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Self-Regulated Learning Through Self-Concordant Goals, Social Modeling And Sustainability Focus, Oana Mandrutiu-Iancu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research has shown that when students spend time reflecting and autonomously selecting their college goals, they show high intrinsic motivation, low extrinsic motivation and improvement in emotional and social adjustment over the first several months of college. Despite of this, it is estimated that 77% of first- and second-year students are undecided on their major and many remain undecided as they transition into their junior and senior year. Moreover, in education settings the primary emphasis is on academic success, but focusing solely on academic goals is limiting. As learning is inherently social, academic and social domains cannot be separated, while …

Development And Testing The Predictability Of An Instrument Based On The Multi- Theory Model (Mtm) Of Health Behavior Change For Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) Uptake Among People Of Color, Siddharth Raich

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

HIV/AIDS continues to be a significant public health problem in the US and globally. In the US, it disproportionately affects people of color. In 2012, Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) was approved by the FDA for HIV prevention. PrEP reduces the chances of acquiring HIV by 99% among people at high risk. However, PrEP uptake among people of color remains low. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and test the predictability of an instrument to describe the intent to initiate and sustain PrEP use among people of color. This research utilized an exploratory sequential mixed methods design based on the fourth-generation, multi-theory …

Developing A Remote Gamma Spectra Collection System For Radiation Sciences At The University Of Nevada, Las Vegas, Haven Searcy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Educational institutions of all levels have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 epidemic with none more so than higher education. The challenges faced by researchers are numerous while performing a study and have only increased since the pandemic. Many colleges or universities have halted research to cut off unnecessary contact in order to protect study participants and research personnel. In the Department of Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences (DHPDS) at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, a solution was developed that would allow scientists and students alike to be able to analyze already prepared samples either in the lab or …

Non-Contact Acoustic Emission Detection Of Rail Defects Using Air-Coupled Sensors, Lei Jia

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Rail defects, whether internal or external, present significant safety risks. Acoustic Emission (AE) technology has emerged as a promising technique for monitoring damage progression and detecting these rail defects. This project addresses this critical concern by testing air-coupled optical microphones for non-contact AE detection. The goal of this research is to investigate AE signal characteristics using both rail-mounted and vehicle-mounted methods, establishing the understanding of AE signals in relation to defects and their effectiveness in identifying them.

This research focused on investigating air-conduct sensors in the lab-controlled pencil lead break (PLB) test. The objective was to evaluate the propagation characteristics …

Cultivating Nursing Student Competency Through Serious Gaming Simulation-Enhanced Prebriefing, Shopha M. Tserotas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Problem: Simulation is an effective teaching strategy for undergraduate nursing students, providing a safe environment for learning in a low-risk setting. However, students are not fully prepared to take full advantage of high-fidelity simulation activities. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of serious gaming simulation-enhanced prebriefing on student competency and simulation effectiveness. Methodology: The study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional, quasi-experimental design using secondary data. Participants included undergraduate nursing students in a southern private university. The students were enrolled in the prelicensure nursing program and the obstetric or the transition to practice course. The control group received …

Delineating Genetic Influences On Neurodegenerative Disorders And Infectious Diseases Through Advanced Computational Methods, Xiaowei Zhuang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Genetics plays a critical role in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders and pathogen evolution in infectious diseases. For example, identifying genetic variants associated with a disease phenotype uncovers functional pathways that could lead to potential drug targets and therapeutic interventions. In addition, tracking the genetic evolution of pathogens enables early detection and warning of infectious disease outbreaks. In both applications, given the large amount of genetic data, advanced computational methods, including longitudinal and multivariate models, could significantly boost the statistical power and capture interrelationships among traits, environmental factors and genetic influences. This dissertation focuses on four applications of …

Identifying Dose Constraints For The Parotid Ducts To Minimize Patient-Reported Xerostomia: Is Conventional Mean Dose Sparing Of The Parotid Glands Sufficient?, Manal Ahmidouch, Shiva K Das, Tong Zhu, Colette Shen, Lawrence B Marks, Bhishamjit S Chera, David V Fried

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify dose constraints for the parotid ducts that limit patient-reported xerostomia and estimate whether these constraints are achieved during conventional parotid gland sparing radiation therapy (PGS-RT).

METHODS AND MATERIALS: Thirty-eight oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients were treated prospectively on trial with MRI sialography-guided parotid duct sparing radiation therapy (PDS-RT). PDS-RT explicitly minimizes dose to the parotid ducts in addition to PGS-RT. Parotid duct dose constraints were identified that distinguished patients reporting high and low rates of xerostomia. Atlas-based parotid duct contours were generated on a retrospective cohort of similar patients …

Solid-State Nmr Compositional Analysis Of Sputum From People With Cystic Fibrosis, Kathy Duong, Evan Moss, Courtney Reichhardt

2020-Current year OA Pubs

People with the genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF) often have chronic airway infections and produce airway secretions called sputum. A better understanding of sputum composition is desired in order to track changes in response to CF therapeutics and to improve laboratory models for the study of CF airway infections. The glycosylated protein mucin is a primary component. Along with extracellular DNA, mucin gives rise to the high viscoelasticity of sputum, which inhibits airway clearance and is thought to promote chronic airway infections in people with CF. Past studies of sputum composition identified additional biomolecular components of sputum including other proteins, …

Cannabidiol Prescribing In The United States: An Analysis Of Real-World Data, Binx Yezhe Lin, Chloe Lessard, Yifan Li, Lisa Gong, Ruth Ling, Pallawi Jyotsana, Jacob Steinle, Jacob T Borodovsky, Fábio A Nascimento, Kevin Y Xu

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Off-label prescribing of Epidiolex® (pharmaceutical cannabidiol) comes with both potential benefits and risks for patients. The aims of this study were to: (1) identify the percentage of people prescribed Epidiolex® who do not have diagnostic indications for Epidiolex® (Lennox Gastaut Syndrome [LGS], Dravet Syndrome [DS], and Tuberous Sclerosis Complex [TSC]) and (2) examine potential co-prescribing of medications that may interact with Epidiolex®.

METHOD: Using TriNetX analytics, a web-based database of de-identified electronic health records spanning >110 million people in the United States, we analyzed 4214 people receiving Epidiolex® in 2022. We computed the number of people prescribed Epidiolex® who …

Genomic Insights For Personalised Care In Lung Cancer And Smoking Cessation: Motivating At-Risk Individuals Toward Evidence-Based Health Practices, Tony Chen, Giang Pham, Louis Fox, Alex T Ramsey, Laura J Bierut, Li-Shiun Chen, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer and tobacco use pose significant global health challenges, necessitating a comprehensive translational roadmap for improved prevention strategies such as cancer screening and tobacco treatment, which are currently under-utilised. Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) may further motivate health behaviour change in primary care for lung cancer in diverse populations. In this work, we introduce the GREAT care paradigm, which integrates PRSs within comprehensive patient risk profiles to motivate positive health behaviour changes.

METHODS: We developed PRSs using large-scale multi-ancestry genome-wide association studies and standardised PRS distributions across all ancestries. We validated our PRSs in 561,776 individuals of diverse ancestry …

Vitamin D In Patients With Low Tumor-Burden Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Treated With Rituximab Therapy (Ilyad): A Randomized, Phase 3 Clinical Trial, Jonathan W Friedberg, Brad S Kahl, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: There is a significant association between low vitamin D levels at diagnosis of indolent B-cell lymphomas and inferior overall survival (OS). To determine whether supplemental vitamin D improves event-free survival (EFS) in these patients, we conducted a comparative double-blind study of vitamin D

METHODS: In this phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, patients with low tumor burden follicular, marginal zone or small lymphocytic lymphoma, age 18 or older, with stage two or greater disease and no prior systemic treatment were enrolled at 7 academic cancer centers. Patients were stratified by histology and FLIPI (Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index) score …

Minority Stress Mediates Associations Of Sexual Minority State Policies And Tobacco Use Among Us Sexual Minority Young Adults, Katelyn F Romm, Erin A Vogel, Christina Dyar, Laurie A Drabble, Patricia A Cavazos-Rehg, Carla J Berg

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: State policies surrounding sexual minority (SM) rights are associated with tobacco use among SM individuals. Research is scant regarding the role of distinct SM policy categories on SM young adults' (SMYAs) tobacco use and mechanisms explaining these associations.

METHODS: We analyzed 2023 survey data from 1100 SMYAs (ages 18-34; 14.2 % gender minority; 66.1 % bisexual+, 29.1 % monosexual; 53.2 % racial/ethnic minority) with representation across 45 US states and DC. Regression-based models examined: 1) direct associations of residing in states with negative and limited (vs. comprehensive) SM state policies with respect to 7 policy categories (relationship/parent recognition, nondiscrimination, …

Delivery Of Hand Care To Patients With High Anxiety Burden, Caellagh D Catley, Sarah C Romans, Abby L Cheng, Ryan P Calfee

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: To determine whether patients presenting with Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) anxiety scores at >95th percentile of the US population undergo elective hand surgery at rates different from patients with less anxiety. Secondarily, we aimed to assess surgeon notation of these patients' emotional states and incidences of postoperative complications.

METHODS: This single-center retrospective cohort study analyzed data from new adult patients presenting for hand care between January 2019 and December 2020. Patients with initial PROMIS anxiety scores ≥70 were identified as the high anxiety burden (HAB) group. For each patient with HAB presenting with carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger …

Molecular Imaging Of Macrophage Composition And Dynamics In Masld, Bin Q Yang, Mandy M Chan, Gyu Seong Heo, Lanlan Lou, Hannah Luehmann, Christopher Park, Alexandria Li, Divangana Lahad, Deborah Sultan, Peter Voller, Kathleen Byrnes, Christina Fu, Yongjian Liu, Joel D Schilling

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Metabolic-dysfunction associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is associated with obesity and diabetes, and is linked to liver fibrosis and cardiovascular disease. Identification of patients who have MASH is challenging and the development of non-invasive strategies to diagnose and follow this condition is an important unmet need. Recent studies in mouse and humans have identified that significant changes occur in liver macrophage composition during MASH progression; namely, resident Kupffer cells decrease in number while recruited monocyte-derived macrophages increase.

METHODS: We developed peptide radiotracers targeted to C-C motif chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) and CD163 to conduct positron emission tomography (PET) imaging …

Deconstructing Contemporary Disposable Vapes: A Material And Elemental Analysis, Andrew Turner, John W. Scott, Thomas Backshall-Kennedy, Maya C. Dabrowski

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Disposable e-cigarettes (vapes) are becoming increasingly popular but there are concerns about their impacts on human health, the environment and resource sustainability. A better understanding of these impacts and potential solutions requires characterisation and quantification of the materials and chemicals used in their construction. In the present study we dismantle nine types of popular, single-use vapes and analyse the components by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and pyrolysis-gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The median dry mass of vapes was about 50 g, and the main material contribution was either plastic (up to about 80 %) or metal (up to about 85 %, and …

Reconceptualizing Property Law's Background Principles In Takings Law, Timothy M. Mulvaney

Faculty Scholarship

Both libertarians and progressives celebrated the result in Tyler v. Hennepin County. This Article asserts that this unified celebration has overshadowed the extent to which the Supreme Court’s reasoning calls into question even our most foundational assumptions about the meaning of property and the takings protections the constitution affords to it. Followed to its literal end, Tyler remarkably suggests that owners may well need to ground their expectations in the property laws endorsed by a majority of states rather than in the laws of their own state.

Suspicious that the Court intended such a revolutionary upheaval of the state variations …

Gc-Ms Analysis And Evaluation Of Antioxidant, Anticancer, Cytotoxicity, And Hypoglycemic Properties Of The Libyan Moringa Oleifera Leaf Extract On Alloxan-Induced Diabetes In Mice, Osama Abdel-Hafeez Mohammed Al-Bedak, Ahlam Rashed, Seham T.M. Oskandali, Nouri Kushlaf, Amal Eishebani, Samira A. Alacrouk, Fadia T.M. Oshkandale, Manal Eisheli, Zahur R. Almesai, Ameerah Shaeroun, Steven L. Stephenson, Fuad Ameen

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Libyan Moringa oleifera leaves were extracted using methanol, and the bioactive components' antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer characteristics were assessed using gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis (GC-MS). Moringa oleifera exhibited antioxidant activity, with an IC50 of 11.53 µg/mL. Wi38 cell line's viability decreased with increasing M. oleifera extract concentration, while its cytotoxicity increased with an IC50 of 393.41±7.77 μg/mL. Alloxan-induced diabetes model in Swiss albino mice was implemented. Three different doses (100, 200, or 300 mg/kg of mice body weight) of M. oleifera’s extract were evaluated for their effects on blood sugar concentration and the histology of the pancreatic islets. …

An International Review Of Skin Conditions In Incarcerated Persons, Madison Ferris, Rahib K. Islam, Thy N. Huynh, Robert E. Davis, Mirna Becevic, Saurabh Chandra, Ross L. Pearlman, Jeremy J. Jackson, Robert T. Brodell, Shari R. Lipner, Vinayak K. Nahar

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction

Methods

Results

Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy For Palliative Reirradiation Of Acrometastasis In The Hand From Breast Cancer, Thomas R Mazur, H Michael Gach, Joshua P Schiff, Laura L Ochoa, Michael J Naughton, Imran Zoberi

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Molecular Imaging In Experimental Pulmonary Fibrosis Reveals That Nintedanib Unexpectedly Modulates Ccr2 Immune Cell Infiltration, Hasan Farooq, Hannah P Luehmann, Jeffrey R Koenitzer, Gyu Seong Heo, Deborah H Sultan, Devesha H Kulkarni, Sean P Gunsten, Rekha M Sashti, Tao Huang, Amanda R Keller, Kory J Lavine, Jeffrey J Atkinson, Laura M Wingler, Yongjian Liu, Steven L Brody

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary fibrosis is a challenging clinical problem with lung pathology featuring immune cell infiltrates, fibroblast expansion, and matrix deposition. Molecular analysis of diseased lungs and preclinical models have uncovered C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2)+ monocyte egress from the bone marrow into the lung, where they acquire profibrotic activities. Current drug treatment is focused on fibroblast activity. Alternatively, therapeutic targeting and monitoring CCR2+ cells may be an effective patient management strategy.

METHODS: Inhibition of CCR2+ cells and, as a benchmark, the clinical antifibrotic agent, nintedanib, were used in mouse lung fibrosis models. Lungs were evaluated directly for CCR2+ cell …

Guidelines On Management Of Hereditary Polyposis Syndromes In Pediatric Patients: Agreement, Disagreement And Where It Matters, Taina Hudson, Claudia Phen, Isabel Rojas, Shlomi Cohen, Warren Hyer, Thomas M. Attard

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Hereditary polyposis syndromes are rare but potentially devastating conditions which require multidisciplinary care from an early age. Societal guidelines, which ideally combine expert opinions and medical evidence, serve as the framework for disease diagnosis, surveillance and treatment. However, there is a significant underrepresentation of pediatric gastroenterology input in guideline formulation, and additionally, recommendations can vary significantly between societies, which can have a moderate-to-high clinical impact on patient care. This paper aims to summarize key differences in management based on societal guidelines and identify some of the factors which may contribute to divergence in care in hereditary polyposis syndromes in pediatric …

Inferring Allele-Specific Copy Number Aberrations And Tumor Phylogeography From Spatially Resolved Transcriptomics, Cong Ma, Metin Balaban, Jingxian Liu, Siqi Chen, Michael J Wilson, Christopher H Sun, Li Ding, Benjamin J Raphael

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Analyzing somatic evolution within a tumor over time and across space is a key challenge in cancer research. Spatially resolved transcriptomics (SRT) measures gene expression at thousands of spatial locations in a tumor, but does not directly reveal genomic aberrations. We introduce CalicoST, an algorithm to simultaneously infer allele-specific copy number aberrations (CNAs) and reconstruct spatial tumor evolution, or phylogeography, from SRT data. CalicoST identifies important classes of CNAs-including copy-neutral loss of heterozygosity and mirrored subclonal CNAs-that are invisible to total copy number analysis. Using nine patients' data from the Human Tumor Atlas Network, CalicoST achieves an average accuracy of …

Sitravatinib In Patients With Solid Tumors Selected By Molecular Alterations: Results From A Phase Ib Study, Lyudmila Bazhenova, Douglas R Adkins, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Decreasing Endomyocardial Biopsy Frequency In Pediatric Heart Transplantation Using A Rejection Risk Prediction Score-A Single Center Study., Drishti Tolani, Ryan J. Butts, David Sutcliffe, Alyssa Power

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Rejection remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality after pediatric heart transplantation (HT). Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is the gold standard for rejection diagnosis, but it comes with procedural risk. The frequency of EMB varies significantly across centers. Since April 2018, our center's surveillance EMB schedule is based on a rejection risk prediction score employing age, pre-HT diagnosis, and panel reactive antibodies (PRA). We aimed to evaluate outcomes in the 1st year post-HT before and after risk score implementation.

METHODS: Patients who underwent HT at our center at ≤ 18 years of age from January 2015 to December 2020 …

Patient Engagement In Evidence-Based Practice Frameworks., Jarrod Dusin, Jill Peltzer

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the cornerstone of contemporary healthcare, promoting the integration of scientific evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values to inform clinical decision-making and enhance patient outcomes. While patient engagement is recognized as a critical component of EBP, the extent to which it is incorporated in various EBP frameworks is unclear. This study is a secondary analysis of a scoping review which evaluated EBP frameworks used in healthcare settings. In the current study, our objective was to assess the level of patient engagement within those frameworks. To achieve this, we employed a patient engagement framework which characterizes engagement as …

A Comparison Of The 2022 Versus 2011 National Institute Of Child Health And Human Development Web-Based Risk Estimator For Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia., Mitch Kinkor, Jake Schneider, Farhath Sulthana, Janelle R. Noel-Macdonnell Phd, Alain Cuna

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE: To compare the predictive accuracy of the 2022 vs 2011 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development estimator for identifying infants at high risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

METHODS: We conducted a single-center retrospective study of infants ≤28 weeks' gestation. Demographic and respiratory support data were used to calculate risk for BPD or death by the BPD estimators. Our outcomes of interest included (1) treatment with systemic steroids for BPD and (2) composite outcome of death or highest severity of BPD at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age. We used c-statistics and area under receiver operator characteristic curves (AUC) to …

Azacitidine As Epigenetic Priming For Chemotherapy Is Safe And Well-Tolerated In Infants With Newly Diagnosed Kmt2a-Rearranged Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Children's Oncology Group Trial Aall15p1, Erin M. Guest, John A Kairalla, Meenakshi Devidas, Emily Hibbitts, Andrew J. Carroll, Nyla A. Heerema, Holly R. Kubaney, Margaret A. August, Sidharth Ramesh, Byunggil Yoo, Midhat S. Farooqi, Melinda G. Pauly, Daniel S. Wechsler, Rodney R. Miles, Joel M. Reid, Cynthia D. Kihei, Lia Gore, Elizabeth A. Raetz, Stephen P. Hunger, Mignon L. Loh, Patrick A. Brown

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Infants less than 1 year old diagnosed with KMT2A-rearranged (KMT2A-r) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are at high risk of failure to achieve remission, relapse, and death due to leukemia, despite intensive therapies. Infant KMT2A-r ALL blasts are characterized by DNA hypermethylation. Epigenetic priming with DNA methyltransferase inhibitors increases the cytotoxicity of chemotherapy in preclinical studies. The Children's Oncology Group trial AALL15P1 tested the safety and tolerability of 5 days of azacitidine treatment immediately prior to the start of chemotherapy on day 6, in four post-induction chemotherapy courses for infants with newly diagnosed KMT2A-r ALL. The treatment was well-tolerated, with only …

Etiologies Of Bloody Diarrhea In Children Presenting With Acute Gastroenteritis To Us Emergency Departments., Paola Fonseca-Romero, Ben J. Brintz, D Matthew Vierkant, Jennifer Dien Bard, Daniel M. Cohen, Ara Festekjian, Amy L. Leber, Jami T. Jackson, Neena Kanwar, Chari Larsen, Rangaraj Selvarangan, Kimberle C. Chapin, Andrew T. Pavia, Sharia M. Ahmed, Daniel T. Leung, Impact Study Investigators

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

We used molecular testing to examine the causes of bloody diarrhea in a multicenter study of pediatric gastroenteritis. Pathogens typically associated with bloody diarrhea were detected in less than half of cases, and inappropriate antibiotic use was common, supporting the use of stool testing in patients with bloody diarrhea.

Identification Of Some Biochemical Indicators To Indicate The Contamination Of Some Fish Farms In Hilla City/ Iraq, Layla Mustafa A.A. Alkatrani, Zahraa Hussein Obaid, Jasim Mohammed Salman

Baghdad Science Journal

In order to establish the possibility of determined biochemical indicators of possible pollution in Al-Forat fish farm (A) and Hussein Ajimi fish farm (B) as well as wild fish samples as a control from Shatt Al-Hilla River (C). Oxidative stress factors and antioxidant enzyme activity were determined in common carp Cyprinus carpio blood serum from two fish farms. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) performance were chosen as pollution bioindicators, as well as Total Protein (TP) as a general bio indicator for fish health. Results showed an increase in all …

Genetic Prevalence Of Antifungal Resistance Gene In Cancer Patients With Oropharyngeal Candidiasis From Iraq, Muhamed Abd Ulrahman Majeed, Abdulameer Jasim Mohammed, Omar Sadik Shalal

Baghdad Science Journal

As the population of immunocompromised patients grew, yeast infections became more common. There has been a significant rate of morbidity and mortality among patients with Candidiasis demonstrating increased resistance to antifungal medications. The main aim of this study was to determine the virulence gene of Candida albicans, evaluate antifungals used for Candidiasis, and biofilm formation, which is isolated from the mouth of individuals in the Baghdad Governorate From 1st October 2022 to 28th February 2023. This study included 120 oral swabs collected from people who had oral candidiasis, with an age group between10-65 including both Genders. The results obtained showed …