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Background: In computer science research, there is a constant pursuit of more efficient methods to handle large datasets. This requires the development of software that is both robust and easy to use. MATLAB, a powerful computational tool, has become essential in this field. Objective: This article aims to analyse the use of MATLAB in computer science, specifically in processing intricate data. It will emphasise the software's graphical user interface (GUI) creation tools and computational powers. The purpose is to illustrate the effective and seamless management of complicated data processing tasks utilising the MATLAB environment. Methodology: The technique entails creating a graphical user interface (GUI) using GUIDE and App Designer, followed by a comprehensive analysis of MATLAB's computational capabilities pertinent to computer science data processing. This approach efficiently merges MATLAB's processing capabilities with intuitive user interfaces via its deployment across various data processing jobs. Results: Based on the findings, data processing processes are much more efficient and easily accessible today. The study showcases the utilization of user-friendly interfaces to carry out intricate computations, aiming to accommodate users with diverse levels of programming proficiency. Conclusion: The article indicates that combining MATLAB's powerful computational tools with its GUI development features provides a solid answer for complex data processing difficulties in computer science. This symbiotic relationship enhances the accessibility of sophisticated data processing to a larger population by simplifying the management of large volumes of data.

In the fourth industrial revolution robots, voice control interfaces and 5G networks play significant role towards advanced real-time autonomous control systems in an industrial domain as well as a social domain. With Arduino-based robots controlled by voice commands for more natural human-machine communications and 5G enabling low latency, high-reliability connectivity as degradation due to typical interference does not matter. This article explores the efficiency and accuracy of voice-controlled interfaces to function robotic attributes via ultra-low latency associated with 5G network links intended for Arduino robots. Methods: An Arduino robot equipped with a voice-controlled interface that utilizes speech recognition and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand and carry out commands. This setup was trialed on a 5G network to guarantee connectivity and operational efficiency. Various scenarios and loads were examined in controlled experiments to evaluate response times, precision, and reliability. The 5G has lower latency response time, which led to better command execution. Accurate interpretation of voice commands and real-time adaption to robotic operations for continuous effective behavior across operating conditions and environmental scenarios are demonstrated to highlight the robustness of voice control interface. The combination of voice-activated Arduino robots and 5G networks has paved the way for industrial automation and smart applications, showcasing an innovative approach to human-robot interaction and collaborative robotics. Nevertheless, it is important to analyze the scalability, security, and ethical considerations of these technologies on a wider scale in different domains and applications to guarantee their safe, effective, and equitable implementation.

Abstract Most of published research on magnetic hyperthermia focused on iron oxides, ferrites, and binary alloy nanostructures, while the ternary alloys attracted much limited interest. Herein, we prepared NiCuCo ternary alloy nanocomposites with variable compositions by mechanical alloying. Physical properties were fully characterized by XRD, Rietveld analysis, XPS, SEM/EDX, TEM, ZFC/FC and H-M loops. DFT calculations were used to confirm the experimental results in terms of structure and magnetism. The results showed that the fabricated nanoalloys are face centered cubic (FCC) with average core sizes of 9–40 nm and behave as superparamagnetic with saturation in the range 4.67–42.63 emu/g. Langevin fitting corroborated the superparamagnetic behavior, while law of approach to saturation (LAS) was used to calculate the magnetic anisotropy constants. Heating effciencies were performed under an alternating magnetic field (AMF, H0 = 170 Oe and f = 332.5 kHz), and specific absorption rate (SAR) values were determined. The highest magnetic saturation (Ms), heating potentials, and SAR values were attained for Ni35Cu30Co35 containing the lowest Cu but highest Ni and Co percentages, and the least for Ni15Cu70Co15. Importantly, the nanoalloys reached the required temperatures for magnetic hyperthermia (42 °C) in relatively short times. We also showed that heat dissipiation can be simply tuned by changing many parameters such as concentration, field amplitude, and frequency. Finally, cytotoxicity viability assays against two different breast cancer cell lines treated with Ni25Cu50Co25 nanoalloy in the presence and absence of AMF were investigated. No significant decrease in cancer cell viability was observed in the absence of AMF. When tested against tumorigenic KAIMRC2 breast cancer cells under AMF, the NiCuCo nanoalloy was found to be highly potent to the cells (~ 2-fold enhancement), killing almost all the cells in short times (20 min) and clinically-safe AC magnetic fields. These findings strongly suggest that the as-prepared ternary NiCuCo nanoalloys hold great promise for potential magnetically-triggered cancer hyperthermia.

Abstract Drug development is a time-consuming and expensive process, given the low success rate of clinical trials. Now, anticancer drug developments have shifted to three-dimensional (3D) models which are more likely to mimic tumor behavior compared to traditional two-dimensional (2D) cultures. A comparative study among different aspects was conducted between 2D and 3D cultures using colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines, in addition, Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) block samples of patients with CRC were used for evaluation. Compared to the 2D culture, cells grown in 3D displayed significant (p

With the global impetus for the elimination of canine-mediated human rabies, the need for robust rabies surveillance systems has become ever more important. Many countries are working to improve their rabies surveillance programs and, as a result, the reported use of lateral flow devices (LFDs) is increasing. Despite their known diagnostic limitations, previous studies have hypothesised that the benefits associated with LFDs could make them potentially quite useful towards improving the overall robustness of surveillance programs. To test this, a best practice standard operating procedure was developed which was used to guide the implementation of the ADTEC LFD as a diagnostic screening tool in Zanzibar. Over the course of the first 22 months of this investigation, 83 samples were subjected to in-field diagnostic screening, coupled with subsequent laboratory confirmation, and only one false-negative result was detected. Furthermore, the findings of our investigation indicated that the routine use of LFDs as a diagnostic screening tool resulted in a four-fold increase in the number of samples subjected to rabies diagnosis per month and a three-fold increase in the number of wards where samples were collected per year. Our findings suggest that LFDs could play a noteworthy role in improving the robustness of surveillance systems by increasing the number of samples tested and promoting diagnostic screening in areas distant from laboratories. Their implementation would, however, need to be carefully controlled through standardised protocols that align with the international best practices to ensure their judicious use.

Sumaira Gul,1 Inayat Ur Rehman,1 Khang Wen Goh,2 Zahid Ali,3 Aziz Ur Rahman,4 Asad Khalil,5 Ismail Shah,6 Tahir Mehmood Khan,6 Long Chiau Ming7,8 1Department of Pharmacy, Garden Campus, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan; 2Faculty of Data Science and Information Technology, INTI International University, Nilai, Malaysia; 3Department of Pharmacy, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan; 4Department of Urology, North West General Hospital and Research Center Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan; 5Department of Medicine, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan; 6Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan; 7PAP Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Gadong, Brunei Darussalam; 8School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Sunway City, MalaysiaCorrespondence: Inayat Ur Rehman, Department of Pharmacy, Garden Campus, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 23200, Pakistan, Email Inayat.rehman@awkum.edu.pk Long Chiau Ming, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Sunway City, Selangor, 47500, Malaysia, Email chiaumingl@sunway.edu.myIntroduction: Asthma is one of the common major non-communicable respiratory diseases, and is associated with a lower health-related quality of life (QOL). Poor inhalation is a significant contributing factor to poor control of asthma. Community pharmacist has a vital role to play in assisting patients and ultimately improving their asthma conditions through the use of inhalers.Aim: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of “pre” and “post” educational intervention by a community pharmacist within a community pharmacy on asthma patients’ QOL, inhaler technique, and adherence to therapy during the endemic phase of COVID-19.Methods: A “pre” and “post” interventional study was performed at a community pharmacy in the city of Mardan, Pakistan, in 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients were divided into two groups, ie control and pharmacist-led education groups. After assigning patients to both groups, the baseline data were collected and followed for one month to compare the reduction in errors in the use of inhalers, QOL, and adherence to therapy. A paired sample t-test was performed, keeping a p-value < 0.05 as statistical significance.Results: A total of 60 patients were recruited, majority (58.3%) were females, and 28.3% were from the age group of 46– 55 years old. A statistically significant difference was observed in the pre- and post-education QOL score among patients in the pharmacist-led education group, from a mean ± SD at pre-education of 40.23± 10.03 to a mean±SD at post-education of 48.10± 5.68. Similarly, a statistically significant difference was observed for the correct use of inhalers, ie MDIs and DPIs. Similarly, a statistically significant difference was observed in the adherence status between pre-education and post-education by pharmacists.Conclusion: The findings of the study revealed a positive impact of community pharmacist-led education on QOL, inhaler technique, and adherence to therapy among patients with asthma.Keywords: adherence, asthma, community pharmacist, pharmacist-led education, quality of life, Pakistan

Abstract Introduction Cancer is a major issue in medical science with increasing death cases every year worldwide. Therefore, searching for alternatives and nonorthodox methods of treatments with high efficiency, selectivity and less toxicity is the main goal in fighting cancer. Acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA), is a derivative pentacyclic triterpenoid that exhibited various biological activities with potential anti-tumoral agents. In this research, AKBA was utilized to examine the potential cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 cells in vitro and monitor the cellular and morphological changes with a prospective impact on apoptosis induction. Methods The cytotoxic activity of AKBA was measured by 3(4,5dimethylthiazole- 2-yl)-2,5 diphyneltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. A dose-dependent inhibition in MCF-7 cell viability was detected. The clonogenicity of MCF-7 cells was significantly suppressed by AKBA increment in comparison with untreated cells. Result Morphologically, exposure of MCF-7 cells to high AKBA concentrations caused changes in cell nuclear morphology which was indicated by increasing in nuclear size and cell permeability intensity. The mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) was reduced by increasing AKBA concentration with a significant release of cytochrome c. Acridine orange/ethidium bromide dual staining experiment confirmed that MCF-7 cells treated with AKBA (IC50 concentration) displayed a late stage of apoptosis indicated by intense and bright reddish colour. Conclusion A significant increase in reactive oxygen species formation was observed. Caspase 8 and caspase 9 activities were estimated and AKBA activated the production of caspase 8 and caspase 9 in a dose-dependent pattern. Finally, the cell phase distribution analysis was conducted, and flow cytometric analysis showed that AKBA at 200 μg mL-1 significantly arrest MCF-7 cells at the G1 phase and triggered apoptosis.

Background. Rates of major bleeding and intraprocedural thrombotic events (IPTE) in the setting of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using weight-adjusted unfractionated heparin (UFH) without activated clotting time (ACT) monitoring are not known. Methods. We reviewed 2,748 consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography at our tertiary care university hospital between January 2017 and December 2020. All patients who underwent PCI with weight-adjusted UFH without ACT guidance were considered for further analysis. Major bleeding complications occurring within 48 hours of PCI were collected from patients’ medical records. IPTE were collected independently by two interventional cardiologists after review of coronary angiograms. Results. There were 718 patients included in the analysis (65.4 ± 12.2 years old; 81.3% male). In total, 45 patients (7.8%) experienced a major bleed or IPTE. The most common IPTE were slow/no reflow (1.5%) and coronary artery dissection with decreased flow (1.1%). Other IPTE occurred in

Omer Iqbal, Zeeshan Ali, Akbar Azam FAST School of Management, National University of Computer & Emerging Sciences Lahore Campus, Punjab, PakistanCorrespondence: Omer Iqbal, Email sh.omeriqbal@gmail.comPurpose: Drawing on the assumptions of social exchange and conversation of resource theories, this study aims to empirically explore the underlying mechanism between perceived injustice and knowledge hiding in the organizational context. To explicate the relationship, this study examines the catalytic roles of employees’ self-serving behavior and perceived organizational politics.Methods: A moderated-mediation model is developed and tested. Data collected from 234 individuals from both manufacturing and service sector firms.Results: The findings of the study propose that self-serving behavior positively mediates the link between perceived injustice and knowledge hiding. Moreover, the result of two-way interaction between employees’ self-serving behavior and perceived organizational politics further amplifies the indirect relationship between perceived injustice and knowledge hiding.Conclusion: The findings of this study help to enrich the extant research on knowledge hiding by determining and evaluating the factors that hitherto unspecified and explicate the relationship between perceived injustice and knowledge hiding within the organizational contexts. Moreover, this also highlights the importance of employing both individual and contextual elements together while studying knowledge hiding within the organizations.Keywords: perceived injustice, knowledge hiding, self-serving behavior, perceived organizational politics, organizational context, moderated mediation

Abstract Background: While research is needed to advocate for implementation of global agendas to strengthen palliative care, healthcare professionals’ research literacy must improve to bridge the gap between evidence and practice. A resurgent focus on North-South power disparities, means attention should also focus on understanding low- and middle-income countries’ local agency to implement palliative care research agendas. Methods: An observational, cross-sectional online survey among Kenyan palliative healthcare professionals currently working at any of the palliative and hospice care organizations operational during January – December 2019, using descriptive statistics. Results: Among the 93 survey respondents, participants were mainly nurses (50.54%; n = 47). Regarding research attitudes: all agreed/strongly agreed research was important for their professional work. Over nine-tenths (91.21%; n = 83) reported having the skills to conduct research, and 91.30% (n = 84) wanted to conduct research in their clinical work. 90% (90.21%; n = 83) reported supervisory support to conduct research. A comparable proportion (90.22%; n = 83) would undertake research if they could find funding. Regarding research practice: over two-thirds (70.65%; n = 65) reported ever having had a mentor who encouraged them to do research, while approximately half (50.59%; n = 43) reported reading evidence-based journal articles about once per month and attending monthly in-house meetings on palliative care (56.79%; n = 46). Regarding research literacy: while over two-fifths of respondents described their current research literacy level as ‘none’ or ‘beginner’ (44.56%; n = 41), a comparable proportion described it as ‘intermediate’ (45.65%; n = 42), with 9 (9.78%) stating it was ‘advanced’. Conclusion: The majority of palliative healthcare professionals report having interest, skills and support at work to conduct palliative care research, with a low-to-medium level of research literacy. The current study explored palliative care staff attitudes to, experience in, and literacy with the research process, which is necessary to creating a dialogue on implementing research findings. This study also adds to the global empowerment agenda, addressing inequities in research opportunities and local capacity to own and undertake palliative care research.

The performance and durability of high-pressure fuel systems in combustion engines are critical for consistent operation under extreme conditions. High-pressure fuel systems are traditionally lubricated with fuel that is compressed and delivered to the combustion chamber. However, lubrication with fuel presents significant challenges in these systems when used with low-viscosity fuels, leading to increased wear rates, especially in reciprocating contacts. This study delved into the tribological performance of steels of varying alloy content (annealed and hardened variants of AISI-52100, CF2, and D2) against alumina and hard 52100 counterbody materials in ethanol and decane environments. Friction and wear behaviors were evaluated, highlighting the influence of material interactions and environmental factors. Elastohydrodynamic lubrication analysis of the tested systems indicated that ethanol and decane form lubricating films of nanometer-scale thickness, confirming the boundary lubrication regimes of the performed tests. In summary, the tribological behavior trends were similar for alumina and 52100 counterbodies. Even though soft 52100 steel demonstrated low friction, its wear was the largest for both tested environments and counterface materials. Among all the tested materials, hard D2 experienced the lowest wear. 52100 and D2 steels showed opposite friction change behavior when comparing hard and soft samples, with lower friction observed for softer 52100 steel and harder D2 steel. Meanwhile, the wear was lower for harder candidates than for softer ones independent of the environment and counterbody material. Raman spectroscopy analysis of the formed wear tracks indicated the formation of carbon films with larger intensities of characteristic carbon peaks observed for more wear-resistant materials. These results suggest the synergistic effect of hardness and tribochemical activity in reducing the wear of materials.

Abstract This is a review of the current state of molecular profiling in gastrointestinal (GI) cancers and what to expect from this evolving field in the future. Individualized medicine is moving from broad panel testing of numerous genes or gene products in tumor biopsy samples, identifying biomarkers of prognosis and treatment response, to relatively noninvasive liquid biopsy assays, building on what we have learned in our tumor analysis and growing into its own evolving predictive and prognostic subspecialty. Hence, the field of GI precision oncology is exploding, and this review endeavors to summarize where we are now in preparation for the journey ahead.

Human health is greatly and directly affected by the quality of groundwater and the extent of its pollution. This research evaluated the quality of groundwater in the Nineveh plain in northern Iraq and determined the suitability of groundwater for drinking purposes. Sixty-nine groundwater samples were taken and the major physical and chemical constituents, including pH, TDS, EC, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl−, So42-, HCO3-, and NO3-. were analyzed to use in calculating groundwater quality index for drinking purpose based on the World Health Organization standards for the year 2017. To prevent subjectively assigning weights in the calculation groundwater quality index, the entropy information theory was used. The estimated groundwater quality index values were loaded into ArcGIS 10.8 as a point, shapefile and interpolated using Empirical Bayesian Kriging techniques to produce the final groundwater quality index map of the study area. Results indicated that the entropy groundwater quality index for 2.9% of the samples were within the excellent range, 33% were in the good range, 14.5% were within the moderate range. The groundwater quality index values range between (48-581.8). These values were manually classified into five categories: >200 (very poor), 200-150 (poor), 150-100 (moderate), 100-50 (good), and

This study aims to examine whether there is any evidence of momentum in Moroccan industries and whether these momentum returns are attributed to the market status, UP and Down based on monthly data from December 1997 to December 2019. The portfolio methodology was used to classify 17 Moroccan industries within four portfolios; each portfolio constitutes 25% of Moroccan industries. The 3-factor model of Fama and French was employed to consider the risk-adjusted returns. The results showed that there is ample evidence and statistically significant momentum returns in Moroccan industries. The sub-sample findings support the evidence of momentum. This study also shows that momentum returns in the Moroccan industry are not exclusive to the UP or DOWN market because momentum returns are present in both “Up” and “Down” markets. These results are important for investors to design their investment strategies and take advantage of the momentum returns in Moroccan industries. This study contradicts the efficient market hypothesis because of the inability of the Fama-French 3-factor model to account for momentum profits; therefore, the paper recommends using the Fama-French five-factor model.

Yu G, Ali Z, Sajjad Khan A, et al. Int J Nanomedicine. 2021;16:3255-3273. At the authors request, the Editor and Publisher of International Journal of Nanomedicine wish to retract the published article. Concerns were raised regarding the alleged duplication of images in Figures 9A, 9B and 9C with the same images from a previous article (ud Din et al, 2017 https://doi.org/10.1080/10717544.2016.1272651) by the same authors. Specifically, Figure 9A, Untreated Control, Pure Drug, HePC-NLCs, Normal Saline and all corresponding Tumor mass images appear to have been duplicated with the same images for Figure 6A, Control, Solution, DRTN, and Hydrogel images, respectively, from ud Din et al, 2017. Figure 9B, Pure Drug, Caspas-3; HePC-NLCs, Caspas-3 and Normal Saline, Caspas-3 appear to have been duplicated with the same images from Figure 6C, Solution, Ki-67 and Figure 6B, DRTN, Caspase-3 and Control, Caspase-3, respectively, from ud Din et al, 2017. Figure 9C, Untreated Control, PARP; Pure Drug, PARP; HePC-NLCs, PARP and Normal Saline, PARP appear to have been duplicated with the same images from Figure 6C, Hydrogel, CD31; Figure 6B, Solution, PARP; Figure 6C, Control, CD31 and Figure 6B, Control, PARP, respectively, from ud Din et al, 2017. The authors responded to our queries and agreed with the concerns that had been raised and requested for the retraction of the article. The Editor agreed with this decision and approved the authors retraction request. We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as “Retracted”.

Tools and resources that could increase dog vaccination coverage have become increasingly critical towards progressing the goal to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies by 2030. In this regard, dog collars that are fitted during vaccination campaigns could potentially enhance owner participation. The use of dog collars will, however, increase the cost per dog vaccinated and the impact and benefit of this practice should be elucidated. This study evaluated the impact of dog collars by testing the perception and related behavioural influences in communities in Zanzibar. In this cross-sectional investigation—conducted approximately two months after the implementation of a mass dog vaccination (MDV) where dog collars were provided to vaccinated dogs—data were collected from 600 respondents in 56 municipal wards in Zanzibar. Descriptive analyses and logistic regressions were undertaken to determine the impact the collars had on respondents with regards to (i) engaging with the community dogs, (ii) health seeking behaviour after exposure, and (iii) overall participation during dog vaccination campaigns. From the data, it was evident that the collars had a positive impact on the community’s perception of dogs, with 57% of the respondents feeling safer around a dog with a collar, while 66% of the respondents felt less safe around a dog without a collar. Furthermore, the collars had a positive impact on participation during dog vaccination campaigns. Of the 142 respondents who owned dogs, 64% reported that the collars made them more likely to take their dogs for vaccination, and 95% felt that the collar was an important sign of the dog’s vaccination status. This study demonstrated that dog collars could not only improve participation during dog vaccination campaigns, but that they could also play a significant role in the community’s perception of rabies vaccination campaigns and vaccinated dogs in general.

Abstract Background For youth in geopolitically at-risk environments, such as Palestine, the issues related to Internet overuse and addictions are complex. Youth residing in the occupied territories of Palestine as in other highly militarized zones have high levels of environmental stressors (e.g., militarization, poverty, lack of employment opportunities, cultural pressures, etc.) and few chemical or social outlets such as alcohol, intoxicants, and leisure activities. As such, the easily accessible and unrestricted opportunities for stress-reducing social contact of social media can lead easily to excessive and maladaptive Internet use. Therefore, interventions directly aimed at awareness and education on how to manage Internet use are critical for addressing these issues in high risk populations. Aims The purpose of the current study was to test the efficacy of a time-limited group training program aimed at improving social skills and reducing addictive Internet behaviors among university students. Methods and results The sample consisted of 30 university students who self-reported high scores on an Internet addiction scale. Participants were randomly assigned to either wait list or treatment group (15 in each condition). Results demonstrated that using a social skills training program over an 8-week period improved the level of social skills and reduced addictive Internet behaviors significantly in those who experienced the intervention when compared with a wait list control group. Conclusions These findings support the implementation of time limited training programs targeting social skills and addictive patterns of Internet use with university students identified with high levels of Internet addictive behaviors.

Guo Yu, 1 Zakir Ali, 2 Anam Sajjad Khan, 2 Kalim Ullah, 3 Humzah Jamshaid, 2 Alam Zeb, 4 Muhammad Imran, 4 Sadia Sarwar, 4 Han-Gon Choi, 5 Fakhar ud Din 2 1Department of Head and Neck Breast, Xinxiang Central Hospital, Xinxiang City, Henan Province, 453000, People’s Republic of China; 2Nanomedicine Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan; 3Department of Zoology, Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan; 4Riphah Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan; 5College of Pharmacy & Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan, South KoreaCorrespondence: Fakhar ud Din Tel +92 512-90644314Fax +92 512-90644144Email fudin@qau.edu.pkHan-Gon Choi Email hangon@hanyang.ac.krBackground: The purpose of this study was to investigate the suitability of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) loaded with miltefosine (HePC) as an anticancer drug for the treatment of breast cancer.Methods: HePC-NLCs were prepared using a microemulsion technique and then evaluated for particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), incorporation efficiency, in vitro release of entrapped drug, and hemolytic potential. Furthermore, pharmacokinetic, biodistribution, and liver toxicity analyses were performed in Sprague–Dawley rats, and antitumor efficacy was evaluated in Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) and squamous cell carcinoma-7 (SCC-7) cells in vitro and in tumour-bearing BALB/c mice in vivo. Advanced analyses including survival rate, immunohistopathology, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) assays were performed to evaluate apoptosis in vivo.Results: The average particle size of the HePC-NLCs was 143 ± 16 nm, with a narrow PDI (0.104 ± 0.002), and the incorporation efficiency was found to be 91 ± 7%. The NLCs released HePC in a sustained manner, and this release was significantly lower than that of free drug. The in vitro hemolytic assay demonstrated a significantly reduced hemolytic potential (∼ 9%) of the NLCs compared to that of the test formulations. The HePC-NLCs demonstrated enhanced pharmacokinetic behaviour over free drug, including extended blood circulation and an abridged clearance rate in rats. Furthermore, the HePC-NLCs exhibited higher cytotoxicity than the free drug in MCF-7 and SCC-7 cells. Moreover, the HePC-NLCs showed significantly enhanced (P < 0.005) antitumor activity compared to that of the control and free drug-treated mouse groups. Tumour cell apoptosis was also confirmed, indicating the antitumor potential of the HePC-NLCs.Conclusion: These findings demonstrate the ability of NLCs as a drug delivery system for enhanced pharmacokinetic, antitumor, and apoptotic effects, most importantly when loaded with HePC.Keywords: breast cancer, miltefosine, nano lipid carriers, bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, antitumor efficacy

l-asparaginase is an amidohydrolase enzyme that is widely identified as one of the most potential anti cancerous drugs. Nevertheless, this drug is poorly bioavailable and hence its pharmaceutical uses are limited. To improve its bioactivity, l-asparaginase was loaded on gold nanoparticles (GNPs) along with Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide that direct the enzyme to targeted cancer cells with aim to enhancing the anticancer efficiency. Successful preparation of GNPs and the conjugate (GNPs-PEG-l-asparaginase-RGD) was verified and delineated by employing UV–VIS spectrophotometer, FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, and TEM. UV–VIS spectrophotometer, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopic (FE-SEM), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The efficiency of the GNPs and conjugate to target and distribute in MCF-7 cells was evaluated using high fluorescent signals and confirmed by fluorescence microscopy. A variety of parameters were tested to investigate the anticancer potential of each compound toward MCF-7 cells in vitro. The conjugate demonstrated significant antioxidant effects with high tumor targeting efficacy and distribution in MCF-7 cells. It caused a decrease in cell proliferation rate and clonogenicity of MCF-7 cells, while initiating apoptosis and promoting cell cycle arrest at the G2/M, as confirmed by flow cytometry analysis. These effects were coupled with upregulating the pro-apoptotic p53 while downregulating the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, which resulted in an alleviation of the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and, thereby, the secretion of cytochrome c. The outcomes of the present study propose the high feasibility for further development of the conjugate as a novel agent against cancer cells.

Casper Tidemandsen,1 Anne Vejen Hansen,1 Vibeke Backer,2 Elisabeth Juul Gade,3 Zarqa Ali,4 Charlotte Suppli Ulrik1,2 1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark; 2Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; 3Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; 4Department of Dermatology and Wound Healing Centre, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, DenmarkCorrespondence: Casper TidemandsenRespiratory Research Unit Hvidovre, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hvidovre University Hospital, Kettegård Alle 30, Hvidovre DK-2650, DenmarkTel +45 50751516Email casper.tidemandsen.01@regionh.dkBackground: Asthma has been linked with prolonged time to pregnancy compared to healthy controls, also asthma has been linked to a higher need for fertility treatment. However, knowledge of the possible association between allergy and need for fertility treatment is limited. Our aim was to explore a possible difference in having had fertility treatment in women with asthma and live births in those with perennial allergy (animals, fungi and dust mites) compared to no allergy/seasonal allergy. The primary outcome of interest was fertility treatment.Patients and Methods: Women enrolled in the Management of Asthma during Pregnancy (MAP) program at Hvidovre Hospital, DK, were included in the present analysis provided they fulfilled the following criteria: 1) diagnosed with asthma and current anti-asthma therapy and 2) first visit to the respiratory outpatient clinic within the first 18 weeks of pregnancy. Participants were divided into two groups: asthma with perennial allergy (cases) and asthma with seasonal/no allergy (controls). Logistic regression analysis was applied, and findings expressed as odds ratios (OR).Results: Among women with asthma and perennial allergy (n=544 cases), 13.8% (n=75) had fertility treatment, compared to only 10.1% (n=39) among women with asthma and seasonal/no allergy (n=388, controls) (OR 1.43, 95% CI 0.95– 2.16, p=0.087). This association remained statistically insignificant after adjusting for confounders, including BMI (OR 1.19, 95% CI 0.77– 1.84, p=0.433). In women ≥ 35 years of age, 28% (n=44) and 20% (n=19), respectively, among cases and controls had fertility treatment (OR 1.60, 95% CI 0.87– 2.94, p=0.132), and likewise, statistically insignificant after adjusting for confounders (OR 1.41, 95% CI 0.74– 2.69, p< 0.293).Conclusion: In women with asthma and live births, our study revealed a trend towards an association between perennial allergy and a higher need for fertility treatment compared to seasonal/no allergy.Keywords: asthma, allergy, pregnancy, IVF, ART, fertility, atopy

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was one of the countries earliest affected by the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and had taken precautions including compulsory COVID-19 vaccination. Both the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (Oxford AstraZeneca) and the BNT162b2 vaccine (Pfizer) were approved by the Saudi Ministry of Health, followed by mRNA-1273 (Moderna), all of which were used for population-wide vaccination. This study aimed to assess the short-term side effects following the COVID-19 vaccinations among participants who had received all three doses in the western region of Saudi Arabia. An online survey was distributed to the participants who received either BNT162b2, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, or mRNA-1273 vaccines, and the type of side effects and their severity were evaluated. Fatigue and headache, pain at the site of the injection and muscle pain were the most common side effects in all three doses. However, the severity depending on the type of vaccination was significant only for the first and second dose, but not the third dose. In contrast, there was a higher percentage of participants who encountered severe side effects from the third dose compared to the first and second. Nevertheless, the majority of participants described all three doses’ side effects to be moderately severe. A future evaluation could be made to access the individual types of vaccination and compare between the side effects of the BNT162b2, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, and mRNA-1273 vaccines specifically for the booster dose.

This study aims to prepper stable thermodynamically dilutable nanoemulsion formulation of Beauveria bassiana with the lowest surfactant concentration that could improve its solubility stability. Formulations were prepared from oil in the water nanoemulsion region of phase diagrams subjected to thermodynamic stability tests. We found propanetriol was the highest germination rate at 5% and 10% concentration, 46.66 and 53.33%, respectively. Castor oil achieved a 43.00 germination rate at 1%. Tween 80 gave 54.33 % germination rate at 10%. While Tween 20 showed a 48 % germination rate at 5%. At the concentration, 1% Term 1284 gave 43.33% rate germination. Nanoemulsion composed of propanetriol and nonionic surfactants, with a mean particle size ranging from 25.08 to 75.35 nm, was formulated for various concentrations of the oils and surfactants. Water in oil emulsion was prepared using propanetriol oil, Tween 20, Tween 80, Term 1284, and water. Nanoemulsion of 25.08, 33.75, and 75.35 nm size was obtained at a 45: 15 % ratio of oil and surfactant, and it was found to be stable. The larger droplet size 75.35 nm of formulation Tween 20 and the smaller size was 25.08 nm in the formulation of Term 1284. The higher viscosity value was 16 mPas of formulation Tween 80, and the lowest value was 7.80 in the formulation of Term 1284. To demonstrate the possible employment of these systems, they were used to formulate a nanoformulation pesticide.

Embolic stroke of unknown source (ESUS) represents one in five ischemic strokes. Ipsilateral non-stenotic carotid plaques are identified in 40% of all ESUS. In this narrative review, we summarize the evidence supporting the potential causal relationship between ESUS and non-stenotic carotid plaques; discuss the remaining challenges in establishing the causal link between non-stenotic plaques and ESUS and describe biomarkers of potential interest for future research. In support of the causal relationship between ESUS and non-stenotic carotid plaques, studies have shown that plaques with high-risk features are five times more prevalent in the ipsilateral vs. the contralateral carotid and there is a lower incidence of atrial fibrillation during follow-up in patients with ipsilateral non-stenotic carotid plaques. However, non-stenotic carotid plaques with or without high-risk features often coexist with other potential etiologies of stroke, notably atrial fibrillation (8.5%), intracranial atherosclerosis (8.4%), patent foramen ovale (5–9%), and atrial cardiopathy (2.4%). Such puzzling clinical associations make it challenging to confirm the causal link between non-stenotic plaques and ESUS. There are several ongoing studies exploring whether select protein and RNA biomarkers of plaque progression or vulnerability could facilitate the reclassification of some ESUS as large vessel strokes or help to optimize secondary prevention strategies.

The present study aims to validate the diagnostic performance and evaluate the reliability of an artificial intelligence system based on the convolutional neural network method for the morphological classification of sella turcica in CBCT (cone-beam computed tomography) images. In this retrospective study, sella segmentation and classification models (CranioCatch, Eskisehir, Türkiye) were applied to sagittal slices of CBCT images, using PyTorch supported by U-Net and TensorFlow 1, and we implemented the GoogleNet Inception V3 algorithm. The AI models achieved successful results for sella turcica segmentation of CBCT images based on the deep learning models. The sensitivity, precision, and F-measure values were 1.0, 1.0, and 1.0, respectively, for segmentation of sella turcica in sagittal slices of CBCT images. The sensitivity, precision, accuracy, and F1-score were 1.0, 0.95, 0.98, and 0.84, respectively, for sella-turcica-flattened classification; 0.95, 0.83, 0.92, and 0.88, respectively, for sella-turcica-oval classification; 0.75, 0.94, 0.90, and 0.83, respectively, for sella-turcica-round classification. It is predicted that detecting anatomical landmarks with orthodontic importance, such as the sella point, with artificial intelligence algorithms will save time for orthodontists and facilitate diagnosis.

Joan Bláfoss,1 Anne Vejen Hansen,1 Sara S Malchau Lauesgaard,2 Zarqa Ali,1 Charlotte Suppli Ulrik1,31Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark; 2Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark; 3Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkBackground and objective: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases among women of reproductive age, and previous studies have suggested a link between female asthma and infertility. The aim of the present review is to provide an update on current knowledge of the association between female asthma and/or atopy and a reduction in fertility, ie, number of offspring, time to pregnancy (TTP) and need for fertility treatment.Methods: Systematic review performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-guidelines.Results: A total of 14 studies fulfilled the predefined criteria for inclusion in the present review. Six studies investigated the association between female asthma and/or atopy and number of offspring, of which one reported a positive, two a negative, and three no association. Three studies addressed the association between asthma and TTP and found that TTP was significantly prolonged in asthmatic women compared to non-asthmatic women. Five studies investigated subfertility and the need for fertility treatments of which two studies found a higher prevalence of infertility among women prescribed anti-asthma medication. One study found no difference in the number of fertility treatments of asthmatic women compared to non-asthmatic women, whereas three studies reported that female asthma was associated with significantly more fertility treatment compared to non-asthmatic women.Conclusion: Although the available evidence is conflicting, there is a clear trend toward an association between female asthma and a reduction in fertility, and by that a larger proportion requiring fertility treatment, even though female asthma might not negatively affect total number of offspring.Keywords: asthma, fertility, offspring, fertility treatment, time to pregnancy

This study assesses groundwater quality GWQ at the east side of Mosul city for different purposes during 2014–2017. Eighteen shallow wells distributed in residential areas are selected and assessed by analyzing their physical, chemical and biological properties. This study reviews the textures of sub-layers by using groundwater modelling system (GMS) to show the probability of infiltration of nearby wastewater and gray water. This study analyzes epidemiological data about diarrhea cases that were increased during that period and calculating the relative, attributed and odd risk. There are three types of assessment are conducted including ranking assessment, weighted assessment and geographical information systems (GIS) assessment. A final map is created to show the most suitable area for live stock and irrigation purposes. The results show that the studied groundwater samples are unsuitable for drinking. High damage can happen for crops with sensitivity for salinity. Most wells are acceptable for live stock purpose.

Acute surgical abdomen is still forming a diagnostic dilemma in children. Omental torsion was an overlooked differential diagnosis in the era of open appendectomy, but nowadays with the propagation of laparoscopic surgery in pediatric age group there are more reports published describing the omental torsion.Clinical picture of Primary omental torsion is mimicking the diagnosis of acute appendicitis and for most of the cases the diagnosis will be only discovered intraoperatively. Primary omental torsion is more common on the right side of the greater omentum. Free peritoneal serosanguinous fluid is a common intraoperative finding.Due to increasing number of reported cases, omental torsion should always be ruled out in cases of negative laparoscopic exploration for acute abdomen in children. Here we are reporting three cases of omental torsion presented with right lower abdominal pain and primary omental torsion was found during laparoscopic exploration. Laparoscopic excision of the infarcted omentum was done. The clinical course, findings and treatment are highlighted. .

Paracetamol as analgesic drugs makes hepatotoxicity and kidney damage in overdose situations. The present study investigates the protective effects of L-arginine and vitamin c against paracetamol toxicity. Thirty male rats with age of eight weeks divided into five groups: Control group with normal diet, Model animals received 500 mg/kg of Paracetamol. The Third group received 1% of L-arginine and same dose of paracetamol. Forth group received 1% of vitamin c plus paracetamol and the last group treated with a combination of all three chemicals. All drugs administrated orally in drinking water for 28 days. Liver and kidneys of the control group rats showed increasing in the weight while non-significant result was observed in the other groups. Histological investigation of the kidney of the model group shows inflammatory cell infiltration, tubular dilation and glomerulus damage, while liver sections shows sinusoid dilation inflammatory cell accumulation hepatocytes degeneration. L-arginine and vitamin C showed some protective effects when administrated alone but their combination has no good effects when compared with control group. In conclusion, L-Arginine administration has good protective effects against toxicity of liver and kidney induced by Paracetamol.

Background: Inotropic dependence and diuretic resistance in patients with cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) lead to frequent hospitalizations and are associated with high mortality. Starting peritoneal dialysis (PD) acutely (within 2 weeks of a heart failure hospitalization) offers effective volume removal without hemodynamic compromise in this population. There is little data on this approach in the North American literature. Objective: To determine whether volume-overloaded patients with CRS on maximal doses of diuretic therapy had reduced hospitalization for heart failure following PD initiation. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Academic hospital network (University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario). Patients: Patients with CRS receiving a bedside catheter and starting PD within 2 weeks of insertion at the University Health Network from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2018. Methods and measurements: Data for heart failure–related hospitalizations and length of stay 6 months before and after PD initiation were collected. Patients who died, switched to hemodialysis, or were transferred to another facility within 6 months of starting PD were excluded from the analysis. Results: We identified 31 patients with CRS who had a bedside PD catheter inserted. The average age of patients was 66.0 ± 13.0 years. There were 7 (22.6%) deaths and 4 (12.9%) transfers to other programs or hemodialysis within 6 months of catheter insertion. After exclusion, we analyzed hospitalization and length of stay data for 20 patients. The hospitalization rate 6 months before PD initiation was 6.9 admissions per 1000 patient-days. This decreased to 2.5 admissions per 1000 patient-days after PD initiation. In addition, there was also a significant reduction in the average length of stay per hospitalization (24.1-3.9 days; P = .001). Limitations: Our study did not assess the severity of heart failure symptoms using a standardized functional classification system. We did not assess quality of life and illness intrusiveness scores before and after starting dialysis, nor did we capture non–heart-failure-related hospitalizations or external admissions at other hospital sites. We limited eligibility to clinically stable patients with no prior major abdominal surgical history in a single Canadian PD program using bedside ultrasound approach for catheter insertions by experienced nephrologists and included a small number of patients. Conclusions: Volume-overloaded patients with CRS receiving maximal diuretic therapy have lower hospitalization rates and shorter stays after initiation of PD. The development of a bedside PD catheter insertion program and close collaboration between nephrology and cardiology services may facilitate acute start dialysis in this population.

Abstract: We studied dynamic thiol/disulphide homeostasis, an indicator of oxidative stress, to investigate the effects of newly initiated exercise training on sedentary obese adults. Seventeen sedentary obese adults and 15 normal-weight controls were included in the sample for this study. The obese adults were given a physical exercise training program that lasted twelve weeks. Before and after the exercise training program, blood samples were collected, and serum thiol/disulphide parameters were measured by using a novel technique. Before the start of the exercise training, it was observed that thiol/disulphide homeostasis was impaired, and this impairment was positively correlated with body mass index in sedentary obese adults because of the higher reactive oxygen species production in adipose tissue. However, while the obese participants’ body mass index significantly decreased, the thiol/disulphide homeostasis parameters in the obese adults did not change over time as calculated at the baseline and compared to the calculation after the twelve weeks of exercise training. Despite a decrease in body mass index that occurred after the twelve weeks of exercise training, there was a lack of improvement in the obesity-induced impairment of thiol/disulphide homeostasis, which suggests that a newly initiated exercise training program may lead to oxidative stress.

Advanced photonic probes are important for the development of non-contact wafer-scale testing of photonic chips. Here, Vynck et al. develop a quantitative technique based on mapping of transmittance variations by ultrafast perturbations to analyze arbitrary linear multi-port photonic devices.

Abstract. Objectives Based on a critical analysis of the results of complex studies, we set out to demonstrate the advantages, as compared with existing technologies, of a developed technology that uses a new cutting scheme with a combined countersink-tap tool. Methods One way to improve the processing capacity, tool life and quality of a cut thread is to reduce the torque and strain hardening of the processed material by employing a new cutting approach to completely eliminate the friction of the lateral sides of the tooth on the surface of the cut thread. It was necessary for this technology to be checked in real production conditions. Results The conducted production tests of a combined countersink-tap tool with the new cutting scheme developed by the inventors have shown that, as a result of a significant reduction in the torque and a decrease in the strain hardening of the processed material, it is possible to increase the cutting speed and increase labour productivity by more than 2 times as compared with the thread cutting processes using taps with staggered teeth, 1.2 times as compared to taps with a corrected structure, and more than 6 times as compared to standard taps. At the same time, the stability of the tool is increased 3-5 times and the number of breakages is also sharply reduced. Conclusion It has been established that the accuracy of the geometric parameters as well as the strength and quality of the thread surface cut by the combined countersink-tap tool with the new cutting scheme in hard-to-work materials is much higher than the same thread parameters obtained by processing with standard and other known taps. The studies also indicated its high reliability, operability and expediency of application for processing the above-mentioned materials. The advantages of the combined tool also include a reduction in thread cutting time as compared to a separate machining of the threaded hole (countersinking with a standard countersink followed by subsequent tapping).

Zarqa Ali,1 Lisbeth Nilas,2,3 Charlotte Suppli Ulrik1,3 1Department of Pulmonary Medicine, 2Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, 3Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Background: Airway responsiveness and inflammation are associated with the clinical manifestations of asthma and the response to pharmacological therapy.Objective: To investigate if airway responsiveness and inflammatory characteristics are related to asthma exacerbations during pregnancy.Materials and methods: In women with asthma who were prescribed controller medication and monitored closely during pregnancy, the risk of exacerbations was analyzed in relation to postpartum measures of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO), skin prick test reactivity, static and dynamic lung volumes, diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, bronchial responsiveness to inhaled mannitol, and inflammatory characteristics in induced sputum. Obtained data were analyzed in relation to exacerbation status during pregnancy. The PD15 is defined as the cumulative administered dose causing a 15% decline in forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1). Results: Fifty women (mean age ± standard deviation of 32±5 years) were enrolled over an 11-month period and examined on average 4 months postpartum. During pregnancy, 13 women had a total of 16 exacerbations (8 mild and 8 severe). Women with asthma exacerbation during pregnancy had more pronounced airway responsiveness to inhaled mannitol (geometric mean PD15 82 vs 171 mg, p=0.04) and were less likely to be atopic (62% vs 86%, respectively; p=0.04) than the non-exacerbators. No statistically significant difference was found between the 2 groups of women with regard to type of airway inflammation in sputum and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO).Conclusion: More pronounced airway hyperresponsiveness together with nonatopic status appears to characterize women at high risk of exacerbation of asthma during pregnancy. Keywords: asthma, inflammation, pregnancy

Integrated optical circuits today are typically designed for a few special functionalities and require complex design and development procedures. Here, the authors demonstrate a reconfigurable but simple silicon waveguide mesh with different functionalities.

The present study is designed to investigate the roles of cycloxygenase (COX) and endothelial derived hyperpolarizing factors (EDHF) pathways in bradykinin (BK)-induced aortic relaxation. Here, isolated aortic rings pre-incubated with different ion channel blockers which are; inward rectifier potassium channel blocker (barium chloride; BaCl2), calcium activated Potassium (KCa+2) channel blocker (tetraethylammonium; TEA), cytochrome P450 inhibitor, clotrimazole and cycloxygenase inhibitor and indomethacin. In BaCl2, Emax tended to decrease significantly with significant change of PIC50. TEA pre-incubation markedly shifted DRC of BK to the left side and it significantly reduced PIC50. Indomethacin significantly lowered the PIC50 of BK, but it shifted the DRC of BK to the left. The results suggested that BK relaxes aortic smooth muscle particularly via the enhancement of cycloxygenase and epoxygenase enzymes as well as through opening Kir and KCa+2channels.

Abstract Nonlinear silicon photonic devices have attracted considerable attention thanks to their ability to show large third-order nonlinear effects at moderate power levels allowing for all-optical signal processing functionalities in miniaturized components. Although significant efforts have been made and many nonlinear optical functions have already been demonstrated in this platform, the performance of nonlinear silicon photonic devices remains fundamentally limited at the telecom wavelength region due to the two photon absorption (TPA) and related effects. In this work, we propose an alternative CMOS-compatible platform, based on silicon-rich silicon nitride that can overcome this limitation. By carefully selecting the material deposition parameters, we show that both of the device linear and nonlinear properties can be tuned in order to exhibit the desired behaviour at the selected wavelength region. A rigorous and systematic fabrication and characterization campaign of different material compositions is presented, enabling us to demonstrate TPA-free CMOS-compatible waveguides with low linear loss (~1.5 dB/cm) and enhanced Kerr nonlinear response (Re{γ} = 16 Wm−1). Thanks to these properties, our nonlinear waveguides are able to produce a π nonlinear phase shift, paving the way for the development of practical devices for future optical communication applications.

Priyanka Pandey,1,2 Zahara Ali,1,2 Ghulam Mohammad,3 MA Qadar Pasha1,2 1Functional Genomics Unit, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi, 2Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 3Department of Medicine, SNM Hospital, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, India Abstract: Biomarkers are essential to unravel the locked pathophysiology of any disease. This study investigated the role of biomarkers and their interactions with each other and with the clinical parameters to study the physiology of high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) in HAPE-patients (HAPE-p) against adapted highlanders (HLs) and healthy sojourners, HAPE-controls (HAPE-c). For this, seven circulatory biomarkers, namely, epinephrine, norepinephrine, tyrosine hydroxylase, transforming growth factor beta 1, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), platelet-derived growth factor beta beta, and C-reactive protein (CRP), were measured in blood plasma of the three study groups. All the subjects were recruited at ~3,500 m, and clinical features such as arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2), body mass index, and mean arterial pressure were measured. Increased levels of epinephrine, norepinephrine, tyrosine hydroxylase, transforming growth factor-beta 1, and TNFα were observed in HAPE-p against the healthy groups, HAPE-c, and HLs (P0.01). Correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between epinephrine and norepinephrine (P=4.6E-06) in HAPE-p and positive correlation in HAPE-c (P=0.004) and HLs (P=9.78E-07). A positive correlation was observed between TNFα and CRP (P=0.004) in HAPE-p and a negative correlation in HAPE-c (P=4.6E-06). SaO2 correlated negatively with platelet-derived growth factor beta beta (HAPE-p; P=0.05), norepinephrine (P=0.01), and TNFα (P=0.005) and positively with CRP (HAPE-c; P=0.02) and norepinephrine (HLs; P=0.04). Body mass index correlated negatively with epinephrine (HAPE-p; P=0.001) and positively with norepinephrine and tyrosine hydroxylase in HAPE-c (P0.70, P

The formation and solvent extraction of new ion-association com¬ple- ¬xes between anionic chelat of niobium(V) with 2,4-dihydroxy¬thio¬phenol (DHTP) and hydrophobic amines (HAs). The HAs were aniline (An), N-methyl¬aniline (MAn), N,N-dimethylaniline (DAn). The optimum conditions for the extraction of mixed ligand complexes (MLC) (organic solvent, extraction time, acidity of the aqueous phase, concentration of reagents), some key constants {association constant (β), extraction constant (Kex)} and analytical characteristics were determined. The molar absorptivities of MLC were calculated ε =(3.5-3.9) × 104 L mol–1 cm–1 . The Beer’s law was applicable in the range of 2.2-100 μg/mL.

In this paper, we propose a generalized procedure for the design of integrated Vernier devices for high performance chemical and biochemical sensing. In particular, we demonstrate the accurate control of the most critical design and fabrication parameters of silicon-on-insulator cascade-coupled racetrack resonators operating in the second regime of the Vernier effect, around 1.55 μm. The experimental implementation of our design strategies has allowed a rigorous and reliable investigation of the influence of racetrack resonator and directional coupler dimensions as well as of waveguide process variability on the operation of Vernier devices. Figures of merit of our Vernier architectures have been measured experimentally, evidencing a high reproducibility and a very good agreement with the theoretical predictions, as also confirmed by relative errors even lower than 1%. Finally, a Vernier gain as high as 30.3, average insertion loss of 2.1 dB and extinction ratio up to 30 dB have been achieved.

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an arrhythmogenic cardiac disorder resulting from the malfunction of cardiac ion channels. Patient with LQTS may present with syncope, seizures or sudden cardiac death secondary to polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) or torsades de pointes. Patient may be asymptomatic in the pre-operative period but may develop VT for the first time in operation theatre. We are reporting anaesthetic management of a child with LQTS planned for bilateral thoracoscopic cervicothoracic sympathectomy.

Understanding how the environment selects a given taxon and the diversity patterns that emerge as a result of environmental filtering can dramatically improve our ability to analyse any environment in depth as well as advancing our knowledge on how the response of different taxa can impact each other and ecosystem functions. Most of the work investigating microbial biogeography has been site-specific, and logical environmental factors, rather than geographical location, may be more influential on microbial diversity. SEQenv, a novel pipeline aiming to provide environmental annotations of sequences emerged to provide a consistent description of the environmental niches using the ENVO ontology. While the pipeline provides a list of environmental terms on the basis of sample datasets and, therefore, the annotations obtained are at the dataset level, it lacks a taxa centric approach to environmental annotation. The work here describes an extension developed to enhance the SEQenv pipeline, which provided the means to directly generate environmental annotations for taxa under different contexts. 16S rDNA amplicon datasets belonging to distinct biomes were selected to illustrate the applicability of the extended SEQenv pipeline. A literature survey of the results demonstrates the immense importance of sequence level environmental annotations by illustrating the distribution of both taxa across environments as well as the various environmental sources of a specific taxon. Significantly enhancing the SEQenv pipeline in the process, this information would be valuable to any biologist seeking to understand the various taxa present in the habitat and the environment they originated from, enabling a more thorough analysis of which lineages are abundant in certain habitats and the recovery of patterns in taxon distribution across different habitats and environmental gradients.

Background: Although the prevalence of suspected tuberculosis (TB) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remains high, there has been a modest decrease in recent years. In this multi-center cross-sectional study, the prevalence of TB was determined by various techniques with the aim of identifying differences and indicating where there is uniformity in findings. Materials and Methods: A total of 3404 samples were collected from Saudi TB patients from different regions in Saudi Arabia: Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Hail, Qassim, Jazan, and Taif. Different techniques including Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN), Mycobacteria growth indicator tube (MGiT), Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to screen for the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Results: ZN stain showed that Riyadh and Dammam had the highest prevalence of MTB with 22% and 21%, respectively, while prevalence was lowest in Jazan and Hail with an incidence of 2% and 3%, respectively. MGiT culture showed that Riyadh, Dammam, and Jeddah had the highest prevalence with a rate of 26%, 22%, and 22%, respectively. LJ culture showed the highest prevalence in Riyadh and Dammam with 22% and 21%, respectively. Of all the techniques, the highest detection rate was by PCR which was 10.46% while ZN stain technique was 6.64%, for MGiT culture it was 8.34%, and for LJ culture it was 7.7%. Conclusion: This study is the first in which different methods have been used for detection in the various regions of Saudi Arabia. Collected data are important not only for patients and physicians but for future epidemiological studies to monitor the spread of MTB infection in Saudi Arabia.

Zarqa Ali, Charlotte Suppli UlrikDepartment of Pulmonary Medicine, Hvidovre Hospital and University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkBackground: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases among pregnant women. Acute exacerbations of asthma during pregnancy have an unfavorable impact on pregnancy outcome. This review provides an overview of current knowledge of incidence, mechanisms, and risk factors for acute exacerbations of asthma during pregnancy.Methods: A narrative literature review was carried out using the PubMed database.Results: During pregnancy, up to 6% of women with asthma are hospitalized for an acute exacerbation. The maternal immune system is characterized by a very high T-helper-2:T-helper-1 cytokine ratio during pregnancy and thereby provides an environment essential for fetal survival but one that may aggravate asthma. Cells of the innate immune system such as monocytes and neutrophils are also increased during pregnancy, and this too can exacerbate maternal asthma. Severe or difficult-to-control asthma appears to be the major risk factor for exacerbations during pregnancy, but studies also suggest that nonadherence with controller medication and viral infections are important triggers of exacerbations during pregnancy. So far, inconsistent findings have been reported regarding the effect of fetal sex on exacerbations during pregnancy. Other risk factors for exacerbation during pregnancy include obesity, ethnicity, and reflux, whereas atopy does not appear to be a risk factor.Discussion: The incidence of asthma exacerbations during pregnancy is disturbingly high. Severe asthma – better described as difficult-to-control asthma – nonadherence with controller therapy, viral infections, obesity, and ethnicity are likely to be important risk factors for exacerbations of asthma during pregnancy, whereas inconsistent findings have been reported with regard to the importance of sex of the fetus.Keywords: acute exacerbations, pregnancy, asthma severity, incidence, risk factors