Herbal Remedies for Combating Irradiation: a Green Antiirradiation Approach

Plants play important roles in human life not only as suppliers of oxygen but also as a fundamental resource to sustain the human race on this earthly plane. Plants also play a major role in our nutrition by converting energy from the sun during photosynthesis. In addition, plants have been used extensively in traditional medicine since time immemorial. Information in the biomedical literature has indicated that many natural herbs have been investigated for their efficacy against lethal irradiation. Pharmacological studies by various groups of investigators have shown that natural herbs possess significant radioprotective activity. In view of the immense medicinal importance of natural product based radioprotective agents, this review aims at compiling all currently available information on radioprotective agents from medicinal plants and herbs, especially the evaluation methods and mechanisms of action. In this review we particularly emphasize on ethnomedicinal uses, botany, phytochemistry, mechanisms of action and toxicology. We also describe modern techniques for evaluating herbal samples as radioprotective agents. The usage of herbal remedies for combating lethal irradiation is a green antiirradiation approach for the betterment of human beings without high cost, side effects and toxicity

Psychometric assessment of ICILS test items on Hong Kong and Korean students: a Rasch analysis

Session 6C: ICILSThe IEA International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) 2013 is the first international comparative study aims to examine the outcome of Grade 8 students’ computer and information literacy (CIL) across 19 countries. The measurement of CIL focuses on students’ ability to use computer within and outside of school in the information age. Students are asked to complete two test modules, out of a total of four, which are conducted exclusively on computers. The present study reports psychometric properties of the test modules based on the results garnered from the Field Trial which was in preparation for the main study. A total sample of 804 students from Hong Kong and South Korea participated in the Field Trial. Rasch-anchored analysis was employed to analyze the data. The items for the four test modules demonstrated adequate psychometric properties – they target the students from Hong Kong and Korea well. However, significant Differential Item Functioning (DIF) was detected in some items from the 4 test modules. Future work on analysis on items reporting significant DIF will be carried out.postprin

Electromagnetic wave sensor for multiphase flow measurement in the oil and gas industry

The product of an oil and gas reservoir consists of a mixture of oil, gas, and water. During the oil extraction, gas and water are produced as by-products as a natural phenomenon, which occurs in the petroleum field. In order to maximize the amount of oil that can be retrieved, water and gas are often injected at various locations into the well. Thus, monitoring and measuring the output of oil, gas and water mixture are crucial requirements. The information not only can be used to optimize both the operation and transportation management but to enhance the quality of production (Al-Hejeri et al., 2009)

Assessment of Type I Interferon Signaling in Pediatric Inflammatory Disease

International audiencePURPOSE: Increased type I interferon is considered relevant to the pathology of a number of monogenic and complex disorders spanning pediatric rheumatology, neurology, and dermatology. However, no test exists in routine clinical practice to identify enhanced interferon signaling, thus limiting the ability to diagnose and monitor treatment of these diseases. Here, we set out to investigate the use of an assay measuring the expression of a panel of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) in children affected by a range of inflammatory diseases. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A cohort study was conducted between 2011 and 2016 at the University of Manchester, UK, and the Institut Imagine, Paris, France. RNA PAXgene blood samples and clinical data were collected from controls and symptomatic patients with a genetically confirmed or clinically well-defined inflammatory phenotype. The expression of six ISGs was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and the median fold change was used to calculate an interferon score (IS) for each subject compared to a previously derived panel of 29 controls (where +2 SD of the control data, an IS of \textgreater2.466, is considered as abnormal). Results were correlated with genetic and clinical data. RESULTS: Nine hundred ninety-two samples were analyzed from 630 individuals comprising symptomatic patients across 24 inflammatory genotypes/phenotypes, unaffected heterozygous carriers, and controls. A consistent upregulation of ISG expression was seen in 13 monogenic conditions (455 samples, 265 patients; median IS 10.73, interquartile range (IQR) 5.90-18.41), juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (78 samples, 55 patients; median IS 10.60, IQR 3.99-17.27), and juvenile dermatomyositis (101 samples, 59 patients; median IS 9.02, IQR 2.51-21.73) compared to controls (78 samples, 65 subjects; median IS 0.688, IQR 0.427-1.196), heterozygous mutation carriers (89 samples, 76 subjects; median IS 0.862, IQR 0.493-1.942), and individuals with non-molecularly defined autoinflammation (89 samples, 69 patients; median IS 1.07, IQR 0.491-3.74). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: An assessment of six ISGs can be used to define a spectrum of inflammatory diseases related to enhanced type I interferon signaling. If future studies demonstrate that the IS is a reactive biomarker, this measure may prove useful both in the diagnosis and the assessment of treatment efficacy

Effect of gamification with a support partner to increase physical activity in older adults at risk for Alzheimers disease: The STEP 4Life randomized clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Physical activity is associated with reduced risk of cognitive and functional decline but scalable, sustainable interventions for populations at risk for Alzheimers disease (AD) and AD and related dementias (ADRD) are lacking. METHODS: A 12-week randomized-controlled trial was conducted with a 3-week follow-up using a national AD prevention registry (GeneMatch). The control group (n = 50) set step goals and received daily feedback. The intervention group (n = 44) also received a behaviorally designed game based on achieving step goals and reinforced by a support partner. RESULTS: Intervention participants (94 participants, mean age 70, 78% female) had greater change in mean daily step count than control of 1699 steps/day (95% confidence interval [CI], 1149-2249), P < 0.0001, which was sustained in the follow-up period at 1219 steps/day (95% CI, 455-1983), P = 0.0018. Carriers of the apolipoprotein E ε4 gene (high risk) did not perform differently than non-carriers; however, high self-reported risk perception was associated with higher activity. DISCUSSION: A gamified intervention was effective in promoting and sustaining higher physical activity in older adults at genetic risk for AD/ADRD. HIGHLIGHTS: A simple game played with a support partner increased walking in older adults at risk for Alzheimers disease (AD). The game also increased minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day. Perception of lifelong AD risk was associated with increased activity but genetic risk (apolipoprotein E ε4+) was not. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05069155

Infection with hepatitis B virus carrying novel pre-S/S gene mutations in female siblings vaccinated at birth: two case reports

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>After the initiation of a mass hepatitis B vaccination program in Taiwan, the prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection has declined progressively. However, about 1 percent of the young generation, who received hepatitis B vaccination at birth, remain carriers. Infection with vaccine-escape hepatitis B virus mutants always occurs shortly after birth. Here, we report two female siblings in whom the infection occurred in their adolescence. This report raises the question of whether a booster for hepatitis B vaccination is needed.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>Two 19 and 14-year-old Taiwanese female siblings were born to a mother infected with hepatitis B virus and received a complete course of hepatitis B vaccination at birth. They remained negative for serum hepatitis B surface antigen and positive for serum anti-hepatitis B surface antibody throughout their childhood. However, both were infected with the hepatitis B virus in their adolescence. Hepatitis B virus DNA was extracted from serum samples from the mother and two siblings. Hepatitis B virus pre-S/S sequence was amplified by polymerase chain reaction followed by nucleotide sequencing. When compared with the sequence obtained from the mother, multiple amino acid substitutions located near or in the major hydrophilic region of the surface antigen were identified in the elder sister. Four of these mutations (sL97S, sL98S, sG102R, and sA159P) were novel. A novel in-frame deletion (14 amino acids deleted, pre-S 127-140) was found in the hepatitis B virus pre-S2 region in the younger sister.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Despite having received hepatitis B vaccination at birth, hepatitis B virus infection can still occur in adolescence with the emergence of novel mutations in the pre-S/S gene. This is a rare event and, to the best of our knowledge, has not been previously reported.</p

A real-life comparative effectiveness study into the addition of antibiotics to the management of asthma exacerbations in primary care

Acknowledgements: This project was supported by the Respiratory Effectiveness Group. Data and data management support was provided in-kind by Optimum Patient Care (www.opcrd.co.uk) and Derek Skinner at OPC. Clare Murray is supported by the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre.Peer reviewedPostprin