Articles

Wheat bran and groundnut shell powder have been used to study the mechanism of diclofenac sodium adsorption from aqueous solution using batch as well as column modes and maximum uptake is 84.3% for wheat bran and 82.4% for groundnut shell powder at pH 6, drug concentration 1mg/L at 298 K for 30min. Isotherm and error analysis reveals that Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms fitted well. Kinetic studies show that the adsorption process follows second-order kinetics and thermodynamic study shows endothermic adsorption process. Column adsorption study is important for industrial scale adsorption and column studies have been carried out using vertical bed and sequential bed adsorption columns at pH 6 which is the optimum pH for maximum adsorption for batch experiments. Vertical and sequential bed columns setup is simple and economical which provides flow under gravity. The effect of varying inlet feed concentration and flow rate on the breakthrough and exhaustion time of columns has been studied to determine the bed capacities of both columns. Thomas model and Yoon-Nelson models fitted well with experimental data for continuous flow column studies.

Conventionally, concrete strength depends on the bonding interface, especially in hydrated products such as calcium silicate hydrate (CSH). As a result, concrete is sensitive under tensile load. With its unique properties, a low fraction of carboxylated nitro-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (NOCNF) from the banana rachis is employed to improve the mechanical performance of the concrete nano structurally. Compressive and flexural strength using the NOCNF content at 0, 0.05, and 0.1 wt. % cured in 7 and 28 days were evaluated. Notably, the compressive strength increased by 16% and flexural strength by 13% at 0.1% NOCNF compared to plain concrete after the 28 curing days. A low NOCNF fraction achieved a good, albeit impossible, performance with the microscale fibers. The nanostructured effect was discussed twofold: an excellent interaction between the NOCNF and the hydrated products and the carboxylic groups on the NOCNF surface enhanced the cement hydration. These data are better than the literature based on the small-diameter cellulose nanofibrils without the carboxyl groups. As a sustainable nanocomponent, NOCNF could be a perfect candidate to improve concrete performance under mechanical load.

A significant obstacle to agricultural productivity that jeopardizes the availability of food is crop diseases and farmer livelihoods by reducing crop yields. Traditional visual assessment methods for disease diagnosis are effective but complex, often requiring expert observers. Recent advancements in deep learning indicate the potential for increasing accuracy and automating disease identification. Developing accessible diagnostic tools, such as web applications leveraging CNNs, can provide farmers with efficient and accurate disease identification, especially in regions with limited access to advanced diagnostic technologies. The main goal is to develop a productive system that can recognize tomato plant diseases. The model was trained on a collection of images of healthy and damaged tomato leaves from PlantVillage using transfer learning techniques. The images from the dataset were cleansed by resizing them from 256 × 256 to 224 × 224 to match the dimensions used in pre-trained models using min-max normalization. An evaluation of VGG16, VGG19, and DenseNet121 models based on performance accuracy and loss value for 7 categories of tomatoes guided the selection of the most effective model for practical application. VGG16 achieved 84.54% accuracy, VGG19 achieved 84.62%, and DenseNet121 achieved 98.28%, making DenseNet121 the chosen model due to its highest performance accuracy. The web application development based on the DenseNet121 architecture was integrated using the Django web framework, which is built on Python. This enables real-time disease diagnosis for uploaded images of tomato leaves. The proposed system allows early detection and diagnosis of tomato plant diseases, helping to mitigate crop losses. This supports sustainable farming practices and increases agricultural productivity.

Anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) antibody glomerulonephritis is an extremely rare glomerular disease. Around 90% of the patients are positive for serum anti-GBM antibodies while up to 10% can be negative. In such patients, only a kidney biopsy can reveal the anti-GBM disease it is then labeled as an atypical anti-GBM disease. Though anti-GBM disease can be associated with Anti Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies (ANCA) positivity, it is extremely rare to find atypical anti-GBM with ANCA positivity so much so that till now there are very few such cases reported from across the world.The case presented here is one such case where the patient presented with adult-onset nephrotic syndrome features with active urinary sediments and mildly deranged renal function. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) ANCA was positive and it was considered ANCA-associated crescentic glomerulonephritis (GN) but after the renal biopsy the picture was of anti-GBM disease. She was treated with pulse methylprednisolone but her creatinine increased in the meantime and considering anti-GBM she was put on Plasma Exchange (PLEX). She received 5 sessions of PLEX after which her renal function improved. She was also planned for Rituximab which could not be given due to local infection. As there are no protocols for treating such cases because of the extremely rare nature of the presentation, this case will increase the understanding of such presentations for the clinicians. This will help to plan for building the approach for such cases.

Background: The Intercostal Stretch Technique is one of the physiotherapy techniques that is used to solve different respiratory problems. It is used for increasing chest expansion and diaphragm excursion improvement and also intra-thoracic lung volume. Aim: The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the intercostal stretch technique.Methodology: A narrative review. In this study, an RCT study was used to review the intervention.Results: Several articles are used to discuss the effectiveness of the intercostal stretch technique. In stable COPD, diaphragmatic breathing and the intercostal stretch technique both work equally well to improve chest expansion and functional capacity while lowering dyspnea. Research has shown that IC stretch outperforms the anterior basal lift technique in lowering heart and respiratory rates while increasing oxygen saturation. According to this study, IC stretching in conjunction with breathing control may improve dynamic lung parameters, particularly FEV1/FVC%, more than breathing control alone. Patients with COPD have an increased functional exercise capacity and reduced dyspnea when aerobic training and respiratory muscle stretching are combined. Conclusion: Different articles demonstrated that IC stretch improved lung function, expired tidal volume, decreased dyspnea, and increased chest expansion.

It was proposed to determine the response of chemical fertilization in the production of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) six years old in the area of Rio Negro Shambillo Padre Abad in order to have a sustainable and economic alternative of chemical fertilization in the field stage, which contributes to the survival of the palm and provides the necessary resistance against pests and diseases. A completely randomized block design (DBCA) was used with four repetitions and treatments, 96 plants / UE / treatment were used, the spacing was 9x9 in rows and plants. Results obtained indicate the treatments; T3 and T2 (16,54 – 15,48 kg / plant) obtained the highest averages by bunch weight, T1 and T3 (17,48 – 15,42 fruits / bunch) obtained the highest averages regarding number of fruit / bunch, T1 and T3 (13,93 – 11,59 to 45 cm ) obtained the highest averages for bunch length, T1 and T3 (7,33 – 5,52 cm) obtained the highest averages regarding fruit length, T1 and T3 (11.37 – 9.54 g) obtained the highest averages regarding fruit weight, T1 and T3 (10,46 – 10,37 kg) obtained the highest averages to yield per plant. The addition of chemical fertilizers or organic amendments increases the weight of the oil palm bunch, consequently the production in soils with medium, low fertility; chemical fertilization influences the number of clusters of oil palm produced on a given surface, any dose is used as an alternative to phosphorous fertilization in oil palm with a direct relationship between plant height and root length. 

Purpose: American expert consensus publications recommend discontinuation of antiplatelet agents 6 to 12 months after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) in patients with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) who require chronic anticoagulation, and use of oral anticoagulant monotherapy thereafter. This study aimed to assess real-world long-term antithrombotic therapy management practices and factors associated with the continuation of antiplatelet agents past 12 months post-PCI in patients with AF requiring chronic anticoagulation. Methods: Patients with AF and a history of PCI greater than 12 months before their most recent encounter with physicians at an outpatient electrophysiology clinic were identified by chart review. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and current antithrombotic regimen were collected from encounters that occurred between July 2019 and June 2022. The independent predictive factors associated with the continuation of antiplatelet agents were identified using univariate and regression analyses. Results: Out of 66 patients, 67% continued antiplatelet therapy for greater than 12 months post-PCI. Patients on antiplatelets were significantly less likely to have bare metal stents (p = 0.006), be greater than five years post-PCI (p = 0.002), and have a HASBLED score of two or less (p = 0.028) when compared to patients on oral anticoagulant monotherapy. Bare metal stent history (p = 0.045) and HASBLED score of two or less (p = 0.016) were also significant in regression analysis.Conclusion: This study found that most patients with AF and a history of PCI continued antiplatelet therapy longer than 12 months post-PCI, often despite the high bleeding risk.

A 25-year-old man presented with fever and rash which progressed to extensive vesicular eruptions all over the body by the 4th day (Figure 1A).

Mental illness is an international health crisis that puts the lives of over three hundred million people (Four percent of the world’s population) at risk. The study was conducted at the Erigavo Mental Hospital in Somaliland and its main focus was the bond between substance abuse and mental illness. The research was to check the influence of the different drugs, screen mental health problems, and draw a link between drugs and mental illness. The sources of the quantitative data were a total of 27 employees and managers. This study is cross-sectional. We employed the measure of the magnitude and direction of a linear relationship between two variables with the Pearson correlation coefficient. The outcomes that were acquired show that there was use and particularly abuse of khat, substance smoking, and alcohol consumption, the score means of which were quite high. The investigation results, however, imply that through drug use and other forms of alcohol drug abuse, one of them counter various mental health problems. Furthermore, the addicted people demonstrated the tendency to use force in their attempt to solve the conflicts and to experience the highest degree of tension, with the mean score of the former giving 4.11 while the standard deviation of the latter giving 1.086, thus this shows the mental impact of drug use on the inhabitants of Erigavo. The main result of the study was the strong, positive relationship between drug addiction and mental illness, which became evident through an r - value of 0.509 and a p - value of 0.559. It means that those people who are involved in drug misuse are the ones who are likely to have mental health disorders. Based on the findings of the study, we suggest a combination of measures to recover drug addiction and mental illness. This consists in strengthening prevention. The study that lays the groundwork for suggestions, involves an approach that is holistic in nature. The main ideas of preventing drug usage, psychological health care, enhancing mental health services, and working towards certified professionals are key integrated activities of the whole concept. The hospital, thus, will be in a better position to eliminate the two major disease components namely; drug abuse and mental ailment. Thus, in this way, with the help of the new treatment approaches, a hospital provides and their patients who are quite likely to recover and lead healthy.

Age estimation is an essential aspect of profile building in forensic investigations. Age estimation using teeth is one of the exciting applications of Forensic Odontology because teeth can survive post-mortem damage, so it is considered more suitable for age estimation. This study aims to estimate the age of individuals using the Cameriere method on teeth in various countries. The approach used in this research is a literature review study design compiled based on the Preferred Reporting System for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines from several articles with a period from 2007-2024. Scientific articles that meet the criteria will be analyzed using the Cameriere method to estimate the age of individuals. The search yielded 222 studies and only 12 scientific articles that met the requirements from the specified articles obtained. The population represents countries from various countries. The sample was in the age range of 4 years - 16 years. The results showed that the Cameriere method can be used to estimate the age of individuals quite accurately in various countries. However, there were some differences in accuracy between countries when using this method.