Changes in plasma concentrations of novel vascular and inflammatory biomarkers in obstructive sleep apnea patients pre- and post-stroke.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is increasingly recognized as a common condition in the general population and causes significant OSA-associated morbidities including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events such as cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and stroke.

Methods: In this study, using sensitive ELISA immunoassays, we measured subset of endothelial/vascular and inflammatory biomarkers as well as neurofilament light chain (NfL), a sensitive marker for neuroaxonal injury, using plasma from OSA patients post-stroke (Acute Cerebral Infarction (ACI), N = 26) to determine their usefulness as potential prognostic markers in disease progression.

Results: Our results showed significantly increased plasma TNFα and NfL concentrations and decreased concentrations of platelet derived growth factor (PDGF-AA) in post-stroke OSA patients with more severe white matter hyperintensities (WMHs).

An Investigation of Manifold-Based Direct Control for a Brain-to-Body Neural Bypass.

Brain-body interfaces (BBIs) have emerged as a very promising solution for restoring voluntary hand control in people with upper-limb paralysis. The BBI module decoding motor commands from brain signals should provide the user with intuitive, accurate, and stable control. Here, we present a preliminary investigation in a monkey of a brain decoding strategy based on the direct coupling between the activity of intrinsic neural ensembles and output variables, aiming at achieving ease of learning and long-term robustness.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 Among Tuberculosis Patients in Muscat, Oman, 2017-2020.

Objectives: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and tuberculosis (TB) are global public health concerns and leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Coinfection is known to complicate TB control and outcomes. However, there is no national study regarding the prevalence of DM among TB patients in Oman.

Malignant ischemic stroke revealing a spontaneous carotid dissection in a young patient: Rare case report.

Ischemic stroke remains today a major health problem that requires adequate management and etiological research. The prevalence in young people has increased. This article is a case report of a 37-year-old female diabetic patient who had an acute ischemic stroke due to spontaneous dissection of the right internal carotid artery.

CGRP, Migraine, and Brain MRI in CADASIL: A Pilot Study.

Background: Migraine is associated with neuroimaging differences in cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL). However, it is unknown if migraine-related disability (MRD) or if calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a vasoactive peptide important in migraine pathology, have radiographic implications. The aims of this study were to identify whether MRD or interictal serum CGRP levels impacted neuroimaging findings for those with CADASIL.

Effect of Flexible Sacrum Position on Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes in Public Health Facilities, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Restricting women giving birth in health care facilities from choosing the most comfortable position during labor and birth is a global problem. This study was aimed to examine the effect of flexible sacrum birth positions on maternal and neonatal outcomes in public health facilities in Ethiopia's Amhara Region. A non-equivalent control group post-test-only design was employed at public health facilities from August to November 2019.

Consistent Condom Utilization and its Associated Factors among Sexually Active Female Anti-Retro Viral Treatment Users in Finoteselam District Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, 2018.

Consistent condom utilization is the key strategy to prevent new HIV strain transmissions among ART users. There are limited evidences on consistent condom utilization among women who are on ART in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study design was conducted among sexually active female ART users from June to August, 2018.

Bayesian optimization of peripheral intraneural stimulation protocols to evoke distal limb movements.

Motor neuroprostheses require the identification of stimulation protocols that effectively produce desired movements. Manual search for these protocols can be very time-consuming and often leads to suboptimal solutions, as several stimulation parameters must be personalized for each subject for a variety of target motor functions. Here, we present an algorithm that efficiently tunes peripheral intraneural stimulation protocols to elicit functionally relevant distal limb movements.

Intrafascicular peripheral nerve stimulation produces fine functional hand movements in primates.

Restoring dexterous hand control is critical for people with paralysis. Approaches based on surface or intramuscular stimulation provide limited finger control, generate insufficient force to recover functional movements, and require numerous electrodes. Here, we show that intrafascicular peripheral electrodes could produce functional grasps and sustained forces in three monkeys.

A Unique Genotype of Pseudohypoaldosteronism Type 1b in a Highly Consanguineous Population.

Context: Pseudohypoaldosteronism (PHA) is a condition in which serum aldosterone level is normal or elevated but its action is deficient.

Objective: This study describes the molecular genetics of PHA 1b in the highly consanguineous population of 2 Arabian Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia and Oman.

Methods: This study enrolled 22 patients from 13 unrelated families (2 families with 5 patients from Oman and 11 families with 17 patients from Saudi Arabia).

Yield of Head Imaging in Ambulatory and Hospitalized Patients With SARS-CoV-2: A Multi-Center Study of 8675 Patients.

Background And Purpose: To describe the neurological and cerebrovascular findings in patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and underwent head imaging in ambulatory and inpatient settings.

Methods: Consecutive patients aged ≥18 years with SARS-CoV-2 infection diagnosed or treated at Mayo Clinic sites from 3/11/2020 to 7/23/2020 with head CT or brain MRI within 30 days of SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis were included. Demographics, medical history, indication for SARS-CoV-2 testing, neurologic symptoms, indication for brain imaging, neuroimaging findings, etiology of cerebrovascular events, and hospital course were abstracted from medical records.

Factors and outcomes associated with the induction of labor in referral hospitals of Amhara regional state, Ethiopia: a multicenter study.

Background: Induction of labor is an artificial initiation of uterine contractions after fetal viability with the aim of vaginal delivery prior to the onset of spontaneous labor. Prevalence of induction of labor is increasing worldwide with subsequent increase in failure rate. However, there is limited evidence on labor induction in Ethiopia.

Multiple impalement injuries of the torso with two metal bars: A case report.

Introduction And Importance: Impalement injury is a type of penetrating trauma that is rarely mentioned and studied in the medical literature. Patients who could show up at the emergency room are those who got an isolated stab wound in their extremities. The torso injuries are usually fatal in the scene of the accident.

Mitigating saliva aerosol contamination in a dental school clinic.

Background: Transmission of COVID-19 via salivary aerosol particles generated when using handpieces or ultrasonic scalers is a major concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess the spread of dental aerosols on patients and dental providers during aerosol-generating dental procedures.

Methods: This pilot study was conducted with one volunteer.

Treatment of migraine in patients with CADASIL: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Migraine is a common and often refractory feature for individuals with cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) without consensus guidelines for treatment. Migraine treatment poses a theoretical risk within this unique population with precarious cerebrovascular autoregulation, given the vasomodulatory influence of many antimigraine medications. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we evaluate the frequency and efficacy of treatments for migraine in individuals with CADASIL.

Pesticide decontamination using UV/ferrous-activated persulfate with the aid neuro-fuzzy modeling: A case study of Malathion.

In the current study, the Malathion decontamination by the aid of the UV/ferrous-activated persulfate (PS) was investigated and the effects of pH, persulfate (PS) concentration, ferrous concentration, Malathion concentration, and different inorganic ions were evaluated. Also, the Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) was applied to model Malathion degradation data. The maximum degradation efficiency was associated with pH = 3, PS concentration of 1.

Plasma neurofilament light predicts mortality in patients with stroke.

Given the heterogeneity of stroke brain injury, there is a clear need for a biomarker that determines the degree of neuroaxonal injury across stroke types. We evaluated whether blood neurofilament light (NFL) would fulfill this purpose for patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI; = 227), aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH; = 58), or nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH; = 29). We additionally validated our findings in two independent cohorts of patients with ICH ( = 96 and = 54) given the scarcity of blood biomarker studies for this deadliest stroke type.

Rural-Urban Differentials of Long-Acting Contraceptive Method Utilization Among Reproductive-Age Women in Amhara Region, Ethiopia: Further Analysis of the 2016 EDHS.

Background: The sharp fertility drop-off in the Amhara region between 2000 and 2011 was due to an increase in modern contraceptive utilization of rural women. However, long-acting contraceptive method utilization was higher among urban than rural women. Therefore, this study aimed to assess rural-urban differentials of long-acting contraceptive method utilization and the contributing factors among reproductive-age women in the Amhara region: analysis of the 2016 EDHS.

Assessment of Healthcare Workers' Levels of Preparedness and Awareness Regarding COVID-19 Infection in Low-Resource Settings.

COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is spreading rapidly worldwide, with devastating consequences for patients, healthcare workers, health systems, and economies. As it reaches low- and middle-income countries, the pandemic puts healthcare workers at high risk and challenges the abilities of healthcare systems to respond to the crisis. This study measured levels of knowledge and preparedness regarding COVID-19 among physicians and nurses.

Evaluation of the Amount of Root Canal Dentin Removed and Apical Transportation Occurrence after Instrumentation with ProTaper Next, OneShape, and EdgeFile Rotary Systems.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the amount of root canal dentin removed and apical transportation occurrence after instrumentation of mesiobuccal canals of maxillary molars with ProTaper Next (PTN [Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland]), OneShape (OS [MicroMega, Besançon, France]), and EdgeFile (EF [Edge Endo, Albuquerque, NM]) rotary systems.

Methods: Twenty-seven mesiobuccal canals of maxillary molars were used. Canals were randomly divided into 3 groups for canal preparation: PTN, EF X3, or OS (n = 9 for each group).

Degradation of dimethyl phthalate using persulfate activated by UV and ferrous ions: optimizing operational parameters mechanism and pathway.

The present study aimed to model and optimize the dimethyl phthalate (DMP) degradation from aqueous solution using UV/ NaSO/Fe system based on the response surface methodology (RSM). A high removal efficiency (97%) and TOC reduction (64.2%) were obtained under optimum conditions i.