Cardioprotective and Metabolomic Profiling of Selected Medicinal Plants against Oxidative Stress

In this research work, the antioxidant and metabolomic profiling of seven selected medicinally important herbs including Rauvolfia serpentina, Terminalia arjuna, Coriandrum sativum, Elettaria cardamom, Piper nigrum, Allium sativum, and Crataegus oxyacantha was performed. The in vivo cardioprotective potential of these medicinal plants was evaluated against surgically induced oxidative stress through left anterior descending coronary artery ligation (LADCA) in dogs. The antioxidant profiling of these plants was done through DPPH and DNA protection assay. The C. oxyacantha and T. arjuna showed maximum antioxidant potential, while the E. cardamom showed poor antioxidative strength even at its high concentration. Different concentrations of extracts of the said plants exhibited the protection of plasmid DNA against H2O2 damage as compared to the plasmid DNA merely treated with H2O2. The metabolomic profiling through LC-MS analysis of these antioxidants revealed the presence of active secondary metabolites responsible for their antioxidant potential. During in vivo analysis, blood samples of all treatment groups were drawn at different time intervals to analyze the cardiac and hemodynamic parameters. The results depicted that the group pretreated with HC4 significantly sustained the level of CK-MB, SGOT, and LDH as well as hemodynamic parameters near to normal. The histopathological examination also confirmed the cardioprotective potential of HC4. Thus, the HC4 being safe and inexpensive cardioprotective herbal combination could be considered as an alternate of synthetic drugs

Viable forecasting monthly weather data using time series methods

The main object of the research was to assess the forecast values of the weather parameters by using three-time series methods such as Decomposition of time series, Autoregressive (AR) model with seasonal dummies and Autoregressive moving average (ARMA) /Autoregressive Integrated moving average (ARIMA) model. A recent phenomenon in weather changing has disturbed the world in general and Pakistan in particular. In Pakistan due to climate change, flood and heat stroke have taken many lives. Stationarity was measured through the Augmented Dickey-Fuller test; results showed that some variables are I(0) and some are I(1). The reliability of the forecast results was examined through the goodness of fit test. For finding the best fit model, the performance measures of various models: Root Mean Squire Error, Mean Absolute Error and Mean Absolute Percentage Error were considered. The model in which the above statistics are the minimum was chosen as the appropriate model. After model analysis and validation, it was observed that AR-model with seasonal dummies was found to be the best fit model between the three models. Meanwhile, the forecasting for the period Jan.2018 to Dec.2018 was made based on the best fit model. Given the future forecasting results, the temperature will be normal at selected stations. The wind and rainfall will also be present. Overall, it was suggested that the obtained findings of meteorological stations' weather might be normal for the coming few months over there, and no chance of heatstroke and flood might be expected. Future studies must be carried out to provide the awareness to well-being regarding ecological hazardous to minimize their economic loss through mass media

An exploration of usability issues in telecare monitoring systems and possible solutions: a systematic literature review

Background : The idea of product usability has been discussed in several research areas including product research and development. Usability, in telecare monitoring systems, determines how much the system is effective and efficient for the telecare users. Usability has been considered an important factor in the acceptance of telecare monitoring systems by individuals who encounter challenges in the use of such systems and who possess a limited knowledge of their use. Objectives : The purpose of this study is to explore the relevant usability issues and identify possible solutions to improve the usability of telecare monitoring systems. Method : The study is based on eight research questions and to find the answers to those research questions, a systematic literature is performed. Results : The research findings highlight various usability issues, including the complexity of the interface, difficulty in reading the text, and insufficient provision of instructions. These studies have also suggested solutions to enhance the usability of systems, including development of the technical skills of users, explanations of usability evaluation techniques for telecare monitoring systems, and engaging the appropriate users during the development of telecare monitoring systems. Implications for rehabilitation - Successful implementation of telecare monitoring systems can increase the chances of acceptance of telecare monitoring systems by the users. - Implementing an efficient and effective system will make telecare users more independent at their homes. - The development of usable telecare monitoring systems can significantly contribute to a basis for clinical and home-based implementation of the telehealth technology to promote remote monitoring for elderly and people with disabilities. - Considering the usability issues and solutions identified in this study, it will go a long way towards aiding subsequent researchers and developers in the implementation of more usable and valid telecare monitoring systems

Oral health status and treatment needs among obstructive sleep apnea patients in Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder characterized by periodic and repetitive partial or complete collapse of the upper airway during sleep, resulting in reduced ventilation (hypopnea) or absent ventilation (apnea).Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted on 100 adult OSA patients attending hospitals of Jodhpur and the dental clinic in Vyas Dental College and Hospital in Jodhpur city. The sample consisted of 65.0% males and 35.0% females, belonging to 18 years ≥60 years of age with a mean age of 47.61 ± 8.53.Results: In our study, we have used AHI for the assessment of OSA, the major significant association (P = 0.001) was seen between AHI and periodontitis. The finding suggest that the prevalence of periodontitis is greater among patient with OSA with almost 39 patients with AHI value between 11to15 having loss of attachment between 4 mm ≥8 mm. Conclusion: Obstructive sleep apnea is acting as a significant risk factor for major Dental diseases. The study concludes that there was a significant association found between oral health status and OSA patients