Search results for: pulmonology and respiratory diseases

Authors: Krzysztof Plesiewicz, Izabela Plesiewicz, Krzysztof Chiżyński, Marzenna Zielińska

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Background: Obesity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. There are several anthropometric parameters proposed to estimate the level of obesity, but until now there is no agreement which one is the best predictor of cardiometabolic risk. Scientists defined metabolically obese normal weight, who suffer from metabolic abnormalities, the same as obese individuals, and defined this syndrome as normal weight obesity (NWO). Aim of the study: The aim of our study was to determine the occurrence of overweight and obesity in a cohort of young, adult women, using standard and complementary methods of obesity assessment and to indicate those, who are at risk of obesity. The second aim of our study was to test additional methods of obesity assessment and proof that body mass index using alone is not sufficient parameter of obesity assessment. Materials and methods: 384 young women, aged 18-32, were enrolled into the study. Standard anthropometric parameters (waist to hips ratio (WTH), waist to height ratio (WTHR)) and two other methods of body fat percentage measurement (BFPM) were used in the study: electrical bioimpendance analysis (BIA) and skinfold measurement test by digital fat body mass clipper (SFM). Results: In the study group 5% and 7% of participants had waist to hips ratio and accordingly waist to height ratio values connected with visceral obesity. According to BMI 14% participants were overweight and obese. Using additional methods of body fat assessment, there were 54% and 43% of obese for BIA and SMF method. In the group of participants with normal BMI and underweight (not overweight, n =340) there were individuals with the level of BFPM above the upper limit, for the BIA 49% (n =164) and for the SFM 36 % (n=125). Statistical analysis revealed strong correlation between BIA and SFM methods. Conclusion: BMI using alone is not a sufficient parameter of obesity assessment. High percentage of young women with normal BMI values seem to be normal weight obese.

Keywords: electrical bioimpedance, normal weight obesity, skin-fold measurement test, women

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Authors: Younus Mohammad, Anita B. Fallah, Ben J. Boyd, Shakila B. Rizwan

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N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) are endogenous lipids, which have neuromodulatory properties. NAEs have shown neuroprotective properties in various neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and ischemic stroke. However, NAEs are eliminated rapidly in vivo by enzymatic hydrolysis. We propose to encapsulate NAEs in liquid crystalline nanoparticles (cubosomes) to increase their biological half-life and explore their therapeutic potential. Recently, we have reported the co-formulation and nanostructural characterization of cubosomes containing the NAE, oleoylethanolamide and a synthetic cubosome forming lipid phytantriol. Here, we report on the formulation of cubosomes with the NAE, linoleoylethanolamide (LEA) as the core cubosome forming lipid. LEA-cubosomes were formulated in the presence of three different steric stabilisers: two brain targeting ligands, Tween 80 and Pluronic P188 and a control, Pluronic F127. Size, morphology and internal structure of formulations were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (Cryo–TEM) and small angle X–ray scattering (SAXS), respectively. Chemical stability of LEA in formulations was investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Cytotoxicity of formulations towards human cerebral microvascular endothelial cell line (hCMEC/D3) was also investigated using an MTT (3-[4, 5- dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. All cubosome formulations had mean particle size of less than 250 nm and were uniformly distributed with polydispersity indices less than 0.2. Cubosomes produced had a bicontinuous cubic internal structure with an Im3m space group but different lattice parameters, indicating the different modes of interaction between the stabilisers and LEA. LEA in formulations was found to be chemically stable. At concentrations of up to 20 µg/mL LEA in the presence of all the stabilisers, greater than 80% cell viability was observed.

Keywords: blood-brain barrier, cubosomes, linoleoyl ethanolamide, N-acylethanolamines (NAEs)

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Authors: Alakija Temitope Olufunmilayo, Akinyemi, Yagba Joy

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Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver tissue that can cause whiteness of the eyes (Jaundice), lack of appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pain, diarrhea. Hepatitis is acute if it resolves within 6 months and chronic if it last longer than 6 months. Acute hepatitis can resolve on its own, lead to chronic hepatitis or rarely result in acute liver failure. Chronic hepatitis may lead to scarring of the liver (Cirrhosis), liver failure and liver cancer. Modelling Hepatitis B may become necessary in order to reduce its spread. So, dynamic SIR model can be used. This model consists of a system of three coupled non-linear ordinary differential equation which does not have an explicit formula solution. It is an epidemiological model used to predict the dynamics of infectious disease by categorizing the population into three possible compartments. In this study, a five-compartment dynamic model of Hepatitis B disease was proposed and developed by adding control measure of sensitizing the public called awareness. All the mathematical and statistical formulation of the model, especially the general equilibrium of the model, was derived, including the nonlinear least square estimators. The initial parameters of the model were derived using nonlinear least square embedded in R code. The result study shows that the proportion of Hepatitis B patient in the study population is 1.4 per 1,000,000 populations. The estimated Hepatitis B induced death rate is 0.0108, meaning that 1.08% of the infected individuals die of the disease. The reproduction number of Hepatitis B diseases in Nigeria is 6.0, meaning that one individual can infect more than 6.0 people. The effect of sensitizing the public on the basic reproduction number is significant as the reproduction number is reduced. The study therefore recommends that programme should be designed by government and non-governmental organization to sensitize the entire Nigeria population in order to reduce cases of Hepatitis B disease among the citizens.

Keywords: hepatitis B, modelling, non-linear ordinary differential equation, sihar model, sensitization

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Authors: Enny Suswati, Supangat Supangat

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Background. Ready-to-eat food products are becoming increasingly popular because consumers are increasingly busy, competitive, and changing lifestyles. Examples of ready-to-eat foods include crispy fried chicken. Escherichia coli is one of the most important causes of food-borne diseases and the most frequent antibiotic-resistant pathogen globally. This study assessed the prevalence and antibiotic resistance profile of E. coli from ready-to-eat crispy fried chicken in Jember city, Indonesia. Methodology. This cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2020 to April 2021 by collecting 81crispy fried chicken samples from 27 food stalls in campus area using a simple random sampling method. Isolation and determination of E. coli use were performed by conventional culture method. An antibiotic susceptibility test was conducted using Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method on the Mueller–Hinton agar. Result. Out of 81crispy fried chicken samples, 77 (95.06%) were positive for E. coli. High E. coli drug resistance was observed on ampicillin, amoxicillin (100%) followed by cefixime (98.72%), erythromycin (97.59%), sulfamethoxazole (93.59%), azithromicin (83.33%), cefotaxime (78.28%), choramphenicol (75.64%), and cefixime (74.36%). On the other hand, there was the highest susceptibility for ciprofloxacin (64.10%). The multiple antibiotic resistance indexes of E. coli isolates varied from 0.4 to 1. The predominant antimicrobial resistance profiles of E. coli were CfmCroAmlAmpAzmCtxSxtCE (n=17), CfmCroAmlCipAmpAzmCtxSxtCE (n=16), and CfmAmlAmpAzmCtxSxtCE (n=5), respectively. Multidrug resistance was also found in the isolates' 76/77 (98.70%). Conclusion. The resistance pattern CfmCroAmlAmpAzmCtxSxtCE was the most common among the E. coli isolates, with 17 showing it. The multiple antibiotic index (MAR index) ranged from 0.4 to 1. Hygienic measures should be rigorously implemented and monitoring resistance of E. coli is required to reduce the risks related to the emergence of multi-resistant bacteria

Keywords: antibacterial drug, ready to eat, crispy fried chicken, escherichia coli

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Authors: Gumashta Raghvendra, Gumashta Jyotsna

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Aim and Objective of Study : The use of Horrock’s Apparatus by health care worker requires onsite mathematical calculations for estimation of ‘volume of water’ and ‘amount of bleaching powder’ necessary as per the serial number of first cup showing blue coloration after adding freshly prepared starch-iodide indicator solution. In view of the difficulties of two simultaneous calculations required to be done, the use of Horrock’s Apparatus is not routinely done by health care workers because it is impractical and inconvenient Material and Methods: Arbitrary use of bleaching powder in wells results in hyper-chlorination or hypo-chlorination of well defying the purpose of adequate chlorination or non-usage of well water due to hyper-chlorination. Keeping this in mind two nomograms have been developed, one to assess the volume of well using depth and diameter of well and the other to know the quantity of bleaching powder to b added using the number of the cup of Horrock’s apparatus which shows the colour indication. Result & Conclusion: Out of thus developed two self-speaking interlinked easy charts, first chart will facilitate bypassing requirement of formulae ‘πr2h’ for water volume (ready reckoner table with depth of water shown on ‘X’ axis and ‘diameter of well’ on ‘Y’ axis) and second chart will facilitate bypassing requirement formulae ‘2ab/455’ (where ‘a’ is for ‘serial number of cup’ and ‘b’ is for ‘water volume’, while ready reckoner table showing ‘water volume’ shown on ‘X’ axis and ‘serial number of cup’ on ‘Y’ axis). The use of these two charts will help health care worker to immediately known, by referring the two charts, about the exact requirement of bleaching powder. Thus, developed ready reckoner charts will be easy and convenient to use for ensuring prevention of water-borne diseases occurring due to hypo-chlorination, especially in rural India and other developing countries.

Keywords: apparatus, bleaching, chlorination, Horrock’s, nomogram

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Authors: Arezou Rezazadeh, Nasrin Omidvar, Hassan Eini-Zinab, Mahmoud Ghazi-Tabatabaie, Reza Majdzadeh, Saeid Ghavamzadeh, Sakineh Nouri-Saeidlou

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Dietary pattern analysis method can reflect more information about the nutritional etiology of chronic diseases such as obesity. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between major dietary patterns and anthropometric measures in men and women living in the city of Urmia. In this cross-sectional study, 723 participants (427 women and 296 men), aged 20–64 in Urmia city were selected from all four zones of Urmia city, in the north-west of Iran. Anthropometrics (weight, height, waist and hip circumference) were measured with standard methods. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated by dividing weight (in kilograms) by the square of height (in meter). Dietary intake information was collected by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire in the last year. Dietary patterns were determined using principal component analysis. The relationship between dietary patterns and obesity was analyzed by logistic regression. Three major dietary patterns (DPs) were identified that were named ‘Traditional Higher SES (THS)’, ‘Traditional Low SES (TLS)’ and ‘Transitional’. THS DP was positively and Transitional DP was negatively associated with BMI and waist circumference (W.C), however, after adjusting for confounding variables (age, gender, ethnicity, energy intake, physical activity and SES), the associations were not significant. The TLS was not significantly associated with BMI, but after adjusting for confounders, a significant positive association was detected with W.C and Waist to hip ratio (WHR). Findings showed that both traditional patterns were positively and the western type transitional pattern was reversely associated with anthropometric indices. But this relationship was highly affected by demographic, socioeconomic and energy input and output determinants. The results indicate the inevitable effect of environmental factors on the relationship between dietary patterns and anthropometric indices.

Keywords: anthropometric indices, dietary pattern, Iran, North-west

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Authors: Nazira B. Bekenova, Lydia A. Mukovozova, Andrej M. Grjibovski, Alma Z. Tokayeva, Yerbol M. Smail, Nurlan E. Aukenov

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Erysipelas is an infectious disease with socio-economic significance and prone to prolonged recurrent course (30%). Contribution of genetic factors, in particular the gene polymorphism of cytokines, can be essential in disease etiology and pathogenesis. Interleukin – 17 A are produced by T helpers of 17 type and plays a key role in development of local inflammation process. Local inflammatory process is a dominant in the clinic of erysipelas. Established that the skin and mucosas are primary areas of migration (homing) Th17-cell and their cytokines are stimulate the barrier function of the epithelium. We studied associations between gene polymorphism of IL-17A (C737T) rs 8193036 and IL-17A level in patients with erysipelas Kazakh population. Altogether, 90 cases with erysipelas and 90 healthy controls from an ethnic Kazakh population comprised the sample. Cases were identified at Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital of Semey (Kazakhstan). The IL-17A (rs8193036) polymorphism was analyzed by a real time polymerase chain reaction. Plasma levels of IL-17 A were assessed by immuneenzyme analysis method using ‘Vector-Best’ test-system (Russia). Differences in levels of IL-17 A between CC, TT, CT groups were studied using Kruskal — Wallis test. Pairwise comparisons were performed using Mann-Whitney tests with Bonferroni correction (New significance level was set to 0.025). We found, that in patients with erysipelas with CC genotype the level of IL-17 A was higher (p= 0, 010) compared to the carriers of CT genotype. When compared the level of IL – 17 A between the patients with TT genotype and patients with CC genotype, also between the patients with CT genotype and patients with TT genotype statistically significant differences are not revealed (p = 0.374 and p = 0.043, respectively). Comparisons of IL-17 A plasma levels between the CC and CT genotypes, between the CC and TT genotypes, and between the TT and CT in healthy patients did not reveal significant differences (p = 0, 291). Therefore, we are determined the associations of gene polymorphism of IL-17 A (C737T) with its level in patients erysipelas carriers CC genotype.

Keywords: erysipelas, interleukin – 17 A, Kazakh, polymorphism

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Authors: Titis Indah Adi Rahayu

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Angiogenesis is the process of generating new capillary from pre-existing blood vessels. VEGFA is a major regulator in angiogenesis that binds and activates two tyrosine kinase receptors, VEGFR1 (Flt-1) and VEGFR2 (Flk-1/KDR) which regulate pathological and physiological angiogenesis. Disruption of VEGFA and VEGFR2 regulation lead to many diseases. The study of α-Mangostin (derivate of xanthone) as anti-oxidant and anti inflammation has been explored recently and both of them have relation to vasculature however the effect of α-Mangostin in blood vessel formation in healthy tissue in vivo has not been studied. Zebrafish is a powerful model in studying angiogenesis and shared many advantages that is a viable whole animal model for screening small molecules that affect blood vessel formation. Therefore the aim of this study is to evaluate angiogenic activity of α-Mangostin in healthy tissue in vivo in zebrafish embryo in relation of patterning blood vessel. Blood vessel patterning is highly characteristic in the developing of zebrafish embryo and the subintestinal vessel (SIV) can be stained and visualized microscopically as a primary screen for α-Mangostin that effect angiogenesis. The zebrafish embryos are divided into 2 groups. Group one consists of the zebrafish embryos at 1 dpf for 4 days which are tested to α-Mangostin in several concentration 2 µM, 4 µM, 6 µM, 8 µM and 10 µM whereas in group two the zebrafish larva at 4 dpf are exposed to α-Mangostin 1,75 µM, 2,3 µM, 2,9 µM, 3,8 µM dan 5 µM for 2 days. DMSO is served as a control for each group. The level expression of vegfa and vegfr2 are observed quantitatively using real time q-PCR and patterning of SIV are then analized via alkaline phospatase staining. Result shows that the level expression of vegfa and vegfr2 is repressed quantitatively as shown in real time q-PCR in the group of 1-4 days of α-Mangostin exposure where it is increased in the group of 4-6 days of α-Mangostin exposure. The result is then compared to alkaline phospatase staining of SIV using stereo microscope. It indicates that α-Mangostin does not disturb the patterning of SIV formation in zebrafish.

Keywords: angiogenesis, Danio rerio, α-Mangostin, SIV, vegfa, vegfr2

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Authors: Hasanzade Nazenin, Hasanova Naila

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According to the WHO, osteoporosis is one of the most important health problems in the world and occupies the 4th place in its importance after cardiovascular pathology, oncological diseases and diabetes mellitus. The significance of osteoporosis is determined by its prevalence among the population, the severity of the course, the cause of death, disability, reduced quality of life, high economic costs for prevention and treatment. Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease characterized by a decrease in bone mass and a violation of the structure of bone tissue, leading to an increase in bone fragility and the risk of fractures. Osteoporosis is manifested by low-traumatic fractures. Due to the complexity of the recovery process, the treatment of osteoporotic fractures is one of the important problems of modern traumatology. Diagnostic markers are needed to monitor the recovery period. Human cartilage glycoprotein -39, which has been studied so far in inflammatory processes in the bones, may allow the development of the correct treatment regimen, reflecting the level of metabolic processes in the bone tissue. The study was performed to examine the dynamics of human cartilage glycoprotein-39 (HCgp39) in the blood serum during osteoporosis and fracture healing. The material of the study is formed by the examination results of 68 people aged 38-83. Group I - control group consisted of 14 practically healthy people, group II - 14 patients with osteoporosis, group III - 15 patients with non-osteoporotic fractures, group IV - 25 patients with osteoporotic fractures. In groups, they were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay 3 times during the first month. As a result, in the first month of the recovery period, no significant difference was observed in the HCgp39 dynamics for groups II and IV (p> 0.05). However, there was a significant reduction in group III (p <0.05). As no osteoporotic changes were observed in this patient group, bone healing was rapid and it was possible to monitor the dynamics of HCgp39 changes within 1 month. Patients with osteoporosis and other bone fractures in the process of complete recovery need to study HCgp39 more as a diagnostic indicator.

Keywords: osteoporosis, osteoporotic fractures, human cartilage glycoprotein, HCgp39

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Authors: Ahmad Rasyadan Arshad, A. Rahman A. Jamal, N. Mohamed Ibrahim, Nor Azian Abdul Murad

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Introduction: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex and asymptomatic disease where patients are usually diagnosed at late stage where about 70% of the dopaminergic neurons are lost. Therefore, identification of molecular biomarkers is crucial for early diagnosis of PD. MicroRNA (miRNA) is a short nucleotide non-coding small RNA which regulates the gene expression in post-translational process. The involvement of these miRNAs in neurodegenerative diseases includes maintenance of neuronal development, necrosis, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. Thus, miRNA could be a potential biomarkers for diagnosis of PD. Objective: This study aim to identify the miRNA involved in Late Onset PD (LOPD) and Early Onset PD (EOPD) compared to the controls. Methods: This is a case-control study involved PD patients in the Chancellor Tunku Muhriz Hospital at the UKM Medical Centre. miRNA samples were extracted using miRNeasy serum/plasma kit from Qiagen. The quality of miRNA extracted was determined using Agilent RNA 6000 Nano kit in the Bioanalyzer. miRNA expression was performed using GeneChip miRNA 4.0 chip from Affymetrix. Microarray was performed in EOPD (n= 7), LOPD (n=9) and healthy control (n=11). Expression Console and Transcriptomic Analyses Console were used to analyze the microarray data. Result: miR-129-5p was significantly downregulated in EOPD compared to LOPD with -4.2 fold change (p = <0.050. miR-301a-3p was upregulated in EOPD compared to healthy control (fold = 10.3, p = <0.05). In LOPD versus healthy control, miR-486-3p (fold = 15.28, p = <0.05), miR-29c-3p (fold = 12.21, p = <0.05) and miR-301a-3p (fold = 10.01, p =< 0.05) were upregulated. Conclusion: Several miRNA have been identified to be differentially expressed in EOPD compared to LOPD and PD versus control. These miRNAs could serve as the potential biomarkers for early diagnosis of PD. However, these miRNAs need to be validated in a larger sample size.

Keywords: early onset PD, late onset PD, microRNA (miRNA), microarray

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Authors: Dovilė Bačėninaitė, Karina Džermeikaitė, Justinas Kirvela, Ramūnas Antanaitis

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Bacteria are often present in the mouth of cattle. Some of them can cause abscesses. Starting with severe swelling of the mouth, muscle spasm, or locked jaw, it can lead to inability to open its mouth, move the neck, cause pain while eating. While the calf is unable to eat properly, it becomes more susceptible to infectious diseases, lower weight gain can be observed. Abscesses can be considered as a continuum of oral disease, whereby early stages of the lumpy jaw could proceed from gingivitis to periodontal disease. In the event of tissue damage, bacteria can enter the bloodstream, even cause sepsis. The most common lesions occur when animals eat sharp grass, coarse fodder, sharp, piercing foreign bodies (this is especially common for calves when they are trying to eat inedible objects). A crossbred Holstein calf presented with a history of proliferative outgrowth in the mandibular region. On clinical examination, needle aspiration, mandibular swelling revealed sticky, white curd-like fluid containing. Pus bacteriology revealed gram-negative cocci. They were sensitive to amoxicillin, cephalexin, enrofloxacin, ceftiofur. Blood morphology was in physiological ranges. The calf was treated surgically. The growth was excised, the puss drained and the wound was flushed with potassium permanganate solution (0,01%). A week after clinical surgery examination was performed. The swelling was decreased. Superficial bacterial infections are often associated with poor hygiene, which should be improved before treatment is commenced. Clipping away dirty hair and gently washing affected areas of skin daily with solutions such as povidone-iodine, potassium permanganate is effective. Appropriate antibiotic therapy, based on sensitivity testing, may be used where there is evidence of systemic illness.

Keywords: calf, abscess, lumpy jaw, pus, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Actinobacillus, infection

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Authors: ZhenlinJu, Christopher P. Vellano, RehanAkbani, Yiling Lu, Gordon B. Mills

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The epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process by which epithelial cells acquire mesenchymal characteristics, such as profound disruption of cell-cell junctions, loss of apical-basolateral polarity, and extensive reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton to induce cell motility and invasion. A hallmark of EMT is its capacity to promote metastasis, which is due in part to activation of several transcription factors and subsequent downregulation of E-cadherin. Unfortunately, current approaches have yet to uncover robust protein marker sets that can classify tumors as possessing strong EMT signatures. In this study, we utilize reverse phase protein array (RPPA) data and consensus clustering methods to successfully classify a subset of cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC) tumors into an EMT protein signaling group (EMT group). The overall survival (OS) of patients in the EMT group is significantly worse than those in the other Hormone and PI3K/AKT signaling groups. In addition to a shrinkage and selection method for linear regression (LASSO), we applied training/test set and Monte Carlo resampling approaches to identify a set of protein markers that predicts the EMT status of CESC tumors. We fit a logistic model to these protein markers and developed a classifier, which was fixed in the training set and validated in the testing set. The classifier robustly predicted the EMT status of the testing set with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.975 by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. This method not only identifies a core set of proteins underlying an EMT signature in cervical cancer patients, but also provides a tool to examine protein predictors that drive molecular subtypes in other diseases.

Keywords: consensus clustering, TCGA CESC, Silhouette, Monte Carlo LASSO

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Authors: Pei-Shan Liang

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Objective: This article explores the care experience of a terminal lung cancer patient who developed lower limb paralysis after surgery for aortic dissection. The patient, diagnosed with aortic dissection during chemotherapy for lung cancer, faced post-surgical lower limb paralysis, leading to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness as they approached death with reduced mobility. Methods: The nursing period was from July 19 to July 27, during which the author, alongside the intensive care team and palliative care specialists, conducted a comprehensive assessment through observation, direct care, conversations, physical assessments, and medical record review. Gordon's eleven functional health patterns were used for a holistic evaluation, identifying four nursing health issues: "pain related to terminal lung cancer and invasive procedures," "decreased cardiac tissue perfusion due to hemodynamic instability," "impaired physical mobility related to lower limb paralysis," and "hopelessness due to the unpredictable prognosis of terminal lung cancer." Results: The medical team initially focused on symptom relief, administering Morphine 5mg in 0.9% N/S 50ml IVD q6h for pain management and continuing chemotherapy as prescribed. Open communication was employed to address the patient's physical, psychological, and spiritual concerns. Non-pharmacological interventions, including listening, caring, companionship, opioid medication, and distraction techniques like comfortable positioning and warm foot baths, were used to alleviate pain, reducing the pain score to 3 on the numeric rating scale and easing respiratory discomfort. The palliative care team was also involved, guiding the patient and family through the "Four Paths of Life," helping the patient achieve a good end-of-life experience and the family to experience a peaceful life. This process also served to promote the concept of palliative care, enabling more patients and families to receive high-quality and dignified care. The patient was encouraged to express inner anxiety through drawing or writing, which helped reduce the hopelessness caused by psychological distress and uncertainty about the disease's prognosis, as assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, reaching a level of mild anxiety but acceptable without affecting sleep. Conclusion: What left a deep impression during the care process was the need for intensive care providers to consider the patient's psychological state, not just their physical condition, when the patient's situation changes. Family support and involvement often provide the greatest solace for the patient, emphasizing the importance of comfort and dignity. This includes oral care to maintain cleanliness and comfort, frequent repositioning to alleviate pressure and discomfort, and timely removal of invasive devices and unnecessary medications to avoid unnecessary suffering. The nursing process should also address the patient's psychological needs, offering comfort and support to ensure that they can face the end of life with peace and dignity.

Keywords: intensive care, lung cancer, aortic dissection, lower limb paralysis

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Authors: Loyce Nahwera, Joy Wachira, Edwin Kiptolo, Constance Nsibambi, Mshilla Maghanga, Timothy Makubuya

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Introduction: Hypertension is one of the most prominent risk factors for cardiovascular diseases globally, and it can be modified through lifestyle interventions such as exercise. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a 12-week aerobic dance programme on systolic blood pressure (SBP) in stage 1 hypertensive individuals. Methods: This study employed an experimental research design. A total of 36 stage 1 hypertensive individuals who were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups completed the study. Systolic BP was measured using a mercury sphygmomanometer at baseline, mid-point and after the program. The experimental group participants trained 3 days a week, 45 minutes per session, at a moderate intensity of 40-60% of maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) monitored by Garmin heart rate monitors. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. The significance level was set at p<0.05. A paired sample t-test was used to compare mean differences within the groups. Results: Data from the 36 participants (22 males and 14 females) (experimental; n=18, control; n=18) show that the experimental group had a mean SBP of 143.83±6.382 mmHg at baseline while the control had a mean of 137.61±6.400 mmHg. Following the end of a 6-week aerobic dance, the mean SBP of the experimental group reduced to 138.06±9.539 mmHg while that of the control marginally decreased to 137.00±8.073 mmHg. At the completion of a 12-week program, the mean SBP of the experimental group reduced to 136.33±9.191 mmHg, while that of the control marginally increased to 139.56±9.954 mmHg. This implies that both the 6-week and 12-week aerobic dance program reduced the SBP of the experimental group by 5.77±7.133 mmHg and 7.50±8.487 mmHg, respectively, while the control group fast reduced marginally by 0.61 before ultimately increasing by 1.95±7.974 mmHg at 12-weeks. The changes were statistically significant (p<0.05) at both 6 and 12 weeks of an aerobic dance program. Conclusion: The study concluded that aerobic dance is an effective non-pharmacological method for managing SBP of stage 1 hypertensive individuals both in the short-term (6 weeks) and long-term (12 weeks).

Keywords: aerobic dance, blood pressure, stage 1 hypertension, systolic blood pressure.

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Authors: Ademola Azeez

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Background: This study is a two year review of requests pattern for Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), in a Nigerian tertiary health care institution. Prostate specific antigen was first described about 44 years ago but is still in use today for, diagnosis, monitoring, screening and prognosis of prostatic carcinoma though not-very specific as was widely believed. Prostate cancer is an increasingly important public health problem among adult men worldwide. Nigeria, which was formerly regarded as a low-incidence area by several authors is now witnessing a steep rise in the occurrence of this disease. This has been suggested to be due to increasing availability of screening tests and diagnostic facilities and not necessarily because of increased incidence of the diseases. Many notable Nigerians have died due to this dreaded disease. Methods: All plasma samples for PSA from January 2021-December 2022 were analyzed weekly by abbot autoanalyser, chemiluminescence assay method. Bio-data from request form were collated and analyzed. A total of 385 requests were received for the period under review. Result: There was an increase of request from inception to the last year of review. Smoked food, consumption of local herb and alcohol in order of importance, respectively, appears to be prominent factor in patient requested for PSA. The mean age was 67.years; the youngest was 29, while the oldest was 93years. Age 70 has the highest frequency of 8.5% .Mean PSA was 12.9ng/ml. There was a positive correlation between age and PSA (R=0.255, P < 0.05).Significant increase in PSA with age were reported. Men who retired from active jobs constitute the highest request for PSA test. Conclusion: There was an increasing trend in the proportion of requests with values outside the reference interval especially in patients diagnosed of benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostate cancer, while some routine test for PSA were elevated for the first time .This is in line with earlier report of increasing incidence of prostate cancer in Nigeria despite the increasing knowledge of healthy lifestyle.

Keywords: pattern, PSA, tertiary institution, Nigeria

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Authors: Neha Bhadauria, Indu Gaur, Shilpi Shilpi, Susmita Goswami, Prabir K. Paul

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The aerial surface of plants colonized by Human Enteric Pathogens ()has been implicated in outbreaks of enteric diseases in humans. Practice of organic farming primarily using animal dung as manure and sewage water for irrigation are the most significant source of enteric pathogens on the surface of leaves, fruits and vegetables. The present work aims to have an insight into the molecular mechanism of interaction of Human Enteric Pathogens or their metabolites with cell wall receptors in plants. Tomato plants grown under aseptic conditions at 12 hours L/D photoperiod, 25±1°C and 75% RH were inoculated individually with S. fonticola and K. pneumonia. The leaves from treated plants were sampled after 24 and 48 hours of incubation. The cell wall and cytoplasmic proteins were extracted and isocratically separated on 1D SDS-PAGE. The sampled leaves were also subjected to formaldehyde treatment prior to isolation of cytoplasmic proteins to study protein-protein interactions induced by Human Enteric Pathogens. Protein bands extracted from the gel were subjected to MALDI-TOF-TOF MS analysis. The foremost interaction of Human Enteric Pathogens on the plant surface was found to be cell wall bound receptors which possibly set ups a wave a critical protein-protein interaction in cytoplasm. The study revealed the expression and suppression of specific cytoplasmic and cell wall-bound proteins, some of them being important components of signaling pathways. The results also demonstrated HEP induced rearrangement of signaling pathways which possibly are crucial for adaptation of these pathogens to plant surface. At the end of the study, it can be concluded that controlling the over-expression or suppression of these specific proteins rearrange the signaling pathway thus reduces the outbreaks of food-borne illness.

Keywords: cytoplasmic protein, cell wall-bound protein, Human Enteric Pathogen (HEP), protein-protein interaction

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Authors: N. R. Prasannakumar, M. N. Maruthi

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The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera; Aleyrodidae) is a highly polyphagous pest reported to infest over 600 plant hosts globally. About 42 genetic groups/cryptic species of B. tabaci exist in the world on different hosts. The species have variable behaviour with respect to feeding, development and transmission of viral diseases. Feeding on diverse host plants affect both whitefly development and the population of the endosymbionts harboured by the insects. Due to changes in the level of endosymbionts, the virus transmission efficiency by the vector also gets affected. We investigated these interactions on five host plants – egg plant, tomato, beans, okra and cotton - using a single whitefly species Asia 1 infected with three different bacteria Portiera, Wolbachia and Arsenophonus. The Asia 1 transmits the Tomato leaf curl Bangalore virus (ToLCBV) effectively and thus was used in the interaction studies. We found a significant impact of hosts on whitefly growth and development; eggplant was most favourable host, while okra and tomato were least favourable. Among the endosymbiotic bacteria, the titre of Wolbachia was significantly affected by feeding of B. tabaci on different host plants whereas Arsenophonus and Portiera were unaffected. When whitefly fed on ToLCBV-infected tomato plants, the Arsenophonus population was significantly increased, indicating its previously confirmed role in ToLCBV transmission. Further, screening of total proteins of B. tabaci Asia 1 genetic group interacting with ToLCBV coat protein was carried out using Y2H system. Some of the proteins found to be interacting with ToLCBV CP were HSPs 70kDa, GroEL, nucleoproteins, vitellogenins, apolipophorins, lachesins, enolase. The reported protein thus would be the potential targets for novel whitefly control strategies such as RNAi or novel insecticide target sites for sustainable whitefly management after confirmation of genuine proteins.

Keywords: cDNA, whitefly, ToLCBV, endosymbionts, Y2H

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Authors: Agata Migdalska, Joanna Berczynska, Ewa Bieniek, Jacek Sterna

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Muscle relaxation is considered important during general anesthesia for spine stabilization. In a presented case peripherally acting muscle relaxant was applied during general anesthesia for spine stabilization surgery. The patient was a dog, 11-years old, 26 kg, male, mix breed. Spine fracture was situated between Th13-L1-L2, probably due to the car accident. Preanesthetic physical examination revealed no sign underlying health issues. The dog was premedicated with midazolam 0.2 mg IM and butorphanol 2.4 mg IM. General anesthesia was induced with propofol IV. After the induction, the dog was intubated with an endotracheal tube and connected to an open-ended rebreathing system and maintained with the use of inhalation anesthesia with isoflurane in oxygen. 0,5 mg/ kg of rocuronium was given IV. Use of muscle relaxant was accompanied by an assessment of the degree of neuromuscular blockade by peripheral nerve stimulator. Electrodes were attached to the skin overlying at the peroneal nerve at the lateral cranial tibia. Four electrical pulses were applied to the nerve over a 2 second period. When satisfying nerve block was detected dog was prepared for the surgery. No further monitoring of the effectiveness of blockade was performed during surgery. Mechanical ventilation was kept during anesthesia. During surgery dog maintain stable, and no anesthesiological complication occur. Intraoperatively surgeon claimed that neuromuscular blockade results in a better approach to the spine and easier muscle manipulation which was helpful in order to see the fracture and replace bone fragments. Finally, euthanasia was performed intraoperatively as a result of vast myelomalacia process of the spinal cord. This prevented examination of the recovering process. Neuromuscular blocking agents act at the neuromuscular junction to provide profound muscle relaxation throughout the body. Muscle blocking agents are neither anesthetic nor analgesic; therefore inappropriately used may cause paralysis in fully conscious and feeling pain patient. They cause paralysis of all skeletal muscles, also diaphragm and intercostal muscles when given in higher doses. Intraoperative management includes maintaining stable physiological conditions, which involves adjusting hemodynamic parameters, ensuring proper ventilation, avoiding variations in temperature, maintain normal blood flow to promote proper oxygen exchange. Neuromuscular blocking agent can cause many side effects like residual paralysis, anaphylactic or anaphylactoid reactions, delayed recovery from anesthesia, histamine release, recurarization. Therefore reverse drug like neostigmine (with glikopyrolat) or edrofonium (with atropine) should be used in case of a life-threatening situation. Another useful drug is sugammadex, although the cost of this drug strongly limits its use. Muscle relaxant improves surgical conditions during spinal surgery, especially in heavily muscled individuals. They are also used to facilitate the replacement of dislocated joints as they improve conditions during fracture reduction. It is important to emphasize that in a patient with muscle weakness neuromuscular blocking agents may result in intraoperative and early postoperative cardiovascular and respiratory complications, as well as prolonged recovery from anesthesia. This should not appear in patients with recent spine fracture or luxation. Therefore it is believed that neuromuscular blockers could be useful during spine stabilization procedures.

Keywords: anesthesia, dog, neuromuscular block, spine surgery

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Authors: Ana Paola Echavarria, Mariuxi Medina, Haydelba D'Armas, Carmita Jaramillo, Diana San Martin

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The use of medicinal plants is one of the oldest and most extended medical therapies that goes back to prehistoric times, and nowadays, they are also used in the preparation of phytopharmaceuticals with options to cure diseases. The test for the determination of fungi was carried out in the Pharmacy Pilot Plant (treatment of the leaves of the plant species) and the Microbiology Laboratory (determination of fungi of the plant species, using growth medium called Sabouraud agar plus the vegetal sample), of the Academic Unit of Chemical Sciences and Health, of the Universidad Tecnica de Machala. Subsequently, colony counting was performed, both macroscopic, which is determined in the growth medium of the seeding, and microscopic, to identify the germinative forms using blue lactophenol. The procedure was repeated in duplicate to replicate the results data. The determination of the total fungal content of the following plant species was evaluated: Cymbopogon citratus (lemon verbena), Melissa officinalis (lemon balm), Taraxacum officinale (dandelion), Artemisia absinthium (absinthe), Piper carpunya (guaviduca), Moringa oleifera (moringa), Coriandrum sativum (coriander), Momordica charantia (achochilla), Borago officinalis (borage), Aloysia citriodora (cedron), Ambrosia artemisifolia (altamisa) and Ageratum conyzoides (mastrante). The results obtained showed that all the samples of the twelve plant species studied developed filamentous fungi, with great variability of them, within the permissible limits and contemplated by the Ecuadorian Institute of Normalization (INEN), being suitable as raw material for its use in the preparation of nutraceuticals and medicinal products or phytodrugs; with the exception of A. conyzoides (mastranto) which is the only species that exceeds the regulation in the average of dilutions.

Keywords: colonies, fungi, medicinal plants, microbiological quality, Sabouraud agar

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Authors: Ka Ho Yau, Jan Frederick Engels, Kwok Kei Lai, Reinhard Renneberg

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Lateral flow test is a prevalent technology in various sectors such as food, pharmacology and biomedical sciences. Colloidal gold (CG) is widely used as the signalling molecule because of the ease of synthesis, bimolecular conjugation and its red colour due to intrinsic SPRE. However, the production of colloidal gold is costly and requires vigorous conditions. The stability of colloidal gold are easily affected by environmental factors such as pH, high salt content etc. Silica nanoparticles are well known for its ease of production and stability over a wide range of solvents. Using reverse micro-emulsion (w/o), silica nanoparticles with different sizes can be produced precisely by controlling the amount of water. By incorporating different water-soluble dyes, a rainbow colour of the silica nanoparticles could be produced. Conjugation with biomolecules such as antibodies can be achieved after surface modification of the silica nanoparticles with organosilane. The optimum amount of the antibodies to be labelled was determined by Bradford Assay. In this work, we have demonstrated the ability of the dye-doped silica nanoparticles as a signalling molecule in lateral flow test, which showed a semi-quantitative measurement of the analyte. The image was further analysed for the LOD=10 ng of the analyte. The working range and the linear range of the test were from 0 to 2.15μg/mL and from 0 to 1.07 μg/mL (R2=0.988) respectively. The performance of the tests was comparable to those using colloidal gold with the advantages of lower cost, enhanced stability and having a wide spectrum of colours. The positives lines can be imaged by naked eye or by using a mobile phone camera for a better quantification. Further research has been carried out in multicolour detection of different biomarkers simultaneously. The preliminary results were promising as there was little cross-reactivity being observed for an optimized system. This approach provides a platform for multicolour detection for a set of biomarkers that enhances the accuracy of diseases diagnostics.

Keywords: colorimetric detection, immunosensor, paper-based biosensor, silica

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Authors: Ahmed Elbeltagy, Francesca Bertolini, Damarius Fleming, Angelica Van Goor, Chris Ashwell, Carl Schmidt, Donald Kugonza, Susan Lamont, Max Rothschild

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The major factor in shaping genomic variation of the African indigenous rural chicken is likely natural selection drives the development genetic footprints in the chicken genomes. To investigate such a hypothesis of a selection footprint, a total of 292 birds were randomly sampled from three indigenous ecotypes from East Africa (Uganda, Rwanda) and North Africa (Egypt) and two registered Egyptian breeds (Fayoumi and Dandarawi), and from the synthetic Kuroiler breed. Samples were genotyped using the Affymetrix 600K Axiom® Array. A total of 526,652 SNPs were utilized in the downstream analysis after quality control measures. The intra-population runs of homozygosity (ROH) that were consensuses in > 50% of individuals of an ecotype or > 75% of a breed were studied. To identify inter-population differentiation due to genetic structure, FST was calculated for North- vs. East- African populations in addition to population-pairwise combinations for overlapping windows (500Kb with an overlap of 250Kb). A total of 28,563 ROH were determined and were classified into three length categories. ROH and Fst detected sweeps were identified on several autosomes. Several genes in these regions are likely to be related to adaptation to local environmental stresses that include high altitude, diseases resistance, poor nutrition, oxidative and heat stresses and were linked to gene ontology terms (GO) related to immune response, oxygen consumption and heme binding, carbohydrate metabolism, oxidation-reduction, and behavior. Results indicated a possible effect of natural selection forces on shaping genomic structure for adaptation to local environmental stresses.

Keywords: African Chicken, runs of homozygosity, FST, selection footprints

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Authors: Anuj Kumar, Kummara M. Rao, Sung S. Han

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Bone tissue engineering has emerged as a potentially alternative method for localized bone defects or diseases, congenital deformation, and surgical reconstruction. The designing and the fabrication of the ideal scaffold is a great challenge, in restoring of the damaged bone tissues via cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation under three-dimensional (3D) biological micro-/nano-environment. In this case, hydrogel system composed of high hydrophilic 3D polymeric-network that is able to mimic some of the functional physical and chemical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and possibly may provide a suitable 3D micro-/nano-environment (i.e., resemblance of native bone tissues). Thus, this proposed hydrogel system is highly permeable and facilitates the transport of the nutrients and metabolites. However, the use of hydrogels in bone tissue engineering is limited because of their low mechanical properties (toughness and stiffness) that continue to posing challenges in designing and fabrication of tough and stiff hydrogels along with improved bioactive properties. For this purpose, in our lab, polyacrylamide-based hybrid hydrogels were synthesized by involving sodium alginate, cellulose nanocrystals and silica-based glass using one-step free-radical polymerization. The results showed good in vitro apatite-forming ability (biomineralization) and improved mechanical properties (under compression in the form of strength and stiffness in both wet and dry conditions), and in vitro osteoblastic (MC3T3-E1 cells) cytocompatibility. For in vitro cytocompatibility assessment, both qualitative (attachment and spreading of cells using FESEM) and quantitative (cell viability and proliferation using MTT assay) analyses were performed. The obtained hybrid hydrogels may potentially be used in bone tissue engineering applications after establishment of in vivo characterization.

Keywords: bone tissue engineering, cellulose nanocrystals, hydrogels, polyacrylamide, sodium alginate

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Authors: Sharique Ahmed, Khushtar Anwar Salman

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Alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) is a major plasma serine protease inhibitor (SERPIN). Hereditary AAT deficiency is one of the common diseases in some part of the world. AAT is mainly produced in the liver and functions to protect the lung against proteolytic damage (e.g., from neutrophil elastase) acting as the major inhibitor for neutrophil elastase. α (1)-Antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is an under recognized genetic condition that affects approximately 1 in 2,000 to 1 in 5,000 individuals and predisposes to liver disease and early-onset emphysema. Not only does α-1-antitrypsin deficiency lead to disabling syndrome of pulmonary emphysema, there are other disorders too which include ANCA (antineutrophilic cytoplasmic antibody) positive Wegener's granulomatosis, diffuse bronchiectasis, necrotizing panniculitis in α-1-antitrypsin phenotype (S), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and steroid dependent asthma. Augmentation therapy with alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) from human plasma has been available for specific treatment of emphysema due to AAT deficiency. Apart from this several observations have also suggested a role for endogenous suppressors of HIV-1, alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) has been identified to be one of those. In view of its varied important role in humans, serum from a mammalian source was chosen for the isolation and purification. Studies were performed on the homogeneous fraction. This study suggests that the buffalo serum α-1-antritrypsin has characteristics close to ovine, dog, horse and more importantly to human α-1-antritrypsin in terms of its hydrodynamic properties such as molecular weight, carbohydrate content, etc. The similarities in the hydrodynamic properties of buffalo serum α-1-antitrypsin with other sources of mammalian α-1-antitrypsin mean that it can be further studied and be a potential source for "augmentation therapy", as well as a source of AAT replacement therapy to raise serum levels above the protective threshold. Other parameters like the amino acid sequence, the effect of denaturants, and the thermolability or thermostability of the inhibitor will be the interesting basis of future studies on buffalo serum alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT).

Keywords: α-1-antitrypsin, augmentation therapy , hydrodynamic properties, serine protease inhibitor

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Authors: Gabriella Zarlenga, Martha L. Hall

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Introduction: Premature infants are at risk for neurodevelopmental deficits and hospital readmissions, which can increase the financial burden on the health care system and families. Kangaroo care (skin-to-skin contact) is a practice that can improve preterm infant health outcomes. Preterm infants can acquire adequate body temperature, heartbeat, and breathing regulation through lying directly on the mother’s abdomen and in between her breasts. Due to some infant’s condition, kangaroo care is not a feasible intervention. The purpose of this proof-of-concept research project is to create a device which simulates skin-to-skin contact for pre-term infants not eligible for kangaroo care, with the aim of promoting baby’s health outcomes, reducing the incidence of serious neonatal and early childhood illnesses, and/or improving cognitive, social and emotional aspects of development. Methods: The study design is a proof-of-concept based on a three-phase approach; (1) observational study and data analysis of the standard of care for 2 groups of pre-term infants, (2) design and concept development of a novel device for pre-term infants not currently eligible for standard kangaroo care, and (3) prototyping, laboratory testing, and evaluation of the novel device in comparison to current assessment parameters of kangaroo care. A single center study will be conducted in an area hospital offering Level III neonatal intensive care. Eligible participants include newborns born premature (28-30 weeks of age) admitted to the NICU. The study design includes 2 groups: a control group receiving standard kangaroo care and an experimental group not eligible for kangaroo care. Based on behavioral analysis of observational video data collected in the NICU, the device will be created to simulate mother’s body using electrical components in a thermoplastic polymer housing covered in silicone. It will be designed with a microprocessor that controls simulated respiration, heartbeat, and body temperature of the 'simulated caregiver' by using a pneumatic lung, vibration sensors (heartbeat), pressure sensors (weight/position), and resistive film to measure temperature. A slight contour of the simulator surface may be integrated to help position the infant correctly. Control and monitoring of the skin-to-skin contact simulator would be performed locally by an integrated touchscreen. The unit would have built-in Wi-Fi connectivity as well as an optional Bluetooth connection in which the respiration and heart rate could be synced with a parent or caregiver. A camera would be integrated, allowing a video stream of the infant in the simulator to be streamed to a monitoring location. Findings: Expected outcomes are stabilization of respiratory and cardiac rates, thermoregulation of those infants not eligible for skin to skin contact with their mothers, and real time mother Bluetooth to the device to mimic the experience in the womb. Results of this study will benefit clinical practice by creating a new standard of care for premature neonates in the NICU that are deprived of skin to skin contact due to various health restrictions.

Keywords: kangaroo care, wearable technology, pre-term infants, medical design

Procedia PDF Downloads 155

Authors: Vikneswaran Murugaiyah, Sultan Ayesh Mohammed Saghir, Kisantini Murugesu, Mohd. Zaini Asmawi, Amirin Sadikun

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Gynura procumbens is a popular medicinal plant used as a folk medicine in Southeast Asia to treat kidney diseases, diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia. The present study aims to investigate the antihyperlipidemic potential of phenolic acids rich fraction (PARF) from G. procumbens in chemically-induced acute and high fat diet-induced chronic hyperlipidemic rats. Ethanolic extract of G. procumbens leaves exhibited significant reductions in total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG) levels (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively) of poloxamer 407-induced rats compared to hyperlipidemic control after 58 h of treatment. Upon bioactivity guided fractionation the antihyperlipidemic activity was found to be concentrated in the PARF, which significantly reduced the TC and TG levels (P < 0.001). HPLC analysis revealed that 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid; 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid and chlorogenic acid are the major compounds in the PARF. Likewise, chlorogenic acid (60 mg/kg) exhibited significant reductions in TC and TG levels of hyperlipidemic rats (P < 0.001). Both chlorogenic acid and PARF significantly reduced LDL, VLDL and atherogenic index (P<0.01), while PARF increased the HDL (P < 0.01) compared to hyperlipidemic control. Both were found to be not cytotoxic against normal and cancer cell lines. In addition, LD50 of orally administered PARF was more than 5,000 mg/kg. Further investigation in high fat diet-induced chronic hyperlipidemic rats revealed that chronic administration of PARF dose-dependently restored the increase in lipids parameters. In summary, the phenolic acids rich fraction of G. procumbens leaves showed promising antihyperlipidemic effect in both chemically- and diet-induced hyperlipidemic rats that warrants further elucidation on its mechanisms of action.

Keywords: Antihyperlipidemic, Gynura procumbens, phenolic acids, chlorogenic acid, poloxamer-407, high fat diet

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Authors: Farhad Fakoursevom

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Heart disease is one of the diseases which is found in abundance today. Various types of surgeries, such as bypasses, angiography, angioplasty, etc., are used to treat patients. People may receive such surgeries, some of which are invasive and some non-invasive, throughout their lives. People might cope with pre-surgery anxiety and stress, which can disrupt their normal life and even reduce the effects of the surgery, so the desired result can not be achieved in surgery. Considering this issue, the present study aimed to do a comparative assessment of people who received sedatives before surgery and people who did not receive sedatives. In terms of the purpose, this is an applied research and descriptive survey in terms of method. The statistical population included patients who underwent surgeries in the specialist heart hospitals of Mashhad, Iran; 60 people were considered as a statistical population, 30 of them received sedatives before surgery, and 30 others had not received sedatives before surgery. Valid and up-to-date articles were systematically used to collect theoretical bases, and a researcher-made questionnaire was used to examine the level of stress and anxiety of people. The questionnaire content validity was assessed by a panel of experts in psychology and medicine. The construct validity was tested using the software. Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability were used for reliability, which shows the appropriate reliability of the questionnaire. SPSS software was used to compare the research results between two groups, and the research findings showed that there is no significant association between the people who received sedatives and those who did not receive sedatives in terms of the amount of stress and anxiety. The longer the time of taking the drugs before the surgery, the more the mental peace of the patients will be. According to the results, it can be said that if we don't need to have an emergency operation and need more time, we have to use sedative drugs with different doses compared to the severity of the surgery, and also in case of a medical emergency such as heart surgery due to a stroke, we have to take advantage of psychological services during and before the operation and sedative drugs so that the patients can control their stress and anxiety and achieve better outcomes.

Keywords: sedative drugs, stress, anxiety, surgery

Procedia PDF Downloads 97

Authors: Sani Ismaila, Shafiu Yau, Abubakar Salisu, Buhari Salisu, Sharifat Balogun, Mustapha Abubakar, Biobaku Khalid, Agaie Bello

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Over the years, Japanese quail egg has been in use in the management of diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the analgesic, anti-inflammatory and gastroprotective effects of raw Quail egg (yolk + albumin) in rats. Pain was assessed in rats by recording the latent period and writing reflex, anti-inflammatory effect was determined using both motility and compression test, while the gastro-protective effects were assessed by observing the histology of the stomach after diclofenac-induced gastric ulcers and subsequent treatment with the quail egg, Rats were randomly assigned into 4 groups; Groups I: were the control non-treated (NT), Group II were treated with Tramadol 50 mg/kg/Os (TMD) or Indomethacin (IND) 5mg/kg/Os (positive control for the writhing reflex determination), while group III and IV were treated with 3 and 6g/kg of raw quail egg respectively). Groups treated with quail egg in both doses showed a significant increase in the latent period (p <0 .05) when compared to the control NT, but lower than the group treated with tramadol at 20mins interval (p<0.05). Writing reflexes decrease in groups II, III, and IV compared to the NT group (p < 0.05). While motility increases significantly (p < 0.05) in groups II, compared to I (p<0.05). Control non-treated rats showed a quicker and extensive response to compression using the Vanier calliper on the inflamed paw compared to groups II-IV (p < 0.05). Histological studies of the stomach revealed sloughing of the epithelia, cellular infiltration with micro abscesses in the non-treated, while groups treated concurrently with quail egg showed proliferation of the glandular epithelia and goblet cells, and those treated 30 minutes before diclofenac administration showed proliferation of glands and thickening of the squamous epithelia. This study showed that quail egg has analgesic, anti-inflammatory and gastro-protective potentials and can be used as adjuvant treatment whenever COX-2 enzymes inhibitors are indicated.

Keywords: analgesia, anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective effect, japanese quail egg

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Authors: Yuzhen Hu, Sirui Wang

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As a training base for intellectual talents, universities have a large number of students. Teaching is a primary activity in universities, and during the teaching process, a large number of people gather both inside and outside the teaching buildings, posing a strong risk of close contact. The class schedule is the fundamental basis for teaching activities in universities and plays a crucial role in the management of teaching order. Different class schedules can lead to varying degrees of indoor gatherings and trajectories of class attendees. In recent years, highly contagious diseases have frequently occurred worldwide, and how to reduce the risk of infection has always been a hot issue related to public safety. "Reducing gatherings" is one of the core measures in epidemic prevention and control, and it can be controlled through scientific scheduling in specific environments. Therefore, the scientific prevention and control goal can be achieved by considering the reduction of the risk of excessive gathering of people during the course schedule arrangement. Firstly, we address the issue of personnel gathering in various pathways on campus, with the goal of minimizing congestion and maximizing teaching effectiveness, establishing a nonlinear mathematical model. Next, we design an improved genetic algorithm, incorporating real-time evacuation operations based on tracking search and multidimensional positive gradient cross-mutation operations, considering the characteristics of outdoor crowd evacuation. Finally, we apply undergraduate course data from a university in Harbin to conduct a case study. It compares and analyzes the effects of algorithm improvement and optimization of gathering situations and explores the impact of path blocking on the degree of gathering of individuals on other pathways.

Keywords: the university timetabling problem, risk prevention, genetic algorithm, risk control

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Authors: Kiran Bala

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Health, education and employment opportunities available for a common citizen reflect the development status of a country. Health of an individual affects the growth of a country in every aspect. According to a study by WHO, India is estimated to lose more than $237 billion of its GDP over the period 2006-15 on account of premature death and morbidity from Non-communicable diseases alone. Each year 37 million people fall below poverty line due to high expenditure on health services they have to incur. Falling sick puts a double burden on them in terms of loss of income and expenditure on health care which pushes them further into debt and poverty. Adding to the gravity of situation, public spending on health in India has itself declined after liberalization from 1.3% of GDP in 1990 to 0.9% in 1999. The Approach Paper of the Government of India to the Twelfth Five Year Plan indicated that health expenditure alone as a per cent of GDP was about 1.4 per cent (B.E.) in 2011-12. It also mentioned that if one included expenditure on rural water supply and sanitation, the figure would be about 1.8 per cent. Given the abysmally low level of priority accorded to health in Indian economic policy, it becomes rather important to study the representation of health in the Indian public sphere. To this end, this study examines the prioritization of health in the public policy agenda of the national/regional political parties as evidenced in their election manifestos at a time when the nation is poised to go for the General Elections. The paper also focuses attention on the prioritization of health in the public perception as evidenced in their reasons for their preferences for a particular party or individual contestant. To arrive at the reasons for the priority level accorded by the political actors and the citizens, the study uses Focus groups of health policy makers, media persons, medical practitioners and voters. Collected data will be analysed in the theoretical framework of spiral of silence and agenda setting theory.

Keywords: health, election manifestos, public perception, policies

Procedia PDF Downloads 353

Authors: Yung Yau

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'Little people' are those who have extremely short stature as they suffer from rare bone diseases. They are commonly known as 'dwarves' or 'people with dwarfism'. Dwarfism is generally regarded as a type of rare disease for its extremely small odds (~1 in 15,000). On account of its rarity, dwarfism, unlike other types of disability, has attracted relatively little attention from the general public and in various academic fields (e.g. architecture, psychology and sociology) except medical science. In view of the extant research gaps, this study aims to investigate the physical barriers facing the little people in the built environment in Hong Kong. Between November 2017 and July 2018, ten little people or their family members participated in in-depth interviews. Responses of the interviewees were transcribed (i.e., speech being converted to text word for word). Interview data were then analyzed using the interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology developed by J. Smith and others in 2009. The findings of the project reveal that although Hong Kong's built environment has been designed barrier-free pursuant to the prevailing building standards, those standards do not cater to the special anthropometric characteristics of little people. As a result, little people face a lot of challenges when using built facilities. For example, most water closets, urinals, and wash hand basins are not fit for little people's use. As indicated by the project findings, we are still far away from providing a discrimination-free and barrier-free living environment for the little people in Hong Kong. To make Hong Kong society more inclusive to the little people, there is a need for further tailored building design. A set of building design principles for better inclusion of the little people in our society are highlighted. These principles include 'the building design should accommodate individuals with different heights' and 'the building design should allow individuals to use comfortably and efficiently with a minimum of fatigue'. At the end of the paper, the author also calls for an agenda for further studies. For instance, we need an anthropometric study on little people for developing practical building design guidelines.

Keywords: dwarfism, little people, inclusive buildings, people with disabilities, social sustainability

Procedia PDF Downloads 128