METHODS: Male Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to normal condition, REM sleep deprivation and control wide platform condition for 72 hr. During this procedure, saline or nicotine (1 mg/kg) was given subcutaneously twice a day. Then, Morris water maze (MWM) test was used to assess learning and memory performance of the rats. The rats were sacrificed and the brain was harvested for immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis.
RESULTS: MWM test found that REM sleep deprivation significantly impaired learning and memory performance without defect in locomotor function associated with a significant increase in hippocampus DREAM protein expression in CA1, CA2, CA3, and DG regions and the mean relative level of DREAM protein compared to other experimental groups. Treatment with acute nicotine significantly prevented these effects and decreased expression of DREAM protein in all the hippocampus regions but only slightly reduce the mean relative level of DREAM protein.
CONCLUSION: This study suggests that changes in DREAM protein expression in CA1, CA2, CA3, and DG regions of rat's hippocampus and mean relative level of DREAM protein may involve in the mechanism of nicotine treatment-prevented REM sleep deprivation-induced learning and memory impairment in rats.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-six participants (58 males, 18 females) were recruited to participate in the study. Bilateral weight-bearing lateral radiographs of the right foot were taken from each participant. Navicular heights (NH), medial cuneiform height (MCH), calcaneal inclination angle (CIA) and calcaneal-first metatarsal angle (C1MA) were measured to represent the medial arch. The lateral arch was represented by cuboid height (CH) and calcaneal-fifth metatarsal angle (C5MA) whereas; MCH and CH represented the transverse arch. Mean difference of variables between males and females was compared using independent t-test while the correlation between the variables was determined using Pearson correlation.
RESULTS: All the variables were not significantly related to gender. Significant moderate to excellent linear correlations were observed between the variables. CIA showed the strongest correlation with C1MA (r = -0.90) and C5MA (r = -0.84) whereas, CH had the least correlation with other variables.
CONCLUSIONS: The moderate to excellent correlations between the variables indicate that deformation or elevation of the medial arch may consequently result in similar movements of the lateral and transverse arches and vice versa.
METHODS: The governing equations are modelled by a sudden coincidence of the axes of a disk and the fluid at infinity rotating with uniform angular velocity, together with initial and boundary conditions. Some suitable non-dimensional variables are introduced. The Laplace transform method is used to obtain the exact solutions of the corresponding non-dimensional momentum and energy equations with conditions. Solutions of the velocity for cosine and sine oscillations as well as for temperature fields are obtained and displayed graphically for different values of time (t ), the Grashof number (Gr), the Prandtl number ([Formula: see text]), and the phase angle ([Formula: see text]). Skin friction and the Nusselt number are also evaluated.
RESULTS: The exact solutions are obtained and in limiting cases, the present solutions are found to be identical to the published results. Further, the obtained exact solutions also validated by comparing with results obtained by using Gaver-Stehfest algorithm.
CONCLUSION: The interested physical property such as velocity, temperature, skin friction and Nusselt number are affected by the embedded parameters time (t), the Grashof number (Gr), the Prandtl number ([Formula: see text]), and the phase angle ([Formula: see text]).
CASE REPORT: A 69-year-old woman presented with fever and lower limb swelling. She had diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and a history of surgical resection of vulvar carcinoma. N. meningitidis was isolated from her blood culture.
DISCUSSION: This report provides additional evidence in support of N. meningitidis as a cause of cellulitis.
Objective: To develop and validate an high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-diode array detector (DAD) method combined with solid-phase extraction that involves precolumn derivatization with O-phthaladehyde for simultaneous analysis of free amino acids in OS leaves extracts.
Materials and Methods: OS leaves were extracted with water (OS-W), ethanol (OS-E), methanol (OS-M), 50% ethanol (OS-EW), and 50% methanol (OS-MW). The extracts were treated by C18 cartridge before derivatization, resulting in great improvement of separation by Zorbox Eclipse XDB-C18 column.
Results: The HPLC-DAD method was successfully developed and validated for analyzing the contents of free amino acids in OS extracts. The results showed that l-aspartic acid with 0.93 ± 0.01 nmol/mg was the major free amino acid in OS-W extract. However, in OS-E, OS-M, OS-EW, and OS-MW, l-glutamic acid with 3.53 ± 0.16, 2.17 ± 0.10, 4.01 ± 0.12, and 2.49 ± 0.12 nmol/mg, respectively, was the major free amino acid. Subsequently, l-serine, which was detected in OS-W, OS-E, and OS-M, was the minor free amino acid with 0.33 ± 0.02, 0.12 ± 0.01, and 0.06 ± 0.01 nmol/mg, respectively. However, l-threonine with 0.26 ± 0.02 and 0.19 ± 0.08 nmol/mL in OS-EW and OS-MW, respectively, had the lowest concentration compared with other amino acid components.
Conclusion: All validation parameters of the developed method indicate that the method is reliable and efficient to simultaneously determine the free amino acids content for routine analysis of OS extracts.
SUMMARY: The HPLC-DAD method combined with solid phase extraction was successfully developed and validated for simultaneous determination and quantification of 17 free amino acids in Orthosiphon stamineus (OS) Benth extractsOS extracts were found to be rich in free amino acid contentL-aspartic acid was the major free amino acid in OS water extract while, in OS ethanol, methanol, 50% ethanol and 50% methanol extracts, L-glutamic acid was the major free amino acidL-serine was the minor free amino acid in OS water, ethanol and methanol extracts while, in OS 50% ethanol and 50% methanol extracts, L-threonine had the lowest concentration compared to other amino acid components. Abbreviations used: HPLC-DAD: High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode-Array Detection, OS: Orthosiphon stamineus, OS-W: Orthosiphon stamineus water extract, OS-E: Orthosiphon stamineus ethanol extract, OS-M: Orthosiphon stamineus methanol extract, OS-EW: Orthosiphon stamineus 50% ethanol extract, OS-MW: Orthosiphon stamineus 50% methanol extract, OPA: O-phthaladehyde, SPE: Solid Phase Extraction, UV: Ultraviolet, LOD: Limit of Detection, LOQ: Limit of Quantification, RSD: Relative Standard Deviation.
METHODS: Three questionnaires were developed to get the responses from healthcare administrators, workers, and clients, representing the three components of Questionnaires to Assess Workplace Violence Risk Factors (QAWRF). The domains of the questionnaires were developed based on The Chappell and Di Martino's Interactive Model of Workplace Violence, and the items were generated from 28 studies identified from a systematic review of the literature. Six experts, 36 raters, and 90 respondents were recruited to assess the content validity, face validity, and usability and reliability of the QAWRF respectively. Item and Scale Level Content Validity Index, Item and Scale Level Face Validity Index, and Cronbach's alpha values were determined for QAWRF-administrator, QAWRF-worker, and QAWRF-client.
RESULTS: The psychometric indices for QAWRF are satisfactory.
CONCLUSION: QAWRF holds good content validity, face validity, and reliability, and findings from QAWRF can contribute towards worksite-specific interventions that are expected to be resource efficient and more effective than general WPV interventions.
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to develop and validate SafeHIT, an instrument to assess self-reported safe use of HIT among health care practitioners.
METHODS: Systematic literature review and a semistructured interview with 31 experts were adopted to generate SafeHIT instrument items. In total, 450 physicians from various departments at three Malaysian public hospitals participated in the questionnaire survey to validate SafeHIT. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were undertaken to explore the items that best represent a specific construct and to confirm the reliability and validity of the SafeHIT, respectively.
RESULTS: The final SafeHIT consisted of 14 constructs and 58 items in total. The result of the CFA confirmed that all constructs demonstrated adequate convergent and discriminant validity.
CONCLUSION: A reliable and valid theoretically underpinned measure of determinants of safe HIT use behavior has been developed. Understanding external factors that influence safe HIT use is useful for developing targeted interventions that favor the quality and safety of health care.