Experimental and Analytical Study of High-Strength Concrete Containing Natural Zeolite and Additives

The study compares the durability of Natural Zeolite with Metakaolin, Silica Fume, and Fly Ash on high-strength concrete. 300 concrete specimens were tested for compressive strength before and after an acid attack, modulus of elasticity, water absorption, and rapid chloride permeability. 5%, 10%, and 15% of the cement were replaced with cementitious elements while maintaining the same quantity of Natural Zeolite. In this investigation, the water-cement ratio was maintained at 0.35. After 28 days, the specimens were tested for durability. Samples of all mixes were TG/DT and FTIR tested. The optimal percentages of cementitious materials that resulted to the maximum durability enhancements were reported as the study results. Experimental results showed that Natural Zeolite and Metakaolin strengthened the durability of concrete. All the data show that 5% Natural Zeolite with 10% Metakaolin performs well. Good R2values and appropriate independent variable coefficients suggested that the regression findings for high-strength concrete durability were accurate. The P values of all models were less than 0.005 and the F values were statistically significant and appropriate; therefore, the generated models predict concrete's strength with authenticity. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-10-019 Full Text: PD

DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF INTRAGASTRIC BUOYANT TABLETS OF VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDE

Objective: The present study was undertaken to prolong the release of orally administered drug. The aim is to formulate, develop, and evaluate theintragastric buoyant tablets of venlafaxine hydrochloride, which releases the drug in a sustained manner over a period of 12 hrs. Different formulationswere formulated using the polymers Carbopol 934 P, xanthan gum, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC K100M) with varying concentration ofdrug: Polymer ratio of 1:1, 1:1.5, 1:2, in which sodium bicarbonate acts as gas generating agent, and microcrystalline cellulose as a diluent.Methods: The tablets were prepared by direct compression and evaluated for tablet thickness, weight variation, tablet hardness, friability, in vitrobuoyancy test, in vitro drug release and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Formulations were evaluated by floating time, floating lag time and in vitro drug release. Dissolution profiles were subjected for various kinetic treatments to analyze the release pattern of drug.Results: It was found that drug release depends on swelling, erosion, and diffusion, thus following the non-Fickian/anomalous type of diffusion.Formulation F8 was considered as an optimized formulation for gastro retentive floating tablet of venlafaxine hydrochloride. The optimizedformulation showed sustained drug release and remained buoyant on the surface of the medium for more than 12 hrs. As the concentration of HPMCK100M increases in the formulation the drug release rate was found to be decreased. The optimized formulation was subjected for the stability studiesand was found to be stable as no significant change was observed in various evaluated parameters of the formulation.Conclusion: It can be concluded that floating drug delivery system of venlafaxine hydrochloride can be successfully formulated as an approach toincrease gastric residence time, thereby improving its bioavailability. Â

Menstrual hygiene practices and related infections among adolescent girls of an urban poor locality

Background: Hygienic practices during menstruation are of considerable importance, as it has a health impact in terms of increased vulnerability to infections. Menstrual hygiene management is a special problem for adolescent girls, particularly when attending school due to limited or lack of access to safe sanitary pads and good sanitary facilities. Government of India under RMNCH+A programme, introduced priority intervention for menstrual hygiene to prevent hygiene related infections.Objectives: (1) To assess the knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls. (2) To assess the menstrual hygiene practices & related infections among the adolescent girls.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 330 adolescent girls who had attained menarche and residents of an urban poor locality Yarab Nagar, which comes under the field practice area of KIMS, Bangalore. Data regarding socio demographic details and menstrual hygiene practices was obtained in a pre- designed, semi structured proforma. All the subjects were examined for any related infections from a trained female doctor. The data was analysed in Microsoft Excel using mean & percentages.Results: The mean age of the study subjects was 13.63 ± 5.76 years. Majority i.e., 306 (92.7%) of them used sanitary pads; whereas, 24 (7.3%) used old clothes as an absorbent during menstruation. Similarly, 98% cleaned the external genitalia with water during menstruation. The common infections related to menstruation were contact dermatitis (7.2%), candidiasis (5.4%) & UTI (3.5%).Conclusion: The knowledge and practice regarding menstrual hygiene was inadequate among the adolescent girls; and this inadequate hygienic practices has led to infections

NOX2 inhibition enables retention of the circadian clock in BV2 microglia and primary macrophages

IntroductionSustained neuroinflammation is a major contributor to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s (PD) diseases. Neuroinflammation, like other cellular processes, is affected by the circadian clock. Microglia, the resident immune cells in the brain, act as major contributors to neuroinflammation and are under the influence of the circadian clock. Microglial responses such as activation, recruitment, and cytokine expression are rhythmic in their response to various stimuli. While the link between circadian rhythms and neuroinflammation is clear, significant gaps remain in our understanding of this complex relationship. To gain a greater understanding of this relationship, the interaction between the microglial circadian clock and the enzyme NADPH Oxidase Isoform 2 (NOX2) was studied; NOX2 is essential for the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in oxidative stress, an integral characteristic of neuroinflammation.MethodsBV2 microglia were examined over circadian time, demonstrating oscillations of the clock genes Per2 and Bmal1 and the NOX2 subunits gp91phox and p47phox.ResultsThe BV2 microglial clock exerted significant control over NOX2 expression and inhibition of NOX2 enabled the microglia to retain a functional circadian clock while reducing levels of ROS and inflammatory cytokines. These trends were mirrored in mouse bone marrow-derived primary macrophages.ConclusionsNOX2 plays a crucial role in the interaction between the circadian clock and the activation of microglia/macrophages into their pro-inflammatory state, which has important implications in the control of neuroinflammation

SPARC dependent collagen deposition and gemcitabine delivery in a genetically engineered mouse model of pancreas cancer.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterised by extensive matrix deposition that has been implicated in impaired drug delivery and therapeutic resistance. Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is a matricellular protein that regulates collagen deposition and is highly upregulated in the activated stroma subtype with poor prognosis in PDAC patients. METHODS: KrasG12D;p48-Cre;SPARC-/- (KC-SPARC-/-) and KrasG12D;p48-Cre;SPARCWT (KC-SPARCWT) were generated and analysed at different stages of carcinogenesis by histological grading, immunohistochemistry for epithelial and stromal markers, survival and preclinical analysis. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies were conducted by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and immunohistochemistry following gemcitabine treatment (100 mg/kg) in vivo. FINDINGS: Global genetic ablation of SPARC in a KrasG12D driven mouse model resulted in significantly reduced overall and mature collagen deposition around early and advanced pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) lesions and in invasive PDAC (p < .001). However, detailed pathological scoring and molecular analysis showed no effects on PanIN to PDAC progression, vessel density (CD31), tumour incidence, grading or metastatic frequency. Despite comparable tumour kinetics, ablation of SPARC resulted in a significantly shortened survival in KC-SPARC-/- mice (280 days versus 485 days, p < .03, log-rank-test). Using LC-MS/MS, we show that SPARC dependent collagen deposition does not affect intratumoural gemcitabine accumulation or immediate therapeutic response in tumour bearing KC-SPARCWT and KC-SPARC-/-mice. INTERPRETATION: Global SPARC ablation reduces the collagen-rich microenvironment in murine PDAC. Moreover, global SPARC depletion did not affect tumour growth kinetics, grading or metastatic frequency. Notably, the dense-collagen matrix did not restrict access of gemcitabine to the tumour. These findings may have direct translational implications in clinical trial design

Real-time fire detection based on CNN and inception V3 algorithms

Fire is an abnormal event that can cause significant damage to lives and property within a very short time. The main cause of fire disaster includes a human error or system failure which results in severe loss of human life and other damages. Traditional fire alarms are based on sensors that require proximity for activation. They need human involvement to confirm a fire. To overcome these limitations, vision-based real-time fire detection has been enabled in surveillance devices. Once fire appears in any camera, the approach can detect it and send a signal to respective officers of the fire region. This work focused on an intelligent approach using the Deep Learning model for preventing fire hazards from going out of control in high-fire-risk areas. Deep Learning models are effective for fire detection. Convolutional Neural Networks outperform other algorithms in terms of accuracy. In this work Convolution, Neural Network model Inception V3 is used to detect fire indoors and outdoors and protect the surroundings and living beings

Manasika bhavas and roga - A biopsychosocial model

Ayurveda reiterates the relationship between the body and mind in its approach to health as well as illness. Though the vitiated doshas, dhatus and malas remain the physiological basis of illness, the illness itself is a more complex psychosomatic phenomenon. Ayurveda has followed biopsychosomatic approach where more emphasis is given to the aspect of integration body and mind. In somatic diseases the psychological aspect cannot be neglected, similarly in psychological diseases somatic affairs are given due consideration. Social factors also play a major role in the inter relationships, financial support etc. Modern medicine accepted the biopsychosocial approach towards health recently.&nbsp;&nbsp; Manasika bhavas mentioned in Ayurveda such as bhaya, krodha, soka etc., can cause or aggravate several diseases and hence there is a relation between these bhavas and roga. These manasika bhavas act as stressors as it become the cause of several diseases. Body’s response to stress has been widely studied in the branch of Psychoneuroimmunology. Recent research suggests that the mind and body share bidirectional influences, and the science of Psychoneuroimmunology identifies specific mechanisms by which these mind-body changes are mediated. Hence it is important to consider psychological factors along with biological and social factors in all diseases, assess and identify them in a timely manner so as to have effective management