Development and characterisation of MSC-seeded decellularised airway scaffolds for regenerative bioengineering

Tracheal tissue engineering (TE) is a potential solution for long tracheal lesions and recent clinical experience yielded promising results but challenges remain with respect to measurable criteria for acceptance of decellularised scaffolds, optimisation of cell seeding and understanding the biology of the seeded cells post attachment. Confirming previous data from our group, I showed cellular clearance of DC scaffolds and significant reduction in total DNA levels but observed retention of residual nuclear materials within hyaline cartilage and submucosa. Evaluation of extracellular matrix components demonstrated retention of collagen and glycosaminoglycan and disrupted basement membrane components. The novel use of dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) to measure the viscoelastic properties of tracheal cartilage in addition to tensile testing, provided the first demonstration of preservation of native viscoelastic mechanical properties after decellularisation. To overcome the limitations of passive cell seeding, I conceived partial surface dehydration (PSD) conditioning of scaffolds which significantly improved cell seeding/attachment efficiency to (96.46% 1.710) and I confirmed survival of MSCs on the scaffold in vitro. Multiphoton imaging showed limited scaffold infiltration but revealed two, distinct cell morphologies dependent on the presence or absence of adventitia. These showed different RNA transcriptomic profiles and differential gene expression. Seeded MSCs upregulated transcripts of bioactive paracrine factors associated with tissue repair, including ECM remodelling, pro-angiogenesis, antifibrosis, chemoattraction and immunomodulatory properties. Cells seeded into the adventitial layer upregulated more bioactive factors and showed lower cellular stress, suggesting a favourable effect of maintaining adventitial layer. The data presented herein form a coherent series of experiments providing novel data to the field of tracheal tissue engineering which address important GMP issues such as in-process acceptance criteria for scaffolds and data to support the rationale of autologous MSC seeding prior to implantation. These results allowed us to manufacture an improved clinical product for a compassionate case

IMPACT OF MONETARY INCENTIVES ON EMPLOYEE’S MOTIVATION: SHINAS COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, OMAN - A CASE STUDY

PURPOSE The objective of the study is to investigate the impact of monetary incentives on the Shinas College of Technology employees’ motivation; to critically investigate the importance and the value of monetary incentives for the employees and also to critically examine which monetary incentive best suits and motivates the employees of Shinas College of Technology. METHODOLOGY The study included samples of 130 employees from all the academic and non-academic staff of the college collected through a well-defined questionnaire. The data collection was done on a simple random sampling basis.  FINDINGS The study reveals that the employees of Shinas College of Technology are motivated by salary and on duty allowance rather than the other monetary incentives/benefits. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS The study demonstrates that the monetary incentives have a direct impact on employees’ motivation and the attractive financial incentive will boost most of them to work hard. SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS The management of the selected college of study needs to identify the right kind of monetary incentive to their staff so that the employees will be highly motivated to put their best effort in completing their jobs which might, in turn, increase their loyalty towards the organization and their job satisfaction. ORIGINALITY/VALUE No study have examined the impact of monetary incentives and the motivational factors of the employees ever before, and it is a first-hand study of its kind. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS The study was restricted to the employees of the Shinaz College of Technology, Shinaz, Oman. The study could be extended to know the insight of the employees of similar institutions in Oman.&nbsp

IMPROVING BREAST CANCER AWARENESS THROUGH AN EXPERT SYSTEM (18)

The mission of this research paper is to demonstrate the development of a breast cancer awareness and diagnosis expert system utilizing human experts’ knowledge that focuses on users’ lifestyle, personal and family history, and various symptoms of breast cancer to raise awareness about this disease and help early detection. Breast cancer is considered a second kind of cancer impacting women’s lives globally, and it affects about twenty percent of women in Oman, mainly due to a lack of awareness and early detection programs in some places and to cultural barriers. This study developed a simple breast cancer awareness and diagnosis expert system prototype to raise awareness among the female population in particular and to help diagnose breast cancer at early stages for better success rates in treatment. The system has been developed by using a web content rule-based expert system shell. Subsequent to the development of the system, it was evaluated by various users to check its benefits and advantages through a set of evaluation criteria. The potential users noted the advantages and limitations of the system

Urinary Incontinence Among Omani Women: Prevalence, risk factors and impact on quality of life

Objectives: Urinary incontinence (UI) in women is a common health problem which can have a negative impact on quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to determine the prevalence, risk factors and impact of UI on the QOL of Omani women attending primary healthcare centres in Muscat, Oman. Methods: This crosssectional study was conducted at three primary healthcare centres in Muscat from April to August 2018. Women who were 20–50 years of age, not pregnant, not in the six-month postnatal period, not seriously ill and not diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse were included. A self-administered questionnaire using the International Consultation Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form was used to evaluate the frequency, severity and impact of UI on QOL. Results: A total of 1,070 women were included in this study (response rate = 92.5%). The mean age was 31.39 ± 7.64 years. UI was reported by 369 (34.5%) women, of whom 182 (49.3%) had stress UI, 97 (26.3%) had urgency UI, 88 (23.8%) had mixed UI and two (0.5%) had other UI. Age, body mass index (BMI), having been married or employed, hypertension, cough, constipation and vaginal or assisted vaginal delivery during the previous birth were significant risk factors for UI. Only 41 (11.1%) out of the 369 women with UI had ever sought medical advice despite the fact that more than two thirds of the women with UI reported negative effects on their QOL. Conclusion: UI is a common medical problem in Oman. Several risk factors, including age and BMI, were identified. Despite its negative consequences for QOL, women were found to be reluctant to seek medical attention for the condition.Keywords: Urinary Incontinence; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Quality of Life; Oman

Knowledge and Health Beliefs Regarding Sickle Cell Disease Among Omanis in a Primary Healthcare Setting : Cross-sectional study

Objectives: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a global health concern associated with high childhood morbidity and mortality; in Oman, the prevalence of SCD is 0.2%. Public awareness of SCD and the need for premarital screening (PMS) are essential to reduce the incidence of this disease. This study aimed to assess awareness of and beliefs regarding SCD and PMS among Omanis in a primary healthcare setting. Methods: This cross-sectional study took place in five health centres located in Al-Seeb Province, Muscat, Oman, between June and August 2015. A total of 500 Omanis aged ≥18 years old attending the clinics were invited to participate in the study. A previously described questionnaire by Gustafson et al. was used to measure awareness of and beliefs regarding SCD and PMS. Results: A total of 450 Omani adults completed the questionnaire (response rate: 90.0%). The majority (67.8%) were aware that SCD is genetically inherited and 85.1% believed in the value of PMS; however, only 24.4% reported having undergone PMS previously. Few participants were aware that SCD can be very painful (20.2%) and can cause strokes, infections and organ damage (20.0%). More than half (56.7%) reported that the availability of educational material on SCD or PMS in Oman was inadequate. Participants’ education levels were positively associated with accurate SCD knowledge (P <0.05). Conclusion: Despite the free availability of PMS services in local health centres, few Omanis reported having undergone PMS previously. Health promotion and education programmes are therefore needed in Oman in order to increase public awareness of SCD and the value of PMS

The Archaeological Records of Oman: The Challenge of Information Management

Although Oman’s National Heritage Protection Law (NHPL) of 1980 explicitly emphasises the importance of recording the country’s archaeological resource, no major attempt has yet been made to quantify it in a truly comprehensive way. And what few attempts have been made to do so in consistent and standard ways have seen attention limited to specific geographical regions and usually with research objectives that did not include recording. With Oman’s accelerating pace of modernization since the 1970s, parts of the nation’s archaeological resource have become exposed to and endangered by both natural and human factors. Some components have been partially destroyed, others increasingly threatened. It is, therefore, beyond dispute that the establishment of a national archaeology record is an urgent need. In response to such a reality, this paper highlights the neglected role of the archaeological records in the practices of both researchers and management. It reviews the present practices of the relevant bodies when compiling, verifying, storing, managing and exploiting information related to the nation’s archaeological resources. The paper also examines existing records in terms of their aims, scope, development, usage, limitations and adequacy. Finally, it suggests ways to enhance current practice and establish a national record of archaeological resources

The development of marine biotechnology in Oman: Potential for capacity building through open innovation

This study examines the current state of the art in the emerging and strategically important marine biotechnology sector in Oman, which has a long coastline, rich marine heritage and strong fishing industry. In a knowledge-based economy, the ability to innovate is a key factor for increasing organisational competitiveness and this may be achieved using open innovation. This is the use by firms of external knowledge, ideas and technology to innovate. In this study, the extent of open innovation in Omani marine bioindustry companies has been studied by examining data from the top sixteen companies ranked by number of employees. The results indicate that the extent of openness in these companies is higher towards market side activities. In addition, the use of open innovation to increase collaboration between companies, Universities and government research institutes needs to be significantly strengthened

Measurement of open innovation in the marine biotechnology sector in Oman

National economies are often strengthened by diversification, which is built in turn on a healthy and productive culture of national innovation. Innovation is a complex process, which is difficult to measure in an objective manner. In this work and for the first time, a quantitative measure for open innovation has been developed and validated to determine the performance of a firm within the marine biotechnology sector in Oman. This breakthrough was achieved in four steps. First, the characteristics of the two dimensions of open innovation ('breadth' and 'depth') were identified using a critical review of the literature and a series of pre-tests of a survey design with industrial experts. Second, a quantitative index for open innovation by measuring these two dimensions at firm level was developed. Third, validation of this five-item scale was conducted using the UK Community Innovation Survey (CIS) data set. Fourth, the five-item scale was applied to 22 firms in the marine bio-industry sector in Oman using a case study approach, and was used to rank the firms according to their open innovation index. This analysis shows how Omani marine bio-industry firms could strengthen their open innovation efforts, for example by collaborating more effectively with government organizations and research institutes to thereby boost the quality of their open innovation activities in a measurable way

Super Refractory Status Epilepticus in Hashimoto’s Encephalopathy

We present a case of a 38-year-old woman who was at eight weeks of gestation and was admitted to Sultan Qaboos University Hospital with refractory status epilepticus (SE). She presented with a two-day history of fever and a depressed level of consciousness that was followed with generalized tonic-clonic seizures. She progressed to refractory SE that required intubation and mechanical ventilation. Autoimmune workup was suggestive of Hashimoto’s encephalopathy (HE) as suggested by the high levels of thyroid antibodies. Her magnetic resonance imaging showed bilateral hippocampal and basal ganglia hyperintensities, and electroencephalogram showed bilateral frontal epileptiform discharges. Other autoimmune workup was negative. Intravenous anesthetics were started including propofol, midazolam, ketamine, and thiopentone. She was started on multiple immunosuppressive therapies. Multiple antiepileptics were used including phenytoin, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, sodium valproate, clobazam, phenobarbital, and lacosamide. The outcome was unusual in terms of refractoriness to immunotherapy treatment despite a confirmed diagnosis. We did a literature review of all cases with HE presenting with SE with their clinical characteristics and outcome

Evaluation of the chemical and biomechanical viscoelastic properties of decellularised tracheal scaffolds [46]

Evaluation of the chemical and biomechanical viscoelastic properties of decellularised tracheal scaffolds [46