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Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into biomedical signal analysis represents a significant breakthrough in enhanced precision and efficiency of disease diagnostics and therapeutics. From traditional computational models to advanced machine learning algorithms, AI technologies have improved signal processing by efficiently handling complexity and interpreting intricate datasets. Understanding physiological data, which requires highly trained professionals, is now more accessible; in regions with limited access, AI tools expand healthcare accessibility by providing high-level diagnostic insights, ultimately improving health outcomes. This review explores various AI methodologies, including supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning, and examines their synergy for biomedical signal analysis and future directions in medical science. By capturing a comprehensive overview of the current state and prospects of AI-driven healthcare, this paper highlights the transformative potential of AI in analyzing biomedical signals. Highlight: • This review shows an extensive examination of the integration of AI in the analysis of biosignals to enhance diagnostics and therapeutics. • The summary details the development and utilization of AI techniques, such as supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning. • This paper also covers the critical factors that impact the design and implementation of AI algorithms for processing bio-signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Big data analytics for clinical decision-making has been proposed for various clinical sectors because clinical decisions are more evidence-based and promising. Healthcare data is so vast and readily available that big data analytics has completely transformed this sector and opened up many new prospects. The smart sensor-based big data analysis recommendation system has significant privacy and security concerns when using sensor medical images for suggestions and monitoring. The danger of security breaches and unauthorized access, which might lead to identity theft and privacy violations, increases when sending and storing sensitive medical data on the cloud. Our effort will improve patient care and well-being by creating an anomaly detection system based on machine learning specifically for medical images and providing timely treatments and notifications. Current anomaly detection methods in healthcare systems, such as artificial intelligence and big data analytics-intracerebral hemorrhage (AIBDA-ICH) and parallel conformer neural network (PCNN), face several challenges, including high resource consumption, inefficient feature selection, and an inability to handle temporal data effectively for real-time monitoring. Techniques like support vector machines (SVM) and the hidden Markov model (HMM) struggle with computational overhead and scalability in large datasets, limiting their performance in critical healthcare applications. Additionally, existing methods often fail to provide accurate anomaly detection with low latency, making them unsuitable for time-sensitive environments. We infer the extraction, feature selection, attack detection, and data collection and processing procedures to anticipate anomaly inpatient data. We transfer the data, take care of missing values, and sanitize it using the pre-processing mechanism. We employed the recursive feature elimination (RFE) and dynamic principal component analysis (DPCA) algorithms for feature selection and extraction. In addition, we applied the Auto-encoded genetic recurrent neural network (AGRNN) approach to identify abnormalities. Data arrival rate, resource consumption, propagation delay, transaction epoch, true positive rate, false alarm rate, and root mean square error (RMSE) are some metrics used to evaluate the proposed task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) has enabled the proliferation of interconnected devices and sensors, generating vast amounts of often complex and unstructured data. Deep learning (DL), a subfield of machine learning (ML), has shown great promise in addressing the challenges of processing and analyzing such data. Considering the increasing importance of DL and data analysis, we decided to review the articles of the last few years in this field to pave the way for researchers. In this article, we used the systematic literature review (SLR) method, and in line with that, we selected and analyzed 56 articles published from 2019 to April 2024. We first discuss the DL models used in the IoT field and clarify their specific use cases. Secondly, we outline an analysis of research areas in DL-based IoT. In addition, our research extends to the tools and simulators used to evaluate studies in the DL-based IoT domain. We also examine the DL-based IoT research datasets. Finally, our review identifies future directions and open issues in DL-based IoT. We aim to contribute to an accurate understanding of the current state, challenges, and potential breakthroughs at the intersection of DL and the IoT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognising human activities using smart devices has led to countless inventions in various domains like healthcare, security, sports, etc. Sensor-based human activity recognition (HAR), especially smartphone-based HAR, has become popular among the research community due to lightweight computation and user privacy protection. Deep learning models are the most preferred solutions in developing smartphone-based HAR as they can automatically capture salient and distinctive features from input signals and classify them into respective activity classes. However, in most cases, the architecture of these models needs to be deep and complex for better classification performance. Furthermore, training these models requires extensive computational resources. Hence, this research proposes a hybrid lightweight model that integrates an enhanced Temporal Convolutional Network (TCN) with Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) layers for salient spatiotemporal feature extraction without tedious manual feature extraction. Essentially, dilations are incorporated into each convolutional kernel in the TCN-GRU model to extend the kernel's field of view without imposing additional model parameters. Moreover, fewer short filters are applied for each convolutional layer to alleviate excess parameters. Despite reducing computational cost, the proposed model utilises dilations, residual connections, and GRU layers for longer-term time dependency modelling by retaining longer implicit features of the input inertial sequences throughout training to provide sufficient information for future prediction. The performance of the TCN-GRU model is verified on two benchmark smartphone-based HAR databases, i.e., UCI HAR and UniMiB SHAR. The model attains promising accuracy in recognising human activities with 97.25% on UCI HAR and 93.51% on UniMiB SHAR. Since the current study exclusively works on the inertial signals captured by smartphones, future studies will explore the generalisation of the proposed TCN-GRU across diverse datasets, including various sensor types, to ensure its adaptability across different applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid advancement of deepfake technology poses an escalating threat of misinformation and fraud enabled by manipulated media. Despite the risks, a comprehensive understanding of deepfake detection techniques has not materialized. This research tackles this knowledge gap by providing an up-to-date systematic survey of the digital forensic methods used to detect deepfakes. A rigorous methodology is followed, consolidating findings from recent publications on deepfake detection innovation. Prevalent datasets that underpin new techniques are analyzed. The effectiveness and limitations of established and emerging detection approaches across modalities including image, video, text and audio are evaluated. Insights into real-world performance are shared through case studies of high-profile deepfake incidents. Current research limitations around aspects like cross-modality detection are highlighted to inform future work. This timely survey furnishes researchers, practitioners and policymakers with a holistic overview of the state-of-the-art in deepfake detection. It concludes that continuous innovation is imperative to counter the rapidly evolving technological landscape enabling deepfakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skin cancer is a pervasive and deadly disease, prompting a surge in research efforts towards utilizing computer-based techniques to analyze skin lesion images to identify malignancies. This paper introduces an optimized vision transformer approach for effectively classifying skin tumors. The methodology begins with a pre-processing step aimed at preserving color constancy, eliminating hair artifacts, and reducing image noise. Here, a combination of techniques such as piecewise linear bottom hat filtering, adaptive median filtering, Gaussian filtering, and an enhanced gradient intensity method is used for pre-processing. Afterwards, the segmentation phase is initiated using the self-sparse watershed algorithm on the pre-processed image. Subsequently, the segmented image is passed through a feature extraction stage where the hybrid Walsh-Hadamard Karhunen–Loeve expansion technique is employed. The final step involves the application of an improved vision transformer for skin cancer classification. The entire methodology is implemented using the Python programming language, and the International Skin Imaging Collaboration (ISIC) 2019 database is utilized for experimentation. The experimental results demonstrate remarkable performance with the different performance metrics is accuracy 99.81%, precision 96.65%, sensitivity 98.21%, F-measure 97.42%, specificity 99.88%, recall 98.21%, Jaccard coefficient 98.54%, and Mathew's correlation coefficient (MCC) 98.89%. The proposed methodology outperforms the existing methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 5G, the next generation of technologies like the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) cooperate with networking artifacts to provide seamless connectivity. To provide effective information sharing, the Internet infrastructure integrates various components of medical information systems such as computing devices, software tools, and application services. The information systems access a massive Internet of Medical Things (mIoMT) to discover a series of network infrastructures with technological innovations to offer remote diagnosis and treatment. In collecting healthcare information, innovative applications utilize medical sensor networks to drive extensive information processing including mobility support. However, the convergence of IoT and the cloud addresses the security gap while centralizing the devices into edge computing systems to protect the transmission flow through the device gateway. Considering this fact, an authentication scheme with privacy preservation was proposed using a key exchange protocol and digital signature by Soleymani et al. to guarantee data confidentiality and integrity. However, this scheme is still incapable of validating the integrity of data with the edge systems properly. Thus, this paper presents privacy-preserving authentication with device verification (PP-ADV) for securing healthcare systems in 5G networks. To protect the device privacy and server identities with registered users, the proposed PP-ADV utilizes two cryptographic primitives namely elliptic curve arithmetic and a collision-free hash function to achieve the significant properties of key agreement protocol including authenticity and confidentiality. Formal and informal analyses show that the proposed PP-ADV can restrict vulnerabilities such as privileged insider and forgery to achieve high-level privacy protection with seamless verification to improve system efficiency compared with other state-of-the-art approaches. Also, a board simulation testbed was designed using Raspberry Pi with Arduino IDE to examine the quality metrics including data transmission ratio, authentication delay, and throughput rate. The testbed analysis demonstrates that the proposed PP-ADV gains less delay ≈ 292.28 s and improved throughput ≈ 87.73 to meet the design criteria of 5G-enabled remote healthcare systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity theft presents a substantial threat to distributed power networks, leading to non-technical losses (NTLs) that can significantly disrupt grid functionality. As power grids supply centralized electricity to connected consumers, any unauthorized consumption can harm the grids and jeopardize overall power supply quality. Detecting such fraudulent behavior becomes challenging when dealing with extensive data volumes. Smart grids provide a solution by enabling two-way electricity flow, thereby facilitating the detection, analysis, and implementation of new measures to address data flow issues. The key objective is to provide a deep learning-based amalgamated model to detect electricity theft and secure the smart grid. This research introduces an innovative approach to overcome the limitations of current electricity theft detection systems, which predominantly rely on analyzing one-dimensional (1-D) electric data. These approaches often exhibit insufficient accuracy when identifying instances of theft. To address this challenge, the article proposes an ensemble model known as the RNN-BiLSTM-CRF model. This model amalgamates the strengths of recurrent neural network (RNN) and bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) architectures. Notably, the proposed model harnesses both one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D) electricity consumption data, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of the theft detection process. The experimental results showcase an impressive accuracy rate of 93.05% in detecting electricity theft, surpassing the performance of existing models in this domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral illness that affects over 100 nations around the world, including Africa, America, the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific. Those who get infected by virus for the second time are at greater risk of having persistent dengue symptoms. Dengue fever has yet to be treated with a long-lasting vaccination or medication. Because of their ease of use, mosquito repellents have become popular as a dengue prevention technique. However, this has resulted in environmental degradation and harm, as well as bioaccumulation and biomagnification of hazardous residues in the ecosystem. Synthetic pesticides have caused a plethora of serious problems that were not foreseen when they were originally introduced. The harm caused by the allopathic medications/synthetic pesticides/chemical mosquito repellents has paved the door to employment of eco-friendly/green approaches in order to reduce dengue cases while protecting the integrity of the nearby environment too. Since the cases of dengue have become rampant these days, hence, starting the medication obtained from green approaches as soon as the disease is detected is advisable. In the present paper, we recommend environmentally friendly dengue management strategies, which, when combined with a reasonable number of vector control approaches, may help to avoid the dengue havoc as well as help in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Boletín Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Plantas Medicinales y Aromáticas is the property of Universidad de Santiago de Chile and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

There is a noticeable growing interest in the use of natural dyes in contemporary textile dyeing, motivated by the requirements imposed, in favour of environmental prosperity. The use of natural dyes reduces significantly both the energy requirements and the environmental impact of the process. In the present work natural and synthetic fibres were dyed with the dyestuff isolated from Crocus sativus L., after aqueous extraction of the dried stigmas of the plant. Additionally, part of the powder was purified by using ultrafiltration technology. The saffron extract and the ultrafiltrated saffron retentate were used to dye cotton, wool, nylon and polyester, in various depths of shade and temperatures. Both saffron and ultrafiltrated saffron successfully dyed not only the natural substrates, but also the synthetic ones, while higher dyeing temperatures produced level dyeing with all substrates used. Ultrafiltrated saffron powder produced brighter and much stronger dyeing to the original saffron powder, due to the elimination of extraction by‐products. Isothermal adsorptions for both colourants were performed on all substrates in order to investigate their adsorption mechanism. It was found that saffron and ultrafiltrated saffron follow a Freundlich‐type adsorption isotherm on cotton, wool and nylon which is a typical mechanism for a planar‐directed dye of big molecular weight. Nernst‐type adsorption was found to occur on polyester which again is typical for the adsorption of disperse dyes on polyester. Thus, saffron can be claimed as a universal dye, able to successfully dye natural and synthetic substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrazin-4(5H)-ones react regioselectively with N-iodosuccinimide in the presence of N-methylmorpholine to form 7-iodo derivatives. Their carbonylation catalyzed with Pd(dppf)Cl2 under pressure in MeOH solution yielded methyl 4-oxo-4,5-dihydropyrazolo-[1,5-a]pyrazine-7-carboxylates, which were transformed into the corresponding carboxylic acids by alkaline hydrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve and sustain the quality of software products, software process improvement (SPI) is needed. Currently, small and medium software enterprises (SMSEs) represent a high proportion of companies around the world and become a cornerstone in the worldwide industry economy. These companies have realized that improving their process is crucial for success, but they are facing difficulties to implement it due to limited resources, limited knowledge, and time constraints. This study aimed to identify the sustainability success factors (SSFs) that have a positive impact on implementing SPI efforts in SMSEs. Data were collected through a systematic literature review (SLR) approach and quantitatively through a survey questionnaire. A list of 44 SSFs was identified during SLR and empirical study. Results illustrate that there is a positive correlation between the ranks obtained from both dataset (rs (44) =.548, ρ =.001). Therefore, there would be significant differences between the SSFs identified in both datasets. In conclusion, the top‐ranked factors can then be used to guide the SPI coordinators on where they should focus their attention to reach the desired SPI goals, which is crucial to deliver the software products and also facilitates in development of model for SPIs in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The induced ovulatory nature and low breeding efficiency of camels makes it much important to have timely pregnancy diagnosis so that measures could be implemented to make them pregnant as soon as possible. The managemental methods of pregnancy diagnosis include response to male and persistent raised tail (tail reflex). Clinical method involves rectal palpation (palpation of corpus luteum, palpable uterine swelling following one month of breeding among bactrian camels and 8 weeks onwards among dromedary camels, foetal skeleton palpation from 2.5 to 3.0 months and then after 6-7 months onward and other uterine changes), vaginal examination (mucous membrane and cervical plug examination) and ultrasonography (examination of corpus luteum, echoic embryo surrounded by non-echoic fluid and heart beat following 25 days of pregnancy). Laboratory methods involve hormone estimation (progesterone, oestradiol 17β, PGFA, relaxin, thyroid and testosterone), cervical mucus examination for changes in its pH to alkaline side, increased viscosity and specific gravity, chemical methods including Cuboni's test for increased oestrone sulphate and barium chloride test etc. where sure positive reactions of Cuboni's test are expected during final third of pregnancy among bactrian camels and during second third pregnancy among dromedary camels. The most practical, instant diagnosis oriented and accurate approach among all is ultrasonography. Few recent advanced techniques like pregnancy-associated glycosylation changes of human IgG have also been introduced to carry out pregnancy diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Viral infections have a history of abrupt and severe eruptions through the years in the form of pandemics. And yet, definitive therapies or preventive measures are not present. Herbal medicines have been a source of various antiviral compounds such as Oseltamivir, extracted using shikimic acid from star anise (Illicium verum) and Acyclovir from Carissa edulis are FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved antiviral drugs. In this study, we dissect the anti-coronavirus infection activity of Cissampelos pareira L (Cipa) extract using an integrative approach. Methods: We analysed the signature similarities between predicted antiviral agents and Cipa using the connectivity map (https://clue.io/). Next, we tested the anti-SARS-COV-2 activity of Cipa in vitro. Molecular docking analyses of constituents of with key targets of SARS-CoV2 protein viz. spike protein, RNA‑dependent RNA‑polymerase (RdRp) and 3C‑like proteinase. was also performed. A three-way comparative analysis of Cipa transcriptome, COVID-19 BALF transcriptome and CMAP signatures of small compounds was also performed. Results: Several predicted antivirals showed a high positive connectivity score with Cipa such as apcidin, emetine, homoharringtonine etc. We also observed 98% inhibition of SARS-COV-2 replication in infected Vero cell cultures with the whole extract. Some of its prominent pure constituents e.g. pareirarine, cissamine, magnoflorine exhibited 40–80% inhibition. Comparison of genes between BALF and Cipa showed an enrichment of biological processes like transcription regulation and response to lipids, to be downregulated in Cipa while being upregulated in COVID-19. CMAP also showed that Triciribine, torin-1 and VU-0365114–2 had positive connectivity with BALF 1 and 2, and negative connectivity with Cipa. Amongst all the tested compounds, Magnoflorine and Salutaridine exhibited the most potent and consistent strong in silico binding profiles with SARS-CoV2 therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from the 3,5-dimethyl pyrazole ring and acetophenone derivatives, five different N-propargylated C-3 substituted pyrazoles were obtained. These derivatives were reacted with different amine derivatives using Cs2CO3 in methanol and 11 different pyrazolo [1,5-a] pyrazine-4(5H)-one derivatives were obtained, which are not found in the literature. The cytotoxic effects of these derivatives in the A549 cell line were investigated. The 160 µM concentration of two derivatives was found to increase cell death rate to 50%, and two derivatives increased cell death rate by up to 40%. The structure–activity relationship (SAR) study revealed an amide group with a long alkyl chain and benzene ring with a p-CF3 group could be important for efficiency. With theoretical ADMET studies of pyrazolopyrazine derivatives, pharmacokinetic phases were predicted to be suitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of bisbenzyilisoquinoline alkaloids have been previously isolated from Cissampelos sympodialis (Menispermaceae). The tertiary alkaloid fraction of the rhizomes (TAFrz) was prepared and the major alkaloid warifteine was isolated. Five TAFrz subfractions in addition to warifteine were tested against Dengue virus (DENV). We then used an epithelial (Vero) cell line to evaluate the cytotoxicity and effective concentrations of the samples against DENV. All TAFrz subfractions were active, but subfraction 6 (a mixture of the alkaloids methylwarifteine and warifteine) in particular showed a promising antiviral effect against DENV-2 with an IC50 of 2.00 µg/mL and a selectivity index (SI) of 10.74. Warifteine was the second most active sample and had an IC50 of 8.13 µg/mL and SI = 10.94. The antiviral activity of the samples compared favorably with that of 6-methylmercaptopurine riboside (IC50 = 7.31 µg/mL and SI = 11.8). These results suggest that bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids may prove interesting leading antiviral compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is a monocotyledonous herbaceous triploid plant that produces the most expensive spice in the world. Its main constituents, crocin, picrocrocin, and safranal, are responsible for color, taste, and aroma, respectively. The saffron plant produces a red-colored spice that is important in pharmaceutics, cosmetics, perfumery, and textile dye-producing industries. Iran produces almost 90% of the total world production. The saffron market is expected to grow by 12.09% in the forecast period 2020 to 2027. This paper reviews the current knowledge about the taxonomy, geographical distribution, reproductive biology, chemical composition, therapeutic and traditional uses, and agro-technology of the world's most expensive spice crop, saffron. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalytic degradation based on microwave irradiation is an emerging technique which promises prompt and efficient catalytic degradation of organic pollutants. Calcium ferrite (CaFe2O4), poly(1-napththylamine) (PNA), and PNA/CaFe2O4 nanohybrids were synthesized via microwave-assisted technique. The properties of the as-prepared CaFe2O4, PNA, and PNA/CaFe2O4 nanohybrids were characterized by the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), FTIR, XRD, SEM, and ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry (UV-vis) analyses. The formation of inorganic-organic hybrids was confirmed by the FTIR and XRD studies. Loading of PNA was confirmed to be 8%, 16%, 32%, and 40% in CaFe2O4 which was established by TGA studies and the thermal stability was found to follow the order: CaFe2O4 > 8-PNA/CaFe2O4 > 16-PNA/CaFe2O4 > 32-PNA/CaFe2O4 > 40-PNA/CaFe2O4 > PNA. CaFe2O4 and PNA revealed band gap values of 3.42 eV and 2.60 eV respectively while for the PNA/CaFe2O4 nanohybrids, the values were found to be ranging between 2.46 and 3.00 eV. The PNA modified CaFe2O4 nanohybrids showed higher degradation efficiency towards metronidazole (MTZ) drug as compared with PNA and pure CaFe2O4. MTZ drug showed around 94% degradation within 21 min of microwave irradiation using 40-PNA/CaFe2O4 as catalyst. The enhanced catalytic activity was attributed to the high surface area of the nanohybrid catalyst as well as improved microwave catalytic activity of PNA. The reactive species responsible for degradation were confirmed by scavenger studies which formation of ·OH and O2·− radicals. Recyclability tests showed that the 40-PNA/CaFe2O4 nanohybrid exhibited 86% degradation of MTZ (90 mg/l) even after the third cycle, which reflected higher reusability of the catalyst. The MTZ fragments were identified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, characterization of KAP13.1 gene and polymorphism analysis in Changthangi goat population was attempted. Association of genotype and sex with Pashmina production traits (diameter, yield, and down thickness) was also assessed. After PCR amplification, restriction digestion with PvuII and sequencing (in both directions) of KAP13.1 gene were done. Mutation at nucleotide position g. 171 T > G was observed in KAP13.1 gene. This SNP created a restriction site for PvuII and an important missense mutation in KAP13.1 protein, causing a change of codon from CTG (Leucine) >CGG (Arginine). The frequencies of A1A1, A2A2 and A1A2 genotypes based on the observed polymorphic patterns of KAP13.1 gene of Changthangi goats were 0.00, 0.427 and 0.573, respectively. Genotypic distribution of the genotypes of a 501bp fragment of KAP13.1 gene varied significantly (P < 0.05) from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The variability parameters for the two gene loci analyzed were as heterozygosity: 0.3360; PIC: 0.27950; Effective allele no: 1.5059; and Shannon index I: 0.5187. The effect of sex on fiber production was statistically significant. The nucleotide and protein sequences showed close homology among bovine, ovine and caprine sequences. The present study revealed the genetic polymorphism of KAP13.1 gene locus and negative association with fiber traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Al-Mustansiriyah Journal for Pharmaceutical Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The phytochemical and biological investigation of Cissampelos pareira leads to the isolation of one new isoquinoline alkaloid (7) along with six known isoquinoline alkaloids, namely, magnoflorine (1), magnocurarine (2), cissamine (3), curine (4), hayatinine (5) and cycleanine (6). Magnoflorine (1) and magnocurarine (2) were isolated for the first time from C. pareira. A new, rapid, simple and sensitive UPLC method was developed for simultaneous quantification of five pure compounds (1–5). Seasonal variation study revealed higher content of these compounds during the rainy season. The chloroform (CPCF) and n-butanol (CPBF) fractions showed cytotoxic efficacy against KB cells. Among pure compounds, hayatinine (5) was found to be most active against KB and A549, while, cycleanine (6) against KB cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted between January to July 2015 in Junagadh and surrounding villages to document the use of medicinal plants for veterinary practices by people living in this area. A total 121 farmers, cowshed owners or livestock owners were contacted personally in the survey with a semi-structured questionnaire. Out of 121, 82 male informants of age 40 to 70 years have responded well and were included in this study. Sixty-seven medicinal plants from 40 different families have been reported to be effective in 13 different animal ailments. A total of 13 medicinal plants were cited 47 times for gastrointestinal problems, which were the highest. Leaves were used prominently (27.59 %) whereas, epicarp was the least used (0.86 %). Large number of medicinal plants reported were from the Fabaceae family (15.38 %). Junagadh area is important due to a large plant biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the chaotic market of fur goods, genetic distinction is increasingly important for identifying species. A vast diversity of species identification methods has been proposed, while little is developed, particularly those easy, fast, and costeffective ones. In this study, a simple and reliable novel loop-mediated isothermal amplification method for identifying cytochrome c oxidase I of felis and vulpes was established. It saves laborious post-polymerase chain reaction procedures and shortens the time for high-fidelity gene amplification. The sensitivity of this method for felis and vulpes identification, which is well matched to quantitative polymerase chain reaction, could be 10 or 1.0 pg, respectively. Predominantly, the sensitivity of loop-mediated isothermal amplification is more tolerant to those polymerase chain reaction inhibitors such as pigments, dyes, or other fur ingredients, compared to quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Even without costly specialized equipment, a water bath is sufficient for genetic distinction. Our approach is a new technique with broad application perspective, such as on-site species identity tests, commercial fraud, and wildlife crimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Carica papaya leaf juice (CPLJ) was well known for its thrombocytosis activity in rodents and dengue patients. However, the effect of CPLJ treatment on other parameters that could contribute to dengue pathogenesis such as nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) production and viremia level have never been highlighted in any clinical and in vivo studies. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of freeze-dried CPLJ treatment on NS1 and viremia levels of dengue fever mouse model. Methods: The dengue infection in mouse model was established by inoculation of non-mouse adapted New Guinea C strain dengue virus (DEN-2) in AG129 mice. The freeze-dried CPLJ compounds were identified by Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography High Resolution Accurate Mass Spectrometry analysis. The infected AG129 mice were orally treated with 500 mg/kg/day and 1000 mg/kg/day of freeze-dried CPLJ, starting on day 1 post infection for 3 consecutive days. The blood samples were collected from submandibular vein for plasma NS1 assay and quantitation of viral RNA level by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Results: The AG129 mice infected with dengue virus showed marked increase in the production of plasma NS1, which was detectable on day 1 post infection, peaked on day 3 post-infection and started to decline from day 5 post infection. The infection also caused splenomegaly. Twenty-four compounds were identified in the freeze-dried CPLJ. Oral treatment with 500 mg/kg/day and 1000 mg/kg/day of freeze-dried CPLJ did not affect the plasma NS1 and dengue viral RNA levels. However, the morbidity level of infected AG129 mice were slightly decreased when treated with freeze-dried CPLJ. Conclusion: Oral treatment of 500 mg/kg/day and 1000 mg/kg/day of freeze-dried CPLJ at the onset of viremia did not affect the plasma NS1 and viral RNA levels in AG129 mice infected with non-mouse adapted New Guinea C strain dengue virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerial parts of Cissampelos pareira L. (Family: Menispermaceae), commonly known as "Batulpate" in Nepal, are used for the treatment of fever, indigestion and to stop bleeding after child birth. In this study, a biflavonoid, amentoflavone; and two kaempferol glycosides, kaempferol 3-O-β -D-glucopyranoside and kaempferol 3-O-β - D-glucuronopyranoside were isolated from 70% MeOH extract of the aerial parts. Structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of 1H- and 13C-NMR spectral data. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first report on the isolation of these compounds from a plant belonging to family Menispermaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (DR-TB) is a significant public health issue that considerably deters the ongoing TB control efforts in India. The purpose of this review was to investigate the prevalence of DR-TB and understand the regional variation in resistance pattern across India from 1995 to 2015, based on a large body of published epidemiological studies.Methods: A systematic review of published studies reporting prevalence of DR-TB from biomedical databases (PubMed and IndMed) was conducted. Meta-analysis was performed using random effects model and the pooled prevalence estimate (95% confidence interval [CI]) of DR-TB, multidrug resistant (MDR-) TB, pre-extensively drug-resistant (pre-XDR) TB and XDR-TB were calculated across two study periods (decade 1: 1995 to 2005; decade 2: 2006 to 2015), countrywide and in different regions. Heterogeneity in this meta-analysis was assessed using I2 statistic.Results: A total of 75 of 635 screened studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were selected. Over 40% of 45,076 isolates suspected for resistance to any first-line anti-TB drugs tested positive. Comparative analysis revealed a worsening trend in DR-TB between the two study decades (decade 1: 37.7% [95% CI = 29.0; 46.4], n = 25 vs decade 2: 46.1% [95% CI = 39.0; 53.2], n = 36). The pooled estimate of MDR-TB resistance was higher in previously treated patients (decade 1: 29.8% [95% CI = 20.7; 39.0], n = 13; decade 2: 35.8% [95% CI = 29.2; 42.4], n = 24) as compared with the newly diagnosed cases (decade 1: 4.1% [95% CI = 2.7; 5.6], n = 13; decade 2: 5.6% [95% CI = 3.8; 7.4], n = 17). Overall, studies from Western states of India reported highest prevalence of DR-TB (57.8% [95% CI = 37.4; 78.2], n = 6) and MDR-TB (39.9% [95% CI = 21.7; 58.0], n = 6) during decade 2. Prevalence of pre-XDR TB was 7.9% (95% CI = 4.4; 11.4, n = 5) with resistance to fluoroquinolone (66.3% [95% CI = 58.2; 74.4], n = 5) being the highest. The prevalence of XDR-TB was 1.9% (95% CI = 1.2; 2.6, n = 14) over the 20-year period.Conclusion: The alarming increase in the trend of anti-TB drug resistance in India warrants the need for a structured nationwide surveillance to assist the National TB Control Program in strengthening treatment strategies for improved outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new series of thiazoles, quinolones, and thiazolidinones merged with benzimidazole, benzoxazole, and benzothiazole nuclei were synthesized. The compounds were subjected to Infrared, H nuclear magnetic resonance, C nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, and elemental analyses. Cytotoxic activity of compounds were evaluated against breast (MCF-7) and colon (HCT-116) cell lines. Seven of the compounds had IC values between 0.0112 and 0.0198 µM and are hence more potent than the reference drug doxorubicin (IC = 0.0084 and 0.0088 µM against MCF-7 and HCT-116, respectively). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Severe dengue fever is a result of exacerbated immune responses and no specific treatments are available. We evaluated the antiviral and immunomodulatory effects of Norantea brasiliensis Choisy. Methods: Human adherent monocytes infected in vitro with dengue virus (DENV)-2 were incubated with the crude ethanol extract from leaves (NB1) or 3 derived fractions: dichloromethane (NB3), ethyl acetate (NB5), and butanolic (NB6) partitions. The antiviral and immunomodulatory activities were determined by intracellular detection of DENV antigen within monocytes and by secreted NS1 viral protein and cytokines. Results: The crude extract alone exhibited both antiviral activities (intracellular and secreted antigens) and all fractions derived from this extract modulated NS1 production. Regarding the immunomodulatory effect, among the secreted factors, TNF-α was inhibited by NB3 and NB6; IL-6 was inhibited by NB1, NB3, and NB6; IL-10 by NB1 and NB3; and IFN-α by NB6. The crude extract (NB1) presented the best antiviral effect, whereas the dichloromethane fraction (NB3) presented an immunomodulatory effect in the inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Conclusion: During in vitro DENV infection, N. brasiliensis Choisy exerts both antiviral and immunomodulatory effects that are likely associated, considering that less viral load may lead to less immunostimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the first postpartum heat, termed the foal heat, characteristics and performance in female donkey (jenny) of Martina Franca are described. To this end, the follicular development of 42 jennies during foal heat was compared with that of 31 jennies at the third estrus after foaling. Estrus length (7.1±0.9 and 6.8±0.7 days), follicular development and preovulatory follicle size (43.7±3.5 and 45.1±2.5 mm) were similar between jennies during the foal heat and during the third estrus after foaling. The pregnancy rate at day 14 was significantly lower in the foal heat jennies (57.1%) than the third estrus jennies (82.3%). However, the pregnancy rate at day 14 in foal heat jennies increased significantly when the onset of foal heat was ⩾8 days after foaling (93.8%) or when the ovulation happened ⩾12 days after foaling (85.7%). The data provided in the present study suggest that the foal heat in the endangered jennies of Martina Franca could be successfully utilized to reduce the interpartum period if the onset of foal heat occurs >8 days after foaling. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

N-protected amino acids were reacted with substituted benzothiazoles to give the correspondingN-protected amino acid-benzothiazole conjugates (60–89%). Their structures were confirmed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR), IR and elemental analysis. Their carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) inhibitory activities were determined against two cytosolic human isoforms (hCA I and hCA II), one membrane-associated (hCA IV) and one transmembrane (hCA XII) enzyme by a stopped-flow CO2hydrase assay method. The new compounds showed rather weak, micromolar inhibitory activity against most of these enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present study reports a microwave-assisted method for the synthesis of twelve novel tricyclic 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives in which dimethyl-substituted cyclohexane and / or tetrahydrothiophene rings are fused to the DHP ring. The structures of the compounds were confirmed by spectral methods and elemental analysis. The potassium channel opening effects of the compounds were determined on rat mesenteric arteries and urinary bladders. The obtained results indicated that some compounds produced mesenteric artery-selective relaxant properties and the effects of these compounds were mediated through ATP-sensitive potassium channels. The replacement of the second tetrahydrothiophene ring with dimethyl-substituted cyclohexane ring led to more active compounds. Docking studies were carried out to understand the interactions of the compounds with the active site of potassium channel. The unsubstituted nitrogen atom on the 1,4-dihydropyridine ring and one of the sulfonyl oxygens were found to be important for the formation of hydrogen bonds to stabilize the compound in the center of the cavity. The nature and position of phenyl ring substituents were also effective on the activity of the compounds. Finally, a theoretical study was established to predict the ADME of the most active compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate nutritional status of high yielding dairy cattle around parturition. Materials and methods: Nutritional status of cows around the peri-parturient period was investigated for six months in dairy farm. Seven to eight months' pregnant cows were selected for this study. Blood samples from 24 randomly selected cows were collected at stage-1, -2 and -3. The serum was stored at -20°C until analyzing glucose, total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), triglycerides (Tg), cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and phosphorus (P). Results: An increasing trend of glucose level was evidenced (P=0.07) during stage-1. Instead, higher levels of TP were found during stage-3 as compared to the stage-1 and -2. The Alb levels differed significantly (P<0.01) among different stages. A significantly increased (P<0.01) cholesterol, Tg, and HDL were found after parturition (stage-2 and -3) than before parturition (stage-1). LDL was significantly (P=0.02) increased during stage-2 and -3. A significantly higher level of Ca (P<0.01), Mg (P<0.01) and P (P=0.03) were present during stage-1. Glucose, TP, cholesterol and Tg were significantly higher (P<0.01) in cows two months after parturition, while Alb was found to be the highest (P<0.01) in cows immediately after parturition. An increasing trend of LDL (P=0.07) and HDL (P=0.07) were found in the cows two months after parturition. However, Ca levels were significantly (P=0.04) higher in cows two months after parturition. Conclusion: The results indicate that there is alteration of biochemical levels among the study population at three different stages, and these data may be helpful in using the necessary nutrients to the the high yielding cows around their parturition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease, poses a significant global public health risk. In tropical countries such as India where periodic dengue outbreaks can be correlated to the high prevalence of the mosquito vector, circulation of all four dengue viruses (DENVs) and the high population density, a drug for dengue is being increasingly recognized as an unmet public health need. Methodology/Principal findings: Using the knowledge of traditional Indian medicine, Ayurveda, we developed a systematic bioassay-guided screening approach to explore the indigenous herbal bio-resource to identify plants with pan-DENV inhibitory activity. Our results show that the alcoholic extract of Cissampelos pariera Linn (Cipa extract) was a potent inhibitor of all four DENVs in cell-based assays, assessed in terms of viral NS1 antigen secretion using ELISA, as well as viral replication, based on plaque assays. Virus yield reduction assays showed that Cipa extract could decrease viral titers by an order of magnitude. The extract conferred statistically significant protection against DENV infection using the AG129 mouse model. A preliminary evaluation of the clinical relevance of Cipa extract showed that it had no adverse effects on platelet counts and RBC viability. In addition to inherent antipyretic activity in Wistar rats, it possessed the ability to down-regulate the production of TNF-α, a cytokine implicated in severe dengue disease. Importantly, it showed no evidence of toxicity in Wistar rats, when administered at doses as high as 2g/Kg body weight for up to 1 week. Conclusions/Significance: Our findings above, taken in the context of the human safety of Cipa, based on its use in Indian traditional medicine, warrant further work to explore Cipa as a source for the development of an inexpensive herbal formulation for dengue therapy. This may be of practical relevance to a dengue-endemic resource-poor country such as India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new 5-arylmethylene-3-phenyl-4-thioxo-2-thiazolidinone derivatives have been synthesized by condensation ofω-(4-formylphenoxy)acetophenone derivatives with 3-phenyl-4-thioxo-2-thiazolidinone, in good yields. The cycloaddition of the newly synthesized compounds toN-arylmaleimides, ethyl acrylate andω-nitrostyrene has been studied. Under thermal reaction conditions [4+2] cycloaddition proceeds with complete site- and regioselectivity to yield the new fused thiopyrano[2,3-d]thiazole derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate heparin-induced in vitro capacitation-associated changes in spermatozoa of swamp buffalo. Therefore, freshly ejaculated and washed spermatozoa of 8 swamp buffalo bulls were capacitated in vitro in TALP medium supplemented with BSA, heparin, and HEPES buffer at a concentration of 6 × 109 spermatozoa/mL at 37 °C for 6 h. Capacitation status of spermatozoa in terms of the hyperactivated motility, acrosome membrane integrity, total hypoosmotic swelling test (HOST), activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and sperm membrane protein (SMP) and cholesterol content were estimated for each ejaculate at 1-h intervals from 0 to 6 h of incubation. The results revealed that the highest hyperactivation of spermatozoa (74.50 ± 1.78%) and live acrosome reaction (56.92 ± 1.88%) was recorded at 4 h of incubation while the total HOST-reacted spermatozoa and SMP and cholesterol levels decreased significantly (P < 0.01) with increasing period of incubation. The AST and ALT activities increased significantly (P < 0.01) as incubation period increased. In conclusion, heparin induces in vitro capacitation changes in swamp buffalo spermatozoa as evidenced by the highest hyperactivation of spermatozoa and live acrosome reaction at 4 h of incubation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several benzazoles (benzoxazoles, benzothiazoles, and benzimidazoles) and azoles (1 $$H$$ -1,2,4-triazole-5(4 $$H$$ )-thiones and 1,2,4-oxadiazoles) bearing a sulfonamide moiety were efficiently prepared via the reactions of dimethyl (arylsulfonyl) dithioimidocarbonate derivatives and their 2-aminobenzene precursors, thiosemicarbazides, and amidoximes, respectively, in the presence of $$\hbox {K}_{2}\hbox {CO}_{3}$$ as a base in aqueous ethanol (25 %) as a green media in moderate to excellent yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new series of piperazine-based benzothiazolyl-4-thiazolidinones has been yielded efficiently via highly accelerated N-formylation of 1-(4-methoxyphenyl) piperazine using sulfated tungstate, a mild heterogeneous catalyst. The formylated piperazine moiety was then condensed with substituted 2-aminobenzothiazoles to form corresponding Schiff base intermediates which were then treated with thioglycolic acid to equip a new class of 4-thiazolidinones. New products were examined for their antibacterial effects against two Gram-positive ( S. aureus and B. subtilis) and two Gram-negative ( E. coli and P. aeruginosa) strains and were highly potent with lowest MIC values 1-4 μg mL, more potent than control drugs ciprofloxacin (3.12-6.25 μg mL). The structural assignments of the new products were done on the basis of FT-IR, H NMR, C NMR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perennial flowering plant, saffron crocus ( Crocus sativus L.), is the source of the most expensive spice in the world. The dried stigmas of saffron flowers are the source of a natural dye, saffron, which has been used from ancient times for dyeing silk and fabric rugs, and for painting; it also has been used for cooking and in medicine. The yellow compounds present in the dye include crocins, which are 20-carbon water soluble glycosyl derivatives of the carotenoid, crocetin, and the dicarboxylic acid itself. We review the chemistry of these compounds and discuss various applications of saffron as a natural dye. We review in particular the use of saffron or its constituents in histopathologic techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To evaluate anti-proliferative as well as apoptotic activities of compounds identified in chloroform extract of Juglans regia leaves, on human breast and oral cancer cell lines ( MCF-7 and BHY). Materials and methods Column chromatography, MTT assay, flowcytometry and western blotting have all been used in the study. Results Bioassay-guided fractionation of chloroform extract of J. regia afforded isolation of 5-hydroxy-3,7,4′-trimethoxyflavone [ 1], lupeol [ 2], daucosterol [ 3], 4-hydroxy-α -tetralone [ 4], β-sitosterol [ 5], 5,7- dihydroxy-3,4′-dimethoxyflavone [ 6] and regiolone [ 7]. Structures of the compounds were established on the basis of spectroscopic analyses [Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass]. All compounds inhibited proliferation of MCF-7 (human breast adenocarcinoma) and BHY (human oral squamous carcinoma) cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Compounds 6 and 7 had potent cytotoxic effects on both MCF-7 and BHY cells ( IC50 21-51 μ m), yet were not toxic to normal cells. MCF-7 growth inhibition was attributed to apoptosis; population of apoptotic cells increased from 1.12% in controls to 5.64 and 8.1% after 48-h treatment with compounds 6 and 7, indicating their potential at inducing early and late apoptosis. The caspase cascade was not activated, as indicated by only insignificant cleavage of caspase-3. Conclusions Our results suggest that compounds 6 and 7 can induce apoptosis in MCF-7 cells through the caspase-3 independent pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]