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The present study is aimed at designing bilayer-floating tablets to improve the drug concentration in the stomach for enhanced therapeutic efficacy. The tablets are comprised of an upper layer of levofloxacin (466.5 mg) and a lower layer of famotidine (133.5 mg). Five formulations (F1-F5) were developed by using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose grades (K4M, K15M, and K100M) along with Carbopol 934. In the case of the effervescent system (F1-F3), sodium bicarbonate was added to impart buoyancy to the tablets; while in the case of noneffervescent formulations (F4 & F5), guar gum and xanthan gum were incorporated to induce flotation and swelling and retard the release of a drug. The precompression characteristics of tablets depict the suitability of all formulation powder for direct compression. The ATR-FTIR analyses have shown that the components of both effervescent and noneffervescent tablets are compatible with each other. The total weight of each tablet was 600 mg, with a weight variation of about ≤10 mg. Both the layers were smooth and flat with a thickness ranging from 3.16 ± 0.04 to 3.54 ± 0.01 mm. The diameters of prepared floating tablets were about 15 mm, optimum for oral administration. After adjusting the tablet's hardness to 6-7 kg/cm2, its friability was found to be <0.35 percent. The mean drug content of the formulations was above 90%. The floating lag time of all formulations (F2-F5) was below 25 seconds, except F1 which took almost 50 seconds to start floating on the surface of gastric content due to its higher density. The total floating time of effervescent (F1-F3) and noneffervescent formulations was in the range of 15-25 hours, thereby providing sufficient time to complete drug release and absorption in the gastric area. The total floating time of noneffervescent formulations was higher (p ≤ 0.05) than effervescent formulations due to efficient wettability and swelling characteristics. The release of drugs from both layers of noneffervescent tablets was significantly controlled when compared to the effervescent system, and an anomalous non-Fickian diffusion was found for the drug release. The stability study of the optimized formulation proved the integrity and stability of the developed formulation. Thus, developed formulations are deemed suitable for controlled codelivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients for the effective treatment of H. pylori. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is an acute viral zoonosis carried and transmitted by infected rodents through urine, droppings, or saliva. The etiology of HFRS is complex due to the involvement of viral factors and host immune and genetic factors which hinder the development of potential therapeutic solutions for HFRS. Hantaan virus (HTNV), Dobrava-Belgrade virus (DOBV), Seoul virus (SEOV), and Puumala virus (PUUV) are predominantly found in hantaviral species that cause HFRS in patients. Despite ongoing prevention and control efforts, HFRS remains a serious economic burden worldwide. Furthermore, recent studies reported that the hantavirus nucleocapsid protein is a multi-functional protein and plays a major role in the replication cycle of the hantavirus. However, the precise mechanism of the nucleoproteins in viral pathogenesis is not completely understood. In the framework of the current study, various in silico approaches were employed to identify the factors influencing the codon usage pattern of hantaviral nucleoproteins. Based on the relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) values, a comparative analysis was performed between HFRS-causing hantavirus and their hosts, suggesting that HTNV, DOBV, SEOV, and PUUV, were inclined to evolve their codon usage patterns that were comparable to those of their hosts. The results indicated that most of the overrepresented codons had AU-endings, which revealed that mutational pressure is the major force shaping codon usage patterns. However, the influence of natural selection and geographical factors cannot be ignored on viral codon usage bias. Further analysis also demonstrated that HFRS causing hantaviruses adapted host-specific codon usage patterns to sustain successful replication and transmission chains within hosts. To our knowledge, no study to date reported the factors influencing the codon usage pattern within hantaviral nucleoproteins. Thus, the proposed computational scheme can help in understanding the underlying mechanism of codon usage patterns in HFRS-causing hantaviruses which lend a helping hand in designing effective anti-HFRS treatments in future. This study, although comprehensive, relies on in silico methods and thus necessitates experimental validation for more solid outcomes. Beyond the identified factors influencing viral behavior, there could be other yet undiscovered influences. These potential factors should be targets for further research to improve HFRS therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electrical resistivity tomography survey was conducted to assess the subsurface conditions associated with the coseismic liquefaction phenomenon in the epicentral region following the Mw 5.8 Mirpur earthquake (Pakistan) on 24 September 2019. The Mirpur earthquake produced extensive coseismic liquefaction‐induced surface deformations, including: sand blows, ground failure and lateral spreading along the Upper Jhelum Canal and in the nearby villages. Electrical resistivity data were acquired along three profiles and calibrated with available borehole data. The inverted electrical resistivity tomography profiles reveal three regional geoelectric layers, which consist of an upper 2–‐5‐m‐thick discontinuous zones of medium resistivity values ranging from 25 Ωm to 60 Ωm, underlain by a 7–8‐m‐thick zone of low resistivity (<10 Ωm) and a basal layer of high resistivity (> 100 Ωm). Based on geological and geophysical data, we infer that. (1) disrupted geoelectric layers in the shallow subsurface and spatially extended low electrical resistivity (<8 Ωm) layers document the elevated groundwater table due to sudden increase in pore‐water pressure triggered by the Mirpur earthquake. These lenses of high conductivity may represent potential hazards in the case of future earthquakes in the study area. (2) Fracture azimuths vary between 120° ± 15° and 335°–45° (subparallel and orthogonal to the strike of the Himalayan Frontal Thrust. (3) Common coseismic deformational features (e.g., sand blow and ground fracture) are located within the zone of maximum‐recorded ground shaking (intensity of VI) and underlain by Quaternary alluvial sediments. (4) Mega fractures (1.60 m wide and up to 187 m long) oriented parallel to the canal resulted from lateral spreading. We conclude that high resistivity structures extending from depth to the shallow subsurface resulted from either intrusion of air or eruption of sands from layer three. We suggest that high‐resolution geoelectrical imaging is a valuable complementary tool for evaluating the extent of subsurface liquefaction features and in understanding coseismic deformation during earthquakes, which can help with seismic hazard analysis and mitigation in seismically active regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rupture process of the 2018 Mw 7.9 offshore Kodiak (Alaska) earthquake is still in hot dispute because of a lack of offshore observations, thus causing difficulties for understanding seismogenic tectonics and tsunami hazards. In this study, teleseismic body waves, high‐rate GPS, seismic waves preceding tsunami waves, static GPS, and tsunami data are jointly used to resolve the faulting geometry and coseismic slip distribution of the offshore Kodiak earthquake. Tests of a series of finite fault rupture models illustrate that an optimal five‐fault model can reconcile all available data sets well. The results reveal that the asperity on each fault segment is located near the hypocenter, with peak slip of ~7.8 m. The aftershock loci appear to be complementary to the mainshock slips, demonstrating the velocity‐strengthening regions that predominantly slip aseismically. Based on a tectonic stress field analysis, we propose that the 2018 Kodiak earthquake is attributed to a combination of enhanced tensional stress following the 1964 Mw 9.2 Alaska earthquake and compressional stress produced by the collision of the Yakutat terrane with North America. Key Points: A complex quasi‐orthogonal strike‐slip fault system is revealed by seismic, geodetic, and DART dataNear‐field high‐rate GPS and DART data are involved in the joint inversion to improve the rupture modelShear stress between the 1964 Mw 9.2 Alaska earthquake and collision of the Yakutat terrane with North America favors strike‐slip events [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is usually assumed that short‐term (a few years) postseismic deformation around the rupture zone is caused by continuing slip (afterslip) along the fault interface, and viscoelastic stress relaxation is only responsible for long‐term deformation. In order to verify the validity of this assumption, the initial 1.5 months postseismic displacements following the 2015 Mw 8.3 Illapel earthquake are analyzed based on a multilayered structure model. We explore the possible mechanisms, including afterslip and viscoelastic relaxation, which might have contributed to the postseismic deformation, and aim to distinguish the contributing ratio of different postseismic processes. The results show that either the models of kinematic afterslip or viscoelastic stress relaxation individually cannot match the observed horizontal and vertical postseismic displacements satisfactorily. However, a combined model considering both afterslip and viscoelastic relaxation effects can reduce the data misfit significantly and is more physically reasonable. In the preferred combined model, the transient viscosities of the lower crust and upper mantle are ∼6×1017 Pa s and ∼9×1017 Pa s⁠, respectively. The difference between the afterslip distribution of the pure afterslip model and that of the combined model indicates that previous models based on pure elastic assumption have substantially underestimated the afterslip updip of the rupture zone, and overestimated the afterslip downdip of the rupture zone. Therefore, the role of viscoelastic stress relaxation is indispensable in the study of transient postseismic deformation following a large earthquake, which contradicts the conventional concept about deformation mechanisms of early postseismic process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present relocated seismicity and crustal tomographic images for the regions around the 2014 Ms 6.5 Ludian earthquake based on double-difference tomography. The 2014 Ludian earthquake occurred in a complex fault system within the region bounded by the Chuandian Rhomb block and the Yangtze block. Most of the relocated aftershocks were found in the depth range between 3 and 15 km, distributed on two different faults that were nearly perpendicular to each other. This geometry suggests that the faulting of the mainshock is structurally complicated. Checkerboard resolution test confirms the reliability of tomographic images at depths ranging from 6 to 15 km because the velocity structure is not well resolved at depth shallower than 3 km. Our tomographic results are generally consistent with major tectonic features of the region. Velocity contrasts are identified across the major faults. Low compressional wave velocity (VP) anomaly in the source region of the Ludian earthquake is surrounded by higher VP zone, consistent with a weaker fault zone than the surrounding country rock. Most of the aftershocks occurred in the low VP and low Poisson's ratio area, and are constrained by the faults ruptured by the mainshock. Poisson's ratio manifests the significant crustal heterogeneity as compared to the body-wave tomographic images. We interpret the anomalously low Poisson's ratio zones as high quartz content rocks in the vicinity of the Ludian earthquake, whereas high VP anomalies in the surrounding areas indicate the dominance of granitic and metamorphic rocks. Based on the aftershocks' distribution and the seismic structure, there are possible seismic gaps in the aftershock zones and are capable of causing seismic hazards in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Nosocomial infection, also called hospital acquired infection occur in patient who are admitted in Hospital for a long or short period of time for some therapeutic or diagnostic purposes yet patient have no evidence of infection before admission in hospital. The pathogenic organism of nosocomial infection may be bacterial, viral, contagious and parasitic those are found in the air, within utensils; may spread from one person to another person. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and practices of nurses regarding the spread of nosocomial infection in government hospitals of Lahore. DESIGN: A cross sectional Descriptive study was conducted in Government hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan from February 2016 to April 2016. Sample size was 240 and the response of the participants were taken through simple random sampling techniques. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 21. RESULTS: Most of the participants were female 231(96.3%) and 9(3.8%) were male. It is revealed that nurses have enough knowledge about spread of nosocomial infection as out of 240 participants 77 (32.1%) were agree and 69(28.8%) were strongly agree that they are fully aware of hand washing guidelines but their practices to reduce the spread of nosocomial infection were not good as 81(33.8%) were neutral and 72(30.0%) were disagree that they follow the recommended guidelines for use of alcohol based solutions or other antiseptics before and after each contact to move or during the transferring of the patients. CONCLUSION: Nurses had good knowledge about spread of hospital acquired infection, use of safety precautions, uses of alcohol based formulations but their practices to reduce the spread of nosocomial infection were not up to satisfactory level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]