Use of proviron tablets as source of androgen for sex reversal of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus, Linnaeus 1758)

The effect of proviron tablets (1a-methyl androsterone) as a masculinization agent was tried on frys of Oreochromis niloticus (Nile Tilapia). 900 Healthy four (4) day old fry of Oreochromis niloticus (D XVII -XVIII, 12-14; A III, 8-10) with mean initial length 1.0cm and mean initial weight 0.0153g were subjected to two feeding treatments. Treatment one (T1) replicated twice, consisted of 150 fry in a 100L capacity circular plastic basin containing 35 Litres of clean borehole water. Treatment Two (T2) replicated 4 times contained 150 fry each in similar environment as T1, however the replicates were fed a starter blended hormone diet containing 60mg of hormone per kilogram of coppens feed. All the treatments were fed at 20% body weight the first week and reduced by 5% weekly till the 4th week. The experimental fishes were transferred from their replicate basins to 6 hapas measuring 1m x 1m x 1m submersed in a concrete pond of dimension 5m x 8m x 1.5m containing algae. The fishes in the hapas fed adlibitum on algae and non-treated 2mm coppens supplementary feed. The result showed that a sample of 164 hormone treated dead fry in the 3rd week following mass mortality were all male. Also when the experiment was terminated in the 9th week all 406 hormone treated fish in 4 hapas were all male (100%). The sex ratio in the 236 untreated fish was 110 males (46.61%) and 126 females (53.39%). The mean weight gain and specific growth rate (SGR) in parenthesis for the sexes in different treatments was: Hormone treated males 4.66g (3.94), untreated males 4.52g (3.92) and untreated females 4.16g (3.87). It was concluded that proviron (la-methylandrosterone) can achieve 100% sex reversal in Oreochromis niloticus and used in place of methyltestosterone, and that hormone treated males grew faster and bigger than untreated males and females. Research on the effect of different doses of proviron on sex reversal of Nile tilapia was recommended

Antiproliferative Effect of Bupivacaine on Patient-Derived Sarcoma Cells

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to investigate the cytotoxic potency of bupivacaine, a commonly used local anesthetic, on primary patient-derived sarcoma cells. METHODS: Multiple sarcoma subtypes were evaluated in this study including: a high-grade conventional osteosarcoma (OS), a high-grade undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma of bone (UPS), and a high-grade synovial sarcoma (SS). All tumor cells were harvested from patients during resection. The tumor cells were exposed to various concentrations of preservative free bupivacaine for various durations with pH balanced saline as a control. Tumor cell viability and apoptosis induction were evaluated by MTT assay and flow cytometry. RESULTS: Exposure to bupivacaine decreased cell viability and induced apoptosis, which was confirmed by cell morphology and annexin+ cells in all sarcoma subtypes, in a dose-and time-dependent manner. At clinically relevant doses, in vitro exposure to bupivacaine caused a decrease in cellular viability and an increase in the induction of apoptosis in a dose-and time-dependent manner in each of the tumor cells evaluated in this study. CONCLUSIONS: These findings have potential clinical relevance in the management of patients with sarcoma. Consideration should be given tousing bupivacaine while performing biopsies to decrease the risk of biopsy tract contamination. There may also be consideration for use as an adjuvant or neoadjuvant treatment during tumor resectionin the form of local delivery via injection or infusion using a pain pump with a catheter placed in the tumor bed. A Bier block or isolated limb perfusion could be used for sarcomas of the extremity

Clostridium Difficile Incidence in Acute Care Hospitals: Patient and Hospital Characteristics

Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) calls for the attention of public research because it allows for investigation of the health practices, resources, and barriers of different health facilities and their surrounding communities. This research study examined the relationship between hospital acquired clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and patient, socioeconomic, and hospital characteristics in the state of New Mexico to determine their correlation with the increased incidence of CDI between 2013 and 2015 and if significant differences exist. The research questions were explored with the implication of the fundamental cause model and the pathways model. New Mexico patients over the age of 18 and admitted to an acute care facility in 2014 and 2015 (n=186,669) were examined using a case-control, correlative, retrospective approach. The relationship between the study predictors: patient, socioeconomic, and hospital characteristics, and outcome variable, presence of a CDI diagnosis, was analyzed using a test of binomial logistic regression. Females (OR=1.31), Native Americans (OR=1.51), increase in age and number of diagnoses (OR=1.14; OR\u3c 0.00), and increase in length of stay (OR=1.14) showed an increased likelihood of a CDI diagnosis. Medicaid users (OR=-0.63), income groups in the 4th quartile (OR=0.02), and surgical patients (OR=5.70) presented a significant association with the likelihood of a CDI diagnosis. The findings of the study address the social implication of how differences in health services, health resources, and financial barriers impact CDI prevention programs and if such impacts differ greatly across New Mexico jurisdictions and communities. There is a need to ensure that all New Mexico communities have standardized protocols and resources for CDI prevention

Inverse Filtering Techniques in Speech Analysis

This paper reviews certain speech analytical techniques to which the label 'inverse filtering' has been applied. The unifying features of these techniques are presented, namely:1. a basis in the source-filter theory of speech production,2. the use of a network whose transfer function is the inverse of the transfer function of one or a combination of the articulatory system filters to modify the speech wave either in the time domain or in the frequency domain.However their differences, which lie in the particular system filter being inverted and in the manner of realisation. provide a basis for the classification adopted in the paper which is as follows: (1) inverse vocal tract analogue filtering. (2) inverse vocal tract digital filtering. (3) direct inverse glottal filtering. (4) linear predictive coding. An assessment of the comparative usefulness of inverse-filtering in contemporary speech studies is given

Efficacy of Removal of CCL Viruses under Enhanced Coagulation Conditions

The focus of coagulation as a water treatment process is shifting to accommodate recent regulatory additions that strive to balance the risks between microbial and chemical contamination of drinking water. In this work, enhanced coagulation using increased ferric chloride dose and/or pH adjustment was evaluated for removal efficacy of viruses on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Contaminant Candidate List (CCL), their surrogates, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Jar tests demonstrated that optimal DOC removal was achieved using 40 mg/L FeCl3 at a pH between 5 and 6. Under these conditions, bench-scale testing resulted in a maximum removal of 2.58 log units of adenovirus type 4, 2.50 log units of feline calicivirus, 2.32 log units of MS2, 1.75 log units of PRD1, 1.52 log units of phi-X174, 2.49 log units of fr, and 56% of DOC. The trend in virus removals (MS2 and fr \u3e PRD1 and phi-X174) was consistent between bench- and pilot-scale testing; however, pilot-plant removals exceeded bench-scale removals. Feline calicivirus was more efficiently removed than the bacteriophages, thereby suggesting potential for the bacteriophages as suitable surrogates, with MS2 and fr being more representative and PRD1 and phi-X174 (which were removed to a lesser extent) more conservative. The bacteriophages do not appear to be appropriate surrogates for adenovirus

Type 2 Diabetes Prevention and Management in a Primary Care Clinic Setting

Approximately 8.3% of the U. S. population has type 2 diabetes. Preventing the onset and improving the management type 2 diabetes are crucial for health care professionals. The purpose of this project was to develop and evaluate a type 2 diabetes prevention and management education program in a primary care setting using group medical appointments (GMAs). The chronic care model provided the framework for the study. The education program consisted of information from the Centers for Disease Control on the management of type 2 diabetes to be delivered by clinic staff using a GMA approach, a timeline for implementing the education program, and evaluation strategies for assessing patient health outcomes. Staff participants included 9 females and 1 male. One week after the presentation, staff responded to open-ended questions addressing the plan for prevention and management of type 2 diabetes. Findings indicated that staff unanimously approved the content of the program, thought the program could realistically be implemented, thought the proposed evaluation methods were appropriate, and thought the program would have a positive influence on patient health outcomes. Prevention and management education programs using a GMA approach may be used to reduce incidence and improve management of type 2 diabetes

History and symbols in Juliana Okoh’s Throes of Leadership

Semiotics is a topic on which much has been theorised, but the practical applications of semiotics to appreciation of drama appear to be very difficult for students of the humanities to comprehend. By using the opportunity of doing a review on a recent play premier at the University of Port Harcourt in March, 2017; as directed by Sunday Edum, effort has been made in this study to demonstrate the place of semiotics in drama appreciation. The play titled, Throes of Leadership is written by Juliana O. Okoh; a prominent female playwright, feminist and a professor at the University of Port Harcourt. The work exposes the inner meanings of the signs and symbols embodied in the play from a participant account of the historical events captured in the play, while appraising the playwright and director in the delivery of the dramatic peace.Keywords: Performance, Semiotics, Meaning, Interpretation, Appreciatio