The thumb rule reveals: facilitating the transition from electron geometry to molecular geometry and vice versa

Both 1st and 2nd semester students of General Chemistry are introduced to the concepts of electron and molecular geometry as part of a chapter concerning “Chemical Bonding” (sections following Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Theory). Often, instructors note that students encounter difficulties discriminating between the electron geometry and the molecular geometry of a molecule which is dependent on the presence of lone pairs on the central atom. We propose a “thumb rule” that is designed to “reveal” any difference between the two said geometries and thereby facilitates the transition from electron to molecular geometry and vice versa. The use of this technique is additionally advantageous since it is simple to apply and does not require any materials (and is therefore free of charge). Importantly, it is a fun exercise that facilitates learning

Creativity in workshop: overlap and underlap card technique for concentration units of second semester general chemistry

Creativity in the classroom is the goal for peer leaders of the Peer Led Team Learning Program (PLTL) in the Chemistry Department at the University of Texas at El Paso. The goal is to enhance the learning experience for students taking general chemistry in their workshops or classrooms. These ideas allow students to engage in classroom discussions with their peer leader. The ideas can be themed on concepts such as molecular geometries, kinetics, or acids and bases. In second semester general chemistry, a call to utilizing creativity in the classroom has demonstrated a way for peer leaders to efficiently teach students how to convert the following four main concentration units via kinesthetic interaction: molarity, molality, mole fraction, and percent by mass. What this means is that, by arranging cards as fractions in which the concentration units are represented as ratios, they will be maneuvered by grabbing each card and placing them either over or under another card to get the desired unit. Thus, to reach a desired unit in the numerator and/or the denominator the concept of overlap and underlap is the key to employing these stacks of cards to see how the units relate to one another. This allows students to think about what is needed in the numerator and the denominator. Students gain the opportunity to physically manipulate conversion factors and improve or review their understanding of dimensional analysis

A toolkit for mastering organic nomenclature in general chemistry

In the second semester of general chemistry, students receive an introduction to organic chemistry. A strong foundation in learning starts with the ability to correctly name organic compounds. Our proposed strategy involves the identification of the parent chain, the recognition of resident functional groups, and the ability to discern/indicate the correct isomer if any, etc. We propose a modular toolbox that facilitates compartmentalization of the nomenclature process of organic compounds and helps the student adequately identify all structural elements present in an organic compound. Accurately naming an organic compound is essential to understanding of its properties; to success in Organic Chemistry 1 and 2; and, for a career as a Chemist in academia, industry or in government agencies. The advantages of our procedure is discussed using examples to illustrate the process

Targeting α-synuclein aggregation with immunotherapy: a promising therapeutic approach for Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disease (NDD) affecting millions of individuals. The pathogenesis of PD centers around α-synuclein (α-Syn), a pivotal protein whose aggregation significantly impacts disease progression. Although existing treatments mainly focus on managing motor symptoms by targeting the dopaminergic system, they frequently overlook other non-motor symptoms. The intricate nature of PD pathogenesis contributes to challenges in disease analysis and has hindered the development of effective PD treatments. In recent years, various novel therapies utilizing immunotherapy methods have exhibited promise in preclinical animal models. In NDDs, immunotherapy aims to counteract the detrimental effects of protein accumulation by neutralizing toxic species and aiding their elimination. Numerous active therapy (AI) and passive immunotherapy (PI) strategies have been devised for PD and related synucleinopathies, many of which are currently undergoing clinical trials. Despite demonstrating remarkable success in animal models, immunotherapies encountered substantial setbacks during the late stages of clinical trials, with the exception of lecanemab, which targets amyloid-β (Aβ) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and has recently received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The lack of translation from experimental investigations to successful clinical outcomes, particularly in terms of cognitive and functional evaluations, highlights the limitations of relying solely on animal studies to comprehend the effects of immunotherapeutic approaches. This comprehensive review focuses on α-Syn-based immunotherapies and delves into their underlying mechanisms of action. Furthermore, Furthermore, the article discusses recent advancements and future prospects concerning the potential of immunotherapeutic strategies for PD. The focus is on highlighting the latest research in this domain to illuminate the challenges and opportunities related to the development of efficacious immunotherapies for individuals with PD

Reconstruction of post electrical burns scalp defect

Pertinent approach for scalp reconstruction often poses a challenge to plastic surgeons due to numerous reasons like inelastic nature of scalp, hairy nature of scalp and others. Traditional surgical treatment of deep burns of the scalp and skull involved excision of necrotic bone and soft tissues with trephanation of the bone to permit granulation tissue formation followed by skin grafting. However, this approach prolongs wound time and adds additional trauma. Even after initial healing it may necessitate secondary soft tissue and bone reconstruction. Treatment of scalp defect after electrical burn is managed according to the amount of damage. Scalp burn injury with osteomyelitis of the calvarium is seldom mentioned in literature. In the present case, the defect was long standing with skull exposure and hence routine management of scalp defect had to be differed. The calvarial bone was replaced with sequestrum. Complete excision of the sequestrum was done with intact dura. Ensuing defect was covered with local transposition flap. The donor area was covered with split thickness skin graft

Mapping common deleted regions on 5p15 in cervical carcinoma and their occurrence in precancerous lesions

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that the short arm of chromosome 5 (5p) exhibit frequent genetic changes in invasive cervical carcinoma (CC), and that these changes arise early during the carcinogenesis, in precancerous lesions. These data therefore suggest that loss of candidate tumor suppressor genes located on 5p is associated with the development of CC. However, the precise location of 5p deletions is not known. RESULTS: We performed a detailed deletion mapping of 5p in 60 cases of invasive CC. We found that 60% of the tumors exhibit a 5p loss of heterozygosity (LOH). The patterns of LOH allowed us to identify two minimal regions of deletions, one at 5p15.3 spanning a 5.5 cM genetic distance and a second site of 7 cM at 5p15.2-15.3. In addition, we also identified 5p deletions in 16% lesions of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). 5p LOH was found in 63% of HPV 16 positive tumors, while only 33% tumors with other HPV-types had 5p LOH. The differences in frequency of 5p LOH between tumors harboring HPV16 in combination with other HPV types and tumors harboring HPV16 DNA alone were significantly higher, suggesting a synergistic effect of high-risk types in causing genomic instability. CONCLUSION: These findings implicate the presence of tumor suppressor gene(s) on 5p relevant to CC tumorigenesis

Economic analysis of fish production using different feed types practiced in Dhanusha district, Nepal

A study on the economic analysis of fish production using different feed types practiced in Dhanusha district was conducted in 2018. Out of 600 fish farmers, sixty fish farmers(10%) from the Fish Superzone region i.e. Janakpur sub-metropolitan city, Bideh municipality, Sahidnagar municipality, Kamala municipality, Hanspur municipality, Janaknandani rural municipality and Aaurahi  rural municipality, selected using simple random sampling, were surveyed using semi-structured questionnaire. The study revealed that locally formulated mash feed was commonly used feed type in which rice bran and mustard oil cake (RB+MOC) was the principle feed ingredient. 55% of the farmers used rice bran and mustard oil cake (RB+MOC), 20% used rice bran, mustard oil cake and soybean (RB+MOC+SOB), 10% used rice bran, mustard oil cake and fish meal (RB+MOC+FM) and 15% farmers mineral and vitamin (RB+MOC+MIN/VIT) in their feed formulation. The productivity of the fish production in feed type RB+MOC+SOB (3.41±1.02) was significantly higher than other feed type.  The total variable cost per ha (5.23±2.11) was found significantly(p<0.05) higher in feed type RB+MOC+SOB. Similarly, gross margin (4.44±2.74) received by farmers of feed type RB+MOC+SOB was also significantly high(p<0.05). The Benefit: Cost (B:C) ratio of the study area was found to be 1.69, high being of feed type RB+MOC+SOB(1.84) compared to others. The feed type RB+MOC+SOB is seen as a economically profitable one in the study area because of the high productivity, profit and B:C ratio. High feed cost was the major problem followed by the unavailability of feed. Fish farming can be a profitable business in Dhanusha with large opportunity to increase the fish production with increasing protein sources in the feed used. Farmers should be provided sufficient information, trainings and be encouraged to incorporate the protein rich sources like soybean and fish meal in the feed prepared to increase the productivity and ultimately return

Comparative evaluation of fentanyl versus nalbuphine for attenuation of hemodynamic changes during airway stimulation

Background: Airway stimulation predictably leads to variable hemodynamic changes which can be modified by opioid premedication. The present study was aimed to compare the clinical efficacy of fentanyl with nalbuphine on hemodynamic changes during airway stimulation.Methods: Sixty adult patients of ASA physical status I and II of either gender, were randomized into two groups of 30 patients each to receive either fentanyl 2µg/kg, Group I or nalbuphine 0.2mg/kg, Group II, 10min before induction with propofol. Direct laryngoscopy and intubation was facilitated with vecuronium bromide. Heart rate, blood pressure and ECG were recorded at baseline, after giving study drug, at intubation and then after at 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th and 15th minutes after intubation and noted as primary variable. Any adverse effects and complications were recorded as secondary end points.Results: After premedication, the fall in heart rate was comparable between the groups. The fall in mean blood pressure showed statistically significant difference between the groups. After induction, there was further decrease in heart rate and blood pressure with statistically significant difference. After laryngoscopy and intubation, the increase in mean heart rate and blood pressure occurred immediately in patients of nalbuphine group and persisted up to 1to 2min while this increase persisted up to 5 to 7min in fentanyl group. The differences in hemodynamic changes between the groups were statistically significant.Conclusions: Nalbuphine (0.2mg/kg) could effectively attenuate the hemodynamic changes during airway stimulation when compared to fentanyl (2µg/kg), when given 10 minutes before induction