A large, locally aggressive giant cell tumour arising from the laryngeal cartilage: A Rare Case Report.

Giant cell tumour is a growth predominantly found in long bones of the body. Giant cell tumour has a rare occurrence in the head and neck. A case of a 31 year old male with no known comorbidities at the ENT Department, Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad presented with anterior neck swelling and hoarseness of voice. Patient was diagnosed as having Giant Cell Tumour of Larynx (GTCL) proven on FNA cytology and post-operative biopsy. GCTL is an uncommon entity with only 45 reported cases in the world.

Correction: Identification and In-Silico study of non-synonymous functional SNPs in the human SCN9A gene.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297367.].

An integrative decision-making framework to guide policies on regulating ChatGPT usage.

Generative artificial intelligence has created a moment in history where human beings have begin to closely interact with artificial intelligence (AI) tools, putting policymakers in a position to restrict or legislate such tools. One particular example of such a tool is ChatGPT which is the first and world's most popular multipurpose generative AI tool. This study aims to put forward a policy-making framework of generative artificial intelligence based on the risk, reward, and resilience framework. A systematic search was conducted, by using carefully chosen keywords, excluding non-English content, conference articles, book chapters, and editorials. Published research were filtered based on their relevance to ChatGPT ethics, yielding a total of 41 articles. Key elements surrounding ChatGPT concerns and motivations were systematically deduced and classified under the risk, reward, and resilience categories to serve as ingredients for the proposed decision-making framework. The decision-making process and rules were developed as a primer to help policymakers navigate decision-making conundrums. Then, the framework was practically tailored towards some of the concerns surrounding ChatGPT in the context of higher education. In the case of the interconnection between risk and reward, the findings show that providing students with access to ChatGPT presents an opportunity for increased efficiency in tasks such as text summarization and workload reduction. However, this exposes them to risks such as plagiarism and cheating. Similarly, pursuing certain opportunities such as accessing vast amounts of information, can lead to rewards, but it also introduces risks like misinformation and copyright issues. Likewise, focusing on specific capabilities of ChatGPT, such as developing tools to detect plagiarism and misinformation, may enhance resilience in some areas (e.g., academic integrity). However, it may also create vulnerabilities in other domains, such as the digital divide, educational equity, and job losses. Furthermore, the finding indicates second-order effects of legislation regarding ChatGPT which have implications both positively and negatively. One potential effect is a decrease in rewards due to the limitations imposed by the legislation, which may hinder individuals from fully capitalizing on the opportunities provided by ChatGPT. Hence, the risk, reward, and resilience framework provides a comprehensive and flexible decision-making model that allows policymakers and in this use case, higher education institutions to navigate the complexities and trade-offs associated with ChatGPT, which have theoretical and practical implications for the future.

Identification and In-Silico study of non-synonymous functional SNPs in the human SCN9A gene.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms are the most common form of DNA alterations at the level of a single nucleotide in the genomic sequence. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were carried to identify potential risk genes or genomic regions by screening for SNPs associated with disease. Recent studies have shown that SCN9A comprises the NaV1.7 subunit, Na+ channels have a gene encoding of 1988 amino acids arranged into 4 domains, all with 6 transmembrane regions, and are mainly found in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and sympathetic ganglion neurons. Multiple forms of acute hypersensitivity conditions, such as primary erythermalgia, congenital analgesia, and paroxysmal pain syndrome have been linked to polymorphisms in the SCN9A gene. Under this study, we utilized a variety of computational tools to explore out nsSNPs that are potentially damaging to heath by modifying the structure or activity of the SCN9A protein. Over 14 potentially damaging and disease-causing nsSNPs (E1889D, L1802P, F1782V, D1778N, C1370Y, V1311M, Y1248H, F1237L, M936V, I929T, V877E, D743Y, C710W, D623H) were identified by a variety of algorithms, including SNPnexus, SNAP-2, PANTHER, PhD-SNP, SNP & GO, I-Mutant, and ConSurf. Homology modeling, structure validation, and protein-ligand interactions also were performed to confirm 5 notable substitutions (L1802P, F1782V, D1778N, V1311M, and M936V). Such nsSNPs may become the center of further studies into a variety of disorders brought by SCN9A dysfunction. Using in-silico strategies for assessing SCN9A genetic variations will aid in organizing large-scale investigations and developing targeted therapeutics for disorders linked to these variations.

A method for analyzing text using VOSviewer.

The need for technical support for data handling and visualization solutions has increased in tandem with the complexity of today's data and information, that is of multiple sources, huge in size and of different formats. This study focuses on handling and analyzing text-based data. Despite many available text analysis tools, there is a high demand among researchers for easy- to-use tools yet scalable and with incomparable visualization features. Of recent, there has been a significant focus on utilizing VOSviewer, an open-source software for bibliometric analysis. This software is able to analyze a significant amount of data and provide excellent network data mapping. However, there is a lack of existing work in evaluating this sophisticated tool for text analysis. Thus, this article explores the capability of VOSviewer and presents evidence-based implementation of this software for text analysis. Specifically, this study demonstrates the usage of VOSviewer to analyze text based on YouTube interviews related to ChatGPT. Hence, this study significantly contributes by processing textual data and producing visualization network maps that are different from bibliometric data. The study recognizes VOSviewer as a powerful tool for data visualization in mapping text data and illustrates the potential of this software for analyzing text networks in various fields. •The study illustrates how text analysis and visualization can be realized using VOSviewer, an open-source software mostly used for biblio- metric analysis.•The study presents the workflow indicating how the dataset can be prepared as input for VOSviewer for text analysis.•The study proves that VOSviewer is a powerful tool for data visualization and network mapping for any type of network data including transcripts from social media.

Morphometric parameters and food preference in relation to sex and reference hematological values for Upupa epops from Pakistan.

Objective: The study was conducted to investigate the gut content and record morphometric and hematological parameters in the common hoopoe (Upupa epops). Materials and Methods: Twenty samples of healthy birds (10 from each sex) were collected from different locations in Okara District, Punjab, Pakistan, from September 2020 to March 2021. Birds were captured live for blood samples and morphometric and gut analyses. Results: It was revealed that the concentrations of different hematological parameters were as follows: hemoglobin, 20.03g/dl; red blood cells, 3.28 × 106/µl; white blood cells, 326.67 × 103/µl; hematocrit, 56.47%; MCV, 173.33 FL; MCH, 57.4 pg; MCHC, 57.4 pg; PLT, 8.33/µl; and RDW, 8.33/µl. The percentages of neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and eosinophils were 84.67%, 11.67%, 2.00%, and 1.67%, respectively. The gut content of the common hoopoe mostly consisted of Coleoptera and Acrididae larvae. However, Lepidoptera, Gryllotalpidae, and sand were also recorded, along with seeds of Salvadora persica. Conclusions: There were no significant differences between male and female U. epops in feeding content, total weight of the gut, or weight of the empty gut. Regarding the morphometric parameters, there was a significant difference in both sexes' wingspan, body length, and body weight. Males were significantly heavier than females.

Examining the Prediction of COVID-19 Contact-Tracing App Adoption Using an Integrated Model and Hybrid Approach Analysis.

COVID-19 contact-tracing applications (CTAs) offer enormous potential to mitigate the surge of positive coronavirus cases, thus helping stakeholders to monitor high-risk areas. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is among the countries that have developed a CTA known as the Tawakkalna application, to manage the spread of COVID-19. Thus, this study aimed to examine and predict the factors affecting the adoption of Tawakkalna CTA. An integrated model which comprises the technology acceptance model (TAM), privacy calculus theory (PCT), and task-technology fit (TTF) model was hypothesized. The model is used to understand better behavioral intention toward using the Tawakkalna mobile CTA. This study performed structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis as well as artificial neural network (ANN) analysis to validate the model, using survey data from 309 users of CTAs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The findings revealed that perceived ease of use and usefulness has positively and significantly impacted the behavioral intention of Tawakkalna mobile CTA. Similarly, task features and mobility positively and significantly influence task-technology fit, and significantly affect the behavioral intention of the CTA. However, the privacy risk, social concerns, and perceived benefits of social interaction are not significant factors. The findings provide adequate knowledge of the relative impact of key predictors of the behavioral intention of the Tawakkalna contact-tracing app.

Epidemiological studies of sleep disorder in educational community of Pakistani population, its major risk factors and associated diseases.

Sleep is one of the most important functions of the life. The disturbance in sleep or quality of sleep leads to several dysfunctions of the human body. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of sleep disorders, their possible risk factors and their association with other health problems. The data was collected from the educational community of the Pakistani population. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) was used to evaluate the insomnia and the sleep apnea was evaluated through a simple questionnaire method. The blood samples were collected to perform significant blood tests for clinical investigations. Current research revealed that the individuals in the educational community had poor sleep quality. A total of 1998 individuals from the educational community were surveyed, 1584 (79.28%) of whom had a sleep disorders, including insomnia (45.20%) and sleep apnea (34.08%). The measured onset of age for males and females was 30.35 years and 31.07 years respectively. The Clinical investigations showed that the sleep had significant impact on the hematology of the patients. Higher levels of serum uric acid and blood sugar were recorded with a sleep disorder. The individuals of the educational community were using the sleeping pills. The other associated diseases were mild tension, headaches, migraines, depression, diabetes, obesity, and myopia. The use of beverage, bad mood, medical condition, mental stress, disturbed circadian rhythms, workload and extra use of smartphone were major risk factors of sleep disorders. It was concluded that the insomnia was more prevalent than the sleep apnea. Furthermore, life changes events were directly linked with disturbance of sleep. Tension, depression, headaches, and migraine were more associated with sleep disorders than all other health issues.

Molecular detection and genetic characterization of Anaplasma marginale and Anaplasma platys in cattle in Nigeria.

Bovine anaplasmosis poses serious challenge to profitable livestock production in the tropics. Accurate information on the prevalence, distribution and genetic characteristics of Anaplasma spp. infections of cattle is invaluable for the design of cost-effective control measures. Blood samples from 275 cattle in Nigeria were screened for the DNA of Anaplasma spp. using species-specific primers and nucleotide sequence analysis. The DNA of Anaplasmataceae was detected based on 16S rRNA gene in 135 out of the 275 (49.1%) individuals examined, with 31 (23.0%) and 21(15.6%) being positive for Anaplasma marginale based on msp4 and msp2 genes, respectively. DNA of Anaplasma platys was detected in 62 (45.9%) based on groEL gene and in 27 (20.0%) using the A. platys species-specific primers. Presence of Anaplasma spp. DNA was significantly associated (p = 0.011) with the breed of the animals. Anaplasma nucleotide sequences of one group of the infected samples showed high identities of 99.0 to 100% (16S rRNA gene) and 99.6% (groEL gene) with reference sequences of A. platys, while those of another group matched to A. marginale references (msp2 with 98.9% and msp4 with 99.1%). Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis clustered the nucleotide sequences in this study with A. platys and A. marginale sequences in GenBank, confirming these relationships. For the first time, this study revealed the presence of mixed haplotypes in both A. platys and A. marginale in cattle in Nigeria. More studies are needed to elucidate the epidemiology and veterinary and public health significance of Anaplasma spp. infections in cattle in Nigeria.

How social media crisis response and social interaction is helping people recover from Covid-19: an empirical investigation.

Community resilience following a crisis has become essential to avoid panic. In contrast, social media usage has been practical to improve public resilience. However, the impacts of social media crisis response and social interaction have not been fully addressed. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of social media crisis communication on public resilience. The study data were collected through an online medium, and the final responses consist of 393 observations, mainly of Malaysians who have experienced Covid-19 isolation, quarantine, or lockdown. The assessments of the reflective measurement models based on path analysis in PLS-SEM are reliable and valid. The Cronbach's alpha, rho_A, composite reliability, and discriminant validity revealed acceptable values. PLS prediction algorithm was run to assess the model's predictive power, and the findings show that the predictive relevance is satisfactory. Furthermore, the IPMA was applied to evaluate the model's usefulness, which compares the level of the variables from the performance scale mean value against the importance level. The result shows that all the variables are useful and reveal good performance. Thus, crisis management and communication activities should pay more attention to these variables for effective social media crisis communication. Thus, the study offers theoretical and practical implications in the field of social media-based crisis communication and crisis informatics.

An Assessment of Ovarian Cancer Histotypes Across the African Diaspora.

OBJECTIVE: Ovarian cancer in Black women is common in many West African countries but is relatively rare in North America. Black women have worse survival outcomes when compared to White women. Ovarian cancer histotype, diagnosis, and age at presentation are known prognostic factors for outcome. We sought to conduct a preliminary comparative assessment of these factors across the African diaspora. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer (all histologies) between June 2016-December 2019 in Departments of Pathology at 25 participating sites in Nigeria were identified. Comparative population-based data, inclusive of Caribbean-born Blacks (CBB) and US-born Blacks (USB), were additionally captured from the International Agency for Research on Cancer and Florida Cancer Data Systems. Histology, country of birth, and age at diagnosis data were collected and evaluated across the three subgroups: USB, CBB and Nigerians. Statistical analyses were done using chi-square and student's t-test with significance set at p<0.05. RESULTS: Nigerians had the highest proportion of germ cell tumor (GCT, 11.5%) and sex-cord stromal (SCST, 16.2%) ovarian cancers relative to CBB and USB (p=0.001). CBB (79.4%) and USB (77.3%) women were diagnosed with a larger proportion of serous ovarian cancer than Nigerians (60.4%) (p<0.0001). Nigerians were diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancers at the youngest age (51.7± 12.8 years) relative to USB (58.9 ± 15.0) and CBB (59.0± 13.0,p<0.001). Black women [CBB (25.2 ± 15.0), Nigerians (29.5 ± 15.1), and USB (33.9 ± 17.9)] were diagnosed with GCT younger than White women (35.4 ± 20.5, p=0.011). Black women [Nigerians (47.5 ± 15.9), USB (50.9 ± 18.3) and CBB (50.9 ± 18.3)] were also diagnosed with SCST younger than White women (55.6 ± 16.5, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: There is significant variation in age of diagnosis and distribution of ovarian cancer histotype/diagnosis across the African diaspora. The etiology of these findings requires further investigation.

Evaluation of mental health and anxiety level among hepatitis C patients during COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to check anxiety level and mental stress in the 200 confirmed hepatitis C patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chinese version of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) score index was used to measure the anxiety level of HCV-positive patients. BAI score index of different demographic factors such as gender, age, occupation, and education of all the sampled population was calculated. RESULTS: The highest BAI score was recorded in people in the age group of 25-45 years (54.5%). Respondents from public sector employees, own businesses, and postgraduates were highly anxious. A significant difference in BAI score was also recorded between male and female respondents as 33.77% of females were at a severe level of anxiety compared to 17.07% of males. Furthermore, quarantined hepatitis C patients had a significantly higher BAI score (39.5) as compared to non-quarantined patients (27.12), and respondents with HCV infection also had a high BAI score of 37.25 compared to healthy individuals (4.1). Most of the respondents were willing to adopt protective measures against COVID-19. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that people with infectious diseases like hepatitis C had high anxiety levels and mental stress in the COVID-19 pandemic and needed psychological aids for better mental health to handle pandemic conditions.

UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopic assessment of meso­tetrakis­(4­halophenyl) porphyrin; H2TXPP (X = F, Cl, Br, I) in THF and THF-water system: Effect of pH and aggregation behaviour.

The current study determines optical and fluorescence response of halogen substituted series of meso­tetrakis­(4­halophenyl) porphyrin; H2TXPP (Halo = F, Cl, Br, I) dye in tetrahydrofuran; THF and THF-water system at changing pH in relationship with changing medium of allure. Effects produced by varying the pH and medium, over spectral and aggregation were discussed in detail. Results show sequential protonation and deprotonation of H2TXPP series in acidic (pH = 4) and (pH =10) basic medium. Specific structural changes of monomeric absorption band were put in evidence on lowering pH, which includes broadening and splitting of soret or B band. Other changes include increasing in intensity and red-shifting of Q1 band indicating some degree of aggregation. The side-by-side aggregation and formation of J-aggregate were quite evident. The red shift of B band featured self-aggregation through head-to-tail molecular ordering which is consonant with absorption-emission data.

Adsorption of Phosgene Gas on Pristine and Copper-Decorated B12N12 Nanocages: A Comparative DFT Study.

Nanostructured gas sensors find diverse applications in environmental and agricultural monitoring. Herein, adsorption of phosgene (COCl2) on pure and copper-decorated B12N12 (Cu-BN) is analyzed through density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Adsorption of copper on B12N12 results in two optimized geometries, named Cu@b66 and Cu@b64, with adsorption energies of -193.81 and -198.45 kJ/mol, respectively. The adsorption/interaction energies of COCl2 on pure BN nanocages are -9.30, -6.90, and -3.70 kJ/mol in G1, G2, and G3 geometries, respectively, whereas the interaction energies of COCl2 on copper-decorated BN are -1.66 and -16.95 kJ/mol for B1 and B2, respectively. To examine the changes in the properties of pure and Cu-BN nanocages, geometric parameters, dipole moment, Q NBO, frontier molecular orbitals, and partial density of states (PDOS) are analyzed to comprehensively illustrate the interaction mechanism. The results of these parameters reveal that COCl2 binds more strongly onto copper-doped BN nanocages. Moreover, a higher charge separation is observed in COCl2-Cu-BN geometries as compared to copper-decorated BN geometries. Therefore, these nanocages may be considered as potential candidates for application in phosgene sensors.

Development of a charcoal fired plantain (Musa paradisiaca) roasting equipment.

Conventional method of roasting plantain is cumbersome and leads to the contamination of the food items with different toxicants due to contact of the food item with combustion gases. Thus, a need for a roaster oven which utilizes indirect charcoal heat for roasting plantain is of paramount importance. In this study, a charcoal fired plantain roasting equipment was designed and developed and performance testing carried out. A roaster oven with the capacity of 20 plantain fingers per batch was constructed. Experiments were conducted on the constructed system and results obtained indicated that averages of 2.42 kg of 20 plantain fingers were roasted in 21.16 min using an average of 0.61 kg of charcoal. The percentage reduction of PAHs in the plantain roasted from the roasting equipment is 99.7% in comparison with direct roasting while the percentage reduction in roasting time in the equipment is averagely 47.45% in comparison with previous similar works. The cost of producing the roasting equipment in this work is ₦36,500.00.

Leiomyoma of the thyroid gland with psammoma bodies.

We report a rare case of leiomyoma of the thyroid gland associated with psammoma bodies. The patient was a 9-year-old black African boy. Prior to this, only five cases of primary thyroid leiomyoma have been reported. Histologically, thyroid leiomyoma was characterised by bundles of spindle smooth muscle cells with blunt-ended nuclei. Psammoma bodies were widely distributed within the tumour. Immunohistochemistry showed positive immunoreactivity for smooth muscle actin, vimentin and desmin, but was negative for a cytokeratin cocktail. Further reports of similar cases is required to ascertain the clinical significance of this lesion.

Effect of ascorbic acid on long-term cold exposure induced changes in thyroid activity in Sprague Dawley rats.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of ascorbic acid supplementation on long-term cold exposure induced changes in thyroid activity in Sprague-Dawley rats. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Physiology Department of Islamic International Medical College, Rawalpindi, National Institute of Health, Islamabad and Railway Hospital, Rawalpindi, from January to December 2009. METHODOLOGY: Ninety Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups of control, cold exposed and cold exposed along with ascorbic acid supplementation. After one month, their thyroid levels were analyzed by using chemiluminescent immunometric assay on Siemens Immulite 2000 Analyzer. RESULTS: After 4 weeks of cold exposure to experimental animals, the thyroid activity was raised significantly in the cold exposed group as compared to the control group (p-value for T3 difference = 0.004, T4 difference = 0.002 and TSH difference < 0.001). Supplementation with ascorbic acid in the third group normalized the thyroid hormone activity with p-value for difference in levels of T3 being 0.6661, T4 = 0.027 and TSH = 0.0028. CONCLUSION: Ascorbic acid prevented the cold induced changes in thyroid hormone levels in rodents.

Lymphoepithelial cyst of the pancreas in female children--report of two cases.

Lymphoepithelial cyst (LEC) of the pancreas is almost always reported as a case report or in small series mostly in male adult patients with vague clinical manifestations and difficult pre-operative diagnosis. Between the years 2007 and 2012, two female children with LEC of the pancreas were operated on at the Children's Surgical Unit of Murtala Mohammad Specialist Hospital, Kano in northern Nigeria. Satisfactory outcomes were achieved after distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy in one and a Whipple procedure in the other. This benign lesion of the pancreas should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cystic lesions of the pancreas in children.

Offspring sex ratios among male tobacco smokers in Khartoum, Sudan.

OBJECTIVES: To explore any association between paternal tobacco smoking and the offspring secondary sex ratio, as well as the effect of duration and intensity of smoking on gender ratio. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted around major public areas within Khartoum, Sudan, between August and September 2008 and involved 458 married Sudanese males with offsprings. The sample consisted of 111 (24.2%) smokers and 347 (75.8%) non-smokers who were evaluated using a questionnaire on their offspring gender. Data on duration and intensity of smoking was also collected from the smokers' group. SPSS 16 was used for statistical purposes. Chi-square test was used to test for significance of associations between variables. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for significance between ratios. RESULTS: The number of cigarettes smoked in males increases the likelihood of having a male offspring. The gender ratio in non-smokers was 1.11, while it was 1.15 in smokers. CONCLUSION: Paternal smoking increases the offspring sex ratio.