COVID-19 Clinical Profiles and Fatality Rates in Hospitalized Patients Reveal Case Aggravation and Selective Co-Infection by Limited Gram-Negative Bacteria.

Bacterial co-infections may aggravate COVID-19 disease, and therefore being cognizant of other pathogens is imperative. We studied the types, frequency, antibiogram, case fatality rates (CFR), and clinical profiles of co-infecting-pathogens in 301 COVID-19 patients. Co-infection was 36% ( = 109), while CFR was 31.

Nematicidal effects of a peptidase (NlpC/P60) from the phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae MB03 on the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and plant-parasitic Meloidogyne incognita.

Background: Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are severe threats to agricultural yields and continue to be challenging to treat in several crops worldwide. Microbial-based control has been suggested as a better alternative to chemical control. In this study, we aimed to identify and characterize nematicidal virulence factors of a common phytopathogenic bacterium, Pseudomonas syringae, mainly focusing on the nematicidal and suppressive activities of an NlpC/P60 family peptidase, namely, Peptidase03, against the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and an agriculturally important PPN, Meloidogyne incognita.

Clinical profile of Kawasaki disease in children admitted at a tertiary care hospital of North India and their short-term follow-up.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate presenting symptoms, clinical features, and laboratory tests for the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease (KD) in children and their short-term follow-up at a tertiary care hospital of North India from April 2017 to March 2020.

Materials And Methods: A total of 31 children (23 boys and 8 girls) up to 10 years of age were included in this study. The diagnosis of KD was made as per the American Heart Association 2017 guidelines.

Severe Hypercalcemia as an Initial Presentation of Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Case Report.

Background: It is extremely rare for hypercalcemia to appear as the first symptom of hepatocellular carcinoma. Instead, it occurs primarily as a paraneoplastic manifestation after the disease is already diagnosed.

Methods: In this report, we describe a 55-year-old woman who presented with symptoms of acute severe hypercalcemia and was negative for hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis C virus antibodies.

Synthesis and characterization of pristine and strontium-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles for methyl green photo-degradation application.

Herein we describe an effective route for the degradation of methyl green (MG) dye under visible light illumination by pristine and strontium (Sr)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) photocatalysts (synthesized by the simple chemical precipitation method). The x-ray diffraction structural analysis has confirmed that both photocatalysts exhibit the hexagonal wurtzite structure; without any additional phase formation in Sr-doped ZnO, in particular. The optical properties of the synthesized photocatalysts have been investigated using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy in the wavelength range of 250-800 nm.

Translation and Validation of Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence in Urdu.

Background In this study, we aimed to translate and validate the 19-item version of the Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (Bristol FLUTS) Questionnaire in Urdu among women experiencing urinary incontinence at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology A cross-sectional validation study was conducted in the urology clinic at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, between April and September 2021. After forward and backward translation of the Bristol FLUTS questionnaire, content validation was done by six experts, followed by the administration of the questionnaire to 10 respondents in the pilot phase of the study.

Studies on a glutathione coated hollow ZnO modified glassy carbon electrode; a novel Pb(ii) selective electrochemical sensor.

Herein, we report the electrochemical detection of heavy metal ions such as Pb(ii), Cd(ii) and Hg(ii) ions while using glutathione coated hollow ZnO modified glassy carbon electrode (Glu-h-ZnO/GCE). An excellent voltammetric response of the modified electrode towards these metal ions was observed by different voltammetric techniques. Among the different target metal ions, a selective electrochemical response (sensitivity = 4.

Oncology Education in the Nigerian Medical Curriculum: A Cross-Sectional Review.

Background: The quality of a physician is arguably related to the depth and quality of medical education received. As cancer devastates the health and economy of developing countries like Nigeria, it becomes increasingly important for physicians in these countries to be equipped with basic knowledge and skill to adequately detect, diagnose, refer and manage common cancers. This study reviewed exposure to oncology training as a component of the medical school's curriculum in Nigeria from the trainee's perspective.

Prevalence of Acute Kidney Injury in Covid-19 Patients- Retrospective Single-Center Study.

Introduction: In December 2019, a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease outbreak started in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and spread rapidly to other regions of the world. Although diffuse alveolar injury and acute respiratory failure were the most prominent characteristics, further investigation of organ involvement is essential.

Aim: In this study, we aim to determine the prevalence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in covid-19 patients and also the relationship between inflammatory markers, the severity of lung involvement, and acute kidney injury in COVID-19 patients.

Pulmonary hypertension among maintenance hemodialysis patients in Somalia: a hospital-based observational study.

Background: This study aims to examine the prevalence and related factors of pulmonary hypertension (PHT) in patients on hemodialysis (HD) at the only referral institution in Somalia. A total of one hundred and forty-three patients  who had received regular HD therapy for at least three months and underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) were included in the study. Patients with a systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) value > 35 mmHg at rest on TTE were considered having PHT.

Detection in influx sources and estimation of microplastics abundance in surface waters of Rawal Lake, Pakistan.

The ever-growing production, usage and poor waste management practices of plastics are causing microplastics intrusion in freshwater environments all over the world. The identification of inflow processes and sources is equally important as the assessment of microplastic concentrations in freshwater. This study reports microplastic presence in the influx sources and provides an overall estimation of microplastic concentration in the surface water of a freshwater reservoir, Rawal Lake, Islamabad.

A Secondary Metabolite of Cercospora sp., Associated with Rosa damascena Mill., Inhibits Proliferation, Biofilm Production, Ergosterol Synthesis and Other Virulence Factors in Candida albicans.

Here we describe the antimicrobial potential of secondary metabolites, fulvic acid (F.A.) and anhydrofulvic acid (AFA), produced by RDE147, an endophyte of Rosa damascena Mill.

Effects of High-Volume Versus High-Load Resistance Training on Skeletal Muscle Growth and Molecular Adaptations.

We evaluated the effects of higher-load (HL) versus (lower-load) higher-volume (HV) resistance training on skeletal muscle hypertrophy, strength, and muscle-level molecular adaptations. Trained men ( = 15, age: 23 ± 3 years; training experience: 7 ± 3 years) performed unilateral lower-body training for 6 weeks (3× weekly), where single legs were randomly assigned to HV and HL paradigms. Vastus lateralis (VL) biopsies were obtained prior to study initiation (PRE) as well as 3 days (POST) and 10 days following the last training bout (POSTPR).

Identification of the Genes of the Plant Pathogen MB03 Required for the Nematicidal Activity Against Through an Integrated Approach.

Nematicidal potential of the common plant pathogen has been recently identified against . The current study was designed to investigate the detailed genetic mechanism of the bacterial pathogenicity by applying comparative genomics, transcriptomics, mutant library screening, and protein expression. Results showed that strain MB03 could kill in the liquid assay by gut colonization.

Combined effects of green manure and zinc oxide nanoparticles on cadmium uptake by wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Cadmium (Cd) toxicity in agricultural soils is serious concern these days which needs continuous attention. Little is known about the combined use of berseem and/or maize residues soil applied as a green manure alone or along with foliar dressing of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) on Cd accumulation in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

The emerging postural instability phenotype in idiopathic Parkinson disease.

Identification of individuals at high risk for rapid progression of motor and cognitive signs in Parkinson disease (PD) is clinically significant. Postural instability and gait dysfunction (PIGD) are associated with greater motor and cognitive deterioration. We examined the relationship between baseline clinical factors and the development of postural instability using 5-year longitudinal de-novo idiopathic data (n = 301) from the Parkinson's Progressive Markers Initiative (PPMI).

Highly Anisotropic Thermal Conductivity of Three-Dimensional Printed Boron Nitride-Filled Thermoplastic Polyurethane Composites: Effects of Size, Orientation, Viscosity, and Voids.

Extrusion-based three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques usually exhibit anisotropic thermal, mechanical, and electric properties due to the shearing-induced alignment during extrusion. However, the transformation from the extrusion to stacking process is always neglected and its influence on the final properties remains ambiguous. In this work, we adopt two different sized boron nitride (BN) sheets, namely, small-sized BN (S-BN) and large-sized BN (L-BN), to explore their impact on the orientation degree, morphology, and final anisotropic thermal conductivity (TC) of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites by fused deposition modeling.

Motors of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (MoVac-COVID19S): Evidence of Measurement Invariance Across Five Countries.

Purpose: The percentage of individuals who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 was 53% worldwide, 62% in Asia, and 11% in Africa at the time of writing (February 9, 2022). In addition to administrative issues, vaccine hesitancy is an important factor contributing to the relatively low rate of vaccination. The Motors of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (MoVac-COVID19S) was developed to assess COVID-19 vaccination acceptance levels.

AI-enabled radiologist in the loop: novel AI-based framework to augment radiologist performance for COVID-19 chest CT medical image annotation and classification from pneumonia.

A SARS-CoV-2 virus-specific reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test is usually used to diagnose COVID-19. However, this test requires up to 2 days for completion. Moreover, to avoid false-negative outcomes, serial testing may be essential.

Frequency of Expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 In Head And Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma And their Association With Nodal Metastasis: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the Immunohistochemical expression of PD- 1, PD-L1 and its association with nodal metastasis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Materials And Methods: A total of 66 cases were studied at Oral pathology/Histopathology, Armed forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi. The tissue sampling and processing yielded the formalin fixed, paraffin wax blocks.

Mid- and long-term outcomes of thoracic endovascular aortic repair in acute and subacute uncomplicated type B aortic dissection.

Background: Uncomplicated type B aortic dissection (un-TBAD) has been managed conservatively with medical therapy to control the heart rate and blood pressure to limit disease progression, in addition to radiological follow-up. However, several trials and observational studies have investigated the use of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in un-TBAD and suggested that TEVAR provides a survival benefit over medical therapy. Outcomes of TEVAR have also been linked with the timing of intervention.