Antidiabetic Efficacy of Aqueous Fruit Extract of Amla (Emblica officinalis, Gaertn) in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes Mellitus in Male Rats

Purpose: To investigate the antidiabetic potential of Emblica officinalis, Gaertn on diabetic rats.Methods: The study investigated the anti-hyperglycemic potential of the aqueous fruit extract of amla (E. officianalis, for eleven weeks in streptozotocin-induced diabetic obese rats. The study utilized forty eight rats divided into four groups as follows. Untreated diabetic control (group 1) received 2 % gum acacia as vehicle; groups 2 and 3 were diabetic rats administered the fruit extract in 400 and 200 mg/kg doses, respectively; while group 4 (diabetic rats) received metformin (600 mg/kg) as reference drug. The parameters assessed weekly were body weight, as well as fasting blood glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels in venous blood.Results: Both plant extract-treated groups showed significant (p ≤ 0.001) reduction in blood glucose levels in the fifth and sixth weeks compared to the metformin-treated group. Body weight significantly increased during the fourth, fifth and sixth weeks, being more pronounced in the extract-treated groups (272 ± 15.0 g and 227 ± 7.23 g for 200 and 400 mg/kg doses, respectively; the corresponding body weight for untreated diabetic control was 197 ± 9.83 g. Furthermore, both extract doses (200 and 400 mg/kg) produced significant decrease (p ≥ 0.05) in serum glucose (186 ± 15.5 mg/L and 146 ± 15.1 mg/L), cholesterol (143.6 ± 0.86 mg/L and 151.0 ± 0.77mg/L) and triglyceride (82.6 ± 0.51mg/dl and 84.8 ± 0.84 m/dl) levels, respectively, similar to the metformin treated group.Conclusion: The anti-diabetic activity of the aqueous extract of E. officianalis used showed a better potential than metformin.Keywords: Antidiabetic, Emblica officianalis fruit, Obesity, Glucose, Cholesterol, Triglyceride

Investigation of Breast Cancer Risk Factors in northern states of Sudan using Logistic Regression Analysis

Background: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancers and  leading cause of death among women worldwide. In Sudan breast cancer is the most common type of cancer and its incidence has been rising for the past two decades.Objective: To investigate whether the breast risk factors of northern states (Northern and River Nile) are different from other states in Sudan.Methods: A case-control study was conducted in Radiation and Isotopes Centre Khartoum RICK targeting the breast cancer patients who came to get treatment or follow-up during 2010. A total of 60 breast cancer patients from northern states and 60 control breast cancer patients from other Sudan states were interviewed using purposively designed questionnaires. Logistic regression has been used for modeling the probability that a breast cancer could be developed as a function of risk factors.Results: This study showed that risk factors of breast cancer do not differ significantly between northern states (Northern and River Nile) and other Sudan states except the education level, are the patient alive, disease history and lactation.Conclusion: There is no difference between risk factors of breast cancer in all Sudanese states; all Sudanese women are exposed to breast cancer with matching risk factors.Key words: breast, risk factors, logistic regression

Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology for Suspected Tuberculous Lymphadenitis: A Feasible Solution for a Diagnostic Dilemma in Sudan

Background: Tuberculosis is a common health problem in Sudan. Tuberculous lymphadenitis is one of the most frequent causes of lymphadenopathy. In most of these cases sputum as well as other diagnostic routine tests are negative.Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) as a diagnostic tool for tuberculous lymphadenitis and to describe the cytomorphology of the smears.Material and Methods: This is a prospective hospital-based study conducted in Khartoum during the period from February 2011 to January 2012. Eighty five patients with a clinical suspicion of tuberculous lymphadenopathy were included. Direct smears were prepared and stained with Diff Quick (DQ) and Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) stains.Results: of the 85 patients, 52 (61.2%) were females with 1.5:1 female to male ratio. The mean age was 31.6 years (range 2 - 70 years). The most frequent site involved was the cervical lymph node group,58 (68.2%) cases. Seventy five (88.3%) smears showed necrotizing granulomatous lymphadenitis (with or without detected epithelioid cells), and 10 (11.7%) smears were non necrotizing granulomatous lymphadenitis, only epithelioid and inflammatory cells detected. Positive smears for acid fast bacilli (AFB) by ZN stain were observed in 40 (47%) cases.Conclusion: FNAC is a simple and inexpensive method for diagnosis of tuberculous lymphadenitis, and can obviate the need for surgical excision. Combination of FNAC with ZN stain is valuable and recommended as first line diagnostic modality in suspected cases.Keywords: Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology, Tuberculous lymphadenitis, Acid fast bacilli

Application of gaussian processes to online approximation of compressor maps for load-sharing in a compressor station

Devising optimal operating strategies for a compressor station relies on the knowledge of compressor characteristics. As the compressor characteristics change with time and use, it is necessary to provide accurate models of the characteristics that can be used in optimization of the operating strategy. This paper proposes a new algorithm for online learning of the characteristics of the compressors using Gaussian Processes. The performance of the new approximation is shown in a case study with three compressors. The case study shows that Gaussian Processes accurately capture the characteristics of compressors even if no knowledge about the characteristics is initially available. The results show that the flexible nature of Gaussian Processes allows them to adapt to the data online making them amenable for use in real-time optimization problems

Cancer management in Sudan: Current status and future perspectives

Introduction: Sudan is one of the developing countries that face a great challenge with cancer management. About 5700 cases had been seen during year 2007 in Radiation and Isotope Center- Khartoum (RICK) and Institute of Nuclear medicine, Molecular biology, and Oncology (INMO) Wadmedani which are the only cancer centers in Sudan.Purpose: Aim of this work is to highlight the difficulties of cancer management in Sudan and to propose possible solutions.Methods: This paper evaluates the current situation of cancer management in Sudan through reviewing of data available in cancer centers and reports from the Sudan national bureau of statistic. Suggestions are also made for cancer control plan in Sudan having the current situation in mind and guided by the published international data on cancer control.Results: The preliminary analysis of the available data reveals that Sudan has very limited resources available to deal with cancer and the service provided is not evenly distributed.Conclusion: Establishment of new centers is extremely needed with special attention to good distribution of services. To achieve such a goal training of more staff and upgrading of the existing centers is mandatory to manage all types of cancer. Cancer registry is the right way to plan for cancer control in Sudan.Keywords: Nuclear medicine, radiation, oncologis

Fluid flow through porous media using distinct element based numerical method

Many analytical and numerical methods have been developed to describe and analyse fluid flow through the reservoir’s porous media. The medium considered by most of these models is continuum based homogeneous media. But if the formation is not homogenous or if there is some discontinuity in the formation, most of these models become very complex and their solutions lose their accuracy, especially when the shape or reservoir geometry and boundary conditions are complex. In this paper, distinct element method (DEM) is used to simulate fluid flow in porous media. The DEM method is independent of the initial and boundary conditions, as well as reservoir geometry and discontinuity. The DEM based model proposed in this study is appeared to be unique in nature with capability to be used for any reservoir with higher degrees of complexity associated with the shape and geometry of its porous media, conditions of fluid flow, as well as initial and boundary conditions. This model has first been developed by Itasca Consulting Company and is further improved in this paper. Since the release of the model by Itasca, it has not been validated for fluid flow application in porous media, especially in case of petroleum reservoir. In this paper, two scenarios of linear and radial fluid flow in a finite reservoir are considered. Analytical models for these two cases are developed to set a benchmark for the comparison of simulation data. It is demonstrated that the simulation results are in good agreement with analytical results. Another major improvement in the model is using the servo controlled walls instead of particles to introduce tectonic stresses on the formation to simulate more realistic situations. The proposed model is then used to analyse fluid flow and pressure behaviour for hydraulically induced fractured and naturally fractured reservoir to justify the potential application of the model

Destination integration : Third Country Nationals in the north of England (summary report)

Integration Up North research is part of a wider project led by Migration Yorkshire (the regional migration partnership for Yorkshire and the Humber region), which aims to gain a better understanding of Third Country Nationals' (TCN) integration experiences in the region. The whole project aims to improve the integration of TCNs through a comprehensive and co-ordinated programme of research, training, guidance, strategic support and migrant participation for Local Authorities, key policy-makers and practitioners. As part of the Integration Up North project funded by the European Integration Fund (EIF), the University of Salford undertook a research project to explore the settlement experiences of Third Country Nationals who were living and working in the North of England. The following issues were explored: the settlement and integration experiences of Third Country Nationals and how they differ according to gender, route in, and vulnerability; how and in what ways particular actors - such as services, employers and communities - assist in the process of integration; the nature and context of social relations between new migrants and local community members; and what local authorities and other services can do to enhance positive experiences of settlement and integration in the future. This involved qualitative longitudinal in-depth interviews and photo elicitation with three different groups of individuals: highly skilled migrants; family joiners; and former asylum seekers. This summary report includes the main research findings and recommendations

Destination integration : Third country nationals in the north of England [final report]

Integration Up North research is part of a wider project led by Migration Yorkshire (the regional migration partnership for Yorkshire and the Humber region), which aims to gain a better understanding of Third Country Nationals' (TCN) integration experiences in the region. The University of Salford is a partner in this project, along with an organisation called Migration Work. The whole project aims to improve the integration of TCNs through a comprehensive and co-ordinated programme of research, training, guidance, strategic support and migrant participation for Local Authorities, key policy-makers and practitioners. The project is co-funded by the European Union's European Integration Fund. SHUSU was responsible for undertaking the research component of the whole project. This involved qualitative longitudinal in-depth interviews and photo elicitation with three different groups of individuals: highly skilled migrants; family joiners; and former asylum seekers. This final research report includes research findings and recommendations

Identification of Patients with Advanced Fibrosis Due to Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Considerations for Best Practice

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) prevalence has increased in the past two decades, resulting in a significant but under-recognised public health burden. This impacts the prevalence of advanced fibrosis, end-stage liver disease and associated extrahepatic manifestations. To understand the challenges in recognising patients with advanced fibrosis due to NASH and develop a standardised approach to screen these patients, the authors of this document provided their opinions and expertise from practice and published evidence to identify key challenges and current approaches for diagnosing NASH. The severity of liver fibrosis due to NASH is the main indicator of associated morbidity and mortality outcomes. Therefore, identifying patients with, or at risk of, advanced fibrosis due to NASH and linking them to appropriate care is critical. This can be challenging due to a lack of awareness of NASH among healthcare professionals and a lack of standardised protocols for identifying patients. Simple noninvasive tests may provide an opportunity to facilitate early identification of these patients. This article proposes a simple, universally applicable diagnostic algorithm for use in clinical practice, that includes sequential use of noninvasive tests, ideally a biological marker and an imaging technique, which may help to facilitate early diagnosis of these patients. In the opinion of the authors, early detection of advanced fibrosis is fundamental in the efforts to halt the progression of NASH and diagnostic algorithms may facilitate pre-emptive interventions to curtail the disease

Burden of visceral leishmaniasis in villages of eastern gedaref state, Sudan: an exhaustive cross-sectional survey.

Since December 2009, Médecins Sans Frontières has diagnosed and treated patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Tabarak Allah Hospital, eastern Gedaref State, one of the main endemic foci of VL in Sudan. A survey was conducted to estimate the VL incidence in villages around Tabarak Allah