Volume 3 Issue 2
Authors: Nikhilesh Sil; Priti Kumar Roy; Sumit Nandi; Amar Nath Chatterjee; S. Bhattacharya; IL Hyo Jung; S. Mukhopadhyay
Abstract: Controlling disease like HIV/AIDS is a serious concern today. Mathematical modeling with control therapeutic approach for understanding the extinction of disease is quite significant. But under deterministic model this approach is not viable. With a view to obtain the feasibility, stochasticity might play an escalating role in estimating the expected time to extinction of the disease in epidemiological system. In this research article, we consider a deterministic model with therapeutic control approach to find out recovery of the disease after a certain period. Additionally, by incorporating stochasticity we also estimated the expected time to extinction of the disease.
Keywords: HIV; CD4+ T Cell; Transition Rates; Stochastic Version; Quasi-Stationary Distribution; Time to Extinction
Authors: Mohamed M. Elseweidy; Fatma R. Abdallah; Samih I. Eldahmy; Mohamed A. Shaheen; Gehad M. Elnagar; Sahar E. Elswefy
Abstract: Background: Hyperlipidemia represents an important risk factor leading to atherosclerosis additionally life-threatening cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. Recent evidences referred to phytochemicals and nutraceuticals possessing cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitory activity as protective agents against lipid-mediated atherosclerosis. Therefore, we studied the effect of 10-dehydrogingerdione, a novel CETP inhibitor isolated from ginger rhizomes on atherosclerosis and its underlying mechanisms based on plasma lipids, lipoprotein metabolism and oxidative stress comparable to the protective effects of atorvastatin (as standard drug) in hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Methods: Twenty four New Zealand male rabbits were randomly divided into four groups (n=6 per group). Three groups were fed an atherogenic diet for 6 weeks. Two groups received either atorvastatin (20 mg / kg body weight orally) or 10-dehydrogingerdione (10 mg / kg body weight orally after isolation and purification) daily for six weeks of treatment. One group received no treatment and served as hypercholesterolemic control group (HCG, positive control) and another one was fed normal diet and used as negative control. Blood and tissues (liver, aorta) samples were collected after six weeks for biochemical and histological analysis. Results: Rabbits fed high cholesterol diet produced a significant dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, and finally atherogenesis progression. These finding evidenced by remarkable increase in serum lipids (TC), non HDL lipoprotein (LDL-C, apo B expression) and decrement of HDL lipoprotein (HDL-C, apo-A1, apo-AII). In addition, increase in CETP level and expression in plasma and liver, MDA, ox-LDL, dense and number of foam cells of aorta was marked. Treatment of hypercholesterolemic rabbits with either of 10 -dehydrogingerdione or atorvastatin for 6 weeks successfully decrease non HDL lipoproteins, aortic foam cell number, increase protective HDL lipoprotein, its apolipoproteins and produced inhibitory effect on CETP. However, 10-dehydrogingerdione exerted better effect than atorvastatin on serum HDL-C (p<0.001), CETP mass (p<0.001), CETP expression (p<0.05), apo A-1 and apo A-II (p<0.01), more reduction in the density, number of foam cells and improvement of the intimal lesions of aorta. Conclusions: 10-dehydrogingerdione may provide a protective effect against atherosclerosis compared to atorvastatin. This effect may be through reduction of foam cell number, its potential CETP inhibition, increase HDL-C and wards off oxidation in hypercholesterolemic rabbits.
Keywords: Hypercholesterolemia; CETP Inhibition; Apolipoprotein Metabolism; Oxidative stress; Atorvastatin; 10-Dehydrogingerdione
Authors: Richard K. Lomotey; Ralph Deters
Abstract: The use of mobile devices in the health domain (known as mHealth) to access the Electronic Health Record is gaining significant attention. Physicians are facilitated to access the medical data remotely and also run diagnosis in critical situations where the mobile usage is paramount. When the medical data or application is hosted on mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, etc.), it creates the need to provide protection against impostors. In the event that the mobile device ends up in the wrong hands, there can be undesired situations such as breach of privacy, impersonation, and the pollution of data. Moreover, physicians are facilitated today to use multiple mobile devices (n-screen) such as smartphones and tablets; and this requires serious attention on how user activity is tracked to ensure confidentiality. In this work, the methodology of provenance is explored to ensure that data access control in an mHealth environment is provided. Provenance is a methodology that maintains the life-cycle history of processes and data. The methodology is investigated and a variation of it that blends with policy-based access control in a mobile distributed environment is proposed. The preliminary results from testing the work showed high transparency in accessing the medical data, data protection, and security.
Keywords: Provenance; Mobile Devices; Proxy; Rule-Based Access Control; Security; N-Screens