Cardiovascular benefits of exercise

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Agarwal SK

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Shashi K AgarwalMedical Director, Agarwal Health Center, NJ, USAAbstract: Regular physical activity during leisure time has been shown to be associated with better health outcomes. The American Heart Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine all recommend regular physical activity of moderate intensity for the prevention and complementary treatment of several diseases. The therapeutic role of exercise in maintaining good health and treating diseases is not new. The benefits of physical activity date back to Susruta, a 600 BC physician in India, who prescribed exercise to patients. Hippocrates (460–377 BC wrote “in order to remain healthy, the entire day should be devoted exclusively to ways and means of increasing one's strength and staying healthy, and the best way to do so is through physical exercise.” Plato (427–347 BC referred to medicine as a sister art to physical exercise while the noted ancient Greek physician Galen (129–217 AD penned several essays on aerobic fitness and strengthening muscles. This article briefly reviews the beneficial effects of physical activity on cardiovascular diseases.Keywords: exercise, cardiovascular disease, lifestyle changes, physical activity, good health

Coarse and fine sediment transportation patterns and causes downstream of the Three Gorges Dam

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Li, Songzhe; Yang, Yunping; Zhang, Mingjin; Sun, Zhaohua; Zhu, Lingling; You, Xingying; Li, Kanyu

2017-11-01

Reservoir construction within a basin affects the process of water and sediment transport downstream of the dam. The Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) affects the sediment transport downstream of the dam. The impoundment of the TGR reduced total downstream sediment. The sediment group d≤0.125 mm (fine particle) increased along the path, but the average was still below what existed before the reservoir impoundment. The sediments group d>0.125 mm (coarse particle) was recharged in the Yichang to Jianli reach, but showed a deposition trend downstream of Jianli. The coarse sediment in the Yichang to Jianli section in 2003 to 2007 was above the value before the TGR impoundment. However, the increase of both coarse and fine sediments in 2008 to 2014 was less than that in 2003 to 2007. The sediment retained in the dam is the major reason for the sediment reduction downstream. However, the retention in different river reaches is affected by riverbed coarsening, discharge, flow process, and conditions of lake functioning and recharging from the tributaries. The main conclusions derived from our study are as follows: 1) The riverbed in the Yichang to Shashi section was relatively coarse, thereby limiting the supply of fine and coarse sediments. The fine sediment supply was mainly controlled by TGR discharge, whereas the coarse sediment supply was controlled by the duration of high flow and its magnitude. 2) The supply of both coarse and fine sediments in the Shashi to Jianli section was controlled by the amount of total discharge. The sediment supply from the riverbed was higher in flood years than that in the dry years. The coarse sediment tended to deposit, and the deposition in the dry years was larger than that in the flood years. 3) The feeding of the fine sediment in the Luoshan to Hankou section was mainly from the riverbed. The supply in 2008 to 2014 was more than that in 2003 to 2007. Around 2010, the coarse sediments transited from depositing to scouring that was

Development of a controlled-release anti-parkinsonian nanodelivery system using levodopa as the active agent

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Kura AU

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Aminu Umar Kura,1 Samer Hasan Hussein Al Ali,2 Mohd Zobir Hussein,3 Sharida Fakurazi,1,4 Palanisamy Arulselvan11Laboratory of Vaccine and Immunotherapeutics, Institute of Bioscience, 2Laboratory of Molecular Biomedicine, Institute of Bioscience, 3Materials Synthesis and Characterization Laboratory, Institute of Advanced Technology, 4Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Pharmacology Unit, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, MalaysiaAbstract: A new layered organic–inorganic nanocomposite material with an anti-parkinsonian active compound, L-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl alanine (levodopa, intercalated into the inorganic interlayers of a Zn/Al-layered double hydroxide (LDH was synthesized using a direct coprecipitation method. The resulting nanocomposite was composed of the organic moiety, levodopa, sandwiched between Zn/Al-LDH inorganic interlayers. The basal spacing of the resulting nanocomposite was 10.9 Å. The estimated loading of levodopa in the nanocomposite was approximately 16% (w/w. A Fourier transform infrared study showed that the absorption bands of the nanocomposite were characteristic of both levodopa and Zn/Al-LDH, which further confirmed intercalation, and that the intercalated organic moiety in the nanocomposite was more thermally stable than free levodopa. The resulting nanocomposite showed sustained-release properties, so can be used in a controlled-release formulation. Cytotoxicity analysis using an MTT assay also showed increased cell viability of 3T3 cells exposed to the newly synthesized nanocomposite compared with those exposed to pure levodopa after 72 hours of exposure.Keywords: levodopa, layered double hydroxides, coprecipitation, sustained release

Antituberculosis nanodelivery system with controlled-release properties based on para-amino salicylate–zinc aluminum-layered double-hydroxide nanocomposites

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Saifullah B

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Bullo Saifullah,1 Mohd Zobir Hussein,1 Samer Hasan Hussein-Al-Ali,2 Palanisamy Arulselvan,3 Sharida Fakurazi3,41Materials Synthesis and Characterization Laboratory, 2Laboratory of Molecular Biomedicine, 3Laboratory of Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics, 4Department of Human Anatomy, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, MalaysiaAbstract: We report the intercalation and characterization of para-amino salicylic acid (PASA into zinc/aluminum-layered double hydroxides (ZLDHs by two methods, direct and indirect, to form nanocomposites: PASA nanocomposite prepared by a direct method (PASA-D and PASA nanocomposite prepared by an indirect method (PASA-I. Powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the PASA drugs were accommodated within the ZLDH interlayers. The anions of the drug were accommodated as an alternate monolayer (along the long-axis orientation between ZLDH interlayers. Drug loading was estimated to be 22.8% and 16.6% for PASA-D and PASA-I, respectively. The in vitro release properties of the drug were investigated in physiological simulated phosphate-buffered saline solution of pH 7.4 and 4.8. The release followed the pseudo-second-order model for both nanocomposites. Cell viability (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide [MTT] assays was assessed against normal human lung fibroblast MRC-5 and 3T3 mouse fibroblast cells at 24, 48, and 72 hours. The results showed that the nanocomposite formulations did not possess any cytotoxicity, at least up to 72 hours.Keywords: drug-delivery system, slow-release nanocarrier, tuberculosis, biocompatible nanocomposites

Development of antiproliferative nanohybrid compound with controlled release property using ellagic acid as the active agent

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Hussein MZ

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Mohd Zobir Hussein1,2, Samer Hasan Al Ali2, Zulkarnain Zainal2, Muhammad Nazrul Hakim31Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Institute of Advanced Technology (ITMA, 2Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, 3Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, MalaysiaAbstract: An ellagic acid (EA–zinc layered hydroxide (ZLH nanohybrid (EAN was synthesized under a nonaqueous environment using EA and zinc oxide (ZnO as the precursors. Powder X-ray diffraction showed that the basal spacing of the nanohybrid was 10.4 Å, resulting in the spatial orientation of EA molecules between the interlayers of 22.5° from z-axis with two negative charges at 8,8′ position of the molecules pointed toward the ZLH interlayers. FTIR study showed that the intercalated EA spectral feature is generally similar to that of EA, but with bands slightly shifted. This indicates that some chemical bonding of EA presence between the nanohybrid interlayers was slightly changed, due to the formation of host–guest interaction. The nanohybrid is of mesopores type with 58.8% drug loading and enhanced thermal stability. The release of the drug active, EA from the nanohybrid was found to be sustained and therefore has good potential to be used as a drug controlled-release formulation. In vitro bioassay study showed that the EAN has a mild effect on the hepatocytes cells, similar to its counterpart, free EA.Keywords: ellagic acid, nonaqueous solution, ZnO, zinc-layered hydroxide, viability test

Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus feeding on lichens and mushrooms: traditional ecological knowledge among reindeer-herding Sami in northern Sweden

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Berit Inga

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The study was performed in four reindeer-herding districts (Sami villages in northern Sweden. Reindeer herding Sami, born in 1950 or earlier, were interviewed about reindeer foraging behaviour on lichens and mushrooms, especially relating to non-summer grazing habits, and about characteristics of a good winter feeding ground. The informants claimed that lichens are preferably grazed in the wintertime, but that they also may be eaten in the summertime when the weather is cold and humid. Mushrooms were chosen in the autumn months August and September, but according to some informants mushrooms may also be eaten during late autumn (from Oct. when frozen and under the snow. The reindeer herders had different names for lichens, which in general terms describe their appearance and habitat. For mushrooms they only used one Sami name. Ground lichens preferred by reindeer are Cladonia species, while the nitrogen-fixing lichen species such as Nephroma arcticum and Stereocaulon pascale were said not to be preferred by the reindeer. Snow conditions are very important, and the less snow (and the softer it is, the better. Habitats where reindeer herders know from experience that snow conditions tend to be problematic, e.g. in moist and open areas with small trees, are used early in the winter (Oct.–Jan., before too much snow has accumulated. A good winter grazing area should have lichens. It is preferably a dry pine (Pinus sylvestris forest heath with large, old and wide-crowned trees to shelter the ground from snow and thereby ease the cratering by reindeer. Abstract in Swedish / Sammanfattning: Renens (Rangifer tarandus tarandus bete av lavar och svampar: Traditionell ekologisk kunskap bland renskötande samer i norra Sverige Studien genomfördes i fyra renskötseldistrikt (samebyar i norra Sverige. Totalt 22 renskötande samer, födda 1950 eller tidigare, blev intervjuade om renens betande av lavar och svampar, renens vinterbete och om vad som karakt

Evaluating Regime Change of Sediment Transport in the Jingjiang River Reach, Yangtze River, China

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Li He

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The sediment regime in the Jingjiang river reach of the middle Yangtze River has been significantly changed from quasi-equilibrium to unsaturated since the impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD. Vertical profiles of suspended sediment concentration (SSC and sediment flux can be adopted to evaluate the sediment regime at the local and reach scale, respectively. However, the connection between the vertical concentration profiles and the hydrologic conditions of the sub-saturated channel has rarely been examined based on field data. Thus, vertical concentration data at three hydrological stations in the reach (Zhicheng, Shashi, and Jianli are collected. Analyses show that the near-bed concentration (within 10% of water depth from the riverbed may reach up to 15 times that of the vertical average concentration. By comparing the fractions of the suspended sediment and bed material before and after TGD operation, the geomorphic condition under which the distinct large near-bed concentrations occur have been examined. Based on daily discharge-sediment hydrographs, the reach scale sediment regime and availability of sediment sources are analyzed. In total, remarkable large near-bed concentrations may respond to the combination of wide grading suspended particles and bed material. Finally, several future challenges caused by the anomalous vertical concentration profiles in the unsaturated reach are discussed. This indicates that more detailed measurements or new measuring technologies may help us to provide accurate measurements, while a fractional dispersion equation may help us in describing. The present study aims to gain new insights into regime change of sediment suspension in the river reaches downstream of a very large reservoir.

Controlled-release approaches towards the chemotherapy of tuberculosis

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Saifullah B

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Bullo Saifullah,1 Mohd Zobir B Hussein,1,2 Samer Hasan Hussein Al Ali11Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia; 2Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Institute of Advanced Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, MalaysiaAbstract: Tuberculosis (TB, caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is notorious for its lethality to humans. Despite technological advances, the tubercle bacillus continues to threaten humans. According to the World Health Organization's 2011 global report on TB, 8.8 million cases of TB were reported in 2010, with a loss of 1.7 million human lives. As drug-susceptible TB requires long-term treatment of between 6 and 9 months, patient noncompliance remains the most important reason for treatment failure. For multidrug-resistant TB, patients must take second-line anti-TB drugs for 18–24 months and many adverse effects are associated with these drugs. Drug-delivery systems (DDSs seem to be the most promising option for advancement in the treatment of TB. DDSs reduce the adverse effects of drugs and their dosing frequency as well as shorten the treatment period, and hence improve patient compliance. Further advantages of these systems are that they target the disease area, release the drugs in a sustained manner, and are biocompatible. In addition, targeted delivery systems may be useful in dealing with extensively drug-resistant TB because many side effects are associated with the drugs used to cure the disease. In this paper, we discuss the DDSs developed for the targeted and slow delivery of anti-TB drugs and their possible advantages and disadvantages.Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, drug-delivery system, targeted delivery, anti-TB drug, TB, patient compliance

Controlled release and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition properties of an antihypertensive drug based on a perindopril erbumine-layered double hydroxide nanocomposite

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Hussein Al Ali SH

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Samer Hasan Hussein Al Ali1, Mothanna Al-Qubaisi2, Mohd Zobir Hussein1,3, Maznah Ismail2,4, Zulkarnain Zainal1, Muhammad Nazrul Hakim51Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, 2Laboratory of Molecular Biomedicine, Institute of Bioscience, 3Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Institute of Advanced Technology, 4Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, 5Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, MalaysiaBackground: The intercalation of perindopril erbumine into Zn/Al-NO3-layered double hydroxide resulted in the formation of a host-guest type of material. By virtue of the ion-exchange properties of layered double hydroxide, perindopril erbumine was released in a sustained manner. Therefore, this intercalated material can be used as a controlled-release formulation.Results: Perindopril was intercalated into the interlayers and formed a well ordered, layered organic-inorganic nanocomposite. The basal spacing of the products was expanded to 21.7 Å and 19.9 Å by the ion-exchange and coprecipitation methods, respectively, in a bilayer and a monolayer arrangement, respectively. The release of perindopril from the nanocomposite synthesized by the coprecipitation method was slower than that of its counterpart synthesized by the ion-exchange method. The rate of release was governed by pseudo-second order kinetics. An in vitro antihypertensive assay showed that the intercalation process results in effectiveness similar to that of the antihypertensive properties of perindopril.Conclusion: Intercalated perindopril showed better thermal stability than its free counterpart. The resulting material showed sustained-release properties and can therefore be used as a controlled-release formulation.Keywords: perindopril erbumine, layered double hydroxides, ion-exchange, coprecipitation, sustained release, angiotensin-converting enzyme

Participants' Perceptions on the Use of Wearable Devices to Reduce Sitting Time: Qualitative Analysis.

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Takemoto, Michelle; Lewars, Brittany; Hurst, Samantha; Crist, Katie; Nebeker, Camille; Madanat, Hala; Nichols, Jeanne; Rosenberg, Dori E; Kerr, Jacqueline

2018-03-31

participants voted, as several participants reported using a "process of elimination" as opposed to choosing favorites because none of the devices were ideal for reducing sitting time. To overcome the limitations in current devices, future wearable devices designed to reduce sitting time should include the following features: waterproof, long battery life, accuracy in measuring sitting time, real time feedback on progress toward sitting reduction goals, and flexible options for prompts to take breaks from sitting. ©Michelle Takemoto, Brittany Lewars, Samantha Hurst, Katie Crist, Camille Nebeker, Hala Madanat, Jeanne Nichols, Dori E Rosenberg, Jacqueline Kerr. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 31.03.2018.

Health services financing and delivery: analysis of policy options for Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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Hamidi S

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Samer Hamidi School of Health and Environmental Studies, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Introduction: A national health account (NHA provides a systematic approach to mapping the flow of health sector funds within a specified health system over a defined time period. This article attempts to present a profile of health system financing in Dubai, United Arab Emirates using data from NHAs, and to compare the functional structures of financing schemes in Dubai with schemes in Qatar and selected member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD. Methods: The author analyzed secondary data published in NHAs of Dubai and Qatar and data collected by the OECD countries and publicly available from Eurostat (Statistical Office of the European Union of 25 OECD countries for comparative analysis. All health financing indicators used were as defined in the international System of Health Accounts (SHA. Results: In Dubai, spending on inpatient care was the highest-costing component, with 30% of current health expenditures (CHE. Spending on outpatient care was the second highest-costing component and accounted for about 23% of the CHE. Household spending accounted for about 22% of CHE (equivalent to US$187 per capita, compared to an average of 20% of CHE of OECD countries. Dubai spent 0.02% of CHE on long-term care, compared to an average of 11% of CHE of OECD countries. Dubai spent about 6% of CHE on prevention and public health services, compared to an average of 3.2% of CHE of OECD countries. Conclusion: The findings point to potential opportunities for growth and improvement in several health policy issues in Dubai, including increasing focus and funding of preventive services; shifting from inpatient care to day surgery, outpatient, and home-based services and strengthening long-term care; and introducing cost-containment measures for pharmaceuticals. More investment in the translation of

Evidence from the national health account: the case of Dubai

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Hamidi S

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Samer Hamidi School of Health and Environmental Studies, Hamadan Bin Mohammad Smart University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Introduction: National health accounts (NHAs provide useful information to aid in understanding the health care financing system. This article aims to present a profile of health system financing in Dubai using data from the NHA. We also aim to compare the provider structure of financing schemes in Dubai with those of the State of Qatar and selected Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD countries. Methods: The author analyzed secondary data published in NHAs for Dubai and Qatar, and data collected by the OECD countries and publicly available from the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat, for 25 OECD countries for comparative analysis. All health financing measures used are as defined in the international System of Health Accounts (SHA. Results: In Dubai, only 33% of current health expenditure (CHE is funded by the government. However, the public sector is the main source of health funding in Qatar and most OECD countries, with an average of 79% and 72%, respectively. Households in Dubai spent about 22% of CHE, equivalent to an average US$187 per capita, ranking the highest among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC countries, and compared with 20% of CHE across OECD countries. Hospitals in Dubai accounted for 48% of CHE, which is much higher than Qatar (40% and the OECD average (36%. Conclusion: The Dubai health care financing system differs substantially from that in OECD countries, as it is more private oriented. The findings point to several potential opportunities for growth and improvement. Policy areas that may be addressed using the information presented in this article are broad and include the following: shift from hospital care to ambulatory and day care, sustainability of health finance, shift the cost of health care to the private sector, introduce cost-containment measures, revise

Induction of apoptosis in cancer cells by NiZn ferrite nanoparticles through mitochondrial cytochrome C release

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Al-Qubaisi MS

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Mothanna Sadiq Al-Qubaisi,1 Abdullah Rasedee,1,2 Moayad Husein Flaifel,3 Sahrim Hj Ahmad,3 Samer Hussein-Al-Ali,1 Mohd Zobir Hussein,4 Zulkarnain Zainal,4 Fatah H Alhassan,4 Yun H Taufiq-Yap,4 Eltayeb EM Eid,5 Ismail Adam Arbab,1 Bandar A Al-Asbahi,3 Thomas J Webster,6,7 Mohamed Ezzat El Zowalaty1,8,9 1Institute of Bioscience, 2Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 3Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 4Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia; 5College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of Chemical Engineering and Program in Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA; 7Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 8Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt; 9Faculty of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia Abstract: The long-term objective of the present study was to determine the ability of NiZn ferrite nanoparticles to kill cancer cells. NiZn ferrite nanoparticle suspensions were found to have an average hydrodynamic diameter, polydispersity index, and zeta potential of 254.2 ± 29.8 nm, 0.524 ± 0.013, and -60 ± 14 mV, respectively. We showed that NiZn ferrite nanoparticles had selective toxicity towards MCF-7, HepG2, and HT29 cells, with a lesser effect on normal MCF 10A cells. The quantity of Bcl-2, Bax, p53, and cytochrome C in the cell lines mentioned above was determined by colorimetric methods in order to clarify the mechanism of action of NiZn ferrite nanoparticles in the killing of cancer cells. Our results indicate that NiZn ferrite nanoparticles promote apoptosis in cancer cells via caspase-3 and caspase-9, downregulation of Bcl-2, and upregulation of Bax and p53, with cytochrome C translocation. There was a concomitant collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential in these cancer cells when treated

Synthesis, characterization, and antimicrobial activity of an ampicillin-conjugated magnetic nanoantibiotic for medical applications

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Hussein-Al-Ali SH

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Samer Hasan Hussein-Al-Ali,1,2 Mohamed Ezzat El Zowalaty,3,4 Mohd Zobir Hussein,5 Benjamin M Geilich,6 Thomas J Webster6,7 1Laboratory of Molecular Biomedicine, 2Faculty of Pharmacy, Isra University, Amman, Kingdom of Jordan; 3Laboratory of Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia; 4Faculty of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 5Materials Synthesis and Characterization Laboratory Institute of Advanced Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia; 6Department of Chemical Engineering and Program in Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA; 7Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Abstract: Because of their magnetic properties, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs have numerous diverse biomedical applications. In addition, because of their ability to penetrate bacteria and biofilms, nanoantimicrobial agents have become increasingly popular for the control of infectious diseases. Here, MNPs were prepared through an iron salt coprecipitation method in an alkaline medium, followed by a chitosan coating step (CS-coated MNPs; finally, the MNPs were loaded with ampicillin (amp to form an amp-CS-MNP nanocomposite. Both the MNPs and amp-CS-MNPs were subsequently characterized and evaluated for their antibacterial activity. X-ray diffraction results showed that the MNPs and nanocomposites were composed of pure magnetite. Fourier transform infrared spectra and thermogravimetric data for the MNPs, CS-coated MNPs, and amp-CS-MNP nanocomposite were compared, which confirmed the CS coating on the MNPs and the amp-loaded nanocomposite. Magnetization curves showed that both the MNPs and the amp-CS-MNP nanocomposites were superparamagnetic, with saturation magnetizations at 80.1 and 26.6 emu g-1, respectively. Amp was loaded at 8

Lung cancer trends: smoking, obesity, and sex assessed in the Staten Island University’s lung cancer patients

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Gupta S

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Shilpi Gupta,1 Samer Hassan,1 Vijaya R Bhatt,2 Houssein Abdul Sater,1 Asma Dilawari31Hematology-Oncology, Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, NY, USA; 2Hematology-Oncology, Nebraska Medical Ctr, Omaha, NE, USA; 3Hematology-Oncology, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Olney, Maryland, USAIntroduction: The incidence of lung cancer in the United States decreased by 1.8% from 1991 to 2005 while it increased by 0.5% in females. We assessed whether nonsmokers afflicted with lung cancer at Staten Island University Hospital are disproportionately female in comparison to national averages. We also evaluated different factors including race, histology, and body mass index (BMI in correlation with smoking history.Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted from 2005 to 2011 on 857 patients. Patients were divided into two groups according to their smoking status: current or ever-smokers, and former or never-smokers. A chi-square test for categorical data and multivariate logistic regression analyses was used to study the relation between BMI and the other clinical and demographic data.Results: Forty-nine percent of patients were men and 51% were women with a mean age at diagnosis of 67.8 years. Current smokers were most common (50.2% followed by ever-smokers (18.2%, former smokers (15.8% and never-smokers (15.6%. Forty eight percent had stage IV lung cancer upon presentation. Never-smokers with lung cancer were 24 times more likely to be females. However, the proportion of female former smokers (31.6% was lower than the proportion of male former smokers (68.4% (P=0.001. There was no significant association between American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC stage, sex, race, and histological type in the two smoking groups. Current/ever-smokers tended to be younger at age of diagnosis (P=0.0003. BMI was lower in the current/ever-smokers (26.8 kg/m2 versus former/never-smokers (28.8 in males (P=0.0005. BMI was significantly higher in

Abstracts from the 15th International Myopia Conference

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Alexandra Benavente-Perez

2016-11-01

against form deprivation myopia in chickens, by local signaling within the retina Ladan Ghodsi, William K. Stell O14 Contributions of ON and OFF pathways to emmetropization and form deprivation myopia in mice Machelle T. Pardue, Ranjay Chakraborty, Han na Park, Curran S. Sidhu, P. Michael Iuvone O15 Response of the human choroid to defocus Michael J Collins O16 What can RNA sequencing tell us about myopic sclera? Nethrajeith Srinvasalu, Sally A McFadden, Paul N Baird O17 Overview of dopamine, retinal function, and myopia P. Michael Iuvone O18 The eye as a "robust" optical system and myopia Pablo Artal O19 Effect of discontinuation of orthokeratology lens wear on axial elongation in children Pauline Cho, SW Cheung O20 Myopia prevention in Taiwan Pei-Chang Wu O21 Alternatives to ultraviolet light and riboflavin for in vivo crosslinking of scleral collagen Quan V. Hoang, Sally A. McFadden O22 Absence of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGC alters normal refractive development in mice Ranjay Chakraborty, Duk C. Lee, Erica G. Landis, Michael A. Bergen, Curran Sidhu, Samer Hattar, P. Michael Iuvone, Richard A. Stone, Machelle T. Pardue O23 Scleral micro-RNAs in myopia development and their potential as therapeutic targets Ravi Metlapally O24 Effects of the long-wavelength filtered continuous spectrum on emmetropization in juvenile guinea pigs Ruiqin Li, Qinglin Xu, Hong Zhon, Chenglin Pan, Weizhon Lan, Xiaoning Li, Ling Chen, Zhikuan Yang O25 Ocular and environmental factors associated with eye growth in childhood Scott A. Read O26 Overview- prevention and prediction of myopia and pathologic myopia Seang-Mei Saw O27 New insights into the roles of retinal dopamine in form-deprivation myopia and refractive development in C57BL/6 mice Shi-Jun Weng, Xiao-Hua Wu, Kang-Wei Qian, Yun-Yun Li, Guo-Zhong Xu, Furong Huang, Xiangtian Zhou, Jia Qu, Xiong-Li Yang, Yong-Mei Zhong O28 The effects of the adenosine antagonist, 7-methylxanthine, on refractive development in

Reindeer pastoralism in Sweden 1550-1950

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Lennart Lundmark

2007-04-01

during hundreds of years. To a large extent these long-term external influences have made reindeer pastoralism what it is today. That aspect should not be overlooked when assessing the future prospects of reindeer pastoralism in Scandinavia.Renskötseln i Sverige 1550-1950Abstract in Swedish / Sammanfattning: Först vid mitten av 1500-talet finns det källmaterial som ger oss en tämligen detaljerad bild av renskötseln i Sverige. Vid den tiden levde samerna i en jakt- , fiske- och samlarekonomi. En familj hade normalt 10-20 renar som främst utnyttjades vid transporter. Tamrenarna kunde också mjölkas och fungera som lockdjur vid vildrensjakt. Under senare delen av 1500-talet köpte svenska staten och handelsmän stora mängder pälsverk av samerna. Den vanligaste betalningen var smör och mjöl. Detta skapade ett välstånd som ledde till en betydande folkökning i svenska lappmarken. Befolkningen blev för stor för att rymmas inom ramarna för en jaktochfiskeekonomi. En kris i början av 1600-talet blev startpunkten för övergången till en storskalig rennomadism.Fram till mitten av 1700-talet var den intensiva renskötseln framgångsrik. Men renskötseln blev efterhand alltför intensiv. Under senare delen av 1700-talet började det spridas sjukdomar i de tätt sammanhållna hjordarna. De första decennierna av 1800-talet innebar en allvarlig kris i renskötseln. Antalet renskötande fjällsamer minskade kraftigt, främst genom utvandring till norska kusten. Den intensiva renskötseln med mjölkning av renarna började ersättas av en extensiv renskötsel inriktad på köttproduktion de sista decennierna av 1800-talet. I norr var naturförhållandena och influenser från Kautokeino-samerna en viktig faktor, i söder utvecklades renskötseln i extensiv riktning främst därför att marknaden för renkött kom närmare renskötarna. Under 1920-talet upphörde mjölkningen av renar i Sverige, utom i några enstaka familjer. Då hade förflyttningarna av samer fr

From the Editor

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Ugur Demiray

2011-10-01

blogging and found weblogs useful for English language learning. This study found that weblogs are promising interactive tools for English language learning. The seventh one is again from INDIA. On ―Academic Motivation Among Urban & Rural Students: A Study on Traditional Vs Open Education System in India‖ written by Shashi SINGH, Ajay SINGH, from Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology and Reader Kiran SINGH, from University of Allahabad, INDIA. This paper also tries to compare the academic motivation of rural and urban based students. It has been found in this paper that there is a significant difference in Academic Motivation among students of the two types of education systems. The significant difference in academic motivation has also been found in urban and rural based students, compared between the two systems. The paper has also forwarded some suggestions which may be considered by the policy makers and administrators of OES to help increase the academic motivation of students of OES. 7 The eight article is from TURKEY again and it is on ―Trends Towards Distance Education Of Nursing Education In Turkey‖, written by Emine SENYUVA, from Istanbul University, Florence Nightingale School of Nursing, Department of Education of Nursing, Istanbul, TURKEY. This paper claims that in today‘s world rapidly changing, evolving and increasingly complex area of a state health care services, nursing education from the issuing institution, advanced human and professional members of the advanced characteristics and has adopted the lifelong development of nurses are required to have graduated. Resources in this direction were examined, the distance education of nurses after graduation various vocational courses, certificate programs until completion and graduate degree (master and PhD education in maintaining the successful results were indicated.The 9th article is again from PAKISTAN and written by Sufiana Khatoon MALIK and Fauzia KHURSHED from National University of

From Editor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ugur DEMIRAY

2012-07-01

attitudes with their counterparts teaching in on-campus educational systems.The 25th article of this issue is from Oman. It is titled as Interactions Quality in Moodle as Perceived By Learners And Its Relation With Some Variables written by Ahmed Yousif ABDELRAHEEM, from Sultan Qaboos University of Oman. The aim of this articlewas to identify learners’ perceptions of the quality of interaction in Moodle and investigate the effects of gender, grade point average (GPA, individualized learning experiences and their experiences in using Moodle factors in perceiving the quality of interaction.The last one on “Education Systems And Academic Satisfaction: A Study on Rural and Urban Students of Traditional Vs Open Education System in India, written by Shashi SINGH, Ajay SINGH and Kiran SINGH from India. This paper aims to compare the level of academic satisfaction among the students of Traditional Education System and Open Education System. This paper also investigates academic satisfaction of urban and rural based students and comparing them over traditional (Urban: 110; Rural: 90, and open (Urban: 80; Rural: 71 education system.Dear readers, please contact TOJDE Secretariat at the below address or e-mail us to tojde@anadolu.edu.tr to receive further information and send your recommendations and remarks, or to submit your articles for consideration. Hope to stay in touch and meet in our next Issue, on 1st of October 2012.Cordially, Prof. Dr. Ugur Demiray Editor-in-Chief Anadolu University Yunusemre Campus 26470-Eskisehir TURKEY Tel: +90 222 335 0581 ext. 2521 or 2522GSM: +90 542 232 21 167 Fax: +90 222 320 4520 or Email(s : udemiray@anadolu.edu.tr or udemiray33@gmail.comURL: http://home.anadolu.edu.tr/~udemiray or http://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr