Vitamin D exposure and Risk of Breast Cancer: a meta-analysis

The relationship between vitamin D and breast cancer is still controversial. The present meta-analysis examines the effects of the 25(OH)D, 1,25(OH)2D and vitamin D intake on breast cancer risk. For this purpose, a PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science-databases search was conducted including all papers published with the keywords "breast cancer" and "vitamin D" with at least one reported relative risk (RR) or odds ratio (OR). In total sixty eight studies published between 1998 and 2018 were analyzed. Information about type of study, hormonal receptors and menopausal status was retrieved. Pooled OR or RR were estimated by weighting individual OR/RR by the inverse of their variance Our study showed a protective effect between 25 (OH) D and breast cancer in both cohort studies (RR?=?0.85, 95%CI:0.74-0.98) and case-control studies (OR?=?0.65, 95%CI: 0.56-0.76). However, analyzing by menopausal status, the protective vitamin D - breast cancer association persisted only in the premenopausal group (OR?=?0.67, 95%CI: 0.49-0.92) when restricting the analysis to nested case-control studies. No significant association was found for vitamin D intake or 1,25(OH)2D. CONCLUSION: This systematic review suggests a protective relationship between circulating vitamin D (measured as 25(OH) D) and breast cancer development in premenopausal women

Penerapan model pembelajaran kooperatif informal tipe Formulate-Share-Listen-Create (FSLC) untuk meningkatkan kemampuan berpikir kreatif matematis siswa

Penelitian ini dilakukan di SMP Muslim Asia Afrika Pamulang Tangerang Selatan tahun ajaran 2013/2014, bertujuan untuk menganalisis dan membandingkan kualitas peningkatan kemampuan berpikir kreatif matematis antara siswa yang diterapkan Model Pembelajaran Kooperatif Informal Tipe Formulate-Share- Listen-Create (FSLC) dan siswa yang diterapkan pembelajaran konvensional. Metode yang digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah metode eksperimen semu dengan desain Matching Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design. Sampel penelitian diperoleh sebanyak dua kelas dengan teknik cluster random sampling yang terdiri dari kelas eksperimen (FSLC) sebanyak 19 siswa dan kelas kontrol (konvensional) sebanyak 18 siswa. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kemampuan berpikir kreatif matematis siswa yang diterapkan model pembelajaran kooperatif informal tipe Formulate-Share-Listen-Create (FSLC) secara signifikan lebih baik daripada siswa yang diterapkan pembelajaran konvensional. Kualitas peningkatan kemampuan berpikir kreatif matematis siswa pada kelas FSLC berada pada kategori �sedang�, hal. ini lebih baik daripada kelas konvensional yang berada pada kategori �rendah�. Dari keempat indikator kemampuan berpikir kreatif matematis siswa (kelancaran, keluwesan, orisinalitas dan elaborasi), kualitas peningkatan indikator keluwesan dan orisinalitas pada kelas FSLC lebih baik yaitu berada pada kategori �sedang�, sedangkan kelas konvensional berada pada kategori �rendah�. Untuk kedua indikator lainnya, baik kelas FSLC maupun konvensional berada pada kategori yang sama yaitu �sedang�

Characteristics of Arabic Alphabets: with Special Reference to the Role of the Letter [kha – [خ as Dustbin in the Arabic Language

This paper is shedding light on the significance and functions of some of the Arabic alphabets. An Arabic letter is found to play an effective role in expressing the speaker or the writer’s target meaning. Our concern here is with the letter [kha - خ], phonetically transcribed as /X/.The discussion in this essay will focus on one strange phenomenon; that this letter is playing a unique role in Arabic. It is found to be associated with almost all the ugly words and dirty jobs in the Arabic language. Its work is similar to the function of the dustbin, where all the house garbage is collected. From 285 root words begins with this letter, it is found that 85% of the words are carrying negative connotative or denotative meanings. To the best of the researchers’ knowledge – there is no similar letter found to play the same role, in any other language as this letter [ خ], does in Arabic. With this result the researchers can showhow rich and lively this language is. The Arabic language has great potentials to maintain survival, shoulder to shoulder, with other living languages of the world. It is also expected to play - with some efforts from its speakers and its linguists - an effective role in the recent human history

Predictors of Surgery Types after Neoadjuvant Therapy for Advanced Stage Breast Cancer: Analysis from Florida Population-Based Cancer Registry (1996–2009)

Purpose Despite the established guidelines for breast cancer treatment, there is still variability in surgical treatment after neoadjuvant therapy (NT) for women with large breast tumors. Our objective was to identify predictors of the type of surgical treatment: mastectomy versus breast-conserving surgery (BCS) in women with T3/T4 breast cancer who received NT. Methods Population-based Florida Cancer Data System Registry, Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration, and US census from 1996 to 2009 were linked for women diagnosed with T3/T4 breast cancer and received NT followed by either BCS or mastectomy. Analysis of multiple variables, such as sociodemographic characteristics (race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, marital status, and urban/rural residency), tumor's characteristics (estrogen/progesterone receptor status, histology, grade, SEER stage, and regional nodes positivity), treatment facilities (hospital volume and teaching status), patients’ comorbidities, and type of NT, was performed. Results Of 1,056 patients treated with NT for T3/T4 breast cancer, 107 (10%) had BCS and 949 (90%) had mastectomy. After adjusting with extensive covariables, Hispanic patients (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = [3.50], 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.38–8.84, P = 0.008) were more likely to have mastectomy than BCS. Compared to localized SEER stage, regional stage with direct extension (aOR = [3.24], 95% CI: 1.60–6.54, P = 0.001), regional stage with direct extension and nodes (aOR = [4.35], 95% CI: 1.72–11.03, P = 0.002), and distant stage (aOR = [4.44], 95% CI: 1.81–10.88, P = 0.001) were significantly more likely to have mastectomy than BCS. Compared to patients who received both chemotherapy and hormonal therapy, patients who received hormonal NT only (aOR = [0.29], 95% CI: 0.12–0.68, P = 0.004) were less likely to receive mastectomy. Conclusion Our study suggests that Hispanic ethnicity, advanced SEER stage, and type of NT are significant predictors of receiving mastectomy after NT

Silicon and Gibberellins: Synergistic Function in Harnessing ABA Signaling and Heat Stress Tolerance in Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

Date palm is one of the most economically vital fruit crops in North African and Middle East countries, including Oman. A controlled experiment was conducted to investigate the integrative effects of silicon (Si) and gibberellic acid (GA3) on date palm growth and heat stress. The exogenous application of Si and GA3 significantly promoted plant growth attributes under heat stress (44 ± 1 °C). The hormonal modulation (abscisic acid [ABA] and salicylic acid [SA]), antioxidant accumulation, and the expression of abiotic stress-related genes were evaluated. Interestingly, heat-induced oxidative stress was markedly reduced by the integrative effects of Si and GA3 when compared to their sole application, with significant reductions in superoxide anions and lipid peroxidation. The reduction of oxidative stress was attributed to the enhancement of polyphenol oxidase, catalase, peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase activities as well as the upregulation of their synthesis related genes expression viz. GPX2, CAT, Cyt-Cu/Zn SOD, and glyceraldehyde3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (GAPDH). The results showed the activation of heat shock factor related genes (especially HsfA3) during exogenous Si and GA3 as compared to the control. Furthermore, the transcript accumulation of ABA signaling-related genes (PYL4, PYL8, and PYR1) were significantly reduced with the combined treatment of Si and GA3, leading to reduced production of ABA and, subsequently, SA antagonism via its increased accumulation. These findings suggest that the combined application of Si and GA3 facilitate plant growth and metabolic regulation, impart tolerance against stress, and offers novel stress alleviating strategies for a green revolution in sustainable food security

The effect of bariatric surgery on dietary Behaviour, dietary recommendation Adherence, and micronutrient deficiencies one year after surgery

Bariatric surgery (BS) is associated with vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which might be augmented by low adherence to dietary guidelines and inappropriate dietary behaviours. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of BS on eating behaviour, prevalence of nutrient deficiency, level of commitment to diet, and lifestyle recommendations one-year post-BS.A cross-sectional study was conducted among adult patients who underwent BS in 2019 and had follow-up for a year. Age, gender, and clinical data were collected from the hospital system and other information was obtained from questionnaires during phone interviews. A total of 160 patients participated in the study.At 12 months, a significant increase from the baseline values in plasma levels of vitamin B12, folate, vitamin D, iron, corrected calcium, albumin, CRP, and MCV, as well as a significant decrease in BMI was observed. Adherence to dietary and lifestyle recommendations was moderate to high. Emotional, and restrained eating behaviours were moderate with 64.4%, and 77.5%, respectively. External eating was low at 58.1%.The study concluded that pre-and post-bariatric surgery nutrients should be closely monitored