Renal tubular dysfunction measured by N-acetyl-beta glucosaminidase/Creatinine activity index in children receiving antiepileptic drugs: a randomized controlled trial

To evaluate renal side-effects of anti-epileptic medication by valproate (VPA) and carbamazepine (CBZ), we performed a prospective study to assess renal tubular function by measuring N-acetyl-β glucosaminidase (NAG)/Cr activity index in epileptic children. The study was conducted on 112 children who were diagnosed with epilepsy (28 patients were observed before treatment with anti-epileptics, 28 children were administered VPA, 28 children were treated with CBZ, and 28 healthy children were selected age &sex matched for). An especial NAG assay kit was used for quantitative measuring of NAG in patient urine samples. The patients receiving VPA exhibited higher rate of NAG activity compared with the two groups which not receiving anti-epileptic drugs. Measurement of urinary NAG/Cr index in the children who received CBZ also, was significantly higher than those who were not administered anti-epileptic drugs. The measurement of NAG/Cr index in the VPA group was significantly higher than that in the CBZ group (NAG index: 2.75 versus 1.71). Children on anti-epileptic treatment with VPA or CBZ might demonstrate signs of renal tubular dysfunction, reflected by NAG/Cr activity index. This side effect can be potentially more occurred following VPA administration

The Grammatical Correlates of Social Class Factors: The Case of Iranian Fifth-Graders

Ever since Bernstein theorized the relationship between social class and language pattern, this issue has resulted in a growing body of research. However, few studies have been conducted in the context of Iranian society. In response to this shortcoming, a survey was designed to investigate the relationship between the linguistic and the social class patterns in the compositions of 350 male fifth-grade elementary school students. Accordingly, a Language Pattern Elicitation Prompt and a Social Class Questionnaire were designed to collect relevant data. Using the most common social class indices, through a set of pilot studies and factorial analysis, six social class factors of Life Style, Property, Parental Education, Paternal Occupation/Income, Accommodation, and Vehicle/Transportation were addressed. The administration of the Language Pattern Elicitation Prompt and the Social Class Questionnaire to students and their parents yielded a rich corpus of language and social class data. The language data was analyzed for frequencies of the grammatical categories, Total Number of Words, T-units, Adjectives, Adverbs, Personal Pronouns, Impersonal pronouns, First Person Singular Pronouns, Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Mean T-unit Length. The social class data were analyzed for total social class scores and scores for each social class factor. The results of the correlation analyses suggested a significant relationship between the total social class scores and a number of the grammatical categories. The relationships between the language data and the social class factors represented similar trend as well. The findings of the present study support Bernstein's theory to a great extent

Oral Midazolam-Ketamine versus Midazolam alone for Procedural Sedation of Children Undergoing Computed Tomography; a Randomized Clinical Trial

Introduction: Motion artifacts are a common problem in pediatric radiographic studies and are a common indication for pediatric procedural sedation. This study aimed to compare the combination of oral midazolam and ketamine (OMK) with oral midazolam alone (OM) as procedural sedatives among children undergoing computed tomography (CT) imaging. Methods: The study population was comprised of six-month to six-year old patients with medium-risk minor head trauma, who were scheduled to undergo brain CT imaging. Patients were randomly allocated to two groups: one group received 0.5 mg/kg midazolam (OM group; n = 33) orally and the other one received 0.2 mg/kg midazolam and 5 mg/kg ketamine orally (OMK group; n=33). The vital signs were monitored and recorded at regular intervals. The primary outcome measure was the success rate of each drug in achieving adequate sedation. Secondary outcome measures were the time to achieve adequate sedation, time to discharge from radiology department, and the incidence of adverse events. Results: Adequate sedation was achieved in five patients (15.2%) in OM group and 15 patients (45.5%) in OMK group, which showed a statistically significant difference between the groups (P = 0.015). No significant difference was noted between OM and OMK groups with respect to the time of achieving adequate sedation (33.80 ± 7.56 and 32.87 ± 10.18 minutes, respectively; P = 0.854) and the time of discharging from radiology department (89.60 ± 30.22 and 105.27 ± 21.98 minutes, respectively; P=0.223). The complications were minor and similar among patients of both groups. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that in comparison with OM, OMK was more effective in producing a satisfactory level of sedation in children undergoing CT examinations without additional complications; however, none of these two regimens fulfilled clinical needs for procedural sedation

The political aspects of positivist ELT research articles

Despite appealing notion of research based language teaching, we argue that scientific way of conducting research on English language teaching (ELT) is problematic since it ignores language learners’ subjectivity, instructors’ professionalism, practitioners’ culture and learning particularity. Positivists pedagogical arguments neglect the social nature of meaning making instructional practices and emphasize objectivity and measurability criteria which lead to instrumental rationality. A critical discourse analysis of practical arguments proposed in pedagogical implications section of empiricist research articles revealed that positivists assumptions manifest themselves as the rules and regulations of carrying out scientific research. These yardsticks give power to the neoliberal tendencies to present reasons as premises of arguments to restrict and control the agency of ELT teachers as well as to deprofessionalize them. Since there is a close affinity between this paradigm world views and neoliberal policies, positivists research articles lead to the domination of neoliberalism on TEFL discourse. This indicates the ideological function of the article genre and awareness of that is crucial for the sake of democratic and fair education

Spirulina Supplementation with High-Intensity Interval Training Decreases Adipokines Levels and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Men with Obesity

Adiposity, a state characterized by excessive accumulation of body fat, is closely linked to metabolic complications and the secretion of specific adipokines. This study explores the potential of exercise and Spirulina supplementation to mitigate these complications and modulate adipokine release associated with obesity. The primary objective of this investigation was to examine the impact of a 12-week regimen of high-intensity training combined with Spirulina supplementation on adipokine concentrations and lipid profiles in male individuals with obesity (N = 44). The participants were randomly distributed into four groups, each consisting of 11 participants: a control group (CG), a supplement group (SG), a training group (TG), and a training plus supplement group (TSG). The intervention comprised a 12-week treatment involving Spirulina supplementation (6 g capsule daily), a 12-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) protocol with three sessions per week, or a combined approach. Following the interventions, metabolic parameters, anthropometric measurements, cardiorespiratory indices, and circulating adipokines [CRP, Sema3C, TNF-α, IL-6, MCP1, IL-8] were assessed within 48 h of the before and final training session. Statistical analyses revealed significant differences across all measures among the groups (p < 0.05). Notably, post hoc analyses indicated substantial disparities between the CG and the three interventional groups regarding body weight (p < 0.05). The combined training and supplementation approach led to noteworthy reductions in low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TGL) levels (all p < 0.0001), coupled with an elevation in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels (p = 0.0001). Furthermore, adipokine levels significantly declined in the three intervention groups relative to the CG (p < 0.05). The findings from this 12-week study demonstrate that Spirulina supplementation in conjunction with high-intensity interval training reduced adipokine levels, improved body weight and BMI, and enhanced lipid profiles. This investigation underscores the potential of Spirulina supplementation and high-intensity interval training as a synergistic strategy to ameliorate obesity-related complications and enhance overall cardiometabolic well-being in obese males

Effects of cutting positions and plant growth regulators on propagation of kapur bukit (Dryobalanops beccarii dyer) through cutting

Due to overexploitation and clearing of natural forests, many important and valuable timber species had been forfeited. Decreasing number of timber species require immediate attentions to sustain natural forest and timber products as a source of country earnings. Kapur bukit (Dryobalanops beccarii Dyer) is one of the potential species for large scale plantation. The objectives of this study were to establish effective and proper cutting methods in order to produce planting materials. Secondly, this project examines the most suitable plant growth regulators to enhance rooting. At the same time, the incidence of plagiotropism was observed. Through plant propagation technique of cutting, the most suitable plant growth regulators of Indole-3-butryic acid (BA) to enhance rooting were examined. Four assigned treatments; no treatment or control, 2 g/L of BA, 5g/L of IBA and commercial hormone of SADEX were used. Two positions of branch and stem cuttings were examined to observe the incidence of plagiotropism in Dipterocarpaceae. Overall, two trials were conducted to get more reliable data. Results showed that this species is very hard to root. Lower concentration of BA in the first trial of 2 mg/L and 5 mg/L were able to produce roots whereas in higher concentration, cuttings failed to form root within given period. Due to time constraint, the incidence of plagiotropism was not observed. Results obtained from these studies showed that further research is required to support these findings

Assessing the Growth Performance and Yield Potential of MR 269 Rice Variety Cultivated under Different Fertilizer Rates and Soil Types of Sarawak

The information on the growth and yield performances of MR 269 rice in combination with different fertilizer rates and different soil types is essential in order to identify the agronomic characteristics of this new rice variety when cultivated in Sarawak. Two pot culture experiments were conducted in order to evaluate the growth and yield performances of rice cultivated on two types of soils, Gley (GL) and Grey-white podzolic (GW) soils. In each experiment, a total of 80 pots were divided into four fertilizer treatments of T0 (Control), T1 (N60P28K40), T2 (N120P56K80), and T3 (N240P112K160). Ten rice samples in each treatment were randomly selected and assessed for the growth and yield performances. Soil samples were collected and the study on the effects of different fertilizer rates to the soil properties were carried out through soil analysis before and after rice planting. The data for both rice and soil samples were analyzed using SPSS Statistic Version 22. The mean values were compared using one-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD was chosen as a post hoc test. In Experiment 1, for the soil analysis, it was found that the additional of fertilizer of different rates to GL soil had significant effects (P<0.05) on pH, EC, Exchangeable K, Exchangeable Al, Base Saturation, and Available P

"Etude rétrospective des facteurs pronostiques de mortalité des patients ayant présenté au moins une défaillance d organe en réanimation chirurgicale (comparaison 2000 /2007 et impact des nouvelles pratiques")

LILLE2-BU Santé-Recherche (593502101) / SudocPARIS-BIUM (751062103) / SudocSudocFranceF

Optimal location allocation and measurement of distributed generation with optimal location of switch via intelligent evolutionary algorithm

This paper has tried to study two special areas quite separate from distribution network studies, by presenting a novel approach in discussing the placement of automatic switches, a more favorable and more precise technical and economic justification of automation plan for distribution networks. In the meantime, first of all, by expressing the importance of the subject of research from two scientific and applied perspectives, a comprehensive comparison is mentioned in the prior approaches of switch placement. Then, by presenting the formulation for the multifunctional placement of automatic switches along with an optimal design for synchronization of automatic switches, an innovative way is proposed to solve such a problem. Finally, based on the results of the implementation on the test network developed in this study, a favorable economic justification based on the proposed approach in this paper will be presented for automation