In vitro micropropagation of white dasheen (Colocassia esculenta)

Plant regeneration for efficient vegetative propagation in white dasheen has been developed. Meristem cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 6-Benzyladenine (BA) and Indole-3-aceticacid (IAA) gave the best explants establishment and development. This in vitro system provides for a uniform production system which is easily managed and yields high quality cornels for commercial production

Mass of galaxy lenses in modified gravity: any need for dark mass?

Using strong lensing data, Milgrom's modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) and its covariant TeVeS (tensor-vector-scalar theory) are examined here as an alternative to the conventional ΛCDM paradigm. We examine 10 double-image, gravitational lensing systems in which the lens masses have been estimated by stellar population synthesis models. While mild deviations exist, we find no strong case of outliers to the TeVeS theory. © 2011 American Physical Society.published_or_final_versio

Smoking makes Marlboro cowboy 'unfit'

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Patterns of antiepileptic drug use and seizure control among people with epilepsy in a suburban community in Southeast Nigeria

Background Epilepsy is characterized by episodic and unpredictable seizure recurrences which are often amenable to medical treatment. Simple and readily available medications can be used to control seizures in epilepsy. However, in many communities in developing countries seizure control among people living with epilepsy is still poor. Method We assessed the patterns of antiepileptic drug use and seizure control among persons living with epilepsy in a suburban community in Southeast Nigeria found in a two phase cross-sectional study. Detailed information on epilepsy treatment, seizure control and patterns of antiepileptic drug use (AED) by those diagnosed with epilepsy was determined by use of a semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Further verification of the type of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) was done by drug inspection. Result The total of 29 cases of active epilepsy comprising 16 (55.2%) males and 13 (44.8%) females were found. Those receiving AEDs at the time of survey were 7 (24.1%), 11(37.9%) who had previously used AEDs had stopped and the remaining 11 (37.9%) were AEDs naïve. Carbamazepine monotherapy was used by 57.1% (n=4) while phenobarbitone was used by 42.9% (n=3). The antiepileptic drugs were prescribed in all these cases by medical personnel. Over 82% of the persons with active epilepsy found were having more than one seizure per month. Conclusion Active epilepsy was prevalent in this suburban community with only 24.1% (n=7) of them receiving treatment with AEDs. Seizure control was poor even among those receiving AEDs and carbamazepine monotherapy was most commonly used AEDs

The antidiabetic effects of a dry powder of dietary vegetable and fruit mixtures in diabetic db/db mice

We evaluated the antidiabetic effects of a mixed vegetable powder-formula I (MVP-FI), which is a dry powder mixture of over 65 kinds of vegetables and fruits, using the db/db type 2 diabetes mouse model. The db/db mice at 8-10 weeks of age were randomly divided into three groups: vehicle treatment, 1.575 g/kg MVP-FI treatment, and 3.15 g/kg MVP-FI treatment. During 12 days of treatment, we measured food intake and body weight changes, fasting blood glucose levels, and plasma lipid levels. Our results showed that the food intake and the body weight of MVP-FI-treated group were decreased gradually. Moreover, the fasting blood glucose level of the treated group was significantly dropped to a normal level comparable to that of the lean mice. Furthermore, we also found that the plasma triglyceride level in the treated group was dropped, whereas the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level was increased and total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio was decreased. Taken together, these results suggest that the diabetic conditions of the db/db mice have been improved after 12 days treatment with MVP-FI. The antihyperglycemic and antiobese activities of the MVP-FI, as demonstrated in the present study, may have important clinical implications for improving the management of type 2 diabetic patients. © 2008 Yeung et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd.published_or_final_versio

Meningite Crônica, Hidrocefalia E Paraplegia Medular Em Histoplasmose Não-sistêmica

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Supernumerary, ectopic tooth in the maxillary antrum presenting with recurrent haemoptysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ectopic eruption of teeth in non-dental sites is a rare phenomenon and can present in a variety of ways such as chronic or recurrent sinusitis, sepsis, nasolacrimal duct obstruction, headaches, ostiomeatal complex disease and facial numbness. However, presentation of such patients with recurrent haemoptysis has not been described in the literature so far. We have described a case of an ectopic, supernumerary molar tooth in the maxillary antrum in a patient who initially presented with haemoptysis.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 45-year-old male presented with a 2-month history of episodic haemoptysis. A pedunculated growth from the inferior nasal turbinate was seen with fibre-optic visualization. Although the patient was empirically started on antibiotic and anti-allergic therapy, there was no improvement after a few weeks and the patient had recurrent episodes of haemoptysis. Fibre-optic visualization was repeated showing bilateral osteomeatal erythema. Computed tomography scan of the paranasal sinuses demonstrated complete opacification of the left maxillary antrum along with a focal area of density comparable to bone. An ectopic, supernumerary molar tooth was found in the left maxillary antrum on endoscopic examination and subsequently removed. In addition, copious purulent discharge was seen. Post-operatively, the patient was treated with a 10-day course of oral amoxicillin-clavulanate. On follow-up, he reported resolution of symptoms.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Recurrent haemoptysis has not been described as a presentation for a supernumerary, ectopic tooth in literature before. We recommend that in patients with sinusitis-type of opacification of maxillary antrum and whose condition is refractory to conventional medical treatment, consideration should be given to the investigation of possible underlying anomalies as the cause of such symptoms. Presence of foreign bodies and ectopic teeth in paranasal sinuses can be reliably excluded with the use of appropriate radiological imaging and endoscopic examination.</p

Cholangiocarcinoma: Epidemiology and risk factors

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a heterogeneous disease arising from a complex interaction between host-specific genetic background and multiple risk factors. Globally, CCA incidence rates exhibit geographical variation, with much higher incidence in parts of the Eastern world compared to the West. These differences are likely to reflect differences in geographical risk factors as well as genetic determinants. Of note, over the past few decades, the incidence rates of CCA appear to change and subtypes of CCA appear to show distinct epidemiological trends. These trends need to be interpreted with caution given the issues of diagnosis, recording and coding of subtypes of CCA. Epidemiological evidences suggest that in general population some risk factors are less frequent but associated with a higher CCA risk, while others are more common but associated with a lower risk. Moreover, while some risk factors are shared by intrahepatic and both extrahepatic forms, others seem more specific for one of the two forms. Currently some pathological conditions have been clearly associated with CCA development, and other conditions are emerging; however, while their impact in increasing CCA risk as single etiological factors has been provided in many studies, less is known when two or more risk factors co-occur in the same patient. Moreover, despite the advancements in the knowledge of CCA aetiology, in Western countries about 50% of cases are still diagnosed without any identifiable risk factor. It is therefore conceivable that other still undefined etiologic factors are responsible for the recent increase of CCA (especially iCCA) incidence worldwide

Social disorganization and history of child sexual abuse against girls in sub-Saharan Africa : a multilevel analysis

Background: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a considerable public health problem. Less focus has been paid to the role of community level factors associated with CSA. The aim of this study was to examine the association between neighbourhood-level measures of social disorganization and CSA. Methods: We applied multiple multilevel logistic regression analysis on Demographic and Health Survey data for 6,351 adolescents from six countries in sub-Saharan Africa between 2006 and 2008. Results: The percentage of adolescents that had experienced CSA ranged from 1.04% to 5.84%. There was a significant variation in the odds of reporting CSA across the communities, suggesting 18% of the variation in CSA could be attributed to community level factors. Respondents currently employed were more likely to have reported CSA than those who were unemployed (odds ratio [OR] = 2.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.48 to 2.83). Respondents from communities with a high family disruption rate were 57% more likely to have reported CSA (OR=1.57, 95% CI 1.14 to 2.16). Conclusion: We found that exposure to CSA was associated with high community level of family disruption, thus suggesting that neighbourhoods may indeed have significant important effects on exposure to CSA. Further studies are needed to explore pathways that connect the individual and neighbourhood levels, that is, means through which deleterious neighbourhood effects are transmitted to individuals

Towards data-driven cyber attack damage and vulnerability estimation for manufacturing enterprises

Defending networks against cyber attacks is often reactive rather than proactive. Attacks against enterprises are often monetary driven and are targeted to compromise data. While the best practices in enterprise-level cyber security of IT infrastructures are well established, the same cannot be said for critical infrastructures that exist in the manufacturing industry. Often guided by these best practices, manufacturing enterprises apply blanket cyber security in order to protect their networks, resulting in either under or over protection. In addition, these networks comprise heterogeneous entities such as machinery, control systems, digital twins and interfaces to the external supply chain making them susceptible to cyber attacks that cripple the manufacturing enterprise. Therefore, it is necessary to analyse, comprehend and quantify the essential metrics of providing targeted and optimised cyber security for manufacturing enterprises. This paper presents a novel data-driven approach to develop the essential metrics, namely, Damage Index (DI) and Vulnerability Index (VI) that quantify the extent of damage a manufacturing enterprise could suffer due to a cyber attack and the vulnerabilities of the heterogeneous entities within the enterprise respectively. A use case for computing the metrics is also demonstrated. This work builds a strong foundation for development of an adaptive cyber security architecture with optimal use of IT resources for manufacturing enterprises