Working memory (WM) is a critical component of many neurocognitive functions. The literature has demonstrated consistently that WM impairment is more frequent and severe among substance-dependent individuals (SDIs) infected with HIV compared with uninfected SDIs; however, the SDIs who participated in these previous studies were primarily male. There are few published data on WM performance among HIV+ women with or without substance use disorders, and essentially no direct comparisons of WM performance between HIV+ men and women, regardless of substance use. We investigated potential sex and serostatus effects on WM among a sample of 360 SDIs (114 with HIV; 66% female) verified abstinent from alcohol and drugs of abuse at testing and generally comparable on substance use and comorbid characteristics. Participants were tested with the n-back task, a well-established WM measure that is sensitive to HIV-associated cognitive impairment. HIV+ men and women performed spatial and verbal versions of the n-back significantly less accurately compared with HIV− participants. Women showed slower response times compared with men on both versions, regardless of HIV serostatus. Individuals dependent on cocaine showed faster RTs compared with non-dependent users, but this effect was not apparent among opioid- or alcohol-dependent groups. Findings on n-back accuracy are consistent with our previous proposal that WM impairment represents a signature deficit among HIV+ SDIs; however, WM impairment appears less common among HIV+ women without a substance use history. The pattern of sex differences in response speed but serostatus effects on response accuracy is comparable to a recent report by our group of sex differences in learning speed but serostatus effects on delayed recall.
Objective As technology continues to improve, it plays an increasingly vital role in the practice of medicine. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of the implementation of virtual reality (VR) in a rheumatology clinic as a platform to administer guided meditation and biofeedback as a means of reducing chronic pain. Methods Twenty participants were recruited from a rheumatology clinic. These participants included adults with physician-diagnosed autoimmune disorders who were on a stable regimen of medication and had a score of at least 5 on the pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for a minimum of 4 days during the prior 30 days. VAS, part of most composite outcome measurements in rheumatology, is an instrument used to assess pain that consists of a straight line with the endpoints ranging from “no pain at all” and “pain as bad as it could be.” Patients were randomized into two groups that differed in the order in which they experienced the two VR modules. One module consisted of a guided meditation (GM) environment, whereas the other module consisted of a respiratory biofeedback (BFD) environment. Data on pain and anxiety levels were gathered before, during, and after the two modules. Results The three most common diagnoses among participants were rheumatoid arthiritis (RA), lupus, and fibromyalgia. There was a significant reduction in VAS scores after BFD and GM (P values = 0.01 and 0.04, respectively). There was a significant reduction in Facial Anxiety Scale after the GM compared with the BFD (P values = 0.02 and 0.08, respectively). Conclusion This novel study demonstrated that VR could be a feasible solution for the management of pain and anxiety in rheumatology patients. Further trials with varying treatment exposures and durations are required to solidify the viability of VR as a treatment option in rheumatology clinics
The quality of software systems may be seriously impacted by specific types of source code anomalies. For example, poor programming practices result in Code Smells (CSs), which are a specific type of source code anomalies. They lead to architectural problems that consequently impact some significant software quality attributes, such as maintainability, portability, and reuse. To reduce the risk of introducing CSs and alleviate their consequences, the knowledge and skills of developers and architects is essential. On the other hand, ontologies, which are an artificial intelligence technique, have been used as a solution to deal with different software engineering challenges. Hence, the aim of this paper is to describe an ontological approach to representing and analyzing code smells. Since ontologies are a formal language based on description logics, this approach may contribute to formally analyzing the information about code smells, for example, to detect inconsistencies or infer new knowledge with the support of a reasoner. In addition, this proposal may support the training of software developers by providing the most relevant information on code smells. This ontology can also be a means of representing the knowledge on CSs from different sources (documents in natural language, relational databases, HTML documents, etc.). Therefore, it could be a valuable knowledge base to support the struggle of software developers and architects either to avoid CSs or to detect and remove them. The ontology was developed following a sound methodology. The well-known tool Protégé was used to manage the ontology and it was validated by using different techniques. An experiment was conducted to demonstrate the applicability of the ontology and evaluate its impact on speeding up the analysis of CSs.
Type 2 Diabetes mellitus contributes to the development or progression of many chronic and age-related pathological processes. One of the major risk factors for morbidity and mortality among patients with diabetes is renal and vascular disease as well as heart disease. Type 2 diabetes mellitus was associated with a significantly increased age of kidney disease with higher urea and creatinine levels. 76 Libyan subjects participated in the study. The subjects were divided into three categories. One group hosts diabetes case (n=40) while the other group serves as a control (n=12) and the other group has no type 2 diabetes mellitus but urea and creatinine levels are elevated (n=36). After oral informed consent of the study participants, 5 ml of venous blood was drawn under sterile conditions for whole blood analysis. Fasting blood sugar was analyzed. Urea and creatinine levels were compared between diabetic and non-diabetic patients. However, a statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 26 where the correlation between parameters was analyzed by an independent samples t-test. In this study, patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus caused a significant increase in urea and creatinine compared to the control group. The study indicated that type 2 diabetes mellitus increases the damage to the kidney function.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
This Experiment was conducted on 120 day old unsexed Ross broiler chicks to study the effect of added methionine to soybean meal as substitute for protein concentrate in the starter ration on some productive traits . The chicks were raised on floor were distributed to three treatments with four replicates each ( 10 birds) . The three experimental starter rations (1-28) day contained 2800 kcal/kg ME and 22% cp . The first supplemented with 5% protein concentrate , while the second and third were with out protein concentrate but supplemented with 0.1 and 0.2% methionine respectively . The Finisher ration (29-49) day contained 3047 kcal/kg ME and 19.19% cp. At 49 day of age 2 birds from each replicate were slaughtered for carcass traits . Statistic analysis of data showed a significant increase (P ≤ 0.05) in body weight , weight gain , feed and protein efficiency ratio for third treatment during (1-28) day , No significant difference in all studied traits during (29-49)day, and the third treatment showed best economic efficiency .
Brain tumors (BTs) are deadly diseases that can strike people of every age, all over the world. Every year, thousands of people die of brain tumors. Brain-related diagnoses require caution, and even the smallest error in diagnosis can have negative repercussions. Medical errors in brain tumor diagnosis are common and frequently result in higher patient mortality rates. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used for tumor evaluation and detection. However, MRI generates large amounts of data, making manual segmentation difficult and laborious work, limiting the use of accurate measurements in clinical practice. As a result, automated and dependable segmentation methods are required. Automatic segmentation and early detection of brain tumors are difficult tasks in computer vision due to their high spatial and structural variability. Therefore, early diagnosis or detection and treatment are critical. Various traditional Machine learning (ML) techniques have been used to detect various types of brain tumors. The main issue with these models is that the features were manually extracted. To address the aforementioned insightful issues, this paper presents a hybrid deep transfer learning (GN-AlexNet) model of BT tri-classification (pituitary, meningioma, and glioma). The proposed model combines GoogleNet architecture with the AlexNet model by removing the five layers of GoogleNet and adding ten layers of the AlexNet model, which extracts features and classifies them automatically. On the same CE-MRI dataset, the proposed model was compared to transfer learning techniques (VGG-16, AlexNet, SqeezNet, ResNet, and MobileNet-V2) and ML/DL. The proposed model outperformed the current methods in terms of accuracy and sensitivity (accuracy of 99.51% and sensitivity of 98.90%).
Background Type 2 diabetes and obesity are serious public health concerns globally and a growing burden in Africa. Both conditions have serious repercussions on health when they co-occur, yet the extent of their co-occurrence in Africa remains unknown. Therefore, this review aimed to identify the prevalence and associated factors of overweight and obesity among persons with type 2 diabetes in Africa. Method A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, African Index Medicus (AIM), and African Journals Online (AJOL) for observational studies that reported the prevalence of overweight and/or obesity among type 2 diabetes patients in Africa. The prevalence data from individual studies were aggregated through a random-effects meta-analysis. The I2 statistic was used to evaluate between-studies heterogeneity, while subgroup analysis and mixed-effects meta-regression were performed to identify sources of heterogeneity. We assessed publication bias using funnel plots and Egger’s test. This review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Results Of 1753 records retrieved, 80 articles were eligible for this review, with 74 cross-sectional studies included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of overweight and obesity was 35.6% and 25.6% respectively, while the overall prevalence of both overweight and obesity was 61.4%. Also, the pooled prevalence of both overweight and obesity across the five geographical areas in Africa ranged from 56.9% in East Africa to 88.5% in Southern Africa. Nineteen factors were significantly associated with overweight and obesity among patients with type 2 diabetes. Conclusion The high prevalence of overweight and obesity among patients with type 2 diabetes is a significant public health concern that transcends geographical boundaries within Africa. The findings from this review highlight the need for innovative weight management interventions that are tailored to the cultural context of the African setting
Ascaris lumbricoides infestation is a worldwide common soil-transmitted helminths infection mainly affecting children in the developing and low socioeconomic status countries where the transmission is by contamination of soil by human feces or use of untreated feces as fertilizer [1]. However, it is rare in Qatar, and most cases have been reported among non-Qatari residents who visited their home country while on vacation. In this report, we presented a case of A. lumbricoides infection in a preschool child who arrived in Qatar after a trip to the Gaza strip.
In this paper, an approach for formulation of generalized field data based model for cylinder head moulding operation. The aim of field data based modeling for cylinder head moulding operation is to improve the output by correcting or modifying the inputs. The goal of the research is to reduce human energy input required while performing cylinder head moulding operation. With the reduction in human energy input, automatically, the productivity of the process will also increase. The study identifies important ergonomic and other work environment related parameters which affect productivity. The identified parameters are properties of sand, physical dimensions of tools, energy outflow of workers, anthropometric data of the workers, working conditions like relative humidity, ambient temperature. Out of all the variables, responses and causes are identified. After dimensional analysis relationship between the dependent and independent parameters, a mathematical model is established having a relationship between output parameters and input. To get the optimized values model is optimized using the optimization technique. Sensitivity analysis is a tool which can be used to find out the effect of input one parameter over the other. The model will be useful for an industrialist to select optimized inputs so as to get targeted responses.
The unprecedented global effort to develop and distribute COVID-19 vaccines has highlighted remarkable scientific achievements and persistent inequities in access across populations. Analyzing of regional vaccine deployment patterns reveals critical insights into pandemic response dynamics, shaped by manufacturing capacity, regulatory frameworks, procurement strategies, and regional health priorities. Data from WHO regions (Africa, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, and Western Pacific) demonstrate significant disparities in vaccine types and suppliers, underscoring the complexity of global vaccination efforts. (Figure 1) illustrates this regional vaccine distribution by WHO regions.
Metformin, a widely prescribed biguanide for type 2 diabetes, has emerged as a promising candidate in skin cancer therapy due to its diverse anticancer mechanisms. Beyond its glucoselowering effects, metformin inhibits key oncogenic pathways, including the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathways, activates AMP-activated protein kinase, and disrupts mitochondrial complex I function. These mechanisms are presumed to contribute to metformin's antiproliferative, pro-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory effects, potentially reducing tumor growth and metastasis in melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. Predictive molecular docking studies reveal that metformin interacts with critical proteins in melanoma pathophysiology. Against PI3K/mTOR (PDB: 5OQ4), PTPN2 (PDB: 7UAD), and TRIP13 (PDB: 5VQA), metformin exhibited docking scores of -4.4, -4.6, and -5.6 kcal/mol, respectively, interacting via hydrogen bonding with residues such as ASP-836, ASP-964 (5OQ4), ASP-50 (7UAD), and SER-187, SER-138 (5VQA). Compared to standard inhibitors, PQR309 (-9.4 kcal/mol), ABBV-CLS-484 (-7.5 kcal/mol), and ATP (-10.8 kcal/mol), metformin displayed moderate binding affinity, suggesting potential but weaker inhibition of these targets. Preclinical and clinical studies support metformin's potential to reduce skin cancer risk, particularly in diabetic patients. However, challenges regarding bioavailability, optimal dosing, and patient selection persist, necessitating further investigation. Therefore, given its affordability, safety, and multitargeted action, metformin represents an attractive candidate for repurposing in skin cancer pharmacotherapy. Focusing future research on optimizing its therapeutic application, refining drug combinations, and identifying biomarkers would enhance clinical outcomes.
The prevalence rate of vitamin D deficiency over the last decades has grown up rapidly worldwide among young adults. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore knowledge, attitude and practice of Libyan medical students of Sebha University regarding vitamin D deficiency. Out of a total of 200 questionnaires, 148 completed questionnaires were returned (74.0% response rate). The majority of respondents did not measure their vitamin D levels (62.1%). Participants who indicated they exposing to sunlight for less than 15 min were 47.2% while 74.9% exposing to less than 30 min with highly significant difference in gender (p < 0.001). All the males did not use sunscreen creams compared with females (43.5%). Nearly two-thirds of the participants (61.4%) denied drink milk almost daily with significant differences based on the gender (p < 0.005) while 56.0 % of the participants reported eat fish, 60.8% of the students denied eating fast food and 74.3% eating eggs daily or weekly. However, 49.3% of the students are usually drinking of tea and coffee after meals, and do not usually practice exercise (53.3%), however, disagreed that their food has a low amount of calcium (30.4%). Most of the students agreed with the benefits of vitamin D (72.0%). Based on the assessment of awareness of the participants about vitamin D information, the average of correct answers percentage of the respondents was 47.1%. The most frequent sources of vitamin D information were the internet which accounted for 49.3%, followed by relatives and friends (31.7%). Some of the respondents (58.7%) reported that unawareness is the main cause of vitamin D deficiency. This study highlights the lack of awareness about the importance of vitamin D among medical students. This finding provides the institutions of medical education in Libya with an evidence base for a deficit knowledge regarding young health which could be utilized it to draw a strategy to correct health behaviors of students and community through medical education programs.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Abstract: This study was conducted on two groups of broiler , the first consists of 4 replicates of 10 birds and the second of 10 birds as each bird is a replicate in individual cages. The first group were reared on floor during the entire period ,while the second was reared in cages during the period from 2-7 weeks of age. All birds received the same ration with 2859 Kcal/ kg ME and 22% CP as a starter ration, 2995 Kcal/kg ME and 19.19% CP as a finisher ration. The results showed that cage birds had a significantly (P≤0.01) higher body weight , total and daily weight gain at all ages , significantly(P≤0.01) higher total and daily feed and protein consumption , at 2- 4 , 0-4 weeks , feed and protein conversion ratio at 4- 7, 0- 7 weeks. Also cage birds showed a significantly better growth rate at 2- 4 , 0- 7 weeks and less dressing percentage, higher wing percentage while other carcass parts did not differ significantly. The cage birds showed better economic efficiency by 27% comparing to floor birds.
Writing is a complex skill and is difficult for students to master well. This study aims to determine the effect of the application of Think Talk Write learning models with poster media on the writing skills of persuasion essay from fifth grade elementary school students. This type of research is a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test post-test control group. The sample in this study was VA and V class students of SDN Rambigundam 01 Jember. Collecting data in this study using interviews, tests, and documentation. The data analysis technique of student learning outcomes uses t-test. Based on the results of the t-test on the learning outcomes of students' persuasive essay writing skills, it is known that the value of tcount> ttable, (2.208> 2.0180), so it can be concluded that the hypothesis is accepted that the Think Talk Write learning model through poster media influences the writing skills of persuasion writing in the fifth grade students of SDN Rambigundam Jember 1. The results of the pretest and posttest activities also showed that the increase in the value of writing skills written by students in the experimental class was higher than the increase experienced by the control class. Difference in the increase in the average value experienced by the experimental class and control class by 3,7. Menulis merupakan salah satu keterampilan yang kompleks dan sulit dikuasai siswa dengan baik. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh penerapan model pembelajaran Think Talk Writedengan media poster terhadap keterampilan menulis karangan persuasi siswa kelas V SD. Jenis penelitian ini merupakan eksperimen semu dengan desainpre-test post-test control group. Sampel dalam penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas VA dan V B SDN Rambigundam 01 Jember. Pengumpulan data dalam penelitian ini menggunakan metode wawancara, tes, dan dokumentasi. Teknik analisisdata hasil belajar siswa menggunakan uji t-test. Berdasarkan hasil uji-t terhadap hasil belajar keterampilan menulis karangan persuasif siswa, diketahui bahwa nilai thitung>ttabel, (2,208>2,0180), sehingga dapat disimpulkan bahwa hipotesis diterima yaitu model pembelajaran Think Talk Write melalui media poster berpengaruh terhadap keterampilan menulis karangan persuasi pada siswa kelas V SDN Rambigundam 01 Jember. Hasil kegiatan pretest dan posttest juga menunjukan bahwa peningkatan nilai keterampilan menulis karangan siswa di kelas eksperimen lebih tinggi dari pada peningkatan yang dialami kelas kontrol. Selisih peningkatan rata-rata nilai yang dialami kelas eksperimen dan kelas kontrol sebesar 3,7.
Cardiovascular disorders are known as one of the leading health problems which are associated with mortality worldwide. Myocardial ischemia (MI) is the improper blood supply to the myocardium, which leads to severe complications to life-threatening problems like AMI, atherosclerosis, hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, as well as diabetic-associated complications such as diabetic atherosclerosis/cardiomyopathy/hypertension. Despite several efforts, the current therapeutic platforms are unrelated to significant results. Hence, it seems that developing novel therapies is required. Increasing evidence indicates that curcumin (CRC) acts as a cardioprotective agent. Given that CRC and its analogues exert their cardioprotective effects via affecting various cardiovascular disease-related mechanisms (i.e., Inflammation and oxidative stress). Herein, we have highlighted the protective impacts of CRC against MI for the first time. This review might be a stepping stone for further investigation into the clinical implications of the CRC against MI. Furthermore, it highlights a legitimate concern for the scientific community, seeking novel techniques and characteristic dynamic biopharmaceuticals against myocardial ischemia.
The incorporation of lomustine, a hydrophobic anticancer drug into PLGA nanoparticles by interfacial deposition method was optimized. Based on the optimal parameters, it was found that lomustine-PLGA nanoparticles with acceptable properties could be obtained. Optimization of formulation variables to control the size and drug entrapment efficiency of the prepared nanoparticles seems to be based on the same scientific principles as drug-loaded nanoparticles prepared by nanoprecipitation, solvent evaporation method. The process was the most important factor to control the particle size, while both the drug-polymer interaction and the partition of drug in organic and aqueous phases were the crucial factors to govern the drug entrapment efficiency. PLGA concentration at lower level (100 mg), 1:5 organic phase: aqueous ratio, 1%w/v PVA concentration, 3%w/v pluronic F68 achieved smaller particle size. Additionally, L:G ratio of PLGA 75:25, lower volume of organic solvent (1:10 organic phase: aqueous phase), higher initial drug content (10mg) enhanced the drug entrapment efficiency and maintained lomustine concentration in blood for an extended time period, elevated lomustine concentration in lungs and slowed the elimination of lomustine. The biodistribution profiles of prepared nanoparticles in albino mice showed higher plasma drug concentration for longer period of time, elevated drug concentration in lungs and slow elimination from kidney. No toxic effects of prepared nanoparticles were observed in histopathological examination of lungs and kidney. The systematic investigation reported here promises the development of PLGA nanoparticles loaded with lomustine when tested in Lung Cancer cell line L132 and toxicological/ histopathological studies in albino mice.
Abstract This paper evaluates the Ethiopian VAT tax type based on ten good tax principles that are: Equity and Fairness, Certainty, Convenience of payment, Economy in collection, Simplicity, Neutrality, Economic Growth & Efficiency, Transparency & Visibility, Minimum tax Gap, Appropriate Government revenue. The findings of this evaluation revealed VAT which six principles are under positive effect in Ethiopia meets of six Conon of the good tax system. Those are: Certainty for taxpayers, Convenience at the time of payment, neutrality, economic growth and efficiency, transparency and visibility, appropriate government revenue. Finally, the author suggests recommendation that could be used by the government in general and tax authorities in particularly in the preparation of future tax proposal reform and issuance of any directive, proclamation, rule, and procedure which is going to implemented need to encapsulate this Canon as Guiding route to improve service delivery and alleviating problem emanated from shortcoming from the administration.
A zoonotic disease is an infectious disease caused by pathogens such as bacteria, virus, rickettsia, fungi, parasite or prion that has been transmitted from an animal, especially a vertebrate to human beings. Usually, the first infected human transmits the infectious agent to other humans very rapidly; it is one of the important concerns of zoonoses. The World Health Organization (WHO) currently list the Emerging infectious diseases (EID) of epidemic issues in their research and development blueprint as COVID-19 (Corona viruses), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Ebola and Marburg viruses (Filovirus), Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever (Nairo virus), Lassa Fever (Lassa virus), Nipah (Henipa virus ), Rift Valley fever (Phlebo virus) and Zika (Flavi virus). Due to the deadly pandemics facing by the globe, it is essential to understand the way of transmission of emerging viruses, its mode of infection and important measures to eliminate or control them from the world is essential. However, mankind overcomes so many deadly viruses with the help of scientific knowledge, through vaccination, new therapies, drugs etc. Nowadays, viral zoonoses like rabies (Lyssa virus) are 100% preventable through vaccination and medication even though, humans face lots of new threats especially emerging zoonosis diseases like Covid19. This review summarized the major zoonotic viruses affecting human beings, their source, pathogenicity and its important ways to overcome the transmission of microbes from animal to humankind.
Water contamination has become a global challenge which must be tackled. This study examined the contamination level of water in four locations at Ogbete area Enugu state. Carters street had the highest pH of 5.23 which is below the WHO standards limits for drinking water. The conductivities ranged from the highest conductivity 1445 μs/cm, which is below the WHO limits (8-10,000 μs/cm), TDS (1000 mg/l., TSS (WHO (500 mg/l). For alkalinity, the four locations were all below the (150 mg/l) standard set by World Health Organisation. Results showed that most of the physicochemical, biological and heavy metals parameters considered in this study were significantly above the permissible or allowed by WHO. It is therefore recommended that the water should be treated before use.
International students are the bedrocks of the global higher education market. Thus, worldwide, higher education institutions (HEIs) focus most international marketing efforts on understanding the complexities surrounding this student market. Recent studies on international higher education reveal the choices made by this student cohort and a wide variety of factors influencing such selections. This present study focuses on a student decision that is made under a set of options. Using structural equation modelling (SEM), this study aims to investigate the relationships of economic factor and decision-making process with the choice of international academic destination. Results, conclusions, and recommendations are discussed.
Université Nazi Boni
Central Council For Research In Unani Medicine, Ministry Of Ayush, Government Of India, New Delhi