Utilization of opium poppy seed oil for biodiesel production: A parametric characterization and statistical optimization.

Consuming traditional petroleum-derived diesel fuel has long been associated with issues such as the depletion of natural energy resources. To solve these challenges, an alternate source like as biodiesel is an appealing option. Seed oils have long been recognized as an abundant and diverse source of biodiesel. In this study, poppy seed oil from the poppy (Papaver somniferum) was investigated for biodiesel production. Poppy seed biodiesel was generated and refined using acid-pretreated esterification with sulphuric acid prior to transesterification, as well as single-step alkaline catalyzed transesterification with methanol and potassium hydroxide. Finally, the percentage yield was compared. Using Statistica, the Box-Behnken design was applied to optimize process variables like time, temperature, catalyst concentration, and methanol-oil ratio to produce maximum yield. The relationship of process variables was also shown with the help of the Response Surface Methodology. A maximum yield of 94.87 % was obtained at optimized conditions, i.e., 90min reaction time, 60 °C of temperature, 0.25 mg of catalyst concentration, and 3v/v% alcohol-oil ratio. The fuel properties of biodiesel produced, such as acid value, moisture content, saponification value, iodine value, specific gravity, percentage of free fatty acids, refractive index, viscosity, boiling point, and peroxide value, were measured and compared with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D6751 and European Standards (EN) 14214. Further results were studied and discussed using Fourier Transfer Infrared (FTIR) analysis, which showed maximum similarity of raw material to formed biodiesel. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was performed to identify and quantify various fatty acid methyl esters. The results obtained were in accordance with various international standards for biodiesel fuel. Thus, poppy seeds can be used to obtain biodiesel.

Portal vein thrombosis due to inherited combined deficiency of protein C and S in a young adult: A case report.

Protein S and C deficiency is a rare inherited thrombophilia that predisposes individuals to a hypercoagulable state, leading to clot formation in various locations, such as the deep veins of the legs, cerebral veins, and rarely the portal vein. We present the case of a 21-year-old male who came to the ER with hematemesis and melena secondary to chronic portal vein thrombosis (PVT) without any evidence of cirrhosis. Diagnostic investigations, including ultrasonography and computed tomography, confirmed the presence of thrombosis and cavernous transformation of the portal vein, splenic vein thrombosis, and splenomegaly. Coagulation profiling revealed diminished Protein S and C levels, thus confirming the diagnosis of a combined Protein S and C deficiency. Management involved indefinite anticoagulant therapy with direct oral anticoagulants to mitigate thromboembolic risks associated with the inherited thrombophilia. This case underscores the importance of considering rare coagulation disorders in young patients with unexplained thrombotic events, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive diagnostic approach and timely therapeutic interventions to minimize morbidity and mortality.

Post-traumatic pulmonary embolism in the setting of cough-variant asthma.

Post-traumatic pulmonary embolism (PE) poses diagnostic complexities, especially with underlying lung pathologies and delayed symptoms. We report a 43-year-old male who presented with cough, frothy sputum, and dyspnea following blunt chest trauma 2 weeks ago. Due to a history of asthma, an asthma exacerbation was suspected but he failed to respond to bronchodilator therapy. Doppler USG (ultrasonography) was negative for deep venous thrombi, however, elevated D-dimer levels prompted further investigation with computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA), confirming the diagnosis of PE. Prompt initiation of anticoagulation and thrombolysis resulted in clinical improvement. This case underscores the need to rule out posttraumatic PE, irrespective of age, type of, or time since injury, and underlying lung disease, to ensure timely diagnosis and intervention.

Efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Context: COVID-19 has substantial effects on respiratory health and overall well-being. Recent studies suggest vitamin D as a potential treatment, but the results are inconclusive. Objective: The authors conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to examine the link between vitamin D and patients with COVID-19. Data sources: The authors searched electronic databases PubMed, Cochrane, CINAHL, EMBASE and Google Scholar from their inception till August 2023. Study selection: Inclusion criteria used in our systematic review include: (1) patients who tested positive for COVID-19, (2) intervention was vitamin D supplementation, (3) the comparator was either a placebo, standard care of treatment, or, no treatment, (4) at least one of the clinical outcomes of interest were investigated, (5) study design being RCTs. Data extraction: Two independent reviewers manually extracted information from selected articles, including study characteristics, patient characteristics, and the primary outcomes: all-cause mortality, ICU and hospital stay length and secondary outcomes: mechanical ventilation, supplemental oxygen, ICU admission, and adverse events. Risk ratios or mean differences and 95% CIs were calculated using a random-effects model. Data synthesis: The authors' analysis included 14 RCTs with 2165 patients. Vitamin D significantly reduced ICU admissions and lowered the need for mechanical ventilation compared to placebo. However, it did not significantly affect hospital stay length, ICU stay length, mechanical ventilation duration, mortality, or the need for supplemental oxygen. Conclusion: Vitamin D does not significantly improve certain clinical outcomes, such as hospital and ICU stay length, for patients with COVID-19. However, it still may be significantly beneficial in decreasing the burden on intensive care services.

An intelligent learning system based on electronic health records for unbiased stroke prediction.

Stroke has a negative impact on people's lives and is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Early detection of symptoms can significantly help predict stroke and promote a healthy lifestyle. Researchers have developed several methods to predict strokes using machine learning (ML) techniques. However, the proposed systems have suffered from the following two main problems. The first problem is that the machine learning models are biased due to the uneven distribution of classes in the dataset. Recent research has not adequately addressed this problem, and no preventive measures have been taken. Synthetic Minority Oversampling (SMOTE) has been used to remove bias and balance the training of the proposed ML model. The second problem is to solve the problem of lower classification accuracy of machine learning models. We proposed a learning system that combines an autoencoder with a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) model to increase the accuracy of the proposed ML model for stroke prediction. Relevant features are extracted from the feature space using the autoencoder, and the extracted subset is then fed into the LDA model for stroke classification. The hyperparameters of the LDA model are found using a grid search strategy. However, the conventional accuracy metric does not truly reflect the performance of ML models. Therefore, we employed several evaluation metrics to validate the efficiency of the proposed model. Consequently, we evaluated the proposed model's accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve (AUC), and receiver operator characteristic (ROC). The experimental results show that the proposed model achieves a sensitivity and specificity of 98.51% and 97.56%, respectively, with an accuracy of 99.24% and a balanced accuracy of 98.00%.

Exploring the chemistry of waste eggshells and its diverse applications.

The large-scale production of chicken eggs results in a substantial amount of eggshell (ES) residue, often considered as waste. These discarded shells naturally decompose in soil approximately within a year. Eggshells (ES), comparatively contribute lesser towards environmental pollution, contain a remarkable amount of calcium, which can be converted into various valuable products that finds applications in industries, pharmaceuticals, and medicine. Among the diverse applications of ES, most effective and promising applications are removal of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn, and Cu) ∼93-99 % metal adsorption capacity and capturing of flue gases (CO2 and SO2) from the environment. With ES having a maximum CO2 sorption capacity of 92 % as compared to other sources, and SO2 adsorption capacity of Calcined ES∼11.68 mg/g. The abundance, low cost and easy availability of CaO from ES makes them sustainable and eco-friendly. Additionally, its versatility extends beyond environmental prospects, as it is widely used in various industries as a catalyst, sorbent, fertilizer, and calcium supplement in food for individuals, plants and animals, among other diverse fields of study. Owing to its versatile applications, current review focuses on structure, chemical composition, treatment methods, and valorization pathways for diverse applications, aiming to reduce the eggshells waste and mitigate environmental pollution.

Abscisic acid improves drought resilience, growth, physio-biochemical and quality attributes in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) at critical growth stages.

Wheat is an important staple crop not only in Pakistan but all over the globe. Although the area dedicated to wheat cultivation expands annually, the quantity of wheat harvested is declining due to various biotic and abiotic factors. Global wheat production and output have suffered as a result of the drought, which is largely driven by a lack of water and environmental factors. Organic fertilizers have been shown to reduce the severity of drought. The current research was conducted in semi-arid climates to mitigate the negative effects of drought on wheat during its critical tillering (DTS), flowering (DFS), and grain filling (DGFS) stages through the application of three different abscisic acid treatments: ABA0 (0 mgL-1) control, ABA1 (100 mgL-1) and ABA2 (200 mgL-1). Wheat growth and yield characteristics were severely harmed by drought stress across all critical development stages, with the DGFS stage being particularly vulnerable and leading to a considerable loss in yield. Plant height was increased by 24.25%, the number of fertile tillers by 25.66%, spike length by 17.24%, the number of spikelets per spike by 16.68%, grain count per spike by 11.98%, thousand-grain weight by 14.34%, grain yield by 26.93% and biological yield by 14.55% when abscisic acid (ABA) was applied instead of the control treatment. Moreover, ABA2 increased the more physiological indices (water use efficiency (36.12%), stomatal conductance (44.23%), chlorophyll a (24.5%), chlorophyll b (29.8%), transpiration rate (23.03%), photosynthetic rate (24.84%), electrolyte leakage (- 38.76%) hydrogen peroxide (- 18.09%) superoxide dismutase (15.3%), catalase (20.8%), peroxidase (- 18.09%), and malondialdehyde (- 13.7%)) of drought-stressed wheat as compared to other treatments. In the case of N, P, and K contents in grain were maximally improved with the application of ABA2. Through the use of principal component analysis, we were able to correlate our results across scales and provide an explanation for the observed effects of ABA on wheat growth and production under arid conditions. Overall, ABA application at a rate of 200 mgL-1 is an effective technique to boost wheat grain output by mitigating the negative effects of drought stress.

The 4Fs of cotton: genome editing of cotton for fiber, food, feed, and fuel to achieve zero hunger.

Cotton is globally known for its high-priority cellulose-rich natural fiber. In addition to providing fiber for the textile industry, it is an important source material for edible oil, livestock feed, and fuel products. Global warming and the growing population are the major challenges to the world's agriculture and the potential risks to food security. In this context, improving output traits in cotton is necessary to achieve sustainable cotton production. During the last few years, high throughput omics techniques have aided in identifying crucial genes associated with traits of cotton fiber, seed, and plant architecture which could be targeted with more precision and efficiency through the CIRPSR/Cas-mediated genome editing technique. The various CRISPR/Cas systems such as CRISPR/Cas9, CRISPR/nCas9, and CRISPR/Cas12a have been employed to edit cotton genes associated with a wide range of traits including fiber length, flowering, leaf colour, rooting, seed oil, plant architecture, gossypol content, somatic embryogenesis, and biotic and abiotic stresses tolerance, highlighting its effectiveness in editing the cotton genome. Thus, CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome editing has emerged as a technique of choice to tailor crop phenotypes for better yield potential and environmental resilience. The review covers a comprehensive analysis of cotton phenotypic traits and their improvement with the help of the latest genome editing tools to improve fiber, food, feed, and fuel-associated genes of cotton to ensure food security.

Gene pyramiding improved cell membrane stability under heat stress in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

Climate change has been drastically affecting cotton not only in Pakistan but also all over the world. Normally cotton is known as heat tolerant when compared with other crops, but if the high temperature occurs during flowering period the yield decreases significantly. Marker assisted gene pyramiding provides a sustainable solution to improve heat tolerance. A total of seven genotypes were developed by a series of crossing seven tolerant genotypes over the period of three years. Tolerant genotypes were selected by screening for important transcription factors (GHSP26, HSP3, HSFA2, DREB1A, HSP101, DREB2A, GhNAC2, HSPCB, GhWRKY41, TPS, GbMYB5, ANNAT8, GhMPK17, GhMKK1, GhMKK3, GhMPK2, HSC70, APX1 and GhPP2A1). The seven genotypes were evaluated under normal and heat stress in a multi-year trial. The traits related to heat tolerance, such as cell membrane stability, relative water content, excised leaf water loss, plant height, number of nodes, internodal length, number of buds, number of bolls and leaf area was observed under normal and heat stress conditions. The developed genotypes showed improvement in cell membrane stability and relative water content under heat stress. The genotypes [(VH-305×MNH-886)×MNH-1035)×NIAB-78)], [(MNH-1035×MNH-886)×MNH-886)×SM-431] and [(MNH-1035×MNH-886)×MNH-886)×SS-32] depicted heat tolerance and could be used as heat tolerant material for variety development in breeding programs.

Salvage Reconstruction of Composite Defects of the Anterior Mandible, Floor of Mouth, and Lip.

Anterior mandible defects result in loss of support for the tongue, floor of the mouth and lower lip, resulting in impairment of airway, feeding, and speech. We treated four patients with these "Andy Gump" deformities. Reconstruction was performed with two free flaps: a fibula osteocutaneous flap for the anterior mandible and floor of the mouth, and a soft tissue free flap for the lip, chin, and anterior neck. The lower lip was suspended cranially with fascia or tendon grafts ± mini-temporalis turndown flaps. All flaps survived completely. All patients were tube feed-dependent before surgery; they all resumed an oral diet. All tracheostomies were decannulated. Lip competence was restored as evidenced by cessation of drooling. Speech improved from unintelligible to intelligible with frequent repetitions. Objective assessment was performed with the functional intraoral Glasgow scale; the mean FIGS score improved from 3.25 (range 3-4) to 11 (range 9-13). We conclude that composite anterior mandible and tongue defects have large tissue requirements that require multiple free flaps. Reconstruction leads to significant improvement in function.

Production Technologies for Recombinant Antibodies: Insights into Eukaryotic, Prokaryotic, and Transgenic Expression Systems.

Recombinant antibodies, a prominent class of recombinant proteins, are witnessing substantial growth in research and diagnostics. Recombinant antibodies are being produced employing diverse hosts ranging from highly complex eukaryotes, for instance, mammalian cell lines (and insects, fungi, yeast, etc.) to unicellular prokaryotic models like gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. This review delves into these production methods, highlighting approaches like antibody phage display that employs bacteriophages for gene library creation. Recent studies emphasize monoclonal antibody generation through hybridoma technology, utilizing hybridoma cells from myeloma and B-lymphocytes. Transgenic plants and animals have emerged as sources for polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies, with transgenic animals preferred due to their human-like post-translational modifications and reduced immunogenicity risk. Chloroplast expression offers environmental safety by preventing transgene contamination in pollen. Diverse production technologies, such as stable cell pools and clonal cell lines, are available, followed by purification via techniques like affinity chromatography. The burgeoning applications of recombinant antibodies in medicine have led to their large-scale industrial production.

Valorization of hydro-distillate of fruit peels of Citrus paradisi macfad. Cultivar. Foster: Chemical profiling, antioxidant evaluation and in vitro and in silico enzyme inhibition studies.

The major commercial crops in Pakistan are citrus fruit trees, which are farmed extensively and serve as the country's principal source of foreign exchange. A local citrus plant, Citrus paradisi, variety Foster is famous for its valuable fruit and fruit juice, however, tons of peels of this fruit are thrown as waste, which otherwise can be utilized in formulating nutraceutical and cosmetics. In the present study, essential oil of fruit peels was obtained through hydro-distillation, which was then analyzed through GC-MS analysis and studied for its antioxidant and enzyme inhibition potential. GCMS analysis revealed the presence of several components; major were found to be limonene, α-terpineol, caryophyllene, δ-amorphene, elemol, γ-eudesoml, nootkatone and di-isooctyl phthalate. Although, the oil showed weak free radical inhibition, it was potentially active in CUPRAC, FRAP, phosphomolybdenum and metal chelating antioxidant assays. The oil also exhibited anti-glucosidase, anti-amylase activities and also exhibited potent inhibition of the enzyme tyrosinase, which makes it strong candidate for nutraceuticals and skin care products. The docking studies also substantiate our results and caryophyllene, γ-eudesoml and nootkatone showed good binding affinity α-glucosidase and α-amylase and all tested compounds showed the higher binding affinity towards the enzyme tyrosinase.

Probing N-substituted 4-(5-mercapto-4-ethyl-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)-N-phenylpiperdine-1-carboxamides as potent 15-LOX inhibitors supported with ADME, DFT calculations and molecular docking studies.

In our continuous efforts to find out leads against the enzyme 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX), the current study deals with the synthesis of a series of new N-alkyl/aralkyl/aryl derivatives of 2-(4-ethyl-5-(1-phenylcarbamoyl)piperidine-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-ylthio)methylacetamide (7a-n) with anti-LOX activities. The synthesis was started by reacting phenylisocyanate with isonipecotate that sequentially converted into N-substituted ester (1), hydrazide (2), semicarbazide (3) and N-ethylated 5-(1-phenylcarbamoyl)piperidine-1,2,4-triazole (4). The final compounds, 7a-n, were obtained by reacting 4 with various N-alkyl/aralkyl/aryl electrophiles. Both the intermediates and target compounds were characterized by FTIR, 1H, 13C NMR spectroscopy, EI-MS and HR-EI-MS spectrometry and screened against soybean 15-LOX by chemiluminescence method. The eight compounds 7e, 7j, 7h, 7a, 7g, 7b, 7n, 7c showed potent inhibitory activities against 15-LOX with values ranging from IC50 0.36 ± 0.15 µM (7e) to IC50 6.75 ± 0.17 µM (7c) compared with the reference quercetin (IC50 4.86 ± 0.14 µM) and baicalein (IC50 2.24 ± 0.13 µM). Two analogues (7l, 7f) had significantly outstanding inhibitory potential with IC50 values 12.15 ± 0.23 µM and 15.54 ± 0.26 µM, whereas, the derivatives 7i, and 7d displayed IC50 values of 21.56 ± 0.27 µM, 23.59 ± 0.24 µM and the compounds 7k, 7m were found inactive. All analogues exhibited blood mononuclear cells (MNCs) viability >75 % at 0.25 mM concentration as determined by MTT method. Calculated pharmacokinetic properties projected good lipophilicity, bioavailability and drug-likeness properties and did not violate Lipinski's/Veber rule. Molecular docking studies revealed lower binding free energies of all the derivatives than the reference compounds. The binding free energies were -9.8 kcal/mol, -9.70 k/mol and -9.20 kcal/mol for 7j, 7h and 7e, respectively, compared with the standard quercetin (-8.47 kcal/mol) and baicalein (-8.98 kcal/mol). The docked ligands formed hydrogen bonds with the amino acid residues Gln598 (7e), Arg260, Val 126 (7h), Gln762, Gln574, Thr443, Arg580 (7j) while other hydrophobic interactions observed therein further stabilized the complexes. The results of density functional theory (DFT) revealed that analogues with more stabilized lower unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) had significant enzyme inhibitory activity. The data collectively supports these molecules as leads against 15-LOX and demand further investigations as anti-inflammatory agents.

Individual and combinatorial application of nanosilica and carbon nanoparticles alleviate nickel stress in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.): Impacts on gene expression, AsA - GSH cycle, cellular fractionation, and proline metabolism.

Nanotechnology is grabbing great attention all over the world because of its stimulating use in numerous fields, and the nanosilica (nSi) and carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) application has been examined in various studies. Conversely, the nSi and CNPs combinatorial use is a new method and researched in limited literature. For this purpose, a pot experiment was conducted to examine various growth and biochemical parameters in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) under the toxic concentration of nickel (Ni) i.e., 200 mg kg-1 which were primed with combined application of two NPs of nSi at 3 mM and CNPs i.e., 200 µM respectively. The results showed that the Ni toxicity in the soil showed a significantly (P < 0.05) declined in the growth, gas exchange attributes, sugars, AsA-GSH cycle, cellular fractionation, proline metabolism in H. vulgare. However, Ni toxicity significantly (P < 0.05) increased oxidative stress biomarkers, enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants including their gene expression in H. vulgare. Although, the application of nSi and CNPs showed a significant (P < 0.05) increase in the plant growth and biomass, gas exchange characteristics, enzymatic and non-enzymatic compounds and their gene expression and also decreased the oxidative stress, and Ni uptake. In addition, individual or combined application of nSi and CNPs enhanced the cellular fractionation and decreases the proline metabolism and AsA-GSH cycle in H. vulgare. These results open new insights for sustainable agriculture practices and hold immense promise in addressing the pressing challenges of heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils.

Prevalence of nephropathy among diabetic patients in North American region: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Nephropathy is one of the most common microvascular impediments of diabetes mellitus. In this study, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of nephropathy in diabetic patients across the North American region. METHODS: Eligible studies were screened out from 3 electronic databases, for example, PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect using specific search keywords based on the eligibility criteria. Extracting the data from the included studies publication bias, quality assessment, outlier investigation, and meta-analysis was done followed by the subgroup analysis. A total of 11 studies met the study inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis was performed with the extracted data. RESULTS: Pooled prevalence of 28.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 19.7-36.7) with a high rate of heterogeneity (I2 = 100%) was identified. The pooled prevalence of nephropathy among diabetic patients in the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico was 24.2% (95% CI: 13.8-34.5), 31.2% (95% CI: 25.8-36.5), and 31.1% (95% CI: 20.8-41.5), respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of nephropathy among diabetic patients was found lower in the United States of America as compared to Canada and Mexico. Besides, the pooled prevalence of the North American region was found to be lower as compared to the African, European, and Asian regions. Minimizing the pathogenic factors, sufficient diagnostic, healthcare facilities, and awareness are recommended to improve the situation.

Investigation and application of a classical piecewise hybrid with a fractional derivative for the epidemic model: Dynamical transmission and modeling.

In this research, we developed an epidemic model with a combination of Atangana-Baleanu Caputo derivative and classical operators for the hybrid operator's memory effects, allowing us to observe the dynamics and treatment effects at different time phases of syphilis infection caused by sex. The developed model properties, which take into account linear growth and Lipschitz requirements relating the rate of effects within its many sub-compartments according to the equilibrium points, include positivity, unique solution, exitance, and boundedness in the feasible domain. After conducting sensitivity analysis with various parameters influencing the model for the piecewise fractional operator, the reproductive number R0 for the biological viability of the model is determined. Generalized Ulam-Hyers stability results are employed to preserve global stability. The investigated model thus has a unique solution in the specified subinterval in light of the Banach conclusion, and contraction as a consequence holds for the Atangana-Baleanu Caputo derivative with classical operators. The piecewise model that has been suggested has a maximum of one solution. For numerical solutions, piecewise fractional hybrid operators at various fractional order values are solved using the Newton polynomial interpolation method. A comparison is also made between Caputo operator and the piecewise derivative proposed operator. This work improves our knowledge of the dynamics of syphilis and offers a solid framework for assessing the effectiveness of interventions for planning and making decisions to manage the illness.

Selenium improved arsenic toxicity tolerance in two bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) varieties by modulating growth, ion uptake, photosynthesis, and antioxidant profile.

Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.); an important spice crop of the region is a rich source of vitamins and antioxidants having many health benefits. Many biotic and abiotic factors contribute towards growth and yield losses of this crop. Arsenic (As) toxicity is a global issue, but it is particularly critical in developing countries. The current study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of selenium (Se) in mitigating the toxic effects of As in two varieties (HSP-181 A and PS09979325) of Capsicum annuum L. Different concentrations of As (0, 50, and 100 µM) and Se (0, 5, and 10 µM) were tested using 14 days old seedlings of C. annuum L. The As stress caused a significant (P ≤ 0.001) reduction in growth, uptake of nutrients, and eco-physiological attributes in both varieties however, the response was specific. While the overproduction of osmo-protectants and antioxidants intensified the symptoms of oxidative stress. The maximum reduction in shoot length (45%), fresh weight (29%), and dry weight (36%) was observed in under 100 µM As stress. The organic acids exudation from the roots of both cultivars were significantly increased with the increase in As toxicity. The Se treatment significantly (p ≤ 0.001) improved growth, nutrient uptake, gas exchange attributes, antioxidant production, while decreased oxidative stress indicators, and As uptake in the roots and shoots of all the subjects under investigation. It is concluded from the results of this study that Se application increased photosynthetic efficiency and antioxidant activity while decreasing As levels, organic acid exudation, and oxidative stress indicators in plants. Overall, the var. PS09979325 performed better and may be a good candidate for future pepper breeding program.

Curcumin-loaded soluplus® based ternary solid dispersions with enhanced solubility, dissolution and antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory activities.

Amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) has emerged to be an outstanding strategy among multiple options available for improving solubility and consequently biological activity. Interestingly several binary SD systems continue to exhibit insufficient solubility over time. Therefore, the goal of current research was to design ternary amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) of hydrophobic model drug curcumin (CUR) to enhance the solubility and dissolution rate in turn, presenting enhanced anti-bacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. For this purpose several ternary solid dispersions (TSDs) consisting of Soluplus®, Syloid® XDP 3150, Syloid® 244 and Poloxamer® 188 in combination with HPMC E5 (binary carrier) were prepared using solvent evaporation method. Both solubility and dissolution testing of prepared solid dispersion were performed to determine the increase in solubility and dissolution. Solid state investigation was carried out utilizing infrared spectroscopy, also known as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM),Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).Optimized formulations were also tested for their biological effectiveness including anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Amid all Ternary formulations F3 entailing 20 % soluplus® remarkably improved the solubility (186 µg/ml ± 3.95) and consequently dissolution (91 % ± 3.89 %) of curcumin by 3100 and 9 fold respectively. These finding were also supported by FTIR, SEM, XRD and DSC. In-vitro antibacterial investigation of F3 also demonstrated significant improvement in antibacterial activity against both gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus) and gram negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli) bacteria. Among all the tested strains Staphylococcus aureus was found to be most susceptible with a zone of inhibition of 24 mm ± 2.87. Antioxidant activity of F3 was also notably enhanced (93 % ± 5.30) in contrast to CUR (69 % ± 4.79). In vitro anti-inflammatory assessment also exhibited that F3 markedly protected BSA (bovine serum albumin) from denaturation with percent BSA inhibition of 80 % ± 3.16 in comparison to CUR (49 % ± 2.91). Hence, F3 could be an effective solid dispersion system for the delivery of model hydrophobic drug curcumin.

Mixed Cryoglobulinemia Syndrome Associated with Non-HCV B-Cell Lymphoproliferative Disorder Presenting with Gangrene and Peripheral Neuropathy.

Mixed cryoglobulinemia is a rare disorder characterized by gangrene, weakness, and arthralgias with variable organ involvement. It is often associated with hepatitis C, HIV, and immunological disorders. Diagnosis is based on clinical features and laboratory testing with serology detecting cryoglobulins. Our patient, a 64-year-old female, presented with weakness, fatigue, and discoloration of her fingers and toes. Physical examination showed upper- and lower-extremity skin changes with dry gangrene. Serology showed a non-hepatitis C status, positive cryoglobulin test with a positive rheumatoid factor, and monoclonal IgM-kappa, confirming the diagnosis of mixed cryoglobulinemia. She was treated with intravenous immunoglobulins, glucocorticoids, multiple cycles of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, and plasma exchange. Following a significant event of exacerbation and relapse requiring a below-knee amputation, this case report aims to raise awareness among clinicians to consider this as a rare cause of gangrene and peripheral neuropathy in an elderly adult.