Posttraumatic mental health establishment of the Tsunami survivors in Thailand

The natural disaster known as "the Tsunami" occurred in Andaman coast of Thailand in December 2004, and there had been questions whether it could cause PTSD amongst the population who lives in the affected area and how to avoid PTSD condition to occur

Poloxamer-based thermoresponsive ketorolac tromethamine in situ gel preparations : design, characterisation, toxicity and transcorneal permeation studies

This study was aimed at preparing, characterising and evaluating in situ gel formulations based on a blend of two hydrophilic polymers i.e. poloxamer 407 (P407) and poloxamer 188 (P188) for a sustained ocular delivery of ketorolac tromethamine (KT). Drug-polymer interaction studies were performed using {DSC} and FT-IR. The gelation temperature (Tsol-gel), gelation time, rheological behaviour, mucoadhesive characteristics of these gels, transcorneal permeation and ocular irritation as well as toxicity was investigated. {DSC} and FT-IR studies revealed that there may be electrostatic interactions between the drug and the polymers used. {P188} modified the Tsol/gel of {P407} bringing it close to eye temperature (35°C) compared with the formulation containing {P407} alone. Moreover, gels that comprised {P407} and {P188} exhibited a pseudoplastic behaviour at different concentrations. Furthermore, mucoadhesion study using mucin discs showed that in situ gel formulations have good mucoadhesive characteristics upon increasing the concentration of P407. When comparing formulations {PP11} and PP12, the work of adhesion decreased significantly (P < 0.001) from 377.9 ± 7.79 mN.mm to 272.3 ± 6.11 mN.mm. In vitro release and ex vivo permeation experiments indicated that the in situ gels were able to prolong and control {KT} release as only 48 of the {KT} released within 12 h. In addition, the HET-CAM and {BCOP} tests confirmed the non-irritancy of {KT} loaded in situ gels, and HET-CAM test demonstrated the ability of ocular protection against strongly irritant substances. {MTT} assay on primary corneal epithelial cells revealed that in situ gel formulations loaded with {KT} showed reasonable and acceptable percent cell viability compared with control samples

PREPARATION OF ISONIAZID AS DRY POWDER FORMULATIONS FOR INHALATION BY PHYSICAL MIXING AND SPRAY DRYING

The main purpose of this study is to develop isoniazid as dry powder aerosol for delivery to the lower airways and to study the susceptibility of M. bovis and M. tuberculosis to the formulationsstudied. Isoniazid was formulated with trehalose, mannose and lactose by physical mixing and spray drying techniques. All formulations were evaluated for delivery efficiency and stability.Susceptibility tests of Mycobacterium species to the drug formulations were carried out. Isoniazid mixed with fine trehalose, micronised mannose or fine lactose produced the formulations whichgave fine particle fraction (< 5 μm) of over 60%. The different size of carrier particles strongly affects the deposition of isoniazid to the lower airways in vitro. The content of all isoniazid drypowder formulations was almost 100% of the theoretical content and found to be stable over 3 months storage. These formulations showed that their mass median aerodynamic diameter varied from 3.14 ± 0.38 to 4.40 ± 0.65 μm. Drug susceptibility testing of M. tuberculosis by broth microdilution showed that the MIC of isoniazid dry powder formulations were 1.7 to 3.4 times lower than standard isoniazid. Flow cytometry analysis of viable M. bovis revealed that MIC ofisoniazid dry powder formulations and standard isoniazid had no significant difference (p > 0.05)

Biopsychosocial Factors and Perceived Disability in Saleswomen with Concurrent Low Back Pain

Objectives: To quantify disability level in salespeople with concurrent low back pain (LBP) and to determine the relative associations between demographic, occupational, psychosocial and clinical factors and back disability. LBP is the most common cause of work-related disability in people under 45 years of age and the most expensive cause of work-related disability, in terms of workers' compensation and medical expenses. Evidence suggests high prevalence of LBP in salespeople. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in which 184 saleswomen with a current episode of self-reported LBP working in a large up-scale department store filled out a battery of 6 self-administered questionnaires and received a standardised physical examination. Results: Saleswomen with concurrent LBP had low disability levels. Factors significantly associated with disability were pain intensity, measured by a visual analogue scale, in the past week (p < 0.001), physical and mental health status (p < 0.001, p = 0.003, respectively), fear avoidance scores for both work and physical activities (p = 0.031, p = 0.014, respectively), past history of LBP (p = 0.019), and self-reported frequency of pushing or pulling objects placed in high positions during work (p = 0.047). A significant level (45%) of the variance in disability status was explained by these variables. Conclusion: In clinical management of LBP workers who required prolonged standing, such as salespeople, clinicians should look for modifiable risk factors associated with disability. Specific measures need to be taken to prevent disability due to LBP among salespeople

Microkinetic Molecular Volcano Plots for Enhanced Catalyst Selectivity and Activity Predictions

Molecular volcano plots, which facilitate the rapid prediction of the activity and selectivity of prospective catalysts, have emerged as powerful tools for computational catalysis. Here, we integrate microkinetic modeling into the volcano plot framework to develop "microkinetic molecular volcano plots." The resulting unified computational framework allows the influence of important reaction parameters, including temperature, reaction time, and concentration, to be quickly incorporated and more complex situations, such as off-cycle resting states and coupled catalytic cycles, to be tackled. Compared to previous generations of molecular volcanoes, these microkinetic counterparts offer a more comprehensive understanding of catalytic behavior, in which selectivity and product ratios can be explicitly determined by tracking the evolution of each product concentration over time. This is demonstrated by examining two case studies, rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation and metal-catalyzed hydrosilylation, in which the unique insights provided by microkinetic modeling, as well as the ability to simultaneously screen catalysts and reaction conditions, is highlighted. To facilitate the construction of these plots/maps, we introduce mikimo, a Python program that seamlessly integrates with our previously developed automated volcano builder, volcanic

Feasibility of Internet-Based Physical-Cognitive Exercise for Health Benefits of Middle-Aged Obese Women

Introduction: Obesity in middle-aged women markedly increases the risk for non-communicable diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and physical and cognitive problems. Exercise, particularly combined physical-cognitive exercise, has been demonstrated to have beneficial effects on both physical and cognitive health. However, middle-aged women often face barriers to engaging in exercise, which include time constraints, lack of motivation, and enjoyment. Incorporating an exercise program into a technology-based intervention in the home environment may help overcome these barriers and promote health benefits. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the feasibility of home-based, physical-cognitive internet-based exercise for middle-aged obese women. Methods: A total of 33 middle-aged obese women were enrolled in the study. Participants performed an intervention for 60 min/day, 3 days/week for 3 months. Feasibility outcomes (adherence, adverse events, physical performances, obesity parameters, and enjoyment of the program) were measured. Results: Average exercise adherence was 91.67%, and no adverse events were reported in this feasibility study. At the end of the training period, body weight and BMI were significantly decreased compared to baseline. As for physical performances, both cardiorespiratory fitness and lower limb muscle power were significantly improved at post-training when compared to baseline. Furthermore, the participants experienced a high level of exercise enjoyment, and it was maintained over the 3-month training period. Conclusion: These findings suggest that home-based, internet-based physical-cognitive exercise was safe and feasible for reducing obesity parameters, improving physical function, maintaining enjoyment over the course of training, and facilitating adherence to exercise in middle-aged obese women

Effects of combined dietary intervention and physical-cognitive exercise on cognitive function and cardiometabolic health of postmenopausal women with obesity: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Postmenopausal women with obesity are markedly at risk of cognitive impairment and several health issues. Emerging evidence demonstrated that both diet and exercise, particularly physical-cognitive exercise are involved in cognitive and health benefits. However, the comparative effect of diet, exercise, and combined interventions in postmenopausal women with obesity on cognition and cardiometabolic health is still lacking. Identifying the effective health promotion program and understanding changes in cardiometabolic health linking these interventions to cognition would have important medical implications. This RCT aimed to examine the effect of single and combined interventions of diet and exercise on cognitive function and cardiometabolic health in postmenopausal women with obesity. Methods Ninety-two postmenopausal women with obesity were randomly assigned to diet group (intermittent fasting 2 days/week, 3 months), exercise group (physical-cognitive exercise 3 days/week, 3 months), combined group, or control group (n = 23/group). All cognitive outcomes and cardiometabolic outcomes were measured at baseline and post-3 months. Primary outcomes were executive functions, memory, and plasma BDNF levels. Secondary outcomes were global cognition, attention, language domain, plasma adiponectin levels, IL-6 levels, metabolic parameters, and physical function. Results At the end of the 3-month intervention, the exercise and combined group demonstrated significant memory improvement which was accompanied by significant improvements in plasma BDNF level, insulin levels, HOMA-IR, %body fat, and muscle strength when compared to controls (p  0.05). Significant reduction in cholesterol levels was shown in the diet and combined groups when compared to controls (p  0.05). However, all three intervention groups showed significant improvements in plasma BDNF levels, weight, BMI, WHR, fat mass, and predicted VO2 max, when compared to control (p < 0.05). Conclusion These findings suggest that combined physical-cognitive exercise and dietary intervention are promising interventions to improve cognition and obesity-related complications of postmenopausal women with obesity. Trial registration NCT04768725 ( https://clinicaltrials.gov ) 24th February 2021