Articles

Background: Post-fracture prolonged immobilization or post-operative elbow stiffness is relatively common and markedly interferes with normal upper extremity function. This study aims to evaluate and compare the levels of patient satisfaction and quality of life in individuals with post-elbow fracture stiffness who undergo Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) stretching versus those who receive passive stretching.Methodology: This (six months) analytical comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at various healthcare institutions. The sample consisted of 377 patients using non-probability convenient sampling. Inclusion criteria included specific types of elbow fractures, a minimum immobilization period of three weeks, and limited range of motion (ROM). Exclusion criteria covered various medical and psychological conditions. Standardized questionnaires Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36) and Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ-18) were used for measuring Quality of life and patient satisfaction. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 22.Results: Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire scores were significantly higher in the PNF Stretching group (mean 82.34 ± 6.63) compared to the Passive Stretching group (mean 63.98 ± 14.42), with a p - value of 0.000. Similarly, Patient satisfaction questionnaire scores were significantly higher in the PNF Stretching group (mean 77.61 ± 4.43) compared to the Passive Stretching group (mean 70.93 ± 8.49), with a p - value of 0.000. These findings indicate that there is a statistically significant difference observed between the two groups.Conclusion: There is a statistically significant difference observed between both groups as the patients undergoing PNF stretching have higher satisfaction and better quality of life, in comparison to the passive stretching group.

Rising greenhouse gas emissions have contributed to unprecedented levels of climate change, while microbial conversion and utilization of CO2 is a practical way to reduce emissions and promote green manufacturing. This article mainly summarizes several natural CO2 pathways that have been discovered, including the Calvin cycle, the reduced tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycle, the Wood–Ljungdahl (WL) pathway, the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate (HP/HB) cycle, the dicarboxylate/4-hydroxybutyrate (DC/HB) cycle, the 3-hydroxypropionate (3HP) cycle, the reductive glycine (rGly) pathway, and artificially designed carbon fixation pathways includes the CETCH cycle, the MOG pathway, the acetyl-CoA bicycle, and the POAP cycle. We also discussed applications of different carbon fixation enzymes, notably ribulose-1, 5-diphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, pyruvate carboxylase, carbonic anhydrase, as well as formate dehydrogenase. This paper further addressed the development of photosynthetic autotrophs, chemergic autotrophs and model bacteria Escherichia coli or yeast produced main products for CO2 fixation through metabolic engineering, such as alcohols, organic acids, fatty acids and lipids, bioplastics, terpenoids, hydrocarbons, and biomass.  Future studies on CO2 microbial conversion should focus on improving the efficiency of carbon fixation enzymes, metabolic modules of the carbon sequestration pathway, and intracellular energy utilization. Coupled microbial and electrochemical methods for CO2 fixation, in addition to biological fixation, show considerable promise. 

The vast majority of urological complications occur at the ureterovesical junction and usually occur early after transplantation. The aim of this study is to enhance the quality of medical care provided to patients who undergo kidney transplantation. Cystography was conducted on renal transplant recipients utilizing computed tomography. The utilization of changes in the patient’s position and reconstructed images of the bladder can serve as a diagnostic tool to assess the normal functioning of the urinary tract system subsequent to kidney transplantation. To ensure adequate filling of the bladder and ureter, it is necessary to introduce varying amounts of contrast medium through the urinary catheter into these structures. This diagnostic procedure aims to verify the existence of stenosis or leakage occurring at the vesicoureteral junction. The evaluation and diagnosis of urinary tract problems subsequent to kidney transplantation can be effectively conducted. Furthermore, it has the potential to mitigate the adverse effects and alleviate the strain on the renal system resulting from the administration of contrast agents in computed tomography urography. CT-guided cystography can enhance the medical quality and comfort of Kidney transplantation patients.

Recently, many studies on the molecular activity of compounds have been carried out using simulations through computer programs or in silico simulations. Anthocyanins are one of the compounds that are often used as food coloring agents and can function as antioxidants to prevent blockage of blood vessels, as an anti-cancer that can prevent the development of cancer cells and tumors and have anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of the research is to determine the stability of anthocyanins using molecular simulations and determine the best mixing sequence of ingredients to produce the most stable anthocyanin mixture. Based on the results of the simulations carried out, it can be proven that the final 3 sets (the modeled compound belonging to namely AP and AZ followed by a number based on the simulation order) selected are AP17, AP18, and AZ17. The AP17 set had the lowest potential energy at the end of molecular dynamics simulations, but molecular visualization showed structural instability indicated by the formation of gaps in the molecular conformation. The AP18 set had the second lowest potential energy at the end of molecular dynamics simulations and molecular visualization showed molecular conformation that tended to be stable during molecular simulations with no change in structure. The AZ17 set had the highest potential energy of the final 3 sets selected and molecular visualization showed a gap in the conformation at the beginning of the simulation, but over time the gap became denser, indicating that the molecule became more stable over time. Based on the research results, the AP18 set was chosen because it has relatively low potential energy and it can be proven that the structure visualization of this set tends to be more stable over time during molecular dynamics simulations.

Okra is an herbaceous hairy annual plant that belongs to the family Malvaceae. It is cultivated in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions around the world. The present work was carried out to study the effect of biofertilizers (Azotobacter + Bacillus) and different concentrations of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium i.e.NPK on growth and photosynthetic pigments of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench). Okra can be named a multipurpose crop as its various parts such as leaves, buds, flowers, pods, stems and seeds can be used for different purposes [1]. Okra is rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, oils, etc. Application of hazardous fertilizers causes a nutrient imbalance in soil, With respect to reducing the causes due to chemical fertilizers, biofertilizers are suited best to maintain higher productivity and yield of crops. Random block design (RBD) was selected as an experimental design. The treatments combination taken are T0- Control, T1- Azotobacter + 50% NPK, T2- Azotobacter (2.5 kg/ha) + 100% NPK, T3- Bacillus (2.5 kg/ha) + 50% NPK, T4- Bacillus (2.5 kg/ha) + 100% NPK, and T5 with NPK 100%. The final result revealed, that the treatment combination with Azotobacter + 100% NPK (T2) showed the highest value of plant height (65.60 cm), number of leaves per plant(62.36), number of flowers per plant (27.40), and also carotenoid content (2.82 mg/g), chlorophyll a(2.47 mg/g) and chlorophyll b(3.25 mg/g) were observed maximum. So, it can be concluded through this paper that the combination of Azotobacter 2.5 kg/ha + 100% NPK (T2) is suitable for the okra plant for better growth and enhancement of photosynthetic potential in-field practices.

The internal structure of a sunflower leaf could be reconstructed by applying RET reverse engineering techniques on measurements from terahertz time-domain probing (Time Domain Spectroscopy TDS). This new and non-destructive method allows us to follow the evolution of this structure in time during a process of dehydration. This paper is a synthesis of our previous work.

Knowing the psychological traits and clinically relevant symptoms for the development and maintenance of Eating Behavior Disorders (EDD) in bodybuilding and fitness athletes is a necessity for early intervention and the elimination of stressors that contribute to improving sports performance and quality of life.The aim of the study: To know the dynamics of EDD and the level of general psychological adaptation in athletes who practice bodybuilding and fitness according to sports gender and age.By applying the Inventory of Eating Disorders, EDI-III on 30 participants, bodybuilding and fitness practitioners, aged between 19 and 53, of which 21 are male and 9 are female, psychological traits were investigated relevant (low self-esteem, perfectionism, asceticism, fear of maturity, interpersonal, emotional problems, exaggerated control, and others) in order to know the level of distress and the presence of clinically relevant symptoms for the development and maintenance of EDD (the desire to being thin, bulimia, body dissatisfaction)We concluded that most of the athletes fall within the limits of the threshold values ​​established for the evaluated scales, 30% of the athletes (3 female athletes and 6 male athletes), obtained scores rated above the threshold on at least one of the clinical scales, which means that the risk of EDD is present in some athletes. The average of the investigated psychological scales calculated for the rated scores to establish the level of general psychological adaptation does not exceed the specified threshold for each investigated dimension separately, except for the asceticism, interpersonal problems, and exaggerated control scales. Female athletes have greater psychological balance than male athletes and lower risk of ED than male athletes, important aspects of personality and mental health in psychological training as a screening tool in the process of optimizing the effectiveness of bodybuilding and fitness training.

There is a renewed interest in heart failure treatments. With this, there is an increasing interest in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Trans-mitral Doppler is commonly used in the assessment of ‘diastolic’ function. It is fashionable to discuss diastolic dysfunction and diastology with the result that the more important systolic dysfunction has become passé. The current literature equates trans-mitral Doppler patterns to diastolic function when actually it is more relevant in systolic dysfunction. This article is an attempt to correct this flawed perception of trans-mitral Doppler.

Background: Asthma, a chronic inflammatory respiratory ailment, is characterized by variable airflow obstruction and heightened bronchial reactivity. Despite therapeutic advancements, a comprehensive comprehension of its underlying metabolic mechanisms remains elusive. Metabolomics has emerged as a powerful approach to investigating the complex connections between serum metabolites and disease pathogenesis. However, exploring the causal relationship between serum metabolites and asthma susceptibility demands meticulous examination to unveil potential therapeutic targets.Methods: Mendelian randomization (MR) approach was explored to investigate the potential causal associations between serum metabolites and asthma risk. The main analysis employed the inverse variance weighted method, supported by supplementary approaches such as MR-Egger, weighted median, weighted mode, and sample mode. To enhance the strength and credibility of our results, we conducted sensitivity analyses encompassing heterogeneity testing, assessment of horizontal pleiotropy, and leave-one-out analysis. Additionally, pathway enrichment analysis was performed to further elucidate the results.Results: We identified 18 known and 12 unknown metabolites with potential associations with asthma risk. Among known metabolites, seven exhibited protective effects (e.g., 4-acetamidobutanoate, allantoin, kynurenine, oxidized bilirubin*), while eleven were considered risk factors (e.g., ornithine, N-acetylornithine, alanine). Through the integration of four additional MR models and sensitivity analyses, we revealed a connection between 4-acetamidobutanoate and approximately 6% lower asthma risk (OR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90–0.98).Conclusions: Our MR analysis uncovered protective and risk-associated metabolites, alongside 12 unknown metabolites linked to asthma. Notably, 4-acetamidobutanoate demonstrated a nominal 6% reduction in asthma risk, highlighting its potential significance.

A new technique for the use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) for the generalization and visual presentation of the results of experimental studies is proposed. The possibility of using ANN for cases for which their use was previously considered impossible is shown. ANN calculators have been created that summarize the results of experimental studies on the effect of trans-polynorbornene and basalt fiber on the characteristics of a rubber compound based on general-purpose rubbers (isoprene SKI-3, butadiene-methylstyrene SKMS-30ARK and butadiene SKD), which also contained vulcanizing agents (N, N′-dithiodimorpholine, thiuram D), vulcanization accelerators (sulfenamide C, 2-mercapto-benzothiazole), vulcanization activators (zinc white, stearic acid), emollients (industrial oil I-12A, rosin) and antioxidants (acetonanil H, diaphene FP). The rubber mixture was prepared on laboratory rollers LB 320 160/160. Subsequently, the rubber mixture was vulcanized in a P-V-100-3RT-2-PCD press. For the resulting vulcanizates, the physical and mechanical properties and their changes were determined after daily exposure to air and in a standard SZhR-1 hydrocarbon liquid at a temperature of 100 °C. We also studied the change in the mass of vulcanizates after exposure to industrial oil I-20A and water. The dynamic parameters (modulus of elasticity and mechanical loss tangent) of vulcanizates, which characterize their noise and vibration-absorbing properties, were studied on a Metravib VHF 104 dynamic mechanical analyzer. The created ANN calculators allow solving a direct problem - interpolating the dependences of all rubber characteristics on the content of basalt fiber, as well as solving inverse problems - to determine the required content of basalt fiber to create rubber with the required performance properties. The autonomous executable modules of the calculators developed by ANN were made and can be passed to everyone.