Dysmenorrhoea during the COVID-19 lockdown: a study of women in the age group 18-45 years in Goa, India

Background: Dysmenorrhea can be incapacitating and affect a woman’s quality of life and productivity. Our aim was to ascertain the prevalence and attributes of dysmenorrhea among women aged 18-45 years in the state of Goa, India; the attitude towards dysmenorrhea and management methods; and to also understand the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on women experiencing dysmenorrhea.Methods: A self-administered Google form was circulated and analysed using STATA-statistical software version 16. The study was conducted under the observation of Goa Medical College, in the months of May and June of 2020.Results: 87.7% (664) of participants experienced dysmenorrhea of which 72% had moderate-severe pain during menses. The pain lasted for 1-4 days in 98.6% of the respondents. A total of 69.25% women took some measures to relieve the pain; however only 27% of them sought professional medical help. During the lockdown 17% participants noticed a change in their periods. A change in the method of pain management was reported in 12.05% of the women. It was noted that the younger age group reported more changes in their periods during the lockdown.Conclusions: Dysmenorrhea impacted the lives of a large proportion of women. Even though some experienced incapacitating pain, many women did not seek medical advice. The lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic affected the menstrual cycle including dysmenorrhoea and its management. The high prevalence of dysmenorrhea coupled with inadequate utilisation of health services, makes it all the more important to utilise the results of this study in order to educate women about the effective methods of treatment.

Efficient prediction of attosecond two-colour pulses from an X-ray free-electron laser with machine learning

X-ray free-electron lasers are sources of coherent, high-intensity X-rays with numerous applications in ultra-fast measurements and dynamic structural imaging. Due to the stochastic nature of the self-amplified spontaneous emission process and the difficulty in controlling injection of electrons, output pulses exhibit significant noise and limited temporal coherence. Standard measurement techniques used for characterizing two-coloured X-ray pulses are challenging, as they are either invasive or diagnostically expensive. In this work, we employ machine learning methods such as neural networks and decision trees to predict the central photon energies of pairs of attosecond fundamental and second harmonic pulses using parameters that are easily recorded at the high-repetition rate of a single shot. Using real experimental data, we apply a detailed feature analysis on the input parameters while optimizing the training time of the machine learning methods. Our predictive models are able to make predictions of central photon energy for one of the pulses without measuring the other pulse, thereby leveraging the use of the spectrometer without having to extend its detection window. We anticipate applications in X-ray spectroscopy using XFELs, such as in time-resolved X-ray absorption and photoemission spectroscopy, where improved measurement of input spectra will lead to better experimental outcomes.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figure

Hydrolysis–dehydration of cellulose to glucose and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural over Sibunit solid acid carbon catalysts under semi-flow conditions

Glucose is a widely used chemical, food and feedstock. 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) is one of the platform molecules, which could be applied in chemical and fuel industries. This work presents the possibility of glucose and 5-HMF production from inedible cellulose, which is the main component of renewable plant (wood) biomass via one-pot hydrolysis–dehydration over solid acid catalysts based on Sibunit carbon material. The catalysts prepared via oxidation with wet air mixture, HNO3, sulfonation by fuming H2SO4 at 80–200 °C or combination of the techniques demonstrated high activity under hydrothermal semi-flow conditions. Dependences of both glucose and 5-HMF formation on catalyst acidity and the nature and amount of surface acid groups are revealed. The total surface acidity but not the chemical nature of the groups is responsible for effective cellulose hydrolysis to glucose. On the other hand, sulfo groups demonstrate noticeable activity in 5-HMF formation from glucose. Glucose and 5-HMF can be derived from the polysaccharide with yields up to 75 and 10%, respectively

sj-pdf-1-tam-10.1177_17588359241236442 – Supplemental material for Treatment with nanosomal paclitaxel lipid suspension versus conventional paclitaxel in metastatic breast cancer patients – a multicenter, randomized, comparative, phase II/III clinical study

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-tam-10.1177_17588359241236442 for Treatment with nanosomal paclitaxel lipid suspension versus conventional paclitaxel in metastatic breast cancer patients – a multicenter, randomized, comparative, phase II/III clinical study by Chiradoni Thungappa Satheesh, Rakesh Taran, Jitendra Kumar Singh, Shanti Prakash Shrivastav, Nikunj K. Vithalani, Kalyan Kusum Mukherjee, Rajnish Vasant Nagarkar, Tanveer Maksud, Ajay Omprakash Mehta, Krishnan Srinivasan, Mummaneni Vikranth, Satish Ramkrishna Sonawane, Ateeq Ahmad, Saifuddin Sheikh, Shoukath M. Ali, Ronak Patel, Mahesh Paithankar, Lav Patel, Anil Rajani, Deepak Bunger, Alok Chaturvedi and Imran Ahmad in Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology</p

Nanofertilizers towards sustainable agriculture and environment

Precise nutrient management of crops and soil fertility will be a major challenge worldwide in the coming decades because current agricultural practices rely predominantly on chemical fertilizers. The use of conventional fertilizers suffers from low crop nutrient efficiency, negative impacts on the environment, and high loss of water bodies. Nano-biotechnology is emerging as a promising alternative technique and has the potential to revolutionize agricultural systems by delivering nutrients to crops in a controlled release manner. Engineering nanoparticles-based nanofertilizers offer benefits in crop nutrition management by enhancing abiotic stress tolerance and improving agricultural productivity. This review focuses on the design, contribution, and interaction of nano-enabled fertilizers with edible plants based on very recent studies. Also, the review conveys the role of macronutrient, micronutrient-based nanofertilizer as well as nano-biofertilizer towards the development of smart and sustainable future agriculture.This project was done with financial support from the Ministry of Education, Bangladesh (Project ID: PS-2018774).Peer reviewe