A Novel High-Throughput, High-Content Three-Dimensional Assay for Determination of Tumor Invasion and Dormancy

Metastasis accounts for most cancer deaths, while dormancy of tumor cells leads to unexpected cancer recurrence. These two aspects of cancer remain relatively untreatable in part because current two-dimensional (2D) methods of high-throughput drug screening cannot quantify outcomes related to these phenotypes. Three-dimensional (3D) in-vitro tumor models are a promising alternative because they better recreate the tumor microenvironment and relevant phenotypes. However, outcome measures for high-throughput screening of these systems are often limited to single measures such as metabolic activity using assays that are not standardized or optimized for 3D models. To address this gap, the objective of this work to develop an image-based assay to measure tumor cell health, proliferation, invasion, and dormancy for high-throughput drug screening. Drug dosing experiments were performed using a novel 3D pancreatic tumor metastasis model, followed by application of various dye combinations to assess viability, proliferation, metabolic activity, and invasion. We successfully demonstrated that high throughput imaging and analysis can be performed to quantify proliferation, metabolic activity, and invasion in a single multi-output assay. Proof-of-concept experiments also revealed that while gemcitabine does effectively inhibit cancer cell proliferation it does not kill all cells and may contribute to tumor dormancy. Overall, this work using a novel 3D tumor metastasis model coupled with a multi-output assay serves as a first step toward a drug screening platform that will enable researchers to better correlate in-vitro model results with clinical outcomes related to metastasis and dormancy

Subcutaneous Pancreatic Transplantation Shows Success In The Treatment Of Experimentally Induced Diabetes Mellitus In Golden Hamsters

Background: to evaluate subcutaneous pancreatic transplantation in an experimentally induced diabetes mellitus in golden hamsters. Methods - many indexes (histological /using two stains, histochemical /using three enzymes, morphometrical and biochemical /blood glucose level) were employed in this assessment. Alloxan was used as ß-cytotoxic therapy (to induce diabetes mellitus), and cyclophosphamide was employed as immunosuppressive agent. Results - high rate of success of transplantation (clearly evident by microscopical features of viable endocrine and exocrine tissue of transplanted pancreas and great tissue vascularization, normal enzymatic activities and significant lowering of blood glucose level) were elicited. Conclusion – subcutaneous pancreatic transplantation should be thank about in treatment of diabetes mellitus

PREDICTORS OF POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION IN DUBAI, A RAPIDLY GROWING MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant public health problem adversely affecting mothers, their newborns, and other members of the family. Although PPD is common and potentially dangerous, only a minority of the cases are identified in primary health care settings during routine care, and the majority of depressed mothers in the community lies unrecognized and therefore untreated. Subjects and methods: In this study, a total of 1500 mothers were approached randomly, 808 accepted to participate, and 504 were within the inclusion criteria (women who had a birth of a singleton full-term healthy infant, had an uncomplicated pregnancy, and were within their one week to six months postpartum). The participants completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Results: A total of 168 women had an EPDS score 10, yielding a crude prevalence rate of 33%. The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 14 out of 504 (3%), among which 11 (79%) had EPDS score of 10. We fitted multiple linear regression models to evaluate the predictors of variables measured on the EPDS scale. This model was statistically significant p<0.0001 in predicting the total EPDS score. Women\u27s employment status, baby\u27s birth weight, stressful life event and marital conflict were statistically significant predictors. Conclusions: The findings of this study are anticipated to entail the government and policy makers in the region to pay more attention to the apparently high prevalence of unrevealed PPD in the community. It is crucial to enhance screening mechanisms for early detection, providing interventions to manage symptoms, and at the same time mandating local guidelines to address the PPD pathology as a high priority for the UAE population

Pelatihan Pembuatan Media Pembelajaran Berbasis Android Bagi Guru Untuk Meningkatkan Mutu Pembelajaran di Madrasah Tsanawiyah Manbaul Ulum

Media pembelajaran berbasis elektronik atau digital bertujuan untuk menambah minat belajar siswa yang berdampak pada prestasi belajar siswa yang lebih baik, media pembelajaran digital juga lebih memudahkan siswa mengakses materi pembelajaran. Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs) Manbaul Ulum merupakan sekolah lanjutan pertama (SLTP) yang berada di Desa Mojopuro Gede Kecamatan Bungah Kabupaten Gresik Porvinsi Jawa Timur. Dalam pelaksanaan pembelajaran di MTs Manbaul Ulum perlu adanya pengembangan media belajar yang inovatif untuk meningkatkan minat belajar siswa. Pelaksanaan kegiatan pengabdian kepada masyarkat ini bertujuan untuk membantu meningkatkan kompetensi guru di sekolah mitra dalam mengembangankan media pembelajaran berbasis android. Tahap pelaksanaan kegiatan pengabdian ini terbagi dalam tahap persiapan dan tahap pelaksanaan, tahap persiapan terdiri dari studi literatur dan observasi lapangan di sekolah mitra untuk mendapatkan rumusan permasalahan dan penentuan solusi untuk sekolah mitra serta pembuatan modul yang sesuai kebutuhan. Pelaksanaan pelatihan dilakukan dengan ceramah oleh pemateri dan praktik oleh peserta. Peserta diminta untuk membuat media pembelajaran berbasis android sesuai dengan arahan dari pemateri. Pelatihan ini menghasilkan mendia pembelajaran berbasis android yang dibuat oleh peserta pelatihan yang dapat dijadikan modal oleh peserta dalam mengembangkan media pembelajaran berbasis andorid

Transporting and implementing a caregiver-mediated intervention for toddlers with autism in Goa, India: evidence from the social ABCs

IntroductionAutism is a global health priority with an urgent need for evidence-based, resource-efficient, scalable supports that are feasible for implementation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Initiating supports in the toddler years has potential to significantly impact child and family outcomes. The current paper describes the feasibility and outcomes associated with a Canadian-developed caregiver-mediated intervention for toddlers (the Social ABCs), delivered through a clinical service in Goa, India.MethodsClinical staff at the Sethu Centre for Child Development and Family Guidance in Goa, India, were trained by the Canadian program development team and delivered the program to families seen through their clinic. Using a retrospective chart review, we gathered information about participating families and used a pre-post design to examine change over time.ResultsSixty-four families were enrolled (toddler mean age = 28.5 months; range: 19–35), of whom 55 (85.94%) completed the program. Video-coded data revealed that parents learned the strategies (implementation fidelity increased from M = 45.42% to 76.77%, p &lt; .001, with over 90% of caregivers attaining at least 70% fidelity). Toddler responsivity to their caregivers (M = 7.00% vs. 46.58%) and initiations per minute (M = 1.16 vs. 3.49) increased significantly, p's &lt; .001. Parents also reported significant improvements in child behaviour/skills (p &lt; .001), and a non-significant trend toward reduced parenting stress (p = .056).DiscussionFindings corroborate the emerging evidence supporting the use of caregiver-mediated models in LMICs, adding evidence that such supports can be provided in the very early years (i.e., under three years of age) when learning may be optimized

Gardening with grandparents: an early engagement with the science curriculum

In many cultures, elders are revered within the extended family as a source of wisdom gained from long experience. In Western societies, this role has been marginalised by changes in family structure, and grandparents' significant contribution to children's upbringing often goes unacknowledged. A research study with families of three- to six-year-olds in East London reveals how grandparents from a variety of cultural backgrounds passed on knowledge about growing fruit and vegetables to their grandchildren through joint gardening activities. Children learned to identify different plants, and to understand conditions and stages of plant growth. Grandparents from Bangladesh introduced children to a wide range of fruits and vegetables, and concepts were reinforced through bilingual communication. Analysis shows that these intergenerational learning encounters fostered children's scientific knowledge in ways that supported and extended curriculum work in the early years

Co-constructing bilingual learning: an equal exchange of strategies between complementary and mainstream teachers

Teachers in complementary schools are often assumed to be using outmoded teaching strategies and an authoritarian approach to discipline. However, it is rare for mainstream teachers to have visited these community-run after-school or weekend classes, which remain on the margins of educational provision. This paper argues that complementary teachers’ knowledge has been ‘doubly devalued’: firstly because of their location in the informal learning sector, and secondly because their work focuses on languages and cultures that are ignored or viewed negatively by the wider society. Our action research study with complementary teachers in East London challenges mainstream preconceptions in showing the creative range of teaching strategies devised to meet the needs of multi-level, mixed-age classes in under-resourced conditions. Uniquely, the research set up partnerships between these complementary teachers and local primary school teachers, in which they visited each other's settings and jointly planned topic-based lessons adapted to each context. Findings demonstrate that mainstream teachers had much to learn from their complementary colleagues about negotiating teacher–student relationships, the child as independent learner and as leader within a learning community, and the use of bilingual strategies. Partnership teaching created mutual respect for each other's expertise, crucial to the equal valuing of shared knowledge

Snow White in different guises: Interlingual and intercultural exchanges between grandparents and young children at home in East London

Grandparents play a significant role in childcare and one activity that frequently occurs within this context is story-reading. However, relatively little attention has been given to the potential part that grandparents can play in terms of language and literacy development of young children.This article reports on work investigating the interlingual and intercultural exchanges occurring in a home setting in East London. In particular, it focuses on how the traditional heritage pattern of story and rhyme reading by a grandmother of Bengali origin is fused with practices experienced by her six-year old grandchild.The data reveal not only the multiple worlds inhabited by the grandchild during story-reading but also the syncretism of these worlds on a number of levels.This article contributes to the small but growing body of investigation into the reading styles occurring within families from different cultural backgrounds