Which renewable energy consumption is more efficient by fuzzy EDAS method based on PESTLE dimensions?

The facilities that energy delivers to social life and economic activities render it indispensable. Hence, it is equally critical that the energy cycle must have a sustainable structure. Therefore, it is an indisputable fact that developing and performing correct and consistent energy policies is vitally necessary. Energy consumption planning includes a continuous process to reassess existing and potential alternative energy approaches and strategies. The public and private decision-makers in charge of planning and managing energy consumption policies must adapt their strategies to novel and superior alternative resources according to sustainability and efficiency criteria. In this paper, the fuzzy EDAS method is used to address the best renewable energy consumption by taking political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental (PESTLE) dimensions into account. The analysis of the paper indicates the most efficient renewable energy consumption is sourced by geothermal, solar, wind, hydroelectricity, and biomass, respectively. By further investigation, it is concluded that the most optimum renewable energy consumption alternatives based on PESTLE dimensions are geothermal and solar energies.

Lifetime depressive and current social anxiety are associated with problematic internet use in adolescents with ADHD: a cross-sectional study.

AIM: To evaluate the relationships between problematic internet use (PIU) and psychiatric comorbid disorders and internet use habits in a clinical sample of adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD: This cross-sectional study included 95 adolescents with ADHD. Problematic behaviors and symptoms related to internet use were evaluated via Young's Internet Addiction Scale (YIAS), and subjects with a YIAS score of ≥50 were categorized as PIU while those with a score of <50 were defined as normal internet use (NIU). The two groups were compared with respect to demographics and psychometric tests. While psychiatric disorders were examined by a semistructured instrument, self-report and parent-report scales were used to assess other individual and clinical characteristics of participants. RESULTS: 33.7% (n = 32) of the participants were determined to have PIU. There was no gender (p = .058) or age (p = .426) difference between the PIU and NIU groups. Current presence of social phobia (p = .035) and history of major depressive disorder (p = .006) were more frequent in the PIU group than the NIU group. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that PIU was independently associated with online gaming (OR: 2.375, 95% CI: 1.532-3.681), e-mail use (OR: 1.864, 95% CI: 1.170-2.971), social networking (OR: 1.834, 95% CI: 1.156-2.910), and Social Phobia Scale for Children and Adolescents (SPSCA) score (OR: 1.058, 95% CI: 1.020-1.098). CONCLUSION: PIU may be common among adolescents with ADHD. The severity of social phobia and particular online activities (playing online games, e-mailing, social networking) may be associated with a higher risk of PIU in adolescents with ADHD.

Protective effects of propofol on peritoneal adhesions in cecal ligation and puncture model.

AIM: We assumed that one of the most widely used anesthetic agents, propofol, which is the most widely used anesthetic for sedation, may reduce inflammatory processes and organ injury induced by cecal ligation and puncture. STUDY DESIGN: Bacterial peritonitis was induced in 18 rats by cecal ligation and puncture. The rats were randomly assigned to three groups. Group 1 (n=6) received propofol, group 2 (n=6) received intralipid, group 3 (n=6) was a control group, which did not receive any injection. All animals were killed 14 days later so we could assess the adhesion score. Tissue antioxidant levels were measured in 1-g tissue samples taken from the abdominal wall. RESULTS: The adhesion score was significantly lower in the propofol group than in the control group (p<0.05). The catalase levels were higher in the intralipid and control groups than the propofol groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intraperitoneal propofol reduced the formation of postoperative intra-abdominal adhesions without compromising wound healing in this bacterial peritonitis rat model. Propofol also decreased the oxidative stress during peritonitis (Tab. 1, Fig. 5, Ref. 28). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.

Total thyroidectomy for the treatment of recurrent graves' disease with ophthalmopathy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the outcome of recurrent Graves' disease with ophthalmopathy (GO) following bilateral total thyroidectomy (TT) in patients with no history of anti-inflammatory treatment with steroids or radioactive iodine treatment. METHODS: From May 2002 to August 2005, 35 patients (27 female, 8 male) with different stages of Graves' disease underwent TT. The degree of ophthalmopathy was assessed by the NOSPECS scoring system and thyrotropin receptor antibody (TRAb) levels were measured for the detection of thyroidal and retro-orbital inflammatory activity before and after surgery. RESULTS: The mean duration of thyroid disease was 21.4 months and mean follow-up was 422 days. Significant improvement, which was defined as complete regression of periorbital oedema accompanied by a > 1 point decrease in NOSPECS, was observed in 30 (85%) patients. The remaining five patients had stable eye disease. The mean TRAb value and NOSPECS score before and after TT were 33.8 U/L versus 3.4 U/L and 3.0 versus 1.52, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (p < 0.0000). A major reduction in TRAb values achieved after TT was clearly indicative of undetectable inflammatory activity and all the patients demonstrated negative TRAb values within 6 months of the operation. TT was accomplished with very low morbidity (3%) and provided a significant reduction in TRAb levels with attendant improvement in GO in the vast majority of patients in this study. CONCLUSION: TT resulted in a significant reduction in TRAb levels with concomitant regression of recurrent GO in all patients. The operative morbidity was very low and mortality was nil. However, the long-term consequences of permanent hypothyroidism, which is the ultimate result of TT, are of major concern.

Cranial MR imaging with clinical correlation in preeclampsia and eclampsia.

PURPOSE: Our aim was to determine the distribution and nature of cranial MRI findings in preeclampsia/eclampsia, and also to correlate them with clinical and laboratory data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MR imaging was performed in 39 patients with preeclampsia (n=30) and eclampsia (n=9), and the distribution and signal patterns of the lesions were documented. Clinical findings, blood pressures, and laboratory data were compared statistically in patients with and without MR imaging findings. RESULTS: MR imaging was normal in 21 of the patients. In 18 patients, cortical-subcortical lesions, which appeared iso-/hypointense on T1W and hyperintense on T2W images, were detected. The occipital lobe was involved in all patients, followed by the parietal, frontal, and temporal lobes, and basal ganglia and pons. The lesions showed watershed distribution in 13 patients. When the patients with and without MR imaging findings were compared, there was a statistically significant difference regarding visual disturbances, depression of consciousness, and seizures (p=0.042, p=0.006, p=0.000, respectively). Although patients with MR imaging findings showed higher blood pressures as compared to those without MR imaging findings, there was no statistically significant difference (p=0.074). In patients with MR imaging findings, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), uric acid, and creatinine levels were significantly higher than those without MR imaging findings (p=0.006, p=0.010, p=0.005, respectively). CONCLUSION: Increased permeability of the blood-brain-barrier related to endothelial injury plays a major role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia/eclampsia. Relatively minor increases in blood pressure may cause cerebral lesions. However, when the cerebral autoregulation mechanism is considered, the distribution of cerebral lesions in the posterior circulation and watershed zones, which are relatively sparsely innervated by sympathetic nerves, provides evidence that the main determinant of pathogenesis is acute fluctuations in blood pressure.