Reverse transcription–quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is used worldwide to test and trace the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2). “Extraction-less” or “direct” real time–reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is a transparent and accessible qualitative method for SARS-CoV-2 detection from nasopharyngeal or oral pharyngeal samples with the potential to generate actionable data more quickly, at a lower cost, and with fewer experimental resources than full RT-qPCR. This study engaged 10 global testing sites, including laboratories currently experiencing testing limitations due to reagent or equipment shortages, in an international interlaboratory ring trial. Participating laboratories were provided a common protocol, common reagents, aliquots of identical pooled clinical samples, and purified nucleic acids and used their existing in-house equipment. We observed 100% concordance across laboratories in the correct identification of all positive and negative samples, with highly similar cycle threshold values. The test also performed well when applied to locally collected patient nasopharyngeal samples, provided the viral transport media did not contain charcoal or guanidine, both of which appeared to potently inhibit the RT-PCR reaction. Our results suggest that direct RT-PCR assay methods can be clearly translated across sites utilizing readily available equipment and expertise and are thus a feasible option for more efficient COVID-19 coronavirus disease testing as demanded by the continuing pandemic.
India is in the midst of a severe second wave of Covid-19. As per the Global Commission for Post-Pandemic Policy by mid-April of 2021, India had manufactured nearly 17 percent of all Covid-19 vaccine doses globally. It was the world’s fourth-largest producer, after China (about 36 percent), the United States (about 22 percent) and the European Union (more than 17 percent). Even so, following a shortage of vaccines and with insufficient local production, Government of India decided to import more foreign vaccines with quicker approval process for vaccines accepted in US/EU markets. India is currently using made-in-India vaccines, namely, Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute India and Covaxin of Bharat Biotech in its COVID-19 immunisation programme. The shortcoming in the production of vaccines and its dissemination within the country urges one to understand who the local producers are and how the market is playing out. This paper looks at the evolving market structure of vaccine production in India in the textbook framework of an oligopoly market. We use secondary data sources and daily newspaper briefs.
Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a rare and new but increasingly recognized immune-mediated fibroinflammatory condition known to affect multiple organs. The diagnostic approach is challenging, as there is no single investigation to confirm the diagnosis, which requires the integration of clinical, biochemical, and radiographic manifestations with classic histopathologic features to establish the diagnosis. The histology of IgG4-RD is determined by a dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate, storiform fibrosis, and obliterative phlebitis in the presence of an increased level of IgG4 in most patients. The first line of treatment is systemic glucocorticoids, but adverse effects of the drug, suboptimal response, and disease recurrences on reduction or termination of therapy highlight the need for an alternative therapy such as rituximab, which appears to be a promising alternate agent in the treatment of IgG4-RD; however, its efficacy needs to be evaluated in large clinically controlled trials.
People management is a very significant facet for organizations to keep up with competition. At the sme level, talent management is not a smple human resource terminology that one comes across. The concept of talent management requires the human resource to hire, manage, develop, and retain a productive workforce. Indeed, companies that employ talent management stay competitive through systematic and consistent decisions about worker development. The study outlines the proposal’s hypothesis or questions, literary analysis relevant to the topic, theoretical frameworks, and advantages and disadvantages of the applicable frameworks.
Therapeutic nucleic acids demand specificity and accuracy in design as well as delivery strategies used in replacement or silencing of the target gene. Gene therapy is believed to be the therapy in which the root cause of the diseases can be treated at the molecular level. Generally gene therapy helps in the identification of the origin of the disorder instead of using drugs to diminish or control the symptoms. The application of nucleic acids to treat and control diseases is known as “gene therapy.” Gene therapy consists on the substitution or addition of a functional gene into the nucleus of a living cell, in order to treat a disease or repair a dysfunction, caused by this gene failure. This therapy is used to correct defective genes, which are responsible for genetic diseases. Thus, gene therapy can be used to prevent, treat or regulate hereditary or acquired disorders, by the production of therapeutic proteins. The gene therapy is mediated by the use of viral and non-viral vectors to transport foreign genes into somatic cells to restorative defective genes. This review focuses on viral vectors in detail.
Eighteen chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes were evaluated for yield and their susceptibility reaction against gram pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera Hub. for three consecutive years under natural field conditions during rabi 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 at Hisar. Among these, maximum grain yield was realized from the genotype H 04-28 (13.00 q/ha) during the season rabi 2010-11 and it was statistically at par with RSG 931 (12.45 q/ha), H 03-56 (11.73 q/ha) and RSG 963 (10.82 q/ha) during rabi 2011-12 and it was statistically at par with GNG 1488 (10.01 q/ha), CSJ 140 (9.07 q/ha) and H 03-56 (8.95 q/ha) during Rabi 2012-13 and it was statistically at par with RSG 888 (8.80 q/ha) and GNG 1591 (7.79 q/ha). However, on the basis of average of three years (2010-11 to 2012-13), the maximum yield was exhibited by the genotype GNG 1488 (9.36 q/ha) followed by RSG 931 (8.95 q/ha), H 04-28 (8.32 q/ha) and H 03-56 (8.20 q/ha). The genotype H 03-56 flowered earliest in 68-71 days and proved the best donor against gram pod borer with PSR 4.7. Minimum larval population was recorded in BG 256 (15.8 l/mrl) and it was followed by GL 25016 (17.5 l/mrl) and H 04-28 (18.5 l/mrl). Minimum per cent pod infestation by H. armigera was recorded in genotype H 01-27 (27.8%) and it was superior over all other genotypes. It was followed by H 03-56 (29.5%), CSJ 140 (30.9%) and GNG 1488 (31.3%). H 01-27 proved least susceptible genotype under natural field condition. The genotype H 03-56 flowered earliest and seemed to be the best as potential donor for pod borer’s tolerance under late sown condition. GNG 1488, RSG 931, H 04-28, H 03-56 and RSG 963 proved promising genotypes for yield and against H. armigera. These genotypes may further be utilized in breeding programmes to develop the high yielding and tolerant cultivars against gram pod borer.
The study identified the level of competencies and the extent of professional development needs of kindergarten teachers in the Sultan Kudarat Division, during the school year 2019 - 2020. The study employed a descriptive method. The study involved 54 kindergarten teachers in the division in accomplishing the 12-item self-assessment instrument. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results revealed that kindergarten teachers have a high level of competencies in content knowledge and pedagogy, learning environment and diversity of learners, curriculum and planning, and assessment and reporting. These indicate that they possess almost all of the competencies of efficient teachers. Results further revealed a very high extent of professional needs in content knowledge and pedagogy and the learning environment and diversity of learners, while they had a high extent of professional needs in the remaining domains. Since they reported very high priorities in content knowledge and pedagogy and the learning environment and diversity of learners, these areas would be the main considerations in the crafting of a professional development plan.
Industrial waste is one of the most essential sources of contamination in the environment. Chromium (Cr) is a toxic heavy metal, a major contaminant in tannery wastes and its accumulation in soil and water is a major environmental concern today. In the present study, an attempt was made and investigated the status of different beneficial microbes particularly plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) from tannery sludge samples collected from tannery effluent treatment plant at Dindugal, Tamil Nadu, India. Experiments were conducted and evaluated their chromium heavy metal tolerance abilities and plant growth promoting activities under in-vitro. Based on molecular analysis, the PGPRs were identified as Achromobacter xylosoxidans (LK391696), Azotobacter vinelandii (LK391702) and. The production of IAA was found to be high by Achromobacter xylosoxidans (46μg/ml) followed by Azospirillum lipoferum (30μg/ml). Phosphate solublization activity was also found to be positive in all these PGPR isolates. Significance of these results revealed that there is a possibility of using these potential PGPRs for bioremediation of chromium contaminated sites and also as good plant growth promoter.
Fused silica capillaries treated with N, N-didodecyl-N, N-dimethylammonium bromide was used in capillary electrophoresis to separate basic proteins using ammonium acetate as BGE at pH 4.0, 70 mM. This surfactant forms a semi-stable coating that provides a strong anodic electroosmosis; however, such coating must regularly be regenerated to maintain efficiency and reproducibility. The temporal stability of the coating was greatly improved by a new procedure as described in previously study by our group. In this study, it is found such experimental conditions that the starting zone could be enriched without loss of sample. The injection of a short plug of the BGE diluted 100 times for 3 sec in 50 µm i.d. capillaries behind the sample zone at 15 kV gave the best performance, whereas, a plug of lower dilution degree (10 times) in 25 µm i.d injected for 3 sec at the same field strength gave the optimum results for this dimension. In conclusion, those conditions were found to effectively decrease the loss of sample and to give a higher separation performance in regard to peak efficiency and resolution compared to injecting the sample without a plug.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Kidney transplant kidney transplant ( KTx) recipients have increased susceptibility to a spectrum of infections including; bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens. Many factors contribute to their infection potential risk, in terms of their immunosuppressive state, that result in suppression of their B‑and T‑lymphocyte repertoire, also to consider certain donor and recipient‑related factors, that make them at risk of specific type of infectious complications. In addition kidney transplant patients tolerate poorly infections, which may adversely affect their graft function, by inducing glomerular injury, hence early diagnosis, directed therapy, and careful dosing of antimicrobial agents is of paramount importance in reducing patient’s morbidity and mortality. We report a kidney transplant patient, who received her live related kidney graft 7 years earlier (in 2013), she has been with stable graft function in most of her follow up period, until she presented with pyrexia, dyspnea and fatigue associated with deterioration of her graft function.
Penelitian ini dilatar belakangi oleh adanya permasalahan yang terjadi pada MIN Bangka Belitung Pontianak seperti guru kurang melibatkan siswa dalam materi pembelajaran, guru cenderung menyampaikan materi dengan menggunakan metode ceramah tanpa adanya variasi sehingga menyebabkan kejenuhan dalam belajar, guru kurang memahami dalam tentang memilih dan menentukan strategi cooperative learning tife jigsawyang tepat sehingga berdampak pada terciptanya proses pembelajara yang lebih baik. Penelitian bertujuan untukmengetahui: perencanaan, langkah-langkah, dan evaluasi dalam pembelajaran Materi Aqidah dengan Strategi Cooperative Tipe Jigsaw dalam pembelajaran Akidah Akhlak Materi Sikap pada guru di Kelas V MIN Bangka Belitung Pontianak Tahun Pelajaran 2017/2018. Hasil penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa Perencanaan Strategi Cooperative Learning Tipe Jigsawdalam Pembelajaran Akidah Akhlak Pada Materi Akhlak Tercela di Kelas V MIN Bangka Belitung Pontianak dengan lebih baik dan siswa lebih aktif dalam proses pembelajaran; langkah-langkah strategi cooperative learning tipe jigsaw dalam materi sikap siswa di sekolahdi kelas V MIN dibagi menjadi 5 kelompok, setiap kelompok diksih materi pembelajaran, dan siswa mendiskusikan dengan materi tersebut; Pelaksanaan evaluasi proses dan hasil kegiatan pembelajaran yang menggunakan langkah strategi cooperative learning tipe jigsaw dalam materi sikap siswa di sekolahdi kelas V MIN Negeri Bangka Belitung Pontianak adalah menggunakan tes tertulis dan tes lisan juga mengunakan penilain proses dari observasi siswa saat proses pembelajaran atau setelah mata kuliah selesai.
Penelitian ini adalah jenis penelitian deskriptif-kualitatif. Penelitian ini secara umum bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan muatan nilai-nilai karakter yang terdapat pada buku siswa kelas IV Tema Indahnya Kebersamaan. Sumber data penelitian adalah buku siswa kelas IV Tema Indahnya Kebersamaan. Data penelitian berupa nilai-nilai karakter yang terdapat pada buku siswa yaitu nilai sopan, nilai santun, nilai religius, nilai nasionalisme, nilai mandiri, nilai gotong royong, dan nilai integritas. Berdasarkan analisis yang telah dilakukan, jumlah nilai karakter yang ditemukan sebanyak 84. Jumlah tersebut merupakan akumulasi dari semua tema yang terdiri dari tiga subtema yaitu keberagaman budaya bangsaku, kebersamaan dalam keberagaman dan bersyukur atas keberagaman. Adapun rincian jumlah setiap karakter yaitu: (1) sopan 2; (2) santun 4; (3) religius 22; (4) nasionalisme 26; (5) mandiri 10; (6) gotong royong 19; dan (7) integritas 1. Berdasarkan hasil analisis muatan nilai-nilai karakter pada buku siswa kelas IV tema Indahnya Kebersamaan dapat disimpulkan bahwa buku siswa tema Indahnya Kebersamaan kelas IV SD/MI memuat 7 nilai karakter.
Urolithiasis has been a common problem for centuries and has a high recurrence. This review covers the forty-nine (49) antiurolithiatic plants of the family Lamiaceae used in 11 countries. Hopefully, this review will be helpful for the general public and attract the scientific world for antiurolithiatic drug discovery.
Background: Ward rounds are a cornerstone of inpatient care, critical to patient management, interdisciplinary communication, and bedside teaching. However, despite their importance, ward rounds are often unstructured and inconsistent, limiting both clinical efficiency and educational impact. Objective: This narrative review examines common deficiencies in current ward round practices and proposes a structured, evidence-informed framework to enhance their effectiveness. Methods: A narrative review was conducted to identify deficiencies in ward round practices and develop a practical, evidence-informed framework for improvement. Given the focus on conceptual and experiential insights, a formal quality appraisal of the included studies was not performed. Results: The review identified recurrent challenges, including poor planning, unclear leadership, inadequate time management, and a lack of integrated teaching. Drawing on best practices, a three-phase model—preparation, execution, and education—is proposed to enhance team communication, patient involvement, and trainee learning. Conclusions: Structured, goal-oriented ward rounds can significantly improve care coordination, safety, and clinical education. Institutions should prioritize standardized ward round models supported by training in leadership, teaching, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
: Analgesic, anti-inflammatory and diuretic activities of the methanol extract of two varieties of Cicer arietinum viz black or Desi and white or Kabuli were tested in 200 and 400 mg/kg doses. For the analgesic effect of the extracts, acetic acid-induced writhing, tail immersion and hot plate tests were employed in mice. The anti-inflammatory activity was carried out by carrageenan-induced inflammation in rats, whereas the diuretic action was determined using metabolic cages for rats. Animals were divided into six groups (n=7): (1) Control (2) Standard (3) MECAB 200 (4) MECAB 400 (5) MECAW 200 (6) MECAW 400. All extracts and standard drugs were administered orally. Acute oral toxicity of the extracts was also checked in mice up to 2000mg/kg dose, which showed a favorable safety. Significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects were observed. The results of diuretic activity were significant at the 12th and 24th hrs. Therefore, it is concluded that the methanol extracts of the seeds of Cicer arietinum have analgesic, anti-inflammatory and diuretic potential.
The present investigation is an attempt to evaluate the analgesic and antiemetic activities of Ficus exasperata and Cleome ciliata leaves methanolic extract by using the chick emesis model (oral treatment) and acetic acid-induced writhing test (intraperitoneal treatment) in mice, respectively. The antiemetic activity (150 mg/kg b.w., of extract) was carried out by using chlorpromazine (150mg/kg) as standard antiemetic drug. The analgesic activity (250 mg/kg b.w. of extract) was performed using aspirin (150mg/kg) as a standard analgesic drug. The results showed significant analgesic and antiemetic effects.
Background: Uterine leiomyoma is the most common benign smooth muscle tumor of unknown aetiology. Progesterone may contribute to leiomyoma growth through the induction of B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) protein in leiomyoma cells. This study aims to determine the patterns of Bcell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression in uterine leiomyomas seen at LTH, Ogbomoso, over a five-year period using immunohistochemical techniques.Methods: This was a hospital-based retrospective study of histologically diagnosed leiomyomas in the histopathology department of a teaching hospital between January 2012 and December 2016. A total of 141 cases of uterine leiomyomas were semi-quantitatively analysed immunohistochemically for PR and BCL-2 antigens. Results: Immunohistochemical analysis showed that out of 141 cases studied, 74 (52.5%) and 118 (83.7%) were positive for BCL-2 and PR, respectively. Among the 141 cases, 23 (16.3%) were negative for both PR and BCL-2. There was a moderate positive correlation between the immunohistochemical expression of BCL-2 and PR antigens, with a p-value < 0.001 (Pearson correlation = 0.563). Conclusion: This study showed that the majority of women with leiomyomas expressed both progesterone receptor and B-cell lymphoma-2 antigens. Therefore, selective women with leiomyomas could benefit from progesterone receptor modulators instead of undergoing invasive procedures such as myomectomy or hysterectomy.
Vitamin D is a hormone which plays a vital role in immune response regulation, including the prevention of inflammation and autoimmunity. Insufficient vitamin D may increase the risk of infection. Vitamin D deficiency is not the only factor linked to an elevated risk of COVID-19 infection. Recent studies have discovered a link between SARS-COV-2 infection risk and blood type. This study was aimed to examine the association of vitamin D and blood groups with the severity of COVID-19. A retrospective study was conducted on 224 confirmed COVID-19 patients, aged between 18 and 89 years old. Patients were divided into three groups (asymptomatic, moderate, and severe cases), and serum 25(OH)D concentration and blood group were analyzed for all the patients. Data of the severe cases were obtained from Souq Althalath Isolation Center, Tripoli, Libya, while moderate and asymptomatic cases were obtained from Abushusha Polyclinic and Aldahmani COVID Filtration Center, during 22nd February 2021 and 28th April 2021 and serum 25(OH)D concentration and blood group were statistically analyzed for all the patients. The percentages of males and females were found to be 47.3% and 52.7%, respectively. Disease severity was distributed as follows: 12.5% asymptomatic, 44.6 % moderate and 42.9% severe. Most of the severe cases had vitamin D deficiency (88.5%). Among the severely ill patients, 39.6% had blood group A and 09.4% had group O, while 22.9%, and 28.1% had blood group B and AB, respectively. In contrast, among the asymptomatic patients, only 7.1% had group A and 85.7% had group O. Overall, the difference in the distribution pattern of blood group in the three severity categories was highly significant (p < 0.001). The prevalence of Rh positivity among asymptomatic, moderate and severe cases was 78.6%, 76.0%, and 60.4%, respectively. This study concludes that insufficient vitamin D levels might influence the severity of COVID-19. COVID-19 patients with blood group A and those who are Rh-positive could be more vulnerable to developing COVID-19 severity.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) represent a vital element in our economy in terms of addressing unemployment and the gross domestic product (GDP) of our country. Improving the success rate of SMMEs would save a lot of financial resources, thus understanding the financing options that complement success at different phases of the business is very important. This research sought to examine the extent to which the financing options chosen by entrepreneurs will have an impact on business success. The investigators adopted the progression of the ventures along the business life cycle stages as a benchmark for assessing success. The study focused primarily on SMMEs in the Eastern Cape Information Communication Technologies (ICT) sector. Data was obtained using an online survey which reached 50 small business owners/ business representative within the ICT sector in the Eastern Cape Province. The research study showed the role that internal financing options, such as personal savings, family, relatives and friends' financing, retained earnings, sale of existing assets and cutting down stock levels, play in the achievement of ICT SMME success. Moreover, examined external financing options such as Broad-Based Black Economic empowerment (B-BBEE) financing, bank loans, equity financing, government grants, trade credit, to SMME success. Key results revealed that the financial support of B-BBEE and personal savings have played a key role in the success of ICT SMMEs throughout the business life cycle phases. This occurs after an ICT SMME has advanced successfully over the start-up stage and aims for success in the development phase. The finding revealed that for these SMMEs to attain success at the development stage, they should finance their business investment projects utilising credit trade, bank loans, families, relatives and friends. The abovementioned financing options are only substantially linked to good advancement from the development phase onto the expansion phase. Also, suggestions have been made to the ICT SMME management to include B-BBEE finance, personal savings, bank loans, families, relatives and friends and trade credit as suitable funding choices for the ICT SMME's life cycle
Monosodium urate monohydrate crystals are deposited in peripheral joints, causing gout and eliciting an intense localized inflammatory attack. In contrast, collecting ducts and medullary interstitium is a urinary calculus, which causes dysuria, nausea and hematuria. The purpose of the present study is to observe possible growth patterns of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. The crystals were grown in test tubes using a single diffusion gel technique and were observed on the 7th,14th, 21st, 28th, and 40th days. Needle and spherulite-type crystals were observed on the 14th day, while arboresque, crystal sheaves, densely branched, dumbbell, mushroom-type spherulites, plumose and hexagonal prismatic crystals were observed for the first time. After the 40th day, complete spherulites were observed with their aggregates. The crystals were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy-Dispersive X-ray and Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopies. The pattern of MSUM will help determine the role of different natural products in the modulation, inhibition or promotion of these crystals by affecting the shape, size, transparency, approximate number and total mass of growing crystals. In case of inhibition or modulation, it will help evaluate prophylactic management. In contrast, the promotion of the crystal will give an idea about the risk factors of gout and kidney stones.