Fabrication of Multilayer Graphene by Solid-Phase Reaction and Application to Gallium Nitride Based Schottky Diodes

芝浦工業大学2017年

Examining the Linkage of Academic Performance and Attention by Uddin's Numeral Finding and Typo Revealing Tests: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study in Undergraduate Students of Bangladesh

Background: Attention is the state of applying the concentration to something and it's strongly linked to academic performance. The drive of this study was to analyze the academic performance and attention of undergraduate students. Methods: The study was implemented on 139 undergraduate students of Bangladesh selected from 9 universities from April to August 2018. In this study to investigate the attention of the students, the Uddin's Numeral Finding (NF) and Typo Revealing (TR) tests were used. Results: In the NF test male students with last semester cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.47 (highest) exerted the maximum 40% attention but female students exerted only 33.3% attention and their last semester CGPA was 3. Students with age > 22 years exerted maximum, 70.55%, and 35.2% attention in NF and TR tests respectively with last semester CGPA of 3.56 (maximum). In the NF and TR tests, highest, 89.73%, and 50.33% attention respectively were reported by 1st-year students with last semester CGPA of only 3.70. High-socioeconomic status students with last semester CGPA of 3.43 (lowest) exerted maximum 75.30% attention in NF test. There were no significant associations between variables. Conclusion: Attention is a very rudimentary function that often is a forerunner to cognitive functions. Individual differences in academic performance have been linked to differences in attention and intelligence

In Vitro Screening for Antioxidant and Anticholinesterase Effects of Uvaria littoralis Blume.: A Nootropic Phytotherapeutic Remedy

Background: Oxidative stress is strongly linked in the development of numerous chronic and degenerative disorders. Medicinal plants with antioxidant and anticholinesterase activities exert a key role for the management of oxidative stress related disorders mainly Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore the purpose of this study was to assess antioxidant potentiality and anticholinesterase inhibitory activity of crude methanolic extract (CME), petroleum ether fraction (PEF), chloroform fraction (CLF), ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) and aqueous fraction (AQF) of Uvaria littoralis (U. littoralis) leaves. Methods: The antioxidant compounds namely total flavonoids contents (TFCs) and total proanthocyanidins contents (TPACCs) were determined for quantities constituent’s characterization. Antioxidant capacity of U. littoralis leaves were estimated by the iron reducing power (IRPA), 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging capacity. Anticholinesterase effects were estimated for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinestrase (BChE) activity. Results: The EAF of U. littoralis leaves showed the highest TFCs as compared to CLF, CME, PEF and AQF. TPACCs were also found highest in EAF. The highest absorbance for IRPA was found in EAF (2.220 nm) with respect to CME and other fractions at the highest concentration. The EAF showed best DPPH and NO radical scavenging activity with IC50 values of 31.63 and 55.47 μg/mL, respectively with regard to CME and remaining fractions. The PEF represents highest AChE inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 35.19 μg/mL and CLF showed highest BChE inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 32.49 μg/mL. Conclusions: The findings of the current study demonstrate the presence of antioxidant phytochemicals, likewise, turns out antioxidant and anticholinesterase potentiality of U. littoralis leaves which could be a prestigious candidate for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases especially AD

Dystonia: A Leading Neurological Movement Disorder

Dystonia is the third leading movement disorder arising mainly from the damage of basal ganglia or other parts of the brain that control movements. The objective of this review is to represent the detailed profile of dystonia. A computerized literature review was conducted in authentic scientific databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct and National Institutes of Health (NIH) etc. Terms searched included dystonia, risk factors, etiologies, clinical features, classification, pathology, guidelines, treatment strategies, primary and secondary dystonia. Initially, 97 articles and 9 books were extracted but finally, 64 articles and 7 books were used. After analysis, we found that causes of dystonia could be acquired or inherited and dystonia can be classified based on age at onset, etiology, and distribution of the affected body parts. The risk factors of this heterogeneous disorder could be trauma, thyroid disorder, hypertension, life habits, occupation, use of drugs and genetics. A significant number of articles were found which signify the ability of brainstem and cerebellar pathology to trigger the symptoms of dystonia. Since antipsychotic drugs are the most commonly prescribed among the people with intellectual disability (ID), therefore they possess a greater risk to experience antipsychotic drugs-induced movement side effects including acute dystonia, parkinsonism, tardive dyskinesia, and akathisia. Depending on various manifestations and causes, there are several treatment options including oral medications, intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin, neurosurgical procedures and occupational therapy

Comparison of the Knowledge and Practices in Medicine Dispensing between Retail Medicine Shops and Model Pharmacies in Dhaka Metropolis

Model pharmacy has been adopted recently to upgrade the healthcare delivery system in Bangladesh. This study was aimed to analyze and compare the effectiveness of drug dispensing patterns, practices, and knowledge of both clients and dispensers of model pharmacies over traditional retail medicine shops. Two established methods, namely, client simulated method (CSM) and provider interview method (PIM), were employed to determine the practice differences in 90 retail medicine shops and 90 model pharmacies in and around Dhaka city. The results are represented primarily in comparison with corresponding percentages. The survey results did not fully support the findings obtained from the observations of the CSM as PIM contrasted these to some extent, and the differences are statistically significant (p<0.0001). According to CSM, the presence of A-grade pharmacists during working hours in retail medicine shops was 0%, and 63% in model pharmacies. As reported by PIM, in the retail medicine shops, 36% of clients were ignorant of visiting doctors before purchasing medicine. On the other hand, only 18% of clients could visit doctors. As per CSM, 40% of clients did not follow doctors' recommendations for completion of the full dose of antibiotics bought from retail medicine shops and 51% did not finish full antibiotic courses collected from model pharmacies. Additionally, CSM revealed that 28% of the clients administered leftover drugs following old and obsolete prescriptions of retail medicine shops and 21% of clients followed the same practices in terms of model pharmacies. The report of CSM revealed that 95% of dispensers of retail medicine shops sold medicine without prescription except over-the-counter (OTC), and in the model pharmacies, the percentage was 77%. The qualitative findings revealed substandard practices and dispensing pattern too. Model pharmacies were established to prevent aberrant medicine dispensing patterns and ensure proper medication dispensing practices and medicine intake. This research could not verify the situation that pharmacists or owners of model pharmacies were fully abiding by the guidelines set for them by the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA)

Cannabis and Brain: Disrupting Neural Circuits of Memory

Cannabis is a federally controlled substance, it’s very familiar to many but its neurobiological substrates are not well-characterized. In the brain, most areas prevalently having cannabinoid receptors have been associated with behavioral control and cognitive effects due to cannabinoids. Study over the last several decades suggested cannabinoids (CBs) exert copious oftentimes opposite effects on countless neuronal receptors and processes. In fact, owing to this plethora of effects, it’s still cryptic how CBs trigger neuronal circuits. Cannabis use has been revealed to cause cognitive deficits from basic motor coordination to more complex executive functions, for example, the aptitude to plan, organize, make choices, solve glitches, remember, and control emotions as well as behavior. Numerous factors like age of onset and duration of cannabis use regulate the severity of the difficulties. People with the cannabis-linked deficiency in executive functions have been found to have trouble learning and applying the skills requisite for fruitful recovery, setting them at amplified risk for deterioration to cannabis use. Exploring the impacts of cannabis on the brain is imperative. Therefore the intention of this study was to analyze the neuropsychological effects and the impact of CBs on the dynamics of neural circuits, and its potential as the drug of addiction

Neurochemistry of Neurochemicals: Messengers of Brain Functions

Neurochemistry refers to the chemical processes that occur in the brain and nervous system. This section of study determines how neurochemicals influence the network of neural operation. The brain transfers numerous chemical information via neurons to communicate. The main role of neurochemistry activities takes place in the brain, which allows it to perform numerous actions. Foundation of brain is a little bit different from man to man and several things can play a role in the levels of various neurotransmitters in the brain. It is supposed that differences in brain chemistry may accountable for a variety of behavioral disorders. A particular cell called neurons is the basis of brain. Neurotransmitters have the capability that it can trigger when ordered to do so, along with receptors for specific neurotransmitters. By sending messages with neurotransmitters to signal various cell activities, brain perform its functions. Neurotransmitter spreads chemical messages from neuron to neuron to broadcast certain work and thus it works. A neuron may accept many chemical messages, both positive and negative from the other neurons contiguous it. They are accountable to get the neuron to reply in different ways, or they may work combine to produce a certain effect. Since all of this occurs just within a split second, the neurotransmitter must be cleared away rapidly so that the same receptors can be activated again and again. Psychoactive drugs work by briefly influencing a man's neurochemistry, which thusly causes changes in a man's mind-set, cognition, perception and behavior. Neuropeptides are endogenous protein molecules that are utilized for neuronal signaling. These molecules exert more prolonged and diverse effects on behavior than neurotransmitters. Therefore the objective of this appraisal is to show study of the brain's chemical makeup especially neurotransmitters, psychopharmaceuticals, neuropeptides and their activities to nervous tissue

Analyzing the Impact of Soft, Stimulating and Depressing Songs on Attention Among Undergraduate Students: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study in Bangladesh

Music is strongly linked to attention and giving attention can boost intelligence. The purpose of this study was to scrutinize the impact of soft, stimulating, and depressing songs on the attention of students. The study was performed on 280 undergraduate students. Students were divided into 4 groups (i.e., control, soft, stimulating, and depressing) and subjected to 3 songs, soft (That’s My Name), stimulating (Rain Over Me) and depressing (Broken Angel) songs. The Uddin’s Numeral Finding (NF) and Typo Revealing (TR) tests were used to analyze the attention of the students. In the NF, 75.54% attention was exerted by students subjected to stimulating song followed by soft song’s group (i.e., 74.32%) with respect to control group. Amid all groups, the lowest percentage, 70.77% of attention was reported for students subjected to the depressing song. For TR test, stimulating song’s group exerted highest, 45.97% attention, soft song’s group exerted 45.27%, control group exerted 42.70%, and lowest (i.e., 41.54%) attention was exerted by depressing song’s group. In NF test, concerning sex, amid male and female, male exerted higher (77.04%) attention than female but for TR test female exerted higher (i.e., 48.15%) attention for students subjected to stimulating song. Regarding the age of the study in case of NF test for stimulating song’s group, 18–20 years age students exerted highest, 82.07% attention but for TR test highest, 48.75% attention was reported for 23–25 years age students. For NF test, regarding the age of the study 1st-year student exerted highest, 92.44% attention but for TR test highest, 57.33% attention was reported for 3rd-year students for stimulating song’s group. Concerning residential status in both NF and TR tests, for students lived with family subjected to stimulating song exerted highest, 77.93% and 48.6% attention, respectively with respect to students lived without family and remaining groups. This study suggested that song influences the neuronal circuits linked to alert and cognitive functions and the stimulating song has the acme power of increasing attention while depressing song reduces the attention. Therefore, the exciting song can be an operative intervention for enhancing attention, cognitive functions, and treatment of associated neuropsychological disorders

Analysis of prescription pattern of antibiotic drugs on patients suffering from ENT infection within Dhaka Metropolis, Bangladesh

Background: This survey was designed to assess and evaluate the prescription pattern of antibiotic drugs on patients suffering from ENT infection within Dhaka Metropolis, Bangladesh.Methods: A cross sectional, observational and prospective study was conducted from January to June 2015 in the out-patients (OPD) and in-patients (IPD) of ENT department at different general and specialized government and private hospitals (Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, Sir Solimullah Medical College Mitford Hospital, Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka Community Medical College and Hospital) within Dhaka city.300 prescriptions were collected and randomly evaluated for this present study.Results: Out of 300 patients, 220 (73.33%) were male and 80 (26.67%) were female (including children and adults) where most of the patients were outpatients 262 (87.33%). In the patients information section it was observed that approximately 93.33%  prescription contained antibiotic drugs and almost all prescription (100%) contained antibiotic drugs along with other drugs such as 80.67% PPI (proton pump inhibitors), 76.67% analgesic and 51.33% vitamin/ iron supplements. From this analysis we found that 19.33% prescription contained single antibiotic drug, 80.67% contained two antibiotic drugs and no prescription contained more than two antibiotic drugs. Most of the prescribed drugs were administered orally (12% capsule, 80% tablet form). Out of 473 prescribed antibiotic drugs majority of them lie underβ-Lactam (54%) class followed by cephalosporin (46.33%) class in which maximum drugs (92%) were prescribed by their brand names.Conclusions: Prescribing more than one antibiotics was commonly encountered in this study indicating the occurrence of polypharmacy. Interventions to rectify over prescription of antibiotics, use of brand names, inadequate labelling of drugs is necessary to improve rational drug use. Standard treatment guidelines, hospital formulary, and educational intervention become essential to modify this behaviour to benefit the patient