Does Augmented Reality Also Augment Knowledge Acquisition? Augmented Reality Compared to Reading in Learning About the Human Digestive System?

Augmented Reality (AR) has become an emerging educational technology in classroom practice and science education. While most research and contemporary meta-analyses reveal benefits with regard to knowledge acquisition and motivation of Augmented Reality–based learning environments, most of the studies lack a clear and fair control condition. In this research, we compared an AR-based learning environment with a paper-based learning environment for self-directed learning about the human digestive system. In an experiment, we examined the effects of these two conditions for knowledge acquisition, cognitive load, and experience of flow and immersion. Results reveal significantly higher outcomes in favor of the text-based instruction with regard to conceptual domain knowledge and mental representation of the human digestive system and its involved organs. Positive effects of the AR learning environment are limited to a higher experience of immersion.

The Effectiveness of Chocolate in Reducing the Number of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Colonies in Rattus norvegicus

Chocolate has long been understood to provide positive emotions and a good mood if consumed in moderation. Chocolate contains prebiotics naturally from its constituent ingredients produced during the production process. Prebiotics, frequently oligosaccharides, are substances which cannot be metabolized by the human digestive system but can be employed by a group of bacteria in the gut, understood as probiotics. The positive relationship among them provides benefits for the host in eliminating pathogens. One of the well-known pathogens which frequently cause infection either in the community or in hospitals is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Since it was first identified in 1960, MRSA has caused health problems until today. Research conducted on two groups of Rattus norvegicus infected with MRSA and then fed chocolate revealed a decrease in the average number of bacterial colonies on the skin compared to the control group. In the group fed chocolate at a dose of 50 mg/day, the bacterial colonies decreased to 1.28 x 108 CFU/cm2 in 7 days, lower than in the control group (1.46 x 108 CFU/cm2) at the same time. While those fed 75 mg/day chocolate decreased to 2.70 x 107 CFU/cm2 and the three groups were significantly different (0.000<0.05). Prebiotics fermented by probiotics release short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), which compete with the pathogens for attaching to the epithelial wall so that pathogens lose space and nutrients to survive. However, the adverse effect of chocolate may occur because it contains sugar which is a nutrient for bacteria, but if the balance of normal flora and adequate intake of prebiotics are administered, the pathogen could be eliminated.

Development of Video Based on Pop Up Questions Integrated Religious Character Human Digestive System Materials

This study aims to test the validity, practicality, and effectiveness of pop-up questions-based learning videos integrated with religious characters of the human digestive system. The subjects of this study were students of class VIII A and VIII C of MTs Mazro'illah, Lubuklinggau City. This research is a type of research and development (R&D) that uses the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation) model. The data collection instruments in this study consisted of interview guides, expert validation questionnaires, practicality questionnaires, and test sheets. The results of the research data analysis showed that the experts stated that the three learning videos developed were very valid with an average score of 89.70% for the first video, 91.40% for the second video, and 90.80% for the third video. The learning videos that have been declared valid are then tested on students to find out the practicality of the learning videos developed. The results of the practicality questionnaire showed good responses by students and teachers with an average score of 85 and 84, respectively. The learning videos developed were then implemented for students to determine the effectiveness in aspects of knowledge and attitudes. The test results show that the ability of the students' knowledge aspect is still in the poor category with an average score of 55.20%, while the attitude aspect of students shows different things with an average score of 92.50% which is included in the very good criteria. Based on the results of this study, the pop-up question-based learning video integrated with the religious character of the human digestive system material was declared to be very valid, practical, and effective in the aspect of religious attitudes to be used in learning

Role of HDAC6 and Its Selective Inhibitors in Gastrointestinal Cancer

Worldwide, cancer is the second leading cause of mortality after cardiovascular diseases. Among the numerous malignant tumors in human, digestive system cancers are the primary cause of morbidity and mortality. Acetylation and deacetylation are crucially involved in cancer occurrence and development; in addition, the deacetylation process is regulated by histone deacetylases (HDACs). Among the 18 human HDACs that have been reported, HDAC6 has been widely studied. There is upregulated HDAC6 expression in numerous types of tumor tissues and is closely associated with clinicopathological characteristics. Moreover, several HDAC6 inhibitors have been identified; furthermore, there has been extensive research on their ability to inhibit the growth of many tumors. This review summarizes the roles of HDAC6 in different primary digestive system malignancies.

Prospect of microbial food borne diseases in Pakistan: a review

Nowadays food borne illness is most common in people due to their epidemic nature. These diseases affect the human digestive system through bacteria, viruses and parasites. The agents of illness are transmitted in our body through various types of food items, water and uncooked. Pathogens show drastic changes in immunosuppressant people. This review gives general insights to harmful microbial life. Pakistan is a developed country and because of its improper food management, a lot of gastrointestinal problems are noted in many patients. Bacteria are most common agents to spread diarrhoea, villi infection, constipation and dysenteric disease in human and induce the rejection of organ transplant. Enhancement of their lifestyle, properly cooked food should be used and to overcome the outbreak of the diseases.

Oral bioavailability reveals an overestimation of the toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in atmospheric particulate matter

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in atmospheric particulate matter have adverse effects on human health, yet total PAH concentrations should overestimate the toxicity compared to the bioavailable amount of PAHs. To explore this hypothesis, we measured PAHs oral bioavailability in vitro in particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter lower than 10 µm (PM10) using a test that mimics the human digestive system. This assay combines the use of simulated gastrointestinal fluids and a dialysis membrane to simulate intestinal absorption. Results show that oral PAH bioavailability was below 5%, with fluorene, anthracene, acenaphthene and phenanthrene as the most bioavailable PAHs. Data suggest no carcinogenic risk of oral bioavailable PM10-bound PAHs following a health risk assessment via inhalation-ingestion by using benzo(a)pyrene-equivalent carcinogenic concentration and hazard indexes. To our best knowledge, this is the first research study of in vitro oral bioavailability estimation of PM10-associated PAHs.

Morphofunctional Characteristics of Individual Organs of the Human Digestive System

Today, the growing trend of the prevalence of diseases of the digestive system is a very important issue not only in Ukraine but also around the world. This problem applies not only to practical areas of health care, but also to theoretical medicine. The study of the anatomical structure and functional state of the digestive system is the theoretical basis for the extrapolation of various pathological conditions in laboratory animals. Analysis of scientific sources showed a lack of comprehensive morphological studies of the human digestive system. The purpose of the paper was to study the features of some organs of the human digestive system in the morphological aspect by bibliographic analysis of literature. Materials and methods. This bibliographic analysis is based on published peer-reviewed articles, books, textbooks, monographs, abstracts of dissertations. For the purposes of this systematic review, literature search (concerning the study of the structure of the human digestive system) was carried out on the Internet, domestic literature sources, scientific and electronic libraries of Poltava State Medical University by the following keywords: "digestive system", "morphology", "gastrointestinal tract", "colon", "cаecum", "embryonic development of the digestive system". Results and discussion. Digestive system (Latin «systema digestorium») is a system of organs of various structures and functions formed in phylogeny, the importance of which lies in the perception, mechanical and chemical (enzymatic) processing and absorption of nutrients needed to compensate for energy and material costs in the body. Conclusion. Significant progress has been made in understanding the development of the human digestive system over the past two decades. The human digestive system is formed in phylogeny community of similar in structure and function of organs, the importance of which is the digestion of food, mechanical and enzymatic breakdown, absorption of breakdown products into the internal environment of the body and their transport to the liver. The structure of the gastric mucosa is well thought out for secretion and protection against low pH of gastric contents, which is regulated by hydrochloric acid. The pancreas, like the gland of external secretion, produces many digestive enzymes in an inactive form. Activation usually occurs in the lumen of the small intestine. The liver receives most of the nutrients absorbed through the portal vein and then uses them to synthesize many larger molecules

Evidence on the Bioaccessibility of Glucosinolates and Breakdown Products of Cruciferous Sprouts by Simulated In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion

Cruciferous vegetables are gaining importance as nutritious and sustainable foods, rich in phytochemical compounds such as glucosinolates (GSLs). However, the breakdown products of these sulfur-based compounds, mainly represented by isothiocyanates (ITC) and indoles, can contribute to human health. In the human digestive system, the formation of these compounds continues to varying extents in the different stages of digestion, due to the contact of GSLs with different gastric fluids and enzymes under the physicochemical conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, the aim of the present work was to uncover the effect of gastrointestinal digestion on the release of glucosinolates and their transformation into their bioactive counterparts by applying a simulated in vitro static model on a range of brassica (red radish, red cabbage, broccoli, and mustard) sprouts. In this sense, significantly higher bioaccessibility of ITC and indoles from GSLs of red cabbage sprouts was observed in comparison with broccoli, red radish, and mustard sprouts, due to the aliphatic GSLs proportion present in the different sprouts. This indicates that the bioaccessibility of GSLs from Brasicaceae sprouts is not exclusively associated with the initial content of these compounds in the plant material (almost negligible), but also with the release of GSLs and the ongoing breakdown reactions during the gastric and intestinal phases of digestion, respectively. Additionally, aliphatic GSLs provided higher bioaccessibility of their corresponding ITC in comparison to indolic and aromatic GSLs.

Gastrointestinal parasites of three peri-domestic animals in selected areas in Accra, Ghana

Background The rapidly increasing rodent and lizard populations in human dwellings and markets could be attributed to the destruction of their natural habitats due to rapid urbanization and poor management of urban wastes that attracts these animals. The public health concern is the potential for these animals to influence the transmission of zoonotic diseases, including helminths. In this study, the occurrence of helminth parasites in the gastrointestinal tract of rodents and lizards was determined. Results Of the 34 rodents, 61.8% (21/34) were observed to be infected with one (1) or more of Toxascaris sp., Isospora sp., Hymenolepis sp., Trichuris sp., Ascaris sp., or Taenia sp. Out of these, 17.6% (6/34) had single parasite infections, while 44.1% (15/34) had multiple infections of Enterobius sp., Ascaris sp., and hookworm in various combinations. Of all the Agama lizards, 54.2% (26/48) had single parasite infections compared to 18.8%, which had multiple infections. The most common parasite infection in the Agama lizards was Enterobius sp. with a mean of 7.0 ova per lizard, followed by Ascaris sp., (mean ova = 2.7) and hookworm (mean ova = 0.3) at the Legon Campus. Similarly, for Adumanya, mean ova counts were 3.9, 0.4, and 0.8, respectively, for the three helminths detected. The common parasite found in both rodents and the Agama lizards was Ascaris sp. with adults having higher burdens compared to the juveniles. Conclusions This study identified helminth parasites, which share the same genus as those observed to infect humans. Since these animals are ubiquitous in human dwellings and markets in Ghana, there could be a potential risk of transmission of these helminths and other disease-causing agents. We are, however, uncertain whether these agents can survive in the human digestive system to cause disease.