The Relationship Between Leptin and PCOS

Background: The ob gene produces a leptin hormone that works as a satiety signal to the hypothalamus. Leptin may have a role in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) via its role on obesity and insulin resistance. Materials and Methods: A prospective, retrospectives cross- sectional study included 78 females student aged 17-25 years. The retrospective data included clinical, anthropometric and hormonal profile of each subject. Leptin concentration was measured by enzyme absorbent by BioVendor Human Leptin ELISA. Statistical analysis was performed by IBM SPSS Statistics 21.0 for Windows XP (IBM, USA). Results: leptin found to be significantly higher in those women with PCOS than in women without PCOS (p-value 0.037). Also, Overweight/Obese subjects had higher leptin level (22.85 ng/ml) than non-overweight/non-obese subjects (8.82 ng/ml) with (p-value <0.05). OW/Ob group showed higher frequency of family history of PCOS and diabetes, irregular menstrual cycle (IP) and high Ferriman-Gallwey score. Leptin is significantly correlated with insulin, testosterone, BMI, DHEAS, progesterone, FAI and PCOS. Conclusion: PCOS, overweight and obese subjects exhibit high leptin level

Penetration enhancers in proniosomes as a new strategy for enhanced transdermal drug delivery

AbstractThe aim of this work is to investigate penetration enhancers in proniosomes as a transdermal delivery system for nisoldipine. This was performed with the goal of optimising the composition of proniosomes as transdermal drug delivery systems. Plain proniosomes comprising sorbitan monostearate, cholesterol, ethanol and a small quantity of water were initially prepared. Subsequently, proniosomes containing lecithin or skin penetration enhancers were prepared and evaluated for transdermal delivery of nisoldipine. The plain proniosomes significantly enhanced the transdermal flux of nisoldipine to reach 12.18μgcm−2h−1 compared with a saturated aqueous drug solution which delivered the drug at a rate of 0.46μgcm−2h−1. Incorporation of lecithin into such proniosomes increased the drug flux to reach a value of 28.51μgcm−2h−1. This increase can be attributed to the penetration enhancing effect of lecithin fatty acid components. Replacing lecithin oleic acid (OA) produced proniosomes of comparable efficacy to the lecithin containing system. The transdermal drug flux increased further after incorporation of propylene glycol into the OA based proniosomes. Similarly, incorporation of isopropyl myristate into plain proniosomes increased drug flux. The study introduced enhanced proniosomes as a promising transdermal delivery carrier and highlighted the role of penetration enhancing mechanisms in enhanced proniosomal skin delivery. The study opened the way for another line of optimisation of niosome proconcentrates

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Followed By Conformal Hypofractionated Radiotherapy with Concurrent Gemcitabine in Muscle - Invasive Bladder Cancer

Purpose: The aim of this prospective, phase II trial was to determine the response of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) to concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) of weekly gemcitabine with conformal hypofractionated radiotherapy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Patients and Methods: Forty patients with transitional cell carcinoma, stage T2-4a, N0, M0 after magnetic resonance imaging were recruited. Transurethral resection was done and neoadjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine 1250 mg/m² on days 1 and 8 with cisplatin 100 mg/m2 on day1 repeated every three weeks was given. CRT phase included gemcitabine at 100 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, 15, and 22 of a 28-day RT schedule that delivered 52.5 Gy in 20 fractions. The end points were tumor response, toxicity, and survival.Results: Thirty three patients (82.5%) completed treatment protocol. Twenty five patients (75.8%) achieved a complete endoscopic response. The remaining 8 patients (24.2%) had residual disease. At a median follow-up of 23.5 months (range, 11 to 33 months), 19 patients (57.6%) had a functional and intact bladder. Four patients (12.1%) had a loco regional recurrences and 2 patients (6.1%) developed distant metastasis. By using Kaplan-Meier analysis, 2-year disease free survival was 64%, and overall survival was 77.5%. Out of the 33 patients who entered the CCRT phase, only 6 patients (18.2%) had grade 3 acute rectal or bladder toxicity. No one developed G3 late toxicity. Overall, side effects were tolerable and manageable.Conclusion: Concurrent gemcitabine-based CRT after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and TURBT is effective with high response rate, durable local control and acceptable toxicity, which allows patients to preserve their own bladder. However further investigations is needed to confirm these results in larger number in a phase III trial

FLIPPED LEARNING IN ELT: EXPERIENCES FROM OMAN

Background and Purpose: Recently, flipped learning has become prevalent as a teaching and learning approach in international educational settings. A commonly cited advantage is to do self-study at home and to spend valuable classroom time on meaningful interactive learning activities. After the start of Covid-19 pandemic, the sudden transition to online teaching required many institutions to adopt a flipped learning approach. The current study was conducted at one of such institutions, namely Dhofar University in Oman. The aim of this paper is to identify the challenges met by both teachers and students using flipped learning during this transition as well as the solutions they developed to cope with them. &nbsp; Methodology: This study implemented a mixed methods design for which the data were collected from two questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. One questionnaire was for teachers with 14 responses while the other was for students and could obtain responses from 68 students from the target population. From the list of teacher respondents, 10 were interviewed for deeper discussion of flipped learning context. The Questionnaires results were statistically calculated and descriptively analysed, whereas the interviews were thematically scrutinized. &nbsp; Findings: The researchers found several major challenges including increased workload, lack of training, resistance to change, lacking IT skills, technical issues, non-completion of homework tasks and non-participation in live sessions. Teachers' resilience in the face of these challenges was noteworthy; especially in the form of peer support groups. The suggestions made by the teaching faculty for solutions are reported and discussed in the relevant sections of the article with reference to various research studies from different contexts. &nbsp; Contributions: Despite the small scale and the specific context of the study, the results and discussion provide useful food for thought to educational practitioners and decision makers in wider international contexts when it comes to flipped learning challenges and coping mechanisms.&nbsp; &nbsp; Keywords: Flipped learning, ELT, challenges, solutions, higher education. &nbsp; Cite as: Eissa, A., Yapar, O., &amp; Abugohar, M. (2023).&nbsp;Flipped learning in ELT: Experiences from Oman. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 8(2), 180-200. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol8iss2pp180-20

The shifting in the media labor market and its impact on the visual communication designers' characteristics

This paper deals with the latest developments in the media labor market for visual communication design and its transformation into an interactive labor market. The shift cleared the urgent need for new generations of digital communication designers, who would have unique characteristics that enable them to meet the new challenges of the labor market. The creation of new methods for interactive advertisements and virtual and augmented reality technologies in conveying news and various topics represents a qualitative leap towards the near future in media design. Which requires developing the capabilities of designers in these areas to comply with future needs in the new interactive labor market. The research used interviews and discussions with groups interested in developing the profession of visual communication design. The study reached to identify the features of the interactive digital labor market, the characteristics that must be available in new visual communication designers, and the interactive relationship between them to draw a framework governing the educational process in visual communication and media design

Obesity modulate serum hepcidin and treatment outcome of iron deficiency anemia in children: A case control study

BACKGROUND: Recently, hepcidin expression in adipose tissue has been described and shown to be increased in patients with severe obesity. We tried to assess the effect of obesity on hepcidin serum levels and treatment outcome of iron deficiency anemia in children. METHODS: This was a case control study included 70 children with iron deficiency anemia "IDA" (35 obese and 35 non-obese) and 30 healthy non-obese children with comparable age and sex(control group). Parameters of iron status (Serum iron, ferritin, transferrin, total iron binding capacity and transferrin saturation) and serum hepcidin levels were assessed initially and after 3 months of oral iron therapy for IDA. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, serum hepcidin was significantly lower in non-obese children with IDA(p < 0.01) and significantly higher in obese children with IDA (p < 0.01). Hepcidin increased significantly in non-obese children with IDA after 3 months of iron therapy (P < 0.01). On the other hand, obese children showed non-significant change in hepcidin level after iron therapy (p > 0.05). Although hepcidin showed significant positive correlations with Hb, serum iron and transferrin saturation in non-obese children with IDA, it showed significant negative correlations with Hb, serum iron and transferrin saturation in obese children with IDA (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Obesity increased hepcidin levels and was associated with diminished response to oral iron therapy in childhood iron deficiency anemia

Cytokine profile of obese asthma phenotype

Background: The incidence of asthma and obesity is increasing worldwide. Understanding the causal directions between asthma and obesity could have important therapeutic implications. However, the mechanism connecting the two is not well defined.Objective: This study was undertaken to compare pulmonary function tests (PFTs), C-reactive protein (CRP) and inflammatory cytokines in obesity and asthma in Egyptian adolescents and to investigate whether obese asthmatics have a specific inflammatory phenotype than lean asthmatics.Methods: Fifty asthmatic and 30 control subjects were enrolled in the study and divided into 2 sub-groups: obese and non-obese. Serum levels of CRP, leptin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-5, body mass index (BMI) and PFTs were done for asthmatics and controls.Results: Serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α and leptin in obese individuals whether asthmatic or not showed significant increase compared to lean ones (P &lt; 0.01). Body mass index (BMI) showed positive linear correlations with serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, leptin and CRP. Serum IL-5 showed significantly higher levels in all asthmatics versus all controls (P &lt; 0.01). Also serum IL-5 showed non-significant difference between lean and obese asthmatics and it showed significant negative correlations with FEV1/FVC % and PEF.Conclusion: Serum levels ofIL-6, TNF-α and leptin could be considered surrogate markers for obesity, whereas serum IL-5 is considered a marker of airway inflammation in bronchial asthma. Thus obesity and asthma have been shown to coexist together but systemic and airway inflammation appears to operate independent of each other.Keywords: Asthma, cytokines, obesity, phenotyp

The Influence of Advertising Image on Customers’ Final Online Purchase Decisions: A Survey Study

This paper investigates the images use in Sudani Telecom Company’s (STC) advertisements and the degree to which it increases the public’s knowledge about the company. The study was performed among a sample (191 persons) of the company’s users in Khartoum City and the descriptive-analytical method was employed. Results revealed that there are statistically significant differences in the perceived degree to which the company’s use of an image in SNSs advertisements increases the public’s knowledge about and interest in the company and its services. It is recommended that National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) certainly updates its laws. It is also necessary for the company (STC) to employ advertising messages on SNSs, with a special focus on increasing content effectiveness. Furthermore, the company should be more open to the public and consider its demographic characteristics. The advertising image should be considered since it can inform the public and influence its purchase decisions and tendencies

Towards a digitized and integrated health information system in Sudan: assessment of readiness at state level

Background: A strong health information system able to generate timely and accurate information is essential to ensure effective and efficient performance. Sudan’s health information system is still paper-based and characterized by fragmentation and verticality. Efforts to overcome this have led to development of an integrated system to digitize the health information. For this to succeed the 18 states in Sudan need to be evaluated and assessed to identify the gaps in capacity and readiness for such important change. The aim of this paper is to assess the capacity and readiness of the health information system in Sudan at state level for the digitization of the health information system.Materials and Methods: This is a cross sectional institutional based study conducted in 2014 targeting the health information units in the 18 states ministries of health in Sudan. Quantitative data was collected using a pre-tested checklist and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews with state managers and analyzed using the evaluation matrix.Results: All states ministries of health had health information units but this was believed inadequate in 27.8% and 72.2% had units at locality level. Data analysis units were not present in one third of the states. Basic statistical training was done in 15 states. Internet services was available in 14 states but was scarce at locality level (16.7%). Annual reports though produced by 17 states, one third admit not reporting to higher levels in a regular manner.Conclusion: There is a need to strengthen the health information system at state level. Challenges of ICT infrastructure, capacity building and coordination need to be addressed. This needs collaborative work and political commitment.Keywords: Health Information System, states, digitizatio

Fatty acid profile of Chlorella vulgaris commercial cultured in different concentration of fertilizer and salinity

Chlorella vulgaris could be consumed as a complete supplementary food in the diet. Chlorella sp. is high in fatty content, especially Essential Fatty Acid (EFA). Chlorella vulgaris was cultured in different culture media, and then FAME were extracted from the sample following Ostrowski and Divakaran method to the study the fatty acid profile. The result showed the polyunsaturated fatty acid reached to the highest percentage on the seventh day of the cultivation. The cell growth as well as the dry weight reached the peak dung the same day. By looking at the PUFA content in different medium, the modified Bold Basal medium has the highest PUFA content among all. The result also showed that the raw of omega-3: omega-6 is about 2:10. This showed that Chlorella vulgaris could be taken as a balance food