Abstract Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a prevalent diabetic microvascular condition. It is the leading cause of kidney disease in the advanced stages. There is no currently effective treatment available. This research aimed to investigate the curative potentials of exosomes isolated from mesenchymal stem cells affecting DN. This study was performed on 70 male adult albino rats. Adult rats were randomized into seven groups: Group I: Negative control group, Group II: DN group, Group III: Balanites treated group, Group IV: MSCs treated group, Group V: Exosome treated group, Group VI: Balanites + MSCs treated group and Group VII: Balanites + exosome treated group. Following the trial period, blood and renal tissues were subjected to biochemical, gene expression analyses, and histopathological examinations. Results showed that MDA was substantially increased, whereas TAC was significantly decreased in the kidney in the DN group compared to normal health rats. Undesired elevated values of MDA levels and a decrease in TAC were substantially ameliorated in groups co-administered Balanites aegyptiacae with MSCs or exosomes compared to the DN group. A substantial elevation in TNF-α and substantially diminished concentration of IGF-1 were noticed in DN rats compared to normal health rats. Compared to the DN group, the co-administration of Balanites aegyptiacae with MSCs or exosomes substantially improved the undesirable elevated values of TNF-α and IGF-1. Furthermore, in the DN group, the mRNA expression of Vanin-1, Nephrin, and collagen IV was significantly higher than in normal healthy rats. Compared with DN rats, Vanin-1, Nephrin, and collagen IV Upregulation were substantially reduced in groups co-administered Balanites aegyptiacae with MSCs or exosomes. In DN rats, AQP1 expression was significantly lower than in normal healthy rats. Furthermore, the groups co-administered Balanites aegyptiacae with MSCs or exosomes demonstrated a substantial increase in AQP1 mRNA expression compared to DN rats.

Resumo A nefropatia diabética (ND) é uma condição microvascular diabética prevalente. É a principal causa de doença renal em estágios avançados. Atualmente, não há tratamento eficaz disponível. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo investigar os potenciais curativos de exossomos isolados de células-tronco mesenquimais que afetam a ND. Este estudo foi realizado em 70 ratos albinos adultos machos. Ratos adultos foram randomizados em sete grupos: Grupo I: Grupo de controle negativo, Grupo II: Grupo DN, Grupo III: Grupo tratado com Balanites, Grupo IV: Grupo tratado com MSCs, Grupo V: Grupo tratado com exossomos, Grupo VI: Grupo tratado com Balanites + MSCs e Grupo VII: Balanites + grupo tratado com exossomas. Após o período experimental, o sangue e os tecidos renais foram submetidos a análises bioquímicas, de expressão gênica e exames histopatológicos. Os resultados mostraram que o MDA aumentou substancialmente, enquanto o TAC diminuiu significativamente no rim no grupo DN em comparação com ratos saudáveis normais. Valores elevados indesejados de níveis de MDA e uma diminuição no TAC foram substancialmente melhorados em grupos coadministrados Balanites aegyptiacae com MSCs ou exossomas em comparação com o grupo DN. Uma elevação substancial em TNF-α e uma concentração substancialmente diminuída de IGF-1 foram observadas em ratos DN em comparação com ratos saudáveis normais. Em comparação com o grupo DN, a coadministração de Balanites aegyptiacae com MSCs ou exossomas melhorou substancialmente os valores elevados indesejáveis de TNF-α e IGF-1. Além disso, no grupo DN a expressão de mRNA de vanina-1, nefrina e colágeno IV foi significativamente maior do que em ratos saudáveis normais. Comparado com ratos DN, Vanin-1, Nephrin e colágeno IV Upregulation foram substancialmente reduzidos em grupos co-administrados Balanites aegyptiacae com MSCs ou exossomos. Em ratos DN, a expressão de AQP1 foi significativamente menor do que em ratos saudáveis normais. Além disso, os grupos que coadministraram Balanites aegyptiacae com MSCs ou exossomos demonstraram um aumento substancial na expressão de mRNA de AQP1 em comparação com ratos DN.

Abstract Some new characterization properties of the exponential distribution based on two non-adjacent m-generalized order statistics (consequently m-dual generalized order statistics), m # - 1, coming from two independent exponential distributions are derived. The result of this paper provides a beneficial strategy to predict the failure time of some survived components in a lifetime experiment by using the result of another independent lifetime experiment.

Resumen Se derivan algunas propiedades de caracterización nuevas de la distribución exponencial basadas en dos estadísticas de orden generalizado m no adyacentes (en consecuencia, estadísticas de orden generalizado m dual), m # -1, procedentes de dos distribuciones exponenciales independientes. El resultado de este artículo proporciona una estrategia beneficiosa para predecir el tiempo de falla de algunos componentes sobrevividos en un experimento de por vida utilizando el resultado de otro experimento de por vida independiente.

Abstract Aloe vera possesses a great therapeutic importance in traditional medicine. It has attracted the attention of modern medical fields due to its wide pharmacological applications. The bioactive substances in Aloe vera proved to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. Taken into our consideration the long history of clinical applications of Aloe vera in traditional medicine, especially for promoting the healing of cutaneous wounds with rare adverse effects, it provides a cheap alternative to many expensive synthetic drugs. Recent techniques in tissue engineering created novel scaffolds based on Aloe gel extracts for wound healing applications. Nonetheless, further guided researche is required to foster the development of Aloe vera based scaffolds for the benefit of worldwide populations. Here, I systemically summarize the main events following wounding and the mechanism of action of Aloe vera in promoting the healing process. I hope to provide a solid piece of information that might be helpful for designing new research studies into this topic. medicine antioxidant antiinflammatory, antiinflammatory anti inflammatory, inflammatory anti-inflammatory antibacterial properties effects drugs Nonetheless populations Here process topic

Resumo A eficácia hemostática de diferentes tipos de extrato de Satureja thymbra L., Thymbra spicata L. (Lamiaceae) e Verbascum fruticulosum Post. (Scrophulariaceae) foi avaliada neste estudo pelo tempo de protrombina (TP) e tempo de tromboplastina parcial ativada (TTPa). Os extratos aquosos, metanólicos e etanólicos das folhas das espécies de plantas examinadas foram preparados para uma concentração final de 50 mg/mL. Os ensaios de TP e TTPa in vitro foram realizados em amostras normais de sangue, pobre em plaquetas, por um analisador de coagulação digital. Os resultados obtidos revelaram atividade anticoagulante de todas as espécies de plantas investigadas, com variações observadas dentre elas. Os extratos aquosos e etanólicos de T. spicata e o extrato aquoso de S. thymbra prolongaram significativamente os valores de TP (p <0,05). Entretanto, todos os tipos de extratos de V. fruticulosum não tiveram efeito significativo sobre os valores de TP. Os dados registrados do TTPa mostraram que todos os extratos aquosos tiveram um efeito significativo na hemostase do sangue, pois aumentaram os valores de TTPa em todas as espécies de plantas em estudo. Dos quais, ambos os extratos etanólicos e metanólicos de T. spicata e o extrato metanólico de S. thymbra mostraram efeito semelhante. De grande preocupação, notou-se claramente que os extratos aquoso e etanólico de T. spicata e o extrato aquoso de S. thymbra apresentam efeito anticoagulante mais forte, aumentando os valores de TP e TTPa significativamente em relação ao controle (p <0,05). A variável bioatividade anticoagulante dentre as espécies vegetais estudadas pôde ser referida aos vários graus de solventes de solubilidade de diferentes fitoconstituintes. Assim, a eficácia da avaliação de extratos de espécies vegetais como anticoagulantes ou coagulantes foi relacionada às espécies vegetais e ao solvente de extração.

Abstract The haemostatic efficacy of different extract types of Satureja thymbra L., Thymbra spicata L. (Lamiaceae) and Verbascum fruticulosum Post. (Scrophulariaceae) was evaluated in this study via the Prothrombin time (PT) and Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) analysis. Aqueous, methanol and ethanol extracts of the examined plant species leaves were prepared to a final concentration 50 mg/mL. In vitro PT and aPTT assays were conducted on normal platelet poor plasma blood samples by a digital coagulation analyzer. The obtained results revealed anticoagulation activity of all investigated plant species with observed variations among them. The aqueous and ethanol extracts of T. spicata as well as the aqueous extract of S. thymbra prolonged PT values significantly (p < 0.05). While, all V. fruticulosum extract types have had no significant effect on the PT values. The recorded aPTT data showed that all aqueous extracts have had a significant effect on the blood haemostasis as they increased aPTT values in all plant species under study. Out of which, both the ethanol and methanol extracts of T. spicata and methanol extract of S. thymbra showed similar effect. Of great concern, it was clearly noticed that the aqueous and ethanol extract of T. spicata and the aqueous extract of S. thymbra possess the strongest anticoagulation effect as they increased both PT and aPTT values significantly relative to the control (p < 0.05). The variable anticoagulation bioactivity among the studied plant species could be referred to the various solvents degrees of solubility of different phyto-constituents. Thus, the efficacy of the plant species extracts evaluation as anticoagulants or coagulants were related to the plant species and to the solvent of extraction.

Resumo Objetivo: O objetivo do presente artigo é investigar a relação entre a estrutura de governança corporativa e a divulgação da GRI. Mais especificamente, o estudo busca analisar a independência do conselho, o tamanho do conselho e a concentração acionária e sua relação com a divulgação de relatórios GRI. Metodologia: As hipóteses do estudo foram testadas em uma amostra de 287 empresas brasileiras listadas na B3, a Bolsa de Valores do Brasil, utilizando modelos de regressão logística. Os dados de 2013 foram coletados no banco de dados Econoinfo e GRI. Resultados: Os resultados mostram a existência de uma relação positiva entre independência do conselho e divulgação da GRI, tamanho do conselho e divulgação da GRI, e uma relação neutra entre concentração acionária e divulgação da GRI. Tais resultados indicam que a estrutura de governança corporativa influencia a decisão da empresa de se envolver em atividades de questões sociais e o relacionamento com stakeholders. Contribuições: A contribuição deste estudo consiste na apresentação de argumentos teóricos e evidências empíricas sobre a influência da estrutura de governança corporativa na divulgação social além do contexto anglo-saxão. Os resultados mostram que boas práticas de governança corporativa não podem ser generalizadas para diferentes contextos.

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between corporate governance structure and GRI reporting. More specifically, the study seeks to analyse board independence, board size and ownership concentration and their relationships with GRI reporting. Design/methodology/approach: The hypotheses of the study were tested in a sample of 287 Brazilian companies listed on the B3, the Brazilian stock exchange, using logistic regression models. Data from 2013 were collected from the Econoinfo and GRI databases. Findings: The findings show that there is a positive relationship between both board independence and GRI reporting and board size and GRI reporting, and a neutral relationship between ownership concentration and GRI reporting. These results indicate that the corporate governance structure influences a company’s decision to engage in social issue and stakeholders’ relationship activities. Originality/value: The contribution of this study is it presents theoretical arguments and empirical evidence regarding the influence of corporate governance structure on CSD beyond the Anglo-Saxon context. The results show that good corporate governance practices cannot be generalized to different contexts.

BACKGROUND: Influenza and HIV are endemic in Nigeria but there is no epidemiological data on the co-infection of influenza A and B among HIV patients. OBJECTIVE: We investigated seasonal influenza A and B, and co-infection among HIV patients on combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) in Lagos, Nigeria. METHODS: In a prospective cross-sectional study, clear sera collected from 174 HIV-positive patients between August and September 2018 were analysed for immunoglobulin M-specific antibodies to seasonal influenza A subtypes H1N1 and H3N2, and influenza B by enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: A total of 39.7% (69/174) of HIV patients were seropositive for influenza A or B viruses with 84.1% (58/69) being positive for influenza A, 13.04% (9/69) seropositive for both influenza A and B, and only 2.9% (2/69) positive for influenza B mono-infection. Median age was 44 (mean 45, mode 40, range 18-74) years. The 41-50 years age group had the highest seroprevalence (39.1%; 27/69). Seropositivity was highest among women (65.2%; 45/69). A total of 88.4% (61/69) of HIV patients seropositive for influenza A or B were on fixed dose cART, while 73.9% (51/69) were virologically suppressed. Furthermore, 27.5% (19/69) were immunocompromised, of which 21.1% (4/19) were severely immunosuppressed (cluster of differentiation 4 < 200 cells/mm>3 CONCLUSION: Influenza A and B was prevalent among HIV patients on cART, which may predispose them to life-threatening complications. We recommend strong advocacy on the need to reduce the risk of exposure to influenza and for the provision of an influenza vaccine in Nigeria.

Resumen Una de las propiedades más importantes de la mezcla del modelo de distribuciones normales es su flexibilidad para acomodar varios tipos de funciones de distribución (fd). Mostramos que la mixtura de la distribución normal sesgada y su inversa, después de agregar un parámetro de ubicación a la distribución normal sesgada, y agregar el mismo parámetro de ubicación con un signo diferente a su inversa, es una familia de fd que contiene todos los tipos posibles de fd. Además, posee una muy amplia gama de índices de asimetría y curtosis. Las técnicas computacionales que se utilizan para calcular de forma iterativa las estimaciones de máxima verosimilitud de los parámetros del modelo es el algoritmo de esperanza-maximización (EM). mas, se presenta una aplicación con un conjunto de datos reales de índice de masa corporal.

Abstract One of the most important property of the mixture normal distributions model is its flexibility to accommodate various types of distribution functions (df’s). We show that the mixture of the skew normal distribution and its reverse, after adding a location parameter to the skew normal distribution, and adding the same location parameter with different sign to its reverse is a family of df’s that contains all the possible types of df’s. Besides, it has a very remarkable wide range of the indices of skewness and kurtosis. Computational techniques using EM-type algorithms are employed for iteratively computing maximum likelihood estimates of the model parameters. Moreover, an application with a body mass index real data set is presented.

Any improvements in assisted reproduction techniques at experimental level are important in in vitro production of large animal and human embryos. The in vitro embryo production system includes three major steps, namely in vitro maturation of the primary oocytes, in vitro fertilization of the matured oocytes, and in vitro culture of presumptive embryos. The success of in vitro fertilization and embryo culture depends on the success of in vitro maturation. Fenugreek seed extract (FSE) is an important source of steroid hormones, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatories. This study aims to investigate the effect of FSE on the maturation progression, glutathione (GSH) concentration, and expression of certain genes controlling maturation such as growth differentiation factor-9 (GDF-9), transforming growth factor beta receptor 1 (TGFβR1), activin A receptor type II-like 1 (ACVRL1), hyaluronan synthase 2 (HAS2), C-Myc, B-cell leukaemia/lymphoma gene-2 (BCL-2), and BCL2-associated X protein (Bax) of matured sheep oocytes. To carry out this study, cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) aspirated from sheep ovaries were cultured in TCM-199 medium supplemented with various concentrations of FSE (0, 1 and 10 µg/mL). The results indicated that the mean values of matured oocytes were 65.2 compared with 47.8 in the control group. Concerning the candidate genes, expression was improved in oocytes matured with FSE when compared with oocytes cultured without extract. In conclusion, the addition of FSE to the maturation medium at 1 or 10 µg/mL concentrations improved the maturation of oocytes.