Objective: Network analysis techniques often require tuning hyperparameters for optimal performance. For instance, the independent cascade model necessitates determining the probability of diffusion. Despite its importance, a consensus on effective parameter adjustment remains elusive.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe evaluate the relationship between corneal nerve structure and function in a veteran population. 83 veterans (mean age: 55 ± 5 years) seen at the Miami Veterans Affairs (VA) eye clinic were included in this study. Each individual filled out questionnaires to evaluate ocular symptoms (5-Item Dry Eye Questionnaire, DEQ5; Ocular Surface Disease Index, OSDI) and ocular pain (Numerical Rating Scale, NRS; Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory modified for the Eye, NPSI-Eye).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aims: To investigate relationships between dry eye (DE) disease and sleep quality, with a focus on which aspects of sleep most closely relate to DE.
Methods: 141 veterans (mean age: 56±5) seen at the Miami Veterans Affairs eye clinic filled out questionnaires to quantify the severity of DE symptoms (5-Item Dry Eye Questionnaire (DEQ-5) and Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI)) and ocular pain (Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory modified for the Eye (NPSI-E)). All individuals also underwent an ocular surface examination.
Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein 1 (FMR1) gene mutations lead to fragile X syndrome, cognitive disorders, and, in some individuals, scoliosis and craniofacial abnormalities. Four-month-old (mo) male mice with deletion of the FMR1 gene exhibit a mild increase in cortical and cancellous femoral bone mass. However, consequences of absence of FMR1 in bone of young/aged male/female mice and the cellular basis of the skeletal phenotype remain unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNuts are an important food group that contributes to maintaining health; however, they can be a source of exposure to aflatoxins. This study was conducted from 2017 to 2021 to assess the incidence of aflatoxins in nuts and nut products imported to the UAE from 57 countries. Associations between container type and processing technique and aflatoxin levels were also analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: In the context of the food industry, this research investigates the impact of green supply chain management (GSCM) on environmental health. This helps the practitioners and policy makers in mitigation of the supply chain (SC) risks and enhance the environmental health level.
Design/methodology/approach: The study's model was structured using GSC risk factors of green purchasing, environmental cooperation, reverse logistics, eco design, internal environmental management, and investment recovery.
Eltrombopag is a second-line therapy for refractory thrombocytopenia from immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The medication is generally well tolerated but can lead to adverse thromboembolic complications in rare instances. We present a case of lower extremity deep vein thrombosis with bilateral pulmonary embolism in an ITP patient receiving eltrombopag.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Informing breast reconstruction patients is a major factor in shared medical decision-making. In the light of the development of multimedia, patients face a paradoxical duality: the possibility of consulting various sources while having impression of a lacking the needed information. The objective of this study is to assess the quality of the available information around MR by DIEP on Youtube.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Breast augmentation is one of the most frequently performed cosmetic surgeries in the world. However, there is no standardized surgical procedure for performing breast augmentation. Many modalities exist for this surgery which may explain why practices vary greatly from one surgeon to another.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe present study investigated the dietary and urinary OTA occurrence among 44 Lebanese children. Relying on HPLC-FLD analysis, OTA was found in all the urine samples and in 46.5% and 25% of the 24 h duplicate diet and dinner samples, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a complex procedure with a relatively high rate of adverse events. Data on training of operators and fulfillment of quality indicators in Italy are scarce. The goal of this study was to assess the overall quality of ERCP in Italy compared to international standards.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImaging findings after thoracic surgery can be misleading. Knowledge of the normal post-operative anatomy helps the radiologist to recognise life-threatening complications and conversely not to wrongly evoke a complication in cases of trivial post-operative abnormalities. In this educational article, we reviewed the expected patterns after thoracic surgery including sublobar resection, lobectomy, pneumonectomy and related techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Currently, revisions in education and evaluation in the nursing domain are necessary to increase the clinical competence of graduates. The aim of this study was to compare nursing students' clinical competence using the portfolio method with conventional education and evaluation methods in clinical education.
Methods: In this pretest-posttest quasiexperimental crossover study, all six-semester undergraduate nursing students of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences were classified into four groups.
Spices are susceptible to mycotoxin contamination which can cause gastrointestinal and adverse central nervous symptoms in humans, which highlights the importance of assessing the risk of their consumption on a daily basis. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of mycotoxin intake from spices in routinely prepared Lebanese dishes. 150 households were interviewed about their usage of 27 type of spices and 6 routinely prepared Lebanese dishes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Angiogenic factors may be involved in lung development. To evaluate the relations between maternal and cord blood angiogenic factors (sFlt-1, placental growth factor [PlGF], soluble endogline [sEng], transforming growth factor β [TGF-beta]) and their association with moderate and severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in very preterm growth-restricted infants.
Study Design: Prospective monocentric cohort study.
Passive filters are used as one of the effective solutions to mitigate harmonics and improve power quality in electrical networks. In this paper, a new fuzzy approach is proposed for the allocation of detuned passive filters based on a Nonhomogeneous Cuckoo Search Algorithm (NoCuSa). In this method, a resonance index is inserted in the problem formulation to avoid being in a resonance condition after the allocation of passive filters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Small for gestational age and preeclampsia have both been described as risk factors for bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm neonates, but their respective role in the occurrence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia is debated. We evaluated the relation between small for gestational age and bronchopulmonary dysplasia in neonates born to mothers with preeclampsia. We hypothesized that low birth weight is still associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia in this homogeneous population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMyiasis is the infestation of humans with dipterous larvae. Traditionally, myiasis was thought to affect individuals living in tropical regions, however, several cases in temperate zones have been reported. We encountered two patients with histories of malignancies that presented with complaints of myiasis, in Chicago, in the spring and summer of 2016.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReverse genetics is key technology for producing wild-type and genetically modified viruses. The ISA (Infectious Subgenomic Amplicons) method is a recent versatile and user-friendly reverse genetics method to rescue RNA viruses. The main constraint of its canonic protocol was the requirement to produce (e.
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