Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading reason of death among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Individuals with DM have a two to five time's greater risk of developing CVD than non-DM. Unfortunately, little data exists on Libya's prevalence and characteristics of cardiovascular risk factors. This study aimed to evaluate the cardiovascular risk factors and to assess their control among patients with type 2 DM (T2DM). All the patients with T2DM who attended the outpatient clinic at National Diabetes Hospital from September 2013 to April 2022 were interviewed and examined and included in this study. Demographical data age, smoking habit, body mass index measure, drug intake, history of previous cardiovascular events, blood pressure and fasting lipid profile were all recorded. 1049 patients have completed the study with a mean age of 54.06 ± 14.5 years old (females represented 68.0% of the studied sample size), there were different duration of diabetes between the studied sample, varying from newly diagnosed patients (n = 265, 25.2%) and above ten years of diabetes duration patients (n = 488, 46.5%). Active smoking in 129 patients (12.3%), the bodyweight of studied patients ranged from 44.0 Kg to 186 Kg (85.65 ± 1.73), 820 of the patients had uncontrolled body weight (78.85%). Uncontrolled blood pressure, even with treatment, was found in 304 patients (29.0%), uncontrolled dyslipidaemia in 45 patients (04.3%), and uncontrolled hyperglycaemia in 816 patients (77.9%). Established CVD was positive in 295 patients (28.2%), maximum age group was in 54 - 74 years (n = 516, 49.3%). The most typical age group with multiple (more than three) CVD risk factors was 54 - 74 years of age, were female patients with more than ten years of history of diabetes, uncontrolled hyperglycemia (HBA1c > 10%), uncontrolled body weight, uncontrolled blood pressure and dyslipidemia. Thus, the present data indicated that Libyan patients with diabetes mellitus have high CVD risk factors. Even in patients with previous events, these uncontrolled risk factors elevate the likelihood of repeated cardiovascular events. Patients with diabetes mellitus necessitate a more aggressive approach to control the modified risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity and smoking.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
In present study various fungicides were screened against blast (leaf and neck) and sheath blight disease of rice. Among them, Conika 50% WP (Kasugamycin 5% + Copper Oxychloride 45% WP), Dhanucop Team (Tricyclazole 75% WP) and RIL-068/F1 48 WG (Kresoxim methyl 40% + Hexaconazole 8% WG) were found effective against blast diseases. While, the seed treatment fungicide Isotianil SC 200 and its combination with Trifloxystrobin 500 SC were found least effective against leaf and neck blast diseases. However, in case of sheath blight, Thifluzamide 24% SC, RIL-068/F1 48 WG (Kresoxim methyl 40% + Hexaconazole 8% WG), Propiconazole 25% EC (Tilt), Tricyclazole 75% WP (Beam) and a new combination fungicide, Fluxapyroxad 62.5 g/l + Epoxiconazlle 62.5 g/l EC (Adexar w/v EC) were found effective.
Social bots are computer programs created for automating general human activities like the generation of messages. The rise of bots in social network platforms has led to malicious activities such as content pollution like spammers or malware dissemination of misinformation. Most of the researchers focused on detecting bot accounts in social media platforms to avoid the damages done to the opinions of users. In this work, n-gram based approach is proposed for a bot or human detection. The content-based features of character n-grams and word n-grams are used. The character and word n-grams are successfully proved in various authorship analysis tasks to improve accuracy. A huge number of n-grams is identified after applying different pre-processing techniques. The high dimensionality of features is reduced by using a feature selection technique of the Relevant Discrimination Criterion. The text is represented as vectors by using a reduced set of features. Different term weight measures are used in the experiment to compute the weight of n-grams features in the document vector representation. Two classification algorithms, Support Vector Machine, and Random Forest are used to train the model using document vectors. The proposed approach was applied to the dataset provided in PAN 2019 competition bot detection task. The Random Forest classifier obtained the best accuracy of 0.9456 for bot/human detection.
The present review was written to describe the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on followup and treatment process of gynecological cancers and breast cancer in accordance with current literature, guidelines from national and international cancer associations. Recommendations were provided based on the consensus conference model. In the follow-up and treatment process of gynecological cancers and breast cancer, there are many factors, such as the clinical course of patient, the possibility of an emergency of the patient, the stage of the cancer and the current status of the chemotherapies. Although opinions in all types of cancer differ among themselves, general beliefs are postponement of non-urgent surgical operations, re-evaluation of chemotherapy processes, postponing appointments for new nonurgent diagnoses, reducing the length of hospital stay of patients in emergency procedures, conducting consultations by telemedicine or telephone, treatment of patients with COVID-19 suspicions after 15 days, planning biopsies or surgeries according to the staging status of cancers and planning conferences as video conferences in cases that require a multidisciplinary approach. Patients diagnosed with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic should not be lost, followup and treatment should be continued without disruption, patients should be remembered to be in the high-risk group in this process and necessary hygiene measures should be taken in both follow-up and treatment concerning risks and COVID-19 pandemics.
The ability of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) for effective binding to multiple target microbes has drawn lots of attention as an alternative to antibodies for detecting whole bacteria. We investigated pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) detection by applying a microfluidic based biosensing device embedded with AMP-labeled beads. According to a new channel design, our device is reusable by the repeated operation of detection and regeneration modes, and the binding rate is more enhanced due to even distribution of the bacterial suspension inside the chamber by implementing influx side channels. We observed higher binding affinity of pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 for AMP-labeled beads than nonpathogenic E. coli DH5α, and the fluorescence intensity of pathogenic E. coli was about 3.4 times higher than the nonpathogenic one. The flow rate of bacterial suspension should be applied above a certain level for stronger binding and rapid detection by attaining a saturation level of detection within a short time of less than 20 min. A possible improvement in the limit of detection in the level of 10 cells per mL for E. coli O157:H7 implies that the AMP-labeled beads have high potential for the sensitive detection of pathogenic E. coli at an appropriate flow rate.
This article explores the increasing prevalence of mental health disorders and the pivotal role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in diagnosis and treatment. It highlights how AI enhances diagnostic processes, continuous monitoring, and personalized mental health care experiences. The piece showcases examples of AI applications in detecting signs of mental illness through speech and video analysis, emphasizing improved accuracy for conditions like depression, Post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD, and Autism spectrum disorder ASD. Additionally, it discusses AI's role in continuous monitoring, prediction, and addressing the shortage of psychiatrists globally. The article concludes by introducing AI-based apps designed to assist individuals in managing depression, serving as complementary tools in collaboration with healthcare professionals. Overall, it underscores the transformative impact of AI on mental healthcare, offering innovative solutions for more effective, personalized, and accessible support.
Breast cancer is the most prevalent invasive form of cancer in females and poses a significant challenge to overcoming the disease burden. The growth in global cancer deaths mandates the discovery of new efficacious natural anti-tumor treatments. In this regard, aquatic species offer a rich supply of possible drugs. Studies have shown that several marine peptides damage cancer cells by a broad range of pathways, including apoptosis, microtubule balance disturbances, and suppression of angiogenesis. Many side effects, including immune response suppression, characterise traditional chemotherapeutic agents. The discovery of novel putative anti-cancer peptides with lesser toxicity is therefore necessary and timely, especially those able to thwart multi-drug resistance (MDR). This review addresses marine anti-cancer peptides for the treatment of breast cancer.
In this research study, the mechanical properties of several Polymer matrix composites are investigated. These composites are multi-phase materials in which reinforcing materials are properly mixed with a polymer matrix. More precisely, Nylon 6 reinforced with 5, 15 and 25 wt. % of silicon carbide (SiC) and Nylon 6 reinforced with 5, 15 and 25 wt. % of boron carbide (B4C), prepared by means of an injection moulding process at three different injection pressures are considered. Specific attention is paid to the tensile and impact strength of these composites. The Taguchi technique is used to optimize the process parameters such as reinforcement material, its percentage and the injection pressure. It is observed that the specimens 5% SiC with 80 MPa injection pressure display a better tensile strength and similarly the specimen 5% B4C with 90 MPa injection pressure have a superior impact strength.
Adolescence is considered as a crucial stage for emotional development. It is also seen as a time of hyper-emotionality, emotional conflict, and volatile mood states. Given that adolescents lack skills for emotional management, emotional distress during these years can hamper their immediate growth and adversely affect their transition to the next stage of life. Interventions that promote positive emotional development during adolescence are the need of the hour. Keeping this in focus, the present study investigated the Effect of Life Skills Training on Adolescent boys and girls with high Emotional Distress. The study used pre- and post-test experimental design with a control group to examine the stated objectives. 160 adolescent boys and girls (n=80), with a mean age of 16.44 years, were selected for the study using Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Of these, 80 in the experimental group (boys=40, girls=40) were trained in life skills. Descriptive statistics, independent sample ttest and repeated measures of ANOVA were used to analyze obtained results. Major findings of the study indicate that Life Skills training has significant effect in reducing emotional distress and improving emotional health in adolescents. And the significance of it was found to be higher in girls compared to boys.
Self-medication of antibiotics is an irrational use of drugs, contributing to microbial resistance, increasing health care cost and higher mortality and morbidity. This study was aimed to assess self-medication with antibiotics without a medical prescription in the community of Libya. This is a cross-sectional study conducted from June to December, 2022 and the total number of participants was 200. The design of the study and sample size were modified according to the proficiency of pharmacists and the medical and non-medical population of Libya. The questionnaire was developed in English and Arabic language and was distributed through social media platforms. The questions were used after a thorough literature search and assessing the validity and reliability. The significant signs regarding reasons for the treatment by self-medication drugs of antibiotics, because of its various drugs of antibiotic by pharmacist (n = 80, 40.0%) and family (n = 90, 45.0%) compare with experience and physicians by used prescription was 13 (06.50%) and significant sings regarding by nasal congestion self-medication of various antibiotics (n = 100, 50.0%). This sign must be practiced based on a previous physician’s prescription. The antibiotics are often self-administered as patient feel that they will save money and time but this can lead to substantial adverse drug reaction, antibiotic resistance, treatment failure and drug-related toxicity. This study respondent's medical and non-medical public of Libya who should be relatively informed and educated about the risk of treatment by self-medication of antibiotics with the development of resistance.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Climate variability also has the potential to worsen existing vulnerabilities such as Malaria, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis. This study examined the effects of poverty diseases and adaptive capacities to climate change on farm income along river Niger in Edo and Kogi States, Nigeria. Questionnaires were collected from 358 respondents using multistage sampling techniques from Edo and Kogi States. Descriptive statistics and different functional forms of ordinary least squares (OLS) were used as analytical tools. The results revealed that increase in farm size and age will lead to 1.27% and 1.83% increase in farmers’ income respectively. The major constraints identified by the respondents were lack of funds and credit challenge (94.40%), distance to health centres (93.90%) and access to freshwater supplies (82.70%). It was concluded that the majority 83.80% of respondents had malaria diseases. The study recommends that to reduce the effect of poverty disease, there is a need for policy makers to engage communities when making decisions relating to their health.
CoronaVirus’ is a hard hit on both Millennial consumers and marketers. It forced consumers and marketers to do the usual activities of buying and selling differently. Panic buying and herd mentality was widely noticed among millennials. Their unusual buying behavior which reflects behavior during a crisis is highly influenced by environmental stimuli. From this study, it is found that there has been a significant buying behavioral shift of global millennials in emerging markets (BRIC – Brazil, Russia, India, China; CIVETS – Columbia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey, South Africa). It is evident that the initial marketing attempts of marketers failed during COVID-19 due to the lack of understanding of the significance of environmental and marketing stimuli in consumers’ purchase decisions. This study brings out the various positive substantial changes brought about through internetization in marketing goods and services to millennial customers during the pandemic. The pandemic enabled a rapid digital revolution in buying and selling using digital/online platforms. The study suggests the application of the Black Box Model by marketers in marketing and selling decisions. The Internet has been the most important tool used by customers and sellers to access what they need. This study is useful to marketers and upcoming entrepreneurs to understand that it is the consumer’s buying behavior that triggers and pushes marketers to sell differently.
Colon is part of the digestive system in the human body responsible for absorbing water and nutrients from food residues. There are many problems affecting the colon including irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, hemorrhoids, anal fissures, abscess, colitis and colon cancer which considered one of the most common diseases among the Libyan community. The aim of this study was to search the presence of colonic disease and the tendency of those diseases to transform into colonic cancer at Benghazi medical center in Benghazi-Libya. A survey was comprised of 15 questions concerning colon diseases, proper diagnosis and treatment type. The survey was distributed to the physician specialized in medicine at Benghazi medical center and they fill it voluntary. The initial part of the questionnaire designed to obtain demographic data concerning the physicians who diagnose the colon illness. The rest part of the questionnaire was concerning special questions to define frequency of the diagnosed disease. There were 20 participants at this study. The response to all questionnaires were collected and analyzed for drug use, patients and disease distribution. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the correct diagnosis, prescribing the appropriate treatment for the colon disease and using the medicine properly is one of the most important things that help in treating the disease and reducing its exacerbation. In some cases, eradication procedures may be required if the medicine is not sufficient to treat the disease without the need for operations
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
A focus group is an investigative tool for social research based on a structured and focused discussion with a small group of people, run by a facilitator (moderator) to generate qualitative data through a set of open-ended questions. The focus group technique is a qualitative research methodology popularly used in social research in a wide range of sectors. A researcher uses a set of open-ended questions on a specific topic to generate qualitative data. The focus group is an efficient way of gathering data about particular opinions or attitudes by covering a large number of people in the same group. This entry explores the methodology and processes of focus groups as well as the analysis of data from focus group research.
TikTok is a mobile application which is available for Android & IOS platforms. It is used for video creation & video sharing purpose. It was launched in China in 2016. The application helps users to become a video creator, so that they can share videos regarding the things they are passionate about. It competes with various social media applications like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. (1) The social media video app ‘TikTok’ is witnessing highest growth in all around the world. TikTok, which was earlier known as ‘Musicl.ly’ has now user base in 150 countries. It has 800 Million monthly active users all around the world. Their mobile application has downloaded 1.5 Billion times. Average time spent on TikTok is 52 minutes. 83% of its users are also creates videos on the platform. (2) Youth is a major user of this application. College students use it in large numbers. College students use various other social media applications such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Twitter etc. These applications are present in market since a decade. But a new entrant, TikTok has seen a tremendous growth in a short duration of time. Hence, researcher has focused on use of TikTok by students. Researcher has limited the focus on management students from Pune city.
The main purpose of the research is to develop modern tools for insurance management in the global economic crisis, to make an objective assessment based on a critical analysis of existing ones, to identify situations that could lead to international economic, social and natural threats. It is made some recommendations for the development of insurance calculations for the republic of Uzbekistan. Methods: Methods for reforming modern calculation of insurance tariff are recommended by means of theories of probabilities, statistical and mathematical analysis, and foreign advanced countries practical types of summarizing. Findings: While making an analysis, it has found that modern tools for the insurance management of Uzbekistan are needed. We proved this by the results of the modern calculation of insurance in tables (1-6). For the development of the insurance market of Uzbekistan, it should be analyzed by means of penetration and density of insurance premiums, making the deepest calculation of risks of the economy of Uzbekistan, and using the main principals and formulas of the theory of probability. Conclusions: In the end, we can take some results, and give some recommendations such as using the tools of theories of probabilities can help us find the main risks of economy, its powers of influences of the market economy, statistical and mathematical analysis also add some practical, objective results for making under control of any types of insurance risks.
Background: Quality of life (QOL) is an important determinant in assessing the health status. It includes physical, psychological, and social well being. The aim of this research was to identify the intrinsic and extrinsic factors of QOL; and the association of QOL with socio-demographic, anthropometric variables and lifestyle variables. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in Tamil Nadu among 327 adults during July 2020 through online using standardized WHOQOL-BREF tool to assess the quality of life along with socio-demographic variables, anthropometric variables and lifestyle variables. Principal component analysis method was used to identify the factors which influence the QOL of adults. The association between socio-demographic variables, anthropometric variables and lifestyle variables with quality of life was also assessed. Among the selected samples 165 were female and 162 were male. The structured questionnaire included Section A- socio-demographic variables such as age, gender, occupation, educational qualification, place of residence, marital status; Section B - anthropometric variables such as height, weight and BMI; Section C lifestyle variables such as type of diet and physical activity pattern; and Section D -consisted of Standardized WHO-BREF tool to assess the quality of life. Results: The identified intrinsic factors include Life style approach, Emotional stability and Health status; Safety & accomplishment, Financial support with societal information were identified as extrinsic factors. These factors played an influential role in QOL of the adults during pandemic crisis. The association between the type of residence (p=0.001), occupation (p=0.000) and marital status (p=0.022) with QOL was highly significant at 1 % and 5 % respectively. Conclusion: The identified factors during covid-19 pandemic had influenced the quality of life domains namely physical health, psychological, social relationship and environment. Intrinsic factors were dependent on individual’s perception towards accepting the new normal during the pandemic. Whereas, extrinsic factors were greatly influenced by the environment and society in which the study participants were exposed. One of the identified extrinsic factors (residence), showed high significant association with QOL.
Background and Aim: Second and third-generation supraglottic airway devices (SADs) are increasingly used in laparoscopic surgeries due to their improved oropharyngeal seal and gastric drainage. This study evaluated and compared the clinical efficacy of the Ambu AuraGain (AAU) and the i-gel in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Materials and Methods: In this prospective, randomized comparative study, 80 adult patients (ASA I and II) were randomly assigned to two groups (n=40 each): Group A (Ambu AuraGain) and Group G (i-gel). The primary objective was to compare oropharyngeal leak pressure (OLP). Secondary objectives included insertion time, ease of insertion, success rate, fiberoptic view of the glottis, and postoperative complications. OLP and peak airway pressure (PAP) were measured at various intervals, including during carboperitoneum. Results: The mean OLP was significantly higher in Group A than in Group G, both after insertion (32.9 ± 3.45 vs. 26.53 ± 1.61 cm H2O; p<0.001) and after deflation of carboperitoneum (34.15 ±2.9 vs. 28.2 ±1.71 cm H2O; p<0.001). The margin of safety (OLP–PAP) was significantly higher in the AAU group at all times (p<0.001). However, the i-gel was significantly faster to insert (14.8 ±2.94 vs. 22 ± 3.74 seconds; p<0.001) and easier to place (100% easy vs. 37.5% easy; p<0.001). Fiberoptic alignment was significantly better in the i-gel group, with 70% achieving a Grade 4 view compared to 29% in the AAU group (p<0.001). Postoperative complications were low and comparable between groups. Conclusion: Ambu AuraGain provides a superior oropharyngeal seal and a higher safety margin against leaks during laparoscopic surgery compared to i-gel. Conversely, i-gel is superior in terms of ease of insertion, speed, and anatomical alignment with the glottis, making it a better conduit for fiberoptic-guided intubation. Keywords: Ambu AuraGain, i-gel, Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, Oropharyngeal leak pressure, Supraglottic Airway device.
A simple, rapid, sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed and validated for simultaneous measurement of albendazole and praziquantel with an internal standard, simvastatin, at single wavelength of 225 nm. Chromatographic separation was performed on an Enable C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm: Spinco Biotech Pvt Ltd) and a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile:water (60:40, v/v) with 10% orthophosphoric acid to adjust the pH to 3.2, at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The calibration curve was linear (r2 ≥ 0.999) over the concentration range 0.05–8.0 μg/ml. The concentrations of simvastatin was 1.0 μg/ml. The limit of quantification was 0.05 μg/ml for both albendazole and praziquantel. No interference was found by the excipients in the synthetic mixture. The proposed methods were validated as per International Conference on Harmonisation guidelines for linearity, accuracy, precision and robustness for estimation of albendazole and praziquantel in bulk and in a synthetic mixture, and the results were found to be satisfactory.
Adverse drug reactions have increased significantly in people as many new drugs have come to the market in the last two decades. This has not only economic consequences but also causes morbidity and mortality. In Bangladesh, some incidents happened related to drug problems and it took several lives. Spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reactions can primarily control this situation and healthcare professionals can play an immeasurable role. Therefore, this study was aimed to be conducted at seven different hospitals and diagnostic centers to find out the actual scenario of adverse drug reactions among the healthcare professionals in Bangladesh to make them aware of adverse drug reactions and the reporting system, and to know about their opinion towards adverse drug reactions. However, after evaluation of the questionnaires it was found that a large number of healthcare professionals were not aware of adverse drug reactions and pharmacovigilance, especially the nurses. It was found that 13.3% of nurses did not know about adverse drug reactions and 93.3% of them had not reported any reactions. Furthermore, many healthcare professionals did not show a positive attitude towards pharmacovigilance. If proper pharmacovigilance practice cannot be started, the nation will face serious economic and health-related problems.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences