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In this work, BCR-sequential methods were used for the fractionation analysis of mercury in coal. Extraction methodologies BCR-SM, SSM and SS-UM were designed for fractionation analysis. The SSM and SS-UM are easy methods in term of operational time 36 h and 2 h respectively, from 51 h operational time of BCR-SM. Validations of applied methods were carried out by using SRM-1635A and spiking method to fractionation analysis of mercury in coal. Extraction efficiency of total mercury by pseudo method was checked by SRM-1635A, and obtained 97.1%. Total mercury was obtained 0.60–2.34 µg g− 1 in coal of four different coal seams from block-VII of Thar coalfield. Meanwhile, mercury level was decreased with increased depths it may be mineralogical composition changes. The highest mercury level was obtained in 200–203 m depth while the lowest was obtained in 152–154 m depth. Concentration of mercury in fractions was observed in the range of (32–60, 1.72–4.92, 9.58–50.8) %age with respectively in the acid-soluble, reducible and oxidizable fractions. Proximate, ultimate, and elemental analyses were also performed and Elemental Analyzer, respectively. The Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrometry was used to measure extracted fractional concentration of mercury in coal.

Sudan dyes were investigated in branded and non-branded spices, commonly available in the markets of Karachi, Pakistan. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a variable wavelength detector (VWD) was applied to determine Sudan dyes I-IV. The non-branded samples had higher concentrations of Sudan dyes than the maximum limits of 0.1 mg/kg. The highest concentration of Sudan dye (I) was found in turmeric powder (8460 mg/kg) and the lowest concentration (1.50 mg/kg) of Sudan (IV) in Chaat Masala. This indicates that the use of non-branded spices is not safe, whereas no Sudan dye was found in the branded spice samples. Further studies regarding the higher carcinogenic risk posed by Sudan dye adulterated spices in Pakistan is strongly advised.

This study aims to determine variation in soil physical, chemical and microbial properties along altitudinal gradients in fragile mountains region of the Karakoram. The soil samples were collected at the altitude ranging from 2787 to 3600 m from the alpine forest of the Bagrot valley, northern Karakoram, Pakistan and analyzed for various physical, chemical, and microbial parameters. The results indicate that there is a strong relationship of the soil parameters with altitude (p ≤ 0.01). With increasing elevation, soil bulk density, sand content, electrical conductivity (EC), pH, CaCO3 content, and 16S rRNA decreased significantly, while total porosity, saturation percentage, soil organic matter (SOM) contents, soil nutrients, and fungi-to-bacteria ratio increased with increasing altitude. These findings increase the understanding of dynamics of soil properties and enhance predictions of the responses of alpine soils to global warming.

Dynamic bandwidth assignment (DBA) schemes for long reach PONs face a suffer from higher upstream channel idle time due to long round trip time (RTT). In ITU PONs, the DBA schemes; Immediate allocation with colorless grant (IACG), Efficient bandwidth utilization (EBU) and GPON redundancy eraser algorithm (GREAL) minimize idle time by sending bandwidth grants to the optical network units (ONUs) every downstream frame (DF). EBU further improves IACG by utilizing unused bandwidth (UBW) of other traffic classes. Sending the grant results every DF requires optical line terminal (OLT) to remember all previous grants sent to ONU during RTT and subtract them from the received queue reports. Since, both IACG and EBU assign the excess bandwidth equally to ONUs. Therefore, the OLT is actually not aware of the complete grant to each traffic class and thus do not subtract these completely from receiving reports. This leads to wastage of bandwidth and higher US delays due to over granting. GREAL resolves this problem by not utilizing the excess bandwidth which also leads to increased US delays. The proposed scheme in this study eliminates this shortcoming by allocating excess bandwidth to each traffic class completely at the OLT. Moreover, the UBW assignment mechanism of EBU is also improved. Simulation results show a 50–85 % reduction in delays of type-2 (T2) and type-3 (T3) traffic classes versus GREAL and IACG and up to 40 % reduction in delays for type-4 (T4) versus EBU.

Nepeta adenophyta Hedge (Lamiaceae) is an endemic therapeutic herb from Astore, Gilgit (Pakistan). This plant species has been reported among the local communities, especially for treating abdominal pain, kidney pain, menstrual pain, headache, and controlling bleeding disorders. Therefore, the scientific basis is provided for the relief of pain as it is used in various pain management among the natives, especially as ethnogynecological herbal remedy.The present study investigates the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of the ethanolic extract of N. adenophyta in animal models. Furthermore, the extract was also studied to determine their valuable phytoconstituents.The biological effects were determined via tail-flick, hot plate, and acetic-acid-induced abdominal writhing methods. At the same time, anti-inflammatory activity was assesed via oxidative burst and antioxidant DPPH assay. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) techniques were employed to understand the phytochemicals present in the crude ethanolic extract of Nepeta adenophyta.In the current study, Nepeta adenophyta extract exhibited potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects on different pain models and indicated that the analgesic effect of N. adenophyta extract is mediated both in central and peripheral ways. Dose-dependent and significant (P 0.05) increases were shown in pain threshold, at 45 min post-treatment, with 20 and 40 mg/kg of the extract in the tail-flick model. The effects of the extract were similar to aspirin but lower to those by morphine (2.5 mg/kg) in the same tests. The extract (20-40 mg/kg) showed dose-dependent inhibition of writhing with a significant (P 0.001) increase protection against thermal stimuli in hot plate test as compared to control and similar to aspirin and morphine. Further, the anti-inflammatory activity of the crude in oxidative burst and DPPH assays showed significant inhibitory activity. The chemical profile analysis showed major phytochemicals, including long chain derivatives of alkane and alcohol, phenolics, naphthalene, naphthopyran, androsten phenanthrenone, nepetalactones, flavonoids etc. CONCLUSIONS: Nepeta adenophyta Hedge is suggested as a natural alternative for mild pain relief. Our findings endorse the folklore use of N. adenophyta in different pain managements which can be attributed to the presence of polyphenolic compounds, naphthalene derivatives, flavanoids and nepetalactones etc.

AimsTo audit completed liaison service high risk care plans against local and national guidelines.MethodsSample comprised of a snapshot of all liaison patients currently on the case load on 14th December 2021. Electronic notes were reviewed to identify High Risk Care Plans (HRCPs) and audit completion against local guidance. Currently there is no national guidelines.In addition staff from the liaison team were surveyed to consider their confidence in completing HRCPs in order to direct staff training. Acute hospital staff were also surveyed to ascertain positive and negative aspects of the current HRCPs, in order to suggest quality improvements ahead of the upcoming integration of new Digital notes system.ResultsSample size 284. High Risk Care Plans completed 11, with an additional 2 required but not found in the notes.Non pharmacological deescalation advice was specified in only 2/11.Regular medication was documented in 5/11.Specialist rapid tranquillisation medication advice in 8/11.8/11 made reference to the local rapid tranquillisation policy, which was not made available in the notes.Absconsion risk is documented in 8/11 and advised level of observation 10/11.ConclusionAccording to local guidelines High Risk Care Plans were appropriate for 4.6% of the liaison case load, but record was included in the notes for 3.9%. Of those completed mandatory fields including non pharmacological deescalation and rapid tranquillisation advice were not always complete. Reference to rapid tranquillisation policy not immediately available in the notes is largely unhelpful in an emergency.Our local target is for 100% completion of appropriate high risk care plans and full documentation for each of the mandatory fields in the high risk care plan. Improved training and record keeping is required.Staff survey suggested unfamiliarity with document and unclear boundaries between standard and patient specific information impaired utility of high risk care plans. We recommend familiarising staff with the document and encourage highlighted font for key information.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a global public problem despite the availability of an effective vaccine. In the past decades, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has surpassed HBV as the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. The prevalence of concomitant chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and NAFLD thus reaches endemic proportions in geographic regions where both conditions are common. Patients with CHB and NAFLD are at increased risk of liver disease progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Due to the complexity of the pathogenesis, accurate diagnosis of NAFLD in CHB patients can be challenging. Liver biopsy is considered the gold standard for diagnosing and determining disease severity, but it is an invasive procedure with potential complications. There is a growing body of literature on the application of novel noninvasive serum biomarkers and advanced radiological modalities to diagnose and evaluate NAFLD, but most have not been adequately validated, especially for patients with CHB. Currently, there is no approved therapy for NAFLD, although many new agents are in different phases of development. This review provides a summary of the epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, and management of the NAFLD and highlights the unmet needs in the areas of CHB and NAFLD coexistence.

Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) often called wear and tear arthritis is a chronic progressive musculoskeletal joint disease with multifactorial aetiology, affecting millions of people around the world. It is one of the leading causes of morbidity, having major impact on Quality of Life (QoL) of the patient with substantial economic and social burden. OA can have a negative impact on health related QoL and psychological well-being of the individual. Aim: To evaluate the prescribing trends of drugs in the management of OA in a tertiary care teaching hospital and to assess the effect of pharmacotherapy on QoL of OA patients in terms of subjective and functional status using Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis index scale (WOMAC)-modified Centre for Rheumatic Disease (CRD) Pune version OA patients. Materials and Methods: Prospective observational study conducted among the OA patients in Orthopaedic Department over the period of one year between November 2014-December 2015. Adult patients of either gender diagnosed with OA for minimum period of three months were enrolled for the study. Out of 285 eligible patients, drug therapy of 256 patients’ data were analysed and they were given treatment by the treating orthopaedician. All the patients were asked to personally complete the WOMAC index scale during their first visit. They were followed-up for one month of pharmacotherapy in order to assess change in the WOMAC index scale. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software 16.0 version. The p-value

Introduction: Anxiety disorders being ranked at sixth position in the global burden of diseases is affecting over 250 million people. Curcumin, an active phytochemical flavonoid, has shown to induce the monoamine neurotransmitter serotonin, a prominent neurotransmitter in modulating the brain state in anxiety. Also, evidences reveal that zinc plays a key role in human neurodevelopment and supplementation of zinc enhanced the efficacy of antidepressant drugs through synergistic action. Aim: To evaluate the synergistic antianxiety effect of curcumin and zinc on acute and chronic models of anxiety in male swiss albino mice. Materials and Methods: A total of 36 male Swiss Albino mice, weighing 20-30 g, were randomly grouped to six groups, such that each group consisted of six mice. Group 1 served as control. Group 2 received standard drug diazepam 3 mg/kg Intra Peritoneal (IP). Group 3 and 4 received curcumin at doses of 5 and 10 mg/kg, respectively. Group 5 and 6 received curcumin at doses 5 and 10 mg/kg per oral (p.o) along with zinc chloride 10 mg/kg IP, respectively. The anxiolytic effect was studied in two validated models of anxiety such as Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) test and light/dark box test. Each animal was tested initially in the EPM followed by light/dark box test after administration of drug/vehicle one hour prior to the experiment in acute study. Following a washout period of one week, the animals were utilised for the study of chronic anxiolytic effect wherein the drugs were administered once daily for 14 days. Results: Curcumin at doses of 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg with zinc chloride 10 mg/kg showed a significant increase in the number of entries and time spent in open arm in EPM both on acute and chronic administration (p

Cyclic Sleep Mode (CSM) is a widely studied and standard energy conservation technique for Passive Optical Networks (PONs). The energy savings provided by CSM increase with longer Asleep and shorter SleepAware state periods. However, this also leads to increased communication delays. Moreover, too short SleepAware time may degrade dynamic bandwidth assignment (DBA) performance and even may cause delay of urgent PLOAM messages from OLT. Neither CSM standards nor existing studies provide any detailed framework to configure CSM performance and control parameters in accordance to the target delays. Another limitation of existing studies is their assumption of a single traffic class during sleep mode analysis. They do not consider the impact of CSM on Type-1 (T1) to Type-4 (T4) traffic classes defined by International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Most of these studies also neglect the role of DBA by considering a fixed bandwidth assignment. However, upstream delays critically depend on the DBA performance and its impact should not be ignored during CSM studies. Therefore, this study presents an Efficient Cyclic Sleep (ECS) framework to configure all CSM parameters and timers with optimum values in the presence of all traffic classes and DBA scheme. The proposed scheme maximizes the energy savings even at very high traffic loads while satisfying the target average delay limit of 56 ms for both US and DS links. A sleep buffer approach is used to configure the Local Wake Up Indication (LWI) events and all CSM control timers at the OLT and ONU. The proposed scheme is compared with two other reported schemes. Simulation results show up to 84.1% energy savings at very low traffic loads and 43% savings at 80% network traffic load (equal to traffic arrival rate of 550Mbps per ONU). The delay variance results for both US and DS also remain under 1 ms.

The demand for high-speed internet with a high-capacity network is increasing at an exponential rate. It is quite challenging to accommodate a large number of users with multiple communication devices without degrading the quality of service at an acceptable cost. Therefore, strong communication technology is required that can provide high data rates along with the provision of multiple connecting devices for different users. The 5G network can adjust large users with multiple device connectivity by providing high bandwidth with a minimum delay which depends on the underlying network architecture for connecting different components of the systems. Optical Fiber is used as a transmission media to connect the densely deployed Remote Radio Units (RRUs) with the Baseband Units (BBUs) at the Centralized Radio Access Network (C-RAN) that makes the architecture quite complex and expensive in terms of deployment and maintenance cost. Here in this paper, we propose an architecture by replacing an optical fiber with Free Space Optics (FSO) at the front-end of the 5G network. In addition, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) is implemented to provide high spectrum efficiency and high data rate in an adverse channel environment. The performance analysis of the proposed system is done in Optisystem by using the constellation points which shows that the proposed architecture can support data rate up to 40 Gbps using 512 subcarriers and 10 Gbps per BBU with QPSK over 4 km of FSO medium. In the end, a comparative cost analysis of the proposed architecture with the conventional architecture is done, which shows a cost reduction of 21 % by the proposed system.

The magnetron-sputtering approach was used for the deposition of small (ca. 3.7 nm) and uniformly distributed Pd(0)-fcc nanoparticles (Pd-NPs) with partially oxidised surfaces on commercially available carbon black. The pores of the support were uniformly filled by Pd-NPs, and the surface area was drastically reduced by blockage of the pores. The metal concentration increases with the augmentation of the sputtering time without changing the metal NP size. These Pd-nanocatalysts are high efficient for the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene to aniline (TOF up to 141.7 min−1), 1,3-cyclohexadiene to cyclohexene (TOF up to 24.0 s−1), and cyclohexene to cyclohexane (TOF up to 35.1 s−1) under 4 bar of dihydrogen (H2) at mild temperatures (75–90 °C). The magnetron sputtering is one of the simplest, reliable, fast, clean and cheap methods for the preparation of Pd/C catalysts.

A field experiment was carried out on farm at Peshawar, Pakistan, during spring 2012 for evaluating the efficacy of weed management strategies to control weeds associated to three chickpea cultivars and their cost benefit ratios. The design of the experiment was randomized complete block with split plot arrangement. Different chickpea cultivars (Karak-I, Sheenghar, and Karak-III) were assigned to main plot while weed control treatments i.e. black plastic mulch, white plastic mulch, saw dust mulch, wheat straw mulch, Stomp 330 EC, Dual Gold 960 EC, hand weeding and untreated control were assigned to subplots. The parameters recorded were the fresh weed biomass (kg/ha), the number of seeds/pod and the cost benefit ratio. The results revealed a relatively divergent response of various treatments and chickpea cultivars for all the studied parameters. The results showed that the lowest fresh weed biomass (655.33 kg/ha) was noticed in hand weeding followed by herbicides (Stomp 330EC and Dual Gold 960EC) while among chickpea cultivars the minimum fresh weed biomass (705.02 kg/ha) was recorded for Karak-III. Black plastic mulch and hand weeding positively affected the chickpea production where the maximum number of seeds/pod was of about 1.67 and 1.61, respectively. The cost benefit ratio results revealed that the highest net return to the farmer as a result of added cost to the crop was obtained by applying Stomp 330 EC (1:2.18) followed by Dual Gold 960 EC (1:1.94) and hand weeding (1:1.91). Hence, the present study recommends the sowing of chickpea cultivar Karak-III with hand weeding practice or herbicide application (Stomp 330 EC or Dual Gold 960 EC) at the recommended rate to obtain maximum weed control and high net income in the agroecological conditions of Peshawar.

Ciprofloxacin is a broad spectrum quinolone antibiotic which is used for treating a wide variety of infections. It inhibits cell division by inhibiting DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV enzymes. The most common adverse reactions are mild nausea, vomiting and/or abdominal discomfort in 3% to 17% of patients, mild headache and dizziness in 0.9% to 11% of patients. Rashes including photosensitivity can also occur. We report a case of 62 years old male, admitted in the hospital with the history of itching, redness and raised multiple dark skin lesion over the chest, back and oral cavity, bilateral palms and upper limbs since 2 days. On examination, multiple well- defined hyperpigmented patches with peripheral erythema seen over chest, abdomen, and back. Hyperpigmentation of lips along with the erosion of buccal mucosa and angle of mouth; erythematous plaque and exfoliation were seen in the scrotal region. Palms and scalp were spared. The patient was then treated successfully with antihistamines and steroids. The Naranjo and WHO-Uppsala monitoring center scale showed as a “probable” adverse drug reaction. “Level 4b” severity was assessed using Modified Hartwig and Seigel severity assessment scale. The steroid was tapered and the patient was discharged with advice to avoid using ciprofloxacin (fluoroquinolones) group of drugs in future.

Two new prenylated flavonoids, thunbergiols A (1) and B (2), along with three known compounds, chrysin (3), quercetin (4) and berberine (5) were obtained from the methanolic extract of roots of Berberis thunbergii DC. MS, NMR and other spectroscopic techniques were employed for their structural characterisation.

The catalytic species generated by dissolving Ru3 (CO)12 in the ionic liquids 1-n-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium chloride or 1-n-butyl-2,3-dimethyl-imidazolium chloride are efficient multifunctional catalysts for: (a) reverse water-gas shift, (b) hydroformylation of alkenes, and (c) reductive amination of aldehydes. Thus the reaction of alkenes with primary or secondary amines (alkene/amine, 1:1) under CO2 /H2 (1:1) affords the hydroaminomethylations products in high alkene conversions (up to 99 %) and selectivities (up to 96 %). The reaction proceeds under relatively mild reaction conditions (120 °C, 60 bar=6 MPa) and affords selectively secondary and tertiary amines. The presence of amine strongly reduces the alkene hydrogenation competitive pathway usually observed in the hydroformylation of terminal alkenes by Ru complexes. The catalytic system is also highly active for the reductive amination of aldehydes and ketones yielding amines in high yields (90 %).

The reaction of [BMI⋅Cl] (BMI=1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium) or [BMMI⋅Cl] (BMMI=3-butyl-1,2-dimethylimidazolium) with Ru3(CO)12 generates Ru–hydride–carbonyl–carbene species in situ that are efficient catalysts for a reverse water gas shift/hydroformylation/hydrogenation cascade reaction. The addition of H3PO4 increased the catalytic activity of the first step (i.e., the hydrogenation of CO2 to CO). Under the optimized reaction conditions [120 °C and 6.0 MPa CO2/H2 (1:1) for 17 h], cyclohexene and 2,2-disubstituted alkenes were easily functionalized to alcohols through sequential hydroformylation/carbonyl reduction.

Background: Acute poisoning is a medical emergency and a global public health problem. The poisoning pattern varies across countries and even between different regions within a country. The aim of this was to explore the demographic, etiological, and clinical characteristics of acute poisoning cases admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Puducherry, South India.Methods: This was a retrospective hospital record based study of acute poisoning cases admitted to our hospital during the period from January 2015 to December 2017. The patients’ demographic, etiological and clinical characteristics were analyzed.Results: Of the total of 275 cases of acute poisoning, majority of them were in the age group of 21- 30 years (32%) and were females (58.5%). Most of the cases were suicidal in nature (75.3%). Majority of the patients consumed a single poisonous agent (92.7%) and the route of poisoning was oral in all of them. Majority of the patients (56.7%) reached the hospital within 2 hours of exposure to the poison with median duration of hospital stay of 2 days, and mortality of 2.9%. Majority of the suicidal poisonings were associated with abuse of insecticides (39.4%), rodenticides (19.7%) and plant seeds (14.4%); whereas the accidental poisonings were mostly due to household agents (79.1%).Conclusions: Our study shows that the majority of the poisoning cases occurred with a single poisonous agent consumed orally, for suicidal purposes in young age group and women. Pesticides and plant seeds were commonly abused for committing suicides and household agents dominated the list of causes for accidental poisoning.

Background: Hyperlipidemia is a major cause of atherosclerosis-induced conditions such as coronary heart disease, ischemic cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral vascular disease. Due to various adverse effects with the current pharmacological therapy, many plant-derived compounds are being tested to lower serum lipid levels. Genistein, a soy isoflavone, showed promising results in several studies. Aims and Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of genistein on serum lipid profile and its hepatoprotective activity in hyperlipidemic male albino Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six male Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups. Animals were given high cholesterol diet (0.75% cholesterol + 1.5% bile salt) to induce hyperlipidemia. The animals were treated with atorvastatin (10 mg/kg oral) and genistein (1 mg/kg oral and 5 mg/kg oral) once daily for a period of 30 days. Blood samples were collected for biochemical analysis of lipoproteins and a portion of liver tissue was taken for histopathological examination. Statistical analysis was performed by one-way analysis of variance test followed by post hoc Dunnett’s multiple comparison test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Oral administration of genistein showed a significant reduction in serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein levels. Histopathological examination of liver showed a significant reduction in hepatic steatosis (P < 0.001) with no inflammatory changes as compared to high cholesterol-treated rats. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated significant hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective activities of genistein at a dose of 5 mg/kg in the experimental rats.

Background: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly prescribed for the management of pain and inflammation. The previous studies suggest that the prescribing pattern of NSAIDs was not in accordance with the current guidelines mentioned by regulatory agencies. Irrational use of drugs can lead to ineffective treatment, adverse drug reactions, and economic burden on patients and society. To overcome this, rational use of drugs should be imperative in health-care system. Furthermore, drug utilization data can help in the formulation of guidelines on clinical use of the drugs and facilitate its rational use. The World Health Organization (WHO) prescribing indicators are used as effective tools in the assessment of drug prescribing practices in health-care facilities. Aims and Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess drug utilization pattern NSAIDs in a tertiary care teaching hospital using the WHO core prescribing indicators. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional, study of 3 months duration conducted in the outpatient departments (OPDs) of a tertiary care hospital during the months of March to May 2019. Patients visiting the pharmacy with the OPD drug prescriptions during the study period were randomly chosen. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software and comparison was done using Chi-square test. Results: A total of 600 prescriptions were analyzed, among which 253 had NSAIDs prescribed. The average number of drugs per prescription was 3.15 ± 1.2. NSAIDs were prescribed as an injection in only 9.5% prescriptions. Percentage of drugs prescribed from the National List of Essential Medicines was 41.1%. Percentage of NSAIDs prescribed by generic name was 26.5%. Conclusions: Periodic monitoring of prescription pattern is mandatory to promote the rational use of drugs. There is a need for increase in generic prescribing and also to improve the adherence of prescribing drugs from the essential medicine list.