Current Management of Hepatic Encephalopathy: A Review Article

Hepatic encephalopathy, a neuropsychiatric syndrome stemming from liver failure, manifests in acute and chronic cases. The prevailing cause behind its development involves the neurotoxicity resulting from elevated ammonia levels in the brain, which can occur due to increased ammonia production or impaired ammonia excretion. The main objective in treating hepatic encephalopathy is to decrease ammonia levels. The detoxification of ammonia in this condition is regulated by two enzymes: glutaminase and glutamine synthetase. Numerous drugs, such as lactulose, rifaximin, BCAA, LOLA, glycerol phenylbutyrate, and zinc, have been utilized to treat hepatic encephalopathy. In terms of future research, experimental treatment options like fecal microbiota transplant, probiotics, bromocriptine, minocycline, indomethacin, ibuprofen, and flumazenil warrant investigation. Furthermore, albumin infusions have been shown to enhance cognitive function and improve the psychosocial quality of life, possibly by alleviating endothelial dysfunction in patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy or previous episodes of hepatic encephalopathy. This review article offers a comprehensive overview of the current management strategies for hepatic encephalopathy

Integration of single-cell electropermeabilization together with electrochemical measurement of quantal exocytosis on microchips

An electrochemical microelectrode located immediately adjacent to a single neuroendocrine cell can record spikes of amperometric current that result from quantal exocytosis of oxidizable transmitter from individual vesicles. Using electroporation we have developed an efficient method where the same electrochemical microelectrode is used to electropermeabilize an adjacent chromaffin cell and then measure the consequent quantal catecholamine release using amperometry. Trains of voltage pulses, 5-7 V in amplitude and 0.1-0.2 ms in duration can reliably trigger release from cells using gold electrodes. Amperometric spikes induced by electropermeabilization have similar areas, peak heights and durations as amperometric spikes elicited by depolarizing high K+ solutions. Uptake of trypan blue stain into cells demonstrated that the plasma membrane is permeabilized by the voltage stimulus. Robust quantal release is elicited upon electroporation in 0 Ca2+/5 mM EGTA in the bath solution. Electropermeabilization-induced transmitter release requires Cl- in the bath solution--bracketed experiments demonstrate a steep dependence of the rate of electropermeabilization-induced transmitter release on [Cl- ] between 2 and 32 mM. Using the same electrochemical electrode to electroporate and record quantal release of catecholamines from an individual chromaffin cell allows precise timing of the stimulus, stimulation of a single cell at a time, and can be used to load membrane impermeant substances into a cell.Includes bibliographical references (pages 110-128)

Non-Hodgkin’s Gastric Lymphoma: Case Report

More than 95% of gastric lymphomas are Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It is very difficult to distinguish primary gastric lymphoma from secondary stomach dissemination. Here we reported a case of high-grade B cell type Non-Hodgkin’s gastric lymphoma. The patient presented with upper abdominal swelling associated with anorexia, vomiting, and weight loss. He was hemodynamically unstable and needed ICU support. But before starting R-CHOP chemotherapy he was expired. The diagnosis of gastric lymphoma can be delayed for many years due to the presence of nonspecific symptoms. High-grade Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is very aggressive, but treatment response is better than low-grade lymphoma. Here we suggest early diagnosis and management of high-grade Non-Hodgkin’s gastric lymphoma to save the patient’s life. &nbsp

Screening of Volatile Constituents of N. sativa on Calcium Depleted Heart Model

The number of deaths from cardiovascular disorders is rising every year. Nigella sativa, one of the accessible natural plants, has a broad range of pharmacological effects. The Nigella sativa seeds were removed, cleaned, and preserved in order to research the effects of the plant on the cardiovascular system. After being ground into a fine powder, the seeds were used to extract the volatile oil from the seeds using the steam distillation process. The hypodynamic model was used after the rat\u27s heart was removed. Using the standard kreb\u27s hanselet salt solution to mount the isolated heart, a typical graph was produced. As the calcium concentration was reduced, the graph\u27s negative tropic activity became apparent. When N. sativa was administered it has produced additional negative tropic effect on hypodynamic heart. At 0.1 ml produced negative tropic effect and keeps on decreasing as the dose increases by 0.2, 0.4, 0.8ml in dose dependent manner

PLGA Nanoparticles for Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy of Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Novel Approach towards Reduction of Renal Radiation Dose

BACKGROUND:Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), employed for treatment of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is based on over-expression of Somatostatin Receptors (SSTRs) on NETs. It is, however, limited by high uptake and retention of radiolabeled peptide in kidneys resulting in unnecessary radiation exposure thus causing nephrotoxicity. Employing a nanocarrier to deliver PRRT drugs specifically to the tumor can reduce the associated nephrotoxicity. Based on this, (177)Lu-DOTATATE loaded PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) were formulated in the present study, as a potential therapeutic model for NETs. METHODOLOGY AND FINDINGS:DOTATATE was labeled with Lutetium-177 ((177)Lu) (labeling efficiency 98%; R(f)∼0.8). Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) coated (177)Lu-DOTATATE-PLGA NPs (50:50 and 75:25) formulated, were spherical with mean size of 304.5±80.8 and 733.4±101.3 nm (uncoated) and 303.8±67.2 and 494.3±71.8 nm (coated) for PLGA(50:50) and PLGA(75:25) respectively. Encapsulation efficiency (EE) and In-vitro release kinetics for uncoated and coated NPs of PLGA (50:50 & 75:25) were assessed and compared. Mean EE was 77.375±4.98% & 67.885±5.12% (uncoated) and 65.385±5.67% & 58.495±5.35% (coated). NPs showed initial burst release between 16.64-21.65% with total 42.83-44.79% over 21 days. The release increased with coating to 20.4-23.95% initially and 60.97-69.12% over 21 days. In-vivo studies were done in rats injected with (177)Lu-DOTATATE and (177)Lu-DOTATATE-NP (uncoated and PEG-coated) by imaging and organ counting after sacrificing rats at different time points over 24 hr post-injection. With (177)Lu-DOTATATE, renal uptake of 37.89±10.2%ID/g was observed, which reduced to 4.6±1.97% and 5.27±1.66%ID/g with uncoated and coated (177)Lu-DOTATATE-NP. The high liver uptake with uncoated (177)Lu-DOTATATE-NP (13.68±3.08% ID/g), reduced to 7.20±2.04%ID/g (p = 0.02) with PEG coating. CONCLUSION:PLGA NPs were easily formulated and modified for desired release properties. PLGA 50:50 NPs were a more suitable delivery vehicle for (177)Lu-DOTATATE than PLGA 75:25 because of higher EE and slower release rate. Reduced renal retention of (177)Lu-DOTATATE and reduced opsonisation strongly advocate the potential of (177)Lu-DOTATATE-PLGA-PEG NPs to reduce radiation dose in PRRT

CONVERGING SESSIONS OR DATA PATHS ON A USER PLANE

As mobile operators look to deploy Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Fifth Generation (5G) services (either standalone (SA) or non-standalone (NSA)) to their subscribers, the process of migrating from Fourth Generation (4G) Evolved Packet Core (EPC) deployments to 5G core (5GC) is going to take time. During such a migration process the principal focus will be on providing higher throughputs and lower data path latency. It is likely that operators will have both EPC and 5GC deployments in their network for some time as they deploy a converged core – ‘ AnyG’ – and roll out nation-wide 5G coverage. This implies that a substantial number of subscribers may still be using the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) and operators will see a large number of 5G to 4G handovers. With dual cores deployed in the network, the total cost of ownership for the operators will be high. Techniques are presented herein to address these challenges by enabling an operator to use a common user plane for Control and User Plane Separation of EPC nodes (CUPS), 5G NSA, and 5G SA deployments thus helping to reduce capital expenditures and operating expenses

Herbal Agents Having Abortive Activity

The goal of our study is to increase public awareness of natural contraceptives and their powerful advantages over surgical abortion in order to provide people with an alternative method of ending an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy rather than the dreaded surgical procedure. Since ancient times, traditional remedies have been used all across the world to control fertility. Still, the tribal community mostly relies on these herbs for contraception and to cause abortions. The belief in therapeutic approaches has not been diminished despite the tremendous advancement of allopathic treatment because of its negative side effects.  Plants and herbs have been used to induce abortions, although there is very little published information on the most regularly used ones. The grail of this paper is to detail the herbal products used to cause abortion

A review on development and application of plant-based bioflocculants and grafted bioflocculants

Flocculation is extensively employed for clarification through sedimentation. Application of eco-friendly plant-based bioflocculants in wastewater treatment has attracted significant attention lately with high removal capability in terms of solids, turbidity, color, and dye. However, moderate flocculating property and short shelf life restrict their development. To enhance the flocculating ability, natural polysaccharides derived from plants are chemically modified by inclusion of synthetic, nonbiodegradable monomers (e.g., acrylamide) onto their backbone to produce grafted bioflocculants. This review is aimed to provide an overview of the development and flocculating efficiencies of plant-based bioflocculants and grafted bioflocculants for the first time. Furthermore, the processing methods, flocculation mechanism, and the current challenges are discussed. All the reported studies about plant-derived bioflocculants are conducted under lab-scale conditions in wastewater treatment. Hence, the possibility to apply natural bioflocculants in food and beverage, mineral, paper and pulp, and oleo-chemical and biodiesel industries is discussed and evaluated

Regional heterogeneity and firms’ innovation: the role of regional factors in industrial R&D in India

This study makes an early attempt to estimate the magnitude and intensity of manufacturing firms’ R&D by Indian states during the period 1991‒2008 and analyses the role of regional factors on firm-level R&D activities. As there is little research on state-wise R&D performance of firms in India, this study serves an important contribution to the academic and policy realm. It has brought out the fact the total manufacturing R&D investment in India is unevenly distributed regionally with a few states accounting for disproportionate share of it. Regional heterogeneity or inter-state disparities in R&D has increased between the 1990s and the first decade of the twenty-first century. In view of this persistent regional heterogeneity in R&D, the study has developed and estimated an empirical model for a sample of 4545 Indian manufacturing firms with R&D facilities located in single state and that explicitly includes regional factors as probable factors affecting R&D. The three-step Censored Quantitle Regression results confirm that regional factors play an important role in shaping the R&D intensity of the sample of firms. This led us to some useful policy suggestions for regional governments to promote local firms’ R&D activities