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It has been two years since vaccination for COVID-19 was launched worldwide. In Pakistan, the vaccination started in the beginning of 2020. Since then, several side effects were reported after vaccination, including soreness of the arm, fever, chills, malaise and diarrhoea. Axillary lymphadenopathy has been found to be associated with several conditions that include autoimmune disorders, infections, malignancy and some idiopathic causes. We present a rare case of a 30-y old female with recent recovery from COVID-19, who developed ipsilateral axillary lymphadenopathy after 15 days of Sinovac vaccination. Ultrasonography was done to confirm the diagnosis and its spread towards breast and cervical region. This case report discusses some key points and recommendations regarding unilateral axillary lymphadenopathy after COVID-19 vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pot experiment was conducted at Horticulture Experimental Area, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan to investigate the combined effects of NPK and organic manures on growth and yield of carrot, for two consecutive years. The experiment was laid out in CRD with six treatments and four replications. Five different organic manures such as poultry manure (PM), sewage sludge (SS), farmyard manure (FYM), press mud (PrM) and goat manure (GM) were applied in combination with NPK, each at recommended levels for two successive years. A fertilizer check (control) was also included as treatment where no fertilizer and manure were used. The study revealed significant improvements in almost all growth and yield attributes by combined application of NPK and organic manures. Among different combinations, NPK + PM surpassed all other treatments by giving maximum leaves per plant (8.73 and 8.13), leaf length (38.17 and 36.77cm), root length (29.30 and 24.83cm), root diameter (3.10 and 3.27cm), root weight per plant (142.40 and 142.00g), total biomass per plant (169.33 and 166.67g) and root yield (56.67 and 56.83 t/ha), during both the experimental years. Similarly, NPK combination with green manure and sewage sludge also produced better results pertaining to carrot growth and production for two consecutive years. It was also observed during the study that control treatment showed poorest findings and placed at lowest levels.

The aim of this research paper is to study two-dimension flow of Casson hybrid nanofluid along with magnetic field, heat generation and absorption, and viscous dissipation on a nonlinear extending surface. The primary goal of this study is to improve the heat transfer relationship, which is in high demand in the manufacturing and engineering industries. The outputs of this study will be used to reduce the energy consumption in industry and other engineering fields,for example, the achievement of energy is not enough, but also to adjust the consumptions of energy and this is possible only to approve the development heat transmission liquids to mechanism the expenditures of energy and to improvement. The described similarity transformation is used to convert the non-dimensionless form of the nonlinear partial differential equation to the dimensionless form of the nonlinear ordinary differential equation. An approximate analytical method is used to solve the derived dimensionless form of nonlinear ordinary differential equations, one for velocity and the other for temperature. Graphs are used to highlight the most relevant results acquired from velocity and temperature. Tables are used to describe the skin friction coefficient and the Nusselt number.

The heat transfer ratio plays an important role in the industrial and engineering sectors; in this model, the authors used the hybrid nanofluid because the heat transfer ratio of the hybrid nanofluid is more than that of the base fluid. The key objective of this research work is to boost up the heat transfer ratio, for example, not only the accomplishment of energy is enough but is also expected to regulate the feeding of energy, and this is possible only to approve the development of heat transmission liquids to the mechanism of the expenditures of energy and improvement. The current research study investigates the influence of Marangoni convection, solar radiation, and viscous dissipation on the bioconvection couple stress flow of the hybrid nanofluid over a shrinking surface. This type of flow has some important application in the industrial and engineering sectors for the purpose of cooling and heating effect. To transform the non-dimensionless form of the differential equation to the dimensionless form, the authors used the defined similarity transformation. The transformed dimensionless form of the differential equation is solved by the homotopic analysis method. The obtained important result is determined with the help of graphs which is obtained from velocity and temperature equations. The impression of different parameters such as couple stress parameter, Marangoni convection parameter, nanoparticle volume fraction, solar radiation parameter, magnetic field parameter, thermophoresis parameter, Eckert number, and Prandtl number is taken over graphs. The skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number are described in the form of tables.

Homogeneous–heterogeneous chemical reactions for second-grade nanofluid and gyrotactic microorganisms in a rotating system with the effects of magnetic fields and thermal radiation are examined. The boundary layer equations of the problem in a non-dimensional form are evaluated by a strong technique, namely, the homotopy analysis method (HAM). The rates of flow, heat, mass, and gyrotactic microorganism motion are obtained for the augmentations in the pertinent parameters. The graphical pictures of the results are described by the physical significance. The Hall current effect decreases the azimuthal velocity, the axial velocity increases with the injection of mass, the Biot number leads to enhanced heat transfer and gyrotactic microorganisms, the concentration diffusion rate decreases with the Peclet number, and the concentration of the chemical reaction reduces with the Schmidt number. Excellent agreement of the present work is found with the previously published work. The present study has applications in the hydromagnetic lubrication, semiconductor crystal growth control, austrophysical plasmas, magnetic storage disks, computer storage devices, care and maintenance of turbine engines, aeronautical, mechanical, and architectural engineering, metallurgy, polymer industry, hydromagnetic flows in porous media, and food processing and preservation processes.

The lithospheric structure of the Tibetan Plateau and its adjacent area is a hot topic in geodynamic research. It is important to reveal the mechanism of crustal deformation and tectonic evolution of the study area. In this study, the techniques of wavelet multiscale decomposition and field edge detection were used to study the discontinuities of the lithosphere revealed by multilevel Bouguer gravity anomalies. Specifically, we evaluated the depth characteristics of the major active faults in the study area and identified 15 deep major faults that cut through the lithosphere. They are Chaman fault, Shyok suture zone, Altyn-Tagh fault, Karakash fault, Karakoram fault, Talas-Fergana fault, Kashgarr-Yeshgar transfer system, Rushan-Pshart suture zone, Sangri-Nacuo fault, Main Frontal thrust, Burmese fold belt, Yadong-Gulu fault, Gaoligong fault, Sagaing fault and Nujiang fault. We have also elucidated the tectonic mechanisms of two famous geodynamic phenomena in the Pamir Plateau. The first is the intense intermediate depth seismicity beneath Pamir-Hindukush. It cannot simply be described as the rupture of a subducted residual plate, which could be divided into two distinct tectonic units. One belongs to the Indian plate, the other to the Eurasian plate. Secondly, the mechanism of intense seismicity confined to the western upper crust of the Pamir Plateau could be explained as significant fragmentation of crustal material. Finally, and most importantly, we summarized the coupling mechanism between deep geodynamics and horizontal deformation as observed by modern geodetic techniques. In the upper mantle, the leading edge of the subducting Indian plate reached the SW boundary of Tarim basin and forms a closed structure in western Himalaya. Then, the Tibetan Plateau underwent a tectonic escape towards the east under the continuous compression between the Indian and Eurasian plates. During the process of tectonic escape, the role of the N–S direction normal faults in the Himalayan tectonic zone is limited.

Pleasant interior conditions within cars, as well as a comfortable feeling, are primary needs of car drivers to perform vital body functions during driving. In a cooler outer environment, a warming system within seats can quite feasibly maintain a realistic thermal balance in the body. An inbuilt heating system in car seats can not only provide adequate heat to the driver but is also relevant to minimizing the energy consumption within the vehicle interior. In order to evenly distribute the heat over the body contact area of the automotive seats, conductive textiles are proposed. In fact, these textiles behave as a semiconductor (as an electrical conductor and also creating resistance, which in turn creates heat). Flexible textile ohmic heaters present great advantages due to their ability to bend, stretch, and stitch. These properties make them valuable to ensure uniform heaters for irregular geometries. The present review highlights the use of different textile-based ohmic heaters, their fabrication methods, range of heating, and durability. Moreover, this review also focuses on the comparative mechanical performance and comfort properties of the presented fabrics (used in car seats). This study is beneficial for future trends of minimizing energy consumption and providing an effective way to reduce the carbon emissions and air pollution produced by vehicles.

Credibility, in general, can be interpreted as a sense of trust in someone. The credibility of information remarkably influences the public’s willingness to do or not to do some things. In this research study, the credibility of digital news stories can be interpreted as the sense of confidence a person has in a source of available information that affects their behavior. Humans spread less credible information instead of more credible information very quickly because humans take an interest in fear, disgust, and surprise. Less credible news may affect individuals as well as economies. Therefore, there is a dire need in the current digital era to find out what affects the credibility of digital news stories. This study aims to review the published literature and the grey literature to determine the factors affecting digital news credibility and the factors that build credibility in digital news stories. In this paper, we have developed a multivocal literature review protocol to assess the credibility of digital news stories. The multivocal literature review is an advanced version of the systematic literature review that searches for grey literature in addition to the published literature. The expected outcomes after implementing our protocol will be a list of credibility factors and their practices that can play a vital role in ensuring the credibility of digital news stories. Based on this protocol, we formulated guidelines for the quality assessment of grey literature. The future direction of this research is to analyze the factors through multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM), i.e., analytical hierarchical process.

A cloudlet is an emerging computing paradigm that is designed to meet the requirements and expectations of the Internet of things (IoT) and tackle the conventional limitations of a cloud (e.g., high latency). The idea is to bring computing resources (i.e., storage and processing) to the edge of a network. This article presents a taxonomy of cloudlet applications, outlines cloudlet utilities, and describes recent advances, challenges, and future research directions. Based on the literature, a unique taxonomy of cloudlet applications is designed. Moreover, a cloudlet computation offloading application for augmenting resource-constrained IoT devices, handling compute-intensive tasks, and minimizing the energy consumption of related devices is explored. This study also highlights the viability of cloudlets to support smart systems and applications, such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and applications that require high-quality service. Finally, the role of cloudlets in emergency situations, hostile conditions, and in the technological integration of future applications and services is elaborated in detail.

Impact of various tillage practices i.e. control, cultivator and mould board (MB) plough on the seed yield of mungbean ( Vigna radiata L.)was evaluated at Arid Zone Research Institute, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan during kharif 2006 and 2007. Tillage practices showed significant effect on all parameters except days to flowering over control during kharif 2006. Use of cultivator produced significantly higher plant height (69.85cm), number of pods per plant (16.92), grains per pod (10.90) and seed yield (931 kg/ha) with 24-69 percent increase over MB plough and control. Similarly during kharif 2007, tillage practices also significantly affected all growth parameters except flowering and maturity over control, although both the tillage practices appeared to be non-significant with each other. However, use of cultivator in general gave maximum pods per plant (11.30), grains per pod (10.25), 1000 grain weight (37.43 g) and seed yield (611 kg/ha) with 37 percent increase over control and was at par with MB plough. Shallow tillage with cultivator showed the ability for moisture conservation near root zone of the crop which contributed towards increased seed yield under rainfed conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Aims Despite recent advances in guideline‐directed therapy, rehospitalization rates for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) remain high. Recently published studies demonstrated the emerging role of hypochloraemia as a predictor of poor outcomes in patients with ADHF. This study sought to determine the correlation between low serum chloride and 30 day hospital readmission in patients with ADHF. Methods and results We retrospectively reviewed electronic medical records of 1504 patients who were admitted to one 700 bed US tertiary care centre with the diagnosis of ADHF between June 2013 and December 2014. Of the 1504 reviewed records, 1241 were selected for further analysis. Hypochloraemia (either on admission or at discharge) was identified in 289 patients (23.3%) and was associated with significantly higher 30 day hospital readmission rate or death (42.2% vs. 33.7%, P = 0.008). This association persisted in multivariate analysis when controlling for serum sodium, weight loss, diuretic dose, adjunct thiazide use, serum blood urea nitrogen, and BNP levels (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.02–1.77, P = 0.033); however, the predictive value of the overall model was low (Naglkerke R2 = 0.040). Hypochloraemia was also found to be associated with increased 12 month mortality in our cohort (31.4% vs. 20.2%, P = 0.015) that correlates with the results of previously published studies. Conclusions Low serum chloride measured in patients admitted for ADHF is independently but weakly associated with increased 30 day readmission rate and demonstrated low predictive value as a potential biomarker in this cohort.

The Digital Total Variation (DTV) scheme is a digitized energy regularization scheme used for image denoising. This technique takes advantage of being applied to arbitrarily located data points and also has the edge detective property. This article aims to introduce a novel meshless scheme using DTV filtering and Radial Basis Functions (RBFs) to solve the associated equation with the DTV model numerically which results in the image denoising to remove additive noise from image information. This meshless algorithm based on local collocation and Multiquadric Radial Basis Function. These appearances allow this algorithm not only to remove the additive noise from images but also to resolve the discontinuities sharply. It is also noticed that the proposed meshless scheme is simple, fast, computationally effective, requires simply post-processing, and can be easily implemented mathematically. Experimental results confirm that the peak signal-to-noise ratio, the structural similarity, signal-to-noise ratio, the visual effect, and the computational performance of this new meshless scheme are improved compared with state-of-the-art denoising schemes. Furthermore, the proposed scheme can be applied to colour images as well.

Detection of a brain tumor in the early stages is critical for clinical practice and survival rate. Brain tumors arise in multiple shapes, sizes, and features with various treatment options. Tumor detection manually is challenging, time-consuming, and prone to error. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans are mostly used for tumor detection due to their non-invasive properties and also avoid painful biopsy. MRI scanning of one patient’s brain generates many 3D images from multiple directions, making the manual detection of tumors very difficult, error-prone, and time-consuming. Therefore, there is a considerable need for autonomous diagnostics tools to detect brain tumors accurately. In this research, we have presented a novel TumorResnet deep learning (DL) model for brain detection, i.e., binary classification. The TumorResNet model employs 20 convolution layers with a leaky ReLU (LReLU) activation function for feature map activation to compute the most distinctive deep features. Finally, three fully connected classification layers are used to classify brain tumors MRI into normal and tumorous. The performance of the proposed TumorResNet architecture is evaluated on a standard Kaggle brain tumor MRI dataset for brain tumor detection (BTD), which contains brain tumor and normal MR images. The proposed model achieved a good accuracy of 99.33% for BTD. These experimental results, including the cross-dataset setting, validate the superiority of the TumorResNet model over the contemporary frameworks. This study offers an automated BTD method that aids in the early diagnosis of brain cancers. This procedure has a substantial impact on improving treatment options and patient survival.

The essential element of this paper is to research the porous and squeezed characteristics of time varying heats that modify the flow speed and enhance the refrigerating/boiling performance of the materials, optimize the tracers flows and minimalized instability in the non-Newtonian fluids. In the presence of no-slip velocity and convective circumstances, squeezing disks tempting laminar, unsteady and incompressible non-Newtonian fluid. The convective formulation for the equations of Navier Stokes, energy and concentration are modeled on flat disks to investigate and execute both analytical and numerical analysis of heat flow and mass transfer, which transmuted further into extremely non-linear system of ordinary differential equation with the help of similarity transformations. Regarding smears, self-similar equations with adequate starting estimates and supporting parameters are resolved by utilizing the Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM) to generate an expedited and guaranteed convergence procedure. Comparisons between HAM and the BVP4c numerical solver program demonstrate the validity and precision of HAM results. It is found by increasing or decreasing the Hartman number reduces the capillary area, making the Lorentz force influence quite visible for small non-Newtonian parameter. The concentration rate at the lower end disk rises rapidly as the thermal diffusivity rises. The radial velocity also declines because of the rise in the outflow rate from the flow domains. The suction parameter also declines. Additionally, increasing the parameter of non-Newtonian enhances the flow of temperature/mass and skin friction. In the suction/injection case, all physical factors have a reverse influence upon fluid flow patterns.

Edge computing brings down storage, computation, and communication services from the cloud server to the network edge, resulting in low latency and high availability. The Internet of things (IoT) devices are resource-constrained, unable to process compute-intensive tasks. The convergence of edge computing and IoT with computation offloading offers a feasible solution in terms of performance. Besides these, computation offload saves energy, reduces computation time, and extends the battery life of resource constrain IoT devices. However, edge computing faces the scalability problem, when IoT devices in large numbers approach edge for computation offloading requests. This research article presents a three-tier energy-efficient framework to address the scalability issue in edge computing. We introduced an energy-efficient recursive clustering technique at the IoT layer that prioritizes the tasks based on weight. Each selected task with the highest weight value offloads to the edge server for execution. A lightweight client–server architecture affirms to reduce the computation offloading overhead. The proposed energy-efficient framework for IoT algorithm makes efficient computation offload decisions while considering energy and latency constraints. The energy-efficient framework minimizes the energy consumption of IoT devices, decreases computation time and computation overhead, and scales the edge server. Numerical results show that the proposed framework satisfies the quality of service requirements of both delay-sensitive and delay-tolerant applications by minimizing energy and increasing the lifetime of devices.

Abstract Background Every third patient in the clinic is misdiagnosed due to white-coat phenomenon, necessitating needless and costly treatment. We aimed to study the hemodynamic response of the physician’s visit on hypertensive and normotensive patients by investigating the trend of blood pressure (BP) before, during and 15 min after the physician-patient encounter. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 8 months in the cardiology clinics at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. Both hypertensive and normotensive patients, aged ≥18 years, were recruited. Pregnant females or those with a history of volume loss were excluded. BP readings were taken using an automated, validated device (Omron-HEM7221-E) at three points: pre-clinic BP by the assessment nurse, in-clinic BP by the attending physician and post-clinic BP 15-min after the physician-patient encounter by a research assistant. Independent samples t-test was used to calculate the statistical difference between hypertensive and normotensive BP values. Results Of 180 participants, 71% (n = 128) were hypertensive and 57% (n = 103) of all were males. The mean age of the participants was 57 ± 15 years. The mean and standard deviation(±SD) systolic BP (SBP) taken pre-clinic, in-clinic and 15-min post-clinic for hypertensive population was 128.7 ± 20 mmHg, 137.1 ± 21 mmHg and 127.9 ± 19 mmHg. The mean and standard deviation(±SD) SBP taken pre-clinic, in-clinic and 15 min post-clinic for normotensive population was 112 ± 16 mmHg, 115.8 ± 20 mmHg and 111.8 ± 15 mmHg. The hypertensive SBP values showed statistically significant difference from the normotensive values (difference in pre-clinic SBP: 16.7 mmHg, p-value

The use of agile methods for software development has grown to a large extent in the last few years. These methods ensure the quick delivery of software products with minimal cost and user satisfaction. Though these techniques were initially developed for small developmental teams, certain challenges have been observed when these methods are applied on large scale. However, we have conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) for the identification of motivators for adopting agile methods on a large scale from a management perspective. Thus, we have identified a total of 21 motivators for adopting agile methods on a large scale from a management perspective. Among these motivators, some were marked as critical motivators depending on variables, e.g., the factors critical in one variable might not be critical in another variable. The factors which were recorded as critical in all variables are strong executive support, agile development environment training and learning, agile development expertise, team competency, and briefing of top management on agile. Furthermore, we also found that the impact of different motivators was different depending on time and place for project manager guidance, i.e., some motivators were most critical in one region while less critical in another. Similarly, some of the motivators were more critical in previous decades but less critical in recent decades because of different improvements in software processes and technologies. These motivators are also analyzed from different angles, i.e., decade-wise and region wise for project managers guidance. The motivators are extracted from a sample of 58 research papers identified via an SLR process. Finally, we have analyzed the identified motivators based on various variables, such as continents and digital libraries.

This paper investigates the enhanced viscous behavior and heat transfer phenomenon of an unsteady two di-mensional, incompressible ionic-nano-liquid squeezing flow between two infinite parallel concentric cylinders. To analyze heat transfer ability, three different type nanoparticles such as Copper, Aluminum ( A l 2 O 2 ) , and Titanium oxide ( Ti O 2 ) of volume fraction ranging from 0.1 to 0.7 nm, are added to the ionic liquid in turns. The Brinkman model of viscosity and Maxwell-Garnets model of thermal conductivity for nano particles are adopted. Further, Heat source Q = Q 0 1 − β t , is applied between the concentric cylinders. The physical phenomenon is transformed into a system of partial differential equations by modified Navier-Stokes equation, Poisson equation, Nernst-Plank equation, and energy equation. The system of nonlinear partial differential equations, is converted to a system of coupled ordinary differential equations by opting suitable transformations. Solution of the system of coupled ordinary differential equations is carried out by parametric continuation (PC) and BVP4c matlab based numerical methods. Effects of squeeze number ( S ), volume fraction ( ϕ ) , Prandtle number (Pr), Schmidt number ( S c ) , and heat source ( H s ) on nano-ionicliquid flow, ions concentration distribution, heat transfer rate and other physical quantities of interest are tabulated, graphed, and discussed. It is found that A l 2 O 2 and Cu as nanosolid, show almost the same enhancement in heat transfer rate for Pr = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6.

Most of the IoT-based smart systems require low latency and crisp response time for their applications. Achieving the demand of this high Quality of Service (QoS) becomes quite challenging when computationally intensive tasks are offloaded to the cloud for execution. Edge computing therein plays an important role by introducing low network latency, quick response, and high bandwidth. However, offloading computations at a large scale overwhelms the edge server with many requests and the scalability issue originates. To address the above issues, an efficient resource management technique is required to maintain the workload over the edge and ensure the reduction of response time for IoT applications. Therefore, in this paper, we introduce a metaheuristic and nature-inspired Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) optimization technique that effectively manages the workload over the edge server under the strict constraints of low network latency and quick response time. The numerical results show that the proposed ABC algorithm has outperformed Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), and Round-Robin (RR) Scheduling algorithms by producing low response time and effectively managing the workload over the edge server. Furthermore, the proposed technique scales the edge server to meet the demand of high QoS for IoT applications.

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is a particular network built from small sensor nodes. These sensor nodes have unique features. That is, it can sense and process data in WSN. WSN has tremendous applications in many fields. Despite the significance of WSN, this kind of network faced several issues. The biggest problems rising in WSN are energy consumption and security. Robust security development is needed to cope with WSN applications. For security purposes in WSN, cryptography techniques are very favorable. However, WSN has resource limitations, which is the main problem in applying any security scheme. Hence, if we are using the cryptography scheme in WSN, we must first guarantee that it must be energy-efficient. Thus, we proposed a secure hybrid session key management scheme for WSN. In this scheme, the major steps of public key cryptography are minimized, and much of the operations are based on symmetric key cryptography. This strategy extensively reduces the energy consumption of WSN and ensures optimum security. The proposed scheme is implemented, and their analysis is performed using different parameters with benchmark schemes. We concluded that the proposed scheme is energy-efficient and outperforms the available benchmark schemes. Furthermore, it provides an effective platform for secure key agreements and management in the WSN environment.

Introduction: Transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve (ViV) & valve-in-ring (ViR) are relatively novel therapeutic alternatives for patients with degenerated bioprostheses or failed annuloplasty rings whose reoperative risk is too high. The predominant procedural access for both procedures is transapical or transseptal. However, whether there are differences in outcomes of this procedure using transseptal versus transapical access has not yet been defined. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of all published articles from MEDLINE and EMBASE to explore the outcomes of these two procedural approaches. Results: A total of 55 studies including 183 patients (154 ViV and 29 ViR) were included. Patients that underwent ViV (101 transapical and 53 transseptal) using the transseptal approach required more iatrogenic atrial septal defect (ASD) closure (19% versus 0.0 %; P

Abstract Objective Our previous study showed that post-clinic blood pressure (BP) taken 15 min after a physician–patient encounter was the lowest reading in a routine clinic. We aimed to validate this reading with 24 h Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) readings. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the cardiology clinics at the Aga Khan University, Pakistan. Hypertensive patients aged ≥ 18 years, or those referred for the diagnosis of hypertension were included. Results Of 150 participants, 49% were males. 76% of all participants were hypertensive. Pre-clinic BP reading was measured by a nurse, in-clinic by a physician and 15 min post-clinic by a research assistant using a validated, automated BP device (Omron-HEM7221-E). All patients were referred for 24 h ABPM. Among the three readings taken during a clinic visit, mean (± SD) systolic BP (SBP) pre-clinic, in-clinic, and 15 min post-clinic were 153.2 ± 23, 152.3 ± 21, and 140.0 ± 18 mmHg, respectively. Mean (± SD) diastolic BP (DBP) taken pre-clinic, in-clinic and 15 min post-clinic were 83.5 ± 12, 90.9 ± 12, and 86.4 ± 11 mmHg respectively. Mean (± SD) daytime ambulatory SBP, DBP and pulse readings were 134.7 ± 15, 78.7 ± 15 mmHg, and 72.6 ± 12/min, respectively. Pearson correlation coefficients of pre-clinic, in-clinic and post-clinic SBP with daytime ambulatory-SBP were 0.4 (p value:

The human gut is a safe environment for several microbes that are symbiotic and important for the wellbeing of human health. However, studies on gut microbiota in different animals have suggested that changes in the composition and structure of these microbes may promote gut inflammation by releasing inflammatory cytokines and lipopolysaccharides, gut-wall leakage, and may affect systemic inflammatory and immune mechanisms that are important for the normal functioning of the body. There are many factors that aid in the gut’s dysbiosis and neuroinflammation, including high stress levels, lack of sleep, fatty and processed foods, and the prolonged use of antibiotics. These neurotoxic mechanisms of dysbiosis may increase susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative conditions. Therefore, studies have recently been conducted to tackle AD-like conditions by specifically targeting gut microbes that need further elucidation. It was suggested that gut dyshomeostasis may be regulated by using available options, including the use of flavonoids such as anthocyanins, and restriction of the use of high-fatty-acid-containing food. In this review, we summarize the gut microbiota, factors promoting it, and possible therapeutic interventions especially focused on the therapeutic potential of natural dietary polyflavonoid anthocyanins. Our study strongly suggests that gut dysbiosis and systemic inflammation are critically involved in the development of neurodegenerative disorders, and the natural intake of these flavonoids may provide new therapeutic opportunities for preclinical or clinical studies.

Chronic neuroinflammation is responsible for multiple neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an essential component of the gram-negative bacterial cell wall and acts as a potent stimulator of neuroinflammation that mediates neurodegeneration. Quercetin is a natural flavonoid that is abundantly found in fruits and vegetables and has been shown to possess multiple forms of desirable biological activity including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This study aimed to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of quercetin against the detrimental effects of LPS, such as neuroinflammation-mediated neurodegeneration and synaptic/memory dysfunction, in adult mice. LPS [0.25 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneally (I.P.) injections for 1 week]-induced glial activation causes the secretion of cytokines/chemokines and other inflammatory mediators, which further activate the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and neuronal degeneration. Compared to LPS alone, quercetin (30 mg/kg/day, I.P.) for 2 weeks (1 week prior to the LPS and 1 week cotreated with LPS) significantly reduced activated gliosis and various inflammatory markers and prevented neuroinflammation in the cortex and hippocampus of adult mice. Furthermore, quercetin rescued the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and neuronal degeneration by regulating Bax/Bcl2, and decreasing activated cytochrome c, caspase-3 activity and cleaving PARP-1 in the cortical and hippocampal regions of the mouse brain. The quercetin treatment significantly reversed the LPS-induced synaptic loss in the cortex and hippocampus of the adult mouse brain and improved the memory performance of the LPS-treated mice. In summary, our results demonstrate that natural flavonoids such as quercetin can be beneficial against LPS-induced neurotoxicity in adult mice.

• New heterocyclic disperse dyes were synthesized. • Solvatochromic attributes were investigated in different organic solvents. • pH sensitivity was explored in detail. • The synthesized dyes were applied on polyester fabric and their fastness parameters were completely studied. In current research exploration, novel heterocyclic disperse dyes were synthesized, using 8-aminonaphthalen-2-ol as a coupling component and different heterocyclic aromatic amines e.g. sulfadiazine, sulfamethazine, sulfathiazole sodium salt, 2-aminobenzothiazole and 2-amino-6-methoxybenzothiazol as a diazonium component. Different analytical techniques including FT-IR, 1H-NMR, UV-Visible, FAB-LRMS and FAB-HRMS were used for the structural elucidation of the synthesized disperse dyes. The melting point of the synthesized compounds were also determined. The solvatochromism of these dyes was examined in six organic solvents possessing different polarity and the sensitivity of the absorption maxima (λ max) to acidic and basic pH were evaluated in methanol. Bathochromic shift was observed with increase in solvent polarity and under acidic pH. The fluorescence studies all the dyes were performed in four different solvents. The obtained chromophores were applied on polyester fabric observing different parameters like build-up profile, perspiration fastness, rubbing fastness, wash fastness, light fastness and sublimation fastness. All the dyes exhibited good to very good color yield and excellent fastness properties. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DIY vision for the design of a smart and customizable world in the form of IoT demands the involvement of general public in its development process. General public lacks the technical depths for programming state-of-the-art prototyping and development kits. Latest IoT kits, for example, Intel Edison, are revolutionizing the DIY paradigm for IoT and more than ever a DIY intuitive programming interface is required to enable masses to interact with and customize the behavior of remote IoT devices on the Internet. This paper presents the novel implementation of such a system enabling general public to customize the behavior of remote IoT devices through a visual interface. The interface enables the visualization of the resources exposed by a remote CoAP device in the form of graphical virtual objects. The VOs are used to create service design through simple operations like drag-and-drop and properties settings. The design is maintained as an XML document, thus being easily distributable and recognizable. CoAP proxy acts as an operation client for the remote device and also provides communication link between the designer and the device. The paper presents the architecture, detailed design, and prototype implementation of the system using state-of-the-art technologies.

Background: The association between allergies and cancer is contradictory, whereas some forms of cancer have inverse associations with allergies. Allergic rhinitis (AR) is the most prevalent form of allergy, and lung cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer with the highest mortality rate. Recent studies have reported a positive association between asthma and lung cancer; however, this association is inconclusive. Furthermore, AR is positively associated with asthma; therefore, our research question was to explore whether there is any correlation between AR and lung cancer epidemiologically., Methods: After a rigorous search of PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect, 7 eligible articles were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis, including 4724 cases and 9059 controls, 5 from the USA, and one each from Canada and Germany., Results: Pooled analysis (OR, 0.55; 95% CI: 0.45-0.68; P value < .00001) showed a strong inverse relationship between AR and lung cancer., Conclusion: The current meta-analysis suggests an inverse relationship between AR and lung cancer; however, new epidemiological studies are required to observe the current scenario more comprehensively., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objective: This study aimed to assess the International Quality Improvement Collaborative single-site data from a developing country to identify trends in outcomes and factors associated with poor outcomes., Design: Retrospective descriptive study., Setting: The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi, Pakistan., Participants: Patients undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD)., Outcome Measure: Key factors were examined, including preoperative, procedural and demographic data, as well as surgical complications and outcomes. We identified risk factors for mortality, bacterial sepsis and 30-day mortality using multivariable logistic regression., Results: A total of 3367 CHD surgical cases were evaluated; of these, 59.4% (2001) were male and 82.8% (2787) were between the ages of 1 and 17 years. Only 0.2% (n=6) were infants (≤30 days) and 2.3% (n=77) were adults (≥18 years). The in-hospital mortality rate was 6.7% (n=224), and 4.4% (n=147) and 0.8% (n=27) had bacterial sepsis and surgical site infections, respectively. The 30-day status was known for 90.8% (n=3058) of the patients, of whom 91.6% (n=2800) were alive. On multivariable analysis, the adjusted OR for in-hospital mortality was 0.40 (0.29-0.56) for teenagers compared with infancy/childhood and 1.95 (1.45-2.61) for patients with oxygen saturation <85%. Compared with Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery (RACHS-1) risk category 1, the adjusted OR for in-hospital mortality was 1.78 (1.1-2.87) for RACHS-1 risk category 3 and 2.92 (1.03-8.31) for categories 4-6. The adjusted OR for 30-day mortality was 0.40 (0.30-0.55) for teenagers and 1.52 (1.16-1.98) for patients with oxygen saturation <85%. The 30-day mortality rate was significantly higher in RACHS-1 risk category 3 compared with category 1, with an adjusted OR of 1.64 (1.06-2.55)., Conclusions: We observed a high prevalence of postoperative infections and mortality, especially for high-risk procedures, according to RACHS-1 risk category, in infancy/childhood, in children with genetic syndrome or those with low oxygen saturation (<85%)., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)