22 research outputs found
The role of prophetic medicine in the management of diabetes mellitus: A review of literature
No full textAbstractProphetic medicine is the total authentic Hadith narrated by the Prophet, peace be upon him, in relation to medicine, whether Qur'anic verses or honourable Prophetic Hadith. It includes remedy recipes, by which the Prophet, peace be upon him, was cured or he called people to be cured by. Furthermore, it includes recommendations relevant to human health in the conditions of life, including eating, drinking, housing, and marriage. It comprehends legislations related to medication, medicine in practicing the profession, and the guarantee of the patient in the perspective of Islamic Law. Ibn Al Qayyim, may Allah be merciful with him, in his book Zad Al Ma'ad Fe Haday Khair Al Abad, said: “The medicine of the Messenger, peace be upon him, is not similar to the medicine of physicians. The medicine of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is certain, categorical, and godly medicine; issued by the Revelation, Prophethood niche, and sagacity; while the medicine of others is inductive, assumptive, and experimental.”In KSA alone, 3.8 million cases of diabetes were recorded, thus warranting increased global health concern. Scientific evidence has accorded the claim of several plants and honey listed in prophetic medicine, which improve glycaemic control in diabetes mellitus. In addition to their hypoglycaemic effect, studies indicate that extracts from those plants and honey ameliorate other associated metabolic derangements. In this review, we present several of the latest findings linking the bioefficacy of these plants and honey with the pathogenesis of diabetes and insulin secretion in diabetes mellitus subjects
Optimizing Joint Data and Power Transfer in Energy Harvesting Multiuser Wireless Networks
No full textEnergy harvesting emerges as a potential solution for prolonging the lifetime of the energy-constrained mobile wireless devices. In this paper, we focus on radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting for multiuser multicarrier mobile wireless networks. Specifically, we propose joint data and energy transfer optimization frameworks for powering mobile wireless devices through RF energy harvesting. We introduce a power utility that captures the power consumption cost at the base station (BS) and the used power from the users' batteries, and determine optimal power resource allocations that meet data rate requirements of downlink and uplink communications. Two types of harvesting capabilities are considered at each user: harvesting only from dedicated RF signals and hybrid harvesting from both dedicated and ambient RF signals. The developed frameworks increase the end users' battery lifetime at the cost of a slight increase in the BS power consumption. Several evaluation studies are conducted in order to validate our proposed frameworks. 1 2017 IEEE.Manuscript received August 25, 2016; revised February 16, 2017 and May 9, 2017; accepted June 9, 2017. Date of publication June 22, 2017; date of current version December 14, 2017. This work was supported by the National Priorities Research Program under Grant NPRP 5-319-2-121 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The review of this paper was coordinated by Prof. Y. Li. (Corresponding author: Bassem Khalfi.) B. Khalfi and B. Hamdaoui are with Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA (e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]. edu).Scopu
Can Finance and Credit Enable Economic Growth and Democracy?
No full textCan economic growth and democracy be fuelled by finance and credit? This chapter examines mechanisms that have positive effects on democratic transition in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, such as credit growth and the development of capital markets-based credit, based on a bond market and a Sukuk market, its sharia-compliant equivalent. The contribution analyses the general role of credit as a network of legally binding contracts of trust between economic actors, including the state, in any given country. By comparing the role and size of credit in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and the MENA region, the author argues that, in general, the growth of credit’s role in MENA countries and, in particular, the development of debt capital markets in the region, strengthen public participation in the economic activity of the region. The spread of contractual obligations requires more transparent and accessible accounting and financial reporting, and a wider network of legally binding obligations. These powerful mechanisms therefore facilitate democratic transitions in MENA countries, even in autocratic regimes.La finance et le crédit permettent-ils la croissance économique et la démocratie ?La croissance économique et la démocratie peuvent-elles être alimentées par la finance et le crédit ? Cet article analyse les mécanismes ayant des effets positifs sur les transitions démocratiques au Moyen-Orient et en Afrique du Nord (MENA), tels que la progression générale du crédit et le développement d’un crédit fondé sur les marchés de capitaux, adossé à un marché obligataire et au marché Sukuk, son équivalent conforme à la charia. L’article examine le rôle général du crédit en tant que réseau de contrats de confiance juridiquement contraignants entre des acteurs économiques, y compris l’État, dans un pays donné. À partir d’une étude comparative du rôle et de l’importance du crédit dans les pays membres de l’Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Économiques (OCDE) et ceux du MENA, le texte postule qu’en général l’augmentation du rôle du crédit dans les pays de la région et plus particulièrement le développement des marchés de capitaux d’emprunt, renforcent la participation du public à l’activité économique de la région. La multiplication des obligations contractuelles exige une comptabilité et une information financière plus transparentes et plus accessibles, ainsi qu’un réseau plus large d’obligations juridiquement contraignantes. Ces puissants mécanismes facilitent donc les transitions démocratiques dans les pays de la région MENA, et ce, même dans les régimes autocratiques
Thymoquinone Induces Mitochondria-Mediated Apoptosis in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in Vitro
No full textThere has been a growing interest in naturally occurring compounds from traditional medicine with anti-cancer potential. Nigella sativa (black seed) is one of the most widely studied plants. This annual herb grows in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea and India. Thymoquinone (TQ) is an active ingredient isolated from Nigella sativa. The anti-cancer effect of TQ, via the induction of apoptosis resulting from mitochondrial dysfunction, was assessed in an acute lymphocyte leukemic cell line (CEMss) with an IC50 of 1.5 µg/mL. A significant increase in chromatin condensation in the cell nucleus was observed using fluorescence analysis. The apoptosis was then confirmed by Annexin V and an increased number of cellular DNA breaks in treated cells were observed as a DNA ladder. Treatment of CEMss cells with TQ encouraged apoptosis with cell death-transducing signals by a down-regulation of Bcl-2 and up-regulation of Bax. Moreover, the significant generation of cellular ROS, HSP70 and activation of caspases 3 and 8 were also observed in the treated cells. The mitochondrial apoptosis was clearly associated with the S phase cell cycle arrest. In conclusion, the results from the current study indicated that TQ could be a promising agent for the treatment of leukemia
Prophetic medicine as potential functional food elements in the intervention of cancer: A review
No full textAmounting scientific evidences have revealed the antitumor, antimetastatic, antiangiogenic, antiproliferative, chemopreventive and neo-adjuvant efficacy of Prophetic Medicine in various in vitro, in vivo and clinical cancer models. Prophetic Medicine includes plants, dietary materials or spices that were used as remedy recipes and nutrition by the great Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) to treat various ailments. Prophetic medicine is the total authentic Hadith narrated by the Prophet (PBUH) in relation to medicine, whether Qur’anic verses or honourable Prophetic Hadith. The ability of functional foods from Prophetic Medicine to modulate various signalling pathways and multidrug resistance conferring proteins with low side-effects exemplify their great potential as neo-adjuvants and/or chemotherapeutics. The present review aims to provide the collective in vitro, in vivo, clinical and epidemiology information of Prophetic Medicines, and their bioactive constituents and molecular mechanisms as potential functional foods for the management of cancer
Wide Tangent Photon Field Versus Electron Field in the Treatment of Internal Mammary Lymph Nodes in Patients With Left Breast Cancer: A Decision-Making Flowchart
No full textPurpose: This study of internal mammary lymph node chain (IMC) irradiation in patients with left breast cancer aimed at comparing the merits of using, on one hand, a dedicated direct IMC electron field versus a wide tangent photon field covering both breast and IMC on the other. The objective was to produce guidelines allowing clinicians to readily determine the preferred method for each patient. Methods and Materials: For 19 patients with cancer of the left breast/chest wall, we produced 2 treatment plans each using a different technique: the electron technique using 2 standard opposed photon tangents covering only the breast or chest wall along with a matching adjacent electron field targeting the IMC only or the wide tangent technique using 2 opposed wide tangents covering simultaneously IMC and breast or chest wall. All plans were then optimized for acceptable target coverage. Results: For patients where the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) was located outside of the wide tangent fields (13 patients), the wide tangent technique resulted in lower dose to the LAD, left lung, and heart. When the LAD was inside the wide tangents (6 patients), dose was lower with the electron technique for LAD and heart. In all cases, regardless of LAD location, the wide tangent technique returned strictly superior dose homogeneity but much higher right (contralateral) breast dose. Conclusions: A flowchart was produced based on LAD location that allows the clinician to readily determine the preferred technique for each patient without having to perform and compare 2 treatment plans, thus saving valuable planning time. © 2023 The Author
Antiproliferative and apoptosis inducing effects of citral via p53 and ROS-induced mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in human colorectal HCT116 and HT29 cell lines
No full textDifferentiation of Nigella sativa seeds from four different origins and their bioactivity correlations based on NMR-metabolomics approach
No full textAuthenticity and quality coherence are the major elements in ensuring the consistency of the expected beneficial outcomes from the use of traditional or herbal remedies. Metabolomics offers the possibility of addressing these issues. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to select the best solvent system for sample extraction. Partial Least Square (PLS) regression analysis was found useful in evaluating the relationship between Nigella sativa seeds from four different origins on the basis of their metabolite profiles. In this study, different bioactivities were displayed by different samples with the Qasemi and Syrian samples exhibited high α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, which was correlated to the high fatty acid contents based on the PLS model. The Ethiopian sample exhibited high DPPH radical scavenging and nitric oxide (NO) inhibition activities, which may be related to the presence of high levels of thymoquinone and thymol. The method was also successfully used to classify “new test” samples into their proper groups
Patient Selection for Surgery vs Radiotherapy for Early Stage Oropharyngeal Cancer
No full textSurgery and radiation therapy are both commonly used in the treatment of early stage (AJCC stages T1-T2 N0-M0) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) have been reported to result in similar survival and disease control outcomes. However, their side effect profiles widely differ. Nevertheless, patients who experience the worst side effects and quality of life are the ones who receive the combination of TORS and adjuvant radiation or chemoradiation therapy. Thus, appropriate patient selection for surgery to minimize the need for multimodality therapy is key. We propose, in this paper, the use of sentinel lymph node biopsy in the node negative (N0) neck as a means that is worth exploring for selecting patients to either radiation therapy or surgery. Patients with a positive sentinel lymph node (SLN) would be better directed to upfront radiation. On the contrary, patients with a negative SLN biopsy would be more confidently directed towards TORS and neck dissection alone. © The Author(s) 2021
Radiation-Induced Fibrosis in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer: A Review of Pathogenesis and Clinical Outcomes
No full textRadiotherapy-related fibrosis remains one of the most challenging treatment related side effects encountered by patients with head and neck cancer. Several established and ongoing novel therapies have been studied with paucity of data in how to best treat these patients. This review aims to provide researchers and health care providers with a comprehensive review on the presentation, etiology, and therapeutic options for this serious condition. © The Author(s) 2021
