Protective Effects of Salivary Factors in Dental Caries in Diabetic Patients of Pakistan

Salivary factors have been studied for their effects on the process of dental caries in patients of diabetes mellitus type 2. In this study, protective role of salivary pH, salivary flow rate, and salivary calcium is assessed in the patients of diabetes mellitus type 2 with dental caries. The samples of saliva were collected from 400 patients of diabetes mellitus type 2 and 300 age- and sex- matched controls after getting informed consent. All the subjects were classified into four groups according to age. The severity of dental caries was counted by decayed, missed, and filled teeth (DMFT) score. The salivary pH, flow rate, and calcium levels were found to be low in patients as compared to controls. The levels of fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, and DMFT score were found to be significantly high in patients than controls. The glycemic factors were significantly correlated with salivary factors indicating their influence on progression of caries in diabetes. On the basis of findings, it is concluded that the suitable salivary pH and flow rate may be regarded as main protective factors against dental caries in diabetes. Optimum level of salivary calcium may be responsible for continuous supply of calcium to arrest the demineralization and help reduce the occurrence of dental caries

Koopman-LQR Controller for Quadrotor UAVs from Data

Quadrotor systems are common and beneficial for many fields, but their intricate behavior often makes it challenging to design effective and optimal control strategies. Some traditional approaches to nonlinear control often rely on local linearizations or complex nonlinear models, which can be inaccurate or computationally expensive. We present a data-driven approach to identify the dynamics of a given quadrotor system using Koopman operator theory. Koopman theory offers a framework for representing nonlinear dynamics as linear operators acting on observable functions of the state space. This allows to approximate nonlinear systems with globally linear models in a higher dimensional space, which can be analyzed and controlled using standard linear optimal control techniques. We leverage the method of extended dynamic mode decomposition (EDMD) to identify Koopman operator from data with total least squares. We demonstrate that the identified model can be stabilized and controllable by designing a controller using linear quadratic regulator (LQR)

VARIABLES IMPACTING GFR ESTIMATION METHOD FOR DRUG DOSING IN CKD: ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK PREDICTION MODEL

Objective: This study aimed to measure concordance between different renal function estimates in terms of drug doses and determine the potential significant clinical differences. Methods: Around one hundred and eighty patients (≥ 18 y) with chronic kidney disease (CKD) were eligible for inclusion in this study. A paired-proportion cohort design was utilized using an artificial intelligence model. CKD patients refined into those who have drugs adjusted for renal function. For superiority of Cockcroft-Gault (CG) vs. modified diet in renal disease (MDRD) guided with references for concordance or discordance of the two equations and determined the dosing tiers of each drug. Validated artificial neural networks (ANN) was one outcome of interest. Variable impacts and performed reassignments were compared to evaluate the factors that affect the accuracy in estimating the kidney function for a better drug dosing. Results: The best ANN model classified most cases to CG as the best dosing method (79 vs. 72). The probability was 85% and the top performance was slightly above 93%. Creatinine levels and CKD staging were the most important factors in determining the best dosing method of CG versus MDRD. Ideal and actual body weights were second (24%). Whereas drug class or the specific drug was an important third factor (14%). Conclusion: Among many variables that affect the optimal dosing method, the top three are probably CKD staging, weight, and the drug. The contrasting CKD stages from the different methods can be used to recognize patterns, identify and predict the best dosing tactics in CKD patients

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Development of chitosan based β-carotene mucoadhesive formulation for skin cancer treatment

Mucopermeating nanoformulations can enhance mucosal penetration of poorly soluble drugs at their target site. In this work, thiolated chitosan (TCS)-lithocholic acid (LA) nanomicelles loaded with beta-carotene, a safe phytochemical with anticancer properties, were designed to improve the pharmaceutical and pharmacological drug profile. The TCS-LA nanomicelles were characterized by FTIR to confirm the presence of the thiol group that favors skin adhesion, and to corroborate the conjugation of hydrophobic LA with hydrophilic CS to form an amphiphilic polymer derivative. Their crystalline nature and thermal behavior were investigated by XRD and DSC analyses, respectively. According to DLS and TEM, their average size was <300 nm, and their surface charge was +27.0 mV. beta-carotene entrapment and loading efficiencies were 64 % and 58 %, respectively. In vitro mucoadhesion and ex vivo mucopenetration analyses further corroborated the potential of the nanoformulation to deliver the drug in a sustained manner under conditions mimicking cancer micro-environment. Anticancer studies in mice demonstrated that the loaded nanomicelles delayed skin cancer growth, as revealed by both morphological and biochemical parameters. Based on the results obtained herein, it can be concluded that drug-loaded TCS-LA is a novel, stable, effective and safe mucoadhesive formulation of beta-carotene for the potential treatment of skin cancer.Comunidad de MadridUniversidad de Alcal

Jaceosidin: A Natural Flavone with Versatile Pharmacological and Biological Activities

Nature always remains an inexhaustible source of treasures for mankind. It remains a mystery for every challenge until the completion of the challenge. While we talk about the complicated health issues, nature offers us a great variety of chemical scaffolds and their various moieties packed in the form of natural products e.g., plants, microorganisms (fungi, algae, protozoa), and terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates. This review article is an update about jaceosidin, a bioactive flavone, from genus Artemisia. This potentially active compound exhibits a variety of pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-allergic and anti-cancer activities. The bioactivities and the therapeutic action of jaceosidin, especially the modulation of different cell signaling pathways (ERK1/2, NF-kappa B, PI3K/Akt and ATM-Chk1/2) which become deregulated in various pathological disorders, have been focused here. The reported data suggest that the bioavailability of this anti-cancer compound should be enhanced by utilizing various chemical, biological and computational techniques. Moreover, it is recommended that researchers and scientists should work on exploring the mode of action of this particular flavone to precede it further as a potent anti-cancer compound.Nagai Foundation Tokyo, Japan [NFT-R4-2017, NFT-R-2018]; TWAS-COMSTECH [_17-180 RG/PHA/AS_C]; NRPU [8381/Punjab/NRPU/RD/HEC/2017, 8382/Punjab/NRPU/RD/HEC/2017]; ISESCO [3620]This study was funded by the research grant from The Nagai Foundation Tokyo, Japan (NFT-R4-2017; NFT-R-2018), TWAS-COMSTECH Research Grant (No._17-180 RG/PHA/AS_C), NRPU Research Grants (8381/Punjab/NRPU/R & D/HEC/2017; 8382/Punjab/NRPU/R&D/HEC/2017) and ISESCO Research Grant (No. 3620)

Synthesis of Electrical Conductive Metal-Organic Frameworks for Electrochemical Applications

Electrical conductivity is very important property of nanomaterials for using wide range of applications especially energy applications. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are notorious for their low electrical conductivity and less considered for usage in pristine forms. However, the advantages of high surface area, porosity and confined catalytic active sites motivated researchers to improve the conductivity of MOFs. Therefore, 2D electrical conductive MOFs (ECMOF) have been widely synthesized by developing the effective synthetic strategies. In this article, we have summarized the recent trends in developing the 2D ECMOFs, following the summary of potential applications in the various fields with future perspectives

Understanding the concept of al-ibtila’ (trial) in personality development: the Muslim flood victims’ experience

Religious coping plays an important role to rehabilitate victims affected by traumatic life events. Islamic teachings emphasizes al-ibtila' (trial) concept that serves in understanding the concept of qada’ (fate) and qadar (destiny).This study explored al-ibtila’ in coping with traumatic events by achieving sense of personal control in situations that produce distress and torment, as exhibited by 2014 flood victims in Temerloh, Pahang.This study analyzed their understanding, genuine acceptance, and relationship between understanding of al-ibtila' and personality development in overcoming trauma. A mixed-method approach was applied, comprising methods of documentation, interviews (five interview subjects selected by sequential sampling), and survey questionnaires (300 flood victims as respondents). Data from documentation and interviews were analyzed using the inductive approach (qualitative) in a descriptive study, while survey data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests (quantitative). The findings gave evidence of significant positive effects in dealing with flood disaster stress from three aspects: the understanding, acceptance, and relationship between understanding of al-ibtila' with good personality development.These results emphasized the need to include understanding and acceptance of al-ibtila' as part of God’s plan in the face of traumatic events, indicating that highly optimistic flood victims can positively deal with traumatic events