Complications of Microvascular Decompression in patients with Trigeminal Neuralgia

Objective:  To determine the frequency of complications of microvascular decompression for patients with trigeminal neuralgia undergoing surgical decompression. Materials and Methods:  A descriptive case study was carried out in the Neurosurgery Unit 1, Lahore General Hospital. The study included 80 patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Informed consent was obtained and possible outcomes and complications of surgery were explained beforehand to the patients. Demographic details were noted. Surgical site infection, CSF leak, Facial numbness, Facial palsy, Hearing impairment, and Postoperative hematoma as complications were assessed. The presence of complications was recorded. Data was stratified for age and gender from. Chi-square was used as a statistical test, taking a p-value ?0.05 as the level of significance. Results:  The study included 80 patients. The mean age of the patients was 40.8 ± 11.7 years. Overall complications were reported in 21 (26.3%) patients. Distribution of complications was as follows; surgical site infection 2 (9.5%), CSF leak (19.0%), facial palsy 5 (23.8%), facial numbness 9 (42.9%), hearing impairment 2 (9.5%) and post-operative hematoma 5 (23.8%). Conclusion:  Microvascular decompression (MVD) is recommended neurosurgical procedure for medically refractory patients with trigeminal pain if there is no contraindication for surgery. Surgical complications can be minimized by meticulous surgery resulting in adequate tissue respect. Another means to get better and long-lasting results with fewer complications is by using an autologous muscle graft

Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid from Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata) Mitigates 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-Acetate-Induced Inflammatory and Oxidative Stress Responses of Tumor Promotion Cascade in Mouse Skin

Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) is a phenolic antioxidant found in the leaves and twigs of the evergreen desert shrub, Larrea tridentata (Sesse and Moc. ex DC) Coville (creosote bush). It has a long history of traditional medicinal use by the Native Americans and Mexicans. The modulatory effects of topically applied NDGA was studied on acute inflammatory and oxidative stress responses in mouse skin induced by stage I tumor promoting agent, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Double TPA treatment adversely altered many of the marker responses of stage I skin tumor promotion cascade. Pretreatment of NDGA in TPA-treated mice mitigated cutaneous lipid peroxidation and inhibited production of hydrogen peroxide. NDGA treatment also restored reduced glutathione level and activities of antioxidant enzymes. Elevated activities of myeloperoxidase, xanthine oxidase and skin edema formation in TPA-treated mice were also lowered by NDGA indicating a restrained inflammatory response. Furthermore, results of histological study demonstrated inhibitory effect of NDGA on cellular inflammatory responses. This study provides a direct evidence of antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of NDGA against TPA-induced cutaneous inflammation and oxidative stress corroborating its chemopreventive potential against skin cancer

Families of Women Entrepreneurs in Pakistan Their Paramount Support or Dreadful Obstacle

Purpose: This research aims to identify some female entrepreneurs and their relationship profiles with their families, which are categorized by families having a prominent part in influencing their decisions, activities, and behavior. Methodology: The qualitative technique was used as it is well suited to examining the experiences of different people. Open-ended Interviews with Pakistani female entrepreneurs using a semi-structured questionnaire were used to obtain data. The research allowed us to focus on one of the most pressing concerns affecting female entrepreneurs: integrating life with family, work, and their goals related to their profession. Findings: Evidently, knowing and understanding the importance of the household in the entrepreneurial experiences of women is critical to deciphering the reasons why enterprises that are owned by women thrive or crash, as family relations will invariably influence their performance. Conclusion: The research revealed that female entrepreneurs and their families have a significant linkage with their entrepreneurial experiences i.e., individual decisions of women to become entrepreneurs and the features of their businesses cannot be fully comprehended unless the family dimension is also considered

Assessment of thermo-hydraulic performance of inward dimpled tubes with variation in angular orientations

This paper presents a numerical investigation and assessment of thermal and hydraulic performance of dimpled tubes of varying topologies at constant heat flux of and Reynolds numbers ranging from 2300 to 15,000 The performance of the tubes consisting of conical, spherical and ellipsoidal dimples with equivalent flow volumes were compared using steady state Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes simulations. The ellipsoidal dimples, in comparison to other dimple shapes, demonstrated large increment in heat transfer rate. The variation in the orientation of the ellipsoidal dimples was examined to further improve thermal and hydraulic performances of the tube. A 45° inclination angle of ellipsoidal dimple, from its major axis, increased the thermo-hydraulic performance by 58.1% and 20.2% in comparison to smooth tube and 0° ellipsoidal dimpled tube, respectively. Furthermore, Large Eddy Simulations (LES) were carried out to investigate the role geometrical assistance to fluid flow and heat transfer enhancement for the 45° and 90° ellipsoidal dimpled tubes. LES results revealed a flow channel of connected zones of wakes which maximized fluid-surface

Impact of processing methods on the dissolution of artemether from two non-ordered mesoporous silicas

Poor aqueous solubility is often linked with a poor dissolution rate and ultimately, limited bioavailability of pharmaceutical compounds. This study describes the application of mesoporous materials (Syloid 244 and Syloid AL1) in improving the dissolution rate of a drug with poor aqueous solubility, namely artemether, utilising different processing methods including physical mixing, co-grinding and solid dispersions prepared by solvent evaporation and the lyophilisation technique. The prepared formulations were extensively characterised for their solid-state properties and the drug release attributes were studied. Differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction confirmed conversion of crystalline artemether into a disordered and amorphous form, whilst no intermolecular interactions were detected between artemether and silica. Both silica grades enhanced the dissolution rate of artemether in comparison with drug alone, for example from 17.43% (± 0.87%) to 71.55% (± 3.57%) after 120 mins with lyophilisation and Syloid 244 at a 1:3 ratio. This enhancement was also dependant on the choice of processing method, for example, co-ground and lyophilised formulations prepared with Syloid 244 at 1:3 ratio produced the most extensive dissolution, thus endorsing the importance of materials as well as choice of formulation method

Genetic diversity of pran (Allium cepa var. prolliferum) in Kashmir

Ten pran genotypes were evaluated using RAPD markers to determine the genetic relationships among genotypes showing morphological variations. Fourty three decamer primers were used in this study. Genetic diversity in the genotypes studied was analyzed using several variability parameters. Genotypes were grouped into two main clusters based on jaccard similarity coefficient. A dendrogram based on UPGMA analysis grouped the ten genotypes into two main clusters. Genotypes representing cluster-I are superior over genotypes in cluster-II with respect to yield attributes. Some genotypes did not show any similarity with either cluster, depicting their diverse nature. The grouping that was obtained with the RAPD analysis was at par with the morphological grouping based on yield attributes. The results of Principal Co-ordinate (PCO) analysis were comparable to the cluster analysis. Finally, the investigation of the genetic variation of pran with RAPD indicated that this marker is a suitable tool for assessing polymorphism and estimating the genetic similarity. &nbsp

Beyond physical health: the role of psychosocial challenges and stigma in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic—A scoping review

BackgroundThe socio-cultural response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the level of adherence to evidence-based guidelines played a crucial role in determining the morbidity and mortality outcomes during the pandemic. This review aims to evaluate the impact of stigma and psycho-socio-cultural challenges on efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify ways to mitigate such challenges in future pandemics.MethodsUsing keywords including COVID-19, coronavirus, stigma, psychosocial challenges, and others, the authors searched seven major databases with a time limitation of July 2021, which yielded 2,038 results. Out of these, 15 papers were included in this review.ResultsThe findings of the review indicated that several psychosocial, socio-economic, and ethno-cultural factors are linked to the transmission and control of COVID-19. The research revealed that stigma and related psychosocial challenges and others, such as anxiety, fear, and stigma-driven social isolation, have resulted in significant mental health problems.DiscussionThe review underscores the negative impact of stigma on COVID-19 patients, survivors, and the general population. Addressing stigma and psychosocial challenges is crucial to effectively manage the current pandemic and to prevent similar challenges during future public health crises

Challenges of drug resistance in the management of pancreatic cancer

The current treatment of choice for metastatic pancreatic cancer involves single agent gemcitabine or combination of gemcitabine with capecitabine and erlotinib (tyrosine kinase inhibitor). Only 25-30% of patients respond to this treatment and patients who do respond initially ultimately exhibit disease progression. Median survival for pancreatic cancer patients has reached a plateau due to inherent and acquired resistance to these agents. Key molecular factors implicated in this resistance include: deficiencies in drug uptake, alteration of drug targets, activations of DNA repair pathways, resistance to apoptosis, and the contribution of the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, for newer agents including tyrosine kinase inhibitors, over expression of signaling proteins, mutations in kinase domains, activation of alternative pathways, mutations of genes downstream of the target, and/or amplification of the target represent key challenges for treatment efficacy. Here we will review the contribution of known mechanisms and markers of resistance to key pancreatic cancer drug treatments

Transition metal doped CeO2 for photocatalytic removal of 2-chlorophenol in the exposure of indoor white light and antifungal activity

Besides natural sunlight and expensive artificial lights, economical indoor white light can play a significant role in activating a catalyst for photocatalytic removal of organic toxins from contaminated water. In the current effort, CeO2 has been modified with Ni, Cu, and Fe through doping methodology to study the removal of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) in the illumination of 70 W indoor LED white light. The absence of additional diffractions due to the dopants and few changes such as reduction in peaks’ height, minor peak shift at 2θ (28.525°) and peaks’ broadening in XRD patterns of modified CeO2 verifies the successful doping of CeO2. The solid-state absorption spectra revealed higher absorbance of Cu-doped CeO2 whereas a lower absorption response was observed for Ni-doped CeO2. An interesting observation regarding the lowering of indirect bandgap energy of Fe-doped CeO2 (∼2.7 eV) and an increase in Ni-doped CeO2 (∼3.0 eV) in comparison to pristine CeO2 (∼2.9 eV) was noticed. The process of e-– h+ recombination in the synthesized photocatalysts was also investigated through photoluminescence spectroscopy. The photocatalytic studies revealed the greater photocatalytic activity of Fe-doped CeO2 with a higher rate (∼3.9 × 10−3 min-1) among all other materials. Moreover, kinetic studies also revealed the validation of the Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic model (R2 = 0.9839) while removing 2-CP in the exposure of indoor light with a Fe-doped CeO2 photocatalyst. The XPS analysis revealed the existence of Fe3+, Cu2+ and Ni2+ core levels in doped CeO2. Using the agar well-diffusion method, the antifungal activity was assessed against the fungus M. fructicola and F. oxysporum. Compared to CeO2, Ni-doped CeO2, and Cu-doped CeO2 nanoparticles, the Fe-doped CeO2 nanoparticles have outstanding antifungal properties