Ease Labour Research Articles

Phytochemical composition, toxicological profiling and effect on pup birth weight of Corchorus olitorius leaf extract in rats: Implications for fetal macrosomia control

Ethnopharmacological relevanceCorchorus olitorius is used in ethnomedicine to arrest threatened miscarriage, ease labour, and promote smooth childbirth. Aim of the studyTo evaluate the phytochemical composition, toxicity profile, and effect of Corchorus olitorius L. leaf extract (COLE) on fetal macrosomia control in rats. Materials and methodsThe chemical constituents of COLE were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A single dose of up to 5000 mg/kg was administered in the acute toxicity test, and the rats were monitored for 14 days. In the sub-acute toxicity study, rats were treated with the extract for 28 days, and liver function, renal function, lipid profile, and serum antioxidant parameters, coupled with liver and kidney histology, were used to assess the toxicity potential of the extract. In the pup birth weight study, treatment of pregnant rats lasted until the birth of pups and continued for an extra 4 weeks. Rats in group 1 served as a control, whereas rats in groups 2, 3, and 4 received daily doses of 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg body weight of COLE, respectively, via oral gavage. ResultsBioactive compounds such as D-limonene, phytol, hexadecanoic acid, 9-octadecenoic acid (Z), dodecanoic acid, and ethyl 9,12,15-octadecatrienoate with well-known pharmacological activities were detected. LD50 of COLE was >5000 mg/kg. COLE decreased body weight and increased red blood cell, packed cell volume, and haemoglobin values when compared with the control (p < 0.05). COLE significantly decreased alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase but did not cause any significant (p > 0.05) changes in other biochemical (liver and kidney) parameters when compared to control. COLE decreased total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol when compared with the control (p < 0.05). Birth weights of pups were significantly decreased in the COLE-treated groups when compared with the control (p < 0.05), but the observed difference terminated by the fourth week of weaning. ConclusionThe results showed that COLE is not toxic but has several bioactive compounds with known pharmacological activities and therefore may be a safe oral agent for fetal macrosomia control.

Geomorphology, Phytochemistry, Ethnomedical and Pharmacological activities of Amaranthus viridis Linn.

Amaranthus viridis L. is a member of the Amaranthaceae family, which includes the "Chowlai" plant, a widely grown weed and wild vegetable. ANumerous substance, including the amino acids lysine, histidine, cystine, arginine, phenylalanine, leucine, isoleucine, methionine, valine, tyrosine and threonine are present in the viridis. Finding new chemical entities through phytochemical screening of Amaranthus viridis Linn. leaf extract. indicates the presence of biologically active components such as triterpenes, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, tannins, and phenols. Some chemical components in Amaranthus viridis Linn. have significant anti-inflammatory, antihepatotoxic, anti-ulcer, antiallergic, and antiviral effects. To ease labour discomfort and function as an antipyretic, Traditional medicine in India and Nepal makes use of A. viridis. The bruised leaves are used by the Negritos of the Philippines as a direct treatment for a number of skin diseases, such as eczema, psoriasis, and rashes. Additionally, it has been used as a diuretic, anti-rheumatic, anti-ulcer, analgesic, antiemetic, laxative, appetite enhancer, antileprotic, anti-inflammatory for the urinary system, a vermifuge for venereal disorders, a remedy for respiratory and ocular conditions, and a medication for asthma.

Bad Fits: The Causes, Extent and Costs of Job Skills Mismatch in Canada

About 13 percent of Canadian workers have skills mismatched to their jobs. Although this is somewhat in line with an average of around 10 percent among OECD countries in an international survey, Canadian policymakers have two reasons for concern. Firstly, there is significant variation across socioeconomic groups. While workers with higher educational attainment are more likely to be over-skilled, women, immigrants, and older workers are more likely to be under-skilled for their jobs. In the case of immigrants, the under-skilled problem entirely disappears with time spent in Canada, highlighting the importance of settlement policies that provide rigorous and accessible skills training, language programs, and job-search workshops for newcomers. Secondly, these results could worsen in the years ahead in the face of technological development and demographic aging that are occurring in the labour market at the same time as the role of newcomers in Canada’s labour force is growing. As it is, the majority of workers across occupations need to use cognitive skills such as literacy, numeracy, and problem solving at least once a week at work. More importantly, there is no occupation where these skills are not required at all. This study’s results highlight the importance of providing more opportunities for skills development and lifelong learning for all workers and better addressing individual training needs, particularly, among underskilled people such as older workers and new immigrants. Businesses – in addition to providing training opportunities for under-skilled workers – can reduce mismatches within their organizations by appropriately reassigning tasks, providing relocation assistance and finding innovative ways to use workers’ skills in order to optimize productivity. Governments can help reduce skills mismatch with policies that enhance labour market flexibility, ease labour mobility, and more importantly, increase participation in lifelong learning.

English

The paper investigated the determinants of beef cattle production and technical efficiency of beef cattle farmers using stochastic frontier production function which incorporates a model of inefficiency effects. A multi-stage random sampling procedure was employed for the selection of 360 respondents comprising 97 nomads, 208 agro-pastoralists and 55 ranchers across the 6 major producing states in Nigeria. The inefficiency effects are assumed to be functions of education of farmers, beef cattle farming experience, access to credit sources and farmers&rsquo; membership of cooperative societies. Empirical results indicate that significant increase recorded in output of beef cattle in the country could be traced mainly to the critical inputs. The estimated average technical efficiencies for the three groups were 0.59, 0.69 and 0.83 for the nomadic pastoralists, agro-pastoralists and ranchers, which indicated that there is still much opportunity for increased efficiency given the present state of technology. The need to develop some low cost labour saving technologies to ease labour constraints on farms was emphasized. Key words: Beef cattle, production technologies, efficiency, stochastic frontier analysis, Nigeria.

Japanese political science at a crossroads? normative and empirical preconditions for the integration of women and diversity into political science

Japan combines demographic challenges of decreasing childbirths and an ageing population, yet political unwillingness to use immigration to ease labour market and caregiving shortages. Paying attention to gender, diversity, and inclusion would seem to be a ‘rational’ political choice. Although Prime Minister Abe (Abe II) understands the need to appear to be responding to Japanese women qua equal citizens, women remain more an ‘object’ of LDP policy than a substantive beneficiary. To improve his image, Abe has incorporated ‘Womenomics’ into his strategy of economic revitalisation; the result has been a rather incoherent blend of ‘equal participation’ and ‘women’s utilisation’. In 2016, the dearth of diversity and anti-feminist sentiment within Japanese politics continues to be mirrored in both passive and active ways within the discursive and institutional political climate, including within academia. It is largely premature to assume a shared normative or scientific commitment to inclusion and diversity in Japan. Japanese Political Science (JPS) is no exception, and this has obvious implications for what constitutes a ‘serious’ political issue worthy of study, what gets funded, who gets hired, and the extent to which critical debates within feminist political science (FSP) on gender, race, and diversity are taken seriously. In this article, I offer a preliminary evaluation of JPS in light of three indicators: the under-representation of women in Japanese academia generally and political science specifically; the access of FPS to large-scale government funding grants (2003–2013) and its impact on the discipline; and recent efforts by feminist political scientists in Tokyo to create a ‘home’ for debates on gender, diversity, and political representation. I conclude with a hopeful expectation that increasing numbers of political scientists in Japan will begin to genuinely problematise the dearth of diversity in Japanese politics and to approach this fundamental puzzle of Japanese democratisation with the intellectual curiosity that it deserves.

Traditional herbal remedies used by women in a rural community in northern Maputaland (South Africa) for the treatment of gynaecology and obstetric complaints

According to the World Health Organization, there are annually 350,000 maternal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa, with obstetric haemorrhage the most common cause of death. Although maternal mortality can be reduced by health-care interventions such as the provision of family planning, maternity care and access to safe abortion practice, it is not happening in rural areas. Previous studies in a rural community in northern Maputaland had indicated the importance of medicinal plants in their primary health care-system. However, no survey has been done in this region to document the medicinal plants used to treat various gynaecological and obstetric problems. The aim of this study was to conduct an ethnobotanical survey, focussing on lay people's knowledge on plants used to treat gynaecological and obstetric complaints. A total of 70 lay people (all female) were purposively interviewed using structured questionnaires. The focus was on plants used for the treatment of gynaecological and obstetric conditions and information was collected regarding vernacular plant names, plant parts used, preparation and application methods. Thirty two plant species from 21 families were recorded for the treatment of 19 different gynaecological and obstetric disorders. When searching the most frequently used scientific databases (ScienceDirect, Scopus and Pubmed), 16 plant species (Acacia burkei, Acanthospermum glabratum, Commiphora neglecta, Crotalaria monteiroi var. galpinii, Cyperus natalensis, Doispyros villosa, Erythrina humeana, Hermannia boraginiflora, Hypoxis cf. longifolia, Opuntia stricta, Ozoroa engleri, Ranunculus multifidus, Sapium integerrimum, Searsia nebulosa, Senecio deltoideus, Senecio serratuloides) were found to be recorded for the first time in literature to treat gynaecological and obstetric disorders, and twelve new Zulu vernacular names were documented. The three most treated gynaecological conditions were dysmenorrhoea by 21 plant species, infertility (14 species) and menorrhagia (10 species), whereas blood purification (14 species), to ease labour (9 species) and to induce abortion (2 species) were the most mentioned for obstetric conditions. Bridelia cathartica was the most cited plant species (18 times) for treating both gynaecological and obstetric problems. The modes of plant preparations were mostly concoctions which were taken orally. This wealth of new knowledge gained with the current survey reinforces the importance of documenting lay people's indigenous medicinal plant knowledge in rural communities. Results also strongly suggest that the availability of plants is not the only criteria for usage; cultural influence may play a pertinent role in the choice of plant species. Literature indicates that there is very little research done on assessing the safety and efficacy of botanical remedies taken during pregnancy and lactation. Pregnant women should therefore be made aware of the risks they take when consuming herbal remedies.

Determination of the use of traditional practices to ease labour among Turkish women

The purpose of this study was to determine the use of traditional practices to ease labour among Turkish women. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 809 women by using an investigator-designed questionnaire. The mean age of the women was 28.9 ± 8.33 years (min = 15, max = 74), 49.4% were between 20-29 years of age and more than half (56.2%) of the women had had one to two pregnancies. The results showed that traditional practices were known and applied mostly by the women who were at an advanced age, less educated and who lived in rural areas. In addition, the knowledge and application status of traditional practices related to religious beliefs were found to be very high compared with superstitious practices. It was suggested that nurses provide culturally competent care that requires a commitment by the individual nurse to develop, refine and use specific skills in the care of women.

Chiropractic care in women's health: A midwifery perspective

Introduction: Chiropractic care is one of the newer concepts and treatment modalities available to women in coping with the physical stresses of pregnancy, other than pharmacotherapy. Chiropractic care can help to increase the chances of a healthy pregnancy and can ease labour. Therefore midwives in clinical practice may find it useful to know the basic facts about chiropractic care in order to increase awareness of options in midwifery and inter-professional acceptance of chiropractors. Methods: An integrative review was conducted using a multimodal search of databases such as CINAHL, Science Direct, SCOPUS, PubMed and Cochrane. Results: Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria and findings suggest that chiropractic care is beneficial to pregnant women with back pain and mal-presentation during labour. Conclusion: Although there is still limited empirical research about chiropractic care in midwifery practice, the available studies showed that chiropractic treatment can offer women relief from musculoskeletal complaints. To this end, midwives should be educated and given opportunities to learn chiropractic skills to aid the comfort of mothers during pregnancy.

'Birth mirror' designed to ease labour.

A midwife has designed a mirror for mothers to use during labour in a bid to boost the number of natural births.

Modern technology and customary use of wildlife: the harvest of Sooty Shearwaters by Rakiura Maori as a case study

Rakiura Maori (a tribe of indigenous people in New Zealand) continue a centuries-old customary use of Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus, titi, muttonbird) chicks from islands adjacent to Rakiura (Stewart Island). Some muttonbirders pluck chicks by hand, while others have recently changed to a plucking machine. We compared traditional and modern processing methods to see if new technology stands to increase the efficiency, size and cost effectiveness of harvest. On average, chicks were plucked 6 seconds quicker with a machine, which could potentially increase the catch by up to 4%. Innovation by using wax rather than water to remove down left after plucking saved muttonbirders 29–97 minutes per day, potentially allowing up to a 15% increase in the number of chicks harvested. Both wax and plucking machines increased costs, which led to a modest financial gain from using wax, but a net loss from using a plucking machine. Modern technologies have been introduced mainly for convenience and to ease labour in this customary use of wildlife. New technology may erode traditional skills, but does not necessarily pose a risk to the sustainability of a resource. Financial investment in harvest technologies might provide an incentive to increase harvest levels, but could equally provide an incentive to manage for sustainable use. Preservation lobbies are not justified in presuming that new technologies will always threaten wildlife traditionally used by indigenous people.