A case of bilateral achilles tendon spontaneous rupture in a hemodialysis patient: who is the real culprit? acidosis? or hyperparathyroidism?

Patients who are on regular hemodialysis and who have advanced renal failure but have not yet started on renal replacement therapy have a high risk of tendon rupture, although this is a rare situation. We reported a case of 55-year-old male patient who had been on regular hemodialysis for the past 10 years. He presented with a sudden onset of pain and swelling in the left posterior ankle while climbing stairs. Ultrasonography revealed a complete disruption of the Achilles tendon, which was surgically repaired. His medical history was remarkable for the right Achilles tendon rupture a year ago. Investigations revealed tertiary hyperparathyroidism with chronic metabolic acidosis and high β-2 macroglobulin. With surgical repair, physiotherapy, and parathyroidectomy, the patient regained full active mobility. This case emphasized the importance of high parathyroid hormone level, metabolic acidosis, and high β-2 macroglobulin in the pathogenesis of tendons ruptures.

Karishma Karishma

Intersection of caste and gender based subjugation

One of the unique features of Indian society is prevalence of caste system which was originated thousands of years back to demarcate the people engaged in different occupation or jobs. Initially it was not much rigid but gradually people belonging to upper castes for their own selfish means to maintain their monopoly made this arrangement hereditary and started treating people of lower castes disgracefully. For preservation of this system, people started controlling their women to prevent inter-caste marriages and the concept of endogamy came up. This robbed away many types of freedom from women. For women belonging to lower castes, this situation is worse as they are doubly subjugated on the basis on caste as well as gender. Men belonging to their own caste treat them as secondary beings. This paper throws light on this intersection. How intersection of these two kinds of inequalities place them at the lowest position in Indian society. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar rises as their leader who all his life worked for empowerment of downtrodden section of society. He argues that education is the primary tool for evading these differences among people. He further emphasizes to adopt the concept of exogamy to break the backbone of Indian caste system and to immediately leave a religion or culture which legitimizes such system of inequality among people of the same land.

Swati sharma

Habitat dependent variations in the rate of oxygen consumption, rate of ammonia excretion and o: n ratio of freshwater bivalve, lamellidens marginalis from lotic and lentic water of godavari river at paithan, during summer.

Considering the site (habitat) specific variations in the metabolic activities in the freshwater bivalves, we reported here the changes in the rate of oxygen consumption, rate of ammonia excretion and O: N ratio in the freshwater bivalve mollusc, Lamellidens marginalis (Lamark) from lotic and lentic water habitats on April-May during summer season. The adult freshwater bivalves, Lamellidens marginalis (82-84 mm shell length) from lotic and lentic water near Jayakwadi dam on Godavari river was selected for determination of rate of oxygen consumption, rate of ammonia excretion and O: N ratio. The adult bivalves from lotic water habitat showed high rate of oxygen consumption and low rate of ammonia excretion. The O: N ratio showed higher values in bivalves collected from lotic water than lentic water during summer season. The results of study are discussed in the light of possible physiological processes in freshwater bivalve molluscs.

Dr. Pritesh Ramanlal  Gugale Dr. pritesh ramanlal gugale

Virtual reality–based biofeedback and guided meditation in rheumatology: a pilot study

Objective As technology continues to improve, it plays an increasingly vital role in the practice of medicine. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of the implementation of virtual reality (VR) in a rheumatology clinic as a platform to administer guided meditation and biofeedback as a means of reducing chronic pain. Methods Twenty participants were recruited from a rheumatology clinic. These participants included adults with physician-diagnosed autoimmune disorders who were on a stable regimen of medication and had a score of at least 5 on the pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for a minimum of 4 days during the prior 30 days. VAS, part of most composite outcome measurements in rheumatology, is an instrument used to assess pain that consists of a straight line with the endpoints ranging from “no pain at all” and “pain as bad as it could be.” Patients were randomized into two groups that differed in the order in which they experienced the two VR modules. One module consisted of a guided meditation (GM) environment, whereas the other module consisted of a respiratory biofeedback (BFD) environment. Data on pain and anxiety levels were gathered before, during, and after the two modules. Results The three most common diagnoses among participants were rheumatoid arthiritis (RA), lupus, and fibromyalgia. There was a significant reduction in VAS scores after BFD and GM (P values = 0.01 and 0.04, respectively). There was a significant reduction in Facial Anxiety Scale after the GM compared with the BFD (P values = 0.02 and 0.08, respectively). Conclusion This novel study demonstrated that VR could be a feasible solution for the management of pain and anxiety in rheumatology patients. Further trials with varying treatment exposures and durations are required to solidify the viability of VR as a treatment option in rheumatology clinics

Ben Spielberg Ben spielberg

The roles of stethoscopes and sphygmomanometers in hospital-acquired infections: a case study of some district hospitals in enugu state, southeast nigeria

Background: Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are infections that patients acquire while receiving treatments for other conditions. Studies have shown that stethoscopes and sphygmomanometers can act as potential sources of these infections in patients accessing treatment in healthcare facilities. This study aimed to increase awareness among health workers in Nigeria of the potentials of stethoscopes and sphygmomanometers to transmit HAIs. Methods: Moist swab sticks were used to collect samples from 38 randomly selected stethoscopes and sphygmomanometers from some departments of four district hospitals. Collected samples were cultured using standard microbiological techniques. In addition, self-designed questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge and practice of doctors and nurses on the roles of stethoscopes and sphygmomanometers in HAIs. Results: About 83.8% of the health workers demonstrated some awareness of the roles of stethoscopes and sphygmomanometers in HAIs. 42.5% cleaned their stethoscopes, while 5% their sphygmomanometers. Staphylococcus aureus, (65.9% of stethoscopes), proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (67.6% of sphygmomanometers), Streptococcus and Coliform species were isolated. There was no significant difference between the contamination of stethoscopes and sphygmomanometers by the isolates, except for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (t=3.49, p=0.04). Conclusions: Awareness did not match practice in cleaning the stethoscopes and sphygmomanometers in the four facilities. Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the two most common organisms isolated with a significant difference (t=3.49, p=0.04) between stethoscopes and sphygmomanometers in isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. To curb HAIs, health workers need to improve on their practice of cleaning stethoscopes and sphygmomanometers.

Emmanuel umegbolu

Screening of antimicrobial activity of murraya koenigii leaf extracts against pathogenic bacterial strains staphylococcus aureus and escherichia coli isolated from contaminated water

Aim: Murraya koenigii is a widely used plant both as a potential medicinal agent and also for common cooking purposes. Aim of this present study was to determine the antimicrobial activity of Murraya koenigii leaf extracts on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Study Design: Screening and isolation of pathogenic bacterial strains from contaminated water. Preparation of Murraya koenigii leaf extracts using petroleum ether, acetone and ethyl acetate by using serial extraction method with Soxhlet apparatus. Place and Duration of Study: Department of microbiology, Agro biotec research centre Ltd, Poovanthuruthu, Kottayam, Kerala, India, between 2014 January to 2014 May. Methodology: Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were the bacterial strains used in this study. Morphological and biochemical analysis of microorganisms were conducted to identify the strains. Leaf extracts (petroleum ether, acetone and ethyl acetate) of Murraya koenigii were screened using MHA disc diffusion methods. Results: Various concentration of plant extracts were used to check its activity against isolated pathogens. Acetone extract of curry leaves exhibit maximum zone of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and petroleum ether extracts shown maximum inhibition against Escherichia coli.

Dr. Hemand Aravind | Sr.Research Scientist | ABTEC Ltd Dr. hemand aravind | sr.research scientist | abtec ltd

Ethnopharmacology- drug discovery from treasure house of ancient wisdom

Ethnopharmacology is an information exchange and understanding about people's use of plants, fungi, animals, microorganisms and minerals to discover a a wealth of helpful therapeutic agents and explore their toxic potential passed On by oral tradition or in written documented form Materia medica. This study area provides a scientific backbone for developing active therapeutics based on the traditional medicine of various ethnic groups. It is the interdisciplinary scientific exploration of biologically active agents traditionally employed or observed by man. The broad spectrum Of this domain covers social (anthropology), chemical (chemistry), biological (botany, biochemistry, microbiology) and pharmaceutical sciences (pharmacognosy, pharmacology and clinical therapeutics). Many valuable drugs of today (e.g., atropine, ephedrine, tubocurarine, digoxin and reserpine) have been used by studying indigenous remedies. Chemists continue to use plant-derived drugs (e.g., morphine, taxol, physostigmine. quinidine and emetine) as prototypes in their attempts to develop more effective and less toxic medicines. Currently, USP and BP contain many active ingredients/excipients from natural sources. Its objectives include the preservation of indigenous medical knowledge to understand the pharmacological basis Of herbal medicine; scientific study of indigenous drugs to contribute in the long run to promote or improve primary health care in regions of study; search for pharmacologically unique principles from existing indigenous remedies; finding a valid reason to guard the rainforests or to engage in conservation; establish gene banks and libraries of plant extracts for future biological evaluation: well-established germplasm banks for essential crops. Ethnopharmacology can be an innovative and powerful discovery engine for newer, safer, and more affordable medicines from the treasure house (traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples) of ancient wisdom.

Dr. Salman Ahmed Dr. salman ahmed

Efficacy and safety of generic alendronate for osteoporosis treatment

Background: While osteoporosis increases the risk of fragility fractures, bisphosphonate has been proven to increase bone strengthand reduce the risk of vertebral and non-vertebral fractures. In addition to its efficacy, substituting the brand with generic medication isa strategy to optimize healthcare expenditures. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of generic alendronate treatment and assesspotential adverse events in patients with osteoporosis.Materials and Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on 120 patients who met the indications for osteoporosis treatment,received weekly generic alendronate (70 mg) for >1 year, and underwent evaluation through standard axial dual-energy X-rayabsorptiometry (DXA). The outcomes of this study were the percent change in bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine,femoral neck, and total hip after one year of treatment. The major adverse events occurring during medication that led to thediscontinuation of drug administration were documented.Results: Most patients were female (96.7%) with an average age of 69.0 ± 9.3 years. The percent change in BMD increased at all sitesafter one year of generic alendronate treatment (lumbar spine: 5.6 ± 13.7, p-value <0.001; femoral neck: 2.3 ± 8.3, p-value = 0.023;total hip: 2.1 ± 6.2, p-value = 0.003), with over 85% of patients experiencing increased or stable BMD. Three patients discontinued themedication due to adverse effects: two had dyspepsia, and one had persistent myalgia.Conclusion: Generic alendronate may be considered an effective antiresorptive agent for osteoporosis treatment with a low incidenceof adverse effects

Saran malisorn Saran malisorn

A study to assess the effectiveness of aerobic training on exercise tolerance and functional independence in patients with multiple sclerosis – a quasi experimental study

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological condition characterized by an interruption of action potentials in the brain and spinal cord due to areas of inflammation, demyelination and axonal degeneration. Most people with Multiple Sclerosis (PWMS) complain of physical activity limitations due to fatigue and reduced Exercise Tolerance that leads to reduction in Functional Independence. Till date, there is a limited published evidence of the efficacy of aerobic training on Exercise Tolerance and Functional Independence in individuals with Multiple Sclerosis, although some studies that incorporate aerobic training into rehabilitation programs report positive outcomes with no harmful effects. This was an effort to study the effect of aerobic training on exercise tolerance and functional independence in patients with Multiple Sclerosis. 12 Subjects were selected for the study on the basis of convenient Sampling method. Subjects who were independently mobile with Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score between 2 and 6.5 and medically stable were included for the study. The parameters of Exercise Tolerance and Functional Independence were assessed with six min walk test distance (6MWTD) and FIMTM+FAM respectively as Pre test measurement. All the subjects were given Aerobic training(AT) with Elliptical trainer and the intensity of the exercise was individualized according to their tolerance with initial stage incline of 0 (no incline) and a resistance of 1 (lowest possible resistance) was fixed. Training was done in a well ventilated training setup and subject was provided with cool water to minimize the effect of heat on activity. Subjects were monitored during the exercise training via heart rate monitor fixed to the machine; heart rate was taken every 3 minutes. The subjects were advised to perform the exercise in their own pace throughout training session for 30 min with breaks as many as they require. Progression of exercise intensity was achieved by increasing the resistance level of the Elliptical machine and/or by increasing the subject's steps per minute (stepping speed was controlled by the subject and not the elliptical machine).To ensure the progress of exercise protocol, the exercise intensity increased every 3 to 4 sessions. Totally 15 sessions were given in 6 weeks period. After 15 session of training Post test measurement for Exercise Tolerance and Functional Independence were taken. The Significance of the Pre test Post test difference were analyzed statistically using student paired “t‟ test . After 6 weeks (15 sessions) of Aerobic training with Elliptical trainer the subjects improved in Exercise Tolerance and level of Functional Independence as compared with the base line conditions. This was indicated by the changes in the Distance covered in 6 MWT and the FIMTM+ FAM score with P value <0.001. In all the subjects who were participated in this study showed greater improvement in the 6 Minute walk test distance and FIMTM+FAM scores. It implies that Aerobic training by Elliptical Trainer is effective for improving Exercise Tolerance and Functional Independence in PWMS.

Nagarjuna narayanasetti

Antiurolithiatic plants: multidimensional pharmacology

Urolithiasis has been a common problem for centuries and has a high recurrence. This review aims to provide comprehensive information about traditionally used antiurolithiatic plants and their scientifically proven pharmacological activities like analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, astringent, demulcent, diuretic, litholytic, lithotriptic, antiurolithiatic, antispasmodic, ACE inhibition and Phospholipase A2 inhibition as a plausible mechanism of action. A total of 503 species, 365 genera and 119 families were cited for treating kidney stones. The most cited families are Asteraceae (41), Fabaceae (34), Lamiaceae (26), Apiaceae (21), Rosaceae (19) and Poaceae (16). The most commonly used plant parts are root and rhizome (25%), mode of preparation decoction (62%), and oral administration route in all cases. This review will provide the opportunities for the future research and development of new natural antiurolithiatic compounds.

Dr. Salman Ahmed Dr. salman ahmed

A deep learning approach visual recognition of bird species in noisy environments

In this paper, we propose a deep learning approach for visual recognition of bird species in noisy environments. Bird species recognition has been a challenging task due to the high variation in bird appearances and the presence of noise and clutter in natural environments. Our approach utilizes a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) to learn discriminative features from bird images and classify them into different species. We also incorporate data augmentation techniques to increase the diversity of the training data and improve the robustness of the model. To address the issue of noisy environments, we introduce a novel noise-robust loss function that penalizes the model for incorrect predictions caused by noise. We evaluate our approach on a dataset of bird images collected from diverse environments and compare it with state-of-the-art methods. Our results demonstrate that our approach achieves superior performance in both clean and noisy environments, highlighting the effectiveness of our noise-robust loss function. Our approach has the potential to be applied in real world scenarios for bird species recognition and conservation.

PK Dutta Pk dutta

Quality evaluation of functional bread produced from blends of wheat and soy-okara flour

This present study evaluated the quality attributes of functional bread developed from the blends of wheat and soy-okara (SOF) flour. A completely randomized design which generated six (6) experimental runs based on different combinations of wheat (60–90%) and soy-okara (10–40%) flours was adopted for the production of functional bread. The flour blends were processed into bread and analyzed for sensory properties. The optimum flour combination in obtaining higher sensory acceptability was 85.34% WHF and 14.66% SOF with desirability function of 85% using numerical optimization techniques. The control (100% whole-wheat bread) and optimized bread produced were assessed for physicochemical, antioxidant properties and sensory qualities. The carbohydrate, calcium, phosphorus, and sodium of the optimized bread were significantly higher (p<0.05) than in the control sample having 58.14 and 75.14%, 128.80, and 75.60 mg/100 g, 68.18 and 63.77 and 13.83 ppm and 12.62 ppm respectively. The total flavonoid and phenolic contents of the control and optimized bread were significantly (p<0.05) different with values ranging from 92.77 to 114.86 mg/100 g and 66.43 to 57.51 mg/100 g respectively. A significant variation was observed in the sensory qualities between the control and optimized bread. The study revealed that the nutritional and antioxidant properties of the developed functional bread validate its potential health-promoting effects.

OKECHUKWU OBED CHUKWUEMEKA Okechukwu obed chukwuemeka

Fragaria nubicola (rosaceae): a review of medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology

Fragaria nubicola (Hoof. f) Linn. (Rosaceae) is a medicinally important plant commonly called Wild strawberry. Traditionally, it has been used to treat different diseases. The study was carried out to compile all the previous data in review form based on its distribution, traditional medicinal uses, pharmacology and phytochemistry

Dr. Salman Ahmed Dr. salman ahmed

Determine the relationship between hypertension and uterine fibroids

Background: Numerous studies have linked uterine fibroids to hypertension, suggesting that this condition may be a risk factor unique to women. These days, fibroids are the main cause of myomectomy and hysterectomy. This study aimed to ascertain the relationship between uterine fibroids and hypertension in Saudi women. Methods: This case-control study was carried out between January 2023 and January 2024 on patients with uterine fibroids and non-uterine fibroids who had an appointment for surgery at the gynecological department of the Maternal and Children Hospital (MCH) Sakaka, Aljouf, Saudi Arabia. Blood pressure readings and fibroid diameters are important factors in studying uterine fibroids. Results: The 140 individuals who were split into 70 cases and 70 control groups had average ages of 41.62±2.16 and 44±1.10. 95 participants had menorrhagia, which was the most common ailment in both groups. In contrast to the controls, the uterine fibroid cases had significantly higher rates of anemia (54.2%), OCP (12.8%), infertility (11.4%), and abortion (37.1%) (P<0.001). 48.5% of uterine fibroids had hypertension, compared to 17.1% of controls (P<0.001).Conclusion: There is a considerable relationship between uterine fibroids and hypertension. Anemia, infertility, and abortion are higher in uterine fibroid cases.

Karishma Karishma

A state-of-the-art analysis of android malware detection methods

Smartphones are constantly changing in today's world, and as a result, security has become a major concern. Security is a vital aspect of human life, and in a world where security is lacking, it becomes a concern for mobile users' safety. Malware is one of the most serious security risks to smartphones. Mobile malware attacks are becoming more sophisticated and widespread. Malware authors consider the open-source Android platform to be their preferred target as it came to lead the market. State-of-the-art mobile malware detection solutions in the literature use a variety of metrics and models, making cross-comparison difficult. In this paper various existing methods are compared and a significant effort is made to briefly address android malwares, various methods for detecting android malwares and to give a clear image of the progress of the android platform and various malware detection classifiers.

Jebin Bose S Jebin bose s

Ai integration with electronic health records (ehr): a synergistic approach to healthcare informatics

This article investigates the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with Electronic Health Records (EHR), exploring the transformative impact of this synergy on healthcare informatics. Through an in-depth analysis of recent advancements, practical implementations, and ethical considerations, the paper illuminates how AI is enhancing the efficiency, accuracy, and insights derived from EHR, ultimately contributing to improved patient care and clinical decision-making.

Dhruvitkumar Talati Dhruvitkumar talati

A comparative study of garlic antibacterial activity

This comparative study was conducted between local (Libyan) and imported (Chinese) garlic to evaluate their antibacterial activity against some isolated gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The study was carried out by using the agar well diffusion method at different aqueous extract concentrations (25%, 50%, 75% and 100%). The results showed that distinct antibacterial effects on both types of garlic with some differences between local and imported garlic. However, the zone of inhibition was more against Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia and Escherichia coli, respectively. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity increased with the increase of concentration. So, this study recommends that garlic should be used against bacterial infection and more studies may be done against other bacterial species, especially multidrug-resistance strains.

Mediterranean Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences

An ontology-based approach to reduce the negative impact of code smells in software development projects

The quality of software systems may be seriously impacted by specific types of source code anomalies. For example, poor programming practices result in Code Smells (CSs), which are a specific type of source code anomalies. They lead to architectural problems that consequently impact some significant software quality attributes, such as maintainability, portability, and reuse. To reduce the risk of introducing CSs and alleviate their consequences, the knowledge and skills of developers and architects is essential. On the other hand, ontologies, which are an artificial intelligence technique, have been used as a solution to deal with different software engineering challenges. Hence, the aim of this paper is to describe an ontological approach to representing and analyzing code smells. Since ontologies are a formal language based on description logics, this approach may contribute to formally analyzing the information about code smells, for example, to detect inconsistencies or infer new knowledge with the support of a reasoner. In addition, this proposal may support the training of software developers by providing the most relevant information on code smells. This ontology can also be a means of representing the knowledge on CSs from different sources (documents in natural language, relational databases, HTML documents, etc.). Therefore, it could be a valuable knowledge base to support the struggle of software developers and architects either to avoid CSs or to detect and remove them. The ontology was developed following a sound methodology. The well-known tool Protégé was used to manage the ontology and it was validated by using different techniques. An experiment was conducted to demonstrate the applicability of the ontology and evaluate its impact on speeding up the analysis of CSs.

Mehdhar S. A. M. Al-Gaashani Mehdhar s. a. m. al-gaashani

The modern filipina archetypes and ambiguities in the wildflower teleserye vis-à-vis filipinos’ sensibilities

The article is a discourse analysis of the Wildflower telerserye, exploring the themes and portrayals of the main character and the ambiguities projected by her characterization. The research’s objective revolves around the details that upon the attempt of the telersye to flaunt the modern archetypes of a Filipina, a strong and empowered woman who liberates under the yoke of patriarchal hegemony, her actions and ways were deemed crucial and subjected to great scrutiny. The researcher also dealt with how these portrayals affect and reflect the Filipinos’ way of thinking and sense of morality. Two major literary theories were used to underscore the article’s crucial points. To show how the woman portrayals in teleserye try to subvert the idea and configuration of patriarchy, Feminism (Helene Cixous) was used. Meanwhile, Deconstructionism (Jacques Derrida) was employed to show that in the attempt of the teleserye to empower the woman lead character, remove her from her marginalized and stereotypical views, and liberate her from the yoke of patriarchal hegemony, the result was otherwise. Based on these analyses, a synthesis of Filipinos’ sensibilities on how it affects and reflects their ways of thinking was crafted.

Darrel Ocampo Darrel ocampo

Applying the third-party logistics concept to improve business profitability: a study of the manufacturing industry in the uk

This dissertation aimed to critically investigate how UK manufacturing companies can employ 3PL services to enhance business profitability. A simple, cross-sectional sequential mixed methods research methodology was implemented with the qualitative phase being used to explain the findings of the quantitative phase, which was performed first. Data for the quantitative period were collected using an online questionnaire that was designed and administered through a Google survey (N= 416). At the same time, semi-structured interviews were performed via Zoom calls with senior executives and managers of UK manufacturing firms (N= 5). Descriptive statistics, a one-sample t-test, and stepwise regression were used for quantitative data analysis using SPSS while manual analysis of interview data was performed in Microsoft Excel. The results showed that transportation and fleet management were the services that UK manufacturing companies outsourced to the most significant extent while clearing and forward and inventory management were the services that were outsourced to the lowest degree. The reasons behind this trend included the level of risk involved in outsourcing a particular service, availability of 3PL providers offering the outsourcing service, and the cost involved. In terms of feasibility, all items were scored highly, although increased operational flexibility and significant reduction of operational costs ranked highest. Finally, the stepwise regression test revealed four statistically significant models with an overall prediction power of 20.1% on business profitability. The statistically significant predictor variables were a reduction of operational costs, increased operational flexibility, reduced fixed asset costs, and the gaining of external resources from 3PL service providers.

Mohamed Sorogy Mohamed sorogy

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