Proven Effectiveness Research Articles

Oral supplementation with resveratrol improves hormonal profile and increases expression of genes associated with thermogenesis in oophorectomy mice

Menopause causes important bodily and metabolic changes, which favor the increased occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Resveratrol exerts proven effects on body metabolism, improving glucose and lipid homeostasis and reducing inflammation and oxidative stress in various organs and tissues. Accordingly, this study evaluates the effects of resveratrol supplementation on the expression of markers associated with thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue, and on the body, metabolic and hormonal parameters of female mice submitted to bilateral oophorectomy. Eighteen female mice were randomized into three groups: G1: control (CONTROL), G2: oophorectomy (OOF), and G3: oophorectomy + resveratrol (OOF + RSV); the animals were kept under treatment for twelve weeks, being fed a standard diet and treated with resveratrol via gavage. Body, biochemical, hormonal, and histological parameters were measured; in addition to the expression of markers associated with thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue. The results showed that animals supplemented with resveratrol showed reduced body weight and visceral adiposity, in addition to glucose, total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels; decreased serum FSH levels and increased estrogen levels were observed compared to the OOF group and mRNA expression of PRDM16, UCP1, and SIRT3 in brown adipose tissue. The findings of this study suggest the important role of resveratrol in terms of improving body, metabolic, and hormonal parameters, as well as modulating markers associated with thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue of female mice submitted to oophorectomy.

Contribution of obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus to cognitive impairment

Obesity is a vivid example of one of the most common chronic non-infectious multifactorial diseases in today’s world. Not only the conventional elements of an “unhealthy lifestyle” such as hypodynamia and overeating, but also external socio-economic and psychosocial factors play an important role in the development of this disease. This review summarizes the main pathogenetic components that combine the development of both metabolic and vascular, including cerebrovascular, complications of obesity. The authors present the current classification of obesity adopted by domestic endocrinologists, which includes an assessment of the risk of obesity-associated complications. The mechanisms of pathological effects of insulin resistance, which morphological substrate is visceral obesity, are considered in detail. Its key role in the initiation and progression of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases has been shown. The mechanisms involved in the development of cognitive impairment in patients with obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus are described. Due to the urgency of the problem raised, the prospective of choosing a therapeutic and preventive approach to the management of such patients are assessed. With regard to this category of patients, the use of fonturacetam was discussed. Fonturacetam has been shown to have the proven clinical effects that not only improve the cognitive and emotional status in patients with cerebrovascular pathology, but also have a direct effect on the potential root cause of the development and progression of vascular and metabolic disorders, i.e. on the obesity. Fonturacetam that has an anorexigenic effect can also be prescribed as a weight corrector in addition to the diet therapy. Thus, the use of fonturacetam can become a promising trend in the treatment and prevention of today’s most common diseases.

How Technology, Health Information Seeking, and Socioeconomic Factors Are Associated With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination Readiness in Estonians Over 50 Years?

Despite the proven effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing severe illness, many individuals, including older adults who are most susceptible to the virus, have opted against vaccination. Various factors could shape vaccination decisions, including seeking health information (HI). The internet is the primary source of HI today; however, older adults are often referred to as those missing out on digital benefits. The study explores the correlations between information and communication technology (ICT) use, online HI seeking, socioeconomic factors, and COVID-19 vaccination readiness among individuals aged 50 and above in Estonia. The survey data were gathered from 501 people aged 50 and older after the first lockdown in 2020. The outcomes revealed that vaccination readiness positively correlated with factors such as higher educational attainment, greater income, male gender, access to ICT, a readiness to employ digital technologies for health-related purposes, a greater demand for HI, and a higher frequency of seeking it online. There was some discrepancy in the preference of HI sources; for example, vaccination consenters preferred online versions of professional press publications and specific health portals. Based on the findings, it is advisable to encourage older adults to utilize the internet and new technology for health-related purposes. This practice expands the range of information sources available to them, ultimately enabling better decision-making regarding their health behaviors.

Exploiting Image Processing and Artificial Intelligence Techniques for the Determination of Antimicrobial Susceptibility

Antimicrobial susceptibility tests, achieved through the use of antibiotic-impregnated disks in a suitable laboratory environment, are conducted to determine which antibiotics are effective against the bacteria present in the body of an infected patient. The Kirby–Bauer method, a type of disk diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility test, is currently widely applied in microbiology laboratories due to its proven effectiveness. In our study, we developed an algorithm that utilizes image processing techniques to detect the inhibition zones of bacteria. A certain color depth acts as the threshold for the inhibition zone, with its radius determined according to the size of the reference object. This approach facilitates the measurement of inhibition zones and employs machine learning and deep learning to categorize antibiograms, followed by determination of whether a bacterium on the disk is sensitive or resistant to the antibiotics applied. The focus of this research is creating an automated interpretation system for antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the disk diffusion technique, thus simplifying the measurement and interpretation of inhibition zone sizes.

Application of PISA method for monopile design in layered soil

The foundation design for offshore wind turbines (OWTs) is critical to ensuring their structural integrity and long-term stability. Large-diameter monopiles are widely used for OWTs owing to their proven effectiveness. The conventional design approach, derived from the oil and gas industry’s p-y model, has limitations when applied to monopiles for OWTs. Consequently, a novel design method based on the PISA joint industry research project was developed, which extends beyond the traditional lateral soil resistance (p-y curves) and incorporates additional soil reaction components from shaft friction, pile base shear, and base moment. Unlike the simplistic rule-based conventional approaches, the proposed method necessitates site-specific 3D finite element (FE) simulations for precise calibration of soil reaction curves. Although successfully applied in European offshore wind farms, the PISA method’s performance in regions with distinct seabed compositions, such as China, remains to be verified. Therefore, this paper presents a comprehensive case study conducted at the Xiangshan wind farm, a representative site characterized by layered soil. The study employed in-situ investigations (cone penetration test, borehole) and laboratory tests (direct simple shear, bender element) to delineate the seabed soil profile and derive essential soil parameters for accurate foundation design. To facilitate the design, an Abaqus-based design tool was developed, which automated the extraction of soil reaction curves from the 3D FE simulations, calibration of PISA springs, and execution of one-dimensional beam-spring analyses employing Timoshenko beam theory. Comparative analyses were performed on the computed responses of piles, encompassing load-deflection curves, pile deflections, and bending moment profiles. The outcomes from the 3D FE simulations, uncalibrated rule-based PISA model, and calibrated PISA model were compared to validate the PISA method for monopile design in layered soil conditions.

Влияние атипичных антипсихотиков на развитие сахарного диабета 2-го типа

Atypical antipsychotics (novell atypical generation antipsychotics) have entered clinical practice recently, but despite this, they have already managed to occupy one of the leading positions in modern therapy of mental disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder. It is known that treatment with antipsychotics of both generations is associated with a number of side effects. When using atypical antipsychotics, metabolic disorders, including carbohydrate metabolism, occupy a leading place. A number of scientific studies, the analysis of which we are conducting in this review, describe the mechanisms of development of such changes in glucose homeostasis as hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in patients receiving therapy with second-generation antipsychotics (atypical). Another proven side effect is an increase in appetite and an increase in body weight. It is obvious that such metabolic changes have the potential to lead to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the long term. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that the use of atypical antipsychotics is not always among the causes of drug-induced diabetes mellitus. In this regard, not all internists, endocrinologists, general practitioners, and sometimes even psychiatrists consider patients receiving treatment with these drugs to be at increased risk. Consequently, primary and secondary prevention of diabetes mellitus among such patients may not be carried out or may be insufficient. In this review, through meta-analysis, we summarized data on the effect of the main representatives of atypical antipsychotics on the possibility of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus, and also examined in more depth the pathogenesis of carbohydrate metabolism disorders in patients receiving therapy with these drugs.

Knowledge level of the community and healtcare workers about radiological examinations and harmful effects of radiation: a review

Patients, doctors, and radiology professionals are exposed to ionizing radiation in the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of radiology. Despite the proven harmful effects of medical radiological methods used for diagnosis and treatment, it is not possible to completely abandon these procedures. There is a lack of knowledge in the community about radiological examinations, the effects of radiation, and radiation protection. To increase awareness about radiation, it is essential to educate patients, enhance the education of healthcare students, and provide in-service training for all hospital staff. This way, knowledge levels can be improved, and the harmful effects of radiation can be minimized.

Enhancing Healthcare Literacy and Services in South-West Ethiopia: Impact of Social Accountability for Improving the Demand and use of Family Planning and Maternal New-born Child Health Services

The primary objective of this research was to assess the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving healthcare literacy and services through the implementation of Social Accountability (SA) and Community Score Card (CSC) in three districts of the Southwest Ethiopia Peoples’ Region. The study gathered data from randomly selected community members residing in Elhanchano, Teracha Zuria, and Zaba Gazo districts of the Southwest Ethiopia region on two sessions. Quantitative data were analyzed using dependent t-tests, while information collected through interviews was analyzed using a narrative approach. The results indicate a significant positive impact of the interventions on healthcare services across all health centers. Consequently, considering the proven effectiveness of SA/CSC in enhancing healthcare services at primary health care units, it is strongly recommended that both the government and funding organizations continue their support for the implementation of SA/CSC in various sections of the country. This ongoing commitment will ensure that communities consistently receive improved healthcare services at their respective health care units, fostering a sustainable positive impact on the overall health system

Hierarchical optimal dispatching method of transmission system operators‐distribution system operators cooperated integrated energy system considering gas‐thermal equivalence model

AbstractThe integrated energy system (IES) is moving towards the large‐scale cooperation between transmission system operators (TSO) and distribution system operators (DSO) with the coupling of electricity, heating, and gas networks. The conventional optimization method is not time‐efficient for solving such a large‐scale problem when taking account of the cooperation of TSO‐DSO of the IES. To solve such a problem, this paper proposed a hierarchical optimization framework for TSO‐DSO cooperated IES. To further improve the computation efficiency, the equivalent models of heating and gas system that retain the heating inertia characteristic and gas pipe storage characteristic are presented. A computation method for the TSO‐DSO cooperated IES is also proposed from the hierarchical distributed optimization perspective. The case study confirms the efficacy of the proposed gas‐thermal equivalent model in significantly enhancing computational speed. Furthermore, the proven effectiveness of the hierarchical distributed optimization approach in leveraging the full potential of flexible resources in transmission and distribution systems while safeguarding internal information privacy enables the development of robust dispatching strategies for each system.

Unveiling Emotional Stress: Analyzing EEG Signals With Deep Learning Insights

This study focuses on a comprehensive exploration of EEG-based emotion recognition, with a particular focus on leveraging recurrent neural network (RNN) architectures, including long short-term memory (LSTM) and gated recurrent unit (GRU). The investigation is rooted in a publicly available EEG Brainwave Dataset, meticulously curated to capture human responses to emotional stimuli. The dataset features signals obtained from frontal and temporal brain lobes, categorized into distinct emotional states encompassing positive, neutral, and negative emotions. The analysis spans four distinct scenarios, each representing different combinations of features and preprocessing strategies. Notably primary emphasis is on LSTM and GRU architectures due to their proven effectiveness in sequential data processing tasks. In addition to evaluating the performance of LSTM and GRU models a thorough examination of all the four cases to assess their efficacy in accurately predicting emotional states from EEG signals. The study also emphasis on the importance of meticulous feature selection and preprocessing in optimizing model accuracy and robustness, highlighting the intricate interplay between data representation, model architecture, and task-specific requirements. Ultimately, the research findings contribute to advanced understanding of EEG-based emotion recognition and pave the way for further research in this exciting interdisciplinary field. Key Words: Electroencephalography(EEG), Long short-term memory (LSTM), Gated recurrent unit (GRU), Feature extraction, Preprocessing techniques, Statistical metrics, Frequency domain analysis.

Recent Advances in Lateral Flow Assays for Viral Protein Detection with Nanomaterial-Based Optical Sensors.

Controlling the progression of contagious diseases is crucial for public health management, emphasizing the importance of early viral infection diagnosis. In response, lateral flow assays (LFAs) have been successfully utilized in point-of-care (POC) testing, emerging as a viable alternative to more traditional diagnostic methods. Recent advancements in virus detection have primarily leveraged methods such as reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Despite their proven effectiveness, these conventional techniques are often expensive, require specialized expertise, and consume a significant amount of time. In contrast, LFAs utilize nanomaterial-based optical sensing technologies, including colorimetric, fluorescence, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), offering quick, straightforward analyses with minimal training and infrastructure requirements for detecting viral proteins in biological samples. This review describes the composition and mechanism of and recent advancements in LFAs for viral protein detection, categorizing them into colorimetric, fluorescent, and SERS-based techniques. Despite significant progress, developing a simple, stable, highly sensitive, and selective LFA system remains a formidable challenge. Nevertheless, an advanced LFA system promises not only to enhance clinical diagnostics but also to extend its utility to environmental monitoring and beyond, demonstrating its potential to revolutionize both healthcare and environmental safety.

The hypothermic effect of the antihypoxant 2-aminobenztiazole

BACKGROUND: One of the compounds studied at the Department of Pharmacology of the Kirov Military Medical Academy is a compound with a proven antihypoxic effect of 2-aminobenzothiazole (2-ABT). The mechanism of action of this substance is partially associated with the central action, and its protective effect may potentially be due to the general hypothermic effect.
 AIM: To determine the effect of 2-ABT on body temperature.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experiments were carried out on 24 adult males of white outbred mice. 2-ABT was previously dissolved in 0.9% sodium chloride solution and administered intraperitoneally to mice at doses of 32.5 mg/kg (with proven antihypoxic effect), 21.7 mg/kg or 10.8 mg/kg. Rectal temperature was measured with an electronic thermometer DT-623 (China) before administration of the test substance, as well as 5, 30 and 60 minutes after the injection.RESULTS: Compound 2-ABT has a pronounced dose-dependent hypothermic effect. This effect is maximally expressed in a dose in which the compound has a proven antihypoxic property – 32.5 mg/kg. The hypothermic effect manifests itself within 5 minutes after administration, the maximum decrease in body temperature is observed after 30 minutes, while the effect persists for an hour.
 CONCLUSION: 2-ABT may be a promising compound for the creation of a drug for drug-induced (controlled) hypothermia.

Dual-aspect attention spatial-spectral transformer and hyperspectral imaging: A novel approach to detecting Aspergillus flavus contamination in peanut kernels

In this study, an innovative dual-aspect attention spatial-spectral transformer (DAASST) was introduced to advance postharvest quality control by the detection of Aspergillus flavus contamination and the accurate identification of contamination times in peanut kernels. The critical importance of maintaining postharvest quality and safety in nuts was recognized, with hyperspectral imaging technology being leveraged due to its great potential in non-destructive testing and quality assessment of nuts. At the heart of DAASST's innovation, an enhanced transformer architecture that incorporated an attention fusion mechanism was employed for the effective integration of the extracted features. This sophisticated integration not only improved the model’s performance but also was significantly surpassed by the capabilities of traditional machine learning methods in the context of postharvest biology and technology. Exceptional accuracy was demonstrated in testing, with 99.40% achieved in detecting Aspergillus flavus contamination and a remarkable 100% in distinguishing between different contamination times. Significant contributions to the field of postharvest biology and technology were made by merging cutting-edge feature extraction techniques, attention mechanisms, and transformer architecture to refine hyperspectral image analysis for postharvest quality control. The proven effectiveness of the DAASST in accurately detecting Aspergillus flavus and determining contamination times in peanut kernels highlighted its potential as a valuable tool for ensuring the safety and quality of postharvest nuts.

High yield killing of lymphoma cells by anti-CD22 CAR-NK cell therapy.

Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) offer a promising new approach for targeting B cell malignancies through the immune system. Despite the proven effectiveness of CAR T cells targeting CD19 and CD22 in hematological malignancies, it is imperative to note that their production remains a highly complex process. Unlike T cells, NK cells eliminate targets in a non-antigen-specific manner while avoiding graft vs. host disease (GvHD). CAR-NK cells are considered safer than CAR-T cells because they have a shorter lifespan and produce less toxic cytokines. Due to their unlimited ability to proliferate in vitro, NK-92 cells can be used as a source for CAR-engineered NK cells. We found that CARs created from the m971 anti-CD22 mAb, which specifically targets a proximal CD22 epitope, were more effective at anti-leukemic activity compared to those made with other binding domains. To further enhance the anti-leukemic capacity of NK cells, we used lentiviral transduction to generate the m971-CD28-CD3ζ NK-92. CD22 is highly expressed in B cell lymphoma. To evaluate the potential of targeting CD22, Raji cells were selected as CD22-positive cells. Our study aimed to investigate CD22 as a potential target for CAR-NK-92 therapy in the treatment of B cell lymphoma. We first generated m971-CD28-CD3ζ NK-92 that expressed a CAR for binding CD22 in vitro. Flow cytometric analysis was used to evaluate the expression of CAR. The 7AAD determined the cytotoxicity of the m971-CD28-CD3ζ NK-92 towards target lymphoma cell lines by flow cytometry assay. The ELISA assay evaluated cytokine production in CAR NK-92 cells in response to target cells. The m971-CD28-CD3ζ NK-92 cells have successfully expressed the CD22-specific CAR. m971-CD28-CD3ζ NK-92 cells efficiently lysed CD22-expressing lymphoma cell lines and produced large amounts of cytokines such as IFN-γ and GM-CSF but a lower level of IL-6 after coculturing with target cells. Based on our results, it is evident that transferring m971-CD28-CD3ζ NK-92 cells could be a promising immunotherapy for B cell lymphoma.

Two are better than one: Differences in cortical EEG patterns during auditory and visual verbal working memory processing between Unilateral and Bilateral Cochlear Implanted children

Despite the proven effectiveness of cochlear implant (CI) in the hearing restoration of deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) children, to date, extreme variability in verbal working memory (VWM) abilities is observed in both unilateral and bilateral CI user children (CIs). Although clinical experience has long observed deficits in this fundamental executive function in CIs, the cause to date is still unknown. Here, we have set out to investigate differences in brain functioning regarding the impact of monaural and binaural listening in CIs compared with normal hearing (NH) peers during a three-level difficulty n-back task undertaken in two sensory modalities (auditory and visual). The objective of this pioneering study was to identify electroencephalographic (EEG) marker pattern differences in visual and auditory VWM performances in CIs compared to NH peers and possible differences between unilateral cochlear implant (UCI) and bilateral cochlear implant (BCI) users. The main results revealed differences in theta and gamma EEG bands. Compared with hearing controls and BCIs, UCIs showed hypoactivation of theta in the frontal area during the most complex condition of the auditory task and a correlation of the same activation with VWM performance. Hypoactivation in theta was also observed, again for UCIs, in the left hemisphere when compared to BCIs and in the gamma band in UCIs compared to both BCIs and NHs. For the latter two, a correlation was found between left hemispheric gamma oscillation and performance in the audio task. These findings, discussed in the light of recent research, suggest that unilateral CI is deficient in supporting auditory VWM in DHH. At the same time, bilateral CI would allow the DHH child to approach the VWM benchmark for NH children. The present study suggests the possible effectiveness of EEG in supporting, through a targeted approach, the diagnosis and rehabilitation of VWM in DHH children.

Nitrate removal study of synthesized nano γ-alumina and magnetite-alumina nanocomposite adsorbents prepared by various methods and precursors.

The challenges in water treatment include the need for efficient removal of pollutants like nitrate, which poses significant environmental and health risks. Alumina's significance lies in its proven effectiveness as an adsorbent for nitrate removal due to its high surface area and affinity for nitrate ions. This study delves into the synthesis of differen nano-sized γ-alumina (γA1-5) employing diverse precursors and methods, including nepheline syenite, lime, aluminum hydroxide, precipitation, and hydrothermal processes at varying reaction times. Simultaneously, magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles and magnetite/γ-alumina nanocomposites (Fn/γA5) were synthesized using the co-precipitation method with varying weight ratios (n). Our primary objective was to optimize γ-alumina synthesis by comparing multiple methods, shedding light on the influence of different precursors and sources. Hence, a comprehensive adsorption study was conducted to assess the materials' efficacy in nitrate removal. This study fills gaps in the literature, providing a novel perspective through the simultaneous assessment of magnetite/alumina nanocomposites and pure alumina performance. Structural and morphological properties were studied employing XRD, FT-IR, FESEM, EDX, XRD, and VSM techniques. The conducted experiments for γA5, F5/γA5, and F10/γA5 nanocomposites showcased the optimum pH of 5 and contact time of 45min for all samples. The influence of nitrate's initial concentration on the removal percentage was investigated with initial concentrations of 10ppm, 50ppm, and 100ppm. γA5, F5/γA5 and F10/γA5 nanocomposites had 17.3%, 55%, and 70% at 10 ppm, 18%, 55.16%, and 74% at 50 ppm, and 8.6%, 53.1%, and 63%, respectively. The results highlighted that F10/γA5 can be used as a remarkable adsorbent for wastewater treatment purposes.

Prenylated Flavanone Isolated from Dalea Species as a Potential Multitarget-Neuroprotector in an In Vitro Alzheimer's Disease Mice Model.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves a neurodegenerative process that has not yet been prevented, reversed, or stopped. Continuing with the search for natural pharmacological treatments, flavonoids are a family of compounds with proven neuroprotective effects and multi-targeting behavior. The American genus Dalea L. (Fabaceae) is an important source of bioactive flavonoids. In this opportunity, we tested the neuroprotective potential of three prenylated flavanones isolated from Dalea species in a new in vitro pre-clinical AD model previously developed by us. Our approach consisted in exposing neural cells to conditioned media (3xTg-AD ACM) from neurotoxic astrocytes derived from hippocampi and cortices of old 3xTg-AD mice, mimicking a local neurodegenerative microenvironment. Flavanone 1 and 3 showed a neuroprotective effect against 3xTg-AD ACM, being 1 more active than 3. The structural requirements to afford neuroprotective activity in this model are a 5'-dimethylallyl and 4'-hydroxy at the B ring. In order to search the mechanistic performance of the most active flavanone, we focus on the flavonoid-mediated regulation of GSK-3β-mediated tau phosphorylation previously reported. Flavanone 1 treatment decreased the rise of hyperphosphorylated tau protein neuronal levels induced after 3xTg-AD ACM exposure and inhibited the activity of GSK-3β. Finally, direct exposure of these neurotoxic 3xTg-AD astrocytes to flavanone 1 resulted in toxicity to these cells and reduced the neurotoxicity of 3xTg-AD ACM as well. Our results allow us to present compound 1 as a natural prenylated flavanone that could be used as a precursor to development and design of future drug therapies for AD.

IJCM_142A: Perceptions and practices regarding the use of helmets among college students of Mangalore city- A cross sectional study

Background: Road traffic injuries remain a significant public health concern, contributing to a rising number of fatalities and hospitalizations, in India. Despite the proven effectiveness of helmets, cultural and practical barriers persist, especially among the youth in India. Objectives: To assess the perceptions and practices regarding the use of helmets among different college students of Mangalore city. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Mangalore, Karnataka, focusing college students from selected institutions. Convenience sampling was employed, with a calculated sample size of 270, and data was collected from 273 participants. Statistical analyses, including chi-square tests and percentages, were performed using SPSS version 11.5. Results: Of the 272 respondents (97.84% response rate), 85.66% were two- wheeler users, with 56.6% regularly using helmets. Full-face helmets were the most common choice, and 43.9% began using helmets following the implementation of helmet laws. Main reasons for non-compliance included concerns about excessive heat, impact on appearance, and handling difficulties. Awareness of penalties for law violation varied, with 53% aware for riders and 33% for pillion riders. While 41.5% deemed the penalty appropriate, 65% believed no one should be exempt from the law. Surprisingly, 45.16% advocated for the abolishment of the law. Conclusion: The study found that helmet usage is primarily driven by safety concerns, but a significant portion only started using them after legislation enforcement. Barriers to compliance included heat discomfort and aesthetic concerns. Despite awareness, a significant proportion expressed a desire for helmet laws’ abolishment, highlighting a complex relationship between awareness and compliance.

Orientasi Eksternal, Tanggung Jawab Sosial Perusahaan, dan Emisi Polusi

Companies in open economies with stronger external orientations have come under pressure from customers and other stakeholders to implement global corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities since the 2000s. The purpose of this study proposes a relationship between CSR, the level of external orientation, and pollution emissions, such as pollution reduction. It uses an empirical methodology using secondary data for manufacturing companies. The results showed that external orientation is related to pollution emissions, corporate social responsibility is negatively related to pollution emissions, and there is a proven moderating effect on pollution emissions. The higher the external orientation but with high corporate social responsibility can withstand the increase in pollution emissions by manufacturing companies.

New Light on Plants and Their Chemical Compounds Used in Polish Folk Medicine to Treat Urinary Diseases.

This review contains the results of Polish (Central Europe) ethnomedical studies that describe the treatment of urinary tract diseases with wild and cultivated plants. The study includes only the plants that are used to treat the urinary tract, excluding prostate diseases. A review of the literature was carried out to verify the pharmacological use of the plants mentioned in the interviews. Based on this, the study reviews the pharmacological activities of all the recorded species and indicates their most important chemical compounds. Fifty-three species (belonging to 30 families) were selected for the study. The Compositae (eight species), Rosaceae (six species), and Apiaceae (six species) are the most common families used in the treatment of urinary diseases in Polish folk medicine. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have confirmed that many of these plant species have beneficial properties, such as diuretic, antihyperuricemic, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activity, or the prevention of urinary stone formation. These effects are exerted through different mechanisms, for example, through the activation of bradykinin B2 receptors, inhibition of xanthine oxidase, or inhibition of Na+-K+ pump. Many plants used in folk medicine are rich in phytochemicals with proven effectiveness against urinary tract diseases, such as rutin, arbutin, or triterpene saponins.