Belly fat or bloating? New insights into the physical appearance of St Anthony of Padua

Over the centuries, iconographic representations of St Anthony of Padua, one of the most revered saints in the Catholic world, have been inspired by literary sources, which described the Saint as either naturally corpulent or with a swollen abdomen due to dropsy (i.e. fluid accumulation in the body cavities). Even recent attempts to reconstruct the face of the Saint have yielded discordant results regarding his outward appearance. To address questions about the real appearance of St Anthony, we applied body mass estimation equations to the osteometric measurements taken in 1981, during the public recognition of the Saint’s skeletal remains. Both the biomechanical and the morphometric approach were employed to solve some intrinsic limitations in the equations for body mass estimation from skeletal remains. The estimated body mass was used to assess the physique of the Saint with the body mass index. The outcomes of this investigation reveal interesting information about the body type of the Saint throughout his lifetime.

Repeated measures discriminant analysis using multivariate generalized estimation equations

Discriminant analysis procedures that assume parsimonious covariance and/or means structures have been proposed for distinguishing between two or more populations in multivariate repeated measures designs. However, these procedures rely on the assumptions of multivariate normality which is not tenable in multivariate repeated measures designs which are characterized by binary, ordinal, or mixed types of response distributions. This study investigates the accuracy of repeated measures discriminant analysis (RMDA) based on the multivariate generalized estimating equations (GEE) framework for classification in multivariate repeated measures designs with the same or different types of responses repeatedly measured over time. Monte Carlo methods were used to compare the accuracy of RMDA procedures based on GEE, and RMDA based on maximum likelihood estimators (MLE) under diverse simulation conditions, which included number of repeated measure occasions, number of responses, sample size, correlation structures, and type of response distribution. RMDA based on GEE exhibited higher average classification accuracy than RMDA based on MLE especially in multivariate non-normal distributions. Three repeatedly measured responses namely severity of epilepsy, current number of anti-epileptic drugs, and parent-reported quality of life in children with epilepsy were used to demonstrate the application of these procedures.

PMSM Speed Control Based on Particle Swarm Optimization and Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient under Load Disturbance

Proportional integral-based particle swarm optimization (PSO) and deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithms are applied to a permanent-magnet synchronous motor to track speed control. The proposed methods, based on notebooks, can deal with time delay challenges, imprecise mathematical models, and unknown disturbance loads. First, a system identification method is used to obtain an approximate model of the motor. The load and speed estimation equations can be determined using the model. By adding the estimation equations, the PSO algorithm can determine the sub-optimized parameters of the proportional-integral controller using the predicted speed response; however, the computational time and consistency challenges of the PSO algorithm are extremely dependent on the number of particles and iterations. Hence, an online-learning method, DDPG, combined with the PSO algorithm is proposed to improve the speed control performance. Finally, the proposed methods are implemented on a real platform, and the experimental results are presented and discussed.

The Exogenous Shock of COVID-19: An Evidence from Financial Sector of an Emerging Economy

This paper analyses the effect of COVID-19 on the financial sector of Bangladesh. Particularly, it explores how this pandemic has affected this industry, considering firms’ past (pre-pandemic) financial characteristics. Employing the Generalised Estimation Equations (GEE) method with 1050 firm-year observations, which includes listed Banks, Financial Institutions, and Insurance companies’ data obtained from annual reports, datastream, and WHO, we found that firms with the larger size, more leverage, liquidity, and higher ROA is more resilient to stock return declines reacting to this pandemic. This study should be of interest to investors and regulators as it provides new evidence related to an industry’s pandemic and stock market response based on their prior financial characteristics. Besides, it will contribute to the extant literature of COVID-19 and the firm’s stock return from an emerging economy perspective.

Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Systemic Insulin Degludec Concentrations in People With Type 1 Diabetes

Background: There is conflicting evidence on the effect of exercise on systemic insulin concentrations in adults with type 1 diabetes. Methods: This prospective single-arm study examined the effect of exercise on systemic insulin degludec (IDeg) concentrations. The study involved 15 male adults with type 1 diabetes (age 30.7 ± 8.0 years, HbA1c 6.9 ± 0.7%) on stable IDeg regimen. Blood samples were collected every 15 minutes at rest, during 60 minutes of cycling (66% VO2max) and until 90 minutes after exercise termination. IDeg concentrations were quantified using high-resolution mass-spectrometry and analyzed applying generalized estimation equations. Results: Compared to baseline, systemic IDeg increased during exercise over time ( P < .001), with the highest concentrations observed toward the end of the 60-minute exercise (17.9% and 17.6% above baseline after 45 minutes and 60 minutes, respectively). IDeg levels remained elevated until the end of the experiment (14% above baseline at 90 minutes after exercise termination, P < .001). Conclusions: A single bout of aerobic exercise increases systemic IDeg exposure in adults on a stable basal IDeg regimen. This finding may have important implications for future hypoglycemia mitigation strategies around physical exercise in IDeg-treated patients.

Dihydroergotamine and triptan use to treat migraine during pregnancy and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes

Migraine is prevalent during pregnancy. Antimigraine medications such as dihydroergotamine (DHE) and triptans have been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in individual studies but lack of consensus remains. We compared the risk of prematurity, low birth weight (LBW), major congenital malformations (MCM), and spontaneous abortions (SA) associated with gestational use of DHE or triptans. Three cohort and one nested-case–control analyses were conducted within the Quebec Pregnancy Cohort to assess the risk of prematurity, LBW, MCM, and SA. Exposure was defined dichotomously as use of DHE or triptan during pregnancy. Generalized estimation equations were built to quantify the associations, adjusting for potential confounders. 233,900 eligible pregnancies were included in the analyses on prematurity, LBW, and MCM; 29,104 cases of SA were identified. Seventy-eight subjects (0.03%) were exposed to DHE and 526 (0.22%) to triptans. Adjusting for potential confounders, DHE and triptans were associated with increased risks of prematurity, LBW, MCM, and SA but not all estimates were statistically significant. DHE was associated with the risk of prematurity (aRR: 4.12, 95% CI 1.21–13.99); triptans were associated with the risk of SA (aOR: 1.63, 95% CI 1.34–1.98). After considering maternal migraine, all antimigraine specific medications increased the risk of some adverse pregnancy outcomes, but estimates were unstable.

Impact of teleconsultation on subsequent disease activity and flares in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Objectives Despite the widespread adoption of teleconsultations amid the COVID-19 pandemic, their safety in SLE patients has not been evaluated. Here, we examined subsequent disease activity and flares among SLE patients who received teleconsultation vs in-person consultation. To discern differences in physicians’ prescription behaviour during both forms of consultations, we compared corticosteroid dose adjustments. Methods We studied adult SLE patients who were seen between 1 February 2020 and 1 February 2021. At each patient-visit, rheumatologists utilized phone/video teleconsultation or physical consultation at their discretion. Disease activity was assessed with SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) and flares were defined by the SELENA-SLEDAI Flare Index (SFI). We derived a propensity score for patients who were chosen for physical consultation. Multivariable generalized estimation equations were used to analyse SLEDAI-2k and flare at the next visit, adjusted for the propensity score. Results A total of 435 visits were recorded, of which 343 (78.9%) were physical visits and 92 (21.1%) were teleconsultations. The modality of consultation did not predict flare [OR for physical consultation (95% CI) 0.42 (0.04, 5.04), P =0.49] or SLEDAI-2k at the next visit [estimate of coefficient for physical consultation (95% CI) −0.19 (−0.80, 0.43), P =0.55]. Adjustments of prednisolone dosages were comparable between the two forms of visits [OR for physical consultation (95% CI) 1.34 (0.77, 2.34), P =0.30]. Conclusion SLE disease activity and flares at the subsequent visit were similar between teleconsultations and physical consultations. Medication prescription behaviour, determined using adjustment in corticosteroid dosages, was not different between the two forms of visits.

Comparison of 24-hour versus random urine samples for determination and quantification of Bence Jones protein in a South African population

Background: The International Myeloma Working Group and College of American Pathologists recommend a 24-h urine collection to determine the Bence Jones protein (BJP) excretion level for monitoring treatment response in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). There are several issues related to sample collection and the method is prone to inaccuracy.Objective: This study compared measured 24-h to random urine collections for the quantitation of BJP in a South African population.Methods: Sixty-six patients with MM submitted random urine samples with their routine 24-h urine collection from April 2016 – March 2018. Measured 24-h urine BJP was compared to two estimated 24-h BJP excretions calculated as follows: Estimation 1 (E1): Estimated 24-h BJP (mg/24 h) = Urine BJP/Creatinine ratio (mg/mmol) × 10. Estimation 2 (E2): Estimated 24-h BJP (mg/24 h) = Urine BJP/Creatinine ratio (mg/mmol) × 15 mg/kg for women or × 20 mg/kg for men.Results: Correlation of estimation equations E1 and E2 to the measured 24-h urine BJP was 0.893. Patients showed no difference in classification of treatment response using either the E1 or E2 estimation equations when compared to the measured 24-h urine BJP results.Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the estimated 24-h BJP shows a high degree of correlation with the measured 24-h BJP and can likely be used to monitor treatment response in South African patients with MM.