Aortic Wall Thickness and Amniotic Fluid Albuminuria in Growth-Restricted Twin Fetuses

Background and objective: Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) may be associated with significantly higher aortic intima–media thickening (aIMT) values. It is unknown if fetal aIMT is associated with glomerulosclerosis and amniotic albuminuria in utero. Design, setting, participants, and measurements: Fetal abdominal aIMT and amniotic albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) were measured in 126 individual twin fetuses, recruited by the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Clinics of the University of Padua (Italy) Medical Center. The IUGR twin fetuses were classified into two groups: Group A were those fetuses whose estimated fetal weight (EFW) was <10th percentile with pulsatility index >2 SD and Group B were those fetuses whose EFW was <10th percentile and had no velocimetry abnormalities. Results: The median fetal aIMT was significantly different in the three groups (Group A = 0.9 mm; Group B = 0.7 mm; and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) = 0.5 mm; p < .0001). It was significantly higher in Group A than in the AGA group (p < .0001) and than in the Group B fetuses (p = .003), respectively. In addition, ACR was different in the three groups (Group A = 183,500 mg/g; Group B = 6,4720 mg/g; and AGA = 8,2750 mg/g; p = .0002). It was significantly higher in Group A than in the AGA group (p = .03) and than in Group B (p = .02), respectively. Conclusions: Growth-restricted twin fetuses with velocimetry abnormalities present are associated with aIMT and higher ACR levels in amniotic fluid, which could be possible markers in utero of preclinical atherosclerosis, and early glomerulosclerosis.

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Treatment of Cardiac Surgical Wounds with Silver Dressings

Kansas Journal of Medicine ◽

10.17161/kjm.vol14.15506 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

pp. 269-272

Author(s):

Ashlie Elver ◽

Katy Wirtz ◽

Jinxiang Hu ◽

Emmanuel Daon

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Surgery ◽

Medical Center ◽

Patient Characteristics ◽

University Of Kansas ◽

Surgical Wounds ◽

Change In Practice ◽

Group A ◽

Sternal Wound Infections ◽

Group B ◽

The University

Introduction. Mediastinitis is a deadly surgical site infection (SSI) after cardiac surgery. Although rare, mortality is as high as 47%. Best practices for infection prevention to eliminate this deadly complication must be identified. Surgical dressings impregnated with silver have been shown to reduce SSIs in other surgical specialties. This aim of this study is to determine if the routine use of silver surgical dressings is beneficial to prevent mediastinitis after cardiac surgery. Methods. A single-center retrospective study was performed on patients who underwent sternotomy from 2016 to 2018 at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Prior to June 2017, all cardiac surgical patients were treated with gauze surgical dressings and is designated Group A. The routine use of silver-impregnated surgical dressings was implemented in June 2017, patients after this change in practice are designated Group B. Patient characteristics and rates of deep and superficial sternal wound infections (SWI) were compared. Results. There were 464 patients in Group A and 505 in Group B. There were seven SWIs in Group A (7/464, 1.5%) and five in Group B (5/505, 1%; p = 0.57). Of these, there was one deep SWI per group (p = 0.61) and six superficial SWIs in Group A compared to four in Group B (p = 0.74). Severe COPD was higher in Group A (p = 0.04) and peak glucose was higher in Group B (p = 0.02). Conclusions.The analysis conferred no benefit with silver-impregnated surgical dressings to prevent mediastinitis. Choice of gauze surgical dressings may be preferable to reduce cost.

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Extrapunitive, Intropunitive and Impunitive Responses of Indian Students to Different Racial Groups in South Africa

South African Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1177/008124638001000303 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 10 (3-4) ◽

pp. 77-80 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

D. Rajab ◽

E.A. Chohan

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

South African ◽

Racial Groups ◽

Group A ◽

Group B ◽

The University ◽

Indian Students

The Rosenzweig P — F Study was administered to a group of South African Indian students (N = 403) from the University of Durban-Westville with slight modifications in administration. The subjects were divided into three groups and were instructed to react to Blacks in Group A, to Whites in Group B, and to Indians in Group C. The results indicated that the subjects differed in their responses to the three racial groups revealing predominantly intropunitive and impunitive responses to Blacks, and extrapunitive responses to Indians.

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Oral versus intravenous maternal hydration in isolated third trimester oligohydramnios

International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences ◽

10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20204214 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (10) ◽

pp. 3449

Author(s):

Humaira Zafar ◽

Mubashra Naz ◽

Umber Fatima ◽

Uzma Shahzad ◽

Anees Fatima ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Amniotic Fluid ◽

P Value ◽

Amniotic Fluid Index ◽

Oral Hydration ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Invasive Method ◽

Intravenous Hydration ◽

Group A ◽

Group B ◽

Hydration Therapy

Background: To study the effect of oral and intravenous maternal hydration in patients with isolated oligohydramnios in terms of mean change in amniotic fluid.Methods: A total number of 38 patients included in the study which fulfill the selection criteria. Patients were randomly divided in two groups. Amniotic fluid index (AFI) of all patients was measured before the hydration therapy according to the method of Phelan et al. In maternal oral hydration (Group A), every patient was instructed to drink two liters of water over two hours daily for 1 week. In intravenous hydration (Group B), every woman infused two liters of 0.9% normal saline in two hour daily for 1 week. After 48 hours and 1 week of oral and intravenous hydration, the AFI was reassessed by the same observer. Patients were monitored closely for sign and symptoms of fluid overload. Data was stratified for mean difference in improvement in amniotic fluid index.Results: After oral hydration therapy AFI was 5.926±0.4593 after 48 hours and 8.286±0.6000 after 7 days in Group A. In Group B AFI was 5.784±0.4622 after 48 hours and 7.868±0.2810 after 7 days of intravenous hydration. P value after 48 hours is 0.348 and p=0.014 after 7 days means oral hydration therapy significantly increase amniotic fluid index.Conclusions: Oral maternal hydration significantly increase the amniotic fluid index in patients with isolated oligohydramnios. It is simple, safe and non-invasive method.

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It is not enough to flip your classroom. A case study in the course of Pavements in Civil Engineering

Ingeniería e Investigación ◽

10.15446/ing.investig.v39n3.81426 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 62-69

Author(s):

Yasmany García-Ramírez

Keyword(s):

Flipped Classroom ◽

Civil Engineering ◽

Learning Experience ◽

University Teaching ◽

Traditional Model ◽

Group A ◽

The Subject ◽

Group B ◽

The University

The flipped classroom, as an active learning model, has given remarkable results in several areas in the university teaching; however, its execution is still able to improve. This research shows the implementation and improvement of the flipped classroom model in the course of Pavements. It evaluates their influence on the students’ final grades and their learning experience. Three groups of students participated in this study, who enrolled in the course of Pavements in the Civil Engineering. Group A took the course with the traditional model, while Group B took it with a flipped classroom, and Group C experienced it with a reinforced flipped model. Groups did the course the subject in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Results show that even though with the flipped classroom models, the finals grades did not increase compared to the scores of the traditional model; however, it improved their learning experience. The students were more satisfied with the method; they even asked for fewer modifications than they did in the traditional model. This research shows that adding little academic things to the course, it would greatly influence their students' opinion.

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Role of SatO2, PaO2/FiO2 Ratio and PaO2 to Predict Adverse Outcome in COVID-19: A Retrospective, Cohort Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182111534 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (21) ◽

pp. 11534

Author(s):

Stefano Sartini ◽

Laura Massobrio ◽

Ombretta Cutuli ◽

Paola Campodonico ◽

Cristina Bernini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Failure ◽

Adverse Outcome ◽

University Hospital ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Threatening Condition ◽

Life Threatening ◽

Group A ◽

Group B ◽

The University

COVID-19 respiratory failure is a life-threatening condition. Oxygenation targets were evaluated in a non-ICU setting. In this retrospective, observational study, we enrolled all patients admitted to the University Hospital of Genoa, Italy, between 1 February and 31 May 2020 with an RT-PCR positive for SARS-CoV-2. PaO2, PaO2/FiO2 and SatO2% were collected and analyzed at time 0 and in case of admission, patients who required or not C-PAP (groups A and B) were categorized. Each measurement was correlated to adverse outcome. A total of 483 patients were enrolled, and 369 were admitted to hospital. Of these, 153 required C-PAP and 266 had an adverse outcome. Patients with PaO2 <60 and >100 had a higher rate of adverse outcome at time 0, in groups A and B (OR 2.52, 3.45, 2.01, respectively). About the PaO2/FiO2 ratio, the OR for < 300 was 3.10 at time 0, 4.01 in group A and 4.79 in group B. Similar odds were found for < 200 in any groups and < 100 except for group B (OR 11.57). SatO2 < 94% showed OR 1.34, 3.52 and 19.12 at time 0, in groups A and B, respectively. PaO2 < 60 and >100, SatO2 < 94% and PaO2/FiO2 ratio < 300 showed at least two- to three-fold correlation to adverse outcome. This may provide simple but clear targets for clinicians facing COVID-19 respiratory failure in a non ICU-setting.

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A Modern Perspective on Phishing: An investigation into susceptibility to phishing attacks between mobile and desktop email clients

10.26686/wgtn.17134613 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Jayden Nowitz

Keyword(s):

Mobile Device ◽

User Behavior ◽

Administrative Staff ◽

Second Stage ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Device Type ◽

Group A ◽

Group B ◽

The University ◽

Modern Perspective

<p>Research on how to counter phishing from a user behavior perspective has been explored for over a decade, yet the prevalence of such threats is increasing. This thesis aims to provide a modern perspective by considering if there is a difference in how susceptible an individual is on a mobile device versus a desktop email client. Currently very few studies consider phishing on mobile devices and the research is unclear as to the potential difference in susceptibility rates between the two device types. Initially a review of 60 phishing emails received by the university that had passed mail filtering were used to assist in the design of the messages to be used in the second stage of the study. Following this a simulated phishing attack on two groups in one unit of professional administrative staff in the university (141 in total with 71 in Group A and 70 in Group B) within the university was undertaken. The defining characteristic between the groups was how they responded to a message with a ‘loss versus gain’ appeal. This area has received limited exploration in the research and findings remain unclear. This study found that people were statistically far more susceptible to the ‘gain’ message of a free coffee at 28.2% than the ‘loss’ message of Office365 account suspension 7.1% . For device type there appears to be no statistically significant difference, even between the groups. This study highlights the complexities of device usage around phishing, that have not been clearly highlighted in previous studies, such as people viewing emails with one device and falling victim on another device.</p>

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Extent of Practicing Creative Thinking Skills among Students of Educational Technology at the University of Ibb, Yemen, When Applying Innovative Educational technologies

The International Journal for Talent Development ◽

10.20428/ijtd.11.20.4 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (20) ◽

pp. 75-94

Author(s):

أ.د. داود عبدالملك يحي الحدابي ◽

د. عيسى صالح

Keyword(s):

Educational Technology ◽

Creative Thinking ◽

Thinking Skills ◽

Educational Technologies ◽

Technology Innovations ◽

Technology Students ◽

Group A ◽

Study Population ◽

Group B ◽

The University

The research aimed to identify the extent of practicing creative thinking skills among students of educational technology at the University of Ibb, Yemen in applying innovative educational technologies. To achieve the objectives of the study and answer its questions, the researchers used the descriptive method. The study population was educational technology students at the University of Ibb. The research sample involved (50) students of the second level in the Department of Educational Technology in the academic year 2018/ 2019. A scale of creative thinking and an open-ended questionnaire were used to assess creative thinking skills and identify the obstacles of creative thinking among students. The results showed a clear decline in the students' ability to practice creative thinking skills with a general average of (34.90) for group A students, and an average of (35.15) for group B students. The study revealed a number of obstacles of developing students' creative thinking. The study concluded with a set of recommendations and suggestions. Keywords: creative thinking skills, educational technology innovations, students of educational technology.

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The impact of pretreatment absolute lymphocyte count (pALC) and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (pNLR) on checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) response rates in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and bladder urothelial cancers (BC).

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2020.38.5_suppl.31 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 38 (5_suppl) ◽

pp. 29-29

Author(s):

Tonjeh Mary Stella Bah ◽

David Sommerhalder ◽

Philip A. Haddad

Keyword(s):

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Medical Center ◽

Response Rates ◽

Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio ◽

Essential Components ◽

Group A ◽

Group 2 ◽

Group B ◽

The Impact ◽

Group 1

31 Background: CPIs have been established as essential components of cancer immunotherapy across multiple cancer types with proven clinical benefit, improved outcomes, and less toxicity. Studies in lung and head and neck cancers found that low ALC, a marker of immune exhaustion, was associated with poor response to CPIs and worse progression-free survival. We explored the effect of pALC and pNLR on CPI response rates in patients with RCC and BC. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed every RCC and BC patient that received CPIs at Overton Brooks VA Medical Center and LSUHSC-S between 2015 and 2019. Patients’ pALC and pNLR were calculated. The patients were divided according to pALC into 2 groups: Group A with pALC > 1000 and Group B with pALC < 1000. Similarly, using NLR’s established upper normal limit of 3, 2 groups were created: Group 1 with pNLR < 3 and Group 2 with pNLR > 3. Our primary outcome of interest was defined as the presence or absence of CPI response. Patients who attained stable disease, partial response, and complete response were categorized as responders. Those who progressed on CPIs were labeled as non-responders. The significance of the association between pALC and pNLR groups and the occurrence of any response was analyzed statistically. Results: Twenty patients (13 RCC, 7 BC) were treated with CPIs and had documented responses. Twelve patients had pALC > 1000 (Group A) whereas 8 patients had pALC < 1000 (Group B). Both groups were comparable with respect to age, sex, race, and types of CPIs. Group A had a significantly higher response rate (75% vs 25%, p = 0.027). As to pNLR, 10 patients had pNLR < 3 (Group 1) and another 10 patients had pNLR > 3 (Group 2). Patients with pNLR > 3 had worse response rates to CPIs compared to those with pNLR < 3 (30% vs 80%, p = 0.024). Conclusions: This is the first report from a real-world clinical setting to show a detrimental association between pALC < 1000 and pNLR > 3 and CPI response rates in a retrospective cohort of consecutive non-selected kidney and bladder cancer patients. This association and its clinical utility require further confirmation in a prospective larger cohort.

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EFFECTS OF ORAL FLUIDS AND INTRAVENOUS FLUIDS IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF AMNIOTIC FLUID INDEX DURING THIRD TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY

Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal ◽

10.51253/pafmj.v71i1.2790 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 71 (1) ◽

pp. 179-83

Author(s):

Mehwish Malik ◽

Samina Irshaad ◽

Nadia Ahmed Bokhari ◽

Wardah Ajaz Qazi ◽

Asia Raza ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Amniotic Fluid ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Intravenous Fluids ◽

Third Trimester ◽

Amniotic Fluid Index ◽

Singleton Pregnancy ◽

Oral Fluids ◽

Group A ◽

Group B

Objective: To assess the effects of oral fluids and intravenous fluids in terms of frequency of improving Amniotic Fluid Index during third trimester of pregnancy having oligohydramnios.Study Design: Comparative prospective survey. Place and Duration of Study: Obstetrics and Gynaecological Department of Fauji Foundation HospitalRawalpindi, from Apr 2018 to Oct 2018. Methodology: A total of 100 patients with singleton pregnancy (50 in each group) at gestational age of 28-37weeks and AFI of 5cm or less than 5cm were included. Non probability consecutive sampling technique wasused. Ethics approval from hospital ethical committee and research board was taken. Patients were randomizedinto 2 groups (50 patients each) by lottery method. Group A was instructed to drink 2 liters of water per day fora time period of seven days and patients in group B was given 2 liters of 5% D/W which was in addition to theirnormal fluids intake. Amniotic fluid index was measured pre hydration and post hydration in both groups. Datawas analyzed using SPSS-21. Results: Mean age of the patients was 33.62 ± 5.45 years and 34.70 ± 4.76 years for groups A and B respectively.In group A and group B mean gestational age was 34.28 ± 1.85 weeks vs 34.32 ± 1.82 weeks. In group A, 44 (88%)..............

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