Search results for: blood brain barrier

Authors: Thanura Randula Abeywardena

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This study recognized the effectiveness of cold-water immersion recovery post exhaustive short-term exercise. The purpose of this study was to understand if 16- 20°C of cold-water immersion would be beneficial in a tropical environment to achieve optimal recovery in sprint swim performance in comparison to 10-15°C of water immersion. Two 100m-sprint swim performance times were measured along with blood lactate (BLa), heart rate (HR) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) in a 25m swimming pool with full body head out horizontal water immersions of 10-15°C, 16-20°C and 29-32°C (pool temperature) for 10 minutes followed by 5 minutes of seated passive rest outside; in between the two swim performances. Twelve well-trained adult swimmers (5 male and 5 female) within the top twenty in the Sri Lankan national swimming championships in 100m Butterfly and Freestyle in the years 2020 & 2021 volunteered for this study. One-way ANOVA analysis (p<0.05) suggested performance time, Bla and HR had no significant differences between the 3 conditions after the second sprint; however, RPE was significantly different with p=0.034 between 10-15°C and 16-20°C immersion conditions. The study suggested that the recovery post the two cold-water immersion conditions were similar in terms of performance and physiological factors; however, the 16-20°C temperature had a better “feel good” factor post sprint 2. Further study is recommended as there was participant bias with the swimmers not reaching optimal levels in sprint 1. Therefore, they might have possibly fully recovered before sprint 2, invalidating the physiological effect of recovery.

Keywords: hydrotherapy, blood lactate, fatigue, recovery, sprint-performance, sprint-swimming

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Authors: Bindu Kumari, Bindu Kumari Singh

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Endosulfan is known to be one of the highly toxic agricultural pesticides commonly used in our societies. With the widespread use of Endosulfan in agriculture, human beings are most likely to be exposed to it, either orally by eating Endosulfan-contaminated foods or by nose and whole body inhalation in the farms during its application. The present study was conducted to observe the changes in the serum uric acid level of the Swiss albino rats due to the administration of Endosulfan. 3.0 mg Endosulfan/kg body weight was daily administered orally to albino rats for 28 days period. Alterations in their K.F.T. parameters were recorded at a regular interval of 7 days within this 28 days period and were compared with those of control rats. All rats were monitored for any observable toxic symptoms throughout the experimental period and they also were weighted weekly to monitor body weight gain. Alteration recorded in K.F.T. parameters within the groups were due to Endosulfan exposure and serum uric acid level was significantly elevated in the 3mg/kg dose group. Pathological changes of rats treated with Endosulfan were observed with typical signs of toxicity. Uric acid is a heterocyclic compound formed as an end product of metabolism of purine nucleotides. It forms ions and salts known as urate and acid urate which are harmful to our health. Uric acid clearance is one of the numerous important functions of the kidney. Defects in this process resulted in Gout, kidney stone or Kidney failure.

Keywords: KFT parameters, blood uric acid level, endosulfan, eat

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Authors: Faiz N. K. Yusufi, Aquil Ahmed, Jamal Ahmad

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Predicting the risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in Indian type 2 diabetes patients is immensely necessary. India, being the second largest country after China in terms of a number of diabetic patients, to the best of our knowledge not a single risk score for complications has ever been investigated. Diabetic retinopathy is a serious complication and is the topmost reason for visual impairment across countries. Any type or form of DR has been taken as the event of interest, be it mild, back, grade I, II, III, and IV DR. A sample was determined and randomly collected from the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology, J.N.M.C., A.M.U., Aligarh, India. Collected variables include patients data such as sex, age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), blood sugar fasting (BSF), post prandial sugar (PP), glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), smoking, alcohol habits, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), physical activity, duration of diabetes, diet control, history of antihypertensive drug treatment, family history of diabetes, waist circumference, hip circumference, medications, central obesity and history of DR. Cox proportional hazard regression is used to design risk scores for the prediction of retinopathy. Model calibration and discrimination are assessed from Hosmer Lemeshow and area under receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Overfitting and underfitting of the model are checked by applying regularization techniques and best method is selected between ridge, lasso and elastic net regression. Optimal cut off point is chosen by Youden’s index. Five-year probability of DR is predicted by both survival function, and Markov chain two state model and the better technique is concluded. The risk scores developed can be applied by doctors and patients themselves for self evaluation. Furthermore, the five-year probabilities can be applied as well to forecast and maintain the condition of patients. This provides immense benefit in real application of DR prediction in T2DM.

Keywords: Cox proportional hazard regression, diabetic retinopathy, ROC curve, type 2 diabetes mellitus

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Authors: Zahra Fotovatnia, Jeffery A. Jones, Alexandra Gottardo

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Speech communication often occurs in environments where noise conceals part of a message. Listeners should compensate for the lack of auditory information by picking up distinct acoustic cues and using semantic and sentential context to recreate the speaker’s intended message. This situation seems to be more challenging in a nonnative than native language. On the other hand, early bilinguals are expected to show an advantage over the late bilingual and monolingual speakers of a language due to their better executive functioning components. In this study, English monolingual speakers were compared with early and late nonnative speakers of English to understand speech in noise processing (SIN) and the underlying neurobiological features of this phenomenon. Auditory mismatch negativities (MMNs) were recorded using a double-oddball paradigm in response to a minimal pair that differed in their middle vowel (beat/bit) at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada. The results did not show any significant structural and electroneural differences across groups. However, vocabulary knowledge correlated positively with performance on tests that measured SIN processing in participants who learned English after age 6. Moreover, their performance on the test negatively correlated with the integral area amplitudes in the left superior temporal gyrus (STG). In addition, the STG was engaged before the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) in noise-free and low-noise test conditions in all groups. We infer that the pre-attentive processing of words engages temporal lobes earlier than the fronto-central areas and that vocabulary knowledge helps the nonnative perception of degraded speech.

Keywords: degraded speech perception, event-related brain potentials, mismatch negativities, brain regions

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Authors: Farah Ali, Laeeq Akbar Lodhi, Riaz Hussain, Muhammad Sufyan

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The present study was conducted to determine the macro mineral profile and biomarkers of oxidative stress in Cholistani cattle kept at a public farm and various villages in district Bahawalpur. For this purpose 90 blood samples were collected each from estrual, anestrous and repeat breeding cattle having different age and lactation number. Reproductive tract examination of all the cattle was carried out to determine the reproductive status. Blood samples without EDTA were collected for serum separation at day of estrus (normal cyclic), repeat breeder and anestrous cows. The serum calcium levels were significantly decreased (P<0.05) in anestrous (7.31±0.02 mg/dl) cattle as compared to estrus. However, these values were non-significantly different between repeat breeder and cattle having estrus phase. The concentrations of serum phosphorus were significantly higher (P<0.01) in normal estrual (4.99±0.08 mg/dl) as compared torepeat breeder (3.90±0.06 mg/dl) and anestrous (3.82±0.04 mg/dl) Cholistani cattle. Mean serum MDA (nmol/ml) levels of repeat breeder (2.68±0.18) and anestrous (2.54±0.22) were significantly(P<0.01) higher than the estrous (1.71±0.03) cattle. Moreover, the serum nitric oxide levels(µmol/L) were also increased significantly (P<0.01) in repeat breeder(58.28±4.01)and anestrous (61.40±9.40) than the normalestrous (31.67±6.71) cattle. The ratio of Ca: P in normal cyclic animals was lower (1.73:1) as compared to the anestrous animals (1.92:1). It can be concluded from the present study that the level of Ca: P should also be near to 1.5:1 for better reproductive performance.

Keywords: anestrus, cholistani cattle, minerals, oxidative stress, repeat breeder

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Authors: Souvik Phadikar, Nidul Sinha, Rajdeep Ghosh

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In brainwaves research using electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, finding the most relevant and effective feature set for identification of activities in the human brain is a big challenge till today because of the random nature of the signals. The feature extraction method is a key issue to solve this problem. Finding those features that prove to give distinctive pictures for different activities and similar for the same activities is very difficult, especially for the number of activities. The performance of a classifier accuracy depends on this quality of feature set. Further, more number of features result in high computational complexity and less number of features compromise with the lower performance. In this paper, a novel idea of the selection of optimal feature set using a heuristically optimized deep autoencoder is presented. Using various feature extraction methods, a vast number of features are extracted from the EEG signals and fed to the autoencoder deep neural network. The autoencoder encodes the input features into a small set of codes. To avoid the gradient vanish problem and normalization of the dataset, a meta-heuristic search algorithm is used to minimize the mean square error (MSE) between encoder input and decoder output. To reduce the feature set into a smaller one, 4 hidden layers are considered in the autoencoder network; hence it is called Heuristically Optimized Deep Autoencoder (HO-DAE). In this method, no features are rejected; all the features are combined into the response of responses of the hidden layer. The results reveal that higher accuracy can be achieved using optimal reduced features. The proposed HO-DAE is also compared with the regular autoencoder to test the performance of both. The performance of the proposed method is validated and compared with the other two methods recently reported in the literature, which reveals that the proposed method is far better than the other two methods in terms of classification accuracy.

Keywords: autoencoder, brainwave signal analysis, electroencephalogram, feature extraction, feature selection, optimization

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Authors: Simon Arunga, Teddy Kwaga, Rita Kageni, Michael Gichangi, Nyawira Mwangi, Fred Kagwa, Rogers Mwavu, Amos Baryashaba, Luis F. Nakayama, Katharine Morley, Michael Morley, Leo A. Celi, Jessica Haberer, Celestino Obua

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Purpose: The main aim for creating the Multimodal Database of Retinal Images for Africa (MoDRIA) was to provide a publicly available repository of retinal images for responsible researchers to conduct algorithm development in a bid to curb the challenges of ophthalmic artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa. Methods: Data and retina images were ethically sourced from sites in Uganda and Kenya. Data on medical history, visual acuity, ocular examination, blood pressure, and blood sugar were collected. Retina images were captured using fundus cameras (Foru3-nethra and Canon CR-Mark-1). Images were stored on a secure online database. Results: The database consists of 7,859 retinal images in portable network graphics format from 1,988 participants. Images from patients with human immunodeficiency virus were 18.9%, 18.2% of images were from hypertensive patients, 12.8% from diabetic patients, and the rest from normal’ participants. Conclusion: Publicly available data repositories are a valuable asset in the development of AI technology. Therefore, is a need for the expansion of MoDRIA so as to provide larger datasets that are more representative of Sub-Saharan data.

Keywords: retina images, MoDRIA, image repository, African database

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Authors: Fahad Raj Khan, Suleman Khan

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There is a lack of consensus about the predictive value of raised blood glucose levels in terms of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in non-diabetic patients admitted for acute decompensated heart failure. The purpose of this research was to examine the long-term prognosis of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) in non-diabetic persons who had increased blood glucose levels, i.e., stress hyperglycemia, at the time of their ADHF hospitalization. The research involved 650 non-diabetic patients. Based on their admission stress hyperglycemia, they were divided into two groups.ie with and without (SHGL). The two groups' one-year outcomes for major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) were compared, and key predictors of MACEs were discovered. For statistical analysis, the two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test, Fisher's exact test, and binary logistic regression analysis were utilized. SHGL was found in 353 (54.3%) individuals. It was more frequent in men than in women. About 27% of patients with SHGL had previously been admitted for ADHF. Almost 62% were hypertensive, whereas 14 % had CKD. MACEs were significantly predicted by SHGL, HTN, prior hospitalization for ADHF, CKD, and cardiogenic shock upon admission. SHGL at the time of ADHF admission, independent of DM status, may be a predictive indication of MACEs.

Keywords: stress hyperglycemia, acute heart failure, major adverse cardiac events, MACEs

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Authors: Pouya Khaleghi

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Dental implants are a successful treatment modality for restoring both function and aesthetics. Dental implant treatment has predictive results in the replacement of the lost teeth and has a high success rate even in the long term. The most important factor which is responsible for the positive course of implant treatment is the process of osseointegration between the implant structure and the host’s bone tissue. During recent years, many studies have focused on surgical and prosthetic factors, as well as the implant-related factors. However, implant failure still occurs despite the improvements that have led to the increased survival rate of dental implants, which suggests the possible role of some host-related risk factors. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin regulating calcium and phosphorus metabolism in tissues. The role of vitamin D in bone healing has been under investigation for several years. Vitamin D deficiency has also been associated with impaired and delayed callus formation and fractures healing; however, the role of vitamin D has not been clarified. Therefore, it is extremely important to study the phenomenon of a connection formed between bone tissue and the surface of a titanium implant and find correlations between the 25- hydroxycholecalciferol concentration in blood serum and the course of osseointegration. Because the processes of bone remodeling are very dynamic in the period of actual osseointegration, it is necessary to obtain the correct concentration of vitamin D3 metabolites in blood serum. In conclusion, the correct level of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol on the day of surgery and vitamin D deficiency treatment have a significant influence on the increase in the bone level at the implant site during the process of osseointegration assessed radiologically.

Keywords: implant, osseointegration, vitamin d, dental

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Authors: Mahsa Hadipour Jahromy, Sara Rezaii

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Parkinson’s disease (PD) results primarily from the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Soon after the discovery of levodopa and its beneficial effects in chronic administration, debilitating involuntary movements observed, termed levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) with poorly understood pathogenesis. Polyphenol-rich compounds, like pomegranate, provided neuroprotection in several animal models of brain diseases. In the present work, we investigated whether pomegranate has preventive effects following 4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced dopaminergic degenerations and the potential to diminish LID in mice. Mice model of PD was induced by MPTP (30 mg/kg daily for five consecutive days). To induce a mice model of LID, valid PD mice were treated with levodopa (50 mg/kg, i.p) for 15 days. Then the effects of chronic co-administration of pomegranate juice (20 ml/kg) with levodopa and continuing for 10 days, evaluated. Behavioural tests were performed in all groups, every other day including: Abnormal involuntary movements (AIMS), forelimb adjusting steps, cylinder, and catatonia tests. Finally, brain tissue sections were prepared to study substantia nigra changes and dopamine neuron density after treatments. With this MPTP regimen, significant movement disorders revealed in AIMS tests and there was a reduction in dopamine striatal density. Levodopa attenuates their loss caused by MPTP, however, in chronic administration, dyskinesia observed in forelimb adjusting step and cylinder tests. Besides, catatonia observed in some cases. Chronic pomegranate co-administration significantly improved LID in both tests and reduced dopaminergic loss in substantia nigra. These data indicate that pomegranate might be a good adjunct for preserving dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and reducing LID in mice.

Keywords: levodopa-induced dyskinesia, MPTP, Parkinson’s disease, pomegranate

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Authors: Mustafa M. Donma, Orkide Donma

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Pediatric overweight and obesity need attention because they may cause morbid obesity, which may develop metabolic syndrome (MetS). Criteria used for the definition of adult MetS cannot be applied for pediatric MetS. Dynamic physiological changes that occur during childhood and adolescence require the evaluation of each parameter based upon age intervals. The aim of this study is to investigate the distribution of blood pressure (BP) values within diverse pediatric age intervals and the possible use and clinical utility of a recently introduced Diagnostic Obesity Notation Model Assessment Tension (DONMA tense) Index derived from systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) [SBP+DBP/200]. Such a formula may enable a more integrative picture for the assessment of pediatric obesity and MetS due to the use of both SBP and DBP. 554 children, whose ages were between 6-16 years participated in the study; the study population was divided into two groups based upon their ages. The first group comprises 280 cases aged 6-10 years (72-120 months), while those aged 10-16 years (121-192 months) constituted the second group. The values of SBP, DBP and the formula (SBP+DBP/200) covering both were evaluated. Each group was divided into seven subgroups with varying degrees of obesity and MetS criteria. Two clinical definitions of MetS have been described. These groups were MetS3 (children with three major components), and MetS2 (children with two major components). The other groups were morbid obese (MO), obese (OB), overweight (OW), normal (N) and underweight (UW). The children were included into the groups according to the age- and sex-based body mass index (BMI) percentile values tabulated by WHO. Data were evaluated by SPSS version 16 with p < 0.05 as the statistical significance degree. Tension index was evaluated in the groups above and below 10 years of age. This index differed significantly between N and MetS as well as OW and MetS groups (p = 0.001) above 120 months. However, below 120 months, significant differences existed between MetS3 and MetS2 (p = 0.003) as well as MetS3 and MO (p = 0.001). In comparison with the SBP and DBP values, tension index values have enabled more clear-cut separation between the groups. It has been detected that the tension index was capable of discriminating MetS3 from MetS2 in the group, which was composed of children aged 6-10 years. This was not possible in the older group of children. This index was more informative for the first group. This study also confirmed that 130 mm Hg and 85 mm Hg cut-off points for SBP and DBP, respectively, are too high for serving as MetS criteria in children because the mean value for tension index was calculated as 1.00 among MetS children. This finding has shown that much lower cut-off points must be set for SBP and DBP for the diagnosis of pediatric MetS, especially for children under-10 years of age. This index may be recommended to discriminate MO, MetS2 and MetS3 among the 6-10 years of age group, whose MetS diagnosis is problematic.

Keywords: blood pressure, children, index, metabolic syndrome, obesity

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Authors: F. Bendahma, S. Bentata, S. Cherid, A. Zitouni, S. Terkhi, T. Lantri, Y. Sefir, Z. F. Meghoufel

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We examine the electronic transport properties in Al_xGa_1-xAs/GaAs superlattices. Using the transfer-matrix technique and the exact Airy function formalism, we investigate theoretically the effect of structural parameters on the electronic energy spectra of trimer thickness barrier (TTB). Our numerical calculations showed that the localization length of the states becomes more extended when the disorder is correlated (trimer case). We have also found that the resonant tunneling time (RTT) is of the order of several femtoseconds.

Keywords: electronic transport properties, structural parameters, superlattices, transfer-matrix technique

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Authors: Maha Mohamed Hady Ali, M. A. El-Sayed

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Camel (Camelus dromedarius) is very important animal in many arid and semi-arid zones of tropical and subtropical regions as it serves as dual purpose providing meat and milk for human and as draft animal. Camel, like other animal must receive all essential nutrients despite the hostile environment. A study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional status of some micro-minerals of camel under Egyptian environmental condition. Forty five blood samples were collected from apparently healthy male camels with an average age between 2-6 years at the slaughter house in Cairo province, Egypt. The animals were fed mainly on berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum) or concentrate with straw before slaughtering. The collected serum and feedstuff samples were subjected to copper, iron, selenium and zinc analysis using Atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The data showed variation in the level of copper, iron, selenium and zinc in the serum of the dromedary camel as well as in the feedstuffs. Furthermore, the results indicated that the micro- minerals status of feeds may not always reflected as such in camel blood suggesting some role of bioavailability. The main reason for the lack of such reflection seems to be the wide diversity exists in the surrounding environment (forages and plants) as well as the bioavailability of such minerals. Since the requirement of micro-minerals have not been established for camel, more researches must be focused on this topic.

Keywords: camel, copper, egypt, feed stuff, iron, selenium, zinc

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Authors: Akhtar Aman, Abida Raza, Shumaila Bashir, Javaid Irfan, Andreas G. Schätzlein, Ijeoma F Uchegbeu

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Development of efficient delivery system for hydrophobic drugs remains a major concern in chemotherapy. The objective of the current study was to develop polymeric drug-delivery system for etoposide from amphiphilic derivatives of glycol chitosan, capable to improve the pharmacokinetics and to reduce the adverse effects of etoposide due to various organic solvents used in commercial formulations for solubilisation of etoposide. As a promising carrier, amphiphilic derivatives of glycol chitosan were synthesized by chemical grafting of palmitic acid N-hydroxy succinimide and quaternisation to glycol chitosan backbone. To this end a 7.9 kDa glycol chitosan was modified by palmitoylation and quaternisation into 13 kDa. Nano sized micelles prepared from this amphiphilic polymer had the capability to encapsulate up to 3 mg/ml etoposide. The pharmacokinetic results indicated that GCPQ based etoposide formulation transformed the biodistribution pattern. AUC 0.5-24 hr showed statistically significant difference in ETP-GCPQ vs. commercial preparation in liver (25 vs 70, p<0.001), spleen (27 vs. 36, P<0.05), lungs (42 vs. 136, p<0.001), kidneys (25 vs. 30, p<0.05) and brain (19 vs. 9,p<0.001). Using the hydrophobic fluorescent dye Nile red, we showed that micelles efficiently delivered their payload to MCF7 and A2780 cancer cells in-vitro and to A431 xenograft tumor in-vivo, suggesting these systems could deliver hydrophobic anti- cancer drugs such as etoposide to tumors. The pharmacokinetic results indicated that the GCPQ micelles transformed the biodistribution pattern and increased etoposide concentration in the brain significantly compared to free drug after intravenous administration. GCPQ based formulations not only reduced side effects associated with current available formulations but also increased their transport through the biological barriers, thus making it a good delivery system.

Keywords: glycol chitosan, Nile red, micelles, etoposide, A431 xenografts

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Authors: Sandeep Goyal, Sandeep Saluja

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Natural antioxidants have major role in maintenance of health. Green tea extract principally contains epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), as its abundant antioxidant constituent. Green tea is consumed daily worldwide as antioxidant to combat CNS diseases and has traditional importance also. EGCG has neuroprotective potential in various animal models of Parkinson disease, Alzheimer’s disease etc. but its exact mechanism has not been ruled out. The present study has been designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and mitochondrial modulating mechanism of neuroprotective effect of epigallocatechin-3-gallate against rodent model of rotenone induced Parkinson’s disease (PD). The behavioural alterations were assessed by using open field test apparatus, Chatilon’s grip strength test apparatus and elevated plus maze for determining the locomotor activity, grip strength and cognition respectively. Biochemically, various parameters to assess oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and neurochemical estimations were performed on rat brain homogenates. A histological examination of rat brain striatum was done to check the neurodegeneration. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) at 10 & 20 mg/kg, were investigated for their neuroprotective potential along with levodopa as a standard agent. Minocycline, a microglial activation inhibitor, was administered alone and in combination with EGCG. EGCG and minocycline produced ameliorative effect against rotenone induced PD like symptoms by significantly reduced behavioral, biochemical and histological alterations. Results of our study reveal the neuroprotective effect of EGCG and minocycline against rotenone induced PD. Results of our study indicate that EGCG exerted neuroprotective effect against rotenone induced PD via its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and mitochondrial modulating mechanisms and substantiate its previously reported and traditional claims for its use in CNS diseases.

Keywords: antioxidants, neurotoxicity, rotenone, EGCG

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Authors: B. Nabil, O. Zahir, R. Abdelaziz

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We present the results of electrical characterizations current-voltage and capacity-voltage implementation of a method of making a Schottky diode on bulk gallium nitride doped n. We made temporary Schottky contact of Mercury (Hg) and an ohmic contact of silver (Ag), the electrical characterizations current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) allows us to determine the difference parameters of our structure (Hg /n-GaN) as the barrier height (ΦB), the ideality factor (n), the series resistor (Rs), the voltage distribution (Vd), the doping of the substrate (Nd) and density of interface states (Nss).

Keywords: Bulk Gallium nitride, electrical characterization, Schottky diode, series resistance, substrate doping

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Authors: Caner Yilmaz, Zuhal Didem Takinaci

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Introduction: Today, our knowledge about the effects of physical activity performed at the different intensity of the cardiovascular system are still not clear. Therefore, to contribute to the literature, in our study, sedentary individuals and amateur athletes were assessed in a single session with the aim of evaluating the cardiovascular effects of the moderate and severe exercise. Methods: 80 participants (40 amateur athletes and 40 sedentary, young adults) participated in our study. Participants were divided into two groups: amateur athletes (mean age: 25.0 ± 3.6 yrs) and sedentary in group II (mean age: 23.8 ± 3.7 yrs). Participants in both groups were assessed twice, namely, firstly, at moderate intensity (5km/h 30 min. walking) and secondly at the vigorous intensity (8km/h 20 min. jogging). Participants’ SBP (Systolic Blood Pressure), DBP (Diastolic Blood Pressure), HR (Heart Rate), SpO₂ (Oxygen Saturation), BT (Body Temperature) and RR (Respiratory Rate) were measured. Results: In our study, the findings showed that after moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, change in SBP, DBP, and SpO₂ were significantly higher in Group II (p < 0.05). After the severe intensity aerobic exercises, change in SBP, SpO₂, HR, and RR was significantly higher in Group II (p < 0.05). The BORG score of Group II was significantly higher after both moderate and severe intensity aerobic exercise (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The cardiovascular responses of amateur athletes were closer to initial values, and the differences between the two groups were increased in direct proportion to the intensity of the exercise. Both exercise intensities could be adequate.

Keywords: aerobic, exercise, sedantary, cardi̇ovascular

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Authors: N. G. Klivleyeva, T. I. Glebova, G. V. Lukmanova, S. B. Bayseit, S. Z. Taubaeva, M. K. Kalkozhaeva

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The role of viral diseases in the general infectious disease incidence increases every year and requires special attention to the problem of interpreting the etiology of infectious agents. Influenza and acute respiratory viral infections are one of the most pressing public health issues. In the period 2012-2014, collection of 419 nasal swabs and 150 blood sera has been carried out in the patient care institutions of the various Kazakhstan regions from patients with symptoms of ARVI and pneumonia. Primary identification of biosamples for the presence of influenza viral antigens in enzyme immunoassay on nitrocellulose membrane gave positive results in 125 swabs (29.8%). Biosample screening in immunofluorescence test revealed the presence of influenza viral antigens against A/H1 in 63 samples (15.0%), A/H3 – in 70 samples (16.7%) and type B – in 9 samples (2.1%). As a result of primary infection, and successive passages in chick embryos and MDCK cell cultures, 38 HAAg were isolated from 419 samples with a clear cytopathic effect and hemagglutination titre in MDCK cell culture within 1:2-1:4, in CE - 1:8-1:256. The infectivity of isolates in chicken embryos were 3.5-6.5 lg EID50/0.2, in MDCK cell culture – 2.5-6.5 lg PFU/ml. Identification of 28 isolates was carried out in inhibition reactions of hemagglutinating activity and neuraminidase activity, showed their belonging to the influenza virus: 26 strains to A/H1N1, one - to A/H3N2, and one - to type B. Serological examination of blood sera for the presence of specific antibodies being an indirect evidence of the performed isolation and contributing to the timely interpretation of the disease etiology in the epidemics takes an important place in the comprehensive study of influenza viruses circulating among people. Serological analyzes were carried out in HAI assay using a kit consisting of 12 reference strains obtained from the WHO centre for reference and research on Influenza (CDC, Atlanta, USA) and three Kazakhstan (A/Almaty/347/09 (H1N1v), A/Almaty/462/11 (H3N2) and B/Almaty/414/10) human influenza viruses that are stored in the laboratory collection. The results of serological analysis of 150 blood sera showed that antihaemagglutinins against the A/H3N2 virus serosubtype were found in 46 samples (49.4%) out of 93 sera collected in 2012-2013. The antibody titres were within 1:160-1:320. 19 sera (20.4%) were seropositive against influenza A/H1N1 virus, the antibodies were observed in titres of 1:20-1:40. Six sera (6.4%) were positive against the influenza A/H1N1+A/H3N2 virus (mixed infection); the antibodies were recorded in titres of 1:20-1:40. Antihaemagglutinins against influenza type B virus were detected only in five sera (5.4%). The results of analysis of 57 sera collected in 2014 showed that antihaemagglutinins against A/H3N2 virus subtype were detected in 32 blood sera (56.1%) in titres of 1:160-1:640. Ten sera (17.5%) were seropositive against A/H1N1 virus; antihaemagglutinins against influenza type B virus were not detected. Therefore, virological and serological studies have shown that in Kazakhstan, as well as in the world, the influenza viruses A/H1N1, A/H3N2 and influenza B viruses were actively circulating during the epidemic seasons in 2012-2014.

Keywords: influenza, MDCK cell, serological analysis, virus

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Authors: Seyyed Javad Ziaolhagh

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Background: The purpose of present study was to investigate, the effects of anabolic steroid Boldenone (BOL) with eight weeks of resistance training on structural changes in rat liver. Method: 21 Male adult Wistar rats, 12 weeks old and 228/53±7/94 g initial body weight were randomly assigned to three groups: group1: Control+ Placebo (C), group2: training+ Placebo (T), group3: Boldenone intramuscular injections 5mg/kg (B). The endurance training protocol consisted three exercise sessions weekly started by a 30-minute run with the speed of 12 m/min and lasted by 60min run with the speed of 30 m/min in 8 weeks. At the end of the experiment, for light microscopic study Slides were prepared. Results: Sections stained of rat's livers showed no any cell degeneration and cytoplasmic lipid vacuoles in all groups, but few samples were seen. Indeed, congested blood sinusoids, cell infiltration and degeneration were seen in the Boldenone-treated group. Hepatotoxic effects were severe in group treatment received 5 mg/kg and directly depended on the doses. Indeed, training group was no any hepatocyte degeneration, inflammation and congestion. Conclusion: The present results showed that BOL has a marked adverse effect on the liver tissue, even with low– dose and endurance training. As a result, athletes should aware of Boldenone dosage consumption.

Keywords: anabolic androgenic steroids, Boldenone, blood congestion, cellular inflammation, cellular degeneration, lipid vocuolations, endurance training

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Authors: Susan C. Graham

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Islands have a long established allure for travellers the world over. From earliest accounts of human history, travellers were drawn by the sense of islandness embodied by these destinations. The concept of islandness describes the essence of what makes islands unique relative to non-islands and extends beyond geographic interpretations by attempting to capture the specific sense of self-exhibited by islanders in relation to their connection to place. The themes most strongly associated with islandness include a) a strong connection to water as both the life blood and a physical barrier, b) a unique culture and robust arts community that is deeply linked to both the island and islanders, c) an appreciation of and for nature, d) a rich sense of history and tradition connected to the place, e) a sense of community and belonging that arose through shared triumphs and struggles, and f) a profound awareness of independence, separateness, and uniqueness derived from both physical and social experience. The island brand, like all brands, is a marketing tactic designed to succinctly express a specific value proposition in simplistic ways which might include a brand symbol, logo, slogan, or representation meant to distinguish one brand from another. If a value proposition is the identification of attributes that separate one brand from another by highlighting the brand’s uniqueness, then presumably island brands may, at least in part, emphasize islandness as part of the destination brand. Yet it may in naïve to expect all islands to brand themselves using similar themes when islands can differ so substantially in terms of population, geography, political climate, economy, culture, and history. Of particular interest is the increased focus on tourism among 'cold-water' islands. This paper will examine the incorporation of themes related to islandness in tourism branding among cold-water, warm-water, and temperate-water islands. The tourism logos of 83 islands were collected and assessed for the use of themes related to islandness, namely water, arts and culture, nature, history and tradition, community and belongingness, and independence, separateness, and uniqueness. The ratings for each theme related to islandness for each of the 83 island destinations were then analyzed to identify if differences exist between cold-water, warm-water, and temperate-water islands. A general consensus of what constitutes 'cold-water' destinations is lacking, therefore a water temperature of 15C was adopted using the guidelines from the National Center for Cold Water Safety. Among these 83 islands, the average high and average low water temperatures of 196 specific locations, including the capital, northern, and southern most points of each island, was recorded to determine if the location was a cold-water (average high and low below 15C), warm-water (average high and low above 15C), or temperate-water (average high above 15C and low below 15C) location.

Keywords: branding, cold-water, islands, tourism

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Authors: W. Staiano, S. Marcora

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Introduction: It has been proposed that acute negative effect of mental fatigue (MF) could potentially become a training stimulus for the brain (Brain endurance training (BET)) to adapt and improve its ability to attenuate MF states during sport competitions. Purpose: The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of 6 weeks of BET on cognitive and cycling tests in a group of well-trained subjects. We hypothesised that combination of BET and standard physical training (SPT) would increase cognitive capacity and cycling performance by reducing rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and increase resilience to fatigue more than SPT alone. Methods: In a randomized controlled trial design, 26 well trained participants, after a familiarization session, cycled to exhaustion (TTE) at 80% peak power output (PPO) and, after 90 min rest, at 65% PPO, before and after random allocation to a 6 week BET or active placebo control. Cognitive performance was measured using 30 min of STROOP coloured task performed before cycling performance. During the training, BET group performed a series of cognitive tasks for a total of 30 sessions (5 sessions per week) with duration increasing from 30 to 60 min per session. Placebo engaged in a breathing relaxation training. Both groups were monitored for physical training and were naïve to the purpose of the study. Physiological and perceptual parameters of heart rate, lactate (LA) and RPE were recorded during cycling performances, while subjective workload (NASA TLX scale) was measured during the training. Results: Group (BET vs. Placebo) x Test (Pre-test vs. Post-test) mixed model ANOVA’s revealed significant interaction for performance at 80% PPO (p = .038) or 65% PPO (p = .011). In both tests, groups improved their TTE performance; however, BET group improved significantly more compared to placebo. No significant differences were found for heart rate during the TTE cycling tests. LA did not change significantly at rest in both groups. However, at completion of 65% TTE, it was significantly higher (p = 0.043) in the placebo condition compared to BET. RPE measured at ISO-time in BET was significantly lower (80% PPO, p = 0.041; 65% PPO p= 0.021) compared to placebo. Cognitive results in the STROOP task showed that reaction time in both groups decreased at post-test. However, BET decreased significantly (p = 0.01) more compared to placebo despite no differences accuracy. During training sessions, participants in the BET showed, through NASA TLX questionnaires, constantly significantly higher (p < 0.01) mental demand rates compared to placebo. No significant differences were found for physical demand. Conclusion: The results of this study provide evidences that combining BET and SPT seems to be more effective than SPT alone in increasing cognitive and cycling performance in well trained endurance participants. The cognitive overload produced during the 6-week training of BET can induce a reduction in perception of effort at a specific power, and thus improving cycling performance. Moreover, it provides evidence that including neurocognitive interventions will benefit athletes by increasing their mental resilience, without affecting their physical training load and routine.

Keywords: cognitive training, perception of effort, endurance performance, neuro-performance

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Authors: Seyed-Ali Sadegh-Zadeh, Mahboobe Bahrami, Sahar Ahmadi, Seyed-Yaser Mousavi, Hamed Atashbar, Amir M. Hajiyavand

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This paper presents an investigation into the concept of neural reshaping, which is crucial for achieving strong artificial intelligence through the development of AI algorithms with very high plasticity. By examining the plasticity of both human and artificial neural networks, the study uncovers groundbreaking insights into how these systems adapt to new experiences and situations, ultimately highlighting the potential for creating advanced AI systems that closely mimic human intelligence. The uniqueness of this paper lies in its comprehensive analysis of the neural reshaping process in both human and artificial intelligence systems. This comparative approach enables a deeper understanding of the fundamental principles of neural plasticity, thus shedding light on the limitations and untapped potential of both human and AI learning capabilities. By emphasizing the importance of neural reshaping in the quest for strong AI, the study underscores the need for developing AI algorithms with exceptional adaptability and plasticity. The paper's findings have significant implications for the future of AI research and development. By identifying the core principles of neural reshaping, this research can guide the design of next-generation AI technologies that can enhance human and artificial intelligence alike. These advancements will be instrumental in creating a new era of AI systems with unparalleled capabilities, paving the way for improved decision-making, problem-solving, and overall cognitive performance. In conclusion, this paper makes a substantial contribution by investigating the concept of neural reshaping and its importance for achieving strong AI. Through its in-depth exploration of neural plasticity in both human and artificial neural networks, the study unveils vital insights that can inform the development of innovative AI technologies with high adaptability and potential for enhancing human and AI capabilities alike.

Keywords: neural plasticity, brain adaptation, artificial intelligence, learning, cognitive reshaping

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Authors: Theresa N. Uzor

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The word cardiovascular fitness is a topic of much interest to people of Nigeria, especially during this time, some heart diseases run in families. Cardiovascular fitness is the ability of the heart and lungs to supply-rich blood to the working muscle tissues. This type of fitness is a health-related component of physical fitness that is brought about by sustained physical activity such as plyometric training. Plyometric is a form of advanced fitness training that uses fast muscular contractions to improve power and speed in the sports performance by coaches and athletes. Plyometric training involves a rapid stretching of muscle (eccentric phase) immediately followed by a concentric or shortening action of the same muscle and connective tissue. However, the most basic example of true plyometric training is running and can be safe for a wide variety of populations. This paper focused on building cardiovascular health through Plyometric Training. The centre focus of the article is cardiovascular fitness and plyometric training with factors of cardiovascular fitness. Plyometric training at any age provides multiple benefits even beyond weight control and weight loss, decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other diseases, among other benefits of plyometric training to cardiovascular fitness. Participation in plyometric training will increase metabolism of an individual, thereby burning more calories even when at rest and reduces weight is also among the benefits of plyometric training. Some guidelines were recommended for planning plyometric training programme to minimise the chance of injury. With plyometric training in Nigeria, fortune can change for good, especially now that there has been an increase in cardiovascular diseases within the society for great savings would be saved.

Keywords: aerobic, cardiovascular, concentric, stretch-shortening cycle, plyometric

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Authors: Ataa A. Said, Elsayed A. Abuotabl, Gehan F. Abdel Raoof, Khaled Y. Mohamed

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The aim of this study is to evaluate antihyperglycaemic and antihyperlipidemic activities of Pleiogynium timorense (DC.) Leenh (Anacardiaceae) seeds as well as to isolate and identify the bioactive compounds. Antihyperglycaemic effect was evaluated by measuring the effect of two dose levels (150 and 300 mg/kg) of 70% methanol extract of Pleiogynium timorense seeds on blood glucose level when administered 45 minutes before glucose loading. In addition, the effect of the plant extract on the lipid profile was determined by measuring serum total lipids (TL), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Furthermore, the bioactive compounds were isolated and identified by chromatographic and spectrometric methods.The results showed that the methanolic extract of the seeds significantly reduced the levels of blood glucose,(TL), (TC), (TG) and (LDL-C) but no significant effect on (HDL-C) comparing with control group. Furthermore, four phenolic compound were isolated which were identified as; catechin, gallic acid, para methoxy benzaldehyde and pyrogallol which were isolated for the first time from the plant. In addition sulphur -containing compound (sulpholane) was isolated for the first time from the plant and from the family. To our knowledge, this is the first study about antihyperglycaemicand antihyperlipidemic activities of the seeds of Pleiogyniumtimorense and its bioactive compounds. So, the methanolic extract of the seeds of Pleiogynium timorense could be a step towards the development of new antihyperglycaemic and antihyperlipidemic drugs.

Keywords: antihyperglycaemic, bioactive compounds, phenolic, Pleiogynium timorense, seeds

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Authors: Jelena Nedeljković Trailović, Marko Vasiljević, Jog Raj, Hunor Farkaš, Branko Petrujkić, Stamen Radulović, Gorana Popvić

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The experiment was performed on a total of 99 one-day-old broilers of Cob 500 provenance, which were divided into IX equal groups. Broilers of the E-I group were fed 0.25 mg T-2 toxin/kg feed, E-II and E-III groups 0.25 mg T-2 toxin/kg feed with the addition of 1 kg/t and 3 kg/t of the mycotoxin detoxification agent MDA, respectively. The E-IV group received 1 mg of T-2 toxin/kg of feed, and the broilers of E-V and E-VI groups received 1 mg of T-2 toxin/kg of feed with the addition of 1 kg/t and 3 kg/t of the MDA detoxification preparation, respectively. The E-VII group received commercial feed without toxins and additives, the E-VIII and E-IX groups received feed with 1kg/t and 3kg/t of the MDA detoxification preparation. The trial lasted 42 days. Observing the results obtained on the 42nd day of the experiment, we can conclude that the change in the absolute mass of the spleen occurred in the broilers of the E-IV group (1.66±0.14)g, which was statistically significantly lower compared to the broilers of the E-V and E-VI groups (2.58±0.15 and 2.68±0.23)g. Heart mass was significantly statistically lower in broilers of group E-IV (9.1±0.38)g compared to broilers of group E-V and E-VI (12.23±0.5 and 11.43±0.51)g. It can be concluded that the broilers that received 1 kg/t and 3 kg/t of the detoxification preparation had an absolute mass of organs within physiological limits. Broilers of the E-IV group achieved the lowest BM during the experiment (on the 42nd day of the experiment 1879±52.73)g, they were significantly statistically lower than the BW of broilers of all experimental groups. This trend is observed from the beginning to the end of the experiment. The protective effect of the detoxification preparation can be seen in broilers of the E-V group, that had a significantly statistically higher BM on the 42nd day of the experiment (2225±58.81)g compared to broilers of group E-IV. Broilers of E-VIII group (2452±46.71) g, which received commercial feed with the addition of 1 kg/t MDA preparation, had the highest BMI at the end of the experiment. At the end of the trial on the 42nd day, blood samples were collected from broilers of the experimental groups that received T-2 toxin and MR detoxification preparations in different concentrations. Also, liver and breast musculature samples were collected for testing for the presence and content of T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, T-2 tetraol and T-2 triol. Due to very rapid elimination from the blood, no remains of T-2 toxin and its metabolites were detected in the blood of broilers of groups E-I to E-VI. In the breast muscles, T-2 toxin residues below LoQ < 0.2 (μg/kg) were detected in all groups that received T-2 toxin in food, the highest value was recorded in the E-IV group (0.122 μg/kg and the lowest in E -VI group 0.096 μg/kg). No T-2 toxin residues were detected in the liver. Remains of HT-2 were detected in the breast muscles and livers of broilers from E-IV, E-V and E-VI groups, LoQ < 1 (μg/kg); for the breast muscles: 0.054, 0.044 and 0.041 μg/kg, and for the liver: 0.473, 0.231 and 0.185 μg/kg. Summing up all the results, a partial protective effect of the detoxification preparation, added to food in the amount of 1kg/t, can be seen.

Keywords: T-2 toxin, bloiler, MDA, mycotoxuns

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Authors: Mohammad Tahir Yousafzai, Nighat Nisar, Rehana Khalil

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The aim of this study is to assess the practices of sharp injuries and factors leading to it among medical practitioners in slum areas of Karachi, Pakistan. A cross sectional study was conducted in slum areas of Landhi Town Karachi. All medical practitioners (317) running the private clinics in the areas were asked to participate in the study. Data was collected on self administered pre-tested structured questionnaires. The frequency with percentage and 95% confidence interval was calculated for at least one sharp injury (SI) in the last one year. The factors leading to sharp injuries were assessed using multiple logistic regressions. About 80% of private medical practitioners consented to participate. Among these 87% were males and 13% were female. The mean age was 38±11 years and mean work experience was 12±9 years. The frequency of at least one sharp injury in the last one year was 27%(95% CI: 22.2-32). Almost 47% of Sharp Injuries were caused by needle recapping, less work experience, less than 14 years of schooling, more than 20 patients per day, administering more than 30 injections per day, reuse of syringes and needle recapping after use were significantly associated with sharp injuries. Injection practices were found inadequate among private medical practitioners in slum areas of Karachi, and the frequency of Sharp Injuries was found high in these areas. There is a risk of occupational transmission of blood borne infections among medical practitioners warranting an urgent need for launching awareness and training on standard precautions for private medical practitioners in the slum areas of Karachi.

Keywords: injection practices, private practitioners, sharp injuries, blood borne infections

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Authors: Isaac Gbadura Adanlawo, Olusola Olalekan Elekofehinti

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This work investigated the antihyperglycemic, antioxidant and antihyperlipidemic effects of saponins from the fruit of Solanum anguivi, a plant generally used in folk medicine to treat diabetes and hypertension and to compare its effect with metformin in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced in albino rats by administration of STZ (65 mg/kg) intraperitoneally. Saponin (40 and 100 mg/kg) was administered by oral gavage once daily for 21 days. Metformin (200 mg/kg b.w.) was administered as the positive control. The effect of saponin on blood glucose, serum lipids and enzymatic antioxidants defense systems, like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), as well as MDA levels in serum, liver and pancreas were studied. Saponins from S. anguivi fruits reduced the blood glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in STZ-diabetic rats. They also significantly abolished the increase in MDA level in serum, liver and pancreas of diabetic rats. The activities of SOD and CAT in serum, liver and pancreas were significantly increased as well as concentration of HDL in the serum. Metformin had the same effect as saponin but saponins seems to be more potent in reducing serum TC, TG, LDL, and MDA, and increasing SOD and CAT. Conclusions: These results suggest that saponins from S. anguivi fruits have anti-diabetic and antihypercholesterolemic, antihypertriglyceridemic antiperoxidative activities mediated through their antioxidant properties. Also, saponins appeared to have more hypolipidemic, antiperoxidative and antioxidant activity than metformin.

Keywords: saponin, diabetes, metformin, streptozotocin, Solanum anguivi

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Authors: Christine F. Boos, Fernando M. Azevedo

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Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a record of the electrical activity of the brain that has many applications, such as monitoring alertness, coma and brain death; locating damaged areas of the brain after head injury, stroke and tumor; monitoring anesthesia depth; researching physiology and sleep disorders; researching epilepsy and localizing the seizure focus. Epilepsy is a chronic condition, or a group of diseases of high prevalence, still poorly explained by science and whose diagnosis is still predominantly clinical. The EEG recording is considered an important test for epilepsy investigation and its visual analysis is very often applied for clinical confirmation of epilepsy diagnosis. Moreover, this EEG analysis can also be used to help define the types of epileptic syndrome, determine epileptiform zone, assist in the planning of drug treatment and provide additional information about the feasibility of surgical intervention. In the context of diagnosis confirmation the analysis is made using long term EEG recordings with at least 24 hours long and acquired by a minimum of 24 electrodes in which the neurophysiologists perform a thorough visual evaluation of EEG screens in search of specific electrographic patterns called epileptiform discharges. Considering that the EEG screens usually display 10 seconds of the recording, the neurophysiologist has to evaluate 360 screens per hour of EEG or a minimum of 8,640 screens per long term EEG recording. Analyzing thousands of EEG screens in search patterns that have a maximum duration of 200 ms is a very time consuming, complex and exhaustive task. Because of this, over the years several studies have proposed automated methodologies that could facilitate the neurophysiologists’ task of identifying epileptiform discharges and a large number of methodologies used neural networks for the pattern classification. One of the differences between all of these methodologies is the type of input stimuli presented to the networks, i.e., how the EEG signal is introduced in the network. Five types of input stimuli have been commonly found in literature: raw EEG signal, morphological descriptors (i.e. parameters related to the signal’s morphology), Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) spectrum, Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT) spectrograms and Wavelet Transform features. This study evaluates the application of these five types of input stimuli and compares the classification results of neural networks that were implemented using each of these inputs. The performance of using raw signal varied between 43 and 84% efficiency. The results of FFT spectrum and STFT spectrograms were quite similar with average efficiency being 73 and 77%, respectively. The efficiency of Wavelet Transform features varied between 57 and 81% while the descriptors presented efficiency values between 62 and 93%. After simulations we could observe that the best results were achieved when either morphological descriptors or Wavelet features were used as input stimuli.

Keywords: Artificial neural network, electroencephalogram signal, pattern recognition, signal processing

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Authors: Wafa Al Jabri

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Background: In Middle Eastern Islamic Countries (MEICs), there is a high prevalence of genetic blood disorders (GBDs), particularly sickle cell disease and thalassemia. The GBDs are considered a major public health concern, especially with the increase in affected populations along with the associated psychological, social, and financial cost of management. Despite the availability of premarital screening services (PSS) that aim to identify the asymptomatic carriers of GBDs and provide genetic counseling to couples in order toreduce the prevalence of these diseases; yet, the success rate of PSS is very low due to religious and socio-cultural concerns. Purpose: This paper aims to highlight the factors that affect the success of PSS in MEICs. Methods: A literature review of articles located in CINAHL, PubMed, SCOPUS, and MedLinewas carried out using the following terms: “premarital screening,” “success,” “effectiveness,” and “ genetic blood disorders.” Second, a hand search of the reference lists and Google searches were conducted to find studies that did not exist in the primary database searches. Only studies which are conducted in MEICs countries and published in the last five years were included. Studies that were not published in English were excluded. Results: Fourteen articles were included in the review. The results showed that PSS in most of the MEICs was successful in achieving its objective of identifying high-risk marriages; however, the service failed to meetitsultimate goal of reducing the prevalence of GBDs. Various factors seem to hinder the success of PSS, including poor public awareness, late timing of the screening, culture and social stigma, religious beliefs, availability of prenatal diagnosis and therapeutic abortion, emotional factors, and availability of genetic counseling services. However, poor public awareness, late timing of the screening, and unavailability of adequate counseling services were the most common barriers identified. Conclusion: Overcoming the identified barriers by providing effective health education programs, offering the screening test to young adults at an earlier stage, and tailoring the genetic counseling would be crucial steps to provide a framework for an effective PSS in MEICs.

Keywords: premarital screening, success, effectiveness, and genetic blood disorders

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Authors: Karen Boaz, C. R. Charan

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Background: The infiltration of tumour stroma by eosinophils, Tumor-Associated Tissue Eosinophilia (TATE), is known to modulate the progression of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC). Eosinophils have direct tumoricidal activity by release of cytotoxic proteins and indirectly they enhance permeability into tumor cells enabling penetration of tumoricidal cytokines. Also, eosinophils may promote tumor angiogenesis by production of several angiogenic factors. Identification of eosinophils in the inflammatory stroma has been proven to be an important prognosticator in cancers of mouth, oesophagus, larynx, pharynx, breast, lung, and intestine. Therefore, the study aimed to correlate TATE with clinical and histopathological variables, and blood eosinophil count to assess the role of TATE as a prognosticator in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC). Methods: Seventy two biopsy-proven cases of OSCC formed the study cohort. Blood eosinophil counts and TNM stage were obtained from the medical records. Tissue sections (5µm thick) were stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin. The eosinophils were quantified at invasive tumour front (ITF) in 10HPF (40x magnification) with an ocular grid. Bryne’s grading of ITF was also performed. A subset of thirty cases was also assessed for association of TATE with recurrence, involvement of lymph nodes and surgical margins. Results: 1) No statistically significant correlation was found between TATE and TNM stage, blood eosinophil counts and most parameters of Bryne’s grading system. 2) Statistically significant relation of intense degree of TATE was associated with the absence of distant metastasis, increased lympho-plasmacytic response and increased survival (diseasefree and overall) of OSCC patients. 3) In the subset of 30 cases, tissue eosinophil counts were higher in cases with lymph node involvement, decreased survival, without margin involvement and in cases that did not recur. Conclusion: While the role of eosinophils in mediating immune responses seems ambiguous as eosinophils support cell-mediated tumour immunity in early stages while inhibiting the same in advanced stages, TATE may be used as a surrogate marker for determination of prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Keywords: tumour-associated tissue eosinophilia, oral squamous cell carcinoma, prognosticator, tumoral immunity

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