Dedicated service for Barrett's oesophagus surveillance endoscopy yields higher dysplasia detection and guideline adherence in a non-tertiary setting in the UK: a 5-year comparative cohort study.

Objective: Barrett's oesophagus (BO) endoscopic surveillance is performed to varying quality, dedicated services may offer improved outcomes. This study compares a dedicated BO service to standard care, specifically dysplasia detection rate (DDR), guideline adherence and use of advanced imaging modalities in a non-tertiary setting.

Design/method: 5-year retrospective comparative cohort study comparing a dedicated BO endoscopy service with surveillance performed on non-dedicated slots at a non-tertiary centre in the UK.

Deep learning for video-based automated pain recognition in rabbits.

Despite the wide range of uses of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) as experimental models for pain, as well as their increasing popularity as pets, pain assessment in rabbits is understudied. This study is the first to address automated detection of acute postoperative pain in rabbits. Using a dataset of video footage of n = 28 rabbits before (no pain) and after surgery (pain), we present an AI model for pain recognition using both the facial area and the body posture and reaching accuracy of above 87%.

The migrant Hazara Shias of Pakistan and their social determinants for PTSD, mental disorders and life satisfaction.

Background: Ensuring safety and wellbeing of all the minority populations of Pakistan is essential for collective national growth. The Pakistani Hazara Shias are a marginalized non-combative migrant population who face targeted violence in Pakistan, and suffer from great challenges which compromise their life satisfaction and mental health. In this study, we aim to identify the determinants of life satisfaction and mental health disorders in Hazara Shias and ascertain which socio-demographic characteristics are associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Anxiety amongst physicians during COVID-19: cross-sectional study in Pakistan.

Background: Ensuring safety and wellbeing of healthcare providers is crucial, particularly during times of a pandemic. In this study, we aim to identify the determinants of anxiety in physicians on duty in coronavirus wards or quarantine centers.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional quantitative survey with an additional qualitative item.

NGO online disclosures index in the presence of auxiliary information.

This study highlights the need for analysis of online disclosure practices followed by non-governmental organizations; furthermore, it justifies the crucial role of potential correlates of online disclosure practices followed by non-governmental organizations. We propose a novel index for analyzing the extent of online disclosure of non-governmental organizations (NGO). Using the information stored in an auxiliary variable, we propose a new estimator for gauging the average value of the proposed index.

Unraveling consequences of soil micro- and nano-plastic pollution on soil-plant system: Implications for nitrogen (N) cycling and soil microbial activity.

Micro- and nano-plastics have widely been recognized as major global environmental problem due to its widespread use and inadequate waste management. The emergence of these plastic pollutants in agroecosystem is a legitimate ecotoxicological concerns for food web exchanges. In agriculture, micro/nano plastics are originated from a variety of different agricultural management practices, such as the use of compost, sewage sludge and mulching.

The expression pattern of OsDim1 in rice and its proposed function.

Development of plant tissues is dependent on numerous factors, including hormone activity, signaling, cell division, and elongation. In plants, Defective Entry into Mitosis 1 (Dim1) homologs are recognized as pivotal in leaf senescence and progress of normal growth, but their role in rice has not been functionally characterized. The findings presented in this paper suggest that OsDim1 is important in early seedling development, pollen tube elongation, and impacts rice yield components.

A novel discovery of a long terminal repeat retrotransposon-induced hybrid weakness in rice.

Hybrid weakness is a post-zygotic hybridization barrier frequently observed in plants, including rice. In this study, we describe the genomic variation among three temperate japonica rice (Oryza sativa ssp. japonica) varieties 'Aranghyangchalbyeo' ('CH7'), 'Sanghaehyangheolua' ('CH8') and 'Shinseonchalbyeo' ('CH9'), carrying different hybrid weakness genes.

An overview on reproductive isolation in complex.

Reproductive isolation is generally regarded as the essence of the speciation process. Studying closely related species is convenient for understanding the genetic basis of reproductive isolation. Therefore, the present review is restricted to the species and subspecies of the complex, which includes the two domestic rice cultivars and six wild species.

Systematic Review: Efficacy and Safety of Accelerated Induction Regimes in Infliximab Rescue Therapy for Hospitalized Patients with Acute Severe Colitis.

Background: Pharmacokinetic data suggest that standard induction dosing schedules may not be sufficient in patients with acute severe colitis (ASUC). Hence, intensified induction regimes are increasingly used in the rescue treatment of hospitalized patients with ASUC to avoid the need for colectomy although the evidence for this is uncertain.

Aim: To conduct a systematic review of short- and long-term efficacy outcomes from accelerated infliximab induction studies.

A LysM Domain-Containing Gene Involved in Embryo sac Development in Rice ( L.).

The embryo sac plays a vital role in sexual reproduction of angiosperms. LysM domain containing proteins with multiple lysin motifs are widespread proteins and are involved in plant defense responses against fungal chitins and bacterial peptidoglycans. Various studies have reported the role of LysM domain-containing proteins in plant defense mechanisms but their involvement in sexual reproduction remains largely unknown.

Biodegradation of polyester polyurethane by Aspergillus tubingensis.

The xenobiotic nature and lack of degradability of polymeric materials has resulted in vast levels of environmental pollution and numerous health hazards. Different strategies have been developed and still more research is being in progress to reduce the impact of these polymeric materials. This work aimed to isolate and characterize polyester polyurethane (PU) degrading fungi from the soil of a general city waste disposal site in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Using in silico techniques: Isolation and characterization of an insect cuticle-degrading-protease gene from Beauveria bassiana.

Cuticle-degrading-proteases (CDPs) secreted by Beauveria spp. are pivotal biocontrol substances, possessing commercial potential for developing bio-pesticides. Therefore, a thoughtful and contemplative understanding and assessment of the structural and functional features of these proteases would markedly assist the development of biogenic pesticides.

Identification and characterization of an insect toxin protein, Bb70p, from the entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana, using Galleria mellonella as a model system.

An insect-toxic protein, Bb70p, was purified from Beauveria bassiana 70 using ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography, and gel filtration. Bb70p has a high affinity for anion exchangers and 2D electrophoresis results revealed a single spot with a molecular weight of 35.5 kDa and an iso-electric point of ∼4.

Characteristics of soils in selected maize growing sites along altitudinal gradients in East African highlands.

Maize is the main staple crop in the East African Mountains. Understanding how the edaphic characteristics change along altitudinal gradients is important for maximizing maize production in East African Highlands, which are the key maize production areas in the region. This study evaluated and compared the levels of some macro and micro-elements (Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na and P) and other soil parameters (pH, organic carbon content, soil texture [i.

[Islam and caring].

There are more and more followers of the Muslim religion in France. All caregivers need to understand the fundamental principles that their Muslim patients hold sacred in the area of health and care. For Muslims, it is of utmost importance to observe the fundamentals of Islam and the values of brotherhood, tolerance, fairness and truth are essential.

Ultrasound-guided evaluation of the lumbar subarachnoid space in lateral and sitting positions in pregnant patients to receive elective cesarean operation.

Background And Objective: The aim was to compare visibility of the spinal space in sitting and lateral positions, number of attempts, spinal needle depth, skin-dura mater distance and the possible complications; in application of spinal anesthesia, using ultrasound in pregnant patients scheduled to receive elective cesarean operations.

Methods: The study was conducted prospective-randomly after receiving approval from the ethics committee and the patients' permission. ASA I-II 50 pregnant patients were divided into two groups.

Occult HBV infection in Morocco: from chronic hepatitis to hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background & Aims: Morocco is one of low to intermediate endemic areas for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, but no reports have been published on Occult HBV infection (OBI). To determine the prevalence of OBI and its clinical impact among patients with cryptogenic and HCV-related chronic liver disease in Morocco.

Methods: A total of 152 HBsAg-negative patients (60 patients with cryptogenic hepatitis and 92 HCV carriers) were enrolled in this study.

The allele 4 of neck region liver-lymph node-specific ICAM-3-grabbing integrin variant is associated with spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus and decrease of viral loads.

L-SIGN is a C-type lectin expressed on liver sinusoidal endothelial cells involved in the capture of hepatitis C virus and trans-infection of adjacent hepatocyte cells. The neck region of L-SIGN is highly polymorphic, with three to nine tandem repeats of 23 residues. This polymorphism is associated with a number of infectious diseases, but has not been explored in HCV.

The adiponutrin I148M variant is a risk factor for HCV-associated liver cancer in North-African patients.

Recent reports revealed an association between variation in the PNPLA3 gene and alcohol-induced hepatocellular carcinoma among Europeans. We have assessed whether the PNPLA3 rs738409 (I148M) polymorphism may also affect the resolution and/or the progression of hepatitis C in a Moroccan cohort. Genotype and allele frequencies at rs738409 were determined using a TaqMan 5' allelic discrimination assay in 437 individuals.

Genetic variation in the interleukin-28B gene is associated with spontaneous clearance and progression of hepatitis C virus in Moroccan patients.

Background: Genetic variation in the IL28B gene has been strongly associated with treatment outcomes, spontaneous clearance and progression of the hepatitis C virus infection (HCV). The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of polymorphisms at this locus with progression and outcome of HCV infection in a Moroccan population.

Methods: We analyzed a cohort of 438 individuals among them 232 patients with persistent HCV infection, of whom 115 patients had mild chronic hepatitis and 117 had advanced liver disease (cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma), 68 individuals who had naturally cleared HCV and 138 healthy subjects.

Amino acid substitutions in the Hepatitis C virus core region of genotype 1b in Moroccan patients.

The aim of the present study was to identify basic amino acid in the core region in subtype 1b-infected, treatment-naive patients from Morocco and to search for their eventual association with liver cancer. The survey included 151 patients (86 patients with chronic hepatitis and 65 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC). We performed direct sequencing, and compared the data obtained with the consensus sequence of core protein.