Genetic Regulation of the Growth Plate

The epiphyseal growth plate consists of a layer of cartilage present only during the growth period and vanishes soon after puberty in long bones. It is divided to three well-defined zones, from epiphyses; resting, proliferative, and hypertrophic zones. Chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation and subsequent bone formation in this cartilage are controlled by various endocrine, autocrine, and paracrine factors which finally results into elimination of the cartilaginous tissue and promotion of the epiphyseal fusion. As chondrocytes differentiate from round, quiescent, and single structure to flatten and proliferative and then large and terminally differentiated, they experience changes in their gene expression pattern which allow them to transform from cartilaginous tissue to bone. This review summarizes the literature in this area and shortly describes different factors that affect growth plate cartilage both at the local and systemic levels. This may eventually help us to develop new treatment strategies of different growth disorders

Public mural art installations in an urban cultural district: place identity under scrutiny

Public Mural Art Installation (PMAI) affects tourist perceptions and decision-making on a destination’s features and the manner they enhance a place identity. Despite the intention, many PMAI seems to have a lack of purpose in conveying its message on the place’s identity to tourists. The construction of the PMAI appeared to be haphazardly implemented and does not integrate well with the open public space to provide appropriate meaning to the place. This paper investigates how tourists’ conceive the manner PMAI in Georgetown Cultural District enhances the identity of the place. A non-participant observation on the tourists behaviors during their engagement with the PMAI and descriptive analysis were conducted in the data collection process. The result demonstrates that both the local and international tourists were attracted to the PMAI and support by the local government through maintenance and events including more accessible and integrated approach in the planning and design of urban open spaces are essentially needed to further sustain the attraction. This study contributes to the creation of more effective construction guidelines concerning the PMAI installation in urban setting

The antibacterial effects of the hydroalcoholic extracts of aloe vera and glycyrrhiza glabra against cariogenic bacteria invitro

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Medical treatment of tooth decay is associated with the possibility of allergic reactions and increased bacterial resistance to antibiotics. This study aimed to evaluate the phenolic compounds and antimicrobial effects of the hydroalcoholic extracts of Aloe vera and Glycyrrhiza glabra against four cariogenic bacteria in vitro. METHODS: In this empirical study, hydroalcoholic extracts of Aloe vera and Glycyrrhiza glabra were obtained using the percolation method. Then preparing standard strains of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus sanguinis, Actinomyces viscosus. Antibacterial activity of extracts were determined by micro broth dilution method. Concentration of phenolic compounds, flavonols and flavonoid were determined using the optical density (OD) method. FINDINGS: In this study, total phenolic content and concentrations of flavonols and flavonoids were 3, 37 and 10 mg/g in the Aloe vera extract, respectively, while they were 36, 78 and 14 mg/g, respectively in the extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra. Regarding the frequency of cariogenic bacteria, MIC and MBC of the Glycyrrhiza glabra extract for Streptococcus mutans were 0.5 and 1 mg/ml, respectively, while they were 0.25 and 0.5 mg/ml for Streptococcus salivarius, 0.125 and 0.5 mg/ml for Streptococcus sanguinis, and 0.25 and 0.5 mg/ml for Actinomyces viscosus, respectively. Moreover, MIC and MBC of the Aloe vera extract were 4 and 16 mg/ml for Streptococcus mutans, 0.5 and 2 mg/ml for Streptococcus salivarius, 1 and 4 mg/ml for Streptococcus sanguinis, and 1 and 2 mg/ml for Actinomyces viscosus, respectively. MIC and MBC of Aloe Vera extract (4 and 16 mg/ml) was significantly higher than the Glycyrrhiza glabra extract (0.5 and 1 mg / ml) (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, the hydroalcoholic extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra exerted greater antibacterial effects against the studied bacteria compared to the Aloe vera extract due to the higher concentration of phenolic compounds. In addition, Streptococcus mutans showed higher resistance against the herbal extracts compared to the other bacteria. © 2016, Babol University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

継承語年少学習者と第二言語学習者 : ロシア語教育の方法

<p>(G1) (Normal control group); (G2) (Ulcer control group); (G3) (Omeprazole); (G4) (62.5 mg/kg), (G5) (125 mg/kg), (G6) (250 mg/kg) and (G7) (500 mg/kg) of <i>V</i>. <i>pubescens</i> extract. HSP70 protein was over-expressed in rats pre-treated with omeprazole or <i>V</i>. <i>pubescens</i> extract (brown color shows over-expression of HSP70 protein) (magnification 20×). There were 6 rats in each group of experiment. The Image J program was used to evaluate protein expression. All values are expressed as the means ± the standard error of mean. The mean difference was significant at the <i>p < 0</i>.<i>05</i> level compared to the cancer control group.</p

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家族看護学が看護の専門領域として確立され発展していくため,今後の研究の方向性を明らかにしたいと,国内外の家族および家族看護学に関する文献の数量的動向と研究領域別文献概観を行った結果,国内外ともに家族,家族の健康,家族援助に関する研究報告は増加傾向にあり,家族への関心の高まりと実践上の必要性が反映されていた。また,わが国では高齢化社会における家族援助の要求が家族看護学の確立を促していること,今後は家族を対象とした評価方法の開発や援助に関する予防的・実践的研究が求められていることが示唆された。The review of the literature on family nursing through numerical trend and research fields was done to know how to establish and develop nursing specialty in this area. The followings were suggested. 1) The researches concerning family, family health, and family practice were increasing in both inside and outside of Japan. 2) ln U. S. A., family nursing was developed in the field of maternal-child and psychiatric nursing, introducing family system theory. In Japan family nursing is rather essential in the field of home care for the aeed, due to aging population. 3) Further researches on development of assessment tool, intervention and social support are necessary, especially by preventive and practical points of view

Global, regional, and national cancer incidence, mortality, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-Adjusted life-years for 29 cancer groups, 1990 to 2017 : A systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study

Importance: Cancer and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are now widely recognized as a threat to global development. The latest United Nations high-level meeting on NCDs reaffirmed this observation and also highlighted the slow progress in meeting the 2011 Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases and the third Sustainable Development Goal. Lack of situational analyses, priority setting, and budgeting have been identified as major obstacles in achieving these goals. All of these have in common that they require information on the local cancer epidemiology. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study is uniquely poised to provide these crucial data. Objective: To describe cancer burden for 29 cancer groups in 195 countries from 1990 through 2017 to provide data needed for cancer control planning. Evidence Review: We used the GBD study estimation methods to describe cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-Adjusted life-years (DALYs). Results are presented at the national level as well as by Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income, educational attainment, and total fertility rate. We also analyzed the influence of the epidemiological vs the demographic transition on cancer incidence. Findings: In 2017, there were 24.5 million incident cancer cases worldwide (16.8 million without nonmelanoma skin cancer [NMSC]) and 9.6 million cancer deaths. The majority of cancer DALYs came from years of life lost (97%), and only 3% came from years lived with disability. The odds of developing cancer were the lowest in the low SDI quintile (1 in 7) and the highest in the high SDI quintile (1 in 2) for both sexes. In 2017, the most common incident cancers in men were NMSC (4.3 million incident cases); tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer (1.5 million incident cases); and prostate cancer (1.3 million incident cases). The most common causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for men were TBL cancer (1.3 million deaths and 28.4 million DALYs), liver cancer (572000 deaths and 15.2 million DALYs), and stomach cancer (542000 deaths and 12.2 million DALYs). For women in 2017, the most common incident cancers were NMSC (3.3 million incident cases), breast cancer (1.9 million incident cases), and colorectal cancer (819000 incident cases). The leading causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for women were breast cancer (601000 deaths and 17.4 million DALYs), TBL cancer (596000 deaths and 12.6 million DALYs), and colorectal cancer (414000 deaths and 8.3 million DALYs). Conclusions and Relevance: The national epidemiological profiles of cancer burden in the GBD study show large heterogeneities, which are a reflection of different exposures to risk factors, economic settings, lifestyles, and access to care and screening. The GBD study can be used by policy makers and other stakeholders to develop and improve national and local cancer control in order to achieve the global targets and improve equity in cancer care. © 2019 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Effect of selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) on growth plate cartilage

More than 300 years ago Dr. Stephen Hales drilled holes in the shaft of chicken bones and noted that as the animal grew, the distance between these holes remained constant. This led him to conclude that longitudinal bone growth occurs at the end of the long bones, rather than in the middle. During the subsequent centuries, employing increasingly sophisticated approaches, we have learned that bone elongation involves cells located in the cartilage of the epiphyseal growth plate at the end of the long bones. The transient epiphyseal growth plate consists of cartilage present only during the growth period. Cell proliferation and differentiation and subsequent bone formation in this cartilage are controlled by various endocrine, autocrine and paracrine factors which finally eliminate the cartilaginous tissue and promote epiphyseal fusion. It is well known that sex steroids in particular estrogens, play an important role in longitudinal bone growth during puberty. High doses of estrogen therapy can reduce the final height of an individual, but such treatment is also associated with severe side-effects. At the same time, attenuation of estrogen production by aromatase inhibitors increases this final height, inhibiting bone turnover, which influences bone architecture and may increase the risk for vertebrae fracture. Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), which display either estrogenic and or anti-estrogenic effects, bind to estrogen receptors ER(s) with different affinities and subsequently recruit co-modulators of transcription in a tissue specific manner. Therefore, our hypothesis is that SERMs may prove to be valuable tools for modulating longitudinal bone growth. First, we examined the effect of tamoxifen, a first generation SERM, on the longitudinal growth of fetal rat metatarsal bones, in culture. We found that this drug retards such growth in a dose-dependent manner, as a result of specific elimination of chondrocytes, primarily in the resting zone of the growth plate, by apoptosis (Paper I). To extend thesefindings to the in vivo situation and at the same time evaluate the long-term effects of tamoxifen on bone growth and mineralization, we used young male rats. At a clinically relevant dose tamoxifen causes persistent retardation of longitudinal and cortical radial bone growth in these animals (Paper II). Next in attempt to improve clinical approaches to altering growth plate cartilage and longitudinal bone growth by reducing side effects, we investigated Trans-resveratrol (3, 5, 4΄-trihydroxystilbene), a phytoSERM with a polyphenolic structure that is produced by a variety of plants in response to infection. We found that in ovariectomized rabbits, resveratrol improves both axial and appendicular bone growth, an effect associated with an increased number and size of hypertrophic chondrocytes and attenuation of the expression of VEGF by these same cells. At the same time, the serum level of IGF-I was unaltered by treatment with this phytoSERM (Paper III). Finally, we developed new culturing conditions that allow long-term study of the growth of postnatal rat metatarsal bones ex vivo. This model can be employed to characterize persistent long-term growth in culture under serum-free conditions, and responses to known suppressors and stimulators of bone growth, thereby offering the possibility to study the phenomenon of catch-up growth in vitro. This system also facilitates the screening of the effects of various SERMs at different concentrations on postnatal bones, the growth of which is regulated in a different manner than that of fetal bones (Paper IV). The studies described here demonstrate that SERMs have the potential to influence growth plate cartilage in such a manner as to affect the longitudinal bone growth

Tourist perception and behaviour towards public mural art installation in Georgetown Heritage District, Malaysia

Public Mural Art Installation (PMAI) is normally planned and executed in the urban open space and accessible to the public for tourism activities. In recent years, public mural art installation (PMAI) has increasingly expanded in Penang Georgetown Heritage District (PGHD) which enhance the local identity towards tourists. Despite the expansion, it seems that most tourists have difficulties in understanding the PMAI and this is due to its inefficient planning and design in the heritage district of Georgetown. There is an imperative need to ascertain to what extent has the PMAI facilitates the identity of PGHD by understanding the tourists’ perception and behaviours and during their engagement with PMAI in heritage district. Moreover, applying PMAI as modern design characteristics may not have a positive impact on the manner the PMAI enhance the place identity of PGHD. The mixed methodologies selected are a non-participant observation and distributed random survey questionnaires (SQ) amongst tourists in the PGAD. Subsequently, physical and statistical analysis SPSS were selected to analyse the collected data. The study demonstrates that the level of perception and satisfaction of PMAInin terms of enhancing the identity of the place amongst tourists in PGHD isnsatisfactory. As the result of the analysis, it is clear that most tourists believed applying PMAI as a modern installation in the heritage district of Georgetown has managed to increase local identity and its effectiveness can be further enhanced with the addition of the local socio-cultural characteristics. This study contributes to the improvement of current PMAI design qualities in PGHD to enhance the place identity. It will also assist in formulating appropriate policy and guidelines in constructing the PMAI in heritage districts globally

The prevalence of nasal septum deviation and its association with maxillary sinus mucosal thickening using cone-beam computed tomography

Introduction: Maxillary sinus mucosal thickening is a very common disease that is attributed to several reasons including environmental and anatomical. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and relationship between nasal septum deviation and maxillary sinus mucosal thickening using cone-beam computed tomography imaging. Methods: The nasal cavities and maxillary sinuses of 226 patients (169 women and 57 men) were retrospectively examined using cone beam computed tomography. Statistical analysis was done to determine the prevalence and relationship between the nasal septum deviation and maxillary sinus mucosal thickening regarding gender and age. The level of significance was set at 0.05 and statistical analysis was done using the SPSS version 26. Results: The average age of the participants was 43.7 ± 13.3 years. The prevalence of deviated nasal septum was 87.6% (95% CI, 82.6-91.3%), and no significant relationship between nasal septum deviation and age and gender was observed. The highest frequency of nasal septum deviation according to the Meladina classification modified by Rao et al. was assigned to type 7 (36%). Mucosal thickness &gt; 2 mm was found in the right and left maxillary sinuses, 36.7%, and 34.5%, respectively.&nbsp

Multiple-depth modeling of soil organic carbon using visible–near infrared spectroscopy

This paper evaluates the capability of visible-near-infrared (VIS-NIR) spectroscopy to estimate soil organic carbon (SOC) at multiple depths including 0–15, 15–40, 40–60, and 60–80 cm. Four modeling algorithms, namely partial least squares regression (PLSR), principal component regression (PCR), support vector regression (SVR), and random forest (RF) were implemented calibrated to process the spectroscopy data. Overall, 120 soil samples were taken from 30 profiles at the depth of 0–80 cm. We implemented the four models considering different pre-processing techniques including Savitzky-Golay first deviation (SGD), normalization (N), and standard normal variate transformation (SNV). Results revealed that the RF model outperformed other models and the highest accuracy was reached with no pre-processing for all depths excluding 40–60 cm, where the R2 and RMSE were between 0.55–0.77 and 0.75–0.84% respectively. For the depth of 40–60  cm, the maximum accuracy was observed when SGD pre-processing was applied, resulting in R2=0.73 and RMSE = 0.78%. Generally, our findings indicate that the spectral data can provide useful information to predict SOC at multiple depths