Hepatic steatosis is a disorder with high prevalence among obese people. Traditional imaging modalities are more common in hepatic steatosis diagnosis, but they are not suitable for monitoring or treatment evaluation. This study aims at developing a new technique suitable for electromagnetic (EM) tool in the microwave band to differentiate steatotic from nonsteatotic liver. A differential permittivity estimation method for hepatic steatosis detection is proposed. First, the effective permittivity of the right side of the torso is estimated based on the phase difference of EM waves traveling along symmetric paths within the torso. Then, permittivity modeling and statistical frequency selection are performed to model the estimated values and to extract reliable frequency samples. Finally, the percentage of the difference between the permittivity of the left and right sides of the torso is calculated over the selected samples. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated using simulated signals and phantom measurements. The analyzed results reveal higher contrast between the average permittivity of the left and right sides of the torso for cases with hepatic steatosis (average contrast of 29.2%) compared to those with healthy liver (average contrast of 7.9%). The proposed method can differentiate between steatotic and nonsteatotic liver. It is suitable for clinical applications due to its robustness to unwanted noise and interferences, as well as errors in placement of sensors. The results verify the potential of EM devices, which could overcome shortcomings of traditional imaging techniques by being safe, cost-effective, and portable.

Background: Diabetes mellitus rates continue to rise, which coupled with increasing costs of associated complications has appreciably increased global expenditure in recent years. The risk of complications are enhanced by poor glycaemic control including hypoglycaemia. Long-acting insulin analogues were developed to reduce hypoglycaemia and improve adherence. Their considerably higher costs though have impacted their funding and use. Biosimilars can help reduce medicine costs. However, their introduction has been affected by a number of factors. These include the originator company dropping its price as well as promoting patented higher strength 300 IU/ml insulin glargine. There can also be concerns with different devices between the manufacturers. Objective: To assess current utilisation rates for insulins, especially long-acting insulin analogues, and the rationale for patterns seen, across multiple countries to inform strategies to enhance future utilisation of long-acting insulin analogue biosimilars to benefit all key stakeholders. Our approach: Multiple approaches including assessing the utilisation, expenditure and prices of insulins, including biosimilar insulin glargine, across multiple continents and countries. Results: There was considerable variation in the use of long-acting insulin analogues as a percentage of all insulins prescribed and dispensed across countries and continents. This ranged from limited use of long-acting insulin analogues among African countries compared to routine funding and use across Europe in view of their perceived benefits. Increasing use was also seen among Asian countries including Bangladesh and India for similar reasons. However, concerns with costs and value limited their use across Africa, Brazil and Pakistan. There was though limited use of biosimilar insulin glargine 100 IU/ml compared with other recent biosimilars especially among European countries and Korea. This was principally driven by small price differences in reality between the originator and biosimilars coupled with increasing use of the patented 300 IU/ml formulation. A number of activities were identified to enhance future biosimilar use. These included only reimbursing biosimilar long-acting insulin analogues, introducing prescribing targets and increasing competition among manufacturers including stimulating local production. Conclusions: There are concerns with the availability and use of insulin glargine biosimilars despite lower costs. This can be addressed by multiple activities.

Abstract We characterize colour-preserving automorphism vertex transitivity and vertex transitivity of the Cayley graphs of all semigroups in a class of pseudo-unitary homogeneous semigroups.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a gut‐brain disorder in which symptoms are shaped by serotonin acting centrally and peripherally. The serotonin transporter gene SLC6A4 has been implicated in IBS pathophysiology, but the underlying genetic mechanisms remain unclear. We sequenced the alternative P2 promoter driving intestinal SLC6A4 expression and identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were associated with IBS in a discovery sample. Identified SNPs built different haplotypes, and the tagging SNP rs2020938 seems to associate with constipation‐predominant IBS (IBS‐C) in females. rs2020938 validation was performed in 1978 additional IBS patients and 6,038 controls from eight countries. Meta‐analysis on data from 2,175 IBS patients and 6,128 controls confirmed the association with female IBS‐C. Expression analyses revealed that the P2 promoter drives SLC6A4 expression primarily in the small intestine. Gene reporter assays showed a functional impact of SNPs in the P2 region. In silico analysis of the polymorphic promoter indicated differential expression regulation. Further follow‐up revealed that the major allele of the tagging SNP rs2020938 correlates with differential SLC6A4 expression in the jejunum and with stool consistency, indicating functional relevance. Our data consolidate rs2020938 as a functional SNP associated with IBS‐C risk in females, underlining the relevance of SLC6A4 in IBS pathogenesis.

Both essential and heavy metals play important roles in human health and diseases. The aim of the present study was to determinate concentrations of essential and heavy metals, such as Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Fe, Pb, Zn, and Cd, in the leaves of Mentha longifolia L. and Mentha × piperita L. The plant material samples were collected from six different locations in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), at selected distances from heavy metal pollution sources. Wet digestion was applied for the dissolution of samples and essential and heavy metals concentrations were analysed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry and (FAAS). Results of the analysis (expressed as mg g–1) were obtained as follows: Na 2.08–4.12; K 14.85–22.54; Ca 9.06–15.53; Mg 1.93–3.12; Cu 0.01–0.05; Cr 0.70–0.90; Mn 0.02–0.09; Ni 1.10–7.00; Fe 0.06–1.11; Pb 0.10–0.90; Zn 0.01–0.04. The cadmium concentration in all samples was below the detection limit by FAAS. Strong correlation between Ni and Pb, as well as Ni and Fe, confirmed mostly environmental and processing influence/impact. In conclusion, Mentha longifolia L. and Mentha × piperita L. can be used in daily consumption considering the high content of essential metals Fe, Cu, Mg, and Zn, and their beneficial effects on normal body function. In addition, there is no risk of heavy metals to human health after consuming these samples due to lower concentrations.