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This paper reports deformation mechanism studies by varying height-to-diameter ratio of aluminum (Al), aluminum–magnesium (Al–Mg) and aluminum–magnesium–carbon (Al–Mg–C) metal matrix composites prepared using stir casting technique. Specimen were machined to the required sizes, having different [Formula: see text] ratios (i.e. [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]). Mechanical properties such as hardness and deformation of the undeformed and deformed specimens were examined. Deformation test was performed under a load of 14 tonnes at different interfacial frictional conditions, i.e. dry, solid lubrication and liquid lubrication. The study revealed significant improvement in densification and hardness behavior in the composites as compared to its base metals and alloys.

Introduction:- The coronary sinus is a collection of veins, joined together to form a large vessel that collects blood from the heart muscle (myocardium) 1. Most cardiac veins drain into the wide coronary sinus, 2 or 3 cm long, lying in the posterior atrioventricular groove between the left atrium and ventricle.2 The sinus opens into the right atrium between the opening of the inferior vena cava and the right atrioventricular orifice. An endocardial fold may guard the entrance of sinus valve of the coronary sinus or Thebesian Valve. The fold may be absent or may cover the ostium of the sinus completely or partially. Material & Method:- The present study was conducted in the anatomy department of medical college Baroda, Gujarat. One hundred formalin-fixed hearts specimens were taken for the study The dimensions of the coronary sinus ostium in millimetres was measured with the help of digital vernier calliper. Craniocaudal and transverse length were measured and recorded in Microsoft excel. Result :- In the current study, we observed that 58 hearts had the coronary sinus with a thebesian Valve and the rest 42 were without a thebesian Valve.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring can identify individuals who may benefit from aggressive prevention therapies. However, there is a paucity of contemporary data on the impact of CAC testing on patient management. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of adults who underwent CAC testing at Brigham and Women’s Hospital between 2015 and 2019. Information on baseline medications, follow-up medications, lifestyle modification, and downstream cardiovascular testing within one-year post-CAC were obtained from electronic health records. RESULTS: Of the 839 patients with available baseline and follow-up data, 376 (45%) had a CAC = 0, 289 (34%) had CAC = 1–99, and 174 (21%) had CAC≥100. The mean age at time of CAC testing was 59 ± 9.7 years. Patients with higher CAC scores were more likely to be male, have diabetes and hypertension, and have higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. A non-zero CAC score was associated with initiation of aspirin (41% increase, p < 0.001), anti-hypertensives (9% increase, p = 0.031), and lipid-lowering therapies (114% increase, p < 0.001), whereas CAC = 0 was not. Among individuals with CAC≥100, 75% were started on new or more intense lipid-lowering therapy. Higher calcium scores correlated with increased physician recommendations for diet (p = 0.008) and exercise (p = 0.004). The proportion of cardiovascular downstream testing following CAC was 9.1%, and the majority of patients who underwent additional testing post-CAC had CAC scores ≥100. CONCLUSION: Approximately half of individuals referred for CAC testing had evidence of calcified coronary plaque, and of those who had significant calcifications (CAC≥100), nearly 90% were prescribed lipid-lowering therapies post-CAC. Rates of downstream non-invasive testing were low and such testing was mostly performed in patients who had at least moderate CAC.

PURPOSE Survivors of childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancer are at risk of late effects, including pulmonary and infectious complications. Whether survivors are at increased risk of COVID-19 infection and severe complications is unknown. METHODS Population-based registries in Ontario, Canada, identified all 5-year survivors of childhood cancer diagnosed age 0-17 years between 1985 and 2014, and of six common adolescent and young adult cancers diagnosed age 15-21 years between 1992 and 2012. Each survivor alive on January 1, 2020, was randomly matched by birth year, sex, and residence to 10 cancer-free population controls. Individuals were linked to population-based laboratory and health care databases to identify COVID-19 tests, vaccinations, infections, and severe outcomes (emergency department [ED] visits, hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions, and death within 60 days). Demographic, disease, and treatment-related variables were examined as possible predictors of outcomes. RESULTS Twelve thousand four hundred ten survivors were matched to 124,100 controls. Survivors were not at increased risk of receiving a positive COVID-19 test (386 [3.1%] v 3,946 [3.2%]; P = .68) and were more likely to be fully vaccinated (hazard ratio, 1.23; 95 CI, 1.20 to 1.37). No increase in risk among survivors was seen in emergency department visits (adjusted odds ratio, 1.2; 95 CI, 0.9 to 1.6; P = .19) or hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio, 1.8; 95 CI, 1.0 to 3.5; P = .07). No survivor experienced intensive care unit admission or died after COVID-19 infection. Pulmonary radiation or chemotherapies associated with pulmonary toxicity were not associated with increased risk. CONCLUSION Cancer survivors were not at increased risk of COVID-19 infections or severe sequelae. These results can inform risk-counseling of survivors and their caregivers. Further study is warranted to determine risk in older survivors, specific subsets of survivors, and that associated with novel COVID-19 variants.

Hypertension is a major risk factor of cardiovascular diseases, which is mainly caused due to over activation of renin-angiotensin system. The angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), which is involved in formation of angiotensin II from angiotensin I, causes the blood vessels to constrict, in turn leading to hypertension. The current study was initiated to understand the role of bioactive volatile compounds from Phaseolus vulgaris L. (common bean), in ACE enzyme inhibition. Beans aqueous extract (BAE) showed maximum ACE inhibition of 88.4 ± 0.8% in comparison to other commonly consumed vegetables like spinach and garlic. The head space gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed the presence of a number of terpenes and terpenoids, which were present prominently in BAE. In silico molecular docking studies indicated that among the other volatile compounds, alpha-cadinol (-7.27 kcal/mol) and ar-tumerone (-6.44 kcal/mol) have the maximum binding affinity with the active site of ACE, as compared to that of captopril (-6.41 kcal/mol). The molecular dynamic simulation in biological environment, showed that alpha-cadinol forms a stable complex with ACE, with average binding energy of -42 kJ/mol. The ACE:alpha-cadinol complex was found to be stable mainly due to the hydrophobic interactions of alpha-cadinol with active site residues (Tyr523 and Phe457) of ACE. The in silico drug-likeness analysis showed that alpha-cadinol is appropriate for human system with no predicted hepatotoxicity or mutagenicity (AMES toxicity). Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Washing bar soap is widely used and vital in everyday life, especially in developing countries where demand is increasing due to population expansion. However, the production and use of washing bar soap have negative impacts on the environment, and the sustainability of soap packaging is also a concern. This research focuses on measuring the environmental effects of the production phase of washing bar soap while accounting for the differences in soap consumption across brands and consumer behavior during the use phase. The research aims to quantify the ecological burden caused by the production and use of 1 kg of bar soap through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) that follows ISO 14040 and 14044 standards. This study also addresses the resource-intensive aspect of soap packaging, particularly plastic packaging, and offers sustainability solutions through circular economy principles. GaBi v8.0 software is used to evaluate various environmental performance indicators, and the results show that eutrophication has the highest burden on the environment compared to other categories. This study highlights the importance of consumer behavior in reducing the environmental impact of washing bar soap, as the use stage of washing bar soap has the most significant impact in most categories.

Background The likelihood of pregnancy and risk of obstetrical or perinatal complications is inadequately documented in female survivors of pediatric cancer. Methods We assembled a population-based cohort of female survivors of cancer diagnosed at age 21 years and younger in Ontario, Canada, between 1985 and 2012. Survivors were matched 1:5 to women without prior cancer. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards and modified Poisson models assessed the likelihood of a recognized pregnancy and perinatal and maternal complications. Results A total of 4062 survivors were matched to 20 308 comparisons. Median (interquartile range) age was 11 (4-15) years at cancer diagnosis and 25 (19-31) years at follow-up. By age 30 years, the cumulative incidence of achieving a recognized pregnancy was 22.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 20.7% to 23.9%) among survivors vs 26.6% (95% CI = 25.6% to 27.3%) among comparisons (hazard ratio = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.75 to 0.86). A lower likelihood of pregnancy was associated with a brain tumor, alkylator chemotherapy, cranial radiation, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Pregnant survivors were as likely as cancer-free women to carry a pregnancy >20 weeks (relative risk [RR] = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.98 to 1.04). Survivors had a higher relative risk of severe maternal morbidity (RR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.59 to 3.37), cardiac morbidity (RR = 4.18, 95% CI = 1.89 to 9.24), and preterm birth (RR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.29 to 1.92). Preterm birth was more likely in survivors treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allogenic: RR = 8.37, 95% CI = 4.83 to 14.48; autologous: RR = 3.72, 95% CI = 1.66 to 8.35). Conclusions Survivors of childhood or adolescent cancer are less likely to achieve a pregnancy and, once pregnant, are at higher risk for severe maternal morbidity and preterm birth.

Bio-composites and Bio-materials has received a high attraction in the field of engineering and commercial applications due to their important properties like lightweight, low density, high specific strength, degradable, non-toxicity and environment friendly nature. These natural fiber reinforced polymer composites are now receiving a great attention from material scientist andare now replacing metallic materials in different applications which are used globally in structural and non-structural components. The present work represents the simulation of natural fiber based polymer composites for frictional and specific Wear Rate. In this study, composites were manufactured by jute, hemp, flax reinforced fibers with epoxy polymer using hand lay-up technique. ANOVA and TOPSIS methods are separate techniques for optimization and TOPSIS method provide much closer result as compared to ANOVA.

Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites are being used globally in every field of engineering and technology to develop structural and non-structural components. These composites are being extensively used in automobile sector, aerospace sector, shipping industries and medical equipment’s. Such type of materials has gained attention due to their massive properties such as partial bio-degradability, non-toxic and high specific strength. The present work represents the optimization of tribological performance (frictional force, coefficient of friction and specific wear rate) of polymer composites using ANOVA & TOPSIS methods. In this work, polymeric composites were fabricated by jute, hemp, flax reinforced fibers with epoxy polymer using hand lay-up technique. ANOVA and TOPSIS have been used as an efficient tool for optimizing the wear data. ANOVA tool represents that friction force, coefficient of friction and specific wear rate of the samples have discrete effect with the composition of samples as well as applied load. ANOVA technique only mentions the effect of variable but do not define which sample has maximum effect of variables. TOPSIS technique assigns the rank of the samples according to performance.

The benefit associated with the incorporation of vincristine-corticosteroid pulses into maintenance therapy for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is unclear, particularly in the context of modern intensive therapy. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the impact of reducing frequency of vincristine-steroid pulses during maintenance for newly diagnosed pediatric patients with B-cell ALL. Two authors reviewed all eligible studies identified through a comprehensive search, extracted data from the 25 included publications (12 513 patients), and assessed risk of bias. We created historical and contemporary subgroups; the latter included trials providing a version of Protocol III from early Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster trials and eliminating routine prophylactic cranial radiation. Meta-analysis of event-free survival data suggested no benefit between more frequent or less frequent pulses in contemporary trials (HR 0.96, 95%CI 0.85-1.09) which differs significantly from historical trials (HR 0.79, 95%CI 0.68-0.91, p=0.04). We found no significant impact of reduced pulse frequency on overall survival or relapse risk. There was however an increased odds of Grade 3+ non-hepatic toxicity in the high pulse frequency group (OR 1.31, 95%CI 1.12-1.52). This systematic review suggests that the previous benefit conferred by frequent pulses of vincristine-steroids in maintenance therapy for pediatric B-cell ALL in historical trials no longer applies in contemporary trials but is associated with toxicity. These results will help guide development of the next phase of clinical trials in the field of pediatric ALL and question the continued use of pulses in maintenance for patients not on clinical trials, particularly those experiencing toxicity.

In the present work, metal matrix nanocomposites are being prepared using Fe as base material reinforced with Al2O3 and doped with CeO2. Nanocomposite specimens were synthesized using powder metallurgy technique. Tafel Polarization, Corrosion Behavior and its optimization using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) as well as Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) along with Phase and Microstructure of prepared samples have been investigated. It was observed that corrosion rate and corrosion current density was highest for pure Fe samples whereas 1.0% CeO2 doped Fe-Al2O3 metal matrix nanocomposite system showed the formation of nano amorphous layer on the specimen surface. Analysis of Variance shows that the different compositions of samples have changed outcome on corrosion behavior. Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution analysis shows ordered preference of sample as per the readings of corrosion rate.

BACKGROUND Children with leukemia and Down syndrome (DS) are at higher risk of acute treatment toxicities than those without DS. Whether late toxicity risks are also elevated is unknown. METHODS The authors identified all patients diagnosed with leukemia before the age of 18 years in Ontario, Canada between 1987 and 2013 and who survived greater than 5 years since their last pediatric cancer event. Survivors were divided into those with and without DS, matched by birth year, sex, leukemia type, and receipt of radiation. DS survivors were matched to individuals with DS without childhood cancer (DS controls) in a 1:10 ratio. Outcomes were identified through linkage to population-based health services databases. RESULTS DS survivors (n = 79) experienced inferior overall survival compared to non-DS survivors (n = 231) (20-year overall survival, 81.7% ± 6.8% vs 98.3% ± 1.2%; hazard ratio [HR], 12.8; P < .0001) and to DS controls (n = 790; 96.3% ± 1.2%; HR, 5.4 P < .0001). Pulmonary and infectious deaths were noted among DS survivors. There was no difference in the incidence of congestive heart failure between DS survivors and either control cohort, nor of hearing loss or dementia between DS survivors and DS controls. CONCLUSIONS DS survivors were at substantially higher risk of late mortality than non-DS survivors or DS controls. This excess risk was not attributable to cardiac- or subsequent malignant neoplasm-related late effects, historically main causes of premature death among non-DS survivors. Chronic morbidities associated with DS were not increased compared to DS controls. DS-specific surveillance guidelines may be warranted.

The capacity of captive power plants has grown at a high rate in India in the recent past. As a result, harmful emissions have increased that need to be accounted for the overall sustainability of the parent plant. The aim of this research work is to quantify the environmental impact which is associated with the captive power plant usage through life cycle assessment approach. In the present study, Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is adopted from gate to grave system boundary. LCA of the CPP was conducted to assess the actual effect of power plant on the environment. The GaBi 6.4 software was used to analyze the energy input and emissions of harmful gases in the CPP. The study suggests that the Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential (POCP) created by the power plant is high and should be reduced.

In the present study, minimally processed pomegranate arils were subjected to dip coating treatment to enhance its shelf-life owing to its high perishability. Grape pomace extract was used as an antimicrobial agent and guar gum (GG) as a matrix. Plate count agar and pour plate technique were used for mesophilic bacterial counts. The microbial analysis demonstrated that the control sample had an initial microbial count of 3.3 ± 0.17 cfu g−1 which reached > 107 cfu g−1 after 4 days of storage at 10 °C thus limiting its shelf-life. However, mesophilic counts of 0.5% pomace treated samples were 2.7 ± 0.14 cfu g−1 and it remained below < 106 cfu g−1 even after storage of 6 days at 10 °C. Sensory attributes of treated samples were comparable to fresh arils throughout the storage period. During storage, all samples showed significant loss of moisture thus consequently increase in their firmness. After 6 days of storage 2.9 ± 0.15 and 2.7 ± 0.13% of moisture loss was observed for control and 0.5% treated samples, respectively. Headspace gaseous composition of arils packed tray remains constant till the end of storage which might be due to very high CO2 and O2 permeability of GG based active film used in the present study. Antioxidant activity, ascorbic acid, anthocyanins, phenolics, and flavonoids content of arils juice remain unchanged during treatment and storage. Effectivity of grape pomace extract to enhance the shelf-life of arils was thus observed in the present study.