Medicine
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Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) rs1024611 (-2518 A > G) polymorphism are associated with inflammatory diseases. In this study, we investigate the relationship between MCP-1 rs1024611 polymorphism and genetic susceptibility of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with sepsis. Two hundred eighty-five patients with T2DM are divided into the diabetes with sepsis group (combined group, 113 cases) and the diabetes group (172 cases). ⋯ Subgroup analysis showed that the rs1024611 G allele frequency in the septic shock group was significantly higher than the general sepsis group (P = .02). The expressions of MCP-1 and TNF-α in GG genotypes in T2DM with sepsis group were significantly higher than AA or GA genotypes (P < .05). This study preliminarily showed that the rs1024611 A > G polymorphism within the promoter region of MCP-1 gene can upregulate the expression of MCP-1 gene and proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α, which ultimately contributed to the predisposition and progression of T2DM with sepsis.
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The negative impacts of COVID-19 (ImpactCOVID) on public health are commonly assessed using the cumulative numbers of confirmed cases (CNCCs). However, whether different mathematical models yield disparate results based on varying time frames remains unclear. This study aimed to compare the differences in prediction accuracy between 2 proposed COVID-19 models, develop an angle index that can be objectively used to evaluate ImpactCOVID, compare the differences in angle indexes across countries/regions worldwide, and examine the difference in determining the inflection point (IP) on the CNCCs between the 2 models. ⋯ Both proposed models can be used to measure ImpactCOVID. However, the IRT model (superior to EXPO in the long-term and Ogive-type data) is recommended for epidemiologists and policymakers to measure ImpactCOVID in the future.
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Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) is characterized by exacerbated sympathetic discharge following severe brain injury. Here, we reports a patient diagnosed with PSH after ICH concurrent with hypothalamic injury, as demonstrated by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). ⋯ PSH concurrent with hypothalamic injury was observed in a patient with stroke. This study suggests that DTI can be a useful imaging method for evaluating the hypothalamic state of patients presenting with PSH after brain injury.
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There is little data in developing countries such as Nigeria with regard to the impact of caring for their children with intellectual and reading disability (IRD) on the quality of life of the parents and the risk of psychopathology. ⋯ The presence of a child with intellectual and reading disabilities does not cause parents to become depressed but irrational beliefs about their children's mental and reading deficiencies may contribute to unhealthy thinking and feelings about the future of their children. REHT is very effective in assisting depressed parents of children with intellectual and reading disabilities to think rationally about their children and work towards overcoming disability-related as well as behavior-related irrational beliefs. The mental health providers, therapists and counselors should apply the REHT in managing people with psychological distress especially parents of children with intellectual and reading disabilities who may have psychological diagnosis of depression.
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Observational Study
Evaluation of age-related thymic changes using computed tomography images: A retrospective observational study.
We aimed to investigate if Computed tomography (CT) attenuation values can help improve the identification of age-related changes in the thymus. We assessed CT images of 405 patients aged 0 to 80 years. We measured the area of the anterior mediastinum at the level of the carina and its average CT attenuation value. ⋯ No significant differences in the CT attenuation value were found across underlying conditions for the 0 to 13-year age group. The decrease in the CT attenuation values, observed with advancing age, reflects adipose degeneration of the thymus, indicating that by the late 50s, thymic tissue is replaced completely by adipose tissue. Our data suggest that adipose degeneration of the thymus begins after puberty and advances with age.