The 43GHz SiO maser in the circumstellar envelope of the AGB star R Cassiopeiae

We present multi-epoch, total intensity, high-resolution images of 43GHz, v=1, J=1-0 SiO maser emission toward the Mira variable R Cas. In total we have 23 epochs of data for R Cas at approximate monthly intervals over an optical pulsation phase range from 0.158 to 1.78. These maps show a ring-like distribution of the maser features in a shell, which is assumed to be centred on the star at a radius of 1.6 to 2.3 times the stellar radii. It is clear from these images that the maser emission is significantly extended around the star. At some epochs a faint outer arc can be seen at 2.2 stellar radii. The intensity of the emission waxes and wanes during the stellar phase. Some maser features are seen infalling as well as outflowing. We have made initial comparisons of our data with models by Gray et. al. (2009).Comment: 12 pages, 14 figure

Vitamin and mineral supplementation for maintaining cognitive function in cognitively healthy people in mid and late life

Vitamins and minerals play multiple functions within the central nervous system which may help to maintain brain health and optimal cognitive functioning. Supplementation of the diet with various vitamins and minerals has been suggested as a means of maintaining cognitive function, or even of preventing dementia, in later life

Autoantibodies Status of Leishmanial Patients in Iraq

A total of 145 leishmaniasis Iraqi patients were collected from suspected cases and 30 healthy control. Based on skin smear examination and serum samples analysis, the patients were distributed into two clinical groups: 30 cutaneous leishmaniasis and 30 visceral leishmaniasis patients. The study was conducted for the detection of 17 types of antinuclear autoantibodies (ANA) in studied groups, 10 types including (anti-ds-DNA, anti-Nucleosome, anti-SmD1, anti-PCNA, anti-SS-A/Ro60kD, anti-SS-A/Ro52kD, anti-SS-B/La, anti-CENP-B, anti-Mi-2 and anti-Ku antibodies), showed significant differences (P?0.05), (P?0.01) in the two groups, while 7 types which were non-significant included (anti-histones, anti-ribosomal P0, anti-Scl70, anti-U1-snRNP, anti-AMA M2, anti-Jo1 and anti-PM-Scl antibodies). With respect to the Anti-cardiolipin IgG antibodies (aCL), it showed a significant increased level in the serum of VL patients (P?0.01) as compared with control group (8.123 vs. 1.959), also as compared with CL patients (8.123 vs. 2.402). As for CL patients, also there was a significant difference (P?0.01) (2.402 vs. 8.123) when compared with VL patients, but no significant variations (2.402 vs. 1.959) were observed in compare with control group. We conclude that Leishmaniasis in iraqi patients may be considered as a cause autoimmune diseases as in case of inflammatory myopathies (IM), and the pathgenesis of human myositis, especially in VL which contributes in the immunological alterations associated with muscle damage. Keywords: Leishmania species, autoantibodies, antinuclear antibodies, anticardiolipin

Prevalence of smoking (cigarette and waterpipe) and its association with obesity/overweight in UAE and Palestine

This study aimed to assess the prevalence rate of smoking behavior (cigarette and waterpipe) and its association with obesity/ overweight among university students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Palestine. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a convenient sample of 10 largest universities in the West Bank- Palestine and Dubai- UAE. In total, 3800 students were randomly selected from the universities, with an 87.6% response rate. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The key measures were: waterpipe smoking, weight, height, cigarette smoking, dieting to reduce weight, and perception and knowledge related to tobacco waterpipe smoking (TWP). Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated using the WHO cutoffs. The analysis included 3,327 students (54% from the West Bank and 46% from Dubai). About 16% of students in Dubai and 18% of students in the West Bank smoke cigarettes. Quarter (26%) of the students in Dubai and 32% of the students in West Bank smoke water pipes. 17% of students in Dubai and 18% of students in the West Bank reported that they smoke waterpipes to reduce their weight. Waterpipe smoking was found to have a significant positive association with obesity/overweight (p \u3c 0.001). Smoking is very common among university students. Waterpipe smoking was associated with obesity. More research is still needed in this field to better understand the relationship between cigarette smoking and obesity

Approaches in biotechnological applications of natural polymers

Natural polymers, such as gums and mucilage, are biocompatible, cheap, easily available and non-toxic materials of native origin. These polymers are increasingly preferred over synthetic materials for industrial applications due to their intrinsic properties, as well as they are considered alternative sources of raw materials since they present characteristics of sustainability, biodegradability and biosafety. As definition, gums and mucilages are polysaccharides or complex carbohydrates consisting of one or more monosaccharides or their derivatives linked in bewildering variety of linkages and structures. Natural gums are considered polysaccharides naturally occurring in varieties of plant seeds and exudates, tree or shrub exudates, seaweed extracts, fungi, bacteria, and animal sources. Water-soluble gums, also known as hydrocolloids, are considered exudates and are pathological products; therefore, they do not form a part of cell wall. On the other hand, mucilages are part of cell and physiological products. It is important to highlight that gums represent the largest amounts of polymer materials derived from plants. Gums have enormously large and broad applications in both food and non-food industries, being commonly used as thickening, binding, emulsifying, suspending, stabilizing agents and matrices for drug release in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In the food industry, their gelling properties and the ability to mold edible films and coatings are extensively studied. The use of gums depends on the intrinsic properties that they provide, often at costs below those of synthetic polymers. For upgrading the value of gums, they are being processed into various forms, including the most recent nanomaterials, for various biotechnological applications. Thus, the main natural polymers including galactomannans, cellulose, chitin, agar, carrageenan, alginate, cashew gum, pectin and starch, in addition to the current researches about them are reviewed in this article.. }To the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientfíico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for fellowships (LCBBC and MGCC) and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nvíel Superior (CAPES) (PBSA). This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, the Project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462) and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) (JAT)

Jordanian Constitutional Judiciary’s Oversight of Discretionary Powers Exercised by Legislator When Regulating Constitutional Rights and Freedoms: A Comparative Study

When regulating constitutional rights and freedoms, the legislator exercises discretion by choosing between the available alternatives to establish legal regulations that enable exercising and protecting them. While doing so, the legislator seeks to strike a balance between rights and freedoms, in a manner that guarantees the public interest. The constitutions have established set controls to ensure that the essence of constitutional rights and freedoms is maintained and that their fundamentals are not violated. Since the constitutional judiciary maintains the provisions of the constitution, this research focuses on the Jordanian constitutional judiciary’s oversight of the discretionary powers exercised by the legislator when regulating the constitutional rights and freedoms and comparing it with the Egyptian constitutional judiciary. The research tackles the following question: what is the position of the Jordanian constitutional judiciary regarding oversight of the discretionary powers exercised by the legislator when regulating constitutional rights and freedoms compared to the Egyptian counterpart? The research adopts a comparative; analytical; and descriptive approach to answer the research question. The research concludes a number of results; the most important of which is that the Egyptian and Jordanian constitutional judiciaries have both monitored the violations of objective controls committed by the legislator when exercising the discretional powers to regulate the constitutional rights and freedoms. The research also traces features of control over legislative omissions and the absence of rulings related to legislative deviation in the Jordanian constitutional judiciary; in contrast to the Egyptian counterpart, which has exercised control over legislative omission and deviation. The research makes a set of recommendations, most notably extending the Jordanian constitutional judiciary’s control over legislative omission and deviation, making use of comparative judicial experience

A methodology for setting practice criteria in healthcare

Practice criteria are an important part of health care and have taken a new prominence in the trend to address quality-of-care issues. Once an organisation makes a commitment to addressing its quality-of- care, it must define 'quality' in operational terms. Practice criteria do just that. The organisation ensures consistent, high-quality services through the correct application of practice criteria. This paper outlines a methodology that has been used in at least three countries to date. Early indications are that it is useful for helping an organisation begin its quality improvement 'journey'.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Transforming care: a study on physicians’ awareness, attitudes, and barriers to pressure injury prevention in medical wards in Jordan

BackgroundPressure injury is a significant global concern, with rising prevalence and substantial direct and indirect costs. A multidisciplinary approach involving nurses and other healthcare team members, particularly physicians, is essential for comprehensively addressing pressure injury (PI) in medical wards. Therefore, this study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and barriers among physicians working in Jordanian general medical wards toward the prevention of pressure injury.MethodA descriptive correlational cross-sectional design was employed, utilizing a convenience sample of 73 physicians from the three largest governmental hospitals in Jordan, representing the country’s most populated regions. A self-administered questionnaire measuring knowledge, attitudes, and barriers was distributed among the study population. Descriptive statistics, including mean (M) and standard deviation (SD), were used to analyze the total scores, while a linear multiple regression model was applied to identify factors influencing knowledge, attitudes, and barriers toward pressure injury prevention in Jordanian medical wards.ResultsThe study found that physicians demonstrated good knowledge but exhibited weak attitudes and recognized significant barriers toward pressure injury prevention. Higher income was associated with significant differences in knowledge and attitude scores (p < 0.00 and p < 0.05, respectively), while the universal guidelines correlated with significant differences in knowledge scores (p < 0.048). Additionally, recognized barriers showed significant differences among those using guidelines and perceived unproportioned staff (p < 0.041, p < 0.03) respectively.ConclusionPhysicians recognized significant barriers that negatively influenced their attitudes toward implementing preventive measures in medical wards. Strengthening the multidisciplinary team approach in medical wards by clarifying roles and responsibilities could enable physicians to more effectively participate in PI prevention efforts

Provisions of Authenticity under the Jordanian Constitutional Court Rulings and their Implications: A Comparative Study

The importance of constitutional judiciary derives from its major role in exercising control over the constitutionality of laws; thereby providing a strong fence protecting the provisions of the Constitution as the supreme legislation in the State. The judgments issued by Constitutional Courts and the authenticity they enjoy along with the impacts incurred constitute ones of the most important topics which should receive major attention and deliberation. This research has concentrated on the authenticity of the judgments of the Jordanian Constitutional Court and their impacts on the Jordanian Law, and on comparing such judgments to those of the Egyptian Law. The research has addressed an extremely important problem which involves the extent of efficient regulation by the Jordanian Law of the authenticity of constitutional judgments and related impacts compared to those of the Egyptian Law. In order to respond to this problem, the research used the comparative descriptive approach, and initially discussed the authenticity of judgments made by the Constitutional Court through clarifying their essence and framework in terms of subject matter together with their legal foundation according to both of Jordanian and Egyptian Laws. Then the research discussed the mandatory aspect of constitutional judgments of the Jordanian Law, commitment of the three executive, legislative, and judiciary authorities to implement such judgments, and compared such judgments to those of the Egyptian Law. Besides, the research highlighted the impacts of Constitutional Judgments through indicating the time frame for putting them into effect and the final nature of the Constitutional Judgments and related disputes either in terms of disputes related to constitutional judgments annulled for invalidity or for material errors contained therein or for decision-making on the topical requests ignored and interpretation of Constitutional Judgments, or executive disputes. The research came to several conclusions; mainly: asserting the need for amending the Jordanian Constitutional Court Law towards obligating the Legislative Authority to cancel the text judged as unconstitutional, to include a text on tackling Courts\u27 abstention from implementing the Constitutional Judgments, and adopting the retroactive effect as a basis for constitutional judgments’ validity instead of the direct effect

PREPARATION AND EVALUATION OF FENTANYL TRANSDREMAL PATCHES USING LIDOCAINE AS A MODEL DRUG AND AZELAIC ACID AS A PENETRATION ENHANCER

Transdermal drug delivery offers numerous advantages over the conventional routs of administration; however, poor permeation of most drug across the skin barrier constitutes a major limitation of this rout. Objective: The possibility of utilizing azelaic acid as penetration enhancer was investigated. And then development of a new transdermal controlled-release device using of non-medicated and lidocaine transdermal patches and then testing the feasibility of loading fentanyl patch. Methods: DSC, FTIR, X-ray diffraction analysis and skin permeability measurements were done for both skin sample untreated and treated with azelaic acid to prove the possibility of utilizing it as permeation enhancer. Multilayered lidocaine transdermal patches were prepared by solvent/evaporation casting technique using Eudragit® E100 as transdermal adhesive polymer, and ethyl vinyl acetate as impermeable backing layer. The flexibility of films required for a good compliance and optimum transdermal adhesion of the Eudragit E films was achieved by employing triethyl citrate or dibutylphthalate at concentration of 25% (w/w) of polymer. A physicochemical interaction between azelaic acid and Eudragit E100 (cationic polymer) has been evaluated using FTIR and DSC. Lidocaine as well as fentanyl bilayerd transdermal patches containing triethylcitrate at concentration of 25% (w/w) of Eudragit E100 with and without azelaic acid were selected for further permeation studies Results: The obtained results indicated that fluorescien permeation through epidermal human skin treated with overnight exposure to saturated aqueous solution of azelaic acid was increased by 8.6 folds while, its permeation through rat skin was increased by 10.89 folds. Additional analysis by FTIR, X-ray diffraction, SEM, and DSC showed that azelaic acid disrupted stratum corneum lipid, which supported its action as promising penetration enhancer.Plasticizers as triethyl citrate or dibutylphthalate at concentration of 25% (w/w) of polymer reduced Tg of Eudragit E100 polymer to about 15.50C and 26.20C respectively. A physicochemical interaction between azelaic acid and Eudragit E100 was proven by FTIR study which indicated the present of ionic bonding between them, while DSC showed that azelaic acid may act as non-traditional plasticizer through its reduction in Tg by 7.30 C.The results of permeation studies indicated that the presence of azelaic acid was significantly increased (P < 0.05) the drug flux as the concentration of azelaic acid increased. As well as; fentanyl transdermal permeability studies revealed similar behavior to lidocaine as drug flux increased by 4.82 folds at AZ concentration of 2mg/cm2. Conclusion: the overall obtained data revealed the feasibility of preparing a controlled release fentanyl transdermal patches containing azelaic acid as penetration enhancer