Opioid Dose Reductions by Sex and Race in a Cohort of Patients in a Family Medicine Clinic.

Background: The 2022 Centers for Disease Control's "Clinical Practice Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Pain in United States" called for attention and action toward reducing disparities in untreated and undertreated pain among Black and Latino patients. There is growing evidence for controlled substance safety committees (CSSC) to change prescribing culture, but few have been examined through the lens of health equity. We examined the impact of a primary care CSSC on opioid prescribing, including by patients' race and sex.

Predicting higher child BMI z-score and obesity incidence in Malaysia: a longitudinal analysis of a dynamic cohort study.

Background: To target public health obesity prevention, we need to predict who might become obese i.e. predictors of increasing Body Mass Index (BMI) or obesity incidence.

Dietary intake, obesity, and metabolic risk factors among children and adolescents in the SEACO-CH20 cross-sectional study.

We investigated the association between dietary intake and metabolic risk factors in children and adolescents within a semi-rural Malaysian community. Using an interviewer-led questionnaire, we surveyed 623 participants aged 7-18 from the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO). Anthropometric and blood pressure data were collected from all participants, while a subset (n = 162) provided blood samples for biomarker analysis, including fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).

The prognostic value and immune microenvironment association of AR in HER2+ nonmetastatic breast cancer.

This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of AR in HER2+ nonmetastatic breast invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and its relationship with the immune microenvironment. HER2+ nonmetastatic breast IDC patients diagnosed by pathology who underwent surgery at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from 2016 to 2017 were included. AR+ and AR- breast IDC samples were matched 1:1 in age, T stage, and N stage for immune infiltration analysis.

Physio-Biochemical and Agronomic Responses of Faba Beans to Exogenously Applied Nano-Silicon Under Drought Stress Conditions.

Nano-silicon application is an efficient novel approach to mitigate the deleterious impacts of drought stress on field crops, which is expected to increase owing to climate change, especially in arid regions. Two-season field studies investigated the influence of foliar-applied nano-silicon (0.5, 1, and 1.

Exogenously Used 24-Epibrassinolide Promotes Drought Tolerance in Maize Hybrids by Improving Plant and Water Productivity in an Arid Environment.

The influence of 24-epibrassinolide (EBR), applied to leaves at a concentration of 5 μM, on plant physio-biochemistry and its reflection on crop water productivity (CWP) and other agronomic traits of six maize hybrids was field-evaluated under semi-arid conditions. Two levels of irrigation water deficiency (IWD) (moderate and severe droughts; 6000 and 3000 m water ha, respectively) were applied versus a control (well-watering; 9000 m water ha). IWD reduced the relative water content, membrane stability index, photosynthetic efficiency, stomatal conductance, and rates of transpiration and net photosynthesis.

The Malay version of SF-36 health survey instrument: testing data quality, scaling assumptions, reliability and validity in post-coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery patients at the National Heart Institute (Institut Jantung Negara-IJN), Kuala Lumpur.

Background: The Short Form 36 (SF-36) is a scoring system comprising of 36 items categorized into eight constructs corresponding to patients' health-related quality of life. It has been used extensively in various countries on different sub-populations and used to indicate the health status and help to ascertain the effect of clinical interventions on the particular population.

Objective: To examine the psychometric properties of the Malay version of SF-36 (Malay SF-36) summated rating scales and validate the scale among post-coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG) patients at the National Heart Institute (IJN), Kuala Lumpur.

Multidimensional Evaluation for Detecting Salt Tolerance of Bread Wheat Genotypes Under Actual Saline Field Growing Conditions.

Field-based trials and genotype evaluation until yielding stage are two important steps in improving the salt tolerance of crop genotypes and identifying what parameters can be strong candidates for the better understanding of salt tolerance mechanisms in different genotypes. In this study, the salt tolerance of 18 bread wheat genotypes was evaluated under natural saline field conditions and at three saline irrigation levels (5.25, 8.

Effect of Age and Gender on Acoustic Voice Quality Index Across Lifespan: A Cross-sectional Study in Indian Population.

Background: The human voice is dynamic and changes throughout the life span. The effects of age and gender on acoustical measures of voice quality have been well established. Assessment of voice quality using multiparametric measures has been recommended over singleton measures.

A Preliminary Exploration of Vocal Usage in Prospective Professional Voice Users (PPVUs): Students of the Alimah Course.

Background: Students of the Alimah degree are Prospective Professional Voice Users whose career involves teaching, preaching, and conducting religious activities. For them, a cultured and efficient voice is an important prerequisite for a successful career. This study aimed to explore vocal usage and knowledge of voice care among students pursuing the Alimah course.

Dietary exposure and human risk assessment of phthalate esters based on total diet study in Cambodia.

Phthalate esters are used in a wide variety of consumer products, and human exposure to this class of compounds is widespread. Nevertheless, studies on dietary exposure of human to phthalates are limited. In this study, to assess the daily intakes of phthalate esters and the possible adverse health impacts, different food samples were collected from three areas of Cambodia, one of the poorest countries in the world.

Does blood transfusion affect pituitary gonadal axis and sperm parameters in young males with sickle cell disease?

Objective: We evaluated the effect of packed red cell transfusion (PCTx) on serum concentrations of gonadotropins luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone (LH and FSH) and testosterone (T) levels and measured sperm parameters in young adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) on top-up transfusion (TTx) and those on exchange transfusion (ETx) regimen.

Materials And Methods: Basal serum concentrations of FSH, LH, and T and semen parameters were evaluated before and 7 days after PCTx in 18 young adults with transfusion-dependent SCD, aged 20.7 ± 2.

Identifying sexual dimorphism in a paediatric South Indian population using stepwise discriminant function analysis.

Anthropological research relies on skeletal and dental remains for the identification of species. Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between males and females of the same species. This study is designed to compute a new formula for sex determination using discriminant function analysis in the deciduous crown dimensions of a paediatric population of South Indian origin and to check its accuracy.

Detection of glycemic abnormalities in adolescents with beta thalassemia using continuous glucose monitoring and oral glucose tolerance in adolescents and young adults with β-thalassemia major: Pilot study.

Background: Both insulin deficiency and resistance are reported in patients with β-thalassemia major (BTM). The use of continuous blood glucose monitoring (CGM), among the different methods for early detection of glycemic abnormalities, has not been studied thoroughly in these adolescents.

Materials And Methods: To assess the oralglucose tolerance (OGT) and 72-h continuous glucose concentration by the continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) and calculate homeostatic model assessment (HOMA), and the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) was conducted in 16 adolescents with BTM who were receiving regular blood transfusions every 2-4 weeks and iron-chelation therapy since early childhood.

Leptin in pediatrics: A hormone from adipocyte that wheels several functions in children.

The protein leptin, a pleiotropic hormone regulates appetite and energy balance of the body and plays important roles in controlling linear growth, pubertal development, cardiovascular function, and immunity. Recent findings in the understanding of the structure, functional roles, and clinical significance of conditions with increased and decreased leptin secretion are summarized. Balance between leptin and other hormones is significantly regulated by nutritional status.

Dietary exposure and risk assessment of mercury via total diet study in Cambodia.

To assess the daily intakes of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) and the possible adverse health impacts, different food groups including fish, meat, vegetable and rice were collected from three areas in Cambodia. The concentrations of THg and MeHg ranged from 0.16 to 171 ng g(-1) and not detected (ND) to 82.

Acute effects of blood transfusion on pituitary gonadal axis and sperm parameters in adolescents and young men with thalassemia major: a pilot study.

Objective: To evaluate semen parameters and measure serum FSH, LH, T, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) 1 concentrations before and 7 days after packed red cell transfusion (PCTx) in young adults with thalassemia major (TM).

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Tertiary care hospital.