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Advancements in Perovskite-Based Cathode Materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells: A Comprehensive Review

Samreen A, Ali MS, Huzaifa M, Ali N, Hassan B, Ullah F, et al.

Chem Rec, 2024 Jan;24(1):e202300247.
PMID: 37933973 DOI: 10.1002/tcr.202300247

The high-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are the most efficient and green conversion technology for electricity generation from hydrogen-based fuel as compared to conventional thermal power plants. Many efforts have been made to reduce the high operating temperature (>800 °C) to intermediate/low operating temperature (400 °C
Fulltext Environmental and health values, beliefs, norms and compatibility on intention to adopt hydroponic farming among unemployed youth

Gao J, Al Mamun A, Yang Q, Rahman MK, Masud MM

Sci Rep, 2024 Jan 18;14(1):1592.
PMID: 38238468 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52064-w

The objective of this study was to examine the relationships among environmental and health values, ecological worldview, perception of consequences, the ascription of responsibility, and personal norms in the context of the value-belief-norm (VBN) model and how compatibility influences the intentions and behaviors of Chinese youth regarding the use of hydroponic farming technology. The study employed a survey questionnaire to collect data from the target population. The sample size was determined through a power analysis to ensure sufficient statistical power for the analysis. A total of 727 potential respondents' responses were analyzed using SmartPLS (4.0) to perform structural equation modeling. The results confirmed that environmental, emotional, and health values significantly associated with individuals' ecological worldviews. There was an interconnection between ecological worldview, awareness of consequences, and ascription of responsibility, and all three significantly influenced personal norms. The key determinants of the intentions and behaviors to adopt hydroponic farming technology are personal norms and technology compatibility. Therefore, to promote and motivate the interest and intention to use hydroponics among unemployed youth, government agencies, and related companies should focus on providing technology-related and pro-environmental information and training. This is expected to increase the acceptance and awareness of hydroponics among this group, thus increasing the adoption rate of hydroponics.
Immunoinformatics-driven In silico vaccine design for Nipah virus (NPV): Integrating machine learning and computational epitope prediction

Shahab M, Iqbal MW, Ahmad A, Alshabrmi FM, Wei DQ, Khan A, et al.

Comput Biol Med, 2024 Mar;170:108056.
PMID: 38301512 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108056

The Nipah virus (NPV) is a highly lethal virus, known for its significant fatality rate. The virus initially originated in Malaysia in 1998 and later led to outbreaks in nearby countries such as Bangladesh, Singapore, and India. Currently, there are no specific vaccines available for this virus. The current work employed the reverse vaccinology method to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the entire proteome of the NPV virus. The aim was to identify and choose the most promising antigenic proteins that could serve as potential candidates for vaccine development. We have also designed B and T cell epitopes-based vaccine candidate using immunoinformatics approach. We have identified a total of 5 novel Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes (CTL), 5 Helper T Lymphocytes (HTL), and 6 linear B-cell potential antigenic epitopes which are novel and can be used for further vaccine development against Nipah virus. Then we performed the physicochemical properties, antigenic, immunogenic and allergenicity prediction of the designed vaccine candidate against NPV. Further, Computational analysis indicated that these epitopes possessed highly antigenic properties and were capable of interacting with immune receptors. The designed vaccine were then docked with the human immune receptors, namely TLR-2 and TLR-4 showed robust interaction with the immune receptor. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated robust binding and good dynamics. After numerous dosages at varied intervals, computational immune response modeling showed that the immunogenic construct might elicit a significant immune response. In conclusion, the immunogenic construct shows promise in providing protection against NPV, However, further experimental validation is required before moving to clinical trials.
Fulltext Unilateral external fixator and its biomechanical effects in treating different types of femoral fracture: A finite element study with experimental validated model

Abd Aziz AU, Ammarullah MI, Ng BW, Gan HS, Abdul Kadir MR, Ramlee MH

Heliyon, 2024 Feb 29;10(4):e26660.
PMID: 38404809 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26660

Previous works had successfully demonstrated the clinical effectiveness of unilateral external fixator in treating various types of fracture, ranging from the simple type, such as oblique and transverse fractures, to complex fractures. However, literature that investigated its biomechanical analyses to further justify its efficacy is limited. Therefore, this paper aimed to analyse the stability of unilateral external fixator for treating different types of fracture, including the simple oblique, AO32C3 comminuted, and 20 mm gap transverse fracture. These fractures were reconstructed at the distal diaphysis of the femoral bone and computationally analysed through the finite element method under the stance phase condition. Findings showed a decrease in the fixation stiffness in large gap fracture (645.2 Nmm-1 for oblique and comminuted, while 23.4 Nmm-1 for the gap fracture), which resulted in higher displacement, IFM and stress distribution at the pin bone interface. These unfavourable conditions could consequently increase the risk of delayed union, pin loosening and infection, as well as implant failure. Nevertheless, the stress observed on the fracture surfaces was relatively low and in controlled amount, indicating that bone unity is still allowable in all models. Briefly, the unilateral fixation may provide desirable results in smaller fracture gap, but its usage in larger gap fracture might be alarming. These findings could serve as a guide and insight for surgeons and researchers, especially on the biomechanical stability of fixation in different fracture types and how will it affect bone unity.
Fulltext Unravelling the nexus between energy prices and exchange rate in Malaysia: Fresh insights from a non-linear perspective using threshold cointegration analysis

Butt S, Ramzan M, Wong WK, Chohan MA, Bazhair AH

Heliyon, 2024 Mar 15;10(5):e26512.
PMID: 38434319 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26512

This paper proposes a nonlinear threshold cointegration framework to study how energy prices affect Malaysia's nominal exchange rate, considering the money supply, income, and interest rate. The study employs a threshold cointegration approach utilizing threshold autoregressive and momentum threshold autoregressive models. The momentum threshold vector error correction model determines the short-run adjustment of exchange rate deviation from the long-run equilibrium level. The findings reveal that the nonlinear adjustment process to capture the short-run deviation in the long-run equilibrium path is primarily influenced by energy prices, money supply, and interest rates. These results highlight the importance of considering the impact of energy prices on exchange rate policies when formulating and implementing economic policies in Malaysia. The findings can also be valuable for decision-makers to comprehend the future dynamics of exchange rates and make well-informed decisions.
Fulltext Practice nurses and pharmacists: a perspective on the expectation and experience of nurses for future collaboration

Khan AN, Khan MU, Shoaib MH, Yousuf RI, Mir SA

Oman Med J, 2014 Jul;29(4):271-5.
PMID: 25170408 DOI: 10.5001/omj.2014.71

OBJECTIVES: To explore the nurses' expectations and experience about pharmacists in private sector hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to September 2012 in five private sector hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan. A convenient sample of nurses (n=377) were enrolled in this study. Data was obtained through a previously validated questionnaire. Responses were statistically analyzed using SPSSv.17.
RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned giving a response rate of 63.6% of which 20 were unusable (n=240). Out of the remaining 220, 24.1% (n=53) responded that they never or rarely interacted with a pharmacist. Respondents who expect pharmacists to collaborate with nurses to solve drug related problems were 45% (n=99). Nurses' experience of pharmacists was not substantial as only 44.5% (n=98) respondents consider pharmacists as a reliable source of clinical drug information.
CONCLUSION: The role of pharmacists is not well appreciated among nurses in Pakistan. Hence, pharmacists must bridge the observed gap and use a more strategic and consistent approach to build a more positive image in line with other healthcare professionals and in providing patient-centred pharmaceutical care. This research would impress upon the pharmacists the need to redefine their role in the healthcare settings.
Fulltext Cytotoxicity and Apoptosis Induction of Ardisia crispa and Its Solvent Partitions against Mus musculus Mammary Carcinoma Cell Line (4T1)

Nordin ML, Abdul Kadir A, Zakaria ZA, Othman F, Abdullah R, Abdullah MN

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2017;2017:9368079.
PMID: 28400849 DOI: 10.1155/2017/9368079

This study was conducted to investigate the cytotoxicity and apoptosis effect of A. crispa extract and its solvent partition (ethyl acetate and aqueous extract) against Mus musculus mammary carcinoma cell line (4T1). The normal mouse fibroblast cell line (NIH3T3) was used as comparison for selective cytotoxicity properties. The cytotoxicity evaluation was assessed using MTT assay. AO/PI dual fluorescent staining assay and Annexin V-FITC were used for apoptosis analysis. Results showed that 80% methanol extract from leaves showed most promising antimammary cancer agent with IC50 value of 42.26 ± 1.82 μg/mL and selective index (SI) value of 10.22. Ethyl acetate was cytotoxic for both cancer and normal cell while aqueous extract exhibited poor cytotoxic effect. 4T1 cells labelled with AO/PI and Annexin V-FITC and treated with 80% methanol extract demonstrated that the extract induces apoptosis to 4T1 mammary cancer cells. In conclusion, 80% methanol extract of A. crispa was selectively cytotoxic towards 4T1 cells but less cytotoxic towards NIH3T3 cells and induced the cancerous cells into apoptotic stage as early as 6 hours.
Fulltext Habitat suitability and movement corridors of grey wolf (Canis lupus) in Northern Pakistan

Kabir M, Hameed S, Ali H, Bosso L, Din JU, Bischof R, et al.

PLoS One, 2017;12(11):e0187027.
PMID: 29121089 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187027

Habitat suitability models are useful to understand species distribution and to guide management and conservation strategies. The grey wolf (Canis lupus) has been extirpated from most of its historic range in Pakistan primarily due to its impact on livestock and livelihoods. We used non-invasive survey data from camera traps and genetic sampling to develop a habitat suitability model for C. lupus in northern Pakistan and to explore the extent of connectivity among populations. We detected suitable habitat of grey wolf using a maximum entropy approach (Maxent ver. 3.4.0) and identified suitable movement corridors using the Circuitscape 4.0 tool. Our model showed high levels of predictive performances, as seen from the values of area under curve (0.971±0.002) and true skill statistics (0.886±0.021). The main predictors for habitat suitability for C. lupus were distances to road, mean temperature of the wettest quarter and distance to river. The model predicted ca. 23,129 km2 of suitable areas for wolf in Pakistan, with much of suitable habitat in remote and inaccessible areas that appeared to be well connected through vulnerable movement corridors. These movement corridors suggest that potentially the wolf range can expand in Pakistan's Northern Areas. However, managing protected areas with stringent restrictions is challenging in northern Pakistan, in part due to heavy dependence of people on natural resources. The habitat suitability map provided by this study can inform future management strategies by helping authorities to identify key conservation areas.
Fulltext Perceived Threat of COVID-19 Contagion and Frontline Paramedics' Agonistic Behaviour: Employing a Stressor-Strain-Outcome Perspective

Shahzad F, Du J, Khan I, Fateh A, Shahbaz M, Abbas A, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 Jul 15;17(14).
PMID: 32679748 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17145102

Historically, infectious diseases have been the leading cause of human psychosomatic strain and death tolls. This research investigated the recent threat of COVID-19 contagion, especially its impact among frontline paramedics treating patients with COVID-19, and their perception of self-infection, which ultimately increases their agonistic behaviour. Based on the stressor-strain-outcome paradigm, a research model was proposed and investigated using survey-based data through a structured questionnaire. The results found that the perceived threat of COVID-19 contagion (emotional and cognitive threat) was positively correlated with physiological anxiety, depression, and emotional exhaustion, which led toward agonistic behaviour. Further, perceived social support was a key moderator that negatively affected the relationships between agonistic behaviour and physiological anxiety, depression, and emotional exhaustion. These findings significantly contributed to the current literature concerning COVID-19 and pandemic-related effects on human behaviour. This study also theorized the concept of human agonistic behaviour, which has key implications for future researchers.
Fulltext Model-based test case prioritization using selective and even-spread count-based methods with scrutinized ordering criterion

Mohd-Shafie ML, Wan-Kadir WMN, Khatibsyarbini M, Isa MA

PLoS One, 2020;15(2):e0229312.
PMID: 32084232 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229312

Regression testing is crucial in ensuring that modifications made did not introduce any adverse effect on the software being modified. However, regression testing suffers from execution cost and time consumption problems. Test case prioritization (TCP) is one of the techniques used to overcome these issues by re-ordering test cases based on their priorities. Model-based TCP (MB-TCP) is an approach in TCP where the software models are manipulated to perform prioritization. The issue with MB-TCP is that most of the existing approaches do not provide satisfactory faults detection capability. Besides, their granularity of test selection criteria is not very good and this can affect prioritization effectiveness. This study proposes an MB-TCP approach that can improve the faults detection performance of regression testing. It combines the implementation of two existing approaches from the literature while incorporating an additional ordering criterion to boost prioritization efficacy. A detailed empirical study is conducted with the aim to evaluate and compare the performance of the proposed approach with the selected existing approaches from the literature using the average of the percentage of faults detected (APFD) metric. Three web applications were used as the objects of study to obtain the required test suites that contained the tests to be prioritized. From the result obtained, the proposed approach yields the highest APFD values over other existing approaches which are 91%, 86% and 91% respectively for the three web applications. These higher APFD values signify that the proposed approach is very effective in revealing faults early during testing. They also show that the proposed approach can improve the faults detection performance of regression testing.
Fulltext Public Knowledge and Practices Regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Cross-Sectional Survey From Pakistan

Saqlain M, Ahmed A, Nabi I, Gulzar A, Naz S, Munir MM, et al.

Front Public Health, 2021;9:629015.
PMID: 34026708 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.629015

Objectives: Effective mitigation of coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) pandemic requires true adoption of precautionary measures by the masses, that primarily depends upon their knowledge and practices behaviors. The current study aimed to assess the knowledge; practices of Pakistani residents regarding COVID-19 and factors associated with adequate knowledge and positive practices. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from 15-April 2020 to 20 May 2020 among 689 Pakistanis by using a validated self-administered questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha 0.77). The questionnaire included questions on the assessment of demographics, the source of information, knowledge, and practice of COVID-19 on google forms and shared links with the WhatsApp groups, Facebook pages and other online platforms. Regression analysis was applied to find potential predictors of knowledge and practices. Results: Of 689 participants, 431 (62.6%) were male, 64.3% (n = 443) were aged <30 years, and\328 (47.6%) of participants were married. 48.19% (n = 332) had adequate knowledge; 81% (n = 555) had positive practices regarding COVID-19 and majority (66.62%, n = 459) seek knowledge from social media. Knowledge was significantly higher (OR > 1.00, p < 0.05) among educated and higher income participants. Positive practices were significantly (OR > 1.00, p < 0.05) related to the older age (≥50 years), higher education, higher income and good knowledge regarding COVID-19. Conclusion: The study concluded that Pakistani residents had average knowledge and good practices toward COVID-19 yet there are gaps in specific aspects of knowledge, and practice that should be focused in future awareness and educational campaigns. The study recommends the ministry of health authorities to promote all precautionary and preventive measures of COVID-19-consisting of a better-organized approach to all strata of society: less privileged people, older ones and less educated people, in order to have equilibrium of knowledge about COVID-19; hence effective implementation of precautionary measures.
Fulltext Exploring the effectiveness of technology-based learning on the educational outcomes of undergraduate healthcare students: an overview of systematic reviews protocol

Romli MH, Cheema MS, Mehat MZ, Md Hashim NF, Abdul Hamid H

BMJ Open, 2020 Nov 23;10(11):e041153.
PMID: 33234650 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-041153

INTRODUCTION: Rapid technology development due to the introduction of Industrial Revolution 4.0 and Internet of Things has created a demand and gradual transition from traditional teaching and learning to technology-based learning in higher education, including healthcare education. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this process, with educators now required to quickly adapt to and adopt such changes. The abundance of available systematic reviews has made the effectiveness of such approaches ambiguous especially in healthcare education. Therefore, a protocol of the overview of systematic reviews (OoSR) is planned to extrapolate the effectiveness of technology-based learning in undergraduate healthcare education.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Scopus, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection databases were selected. Screening was conducted independently by at least two authors and the decision for inclusion was done through discussion or involvement of an arbiter against a predetermined criteria. Included articles will be evaluated for quality using A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews and Risk of Bias in Systematic Review tools, while primary systematic review articles will be cross-checked and reported for any overlapping using the 'corrected covered area' method. Only narrative synthesis will be employed according to the predefined themes into two major dimensions-theory and knowledge generation (focusing on cognitive taxonomy due to its ability to be generalised across disciplines), and clinical-based competence (focusing on psychomotor and affective taxonomies due to discipline-specific influence). The type of technology used will be identified and extracted.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The OoSR involves analysis of secondary data from published literature, thus ethical approval is not required. The findings will provide a valuable insight for policymakers, stakeholders, and researchers in terms of technology-based learning implementation and gaps identification. The findings will be published in several reports due to the extensiveness of the topic and will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conferences.
PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD4202017974.
Fulltext An Industrial IoT-Based Blockchain-Enabled Secure Searchable Encryption Approach for Healthcare Systems Using Neural Network

Ali A, Almaiah MA, Hajjej F, Pasha MF, Fang OH, Khan R, et al.

Sensors (Basel), 2022 Jan 12;22(2).
PMID: 35062530 DOI: 10.3390/s22020572

The IoT refers to the interconnection of things to the physical network that is embedded with software, sensors, and other devices to exchange information from one device to the other. The interconnection of devices means there is the possibility of challenges such as security, trustworthiness, reliability, confidentiality, and so on. To address these issues, we have proposed a novel group theory (GT)-based binary spring search (BSS) algorithm which consists of a hybrid deep neural network approach. The proposed approach effectively detects the intrusion within the IoT network. Initially, the privacy-preserving technology was implemented using a blockchain-based methodology. Security of patient health records (PHR) is the most critical aspect of cryptography over the Internet due to its value and importance, preferably in the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). Search keywords access mechanism is one of the typical approaches used to access PHR from a database, but it is susceptible to various security vulnerabilities. Although blockchain-enabled healthcare systems provide security, it may lead to some loopholes in the existing state of the art. In literature, blockchain-enabled frameworks have been presented to resolve those issues. However, these methods have primarily focused on data storage and blockchain is used as a database. In this paper, blockchain as a distributed database is proposed with a homomorphic encryption technique to ensure a secure search and keywords-based access to the database. Additionally, the proposed approach provides a secure key revocation mechanism and updates various policies accordingly. As a result, a secure patient healthcare data access scheme is devised, which integrates blockchain and trust chain to fulfill the efficiency and security issues in the current schemes for sharing both types of digital healthcare data. Hence, our proposed approach provides more security, efficiency, and transparency with cost-effectiveness. We performed our simulations based on the blockchain-based tool Hyperledger Fabric and OrigionLab for analysis and evaluation. We compared our proposed results with the benchmark models, respectively. Our comparative analysis justifies that our proposed framework provides better security and searchable mechanism for the healthcare system.
Fulltext Bangla Sign Language (BdSL) Alphabets and Numerals Classification Using a Deep Learning Model

Podder KK, Chowdhury MEH, Tahir AM, Mahbub ZB, Khandakar A, Hossain MS, et al.

Sensors (Basel), 2022 Jan 12;22(2).
PMID: 35062533 DOI: 10.3390/s22020574

A real-time Bangla Sign Language interpreter can enable more than 200 k hearing and speech-impaired people to the mainstream workforce in Bangladesh. Bangla Sign Language (BdSL) recognition and detection is a challenging topic in computer vision and deep learning research because sign language recognition accuracy may vary on the skin tone, hand orientation, and background. This research has used deep machine learning models for accurate and reliable BdSL Alphabets and Numerals using two well-suited and robust datasets. The dataset prepared in this study comprises of the largest image database for BdSL Alphabets and Numerals in order to reduce inter-class similarity while dealing with diverse image data, which comprises various backgrounds and skin tones. The papers compared classification with and without background images to determine the best working model for BdSL Alphabets and Numerals interpretation. The CNN model trained with the images that had a background was found to be more effective than without background. The hand detection portion in the segmentation approach must be more accurate in the hand detection process to boost the overall accuracy in the sign recognition. It was found that ResNet18 performed best with 99.99% accuracy, precision, F1 score, sensitivity, and 100% specificity, which outperforms the works in the literature for BdSL Alphabets and Numerals recognition. This dataset is made publicly available for researchers to support and encourage further research on Bangla Sign Language Interpretation so that the hearing and speech-impaired individuals can benefit from this research.
Nanotechnology for controlling mango malformation: a promising approach

Shahbaz M, Seelan JSS, Abasi F, Fatima N, Mehak A, Raza MU, et al.

J Biomol Struct Dyn, 2024 Feb 12.
PMID: 38344816 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2312449

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is one of the most important fruit crops in the world with yields of approximately 40 million tons annually and its production continues to decrease every year as a result of the attack of certain pathogens i.e. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Erythricium salmonicolor, Amritodus atkinsoni, Idioscopus clypealis, Idioscopus nitidulus, Bactrocera obliqua, Bactrocera frauenfeldi, Xanthomonas campestris, and Fusarium mangiferae. So F. mangiferae is the most harmful pathogen that causes mango malformation disease in mango which decreases its 90% yield. Nanotechnology is an eco-friendly and has a promising effect over traditional methods to cure fungal diseases. Different nanoparticles possess antifungal potential in terms of controlling the fungal diseases in plants but applications of nanotechnology in plant disease managements is minimal. The main focus of this review is to highlight the previous and current strategies to control mango malformation and highlights the promising applications of nanomaterials in combating mango malformation. Hence, the present review aims to provide brief information on the disease and effective management strategies.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
Fulltext Synthesis of 4-methoxybenzoylhydrazones and evaluation of their antiglycation activity

Taha M, Naz H, Rasheed S, Ismail NH, Rahman AA, Yousuf S, et al.

Molecules, 2014 Jan 21;19(1):1286-301.
PMID: 24451249 DOI: 10.3390/molecules19011286

A series of 4-methoxybenzoylhydrazones 1-30 was synthesized and the structures of the synthetic derivatives elucidated by spectroscopic methods. The compounds showed a varying degree of antiglycation activity, with IC50 values ranging between 216.52 and 748.71 µM, when compared to a rutin standard (IC50=294.46±1.50 µM). Compounds 1 (IC50=216.52±4.2 µM), 3 (IC50=289.58±2.64 µM), 6 (IC50=227.75±0.53 µM), 7 (IC50=242.53±6.1) and 11 (IC50=287.79±1.59) all showed more activity that the standard, and these compounds have the potential to serve as possible leads for drugs to inhibit protein glycation in diabetic patients. A preliminary SAR study was performed.
Fulltext Development of Biodegradable Bio-Based Composite for Bone Tissue Engineering: Synthesis, Characterization and In Vitro Biocompatible Evaluation

Khan MUA, Razak SIA, Ansari MNM, Zulkifli RM, Ahmad Zawawi N, Arshad M

Polymers (Basel), 2021 Oct 20;13(21).
PMID: 34771168 DOI: 10.3390/polym13213611

Several significant advancements in the field of bone regenerative medicine have been made in recent years. However, therapeutic options, such as bone grafts, have several drawbacks. There is a need to develop an adequate bone substitute. As a result, significant bone defects/injuries pose a severe challenge for orthopaedic and reconstructive bone tissue. We synthesized polymeric composite material from arabinoxylan (ARX), β-glucan (BG), nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAp), graphene oxide (GO), acrylic acid (AAc) through free radical polymerization and porous scaffold fabricated using the freeze-drying technique. These fabricated porous scaffolds were then coated with chitosan solution to enhance their biological activities. The complex structure of BG, nHAp, GO was studied through various characterization and biological assays. The structural, morphological, wetting and mechanical analyses were determined using FT-IR, XRD, XPS, SEM/EXD, water contact angle and UTM. The swelling (aqueous and PBS media) and degradation (PBS media) observed their behavior in contact with body fluid. The biological activities were conducted against mouse pre-osteoblast cell lines. The result found that BGH3 has desirable morphological, structural with optimum swelling, degradation, and mechanical behavior. It was also found to be cytocompatible against MC3T3-E1 cell lines. The obtained results confirmed that the fabricated polymeric scaffolds would be a potential bone substitute to regenerate defective bone with different loading bearing applications for bone tissue engineering.
pH-responsive CAP-co-poly(methacrylic acid)-based hydrogel as an efficient platform for controlled gastrointestinal delivery: fabrication, characterization, in vitro and in vivo toxicity evaluation

Shah SA, Sohail M, Minhas MU, Nisar-Ur-Rehman, Khan S, Hussain Z, et al.

Drug Deliv Transl Res, 2019 Apr;9(2):555-577.
PMID: 29450805 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-018-0486-8

Cellulose acetate phthalate-based pH-responsive hydrogel was synthesized for fabrication of polymeric matrix tablets for gastro-protective delivery of loxoprofen sodium. Cellulose acetate phthalate (CAP) was cross-linked with methacrylic acid (MAA) using free radical polymerization technique. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra confirmed the formation of cross-linked structure of CAP-co-poly(methacrylic acid). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) confirmed the thermal stability of polymeric networks, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrum (EDS) images unveiled that the prepared formulations were porous in nature and thus the developed formulations had shown better diffusibility. Swelling and in vitro drug release was performed at various pHs and maximum swelling and release was obtained at pH 7.4, while swelling and release rate was very low at pH 1.2 which confirmed the pH-responsive behavior of CAP-co-poly(MAA). CAP-co-poly(MAA) copolymer prevents the release of loxoprofen sodium into the stomach due to reduced swelling at gastric pH while showing significant swelling and drug release in the colon. Cytotoxicity studies revealed higher biocompatibility of fabricated hydrogel. Acute oral toxicity studies were performed for the evaluation and preliminary screening of safety profile of the developed hydrogels. Matrix tablets were evaluated for release behavior at simulated body pH. The investigations performed for analysis of hydrogels and fabricated matrix tablets indicated the controlled drug release and gastro-protective drug delivery of CAP-co-poly(MAA) hydrogels and pH-sensitive matrix tablets for targeted delivery of gastro-sensitive/irritative agents. Graphical abstract.
Fulltext The influence of pharmacist-led collaborative care on clinical outcomes in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a multicenter randomized control trial

Iqbal MZ, Alqahtani SS, Mubarak N, Shahid S, Mohammed R, Mustafa A, et al.

Front Public Health, 2024;12:1323102.
PMID: 38476498 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1323102

BACKGROUND: Health care providers are mandated to deliver specialized care for the treatment and control of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In Malaysia, Diabetes Medication Therapy Adherence Clinics (DMTAC) in tertiary hospitals have designated pharmacists to administer these services.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of pharmacist-led interventions within DMTAC on the outcomes of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in two distinct hospitals in Kedah, Malaysia.
METHODS: Patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly selected from the two hospitals included in this study. The study population was divided into two equal groups. The control group consisted of 200 patients receiving routine care from the hospitals. On the other hand, the intervention group included those patients with type 2 diabetes (200), who received separate counseling sessions from pharmacists in the DMTAC departments along with the usual treatment. The study lasted 1 year, during which both study groups participated in two distinct visits.
RESULTS: Parametric data were analyzed by a paired t-test and one-way ANOVA, while non-parametric data were analyzed by a Chi-squared test using SPSS v24. A p
Fulltext Does green investment affect environment pollution: Evidence from asymmetric ARDL approach?

Shen Y, Ur Rahman S, Hafiza NS, Meo MS, Ali MSE

PLoS One, 2024;19(4):e0292260.
PMID: 38635691 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292260

Pollution in the environment is today the biggest issue facing the globe and the main factor in the development of many fatal diseases. The main objective of the study to investigate green investments, economic growth and financial development on environmental pollution in the G-7 countries. This study used annual penal data from 1997 to 2021. The panel NARDL (Non-linear autoregressive distributed lag) results affirm that the positive change of green investment and negative shock in green investment have a significant and positive association with environment pollution in G-7 nations. Our findings provide more evidence for the long-term asymmetry between financial development and environmental performance. However, the findings confirm that a positive modification in financial development has a positive and significant effect on environment pollution. Whereas negative shock in financial development is negative and insignificant relationship with environment pollution. Moreover, the outcomes of the study reveal that both positive shock in gross domestic product growth and negative shock of economic growth have a significant and positive link with environment pollution in G-7 countries. According to the findings, by lowering carbon dioxide emissions, green investments reduced environmental pollution in the G-7 nations over the long and short term. Moreover, it is an innovative research effort that provides light on the connection between green investments, financial development, and the environment while making mention to the EKC in G-7 countries. After all these, our recommendation is to increases green investment expenditures to reduce environmental pollution in the G-7 nations based on our findings. Additionally, one important way for the nation to achieve its sustainable development goals is to improve advancements in the financial sector.

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