The interplay between diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a cross-sectional study from Pakistan.

Background and objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by ectopic deposition of fat in the liver, in the absence of other secondary causes of fat buildup. The relationship between NAFLD, including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), is important for predicting the severity of disease and prognosis. This study aims to investigate the association of HbA1c in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with NAFLD via measuring the ALT levels. Materials and methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study enroled 130 patients with T2DM and NAFLD. The association between levels of HbA1c and ALT in patients of NAFLD with controlled and uncontrolled T2DM, respectively, was investigated. Stratification was done based on gender and diabetic control, using HbA1c levels as a marker of glycemic control. Serum ALT levels were also compared in both groups. Results: The mean age of the participants was 50.2±5.7 years. The total participants were 130, of which 77 (59.3%) were females and 53 (40.7%) were males. The numbers of patients having uncontrolled T2DM (HbA1c>7%), and controlled T2DM (HbA1c <7%) were 78 (60%) and 52 (40%), respectively. Moreover, 46 (35.3%) females and 32 (24.7%) males had uncontrolled T2DM, and 31 (23.8%) females and 21 (16.2%) males had controlled T2DM. The mean ALT level for uncontrolled and controlled T2DM in female patients was found to be 24.6±3.4 and 13.5±2.4, respectively, (P <0.05). For male patients, it was found to be 54.0±4.9 and 29.1±5.4, respectively (P=0.008). Conclusion: There is a positive association between elevated HbA1c and ALT levels in T2DM patients with NAFLD.

The association of ABCB1 gene polymorphism with clinical response to carbamazepine monotherapy in patients with epilepsy.

BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is a common neurological disease but around 30% of patients fail to respond to antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment. Genetic variation of the ATP-binding cassette subfamily B, member 1 (ABCB1) gene, a drug efflux transporter may infer treatment resistance by decreasing gastrointestinal absorption and preventing AED entry into the brain. This study examined the impact of ABCB1 genetic variants on carbamazepine responsiveness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood of 104 epileptic patients. Genotyping of 3 ABCB1 variants (c.C3435T, c.G2677T/A and c.C1236T) was undertaken using validated TaqMan allelic discrimination assays. Plasma carbamazepine levels were measured at 3 and 6 months following the initial dose using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) alongside clinical outcomes evaluation. RESULTS: Nonresponse to carbamazepine (CBZ) was associated significantly with the ABCB1 variants c.C3435T, c.G2677T/A, c.C1236T and TTT, TTC haplotypes (P < 0.05). There was no significant association between variants and plasma CBZ level (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that variant alleles of the ABCB1 gene and TTT, TTC haplotypes were significantly associated with CBZ resistance without affecting the plasma level of carbamazepine. The findings of this study may help to predict patient's response to treatment ultimately it will improve the personalized and evidence based treatment choice of patients with epilepsy.

Fabrication of curcumin-loaded oleogels using camellia oil bodies and gum arabic/chitosan coatings for controlled release applications.

This study has explored the potential of plant-derived oil bodies (OBs)-based oleogels as novel drug delivery systems for in vitro release under simulated physiological conditions. To obtain stable OBs-based oleogels, gum arabic (GA) and chitosan (CH) were coated onto the curcumin-loaded OBs using an electrostatic deposition technique, followed by 2,3,4-trihydroxybenzaldehyde (TB) induced Schiff-base cross-linking. Microstructural analyses indicated successful encapsulation of curcumin into the hydrophobic domain of the OBs through a pH-driven method combined with ultrasound treatment. The curcumin encapsulation efficiency of OBs increased up to 83.65 % and 92.18 % when GA and GA-CH coatings were applied, respectively, compared to uncoated OBs (63.47 %). In addition, GA-CH coatings retained the structural integrity of oleogel droplets with superior oil-holding capacity (99.07 %), while TB addition induced interconnected 3D-network structures with excellent gel strength (≥4.8 × 105 Pa) and thermal stability (≥80 °C). GA-CH coated oleogels appeared to provide the best protection for loaded bioactive against UV irradiation and high temperature-induced degradation during long-term storage. The combination of biopolymer coatings and TB-induced Schiff-base cross-linking synergistically hindered the simulated gastric degradability of oleogels, releasing only 23.35 %, 12.46 % and 7.19 % of curcumin by GA, GA-CH and GA-CH-TB stabilized oleogels, respectively, while also resulting in sustained release effects during intestinal conditions.

Collagen and gelatin: Structure, properties, and applications in food industry.

Food-producing animals have the highest concentration of collagen in their extracellular matrix. Collagen and gelatin are widely used in food industry due to their specific structural, physicochemical, and biochemical properties, which enable them to improve health and nutritional value as well as to increase the stability, consistency, and elasticity of food products. This paper reviews the structural and functional properties including inherent self-assembly, gel forming, water-retaining, emulsifying, foaming, and thickening properties of collagen and gelatin. Then the colloid structures formed by collagen such as emulsions, films or coatings, and fibers are summarized. Finally, the potential applications of collagen and gelatin in muscle foods, dairy products, confectionary and dessert, and beverage products are also reviewed. The objective of this review is to provide the current market value, progress as well as applications of collagen and its derivatives in food industry.

7-Hydroxy Frullanolide Ameliorates Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Injury through Modification of iNOS and Nrf2 Genes.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is the principal cause of premature death. Protecting myocardium from ischemia is the main focus of intense research. 7-hydroxy frullanolide (7-HF) is a potent anti-inflammatory agent, showing its efficacy in different acute and chronic inflammatory disorders such as atherosclerosis, suggesting it can be a potential cardioprotective agent. For the induction of MI, Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 5) were administered isoproterenol (ISO) 85 mg/kg s.c at 24 h intervals for two days. The potential cardioprotective effect of 7-HF and its mechanisms were explored by in vivo and in vitro methods. 7-HF significantly prevented the extent of myocardial injury by decreasing the infarct size, preserving the histology of myocardial tissue, and reducing the release of cardiac biomarkers. Further, 7-HF increased the mRNA expression of cardioprotective gene Nrf2 and reduced the mRNA expression of iNOS. 7-HF also improved cardiac function by decreasing the cardiac workload through its negative chronotropic and negative ionotropic effect, as well as by reducing peripheral vascular resistance due to the inhibition of voltage-dependent calcium channels and the release of calcium from intracellular calcium stores. In conclusion, 7-HF showed cardioprotective effects in the MI model, which might be due to modulating the expression of iNOS and Nrf2 genes as well as improving cardiac functions.

Efficient Fault Detection of Rotor Minor Inter-Turn Short Circuit in Induction Machines Using Wavelet Transform and Empirical Mode Decomposition.

This paper introduces a novel approach for detecting inter-turn short-circuit faults in rotor windings using wavelet transformation and empirical mode decomposition. A MATLAB/Simulink model is developed based on electrical parameters to simulate the inter-turn short circuit by adding a resistor parallel to phase "a" of the rotor. The resulting high current in the new phase indicates the presence of the short circuit. By measuring the rotor and stator three-phase currents, the fault can be detected as the currents exhibit asymmetric behavior. Fluctuations in the electromagnetic torque also occur during the fault. The wavelet transform is applied to the rotor current, revealing an effective analysis of sideband frequency components. Specifically, changes in amplitude and frequency, particularly in d7 and a7, indicate the presence of harmonics generated by the inter-turn short circuit. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of wavelet transformation in analyzing these frequency components. Additionally, this study explores the use of empirical mode decomposition to detect faults in their early stages, observing substantial changes in the instantaneous amplitudes of the first three intrinsic mode functions during fault onset. The proposed technique is straightforward and reliable, making it suitable for application in wind turbines with simple electrical inputs.

Breast Cancer Classification through Meta-Learning Ensemble Technique Using Convolution Neural Networks.

This study aims to develop an efficient and accurate breast cancer classification model using meta-learning approaches and multiple convolutional neural networks. This Breast Ultrasound Images (BUSI) dataset contains various types of breast lesions. The goal is to classify these lesions as benign or malignant, which is crucial for the early detection and treatment of breast cancer. The problem is that traditional machine learning and deep learning approaches often fail to accurately classify these images due to their complex and diverse nature. In this research, to address this problem, the proposed model used several advanced techniques, including meta-learning ensemble technique, transfer learning, and data augmentation. Meta-learning will optimize the model's learning process, allowing it to adapt to new and unseen datasets quickly. Transfer learning will leverage the pre-trained models such as Inception, ResNet50, and DenseNet121 to enhance the model's feature extraction ability. Data augmentation techniques will be applied to artificially generate new training images, increasing the size and diversity of the dataset. Meta ensemble learning techniques will combine the outputs of multiple CNNs, improving the model's classification accuracy. The proposed work will be investigated by pre-processing the BUSI dataset first, then training and evaluating multiple CNNs using different architectures and pre-trained models. Then, a meta-learning algorithm will be applied to optimize the learning process, and ensemble learning will be used to combine the outputs of multiple CNN. Additionally, the evaluation results indicate that the model is highly effective with high accuracy. Finally, the proposed model's performance will be compared with state-of-the-art approaches in other existing systems' accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score.

Privacy-Aware Collaborative Learning for Skin Cancer Prediction.

Cancer, including the highly dangerous melanoma, is marked by uncontrolled cell growth and the possibility of spreading to other parts of the body. However, the conventional approach to machine learning relies on centralized training data, posing challenges for data privacy in healthcare systems driven by artificial intelligence. The collection of data from diverse sensors leads to increased computing costs, while privacy restrictions make it challenging to employ traditional machine learning methods. Researchers are currently confronted with the formidable task of developing a skin cancer prediction technique that takes privacy concerns into account while simultaneously improving accuracy. In this work, we aimed to propose a decentralized privacy-aware learning mechanism to accurately predict melanoma skin cancer. In this research we analyzed federated learning from the skin cancer database. The results from the study showed that 92% accuracy was achieved by the proposed method, which was higher than baseline algorithms.

Association Between All-Cause Mortality and High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin Concentrations in Patients With Chest Pain.

We assessed the association between troponin levels and all-cause mortality in individuals with chest pain who presented to the Charleston Area Medical Center Emergency Department (CAMC). We identified adult patients with chest pain as defined in the International Classification of Diseases 10 (R07) family group from the CAMC data warehouse between June 6, 2020, and June 6, 2021. These cases required a visit to the emergency room. We created 3 different cohorts to assess the endpoints of all-cause mortality at 30 days and 6 months. Patients were divided into the following 3 categories: negative troponin level, defined as high sensitivity troponin I (HSTNI) assay ≤15 pg/mL for women and ≤20 pg/mL for men; weakly positive, 21-88 pg/mL for men and 16-88 pg/mL for women; and strongly positive, >88 pg/mL for men and women. A propensity score matching analysis was also conducted using the negative group as a control; the weakly and strongly positive groups were compared to the control across differing cardiology covariates. This study introduces novel cutoffs for high-sensitivity troponin I (Beckman Coulter assay, Beckman Coulter, Inc., Chaska Campus, 1000 Lake Hazeltine Drive, Chaska, Minnesota 55318).

Ulam-Hyers stability of tuberculosis and COVID-19 co-infection model under Atangana-Baleanu fractal-fractional operator.

The intention of this work is to study a mathematical model for fractal-fractional tuberculosis and COVID-19 co-infection under the Atangana-Baleanu fractal-fractional operator. Firstly, we formulate the tuberculosis and COVID-19 co-infection model by considering the tuberculosis recovery individuals, the COVID-19 recovery individuals, and both disease recovery compartment in the proposed model. The fixed point approach is utilized to explore the existence and uniqueness of the solution in the suggested model. The stability analysis related to solve the Ulam-Hyers stability is also investigated. This paper is based on Lagrange's interpolation polynomial in the numerical scheme, which is validated through a specific case with a comparative numerical analysis for different values of the fractional and fractal orders.

Comparative study of wound infection between elective and emergency abdominal surgeries: a retrospective cohort study.

The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of wound infection among patients with abdominal surgeries and to compare the surgical site infection following elective versus emergency abdominal surgeries in a tertiary care hospital. Subjects and methods: All patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria in the Department of General Surgery were included in the study. After taking informed written consent history was taken, clinical examination and patients were divided into two groups: group A (elective abdominal surgery) and group B (emergency abdominal surgery), patients in both groups were compared for the outcome that is surgical site infection. Result: A total of 140 patients who underwent abdominal surgery were included. Wound infection in abdominal surgeries was noted in 26 patients (18.6%), in group A wound infection was noted in 7 (5%), while in group B wound infection was seen in 19 (13.6%). Conclusion: The rate of wound infection in patients with abdominal surgeries was not low among the study population and the rate of wound infection was higher in emergency abdominal surgeries as compared with elective abdominal surgeries.

Perceptions of community pharmacists regarding their role in antimicrobial stewardship in Pakistan: A way forward.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest challenges to healthcare resulting in increased morbidity and mortality, and associated with drug resistant infections. Community pharmacists (CPs) can play a key role in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs to aid the prudent use of antibiotics, and in infection prevention and control. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess perceptions of CPs regarding their role, awareness, collaboration, facilitators and barriers towards effective AMS practices in Pakistan. Method: ology: A descriptive, cross-sectional study design was adopted, where convenience and snowball sampling methods were applied to enroll respondents (pharmacists working at these community pharmacies in different cities of Pakistan) of the study. After sample size determination, n = 386 CPs were enrolled. A pre-validated questionnaire was used regarding CPs roles and perceptions in association with AMS. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v. 21. Results: The results of the study reported that 57.3% (n = 221) of CPs had strong familiarity with term AMS. 52.1% (n = 201) of CPs agreed that they require adequate training to undertake activities in AMS programmes in their setting. The results of the study showed that 92.7% (n = 358) of the pharmacists thought real time feedback would be helpful. Significant association was observed in AMS awareness, approach, collaboration and barriers with regards to the respondents' gender, age groups and levels of experience in a community pharmacy. Conclusions: The study concluded that CPs were aware of AMS programmes, their relevance and necessity of AMS in their everyday practice, but had inadequate training and resources to implement it in Pakistan.

Fuzzy Control Modeling to Optimize the Hardness and Geometry of Laser Cladded Fe-Based MG Single Track on Stainless Steel Substrate Prepared at Different Surface Roughness.

Metallic glass (MG) is a promising coating material developed to enhance the surface hardness of metallic substrates, with laser cladding having become popular to develop such coatings. MGs properties are affected by the laser cladding variables (laser power, scanning speed, spot size). Meanwhile, the substrate surface roughness significantly affects the geometry and hardness of the laser-cladded MG. In this research, Fe-based MG was laser-cladded on substrates with different surface roughness. For this purpose, the surfaces of the substrate were prepared for cladding using two methods: sandpaper polishing (SP) and sandblasting (SB), with two levels of grit size used for each method (SP150, SP240, SB40, SB100). The experiment showed that substrate surface roughness affected the geometry and hardness of laser-cladded Fe-based MG. To predict and optimize the geometry and hardness of laser-cladded Fe-based MG single tracks at different substrate surface roughness, a fuzzy logic control system (FLCS) was developed. The FLCS results indicate that it is an efficient tool to select the proper preparation technique of the substrate surface for higher clad hardness and maximum geometry to minimize the number of cladding tracks for full surface cladding.

Post-COVID Factor X Deficiency: A Case Report From Pakistan.

Acquired Factor X deficiency is a rare hematological disease, characterized by excessive bleeding, with fewer than 50 cases reported in the literature and practically all being associated with amyloidosis. We describe a case of a 38-year-old man with no known family history of hematologic disorders who had symptoms of a mild COVID-19 infection. Upon resolution, he developed excessive bleeding features, including epistaxis and hematuria. It was later found that while the rest of the coagulation factors were within normal limits, Factor X was 7% of the normal value, which reversed about two months after recovery. Our case highlights the significance of the less-expected post-COVID bleeding complications, in contrast to the classically seen thrombotic ones.

Nonlinear Thermal Diffusion and Radiative Stagnation Point Flow of Nanofluid with Viscous Dissipation and Slip Constrains: Keller Box Framework Applications to Micromachines.

The radiated flow of magnetized viscous fluid subject to the viscous dissipation phenomenon is numerically studied. The radiative phenomenon is addressed with nonlinear relations. Further, analysis is performed by using the slip effects and convective thermal flow constraints. The transformed problem is numerically evaluated using the Keller Box method. The physical parameter effects, such as the magnetic parameter for the velocity profile, Prandtl number, Brownian motion parameter and Biot number for the energy profile and Lewis number, and the thermophoresis parameter for the concentration profile are discussed. The obtained results suggest applications in enhancing the heat transfer phenomenon, thermal system, energy generation, heat transmission devices, power generation, chemical reactions, etc.

Thermal transport of biological base fluid with copper and iron oxide nanoparticles in wavy channel.

The nanoparticles are frequently used in biomedical science for the treatment of diseases like cancer and these nanoparticles are injected in blood which is transported in the cardiovascular system on the principle of peristalsis. This study elaborates the effects of Lorentz force and joule heating on the peristaltic flow of copper and iron oxide suspended blood based nanofluid in a complex wavy non-uniform curved channel. The Brinkman model is utilized for the temperature dependent viscosity and thermal conductivity. The problem is formulated using the fundamental laws in terms of coupled partial differential equations which are simplified using the creeping flow phenomenon. The graphical results for velocity, temperature, streamlines, and axial pressure are simulated numerically. The concluded observations deduce that the solid volume fraction of nanoparticles reduces the velocity and enhance the pressure gradient and accumulation of trapping bolus in the upper half of the curved channel is noticed for temperature dependent viscosity.

Peristaltic Phenomenon in an Asymmetric Channel Subject to Inclined Magnetic Force and Porous Space.

This research is engaged to explore biological peristaltic transport under the action of an externally applied magnetic field passing through an asymmetric channel which is saturated with porous media. The set of governing partial differential equations for the present peristaltic flow are solved in the absence of a low Reynolds number and long wavelength assumptions. The governing equations are to be solved completely, so that inertial effects can be studied. The numerical simulations and results are obtained by the help of a finite element method based on quadratic six-noded triangular elements equipped with a Galerkin residual procedure. The inertial effects and effects of other pertinent parameters are discussed by plotting graphs based on a finite element (FEM) solution. Trapped bolus is discussed using the graphs of streamlines. The obtained results are also compared with the results given in the literature which are highly convergent. It is concluded that velocity and the number of boluses is enhanced by an increase in Hartmann number and porosity parameter K Increasing inertial forces increase the velocity of flow but increasing values of the porosity parameter lead to a decrease in the pressure gradient. The study elaborates that magnetic field and porosity are useful tools to control the velocity, pressure, and boluses in the peristaltic flow pattern.

Modeling and Mathematical Investigation of Blood-Based Flow of Compressible Rate Type Fluid with Compressibility Effects in a Microchannel.

In this investigation, the compressibility effects are visualized on the flow of non-Newtonian fluid, which obeys the stress-strain relationship of an upper convected Maxwell model in a microchannel. The fundamental laws of momentum and mass conservation are used to formulate the problem. The governing nonlinear partial differential equations are reduced to a set of ordinary differential equations and solved with the help of the regular perturbation method assuming the amplitude ratio (wave amplitude/half width of channel) as a flow parameter. The axial component of velocity and flow rate is computed through numerical integration. Graphical results for the mean velocity perturbation function, net flow and axial velocity have been presented and discussed. It is concluded that the net flow rate and Dwall increase in case of the linear Maxwell model, while they decrease in case of the convected Maxwell model. The compressibility parameter shows the opposite results for linear and upper convected Maxwell fluid.

Numerical Computation for Gyrotactic Microorganisms in MHD Radiative Eyring-Powell Nanomaterial Flow by a Static/Moving Wedge with Darcy-Forchheimer Relation.

The intention of this study is to carry out a numerical investigation of time-dependent magneto-hydro-dynamics (MHD) Eyring-Powell liquid by taking a moving/static wedge with Darcy-Forchheimer relation. Thermal radiation was taken into account for upcoming solar radiation, and the idea of bioconvection is also considered for regulating the unsystematic exertion of floating nanoparticles. The novel idea of this work was to stabilized nanoparticles through the bioconvection phenomena. Brownian motion and thermophoresis effects are combined in the most current revision of the nanofluid model. Fluid viscosity and thermal conductivity that depend on temperature are predominant. The extremely nonlinear system of equations comprising partial differential equations (PDEs) with the boundary conditions are converted into ordinary differential equations (ODEs) through an appropriate suitable approach. The reformed equations are then operated numerically with the use of the well-known Lobatto IIIa formula. The variations of different variables on velocity, concentration, temperature and motile microorganism graphs are discussed as well as force friction, the Nusselt, Sherwood, and the motile density organism numbers. It is observed that Forchheimer number Fr decline the velocity field in the case of static and moving wedge. Furthermore, the motile density profiles are deprecated by higher values of the bio convective Lewis number and Peclet number. Current results have been related to the literature indicated aforementioned and are found to be great achievement.