Leadership and its connection with social sustainability are frequently prescribed for effective management. Integrating self-leadership among the employees is an emerging area to focus on empowering an organization. The principal objective of this study was to empirically investigate the impact of self-leadership on normative commitment and work performance through the mediating role of work engagement. This phenomenon of self-leadership was explained by using the theoretical lens of the social cognitive theory and intrinsic motivation theory. Data was collected from 318 employees who worked in the telecom sector in Pakistan and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) AMOS. The findings revealed that in the presence of self-leadership, employee's work engagement, commitment to the organization, and overall work performance elevated significantly. Furthermore, the results also illustrated the occurrence of two significant mediating paths. First, the mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between self-leadership and normative commitment, and second, the mediation of work engagement in the relationship between self-leadership and work performance. The findings of the study significantly contribute practically, and theoretically to the existing literature.
Chemotherapeutic drugs have demonstrated effectiveness in treating various neoplastic conditions; however, they can also have detrimental effects on male gonadal function and fertility. Consequently, interest has grown in identifying novel approaches that can mitigate chemotherapy-induced testicular damage. Thymoquinone (TQ), the chief active component of the volatile oil of Nigella sativa (NS), has a wide range of therapeutic properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects. The aim of this systematic review was to identify experimental animal studies that have evaluated the protective effects of TQ against testicular complications associated with chemotherapy. In accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a thorough search was performed across several databases (PubMed, EBSCOhost, Sage and Scopus) to identify experimental studies published from 2010 to May 2022 that focused on rodent models and compared the effects of TQ versus other chemotherapeutic drugs. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria, comparing TQ with methotrexate (MTX), 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP), cyclophosphamide (CPA), bleomycin (BL), doxorubicin (DOX) or busulfan (BUS). The results of these studies consistently demonstrated that TQ significantly improved sperm parameters, the levels of oxidative stress (OS) markers, apoptosis markers, and hormones and testicular histopathology, indicating that TQ has protective effects against chemotherapy-induced damage. TQ mitigated chemotherapy-induced testicular toxicity by decreasing lipid peroxidation and enhancing the activity of antioxidant enzymes within chemotherapy-treated testes. These findings highlight the potential of TQ as a therapeutic agent that can ameliorate testicular complications associated with chemotherapy, thereby providing a basis for further research and potential therapeutic applications.
In the Arabian Peninsula malaria control is progressing steadily, backed by adequate logistic and political support. As a result, transmission has been interrupted throughout the region, with exception of limited sites in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Here we examined Plasmodium falciparum parasites in these sites to assess if the above success has limited diversity and gene flow.