Spatiotemporal bioaccumulation of lead, cadmium, zinc and copper metals in lettuce sea Ulva lactuca harvest in two Algerian West Coasts

This work brings an evaluation of the quality of littoral zone of Algerian in two neighbouring port coasts, namely, Honaine and Beni Saf, chosen as significant discharge sites. This was followed by a comparison of the state of these coasts with those of the Mediterranean coastal areas. The study was conducted in all seasons in the year 2011-2012 by measuring the hydrological physicochemical parameters (pH, temperature, turbidity and salinity) and using sea lettuce Ulva lactuca as significant 'biomarker of the quantity of metal contaminants (Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn)'. Harvesting of Ulva and the seawater samples were performed in each season in three stations, characterised by discharges of waste and industrial water and saline discharges from the recent installation of desalination in Honaine. The metal concentrations in seawater showed significant variations between stations and the harvest season, resulting in the appearance of pollution of Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn. Also this result was manifested in Ulva in the station S1 (Beni Saf) and S2 (Honaine-beach) with the exception of copper. These results have exceeded tolerable international standards.Universidad de Tlemcen, ArgeliaUniversidad de Sevill

Psychological climacteric symptoms and attitudes toward menopause among Emirati women

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Menopause is an inevitable developmental event that women encounter at an age of 42–54 years. The drop of estrogen levels that accompanies cessation of menstruation is associated with multiple vasomotor, physical, neuropsychological, and sexual symptoms, which may hamper quality of life. This study aimed to examine the severity of psychological symptoms and their correlates among peri-and postmenopausal Emirati women (N = 60, mean age = 54.88 ± 6 years). Participants were interviewed using the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) and attitudes toward menopause scale (ATMS). In four path analysis models, vasomotor symptoms, weight gain, and fatigue had significant direct effects on symptoms of anxiety, depression (only weight gain and fatigue), and psychological distress. Fatigue significantly mediated the effects of vasomotor symptoms and weight gain on symptoms of anxiety, depression (only vasomotor symptoms), psychological distress, and memory problems. These models explained 47.6%, 44.5%, 56.6%, and 29.1% of the variances in anxiety, depression, psychological distress, and memory problems, respectively. Participants with more severe menopausal symptoms expressed more negative attitudes toward menopause though regression analysis revealed that only vasomotor symptoms could significantly contribute to ATMS scores. In conclusion, psychological distress is widespread among menopausal women, and it is associated with vasomotor symptoms, fatigue, and change of body composition (obesity). Psychological symptoms, along with vasomotor symptoms, express a key link to negative attitudes toward menopause. Therefore, interventional strategies that target psychological distress may promote coping with midlife transition and improve mental health among menopausal women

Immune complexes from rheumatoid arthritis synovial fluid induce FcγRIIa dependent and rheumatoid factor correlated production of tumour necrosis factor-α by peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Immune complexes (ICs) can induce production of cytokines by peripheral blood mononuclear cells via Fc receptors. Rheumatoid factor (RF) develop in response to ICs in many clinical and experimental settings. We investigated whether and how polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitated ICs from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) sera and synovial fluid (SF) can influence cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We also examined the relationship between RF and IC induced cytokine production. Parallel sera and SF from 47 RA patients and sera from 15 healthy control individuals were PEG precipitated. The precipitates were added to serum-free peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels were measured after 20 hours. In separate cell culture experiments FcγRIIa and FcγRIII were blocked and monocytes were depleted or enriched. RF in serum was determined by nephelometry, and IgG levels in precipitates and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies in serum were measured using ELISA. Clinical data were collected from the patients' charts. In two separate investigations, we demonstrated a correlation between RF, PEG-precipitated IgG levels and induction of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α by PEG-precipitated SF ICs. No such correlation was found for serum ICs. TNF-α levels induced by SF precipitates, but not serum precipitates, correlated with the number of swollen and tender joints. Monocytes/macrophages were shown to be the main responder cells, and blockade of FcγRIIa, but not blockade of FcγRIII, inhibited TNF-α production in cultures stimulated with precipitated ICs. Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide correlated with RF but exhibited no association with IgG content in PEG precipitates or with precipitate-induced TNF-α levels. These findings support the hypothesis that SF ICs and correlated RF production are directly linked to cytokine-dependent inflammation in RA. Suppression of monocytes/macrophages in RA joints or blockade of the primate-specific activating FcγRIIa receptor might be ways to reduce IC-induced TNF-α production in the joints of seropositive RA patients

Structures of falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 bound to small molecule inhibitors: implications for substrate specificity.

Falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 are critical hemoglobinases of Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent human malaria parasite. We have determined the 2.9 A crystal structure of falcipain-2 in complex with the epoxysuccinate E64 and the 2.5 A crystal structure of falcipain-3 in complex with the aldehyde leupeptin. These complexes represent the first crystal structures of plasmodial cysteine proteases with small molecule inhibitors and the first reported crystal structure of falcipain-3. Our structural analyses indicate that the relative shape and flexibility of the S2 pocket are affected by a number of discrete amino acid substitutions. The cumulative effect of subtle differences, including those at "gatekeeper" positions, may explain the observed kinetic differences between these two closely related enzymes

Assessment of Discharge Planning Process and Quality of Care in the Emergency Department of Tamale Teaching Hospital

Discharge planning is the transition of patient care from the hospital setting to home, primary care provider or the community and effective discharge planning is crucial in enhancing patient recovery as it is an integral part of patient care. Poor implementation of discharge planning is associated with varying consequences for both the individual patient/family and the health system as a whole. Again, there is the challenge of the general public's perception of a dwindling standard of care by nurses and the general lowering of standards in Ghana. This study, therefore, sought to assess the discharge planning process and quality of care in the Emergency Department (ED) of Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH). With a cross-sectional study design, 370 discharged patients were selected from the emergency department using a consecutive sampling technique. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), was used to analyse the data. Descriptive results took the form of frequencies, percentage distribution, means and, standard deviations and presented in tables and figures. A bivariate Pearson correlation analysis was also done to establish the relationship between structure, discharge planning and quality of care. The findings from the study revealed a good practice of the discharge planning process (26.46, SD = 3. 41) and high quality of care (57.26, SD = 8.30). There was also a statistically significant positive relationship between discharge planning and quality of care and the same was established between the structure of the ED and quality of care. These findings imply a good implementation of the discharge planning process and demonstrate that the public outcry about the poor quality of nursing care in Ghana is a mere perception but not a reality. There is, therefore, the need for a sensitization programme to educate the general public on what constitutes the quality of care in our healthcare delivery system. &nbsp

Multi-Directional Environmental Sensors

Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention implement multi-directional environmental sensors. In one embodiment, a multi-directional environmental sensor includes: an inner conductive element that is substantially symmetrical about three orthogonal planes; an outer conductive element that is substantially symmetrical about three orthogonal planes; and a device that measures the electrical characteristics of the multi-directional environmental sensor, the device having a first terminal and a second terminal; where the inner conductive element is substantially enclosed within the outer conductive element; where the inner conductive element is electrically coupled to the first terminal of the device; and where the outer conductive element is electrically coupled to the second terminal of the device

The Arabic Version of the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale: Factorial Validity and Measurement Invariance

University students experience high levels of stress due to university transition, academic commitments, and financial matters. Higher stress perceptions along with limited coping resources endanger mental health for a considerable number of students and may ruin their performance. The current study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (10 items), PSS-10, in a sample of 379 female Emeriti students. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in two factors with eigenvalues of 3.88 and 1.19, which explained 60.6% of the variance. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed good model fits of two correlated factors (Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.962, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.950, standardized root-mean-square residual (SRMR) = 0.0479, and root mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.067). Internal consistency of the PSS-10 and its positive and negative subscales was acceptable (coefficient α = 0.67, 0.79, and 0.86, respectively). Multigroup analysis revealed that the PSS-10 holds invariance across different groups of age, marital status, and financial status (average monthly expenditure). Convergent and concurrent validity tests signify the importance of considering scores of subscales of the PSS-10 along with its total score