Meta-Cognitive Strategies and Nursing Students’ Achievement

In the information era in which there is an increasing and rapid information change, education system needs to enable students to solve the problems of real world with their acquired skills. Metacognition is essential for successful learning and students can learn and use it to improve their performance. This paper was an attempt to investigate the reliability of meta-cognitive awareness inventory that is generated by Schraw and Dennison (1994) and its correlation with nursing students’ achievement in Iran. The design adopted for this study was a descriptive correlation design. To this end, 40 female university students majoring in nursing were selected as the sample. Pediatric nursing performance was measured using a test which included higher and lower order questions. The results indicated that (a) the questionnaire has acceptable internal consistency, with a Cronbach alpha coefficient of .74, (b) there was a strong, positive correlation between the two variables, r = .729, n = 40,

Hypolipidemic activity of an aqueous extract of Morinda citrifolia fruit in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

This study was undertaken to investigate the hypolipidemic activity of Morinda citrifolia fruit extract. Aqueous extract of M. citrifolia in concentrations ranging from 0.25 g/kg (low dose), 0.50 g/kg (medium dose) and 1.00 g/kg (high dose) were orally administered on streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats for 6 weeks. The hypolipidemic effect of M. citrifolia extract in rats was determined by measuring the total lipid, total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in blood (plasma) and liver tissue. The administration of medium dose of M. citrifolia extract had significantly (p <0.05) reduced the cholesterol content in blood and liver of normal rats as compared to the normal control rats. For the diabetic rats, the administration of medium and high doses of M. citrifolia extracts successfully reduced the plasma triglyceride level significantly (p <0.05) as compared to diabetic control rats. The concentration of triglyceride and total lipid in the liver were also decreased significantly (p <0.05) in the diabetic rats which had received high dose of M. citrifolia extract as compared to control rats. Results showed that M. citrifolia exhibits the potential in lowering the concentration of certain lipid components in blood and tissue of experimental rats

Hypoglycemic activity of Morinda citrifolia extract in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

The hypoglycemic activity of Morinda citrifolia extract was tested through an acute and subchronic study. In the acute study, a single dose of M. citrifolia extract (0.25 g/kg) was orally administered to normal and diabetic rats for an oral glucose tolerance test. In the subchronic study, an aqueous extract of M. citrifolia in concentrations of 0.25 g/kg (low dose), 0.50 g/kg (medium dose) and 1.0 g/kg (high dose) of body weight were orally administered to normal and diabetic rats for 6 weeks. Glibenclamide, a reference drug was also orally administered to the diabetic rats at a dosage of 5 mg/kg for both studies. In the acute hypoglycemic study, the blood glucose level in normal and diabetic rats did not change significantly as compared to their relative controls. A similar result was also observed in the glibenclamide-treated rats. In the subchronic study, blood glucose levels were reduced significantly (p <0.05) in normal and diabetic rats at medium (0.5 g/kg) and high (1.0 g/kg) dose of M. citrifolia extracts as compared to the controls. Supplementation of glibenclamide also reduced the glucose level significantly (p <0.05) in diabetic rats

Dietary risk factors for colorectal adenomatous polyps: a mini review

At least 6 million deaths occurred worldwide are due to cancer and this figure is expected to rise to 15 millions by the year 2020. Colorectal cancer is among the most commonly occurring cancers both globally and in Malaysia. Numerous studies have shown significant relationships between various dietary components and the risks for colorectal cancer. Meanwhile, several theories have been suggested as etiological explanations, one of which is the influence of dietary factors on the cell proliferation rate. A higher cell proliferation rate is statistically associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer. However, evidence of a significant relationship between diet and colorectal adenomas, a potential precursor for colorectal cancer, remains insufficient. Colorectal adenomas or polyps are vital in their relationship with colorectal cancers as almost 70% of all colorectal cancers are developed from these polyps. Studying the modifiable risk factors related to polyps will provide an opportunity for the prevention of colorectal cancer even before it develops. This paper reviews the available evidence linking dietary factors with the risk for colorectal adenomas. As the numbers of published studies are limited, of which most are concentrated in Western countries, there is a need for epidemiological studies in Malaysia to strengthen the evidence of a relationship between diet and colorectal adenomas

Meta-cognitive strategies and nursing students' achievement

In the information era in which there is an increasing and rapid information change, education system needs to enable students to solve the problems of real world with their acquired skills. Meta-cognition is essential for successful learning and students can learn and use it to improve their performance. This paper was an attempt to investigate the reliability of meta-cognitive awareness inventory that is generated by Schraw and Dennison (1994) and its correlation with nursing students’ achievement in Iran. The design adopted for this study was a descriptive correlation design. To this end, 40 female university students majoring in nursing were selected as the sample. Pediatric nursing performance was measured using a test which included higher and lower order questions. The results indicated that (a) the questionnaire has acceptable internal consistency, with a Cronbach alpha coefficient of .74, (b) there was a strong, positive correlation between the two variables, r = .729, n = 40, p<0.01, with high levels of meta-cognitive awareness associated with higher levels of performance in course of pediatric nursing. In conclusion, meta-cognitive strategies may have impact on nursing performance among university students

Tips on housemanship you wish you knew before

Understanding what it feels like to go through the hard, challenging life as a young house officer equipped with knowledge but with zero experience, we strive to come up with the best tips and important highlights to ensure your journey through housemanship is less painful. Chapters covers all the major postings as well as providing useful insights into radiology, anaesthesiology and pathology-related matters. We have also incorporated a chapter on how to cope with housemanship. Knowing how stressful it can be - fear of the unknown, unexpected, unfamiliar working conditions in the hospital may be detrimental to those who do not posses good survival skills. This book is specially dedicated to our students who are just about to venture out into the thrilling and challenging world of housemanship

Hydrogen detection in organic gas mixtures based on analyzing the transient response.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the ability of capillary-attached gas sensor (CGS) in detecting components of gas mixtures, including a volatile organic gas and hydrogen in a wide range of concentrations. Design/methodology/approach – Diverse feature extraction and classification techniques were employed to analyze the response of CGS when applied to different mixtures. Findings – It was observed that the response of CGS to the above gas mixtures could be distinguishable. While evaluating the results of the classification technique, it was implied that hydrogen, in the presence of the volatile organic gases, could be detected perfectly by analyzing the response of the CGS. Separating techniques, which yielded a high rate of classification, were used to separate mixtures containing hydrogen and organic gases from other organic gas mixtures without hydrogen. Originality/value – The results presented in this paper prove the ability of CGS in fabricating an olfactory machine for analyzing the components of gas mixtures

Application of a sensor array based on capillary-attached conductive gas sensors for odor identification

An electronic nose based on an array of capillary-attached conductive gas sensors was fabricated. The identification ability of the developed structure was investigated by employing different categories of simple and complex odor databases. Feature data sets were generated from the dynamic and steady state responses of the sensor array to the applied odor databases. Combinations of different feature extraction and classification methods were used to detect target gases. Validation of each technique was evaluated. Achievements of the study proved high classification rates of the fabricated e-nose in odor identification. It was indicated that gas identification is possible by applying the early selected portion of transient responses of the developed sensor array. The ability of the mentioned structure in analyzing gas mixtures was also investigated. The results presented high accuracy in the classification of gas mixtures

Homocysteine and malondialdeyde (MDA) levels associated with the occurrence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in chronic renal failure (CRF) in Malaysia.

Introduction: Atherosclerosis and following cardiovascular disease (CVD) are known as important reasons of the increased morbidity and mortality observed in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). The association of serum malondialdehyde (MDA), homocysteine as well as other cardiovascular risk factors in relation to existence and cause of CVD were investigated. Methods: In these study 66 CRF patients without dialysis and 107 patients receiving dialysis were recruited and further stratified into group with CVD and without CVD as case groups. Those without renal failure and CVD were assigned as control group (n=33). Results: The patients with CRF showed a significant increase in plasma levels of MDA, homocysteine and C-reactive protein (CRP) compared to control. The positive association were observed between homocysteine, creatinine and MDA (all p<0.01) and another positive association were between CRP and age, creatinine and MDA (all p<0.05). Analysis of association risk factors showed that only age, CRP and lipid profile had significant association with CVD events. Conclusion: The results demonstrated elevation in plasma values of MDA, homocysteine and CRP in patients with CRF, with or without CVD. However, these modifications may be lead to atherosclerosis and consequence CVD event. These parameters may be important with respect to the high morbidity and mortality of CVD found in patients with CRF

Acute and subchronic toxicity studies of an aqueous extract of Morinda citrifolia fruit in rats

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the toxicity of an aqueous extract Morinda citrifolia fruit on Sprague-Dawley male rats through acute (LD50) and subchronic studies. In the LD50 test, rats were given three dosages of M. citrifolia extracts (1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 g/kg of body weight). They were observed for any toxic signs, especially death for the first 24 hours and continued up to 14 days. In the subchronic study, effects of M. citrifolia extracts in rats (0.25, 0.50 and 1.0 g/kg of body weight) were determined for 6 weeks by measuring the blood biochemical parameters such as plasma glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, albumin, urea, creatinine and enzymes (aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase and γ glutamyl transferase)