The Perceptions of Families of Comatose Patients in the Intensive Care Unit: A Qualitative Study

Background: There are specific challenges regarding the perceptions of families of comatose patients in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Identifying these perceptions may attract the cooperation of families with nurses and provide better care for patients. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of families of comatose patients in ICUs. Methods: This was a qualitative content-analysis study. Seventeen families with comatose patients were recruited by the purposive sampling technique. The necessary data were generated by semi-structured interviews, continued until data saturation, and concurrently analyzed by an inductive content analysis method. Results: Four main categories were manifested, including shock and disbelief, the effort for adaptation, exhaustion, and burnout, as well as hope and support. Conclusion: The obtained results signified the importance of nurses’ awareness concerning the family members’ perceptions of their comatose patient status in ICUs. The relevant findings reflected the need for nurses to pay attention to the feelings and emotions of the families of these patients.

Identification of terrestrial gastropods families found in district Swat, Pakistan

Very little is known about the malacofauna in district Swat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, situated in the Northern part of Pakistan. The Swat valley possesses a variety of suitable environmental conditions, providing different types of habitats for both flora and fauna. Taken into consideration these points, the present study was conducted to explore the terrestrial snails diversity in agricultural and non-agricultural fields in the lower Swat valley. A total of 417 shells were collected from three sites: Kokarai, Kanju Township, and Deolai. Based on conchological features, three families: Bradybaenidae, Hygromiidae, and Zonitidae were identified using different terrestrial snail keys. In Kokarai and Deolai, shells of members of all the above-mentioned families were found from agricultural fields. In Kanju Township, shells of members of the family Bradybaenidae and Zonitidae were found. From these findings, it was concluded that district Swat possesses a significant malacofauna which was unexplored before and aided more to the existing literature on malacofauna. It also supports the idea that the agroecosystem is rich in species diversity. Further in-depth and extensive study is recommended to be carried out for a detailed taxonomy of the described terrestrial gastropod families.

Introducing a new genus of Marginellidae from Africa: Africosta new genus (Gastropoda: Marginellidae) along with the description of two new species

A small group Marginellidae species were moved between genera several times by different authors, described as Marginella, sometimes called Glabella, classified under Dentimargo, and also reclassified as being Eratoidea species. This group of very small Marginellidae has their own unique shell characteristics within the family, and are described here within a new genus: Africosta. Four known species are discussed along with the description of two new species from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa within the new genus.

Biodiversity of the Simuliidae family

Simuliidae belong to the order Diptera, suborder Nematocera, Infraorder Culicomorpha, Superfamily Chironomoidea, and Family Simuliidae. They are known as “borrachudo” or “pium” in Brazil and as “black flies” in English-speaking countries. This study objective to report the characteristics of the Family Simuliidae. The research was carried out in studies related to quantitative aspects of the Family, Subfamily and Species (taxonomic groups) and conceptual aspects such as: biology, geographical distribution, species, life cycle, damage, economic importance, medicinal importance, biological aspects, and reproduction. A literature search was carried out containing articles published from 1950 to 2021. The mini-review was prepared in Goiânia, Goiás, from September to October 2021, through the Portal of Scientific Journals in Health Sciences, Pubmed, Online Scientific Library (Scielo), internet, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, Frontiers, Biological Abstract, Publons, Qeios, Dialnet, World, Wide Science, Springer, RefSeek, Microsoft Academic, Science, ERIC, Science Research.com, SEEK education, Periodicals CAPES, Google Academic, Bioline International and VADLO.

A Novel Heterozygous Pathogenic Variation in CYCS Gene Cause Autosomal Dominant Non-Syndromic Thrombocytopenia 4 in a Large Chinese Family

Aim: To determine the etiology of a Chinese family with thrombocytopenia by analyzing the clinical features and genetic variation.Methods: Clinical profiles and genomic DNA extracts of the family members were collected for the study. Whole exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing was used to detect the associated genetic variation and verify the family co-segregation respectively. Bioinformatics analysis assessed the pathogenicity of missense mutations.Results: The study reported a 3-generation pedigree including eight family members with thrombocytopenia. The platelet counts of the patients were varied, ranging from 38 to 110 × 109/L (reference range: 150–450 x 109/L). The mean volumes and morphology of the sampled platelet were both normal. The bleeding abnormality and mitochondriopathy were not observed in all the patients. Clinical signs of thrombocytopenia were mild. A novel heterozygous missense variant c.79C > T (p.His27Tyr) was identified in CYCS gene associated with autosomal dominant thrombocytopenia.Conclusion: We report the first large family with autosomal dominant non-syndromic thrombocytopenia 4 in a Chinese family, a novel heterozygous missense variant c.79C > T (p.His27Tyr) was identified. The whole exome sequencing is an efficient tool for screening the variants specifically associated with the disease. The finding enriches the mutation spectrum of CYCS gene and laid a foundation for future studies on the correlation between genotype and phenotype.