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Inhibiting α-glucosidase is a reliable method for reducing blood sugar levels in diabetic individuals. Bis(dimethylamino)benzophenone derivatives 1–27 were synthesized from bis(dimethylamino)benzophenone via two-step reaction. Different spectroscopic techniques, including EI-MS and 1H NMR, were employed to characterize all synthetic derivatives. The elemental composition of synthetic compounds was confirmed by elemental analysis and results were found in agreement with the calculated values. The synthetic compounds 1–27 were evaluated for α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, except five compounds all derivatives showed good to moderate inhibitory potential in the range of IC50 = 0.28 ± 2.65 - 0.94 ± 2.20 μM. Among them, the most active compounds were 5, 8, 9, and 12 with IC50 values of 0.29 ± 4.63, 0.29 ± 0.93, 0.28 ± 3.65, and 0.28 ± 2.65, respectively. Furthermore, all these compounds were found to be non-toxic on human fibroblast cell lines (BJ cell lines). Kinetics study of compounds 8 and 9 revealed competitive type of inhibition with Ki values 2.79 ± 0.011 and 3.64 ± 0.012 μM, respectively. The binding interactions of synthetic compounds were also confirmed through molecular docking studies that indicated that compounds fit well in the active site of enzyme. Furthermore, a total of 30ns MD simulation was carried out for the most potent complexes of the series. The molecular dynamics study revealed that compound-8 and compound-12 were stable during the MD simulation.

Women’s empowerment is a concept describing the promotion of women doing things independently and in their own interests, being more conducive to their future and physical and mental development; this includes participation in different outdoor activities, including sports. This qualitative study presents data collected from 18 young female students at sports and physical education universities in Southern Punjab (SP) in Pakistan, selected using a snowball sampling technique. The current study explores their gendered and lived experiences of playing sports and engaging in physical activities in patriarchal systems by emphasizing the concept of women’s empowerment in the context of feminism in sports theory. The findings suggest that the participants faced typical gender stereotypes in their families and communities, which position sports and physical activities as being not feminine. The chances for women to participate in sports and physical activities decrease as they grow up. However, the participants used a range of strategies to advance their interests and academic careers in sports and physical activities by resisting and incorporating dominant discourses of women’s participation in sports and physical activities, which also has implications in the internal and external policy domains at the local and national levels. The participants displayed great resilience and optimism, empowering them to enter the male-dominated domains, and thus we labeled them as change agents.

In the present study, twenty (20) structural variants of nitrofurazone were synthesized based on BIODS (Biology-oriented drug synthesis) approach. The structure elucidation of the synthetic molecules (1–20) was carried out using different spectroscopic techniques, and their α-glucosidase inhibitory activity was also determined. The synthetic molecules 1–20 exhibited good α-glucosidase inhibition than the parent, nitrofurazone. Four compounds 2, 4, 6, and 7 showed potential inhibition against α-glucosidase with IC50 values ranging between 0.63 ± 0.25–1.29 ± 0.46 µM as compared to the standard acarbose (IC50 = 2.05 ± 0.41 µM). Nevertheless, compounds 15 (IC50 = 0.74 ± 0.12 µM), and 19 (IC50 = 0.54 ± 0.3 µM) also displayed good α-glucosidase inhibition and compound 19 was the most active compound of the series. Kinetic study of the active compounds 7 and 19 was also carried out to confirm the mode of inhibition. The binding interactions of the most active compounds within the active site of enzyme were determined by molecular docking. Moreover, molecular dynamic simulation of compound 19 was also performed in order to determine the stability of the overall complex (α-glucosidase + c19) in an explicit watery environment. The synthetic molecules were predicted as non-cytotoxic, however, seven compounds 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12 were predicted as carcinogenic.

OBJECTIVES: To determine patient satisfaction in terms of various services such as ease of getting care, in-patient admission, waiting for check-up, staff interaction, medical care, cost of care, and cleanliness in a Tertiary Care Government Hospital. METHODOLOGY: The study design was cross sectional observational. A total of 200 patients meeting our inclusion criteria were enrolled through convenient sampling techniques in this research study. A well-designed questionnaire was used for data collection of admitted patients. RESULTS: Out of 200 patients, 96 (48%) male and 104 (47%) female patients were interviewed. 72% were satisfied with clinical care services, 14% had mixed views while 14% patients were not satisfied at all. CONCLUSION: Patients in general showed their satisfaction in some of the aspects, however, keeping in view the burden a public sector hospital absorbs on a daily basis, and it was imperative to receive unsatisfactory feedback from patients in most of the aspects. Thus, the results of my study recommend to the health care leaders to take practical steps to bring further improvement by developing a proper mechanism for the uplift of public sector hospitals.

The present study comprised of the synthesis of dicyanoaniline derivatives of pyridine, thiophene, furan, and substituted phenyl 1–29. All synthetic derivatives were evaluated for their potential to inhibit α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. The synthesized compounds are classified into three categories A, B, and C based on variable substituents at R1 and R2, and the structure–activity relationship was discussed accordingly. Amongst twenty-nine derivatives, 1–29, five compounds 2, 9, 18, 23, and 24 displayed excellent inhibition against α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes with the IC50 values ranging between 20.33 ± 0.02–25.50 ± 0.06 µM and 21.01 ± 0.12–27.75 ± 0.17 µM, respectively, while other compounds showed moderate to weak inhibition against both enzymes. Acarbose was used as the positive control in this study. The enzyme kinetic studies showed non-competitive and un-competitive types of inhibition mechanism against α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes, respectively. In silico studies have demonstrated the involvement of these molecules in numerous binding interactions within the active site of the enzyme.

A convenient and facile CuCl2·2H2O catalyzed one-pot synthetic strategy was designed for the conversion of readily available dimedone into highly functionalized N-arylhydrazinecarbothioamide based indazole derivatives. The product yields were found to be moderate to good without purification requirements. Structural features of the synthetic compounds were confirmed by various spectroscopic techniques such as 1H NMR, 13C NMR, EI-MS, FAB-MS, HREI-MS, and HRFAB-MS. The reaction intermediates were also quenched and characterized. Plausible reaction mechanisms were also discussed. Keywords: One-pot synthesis, Dimedone, Indazole, Carbothioamides

In recent years, blended learning (BL) has grown to occupy an important space in Chinese educational practice. Policymakers have developed many application strategies and platforms and are continuing to develop BL for future use. In order to apply BL in practice, key stakeholders have been using different learning management systems (LMSs), digital platforms, games, hybrid courses, and various forms of social media to create a framework for BL. This study asserts that many visible opportunities have emerged in Chinese higher education through the applications of BL. The advantages of BL are that it fosters stronger academic achievement, student engagement, and cognitive engagement and understanding as well as flexible and quick communication skills, faster interaction skills, technical skills, and adaptability to ever-changing educational practices. On the other hand, BL has brought about some pedagogical and technical difficulties for both learners and practitioners. This study found that most BL courses are not as effective as they could be because they do not have a strong pedagogical framework. Moreover, BL suffers from the technical incompetence of teachers and students, the inefficiency of LMSs, and the unavailability of required resources, such as certain devices and the Internet. Some higher education institutions have become pioneers in Chinese educational practice and been able to successfully adopt BL frameworks and integrate Moodle as well as other platforms and techniques. However, many other institutions’ attempts to adopt BL approaches have not been as effective. In order to better understand how and in what ways BL is being integrated into the educational system, this study overviews the current situation and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of BL in Chinese higher education.

This research examines how curriculum delivery predicts entrepreneurial skills, with knowledge of information and communication technology (ICT) as a mediator. Curriculum delivery with the multiple dimensions of objectives, contents, teaching strategies, and feedback and assessment was used in this study, and a quantitative research design was adopted. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 482 students at six universities in Lahore, Pakistan, and the partial-least-squares structural equation model in SmartPLS 3.2 was used for data analysis. The results show that all dimensions of curriculum delivery (i) do not influence entrepreneurial skills and (ii) positively influence the knowledge of ICT. Also, in the indirect relationships, all dimensions of curriculum delivery (i.e., objectives, contents, teaching strategies, and feedback and assessment) are associated positively with ICT knowledge. Therefore, ICT knowledge plays a mediating role between curriculum delivery and entrepreneurial skills. The results also show that curriculum delivery for educational entrepreneurs is not working effectively and efficiently in Pakistani universities, and it is concluded that curriculum delivery and ICT knowledge boost entrepreneurial skills. Finally, the conclusions, limitations, and practical implications of this study are presented in detail.

This research examines how curriculum delivery predicts entrepreneurial skills, with knowledge of information and communication technology (ICT) as a mediator. Curriculum delivery with the multiple dimensions of objectives, contents, teaching strategies, and feedback and assessment was used in this study, and a quantitative research design was adopted. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 482 students at six universities in Lahore, Pakistan, and the partial-least-squares structural equation model in SmartPLS 3.2 was used for data analysis. The results show that all dimensions of curriculum delivery (i) do not influence entrepreneurial skills and (ii) positively influence the knowledge of ICT. Also, in the indirect relationships, all dimensions of curriculum delivery (i.e., objectives, contents, teaching strategies, and feedback and assessment) are associated positively with ICT knowledge. Therefore, ICT knowledge plays a mediating role between curriculum delivery and entrepreneurial skills. The results also show that curriculum delivery for educational entrepreneurs is not working effectively and efficiently in Pakistani universities, and it is concluded that curriculum delivery and ICT knowledge boost entrepreneurial skills. Finally, the conclusions, limitations, and practical implications of this study are presented in detail.

This study investigated the relationships among emotional intelligence (EI), relational engagement (RE), and cognitive outcomes (COs). A survey questionnaire containing 34 statements was completed by 338 undergraduate students from the four universities of China, with responses recorded on a 7-point Likert-type scale. The relationships were examined using the partial least squares structural equation modeling. The findings showed that EI influenced the COs directly and indirectly during the pandemic. In the forms of self-regulation (SR) and social skills (SS), the high levels of EI improved the COs of the students. Further, the aspects of EI, such as SR, self-awareness (SA), empathy (E), motivation (M), and SS were found to improve the RE of the students. The RE was positively correlated with the COs, indicating its potential for improving critical thinking among university students. Finally, the RE was a key mediator of the relationship between the EI and COs. It is concluded that the students with higher levels of EI and RE may achieve better COs. The implications of the research and suggestions for future studies are also discussed.

Currently the discovery and development of potent β-glucuronidase inhibitors is an active area of research due to the observation that increased activity of this enzyme is associated with many pathological conditions, such as colon cancer, renal diseases, and infections of the urinary tract. In this study, twenty-seven 2-aminopyrimidine derivatives 1–27 were synthesized by fusion of 2-amino-4,6-dichloropyrimidine with a variety of amines in the presence of triethylamine without using any solvent and catalyst, in good to excellent yields. All synthesized compounds were characterized by EI-MS, HREI-MS and NMR spectroscopy. Compounds 1–27 were then evaluated for their β-glucuronidase inhibitory activity, and among them, compound 24 (IC50 = 2.8 ± 0.10 µM) showed an activity much superior to standard D-saccharic acid 1,4-lactone (IC50 = 45.75 ± 2.16 µM). To predict the binding mode of the substrate and β-glucuronidase, in silico study was performed. Conclusively, this study has identified a potent β-glucuronidase inhibitor that deserves to be further studied for the development of pharmaceutical products.

The present study reveals contrasting responses of photosynthesis to salt stress in two C4 species: a glycophyte Setaria viridis (SV) and a halophyte Spartina alterniflora (SA). Specifically, the effect of short-term salt stress treatment on the photosynthetic CO2 uptake and electron transport were investigated in SV and its salt-tolerant close relative SA. In this experiment, at the beginning, plants were grown in soil then were exposed to salt stress under hydroponic conditions for two weeks. SV demonstrated a much higher susceptibility to salt stress than SA; while, SV was incapable to survive subjected to about 100 mM, SA can tolerate salt concentrations up to 550 mM with slight effect on photosynthetic CO2 uptake rates and electrons transport chain conductance (gETC). Regardless the oxygen concentration used, our results show an enhancement in the P700 oxidation with increasing O2 concentration for SV following NaCl treatment and almost no change for SA. We also observed an activation of the cyclic NDH-dependent pathway in SV by about 2.36 times upon exposure to 50 mM NaCl for 12 days (d); however, its activity in SA drops by about 25% compared to the control without salt treatment. Using PTOX inhibitor (n-PG) and that of the Qo-binding site of Cytb6/f (DBMIB), at two O2 levels (2 and 21%), to restrict electrons flow towards PSI, we successfully revealed the presence of a possible PTOX activity under salt stress for SA but not for SV. However, by q-PCR and western-blot analysis, we showed an increase in PTOX amount by about 3–4 times for SA under salt stress but not or very less for SV. Overall, this study provides strong proof for the existence of PTOX as an alternative electron pathway in C4 species (SA), which might play more than a photoprotective role under salt stress.

A novel reverse phase, isocratic HPLC method is described to separate five anti-diabetic drugs i.e., glimepiride, metformin, sitagliptin, rosiglitazone and pioglitazone. Nucleosil C18 analytical column was used as stationary phase, while mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile:phosphate buffer: methanol (40/40/20, v/v) pH 2.0. Effluent was monitored at a flow rate 1 mL/min and detected at wavelength of 240 nm. This research produced excellent chromatography over a wide concentration range of 25-10000 ng/mL. Sepprated and well resolved quantifiable peaks were obtained and test results were linear in this range. Correlation coefficient of more than 0.9990 was witnessed as well as Low %RSD values i.e., maximum 2.0% documented excellent precision of the method. Good recoveries from pharmaecutical (99-101%), urine and plasma samples (>96%) in a range of concentrtion granted very good linearity, accuracy and precision. The projected method has satisfactory applications in quality control of these molecules as well as quantification of these molecules in urine and plasma samples.

In the title compound, C16H10Cl2N2O2S, the dihedral angles formed by the chloro-substituted benzene rings with the central oxadiazole ring are 6.54 (9) and 6.94 (8)°. In the crystal, C—H...N hydrogen bonding links the molecules into undulating ribbons running parallel to the b axis. Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most important contributions for the crystal packing are the H...C (18%), H...H (17%), H...Cl (16.6%), H...O (10.4%), H...N (8.9%) and H...S (5.9%) interactions.

In the title compound, C15H10BrN3O2S, the dihedral angles between the 1,3,4-oxadiazole ring and the 3-pyridinyl and bromobenzene rings are 12.17 (15) and 18.74 (15)°, respectively. In the crystal, the molecules are linked into [100] chains by way of C—H...O, C—H...N, C—H...S hydrogen bonds. The Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most important contributions to the packing are H...H (19.5%), N...H (17.3%), C...H (15.5%), Br...H (11.7%), and O...H (11.0%) interactions.

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne protozoan disease; it mainly originates from the bite of sandfly and initiated when parasite is transmitted to human at metacyclic flagellated promastigote form. In the current study, a synthesis of a series of 4-substituted benzophenone ethers 1–20 was carried out in good yields and their in vitro antileishmanial activities were also screened. Among synthetic derivatives, 15 compounds 1, 3, 5–12, 15 and 17–20 showed antileishmanial activities against promastigotes of Leishmania major with IC50 values in the range of 1.19–82.30 µg ml−1, and the values were compared with those of the standard pentamidine (IC50 = 5.09 ± 0.09 µg ml−1). Our study identified a series of new antileishmanial molecules as potential leads. Structures of these synthetic compounds were deduced by different spectroscopic techniques, such as 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance, electron impact and high-resolution electron impact mass spectrometry and IR.

Phenoxyacetohydrazide Schiff base analogs 1–28 have been synthesized and their in vitro β-glucouoronidase inhibition potential studied. Compounds 1 (IC50 = 9.20 ± 0.32 µM), 5 (IC50 = 9.47 ± 0.16 µM), 7 (IC50 = 14.7 ± 0.19 µM), 8 (IC50 = 15.4 ± 1.56 µM), 11 (IC50 = 19.6 ± 0.62 µM), 12 (IC50 = 30.7 ± 1.49 µM), 15 (IC50 = 12.0 ± 0.16 µM), 21 (IC50 = 13.7 ± 0.40 µM) and 22 (IC50 = 22.0 ± 0.14 µM) showed promising β-glucuronidase inhibition activity, better than the standard (D-saccharic acid-1,4-lactone, IC50 = 48.4 ± 1.25 µM).

The purpose of this study was to develop a rapid, simple and sensitive quantitation method for pseudoephedrine (PSE), paracetamol (PAR) and loratadine (LOR) in plasma and pharmaceuticals using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with a monolithic column. Separation was achieved using a gradient composition of methanol-0.1% formic acid at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min-1. Mass spectral transitions were recorded in SRM mode. System validation was evaluated for precision, specificity and linearity. Limit of detection for pseudoephedrine, paracetamol, and loratadine were determined to be 3.14, 1.86 and 1.44 ng mL-1, respectively, allowing easy determination in plasma with % recovery of 93.12 to 101.56%.

Cellulose fiber is a tremendous natural resource that has broad application in various productions including the textile industry. The dyes, which are commonly used for cellulose printing, are “reactive dyes” because of their high wet fastness and brilliant colors. The interaction of various dyes with the cellulose fiber depends upon the physiochemical properties that are governed by specific features of the dye molecule. The binding pattern of the reactive dye with cellulose fiber is called the ligand-receptor concept. In the current study, the three dimensional quantitative structure property relationship (3D-QSPR) technique was applied to understand the red reactive dyes interactions with the cellulose by the Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA) method. This method was successfully utilized to predict a reliable model. The predicted model gives satisfactory statistical results and in the light of these, it was further analyzed. Additionally, the graphical outcomes (contour maps) help us to understand the modification pattern and to correlate the structural changes with respect to the absorptivity. Furthermore, the final selected model has potential to assist in understanding the charachteristics of the external test set. The study could be helpful to design new reactive dyes with better affinity and selectivity for the cellulose fiber.

A rapid and reliable analytical method based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection (221nm) has been developed for the determination of the anti-hyperglycemic agent Pioglitazone in pharmaceutical formulations and biological fluids (serum and urine) after clean-up with solid-phase extraction. Chromatographic separation was achieved with a Chromolith® Performance RP-18e (100×4.6mm) column using mobile phase composition of acetonitrile: mixed phosphate buffer (pH 2.5; 10mM) (30:70, v/v) with a flow rate of 2.0mL/min. The total run time was 2 min. under optimized conditions. The calibration curve was found to be linear in the range of 1-10 µg mL-1 with regression coefficient of 0.9996, and the lower limit of detection 72 ng/20µL injection. The method has been validated for the system suitability, linearity, precision and accuracy, limits of detection, specificity, stability and robustness. The %recovery of Pioglitazone in pharmaceutical formulations was found to be 104.7%. The assay has been applied successfully to the pharmaceutical Tablet samples and biological fluids (serum and urine) of healthy volunteers.

In the title coumarin derivative, C12H10O5, the fused ring system is almost planar (r.m.s deviation = 0.016 Å). The Car—C—C=O torsion angle of the side chain is −8.4 (2)° In the crystal, molecules are linked by O—H...O hydrogen bonds, generating C(8) chains propagating in the [100] direction. The chains are cross-linked by weak C—H...O interactions, thereby generating undulating (001) sheets.

This paper demonstrates colorimetric visible spectrophotometric quantification methods for amino acid, namely, tranexamic acid and pregabalin. Both drugs contain the amino group, and when they are reacted with 2,4-dinitrophenol and 2,4,6-trinitrophenol, they give rise to yellow colored complexes showing absorption maximum at 418 nm and 425 nm, respectively, based on the Lewis acid base reaction. Detailed optimization process and stoichiometric studies were conducted along with investigation of thermodynamic features, that is, association constant and standard free energy changes. The method was linear over the concentration range of 0.02–200 µgmL−1 with correlation coefficient of more than 0.9990 in all of the cases. Limit of detection was in range from 0.0041 to 0.0094 µgmL−1 and limit of quantification was in the range from 0.0137 to 0.0302 µgmL−1. Excellent recovery in Placebo spiked samples indicated that there is no interference from common excipients. The analytical methods under proposal were successfully applied to determine tranexamic acid and pregabalin in commercial products. t-test and F ratio were evaluated without noticeable difference between the proposed and reference methods.

The title molecule, C10H10N4O2, is almost planar and adopts an E configuration of the azomethine [C=N = 1.298 (2) Å] double bond. The benzene ring is attached to an essentially planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0226 Å) amidine moiety (N=CN/Me2), the dihedral angle between the two mean planes being 18.42 (11)°. The cyano group lies in the plane of the benzene ring [the C and N atoms deviating by 0.030 (3) and 0.040 (3) Å, respectively], while the nitro group makes a dihedral angle 5.8 (3)° with the benzene ring. There are two distinct intermolecular hydrogen bonds, C—H...O and C—H...N, that stabilize the crystal structure; the former interactions result in centrosymmetric dimers about inversion centers resulting in ten-membered rings, while the later give rise to chains of molecules running parallel to the b axis.

In the title molecule, C16H14N4O4, the quinazoline ring is substantially planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0129 Å) and forms a dihedral angle of 2.73 (8)° with the benzene ring. The conformation of the molecule is stabilized by an intramolecular C—H...N hydrogen bond. In the crystal, molecules are linked into chains running parallel to the b axis by C—H...O hydrogen bonds. In addition, π–π stacking is observed between dimethoxy-substituted and nitro-substituted benzene rings, with centroid–centroid distances in the range 3.6438 (10)–3.7148 (10) Å.

The molecule of the title compound, C14H11ClN2O2 adopts an E conformation of the azomethine double bond and the dihedral angle between the benzene rings is 38.96 (13)°. In the crystal, molecules are linked by N—H...O and O—H...O (with the ketone O atom as acceptor) and C—H...O (with the hydroxy O atom as acceptor) hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional network.