The study aims to evaluate students’ perceptions towards e-Learning Management System (e-LMS) in pharmacy education. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among all undergraduates enrolled at School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia. A pre-validated questionnaire consisting of two domains (demographic characteristics and students’ perception regarding the use of e-LMS) was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the demographic characteristics of the study respondents. Chi Square test was used to measure association between the study variables. All analysis was performed by using Predictive Analytical Software (PASW) v. 18. A total of 315 students completed the survey questionnaire with a response rate of 57.6%. Majority of the students (61.0%) accessed e-LMS to acquire lecture notes for their studies, followed by 53.3% have used e-LMS for the preparation of the assignments. Seventy eight percent of the respondents agreed that e-LMS is very useful and felt that e-LMS is making their studies easier. However, 50% of students claimed that poor network connection at the campus is a major barrier in accessing e-LMS. Moreover, 48% of the respondents disagreed that e-LMS should be taken into account as an assessment criterion for students’ grading. Students are found to be frequently engaged in using e-LMS and believed that online based learning is enhancing their academic performances. Nevertheless, students still prefer hybrid teaching methodologies than choosing traditional system or e-learning as an alone entity.

Compared to their terrestrial and marine counterparts, little is known about the capacity of freshwater-derived actinomycete bacteria to produce novel secondary metabolites. In the current study, we highlight the disparities that exist between cultivation-independent and -dependent analyses of actinomycete communities from four locations in Lake Michigan sediment. Furthermore, through phylogenetic analysis of strains isolated from these locations, we identified a Streptomyces sp., strain B025, as being distinct from other Streptomyces spp. isolated from sediment. Upon fermentation this strain produced a rare class of eight-membered lactone secondary metabolites, which have been for their antitumor properties. We used spectroscopic and chemical derivitization techniques to characterize octalactin B (1) in addition to its corresponding novel, unnatural degradation product (2).
Bacteria ; Fermentation ; Fresh Water ; Lakes ; Michigan ; Streptomyces*

Objective: Human exposure to multiple xenobiotics, over various developmental windows, results in adverse health effects arising from these concomitant exposures. Humans are widely exposed to bisphenol A, and acetaminophen is the most commonly used over-the-counter drug worldwide. Bisphenol A is a well-recognized male reproductive toxicant, and increasing evidence suggests that acetaminophen is also detrimental to the male reproductive system. The recent recognition of male reproductive system dysfunction in conditions of suboptimal reproductive outcomes makes it crucial to investigate the contributions of toxicant exposures to infertility and sub-fertility. We aimed to identify toxicity in the male reproductive system at the mitochondrial level in response to co-exposure to bisphenol A and acetaminophen, and we investigated whether melatonin ameliorated this toxicity. Methods: Male Wistar rats were divided into six groups (n=10 each): a control group and groups that received melatonin, bisphenol A, acetaminophen, bisphenol A and acetaminophen, and bisphenol A and acetaminophen with melatonin treatment. Results: Significantly higher lipid peroxidation was observed in the testicular mitochondria and sperm in the treatment groups than in the control group. Levels of glutathione and the activities of catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and manganese superoxide dismutase decreased significantly in response to the toxicant treatments. Likewise, the toxicant treatments significantly decreased the sperm count and motility, while significantly increasing sperm mortality. Melatonin mitigated the adverse effects of bisphenol A and acetaminophen. Conclusion Co-exposure to bisphenol A and acetaminophen elevated oxidative stress in the testicular mitochondria, and this effect was alleviated by melatonin.

Background::Gastroparesis is a debilitating medical condition with limited treatment options. Gastric per-oral pyloromyotomy (G-POEM) has emerged as a promising treatment option with remarkable short-term clinical success shown in multiple studies. While the post-procedure protocol is not standardized across many centers, the majority of the centers observes these patients in the hospital after the procedure for monitoring. In this single-center prospective study, we evaluated the safety and feasibility of same day discharge after the G-POEM procedure.Methods::All the patients with refractory gastroparesis undergoing G-POEM from October 2019 to March 2020 were enrolled. A total of 25 patients were enrolled in the procedure. Based on the pre-defined criteria, patients were either discharged on the same day after the procedure or admitted to the hospital for further observation. The patient and procedure-related data were extracted from the chart review. Univariate analysis was performed (chi-squared test) on categorical variables after organizing categorical variables as numeric counts or percentages. The student t test was performed on continuous variables after reporting as mean and standard deviation. For analysis with a smaller sample size, Fisher exact and Mann–Whitney tests were used. Results::A total of 25 patients were enrolled. The technical success of G-POEM was 100% and clinical success was 80% (20/25) at 1-month follow-up. Of the 25 patients, 9 patients (36%) were discharged on the same day according to the procedure from the recovery unit. Of the remaining 16 patients who were admitted to the hospital post-procedure, 10 (40%) were admitted due to procedure-related causes while other admissions were either pre-planned or due to social reasons. The average Charlson comorbidity index was lower in the same day discharge group ( P < 0.05). The number of patients requiring double myotomy was higher in the same day discharge group ( P < 0.05). The overall complication rate of G-POEM in the study cohort was 12% (3/25) with all complications being mild without any severe adverse events. Conclusion::G-POEM is a safe and effective method of treatment for refractory GP with higher clinical success in short-term follow-up. The same day discharge after G-POEM is safe and feasible in >50% of patients with close periprocedural monitoring.