A master’s thesis in female genital mutilation. The impact of leadership on the prevalence and practice of female genital mutilation in african countries

Background: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a significant issue that has raised concerns, especially among different cultures worldwide. Although the practice of FGM is endemic to several African cultures a rising number of organizations, especially human rights activists and feminists, have been campaigning against the practice for years. Some of the arguments are that FGM violates the rights of a girl child and thus has negative implications for young girls. FGM has severe health, moral, mental, and psychological effects on the affected girls. As a result, many human rights organizations have been on the front line in creating awareness among communities practicing FGM on the dangers of the practice. Research Aim: The main goal of this research is to provide an in-depth analysis of how leadership has impacted the prevalence of FGM in Africa. Methods: A systematic database search was conducted in health and social care databases with the careful application of strict eligibility criteria. Data extraction and analysis was then conducted on the resulting nine peer-reviewed articles to achieve this goal . Results: The selected review studies demonstrated that leadership can have a significant impact on the prevalence of FGM, knowledge and acceptance of the practice in the wider community. An analysis identified three major groups of leaders: religious, community and government leaders 6 who have become actively engaged in the fight against the practice of FGM in Africa. Collaborative action between these different groups of leaders in several African countries has been able to achieve a significant degree of change in FGM practice in these countries over the past decade. It is anticipated that there will be even more significant change in the years to come

Res judicata of criminal judgement before the civil judge: A comparative between Jordanian legislation and Syrian legislation

This research dealt with the claim preclusion “ res judicata” of criminal judgement before the civil judge. As a comparative study between the Jordanian legislation and the Syrian legislation. It is known that penal legislation has decided the rule of res judicata against the civil case before the civil court. In the case of a civil case, a criminal judgment may be issued in the criminal proceedings, and the criminal judgment has res judicata that the civil court is obliged to respect it and not to judge contrary to final decision, whether the issued judgment was acquitted or the conviction as long as the civil action was not finalized . This study aims at discussing this subject in comparison between the Jordanian penal legislation and the Syrian penal legislation and to try to stand on the similarities and differences between them on this significant issue. The researcher used the descriptive approach by extrapolating the texts governing the title of the study in the legislation which are the Syrian legislation and the Jordanian legislation. The researcher used the analytical method by using the logical analysis of the texts of the legislations in order to extract the rule of matters in which has no specific text, issues that are subject to ambiguity and disagreement through multiple jurisprudential readings and legislative texts. The study was divided into sections ;an introduction and two topics. The first topic: What is res judicata “claim preclusion”? The second topic: The implications of the res judicata of the criminal judgment before the civil judiciary. The study reached many conclusions and recommendations, including: Authenticity is a kind of refrain enjoyed by the ruling, which is considered by virtue of including a presumption that does not accept the contrary decision in terms of its form and subject, it is the title of the truth, and the most important direct effects of res judicata before the civil judiciary is the following: It is not permissible to look into the issue of criminal judgment again before the civil court and it is not permissible to re-examine the subject of a complaint to give a check that does not receive a balance before the civil court after the criminal court decided by a final penalty. Key words: Res judicata , criminal judgement, authenticity of criminal judgment DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/88-27 Publication date: August 31st 201

Workplace violence against nurses at Minia district hospitals

Introduction: Violence against nurses at the workplace is an alarming problem in both developed and developing countries affecting the quality of their work. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of external (patient initiated) and internal violence (initiated by staff members) against nurses and studying the violence-associated factors such as perpetrators, the attitude of nurses following aggression incidents, consequences, and impact on nurses and work. Methods: A cross-sectional study included 385 nurses from three different hospitals in Minia district was agreed to participate in the study. These hospitals included Health Insurance Hospital, Minia University Hospitals (Minia University Gynecological, Obstetric, and Pediatric Hospital and Minia Renal Hospital), and Minia general hospital. The well-structured questionnaire covered four main domains; sociodemographics, lifetime working experience of violence, external and internal violence and its effects on work, the perpetrators of violence, and attitude of nurses following violent incidents. Results: More than half of nurses (55.8%) were exposed to workplace violence during their working lifetime. Experiencing external violence (patient initiated) during the past year was significantly higher (57.4%) than the internal (staff initiated) type (33.5%). Verbal violence was the most common type of violence. Reporting violence incidents were done by 68.3% and 38.7% of the nurses who were exposed to external and internal violence, respectively. Conclusion: Violence against nurses working in different health-care facilities at Minia district was prevalent and has a significant impact on nurses and their work

Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant Capacity Measurement, and Mineral Content Determination of Thymus vulgaris L. Extracts

The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of Thymus vulgaris L. extracts. T. vulgaris L. is a medicinal plant that has various bioactive compounds. Four different solvents (ethanol, water, ethyl acetate, and chloroform) were used to extract these compounds from the plant. The phytochemical screening of the extracts showed that the ethanolic extract had the highest diversity of compounds, including coumarins, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, phenols, carbohydrates, and proteins. The total phenolic and total antioxidant contents of the ethanolic extract were measured by the Folin–Ciocalteu and phosphomolybdenum methods, respectively. The ethanolic extract had a high phenolic content of 77.7 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry weight, which indicates its potential antioxidant capacity. The mineral content of T. vulgaris L. was also assessed by flame photometry and atomic absorption spectrophotometry after dry digestion. The plant contained five macroelements (K, Na, Ca, Mg, P) and three microelements (Fe, Cu, Zn) in different concentrations. The highest concentration was found for potassium (15259 mg/kg), followed by calcium (5118 mg/kg) and sodium (4793 mg/kg). The lowest concentration was found for phosphorus (1400 mg/kg), which was still higher than the microelements. Among the microelements, zinc had the highest concentration (24.82 mg/kg), followed by iron (17.44 mg/kg) and copper (14.98 mg/kg). The results of this study provide useful information for the users, collectors and practitioners of medicinal plants from polluted areas, as they can evaluate the quality and safety of T. vulgaris L. for human consumption

A systematic literature review on cyberstalking. An analysis of past achievements and future promises

Individuals’ excessive use of technology-enabled communication platforms, such as social media, has led to scholarly recognition of rising incidences of cyberstalking. Despite considerable studies directed at its examination, the current research on cyberstalking is limited by a lack of clarity on its characterization and prevalence, coupled with a fragmented research focus. To address this limitation, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on cyberstalking has been undertaken. Rigorous protocols were applied to identify 49 empirical studies via Scopus and Web of Science, based on specific keywords and article selection criteria. Findings reveal four emergent research themes on characteristics and roles of cyberstalkers, victims, parents, social media, and online service providers, as well as reporting, coping, and prevention strategies discussed in prior studies. Findings imply the need for temporal and cross-cultural validation of measurement scales and prior results by developing sophisticated, theoretically-grounded frameworks. Based on study findings, a research framework is proposed to assist researchers in future examinations of under-investigated associations and constructs. Implications arise for studying potential pre-emptive factors to address cyberstalking at a societal level by disseminating appropriate information to the general public. There is a need to develop stringent legislation and to induce service providers' active participation to prevent cyberstalking.publishedVersio

Prevalence and Predictors of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in a Sample of Iraqi Patients with Systemic Sclerosis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is now the most frequent cause of death in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Aims: The aims of the present study were to evaluate the prevalence of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and predictors in SSc among Iraqi patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted on 56 patients with SSc diagnosed according to the criteria developed by the American College of Rheumatology. Baseline characteristics [age, sex, body mass index (BMI), duration of SSc, type of SSc, duration of Raynaud’s phenomenon, and presence of telangiectasia] were documented.  Antiscleroderma 70 (anti-SCL70) and anticentromere antibodies were measured. Doppler echocardiography was done to diagnose PAH. A risk score was obtained from 7 criteria, namely: Anti-Centromere Ab, Limited disease type, short duration of Raynaud's phenomena (<2.5 years), older age group (40+ years), absence of Telangiectasia, female gender, and absence of anti SCL70 Ab.  Results: We found that PAH was present in 11 (19.6%) SSc patients with a 95% confidence interval of (9.2% to 30.0%). Risk score in addition to anti-centromere antibodies were enough to diagnose PAH with accuracy level of 89.3%. Conclusions: PAH in SSc occurs in significant proportion of patients. Risk score and anti-centromere antibodies had high accuracy level in predicting PAH. Screening of patients with SSc for PAH will help in early diagnosis and appropriate timely therapeutic intervention before significant endorgan damage occurs. Key words Systemic sclerosis. Connective  tissue. Pulmonary hypertension

Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging in the gradingof liver fibrosis associated with congenital ductal plate malformations

Purpose: Liver biopsy is still the standard method for the diagnosis of ductal plate malformations (DPM). However, it is an invasive tool. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has shown its accuracy in the diagnosis of this pathology. Herein, a study was conducted to elucidate the role of diffusion MRI parameters in predicting the degree of hepatic fibrosis. Material and methods: This prospective study included 29 patients with DPM and 20 healthy controls. Both groups underwent diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI), and its parameters were compared between patients and controls, and then they were correlated with the degree of liver fibrosis in the patient group. Results: All patients with DPM, whatever its type, expressed a significantly lower hepatic apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) compared to controls. However, fractional anisotropy (FA) showed no significant difference between them. The ADC value of 1.65 × 10-3 mm2/s had sensitivity and specificity of 82.1% and 90%, respectively, in differentiating DPM patients from healthy controls. It was evident that patients with higher fibrosis grades had significantly lower hepatic ADC, indicating a negative correlation between ADC and the grade of hepatic fibrosis; rs = -0.901, p < 0.001. Conclusions: DT-MRI showed good efficacy in the diagnosis of congenital DPM. Moreover, ADC could be applied to monitor the degree of liver fibrosis rather than the invasive liver biopsy. No significant correlation was noted between the FA and the grades of liver fibrosis

A systematic literature review on cyberstalking. An analysis of past achievements and future promises

Individuals’ excessive use of technology-enabled communication platforms, such as social media, has led to scholarly recognition of rising incidences of cyberstalking. Despite considerable studies directed at its examination, the current research on cyberstalking is limited by a lack of clarity on its characterization and prevalence, coupled with a fragmented research focus. To address this limitation, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on cyberstalking has been undertaken. Rigorous protocols were applied to identify 49 empirical studies via Scopus and Web of Science, based on specific keywords and article selection criteria. Findings reveal four emergent research themes on characteristics and roles of cyberstalkers, victims, parents, social media, and online service providers, as well as reporting, coping, and prevention strategies discussed in prior studies. Findings imply the need for temporal and cross-cultural validation of measurement scales and prior results by developing sophisticated, theoretically-grounded frameworks. Based on study findings, a research framework is proposed to assist researchers in future examinations of under-investigated associations and constructs. Implications arise for studying potential pre-emptive factors to address cyberstalking at a societal level by disseminating appropriate information to the general public. There is a need to develop stringent legislation and to induce service providers' active participation to prevent cyberstalking.</p

Neoclerodane Diterpenoids from Reehal Fatima, <i>Teucrium yemense</i>

<i>Teucrium yemense</i> (Defl), locally known as Reehal Fatima, is a medicinal plant commonly grown in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Phytochemical investigation of the aerial parts of <i>T. yemense</i> yielded six new neoclerodane diterpenoids, namely fatimanol A–E (<b>1</b>, <b>2</b>, <b>3</b>, <b>5</b>, and <b>6</b>) and fatimanone (<b>4</b>), and the known teulepicephin (<b>7</b>). As both the <i>Teucrium</i> genus and the related <i>Lamiaceae</i> family have previously been widely reported to possess anthelmintic and antimicrobial activities, the structural and biological characterization of the seven diterpenoids was pursued. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated from their 2D NMR and MS profiles and by comparison to related compounds. The structure of fatimanol D (<b>5</b>) was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The new structures contribute to the breadth of knowledge of secondary metabolites in this genus

The Protective Properties of the Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) against Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats Mediated by Anti-Apoptotic and Upregulation of Antioxidant Genes Expression Effects

The strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) has been extensively used to treat a wide range of ailments in many cultures. The present study was aimed at evaluating the hepatoprotective effect of strawberry juice on experimentally induced liver injury in rats. To this end, rats were introperitoneally injected with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) with or without strawberry juice supplementation for 12 weeks and the hepatoprotective effect of strawberry was assessed by measuring serum liver enzyme markers, hepatic tissue redox status and apoptotic markers with various techniques including biochemistry, ELISA, quantitative PCR assays and histochemistry. The hepatoprotective effect of the strawberry was evident by preventing CCl4-induced increase in liver enzymes levels. Determination of oxidative balance showed that strawberry treatment significantly blunted CCl4-induced increase in oxidative stress markers and decrease in enzymatic and non-enzymatic molecules in hepatic tissue. Furthermore, strawberry supplementation enhanced the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, and restrained the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and caspase-3 with a marked reduction in collagen areas in hepatic tissue. These findings demonstrated that strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) juice possessed antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and anti-fibrotic properties, probably mediated by the presence of polyphenols and flavonoids compounds