Foundation University

This quasi-experimental research investigated the effect of the Mathrix Sense Intervention on enhancing multiplication fact recall among Grade 7 learners at Dadiangas North High School during School Year 2019–2020. The intervention included four key instructional components: developing number sense, applying multiplication strategies, using flashcards, and integrating the Mathrix mobile learning application. Sixty learners were purposively selected and equally divided into experimental and control groups. The control group received traditional instruction, while the experimental group was taught using the Mathrix Sense Intervention. Both groups completed pretests and posttests aligned with the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) in Mathematics. Pretest results showed no significant difference between groups, indicating similar baseline knowledge. However, posttest scores revealed a significant improvement in the performance of the experimental group compared to the control group, with a large effect size based on Cohen’s d. These findings demonstrate that the Mathrix Sense Intervention had a positive effect on learners’ ability to recall multiplication facts. Therefore, this study recommends adopting the Mathrix Sense Intervention as a valuable approach for strengthening foundational skills in Mathematics, particularly in multiplication, among Grade 7 learners.

Background:Studies have shown that dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is superior to aspirin monotherapy in patients with minor stroke or transient ischemic attacks. However, there is limited evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of DAPT in mild-to-moderate stroke.Methods:PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception till March 2024 for published randomized controlled trials and observational studies that compared aspirin plus clopidogrel versus aspirin monotherapy in patients with mild-to-moderate stroke. R version 4.3.2 was used to calculate risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs).Results:A total of 4 studies reporting data for 15,173 patients were included. DAPT was associated with a non-significant trend of reduced risk of early neurological deterioration (END) (RR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.28–1.05, P = .07) and recurrent ischemic stroke (RR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.41–1.04, P = .07). The risk of recurrent hemorrhagic stroke (RR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.47–1.86, P = .86), all-cause death (RR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.52–1.08), or myocardial infarction (RR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.45–1.54) was comparable across the two groups. DAPT was not associated with an increased risk of any bleeding event (RR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.36–1.36).Conclusion:DAPT demonstrated a non-significant trend toward reduced risk of END and recurrent ischemic stroke without increasing the risk of bleeding events compared to aspirin monotherapy in patients with mild to moderate stroke. Further large-scale trials are needed to confirm these potential benefits.

Background:Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains the most common cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The introduction of targeted therapies against oncogenic drivers, particularly EGFR and KRAS mutations, has significantly improved patient outcomes. However, next-generation sequencing (NGS), the current gold standard for molecular profiling, is not always accessible in routine clinical practice, emphasizing the need for noninvasive surrogate biomarkers. Radiomics has emerged as a promising imaging-based approach that extracts a large number of quantitative features from standard modalities such as [18F]FDG PET/CT. By capturing tumor heterogeneity and biological characteristics, radiomics can provide clinically relevant insights and holds potential for identifying predictive biomarkers. Recent studies suggest that CT radiomic features related to heterogeneity, texture, and shape may predict EGFR and KRAS mutation status, while the integration of metabolic parameters from [18F]FDG PET radiomics may further enhance predictive performance and offer a more comprehensive characterization of tumor biology.Objectives:To assess the putative role of [18F]FDG PET/CT radiomic features for the prediction of mutated NSCLC.Study design:This retrospective observational study included patients with histologically confirmed NSCLC, molecularly profiled by NGS and who underwent baseline [18F]FDG PET/CT scans at Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza. Tumor segmentation and radiomic feature extraction were performed on PET images using Pyradiomics, generating 766 quantitative features. Feature selection for EGFR and KRAS mutation association was conducted via repeated random subsampling and LASSO logistic regression.Data source and methods:Patients’ histological, clinical and PET/CT imaging data were obtained from the electronic clinical database and picture archiving and communication system of IRCCS Fondazione San Gerardo dei Tintori di Monza between January 2023 and December 2024. Data from 105 patients with biopsy-proven NSCLC and available NGS and [18F]FDG PET/CT scans were analyzed to identify radiomic features from PET images associated with specific mutations. Two different PET/CT scanners were used (Discovery IQ and Discovery MI, GE Healthcare), and radiomic features were extracted using IBSI-compliant algorithms, generating 766 features per tumor. Features correlated with mutations were selected using the Discovery MI dataset (55 patients) and subsequently evaluated on the independent Discovery IQ dataset (50 patients).Results:No radiomic features were identified as associated with EGFR mutation in the Discovery MI dataset. Among the features correlated with KRAS mutation in the Discovery MI dataset, FBS_glcm_MCC—a measure of image texture complexity—was confirmed to be associated with KRAS mutation in the independent Discovery IQ dataset, with an AUC of 0.68, p = 0.04, and an odds ratio of 0.65.Conclusion:The potential of [18F]FDG PET radiomics as a surrogate for genetic profiling in NSCLC is promising; however, these preliminary findings require further validation in larger cohorts.

This case study is an exploratory study of the current CSR environment in the Banking Industry of Pakistan. The inclusive case studies that present the critique, way forward, and SDG alignment for the banking sector of developing economies has been a literary gap. This creates a high call for case studies that could pave the way forward for inclusive theoretical as well as empirical sense for the concerned problem. The observations, experience, insight, and pattern extraction from primary as well as secondary data on the subject concerned in terms of the Pakistani Banking sector were the building blocks and method for the research case study. The findings are presented in the form of workable solutions. The value of this research endeavour is depicted through the implications that could be inferred from the workable solutions for steering the positive impact of CSR by the Banking sector towards the overall society.

Soil floors are common in low-income countries and can harbor contamination from fecal waste. Soil/dust ingestion from floors or indirectly via hands, water and food can contribute to children's ingestion of fecal organisms. We assessed if finished (e.g., concrete) floors are associated with lower E. coli contamination in the domestic environment in rural Bangladesh. We collected samples from 1864 households over 3.5 years, including stored drinking water, child and caregiver hand rinses, courtyard soil, food, and flies (n=24,118 samples), and enumerated E. coli using IDEXX Quanti-Tray/2000. Controlling for socio-demographics, water/sanitation status, and animal ownership, households with finished floors had slightly lower log10-transformed E. coli counts (Δlog10=-0.10 (-0.20, 0.00)) and prevalence (prevalence ratio [PR]=0.90 (0.83, 0.98)) on child hands than households with soil floors; floor material was not associated with contamination levels in other sample types. In subgroup analyses, finished floors were associated with lower E. coli on child hands following heavy rainfall (Δlog10=-0.23 (-0.39, -0.07)), above-median temperature (Δlog10=-0.18 (-0.30, -0.06)), and in households with more domestic animals (Δlog10=-0.16 (-0.32, -0.01)). Finished floors were also associated with slightly lower contamination of stored water following heavy rainfall (PR=0.89 (0.81, 0.99)) and above-median temperature (PR=0.91 (0.84, 0.98)), and lower contamination of stored food following higher rainfall and temperature but the associations for food were not statistically significant. Measures to control enteric infections in low-income countries should test flooring improvements to reduce exposure to fecal contamination.

To develop imaging and consensus-based guidelines on the application of multimodal imaging in noninfectious multifocal choroiditis and panuveitis (MFCPU) and punctate inner choroiditis (PIC). Consensus agreement guided by the review of literature and an expert committee using nominal group technique (NGT). An expert committee applied a timed structured nominal group technique (NGT) to achieve consensus-based recommendations on specific disease characteristics, biomarkers of activity, and complications for MFCPU and PIC. Representative cases with noninfectious active and inactive MFCPU and PIC with color fundus photographs (CFP), optical coherence tomography (OCT), fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), OCT angiography (OCTA), indocyanine angiography (ICGA), and fundus autofluorescence images (FAF) were reviewed. These recommendations were voted upon by the entire task force. The experts agreed that lesions of MFCPU and PIC can be well characterized using CFP. OCT is the preferred modality for detecting active lesions. Both FAF and OCT are effective for monitoring disease recurrence. Late-phase ICGA is most valuable in recurrent disease when the lesions are not visible on FAF and CFP. While OCTA and ICGA can successfully identify lesions and complications such as choroidal neovascularization, no imaging biomarkers were found to reliably distinguish between active and inactive lesions on these two modalities. Incorporating imaging findings, particularly OCT, into the Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature (SUN) classification criteria for MFCPU and PIC enables more precise assessment of disease activity. These consensus-based guidelines provide a framework for selecting optimal imaging modalities for diagnosis, monitoring and identification of complications of MFCPU and PIC.

BackgroundThe Spanish National Health System, with devolved powers to autonomous communities such as Catalonia, faces significant challenges in controlling viral infections like hepatitis C (HCV) among vulnerable groups, particularly people who inject drugs (PWID), where prisons serve as crucial intervention sites. Catalonia’s health authorities have implemented strategies to combat HCV, including direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatments and harm reduction programmes within both community and penitentiary settings. However, substantial barriers persist in achieving full treatment uptake and clearance among PWID subpopulations.Main bodyThis review aims to discuss the Catalonia’s current HCV programmes and explores intervention proposals needed to achieve WHO elimination targets. Catalonia has implemented a comprehensive HCV plan, particularly targeting PWID, that has proven effective through enhanced screening, universal treatment access, and harm reduction, though structural and social barriers remain due to fragmented health and social systems.ConclusionAdvancing towards HCV elimination requires strengthened inter-organisational coordination, integrated social and health services, simplified care pathways, enhanced screening, professional training, targeted research, measurable goals, culturally appropriate and participatory prevention strategies, and a comprehensive, people-centred approach. This is particularly important in prisons, where universal screening, adapted caring processes, harm reduction, and opioid substitution treatments (OST) are essential. Considering the social determinants of health perspective, it is essential that policies and programs are structured to reduce structural inequities and vulnerabilities, thereby promoting equity in both access to prevention, care, treatment, and health benefits across all population groups, particularly those most affected.

This qualitative-descriptive study explored the viewpoints and insights of social workers at Regional Rehabilitation Center for youth in Region XII on what influences and drives juvenile delinquency. Four social workers who specialize in Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) cases at the Regional Rehabilitation Centre for Youth (RRCY) XII were chosen as key informants for the study using purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions from a researcher-developed guide were used to gather data. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. The results showed that a variety of life experiences, such as family instability, peer pressure, personal struggles, poverty, and tolerance in the community, interact intricately contribute to juvenile delinquency as perceived by social workers. The study emphasized the negative effects of unstable families and a lack of community support, underscoring the necessity of all-encompassing rehabilitation strategies that give top priority to robust support networks, psychosocial counselling, educational and recreational opportunities, and customized programs that address underlying problems. Social worker insights highlighted the value of social workers as positive role models, the necessity of more robust institutional services, ethical and professional case management, and a selfless approach to rehabilitation. This study offers a roadmap for future research and practice to enhance prevention and rehabilitation tactics for young offenders in South Cotabato.