The isomerization kinetics of a liquid crystalline azobenzene dimer, comprising cyanoazobenzene and naphthalene (NAZ6), were investigated at the air-water interface. The Langmuir monolayers of NAZ6 in both its and states were analyzed using surface manometry techniques. The results revealed that NAZ6 molecules in the -state displayed the coexistence of a disordered liquid-expanded phase and an ordered liquid-condensed phase, whereas no such phase transition was observed in the -state.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbon dioxide (CO) capture and its subsequent catalytic fixation into usable compounds represent a potential approach for addressing the energy problem and the implications of global warming. Hence, it is necessary to develop effective catalytic systems required for the transformation of CO into valuable chemicals/fuels. Herein, we rationally designed a hydroxyl-functionalized porous organic framework (OH-POF) consisting of both acidic (OH) as well as basic N sites for the transformation of CO using epoxides for the production of cyclic carbonates (CCs), a useful commodity chemical under environmental-friendly, metal/solvent/co-catalyst-free conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Shared decision-making (SDM) is a principle of humanistic, patient-centered health care within the field of rheumatology. However, clear communication between patients and their clinicians regarding the benefits and risks of immunomodulators may be challenging in a clinical setting. The design-thinking process is a human-centered approach to quality improvement that can help to identify insights to uphold high-quality communication.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this systematic review is to determine the effects of IL-17 inhibitors on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with either psoriasis (PsO) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA). A systematic literature search in three databases (Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for Randomized Controlled Trials) was conducted on December 7, 2022 for randomized controlled trials of patients with PsO/PsA treated with IL-17 inhibitors that reported confirmed MACEs. Two reviewers screened titles and abstracts and identified papers for full-text review.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlanetary health is a relatively new concept that has gained traction in recent years due to the urgent need to address the health of our planet and its inhabitants. It refers to the interdependent health of both humans and the environment, recognizing that the two are inseparable and that the health of one is intricately linked to the health of the other. This article aims to advocate changes in how health care for both the environment and humans is envisaged, and aligned with sustainable development goals using ethically sound, solution-oriented, and practical approaches to education.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF•Urgent plea for global collaboration as Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever ravages Pakistan's healthcare system.•Crisis deepens with 41 confirmed cases, 15 fatalities, and a call to fortify healthcare infrastructure.•Government measures in Balochistan deemed a prelude; urgent actions and long-term strategies imperative.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Brucellosis is a pervasive zoonotic disease causing considerable human morbidity worldwide. This report focuses on a case of neurobrucellosis in a rural Indian patient, emphasizing the need for timely microbiological confirmation given its nonspecific clinical presentation.
Case Presentation: A 55-year-old rural Indian farmer presented with a 3 week history of insidious, low-grade fever, myalgia, and arthralgia.
New Microbes New Infect
October 2023
•India and Pakistan share a common public health concern: rabies, which affects both humans and animals.•Both countries have established national rabies control initiatives, but these programs face challenges such as inadequate funding and limited access to healthcare in rural areas.•Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are also working to control rabies in both India and Pakistan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Medicines in indigenous systems such as Ayurveda have strong antimicrobial activity but double-blind randomized control trials are infrequent in this system of medicine. The efficacy of a new ayurvedic formulation was evaluated during the pandemic.
Methods: 150 mild-moderate COVID-19 patients were enrolled and randomized in 1:1 to NAOQ19 and placebo group.
Objective: To determine the current trends in complete denture education in undergraduate dental colleges.
Methods: The survey-based study was conducted in April and May 2020 at undergraduate dental colleges of Pakistan, and comprised heads of the Prosthodontics Department at all dental colleges across Pakistan having at least one batch of final year dental students. Data was collected using an online predesigned questionnaire that explored theoretical and practical teaching patterns of complete denture prosthodontics in the undergraduate years, and the materials and practices of students when constructing complete dentures in the clinics.
Int J Surg Case Rep
November 2023
Introduction And Importance: Pediatric hepatic tumors present diagnostic challenges due to diverse clinical presentations and limited patient communication. Elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, often associated with hepatoblastoma, can occur in various hepatic conditions, adding complexity to diagnosis. This report emphasizes the importance of comprehensive assessment and integrated interpretation in such cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfections caused by drug resistant bacteria is a silent detrimental pandemic affecting the global health care profoundly. Methicillin resistant (MRSA) is a pathogen that causes serious infections in different settings (community, hospital & veterinary) whose treatment remains highly challenging due to its powerful characteristics (antibiotic resistance strategies, virulence factors). In this study, we used reverse vaccinology (RV) approach and designed an immunogenic multi epitope vaccine (CV3Ag-antiMRSA) targeting three potential antigen candidates viz.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Annual program evaluations are important activities of all graduate medical education programs. Although the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education provides general guidelines, there is substantial scope for educational innovation. Strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results (SOAR) is a strengths-based framework for strategic planning.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Professional Identity formation is the process by which learners internalize a profession's values, behaviors, and perceptions. With respect to physicians, this occurs at multiple levels of medical education, including the undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education stages. Professional identity formation likely starts even earlier, during the undergraduate pre-medical years but, to date, no known scoping or systematic review has been conducted on this topic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Design thinking is a creative problem-solving process used to better understand users' needs and experiences so that a product or service can be improved. Its emphasis on empathy, iterative prototyping, and participatory collaboration make it an ideal methodology for innovation in medical education. We apply this framework to the virtual rheumatology fellowship interview process so that interviews can become more applicant centered.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe have studied the kinetics of pore formation in giant unilamellar vesicles (GUV) with the antimicrobial peptide nisin. The role of charged lipid composition in the rate of pore formation by nisin in the vesicle membrane is investigated using fluorescence microscopy. We propose a model and obtain an analytical expression for the variation in the fluorescence intensity of a GUV as a function of time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmune dysfunction can manifest in unexpected ways. We present the case of a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in whom the first sign of disseminated histoplasmosis and consequent macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) was tongue necrosis. In those with immune dysfunction, a high index of clinical suspicion for atypical infections is warranted.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe have studied the effect of relative composition of γ-Oryzanol (γ-Or) on the liquid expanded-liquid condensed phase coexistence region in the mixed Langmuir monolayer of γ-Or and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) molecules at air-water interface. The surface manometry studies at a fixed temperature show that the mixture of γ-Or and DPPC forms a stable monolayer at air-water interface. As the relative composition of γ-Or increases the range of area per molecule over which the coexistence of liquid expanded (LE)-liquid condensed (LC) phases exists reduces.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRheumatology (Oxford)
September 2023
Cases with SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR negative pneumonia are an understudied group with uncertainty remaining regarding their treatment approach. We aimed to compare the clinical and radiological characteristics of RT-PCR positive and clinically diagnosed RT-PCR negative COVID-19. This was a single-centre retrospective study conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Western India.
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