The seroprevalence and salivary shedding of herpesviruses in Behcet's syndrome and recurrent aphthous stomatitis

This journal is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Unported licens

Peningkatan Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis melalui Model Problem Based Learning pada Muatan Matematika Kelas V SDN Salatiga 01

Penelitian tindakan kelas ini menggunakan model Kennis dan Taggart yang terdiri dari 2 siklus, setiap siklus terdiri dari tahap perencanaan, tindakan-observasi, dan refleksi dengan tujuan melihat peningkatan kemampuan berpikir kritis pada muatan matematika dengan menggunakan model Problem Based Learning (PBL). Subjek dalam penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas V SDN Salatiga 01 sejumlah 41 siswa. Kriteria keberhasilan sebesar ≥70% pada kategori baik. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa: (1) Model Problem Based Learning dapat meningkatkan kemapuan berpikir kritis siswa secara klasikal.hal ini dilihat dari observasi siswa pada siklus I dan II. Skor rata-rata observasi siswa pada siklus I sebesar 2,28 atau 57% dan siklus II sebesar 2,85 atau 73,18%. (2) Kemampuan berpikir kritis mempengaruhi hasil belajar dilihat dari peningkatan skor ketuntasan hasil belajar siswa yang mencapai 48,78% pada siklus I dan 73,18% pada siklus II. Dari hasil tersebut model PBL dapat meningkatkan kemampuan berpikir kritis yang berpengaruh pada hasil belajar siswa pada muatan matematika siswa kelas V SDN Salatiga 01

The novel drug candidate S2/IAPinh improves survival in models of pancreatic and ovarian cancer

Cancer selective apoptosis remains a therapeutic challenge and off-target toxicity has limited enthusiasm for this target clinically. Sigma-2 ligands (S2) have been shown to enhance the cancer selectivity of small molecule drug candidates by improving internalization. Here, we report the synthesis of a novel drug conjugate, which was created by linking a clinically underperforming SMAC mimetic (second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases; LCL161), an inhibitor (antagonist) of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPinh) with the sigma-2 ligand SW43, resulting in the new chemical entity S2/IAPinh. Drug potency was assessed via cell viability assays across several pancreatic and ovarian cancer cell lines in comparison with the individual components (S2 and IAPinh) as well as their equimolar mixtures (S2 + IAPinh) both in vitro and in preclinical models of pancreatic and ovarian cancer. Mechanistic studies of S2/IAPinh-mediated cell death were investigated in vitro and in vivo using syngeneic and xenograft mouse models of murine pancreatic and human ovarian cancer, respectively. S2/IAPinh demonstrated markedly improved pharmacological activity in cancer cell lines and primary organoid cultures when compared to the controls. In vivo testing demonstrated a marked reduction in tumor growth rates and increased survival rates when compared to the respective control groups. The predicted mechanism of action of S2/IAPinh was confirmed through assessment of apoptosis pathways and demonstrated strong target degradation (cellular inhibitor of apoptosis proteins-1 [cIAP-1]) and activation of caspases 3 and 8. Taken together, S2/IAPinh demonstrated efficacy in models of pancreatic and ovarian cancer, two challenging malignancies in need of novel treatment concepts. Our data support an in-depth investigation into utilizing S2/IAPinh for the treatment of cancer

Analysis of gingival crevicular fluid biomarkers in patients with metabolic syndrome

Objectives: To assess associations between gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) markers in patients with metabolic syndrome, with or without concomitant periodontitis. Methods: A total of 95 patients with Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) had a periodontal examination and gingival crevicular fluid samples taken. Proteomic analysis of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) was carried out by Human XL Cytokine protein arrays in 12 selected patients, followed by multiplex ELISA of 11 analytes in 95 participants. Results: Increased levels of Aggrecan, IL-6 and IL-8 were found in patients with periodontal health compared with moderate and severe periodontitis. The inverse stepwise association between severity of periodontitis and reduced Aggrecan levels was also observed at adjusted linear regression analysis. Diagnosis of diabetes was associated with higher GCF levels of IL-8 and MMP-8. Conclusion: Diabetes may affect GCF levels of cytokines, irrespective of periodontal status. Periodontal status may be associated with Aggrecan levels in the GCF of patients affected by metabolic syndrome. Clinical significance: Investigation of GCF biomarkers may potentially help have diagnostic potential in patients with MetS

Final Needs Assessment Report: Identifying barriers faced by Ottawa Somali Youth in accessing post-secondary and vocational opportunities

In 2016, with funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Seed Grant program, The Somali Centre for Family Services of Ottawa (SCFS) invited Carleton University’s Centre for Studies on Poverty and Social Citizenship (CSPSC) to partner on the completion of a needs assessment focusing on the barriers faced by Somali youth in accessing post-secondary education, and employment training and opportunities. In carrying out this research, the SCFS’s main objective was to address social and economic exclusion locally by inviting Somali youth (age 19-30) from the Ottawa area to engage in the\ud conceptualization and design of resources that could best support their participation in educational and vocational programs

Gamma radiation induces hydrogen absorption by copper in water

One of the most intricate issues of nuclear power is the long-term safety of repositories for radioactive waste. These repositories can have an impact on future generations for a period of time orders of magnitude longer than any known civilization. Several countries have considered copper as an outer corrosion barrier for canisters containing spent nuclear fuel. Among the many processes that must be considered in the safety assessments, radiation induced processes constitute a key-component. Here we show that copper metal immersed in water uptakes considerable amounts of hydrogen when exposed to γ-radiation. Additionally we show that the amount of hydrogen absorbed by copper depends on the total dose of radiation. At a dose of 69 kGy the uptake of hydrogen by metallic copper is 7 orders of magnitude higher than when the absorption is driven by H2(g) at a pressure of 1 atm in a non-irradiated dry system. Moreover, irradiation of copper in water causes corrosion of the metal and the formation of a variety of surface cavities, nanoparticle deposits, and islands of needle-shaped crystals. Hence, radiation enhanced uptake of hydrogen by spent nuclear fuel encapsulating materials should be taken into account in the safety assessments of nuclear waste repositories.Peer reviewe

The geographical distribution and burden of trachoma in Africa.

BACKGROUND: There remains a lack of epidemiological data on the geographical distribution of trachoma to support global mapping and scale up of interventions for the elimination of trachoma. The Global Atlas of Trachoma (GAT) was launched in 2011 to address these needs and provide standardised, updated and accessible maps. This paper uses data included in the GAT to describe the geographical distribution and burden of trachoma in Africa. METHODS: Data assembly used structured searches of published and unpublished literature to identify cross-sectional epidemiological data on the burden of trachoma since 1980. Survey data were abstracted into a standardised database and mapped using geographical information systems (GIS) software. The characteristics of all surveys were summarized by country according to data source, time period, and survey methodology. Estimates of the current population at risk were calculated for each country and stratified by endemicity class. RESULTS: At the time of writing, 1342 records are included in the database representing surveys conducted between 1985 and 2012. These data were provided by direct contact with national control programmes and academic researchers (67%), peer-reviewed publications (17%) and unpublished reports or theses (16%). Prevalence data on active trachoma are available in 29 of the 33 countries in Africa classified as endemic for trachoma, and 1095 (20.6%) districts have representative data collected through population-based prevalence surveys. The highest prevalence of active trachoma and trichiasis remains in the Sahel area of West Africa and Savannah areas of East and Central Africa and an estimated 129.4 million people live in areas of Africa confirmed to be trachoma endemic. CONCLUSION: The Global Atlas of Trachoma provides the most contemporary and comprehensive summary of the burden of trachoma within Africa. The GAT highlights where future mapping is required and provides an important planning tool for scale-up and surveillance of trachoma control