Effects of autism spectrum disorder on parents labour market: Productivity loss and policy evaluation in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan has witnessed a significant increase in the number of Autism Spectrum Disorder cases due to the implementation of mechanisms for early detection. However, despite these efforts, accessing quality services and effective interventions for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder remains challenging. While the government has implemented various policies to address the impact of Autism Spectrum Disorder on the labour market, especially for those with disabilities, the effectiveness of these policies needs to be evaluated.

Prevention of Meningococcal Disease: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of General Practitioners and Primary Care Pediatricians in South Italy.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and current practices about prevention of meningococcal disease among general practitioners (GPs) and primary care pediatricians (PCPs) in Italy.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out between February 2022 and July 2023 among a random sample of GPs and PCPs in Southern Italy. The data were collected using a questionnaire accessible via an internet link with the free software Google Forms.

Ultra-Processed Food Intake and Increased Risk of Obesity: A Narrative Review.

The prevalence of obesity has become a global health concern, with significant impacts on quality of life and mortality rates. Recent research has highlighted the role of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in driving the obesity epidemic. UPFs undergo extensive processing, often containing high levels of sugars, fats, and additives, while lacking essential nutrients.

Dietary Protein and Physical Exercise for the Treatment of Sarcopenia.

Sarcopenia is a multifactorial age-related disorder that causes a decrease in muscle mass, strength, and function, leading to alteration of movement, risk of falls, and hospitalization. This article aims to review recent findings on the factors underlying sarcopenia and the strategies required to delay and counteract its symptoms. We focus on molecular factors linked to ageing, on the role of low-grade chronic and acute inflammatory conditions such as cancer, which contributes to the onset of sarcopenia, and on the clinical criteria for its diagnosis.

Unraveling the impact of different liposomal formulations on the plasma protein corona composition might give hints on the targeting capability of nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles (NPs) interact with biological fluids after being injected into the bloodstream. The interactions between NPs and plasma proteins at the nano-bio interface affect their biopharmaceutical properties and distribution in the organ and tissues due to protein corona (PrC) composition, and in turn, modification of the resulting targeting capability. Moreover, lipid and polymer NPs, at their interface, affect the composition of PrC and the relative adsorption and abundance of specific proteins.

Kinematic network of joint motion provides insight on gait coordination: An observational study on Parkinson's disease.

The analysis of gait kinematics requires to encode and collapse multidimensional information from multiple anatomical elements. In this study, we address this issue by analyzing the joints' coordination during gait, borrowing from the framework of network theory. We recruited twenty-three patients with Parkinson's disease and twenty-three matched controls that were recorded during linear gait using a stereophotogrammetric motion analysis system.

Risk assessment of national railway infrastructure due to sea-level rise: an application of a methodological framework in Italian coastal railways.

Nowadays, within the built environment, railway infrastructures play a key role to sustain national policies oriented toward promoting sustainable mobility. For this reason, national institutions and infrastructure managers need to increase their awareness in relation to the current and future climate risks on their representative systems. Among climate change impacts, preventing the effects of sea-level rise (SLR) on coastal railway infrastructures is a priority.

Environmental productivity growth, regulation and types of pollutants: Evidence from European firms.

European manufacturing firms have to cope with the new regulations that advocate a greener and more sustainable future with less emissions and at the same time enhance or at least maintain their productivity levels. A unique dataset is constructed by combining information on different firms' pollutants with their financial information during the 2011-2017 period. A non-radial directional distance function analysis is adopted with desirable and undesirable outputs to estimate environmental productivity growth and its components, which addresses the problem of heterogeneity.

Towards sustainable environment in North African countries: The role of military expenditure, renewable energy, tourism, manufacture, and globalization on environmental degradation.

Climate change resulting from increasing emissions has become a pressing concern in North African countries due to its significant environmental and socio-economic impacts. There is a need for extensive research on this topic to raise global awareness of the associated dangers. This study investigates the dynamic impact of economic growth, military expenditure, globalization, renewable energy, manufacturing, tourism, capital formation, and labor on CO emissions in North African countries from 1995 to 2021.

Treatment response assessment of acute pyelonephritis: A multi-reader DWI-based MRI approach.

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a structured reporting score (SRS) in treatment response assessment for acute pyelonephritis (APN) using a diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) -based MRI approach. Additionally, we explored the influence of reader experience on the interpretation of SRS and DWI, including lesion conspicuity and measurements of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) maps.

Methods: Follow-up DWI-based MRIs of 36 patients treated for APN between September 2021 and June 2023 were retrospectively reviewed by three readers.

Sex-Related Differences in Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents with Overweight or Obesity.

Background: Pediatric obesity is closely associated with cardiometabolic comorbidities, but the role of sex in this relationship is less investigated. We aimed to evaluate sex-related differences on cardiometabolic risk factors and preclinical signs of target organ damage in adolescents with overweight/obesity (OW/OB).

Methods: The main cross-sectional study included 988 adolescents (510 boys and 478 girls) with OW/OB aged 10-18 years.

Importance of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Applied to Congenital Heart Diseases in Pediatric Age: A Narrative Review.

Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) represent a heterogeneous group of congenital defects, with high prevalence worldwide. Non-invasive imaging is essential to guide medical and surgical planning, to follow the patient over time in the evolution of the disease, and to reveal potential complications of the chosen treatment. The application of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) in this population allows for obtaining detailed information on the defects without the necessity of ionizing radiations.

Self-Perception Profile, Body Image Perception and Satisfaction in Relation to Body Mass Index: An Investigation in a Sample of Adolescents from the Campania Region, Italy.

(1) Background: Body image dissatisfaction has been commonly reported in adolescents with overweight/obesity and has been related to a lack of motivation to change lifestyle behaviors. Plus, a better perception of physical fitness has been related to a higher self-perception in physical aspect and social items in youths. (2) Methods: A total of 120 (59.

Free-hand ultrasound strain elastography in evaluation of soft tissue tumors.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate elastography in a wide spectrum of soft tissue superficial lesions by correlating the elastographic characteristics of these lesions with the elastographic score (ES) system established by Asteria.

Methods: Forty patients with different superficial lesions of the soft tissues were studied, including lipomas, schwannomas, neuromas, epidermal inclusion cysts, "in transit" melanoma metastasis, arterio-venous malformation, and giant-cell tumor. An ultrasound examination was performed combined with color-Doppler and elastographic module.

Simultaneous induction of systemic hyperglycaemia and stress impairs brain redox homeostasis in the adult zebrafish.

For diabetic patients it is crucial to constantly monitor blood glucose levels to mitigate complications due to hyperglycaemia, including neurological issues and cognitive impairments. This activity leads to psychological stress, called "diabetes distress," a problem for most patients living with diabetes. Diabetes distress can exacerbate the hyperglycaemia effects on brain and negatively impact the quality of life, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly explored.

Depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with epilepsy and primary headache: a cross-sectional observational study.

Background: The primary aims of our cross-sectional observational study were: (i) to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with epilepsy compared to controls and (ii) to explore the difference in depressive symptoms in patients with epilepsy only and those with epilepsy and primary headache as a comorbidity. The secondary objective was to explore parental stress levels.

Methods: 68 pediatric patients aged 6-18 years (44 with epilepsy only and 24 with epilepsy and headache) and 50 controls were recruited.

Human cerebral blood supply via circulus arteriosus cerebri: A scoping review on its variations and clinical implications.

Background: Circulus arteriosus cerebri (CAC), responsible for supplying blood to the brain, presents anatomical variations that have been associated with both haemorrhagic and ischemic strokes. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct comprehensive investigations and comparisons of the diverse variant components of the CAC, published in various journals, and analyze them to identify individuals at risk of cerebrovascular pathologies, thereby ensuring enhanced and timely treatment.

Methods: A scoping review according to the five-stage protocol by Arksey and O'Malley was performed between February and June 2023.

The virtual multiple sclerosis patient.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis typically involves assessing clinical symptoms, MRI findings, and ruling out alternative explanations. While myelin damage broadly affects conduction speeds, traditional tests focus on specific white-matter tracts, which may not reflect overall impairment accurately. In this study, we integrate diffusion tensor immaging (DTI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) data into individualized virtual brain models to estimate conduction velocities for MS patients and controls.

"The influence of auditory stimulation on whole body variability in healthy older adults during gait".

Acoustic stimulation appears to be a promising strategy in reducing the risk of falling in older adults, demonstrating effectiveness in improving stability. However, its impact on movement variability, another crucial indicator of fall risk, seems to be limited. This study aims to assess movement variability during walking in a cohort of healthy older adults exposed to three different frequencies of acoustic stimulation (90%, 100% and 110% of each subject's average cadence).

The Role of Physical Exercise as a Therapeutic Tool to Improve Lipedema: A Consensus Statement from the Italian Society of Motor and Sports Sciences (Società Italiana di Scienze Motorie e Sportive, SISMeS) and the Italian Society of Phlebology (Società Italiana di Flebologia, SIF).

Purpose Of Review: This consensus statement from the Italian Society of Motor and Sports Sciences (Società Italiana di Scienze Motorie e Sportive, SISMeS) and the Italian Society of Phlebology (Società Italiana di Flebologia, SIF) provides the official view on the role of exercise as a non-pharmacological approach in lipedema. In detail, this consensus statement SISMeS - SIF aims to provide a comprehensive overview of lipedema, focusing, in particular, on the role played by physical exercise (PE) in the management of its clinical features.

Recent Findings: Lipedema is a chronic disease characterized by abnormal fat accumulation.

Digital interventions to support morality: A scoping review.

Background: Morality and moral reasoning develop over the course of life, but such development may encounter obstacles. Psycho-educational interventions could be designed to improve moral reasoning and attitude towards prosociality. In the last decades, many interventions employed digital technologies ranging from multicomponent online platforms to serious games and virtual reality, making use of interactivity and immersive properties that could make moral stimuli more engaging.