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Abstract Background and Aims Understanding the correlation of work ability (WA) and anthropometric indices with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) risk factors among public sector employees (PSE) is vital for policy direction. This study examined the correlation between work ability, anthropometric indices, and cardiovascular risk factors among PSEs. Methods The cross‐sectional study had 254 (mean age = 37.18 ± 10.34) PSE. A self‐reported WA index was used to measure WA. Blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist to hip ratio (WHR), and visceral fat were measured. Lifestyle CVDs risk history was also obtained. Results 3.9% had moderate, 51.2% good, and 44.9% excellent WA. 37.4% overweight, 20.1% obese, 19.7% hypertension history, 67.7% no physical activity history. WA correlates with increased systolic BP, BMI, WC, WHR, weight to height ratio, and visceral fat significantly. Age 24−29 (aOR = 26.38), 30‐39 (aOR = 7.52), and 40‐49 (aOR = 4.94) independently predict excellent WA. Overweight (aOR = 0.44) independently predict decreased excellent WA. Conclusion Participants were hypertension‐prone, had increased WC, WHR, physically inactive, overweight, and obese. WA and anthropometric indices of the participants predict CVDs risks. Workplace health care strategy should be put in place to control BP, BMI, WC, WHR, weight to height ratio, and visceral fat as CVDs risk factors.

Background: Most Ghanaian youths engage in weight training mostly for bodybuilding with littles attention to biochemical, physiological, and anthropometric changes on the long run. This study investigated the effect of duration of training (DOT) on biochemical, physiological, and anthropometric parameters of weightlifters. Materials and Methods: University setting and a cross-sectional descriptive study design were adopted. Sixty-six adult male weightlifters with a mean age of 25.98 ± 5.66 served as study sample. Modified Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2 was administered. Self-reported DOT (grouped into 0–12 months, 1–5 years, and >5 years) and demographic and lifestyle information were collected. Anthropometric, physiological, lipid profile, total protein, albumin, globulin, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) data were obtained. Results: Most of the participants greatly valued weight training (scale of 5 = 4.63 ± 0.89). Longer DOT was significantly associated with increased chest circumference (P = 0.013), arm circumference (P = 0.010), and diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.038). Statistical significance was only observed for dietary supplement intake and plasma globulin levels (P = 0.030). Association between GFR and dietary supplement intake was insignificant (P = 0.256). Conclusions: Weight training positively influences biochemical, physiological, and anthropometric indices of weightlifters. Investment in and motivational intervention in weight training would be beneficial to health lifestyle. A study with larger sample size on elite weightlifters could elicit further findings.

Background and Aims: Understanding the correlation of work ability (WA) and anthropometric indices with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) risk factors among public sector employees (PSE) is vital for policy direction. This study examined the correlation between work ability, anthropometric indices, and cardiovascular risk factors among PSEs. Methods: The cross‐sectional study had 254 (mean age = 37.18 ± 10.34) PSE. A self‐reported WA index was used to measure WA. Blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist to hip ratio (WHR), and visceral fat were measured. Lifestyle CVDs risk history was also obtained. Results: 3.9% had moderate, 51.2% good, and 44.9% excellent WA. 37.4% overweight, 20.1% obese, 19.7% hypertension history, 67.7% no physical activity history. WA correlates with increased systolic BP, BMI, WC, WHR, weight to height ratio, and visceral fat significantly. Age 24−29 (aOR = 26.38), 30‐39 (aOR = 7.52), and 40‐49 (aOR = 4.94) independently predict excellent WA. Overweight (aOR = 0.44) independently predict decreased excellent WA. Conclusion: Participants were hypertension‐prone, had increased WC, WHR, physically inactive, overweight, and obese. WA and anthropometric indices of the participants predict CVDs risks. Workplace health care strategy should be put in place to control BP, BMI, WC, WHR, weight to height ratio, and visceral fat as CVDs risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The ecological importance of great apes is widely recognised, yet few studies have highlighted the role of protecting great apes’ habitats in mitigating climate change, particularly through carbon sequestration. This study used GIS tools to extract data from various sources, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature database, to examine carbon quantity and great ape abundance in African great ape habitats. Subsequently, we employed a generalised linear model to assess the relationship between locally measured great ape populations abundance and carbon storage across areas with different levels of protection. Our findings showed a positive relationship between the abundance of great apes in their habitats and carbon storage, likely since conservation efforts in great apes habitats may be strengthened with higher great ape populations. The results reveal that gorilla habitats exhibited higher carbon storage than chimpanzee habitats. Specifically, the areas inhabited by gorillas are associated with a mean increase of 27.47 t/ha in carbon storage. Additionally, we observed a positive association between highly protected areas and carbon storage within great ape habitats. Our model indicates that highly protected areas increase the mean carbon stored by 1.13 t/ha compared to medium protected areas, which show a reduction of 15.49 t/ha. This highlights the critical role that protected areas play in both species conservation and carbon sequestration, contributing significantly to climate mitigation efforts. Furthermore, our study underscores the significant contribution of great ape habitats, extending beyond protected areas, to carbon storage, highlighting the potential for synergistic conservation strategies targeting both great apes and carbon sequestration. Protecting great apes is vital for reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and boosting tropical forest carbon sinks. Since nearly 90% of great apes live outside protected areas, targeted conservation in these low-protected areas is also crucial.

The increasing inclusion of gamified courses in entrepreneurship programmes in higher education have left gaps in understanding the critical essentials of the multi-generational student cohort undertaking these programmes. In this paper, we interrogate the educational experiences of multi-generational higher education students in a core gamified entrepreneurship course in an undergraduate business school programme. The research analyzed 392 course feedback responses from three generations (X, Y and Z) of a multi-generational cohort. The study developed and validated a behaviour-results model for gamified entrepreneurship courses leading to student entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial orientation, and disaggregated student engagement into it's multiple dimensions of cognitive, behavioural and emotional. The model also validated six dimensions of individual entrepreneurship orientation. Using the model, the study found differences in the component variables based on student Generations X, Y, and Z. Also, student cognitive and behavioural engagement led to entrepreneurial intention which also influenced student entrepreneurial orientation. There were marked differences in student grit, cognitive engagement, and emotional engagement between Generations X and Z. Furthermore, generational differences existed amongst Generation Z and Y, and also for Generation Z and X in student entrepreneurial intention. The study also confirmed the difference in entrepreneurial orientation between Generations X and Z. Additionally, the study found that there is a need to contextualize student engagement facilitators such as results demonstrability of the business simulation platform, student grit and user characteristics as they have selective effects on student cognition, behavioural and emotional engagements in a multi-generational student cohort of Generation X, Y and Z.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a pressing global health challenge with implications for developmental progress, as it increasingly manifests within pathogenic bacterial populations. This phenomenon leads to a substantial public health hazard, given its capacity to undermine the efficacy of medical interventions, thereby jeopardizing patient welfare. In recent years, an increasing number of machine learning methods have been employed to predict antimicrobial resistance. However, these methods still pose challenges in single-drug resistance prediction. This study proposed an effective model for predicting antimicrobial resistance to E. Coli by utilizing the eXtreme Gradient Boosting model (XGBoost), among ten other machine learning methods. The experimental results demonstrate that XGBoost outperforms other machine learning classification methods, particularly in terms of precision and hamming loss, with scores of 0.891 and 0.110, respectively. Our study explores the existing machine learning models for predicting antimicrobial resistance (AMR), thereby improving the diagnosis as well as treatment of infections in clinical settings.

Simple Summary: Type II testicular germ cell tumors are a severe type of cancer in young men demanding alternative treatment options to conventional chemotherapy with less side effects. In particular, patients with chemotherapy-resistant tumors face a bad prognosis and low survival rates. In other tumor entities, transcriptional cyclin-dependent kinases (7/8/9/12/13) have been demonstrated to be effective targets. Here, we studied the effects of transcriptional cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors on a cellular and molecular level. We found several inhibitors to be highly cytotoxic for certain testicular germ cell tumor cell lines while leaving a somatic (fibroblast) control cell line unaffected. This opens up a novel field for effective and specified treatment of type II testicular germ cell tumors. Type II testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) are the most frequently diagnosed solid malignancy in young men. Up to 15% of patients with metastatic non-seminomas show cisplatin resistance and a very poor survival rate due to lacking treatment options. Transcriptional cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) have been shown to be effective targets in the treatment of different types of cancer. Here, we investigated the effects of the CDK inhibitors dinaciclib, flavopiridol, YKL-5-124, THZ1, NVP2, SY0351 and THZ531. An XTT viability assay revealed a strong cytotoxic impact of CDK7/12/13 inhibitor SY0351 and CDK9 inhibitor NVP2 on the TGCT wild-type cell lines (2102EP, NCCIT, TCam2) and the cisplatin-resistant cell lines (2102EP-R, NCCIT-R). The CDK7 inhibitor YKL-5-124 showed a strong impact on 2102EP, 2102EP-R, NCCIT and NCCIT-R cell lines, leaving the MPAF control cell line mostly unaffected. FACS-based analysis revealed mild effects on the cell cycle of 2102EP and TCam2 cells after SY0351, YKL-5-124 or NVP2 treatment. Molecular analysis showed a cell-line-specific response for SY0351 and NVP2 inhibition while YKL-5-124 induced similar molecular changes in 2102EP, TCam2 and MPAF cells. Thus, after TGCT subtype determination, CDK inhibitors might be a potential alternative for optimized and individualized therapy independent of chemotherapy sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of death in children and adults. Unlike for adults, there is paucity of data on childhood TB in several countries in Africa. The study objective was to assess the characteristics and treatment outcomes of children with TB from multiple health facilities in Accra, Ghana. Methods A retrospective analyses was conducted using secondary data on children less than 15 years collected from 11 facilities during a TB case finding initiative in Accra from June 2010 to December 2013. Demographic and clinical characteristics as well as treatment outcomes were assessed. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to assess predictors of mortality. Results Out of the total 3704 TB cases reported, 5.9% (219) consisted of children with a female: male ratio of 1:1.1. Children less than 5 years made up 56.2% of the patients while 44.2% were HIV positive. The distribution of TB type were as follows: smear positive pulmonary TB (SPPTB), 46.5%, clinically diagnosed pulmonary TB 36.4%.%, extra-pulmonary TB 17.4%. Among the 214 children (97.7%) for whom treatment outcome was documented, 194 (90.7%) were successfully treated consisting of 81.3% who completed treatment and 9.4% who were cured. Eighteen children (8.4%) died. Mortality was significantly higher among the 1–4 year group (p