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Abstract Background The variational method, a quantum mechanical approach, estimates effective charge distributions and ground-state energy by minimizing the Hamiltonian's expectation value using trial wave functions with adjustable parameters. This method provides valuable insights into system behavior and is widely used in theoretical chemistry and physics. This paper aims to investigate ground-state energies and isoelectronic sequences using the variational method, introducing a novel approach for analyzing multi-electron systems. This technique allows for determining effective charge values and ground-state energies for 2–5 electrons sequence up to Z ≤ 20. Hydrogenic wave functions are used as a trial wave function to calculate effective charge in 1 s, 2 s, and 2p states. Two varying parameters were used to calculate an approximate wave function for the system. These values are then used in non-relativistic Hamiltonian with electron–electron interaction terms to calculate the ground-state energy of an atom. Result The results align with the reported experimental values, showing a marginal 1% error. Conclusion A Python algorithm is established based on the variational principle. It was found that, based on a few selected parameters in scripting the program, a very promising result was obtained. Furthermore, adding more variational parameters can minimize the difference between experimental and theoretical values, and this technique can be extended to elements with higher atomic numbers.

Abstract Background Fronto-ethmoidal meningoencephalocele is an uncommon pathology. Most of the cases present a history of trauma or paranasal surgical intervention. Spontaneous development of such pathology is extremely rare. The aim of this case report was to demonstrate a rare appearance of spontaneous fronto-ethmoidal meningoencephalocele in an adult male with high-quality images in multiple modalities used in radiology. Case presentation This case report demonstrates an extremely rare pathology of spontaneous development of fronto-ethmoidal meningoencephalocele in a 50-year-old male. The patient complained of swelling involving the nasal bridge, the left side of the nose, and the left cheek for more than 20 years, which was spontaneous without any trauma or surgical intervention. The patient underwent radiological investigations of ultrasonography, computed tomography of the paranasal sinus, and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. The diagnosis of spontaneous development of left fronto-ethmoidal meningoencephalocele abutting the left orbit was made. No other complications of the brain tissue were noted. Conclusions Knowledge about etiopathogenesis and various types of meningoencephalocele helps manage this pathology.

Abstract Introduction Many dialysis centres prescribe a uniform dialysate sodium (DialNa) concentration, but as there is no consensus on the choice of a universal DialNa, we wished to determine dialysate sodium balance comparing DialNa of 140 and

Scandium XIX ion is a member of the isoelectronic sequence of Li-like ions. Numerical coulomb approximation and quantum defect theory have been used to calculate energies, quantum defects & transition probabilities, oscillator, and line strengths of Sc XIX ion for the transitions ns → mp, np → ms, np → md, and nd → mp Rydberg series. The energies of Sc XIXX ions up to n = 5 are given in the NIST database and the literature. We used quantum defect theory and determined the energies and quantum defects up to n = 30. The energies and quantum defects of 125 levels are reported for the first time. Sc XIX ion's transition probabilities, oscillator, and line strengths were compared with the corresponding values in the NIST database of spectral lines. The NIST database contains data of only seventy-six spectral lines. Only six spectra lines have percent uncertainties of more than 10%. The results of the remaining seventy spectral lines agree well with the NIST values. Almost 1800 transition probabilities, oscillators, and line strengths are new.

Background: This Obesity Medicine Association (OMA) Clinical Practice Statement (CPS) details assessment and management of the child with overweight or obesity. The term “child” is defined as the child between 2 and 12 years of age. Because children are in a continual state of development during this age range, we will specify when our discussion applies to subsets within this age range. For the purposes of this CPS, we will use the following definitions: overweight in the child is a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 85th and

Objective. Reduced calciferol (vitamin D) levels in pregnant women have been associated with an increased risk to infant health. Progesterone sustains pregnancy and reduces the risk of premature birth through its metabolites affecting myometrial contractility. Sex hormone-binding globulin protein (SHBG) is a biomarker of premature birth. The present study aimed to find out if early pregnancy levels of vitamin D, SHBG, and progesterone metabolites may predict preterm birth risk.

Abstract Cholesterol mediates membrane compartmentalization, affecting signaling via differential distribution of receptors and signaling mediators. While excessive cholesterol and aberrant transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling characterize multiple liver diseases, their linkage to canonical vs. non-canonical TGF-β signaling remained unclear. Here, we subjected murine hepatocytes to cholesterol depletion (CD) or enrichment (CE), followed by biophysical studies on TGF-β receptor heterocomplex formation, and output to Smad2/3 vs. Akt pathways. Prior to ligand addition, raft-dependent preformed heteromeric receptor complexes were observed. Smad2/3 phosphorylation persisted following CD or CE. CD enhanced phospho-Akt (pAkt) formation by TGF-β or epidermal growth factor (EGF) at 5 min, while reducing it at later time points. Conversely, pAkt formation by TGF-β or EGF was inhibited by CE, suggesting a direct effect on the Akt pathway. The modulation of the balance between TGF-β signaling to Smad2/3 vs. pAkt (by TGF-β or EGF) has potential implications for hepatic diseases and malignancies.

Background & Aims: Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) plays important roles in chronic liver diseases, including metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). MASLD involves various biological processes including dysfunctional cholesterol metabolism and contributes to progression to metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the reciprocal regulation of TGF-β1 signaling and cholesterol metabolism in MASLD is yet unknown. Methods: Changes in transcription of genes associated with cholesterol metabolism were assessed by RNA sequencing of murine hepatocyte cell line (alpha mouse liver 12/AML12) and mouse primary hepatocytes treated with TGF-β1. Functional assays were performed on AML12 cells (untreated, TGF-β1 treated, or subjected to cholesterol enrichment [CE] or cholesterol depletion [CD]), and on mice injected with adenovirus-associated virus 8–control/TGF-β1. Results: TGF-β1 inhibited messenger RNA expression of several cholesterol metabolism regulatory genes, including rate-limiting enzymes of cholesterol biosynthesis in AML12 cells, mouse primary hepatocytes, and adenovirus-associated virus–TGF-β1–treated mice. Total cholesterol levels and lipid droplet accumulation in AML12 cells and liver tissue also were reduced upon TGF-β1 treatment. Smad2/3 phosphorylation after 2 hours of TGF-β1 treatment persisted after CE or CD and was mildly increased after CD, whereas TGF-β1–mediated AKT phosphorylation (30 min) was inhibited by CE. Furthermore, CE protected AML12 cells from several effects mediated by 72 hours of incubation with TGF-β1, including epithelial–mesenchymal transition, actin polymerization, and apoptosis. CD mimicked the outcome of long-term TGF-β1 administration, an effect that was blocked by an inhibitor of the type I TGF-β receptor. In addition, the supernatant of CE- or CD-treated AML12 cells inhibited or promoted, respectively, the activation of LX-2 hepatic stellate cells. Conclusions: TGF-β1 inhibits cholesterol metabolism whereas cholesterol attenuates TGF-β1 downstream effects in hepatocytes.

This cross-sectional study was conducted to explore pregnant women's knowledge, attitudes, and acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccination. A total of 237 pregnant women were included from January 2021 till December 2021. After enrolment in the hospitals and before antenatal checkup all patients sent for COVID-19 vaccinations, those who had reservations regarding vaccination in pregnancy and willing to participate and share their knowledge were included. Data was collected using a pre-designed structured proforma. There were 84 pregnant women (35.4%) from rural residences, 67.1% with middle socioeconomic status, 84.8% were literate, 83.5% with 1 -3 antenatal visits, 46.8% with 21 – 26 weeks of gestational age, the mean gestational age of samples was 21.7 weeks. The source of information regarding hazards of COVID vaccine during pregnancy, there were 35 (44.3%) reported family, 24 (30.4%) reported friends, 15 (19%) reported healthcare providers and 5 (6.3%) reported media as the main source of information regarding hazards of COVID vaccine in pregnancy. Most of the expectant ladies who has misconceptions and were worried about birth defects and long-term effects on babies, the safety and prevention of COVID infection by the vaccine had information from the family.

Present study was carried out during rainy (kharif) seasons of 2021 and 2022 at Rice Research Station, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Kaul, Haryana to explore the merits of organic farming compared to inorganic farming for sustainable agriculture. The experiment consisting of 7 treatments in paddy (Oryza sativa L.) crop conducted in randomized block design (RBD) with 5 replications. Organic treatments include application of different nitrogenous sources, viz. farmyard manure; green manure (Sesbania); vermicompost and mustard cake on equivalent nitrogen basis and inorganic sources include urea fertilizer. The results revealed that the application of urea as an inorganic nitrogen source resulted in higher status of available nitrogen (171.4 kg/ha), phosphorus (25.56 kg/ha), and potassium (319.2 kg/ha) in soil as compared to other treatments. Similarly, the uptake of NPK by paddy grains was highest in the treatment with 100% nitrogen through urea (43.77 kg/ha, 16.33 kg/ha, and 17.69 kg/ ha, NPK, respectively), being at par with other organic treatments during both the seasons. While higher uptake of NPK (42.5 kg/ha, 19.78 kg/ha, 100.31 kg/ha, respectively) by paddy straw was recorded in treatment where 100% N through inorganic urea was applied. Organic farming system (increase ranged from 22.5 to 29.9%) performed similar to conventional farming (31.2% increased) in terms of yield over absolute control plot. Notably, treatments receiving 150% nitrogen through farmyard manure and 100% nitrogen through urea exhibited higher benefit-to-cost (B:C) ratios of 2.78 and 2.73, respectively. Therefore, organic farming emerges as an environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional practices, contributing to soil health and ensuring a consistent paddy crop yield.

Background: Ever since quality of services is gaining importance in every industry as it is the indicator of consumer/customer satisfaction, it is of utmost importance to measure service quality of educational institutes to determine the satisfaction of students. Thus, the study aimed to determine the important factors in service quality dimensions which contribute to the satisfaction of students. Methods: This was a Comparative Cross Sectional study in which final year department of physical therapy (DPT) students were included from three private and three public physiotherapy institutes. Results: The largest mean Positive Gap scores for Public Physiotherapy Institutes was 0.18 for accessibility and affordability 0.18. The largest negative mean gap score for Private Physiotherapy domain was “Accessibility and Affordability” found to be -1.96. Conclusion: Students were satisfied with service quality of private institutes in all domains except for the “Accessibility and Affordability” whereas, in Public Institutes largest negative quality gaps were found in “Empathy” and “Assurance”.

Background: Fall from height is a tragedy, largely avertable, often leading to death or morbidity. Apart from the physical dimension, it also has important medico-legal implications. There is a dearth of serious study to document the overall fall from height cases in the metropolis of Karachi or to formulate suggestions to improve the situation. The current study has been undertaken in this direction. Objective: To assess and document the incidence of medico-legally relevant cases of fall from height in the metropolis of Karachi and to suggest ways to minimize this mishap. Methods: Descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study of medico-legally relevant cases of falls from height in Karachi registered from 1st January, 2007 to 31st December, 2011; the data having been retrieved from the three medico-legal sections of Karachi located at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Jinnah Post-graduate Medical Centre & Civil Hospital and from the Police Surgeon’s Office, Karachi. Findings were expressed in numbers & percentages. Results: The total number of registered medico-legal cases of fall from height in Karachi during the study period was 1029. Of these 49.17% (n=506) were reported at ASH, followed by 28.67% (n=295) at CHK and 22.16% (n=228) at JPMC. Of the total number of fall cases, 86.01% (n=885) were non-fatal and 13.99 (n=144) proved fatal. Further, 51.41% (n=455) of the non-fatal cases were referred to ASH while 28.59% (n=253) went to CHK and 20% (n=177) to JPMC. Most of the referrals to ASH were due to location of the hospital. Conclusion: Fall from height is one of the leading causes of medico-legal cases in Karachi with a high morbidity rate as well as mortality with about 15% of them being fatal in the five year period 2007-2011. Despite the incidence, most of these mishaps are preventable. As majority of these cases involve the construction industry, a multi-pronged team effort is required to improve the situation. Key Words: Falls from Height, Karachi, Medico-legal, Morbidity, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

Background The disorders of upper gastrointestinal tract are responsible for a great deal of morbidity and mortality. Upper GI endoscopy in combination with biopsy plays an important role in the exact diagnosis of these disorders for further management. Objectives To study the histopathological spectrum of upper GI tract lesions. Materials and Methods A descriptive study was conducted on endoscopic biopsies of upper GI tract in a tertiary care hospital over a period of 26 months from March 2011 to April • Results Out of 196 endoscopic biopsies studied 129 were from male patients and 67 were from female patients. An age range of 19- 90 years was observed. There were 50 (25.5%) cases from esophagus, 15(7.65%) cases from GE junction, 127 (64.8%) cases from stomach and 4 (2.04%) cases from duodenum. 45(23%) cases were non-neoplastic, 52(26.5%) cases were benign neoplasms while 99(50.5%) were malignant neoplasms. Histopathology revealed gastritis (38 cases) (84.4%) as the most frequently diagnosed inflammatory lesion while adenocarcinoma stomach (45 cases) (45.9%) comprised the most frequently diagnosed malignant lesion. Conclusion Endoscopy generates biopsy specimens from sites that were previously inaccessible without a major resection. So a thorough knowledge of the spectrum of lesions that can be diagnosed in these specimens is pertinent to make a proper diagnosis for better patient management.

Abstract Microorganisms known as psychrophiles/psychrotrophs, which survive in cold climates, constitute majority of the biosphere on Earth. Their capability to produce cold‐active enzymes along with other distinguishing characteristics allows them to survive in the cold environments. Due to the relative ease of large‐scale production compared to enzymes from plants and animals, commercial uses of microbial enzyme are alluring. The ocean depths, polar, and alpine regions, which make up over 85% of the planet, are inhabited to cold ecosystems. Microbes living in these regions are important for their metabolic contribution to the ecosphere as well as for their enzymes, which may have potential industrial applications. Cold‐adapted microorganisms are a possible source of cold‐active enzymes that have high catalytic efficacy at low and moderate temperatures at which homologous mesophilic enzymes are not active. Cold‐active enzymes can be used in a variety of biotechnological processes, including food processing, additives in the detergent and food industries, textile industry, waste‐water treatment, biopulping, environmental bioremediation in cold climates, biotransformation, and molecular biology applications with great potential for energy savings. Genetically manipulated strains that are suitable for producing a particular cold‐active enzyme would be crucial in a variety of industrial and biotechnological applications. The potential advantage of cold‐adapted enzymes will probably lead to a greater annual market than for thermo‐stable enzymes in the near future. This review includes latest updates on various microbial source of cold‐active enzymes and their biotechnological applications.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of the first line and additional confirmatory assay to detect coronavirus based on Ct RT-PCR values. METHODOLOGY: A collaborative cross-sectional study was conducted using a systematic sampling type at Hyderabad's diagnostic and research laboratory and the SIOVS, Hyderabad, after getting ethical approval from the LUMHS ERC committee from July 2021 to June 2022. A total of 4822 patients have enrolled; 1200 patients were positive for COVID-19, and a nasopharyngeal swab was collected from patients for RNA extraction; the patients positive with COVID-19 RT-PCR test were included, and patients negative with COVID-19 RT-PCR were excluded out from this study. The RT-PCR was performed, and the Ct values of each potential target were recorded. RESULTS: The RT-PCR finding of potential targets revealed that the N and E genes are correlated and simultaneously positive with OFRb1 and RdRP genes and are crucial for detecting coronavirus. In 77.5% (310/400) of patients, the E gene was positive, and the N gene was positive in 85.8% (1030/1200) patients with ORF1b and Rdrp genes. 71% (850/1200) of males were infected in our cohort, and young patients carried the highest viral load than old age patients with asymptomatic features. Each target's obtained cycler threshold values by different kits were recorded and analyzed in SPSS-17. CONCLUSION: The data showed N and E genes are simultaneously associated with the ORFb1 gene for detecting COVID-19 in our patients.

Abstract Cancer poses a significant global health challenge, with predictions of increasing prevalence in the coming years due to limited prevention, late diagnosis, and inadequate success with current therapies. In addition, the high cost of new anti-cancer drugs creates barriers in meeting the medical needs of cancer patients, especially in developing countries. The lengthy and costly process of developing novel drugs further hinders drug discovery and clinical implementation. Therefore, there has been a growing interest in repurposing approved drugs for other diseases to address the urgent need for effective cancer treatments. The aim of this comprehensive review is to provide an overview of the potential of approved non-oncology drugs as therapeutic options for cancer treatment. These drugs come from various chemotherapeutic classes, including antimalarials, antibiotics, antivirals, anti-inflammatory drugs, and antifungals, and have demonstrated significant antiproliferative, pro-apoptotic, immunomodulatory, and antimetastatic properties. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify relevant studies on the repurposing of approved non-oncology drugs for cancer therapy. Various electronic databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, were searched using appropriate keywords. Studies focusing on the therapeutic potential, mechanisms of action, efficacy, and clinical prospects of repurposed drugs in cancer treatment were included in the analysis. The review highlights the promising outcomes of repurposing approved non-oncology drugs for cancer therapy. Drugs belonging to different therapeutic classes have demonstrated notable antitumor effects, including inhibiting cell proliferation, promoting apoptosis, modulating the immune response, and suppressing metastasis. These findings suggest the potential of these repurposed drugs as effective therapeutic approaches in cancer treatment. Repurposing approved non-oncology drugs provides a promising strategy for addressing the urgent need for effective and accessible cancer treatments. The diverse classes of repurposed drugs, with their demonstrated antiproliferative, pro-apoptotic, immunomodulatory, and antimetastatic properties, offer new avenues for cancer therapy. Further research and clinical trials are warranted to explore the full potential of these repurposed drugs and optimize their use in treating various cancer types. Repurposing approved drugs can significantly expedite the process of identifying effective treatments and improve patient outcomes in a cost-effective manner.

Nitrogen is one of the key elements in the evolution and formation of stellar objects. Earth's atmosphere contains 21% oxygen and 78% nitrogen; these two gases give rise to aurora when ions of the solar wind in the ionosphere collide with them. Some aerosols made of nitrogen and oxygen are also found in the atmosphere. Nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen are the main contributors to the origin of life on Earth. The spectrum of nitrogen ion (N V) has been studied using Quantum defect theory (QDT) and Numerical Coulombic approximation (NCA). N V has two electrons in the core, with the nucleus, and one electron outside the core. It makes it hydrogen or lithium-like. In the first part, the energies of the ns, np, nd, and nf up to n < 30 were calculated with the help of QDT. In the second part, the wavelengths were calculated using the energies and line strength parameters using NCA. Very little experimental data on lifetime and transition probability are available; however, Biemont et al. have calculated the lifetime of the 48 levels of N V using coulomb approximation. In this study, we calculated the lifetime of 196 multiplets of N V. The results are compared with the available experimental and theoretical lifetimes; an excellent agreement was found between known lifetimes and calculated in this work. The lifetimes of 100 multiplets are presented for the first time. The lifetimes of each of the Rydberg series of N V were fitted, and a third-degree polynomial represents the lifetimes of each series.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant financial losses globally, increasing the volatility of financial assets. Thus, this study models the stock market volatility of developed economies during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, we used the GJR-GARCH (Albulescu, 2020; Albulescu, 2020) [1,1] econometric model on the daily time series returns data ranging from 01st-July-2019 to 18th-November-2020. The entire dataset was equally divided into two subsets; before COVID-19, and after the COVID-19. The empirical results of this study showed the presence of volatility clustering, leverage effect, and excess kurtosis indicating leptokurtic phenomena in all stock indices returns. In addition to this, it can be noted that compared to before COVID-19, the stock markets showed negative returns, and increased volatility during the COVID-19. Hence, based on these findings, this study provides significant insights for global stock market investors and economic policymakers regarding financial portfolio construction particularly during crises times.

The Kuznets Curve framework is used in this study to examine the complex relationship between economic growth and environmental impact in Pakistan. The study employs descriptive statistics, pairwise correlations, and regression analysis to uncover intricate relationships among crucial variables such as pollution, environmental performance, GDP, income, and taxation. The results underscore the complex trade-offs and non-linear connections that exist within these relationships, underscoring the importance of informed policy choices in order to attain sustainable development that effectively reconciles economic advancement and environmental preservation within the specific context of Pakistan.

Abstract Plants require copper for normal growth and development and have evolved an efficient system for copper management based on transport proteins such as P1B-ATPases, also known as heavy metal ATPases (HMAs). Here, we report HMAs in eleven different Poaceae species, including wheat. Furthermore, the possible role of wheat HMAs in copper stress was investigated. BlastP searches identified 27 HMAs in wheat, and phylogenetic analysis based on the Maximum Likelihood method demonstrated a separation into four distinct clades. Conserved motif analysis, domain identification, gene structure, and transmembrane helices number were also identified for wheat HMAs using computational tools. Wheat seedlings grown hydroponically were subjected to elevated copper and demonstrated toxicity symptoms with effects on fresh weight and changes in expression of selected HMAs TaHMA7, TaHMA8, and TaHMA9 were upregulated in response to elevated copper, suggesting a role in wheat copper homeostasis. Further investigations on these heavy metal pumps can provide insight into strategies for enhancing crop heavy metal tolerance in the face of heavy metal pollution.

Midgut development is a dynamic process that begins from the fifth week of development. During this process, the midgut undergoes physiological herniation in the umbilical cord. Subsequently, it returns to the abdominal cavity through a complex 270° counterclockwise rotation [1]. This normal rotation results in the formation of a duodenojejunal loop on the left-side of the midline, a peripheral large bowel, a centrally located small bowel with the caecum in the right iliac fossa, and the duodenojejunal flexure on the left-side near the pylorus [2]. Disruption of this sequential return can lead to anomalies in midgut rotation, such as non rotation, malrotation, or reverse rotation [1].

In this study, a well-known Weakest Bound Electron Potential Model (WBEPM) was used to determine the exited-state ionization potential of lithium-like elements for different iso-spectrum series such as 1s2 2p1 P1/2, 1s2 3s2 S1/2 , 1s2 3d2 D1/2, 1s2 4s2 S1/2, 1s2 4p2 P1/2, and 1s2 4d2 D1/2 having nuclear charges from Z = 3 to Z = 18. On the other hand, to utilize relativistic correction, Briet-Pauli approximation has also been applied to the ionization potential using a fourth-order polynomial expression in the nuclear charge Z. The deviation within the range of 0.1% has been observed between estimated and experimental values that are quite remarkable. Furthermore, new ionization potentials were proposed for iso-series with Z ranging from 19 to 30.

ABSTRACTGremlin-1, a high-affinity antagonist of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP)-2, −4, and −7, is implicated in tumor initiation and progression. Increased gremlin-1 expression, and therefore suppressed BMP signaling, correlates with poor prognosis in a range of cancer types. A lack of published work using therapeutic modalities has precluded the testing of the hypothesis that blocking the gremlin-1/BMP interaction will provide benefits to patients. To address this shortfall, we developed ginisortamab (UCB6114), a first-in-class clinical anti-human gremlin-1 antibody, currently in clinical development for the treatment of cancer, along with its murine analog antibody Ab7326 mouse immunoglobulin G1 (mIgG1). Surface plasmon resonance assays revealed that ginisortamab and Ab7326 mIgG1 had similar affinities for human and mouse gremlin-1, with mean equilibrium dissociation constants of 87 pM and 61 pM, respectively. The gremlin-1/Ab7326 antigen-binding fragment (Fab) crystal structure revealed a gremlin-1 dimer with a Fab molecule bound to each monomer that blocked BMP binding. In cell culture experiments, ginisortamab fully blocked the activity of recombinant human gremlin-1, and restored BMP signaling pathways in human colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines. Furthermore, in a human CRC – fibroblast co-culture system where gremlin-1 is produced by the fibroblasts, ginisortamab restored BMP signaling in both the CRC cells and fibroblasts, demonstrating its activity in a relevant human tumor microenvironment model. The safety and efficacy of ginisortamab are currently being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients with advanced solid tumors (NCT04393298).

Leaf chlorophyll is an important dynamic biochemical parameter to assess crop phenology, health stress, and yield. Optical remote sensing data is a widely used technique for the estimation of vegetation leaf chlorophyll. Drone technology is a promising solution for high-resolution monitoring of the leaf chlorophyll content and employed in this study. Image fusion was also accomplished to provide high-resolution multi-spectral images by combining Sentinel-2A and drone imagery. Support vector machine regression was adopted to determine the best vegetation indices for the retrieval of leaf chlorophyll content. Random forest regression and support vector machine regression algorithms were adopted to develop the best models for chlorophyll retrieval. The 34 models derived from drone data and the 46 models derived from fusion data were evaluated for chlorophyll retrieval. It was found that the best support vector machine model, based on anthocyanin content index and enhanced vegetation index (M31), had the best correlation coefficient (r = 0.732) and root mean square error (1.93). The random forest regression models M32 (based on chlorophyll vegetation index and visible atmospherically resistant index) and M16 (based on canopy chlorophyll content index and visible atmospherically resistant index) for drone data were found to be the best, which performed equally well in terms of correlation coefficients (r = 0.77) and root mean square error (1.51). The multiple vegetation indices of drone-based leaf chlorophyll content random forest regression models (M16 and M32) provided higher performance than single vegetation indices-based linear (simple linear fit) and nonlinear leaf chlorophyll content models. Out of 46 models of fusion products, the random forest regression M14 (green normalized difference vegetation index with narrow near infrared band and visible atmospherically resistant index) offered the best performance for leaf chlorophyll content retrieval, as can be observed through a comparison of correlation (r = 0.77) and RMSE (=1.71) values. It was also investigated that inversion performances (r ∼ 0.8 and RMSD ∼ 1.4 with standard deviation ∼ 2.6) of fusion data-based models in cross-applicability and transferability were found to be suitable for large-scale inversion of Sentinel-2A data products.

AbstractGlobally the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on both individuals and organizations. Challenges on the financial, psychological, and physical levels have been felt, especially in the business sector. The purpose of this research is to examine how COVID-19 has financially affected firms in Pakistan and the United States. In order to do this, surveys and interviews with experts in various business disciplines were carried out to utilize convenience and snowball sampling techniques. Partial least squares (Smart PLS) statistical analysis employing structural equation modeling was used in the research. The results showed that COVID-19 greatly impacted the workers’ financial and psychological health. The research also demonstrated that moderators were crucial in lessening the pandemic’s effects. Discussion in this research also includes the study’s ramifications and practical implications.

Recent shifts in the spectrum of weeds documented throughout the globe in various agroecosystems were purportedly associated with climate change. Consequently, it called for a more thorough investigation of weed vulnerabilities and management in the changing climate scenarios. In the present investigation, we compile geographic occurrence data of an agricultural weed Asphodelus tenuifolius Cavan. using ecospat R package and BIOMOD ensemble forecasting to analyze the existing distribution and anticipate its possible distribution in the future under future climate change scenarios. Nine different algorithms were used and implemented in biomod2 package for modelling the current potential habitat distribution of the selected species across the study region and climatic data was downloaded from WorldClim database. Ensemble modeling showed high habitat suitability of the majority of central, northern, and western Indian regions under current climatic conditions. In addition, by gaining suitable habitats in the future the target species will undergo significant increase in range change. The potential range of habitat suitability for A. tenuifolius is likely to increase from 138.73% to 190.29% in terms of Committee Averaging and 721.42%–1508% in terms of Weighted Mean under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5). This ensemble modelling technique will help us to locate the places where its potential range could expand while simultaneously analysing the spatial distributions of field weeds, which may be important for the creation of cutting-edge weed control methods.

Household consumption is significantly influenced by various factors. Despite this, the intricate nature of consumption behaviors and the lack of comprehensive data from the supply chain have led to an incomplete recognition of the attributes contributing to home emissions at the city level. Through the analysis of city-level household consumption in relation to energy demand, utilizing a city-scale input-output model and urban residential consumption inventories, this study considers the environmental responsibility inherent in residential consumption for Japanese’s Prefectures, this study reveals that variations in this responsibility based on household type and season. The study period is 2013-2022. Various factors are taken into account when examining emissions by age and month, including emission type, source, fuel variety, and consumption items. These assertions stem from emissions data computed using the system boundary method. Our hypothesis is supported by a range of statistical findings, encompassing summary statistics and regression analysis. The connection between residential emissions and GDP is also explored through regression analysis. We uncover evidence indicating that carbon emissions in Japan fluctuate with the seasons and across diverse categories. These statistics illustrate a notable discrepancy in the regional distribution of carbon emissions, owing to evident variations in consumption rates and patterns.

Abstract Actinobacteria obtained from the least explored Indian regions were studied for their ability to suppress meningitis-causing bacteria in nanoparticle form. Drug-resistant bacteria and long-term treatment with different medications make meningitis control complicated. Thus, new meningitis drugs are required to combat MDR bacteria. In this study, secondary metabolites isolated from actinomycetes strains, Microbacterium proteolyticum LA2(R) and Streptomyces rochei LA2(O), were employed to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) at 37 °C for seven days incubation. UV–Vis spectroscopy, TEM, FTIR, and HPLC studies were used for the confirmation of the synthesis of AgNPs. Furthermore, these NPs demonstrated antibacterial and antibiofilm activities against meningitis-causing bacteria. The average size of LA2(R) and LA2(O) isolated secondary metabolites mediated AgNPs was observed to be 27 ± 1and 29 ± 2 nm by TEM analysis. FTIR study of RAgNPs and OAgNPs revealed that presence of peaks with positions of 1637.17 cm1 and 1636.10 cm1 for C=O amide group appearances in the amide I linkage. These NPs were effective against bacterial pathogens such as S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, and N. meningitidis and confirmed by their MICs, i.e., 109.4, 120.60, and 138.80 μg/ml of RAgNPs and 105.80, 114.40 and 129.06 μg/ml of OAgNPs, respectively. Additionally, the production of biofilms is impeded by these nanoparticles on S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, and N. meningitidis by 73.14%, 71.89% and 64.81%, respectively. These findings confirm the potential role of synthesized AgNPs against biofilm forming meningitis causing Multidrug resistance (MDR) microbes.

Background: When patients with biochemically diagnosed pregnancy, presents with pain and or vaginal bleeding, the differential diagnosis between intrauterine pregnancy, missed abortion and ectopic pregnancy is challenging. There is present lack of clinically useful tests for the accurate diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy, unless an early intrauterine pregnancy (IUP) is visible by ultrasound. Objectives: To assess whether serum measurement of IL-15 at 6–8 weeks could contribute to the differential diagnosis between failed pregnancies (i.e ectopic pregnancy or missed abortions) and healthy intrauterine pregnancies. Materials and methods: We performed a prospective observational case control study of 75 patients . Among these 75 patients, 50 patients presented with early pregnancy with abdominal pain or vaginal bleeding between 6- 8 weeks of gestation and were either diagnosed as ectopic pregnancy (EP) (25) and missed abortion (MA) (25). 25 women with healthy intrauterine pregnancy (IUP) between 6-8 weeks of gestation served as the control group. Serum samples were collected at the initial visit before treatment. All diagnosis were histologically confirmed. Serum beta HCG and IL-15 were measured in all 75 patients. Results: The mean serum IL-15 levels were significantly higher in failed (ectopic & missed) as compared to normal pregnancies (58.51± 8.95 vs 47.90 ±9.66 pg/ml respectively)(p=0.001). However there was no significant difference in IL-15 levels between missed (58.47 ±10.94 pg/ml) and ectopic (58.91± 7.94 pg/ml) pregnancies (p=0.87). The AUC for failed vs normal pregnancy was 0.810 (p=0.000). At the IL15 reading of 49.47pg/ml, the sensitivity was 86% and the test expects 34.6% false positivity rate in distinguishing failed pregnancy (EP, MP) from normal pregnancy. However the AUC was 0.53 when we compared ectopic pregnancy with missed abortion. Conclusion: High IL15 levels were associated with failed pregnancies, so these patients need to be closely followed. Larger randomized controlled trials are needed to further explore the role of IL15 to distinguish ectopic pregnancy and missed abortion.

Anaphylaxis is a rapid-onset, life-threatening allergic reaction that needs immediate medical intervention. Typically, immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated, these reactions necessitate skin testing for assessing drug hypersensitivity. A 31-year-old woman with cervical carcinoma, scheduled for a total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy under general anesthesia (GA), experienced preoperative urticaria and palpitations, during a blood transfusion. Administering intravenous (IV) pheniramine, ranitidine, and dexamethasone resolved symptoms, allowing surgery under GA. However, post atracurium injection, she developed generalized urticaria and mild hypotension. IV pheniramine and hydrocortisone stabilized her, prompting surgery deferral for an allergology workup. The skin testing was performed, and all drugs tested negative. To prevent non-IgE-mediated reactions, a preoperative regimen of pheniramine 25 mg, prednisolone 50 mg, and famotidine 20 mg was recommended. Subsequently, surgery was performed under GA, using propofol and rocuronium, with the whole perioperative period remaining uneventful. This case underscores the imperative role of skin testing in elucidating perioperative drug usage amid suspected or encountered drug allergies.

The purpose of this work is to remind doctors of practical medicine about the importance of differential diagnosis with cancers in general pediatric practice and to increase the vigilance of clinicians regarding the similarity of manifestations of oncology and infectious diseases on the example of specific clinical cases. We conducted an empirical, descriptive study of 4 clinical cases of cancers in children. We selected them among 21 patients who were diagnosed with cancer during the inpatient treatment at the Kyiv City Children’s Infectious Disease Hospital in 2014–2019. The first clinical case describes a brain neoplasm that was initially thought to be acute VZV encephalitis in an 11-year-old child. The second is a case of acute leukemia in a 3-year-old child who was hospitalized with suspected meningococcal infection. In the third case, we presented a 7-year-old patient who was admitted with infectious mononucleosis and as a result, was diagnosed with hemophagocytic syndrome, immunodeficiency and Duncan disease. The latest case demonstrates the combination of tuberculous meningitis and cerebral astrocytoma in a 15-year-old patient, which was initially mistaken for viral encephalitis. Conclusions. Awareness of cancers is important in the diagnosis of infectious nosologies. Dynamic monitoring and the use of a wide range of laboratory and instrumental methods allows to prevent diagnostic errors and to seek treatment in a timely manner.

Emergency obstetric hysterectomy (EOH) is done during cesarean section or after normal vaginal delivery, or any time during puerperal period. Puerperal period is usually associated with anxiety and depression in most cases, having emergency hysterectomy can potentially trigger it more. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare emergency versus elective hysterectomy to determine the pattern of depression between two groups. During a period of four years (from 1st march 2019 to 28th February 2023), a total of 6658 patients were admitted in obstetrics & gynecology department and 31 underwent emergency obstetric hysterectomies and consented to be part of this study. These females were aged between 18 to 49 years. For comparison 31 married control females were randomly selected and interviewed 3 months after undergoing elective hysterectomy due to gynecological conditions. There was no past family history for any psychiatric illness in both groups. The studied groups were clinically evaluated for major depressive episode according to the American Psychiatric Association diagnostic and statistical Manual of mental disorders, 4th edition text revised (DSM-IV TR) criteria. Beck depression inventory (BDI)18 to assess the severity of major depressive episodes. Out of 31 patients 16 cases were performed after caesarean section, four during laparotomy for ruptured uterus and 11 for uterine atony after normal vaginal delivery. There was significantly higher rate of depression among patients undergoing emergency hysterectomy as compared to those with elective procedure. The frequency of complications was also observed to be higher in emergency cases. Our study concluded that the frequency of complications and severe depression was remarkably higher in the obstetric emergency hysterectomy group as compared to the elective hysterectomy group.

Background: Data regarding outcomes among patients with cancer and co-morbid cardiovascular disease (CVD)/cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) after SARS-CoV-2 infection are limited. Objectives: To compare Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) related complications among cancer patients with and without co-morbid CVD/CVRF. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of patients with cancer and laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2, reported to the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) registry from 03/17/2020 to 12/31/2021. CVD/CVRF was defined as established CVD or no established CVD, male ≥ 55 or female ≥ 60 years, and one additional CVRF. The primary endpoint was an ordinal COVID-19 severity outcome including need for hospitalization, supplemental oxygen, intensive care unit (ICU), mechanical ventilation, ICU or mechanical ventilation plus vasopressors, and death. Secondary endpoints included incident adverse CV events. Ordinal logistic regression models estimated associations of CVD/CVRF with COVID-19 severity. Effect modification by recent cancer therapy was evaluated. Results: Among 10,876 SARS-CoV-2 infected patients with cancer (median age 65 [IQR 54–74] years, 53% female, 52% White), 6253 patients (57%) had co-morbid CVD/CVRF. Co-morbid CVD/CVRF was associated with higher COVID-19 severity (adjusted OR: 1.25 [95% CI 1.11–1.40]). Adverse CV events were significantly higher in patients with CVD/CVRF (all p

Superclusters, encompassing environments across a wide range of overdensities, can be regarded as unique laboratories for studying galaxy evolution. Although numerous supercluster catalogs have been published, none of them goes beyond redshift z = 0.7. In this work, we adopt a physically motivated supercluster definition, requiring that superclusters should eventually collapse even in the presence of dark energy. Applying a friends-of-friends (FoF) algorithm to the CAMIRA cluster sample constructed using the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam survey data, we have conducted the first systematic search for superclusters at z = 0.5–1.0 and identified 673 supercluster candidates over an area of 1027 deg ^2 . The FoF algorithm is calibrated by evolving N -body simulations to the far future to ensure high purity. We found that these high- z superclusters are mainly composed of two to four clusters, suggesting the limit of gravitationally bound structures in the younger Universe. In addition, we studied the properties of the clusters and brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) residing in different large-scale environments. We found that clusters associated with superclusters are typically richer, but no apparent dependence of the BCG properties on large-scale structures is found. We also compared the abundance of observed superclusters with mock superclusters extracted from halo light cones, finding that photometric redshift uncertainty is a limiting factor in the performance of superclusters detection.

We present cosmological constraints from a gravitational lensing mass map covering 9400 deg ^2 reconstructed from measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) made by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) from 2017 to 2021. In combination with measurements of baryon acoustic oscillations and big bang nucleosynthesis, we obtain the clustering amplitude σ _8 = 0.819 ± 0.015 at 1.8% precision, ${S}_{8}\equiv {\sigma }_{8}{({{\rm{\Omega }}}_{{\rm{m}}}/0.3)}^{0.5}=0.840\pm 0.028$ , and the Hubble constant H _0 = (68.3 ± 1.1) km s ^−1 Mpc ^−1 at 1.6% precision. A joint constraint with Planck CMB lensing yields σ _8 = 0.812 ± 0.013, ${S}_{8}\equiv {\sigma }_{8}{({{\rm{\Omega }}}_{{\rm{m}}}/0.3)}^{0.5}=0.831\pm 0.023$ , and H _0 = (68.1 ± 1.0) km s ^−1 Mpc ^−1 . These measurements agree with ΛCDM extrapolations from the CMB anisotropies measured by Planck. We revisit constraints from the KiDS, DES, and HSC galaxy surveys with a uniform set of assumptions and find that S _8 from all three are lower than that from ACT+Planck lensing by levels ranging from 1.7 σ to 2.1 σ . This motivates further measurements and comparison, not just between the CMB anisotropies and galaxy lensing but also between CMB lensing probing z ∼ 0.5–5 on mostly linear scales and galaxy lensing at z ∼ 0.5 on smaller scales. We combine with CMB anisotropies to constrain extensions of ΛCDM, limiting neutrino masses to ∑ m _ν < 0.13 eV (95% c.l.), for example. We describe the mass map and related data products that will enable a wide array of cross-correlation science. Our results provide independent confirmation that the universe is spatially flat, conforms with general relativity, and is described remarkably well by the ΛCDM model, while paving a promising path for neutrino physics with lensing from upcoming ground-based CMB surveys.

We present new measurements of cosmic microwave background (CMB) lensing over 9400 deg ^2 of the sky. These lensing measurements are derived from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) Data Release 6 (DR6) CMB data set, which consists of five seasons of ACT CMB temperature and polarization observations. We determine the amplitude of the CMB lensing power spectrum at 2.3% precision (43 σ significance) using a novel pipeline that minimizes sensitivity to foregrounds and to noise properties. To ensure that our results are robust, we analyze an extensive set of null tests, consistency tests, and systematic error estimates and employ a blinded analysis framework. Our CMB lensing power spectrum measurement provides constraints on the amplitude of cosmic structure that do not depend on Planck or galaxy survey data, thus giving independent information about large-scale structure growth and potential tensions in structure measurements. The baseline spectrum is well fit by a lensing amplitude of A _lens = 1.013 ± 0.023 relative to the Planck 2018 CMB power spectra best-fit ΛCDM model and A _lens = 1.005 ± 0.023 relative to the ACT DR4 + WMAP best-fit model. From our lensing power spectrum measurement, we derive constraints on the parameter combination ${S}_{8}^{\mathrm{CMBL}}\equiv {\sigma }_{8}{\left({{\rm{\Omega }}}_{m}/0.3\right)}^{0.25}$ of ${S}_{8}^{\mathrm{CMBL}}=0.818\pm 0.022$ from ACT DR6 CMB lensing alone and ${S}_{8}^{\mathrm{CMBL}}=0.813\pm 0.018$ when combining ACT DR6 and Planck NPIPE CMB lensing power spectra. These results are in excellent agreement with ΛCDM model constraints from Planck or ACT DR4 + WMAP CMB power spectrum measurements. Our lensing measurements from redshifts z ∼ 0.5–5 are thus fully consistent with ΛCDM structure growth predictions based on CMB anisotropies probing primarily z ∼ 1100. We find no evidence for a suppression of the amplitude of cosmic structure at low redshifts.

Extrahepatic portal venous obstruction, predominantly a disease of childhood, is a chronic and long-standing disease characterized by thrombosis of the portal vein, leading to multiple collateral formation and other associated complications owing to long-standing nature of the disease. We present the case of a 22-year-old male with symptoms and signs of gastrointestinal bleed and pain in the left upper abdomen with similar episodes in the past.

Rydberg physics is the most exquisite playground for the exploration of quantum technologies. Therefore, in this spectral investigation based on weakest bound electron potential model theory (WBEPMT). The quantum defects and Rydberg energies of low-lying and high-lying spectral Rydberg energy sequence in the following configurations: 1s2ns2Se1/2 and 1s2np2Po1/2 in Lithium-like ions (Z=4-6) Beryllium (Be II), Boron (B III) and Carbon (C IV) are computed with their radial expected values. Total 43 low-lying energies and quantum defects are computed and compared with 25 low lying radial expected values. The results are in good agreement with the previously published experimental / theoretical results. Based on the good agreement of low-lying data, total 257 new values of high-lying Rydberg energies and quantum defects are computed with 575 radial expected values currently not listed at NIST. The deviation in both sets of data doesn’t exceed 1 cm-1 .

Hypoxia increases levels of the heteromeric TGFβ ligand inhibin in ovarian cancer and inhibin promotes tumor growth, endothelial cell invasion and permeability.

Abstract Background Organic cation transporter 1 primarily governs the action of metformin in the liver. There are considerable inter-individual variations in metformin response. In light of this, it is crucial to obtain a greater understanding of the influence of OCT1 expression or polymorphism in the context of variable responses elicited by metformin treatment. Results We observed that the variable response to metformin in the responders and non-responders is independent of isoform variation and mRNA expression of OCT-1. We also observed an insignificant difference in the serum metformin levels of the patient groups. Further, molecular docking provided us with an insight into the hotspot regions of OCT-1 for metformin binding. Genotyping of these regions revealed SNPs 156T>C and 1222A>G in both the groups, while as 181C>T and 1201G>A were found only in non-responders. The 181T>C and 1222A>G changes were further found to alter OCT-1 structure in silico and affect metformin transport in vitro which was illustrated by their effect on the activation of AMPK, the marker for metformin activity. Conclusion Taken together, our results corroborate the role of OCT-1 in the transport of metformin and also point at OCT1 genetic variations possibly affecting the transport of metformin into the cells and hence its subsequent action in responders and non-responders.

Background: Health-related quality of life is rapidly becoming recognized as an important indicator of how a disease affects patient lives and for evaluating the quality of care, especially for chronic conditions such as chronic kidney disease (CKD). Objectives: This study is an attempt to assess the quality of life in patients with chronic kidney disease at MMIMSR and also identify characteristics that may be associated with their worsening quality of life. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional investigation was conducted at the in-patient department (IPD) of the MMIMSR hospital. This study included 105 CKD patients and used a systematic random sampling method for quantitative analysis. This study utilized a 36-item short-form SF-36 (v1.3) questionnaire to assess HRQoL in CKD patients. Descriptive statistics were employed at the baseline. Chi square and ANOVA were used to draw comparisons between two groups or more than two groups, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was utilized to identify the potential QoL determinants. A p value of 0.05 or lower was used to determine statistical significance. Results: Among a total of 105 participants, the mean (±standard deviation) age was found to be 54.53 ± 13.47 years; 48 were male patients, and 57 were female patients. Diabetes Mellitus (61.9%), hypertension (56.2%), chronic glomerulonephritis (7.6%), chronic pyelonephritis (6.7%), and polycystic kidney disease (5.7%) were identified to be the most frequent disorders associated with CKD. The current study also demonstrated that the HRQoL score domains such as symptom problem list, the effect of kidney disease, and the burden of kidney disease decline significantly and progressively as the patient advances into higher stages of CKD (p = 0.005). A similar pattern was observed in work status, sleep, and general health (p < 0.005). Additionally, a statistically significant difference was noted for cognitive function, quality of social interaction, overall health, dialysis staff encouragement, patient satisfaction, social support, physical functioning, role of physical health, pain, emotional well-being, role of emotional health, social functioning, and energy fatigue (p < 0.005). The mean difference for PCS and MCS based on CKD stages was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.005). The PCS and MCS showed a positive correlation with GFR (r = 0.521), and Hb (r = 0.378), GFR (r = 0.836), and Hb (r = 0.488), respectively. Conclusions: The findings of this study demonstrated that a significant decrease in HRQoL was observed among CKD patients, with a progressive deterioration of HRQoL dimensions as the patient advances to end-stage renal disease. This study also revealed that CKD imposes various restrictions on patients’ day-to-day lives, particularly in terms of their physical and mental functioning, even in the initial stages of the disease.

Abstract Worldwide, breast cancer has an eminent morbidity and mortality rate, as it is a neoplastic disease among females. The query of the prospective danger of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) to humans is an old but exceedingly topical focus of scientific debate. The objective of the current study was to determine the possible relationship between BLV and breast cancer. A total of 2710 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) breast cancer samples were selected regardless of the age, ethnicity, or municipality origin of the subjects. The presence of BLV in human breast cancer was determined through nested PCR by amplifying tax and gag genes followed by partial sequencing. Homology was confirmed by using the online BLAST Tool. BLV genes were found to be positive in 26.8% (728/2710) of the samples from breast cancer patients and 10% (10/80) of the samples without cancer (negative control). The results indicated a correlation between the presence of the BLV gene and breast cancer (odds ratio = 0.3889; confidence interval = 1,18; p = 0.0029). The current findings suggest a possible link between BLV and human breast carcinoma. Therefore, screening cattle herds and milk products is suggested to reduce the viral transmission risk to humans.

BackgroundCurcumin (CUR) and quercetin (QUE), two natural polyphenols, possess diverse biological activities including broad-spectrum antiviral, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects. Both CUR and QUE have shown inhibition of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in in vitro assays.ObjectiveIn the present study we aimed to assess the possible treatment benefits of a combined curcumin and quercetin (CUR-QUE) oral supplement, alongside standard of care (SOC), in the early-stage COVID-19 infection.MethodsThis was an exploratory, pragmatic, open-label, randomized controlled clinical trial, conducted at the Department of Pathology, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, PK. The study compared the treatment effect of an oral CUR-QUE supplement plus SOC vs. SOC alone, in the early-stage/mild to moderately symptomatic COVID-19 outpatients. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to CUR-QUE (n = 25) and control (n = 25) treatment groups. The CUR-QUE supplementation consisted of a daily intake of 168 mg curcumin and 260 mg quercetin, as two soft capsules, to be taken twice a day at home for 14 days.ResultsAfter one-week of treatment, most of the patients in the CUR-QUE group showed an expedited clearance of the viral infection i.e., 18 (72.0%) vs. 6 (24.0%) patients in the control group tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 in the nasal-oropharyngeal swab reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis (p = 0.0002). In addition, COVID-19-associated acute symptoms were also speedily resolved in the CUR-QUE treated patients, i.e., 10 (40.0%) vs. 4 (16.0%) patients in the control group (p = 0.061). The CUR-QUE supplementation therapy was well-tolerated by all 25 patients and no treatment-emergent effects or serious adverse events were reported.ConclusionThe results revealed in this exploratory study suggest a possible therapeutic role of curcumin and quercetin in the early-stage of COVID-19. It is proposed that the two agents possibly acting in synergy, interfere the SARS-CoV-2 replication, and thus help a speedy recovery in the early-stage of COVID-19. Further research is highly encouraged.Clinical trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov, Identifier NCT04603690.