Vaginal Vault Prolapse

Introduction. Vaginal vault prolapse is a common complication following vaginal hysterectomy with negative impact on women's quality of life due to associated urinary, anorectal and sexual dysfunction. A clear understanding of the supporting mechanism for the uterus and vagina is important in making the right choice of corrective procedure. Management should be individualised, taking into consideration the surgeon's experience, patients age, comorbidities, previous surgery and sex life. Result. Preexisting pelvic floor defect prior to hysterectomy is the single most important risk factor for vault prolapse. Various surgical techniques have been advanced at hysterectomy to prevent vault prolapse. Studies have shown the McCall's culdoplasty under direct visualisation to be superior. Vault prolapse repair rely on either the use of patient's tissue or synthetic materials and can be carried out abdominally or vaginally. Sacrospinous fixation and abdominal sacrocolpopexy are the commonly performed procedures, with literature in favour of abdominal sacrocolpopexy over sacrospinous fixation due to its reported higher success rate of about 90%. Other less commonly performed procedures include uterosacral ligament suspension and illiococcygeal fixation, both of which are equally effective, with the former having a high risk of ureteric injury. Colpoclesis will play a greater role in the future as the aging population increases. Mesh procedures are gaining in popularity, and preliminary data from vaginal mesh procedures is encouraging. Laparoscopic techniques require a high level of skill and experience. There are many controversies on the mechanism of prolapse and management techniques, which we have tried to address in this article. Conclusion. As the aging population increases, the incidence of prolapse will also rise, older techniques using native tissue will continue, while new techniques using the mesh needs to be studied further. The later may well be the way forward in future

LEADERSHIP STYLES AND SUSTAINABILITY OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP PRACTICES IN HIGHER INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA

Over the last two decades, the terms leadership and leadership styles has become more important and widely used in the world. This research examined the enhancement of leadership styles on sustainability of the entrepreneurial practices in higher institution with reference to Covenant University Ota. Three hundred and two (302) members of covenant University Alumni (2007-2018) were randomly sampled by correspondence via emails through the alumni office. The study employed descriptive and inferential statistics. Regression analysis was used to test the hypothesis to determine the weight of the independent variables on the dependent variables. The result of analysis shows that Autocratic and Transformational style has significant effect on the practice of entrepreneurship and if properly applied would increase the number of entrepreneurs in the country, reduce unemployment as well lead to positive economic growth of the Nation Nigeria

GLOBAL ANALYSIS OF SUMO E3 LIGASE SPECIFICITY UNCOVERS CROSSTALK-MEDIATED KINASE ACTIVATION

Over 100 kinases were recovered as SUMO substrates in our assays which points to a global phenomenon of kinase regulation by SUMO modification. The studies presented in chapter 4 describe our efforts to validate and characterize SUMO modification of focal adhesion, tyrosine kinase, Pyk2. Here, we demonstrate that SUMOylation of Pyk2 is a novel PTM that serves to amplify intrinsic kinase activity by enhancing autophosphorylation. Further biochemical studies reveal SUMOylation of Pyk2 enhances its association with putative binding protein Src kinase, promotes phosphorylation of downstream focal adhesion protein paxillin, and mediates ERK activation. These findings led us to examine the role of SUMOylation of Pyk2 in cell migration. Our results suggest SUMOylation of Pyk2 amplifies its promigratory function in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. These studies have revealed a novel mechanism for Pyk2 activation, regulated by crosstalk between phosphorylation and SUMOylation. Collectively, we have illuminated the connections between SUMOylated kinases along a particular signaling axis, promoting enzyme activity, protein interactions, and activation of numerous nodes in a pathway. We believe that the work presented in this thesis will have a profound impact on the studies of SUMOylation and its crosstalk with other PTMs in a broad range of biological processes

The Effect of Smart Government on Governance in Covid-19 Era

The research work looked at the relationship between various dimensions of smart government which are citizen centricity, efficiency, effectiveness and the dimensions of smart governance being strategic dimension, networking and collaboration between institutions. This study made use of a quantitative analytical cross-sectional design. The study made use of the Stakeholder theory. It also made use of the purposive, convenience and simple random sampling technique. A survey was designed for the respondents which was inclusive of one hundred and thirty (130) postgraduate students of Covenant University, Ota, Ogun state and the Statistical package for social sciences was used in running the analysis. According to the findings of this study, smart government could be regarded a foundation for establishing governance by utilizing advanced information and technology for good governance, which is characterized by multiple interrelationships between individuals, government and other decision makers. The sample size and analyses focused majorly on the Postgraduate students of Covenant University. From the findings, the students assert that the governments use of ICT platforms has been able to enhance the resilience of the government and organisations as they have been able to develop a  means to cope, adapt and adjust to this global change. The efficient and effective use of ICT, allowed for networking and collaborative interaction between government and other state and the governments and organizations. This implies that governments ability to take smart and strategic actions in the face of unforeseen and unpredictable challenges through the use of ICT has proven a candid means for the government to efficiently and effectively run any nation state. The findings focus on examining the effect of smart government on governance. The paper is significant in giving insightful directives on the realities of running government in a continuous dynamic environment which factors are unpredictable and gives a guide on how government should be run in the face of untold challenges

THE NIGERIAN FASHION INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION AND MARKET EXPANSION

The global fashion sector is worth more than $2.5 trillion, with the share of Africa projected to be less than one per cent. technological innovations in the Nigerian fashion industry can enhance, distinguish and differentiate the products offered to create additional value as well as satisfy customers. The study examined technological innovation and market expansion of small scale enterprises in Etiosa L.G.A Lagos State. Data was analysed using regression analysis. The results gotten from this study shows that technological innovations have significant effects on market expansion of SMEs in the fashion industry in Lagos State. In conclusion the researcher provided recommendations in line with enhancing new market and innovative procedures for market expansion of fashionpreneurs

Exploring The Influence of Environmental Complexity on Entrepreneurial Decision Making: A Conceptual Review

Practicing entrepreneurs make decisions in their business operations. These decisions are influenced by the environmental force and contextual issues that affect their operational process. This research paper focuses on exploring environmental complexities and their influence on entrepreneurial decision-making. The research applies a conceptual approach to unpack the effects of complexities, stakeholders’ perspectives and contextual issues on entrepreneurial decision process. A key suggestion is the adoption of meaningful engagement approach to addressing emerging complexities between entrepreneurship practice and environmental issues. While the research finds that interactive engagement can be slow

MYC Overexpression Induces Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia and Loss of Nkx3.1 in Mouse Luminal Epithelial Cells

Lo-MYC and Hi-MYC mice develop prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and prostatic adenocarcinoma as a result of MYC overexpression in the mouse prostate[1]. However, prior studies have not determined precisely when, and in which cell types, MYC is induced. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC) to localize MYC expression in Lo-MYC transgenic mice, we show that morphological and molecular alterations characteristic of high grade PIN arise in luminal epithelial cells as soon as MYC overexpression is detected. These changes include increased nuclear and nucleolar size and large scale chromatin remodeling. Mouse PIN cells retained a columnar architecture and abundant cytoplasm and appeared as either a single layer of neoplastic cells or as pseudo-stratified/multilayered structures with open glandular lumina—features highly analogous to human high grade PIN. Also using IHC, we show that the onset of MYC overexpression and PIN development coincided precisely with decreased expression of the homeodomain transcription factor and tumor suppressor, Nkx3.1. Virtually all normal appearing prostate luminal cells expressed high levels of Nkx3.1, but all cells expressing MYC in PIN lesions showed marked reductions in Nkx3.1, implicating MYC as a key factor that represses Nkx3.1 in PIN lesions. To determine the effects of less pronounced overexpression of MYC we generated a new line of mice expressing MYC in the prostate under the transcriptional control of the mouse Nkx3.1 control region. These “Super-Lo-MYC” mice also developed PIN, albeit a less aggressive form. We also identified a histologically defined intermediate step in the progression of mouse PIN into invasive adenocarcinoma. These lesions are characterized by a loss of cell polarity, multi-layering, and cribriform formation, and by a “paradoxical” increase in Nkx3.1 protein. Similar histopathological changes occurred in Hi-MYC mice, albeit with accelerated kinetics. Our results using IHC provide novel insights that support the contention that MYC overexpression is sufficient to transform prostate luminal epithelial cells into PIN cells in vivo. We also identified a novel histopathologically identifiable intermediate step prior to invasion that should facilitate studies of molecular pathway alterations occurring during early progression of prostatic adenocarcinomas

Overexpression of Hydroxynitrile Lyase in Cassava Roots Elevates Protein and Free Amino Acids while Reducing Residual Cyanogen Levels

Cassava is the major source of calories for more than 250 million Sub-Saharan Africans, however, it has the lowest protein-to-energy ratio of any major staple food crop in the world. A cassava-based diet provides less than 30% of the minimum daily requirement for protein. Moreover, both leaves and roots contain potentially toxic levels of cyanogenic glucosides. The major cyanogen in cassava is linamarin which is stored in the vacuole. Upon tissue disruption linamarin is deglycosylated by the apolplastic enzyme, linamarase, producing acetone cyanohydrin. Acetone cyanohydrin can spontaneously decompose at pHs >5.0 or temperatures >35°C, or is enzymatically broken down by hydroxynitrile lyase (HNL) to produce acetone and free cyanide which is then volatilized. Unlike leaves, cassava roots have little HNL activity. The lack of HNL activity in roots is associated with the accumulation of potentially toxic levels of acetone cyanohydrin in poorly processed roots. We hypothesized that the over-expression of HNL in cassava roots under the control of a root-specific, patatin promoter would not only accelerate cyanogenesis during food processing, resulting in a safer food product, but lead to increased root protein levels since HNL is sequestered in the cell wall. Transgenic lines expressing a patatin-driven HNL gene construct exhibited a 2–20 fold increase in relative HNL mRNA levels in roots when compared with wild type resulting in a threefold increase in total root protein in 7 month old plants. After food processing, HNL overexpressing lines had substantially reduced acetone cyanohydrin and cyanide levels in roots relative to wild-type roots. Furthermore, steady state linamarin levels in intact tissues were reduced by 80% in transgenic cassava roots. These results suggest that enhanced linamarin metabolism contributed to the elevated root protein levels

Biochar: pyrogenic carbon for agricultural use: a critical review.

O biocarvão (biomassa carbonizada para uso agrícola) tem sido usado como condicionador do solo em todo o mundo, e essa tecnologia é de especial interesse para o Brasil, uma vez que tanto a ?inspiração?, que veio das Terras Pretas de Índios da Amazônia, como o fato de o Brasil ser o maior produtor mundial de carvão vegetal, com a geração de importante quantidade de resíduos na forma de finos de carvão e diversas biomassas residuais, principalmente da agroindústria, como bagaço de cana, resíduos das indústrias de madeira, papel e celulose, biocombustíveis, lodo de esgoto etc. Na última década, diversos estudos com biocarvão têm sido realizados e atualmente uma vasta literatura e excelentes revisões estão disponíveis. Objetivou-se aqui não fazer uma revisão bibliográfica exaustiva, mas sim uma revisão crítica para apontar alguns destaques na pesquisa sobre biochar. Para isso, foram selecionados alguns temaschave considerados críticos e relevantes e fez-se um ?condensado? da literatura pertinente, mais para orientar as pesquisas e tendências do que um mero olhar para o passad