Background: Arsenical keratosis, a chronic skin disorder resulting from prolonged exposure to inorganic arsenic, poses a significant public health challenge in arsenic-endemic regions like Bangladesh. Characterized by hyperkeratotic lesions, particularly on the palms and soles, the condition is a known precursor to skin cancer. Current treatment options offer limited efficacy, necessitating the exploration of alternative therapies. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the dose-dependent cytotoxicity of Nigella sativa seed extract and assess its therapeutic potential in the management of palmar arsenical keratosis. Methods: Conducted over 17 months, this observational study involved 32 patients diagnosed with moderate to severe palmar arsenical keratosis from two high-risk unions in Chuadanga, Bangladesh. Nigella sativa seed extract ointment was formulated and applied topically. The primary outcome was the reduction in the size of keratotic nodules, measured before and after 12 weeks of treatment using vernier slide calipers. Arsenic levels in patients’ water and nail samples were analyzed using a modified silver diethyldithiocarbamate method. Statistical analyses were performed using paired t-tests and Pearson correlation. Results: Topical application of Nigella sativa seed extract resulted in a statistically significant 72.8% reduction in mean lesion size (from 55.4 ± 29.8 mm² to 15.1 ± 10.8 mm²; p < 0.0001). No significant correlation was found between lesion size reduction and duration of arsenic exposure (r = -0.28), duration of lesion appearance (r = -0.17), or arsenic concentration in drinking water (r = -0.19). Patient adherence to treatment was high (mean adherence: 94.0 ± 6.6%), and only one case of mild, transient local irritation was reported. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that Nigella sativa seed extract exhibits dose-dependent cytotoxicity against hyperproliferative keratinocytes, making it a promising, well-tolerated topical therapeutic for palmar arsenical keratosis. Compared to previous treatments, this natural formulation offers superior efficacy and minimal side effects, warranting further investigation through larger clinical trials.

This study emphasizes the importance of creating an outcome-based question bank using Bloom's Taxonomy as a framework, with an example drawn from the subject of Zoology and the course Biosystematics. A sample question bank was developed and utilized to generate multiple assessment question sets. The findings highlight that a question bank designed with Bloom's Taxonomy is a valuable tool in Outcome-Based Education (OBE). It facilitates systematic evaluation, enhances conceptual clarity, identifies slow learners, and fosters critical thinking, continuous learning, research, and innovation.

Contemporary advancements in clinical dental implant replacement of teeth emphasize the modification of titanium surfaces to enhance osseointegration. These modifications employ both additive techniques, such as bioactive coatings, and subtractive processes, including acid etching and grit-blasting. Objective: The present clinic-radiographic study was conducted to evaluate clinical and radiological parameters around a conventional SLA coated and a CaP-coated sandblasted, large-grit, acid-etched (SLA) surface implants during the first year after placement. Materials and Methods: The clinical study was conducted on 20 patients who were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a control group and a test group. In the test group, dental implants coated with calcium phosphate nanocrystals were placed in the prepared osteotomy site. In contrast, the control group received standard implants without any coating, which were placed similarly. The patients' soft tissue and hard tissue health were evaluated and recorded at regular intervals - 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year post-implant placement. A statistical analysis was then performed. Results: Plaque Index, Gingival Index, and Modified Sulcular Bleeding Index Crestal bone level were evaluated and showed no statistically significant result when observed on the mesial and distal aspects at 1-year but a statistically significant difference was found in pocket probing depth and densitometric analysis to assess the bone density (mesial, distal and apical) 1-year post implant placement. Conclusion: While the calcium phosphate-coated implants showed a notable reduction in crestal bone loss compared to the control group, this difference didn't reach statistical significance. However, a statistically significant difference was observed in the densitometric analysis, which showed an increased bone density (mesial, distal, and apical end) around Calcium Phosphate Coated Implants.

This study investigated the impact of skill acquisition programs on employment rates among Nigerian graduates. Using graduates from the Department of Entrepreneurship at the University of Benin as a case study, 150 respondents who graduated between the 2017/2018 and 2022/2023 academic sessions were randomly selected to determine their current employment status and whether they needed or acquired additional skills beyond their academic degrees to secure employment. A structured questionnaire created through Google Docs was administered via WhatsApp and email. The data was analysed using frequency distribution, mean scores, Pearson chi-square goodness of fit, and Pearson correlation at a 95% confidence level. Results showed that out of 120 respondents who completed the questionnaires, 78 of them (65%) were self-employed, 20 of them (17%) were on paid employment, while 22 respondents (18%) were unemployed. Out of the 22 unemployed respondents, 12 of them (10%) claimed they had no additional skills besides their degrees, while 10 of them (8%) said they were undergoing apprenticeship/skills acquisition programmes. Statistical analysis revealed a positive correlation between skill acquisition and graduate employability. The study also highlighted the prevalence of hard skills acquisition among graduates and suggested that Nigerian graduates should acquire relevant skills besides their academic degrees to increase their employability. It is recommended that all Nigerian universities incorporate hard and soft skills learning programs in their curricula to improve the employability of graduates in the 21st century

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common, progressive lung condition which significantly impacts the quality of life. Despite the existence of clinical guidelines, irrational prescribing patterns, remain common. Analysing prescription patterns and evaluating drug use can identify issues with prescribing patterns and provide valuable guidance to medical professionals. This study thus aims to analyse the prescribing practices of patients with COPD in order to determine areas for improvement, rationality, and adherence to guidelines. A prospective observational study was conducted among 113 COPD patients. Data on demographics, clinical status, and treatment (drug type, dosage, frequency, duration, and route of administration) were collected. WHO core prescribing indicators were applied along with analysis of drug classes, fixed drug combinations, and rescue medications. Majority of patients were between the ages of 61 and 75. 46.8% of individuals had a history of smoking, and 67.2% of cases had comorbidities. Of the 608 medications provided, 43% dealt with comorbidities and 57% targeted COPD. The most commonly utilized medications were bronchodilators (38.8%), corticosteroids (16.45%), and antibiotics (18.75%). In 72.5% of cases, beta-2 agonists were prescribed. ICS and combination mucolytics were preferred. The prescribing pattern reflected rational COPD management. According to this study, the most commonly prescribed drug classes for the treatment of COPD are bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and antibiotics. There is a visible overuse of antibiotics and brand-name prescriptions, which deviates from WHO core prescribing indicators. Ongoing prescription audits and educational interventions can thus promote rational drug usage and improve patient outcomes in the treatment of COPD.

Most urban centres in the sub-Sahara African countries have been experiencing a rapid increase in their population, Cameroon inclusive. It is partly explained by the presumed better living conditions and urban expectations. Once there, migrants are faced with different realities of high living cost, unemployment, increased house rents, poor sanitation amidst others. In an effort to cope with these prevailing conditions, the migrants becomes vulnerable to indecent lifestyles, and environmentally unsafe zones exposing them to all sorts of risks. Substantial literature exist on rural-urban migration but coping strategies to the social and environmental dilemma in the urban milieu remains elusive. This paper, therefore, sets out to fill this knowledge gap through an in depth investigation of the resilient measures adopted by the urban poor and the legal provisions for a safety and healthy living styles in urban Yaounde as prescribed by the law. To attain the objective, secondary data were collected from archival documents in the regional delegations of town planning and ministerial departments in charge of housing. Also, urban planning policies and Council Development Plans for the various councils in Yaounde were exploited including the exploration of relevant websites. Primary data were obtained via a sample of 200 inhabitants in the seven Sub-divisions in the town of Yaounde. This was achieved through the use of a purposely structured questionnaire. Interviews (N=10) Focus group discussions (N=5) and direct field observations were other relevant sources of primary data. Spatial data were collected with the use of a GPS for localisation and exploitation of GIS software for other relevant cartographic data. Content and quantitative analysis were used. Results indicated that poverty is the main driver to social and environmental vulnerability which is manifested in different forms. The non-respect of legal provisions and prolonged administrative tolerance expose the urban poor indecent socio-environmental conditions. The scenario in most cases have resulted to a significant and unexpected loss of lives and destruction of valuable property. Glaring examples include the most recent Mbankolo disaster in November 2023 that resulted to the loss of over 100 lives identified, homelessness, and loss of property with far reaching effects. This study strongly recommends urgent proactive disaster measures, such as the resettlement of the vulnerable population in risky neighbourhood, exploitation of relevant cartographic data provided by the National Institute for Cartography (NIC) especially the modelling of risk areas amongst others. In fact, such scenarios should be treated as a matter of urgency and should even become part of government’s emergency plan of action, not only for the city of Yaounde but for the country as a whole.

Objectives: To assess the predictive value of Pediatric Early Warning Scores (PEWS) for identifying respiratory deterioration in children presenting to the emergency department. Methods: A thorough search across four databases identified 455 relevant publications. After removing duplicates using Rayyan QCRI and screening for relevance, 36 full-text articles were reviewed, with 5 studies ultimately meeting the criteria for inclusion. Results: We included five studies with a total of 155,836 children and 87,424 (56.1%) were males. PEWS has been demonstrated to significantly enhance clinical outcomes by enabling early recognition of patient deterioration, allowing for preemptive action. It has shown potential as a predictive tool for hospitalization, particularly in identifying children at risk of severe outcomes. PEWS also aids clinicians in prioritizing patient care, escalating care more effectively, and making informed decisions regarding the need for intensive monitoring or transfer to specialized care units. Conclusion: PEWS is a valuable tool in pediatric emergency and critical care, with significant potential to improve patient outcomes by facilitating the early detection of deterioration. However, to maximize its benefits, PEWS should be integrated into a broader clinical assessment and decision-making framework, complemented by other diagnostic indicators and clinical judgments. Future research should focus on refining the scoring system to enhance its sensitivity and specificity, tailoring its application to effectively address different pediatric conditions.

Rabindranath Tagore, a visionary philosopher and educator, emphasized the vital role of physical education and sports in promoting peace and social cohesion. His unique approach integrated physical development with intellectual and emotional growth, aiming to create well-rounded individuals who could actively participate in and enhance the well-being of society. Tagore’s educational institutions, such as Visva-Bharati, embodied his philosophy, where physical activities were not merely recreational but were seen as essential for holistic human development. Present research explores Tagore’s thoughts and actions on the integration of physical education and sports with his broader ideals of peace, humanism, and global harmony. Present article examines how his educational practices and the role of sports in his pedagogy provided insightful learning in the overall character and personality development of children. Further, the current review explored the significance of physical training and sports culture in Tagore’s childhood and later life. This investigation highlights how he infused physical education and sports through his literary work on poem, poetry, music and drama. Through this exploration, the present article emphasizes the relevance of Tagore's ideas in contemporary discussions on peace, education, and the role of sports in promoting global unity.

The Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) is a well-known combinatorial optimization problem with significant applications in logistics, transportation, and network design. Efficiently solving this problem requires a careful balance between exploration and exploitation while addressing challenges such as premature convergence and stagnation in local optima. To tackle these issues, numerous algorithms from different perspective have been designed and developed. Among them, Simulated Annealing (SA) is a widely used meta-heuristic approach for solving TSP due to its ability to escape local optima and explore a broad solution space. However, conventional SA can still become trapped in local minima, leading to suboptimal solutions. In this paper, we propose an enhanced SA algorithm that incorporates self-escape mechanism to improve the solution quality of the TSP instances. The self-escape mechanism dynamically identifies trapped routes and facilitate better exploration and diversification. Specifically, the self-escape mechanism introduces a local search refinement process, allowing solutions to effectively escape local optima. Simulation results on benchmark TSP instances demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms conventional SA in terms of solution accuracy. The findings suggest that self-escape mechanism can significantly enhance the effectiveness of SA by preventing premature convergence in complex optimization problems.

Objectives: To systematically review and synthesize available clinical and experimental evidence on the effects of beta-blockers in the treatment of acne vulgaris. Methods: A thorough search across four databases identified 412 relevant publications. After removing duplicates using Rayyan QCRI and screening for relevance, the search yielded 209 publications, of which 29 full-text articles were reviewed, and 5 met the eligibility criteria for evidence synthesis. Results: We included 5 studies with a total of 205 patients and 140 (68.3%) were females. The findings consistently indicated beneficial effects in the management of non-inflammatory acne lesions, post-acne erythema, and acne scarring—particularly when used in conjunction with fractional CO₂ laser therapy. Across all studies, the treatment was well tolerated with no significant adverse effects reported. Conclusion: Topical beta-blockers, especially timolol maleate 0.5%, represent a promising adjunct in the treatment of acne vulgaris. Their clinical effectiveness, safety, and affordability make them a compelling option, particularly for patients unresponsive to or intolerant of standard therapies. Further randomized trials are necessary to validate their role and establish standardized treatment protocols.

This review article discusses the critical role of social services in helping families care effectively for long-stay patients following discharge from hospital. Conscious that there are complexities that surround long stay patients, the article evaluates how integrated social service interventions promote coordinated care, improve patient discharge planning, and close the gap between hospital and home environment. Such important factors as communication, cultural competence and allocation of resources are discussed to point out their influence on the families’ willingness to support patients after discharge. The research shows that high social support systems enhance health outcomes, decreases readmission rate, and makes the transition to community care easier. However, such persistent barriers; including lack of funding, lack of staff, and systemic fragmentation impede the effectiveness of social services. Through the identification of these barriers, the review highlights the need for improved collaboration between healthcare providers, social workers and community organisations. It requires further studies to shed more light on the dynamics of social services and their effects on patients and families experience, which in the end would call for policies that favor creation of equitable access and comprehensive support mechanisms for long-stay patients and caregivers.

Stillbirth is most commonly caused by problems that arise during pregnancy. Some of the major causes of stillbirth include infections within the uterus, lack of oxygen during birth, high blood pressure, eclampsia, premature labor, and inadequate prenatal care. The study aimed to examine whether Maternal and Fetal Risk Factors are associated with stillbirth. A six-stage scoping review framework was utilized by the Saudi Digital Library SDL, which includes a variety of databases such as ScienceDirect, EBSCO, PUBMED, BIOMED CENTRAL, CINAHL, and Google Scholar, and was searched for studies examining the association of Maternal Risk Factors and Fetal Risk Factors associated with stillbirth. The studies addressed maternal and fetal risk factors for stillbirth and conditions among pregnant women with dead fetuses. There was a spectrum of risks; Obesity, maternal medical history, anemia, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, placentas, and pathology of the placenta were the most common risks of stillbirth. Further research attempts to conceptualize stillbirth risk factors and explore them. perspective is needed to help inform stillbirth reduction strategies and efforts to prevent and reduce the scale of stillbirth. 19 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review, Pregnancy complications are the main cause of stillbirth. Maternal health conditions, birth asphyxia, eclampsia, preterm labor, and insufficient prenatal care are significant contributors to stillbirth.

This study investigates the application of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for rainfall-river modelling in the Oramiriukwa River, located in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. The study utilizes daily streamflow data from the Ulakwo station (1978–1988) alongside corresponding rainfall and temperature data for Imo State, obtained from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet). A series of Feedforward Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) models were developed and tested using MATLAB, with performance evaluated using Mean Squared Error (MSE), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), and Coefficient of Determination (R²). Among the models, Model 4 ([15]) delivered the best results, achieving an R² of 0.9158, MSE of 0.1294, and RMSE of 0.3597, demonstrating its effectiveness for streamflow prediction in the Oramiriukwa River. Model 2 ([30, 15, 5]) also showed good performance (R² = 0.9029), but its increased complexity suggested a potential risk of overfitting. Model 1 ([20, 10]) yielded lower predictive accuracy, highlighting the need for more complex architectures or additional input features to improve ANN performance for hydrological applications. These results confirm the effectiveness of ANNs in modelling nonlinear hydrological processes and suggest their potential for improving streamflow prediction in similar river basins. This study contributes to the growing use of data-driven methods in hydrological modelling in Nigeria and offers a foundation for future work aimed at enhancing the accuracy and robustness of ANN models.

The rise of multinational corporations and the globalization of global capital markets have led to a growing need for a unified set of accounting standards that can be used internationally. In line with these global trends, implementing consistent and clear financial reporting has become more important than ever in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This study aims to analyze the impact of adopting International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on information asymmetry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To evaluate this impact, the study employs quantitative proxies—namely, bid-ask spreads and cost of capital—as measures of information asymmetry, assessing how financial reporting has changed following IFRS implementation. Based on a sample of 30 companies according to specific criteria, the analysis focuses on two distinct time periods: the pre-IFRS period (2014-2016) and the post-IFRS period (2018-2020). By covering all sectors, this study provides a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of IFRS on a broad economic scale. The findings reveal a statistically significant reduction in information asymmetry following the adoption of IFRS. Specifically, the cost of capital decreased by 1.2%, while bid-ask spreads narrowed by approximately 0.1%. These results indicate improved financial reporting transparency and increased market efficiency following the adoption of the standards. The impact was more pronounced and direct in market metrics, highlighting investors' response to higher reporting quality. The results remain robust after controlling for firm-specific financial variables and applying the necessary model diagnostics.

Background: Smoking remains a significant public health concern in the UAE, with efforts to reduce its prevalence facing various challenges. Vaping has emerged as a potential harm reduction strategy, yet little is known about its perceptions, usage patterns, and health outcomes among smokers and ex-smokers in the country. This study aims to assess the perceptions of vaping, its usage patterns, and self-reported health outcomes among current and former smokers in the UAE. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among adults and ex-smokers across the UAE. A structured questionnaire will collect data on demographics, smoking and vaping history, perceived harm reduction, usage patterns, and self-reported health effects. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression models were analyzed for the data. Results: In the research, 290 participants identified as male (93.1%), with their mean age at 34.7 years (±9.2). Most individuals who started vaping were between 19 and 25 years of age (52.8%). Current smokers evaluated vaping more favorably than former smokers on all key dimensions, although harm reduction, harm reduction support, and social approval ratings proved particularly significant (p < 0.01). Former smokers provided evidence showing they consider vaping to be a substance with addictive properties (p < 0.001) aimed at youth (p < 0.01) and dangerous to use occasionally (p < 0.01). A significant number of 41.4% of participants showed better respiratory symptom improvement following vaping, yet this response was more prominent among former smokers at 58.3% than current smokers at 39.0% (p < 0.005). Commitment to conventional smoking increased the risk of adverse effects between 21.65% for active smokers and 16.7% for previous users (p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression identified former smoking status (AOR = 2.8, p < 0.001), strong belief in vaping as a cessation aid (AOR = 1.9, p < 0.001), and higher education (AOR = 1.6, p = 0.04) as significant predictors of exclusive e-cigarette use. Conclusion: Ex-smokers gain greater advantages from vaping, but existing cigarette users mostly suffer additional negative consequences and reduced positive outcomes. Vaping behavior strongly depends on how much individuals believe vaping harms them, works as a substitute, or fits into their social environment based on their smoking status. The promotion of exclusive e-cigarette usage for cessation requires complete educational programs, together with strict regulation measures and persistent assessment of health results.