Characterization of Isolated Bioactive Phytoconstituents from Flacourtia Indica as Potential Phytopharmaceuticals-An in Silico Perspective

The dependence of mankind for therapeutic applications on plants dates back to the start of the human race. Natural remedies from ethnobotanicals are found to be safe and cost effective. Due to the poor pharmacokinetic profiles and toxicity problems many synthetic drugs often fails to enter the market thus, the pharmacologically active compounds from plants continued to provide an important source of novel drug leads. The early inclusion of pharmacokinetics consideration in the drug discovery process using in silico methods is becoming popular due to improved generation of software’s. The problems with conventional method required time-consuming multi-step processes against a battery of in vivo biological screening and high cost thus, In silico prediction of the pharmacokinetic parameters, biological properties and toxicity due to advent of chemo-informatics tools, has reduced the cost dramatically and early application in drug design are realized. The present investigation deals with computational evaluation of six isolated phytocompounds from Flacourtia indica for their pharmacological potential and biological activities. These compounds were evaluated for drug likeness properties, bioactivity score, ADME/T profiles, and health affects by using various bioinformatics tools. The result indicated that all the six compounds analyzed were non mutagens, non-carcinogens and having good drug-likeness properties were seen. The ADMET parameters and probability of health effects were analyzed by admet SAR and ACD/I-Lab online tools respectively and results shows the ADMET and probability of health effects values are also in satisfying ranges. Pharmacological activities of these compounds were predicted individually using PASS server many different pharmacological activities and mechanisms of action shown by these compounds were reported. The results of our analysis clearly depict that all six phytocompounds were having good pharmacokinetic profiles with numerous biological activities. These compounds can be further studied in vitro and in vivo for the discovery of novel preventive and therapeutic drug

Influence of personality traits on open access mode of publishing

Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the influence of personality traits on perception and acceptance of open access (OA) mode of publishing by the author community of University of Kashmir, India. The study is an attempt to highlight the relationship between personality traits of authors and OA mode of publishing. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on the responses of 48 faculty members affiliated with different Departments of Science Discipline of University of Kashmir. Big Five personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to experience) were tapped through ten-item personality inventory, and information regarding OA was gauged through six self-devised statements. Findings – Pearson correlation test confirms statistically significant relation between personality traits and different dimensions of OA mode of publishing. Personality traits are found to have an influence on author’s perception of OA mode of publishing. However, the study could not ascertain any relation between the notions of an author about the quality of OA content with any of the personality traits. Emotionally stable authors are found to explicitly submit their work in OA journals without any anxiety or negativity. Agreeable and conscientious authors also prefer to keep their work open to make it helpful to the broader audience and get maximum recognition from peers and citations to their work respectively. However, some authors (agreeable) hesitate in submitting their work in open platforms due to the fear of getting their works easily copie

Newcomers Presents: South Asian women's identity; ESG rating and bank stability; Microbiology, astrobiology, and limits of life

Nahida Hussain (Sociology), An intergenerational study of the relationship between South Asian grandmothers, mothers, and daughters in the UK. Stefano Pisera (Essex Business School), Do ESG [environmental, social and governance] strategies enhance bank stability during financial turmoil? Evidence from Europe. Maria Magliulo (Life Sciences), Microbes in space and time

Cognitive and subjective effects of mephedrone and factors influencing use of a 'new legal high'

Aims: Use of the stimulant drug mephedrone increased dramatically in 2009, and it is still available in the United Kingdom after being controlled in April 2010. This study aimed to assess mephedrone's acute cognitive and subjective effects. Design: A mixed within- and between-subjects design compared 20 mephedrone users, first while intoxicated (T1) and secondly drug free (T2); and 20 controls twice when drug free (T1 and T2). Settings: Participants' own homes. Participants: Healthy adults recruited from the community. Measurements: Subjective effects, episodic and working memory, phonological and semantic fluency, psychomotor speed and executive control at were assessed at T1 and T2. Trait schizotypy, depression, changes in mephedrone use since the ban and attitudes influencing use of a hypothetical new legal high were indexed at T2 only. Findings: Compared with controls, mephedrone users had generally impaired prose recall (P = 0.037) and higher scores in schizotypy (P < 0.001) and depression (P = 0.01). Mephedrone acutely primed a marked ‘wanting’ for the drug (P < 0.001), induced stimulant-like effects, impaired working memory (P < 0.001) and enhanced psychomotor speed (P = 0.024). Impulsivity in mephedrone users correlated with the number of hours in an average (nearly 8 hour) mephedrone session (r = 0.6). Users would be drawn to use a new legal high if it were pure, had no long/short term harms, and was positively rated by friends or on the internet. Conclusions: Mephedrone impairs working memory acutely, induces stimulant-like effects in users and is associated with binge use. Factors that influence users' attitudes to new drugs might help to predict future trends in use of the many new psychoactive substances emerging on the internet

Randomized controlled trial of standard versus double dose cotrimoxazole for childhood pneumonia in Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE: Increasing concern over bacterial resistance to cotrimoxazole, which is recommended by WHO as a first-line drug for treating non-severe pneumonia, led to the suggestion that this might not be optimal therapy. However, changing to alternative antimicrobial agents, such as amoxicillin, is costly. We compared the clinical efficacy of twice-daily cotrimoxazole in standard versus double dosage for treating non-severe pneumonia in children. METHODS: A randomized controlled multicentre trial was implemented in seven hospital outpatient departments and two community health programmes. A total of 1143 children aged 2-59 months with non-severe pneumonia were randomly allocated to receive 4 mg trimethoprim plus 20 mg sulfamethoxazole/kg of body weight or 8 mg trimethoprim plus 40 mg sulfamethoxazole/kg of body weight orally twice-daily for 5 days Treatment failure occurred when a child required a change of therapy, died or was lost to follow-up. Children required a change of therapy if their condition worsened (they developed chest indrawing or danger signs) or if at 48 hours after enrollment, their clinical condition was the same (defined as having a respiratory rate that was 5 breaths/minute higher or lower than at the time of enrollment). FINDINGS: The results of 1134 children were analysed: 578 were assigned to the standard dose of cotrimoxazole and 556 to the double dose. Treatment failed in 112 children (19.4%) in the standard group and 118 (21.2%) in the double-dose group (relative risk 1.10; 95% confidence interval = 0.87-1.37). Using multivariate analysis we found that treatment was more likely to fail in children who were not given the medicine correctly (P = 0.001), in those younger than 12 months (P = 0.004), those who had used antibiotics previously (P = 0.002), those whose respiratory rate was > or =20 breaths/minute above the age-specific cut-off point (P = 0.006), and those from urban areas (P = 0.042). CONCLUSION: Both standard and double strength cotrimoxazole were equally effective in treating non-severe pneumonia. Close follow-up of patients is essential to prevent worsening of disease. Definitions of clinical failure need to be more specific. Surveillance in both rural and urban areas is essential in the development of treatment policies that are based on clinical outcomes

Prevalence and factors associated with digital addiction among students taking university entrance tests: a GIS-based study

Abstract Background The surge in digital media consumption, coupled with the ensuing consequences of digital addiction, has witnessed a rapid increase, particularly after the initiation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite some studies exploring specific technological addictions, such as internet or social media addiction, in Bangladesh, there is a noticeable gap in research focusing on digital addiction in a broader context. Thus, this study aims to investigate digital addiction among students taking the university entrance test, examining its prevalence, contributing factors, and geographical distribution using GIS techniques. Methods Data from a cross-sectional survey were collected from a total of 2,157 students who were taking the university entrance test at Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. A convenience sampling method was applied for data collection using a structured questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS 25 Version and AMOS 23 Version, whereas ArcGIS 10.8 Version was used for the geographical distribution of digital addiction. Results The prevalence of digital addiction was 33.1% (mean score: 16.05 ± 5.58). Those students who are attempting the test for a second time were more likely to be addicted (42.7% vs. 39.1%), but the difference was not statistically significant. Besides, the potential factors predicted for digital addiction were student status, satisfaction with previous mock tests, average monthly expenditure during the admission test preparation, and depression. No significant difference was found between digital addiction and districts. However, digital addiction was higher in the districts of Manikganj, Rajbari, Shariatpur, and Chittagong Hill Tract areas, including Rangamati, and Bandarban. Conclusions The study emphasizes the pressing need for collaborative efforts involving educational policymakers, institutions, and parents to address the growing digital addiction among university-bound students. The recommendations focus on promoting alternative activities, enhancing digital literacy, and imposing restrictions on digital device use, which are crucial steps toward fostering a healthier digital environment and balanced relationship with technology for students