Population-based Studies of Childhood Disability in Developing Countries

This article reports the main health status differences between a representative sample of homeless people and an at-risk for homelessness group consisting of people who use services for the homeless such as soup kitchens and public baths but have and maintain a home. The variables analyzed include health problems by system, risk habits and behaviors, substance use, alcohol problems, general health status, suicidal thoughts and perceived health status. Because of the gender differences between groups, the data were analyzed independently for men and women. The results show that the homeless have worse health status compared with the at-risk group. Homeless men had significantly more risk habits and behaviors, substance use, and mental health problems. Homeless women had similar tendencies, although they also had significantly more general health illnesses (by systems and over the past year). Almost no differences were found in drug use (especially alcohol use) or in mental health—except for depression, which was significant. These results shed light on new data regarding the correlation between homelessness and health issues.     

Catheter ablation of supraventricular tachycardia in the transplanted heart: a case series and literature review

Clinically important supraventricular arrhythmias are occasionally encountered in patients following cardiac transplantation and the use of catheter ablation as a treatment has been reported. The following three cases are described: (1) atrial flutter, including electroanatomic mapping of the donor and recipient components of the right atrium, (2) a mid-septal accessory pathway, and (3) atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT). A Medline database search was performed and articles addressing catheter ablation following cardiac transplantation were reviewed. The efficacy of RFA for treating various arrhythmia mechanisms was evaluated based on a summary of published case reports.     

Disruption of Limbic Pathways in a Case of Profound Amnesia

We report a case of episodic amnesia in which the anatomical basis of injury was investigated by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Two months after an adult male suffered severe closed head injury, conventional magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) revealed only a right superior frontal lesion. However, 14 years later, DTI revealed structural anomalies not visible on CMRI involving limbic white matter tracts, notably the fornix, which could explain the amnesia.     

Serum Levels of Interleukin-1β and Disease Progression in Multiple Myeloma Patients: A Case and Control Study

Objective:Multiple myeloma (MM) is known as an incurable heterogeneous plasma cell malignancy that presents with a variety of clinical manifestations. Inflammation plays an important role in this disease. Cytokines and Chemokines cause the progression of the disease. One of them is interleukin-1β (IL-1β), which may be involved in the pathogenesis of MM. Other markers such as calcium, albumin, creatinine, globulins, and total protein are also used to diagnose and prognosis patients. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the serum level of IL-1β and various forms of calcium (total calcium, ionized calcium, and corrected calcium), albumin, creatinine, globulin, and total protein on stage-I of MM patients and healthy controls. Methods:Serum samples from 30 stage-I MM patients and 30 healthy subjects as controls were examined in this study. The protein concentrations of serum IL-1β was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), total calcium, albumin, creatinine, total protein, and globulin Measured by auto analyzer BT3000, an electrolyte analyzer was used to measure ionized calcium (Ca++) and a special equation was used to calculate the corrected calcium. Result:The mean level of IL-1β was significantly elevated in stage-I MM. The mean levels of IL-1β were 7.04±1.15 ng/ml in stage-I MM and 3.12± 0.90 ng/ml in controls (p<0.001). The mean levels of total calcium (total Ca) were 9.45±0.56 mg/dl in stage-I MM and 9.09±0.43mg/dl in controls (p=0.008). The mean levels of ionized calcium (Ca++) was 4.65±0.28mg/dl in stage-I MM and 4.75±0.33mg/dl in controls (p=0.2). The mean ratio of serum ionized calcium to total calcium (Ca++/ total Ca) was 0.49±0.054 in stage-I MM and 0.52±0.047 in controls (p=0.02). The mean ratio of serum ionized calcium to corrected calcium (Ca++/corrected Ca) was 0.42±0.033 in stage-I MM and the Mean ratio of serum ionized calcium to calcium total (Ca++/ total Ca) was 0.52±0.047 in controls, Comparison of the mean of the two groups shows a significant difference (p<0.001). The mean level of albumin was 1.72±0.35 g/dl in stage-I MM and4.32±0.41g/dl in controls (p<0.001). The mean level of total protein was 12.65±0.81g/dl in stage-I MM and 7.07±0.4 g/dl in controls (p<0.001). The mean level of globulin was 11.00±0.96 mg/dl in stage-I MM and 2.85±0.77 mg/dl in controls (p<0.001). The mean level of creatinine was 1.15±0.25 mg/dl in stage-I MM and 0.96±0.15 mg/dl in controls (p=0.001). Conclusion:The results of the study indicate the possible involvement of IL-1β at stage-I MM and it can indicate the role of chemokines in the disease process, especially in the early stages. Changes in the chemical profiles mentioned can help in the diagnosis and prognosis of the disease.Key Words: Multiple myeloma, interleukin- 1β- total calcium, ionized calcium, corrected calcium, albumin, creatinine     

The relationship between walking and depression,anxiety, and stress among a sample from Jazan,Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional investigation

This study is aiming to investigate the association between walking and depression, anxiety and stress among adults from Jazan, Saudi Arabia. This study was a cross-sectional investigation where data was collected via an online self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire had 4 components that measured demographics of the sample, presence of depression, anxiety and stress, and walking history. Differences in median scores of depression, anxiety, and stress according to the measured characteristics were tested via the Mann–Whitney U test. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to estimate odds of reporting depression, anxiety, and stress according to the measured characteristics. A total of 472 adult subjects participated in the current study. The median age of the participants was 23 years, and 52% were males. Half of the participants had variable degrees of depression and anxiety while 39% of the participants had variable degrees of stress. Gender appeared to have the strongest influence on level of depression, anxiety, and stress among the recruited sample (odds ratio 1.8, 2.1, 1.6 respectively (P values < .01). Upon stratifying the sample according to gender, marital status seems to have an association with depression, anxiety, and stress among females (P values < .05). Among males, only walking more than 3 days was associated with the reduction of anxiety (P value .005) and depression (P value .06). This study identified gender difference where walking was not associated with mental health among women but relatively associated among males.     

Comparison of short- and long-term outcomes of bariatric surgery methods: A retrospective study

The present study is intended to retrospectively compare the short- and long-term outcomes of 3 different treatment methods in patients undergoing bariatric surgery and the variances in weight and nutritional parameters during the preoperative and postoperative periods. In this study, 534 patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), laparoscopic Roux-En-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB), and laparoscopic one anastomosis gastric bypass (LOAGB) between 2014 and 2021 were included. The sociodemographic and biodemographic characteristics of these patients, their weight losses and nutritional changes in the preoperative and postoperative periods, operative times, hospital stays, complications, and morbidity and mortality rates were retrospectively compared. There was a statistically significant difference between the surgical methods in the percentages of excess weight loss and total weight loss in the 1st and 3rd months. There were significant differences in the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, folic acid, vitamin D, iron, ferritin, and parathyroid hormone levels (P < .05). All 3 techniques were found to be successful in facilitating weight loss at the end of the first year. LRYGB and LOAGB were found to be superior to LSG in terms of remission from diabetes during the first 6 months, whereas LSG was superior to the other methods in terms of nutritional deficiencies. Despite being more advantageous in terms of operative time, LSG and LOAGB were disadvantageous compared with the LRYGB technique because of the higher rates of leakage and mortality in the LSG technique and the higher rate of bile reflux in the LOAGB technique.     

Application of ECC as a Repair/Retrofit and Pavement/Bridge Deck Material for Sustainable Structures: A Review

Concrete structures cannot efficiently perform their functions over time due to chemical and physical external effects. Thus, enhancing the relationship between repair and aged structures, and also improving the durability properties of concrete is crucial in terms of sustainability. However, high costs, negative environmental effects, and incompatibility problems occur in repair/retrofit applications. Furthermore, three-quarters of the failures in the repaired/retrofitted structures are caused by a lack of repair durability. The need for repair in pavement/bridge decks is also frequently encountered, and early-age performance problems with repair materials cause pavement/bridge decks to be unavailable for certain periods of time. Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) can be effectively used as repair/retrofit and pavement/bridge deck material. It also has a minimal need for repair/retrofit thanks to its high durability properties. This article presents state-of-the-art research regarding the application of ECC as a repair/retrofit and pavement/bridge deck material. Studies in the literature show that the repair/retrofit properties of ECC outperform conventional concrete and steel fiber-reinforced concrete. ECC can be a solution to high early strength and drying shrinkage problems frequently encountered in the use of repair materials. It could also be used for different repair applications such as cast, sprayed, and trenchless rehabilitation. Moreover, ECC might fulfill specific requirements for pavement, pavement overlay, tunnel pavement, airfield pavement, and bridge deck. These superior performances are attributed to ECC’s kink-crack trapping mechanism, uniquely large inelastic strain capacity, strain hardening, high tensile strain capacity, and multiple microcracking and ductile behaviors, especially bonding behavior and self-healing.