Exploring the natural efficacy of spirulina powder for combating obesity, diabetes, and inflammation.

BACKGROUND: An increasing incidence of metabolic disorders emphasizes the need to explore natural treatments. Spirulina, a microalga with a rich nutrient profile, offers a promising solution for obesity, diabetes, and inflammation. This study provides a meticulous analysis of spirulina powder, evaluating its physicochemical attributes and technofunctional properties through the use of advanced analytical techniques. RESULTS: Spirulina powder demonstrated strong flowability, substantial water and oil absorption capacity, and moderate foaming characteristics. The ethanolic extract of spirulina was found to be a repository of phenolic (6.93 mg GAE/g) and flavonoid (7.17 mg QE/g) compounds, manifesting considerable antioxidant activity with a 58.49 g kg-1 inhibition of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals. The extract also exhibited pronounced inhibitory effects on lipase and amylase enzymes, with inhibition percentages of 72.05 g kg-1 and 70.28 g kg-1, respectively, and displayed a glucose retention capacity of 1.28 mg dL-1 (68.52 g kg-1) in a dialysis membrane assay. These results suggest its efficacy in modulating obesity and glycemic control. The powder also showed a potent anti-inflammatory response by mitigating protein denaturation. CONCLUSION: Spirulina powder is a potent natural agent with multiple health benefits, meriting its incorporation into functional foods. It could be suitable for application in the food industry, offering a natural strategy to combat metabolic diseases. This research adds to the scientific literature on spirulina, paving the way for future research into its utilization. © 2024 The Author(s). Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Vitamin B12: prevention of human beings from lethal diseases and its food application.

Vitamin B12, a water-soluble essential micronutrient, plays a pivotal role in numerous physiological processes in the human body. This review meticulously examines the structural complexity and the diverse mechanisms through which vitamin B12 exerts its preventive effects against a spectrum of health conditions, including pernicious anaemia, neurological disorders, obesity, diabetes, dyslipidaemia and complications in foetal development. The selection of articles for this review was conducted through a systematic search across multiple scientific databases, including PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. Criteria for inclusion encompassed relevance to the biochemical impact of vitamin B12 on health, peer-reviewed status and publication within the last decade. Exclusion criteria were non-English articles and studies lacking empirical evidence. This stringent selection process ensured a comprehensive analysis of vitamin B12's multifaceted impact on health, covering its structure, bioavailable forms and mechanisms of action. Clinical studies highlighting its therapeutic potential, applications in food fortification and other utilizations are also discussed, underscoring the nutrient's versatility. This synthesis aims to provide a clear understanding of the integral role of vitamin B12 in maintaining human health and its potential in clinical and nutritional applications. © 2024 The Author(s). Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Removal of arsenic from jarosite waste using hydrometallurgical treatment.

The jarosite waste used during this study consists of minute amount of arsenic that has a potential to be leached into environment when kept in open area. This study tried to recover arsenic from jarosite waste using hydrometallurgical treatment. The comprehensive characterization of jarosite samples was performed using various analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform Infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and it was characterized as natrojarosite. For optimal removal of arsenic, the response surface methodology (RSM) was applied with the key factors, including dosage (A), time (B), temperature (C), and acid concentration (D) on the recovery of arsenic. The results indicated that the dosage (A) and acid concentration (D) demonstrated significant positive effects on arsenic recovery. As expected, the higher dosage and acid concentration was associated with increased recovery percentages for the arsenic from jarosite. Whereas time (B) and temperature (C) did not exhibit statistically significant recovery of arsenic within the specified experimental range. The contour plots showed the optimal operating conditions for the highest recovery percentage was approximately 52.61% when 2.5 g of jarosite was treated with 10 mol/L acid for 150 min at operating temperature of 80°. Although our study showed very moderate recovery of arsenic, it is first report where arsenic has been removed from jarosite waste. Readjustment of range of operating parameters would provide more insight into the further optimization of the yield.

Major Phytochemicals: Recent Advances in Health Benefits and Extraction Method.

Recent scientific studies have established a relationship between the consumption of phytochemicals such as carotenoids, polyphenols, isoprenoids, phytosterols, saponins, dietary fibers, polysaccharides, etc., with health benefits such as prevention of diabetes, obesity, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, etc. This has led to the popularization of phytochemicals. Nowadays, foods containing phytochemicals as a constituent (functional foods) and the concentrated form of phytochemicals (nutraceuticals) are used as a preventive measure or cure for many diseases. The health benefits of these phytochemicals depend on their purity and structural stability. The yield, purity, and structural stability of extracted phytochemicals depend on the matrix in which the phytochemical is present, the method of extraction, the solvent used, the temperature, and the time of extraction.

Cardiomyopathy and echocardiographic abnormalities in Indian patients with psoriasis: Results of a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between psoriasis and cardiomyopathy is understudied in Indian patients. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated psoriasis patients for cardiomyopathy and other echocardiographic abnormalities. METHODS: About 98 (M:F = 67:31) patients with mild to moderate psoriasis aged 18-75 years (mean ± SD = 42.12 ± 12.79 years) having no pre-existing metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disorders were studied. X-ray chest, electrocardiogram and echocardiography were performed and interpreted by cardiologist for size of the left and right ventricles, left ventricle ejection fraction, diastolic function, pulmonary artery pressure and valve abnormality/regurgitation and their severity as per current guidelines/recommendations. The cardiomyopathies were defined according to standard diagnostic guidelines. RESULTS: Echocardiographic abnormalities were noted in 13 (13.3%) patients aged 19-75 years (mean ± SD = 43.30 ± 15.71 years). The left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (grade 1) was observed in nine patients (moderate severe psoriasis in four patients) and one of them also had concentric left ventricular hypertrophy; a precursor of restrictive cardiomyopathy. Mild tricuspid valve regurgitation was present in other four patients. There was no statistically significant difference in age, gender, duration and the severity of psoriasis when compared with patients having normal echocardiography. The mitral or aortic valves, pulmonary artery pressure, mid-right-ventricular diameter and the left atrial volume showed no abnormality. CONCLUSIONS: Psoriasis perhaps plays a role in left ventricular dysfunction and possibly cardiomyopathy even with moderately severe disease and in the absence of clinical symptoms. However, these observations need to be interpreted with caution in the absence of any statistically significant difference between age, gender, duration and severity of psoriasis in the patients having normal and abnormal echocardiography.

Anti-obesity efficacy of the selected high altitude Himalayan herbs: in vitro studies.

Obesity is a serious health problem for all age groups and it also promotes Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and hypertension. Herbs are used for the weight reduction from ancient times, therefore, 12 herbs viz. Betula utilis, Bunium periscum, Angelica glauce, Saussurea lappa, Podophyllum hexandrum, Bergenia ciliate, Rumex acetosa, Aconitum heterophyllum, Centella asiatica, Andrographis paniculata, Dactylorhiza hatagirea and Bauhina variegate were selected as per literature. Rumex acetosa roots showed the highest extraction rate (39.5%), while C. asiatica leaf showed lowest extraction rate (1.25%) as compared to other herbs. As well, S. lappa leaf extract (396.52 mg GAE/g), R. acetosa root extract (181.5 mg QE/g), and B. ciliate leaf extract (79.19%) showed significantly higher Total Phenolic Content, Total Flavonoid Content and antioxidant activity, respectively. Furthermore, lipase and amylase inhibition activity and IC50 value of herb extract were higher in S. lappa root extract (75.75%, 75.41% and 62.47, 61.37, respectively). Bauhina variegate leaf extract showed a significantly higher glucose level, percentage of glucose movement (1.446 mg/dL and 63.85%) and (0.938 mg/dL and 76.55%). Based upon these experiments, 5 herbs were selected and different formulations were prepared and out of these, F3 herb formulation showed higher lipase and amylase inhibition activity (81.75% and 70.66%) and therefore, F3 herbal formulation was selected for treatment of obesity.

Evaluation of Endothelial Dysfunction in Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy Patients.

Background: Endothelial dysfunction has early been characterized in ischemic cardiomyopathy patients. The study was aimed to study evaluation of endothelial dysfunction in idiopathic cardiomyopathy patients (DCM). Methods: Thirty newly diagnosed patients (age >18 years) of DCM were enrolled in the study from cardiology OPD, PGIMER, Chandigarh from January 2011 to June 2012. Age-and sex-matched 30 healthy controls were also enrolled. Idiopathic DCM was diagnosed by presence of left ventricular dilatation and systolic dysfunction (LVEF <40%) on echocardiography in the absence of coronary artery disease, hypertension or valvular disease. All patients underwent echocardiography and coronary arteriography. Flow mediated dilation (FMD) and carotid intima media thickness (IMT) were compared between patients and controls. Results: There was no significant difference in mean IMT between patients (0.73±0.04 mm) and controls (0.747±0.03 mm) (P=0.18). There was significant difference in left IMT in NHYA class (P=0.010). There was significant difference in mean percentage of FMD (patients vs. controls; 4.37% vs. 8.35%; P=0.001) while baseline FMD was different (patients vs. controls; 3.6 mm±0.26 mm vs. 3.72±0.32 mm; P=0.13). There was no significant difference in percentage NMD (P=0.057) and mean NMD (P=0.26) between patients and controls. There was no correlation between FMD and IMT. Conclusion: Endothelial dysfunction occurs in IDC patients. Also, there is a positive correlation with NHYA class; however, IMT is not affected in dilated cardiomyopathy.

Probing the Active Surface Sites for CO Reduction on Oxide-Derived Copper Electrocatalysts.

CO electroreduction activity on oxide-derived Cu (OD-Cu) was found to correlate with metastable surface features that bind CO strongly. OD-Cu electrodes prepared by H2 reduction of Cu2O precursors reduce CO to acetate and ethanol with nearly 50% Faradaic efficiency at moderate overpotential. Temperature-programmed desorption of CO on OD-Cu revealed the presence of surface sites with strong CO binding that are distinct from the terraces and stepped sites found on polycrystalline Cu foil. After annealing at 350 °C, the surface-area corrected current density for CO reduction is 44-fold lower and the Faradaic efficiency is less than 5%. These changes are accompanied by a reduction in the proportion of strong CO binding sites. We propose that the active sites for CO reduction on OD-Cu surfaces are strong CO binding sites that are supported by grain boundaries. Uncovering these sites is a first step toward understanding the surface chemistry necessary for efficient CO electroreduction.

Evaluation of dental implant insertion torque using a manual ratchet.

BACKGROUND: Dental implant insertion torque is crucial for the success of the implant and the prosthesis. This in-vivo study was undertaken to determine the average insertion torque being applied to the dental implant while surgically placing it with a non-calibrated manual ratchet. METHODS: Three dental surgeons placed a total of 45 dental implants (Touareg, ADIN, Afula, Israel) in 42 selected patients. Each surgeon placed 15 implants. Standardised protocols were followed to prepare the site to place the dental implant. Each implant was placed using a manual non-calibrated implant ratchet first. Once the implant was nearly placed, a manual calibrated torque gauge ratchet was used to place the implant in its final position and at that instance, the maximum final torque applied was noted on the torque gauge scale. RESULTS: The mean dental implant insertion torque applied by three surgeons using a non-calibrated manual ratchet was estimated to be 63.26 Ncm with a standard error of 6.80 i.e. (63.26 + 6.8), which was significantly higher than the baseline of 35 Ncm (p < 0.0001). The mean dental implant torque applied by Surgeon 1, 2 and 3, respectively, was 65.93 Ncm, 62.60 Ncm and 62.13 Ncm and this difference amongst them was found to be statistically insignificant (p > 0.05) and each of them had reached more than the baseline level of 35 Ncm individually and significantly (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Without the use of torque measuring devices, an average surgeon may achieve an average insertion torque of 63.26 + 6.8 Ncm.

Deciphering Physio-Biochemical Basis of Tolerance Mechanism for Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Genotypes under Waterlogging Stress at Early Vegetative Stage.

Waterlogging represents a substantial agricultural concern, inducing harmful impacts on crop development and productivity. In the present study, 142 diverse sesame genotypes were examined during the early vegetative phase to assess their response under waterlogging conditions. Based on the severity of symptoms observed, 2 genotypes were classified as highly tolerant, 66 as moderately tolerant, 69 as susceptible, and 5 as highly susceptible. Subsequent investigation focused on four genotypes, i.e., two highly tolerant (JLT-8 and GP-70) and two highly susceptible (R-III-F6 and EC-335003). These genotypes were subjected to incremental stress periods (0 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 96 h) to elucidate the biochemical basis of tolerance mechanisms. Each experiment was conducted as a randomized split-plot design with three replications, and the statistical significance of the treatment differences was determined using the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by the Fisher least significant difference (LSD) test at p ≤ 0.05. The influence of waterlogging stress on morphological growth was detrimental for both tolerant and susceptible genotypes, with more severe consequences observed in the latter. Although adventitious roots were observed in both sets of genotypes above flooding levels, the tolerant genotypes exhibited a more rapid and vigorous development of these roots after 48 h of stress exposure. Tolerant genotypes displayed higher tolerance coefficients compared to susceptible genotypes. Furthermore, tolerant genotypes maintained elevated antioxidant potential, thereby minimizing oxidative stress. Conversely, susceptible genotypes exhibited higher accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde content. Photosynthetic efficiency was reduced in all genotypes after 24 h of stress treatment, with a particularly drastic reduction in susceptible genotypes compared to their tolerant counterparts. Tolerant genotypes exhibited significantly higher activities of anaerobic metabolism enzymes, enabling prolonged survival under waterlogging conditions. Increase in proline content was observed in all the genotypes indicating the cellular osmotic balance adjustments in response to stress exposure. Consequently, the robust antioxidant potential and efficient anaerobic metabolism observed in the tolerant genotypes served as key mechanisms enabling their resilience to short-term waterlogging exposure. These findings underscore the promising potential of specific sesame genotypes in enhancing crop resilience against waterlogging stress, offering valuable insights for agricultural practices and breeding programs.

Structural and Surface Properties of pH-Varied Fe2O3 Nanoparticles: Correlation with Antibacterial Properties.

Hematite (Fe2O3) nanoparticles were synthesized using a hydrothermal synthesis route under different pH conditions (pH ∼8,10,11.5) (i.e., different ratios of H+/OH- ions). The sample synthesized at pH 10 had better motility toward the bacterial surface due to having an overall positive charge (ξ-potential = +11.10), leading to a minimal hydrodynamic size (Dτ = 186.6). The results are discussed in light of the relative ratio of H+/OH- that may affect bond formation by influencing the electronic clouds of the participating ions that can modify the structure. This, in turn, modifies crystallinity, strain, disorder, surface termination, and thereby, the surface charge, which has been correlated to the antibacterial properties of the nanoparticles due to the interaction between the respective opposite charges on the nanoparticle surface and bacterial cell wall. The structural modifications were correlated to all of these parameters in this work.

A sustainable approach to prepare green synthesis of copper nanoparticles of Bauhinia variegata & Saussurea lappa: Unveiling in-vitro anti-obesity applications.

Nanoparticles have different shapes and sizes between the range of 1-100 nm, which show advantages for stabilizing compounds, higher carrier capacity, and lower costs. Metal nanoparticles such as copper, gold, silver, and zinc are favorable components for various applications due to their interesting properties. In the present study, nanoparticles were synthesized by reduction with flower extracts of Bauhinia variegate & Saussurea lappa that were used to stabilize the copper nanoparticles. Furthermore, the characterization of plants synthesized copper nanoparticles was carried out through UV-visible dynamic light scattering. Additionally, morphological characterization of nanoparticles was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy confirmed the elemental composition of copper nanoparticles. Powder X-ray diffraction was conducted for the analysis of crystallinity, purity, and crystal size of plant-synthesized copper nanoparticles. The average particle size was evaluated and exhibited the particle size at the peak of 8.721 nm and 98.03 nm for flower extracts of Bauhinia variegate & Saussurea lappa copper nanoparticles. The Fourier Transform Infrared spectrum was taken to scrutinize the various functional groups that were responsible for the reduction of the copper ions. The antimicrobial results against the bacterial strains with the positive test results of the zone of inhibition were for Bauhinia variegate (17 mm, 18 mm, 19 mm, and 18 mm) and Saussurea lappa (17 mm, 19 mm, 18 mm, and 18 mm) respectively for plants synthesized copper nanoparticles against the Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Lipase inhibition assay and Amylase inhibition assay with different concentrations (20 µg/mL to 100 µg/mL) for Bauhinia variegate & Saussurea lappa (12.34 %-59.67 % and 10.50 %-47.01 %) and (34.52 %-89.02 % and 22.34 %-56.45 %) confirmed the anti-obesity and anti-diabetic activities of plants extract synthesized copper nanoparticles.

"The impact of orthognathic surgery on articulation proficiency and speech intelligibility in skeletal Class III malocclusion: 18 months follow up".

Introduction: Orthognathic surgery results in the positional change of the maxilla and mandible that may affect speech. The present study evaluated the effect of combined maxillary advancement and mandibular setback surgery on articulation proficiency and speech intelligibility in patients with non-syndromic skeletal Class III malocclusion. Methods: In this prospective study, twenty-five patients with skeletal class III malocclusion and consecutively treated with Lefort-1 maxillary advancement and mandibular setback (BSSO) orthognathic surgery were included in this study. The speech sample was recorded with a digital audio tape recorder one day before surgery and at 3, 6, 9, 12 and 18 months after surgery. Three qualified and experienced speech and language pathologists evaluated articulation errors and intelligibility of speech samples. Repeated One-way analysis of variance was used to compare articulation proficiency and speech intelligibility at different time intervals. Results: The substitution, omission, distortion and addition errors showed no significant changes at 3 months and 6 months. The total articulation errors decreased to zero at 9 months and no significant increase was observed till 18 months (P < 0.05). Speech intelligibility showed statistically non-significant improvement at any time interval. Cephalometric skeletal parameters SNA and N l A°. were significantly correlated with addition and total articulation errors at 18 months follow up. Conclusions: The ortho-surgical treatment improves speech (decreases. articulation errors) in most of the patients usually 6-9 months post-surgery. Speech intelligibility is not affected by bimaxillary orthognathic surgery in skeletal class III patients. The articulation errors were correlated to changes in position of maxilla.

Effect of zoledronic acid on bone mineral density in patients of celiac disease: a prospective, randomized, pilot study.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: The symptoms of celiac disease (CD) are varied and metabolic bone disease (MBD) is less recognized amongst all manifestations in CD patients. Bone disease in CD is attributed to secondary hyperparathyroidism, which in turn is associated with increased bone remodelling. Improvement in bone mineral density (BMD) with gluten free diet (GFD) is known, but the data on efficacy of bisphosphonates in CD patients are limited. Bisphosphonates being a potent inhibitor of bone resorption may be useful in patients with CD having low BMD. The aim of the present investigation was to study the effect of zoledronic acid on BMD in CD patients. METHODS: A total of 28 CD patients were randomized to receive GFD, calcium and cholecalciferol (group A), and zoledronic acid (group B). Baseline biochemical tests and T-score by dual energy x-ray absorptiometer were done and repeated after 12 months. RESULTS: The T-score showed improvement in the control arm (group A) from -3.31 ± 1.46 to -2.12 ± 1.44, a gain of 35.9 per cent (P<0.05) and in drug arm (group B) -2.82 ± 1.27 to -1.06 ± 1.84, registering a gain of 62.4 per cent (P<0.001). However, there was no difference in improvement of T-score in zoledronic acid group as compared to the control group. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: Administration of zoledronic acid was not found to be better than GFD alone in increasing BMD in CD patients with low BMD in this pilot study.

Successful outcome of permanent maxillary incisor reimplanted after 30 hours of extra-oral time-a case report with 5-year follow-up.

Key Clinical Message: Tooth reimplantation should be attempted in every possible case with thorough disinfection and impervious obturation. Integration of progressive innovations with recommended protocols can enhance complication free survival in intense situations. Abstract: The present case describes the unique successful outcome of a tooth reimplanted after the delay of 30 hours. A 21-year old male patient presented with an avulsed #21 after a fall due to electric shock. It was reimplanted according IADT guidelines with the addition of specific irrigation sequence proposed for regenerative endodontic procedures during the endodontic treatment. The final obturation was accomplished by combination of Biodentine and BioRCS root-canal sealer. Subluxated #11 developed symptoms at 6 months and was further managed using recommended endodontic procedure. Both teeth had complication free survival during 5 year follow-up.

A review on the frying process: Methods, models and their mechanism and application in the food industry.

Frying is one of the most popular and traditional processes used in the food industry and food services to manufacture products that are high in quality and with unique sensory characteristics. The most common method of frying is deep-fat frying, used worldwide due to its distinct flavor profile and sensory aspects, which leads to physio-chemical changes at both macro and micro levels. One of the major concerns with deep-fried foods is their high oil content, and a variety of metabolic disorders can be caused by overconsumption of these foods, including heart disease, obesity, and high cholesterol. Due to their enticing organoleptic properties with their delicious flavor, pleasing mouthfeel, and unique taste, making them irresistible, it is also responsible for undesirable and unacceptable characteristics for consumers. Oil absorption can be reduced by developing novel frying methods that limit the amount of oil in products, producing products with fewer calories and oil while maintaining similar quality, flavor, and edibility. In addition, different pretreatments and post-frying treatments are applied to achieve a synergistic effect. The transfer of mass and heat occurs simultaneously during frying, which helps to understand the mechanism of oil absorption in fried food. Researchers have discovered that prolonged heating of oils results in polar compounds such as polymers, dimers, free fatty acids, and acrylamide, which can alter metabolism and cause cancer. To reduce the oil content in fried food, innovative frying methods have been developed without compromising its quality which also has improved their effect on human health, product quality, and energy efficiency. The aim is to replace the conventional frying process with novel frying methods that offer fried food-like properties, higher nutritional value, and ease of use by replacing the conventional frying process. In the future, it might be possible to optimize frying technologies to substantially reduce fried foods' oil content. This review focuses on a detailed understanding of different frying techniques and attempts to focus on innovative frying techniques such as vacuum frying, microwave cooking, and hot-air frying that have shown a better potential to be used as an alternative to traditional frying.

Nonprescription use of buprenorphine tablets among patients at a tertiary care addictive disorder treatment center in India: Observa-tions and implications.

OBJECTIVE: Nonprescribed use of drugs is a clinical and public health challenge fueled by diversion of controlled opioids like buprenorphine. In this study, we report the nonprescription use of buprenorphine and buprenorphine-naloxone for the first time in India. DESIGN: A cross-sectional observational study utilizing semistructured interviews. SETTING: A tertiary care addictive disorder treatment center in India, which provides inpatient and outpatient medically oriented care that includes agonist treatment (buprenorphine) or detoxification and antagonist treatment (naltrexone). PARTICIPANTS: Patients aged 18-65 years, registered at the center, and who had a history of current (within the past 6 months) nonprescription use of buprenorphine tablets were recruited. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants were questioned about demographic and clinical factors and details of nonprescription use of buprenorphine and buprenorphine-naloxone using a structured questionnaire. Since both buprenorphine with naloxone and buprenorphine without naloxone are available and transacted on the street "loose" out of the blister packs, we were unable to differentiate the use of plain buprenorphine and a combination of buprenorphine- naloxone. RESULTS: A majority of the participants used nonprescribed tablets buprenorphine and buprenorphine-naloxone with an intent to control the withdrawal symptoms, and the reason for this use was that other patients shared their prescriptions of these medications. About half of the participants injected the tablets, and liquid pheniramine was most commonly used as the solvent for dissolving the tablets. A "high" was perceived by around half of those who injected. Participants reported knowing, on an average, around 13 peers who injected the tablet buprenorphine or -buprenorphine-naloxone. CONCLUSION: Nonprescription use of tablets buprenorphine and -buprenorphine-naloxone is a clinical concern and also an important public health issue. Geographical and systemic expansions of the availability of buprenorphine may reduce the "demand" for nonprescribed buprenorphine, while the opportunities for diversion from treatment centers can be minimized through more careful clinical prescriptions and monitoring practices.

A Novel Artificial-Intelligence-Based Approach for Classification of Parkinson's Disease Using Complex and Large Vocal Features.

Parkinson's disease (PD) affects a large proportion of elderly people. Symptoms include tremors, slow movement, rigid muscles, and trouble speaking. With the aging of the developed world's population, this number is expected to rise. The early detection of PD and avoiding its severe consequences require a precise and efficient system. Our goal is to create an accurate AI model that can identify PD using human voices. We developed a transformer-based method for detecting PD by retrieving dysphonia measures from a subject's voice recording. It is uncommon to use a neural network (NN)-based solution for tabular vocal characteristics, but it has several advantages over a tree-based approach, including compatibility with continuous learning and the network's potential to be linked with an image/voice encoder for a more accurate multi modal solution, shifting SOTA approach from tree-based to a neural network (NN) is crucial for advancing research in multimodal solutions. Our method outperforms the state of the art (SOTA), namely Gradient-Boosted Decision Trees (GBDTs), by at least 1% AUC, and the precision and recall scores are also improved. We additionally offered an XgBoost-based feature-selection method and a fully connected NN layer technique for including continuous dysphonia measures, in addition to the solution network. We also discussed numerous important discoveries relating to our suggested solution and deep learning (DL) and its application to dysphonia measures, such as how a transformer-based network is more resilient to increased depth compared to a simple MLP network. The performance of the proposed approach and conventional machine learning techniques such as MLP, SVM, and Random Forest (RF) have also been compared. A detailed performance comparison matrix has been added to this article, along with the proposed solution's space and time complexity.

Counterion Association of Ionic Drugs with Sodium Tetradecyl Sulfate in the Aqueous Medium.

This work highlighted the counterion association of diphenhydramine hydrochloride (DPC) and chlorpheniramine maleate (CPM) with anionic sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS) by conductivity, fluorescence, and UV spectrophotometer measurements. The presence of drugs and the formation of premicellar aggregates of STS were highlighted. The modified Corrin-Harkins CH approaches assessed the STS counterion binding values B = 0.300 for DPC and 0.379 for CPM in the aqueous media at 25 °C. The counterion binding constant (ßc) and Gibb's free energy of micellization (ΔGmic°) were increased and became more negative, suggesting that the drug-surfactant interaction was controlled by electrostatic interaction. Furthermore, the spectral study evaluated that the three isosbestic points for CPM and one isosbestic point for DPC in the STS micelles were observed, which confirmed that CPM was more binding than DPC with the STS micelles. The differential absorbance spectra study was applied to UV spectra to determine the binding constants (Kb) of 2.232 and 2.837 and partition coefficients (Kx) of 286.64 and 3209.21 for DPC and CPM in the presence of STS micelles. The findings demonstrated that the CPM molecules have been associated with the Palisade layer of the STS micelles, and the DPC molecules were bound to the Stern layer of the STS micelles. Finally, we came to the conclusion that ionic drugs could improve the micellization capabilities of surfactants, which might be useful for choosing the best excipients for pharmaceutical applications.

Investigating the impact of terminal heat stress on contrasting wheat cultivars: a comprehensive analysis of phenological, physiological, and biochemical traits.

Terminal heat stress has become one of the major threats due to global climate change which is significantly affecting the production and productivity of wheat crop. Therefore, it is necessary to identify key traits and genotypes to breed heat-tolerant wheat. The present study was undertaken with the objective of comparing the effects of heat stress (HSE) and extended heat stress (EHSE) on phenological-physio-biochemical traits of contrasting heat-tolerant and heat-susceptible genotypes during the reproductive phase. Phenological traits exhibited significant reduction under EHSE compared to HSE. Heat-tolerant genotypes maintained balanced phenological-physio-biochemical traits, while heat-sensitive genotypes showed significant reductions under both stress regimes. Among phenological traits, DM (R2 = 0.52) and BY (R2 = 0.44) have shown a positive effect on seed yield, indicating that biomass and crop duration contributed to the yield advantage under stress. During the grain filling stage, both the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and chlorophyll (Chl) exhibited consistently positive impacts on grain yield under both HSE and EHSE conditions. This could be attributed to the enhanced photosynthesis resulting from delayed senescence and improved assimilate remobilization under terminal heat stress. The biochemical activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) was induced in tolerant genotypes under HSE. The correlation of canopy temperature with phenological-physio-biochemical traits remained static under HSE and EHSE, suggesting CT as the best selection parameter for heat tolerance. The traits showing a positive association with yield and that are less affected under stress could be used for selecting tolerant genotypes under stress environments. These tolerant genotypes can be used to develop mapping populations to decipher the genes conferring tolerance as well as to study the molecular basis of tolerance.