Nanotechnologyassisted output of valueadded biopotent energyyielding goods from lignocellulosic biomass refinery An assessment
Insomnia in children is complex and frequently multifactorial. This review discusses the major categories of insomnia as well as common causes. The consequences of insomnia, including issues with mood, behavior, and cognition, are discussed. Sleep disorders are much more prevalent in certain pediatric populations, such as children with autism spectrum disorders. this website The evaluation of insomnia in children includes a focused history and examination and occasionally actigraphy or polysomnography. Behavioral and pharmacological therapies are discussed, as are future directions for research and clinical practice.
Numerous studies have linked prenatal traffic-related air pollution exposure to fetal growth. Recently, several studies have suggested exploring this association independently among boys and girls because of potential sex-specific biological vulnerability to air pollution. Residence-based factors can also influence fetal growth by enhancing susceptibility to the toxic effects of air pollution and must also be considered in these relations.
We examined sex-specific associations between prenatal air pollution exposure and fetal growth and explored whether they differed by the urban-rural status of maternal residence.
This study relied on the PELAGIE mother-child cohort (2521 women, Brittany, France, 2002-2006). Fetal growth was assessed through birth weight, head circumference and small weight (SGA) and small head circumference (SHC) for gestational age. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations at mothers' homes were estimated by using a land use regression model taking into account temporal variation duringrm the need to consider sex-specific associations between air pollution and fetal growth and to investigate possible mechanisms by which traffic-related air pollution may increase anthropometric parameters at birth.The duodenojejunal flexure (DJF) is an important surgical landmark that enables the pediatric surgeon to establish whether normal intestinal rotation has occurred. The degree of variation in the position of the DJF has not been studied in the pediatric population, and there have been only limited studies on adults. The aim of the present study was to determine the position and relationships of the DJF in infants and children utilizing cross-sectional imaging. Computer tomography scans of 120 children were divided into three age groups and systematically analyzed. The DJF position was measured in relation to the vertebral body level, midline, anterior-posterior distance from the vertebral body, transpyloric plane, and mesenteric vessels. The position of the third part of the duodenum and the length of the mesenteric root were also determined. There was considerable variation in the DJF position with respect to the above landmarks in all three age groups. The vertebral body level of the DJF was centered on L1, but ranged between T11 and L3. In 3% of children with normal rotation the SMA/SMV relationship was abnormal. The third part of the duodenum was consistently found to be retromesenteric. The length of the mesenteric root ranged from 7 to 22 cm, and generally lengthened with increasing age. Owing to its variable position in infants and children, the DJF on its own may not be a reliable landmark for establishing normal intestinal rotation. Assessing for normal rotation is multifaceted and further comparative studies are required to characterize the anatomical features of normal and abnormal rotation.
Prevalence and relative severity of bipolar II disorder (BDII) vs. bipolar I disorder (BDI) are controversial.
Prevalence, demographics, and illness characteristics were compared among 260 BDII and 243 BDI outpatients referred to the Stanford University BD Clinic and assessed with the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder Affective Disorders Evaluation.
BDII vs. BDI outpatients had statistically similar prevalence (51.7% vs. 48.3%), and in multiple ways had more severe illness, having significantly more often lifetime comorbid anxiety (70.8% vs. 58.4%) and personality (15.4% vs. 7.4%) disorders, first-degree relative with mood disorder (62.3% vs. 52.3%), at least 10 prior mood episodes (80.0% vs. 50.9%), current syndromal/subsyndromal depression (52.3% vs. 38.4%), current antidepressant use (47.3% vs. 31.3%), prior year rapid cycling (33.6% vs. 13.4%), childhood onset (26.2% vs. 16.0%), as well as earlier onset age (17.0±8.6 vs. 18.9±8.1 years), longer illness duration (19.0±13.0 vs. 16.1±13.0), and higher current Clinical Global Impression for Bipolar Disorder-Overall Severity (4.1±1.4 vs. 3.7±1.5). However, BDII vs. BDI patients significantly less often had prior psychosis (14.2% vs. 64.2%), psychiatric hospitalization (10.0% vs. 67.9%), and current prescription psychotropic use, (81.5% vs. 93.0%), and had a statistically similar rate of prior suicide attempt (29.5% vs. 32.1%).
American tertiary bipolar disorder clinic referral sample, cross-sectional design.
Further studies are warranted to determine the extent to which BDII, compared to BDI, can be more severe in multiple ways but less severe in a few other ways, and contributors to occurrence of more severe forms of BDII.
Further studies are warranted to determine the extent to which BDII, compared to BDI, can be more severe in multiple ways but less severe in a few other ways, and contributors to occurrence of more severe forms of BDII.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Several neuroimaging studies have explored alterations of brain function in OCD patients as they performed tasks after CBT. However, the effects of CBT on the neural activityin OCD during rest remain unknown. Therefore, we investigated changes in regional homogeneity (ReHo) in OCD patients before and after CBT.
Twenty-two OCD patients and 22 well-matched healthy controls participated in the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. We compared differences in ReHo between the OCD and control groups before treatment and investigated the changes of ReHo in 17 OCD patients who responded to CBT.
Compared to healthy controls, OCD patients exhibited higher ReHo in the right orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), bilateral middle frontal cortex, right precuneus, left cerebellum, and vermis, as well as lower ReHo in the bilateral caudate, right calcarine, right posterior cingulate cortex, and right middle temporal cortex. Along with the clinical improvement in OCD patients after CBT, we found decreased ReHo in the right OFC, bilateral middle frontal cortex, left cerebellum and vermis, and increased ReHo in the left caudate. Improvement of OCD symptoms was significantly correlated with the changed ReHo in the right OFC and left cerebellum.
Although these findings are preliminary and need to be replicated in larger samples, they indicate the presence of abnormal spontaneous brain activity of the prefrontal-striatal-cerebellar circuit in OCD patients, and provide evidence that CBT can selectively modulate the spontaneous brain activity of this circuit in OCD patients.
Although these findings are preliminary and need to be replicated in larger samples, they indicate the presence of abnormal spontaneous brain activity of the prefrontal-striatal-cerebellar circuit in OCD patients, and provide evidence that CBT can selectively modulate the spontaneous brain activity of this circuit in OCD patients.The complexity of water distribution networks raises challenges in managing, monitoring and understanding their behavior. This article proposes a novel methodology applying data clustering to the results of hydraulic simulation to define quality zones, i.e. zones with the same dynamic water origin. The methodology is presented on an existing Water Distribution Network; a large dataset of conductivity measurements measured by 32 probes validates the definition of the quality zones. The results show how quality zones help better understanding the network operation and how they can be used to analyze water quality events. Moreover, a statistical comparison with 158,230 conductivity measurements validates the definition of the quality zones.Regulating recreational water exposure to pathogens within the tropics is a major public health and economic concern. Although numerous epidemiological studies estimating the risk to recreational marine water exposure have been conducted since the 1950s, few studies have been done in the tropics. Furthermore, many have suggested that the use of fecal indicator bacteria for monitoring recreational water quality in temperate regions is not appropriate in the tropics. We analyzed a large cohort study of five beaches in Sao Paulo, Brazil, conducted during consecutive weekends in the summer of 1999 that estimated risk to water, sand, and food exposures. Enterococci and Escherichia coli concentrations were measured each day of the study. Elevated risks were estimated for both swimming (OR = 1.36 95% CI 1.05-1.58) and sand contact (OR = 1.29 95% CI 1.05-1.58). A 1 log increase in enterococci concentration was associated with an 11% increase in risk (OR = 1.11 95% CI 1.04-1.19). For E. coli a 1-log increase in concentration was associated with 19% increase in risk (OR = 1.19 95% CI 1.14-1.28). Most countries with beaches in the tropics are lower or middle income countries (LMIC) and rely on tourism as a major source of income. We present data that suggests fecal indicator bacteria such as enterococci are an appropriate indicator of risk in tropical urban settings where contamination is coming from predominantly human sources. Additional studies in tropical settings could help inform and refine guidelines for safe use of recreational waters.When ozonation is employed in advanced water treatment plants to produce drinking water, dissolved organic matter reacts with ozone (O3) and/or hydroxyl radicals (OH) affecting disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation with subsequently used chlorine-based disinfectants. This study presents the effects of varying exposures of O3 and •OH on DBP concentrations and their associated toxicity generated after subsequent chlorination. DBP formation potential tests and in vitro bioassays were conducted after batch ozonation experiments of coagulated surface water with and without addition of tertiary butanol (t-BuOH, 10 mM) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, 1 mg/mg O3), and at different pH (6-8) and transferred ozone doses (0-1 mg/mg TOC). Although ozonation led to a 24-37% decrease in formation of total trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, haloacetonitriles, and trihaloacetamides, an increase in formation of total trihalonitromethanes, chloral hydrate, and haloketones was observed. This effect however was less pronounced for samples ozonated at conditions favoring molecular ozone (e.g., pH 6 and in the presence of t-BuOH) over •OH reactions (e.g., pH 8 and in the presence of H2O2). Compared to ozonation only, addition of H2O2 consistently enhanced formation of all DBP groups (20-61%) except trihalonitromethanes. This proves that •OH-transformed organic matter is more susceptible to halogen incorporation. Analogously, adsorbable organic halogen (AOX) concentrations increased under conditions that favor •OH reactions. The ratio of unknown to known AOX, however, was greater at conditions that promote direct O3 reactions. Although significant correlation was found between AOX and genotoxicity with the p53 bioassay, toxicity tests using 4 in vitro bioassays showed relatively low absolute differences between various ozonation conditions.