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The aggressive nature of pancreatic cancer, coupled with the limitations of current treatment options, underscores the urgent need for more effective and targeted therapies. Nanoparticle-based approaches offer promising alternatives, with calcium hydroxide nanoparticles (Ca(OH) 2 NPs) emerging as a potential candidate due to their biocompatibility, high alkalinity, and ability to modify the tumor microenvironment. However, their therapeutic potential against pancreatic cancer remains largely unexplored. This study thus estimated the effects of Ca(OH) 2 NPs on the viability of normal oral epithelial cells (OECs) and pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells, moreover, the impact of Ca(OH) 2 NPs on genomic DNA and mitochondrial membrane integrity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and apoptosis induction in PANC-1 cells was assessed. Sulforhodamine B cytotoxicity assay demonstrated a strong, targeted concentration-dependent cytotoxic effect of Ca(OH) 2 NPs on PANC-1 cells following exposure to five different concentrations (0.01, 1, 10, 100, and 1000 µg/ml) for 72 h, with an IC50 value of 152.40 µg/ml. In contrast, minimal cytotoxicity was observed in normal OECs, which had an IC50 value of 481.66 µg /ml. The calculated selectivity index of 3.16 further confirmed the preferential cytotoxicity of Ca(OH) 2 NPs towards PANC-1 cells. Moreover, exposure of PANC-1 cells to the IC50 concentration of Ca(OH) 2 NPs (152.40 µg/ml) led to excessive ROS generation, marked genomic instability, and loss of mitochondrial membrane integrity. These effects were accompanied by dysregulation of key apoptotic genes, including upregulation of p53 and mitochondrial ND3, along with downregulation of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 gene, ultimately inducing mitochondrial apoptosis in PANC-1 cells. Ca(OH) 2 NPs exhibit potent, selective cytotoxicity against PANC-1 cells while exerting minimal toxicity on normal OECs. Their mechanism of action appears to involve excessive ROS generation, leading to severe genomic DNA and mitochondrial damage, ultimately triggering apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. These findings highlight the potential of Ca(OH) 2 NPs as a novel therapeutic agent for pancreatic cancer. However, further in vitro and in vivo studies are warranted to fully explore their clinical applicability and underlying molecular mechanisms in pancreatic cancer treatment.

Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory disease characterized by the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus, affecting women of reproductive age. It is linked with debilitating pain, infertility, and a notable impact on the patient's quality of life. This review aims to highlight the effectiveness of hormonal therapy, surgical procedures, and complementary therapies in managing endometriosis-related pain, providing a comprehensive overview of current treatment options and their implications for clinical practice. The literature reveals that hormonal therapies, including combined oral contraceptives, progestins, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, are frequently used to manage endometriosis-related pain by suppressing ovarian function and reducing menstrual flow. Surgical interventions, such as laparoscopy and hysterectomy, offer pain relief by removing endometrial lesions but carry risks of recurrence and complications. Complementary therapies, including acupuncture, dietary modifications, and physical therapy, are increasingly recognized for their potential to minimize pain and improve patients' quality of life, though evidence of their effectiveness varies. The review highlights the need for personalized treatment plans that consider patient preferences, symptom severity, and reproductive goals. Future research should concentrate on the long-term outcomes of different therapies, the advancement of non-invasive diagnostic methods, and the identification of biomarkers for tailored treatment approaches. Clinicians are encouraged to adopt an interdisciplinary approach to endometriosis management, integrating medical, surgical, and complementary therapies to optimize patient outcomes.

The quality of teaching that occurs in schools is directly linked to the quality of initial teacher education (ITE). This is very important in the area of English Language Teaching (ELT) in postcolonial Zanzibar, similar to other parts of Africa. Although, English is the language of instruction (LoI), many years of poor results on national examinations raise questions about this approach. Despite well-evidenced failure, universities continue to enroll future teachers into problematic university programmes, which perpetuate rather than address the problems associated with the preparation of teachers of English.The purpose of this study is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of an English language teacher education (ELTE) programme at the university level.The study focuses on the grounded stories of teacher educators and their students. It explores the views of teacher educators of English about the ELTE programme.The main finding shows that participants pay more attention to learning English rather than to teaching English effectively. Analysis also revealed that participants perceive ELTE programme as an English language improvement programme rather than a programme that prepares successful teachers of English.Apart from the ‘lack of everything’ culture that all participants referred to as a major barrier, the programme ignores the basic principles and pedagogy of second language teacher education (SLTE). Consequently, taken-for-granted routines dominate.The analysis reveals that many are driven by the symbolic power of English and bear the stamp of positive attitudes toward English but negative mental images about the teaching career.

The cut flower sector in Oman is no less important than the rest of the agricultural sectors, but unfortunately, there is no or very little research so far on this sector has been conducted. Therefore, this study was initiated to evaluate the growth and yield performance of two species of commercial cut flowers (geranium and carnation) under contrasting growing conditions. During this research study, three different sets of experiments were performed. The first experiment was the cultivation of two types of cut flowers geranium and carnation in two contrasting environments, an airconditioned greenhouse equipped with artificial lighting, and a traditional evaporative cooling system greenhouse with natural lighting. In this experiment, two types of irrigation water were used, freshwater and tertiary treated wastewater. The experiment data was collected at two stages, the vegetative growth stage, and the flowering stage. During the experiment, the required data were collected on the effect of water type and the nature of the agricultural growing environment on plant morphology, physiology, and flowering. It is concluded that the traditional evaporative cooling system greenhouse was the best in the cultivation of cut flowers and there were no statistically significant differences recorded between the types of water used. The second experiment was using cut flowers from the first experiment to find out the vase life longevity of the flowers when placed in a container with some preservative solutions. Two different solutions with three different concentrations were used. The first solution was the moringa leaf extract at concentrations of 30, 60, and 90%, and the second solution was boric acid at concentrations of 50, 100, and 150 mg L-1. It is concluded that the Indian Shua (moringa) solution with a concentration of 30 percent was the best, and the boric acid solution at a concentration of 100 mg L-1performed better compared to other treatments. The third experiment was based on a questionnaire-based survey conducted throughout the Sultanate of Oman, examining the extent of citizens' desire to buy cut flowers for various occasions. A total of 907 responses were collected and it showed that 80% of the respondents were willing to buy cut the flowers. In conclusion, the cut flowers can be grown in Oman with high demand, and with the use of particularly traditional evaporative greenhouses conditions and treated wastewater.