Whewellite crystals are most commonly found in the kidneys, ureter and urinary bladder, causing urolithiasis. The present in vitro study aimed to observe the possible growth patterns and morphology of whewellite crystals. The study was carried out in U-shaped test tubes. Bow shape, donuts and their aggregates, dumbbell, platy, prismatic, rosette, styloid, X-shape and tetragonal bipyramidal crystals were observed. Energy Dispersive X-ray, Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopies and Scanning Electron Microscopy were used to characterize the crystals. This study will be helpful in determining the promotion, modulation, and inhibition of the crystals, as well as evaluating risk factors and prophylactic management of urinary stones.
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.
The current study explored the anti-emetic activity of six aromatic medicinal plants viz Carissa carandus L.. Cichorium intybus Cinnamomum tamala L.. Lallemantia royleana Benth. Matricaria chamomilla L., and Piper metysticum G. Forst . Anti-emetic activity was assessed using a chick as an anti-emetic model. The ethanol extracts of these plants were administered at 150 mg/kg BW orally. Lallemantia royleana and Piper metysticum showed a significant (P <0.001 ) decrease in retches induced by copper sulphate pentahydrate given orally at 50 mg/kg BW. Domperidone was given at 100 mg/kg as a reference drug.
Foreign Direct Investment as a strategic element of funding is required in every develop & developing country for achieving the financial growth & reforms and continue the pace of development and progress of the economy. FDI inflows are long term in nature which causes source of non debt finance, as well as bring modern & innovative technology in country by creating international network. In this paper, author attempted to discover how FDI is crucially important economic catalyst of Indian monetary progress by stimulating domestic investment. The essential purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of FDI on fiscal growth by analyzing most important sector i.e. Banking Sector. And this sector is rapidly expanding with several challenges, raise due to competition by the new players in this ever growing sector. Whereas new initiatives of government like demonetization & Digital India, leads toward need of modern technologies & polices in banking sector which could be only possible by FDI in banking sector.
The study was carried out to evaluate the effects of thermal processing treatments on nutrient and antinutrient contents of African yam bean seed flours. The African yam bean seeds were sorted, cleaned and divided into five equal lots of one kilogram each. Four lots were processed into boiled, blanched, roasted and autoclaved African yam bean flours, while the last lot was processed raw and used as control. The flour samples obtained were analysed for proximate, mineral, vitamin and antinutrient contents using standard methods. The proximate composition of the samples revealed that the flours had a range of 6.14-11.24% moisture, 8.18-14.37% crude protein, 3.06-4.61% fat, 2.04–3.32% ash, 3.18–3.56% crude fibre, 62.90–76.98% carbohydrate and 350.57–368.50 kJ/100g energy, respectively. The mineral composition of the samples showed that the flours contained 128.81–174.16 mg/100g calcium, 88.86–212.20 mg/100g, potassium, 134.71–166.77 mg/100g phosphorus, 89.17 – 122.76 mg/100g, magnesium, 14.28–18-11 mg/100g iron and 3.24–5.59 mg/100g zinc, respectively. The vitamin composition of the flours were 1.15–1.37 mg/100g ascorbic acid, 1.15–135 mg/100g thiamine, 1.19–1.55 mg/100g niacin, 1.34–1.85 mg/100g riboflavin, 1.09–1.29 mg/100g folic acid, 1.37–1.95 mg /100g vitamin A and 1.27–1.66 mg/100g vitamin E, respectively. The results showed that the roasted and autoclaved African yam bean flours generally had higher crude protein, fat, ash, crude fibre, mineral and vitamin contents than the boiled and blanched flour samples compared to the raw sample. The antinutrient composition of the flours also showed that the levels of trypsin inhibitor activity, tannin, phytate, oxalate, saponin and haemagglutinin of the samples were significantly (p<0.05) reduced by boiling, autoclaving roasting and blanching treatments compared to the raw sample. However, the study revealed that the processed African yam bean flours have the potentials to be used as nutrient dense ingredients in the preparation of a wide range of food products than the raw sample especially in both underdeveloped and developing countries where the problems of protein-energy malnutrition and micronutrients deficiencies are prevalent.
The mobile adhoc network is a group of mobile nodes without having the fixed infrastructure. Due to the infrastructure less network and distributed nature, make mobile adhoc network susceptible to malicious attackers. So, we use an intrusion detection system called Enhanced Adaptive ACKnowledgement (EAACK) especially for mobile adhoc networks. Based on the digital signature algorithm (DSA) and RSA the EAACK is designed. To enhance the strength of the security in the mobile adhoc networks, we introduce an innovative approach called Hybrid Security Protocol that provides integrity, confidentiality and authentication. This Hybrid Security Protocol consists of Cryptography based on Elliptic curve, Dual-RSA algorithm and Message Digest MD5. Encryption is achieved by using Elliptic Curve Cryptography, Dual-RSA algorithm for authentication and MD-5 for integrity. By using a combination of both symmetric and asymmetric cryptographic techniques, we achieve better security with integrity.
Background: Malaria in pregnancy (MiP) remains a critical public health concern in Nigeria, with significant implications for maternal and fetal health. Despite national policy guidelines advocating the use of Intermittent Preventive Treatment in pregnancy using Sulphadoxine- Pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP), its uptake remains suboptimal in many rural communities. This study aimed to assess the factors influencing IPTp-SP utilization among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics (ANCs) in rural areas of Abia State. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted, involving 422 pregnant women selected through a multistage sampling technique across three predominantly rural Local Government Areas (LGAs): Ugwunagbo, Isiala Ngwa South, and Ukwa East. Data were collected using a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Pearson correlation analyses were employed to examine associations between socio-demographic variables, accessibility, beliefs, health system factors, and IPTp uptake. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: The majority of respondents were married (82.0%), aged between 25 and 34 years (46.9%), and had attained at least secondary education (71.1%). Key barriers to IPTp uptake included drug unavailability (30.6%), long waiting times (28.9%), fear of side effects (19.4%), and cultural beliefs (23.0%). Notably, only 24.6% reported consistent IPTp-SP availability during ANC visits, and 46.4% had to purchase the drugs outside the clinic. Correlation analysis revealed significant associations between IPTp uptake and distance to clinic (r = -0.412, p = 0.001), health education (r = 0.562, p < 0.001), drug availability (r = 0.489, p = 0.002), and cultural beliefs (r = -0.297, p = 0.012). Chi-square analysis confirmed significant relationships between IPTp uptake and education level (χ² = 19.438, p = 0.001), awareness (χ² = 24.511, p < 0.001), and satisfaction with ANC services (χ² = 14.257, p = 0.003). Conclusion: The study highlights multifaceted determinants affecting IPTp-SP uptake among pregnant women in rural Abia State. These include socio-demographic factors, health system challenges, cultural beliefs, and availability of services. Interventions aimed at increasing awareness, ensuring consistent drug availability, and improving ANC service delivery are critical to enhancing IPTp coverage in rural Nigeria.
The Covid 19 pandemic affects many elements of a person's life negatively. This reduced concern and considered the major problems that people – especially adolescents and young adults – are experiencing. In this regard, the study examined young adults' mental health by looking at the relationship between welfare and several psychological characteristics, such as loneliness, suppression of mind, common anxiety, flexibility, and self-worth. A total of 134 young people (45 men and 89 women) aged 18 to 25 were recruited for the study by purposeful sampling. Information collection Questionnaires are used. The measurement measurements were the Rosenberg personality Scale, UCLA isolation Scale edition 3 and the Coping Capacity Questionnaire. The information was analysed by means of the coefficient of Pearson correlation and a z-test to determine results for various genres. In Pairson's product time correlation test, the above psychological features were linked to well-being. Self-esteem, well-being, resilience and well-being were found to be moderately good. All had a negative association between general anxiety and well being, solitude and wellbeing, and suppression of thought and wellbeing. The results of the Z-test showed no significant differences in psychological variable scores among men and women, meaning that the whole community felt a sense of harmony in difficult times regardless of gender. The gladness of the sample was 7.95 (ranging from 0 to 20), which was very low.
s deep learning models continue to grow in complexity, the computational and energy demands associated with their training and deployment are becomingincreasingly significant, particularly for convolutional neural networks (CNNs) deployed on CPU-bound and resource- limited devices. Fully connected (FC)layers, while vital, are energy-intensive, accounting for 85.7% of a network’s parameters but contributing only 1% of the computations. This research proposes anovel approach to optimising these layers for greater energy efficiency by integrating low-rank factorisation with differential partial differential equations (PDEs).The introduction of the LowRankDense layer, which combines low-rank matrix factorisation with a differential PDE solver, aims to reduce both the parametercount and energy consumption of FC layers. Experiments conducted on the MNIST, Fashion MNIST, and CIFAR-10 datasets demonstrate the effectiveness ofthis approach, yielding promising results in terms of reduced energy usage and maintaining comparable performance, thereby enhancing the practicality andsustainability of CNNs for widespread use in environments with limited computational resources
The aim of this study is to identify the move from cultural to creative cultural tourism as new model for meeting tourists' demands for creative experiences. Hence, traditional cultural tourism must reinvent itself as creative tourism for those creative tourists seeking more interactive experiences. This new trend in creative cultural tourism has emerged from the changes in the production of cultural tourist commodities, the skilled tourist activities, and new consumption patterns. Moreover, creative cultural tourism can solve those problems experienced by traditional cultural tourists. A literature review confirmed that a move to creative cultural tourism, or intangible heritage (i.e., linguistic diversity or gastronomy), from tangible cultural attractions (i.e., museums, monuments, and so forth) increases the attractiveness of tourism destinations. In addition, this study explains the transformation from traditional cultural to creative cultural tourism.
The need for natural medicine and nutrients from natural product sources cannot be overstressed. Plant parts like leaves, stem, root, seed, nut and flowers supply enormous minerals, phytochemicals and other bioactive constituents apart from the primary metabolites. Terminalia Catappa (T. catappa) is a combretaceous plant often found in tropical and subtropical regions. The plant has many uses as an ingredient of various drugs such as anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-diarrheal. Thus, the main objective of this study was to determine the proximate, mineral and physicochemical analysis of T. catappa seed nuts. The proximate composition was determined according to the previous standard methods and elemental analysis by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry and Flame Photometer. Proximate composition revealed a moisture content of 02.34%, ash 03.89%, fibre content 08.50%, crude protein 29.66%, fat 21.98% and carbohydrate 33.63%. Elemental analysis of the plant have indicated the presence of iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, copper and chromium in the aqueous extract. Physicochemical parameters of the plant revealed a specific gravity of 0.9182, viscosity 33.62 mm2/s, refractive index 1.4642, acid value of 0.102 mg KOH/g, saponification value of 151.28 mg KOH/g, iodine value 47.19 g I2/100 g and peroxide value 8.93 meq/kg. In conclusion, the findings from this study confirmed that almond nut oil has a long shelf life which may explain its applications in pharmaceutical, non-pharmaceutical and personal care industries.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Medical science has grown tremendously at a rapid rate over the recent past. This is especially true in the fields of diagnostics and therapeutics encompassing various diseases of all the systems of the human body including psychosomatic disorders. During the past three to four decades, precision in diagnostics has enormously improved due to invention of multiple imaging modalities such as computerized tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, positron emission tomography scan, ultrasound scanguided studies, CT-guided diagnostic procedures, Doppler studies, arteriography, CT angiography, advanced needle biopsy procedures, histochemistry studies, tumor marker studies, as well as in the ongoing improvements in all diagnostic and therapeutic branches. The surgical advancements due to increasing use of key-hole surgery using scopes such as arthroscope, laparoscope, colonoscope, and bronchoscope have revolutionized the surgical treatments and made surgery safer, less time-consuming, less costly, and less risky with reduced post-operative morbidity. Cardiac catheterization, percutaneous cardiac angiography, angioplasty, and vascular surgery have made the procedures/ surgeries related to the heart and major vessels, much simpler, faster, and safer minimizing the need for big infrastructures or large operative teams.
Introduction: The right lung has two fissures, an oblique and a horizontal, dividing it into three lobes namely the upper, middle, and lower. The nature of the fissure is of great importance in planning operative strategy for thoracoscopic pulmonary resection where an the incomplete fissure may contribute to post-operative air leakage Aim: To assess the gross morphological features of the right lung with special emphasis on the completeness of horizontal fissure. Material & Method: Material for the present study comprised of right lungs obtained from 50 well-embalmed adult human cadavers of both the sexes dissected as a part of 1 MBBS curriculum in the Department of Anatomy, Govt. Medical College, Amritsar. Results: Horizontal fissure was found to be complete in only 10% of the lungs while in rest 90% it was either incomplete or absent. Conclusion: Inferable from the huge variation in nonappearance or partial appearance of horizontal fissure in the right lung and to the absence of an acceptable classification of fissures, an endeavor has been made to give one such classification. In like manner, the horizontal fissure is evaluated from Grade zero to IV contingent on its absence and profundity from coastal surface to the hilum. Each evaluation is additionally divided into 3 subgrades relying on the culmination or incompleteness of these fissures with respect to their length.
Zn1-xCdxO (x=0, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08) ternary alloys were successfully synthesized by Sol–gel method. The prepared powders were sintered at 800°C for 4hrs. The compositional, structural and optical studies were investigated by SEM equipped with EDS, XRD and UV-Visible Spectroscopy. XRD results were compared with JCPDS data and confirmed the formation of Cd doped ZnO nanoparticles with polycrystalline single phase hexagonal wurtzite structure. The crystallite size was found to decrease from 21 to 17 nm with increase in the concentration of Cd. EDS analysis revealed the existence of Cd content in ternary alloys. From Ultraviolet-visible spectral studies optical band gap vary from 3.21 eV to 3.12 eV with Cd concentration. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and Peer-review under responsibility of International conference on materials research and applications-2016.
Introduction: Obesity has been declared an epidemic that does not discriminate based on age, gender, or ethnicity and thus needs urgent containment and management. Since the third wave of COVID-19 is expected to affect children the most, these children and adolescents should be more cautious while having junk foods, during covid situations due to the compromise of Immunity in the individuals and further exacerbating the organ damage. Methodology: A PAN India survey organized by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) among 13,274 children between the ages 9–14 years reported that 93% of the children ate packed food and 68% consumed packaged sweetened beverages more than once a week, and 53% ate these products at least once in a day. Almost 25% of the School going children take ultra-processed food with high levels of sugar, salt, fat, such as pizza and burgers, from fast food outlets more than once a week. Children and adolescents who consume more junk food or addicted to such consumption might be even more vulnerable during the third wave, which will significantly affect the younger category. Conclusion: There is an urgent need to spread awareness among children and young adults about these adverse effects of junk food. There is no better time than now to build a supportive environment nurturing children and young adults in society and promising good health.
Background Covid-19 pandemic has hit many countries and put the majority of the public health system to test globally. Mandatory use of face mask was among policies set by the government to contain the spread of the novel disease. But citizens’ attitudes and compliance with these policies are important in controlling the pandemic. We assessed gender-based compliance to Covid-19 protocol (use of face mask) in Jos South, Plateau State, Nigeria. Methods Perception regarding Covid-19 and the use of face masks were assessed among participants using a questionnaire-based survey. In a cross-sectional study, ninety (n=90) questionnaires were administered to willing participants directly. A Chi-square test was used to determine the descriptive analysis of all responses, P-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Result Out of 90 participants, 55.6% (50/90) were male and 44.4%(40/90) were female. Forty-two (84%) males deny the existence of the pandemic while in females, 14 (35%) deny that Covid-19 exist. Thirty-seven (74%) of the male respondents do not comply with to use of the face mask and use a single face mask multiple times without decontamination. In females, 28 (70%) comply with the use of the face mask. Unlike the men, 20 (50%) of the females always decontaminate the face mask. The middle-aged adult (26-45 years) uses the face mask more than the young (18-25 years). There was a significant association of gender in relation to the perception of Covid-19 and the use of facemask (p< 0.05). Conclusion Male respondents showed an irresponsible attitude complying to Covid-19 protocol than the females, therefore, enlisting them as a risk factor for the continued spread of the virus. We recommend that public health awareness and campaigns should focus and employ greater influence on men and young adults in their compliance with the preventive protocols.
The development of science and technology proves once again how infinite human needs are. The concentration of the population in large cities, on the one hand, accelerates the process of urbanization and affects the level of development of the state. On the other hand, the state of the environment has a negative impact on urban ecology. From ancient times the population has been striving to create favourable conditions for themselves and such a process is still going on, especially when the negative consequences of this are clearly felt in the health of the population living in cities. Solving this problem is one of the main tasks of urboecology. The development of modern methods of geo-ecological monitoring of the ecological condition of cities, especially in areas with high industrial specialization. The development of measures to improve the health of the population in ecologically critical areas is of a great importance today. To this end, this article discusses in detail the industrialized Navoi region and its urban and ecological situation, the factors affecting it.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Background: Exposure to cigarette smoke has been associated with pulmonary and reproductive dysfunctions; inflammatory response, oxidative stress and oxidative DNA damage induced by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in cigarette smoke have been implicated in the pathogenesis of these disorders. The peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), a biomarker of inflammation and oxidative DNA damage (8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)), reproductive hormones (testosterone (TST), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)) cotinine and urinary PAH metabolite (1- hydroxypyrene (1-HOP)) were estimated in male active smokers. Methods: One hundred men aged 20-47 years, comprising 50 active male smokers and 50 non-smokers, were randomly recruited into this comparative cross-sectional study. The PEFR was measured using a peak flow meter, serum levels of cotinine, FSH, LH, TST, TNF-α, and urine 8-OHdG by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and 1-HOP by high-performance liquid chromatography. Data analysis was done using a t-test and correlation analysis at p≤0.05. Results: Smokers had significantly higher cotinine (49.73±31.76 versus 0.51±0.69 ng/ml, p≤0.001), 8-OHdG (16.34±12.10 versus 5.79±2.14 ng/ml, p≤0.001) and lower PEFR (309.20±56.05 versus 452.80±45.76 L/min, p≤0.001) and LH (5.75±2.06 versus 6.97±2.79 mIU/ml, p=0.015) compared to non-smokers. Duration of exposure to cigarette smoke correlated positively with cotinine (r=0.937, p≤0.001) and 1-HOP (r=0.813, p≤0.001) while cotinine correlated positively with 1-HOP (r=0.863, p≤0.001) only in smokers. Conclusion: Reduced lung function and luteinizing hormone and concurrent increase in oxidative DNA damage associated with exposure to cigarette smoke may suggest the involvement of PAH-induced DNA damage in the development of pulmonary and reproductive impairment in smokers.
Motherhood has true nobility and unique capacities. Pregnancy and childbirth are special events in women’s lives. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of Infra-red radiation therapy on pain perception and wound healing among primi postnatal women with episiotomy in Christian mission hospital, Madurai. The study was conducted among 60 postnatal women, 30 in experimental group and 30 in control group, who were selected by using purposive sampling technique. Data collection was done as planned 6 weeks were taken for data collection procedure. The data gathered were analyzed and the interpretation was made on the study objectives. The paired‘t’ test and independent‘t’ test were used to find out the effectiveness of infrared radiation therapy. Comparison of pain perception and wound healing status values between pre-test and post-test, experimental and control group showed a significant difference at 0.05 levels. The study concluded that the infrared radiation therapy was effective in reducing episiotomy pain and wound healing. Therefore, infra-red radiation therapy should be used to augment the therapy of episiotomy. Keywords: Pain perception, Wound healing, Episiotomy, Infrared lamp
Background: Allied health science students often experience elevated academic stress due to the demanding nature of their curricula, which blend theoretical instruction with clinical practice. Examination periods, in particular, exacerbate psychological pressure, potentially compromising academic performance and overall well-being. Physical activity (PA) has been widely recognized for its protective role against stress, yet limited research has been conducted specifically among allied health science students. This study examined the correlation between physical activity and perceived stress levels among undergraduate allied health students during examination periods at Desh Bhagat University. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional correlational study was conducted over eight weeks, from October to November 2024. 250 undergraduate students were proportionately and randomly selected from the Nursing, Physiotherapy, Radiography, and Medical Laboratory Science departments. Data collection instruments included the International Physical Activity Questionnaire–Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and one-way ANOVA were performed using SPSS version 25 to analyze the data. Results: Out of 250 questionnaires distributed, 237 were deemed valid for analysis. Among the respondents, 40.9% reported low physical activity, 38.4% moderate, and 20.7% high. In terms of stress levels, 65.4% experienced moderate stress, and 19.4% reported high stress. A statistically significant negative correlation was observed between physical activity and perceived stress (r = -0.42, p < 0.001). Furthermore, one-way ANOVA revealed that students with higher physical activity levels had significantly lower stress scores (F = 18.93, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Physical activity is an effective non-pharmacological strategy for mitigating academic stress among allied health science students. The results highlight the importance of promoting regular physical activity, particularly during high-stress academic periods, as a means of enhancing mental well-being and academic success.