Camel Milk is an Alternative and a Complementary Treatment to the Current Parenteral Insulin Therapy of Insulin-dependent Diabetes Mellitus

The main treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is insulin replacement via parenteral routes which is far from satisfactory, because injection is generally a painful procedure, especially when patients need to get the injections throughout their life by 2-3 injections/day. Secondly, many patients have phobia against injections especially children. Thirdly, insulin is expensive to purchase. Fourthly, parenteral insulin is not safe in the long-term of uses as development of anti-insulin antibodies is possible, and fifthly, parenteral insulin is associated with the risk of hypoglycemic events. For those reasons, raw dromedary’s camel milk is an alternative and or complementary to pareneral insulin treatment of IDDM. This paper discusses the chemical constituents and properties of dromedary’s camel milk, recent research about its efficacy in the treatment of IDDM, its role in the restoration of experimentally damaged beta-cells of the pancreas, its role in the improvement of lipid metabolism, body mass index and functions of the kidneys and liver of subjects with IDDM received camel milk. This paper demonstrates that, raw dromedary’s camel milk causes significant reduction in insulin doses in insulin dependent diabetic subjects to obtain glycemic control along with significant hypoglycemic effects. Significant improvement were also observed in HbA1c levels, micro albuminuria, lipid metabolism, BMI, biochemical parameters of the liver and kidney functions of camel milk fed experimental subjects with IDDM. Camel milk works as a regulator of blood sugar in the absence of original insulin, and it seems to work together with the body’s own restorative and regenerative abilities to maintain normal health. Camel milk is well tolerated and its uses are not associated with the risk of hypoglycemic events, and it may be able to eliminate the alloxan and other chemicals’ induced-toxicity on pancreas and on other body’s organs via regenerative effects on damaged cells with unknown mechanism and could be used as an alternative and or a complementary treatment to current IDDM therapy

SPRAY-DRIED BIOADHESIVE FORMULATIONS FOR PULMONARY DELIVERY

This study describes developments and in vitro characterisation of lipid microparticles prepared using spray-drying for drug delivery to the lung via dry powder inhalers. Bioadhesive formulations such as prochitosome or chitosome powders have been introduced to overcome the drawbacks of liposome instability and potentially provide significant increase in the residence time of drug in the lung. Mannitol or lactose monohydrate (LMH) aqueous solutions were spray dried at inlet temperatures of 90, 130, 170 or 210ºC. Soy phosphatidylcholine and cholestrol (1:1 mole ratio) were used in all formulations. Cholesterol was added to increase vesicle membrane rigidity. Proliposomes containing salbutamol sulphate (SS) were prepared by incorporating various lipid:carrier (mannitol or LMH; 1:2, 1:4, 1:6, 1:8 and 1:10 w/w). Prochitosomes including SS or beclomethason dipropionate (BDP) were prepared by adding various chitosan glutamate:lipid ratios of 1:10, 2:10, 3:10 and 5:10 w/w. Chitosomes, including various cryoprotectants (mannitol, LMH, trehalose or sucrose), were prepared by including chitosan glutamate to liposomes generated from ethanol-based proliposomes in the ratio of 3:10 w/w chitosan to lipid. The spray-drying parameters for generation of dry powders were optimised by using an inlet temperature of 120ºC, outlet temperature of 73 ± 3°C, aspirator rate of 100%, suspension feed rate of 11%, and spray flow rate of 600 L/h using B-290 Buchi mini spray-dryer. The production yields were 48.1±2.84%, 69.73±2.05%, 61.33±2.51% and 58.0±3.0% for mannitol and 50.66±3.51%, 68.0±2.0%, 73.66±1.52%, 59.0±2.64% for LMH at 90, 130, 170 or 210ºC, respectively. The size of the particles were smaller than 5 µm for both carriers at of 90 and 130 ºC, whilst larger than 5 µm at inlet temperatures of 170 and 210 ºC. Particles had smooth, spherical and smaller size at 90 and 130 ºC than inlet temperatures of 170 and 210 ºC. Mannitol kept its crystalline properties after spray-drying, whilst LMH changed to amorphous at all drying temperatures. Mannitol-based proliposome particles were uniform, small and spherically shaped. In contrast, LMH-based proliposome particles were irregular and large. Entrapment efficiency of SS was higher for LMH-based proliposomes, however, fine particle fraction (FPF) was higher for proliposomes containing mannitol. Higher FPF was obtained for proliposome containing lipid to mannitol ratio of 1:6 (FF= 52.6%). Vesicles size decreased with increasing carrier ratio and the zeta potential was slightly negative for all formulations studied. Prochitosomes were small, porous and spherically shaped particles. Higher FPF was achieved for prochitosome powders containing chitosan to lipid ratio of 3:10 and 5:10 for both SS (FPF = 58.12±2.86% and 70.25±2.61% respectively) and BDP (FPF = 61.89±9.04% and 61.56±3.13% respectively). Zeta potential and the fraction of mucin adsorbed on the vesicles increased upon increasing chitosan concentration. Vesicle size decreased with increasing chitosan concentration. Entrapment efficiency (EE) of the formulations containing BDP was higher than that for SS. Moreover, the drug EE was higher using chitosomes compared to liposomes. LMH and trehalose-based liposome or chitosome particles were spherical with less tendency of agglomeration compared to mannitol and sucrose-based particles. Powders containing LMH, trehalose or sucrose were amorphous, whilst mannitol-based powder was crystalline. The FPF values were 14.39±1.81%, 32.29±0.15, 48.99±2.22% and 50.79±3.19% for mannitol, sucrose, LMH and trehalose-based liposome formulations, respectively. However, FPF% values were higher for chitosomes, being 23.48±3.38%, 33.89±0.66%, 54.88±1.85% and 55.9±2.74% for mannitol, sucrose, LMH and trehalose-based chitosomes, respectively. The EE of SS was increased upon coating liposome surface with chitosan regardless of cryoprotectant type. In conclusion, the findings of this study have demonstrated the potential of lipid microparticles in pulmonary drug delivery and that prochitosomes or chitosomes may offer great potential for enhancing drug resident time in the lung

Modified audit opinion and monitoring mechanisms: Empirical evidence from Malaysian public listed companies

Based on the agency theoretical background, the effectiveness of internal corporate monitoring mechanisms enhances the reliability of financial reporting and contributes to protect the interests of all shareholders. This study provides an answer to the following main question of “What are the factors that affect the prospect of receiving a modified audit opinion among Malaysian public listed companies?” to provide an insight-into the issue of internal corporate monitoring mechanisms and modified audit opinion. To date, little is known about this issue, especially in the Malaysian-setting. Accordingly, twelve hypotheses are developed to examine the association between the effectiveness of the board of directors’ characteristics, audit committee characteristics and internal audit function with a modified audit opinion (a proxy for the quality of financial-reporting) in the Malaysian context by using individual and aggregated tests. To examine these hypotheses, logistic regression is used to analyse the data of 136 firm-year observations of seven sectors from the main-market and ACE-market listed on Bursa-Malaysia over the period 2009-2011. Several important findings emerged that are consistent with the hypotheses that Malaysian public listed companies with a large audit committee, audit committee members with greater expertise in accounting and auditing process, outsourcing internal audit function and the investment in the internal audit function are less likely to receive a modified audit opinion. Furthermore, the results confirm the argument that the combined-scores of the board of directors’ characteristics and the audit committee characteristics contribute to their effectiveness in reducing the prospect of receiving a modified audit opinion. Importantly, this study provides evidence that corporate governance reforms in Malaysia can enhance the effectiveness of monitoring mechanisms in order to avoid the Malaysian public listed companies from obtaining a modified audit opinion. Therefore, the results of this study consistent with agency theory and might-be of interest to Malaysian-regulators and policymakers as well as marketparticipants and researcher

Effect of physical training on lung function and respiratory muscles strength in policewomen trainees

Background: Measurement of respiratory muscles strength has not been widely investigated in the context of physical training.Methods: This cross-sectional study has assessed pulmonary function and strength of respiratory muscles in two women groups: group I includes healthy policewomen (n=28) exposed to physical training 3 hours daily for at least 2 years and group II is a matched control group (n=31) of untrained apparently healthy second year medical students. Lung function tests including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEF) were performed using a digital spirometer and maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressures (MIP and MEP) as indicators for respiratory muscle strength were measured using a digital respiratory pressure meter.Results: The mean FVC (L), FEV1 (L), PEF (L/min) values were significantly higher in the police-trained group (p=0.000, 0.000 and 0.003 respectively). Similarly, the mean MIP and MEP (cm/H2O) values were significantly higher among trained group (p=0.000 and 0.003 respectively).Conclusions: Long-term regular physical exercise improves lung function as well as respiratory muscle power and may delay the age-related decline in lung function.

Saudi Arabian 2030 Vision and Entrepreneurial Intention Among University Students

The purposes of this study are to report the degree of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabian 2030 Vision’s (KSA 2030 Vision) awareness among students, and to examine the association of entrepreneurial intention with the awareness of the KSA 2030 Vision in Colleg

An electronic irrigation system using IoT and neural networks

One of the approaches that fall under the alternative application of water on earth or soil is electronic irrigation. It is aware of the need to irrigate crops, restore the vegetation of difficult soil in arid areas, and because of dry spells, as our state has experienced in recent years. Other issues, such as increasing plant growth while lowering the value of agriculture, necessitate installing an irrigation system that cuts back effort, reduces farm and field employees, and minimizes monetary matters within the construction of agricultural comes is crucial. Soil wetness measure is incredibly tough; thus the economic maintaining of its target levels. The answer to this drawback is an automatic irrigation system. This analysis proposed an electronic irrigation system that reduces users' effort to plant care. The system kernel is the self-learning Kohonen Neural Network, which depends on the reading of the detector of soil wetness, plant type, and forecast data. The soil wetness detector indicates the soil wetness level. Also, the system is mechanically started once the wetness level is not up to the extent necessary for the plant's growth. When the system reaches the soil wetness level, it is mechanically stopped for a defined period of morning and evening. As a soil wetness level differs from one plant kind to a different, 3 plant varieties area unit used during this analysis. Beginning the system littered with the weather data, is saving time and effort for the employees

Investigation into The Filterability of Raw Sugars from Different Geographical Regions of The World

This  study  was  carried  out  at  Al khaleej  Sugar  Refinery  in  Dubai, United   Arab   Emirates.  The  study  aimed  to  find  out  the  correlation  between  the  filterability  and  slurry  resistance  values  of   raw  melt  liquor  in  the  carbonation sugar  refinery  and   the  raw  sugar  quality.  The investigation utilized 5 raw sugar samples collected from various regions of the world comprising three quality groups namely; Low Pol sugar (LP) from Thailand, Very High Pol sugar (VHP)   from  Brazil , South-Africa , Sudan , India , and  Very  Very High Pol  sugar ( VVHP )    from  Brazil. The  filterability  and  the  slurry  resistance  tests  were  used  as the main determining factors for the evaluation. The  filterability  of  refined  sugar  (considered  as 100 % ) was  used  as  a reference  value  for comparison. The  results  of  the  experiments  showed  that  the  filterability  of (L P)  raw  sugar  was only about 20% from that of  refined sugar. Whereas the filterability  values  for  (VHP) and  (VVHP) sugars  ranged  between 40% to 80%  from  that  of  refined  sugar.  In addition, the  slurry  resistance  values  for  VHP  and VVHP  sugars  in the  laboratory  were  0.76  and  0.64  respectively  compared  to 0.74 and 0.48  in  the  refinery  production line. It was also observed that there is a close similarity between laboratory filterability and slurry resistance with the actual refinery filtration process which suggests that the laboratory filterability and slurry resistance tests could  be  used  as tool to predict the  behavior  of  the refinery  filtration process  for  similar  qualities  of  raw  sugar

Visión e intención emprendedora de Arabia Saudita 2030 entre estudiantes universitarios

The purposes of this study are to report the degree of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabian 2030 Vision’s (KSA 2030 Vision) awareness among students, and to examine the association of entrepreneurial intention with the awareness of the KSA 2030 Vision in College of Business Administration at the Northern Border University. Using data from a self-administered survey, with a final sample of 266 students, the descriptive and Simple Regression results show that there is a low degree of awareness towards the KSA 2030 Vision among the students, and the entrepreneurial intention is negatively associated with the KSA 2030 Vision awareness. The results of this study give an alarming view as to the current low level awareness of the College of Business students towards the KSA 2030 Vision, and how this low degree of awareness can influence negatively the achievement of the country’s long-term vision. The results of this study should be useful to policy makers in Saudi Arabia at the country, ministry of education the university and elsewhere, as the KSA is aiming to achieve the ambitious KSA 2030 Vision.Los propósitos de este estudio son informar el grado de conocimiento de la Visión 2030 del Reino de Arabia Saudita (Visión KSA 2030) entre los estudiantes, y examinar la asociación de la intención empresarial con el conocimiento de la Visión KSA 2030 en la Facultad de Administración de Empresas en el Universidad de la Frontera Norte. Utilizando datos de una encuesta autoadministrada con una muestra final de 266 estudiantes, los resultados descriptivos y de Regresión simple muestran que existe un bajo grado de conciencia hacia la Visión KSA 2030 entre los estudiantes, y la intención emprendedora se asocia negativamente con la KSA. 2030 Conciencia visual. Los resultados de este estudio dan una alarma al bajo nivel actual de conciencia de los estudiantes de la Facultad de Negocios hacia la Visión KSA 2030, y cómo este bajo grado de conciencia puede influir negativamente en el logro de la visión a largo plazo del país. Los resultados de este estudio deberían ser útiles para los responsables políticos de Arabia Saudita en el país, el ministerio de educación y la universidad y en otros lugares, ya que la KSA tiene como objetivo lograr la ambiciosa Visión 2030 de la KSA

Medication package inserts’ usefulness for Sudanese pharmacists and patients: pharmacists’ perspective

Background: Written medication information is important to health care professionals and patients, alike. Medication package inserts (PI) can prove useful sources for written medication information for pharmacist and patients. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the Sudanese pharmacists toward PIs.Methods: A total of 120 randomly selected Sudanese community and hospital pharmacists, were addressed with a questionnaire of 14 free to answer closed-ended questions.Results: Results showed clear dominance of the young (96.5%), females (63.3%)pharmacists population, whose majority (90.8%) had their undergraduates studies in Sudan. Majority (79.2%) of respondents was keen to read the PIs, and (75.8%)considered them as reliable written medication information sources and references. Correlation between respondents’ reliability and reading of PIs was significant (**p=0.038). How to use medications (95%) their dose (92.5%), and compliance (67.5%), topped the medication information particulars provided by respondents to patients. Drug-interactions and side-effects (36.7%) were downplayed by the respondents. Only a small minority (21.7%) of respondents used to advise patients to read PIs. Majority (85%) of respondents believed that PIs were difficult for patients to understand. Their texts’ language (68.2%), technical terminology (75%) and font size (10%) were cited as main barriers to understandability.Conclusions: To secure usefulness of PIs, they shall be written in lay terminology of patients’ native language. Pharmacists shall seek independent sources of medication information, advice and motivate patients to read PIs and keep them for ongoing reference