Metabolic effects of breaking prolonged sitting with standing or light walking in older South Asians and White Europeans: a randomized acute study

Background: Prolonged sitting is common in older adults and associated with insulin resistance and poor cardiometabolic health. We investigate whether breaking prolonged sitting with regular short bouts of standing or light walking improves postprandial metabolism in older white European and South Asian adults and whether effects are modified by ethnic group. Methods: Thirty South Asian (15 women) and 30 white European (14 women) older adults (65-79 years) undertook three experimental conditions in random order. 1) Prolonged sitting: continuous sitting during a 7.5 h observation period consuming two standardised mixed meals. 2) Standing breaks: sitting interrupted with 5 mins of standing every 30 mins (accumulating 60 mins of standing over the observation period). 3) Walking Breaks: sitting interrupted with 5 mins of self-paced light walking every 30 mins (accumulating 60 mins of walking). Blood samples (glucose, insulin, triglycerides) and blood pressure were sampled regularly throughout each condition. Results: Compared with prolonged sitting, walking breaks lowered postprandial insulin by 16.3 mU/l, (95% CI 19.7, 22.0) with greater reductions (p = 0.029) seen in South Asians (22.4 mU/l; 12.4, 32.4) than White Europeans (10.3 mU/l; 5.9, 14.7). Glucose (0.3 mmol/l; 0.1, 0.5) and blood pressure (4 mmHg; 2, 6), but not triglycerides, were lower with walking breaks, with no ethnic differences. Standing breaks did not improve any outcome. Conclusions: Breaking prolonged sitting with short bouts of light walking, but not standing, resulted in clinically meaningful improvements in markers of metabolic health in older adults, with South Asians gaining a greater reduction in postprandial insulin

Why I left and why I want to leave; A Phenomenological Perspective of Asian Employees Turnover

The current research was conducted to explore the possible causes of actual employee turnover and turnover intentions. Using Post positivism research philosophy, phenomenological qualitative research method was used to explore the phenomena. Semi-structured interviews of 21 bank employees (selected using purposive sampling) were conducted which were analyzed using NVivo 12. The research findings suggest many uniques themes in order to overcome the problem of employee turnover, especially for banks. The themes which were developed consisted of five significant themes such as the bank appraisals and reward system was identified as biased and based more on favoritism, employee feel that their actual performance is not evaluated properly and sincerely. The other factor concluded by the research findings is that the employees are dissatisfied with the salary and benefits, as they felt that there should a consistent effort to identify employee personal needs which should be customized accordingly in their compensation plans as well. The very essential factor recognized in the research finding was the upward and downward communication gaps with the employees. Such perceptions generated related issues as the employees felt that branches are much deprived to have a direct communication channel with the top team heads. The other very essential factor discovered after the investigation of the phenomena of turnover is lack of career growth. Lastly, another important cause of employee turnover was the transfers, which took place without the consent of the employee. Employees felt demotivated due to such transfers and changes in their work locations. Recommendations and future research directions have been at the end of the researc

Evaluation of the Iodine Concentration in Serum and Urine of Hypothyroid Males Using an Inexpensive and Rapid Method

The aim of present study was to evaluate the iodine/iodide status in biological samples (serum and urine) of 172 male hypothyroid patients (HPs) and their supplemental effects on thyroid hormones. For comparison purpose, non-goitrous subjects (n= 220) of same age group and socioeconomic status were also studied. A simple and rapid iodide-ion selective electrode (ISE) was used to measure the concentration of iodine in microwave assisted acid digested serum and urine samples. Quality control for the methodology was established with certified samples and with those obtained by conventional wet acid digestion method on the same certified reference materials (CRMs) and real samples. A linear calibration curve was obtained for a reasonable concentration range of the potassium iodide solutions. The mean concentration of iodine in the serum and urine samples of the HPs was significantly reduced as compared to control male subjects (p< 0.01). The low levels of free triiodothyronine and thyroxin were found in HPs than age matched healthy control (p< 0.005 and 0.002) respectively while high levels of thyroid stimulating hormone were observed in HPs (p< 0.008). The proposed method was relatively efficient as well as cost effective by using inexpensive equipment. It was observed that iodine in biological samples of HPs can play an important role in determining the severity of the hypothyroidism

Energy, exergy and economic (3E) analysis of flat-plate solar collector using novel environmental friendly nanofluid

Abstract The use of solar energy is one of the most prominent strategies for addressing the present energy management challenges. Solar energy is used in numerous residential sectors through flat plate solar collectors. The thermal efficiency of flat plate solar collectors is improved when conventional heat transfer fluids are replaced with nanofluids because they offer superior thermo-physical properties to conventional heat transfer fluids. Concentrated chemicals are utilized in nanofluids' conventional synthesis techniques, which produce hazardous toxic bi-products. The present research investigates the effects of novel green covalently functionalized gallic acid-treated multiwall carbon nanotubes-water nanofluid on the performance of flat plate solar collectors. GAMWCNTs are highly stable in the base fluid, according to stability analysis techniques, including ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy and zeta potential. Experimental evaluation shows that the thermo-physical properties of nanofluid are better than those of base fluid deionized water. The energy, exergy and economic analysis are performed using 0.025%, 0.065% and 0.1% weight concentrations of GAMWCNT-water at varying mass flow rates 0.010, 0.0144, 0.0188 kg/s. The introduction of GAMWCNT nanofluid enhanced the thermal performance of flat plate solar collectors in terms of energy and exergy efficiency. There is an enhancement in efficiency with the rise in heat flux, mass flow rate and weight concentration, but a decline is seen as inlet temperature increases. As per experimental findings, the highest improvement in energy efficiency is 30.88% for a 0.1% weight concentration of GAMWCNT nanofluid at 0.0188 kg/s compared to the base fluid. The collector's exergy efficiency increases with the rise in weight concentration while it decreases with an increase in flow rate. The highest exergy efficiency is achieved at 0.1% GAMWCNT concentration and 0.010 kg/s mass flow rate. GAMWCNT nanofluids have higher values for friction factor compared to the base fluid. There is a small increment in relative pumping power with increasing weight concentration of nanofluid. Performance index values of more than 1 are achieved for all GAMWCNT concentrations. When the solar thermal collector is operated at 0.0188 kg/s and 0.1% weight concentration of GAMWCNT nanofluid, the highest size reduction, 27.59%, is achieved as compared to a flat plate solar collector with water as a heat transfer fluid

Health burden of skin lesions at low arsenic exposure through groundwater in Pakistan. Is river the source?

A significant proportion of groundwater in south Asia is contaminated with arsenic. Pakistan has low levels of arsenic in groundwater compared with China, Bangladesh and India. A representative multi-stage cluster survey conducted among 3874 persons \u3e= 15 years of age to determine the prevalence of arsenic skin lesions, its relation with arsenic levels and cumulative arsenic dose in drinking water in a rural district (population: 1.82 million) in Pakistan. Spot-urine arsenic levels were compared among individuals with and without arsenic skin lesions. In addition, the relation of age, body mass index, smoking status with arsenic skin lesions was determined. The geographical distribution of the skin lesions and arsenic-contaminated wells in the district were ascertained using global positioning system. The total arsenic, inorganic and organic forms, in water and spot-urine samples were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The prevalence of skin lesions of arsenic was estimated for complex survey design, using surveyfreq and surveylogistic options of SAS 9.1 software. The prevalence of definitive cases i.e. hyperkeratosis of both palms and soles, was 3.4 per 1000 and suspected cases i.e. any sign of arsenic skin lesions (melanosis and/or keratosis), were 13.0 per 1000 among \u3e= 15-year-old persons in the district. Cumulative arsenic exposure (dose) was calculated from levels of arsenic in water and duration of use of current drinking water source. Prevalence of skin lesions increases with cumulative arsenic exposure (dose) in drinking water and arsenic levels in urine. Skin lesions were 2.5-fold among individuals with BMI \u3c 18.5 kg/m(2). Geographically, more arsenic-contaminated wells and skin lesions were alongside Indus River, suggests a strong link between arsenic contamination of groundwater with proximity to river. This is the first reported epidemiological and clinical evidence of arsenic skin lesions due to groundwater in Pakistan. Further investigations and focal mitigation measures for arsenic may be carried out alongside Indus River

Clinico-Pathological Importance of miR-146a in Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is a well-known malignant tumor of the respiratory tract, which has caused a significant level of damage to human health in the 21st century. Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are tiny, non-coding RNA stem-loop structures with a length of roughly 20–25 nucleotides that function as powerful modulators of mRNA and protein products of a gene. miRNAs may modulate many biological processes involving growth, differentiation, proliferation, and cell death and play a key role in the pathogenesis of various types of malignancies. Several accumulating pieces of evidence have proven that miRNA, especially miR-146a, are crucial modulators of innate immune response sequences. A novel and exciting cancer research field has involved miRNA for the detection and suppression of cancer. However, the actual mechanism which is adopted by these miRNA is still unclear. miRNAs have been used as a cancer-associated biomarker in several studies, suggesting their altered expression in various cancers compared to the normal cells. The amount of expression of miRNA can also be used to determine the stage of the disease, aiding in early detection. In breast, pancreatic, and hepatocellular carcinoma, and gastric cancer, cancer cell proliferation and metastasis has been suppressed by miR-146a. Changes in miR-146a expression levels have biomarker importance and possess a high potential as a therapeutic target in lung cancer. It retards epithelial-mesenchymal transition and promotes the therapeutic action of anticancer agents in lung cancer. Studies have also suggested that miR-146a affects gene expression through different signaling pathways viz. TNF-α, NF-κB and MEK-1/2, and JNK-1/2. Further research is required for understanding the molecular mechanisms of miR-146a in lung cancer. The potential role of miR-146a as a diagnostic marker of lung cancer must also be analyzed. This review summarizes the tumor-suppressing, anti-inflammatory, and antichemoresistive nature of miR-146a in lung cancer

Genome-wide association studies of seven agronomic traits under two sowing conditions in bread wheat

Abstract Background Wheat is a cool seasoned crop requiring low temperature during grain filling duration and therefore increased temperature causes significant yield reduction. A set of 125 spring wheat genotypes from International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT-Mexico) was evaluated for phenological and yield related traits at three locations in Pakistan under normal sowing time and late sowing time for expose to prolonged high temperature. With the help of genome-wide association study using genotyping-by-sequencing, marker trait associations (MTAs) were observed separately for the traits under normal and late sown conditions. Results Significant reduction ranging from 9 to 74% was observed in all traits under high temperature. Especially 30, 25, 41 and 66% reduction was observed for days to heading (DH), plant height (PH), spikes per plant (SPP) and yield respectively. We identified 55,954 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using genotyping by sequencing of these 125 hexaploid spring wheat genotypes and conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for days to heading (DH), grain filled duration (GFD), plant height (PH), spikes per plant (SPP), grain number per spike (GNS), thousand kernel weight (TKW) and grain yield per plot (GY). Genomic regions identified through GWAS explained up to 13% of the phenotypic variance, on average. A total of 139 marker-trait associations (MTAs) across three wheat genomes (56 on genome A, 55 on B and 28 on D) were identified for all the seven traits studied. For days to heading, 20; grain filled duration, 21; plant height, 23; spikes per plant, 13; grain numbers per spike, 8; thousand kernel weight, 21 and for grain yield, 33 MTAs were detected under normal and late sown conditions. Conclusions This study identifies the essential resource of genetics research and underpins the chromosomal regions of seven agronomic traits under normal and high temperature. Significant relationship was observed between the number of favored alleles and trait observations. Fourteen protein coding genes with their respective annotations have been searched with the sequence of seven MTAs which were identified in this study. These findings will be helpful in the development of a breeder friendly platform for the selection of high yielding wheat lines at high temperature areas

A facile, green fabrication of aqueous nanofluids containing hydrophilic functionalized carbon nanotubes toward improving heat transfer in a closed horizontal flow passage

In the present research, the synthesis of highly stable multiwalled carbon nanotubes in aqueous media is developed using a one-pot, covalent and green functionalization technique to improve the heat transfer and hydrodynamic behavior of a horizontal stainless-steel tube subjected to a uniform heat flow at its outer surface. Instead of using corrosive inorganic acids, the free radical grafting of gallic acids is used in this procedure. In this work, GA-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes water-based colloidal suspensions (nanofluids) were prepared at three different weight concentrations. Various characterization techniques comprising Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, High resolution transmission Electron Microscopy, and zeta-potential measurements were performed and confirmed the success of MWCNT functionalization. The thermophysical properties were evaluated experimentally and validated using empirical correlations available in the literature. To prove the colloidal suspension stability, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy was used, and the results showed that nanofluid was stable for almost 60 days. When the GAMWCNT concentration was increased, there was a significant improvement in the thermal conductivity. Moreover, the nanofluids' dynamic viscosity experienced a slight increment up to 7.30% when the GAMWCNTs were loaded relative to distilled water. Following the confirmation of the experimental setup's analytical correlations, tests for the colloidal GAMWCNT suspension flowing through a heated horizontal tube were carried out in a fully developed turbulent state. A significant enhancement in the convective heat transfer coefficient was obtained, with only minor growth in the relative pumping power by 33.05 and 1.19%, respectively. More importantly, the reported positive performance index indicator for all the Reynolds numbers of ranges shows the possibility of using the synthesized GAMWCNT aqueous suspensions as an alternative working fluid in heat transfer systems.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Human-Robot InteractionEmerging Material

Medicolegal Aspect Analysis of Burn Cases in Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad

Background: Owing to the high potential of physical injuries, disabilities and even deaths resulting from burn-related injuries, these are considered as injuries of medico-legal importance. The study aims to investigate the medico-legal aspects of selective cases of burn victims admitted to the Burn unit of Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad. Methodology: This study was conducted at the Burn unit of Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad. The information on burn patients was collected retrospectively from the record for the period of three years from January 2018 to December 2020 from the Burn unit.&nbsp; The data related to socio-demographic details, site, cause, severity and outcome of burn cases was recorded. Results: Total 418 victims record was evaluated; the highest prevalence of cases was in the age group of 0-10 years (60.6%). Majority; 58.8% of the victims were males. In more than half (52.6%) of the victims, 20% or less body area was burnt. In 34.2% cases, 21-40% area was burnt. About 48.1% of cases were of wet scalds and 40.2% dry flame burns. About 7.6% were cases of electrocution. Male and female burn victims demonstrated statistically significant difference (p&lt;0.05) regarding site of burn, side, source, manner and survival from burn injuries. Conclusion: Males are more affected by burns than their counterpart while children ≤ 10 years are most commonly reported with burn injuries. Wet scald is the most common type of burn while most victims present with ≤20% burnt body area. Key Words: Accidental injuries, Burns, Suicid

Biomarker-based risk stratification in pediatric sepsis from a low-middle income country

Objectives: Most biomarker studies of sepsis originate from high-income countries, whereas mortality risk is higher in low- and middle-income countries. The second version of the Pediatric Sepsis Biomarker Risk Model (PERSEVERE-II) has been validated in multiple North American PICUs for prognosis. Given differences in epidemiology, we assessed the performance of PERSEVERE-II in septic children from Pakistan, a low-middle income country. Due to uncertainty regarding how well PERSEVERE-II would perform, we also assessed the utility of other select biomarkers reflecting endotheliopathy, coagulopathy, and lung injury. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: PICU in Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Patients: Children (\u3c 18 yr old) meeting pediatric modifications of adult Sepsis-3 criteria between November 2020 and February 2022 were eligible. Interventions: None. Measurements and main results: Plasma was collected within 24 hours of admission and biomarkers quantified. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for PERSEVERE-II to discriminate 28-day mortality was determined. Additional biomarkers were compared between survivors and nonsurvivors and between subjects with and without acute respiratory distress syndrome. In 86 subjects (20 nonsurvivors, 23%), PERSEVERE-II discriminated mortality (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.72-0.94) and stratified the cohort into low-, medium-, and high-risk of mortality. Biomarkers reflecting endotheliopathy (angiopoietin 2, intracellular adhesion molecule 1) increased across worsening risk strata. Angiopoietin 2, soluble thrombomodulin, and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 were higher in nonsurvivors, and soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products and surfactant protein D were higher in children meeting acute respiratory distress syndrome criteria. Conclusions: PERSEVERE-II performs well in septic children from Aga Khan University Hospital, representing the first validation of PERSEVERE-II in a low-middle income country. Patients possessed a biomarker profile comparable to that of sepsis from high-income countries, suggesting that biomarker-based enrichment strategies may be effective in this settin