A Conceptual Framework for Popularizing Science in Muslim Societies

Science popularization is an exigency in the era of knowledge explosion which has made the dissemination of scientific knowledge and attitudes of public aligned with such understanding of a prerequisite for further development of all societies. The concept of SKAQ has been introduced with an accompanying argument that can play a constructive part in making an objective determination of nation’s attainment level. The author, then, explicates a variety of rationales behind such proposition and maintains that in light of such rationales the Islamic nations can be regarded as prime candidates for urgent policy and action in this respect. A conceptual framework has been developed envisions of science popularization at two critical layers referred to as the institutional and cultural one. At both layers, though, the formal schooling is argued to have a pronounced role to play. Finally, certain recommendations as action principles have been suggested to consolidate future efforts in this respect

Comparing the effects of nigella sativa extract and gentamicin in treatment of urinary tract infection caused by Ecoli

Background and purpose: The antibiotics' side effects and microbial resistance have increased the need for natural antimicrobial agents in treating infections. This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial effects of Nigella sativa extract and its possible nephrotoxicity compared with gentamicin. The effect of N. sativa on gentamicin induced renal toxicity and its synergistic effect were evaluated on urinary tract infection caused by Ecoli in rabbits. Materials and methods: In this experimental study, 36 male New Zealand rabbits were designated into seven groups: gentamicin-bacteria, N. sativa-bacteria, N. sativa-gentamicin-bacteria, N. sativa-gentamicin, bacteria, gentamicin and control groups. The animals were anesthetized after ten days of treatment, and the kidney specimens were collated for histopathological examination. The nephrotoxic effects of gentamicin and protective effects of N. sativa on kidney were studied. Antibacterial effects of the extracts were evaluated with laboratory tests and the MBC and MIC values were obtained for N. sativa. Results: The level of urea nitrogen and creatinine in urine increased in bacteria group compared to control group (P<0.05). But, they decreased in bacteria- N. sativa group compared with the bacterial group (P<0.05). Histopathological examination of kidney tissue showed that renal lesions in bacterial and, bacteria- gentamicin groups (ATN) were more than N. sativa -bacteria and bacteria-gentamycin- N. sativa (minor necrosis) groups. Conclusion: According to the results, N. sativa in addition to antibacterial effect against E. coli, can prevent the nephrotoxic effects of gentamicin. Therefore, it may be considered as an alternative, or in combination with gentamicin

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in upper tract urothelial cancers: an experience with intraoperative radiotracer injection

Background: The feasibility of the sentinel node mapping in upper tract urothelial cancers (UTUC) was evaluated, using a radiotracer as the mapping material. Material and methods: To identify the sentinel lymph nodes, 37 MBq of [99mTc] phytate was injected in five patients with the renal pelvis or ureter cancer, who were candidates for ureterectomy and lymphadenectomy. The radiotracer was injected in a peritumoral fashion following the surgical exposure of the tumour. The sentinel lymph nodes were detected using a handheld gamma probe. Results: By intraoperatively injecting the radiotracer immediately after surgical exposure of the tumour, at least one sentinel lymph node could be detected in each patient, and the detection rate was 100%. The location of sentinel nodes was in the paracaval, renal hill, retro-aortic, para-aortic, common iliac, and external iliac areas, which was dependent on the tumour location. No false-negative case was identified. Conclusions: Sentinel node mapping is feasible in UTUC. Injection technique (intra-vesical approach vs peri-tumoral injection after exposure of the tumour) and location of the tumour (proximal vs distal) may affect the technique’s feasibility

Nisin induces apoptosis in cervical cancer cells via reactive oxygen species generation and mitochondrial membrane potential changes

Nisin, an antimicrobial peptide produced by Lactococcus lactis, is widely used as a safe food preservative and has been recently attracting the attention of many researchers as a potential anticancer agent. The cytotoxicity of nisin against HeLa, OVCAR-3, SK-OV-3, and HUVEC cells was evaluated using MTT assay. The apoptotic effect of nisin was identified by Annexin-V/propidium iodide assay, and then it was further confirmed by western blotting analysis, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) analysis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay. The MTT assay showed concentration-dependent cytotoxicity of nisin towards cancer cell lines, with the IC50 values of 11.5-23 M, but less toxicity against normal endothelial cells. Furthermore, treatment of cervical cancer cells with 12 M nisin significantly (PThe accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

How Does Race Moderate the Effect of Religion Dimensions on Attitudes toward the Death Penalty?

We examined the moderating role of race on the relationship between religion and death penalty attitudes in the United States. We operationalized religion by distinguishing four dimensions: religiosity, spirituality, afterlife beliefs, and denomination. Using 2018 General Social Survey data from 1054 adults, collected by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, we show that the impact of each dimension of religion varies across racial groups. Logistic Regression results showed that the likelihood of support for the death penalty was associated with religiosity, spirituality, belief in hell, being female, and being liberal. Adding race as an interaction term moderated the associations of religiosity and spirituality

Departmental Structure, Cooperative Scholarship, and Productivity: A Fuzzy Set Qualitative-Comparative Analysis of Selected Sociology Departments

Previous studies of scholarly productivity have neglected the impact of departmental and institutional structure on the outcome. This study examines the relationships between departmental and institutional structure, cooperative scholarship, and individualistic scholarship with productivity in 31 highly ranked sociology departments in the United States. We measure scholarly productivity by the number of peer reviewed articles that were published either jointly or individually by faculty members during 2009–2010. By applying fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis, we conclude that a combination of four conditions are associated with higher levels of scholarly productivity. These are: type of institution (public vs. private), proportion of tenured professors, individualistic scholarship, and cooperative scholarship. The results reveal that the conditions (independent variables) combine in different ways (pathways) to be sufficient for the outcome. Further, we conclude that cooperative scholarship and productivity are more complex constructs than suggested by previous literature and that there are multiple pathways by which departments may facilitate scholarly productivity. We address implications and recommendations for future research