Aerva lanata species belonging to Amaranthaceae family (a.k.a mountain knot grass/Gorakha Ganga is a perennial shrub. It is self-pollinating, bisexual plant having globose like structure has various phytochemical constituents. Among the 28 species of Aerva, medicinal properties are likely to be present in Aerva lanata, Javanica and Persica varieties. Traditionally it was used in treating cough, dysuria, hemiplegic migraine and kidney related disorders. Flavonoid glycosides such as Kaempferol, Isorhamnetin, quercetin, flavanone are major phytoconstituents and minor constituents are apigenin, narcissin, ferulic acid, syringic acid and vanillic acid. Alkaloid glycoside includes Ervine, aervine etc. Aerva lanata has much more beneficial activities like demulcent, diuretic, ulcer wounds, rheumatism, Anti-malarial. Pharmacological studies included that aerva species has beneficial properties of antimicrobial, anti-urolithiasis, antiulcer, anti-asthmatic, acute kidney injury, anti-diarrheal activity, antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, hypolipidemic and antiulcer. Aerva lanata has promising role in the treatment of various diseases and metabolic disorders due to its higher antioxidant effect and other such constituents thereby providing better healthcare. Various such constituents are to be analyzed properly and to ensure that it was suffice to exhibit the pharmacological activity. Analytical methods are to be used promptly to find various concentration of substances present in the alcoholic extract of Aerva lanata plant.
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.
The result of this study showed that the growth performance of the two varieties of amaranth were greatly reduced, in terms of number of leaves per plant in the saline treated plant exposed to the highest saline concentration compared to the control. Amaranthus cruentus had more number of leaves (6.63) than Amaranthus hybridus (5.67) and Amaranthus hybridus had higher survival rate than Amranthus cruentus(1.83). Although both test plant varieties responded to varying saline concentrations in various ways, both tends to show similar responds. Also, the number of days to germination increases with increased salinity concentrations the two amaranth varieties was both adversely affected by higher saline concentrations, where increased salinity concentrations caused reduction in shoot length Also, the leave breadth was better in the control and the plants with lower amounts of NaCl concentration(0.025 and 0.05), this implies that Amaranthus hybridus and Amaranthus cruenthus tolerate moderate salinity levels, while the plants with higher salinity concentrations (0.075,0.01,0.15) had leave breadth that were small, and eventually died because of high amounts of salt.
In the last decade, we have observed the usage of artificial intelligence algorithms and machine learning models in industry, education, healthcare, entertainment, and several other areas. In this paper, we focus on using machine learning algorithms in the loan approval process of financial institutions. First, we briefly review some prior research papers that dealt with loan approval predictions using machine learning models. Next, we analyze the loan approval prediction dataset we downloaded from Kaggle, which was used in this paper to compare several machine learning classification models. During this analysis, we observed that credit scores and loan terms are the attributes that probably most affect the result. Next, we divided the dataset into a training set (80%) and a test set (20%). We trained 27 various machine learning models in MATLAB. Three models were optimized with Bayesian optimization to find the best hyperparameters with minimum error. We used 5-fold cross-validation for the validations to prevent overfitting during the training. In the following step, we used the test set on trained models to measure the models’ accuracy on unseen data. The result showed that the best accuracy both on validation and test data, more than 98%, was reached with neural networks and ensemble classification models.
Behavioral finance theory highlights how psychological factors can lead to poor investment decisions, which may threaten investors' trust in the stock market, discourage investments, and hinder economic growth. This study aims to examine how behavioral finance factors, particularly herding bias and overconfidence bias, influence investment decision on the Indonesia Stock Exchange through risk perception. The research was conducted using an online questionnaire distributed to 120 Gen Z stock investors and analyzed using PLS-SEM. The results show that herding and overconfidence biases have a significant positive influence on risk perception. Both herding and overconfidence biases have indirect positive influences on investment decision through risk perception. Although overconfidence bias and risk perception can directly affect investment decision, herding bias fails to do so. These findings highlight the importance of considering an individual's behavioral biases and risk perception, while policymakers should devise strategies to mitigate their impacts; so that investors can benefit from investing, which may eventually lead to the growth of the national economy.
Background and Purpose: We aimed to investigate the effect of smoking on the risk of intracranial aneurysm (IA) rupture (IAR), specifically relationship between the number of cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) or smoking index and the risk of IAR. Materials and Methods: We performed a single-center case–control study of consecutive patients evaluated or treated for IA at our institution from June 2017 to July 2018. Cases were patients with a ruptured IA. Two age- and sex-matched controls with an unruptured IA were included per case. Conditional logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between both the CPD and smoking index (CPD x years of smoking) and IAR. Results: The study population included 300 cases of IAR and 300 controls. The higher IAR risk was associated with cigarette smoking. Our subgroup analysis of smokers revealed a significant association between IAR risk and current smoking (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.2–6.3; P = 0.012), current heavy smoking (CPD>20) (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.4–11.0; P = 0.007), and a smoking index >800 (OR, 11.4; 95% CI, 2.3–24.5; P= 0.003). Conclusion: A dose–response relationship has been noted for intensity and duration of smoking consumption and increased risk of IAR. As smoking is modifiable, this finding is important to managing patients with IAs to quit or reduce smoking prior to life-threatening subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders worldwide. It is mainly associated with a loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta
Purpose: Congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH) is a rare genetic disorder mostly characterized by gonadotropins release and/or action deficiencies. Both isolated (idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism) and syndromic (Kallmann) forms are identified depending on the olfactory ability. Clinical and genetic heterogeneities of CHH have been widely explored, thus improving our understanding of the disease's pathophysiology. This work aims to (1) provide a detailed clinical and hormonal description of normosmic CHH patients and (2) identify the mutation linked to the studied phenotype. Participants and methods: We investigated three affected patients with normosmic CHH, belonging to a consanguineous Tunisian family. Patients underwent an insulin-induced hypoglycemia test. We performed whole exome sequencing to identify the causal mutation. Results: At first diagnosis, a total gonadotropic deficiency was identified in all patients. The insulin-induced hypoglycemia test has also revealed a reduced cortisol secretion and complete growth hormone deficiency. At 20.8 years, one female exhibited a spontaneous recovery of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function, unlike her affected siblings who still depend on corticosteroid replacement therapy. Herein, we identified a novel homozygous nonstop mutation (c.1195T>C) in KISS1R gene in all affected subjects. This mutation led to the substitution of the physiologic stop codon by an arginine (p.X399R). Conclusions: Our study highlights the importance of the KISS1R signaling, in gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons, in the control of reproductive function. Additionally, our data suggests a complex central and peripheral metabolic control of puberty, through the hypothalamic KISS1R signaling. We suggest a mutual link between the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal, -adrenal, and -somatotropic axes.
Natural products are a vital source of therapeutic agents due to their diverse chemical structures and wide range of biological activities. With the advancement of computational technologies, natural product databases have become essential tools in drug discovery, offering organized access to chemical structures, biological properties, and biosynthetic information. These databases support various stages of drug development, from target identification to lead optimization. This review outlines the essential features of Natural Products Databases and introduces the framework for the first Libyan Natural Products Database, a project designed to harness Libya’s unique biodiversity. This foundational work involves a detailed review of existing natural product databases to identify their core components, data architectures, and user interface designs. While acknowledging challenges such as data standardization, limited resources, and long-term sustainability, the creation of the Libyan Natural Products Database is expected to enhance local scientific capacity and contribute meaningfully to the global drug discovery landscape. This positions the Libyan Natural Products Database to play a foundational role in advancing pharmaceutical research and drug discovery.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
To describe the methodology used to investigate the impact of blindness control activities in the southern Indian State of Andhra Pradesh. The blindness control activities in Andhra Pradesh have been implemented since 1976 through the National Program for Control of Blindness (NPCB) by the Government of India through District Blindness Control Societies (DBCS). Besides Government eye care facilities, many local, national, international Non Governme*ntal Organizations (NGOs) and private sector eye care facilities are active in controlling blindness in the state. In the year 2002 Andhra Pradesh Right to Sight Society (APRTSS) was established as part of a global initiative of VISION 2020 The Right to Sight to coordinate the efforts of various stakeholders in eye care. The present study investigated the impact of blindness control activities in the state of AP in general and with special reference to the activities of APRTSS The study was based on the six building blocks of the health care system for all the stakeholders in eye care. The baseline data for the year 2002-03 were collected from sources such as State Blindness Control Society, District Blindness Control Societies and major stakeholders in eye care in the state and also by questionnaire to managers of eye care facilities and eye care professionals. The current data are being collected for the year 2012-2013. Interviews based on Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) analysis were conducted with policy makers in the Government, Managers of the eye care facilities and NGOs. The outcomes of the study will provide information regarding the trends in blinding eye diseases, human resources and infrastructure facilities in the last decade and information on the deficiencies in eye care service delivery that may provide the basis to formulate strategies for implementation of the VISION 2020 program in the state for coming years.
The current study was conducted to explore the antiemetic activity of ten aromatic medicinal plants viz., Carissa carandus L. (fruits), Chichorium intybus L (flowers), Cinnamum tamala L (leaves), Curcuma caesia Roxb (rhizomes), Lallemantia royleana Benth (leaves), Matricaria chamomila L (flowers), Piper longum L (fruits), Piper methysticum G. Forst (fruits), Piper nigrum Linn. (fruits) and Syzygium aromaticum (Linn.) Merr. & Perry (flowering buds) was studied using a chick emetic model. The ethanol extracts of these plants were administered at 150 mg/kg body weight orally. Domperidone was given at 100 mg/kg as a reference drug. All the extracts decrease in retches induced by copper sulphate pentahydrate given orally at 50 mg/kg body weight and showed comparable antiemetic activity with domperidone. Compound targeted antiemetic activity is further suggested. Aromatic plants have tendency to relief from nausea. Alpinea offinarum,Zingiber officinale, Mentha piperita, Menthaspicata and Lavandula angustifola,are aromatic plants reported to possess antiemetic activity. So, presentinvestigation was done to evaluate more aromatic plantsregarding their antiemetic activity. Results of the antiemeticactivity of the ethanol extracts of Carissa carandus,Chichorium intybus, Cinnamum tamala, Curcuma caesia,Lallemantia royleana, Matricaria chamomila, Piper longum, Piper methysticum, Piper nigrum and Syzygium aromaticum are shown in the Table. All the extracts showed antiemeticactivity comparable with domperidone. The % inhibition was recorded as Carissa carandus (68.29), Chichorium intybus (73.86), Curcuma caesia (89.97), Cinnamum tamala (70.64), Lallemantia royleana (83.61), Matricaria chamomila (59.92), Piper longum (81.65), Piper methysticum (80.03), Piper nigrum (89.48) and Syzygium aromaticum (87.81). The highest % inhibition was shown by Curcuma caesia (89.97) and the lowest by Matricaria chamomila (59.92), whereas domperidone showed 80.18 % inhibition of emesis.
Dietary intake of contaminated food with heavy metals may cause severe risk for the human health. Heavy metals affect adversely a human health. The current study assessed the concentrations of heavy metals including Cu, Zn, Pb and Ni in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) of urban and rural areas in Bangladesh. The experimental samples of fresh eggplant fruits were collected from six local markets in Jashore, Bangladesh, and the tissues were extracted with nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Trace elements in eggplant fruits were estimated with atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Obtained result show that Heavy metal concentrations were high in the urban areas compared to rural areas. Heavy metals in the eggplant fruits of rural and urban areas were: Pb (2.74-18.64), Cu (10.20-67.16), Ni (46.63-148.46), and Zn (86.65-148.73) mg.kg-1 respectively. The concentrations of Pb, Ni and Zn in eggplant were at an excess of safe limits according to the Food and Agriculture and World Health Organizations. While, Cu was lower than the maximum safe limit. The present study concluded that growing eggplants in Jashore areas are heavily contaminated with Pb, Ni and Zn that would be hazardous for consumer’s health. The result of this study will be beneficial for the agricultural policy makers in Bangladesh to take appropriate action and reduce the heavy metal toxicity among fresh food products.
Vaccines avoid many illnesses and save many lives every year. As a result of common vaccine use, the smallpox virus has entirely been eradicated and the occurrence of measles, polio and other childhood diseases have considerably been abridged around the world. Classical vaccine strategies, for instance inactivated pathogen, live attenuated and subunit vaccines, offer strong protection against diversity of hazardous diseases. In spite of this achievement, there remain chief obstacles to vaccine development against a diversity of infectious pathogens, part-icularly those better able to avoid the adaptive immune response. Furthermore, for most emer-ging virus vaccines, the main barrier is not the efficiency of usual approaches but the requirements for more rapid development and large-scale use. Nucleic acid therapeutics have appeared as hopeful option to classical vaccine approaches.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
The study was conducted on glass slides to observe the growth patterns of urinary calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals and their inhibition using 5, 10 and 15% Phaseolus vulgaris seed infusion. For this purpose, a drop of gel medium (sodium metasilicate of 1.06 specific gravity and 3M acetic acid solution) at pH 5.02-5.17 was placed in the middle of the glass slide and converted into gel. A single drop of 1 M oxalic acid was dropped to the left, and 1 M calcium chloride and magnesium acetate (1:1) solution fell to the right side of the adequately formed gel. The glass slide was observed under microscope till it was completely dried. In the case of the crystal inhibition study, a drop of Phaseolus vulgaris infusion was also added on the right side just after adding calcium chloride and magnesium acetate solution. The results without infusion showed detailed morphology and aggregation patterns of observed crystals as donut, dumbbells, needles, platy, prismatic, rosette, round edges, and loose and compact aggregates. All infusions of Phaseolus vulgaris showed defective crystals. 5 % infusion inhibited crystals of all morphologies with their loose and compact aggregates except rosettes. Whereas 10 and 15 % infusion converted the rosette crystals into ineffective calcium oxalate dihydrate crystals of tetragonal bipyramidal and elongated rod shape. The microscopic study of calcium oxalate crystal growth and its inhibition is simple and provides rapid qualitative analysis of antiurolithiatic activity.
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
Regularly used toothbrushes can be heavily contaminated with microorganisms, while inappropriate storage may increase the microbial load on these toothbrushes. Toothbrushes Microbial contamination can help to transmit many diseases, especially for people with mouth and/or Gum problems. This study aims to find the easiest and most available way to sterile toothbrushes at home. 24 adult volunteers were divided into four groups, the first three groups were asked to sterilize their toothbrushes with Dettol, water salt and hot water, while the fourth group toothbrushes were a positive control. Results showed that toothbrushes sterilized with Dettol gave the least contamination rate of 12.5%, toothbrushes sterilized with salt came next with 37.5%, while toothbrushes sterilized with hot tap water were the next with 50%. The toothbrushes of the fourth group which was used as the positive control were totally contaminated with different types of bacteria. Six bacterial agents were isolated; they are Staphylococcus Sp., Streptococcus sp., Bacillus Sp., E.coli, Pseudomonas Sp., and Salmonella sp. It was concluded that the use of Dettol was very effective in reducing the number of contamination of toothbrushes but its unacceptable flavour limiting its use. Other volunteers were comfortable with the use of salt and hot water as it was almost effective. The research suggests a group of recommendations to avoid the transmission of pathogens through toothbrushes and ensure healthy usage.
Nano technology refers to enhancing the function and delivering the upcoming smart solutions to products at the nanoscale level. It relates to organizing the molecules for altering in dimension and characteristic for improvement like smart fabric. These fabrics could assist producers with the added prominence on a standard of living, visual attraction, and system wanted technological produces. Nanosize particles can unveil unpredicted characteristics dissimilar from the bulk matter. The fundamental principle is that the features could radically be altered after the material is decreased to the nanometer scale. Nanotechnology has multipurpose functions in fabric manufacturing in producing the stain and wrinkles defiance, flame retardant, antimicrobial and antistatic properties, moisture control, ultraviolet protection, and release features. The nanomaterials inside the fabric could influence numerous qualities, comprising reduction, electrical conductivity, flammability, and strength. Nanotechnology has additionally created a significant impression on various application and implementation. Nano-doctored fabrics may advance numerous fabrications as the nano-science progresses further.
Cystic fibrosis is a challenging disease which creates many complications. The impact caused from cystic fibrosis on an adolescent is a challenging phase for their lives. Negative impacts like the society’s pressure, anxiety and depression are few common reasons that are being unspoken and ignored due to complexity of the disease. This study is aimed to identify the necessary gaps and educate the necessary policy makers and CF center health care team to have a better understanding about the context of the aftermath of cystic fibrosis and enhance better patient care. More over this systematic review also points out the main trends in this field of study. Qualitative study and quantitative are prominently used research methods to gain an understanding the about the gaps in the research. However, there is still a scarcity of quantitative and mixed research methods. Furthermore, limitations such as language, cultural influences were identified whilst going through the analysis. Overall through the information given in the following in this study more information regarding that warrants answers can be identified which will lead to proper care towards the teenagers who suffers from cystic fibrosis
Over the past 20 years, universities have been faced with sustained change, driven by external factors. This has led to the evolution of the teaching and research mission and the creation and rise of the third mission. Such mission extension has led to the emergence of entrepreneurial universities which has seen a move from traditional research and teaching business models, to business models which incorporate a much wider range of activities, to meet stakeholder demands as well as sustaining and growing universities in the era of intense national and international competition. This special issue extends knowledge by providing novel insights into the multidimensional antecedent contextual influences, consequences and implications of university mission expansion. We also provide a foundational research agenda which will help guide future research exploring the changing and expanding university missions and business models. Higher education system plays an important role for the country’s overall development which includes industrial, social, economic etc. Indian higher education system is third largest in the world. The role of Indian higher educational institutes such as colleges and universities in the present time is to provide quality based education in the field of education, research etc to empower youth for self sustainability. This paper includes the key challenges that India is currently facing in higher education and also includes some initiatives taken by the government to meet those challenges.
Prescription drug misuse has emerged as a significant problem over the past decade, particularly topical corticosteroids for skin lightening. This study aimed to assess the misuse of topical corticosteroids among the female population in southern Libya; to determine prevalence, awareness, attitude, and practice regarding this drug misuse. A descriptive, cross-sectional questionnaire was distributed on January 2022 to females aged between 16-45 years old in southern Libya. Out of 200 distributed questionnaires, 155 were returned with a response rate of 77.5%. The majority of the participants were aged 16-25 years (n=138, 89.0%) and over two-thirds of participants, said they obtained lightening products containing cortisone from pharmacies (n=107, 69.0%) while 36 participants indicated they obtained these products from cosmetic shops (23.2%). More than three-quarters of the participants said they were aware that they should read product ingredients (n=120, 77.4%). Just over one-quarter of respondents indicated they used the product on their face almost daily (n=41, 26.5%) while 28 participants denied using it (18.1%). The most common source of information about topical corticosteroids among participants was the Internet (n=51, 32.9%), followed by dermatologists (n=41, 26.5%), and pharmacists (n=31, 20.0%). Almost half of respondents were aware that topical corticosteroids can cause harmful effects (n=75, 48.4%). The most common indications reported for using topical corticosteroids were whitening (23.3%), and acne treatment (54.2%). Over two-thirds of participants, declared they would not use topical lightening products if they contained corticosteroids (n=107, 69.0%). In a similar attitude, nearly a third of participants stated that they would never use corticosteroid medications again if they knew about the negative effects of whitening (n=51, 32.9%). The majority of females, (87.7%), concur that only pharmacies should be able to sell and prescribe topical corticosteroid medications. The study's findings indicate that topical corticosteroids are frequently misused and that to lessen contraindications, especially for prolonged use, it is imperative to provide basic care to females who continue using topical corticosteroids in public or unlicensed marketing settings.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences