Right of entry to finance, especially by the poor and susceptible groups, is an essential indispensable for employment, economic development, poverty mitigation and social up-liftment. Here lies the importance of financial inclusion. Financial inclusion or inclusive financing is the deliverance of financial services at affordable costs to sections of disadvantaged and low income segments of the society. The Government of India has taken a number of initiatives so that the banks can serve the poor in a hassle-free manner. With a view to spreading the services to poor and weak groups Andhra Bank plays a vital role in financial inclusion. Keeping this view, the authors have attempted to discuss the role of Andhra Bank towards Financial Inclusion as the main purpose of this paper. It also analyses the performance of the Andhra Bank in terms of its deposits, advances, income, expenditure, profitability etc..
Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is an embryonic interatrialdefect potentially associated withischemic cerebralstrokes. One option is the occlusion of the atrial shunt byendovascular means. This procedure is recommendedfor patients with a history of cryptogenic strokes.Patent foramen ovales (PFOs) are common in the general population (prevalence 20-30%) and do not constitute a pathology in their own terms. Nevertheless, a association has been established between the occurrence of certain cryptogenic ischemic strokes and the presence of a PFO. The risk appears higher when septal patency is associated with atrial septal aneurysm (ASA). The aim of this presentation is to study the association between the PFO and the occurrence of ischemic stroke, and the benefits of its closure.
The memory card game is a game that probably everyone played in childhood. The game consists of n pairs of playing cards, whereas each card of a pair is identical. At the beginning of the game, the deck of cards is shuffled and laid face down. In every move of the game, the player flips over two cards. If the cards match, the pair of cards is removed from the game; otherwise, the cards are flipped back over. The game ends when all pairs of cards have been found. The game could be played by one, two, or more players. First, this paper shows an optimal algorithm for solving a single-player memory card game. In the algorithm, we defined four steps where the user needed to remember the earlier shown pairs of cards, which cards were already shown, and the locations of the revealed cards. We marked the memories related to these steps as M1, M2, M3, and M4. Next, we made some simulations as we changed the M1, M2, M3, and M4 memories from no user memory (where the player does not remember the cards or pairs of cards at all) to a perfect user memory (where the player remembers every earlier shown card or pair of cards). With every memory setting, we simulated 1000 gameplays. We recorded how many cards or pairs of cards the player would need to remember and how many moves were required to finish the game. Finally, we evaluated the recorded data, illustrated the results on graphs, and drew some conclusions.
English Corner extracurricular activities are one of the choices for students to be able to learn English with more fun. Through the English Corner extracurricular program, the Madrasah provides provisions for its students to face the era of the industrial revolution 4.0. The purpose of this research is to add insight and to know the mechanism of the English corner extracurricular through the development, implementation, assessment, and evaluation of the English corner extracurricular in the 4.0 revolution era at MI Roudlotul Ulum Banyuwangi. This type of research is qualitative research with a descriptive design. Data collection techniques using interviews, observation, and documentation. Data analysis used the concept of Miles and Huberman. The validity of the data was measured by means of triangulation of sources and techniques. The results showed that 1). The development of the English corner extracurricular in facing the 4.0 industrial revolution pays attention to human resources, needs, infrastructure, talents, and interests. 2). The implementation of the English corner extracurricular is almost the same as learning in general and is made more relaxed so that it is more comfortable in its implementation. 3). This English corner extracurricular assessment uses a written manual assessment, after which it is recapitulated and entered into the Digital Report Card Application (ARD). 4). This English corner extracurricular evaluation is carried out every six months or at the end of the semester, taking into account the development and implementation that was carried out in the previous semester.
Stem cells hold great promise for tissue regeneration and have the potential to treat many incurable degenerative diseases. Cancer stem cells (CSCs), or cancer initiating cells, have the ability to self-renew and differentiate into heterogeneous lineages of cancer cells. Current stem cell therapies face limitations, such as limited stem cell sources, time consumption, tumor formation, and immune rejection upon allogeneic transplantation. Allogeneic stem cell treatments simplify stem cell manufacturing and reduce transplant time, but their therapeutic potential is limited by human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched donors. CSCs retain characteristics essential for tissue regeneration. However, several limitations hinder cancer stem cell reprogramming with pluripotent factors. The development of 3D culture models for tissue imitating extracellular matrix in cancer cell lines aims to enhance CSC enrichment. This mini-review focuses on a new strategy for treating incurable degenerative diseases involving in vitro and in vivo 3D cancer models and the induced differentiation of CSCs into mature normal cell types. This allows tissue survival without immune rejection and offers a safe alternative to cancer stem cell reprogramming with pluripotent factors. In conclusion, preservation and banking of allogeneic CSCs offer an alternative, readily available, and safe strategy that can be used to facilitate stem cell-based cell therapy.
Background: Hypertension (HTN) is defined as a blood pressure (BP) ≥140/90 mm Hg. The prevalence and mortality from HTN, globally and locally, have been on the increase since the 1980s. This study aimed to detect young adults (18-40 years) in Enugu State who are hypertensive, in order to raise the awareness that HTN is also common in young adults. Its early diagnosis and management could help to reverse the trend in the number of cases of HTN in Nigeria which had been predicted could hit 39.1 million by 2030 if the present trend is allowed to continue. Methods: Participants were administered with structured questionnaire. Their BPs, heights and weights were measured using sphygmomanometer, stadiometer and scale balance respectively. Data were analyzed as proportions, Pearson product moment correlations and Chi square tests using MaxStat (version 3.60) statistical software. Results: The overall prevalence of HTN was 21.3%; 20.7% in the 18-29 years age group; 25.9% in the 30-40 years age group; 24.3%, in males; and 20.3% in females. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient r between age and HTN=0.462, between sex and HTN=0.328, between family history and HTN = 0.513, between salt intake and HTN=0.613, between BMI and HTN=0.152, between physical activity and HTN=0.293, between smoking and HTN=0.308. Conclusions: HTN in young adults is more common than previously thought and if unmanaged in early life usually progresses to HTN later in life.
Social competence is often seen as a desirable trait during adolescence as it is considered as a protective factor in resilient individuals. It promotes personal and interpersonal effectiveness by enhancing skills needed for dealing with environmental challenges in daily life situations. Poor social competence has been associated with a number of psychosocial troubles during adolescence, including mental disorders, emotional and behavioral problems. Of the many skill building programs used to enhance adolescent social competence, Life Skills Education and Training have been significant ones. The present study investigates the utility of life skills training in enhancing social competency during adolescence. A pre- and post-test experimental design was used in the study to analyze the stated objectives. Adolescent Social Competency Scale was used to select the study sample. 160 adolescent students (mean age=16.44) who scored low on social competence participated in the study. These were randomly divided into the experimental and control group (n=80), consisting of equal number of male and female adolescents (n=40). Participants in the experimental group were trained on six of the ten core life skills, based on the module prepared by the researcher. The training lasted for 10 sessions following which post-test assessments were done. Data obtained was analyzed using descriptive statistics like mean, standard deviation and inferential statistics including independent sample t-test and repeated measures of ANOVA. The results of the study indicate a significant effect of life skills training in enhancing adolescent social competence, irrespective of gender.
Patients’ knowledge of hypertension and treatment has been found to affect health outcomes of hypertension. This study aimed to assess the impact of therapeutic patients’ education on knowledge of hypertension and lifestyle/dietary modification among hypertensive patients in Nigeria. The study was conducted among 317 hypertensive patients randomized into controlled and intervention groups (158 vs 159, respectively) between March 2021 and February 2022. Baseline knowledge of the patients was assessed and intervention was provided for the intervention group with a structured educational program at a baseline and six months. Descriptive data were presented with a frequency table in percentage while the chi-square test and univariate logistic regression were used to determine the association between categorical variables. Out of the total number of 318 patients, 275 completed the study (response rate: 86.8%) with 136 in the control group and 139 in the intervention group. The mean age of the patients was 59.5 (±12.5) and patients > 60 years (49.5%) were the most frequent age category. The baseline knowledge score of hypertension was 9.8 (±2.6) and 9.3 (±2.6) on a scale of 16 points in the control group and intervention group, respectively (P = 0.060) while at six months 11.9 (±2.3) vs 10.8 (±2.4) (P < 0.001) and 12 months 12.6 (±2.5) vs 9.5 (±2.0) (P < 0.001), respectively. Knowledge of lifestyle/dietary modification in the control group and intervention group at baseline was 7.0 (±2.1) and 6.6 (±2.0), respectively, while at six months 7.5 (±1.5) vs 9.9 (±1.3) (P < 0.001) and at 12 months 7.2 (±1.5) vs 10.4 (±1.2), respectively. Marital status, body mass index, and family history of hypertension were associated with knowledge of hypertension and lifestyle/dietary modification (P < 0.001). The educational intervention provided was found to be associated with a significant improvement in knowledge of hypertension and lifestyle/dietary modification. The marital status of the patients, body mass index and family history of hypertension influenced patients’ level of knowledge.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Purpose. Our aim is to correlate the clinical condition of patients with COVID-19 infection with the 25-point CT severity score by Chang et al. (devised for assessment of ARDS in patients with SARS in 2005). Materials and Methods. Data of consecutive symptomatic patients who were suspected to have COVID-19 infection and presented to our hospital were collected from March to April 2020. All patients underwent two consecutive RT-PCR tests and had a noncontrast HRCT scan done at presentation. From the original cohort of 1062 patients, 160 patients were excluded leaving a total number of 902 patients. Results. The mean age was 44.2 ± 11.9 years (85.3% males, 14.7% females). CT severity score was found to be positively correlated with lymphopenia, increased serum CRP, d-dimer, and ferritin levels (p < 0.0001). The oxygen requirements and length of hospital stay were increasing with the increase in scan severity. Conclusion. The 25-point CT severity score correlates well with the COVID-19 clinical severity. Our data suggest that chest CT scoring system can aid in predicting COVID-19 disease outcome and significantly correlates with lab tests and oxygen requirements.
Schizophrenia is treated with antipsychotic drugs and is a chronic neuropsychiatric disorders. The influence of antipsychotics on the cytokine systems may be responsible for their clinical efficacy in schizophrenia. Granulocytopenia and agranulocytosis are severe side effects of antipsychotic therapy. The objective of this study was to estimate incidence of drug-associated agranulocytosis in newly diagnosed schizophrenic patients in and to evaluate the risk factors and outcomes. Seven participants groups were designed. Healthy persons as control. Schizophrenic patients before treatment. Schizophrenic patients after one-month of treatment. Schizophrenic patients after two - month of treatment. Schizophrenic patients after three - month of treatment. Schizophrenic patients after chronic treatments. Schizophrenic patients one month after chronic treatment. This study included screening for the expression and function of circulating leukocyte granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor, screening of patient's biochemistry and haematology picture. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor expression was decreased after antipsychotic treatment for one month and continued to decrease after two months' treatment. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor expression starts to increase after the two-month treatment and continues increasing to controls or newly diagnosed schizophrenics or after chronic treatment. Complete blood counts were not changed compared. Liver function showed a transient increase in serum alkaline phosphatase after one and two month of treatment. All other parameters were not changed. Kidney function showed that urea and creatinine levels were within the normal range during the different treatments. Concerning lipid profile, low density lipoproteins levels were increased after one month, two months of treatment and after chronic administration of the antipsychotic drugs. It is concluded that antipsychotic treatment produces a decrease in granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor expression; the decrease reach the maximum effect after two months, then starts to increase back to normal levels. A transient increase in serum alkaline phosphatase in the first two months' treatment. Urea and creatinine levels and lipid profile were within normal range, except low density lipoproteins levels were increased during the two months treatment and after chronic administration of the antipsychotic drugs.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
The concept of inherited memories, where experiences from one generation can influence the traits and behaviors of subsequent generations, has long captivated scientific curiosity. Recent advancements in epigenetics have provided compelling evidence for the potential mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. This focused brief review article outlines the current state of knowledge on inherited memories, examining the transgenerational effects observed in animal models, the epigenetic mechanisms involved, and the environmental influences that shape these heritable traits. Additionally, Highlights about emerging areas of inquiry were explored, including the cross-generational transmission of social behaviors, the evolutionary implications of inherited memories, and the ethical considerations surrounding research in humans. Thus, a unique perspective could be deduced from this rapidly evolving field and accordingly, further research could be stimulated into the implication of inherited memories.
Elevated arterial blood pressure is the most important public health problem in developed countries. It often leads to lethal complications if left untreated. Brewer's yeast is celebrated for its various beneficial effects, including a possible hypotensive effect. Thus, the anti-hypertensive effects of brewer’s yeast were investigated. The hypertensive model was done by a once-weekly intraperitoneal injection of dexamethasone at a dose of 25 mg/kg combined with drinking a 1.0% sodium chloride solution containing 0.2% KCl and 2.0% glucose for six weeks. The blood pressure was measured by the rat carotid artery cannulation preparation. Different doses of brewer's yeast dissolved in distilled water were injected into the internal jugular vein, with measurement of blood pressure at each time. To explore the mechanism of the hypotensive effect of yeast, the yeast cardiac effect was verified by the use of isolated perfused rabbit heart preparations using different antagonists. It was found that dexamethasone elevated systolic blood pressure to 178.3±11.6 and diastolic blood pressure to 133.3±16.6 from normal levels of 115.0±9.1 for systolic and 74.0±4.1 for diastolic. The gradual increase in intravenous yeast doses ranging from 0.05 to 0.40 effectively lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure in rats with normal pressure, bringing them to approximately 80.0±05.6 mmHg for systolic and 40.0±3.5 mmHg for diastolic. While doses exceeding 0.04 resulted in a drop in systolic pressure to 60.0±3.9 mmHg, diastolic pressure became unrecordable. The administration of the 0.20 dose resulted in unrecordable blood pressure. In hypertensive rats, a decrease in blood pressure was observed with doses ranging from 0.60-1.0 mg, leading to a reduction to 110.0±2.8 mmHg for systolic and 52.0±9.9 mmHg for diastolic pressures. Doses exceeding 1.0 mg further lowered systolic and diastolic pressures to 20.0±3.9 mmHg. There was a mild increase in heart rate with no change in cardiac force of contraction. This effect was not mediated through beta, calcium receptors, or the histamine effect. The findings show that the yeast has a dose-dependent blood pressure-lowering effect. The mechanism of the chronotropic effect is possibly due to its direct action.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Inflammation is said to be a healthy component of the body immune system's reaction. Inflammation is characterised by four key symptoms: pain, redness, heat or warmth and swelling. As secondary metabolites, plants may produce a wide range of phytochemical compounds, which possess anti-inflammatory characteristics. Herbal remedies are important therapies for a wide range of ailments all over the world. There are around 7 500 species of medicinal plants, including representatives from over 17 000 flowering plant species. Even when synthetic chemistry has developed out their expectations, the use of natural ingredients in the manufacture of drugs used in contemporary medicine is unparalleled. By interfering with the biology of inflammation, anti-inflammatory medications may assist to minimise tissue damaging and increase patient’s comfort. Because of the bulky figure of species reachable for study, the effective development of novel naturally taking place anti-inflammatory drugs is mostly dependent on a multidisciplinary approach to discovering new chemicals. Despite the statistic that many review papers have been produced in this field, the conventional of them simply examined the issue from an area perspective. Several non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been shown to reduce inflammation and pain by decreasing the isoform of the cyclooxygenase enzyme's digestion of arachidonic acid, hence lowering prostaglandin production. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have a host of harmful effects. There are, however, medicinal herbs with anti-inflammatory pharmacological properties that have few or no negative effects.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Neurological sicknesses are severe, multifactorial, debilitating disorders that may cause neurodegeneration. Neuroprotection protects the structure and capacity of neurons from affronts emerging from cell injuries instigated by an assortment of specialists or neurodegenerative diseases. Various neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and epilepsy, afflict many people worldwide, with increasing age representing the leading risk factor. Crocin is a natural carotenoid compound with therapeutic potential in managing neurological disease. In this review, we focused on the therapeutic capabilities of Crocin as a neuroprotective agent. The general neuroprotective impact and the various conceivable essential components identified with Crocin have been examined. In light of the substantial proof indicating the neuro-pharmacological viability of Crocin to different exploratory standards, it is concluded that Crocin exerts direct antioxidant, antiapoptotic and anti-inflammatory activities by multiple signalling pathways. Besides, Crocin was found to elevate dopamine levels in the brain during the experimental model of Parkinson's disease. Thus, this compound has been demonstrated to be a promising option for treating neurodegenerative diseases with few adverse effects. It should be further considered as a potential contender for neuro-therapeutics, concentrating on the mechanistic and clinical evidence for its effects.
Le discours du nouveau Président algérien, Monsieur Abdelmadjid Tebboune, se caractérise par une rhétorique différente de celle de ses prédécesseurs. Notre entreprise, dans le présent article, vise à rendre compte de cette spécificité discursive en interrogeant trois expressions ponctuant souvent son discours. Notre analyse se propose d’examiner des segments de discours collationnés à partir des différents entretiens périodiques accordés aux médias nationaux et internationaux ainsi que des allocutions du président lors des travaux réunissant le gouvernement et les walis. En guise de conclusion, nous déterminerons les motivations du choix de ces formules dans le discours présidentiel.
Oxalate is widely distributed in plant foods as potassium, sodium and ammonium oxalates (water-soluble form) and as insoluble calcium oxalates. Oxalate forms strong chelates with dietary calcium, thus rendering the complex unavailable for absorption and assimilation. It precipitates as insoluble salts accumulating in the renal glomeruli and contributes to the development of renal disorders. The seed flours of Macrotyloma uniflorum (Lam.) Verdc., Phaseolus lunatus Linn., and Phaseolus vulgaris Linn. were investigated for their total, soluble and insoluble oxalate contents by HPLC. The total oxalate content of M. uniflorum, P. lunatus and P. vulgaris was 1.24, 1.77 and 1.71 mg/ g, respectively. The %age of soluble oxalate were M. uniflorum (19.50), P. lunatus (15.08) and P. vulgaris (15.88). Only soluble oxalate is responsible for oxalate absorption (bioavailability) and its excretion. Overall, the total oxalate content is high in legume flour of M. uniflorum, P. lunatus, and P. vulgaris, but the soluble oxalates are very low. Therefore, all these three legumes don't have the adverse effects of oxalate on minerals bioavailability and risk of urolithiasis.
Recently, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been deployed for a wide variety of applications, including military sensing and tracking, patient status monitoring, traffic flow monitoring, where sensory devices often move between different locations. Securing data and communications requires suitable encryption key protocols. In this paper, we propose a certificateless-effective key management (CL-EKM) protocol for secure communication in dynamic WSNs characterized by node mobility. The CL-EKM supports efficient key updates when a node leaves or joins a cluster and ensures forward and backward key secrecy. The protocol also supports efficient key revocation for compromised nodes and minimizes the impact of a node compromise on the security of other communication links. A security analysis of our scheme shows that our protocol is effective in defending against various attacks.We implement CL-EKM in Contiki OS and simulate it using Cooja simulator to assess its time, energy, communication, and memory performance.
Abstract __ Considering the size and relevance of coffee industry to the Ethiopian economy this work presents the design, prototype development, analytical and numerical simulation as well as experimental investigation on an active solar coffee dryer. The solar collector and dryer system configuration has been optimized for minimal pressure drop by incorporating guide vanes and minimizing flow separation tendency using numerical simulation on ANSYS. The effect of air mass flow rate on optimal depth of collector, temperature rise and pressure drop were characterized including the effect of variation in solar insolation using CFD approach. By comparing different dryer configurations based on pressure drop and air flow uniformity, a new dryer configuration prototype was developed. In addition, thermal performance of the solar air heater was evaluated experimentally at three different airflow rates on a collector with corrugated absorber plate and another collector with flat absorber plate. High collector outlet temperature and efficiency were observed in a collector with corrugated absorber plate. The effect of depth of grain, moisture content on wet basis, airflow rate and humidity of air were explored for parametric sensitivity vis-à-vis drying time. Within 5 hours, coffee bean dried from 29% moisture content to 12.3% on a clear sunny day and within 7hours from 19% moisture content to 11.1% on a partially overcast day. Average thermal efficiency of the dryer was found to be 50.5% for clear sunshine day and 36.9% for partial overcast day. A good agreement has been observed between the experimental results and the CFD temperature rise predicted output with a deviation of 7.5%. Analytically predicted drying time compared with experimentally measured drying time within a 12.9% deviation. The cost -to-benefit analysis with a comparative assessment on traditional mode of coffee drying has been done and the payback period is found to be 1.03 years with significant benefits.
Banks need finance to carry out their day to day activities smoothly. There will be times where the borrowers fail to repay the money leading a risk to the lenders. There are various types of risks faced by the banks such as financial and non-financial risk in the unstable environment. These risks may be a threat for the existence and achievements of banks. A Credit risk is the risk which arises when the borrower fails to make required payments. It is a huge loss to the lender where he loses both the principal and interest which leads to the interruption of the cash flows and increase in collection costs. Banks usually follow a certain framework while lending loans so that they can manage the credit risks. The main purpose of credit risk management is to find out how much credit should be provided to the borrowers and the different ways to collect the amount back. The success of banks depends on the formulation of the policies and procedures of lending the loans and collecting the amount back and avoid Non-Performing Assets (NPA) to the banks. When banks collect their debts systematically and avoid the Non- Performing Assets (NPA), they can survive in the competitive market. The study is focused on the comparison of two banks such as Canara Bank and Karnataka Bank with regard to loans, advances, interest received and expended and the variation in the levels of Non- Performing Assets. Methodology used is the secondary source of data where the balance sheet of the banks and the income and expenditure statement of the banks are being used to explore the credibility and the capacity of the banks in managing the credit risk.
Cyperus esculentus (tiger nut) seed is the parent of many products like flour, milk, starch, and oil. All these share similar and sometimes better properties when compared to similar products obtained from other sources. This study aimed to produce and characterize a cream made from oil extracted from tiger nuts. The proximate analysis was tested by the established methods and data obtained show that tiger nut powder has a moisture content (14.50%), an ash (1.98%), a fat (51.27%), a protein (8.47%), fiber (13.94%) and carbohydrate (9.98%). The oil from the tiger nut was extracted using the hot press method, the tiger nut oil had an 8.00% yield. The oil was used to produce a body cream which was characterized and tested for its antibacterial activity. Its antibacterial activity showed inhibition against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomona aeruginosa. The characterization tests gave results of 1735.80 cP for viscosity, moisture content (1.07%), pH of 6.10, ash (5.11%), volatile matter (94.89%), electrical conductivity (390 µS/cm), spreadability at 30oC was 145.28 g.cm/s, at 35oC was 149.41 g.cm/s and 152.25 g.cm/s at 40oC. The cream was checked for stability and found to be stable at different temperatures. It was checked for allergens and it exhibited some level of allergic reactions. Physicochemical analysis of the golden-brown oil indicated the specific gravity (0.98), density (0.98 g/ml), acid value (1.82 mg/KOH/g), iodine (37.75 mg), peroxide (2.00 meq/kg), saponification (236.32 mg/KOH/g), free fatty acid (0.91%) and refractive index (1.46). The GC-MS analysis identified a total of 22 compounds. Oil, with the major constituents being palmitic acid (13.70%), oleic acid (18.50%), oleamide (31.25%), acexamic acid (4.68%), stearic acid (2.99%), squalene (2.87%) by composition. The study reveals that oil from tiger nut seed is useful when applied in the production of body creams and has possible uses in the production of antibacterial ointments.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences