Effects of Amitriptyline and Ashwagandha on the Oxidative State and Acetylcholine Esterase Enzyme Activities in Rats

Amitriptyline has a long history of effectiveness in treating depression. Due to its side effects, which include oxidative stress and anticholinergic effects, it is used less frequently. Ashwagandha is a substantial herb that has anti-depressant, antioxidant properties. Aim of study: To evaluate the effects of ashwagandha and amitriptyline on the oxidative state of acetylcholine esterase in rat salivary glands. Material and Methods: Four groups of rats were created. Distilled water was given to group I (control), and group II received amitriptyline (10 mg/kg) orally. Ashwagandha root extract (200 mg/kg) was given orally to group III, while similar doses of ashwagandha root extract and amitriptyline were given in combination to group IV. Rats from each group were sacrificed at (7 and 30 days). A blood samples were collected to measure the total antioxidant capacity (TAC). To measuring acetylcholine esterase enzyme, salivary gland tissues were dissected. Results: TAC after 7 days of oral administration showed a  non-significant difference between groups while, after 30 days  there is a significant decrease in TAC in group II and IV in comparison with that of the control group. Following oral dosing for seven days, acetylcholine esterase measurements revealed an increase in group II and a decrease in group IV as compared to the control group. While after 30 days, all groups' acetylcholine esterase enzyme levels significantly decreased when compared with the control group. It can be Concluded that,  Amitriptyline causes oxidative stress and temporarily inhibits acetyl cholinesterase, which results in anticholinergic action. Ashwagandha has acetylcholine esterase inhibitory characteristics and mild salivary gland antioxidant benefits

Synthesis, Characterization and Catalytic Activity of NiO-CoO-MgO Nano-Composite Catalyst

The ternary NiO-CoO-MgO catalyst in three ratios 20:20:60, 25:25:50, and 30:30:40 for these component oxides respectively, were synthesized by co-precipitation method of their carbonates by addition of a precipitate agent in basic media, and then calcinated these carbonate to obtain of mixed oxides. The prepared catalysts were characterized by using Powder X-Ray Diffraction (PXRD), Fourier Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Atomic Force Microscopy techniques (AFM) were used for identification of the prepared catalysts. The result showed that the particle size of these catalyst ratios, were in the nano range and the smallest size was 25:25:50. The investigation of catalytic activity of prepared catalysts was done by photo decolorization of Celestine blue B dye from simulated industrial wastewaters in aqueous solution. The decolorization efficiency of dye reached 99.9% after irradiation time for 1 h. Study the effect of different reaction conditions such as the pH of the medium, the weight of semiconductor and temperature of mixture reaction were shown that the maximum degradation was observed in conditions at pH = 4, catalyst dosage = 0.08 g, and temperature = 303 K

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Comparison activity of pure and chromium-doped nickel oxide nanoparticles for the selective removal of dyes from water

The current study involves a synthesis of a composite of nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiONPs) with a chromium dopant to yield (Cr/NiONPs). Synthesis of nickel oxide was performed by the co-precipitation method. The synthesis of the composite was conducted by the impregnation method. FTIR, EDX, SEM, and XRD were used to characterize the synthesized materials. The synthesised materials’ point zero charges (PZC) were performed using the potentiometric titration method. The obtained results show that the PZC for neat nickel oxide was around 5, and it was around 8 for Cr/NiONPs. The adsorption action of the prepared materials was examined by applying them to remove Reactive Red 2 (RR2) and Crystal Violate (CV) dyes from solutions. The outcomes demonstrated that Cr/NiONPs were stronger in the removal of dyes than NiONPs. Cr/NiONPs achieved 99.9% removal of dyes after 1 h. Adsorption isotherms involving Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms were also conducted, and the outcomes indicated that the most accurate representation of the adsorption data was offered by Langmuir adsorption isotherms. Additionally, it was discovered that the adsorption characteristics of the NiONPs and Cr/NiONPs correspond well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Each of the NiONPs and Cr/NiONPs was reused five times, and the results display that the effectiveness of the removal of RR2 dye slightly declined with the increase in reuse cycles; it lost only 5% of its original efficiency after the 5 cycles. Generally, Cr/NiONPs showed better reusability than NiONPs under the same conditions.Validerad;2024;Nivå 2;2024-03-07 (hanlid);Funder: University of Babylon, Iraq;Full text license: CC BY</p