Craft based assignments of undergraduate textile design students: Multiple case study

Modern textile design education is based on skill and practice. To inculcate the required expertise, contemporary educators used craft-based assignments. Many designers and artists consider designing high-tech products to start with sketching and drawing, paper, and a pencil. The visualization of design is a broad idea. It involves the cognitive critical and technical thinking of the designer. The present study discussed different approaches to visualization and elucidation. Craft based assignment is the foundation of the design process, where undergraduate textile design students experienced design development. The present study is a multi-case study. Data were collected from three assignments in textile design education. It’s a departmental case study where three cases were studies under the supervision of three textile design instructors. The outcomes demonstrated that, through craftsmanship training, the students found perception and explanation methods that were beforehand obscure to them and that they would not have thought of themselves. The study plan focused more on the thought and the outline sentiment than on the subtleties while applying the new strategies. The study shows that rough techniques seem to offer undergraduate textile design students a more robust visualization method and lower their creating threshold. The outcomes may be useful for teachers when planning craft projects that include a complete craft process that promotes undergraduate textile design students’ own creativity and ideas. Through a well-planned craft project, it is possible to combine knowledge of different courses and promote essential skills in overall learning and education

Probiotics supplementation reduces cigarette smoke-induced damage in the respiratory micro-architecture of mice

This study evaluated the protective efficacy of probiotics supplementation against cigarette smoke-induced lung emphysema, inflammation, and loss of cilia in mice. Probiotics are known to promote mucosal tolerance and mitigate respiratory injuries. Twenty-four adult mice were randomly divided into three groups: control (Ctr), cigarette smoke (CS), and cigarette smoke + probiotics (CS+P). Probiotics were given for 7 days before exposure to smoke in the CS+P group. Tissue samples of the trachea (goblet cell count and index, loss of cilia), lungs (airspace distention), and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were collected and processed. The results showed a significant increase in acidic and neutral goblet cells in the CS group compared to the Ctr and CS+P groups (P < 0.05). Overall, goblet cell number and index were lower in the CS+P group (41.71 ± 5.76, 0.67 ± 0.073) than CS group (56.28 ± 5.34, 1.31 ± 0.28). Inflammatory cells and loss of cilia significantly decreased in mice fed probiotics before exposure to cigarette smoke (P < 0.05). Lung emphysema was also significantly reduced in the CS+P group compared to the CS group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of probiotics reduced lung emphysema, inflammatory cells, goblet cell index, and loss of cilia under conditions of cigarette smoke exposure in mice.O presente trabalho avaliou a eficácia da suplementação com probióticos contra a indução de enfisema, inflamação e perda de cílios por fumaça de cigarro em camundongos. Sabe-se que os probióticos promovem a tolerância da mucosa e mitigam as injúrias respiratórias. Vinte e quatro camundongos foram divididos, ao acaso, em três grupos: controle (CTR), fumaça de cigarro (CS) e fumaça de cigarro + probióticos (CS+P). Os probióticos foram fornecidos por sete dias antes da exposição à fumaça no grupo CS+P. Foram colhidas e processadas amostras de tecidos da traqueia (contagem de células caliciformes e index, perda de cílios), pulmões (distensão do espaço aéreo) e fluido de lavagem broncoalveolar. Os resultados obtidos revelaram um aumento significativo em células caliciformes acidificadas e neutralizadas no grupo CS quando comparado aos grupos Ctr e CS+P (P<0,05). Os números global e o índice de células caliciformes foram menores no grupo CS+P (41,71+ 5,76; 0,67+ 0,073) que no grupo CS (56,28+ 5,34 e 1,131+ 0,28). As células inflamatórias e a perda de cílios decresceram em camundongos alimentados com probióticos antes da exposição à fumaça de cigarro (P<0,05). O enfisema pulmonar também foi significativamente reduzido no grupo CS+P quando comparado ao grupo CS (P<0,05). A conclusão obtida foi que o fornecimento de dieta suplementada com probióticos reduziu o enfisema pulmonar, as células inflamatórias, o índice de células caliciformes e a perda de cílios nos camundongos expostos à fumaça de cigarro

Efficacy of mannan-oligosaccharide and live yeast feed additives on performance, rumen morphology, serum biochemical parameters and muscle morphometric characteristics in buffalo calves

The objective of the current study was to assess the effect of dietary supplementations of mannan-oligosaccharide, live yeast, and a combination of these two additives on growth performance, histo-morphology of the rumen, and muscle morphometric attributes in buffalo calves. A total of twenty buffalo calves (average weight of 25 kg) having 3 months of age were distributed according to a complete randomized design. All animals were individually stalled in the shed and were fed ad-libitum. Experimental animals were divided into four groups for 67 days: Control group(without the inclusion of dietary supplementation); MOS group (Mannan oligosaccharide 5 g/clave/day; Yeast group (Live yeast 2g/calve/day) and Mixed group (MOS + Live Yeast 2.5g + 1g )/calve/day. Experimental results revealed that combined supplementation of MOS and Yeast and MOS alone resulted in an increased number of short-chain fatty acids in the rumen as well as ruminal pH (P<0.05). Results showed a significant improvement in average daily gain and FCR of MOS and Mixed supplemented groups (P<0.05). Histomorphological evaluation of rumen mucosal epithelium showed a significant improvement in the mixed-supplemented group (P<0.05) as compared to the yeast-supplemented and control groups. Muscle quality parameters such as meat texture showed significant improvement in MOS and mix-supplemented groups. Histological examination of longissimus dorsi muscle cross-section showed a significantly higher(P<0.05) muscle fiber and muscle fascicle diameter in both MOS and mix-supplemented calves groups. In conclusion, the results of this experiment revealed that the dietary addition of MOS, Live yeast, and their combination have positive effects on growth performance, rumen histology indices, and muscle morphometric features in buffalo calves.Comment: Pages 13, 4 figure

The Validity Of 75gms OGTT For Detection Of GDM Keeping 100gms OGTT As Gold Standard

Objective: To determine the validity of 75gms (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) OGTT for the detection of GDM keeping 100gms OGTT as the gold standard. Methodology: This was a Cross-sectional validation study done at the Mother and Child Health Centre, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad. The duration of the study was Six months from the approval of the synopsis. Data was collected from  March 2019 to September 2019. Informed consent for participating in the study was taken from all 205 patients. The patients' bio data along with the hospital registration number was entered pro forma. The patients were assessed initially by History taking and examination. All pregnant women underwent a 75g oral glucose test in the 2nd trimester at 24-28 weeks of gestation. For this, the patients were sent to the MCH laboratory with overnight fasting where FBS was taken and they were given a 75 g glucose drink. Their blood sample was taken at 1-hour and 2-hour interval. Two or more elevated values out of the 3 blood samples were sufficient to diagnose GDM. Laboratory reports were reviewed and data was entered in the performa (attached) by the researcher. All the diagnosed patients were further evaluated for a 100g OGTT dose at the MCH laboratory with overnight fasting. Their FBS was studied and women were given a 100 g glucose drink and blood samples were drawn at an interval of 1, 2 and 3 hours respectively. Out of the 4 blood samples, two or more elevated values were sufficient to diagnose GDM. Lab reports were entered in the Performa. Results: From a total of 205 patients, the sensitivity and specificity of OGTT-75 g for diagnosing GDM were 83.02% and 82.83%. However, positive predictive and negative predictive value for OGTT-75 g was 83.81% and 82% respectively. However, the overall diagnostic accuracy of OGTT-75 g was 82.93%. Conclusion: Results of this study showed that 75 gms OGTT is highly sensitive (83.02%) and specific (82.83%) for the detection/diagnosis of gestational DM. Advanced screening and diagnosis of gestational DM, and its effective treatment not only inhibit adverse perinatal and maternal outcomes but also save the lives of both child and mother from diabetes in future

Association of CYP2C19*2 and *17 genetic variants with hypertension in Pakistani population

Purpose: To investigate the association of *2 and *17 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CYP2C19 gene with hypertension in Pakistani population. Methods: The study was conducted on 527 hypertensive patients and 530 unrelated healthy controls from selected regions of Pakistan. DNA was extracted from leukocytes and all patients and controls were genotyped for two SNPs (rs4244285 and rs12248560) of CYP2C19 gene by allele specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR). Results: Multi-allelic polymorphism in CYP2C19 identified four distinct phenotypes known as ultra-rapid metabolizer (UM), extensive metabolizer (EM), intermediate metabolizer (IM) and poor metabolizer (PM) in hypertensive patients and controls. For CYP2C19*2 polymorphisms, overall wild type and mutant allele frequency were 75 and 25 % in hypertensive patients, and 64.2 and 35.8 % in controls. For CYP2C19*17 polymorphisms, the overall wild type and mutant allele frequency were 66.6 and 33.4 % in hypertensive patients and 75.6 % and 24.4 % in controls. Significant difference in allele frequencies for CYP2C19*2 and *17 was demonstrated between hypertensive and non-hypertensive subjects. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on CYP2C19 frequencies in hypertensive Pakistani patients. The finds should help clinicians to determine a suitable optimal dosage of some drugs in order to reduce side effects

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Vimentin-Induced Disruption of Cell–Cell Associations Augments Breast Cancer Cell Migration

In advanced metastatic cancers with reduced patient survival and poor prognosis, expression of vimentin, a type III intermediate filament protein is frequently observed. Vimentin appears to suppress epithelial characteristics and augments cell migration but the molecular basis for these changes is not well understood. Here, we have ectopically expressed vimentin in MCF-7 and investigated its genomic and functional implications. Vimentin changed the cell shape by decreasing major axis, major axis angle and increased cell migration, without affecting proliferation. Vimentin downregulated major keratin genes KRT8, KRT18 and KRT19. Transcriptome-coupled GO and KEGG analyses revealed that vimentin-affected genes were linked to either cell–cell/cell-ECM or cell cycle/proliferation specific pathways. Using shRNA mediated knockdown of vimentin in two cell types; MCF-7FV (ectopically expressing) and MDA-MB-231 (endogenously expressing), we identified a vimentin-specific signature consisting of 13 protein encoding genes (CDH5, AXL, PTPRM, TGFBI, CDH10, NES, E2F1, FOXM1, CDC45, FSD1, BCL2, KIF26A and WISP2) and two long non-coding RNAs, LINC00052 and C15ORF9-AS1. CDH5, an endothelial cadherin, which mediates cell–cell junctions, was the most downregulated protein encoding gene. Interestingly, downregulation of CDH5 by shRNA significantly increased cell migration confirming our RNA-Seq data. Furthermore, presence of vimentin altered the lamin expression in MCF-7. Collectively, we demonstrate, for the first time, that vimentin in breast cancer cells could change nuclear architecture by affecting lamin expression, which downregulates genes maintaining cell–cell junctions resulting in increased cell migration

Optimization of Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Logic System Using Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm

The estimation of the fuzzy membership function parameters for interval type 2 fuzzy logic system (IT2-FLS) is a challenging task in the presence of uncertainty and imprecision. Grasshopper optimization algorithm (GOA) is a fresh population based meta-heuristic algorithm that mimics the swarming behavior of grasshoppers in nature, which has good convergence ability towards optima. The main objective of this paper is to apply GOA to estimate the optimal parameters of the Gaussian membership function in an IT2-FLS. The antecedent part parameters (Gaussian membership function parameters) are encoded as a population of artificial swarm of grasshoppers and optimized using its algorithm. Tuning of the consequent part parameters are accomplished using extreme learning machine. The optimized IT2-FLS (GOAIT2FELM) obtained the optimal premise parameters based on tuned consequent part parameters and is then applied on the Australian national electricity market data for the forecasting of electricity loads and prices. The forecasting performance of the proposed model is compared with other population-based optimized IT2-FLS including genetic algorithm and artificial bee colony optimization algorithm. Analysis of the performance, on the same data-sets, reveals that the proposed GOAIT2FELM could be a better approach for improving the accuracy of the IT2-FLS as compared to other variants of the optimized IT2-FLS

High prevalence and predominance of BRCA1 germline mutations in Pakistani triple-negative breast cancer patients

Background: Women harboring BRCA1/2 germline mutations have high lifetime risk of developing breast/ovarian cancer. The recommendation to pursue BRCA1/2 testing is based on patient’s family history of breast/ovarian cancer, age of disease-onset and/or pathologic parameters of breast tumors. Here, we investigated if diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) independently increases risk of carrying a BRCA1/2 mutation in Pakistan. Methods: Five hundred and twenty-three breast cancer patients including 237 diagnosed ≤ 30 years of age and 286 with a family history of breast/ovarian cancer were screened for BRCA1/2 small-range mutations and large genomic rearrangements. Immunohistochemical analyses were performed at one center. Univariate and multiple logistic regression models were used to investigate possible differences in prevalence of BRCA1/2 mutations according to patient and tumor characteristics. Results: Thirty-seven percent of patients presented with TNBC. The prevalence of BRCA1 mutations was higher in patients with TNBC than non-TNBC (37% vs. 10%, P < 0.0001). 1% of TNBC patients were observed to have BRCA2 mutations. Subgroup analyses revealed a larger proportion of BRCA1 mutations in TNBC than non-TNBC among patients 1) diagnosed at early-age with no family history of breast/ovarian cancer (14% vs. 5%, P = 0.03), 2) diagnosed at early-age irrespective of family history (28% vs. 11%, P = 0.0003), 3) had a family history of breast cancer (49% vs. 12%, P < 0.0001), and 4) those with family history of breast and ovarian cancer (81% vs. 28%, P = 0.0005). TNBC patients harboring BRCA1 mutations were diagnosed at a later age than non-carriers (median age at diagnosis: 30 years (range 22–53) vs. 28 years (range 18–67), P = 0.002). The association between TNBC status and presence of BRCA1 mutations was independent of the simultaneous consideration of family phenotype, tumor histology and grade in a multiple logistic regression model (Ratio of the probability of carrying BRCA1/2 mutations for TNBC vs. non-TNBC 4.23; 95% CI 2.50–7.14; P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Genetic BRCA1 testing should be considered for Pakistani women diagnosed with TNBC