Establishing Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery in a Developing Country: A Five-Year Experience at Hayatabad Medical Complex, Pakistan.

Background The adoption of minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) has increased over the past 25 to 30 years, driven by advancements in technology and a growing understanding of its benefits. This study evaluates the outcomes of 144 elective MICS procedures performed between January 2019 and September 2024. Methods Patients underwent various surgical approaches, including upper mini-sternotomy, mini-thoracotomy, and sub-xiphoid access.

Short-Term Surgical Outcomes and Definitive Diagnosis in Patients With Congenital Cardiac Defects: A Single-Center Analysis.

Background With the rising number of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) reaching adulthood, surgical intervention has become a critical aspect of their long-term management. This study presents a six-year overview of early postoperative outcomes and mortality in CHD surgeries at a single center, underscoring advancements and challenges in treating this complex population. Objective As more children with CHD grow into adulthood, we are gaining critical insights from our extensive experience in performing cardiac surgery for this population.

Aortic Root Pathologies and Surgical Management: Insights From a Single Surgeon's Experience.

Introduction and objectives The Bentall procedure is a surgical technique designed to address aortic root abnormalities, including issues with the aortic valve, aortic root, and ascending aortic disease. This study aimed to assess the short-term outcomes of 39 patients who underwent the Bentall and concomitant procedures: aortic root enlargement, personalized external aortic root support (PEARS), and Mini-Bentall procedures at a single center. Methodology We conducted a retrospective study involving 39 patients who underwent surgery for aortic root pathologies such as dissection, Marfan syndrome (MFS), bicuspid aortic valve, degenerative disease, and atherosclerosis at our hospital between January 2019 and September 2024.

Comparison of the Outcomes of Aortic Valve Replacements (AVRs) Performed via Conventional Full Sternotomy and Upper Mini Sternotomy: Our Experience at Hayatabad Medical Complex, Pakistan.

Introduction Aortic valve replacement (AVR) for severe symptomatic aortic stenosis is a commonly performed procedure, yielding excellent long-term outcomes. Comparing a mini sternotomy with a conventional sternotomy is essential to evaluate less invasive options that can improve patient recovery and reduce postoperative complications. This insight supports surgical decision-making for better AVR patient outcomes.

An AI-Driven Framework for Detecting Bone Fractures in Orthopedic Therapy.

This study presents an advanced artificial intelligence-driven framework designed to enhance the speed and accuracy of bone fracture detection, addressing key limitations in traditional diagnostic approaches that rely on manual image analysis. The proposed framework integrates the YOLOv8 object detection model with a ResNet backbone to combine robust feature extraction and precise fracture classification. This combination effectively identifies and categorizes bone fractures within X-ray images, supporting reliable diagnostic outcomes.

Recent advances in the biosynthesis and production optimization of gentamicin: A critical review.

Gentamicin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic, is generated by a few species within the genus and has garnered significant attention due to its broad-spectrum efficacy in combating numerous infectious diseases. Comprising a complex array of closely related aminoglycoside compounds, the gentamicin B and C complexes emerge as particularly pertinent in clinical contexts. This review outlines the latest advancements in the biosynthesis and production of gentamicin, commencing with a comprehensive overview of its biosynthetic pathway.

The long-term relationship between oil price changes and economic growth from the perspective of the resource curse: An empirical study from Yemen.

A common conundrum discussed in economic research revolves around the fact that nations endowed with plentiful natural resources often exhibit a lower gross domestic product (GDP). This conundrum is commonly called the "resource curse", where most empirical studies about the effects primarily focused on developed economies. At the same time, limited data is available regarding a burgeoning oil-exporting nation like the Republic of Yemen.

Orbital apex syndrome in a man with rhino-ocular cerebral mucormycosis: a case report.

Background: Orbital apex syndrome is a symptom complex of visual loss and ophthalmoplegia resulting from a disease involving the orbital apex. It can be caused by inflammation, infection, and malignancies. Mucormycosis is an infection caused by filamentous saprophytes of the order Mucorales.

Haemophilia care in Iraq; a multi-centre study.

Objective: To evaluate the level of care available for haemophilia patients.

Methods: The descriptive, retrospective analytical study was conducted from December 15, 2020, to March 1, 2021, after approval from the Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq, and comprised data from 3 haemophilia treating centres in Iraq participating in the World Bleeding Disorders Registry. The data collected related to patients with haemophilia A and B enrolled in the registry since March 2018, and included age at diagnosis, type of haemophilia, disease severity, age at first bleed and at first joint bleed, type of replacement therapy and outcome.

Gender Differences in Perception of Neurosurgery as a Career Choice in Pakistan: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey.

Background: A low neurosurgeon-to-patient ratio persists to be a problem in many developing nations including Pakistan. Concurrent gender disparities further exacerbate the challenges posed by the already limited workforce. An understanding of the perceptions of neurosurgery among female early career doctors is crucial in the evolution of the field in terms of both, workforce strength and inclusivity.

Graphene metamaterial (GMM) based dual mode, tunable, and broadband THz absorber with triple circular split ring structure.

In this study we investigated a novel approach to designing a graphene metamaterial (GMM) based terahertz (THz) absorber with dual-mode functionality, tunability, and broadband absorption capabilities. The study leverages the unique properties of graphene, a material known for its exceptional electronic and optical characteristics, combined with metamaterials to achieve efficient THz absorption. Here we performed extensive simulation on four different types of configurations and found the optimized structure has the highest bandwidth of 3.

Overexpression of SLC2A1, ALDOC, and PFKFB4 in the glycolysis pathway drives strong drug resistance in 3D HeLa tumor cell spheroids.

The 3D multicellular tumor spheroid (MTS) model exhibits enhanced fidelity in replicating the tumor microenvironment and demonstrates exceptional resistance to clinical drugs compared to the 2D monolayer model. In this study, we used multiomics (transcriptome, proteomics, and metabolomics) tools to explore the molecular mechanisms and metabolic differences of the two culture models. Analysis of Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment pathways revealed that the differentially expressed genes between the two culture models were mainly enriched in cellular components and biological processes associated with extracellular matrix, extracellular structural organization, and mitochondrial function.

Sustainable biosynthesis of lycopene by using evolutionary adaptive recombinant from orange peel waste.

This study aimed to evaluate the hydrolysates from orange peel waste (OPW) as the low-cost carbon source for lycopene production. Initially, the dilute acid pretreatment combined with enzymatic hydrolysis of OPW resulted in a total sugar concentration of 62.18 g/L.

Recent advances in the metamaterial and metasurface-based biosensor in the gigahertz, terahertz, and optical frequency domains.

Recently, metamaterials and metasurface have gained rapidly increasing attention from researchers due to their extraordinary optical and electrical properties. Metamaterials are described as artificially defined periodic structures exhibiting negative permittivity and permeability simultaneously. Whereas metasurfaces are the 2D analogue of metamaterials in the sense that they have a small but not insignificant depth.

Nanohole array integrated metal insulator metal (MIM) based structure employing dual mode SPR sensor for detection of Hemoglobin (Hb) in blood.

Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) based optical biosensors are recently the most attractive sensing devices that can detect minor changes in refractive index. Multiple methods have been developed to design SPR based biosensors with high-performance and ease of fabrication. This research is about a grating based biosensor that utilizes Silver (Ag) and Titanium (Ti) to produce the SP resonance state.

COVID-19 and Pneumonia detection and web deployment from CT scan and X-ray images using deep learning.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, pneumonia was the leading cause of respiratory failure and death. In addition to SARS-COV-2, it can be caused by several other bacterial and viral agents. Even today, variants of SARS-COV-2 are endemic and COVID-19 cases are common in many places.

Automated Sensor Node Malicious Activity Detection with Explainability Analysis.

Cybersecurity has become a major concern in the modern world due to our heavy reliance on cyber systems. Advanced automated systems utilize many sensors for intelligent decision-making, and any malicious activity of these sensors could potentially lead to a system-wide collapse. To ensure safety and security, it is essential to have a reliable system that can automatically detect and prevent any malicious activity, and modern detection systems are created based on machine learning (ML) models.

Designing and development of agricultural rovers for vegetable harvesting and soil analysis.

To address the growing demand for sustainable agriculture practices, new technologies to boost crop productivity and soil health must be developed. In this research, we propose designing and building an agricultural rover capable of autonomous vegetable harvesting and soil analysis utilizing cutting-edge deep learning algorithms (YOLOv5). The precision and recall score of the model was 0.

A machine learning-based approach for improving plasmid DNA production in Escherichia coli fed-batch fermentations.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is spearheading a new industrial revolution, which provides ample opportunities for the transformational development of traditional fermentation processes. During plasmid fermentation, traditional subjective process control leads to highly unstable plasmid yields. In this study, a multi-parameter correlation analysis was first performed to discover a dynamic metabolic balance among the oxygen uptake rate, temperature, and plasmid yield, whilst revealing the heating rate and timing as the most important optimization factor for balanced cell growth and plasmid production.

Investigating the crowding effect of FDI on domestic investments: Evidence from Bangladesh.

This study empirically investigates the crowding effect of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on domestic investments in Bangladesh, utilizing annual time series data from 1972 to 2022. Initially, unit root tests are conducted with and without considering structural breaks in the dataset. This study employs the Johansen test of cointegration to investigate the enduring association between the variables and utilizes the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) to accommodate this relationship over the long term.

Exploring the nexus between FDI inflows and economic growth: A sectoral level analysis.

This study investigates the relationship between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows and economic growth at sectoral levels in Bangladesh, employing a panel study framework. Utilizing sectoral-level panel data spanning six sectors from 2007-08 to 2018-19, the analysis is conducted using Panel Vector Error Correction Model (Panel VECM). Results from panel unit root tests confirm that all variables are integrated of order one I (1), indicating stationarity.

Impacts of renewable and disaggregated non-renewable energy consumption on CO2 emissions in GCC countries: A STIRPAT model analysis.

This research investigates the effects of renewable (REC) and disaggregated non-renewable energy consumption (coal, oil, and natural gas) on CO2 emissions (CO2) in GCC countries, employing the STIRPAT model. The research also compares the impact of various non-renewable energy (NREC) sources to identify their contributions to CO2 emissions. Demographic factors like population and economic growth are considered main determinants of CO2.

Lower and upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma in crossed fused ectopic kidney.

Urothelial tumors in patients with anatomical abnormalities may pose significant challenges. Management follows the same principles which are employed in normal anatomy, however, thorough diagnostic investigation is warranted in order to delineate key anatomical landmarks. Meticulous pre-operative investigation should utilize every imaging modality which can assist the surgeons.