A comparison of the spatial dependence of body mass index among adults and children in a Swiss general population.

BACKGROUND: Body mass index (BMI) may cluster in space among adults and be spatially dependent. Whether BMI clusters among children and how age-specific BMI clusters are related remains unknown. We aimed to identify and compare the spatial dependence of BMI in adults and children in a Swiss general population, taking into account the area's income level. METHODS: Geo-referenced data from the Bus Santé study (adults, n=6663) and Geneva School Health Service (children, n=3601) were used. We implemented global (Moran's I) and local (local indicators of spatial association (LISA)) indices of spatial autocorrelation to investigate the spatial dependence of BMI in adults (35-74 years) and children (6-7 years). Weight and height were measured using standardized procedures. Five spatial autocorrelation classes (LISA clusters) were defined including the high-high BMI class (high BMI participant's BMI value correlated with high BMI-neighbors' mean BMI values). The spatial distributions of clusters were compared between adults and children with and without adjustment for area's income level. RESULTS: In both adults and children, BMI was clearly not distributed at random across the State of Geneva. Both adults' and children's BMIs were associated with the mean BMI of their neighborhood. We found that the clusters of higher BMI in adults and children are located in close, yet different, areas of the state. Significant clusters of high versus low BMIs were clearly identified in both adults and children. Area's income level was associated with children's BMI clusters. CONCLUSIONS: BMI clusters show a specific spatial dependence in adults and children from the general population. Using a fine-scale spatial analytic approach, we identified life course-specific clusters that could guide tailored interventions

Recent Advances in Graph Partitioning

We survey recent trends in practical algorithms for balanced graph partitioning together with applications and future research directions

On the Benefits of Transparent Compression for Cost-Effective Cloud Data Storage

International audienceInfrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud computing has revolutionized the way we think of acquiring computational resources: it allows users to deploy virtual machines (VMs) at large scale and pay only for the resources that were actually used throughout the runtime of the VMs. This new model raises new challenges in the design and development of IaaS middleware: excessive storage costs associated with both user data and VM images might make the cloud less attractive, especially for users that need to manipulate huge data sets and a large number of VM images. Storage costs result not only from storage space utilization, but also from bandwidth consumption: in typical deployments, a large number of data transfers between the VMs and the persistent storage are performed, all under high performance requirements. This paper evaluates the trade-off resulting from transparently applying data compression to conserve storage space and bandwidth at the cost of slight computational overhead. We aim at reducing the storage space and bandwidth needs with minimal impact on data access performance. Our solution builds on BlobSeer, a distributed data management service specifically designed to sustain a high throughput for concurrent accesses to huge data sequences that are distributed at large scale. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our approach achieves large reductions (at least 40%) of bandwidth and storage space utilization, while still attaining high performance levels that even surpass the original (no compression) performance levels in several data-intensive scenarios

Perspective of Internet Poker Players on Harm-Reduction Strategies: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Internet gambling may increase rates of gambling harm. This current study aimed to assess Internet poker players' views on various harm-reduction (HR) strategies. It also examined differences in these views according to the games played (poker only vs. poker plus other gambling activities), indebtedness, and problem gambling severity. Methods: Internet poker players (n = 311; 94.2% Male) recruited online between 2012 and 2014 were included in the analyses and completed a survey on indebtedness, problem gambling severity index, and ten statements regarding HR features. Results: Among the whole sample, the most frequently endorsed HR strategy was setting money limits, specialized online help, and peer support forums. People who play poker only (70%) are less prone to endorse the utility of information on excessive gambling and specialized healthcare centers. No differences were found between those people with debt versus those without regarding HR assessment. Participants with severe problem gambling were more skeptical about HR strategies based on information on specialized healthcare centers. Conclusion: Setting money limits, online help, and peer support forums are the most commonly endorsed strategies. Future research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of online harm reduction strategies

Assessing the effect of flood restoration on surface–subsurface interactions in Rohrschollen Island (Upper Rhine river – France) using integrated hydrological modeling and thermal infrared imaging

Rohrschollen Island is an artificial island of the large Upper Rhine river whose geometry and hydrological dynamics are the result of engineering works during the 19th and 20th centuries. Before its channelization, the Rhine river was characterized by an intense hydromorphological activity which maintained a high level of biodiversity along the fluvial corridor. This functionality considerably decreased during the two last centuries. In 2012, a restoration project was launched to reactivate typical alluvial processes, including bedload transport, lateral channel dynamics, and surface–subsurface water exchanges. An integrated hydrological model has been applied to the area of Rohrschollen Island to assess the efficiency of the restoration regarding surface and subsurface flows. This model is calibrated using measured piezometric heads. Simulated patterns of water exchanges between the surface and subsurface compartments of the island are checked against the information derived from thermal infrared (TIR) imaging. The simulated results are then used to better understand the evolutions of the infiltration–exfiltration zones over time and space and to determine the physical controls of surface–subsurface interactions on the hydrographic network of Rohrschollen Island. The use of integrated hydrological modeling has proven to be an efficient approach to assess the efficiency of restoration actions regarding surface and subsurface flows.</p

Exceptional Survival of a Buried Alive Newborn: A Case Report

Gabriel Kakuru Shamavu,1 Kumbowi Kumbakulu Patrick,1 Franck Katembo Sikakulya,2 Odong Richard Justin,1 Everest Tukamushaba,3 Simon Odoch,1,3 Baanitse Munihire Jeannot,2 Juliet Adongo Ocol1,3 1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Clinical Medicine and Dentistry, Kampala International University Western Campus, Ishaka-Bushenyi, Uganda; 2Department of Surgery, Faculty of Clinical Medicine and Dentistry, Kampala International University Western Campus, Ishaka-Bushenyi, Uganda; 3Department of Pediatrics, Lira Regional Referral Hospital, Lira, UgandaCorrespondence: Gabriel Kakuru Shamavu, Faculty of Clinical Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Pediatrics, Kampala International University Western Campus, PO.Box 70, Ishaka-Bushenyi, Uganda, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: This report details the exceptional survival of a female newborn buried alive by her own mother after a clandestine and unassisted birth. Despite spending over six hours underground, the newborn remarkably survived without exhibiting signs of perinatal asphyxia or major complications, and did not require advanced resuscitation measures.Case Presentation: Rescued following a shocking discovery in a garden and rushed to the hospital, this newborn experienced transient hypothermia, mild to moderate respiratory distress, and scattered skin bruises. After five days of hospital care, she was discharged in clinically stable condition with no infectious complications, displaying age-appropriate normal neurological examination findings and excellent feeding.Conclusion: This case not only defies established expectations but also illuminates perinatal physiological adaptation complexities. It highlights a fortunate and exceptional outcome in dire circumstances, presenting a captivating enigma within scientific realms. This report sheds light on the critical importance of early intervention and timely rescue efforts in cases of neonaticide, emphasizing the significance of raising awareness and implementing prompt measures to safeguard newborns in vulnerable situations and collectively contribute to our understanding of handling similar distressing cases.Keywords: buried alive, survival, newborn, Uganda, case repor

The impact of job-demand-control-support on leptin and ghrelin as biomarkers of stress in emergency healthcare workers

Despite the available literature on the consequences of night shiftwork on stress and food intake, its impact on leptin and ghrelin has never been studied. We previously demonstrated that leptin and ghrelin were biomarkers related to stress, and acute stress-induced a decrease in leptin levels and an increase in ghrelin levels. We performed a prospective observational study to assess the influence of night work, nutrition, and stress on the levels of ghrelin and leptin among emergency healthcare workers (HCWs). We took salivary samples at the beginning of a day shift and/or at the end of a night shift. We also monitored stress using the job demand-control-support model of Karasek. We recorded 24-h food intake during the day shift and the consecutive night shift and during night work and the day before. We included 161 emergency HCWs. Emergency HCWs had a tendency for decreased levels of leptin following the night shift compared to before the dayshift (p = 0.067). Furthermore, the main factors explaining the decrease in leptin levels were an increase in job-demand (coefficient −54.1, 95 CI −99.0 to −0.92) and a decrease in job control (−24.9, −49.5 to −0.29). Despite no significant changes in ghrelin levels between shifts, social support was the main factor explaining the increase in ghrelin (6.12, 0.74 to 11.5). Food intake (kcal) also had a negative impact on leptin levels, in addition to age. Ghrelin levels also decreased with body mass index, while age had the opposite effect. In conclusion, we confirmed that ghrelin and leptin as biomarkers of stress were directly linked to the job demand-control-support model of Karasek, when the main cofounders were considered

Hepatocellular adenoma: what is new in 2008

Patients (85%) with hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) are women taking oral contraceptives. They can be divided into four subgroups according to their genotype/phenotype features. (1) Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1α (HNF1α) biallelic somatic mutations are observed in 35% of the HCA cases. It occurs in almost all cases in women. HNF1α-mutated HCA are most of the time, highly steatotic, with a lack of expression of liver fatty acid binding protein (LFABP) in immunohistochemistry analyses. Adenomatosis is frequently detected in this context. An HNF1α germline mutation is observed in less than 5% of HCA cases and can be associated with MODY 3 diabetes. (2) An activating β-catenin mutation was found in 10% of HCA. These β-catenin activated HCAs are observed in men and women, and specific risk factors, such as male hormone administration or glycogenosis, are associated with their development. Immunohistochemistry studies show that these HCAs overexpress β-catenin (nuclear and cytoplasmic) and glutamine synthetase. This group of tumours has a higher risk of malignant transformation into hepatocellular carcinoma. (3) Inflammatory HCAs are observed in 40% of the cases, and they are most frequent in women but are also found in men. Lesions are characterised by inflammatory infiltrates, dystrophic arteries, sinusoidal dilatation and ductular reaction. They express serum amyloid A and C-reactive protein. In this group, GGT is frequently elevated, with a biological inflammatory syndrome present. Also, there are more overweight patients in this group. An additional 10% of inflammatory HCAs express β-catenin, and are also at risk of malignant transformation. (4) Currently, less than 10% of HCAs are unclassified. It is hoped that in the near future it will be possible with clinical, biological and imaging data to predict in which of the 2 major groups (HNF1α-mutated HCA and inflammatory HCA) the patient belongs and to propose better guidelines in terms of surveillance and treatment

Combining immunotherapy with an epidrug in squamous cell carcinomas of different locations: rationale and design of the PEVO basket trial

Squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) are among the most frequent solid tumors in humans. SCCs, related or not to the human papillomavirus, share common molecular features. Immunotherapies, and specifically immune checkpoint inhibitors, have been shown to improve overall survival in multiple cancer types, including SCCs. However, only a minority of patients experience a durable response with immunotherapy. Epigenetic modulation plays a major role in escaping tumor immunosurveillance and confers resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Preclinical evidence suggests that modulating the epigenome might improve the efficacy of immunotherapy. We herein review the preclinical and the clinical rationale for combining immunotherapy with an epidrug, and detail the design of PEVOsq, a basket clinical trial combining pembrolizumab with vorinostat, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, in patients with SCCs of different locations. Sequential blood and tumor sampling will be collected in order to identify predictive and pharmacodynamics biomarkers of efficacy of the combination. We also present how clinical and biological data will be managed with the aim to enable the development of a prospective integrative platform to allow secure and controlled access to the project data as well as further exploitations