How to attract foreign direct investment to invest in housing in Libya

This research is intended to study how to attract Foreign Direct Investment to invest specifically in the housing sector in Libya. An exploratory methodology has been adopted in this research, and multi-methods (qualitative and quantitative) are used to analyse multi-sources of data that comprise observation, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, literature, and official documents. Triangulation analysis has been employed, which, is appropriate for multi-sources data.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Visual acuity, endothelial cell density and polymegathism after iris-fixated lens implantation

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the visual acuity as well as endothelial cell density (ECD) and polymegathism after iris-fixated lens (Artiflex® AC 401) implantation for correction of moderate to high myopia. Patients and methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 55 eyes from 29 patients undergoing iris-fixated lens implantation for correction of myopia (�5.00 to �15.00 D) from 2007 to 2014 were evaluated. Uncorrected visual acuity, best spectacle-corrected visual acuity, refraction, ECD and polymegathism (coefficient of variation CV in the sizes of endothelial cells) were measured preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively. Results: In the sixth month of follow-up, the uncorrected vision acuity was 20/25 or better in 81.5% of the eyes. The best-corrected visual acuity was 20/30 or better in 96.3% of the eyes, and more than 92% of the eyes had a refraction score of ±1 D from the target refraction. The mean corneal ECD of patients before surgery was 2,803±339 cells/mm2which changed to 2,744±369 cells/mm2 six months after surgery (p=0.142). CV in the sizes of endothelial cells before the surgery was 25.7%±7.1% and six months after surgery it was 25.9%±5.4% (p=0.857). Conclusion: Artiflex iris-fixated lens implantation is a suitable and predictable method for correction of moderate to high myopia. There was no statistically significant change in ECD and polymegathism (CV in the sizes of endothelial cells) after 6 months of follow-up. © 2018 Nassiri et al

Visual acuity, endothelial cell density and polymegathism after iris-fixated lens implantation

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the visual acuity as well as endothelial cell density (ECD) and polymegathism after iris-fixated lens (Artiflex® AC 401) implantation for correction of moderate to high myopia. Patients and methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 55 eyes from 29 patients undergoing iris-fixated lens implantation for correction of myopia (�5.00 to �15.00 D) from 2007 to 2014 were evaluated. Uncorrected visual acuity, best spectacle-corrected visual acuity, refraction, ECD and polymegathism (coefficient of variation CV in the sizes of endothelial cells) were measured preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively. Results: In the sixth month of follow-up, the uncorrected vision acuity was 20/25 or better in 81.5% of the eyes. The best-corrected visual acuity was 20/30 or better in 96.3% of the eyes, and more than 92% of the eyes had a refraction score of ±1 D from the target refraction. The mean corneal ECD of patients before surgery was 2,803±339 cells/mm2which changed to 2,744±369 cells/mm2 six months after surgery (p=0.142). CV in the sizes of endothelial cells before the surgery was 25.7%±7.1% and six months after surgery it was 25.9%±5.4% (p=0.857). Conclusion: Artiflex iris-fixated lens implantation is a suitable and predictable method for correction of moderate to high myopia. There was no statistically significant change in ECD and polymegathism (CV in the sizes of endothelial cells) after 6 months of follow-up. © 2018 Nassiri et al

Comparative assessment of tear function tests, tear osmolarity, and conjunctival impression cytology between patients with pterygium and healthy eyes

Purpose: To compare histologic abnormalities of tear film and tear osmolarity between normal eyes and eyes with pterygium. Methods: This was a prospective, hospital-based, case-control study involving 95 patients (65 men, 30 women) with unilateral pterygium. The tear meniscus height (TMH), Schirmer's test-1 (SCH-1) score, Rose Bengal staining (RBS) score, tear film breakup time (TBUT), tear osmolarity (TO), and conjunctival impression cytology (CIC) were assessed in both eyes. The Chi-square and Student's t-tests were used to compare the results between the two groups. P values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The mean patient age was 50.9 years, with the largest age group being the 45-55 year-old bracket across both genders. Most patients (82.1) had nasal pterygium, and 80 were involved in outside activities. The mean assessment values in the case and control groups were as follows: TMH, 0.21 vs. 0.24 mm; SCH-1, 13.2 vs. 17.8 mm; RBS, 4.38 vs. 2.51 points; TBUT, 8.7 vs. 13.2 seconds; TO, 306 vs. 299 mOsm/L (P < 0.001 in all cases). The proportions of abnormal assessment values in the case and control groups were as follows: TMH, 82.1 vs. 3.16; SCH-1, 20 vs. 2.1; RBS, 30.53 vs. 4.22; TBUT, 61.05 vs. 6.3; TO, 10.52 vs. 1.05; CIC, 33.7 vs. 7.37 (P < 0.05 for all comparisons). Conclusion: This study showed that the quantity and quality of tear film, as well as the number of goblet cells, decreased, but the tear osmolarity increased in eyes with pterygium. Furthermore, the TMH, RBS results, TBUT, and CIC have more precise state of the patient's tear condition with the disease of the pterygium. Safarzadeh Masoud 1 Department of Optometry, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran Heidari Sahel 2 Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran Azizzadeh Parvin 3 Bahman Ophthalmology Research Center, Bahman Hospital, Tehran Sheibani Kourosh 4 Basir Eye Safety Research Center, Basir Eye Clinic, Tehran Nassiri Nader 5 Ophthalmic Research Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran Heidari Laleh 6 Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran Aghataheri Sattar 7 Department of Optometry, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran Moukoury Nyolo E, Epee E, Nsangou JFI, Noa Noa Tina B. Pterygiun in a tropical region: Analysis of 344 cases in Cameroon. Bull Soc Belge Ophtalmol 2009;311:11-15. Shiroma H, Higa A, Sawaguchi S, Iwase A, Tomidokoro A, Amano S. Prevalence and risk factors of pterygium in a southwestern island of Japan: The Kumejima Study. Am J Ophthalmol 2009;148:766-771. Cajucom-Uy H, Tong L, Wong TY, Tay WT, Saw SM. The prevalence of and risk factors for pterygium in an urban Malay population: The Singapore Malay Eye Study (SiMES). Br J Ophthalmol 2010;94:977-981. Rajab AY. Evaluation of tear film stability in pterygium and pingueculae. Ann Coll Med Mosul 2013;39:132-135. Ganeshpuri AS, Kamble BS, Patil P, Wadgaonkar SP. A comparative study of tear film stability and secretion in pterygium patients-Diabetic vs. nondiabetic. Int J Health Sci Res 2014;4:86-97. Anguria P, Ntuli S, Carmichael T. Relationships of heredity and dry eye with pterygia in black African patients. SAMJ 2011;101:110. Yanoff, Duker. Ophthalmology. 4th edition chapter. Vol. 23. 2013. p. 274-6. ISBN 978-1455-7398-44. Wang S, Jiang B, Gu Y. Changes of tear film function after pterygium operation. Ophthalmic Res 2011;45:210-215. Srinivasan S and Nichols KK. Collecting tear osmolarity measurements in the diagnosis of dry eye. Exp Rev Ophthalmol 2009;4:451-453. Ozsutcu M, Arslan B, Erdur SK, Gulkilik G, Kocabora SM, Muftuoglu O. Tear osmolarity and tear film parameters in patients with unilateral pterygium. Cornea 2014;33:1174-1178. Singh R, Joseph A, Umapathy T, Tint NL, Dua HS. Impression cytology of the ocular surface. Br J Ophthalmol 2005;89:1655-1659. Viso E, Gude F, Rodríguez-Ares MT. Prevalence of pinguecula and pterygium in a general population in Spain. Eye (Lond) 2011;25:350-357. Antony AT, Mini PA, Dalia S. Pterygium and Dry Eye- A Clinical Correlation. J Med Scie Clin Res 2017;5:23654-23659. Rahman A, Yahya K, Fasih U, Huda W, Shaikh A. Comparison of Schirmer's test and tear film breakup time test to detect tear film abnormalities in patients with Pterygium. J Pak Med Assoc 2012;6:1214-1216. Lee AJ, Lee J, Saw SM, Gazzard G, Koh D, Widjaja D, Tan DT. Prevalence and risk factors associated with dry eye symptoms: A population based study in Indonesia. Br J Ophthalmol 2002;86:1347-1351. Fotouhi A, Hashemi H, Khabazkhoob M, Mohammad K. Prevalence and risk factors of pterygium and pinguecula: The Tehran Eye Study. Eye (Lond) 2009;23:1125-1129. Dolezalova V. Is the occurrence of a temporal pterygium really so rare? Ophthalmologica 1977;174:88-91. Asokan R, Venkatasubbu RS, Velumuri L, Lingam V, George R. Prevalence and associated factors for pterygium and pinguecula in a South Indian population. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2012;32:39-44. Jang SY, Lee SY, Yoon JS. Meibomian gland dysfunction in longstanding prosthetic eye wearers. Br J Ophthalmol 2013;97:398-402. Das P, Gokani A, Bagchi K, Bhaduri G, Chaudhuri S, Law S. Limbal epithelial stem-microenvironmental alteration leads to pterygium development. Mol Cell Biochem 2015;402:123-139. Onkar A, Pandey DJ, Bist HK, Sen S. Tear and pterygium: A clinico-pathological study of conjunctiva for tear film anomaly in pterygium. J Eye Cataract Surg 2017;3:24. Bekibele CO, Baiyeroju AM, Ajaiyeoba A, Akang EE, Ajayi BG. Case control study of dry eye and related ocular surface abnormalities in Ibadan, Nigeria. Int Ophthalmol 2010;30:7-13. Rajiv, Mithal S, Sood AK. Pterygium and dry eye-A clinical correlation. Indian J Ophthalmol 1991;39:15-16. Oh HJ, Park YG, Yoon KC. Changes of ocular surface and tear film in patients with pinguecula and pterygium. J Korean Ophthalmol Soc 2006;47:717-724. Moreno JC, Garcia VG, Garcia L. Evaluation of tear film in patients with Pterygium. Eur J Ophthalmol 2011;00 (00). Roka N, Shrestha SP. Assessment of tear secretion and tear film instability in cases with pterygium and normal subjects. Nepal J Ophthalmol 2013;5:16-23. El-Sersy TH. Role of pterygium in ocular dryness. J Egypt Ophthalmol Soc 2014;107:205-208. Lemp MA, Baudouin C, Baum J. The definition and classification of dry eye disease: Report of the definition and classification subcommittee of the international Dry Eye WorkShop. Ocul Surf 2007;5:75-92. Manhas A, Gupta D, Gupta A, Kumar D, Manhas RS, Manhas GS. Clinical correlation between dry eye and pterygium: A study done at government medical college Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, North India. Int J Res Med Sci 2017;5:3087-3094. Lemp MA, Bron AJ, Baudouin C. Tear osmolarity in the diagnosis and management of dry eye disease. Am J Ophthalmol 2011;151:792-798. Julio G, Lluch S, Pujol P, Alonso S, Merindano D. Tear osmolarity and ocular changes in pterygium. Cornea 2012;31:1417-1421. Detorakis ET, Zaravinos A, Spandidos DA. 'Growth factor expression in ophthalmic pterygia and normal conjunctiva'. Int J Mol Med 2010;25:513-516. Bandyopadhyay R, Nag D, Mondal SK, Gangopadhyay S, Bagchi K, Bhaduri G. Ocular surface disorder in pterygium: Role of conjunctival impression cytology. Indian J Pathol Microbiol 2010;53:692-695. Shreya T, Poorvi G. Role of impression cytology in detecting gobletcell damage in various ocular surface disorder. Austin J Clin Ophthalmol 2016;3:1065. © 2019 Journal of Ophthalmic and Vision Research | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow

Bringing an end to the silence: identifying priorities and solutions to addressing the mental health consequences of child marriage

Despite its inclusion in Sustainable Development Goal 5 to end all harmful gendered practices by 2030, child, early and forced marriages continue to be a pervasive problem globally. While there is consistent evidence on the physical health consequences of child marriage, there is a lack of evidence and inquiry into the mental health consequence. We completed a change-oriented Delphi study to establish consensus on priority areas of research and intervention in relation to the mental health consequences of child, early and forced marriages. Invited experts (n = 11), survivors (n = 27) and professionals (n = 30) participated in our Delphi. Four rounds of data collection included: a blended in-person and online workshop with invited experts, an online mixed-methods questionnaire, focus groups in Zimbabwe with women who are survivors of child marriage and a repeat questionnaire sent to the first round of experts. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and ranking methods, consistent with other Delphi studies. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic network analysis. Findings coalesced around three areas: perspectives on the relationship between mental health and child marriage, policy actions and treatment-driven solutions. Consensus was reached on 16 items across these areas which included the need to prioritize psychosocial and social interventions to improve mental health outcomes for women and girls in existing marriages. They also called for new approaches to advocacy to drive awareness of this issue in policy circles. Implications for future practice are discussed

Customized clinical practice guidelines for management of adult cataract in Iran

Purpose: To customize clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for cataract management in the Iranian population. Methods: First, four CPGs (American Academy of Ophthalmology 2006 and 2011, Royal College of Ophthalmologists 2010, and Canadian Ophthalmological Society 2008) were selected from a number of available CPGs in the literature for cataract management. All recommendations of these guidelines, together with their references, were studied. Each recommendation was summarized in 4 tables. The first table showed the recommendation itself in clinical question components format along with its level of evidence. The second table contained structured abstracts of supporting articles related to the clinical question with their levels of evidence. The third table included the customized recommendation of the internal group respecting its clinical advantage, cost, and complications. In the fourth table, the internal group their recommendations from 1 to 9 based on the customizing capability of the recommendation (applicability, acceptability, external validity). Finally, customized recommendations were sent one month prior to a consensus session to faculty members of all universities across the country asking for their comments on recommendations. Results: The agreed recommendations were accepted as conclusive while those with no agreement were discussed at the consensus session. Finally, all customized recommendations were codified as 80 recommendations along with their sources and levels of evidence for the Iranian population. Conclusion: Customization of CPGs for management of adult cataract for the Iranian population seems to be useful for standardization of referral, diagnosis and treatment of patients. © 2015 Journal of Ophthalmic and Vision Research | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow

Thrombospondin-1 Plays an Essential Role in Yes-Associated Protein Nuclear Translocation during the Early Phase of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Heart Endothelial Cells

The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease. This neglected tropical disease causes severe morbidity and mortality in endemic regions. About 30% of T. cruzi infected individuals will present with cardiac complications. Invasive trypomastigotes released from infected cells can be carried in the vascular endothelial system to infect neighboring and distant cells. During the process of cellular infection, the parasite induces host cells, to increase the levels of host thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), to facilitate the process of infection. TSP-1 plays important roles in the functioning of vascular cells, including vascular endothelial cells with important implications in cardiovascular health. Many signal transduction pathways, including the yes-associated protein 1 (YAP)/transcriptional coactivator, with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) signaling, which are upstream of TSP-1, have been linked to the pathophysiology of heart damage. The molecular mechanisms by which T. cruzi signals, and eventually infects, heart endothelial cells remain unknown. To evaluate the importance of TSP-1 expression in heart endothelial cells during the process of T. cruzi infection, we exposed heart endothelial cells prepared from Wild Type and TSP-1 Knockout mouse to invasive T. cruzi trypomastigotes at multiple time points, and evaluated changes in the hippo signaling cascade using immunoblotting and immunofluorescence assays. We found that the parasite turned off the hippo signaling pathway in TSP-1KO heart endothelial cells. The levels of SAV1 and MOB1A increased to a maximum of 2.70 ± 0.23 and 5.74 ± 1.45-fold at 3 and 6 h, respectively, in TSP-1KO mouse heart endothelial cells (MHEC), compared to WT MHEC, following a parasite challenge. This was accompanied by a significant continuous increase in the nuclear translocation of downstream effector molecule YAP, to a maximum mean nuclear fluorescence intensity of 10.14 ± 0.40 at 6 h, compared to wild type cells. Furthermore, we found that increased nuclear translocated YAP significantly colocalized with the transcription co-activator molecule pan-TEAD, with a maximum Pearson’s correlation coefficient of 0.51 ± 0.06 at 6 h, compared to YAP-Pan-TEAD colocalization in the WT MHEC, which decreased significantly, with a minimum Pearson’s correlation coefficient of 0.30 ± 0.01 at 6 h. Our data indicate that, during the early phase of infection, upregulated TSP-1 is essential for the regulation of the hippo signaling pathway. These studies advance our understanding of the molecular interactions occurring between heart endothelial cells and T. cruzi, in the presence and absence of TSP-1, providing insights into processes linked to parasite dissemination and pathogenesis

Inhibition study on insulin fibrillation and cytotoxicity by paclitaxel

Alzheimer, a neurodegenerative disease, and a large variety of pathologic conditions are associated with a form of protein aggregation known as amyloid fibrils. Since fibrils and prefibrillar intermediates are cytotoxic, numerous attempts have been made to inhibit fibrillation process as a therapeutic strategy. Peptides, surfactants and aromatic small molecules have been used as fibrillation inhibitors. Here we studied the effects of paclitaxel, a polyphenol with a high tendency for interaction with proteins, on fibrillation of insulin as a model protein. The effects of paclitaxel on insulin fibrillation were determined by Thioflavin T fluorescence, Congo red absorbance, circular dichroism and atomic force microscopy. These studies indicated that paclitaxel considerably hindered nucleation, and therefore, fibrillation of insulin in a dose-dependant manner. The isothermal titration calorimetry studies showed that the interaction between paclitaxel and insulin was spontaneous. In addition, the van der Waal's interactions and hydrogen bonds were prominent forces contributing to this interaction. Computational results using molecular dynamic simulations and docking studies revealed that paclitaxel diminished the polarity of insulin dimer and electrostatic interactions by increasing the hydrophobicity of its dimer state. Furthermore, paclitaxel reduced disrupting effects of insulin fibrils on PC12 cell's neurite outgrowth and complexity, and enhanced their survival. © 2014 The Authors 2014

Thrombospondin-1 expression and modulation of Wnt and hippo signaling pathways during the early phase of Trypanosoma cruzi infection of heart endothelial cells

The protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, causes severe morbidity and mortality in afflicted individuals. Approximately 30% of T. cruzi infected individuals present with cardiac pathology. The invasive forms of the parasite are carried in the vascular system to infect other cells of the body. During transportation, the molecular mechanisms by which the parasite signals and interact with host endothelial cells (EC) especially heart endothelium is currently unknown. The parasite increases host thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) expression and activates the Wnt/β-catenin and hippo signaling pathways during the early phase of infection. The links between TSP1 and activation of the signaling pathways and their impact on parasite infectivity during the early phase of infection remain unknown. To elucidate the significance of TSP1 function in YAP/β-catenin colocalization and how they impact parasite infectivity during the early phase of infection, we challenged mouse heart endothelial cells (MHEC) from wild type (WT) and TSP1 knockout mice with T. cruzi and evaluated Wnt signaling, YAP/β-catenin crosstalk, and how they affect parasite infection. We found that in the absence of TSP1, the parasite induced the expression of Wnt-5a to a maximum at 2 h (1.73±0.13), P\u3c 0.001 and enhanced the level of phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3β at the same time point (2.99±0.24), PT. cruzi infection. Importantly, dysregulation of this crosstalk by pre-incubation of WT MHEC with a β-catenin inhibitor, endo-IWR 1, dramatically reduced the level of infection of WT MHEC. Parasite infectivity of inhibitor treated WT MHEC was similar to the level of infection of TSP1 KO MHEC. These results indicate that the β-catenin pathway induced by the parasite and regulated by TSP1 during the early phase of T. cruzi infection is an important potential therapeutic target, which can be explored for the prophylactic prevention of T. cruzi infection

E2F-1 Directly Regulates Thrombospondin 1 Expression

Thrombospondin 1 (TSP1) has been shown to play a critical role in inhibiting angiogenesis, resulting in inhibition of tumor growth and metastases. To figure out TSP1's regulators will lead to reveal its biological function mechanistically. In this study, we show that E2F-1 could activate the transcription of TSP1 by both promoter assays and Northern blot. Analysis of various TSP1 promoter mutant constructs showed that a sequence located −144/−137 up-stream of the transcriptional initiation site, related to the consensus E2F-responsive sequence, is necessary for the activation. In consistence with up-regulation of TSP-1 activity by over-expression of E2F-1, the knockdown of endogenous E2F-1 inhibited TSP-1 promoter activity significantly, implying that E2F-1 mediated regulation of TSP-1 is relevant in vivo. In addition, E2F-1 could also directly bind to the TSP1 promoter region covering −144/−137 region as revealed by ChIP assays. Furthermore, the E2F-1-induced activation of TSP1 gene transcription is suppressed by pRB1 in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, the results demonstrate that TSP1 is a novel target for E2F1, which might imply that E2F-1 can affect angiogenesis by modulating TSP1 expression