MyMedR

Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 36 in total

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext Obesity and overweight management in malaysia and singapore: progress on right track

Verma RK, Chua G, David SR

J Clin Diagn Res, 2013 Dec;7(12):3124-5.
PMID: 24551750 DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2013/7860.3883
Health impacts of Facebook usage and mobile texting among undergraduate dental students: it's time to understand the difference between usage and an excessive use

Lee YL, Verma RK, Yadav H, Barua A

Eur J Dent Educ, 2016 Nov;20(4):218-228.
PMID: 26277860 DOI: 10.1111/eje.12164

BACKGROUND: Facebook and mobile texting are prevalent in the lives of almost every student. However, little is known about the relationship between Facebook usage or mobile texting and their impacts on health amongst undergraduate dental students. In this study, excessive Facebook use and excessive mobile texting were studied as they relate to impacts on health.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a private university in Malaysia. A total of 188 undergraduate dental students were interviewed using a pre-tested and self-rated questionnaire. Data collected from participants were analysed using SPSS version 18.0. Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test and multiple logistic regression analyses were applied to study the relationship between explanatory variables and excessive Facebook use and excessive mobile texting.
RESULTS: The prevalence of excessive Facebook use and excessive mobile texting amongst undergraduate dental students was found to be 33.2% and 33.0%, respectively. According to a multivariate analysis, texting habits, such as the presence of daytime sleepiness after texting late at night (aOR = 2.682, 95% CI = 1.142-6.301) and the presence of anxious feelings if students failed to receive a timely response (aOR = 3.819, 95% CI = 1.580-9.230), were determined to be significant predictors of excessive mobile texting. Excessive Facebook use was found to be significantly related to three variables as follows: fewer numbers of close friends (aOR = 2.275, 95% CI = 1.057-4.898), the checking of updates on the Facebook walls of their friends (aOR = 2.582, 95% CI = 1.189-5.605) and the absence of active and vigorous feelings during Facebook use (aOR = 3.401, 95% CI = 1.233-9.434).
CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one-third of undergraduate dental students in this study experienced excessive Facebook use and/or excessive mobile texting. Health education and promotion should be instituted to create awareness, whilst students should be advised to practise self-control with respect to both mobile texting and Facebook usage.
Fulltext Sociodemographic correlates of unipolar major depression among the Chinese elderly in Klang Valley, Malaysia: an epidemiological study

Verma RK, Min TH, Chakravarthy S, Barua A, Kar N

ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:812712.
PMID: 25544962 DOI: 10.1155/2014/812712

BACKGROUND: Depression, as one of the most disabling diseases around the world, had caught the global concern with its rising prevalence rate. There is a growing need of detecting depression, particularly in the old age population which is often left being overlooked.
METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional community-based study which included 150 Chinese elderly aged 60 and above within Klang Valley area. We obtained the sociodemographic profiles and assessed the status of well-being, depression, and cognitive function of the participants with the help of instruments: WHO Five-Item Well-Being Index, Major (ICD-10) Depression Inventory, and 6-Item Cognitive Impairment Test.
RESULTS: We found that the prevalence of depression among the Chinese elderly within Klang Valley region was 10.7%. With multiple logistic regression, decision to consult doctor on depressed mood or memory problem and presence of cognitive impairment were shown to be significantly associated with unipolar major depression, whereas wellbeing status was also found to be statistically correlated with depression in univariate analysis.
CONCLUSION: The prevalence of unipolar depression among Chinese elderly within Klang Valley, Malaysia presented that there was an increased trend compared to the previous studies..
Fulltext Role of complementary and alternative medicine in geriatric care: A mini review

Siddiqui MJ, Min CS, Verma RK, Jamshed SQ

Pharmacogn Rev, 2014 Jul;8(16):81-7.
PMID: 25125879 DOI: 10.4103/0973-7847.134230

Since time immemorial homo sapiens are subjected to both health and diseases states and seek treatment for succor and assuagement in compromised health states. Since last two decades the progressive rise in the alternative form of treatment cannot be ignored and population seems to be dissatisfied with the conventional treatment modalities and therefore, resort to other forms of treatment, mainly complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The use of CAM is predominantly more popular in older adults and therefore, numerous research studies and clinical trials have been carried out to investigate the effectiveness of CAM in the management of both communicable and non-communicable disease. In this current mini review, we attempt to encompass the use of CAM in chronic non-communicable diseases that are most likely seen in geriatrics. The current review focuses not only on the reassurance of good health practices, emphasizing on the holistic development and strengthening the body's defense mechanisms, but also attempts to construct a pattern of self-care and patient empowerment in geriatrics. The issues of safety with CAM use cannot be sidelined and consultation with a health care professional is always advocated to the patient. Likewise, responsibility of the health care professional is to inform the patient about the safety and efficacy issues. In order to substantiate the efficacy and safety of CAMs, evidence-based studies and practices with consolidated standards should be planned and executed.
Fulltext An assessment of the level of awareness, attitudes, and opinions of the medical students concerning HIV and AIDS in Malaysia

Verma RK, Wong S, Chakravarthi S, Barua A

J Clin Diagn Res, 2014 Apr;8(4):HC10-3.
PMID: 24959464 DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2014/7829.4286

INTRODUCTION:Human Immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has become one of the most serious health problems in the world. Medical students awareness, attitudes and opinions must be assessed as they are leading health care professionals who provide treatment and care to the HIV and AIDS individuals. This survey was conducted to assess the level of awareness, attitudes and opinions of third year till fifth year medical students concerning HIV and AIDS from universities around Klang Valley area, Malaysia.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:A total of 327 medical students of third to fifth been took part in the survey. Self prepared and self validated questionnaire was used to assess the study outcomes. Students were asked to fill the consent forms before filling the questionnaires. The results were analyzed by using SPSS version 17. A cross-sectional study among medical students was performed. Data was analyzed with non-parametric spearman's correlation test to find the difference at p-value < 0.05.
RESULTS: A great majority knew that HIV can be spread via tattoo or body piercing (89.3%), from mother to child (97.9%), being a homosexual (93.3%) and even having circumcision for protection (71.9%). Also, they were aware that HIV cannot be transferred via sneezing and cough (95.1%), swimming pools (89.0%), and toilet seats (89.6%). However, only a few were aware of other modes of transmission, such as visiting the barbers (41.3%) , and having blood splashed on outer body surface including mouth and eyes (49.2%). Only a few negative attitudes were shown such as being unsure about keeping close vicinity to HIV patients and being unsure of whether HIV negative people should be allowed to marry HIV positive patients (median=3).
CONCLUSION: An optimal plan of education with awareness campaign and preclinical experiences should be made in the future curriculum to increase the knowledge, confidence and minimize phobia among students.
KEYWORDS: Cross-sectional study; Prevention; Transmission
Study site: Two universities in Klang Valley, Malaysia
Quality of clinical practice guidelines for the management of hypertension in six Southeast Asian countries

Kow CS, Hasan SS, Wong PS, Verma RK

Clin Exp Hypertens, 2021 Oct 03;43(7):633-641.
PMID: 34092170 DOI: 10.1080/10641963.2021.1925683

Background: The endemic of hypertension along with high prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension in Southeast Asia indicates an important role for high-quality clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to optimize the management of hypertension. However, there was no reported quality appraisal of the CPGs for the management of hypertension in Southeast Asia.Objective: This study aimed to evaluate methodological quality across the CPGs for the management of hypertension in Southeast Asia with a validated quality appraisal tool.Methods: The CPGs for the management of hypertension in Southeast Asia were retrieved from the websites of the Ministry of Health or cardiovascular specialty societies of the individual countries of Southeast Asia. Two reviewers with academic backgrounds independently appraised the methodological quality of all the included CPGs using the Appraisal of Guideline ResEarch and Evaluation (AGREE II) instrument.Results: Six CPGs were identified, each of them from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, and Vietnam. The highest-scoring quality domain was 'clarity of presentation' (mean=78.7 ± 14.6%), whereas the lowest-scoring quality domains were 'applicability' and 'editorial independence' (mean=8.4 ± 6.0% and mean=8.3 ± 18.6%, respectively). Except for the CPG originated from Malaysia which was "recommended" for use in practice (standardized score for three domains was ≥50.0%), the remaining five CPGs were "weakly recommended" for use in practice (standardized score for one to two domains was ≥50%).Conclusion: More efforts are needed to improve the quality of the developed CPGs for the management of hypertension in Southeast Asia.
Fulltext A Qualitative Study Exploring Community Pharmacists' Experiences and Views About Weight Management Interventions and Services in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Verma RK, Chong WW, Taha NA, Paraidathathu T

Front Public Health, 2021;9:720928.
PMID: 34540789 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.720928

Objective: To qualitatively explore the perspectives of community pharmacists in Malaysia on their roles in weight management, and the barriers and facilitators in the expansion of these roles. Methods: A purposive sampling method was used to recruit community pharmacists in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with community pharmacists, with an interview guide, from May 2018 to January 2019. The interviews were conducted in person (face-to-face). All interviews were audio-recorded with consent and transcribed verbatim. The interview transcripts were analyzed thematically, whereby emerging themes were coded and grouped into categories. Results: Twenty-four community pharmacists were recruited, with years of experience in pharmacy practice ranging from 2 to 40 years. Participants described their perceptions on the different weight management interventions where they emphasized the importance of a comprehensive lifestyle intervention and viewed that it should be the first-line intervention. Participants regarded their weight management service as easily accessible or approachable since community pharmacies are often the first point of call for patients seeking advice for their conditions before consulting doctors. Barriers identified by community pharmacists were mainly organizational in nature, which included lack of private consultation rooms, lack of time, and lack of qualified staff. Participants also described the need for training in weight management. Conclusion: Community pharmacists in Malaysia believed that they can positively contribute to the area of weight management. They cited multiple roles that they could play in weight management interventions and services. The roles cited include provision of education and advice, including on lifestyle modifications, drug therapy, weight loss products and supplements, and monitoring and providing referrals to other healthcare professionals. However, barriers would need to be addressed, including through pharmacist training, to strengthen and improve community pharmacists' roles and contributions in weight management service.
Fulltext Impact of an Educational Training Program on the Knowledge, Attitude, and Perceived Barriers of Community Pharmacists Towards Obesity and Overweight Management in Malaysia

Verma RK, Chong WW, Taha NA, Paraidathathu T

Front Public Health, 2021;9:720939.
PMID: 34540790 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.720939

Objective: To evaluate the impact of an educational training program on the knowledge, attitude and perceived barriers of community pharmacists (CPs) towards obesity and overweight management. Methods: This interventional study, which consisted of an educational training program, was conducted on a single cohort of Malaysian CPs. Thirty CPs attended the educational training program. The educational training program was delivered through didactic lectures, case studies and small group discussions, and consisted of various sessions covering different topics related to weight management. A validated questionnaire was used to assess the impact of the intervention on the CPs' knowledge, attitude, and perceived barriers. Results: The overall mean knowledge score increased both immediately after (14.93 ± 1.62) and 30 days following the intervention (17.04 ± 2.51), and the increment was statistically significant 30 days following the intervention (p = 0.001) compared to both pre-intervention and immediate-post intervention stages. After the intervention, the participants had a more positive attitude towards the provision of weight management service (WMS) in community pharmacies. They had significantly stronger perceptions about the importance of their role to manage overweight and obesity and their professional competence to treat obese patients. In addition, the barrier of not having space in pharmacy to perform proper counselling for weight management and the barrier of not having training sessions in the area of obesity management were perceived to be significantly less important post-intervention. Conclusion: This study showed the potential positive impact of an educational training program on CPs knowledge, attitudes and perceived barriers towards WMS.
Fulltext Concordance of recommendations across clinical practice guidelines for the management of hypertension in Southeast Asia with internationally reputable sources

Kow CS, Hasan SS, Wong PS, Verma RK

BMC Cardiovasc Disord, 2021 07 28;21(1):354.
PMID: 34320925 DOI: 10.1186/s12872-021-02054-x

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the rate of concordance, and to investigate sources of non-concordance of recommendations in the management of hypertension across CPGs in Southeast Asia, with internationally reputable clinical practice guidelines (CPGs).
METHODS: CPGs for the management of hypertension in Southeast Asia were retrieved from the websites of the Ministry of Health or cardiovascular specialty societies of the individual countries of Southeast Asia during November to December 2020. The recommendations for the management of hypertension specified in the 2017 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) guideline and the 2018 European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/European Society of Hypertension (ESH) guideline were selected to be the reference standards; the recommendations concerning the management of hypertension in the included CPGs in Southeast Asia were assessed if they were concordant with the reference recommendations generated from both the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline and the 2018 ESC/ESH guideline, using the population (P)-intervention (I)-comparison (C) combinations approach.
RESULTS: A total of 59 reference recommendations with unique and unambiguous P-I-C specifications was generated from the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline. In addition, a total of 51 reference recommendations with unique and unambiguous P-I-C specifications was generated from the 2018 ESC/ESH guideline. Considering the six included CPGs from Southeast Asia, concordance was observed for 30 reference recommendations (50.8%) out of 59 reference recommendations generated from the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline and for 31 reference recommendations (69.8%) out of 51 reference recommendations derived from the 2018 ESC/ESH guideline.
CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension represents a significant issue that places health and economic strains in Southeast Asia and demands guideline-based care, yet CPGs in Southeast Asia have a high rate of non-concordance with internationally reputable CPGs. Concordant recommendations could perhaps be considered a standard of care for hypertension management in the Southeast Asia region.
Attitudes, Practices, and Barriers of Malaysian Community Pharmacists Toward Provision of Weight Management Services

Verma RK, Paraidathathu T, Taha NA, Chong WW

Front Pharmacol, 2019;10:138.
PMID: 30873024 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00138

In Malaysia, sharp increment in the prevalence of obesity over the last four decades has been documented. Community pharmacists (CPs) are strategically placed to tackle obesity by providing weight managements services (WMS) to general public. This study assessed the attitudes, practices and perceived barriers of Malaysian CPs to the provision of WMS. A cross-sectional, descriptive survey was conducted, and responses related to attitudes, practices and perceived barriers of CPs were collected using five-point Likert scale. A total of 550 pharmacists who worked across six states of Malaysia (Selangor, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Pulau Pinang, Johor, Sabah, and Melaka) participated in this study. Most of the CPs strongly agreed that over eating (n = 312, 56.7%) and sedentary lifestyles (n = 297, 54.0%) contribute to obesity and overweight. Most of them also strongly agreed that exercise training is an effective weight reduction strategy (n = 285, 51.9%), but they were generally not in favor of surgery (n = 231, 42% disagreed/strongly disagreed). CPs generally perceived barriers related to a lack of staff to provide WMS (n = 308, 56.0% agreed/strongly agreed) and ethical and legal issues associated with sales of products/drugs for obesity management (n = 285, 51.9% agreed/strongly agreed). Sociodemographic and practice characteristics such as age group, type of pharmacy, highest education qualification, and employment status of CPs influenced the attitudes, practices and perceived barriers associated with WMS. In terms of age, CPs who were aged less then 30 years expressed significantly stronger agreement that medication adherence is beneficial for weight loss compared to those CPs between 41-50 years. Additionally, CPs who were pharmacy owners provided significantly more frequent BMI measurement and patient information materials as part of their weight management practices compared to CPs who worked as a part timer/locum. This study could be taken as a baseline study on Malaysian CPs' perceptions on WMS.
Perceptions of the Malaysian general public on community pharmacy-based weight management services

Verma RK, Paraidathathu T, Taha NA, Chong WW

J Pharm Policy Pract, 2018;11:17.
PMID: 30094032 DOI: 10.1186/s40545-018-0146-x

Background: Obesity is now widely regarded as a main contributor to poor health. Involvement of community pharmacists can be a valuable tool in obesity management. However, there is still a lack of data in Malaysia on the potential involvement of and opportunities for community pharmacists in providing weight management services. Thus, it is essential to investigate the perceptions of the general public on weight management services in the community pharmacy setting. To evaluate the general public's perceptions on weight management services by community pharmacists in terms of perceived availability, utilization and factors influencing acceptability of services.
Methods: A descriptive, cross sectional-survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire comprising of sections that focused on public preferences and options on weight management approaches, perceived availability of extended services and resources provided by community pharmacists in relation to weight management, utilization of these services and resources, and factors influencing acceptability of weight management services provided by community pharmacists. The questionnaires were distributed to the general public aged 18 years and above in Klang Valley, Malaysia.
Results: A total of 730 respondents with a median age of 31 years participated in this study. Majority of respondents ranked dieticians as their preferred first line of consultation, with only about a quarter of respondents ranking community pharmacists as their preferred first or second line of consultation. Although more than half show of the study respondents perceived that community pharmacies they had visited offered services for measuring weight, height, blood pressure, blood glucose and blood cholesterol, fewer perceived that community pharmacies provided advice on physical activity and healthy eating to achieve weight loss. Additionally, majority of the respondents indicated that they had not utilized these services. However, most respondents perceived that community pharmacists should provide weight management services. The main factors influencing acceptability show of services included training of pharmacists, payment, waiting time and the issue of privacy.
Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrated that the majority of respondents were in support of weight management services in community pharmacy; however only a low percentage reported utilizing these services. Factors influencing acceptability of services included payment, waiting time and the issue of privacy. With adequate training among pharmacists and increased awareness of services among the public, community pharmacists could play a larger and important role in addressing the issue of obesity in Malaysia.
Fulltext An evaluation of medication appropriateness and frailty among residents of aged care homes in Malaysia: A cross-sectional study

Hasan SS, Kow CS, Verma RK, Ahmed SI, Mittal P, Chong DWK

Medicine (Baltimore), 2017 Sep;96(35):e7929.
PMID: 28858118 DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000007929

Aging is significantly associated with the development of comorbid chronic conditions. These conditions indicate the use of multiple medications, and are often warranted by clinical guidelines. The aim of the present study was to evaluate medication appropriateness and frailty among Malaysian aged care home residents with chronic disease. The participants were 202 elderly (≥65 years) individuals, a cross-sectional sample from 17 aged care homes. After ethics approval, each participant was interviewed to collect data on sociodemographics, frailty status (Groningen Frailty Indicator [GFI]), medication appropriateness (Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI), the 2015 Beers' criteria (Potentially Inappropriate Medication [PIM]), and 2014 STOPP criteria (Potentially Inappropriate Prescribing [PIP]). The findings show that 81% (n = 164) and 42% (n = 85) were taking medications for cardiovascular and central nervous system-related conditions, respectively, and 34% were using medications for diabetes (n = 69). Each participant had a mean of 2.9 ± 1.5 chronic diseases, with an average GFI score of 6.4 ± 3.6. More than three-quarters of the participants (76%) were frail and polypharmacy was a factor in nearly half (48%); 41% and 36% were prescribed at least one PIP and PIM, respectively, whereas the average MAI score was 0.6 (range: 0-6). The number of medications used per participant correlated significantly and positively (0.21, P = .002) with GFI score. These findings reinforce the need for participants of aged care homes to receive periodic medication review aimed at minimizing morbidity associated with inappropriate pharmacotherapy.
Current updates on pharmacological roles of glucagon-like peptide 1 in obesity

Verma RK, Sriramaneni R, Pandey M, Chaudhury H, Gorain B, Gupta G

Panminerva Med, 2018 Dec;60(4):224-225.
PMID: 29856185 DOI: 10.23736/S0031-0808.18.03479-1
Fulltext Association between beliefs about medicines and self-medication with analgesics among patients with dental pain

Mittal P, Chan OY, Kanneppady SK, Verma RK, Hasan SS

PLoS One, 2018;13(8):e0201776.
PMID: 30071006 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201776

Self-medication with analgesics in dental pain management is a common practice as most of these medicines are available over-the-counter (OTC). The study aims to examine the relationship between beliefs about medicines and self-medication with analgesics in dental pain management in Malaysia. This cross-sectional study was conducted among conveniently sampled patients attending dental clinics, located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to assess association between self-medication with analgesics and patient's beliefs about medicines via Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire. Participants were evaluated for their self-medication practices via 4 items. Further assessment was done via Quantitative Analgesic Questionnaire (QAQ) regarding the analgesics taken. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 24, with 0.05 as level of significance. The prevalence of self-medication with analgesics was 29.4%, with 95.6% of the participants took analgesics when necessary. Participants practising self-medication for dental pain reported more positive beliefs in General-Necessity (13.04 vs. 9.98, p = 0.001) than those not practising self-medication. However, these participants had weaker beliefs in General-Harm (12.00 vs. 10.29, p = 0.006) and General-Overuse (11.38 vs. 10.31, p = 0.032) than those not practising self-medication. Participants beliefs in General-Harm (r = -0.243; p = 0.003) and General-Overuse (r = -0.203; p = 0.012) were negatively correlated with total QAQ point. The study found that individuals who practised self-medication had stronger beliefs about the benefits of medicines and weaker beliefs in viewing medicines as harmful and overused. Findings can guide public education to improve the safety aspects of self-medication with analgesics in dental practice.
An insight into the role of Artificial Intelligence in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

Verma RK, Pandey M, Chawla P, Choudhury H, Mayuren J, Bhattamisra SK, et al.

CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets, 2021 May 11.
PMID: 33982657 DOI: 10.2174/1871527320666210512014505

BACKGROUND: The complication of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has made the development of its therapeutic a challenging task. Even after decades of research, we have achieved no more than a few years of symptomatic relief. The inability to diagnose the disease early is the foremost hurdle behind its treatment. Several studies have aimed to identify potential biomarkers that can be detected in body fluids (CSF, blood, urine, etc) or assessed by neuroimaging (i.e., PET and MRI). However, the clinical implementation of these biomarkers is incomplete as they cannot be validated.
METHOD: To overcome the limitation, the use of artificial intelligence along with technical tools has been extensively investigated for AD diagnosis. For developing a promising artificial intelligence strategy that can diagnose AD early, it is critical to supervise neuropsychological outcomes and imaging-based readouts with a proper clinical review.
CONCLUSION: Profound knowledge, a large data pool, and detailed investigations are required for the successful implementation of this tool. This review will enlighten various aspects of early diagnosis of AD using artificial intelligence.
Nanoparticles Based Intranasal Delivery of Drug to Treat Alzheimer's Disease: A Recent Update

Pandey M, Choudhury H, Verma RK, Chawla V, Bhattamisra SK, Gorain B, et al.

CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets, 2020;19(9):648-662.
PMID: 32819251 DOI: 10.2174/1871527319999200819095620

Alzheimer Association Report (2019) stated that the 6th primary cause of death in the USA is Alzheimer's Disease (AD), which leads to behaviour and cognitive impairment. Nearly 5.8 million peoples of all ages in the USA have suffered from this disease, including 5.6 million elderly populations. The statistics of the progression of this disease is similar to the global scenario. Still, the treatment of AD is limited to a few conventional oral drugs, which often fail to deliver an adequate amount of the drug in the brain. The reduction in the therapeutic efficacy of an anti-AD drug is due to poor solubility, existence to the blood-brain barrier and low permeability. In this context, nasal drug delivery emerges as a promising route for the delivery of large and small molecular drugs for the treatment of AD. This promising pathway delivers the drug directly into the brain via an olfactory route, which leads to the low systemic side effect, enhanced bioavailability, and higher therapeutic efficacy. However, few setbacks, such as mucociliary clearance and poor drug mucosal permeation, limit its translation from the laboratory to the clinic. The above stated limitation could be overcome by the adaption of nanoparticle as a drug delivery carrier, which may lead to prolong delivery of drugs with better permeability and high efficacy. This review highlights the latest work on the development of promising Nanoparticles (NPs) via the intranasal route for the treatment of AD. Additionally, the current update in this article will draw the attention of the researcher working on these fields and facing challenges in practical applicability.
Studies of Charm Quark Diffusion inside Jets Using Pb-Pb and pp Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV

Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Ambrogi F, Asilar E, Bergauer T, et al.

Phys Rev Lett, 2020 Sep 04;125(10):102001.
PMID: 32955327 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.102001

The first study of charm quark diffusion with respect to the jet axis in heavy ion collisions is presented. The measurement is performed using jets with p_{T}^{jet}>60 GeV/c and D^{0} mesons with p_{T}^{D}>4 GeV/c in lead-lead (Pb-Pb) and proton-proton (pp) collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV, recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC. The radial distribution of D^{0} mesons with respect to the jet axis is sensitive to the production mechanisms of the meson, as well as to the energy loss and diffusion processes undergone by its parent parton inside the strongly interacting medium produced in Pb-Pb collisions. When compared to Monte Carlo event generators, the radial distribution in pp collisions is found to be well described by pythia, while the slope of the distribution predicted by sherpa is steeper than that of the data. In Pb-Pb collisions, compared to the pp results, the D^{0} meson distribution for 4
Fulltext MUSiC: a model-unspecific search for new physics in proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV

CMS Collaboration, Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Ambrogi F, Bergauer T, et al.

Eur Phys J C Part Fields, 2021;81(7):629.
PMID: 34727144 DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-09236-z

Results of the Model Unspecific Search in CMS (MUSiC), using proton-proton collision data recorded at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV , corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb - 1 , are presented. The MUSiC analysis searches for anomalies that could be signatures of physics beyond the standard model. The analysis is based on the comparison of observed data with the standard model prediction, as determined from simulation, in several hundred final states and multiple kinematic distributions. Events containing at least one electron or muon are classified based on their final state topology, and an automated search algorithm surveys the observed data for deviations from the prediction. The sensitivity of the search is validated using multiple methods. No significant deviations from the predictions have been observed. For a wide range of final state topologies, agreement is found between the data and the standard model simulation. This analysis complements dedicated search analyses by significantly expanding the range of final states covered using a model independent approach with the largest data set to date to probe phase space regions beyond the reach of previous general searches.
Fulltext Combined searches for the production of supersymmetric top quark partners in proton-proton collisions at s = 13 Te

Tumasyan A, Adam W, Andrejkovic JW, Bergauer T, Chatterjee S, Dragicevic M, et al.

Eur Phys J C Part Fields, 2021;81(11):970.
PMID: 34793584 DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-09721-5

A combination of searches for top squark pair production using proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 Te at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb - 1 collected by the CMS experiment, is presented. Signatures with at least 2 jets and large missing transverse momentum are categorized into events with 0, 1, or 2 leptons. New results for regions of parameter space where the kinematical properties of top squark pair production and top quark pair production are very similar are presented. Depending on the model, the combined result excludes a top squark mass up to 1325 Ge for a massless neutralino, and a neutralino mass up to 700 Ge for a top squark mass of 1150 Ge . Top squarks with masses from 145 to 295 Ge , for neutralino masses from 0 to 100 Ge , with a mass difference between the top squark and the neutralino in a window of 30 Ge around the mass of the top quark, are excluded for the first time with CMS data. The results of theses searches are also interpreted in an alternative signal model of dark matter production via a spin-0 mediator in association with a top quark pair. Upper limits are set on the cross section for mediator particle masses of up to 420 Ge .
Fulltext Precision luminosity measurement in proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016 at CMS

Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Andrejkovic JW, Bergauer T, Chatterjee S, et al.

Eur Phys J C Part Fields, 2021;81(9):800.
PMID: 34781320 DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-09538-2

The measurement of the luminosity recorded by the CMS detector installed at LHC interaction point 5, using proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016, is reported. The absolute luminosity scale is measured for individual bunch crossings using beam-separation scans (the van der Meer method), with a relative precision of 1.3 and 1.0% in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The dominant sources of uncertainty are related to residual differences between the measured beam positions and the ones provided by the operational settings of the LHC magnets, the factorizability of the proton bunch spatial density functions in the coordinates transverse to the beam direction, and the modeling of the effect of electromagnetic interactions among protons in the colliding bunches. When applying the van der Meer calibration to the entire run periods, the integrated luminosities when CMS was fully operational are 2.27 and 36.3 fb - 1 in 2015 and 2016, with a relative precision of 1.6 and 1.2%, respectively. These are among the most precise luminosity measurements at bunched-beam hadron colliders.

Filters

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links