The cooperative effect of metformin and tested drugs was realized in an estrogen-independent manner, and, in the case of tamoxifen, was associated with the activation of apoptotic cell death. Similarly, the stimulation of apoptosis under metformin/tamoxifen co-treatment was shown to occur in the MCF-7 cells after steroid depletion as well as in the ERα-negative MDA-MB-231 cells. We conclude that metformin co-treatment may be used for the increase and partial restoration of the cancer cell sensitivity to hormonal and target drugs. Moreover, the combination of metformin with tamoxifen induces the apoptotic death in the ERα-negative breast cancer cells opening the additional perspectives in the treatment of estrogen-independent breast tumors.Adolescence is marked by significant life stress. Recently, school refusal and dropouts as well as suicide among Japanese adolescents have increased. Sense of coherence (SOC) is recognized as a competency that helps people deal with stress. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors influencing SOC in male and female high school students. We conducted a survey with 203 pairs of high school students and their mothers, in Tokyo, to explore their SOC, family relationships, school belonging, and autistic traits. Analysis of the data revealed a weak relationship between female students' SOC and that of their mothers, and no relationship between male students' SOC and their mothers' SOC. Feelings of acceptance and recognition from teachers improved students' SOC, irrespective of gender. Low SOC in mothers had a negative impact on female students' SOC, and children's lack of imagination (an autism spectrum tendency) had a negative impact on male students' SOC. This study revealed the importance of support at home and school according to the needs of both genders.Many efforts have been made in the past two decades into the search for novel natural and less-toxic anti-diabetic agents. Some clinical trials have assigned this ability to anthocyanins, although different factors like the food source, the amount ingested, the matrix effect and the time of consumption (before or after a meal) seem to result in contradictory conclusions. The possible mechanisms involved in these preventive or therapeutic effects will be discussed-giving emphasis to the latest in vitro and in silico approaches. Therapeutic strategies to counteract metabolic alterations related to hyperglycemia and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) may include (a) Inhibition of carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes; (b) reduction of glucose transporters expression or activity; (c) inhibition of glycogenolysis and (d) modulation of gut microbiota by anthocyanin breakdown products. These strategies may be achieved through administration of individual anthocyanins or by functional foods containing complexes of anthocyanincarbohydrateprotein.The combination of the fact-based asymptotic method (FBAM) and the geometrical optics and physical optics (GO/PO) hybrid method is an effective way to analyze the electromagnetic (EM) scattering from electrically large ship targets in a marine environment because it takes the multiple scattering of the ship targets into consideration as well as the coupling scattering field between the targets and the sea surface. However, regarding an electrically large marine scene that contains a large target, the occlusion judgement process for calculating the multiple scattering field and the coupling field makes it inefficient. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a physical mechanism-based improved method to reduce the invalid occlusion judgment between different patches on the composite ship-ocean scene, and this operation enhances the computational efficiency significantly. With the proposed method, radar cross section (RCS) results of different targets and composite ship-ocean scenes were calculated and compared with the original FBAM and GO/PO method. selleck chemicals llc Numerical results showed that the proposed method had higher efficiency compared with the original method with the same good accuracy. In addition, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of a composite ship-ocean scene with different radar parameters and sea conditions were simulated with the proposed method for detection purpose. Finally, the proposed method was used to analyze the EM scattering characteristic of a marine environment with multiple ships.Extreme hunger and poverty remain a significant barrier to maintaining a normal and healthy life, and increase the burden of tuberculosis (TB) in sub-Saharan African countries. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and factors associated with undernutrition among adult patients with TB in Burkina Faso. In the Health Centre Region of Burkina Faso, we conducted a cross-sectional survey with face-to-face interviews of patients aged 15 years and older with TB (n = 302), from March to April 2019. Undernutrition was defined as a body mass index of less then 18.5 kg/m2. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the correlates of undernutrition. The prevalence of undernutrition was 35.8%, in which severe, moderate, and mild thinness were 7.7%, 8.9%, and 19.5%, respectively. Low food frequency per day (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.28, confidence interval [CI] 1.42-7.55, p = 0.005), human immunodeficiency virus infection (aOR = 6.18, CI 2.26-16.88, p less then 0.001), and diabetes mellitus (aOR = 17.52, 95% CI 1.88-162.97, p = 0.012) and young age (45-54 years vs. 65 years and older, aOR = 2.93, 95% CI 1.11-7.70, p = 0.029) were associated with increased odds of undernutrition. We concluded that the assessment of comorbidity and nutritional status should be part of the treatment for adult TB patients.The prevalence of waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS), which is also known as ghalyan, shisha or hookah, is increasing rapidly around the world, especially among youth. Growing interest in this form of tobacco smoking can be traced, in part, to the use of flavored tobacco products, social acceptability as a safer option than cigarettes, and its consideration as a relaxation method or entertainment. However, there is a well-established association between WTS and oxidative stress that causes irreversible chronic pathological conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory problems, as well as different types of cancers, and thus increases the risk of mortality. Clearly, induction of inflammation status through increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), which in turn leads to oxidative stress and harm to lipids, DNA, and proteins, is the most plausible mechanism to explain the potential harmful effects of WTS. Unlike WTS, well-designed exercise training programs increase ROS to the extent that it is beneficial to the body.selleck chemicals llc