Measles outbreaks in pakistan: causes of the tragedy and future implications

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2-[(2-Amino­phen­yl)sulfan­yl]-N-(4-meth­oxy­phen­yl)acetamide

In the title compound, C15H16N2O2S, the dihedral angle between the 4-meth­oxy­aniline and 2-amino­benzene­thiole fragments is 35.60 (9)°. A short intra­molecular N—H⋯S contact leads to an S(5) ring. In the crystal, mol­ecules are consolidated in the form of polymeric chains along [010] as a result of N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, which generate R 3 2(18) and R 4 3(22) loops. The polymeric chains are interlinked through C—H⋯O inter­action and complete R 2 2(8) ring motifs

Impact of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography on Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Background: For Common Bile Duct (CBD) stones an Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is done prior to cholecystectomy. However, the ideal timing of cholecystectomy following ERCP is still a matter of debate. The aim of the present study was to observe the possible impact of ERCP on subsequent laparoscopic cholecystectomy.Material and Methods: This case control study was carried out in the Department of Surgery Unit 1, Holy Family hospital, Rawalpindi, from January 2018 to March 2019. A total number of 300 patients of symptomatic gallstones presenting to outpatient department were enrolled. Two groups, A (control group) and B (case group) were made on the basis of absence or presence of CBD stones, respectively. Group A underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy within three working days of admission. In group B, ERCP was performed prior to cholecystectomy. Primary operating surgeon filled structured questionnaires for each patient immediately after surgery to compare operative differences between both groups. The baseline demographic details, clinical characteristics, laboratory investigations and peri-operative findings of both groups were recorded. Means and percentages were calculated with P value <0.05 regarded as statistically significant.Results: Majority of patients in this study were females (81%) of middle age group (42.5+15 years). Biliary colic was most common presenting complaint in both groups (33%). Dissection in triangle of Calot (P=0.00) and removal of gallbladder from liver bed (P=0.00) was significantly more difficult in group B than A. Intra-abdominal lavage was also done more often in post ERCP group (P=0.00). However procedural time did not vary between the two groups (P=0.19).Conclusions: Preoperative ERCP increases difficulty in laparoscopic cholecystectomy but does not prolong procedural time.Key words: Choledocholithiasis, Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, Laparoscopic cholecystectom

Interstrand Crosslink Repair: New Horizons of DNA Damage Repair

Since the dawn of civilization, living organisms are unceasingly exposed to myriads of DNA damaging agents that can temper the ailments and negatively influence the well-being. DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) are spawned by various endogenous and chemotherapeutic agents, thus posing a somber menace to genome solidity and cell endurance. However, the robust techniques of damage repair including Fanconi anemia pathway, translesion synthesis, nucleotide excision and homologous recombination repair faithfully protect the DNA by removing or tolerating damage to ensure the overall survival. Aberrations in such repair mechanisms adverse the pathophysiological states of several hereditary disorders i.e. Fanconi Anemia, xeroderma pigmentosum, cerebro-oculo-facio-skeletal syndrome and cockayne syndrome etc. Although, the recognition of ICL lesions during interphase have opened the new horizons of research in the field of genetics but still the detailed analysis of conditions in which repair should occur is largely elusive

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Beyond the Grades: Measuring Teacher’s Efficacy for the Psychosocial Grooming of Students

The true spirit of education involves psychosocial grooming and character building of learners. Teacher’s efficacy plays a vital role in achieving educational objectives. The effectiveness of teachers is usually evaluated through the academic grades of their students. Teacher’s efficacy, however, is originally the ability of a teacher to improve the cognitive functioning and humanistic values of students. The current study developed and validated a new scale entitled the Qualiquant Teacher’s Efficacy Scale (QTES) by involving 147 teachers and 59 students. The sample was selected thru a mixed method that involved convenient and purposive sampling techniques. QTES reflected strong validity and excellent reliability thru exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach’s alpha, item-scale, and item-total correlations. QTES is a unique measure for teacher’s efficacy because it defines teacher’s efficacy through cognitive functioning and humanistic values, offers two parallel and separate versions for teachers and students, and quantifies the qualitative data

Synthesis, antibacterial activity and docking studies of chloroacetamide derivatives

Structural modification of lead compounds is a great challenge in organic synthesis. Introduction of different functional groups not only modify the structure of starting material but also improve their biological activeness. Small synthetic molecules are favored in spite of the reality that majority of drug molecules derived from natural sources, are in vogue. In the present work, acetamide derivatives were synthesized using chloroacetyl chloride. After synthesizing targeted series of acetamide derivatives these compounds were further modified using different amines including 2-aminobenzene thiol, benzyl amine, benzene 1,4-diamine, 4-amino-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-one, 4-aminophenol, hydrazine and 4-amino-N-(5-methylisoxazol-3-yl)benzenesulfonamide. All of these synthesized compounds were characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and X-ray crystallography. The compounds were assessed for their anti-bacterial activity using disc diffusion method against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The compounds were found to exhibit comparable activity to the standard drug used. This was further supported by molecular docking studies using bacterial DNA gyrase and Topoisomerase II targets causing bacterial death as they are major bacterial proteins known to be involved in transcription and replication process. Results proved that the compound 2b was the most efficacious antimicrobial compound among the synthesized set of compounds. To tackle the growing drug resistance acetamide based functionalities can be regarded as the active lead compounds to target different drug resistance microorganism

5-Methyl-1-[(4-methylphenyl)sulfonyl]-1H-pyrazol-3-yl 4-methylbenzenesulfonate

In the title compound, C18H18N2O5S2, the tolyl rings are oriented at a dihedral angle of 16.15 (11)° with respect to one another. The 5-methyl-1H-pyrazol-3-ol ring is roughly planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0231 Å) and subtends angles of 73.82 (8) and 89.85 (8)° with the tolyl rings. In the crystal, very weak π–π interactions between tolyl groups, with centroid–centroid distances of 4.1364 (19) and 4.0630 (16) Å, together with a C—H...π contact generate a three-dimensional network

Application of GABA (g-aminobutyricacid) to improve saline stress tolerance of chufa (CyperusesculentusL.var.sativusBoeck) plants by regulating their antioxidant potential and nitrogen assimilation

The chufa is a perennial plant known for its almond-like underground tubers that have several health benefits for humans. GABA (γ-amino butyric acid) can regulate plants' tolerance to stress including tolerance to salinity. However, it is unknown how chufa plants respond to GABA application and salinity. Here, we analysed the impact of GABA (2 mM) on growth features and physio-biochemical changes in chufa seedlings subjected to different saline stress levels (SS; 0, 100 and 200 mM NaCl and Na2SO4, 1:1 molar ratio). Our findings show that increasing SS levels negatively affected growth and metabolism. Increased SS reduced growth (root and shoot length, and their fresh and dry weights) and photosynthetic pigments, and significantly increased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA) and osmolytes (i.e. soluble sugars, proline, soluble protein and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Peroxidase (POD) significantly declined at 50 mM and catalase (CAT) decreased under both stress levels. SS significantly enhanced salt ions (Na+ and Cl-) in roots and leaves but decreased root K+and increased Mg2+ at 100 mM, levels that then declined under 200 mM SS. However, foliar K+ and Mg2+ remained unchanged. As well, NO3- and NH4+ concentrations and nitrate reductase (NR) and glutamine oxoglutarate aminotransferase (GOGAT) declined significantly, while glutamine synthetase (GS) remained unaffected. However, exogenous GABA significantly reduced Na+ and Cl- ions, H2O2 and MDA and improved chlorophyll pigments, osmolytes, Mg2+and K+, antioxidant enzymes and N metabolism compared to untreated GABA peers. GABA might thus be able to improve the salinity stress tolerance of chufa by improving its cellular metabolism and preventing the build-up of harmful substances. Hence, exogenous GABA could be an effective approach for increasing salinity tolerance in chufa plants in salt-affected regions. Future studies should aim to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that operate when GABA regulates saline stress tolerance in chufa plants

Characteristics of case patients (with neurological complications) and control patients (without neurological complications).

Characteristics of case patients (with neurological complications) and control patients (without neurological complications).</p