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Malnutrition among adolescents is often associated with inadequate dietary diversity (DD). We aimed to explore the prevalence of inadequate DD and its socio-economic determinants among adolescent girls and boys in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional survey was conducted during the 2018–19 round of national nutrition surveillance in Bangladesh. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify the determinants of inadequate DD among adolescent girls and boys separately. This population-based survey covered eighty-two rural, non-slum urban and slum clusters from all divisions of Bangladesh. A total of 4865 adolescent girls and 4907 adolescent boys were interviewed. The overall prevalence of inadequate DD was higher among girls (55⋅4 %) than the boys (50⋅6 %). Moreover, compared to boys, the prevalence of inadequate DD was higher among the girls for almost all socio-economic categories. Poor educational attainment, poor maternal education, female-headed household, household food insecurity and poor household wealth were associated with increased chances of having inadequate DD in both sexes. In conclusion, more than half of the Bangladeshi adolescent girls and boys consumed an inadequately diversified diet. The socio-economic determinants of inadequate DD should be addressed through context-specific multisectoral interventions.
The World Health Organization set a target of a 15% relative reduction in the prevalence of insufficient physical activity (IPA) by 2025 among adolescents and adults globally. In Bangladesh, there are no national estimates of the prevalence of IPA among adolescents. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of and risk factors associated with IPA among adolescent girls and boys. Data for 4865 adolescent girls and 4907 adolescent boys, collected as a part of a National Nutrition Surveillance in 2018–19, were analysed for this study. A modified version of the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) was used to collect physical activity data. The World Health Organization recommended cut-off points were used to estimate the prevalence of IPA. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with IPA. Prevalences of IPA among adolescent girls and boys were 50.3% and 29.0%, respectively, and the prevalence was significantly higher among early adolescents (10–14 years) than late adolescents (15–19 years) among both boys and girls. The IPA prevalence was highest among adolescents living in non-slum urban areas (girls: 77.7%; boys: 64.1%). For both boys and girls, younger age, non-slum urban residence, higher paternal education and increased television viewing time were significantly associated with IPA. Additionally, residing in slums was significantly associated with IPA only among the boys. Higher maternal education was associated with IPA only among the girls. This study identified several modifiable risk factors associated with IPA among adolescent boys and girls in Bangladesh. These factors should be addressed through comprehensive public health interventions to promote physical activity among adolescent girls and boys.
The aim of this paper is to experimentally and analytically study the solutocapillary flow induced in a waterbody due to the presence of a solute source on its surface and the mixing induced by this flow of the solutes and gases dissolved at and near the surface into the waterbody. According to the analytic solution, the induced flow is analogous to a doublet flow in the sense that the flow is directed towards (or away from) the source within a conical region with its vertex at the source, and outside the conical region, the flow is away from (or towards) the source. Our particle image velocimetry and planar laser-induced fluorescence data show that the actual flow is far more complex than the analytic solution because of the influence of other factors which are not accounted for in the analytic model. There is an approximate agreement, but only for the intermediate distances from the source needle. In experiments, the flow changes direction into the waterbody when the solute-induced surface tension gradient driving the flow becomes comparable to the surface tension gradients on the surface due to factors such as contamination and temperature gradients. This causes the mixing of gases dissolved near the surface into the waterbody. Also, as the solute gradient at the surface gives rise to the force that drives the flow, when the solute diffusion coefficient is smaller the flow persists longer because the gradient is maintained for a longer distance.
There is a paucity of evidence about the prevalence and risk factors for symptomatic infection among children. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its risk factors in children and adolescents aged 0–18 years in Qatar. We conducted a cross-sectional study of all children aged 0–18 years diagnosed with COVID-19 using polymerase chain reaction in Qatar during the period 1st March to 31st July 2020. A generalised linear model with a binomial family and identity link was used to assess the association between selected factors and the prevalence of symptomatic infection. A total of 11 445 children with a median age of 8 years (interquartile range (IQR) 3–13 years) were included in this study. The prevalence of symptomatic COVID-19 was 36.6% (95% confidence interval (CI) 35.7–37.5), and it was similar between children aged <5 years (37.8%), 5–9 years (34.3%) and 10 + years (37.3%). The most frequently reported symptoms among the symptomatic group were fever (73.5%), cough (34.8%), headache (23.2%) and sore throat (23.2%). Fever (82.8%) was more common in symptomatic children aged <5 years, while cough (38.7%) was more prevalent in those aged 10 years or older, compared to other age groups. Variables associated with an increased risk of symptomatic infection were; contact with confirmed cases (RD 0.21; 95% CI 0.20–0.23; P = 0.001), having visited a health care facility (RD 0.54; 95% CI 0.45–0.62; P = 0.001), and children aged under 5 years (RD 0.05; 95% CI 0.02–0.07; P = 0.001) or aged 10 years or older (RD 0.04; 95% CI 0.02–0.06; P = 0.001). A third of the children with COVID-19 were symptomatic with a higher proportion of fever in very young children and a higher proportion of cough in those between 10 and 18 years of age.
Diverse risk factors intercede the outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We conducted this retrospective cohort study with a cohort of 1016 COVID-19 patients diagnosed in May 2020 to identify the risk factors associated with morbidity and mortality outcomes. Data were collected by telephone-interview and reviewing records using a questionnaire and checklist. The study identified morbidity and mortality risk factors on the 28th day of the disease course. The majority of the patients were male (64.1%) and belonged to the age group 25–39 years (39.4%). Urban patients were higher in proportion than rural (69.3% vs. 30.7%). Major comorbidities included 35.0% diabetes mellitus (DM), 28.4% hypertension (HTN), 16.6% chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and 7.8% coronary heart disease (CHD). The morbidity rate (not-cured) was 6.0%, and the mortality rate (non-survivor) was 2.5%. Morbidity risk factors included elderly (AOR = 2.56, 95% CI = 1.31–4.99), having comorbidity (AOR = 1.43, 95% CI = 0.83–2.47), and smokeless tobacco use (AOR = 2.17, 95% CI = 0.84–5.61). The morbidity risk was higher with COPD (RR = 2.68), chronic kidney disease (CKD) (RR = 3.33) and chronic liver disease (CLD) (RR = 3.99). Mortality risk factors included elderly (AOR = 7.56, 95% CI = 3.19–17.92), having comorbidity (AOR = 5.27, 95% CI = 1.88–14.79) and SLT use (AOR = 1.93, 95% CI = 0.50–7.46). The mortality risk was higher with COPD (RR = 7.30), DM (RR = 2.63), CHD (RR = 4.65), HTN (RR = 3.38), CKD (RR = 9.03), CLD (RR = 10.52) and malignant diseases (RR = 9.73). We must espouse programme interventions considering the morbidity and mortality risk factors to condense the aggressive outcomes of COVID-19.
This paper presents a low-profile multi-slotted patch antenna for long term evolution (LTE) and fifth-generation (5G) communication applications. The studied antenna comprised of a stepped patch and a ground plane. To attain the required operating band, three slots have been inserted within the patch. The insertion of the slots enhances the capacitive effect and helps the prototype antenna to achieve an operating band ranging from 3.15 to 5.55 GHz (S11 ≤−10 dB), covering the N77/N78/N79 for sub-6 GHz 5G wireless communications and LTE bands of 22/42/43/46. The wideband antenna presented in this paper offers omnidirectional stable radiation patterns, good gains, and efficiency with a compact size which make this design an ideal contender for wireless fidelity (WiFi), wireless local area network (WLAN), LTE, and sub-6 GHz 5G communication applications.
Chronic aflatoxin exposure has been associated with childhood stunting (length-for-age/height-for-age < –2 sd), while data lacks for Bangladesh, a country with substantial burden of childhood stunting. This paper examined the association between aflatoxin exposure and childhood stunting in a slum setting of Dhaka city.
Design:
In this MAL-ED aflatoxin birth cohort study, plasma samples were assayed for aflatoxin B1-lysine adduct (AFB1-lys) by MS at 7, 15, 24 and 36 months of age for 208, 196, 173 and 167 children to assess chronic aflatoxin exposure. Relationship between aflatoxin exposure and anthropometric measures was examined by mixed-effects logistic regression models.
Setting and participants:
The study was conducted in Mirpur, Dhaka, where children were followed from birth to 36 months.
Results:
Prevalence of stunting increased from 21 % at 7 months to 49 % at 36 months of age. Mean AFB1-lys concentrations at 7, 15, 24 and 36 months were 1·30 (range 0·09–5·79), 1·52 (range 0·06–6·35), 3·43 (range 0·15–65·60) and 3·70 (range 0·09–126·54) pg/mg albumin, respectively, and the percentage of children with detectable AFB1-lys was 10, 21, 18 and 62 %, respectively. No association was observed between aflatoxin exposure and stunting in multivariable analyses. Factors associated with childhood stunting were age, low birth weight, maternal height, stool myeloperoxidase and number of people sleeping in one room.
Conclusions:
A relatively lower exposure to aflatoxin may not influence the linear growth of children. This finding indicates a threshold level of exposure for linear growth deficit and further investigation in other areas where higher concentrations of aflatoxin exposure exist.
Children in armed conflict are frequently deprived of basic needs, psychologically supportive environments, educational and vocational opportunities, and other resources that promote positive psychosocial development and mental health. This article describes the mental health challenges faced by conflict-affected children and youth, the interventions designed to prevent or ameliorate the psychosocial impact of conflict-related experiences, and a case example of the challenges and opportunities related to addressing the mental health needs of Rohingya children and youth.
The spectral and energy characteristics of the tunable thin planar dielectric resonator with the movable metal mirror are researched. It is found that the high-Q HE-polarized whispering gallery modes (WGMs) are effectively excited in such a resonator by the dielectric waveguide. A mode set of the tunable thin planar dielectric resonator depends on the presence of an air gap in its design. Changing the height of the air gap affects the energy characteristics of the tunable thin planar dielectric resonators (DR). Shifting the resonant fields of WGMs from the dielectric disk to the air gap is the reason for this effect. It is shown that at certain heights of the air gap, increasing the unloaded Q-factor of the tunable thin planar DR and improving the excitation efficiency of WGMs in it is achieved.
Introduction: Calgary's introduction of rentable electronic scooters (e-scooters) in July of 2019 was met with wild popularity, representing the third most popular launch after Tel-Aviv and Paris. The present study aims to characterize the injury burden seen in all Calgary Emergency Departments (EDs) and Urgent Care Centres (UCCs) attributable to e-scooters since their 2019 introduction. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all electronic medical records of patients presenting to Calgary EDs or UCCs with the term “scooter” in the triage note, where exclusion criteria are considered for non e-scooter injuries (e.g: non-motorized scooters). Trends in scooter injuries will be compared between April - October 2018 (control arm preceding e-scooter introduction) and April - October 2019. Injury incidence, types, patient demographics, and relative risk compared to bicycle-related injuries will be determined. Descriptive statistics will be calculated. Moreover, 33 ED visits were brought in by EMS and provide information about injury types and locations of injuries involving EMS transport. Results: Preliminary data reveals 540 scooter-related visits (3.10% admitted/transferred) between July 8th and September 30th 2019 (mean age of 28, 56.30% male). Conversely, the number of bicycle-related visits and motor vehicle related injuries were 1482 and 586 (9.90% and 9.70% admitted/transferred) respectively over the same time period suggesting a greater burden but likely a lower per-ride incidence of injury requiring ED or UCC care. Moreover, between July 8th to October 1st 2019, 33 e-scooter presentations involved EMS (21.21% admitted to hospital), where 12.12% involved upper extremity injury, 21.21% were lower extremity injuries, and 6.06% were head injuries (mean age of 34, 48.48% male). Conversely, estimated EMS transfers to EDs or UCCs for bicycle injuries and motor vehicle injuries were 197 and 463 respectively over the same time period. ICU admissions or fatality were not recorded. Conclusion: Representing the most comprehensive study of e-scooter injury patterns in Canada to date, we here demonstrate a significant injury burden attributable to e-scooters following their introduction in Calgary in 2019. Bicycle-related and motor vehicle injuries were both more prevalent in this time period, and required more EMS visits. Further characterization of injury types, injuries and comparison with injury patterns prior to e-scooter introduction is yet to be determined.
Our goals were to evaluate if the presence of severe delusions negatively affects insight, regardless of diagnosis, and whether or not patients gain insight into their delusions when using a third person perspective.
Methods
92 delusional patients with psychotic and psychotic mood disorders were asked to speak about their delusions and were evaluated by means of the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SAPS and SANS). They were then asked to state whether they thought what they said was believable for them and for the interviewer. After two weeks 79 patients were evaluated with the same scales and listened to a tape where their delusion was re-enacted. They were then asked to state if what they heard was believable for them and for the interviewer.
Results
12 patients thought their delusions was unbelievable for the interviewer at first interview, and 17 patients did the same after the second interview; 4 patients stated what they heard from the tape after the second interview was unbelievable both for them and interviewer. Patients with better insight (patients who stated their delusion was not believable) had a lower SAPS score, a lower item delusion score and a significant improvement of item delusion score at second interview
Conclusion
Several patients gain partial insight when using a third person perspective. The severity of delusions negatively affects insight, regardless of the patient's diagnosis.
To estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms in patients affected by subclinical hypothyroidism by means of Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS); to assess which depressive symptoms are prevalent in our population, with references to the factorialization of HAM-D by Cleary and Guy (1977); to verify whether levothyroxine replacement therapy alone can induce total remission of depressive symptoms.
Methods
The study enrolled 63 patients affected by subclinical hypothyroidism undergoing follow-up at the endocrinology service of San Paolo Hospital in Milan. All patients underwent an evaluation by means of HAM-D and MADRS scales and serum TSH, free T4, free T3, TPO-Ab and Tg-Ab levels were measured.
Results
We estimated a prevalence of depressive symptoms in our population of 63.5%. Concerning the qualitative assessment of psychiatric disturbances in the population we considered, our results showed that the most frequent symptoms were part of four factors, according to the Cleary and Guy factorialization of HAM-D: these factors are representative of anxiety and somatisation (factor I), cognitive impairment disturbances (factor III), psychomotor retardation (factor V) and sleep disorders (factor VI). Levothyroxine replacement therapy alone wasn’t effective in inducing total remission of depressive symptoms.
Conclusions
This study suggests the importance of a psychiatric evaluation in patients affected by subclinical hypothyroidism.
We describe a case of OCD and movement disorders associated with anti basal ganglia antibodies.
Methods
A 17 year old patient was referred to our unit in February 2010 because of movement disorder. He denied personal or family history of psychiatric disorders and substance abuse other that occasional cannabis use. His symptoms had began 6 months earlier when he started presenting intrusive thoughts associated with various compulsions such as complex arm and leg movements and bizarre postures: he was treated with Olanzapine and Sertraline which lead to partial improvement of symptoms but he self-discontinuated the medication in january 2010. Upon admittance in february 2010 the patient showed obsessive thoughts associated with bizarre postures and upper limb complex movements.
Results
He was treated with 100 mg of Clomipramine which lead to partial regression of symptoms. Autoimmunity screening was performed revealing anti neuron specific enolase and anti pyruvate kynase antibodies. The patient was treated with Desametasone which did not lead to any improvement.
Conclusions
Anti neuron specific enolase and anti pyruvate kynase antibodies are directed against antigens specifically expressed in the basal ganglia. According to literature data these autoantibodies can be associated with movement disorders and OCD and we hypothesize that our patient's symtptoms were caused by autoimmunity. Although cortison was not successfull, recents reports in scientific literature have shown that other non psychopharmacological treatment, such as plasmapheresis, or IV immunoglobulins could be effective in similar patients: we are considering this as our next treatment option.
A 34 year old man was referred to our unit for psychiatric evaluation. His psychomotor development was normal until the age of 12, when he started showing progressive loss of cognitive skills and finalized motor activity. Symptoms rapidly worsened and by the age of 20 his language and motor skills were severly compromised. Starting at age 17 he had been treated with both 1st and 2nd generation antipsychotics which did not lead to any changes in symptoms. Family history was negative for psychotic or neurological disorders. The mother had alcohol abuse disorder and the younger sister was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder.
Method
At the time of our evaluation patient was receiving 10 mg of Olanzapine. He was vigilant and passively cooperative to examination; he displayed physical immobility, waxy flexibilitas, stereotyped behaviour, camptocormia, echolalia, blunted affect and automatic and repetitive behaviour. Thought content was difficult to evaluate but he denied hallucinations or delusional thoughts.
Results
BP was normal, as well as brain MRI and PET. Screening for Wilson's disease, metabolic diseases and fragile X Syndrome were negatve. DAT scan was also performed and showed no abnormalities. Medication withdrawal didn’t lead to any changes in his status.
Conclusions
The patient's symtoms fulfill the criteria for drug resistant Catatonic Schizophrenia. However the early onset of symptoms, the rapid deterioration of cognitive abilities, the early and extensive motor imparment and the complete resistance to drug treatment make this an interesting case for discussion about differential diagnosis.
We describe a rare case antithyroid drug induced hypothyroidism leading to an acute psychotic episode.
Method:
A 39 year old woman complaining of anxiety was referred to our day hospital unit in september 2010. Her symptoms began a month earlier and she denied any past personal or family history of psychiatric disorders except for an acute psychotic episode in august 2010. She diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in june 2010 and was started on medication with 30 mg of methilmazole. Two weeks later she started to feel confused, and she developed auditory and visual hallucinations as well as persecutory delusionsn and she was hospitalized in a psychiatric facility. Upon admittance lab work indicated severe hypothyroidism (TSH 87 uI/L)and high total cholesterol. Antythiroid medication was suspended and the patient was started on antipsychotic medication with 10 mg of haloperidol.
Results:
Four days later the patient dysplayed a complete remission of symtpoms. She self discontinuated the antipsychotic medication one week after discharge and showed no sign of psychotic symptoms. Thyroid function was later revaluated and indicated mild hypethyroidism, for which methilmazole 10 mg was prescribed. in october 2010 the patient was evaluated in our unit and showed no sign of psychotic symptoms or anxiety.
Conclusions:
Although very few cases of methilmazole induced psychosis are reported, based on the patient's history, on the doses of medication that were prescribed, on the lab work and on the onset, evolution and remission of her symptoms we hypothesize that the psychotic episode was drug induced.
Social anxiety lies on a continuum, and young adults with elevated symptoms are at risk for developing a range of psychiatric disorders. Yet relatively little is known about the factors that govern the hour-by-hour experience and expression of social anxiety in the real world.
Methods
Here we used smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to intensively sample emotional experience across different social contexts in the daily lives of 228 young adults selectively recruited to represent a broad spectrum of social anxiety symptoms.
Results
Leveraging data from over 11 000 real-world assessments, our results highlight the central role of close friends, family members, and romantic partners. The presence of such close companions was associated with enhanced mood, yet socially anxious individuals had fewer confidants and spent less time with the close companions that they do have. Although higher levels of social anxiety were associated with a general worsening of mood, socially anxious individuals appear to derive larger benefits – lower levels of negative affect, anxiety, and depression – from their close companions. In contrast, variation in social anxiety was unrelated to the amount of time spent with strangers, co-workers, and acquaintances; and we uncovered no evidence of emotional hypersensitivity to these less-familiar individuals.
Conclusions
These findings provide a framework for understanding the deleterious consequences of social anxiety in emerging adulthood and set the stage for developing improved intervention strategies.
The diurnal feeding patterns of dairy cows affects the 24 h robot utilisation of pasture-based automatic milking systems (AMS). A decline in robot utilisation between 2400 and 0600 h currently occurs in pasture-based AMS, as cow feeding activity is greatly reduced during this time. Here, we investigate the effect of a temporal variation in feed quality and quantity on cow feeding behaviour between 2400 and 0600 h as a potential tool to increase voluntary cow trafficking in an AMS at night. The day was allocated into four equal feeding periods (0600 to 1200, 1200 to 1800, 1800 to 2400 and 2400 to 0600 h). Lucerne hay cubes (CP = 19.1%, water soluble carbohydrate = 3.8%) and oat, ryegrass and clover hay cubes with 20% molasses (CP = 11.8%, water soluble carbohydrate = 10.7%) were offered as the ‘standard’ and ‘preferred’ (preference determined previously) feed types, respectively. The four treatments were (1) standard feed offered ad libitum (AL) throughout 24 h; (2) as per AL, with preferred feed replacing standard feed between 2400 and 0600 h (AL + P); (3) standard feed offered at a restricted rate, with quantity varying between each feeding period (20:10:30:60%, respectively) as a proportion of the (previously) measured daily ad libitum intake (VA); (4) as per VA, with preferred feed replacing standard feed between 2400 and 0600 h (VA + P). Eight non-lactating dairy cows were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design. During each experimental period, treatment cows were fed for 7 days, including 3 days habituation and 4 days data collection. Total daily intake was approximately 8% greater (P < 0.001) for the AL and AL + P treatments (23.1 and 22.9 kg DM/cow) as compared with the VA and VA + P treatments (21.6 and 20.9 kg DM/cow). The AL + P and VA treatments had 21% and 90% greater (P < 0.001) dry matter intake (DMI) between 2400 and 0600 h, respectively, compared with the AL treatment. In contrast, the VA + P treatment had similar DMI to the VA treatment. Our experiment shows ability to increase cow feeding activity at night by varying feed type and quantity, though it is possible that a penalty to total DMI may occur using VA. Further research is required to determine if the implementation of variable feed allocation on pasture-based AMS farms is likely to improve milking robot utilisation by increasing cow feeding activity at night.
Dromedary camels have been shown to be the main reservoir for human Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) infections. This systematic review aims to compile and analyse all published data on MERS-coronavirus (CoV) in the global camel population to provide an overview of current knowledge on the distribution, spread and risk factors of infections in dromedary camels. We included original research articles containing laboratory evidence of MERS-CoV infections in dromedary camels in the field from 2013 to April 2018. In general, camels only show minor clinical signs of disease after being infected with MERS-CoV. Serological evidence of MERS-CoV in camels has been found in 20 countries, with molecular evidence for virus circulation in 13 countries. The seroprevalence of MERS-CoV antibodies increases with age in camels, while the prevalence of viral shedding as determined by MERS-CoV RNA detection in nasal swabs decreases. In several studies, camels that were sampled at animal markets or quarantine facilities were seropositive more often than camels at farms as well as imported camels vs. locally bred camels. Some studies show a relatively higher seroprevalence and viral detection during the cooler winter months. Knowledge of the animal reservoir of MERS-CoV is essential to develop intervention and control measures to prevent human infections.