Do Mothers and Fathers of Egyptian Stuttering Children View Stuttering Differently?

Purpose: Limited research has shown that knowing or interacting with a person who stutters facilitates more positive attitudes toward stuttering. This is true when the stuttering person is a close friend or a family member. The study sought to determine if Egyptian mothers held different stuttering attitudes than fathers as joint parents of children who stuttered. Method: Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes–Stuttering results of 25 mothers and 25 fathers of the same children who stuttered were compared. Also, children's severity scores were correlated with their parents' attitudes. Results: There were no significant differences between mothers' and fathers' stuttering attitudes; however, an unexpected trend for more positive attitudes of fathers was observed. Weak relationships between children's stuttering severity and their parents' attitudes existed, with slightly higher correlations for the fathers. Conclusion: Nonsignificant trends for slightly more positive attitudes for fathers than mothers should be explored in larger sample sizes in order to answer the question “Should information provided for parents of children who stutter be different or differently presented to mothers versus fathers?”

Vaccine-associated complications: a comparative multicenter evaluation among dental practitioners and dental students—which candidate vaccine is more safe in SARS COV II, Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V), ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca), BBV152 (Covaxin), or BBIBP-CorV(Sinopharm)?

Background The rapidly developed vaccines against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 carry a risk of provoking side effects. This study aimed to evaluate current vaccination non-serious/serious side effects. Methods A multicenter electronic questionnaire via an online platform was conducted over a 1-week period among vaccinated dental staff and dental students inquiring whether they experienced vaccine-related side-effects after vaccine administration. Results A total of 1205 respondents with a mean age of 39 (SD: 12) were retained for the analyses. The following vaccines were reported; Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V), ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca), BBV152 (Covaxin), or BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm). The majority of respondents received ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (51.1%) and Gam-COVID-Vac (37.6%). The symptoms most frequently reported after vaccination were fatigue (79%), local pain in the injection site (77.4%), malaise (73%), and body pain (71.1%). Enrollees reported more onset of reactions on 0–12 h (44.1%) and 12–24 h (29.0%) after vaccine administration (p value <0.001). In 75.7%, the side effects last for up to 3 days. Merely 5.5% of cases reported the presence of side effects after the first week. Individuals with a history of SARSCoV-2 and other infections (MERS, influenza, and EBV) were more likely to report a number of unserious systemic side effects. Conclusion The commonly reported adverse events were in line with similar studies. We have concerns with the frequency of serious adverse effects. This work necessitates the need for further clinical assessments with larger sample sizes.

Contributions of common genetic variants to specific languages and to when a language is learned

Research over the past two decades has identified a group of common genetic variants explaining a portion of variance in native language ability. The present study investigates whether the same group of genetic variants are associated with different languages and languages learned at different times in life. We recruited 940 young adults who spoke from childhood Chinese and English as their first (native) (L1) and second (L2) language, respectively, who were learners of a new, third (L3) language. For the variants examined, we found a general decrease of contribution of genes to language functions from native to foreign (L2 and L3) languages, with variance in foreign languages explained largely by non-genetic factors such as musical training and motivation. Furthermore, genetic variants that were found to contribute to traits specific to Chinese and English respectively exerted the strongest effects on L1 and L2. These results seem to speak against the hypothesis of a language- and time-universal genetic core of linguistic functions. Instead, they provide preliminary evidence that genetic contribution to language may depend at least partly on the intricate language-specific features. Future research including a larger sample size, more languages and more genetic variants is required to further explore these hypotheses.

Evaluation of methods incorporating biological function and GWAS summary statistics to accelerate discovery

Where sufficiently large genome-wide association study (GWAS) samples are not currently available or feasible, methods that leverage increasing knowledge of the biological function of variants may illuminate discoveries without increasing sample size. We comprehensively evaluated 18 functional weighting methods for identifying novel associations. We assessed the performance of these methods using published results from multiple GWAS waves across each of five complex traits. Although no method achieved both high sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) for any trait, a subset of methods utilizing pleiotropy and expression quantitative trait loci nominated variants with high PPV (>75%) for multiple traits. Application of functionally weighting methods to enhance GWAS power for locus discovery is unlikely to circumvent the need for larger sample sizes in truly underpowered GWAS, but these results suggest that applying functional weighting to GWAS can accurately nominate additional novel loci from available samples for follow-up studies.

Board Committee Overlap and the Use of Earnings in CEO Compensation Contracts

Using proxy statement data describing the terms of compensation contracts, we examine how overlapping membership between compensation and audit committees influences the use of earnings metrics in compensation. Although research predicts that such overlap could either increase or decrease the reliance on earnings, we find that firms with overlapping directors rely less on earnings-based performance measures in incentive contracts without altering the overall level of performance-contingent cash bonuses. In addition, we provide evidence that firms substitute earnings measures with measures less subject to earnings management. Our findings are robust to potential alternative explanations, extend to an implicit relation between earnings and compensation for a larger sample, and are not driven by the tendency toward an overlapping committee structure more broadly. This paper was accepted by Suraj Srinivasan, accounting.

Students’ Metacognitive Awareness in Natural Science Learning: An Overview by Gender

This study aimed to identify the metacognitive awareness of high school students in natural science learning based on gender. This research is a descriptive study with a sample of 24 students. Data on students' metacognition awareness was collected using the Metacognition Awareness Inventory (MAI) which was analyzed descriptively and statistically. The results showed that students' metacognitive awareness was categorized as good enough (1.33 < MA ≤ 2.33) and low (MA ≥ 1.33). Students' metacognition awareness was not significantly different in terms of gender (p> 0.05). Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that metacognitive awareness needs to be improved through good interventions in learning. Student gender differences need to be investigated further using a larger sample to obtain more relevant and comprehensive data on metacognitive awareness

Meta-analysis of COVID-19 patients to understand the key predictors of mortality in the non-vaccinated groups in remote settings

Various studies have looked into the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine on large populations. However, very few studies have looked into the remote setting of hospitals where vaccination is challenging due to social structure, myths, and misconceptions. There is a consensus that elevated inflammatory markers such as CRP, ferritin, D-dimer correlate with increased severity of COVID-19 and are associated with worse outcomes. In the present study, through retrospective meta-analysis, we have looked into ~20 months of SARS-COV2 infected patients with known mortality status and identified predictors of mortality concerning their comorbidities, various clinical parameters, inflammatory markers, superimposed infections, length of hospitalization, length of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay. Studies with larger sample sizes have covered the outcomes through epidemiological, social, and survey-based analysis; however, most studies cover larger cohorts from tertiary medical centers. In the present study, we assessed the outcome of non-vaccinated COVID 19 patients in a remote setting for 20 months from January 1, 2020, to August 30, 2021, at CHI Mercy Health in Roseburg, Oregon. We also included two vaccinated patients from September 2021 to add to the power of our cohort. The study will provide a comprehensive methodology and deep insight into multi-dimensional data in the unvaccinated group, translational biomarkers of mortality, and state-of-art to conduct such studies in various remote hospitals.

Prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in goats in central Algeria

This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in goats in central Algeria. A total of 605 samples of goat faeces were collected from several mixed farms (sheep and goats) in the regions of Médéa, Djelfa, and Ain Defla. Cryptosporidium spp. was detected using the Ziehl-Nelseen technique modified by Henriksen and Polhenz. Cryptosporidium spp. was detected in 103 samples (17.02%). Females accounted for 69.90% of positive samples while males accounted for 30.09% of positive samples (P&lt;0.05). The most infested animals were those aged between 2 months and 7 years (69.99%). Animals under 15 days of age were also very vulnerable to infection (59.25%) (P&lt;0.05); Young goats with diarrhoea infested with Cryptosporidium were noticed in 25% of samples. The infestation rate during autumn was 56.31%, and 43.68% in spring (P&lt;0.05). Post-weaned goats are potential carriers and shedders of the parasite and young are vulnerable to the infection. To conclude, further studies are needed on a larger sample and in other areas to improve our epidemiology knowledge of cryptosporidiosis in goats.

Correlation between ABO Blood Group Phenotype and the Risk of COVID-19 Infection and Severity of Disease in a Saudi Arabian Cohort

Background Disease severity among patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 varies remarkably. Preliminary studies reported that the ABO blood group system confers differential viral susceptibility and disease severity caused by SARS-CoV-2. Thus, differences in ABO blood group phenotypes may partly explain the observed heterogeneity in COVID-19 severity patterns, and could help identify individuals at increased risk. Herein, we explored the association between ABO blood group phenotypes and COVID-19 susceptibility and severity in a Saudi Arabian cohort. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we performed ABO typing on a total of 373 Saudi patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and conducted association analysis between ABO blood group phenotype and COVID-19 infection severity. We then performed gender-stratified analysis by dividing the participating patients into two groups by gender, and classified them according to age. Results The frequencies of blood group phenotypes A, B, AB and O were 27.3, 23.6, 5.4 and 43.7%, respectively. We found that blood group phenotype O was associated with a lower risk of testing positive for COVID-19 infection (OR 0.76 95% CI 0.62–0.95, p = 0.0113), while blood group phenotype B was associated with higher odds of testing positive (OR 1.51 95% CI 1.17–1.93, p = 0.0009). However, blood group phenotype B was associated with increased risk in the mild and moderate group but not the severe COVID-19 infection group. Blood group phenotype O was protective in all severity groups. Conclusion Our findings provide evidence that blood group phenotype B is a risk for COVID-19 disease while blood group phenotype O is protective from COVID-19 infection. However, further studies are necessary to validate these associations in a larger sample size and among individuals of different ethnic groups.

Application of a Cone-Beam Computed Tomography-Based Index for Evaluating Surgical Sites Prior to Sinus Lift Procedures—A Pilot Study

Objectives. Radiography-based indices can help surgeons perform detailed examinations of the surgical site and predict the surgical difficulty of cases. We aimed to develop and validate a novel CBCT-based index that can predict the surgical difficulty of sinus-augmentation procedures. Materials and Methods. In the first stage, five experienced dental specialists performed a review of the literature and closed group discussions and designed the novel index. In the next stage, the index was validated. CBCT scans of 30 patients scheduled for sinus-augmentation procedures were evaluated and assigned presurgical CBCT evaluation scores (PSCESs) by five examiners. Subsequently, one oral surgeon performed sinus augmentation using the lateral antrostomy technique and assigned surgical difficulty scores (SDSs) to each of the 30 cases along with 2 observers. The PSCESs and SDSs were statistically analysed to determine the interrater reliability and validity of the index. Results. The interrater agreement of the PSCES among the five presurgical evaluators was 0.85. The PSCES of the five evaluators had highly significant correlation ( P < 0.001 , r = 0.68 to 0.76 ) with the SDS. Regression analysis revealed that for every unit increase in the PSCES, there is 0.46 to 0.57 increase in the SDS value. Conclusion. The results of this pilot study revealed that a novel CBCT-based index can be used as a reliable tool for predicting the surgical difficulty of sinus-augmentation procedures. However, the novel index needs to be tested on a larger sample of patients and evaluators for a more concrete validity and reliability.