Can first trimester pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A predict the surfactant needs of preterm neonates?

BACKGROUND: Low values of pregnancy associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), have been shown to be associated with some poor gestational outcomes, especially those related to placental deficiency such as pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction as well as preterm labor. The aim of this study was to compare first trimester PAPP-A MoM values with the surfactant needs of newborns of pregnant women who had a preterm delivery. METHODS: This study included 216 pregnant women who had a preterm delivery, who were found to be in the low-risk group based on their aneuploidy screening. The women were separated into two groups based on the surfactant receipts of their newborns. A record was made of the obstetric history, birth characteristics of the preterm infants, and whether or not there was a need for surfactant. RESULTS: A comparison of the PAPP-A values of the two groups revealed that the group that received surfactant had statistically significantly lower PAPP-A values (t(–3.97) = 0.203, p < 0.001). When the cut-off value of PAPP-A was taken as 1 MoM and the gestational age was analyzed together with the birth weight, PAPP-A alone was found to be a significant independent variable for the prediction of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) (p = 0.031; OR:8.2 (1.2–55.6)). CONCLUSIONS: The result of this study demonstrated that PAPP-A MoM values may be significant in predicting the need for surfactant in RDS, which is a frequently seen condition in the neonatal period.

Determinants of Public Trust towards Unit Trust Investment: A Study Using PLS-SEM

There are many types of investment exist in our world. People can choose where to invest their money based on the risk that they are willing to take. There is investment with low risk, medium risk and high risk. Unit trust is classified as medium risk investment. This research will focus on the biggest company in Malaysia that offer unit trust investment to public which is Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) and it wholly subsidiary company, Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad (ASNB). It will focus on finding the determinants to build a trust from public to inves t in unit trust. Company strong brand name, word of mouth and effective promotional strategies have been chosen as the independent variables. Primary data will be use in this research in the form of distributing questionnaires and the data will be analysed with the help of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The findings have shown that all three independent variables have an effect on the dependent variable namely public trust. Using the regression analysis, the most significant independent variable is company strong brand name.

Timing of surgical fixation in traumatic spinal fractures

Aims The timing of surgical fixation in spinal fractures is a contentious topic. Existing literature suggests that early stabilization leads to reduced morbidity, improved neurological outcomes, and shorter hospital stay. However, the quality of evidence is low and equivocal with regard to the safety of early fixation in the severely injured patient. This paper compares complication profiles between spinal fractures treated with early fixation and those treated with late fixation. Methods All patients transferred to a national tertiary spinal referral centre for primary surgical fixation of unstable spinal injuries without preoperative neurological deficit between 1 July 2016 and 20 October 2017 were eligible for inclusion. Data were collected retrospectively. Patients were divided into early and late cohorts based on timing from initial trauma to first spinal operation. Early fixation was defined as within 72 hours, and late fixation beyond 72 hours. Results In total, 86 patients underwent spinal surgery in this period. Age ranged from 16 to 88 years. Mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) was higher in the early stabilization cohort (p = 0.020). Age was the sole significant independent variable in predicting morbidity on multiple regression analysis (p < 0.003). There was no significant difference in complication rates based on timing of surgical stabilization (p = 0.398) or ISS (p = 0.482). Conclusion Our results suggest that these patients are suitable for early appropriate care with spinal precautions and delayed definitive surgical stabilization. Earlier surgery conferred no morbidity benefit and had no impact on length of stay. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(5):627–631.

PERBANDINGAN ANALISIS DISKRIMINAN DAN REGRESI LOGISTIK UNTUK MENGKLASIFIKASIKAN KELAYAKAN VISITASI PELAMAR BIDIKMISI

The purpose of this study is to compare discriminant analysis and logistic regression to classify the feasibility of the Bidikmisi applicant's visitation based on the classification accuracy. The results showed that the assumptions of homogeneity covariance matricies between the groups are unequal, The significant independent variable is the combined amount of parental income , parents income divided by the number of family dependents , and electricity bills , and then the results of the classification of validation data from the logistic regression analysis of 98,21% higher than the discriminant analysis of 94,64%.

THE EFFECT OF LECTURER PROFESSIONALISM AND TEACHING MOTIVATION ON LECTURERS STRENGTHENING THE NATION'S COMPETITIVENESS (SURVEY ON XYZ COLLEGE LECTURERS IN CENTRAL JAKARTA CITY)

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Lecturer Professionalism and Motivation Teaching Lecturers equally against National Competitiveness in Higher Education XYZ in Central Jakarta. The research method used was a survey with correlation analysis and regression. Data on lecturer professionalism, teaching motivation, and national competitiveness obtained through a questionnaire compiled by researchers, namely those that measure things related to the three things above. The results showed: 1) There was an influence significant independent variable lecturer professionalism and lecturer teaching motivation together with the dependent variable of the nation's competitiveness. This is proven by the results of testing hypothesis through multiple regression analysis that the value of Sig = 0,000 and Fcount = 27,746, whereas F table = 3.25 so that the Sig value <0.05 and Fcount> F table which means the regression is significant. 2) There is a significant influence of the lecturer professionalism independent variable on the variable nation's competitiveness. This is evidenced by the results of testing the hypothesis obtained that the value Sig = 0.001 and tcount = 3.808, while table = 1.68 so the value of Sig <0.05 and tcount> table which means there is a significant influence. 3) There is a significant influence of variables free motivation to teach the nation's competitiveness variable. This is proven by the results Hypothesis testing obtained that the value of Sig = 0.001 and tcount = 3.772, while table = 1.68 so that the Sig value <0.05 and tcount> t table which means that there is an influence significant. The equation shows that there is an influence of professionalism lecturer on the nation's competitiveness.

Investigating Eating Behaviors and Symptoms of Oral Frailty Using Questionnaires

A questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate eating behavior and the subjective symptoms of oral frailty, and to examine the relationship between them. A total of 744 subjects with ages over 65 years were included. The questionnaire comprised 18 question items indicating eating behavior and seven question items indicating oral frailty. All items were assessed according to 4 grades on a scale of 1 (not applicable) to 4 (applicable). The total score of oral frailty gradually increased with age. Regarding the scores for “eating recognition” and “eating habits”, no changes were observed, however the scores for “eating action” demonstrated a decreasing tendency with age and the scores of ≥ 85 years age group was significantly lower than the 65–69, 70–74, and 75–79 years age groups. As a result of multiple regression analysis, among the significant independent variable, the scores of “I do not chew foods well” under the category of “eating action” showed the highest standard partial regression coefficients for dependent variable of symptoms of oral frailty. The significant association was found between the eating behavior and subjective symptoms of oral frailty, and this study suggests that the good chewing habit might be an important criterion for the prevention of oral frailty.

The influence of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis on migraine disability in children

ABSTRACT Migraine is a common condition in the pediatric population and causes a significant impact on the quality of life. Atopic disorders are some of the migraine comorbidities. Objective We hypothesized that allergic rhinitis could aggravate migraine in the pediatric population. Methods This cross-sectional study consecutively evaluated 90 pediatric outpatients (46 children 6–12 years of age; 44 adolescents up to 18 years of age) who sought medical assistance because of migraine at a general neurology clinic in Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil. They, and their parents, were given three questionnaires, to evaluate the diagnosis of current allergic rhinitis, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and seasonal allergic rhinitis, as well as the disability caused by headache (ISAAC - International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood; CARATkids - Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test for Children; PedMIDAS - Pediatric Migraine Disability Assessment). The study was approved by the local ethics committee. Results According to the ISAAC questionnaire, children with current allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in the last year showed higher scores on the PedMIDAS than those patients without atopy (median and interquartile range 26 [10–58] vs. 5 [1–13], p = 0.008). A significant positive correlation of CARATkids scores with PedMIDAS scores was found (p = 0.007, rho = 0.39). After including other putative predictors of migraine disability (age, body mass index, time since onset of migraine) in a multiple regression analysis, only the scores on the CARATkids remained a significant independent variable correlated with PedMIDAS scores (p = 0.001; R = 0.55; R2 = 0.30). Conclusions Current allergic rhinoconjunctivitis is related to enhanced disability caused by headache in childhood migraine.

Efek Motivasi Dan Disiplin Kerja Terhadap Kinerja Karyawan Di KJKS BMT Mandiri Sejahtera Karang Cangkring Jawa TImur

High employee performance can be achieved if all the elements that exist within the agency or organization well integrated, and it therefore requires the support of motivation and discipline in order to improve the employee's performance. The purpose of this study is to analyze and determine the effect of motivation and discipline to employee performance. This study aimed to examine the effect of motivation and discipline to employee performance either partially or simultaneously on KJKS Bmt Mandiri Sejahtera Karangcangkring East Java. The method used is quantitative method with a sample of 36 respondents. Data were collected by using questionnaires and data analysis used is multiple linear regression analysis. The results showed regression equation as follows: Y = 1,757 + 0.497X1 + 0.434X2 where variable Performance (Y), variable motivation (X1), variable working Discipline (X2). Hypothesis testing using the t test showed a significant independent variable partial effect on the dependent variable. Then known calculated F value of 44 275> 3:28 with a significance of 0.000 <0.05, meaning that the two independent variables studied simultaneously affect the performance of the variable that is equal to 72.9%. While the remaining 27.1% is influenced by other variables not included in this study.

Uterine artery Doppler screening as a predictor of pre-eclampsia

Hypertensive disorders represent the second most common cause of maternal death, affecting 5–10% of pregnancies worldwide and accounting for 19% of maternal deaths in South Africa. Pre-eclampsia is believed to develop from inadequate trophoblast invasion of the maternal spiral arteries. Doppler imaging permits non-invasive evaluation of the uteroplacental circulation and is invaluable in the management of high risk pregnancies.A prospective quantitative experimental study tested the hypothesis that uterine artery (UA) spectral Doppler screening is able to identify patients at risk for developing preeclampsia. Convenience sampling allowed for the recruitment of 144 patients (11–14 weeks gestation) who attended the antenatal clinic at Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital between November 2008 and July 2010. A complete record of 121 participants was available for the final analysis.The results of this study revealed that 7 (5.8%) participants developed pre-eclampsia. Race was identified as the most significant independent variable with an odds ratio of 1.5; 26 and 9 to 1 for developing PET in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters respectively.Uterine Artery Doppler is promising. An ultrasound screening programme in high risk pregnant women would offer clinicians the opportunity to pre-empt the disease before it manifests clinically.

Alternative Metrics for Real-Ear-to-Coupler Difference Average Values in Children

Background: Ideally, individual real-ear-to-coupler difference (RECD) measurements are obtained for pediatric hearing instrument–fitting purposes. When RECD measurements cannot be obtained, age-related average RECDs based on typically developing North American children are used. Evidence suggests that these values may not be appropriate for populations of children with retarded growth patterns. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if another metric, such as head circumference, height, or weight, can be used for prediction of RECDs in children. Research Design: Design was a correlational study. For all participants, RECD values in both ears, head circumference, height, and weight were measured. Study Sample: The sample consisted of 68 North American children (ages 3–11 yr). Data Collection and Analysis: Height, weight, head circumference, and RECDs were measured and were analyzed for both ears at 500, 750, 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 6000 Hz. A backward elimination multiple-regression analysis was used to determine if age, height, weight, and/or head circumference are significant predictors of RECDs. Results: For the left ear, head circumference was retained as the only statistically significant variable in the final model. For the right ear, head circumference was retained as the only statistically significant independent variable at all frequencies except at 2000 and 4000 Hz. At these latter frequencies, weight was retained as the only statistically significant independent variable after all other variables were eliminated. Conclusions: Head circumference can be considered as a metric for RECD prediction in children when individual measurements cannot be obtained. In developing countries where equipment is often unavailable and stunted growth can reduce the value of using age as a metric, head circumference can be considered as an alternative metric in the prediction of RECDs.