Synergistic effects of a copper–cobalt–nitroisophthalic acid/neodymium oxide composite on the electrochemical performance of hybrid supercapacitors

Hybrid supercapacitors can produce extraordinary advances in specific power and energy to display better electrochemical performance and better cyclic stability. Amalgamating metal oxides with metal–organic frameworks endows the prepared composites with unique properties and advantageous possibilities for enhancing the electrochemical capabilities. The present study focused on the synergistic effects of the CuCo(5-NIPA)–Nd2O3 composite. Employing a half-cell configuration, we conducted a comprehensive electrochemical analysis of CuCo(5-NIPA), Nd2O3, and their composite. Owing to the best performance of the composite, the hybrid device prepared from CuCo(5-NIPA)–Nd2O3 and activated carbon demonstrated a specific capacity of 467.5 C g−1 at a scan rate of 3 mV s−1, as well as a phenomenal energy and power density of 109.68 W h kg−1 and 4507 W kg−1, respectively. Afterwards, semi-empirical techniques and models were used to investigate the capacitive and diffusive mechanisms, providing important insights into the unique properties of battery–supercapacitor hybrids. These findings highlight the enhanced performance of the CuCo(5-NIPA)–Nd2O3 composite, establishing it as a unique and intriguing candidate for applications requiring the merging of battery and supercapacitor technologies

Temporary epicardial pacing wires in isolated coronary artery bypass graft: Necessity or force of habit?

Objective: To determine the frequency of Temporary epicardial pacing wires usage and its predictors in the immediate postoperative period in isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Methods: The longitudinal study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from September 2019 to August 2020, and comprised adult patients of either gender who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass graft in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. Demographic, peri-operative and post-operative Temporary Epicardial Pacing Wires use data was extracted from patient\u27s files and the institutional electronic database. Logistic regression models were built to explore predictors of Temporary epicardial pacing wires usage. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. Results: Of the 322 cases evaluated, 27(8.4%) required the use of Temporary Epicardial Pacing Wires. Mean age of the patients requiring temporary epicardial pacing wires was 66.3±8.9 years compared to 58.7±8.9 years in those who did not require it (p\u3c0.001), while the left ventricular ejection fraction percentage was 44.1±12.8 and 48.9±12.8 respectively (p=0.032). After adjusting for clinically plausible demographics and peri-operative variables, increasing age and low left ventricular ejection fraction were significantly associated with the use of temporary epicardial pacing wires in post-operative period of isolated coronary artery bypass graft patients (p\u3c0.05). Conclusions: The frequency of temporary epicardial pacing wires usage in the post-operative period of coronary artery bypass graft was found to be low

Comparative trends in ischemic heart disease admissions, presentation and outcomes due to the COVID-19 pandemic: First insights from a tertiary medical center in Pakistan

Introduction: COVID-19 has manifested a striking disarray in healthcare access and provision, particularly amongst patients presenting with life-threatening ischemic heart disease (IHD). The paucity of data from low-middle income countries has limited our understanding of the consequential burden in the developing world. We aim to compare volumes, presentations, management strategies, and outcomes of IHD amongst patients presenting in the same calendar months before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis at the Aga Khan University Hospital, one of the premier tertiary care centres in Pakistan. Data were collected on all adult patients (\u3e18 years) who were admitted with IHD (acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and stable angina) from March 1 to June 30, 2019 (pre-COVID) and March 1 to June 30, 2020 (during-COVID), respectively. Group differences for continuous variables were evaluated using student t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. The chi-squared test or Fisher test was used for categorical variables. Values of p less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. P-value trend calculation and graphical visualization were done using STATA (StataCorp, College Station, TX).Results: Data were assimilated on 1019 patients, with 706 (69.3%) and 313 (30.7%) patients presenting in each respective group (pre-COVID and during-COVID). Current smoking status (p=0.019), admission source (p\u3c0.001), month of admission (p\u3c0.001), proportions ACS (p\u3c0.001), non-ST-elevation-myocardial-infarction (NSTEMI; p\u3c0.001), unstable angina (p=0.025) and medical management (p=0.002) showed significant differences between the two groups, with a sharp decline in the during-COVID group. Monthly trend analysis of ACS patients showed the most significant differences in admissions (p=0.001), geographic region (intra-district vs intracity vs outside city) (p\u3c0.001), time of admission (p=0.038), NSTEMI (p=0.002) and medical management (p=0.001).Conclusion: These data showcase stark declines in ACS admissions, diagnostic procedures (angiography) and revascularization interventions (angioplasty and coronary artery bypass graft surgery, CABG) in a developing country where resources and research are already inadequate. This study paves the way for further investigations downstream on the short- and long-term consequences of untreated IHD and reluctance in health-seeking behaviour

Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects of amentoflavone on gentamicin-induced kidney damage in rats

Gentamicin (GEN) is an extensively used aminoglycoside. Contrary to its antibacterial potential, it can induce oxidative stress in several organs, including kidney. Amentoflavone (AMN) is a biflavonoid with conspicuous pharmacological activities. The current study was held to estimate the curative efficacy of AMN to antagonize the nephrotoxic effects instigated by GEN. 48 albino rats were separated into four groups: control group, GEN administrated group (80 mgkg−1 intraperitoneally), GEN + AMN treated group (80 mgkg−1 + 40 mgkg−1) and only AMN administrated group (40 mgkg−1). Following 30 days of administration, results showed that GEN disturbed antioxidant enzymes i.e., glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GSR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) activity, besides elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) along with reactive oxygen species (ROS) level. Besides this, level of inflammatory cytokines involving interleukin-6 (IL-6), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) & cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) were escalated. Furthermore, treatment with GEN enhanced the level of apoptotic proteins comprising of Bax, caspase-9 along with caspase-3 besides lessened the level of Bcl-2. In addition to this, GEN reduced the level of albumin, creatinine clearance & augmented the level of creatinine, urea, urobilinogen, urinary protein, kidney injury molecules-1 (KIM-1), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as well as instigated various histopathological damages. However, co-treated group (AMN + GEN) revoked abovementioned renal dysregulations instigated by GEN. Taken together, AMN could significantly counteract GEN-instigated nephrotoxic effects due to its antioxidant capabilities

Curative effects of kaempferide on cadmium-instigated hepatotoxicity in male albino rats

Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental and industrial toxicant that possess the ability to cause severe health issues to humans and animals. The flavonol, kaempferide (KF), exhibits multiple pharmacological potentials. Therefore, this investigation was designed to estimate the mitigative effect of KF against Cd instigated hepatic damage in rats. 24 albino rats (male) were kept in 4 different groups. The group-1 was designed as untreated/control group, group-2 was orally provided with Cd (5 mg/kg), group-3 was orally co-administrated with Cd (5 mg/kg) along with KF (20 mg/kg) and group-4 was supplemented with KF (20 mg/kg) during 30 days of trial. Cd administration significantly escalated ALT, ALP as well as AST levels. A substantial decline in SOD, GST, POD, CAT, GSR activities and GSH content was observed due to Cd exposure along with an elevation in TBARS and H2O2 levels. Moreover, Cd administration elevated NF-kB, IL-6, TNF-α as well as IL-1β levels in addition to the activity of COX-2. Furthermore, the levels of Bax, Caspase-9 as well as Caspase-3 were escalated, besides the level of Bcl-2 was decreased after Cd exposure. A significant increase in histopathological damages after Cd administration is a clear indication of liver damage. However, co-treatment of KF with Cd potential recovered all the damages and significantly reduced the biochemical and histological variations in rat liver. Overall results indicated that KF has efficient anti-oxidant properties, which mitigated Cd instigated hepatic damage in rats

Investigating the influence of copper benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (Cu-PDC) and benzene-1,2-dicarboxylate ligands (Cu-BTC) on the electrochemical capacity of hybrid supercapacitors

The elevated energy demand and crises have rooted the urge to develop advanced electrode materials that can overcome the energy dilemma present all over the globe. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as promising electrode materials in recent times due to their better electrochemical properties. Herein the metal ligand synergy produced in MOFs is observed for the same metal center (Cu) with different ligands i.e., benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (1,3,5-BTC) and benzene-1,2-dicarboxylate (1,2-BDC). The hybrid device of the best performing MOF (Cu-1,3,5-BTC//AC) reveals the energy and power density of 86.32 Wh kg-1 and 680 W kg-1, respectively. Even at the highest current density of 15 A/g, the device retained the Es of 21.25 Wh kg-1 and Ps of 12,750 W kg-1. Furthermore, the semi-empirical approach was utilized for the evaluation of capacitive and diffusive contributions

In-vitro investigation of graphene oxide reinforced bioactive glass ceramics composites

In graphene oxide (GO) reinforced composite materials, the uniform dispersion of GO and its interaction with matrix is highly desired for better mechanical properties. In order to achieve better interlocking and uniform microstructure, ion interaction approach has been used for the synthesis of GO and bioactive glass ceramics (BGC) composites. Oxygenated functional groups of GO played a decisive role in GO and BGC interlocking and towards the uniform homogeneity of the composite. GO-BGC composites with different GO to BGC weight ratios (0.5 to 2.0 wt.-%) were synthesized via the base-catalyzed sol-gel method and characterized by FTIR, RAMAN, SEM, TGA-DSC, and X-Ray diffraction techniques. An increase in micro-hardness was observed with the addition of GO up to 1 wt.-%, however, further loading led to a decrease in hardness. Moreover, GO-BGC composites were thermally more stable as compared to pristine GO. Bio-mineralization studies showed that composites were bioactive and GO supported the formation of the apatite layer. Furthermore, the composites were cytocompatible as was demonstrated by MTT assay using rat mesenchymal stem cells. This study can provide interesting insights into the synthesis and applications of novel composite biomedical materials

Microbial synthesized cadmium oxide nanoparticles induce oxidative stress and protein leakage in bacterial cells

The bactericidal activity of metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) offers extensive opportunities in bioengineering and biomedicines. Bioengineered transition metals used in various forms against lethal microbes. In this study, Cadmium Oxide nanoparticles (CdO-NPs) were prepared through the co-precipitation method using fungal strain Penicillium oxalicum and cadmium acetate solution. The structure and elemental composition of the prepared NPs were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Antibacterial activity was assessed through well diffusion method against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Shigella dysenteriae (S. dysenteriae), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). In addition, reactive oxygen species (ROS), reducing sugars and protein leakage contribution was examined against selected strains. The XRD analysis proved that the synthesized CdO-NPs possess a crystalline structure with an average crystalline size of 40-80 nm. FTIR confirmed the presence of organic compounds on the particle surface, while UV showed stability of the particles. SEM and EDS confirmed that CdO-NPs were successfully prepared and spherical. The maximum zone of inhibition against S. dysenteriae and P. aeruginosa was found and showed a less optical density of 0.086 after 18 h. ROS, reducing sugar, and protein leakage assay showed a significant difference as compared to control. Based on the present study, it is recommended that microbial mediated synthesized nanoparticles can be used as biomedicines for the treatment of different types of bacterial infections

Implementation evaluation of a medical student-led intervention to enhance students\u27 engagement with research: Findings and lessons learned

Introduction: Medical colleges globally have student organizations that serve to enable students\u27 involvement in research. However, details of their approach and activities are seldom published to serve as learning for student organizations in other settings. The Student Research Forum (SRF), a student organization based at a private medical school in Pakistan aims to facilitate students in acquiring research skills. Following the observation of a downward trajectory of student initiative and interest, SRF leadership restructured the organization and improve its impact. This study describes the development and implementation evaluation of the interventions.Methodology: The operational framework was revised using the Theory of Change by the core group. Major interventions included enhanced social media and outreach coordination, research workshops, journal clubs, and mentorship to increase research output, mentorship opportunities, and knowledge of medical research; ultimately improving quality in research. The outcomes generated over the course of the study\u27s duration from July 2019 to September 2021 were analyzed using the process metrics of reach, adoption, and efficacy.Results: As a result of the interventions, SRF expanded its reach by conducting a total of 41 events during the duration of the study, facilitated by social media growth on each of SRF\u27s online platforms, with a 300% increase in followers on Facebook, and a nationwide network of 91 student ambassadors. An annual workshop series taught research skills to more than 3800 participants. Students leading their own events, SRF featuring international speakers, and the abstracts submitted to SRF\u27s annual conference, along with the conference\u27s reach of 10,000 students, are seen as improvements in the ToC-informed interventions\u27 adoption. The efficacy of the interventions manifested as the REACH program allocated 56 research projects to vetted applicants.Conclusion: The applied interventions have accelerated SRF\u27s progress towards achieving its long-term outcome of increased quality in research as translated by increased research output quantity, mentorship, and knowledge of medical research. Further evaluation is required to assess the success of the ToC. As SRF continues to grow, a continued analysis of the implementation outcomes is imperative to gauge its effectiveness