Association of Chest Pain with Rate Pressure Product and ST-segment Changes after Sub Arachnoid Block in Caesarean Section.

When healthy women undergo caesarean section (CS) under sub arachnoid anaesthesia, transient electrocardiographic changes, such as ST-segment depression and T-wave abnormalities, are observed. During an elective caesarean section under sub arachnoid anaesthesia, about one-third of healthy parturient experience chest pain and ECG changes suggestive of myocardial ischemia. To assess the ST-segment and Rate Pressure Product changes with chest pain in patients with elective caesarean section under subarachnoid block. The Department of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Intensive Care Medicine at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Bangladesh was the site of this prospective observational study. The study included 86 healthy women between the ages of 20 and 35 who needed an elective caesarean section under a single shot sub arachnoid block and who visited the Department of Anesthesia, Analgesia, and Intensive Care Medicine at BSMMU in Shahbagh, Dhaka from January 2019 to June 2019. In comparison to the no chest pain group, ST-segment changes among the chest pain group at delivery, 5 minute, 10 minute after delivery and at the end of the surgery were highly significant (p=0.001). Comparatively, Rate Pressure Product changes were found to be significantly higher in the group with chest pain than in the group without chest pain (p=0.001). It is concluded that there is a substantial association of chest pain with rate pressure product and ST-segment changes after subarachroid block in caesarean section.

Corrigendum to "Energy saving potential analysis applying factory scale energy audit - A case study of food production" [Heliyon 9 (3), (March 2023) Article e14216].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14216.].

Dexmedetomidine as an Adjuvant to Bupivacaine in Caudal Analgesia in Children Undergoing Infra-Umbilical Surgery.

When performing infra-umbilical procedures, caudal epidural analgesia with bupivacaine is frequently used to provide both intra- and post-operative analgesia. Dexmedetomidine, an alpha 2 agonistsare extensively used in neuraxial blocks and peripheral nerve blocks to prolong the action of bupivacaine. To find out the effects of dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to bupivacaine for caudal analgesia in children undergoing infra-umbilical surgery. This was a randomized, controlled double-blinded prospective observational study and was performed from July 2019 to December 2019. A total of 60 (Sixty) patients with different infra-umbilical surgical problems underwent different procedure under caudal anaesthesia in different operation theatre in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka were enrolled in this study. Elaborate personal history, meticulous clinical examinations and relevant laboratory investigations was done. Post-operative adverse effects also were monitored. All information from history of illness, clinical, laboratory findings, duration of analgesia and post-operative adverse effects were recorded in a preformed data sheet (Appendix-I) and statistical analysis was done by SPSS 22.0. Mean age of the children in Group A (dexmedetomidine + bupivacaine) was 5.50±2.61 years and in Group B (bupivacaine) was 5.66±2.75. Mean weight of the children in Group A was 19.22±8.58 kg and in Group B was 19.70±8.94 kg in this study. Mean duration of anaesthesia was 27.5±6.5 minute in Group A and 28.5±5.5 minute in Group B. The mean duration of analgesia was 4.32±0.54 hours for Group A and 2.12±0.32 hours in Group B. In Group A, 46.7% patients required 1 and 3.3% required 2 rescue analgesic but in Group B, 43.3% patients required single rescue analgesic and 33.3% required two rescue analgesics (p<0.05). In Group A, 6.7% patients had nausea/ vomiting and in Group B, 16.7% patients had nausea/ vomiting (p>0.05). It can be concluded that dexmedetomidine with bupivacaine for caudal analgesia in infra-umbilical surgery significantly prolongs the duration of postoperative analgesia when compared to bupivacaine alone without any side-effects.

Energy saving potential analysis applying factory scale energy audit - A case study of food production.

An energy audit (EA) is a crucial step in boosting factory energy efficiency and obtaining certification for cleaner manufacturing. The results of a preliminary energy audit carried out at a sizable industrial facility in Jordan that creates some of the most well-known foods in the Middle East are presented in this study. The monthly demand of the factory for diesel ranged from 75,251.545 to 166,666.67 L. The factory energy model which is used to examine the impact of various energy-saving practices on the factory's primary energy consumption, was developed with the help of the energy audit. It has been established that optimizing the factory's energy use and the boiler systems' performance with regards to diesel consumption can withstand an expected monthly financial savings of 14205.85 Jordanian Dinar (JD). This has allowed a reduction in energy use of up to 18%. The CO2 harmful emissions were also decreased. Additionally, it is estimated that switching from the proposed motors to energy-efficient motors will cost less overall over time, saving around 3472.314 JD/month or 0.33576/year on average. Moreover, it was discovered that a total of 772.82021 Ton CO2/year emissions may be avoided each year.

Coscinodiscus diatom inspired bi-layered photonic structures with near-perfect absorptance Part II: hexagonal vs. square lattice-based structures.

In this follow up of our previous work on bio-inspired photonics [Opt. Express28, 25007 (2020)10.1364/OE.399505], we present a detailed comparison between the absorption characteristics of hexagonal and square lattice oriented bi-layered photonic structures designed based on the morphology of Coscinodiscus diatom. It is well established that single layers of square lattice-based systems offer better light absorption characteristics than their hexagonal counterparts. However this study shows that superior performances are obtained with hexagonal lattices when bi-layered photonic structures mimicking Coscinodiscus diatom are designed. The finite difference time domain and effective medium approximation based numerical analysis of this work show that bi-layered structures containing hexagonal lattices exhibit tunable, near-perfect (∼95%) absorptance at around 426 nm wavelength up to about 60° angle of incidence, whereas for square lattice the absorptance goes below 85% (65%) for TM (TE) polarization. Moreover, depending on whether light is being incident onto smaller or larger pores of the bi-layered system, peak absorptance for hexagonal lattices is obtained to be nearly 4 times higher than the results obtained for the equivalent square lattices. Such characteristics make the hexagonal lattice-based structures more suitable for bi-facial light absorption related applications.

Coumarin improves tomato plant tolerance to salinity by enhancing antioxidant defence, glyoxalase system and ion homeostasis.

Salinity is a severe threat to crop growth, development and even to world food sustainability. Plant possess natural antioxidant defense tactics to mitigate salinity-induced oxidative stress. Phenolic compounds are non-enzymatic antioxidants with specific roles in protecting plant cells against stress-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Coumarin (COU) is one of these compounds, however, to date, little is known about antioxidative roles of exogenous COU in enhancing plant tolerance mechanisms under salt stress. The involvement of COU in increasing tomato salt tolerance was examined in the present study using COU as a pre-treatment at 20 or 30 µM for 2 days against salt stress (100 or 160  NaCl; 5 days). The COU-mediated stimulation of plant antioxidant defence and glyoxalase systems to suppress salt-induced ROS and methylglyoxal (MG) toxicity, respectively, were the main hypotheses examined in the present study. Addition of COU suppressed salt-induced excess accumulation of ROS and MG, and significantly reduced membrane damage, lipid peroxidation and Na+ toxicity. These results demonstrate COU-improved plant growth, biomass content, photosynthetic pigment content, water retention and mineral homeostasis upon imposition of salinity. Finally, this present study suggests that COU has potential roles as a phytoprotectant in stimulating plant antioxidative mechanisms and improving glyoxalase enzyme activity under salinity stress.

Coscinodiscus diatom inspired bi-layered photonic structures with near-perfect absorptance accompanied by tunable absorption characteristics.

Inspired by the morphology of Coscinodiscus species diatom, bi-layered photonic structures comprised of dielectric-filled nano-holes of varying diameters have been designed and analyzed to enhance and tune absorption characteristics of GaAs-based thin-film photonic devices. Finite difference time domain-based numerical analysis and effective medium approximation based theoretical calculations show that by adjusting diameter and areal density of the nano-holes of the two layers, the peak absorption wavelength can be tuned over a wide spectral range, while attaining a maximum peak-absorptance value of about 97% and a maximum absorption bandwidth of ∼ 190 nm. The maximum enhancement factor of the bi-layered structure is about 11% higher than the value obtained for its equivalent single-layered counterpart over the near-ultraviolet to visible regime of the spectra. High absorptance over a wide-angle for TM polarization and tunable angle-dependent absorption characteristics for TE polarization are also obtained for the proposed ultra-thin absorbers. It has been shown that instead of having misaligned pore-centers as in Coscinodiscus species diatoms, a bi-layered structure designed with layers of identical lattice constant offers significant flexibility in terms of design and practical realization of thin-film photonic devices.

Causes and incidence of community-acquired serious infections among young children in south Asia (ANISA): an observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: More than 500 000 neonatal deaths per year result from possible serious bacterial infections (pSBIs), but the causes are largely unknown. We investigated the incidence of community-acquired infections caused by specific organisms among neonates in south Asia. METHODS: From 2011 to 2014, we identified babies through population-based pregnancy surveillance at five sites in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Babies were visited at home by community health workers up to ten times from age 0 to 59 days. Illness meeting the WHO definition of pSBI and randomly selected healthy babies were referred to study physicians. The primary objective was to estimate proportions of specific infectious causes by blood culture and Custom TaqMan Array Cards molecular assay (Thermo Fisher, Bartlesville, OK, USA) of blood and respiratory samples. FINDINGS: 6022 pSBI episodes were identified among 63 114 babies (95·4 per 1000 livebirths). Causes were attributed in 28% of episodes (16% bacterial and 12% viral). Mean incidence of bacterial infections was 13·2 (95% credible interval [CrI] 11·2-15·6) per 1000 livebirths and of viral infections was 10·1 (9·4-11·6) per 1000 livebirths. The leading pathogen was respiratory syncytial virus (5·4, 95% CrI 4·8-6·3 episodes per 1000 livebirths), followed by Ureaplasma spp (2·4, 1·6-3·2 episodes per 1000 livebirths). Among babies who died, causes were attributed to 46% of pSBI episodes, among which 92% were bacterial. 85 (83%) of 102 blood culture isolates were susceptible to penicillin, ampicillin, gentamicin, or a combination of these drugs. INTERPRETATION: Non-attribution of a cause in a high proportion of patients suggests that a substantial proportion of pSBI episodes might not have been due to infection. The predominance of bacterial causes among babies who died, however, indicates that appropriate prevention measures and management could substantially affect neonatal mortality. Susceptibility of bacterial isolates to first-line antibiotics emphasises the need for prudent and limited use of newer-generation antibiotics. Furthermore, the predominance of atypical bacteria we found and high incidence of respiratory syncytial virus indicated that changes in management strategies for treatment and prevention are needed. Given the burden of disease, prevention of respiratory syncytial virus would have a notable effect on the overall health system and achievement of Sustainable Development Goal. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Interaction of sulfur with phytohormones and signaling molecules in conferring abiotic stress tolerance to plants.

Sulfur (S) is a macronutrient for the plant, which has an immense role in basic plant processes and regulation of several metabolic pathways. It has also a major role in providing protection against adverse conditions. Sulfur-containing amino acids and metabolites maintain plant cell mechanisms to improve stress tolerance. It interacts with several biomolecules such as phytohormones, polyamines, nitric oxide (NO), and even with other plant nutrients, which can produce some derivatives those are essential for abiotic stress tolerance. Different S derivatives stimulate signaling cascades, for the upregulation of different cellular messengers such as abscisic acid, Ca2+, and NO. Sulfur is also known to interact with some essential plant nutrients by influencing their uptake and transport, hence, confers nutrient homeostasis efficiencies. This review focuses on how S is interacted with several signaling molecules like NO, glutathiones, phytohormones, hydrogen sulfide, polyamines, etc. This is a concise summary aimed at guiding the researchers to study S-related plant processes in the light of abiotic stress tolerance.

Absolute bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of the angiotensin II receptor antagonist fimasartan in healthy subjects.

The present study was conducted to determine the absolute bioavailability of fimasartan (FMS; Kanarb(®) ) after the single oral administration of a 60-mg tablet or a single 30-mg intravenous (IV) infusion. This investigation was a randomized, single-dose, open-labeled, two-way crossover study of 16 healthy Korean male subjects. The subjects were divided into two groups (n = 8) and each received either the oral or IV formulation followed by one-week washout period. The Cmax (ng/ml) and AUC∞ (h · ng/ml) following oral and IV administration were 62.4 ± 48.6 and 291.1 ± 121.7; and 683.3 ± 104.3 and 782.3 ± 112.7 (mean ± SD), respectively. The Tmax (h) were 3.0 h (range: 0.5-5.0 h) and 1.0 h (range: 0.8-1.0 h) in the test and reference groups, respectively. The terminal elimination half-lives (t1/2 , h) were similar (5.8 and 5.5 h, respectively) indicating that the route of administration did not influence the absorption or elimination of FMS. The systemic clearance (CL, L/h) and the volume of distribution at steady-state (Vdss , L) were 331.3 ± 444.5 L/h and 403.3 ± 710.4 L following oral administration and 39.1 ± 5.3 L/h and 42.4 ± 25.5 L following IV administration. The absolute bioavailability of the FMS tablet was 18.6%.

Global renewable energy-based electricity generation and smart grid system for energy security.

Energy is an indispensable factor for the economic growth and development of a country. Energy consumption is rapidly increasing worldwide. To fulfill this energy demand, alternative energy sources and efficient utilization are being explored. Various sources of renewable energy and their efficient utilization are comprehensively reviewed and presented in this paper. Also the trend in research and development for the technological advancement of energy utilization and smart grid system for future energy security is presented. Results show that renewable energy resources are becoming more prevalent as more electricity generation becomes necessary and could provide half of the total energy demands by 2050. To satisfy the future energy demand, the smart grid system can be used as an efficient system for energy security. The smart grid also delivers significant environmental benefits by conservation and renewable generation integration.

Pharmacokinetic and bioequivalence study of etoricoxib tablet in healthy Bangladeshi volunteers.

The aim of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetic properties of two etoricoxib (CAS 202409-33-4) 60 mg formulations, namely Etocox-60 (test product) and reference product, and to evaluate whether these two formulations meet the FDA criteria to assume bioequivalence. Twenty-four healthy volunteers were enrolled into this randomized, single-dose, 2-way crossover, open-label pharmacokinetic study. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive the test formulation followed by the reference formulation or vice versa as a single dose of 60 mg tablets after 12 h overnight fasting, with a washout period of two weeks. Following oral administration, blood samples were collected at 0 (baseline), 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0, 10.0, 12.0, 24.0, 48.0, 72.0, 96.0, and 120.0 h. Serum concentration of etoricoxib was assessed using a high performance liquid chromatographic-UV spectrometry procedure. The pharmacokinetic parameters were determined by the non-compartmental method. After administering a single dose of 60 mg of each etoricoxib formulation, the obtained mean (SD) values for the test and reference products were 1.26 (0.33) and 1.29 (0.35) microg/ml for Cmax; 3.25 (2.64) and 2.63 (1.40) h for t(max); 29.63 (8.31) and 30.40 (5.85) h x microg/ml for AUC0-120; and 31.84 (10.97) and 33.00 (8.10) h x microg/ml for AUC0-infinity, respectively. The mean t1/2 was found 27.99 (7.87) h and 29.84 (7.93) h for test and reference product respectively. From paired t-test, no significant differences were observed (p > 0.05) for any pharmacokinetic parameters. After analysis of variance, no period, sequence or formulation effects were observed for any pharmacokinetic property. The 90% confidence intervals of the test/reference mean ratios of the 1n-transformed AUC0-120, AUC0-infinity and Cmax mean values were 95.90% (85.37%-107.74 %), 94.69% (84.43%-106.20%) and 97.87% (85.54 %-111.98 %), respectively, which fell within the predetermined FDA bioequivalence range of 80%-125%. This single-dose study found that the test and reference formulations of etoricoxib met the regulatory criteria for bioequivalence in terms of both rate and extent of absorption.