Assessment of poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) and lime for surface water treatment (pond, river, and canal water): seasonal variations and correlation analyses.

The present study deals with the assessment of different physicochemical parameters (pH, electrical conductivity (E.C.), turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), and dissolved oxygen) in different surface water such as pond, river, and canal water in four different seasons, viz. March, June, September, and December 2023. The research endeavors to assess the impact of a cationic polyelectrolyte, specifically poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDADMAC), utilized as a coagulation aid in conjunction with lime for water treatment. Employing a conventional jar test apparatus, turbidity removal from diverse water samples is examined. Furthermore, the samples undergo characterization utilizing X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The study also conducts correlation analyses on various parameters such as electrical conductivity (EC), pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), turbidity of raw water, polyelectrolyte dosage, and percentage of turbidity removal across different water sources. Utilizing the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software, these analyses aim to establish robust relationships among initial turbidity, temperature, percentage of turbidity removal, dosage of coagulant aid, electrical conductivity, and total dissolved solids (TDS) in pond water, river water, and canal water. A strong positive correlation could be found between the percentage of turbidity removal and the value of initial turbidity of all surface water. However, a negative correlation could be observed between the polyelectrolyte dosage and raw water's turbidity. By elucidating these correlations, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of the effectiveness of PDADMAC and lime in water treatment processes across diverse environmental conditions. This research enhances our comprehension of surface water treatment methodologies and provides valuable insights for optimizing water treatment strategies to address the challenges posed by varying water sources and seasonal fluctuations.

Evaluation of groundwater quality by adopting a multivariate statistical approach and indexing of water quality in Sagar Island, West Bengal, India.

In the vicinity of the coast, predominantly groundwater is the sole reliable resource for potable purposes as the surface water sources are highly saline and unfit for human consumption. However, the groundwater in Sagar Island is highly vulnerable to saltwater intrusion. The majority of drinking water comes from government-owned hand pump-equipped tube wells. But during the summer season, many of these tube wells yield significantly less water. Hence, in the current scenario, water quality assessment has become important to the quantity available. Total of 31 samples of deep tube wells (groundwater) are collected at variegated locations during pre-monsoon season throughout Sagar, and then, the physical and chemical quality parameters of these water samples are analysed. Furthermore, a multivariate statistical technique is executed with the aid of the SPSS program. The hydro-chemical parameters that are taken into account for the quality analysis are pH, salinity, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness, aluminium, arsenic, bi-carbonate, cadmium, iron, chloride, copper, chromium, cobalt, lead, magnesium, manganese, nickel, potassium, sulphate, zinc, and sodium. Then, the analysed data evaluates the water quality index (WQI). Five components are identified through the principal component analysis (PCA) technique, and 82.642% total variance is found. The outcomes of the quality assessment study illustrate that about 54.84% of collected samples come in the "excellent" water quality class when calculated by the "weighted arithmetic WQI method," and 90.32% of collected groundwater samples come in the "good" water quality class when computed using the "modified weighted arithmetic WQI method." This study helps for the interpretation of WQI to assess groundwater quality.

FINDOUT: Using Either SPSS Commands or Graphical User Interface to Identify Influential Cases in Structural Equation Modeling in AMOS.

The results in a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis can be influenced by just a few observations, called influential cases. Tools have been developed for users of R to identify them. However, similar tools are not available for AMOS, which is also a popular SEM software package. We introduce the FINDOUT toolset, a group of SPSS extension commands, and an AMOS plugin, to identify influential cases and examine how these cases influence the results. The SPSS commands can be used either as syntax commands or as custom dialogs from pull-down menus, and the AMOS plugin can be run from AMOS pull-down menu. We believe these tools can help researchers to examine the robustness of their findings to influential cases.

MLR index-based principal component analysis to investigate and monitor probable sources of groundwater pollution and quality in coastal areas: a case study in East India.

Identifying groundwater contamination sources and supervising groundwater quality conditions are urgently needed to protect the groundwater resources of coastal areas like Contai of India, as communities here are heavily relying on groundwater which deteriorates progressively. So current research aims to address in detail about origins and influencing factors of groundwater contamination, status, and monitoring water quality by employing extremely useful leading technologies like principal component and factor analyses (PCA/FA), groundwater quality index (GWQI), and multiple linear regression (MLR) that helps to simplify complicated works instead of the conventional methods. Eight groundwater quality parameters were evaluated here, such as pH, TH (total hardness), Tur (turbidity), EC (electrical conductivity), TDS (total dissolved solids), Mn (manganese), Fe (iron), and Cl (chloride) for 38 sites. Three principal components with ~ 81% of the total variance were extracted from the PCA/FA analysis. The origin of maximum loadings of each factor is identified as a result of saline water, disintegration and leaching process, organic or else biogenic activities, and lithogenic or otherwise non-lithogenic links through percolating water. GWQI results show that ~ 87% of the samples fall into the good category and ~ 13% of the samples fall into the poor to very poor category. A model consisting of Tur, Fe, EC, Mn, TH, and Cl as independent parameters is more feasible and is proposed to predict GWQI obtained from MLR analysis. This MLR model also suggests that turbidity with the highest beta coefficient (0.820) is a key contributor relative to the entire groundwater class in this affected area. The findings relating to this research may support the designer and officials in monitoring and protecting coastal groundwater resources like selected areas.

Extreme C-terminal element of SprA serine integrase is a potential component of the "molecular toggle switch" which controls the recombination and its directionality.

In Bacillus subtilis, a sporulation-related gene, spsM, is disrupted by SPß prophage, but reconstituted during sporulation through SPß excision. The spsM reconstitution is catalyzed by a site-specific DNA recombinase, SprA, and its cognate recombination directionality factor, SprB. SprB interacts with SprA, directing the SprA-mediated recombination reaction from integration to excision; however, the details of the directionality control remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate the importance of the extreme C-terminal region (ECT) of SprA in the DNA recombination and directionality control. We created a series of SprA C-terminal deletants and examined their DNA-binding and recombination activities. Deletions in the ECT caused a loss of integration and excision activity, the magnitudes of which positively correlated with the deletion size. Gel shift study revealed that the loss of the integration activity was attributable to the failure of synaptic complex formation. The excision deficiency was caused by defective interaction with SprB. Moreover, alanine scanning analysis revealed that Phe532 is essential to interact with SprB. SprAF532A , therefore, showed almost no excision activity, while retaining the integration activity. Collectively, these results suggest that the ECT plays the crucial roles in the interaction of SprA with SprB and possibly in the directional control of the recombination.

A Wireless Indoor Environmental Quality Logger Processing the Indoor Global Comfort Index.

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) has a high-level of impact on one's health and productivity. It is widely accepted that IEQ is composed of four categories: thermal comfort, indoor air quality (IAQ), visual comfort, and acoustic comfort. The main physical parameters that primarily represent these comfort categories can be monitored using sensors. To this purpose, the article proposes a wireless indoor environmental quality logger. In the literature, global comfort indices are often assessed objectively (using sensors) or subjectively (through surveys). This study adopts an integrated approach that calculates a predicted indoor global comfort index (P-IGCI) using sensor data and estimates a real perceived indoor global comfort index (RP-IGCI) based on questionnaires. Among the 19 different tested algorithms, the stepwise multiple linear regression model minimized the distance between the two comfort indices. In the case study involving a university classroom setting-thermal comfort and indoor air quality were identified as the most relevant IEQ elements from a subjective point of view. The model also confirms this findings from an objective perspective since temperature and CO2 merge as the measured physical parameters with the most impacts on overall comfort.

SOLOMON: a method for splitting a sample into equivalent subsamples in factor analysis.

Nowadays, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses are two important consecutive steps in an overall analysis process. The overall analysis should start with an exploratory factor analysis that explores the data and establishes a hypothesis for the factor model in the population. Then, the analysis process should be continued with a confirmatory factor analysis to assess whether the hypothesis proposed in the exploratory step is plausible in the population. To carry out the analysis, researchers usually collect a single sample, and then split it into two halves. As no specific splitting methods have been proposed to date in the context of factor analysis, researchers use a random split approach. In this paper we propose a method to split samples into equivalent subsamples similar to one that has already been proposed in the context of multivariate regression analysis. The method was tested in simulation studies and in real datasets.

Sigmoidoscopic extent of ulcerative colitis and associated factors in Pakistani population.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the extent of ulcerative colitis and associated factors in patients who underwent sigmoidoscopy at Liver Center, Jail Road, Lahore, Pakistan. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, patients who underwent sigmoidoscopy from July 2013 to July 2020 at Liver Clinic, Jail Road, Lahore, were categorized into two cohorts: who had ulcerative colitis confirmed on histology and who had no ulcerative colitis. Extent and severity of the disease as well as coexisting pathologies were also noted. SPSS version 25 was used. Independent sample T-test was applied to compare quantitative variables like age and weight, and chi-square test to compare qualitative variables with two cohorts. The p-value less than 0.05 was opted as significant. Odd ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI) were also computed for each association. RESULTS: About 11.55% patients (165 out of 1428) had ulcerative colitis, whose mean age and mean weight were 38.27 ± 14.15 years and 74.08 ± 13.20 Kg respectively. Among ulcerative colitis patients, 18.2% had proctitis, 22.4% had proctosigmoiditis, 27.7% had left-sided colitis, and 31.5% had extensive colitis. May endoscopic severity score was found 0,1,2, and 3 in 12.1%, 23.6%, 31.5%, and 32.7% patients respectively. Ulcerative colitis cohort had significant association with younger age (p<0.01), female gender (p<0.01), non or former smoking (p=0.02) and presentation with bloody diarrhea (p<0.01), and no association with body weight (p=0.311), presence of diabetes mellitus (p=0.311) and family history of IBD (P=0.368). CONCLUSION: Endoscopic extent and severity of ulcerative colitis is high in our studied population. Ulcerative colitis is more prevalent in younger age and female gender patients who presented with bloody diarrhea, while the presence of active smoking has negative association with finding the ulcerative colitis. However, presence of family history of IBD, diabetes mellitus and body weight of the patient has no statistical correlation with finding ulcerative colitis during sigmoidoscopic examination in our patients.

Fast tattoo removal using Q-Switching ND-YAG laser technique with multi pass sessions.

Laser therapy is the gold standard method to remove unwanted tattoos. It is available and widely accessible. This study was done to assess the efficacy of the R20 method (multi-time separated passes in one session for 20 min) using Q-switched ND: YAG laser for the removal of tattoos and was compared with the traditional method. Forty patients with 40 Tattoos were included. These tattoos were separated into two halves left and right. One half was treated with a single pass and the other half with R20. Both halves were treated using Q-switched ND-YAG laser with 10 J/cm2, 1.064 µm, 8 ns pulse width, and 3 mm spot size. The treatment regimen included three sessions at three-week intervals. Tattoo bleaching was evaluated in each session by means of using the imaging process by two dermatologists. It could be concluded that the treatment with traditional single-pass is less effective than the R20 method in the three-month period. Epidermal healing period needs more than three weeks with the R20 method. The amateur tattoos have a significantly better response than professional tattoos. The R20 method is better than the traditional method to remove a tattoo, where most tattoos can be removed in one session. Amateur tattoo is removed faster compared to professional tattoo using R20 method because amateur tattoo affects the skin surface.

Coronavirus pandemic versus temperature in the context of Indian subcontinent: a preliminary statistical analysis.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has unleashed havoc across different countries and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Since certain evidences indicate a direct relationship of various viruses with the weather (temperature in particular), the same is being speculated about COVID-19; however, it is still under investigation as the pandemic is advancing the world over. In this study, we tried to analyze the spread of COVID-19 in the Indian subcontinent with respect to the local temperature regimes from March 9, 2020, to May 27, 2020. To establish the relation between COVID-19 and temperature in India, three different ecogeographical regions having significant temperature differences were taken into consideration for the analysis. We observed that except Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Kashmir showed a significantly positive correlation between the number of COVID-19 cases and the temperature during the period of study. The evidences based on the results presented in this research lead us to believe that the increasing temperature is beneficial to the COVID-19 spread, and the cases are going to rise further with the increasing temperature over India. We, therefore, conclude that the existing data, though limited, suggest that the spread of COVID-19 in India is not explained by the variation of temperature alone and is most likely driven by a host of other factors related to epidemiology, socioeconomics and other climatic factors. Based on the results, it is suggested that temperature should not be considered as a yardstick for planning intervention strategies for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Investigation of the effects of different beverages on the disintegration time of over-the-counter medications in Saudi Arabia.

Full disintegration of Oral solid dosage forms is critically important to achieve reliable clinical performance of the drug. Tablets/capsules are supposed to be taken with a full glass of water; however, many patients do not follow this recommendation as they administer their medications with beverages other than water. This study aims to assess the impact of different commonly consumed beverages in Saudi Arabia on the disintegration times of common over-the-counter (OTC) medication tablets and capsules in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Five immediate release OTC drugs were chosen: Fevadol®, Solpadeine®, Ralaxon®, Artiz ®, and Brufen®. The disintegration times of these medications were assessed using a disintegration test in five beverages: Coca-cola, arabic coffee, orange juice, buttermilk and an energy drink. Times were compared to the disintegration time in water under two temperature conditions (37 °C and 5 °C). All beverages significantly increased the disintegration times of fevadol, solpadeine, and relaxon in comparison with water. The same was found for burfen, except that arabic coffee did not significantly increase disintegration time (p > 0.05). The disintegration time of artiz tablets was also significantly influenced by all beverages, except for Coca-cola and the energy drink, which had no significant impact on the disintegration time. The tested beverages should not be used as substitutes for water when ingesting medications. Patients should be advised to avoid consuming beverages other than water with therapeutic products. Increasing public awareness of drug-beverage interactions is needed.

Total area of spontaneous portosystemic shunts independently predicts hepatic encephalopathy and mortality in liver cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Spontaneous portosystemic shunts (SPSS) frequently develop in liver cirrhosis. Recent data suggested that the presence of a single large SPSS is associated with complications, especially overt hepatic encephalopathy (oHE). However, the presence of >1 SPSS is common. This study evaluates the impact of total cross-sectional SPSS area (TSA) on outcomes in patients with liver cirrhosis. METHODS: In this retrospective international multicentric study, CT scans of 908 cirrhotic patients with SPSS were evaluated for TSA. Clinical and laboratory data were recorded. Each detected SPSS radius was measured and TSA calculated. One-year survival was the primary endpoint and acute decompensation (oHE, variceal bleeding, ascites) was the secondary endpoint. RESULTS: A total of 301 patients (169 male) were included in the training cohort. Thirty percent of all patients presented with >1 SPSS. A TSA cut-off of 83 mm2 was used to classify patients with small or large TSA (S-/L-TSA). Patients with L-TSA presented with higher model for end-stage liver disease score (11 vs. 14) and more commonly had a history of oHE (12% vs. 21%, p <0.05). During follow-up, patients with L-TSA experienced more oHE episodes (33% vs. 47%, p <0.05) and had lower 1-year survival than those with S-TSA (84% vs. 69%, p <0.001). Multivariate analysis identified L-TSA (hazard ratio 1.66; 95% CI 1.02-2.70, p <0.05) as an independent predictor of mortality. An independent multicentric validation cohort of 607 patients confirmed that patients with L-TSA had lower 1-year survival (77% vs. 64%, p <0.001) and more oHE development (35% vs. 49%, p <0.001) than those with S-TSA. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that TSA >83 mm2 increases the risk for oHE and mortality in patients with cirrhosis. Our results support the clinical use of TSA/SPSS for risk stratification and decision-making in the management of patients with cirrhosis. LAY SUMMARY: The prevalence of spontaneous portosystemic shunts (SPSS) is higher in patients with more advanced chronic liver disease. The presence of more than 1 SPSS is common in advanced chronic liver disease and is associated with the development of hepatic encephalopathy. This study shows that total cross-sectional SPSS area (rather than diameter of the single largest SPSS) predicts survival in patients with advanced chronic liver disease. Our results support the clinical use of total cross-sectional SPSS area for risk stratification and decision-making in the management of SPSS.

Applications and impact of computer technologies in management of multimorbidity.

OBJECTIVE: To highlight clinical scenarios and healthcare practitioners' difficulties where computer applications can help in multimorbidity management. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2017 to January 2019 in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan, and comprised local physicians/practitioners. Data was collected using a self-generated questionnaire which was distributed among the subjects. It identified four problems as most commonly faced: treatment/dose management, time management, forgetting to ask necessary questions about disease, and 'others', such as bad handwriting errors and ethical issues. Data was analysed using SPSS 17. RESULTS: Of the 53 subjects, 33(62%) marked problems related to treatment management, 35(66%) marked problems related to shortage of time, 34(64%) marked those related to difficulty in asking relevant questions about disease, 15(28%) marked the 'other' option. CONCLUSIONS: Computer technologies are significantly helpful in managing the problems of treating multimorbidity by adopting standard database.

Efficacy of lidocaine versus mepivacaine in the management of myofascial pain.

OBJECTIVES: There are many treatment modalities for myofascial pain, and recent findings reported in the literature highlight the superiority of using local anesthetics as the treatment of choice. The objective of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of two of the most used local anesthetic agents-lidocaine and mepivacaine-in the management of myofascial pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients (20 females, 10 males) were randomly assigned to one of two groups: 50% received lidocaine and 50% received mepivacaine. Trigger point injections in the orofacial region were administered 4 times, 10 days between each injection, with 4 weeks of follow-up after the end of the treatment course. Pain levels were recorded using a visual analog scale (VAS) at the time of follow-up and 30 min after injection. RESULTS: All patients exhibited statistically significant improvement when comparing pre- and post-treatment mean values. Both local anesthetics (i.e., lidocaine and mepivacaine) were similarly effective for the management of myofascial pain (p = 0.875). The mepivacaine-treated group exhibited significantly lower post-injection tenderness than the lidocaine group (p = 0.038). There was no relationship between sex and treatment response. Female and male patients both reported similar responses in terms of VAS scores (p = 0.818). CONCLUSION: No drug was superior in the long term; thus, the clinician's choice can be based on drug availability and patient medical history.

Act like a warrior to defeat medication counselling barriers: A cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: In the previous literature, patients' perceptions of medication consultation provided by pharmacists was found to poor, depending upon various factors, which may lead to poor compliance with medication instructions and, therefore, poor health outcomes. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), this specific area has been overlooked to date, so this study aims to examine patients' perceptions of medication counselling and the factors that influence their likelihood of participating in medication counselling as well as determine the predictors of patients' likelihood to take part in medication counselling delivered by pharmacists in KSA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving people over 18 years of age, who had purchased or collected medicine for their own use from community and/or hospital pharmacies within the past two years and who lived in Saudi Arabia. The data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 24. Descriptive statistics were applied to each item as well as linear regression and Pearson's correlation. RESULTS: Five hundred and eleven participants (male (n = 101), female (n = 410), the majority of whom were aged 18-24-years-old) were included. Almost an equal number of participants had accessed either community (CP) (n = 228: 45%) or hospital pharmacies (HP) (n = 283: 55%) within the past two years in regards to their condition and/or medication. The perceived susceptibility construct had weak positive correlations with all of the constructs being measured (r < 0.3). Perceived barriers had a weak negative relationship with likelihood (r < 0.3), which means that, as the perceived barriers increase, the perceived benefits and future likelihood to participate in medication counselling decrease. Linear regression analysis found that age (ß = -0.06; P =˃0.05), gender (ß = 0.14; P =˃0.05), education level (ß = -0.01; P =˃0.05) and type of pharmacies accessed (ß = -0.05; P =˃0.05) were non-significant predictors of the participants' likelihood of participating in medication counselling. CONCLUSION: In order to improve the medication consultation provided by pharmacists and, therefore, enhance the patients' experience and care, it is important to understand the public's views, concerns and demands regarding medication consultation, in order to provide the proper interventions and serve as a platform for developing a plan of action for good pharmacy practice.

Production of hydrogen-rich gas from waste rigid polyurethane foam via catalytic steam gasification.

Catalytic steam gasification of waste rigid polyurethane foam, in the fixed-bed reactor, was performed to produce hydrogen-rich gas. The influence of nine kinds of additives on the yield of products (gaseous, solid and liquid product) and the volume fraction of hydrogen was investigated. Among the additives, calcium carbonate, as the catalyst, could effectively enhance the gas yield and the volume fraction of hydrogen. A three-factor three-level completely randomised factorial (3 × 3 × 3) design, with calcium carbonate as the catalyst, was applied to investigate the influence of experimental conditions (temperature, steam flowrate and catalyst dosage) on the volume fraction of gaseous product components. The data were processed with SPSS statistical software. The result showed that the main effects of one variable, the interactive effects between two factors and the interactive effects among three factors all have statistical high significance. The best catalysed process is realised when calcium carbonate is the catalyst, gasification temperature is 1100°C, steam flowrate is 0.7 kg h-1, catalyst dosage is 10 wt% of waste rigid polyurethane foam. Under this condition, the volume fraction of hydrogen reaches up to 79.85%.

The efficiency of systemic-to-pulmonary shunts in older children with hypoplastic pulmonary arteries.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the effects of systemic-to-pulmonary shunts (SPSs) in older children with hypoplastic pulmonary arteries and the factors affecting the development of the pulmonary arteries. METHODS: Eighty-six children (older than 3 years) who received SPSs were retrospectively analyzed. The perioperative parameters, the postoperative diameter of the pulmonary artery were collected, and the factors influencing the growth of the pulmonary arteries after an initial palliative shunt operation were analyzed. RESULTS: Two patients died postoperatively (2.33%), and the pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2 ) increased from 71.70 ± 6.75% preoperatively to 85.20 ± 11.07% at discharge. During the follow-up period of 56 (10-99) months, 37 patients (43.02%) underwent subsequent procedures, and in the remaining patients, the McGoon ratio was increased from 0.96 ± 0.48 at the surgery to 1.30 ± 0.31 at the final assessment (P < 0.05). Univariate analysis indicated that age younger than 5 years old (P < 0.05), pulmonary artery forward flow (P < 0.05) and a diagnosis of tetralogy of Fallot (P < 0.05) played positive roles in the growth of the pulmonary artery after surgery, while children with a McGoon ratio less than 0.6 showed poor development of the pulmonary arteries (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that age younger than 5 years old (P < 0.05) and pulmonary artery forward flow (P < 0.05) were positive effectors on the growth of the pulmonary artery. CONCLUSIONS: Older children with cyanotic congenital heart disease benefited from a systemic-pulmonary shunt and showed increased postoperative oxygen saturation and development of the pulmonary arteries. Age younger than 5 years and pulmonary artery antegrade flow were the positive factors influencing the growth of the pulmonary arteries postoperatively.

Using the IBM SPSS SW Tool with Wavelet Transformation for CO2 Prediction within IoT in Smart Home Care.

Standard solutions for handling a large amount of measured data obtained from intelligent buildings are currently available as software tools in IoT platforms. These solutions optimize the operational and technical functions managing the quality of the indoor environment and factor in the real needs of residents. The paper examines the possibilities of increasing the accuracy of CO2 predictions in Smart Home Care (SHC) using the IBM SPSS software tools in the IoT to determine the occupancy times of a monitored SHC room. The processed data were compared at daily, weekly and monthly intervals for the spring and autumn periods. The Radial Basis Function (RBF) method was applied to predict CO2 levels from the measured indoor and outdoor temperatures and relative humidity. The most accurately predicted results were obtained from data processed at a daily interval. To increase the accuracy of CO2 predictions, a wavelet transform was applied to remove additive noise from the predicted signal. The prediction accuracy achieved in the selected experiments was greater than 95%.

Factors affecting the outcome of hospitalization among liver cirrhosis patients.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the factors affecting the outcome of hospitalization in patients suffering liver cirrhosis hospitalized to tertiary care hospital, Gujranwala, Pakistan. METHODS: After informed consent, the data of liver cirrhosis patients with age >12 years hospitalized from June 2016 to May 2017 was collected by purposive sampling. The outcome of the hospitalization in term of 'death' and 'no death' was noted. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 25. Bivariate analysis as well binary logistic regression was performed to ascertain the effect of different predictors like gender, age, history of diabetes mellitus, etiology of cirrhosis, presence of hepatic encephalopathy at presentation, presence of upper GI bleed, and tracheobronchial aspiration on the likelihood that death would be the outcome in liver cirrhosis patients. RESULTS: Amongst total of 1304 patients, 15.7% died during hospitalization. The mean age of those who died was 58.08 + 14.49 years. Bivariate analysis suggested that mortality was significantly higher in group of patients who had hepatic encephalopathy at presentation (p<0.01), no upper gi bleed (p<0.01), and who got tracheobronchial aspiration during hospitalization (p<0.01). It did not differ significantly in male/female gender (p=0.504), diabetic/non-diabetic groups (p=0.652), with viral/non-viral etiology of cirrhosis (p=0.918). Binary logistic regression revealed that patients who had tracheobronchial aspiration were 12.392 times more likely to die than who had no tracheobronchial aspiration. Similarly, patients who presented in hepatic encephalopathy were 7.862 times more likely to die than who presented without hepatic encephalopathy. CONCLUSION: The inpatient mortality rate amongst cirrhotic patients was high. Age, gender, history of diabetes, viral etiology of cirrhosis did not significantly contribute in the mortality of these patients. The patients who presented in hepatic encephalopathy, and who suffered tracheobronchial aspiration during hospitalization were more likely to die. Excellence in hepatic encephalopathy management and prevention from aspiration can effectively reduce the mortality rate of cirrhotic patients in our hospitals.

[Application and analysis of ethnic medicines in "Three Minorities" in Inner Mongolia].

This paper investigates and counts the ethnic medicines of the Ewenki,Daur and Oroqen ethnic groups,which are known as the " Three Minorities" in Inner Mongolia. Through the methods of literature collection,interview investigation,and resource investigation,different ethnic medicines were collected on the main diseases,drug varieties,drug-injection sites,and drug administration methods. Through data statistics and SPSS analysis,the similarities and individual differences between the three ethnic groups were clarified. The results indicated the predicament of the current national medicine,which is helpful for the protection and inheritance of ethnic medicine.