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Abstract In this paper, we establish a relation-theoretic set-valued version of the fixed point result of Ćirić and Prešić (Acta Math. Univ. Comen. LXXVI(2):143–147, 2007) on metric spaces endowed with an arbitrary binary relation. The results of this paper, generalize and unify the fixed point results of Ćirić and Prešić (Acta Math. Univ. Comen. LXXVI(2):143–147, 2007), Shukla and López (Quaest. Math. 45(3):1–16, 2019), and Shukla and Radenović (An. Ştiinţ. Univ. ‘Al.I. Cuza’ Iaşi, Mat. 63(2):339–350, 2017) in product spaces. Some examples are provided that justify and establish the importance of our results. As applications of our main result, we have established the existence of solutions to differential inclusion problems and the weak asymptotical stability and a global attractivity of the equilibrium point of a difference inclusion problem. The use of arbitrary binary relations in our results permits us to apply the results to the differential inclusion problems and difference inclusion problems with weaker assumptions than those used in the papers mentioned above.

This paper discusses some properties of complex-valued fuzzy metric spaces and introduces the α-admissible mappings in the setting of complex-valued fuzzy metric spaces. We establish fixed point theorems for mappings satisfying symmetric contractive conditions with control functions. The results of this paper generalize, extend, and improve several results from metric, fuzzy metric, and complex-valued fuzzy metric spaces. Several examples are presented that verify and illustrate the new concepts, claims, and results.

Background: The negative appraisal of emotional stimuli is a feature of social anxiety disorder (SAD). People with SAD demonstrate deficits in neurocognitive performance while performing tasks of attention. However, the relationship between attentional control, working memory, and threat perception in SAD has not been studied well. The present study aimed to identify patterns of threat perception in relation to performance on attention and visuospatial working memory tasks in individuals with SAD. Methods: Subjects with SAD ( n = 27) and a healthy comparative (HC) group ( n = 26) completed tasks of sustained and focused attention, visuospatial working memory, computerized emotion identification, and pictorial emotional Stroop. Results: The SAD group had decreased performance in the domains of sustained (P = 0.001) and focused attention (P = 0.04). They also had an enhanced threat perception as demonstrated by greater reaction time to anger (P = 0.03), lower emotion recognition accuracy (P = 0.05), and higher over-identification of the threat to neutral and nonthreatening faces. However, the Stroop effect was not demonstrated across the groups. No group difference was seen in the performance on the visuospatial working memory tasks. Lower focused attention was significantly correlated with higher emotional threat perception (ETP; P = 0.001) in the SAD group. Conclusion: People with SAD have greater deficits in attention processing and ETP. The attention deficits were associated with enhanced ETP in social anxiety. The link between threat perception and cognitive functions would aid in a better understanding of SAD and in planning appropriate intervention.

Worldwide, HIV-related stigmas had been acknowledged extensively in the literature; real time challenges of stigma faced by HIV infected patients in Indian context were understudied. The National AIDS Control Organization contributed a lot to achieve Quality of Life among People living with HIV with free Antiretroviral Therapy in India; however, underutilization of such facilities by HIV infected patients due to existing stigma showed low quality of life and poor mental health which worsen their diseased condition. This review addressed where and how stigma has formed in India since social beliefs, ethics and moral values are related to cultural backgrounds.

The Microbial Desalination Cell is a novel method for desalinating water that also generates energy via substrate oxidation. The MDC comprises three chambers: the anode chamber, the desalination chamber, and the cathode chamber. The fundamental problem with the technology is that it generates very little power during the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). One solution to this issue is to use a highly active cathode catalyst, which effectively increases the ORR rate. Neodymium-doped ZnO nanoparticles were produced and employed as a cathode catalyst in the three-chambered MDC1 to improve performance. Zn1−xNdxO nanocrystalline samples containing x = 0.0, 0.03, 0.6, and 0.10 were synthesized efficiently through the cost-efficient sol-gel method. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction techniques revealed the nanocrystalline nature and the phase purity of the Zn1−xNdxO samples. The structural properties of ZnO nanostructured materials were elucidated by Rietveld refinement of the XRD patterns, which showed displacement of Zn and O ions and revealed changes in the electron density around the Zn-O bond with Nd substitution. The local features of light emission from Zn1−xNdxO samples have been studied with photoluminescence. The UV and green-yellow emissions originate from the exciton transition and the transition between the Nd3+ deep level, oxygen vacancy and interstitial oxygen. The results were compared to MDC-2, which did not have a catalyst on the cathode. Both MDCs were tested using a saline water solution containing 15 g/L of NaCl to measure their desalination performance. The better reduction kinetics was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry of the MDC-1 cathode. MDC-1 had a higher desalination efficiency (77.02% ± 2.0%) due to the presence of an Nd-doped ZnO catalyst than MDC-2 (59.3% ± 8.3%). MDC-1’s maximum power density of 3.65 W/m3 was 2.78 times greater than MDC-2’s (0.78 W/m3). Furthermore, the coulombic efficiency of MDC-1 was found to be (8.8 ± 0.3%), which was much higher than that of MDC-2 (4.56 ± 0.2%). As a result, the Nd-doped ZnO-based catalyst developed in this study can potentially improve ORR in MDC cathodes, enabling them to generate more power.

Objectives Peritoneal tuberculosis can mimic advanced abdominal malignancy. We describe clinical and laboratory characteristics in a series of female patients with peritoneal tuberculosis who were referred to a tertiary cancer center with a diagnosis of suspected advanced ovarian/primary peritoneal cancer. Materials and Methods Details of clinical features, laboratory results including serum tumor markers, radiological findings, and ascitic fluid evaluation were retrospectively collected from hospital records for patients diagnosed to have peritoneal tuberculosis and reported descriptively. Statistical Analysis Descriptive statistics was performed using SPSS Statistics for Windows software, version 20.0 (SPSS, Chicago, Illinois). Results Between January 2009 and December 2017, 120 patients of peritoneal tuberculosis with a median age 41 years (range, 15–79 years) were identified. Of these 112 (93.3%; 95% CI 88.9–97.8%) patients had ascites and 63 (52.5%; 95% CI 43.6–61.4%) had adnexal mass at presentation. Mean serum cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) level was 666.9 (range, 38–18,554) U/mL. Ascitic fluid was negative for malignant cells in all patients and lymphocyte rich exudate was seen in 103 (91.9%; 86.9–97.0%) patients. Ascitic fluid adenosine deaminase (ADA) level was more than 40 U/L in 107 (95.5%; 95% CI 91.7–99.4%). Ascitic fluid Ziel–Neelsen staining was positive in 4/62 (6.5%; 95% CI 0.3–12.6%) patients while ascitic fluid culture examination for mycobacterium tuberculosis was positive in 7/59 (11.9%; 95% CI 3.6–20.1%) patients. The diagnosis of tuberculosis was based on image-guided biopsy in 44 (36.7%) patients, surgical biopsy in 8 (6.7%) patients, and a combination of clinicoradiological and laboratory features in 68 (56.7%) patients. All patients received standard antitubercular treatment. Conclusions The study results suggest that peritoneal tuberculosis has clinical, radiological, and serological profile which may mimic advanced ovarian/primary peritoneal cancer. Peritoneal tuberculosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of advanced abdominal malignancy.

Background: Choriocarcinoma is the most common form of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia seen by medical oncologists. It is a rare condition and data related to its long-term outcomes from the Indian subcontinent are sparse. Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to assess the clinicopathological characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients with of choriocarcinoma; the secondary objective was to assess the correlation of outcomes with risk stratification. Materials and Methods: This single-center retrospective study was conducted at the Tata Medical Center, a tertiary cancer center in West Bengal, India. We identified all the cases of choriocarcinoma treated at our hospital from the electronic medical records and noted their baseline characteristics, treatment details, and clinical outcomes. Descriptive statistics were used for baseline characteristics, and the Kaplan–Meier method was used for the survival analysis. Results: A total of 24 patients were included in the study. The median age of the patients was 29 years (interquartile range, 25.9–39.5). The median time interval from the last pregnancy was 5 months (range, 0 months to 11 years). The World Health Organization risk score was low in 8 (33.3%) and high in 16 (66.7%) patients. There were 6 (25%) patients who received single-agent chemotherapy, 14 (66.7%) received the EMA-CO (etoposide, methotrexate, actinomycin D, cyclophosphamide, and vincristine) regimen, and 1 (4.7%) received the VIP (etoposide, ifosfamide, and cisplatin) regimen, with the latter 2 being given only to high-risk patients. The median follow-up was 10.9 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.2–28.5). The median progression-free survival was not reached (NR) (95% CI, 7.2–NR). Similarly, the median overall survival was NR (95% CI, 10.56–NR). Conclusion: Our study provides real-world data for this rare malignancy and reinforces the fact that choriocarcinoma is a highly curable disease. Despite the clinicopathological variations in the different parts of the country, the long-term outcomes are favorable.

Background: Immediate loading of dental implants is an obvious advantage. A long treatment period that involves the wearing of a temporary prosthesis may be of great inconvenience, and is sometimes the reason for not choosing implant-supported restorations at all. Aim: In our study, an attempt was made to immediately load single tooth implants in the aesthetic zone of the dentition. Materials and Methods: Patients were selected from Government Dental College, Patna. Twenty-four single tooth implants were placed in 24 patients; 12 male and 12 female patients desiring replacement of one or more missing teeth in anterior region were selected. Surgery for the placement of the implant was carried out, and implants of the Uniti Implant System were placed. The abutment was then attached and the flap was sutured. A temporary acrylic resin crown was fabricated and cemented on the same day. Permanent prosthesis was inserted on sixth month after implant placement. Results: A clinical study was performed to evaluate the treatment outcomes of dental implants installed according to a one-stage surgical procedure followed by immediate loading with prosthesis. Of the 24 implants, 23 showed signs of successful osseointegration over a 1-year follow-up. Conclusion: Within limits of the evaluated data, it was observed that immediately loaded implants osseointegrate, so this alternative was used over conventional procedures that take 6 months for osseointegration. This has advantages, both for patient and practitioner.

Background: Saliva plays a major role in preserving the integrity of oral tissues. Chronic renal failure patient undergoes many oral and salivary changes for which they require special oral health care. The patient undergoing hemodialysis session has altered salivary composition. Many changes occur during hemodialysis that severely affect the flow rate and the biochemical composition of saliva. Methods: A total of 50 patients of end-stage renal disease undergoing hemodialysis for renal insufficiency were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria set prior to the study. These patients were compared with the control group who had already undergone hemodialysis. A total of 30 patients were selected as a control group. In this study, unstimulated whole saliva was collected by the spitting method before and after the dialysis session. Salivary flow rate, pH, and buffering capacities were measured. Results: Hemodialysis had a significant effect on the salivary flow rate. The mean pH of unstimulated whole saliva showed no significant changes before and after dialysis. The concentrations of urea, creatinine, chloride, and potassium in the whole saliva changed markedly before and after a hemodialysis session, whereas no significant difference was seen in the concentration of sodium and calcium. Conclusion: Through this study, we came into a conclusion that hemodialysis had a significant effect on salivary secretion and the biochemical composition of saliva. We conclude that the observed changes in salivary concentrations and the flow rate are mainly due to an increased watery secretion from the salivary glands and also saliva can be used as a tool for monitoring hemodialysis.

Background: Thought disorder is considered to be central to the core disturbances in schizophrenia and was described by Goldstein as aberrant “concept formation.” Executive dysfunction is another core deficit in schizophrenia. With a greater emphasis on psychopathology in nosological systems, the classical thought disorder receives less prominence. The present study aimed to understand the association between classical thought disorder (aberrant concept formation and concrete abstraction) and executive dysfunction. Methods: Thirty patients with schizophrenia and thirty healthy subjects, matched on age, gender, education, and socioeconomic status, were screened using MINI 5.0, following which they were assessed on object sorting test (OST) and selected tests for executive functions (EFs). Results: Individuals with schizophrenia were found to have significantly decreased performance on all domains of EFs and OST. Total peculiar scores on OST were significantly associated with mental speed, focused attention, and divided attention. Total impoverished scores on OST was significantly associated with focused attention, sustained attention, planning, set shifting, perseveration, and concept formation. Conclusion: Several correlations, among performance on OST and neuropsychological tests, suggest that patterns of responses on OST can point to underlying executive dysfunction. Both thought disorder and executive dysfunction mirror similar constructs. This similarity represents a conceptual bridge between the classical and contemporary descriptions of the core deficits in schizophrenia.

The Raša Bay (North Adriatic, Croatia) has been receiving various pollutants by inflowing streams laden with untreated municipal and coalmine effluents for decades. The locality was a regional center of coalmining (Raša coal), coal combustion, and metal processing industries for more than two centuries. As local soil and stream water were found to be contaminated with sulfur and potentially toxic trace elements (PTEs) as a consequence of weathering of Raša coal and its waste, some clean-up measures are highly required. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the remediating potential of selected microorganisms and synthetic zeolites in the case of soil and coal-mine water, respectively, for the first time. By employing bacterial cultures of Ralstonia sp., we examined removal of sulfur and selected PTEs (As, Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Rb, Se, Sr, U, V, and Zn) from soil. The removal of sulfur was up to 60%, arsenic up to 80%, while Se, Ba, and V up to 60%, and U up to 20%. By applying synthetic zeolites on water from the Raša coalmine and a local stream, the significant removal values were found for Sr (up to 99.9%) and Ba (up to 99.2%) only. Removal values were quite irregular (insignificant) in the cases of Fe, Ni, Zn, and Se, which were up to 80%, 50%, 30%, and 20%, respectively. Although promising, the results call for further research on this topic.

Present study deals with the identification of a novel aldo/keto reductase, AKR17A1 from Anabaena sp. PCC7120 and adds on as 17th family of AKR superfamily drawn from a wide variety of organisms. AKR17A1 shares many characteristics of a typical AKR such as- (i) conferring tolerance to multiple stresses like heat, UV-B, and cadmium, (ii) excellent activity towards known AKR substrates (isatin and 2-nitrobenzaldehyde), and (iii) obligate dependence on NADPH as a cofactor for enzyme activity. The most novel attribute of AKR17A1, first reported in this study, is its capability to metabolize butachlor, a persistent rice field herbicide that adversely affects agro-ecosystem and non-target organisms. The AKR17A1 catalyzed- degradation of butachlor resulted into formation of 1,2-benzene dicarboxylic acid and 2,6 bis (1,1, dimethylethyl) 4,-methyl phenol as the major products confirmed by GC-MS analysis.

Psychogenic excoriation is a condition where the patient picks the skin repetitively to produce excoriations. Treating this clinical entity is challenging as these patients often have an associated psychological abnormality. The five cases in this case series include two children and three adults. They presented with skin lesions ranging from excoriations and ulcers to scars and pigmentation. Detailed evaluation was done by clinical psychologist. Two cases had anxiety traits, one had alcohol dependence, one had difficult temperament and one had depressive symptoms. Habit reversal was introduced. Psychiatry referral was given for three cases and started on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. On follow-up, the urge to scratch reduced substantially and skin lesions were also improving. It is important to identify the underlying psychological disorder accounting for skin picking behavior. Incorporating psychotherapeutic techniques into clinical practice will improve the quality of life of many of these patients.