Effect of Non-Hormonal Treatment Options On Reducing Vasomotor Symptoms Among Menopausal Women

Menopause is the point in a woman's life when she has not had a menstrual period for one year. The primary symptom of peri-menopause is the vasomotor symptoms (VMS). Many postmenopausal women have hot flashes and night sweats. Lifestyle changes are effective and safe options for management of hot flashes. Also marjoram can reduce the negative effects of menopause. Aim of the study: To reduce the intensity and frequency of VMS among menopausal women. Subjects and Methods: A quasi experimental design with pre and post-test was used. Setting: This study was carried out at the primary health care center in Al- Ghory village at Menoufiya Governorate, Egypt. Subjects: a total of 100 menopausal women participated in the study. Data collection tools included structured interviewing questionnaire and VMS assessment questionnaire. Results: near to three quadrants of the women were aged from 45-50 years old. Regarding to drinking tea and coffee, there were statistical significant differences (P<0.001*) between pre and post-test. Also there were big changes in the methods of dealing with VMS such as using cotton bed linens and using well-ventilated bed room (85%) in the post test. In addition, the intensity and frequency of VMS and the time of its occurrence decreased from 78.0% to 57.9%. Conclusion: non-hormonal treatment options (lifestyle changes and marjoram) are viable for the treatment of VMS in menopausal women. It can reduce the intensity and frequency of VMS. Recommendations: encouraging a healthy lifestyle, eating a healthy diet and avoiding dietary triggers such as spicy, hot foods, pickles and caffeine to reduce the intensity and frequency of the VMS. Key words: Menopause, Vasomotor Symptoms (VMS), Hot Flashes, Lifestyle, Marjoram.

Effect of Prophylactic Physical Activities on Reducing Lymphedema among Women Post Mastectomy

Background: Lymphedema is the build-up of lymph fluid in the tissues just under the skin. Lymphedema following mastectomy as a treatment for breast cancer is a major concern for most women who experience it. Physical activities are very helpful for lymphede­ma control. Aim: To evaluate the effect of prophylactic physical activities on reducing lymphedema among women post-mastectomy. Subjects & Method: Design: A Quasi-experimental design was utilized. Setting: This study was carried out in Minia oncology center- outpatient and inpatient surgical department. Affiliated by Secretariat of Specialized Medical Centres, at Minia Governorate, Egypt. Subjects: Included a total of 200 women have had a mastectomy. Tools: Five tools were used. 1) structured questionnaire; 2) scale for pitting edema measurement; 3) scale for lymphedema stage assessment; 4) international physical activity Questionnaire; 5) observational checklist for Physical Activities performance. Results: The mean age of the sample was 58.9 years old and 52.5% of them were elderly women. During the first assessment, more than eighty percent of the sample complained from a stage1 lymphedema. However, there was a significant reduction in this percentage among the study group during post-test. Likewise, there was a statistically significant difference between the groups regarding the lymphedema time and stage of development during the first assessment, after 6 weeks and 16 weeks (P<0.001*). Moreover, 49.0% of the study group compared to 29.0% of the control group had a moderate level of physical activity during the post-test. This indicated an increase in the level of a total pattern of physical activity between the two groups during the post-test. Conclusion: Prophylactic physical activities can reduce lymphedema associated symptoms. Also, the study group had a better level of physical activities than the control group. Recommendations: Early detection and nursing interventions have been gradually advocated to prevent lymphedema progression. So, the prophylactic physical activities are essential measures post-mastectomy to reduce lymphedema. Keywords: Lymphedema, Prophylactic, Physical activities, Mastectomy. DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/61-10 Publication date: April 30th 201

Rearing broiler chickens under monochromatic blue light improve performance and reduce fear and stress during pre-slaughter handling and transportation

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of monochromatic light on broiler performance, fear and stress response during pre-slaughter handling and transportation. Two thousand unsexed one-day old Cobb broiler chicks were used. At day 34, two hundreds broilers of similar live body weight were selected and divided into two equal groups (2 group x 5 replicates). Broilers were reared under white light (WL) from 0-34 day. From 35 to 49 day, the first group was reared under WL and the second group under blue light (BL). Final body weight (FBW), tonic immobility reactions (TI), respiratory rate (RR), heterophils to lymphocytes (H/L) ratio and interlukien-1β (IL-1β) were estimated at day 49 before and after transportation. After transportation, weight of internal organs (liver, spleen, heart and bursa of fabricius) as a percentage of FBW was calculated. Results showed that there was a significant (P < 0.05) increase in FBW and reduced weight loss due to transportation in broilers reared under BL. In broilers reared under BL: TI duration, RR, H/L ratio, IL-1β and weight of internal organs (except the heart) were significantly (P < 0.05) lower. The interaction effect of light and transportation on TI duration, RR, lymphocytes, H/L ratio and IL-1β were significant (P < 0.05). Therefore, it is suggested that BL may be a good tool for improving welfare and mitigating stress not only in pre-slaughter handling but also during transportation of broilers

Dopamine and cAMP‐regulated phosphoprotein 32kDa (DARPP‐32), protein phosphatase‐1 and cyclin‐dependent kinase 5 expression in ovarian cancer

Dopamine and cyclic‐AMP activated phosphoprotein Mr32kDa (DARPP‐32) is a central signalling protein in neurotransmission. Following DARPP‐32 phosphorylation by protein kinase A (PKA), DARPP‐32 becomes a potent protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) inhibitor. DARPP‐32 can itself inhibit PKA following DARPP‐32 phosphorylation by cyclin‐dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5). Increasing evidence indicates a role for DARPP‐32 and its associated signalling pathways in cancer; however, its role in ovarian cancer remains unclear. Using immunohistochemistry, expression of DARPP‐32, PP1 and Cdk5 was determined in a large cohort of primary tumours from ovarian cancer patients (n = 428, 445 and 434 respectively) to evaluate associations between clinical outcome and clinicopathological criteria. Low cytoplasmic and nuclear DARPP‐32 expression was associated with shorter patient overall survival and progression‐free survival (P = .001, .001, .004 and .037 respectively). Low nuclear and cytoplasmic DARPP‐32 expression remained significantly associated with overall survival in multivariate Cox regression (P = .045, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.734, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.542‐0.993 and P = .001, HR = 0.494, 95% CI = 0.325‐0.749, respectively). High cytoplasmic and nuclear PP1 expression was associated with shorter patient overall survival and high cytoplasmic PP1 expression with shorter progression‐free survival (P = .005, .033, and .037, respectively). High Cdk5 expression was associated with shorter progression‐free survival (P = .006). These data suggest a role for DARPP‐32 and associated signalling kinases as prognostic markers with clinical utility in ovarian cancer

Different expressions of trypsin and chymotrypsin in relation to growth in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)

The expressions of trypsin and chymotrypsin in the pyloric caeca of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) were studied in three experiments. Two internal (trypsin phenotypes, life stages) and three common external factors (starvation, feeding, temperatures) influencing growth rates were varied. Growth was stimulated by increased temperature and higher feeding rate, and it was depressed during starvation. The interaction between trypsin phenotype and start-feeding temperature affected specific activity of trypsin, but not of chymotrypsin. Trypsin specific activity and the activity ratio of trypsin to chymotrypsin (T/C ratio) increased when growth was promoted. Chymotrypsin specific activity, on the other hand, increased when there was a reduction in growth rate whereas fish with higher growth had higher chymotrypsin specific activity resulting in lower T/C ratio value. During a rapid growth phase, trypsin specific activity did not correlate with chymotrypsin specific activity. On the other hand, a relationship between specific activities of trypsin and chymotrypsin could be observed when growth declined, such as during food deprivation. Trypsin is the sensitive key protease under conditions favouring growth and genetically and environmentally affected, while chymotrypsin plays a major role when growth is limited or depressed. Trypsin specific activity and the T/C ratio value are shown to be important factors in the digestion process affecting growth rate, and could be applicable as indicators for growth studies of fish in captive cultures and in the wild, especially when food consumption rate cannot be measured

Mohamed El Saidy Oral History

Mohamed El Saidy was Controller at the American University in Cairo from 1981 to 2008. El Saidy discusses his family’s livelihood and challenges posed in Egypt by their Syrian origins, and sketches his education and banking and business career before being hired by AUC in 1981. El Saidy provides a detailed account of his time as AUC’s Controller, describing the office when he arrived in the 1980s. Changes in the structure of AUC’s finance area and the creation of new units (like the Budget Office) are outlined, and he offers portraits of leading staff members and longtime Vice President for Finance Andrew Snaith; an assessment of the impact of Presidents on the university’s finances is also given. El Saidy recounts changes he introduced at AUC like new payroll and student payment procedures, the Internal Auditor position, and reforms to purchasing systems. Issues like AUC’s relationship with banks, accounting practices and the role of auditors, taxation, and the challenges of working under a two-currency system are addressed, as well as the financing of building projects like AUC’s new campus. He speaks about the financial computer systems used by AUC over the years, giving an account of the adoption and implementation challenges of the SAP business management software in the 2000s