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The Ethereum blockchain’s smart contract is a programmable transaction that performs general-purpose computations and can be executed automatically on the blockchain. Leveraging this component, blockchain technology (BT) has grown beyond the scope of cryptocurrencies and can now be applicable in various industries other than finance. In this paper, we investigated the current trends in Ethereum-based decentralized applications (DApps) to be able to categorize and analyze the DApps to measure the complexity of smart contracts behind them, their level of security and their correlation to the maintainability of the DApps. We leveraged the source code analysis, security analysis, and the developmental metadata of the DApps to infer this correlation. Based on our findings, we concluded that the maintainability of Ethereum DApps is proportional to the code size, number of functions, and, most importantly, the number of outgoing invocations and statements in the smart contracts.

The research paper explores different appropriation strategies of English language in Pakistani English literature. The research examined various appropriating techniques and the reasons behind using these techniques in short story Mamoon Ji by Tariq Rahman. English has become the lingua franca in the world. So, the writers tend to appropriate language in their writings from all over the world. The same phenomenon has been observed by the researchers in Tariq Rahman’s writing. The researchers analyze the text and apply Ashcroft’s theory of appropriation (2002) to investigate five appropriation strategies like glossing, untranslated words, syntactic fusion, vernacular transcription as well as code-switching. Many Urdu words have been analyzed along with Arabic words and Punjabi phrases at lexical and sentence levels. The focus remains on how Rahman employs the language appropriation techniques to convey themes, represents cultural contexts, and construct characters. The study provides the significant information in examining the issues, extracting desired information & reaching outcomes. The outcome of current study has far-reaching implications from different viewpoints as it can be useful for pedagogy in teaching Pakistani English literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the obligate intracellular organism Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is the oldest known infectious disease in humans. Current therapy for TB consists of multiple antibiotics, is lengthy, and [...], Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major infectious disease worldwide. TB treatment displays a biphasic bacterial clearance, in which the majority of bacteria clear within the first month of treatment, but residual bacteria remain nonresponsive to treatment and eventually may become resistant. Here, we have shown that Mycobacterium tuberculosis was taken up by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), where it established dormancy and became highly nonresponsive to isoniazid, a major constituent of directly observed treatment short course (DOTS). Dormant M. tuberculosis induced quiescence in MSCs and promoted their long-term survival. Unlike macrophages, where M. tuberculosis resides in early-phagosomal compartments, in MSCs the majority of bacilli were found in the cytosol, where they promoted rapid lipid synthesis, hiding within lipid droplets. Inhibition of lipid synthesis prevented dormancy and sensitized the organisms to isoniazid. Thus, we have established that M. tuberculosis gains dormancy in MSCs, which serve as a long-term natural reservoir of dormant M. tuberculosis. Interestingly, in the murine model of TB, induction of autophagy eliminated M. tuberculosis from MSCs, and consequently, the addition of rapamycin to an isoniazid treatment regimen successfully attained sterile clearance and prevented disease reactivation.

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a frequently occurring gynecological disorder mainly caused by the inflammation of a woman's upper genital tract. Generally, antibiotics are used for treating PID, but prolonged use poses potential risks of gut bacterial imbalance, bacterial resistance, super bacteria production, and associated adverse reactions. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has shown unique advantages in various ailments and has received widespread clinical research attention. Fuke Qianjin (FUKE) capsule is an approved National Medical Products Administration (NMPA License No. Z20020024) Chinese herbal prescription that has been widely used individually or in combination with other Western medicines for the treatment of various gynecological inflammatory diseases, including chronic cervicitis, endometritis, and chronic PID. Aim: This clinical trial was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of FUKE capsule in mild-to-moderate symptomatic PID patients. Materials and methods: This phase 2, randomized, double-blind, positive controlled clinical trial was conducted in mild-to-moderate symptomatic PID patients at a single center in Pakistan from 21 September 2021 to 11 March 2022. Eligible female participants were randomly assigned to a test and a control group with a ratio of 1:1. The test group subjects received two metronidazole (METRO) tablets and one doxycycline hyclate (DOXY) simulant at a time, twice daily for 14 days, and two Fuke Qianjin (FUKE) capsules, three times a day after a meal for 28 days. Subjects in the control group received two METRO tablets and one DOXY tablet at a time, twice daily for 14 days, and two FUKE simulant capsules, three times a day after meal for 28 days. The primary efficacy outcome was an improvement in pelvic pain symptoms assessed through a visual analog scale (VAS). The secondary outcomes were the improvement in secondary efficacy symptoms like local physical signs, clinical assessment of leucorrhea and cervical secretions through laboratory examination, and improvement in the maximum area of pelvic effusion assessed through gynecological ultrasound after the treatment. The safety outcomes were assessed through vital signs, laboratory tests, electrocardiogram findings, and adverse events/serious adverse events. Results: A total of 198 subjects with active PID were randomly assigned to a test group (n = 99) and a control group (n = 99). The baseline characteristics of the subjects in the two groups were similar. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the primary efficacy was 84.9% for the test group and 71.6% for the control group, with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.0370; 95% CI -0.2568 to -0.0088). The secondary clinical efficacy was 88.4% for the test group and 82.7% for the control group, with no significant difference (p = 0.2977; 95% CI -0.1632 to 0.0501). The improvement in local physical signs was 95.8% for the test group and 76.9% for the control group, with no significant difference (p = 0.0542; 95% CI -0.3697 to -0.0085). The inter-group non-inferiority comparison showed that the upper limit of the 95% CI was less than 0.15 and thus met the noninferiority requirements of the test group to the control group. The results of clinical signs of leucorrhea and cervical secretions showed that there was no difference in the rate of improvement between the test and control groups, indicating that FUKE was non-inferior to DOXY. A total of 14 adverse events in eight subjects were observed in the trial, with an incidence rate of 4.7%. Four subjects in each group experienced seven adverse events with 4.5% and 4.8% incidence rates of adverse reactions in the test and control groups, with no statistically significant differences (p = 0.2001). No serious adverse events occurred in the trial. Conclusion: The results of this trial indicate that the test drug (Fuke Qianjin capsule) is non-inferior to the control drug (doxycycline hyclate tablet) in treating mild-tomoderate PID patients with comparable efficacy, safety, and tolerability to the control drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Common symptoms of Chronic Non-atrophic Gastritis (CNAG) include nausea, stomach distension, and abdominal pain. The Houtou Jianweiling Tablet (HTJWT) is a chinese patent medicine (CN1368229A) and it has been used clinically for more than 20 years with proven clinical efficacy in treating CNAG, prompted us to establish the clinical efficacy and safety of HTJWT on patients with mild to moderate CNAG symptoms in Pakistani population. Methods: This phase II, double-blind, randomized, parallel-controlled trial was conducted in a single center between November 2022 and February 2023 in Pakistan. In a ratio of 1:1, total 240 CNAG patients with erosion identified by pathological biopsy and gastroscopy were randomly assigned to control (Omeprazole) group (n = 120) and the treatment (HTJWT) group (n = 120). Patients in the treatment group received orally four HTJWT (0.38g/tablet), three times a day and one placebo of Omeprazole enteric-coated tablet prior to breakfast, daily. On the other hand, patients in the control group received one Omeprazole enteric-coated tablet (20 mg/tablet) prior to breakfast and four placebo of HTJWT, thrice a day. The patients consumed the investigated drugs (i.e., treatment and control) treatment regimen was followed for a duration of 28 days. The safety of the patients were evaluated through adverse events, serious adverse events and laboratory tests such as blood biochemistry, urine analysis, liver and renal function tests. Vital signs like; blood pressure, pulse rate, body temperature, respiratory rate for all the patients were recorded. The cardiac status of the patients were assessed through electrocardiogram (ECG). The primary efficacy indicators were the improvement rate of gastric distention and gastralgia as the main clinical symptoms. Secondary indicators were visual analogue score (VAS); improvement rate of secondary clinical symptoms and signs; improvement rate of total clinical signs and symptoms; the disappearance/ remission rate of Gastric pain and, remission/disappearance time of gastric distension; and the negative conversion rate of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). The outcomes among each group were compared using the chi-square test. Results: Patients in both groups had good drug compliance (80%-120%), and there was no statistically significant difference in the patients' baseline characteristics. The clinical improvement rate was found to be 91.1% in the treatment group and 91.0% in the control group with negligible variation among the two groups (p = 0.9824; 95% confidence interval: -0.0781-0.0798). Similarly, hardly no difference was found in the negative conversion rate of H. pylori between the treatment group and the control group (i.e., 70.1% and 71.8% respectively, p = 0.8125). There were no significant differences in respiratory rate, vital signs, blood pressure, laboratory results for blood biochemistry, urine analysis, liver and renal function tests between the two groups. The ECG assessment carried out for the treatment and control group revealed no considerable difference. Margin variation in the disappearance time of gastric pain (p = 0.1860) and remission rate (p = 0.5784) between the two groups were observed. The control group exhibited a faster remission period for gastrointestinal discomfort indications as compared to treatment group (p = 0.0430). Only one patient in the control group experienced mild to moderate adverse events, namely; epigastric pain and dyspepsia. The results were consistent with the intention-to-treat and per-protocol analysis that included patients who were 100% compliant to the assigned therapy. Conclusion: The lower limit of confidence interval (CI, 95%) for the differences in the effective rate between the treatment and the control groups was found to be -0.0781 which is greater than -0.15, hence the treatment group is non-inferior to the control group. The therapeutic dosage used in the trial and treatment period did not cause any significant adverse event, and there were no obvious changes in the ECG profile, vital signs and biochemistry of the patients. Based on the clinical efficacy evaluation and reported adverse events, it can be concluded that the HTJWT is a safe and effective traditional chinese medicine for the treatment of patients suffering from chronic non-atrophic gastritis with mild to moderate symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pod shattering is an undesirable process leading to loss of harvestable yields. In the present study, we sought to undertake the first comprehensive phenotyping in 254 bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes for pod shattering including various mechanistic aspects as well as assess natural variation in the germplasm set for 16 seed physical traits including shattering score. There was substantial variability in 16 pod physical traits in the material. Significant diversity of the material in respect of pod traits was indicated by the broad range and coefficient of variation (CV) values. Using Random Impact Assessment (RIA), we found substantial variability in pod shattering score in common bean genotypes indicating significant diversity. Shattering score had a mean value of 6.098 with a range of 1.07 to 9.13. Highest shattering score was recorded in WB-6, WB-20-247, and N-7 while the lowest value for shattering score was recorded in WB-1129 and WB-216. Shattering score was negatively correlated with pod thickness (r = -0.698) followed by ventral/dorsal length ratio (r = -0.468) and positively correlated with breadth/thickness ratio (r = 0.599) and string % (r = 0.590). The principal component analysis (PCA) concentrated 86.91% variability in the first five principal components, and the first two PCs accounted for 55.62% of the total variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Agronomical traits like loss of seed dispersal targeted by ancient human selection are an important milestone of crop domestication. Evolution in plant species is a result of natural and human selection at the time of domestication. Evolution leads to continued improvement of adaptive traits in almost all plant species. Aims: Pod shattering, one of the examples of convergent evolution, is defined as breaking up of the pod shell enabling the successful dispersal of seeds mainly in wild species. Since the available climate change models predict an increase in aridity, it is expected that the losses on account of shattering will be aggravated, especially in dry areas. Methods: Histological studies and biochemical parameters are increasingly used as surrogates for pod shattering response as they provide key inputs for selecting contrasting genotypes based on differential lignification, role of pectin, fibre, cellulose and total carbohydrate content as well as enzymes such as endopolygalacturonase and β-glucanase and hormones. Key results: There is diversity for level of shattering, with race Nueva Granada showing higher rates of pod shattering as compared to the Durango and Jalisco races. Genomics has helped identify several genes or quantitative trait loci (QTL) such as PDH-1, St-1, SHAT-1, WRKY1 and MYB26 that are implicated in various traits related to pod shattering. Conclusions: Plant breeders need to introgress shattering resistance into commercial varieties to mitigate the imminent yield losses. Implications: This requires an in-depth knowledge of mechanistic, physiological, biochemical and the underlying genetic basis of pod shattering resistance. Common bean is an important legume crop that has long been used as a staple food. Pod shattering is an important early trait to be selected against in crop domestication. Introgression of shattering resistance into commercial varieties could mitigate the imminent yield losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]