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The world has witnessed substantial deterioration of water resources by different effluents. The most reported among effluents that have caused damage to the water resources are azo dyes that need to be expelled by most efficient techniques such as photocatalysis. This specific study has focused on the synthesis and augmentation of TiO2 for the degradation of methylene blue (MB). In this work TiO2 was synthesized by biogenic route using the extract of Citrus paradisi and the synthesized metal oxide (TiO2) was doped with Ag to escalate the photocatalytic degradation of MB. The synthesized biogenic photocatalyst was characterized by employing XRD and FTIR techniques, which confirms the purity of TiO2. The stability of Ag-doped TiO2 photocatalyst was investigated by performing Zeta-potential and the surface morphology was studied thorough FE-SEM. The photocatalytic efficiency of the photocatalysts were evaluated using UV-vis-Spectroscopy. The XRD analysis confirmed the phase purity of synthesized TiO2 and Ag-doped TiO2. The presence of functional groups associated with the TiO2 and Ag-doped TiO2 were also observed through FTIR. The developed photocatalysts via biogenic route were tested for the degradation of MB that exhibited 56.38% for TiO2 and 85.55% Ag-TiO2 in 120mins respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the efficacy of dual (sofosbuvir and ribavirin) and triple therapy (sofosbuvir-ribavirin-pegylated interferon) for treatment of hepatitis C. Study Design: Comparative cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Medicine, Combined Military Hospital, Lahore, from Nov 2014 to Mar 2017. Methodology: A total of 182 consecutive patients with age ≥18 years and positive HCV RNA by polymerase chain reaction were included, while patients with haemoglobin of <10 g/dl, albumin <2 g/dl, platelet count of <100/uL, creatinine clearance of <60 mL/min or liver disease caused by non-hepatitis C related causes were excluded from study. Results: Total 129 (70.8%) were treated with dual and 53 (29.1%) with triple therapy. Amongst patients with genotype 3 (158/182), the overall sustained virological response at 12 weeks (SVR 12) was 94.4% in patients with dual therapy while it was 97.3% with triple therapy. In non-cirrhotic patients it was 95% in treatment naïve and 100% in treatment experienced group. While in cirrhotic patients with genotype 3, SVR 12 with dual therapy was 83.3% (p=0.331) and 88.9% in treatment naïve and treatment experienced patients respectively, while it was 100% in both groups with triple therapy. SVR 12 for genotype 1 (21/182) was 100%, both for dual as well as for triple therapy. Haematological side effects dominated the clinical picture with 11.5% suffering from anaemia. Conclusion: Both dual and triple therapy were effective in patients with hepatitis C with acceptable level of side effects, genotype 3 being the most predominant genotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Chronic hepatitis B and C are the leading causes of chronic liver disease and a significant cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Hepatitis B is a preventable disease with vaccination, which is available worldwide. About 257 million people are affected worldwide with hepatitis B and around 71 million people with hepatitis C, and Pakistan is the second most prevalent country with hepatitis C. The possible mode of spread of hepatitis B and C in chronic liver disease patients presenting at CMH medical wards and dental clinics was evaluated. Among various types of hepatitis, A, B, and C are the most common. The course of disease followed by hepatitis A is short term, but when we talk about the common types, which are B and C, the disease is chronic and, moreover, the complications associated with these types are more severe too. Materials and methods The study was carried out at the medical wards and dental clinics of CMH Lahore Medical College. A total of 240 patients were evaluated for the possible mode of spread of hepatitis B and C. A detailed history regarding the use of needles, surgical procedures, including dental treatment, unsterilized razors for shaving (barbers'), blood transfusions, tattooing, and mode of delivery in females, was evaluated and data were interpreted. Aims and objectives To observe the mode of spread of hepatitis B and C among patients of CMH Lahore Medical College and Institute of Dentistry. Results The results of our study revealed that the most common mode of spread of disease in males was exposure to infected blades and instruments at barbers' shops. In females, blood transfusion and caesarian section, especially in rural areas, remained the most common possible cause of spread. A small number of patients was not aware of the possible mode of transmission, whereas a few others did not seek treatment for the disease. Conclusion From our study, we can conclude that a substantial number of patients with chronic liver disease have exposure to various risk factors. Exposure to the unsterilized equipment of barbers and improperly screened blood remains the main cause of the spread of hepatitis B and C in males whereas surgical procedures related to gynecological procedures and blood transfusions remain the second most common cause. Dental procedures in the hands of trained dental professionals/dentists carry less danger of transmitting the disease but carry an equally high incidence if quacks do the dental procedures., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2020, Yasser et al.)