Physical Inactivity, Sedentary Behavior and Chronic Diseases

Karimé González,Jorge Fuentes,José Luis Márquez 대한가정의학회 2017 Korean Journal of Family Medicine Vol.38 No.3

New research into physical activity suggests that it is no longer sufficient just to meet minimum levels recommend-ed by health guidelines in order to reduce cardiovascular risk. Both physical inactivity and sedentary behavior have their own health hazards and need to be addressed separately, in order to explore their different deleterious mech-anisms. The aim of this review was to define and to characterize both concepts, and their relationship with major non-communicable chronic diseases. A PubMed database search was undertaken, using the following key words: physical activity, physical inactivity, sedentarism, sedentary behavior, and non-communicable chronic disease. This literature review provides an updated view on physical inactivity and sedentary behavior, and reevaluates their prevalence and association with major non-communicable chronic disease.

Amplified Pixel Architectures in Amorphous Silicon Technology for Large Area Digital Imaging Applications

Karim S. Karim,F. Taghibakhsh,G. Sanaie-Fard Sanaie-Fard,M. H. Izadi,T. Ottaviani 한국물리학회 2006 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.48 No.I

On-pixel amplifiers in amorphous silicon (a-Si) technology can offer increased pixel signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) compared to traditional switch based imaging pixels. Experiments reveal a reduction in readout noise and indicate that a-Si pixel amplifiers can meet the stringent requirements for digital X-ray fluoroscopy. However, larger input voltages can introduce non-linearities thereby reducing the pixel dynamic range. In this research, we investigate amplified pixel architectures that exhibit large signal linearity and consequently higher dynamic range. Gain, linearity, noise, metastability and area estimations of the amplified pixels indicate their applicability in large-area medical Xray imaging applications that require switching between low-exposure, real-time fluoroscopy and high-exposure chest radiography modes at a region of interest.

Effect of Pollination Technique on Agronomic and Physicochemical Characteristics of Date Palm Fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cv. ‘Deglet Nour ’

Kadri Karim,Aounallah Karim,Hammadi Hamza,Abdelhafidh Manar,Chahine Karmous,Taoufik Bettaieb 한국원예학회 2022 원예과학기술지 Vol.40 No.2

Salinity Tolerance of Blackgram and Mungbean: II. Mineral Ions Accumulation in Different Plant Parts

Karim, M.A.,Raptan, P.K.,Hamid, A.,Khaliq, Q.A.,Solaiman, A.R.M.,Ahmed, J.U. The Korean Society of Crop Science 2001 Korean journal of crop science Vol.46 No.5

Blackgram (Vigna mungo) is more salt tolerant than mungbean (Vigna radiata). This study was initiated to know whether the accumulation pattern of mineral ions in different plant parts plays a significant role in the differences in salt tolerance between the two Vigna species. Different mineral ions, viz. N, Cl, Na, K, Mg and Ca in different organs of two varieties of each of blackgram- Barimash-l (susceptible one) and Barimash-2 (tolerant one), and mungbean-Barimung-3 (tolerant one) and Barimung-4(susceptible one), were analyzed after growing with 0, 50, 75 and 100 mM NaCl solutions. The two crops showed a decreased but similar pattern of total N accumulation under saline conditions. The tolerant variety of both the crops showed a less reduction in total N than the susceptible one. Leaves showed the maximum while stem the minimum N, irrespective of levels of salinity. C $l^{[-10]}$ and N $a^{+}$ accumulation increased with the increasing salinity levels. Interestingly, similar to a halophyte, the salt tolerant blackgram exhibited conspicuously higher amount of N $a^{+}$ in the shoot than the salt-susceptible mungbean. However, the tolerant varieties showed less amount of N $a^{+}$ than the susceptible one, especially in blackgram. Seeds of both Vigna spp. accumulated the minimum amount of N $a^{+}$ than other plant parts. $K^{+}$ accumulation decreased by salinity in most of the plant parts, except seeds. Blackgram showed larger reduction in K than mungbean. The $Mg^{++}$ increased in leaves, petioles and stem by salinity while decreased in the roots, podshells and seeds in both the crops. Salinity increased $Ca^{++}$ accumulation in all plant-parts except roots of both Vigna spp. Apparently, the leaves of mungbean accumulated higher concentration of $Ca^{++}$ than blackgram. Varietal differences in the accumulation pattern of $K^{+}$, $Mg^{++}$ and $Ca^{++}$ were not clear. It was concluded that blackgram, presumably, possesses a similar salt tolerance mechanism to halophyte, and the pattern of accumulation of mineral ions in blackgram and mungbean was not fully ascribed to the differences in salinity tolerance between the two Vigna species.gna species.ies.s.ies.

An Efficient Approach to Mining Maximal Contiguous Frequent Patterns from Large DNA Sequence Databases

Karim, Md. Rezaul,Rashid, Md. Mamunur,Jeong, Byeong-Soo,Choi, Ho-Jin Korea Genome Organization 2012 Genomics & informatics Vol.10 No.1

Mining interesting patterns from DNA sequences is one of the most challenging tasks in bioinformatics and computational biology. Maximal contiguous frequent patterns are preferable for expressing the function and structure of DNA sequences and hence can capture the common data characteristics among related sequences. Biologists are interested in finding frequent orderly arrangements of motifs that are responsible for similar expression of a group of genes. In order to reduce mining time and complexity, however, most existing sequence mining algorithms either focus on finding short DNA sequences or require explicit specification of sequence lengths in advance. The challenge is to find longer sequences without specifying sequence lengths in advance. In this paper, we propose an efficient approach to mining maximal contiguous frequent patterns from large DNA sequence datasets. The experimental results show that our proposed approach is memory-efficient and mines maximal contiguous frequent patterns within a reasonable time.

Epidemiology and Clinical Burden of Malaria in the War-Torn Area, Orakzai Agency in Pakistan

Karim, Asad Mustafa,Hussain, Irfan,Malik, Sumera Kausar,Lee, Jung Hun,Cho, Ill Hwan,Kim, Young Bae,Lee, Sang Hee Public Library of Science 2016 PLoS neglected tropical diseases Vol.10 No.1

<▼1><P><B>Background</B></P><P>Military conflict has been a major challenge in the detection and control of emerging infectious diseases such as malaria. It poses issues associated with enhancing emergence and transmission of infectious diseases by destroying infrastructure and collapsing healthcare systems. The Orakzai agency in Pakistan has witnessed a series of intense violence and destruction. Military conflicts and instability in Afghanistan have resulted in the migration of refugees into the area and possible introduction of many infectious disease epidemics. Due to the ongoing violence and Talibanization, it has been a challenge to conduct an epidemiological study.</P><P><B>Methodology/Principal Findings</B></P><P>All patients were sampled within the transmission season. After a detailed clinical investigation of patients, data were recorded. Baseline venous blood samples were taken for microscopy and nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) analysis. <I>Plasmodium</I> species were detected using nested PCR (nPCR) and amplification of the small subunit ribosomal ribonucleic acid (ssrRNA) genes using the primer pairs. We report a clinical assessment of the epidemic situation of malaria caused by <I>Plasmodium vivax</I> (86.5%) and <I>Plasmodium falciparum</I> (11.79%) infections with analysis of complications in patients such as decompensated shock (41%), anemia (8.98%), hypoglycaemia (7.3%), multiple convulsions (6.7%), hyperpyrexia (6.17%), jaundice (5%), and hyperparasitaemia (4.49%).</P><P><B>Conclusions/Significance</B></P><P>This overlooked distribution of <I>P</I>. <I>vivax</I> should be considered by malaria control strategy makers in the world and by the Government of Pakistan. In our study, children were the most susceptible population to malaria infection while they were the least expected to use satisfactory prevention strategies in such a war-torn deprived region. Local health authorities should initiate malaria awareness programs in schools and malaria-related education should be further promoted at the local level reaching out to both children and parents.</P></▼1><▼2><P><B>Author Summary</B></P><P>The malaria epidemic and endemic in Pakistan is a present and ongoing threat to public health which could have an impact in the nearby regions as well. For the first time, we report a clinical assessment of malaria endemicity in the Orakzai Agency, which is Pakistan’s most neglected area due to Talibanization and war in Afghanistan. Febrile patient blood samples of the area were investigated to report the clinical assessment of malaria caused by <I>Plasmodium vivax</I> and <I>P</I>. <I>falciparum</I> infections. The nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) examination detected 154 (86%) and 21 (12%) <I>P</I>. <I>vivax</I> and <I>P</I>. <I>falciparum</I> infections, respectively. We found worsening hygiene conditions in FATA, likely caused by poor socioeconomics and the collapse of the public health infrastructure. Decompensated shock was a common and prominent clinical feature of malaria among all the clinical presentations caused by both <I>P</I>. <I>vivax</I> (53%) and <I>P</I>. <I>falciparum</I> (42.9%). Our results have significant implications for both public health and malaria control in FATA and Pakistan. Our findings illustrate higher prevalence of malaria in children compared to other age groups. Further research on sensible estimates of refugees is required, as well as resistance to anti-malarials.</P></▼2>

Areca Nut Chewing and the Risk of Re-hospitalization and Mortality Among Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome in Pakistan

Karim, Muhammad Tariq,Inam, Sumera,Ashraf, Tariq,Shah, Nadia,Adil, Syed Omair,Shafique, Kashif The Korean Society for Preventive Medicine 2018 Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health Vol.51 No.2

Objectives: Areca nut is widely consumed in many parts of the world, especially in South and Southeast Asia, where cardiovascular disease (CVD) is also a huge burden. Among the forms of CVD, acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. Research has shown areca nut chewing to be associated with diabetes, hypertension, oropharyngeal and esophageal cancers, and CVD, but little is known about mortality and re-hospitalization secondary to ACS among areca nut users and non-users. Methods: A prospective cohort was studied to quantify the effect of areca nut chewing on patients with newly diagnosed ACS by categorizing the study population into exposed and non-exposed groups according to baseline chewing status. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the associations of areca nut chewing with the risk of re-hospitalization and 30-day mortality secondary to ACS. Results: Of the 384 ACS patients, 49.5% (n=190) were areca users. During 1-month of follow-up, 20.3% (n=78) deaths and 25.1% (n=96) re-hospitalizations occurred. A higher risk of re-hospitalization was found (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29 to 3.27; p=0.002) in areca users than in non-users. Moreover, patients with severe disease were at a significantly higher risk of 30-day mortality (aHR, 2.77; 95% CI, 1.67 to 4.59; p<0.001) and re-hospitalization (aHR, 2.72; 95% CI, 1.73 to 4.26; p<0.001). Conclusions: The 30-day re-hospitalization rate among ACS patients was found to be significantly higher in areca users and individuals with severe disease. These findings suggest that screening for a history of areca nut chewing may help to identify patients at a high risk for re-hospitalization due to secondary events.

In situ intercalative polymerization of conducting polypyrrole/montmorillonite nanocomposites

Karim, Mohammad Rezaul,Yeum, Jeong Hyun Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 2008 Journal of polymer science. Part B, Polymer physic Vol.46 No.21

<P>Conducting polypyrrole (PPy)-montmorillonite (MMT) clay nanocomposites have been synthesized by the in situ intercalative polymerization method. The PPy-MMT nanocomposites are characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. XRD patterns show that after polymerization by the in situ intercalative method with ammonium persulfate and 1 M HCl, an increase in the basal spacing from 1.2 to 1.9 nm was observed, signifying that PPy is synthesized between the interlayer spaces of MMT. TEM and SEM micrographs suggest that the coexistence of intercalated MMT layers with the PPy macromolecules. FTIR reveals that there might be possible interfacial interactions present between the MMT clay and PPy matrix. The study also shows that the introduction of MMT clay results in thermal stability improvement of the PPy. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 2279–2285, 2008</P>

Mobile shopping intentions: Do trustworthiness and culture Matter?

Karim GARROUCH,ElHabib TIMOULALI 한국유통과학회 2020 유통과학연구 Vol.18 No.11

Purpose: This research aims to verify the role of mobile shopping attributes, trustworthiness, and cultural dimensions on mobile shopping intentions in Saudi Arabia. The originality of the model stems from the verification of the moderating impact of cultural variables, namely collectivism and masculinity, and from the integration of trustworthiness as a variable depending on mobile shopping attributes. Research design, data and methodology: A survey was distributed to 233 consumers with different nationalities living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis were carried out to verify the conceptual model and the moderating variables. Results: The findings support the influence of several innovation attributes, namely complexity and trialability on behavioral intentions, while relative advantage has a direct impact on trustworthiness. A few paths are moderated by masculinity and collectivism. Conclusions: Culture and mobile commerce attributes need to be thought out by managers as factors influencing mobile commerce segmentation for expatriates and locals. Trustworthiness is also a key factor of mobile shopping adoption. Limitations and future research ideas are presented to enrich the proposed model and improve its predictive validity.

An Efficient Distributed Programming Model for Mining Useful Patterns in Big Datasets

Karim, Md. Rezaul,Ahmed, Chowdhury Farhan,Jeong, Byeong-Soo,Choi, Ho-Jin Taylor Francis 2013 IETE technical review Vol.30 No.1