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INDIGENOUS ethnic identity, CREATIVE ability, POSTHUMANISM, and ARTIFICIAL intelligence

With the emergence of Western posthuman understandings, new materialism, artificial intelligence (AI), and the growing acknowledgment of Indigenous epistemologies, an ongoing rethinking of existing assumptions and meanings about creativity is needed. The intersection of new technologies and philosophical stances that upend human-centered views of reality suggests that creativity is not an exclusively "human" activity. This opens new possibilities and assemblages for conceiving of creativity, but not without tensions. In this article, we connect multiple threads, to reimagine creativity in light of posthuman understandings and the possibilities for creative emergence beyond the Anthropocene. Creativity is implicated as emerging beyond non-human spaces, such as through digitality and AI or sources in the natural world. This unseats many understandings of creativity as positioned in Euro-Western literature. We offer four areas of concern for interrogating tensions in this area, aiming to open new possibilities for practice, research, and (re)conceptualization beyond Western understandings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GRIZZLY bear, CITIZEN science, BEST practices, and FINANCIAL stress

Simple Summary: Citizen science offers an excellent opportunity to engage the public in scientific data collection, educational opportunities, and applied management. However, the practicalities of developing a citizen science program, from generating ideas to developing tools, implementing programming, and evaluating outcomes, are complex and challenging. To address challenges and provide a foundation for practitioners, scientists, and the public, the Government of Alberta developed a set of citizen science principles. Here, we use these principles as an evaluative framework to assess the outcomes of the GrizzTracker program, which was developed to help inform provincial species-at-risk recovery efforts. While the program experienced some successes, we identified challenges, including skepticism from the scientific community about the utility of citizen science and a lack of program leadership, staff capacity, and funding needs for long-term implementation. Reflecting on the principles, we provide policy recommendations that future citizen science programs can consider. Citizen science offers an excellent opportunity to engage the public in scientific data collection, educational opportunities, and applied management. However, the practicalities of developing and implementing citizen science programming are often more complex than considered. Some challenges to effective citizen science include scientists' skepticism about the ability of public participants to rigorously collect quality data; a lack of clarity on or confidence in the utility of data; scientists' hesitancy in engaging the public in projects; limited financial commitments; and challenges associated with the temporal and geographic scales of projects. To address these challenges, and provide a foundation upon which practitioners, scientists, and the public can credibly engage in citizen science, the Government of Alberta developed a set of citizen science principles. These principles offer a framework for planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating citizen science projects that extend beyond Alberta. Here, we present a case study using these principles to evaluate GrizzTracker, a citizen science program developed to help inform provincial species-at-risk recovery efforts. While we found that GrizzTracker applied each of the six principles in some way, including successful public engagement, strengthened relationships, and raising public awareness about northwest Alberta's grizzly bears, we also identified a number of challenges. These included ongoing skepticism from the traditional scientific community about the utility of citizen science and governance challenges related to program leadership, staff capacity, and funding. By using the principles as a guideline, we provide policy recommendations for future citizen science efforts, including considerations for program design, implementation, and evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MYOFIBROBLASTS, FIBROBLASTS, EXTRACELLULAR matrix proteins, HEPATIC fibrosis, PULMONARY fibrosis, METABOLIC regulation, and GLUTAMINE synthetase

Fibrosis is an energy-intensive process requiring the activation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts, resulting in the increased synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins. Little is known about the transcriptional control of energy metabolism in cardiac fibroblast activation, but glutaminolysis has been implicated in liver and lung fibrosis. Here we explored how pro-fibrotic TGFβ and its effector scleraxis, which drive cardiac fibroblast activation, regulate genes involved in glutaminolysis, particularly the rate-limiting enzyme glutaminase (GLS1). The GLS1 inhibitor CB-839 attenuated TGFβ-induced fibroblast activation. Cardiac fibroblast activation to myofibroblasts by scleraxis overexpression increased glutaminolysis gene expression, including GLS1, while cardiac fibroblasts from scleraxis-null mice showed reduced expression. TGFβ induced GLS1 expression and increased intracellular glutamine and glutamate levels, indicative of increased glutaminolysis, but in scleraxis knockout cells, these measures were attenuated, and the response to TGFβ was lost. The knockdown of scleraxis in activated cardiac fibroblasts reduced GLS1 expression by 75%. Scleraxis transactivated the human GLS1 promoter in luciferase reporter assays, and this effect was dependent on a key scleraxis-binding E-box motif. These results implicate scleraxis-mediated GLS1 expression as a key regulator of glutaminolysis in cardiac fibroblast activation, and blocking scleraxis in this process may provide a means of starving fibroblasts of the energy required for fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Public acceptance of governmental measures are key to controlling the spread of infectious diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a significant burden on healthcare systems for high-income countries as well as low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The ability of LMICs to respond to the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic has been limited and may have affected the impact of governmental strategies to control the spread of COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate and compare public opinion on the governmental COVID-19 response of high and LMICs in the Middle East and benchmark it to international countries. Methods: An online, self-administered questionnaire was distributed among different Middle Eastern Arab countries. Participants' demographics and level of satisfaction with governmental responses to COVID-19 were analyzed and reported. Scores were benchmarked against 19 international values. Results: A total of 7395 responses were included. Bahrain scored highest for satisfaction with the governmental response with 38.29 ± 2.93 on a scale of 40, followed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (37.13 ± 3.27), United Arab Emirates (36.56 ± 3.44), Kuwait (35.74 ± 4.85), Jordan (23.08 ± 6.41), and Lebanon (15.39 ± 5.28). Participants' country of residence was a significant predictor of the satisfaction score (P < 0.001), and participants who suffered income reduction due to the pandemic, had a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and held higher educational degrees had significantly lower satisfaction scores (P < 0.001). When benchmarked with other international publics, countries from the Gulf Cooperation Council had the highest satisfaction level, Jordan had an average score, and Lebanon had one of the lowest satisfaction scores. Conclusion: The political crisis in Lebanon merged with the existing corruption were associated with the lowest public satisfaction score whereas the economical instability of Jordan placed the country just before the lowest position. On the other hand, the solid economy plus good planning and public trust in the government placed the other countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council on top of the scale. Further investigation is necessary to find out how the governments of other low-income countries may have handled the situation wisely and gained the trust of their publics. This may help convey a clearer picture to Arab governments that have suffered during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a rare condition caused by autoantibodies against acetylcholine receptors on postsynaptic membrane that leads to weakness of skeletal muscles. About 7 of 10 patients with MG have thymic hyperplasia and about 1 of 10 patients have thymoma. Thymectomy has increasingly been used as a treatment modality for MG. Several observational studies have shown that thymectomy results in improvement in MG and a randomized trial has established that thymectomy leads to a better outcome in non-thymomatous generalized MG. However, thymectomy is yet controversial in some disease subtypes and there are potential concerns regarding the selection of the ideal surgical approach to achieve complete removal of the thymic tissue to achieve stable remission rates. This review highlights the role of thymectomy in non-thymomatous and thymomatous MG, the effectiveness of various thymectomy methods, postoperative myasthenic crisis, and remission after thymectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MINDFULNESS, CREATIVE ability, PSYCHOLOGICAL well-being, DIVERGENT thinking, and CREATIVE thinking

Implementing Mindfulness Practices in Schools When it comes to implementing mindfulness practices in schools, Dr. Capurso believes that people should understand the I reasons i for implementing mindfulness practices in any school setting. Dr. Capurso says that when you really stop and observe your mind, you are able to see that your thoughts are not real, "Your thoughts are not solid, they are something that have been created by your mind. Thus, Dr. Capurso notes that mind-wandering and mindfulness are not necessarily antithetical to each other, as long as there is an active state of non-judgmental awareness while the mind is wandering, allowing us to notice and follow our creative wanderings and ideas. Dr. Capurso emphasized that an important point about mindfulness meditation is the mental shift away from our common mental habit of judging without noticing, to move toward its exact opposite - noticing without judging, thus creating a form of curious attention (Capurso et al., [4]). [Extracted from the article]

ISLAM, MULTIPLE regression analysis, MENTAL health, SOCIAL stigma, CONCEPTUAL structures, HEALTH literacy, HEALTH attitudes, PSYCHOLOGY of women, QUESTIONNAIRES, DESCRIPTIVE statistics, and MENTAL health services

Background: The underutilization of mental health services is a recognized problem for the growing number of Muslims living in the West. Despite their unique mental health risk factors and the pivotal role they play in determining mental health discourse in their families and in society, Muslim women in particular have not received sufficient study. Aim: To help remedy this research gap, we examined factors that may impact the rejection attitudes of Muslim women toward professional mental health care using the first psychometrically validated scale of its kind; the M-PAMH (Muslims' Perceptions and Attitudes to Mental Health). Methods: A total of 1,222 Muslim women responded to questions about their cultural and religious beliefs about mental health, stigma associated with mental health, and familiarity with formal mental health services in an anonymous online survey. Results: Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that higher religious and cultural beliefs, higher societal stigma, and lower familiarity with professional mental health services were associated with greater rejection attitudes toward professional mental healthcare. The final model was statistically significant, F (5, 1,216) = 73.778; p <.001, and explained 23% of the variance in rejection attitudes with stigma accounting for the most (12.3%) variance, followed by cultural and religious mental health beliefs (6%), and familiarity with mental health services (2.7%). Conclusions: Findings suggest that although the examined factors contributed significantly to the model, they may not be sufficient in the explanation of Muslim women's rejection attitudes toward mental health services. Future research may explore additional variables, as well as predictive profiles for Muslim women's perceptions and attitudes of mental health based on a combination of these factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EPIDEMIOLOGY, HYPERTENSION, PUBLIC health, COINCIDENCE, and DATA analysis

Background: Spontaneous simultaneous bilateral basal ganglia hemorrhage (SSBBGH) is an extremely rare condition with only a few published case reports and series. However, there is no systematic review that has been published yet. Objective: The study aims to conduct a systematic review on spontaneous simultaneous bilateral basal ganglion bleeding and a descriptive statistical analysis of collected data on epidemiology, clinical features, etiology, therapeutic approach and prognosis. This review aims to be a clinical reference for busy clinicians when they are faced with such a rare condition. Methodology: This review has been carried out in accordance with recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: Review of 60 cases showed that SSBBGH affected predominantly male patients (70%) with an average age of 50.8 ± 15.33 years and the male-to-female ratio was 2.5:1. The female patients tend to be older with an average age of 54.22 ± 16.67 years. Location of SSBBGHwas more common in the putamen (90% vs 10% non-putaminal). SSBBGH posed a significant mortality rate (33.33%). Among patients who survived, only 40.6% (13/32 report) have had favorable outcomes (mRS ≤ 2) and the remaining 59.4% (19/32) ended up with poor functional status (mRS ≥ 3-5). The most common implicated etiologies were hypertension followed by alcohol intoxication. Conclusion: SSBBGH is a rare clinical entity with significant morbidity and mortality. Systemic approach can lead to early recognition of etiology and prompt treatment. Hypertension and the putamen are the most common etiology and location of SSBBGH, respectively. History of hypertension and age can help narrow differential diagnosis and limit unnecessary testing or intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

REVERSE transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, COVID-19, TASTE disorders, FEVER, CONVALESCENCE, TERTIARY care, RHINITIS, SLEEP disorders, SEX distribution, QUESTIONNAIRES, SMELL disorders, COUGH, POLYMERASE chain reaction, ROUTINE diagnostic tests, and LONGITUDINAL method

Objective: Many studied investigated the manifestations of COVID-19, yet few described the pattern and severity of otolaryngological symptoms. We aim to describe the picture of COVID-19-associated otorhinolaryngological manifestations and recovery to explore individualized treatment, onward referral, and complications prevention. Design: Prospective longitudinal questionnaire-based study. Setting: The online questionnaire was filled 3 times through a remote interview over a period of 1 month from June 2020 to July 2020. Participants: Patients with confirmed COVID-19 by RT-PCR who were clinically stable. Main Outcome Measures: Date of diagnosis, sociodemographic data, and the presence of predictive factors, such as nasal and paranasal disease, anosmia and dysgeusia. Validated tools were used, such as Sino-nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22), smell test (medical academy screening tool), Voice Handicap Index (VHI), and Reflux Symptoms Index (RSI). Result: The questionnaire was sent to 363 patients and the response rate was 70.80% (n = 257). The mean age was 34.58 years (SD = 11.22) and the rate of male participants was 60.7%. The most common otorhinolaryngological symptoms at the time of enrollment was fever (48.6%), whilst the commonest severe symptom was cough (57%). After 1 month, only 11 participants had persistent severe symptoms, especially sleep and psychological symptoms (73%), and the majority were female (63.6%). All of them had at least 1 comorbidity. There was a significant difference between the mean age of participants with severe symptoms (mean = 27.45, SD = 8.39) and without severe symptoms (mean = 34.90, SD = 2.53, t (255) = 2.17, P =.031). Conclusion: COVID-19 has a wide-ranged spectrum of presentations, with otorhinolaryngological symptoms being the commonest and most serious. Studying these symptoms is vital to advance management options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the special issue on democratizing creative educational experiences (CEE), we conducted a thematic analysis of recent scholarship on creativity and decolonization (2010–2021) and analyzed recurring tensions across literature grounded in Indigenous, Black, feminist, and non-western epistemological perspectives on creativity. We found themes that are not new but are yet to be taken up consistently and credibly in western creativity and education research and practice. For instance, spirituality emerges as a valuable ingredient for creativity, body as inseparable from the mind, dialectic resistance and resilience as acts of creative existence, and non-human agency as essential to the creative process. Informed by these themes, we share implications for research and practice, seeking new spaces inclusive of historically ignored onto-epistemologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PHYSICIANS, PHYSICIANS' attitudes, SAUDI Arabians, PHYSICAL therapists, REHABILITATION, VECTION, and SENSORY perception

Objectives. There is compelling scientific evidence about the role of physiotherapists in vestibular rehabilitation. However, patients with vestibular-associated dizziness and balance disturbances are seldom referred to physiotherapists in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study aims to achieve insight into perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, and referral practices among Saudi Arabian medical doctors relating to the role of physiotherapists in vestibular rehabilitation. Methods. A sample of 381 medical doctors practicing in Saudi Arabia participated in this nationwide cross-sectional study. The sample was obtained from 226 hospitals across 13 provinces of Saudi Arabia by stratified sampling method. The 23-item questionnaire developed by a team of experts was emailed to medical doctors practicing in various hospitals across Saudi Arabia. Results. Out of 1,231 medical doctors invited, 381 medical doctors responded, giving a response rate of 30.9%. One hundred ninety-three (50.6%) medical doctors reported managing patients with vestibular rehabilitation. The most preferred specialist for managing patients with vestibular disorders was an Ear Nose Throat (ENT) specialist (n D 173, 89.6%). Related Sample Cochran's Q test showed statistically significant difference between preferred specialist for managing patients with vestibular disorders (ENT specialists, physiotherapists, nurses, occupational therapists and audiologists) (x2(4)D482:476, pD0:001). Out of 193 medical doctors, 153 (79.2%) reported no role of the physiotherapist in vestibular rehabilitation. One hundred forty-five (75.1%) of medical doctors reported that they were not aware of the role of physiotherapists in vestibular rehabilitation. Only 27 (15.5%) medical doctors reported referring patients with vestibular disorders to physiotherapists. Conclusion. The study reports that physiotherapy services are underutilized in vestibular rehabilitation due to limited referral from Saudi Arabian medical doctors. Therefore, there is a need to increase the awareness among Saudi Arabian doctors about the physiotherapist's role in vestibular rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HOMELESS families, MASTERY learning, SERVICE learning, EDUCATIONAL technology, CULTURAL pluralism, SCHOOL children, BEHAVIORAL medicine, and YOUNG adults

Keywords: Creativity; Mindfulness; Educational technology; Schools; Teaching; Wellbeing EN Creativity Mindfulness Educational technology Schools Teaching Wellbeing 125 130 6 03/16/22 20220301 NES 220301 I Mindful and creative, a child who has neither a past, nor examples to follow, nor value judgments, simply lives, speaks and plays in freedom. Many teachers reported that they found the synchronous instructor-supported time to be beneficial to them in reinforcing their asynchronous learning; particularly, when mindfulness instructors helped to troubleshoot and assist teachers in adapting the practice in ways that were individually meaningful to them. Teachers have adapted this philosophy to teaching mindfulness to their own students and reported that they enjoy the creative adaptations to mindfulness practice in virtual settings. Teacher interviews have so far shown that mindfulness practice has lowered their levels of stress and raised levels of individual wellbeing, with increased effectiveness in communication, ability to regulate emotions, detach from negative thinking and enhanced levels of compassion, for themselves and their students. [Extracted from the article]

SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, SYMPTOMS, and CORONAVIRUS diseases

Copyright of Saudi Medical Journal is the property of Saudi Medical Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

ENVIRONMENTAL exposure, FIRE fighters, SINUSITIS, ALLERGIC rhinitis, and DATABASE searching

Copyright of Saudi Medical Journal is the property of Saudi Medical Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

HOSPITAL admission & discharge, PERINATAL period, NUMERIC databases, NEWBORN infants, and HEMORRHAGIC diseases

Purpose: To analyze trends of conditions originating in the perinatal period (COPP) in England and Wales between 1999 and 2020. Patients and methods: An ecological study of COPP was conducted using hospital admission data from April 1999 to March 2020 from the Hospital Episode Statistics database in England and the Patient Episode Database for Wales. Results: The overall hospital admission rates increased by 41.6%, from 1913 per 100,000 persons (95% CI: 1905– 1922) in 1999 to 2709 (95% CI: 2700– 2719) in 2020 (trend test p< 0.001). The most common causes for neonatal admissions were disorders related to the length of gestation and fetal growth, respiratory and cardiovascular disorders specific to the perinatal period, and hemorrhagic and hematological disorders of newborns (28.8%, 27.3%, and 15.2%, respectively). Although the admission rates increased for both males and females (by 33.1% and 35.1%, respectively), hospital admission rates for all causes were higher among males compared to females (p< 0.05). Conclusion: COPP-related hospital admissions rate in England and Wales increased significantly over the past 21 years. Notably, the proportion of COPP-related hospital admissions of males was higher than females. Further studies are warranted to explore the role of gender in hospital admissions and health care for COPP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective was to evaluate (1) students' knowledge in a variety of geriatrics competencies, (2) students' attitudes toward the value of interprofessional practice, and (3) pharmacy students' experiences after an advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) in a practice-based interprofessional education (IPE) model. Nursing, pharmacy, social work, and health sciences programs who participated in the Richmond Health and Wellness Program (RHWP) interprofessional experience received pre- and post-surveys to assess changes in geriatrics knowledge. An adapted Attitude Toward Health Care Teams Scale (ATHCTS) was used to assess changes in students' attitudes toward the value of interprofessional teamwork. Finally, representative quotes were taken from APPE evaluations to illustrate the pharmacy student experience. Seventy-two out of 82 (87.8%) interprofessional students who participated in the practice-based IPE model at RHWP in the fall 2018 participated in this study. Geriatrics knowledge scores significantly increased by 4.03 (P <.001) with a significant change in some knowledge domains: frailty (P =.005) and medication knowledge (P =.017). Attitudes toward the value of interprofessional practice increased with a statistically significant difference in the ATHCTS quality of care subscale (P <.001). Pharmacy students found the interprofessional collaboration to be valuable. A practice-based IPE experience can provide many benefits to health professional students. By working as a team, students learn from each other, leading to increased knowledge on several geriatrics competencies. Students understand the importance of IPE experiences, but their attitudes become more positive through application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 vaccines, COLLEGE students, VACCINATION complications, VACCINE effectiveness, and VACCINE safety

Background: COVID-19 was declared a public health emergency of global concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) on January 30, 2020. Vaccination is one of the most effective methods for halting the pandemic and preventing complications. Vaccine hesitancy is a possible threat to global public health. Understanding the key determinants that influence the community's preferences and demands for a future vaccine may aid in the development of strategies to improve the global vaccination program. The aim of this study was to assess the beliefs, barriers, and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination among Taif University students in Saudi Arabia. Materials and Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, based study in Taif University, Saudi Arabia. Data was collected using a designed self-administered questionnaire that was shared as a link through social media. 332 students were considered eligible to participate voluntarily. Data were analyzed using the (SPSS) program version 25. Results: Out of 332 participants, 278 (83.7%) were accepting to take the covid vaccine, while 54 (16.3%) refused. Believes in vaccine safety and effectiveness and trust in the ability of the vaccine to prevent the complication, were all associated with high acceptance rate. Fear about side effects is considered a major factor for vaccination refusal. Conclusion: Most of the participants have the willingness to be vaccinated. The majority of students who agreed to take the vaccine were in the medical field, and that is mostly due to their high knowledge exposure. This indicates the importance of raising the awareness of the non-medical students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MINDFULNESS, CREATIVE ability, DESIGN students, NATURE (Aesthetics), and DESIGN services

Given the applied nature of creativity in the arts and design, it is important to understand the conditions and practices that support it. Most research suggests that ideal conditions for creativity are often mental and emotional - involving relaxed, yet alert and focused, states of mind. This article explores the connection between mindfulness and creativity in the experiences of students in a college of arts and design, through a mindfulness teaching practice to support creative processes. In a "scholarship of teaching and learning" inquiry, we consider how mindfulness practice may affect arts and design learners' feelings about their own creativity. Students in a large United States university school of arts and design practiced mindfulness meditation for several months, and submitted a written reflection on their experience. We qualitatively analyze this to consider how mindfulness supports creative practices in arts and design learners' education. Our findings involve three key themes, which are: "Processing anxiety and negative feelings", "Focusing the mind", and "Managing the 'Voice of Judgment'". These thematic findings reflect how arts and design students perceive the effects of mindfulness on their creative process. We offer implications for teaching practices related to mindfulness meditation practice aimed to support learners' perceptions of their creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IRRITABLE colon, MEDICAL students, SEDENTARY lifestyles, SLEEP interruptions, ABDOMINAL pain, and STRESS management

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gastrointestinal condition presented by abdominal discomfort due to unknown cause. The prevalence of IBS in the world extends between 5.7% to 34%, with different ranges based on the tools used for diagnosis. Evidence has indicated genetic predisposition and psychosocial stress as risk factors. This study aims to assess the prevalence of IBS with its subtypes in undergraduate medical students using Rome III criteria. We also investigated the association of IBS and emotional disorders including stress among undergraduate medical students in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in January and February 2021 among undergraduate medical students in Saudi Arabia. Volunteer participants answered the questions relating to demographics and surveys containing the Rome III criteria and the Self-reported Stress questionnaire. Results: A total of 300 participants were recruited of whom 63.7% were females. The majority of the participants were aged more than 22 years (72.7%). IBS prevalence in undergraduate medical students was 49.3% in Saudi Arabia which was higher than the global prevalence of IBS. There are many associated factors with IBS including female gender, higher academic year, sleeping less than 6 hours and less exercise practicing. Conclusion: Higher prevalence of IBS was detected in undergraduate medical students in Saudi Arabia than worldwide prevalence. Female gender, higher academic grades, less exercise practicing and sleep disturbance were predictors for IBS. More screening and management of stress causes are needed to decrease medical field stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 pandemic, SPARE parts, COVID-19, COCHLEAR implants, PSYCHOLOGICAL typologies, EAR infections, and MEDICAL telematics

Introduction: The daily escalation in incidence and mortality caused by Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has mandated forced curfew in our country (same as many other countries) to limit the spread of infection. This is predicted to have a more negative impact on cochlear implant (CI) patients since this group of patients needs a unique type of psychological, medical, and technical care in addition to a daily rehabilitation program. Methods: A cross-sectional study based on Arabic questionnaire that looked into the collateral consequences of COVID-19 on the pediatric CI patients. The questionnaire was designed to highlight different problems such as exposure to head trauma or ear infection, difficulties in device maintenance and getting spare parts, impacts of the delay of programing or switch on appointments, and the impacts of missing rehabilitation sessions. Different ways of management of these problems are presented and discussed. Results: A total of 174 parents responded to the questionnaire. The main problem met by the patients was missing their device programing and rehabilitation sessions. Many children had device maintenance and spare parts problems. Virtual clinics were helpful in solving different problems. Additionally, children who needed device programing were scheduled for remote programing sessions. Conclusion: Although the inevitable consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are catastrophic, they are forcing the medical field to explore new opportunities by sitting up an infrastructure for future usage of telemedicine. Telemedicine is cost-effective and more convenient and enables health-care providers to be immune to future circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GLYCEMIC control, SHIFT systems, MEDICAL personnel, NIGHT work, and SLEEP deprivation

Copyright of Saudi Medical Journal is the property of Saudi Medical Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

FOOD allergy, CONSUMER behavior, FOOD labeling, ADULTS, ALLERGENS, and PRODUCT safety

Objective: Preventing a food allergy reaction depends primarily on eliminating allergens from the diet. In October 2019, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) introduced new legislation requiring food establishments providing and selling non-prepacked foods to state the presence of the top fourteen food allergens on their menus. The current study aimed to assess the allergen-labelling knowledge, practices, preferences and perceptions towards the new SFDA allergen-labelling legislation among consumers with food allergy in Saudi Arabia.Design: Observational cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire.Setting: Saudi Arabia; February - March 2020.Participants: Residents of Saudi Arabia with food allergy (n 427), aged 18-70 years.Results: Among participants, only 28·1 % knew that there were governmental regulations in Saudi Arabia regarding food-allergen labelling and approximately two-thirds (67 %) check labels on prepacked food products for allergens. The majority of the participants preferred food products carrying safety statements (84·1 %) and symbols (80·1 %). A total of 47·1 % were aware that regulations in Saudi Arabia require allergens to be declared in ingredient lists, while 51·3 % were aware that advisory allergen labelling is not required by law. Only 26·2 % were aware of the new SFDA legislation regarding provision of allergen information by food establishments. However, the majority (94·4 %) were supportive of the new legislation, and most of them were more likely to eat at restaurants that reported allergen information for food items on the menu.Conclusions: The new SFDA food allergen-labelling legislation needs to be more widely and effectively disseminated to increase the level of awareness among adults with food allergy in Saudi Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DIGITAL storytelling, ONLINE education, VIRTUAL communities, TEACHER educators, TEACHER education, TEACHERS, and MIDDLE school teachers

Dr. Archambault advocates for an approach to teacher education that puts teachers in the central role of learning designer and professional. While teachers need to continue to be critical evaluators of all the resources they use, the fact that they can go online and find resources that have been created by classroom teachers who know exactly what the job is like and can create proven materials, has been an extraordinary support for many teachers. I Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual i .- Arthur Koestler I We need to do a better job in teacher education of helping teachers adapt, remix, modify, and combine resources in novel ways; to really design a learning experience for their students. i - Leanna Archambault Introduction Our interviewee for this special issue is a scholar who is well known for her work in the field of online learning, Dr. Leanna Archambault. Recommendations for the Future Dr. Archambault believes that one of the most important things that educational scholars can do for the future is to nurture the instructional design skills of teachers by making it a part of teacher education programs. [Extracted from the article]

CAREGIVER attitudes, SERVICES for caregivers, RESEARCH, MOTHERS, CAREGIVERS, COUNSELING, DOWN syndrome, MEDICAL care, PATIENTS, BURDEN of care, QUALITATIVE research, SOCIOECONOMIC factors, PATIENT education, PSYCHOLOGICAL adaptation, and PSYCHOLOGICAL factors

Aim and Objective: This study aimed to explore how caregivers of persons with Down syndrome (DS) believe caring had an impact on their own lives. A secondary objective was to understand their experience of seeking educational, social, and health care services for the persons with DS. Methods: This qualitative exploratory study was conducted with 21 caregivers of persons with DS in Kuwait. Results: Caregivers struggled to accept the diagnosis initially that led them to search for answers to many of their concerns about raising a person with DS. For the caregivers, who mostly comprised of mothers, dealing with health conditions that persons with DS suffered from was initially difficult. Caring for these individuals led to heavy impact upon their caregivers' own lives who took extraordinary efforts to cope with the burden. Seeking quality education for the persons with DS and participation in social activities was also challenging, and the caregivers believed that better services, facilities, and benefits for the families of persons with DS may help them better cope with the socioeconomic and psychological burden. Conclusions: Improving the availability of specialized services, the delivery of guidance and counselling, and social integration may help overcome challenges of raising a person with Down Syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BODY mass index, MIGRAINE, CROSS-sectional method, and UNIVERSITY hospitals

Introduction: Migraine is a highly prevalent condition, and prevalence of obesity is also increasing. Results of studies addressing association of body mass index (BMI) with migraine and its features are conflicting. In this cross-sectional study, we aim to assess association between BMI and various migraine features. Methods: This study was conducted in the Headache Clinic of King Fahd Hospital of University, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Interviews were conducted by three consultant neurologists. Migraine was defined according to the International Headache Society and BMI was calculated as weight (kilograms)/height (m2). Results: Of total of 121 patients, 79% were female. Almost 87.6% of patients were taking prophylactic medications. Majority of patients had attack for more than 24 h (60.3%), pulsating character (81%), moderate-to-severe intensity (92.6%), associated with nausea and/or vomiting (75.2%), and photophobia/phonophobia (91.7%). About 29.8% of patients were normal weight, 28.1% were overweight, and 39.7% were obese and morbidly obese. There was insignificant association between various categories of BMI and features of migraine, that is, unilateral location (P = 0.385), pulsating character (P = 0.571), moderate-to-severe intensity (P = 0.187), nausea and/or vomiting (P = 0.582), and photophobia and/or phonophobia (P = 0.444). Conclusion: In our study, we did not find an association between BMI and various features of migraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

METHICILLIN-resistant staphylococcus aureus, BACTERIAL colonies, PERINEUM, TURNAROUND time, THROAT, NOSE, and VACCINATION

Enrichment culture (EC) remains gold standard for detecting MRSA colonisation, but molecular methods shorten turnaround time. The CE-marked automated Hologic Panther Fusion MRSA Assay (HPFM) is validated for nasal swabs. We compared HPFM with EC following an in-house PCR for detection of MRSA in nasal, pharyngeal, and perineal ESwabs. The same ESwabs were analysed using HPFM and inoculated in selective Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB) for overnight incubation. TSBs were screened by a PCR targeting nuc, femA, mecA, and mecC. Only samples with PCR results compatible with MRSA presence were inoculated onto 5% blood agar and chromogenic MRSA plates. HPFM detected MRSA in 103 of 132 EC positive samples indicating a sensitivity of 78.0% across sample types. When paired TSBs of 29 EC positive/HPFM negative samples were re-analysed by HPFM, MRSA was detected in 17/29 TSBs indicating that enrichment will increase the sensitivity of HPFM. HPFM analyses of cultured isolates from the remaining 12 EC positive/HPFM negative samples failed to detect orfX. HPFM reported the presence of MRSA in 22 samples where EC failed to identify MRSA. Fifteen of these ESwabs had been kept and direct culture without enrichment identified MRSA in seven samples. HPFM was useful for all sample sites. Compared to EC, the sensitivity of HPFM was limited because of lack of analytical sensitivity and failure to detect all MRSA variants. Failure of some MRSA-containing samples to enrich in cefoxitin-containing TSB indicates an unappreciated limitation of EC, which may lead to underestimation of the specificity of molecular assays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GREY literature, CONFIDENCE intervals, and ELECTRONIC information resource searching

Background This study aimed to assess the reporting of the methodological quality of search strategies undertaken in orthodontic quantitative systematic reviews (SRs) and hence their reproducibility. Materials and methods A search of a single electronic database (Medline via PubMed) was undertaken to identify interventional orthodontic SRs with meta-analysis published within a 10-year period. The Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews was also sourced. Full articles were reviewed by two assessors against the eligibility criteria. The reporting quality of each search strategy was assessed using a previously validated checklist with a score of 1 or 2 given for each of the eight items. Cumulative totals were calculated. Guided by previous research, the authors agreed the following cut-offs to categorize the overall level of quality: 8–10 (poor), 10–12 (fair), and greater than 13 (good). Results A total of 127 SRs were analysed. The overall median quality score for the reporting of the search strategy was 14 [interquartile range (IQR): 13–15]. Cochrane SRs and those originating in Europe received higher aggregate scores, whereas no difference was evident based on Prospero registration. The continent of the corresponding author predicated the overall score. Non-Cochrane reviews achieved lower overall scores compared to Cochrane reviews (−1.0, 95% confidence interval: −1.65, −0.34, P = 0.003). The most frequently searched database was EMBASE (N = 93) and the median number of authors was 5 (IQR 4–6). Authors of 26.8% of SRs searched the grey literature. Language restrictions were applied to the search strategies of 88 (69.3%) SRs. Conclusions The reporting quality of search strategies undertaken in orthodontic SRs is at a good level but differences between Cochrane and non-Cochrane reviews currently exist. The reporting of searching of the grey literature and application of no language restrictions can be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Road mitigation to reduce animal–vehicle collisions (AVCs) is usually based on analysis of road survey animal carcass data. This is used to identify road sections with high AVC clusters. Large mammals that are struck and die away from a road are not recorded nor considered in these analyses, reducing our understanding of the number of AVCs and the cost–benefit of road mitigation measures. Aims: Our aim was to develop a method to calculate a correction factor for large mammal carcass data reported through road survey. This will improve our understanding of the magnitude and cost of AVCs. Method: Citizen scientists reported animal carcasses on walking surveys along transects parallel to the highway and reported observations using a smartphone application at three sites over a 5-year period. These data were compared with traditional road survey data. Key result: We found that many large mammals involved in AVCs die away from the road and are, therefore, not reported in traditional road surveys. A correction factor of 2.8 for our region can be applied to road survey data to account for injury bias error in road survey carcass data. Conclusions: For large mammals, AVCs based on road survey carcass data are underestimates. To improve information about AVCs where little is known, we recommend conducting similar research to identify a correction factor to conventionally collected road survey carcass data. Implications: Identifying road mitigation sites by transportation agencies tends to focus on road sections with above-threshold AVC numbers and where cost–benefit analyses deem mitigation necessary. A correction factor improves AVC estimate accuracy, improving the identification of sites appropriate for mitigation, and, ultimately, benefitting people and wildlife by reducing risks of AVCs. There has long been concern about the number of unreported animal–vehicle collisions (AVC). We developed a method to calculate a correction factor to correct traditional AVC road survey data and account for unreported AVCs. In our case study, applying the correction factor increased the number of road sections where road mitigation is cost effective. Photograph by Gerry Smith. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

VERTEBRAL artery, POLYCYTHEMIA vera, THROMBOSIS, ISCHEMIC stroke, HEART beat, STROKE, and VERTEBRAL artery dissections

Free-floating thrombus (FFT) of the cervicocranial arteries is a rare neurovascular condition. Up to now, there is no standardized definition for FFT. Therefore, FFT is occasionally mistaken for intraluminal thrombus (ILT) or smooth mural thrombus. The most precise and ideal definition of FFT would be a long-extended intraarterial thrombus that is attached to the arterial wall with its one end, while its other end is surrounded by blood flow and moves freely with the cardiac cycle. FFT usually manifests as an ischemic stroke, thus it is considered as an emergency case. Herein, we report a rare case of symptomatic FFT in the left vertebral artery extending from V0 to V2 segments in a middle-aged smoker, who presented with multiple embolic strokes in different territories of posterior circulation and was successfully treated medically. This case sheds light on the challenges of the clinical approach of FFT in the vertebral artery and it is an attempt to draw attention to the necessity of conducting a large-scale study to find out the ideal approach to manage such conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SPORTS sciences, CREATIVE ability, HUMAN mechanics, SPORTS, and SPORTS psychology

Our guest for this article was Dr. Daniel Memmert, Professor and Executive Head of the Institute of Exercise Training and Sport Informatics at the German Sport University Cologne, Cologne (Germany). A lifelong sports player and enthusiast, Memmert's research is at the intersection of human movement science (cognition and motor activity), sport psychology (attention and motivation), computer science in sports (pattern identification and simulation), talent, children and elite research (Trainings-/PE-Curricula) and research methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MYOCARDIAL ischemia, CORONARY disease, CARDIAC patients, ARRHYTHMIA, HEART failure, and CORONARY artery disease

Background: Despite considerable progress in management over the recent years, coronary artery disease (CAD) remains the leading cause of death. Objectives: to assess the different types of arrhythmias in patients with ischemic heart diseases in Taif city. Methods: A retrospective study was done on 529 patients from Taif, Saudi Arabia aged 30 to >75 years, of both genders and who had CAD, through the review of medical records of cardiac patients in AL Hada armed forces hospital. A checklist was used that included demographic features and risk factors for ischemic heart disease, symptoms of heart failure, medications that patients who had CAD used and types of arrhythmias. Results: All patients had a type of arrhythmia during their hospital stay. The main types of arrhythmias were AF (26.8 %), conduction disturbance (38.2%) and first-degree heart block (9.1 %). Patients who had STEMI with symptoms of heart failure and arrhythmias had a significantly higher percentage for the need of DC shock compared to other patients. Patients with UA who developed low EF were shown to be significant as regards arrhythmias rather than normal EF. The number of affected vessels had no effect on the development of arrhythmias during the acute stage. The development of arrhythmia that required DC shock was more common in STEMI patients especially those who developed heart failure symptoms. Conclusion: The need of assessment of heart failure symptoms and EF in patients with UA is essential to determine the need for implantable device insertion. Also, early administration of b-blocker decreases the risk of development of arrhythmia during an acute ischemic event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ONLINE information services, COVID-19, INFORMATION storage & retrieval systems -- Medical care, NEUROLOGICAL disorders, SYSTEMATIC reviews, TREMOR, GAIT disorders, PARKINSON'S disease, DELIRIUM, DEMENTIA, MEDLINE, COMORBIDITY, DELPHI method, HYPOKINESIA, and SYMPTOMS

Background: COVID-19 has affected global communities with multiple neurological complications in addition to other critical medical issues. COVID-19 binds to the host's angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors, which are expressed in the neurons and glial cells, acting as an entry port to the central nervous system (CNS). ACE2 receptors are abundantly expressed on dopamine neurons, which may worsen the prognosis of motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). SARS-CoV-2 may lead to an indirect response via immune-mediated cytokine storms and propagate through the CNS leading to damage. In this systematic review, we aim to provide thorough analyses of associations between COVID-19 and neurological outcomes for patients with PD. Methods: Using PRISMA statement 2020, a systematic review was conducted to isolate confirmed COVID-19 patients and analyze the PD-associated neurological outcomes using the following databases: PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Cochrane databases. The following keywords were used "COVID19, SARS-CoV-2, Parkinson's disease, Pandemic, Mortality." A modified Delphi process was employed. Results: Of the 355 studies located during the initial round of screening, 16 were included in the final synthesis. Of PD patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, worsening motor symptoms and other viral-associated symptoms were reported. These symptoms included bradykinesia, tremors, gait disturbances, delirium and dementia, and severe spasms of arms and legs. Encephalopathy was presented in 2 of the included studies. Increased mortality rates were identified for hospitalized patients due to COVID-19 and PD as compared to other patient groups. Conclusion: Patients with PD may experience substantial worsening of symptoms due to COVID 19. Given the novelty of neurological-viral associations, clinical studies in the future ought to explore the disease severity and neurological outcomes in COVID-19 positive patients with PD as compared to non-PD patients, in addition to understanding the role of ACE2 in increased vulnerability to contracting the infection and as a treatment modality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SOLID-phase synthesis, CHELATES, STABILITY constants, LIGANDS, PEPTIDE synthesis, and BRITANNIA metal

Hydroxypyridones (HOPOs) are an important class of chelating compounds. They bind strongly to hard metal ions such as Fe(III). Here we present the solid‐phase synthesis of peptides containing 1,2‐HOPO moieties linked through a carboxylic acid placed at position 4 of the ring. A total of four ligands were studied, two bidentate and two hexadentate. The latter were synthesized by both stepwise and convergent strategies. The ligands and their complexes were characterized from the physico‐chemical perspective. The pKa values for all ligands showed their total deprotonation at pH lower than the physiological pH. The formation constant of the Fe(III) complex (log β) ranged from 23.66, corresponding to ligand A, to 27.63, corresponding to ligand C. The pFe3+ at pH=7.4 revealed that ligands B and C had a strong iron affinity (26.91 and 28.58, respectively), thereby making them suitable for further study in therapeutic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19, STROKE, ISCHEMIC stroke, SARS-CoV-2, VIRUS diseases, and SKELETAL muscle injuries

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) due to novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to an unprecedented worldwide pandemic with diverse respiratory symptoms as well as systemic manifestations and complications. The neurological manifestations of COVID-19 include, but are not limited to, headache, cerebrovascular disease, and skeletal muscle injury. Case Report: Herein, we present a case of stroke with large vessel occlusion in a middle-aged man, who recently recovered from severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. This patient is not known to have any medical illness or surgical history and has no cerebrovascular risk factors. Moreover, the patient underwent extensive investigations, including neuroimaging, cardiac and laboratory work-up with no evidence of stroke etiology. Conclusion: The mechanism of cerebrovascular events in the setting of COVID-19 is still uncertain and probably multi-factorial. The prevailing hypothesis is a strong thrombotic tendency, which may even be prolonged after complete recovery. In our patient's case, hypercoagulability in the context of viral infection is the most likely mechanism for the stroke. Further studies are needed to find out the exact pathogenesis of thromboembolic events in the setting of COVID-19 infection as well as the efficacy, safety, dosage, and duration of anticoagulants in such conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LITERATURE reviews, CREATIVE ability, EDUCATIONAL technology, TECHNICAL literature, CONCEPTUAL models, and TECHNOLOGY transfer

Internationally, creativity is a widely discussed construct that is pivotal to educational practice and curriculum. It is often situated alongside technology as a key component of education futures. Despite the enthusiasm for integrating creativity with technologies in classrooms, there is a lack of common ground within and between disciplines and research about how creativity relates to technology in teaching and learning—especially in the uncertain space of classroom implementation. This article provides a critical thematic review of international literature on creativity and technology in the context of educational practice. We identify four essential domains that emerge from the literature and represent these in a conceptual model, based around: (1) Learning in regard to creativity, (2) Meanings of creativity, (3) Discourses that surround creativity, and (4) the Futures or impacts on creativity and education. Each of these clusters is contextualized in regard to emerging technologies and the developing scope of twenty-first century skills in classroom implementation. We offer conclusions and implications for research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CREATIVE ability, GATEKEEPING, and IMAGINATION

This article is an ontological investigation of the term creativity, to suggest a model that infuses key philosophical and critical perspectives. This article proposes that creativity has three modes of existence or ways of being in the world: the Visceral (embodiments), the Ideational (mind and conceptual), and the Observational (appreciation, critical, and evaluative). We view creativity synergistically as representing both the individual creative experience and output, in conceptual and embodied ways—and also what externally shapes, enhances, and constrains creative experience. Technologies, as tools to think or create with, often mediate the operation of these three modes. We discuss each mode, instantiating it in an educational exemplar, and also engage with issues of power, discourse, and gatekeeping over what is deemed to be creative in education. Our discussion examines the rhetoric around the term, as well as issues of access to technologies that afford creativity. This tri‐modal model of creativity offers an interdisciplinary framework to complement existing models for understanding creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite advances in the diagnosis and management of breast cancer (BC), it is still associated with high mortality rates. New biomarkers are being developed for the diagnosis, treatment, and prediction of responses of BC. Ceramide (CER), a bioactive sphingolipid, has emerged recently as a useful diagnostic tool in several types of tumors. In this study, we evaluated CER expression in invasive BC and assessed its relation to the molecular subtypes of BC. The clinical data and histopathological slides of 50 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma were retrieved and reviewed. The cases were then stained with a mouse monoclonal anti-ceramide antibody. Pearson correlation was used to assess the correlation between CER percentage and intensity and other clinical and pathological variables. CER expression showed a direct relationship with estrogen and progesterone receptors Allred scores. However, it showed an inverse relation with tumor grade, HER2/neu status and Ki-67 index. CER expression is likely to be associated with luminal BC molecular subtypes. However, more research is needed to confirm these results and to explore its relation to the different clinical outcomes, including response to treatment and prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The program enhanced wellness and healthcare access among medically complex, lower income, older adults living in subsidized apartment buildings. • Health care utilization among participating residents showed a reduction in emergency department visits and hospital admissions. • Positive changes in student perception of interprofessional practice occurred in two areas: teamwork and collaboration and person-centeredness Background/Purpose: An innovative care coordination program was developed to enhance wellness among low-income older adults living in subsidized apartment buildings and to provide rich interprofessional education experiences for health professions students. Program effectiveness for the residents was measured through an evaluation of participation, services used, and healthcare utilization. Educational effectiveness was measured through a change in health concepts and perceptions of interprofessional practice. Health care utilization among participating residents showed an 8.6% reduction in emergency department visits and 9.8% reduction in hospital admissions. Students demonstrated improved knowledge in motivational interviewing (p =.02); diabetes (p =.02); hypertension (p ≤.01); and frailty (p ≤.01). Changes in students perception of interprofessional practice were significant in two areas; Teamwork and Collaboration (p ≥.00); and Person Centeredness (p =.00). This care coordination model may be an effective approach to reduce care resource utilization among medically complex lower income older adults and provides a rich interprofessional learning experience for students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract. This cross-sectional study among female schoolteachers assessed the prevalence of i) unawareness of HPV infection's causal role in cervical cancer; ii) unawareness of HPV vaccine availability and iii) examined the sociodemographic variables associated both the outcome variables. This cross-sectional study was conducted among female schoolteachers employed in public and private sectors schools in Kuwait using a structured questionnaire for data collection. Prevalence of each of the outcome variables was computed. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate independent predictors of two dependent variables. A total 1341 female schoolteachers were enrolled. Of the participants, 60% were unaware of HPV causal role in cervical cancer and 88% were unaware of HPV vaccine availability. Among those who were aware of HPV vaccine availability, 83.8% were unvaccinated. Multivariable logistic regression (MLR) model showed that 20–29 years old participants or those with low family income (< 500 KD/month) were significantly (p < 0.05) more likely to be unaware of HPV causal role in cervical cancer. Moreover, participants with family/ personal history of cervical cancer were significantly (p < 0.05) less likely to be unaware of HPV role in causation of cervical cancer. A separate MLR model revealed that the participants were significantly more likely to be unaware of HPV vaccine availability if they were Kuwaiti nationals or non-Kuwaiti Arabs (p < 0.05), employed in public schools (p = 0.003) or less likely to be unaware if they had personal or family history of cervical cancer (p < 0.001). High prevalences of unawareness of causal role of HPV in cervical cancer and unawareness of HPV vaccine availability were recorded. Targeted education among identified sociodemographic groups with high levels of unawareness is warranted. If undertaken, future studies may evaluate the impact of recommended efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DIGITAL technology, TECHNOLOGY education, RISK-taking behavior, EDUCATIONAL technology, TEACHER development, ARTIFICIAL intelligence, and COMPUTERS in education

Specifically, the article focuses on how technologies might be used by teachers and students for creative learning through a positive reframing of failure. Failure often does not fit the desired goal or outcome for students or teachers in most contemporary classrooms (Henriksen et al., [15]). They identify the levels of tolerance of ambiguity experienced by the two teachers, positioning their teacher participants as both students and educators. Digital technologies can support this pedagogical orientation and offer substantial possibilities in allowing failure to be contained and managed within the limitations of standardized systems in which teachers work and students learn. [Extracted from the article]

SPEECH perception, ADULTS, SECOND language acquisition, ENGLISH as a foreign language, SIGNAL-to-noise ratio, NOISE, HEARING, MULTILINGUALISM, and LANGUAGE & languages

Background: Previous studies have highlighted that bilingual listeners have a deficit in speech perception in their second language compared with monolingual listeners in noisy listening environments. This deficit may give rise to educational and occupational implications for bilingual speakers who are studying or working in non-native language environments in poor acoustic conditions.Objectives: To compare the speech perception performance of monolingual English speakers and English as a second language (ESL) bilinguals within environments with various levels of background noise and to examine whether bilinguals with an early age of second language acquisition would perform better than those with a late age of acquisition.Study Sample: Two groups of adult listeners with normal hearing participated: monolingual British English listeners (N = 15) and bilingual Arabic listeners for whom English was their second language and who were proficient in English (N = 15). The quick speech-in-noise (QuickSIN) test was used to assess signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss and SNR-50 for both groups.Results: The QuickSIN test results indicated that bilingual Arabic listeners with normal hearing displayed a mild SNR loss comparable to that observed for a person with hearing loss, indicating a higher SNR needed for this population to achieve a comparable level of comprehension to their monolingual English peers.Conclusion: Results highlight the importance of measuring SNR loss to obtain accurate diagnosis and potential rehabilitative information that is not available from audiogram studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, SYMPTOMS, VIRAL shedding, and CHILD patients

Clinical presentation of coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) ranges from asymptomatic to severe and life‐threatening. National‐level registries found that children, generally, have less severe disease when compared with adults. However, most asymptomatically infected children will not present to hospital and may be missed. We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics in pediatric COVID‐19 patients in Kuwait, and to estimate the potential duration of viral shedding. A retrospective cohort study was performed in Jaber Alahmad Hospital (JAH) from February 29 to April 30, 2020. During the study period and as part of the public health measures, all severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2)‐infected patients from 1 month to 18 years old, regardless of symptoms, were hospitalized at JAH, and were included. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) negativity was defined as having two consecutive negative PCR results from a respiratory specimen. Descriptive statistics and multivariable regression analyses were performed. We found that 67.9% (95% CI, 59.4%–75.3%) of 134 SARS‐CoV‐2‐infected children were asymptomatic. Median PCR positivity was 15 days and did not vary with symptoms. Among patients who had laboratory investigations and chest imaging, symptomatic infection was associated with elevated C‐reactive protein and procalcitonin, and radiographic pneumonia. Asymptomatic SARS‐CoV‐2 infection is very common in children. Among symptomatic patients, the disease seems to be mild. Children exhibit substantial duration of viral shedding, regardless of symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

VENTILATOR-associated pneumonia, GUILLAIN-Barre syndrome, RESPIRATORY infections, MYCOPLASMA pneumoniae infections, TEMPORAL lobe epilepsy, and ADULTS

aiman,1 Anas Al dehailan,1 Majed Alabdali11Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 2College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Neurology, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Danah AljaafariDepartment of Neurology, College of Medicine Imam Abdulrahaman Bin Faisal University, 2835 King Faisal Road, Dammam, 34212, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaTel +966 503864084 Background: Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS), a triad of ophthalmoplegia, areflexia and ataxia, is one of the regional variants of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) that might account for a quarter of all cases of GBS, especially in Asian countries. There is history of an antecedent upper respiratory tract infection in up to two thirds of MFS cases. However, association of MFS in adults and pneumonia is rarely reported and in those cases causative pathogen was Mycoplasma pneumoniae. To our knowledge, association of MFS and ventilator-associated pneumonia has never been reported. So, we hereby report the first case of MFS which followed ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Case Report: We report case of a 22-year-old male who was known to have temporal lobe epilepsy and mental retardation. He presented with status epilepticus. He was sedated and put on mechanical ventilation. Two days later, he developed a fever associated with increased tracheobronchial secretions and new infiltrates on chest X-ray. Diagnosis of VAP was made. Upon improvement, he was extubated and shifted out of ICU. Ten days after the onset of fever, he developed gradual onset bulbar weakness and ataxia. On examination, he had generalized areflexia and ataxia. CSF analysis showed cytoalbuminic dissociation. Antibodies against ganglioside complex were elevated. Diagnosis of sero-negative MFS was made, and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) was started. He improved remarkably within two days. Conclusion: MFS is immune-mediated entity which is usually triggered by upper respiratory tract infection but in rare cases it can be consequence of pneumonia including VAP. Further research is needed to establish link between MFS and VAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ART therapy, HEALING, and EXPRESSIVE arts therapy

Creativity emerges in all walks of life and disciplines, requiring diverse approaches and ways of thinking. This article series has taken a wide view to exploring creativity through interviews with experts in different fields (Keenan-Lechel and Henriksen 2019). Beyond disciplinary diversity, it is valuable to think broadly about the types of purposes that creativity relates to. Here, we focus on the work of Dr. Patricia (Pat) Allen, a noted art therapist who uses art and creativity toward mental, emotional, and spiritual wholeness. Her expertise relates to artistic, healing, and therapeutic purposes—and she shares ideas about how education and technology have a role in this. Our conversation offered an illuminating perspective on the role of creativity in healing and wellness, and the education possibilities. We distilled the wide-ranging discussion into themes that include: building systems to support human need; connection to the creative source; rethinking art therapy through the Open Studio Process educational applications for creative wellness; and the affordances of technology for creativity and healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EPILEPSY, MEDICAL records, UNIVERSITY hospitals, STANDARD deviations, and SYNCOPE

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of medically resistant epilepsy (MRE) in our hospital and to compare the prevalence with that in other populations. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients who visited the epilepsy clinics at King Fahd University Hospital, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia between January 2017 and December 2018. This study included patients aged ≥14 years who had at least 2 unprovoked seizures 24 h apart. Patients who had provoked seizure(s), paroxysmal events, or syncope or had incomplete medical records were excluded. The definition and classification of the International League Against Epilepsy were used. Moreover, we searched the En-glish literature using PubMed and Google Scholar to compare the prevalence of MRE between our population and other populations. Results: In total, 1,151 patients were screened, and 751 patients were included in the final analysis. Of the 751 patients, 229 (male: 56.3%, female: 43.7%; mean age: 32.07 years, and standard deviation, 12.2 years) had MRE, with a cumulative prevalence of 30%. The etiology was as follows: unknown, 63.3% (n = 145); structural, 31.9% (n = 73); genetic, 3.1% (n = 7); and infectious, 1.7% (n = 4). None of the patients had metabolic or immune-related etiologies. Conclusion: The prevalence of MRE in our population (30%) is close to that in other populations (30–36.5%). Early identification of such patients is crucial to improve their management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FRONTAL sinus, ENDOSCOPIC surgery, LITERATURE reviews, SURGICAL drainage, and SKULL base

The frontal sinus is the most common site for paranasal mucoceles, resulting in potentially threatening intraorbital or intracranial complications. Surgical drainage of mucoceles is the mainstay of treatment, which can be achieved usually through open or endoscopic transnasal approaches. Transorbital endoscopic surgery is a relatively novel approach to selective skull base lesions with limited data in the literature. It could be utilized as a safe and effective alternative approach in managing frontal sinus lesions when the endoscopic transnasal access alone is insufficient or inadequate. Here, we present a case of an isolated lateral left frontal mucocele that was managed successfully using an endoscopic transorbital approach alone with complete resolution of symptoms during a 10-month follow-up period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characteristics of critical Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in children is not well understood. This study described the clinical characteristics of children admitted to intensive care units (ICU) and explored factors associated with the need for invasive ventilation or mortality. A multicenter, retrospective, cohort study was conducted over eight medical centers, including all patients younger than 18 years of age and admitted to the ICU due to a direct consequence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Patients who were admitted to the ICU for any alternate reason and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by screening test, and patients who were admitted due to multi-inflammatory syndrome in children, were excluded. Demographic, laboratory, imaging, and clinical data were collected. Descriptive statistics were used to compare survivors and non-survivors. Fine and Gray's hazard model was used to estimate the association between clinical variables and ICU death. During the study period, 25 pediatric COVID-19 patients received care in the ICUs. The median age was 2.78 years (IQR 0.21–8.51), and 60% were male. Only three patients were reported to be previously healthy at admission. Nine (36%) patients required invasive mechanical ventilation, including two were on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Four (16%) patients died during ICU care. In univariate analysis, the presence of comorbidity (HR 0.0001; 95%CI 0.00001–0.00016), platelets count (HR 0.99; 95% CI 0.98–0.99), elevated procalcitonin (HR 1.05; 95%CI 1.016–1.09), and circulatory compromise (HR 16.34; 95%CI 1.99–134.35), all at the time of ICU admission, were associated with in-ICU mortality. Our findings suggest that children admitted to the ICU with SARS-CoV-2 infection, generally, have a favorable outcome. Low platelets count, elevated procalcitonin, presence of comorbidity, and shock at the time of ICU admission were associated with death. This study may shed more light on the disease dynamics of critical pediatric COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BATS, HABITAT conservation, ENDANGERED species, NATURE conservation, MAMMALS, and ISLANDS

The Philippine province of Dinagat Islands supports a huge array of flora and fauna with a high rate of endemism, including three species of mammals found nowhere else in the world. However, anthropogenic activities such as mining are rampant on the island and present a grave threat to the island's unique biodiversity. We conducted a survey of volant and small non-volant mammals in selected municipalities of Dinagat Islands to contribute to the current understanding of Philippine mammalian fauna. A total of 17 species of volant mammals were recorded among 420 individuals captured in mist nets, 11 species of which are fruit bats and six are insectivorous bats. As for small non-volant mammals, a total of eight species were recorded from 51 individuals captured using a combination of trapping, mist-netting, and transect walks. Among these, eight and six species of volant and non-volant mammals, respectively, were Philippine endemics. We also recorded six species listed under different categories of threat based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Administrative Order (DENR-DAO). Four species were new records for the Dinagat Islands: Harpionycteris whiteheadi, Rhinolophus subrufus, Pipistrellus javanicus, and Myotis muricola - bringing the total number of recorded mammals on the island to 38 species. With our limited sampling methods, it is possible that some species were overlooked and that new records and novel species may still be discovered as more extensive surveys utilizing other sampling techniques, such as acoustic surveys and the use of different baits and traps, are conducted. Nonetheless, the presence of endemic and threatened species in all our sites - especially those with relatively intact forest - underlines the need for the continued protection of their remaining habitats. Furthermore, our findings emphasize the need for the proper rehabilitation and restoration of areas impacted by mining activities to provide additional habitat and resources for mammals on the island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion Going forward, Dr. Literat would like to further develop a "meme-based visual research method" (see Liou and Literat [10]) that could be used to better understand the relationship between online creativity, empowerment and political participation of young people. Dr. Literat discussed the concept of "civic imagination", created by Henry Jenkins that talks about the idea of collectively imagining a better future as the first step towards having an improved future (Jenkins et al. [7]). The Deep-Play Research group is a loose collective of faculty, education professionals, and graduate students across institutions in Arizona, California, Hawai'i, Michigan, and Wyoming. Recognizing the internet offers both a "context, locus, and medium" (Literat [11], p. 1168) for creative activity, Literat proposed a framework to understand the influence of the internet on the lifecycle of a creative product. [Extracted from the article]

Sources identied include gas-phase reactions, heterogeneous processes (dark and photo-enhanced, on ground and aerosol surfaces), combustion emissions (road traffic, biomass burning, wildres),biogenic sources(soil bacteria,biocrusts), potential ocean surface sources, andcondensedphasephotolysis (e.g.ofnitrate aerosol). Adam Milsom returned to the discussion of the paper by Guo Li by communicating: The phase state of an aerosol can affect key aerosol multiphase processes such as chemical reaction and water uptake. Danah Alshammari, William Bloss, Ying Chen, Judith C. Chow, Shahzad Gani, Roy Harrison, Dawei Hu, Guo Li, Gordon McFiggans, Adam Milsom, Andrea M. Oyarz ' un Aravena, Christian Pfrang, Zongbo Shi, Deepchandra Srivastava, Peter Styring, Hang Su, John G. Watson and Jingsha Xu DOI: 10.1039/D1FD90015C Ying Chen opened the discussion of the paper by Guo Li: I have a question regardingyouroutdoorchamber. For the inorganic particles, the aerosol concentrations are estimated by the anion concentrations, in equilibrium with the measured NH 3 (g). [Extracted from the article]

FACIAL paralysis, MAGNETIC resonance angiography, COMPUTED tomography, SYMPTOMS, THERAPEUTICS, AUDIOGRAM, TINNITUS, and PAROTIDECTOMY

aiman,1 Majed Alabdali11Department of Neurology, King Fahad Hospital of the University, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Radiology, King Fahad Hospital of the University, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Majed AlabdaliNeurology Departments, King Fahad Hospital of the University – Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, PO Box 40236, Dammam, 31952, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaTel +966-534347474Email mmalabdali@iau.edu.sa Background: A high mega jugular Bulb is an enlarged and swollen upper portion of the internal jugular vein with a variation of its anatomical position among the population, mostly situated below the hypotympanum. Although most cases of jugular bulb diverticulum are asymptomatic, excessive pressure on the surrounding structures might cause various symptoms, most prominently vertigo, sensorineural hearing loss, or tinnitus. Case Report: A middle-aged male who was referred to the Department of Neurology with a recurrent complaint of left-sided facial weakness associated with headache and vertigo for a period of 24 months. His symptoms were episodic, furthermore exacerbated by visiting high altitude sites. Non-resolving with conventional medical treatment. After thorough investigation, including preoperative and postoperative audiograms, neuroimaging, including computed tomography as well as magnetic resonance angiography, he was diagnosed to have right-sided superior mega jugular bulb as a causative factor. After surgical management, the patient improved significantly. At his regular follow-up in our clinic there were no exacerbations of his symptoms. Conclusion: Among patients who present with recurrent non-resolving facial palsy in which no apparent causative factor is identified, high jugular bulb should be suspected and investigated. Comprehensive and detailed medical history is essential for raising the suspicion for the diagnosis. Such as the case presented eliciting high altitudes as the main precipitating factor. The diagnosis is clinically elusive, commonly obscured by other common diagnoses. Surgery is recommended if antihypertensive drugs do not show improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NEWS websites, CODES of ethics, ECOSYSTEMS, SEARCH engines, and SOCIAL institutions

In a media ecosystem besieged with misinformation and polarizing rhetoric, what the news media chooses not to cover can be as significant as what they do cover. In this article, we examine the historical production of silence in journalism to better understand the role amplification plays in the editorial and content moderation practices of current news media and social media platforms. Through the lens of strategic silence (i.e., the use of editorial discretion for the public good), we examine two U.S.-based case studies where media coverage produces public harms if not handled strategically: White violence and suicide. We analyze the history of journalistic choices to illustrate how professional and ethical codes for best practices played a key role in producing a more responsible field of journalism. As news media turned to online distribution, much has changed for better and worse. Platform companies now curate news media alongside user generated content; these corporations are largely responsible for content moderation on an enormous scale. The transformation of gatekeepers has led an evolution in disinformation and misinformation, where the creation and distribution of false and hateful content, as well as the mistrust of social institutions, have become significant public issues. Yet it is not just the lack of editorial standards and ethical codes within and across platforms that pose a challenge for stabilizing media ecosystems; the manipulation of search engines and recommendation algorithms also compromises the ability for lay publics to ascertain the veracity of claims to truth. Drawing on the history of strategic silence, we argue for a new editorial approach—"strategic amplification"—which requires both news media organizations and platform companies to develop and employ best practices for ensuring responsibility and accountability when producing news content and the algorithmic systems that help spread it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DENTAL students, PATIENT safety, PATIENTS' attitudes, DENTAL education, JOB satisfaction, and STUDENT attitudes

Objective: To evaluate awareness and attitudes of dental students and interns about patient safety culture in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods: This cross‐sectional study was conducted on 272 undergraduate dental students and interns using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) from November 2019 to January 2020. The SAQ consists of six domains: teamwork climate, safety climate, job satisfaction, stress recognition, perception of management and work conditions. The score of SAQ ranges from 0 to 100, and a cut‐off ≥75 is considered a positive attitude of patient safety. Results: The study included 47.1% of males and 52.9% of females with a mean age of 22.58 ± 1.3 years. Few participants (9.9%) showed a positive attitude of patient safety culture. Nearly one‐third of participants (35.7%) attended a course on patient safety and 31.6% reported experiencing adverse events by them or their families. Out of six domains, job satisfaction showed the highest mean score (70.25) and 75.4% of participants felt proud to practise in the dental clinic. Female students demonstrated a significantly higher mean score of stress recognition (64.28 ± 18.98) than male students (56.98 ± 22.53) (P 0.004). The mean SAQ score increased significantly from fourth year students to interns (P <.001). Conclusions: A small percentage of students demonstrated a positive attitude of patient safety and only one‐third attended a patient safety course. The job satisfaction domain was highly rated and patient safety culture significantly improved from junior to senior students. Dental curricula should include patient safety courses to improve the quality and safety of patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DISTANCE education, COVID-19 pandemic, SCHOOL environment, UNIVERSITIES & colleges, and VIRTUAL reality

The increasing spread of the COVID-19 has severe effects on the educational process in various countries of the world, has expelled many students from their schools and universities. These conditions forced governments, states, and educational institutions to adopt measures and solutions to ensure the continuity of the educational process, including the use of remote education through digital platforms and virtual reality technologies, to stop the educational process completely in light of this global pandemic. As this study aims to identify the role of virtual reality techniques in promoting distance learning of the COVID-19 pandemic, by relying on the descriptive approach to reach the results of this paper, we have concluded that virtual reality techniques in various means were the main goal of serving science, learners and teachers, it is considered a means that will transfer the educational environment to a new and advanced level, as it forms interactive simulations using the computer that sense the user with the place and the actions, these operations are supported by feedback from one or more senses that feel the user is integrated into the scene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CHILD patients, STATUS epilepticus, ETIOLOGY of diseases, HEMORRHAGIC stroke, FEBRILE seizures, and CENTRAL nervous system tumors

Copyright of Neurosciences is the property of Neurosciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinal disorder, and the greatest cause of infertility in women. Despite availability of individual data on impact of multiple endocrinal, reproductive and even metabolic factors in PCOS individuals, the data on the co-existence of BED and depression in PCOS patients with its relationship on the quality of life in Saudi Arabian females is not found. Hence this study is aimed to elucidate the implication of PCOS on eating behaviour, induction of depression and general health quality in Saudi Arabian population of Riyadh. This is a cross-sectional study carried out in multiple health facilities of Riyadh from January to March 2019. The study samples (494) were recruited by convenience sampling and administered validated questionnaire by trained research participants. The data obtained was analysed by binary logistic regression using SPSS-IBM 25. Of the total 494 women participated in the study, 23.48% (116) were PCOS individuals. The odds of developing abnormal health related quality of (HRQ) in patients with PCOS was significantly (P = 0.000, OR = 3.472) high when compared to non-PCOS participants. The odds of showing high binge eating disorder (BED, P = 0.007, OR = 2.856) and depression (P = 0.000, OR = 2.497) scores in PCOS participants were significantly more than patients who were not having PCOS. Out of the three parameters studied, abnormal health related quality of life possessed a higher influence of PCOS compared to depression and abnormal eating behavior. In conclusion, the present study shows that women with PCOS are at a significant risk for depressive disorders, disorganized eating behavior and impaired quality of life. Therefore, necessary care and screening is required to minimize the impact of PCOS on already burdened individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RHINOVIRUSES, RESPIRATORY syncytial virus, REVERSE transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, ANTIGENS, and RESPIRATORY infections

Human orthopneumovirus, formerly known as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), is a frequent cause of hospitalization among infants due to respiratory tract infection. Fast, reliable, and easy to perform tests are needed to optimize treatment and to identify children that should be contact isolated to avoid nosocomial outbreaks. We prospectively tested 200 respiratory samples with a new assay (ImmuView RSV Antigen Test, SSI Diagnostica) and compared the results to the Alere BinaxNOW RSV Card by using our laboratory‐developed real‐time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as reference. In addition, 300 retrospectively collected respiratory samples were included in the study. The sensitivities of both antigen kits were very low (<50%). Sensitivities were higher when samples came from children less than 6 years, when samples came from nasopharynx or lower respiratory airways, or when samples were positive for RSV serotype A compared to when samples came from adults, samples were throat swabs, or samples were positive for RSV serotype B. In conclusion, the ImmuView RSV antigen kit did not perform well and may at the most be used as a quick guidance for clinical decision. Thus, it cannot stand alone without reverse transcription PCR confirmation of negative results. Highlights: In this study we evaluated a new rapid RSV antigen detection kits (ImmuView® RSV Antigen Test, SSI Diagnostica) and compared the results with those of the Alere BinaxNOW® RSV Card by using a laboratory‐developed real‐time reverse transcription PCR as reference. The sensitivities of both antigen kits were very low (<50%) although higher, when children <6 years were tested or when samples came from nasopharynx or lower respiratory airways. In conclusion, the ImmuView® RSV antigen kit did not perform well and may at the most be used as a quick guidance for clinical decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PERCUTANEOUS coronary intervention, SYMPTOMS, FRONTAL lobe, BRAIN damage, CORONARY vasospasm, and FRONTAL lobe diseases

Objective: Rare disease. Background: Transient neurological symptoms after a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are not uncommon manifestations. In clinical practice, the development of these symptoms might be a warning sign for PCI-related ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. However, there is a reported risk of contrast-induced neurological injury (CINI) after PCI, which results in a broad spectrum of transient and benign neurological symptoms. Advanced age, renal disease, diabetes, hypertension, and brain parenchymal lesions are risk factors for CINI. Case Report: A 78-year-old man with diabetes and impaired renal function developed left-sided hemiparesis and dysarthria within one hour of PCI. Non-contrast CT head showed hyperdense lesions in both frontal lobes, while the susceptibility-weighted sequence of magnetic resonance imaging (SWI-MRI) excludes hemorrhage. Hemodialysis had to be started for fast contrast clearance, and he had recovered completely within 24 hours. Conclusions: This case demonstrates that CINI is an important differential diagnosis that cardiologists and neurologists must be familiar with, especially for high-risk patients. The prognosis is good; whether an appropriate contrast's dose or type for PCI or a need for early hemodialysis to avoid CINI in those patients is unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BOND strengths, SILANE coupling agents, DENTURES, TEETH, and THERMOCYCLING

Background. Detachment of acrylic teeth from denture base material is a common complication in dentistry which accounts for 26–30% of repair cases. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of alumina-blasting, silane coupling agent, and thermal cycling on the shear bond strength of repaired teeth to denture base. Materials and Methods. Specimens (140) of repaired teeth to denture bases were fabricated and divided into 14 groups: 7 groups before thermal cycling and 7 groups after thermal cycling (n = 10). The groups were divided according to surface treatment into no treatment (control), treatment of the base (B), the tooth (T), or both (BT). Each group was further subdivided according to the surface treatment method into alumina-blasting or alumina-blasting and silane coupling agent. After treatment, acrylic discs and teeth were fixed in a jig, and the repair procedure was done. Half the specimens were thermally cycled. Shear bond strength was measured using a universal testing machine. ANOVA and Tukey HSD tests were performed at α = 0.05. Results. Surface treatment significantly improved the bond strength compared to the control group P < 0.001 . Comparing surface treatments, alumina-blasting with silane coupling agent treatment resulted in significantly higher strength compared to alumina-blasting alone P < 0.001 . The BT group treated with alumina-blasting and silane coupling agent showed the highest significant shear bond strength (23.91 ± 0.96 MPa) P < 0.001 . Significant drop in strength value was observed in all groups after thermal cycling P < 0.004 except the BT group treated with alumina-blasting P = 0.096 . Conclusion. Surface treatment using alumina-blasting with silane coupling agent for denture base and tooth increased repair strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CREATIVE ability, EDUCATIONAL technology, BRAIN, RESEARCH teams, NEUROSCIENTISTS, and TRAIL Making Test

This article is part of an ongoing series by the authors and the Deep Play Research Group, which focuses on the intersection of creativity and technology in education. In this article, Dr. Anthony Brandt, professor of composition and theory at Rice University shares his thoughts about the study of creativity. He uses his experiences as a musician and composer to highlight the important role that creativity plays in our lives, providing examples that illustrate multiple understandings of creativity. His work with neuroscientist David Eagleman is highlighted and serves to illustrate how our understanding of the brain has influenced our knowledge about the way that humans have evolved to engage in creative acts. Dr. Brandt shares his excitement about opportunities that the future will bring as researchers collaborate with scientists and use ground-breaking technological advancements to study creativity. He further offers implications for education and technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MEDICAL students, PEOPLE with mental illness, ATTITUDES toward illness, SOCIAL stigma, SAMPLE size (Statistics), and COMMUNITY attitudes

Aim: The study aimed to measure the level of the stigma of medical students at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Riyadh campus, towards mentally ill patients. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Riyadh. The data collection was started in July 2017 till March 2018. The students completed a self-administered questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic data and the Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) Scale. Results: The sample size was realized as 274 participants. There were no significant differences in all CAMI subscales for the different academic years except for Authoritarianism which showed a significant increase in the level of stigma (P-value = 0.04). Male gender, previous psychiatric treatment, and having a relative with psychiatric illness were associated with higher Authoritarianism and Social Restrictiveness scores and lower Benevolence and CMHI scores. Discussion: More stigma was observed among the 4th year students and it might be due to insufficient academic preparation as well as more exposure to psychiatric rotations. Conclusion: The results support the importance of implementing anti-stigma programs throughout the medical program to improve the healthcare provided to mentally ill patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MINDFULNESS, STUDENT well-being, CREATIVE ability, CREATIVE ability in children, and TEACHERS

Taking a whole-child approach to schooling, the authors address how creativity and mindfulness are connected and suggest practical ways that teachers can integrate them into the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IONIC liquids, PLASTIC crystals, ELECTROLYTES, IONIC crystals, SUPERIONIC conductors, and LITHIUM cells

Solid‐state electrolytes can address many of the challenges associated with lithium metal batteries, as they can suppress the reactivity of the lithium metal and reduce the growth of dendrites, which is a main cause of device failure. However, achieving sufficient target ion transport through solid electrolytes remains a challenge. Here we report the structural modification of a high‐performing ionic liquid to form a quasi‐solid state electrolyte. Thus, the organic ionic plastic crystal N‐isopropyl‐N‐methylpyrrolidinium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide, [C(i3)mpyr][FSI], has been synthesized and, when mixed with lithium salt, is shown to have a similar lithium‐ion transference number as the analogous [C3mpyr][FSI] ionic‐liquid‐based electrolyte. Furthermore, high ionic conductivity and efficient lithium cycling are demonstrated for two quasi‐solid‐state electrolytes, one with the very high lithium salt content of 90 mol % LiFSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EVOLUTIONARY psychology, EDUCATIONAL technology, CREATIVE ability, FORENSIC psychology, KINDERGARTEN children, and PRETEENS

VISUAL communication, COVID-19 pandemic, DIGITAL signage, RISK communication, PICTURE-writing, and COMMUNICATION strategies

A pandemic introduces multiple factors that must be communicated to the public. The coronavirus outbreak has demonstrated the necessity of effective risk communication during a global pandemic and the importance of communication design within this process. Since March 2020, official and ad-hoc signage reminding the public to keep their distance, wear a mask, stay safe and stay at home have become ubiquitous in cities all over the world. This paper analyses the visual language of COVID-related signage – those made by designers and those made without – in London, UK from April 2020 to January 2021. A mixture of compositional interpretation and semiology was performed on 130 photographs of print-based signage to categorise them under themes. Results were categorised these under four broad themes: Thank you, Togetherness, Care; Safety and Security; Heroes and Protection; and Fear, Danger, Caution. The findings invite readers to reflect on the effectiveness of the visual communication strategy and ask who these designs are for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Sex-related differences have been documented in risk factors distribution, etiologic subtypes, diagnostic evaluation, offered management, and outcome of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) from all over the world. Nevertheless, studies from Saudi Arabia are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the influence of sex on distribution of risk factors and etiologic subtype of AIS in patients admitted to our hospital.Materials and Methods: Record of patients admitted to King Fahd Hospital of the University between 2010 and 2017 with ischemic stroke (IS) were reviewed. Base line characteristics, risk factors, and etiologic subtypes according to Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) classification were compared between men and women.Results: Among 453 patients with IS, 300 (66.2%) were men and 153 (33.7%) were women. The mean age of all patients was 61.5 ± 14.5 years. Women were older than men (P = 0.00). Hypertension (P = 0.00), atrial fibrillation (P = 0.00), and past history of stroke (P = 0.03) were more frequent in women compared to men. Fewer carotid Doppler studies (47.1 vs. 68.3%, P = 0.00) and echocardiogram (75.1 vs. 83%, P = 0.01) were done in women as compared to men. Cardioembolic etiologic subtype (26.1 vs. 17.7%) was found more frequently, whereas small vessel occlusive (23.5 vs. 31%) and large artery disease less (10.5 vs. 16.3%) frequently in women.Conclusion: Significant sex-related differences were found in risk factors and subtypes of AIS in our cohort of patients. Findings of our study are in general comparable with studies from all over the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionic liquids and plastic crystals based on pyrrolidinium cations are recognised for their advantageous properties such as high conductivity, low viscosity, and good electrochemical and thermal stability. The pyrrolidinium ring can be substituted with symmetric or asymmetric alkyl chain substituents to form a range of ionic liquids or plastic crystals depending on the anion. However, reports into the use of branched alkyl chains and how this influences the material properties are limited. Here, we report the synthesis of six salts – ionic liquids and organic ionic plastic crystals – where the typically used linear propyl chain substituent is replaced by the branched alternative, isopropyl, to form the cation [C(i3)mpyr]+, in combination with six different anions: dicyanamide, (fluorosulfonyl)(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide, tetrafluoroborate and hexafluorophosphate. The thermal and transport properties of these salts are compared to those of the analogous N-propyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium and N,N-diethylpyrrolidinium-based salts. Finally, a high lithium salt content ionic liquid electrolyte based on the bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide salt was developed. This electrolyte showed high coulombic efficiencies of lithium plating/stripping and high lithium ion transference number, making it a strong candidate for use in lithium metal batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this meta-analysis was to find out the prevalence of Night Eating Syndrome (NES) associated with psychological disorders among university students. Extensive search of database yielded 1541 articles matching the search keywords, out of which were 1528 were excluded due to difference in population, outcome, and study design. At the end, only 13 articles were retrieved which aligned with the inclusion criteria. Prevalence of NES associated with psychological disorders in 9432 participants was 8.2% (95% CI 4.9: 13.4) but there was high level of heterogeneity. Female university students had a higher prevalence of the disorder (7.2%) with a high degree of heterogeneity (τ2 = 0.687, I 2 = 96%, P < 0.01), as compared to male students (4.9%) with lower heterogeneity. Nevertheless, high level of clinical heterogeneity was observed in this metanalysis which mandates more real-world studies with larger samples to validate the causal relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BOWEL obstructions, GALLSTONES, HOSPITAL admission & discharge, LITERATURE reviews, and SMALL intestine

Gallstone ileus (GSI) is an uncommon entity that causes obstruction of the intestinal lumen due to gallstones. It affects mainly the elderly with multiple comorbidities, leading to a high mortality rate. In this case, an 81-year-old woman was admitted due to GSI. She had a recurrence after 5 days of the index surgery. Recurrent intestinal obstruction due to GSI during the same hospitalization despite complete clearance of the small bowel from stones is rare. Through our case, we will discuss management along with a review of the current evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PLASTIC crystals, SOLID state batteries, LITHIUM cells, ANIONS, ELECTROLYTES, POSITRON annihilation, and SULFONYL compounds

Organic ionic plastic crystals (OIPCs) are increasingly promising as a class of solid-state electrolyte for developing safer lithium batteries. However, their advancement relies on expanding the range of well-characterised cation/anion combinations. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of OIPCs utilising small ammonium cations tetramethylammonium ([N1111]+), triethylmethylammonium ([N1222]+) and tetraethylammonium ([N2222]+), chosen to encourage significant rotational and translational motion, with the charge-diffuse and electrochemically stable bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide ([FSI]) and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide ([NTf2]) anions. To investigate the physico-chemical properties of the OIPCs, the free volume was measured by positron annihilation spectroscopy (PALS) and correlated with the ionic conductivity and thermal analysis (DSC). Solid-state NMR analysis of the salts, is also reported. The salts with the less symmetric cation, [N1222][FSI] and [N1222][NTf2], were identified as the most promising electrolyte materials, and thus the electrochemical properties after mixing with 10 and 90 mol% lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) or lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiNTf2), respectively, were investigated. This study demonstrates the efficacy of these OIPC materials as new quasi-solid state electrolytes with advantageous properties such as high conductivity, good thermal and electrochemical properties, the ability to incorporate high lithium salt concentrations and support efficient lithium electrochemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CONVERSATION, NURTURING behavior, CREATIVE ability, EXPRESSIVE arts therapy, and COVID-19 pandemic

We argue that Dr. Russ's view of play as a creative product brings a new meta-level meaning to the "effectiveness" criteria common in other definitions of creativity. Dr. Russ believes video games can support play and creativity but emphasized that the central requirement for pretend play is for the play to be open-ended. Dr. Russ also discussed the potential for conducting play interventions over video platforms. [Extracted from the article]

ACQUISITION of data and DATA quality

This paper is based upon the closing keynote presentation that was given by danah boyd at the inaugural NISO Plus conference held from February 23–25, 2020 in Baltimore, MD (USA). It focuses on how data are used, and how they can be manipulated to meet specific objectives – both good and bad. The paper reinforces the importance of understanding the biases and limitations of any data set. Topics covered include data quality, data voids, data infrastructures, alternative facts, and agnotology. The paper stresses that data become legitimate because we collectively believe that those data are sound, valid, and fit for use. This not only means that there is power in collecting and disseminating data, but also that there is power in interpreting and manipulating the data. The struggle over data's legitimacy says more about our society – and our values – than it says about the data itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 pandemic, MEDICAL care, COVID-19, HEALTH facilities, MEDICAL specialties & specialists, and EPILEPSY

STEM education, EDUCATORS, COMPETENCY tests (Education), ACADEMIC motivation, METAPHOR, and COLLEGE students

STEM education in the United States is often described as being in a downward spiral, when assessed by competency test scores and lack of student motivation for engaging STEM disciplines. The authors suggest this arises from an overly instrumental view of STEM. While STEAM has arisen as a pushback paradigm, the application of STEAM in schools is challenging, and educators are often unclear about connecting STEM and the arts. The authors suggest envisioning STEAM through natural disciplinary interconnections. They focus on the integration of language arts and figurative thinking to blur the boundaries of STEM and the arts, and offer examples of figurative language—such as metaphor, linguistic etymology and synecdoche—for framing STEM teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STORYTELLING, ARCHITECTURAL design, SELF-confidence, EXPERIENTIAL learning, and REFLECTIVE learning

Copyright of Journal of Engineering Sciences & Information Technology is the property of Arab Journal of Sciences & Research Publishing (AJSRP) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

DESIGN thinking, DESIGN services, TEACHER development, and TEACHERS

Design thinking has been receiving increased scholarly and popular interest in education; yet, teachers are often uncertain about what it means to implement this in their educational settings. Design thinking, nonetheless, offers a framework to address the challenging problems of practice educators face. In this article, we examine a graduate-level teacher education course, at a Midwestern US university, which uses the Stanford Design Thinking Model. Educators in the course found that exposure to and practice of the design thinking model allowed them to creatively solve problems of practice relevant to their context. In particular, educators reported three main takeaways from the experience: (1) valuing empathy, (2) becoming open to uncertainty, and (3) seeing teaching as design. We discuss implications and challenges for scholarship and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GUILLAIN-Barre syndrome, PUERPERIUM, LEG, CRANIAL nerves, and DYSAUTONOMIA

Copyright of Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal is the property of Sultan Qaboos University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

CONVERSATION, PHOTOGRAPHY of art, WRITING, INDEPENDENT bookstores, EDUCATORS, and SELF-consciousness (Awareness)

Kij tells her students to listen to the advice author Brenda Ueland offers in her book "If You Want to Write" (Ueland [13]). This is of particular importance in the space that Kij works within - science fiction, where fans often take stories in interesting and unexpected directions through their interrogation of the original work of art and their personal and unique points of view. Conclusion What come through most in this interview is that Kij is first and foremost an author of wildly creative and entertaining fiction who is incredibly down-to-earth in her approach and appreciation of creativity and creative endeavors. [Extracted from the article]

TEACHER educators, COVID-19, ONLINE education, VIDEOCONFERENCING, VIRTUAL classrooms, SELF-contained classrooms, and MOBILE learning

In the COVID-19 shift to online education, many teacher educators have sought out video conference technologies (such as Zoom) aiming to replicate traditional classrooms online. At face value, synchronous video appears to offer more immediate replicability of existing f2f synchronous teaching. However, moving pedagogically from one medium to another is not always a smooth transition. The COVID-19 situation has forced urgent transitions, and without adequate opportunities to design for a new medium, some instructors have struggled. We propose that Bruner's concept of folk pedagogies is a useful theoretical position for understanding pedagogical change in this new environment. We highlight issues and offer possible approaches and implications for teacher educators who deploy video conferencing technologies, using a rejuvenated view on folk pedagogies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BOND strengths, SHEAR strength, ACRYLIC resins, SILANE coupling agents, METHYL methacrylate, DENTAL bonding, ZIRCONIUM oxide, NANOPARTICLES, and DENTURES

Purpose: To evaluate the combined effect of mechanical surface treatment with intermediate bonding agents (methyl methacrylate [MMA] and silane coupling agents) and ZrO2 nanoparticle (nano‐ZrO2) addition to repair material on the shear bond strength (SBS) of repaired denture bases. Materials and Methods: Heat‐polymerized acrylic resin was used to fabricate 130 cylindrical blocks (15 mm × 10 mm) and divided into a control group without treatment (C, n = 10), and 3 repair groups (n = 40/group) divided into specimens treated with alumina blasting alone (AB), specimens blasted with alumina combined with silane coupling agent (AB + SCA), or combined with MMA‐based composite bonding agent (AB + MA). Treated groups were further subdivided according to nano‐ZrO2 concentrations into 0 wt%, 2.5 wt%, 5 wt%, and 7.5 wt% added to repair resin powder. Repair resin monomer and polymer were combined and packed on the repair area and then placed in a pressure pot at 37°C for 15 minutes for polymerization. Shear bond test was performed using a universal testing machine. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the effect of surface modifications on repair surfaces and to evaluate the topography of fracture surfaces. Tukey‐Kramer multiple‐comparison test was used to detect significant differences between groups (p ≤ 0.05). Results: SBS (MPa) of specimens treated with alumina blasting and application of intermediate agents were significantly higher than the control group (p < 0.05), while no significant differences were found between AB and control group (p > 0.05). Nano‐ZrO2 addition significantly increased SBS except for AB, and 5%, 7.5% MA (p > 0.05). SEM evaluation showed that alumina blasting created rougher and more porous surfaces, while SCA and MA reduced the irregularities and fissures. Conclusion: Application of bonding agents to repair surfaces after alumina blasting improved the repair bond strength and proved to be a possible new adhesive method for denture repair. Moreover, nano‐ZrO2 addition in combination with surface treatment improved the repair bond strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CREATIVE ability and PERSONALITY

Dr. Kerr utilizes innovative counseling and therapy approaches to better understand the relationship of creativity to gender, privilege, and talent development. Given her interest in formative aspects of creative personality, Dr. Kerr has also done significant work with creative youth. This gender related aspect of creative personality and professional success leads into an area of research that Dr. Kerr is known for - in understanding creativity, gender and structural inequities. That said, Dr. Kerr is also sensitive to the fact that non-traditional approaches can be uncomfortable to traditional practitioners:. [Extracted from the article]

GLASS fibers, NOTCHED bar testing, IMPACT strength, DENTURES, and FLEXURAL strength

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the effects of glass fiber (GF), Zirconium oxide nanoparticles (nano‐ZrO2), and silicon dioxide nanoparticles (nano‐SiO2) addition on the flexural strength and impact strength of repaired denture base material. Materials and Methods: Heat‐polymerized acrylic resin specimens were fabricated. All specimens were sectioned centrally and beveled creating 2.5 mm repair gap except for 10 controls. Specimen grouping (n = 10/group) was done according to filler concentration of 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, and 0.75% of auto‐polymerized acrylic powder. Modified resin was mixed, packed in the repair gap, polymerized, finished and polished. Three‐point bending test and Charpy type impact testing were done. Data were analyzed using one‐way‐ANOVA and Post‐Hoc Tukey test (α = 0.05). Results: All additives significantly increased flexural strength and impact strength (p < 0.05). Within the modified subgroups, no significant differences were found for GF. Significant increase for nano‐ZrO2 and significant decrease for nano‐SiO2 as the concentration of additive increased were noted for both flexural strength and impact strength. Highest flexural strength was found with 0.75%‐nano‐ZrO2 (69.59 ± 2.52MPa) and the lowest was found with 0.75%‐nano‐SiO2 (53.82 ± 3.10MPa). The 0.25%‐nano‐SiO2 showed the highest impact strength value (2.54 ± 0.21 kJ/m2) while the lowest impact strength value was seen with 0.75%‐nano‐SiO2 (1.54 ± 0.17 kJ/m2). Conclusion: Nano‐filler effect was concentration dependent and its addition to repair resin increased the flexural and impact strengths. The incorporation of 0.75%‐ZrO2 or 0.25%‐SiO2 into repair resin proved to be a promising technique to enhance repair strength and avoid repeated fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TYPE 2 diabetes, FRUCTOSE, OVERWEIGHT persons, GLYCOSYLATED hemoglobin, and URIC acid

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LEPTIN receptors, GLUCOSE intolerance, EPIDERMAL growth factor receptors, AMINO acid sequence, and INSULIN resistance

The leptin receptor (LepR) acts as a signaling nexus for the regulation of glucose uptake and obesity, among other metabolic responses. The functional role of LepR under leptin-deficient conditions remains unclear. This study reports that epiregulin (EREG) governed glucose uptake in vitro and in vivo in Lepob mice by activating LepR under leptin-deficient conditions. Single and long-term treatment with EREG effectively rescued glucose intolerance in comparative insulin and EREG tolerance tests in Lepob mice. The immunoprecipitation study revealed binding between EREG and LepR in adipose tissue of Lepob mice. EREG/LepR regulated glucose uptake without changes in obesity in Lepob mice via mechanisms, including ERK activation and translocation of GLUT4 to the cell surface. EREG-dependent glucose uptake was abolished in Leprdb mice which supports a key role of LepR in this process. In contrast, inhibition of the canonical epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway implicated in other EREG responses, increased glucose uptake. Our data provide a basis for understanding glycemic responses of EREG that are dependent on LepR unlike functions mediated by EGFR, including leptin secretion, thermogenesis, pain, growth, and other responses. The computational analysis identified a conserved amino acid sequence, supporting an evolutionary role of EREG as an alternative LepR ligand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PEPTIDES, ANTIBODY-drug conjugates, OLIGONUCLEOTIDES, DRUG approval, COVID-19 pandemic, and CHEMICAL structure

From the medical, pharmaceutical, and social perspectives, 2021 has been a year dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite this global health crisis, the pharmaceutical industry has continued its endeavors, and 2021 could be considered an excellent year in terms of the drugs accepted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Thus, during this year, the FDA has approved 50 novel drugs, of which 36 are new chemical entities and 14 biologics. It has also authorized 10 TIDES (8 peptides, 2 oligonucleotides), in addition to 2 antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) whose structures contain peptides. Thus, TIDES have accounted for about 24% of the approvals in the various drug categories. Importantly, this percentage has surpassed the figure in 2020 (10%), thus reflecting the remarkable success of TIDES. In this review, the approved TIDE-based drugs are analyzed on the basis of their chemical structure, medical target, mode of action, administration route, and adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the high energy density of lithium metal has long been a strong driver for the development of lithium metal batteries, harnessing the full theoretical capacity in a safe, practical device requires significant advances in electrolyte design. The use of quasi-solid state electrolytes can be greatly beneficial for increasing safety, suppressing the growth of lithium dendrites and prolonging cell lifetime. Organic ionic plastic crystals (OIPCs) are a unique class of disordered solid that can support high ionic conductivities and lithium ion mobility. Until recently, OIPCs were used primarily as matrix materials and incorporated only low dopant concentrations of lithium salts. Here we report a very high lithium content electrolyte containing 90 mol% lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide, Li[FSI], combined with 10 mol% of a conductive pyrrolidinium FSI-based OIPC. The resultant quasi-solid state electrolyte achieves a conductivity of 0.24 mS cm−1 at 30 °C, supports stable lithium electrochemistry and has a very good lithium ion transference number of 0.68. Symmetrical Li‖Li cell cycling is demonstrated at 0.1 mA cm−2 for 100 hours. This showcases a new approach for designing safer quasi-solid state electrolytes with high lithium content and excellent electrochemical and transport properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PERSPECTIVE taking, EMPATHY, CONVERSATION, FIVE-factor model of personality, and CREATIVE ability

During our conversation Dr. Glaveanu pointed out the conceptual challenge that this sociocultural perspective poses to dominant forms of creativity research which are often quantitative and examine only a small part of this larger system. Dr. Glaveanu relates this conversation back to his framing of creativity as a social process that relies on new perspectives, again returning to the need of being in dialogue with new perspectives and thoughts: To this end, Dr. Glaveanu has also examined "protests and forms of activism...forms of collective wonder, where people wonder together what might become possible in a certain situation. Nonetheless, openness to difference (Glaveanu and Beghetto [6]) is an important skill that Dr. Glaveanu thinks is important to support students in learning. [Extracted from the article]