Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) disproportionately affect conflict zones like Yemen, where diagnostic limitations persist. This meta-analysis evaluated the global prognostic utility of the red cell distribution width (RDW) and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as predictors of CVD and aimed to establish region-specific thresholds for low-resource settings. Methods: Following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) and MOOSE (Meta-analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) guidelines, we analyzed 75 prospective cohort studies (2014–2025) that included 201,604 adults from 142 countries. Random-effects models were used to pool hazard ratios (HRs) and the area under the curve (AUC). Results: NLR > 3.0 (HR, 2.2 [95% CI, 1.8–2.7]) independently predicted an elevated CVD risk (p < 0> 14% was associated with increased CVD risk in unadjusted analyses (HR, 2.3 [95% CI, 1.9–2.8]), this association became non-significant after adjusting for ferritin (HR, 1.02 [95% CI, 0.98–1.07]). This indicates that RDW primarily reflects iron status, emphasizing the need to measure ferritin before attributing high RDW to CVD risk. The combined RDW + NLR showed superior discriminative power (AUC, 0.82 vs. 0.71–0.74 for individual markers). Subgroup analyses revealed higher NLR cutoffs (>3.8) in HIV-endemic African populations (reflecting chronic immune activation). Sensitivity analyses revealed attenuated NLR effects in rural populations (HR, 1.9) and non-significant RDW-CVD associations when adjusting for ferritin (HR, 1.02), highlighting contextual limitations. Conclusions: While NLR stands as an independent CVD predictor, RDW > 14% must be interpreted with concurrent ferritin measurement. This is crucial to avoid misattributing CVD risk in malnutrition-endemic regions, such as Yemen, where an RDW > 15% is common. The RDW primarily reflects iron status and requires iron-status validation, especially in these high-malnutrition areas. However, caution is warranted when generalizing findings to rural settings where the CVD burden is rising fastest, given the underrepresentation of rural populations (only 16% of included studies). We strongly recommend standardized automated hematology analyzers (k > 0.85).
Study objectives: The study aimed to evaluate the antitussive effect of aerial parts of ethanolic extract of Caesalpinia pulcherrima (Caesalpiniaceae). Methods: In this study, cough was induced by the sulfur dioxide induction method. Four groups of animals were made, with six animals in each group, and all drugs were administered orally. Group I was used as a control, group II as a standard, and groups III and IV received 200 and 400 mg/kg Caesalpinia pulcherrima aerial parts extract. Results: Caesalpinia pulcherrima aerial parts (CPAP) extract suppressed cough. Doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg Caesalpinia pulcherrima aerial parts extract showed highly significant results compared to the standard at 60 and 90 min of drug administration. Conclusion: From the above results, it can be concluded that plants have significant activity in cough suppression.
India is undergoing rapid urbanization, leading to significant transformations in land use, infrastructure, and population densities. Concurrently, climate change is intensifying heat waves across the country, exacerbating the vulnerabilities of urban populations. This study explores the intersection of urban growth and climate change, analysing how expanding cities, with their heat-absorbing materials and altered landscapes, contribute to the urban heat island effect. The research highlights how extreme heat waves, fuelled by global warming, are becoming more frequent and severe in Indian cities, affecting public health, energy consumption, and economic productivity. Furthermore, this study reviews adaptive strategies being implemented, such as green infrastructure, sustainable urban planning, and climate resilient policies, and assesses their effectiveness in mitigating the impacts of heat waves. Through an integrated approach combining climate science and urban studies, the paper emphasizes the urgency of rethinking urbanization to build heat-resilient cities in India. underline the importance of immediate policy interventions, public awareness campaigns, and investments in climate adaptation to safeguard the health and livelihoods of urban dwellers in the face of escalating heat risks.
Cancer is one of the most severe medical conditions in the world, causing millions of deaths each year. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are critical treatment approaches, but both have numerous adverse health effects. Furthermore, the resistance of cancerous cells to anticancer medication leads to treatment failure. The rising burden of cancer requires novel, efficacious treatment modalities. Natural remedies offer feasible alternative options against malignancy in contrast to available synthetic medication. Selective killing of cancer cells is privileged mainstream in cancer treatment, and targeted therapy represents the new tool with the potential to pursue this aim. The discovery of innovative therapies targeting essential components of DNA damage signalling and repair pathways, such as ataxia telangiectasia mutated and Rad3-related Checkpoint kinase 1 (ATR-CHK1), has offered a possibility of significant therapeutic improvement in oncology. The activation and inhibition of this pathway account for chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activity, respectively. Targeting this pathway can also aid in overcoming the resistance of conventional chemo- or radiotherapy. This review enlightens the anticancer role of natural products by ATR-CHK1 activation and inhibition. Additionally, these compounds have been shown to have chemotherapeutic synergistic potential when used in combination with other anticancer drugs. Ideally, this review will trigger interest in natural products targeting ATR-CHK1 and their potential efficacy and safety as cancer-lessening agents.
Petroleum refineries are largest chemical industries that are responsible for emission of several pollutants into the atmosphere. Benzene and its metabolites are regarded as the most hazardous compounds that are emitted by petroleum refineries. These contribute to toxic oxidants, which cause many serious health risks to petroleum refineries workers. This study was aimed to analyze the effects of chemical exposure on hematological and biochemical parameters among workers at Zawia oil refinery and Mellituh oil and gas refinery companies. A total of 200 workers participated in this study which consisting of two equal groups (each group: n = 100). The first group consists of petroleum refineries workers and the second group consists of non-oil work civil servants serving were recruited as exposed and control subjects, respectively. The results of blood picture, liver enzymes and kidney functions were compared between the groups. Mean white blood cells counts, platelet counts, and hematocrit count were significantly higher, while the mean red blood cells count was insignificantly changed in petroleum refineries workers. While the mean hemoglobin and corpuscular hemoglobin concentration levels were significantly lower, whereas the mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin levels were insignificantly changed in petrol refineries workers. Liver enzymes and renal functions were significantly higher in petrol refineries workers. The present findings indicate that occupational exposure to benzene causes significant alterations in hematological and biochemical parameters and workers are at high risk of developing blood, hepatic or renal related disorders. Protection and frequent medical attention should be given to petroleum refineries workers.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
This research aims to evaluate the optimization of network security forensic tools on virtual router (VR) traffic. The methodology used includes the selection of several forensic tools on the Windows operating system such as Wireshark, Windump, and Network Miner, with testing in a virtual network environment. Testing, includes simulating various attack scenarios to assess the effectiveness of threat detection, performance of forensic tools, and impact on network performance. The main results show that the tools have varying detection capabilities with variations in resource usage and impact on network latency. Network traffic has been successfully recorded using the Win-dump tool in the static-forensics method, the Wireshark tool and Network Miner in the live-forensics method. The evaluation results of the meta-router network forensic recording tool recommend Win-dump as a recording tool that does not burden the Windows operating system with memory usage of 1696 kb while the Wireshark and Network Miner applications are recorded at more than 20MB. Based on this research, the static forensic method which have been built with meta-router objects can be used by investigators to detect cyber attacks. Proper selection and configuration of forensic tools is critical to achieving a balance between security and network performance, and specific adjustments to network requirements can increase the effectiveness of threat detection and mitigation.
Coronaviruses are closely related virus causing several types of respiratory tract infections ranging from common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). There are many other ways in which Covid-19 will impact the existing public health issues. With the rising number of covid19 cases, it has been reported that people with the weaker immune system are at higher risk. We identified the mechanism of action of cyclophosphamide and its impact on the lung. Pulmonary side effects associated with cyclophosphamide are rare and dose-related. They manifest as early-onset pneumonitis, in patients with symptoms especially like cough and dyspnea. Acrolein in cyclophosphamide is the main component linked with the toxic effect. We hypothesize that use of cyclophosphamide, an antineoplastic agent and immunosuppressive agent used in treating many cancers and autoimmune disorders (like rheumatoid arthritis and ANCA vasculitis), induces severe lung toxicity which can be one of the contributing factors for the increased risk of COVID 19 complication. These factors are to be recognized to improve prevention and control of the disease.
The present study deals with the phytochemical analysis and evaluation of antibacterial activity of hydroalcohol, acetone, and hexane extracts of the leaves of Psidium guajava. The antimicrobial activity was measured by the agar well diffusion method. Gastric volume, pH, total and free acidity and the ulcerative index was also measured in hydroalcoholic extract of Psidium guajava on gastric ulcer pyloric ligation in rat. Glycosides, terpenoids, and tannins are only present in the hydro alcohol extract. The extracts are tested against gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis) bacterial strains. The zone of inhibition against microorganisms is direct proportional to the concentration of extract. Maximum zone of inhibition (24mm) against Staphylococcus aureus except hexane extract was seen. Psidium guajava leaves show maximum phytochemicals compounds and inhibition of microorganisms in hydroalcoholic extract. So the hydroalcoholic extraction was used for anti-ulcer activity. The present study was performed in pylorus ligation induced gastric ulcer model in albino rats in which the ability of hydroalcoholic extracts of Psidium guajava was tested at a dose level of 400 mg/kg body weight orally and compared with Ranitidine (10 mg/kg) as standard. From the results it is concluded hydro alcohol leaf extracts of Psidium guajava 400 mg/kg dose level showed significant anti-ulcer activity when compared to that of standard drug.
Vallecular cysts, although infrequent in adults, pose a challenge for anesthesiologists in view of the risk of airway obstruction at anesthesia induction or aspiration in case of cyst rupture. The present case is of a 35-year-old male patient who was scheduled for excision of a vallecular cyst. An awake technique was initially decided for nasotracheal intubation using a flexible videolaryngoscope, AmbuscopeTM, after complete topicalization of the airway with local anesthesia. However, anticipating the need for a tracheostomy, the surgical team was prepared, and this was timely chosen as the only viable option following failure to visualize the glottis despite negotiating every possible way around the cyst. This case highlights the successful management of a large vallecular cyst in an adult patient, where failed awake nasotracheal intubation despite optimal preparation necessitated an early, planned tracheostomy. This reiterates the fact that the surgical airway may not be always chosen as the last resort in crisis but also as a timely intervention to prevent an airway catastrophe.
As it is increasingly being reported from India, we carried out a prospective study of patients with culture-proven melioidosis from south India, examining clinical, laboratory features, epidemiological data, risk factors, treatments, outcomes at three and six months, and factors associated with mortality.Between 2014 and 2018, 31 cases were identified. Diabetes (83.9%) and alcohol abuse (58.1%) were common risk factors. Musculoskeletal, skin and soft tissue manifestations together constituted 48.4% of presentations, while 29% had pneumonia. During the intensive phase, 74.2% received one of three recommended antibiotic regimes, but 51.6% did not receive continuation treatment. Pneumonia and lack of continuation treatment were independently associated with a high mortality of 25.8%. Hot spots for melioidosis exist in India, and there is considerable diversity of presentation, including skin, soft tissue, musculoskeletal and neurological involvement. High rates of bacteraemia are shown.
Plants produce a diverse range of bioactive compounds making them rich source of different types of medicines. The plants are mostly cultivated for decoration and to enhance the appearance of houses, gardens, road sides, and also for commercial purposes such as floral decorations in form of bouquet. They are also source of fragrant oils for perfume making and cosmetic. However only very few of these plant species have found to be used in medicine and little or no literature exit on their chemical and biological activities. Araucaria columnaris is an ornamental plant, commonly known as Christmas tree, belonging to the family Araucariaceae. Plant resin was used for the present study, antibacterial activity and GC-MS analysis of Araucaria columnaris resin was carried out. The resin was subjected to solvent extraction using decreasing polarity solvents (aqueous, methanol, ethyl acetate and benzene). TLC profiling of all the extracts gives an idea about the presence of various phytochemicals and its fractions were checked for antibacterial activity against major clinical pathogens. It was found that fraction 4 (F4) of methanolic extact showed maximum zone of inhibition against Gram positive organisms. This fraction was subjected to GC-MS analysis; the result revealed the presence of a board range of many medicinal compounds and antioxidant activity of resin of Araucaria columnaris were identified.
Medical research is defined as "all scholarly activities that deal with any of the areas of studies being conducted in the pre, para, and clinical areas being taught in a medical school". Such a definition is somewhat arbitrary, as medical research covers a much larger field and ultimately affects every individual. The results of research activities are directly translated into social action, such as pollution control, vaccinations, mass fluoridation and nutritional improvements. The eradication of diseases like smallpox, poliomyelitis and plague, the decline in the death rate from infectious and cardiovascular diseases, and the diagnosis of genetic disorders are some examples of how medical research helps to provide improved health care. Thus, the wealth of medical knowledge that grows through the process of discovery and research development becomes part of daily living. The aim of scientific research is always to extend the frontiers of knowledge and to discover rational correlations and principles [1, 2]. Medical research can be divided into biomedical (basic medical), clinical, and health science research. The areas overlap each other and health science research has a component of social research. Experimental research covers areas such as physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, pharmacology and pathology and is relatively easy to conduct. If adequate financial support is obtained, the necessary infrastructure for laboratory research could be built and experimental animals maintained in an animal house. For clinical research, the patients with a particular disease are the direct object of study. This type of research involves dealing with the clinical picture, diagnosis, therapy and prognosis of the disease. Dealing with human beings requires stringent regulations and precautions to be observed. It requires setting up a research team in the hospital to monitor and chart out guidelines involving the ethical dimension of the problem to be studied and maintain a systematic medical recording system. Moreover, it is through a prolonged study of a large number of cases of the same disease that clinical research learns to predict the likely prognosis and judge the efficacy of the treatment. This type of research activity has limitations in the form of having a restricted number of cases of the disease under investigation, a need to update one's knowledge concerning laboratory techniques from which he obtains his 'cues', and the longer time interval required to complete the work. Health science research is a recent development of medical research due to the demands placed on many health services. More often basic medical and clinical research go hand in hand and are inseparable. Furthermore, clinical research workers often conduct studies on experimental animals, due to either the limited number of human cases or for ethical considerations.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Micro Gas Turbines (MGTs) are compact power generation systems that offer several advantages such as highpower density, low emissions, and fuel flexibility. They are commonly used in remote areas where grid connectivity is limited or unreliable. However, MGTs suffer from inherent instability issues due to their small size and high rotational speeds. These instabilities can lead to irregular speed responses, affecting the overall performance and reliability of the system. To address these concerns, the researchers utilized a genetic algorithm (GA)-based approach and conducted sensitivity studies to analyze the iteration parameter of the GA and its impact on the speed response of the MGTs. To evaluate the performance of the developed solution, they employed the Mean Step of Absolute Speed Error (MSASE) evaluation metric and compared the outcomes of the proposed strategy with a baseline Proportional Integral (PI)-only solution. The results demonstrated that the proposed solution surpassed the baseline approach by delivering a superior error response. Similarly, the findings suggested that the optimal iteration parameter setting for the GA was a maximum of 30 compared to 20 and 10 consequently lessening the settling time from 140s to 60s. Accordingly, the researchers concluded that optimizing the GA's iteration parameter could lead to enhanced stability in the speed response of the MGT units. Subsequently, this can bolster the power generation capacities of the units, highlighting the potential for enhanced efficiency and stability in MGT operations. As a final recommendation, the study advised practitioners working with MGTs to adopt the proposed GA-based speed control strategy to optimize the overall performance and reliability of these units.
Inclusive education (IE) is a new approach towards educating the children with disability and learning difficulties with that of normal ones within the same classroom. It seeks to address the learning needs of all children with a specific focus on those who are vulnerable to marginalization and exclusion. It implies all learners – with or without disabilities being able to learn together through access to common schools and community educational setting with an appropriate network of support services. This is possible only in flexible education system that includes the needs of different types of learners and adapts itself to meet their needs. Inclusive Education addresses the diverse needs of all learners by reducing barriers inside schools. It is a process of strengthening the capacity of the education system to reach out to all learners. This educational approach provides all students greater opportunities for academic and social achievement. This includes opportunities to participate in the full range of social, recreational, arts, sports, music, day care and afterschool care, extra-curricular, faith based, and all other activities. Inclusive education argues that all children irrespective of the nature and degree of disability should be educated in general schools with non-disabled children. The schools and classrooms operate on the idea that, with right amount of support, students with disabilities can be as competent as students without disabilities.
Celiac disease (CeD) is a complex disorder characterized by gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms as well as extraintestinal manifestations, sometimes difficult to diagnose. Commonly referred to as a childhood disease, adult CeD is a well-known entity that should be included in the differential diagnosis of chronic diarrhea or malabsorption syndrome. The pathogenesis involves a genetically mediated autoimmune pathway. In individuals with genetic susceptibility, the mucosa of the small intestine is damaged in response to foods containing gluten. The clinical presentation is variable and ranges from typical GI symptoms to extra-intestinal and systemic manifestations. Clinical improvement and restoration of the intestinal mucosa occur simply by eliminating gluten from the diet. We reported a case of CeD in a young man after 6 years of iron deficiency anemia (IDA), without asserting a clear etiology during this time. In our country, the search for CeD in patients with IDA is usually forgotten and we hereby put it in the spotlight.
Febrile convulsions have been defined as any convulsion associated with a fever of more than 38 oC without central nervous system infection in a child aged six months to five years. Febrile convulsion can be divided into two groups of simple and complex seizures. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of febrile convulsions in Libyan children and to investigate the associated risk factors related to this type of seizure in children. 120 cases of febrile convulsions with one day - 12 years old were collected during from April to August 2022. A study has conducted in the Pediatrics Hospital in Bayda City, Libya about the prevalence of febrile convulsions in children, the data collection tool was a self-designed pre-tested validated questionnaire including general information such as age, gender, family history, and admission to the hospital. In addition, data such as body temperature, recurrent convulsion attacks, the condition of hospital admission, discharge status, the treatment in-hospital and out-hospital. The collected data were analyzed by using descriptive methods. Among the 120 children, the majority of the cases were aged between two years and five years old. The gender prevalence rate in this study was 55.0% in males and 97 of the children were hospitalized due to simple febrile seizure (80.8%), 92 of the cases with no family history of febrile convulsions (75.0%) and respiratory tract infections is the main cause of febrile convulsions. In conclusion, this study indicated that respiratory tract infections is the most common cause of febrile convulsions among Libyan children, however, a large sample study is needed to support this issue in Libya.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
The present study was designed to investigate the in-vitro thrombolytic activity of various extracts of seeds of Salvia hispanica by Clot lysis method. In this study, Streptokinase was used as a positive control and the human blood was taken as test sample. The mean % of clot lysis for streptokinase was found to be 66.8%. Similarly the methanolic, ethanolic, aqueous and acetonic extracts of salvia hispanica exerted 48.5%, 35.8%, 33.3%, 27.7% lysis of the blood clot in thrombolytic activity test respectively. From our findings it was observed that all the extracts of Salvia hispanica revealed remarkable thrombolytic activity
The present study focused on analysing the impact of ‘Make in India’ campaign on FDI inflows in country. The research period is divided in two parts one is pre ‘MII’ & another is post ‘MII’ period. The analysis of ‘Make in India’ campaign is done to identify the scope of the campaign & methodology of working of various allied departments monitoring campaign. The present research work also attempted to take overview of various policy reforms initiated by Government of India to promote the FDI as well domestic investment in 25 sectors shortlisted under MII. The FDI inflows statistics reveals that, the post MII period is showing the highest growth in FDI equity inflows as compare to same period i.e. 2009- 2014. The MII initiative is one of the reason for the jump in FDI inflows. The overview of policy reforms shows that GOI through DIPP attempted to open almost all sectors for 100% FDI through automatic route. Government has provided multiple incentives for Foreign Investors to establish their manufacturing facilities in country but very negligible response has been seen in the nature of FDI equity inflows in the same period. Further results of study reveals that multiple ‘MOU’s have been signed by States & Central Governments, but they yet not converted in actual investments. The major reasons behind the same is lack of SWOT analysis through Governments before inviting the foreign investors. As well lack of basic infrastructure, land, lack of skilled manpower, cheap & un interrupted power supply to MIDC’s & SEZ’s is yet not successfully provided, lower rankings in Ease Of Doing Business (EODB), Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index (GMCI) is also cause of concern & tumbling block in the success of MII mission..
The present study reveals that the enriched aerobic cultures of indigenous microbes can be used successfully for decolorizing dye effluents. Physico-chemical analysis of dye effluent revealed high load of pollution indicators. Textile dye effluent and contaminated soils were collected and analyzed for selection of suitable bacteria for dye degradation. The residual bacterial load was found to be in the range of 108 cfu/mL. Six bacterial strains viz., two species of Bacillus, two species of Klebsiella,, one species each of Planococcus and Micrococcus luteus were isolated. The best two dye degraders namely species of Planococcus and Bacillus were further optimized for the effect of carbon and nitrogen source, pH, temperature and percentage of inoculum. The optimized conditions for both the isolates of Planococcus sp. and Bacillus sp. were used in bio-decolorization studies of textile effluent. More than 50% of decolorization was achieved within 4 d of incubation. After 6 d of incubation, decolorization was achieved above 80%. The isolates Planococcus sp. and Bacillus sp. exhibited maximum decolorization ability at pH between 5-8 and temperature 37C. Moreover, 10% (v/v) inoculums, glucose and peptone as carbon and nitrogen sources were found to be the optimum for decolorization. Both the isolates showed highest decolorization percentage of Coractive Blue 3R dye effectively during optimization and more interestingly showed consistent decolorization of textile dye throughout the study.
The skin provides an effective barrier and only limited number of drugs can penetrate in adequate amounts. This study aims to identify the relationship between the physicochemical properties and permeation across mouse skin of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in view of their feasibility to transdermal delivery. Biphenylacetic acid, diclofenac base, diclofenac sodium, indomethacin and piroxicam are the drugs studied. Number of physicochemical properties studies were performed. Drug permeation studies across hairless mouse skin were carried out using an in-vitro finite dosing diffusion cell. The relationship between physicochemical properties of the drugs studied and their percutaneous penetration was studied. Purity for the compounds studied ranged from 99.09% to 100% in which 99.89% purity was obtained for diclofenac base. At 7.4, the % ionized of piroxicam was found to be 95.12%, while for other drugs were in the range of 98.01% and 99.96%. The true partition coefficient values in the n-octanol/water system are in the range of 1.85 and 2.85, while in the n-octanol/phosphate system ranged from 2.14 to 3.70. Observed solubility in water, phosphate buffer and n-octanol ranged from 0.033 to 0.322, 0.202 to 0.329 mg per ml, and 2.19 to 16.10 mg per ml, respectively. A linear relationship was found between water solubility and melting point between steady-state rates of permeation across intact and viable skin, between n-octanol solubility and maximum predicted flux and between molecular volume and the ratio of maximum predicted flux. Predicted flux calculated was compared with the experimental data which resulted in a high correlation. Physicochemical criteria which were determined the feasibility of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs studied for transdermal delivery were identified. The relationships obtained in this study provide an essential physical and chemical properties that govern transport of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs across hairless mouse skin.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences