Insufficient Action Research Articles

Quercetin: Potential antidiabetic effects through enzyme inhibition and starch digestibility

AbstractDiabetes mellitus involves high blood sugar levels due to insufficient insulin action. Furthermore, enzymes such as α‐amylase and α‐glucosidase break down carbohydrates into glucose, leading to postprandial hyperglycemia. Flavonoids, particularly quercetin, inhibit these enzymes, slowing carbohydrate digestion and reducing glucose absorption. Quercetin has significant hypoglycemic effects with inhibitory concentration (IC50) values comparable to acarbose, a standard inhibitor, suggesting its potential as a natural alternative for diabetes management. In silico models, including molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and quantitative structure‐activity relationship (QSAR) approaches, help researchers understand the molecular interactions of therapeutic agents. These techniques identify potential inhibitors, determine enzyme‐inhibitor structures, and calculate binding energies, correlating findings with in vitro or in vivo data. Molecular docking predicts molecular orientations, MD simulations offer insights into enzyme–inhibitor dynamics, and QSAR models predict inhibitory potential based on structural properties. Studies have shown that quercetin effectively inhibits α‐glucosidase and α‐amylase by forming hydrogen bonds with specific amino acid residues. Quercetin interacts with starches and reduces their digestibility, increases the formation of resistant starch, lowers the glycemic index, and inhibits digestive enzymes. Studies show that the effects of quercetin on starch digestion vary with concentration and type of starch, and its incorporation into foods such as bakery products, pasta, etc. can significantly decrease starch hydrolysis. The incorporation of quercetin into starch matrices may aid in the development of functional foods aimed at improving glycemic control.

Multi-performance enhanced eco-driving strategy for connected fuel cell hybrid electric bus based on stein soft actor-3-critic

Eco-driving strategies increasingly emphasize enhancing multi-performance including safety, comfort, durability, and traffic efficiency under optimal energy-saving. This paper introduces a multi-performance enhanced eco-driving strategy for connected fuel cell hybrid electric buses (FCHEBs) based on the stein soft actor-3-critic (SSA3C) algorithm. By leveraging the correlation between the international roughness index (IRI) and weighted root mean square acceleration (WRMSA), energy management system (EMS) and adaptive cruise control (ACC) are integrated the to enhancing multi-performance including vertical comfort and energy efficiency. To address the insufficient action representation and overestimation of Q-values of traditional soft actor-critic (SAC) algorithm, improvements are made to the actor and critic networks using stein variational gradient descent (SVGD) and clipped triple Q-learning (3C), respectively. Composite cycles integrating the standard cycle and IRI are developed to enhance the strategy's generalization. Experimental results indicate that the proposed eco-driving strategy, while maintaining dynamics, safety, durability, and efficiency, efficiently achieves 98.1 % energy savings and equivalent comfort level as dynamic programming (DP). Ablation experiments on vertical comfort demonstrate improvements of 1.24 % in energy efficiency and 2.94 % in WRMSA. Finally, the effectiveness of the network improvements and the adaptability of the proposed strategy are demonstrated through comparative experiments.

P-687 High anti-müllerian hormone is associated with lower live birth rate in IVF/ICSI cycle with fresh transfer but not cumulative live birth rate in PCOS women

Abstract Study question Can serum AMH levels affect pregnancy outcomes particularly live birth rate (LBR) and cumulative live birth rate (CLBR) in PCOS women receiving IVF/ICSI treatment? Summary answer Higher serum AMH indicated a decreased LBR and increased miscarriage rate in PCOS women undergoing IVF/ICSI cycle. However, AMH has no association with CLBR. What is known already AMH could reduce follicle sensitivity to FSH and acts as an inhibitor of primordial follicle recruitment, which is essential for follicle growth. Therefore, AMH has widely been suggested to reflect ovarian reserve and predict ovarian response to assisted reproductive technology (ART). Women with PCOS presented AMH level around 2 to 4-fold higher than normal female. The pathological mechanisms of PCOS are complex. Ovarian follicular arrest is regarded as an important pathophysiology of PCOS, which is a consequence of insufficient FSH secretion or inhibition FSH action. Consequently, increased AMH arise might be associated with severity and poor pregnancy outcomes of PCOS. Study design, size, duration This was a retrospective cohort study included 4719 PCOS patients undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment at the Reproductive Center of Peking University Third Hospital from February 2017 to January 2022. Participants/materials, setting, methods Participants were divided into three groups according to the cutoffs defined by the 25th and 75th percentiles of serum baseline AMH level, low-AMH group, n = 1198 (AMH ≤ 4.98 ng/mL); average-AMH group, n = 2346 (4.98 < AMH < 10.65 ng/mL); high-AMH group, n = 1175 (AMH ≥ 10.65 ng/mL). Baseline parameters and pregnancy outcomes including clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), miscarriage rate, LBR and CLBR were compared among three groups. Main results and the role of chance In our cohort, we observed a significant progressively increase in the number of oocytes retrieved and the number of good-quality embryos per cycle from low- to average- to high-AMH group. No statistical significance was observed in fertilization rate (62% vs 60% vs 60%, P = 0.453). In addition, there was no significant difference in CPR among three groups (44.8% vs 42.8% vs 36.8%, P = 0.069). The miscarriage rate was progressively increased from low, average, and high AMH group (11.2% vs 18.5% vs 20.0%, P = 0.023). Importantly, LBR in fresh transfer was progressively decreased from low, average, and high-AMH group (39.6% vs 33.9% vs 29.0%, P = 0.004). However, no statistical difference but an increasing trend was observed in the CLBR among three groups (55.2% vs 56.9% vs 58.1%, P = 0.753). After adjusting by logistic regression analysis, the results indicated that elevated AMH was still strongly associated with decreased LBR in fresh transfer. In addition, BMI, endometrial thickness, and fertilization rate also have correlations with LBR. Nevertheless, the positive relationship between AMH and miscarriage rate remained only in low and average AMH group. Finally, no significant association was shown between AMH and CLBR in logistic regression analysis. Limitations, reasons for caution Firstly, this was a single-center study and might result in bias. Another limitation was due to its retrospective and non-randomized design. Besides, our study indicated an increasing trend in CLBR without statistical significance. Therefore, further large-scale, high-quality prospective cohort studies are still needed to confirm these findings. Wider implications of the findings These findings bring into consideration the potential role of AMH as the guidance in clinical regime. Since high AMH level might act as a biomarker in predicting worse pregnancy outcomes of PCOS women with IVF/ICSI fresh cycle. Trial registration number not applicable

COLREGs Misunderstood or Ignored?

As various scholarly articles and accident investigation reports indicate, the risk of collisions at sea is still high. The objective of this research is to identify if this is due to misunderstanding of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972, as amended (COLREGs), by watchkeeping officers working onboard cargo ships. A total of 76 collisions while navigating officers (OOW) were at the con that occurred during a period of 10 years were analysed.80% of the collisions could have been avoided since one vessel was aware of the presence of the other. The highest number of collisions had taken place in cases of crossing situations. Furthermore, it is also important to note that 52% of the OOWs involved in collisions were sufficiently experienced.No evidence was found to conclude that these accidents occurred due to misinterpretation or misunderstanding of the COLREG’s by the OOW’s onboard the cargo ships, but as incorrect or insufficient action had been taken by experienced OOW’s, this could have been due to complacency and/or overconfidence on their part.Among the measures to be taken to minimize collisions at sea, overconfidence and complacency are two factors that should also require attention by all interested parties.

The unique identifier as one of the essential tools for steering universal health coverage: The case of Morocco

Morocco is carrying out several actions to generalize basic compulsory health insurance (CHI). Managing this project requires coordination, information sharing, and the commitment of all actors to the goal of covering an additional 22 million people. One of the key factors for achieving this objective is the implementation of a unified registration system. The aim is to analyze the existing situation and the feasibility of implementing a unified registration system, and to describe the potential positive impact of the latter on the extension of CHI. This work is based on a diagnosis of the current situation. It draws on the legal framework, all available documents and figures, and on an analytical reading supported by existing literature. It reveals that due to the inadequacy or even the absence of an appropriate legal basis, each managing body has its own registration system. The lack of a unified system has given rise to a number of constraints. These concern, among other things: (i) mobility between or within schemes, which does not operate smoothly because it leads to re-registration (ii) inadequate monitoring of double benefit claims, which is the case for more than one scheme, due to insufficient and hesitant anti-fraud action (iii) the sharing and use of reliable data, which hinders decision making, evaluation, and monitoring. It is essential to adopt legal texts that will provide the basis for a unified system with regulations enabling the participation of all stakeholders, with the aim of steering the roll-out of CHI effectively and efficiently.

EXPERIENCES OF ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION COORDINATORS DURING COVID-19: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

This study was intended to examine the experiences of Organ and Tissue Donation Coordinators (OTDCs) in Turkey involved in the cadaveric donor process during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a descriptive qualitative study conducted with 12 OTDCs working in nine different regions in Turkey. Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) guidelines were used to ensure transparency. Six themes emerged regarding the experiences of OTDCs: 1) intensity in intensive care units, 2) negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on OTDCs, 3) changes in the donor diagnostic process, 4) communication difficulties with family, 5) the reduction in potential donors, and 6) a decrease in organ donation activities of OTDCs. The findings emphasized that there were prolongations and changes in the coordination process due to increased patient density in intensive care units, which negatively affected the OTDCs. In addition, it was emphasized that the changes in the diagnostic process, communication difficulties with family members, and fewer potential donors led to a decrease in the number of cadaveric donors. This study highlights important issues experienced by OTDCs in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings also explain the decrease in organ donors during the pandemic. Our study revealed insufficient action plans, guidelines, and communication tools regarding the cadaveric donation process during this time.

Physicians' awareness of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw in patients with osteoporosis.

A serious adverse effect of antiresorptive drugs, which are widely used to treat osteoporosis, is medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). Physicians can reduce the risk of MRONJ by educating patients and emphasizing the importance of good oral health. However, limited information is available regarding physicians' awareness and clinical practices associated with MRONJ. Hence, this study aimed to examine physicians' awareness related to MRONJ and associated clinical practices. This study was a cross-sectional study conducted from December 2022 to February 2023. An online self-administered questionnaire was sent to physicians in Thailand who prescribed antiresorptive drugs for osteoporosis. Most respondents agreed that antiresorptive drugs might cause MRONJ (92.3%), poor oral health increased the risk of MRONJ (84%), and MRONJ is an important consideration in patients with osteoporosis (85%). Of the respondents, 48.1% and 15.5% always referred patients to dentists before and during antiresorptive therapy, respectively. Approximately 60% of physicians informed patients of the MRONJ risk before prescribing antiresorptive drugs, and 30% inquired about patients' oral symptoms at the follow-up visit. Overall, 44% of physicians advised patients to receive oral health care; the most common reason for not advising this was that respondents did not consider themselves to be adequately knowledgeable to detect oral health problems. These findings indicate that while most physicians who prescribed antiresorptive drugs for osteoporosis were aware of and considered MRONJ in their practice, several took insufficient action to prevent it. This highlights the need to emphasize clinical practice guidelines and collaboration between physicians and dentists.

Effect of aqueous and ethanol extracts of Cucurbita maxima seed on fasting blood glucose in alloxan-induced rats

Diabetes is a chronic disorder marked by hyperglycemia due to insulin resistance and insufficient insulin action, or both. Synthetic antidiabetic drugs available on the market are associated with severe effects, necessitating the need for alternative antidiabetic drugs. This investigation aimed to determine the antidiabetic potential and phytochemical profiles of aqueous and ethanol seed extracts of Cucurbita maxima. The seeds of C. maxima were airdried, milled, and extracted using distilled water and ethanol. The antidiabetic effect of the extracts was performed using Wistar rats weighing 160-180 g. Thirty-five rats were assigned to 7 groups: non-diabetic (control), diabetic, glibenclamide-treated, and aqueous or ethanol extract-treated (200 and 400 mg/kg body weight). Alloxan monohydrate was used to induce experimental diabetes. The treatments were orally administered for 28 days. Blood glucose levels and histopathological analysis were performed. The phytochemical screening was conducted utilizing liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). In diabetic rats, the effects of the two extracts revealed a substantial reduction in levels of fasting blood glucose in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting an antidiabetic effect. The histopathological analysis revealed the restoration of pancreatic β-cells by the extracts. The LC-MS analysis identified phytocompounds in the extracts belonging to classes of flavonoids, phenolic acids, and fatty acids that are associated with antidiabetic effects. Interestingly, the ethanol extract had a better antidiabetic effect compared to the aqueous extract. In conclusion, the aqueous and ethanol extracts of C. maxima seed possess phytocompounds that can be used to develop novel antidiabetic agents with less severe effects.

ВПЛИВ ПОГОДНИХ УМОВ НА РЕЗУЛЬТАТИ ЗАСТОСУВАННЯ КІНЕТИЧНОЇ ЗБРОЇ НЕСМЕРТЕЛЬНОЇ ДІЇ

Currently, when designing non-lethal kinetic weapons, the degree of protection of the target provided by clothing items, especially during cold seasons, is not considered. As a result of the loss of part of the energy of the impact element on deformation and destruction of clothing items, the effects on the target can significantly differ from those calculated for normal conditions and exceed permissible limits. This may lead to the failure of the firing task due to insufficient or excessive action of the impact element on the target. For the purpose of determining the influence of the degree of target protection by clothing items on the results of the action of the impact element, natural experimental studies were conducted using a pneumatic ballistic installation and a target simulator made of ballistic plasticine "Beschussmasse". The results yielded empirical dependencies of the penetration depth of the impact element from its velocity upon meeting the target for several protection variants of the object of weapon application by clothing items. These dependencies can be used during the design of non-lethal kinetic weapons, as well as for selecting models of such weapons from those available to perform firing tasks in specific temperature conditions. The work also draws attention to the need to consider the influence of the temperature of the powder on the burning rate and muzzle velocity of the impact element. To increase the effectiveness of the application of non-lethal kinetic weapons, it is proposed to develop a set of ammunition for such weapons with different masses of powder charge, which would correspond to the ambient temperature and take into account the degree of protection of the object of weapon application by clothing items and the dependency of the burning rate of the powder on the temperature. The direction for further research is to study the influence of the hardness of the impact element of the non-lethal kinetic weapons on the results of its action on the target.

대한민국헌법상 국민에 대한 국가의 의무

Rights have corresponding obligations. The state is also subject to obligations regarding basic rights guaranteed under the Constitution. These obligations do not necessarily need to be written in the Constitution. This is because rights logically presuppose the duties of the state. However, the Constitution of the Republic of Korea declares the state’s obligation to guarantee fundamental rights in Article 10, Sentence 2, which can be seen as reaffirming the logical result of the fact that fundamental rights should be guaranteed.
 On the contrary, obligations are not necessarily established on the premise of rights. The duty to the citizens granted to the state under the Constitution is not necessarily premised on basic rights. Aside from the state’s obligations related to guaranteeing basic rights, there are also many state obligation provisions in the Constitution of the Republic of Korea. Although these duties of the state are very important in the relationship with the people, there are many duties of the state that cannot be considered from the perspective of basic rights.
 This study pursues the goal of guaranteeing the basic rights of the people, but examines it from the perspective of duty rather than the perspective of rights. Meanwhile, the purpose is to reveal a comprehensive system that guarantees the status of the people, including the relationship between the state and the people, which cannot be seen from the perspective of rights. Specifically speaking, it is to find ways to guarantee the fulfillment of national obligations. In principle, non-performance of state duties can be evaluated as a violation of the Constitution, but the standard by which to judge its unconstitutionality is a very important issue in constitutional reviews.
 The basic rights system theory has been developed regarding the guarantee level of basic rights, according to which various methods of basic rights are classified. State obligations can be also classified according to the theory of state duty. First, the state’s duty can be divided into the duty to act and the duty to omit. Since the duty of omission is violated through active action, it is appropriate to conduct strict scrutiny especially when it is related to fundamental rights. In the case of obligation to act, omission and insufficient action are issues. In the former case, strict scrutiny is applied in the same sense as restriction, but in the latter case, various standards of review could be applied considering the legislative discretion and related concrete circumstances. But it may be applied the milder review, in principle, when the legislative discretion is permitted. This article specifically examines each individual obligation imposed on the state from this stand of view.

The Belgian Climate Case: From Federalism Idiosyncrasies to Arboreal Novelties

Abstract VZW Klimaatzaak v Kingdom of Belgium & Others is a climate lawsuit brought in Belgium in 2015. It was modelled on the famous Dutch Urgenda case. In this groundbreaking judicial procedure, over 60,000 plaintiffs argued that Belgian public authorities have undertaken insufficient climate action and called for its enhancement. On June 17, 2021, the Tribunal of First Instance of Brussels rendered its decision in partial favour of the plaintiffs, consolidating a climate ‘duty of care’ for public authorities. This article puts forward a succinct summary of the complaint introduced by the NGO Klimaatzaak and the main findings of the Tribunal. In doing so, it attempts to make the idiosyncrasies of Belgian federalism intelligible to an international audience. It also highlights a number of notable features of the case, including the Tribunal’s reliance on the Aarhus Convention to interpret broadly the provisions on legal standing for environmental NGOs, and a third-party intervention request introduced on behalf of over a hundred trees with long lifespans. Finally, the article focuses on an apparent flaw in the reasoning of the Tribunal in its 2021 judgment and points out what to look out for in the appeal proceedings that are ongoing at the time of writing.

Survivor Behavior in Covid-19 Prevention Efforts in Ujungbulu District, Bulukumba Regency

Background. The increase in the number of cases infected with Covid-19 is influenced by the health behavior of survivors in preventing Covid-19. The aim of this research is to describe the knowledge, attitudes and actions of survivors towards efforts to prevent Covid-19 in Ujungbulu District, Bulukumba Regency. Methods. This type of research is quantitative research with a descriptive approach which was carried out in March-April 2021. The sample size for this research was 186 samples. The sampling technique for this research uses simple random sampling by taking randomly until the number of research samples is met. Results. The results of this study showed that 138 (74.1%) respondents had a good level of knowledge, 30 (16.1%) had sufficient knowledge and 18 (9.6%) had insufficient knowledge, 66 (35.4%) of respondents had a good category attitude. (59.1%) had an adequate attitude and 10 (4.8%) had a poor attitude, 58 (31.1%) of respondents had good action, 112 (60.2%) had sufficient action and 16 (8.6%) had insufficient action. Conclusion. To optimize respondent behavior, it is hoped that the government can provide education on the importance of complying with the 5M health protocols so that it can prevent transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Toward Property-Based Regulation.

An expanding web of adverse impacts on people and the environment has been steadily linked to anthropogenic chemicals and their proliferation. Central to this web are the regulatory structures intended to protect human and environmental health through the control of new molecules. Through chronically insufficient and inefficient action, the current chemical-by-chemical regulatory approach, which considers regulation at the level of chemical identity, has enabled many adverse impacts to develop and persist. Recognizing the link between fundamental physicochemical properties and hazards, we describe a new paradigm─property-based regulation. By regulating physicochemical properties, we show how governments can delineate and enforce safe chemical spaces, increasing the scalability of chemical assessments, reducing the time and resources to regulate a substance, and providing transparency for chemical designers. We highlight sparse existing property-based approaches and demonstrate their applicability using bioaccumulation as an example. Finally, we present a path to implementation in the United States, prescribing roles and steps for government, nongovernmental organizations, and industry to accelerate this transition, to the benefit of all.

Corporate social advocacy events as a window into the contemporary promotional industries

Amid calls for corporate social responsibility to adopt an “impact orientation” (Weder, et al., 2019) and the growing significance of corporate entities and brands as sites to contest societal values through conflicts around greenwashing, online content moderation, and social advocacy, this article asks how a changed communication environment, particularly the rise of social media platforms for communication and search engines as a repository of knowledge, affects the practices of the promotional industries, and with what effects?The practices of the contemporary promotional industries increasingly include a focus on corporate social responsibility, purpose, and advocacy. Included within these behaviours are interventionist corporate practices, including advertiser boycotts of social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook and corporate boycotts of U.S. states such as North Carolina (Author, 2020), potentially divisive public statements (Ciszek & Logan, 2018), and decisions to not stock controversial items such as certain styles of firearms (Gaither, et al., 2018). These advocacy actions can then be shared through owned online channels such as corporate blogs and social media where corporate communications teams can justify their own positions and discredit those of their opponents (Aronczyk, 2013). The ability to self-mediate an organisation’s activity is complicated in online contexts, where a participatory public may contest or undermine organisational claims (Edwards, 2020; Tombleson & Wolf, 2017).Research on corporate social advocacy has historically focused on individual cases and the potential financial benefits or detriments of corporate advocacy behaviours. While work in this area has begun to address the strategic communication considerations for organisations engaging in corporate social advocacy (Dodd and Supa, 2014; Gaither, et al., 2018; Kim & Austin, 2022; Wettstein & Baur, 2016), pressing questions remain about its broader motivations and compatibility with democratic institutions. Critical public relations scholarship argues that promotional communication plays a critical role in mediating the promise of “public representation, voice, and agency” (Cronin, 2018, p.44) in democratic countries (Cronin, 2018; Edwards, 2018; Aronczyk, 2015). This article connects research on corporate social advocacy, public relations in democratic communication, and the platformized communication environment by examining the motivations for corporate social advocacy, how advocacy events are mediated, and how the risks and rewards of participating in these kinds of communication are understood within the contemporary promotional industries.Theoretical framing: This article draws on frameworks of contestation and justification in organisational communication (Boltanski and Thevenot, 1991/2006; Edwards, 2020) to understand corporate social advocacy practices within transnational democratic communication and deliberation (Fraser, 2007). By emphasizing interaction and contestation between groups, theories of justification add new tools to understand the values that drive deliberation within the “shared cultural space” (Curtin & Gaither, 2007, p.38) provided by Circuit of Culture understandings of public relations and the promotional industries.Methods: To identify the perspectives of the promotional industries that define the marketing and public relations response to social advocacy controversies, fifteen interviews were conducted with advertising and public relations agencies, brand communication managers, national and international advertising associations, participants in advertising boycotts, and prominent activists involved with corporate advocacy. To provide a more comprehensive understanding of contemporary practice, the interviews were combined with a document analysis of materials collected from industry events such as Advertising Week, the Business for Social Responsibility Conference, and industry publications, such as The Drum, AdWeek, the Branded newsletter, and the Conscious Advertising Network podcast.Findings: Participants saw risks to inaction or insufficient action on social advocacy issues. They also saw potential benefits for quick, credible advocacy on issues where the organisation could differentiate itself as a leader. From the perspective of participants, constant media scrutiny, online and off, a low-trust environment, and investments in stakeholder relationships exacerbated the risks and rewards of social advocacy, pushing organisations towards active engagement with a wide array of advocacy issues—sometimes a wider array of issues than they were comfortable with. The active engagement on these issues moved corporate advocacy away from rhetoric and towards tangible actions with governance implications for online content moderation and other public interest topics.Contribution: This article contributes to understanding the role legitimacy plays in the contemporary promotional industries. While the pressure to perform social advocacy is widely felt in professional communications, this research also suggests that some companies are positioned in ways that make them more accountable to internal or external pressure from stakeholders. It provides evidence of how promotional industry professionals negotiate expectations that they will live up to the “promise” of “public representation, voice, and agency” (Cronin, 2018, p.44) and notes the importance of the media environment in creating pressure for companies to respond to public issues in ways perceived as legitimate to their audiences.

Trends in private sector engagement with biodiversity: EU listed companies' disclosure and indicators

The EU biodiversity strategy highlights the relevance of the private sector and its prominent role as potential degrader and as protector of biodiversity. However, the topic of biodiversity seems to be downplayed and disregarded by most companies, and the potential proxies leading them to report on the matter are not yet clear.This exploratory paper aims at assessing the companies' actual engagement with the EU biodiversity strategy, and the factors influencing the relevance and quality of their disclosure indicators. To that purpose, 170 listed companies from the 5 biggest economies in the EU have been studied after their reporting indicators on biodiversity in 2018 and 2021, focusing on country, sector and impact intensity as potential drivers, as well as on the changes in reporting and indicators between those years.Our findings highlight an increased but heterogeneous engagement with biodiversity among EU listed companies, with limited relevance given by the companies to standard and quantitative performance indicators, and a strong influence on reporting of factors such as the companies' country of origin, and the companies' sector/activity. All of which suggests different approaches to biodiversity within the private sector and insufficient corporate action to meet the EU biodiversity strategy goals.

Missing the SDGs: Political accountability for insufficient environmental action

AbstractThe Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demonstrate an integration of development and environmental agendas. However, none of the environmental sub‐targets, which were due by 2020, were accomplished. Global governance through goal setting requires functioning mechanisms of accountability. Based on a theoretical framework that differentiates between public, private and voluntary logic of accountability, the article illustratively explores accountability mechanisms concerning the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This allows to discuss the untapped potential for holding power wielders, such as governments, private companies, and norm champions, accountable. While the SDGs were adopted within public governance institutions, there are regulative means of accountability available that follow private and voluntary logic. Acknowledging this hybrid character of accountability in the implementation stage, the article concludes that there is a need for additional research to explore dimensions of non‐public accountability for goals agreed upon by the international community. SDG indicators should be mandatory for corporate reporting, and civil society organisations should report more comprehensively on the spread of environmental norms in global development.

Progesterone and Its Metabolites Play a Beneficial Role in Affect Regulation in the Female Brain.

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is a female affective disorder that is defined by mood symptoms. The condition is linked to unstable progesterone concentrations. Progestin supplementation is given in cases of threatened or recurrent miscarriage and for luteal phase support. Progesterone is essential for implantation, immune tolerance, and modulation of uterine contractility. For a long time, the administration of progestins was associated with an unfavorable impact on mood, leading to negative affect, and, therefore, was contraindicated in existing mood disorders. Establishing the role of the natural progesterone derivative allopregnanolone in advances in the treatment of postpartum depression has shed new light on the general pathophysiology of mood disorders. Allopregnanolone directly interacts with gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA-A) receptors even at nanomolar concentrations and induces significant anti-depressant, anti-stress, sedative, and anxiolytic effects. Postpartum depression is caused by a rapid drop in hormones and can be instantly reversed by the administration of allopregnanolone. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder can also be considered to result from insufficient neuroactive steroid action due to low progesterone derivative concentration, unstable hormone levels, or decreased receptor sensitivity. The decrease in progesterone levels in perimenopause is also associated with affective symptoms and an exacerbation of some psychosomatic syndromes. Bioidentical progesterone supplementation encounters several obstacles, including limited absorption, first-pass effect, and rapid metabolism. Hence, non-bioidentical progestins with better bioavailability were widely applied. The paradoxical, unfavorable effect of progestins on mood can be explained by the fact that progestins suppress ovulation and disturb the endocrine function of the ovary in the luteal phase. Moreover, their distinct chemical structure prevents their metabolism to neuroactive, mood-improving derivatives. A new understanding of progesterone-related mood disorders can translate the study results from case series and observational studies to cohort studies, clinical trials, and novel, effective treatment protocols being developed.

Comparison of lipid profiles and hypertension in type 02 diabetes mellitus patients with and without hypertension a multi center study

Introduction: Persistent hyperglycemia and anomalies in the metabolism of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates are hallmarks of diabetes mellitus, which is brought on by insufficient insulin synthesis or action. Other associated systemic problems, such dyslipidemia and hypertension, may result from this. Dyslipidemia increases cardiovascular events such persistent high blood pressure by raising serum triglycerides, free fatty acids, and HDL cholesterol and lowering it. This research examined hyperlipidemia. Type 2 diabetics, regardless of hypertension. Objective: to compare T2DM with and without hypertension, the present study evaluated the blood lipid profiles of both groups. Layout of the study An experimental research approach is used, along with a comparative study methodology. Methodology: the multi-center study conducted in department of medicine HMC hospital Peshawar OPDs and Out Door Patients hosted the research. From January 2021 to January 2022, performed lab tests. The Multi center study achieved our aim. The study comprised 100 type 2 diabetics divided into cases and controls. Cases had type 02 diabetes and hypertension, but controls did not. Both groups estimated cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and HDL levels. The statistical analysis uses SPSS version 28. Mean values and an independent student T-test were used to compare groups.

The United Nations Narrative of Climate Change: The Logic of Apocalypse

Abstract: This paper emphasizes the crucial role that language use plays in climate change communication. In particular, this paper examines UN public discourse and narratives about climate change. It will be shown that the climate change is often described as a "threat to human wellbeing" and as an external enemy—the Other. On the other hand, humanity is often portrayed as a victim of climate change. The consequence of this rhetoric and logic of apocalypse is insufficient action in relation to climate change. The narrative construction of the Other that is described as a threat is founded on binary oppositions: we/they, self/other, culture/nature, human/nonhuman and so forth. As long as climate change is described as an external enemy and "independent matter" and climate policy is based on binary oppositions, action to combat climate change will remain insufficient.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Homoeopathy in Glycemic Control

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder which is characterized by increased blood glucose level with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism resulting from either loss of insulin producing cells, insufficient insulin action, or both. An open label, observational, prospective study design was adopted for the study at Government Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital, Bhopal (MP). Patients fulfilling inclusion and exclusion criteria, reporting in regular OPD‘s and attached units of the institute by consecutive sampling were included. Routine follow up‘s were done at two weeks, 1 month or 2 month or more than 2 month intervals. A total number of 30 cases of different age group, both sexes and religions presented with signs and symptoms of hyperglycemia were included in the study. All the 30 cases were followed- up for the minimum period of three months or more for the analysis of result. Assessment in each case was evaluated by Modified ORIDL Scale. This dissertation study was intended to assess the effectiveness of homoeopathic medicines in glycemic control and extent of improvement in the related symptoms of the patient.