Association between pretreatment haemoglobin levels and morphometric characteristics of the tumour, response to neoadjuvant treatment and long-term outcomes in patients with locally advanced rectal cancers

Aim The study was carried out to investigate whether pretreatment haemoglobin (Hb) levels act as a biomar- ker in the management of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. Method\ud We prospectively collected data on all patients within our cancer network with localized low rectal cancer treated with preoperative radiotherapy/chemora- diotherapy at Mount Vernon Centre for Cancer Treat- ment between March 1994 and July 2008. Pretreatment Hb level was assessed as an independent variable for the whole study sample and dichotomised at a value of 12 g/dl. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was conducted on parameters that had significant association on univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and cor- relational (Kendall tau/Pearson) analyses. Kaplan – Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine significant prognostic markers. Statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results 463 patients (male/female 2:1; median age = 66 years, interquartile range = 56.5 – 73.0) were included in the analysis. There was significant tumour response of T stage ( P < 0.001) and N stage ( P < 0.001), with 17.6% of patients achieving a pathological complete response. Pretreatment Hb value was inversely related to the craniocaudal vertical tumour length ( P = 0.02) and pretreatment T stage of the tumour ( P = 0.01). Patients with Hb levels of < 12 g/dl and moderately differenti- ated adenocarcinoma were less responsive. Local recur- rence was more common in patients with a pretreatment Hb of < 12 g/dl (hazard ratio = 1.78) over a median follow up of 24 months, but this was not statistically significant ( P = 0.08). Conclusion The pretreatment Hb level might be used as a biomarker of rectal tumour morphology, response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation and risk of local recur- renc

Investigations on obesity and experimental hyperlipaemia.

The results of experiments in an animal model for obesity, namely obese hyperglycaemic mice (ob/ob) are described and their relevance to the study of obesity and endogenous hyperlipaemia in man is discussed. Alternating periods of fasting and refeeding reduced the body weight, blood glucose, and plasma insulin levels of obese hyperglycaemic (ob/ob) mice, which also showed an increase in physical activity. A return to normal feeding habit reversed these changes. ob/ob mice showed no weight loss when treated with various doses of triiodothyronine (T[3]), 'slim' ob/ob mice did not breed, and an unexpected number of lipomas at the tail of the pancreas was discovered in these animals. A study of changes in the distribution and numbers of gut hormone-producing cells in these mice was commenced and the possibility that these 'insulin-releasing' gastrointestinal hormones may be involved in the development of obesity is discussed

Language-in-education policy and planning : the case of Lebanon

Recent changes in Lebanon's educational legislation indicate a shift away from using the national language, Arabic, as a medium of instruction in favour of other foreign languages, namely English, French, and German. The latest decree that was passed in 1994 stipulated that these foreign languages can be used as instructional languages in all cycles, including the pre-school and elementary levels. The issue of language-in-education in Lebanon is an old one, dating back to the arrival of foreign missionaries during the second half of the 17th century. Since then several policies and decisions have been made by the colonial powers and the successive Lebanese governments. This paper reviews these policies and decisions in the light of the country's political history with special emphasis on their impact on students and communities at the socioeconomic, educational and political levels. The paper maintains that the policies made by the French during their mandate over Lebanon (1920-1943) favoured the Christian Catholic and Maronite communities. Meanwhile, the policies adopted by the successive Lebanese governments in the era of independence (1943-1975) were largely improvised and more of responses to emotions triggered by independence. Consequently, several socio-economic and educational incentives determined the spread of foreign languages, especially English, in contemporary Lebanon. This widened the gaps among the classes that make up Lebanese society and contributed to the distribution of quality education along sectarian and socioeconomic lines.peer-reviewe

The Means of Relief: Transitional Housing in the Region of Waterloo

The unfortunate paradox of the architectural profession is that it prides itself on being of service to the public, yet it is those most in need of an architect’s service that can least afford it. With conditions of mental illness, drug abuse, and disability at the crux of homelessness within our communities, architecture has a unique opportunity to create supportive and relief-driven environments, wielding the power to positively influence the lives of those who lack stability. This thesis explores the need for transitional housing; a temporary form of housing bridging the gap between emergency shelters and affordable housing. Its goal is to facilitate restabilization for homeless populations and to provide a means of relief for existing emergency shelter systems. The purpose of this thesis is to redefine the implications of homelessness and our response to it in today’s society. Firstly, it seeks to challenge the inherent biases and stigmas associated with homelessness. Secondly, it provides a fundamental understanding of what homelessness is and the pressures imposed on associated shelter support systems. Thirdly, it elaborates on the existing shelter support systems and their facilitation of people’s transition back into society. Finally, the thesis concludes with a design proposal to develop transitional housing in downtown Cambridge, Ontario. The design proposal seeks to address the growing trend of homelessness in the Region of Waterloo by targeting the transitional populations who are most vulnerable and yet most likely to benefit from stability

Customer Value and Data Mining in Segmentation Analysis

Customer Value is the accessed value that a customer has to an organization. In Business, the customer is always right. This statement gives us the impression that all customers are viewed as equal in terms of potential value. Each customer is treated differently according to how much profit they can bring to a company. We use various Data Mining techniques to determine who are these customers and how we can acquire more customers like them who can bring more profit. A loyal customer will be treated differently than a customer that rarely do business with the organization. These customers are usually given bonus gifts and special offers as a form of thanks for their loyalty thus further strengthening that bond. Companies need a way to determine which of their hundreds of thousands of customers are deserving of this attention. Customer Value Segments are used in this specific situation

Evaluation of Pregnant Women's Knowledge and Attitude Toward Banking of Stem Cells from the Umbilical Cord Blood Before and After Counseling

Background: Nowadays the collection of stem cells from the umbilical cord blood is one of the most important topics of health sciences. Pregnant women need to understand or at the very least know about stem cells researches so they can preserve their babies' future health. Purpose: This study was conducted with the purpose of evaluating the pregnant women's knowledge and attitude toward banking of stem cells from the umbilical cord blood before and after counseling. Methods: Research Design: A quasi-experimental design (with pre and post test).  Tools: Three instruments were used throughout the course of this study: (I) interviewing questionnaire, (II) women's knowledge assessment sheet and (III) women's attitude scale. Main results: There was a highly statistically significant difference between knowledge and attitude scores at the pre and post test. Conclusion: both study hypotheses were accepted. Pregnant women's score of knowledge about banking of stem cells from the umbilical cord blood was increased after counseling as compared to before. Pregnant women's score of attitude about banking of stem cells from the umbilical cord blood was increased after counseling as compared to before. Recommendations: The current study can be replicated on a larger sample and on a national base in country to serve as a base for antenatal educational program to raise women's awareness about cord blood banking. The current studied topic should be included in the antenatal education at the third trimester of pregnancy. The study booklet can be handed to women during their antenatal visits. In-service training programs about new trends in nursing care and practices must be developed to enhance nurses' knowledge so become able to properly counsel pregnant women. Keywords: knowledge, attitude, stem cells banking and umbilical cord blood and counseling

RFID-Based Inventory and Security System

During the last decades, the technology of Radio Frequency Identification (hereafter RFID) has been widely used for practical functions in different disciples including; air industry, military, library services, health services, sports, security and many other fields. Within the industry, RFID has been utilized for various functions such as: storing security, personnel and vehicle access/tracking, production and inventory tracking, bagging, delivery and logistics. In this research, a prototype of inventory and security system for the devices and equipment in university labs is implemented. The system uses RFID technology, which is a form of wireless communication that is used to identify tagged objects by a reader. Both hardware and software implementation of the system are described in this paper. Keywords: RFID, Inventory system, RFID Implementation

SELF-ASSEMBLING HYDROGELS BASED ON Î’-CYCLODEXTRIN POLYMER AND POLY (ETHYLENE GLYCOL) BEARING HYDROPHOBIC MOIETIES FOR PROTEIN DELIVERY

Objective: The development of injectable and stable hydrogels for protein delivery is a major challenge. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of polymerized β-CD for the formulation of stable hydrogels suitable for loading and release of bioactive agents and to investigate the mechanism of hydrogel formation. Methods: Hydrogels based on the inclusion complexation of polymerized β-cyclodextrin and cholesterol terminated poly(ethylene glycol) polymers were formed by rehydration of a lyophilized mixture of both polymers. The mechanism of hydrogel formation was investigated via isothermal titration calorimetry, fluorescence spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering measurements. The release behavior of bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein from the modified gels was explored. Results: Rheological analysis demonstrated that the prepared hydrogels had a viscoelastic behavior even at elevated temperature (&gt; 37 ˚C). There are two competing mechanisms for hydrogel formation. The first mechanism is the inclusion complexation between cholesterol moieties and β-CD cavities. The second one is the self association of cholesterol modified PEGs. β-CD had the ability to dissociate the PEG-cholesterol associations. The quantitative and complete release of BSA was observed within 4 weeks. Conclusion: The polymerized form of β-CD, rather than native β-CD is essential for the formation of stable hydrogels. These results were supported by the ability of the modified hydrogel system for loading and release of BSA, making such hydrogel systems promising devices in drug delivery applications