55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.51-0.61). Patients aged 45-65 years and older than 65 years were at a higher risk of developing all four cardiac complications. Status epilepticus was associated with higher risks of arrhythmia (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.11-2.15) and CA (OR 4.34, 95% CI 3.49-5.39) but a reduced risk of myocardial infarction (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.30-0.57) as the cause of immediate death.

The frequency of CA in patients with status epilepticus increased between 2008 and 2017. Male and elderly patients were at a higher risk of cardiogenic mortality.

The frequency of CA in patients with status epilepticus increased between 2008 and 2017. Male and elderly patients were at a higher risk of cardiogenic mortality.This systematic review and meta-analysis was aimed to summarize the pooled prevalence of stigma and associated factors among people with epilepsy in Ethiopia. A systematic search of articles was conducted in PubMed, SCOPUS, African Journals Online (AJOL), and Journal Storage (JSTOR). A standardized data extraction format was used to extract data. The analysis was conducted using STATA version 11 software. Cochrane Q statistic was used to assess the presence of significant between-study heterogeneity. I2 was used to quantify between-study heterogeneity. A leave-one-out sensitivity analysis was done. Subgroup analysis was conducted. Funnel plot, Begg’s test, and Egger’s regression tests were used to measure the presence of publication bias. read more Since the studies showed heterogeneity, the pooled estimated prevalence of stigma of people with epilepsy was conducted using DerSimonian-Laird’s random-effects model. The estimated pooled prevalence of stigma was 44.65(95%CI; 29.37-59.94). Begg’s rank correlation test (Z = 0.15, P = 0.881) and Egger’s linear regression test (t = 0.14, P = 0.894) showed the absence of publication bias. Factors associated with an increased likelihood of stigma were 6-10 years of duration of illness (p = 0.003), ≥11 years of duration of illness (p = 0.008), and ≥1/month of seizure frequency (p = 0.01). Comprehensive care that involves psychological, social, and medical components is required. Health education on effective coping mechanisms is recommended.

Focal epilepsy is a risk factor for language impairment in children. We investigated whether the current state-of-the-art deep learning network on diffusion tractography connectome can accurately predict expressive and receptive language scores of children with epilepsy.

We studied 37 children with a diagnosis of drug-resistant focal epilepsy (age 11.8 ± 3.1 years) using 3 T MRI and diffusion tractography connectome G = (S, Ω), where S is an adjacency matrix of edges representing the connectivity strength (number of white-matter tract streamlines) between each pair of brain regions, and Ω reflects a set of brain regions. link2 A convolutional neural network (CNN) was trained to learn the nonlinear relationship between ‘S (input)’ and ‘language score (output)’. Repeated hold-out validation was then employed to measure the Pearson correlation and mean absolute error (MAE) between CNN-predicted and actual language scores.

We found that CNN-predicted and actual scores were significantly correlated (i.e., Pearson’nly within the left cortico-cortical network but also involving the right subcortical structures was predictive of language impairment of expressive or receptive domain. Subsequent subgroup analyses inferred that the effectiveness of diffusion tractography-based prediction of language outcome was independent of clinical variables. Intrinsic diffusion tractography connectome properties may be useful for predicting the severity of baseline language dysfunction and possibly provide a better understanding of the biological mechanisms of epilepsy-related language impairment in children.Although the most accurate estimations of exposure to organic air pollutants are direct personal measurements, it is prohibitive for large-scale epidemiological studies, both in terms of cost-saving and procedure time. Therefore, indirect exposure assessments offer a potentially feasible approach for estimating population exposures to organic air pollution. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel living environment exposure matrix of the common organic air pollutants, which was used in large-scale epidemiological studies. The common organic air pollutants and a range of potential living environment factors were collected and matched according to the statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the World Health Organization. Paints (dyes), paint removing, and furniture are the most common source of living environment exposure (n = 6). Furthermore, most of the common organic air pollutants are associated with exposure to coal, oil and gasoline burning, smoking, and carpet backing (n ≥ 2). Electricity is considered a clean fuel due to they generate less organic air pollutants compared to other living environment factors in this study. However, whether gas burning is considered as a source of indoor organic air pollutants in large-scale epidemiological studies need to be further investigated. link3 The present study summarizes the living environment exposure matrix of the common organic air pollution, which could be used to estimate exposure to organic air pollutants in large-scale epidemiological studies in the future.Current Chinese surface water environmental quality standard GB3838-2002 for ammonia fails to take water quality factors and native organism distributions in different basins into consideration. In this study, ammonia toxicity tests were performed using three aquatic organisms native to the Shaying River Basin (China). Published ammonia toxicity data with pH and temperature, and toxicity data acquired in this study were used to establish water quality criteria. The final criterion maximum concentration (CMC) and criterion continuous concentration (CCC) for the Shaying River Basin were 5.09 and 1.36 (mg total ammonia nitrogen (TAN))/L (pH 7 and 20 °C), respectively. In addition, based on the corresponding relationship between ammonia toxicity and temperature and pH, the ecological risk assessment of ammonia was conducted in different seasons for the Shaying River using a tiered approach of both hazard quotient (HQ) and the joint probability (JPC) methods. Two methods gave consistent results the ecological risks of ammonia to aquatic species in the Shaying River Basin were severe and the risk could be ranked as wet season > flat season > dry season. It is therefore indicating that monitoring, evaluation, and early warning of ammonia pollution need to be taken to prevent and control the risks posed by ammonia pollution, especially for wet season (because of high temperatures and pH) or flat season (because of high pH values). We hope the present work could provide valuable information to manage and control ammonia pollution in the Shaying River Basin.In the past few decades, industrialization has caused a large number of pollutants to be released into the atmosphere. Forest ecosystems play an important function in regulating the biogeochemistry and the circulation of metal ions pollutants. Forest ecosystems affect the absorption of pollutants and dissolution of nutrients from the atmosphere and vegetation canopy, thereby influencing the content and composition of forest floor leachate and soil solution. This study examined changes in acid anions (NO3-, SO42-, Cl-) and metal cations (K+, Ca2+, Na2+, Mg2+, Fe3+, Pb2+, Cu2+, Cd2+) in rainfall, throughfall, stemflow, and forest floor leachate for five different forests (Larix principis-rupprechtii, Picea wilsonii, Picea crassifolia, Betula platyphylla and Rhododendron communities). The results showed that the enrichment capacity of acid anions and metal cations in the vegetation canopy of the coniferous forests (L. principis-rupprechtii, P. wilsonii, P. crassifolia) was stronger than that of the broad-leaved tal cations in soil and litter, indicating that coniferous forest stands had stronger ion scavenging and adsorption capacity in soil layer and litter layer than broad-leaved forest stands. Therefore, L. principis-rupprechtii, P. wilsonii, P. crassifolia had higher air pollutant adsorption and soil pollution remediation capacities than the other two forests. Thus, we recommend planting coniferous tree species (L. principis-rupprechtii, P. wilsonii and P. crassifolia) for eco-rehabilitation and water purification to improve the ecological service function of forest ecosystems.Risk assessment of pesticides involves ecotoxicological testing. In case pesticide exposure to bees is likely, toxicity tests are performed with honey bees (Apis mellifera), with a tiered approach, for which validated and internationally accepted test protocols exist. However, concerns have grown regarding the protection of non-Apis bees [bumble bees (Bombus spp.), solitary and stingless bees], given their different life cycles and therefore distinct exposure routes. Larvae of solitary bees of the genus Osmia feed on unprocessed pollen during development, yet no toxicity test protocol is internationally accepted or validated to assess the impact of pesticide exposure during this stage of their life cycle. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to further validate a test protocol with two solitary bee species (O. cornuta and O. bicornis) to assess lethal and sublethal effects of pesticide exposure on larval development. Larvae were exposed to thiacloprid (neonicotinoid insecticide) mixed in a new, artificial pollen provision. Both lethal (developmental and winter mortality) and sublethal endpoints (larval development time, pollen provision consumption, cocoon weight, emergence time and adult longevity) were recorded. Effects of lower, more environmentally realistic doses were only reflected in sublethal endpoints. In both bee species, thiacloprid treatment was associated with increased developmental mortality and larval development time, and decreased pollen provision consumption and cocoon weight. The test protocol proved valid and robust and showed that for higher doses of thiacloprid the acute endpoint (larval mortality) is sufficient. In addition, new insights needed to develop a standardized test protocol were acquired, such as testing of a positive control for the first time and selection of male and female individuals at egg level.

Although short-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) was associated with increased glucocorticoids (GCs) levels, available evidence on associations of long-term exposure to PM and GCs levels is still scant. Previous studies has showed that meat intake is associated with sex hormones levels, but it is unknown whether meat intake is associated with GCs levels. Furthermore, the role of meat intake in the associations between PM and GCs levels remains unclear.

The aims of this study were to explore the associations of long-term exposure to PM and GCs levels among Chinese rural adults, and the role of meat intake in these associations.

A total of 6223 subjects were recruited from the Henan Rural Cohort Study. Serum GCs levels were measured with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The concentrations of PM (PM

and PM

) for each subject were assessed with machine learning algorithms. The food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to obtain each participant’ information on meat intake. The effects of PM and meat intake on GCs levels were assessed using generalized linear models.