Morphological Features Influence the Drug Loading and Delivery Efficacy of Photoactivatable Gold Nanocarriers for Antitumor Photo/Chemotherapy.

Photoactivatable gold nanocarriers are transforming antitumor therapies by leveraging their distinctive physicochemical properties, enabling targeted drug delivery and enhanced therapeutic efficacy in cancer treatment. This study systematically investigates how surface topography and morphology of gold nanocarriers influence drug loading capacity, light-to-heat conversion efficiency, and overall therapeutic performance in photo/chemotherapy. We synthesized four distinct morphologies of gold nanoparticles: porous gold nanocups (PAuNCs), porous gold nanospheres (PAuNSs), solid gold nanocups (SAuNCs), and solid gold nanospheres (SAuNSs).

Nordic environmental resilience: balancing air quality and energy efficiency by applying artificial neural network.

Maintaining public health and environmental safety in the Nordic nations calls for a strict plan to define exact benchmarks on air quality and energy efficiency. This study investigates the complicated interaction of decentralized energy production (DEP) with energy efficiency, and air quality index in the Nordic nations from 1990 to 2022 using System GMM and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) approach. Our research explored positive role of decentralized energy production and technological advancement to propel notable increases in energy efficiency, hence lowering pollution expressed as PM2.

Occupancy Prediction in IoT-Enabled Smart Buildings: Technologies, Methods, and Future Directions.

In today's world, a significant amount of global energy is used in buildings. Unfortunately, a lot of this energy is wasted, because electrical appliances are not used properly or efficiently. One way to reduce this waste is by detecting, learning, and predicting when people are present in buildings.

Prevalence of undiagnosed metabolic syndrome using three different definitions and identifying associated risk factors among apparently healthy adults in Karachi, Pakistan: a cross-sectional survey in the year 2022.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of undiagnosed metabolic syndrome (MetS) using three different definitions among apparently healthy adults of Karachi, Pakistan.

Methods: This community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in Karachi, Pakistan, from January 2022 to August 2022. A total of 1065 healthy individuals aged 25-80 years of any gender were consecutively included.

A distribution-free newsvendor model considering environmental impact and shortages with price-dependent stochastic demand.

In today's competitive and volatile market, demand prediction for seasonal items is a challenging task. The variation in demand is so quick that the retailer cannot face the risk of understocking or overstocking. Unsold items need to discarded, which has environmental implications.

Assessment of risk factors associated with potential drug-drug interactions among patients suffering from chronic disorders.

Patients suffering from chronic diseases are more likely to experience pDDIs due to older age, prolonged treatment, severe illness and greater number of prescribed drugs. The objective of the current study was to assess the prevalence of pDDIs and risk factors associated with occurrence of pDDIs in chronic disease patients attending outpatient clinics for regular check-ups. Patients suffering from diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), stroke and osteoporosis were included in the study.

The Association between Chronic Heroin Smoking and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Introduction: Little is known about the correlation between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heroin smoking. Heroin smoking is a recent underinvestigated problem. The goal of this study is to study the impact of heroin smoking among COPD patients.

Assessment of Antiviral combination therapy with Cephalosporin antibiotic for prevention of severe Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection associated secondary bacterial infection and other complications.

Secondary bacterial infection is considered as a major complication associated with severe Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection responsible for the mortalities and morbidities worldwide. Use of antibiotics in viral Influenza infection is still debatable. All the confirmed diagnosed hospitalized Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection patients fulfilling inclusion/exclusion criteria during the study period were divided into two groups based on drug therapy for initial 72 hours.

Comparative efficacy assessment of antiviral alone and antiviral-antibiotic combination in prevention of influenza-B infection associated complications.

Objective: The study aimed to compare the efficacy of antiviral drug alone and antiviral-antibiotic combination therapy in prevention of complications associated with influenza B hospitalized patients.

Method: Laboratory confirmed influenza B hospitalized patients presented in emergency room after 48 hours of symptoms onset were identified and divided into two groups; Group-1 patients were initiated on Antiviral drug (oseltamivir) alone while Group-2 patients were initiated on Antiviral drug (oseltamivir) in combination with Antibiotic for at least 3 days. Patients were evaluated for different clinical outcomes among both treatment group.

Risk Factors Associated With Medication Errors Among Patients Suffering From Chronic Disorders.

Medication error is unintentional and can be reduced by reducing the risk factors. Patients suffering from chronic diseases are at an increased risk of medication errors. This work aims to assess the risk factors associated with medication errors among patients suffering from chronic disorders in hospitals of South Punjab, Pakistan.

Efficacy comparison of oseltamivir alone and oseltamivir-antibiotic combination for early resolution of symptoms of severe influenza-A and influenza-B hospitalized patients.

Objectives: To assess the comparative efficacy of oseltamivir alone and oseltamivir-antibiotic therapy for early relief of symptoms associated with severe influenza-A (non-H1N1) and influenza-B infection hospitalized patients.

Methods: In this retrospective multicenter study conducted from 2016-2019, enrolled patients were divided into 2 treatment groups. Group 1 patients were started on Antiviral drug (oseltamivir) alone therapy.

Validation of the General Medication Adherence Scale in Pakistani Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: The aim was to validate the Urdu version of General Medication Adherence Scale (GMAS) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis disease.

Methods: A 2-month (March-April 2019) cross-sectional study was conducted in randomly selected out-patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The sample size was calculated using item-subject ratio of 1:20.

Association of Disease Knowledge and Medication Adherence Among Out-Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Khobar, Saudi Arabia.

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the association between disease knowledge and medication adherence in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted for three months, in patients with type 2 diabetes who visited three community pharmacies located in Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Patients' disease knowledge and their adherence to medications were documented using Arabic versions of the Michigan Diabetes Knowledge Test and the General Medication Adherence Scale respectively.

Comparison of cystatin C and creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate equations among elderly chronic kidney disease patients attending a tertiary care hospital: A prospective cross-sectional study .

Background: Serum creatinine has been solely used in clinical practice to identify chronic kidney disease (CKD) staging in the elderly population. Serum cystatin C is believed to more accurately define the CKD staging and is also ratified as an endogenous biomarker by Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines.

Material And Methods: A total of 300 elderly Malay participants (age ≥ 65 years) with CKD, attending the Hospital University Sains Malaysia were included in the study.

Assessment of efficacy of Oseltamivir-Azithromycin combination therapy in prevention of Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection complications and rapidity of symptoms relief.

: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of oseltamivir-Azithromycin combination therapy for prevention of Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection associated complications and early relief of influenza symptoms.: In a retrospective observational cohort study, Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection hospitalized patients were identified and divided into two groups based on the initial therapy. Group-AV patients were initiated on Oseltamivir without any antibiotic in treatment regimen while Group-AV+AZ patients were initiated on Oseltamivir and Azithromycin combination therapy for at least 3-5 days.

Estimation of direct cost of managing rheumatoid arthritis treatment to Pakistani patients using real-world follow-up data.

Objective: This study aimed to estimate annual direct cost attributed to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment from a patient's perspective using real-world patient follow-up data from hospitals' electronic database.

Methods: A prospective 1-year study was conducted in rheumatology clinics of tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan. Cost-of-illness methodology was used and all patient data related to costs of rheumatologist visits, physical therapy sessions, medications, assistive devices and laboratory investigations were obtained directly in printed hardcopies from patient electronic databases using their medical record numbers.

Osteoporosis among Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prevalence, Severity, and Therapeutic Outcomes.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be associated with systemic inflammatory trademarks and can coexist with other chronic debilitating diseases such as osteoporosis, which is considered among the most serious comorbidities of COPD. In this review, we aimed at finding answers for the following questions and tried to encapsulate the available literature: (1) how prevalent is osteoporosis among patients with COPD? (2) What are severity patterns of osteoporosis in case of COPD? (3) What are the therapeutic outcomes for patients with osteoporotic COPD? The total number of patients with COPD from all studies was 3815, majority of which were male (2658) representing 69.67% of patients.

Development and validation of a novel rheumatoid arthritis knowledge assessment scale in Pakistani patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Aim: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic progressive disabling disease that mainly affects joints. Studies documenting Pakistani patients' knowledge regarding RA disease are lacking and there is a need for such endeavor. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a novel research tool to document patient knowledge about RA disease.

Assessment of antiviral and antibiotic combination treatment in influenza-A H1N1 induced acute kidney injury among hospitalized patients.

The aim of the study is to assess and compare the impact of antiviral drug alone and in combination with antibiotic for prevention of Influenza-A H1N1 induced acute kidney injury (AKI) in hospitalized patients. Hospitalized admitted patients with confirmed diagnosis of Influenza-A H1N1 infection were divided into two groups: group 1, which received antiviral (oseltamivir) drug alone and group 2, which received antiviral (oseltamivir) in combination with empirically prescribed antibiotic. Patients of both groups were assessed for incidences of AKI by two criteria i.

Hypertension control among euvolemic hypertensive hemodialysis patients in Malaysia: a prospective follow-up study.

Objectives: Existing literature does not provide enough information on evaluation of factors associated with pre-dialysis controlled hypertension among euvolemic hemodialysis (HD) patients. We conducted a study to evaluate the rate and factors influencing pre-dialysis controlled hypertension among euvolemic HD patients.

Design: A multicenter prospective follow-up study.

Doctors' Knowledge of Hypertension Guidelines Recommendations Reflected in Their Practice.

Aim: To evaluate doctors' knowledge, attitude, and practices and predictors of adherence to Malaysian hypertension guidelines (CPG 2008).

Methods: Twenty-six doctors involved in hypertension management at Penang General Hospital were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Doctors' knowledge and attitudes towards guidelines were evaluated through a self-administered questionnaire.

Effect of socio-demographic factors on endogenous biomarkers (cystatin C and creatinine) among elderly chronic kidney disease patients: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Creatinine is normally used to evaluate kidney function among elderly patients in clinical practice, which has been reported to be affected by socio-demographic factors like BMI and age. Cystatin C a newly introduced biomarker may be more efficient in identifying kidney function in obese and aged CKD patients. The aim of the current study was to assess the effect of BMI on endogenous biomarkers (cystatin C and creatinine) among elderly CKD patients in Malaysia, a first such study in the country.

Management of Patient Care in Hemodialysis While Focusing on Cardiovascular Disease Events and the Atypical Role of Hyper- and/or Hypotension: A Systematic Review.

. Hemodialysis related hemodynamic instability is a major but an underestimated issue. Moreover, cardiovascular events are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality associated with blood pressure in hemodialysis patients.

Development and bioevaluation of 99mTc(CO)3-labeled (1-azido-1-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranoside) complex as a potential tumor-seeking agent.

The 1,2,3-triazole-containing (1-azido-1-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranoside) complex was synthesized using click chemistry approach and evaluated its potential as a tumor-seeking agent. In the present study, (99m)Tc-tricarbonyl labeled (1-azido-1-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranoside) radiotracer [(99m)Tc(CO)(3)-BM], (where BM stands for biomolecule, e.g.