Vasomotor symptoms and management of women undergoing treatment for breast cancer: literature review with focus on the therapeutic potential of cytoplasmic pollen extract

Objective: Effective management of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) in patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer (BC) represents a critical but frequent unmet need. This review summarizes the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical features of VMS in patients with BC and provides a synopsis of the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches in relieving VMS with a focus on purified cytoplasm of pollen (PCP). Methods: The literature on VMS epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical burden, and CAM treatment in healthy women and patients with BC was reviewed. Results: VMS are common in patients with BC undergoing hormonal treatment and negatively impact quality of life, leading to treatment discontinuation in up to 25% of patients with detrimental impact on risk of BC recurrence and overall survival. CAM approaches to treat VMS in patients with BC include vitamin E, phytoestrogens, and black cohosh, even if there is a lack of solid evidence to guide clinicians in the choice of treatment. PCP, obtained according to standards of good manufacturing practice, has a definite pharmacological mechanism of action, is devoid of estrogen activity, and has shown clinical efficacy on menopause-associated symptoms with a favorable safety profile and high compliance. As such, it appears to represent a valid management option to improve quality of life in patients with pre- and postmenopausal BC. Conclusions: Physicians should actively investigate the presence and impact of VMS in patients receiving therapy for BC. Additional and appropriately sized randomized clinical trials are needed to provide clear evidence on how to best meet the needs of patients with BC suffering from menopause-associated symptoms

Profit Maximization Strategies Employed by the Small and Medium Size Building Contractors in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania

When it comes to a firm’s growth, profitability and profit maximization are sensitive matters that cannot be neglected, due to the fact that profit and profit maximization are the main aims for any building construction business. Thus, the study intended to explore the profit maximization opportunities available for small and medium size building contractors (SMSBCs) in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania; by exploring the profit maximization strategies employed; examining the challenges faced by these contractors that affect realization of profit maximization; and proposing profit maximization measures, that can be employed by the SMSBCs in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania. This designed survey study, employed the SMSBCs in Dar-Es-Salaam Tanzania, as a unit of analysis, which involved building contractors from Class IV, V, VI and VII, as study population and unit sample. Moreover, the descriptive design survey study involved probability sampling as a sampling technique. Literature review; open and closed ended questionnaires, were used in collecting primary and secondary qualitative and quantitative data. In collecting data, total of 94 questionnaires were distributed, whereby 78 (84.3%) were returned. Quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Findings revealed charging for all amendments and change orders; dropping of low performers; minimization of waste on site; timely execution of works on site; proper tendering procedures; improving construction productivity; reliable chain of supplies; and requiring more site job experience, as the most important opportunities employed by SMSBCs. Furthermore, the critical challenges revealed were; non-payment of debts; taxes and license; lack of capital equipment; low share of work opportunities; delays caused by clients; as well as uncertainty and unexpected climate conditions. The study concluded that; most of the contractors use all the opportunities to maximize their profits in construction projects. Most of them have survived because, they continued maintaining professionalism when it comes to work despite having low share of work/ tender opportunities. Also, corruption is one of the critical factors that affects the industry, hence hindering the contractor’s growth. With the new reform and government systems, this factor has reduced to some extent as compared to how businesses were operated before, but not completely eliminated. The overall satisfaction of the profits and growth of these SMSBCs has been reduced by government reforms and policies, despite the government effort to fight corruption. When it comes to taxes and license fees, most of the contractors are irritated with constant need to pay for cost/license of operations or the presence of both withholding tax and Skills Development Levy(SDL) imposed to them when conducting business. Lastly, the study recommended; introduction of proper taxation policies; centralization of government agencies responsible for collecting annual payment from contractors should be centralized, in which only one agency should be used to supervise process; payment made by government for its construction projects to be made on time; as well as government making sure on the availability of equal opportunities for tenders in private and public sector

Vasomotor symptoms in menopause: a biomarker of cardiovascular disease risk and other chronic diseases?

Menopausal disorders may include shorter-term symptoms, such as hot flushes and night sweats (vasomotor symptoms, VMS) and longer-term chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), osteoporosis, and cognitive impairment. Initially, no clear link between the shorter-term symptoms and longer-term chronic conditions was evident and these disorders seemed to occur independently from each other. However, there is a growing body of evidence demonstrating that VMS may be a biomarker for chronic disease. In this review, the association between VMS and a range of chronic postmenopausal conditions including CVD, osteoporosis, and cognitive decline is discussed. Prevention of CVD in women, as for men, should be started early, and effective management of chronic disease in postmenopausal women has to start with the awareness that VMS during menopause are harbingers of things to come and should be treated accordingly

The impact of Covid-19 pandemic on market liquidity : evidence from African countries

PURPOSE: This study analyzed impact of COVID-19 on market liquidity. Specifically, the study examines the causal relationship that existed between daily growth of reported cases and market liquidity in selected African countries.METHODOLOGY: The study used quantitative approach and panel design from African Stock Markets. It also employed the use of AMIHUD liquidity ratio to measure market depth of Liquidity.FINDINGS: The findings indicate mixed results that daily growth of reported cases impacted negatively the market liquidity for Egypt, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. Contrary, the daily reported cases had a positive impact on the market liquidity in Morocco. The reported cases of COVID-19 had no significant impact on the market liquidity for Botswana, Ghana, Tunisia, Zambia, Uganda and Kenya. Additionally, the number of reported deaths had a negative influence on market liquidity in Morocco. It is recommended that Governments should provide transparent and timely information about the state of the pandemic and its impact on the economy, and promote remote work to limit the spread of communicable diseases and minimize their impact on market liquidity and the economy at large.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study is meant to raise public awareness on how COVID19 pandemic has impacted the liquidity of capital markets. It is trusted that the suggested recommendations will enable the regulatory authorities to react timely and in a more transparent way in case of pandemic occurance, hence reduce their impacts on performance of capital markets.peer-reviewe

A preliminary microbiological assessment of process hygiene of traditional outdoor camel slaughter in Sahrawi refugee camps.

The aim of this study was to investigate the hygiene performance of a camel (Camelus dromedarius) slaughtering process as carried out with the traditional method in the Sahrawi refugee camps located in southwestern Algeria. The camel slaughtering process in this region differs significantly from that carried out in commercial abattoirs. Slaughtering is performed outdoors in desert areas, and dehiding of the carcass is approached via the dorsoventral route rather than the classic ventrodorsal route. Samples were taken from 10 camel carcasses from three different areas: the hide, the carcass meat immediately after dehiding, and the meat after final cutting. Enterobacteriaceae counts (EC) were enumerated employing conventional laboratory techniques. Carcass meat samples resulted in EC below the detection limit more frequently if the hide samples from the same carcass had also EC counts below the detection limit. Because of the low number of trials, the calculation of statistical significance of the results was not possible. Further experimental research is needed in order to validate the results presented in this study. The comparison of the microbiological hygiene performance between dorsal dehiding and traditional ventral dehiding of slaughtered animals could serve to validate the hypothesis of the potential positive impact of the dorsal dehiding method in carcass meat hygiene

Vitamin D and Histological Features of Breast Cancer: Preliminary Data from an Observational Retrospective Italian Study

Background: Vitamin D (vitD) may be involved in different extraskeletal conditions as well as skeletal muscle diseases. It has been hypothesized that, at least in part, a low level of vitD could contribute to facilitating cancer development. Breast cancer (BC) seems to be associated with low levels of vitD. Materials and methods: This was an observational retrospective evaluation of 87 women (mean age: 54 ± 12 years old) who underwent surgery for the treatment of BC. Our main purpose was to correlate the types of BC and the levels of vitD. Results: A positive significant correlation (R > 0.7) was found between non-invasive carcinoma in situ and 25(OH)D levels and age (R = 0.82, p < 0.05). A positive, but nonsignificant, correlation was reported between invasive ductal carcinoma and 25(OH)D and age (R = 0.45, p > 0.05). A negative but nonsignificant correlation was found between invasive lobular carcinoma and 25(OH)D and age (R = 0.24, p > 0.05). Discussion and Conclusions: We did not find a significant relationship between vitD and BC subtypes. Considering the positive significant correlation between vitD levels and age for in situ BC, although preliminary, our results seem to suggest a possible role of vitD in in situ BC. However, these findings need to be confirmed in larger studies

Within-Host Dynamics of Multi-Species Infections: Facilitation, Competition and Virulence

Host individuals are often infected with more than one parasite species (parasites defined broadly, to include viruses and bacteria). Yet, research in infection biology is dominated by studies on single-parasite infections. A focus on single-parasite infections is justified if the interactions among parasites are additive, however increasing evidence points to non-additive interactions being the norm. Here we review this evidence and theoretically explore the implications of non-additive interactions between co-infecting parasites. We use classic Lotka-Volterra two-species competition equations to investigate the within-host dynamical consequences of various mixes of competition and facilitation between a pair of co-infecting species. We then consider the implications of these dynamics for the virulence (damage to host) of co-infections and consequent evolution of parasite strategies of exploitation. We find that whereas one-way facilitation poses some increased virulence risk, reciprocal facilitation presents a qualitatively distinct destabilization of within-host dynamics and the greatest risk of severe disease

Bilateral myositis ossificans of the masseter muscle after chemoradiotherapy and critical illness neuropathy- report of a rare entity and review of literature

Myositis ossificans in the head and neck is a rare heterotropic bone formation within a muscle. Besides fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, traumatic and neurogenic forms are described in the literature

Nutritional Characterization and Phenolic Profiling of Moringa oleifera Leaves Grown in Chad, Sahrawi Refugee Camps, and Haiti

Moringa oleifera is a plant that grows in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Its leaves are rich of nutrients and bioactive compounds. However, several differences are reported in the literature. In this article we performed a nutritional characterization and a phenolic profiling of M. oleifera leaves grown in Chad, Sahrawi refugee camps, and Haiti. In addition, we investigated the presence of salicylic and ferulic acids, two phenolic acids with pharmacological activity, whose presence in M. oleifera leaves has been scarcely investigated so far. Several differences were observed among the samples. Nevertheless, the leaves were rich in protein, minerals, and \u3b2-carotene. Quercetin and kaempferol glycosides were the main phenolic compounds identified in the methanolic extracts. Finally, salicylic and ferulic acids were found in a concentration range of 0.14-0.33 and 6.61-9.69 mg/100 g, respectively. In conclusion, we observed some differences in terms of nutrients and phenolic compounds in M. oleifera leaves grown in different countries. Nevertheless, these leaves are a good and economical source of nutrients for tropical and sub-tropical countries. Furthermore, M. oleifera leaves are a source of flavonoids and phenolic acids, among which salicylic and ferulic acids, and therefore they could be used as nutraceutical and functional ingredients