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Waste tyres are dumped and common kind of abandon solid waste. Almost 3 billion tyres are produced each year and each tyre produced will eventually join the waste products and if not properly handled will become pollutant. In many countries disposal of waste tyres is prohibited; as an alternative they should be recovered and recycled instead. In this review pyrolysis was introduced as an alternative way of recycling waste tyres, Pyrolysis allows the dissolution of the waste and it also produces useful by-products. The products obtained during the process are pyrolysis oil, pyrolysis char and condensable gas. Pyrolysis oil is the major product among them, this paper reviewed pyrolysis oil as an alternative sources of fuel to diesel engines and as well to highlight the chemicals obtained in the waste tyres from the pyrolysis oil which mainly depends on the kind of feedstock (i.e. type of tyres e.g truck, cars, bicycle) used in the pyrolysis process. Most of the compounds obtained are Aliphatic and Aromatic hydrocarbons (especially the Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon PAHs) such as Naphthalene – NAP, Acenaphthylene – ACY, Acenaphthene –ACE, Fluorene – FLU, Phenanthrene – PHE, Anthracene – ANT, Fluoranthene–FLT, Pyrene–PYR, Benzo[a]anthracene – BAA, Chrysene – CRY, Benzo[b]fluoranthene – BBF, Benzo[k[fluoranthene – BKF, Benzo[a]pyrene – BAP, Dibenzo[a,h]anthracene – DBA, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene – BGP, Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene – IND among others. Consequently, the pyrolysis oil obtained need further upgrading via a reaction pathways are hydrodesulfurization (HDS), hydrodearomatization (HDA) and hydrocracking (HC) which can be achieved through a 2-stage hydroprocessing strategy regarding WTPO composition in terms of HDS, HAD and HC. Pyrolysis oil from waste tyres can be used as a substitute for diesel and as well as sources of raw materials and fuel to organic chemical industries.

The pyrolysis of waste tyres can recycle energy and produce reusable products (oil, char and gas). Although there are many reviews in the literature in regard to the pyrolysis characteristics of waste tyres, but this paper critically looked as pyrolysis char as one of the useful product. Its physical characteristics include pore diameter, pore volume, specific surface area, and composition. The common detection techniques of the physical characteristics include elemental analysis, proximate analysis, SEM, EDS, TGA, XRF, BET, and Raman spectroscopy. The chemical characteristics of tyre char mainly include calorific value, the surface functional groups (i.e phenols, alcohols, carboxylic acid and C-O/C-O-C chemical structures) which can be determined by FT-IR, XRD. The higher sulfur retention on the surface of tyre char is obtained at low temperature compared with that obtained at high temperature. Tyre char could also be directly used as a catalyst material to decrease the operational cost, and improve the quality of pyrolysis oil and gas. The modified tyre char with high specific surface area and lower ash content could be used as an activated carbon adsorbent material, catalyst and catalyst support, capacitor electrode to create higher commercial value, as an adsorbent, in batteries and so on. It is suggested that the recycling applications of tyre char should be developed, which can create a high level of potential economic prospects for the waste tyre pyrolysis industry.

This review provides a state-of-the-art summary of the role which zeolite plays as a catalyst via pyrolysis as a way of recovering fuels and chemicals from waste high and or low density polyethylene bags. It also highlighted the two types of zeolite (natural or synthetic) which are used as a two-stage pyrolysis−catalysis in giving a free waxing product to pure fuel and chemicals which can be subjected to further analyzing and or upgrading. As yield of oil/wax decreased with the addition of a zeolite as catalyst from 44 and 51 wt.%, (depending on the waste high density polyethylene “HDPE” or low density polyethylene bags “LDPE” and other factors). However, the composition of the pyrolysis−catalysis oils significantly increased in aromatic hydrocarbon content accordingly. In addition, the composition of the oils shifted from high molecular weight hydrocarbons (C16+) to fuel range hydrocarbons (C5−C15), with a high content of single-ring aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, and styrene. This process shows great potential for production of fuels or chemicals, and also addresses the urgent issue of waste HDPE and or LDPE disposal.

تعد دراسة مصادر المعرفة الفلكية عند المسلمين من الدراسات المهمة، لأن المنابع الأولى التي استقى منها المسلمون معارفهم الفلكية كانت (هندية وفارسية)، بالإضافة الى المصادر اليونانية وما ورد في الأدب والشعر الجاهلي عند العرب قبل الاسلام، وكذلك القراَن الكريم والسنة النبوية الشريفة وما ورد فيهما عن الظواهر الفلكية والكواكب والنجوم، حثت المسلمين على إعمال الفكر في هذا الكون ودراستها والغوص في أعماقها وحل ألغازها، ولا يخفى انه كان لحركة الترجمة وبالأخص في العصر العباسي الأول دور كبير في اطلاع المسلمين على الإرث الثقافي والحضاري للأمم والشعوب الاخرى من العلوم المختلفة، وكان علم الفلك أحد تلك العلوم التي اهتم بها العرب وزاد اهتمامهم بها بعد مجيء الإسلام، وذلك لارتباطه ببعض الواجبات والأحكام الشرعية كأوقات الصلاة ومعرفة اتجاه القبلة وهلال رمضان وحركة الشمس في البروج وأحوال الشفق وغيرها، لذلك حاولنا في بحثنا هذا التركيز على المصادر الهندية والفارسية كنموذج من تلك المصادر لدورها الرئيسي في وضع الأسس الأولى لفلك إسلامي متطور ظهر لاحقاً في مشرق العالم الإسلامي ومغربه ، وكذلك لا ننسى أنه كان للتنجيم علاقة مباشرة بعلم الفلك ، فإهتمام الشعوب القديمة بالتنجيم كان حافزاً كبيراً لدراسة علم الفلك ومعرفتها والإهتمام بها ، من خلال تلك الرغبة الداخلية لدى تلك الأمم للتطلع إلى ما وراء السماء والأجرام السماوية وما لها من آثار ، وعليها قامت الأرصاد الفلكية القديمة وقدمت مادة فلكية رصدية مهمة جداً لعلماء الفلك للإهتمام ببناء المراصد وصناعة الآلات والأجهزة الفلكية وما تبعها من تطور على أيدي علماء الفلك المسلمين .

The many arguments advanced by scholars as to International Financial Reporting Standard’s capacity to enhance audit procedures and outcomes underscores this research’s quest for determining whether International Financial Reporting Standard could help with the perceptional dilemma that triggered the long lingering Audit expectation gap crisis. To this end, this study assays stakeholders’ perception as to whether the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standard could have certain narrowing impact on Audit expectation gap. The study adopted a mixed research design (i.e. exploratory and survey designs) by which structured questionnaires were administered to a purposeful randomly selected sample of 400 respondents drawn from audit practitioners, academics, accounting standards issuers, and members of professional accounting bodies within the North Central States of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory to collect data which were analyzed using multiple regression with the help of STATA 13 software. Result of the analysis revealed that both International Financial Reporting Standard induced quality financial report and complexity of audit work could narrow audit performance expectation gap in a significant positive manner, while International Financial Reporting Standard’s induced audit quality was negative in narrowing the expectation gap. We recommend however, that even with the significant result leading to rejection of the null hypotheses, standard setters should look at ways to draw up standards that will harmonize accounting standards and auditing standards in a way that clearly spell out how every category of reportable transactions should be reviewed and reported so as to improve the quality of what auditors deliver to the public.

This article examines the ambiguous values that guide and sustain livelihood practices and everyday struggles of different classes of people in the context of contemporary Sharia reforms, introduced in Nigeria at the turn of the 21st century. It specifically analyzes the economic impact of the Yan Hisbah (moral police) in Kano in Nigeria, who enforce Islamic moral values in the economy. While the Sharia reformers promise economic prosperity in the face of allegedly failed secular government and economic systems, their interventions come under sustained criticism. Muslim subjects argue that the activities of the Yan Hisbah are limiting economic opportunities and development. They also criticize the Yan Hisba Sharia moral project as an economy thriving in an 'immoral' economy that it seeks to correct. The essay shows that moral economies in the context of state, religious reform, and capitalism are not easy to implement.

Introduction As childhood mortality from infectious diseases falls across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the burden of disease attributed to surgical conditions is increasing. However, limited data exist on paediatric surgical outcomes in SSA. We compared the outcomes of five common paediatric surgical conditions in SSA with published benchmark data from high-income countries (HICs).Methods A multicentre, international, prospective cohort study was undertaken in hospitals providing paediatric surgical care across SSA. Data were collected on consecutive children (birth to 16 years), presenting with gastroschisis, anorectal malformation, intussusception, appendicitis or inguinal hernia, over a minimum of 1 month, between October 2016 and April 2017. Participating hospitals completed a survey on their resources available for paediatric surgery.The primary outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality. Mortality in SSA was compared with published benchmark mortality in HICs using χ2 analysis. Generalised linear mixed models were used to identify patient-level and hospital-level factors affecting mortality. A p

With the rapid increase of publishable research articles and manuscripts, the pressure to find reviewers often overwhelms the journal editors. This paper incorporates the major entity level metrics found in the heterogeneous publication networks into a pattern mining process in order to recommend academic reviewers and potential research collaborators. In essence, the paper integrates authors' h-index and papers' citation count and proposes a quantification to account for the author diversity into one formula duped impact to measure the real influence of a scientific paper. Thereafter, this paper formulates two kinds of target patterns and mines them harnessing the high-utility itemset mining (HUIM) framework. The first pattern, researcher-general topic patterns (RGP), is a pattern that includes only researchers; whereas, the researcher-specific topic patterns (RSP) is comprised of combinations of researchers and keywords that summarize their niche of expertise. The HUI algorithms of Two Phase, IHUP, UP-Growth, FHM, FHN, HUINIV-Mine, D2HUP, and EFIM were compared on two real-world citation datasets related to Deep Learning and HUIM, in addition to the open source mushroom dataset. The EFIM algorithm showed good performance in terms of run time and memory usage. Consequently, it was then used to mine the patterns within the proposed framework. The discovered patterns of RGP and RSP showed high coverage, proving the efficiency of the proposed framework.

Poor agronomic practices coupled with herbicide mismanagement influence crop performance, yield, weed infestation and environmental hazards. Thus, field experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of spacing and reduced levels of butachlor on weed control and yield of NERICA 1 rice (Oryza sativa L. x Oryza glaberrima L). The experiments were conducted in the 2011 rainy season at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Department of Crop Production and Horticulture, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, and Lake Gerio, Yola in the 2012 dry season. Yola is located between latitude 9o14′ N and longitude 12o28′ E in the Northern Guinea Savanna ecological zone of Nigeria. Treatments consisted of four spacings (20 cm x 20 cm, etc.) and four butachlor levels (3, 2, 1, and 0 kg ha-1 a.i.). The experiments were laid out in a split-plot design with spacings assigned to the main plot and butachlor levels assigned to the sub-plot and were replicated three times. Data were taken on percentage establishment, number of leaves per plant, general weed cover, panicle length and grain yield per hectare. Data generated were subjected to analysis of variance. Means showing a significant F-test were separated using LSD. Results obtained showed that butachlor at 1 kg ha-1 and 14 cm x 14 cm spacing gave the highest grain yield of 1441 kg ha-1 and maximum weed control. They are, therefore, recommended for adoption by farmers in Yola and similar environments.

Background: Repair of congenital groin hernia/hydrocele is the most common surgical procedure performed by paediatric surgeons. There is dearth of literature comparing the outcomes of open herniotomy in children using various surgical approaches. This study was aimed at evaluating the efficacy of open herniotomy by comparing external ring incision, hernial sac twisting and whether or not double ligation has benefit over a single suture application. Materials and Methods: A multi-centre prospective randomised clinical trial was conducted with a total of 428 patients having congenital inguinal hernia and/or hydrocele. Patients were randomly assigned into four groups: RO (had external ring opened, hernial sac twisted and doubly ligated), ST (had hernial sac twisted and doubly ligated without opening the ring), DL (had double ligation of hernial sac without ring opening nor twisted) while SL (had single ligation of hernial sac with neither ring opening nor sac twisting). Results: A total of 458 repairs were done. Patients′ age ranged from 0.25 years (3 months) to 21 years in group RO with mean of 4.87 × 4.07 (median, 4), 0.069 years (24 days) to 17 years in group ST with mean of 4.23 × 4.03 (median, 3), 0.5 years (6 months) to 16 years in group DL with mean of 4.59 × 3.87 (median, 4) and 1 year to 19 years in group SL with mean of 5.00 × 4.19 (median, 4). Operation time per repair was 26.50 × 5.46 min, range 16-40 min (median, 27 min) in group RO, 22.18 × 5.34 min, range 12-39 min (median, 21 min) in group ST while 17.98 × 3.40 min with range of 12-39 min (median, 17 min) in group DL and 15.27 × 4.18 min, range 7-40 min (median, 15 min) in group SL P < 0.0001. The mean paracetamol dose/patient was 3.96 × 1.43, 2.94 × 0.81, 2.18 × 0.69, 1.87 × 0.78 in group RO, ST, DL and SL, respectively, P < 0.0001. Conclusion: Congenital inguinal hernia repair with opening of the external ring, hernia sac twisting and double ligation of the processus vaginalis confers no advantage.

Background: There are various methods for surgical treatment of hernia and hydrocele in children with variable cost-effectiveness, recovery and cosmetic outcomes. This study analyses our experience with mini-incision/invasive herniotomy in children in resource-limited centre. Materials and Methods: Seven hundred and eighty-four n = 784 patients underwent herniotomy via conventional and mini-invasive methods were assigned into Group A and Group B. Three hundred and seventy-six n = 376 (47.95%) in Group A while four hundred and eight n = 408 (52.04%) in Group B. Eight hundred and seventeen (817) herniotomy was performed. Demographic data, hernia/hydrocele sides, volume of surgical suture used, surgery duration, and complications analysed. Results: Right side hernia and/or hydrocele were 464 (59.18%). 287 (36.60%) had left sided while 33 (4.21%) had bilateral hernia and/or hydrocele. There were 14 bilateral hernia repair in Group A and 19 in Group B. The lengths of operation time for unilateral repair ranged from 14 to 54 min in Group A (median, 23 min) and 7-44 min in Group B (median, 15 min) with a mean surgical duration of 15.48 ± 4.16 min in Group B versus 23.41 ± 5.94 min in Group A (P < 0.001) while the range of the lengths of operation time for bilateral repair in Group A was 20-54 min (median, 36) and 12-30 min (median, 21) in Group B with a mean duration of 36.35 ± 9.89 min in Group A versus 20.42 ± 4.83 min in Group B P = 0.00563. 376 sachets of 45 cm suture material were used in Group A versus 137 in Group B. There were total of 87 (23.13%) complications in Group A versus 3 (1.47%) in Group B P = 0.000513. Superficial wound infection and abscess were 9 (2.36%) and 16 (4.25%) in Group A versus none (0) in Group B. Conclusion: Mini-incision/invasive herniotomy in children and adolescents is fast, cost-effective with satisfactory cosmetic outcome and limited complications

Background: Childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) has high rate of mortality and morbidity worldwide. There are dearths of reports from developing countries with large paediatric population on trauma; neurosurgery trauma of nonaccidental origin is not an exemption. This study analysed menace of non-accidental TBI in the paediatric population from our center. Materials and Methods: This is a single unit, retrospective study of the epidemiology of non-accidental TBI in children starting from September, 2008 to March, 2014. The management outcomes of the epidemiology of the non-accidental TBI were analysed. Results: Total of 109 children age range from 0 (intra-natal) to 16 years with a mean of 5.8 ± 4.6 years (median, 5 years) were enrolled into the study. 34 (31.2%) were domestic violence, 26 (23.9%) street assaults, 16 (14.7%) were due to animal assaults and mishaps, 17 (15.6%) fall from heights. Seven (6.4%) cases of collapsed buildings were also seen during the period. Four (3.7%) industrial accidents and two (1.8%) were self-inflicted injuries. There were also three (2.8%) cases of iatrogenic TBI out of which two infants (1.8%) sustained TBI from cesarean section procedure while one patient (0.9%) under general anaesthesia felt from the operation bed resulting to severe TBI. Conclusion: Child abuse, unprotected child labour, parental/care-givers negligence are the main cause of nonaccidental TBI. Human right activists and government agents should be incorporated in curtailing the menace.

Background: Nigeria, with a population of >150 million people in which half of the population are children encounters challenges in paediatric surgery practice in rural areas. There are paediatric surgeons in Nigeria, but majority practice in tertiary health facilities in cities. The poor rural dwellers have little or no access to such highly trained specialists. Hence, children with congenital and acquired paediatric surgical pathologies including anterior abdominal wall defects not only grow up with these diseases to adulthood, they are also exposed to various health hazards posed by unqualified personnel. Therefore, we are evaluating the burden of congenital inguinal hernia/hydrocele in northern and southern Nigeria for awareness creation and the way forward. Materials and Methods: Data obtained from organised free hernia missions to the rural populace from northern and southern Nigeria by the West African Collage of Surgeons in 2010 and Kano State Government in 2013 was analysed. Results: A total of 811 patients aged from 3 months (0.25 years) to 35 years was screened and found to have congenital hernia and/or hydrocele from the two centres. 171 (21.1%) were successfully operated, while the remaining 640 (78.9%) could not benefit from a surgical procedure during the missions. There were n = 46 (26.9%) patients with various forms of genital mutilations/and or surgical mismanagements among the operated patients. Conclusion: The burden of congenital anterior abdominal wall defects among Nigerian children is high. A little effort could bring succor and create awareness among this group of people.

Background: Typhoid enteritis is rare in developed countries. The increasing prevalence of typhoid fever with enteric perforation in our environment is alarming. Peritonitis follows enteric perforation due to typhoid enteritis. Surgical treatments and repair of the perforated areas due to typhoid enteritis varies between institutions with high mortality and morbidity. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively studied the effects of single versus double layer intestinal closure after typhoid enteric perforation with peritonitis in 902 pediatric patients from September 2007 to April 2012. All the patients underwent laparotomy after resuscitation and antibiotic cover. The patients were divided into two groups: group A (n = 454) double layer closure and group B (n = 448) single layer closure. Results: There were 554 males and 348 females with male to female ratio 1.6:1. Ages of the patients were three years to 14 years with mean age at eight years and mode at nine years. The following clinical outcomes were recorded: burst abdomen 38 (8.3%) vs 3 (0.6%), enterocutaneous fistula formation 52 (11.4%) vs 8 (1.7%), superficial wound infection 215 (47.3%) vs 91 (20.3%), ligature fistula 13 (2.8%) vs 7 (1.5%), mean length of 29.4 ± 7.8 vs 45.3 ± 11.6. Conclusion: Our results showed that single layer closure of the perforated ileum due to typhoid enteric perforation with peritonitis in children was effective by reducing complication rates.

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has risen rapidly in recent decades. Owing to its success across disciplines, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the screening of ASD has emerged as a prominent solution. We conducted a bibliometric analysis on AI-powered ASD screening research with a unit of 2090 publications retrieved from Scopus database in the period 2010-2021. Our findings show, among other things, that the annual growth rate of publications was 33.05% and scientific production drastically increased 23-fold from 22 in 2010 to 509 in 2021 with nearly two thirds (1307; 62,54%) of the retrieved documents being published between 2019-2021. The USA was the global leader in terms of scientific output with 730 publications followed by China (255), and India (251). Stanford university, the scientific journal NeuroImage, and Dennis P. Wall were the most globally prolific institution, publication source, and author, respectively. Using VOSviewer&apos;s clustering algorithms, keyword and topic analysis identified neuroimaging techniques and genetic research as hot and emerging research trends. Interestingly, three of the top ten prolific authors were women, indicating a significant milestone for gender rebalancing efforts in the AI workforce. The findings will help both experienced and aspiring scientists better understand the structure and current state of knowledge, uncover patterns of collaboration, and identify emerging trends in ASD research using AI., Author(s): Ibrahim Zamit [sup.1] [sup.2] , Ibrahim Hussein Musa [sup.3] , Limin Jiang [sup.1] , Wei Yanjie [sup.1] , Jijun Tang [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/04gh4er46, grid.458489.c, 0000 0001 0483 [...]

In this paper, we proposed not only an extraction methodology of multiple feature vectors from ultrasound images for carotid arteries (CAs) and heart rate variability (HRV) of electrocardiogram signal, but also a suitable and reliable prediction model useful in the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease (CVD). For inventing the multiple feature vectors, we extract a candidate feature vector through image processing and measurement of the thickness of carotid intima-media (IMT). As a complementary way, the linear and/or nonlinear feature vectors are also extracted from HRV, a main index for cardiac disorder. The significance of the multiple feature vectors is tested with several machine learning methods, namely Neural Networks, Support Vector Machine (SVM), Classification based on Multiple Association Rule (CMAR), Decision tree induction and Bayesian classifier. As a result, multiple feature vectors extracted from both CAs and HRV (CA+HRV) showed higher accuracy than the separative feature vectors of CAs and HRV. Furthermore, the SVM and CMAR showed about 89.51% and 89.46%, respectively, in terms of diagnosing accuracy rate after evaluating the diagnosis or prediction methods using the finally chosen multiple feature vectors. Therefore, the multiple feature vectors devised in this paper can be effective diagnostic indicators of CVD. In addition, the feature vector analysis and prediction techniques are expected to be helpful tools in the decisions of cardiologists.

The antibiotic potential of metabolic peptides derived from Camel gut microbial sample is evaluated in this study using computational methods. Data on sequence of microbes isolated from the digestive system of Camel was retrieved from the sequence raw archive (Accession number SRR 13205865) of National Centre for Biotechnology Information. The retrieved sequence was subjected to genome assembly using the database of Bacterial Viral Bioinformatics Resource Centre. Identification of secondary metabolites was done using Anti SMASH server. The identified metabolic peptides include arylpolyene, phosphonate and NRPS. The antibiotic potential of the secondary metabolites was predicted using CAMPR3 server. The antibiotic potential of different regions of the metabolic peptides was predicted the antibacterial peptide prediction server. The result indicated positive antimicrobial potential of the secondary metabolites derived from microbes isolated from camel digestive system. Further research on the therapeutic potential of the identified metabolic peptides for the treatment of bacterial infections is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Quality of life (QoL) may change in female patients with breast cancer over time due to its dynamic construct. Recent studies have provided statistics on the diverse predictors of QoL in breast cancer patients. Still, the literature findings on the prognostication of QoL are scarce. Objectives: With this meta-analysis, we aim to describe the dynamics of overall QoL and its dimensions: mental status, physical functioning, and social interactions. Methods: To reach this aim, we will systematically evaluate the peer-reviewed literature on QoL of women who have undergone either mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery. The proposed study will focus on, but not be limited to, the analysis of BIRS, FACT-B, and EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaires, which are most commonly used in the assessment of the quality of life of cancer patients. Then, we will extract the following outcome measures: The participants' age, time since surgery, type of tumor removal procedure (mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery), breast reconstruction technique, mean value, and standard deviation in a QoL score. A random-effects model will then compute the pooled QoL and construct the trend lines for scores received from each diagnostic tool. The findings will be adjusted according to the reconstruction techniques and tumor removal surgery. Finally, we will model the QoL dynamics with a set of predictors identified in the extracted studies. Conclusions: The study findings may serve as a tool for stratifying female patients with breast cancer by the risk of significant reduction in QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While it is established that addictive doses of methamphetamine correlate with inflammation-mediated neurotoxic pathways, the extent of toxicity resulting from subchronic administration at lower doses remains uncertain. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the subtle effects of daily subchronic methamphetamine (MA) administration on neuroinflammatory processes, cognitive dimensions, gene expression, and hippocampal morphology. Methods: The experimental study employed a longitudinal design with three groups (G1B, G2B, G3B) receiving methamphetamine (5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally, once daily) for 1, 2, or 3 weeks, respectively. Corresponding control groups (G1A, G2A, G3A) received 0.2 mL of normal saline. Spatial learning, novel object recognition, and passive avoidance tests were conducted to assess spatial, recognition, and fear avoidance memories. Hippocampal morphology was evaluated using Nissl staining, and the expressions of NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1 genes were measured as markers of neuroinflammation. Results: Statistical analyses, including one-way and two-way ANOVA, showed that subchronic low-dose administration of MA led to significant activation of the inflammasome (NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1), which may have resulted in pyramidal cell death in the hippocampus. The hippocampal structure in the CA1 region was completely disrupted. Spatial memory and passive avoidance learning were impaired in the MA groups, while recognition memory remained unaffected. Conclusions: The findings suggest that prolonged administration of 5 mg/kg of methamphetamine may be associated with significant inflammasome activation, pyramidal cell death, and mild cognitive decline. Contrary to previous evidence, even lower doses of methamphetamine taken over an extended period could be neurotoxic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the introduction of a novel univariate probability distribution termed the inverted Dagum distribution. Extensive analysis of the statistical properties of this distribution, including the hazard function, survival function, Renyi's entropy, quantile function, and the distribution of the order statistics, was conducted. Parameter estimation of the model was performed utilizing the maximum likelihood method, with the consistency of the estimates validated through Monte Carlo simulation. Furthermore, the applicability of the proposed distribution was demonstrated through the analysis of two real datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Food allergy is a prevalent disease in the U.S., affecting nearly 30 million people. The primary management strategy for this condition is food avoidance, as limited treatment options are available. The elevation of pathologic IgE and over-reactive mast cells/basophils is a central factor in food allergy anaphylaxis. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the potential therapeutic mechanisms of a small molecule compound called formononetin in regulating IgE and mast cell activation. Methods: In this study, we determined the inhibitory effect of formononetin on the production of human IgE from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of food-allergic patients using ELISA. We also measured formononetin's effect on preventing mast cell degranulation in RBL-2H3 and KU812 cells using betahexosaminidase assay. To identify potential targets of formononetin in IgE-mediated diseases, mast cell disorders, and food allergies, we utilized computational modeling to analyze mechanistic targets of formononetin from various databases, including SEA, Swiss Target Prediction, PubChem, Gene Cards, and Mala Cards. We generated a KEGG pathway, Gene Ontology, and Compound Target Pathway Disease Network using these targets. Finally, we used qRT-PCR to measure the gene expression of selected targets in KU812 and U266 cell lines. Results: Formononetin significantly decreased IgE production in IgE-producing human myeloma cells and PBMCs from food-allergic patients in a dose-dependent manner without cytotoxicity. Formononetin decreased betahexosaminidase release in RBL-2H3 cells and KU812 cells. Formononetin regulates 25 targets in food allergy, 51 in IgE diseases, and 19 in mast cell diseases. KEGG pathway and gene ontology analysis of targets showed that formononetin regulated disease pathways, primary immunodeficiency, Epstein- Barr Virus, and pathways in cancer. The biological processes regulated by formononetin include B cell proliferation, differentiation, immune response, and activation processes. Compound target pathway disease network identified NFKB1, NFKBIA, STAT1, STAT3, CCND1, TP53, TYK2, and CASP8 as the top targets regulated at a high degree by formononetin. TP53, STAT3, PTPRC, IL2, and CD19 were identified as the proteins mostly targeted by formononetin. qPCR validated genes of Formononetin molecular targets of IgE regulation in U266 cells and KU812 cells. In U266 cells, formononetin was found to significantly increase the gene expression of NFKBIA, TP53, and BCL-2 while decreasing the gene expression of BTK TYK, CASP8, STAT3, CCND1, STAT1, NFKB1, IL7R. In basophils KU812 cells, formononetin significantly increased the gene expression of NFKBIA, TP53, and BCL-2 while decreasing the gene expression of BTK, TYK, CASP8, STAT3, CCND1, STAT1, NFKB1, IL7R. Conclusion: These findings comprehensively present formononetin's mechanisms in regulating IgE production in plasma cells and degranulation in mast cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]