Comparison of acute physiological effects between alternating current and pulsed current electrical muscle stimulation

Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) is widely used in rehabilitation and sport training, and alternating current and pulsed current EMS are commonly used. However, no systematic comparison between alternating and pulsed current EMS has been made in the previous studies. The main aim of this research was to compare acute physiological responses between the alternating and pulsed current EMS. The secondary purpose of the research was to investigate further muscle damage induced by EMS-evoked isometric contractions. Three experimental studies were conducted in the thesis project together with literature review about EMS

The investigation of using wiki technology to support self-regulated learning in the academic context at Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University, Saudi Arabia

Technology has become a major focal point in the modern learning environment. Web 2.0 is being increasingly widely employed in university education and has the potential to improve the quality of education. For optimum benefit to students’ learning practices, web 2.0 technology needs to actively foster regulation skills among students. Self-regulated learning skills (SRL skills) potentially offer a shift from traditional teacher-centred to learner-centred approaches. Wiki technology, as a form of web 2.0 technology, has the potential in education to foster such an approach to learning. The thesis investigates how a wiki can be utilised to enhance self-regulated learning among a cohort of female students attending higher education in Saudi Arabia.The study was primarily motivated by the lack of studies investigating SRL skill enhancement in wiki–assisted learning in higher education, in Saudi Arabia, where the education system largely relies upon teacher-centred learning. This study, therefore, was an effort to potentially improve SRL skills among students attending Princess Nora University (PNU) in Saudi Arabia, with a view to the results being applicable to teaching and learning in similar contexts. The first two objectives of this study were to explore the potential of a wiki as an enhancer of executive function and evaluation skills and to explore students’ attitude towards using wiki as a learning environment. The third objective was to explore students’ perceptions of wiki learning and its contribution to the enhancement of SRL skills. A single case study was administered before and after use of a purpose-designed wiki for an Education Technology module taken by a cohort of female students at PNU. Quantitative data was collected by a questionnaire triangulated with qualitative data gathered in interviews. The findings revealed that after using wiki, students felt that six of the eight SRL sub-skills listed under executive function and evaluation skills had, on the whole, improved significantly.Students generally reported extremely positive attitudes towards learning with wiki technology. They perceived that the reflective nature and the design of the wiki tasks, together with the pages and guidance given by the tutor, may have supported the development of SRL skills, increased their overall motivation to learn and improved their independent learning processes. Overall, this study sought to discover information on a relatively new area to Saudi higher education and acts as a stepping stone to further research into students’ perceptions of wiki technology and its effect on SRL skill enhancement. There is, of course, an opportunity in the future to measure actual SRL skill levels to corroborate the promising results which may, given the reader’s discretion, be viewed as transferable to similar cultural and study contexts

Knowledge of mothers about use of fissure sealant therapy and professional fluoride therapy among children in Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To evaluate mothers’ knowledge of the use of fissure sealant (FS) and topical fluoride (TF) therapy among children aged between 7 to 12 years in Saudi Arabia. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, participants (n = 350) were selected based on simple random sampling method from the mothers’ of children aged from 7 to 12 years old, attending outpatient pediatric dental clinics in College of Dentistry King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia. Results: The age group of mothers included are as follows: 31.7 % in 20 - 30 years age group, 53.1 % in 31 - 40 years age range, and 15.1 % in 41 - 50 years. On FS therapy benefits in the prevention of caries in children, 22 % responded that it was beneficial. When participants were asked regarding FS wearing out easily after application on the tooth, 8 % agreed while 13.4 % disagreed. A majority of mothers (40.9 %) agreed that TF therapy prevents caries, while 47.7 % stated that they brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste. The mothers that disagreed that fluoride gel is recommended only for children, not for adults were 32.9 %. When the mothers were asked about the benefit of fluoride if its cost is taken into consideration, 46.6 % disagreed that fluoride gel was worth its cost, while 22.3 % took the opposite view. Conclusion: Positive knowledge of FS and TF therapy have been observed among mothers. However, mothers demonstrated greater positive knowledge of TF therapy than FS therapy

Effects of Acute Eccentric Exercise on Appetite-Related Hormones and Food Preferences in Men

Eccentric exercise has been suggested to improve muscle atrophy, muscle function, and insulin sensitivity. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of acute eccentric exercise on appetite-related hormones, food preferences, and food intake. Fourteen moderately active men were recruited to participate in this study (age 24.2 ± 5.5 years; BMI 23.4 ± 3.3 kg/m2; VO2max 48.9 ± 3.1 ml/kg/min). Three different conditions were implemented; no exercise, flat running “inclination 0” and downhill running “inclination –12%.” Appetite-related hormones, subjective appetite sensations, food preference and reward, and ad libitum food intake were measured at pre-, immediately post-, and 24 h post exercise.There were no significant median changes in total ghrelin or pancreatic peptide concentrations between conditions. There were also no median differences in subjective appetite ratings or energy intake between conditions, but the median change in explicit liking of sweet versus savory foods differed significantly between pre-exercise and 24 h post exercise (p = .013). Post-hoc analysis observed a significant difference in the pre-exercise to 24 h post exercise change between front running and downhill running (p = .023), and indicated greater liking of savory foods over sweet foods in downhill running than front running. However, no further differences were seen between conditions for the remaining food preference parameters, suggesting there were no systematic trends in these data. In conclusion, there was no effect of front and downhill running on eating behavior as compared to a nonexercise control condition, but these data need to be replicated in a larger and more heterogeneous sample

Biodistribution and in Vivo Activities of Tumor-Associated Macrophage-Targeting Nanoparticles Incorporated with Doxorubicin

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are increasingly considered a viable target for tumor imaging and therapy. Previously, we reported that innovative surface-functionalization of nanoparticles may help target them to TAMs. In this report, using poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles incorporated with doxorubicin (DOX) (DOX-NPs), we studied the effect of surface-modification of the nanoparticles with mannose and/or acid-sensitive sheddable polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the biodistribution of DOX and the uptake of DOX by TAMs in tumor-bearing mice. We demonstrated that surface-modification of the DOX-NPs with both mannose and acid-sensitive sheddable PEG significantly increased the accumulation of DOX in tumors, enhanced the uptake of the DOX by TAMs, but decreased the distribution of DOX in mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS), such as liver. We also confirmed that the acid-sensitive sheddable PEGylated, mannose-modified DOX-nanoparticles (DOX-AS-M-NPs) targeted TAMs because depletion of TAMs in tumor-bearing mice significantly decreased the accumulation of DOX in tumor tissues. Furthermore, in a B16-F10 tumor-bearing mouse model, we showed that the DOX-AS-M-NPs were significantly more effective than free DOX in controlling tumor growth but had only minimum effect on the macrophage population in mouse liver and spleen. The AS-M-NPs are promising in targeting cytotoxic or macrophage-modulating agents into tumors to improve tumor therapy

Structure-based identification of galectin-1 selective modulators in dietary food polyphenols : a pharmacoinformatics approach

In this study, a set of dietary polyphenols was comprehensively studied for the selective identification of the potential inhibitors/modulators for galectin-1. Galectin-1 is a potent prognostic indicator of tumor progression and a highly regarded therapeutic target for various pathological conditions. This indicator is composed of a highly conserved carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) that accounts for the binding affinity of β-galactosides. Although some small molecules have been identified as galectin-1 inhibitors/modulators, there are limited studies on the identification of novel compounds against this attractive therapeutic target. The extensive computational techniques include potential drug binding site recognition on galectin-1, binding affinity predictions of ~ 500 polyphenols, molecular docking, and dynamic simulations of galectin-1 with selective dietary polyphenol modulators, followed by the estimation of binding free energy for the identification of dietary polyphenol-based galectin-1 modulators. Initially, a deep neural network-based algorithm was utilized for the prediction of the druggable binding site and binding affinity. Thereafter, the intermolecular interactions of the polyphenol compounds with galectin-1 were critically explored through the extra-precision docking technique. Further, the stability of the interaction was evaluated through the conventional atomistic 100 ns dynamic simulation study. The docking analyses indicated the high interaction affinity of different amino acids at the CRD region of galectin-1 with the proposed five polyphenols. Strong and consistent interaction stability was suggested from the simulation trajectories of the selected dietary polyphenol under the dynamic conditions. Also, the conserved residue (His44, Asn46, Arg48, Val59, Asn61, Trp68, Glu71, and Arg73) associations suggest high affinity and selectivity of polyphenols toward galectin-1 protein.The Deanship of Scientific Research at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, through the Research Groups Program Grant No. (RGP-1440–0021).https://link.springer.com/journal/11030hj2023Chemical Patholog

Serous retinal detachment after panretinal photocoagulation for proliferative diabetic retinopathy: a case report

Background: Proliferative diabetic retinopathy is a major cause of visual impairment in working-age adults worldwide. Panretinal photocoagulation is a cornerstone in its management; however, it may include a range of side effects and complications, one of these being serous retinal detachment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the use of intravitreal injection of bevacizumab for serous retinal detachment after panretinal photocoagulation. Case presentation: A 24-year-old Saudi man with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes presented with bilateral progressive proliferative retinopathy in spite of several sessions of panretinal photocoagulation. After one additional such session, he developed bilateral serous retinal detachment and vision loss, which was managed with a single bilateral intravitreal bevacizumab injection. The serous retinal detachment subsided with partial recovery of vision. Conclusions: Serous retinal detachment after panretinal photocoagulation for proliferative diabetic retinopathy is a rare complication nowadays. In this case, it seems that excessive photocoagulation exceeded the energy-absorbing capacity of the retinal pigment epithelium, leading to a disruption of the blood-retinal barrier. A single injection of bilateral intravitreal bevacizumab was sufficient to control the serous retinal detachment. This effect may have been due to a reduction of vascular leakage resulting from the mechanism of action of this drug. No complications were noted from the injection. Caution should be exerted when attempting bilateral panretinal photocoagulation

Investigating the Production of Antimicrobial Nanoparticles by <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> and the Link to Its Loss of Viability

Chlorella vulgaris from Al-Ahsa, KSA was proved to be an active silver and gold nanoparticle producer. Nanogold and nanosilver particles were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electronmicroscopy. Both nanoparticles were used in the antimicrobial bioassay. The two nanoparticles showed antibacterial activities, with the silver nanoparticles being the most effective. To investigate the argumentative nature of their biosynthesis (i.e., whether it is a biotic or abiotic process), we isolated total ribonucleic acid RNA as an indicator of vitality. RNA was completely absent in samples taken after one week of incubation with silver nitrate and even after one or two days. However, successful extraction was only achievable in samples taken after incubation for one and four hours with silver nitrate. Most importantly, the gel image showed recognizable shearing of the nucleic acid after 4 h as compared to the control. An assumption can be drawn that the synthesis of nanoparticles may start biotically by the action of enzyme(s) and abiotically by action of reducing entities. Nonetheless, with prolonged incubation, excessive nanoparticle accumulation can be deadly. Hence, their synthesis continues abiotically. From the RNA banding profile, we suggest that nanosilver production starts both biotically and abiotically in the first few hours of incubation and then continues abiotically. Nanosilver particles proved to have more of an antimicrobial impact than nanogold and hence are recommended for different applications as antibacterial agents