The Degree to Which the Activity Manual Includes an “Interactive Curriculum of Activity Classes” for Life Skills and Secondary School Student

This study aimed to know the degree to which the activities guide includes the "interactive curriculum for activity classes" for life skills and the acquisition of students for them. To achieve the goals of this study, a questionnaire consisting of (24) items was distributed to high school students, (150) students in Latin schools, Madaba. as well as through the content analysis of the activities guide "interactive curriculum for activity classes"The researcher used the descriptive survey method, and the study concluded that the degree of inclusion of life skills in the activities guide "interactive curriculum for activity classes" was low, and with regard to the degree of secondary school students' acquisition of life skills, the study showed that the degree of secondary school students acquiring life skills available in the guide Activities "The interactive curriculum for activity classes" in Jordan an average degree was  with an arithmetic average (2.95%). Based on the results of the study, the study recommended making use of the results of this study to review the guide for activities "the interactive curriculum for activity classes" and taking into account the priority of life skills. Keywords: life skills, interactive curriculum, high school students. DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/104-09 Publication date: December 31st 202

Distribution of apolipoprotein AI-containing lipoprotein subclasses in plasma of normolipidemic subjects

The distribution of apoA-I among apoA-I-containing lipoprotein (AI-Lp) subclasses in plasma was studied by immunoblotting utilizing agarose gel matrix incorporating anti-apoA-I as the transfer medium. Nine AI-Lp subclasses were detected in the plasma of normolipidemics, with relative molecular masses ranging from 70000 to≥354000 and diameters from 7.12 to≥11.6 nm. The mass distribution of AI-Lp subclasses was significantly different between males and females, and some subclasses increased gradually with age while others decreased. There was a significant strong positive correlation between subclass 1 (Mr 70000-75000) and subclass 3 (Mr 105000-126000) in all subjects and age groups. Analysis of similar AI-Lp or HDL subclasses reported in the literature showed variability in the sizes reported by various workers. This stresses the need for a unified classification of such subclasses, and this work contributes to this direction. The quantitative nature of the method used in this work compared with the semiquantitative approaches used earlier makes it a better method for the study of the quantitative changes of the subclasses in various physiological and pathological states. The method helps to generate ideas for in vitro and in vivo studies of apoA-I exchange among subclasses and in vivo kinetic studies. Conclusion. Plasma level of the AI-Lp subclasses varied quantitatively with age and gender, and strong correlations were detected between some subclasses. This work contributes to a better classification of AI-Lp subclasses according to their size. Comparison of the method used here with the methods reported in the literature revealed its advantages

The nexus between digital collaboration, analytics capability and supply chain resilience of the food processing industry in Jordan

AbstractThe major aim of the study is to examine the impact of Digital Collaboration (DC) and Analytics Capability (AC) on Supply Chain Resilience (SCRES). The study used data gathered from senior managers of the food processing industry in Jordan using a self-reported questionnaire designed and distributed to a purposive sample via email. A purposive sample consisted of 200 managers. To achieve the aim of the study, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with Partial Least Squares (PLS) was used for analysis. Responses used in data analysis composed 71% of the distributed questionnaires. The study results supported the hypotheses that AC has positive significant effects on DC and visibility of the SCRES while DC shows significant effects on velocity and flexibility of the supply chain. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on Resource-based view (RBV) and Supply chain literature by emphasizing that the AC between companies is a key antecedent of DC as well as AC and DC are crucial prerequisites for organizations to improve their performance by supporting the resilience of their supply chains. In light of the study results, managers and decision-makers need to prioritize and invest in improving their AC and fostering DC due to their impact on SCRES, which is especially critical considering the increasing challenges that organizations are currently facing, the increasing state of uncertainty in the external environment, and the limited ability of organizations to predict their ability to obtain the resources and production inputs they need

Mitochondrial biogenesis, telomere length and cellular senescence in Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia

Progressive age is the single major risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases. Cellular aging markers during Parkinson's disease (PD) have been implicated in previous studies, however the majority of studies have investigated the association of individual cellular aging hallmarks with PD but not jointly. Here, we have studied the association of PD with three aging hallmarks (telomere attrition, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cellular senescence) in blood and the brain tissue. Our results show that PD patients had 20% lower mitochondrial DNA copies but 26% longer telomeres in blood compared to controls. Moreover, telomere length in blood was positively correlated with medication (Levodopa Equivalent Daily Dose, LEDD) and disease duration. Similar results were found in brain tissue, where patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) and Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) showed (46-95%) depleted mtDNA copies, but (7-9%) longer telomeres compared to controls. In addition, patients had lower mitochondrial biogenesis (PGC-1 alpha and PGC-1 beta) and higher load of a cellular senescence marker in postmortem prefrontal cortex tissue, with DLB showing the highest effect among the patient groups. Our results suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction (copy number and biogenesis) in blood might be a valuable marker to assess the risk of PD. However, further studies with larger sample size are needed to evaluate these findings

Assessment of practices and awareness regarding the disposal of unwanted pharmaceutical products among community pharmacies: a cross-sectional study in Palestine

Abstract Background The improper disposal of pharmaceutical preparations substantially threatens human health and environmental safety. Pharmacists are responsible for properly disposing of unwanted medications and educating patients about how to do so themselves. This study aimed to assess community pharmacists’ knowledge, determine their views on how to dispose of unwanted pharmaceuticals, and assess the extent to which they realize that it is their responsibility to guide patients toward the safe disposal of expired medications. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2021 and April 2022 among 400 practicing pharmacists who were chosen to participate by random cluster sampling. Community pharmacists’ practices, awareness, and beliefs about disposing of unused drugs were evaluated. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM-SPSS) version 21 was used for data entry and analysis. Results Of 400 pharmacists, 348 stated that they did not participate in courses on the safe disposal of unwanted medications. Disposal of drugs in the garbage, an unsafe method, was very frequently recommended by pharmacists to patients, especially regarding inhalers, antibiotics, hormonal drugs, and solid and semisolid drugs. However, many pharmacists advised patients to return their hormonal, category B, and category C drugs to the pharmacy. A total of 61.3% of pharmacists agreed and 26% strongly agreed that unsafe disposal of drugs negatively affects the environment. A total of 54.3% of the participants agreed that improper disposal of antibiotics might be a reason for increased antimicrobial resistance, and 54.5% of them agreed that improper disposal of hormonal drugs might contribute to the development of certain cancers. A total of 80.3% of the participants perceived that most unwanted drugs in pharmacies were those returned from patients. A total of 97.3% of the participants supported establishing a drug disposal system, with 77.5% choosing to have the district health board responsible for funding this system. A total of 48.5% of the participants indicated that a lack of education and awareness on the issue of getting rid of unused drugs constitutes a challenge to the safe disposal of medicines, and 66% of them said that a lack of law enforcement constitutes another challenge. A total of 95.5% of the participants agreed or strongly agreed that good training for health sector workers and organizing workshops to develop knowledge on this subject would improve practices. A total of 93.3% supported distributing educational brochures, and 92.8% supported placing special containers in every pharmacy to collect unwanted drugs. Conclusions Most pharmacists in our study returned drugs to manufacturing companies and stores, and few followed the correct methods of incineration and return of drugs to the Ministry of Health. Current data emphasize the issue of improper disposal of medicine in Palestine and the need for improved education among healthcare workers

Metabolic perturbation associated with COVID-19 disease severity and SARS-CoV-2 replication

Viruses hijack host metabolic pathways for their replicative advantage. In this study, using patient-derived multiomics data and in vitro infection assays, we aimed to understand the role of key metabolic pathways that can regulate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 reproduction and their association with disease severity. We used multiomics platforms (targeted and untargeted proteomics and untargeted metabolomics) on patient samples and cell-line models along with immune phenotyping of metabolite transporters in patient blood cells to understand viral-induced metabolic modulations. We also modulated key metabolic pathways that were identified using multiomics data to regulate the viral reproduction in vitro. Coronavirus disease 2019 disease severity was characterized by increased plasma glucose and mannose levels. Immune phenotyping identified altered expression patterns of carbohydrate transporter, glucose transporter 1, in CD8+ T cells, intermediate and nonclassical monocytes, and amino acid transporter, xCT, in classical, intermediate, and nonclassical monocytes. In in vitro lung epithelial cell (Calu-3) infection model, we found that glycolysis and glutaminolysis are essential for virus replication, and blocking these metabolic pathways caused significant reduction in virus production. Taken together, we therefore hypothesized that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 utilizes and rewires pathways governing central carbon metabolism leading to the efflux of toxic metabolites and associated with disease severity. Thus, the host metabolic perturbation could be an attractive strategy to limit the viral replication and disease severity