Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
NSAID celecoxib: a potent mitochondrial pro-oxidant cytotoxic agent sensitizing metastatic cancers and cancer stem cells to chemotherapy

Intermittent hypoxia within tumor microenvironments causes pro-oxidative stress impairing oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) and increases mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In primary tumors this provokes metabolic reprogramming of both tumor cells and cancer stem cells and emergence of highly metastatic cancer cells. Tumor reprogramming is initiated by activating nuclear respiratory factors and hypoxiainducible factors in response to changes in oxygen and ROS levels. Hence, hypoxia-induced pro-oxidative stress drives invasion and metastasis. However, it is also the Achilles’ heel of metastatic cancer cells because pro-oxidative agents further overload the mitochondria and intracellular milieu with excessive ROS to trigger apoptosis, whereas antioxidant agents promote their survival and tumor progression. Herein lies the metastatic tumor cell sensitivity to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and we and others have shown that the NSAID celecoxib exerts powerful pro-oxidative anticancer effects by directly targeting mitochondria to increase ROS production and trigger cancer cell death, including metastatic cancer cells and cancer stem cells. This review highlights the considerable benefits from appropriate NSAID use in humans against post-diagnosis metastatic tumors and the need to further develop their use as adjuvant therapy for advanced stage metastatic disease where they are already showing significantly improved clinical outcomes.
A model for the facilitation of intergenerational reconciliation in teenage pregnancy : a Xhosa perspective

The purpose of the research was to develop a model for midwives to facilitate the process of promoting a calm home environment, suitable for supporting pregnant teenagers. The design accepted for developing the model was theory generative, qualitative, explorative, descriptive, phenomenological and contextual. Data were collected from ten selected pregnant teenagers who were at least 24 weeks pregnant and who resided within the two selected townships in Port Elizabeth. The other participants were ten biological parents and ten grandparents of these pregnant teenagers, all of whom lived in the same houses as the teenagers. Data were collected by using an audio-tape recorder and taking field notes. The interviews with the parents and grandparents were conducted in their homes, and the interviews with the pregnant teenagers were conducted in secluded rooms at the antenatal care clinics. The research findings revealed that conflict had destabilised some families, resulting in providing limited family support to the pregnant teenagers. However, the grandparents acknowledged the need to discuss the issues at stake and to solve the problem. The results indicated that pregnant teenagers were deprived of the necessary family support during their pregnancies. A model for facilitating intergenerational conflict, as a strategy to assist the family to offer support to the pregnant teenagers, has been developed and applied with some potential benefits.
Assessing Untreated Dental Caries among Private and Public Preschool Children in Riyadh , a Cross-Sectional Study Design

Aim: To assess the prevalence of untreated dental caries among private and public pre-school children in Riyadh using the DMFT/dmft and the PUFA/pufa indices and to correlate the DMFT/dmft and PUFA scores with different variables related to education level of parents, oral hygiene measures, and eating habits. Materials & Methods: Total 530 preschool children aged 3–5years old were randomly recruited from different private and public school of the Riyadh. Caries were recorded in terms of decayed, missing and filled teeth for both primary teeth (dmft) and permanent teeth (DMFT). The PUFA/pufa index was also recorded for both dentitions regarding the presence of severely decayed teeth with visible pulpal involvement (P/p), ulceration caused by dislocated tooth fragments (U/u), fistula (F/f) and abscess (A/a). Results: Of the total sample, 85.5% of preschool children showed one or more decayed tooth in their oral cavity with mean dmft was 5.54 (SD: 3.49). Over all in pufa the mean pufa value was 0.67(SD: 1.74) , p (Pulp involvement) component showed highest value with mean of 0.62(SD: 1.63) followed by f (fistula) 0.03(SD: 0.17) and a (abscess) 0.01(SD: 0.11). With respect to age group the mean for dmft for 3 years was 4.26(SD: 3.63), 4.63(SD: 2.97) and 5.81(SD: 3.54) for 4 and 3 years old kids respectively with the significant difference among age groups with p value 0.003. Related to brushing habits, 89.3% reported that their kids do brush the teeth and 96.2% parents reported that they encourage their kids to brush their teeth and 31% reported that their kids brush their teeth twice daily. Brushing habit differ significantly among gender, girls were brushing more frequently than boys with p value 0.003. Conclusion: Through this cross-sectional study we concluded that the proportion of untreated dental caries was high among preschool children recruited for the study which points to the need for diverting attention in order to promote early detection and primary prevention of caries prevalence and progression. Moreover deciduous dentition needs more vigilant screening and early treatment so to prevent the progression of caries in permanent dentition.
Spatial and Temporal Patterns in Arctic Fox Diets at a Large Goose Colony

We studied diets of arctic foxes ( Alopex lagopus ) associated with a large nesting colony of lesser snow and Ross's geese in the central Canadian Arctic. From 15 May to 5 August 1994 and from 18 May to 7 August 1995, we examined arctic fox diets using frequency of occurrence of prey remains in faeces. Most scats (n=791 of 817, or 97%) were collected from den sites. Scats from foxes with dens inside the goose colony contained eggs more frequently than those of foxes that depended more on small mammals outside the colony. Foxes were opportunistic in their feeding habits, as prey use was linked to the nesting cycle of geese, coinciding to periods of egg, goose, and gosling abundance. However, diets in spring, i.e., before geese arrive, reflected the importance to arctic foxes of caching geese and eggs from the previous summer at Karrak Lake. We suggest that large increases in nesting populations of lesser snow and Ross's geese may have beneficial implications for arctic fox populations over a large area.
Distributed Source Coding for Sensor Networks Compression via channel coding

n recent years, sensor research has been undergoing a quiet revolution, promising to have a significant impact throughout society that could quite possibly dwarf previous milestones in the information revolution. MIT Technology Review ranked wireless sensor networks that consist of many tiny, low-power and cheap wireless sensors as the number one emerging technology. Unlike PCs or the Internet, which are designed to support all types of applications, sensor networks are usually mission driven and application specific (be it detection of biological agents and toxic chemicals; environmental measurement of temperature, pressure and vibration; or realtime area video surveillance). Thus they must operate under a set of unique constraints and requirements. For example, in contrast to many other wireless devices (e.g., cellular phones, PDAs, and laptops), in which energy can be recharged from time to time, the energy provisioned for a wireless sensor node is not expected to be renewed throughout its mission. The limited amount of energy available to wireless sensors has a significant impact on all aspects of a wireless sensor network, from the amount of information that the node can process, to the volume of wireless communication it can carry across large distances. Realizing the great promise of sensor networks requires more than a mere advance in individual technologies; it relies on many components working together in an efficient, unattended, comprehensible, and trustworthy manner. One of the enabling technologies for sensor networks is distributed source coding (DSC), which refers to the compression of multiple correlated sensor outputs [1]–[4] that do not communicate with each other (hence distributed coding). These sensors send their compressed outputs to a central point [e.g., the base station (BS)] for joint decoding. I
Post-migration living difficulties as a significant risk factor for PTSD in immigrants: a primary care study

Background : recent research shows that severe/very severe post-migration living difficulties (PMLD) have a negative impact on the mental health and social integration of refugees and asylum seekers. This study focuses on the role of PMLD in primary care “ordinary” immigrants. Methods : 443 primary care immigrants were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire measuring the number and severity of pre-migratory potentially traumatic events (PTE), PMLD, and the current prevalence of a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The frequency of PMLD was assessed in the whole sample and compared in patients with and without PTSD. The effect of the number of PMLD on the risk of having a PTSD was studied by means of a regression analysis, adjusted by the number of PTE. Results : 391 patients completed the questionnaire and were enrolled into the study. The prevalence of PTSD was 10.2%. In the whole sample the most frequent PMLD were “no permission to work” (38.6%) and “poverty” (34.5%). All PMLD (except “communication difficulties”) were more frequent in patients with a PTSD. The number of PMLD significantly increased the likelihood to have a PTSD independently from PTE. Conclusions: severe/very severe post-migration living difficulties (PMLD) increase significantly the risk of PTSD in primary care “ordinary” migrants. Our hypothesis is that they have a retraumatizing effect on individuals who are already vulnerable and with a low capacity to handle resettlement stress due to their previous traumatic history. The implications in clinical practice and for immigration policies are discussed.
PROPAGATION OF BACOPA MONNIERI ( BRAHMI ) : IMPORTANT MEDICINAL PLANT *

An experiments were conducted for standardization of in-vitro propagation technique of Bacopa monnieri (L.), a medicinally herbs of India. Bacopa monnieri (Brahmi) has been used in the various ancient traditional system of medicine for centuries including Ayurveda. Brahmioriginate naturally in India, has a long history of use in number of disorders particularly anxiety, intellect and poor memory and used as anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antioxidant activities, analgesic, antipyretic. Quality planting material is major factor for any economically important medicinal plants and Micro-propagation technique may play an important role. Healthy nodal segments of the herb were used as explants with basic MS medium for shoot initiation and multiplication containing various combinations of different growth regulators. For the initiation of ex-plant BA (0.1 to 0.6 mg/l), IA (0.1 to 0.5 mg/l) and NA (0.1 and 0.5 mg/l) was used, while concentration of BA (0.5 to 1.5 mg/l), IA (0.5 mg/l) and NA (0.5 mg/l) was used for multiplication. MS full and 1/2MS were used for rooting of plantlets with 25 to 150 mg/l Activated Charcoal (AC). Maximum mean number of initiated plantlets 1.8 ± 0.42 with mean length 3.00 ± 0.94 were found in MS medium treated with lowest concentration of BA, while maximum mean number of multiplied plantlets 10.00 ± 2.58 with mean length 6.1 ± 1.91 were found in MS medium treated with 1mg/l BA and 0.5mg/l IA. Maximum mean number of roods 12.4 ± 1.074968 with Mean length 9.19 ± 0.68 was observed on 1/2MS medium with 100 mg/l activated charcoal. The rooted plantlets were successfully hardened in 1:1:1 ratio of sand: soil: vermicompost and successfully established in soil.
Effect of glycerol feed in methanol induction phase for hepatitis B surface antigen expression in Pichia pastoris strain KM71

This study describes expression of HBs Ag in methylotrophic yeast, Pichia Pastoris under alcohol oxidase promoter. A single copy number of HBs Ag gene was transformed into pichia strain of KM 71, a Mutˢ type, by using pA0815 pichia expression vector. The recombinant was cultivated in a shake flask either using methanol or a mixed feed of glycerol -methanol for induction. The HBs Ag gene integrity was justified using direct PCR method. The expressed products in the soluble cell extracts were analyzed by Western blot, SDS page, Bradford assay and ELISA tests. The recombinant HBs Ag was expressed successfully in Pichia pastoris strain KM71 at a high level of HBs Ag protein expression. Thus, an addition of glycerol in the ratio of glycerol per methanol 1/1 (g g-1) consistently produced 2-fold increment in both biomass accumulation and HBs Ag productivity.
Endangering the endangered: The effects of perceived rarity on species exploitation

Classifying species by threat status can result in conservation benefits such as increased protection, but can also be an incentive to hunters responding to increased consumer demand for goods perceived to be rare, and therefore valuable. Bioeconomic theory provides a framework for examining the population consequences of differing responses of consumers (demand) and hunters (supply) to perceived rarity. We present a series of illustrative case studies of how perceived rarity affects consumer behavior and hunting pressure, and use a model to explore the scenario of most conservation concern (where rarity itself fuels increased exploitation). Rarity‐fuelled demand can have two undesirable outcomes: the species may become trapped at a low population size, or escalating hunting effort may drive the species to extinction. Understanding the response of consumers and hunters to perceived rarity is vital for predicting the impact of intervention strategies that seek to minimize extinction risk.
Stress Among Nurses in Rural Hospitals in South Africa

Abstract The study examined levels of stress among nurses in two rural hospitals in the Central Region of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The participants were 80 nurses and 78 clerical staff (as control group). They filled in a questionnaire, which was designed to tap information on symptoms and sources of stress. When compared to the control group, nurses did not report more symptoms of stress than the control group. However, the nurses reported higher levels of workrelated sources of stress than the control group. From the findings, it is concluded that although stress management programmes and strategies, which focus more on the reduction of work-related sources of stress should be organised on a regular basis for nurses, the often-reported extra-ordinary levels of stress among nurses may be disputed, especially in relation to general nurses working in rural areas of the Limpopo Province of South Africa.
Trends in Contraceptive Choices among Women Attending the Family Planning Clinic in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital in Makurdi, Nigeria

Aims/Objectives: To examine the socio-demographic characteristics and the trends in contraceptive choices including counseling of clients, using the family planning clinic of the newly established Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi. Study design: A retrospective cross-sectional study. Setting: Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, Nigeria. Subjects: New subjects attending the family planning clinic. Main outcome measures: Contraceptive choices and trend including the social demographic variables of subjects over the study period. Results: During the 3 year study period, 807 clients were seen at the family planning clinic. The overall contraceptive prevalence rate was 39.0% with a rising trend from 17.7% in the first year to 50.8% in the last year. Majority of the clients chose implants 467 (57.9%), 20.4% condoms, 12.8% IUCDs, 9.9% injectable, 5.3% combined pills and 0.1% bilateral tubal ligation. Adolescents constituted only 16% of the population studied. Conclusions: There was a rising trend in contraceptive use with the implant as the most common contraceptive used in our center followed by the condom.
Sickness absenteeism of Healthcare Workers in a Teaching Hospital

Background: Absence from work for health reasons is known as “sickness absenteeism”. Frequent sick leave is a major concern to any organization, especially hospitals. Objective: This study analyzed the extent and causes of sickness absenteeism in a teaching hospital and evaluated its corelation with demographic and occupational factors. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, data was extracted from computerized records regarding sickness absenteeism of healthcare workers (HCWs) in the Occupational Health Department of a teaching hospital in Tehran. Studied variables included demographic characteristics, occupational factors, and causes of sickness absenteeism. The sickness absence rate (SAR) and absence frequency rate (AFR) in the study period were calculated. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests were used for the comparison of categorical and quantitative variables, respectively. Results: In the current study, SAR and AFR were 0.011 and 0.68, respectively. Job type was the only factor that had a significant correlation with sickness absenteeism. The major disease-causing sicknesses were flu (21%) and musculoskeletal disorders (18.9%). Conclusion: A significant relationship was found between the nursing group and sickness absence episodes. Flu, musculoskeletal disorders, and infectious diseases were the most frequent causes of sickness absence. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that factors such as availability of the flu vaccine and providing principles of personal protection and infection control can reduce sickness absence due to infectious disease.
HABITAT SELECTION OF HOODED AND CARRION CROWS IN THE ALPINE HYBRID ZONE

Habitat selection of, co-existing Hooded Crows Corvus carone cornix and Carrion Crows C. c. carone was studied in the Susa valley, an alpine valley in the Italian hybrid zone. Foraging habitat use by the two races was not significantly different during the autumn-winter whereas it was during the spring-summer when Hooded Crows preferred meadows and Carrion Crows preferred dunged fields and maize stubble. However, if similar habitat categories (e.g. meadows and dunged meadows, maize and maize stubble) were combined, differences were no longer statistically significant. Resource selection by the two crows was more differentiated when only homotypic groups were taken into account suggesting that mixed flocking serves to standardize ecological choices. Analysis of flocking behaviour showed a clear tendency to avoid hetero­ typic flocks. The results of habitat selection are not in keeping with those reported by Saino (1992) in another plain area of north-western Italy, where there was a clear differentiation in the use of habitat categories during the winter. These differences, together with those regarding assortative mating, suggest that the alpine hybridization zone might be a mosaic of populations differentiated in relation to the locally diverse ecological conditions.
Association of Vitamin D Levels with Blood Pressure in Dialysis Patients in a Dialysis Centre in Tehran

Introduction: Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among patients with kidney failure is about 70 to 80 percent. Among the main controversies in the field of patients with kidney failure is the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and prevalence and natural course of hypertension. Many studies have been conducted on the relationship between vitamin D levels and hypertension, but they have mostly been inconclusive and have generated inconsistent results. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 120 patients with dialysis in three dialysis centers in Tehran, Iran. Vitamin D levels were measured by dialysis centers every three months for a year. Also, the centers recorded blood pressure after each dialysis session. These measurements were collected and their means for each patient were calculated and analyzed by backward multivariate linear regression in order to determine the association between blood pressure and levels of vitamin D. Besides, during the study, data on other confounding factors such as age, sex, weight, and so on were gathered. Levels of calcium, phosphorus, and PTH were also measured. A previously prepared checklist was used by the nurses in order to record patient data. Results: In this cross-sectional study, 101 dialysis patients were assessed, of which 45 were female and 56 were male. The mean age of the patients was 60 years. 55.6% of the patients had vitamin D deficiency (vitamin D <30 ng/ml). After entering and analyzing data, the serum level of vitamin D had a significant association with diastolic blood pressure, and Pearson correlation coefficient between diastolic blood pressure and serum levels of vitamin D was statistically significant (p<0.002). Conclusion: In this observational study, a significant linear association was found between serum levels of vitamin D and diastolic blood pressure in patients with dialysis. It seems that vitamin D levels had a negative association with diastolic blood pressure in those patients.
The Prevalence of Freshwater Flocculation in Cold Regions: A Case Study from the Mackenzie River Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada

The Mackenzie River Delta (MRD) is used as a case study for evaluating the extent to which flocculation may play an important role in the transport of sediment and associated contaminants in arctic regions. Samples were collected for nondestructive analysis of particle/floc size, major ions, particulate organic carbon (POC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), bacterial counts, and suspended solid (SS) concentrations. On-site measurements were made for pH, conductivity, and temperature. Results indicate that the dominant form of sediment transport to and within the MRD is flocs, and not traditionally sized primary particles. It is shown that the flocs of the Mackenzie Delta are at times larger in size than those in southern Ontario rivers that have been studied. The sediment distributions were bimodal in nature; the particle-deficient zone potentially represented a preferential particle size for flocculation. Spatial and temporal trends in the grain-size distributions suggest site-specific controlling factors of flocculation, such as source area and sediment characteristics. It is hypothesized that water temperature, suspended solid concentration, and bacteria are the important factors in controlling flocculation within the Delta. Key words: flocculation, suspended sediment, grain-size distribution, bacteria, transport