Data Mining Based on Semantic Similarity to mine new Association Rules

The problem of mining association rules in a database are introduced. Most of association rule mining approaches aim to mine association rules considering exact matches between items in transactions. A new algorithm called 201C;Improved Data Mining Based on Semantic Similarity to mine new Association Rules201D; which considers not only exact matches between items, but also the semantic similarity between them. Improved Data Mining (IDM) Based on Semantic Similarity to mine new Association Rules uses the concepts of an expert to represent the similarity degree between items, and proposes a new way of obtaining support and confidence for the association rules containing these items. An association rule is for ex: i.e. for a grocery store say 201C;30% of transactions that contain bread also contain milk; 2% of all transactions contain both of these items201D;. Here 30% is called the confidence of the rule, and 2% the support of the rule and this rule is represented as Bread F0E0; Milk. The problem is to find all association rules that satisfy user-specified minimum support and minimum confidence constraints. This paper then results that new rules bring more information about the database

Effect of Sintering Temperature on Structural and PiezoelectricProperties of PNN-PZT Ceramics

Sintering temperatures affect the structural and piezoelectric properties of PbNi1/3Nb2/3-PbZrO3-PbTiO3 system considerably; therefore the effect has been studied on mechano-chemicallyprocessed powder. This process involves activating mixed oxides of PbO, NiO, Nb2O5, ZrO2 andTiO2, and in the present study, calcination steps at an intermediate temperatures were skippedwhich are usually required in conventional solid state reaction methods and chemical routes.Single-phase formation was confirmed from XRD patterns which shows rhombohedral structureat higher sintering temperature. Investigations of the microstructure indicate almost linear increasein grain size from 0.98 m to 2.56  m when the sintering temperature was varied from 1050 oC to1150 °C. A high value of planar coupling factor (kp) = 67 per cent and piezoelectric charge coefficient(d 33 ~ 750 pm/V; (as determined from strain versus electric field curve at low field) were obtainedfor the ceramic specimens sintered at 1100 °C. The maximum strain was observed ~ 0.21 per centat 40 kV/cm applied field for the sample sintered at 1100 °C for 4 h

Dimethyl fumarate: a novel drug for multiple sclerosis

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is a novel oral immunomodulatory and neuroprotective drug that was approved by FDA for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The initial use of DMF was for the treatment of psoriasis where its long-term use was safe and efficacious, and it also got German approval for the same. It was found that the anti-inflammatory actions of DMF contributed to its efficacy in psoriasis. This anti-inflammatory action of DMF created interest using DMF in other auto-immune or inflammatory diseases, including MS. DMF acts by decreasing production and release of inflammatory molecules. DMF also activates the nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor pathway which induces the transcription of various genes, including anti-oxidative ones, reduces oxidative neuronal death and helps maintain myelin integrity. Thus, DMF acts via two pathways: by down-regulating oxidative stress and corresponding cellular injury, as well as by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines. DMF is an orally administered, enteric-coated microtablet preparation. There was a 44-53% reduction in annualized relapse rate with the use of DMF in patients with relapsing form of MS. The most common adverse reactions reported are flushing, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and nausea, which are more prominent during initial treatment and usually decrease over time. No serious adverse events were seen during the phase II and III trials, including no increased risk of opportunistic infections or cancer. DMF seems to approach the ideal combination of safety, efficacy and well-tolerability to other approved oral therapies for MS

Medication adherence: the critical step towards better patient outcome

Medication adherence is defined as patient’s adherence to take their medications as prescribed and continue to take the prescribed medication for stipulated time frame. Medication non-adherence is a growing concern to physicians, healthcare systems, and other stakeholders (e.g., payers) and there is an increasing evidence of its prevalence and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes eventually resulting into higher costs of care. The cost of non-adherence has been estimated at $100 billion to$300 billion annually, including costs from avoidable hospitalizations, nursing home admissions, and premature deaths. Improving adherence to medication is critical to improve the quality of health care, to encourage better chronic care management, and promote better health outcomes. Reasons for non-adherence are multiple and complex. Studies have reported that poor adherence to drug dosage is due to patient perception that the disease is non-significant, adverse drug effects, lack of treatment effectiveness, and the patient’s poor or incomplete knowledge of the disease and (cost). A multifactorial approach is required to tackle this complex problem as a single approach will be ineffective for all patients. The most effective intervention is to use a combination of approaches and address literacy, behavior, and organizational issues. There are challenges as well as opportunities in addressing the public health issue of medication adherence. Changing healthcare reforms, advances in digital health media, social media and modern technologies can now provide alternatives to tackle this issue

Medical devices in India: a perspective of guidelines and the way forward

In recent times, emerging countries including India have become favored destination for medical device companies to leverage the growth opportunities. However, the Indian regulatory system is not ready to meet the challenges that may come up with growing medical device business. It needs major amendments to current Drugs and Cosmetic Act 1940, to include medical device as a separate entity. Like in developed world, the challenges could be addressed by defining medical devices, risk based classification of devices, guidelines for device safety surveillance, and clinical trials for medical devices. Drugs and Cosmetic (Amendment) Bill 2013, which is yet to be released has addressed the concerns to some extent. However, it needs a major revamp to establish effective regulatory framework for medical devices

Biofilm Formation by Uropathogens and Its Impact on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern

Background: Out of all Hospital-Associated Infections (HAIs),Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is the second most common infection that accounts for approximately 34%, and 80% are associated with indwelling catheters and hence with biofilm formation, which invites multi-drug resistant microorganisms. The present study was designed to study in-vitro biofilm forming uropathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibility in a tertiary care hospital in north India. Method:The present cross-sectional study consisted of 200 urine specimens collected over one year from patients with symptoms of urinary tract infection. Following their isolation and identification, all the isolates were subjected to screening for biofilm formation by Congo Red Agar (CRA) and the Tube Adherence (TA) methods. Subsequently, the Kirby Bauer-disk diffusion method performed the antimicrobial susceptibility test. Results: Out of the total samples (n = 200), a total of 46 (23%) were positive by the CRA method, while 33 (16.5%) were positive by the TA method. Twenty-one (21%) isolates came positive by both methods. Biofilm formation was seen more commonly in females (82%). Biofilm-forming uropathogens develop significantly higher resistance to antimicrobial drugs than non-producers. Conclusion: The correlation was significant between biofilm production and multidrug resistance. Also, it was concluded that the CRA method could be employed to detect biofilm formation in resource-limited countries