Association between Sputum Culture Conversion and Body Mass Index among Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Patients in Punjab, Pakistan: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Background: The global challenge of Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) presents a substantial public health concern, requiring extended and complex treatment regimens. Understanding the factors impacting treatment results, particularly sputum culture conversion and Body Mass Index (BMI), is crucial. This retrospective cohort investigation conducted in Punjab, Pakistan, sought to explore the correlation between BMI and sputum culture conversion in individuals diagnosed with MDR-TB.

Designing sustained release from nanofiber patch for paclitaxel as prospective localized nanotherapeutic delivery in breast cancer.

The second most prevalent cause of mortality among women is breast cancer, and paclitaxel (PTX) is an effective drug for its treatment. The present work aims to develop patch-based poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibers incorporating PTX as a localized and sustained drug delivery system. The co-deposition of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) fibers during electrospinning was allowed to improve water absorption by the scaffold, which in turn facilitated the release of drug molecules.

Photocatalytic and toxicity assessment of alginate reinforced ZnO-g-CN photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue - A sustainable strategy.

This study presents an eco-friendly strategy by developing alginate based photocatalyst, where heterojunction photocatalyst is reinforced in calcium alginate via a facile method called ionotropic gelation. The prepared heterojunction photocatalyst (ZnO-g-CN) and alginate reinforced heterojunction photocatalyst (Alg/ZnO-g-CN) were characterized with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectroscopy to confirm their structural, elemental and physicochemical properties. The photodegradation experiments demonstrated Alg/ZnO-g-CN showed excellent efficiency in the removal of methylene blue (MB) under both UV-vis light and natural sunlight irradiation.

Carbohydrazone/Thiocarbohydrazone-Based Dual-Responsive Probes for Highly Selective Detection of Cu/Fe Cations and F/ClO Anions, and Their Application in Bioimaging of Live Cells and Zebrafish Larvae.

Four dual-responsive probe molecules 1,5-bis(thiophene-2-carbaldehyde)carbohydrazone (R1), 1,5-bis(thiophene-2-carbaldehyde)thiocarbohydrazone (R2), 1,5-bis(indole-3-carbaldehyde)carbohydrazone (R3), and 1,5-bis(indole-3-carbaldehyde)thiocarbohydrazone (R4) were synthesized, characterized, and investigated for their sensing efficacy. The initial sensing behavior of the probes was tested by colorimetric signaling, followed by spectral and theoretical techniques, which supported the dual-sensing ability of the selected inorganic ions. The probes exhibited highly selective optical recognition for Cu/Fe cations and F/ClO anions compared to the tested cations and anions.