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Sensory Processing Impairments in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Systematic Review
No full text[[abstract]]The two objectives of this systematic review were to examine the following: (1) the difference in sensory processing areas (auditory, visual, vestibular, touch, proprioceptive, and multi-sensory) between children with and without developmental coordination disorder (DCD), and (2) the relationship between sensory processing and motor coordination in DCD. The following databases were comprehensively searched for relevant articles: PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, and Cochrane library. There were 1107 articles (published year = 2010 to 2021) found in the initial search. Full-text articles of all possibly relevant citations were obtained and inspected for suitability by two authors. The outcome measures were sensory processing impairments and their relationship with motor coordination. A total of 10 articles met the inclusion criteria. Children with DCD showed significant impairments in visual integration, tactile integration, proprioceptive integration, auditory integration, vestibular integration, and oral integration processes when compared with typically developing children. Evidence also supported that sensory processing impairments were associated with poor motor coordination in DCD. Preliminary support indicated that DCD have sensory processing impairments in visual, tactile, proprioceptive, auditory, and vestibular areas, which might contribute to participation restriction in motor activities. It is important to apply sensory integration therapy in rehabilitation programs for DCD in order to facilitate participation in daily activities
The SDF1-CXCR4 axis is involved in the hyperbaric oxygen therapy-mediated neuronal cells migration in transient brain ischemic rats
No full text[[abstract]]Neurogenesis is a physiological response after cerebral ischemic injury to possibly repair the damaged neural network. Therefore, promoting neurogenesis is very important for functional recovery after cerebral ischemic injury. Our previous research indicated that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) exerted neuroprotective effects, such as reducing cerebral infarction volume. The purposes of this study were to further explore the effects of HBOT on the neurogenesis and the expressions of cell migration factors, including the stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF1) and its target receptor, the CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4). Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into the control or HBO group after receiving transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). HBOT began to intervene 24 h after MCAO under the pressure of 3 atmospheres for one hour per day for 21 days. Rats in the control group were placed in the same acrylic box without HBOT during the experiment. After the final intervention, half of the rats in each group were cardio-perfused with ice-cold saline followed by 4% paraformaldehyde under anesthesia. The brains were removed, dehydrated and cut into serial 20μm coronal sections for immunofluorescence staining to detect the markers of newborn cell (BrdU+), mature neuron cell (NeuN+), SDF1, and CXCR4. The affected motor cortex of the other half rats in each group was separated under anesthesia and used to detect the expressions of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), SDF1, and CXCR4. Motor function was tested by a ladder-climbing test before and after the experiment. HBOT significantly enhanced neurogenesis in the penumbra area and promoted the expressions of SDF1 and CXCR4. The numbers of BrdU+/SDF1+, BrdU+/CXCR4+, and BrdU+/NeuN+ cells and BDNF concentrations in the penumbra were all significantly increased in the HBO group when compared with the control group. The motor functions were improved in both groups, but there was a significant difference between groups in the post-test. Our results indicated that HBOT for 21 days enhanced neurogenesis and promoted cell migration toward the penumbra area in transient brain ischemic rats. HBOT also increased BDNF expression, which might further promote the reconstructions of the impaired neural networks and restore motor function
台灣安寧緩和醫療中文語料探索性分析
No full text[[abstract]]《安寧緩和醫療條例》自2000年通過辦理之後，將安寧療護、緩和醫療、臨終照顧等相關概念整合之後，探究何謂安寧療護和照顧模式，以及跨專業領域之相關照顧實務的期刊論文也相繼出刊。本研究針對「華藝線上圖書館」及「社區發展季刊」之資料庫，以「安寧」、「安寧療護」、「緩和醫療」、「臨終」等關鍵詞，針對2020年之前臺灣地區已發表之中文安寧緩和醫療且已公開之全文之相關期刊論文，共634篇進行分析。研究方法以語料庫分析（corpus analysis），運用CORPRO庫博中文語料庫分析工具，進行歷年來在安寧緩和醫療的文本進行分析，探究安寧緩和醫療如何隨著時代之差異，語詞使用頻次與概念上有不同的發展。研究結果發現：1.文本以安寧照護之實務經驗為主，使用「安寧療護」為慣用語詞；2.期刊文章篇數在2016年起大幅增加、到2017年達到高峰，詞彙使用最多是「病人」。3.在生理、心理、靈性、生活品質、安寧緩和醫療等同類詞中，以生理及心理被提及的頻次，歷年增加；而靈性及生活品質仍維持一定的使用頻次。4.因時空背景的差異，在對安樂死、自然死、尊嚴死等三者的論述重點也有所不同。本研究所呈現的安寧緩和醫療之詞彙相關圖像，以供後續研究之參考
Boosted artificial intelligence model using improved alpha-guided grey wolf optimizer for groundwater level prediction: Comparative study and insight for federated learning technology
No full text[[abstract]]Modeling groundwater level (GWL) is a challenging task particularly in intensive groundwater-based irrigated regions due to its dependency on multiple natural and anthropogenic factors. The main motivation of the current investigation is to develop a new advanced artificial intelligence (AI) model for GWL simulation. An Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) optimized by Improved Alpha-Guided Grey Wolf optimization (IA-GWO) algorithm is proposed in this study for reliable prediction of GWL in an intensively irrigated region of Northwest Bangladesh. Natural and anthropogenic factors including rainfall, evapotranspiration, groundwater abstraction, and irrigation return flow were considered as input variables for the development of the models. The efficacy of the proposed model was compared with standalone ANFIS and ANN models and their hybrid versions using particle swarm optimization (ANFIS-PSO) models. Both standard statistical metrics and visual inspection of scatter plots, violin plots, and Taylor diagrams were employed for performance evaluation. Thirty-one years (1981–2011) monthly groundwater level data were used for the calibration and validation of the models. The results revealed the better performance of ANFIS-IA-GWO with normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) of 0.06–0.11 and Kling-Gupta efficiency (KGE) of 0.96–0.98 compared to ANFIS-PSO (NRMSE ? 0.38–0.55 and KGE ? 0.70–0.86) and ANN-IA-GWO (NRMSE ? 0.42–0.57 and KGE ? 0.75–0.91) and ANN-PSO (NRMSE ? 0.50–0.63 and KGE ? 0.63–0.83). The visual comparison of results showed that ANFIS-IA-GWO model was able to replicate the mean, distribution, interquartile range, and standard deviation of observed GWL more appropriately compared to other model
Curcumin nanospheres and nanorods: Synthesis, characterization and anticancer activity
No full text[[abstract]]Development in nanotechnology and its biological application have progressively contributes to the interaction of nanoparticles with cells which helps in treating/diagnosing cancer like diseases. In order to understand the morphological transformation of drug nanoparticles interaction on cancerous cells, we prepared curcumin nanorods (CNRs) and curcumin nanospheres (CNSs) by antisolvent precipitation process. The size, surface charge and morphology were analyzed by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and High Resolution Transmission Microscope (HRTEM). The size of both the nanoparticles ranges below 50?nm and the zeta potential showed the negative surface charge. Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD) and Fourier Transformer Infra-Red spectroscopy (FTIR) studies revealed the crystal systems (monoclinic and orthorhombic forms) of curcumin nanoparticles. The cytotoxicity of these drugs was tested using MTT assay, where CNRs exhibited a little more anticancer activity and apoptosis than CNSs in HepG2 cells. Hence, we suggest that the morphological variation may act as another factor, which influences apoptotic cell death in spite of the surface charge
Effect of land use land cover changes on land surface temperature during 1984–2020: a case study of Baghdad city using landsat image
No full text[[abstract]]Urban land surface temperature (LST) is dependent on many factors, including land cover, building materials, urban density, and other human activities. The current study evaluated Baghdad's LST and urban heat island (UHI) changes during 1984–2020, one of the world's hottest capital cities. The study also examined the relationship between LST and various land use and land covers (LULC). The Landsat data (TM and OLI/TIRS) data were used to retrieve normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and normalized difference built-up index (NDBI). Results showed increases in LST in Baghdad between 1984 and 2020 due to increased urbanization, decreased green lands, and expansion of baren areas. The highest LST is associated with residential and barren areas, ranging from 46.7 to 52.7 °C, while lowest with water bodies and orchards areas, ranging between 25 and 30.4 °C. UHI effect appeared clearly in 2020 in different parts, particularly in suburban areas around Baghdad. Higher LST was observed in less vegetated areas and vice versa. The study revealed that the average maximum temperature in Baghdad increased from 40.2 °C in 1984 to 47 °C in 2020 or about 6.8 °C during 36 years. The NDVI showed a negative correlation and NDBI a positive correlation with LST. The results improved the understanding of urban LST's relation to LULC in developing an inclusive climate resilience policy and making Baghdad more sustainable to face the consequences of climate change
In vitro and in vivo efficacy of green synthesized AgNPs against Gram negative and Gram positive bacterial pathogens
No full text[[abstract]]Global threat of mortality and morbidity increasing due to pathogenic bacterial infection and disease become a significant concern for human population. Development of multidrug resistant bacterial pathogens has increased the search of alternative to conventional antibiotics and small molecules. Metallic nanoparticles are rapidly growing in the field of biomedicine, bioremediation, and bioengineering. Metallic nanoparticles synthesized using plant extract gives an upper edge against toxicity and efficacy of the materials. Silver and silver salt is practised in health organization around the world for killing bacterial pathogens. The present study, one-pot synthesized Rubella tuberosa mediated silver nanoparticles (RT-AgNPs) for the inhibition of ESKAPE panel of bacterial pathogens especially Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of RT-AgNPs was determined as 4 μg/mL against both pathogens, while the Biofilm Inhibitory concentration (BIC) was determined as 4 μg/mL and 16 μg/mL against Gram negative (P. aeruginosa) and Gram positive (S. aureus) pathogens. The synergy of RT-AgNPs with conventional antibiotics showed the better efficacy with Vancomycin and Gentamicin against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa respectively. Further haemolytic activity of RT-AgNPs against human red blood cell confirmed the non-toxicity at the higher concentration of 64 μg/mL. Thus, RT-AgNPs prove to be suitable candidate for the inhibition of biofilm and pathogenicity of Gram negative and Gram positive pathogens
In vitro efficacy of green synthesized ZnO nanoparticles against biofilm and virulence of Serratia marcescens
No full text[[abstract]]Zinc oxide reduced into nanosized exhibits antibacterial activity due to the interaction of ZnO with the cell surface and inside of the bacteria making them adaptive candidate for antibacterial activity. ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) synthesized using plant extract and their biomolecules makes them a safer, non-toxic and bactericidal solution against pathogenic bacteria. Till date, only few research articles are published on analysing the antibiofilm and anti-virulence activity of ZnO NPs synthesized using Ruellia tuberosa extract. Based on these literature survey, the present study was focused on synthesizing ZnO NPs using Ruellia tuberosa and efficacy to inhibit biofilm formation and virulence factor of Serratia marcescens. ZnO NPs at the concentration of 100 μg/mL showed highest antibacterial activity by reducing S. marcescens growth upto 4-fold (0.25 OD600nm) in comparison to untreated bacteria (1.8 OD600nm). ZnO NPs also showed 50% of inhibition of biofilm formation 25 μg/mL concentration. Microscopic analysis revealed the phenotypical change in the biofilm matrix formation after treating with >25 μg/mL of ZnO NPs. Prodigiosin, a quorum sensing regulated factor of S. marcescens was also inhibited >70% at 100 μg/mL concentration of ZnO NPs. Therefore, the present study shows the efficacy of green fabricated ZnO NPs to inhibit the growth, biofilm, and virulence factor of S. marcescens
Anesthesia With Propofol Sedation Reduces Locoregional Recurrence in Patients With Breast Cancer Receiving Total Mastectomy Compared With Non-Propofol Anesthesia
No full text[[abstract]]Purpose: We examined locoregional recurrence (LRR) in patients with breast invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) receiving total mastectomy (TM) under propofol-based paravertebral block-regional anesthesia (PB-RA) versus sevoflurane-based inhalational general anesthesia (INHA-GA) without propofol. All-cause death and distant metastasis were secondary endpoints.
Patients and Methods: Patients with breast IDC receiving TM were recruited through propensity score matching and categorized into INHA-GA with sevoflurane and PB-RA with propofol groups. Cox regression analysis was performed to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results: In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, the adjusted HR (aHR; 95% CI) of LRR for the PB-RA with propofol group was 0.52 (0.28–0.96) compared with the INHA-GA with sevoflurane group. The aHRs of LRR for differentiation grade II, grade III, the American Joint Committee on Cancer clinical stage II, stage III, pathological tumor (pT) stage 2, pT stage 3–4, pathological nodal (pN) stage 1, and pN stage 2–3 were 1.16 (1.04–2.08), 1.28 (1.07–2.12), 3.71 (1.82–7.59), 4.67 (1.65–13.18), 1.09 (1.02–1.21), 1.17 (1.03–2.16), 1.10 (1.03–1.33), and 1.22 (1.06–2.41), respectively, compared with differentiation grade I, clinical stage I, pT1, and pN0. The aHR of LRR for adjuvant RT was 0.88 (0.64–0.94) compared with that for no adjuvant RT.
Conclusion: PB-RA with propofol might be beneficial for reducing LRR in women with breast IDC receiving TM compared with INHA-GA without propofol
Association between long-term opioid use and cancer risk in patients with chronic pain a propensity score-matched cohort study
No full text[[abstract]]Background: Whether long-term opioid use is an independent risk factor for cancer progression remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted a propensity score-matched population-based cohort study to compare cancer incidence between patients with chronic pain with and without opioid use.
Methods: Data from January 2008 to December 2019 were obtained from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients were categorised into two groups according to the presence or absence of opioid use, and matched at a 4:1 ratio. The incidence rate ratios for specific cancers were determined.
Results: Propensity score-matching yielded 63 610 patients: 50 888 with opioid use (the opioid group) and 12 722 without (the non-opioid group). In a multivariate Cox regression analysis, the adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for cancers in the opioid group compared with the non-opioid group was 2.66 (1.44-2.94; P<0.001). The incidence rate ratios (95% confidence interval) for lung, hepatocellular, colorectal, breast, prostate, head and neck, pancreatic, gastric, oesophageal, and ovarian cancers for the opioid group were 1.87 (1.41-2.43), 1.97 (1.56-2.50), 2.39 (1.87-3.03), 2.43 (1.75-3.33), 2.00 (1.35-3.03), 1.79 (1.14-2.86), 1.87 (1.13-2.12), 2.43 (1.52-3.85), 1.82 (0.92-3.70), and 2.33 (1.01-5.55), respectively.
Conclusion: There was an association between long-term opioid use and development of cancer in patients with chronic pain, which should be confirmed in future studies