Generalized Wardowski type contractive mappings in b-metric spaces and some fixed point results with applications in optimization problem and modeling biological ecosystem.

In the realm of b-metric spaces, this study introduces a novel generalized Wardowski-type quasi-contraction, denoted as β-(θ, ϑ). We begin by applying this new contraction to derive standard fixed point results. Subsequently, we establish the existence of a generalized quasi-contraction of the Wardowski type, thereby validating the robustness of our findings.

Robust tracking control of a minimal realization model of an impaired human hand for anthropomorphic coordination.

Physiologically relevant optimal controllers better represent the decision-making process of the central nervous system (CNS) with proper neural inputs and proprioceptor feedback. A biomechanical mathematical framework in the human palm reference frame was simulated using physiological dynamics to explore the biomechanics of movement coordination of fingers in a human hand. Physiological state space models include multiple zero eigenvalues, representing a redundant system.

Consensus Statements for Assessment and Management of Threatened Miscarriage in the First Trimester in Pakistan: A Three-Step Modified Delphi Approach.

Background And Objective: It aimed to develop an expert consensus regarding the risk assessment, diagnosis, and threatened miscarriage management during the first trimester in Pakistan.

Methods: A three-step modified Delphi method was applied to develop the consensus. Eleven specialized obstetricians and gynecologists participated in its development.

HLA class-I polymorphisms among the Punjabi population of Pakistan: A comparative analysis with country's other ethnic groups.

The Punjabi population, constituting over 45 % of the country's total population, holds the highest prevalence in Pakistan. To understand their HLA genetics, we genotyped 389 Punjabi subjects for major Class-I loci using the PCR-SSO Luminex® method. Our study identified a total of 162 alleles, including 41 different HLA-A, 72 HLA-B, and 49 HLA-C alleles.

Complete Rupture of Testis After Blunt Trauma.

Testicular trauma can be classified aetiologically as blunt or penetrative. Bicycles and motorbikes are considered high risk for road traffic accidents accounting for 9-17% % of all blunt trauma. We present a case of assessment and management of isolated blunt testicular trauma in a tertiary care hospital.

Hepatitis C virus/Hepatitis B virus coinfection: Current prospectives.

In endemic areas, hepatitis C virus (HCV)/hepatitis B virus (HBV) coinfection is common, and patients with coinfection have a higher risk of developing liver disease such as hepatocellular carcinoma, liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. In such cases, HCV predominates, and HBV replication is suppressed by HCV. HCV core proteins and interferons that are activated by HCV are responsible for the suppression of HBV.

Combinatorial Therapeutic Potential of Stem Cells and Benzimidazol Derivatives for the Reduction of Liver Fibrosis.

Liver fibrosis is currently one of the top ten causes of death worldwide. Stem cells transplantation using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is an alternative therapy which is used in the place of organ transplant, due to the incapacity of stem cells to endure oxidative stress in the damage site, thus affecting the healing process. The present study aimed to enhance the therapeutic potential of MSCs using combined therapy, along with the novel synthetic compounds of benzimidazol derivatives.

Mixed [Formula: see text]-synthesis tracking control and disturbance rejection in a robotic digit of an impaired human hand for anthropomorphic coordination.

In a partially impaired anthropomorphic hand, maintaining the movement coordination of the robotic digits with the central nervous system (CNS) and natural digits is crucial for robust performance. A challenge in the control perspective of movement coordination of a human hand is finding methods robust to the disturbances in a well-posed control problem of a biomechanical model. We use visco-elastic dynamics in the human palm frame of reference to explore the biomechanics of movement coordination to solve this control problem.

A Winning New Combination? Toward Clinical Application in Oncology.

Immunotherapy has substantial attention in oncology due to the success of CTLA-4 and PD-1 inhibitors in the treatment of melanoma, lung cancer, head and neck cancer, renal cell carcinoma, and Hodgkin's lymphoma. A deeper understanding of interaction of tumor with its environment and the immune system provides best guide for oncology research. Recent studies in oncology have explained how a tumor alters antigen presentation, avoids detection, and activation of the host immune system to live and develop.

Mpox in Young Woman with No Epidemiologic Risk Factors, Massachusetts, USA.

We describe a case of mpox characterized by a circularly distributed facial rash but no identified risk factors. Fomite transmission of monkeypox virus from contaminated linen at a massage spa was suspected. Clinicians should consider mpox in patients with consistent clinical syndromes, even in the absence of epidemiologic risk factors.

Built by epidemiologists for epidemiologists: an internal COVID-19 dashboard for real-time situational awareness in New York City.

Objective: New York City (NYC) experienced a large first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the spring of 2020, but the Health Department lacked tools to easily visualize and analyze incoming surveillance data to inform response activities. To streamline ongoing surveillance, a group of infectious disease epidemiologists built an interactive dashboard using open-source software to monitor demographic, spatial, and temporal trends in COVID-19 epidemiology in NYC in near real-time for internal use by other surveillance and epidemiology experts.

Materials And Methods: Existing surveillance databases and systems were leveraged to create daily analytic datasets of COVID-19 case and testing information, aggregated by week and key demographics.

Solitary Retroperitoneal Neurofibroma Associated With Deep Vein Thrombosis in a 40-Year-Old Male.

A neurofibroma is a benign, non-encapsulated neoplasm of the peripheral nerve sheath. These tumors are a notorious manifestation of the autosomal dominant condition known as neurofibromatosis type 1, where they present as multiple, cutaneous masses with high malignant potential. On the contrary, benign solitary retroperitoneal neurofibromas (SRN) occur without any associated conditions and have rarely been documented.

Antibiotic consumption among hospitalized neonates and children in Punjab province, Pakistan.

Background: Periodic surveillance of antibiotic consumption in the form of point prevalence studies is a quick and robust methodology to evaluate prescribing trends in hospitals. The current study was undertaken to document antibiotic consumption among neonates and children from hospitals in Pakistan.

Methods: This large multicenter study using the World Health Organization standardized methodology and AWaRe (Access, Watch, and Reserve) classification examined antibiotic consumption for suspected bacterial infection among neonates and children admitted hospitals in Punjab, Pakistan.

COVID-19 Outbreak - New York City, February 29-June 1, 2020.

New York City (NYC) was an epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in the United States during spring 2020 (1). During March-May 2020, approximately 203,000 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). To obtain more complete data, DOHMH used supplementary information sources and relied on direct data importation and matching of patient identifiers for data on hospitalization status, the occurrence of death, race/ethnicity, and presence of underlying medical conditions.

Chalcones: As Potent α-amylase Enzyme Inhibitors; Synthesis, In Vitro, and In Silico Studies.

Background: The inhibition of α-amylase enzyme is one of the best therapeutic approach for the management of type II diabetes mellitus. Chalcone possesses a wide range of biological activities.

Objective: In the current study chalcone derivatives (1-16) were synthesized and evaluated their inhibitory potential against α-amylase enzyme.

Public Health Management of Persons Under Investigation for Ebola Virus Disease in New York City, 2014-2016.

During 2014-2016, the largest outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in history occurred in West Africa. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) worked with health care providers to prepare for persons under investigation (PUIs) for EVD in New York City. From July 1, 2014, through December 29, 2015, we classified as a PUI a person with EVD-compatible signs or symptoms and an epidemiologic risk factor within 21 days before illness onset.

Active Monitoring of Travelers for Ebola Virus Disease-New York City, October 25, 2014-December 29, 2015.

The CDC recommended active monitoring of travelers potentially exposed to Ebola virus during the 2014 West African Ebola virus disease outbreak, which involved daily contact between travelers and health authorities to ascertain the presence of fever or symptoms for 21 days after the travelers' last potential Ebola virus exposure. From October 25, 2014, to December 29, 2015, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) monitored 5,359 persons for Ebola virus disease, corresponding to 5,793 active monitoring events. Most active monitoring events were in travelers classified as low (but not zero) risk (n = 5,778; 99%).

Raising public awareness of aphasia in southern Ontario, Canada: A survey.

Purpose: Despite the relatively high prevalence of aphasia, research indicates that, world-wide, public awareness of aphasia is lacking. Of the surveys that have been conducted internationally, none has studied the Canadian public's awareness of aphasia. The purpose of the present survey was to assess public awareness and basic knowledge of aphasia of individuals in southern Ontario, Canada.

The effect on student performance of scrambling questions and their stems in medical colleges admission tests.

Assessment is an indispensable part of an educational program. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) is an objective tool of assessment provided cheating is controlled. A method employed to reduce the chance of cheating is to scramble the sequence of the MCQs and responses in multiple papers having the same content.

A Thermostable Crude Endoglucanase Produced by Aspergillus fumigatus in a Novel Solid State Fermentation Process Using Isolated Free Water.

Aspergillus fumigatus was grown on chopped wheat straw in a solid state fermentation (SSF) process carried out in constant presence of isolated free water inside the fermentation chamber. The system allowed maintaining a constant vapor pressure inside the fermentor throughout the fermentation process. Crude endoglucanase produced by A.

Two oppositely oriented arrays of low-affinity recognition sites in oriC guide progressive binding of DnaA during Escherichia coli pre-RC assembly.

The onset of chromosomal DNA replication requires highly precise and reproducible interactions between initiator proteins and replication origins to assemble a pre-replicative complex (pre-RC) that unwinds the DNA duplex. In bacteria, initiator protein DnaA, bound to specific high- and low-affinity recognition sites within the unique oriC locus, comprises the pre-RC, but how complex assembly is choreographed to ensure precise initiation timing during the cell cycle is not well understood. In this study, we present evidence that higher-order DnaA structures are formed at oriC when DnaA monomers are closely positioned on the same face of the DNA helix by interaction with two oppositely oriented essential arrays of closely spaced low-affinity DnaA binding sites.

Developing the outcomes of a baccalaureate of dental surgery programme.

Background: Curriculum broadly falls into two categories, prescriptive and outcome-based. In the prescriptive curricula emphasis is placed on teaching with generally little integration between subjects and across disciplines. Currently, universities in Pakistan are undergoing a cultural change in the curricular design in order to apply an outcome-based learning instead of prescriptive teaching.

Relationship of awards in multiple choice questions and structured answer questions in the undergraduate years and their effectiveness in evaluation.

Background: A number of evaluation tools for assessing the cognitive and affective domains in accordance with Bloom's taxonomy are available for summative assessment. At the University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and Structured Answer Questions (SAQs) are used for the evaluation of the cognitive domain at all six hierarch levels of taxonomy using the tables of specifications to ensure content validity. The rationale of having two evaluation tools seemingly similar in their evaluative competency yet differing in feasibility of construction, administration and marking is being challenged in this study.