Many Roads to Social Satisfaction? Social Anxiety, Social Interaction Format, and Social Belonging

This study explored how different social interaction formats (face-to-face versus virtual) influence individuals’ belongingness need satisfaction and interaction enjoyment. Furthermore, it also explored how personality variables related to social anxiety (i.e., Interaction Anxiousness, Fear of Negative Evaluation) interact with social interaction format to influence belongingness needs satisfaction and enjoyment. Participants engaged in a conventional face-to-face interaction or a virtual interaction (via Instant Messenger) with a same-sex confederate on a between-subjects basis. Participants then indicated the extent to which the interaction satisfied fundamental social needs (e.g., self-esteem, belonging), their positive and negative mood, as well as how much they enjoyed the interaction. The results indicated that face-to-face interactions led to greater satisfaction of basic belonging needs, more positive mood, and higher levels of interaction enjoyment than virtual interactions. Personality factors related to social anxiety did not moderate these findings

Studies on some morphological characters and yield attributes of synthetic Brassica hexaploids and their parents

Allopolyploidy plays an important role in plant evolution and confers better advantages on crop growth and breeding compared to low ploidy levels. The present investigation aimed to study the synthetic hexaploid Brassica (AABBCC genome) developed from Brassica cainata (BBCC genome) and Brassica rapa (AA genome) compared to their parental genotypes considering some morphological characters, yield attributes and yield. Increased vegetative growth in hexaploids over their parents was observed. Hexaploids exhibited wider ranges with higher coefficients of variations compared to the parents for all characters studied. Hexaploids had taller plants, higher number of siliqua and larger flowers than those of both parents. Though average pollen fertility in the hexaploids was lower than both parents but out of 420 hexaploids, seventeen had comparatively higher percentages of pollen fertility as well as siliqua setting. Number of seeds per siliqua and siliqua length were found to be lower than their parents. Mean seed weight per plant in the hexaploids was lower than the parents though the hexaploids had higher number of siliquae along with higher seed weight. Days to flowering and maturity in the hexaploids were in between the parents and closer to the B. carinata parent. Five hexaploid plants from BARIBatishak-1 × Carinata-1 and two from each of Carinata-1 × BARIBatishak-1 and Agrani × Carinata-1 were found to be promising because they have higher seed yield per plant than their parents. Those nine selected high yielding hexaploid plants could be evaluated in the subsequent generations to select the stable and desirable Brassica hexaploids.Keywords: Brassica hexaploid, morphological characters, yield attribute

Influence of simulation in Malaysian healthcare education and research (ISIM-HERE): a two-decade experience

The use of simulation as a teaching methodology in medical institutions has been in Malaysia for over two decades. This study aimed to evaluate the current scenarios of simulation impact and utilization in Malaysian academic healthcare institutions (AHIs). We conducted a population-based survey on all AHIs in Malaysia including public and private. We performed an online survey followed by a face-to-face interview evaluating the number of institutions that used simulation, duration of experience, purpose, funding, users’ category and healthcare domain, research activities, dedicated-trained staff and the challenges faced. Out of 75 healthcare institutions approached, 38 agreed to participate in this study. Twenty-two (57.9%) were public hospitals while 16 (42.1%) were private institutions. Thirty-five (92.1%) out of 38 institutions used simulation as a teaching method. The majority (15, 42.9%) had less than five years’ experience, and about a third (11, 31.4%) used simulation for teaching, training and performance assessment. Nurses (30, 26.1%) were the main users followed by physicians and paramedic (19, 16.5% each respectively). In-hospital and procedural group were the top two domains of utilizers. Almost three quarters (25, 71.4%) have dedicated support staff to manage the centre. Funding was mainly from internal institutional support mechanisms. Seven different categories of challenges were identified, the biggest being financial support. In summary, even though healthcare simulation has been in Malaysia for the past two decades but the most substantial impact happened over the last five years. Utilization was mainly for teaching, training, and performance assessment with minimal use in research

Potential Drug-Drug Interactions in Psychiatric Ward of a Tertiary Care Hospital: Prevalence, Levels and Association with Risk Factors

Purpose: To identify the prevalence of potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) in a psychiatric ward, their levels and association with risk factors.Methods: This study was conducted in the psychiatric ward of Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, Pakistan. Medical records of 415 patients were retrospectively reviewed for pDDIs using Micromedex Drug-Reax software. Logistic regression was applied to determine association of pDDIs with age, gender, hospital stay and number of drugs.Results: In our study, we identified total number of 825 pDDIs of 126 types, with median number of 1 pDDIs per patient. Overall 64.8 % of the patients had at least one pDDI; 27.2 % at least one major pDDI; and 58.5 % patients at least one moderate pDDI. Among 825 identified pDDIs, most were of moderate (75.6 %) or major (20.8 %) severity, good (66.4 %) or fair (29 %) type of scientific evidence; and delayed onset (71 %). The most frequent major and moderate pDDIs included haloperidol + procyclidine (127 cases), haloperidol + olanzapine (49), haloperidol + promethazine (47), haloperidol + fluphenazine (41), diazepam + divalproex sodium (40), haloperidol + trihexyphenidyl (37), lorazepam + divalproex sodium (34), fluphenazine + procyclidine (33) and olanzapine + divalproex sodium (32). There was significant association of occurrence of pDDIs with hospital stay of 7 days or longer (p = 0.005) and taking 7 or more drugs (p < 0.001).                                                       Conclusion: A high prevalence of pDDIs in the psychiatric ward was recorded, a majority of which were of moderate severity. Patients with long hospital stay and increased number of drugs were more exposed to pDDIs.Keywords: Drug-drug interactions, Potential drug-drug interaction, Prescriptions screening, Drug-related problems, Clinical pharmacy

Outcome of early cardiopulmonary resuscitation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest managed in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients require immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Early initiation of CPR and defibrillation before arrival at Emergency Department (ED) increases the chance of survival from sudden cardiac arrest. The main objective of this study was to identify the factors that influenced the outcome of early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients managed at the ED of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). The second objective was to determine the incidence of CPR initiated by the public prior to ambulance arrival. The present study was a one-year cross-sectional study. The OHCA patients were identified from the ED resuscitation logbook. Patients’ medical records were used to obtain details of the resuscitation. Factors recorded included: aetiology of arrest, initiation of on-scene CPR, use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), mode of transportation and the incidence of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in the ED. Categorical data was analysed using chi-square and Fisher exact tests. Nine patients out of 98 had early CPR. Three patients achieved ROSC. Gender was significantly associated with ROSC (p-value=0.015). More patients who received early CPR achieved ROSC compared to those who received late CPR. The provision of early CPR and usage of AEDs by the public is still low. Female gender had a positive influence on ROSC. Efforts are required to increase the awareness and involvement of the public in initiating early CPR prior to the arrival of ambulance service

Menhaden fish oil attenuates postpartum depression in rat model via inhibition of NLRP3-inflammasome driven inflammatory pathway.

Background and aimPostpartum depression (PPD) is a familiar problem which is associated with about 10–20% of women after child delivery. Fish oil (FO) has a therapeutic potentials to many diseases including mood disorders. However, there is paucity of data on the effects of FO supplementation on PPD rat model. Hence, this study aimed at investigating the potentials of FO in ameliorating depressive-like behaviors in PPD rat by evaluating the involvement of NLRP3-inflammasome.Experimental procedureThirty six virgin adult female rats (n = 6) were randomly divided into six groups; Group 1–3 were normal control (NC), Sham (SHAM) and ovariectomized group (OVX) respectively whereas group 4–6 were PPD rats forced-fed once daily with distilled water (PPD), fish oil (PPD + FO; 9 g/kg) and Fluoxetine (PPD + FLX; 15 mg/kg) respectively from postpartum day 1 and continued for 10 consecutive days. Rats behaviors were evaluated on postpartum day 10 through open field test (OFT) and forced swimming test (FST), followed by biochemical analysis of NLRP3 inflammasome proteins pathway in their brain and determination of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR).ResultsPPD-induced rats exhibited high immobility and low swimming time in FST with increased inflammatory status; NLR, IL-1β and NFкB/NLRP3/caspase-1 activity in their hippocampus. However, administration of FO or fluoxetine reversed the aforementioned abnormalities.ConclusionIn conclusion, 10 days supplementation with FO ameliorated the depressive-like behaviors in PPD rats by targeting the NFкB/NLRP3/caspase-1/IL-1β activity. This has shed light on the potential of NLRP3 as a therapeutic target in treatment of PPD in rats

Effects of Elsholtzia splendens and Cirsium japonicum on premenstrual syndrome

Premenstrual syndrome is a common chronic disorder in most women of reproductive age. The main symptoms are depression, anxiety, tension, feeling out of control, and mastalgia. In premenstrual syndrome, the effects of aromatic edible Elsholtzia splendens and Cirsium japonicum were investigated for over 3 months in 30 women participants in their twenties. In the Elsholtzia splendens capsule treated group, scores of depression and anxiety were significantly lower than those in the Cirsium japonicum capsule treated group. Moreover, instability of the premenstrual assessment form was significantly decreased in the Elsholtzia splendens capsule treated group. Our results suggest that Elsholtzia splendens could be an effective plant material in relieving symptoms of premenstrual syndrome

Antimicrobial activity analysis of extracts of Acacia modesta, Artimisia absinthium, Nigella sativa and Saussurea lappa against Gram positive and Gram negative microorganisms

Antimicrobial activity of extracts of certain herbs including Acacia modesta (leaf and stem), Artimisia absinthium (leaf and stem), Nigella sativa (seeds) and i (root) was evaluated against three Gram positive and two Gram negative microorganisms. The Gram positive organisms included Bacillus subtalis (ATCC 6633), Entereococcus faecalis (ATCC 14506) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) and the Gram negative organisms included Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) and Salmonella typhi (ATCC 14028). Methanolic, hot water and cold water extracts of these plants were taken for antibacterial assay through Discs agar diffusion technique using commercial filter paper discs applied on inoculated Muellar Hinton agar plates. The objective of this study was to explore the curative powers of these herbs that exist in nature as a tool to counter disease causing agents. The maximum zone of inhibition of 18 mm of methanolic extract of N. sativa was observed against B. subtalis and S. aureus. Similarly, the maximum zone of inhibition of 18 mm of cold water extract of N. sativa against S. aureus and methanolic extract of Saussurea lappa against S. aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was also observed. The antibacterial action was compared with the effect of ceftriaxone, ceftriaxone sodium, cefuroxine, ciprofloxacin, gentamycine, levofloxacin, metronidazole and tranexamic acid that were used as standered drugs. Based on the results obtained in this study, it may be concluded that plant extracts of A. modesta, A. absinthium, N. sativa and Saussurea lappa have a stronger and broader spectrum of antimicrobial activity against a number of food borne bacteria.Key words: Herbs, methanolic extract, Acacia modesta, Bacillus subtalis, gentamycine, gram negative, gram positive

Metastatic collecting duct carcinoma of the kidney treated with sunitinib

Collecting duct carcinoma (CDC) of the kidney is a rare and aggressive malignant tumor arising from the distal collecting tubules which has been shown to have a poor response to several kinds of systemic therapy. We present a case of metastatic CDC that responded favorably to a multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitor, sunitinib, achieving a partial response in both lung and skeletal metastases. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing therapeutic activity of sunitinib against CDC. Considering these findings, it would be worthwhile prospectively investigating the role of multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitors, particularly sunitinib, in the management of metastatic CDC