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Background: India has a population capacity of 1.2 billion people. With a worldwide aging population, the prevention and management of osteoporosis has become a significant healthcare challenge. It is crucial to recognize the factors impacting poor bone health and appreciate the many hurdles to treat the disease to provide a better quality of life and decrease the financial burden on healthcare. Purpose: In this review article, we discuss the epidemiology of osteoporosis and address the definition, incidence, and prevalence, geographical variation in the occurrence of osteoporosis, and the risk factors for osteoporosis. Methods: Search terms using various combinations of the keywords 'osteoporosis,' 'epidemiology,' 'incidence,' 'prevalence,' 'fracture,' 'India,' 'world,' 'screening,' and 'FRAX' was done to review all relevant literature till June 2023. Results & Conclusion: India has a recent estimate of population capacity of 1.2 billion people. Various studies have revealed an osteoporosis prevalence in Indian women ranging from 8% to 62%. Poor dietary calcium intake, low vitamin D, and lifestyle changes contribute to osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Rheumatic heart disease accounts for about 234,000-492,000 deaths each year. Echocardiographic detection of significant regurgitation of mitral and aortic valves can form the basis for the diagnosis of rheumatic carditis. Study was proposed to be conducted to study the pattern of rheumatic heart disease in Varun Arjun medical college & Rohailkhand hospital, department of medicine, Banthra, Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India with the aid of echocardiographic evaluation. Materials and Methodology: This present observational study was planned to be conducted between February 2016 and February 2019 in the Varun Arjun medical college & Rohailkhand hospital, department of medicine, Banthra, Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. This study incorporated all the echocardiograms of RHD patients that are needed to be performed during this period for analysis. Results: Sex distribution of 520 echocardiograms of RHD patients were analysed, which composed of 201 males, and 319 females as given in Table 2. Mitral stenosis (MS) was seen in 362 (69.8%) cases, Mitral Regurgitation (MR) was diagnosed in 358 (68.8%) patients' Aortic stenosis (AS) was seen in 63 (12.2%) cases and Aortic regurgitation (AR) was found in 232 (44.62%) cases. The frequency of isolated and mixed valvular lesions in a total of 520 RHD patients were tabulated in Table 3. Conclusion: The valvular involvement among females had a typically predominant MS, followed by MR, AR, AS, and organic TV disease. Whereas, in males MR leaded the valvular lesions followed by MS, AR, AS, and organic TV disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports an investigation of the thermal behaviour of the epoxy/LD-slag composites prepared by hand layup method at varied loading of filler from 0 wt. % to 40 wt. %. The main aim of the work is to establish hazardous industrial waste as a filler material for the development of polymer composites. The thermal conductivity of neat epoxy is 0.15 W/m-K and the same improves to 0.292 W/m-K with the addition of 40 wt. % LD-slag. The addition of LD slag appreciably improves the epoxy matrix's thermal stability by increasing its degradation temperature at different levels along with the enhancement in the char residue. The maximum glass transition temperature of 74.74 oC is attained for a filler loading of 20 wt. %, whereas, a negligible reduction is observed at higher filler loading. Further, the material's specific heat capacity also progressed with the inclusion of LD slag and reached 1.115 kJ/kg-oC showing an increment of 57.7 over the neat epoxy resin for a combination of epoxy/40 wt. % LD slag composite. The coefficient of thermal expansion gainfully declines with filler loading and decreases by 14.18 % for 40 wt.% of LD slag. The minimum coefficient of thermal expansion value registered is 59.3 × 10-6/oC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main focus of the work is on developing a new class of hybrid composite with polyester as the continuous phase and micro-sized hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and short sisal fibre as the discontinuous phases. The effect of loading of discontinuous phases on the different properties of the composites is analysed experimentally. The incorporation of either of the discontinuous phases unwillingly increases the void content and water absorption rate. With hBN content, the density increases, whereas, with sisal fibre content density decreases. The hybrid combination of fillers successfully improves the glass transition temperature (Tg) and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the polymeric resin. The maximum Tg reported is 106.2°C and the minimum CTE reported is 51.7 × 10−6/oC for the polyester reinforced with 40 wt. % hBN and 5 wt. % sisal fibre. The incorporation of hBN upsurges the thermal conductivity but also increases the dielectric properties. The dielectric properties gainfully reduce with the addition of sisal fibre. Dielectric properties also decrease with an increase in the working frequency. The incorporation of sisal fibre slightly reduces the thermal conductivity of the composites. The mechanical properties like tensile strength and flexural strength of the hybrid composite increase when the combination of hybrid fillers is judicially selected, whereas, the compressive strength and hardness of the composite increase with filler/fibre loading with maximum 131.4 MPa and 80.0 Shore D number, respectively. Due to the improved overall properties, the composite material under investigation can find its potential application in various microelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aims to examine the influence of treating micro-sized walnut shell particulates (WSP) with an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at the varied concentration on the physical and mechanical properties of a newly developed epoxy composite. Three sets of epoxy/WSP composites are prepared, i.e. Set A is for composites prepared with raw WSP, set B and set C is for composites prepared with treated WSP with 2 and 4 moles NaOH aqueous solution, respectively. For each set, four samples are fabricated for different WSP content (5, 10, 15, and 20 wt. %). It has been observed that the density of the composites reduces as the content WSP increases over the entire range of filler content. Against that, the volume of voids increases with WSP loading. Similarly, the water intake of composites also increases with filler loading. Mechanical properties like compressive strength, hardness, tensile and flexural modulus increase as a linear function of filler content whereas, tensile strength and flexural strength increase up to 10 wt. % of filler and decreases thereafter. Further, it is found that when WSP is modified with a 2-moles NaOH aqueous solution improves all the properties under investigation. Though, WSP treated with a 4-mole NaOH aqueous solution slightly deteriorates the properties of the material due to the excess concentration of NaOH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aims to examine the influence of surface‐modified micro‐sized walnut shell particulates (WSP) with an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) on epoxy composites. For that, epoxy/WSP composites are prepared by varying the WSP content up to 20 wt%. In this investigation, the physical properties (surface morphology, density, voids percentage, water uptake), mechanical properties (tensile, flexural, compressive, hardness), and sliding wear behavior of the composites are reported. From the micrographs, it is clear that WSP established good adhesion with the epoxy matrix. Further, it is found that the density, void content, water intake capacity, compressive strength, and hardness increase with WSP loading. Against that, the tensile and flexural strength is somewhat reduced at higher filler loading. Sliding wear tests are performed as per L25 Taguchi's orthogonal array. From the analysis, it is observed that WSP content is the most significant factor and sliding distance is the least significant factor for minimizing the wear rate. For analyzing the sliding wear performance under varied conditions, a prediction model is proposed using an artificial neural network to forecast the sliding wear rate of epoxy/WSP composites over a wide range of experimental domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C-reactive protein (CRP) is synthesized in hepatocytes. The serum concentration of CRP increases dramatically during the acute phase response. In human hepatoma Hep3B cells, maximal CRP expression occurs in cells treated with the combination of IL-6 and IL-1β. IL-6 induces transcription of the CRP gene and IL-1β synergistically enhances the effects of IL-6. We investigated the role of IL-6-activated transcription factor STAT3, also known as STAT3α, in inducing CRP expression since we identified four consensus STAT3-binding sites centered at positions − 72, − 108, − 134 and − 164 on the CRP promoter. It has been shown previously that STAT3 binds to the site at − 108 and induces CRP expression. We found that STAT3 also bound to the other three sites, and several STAT3-containing complexes were formed at each site, suggesting the presence of STAT3 isoforms and additional transcription factors in the complexes. Mutation of the STAT3 sites at − 108, − 134 or − 164 resulted in decreased CRP expression in response to IL-6 and IL-1β treatment, although the synergy between IL-6 and IL-1β was not affected by the mutations. The STAT3 site at − 72 could not be investigated employing mutagenesis. We also found that IL-6 activated two isoforms of STAT3 in Hep3B cells: STAT3α which contains both a DNA-binding domain and a transactivation domain and STAT3β which contains only the DNA-binding domain. Taken together, these findings raise the possibility that IL-6 not only induces CRP expression but also regulates the induction of CRP expression by activating STAT3 isoforms and by utilizing all four STAT3 sites. • There are four STAT3 sites on the CRP proximal promoter. • IL-6 activates two STAT3 isoforms in Hep3B cells. • Multiple STAT3-complexes of varying compositions form at the STAT3 sites. • IL-6 not only activates but also regulates the activation of CRP expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kota stone dust (KSD) and fly ash (FA) are the wastes generated from the construction industry and thermal power plant, respectively. In the present work, a novel hybrid composite is developed to utilize KSD and FA as reinforcing phases in the epoxy matrix. The hand lay‐up method is adopted for the fabrication of 12 sets of samples. Four sets are prepared with single filler KSD and eight samples are prepared with a hybrid combination of KSD and FA. The prepared samples are undergone physical and mechanical tests. To understand the compatibility between filler‐matrix and visualize the dispersion of fillers in epoxy, micrographs are taken using the scanning electron microscope. The density and void contents of the material increases with an increase in filler content. The maximum water absorption measured is 0.96% for the combination of epoxy with 40 wt% KSD and 10 wt% FA. From mechanical testing, maximum tensile strength and flexural strength obtained is 34.4 MPa and 65.4 MPa, respectively, for a combination of epoxy with 20 wt% KSD and 5 wt% FA. Compressive strength and hardness increase with either of the content of the filler and reaches 116.28 MPa and 104 Shore D number, respectively, with 40 wt% KSD and 10 wt% FA. From experimentation, it was found that mechanical properties of the hybrid composites are better as compared to that of single filler composites though physical properties are slightly compromised by hybridization of fillers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, a new class of polymer composite is developed using walnut shell powder (WSP) as particulate filler in the epoxy matrix. Three different sizes of WSP are used for preparing three different sets of composites. The particle size selected is 50-micron, 75-micron, and 100-micron. In each set of composites with different particle size, four compositions i.e., 5 wt. %, 10 wt. %, 15 wt. % and 20 wt. % of the WSP is fabricated. All prepared composites have undergone testing to study the behavior of the material under mechanical loading. The different mechanical tests performed are the tensile test, flexural test, compressive test and hardness test. From the experimentation, the inclusion of WSP appreciably alters the different mechanical properties of epoxy. With the increase in the content of filler, an appreciable increase in the value of hardness and compressive strength is observed. Though, it has been seen that the tensile strength and flexural strength of the material is compromised slightly when the content of WSP increases beyond a certain limit. Further, it is observed that composites fabricated with smaller size particles give improved mechanical properties as compared to their counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present investigation, a steel industry waste Linz–Donawitz (LD) sludge was added in different proportions with a polypropylene (PP) matrix and composite specimens were manufactured using the hand layup method. Experiments were performed to study the physical, mechanical, and erosion wear properties of the PP–LD sludge composites. This investigation also includes scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and x‐ray diffraction analysis of filler and composites. The erosion wear tests were carried out by Taguchi's experimental array design, where the effect of five control factors (impingement angle, filler content, erodent size, impact velocity, and erodent temperature) on erosion rate was analyzed. It was observed that filler content is the most influencing factor affecting were rate of the composites. At the maximum filler content of 20 wt%, the compressive strength and hardness increased to 85.71 MPa and 0.643 GPa, respectively. The tensile strength of the composites marginally decreased by 12.97% with the addition of 20 wt% filler. It was further observed that the flexural strength of the neat polymer decreased from 29.23 to 22.98 MPa with the addition of 20 wt% LD sludge. The SEM pictures of the eroded surface exhibited that the material removal is due to micro cracking and crack propagation. Highlights: In this study, an industrial waste (LD sludge) is successfully used as a potential filler material in the PP matrix.Physical and mechanical properties of the PP‐LD sludge composites are analyzed.Effects of different parameters like filler content, impact velocity, impingement angle, erodent size and erodent temperature on the wear behavior are studied.Scanning electron microscopy is carried out so that a micro‐examination of the surfaces can be performed, as well as an assessment of the wear derbies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates a composite prepared with polyester and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) in terms of the properties required in the material for microelectronics applications. The influence of filler loading and the surface treatment of hBN with a silane coupling agent (γ‐aminopropyl triethoxy silane) is studied. It has been observed that the silane‐modified hBN improves the compatibility and adhesion with the matrix as verified by SEM images. The experimental investigation reveals that the addition of hBN in polyester unwillingly rises the density, voids content, and water absorption rate. Though, the increment is limited with surface‐modified hBN. The material's mechanical properties improve with filler loading over a particular range of filler loading. The material's thermal conductivity and glass transition temperature increase with hBN content, whereas the coefficient of thermal expansion reduces. Polyester when filled with 40 wt% of the silane‐hBN, the thermal conductivity improves around six times that of unfilled polyester. The dielectric properties are marginally augmented with filler loading whereas, the increase in frequency results in the reduction of dielectric properties. It can be observed from the overall experimental analysis that the developed material can be used in different microelectronic applications. Highlights: A new class of composite is developed with polyester and raw/modified hBN.Composite with modified hBN shows improved physical/mechanical properties.Thermal properties of polyester improved appreciably with treated hBN.The dielectric properties of composites remain well within the range.The fabricated composites are recommended for microelectronics applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]