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The epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is considered an essential proliferation signature in cancer. In the current research study, qPCR induced expression of EpCAM was noted in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cases. Costunolide, a sesquiterpene lactone found in crepe ginger and lettuce, is a medicinal herb with anticancer properties. Expression of EpCAM and its downstream target genes ( Myc and TERT ) wasdownregulated upon treatment with costunolide in Jurkat cells. A significant change in the telomere length of Jurkat cells was not noted at 72 h of costunolide treatment. An in silico study revealed hydrophobic interactions between EpCAM extracellular domain and Myc bHLH with costunolide. Reduced expression of NFκB , a transcription factor of EpCAM , Myc, and TERT in costunolide-treated Jurkat cells, suggested that costunolide inhibits gene expression by targeting NFκB and its downstream targets. Overall, the study proposes that costunolide could be a promising therapeutic biomolecule for leukemia.

Background: Papillary fibroelastomas (PFEs) are a rare subtype of benign primary cardiac tumours, which are most commonly found on the aortic valve. Although median sternotomy is still used frequently there has been different attempts to remove the aortic valve PFEs minimally invasively using robotic and Mini sternotomy approach., Case Presentation: We report herein a case of totally endoscopic non robotic removal of PFE of aortic valve., Conclusions: The encouraging intra and post-operative outcomes and fast recovery using totally endoscopic approach for removal of PFE shows the potential benefits of this technique., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Statins can play an essential role in the tertiary and primary prevention of cardiovascular events by reduction of cholesterol in a stroke patient. This meta-analysis aims to assess statin therapy's effect on mortality and recurrence of Intracranial Hemorrhage (ICH) in patients with spontaneous ICH. The current meta-analysis was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A systematic search was performed using PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library to identify studies assessing the use of statins in patients with ICH. The primary outcome assessed in the current meta-analysis was a hemorrhagic stroke. The secondary outcomes included cardiac-related events and all-cause mortality. A total of 9 studies were included in the current meta-analysis enrolling 49027 patients, with 8094 patients on statin therapy and 40933 patients in the control group. The risk of recurrent ICH was significantly lower in patients receiving stains (RR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.67-0.99, p-value: 0.02) compared to placebo. However, no significant differences were observed regarding all-cause mortality (RR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.53-1.20, p-value: 0.27) and cardiovascular events (RR: 1.24, 95% CI: 0.88-1.74). In ICH patients, statins can reduce the risk of recurrent ICH in patients with a history of ICH. However, statins had no significant effect on all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Jamil et al.)

The present study was aimed to investigate the comparative antidiabetic potential of Nigella sativa seed extract and oil in an in vivo trial using rat animal model. The levels of antioxidants analysed in this study included catalase, vitamin C and bilirubin. NS methanolic extract and its oil were tested for their hypoglycemic effect against alloxanized diabetic rabbits (120mg/kg). The crude methanolic extract and the oil (2.5ml/kg/day) were given orally for 24 days that resulted in a significant reduction in glycaemia, particularly during the first 12 days of treatment (reductions of 58.09% and 73.27%, respectively), whereas the oil treated group normalised the levels of catalase (-69.23%), vitamin C (27.30%) and bilirubin (-51.48%) and the extract treated group normalised the levels of catalase (-65.38), vitamin C (24.15%) and bilirubin (-26.19%) at the end of the trial. The results have shown that the seed oil more significantly normalized the levels of serum catalase, serum ascorbic acid and total serum bilirubin as compared to the methanolic extract of Nigella sativa, so Nigella sativa seed oil (NSO) may be used as part of antidiabetic remedies against diabetes and utilized as a nutraceutical.

Objective: To evaluate the spectrum of isolated hollow visceral perforations in patients presenting with abdominal blunt trauma., Methods: The observational, analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted at the surgical ward of Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan from July 1, 2020, to June 31, 2021, and comprised patients who presented in the emergency department after blunt trauma to abdomen without any open wound. Findings of hollow visceral injury were confirmed on exploration laparotomy. Data was analysed using SPSS 26., Results: Of the 216 patients, 173(80.9%) were male and 43(19.9%) were female. The overall mean age was 42±9.7 years. Most of the blunt trauma abdomen cases were caused by motor vehicle accidents 59(27.3%). The most common hollow viscus affected was jejunum 42(19.4%), followed by transverse colon 29(13.4%). The most common type of injury observed was single complete disruption of hollow viscus 74(34.2%)., Conclusions: The most common hollow organ affected by blunt trauma to the abdomen was jejunum, followed by transverse colon, and motor vehicle accidents were the major cause of these injuries.

Liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive alternative to surgical biopsy, encompassing different analytes including extracellular vesicles (EVs), circulating tumour cells (CTCs), circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), proteins, and metabolites. EVs are released by virtually all cells, but at a higher rate by faster cycling, malignant cells. They encapsulate cargo native to the originating cell and can thus provide a window into the tumour landscape. EVs are often analysed in bulk which hinders the analysis of rare, tumour-specific EV subpopulations from the large host EV background. Here, we fractionated EV subpopulations in vitro and in vivo and characterized their phenotype and generic cargo. We used 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) to induce release of endogenously fluorescent tumour-specific EVs (EV PpIX ). Analysis of five different subpopulations (EV PpIX , EV CD63 , EV CD9 , EV EGFR , EV CFDA ) from glioblastoma (GBM) cell lines revealed unique transcriptome profiles, with the EV PpIX transcriptome demonstrating closer alignment to tumorigenic processes over the other subpopulations. Similarly, isolation of tumour-specific EVs from GBM patient plasma showed enrichment in GBM-associated genes, when compared to bulk EVs from plasma. We propose that fractionation of EV populations facilitates detection and isolation of tumour-specific EVs for disease monitoring., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles published by Wiley Periodicals, LLC on behalf of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles.)

Objectives: To assess community pharmacists' knowledge, attitude and practice towards oral health care in Asir region, Saudi Arabia., Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was carried out using a self-administered structured questionnaire, targeting 254 community pharmacies across the Asir region. The questionnaire consisted of four domains: demographics, knowledge, attitudes and practice related to oral health care. Statistical analysis was performed using Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0., Results: Of the 254 pharmacists, 202 respondents completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 79.5%. Almost two-thirds (66%) of the community pharmacists exhibited good knowledge, 65% possessed a positive attitude, and 55% perceived a good practice towards oral health care. Pharmacists have shown a good understanding on dental care (p < 0.001) and oral conditions. Fifty-five per cent (n = 119) of pharmacists preferred to have dental-based subjects in Pharmacy curriculum., Conclusion: Community Pharmacists possess overall good knowledge and attitude required for the provision of dental care counselling patients. They may participate in oral health development programmes to make a better practice., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Adequate periprocedural anticoagulation is important to prevent complications like transient ischemic attack, stroke, severe esophageal injury, and pulmonary vein stenosis. The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare uninterrupted anticoagulation therapy with interrupted anticoagulation therapy for patients with arrhythmias undergoing catheter ablation. The current meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Several online databases were searched, such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase, to search for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The primary outcome included thromboembolic events. Secondary outcomes included major bleeding events and minor bleeding events. A total of eight RCTs were included in the current meta-analysis, encompassing a total of 3893 patients. No significant differences were reported in relation to thromboembolic events (RR: 2.39, 95% CI: 0.41-13.97, p-value: 0.33), major bleeding events (RR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.50-1.96, p-value: 0.98) and minor bleeding events (RR: 1.55, 95% CI: 0.56-4.30, p-value: 0.40) between the two study groups. This meta-analysis did not find any conclusive evidence for the absence of any difference between the two strategies., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Jamil et al.)

Members of the 2D group VA semiconductors (phosphorene, arsenene, antimonene, and bismuthine) present a new class of 2D materials, which are recently gaining a lot of research interest. These materials possess layered morphology, tunable direct bandgap, high charge carrier mobility, high stability, unique in-plane anisotropy, and negative Poisson's ratio. They prepare the ground for novel and multifunctional applications in electronics, optoelectronics, and batteries. The most recent analytical and empirical developments in the fundamental characteristics, fabrication techniques, and potential implementation of 2D group VA materials in this review, along with presenting insights and concerns for the field's future are analyzed., (© 2022 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Nickel-cobalt sulfide (NiCo 2 S 4 ) is a prominent member of bimetallic transition metal sulfides. It is being widely used for a variety of applications such as electrode material, photocatalysis, and energy storage devices (like pseudo capacitors, supercapacitors, solar cells, and fuel cells) due to its better electronic conductivity, manageable morphology, and high capacitance. This work presents the one-step solventless synthesis of NiCo 2 S 4 sheet-like nanostructures and then explores their metallic nature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis show the sheet-like grown morphology. Few nanorods are also seen. Except for a recent study (Xia et al. 2015) that shows metallic behavior, most of the reports show that NiCo 2 S 4 is a semiconductor with claimed bandgap between 1.21 and 2.4 eV. In this study, we observe from UV-Vis and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) that NiCo 2 S 4 has a specific band gap value between 2.02 and 2.17 eV. However, IV characteristics in the temperature range of 300-400 K show that NiCo 2 S 4 is a metal with a positive temperature coefficient of resistance consistent with a recent report. Furthermore, we see the ohmic conduction mechanism. The Arrhenius plot is drawn, and the activation energy is calculated to be 3.45 meV. The metallic nature is attributed to the coupling of two metal species (nickel and cobalt), which accounts for its superior conductivity and performance in a variety of essential applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Ahmed, Ahmad, Yousaf, Haider, Imran, Batool, Ahmad, Shahzad and Azeem.)

We report two Ni 12 multicubane topologies enclosed in the polyanions [Ni 12 (OH) 9 (WO 4 ) 3 (PO 4 )(B-α-PW 9 O 34 ) 3 ] 21- {Ni 12 W 30 } and [Ni 12 (OH) 9 (HPO 4 ) 3 (PO 4 )(B-α-PW 9 O 34 )(A-α-PW 9 O 34 ) 2 ] 21- {Ni 12 W 27 } that magnetically behave as Ni 12 units clearly distinguishing them from typical Ni 4 cubanes as shown by magnetic studies together with high field and frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (HFEPR). Beyond the unprecedented static properties, {Ni 12 W 30 } shows the unusual coexistence of slow relaxation of the magnetization and a diamagnetic ground state ( S = 0), providing the unique opportunity of studying the essentially elusive magnetic relaxation behavior in excited states. The cubane-topology dependent activity of {Ni 12 W 30 } and {Ni 12 W 27 } as homogeneous HER photocatalysts unveils the structural key features significant for the design of photocatalysts with efficient charge utilization exemplified by high quantum yields (QY) of 10.42% and 8.36% for {Ni 12 W 30 } and {Ni 12 W 27 }, respectively., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Topical delivery is preferable over systemic delivery for cutaneous leishmaniasis, because of its easy administration, reduced systemic adverse effects and low cost. Nitazoxanide (NTZ) has broad-spectrum activity against various parasites and has the potential to avoid drug resistance developed by enzymatic mutations. NTZ oral formulation is associated with severe dyspepsia and stomach pain. Herein, NTZ-transethosomes (NTZ-TES) were prepared and loaded into chitosan gel (NTZ-TEG) for topical delivery. NTZ-TES were prepared by the thin-film hydration method and optimized statistically via the Box-Behnken method. The optimized formulation indicated excellent particle size (176 nm), polydispersity index (0.093), zeta potential (-26.4 mV) and entrapment efficiency (86%). The transmission electron microscopy analysis showed spherical-sized particles and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis indicated no interaction among the excipients. Similarly, NTZ-TEG showed optimal pH, desirable viscosity and good spreadability. NTZ-TES and NTZ-TEG showed prolonged release behaviour and higher skin penetration and deposition in the epidermal/dermal layer of skin in comparison with the NTZ-dispersion. Moreover, NTZ-TES showed higher percentage inhibition, lower half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) against promastigotes and higher macrophage uptake. Additionally, skin irritation and histopathology studies indicated the safe and non-irritant behaviour of the NTZ-TEG. The obtained findings suggested the enhanced skin permeation and improved anti-leishmanial effect of NTZ when administered as NTZ-TEG., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Inorganic perovskites have been recognized as highly potent materials for the display and medical industries due to their outstanding features. However, there haven't been many reports on their implications as a photocatalyst for the removal of heavy metals. Photocatalysis has been regarded as a significant approach for the removal of pollutants because of its great sustainability, improved efficiency, and reduced energy consumption. Here, we applied inorganic cesium lead halides (Br and I) with zinc oxide heterostructure as a photocatalyst for the first time. The heterostructure has been synthesized by the traditional hot injection strategy and its photocatalytic activity was systematically investigated. Interestingly, the CsPbX 3 /ZnO heterostructure as a photocatalyst has a homogeneous geometry and possesses an excellent degradation efficiency of over 50% under xenon UV-Visible light. The CsPbX 3 /ZnO catalyst carries superior oxidation/reduction properties and ionic conductivity due to the synergistic photogenerated charge carrier and interaction between CsPbX 3 and ZnO. The recycling experiment showed the good stability of the catalysts. These findings suggest that inorganic lead halide heterostructure has the potential to be used for heavy metal degradation and water pollution removal catalysts., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Gull, Batool, Li and Idrees.)

It is still uncertain whether patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and stable coronary artery disease (CAD) who require long-term oral anticoagulation (OAC) should also receive antiplatelet treatment (APT). This meta-analysis aims to compare the efficacy and safety of OAC alone with OAC plus APT in individuals with AF and stable CAD. The current meta-analysis was conducted as per the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE). We performed electronic searches using PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. The efficacy outcomes assessed in this meta-analysis included cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke (ischemic and hemorrhagic), and all-cause mortality. The safety outcome included major bleeding events. A total of five studies were included in the current meta-analysis enrolling 9199 patients with stable CAD and AF. Out of these five studies, three were observational and two were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Our study showed no significant difference between two groups in the incidence of cardiovascular mortality (Hazard ratio {HR}: 0.86, 95% confidence interval {CI}: 0.59-1.25, I-square: 44%), myocardial infarction (HR: 1.21, 95% CI: 0.73-2.01, I-square: 0%), all-cause mortality (HR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.76-1.19, I-square: 68%) and stroke (HR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.61-1.12, I-square: 45%). However, lower incidence of major bleeding events in patients who received OAC alone as compared to patients who received a combination of OAC and anti-platelet (HR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.18-1.580, I-square: 78%) were found. The current meta-analysis showed that OAC monotherapy is associated with a lower incidence of major bleeding events in patients with stable CAD and AF. It is also not associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular death, stroke, and myocardial infarction., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Tentu et al.)

A series of double-perovskite La2Co1−zFezMnO6 (z = 0, 0.2−1.0) ceramics were synthesized using a well-established sol−gel method. The series of samples with a monoclinic phase and a P21/n symmetry were characterized by XRD, FTIR, conductivity, and capacitance measurement to extract charge-transport and dielectric characteristics at room temperature. The obtained IR spectra fitted well with the Lorentz oscillator model to calculate the damping factor, optical frequency, and oscillator strength and compared with the theory, which gave better agreement. The calculated activation energies from the Arrhenius plot supported the semiconducting nature of all samples. The temperature and frequency-dependent dielectric parameters, such as the real part (εr′), imaginary part (ε″) of the dielectric constant, dielectric loss (tanδ), and ac-conductivity (σac) were extracted. The dielectric constant (εr′, ε″) and dielectric loss (tanδ) were enhanced at a low frequency, while the ac-conductivity (σac) displayed higher values at higher frequencies. The enhancement in the dielectric parameters with increasing iron concentrations arose due to the higher surface volume fraction of iron (Fe3+) ions than the cobalt (Co3+) ions. The radius of the Fe3+ (0.645 Å) was relatively higher than the Co3+ ions (0.61 Å), significantly influenced by the grains and grain boundaries, and enhanced the barrier for charge mobility at the grain boundaries that play a vital role in space charge polarization., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Cancer has become the silent killer in less-developed countries and the most significant cause of morbidity worldwide. The accessible and frequently used treatments include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. Chemotherapeutic drugs traditionally involve using plant-based medications either in the form of isolated compounds or as scaffolds for synthetic drugs. To launch a drug in the market, it has to pass through several intricate steps. The multidrug resistance in cancers calls for novel drug discovery and development. Every year anticancer potential of several plant-based compounds and extracts is reported but only a few advances to clinical trials. The false-positive or negative results impact the progress of the cell-based anticancer assays. There are several cell-based assays but the widely used include MTT, MTS, and XTT. In this article, we have discussed various pitfalls and workable solutions., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Warfarin is the standard of care, and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are a group of newer drugs to prevent stroke in patients with valvular heart disease. The aim of this meta-analysis is to compare the efficacy and safety of DOACs and warfarin in the prevention of stroke in patients with valvular heart disease (VHD). The current meta-analysis was conducted using the standards developed by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendation. The databases from the Cochrane library, PubMed, and Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE) were used to search for relevant articles without placing restrictions on the year of publication. Outcomes assessed in the current meta-analysis included a number of patients with stroke or systemic embolism, patients having myocardial infarction during the study period, patients with major bleeding events, and patients who died due to any reason. Overall, five studies were included in the current meta-analysis. Direct oral anticoagulants were associated with a lower risk of stroke or systemic embolism in patients with VHD (relative risk (RR): 0.75, 95% confidence interval (C)I: 0.60 to 0.94). The risk of major bleeding events is 31% lower in patients receiving DOAC compared to patients receiving warfarin (RR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.58 to 0.83). No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of all-cause mortality and myocardial infarction. The current meta-analysis shows that DOACs were associated with a lower risk of stroke or systemic embolism as compared to warfarin in patients with VHD. Besides this, the risk of major bleeding events was also lower in patients receiving DOACs compared to patients receiving warfarin. No significant differences were reported in terms of myocardial infarction and all-cause mortality between the two groups., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Batool et al.)

Nacre mimetic coatings are attractive candidates for food packaging, electronics, textiles, protective insulation, and flame retardant materials. Inspired by the hierarchical structure of nacre, we present an environmentally friendly strategy to construct robust and flame retardant films using chitin, which is an abundantly available biopolymer. Chitin was phosphorylated to make it water-soluble. Multilayered films were constructed by assembling poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA), graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets, phosphorylated chitin (p. chitin), and laponite (LAP) via Layer-by-Layer (LbL) and vacuum-assisted filtration (VAF) assemblies. SEM micrographs revealed the nacre-like layered structure while photographic images showed a similar sheen to that of the mother of pearl. The fabricated coatings possess good mechanical properties with a reduced modulus of 25.53 GPa and hardness of 1.45 GPa. In addition, multilayered films exhibited iridescence and attractive flame retardancy. We believe that our strategy of embedding chitin offers cost-effective and environmentally friendly coatings for textiles, food packaging, barrier, and electronic materials., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study was designed to investigate testicular and male reproductive tract histopathologies and lipid profile against di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) exposure in mice and curative potentials of aqueous garlic (Allium sativum) extract. Four groups (n = 10) were named and treated as follow (a) control (C): (normal feed and drinking water + 0.2 ml corn oil); (b) aqueous garlic extract group (AGE): (500 mg/kg body weight of aqueous garlic extract); (c) DEHP group: (500 mg/kg body weight of DEHP, dissolved in corn oil; (d) AGE + DEHP group (500 mg/kg body weight garlic aqueous extract, and DEHP 500 mg/kg body weight dissolved in corn oil). The doses were given once daily through gavages for 28 days and on the 29th day, all the animals were euthanized through cervical dislocation and reproductive organs and blood samples were collected. The results showed that exposure to DEHP caused a significant effect on body weight, testicular weight, serum cholesterol, triglycerides, lipid profile, average cross-sectional area (ACSA) of the seminiferous tubule, ACSA of the lumen of seminiferous tubule, spermatogenic cells, Leydig's cells number, vas deferens diameter, lumen, muscular thickness, and epithelial cell height of vas deferens. This study revealed that exposure to DEHP can be injurious to male reproductive health and aqueous garlic extract can decrease the toxic effects of DEHP in male mice., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background The world has been hit with one of the deadliest pandemics in history. This pandemic has affected almost all countries and more than 50 million people globally. This paper takes an in-depth look at all government policies that were developed to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Pakistan and the perception of the general population regarding these policies. This study aims to provide help for policymakers to consider as they build more resilient regions. Methodology A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted online in Pakistan from April 2021 to September 2021. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed after obtaining informed consent. A sample size of 200 was calculated using the World Health Organization's (WHO) sample size calculator. The data analysis was performed using SPSS version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), and the data are presented in the form of frequency tables, bar charts, and pie charts. Results Of the 200 respondents, 71% were satisfied with government policies, and 28.5% were not satisfied. A total of 66.5% of respondents thought that government policies were effective in combating COVID-19. More than half (80%) of the participants believed that government policies have reduced the rate of COVID-19 spread, while 20% thought that the policies did not help in reducing the rate of spread. Overall, 96% of the respondents supported quarantine as a good step taken by the Pakistan government to prevent COVID-19. Conclusions The satisfaction rate of the general public regarding government policies developed to combat COVID-19 was 71.5%. Government strategies should be improved to counter the impact of large-scale epidemics, and further studies are required to educate the public. With an already fragile healthcare system, this can have long-lasting issues in developing countries as the world might be expecting a new challenge in the form of monkeypox ., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Thapa Magar et al.)

Background: Impaired vision is one of the commonest and most disabling consequence following stroke. Among all visual impairments, eye movement disorders are found in 70% of stroke patients which include nystagmus, strabismus, gaze palsies, disconjugate eye movements and cranial nerve palsies. They have a wide ranging impact on balance and activities of daily livings by creating difficulties in maintaining normal alignment and appropriate movement of eyes. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of visual scanning exercises in addition to task specific approach on balance and activities of daily livings in post stroke patients with eye movement disorders., Methods: This study is a randomized controlled trial and was conducted in the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital from May 2019 to October 2020. A sample of 64 patients was recruited and randomly allocated into experimental and control group. 32 patients in experimental group were treated with visual scanning exercises along with task specific approach and 32 patients in control group were treated with task specific approach alone. Pre and post assessment of balance and activities of daily livings was assessed on BERG BALANCE SCALE and BARTHEL INDEX SCALE at baseline and at 4 th week., Results: Intra-group analysis of BERG BALANCE SCALE in experimental group showed statistically significant result (p < 0.05) in all items except in items 4, 13 and 14 respectively. Intra-group analysis of BERG BALANCE SCALE in control group showed statistically significant result (p < 0.05) in items 3, 5, 8 and 12 respectively, whereas remaining all items showed statistically insignificant result. Intra-group analysis of BARTHEL INDEX SCALE in experimental group showed statistically significant result in all items (p < 0.05) except in items 9 and 10 respectively. Intra-group analysis of BARTHEL INDEX in control group showed statistically significant result (p < 0.05) in items 1, 3, 4 and 8 respectively whereas remaining all items showed statistically insignificant result. Inter-group analysis showed statistically significant result in total scores of BERG BALANCE SCALE (p = 0.000) and BARTHEL INEX SCALE (p = 0.033)., Conclusion: Visual scanning exercises along with task specific approach were found to be more effective in comparison to task specific approach alone., Trial Registration: Trial registration number: [IRCT20190717044237N1], trial registration date: 10/11/2019., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The coronavirus can infect the upper respiratory tract, sinuses, and nose, and its severity manifests in its respiratory symptoms and neurological and psychological consequences. The majority of people who have COVID-19 present with moderate flu-like illness, and patients who are elderly with comorbid conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes, are more prone to experience severe illness and death. However, in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, neurological consequences have become a substantial source of morbidity and mortality. COVID-19 poses a global hazard to the nervous system because of its widespread dispersion and multiple pathogenic pathways. This review offers a critical assessment of the acute and long-term neurological effects of the COVID-19 virus. Some neurological problems include headache, dizziness, myalgia/fatigue, meningitis, ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke, and myelitis. Other people who have contracted COVID-19 also exhibit neurological features such as loss of taste and smell, reduced consciousness, and Guillain-Barré syndrome. This study seeks to help neurologists comprehend the wide range of neurologic aspects of COVID-19, as understanding neurological symptoms may help with the management and enhance the patient's outcomes., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Thapa Magar et al.)

The beneficial impacts of various drugs on long-term outcomes in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) have been a matter of controversy. The aim of this meta-analysis was to systematically review randomized control trials (RCTs) involving patients with heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and identify the effects of various treatment options [angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, beta-blockers, angiotensin receptor blockers, and aldosterone receptor blockers] on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and hospitalization due to cardiovascular reasons. The current meta-analysis has been conducted as per the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was performed without any restrictions on language by using the electronic databases Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and PubMed up to July 20, 2022. The outcomes assessed in this meta-analysis included all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and hospitalization due to cardiovascular reasons. Overall, 10 articles were included in the current meta-analysis with a pooled sample size of 13,336 patients with HFpEF. In comparison to the placebo, among all four pharmacological agents, beta-blockers were the only agent that decreased the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular outcomes. On the other hand, a significant reduction in hospitalization due to cardiac-related reasons was reported in patients on ACE inhibitors as compared to placebo. No other pharmacological agent had an impact on hospitalization due to cardiac-related reasons. The current meta-analysis indicates the possible benefits of beta-blockers in HFpEF in terms of reducing cardiovascular death and all-cause mortality., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Faisal et al.)

In this work, nanoparticles of Co 1-x Re x Fe 2 O 4 and CoFe 2-x Re x O 4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.05) were synthesized by the sol-gel method. The Rietveld refinement analysis of XRD and Raman data revealed that all of the prepared samples were single phase with a cubic spinel-type structure. With the substitution of Re, the lattice parameters were slightly increased, and Raman spectra peak positions corresponding to the movement of the tetrahedral sublattice shifted to a higher energy position. Furthermore, Raman spectra showed the splitting of T 2g mode into branches, indicating the presence of different cations at crystallographic A- and B-sites. The SEM micrograph confirms that surface Re exchange changes the coordination environment of metals and induces Fe-site structure distortion, thereby revealing more active sites for reactions and indicating the bulk sample's porous and agglomerated morphology. The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) results demonstrated that the synthesized nanoparticles of all samples were ferromagnetic across the entire temperature range of 300-4 K. The estimated magnetic parameters, such as the saturation magnetization, remanent magnetization, coercivity, blocking temperature ( T B ), and magnetic anisotropy, were found to reduce for the Co-site doping with the increasing doping ratio of Re, while in the Fe site, they enhanced with the increasing doping ratio. The ZFC-FC magnetization curve revealed the presence of spin-glass-like behavior due to the strong dipole-dipole interactions in these ferrite nanoparticles over the whole temperature range. Finally, the dielectric constant ( ε r ' ) and dielectric loss ( tan δ ) were sharply enhanced at low frequencies, while the AC conductivity increased at high frequencies. The sharp increases at high temperatures are explained by enhancing the barrier for charge mobility at grain boundaries, suggesting that samples were highly resistive. Interestingly, these parameters ( ε r ' , tan δ ) were found to be higher for the Fe-site doping with the increasing Re doping ratio compared with the Co site.

The prime objective of this study was to develop amphotericin B (AMB) and rifampicin (RIF) co-loaded transfersomal gel (AMB-RIF co-loaded TFG) for effective treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). AMB-RIF co-loaded TF was prepared by the thin-film hydration method and was optimized based on particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, entrapment efficiency (%EE), and deformability index. Similarly, AMB-RIF co-loaded TFG was characterized in terms of rheology, spread ability, and pH. In vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo assays were performed to evaluate AMB-RIF co-loaded TF as a potential treatment option for CL. The optimized formulation had vesicles in nanosize range (167 nm) with suitable PDI (0.106), zeta potential (- 19.05 mV), and excellent %EE of RIF (66%) and AMB (85%). Moreover, it had appropriate deformability index (0.952). Additionally, AMB-RIF co-loaded TFG demonstrated suitable rheological behavior for topical application. AMB-RIF co-loaded TF and AMB-RIF co-loaded TFG showed sustained release of the incorporated drugs as compared to AMB-RIF suspension. Furthermore, RIF permeation from AMB-RIF co-loaded TF and AMB-RIF co-loaded TFG was enhanced fivefold and threefold, whereas AMB permeation was enhanced by eightfold and 6.6-fold, respectively. The significantly different IC 50 , higher CC 50 , and FIC 50 (p < 0.5) showed synergistic antileishmanial potential of AMB-RIF co-loaded TF. Likewise, reduced lesion size and parasitic burden in AMB-RIF co-loaded TF-treated mouse group further established the antileishmanial effect of the optimized formulation. Besides, AMB-RIF co-loaded TFG showed a better safety profile. This study concluded that TFG may be a suitable carrier for co-delivery of AMB-RIF when administered topically for the treatment of CL., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.)

To understand dynamics of the COVID-19 disease realistically, a new SEIAPHR model has been proposed in this article where the infectious individuals have been categorized as symptomatic, asymptomatic, and super-spreaders. The model has been investigated for existence of a unique solution. To measure the contagiousness of COVID-19, reproduction number R 0 is also computed using next generation matrix method. It is shown that the model is locally stable at disease-free equilibrium point when R 0 < 1 and unstable for R 0 > 1 . The model has been analyzed for global stability at both of the disease-free and endemic equilibrium points. Sensitivity analysis is also included to examine the effect of parameters of the model on reproduction number R 0 . A couple of optimal control problems have been designed to study the effect of control strategies for disease control and eradication from the society. Numerical results show that the adopted control approaches are much effective in reducing new infections., Competing Interests: This work does not have any conflicts of interest with respect to research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Aptamer ligand discovery against multiple molecules expressed on whole cells is an essential component in molecular tool development. However, owing to their intrinsic structural characteristics, cell-surface receptors have proven to be challenging targets in ligand discovery. Several variants to systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) have been introduced to address the ″target problem″ for aptamer screening. To this end, we introduced a variant of SELEX, termed ligand-guided selection (LIGS), to identify highly specific aptamers against complex cell-surface markers in their native state. So far, the application of LIGS has been aimed at identifying aptamers against the most dominant receptors on the cell surface. Here, we report that LIGS can be expanded to identify two receptors on the same cell surface, paving the way to generate a multiplexed ligand discovery platform based on SELEX-targeting membrane receptors in their native functional state. Using CD19 and CD20 expressed on Toledo cells as a model system, multiple aptamer families were evolved against Toledo cells. We then utilized two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against CD20 and CD19 to selectively partition specific aptamers against CD19 and CD20. Following biochemical characterization, we introduce two specific aptamers against CD19 and two specific aptamers against CD20 with high affinity. Multi-target LIGS, as reported here, demonstrates a successful combinatorial approach for nucleic acid library screening to generate multiple artificial nucleic acid ligands against multiple receptors expressed on a single cell.

The objective of the present research was to determine if dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) alone and combined exposure induced pathological alterations in laboratory reared albino mice. Adult male mice were equally divided (n = 10) into Control, corn oil (CO), DBP, DEHP, and DBP+DEHP treated groups. Dibutyl phthalate (250 mg/kg), DEHP (300 mg/kg), and DBP+DEHP (250+300 mg/kg), respectively, were administered by oral gavage mixed in corn oil (0.2 mL) for 28 days. All animals were sacrificed following 28 days of treatment and blood was collected for serum lipid profiles and liver function tests. Liver samples were also collected for observation of histological changes. Microphotographs of hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections were used for computer-based micrometry. CO, DBP, DEHP, and DBP+DEHP treatment resulted in a significant increase in the mean body and liver weights as compared with the Control group. Histological examination of the livers with DBP and/or DEHP treatment showed marked alterations leading to hepatic hypertrophy. In the treated groups, a significant increase in the mean number of mononucleated, binucleated cells, and oval cells per unit area was noticed with disorganized trabecular arrangement as compared with the Control group. Treatment with DBP and/or DEHP resulted in large regeneration zones in the liver and an increased relative nucleo-cytoplasmic index of mononuclear shepatocytes when compared with the Control group. All treatments caused a significant increases in the liver enzymes and proteins as well as altered serum cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and VLDL levels. The histopathological and serological findings confirmed the toxic potentials to hepatic tissue of DBP and DEHP either given alone or in combination.

Tc-99m Methylene Diphosphonate (MDP) bone scintigraphy has been used for the assessment of benign as well as malignant skeletal conditions. Non-osseous radiotracer uptake on bone scan is an unusual finding. It is usually performed for metastatic bone disease, and is generally not an indication in multiple myeloma, as osteolytic lesions typically show no radiotracer uptake. Despite this, substantial number of multiple myeloma patients undergo bone scintigraphy due to their presentation imitating a metastatic bone disease. We describe a case of multiple myeloma, where extra osseous uptake in lung and diffuse hepatic, has been noted on bone scan.

Energy-levels well-matched direct Z-scheme ZnNiNdO/CdS heterojunction was successfully fabricated using facile co-precipitation and ultra-sonication techniques and characterized with XRD, FTIR, Raman, PL, UV-vis, and FE-SEM. The XRD diffractograms confirmed the co-doping of Ni-Nd in ZnO and the formation of heterostructured nanocomposite. FTIR and Raman data showed the presence of metal-oxygen vibration and optical phonon modes of ZnO and CdS. FE-SEM images exhibited the network type morphology. The energy bandgap was redshifted by co-doping (3.37-2.9 eV) and was further reduced (2.6 eV) by making a composite with CdS. The ZnNiNdO/CdS catalyst degraded 99.7, 49, 96.6, 98.6, and 98.6% methylene blue (MB), p-nitroaniline (P-Nitro), methyl orange (MO), methyl red (MR), and rhodamine B (RhB) dyes under 50 min sunlight irradiation. Moreover, ZnNiNdO/CdS showed intense inhibition activity towards Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial strains with maximum inhibition zone diameters 30, 33, 27, and 31 mm, respectively. The synergistic effects arising from band alignment can lead to efficient vectorial charge separation, transportation, and lower recombination of photoinduced charge carriers, ultimately boosting photocatalytic and antibacterial performance. The ZnNiNdO/CdS photocatalyst has higher stability up to the 7th cycle towards MB dye with ~ 5% deficit in degradation efficiency. The higher generation of superoxide and hydroxyl radical was confirmed by species trapping experiments responsible for photodegradation of dyes molecules. Furthermore, the results showed that the photocatalytic and antibacterial performance of pristine ZnO can be enhanced by co-doping and tuning energy bandgap., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Achieving light-driven splitting of water with high efficiency remains a challenging task on the way to solar fuel exploration. In this work, to combine the advantages of heterogeneous and homogeneous photosystems, we covalently anchor noble-metal- and carbon-free thiomolybdate [Mo 3 S 13 ] 2- clusters onto photoactive metal oxide supports to act as molecular co-catalysts for photocatalytic water splitting. We demonstrate that strong and surface-limited binding of the [Mo 3 S 13 ] 2- to the oxide surfaces takes place. The attachment involves the loss of the majority of the terminal S 2 2- groups, upon which Mo-O-Ti bonds with the hydroxylated TiO 2 S 3 S 13 ] 2- clusters are active and stable co-catalysts for the light-driven hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with performance close to the level of the benchmark Pt. Optimal HER rates are achieved for 2 wt % cluster loadings, which we relate to the accessibility of the TiO 2 surface required for efficient hole scavenging. We further elucidate the active HER sites by applying thermal post-treatments in air and N 2 S 3 S 13 cluster and suggest bridging S 2- cluster and suggest bridging S 2 2- and vacant coordination sites at the Mo centers as likely HER active sites. This work provides a prime example for the successful heterogenization of an inorganic molecular cluster as a co-catalyst for light-driven HER and gives the incentive to explore other thio(oxo)metalates., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

This study aimed to determine the structural features between immature and mature articular cartilage from the humeral and femoral joints of rabbits. Specimens of articular cartilage (n = 6 for immature tissue, n = 6 for mature tissue) that were still attached to the underlying bone from a humerus (shoulder joint) or femur (knee joint) were imaged using microscopic MRI (µMRI) and polarized light microscopy (PLM). Quantitative µMRI data with a pixel resolution of 11.7-13.2 µm revealed a number of differences between the immature and mature cartilage, including total thickness, and T2 and T1ρ relaxation values. Quantitative PLM data with a pixel resolution of 0.25-1 µm confirmed the µMRI results and revealed additional differences in cellular features between the tissues. The mature cartilage had a clearly defined tidemark, which was absent in the immature tissue. The ability to differentiate specific maturation-related cartilage characteristics could be beneficial to translational studies of degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis., (© 2022 Anatomical Society.)

Recent changes in climate have reduced crop productivity throughout much of the world. Drought and heat stress, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, have seriously affected barley production. This study explored the separate and interactive effects of silicon (Si) and hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S) on plant growth and mitigation of the adverse effects of heat stress (DS) and drought stress (HS) in a barley pot experiment. The impacts of simultaneous DS + HS were more severe than individual stresses due to increased ROS production, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and higher electrolyte leakage (EL), thereby leading to reduced water, protein and photosynthetic pigment content. Exogenously applied Si and H 2 S alleviated the DS-, HS- and DS + HS-induced effects on barley by reducing ROS production, MDA and EL. A single application of H 2 S or Si + H 2 S increased plant biomass under all stress conditions, which can be ascribed to higher Si accumulation in barley shoots. A single application of Si or H 2 S significantly increased plant biomass. However, Si + H 2 S was the most effective treatment for metabolite accumulation and elevating activity of antioxidant enzymes to prevent toxicity from oxidative stress. This treatment also modulated osmolyte content, enhanced antioxidant activity and regulated the stress signalling-related endogenous hormones, abscisic acid (ABA) and indole acetic acid (IAA). Exogenous treatments regulated endogenous H 2 S and Si and resulted in higher tolerance to individual and combined drought and heat stress in barley., (© 2021 German Society for Plant Sciences and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.)

Introduction Lupus nephritis (LN) is a systemic manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). LN commonly occurs three to five years later after the onset of SLE and is one of the leading cause of end-stage renal disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the spectrum of morphological and immunofluorescence (IF) patterns in LN. Methodology A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 58 renal core biopsies diagnosed as LN at Chughtai Institute of Pathology between January 2021 and December 2021. Based on the International Society of Nephrology and the Renal Pathology Society, prevalence of different classes of LN was assessed. The demographic, clinical, and biochemical parameters were analyzed in association with different histological classes of LN. Results In our study, the male-to-female ratio was 1:6.5. The mean age was 23.09 ± 9.23 years. Increased serum urea levels were found in 36 (62.10%) patients, and increased serum creatinine levels were found in 43 (74.12%) patients. Nephritic range proteinuria was seen in 14 (24.10%) patients, while 44 (75.90%) patients had proteinuria in the nephrotic range. Anti-double stranded DNA antibody was positive in 49 (84.50%) patients. Microscopic hematuria was present in 46 (79.30%) patients. Main bulk of patients belong to class V, 25 (43.10%), followed by class IV, 16 (27.59%). Full-house IF pattern was seen in majority of patients. Conclusion This study showed a high frequency of prevalence of advanced classes of LN, i.e., class V followed by class IV. There is a strong diagnostic utility of IF in LN. Similarly, full-house IF pattern was observed in majority of patients in our study, irrespective of which class of LN they belonged to., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Javeed et al.)

Liver cancer (LC), a frequently occurring cancer, has become the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality. The small number of reported data and diverse spectra of pathophysiological mechanisms of liver cancer make it a challenging task and a serious economic burden in health care management. Fumaria indica is a herbaceous annual plant used in various regions of Asia to treat a variety of ailments, including liver cancer. Several in vitro investigations have revealed the effectiveness of F. indica in the treatment of liver cancer; however, the exact molecular mechanism is still unrevealed. In this study, the network pharmacology technique was utilized to characterize the mechanism of F. indica on liver cancer. Furthermore, we analyzed the active ingredient-target-pathway network and uncovered that Fumaridine, Lastourvilline, N-feruloyl tyramine, and Cryptopine conclusively contributed to the development of liver cancer by affecting the MTOR, MAPK3, PIK3R1, and EGFR gene. Afterward, molecular docking was used to verify the effective activity of the active ingredients against the prospective targets. The results of molecular docking predicted that several key targets of liver cancer (along with MTOR, EGFR, MAPK3, and PIK3R1) bind stably with the corresponding active ingredient of F. indica . We concluded through network pharmacology methods that multiple biological processes and signaling pathways involved in F. indica exerted a preventing effect in the treatment of liver cancer. The molecular docking results also provide us with sound direction for further experiments. In the framework of this study, network pharmacology integrated with docking analysis revealed that F. indica exerted a promising preventive effect on liver cancer by acting on liver cancer-associated signaling pathways. This enables us to understand the biological mechanism of the anti liver cancer activity of F. indica .

Helicobacter pullorum is a human zoonotic pathogen transmitted through poultry where it is associated with vibrionic hepatitis and colitis. Hemolysin co-regulated protein (Hcp) is an important structural as well as effector protein of type six secretory system; however, its role in H. pullorum invasion and pathogenesis has not been elucidated. In this study, we predicted the Helicobacter pullorum Hcp (HpuHcp) structure and identified Campylobacter jejuni Hcp (CjHcp) as its nearest homologue. Analysis of the predicted structure shows several common bacterial Hcp motifs like Protein kinase C phosphorylation site, Casein kinase II phosphorylation site, N-myristoylation site, cAMP-and cCGMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation site, N-glycosylation site. The presence of unique microbodies C-terminal targeting signal domain was present in HpuHcp which was seen for the first time in CjHcp. This could indicate that Hcp is a structural protein as well as a secretory protein. Moreover, the presence of a deamidase domain, similar to the tecA of Burkholderia cenocepacia an opportunistic pathogen, may help in bacterial internalization as it depolymerises the membranous actin by deamidation of the host cell Rho GTPases cdc42 and Rac1, which was supported by increased invasion of hepatocytes by Hcp-positive isolates., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The family of two-dimensional (2D) materials composed of atomically thin layers connected via van der Waals interactions has attracted much curiosity due to a variety of intriguing physical, optical, and electrical characteristics. The significance of analyzing statistics on electrical devices and circuits based on 2D materials is seldom underestimated. Certain requirements must be met to deliver scientific knowledge that is beneficial in the field of 2D electronics: synthesis and fabrication must occur at the wafer level, variations in morphology and lattice alterations must be visible and statistically verified, and device dimensions must be appropriate. The authors discussed the most recent significant concerns of 2D materials in the provided prose and attempted to highlight the prerequisites for synthesis, yield, and mechanism behind device-to-device variability, reliability, and durability benchmarking under memristors characteristics; they also indexed some useful approaches that have already been reported to be advantageous in large-scale production. Commercial applications, on the other hand, will necessitate further effort.

Background: Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) is an autoimmune disorder of thyroid gland and is the most common cause of hypothyroidism. Its association with thyroid lymphoma is well established but with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), the studies have shown inconsistent results., Methods: It is a retrospective review of papillary thyroid cancer patients and 213 participants were included for final analysis. They were divided in two groups, based on presence or absence of Hashimoto thyroiditis. We noted their demographic details, histopathological diagnosis, presence of thyroid autoantibodies, TNM staging, outcome and duration of follow up., Results: The frequency of Hashimoto thyroiditis in papillary thyroid cancer patients was found to be 34.27% (73). In Hashimoto thyroiditis and PTC patients, more patients were in T1 and T2 stage, i.e., 27.4% and 38.4% as compared to PTC alone group, who had more patients with T3 and T4 disease 44.3% and 5% respectively. Although lymph node metastasis was more common in PTC with Hashimoto thyroiditis 56.2%, but distant metastasis was observed more in isolated PTC group 14.3%. Cure was observed in 75.3% and 47.1% in PTC patients with and without Hashimoto thyroiditis respectively. While 22.9% patients having isolated PTC had persistent disease as compared to 6.8% when PTC was accompanied with Hashimoto thyroiditis., Conclusions: The papillary thyroid cancer patient who had concomitant Hashimoto thyroiditis, had a less aggressive disease in terms of T stage and distant metastasis and they had a better outcome in terms of higher cure rate and less persistent disease as compared to the papillary thyroid cancer without Hashimoto thyroiditis.

Background: Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide. Common causes of IDA in children are excessive consumption of cow's milk and prolonged breast feeding with delayed and poor weaning. Oral iron is the first line of treatment in children with IDA but occasionally there is inadequate response due to poor compliance. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness and safety of intravenous iron in children with IDA, poorly compliant to oral iron therapy., Methods: This study consisted of 90 children from 12-60 months with IDA who were not responding adequately to oral iron therapy. Total iron requirement was calculated and given intravenously (IV) in two divided doses over two consecutive days. Participants were followed up at 2 and 4 weeks to assess the rise in haemoglobin level. Any adverse event was also noted. SPSS version 25 was used for statistical analysis., Results: Of the 90 enrolled children the mean age was 23.1±10.7 months, 47 (52.2%) were males and 43(47.8%) were females. The mean ferritin level before IV iron therapy was 3.75±2.53 ng/ml and mean haemoglobin was 5.9±1.3 g/dL. After IV iron therapy the haemoglobin level was raised to 8.38±1.09 g/dl and 9.74±0.88 g/dl at 2 and 4 weeks respectively which was statistically significant (p<0.05). The adverse events were fever in 3 (3.3%) and urticaria in 2 (2.2%) patients., Conclusions: Intravenous iron therapy is effective and safe to raise the haemoglobin levels in children with IDA who are poorly compliant to oral iron therapy.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized as clinical depression, which primarily affects the mood and behaviour of an individual. In the present study butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), a co-regulatory cholinergic neurotransmitter enzyme implicated in several putative neuronal and non-neuronal physiological roles was investigated for its role in MDD. Eighty MDD patients and sixty-one healthy controls were recruited for the study. BChE activity was measured by Ellman's method using serum while DNA samples of the patients were genotyped for BCHE polymorphisms rs3495 (c.*189G > A) and rs1803274 (c.1699G > A) by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and tetra-primer Amplification Refractory Mutation System- polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR). The genotyping was further validated by Sanger Sequencing. Biochemical estimation of serum BChE levels revealed a statistically significant decrease of enzyme activity in MDD patients (69.96) as compared to healthy controls (90.97), which was independent of age and gender. BCHE single nucleotide polymorphism rs1803274 genotype GA was found to be associated with the disease under a dominant model (OR 2.32; 95% CI 1.09-4.96; p value = 0.025). Furthermore, risk allele-A frequency was higher in cases (p value = 0.013) than control. Carriers of rs1803274 GA genotype showed reduced mean BChE activity than wild-type allele GG homozygotes (p value = 0.040). Gender-based analysis revealed a protective role of rs3495 in females (χ 2  = 6.87, p value = 0.032, RM: OR 0.173, CI = 0.043-0.699 (p value = 0.017). In addition, rs1803274 risk allele-A was observed to be significantly higher in males (χ 2  = 4.258, p value = 0.039). In conclusion, the present study is indicative of a role of BChE in the pathophysiology of MDD where genetic polymorphisms were observed to effect BChE activity. Further replication studies in different ethnicities are recommended to validate the current observations., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Megalencephalic leukoencephalopathy with subcortical cysts (MLC) is a rare type of leukodystrophy characterized by epileptic seizures, macrocephaly, and vacuolization of myelin and astrocyte. The magnetic resonance imaging of the brain of MLC patients shows diffuse white-matter anomalies and the occurrence of subcortical cysts. MLC features have been observed in individuals having mutations in the MLC1 or HEPACAM genes. In this study, we recruited a six generation large kindred with five affected individuals manifesting clinical features of epileptic seizures, macrocephaly, ataxia, and spasticity. In order to identify the underlying genetic cause of the clinical features, we performed whole-genome genotyping using Illumina microarray followed by detection of loss of heterozygosity (LOHs) regions. One affected individual was exome sequenced as well. Homozygosity mapping detected several LOH regions due to extensive consanguinity. An unbiased and hypothesis-free exome data analysis identified a homozygous missense variant (NM&#95;015166.3:c.278C>T) in the exon 4 of the MLC1 gene. The variant is present in the LOH region on chromosome 22q (50 Mb) and segregates perfectly with the disorder within the family in an autosomal recessive manner. The variant is present in a highly conserved first cytoplasmic domain of the MLC1 protein (NM&#95;015166.3:p.(Ser93Leu)). Interestingly, heterozygous individuals show seizure and mild motor function deterioration. We propose that the heterozygous variant in MLC1 might disrupt the functional interaction of MLC1 with GlialCAM resulting in mild clinical features in carriers of the variant., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Chronic diseases are increasing in prevalence and mortality worldwide. Early diagnosis has therefore become an important research area to enhance patient survival rates. Several research studies have reported classification approaches for specific disease prediction. In this paper, we propose a novel augmented artificial intelligence approach using an artificial neural network (ANN) with particle swarm optimization (PSO) to predict five prevalent chronic diseases including breast cancer, diabetes, heart attack, hepatitis, and kidney disease. Seven classification algorithms are compared to evaluate the proposed model's prediction performance. The ANN prediction model constructed with a PSO based feature extraction approach outperforms other state-of-the-art classification approaches when evaluated with accuracy. Our proposed approach gave the highest accuracy of 99.67%, with the PSO. However, the classification model's performance is found to depend on the attributes of data used for classification. Our results are compared with various chronic disease datasets and shown to outperform other benchmark approaches. In addition, our optimized ANN processing is shown to require less time compared to random forest (RF), deep learning and support vector machine (SVM) based methods. Our study could play a role for early diagnosis of chronic diseases in hospitals, including through development of online diagnosis systems., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Rashid, Batool, Kim, Wasif Nisar, Hussain, Juneja and Kushwaha.)

Antibiotic resistance rate is rising worldwide. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are potent for fighting antimicrobial resistance (AMR), independently or synergistically. The purpose of this study was to prepare AgNPs using wild ginger extracts and to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of these AgNPs against multidrug-resistant (MDR) Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus mutans , and Enterococcus faecalis . AgNPs were synthesized using wild ginger extracts at room temperature through different parameters for optimization, i.e., pH and variable molar concentration. Synthesis of AgNPs was confirmed by UV/visible spectroscopy and further characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis (EDXA), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Disc and agar well diffusion techniques were utilized to determine the in vitro antibacterial activity of plant extracts and AgNPs. The surface plasmon resonance peaks in absorption spectra for silver suspension showed the absorption maxima in the range of 400-420 nm. Functional biomolecules such as N-H, C-H, O-H, C-O, and C-O-C were present in Zingiber zerumbet ( Z. zerumbet ) (aqueous and organic extracts) responsible for the AgNP formation characterized by FTIR. The crystalline structure of ZZAE-AgCl-NPs and ZZEE-AgCl-NPs was displayed in the XRD analysis. SEM analysis revealed the surface morphology. The EDXA analysis also confirmed the element of silver. It was revealed that AgNPs were seemingly spherical in morphology. The biosynthesized AgNPs exhibited complete antibacterial activity against the tested MDR bacterial strains. This study indicates that AgNPs of wild ginger extracts exhibit potent antibacterial activity against MDR bacterial strains.

Due to the severe side effects revealed by most of the currently used antidiabetic medicines, search for finding new and safe drugs to manage diabetes is continued. Naphthoquinones possessing strong antioxidant properties have been employed as candidates for diabetes therapy. Present study is aimed at finding the antioxidant and hypoglycaemic potential of some novel derivatives of 2-phenylamino-1,4-naphthoquinones (PAN) including chloro, nitro, methyl and bromo (5a-d) derivatives synthesized by single pot experiment. Product crystals were purified by TLC and characterized by FT-IR. The antioxidant potential of the compounds was assayed through DPPH radical scavenging and reducing power activities noted as UV-vis. absorbance. The DPPH assay has showed the powerful antioxidant activity of nitro and bromo derivatives, while the nitro derivative showed the significant reduction potential towards FRAP assay. Hypoglycaemic potential of the compounds was studied in rat animal model. All synthesized compounds revealed better hypoglycaemic activity; however, the chloro-derivative exhibited the more potent hypoglycaemic activity showing about 43% reduction in the mean blood glucose levels of the treated animals. As the bioreduction of naphthoquinones may be influenced by changing its redox properties, it has been noticed that the e-donating resonance effect (+R) of 'chloro' group has shown the significant effects on biological activity through stabalization of its imine form which limits the potential of generation of free radicals during bioreduction of quinones and thus has been proposed as the reason of its hypoglycaemic activity. Future studies employing the properties of e-donating groups of PAN may optimize the drug-receptor interaction for better drug designing and drug development strategies against diabetes and also for the clinical trials.

Background Glomerulonephritis is among the most common and serious non-communicable diseases in the world, and some of them are major causes of chronic kidney disease, which eventually leads to kidney failure. In developing countries, it is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Chronic kidney disease affects 10-16% of the adult population in Asia, including 21.2% in Pakistan. This study aims to determine the frequency and spectrum of glomerulonephritis at our center. Methodology This is a cross-sectional analysis of 81 renal core biopsies obtained between August 2020 and August 2021. The histopathological reports, demographic data, and relevant laboratory investigations, such as blood urea and creatinine levels, were collected. All cases were blindly reviewed by two pathologists with a special interest in medical renal pathology. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results The majority of the patients (46.9%) were between the ages of 21 and 40 years. There was a slight male predominance, with 44 (54.3%) of the 81 participants being male. Hematuria was reported in 20 (24.7%) patients, with mean serum urea and creatinine levels of 75 mg/dL and 2.6 mg/dL, respectively. Nephrotic syndrome was the most common indication for a renal biopsy, accounting for 54 (67.7%) of the 81 cases. Chronic glomerulonephritis is classified into two categories, namely, primary and secondary glomerulonephritis. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), the leading cause of primary glomerulonephritis, was found in 25 (30.9%) 81 patients. Furthermore, lupus nephritis (9.9%) and advanced glomerulonephritis (9.9%) were found in equal proportions among secondary glomerulonephritis. Conclusions According to our study, nephrotic syndrome was the most common indication for medical renal biopsy, with FSGS being the most common primary glomerulonephritis. Lupus nephritis and advanced glomerulonephritis were the most common secondary glomerulonephritis diagnoses., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Rafique et al.)

The reduced graphene oxide dopped equaixial geometry TiO 2 (rGO/egTiO 2 ) composite as photocatalyst was synthesized hydrothermally with various mass ratios of tetrabutyl titanate. The photocatalyst is considered to be rGO/equaixial geometry TiO 2 in terms of modifying the combined reduced graphene Oxide and TiO 2 . The rGO plays a vital role in rGO/egTiO 2 composite as photocatalysts were analyzed in methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB) photocatalytic degradation under UV and simulated solar light irradiation. This synthesized catalyst was characterized by various analytical techniques such as XPS, XRD, SEM, BET, and TEM. The rGO/egTiO 2 composite exhibits enhanced photocatalytic performance with degradation rates of 97.5 and 97% on RhB and MB for 60 min under UV radiation respectively, while the degradation rate of 94 and 92 % was observed on the same dyes for 6 h under the simulated sunlight radiation. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of the rGO/egTiO 2 composite under ultraviolet irradiation source was owing to a high separation efficiency of the photo-induced electron-hole pairs, while the photocatalytic performance under simulated sunlight radiation was due to the photosensitive and charge separator behavior of rGO. This offers us an excellent potential of significant photocatalytic activity for the removal of organic contaminants from wastewater., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Unique zerovalent iron (Fe 0 ) supported on biochar nanocomposite (Fe 0 -B RtP ) was synthesized from Nephelium lappaceum (Rambutan) fruit peel waste and were applied for the simultaneous removal of 6 selected organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from aqueous medium. During facile synthesis of Fe 0 -B RtP , Rambutan peel extract was used as the green reducing mediator to reduce Fe 2+ to zerovalent iron (Fe 0 ), instead of toxic sodium borohydride which were used for chemical synthesis. For comparison, chemically synthesized Fe 0 -B Che nanocomposite was also prepared in this work. Characterization study confirmed the successful synthesis and dispersion of Fe 0 nanoparticles on biochar surface. Batch experiments revealed that Fe 0 -B RtP and Fe 0 -B Che nanocomposites combine the advantage of adsorption and dechlorination of OCPs in aqueous medium and up to 96-99% and 83-91% removal was obtained within 120 and 150 min, respectively at initial pH 4. Nevertheless, the reactivity of Fe 0 -B Che nanocomposite decreased 2 folds after being aged in air for one month, whilst Fe 0 -B RtP almost remained the same. Adsorption isotherm of OCPs were fitted well to Langmuir isotherm and then to Freundlich isotherm. The experimental kinetic data were fitted first to pseudo-second-order adsorption kinetic model and then to pseudo-first-order reduction kinetic model. The adsorption mechanism involves π-π electron-donor-acceptor interaction and adsorption is facilitated by the hydrophobic sorption and pore filling. After being reused five times, the removal efficiency of regenerated Fe 0 -B Che and Fe 0 -B RtP was 5-13% and 89-92%, respectively. The application of this Fe 0 -B RtP nanocomposite could represent a green and low-cost potential material for adsorption and subsequent reduction of OCPs in aquatic system., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)