Natural Dye Extracts of Areca Catechu Nut as dye Sensitizer for Titanium dioxide Based Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

A dye sensitized solar cell was fabricated using titanium dioxide nano particles sensitized by a new natural dye extracted from areca catechu nut. The natural dye extract contains tannin which is rich in gallotannic acid. The pure titanium dioxide nano particles in anatase phase were synthesized by sol-gel technique and were sensitized by the natural dye to yield photo anode material. The Powder X-Ray Diffraction, UV-vis spectra, Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopy, Energy Dispersive X- Ray spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy studies of pure and natural dye sensitized TiO2 were carried out to analyze their structural, optical, functional group, compositional and morphological details. The dye sensitized solar cell was fabricated using TiO2 nano particles coated on FTO glass plate which is sensitized by the natural dye as photo anode and platinum coated FTO as counter electrode. The natural dye sensitized solar cell showed a solar light energy to electron conversion efficiency of 0.76 %. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/3431

Analysis of the prevalence and pattern of polypharmacy among elderly patients admitted in general medicine department of a rural tertiary care hospital in South India

Background: Quality and safety of prescribing drugs in older people remain a global healthcare concern. Inappropriate prescribing pattern in the elderly population is now considered as a major public health issue and polypharmacy is one of the common problems among the elderly patients. Aims and Objectives: The aims of this study were (1) to analyze the prevalence, pattern of polypharmacy with respect to age, and gender among the elderly patients and (2) to evaluate the most frequently prescribed drugs in the geriatric population. Materials and Methods: This prospective, cross-sectional, and observational study was conducted among the elderly patients admitted in the Department of General Medicine, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital, Perambalur, Tamil Nadu. The duration of research project was 12 months from May 2018 to April 2019; approval for the study was taken from the Institutional Ethical Committee. Data on total number of prescribed drugs and main and adjuvant drugs prescribed to patients during treatment were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 289 patients, that is, 167 male and 122 female were included in the study. The prevalence of minor polypharmacy (2–4 drugs) accounted for 15.22%, major polypharmacy (≥5 drugs) for 81.35%, and hyper polypharmacy (≥10 drugs) for 3.46%. Most commonly prescribed drugs were vitamins, proton-pump inhibitors, antipyretic agents, and H2 receptor blockers. They accounted for 21.70%, 5.78%, 5.42%, and 4.94%, respectively. Conclusion: Polypharmacy is a preventable and can be rectified by prescribing appropriate medications. In future, a multidisciplinary approach which will be involving doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, shall be implemented for rational use of drugs in elderly patients

An open-label prospective observational study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of alternate day versus daily dosing of atorvastatin in patients of dyslipidemia

Background: Hypercholesterolemia is a main driver of atherosclerosis. Cholesterol-containing lipoproteins induce endothelial dysfunction and macrophage activation. Foam cell formation results from the uptake of cholesterol-containing lipoproteins by macrophages, it is an essential step in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Aims and Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of alternate day versus daily dosing of atorvastatin in patients with dyslipidemia. Materials and Methods: This open-label, prospective, observational study was conducted on dyslipidemic patients who came into the medicine Outpatient Department of Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital, Tamil Nadu. Approval for the study was taken from the Institutional Ethical Committee. The duration of the study was 3 months. The efficacy of atorvastatin was checked by noting their blood lipid profile status. Results: Out of 100 patients included in the study 79 completed the study whereas 21 patients were lost in follow-up, 42 patients were analyzed in daily dose (Group A), and 37 patients in alternate dose (Group B) of atorvastatin (20 mg). There was no statistically significant difference based on triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein levels both prior and post-treatment in both the groups. Adverse drug reactions (ADR) profile showed a statistically significant difference between both the groups after treatment by atorvastatin (P=0.0001), with more ADRs noted in a daily dosing group. Conclusion: The results of this study show that alternate dosing of atorvastatin was better tolerated than daily dosing hence physicians can consider choosing an alternate day therapy to reduce pill burden on patients

Integration of Liquid Biopsy and Pharmacogenomics for Precision Therapy of EGFR Mutant and Resistant Lung Cancers

The advent of molecular profiling has revolutionized the treatment of lung cancer by comprehensively delineating the genomic landscape of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene. Drug resistance caused by EGFR mutations and genetic polymorphisms of drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters impedes effective treatment of EGFR mutant and resistant lung cancer. This review appraises current literature, opportunities, and challenges associated with liquid biopsy and pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing as precision therapy tools in the management of EGFR mutant and resistant lung cancers. Liquid biopsy could play a potential role in selection of precise tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapies during different phases of lung cancer treatment. This selection will be based on the driver EGFR mutational status, as well as monitoring the development of potential EGFR mutations arising during or after TKIs treatment, since some of these new mutations may be druggable targets for alternative TKIs. Several studies have identified the utility of liquid biopsy in the identification of EGFR driver and acquired resistance with good sensitivities for various blood-based biomarkers. With a plethora of sequencing technologies and platforms available currently, further evaluations using randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in multicentric, multiethnic and larger patient cohorts could enable optimization of liquid-based assays for the detection of EGFR mutations, and support testing of CYP450 enzymes and drug transporter polymorphisms to guide precise dosing of EGFR TKIs

Polymorphism in a lincRNA Associates with a Doubled Risk of Pneumococcal Bacteremia in Kenyan Children.

Bacteremia (bacterial bloodstream infection) is a major cause of illness and death in sub-Saharan Africa but little is known about the role of human genetics in susceptibility. We conducted a genome-wide association study of bacteremia susceptibility in more than 5,000 Kenyan children as part of the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 2 (WTCCC2). Both the blood-culture-proven bacteremia case subjects and healthy infants as controls were recruited from Kilifi, on the east coast of Kenya. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of bacteremia in Kilifi and was thus the focus of this study. We identified an association between polymorphisms in a long intergenic non-coding RNA (lincRNA) gene (AC011288.2) and pneumococcal bacteremia and replicated the results in the same population (p combined = 1.69 × 10(-9); OR = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.84-3.31). The susceptibility allele is African specific, derived rather than ancestral, and occurs at low frequency (2.7% in control subjects and 6.4% in case subjects). Our further studies showed AC011288.2 expression only in neutrophils, a cell type that is known to play a major role in pneumococcal clearance. Identification of this novel association will further focus research on the role of lincRNAs in human infectious disease.Wellcome Trust (Grant ID: 084716/Z/08/Z)This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Cell Press/Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajhg.2016.03.02