Formulation development and optimization of orally disintegrating tablets of montelukast sodium by Design- Expert

Purpose: To prepare orally disintegrating tablets (ODT) of montelukast sodium using Design-Expert for improved patient compliance.Methods: Central composite design was selected to delineate and optimize the formulations. Concentrations of crospovidone (X1) and sodium bicarbonate (X2) were selected as the variables, and responses were based on friability (Y1) and disintegration time (Y2). Varying amounts of super disintegrating agents and effervescent bases were used with microcrystalline cellulose to prepare montelukast sodium ODT.Results: Carr’s index of montelukast sodium was 4.76±0.075, indicating the good compressibility of powder. Whereas the Carr’s value for microcrystalline cellulose and mannitol were 30.14±0.021 and 22.41±0.053 respectively. The FTIR spectra indicated that there were no major shifting and loss of functional groups in drug and excipients blends. Formulations were evaluated, check point batch (CPB, F2) was selected using Design-Expert. The friability of CPB tablets was found to be 0.27 ± 0.085; hardness, 4.96 ± 0.093 kp; wetting time, 28 ± 0.17 s; disintegration time (DT), 28.34 ± 1.78 s; and drug release, 85.5 % within 5 min.Conclusion: The ODT of montelukast sodium has successfully been formulated by direct compression and optimized within a short period, thus demonstrating the suitability and stability of the formulation.Keywords: Direct compression, Montelukast sodium, Orally disintegrating tablets, Super-disintegrants, Design Expert, Crospovidon

Prevalence of LBP in male factory workers of Nishat Mills limited, Sheikhupura, Pakistan

Low back pain is common problem in factory worker. However there is a lack of evidence related to work related to LBP in factory workers in Pakistan. This study is conducted to identify the prevalence of Low back pain in factory workers and identify the need for awareness in workers about the working postures and safety measures in Nishat mills limited, Sheikhupura. A survey was conducted with sample size of 170 subjects, collected through non probability sampling technique. Nordic questionnaire (part 1) was used with addition of some questions related to research topic. Self-reported questionnaire Performa was filled. Study population included only male workers aged between 20-45 years with career duration of one or more than one year and working duration of 8 hours. Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS 17.00. According to results 75 out of 170 workers reported low back trouble. The intensity of the low back ache varied from mild to severe. 21 (28%) workers reported mild category of pain, 40 (53.3%) had moderate pain and 14 (18.7%) were having severe pain. Majority (77.3%) workers felt pain for 1-7days during last 12 months. The results showed that there is statistically significant (p<0.05) association between Low back pain and type of work. The workers who do job related to Weight lifting were suffering more frequently from backache comparatively to the workers of manufacturing department. No statistically significant (p>0.05) association between Low back pain and working Posture was found. It was concluded from the study that prevalence of LBP was higher in weight lifting workers. And low back pain was also prevalent in those workers who are engaged with static work like in prolong standing; LBP founds to affect their work activity and reduces the work efficiency

Recent novel tumor gatekeepers and potential therapeutic approaches (2017)

Tumor remains a challenging task for oncology community. Drug resistance due to chemotherapy remain principal impediments  toward potential therapeutic strategies. Development of novel anti-cancer drugs or new targeted strategies to conquer drug  resistance is a key goal of cancer research. In this respect, novel tumor gatekeepers and innovative targeted strategies can be  helpful in overcoming drug resistance as well as improve currently used targeted therapies. In this review, efforts have been made to present some of the latest knowledge about novel tumor gatekeepers and new therapeutic strategies to improve the efficacy of  chemotherapy and give new hope to cancer patients to fight against cancer.Keywords: Cancer, Potent inhibitors, Gatekeepers, Therapeutic approaches, Oncogenic pathway

Anaerobic membrane bioreactors for biohydrogen production: recent developments, challenges and perspectives

Biohydrogen as one of the most appealing energy vector for the future represents attractive avenue in alternative energy research. Recently, variety of biohydrogen production pathways has been suggested to improve the key features of the process. Nevertheless, researches are still needed to overcome remaining barriers to practical applications such as low yields and production rates. Considering practicality aspects, this review emphasized on anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) for biological hydrogen production. Recent advances and emerging issues associated with biohydrogen generation in AnMBR technology are critically discussed. Several techniques are highlighted that are aimed at overcoming these barriers. Moreover, environmental and economical potentials along with future research perspectives are addressed to drive biohydrogen technology towards practicality and economical-feasibility

COMMUNITY HEALTH, QUALITY EDUCATION AND POVERTY REDUCTION: HOW IMPORTANT THE FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH ARE IN PAKISTAN? Muhammad Asif, Kashif Rashid, Kinza Rafiq, Amjad Ali

The main focus of the study is to investigate the strength of binding between financial development, economic growth and sustainable development goals (SDGs) including community health, education and poverty reduction for Pakistan. The autoregressive distributed lag approach was used to analyze the relationship among the variables using data ranging from 1972 to 2018. The empirical evidences showed a joint collision of financial development and economic growth on SDGs i.e., infant mortality, life expectancy, quality education and poverty reduction. Similarly, SDGs and economic growth together cause the accomplishment of financial development. The attainment of SDGs such as increased private per capita consumption expenditure, enrollment at primary and secondary level and low infant mortality rate and life expectancy along with economic growth showed its impact on the financial development for Pakistan

Implementation of computationally efficient numerical approach to analyze a Covid-19 pandemic model

Corona virus disease (Covid-19) which has caused frustration in the human community remains the concern of the globe as every government struggles to defeat the pandemic. To deal with the situation, we have extensively studied a deadly Covid-19 model to provide a deep insight into the disease dynamics. A mathematical analysis of the model utilizing preventive measures is performed with the aim to reduce the disease burden. Some comprehensive mathematical techniques are employed to demonstrate several essential properties of solutions. To start with, we proved the existence and uniqueness of solutions. Equilibrium points are stated both in the absence and presence of the pandemic. Biologically important quantity known as threshold parameter is computed to handle the future disease dynamics and analyzed for its sensitivity. We proved the stability of the proposed model at equilibrium points by employing necessary conditions on threshold parameter. A reliable and competitive numerical analysis is conducted to observe the effectiveness of implemented strategies and to verify obtained analytical results. The most sensitive parameters are determined through sensitivity analysis. An important feature of this study is to employ Non-Standard Finite Difference (NSFD) numerical scheme to solve the system instead of other standard methods like Runge–Kutta method of order 4 (RK4). Finally, several numerical simulations are performed to validate our former theoretical analysis. Numerical results exhibiting dynamical behavior of Covid-19 system under the influence of involved parameters suggest that both the implemented strategies, especially quarantine of exposed individuals, are effective for the substantial reduction in the diseased population and to achieve the herd immunity

PETROGRAPHIC INVESTIGATION OF LIMESTONE OF THE LAKI FORMATION USED IN CONSTRUCTION SECTOR FROM JAMSHORO AND THATTA DISTRICTS, SINDH, PAKISTAN

Limestone belonging to the Laki Formation is well exposed at Nooriabad, Jhampir, and Makli Hills.  Representative samples of the Laki Formation limestone were collected from different locations such as Jamshoro, Bolhari, Makli Hills, and Nooriabad. The four crush plants i.e. Afridi Crush Plant and New Hazara Crush Plant (Makli, Thatta District), Shah Rahim Crush Plant and Bhatti Crush Plant (Nooriabad, Jamshoro District) were selected for sampling. The Petrographic investigation as per ASTM- C295-03 (1) was performed using standard thin sections. The megascopic and microscopic study results reflect no hindrance in using the studied limestone. For cement concrete, this limestone can be used for the low-strength concrete and aggregate base course and sub-base. Variation in lithology, stratification and non-homogeneity was observed, however, the aggregate from the New Hazara crush plant is found fractured in nature and therefore, its use as concrete material is not suggested. The studied limestone of all crushed plants does not show any potential for Alkali Silica Reaction (ASR) and Alkali Carbonate Reaction (ACR). Based on the present study, it is concluded that the studied limestone of the Laki Formation from the above-mentioned locations is suitable for construction purposes and industrial use. For cement concrete, this limestone can be used for the low strength concrete and pavement (sub-base & base coarse) as well as aggregate base course. In the stockpile of crushed aggregate on crusher plants, the chalky limestone was found to be less stable and less durable

Treatment of Pediatric Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor: The Experience from China Children’s Medical Center

Background: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare mesenchymal tumor with intermediate malignancy that tends to affect children primarily. To date, no standardized therapies exist for the treatment of IMT. This study aimed to share experience from China Children’s Medical Center for the explorative treatment of IMT. Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed IMT between January 2013 and December 2018 were included. Patients were grouped according to surgical margins and Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study Group (IRSG) staging. The clinical characteristic, therapeutic schedules, treatment response and clinical outcome were described. Results: Six patients were enrolled in this study, including two boys and four girls, with a median age of 57 months (range 10–148 months). Among them, five patients were anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive. Four patients achieved complete remission and two patients attained partial remission after treatment with this protocol. All patients were alive after a median follow-up of 4 years (range 3–7 years). The most common treatment-related adverse reaction was myelosuppression. Conclusion: In this study, we demonstrated that IMT has a good prognosis and the treatment selected according to risk stratification was effective and feasible

Impact of Paternal Leadership on Employee Retention during COVID-19: Financial Crunch or Financial Gain

The leadership style that is most appropriate for the given circumstance will determine whether or not a leader is successful. It means what great leaders should do while working with a diverse workforce. They should be emotionally intelligent in order to understand their team members and modify their leadership style in order to achieve the best out of them. Employee engagement in the workplace is crucial for firms, but different factors can keep employees motivated. Work engagement activities, particularly those supported by the human resource department, have typically been observed as the primary factors that motivate employees. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a number of adjustments. The primary goal of this study is to examine how virtual human resource practices and paternal leadership affected employee retention in COVID-19, with the function of work engagement activities as a mediator. The data were gathered from 250 Portuguese Professors who were instructing undergraduate students using a survey instrument. Smart-PLS partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to assess the study’s hypotheses. It has been discovered that paternalistic leadership, also known as a resource provider with a benevolent attitude, has a direct impact on job performance and employee intention to leave the job, but during a pandemic, where the role of the government in supporting their nationals was not as significant in Portugal as it could be, people also faced their leaders of organizations as opportunists. Not all, but most paternal organizations took financial decisions to safeguard their business and were not people-oriented. Now the dignity of the paternal leader on the canvas of leadership is fading. This neo-normal approach will contribute to the literature on paternal leadership

Deterioration of groundwater quality by the actions of percolation and leaching from Nala-Lai in Rawalpindi Region, Pakistan

This paper presents a case study on the impact of Nala Lai wastewater in Pakistan on potential contamination of its nearby tube wells, bore water, dug wells and springs through percolation and leaching routes. Nineteen wastewater samples from Nala Lai stream and 68 groundwater samples from its associated and nearby areas were collected during (Season) and were analyzed for different water quality constituents. The parameters which were analyzed for determining the water quality include physiochemical parameters like Biological Oxygen Demand, Chemical Oxygen Demand, pH, temperature, turbidity, color, hardness, dissolved Oxygen, electric conductivity, total dissolved solids, Sulfates, Chlorides, Hardness and globally alarming heavy metals such as Cadmium, Cupper, Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Lead as well as bacterial parameter were recorded too. The results confirmed that all the 19 samples of surface water samples collected from Nala Lai exceeded the desirable limits (by NEQS) of both BOD and COD parameters