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Milk is a source of essential nutrients, but food safety across the milk supply chain has emerged as an integral part of food trade. Of the several food safety hazards, antimicrobial-resistant Staphylococcus species have emerged as one of the major microbial hazards with significant public health concerns. The present cross-sectional study was undertaken with the objective to isolate Staphylococcus species from the milk supply chain, characterize isolates for antimicrobial resistance, and trace the origin of isolates using molecular techniques. Samples collected from the formal and informal milk supply chains showed prevalence of Staphylococcus species of 4.3% (n=720); isolates were identified as coagulase-positive (S. aureus 67.7% and S. intermedius 6.4%) and coagulase-negative (S. lentus 9.6%, S. sciuri 3.2%, S. xylosus 3.2%, S. schleiferi 3.2%, S. felis 3.2%, and S. gallinarum 3.2%) species. Staphylococcus isolates showed antimicrobial resistance to methicillin (32.2%), β-lactam (41.9%), and macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (3.2%). Staphylococcus isolates phenotypically resistant to methicillin also carried the mecA gene and displayed diverse pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles, indicating their diverse origins in the milk supply chain. Based on the similarity of PFGE profile, the origin of one of the Staphylococcus isolates was traced to the soil in contact with milch cows. The findings of this study highlight the need for more comprehensive microbial risk analysis studies across the milk supply chain, capacity building, creation of awareness among stakeholders about the judicious use of antimicrobials, and protection of public health using a One-Health approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a cool season grain legume experiencing severe yield loss during heat stress due to the intensifying climate changes and its associated gradual increase of mean temperature. Hence, understanding the genetic architecture regulating heat stress tolerance has emerged as an important trait to be addressed for enhancing yield and productivity of chickpea under heat stress. The present study is intended to identify the major genomic region(s) governing heat stress tolerance in chickpea. For this, an integrated genomics-assisted breeding strategy involving NGS-based high-resolution QTL-seq assay, QTL region-specific association analysis and molecular haplotyping was deployed in a population of 206 mapping individuals and a diversity panel of 217 germplasm accessions of chickpea. This combinatorial strategy delineated a major 156.8 kb QTL genomic region, which was subsequently narrowed-down to a functional candidate gene CaHSFA5 and its natural alleles associated strongly with heat stress tolerance in chickpea. Superior natural alleles and haplotypes delineated from the CaHSFA5 gene have functional significance in regulating heat stress tolerance in chickpea. Histochemical staining, interaction studies along with differential expression profiling of CaHSFA5 and ROS scavenging genes suggest a cross talk between CaHSFA5 with ROS homeostasis pertaining to heat stress tolerance in chickpea. Heterologous gene expression followed by heat stress screening further validated the functional significance of CaHSFA5 for heat stress tolerance. The salient outcomes obtained here can have potential to accelerate multiple translational genomic analysis including marker-assisted breeding and gene editing in order to develop high-yielding heat stress tolerant chickpea varieties. Key message: An integrated next-generation genomic strategy delineates the functionally relevant gene and alleles for a major QTL governing heat stress tolerance in chickpea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Lumbar spine surgery is associated with significant postoperative pain. The benefits of erector spinae plane blocks (ESPBs) combined with multimodal analgesia has not been adequately studied. We evaluated the analgesic effects of bilateral ESPBs as a component of multimodal analgesia after open lumbar laminectomy. Methods: Analgesic effects of preoperative, bilateral, ultrasound-guided ESPBs combined with standardized multimodal analgesia (n = 25) was compared with multimodal analgesia alone (n = 25) in patients undergoing one or two level open lumbar laminectomy. Other aspects of perioperative care were similar. The primary outcome measure was cumulative opioid consumption at 24 h. Secondary outcomes included opioid consumption, pain scores, and nausea and vomiting requiring antiemetics on arrival to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after surgery, as well as duration of the PACU and hospital stay. Results: Opioid requirements at 24 h were significantly lower with ESPBs (31.9 ± 12.3 mg vs. 61.2 ± 29.9 mg, oral morphine equivalents). Pain scores were significantly lower with ESPBs in the PACU and through postoperative day two. Patients who received ESPBs required fewer postoperative antiemetic therapy (n = 3, 12%) compared to those without ESPBs (n = 12, 48%). Furthermore, PACU duration was significantly shorter with ESPBs (49.7 ± 9.5 vs. 79.9 ± 24.6 min). Conclusions: Ultrasound-guided, bilateral ESPBs, when added to an optimal multimodal analgesia technique, reduce opioid consumption and pain scores, the need for antiemetic therapy, and the duration of stay in the PACU after one or two level open lumbar laminectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of Review: A multimodal analgesic approach improves postoperative pain relief and reduces opioid use; however, it is not universally implemented. This review presents the evidence assessing multimodal analgesic regimens and recommends optimal analgesic combinations. Recent Findings: The evidence for best combinations of individual patients undergoing specific procedures is lacking. Nevertheless, an optimal multimodal regimen may be determined based on identifying efficacious, safe, and inexpensive analgesics interventions. Summary: Key components of an optimal multimodal analgesic regimen include the preoperative identification of patients at high risk for postoperative pain in addition to patient and caregiver education. Unless contraindicated, all patients should receive a combination of acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or cycoxygenase-2-specific inhibitor, dexamethasone, and procedure-specific regional analgesic technique and/or surgical site local anesthetic infiltration. Opioids should be administered as rescue adjuncts. Non-pharmacological interventions are important components of an optimal multimodal analgesic technique. It is imperative to integrate multimodal analgesia regimens within a multidisciplinary enhanced recovery pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: C-terminal Agrin Fragment (CAF) has emerged as a potent biomarker for identifying sarcopenia. However, the effect of interventions on CAF concentration and the association of CAF with sarcopenia components are unclear. Objective: To review the association between CAF concentration and muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance among individuals with primary and secondary sarcopenia and to synthesize the effect of interventions on the change in the level of CAF concentration. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in six electronic databases, and studies were included if they met the selection criteria decided a priori. The data extraction sheet was prepared, validated, and extracted relevant data. Results: A total of 5,158 records were found, of which 16 were included. Among studies conducted on individuals with primary sarcopenia, muscle mass was significantly associated with CAF levels, followed by hand grip strength (HGS) and physical performance, with more consistent findings in males. While in secondary sarcopenics, the strongest association was found for HGS and CAF levels, followed by physical performance and muscle mass. CAF concentration was reduced in trials that used functional, dual task, and power training, whereas resistance training and physical activity raised CAF levels. Hormonal therapy did not affect serum CAF concentration. Conclusion(s): The association between CAF and sarcopenic assessment parameters varies in primary and secondary sarcopenics. The findings would help practitioners and researchers choose the best training mode/parameters/exercises to reduce CAF levels and, eventually, manage sarcopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activated porous carbon was synthesized from methylcellulose biopolymer through a two-step mechanism involving H3PO4 as an activating agent and then thermally carbonized in a tubular furnace under an inert atmosphere at 850 °C. The product was next rinsed with strong HCl, neutralized with deionized water, and dried in an oven at 80 °C. Then, to fully understand the behavior of the activated porous carbon, it was characterized using techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), RAMAN spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Additionally, we have created dye-sensitive solar cells and an electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC) using this porous carbon produced from methylcellulose (DSSC). We used the above-mentioned prepared porous carbon for the electrode portion of the Electric Double-Layer Capacitor (EDLC) fabrication, and the maximized polymer electrolyte film made from the methyl cellulose (MC) biopolymer combined with 60 wt.% of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tricyanomethanide ionic liquid (IL), with a maximum conductivity of 1.93 × 10−2 S/cm, for the electrolyte. The fabricated EDLC device shows a specific capacitance of 60.8 F/gm at 5 mV/s scan rate which was confirmed by cyclovoltammetry and a low-frequency impedance plot in the CH electrochemical workstation. The DSSC device was fabricated using the same porous carbon as a material for the counter-electrode and the same composition polymer electrolyte that had been used in the EDLC as the electrolyte for the DSSC which yields an efficiency of 0.86%. The fill factor and other parameters were also calculated from the JV characteristics that had been characterized and obtained in the solar simulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key summary points: Aim: To synthesize the details of the exercises prescribed for the improvement of muscle mass/muscle strength/physical performance among sarcopenic older adults. Findings: Frequency, intensity, duration, type, mode, and progression while prescribing resistance, aerobic, balance, and flexibility exercises for sarcopenic older adults were identified and reported. Message: A multicomponent exercise program targeting muscle strength, aerobic, balance, and flexibility are recommended and tailored as per the existing fitness level and targeted outcomes for sarcopenic older adults. Purpose: To synthesize the details of the exercises/exercise program prescribed for the improvement of muscle mass/muscle strength/physical performance among sarcopenic older adults. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in five electronic databases and the details of exercises such as single component or multicomponent exercise program, frequency/week, intensity, duration of the exercise program, type of exercises, progression, adverse events reported, outcome measures used, and whether technology or other educational aids were used to deliver the program were extracted. Results: A total of 10,045 records were identified and 27 records were included. Resistance exercises were included in all the studies, with the frequency ranging from 1 to 5/week, intensity ranging from 20 to 80% of 1 repetition maximum (RM), or 6–14 points on ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), and duration per session ranging from 20 to 75 min. The intensity of aerobic exercises ranged from 50 to 70% of heart rate max or a level of 7–17 in RPE with a duration ranging from 6 to 30 min per session for 2–5 days/week. For balance exercises, the intensity was mentioned as the level of effort 3 on a scale of 10, and the time duration per session ranged from 5 to 30 min for a frequency of 2/3 per week. Conclusion: This review synthesized the components of exercise prescription for sarcopenic older adults which would help practitioners and researchers in selecting the frequency, intensity, duration, type, mode, and progression while prescribing exercises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field pea is highly sensitive to climatic vagaries, particularly high-temperature stress. The crop often experiences terminal heat stress in tropical climates indicating the need for the development of heat-tolerant cultivars. Characterization and identification of stress-adaptive plant traits are pre-requisites for breeding stress-tolerant/adaptive cultivar(s). In the study, a panel of 150 diverse field pea genotypes was tested under three different temperature environments (i.e., normal sowing time or non-heat stress environment (NSTE), 15 days after normal sowing time or heat stress environment-I (LSHTE-I), and 30 days after normal sowing time or heat stress environment-II (LSHTE-II)) to verify the effect of high-temperature environment, genotype, and genotype × environment interaction on different plant traits and to elucidate their significance in heat stress adaptation/tolerance. The delayed sowing had exposed field pea crops to high temperatures during flowering stage by + 3.5 °C and + 8.1 °C in the LSHTE-I and LSHTE-II, respectively. Likewise, the maximum ambient temperature during the grain-filling period was + 3.3 °C and + 6.1 °C higher in the LSHTE-I and LSHTE-II over the NSTE. The grain yield loss with heat stress was 25.8 ± 2.2% in LSHTE-I, and 59.3 ± 1.5% in LSHTE-II compared to the NSTE. Exposure of crops to a high-temperature environment during the flowering stage had a higher impact on grain yield than the heat stress at the grain filling period. Results suggested that the reduced sink capacity (pod set (pod plant−1), seed set (seed pod−1)) was the primary cause of yield loss under the heat stress environments, while, under the NSTE, yield potential was mostly attributed to the source capacity (plant biomass). The high-temperature stress resulted in forced maturity as revealed by shrinkage in crop period (5–11%) and reproductive period (15–36%), prominently in long-duration genotypes. The failure of pod set in the upper nodes and higher ovule abortion (7–16%) was noticed under the high-temperature environments, particularly in the LSHTE-II. Multivariate analysis results revealed seed set, pods plant−1, last pod bearing node, and plant biomass as a critical yield determinant under the heat stress. The GGE biplot suggested that the genotypes G-112, G-114, and G-33 had higher potential to sustain yield coupled with higher stability across the environments and, thus, could serve as a source for breeding heat-tolerant high yielding cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a response to a letter to the editor regarding a study on the use of erector spinae plane blocks (ESPBs) for pain management after open lumbar laminectomy. The authors address the concerns raised in the letter, stating that there was no surgical site infiltration in either group and that the only difference was the administration of ESPBs in the study group. They also discuss the limitations of surgical site infiltration and the need for further research comparing ESPBs with local wound infiltration. The authors acknowledge the need to assess functional pain in future studies and clarify that there is no evidence supporting the claim that pain scores of 3 or less are necessary for early mobilization. They also acknowledge a typographical error in one of the tables and state that they are working with the publishers to correct it. [Extracted from the article]

Occupancy detection is the main building block of residential and commercial building automation systems. Currently, it is difficult to determine when and where people occupy a commercial building. The accurate occupancy detection in the buildings is used to save energy. Hence, this paper presents an occupancy detection approach for detecting the person's count in the room or building using the proposed Chaotic Whale Spider Monkey (ChaoWSM) + Deep stacked autoencoder. The input data are initially fed to the pre-processing step. The pre-processing is done using missing value imputation and log transformation. Then, the feature reduction is performed from the pre-processed data. Here, the features are reduced based on probabilistic principal component analysis. On the next step, the reduced features are fed to the occupancy detection module where the occupancy is detected on the basis of the support vector neural network classifier. If the occupancy is detected, the features are forwarded to the person's count identification. The identification of a person's count is carried out based on deep stacked autoencoder, which is trained by an optimization approach. The optimization is done using the proposed Chaotic Whale Spider Monkey (ChaoWSM) optimization, which is the integration of Chaotic Whale optimization and the spider monkey optimization. The performance of occupancy detection based on ChaoWSM + Deep stacked autoencoder is evaluated based on sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and MSE. The proposed ChaoWSM + Deep stacked autoencoder method achieves the maximal accuracy of 0.945, maximal sensitivity of 0.946, the maximal specificity of 0.949 and the minimal MSE of 0.233 by varying the training data percentage for deep stacked autoencoder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a sudden rise of fungal infection with corona virus disease. This is attributed to the immunomodulation by the disease and the drugs used, diabetes mellitus, steroid use, oxygen inhalation using dirty water, use of zinc and iron supplements, etc. Early diagnosis and prompt medical and surgical intervention is the mainstay of treatment. This can greatly reduce the high morbidity and mortality associated with this disease. The objective of the study is to describe the imaging findings of acute invasive rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) in 25 patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2, from three different centers with proven mucormycosis. Special emphasis is placed on the signal enhancement patterns of sinonasal mucosa, the earliest and most common findings. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics. Results: Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 25 patients showed most commonly involved sinuses as maxillary and ethmoid sinuses (19, 76%) together. Sino-nasal mucosal thickening was the most common finding (24, 96%). Periantral infiltration (18, 72%) preceded before orbital (15, 60%), cerebral (5, 20%) and vascular (2, 8%) complications, with grossly intact bones. Sinus wall erosions were seen in only 2 patients (8%). Palatal (22%) and maxillary alveolar arch erosion (39%) were frequent findings. CT showed minimally enhancing hypodense soft tissue thickening as the predominant finding in involved areas, while MRI showed T1 and T2 iso- to hypointense mucosal thickening (62%) and intense (43%) and no (33%) contrast enhancement as the main finding. Conclusions: Contrast enhanced MRI is better at demonstrating early mucosal abnormalities, turbinate necrosis, non-enhancing devitalized tissues, orbital apex involvement and intra-cerebral extension. Imaging findings of inflammatory tissue infiltration adjacent to the paranasal sinuses in premaxillary, retroantral fat, facial muscles, pterygopalatine fossa, temporal, infratemporal fossa and extraconal orbital fat along with typical patterns of sinonasal mucosal enhancement should raise the suspicion of acute invasive fungal etiology given the short duration of history and immunocompromised status. High incidence of periantral and orbital extension of the disease is suggestive of acute invasive form of fungal infection. Also the rapidly progressive inflammatory changes without much bone involvement should suggest the suspicion of ROCM. Bony, cerebral and vascular involvements are relatively late complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With lumbar laminectomy increasingly being performed on an outpatient basis, optimal pain management is critical to avoid post-operative delay in discharge and readmission. The aim of this review was to evaluate the available literature and develop recommendations for optimal pain management after one- or two-level lumbar laminectomy. Methods: A systematic review utilizing the PROcedure-SPECific Post-operative Pain ManagemenT (PROSPECT) methodology was undertaken. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published in the English language from 1 January 2008 until 31 March 2020—assessing post-operative pain using analgesic, anaesthetic and surgical interventions—were identified from MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Databases. Results: Out of 65 eligible studies identified, 39 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The analgesic regimen for lumbar laminectomy should include paracetamol and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) or cyclooxygenase (COX)—2 selective inhibitor administered preoperatively or intraoperatively and continued post-operatively, with post-operative opioids for rescue analgesia. In addition, surgical wound instillation or infiltration with local anaesthetics prior to wound closure is recommended. Some interventions—gabapentinoids and intrathecal opioid administration—although effective, carry significant risks and consequently were omitted from the recommendations. Other interventions were also not recommended because there was insufficient, inconsistent or lack of evidence. Conclusion: Perioperative pain management for lumbar laminectomy should include paracetamol and NSAID- or COX-2-specific inhibitor, continued into the post-operative period, as well as intraoperative surgical wound instillation or infiltration. Opioids should be used as rescue medication post-operatively. Future studies are necessary to evaluate the efficacy of our recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of meat species origin using reliable techniques is a critical requirement for ensuring label compliance, protection of consumer preference and prevention of fraudulence in the meat trade. Although a plethora of protein and DNA based meat species identification techniques are in vogue, need for rapid test suitable for under-resourced laboratories catering point-of-care (PoC) services was construed. Present study deals with development of rapid sheep (Ovis aries) meat identification technique using DNA extraction by alkaline lysis (AL) and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique. The AL–LAMP specifically amplifies sheep-specific signal of mitochondrial D loop region under an isothermal temperature of 60 °C with an analytical sensitivity of 0.5 ng sheep DNA. The test was highly specific to sheep and performed well even in the presence of DNA of closely related meat animal species such as goat, cattle, buffalo and chicken. The novel primers designed for the AL–LAMP successfully detected sheep meat in raw and cooked meat samples heated up to 121 °C for 30 min. Sheep-specific AL–LAMP assay could detect 0.1% mutton-in-beef adulteration. Novel AL–LAMP assay being simple, rapid and reliable for sheep meat authentication in just 120 min; hence, it could be conveniently used by terminal laboratories engaged in rendering on-site or PoC services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to provide an interim safety analysis of the first 30 surgical procedures performed using the Versius Surgical System. Background: Robot-assisted laparoscopy has been developed to overcome some of the important limitations of conventional laparoscopy. The new system is currently undergoing a first-in-human prospective clinical trial to confirm the safety and effectiveness of the device when performing minimal access surgery (MAS). Methods: Procedures were performed using Versius by a lead surgeon supported by an operating room (OR) team. Male or female patients aged between 18 and 65 years old and requiring elective minor or intermediate gynaecological or general surgical procedures were enrolled. The primary endpoint was the rate of unplanned conversion of procedures to other MAS or open surgery. Results: The procedures included nine cholecystectomies, six robot-assisted total laparoscopic hysterectomies, four appendectomies, five diagnostic laparoscopy cases, two oophorectomies, two fallopian tube recanalisation procedures, an ovarian cystectomy and a salpingo-oophorectomy procedure. All procedures were completed successfully without the need for conversion to MAS or open surgery. No patient returned to the OR within 24 h of surgery and readmittance rate at 30 and 90 days post-surgery was 1/30 (3.3%) and 2/30 (6.7%), respectively. Conclusions: This first-in-human interim safety analysis demonstrates that the Versius Surgical System is safe and can be used to successfully perform minor or intermediate gynaecological and general surgery procedures. The cases presented here provide evidence that the Versius clinical trial can continue to extend recruitment and begin to include major procedures, in alignment with the IDEAL-D Framework Stage 2b: Exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane blocks for pain management after open lumbar laminectomy" published in the European Spine Journal. The correction states that Table 3 data in the original publication were incorrect and provides the correct table. The table presents numerical rating scores over time for patients undergoing open lumbar laminectomy with or without erector spinae plane block (ESPB) as part of multimodal analgesic care. The correction notice concludes by stating that the original article has been corrected and that Springer Nature remains neutral regarding jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. [Extracted from the article]

This paper explore the ability of bismuth selenide (Bi2Se3) as an alternative light sensitizer for photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar cell. Herein, we applied novel chemical route, namely, chemical bath deposition (CBD) for growth of Bi2Se3 nanoparticles over spin-coated TiO2 at room temperature. The structural, surface morphological, and optical properties of TiO2/Bi2Se3 films are systematically studied. The deposition time for the growth of Bi2Se3 using CBD can enable to tune the size of Bi2Se3 nanoparticles over porous TiO2 which significantly influences the physical properties of resultant heterostructure. The potential of Bi2Se3 nanoparticles in PEC solar cell is demonstrated by preparing FTO|TiO2|Bi2Se3|polysulphide electrolyte|carbon-coated FTO device structure and tested with current density–voltage (J-V) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. The result presented in this study established that the photoconversion efficiency and electron life time of device are affected by deposition time for Bi2Se3 using CBD. The J-V measurement done with above-proposed devices shows maximum photoconversion efficiency around 0.152% for 20 min deposited Bi2Se3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Integration of genomic technologies with breeding efforts have been used in recent years for chickpea improvement. Modern breeding along with low cost genotyping platforms have potential to further accelerate chickpea improvement efforts. The implementation of novel breeding technologies is expected to contribute substantial improvements in crop productivity. While conventional breeding methods have led to development of more than 200 improved chickpea varieties in the past, still there is ample scope to increase productivity. It is predicted that integration of modern genomic resources with conventional breeding efforts will help in the delivery of climate-resilient chickpea varieties in comparatively less time. Recent advances in genomics tools and technologies have facilitated the generation of large-scale sequencing and genotyping data sets in chickpea. Combined analysis of high-resolution phenotypic and genetic data is paving the way for identifying genes and biological pathways associated with breeding-related traits. Genomics technologies have been used to develop diagnostic markers for use in marker-assisted backcrossing programmes, which have yielded several molecular breeding products in chickpea. We anticipate that a sequence-based holistic breeding approach, including the integration of functional omics, parental selection, forward breeding and genome-wide selection, will bring a paradigm shift in development of superior chickpea varieties. There is a need to integrate the knowledge generated by modern genomics technologies with molecular breeding efforts to bridge the genome-to-phenome gap. Here, we review recent advances that have led to new possibilities for developing and screening breeding populations, and provide strategies for enhancing the selection efficiency and accelerating the rate of genetic gain in chickpea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multiset is a collection of objects in which repetition of elements is essential. This paper is an attempt to generalize the notion of filters in the multiset context. In addition, many deviations between multiset filters and ordinary filters have been presented. The relation between multiset filter and multiset ideal has been mentioned. Many properties of multiset filters, multiset ultrafilters, and convergence of multiset filters have been introduced. Also, the notions of basis and subbasis have been mentioned in the multiset context. Finally, several examples have been studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A one-pot, multi-component, synthetic method for preparation of 2-amino-4-substituted-1,4-dihydrobenzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine-3-carbonitriles has been developed. It was accomplished by mixing 2-aminobenzimidazole, aldehyde and malononitrile in the presence of S-Chit-HAp@Fe3O4 as a nanocatalyst in aqueous medium. The catalyst (S-Chit-HAp@Fe3O4) was synthesized using a co-precipitation method and further characterized by using FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, HR-TEM, TGA and VSM analysis. It was found that the catalyst exhibits magnetic properties and showed high catalytical activity for the synthesis of 2-amino-4-substituted-1,4-dihydrobenzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine-3-carbonitriles.Graphical Abstract: S-Chit-HAp@Fe3O4 nanoparticles catalyzing one-pot, multi-component synthesis of 2-amino-4-substituted-1,4-dihydrobenzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine-3-carbonitriles in aqueous medium has been reported herein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use of healthcare-related smartphone applications is common. However, there is concern that inaccurate information from these applications may lead patients to make erroneous healthcare decisions. The objective of this study is to study smartphone applications purporting to measure vital sign data using only onboard technology compared with monitors used routinely in clinical practice. This is a prospective trial comparing correlation between a clinically utilized vital sign monitor (Propaq CS, WelchAllyn, Skaneateles Falls, NY, USA) and four smartphone application-based monitors Instant Blood Pressure, Instant Blood Pressure Pro, Pulse Oximeter, and Pulse Oximeter Pro. We performed measurements of heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressures (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and oxygen saturation (SpO2) using standard monitor and four smartphone applications. Analysis of variance was used to compare measurements from the applications to the routine monitor. The study was completed on 100 healthy volunteers. Comparison of routine monitor with the smartphone applications shows significant differences in terms of HR, SpO2 and DBP. The SBP values from the applications were not significantly different from those from the routine monitor, but had wide limits of agreement signifying a large degree of variation in the compared values. The degree of correlation between monitors routinely used in clinical practice and the smartphone-based applications studied is insufficient to recommend clinical utilization. This lack of correlation suggests that the applications evaluated do not provide clinically meaningful data. The inaccurate data provided by these applications can potentially contribute to patient harm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although buffalo has emerged as a major meat producing animal in Asia, major research on breed traceability has so far been focused on cattle (beef). This research gap on buffalo breed traceability has impelled development and validation of buffalo breed traceability using a set of eight microsatellite (STR) markers in seven Indian buffalo breeds (Bhadawari, Jaffaarabadi, Murrah, Mehsana, Nagpuri, Pandharpuri and Surti). Probability of sharing same profile by two individuals at a specific locus was computed considering different STR numbers, allele pooling in breed and population. Match probabilities per breed were considered and six most polymorphic loci were genotyped. Out of eight microsatellite markers studied, markers CSSMO47, DRB3 and CSSM060 were found most polymorphic. Developed technique was validated with known and unknown, blood and meat samples; wherein, samples were genetically traced in 24 out of 25 samples tested. Results of this study showed potential applications of the methodology and encourage other researchers to address the problem of buffalo traceability so as to create a world-wide archive of breed specific genotypes. This work is the first report of breed traceability of buffalo meat utilizing microsatellite genotyping technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Postoperative epidural analgesia for major upper abdominal and thoracic surgery can provide significant benefits, including superior analgesia and reduced pulmonary dysfunction. Nevertheless, epidural analgesia may also be associated with decreased muscle strength, sympathetic tone, and proprioception that could possibly contribute to falls. The purpose of this retrospective case-control study was to search a large national database in order to investigate the possible relationship between postoperative epidural analgesia and the rate of inpatient falls.Methods: Data from the nationwide inpatient sample for 2007-2011 were queried for adult patients who underwent elective major upper abdominal and thoracic surgery. Multiple International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes for inpatient falls and accidents were combined into one binary variable. Univariate analyses were used for initial statistical analysis. Logistic regression analyses and McNemar's tests were subsequently used to investigate the association of epidural analgesia with inpatient falls in a 1:1 case-control propensity-matched sample after adjustment of patients' demographics, comorbidities, and hospital characteristics.Results: Forty-two thousand six hundred fifty-eight thoracic and 54,974 upper abdominal surgical procedures were identified. The overall incidence of inpatient falls in the thoracic surgery group was 6.54% with an increasing trend over the study period from 4.95% in 2007 to 8.11% in 2011 (P < 0.001). Similarly, the overall incidence of inpatient falls in the upper abdominal surgery group was 5.30% with an increasing trend from 4.55% in 2007 to 6.07% in 2011 (P < 0.001). Postoperative epidural analgesia was not associated with an increased risk for postoperative inpatient falls in the thoracic surgery group (relative risk [RR], 1.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.95 to 1.47; P = 0.144) and in the upper abdominal surgery group (RR, 0.84; 95% CI 0.64 to 1.09; P = 0.220). Inpatient falls compared with non-falls were associated with a longer median (interquartile range) length of hospital stay in both the thoracic surgery group (11 [7-17] days vs 9 [6-16] days, respectively; P < 0.001) and the upper abdominal surgery group (12 [7-20] days vs 10 [6-17] days, respectively; P < 0.001).Conclusion: Our study suggests that postoperative epidural analgesia for patients undergoing major upper abdominal and thoracic surgery is not associated with an increased risk of inpatient falls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]