Cytotoxicity, In vitro anti-Leishmanial and fingerprint HPLC- photodiode array analysis of the roots of Trillium govanianum.

Trillium govanianum Wall. ex D. Don (Melanthiaceae alt. Trilliaceae), commonly known as 'nagchhatry' or 'teen patra', distributed from Pakistan to Bhutan about 2500-3800 m altitude is indigenous to Himalayas region. In folk medicine the plant has been reported for the treatment of wound healing, sepsis and in various sexual disorders. This paper reports, for the first time, to evaluate the cytotoxicity, in vitro anti-leishmanial (promastigotes) and fingerprint HPLC-photodiode array analysis of the MeOH extract of the roots of T. govanianum and its solid phase extraction fractions. Reverse phase HPLC-PDA based quantification revealed the presence of significant amount of quercetin, myrecetin and kaemferol ranging from 0.221to 0.528 μg/mg DW. MeOH extract revealed distinguishable protein kinase inhibitory activity against Streptomyces 85E strain with 18 mm bald phenotype. The remarkable toxicity profile against brine shrimps and leishmanial was manifested by MeOH extract with LC50 10 and 38.5 μg/mL, respectively

Evaluating the effects of nano fluids based MQL milling of IN718 associated to sustainable productions

The aeronautical industry is constantly striving for goals related to lesser production/maintenance time and cost. In this regard, aero-engines made up of Nickel-based alloy are preferred for high performance to improve the burning efficiency. However, the processing of the Nickel-based alloys remain challenging in manufacturing industry with the aim of sustainable production. This research investigated the manufacturing progress of face milling of Inconel 718 by using two different lubrication conditions; minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) and nanofluids based minimum quantity lubrication (NF-MQL). A high degree of sustainability was achieved through increasing productivity (material removal rate) and quality (surface roughness) enhancement while minimizing the power and temperature. The impacts of four most influencing parameters including feed rate, speed, flow rate and depth of cut were investigated on sustainable production performance measures. Empirical models of surface roughness, temperature, material removal rate and power were developed using response surface methodology. Analysis of the developed empirical models and validation were executed through analysis of variance and confirmatory experiments results. Finally, a multi objective optimization was implemented to attain maximum sustainability effect by generating a compromise between lowest surface roughness and cost, and highest material removal rate. The results revealed that the depth of cut is the most significant process parameter for both lubrication environments. The results show the NF-MQL as the better alternative which resulted in 20.1%, 14.7% and 13.3% percentage reduction for surface roughness, temperature and power, respectively. Furthermore, the results revealed that NF-MQL resulted in better desirability achievement (71.3%) as compared to MQL (70.1%)

Acute health effects of the Tasman Spirit oil spill on residents of Karachi, Pakistan

BACKGROUND: On July 27 2003, a ship carrying crude oil run aground near Karachi and after two weeks released 37,000 tons of its cargo into the sea. Oil on the coastal areas and fumes in air raised health concerns among people. We assessed the immediate health impact of oil spill from the tanker Tasman Spirit on residents of the affected coastline in Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS: We conducted a study consisting of an exposed group including adults living in houses on the affected shoreline and two control groups (A and B) who lived at the distance of 2 km and 20 km away from the sea, respectively. We selected households through systematic sampling and interviewed an adult male and female in each household about symptoms relating to eyes, respiratory tract, skin and nervous system, smoking, allergies, beliefs about the effect on their health and anxiety about the health effects. We used logistic regression procedures to model each symptom as an outcome and the exposure status as an independent variable while adjusting for confounders. We also used linear regression procedure to assess the relationship exposure status with symptoms score; calculated by summation of all symptoms. RESULTS: Overall 400 subjects were interviewed (exposed, n = 216; group A, n = 83; and group B, n = 101). The exposed group reported a higher occurrence of one or more symptoms compared to either of the control groups (exposed, 96% vs. group A, 70%, group B 85%; P < 0.001). Mean summary symptom scores were higher among the exposed group (14.5) than control group A (4.5) and control group B (3.8, P < 0.001). Logistic regression models indicated that there were statistically significant, moderate-to-strong associations (Prevalence ORs (POR) ranging from 2.3 to 37.0) between the exposed group and the symptoms. There was a trend of decreasing symptom-specific PORs with increase in distance from the spill site. Multiple linear regression model revealed strong relationship of exposure status with the symptoms score (β = 8.24, 95% CI: 6.37 – 10.12). CONCLUSION: Results suggest that the occurrence of increased symptoms among the exposed group is more likely to be due to exposure to the crude oil spill

Cohort Profile: Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study

The Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study was established to assess the prevalence of chronic airflow obstruction, a key characteristic of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and its risk factors in adults (≥40 years) from general populations across the world. The baseline study was conducted between 2003 and 2016, in 41 sites across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, the Caribbean and Oceania, and collected high-quality pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry from 28 828 participants. The follow-up study was conducted between 2019 and 2021, in 18 sites across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean. At baseline, there were in these sites 12 502 participants with high-quality spirometry. A total of 6452 were followed up, with 5936 completing the study core questionnaire. Of these, 4044 also provided high-quality pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry. On both occasions, the core questionnaire covered information on respiratory symptoms, doctor diagnoses, health care use, medication use and ealth status, as well as potential risk factors. Information on occupation, environmental exposures and diet was also collected

Some studies on the wear resistance of artificial teeth in presence of amorphous SiO2 and TiO2 fillers

A set of composite materials were developed by blending polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) with different amounts of micro-fine amorphous silica and titanium dioxide for application as artificial teeth. Wear resistances of these composites were measured with the help of a modified pin-on-disc tribometer and compared with commercial artificial teeth sample in the presence of artificial saliva. It has been observed that under the similar biological condition the powder fillers improved the wear resistances of the artificial teeth as compared to the commercial one under identical condition

Pulmonary Tuberculosis After Gastric Bypass: A Very Rare Complication

Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is the most commonly performed bariatric surgical procedure with successful outcomes. RYGB has multiple positive outcomes, including sustained weight reduction, resolution of co-morbidities and improvement in the overall health. RYGB has many complications like any other surgery, but the development of tuberculosis (TB) either pulmonary or extra-pulmonary secondary to RYGB is very rare. We present a 32-year-old female with the history of a successful RYGB three years ago, who presented with signs and symptoms of possible TB which was later confirmed with sputum acid-fast bacilli and sputum culture. She was treated with anti-tuberculosis treatment (ATI') drugs for six months with complete resolution of her symptoms. We recommend raising awareness in the health care professionals about this rare complication of RYGB in the need of time

Bi and Sn Doping Improved the Structural, Optical and Photovoltaic Properties of MAPbI3-Based Perovskite Solar Cells

One of the most amazing photovoltaic technologies for the future is the organic&ndash;inorganic lead halide perovskite solar cell, which exhibits excellent power conversion efficiency (PCE) and can be produced using a straightforward solution technique. Toxic lead in perovskite can be replaced by non-toxic alkaline earth metal cations because they keep the charge balance in the material and some of them match the Goldschmidt rule&rsquo;s tolerance factor. Therefore, thin films of MAPbI3, 1% Bi and 0%, 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% Sn co-doped MAPbI3 were deposited on FTO-glass substrates by sol-gel spin-coating technique. XRD confirmed the co-doping of Bi&ndash;Sn in MAPbI3. The 1% Bi and 1% Sn co-doped film had a large grain size. The optical properties were calculated by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The 1% Bi and 1% Sn co-doped film had small Eg, which make it a good material for perovskite solar cells. These films were made into perovskite solar cells. The pure MAPbI3 film-based solar cell had a current density (Jsc) of 9.71 MA-cm&minus;2, its open-circuit voltage (Voc) was 1.18 V, its fill factor (FF) was 0.609 and its efficiency (&eta;) was 6.98%. All of these parameters were improved by the co-doping of Bi&ndash;Sn. The cell made from a co-doped MAPbI3 film with 1% Bi and 1% Sn had a high efficiency (10.03%)