Advances in developed and developing countries are more attributable to growth in industrial activities that directly impact increasing energy demand. Energy availability has been inconsistent globally, necessitating energy storage (ES) for use as per requirement. Various energy storage technologies (ESTs) are available in mechanical, electrochemical, electrical, chemical, and thermal forms to fulfil the energy demand of a user as and when required. The factors responsible for making a commercially viable energy storage product are further being researched for an eco-friendly and optimal solution to store energy for a longer duration. Researchers are employing different strategies to evaluate the energy efficiency of storage technologies. This paper uses the VIKOR technique to analyze ESTs while assigning objective weights with the entropy weights method based on identified energy performance indicators and ranking them according to their commercialization viability. The method helps a consumer choose better ESTs as per their requirement while manufacturers compete with each other to enhance the commercial value of their energy storage products. Sensitivity analysis has been performed to understand the uncertainties, pros, and cons with the limitations and scope of using the decision model and thus taking an informed decision. The analysis of different energy storage technologies has indicated Hydrogen Fuel Cells (HFC) to be impressive and promising for the future.

Background The ADAMTS7 locus was genome-wide significantly associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). Lack of the extracellular matrix (ECM) protease ADAMTS-7 was shown to reduce atherosclerotic plaque formation. Objective To identify molecular mechanisms and downstream targets of ADAMTS-7 mediating risk of atherosclerosis. Methods Targets of ADAMTS-7 were identified by high-resolution mass spectrometry of atherosclerotic plaques from Apoe-/- and Apoe-/-Adamts7-/- mice. ECM proteins were identified using solubility profiling. Putative targets were validated using immunofluorescence, in vitro degradation assays, co-immunoprecipitation, and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based protein-protein interaction assays. ADAMTS7 expression was measured in fibrous caps of human carotid artery plaques. Results In humans, ADAMTS7 expression was higher in caps of unstable as compared to stable carotid plaques. Compared to Apoe-/- mice, atherosclerotic aortas of Apoe-/- mice lacking Adamts-7 (Apoe-/-Adamts7-/-) contained higher protein levels of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteases 1 (Timp-1). In co-immunoprecipitation experiments, the catalytic domain of ADAMTS-7 bound to TIMP-1, which was degraded in the presence of ADAMTS-7 in vitro. ADAMTS-7 reduced the inhibitory capacity of TIMP-1 at its canonical target matrix metalloprotease 9 (MMP-9) As a downstream mechanism, we investigated collagen content in plaques of Apoe-/- and Apoe-/-Adamts7-/- mice after Western diet. Picrosirius red staining of the aortic root revealed less collagen as a readout of higher MMP-9 activity in Apoe-/- as compared to Apoe-/- Adamts7-/- mice. In order to facilitate high-throughput screening for ADAMTS-7 inhibitors with the aim to decrease TIMP-1 degradation, we designed a FRET-based assay targeting the ADAMTS-7 catalytic site. Conclusion ADAMTS-7, which is induced in unstable atherosclerotic plaques, decreases TIMP-1 stability reducing its inhibitory effect on MMP-9, which is known to promote collagen degradation and is likewise genome-wide significantly associated with CAD. Disrupting the interaction of ADAMTS-7 and TIMP-1 might be a strategy to increase collagen content and plaque stability for reduction of atherosclerosis-related events.

Abstract Aims Long-term, placebo-controlled cholesterol-lowering trials have demonstrated legacy effects (clinical benefits that persist or emerge after trial end). It is unknown whether legacy effects follow a short period of very low low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels achieved with statin plus proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor. Methods and results In 18 924 patients with recent acute coronary syndrome, the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial compared the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab with placebo, each added to high-intensity or maximum-tolerated statin therapy. Patients with two consecutive LDL-C levels <0.39 mmol/L (15 mg/dL) on alirocumab had blinded placebo substitution for the remainder of the trial with continued statin treatment. In post hoc analyses, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in these patients were compared to MACE in propensity score–matched patients from the placebo group with similar baseline characteristics and study medication adherence. In the alirocumab group, 730 patients had blinded placebo substitution at a median of 8.3 months from randomization, after a median of 6.0 months with LDL-C <0.39 mmol/L. They were matched to 1460 placebo patients. Both groups had lower baseline LDL-C and lipoprotein(a) and better study medication adherence than those of the overall cohort. Over a median follow-up of 2.8 years, MACE occurred in 47 (6.4%) alirocumab patients with limited-duration, very low achieved LDL-C vs. 122 (8.4%) matched placebo patients (treatment hazard ratio 0.72; 95% confidence interval 0.51, 0.997; P = 0.047). Conclusion A short period of LDL-C levels <0.39 mmol/L achieved with statin and alirocumab, followed by statin monotherapy, was associated with a lower risk of MACE than statin monotherapy throughout the observation period. Clinical benefit persisted for several years. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01663402

Air pollution is a major problem for the environment and human health. As a component of the environment (the Earth’s sphere), air, that is, the atmosphere, represents the basis of life on Earth. The composition of the air is mostly unchanged, except in the case of air pollution, which represents one of the significant environmental problems of modern times. In the past, pollution was caused by natural sources, while today the source of pollution is mostly of an anthropogenic character. Air pollution with basic and specific pollutants is present, especially in the areas of larger and industrial cities. The sources of pollutants in the air are numerous, and pollutants are found in all places where people live. In addition to air pollution of ambient air, it is also necessary to point out air pollution in closed spaces, especially work environments. Areas of increased pollution, with high concentrations of pollution, can have a negative impact on the population and lead to unwanted health problems. In recent decades, the high level of air pollution has been particularly pronounced, both at the global level and in the Republic of Srpska. Air pollution requires the involvement of society as a whole in solving this problem. The proposed revision of the Ambient Air Quality Directive will set interim European Union (EU) air quality standards for 2030, more closely aligned with World Health Organization guidelines, while putting the EU on a path to achieve zero air pollution by 2050 at the latest in synergy with climate and climate neutrality. The aforementioned Directive has significant improvements, but it will not completely solve the problem of air pollution or reduce to a greater extent the consequences of air pollution on the health of citizens. Air pollution cannot be solved quickly. The implementation of the new revised directive will be a challenge for the EU, and when all provisions of the directive are transposed into the national legislation of the Republic of Srpska, the application of all provisions will be very demanding and complex, with a number of problems in its application.

Introduction: Since 1956 karyotype analysis becomes an essential part of routine medical diagnostics, and helped medical professionals investigate the origin of genetic abnormalities in many constitutional and cancer diseases. Karyotyping also provided more information in the monitoring of fertility problems. An inversion does not usually have a phenotypic effect, especially if it involves a heterochromatin area, such as 9qh. Chromosome 9 polymorphism, with breakpoints p11q13/p12q13, can be the cause of variant abnormal clinical conditions such as congenital abnormalities, hematological diseasesand also could have a connection with pregnancy loss and fertility failure. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 1784 cytogenetics examination results from peripheral blood samples in the period from January, 2012 to December, 2022. The patients, carriers inv(9) in their karyotype were highlighted for detailed analysis. Results: Among the 1784 patients, constitutional pericentric inversion inv(9)(p11q13) was found in 13 females (0,72%), while it was seen in 17 cases of males (0.95%). The total average amount of inv (9) in this study is 1.68%. The inv(9) population consists of 60% cases with infertility problems, 6,66% females who had spontaneous abortus and 33,33% were patientsreferred to our laboratory for other reasons. Conclusion: In this research, the prevalence of inv (9) in the population of patients of Northeast Bosnia and Herzegovina who had the reproductive failure is shown. We believe that these results will help in finding the key to the truth about the association of this chromosome polymorphism with some pathological conditions such as fertility problems.

Purpose. To select recommendations on the use of physical culture means for students of future teachers, it is necessary to identify their functional features and genetically determined properties of the nervous system. Purpose: to reveal the relationship between the performance of the nervous system, orthostatic test and professional specialization of students of pedagogical universities. Material and methods. Students from 9 different faculties of Ukraine's leading pedagogical institute took part in the study. The total number of subjects was 841 people. Soon the reactions were determined by the program "Psychodiagnostics". Orthostatic reactions were determined by the results of heart rate in the supine position and in the standing position. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed using Duncan's method to determine the influence of teaching faculty on test performance. A correlation analysis of testing indicators and ranks of faculties was carried out using the Tau-b Kendall method. Results. Students of all experimental faculties were divided into 4 groups according to the number of errors in the choice reaction test based on the results of variance analysis (Duncan method). Faculties were divided into ranks from the first to the fourth. A significant negative correlation of the rank of the faculty according to the indicator of the strength and speed of nervous processes with the heart rate in the standing position (p<0.05) and the difference between the heart rate in the standing and lying positions (p<0.01) was revealed. Conclusions. Physical exercises should be applied according to the professional characteristics and personal inclinations of the students, who were divided into 4 groups according to the indicators of reaction speed and orthostatic test. For students of the faculties of primary education and preschool education (1st group), we recommend using mobile and sports games. For students of humanities and natural sciences faculties (2nd group), any physical exercises that require an average manifestation of all physical qualities are suitable: dances, gymnastics, sports games, martial arts. Students of the Faculty of Arts (3rd group) are suitable for physical exercises that require high concentration of attention for a long time, for example, cyclical exercises. We recommend that students of the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports (4th group) continue to improve in their chosen sport, while also studying other sports.

Recent studies have shown that people who are immunocompromised may inadvertently play a role in spurring the mutations of the virus that create new variants. This is because some immunocompromised individuals remain at risk of getting COVID-19 despite vaccination, experience more severe disease, are susceptible to being chronically infected and remain contagious for longer if they become infected and considering that immunocompromised individuals represent approximately 2% of the overall population, this aspect should be carefully considered. So far, some autoimmune rheumatic disease (ARD) patients with COVID-19 have been treated with antiviral therapies or anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody products. However, there is no homogeneous approach to these treatment strategies. This issue was addressed within the European Reference Network (ERN) on Rare and Complex Connective Tissue and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ReCONNET) in a discussion among experts and patient's representatives in the context of the rare and complex connective tissue diseases (rCTDs) covered by the Network. ERN ReCONNET is one of the 24 ERNs launched by the European Commission in 2017 with the aim of tackling low prevalence and rare diseases that require highly specialised treatment and promoting concentration of knowledge and resources through virtual networks involving healthcare providers (HCPs) across the European Union (EU). Considering the urgent need to provide guidance not only to the rCTDs community, but also to the whole ARDs community, a multidisciplinary Task Force, including expert clinicians and European Patient Advocacy Group (ePAG) Advocates, was created in the framework of ERN ReCONNET with the aim of developing overarching principles (OP) and points-to-consider (PtC) on a homogenous approach to treat immunocompromised patients with ARDs (with a particular focus on CTDs) affected by COVID-19 using antiviral therapies and anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody products. The present work reports the final OP and PtC agreed by the Task Force.

Copper (II) complexes with commercial antibiotics, amoxicillin (AMX), azithromycin (AZT) and ciprofloxacin (CFL) were synthesized and isolated as solids. Structures of the isolated products were determined by FTIR spectroscopy. Antibacterial activities were determined on reference bacterial strains from the ATCC collection by diffusion technique. The results show that AMX and CFL coordinate Cu (II) ion as bidentate O-donor ligand. AZT coordinates metal center as bidentate NO-donor ligand. A difference in the morphology of antibiotic crystals and the synthesized complexes was found. Complex of Cu (AMX)2 show complete absence of antibacterial activity, while the other com-plexes show the same or even lower activity than the parent ligands.  

Devido à falha dos protocolos de biossegurança nas cooperativas de reciclagem, os separadores de resíduos se expõem a agentes biológicos, como vírus, fungos e bactérias, tornando-se mais susceptíveis a infecções por estes agentes. Este estudo objetivou estudar o risco biológico ao qual estão expostos os cooperados na atividade de triagem/separação dos resíduos recicláveis, avaliando o uso de equipamentos de proteção individual e a ocorrência de acidentes e da prática da higienização das mãos. Para isso, realizou-se um estudo descritivo quantitativo no Estado de Alagoas, nas Cooperativas de Reciclagem de Resíduos COOPREL e COOPLUM. A ocorrência de microrganismos, provenientes do manuseio dos resíduos foi investigada através da coleta de material das mãos dos cooperados, com auxílio de swab, antes e após do processo de higienização habitual, seguida da orientada. O material coletado foi transportado e analisado quanto à presença de bactérias aeróbias e anaeróbias, bolores e leveduras. Após o cultivo e análise microbiológica, verificou-se a presença de microrganismos da família Enterobacreriaceae, bolores e leveduras. Entretanto, a coleta realizada após a higienização orientada houve significativa redução do número de bactérias em 88%; em relação à amostra inicial da coleta antes ou depois da higienizaçao habitual. Referente à presença de bolores e leveduras observou-se uma redução de 37,50%. Logo, este estudo identificou que 54% dos cooperados sofreram acidentes com material perfurocortante nos últimos doze meses, e identificou bactérias da família Enterobacteriaceae nas mãos dos cooperados (56,41%), refletindo além do risco biológico, a exacerbação do risco social representado pelas precárias condições de trabalho.

Background Computational signal preprocessing is a prerequisite for developing data-driven predictive models for clinical decision support. Thus, identifying the best practices that adhere to clinical principles is critical to ensure transparency and reproducibility to drive clinical adoption. It further fosters reproducible, ethical, and reliable conduct of studies. This procedure is also crucial for setting up a software quality management system to ensure regulatory compliance in developing software as a medical device aimed at early preclinical detection of clinical deterioration. Objective This scoping review focuses on the neonatal intensive care unit setting and summarizes the state-of-the-art computational methods used for preprocessing neonatal clinical physiological signals; these signals are used for the development of machine learning models to predict the risk of adverse outcomes. Methods Five databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, IEEE, and ACM Digital Library) were searched using a combination of keywords and MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) terms. A total of 3585 papers from 2013 to January 2023 were identified based on the defined search terms and inclusion criteria. After removing duplicates, 2994 (83.51%) papers were screened by title and abstract, and 81 (0.03%) were selected for full-text review. Of these, 52 (64%) were eligible for inclusion in the detailed analysis. Results Of the 52 articles reviewed, 24 (46%) studies focused on diagnostic models, while the remainder (n=28, 54%) focused on prognostic models. The analysis conducted in these studies involved various physiological signals, with electrocardiograms being the most prevalent. Different programming languages were used, with MATLAB and Python being notable. The monitoring and capturing of physiological data used diverse systems, impacting data quality and introducing study heterogeneity. Outcomes of interest included sepsis, apnea, bradycardia, mortality, necrotizing enterocolitis, and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, with some studies analyzing combinations of adverse outcomes. We found a partial or complete lack of transparency in reporting the setting and the methods used for signal preprocessing. This includes reporting methods to handle missing data, segment size for considered analysis, and details regarding the modification of the state-of-the-art methods for physiological signal processing to align with the clinical principles for neonates. Only 7 (13%) of the 52 reviewed studies reported all the recommended preprocessing steps, which could have impacts on the downstream analysis. Conclusions The review found heterogeneity in the techniques used and inconsistent reporting of parameters and procedures used for preprocessing neonatal physiological signals, which is necessary to confirm adherence to clinical and software quality management system practices, usefulness, and choice of best practices. Enhancing transparency in reporting and standardizing procedures will boost study interpretation and reproducibility and expedite clinical adoption, instilling confidence in the research findings and streamlining the translation of research outcomes into clinical practice, ultimately contributing to the advancement of neonatal care and patient outcomes.

Objectives Dental caries first occurs within primary dentition in toddlers and preschool children, in a form of early childhood caries (ECC). In every day’s busy and employment burdened parenting, caretakers and institutions have become important even more nowadays, not only for forming child general behavior and character, but also for maintenance of their general and oral health as well. Aims To evaluate the presence and severity of ECC in children who attended public kindergartens in Sarajevo, and to offer basic information for the maintenance and improvement of child oral health to their parents and kindergarten teachers. Methods The study included 1722 preschool children aged 3-6 years who attended kindergartens within Sarajevo public kindergarten institution, together with their parents and kindergarten teachers. Dental team members gradually visited all kindergartens situated in four Sarajevo city municipalities and examined kindergarten children according to the WHO Oral Health Survey Manual. Oral health promotion material for parents and kindergarten teachers was also distributed simultaneously during sequential visits. Results ECC was present in preschool kindergarten children in Sarajevo, with its high prevalence (67.71%); dmft-value (3.97) and severity (SiC index 8.79). There was also a significant lack of dental healthcare to examined children mostly related to lack of visiting dental offices by children’s parents (CI=10.55%, RI=10.80%, TI=12.98%). Conclusion Parental role in preserving and improving of their children oral health should be systematically and profoundly improved. Kindergarten officials and staff should recognize the importance of anticariogenic diet menus and oral hygiene maintenance within their institutions.