A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY ON THE ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL DRUG-DRUG INTERACTIONS AND MANAGEMENT OF POST-COMPLICATIONS IN STROKE PATIENTS AT A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL

Objective: The objective of the study is to determine the occurrence, frequency, and severity of significant drug-drug interactions in stroke patients, with an emphasis on post complications and their symptomatic management. Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out for 6 mo at Osmania General Hospital, a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital. The prescriptions taken by stroke patients throughout their hospital stay were analyzed for possible interactions using-Micromedex-2 (Thomson Reuters) × 2.0. Results: A total of 130 prescriptions was analyzed in the study in which 141 drug-drug interactions were found with a male predominance of 85.4%. The majority of interactions were of moderate severity (74.46%) and pharmacokinetics (67.37%) in nature. Among the clinical consequences, decreased atorvastatin efficacy (49.10%) was found to be the highest. The class of drugs most commonly involved in drug-drug interactions was found to be anti-epileptics and statins. 60.15% of the study population were identified with one complication, among which seizures account for 15% of patients. All the complications allied with the condition were treated with drug classes in the study population. Conclusion: This study highlighted the exigency for screening prescriptions of cerebrovascular accident patients for potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs). Brain edema and seizure were the most accountable complications identified in the study population. The early detection of these problems can improve stroke outcomes and can reduce the mortality or disability rate

Mitigating Salt-Induced Damages in Wheat with Foliar-Applied Nigella sativa Seed Extract: A Comprehensive Study

Nigella sativa, a medicinal plant, known for its diverse bioactive compounds, including antioxidants and phytohormones, have shown potential in mitigating salt stress in various plant species. Amongst naturally occurring plant growth stimulants, it has attained enormous attention being rich in thymoquinineand carvacrol in seeds for scavenging free radicals. This research aimed to investigate the effect of Nigella sativa seed extract (NSE) as foliar spray (0, 50, 100 and 150g seeds per liter each) on wheat growth under salt stress (0mM, 75mM and 150mM). Results revealed that salinity decreased growth attributes and accumulation of photosynthetic pigments. On the other hand, salinity stress boosted the contents of malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, glycinebetaine, leaf free proline, Na+ and Cl-. Foliar application of NSEameliorated the negative effects of salinity to considerable extent by enhancing growth traits, chlorophyll contents, glycinebetaine and prolineand decreased Na+, Cl-,malondialdehyde andhydrogen peroxide. This research provides valuable insights into the potential use of NSE as natural and sustainable solution to alleviate salt stress in wheat crop. These findings contribute to the development of eco-friendly strategies for enhancing crop resilience in saline environments, ultimately addressing the global challenge of food security in the face of increasing soil salinity

Frequency of Disc Degeneration at Different Levels of Cervical Vertebrae in Adult Patients with Neck Pain on Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background:Disc degeneration is terminology used for heterogeneous changes affecting the anatomy and physiology of the intervertebral disc. Disc degeneration alters the material properties of the intervertebral disc leading to an unfavorable distribution and transmission of stress to adjacent spinal structures.Objective:The aim of the study was to determine the frequency of disc degeneration at different level of cervical vertebrae in adult patients with neck pain on magnetic resonance imaging.Methodology:In this descriptive study 180 adult patients were included. All patients had been collected from DHQ hospital Gilgit and Ghurki Trust teaching hospital. After informed consent, data were collected through 1.5 tesla GE (closed bore) and 0.35 tesla Hitachi (open bore) MRI machines.Results:Findings show that among 180 adult patients, 136 presented with disc degeneration among which 81 were males and 55 were females. Among 81 males, 63 had disc degeneration at multiple levels while 18 had single disc degeneration. In females 35 patients showed multiple disc degeneration while 20 involved a single disc.Conclusion:It is concluded that disc degeneration is prevalent in males than females. Disc degeneration at multiple levels is higher than single disc degeneration in both genders. Keywords: Disc degeneration, magnetic resonance imaging, intervertebral disc. DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/71-02 Publication date: February 29th 202

Improvement of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants with the Application of Nanoparticles

Plants are under the threat of climatic changes and there is a reduction in productivity and deterioration in quality. The application of nanoparticles is one of the recent approaches to improve plant yield and quality traits. A number of nanoparticles, such as zinc nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), iron nanoparticles (Fe2O3 NPs), silicon nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs), cerium nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs), silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs), and carbon nanoparticles (C NPs), have been reported in different plant species to play a role to improve the plant physiology and metabolic pathways under environmental stresses. Crop plants readily absorb the nanoparticles through the cellular machinery of different tissues and organs to take part in metabolic and growth processes. Nanoparticles promote the activity of a range of antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), in plant species, which in turn improve the growth and development under stressful conditions. The present review focuses on the mode of action and signaling of nanoparticles to the plant systems and their positive impact on growth, development, and ROS scavenging potential. The appropriate elucidation on mechanisms of nanoparticles in plants leads to better growth and yields under stress conditions, which will ultimately lead to increased agricultural production

Effects of Fertilizers on Copper and Nickel Accumulation and Human Health Risk Assessment of Vegetables and Food Crops

Despite the fact that fertilizers have been used for millennia for sustainable crop production, this high and considerable dependence on fertilizers heightens environmental concerns with the indirect human exposure due to accumulation of toxins in food chain via soil contamination. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the application of fertilizers to the soil and their effect on the accumulation of copper and nickel in spinach (Spinacia oleracea), garlic (Allium sativum), wheat (Triticum aestivum), maize (Zea mays), and barley (Hordeum vulgare); as well as potential health concerns associated with consuming vegetables cultivated on this contaminated land. Samples of available soil, food crops, and human blood were collected from three different Tehsils: Bhalwal, Sahiwal, and Silanwali and were regarded as site 1, site 2 and site 3 respectively. Urea, farmyard manure, and potassium chloride were delivered to Site 1; urea phosphate, manure, and ammonium sulphate were delivered to Site 2; and superphosphate, ammonium phosphate, and nitrate phosphate were delivered to Site 3. Data was subjected to statistical analysis for computing out ANOVA and correlation. Analysis revealed that minimum copper concentration was found in the soil of T. aestivum grown at Site-1 while the inhabitants of Site 3 had the highest concentration of Cu in their blood. The highest level of HIR was found in the human beings that ate the S. oleracea grown at Site 3. It is strongly advised that fertilizers be used sparingly, as their excessive use can cause human health risks

Honey-mediated synthesis of Cr2O3 nanoparticles and their potent anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities

Green synthesis of nanoparticles has gained tremendous attention in recent era which is pertinent to their unique properties and broad applications. This approach is cost-effective, environment-friendly as well as highly biocompatible. In this research, chromium oxide nanoparticles (Cr2O3-NPs) were synthesized by using Apis mellifera honey as a reducing and capping agent and their anti-bacterial, anti-biofilm, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory abilities were explored. Ultra Violet-visible double beam spectroscopy revealed that chromium underwent d-d transition during synthesis of nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis verified that Cr2O3-NPs were crystalline in nature and average crystal size was 24 nm. Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis confirmed that chromium and oxygen formed nano-composites in solution which possessed a stable form. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) provided morphological characteristics of nanoparticles and proved that their average size was 20 nm. Cr2O3-NPs displayed excellent anti-bacterial activity (minimum inhibition zone, 20 mm; maximum inhibition zone, 26 mm) against 30 selected clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae as determined by agar well-diffusion method. Their antibacterial activity was considerably superior to that of three selected antibiotics including Gentamicin, Ciprofloxacin and Cefepime. However, no synergism was observed between nanoparticles and these antibiotics as calculated from fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) values all of which were  > 1. The synthesized nanoparticles possessed good biofilm inhibition potential (60 % to 73 %) at all concentrations (20 µg/ml to 50 µg/ml) tested. Cr2O3-NPs exhibited excellent anti-oxidant activity (IC50 = 128 µg/ml) which was nearly equivalent to that of ascorbic acid. Anti-inflammatory effect of Cr2O3-NPs was also significant (IC50 = 549 µg/ml) and comparable to that of standard. Both anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities were found to increase with an increase in the concentration of Cr2O3-NPs. In conclusion, this work revealed that Apis mellifera honey-mediated synthesis of Cr2O3-NPs could be investigated for future biomedical applications

Brain Tumor Detection by Using Computer Vision Based on Multi-Level Image Filteration

MRI imaging assumes an essential part in brain tumor for conclusion, investigation and treatment arranging. Brain tumor identification is the procedure of the situating of tumor and size. It helps the specialist for deciding the past strides of mind tumor.in this paper, we utilize distinctive methods to obviously distinguish the tumor region from MRI picture. In our approach utilize two level of separating systems these altered half and half middle channel and middle filtering.as the clamor is evacuated we upgrade the picture quality by enhancing dim level of every pixel utilizing KNN mean calculation. The improved picture used to discover the limits of conceivable mind tumor within pictures by identifying discontinuities in the shine. The picture division into a conceivable tumor and non-tumor zones. and afterward sharp both conceivable districts unmistakably envisioned the two regions in brain picture