Scientific Research Publishing

Low back pain (LBP) has been shown to commence during childhood or early adolescence and some evidence suggests that back pain in youth has a high predictive value for back pain in adulthood. And a frequent cause of decreased physical activity levels in youth and adults is the presence of LBP. Indeed, proposed correlates of LBP in youth include poor physical fitness, decreased physical activity, poor hamstring flexibility, increased sedentary behaviors including TV and computer time, and rising overweight and obesity rates. Therefore, proper assessment of low back function in physical education settings is needed to identify children who may be at risk. The purpose of this study was to determine the concurrent and criterion-referenced validity of field tests of low back and core muscular endurance in school-aged children. The sample consisted of 4 th  through 10 th  grade students (N = 370) who completed low back and core muscular fitness tests on four separate testing da...

In most cases, oils and fats are present as emulsions, such as water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion (e.g. margarine and butter) or oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion (e.g. beverages, milk, and fresh cream). Some studies have shown that oxidative deterioration of foods containing oils and fats may be affected by light, temperature, metals, or peroxide contained in food. In fact, oxidative deterioration is a large economic concern in the food and preventing the oxidation of emulsion is of vital importance for the food industry. In this study, the effect of different concentrations of Tween 20 (0.5, 2.5, 5.0, 10 w% vs. oil) on the oxidation of canola oil O/W emulsion was investigated. Oxidation was conducted at 34°C in the dark and accelerated using 2,2-azobis (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) (AMVN) and 2,2’-azobis (2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPH) as radical generators. Peroxide value (PV, mEq/kg) was monitored as generation of the primary oxidation compound. Tocopherol content o...

Biomass is the primary source of energy for over 80% of households in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It is predominantly used in the form of charcoal or fuelwood, mainly for cooking and heating. However, the bulk of fuelwood supply is informally obtained from natural forests impeding current efforts to promote more sustainable wood production. In many areas, harvesting of forest resources is not sustainable and has led to the fragmentation and degradation of forest ecosystems. It is therefore essential to identify alternative bioenergy sources to reduce current unsustainable practices. Historically, papyrus was used for producing paper in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. At present, papyrus wetlands directly support millions of rural livelihoods especially in SSA by providing agricultural opportunities and livestock feed as well as drinking water. Papyrus biomass is widely used for fences, roofs, crafts, rafts, household utensils, furniture and mats, but also as a fuel source. It can th...

Ethical issues have been a major challenge for health care institutions for addressing the needs of patient care in an ethically acceptable manner. Health care professionals have encountered ethically difficult situations for decades in their clinical practice. And various clinical ethics support has been established in order to deal with these issues. Moral case deliberation (MCD) is a new developed approach in order to support staff dealing with moral issues. However, there is lack of knowledge that describes the characteristics of the moral case deliberation and how this differs to related clinical ethics support where a concept analysis may clarify the differences.  In this study, the authors aimed to analyze the concept of moral case deliberation and related concepts.  An integrative literature review was carried out in the research. The process of concept analysis was performed using the steps outlined in Rodgers’ evolutionary method. The search for the conce...

Garcinia mangostana , commonly known as mangosteen , belongs to the Guttiferae family and is known as “the queen of fruits”. It is native to and most cultivated in tropical areas, particularly in Southeast Asian countries . In these countries, mangosteens, especially the pericarp, have traditionally been used as a medicine for the treatment of various diseases such as abdominal pain, urinary tract infections, and infected wounds and suppuration, and is thought to have many other pharmaceutical effects.   α -mangostin is an abundant xanthone in the pericarp, and is thought to play a critical role in the medicinal effects of mangosteens. Experimental studies have confirmed the therapeutic properties of α -mangostin, such as its antioxidant, antitumoral, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, there is little scientific evidence to support their effectiveness in humans. At the same time, α -mangostin has been extensively studied using in vitro models, such as cell culture, but...

Endometrial cancer is cancer of the endometrium, which is the lining of the uterus. It is the most common type of cancer that affects the female reproductive organs. It is the result of the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. And most endometrial cancer cannot be prevented, but it is often detected at an early stage. It is usually treated through surgery. While cytoreductive surgery should be considered for patients with regional recurrence of endometrial cancer, the management of isolated para-aortic lymph node recurrence remains controversial. In this study, the authors investigated the frequency of isolated recurrence in the para-aortic lymph nodes and the effectiveness of surgery for such recurrence. A retrospectively maintained endometrial cancer database at the Cancer Institute Hospital in Japan was reviewed to identify sites of metastasis and recurrence. A total of 2322 patients with endometrial ...

Round shaped, continuous vertical pores (CVPs) are voids in the soil created by soil organisms including earthworms and plant roots. CVPs are preferential pathways for root growth in the subsoil, especially when high mechanical resistance limits root elongation through the bulk soil and can enhance air transport in soils and water percolation, reducing the risk of water ponding or water runoff from the surface. In turn, water flow through CVPs was shown to increase the transport of solutes such as nitrate, dissolved P and plant protection agents towards the ground water body. In this paper, the authors hypothesized that potential effects of CVPs on shoot growth of winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum  L.) increased with: 1) decreasing availability of water and 2) decreasing availability of nutrients in the topsoil. A multifactorial microcosm experiment was established with two different phosphorus concentrations in the topsoil (P+/P−), irrigation (Irr+/Irr−) and presence of conti...

The risks associated with sedentary behavior in the workplace are an ever-growing concern for employers. Currently there is an emphasis in workplace health messages to decrease sitting time and increase incidental workday movement as a means of reducing sedentariness in the population. This emphasis is the result of a confluence of studies showing that prolonged bouts of sitting are a factor in the incidence of poor health outcomes and that small periods of non-exercise physical activity (NEPA) offer health benefits. In this study, desk-based workers volunteered to be part of a yearlong pilot study utilizing an e-health intervention designed to interrupt prolonged workplace sitting with movement breaks. They were pre-screened to ensure they had desk-based job responsibilities, daily use of a desktop computer, were free from pre-existing health conditions, and were ready to engage in behavior change. Participants worked an average of 35.51 ± 10.24 hours per week. And participant...

Hippotherapy is a form of speech, physical and occupational therapy or treatment using a horse as a healing medium in order to effectively challenge a rider’s core muscles. The rhythm of the horse’s gait continuously engages the client’s balance and posture, while the supervising physical therapist seeks to improve the client’s overall coordination and fine motor skills through various activities. This combination of movement and therapist-directed activity can have significant impacts on the client’s postural control and physical function. In recent years, the prevalence of children with developmental disabilities that may cause lifelong issues has increased. It is important to find therapeutic interventions that improve function, are enjoyable to children. In this study, eight children between the ages of 2 - 12 years old that had been previously diagnosed with a variety of different developmental delays or disorders participated in 8 - 12 weeks of hippotherapy. Subjects wer...

Tumor cysts occur in a multitude of brain tumors. Since the cyst often forms a closed compartment, surrounded by tumor cells, proteomic analysis of the cyst fluid may help in describing pathophysiologic pathways, leading to cyst formation or tumor growth.   The surface enhanced laser desorption ionisation mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS), a highly sophisticated variant of matrix assisted laser desorption ionisation (MALDI-TOF MS), allows to assess directly cyst fluid protein content in as few as 2 microliters of specimen. In the present study, the authors analyzed whether MALDI-TOF MS examination of these fluids led to comparable results. During neurosurgical intervention, cyst fluids from 24 glioblastomas and 15 metastases were collected. As control, cerebrospinal fluid samples from 23 patients were obtained. The samples were prepared using a protocol optimized for MALDI-TOF MS. Mass spectra were recorded and peaks were extracted, characterized by masses and relative int...