability and reduction of unfavorable socio-economic consequences in the context of a high dependence of the resource-extracting region economy on the conjuncture of world prices for energy resources.

Efficacy of a plant-based dental gel for chronic simple marginal gingivitis: a clinical trial

High prevalence of inflammatory periodontal diseases in young people along with unfavourable outcomes and long-term consequences cause great damage to health, thereby determining the importance and urgency of this problem in modern dentistry. Herein, we introduced a gel based on sanguiritrin, medicinal extracts of calendula and yarrow, and evaluated its effectiveness in the treatment of chronic simple marginal gingivitis in the clinical study involving 45 patients aged 18 to 23 years (26 females and 19 males). In the treatment group (23 patients), after professional oral hygiene and correction of hygiene skills, the dental gel based on sanguiritrin, medicinal extracts of calendula and yarrow was applied as part of complex therapy, while in the control group (22 patients) the Cholisal gel was used. The data obtained from hygienic and periodontal indices following the treatment (OHI-S — 0.39±0.03; PBI — 1.12±0.06; PMA — 16.4±1.31%) showed clinical anti-inflammatory efficacy of the introduced dental gel in the treatment of gingivitis, while positive indices dynamics of the dental status (OHI-S — 0.64±0.03; PBI — 0.42±0.03; PMA — 9.92±1.42%) evaluated in 3rd, 6th and 12th months after the therapy indicated of the stability of obtained results.

Enhanced postoperative recovery: good from afar, but far from good?

Background. The main problems of the postoperative period include organ dysfunction (“surgical stress”), morbidity due to hypothermia, pain, hyper- or hypovolemia, cognitive dysfunction, sleep disturbances, immobilization, semi-starvation, constipation, thromboembolism, anemia, postoperative delirium and more. A multimodal approach to optimizing enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) includes improving the preoperative period, reducing stress and pain, exercise, and switching to oral nutrition. These measures accelerate recovery and reduce morbidity.
 Objective. To describe the measures required for ERAS.
 Materials and methods. Analysis of literature sources on this issue.
 Results and discussion. The majority of postoperative complications are associated with the so-called surgical stress involving the release of stress hormones and the start of inflammatory cascades. The stress response is triggered not only directly as a result of surgery, but also as a result of the use of regional anesthesia and other medications. Mandatory prerequisites for ERAS include procedure-specific dynamic balanced analgesia, as well as patient blood management (PBM). The latter consists of hematopoiesis optimization, minimization of bleeding and blood loss, improvement of anemia tolerability. The presence of preoperative anemia before joint replacement significantly increases the number of complications in the 30-day period (Gu A. et al., 2020). Preoperative anemia also leads to the unfavorable consequences of other interventions, which underlines the need to detect and treat it early. An optimal infusion therapy with a positive water balance (1-1.5 L) is an integral component required for ERAS. Balanced solutions should be used; opinions on the use of colloids are contradictory. Venous thrombosis remains a significant problem, as immobilization is an important pathogenetic mechanism. The question of optimal prevention of this condition has not been clarified yet. In 40-50 % of cases after major surgery and in <5 % of cases after minor interventions, the patient develops postoperative orthostatic intolerance. The mechanisms of the latter are a decrease in sympathetic stimulation against the background of increased parasympathetic stimulation; the effects of opioids and inflammation are likely to play an additional role. Preventive methods have not been definitively established, α1-agonists (midodrine) and steroid hormones are likely to be effective. Unfortunately, for most of these problems, there is a gap between the available scientific evidence and the actual implementation of the recommended procedures. The ERAS Society has created recommendations for the management of patients, undergoing a number of surgical interventions (gastrectomy, esophagectomy, cesarean section, oncogynecological surgeries, etc.). For example, recommendations for colon interventions include no premedication and bowel preparation for surgery, use of middle thoracic anesthesia/analgesia, administration of short-acting anesthetics, avoidance of sodium and fluid overload, use of short incisions, absence of drainages, use of non-opioid oral analgesics and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, stimulation of intestinal motility, early removal of catheters, oral nutrition in the perioperative period, control of surgery results and adherence to treatment. Knowledge of procedure-specific literature data and recommendations, multidisciplinary cooperation, monitoring, identification and sharing of methods that have economic advantages are necessary for the ERAS improvement. Outpatient surgery and one-day surgery are becoming more and more common. In a study by N.H. Azawi et al. (2016) 92 % of patients after laparoscopic nephrectomy were discharged home within <6 hours after surgery. Repeated hospitalizations of these patients were not recorded. In a study by G. Ploussard et al. (2020) 96 % of patients after robotic radical prostatectomy were discharged home on the day of surgery; 17 % required re-hospitalization. Early physical activity is an important component of rapid recovery after surgery. There is an inverse relationship between the number of steps per day and the severity of pain after a cesarean section. Despite a large body of literature on the subject, large-scale randomized trials and definitive procedure-specific recommendations are still lacking. This justifies the need for thorough pathophysiological studies and, once completed, randomized controlled or cohort studies. The objectives of these studies should include clear clarification of the pathophysiology of postoperative organ dysfunction, the introduction of a procedure-specific and evidence-based set of perioperative measures, monitoring of purely surgical and general medical consequences of surgeries, identifying areas for improvement and finding new treatment and prevention strategies.
 Conclusions. 1. Multimodal approach to ERAS optimization includes improvement of the preoperative period, reduction of stress and pain, physical activity, transition to oral nutrition, etc. 2. Procedure-specific dynamic balanced analgesia, PBM, optimal infusion therapy with a positive water balance are the mandatory prerequisites for ERAS. 3. For the majority of problems of the perioperative period, there is a gap between the available scientific evidence and the actual implementation of the recommended procedures. 4. New preclinical and clinical studies are needed to form definitive guidelines for the management of patients in the perioperative period.

On the Instability of Fluid Particle Interface and Shape Oscillations

The dynamic interaction of a fluid particle with a continuous phase has been often a topic of study, for its broad range of applications in various industries. Better understanding of particle-fluid interface instability can assist to enhance the efficiency of different processes and possibly avoid unfavorable consequences. In the present work, a weakly nonlinear instability analysis is performed to study the driven shape oscillations of a fluid particle (droplet or bubble) immersed in another fluid (liquid or gas). The analysis is conducted using a perturbation expansion approach, allowing for shape mode interactions for any arbitrary number of modes. The present work intends to provide an analytical solution to forced shape oscillations of a fluid particle, which accounts for viscosity of both fluids involved, instability nonlinearities, and shape mode interactions. The model proposed is used to study the effect of various parameters on the deformation of fluid particle interface. The cases studied provide an insight into shape mode interactions and resonances due to nonlinearity. Moreover, the results show that the viscosity of the fluid particle can play a role in increasing the chances of greater mode interaction and parametric resonance effects, especially for relatively large initial deformations.

Periodontal Disease and COVID 19

The aim of this study is to assess the association of periodontal disease and COVID 19. Coronavirus have been announced pandemic along the globe by the WHO, which have severely affected every countries healthcare framework and health care profession­als globally. Due to this pandemic every individual facing severe problems both economically and emotionally. The similarity seen on inflammatory response pathway shows there is a potential relationship between COVID-19 and Periodontitis are related. Considering the relationship, significant importance should be given to maintain periodontal health, maintaining careful and good oral hygiene in the COVID-19 situation. There is also chance of feasibility that periodontal disease can be susceptible for an individual’s COVID-19 unfavourable outcomes. This relationship shows the interrelation among periodontal disease and COVID-19 and between the cytokine relationship which advices in improving hygiene in oral cavity during this COVID situation. And it is found individuals with periodontal disease have high risk of getting COVID associated unfavourable consequences.

Body Acceptance by Pregnant Women and Their Attitudes toward Pregnancy and Maternity as Predictors of Prenatal Depression.

Background: Depressive symptoms during pregnancy may cause unfavorable consequences for both the mother and the infant’s physiological and psychological health. Recent evidence indicates that body image plays an important role in prenatal depression. The present study’s main purpose was to investigate the level of acceptance of physical appearance in pregnant women, their attitudes toward pregnancy and maternity, and some obstetric characteristics as significant predictors in the development of depression. Methods: A sample of 150 Polish pregnant women completed a set of self-report questionnaires, including the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Attitudes toward Maternity and Pregnancy Questionnaire (PRE-MAMA), and the Body-Self Questionnaire (EA-BSQ). All participants also answered a brief sociodemographic and obstetric information questionnaire. Results: A hierarchical binary logistic regression was conducted to predict prenatal depression from selected obstetric variables (unplanned pregnancy, multiparity, and miscarriages) and psychological variables (appearance evaluation and positive or anxious attitudes toward pregnancy and maternity). It was found that higher levels of negative evaluation of appearance increased chances of depression in pregnant women by almost one-and-a-half. The analysis revealed that positive attitudes toward pregnancy and maternity were the most important protective factor for depression. Conclusions: The results confirmed the importance of dissatisfaction with body image during pregnancy as a predictor of the onset of prenatal depression. However, in clinical practice, this risk factor should be considered in combination with positive maternal attitudes, not separately. The implications for future studies and interventions in the field of prenatal depression are discussed in this work.

Neutrophil granulocytes: participation in homeostatic and reparative processes. Part I

After exiting from the bone marrow (BM) into the circulation, mature neutrophil granulocytes undergo a set of sequential phenotypic and physiological changes collectively called “aging” in the absence of inflammation, by constitutively sensing prime signals from commensal microbiota and acquiring higher functional alertness in case of activation upon tissue damage or pathogen invasion. Physiological aging of blood neutrophils and their subsequent return to the BM result in signals modulating size and function of the hematopoietic niche. Circadian physiological infiltration of BM by neutrophils contributes to maintaining baseline level of circulating hematopoietic progenitor cells capable of regeneration and immune surveillance. Apart from the BM, neutrophils actively enter other healthy tissues, probably exerting some effects on their baseline physiologic state. Using lung tissue, it has been shown that neutrophils can “govern” action of gene set regulating cell growth, migration, proliferation, differentiation, and carcinogenesis. Neutrophils participate in destruction of endometrial tissues during desquamation phase as well as subsequent repair and physiological angiogenesis during proliferative phase of the menstrual cycle; promote wall rupture of the preovulatory ovarian follicle and oocyte exit; contribute to degradation and resorption of the corpus luteum in pregnancy failure; play an important physiological role in vascular remodeling in pregnant uterus and developing maternal immune tolerance to semi-allogeneic fetus. Neutrophils actively migrating to the surface of intestinal epithelium during local infection and/or damage stimulate epithelial restitution and recovery of its barrier function. On the other hand, neutrophils recruited into the oral cavity regulate quantitative and qualitative composition of microbial communities in oral biofilms, and ensure healthy state of periodontal structures. Being a major player and regulator in healing of skin wounds at early stage, inflammation, neutrophils not only destroy potential pathogens, but also participate in cleansing wounds from cell debris, produce cytokines, enzymes, and growth factors affecting further stages in repair process. Both apoptosis and NETosis underlying neutrophil death greatly contribute to wound healing. However, dysregulation and imbalance in both apoptosis and NETosis may lead to unfavorable consequences as well as developing chronic non-healing wounds.

An Analysis of the Decrees of Plenary Sessions of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation from the Standpoint of Cognitive Biases of Criminal Proceedings' Professional Participants

The research concepts of cognitive biases - predictable systemic cognitive mistakes - are being actively developed and used in different areas. A series of experiments showed that criminal proceedings participants also fall under the influence of cognitive biases and heuristics. Irrational assessments of judges, investigators, prosecutors, etc. could have a negative impact on crime investigation and sentencing because these processes should be rationalized as much as it is possible. The author summarizes the available information on systemic cognitive mistakes, analyzes some types of cognitive biases typical of professional participants of criminal proceedings and examines the unfavorable consequences of their impact using the data of court statistics for 2018. It is proven that one of the available ways of overcoming the negative effects of cognitive biases is the recommendations of plenary sessions of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. At the same time, its Decrees could acts as triggers of cognitive biases. The article presents an analysis of the Decrees of plenary sessions of the Supreme Court that proves the existence of contradictions between the objectives of presented recommendations and their actual impact on the professional participants of criminal proceedings due to the emerging cognitive biases. In this connection, the author raises the question of the necessity of changing recommendations given in the Decrees of the Supreme Court. Specifically, the author presents a new edition of the Decree of the plenary session of the Supreme Court «On the Practice of Imposing Criminal Penalties by Courts of the Russian Federation» of Dec. 22, 2015 No 58 with changes in the part that regulates taking into account the circumstances characterizing the personality of the defendant. Besides, in order to improve the law enforcement practice on cases of self-defense, the author suggests reconsidering the whole concept in the Decree of the Plenary Session of the Supreme Court «On the Application of Self-Defense Legislation by Courts and on Infliction of Harm during the Apprehension of a Person who Committed a Crime» of September 27, 2012 to reduce the impact of retrospective bias while adjudicating on cases of defense against attacks.

The value of personal information in vertically differentiated markets with privacy concerns

Information technology and data science have enabled firms to practice price discrimination on an unprecedented scale, arousing privacy concerns among their customers. When consumers know a firm is practicing price discrimination, they may take costly measures to conceal their identities so as to avoid being targeted. Governments, in turn, may require firms to disclose their price discrimination practices in order to protect consumers’ interests. In this paper, we consider a pricing game in which two competitive, vertically differentiated firms may implement price discrimination using information purchased from a third-party data supplier. We determine (1) the firms’ optimal pricing strategies when consumers can (or cannot) safeguard their personal information by paying a “privacy cost”; (2) the data supplier’s optimal sales strategy and the value of the data; and (3) the effects of the cost of consumer privacy and of the disclosure of price discrimination practices on firms and consumers. We find that for the data supplier, the optimal sales strategy is always to sell exclusively to one firm, regardless of whether consumers are aware that the firm practices “personalized pricing”. The question of which firm the data broker should sell to depends on what we term the “quality-adjusted cost”—the ratio between the additional cost of the high-quality product and the magnitude of the quality difference. If this ratio is smaller than 1/2, the data broker will sell to the high-quality firm; if greater, to the low-quality firm. Second, by comparing two scenarios involving the disclosure or non-disclosure of price discrimination, we find, somewhat counter-intuitively, that mandatory transparency increases industry profits and decreases consumer surplus when only the high-quality firm has access to consumer data. When only the low-quality firm has such access, transparency lowers industry profits once the quality-adjusted cost exceeds a certain threshold. When the quality-adjusted cost is in the intermediate range, mandatory transparency decreases social welfare. This means that the disclosure of price discrimination practices may have unfavorable consequences from a social planning standpoint. Thus, the new insights our findings offer into competitive personalized pricing in vertically differentiated markets will be useful not only to managers in the industry but also to regulators.

Rethinking the Decentralization of Legislative Organization and its Implications for Policymaking: Evidence from Taiwan

AbstractIt can be challenging for a democratic government to effectively make policies that address crucial national problems. While a bulk of literature reports that many democracies have overcome this challenge through centralization of legislative organization, few studies have explained why legislative decentralization that allegedly impairs policymaking performance would take place. Drawing on Taiwan's experience and over 13,000 legislative bills proposed in Taiwan's parliament between 1993 and 2012, this article demonstrates that the legislative decentralization during the onset of Taiwan's democratization slightly revived the policymaking performance of a near-paralysed parliament. Like drinking poison to quench the thirst, myopic politicians may opt for legislative decentralization as an instant remedy to ease severe legislative obstruction, despite the unfavourable consequences that the resulting decentralized legislative organization may eventually bring about. These findings shed new light on the evolution of legislative organization and account for the difficulties in policymaking facing developing democracies.

The Relationship between Health Beliefs and Family Functioning with Drug Attitudes among High School Students in Lali city, Khuzestan Province, Iran

Background Drug abuse and its unfavorable consequences are considered the most important concerns and social issues of the present era, and drug abuse and its destructive consequences are challenging issues concerning the students’ health. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between health beliefs and family functioning with drug attitudes among high school students of Lali city, Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed by path analysis. The study’s population included all the girls and boys of high school students of Lali city, Khuzestan Province, Iran, in the academic year 2017-2018. The sample included 133 male and 142 female students selected by multistage stratified sampling. The research instrument included the Health Beliefs Inventory (Thought Fusion Inventory, TFI), Family Assessment Device (FAD), and the Drug Attitude Scale (DAS). Data analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 23.0), and AMOS software (version 23.0). Results: The mean age and age range of participants were 17.06±2.40 and 15 to 20 years, respectively. The results showed a significant negative relationship between health beliefs and attitudes towards drugs in females (β = -0.46, P ≤ 0.01), and male (β = -0.49, P ≤ 0.01) students. There was no significant relationship between family functioning and drug attitudes in students (P > 0.05). Conclusion In this study, it was found that health beliefs reduced attitudes toward drugs in students. Health beliefs change students’, and adolescents’ attitudes toward addiction. For instance, the adolescents, who exhibit more health behaviors, hold a higher perception of the addiction threat and more negative attitudes toward addictive drugs.

Criminalistic characteristic of investigation of undue influence upon critical information structure of the Russian Federation

This article provides comprehensive description of the crime established by the Article 274.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The subject of this research is the crimes in the area of information technologies and their circumstances set by the Article 274.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, as well as comprehensive characteristic of criminal impact upon the critical information infrastructure of the Russian Federation. The subject of research also includes the concept of the object of infringement – the critical information structure of the Russian Federation, isolated circumstances of the instance of crime that determine the nature and dynamics of criminal activity thereof, classification and criminalistic characteristic of the objects of crime, essential evidence of unfavorable consequences of undue influence upon critical information structure of the Russian Federation. Definition is given to the concept of the object of infringement – the critical information structure of the Russian Federation. The author examines isolated circumstances the instance of crime that determine the nature and dynamics of criminal activity thereof. Classification and criminalistic characteristic are given to the objects of crime; essential evidence of unfavorable consequences of undue influence upon the critical information structure of the Russian Federation is identified and analyzed. The author concludes that taking into consideration the fact that currently there is no practice, guidelines, recommendations on investigation and detection of crimes established by the Article 274.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the crimes that fall under the indicated category have even grater latency compared to other crimes of the Chapter 28 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which necessitates the development of guidelines, recommendations, normative legal and local acts on detection, investigation and prevention of crimes in the area of computer technologies.

Ceftolozane/Tazobactam and Ceftazidime/Avibactam for Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Infections in Immunocompetent Patients: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Complicated infections from multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) represent a serious problem presenting many challenges. Resistance to many classes of antibiotics reduces the probability of an adequate empirical treatment, with unfavorable consequences, increasing morbidity and mortality. Readily available patient medical history and updated information about the local microbiological epidemiology remain critical for defining the baseline risk of MDR-GNB infections and guiding empirical treatment choices, with the aim of avoiding both undertreatment and overtreatment. There are few literature data that report real-life experiences in the use of ceftolozane/tazobactam and ceftazidime/avibactam, with particular reference to microbiological cure. Some studies reported experiences for the treatment of MDR-GNB infections in patients with hematological malignancies or specifically in Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. We report our clinical single-center experience regarding the real-life use of ceftolozane/tazobactam and ceftazidime/avibactam to treat serious and complicated infections due to MDR-GNB and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), with particular regard given to intra-abdominal and urinary tract infections and sepsis.

Radiology-pathology correlation for bone and soft tissue tumors or tumor-like masses: single institutional experience after implementation of a weekly conference.

To determine the frequency of non-diagnostic and discordant results from bone and soft tissue biopsies performed at our institution over a 3-year period and to investigate whether implementation of a weekly musculoskeletal radiology-pathology correlation conference decreased the time to appropriate patient management in cases of discordance. Consecutive image-guided core needle biopsy results obtained over a 12month period of time were reviewed in a retrospective fashion. Following implementation of the correlation conference, subsequent consecutive image-guided core needle biopsy results obtained over a 26month period of time were reviewed in a prospective fashion. For non-diagnostic and discordant cases, the time in days from date of availability of the biopsy result to date of documentation of a specific follow-up action plan was recorded. Diagnostic yield was 96.5% and 94.9% for the retrospective and prospective periods, respectively. There were four discordant results in the retrospective cohort (1.7%) and seven discordant results in the prospective cohort (2.1%). Following implementation of the weekly correlation conference, there was significant decrease (p< 0.05) in median time from a discordant biopsy result to follow-up action plan. There were no unnecessary surgeries, litigation, or other unfavorable consequences in either cohort. Image-guided core needle biopsies of bone and soft tissue provide high diagnostic yield, often with specific diagnoses. The statistically significant decrease in number of days to follow-up action plan for discordant results suggests radiology-pathology review has a positive impact on patient care. Subjective benefits from communication and educational standpoints are also noteworthy.

Consuming beyond means: debt trap of conspicuous consumption in an emerging economy

ABSTRACT With high prevalence of conspicuous consumption in low-income emerging economies like India, we argue that households in these economies resort to debts to finance their conspicuous consumption. Using nationally representative household panel data from Indian Human Development Surveys, we provide evidence that an increase in conspicuous consumption results in higher household debt and more number of loans, using multiple empirical strategies. We further illustrate that this effect on household debt i) is higher for rural households, and ii) reduces with higher education. We contribute to the literature on conspicuous consumption and its unfavorable consequences in emerging economies.

Cardiometabolic index: a new tool for screening the metabolically obese normal weight phenotype.

People with the metabolically obese normal weight (MONW) phenotype are considered as an extremely high-risk group for unfavorable health consequences, but they are frequently undetected due to deceptive body mass index (BMI) and complex assessment. This study aimed to explore the clinical usefulness of cardiometabolic index (CMI) in identifying MONW individuals. This cross-sectional study involved a total of 47,683 normal-weight subjects aged ≥ 18years. Participants underwent anthropometrics, routine biochemical tests, and questionnaires for a full evaluation of the metabolic profile. The odds ratio (OR) of CMI and MONW phenotype was determined by the Logistic regression models and the diagnostic accuracy of CMI was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The prevalence of MONW phenotype was 11.0%. After multivariate adjustment, the ORs for MONW in the highest compared with the lowest quartile of CMI was 71.20 (95% CI 55.19-91.86), and 1-SD increment of CMI brought a 54% additional risk. In ROC analysis, compared with BMI and waist circumference, CMI showed superior performance for identifying MONW individuals with an AUC of 0.853 (95% CI 0.847-0.860) in men and 0.912 (95% CI 0.906-0.918) in women, respectively. Moreover, CMI exhibited the highest diagnostic accuracy in younger age groups (aged 18-34 for men; aged 18-34 and 35-44 for women), in which AUCs surpassed 0.9 in both sexes. CMI could be served as a valuable indicator to identify MONW phenotype of Chinese adults, particularly for young people.