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Objective: Kiss1 gene expression in the rat hypothalamus was investigated following administration of methanolic extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa (MEHS) to provide mechanistic evidence for the reproductive effect of the MEHS as a potential regulator of Kiss1 gene (which directly controls the hypogonadal axis).Materials and Methods: This experiment was done using fifteen (15) male rats with average weight of 148 g, randomly grouped into three (3) groups (A-C). Group A was the control group and received no treatment. Group B and C were orally administered with 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg of MEHS, respectively. The animals received the extract once a day for twenty-one (21) days. The hypothalamus was harvested on the last day of administration to investigate antioxidant levels, histopathology, and Kiss1 gene expression.Results: The relative expression of Kiss1 gene in the group C was downregulated compared to the control group (p=0.023). No significant changes were seen in the antioxidant levels of the groups treated with MEHS when compared to the control. MEHS had no histopathological effects in the hypothalamus at both low (200 mg/kg) and high (400 mg/kg) doses.Conclusions: High-dose MEHS lowers the expression of the Kiss1 gene in the hypothalamus. However, this effect could not be explained by the oxidative profile or histology of the hypothalamus.

Structural transformation is a crucial prerequisite for inclusive and sustainable development. In this context, this study examines the influence of natural resource dependence on the transformation of industrial structure in a panel of 30 Sub-Saharan (SSA) economies from 1995 to 2019, taking into account the role of financial development. The empirical analysis relies on the newly developed bias-corrected method-of-moments estimator. The findings indicate that natural resource dependence leads to a reduction in the output contribution of the manufacturing and service industries. On the other hand, financial development through the institutions channel decreases the output value of extractive industries while increasing the output value of manufacturing and service industries, resulting in a net positive effect on the evolution of industrial structure away from extractive-based industrialization. Considering the complex multidimensional nature of financial development, further findings suggest that the depth and efficiency of financial systems are critical areas for deepening structural diversification in the sub-region. Additionally, the findings reveal a U-shaped relationship between per capita GDP and industrial structure transformation. These findings highlight that natural resource dependence inhibits structural transformation in SSA and emphasize the importance of enhancing the depth and efficiency of financial systems as part of strategies to break the resource curse.

Background: The caries process follows a strong social gradient which can commence in the first years of life. Yet data on young children remain limited. This study reports the potential risk factors and indicators in urban, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged less than 5 and estimates the prevalence of caries.Methods: Demographic and risk factor and risk indicator data were collected at baseline in a cohort study of children attending a health clinic in north Brisbane. Dentulous children received a basic oral examination to explore the presence of decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft). Descriptive analyses were performed. A backwards stepwise logistic regression model was performed to identify potential associations with dmft status.Results: In this study, 180 children enrolled: 111 children received the oral examination, of whom 14 (12.6%) (mean age 35 months) were estimated to have dmft >0. There was a high prevalence of socio-economic, dietary and behavioural risk factors/indicators present for children. Due to the small sample size, planned regression was not performed.Conclusions: Overall, the prevalence of risk factors and risk indicators for caries in the study population is high. More culturally appropriate resources that support preventive care need to be invested before children are school aged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Saliva is a proved diagnostic fluid for the qualitative detection of infectious agents, but the accuracy of viral load determinations is unknown. Stabilising fluids impede nucleic acid degradation, compared with collection onto ice and then freezing, and we have shown that the DNA Genotek P-021 prototype kit ( P-021) can produce high-quality DNA after 14 months of storage at room temperature. Here we evaluate the quantitative capability of 10 collection/processing methods. Methods Unstimulated whole mouth fluid was spiked with a mixture of HHV-8 cloned constructs, 10-fold serial dilutions were produced, and samples were extracted and then examined with quantitative PCR (q PCR). Calibration curves were compared by linear regression and q PCR dynamics. Results All methods extracted with commercial spin columns produced linear calibration curves with large dynamic range and gave accurate viral loads. Ethanol precipitation of the P-021 does not produce a linear standard curve, and virus is lost in the cell pellet. DNA extractions from the P-021 using commercial spin columns produced linear standard curves with wide dynamic range and excellent limit of detection. Conclusion When extracted with spin columns, the P-021 enables accurate viral loads down to 23 copies μl−1 DNA. The quantitative and long-term storage capability of this system makes it ideal for study of salivary DNA viruses in resource-poor settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: This case-control study aimed to identify the risk factors for oral cancer in patients aged 45 years and under. METHODS: Patients were recruited over a 3-year period between 1999 and 2001 from 14 hospitals in the southeast of England, UK. RESULTS: Fifty-three (80%) newly diagnosed patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity participated. The mean age of cases at diagnosis was 38.5 years (SD = 7.0) and 53% were male. Patients were interviewed about main risk factors of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and their consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables in the past. Ninety-one matched control patients were also recruited. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained from adjusted conditional logistic analyses. Significantly elevated ORs were evidenced amongst males who had started to smoke under the age of 16 years (OR = 14.3; 95% CI: 1.1-178.8). A significant reduction in risk was also shown for ex-smokers (OR = 0.2; 95% CI: 0.5-0.8). Consumption of alcohol in excess of recommended amounts also produced an eightfold risk in males (OR = 8.1; 95% CI: 1.6-40.1) and over a fourfold risk of oral cancer from the consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol and having ever smoked (OR = 4.4; 95% CI: 1.1-17.7). CONCLUSION: The study shows that the traditional behavioural risk factors are present in younger people diagnosed with oral cancer. The relatively short duration of exposure and the substantial number of cases without any known risk factors, particularly amongst females, however, suggest that factors other than tobacco and alcohol may also be implicated in the development of oral cancer in a proportion of these younger patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the African region, there is a disproportionate amount of oral disease which has grave and often fatal consequences, some of which seems to be growing in prevalence as a result of the massive social disruption on the continent. Although oral conditions are not always life-threatening, they are important public health problems because of their high prevalence, their severity, or public demand due to their impact on individuals and society. The combined effect of the resulting pain, discomfort, social and functional limitations, financial burden and handicap these have on the quality of life, has been largely ignored. It has also become evident that a substantial number of colonial and other unsustainable oral health strategies exported to Africa have failed so far to improve oral health in the region.