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Context: Plantar fasciitis, a prevalent cause of heel pain, poses challenges in treatment due to diverse therapeutic options and variable outcomes. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and triamcinolone acetonide (TA) injections have emerged as potential interventions, yet their comparative effectiveness remains debated. Aims: The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of PRP and TA injections in relieving pain, improving function, and promoting healing in individuals with plantar fasciitis. Settings and Design: The study design was a prospective, hospital-based, experimental study. Subjects and Methods: A 2-year prospective hospital-based experimental study was conducted, enrolling patients aged 30–60 years with plantar fasciitis. Patients received either PRP or TA injections. Preoperative assessments and 3 months of monitoring were performed. Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) survey was utilized for outcome evaluation. Statistical Analysis Used: T-test was applied. Results: Ninety patients were included, with both treatment groups demonstrating significant improvement in foot symptoms. PRP administration showed superiority in descending and ascending stairs, rising from sitting, and walking on flat surfaces compared to TA. FAOS scores indicated significant improvement posttreatment in both groups, with PRP yielding better outcomes than TA. Conclusions: Both PRP and TA injections effectively alleviate foot symptoms in plantar fasciitis patients. However, PRP demonstrates superior outcomes in specific functional activities and quality-of-life components compared to TA. These findings suggest PRP as a preferred intervention in the management of plantar fasciitis.

Using the auto combustion sol-gel method, nanoferrite crystalline aligns of Dy3+ replaced Zn-Fe spinel ferrite with the chemical formula DyxZn1-xFe2-xO4 (x= 0.00, 0.05) were successfully synthesized. In this process, citric acid was utilized as energy (fuel) in a 3:1 ratio to metal nitrate. Using XRD and FT-IR, the crystal structure and phase of dysprosium zinc was examined. Using the XRD method, the crystal size, lattice constant, cation distribution, and porosity were ascertained. FT-IR spectroscopy is used to infer structural study and the redistribution of cations between octahederal (A) and tetrahederal (B) site of Zn material. According to morphological research, the temperature during sintering is what causes grain to form and grow. Utilizing the Hysteresis Loop Technique, saturation magnetism and magneton number are determined. In Zn-Fe ferrite, the saturation magnetization rises with increasing density x, utilizing the Sol-gel auto-combustion method at a comparatively low temperature. Using nitrate citrate, the nanocrystallite DyxZn1-xFe2-xO4 was created. The combustion process and chemical gelation are unique. Using citric acid as a catalyst, their metal nitrates nanoferrites underwent a successful chemical reaction and were obtained as a dried gel. FT-IR, UV-Visible, VSM and XRD were used to characterize the produced nanoferrite powders. Magnetization and hysteresis were measured using the VSM technique. The FT-IR verifies that the synthesized substance is ferrite. The size of the nanocrystalline ferrite material, DyxZn1-xFe2-xO4, was determined by X-ray using the Scherrer method to be between 16.86 to 12.72 nm average crystallite size. Magnetization and hysteresis were measured using the VSM technique.

Shelling and grain separation by a small axial flow maize sheller is influenced by the performance of both the maize shelling and cleaning units. For this study, the shelling and grain separation behavior were examined in a mini-maize grain separation unit. Concave rod clearance (CR) had the most impact on the effectiveness of grain separation. Concave rod clearances 10, 20 and 30 mm were selected as test parameters. Cumulative grain separation in a small axial flow maize shelling unit was analyzed in three zones, the feeding zone, the second and third zones, where the last two zones were separated zones. Test results indicated that when CR was increased, cumulative separation of grain, husks and cobs increased along the length of the shelling unit. These parameter relationships were represented using second-degree polynomial equations. An optimal shelling model for a small axial flow maize shelling unit was created. The function, S(l), represented cumulative grain separation as a function of separation length (l). The results from five shelling models indicated that predicted shelling parameters using Caspers’s model for both the feed rate and rotor peripheral speeds was the most satisfactory, with lowest root mean square error (RMSE) and highest coefficient of determination (R2).

ObjectiveTo generate longitudinal fetal growth data in an Indian population and compare it with Intergrowth-21st.Material and methodsFetal biometry data was collected in a prospective longitudinal observational study (REVAMP: Research Exploring Various Aspects and Mechanisms in Preeclampsia) from 2017 to 2022. Fetal crown-rump length (CRL) was measured at 11-14 weeks gestation, and biparietal diameter (BPD), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC), and femur length (FL) at 18-22 and 32-35 weeks, and converted into Z-scores using the Intergrowth standard. Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS) models were used to construct fetal growth centile curves compared against Intergrowth centiles.ResultsOut of 1096 singleton pregnancies in REVAMP, this analysis included 655 'healthy' pregnancies (uncomplicated by pre-eclampsia, diabetes, pre-term delivery or low birth weight) and a sub-set of 106 'low-risk' pregnancies defined using Intergrowth criteria. The 'healthy' study subjects showed lower mean CRL Z-score [-0.45 SD (95% CI:-0.54,-0.37)] at 11-14 weeks, and BPD Z-score [-1.2 SD (-1.28,-1.11) and -1.17 SD (-1.23,-1.1)] at 18-22 and 32-35 weeks respectively. Mean HC Z-score was comparable to the Intergrowth standard at 18-22 weeks [-0.08 SD (-0.16, 0.02)] but smaller at 32-35 weeks [-0.25 SD (-0.32,-0.19)]. Mean AC Z-score was lower at 18-22 weeks [-0.32 SD (-0.41,-0.23)] but comparable at 32-35 weeks [0.004 SD (-0.07, 0.07)]. FL was comparable to or larger than the Intergrowth standard at both time points [0.05 SD (-0.05, 0.14); 0.82 SD (0.75, 0.89), respectively]. These findings were similar, though measurements were slightly larger, in the 'low-risk' sample.ConclusionsThis data from healthy and low-risk pregnant women in urban western India indicates that some fetal dimensions and growth trajectories differ significantly from the Intergrowth-21st. Our data suggest the need for a larger representative study to define a population-specific fetal growth reference for India, for identification of fetal growth restriction.

While public service motivation (PSM) and teamwork are widely recognized as crucial drivers for effective public service delivery, researchers primarily analyze these factors independently and at a personal level. The existing literature rarely explores the interplay between PSM, the project team learning process (PTLP), and psychological safety (PS) within research and development (R&D) project teams, particularly in national R&D organizations. This study addresses this gap by proposing a theoretical model that examines the combined effect of individual motivation and team collaboration, mediated by PS, on R&D PTLP. Additionally, it investigates the moderating influence of project management (PM) styles—fully agile and partially agile—on these relationships. The proposed method utilizes partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) for quantitative data analysis. Our findings revealed a positive relationship between PSM, PS, and R&D PTLP, with PS acting as a significant mediator. Notably, the relationship between PSM and R&D PTLP was stronger under fully agile project management compared to partially agile settings. These findings suggest that both project teams and organizations should prioritize promoting PS and consider the moderating effects of project management styles to foster a sustainable R&D team learning process, particularly within national R&D institutions.

BackgroundReal-world data are essential to accurately assessing efficacy and toxicity of approved agents in everyday practice. PRINCIPAL, a prospective, observational study, was designed to confirm the real-world safety and efficacy of pazopanib in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).Subjects, materials, and methodsPatients with clear cell advanced/metastatic RCC and a clinical decision to initiate pazopanib treatment within 30 days of enrollment were eligible. Primary objectives included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), relative dose intensity (RDI) and its effect on treatment outcomes, change in health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and safety. We also compared characteristics and outcomes of clinical-trial-eligible (CTE) patients, defined using COMPARZ trial eligibility criteria, with those of non-clinical-trial-eligible (NCTE) patients. Secondary study objectives were to evaluate clinical efficacy, safety, and RDI in patient subgroups.ResultsSix hundred fifty-seven patients were enrolled and received ≥1 dose of pazopanib. Median PFS and OS were 10.3 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.2-12.0) and 29.9 months (95% CI, 24.7 to not reached), respectively, and the ORR was 30.3%. HRQoL showed no or little deterioration over time. Treatment-related serious adverse events (AEs) and AEs of special interest occurred in 64 (9.7%), and 399 (60.7%) patients, respectively. More patients were classified NCTE than CTE (85.2% vs. 14.8%). Efficacy of pazopanib was similar between the two groups.ConclusionPRINCIPAL confirms the efficacy and safety of pazopanib in patients with advanced/metastatic RCC in a real-world clinical setting.Implications for practicePRINCIPAL is the largest (n = 657) prospective, observational study of pazopanib in patients with advanced/metastatic renal cell carcinoma, to the authors' knowledge. Consistent with clinical trial results that often contain specific patient types, the PRINCIPAL study demonstrated that the effectiveness and safety of pazopanib is similarly safe and effective in patients with advanced kidney cancer in a real-world clinical setting. The PRINCIPAL study showed that patients with advanced kidney cancer who are treated with first-line pazopanib generally do not show disease progression for approximately 10 months and generally survive for nearly 30 months.

Predicting life expectancy has become more important nowadays as life has become more vulnerable due to many factors, including social, economic, environmental, education, lifestyle, and health condition. A lot of studies on life expectancy have been carried out. However, studies focusing on the Asian population are limited. This study presents machine learning algorithms for life expectancy based on the Asian population dataset. Comparisons are made between tree classifier models, namely, J48, Random Tree, and Random Forest. Cross validations with 10 and 20 folds are used. Results show that the highest accuracy is obtained with Random Forest with 84% accuracy with 10-fold cross-validation. This study further identifies the most significant factors that influence life expectancy prediction, which includes socioeconomic factors and educational status, health conditions and infectious disease.

The small axial flow threshing unit design for mounting on tractors tractor was necessary to study the design factors for the threshing unit to have high performance, and low cost of the machine. The objective of this research was to study the factors affecting sunflower threshing performance of a small axial flow threshing unit. Moisture content of the grain and extraneous material were 14.26% and 62.83% respectively. The grain to material other than grain ratio was 1.49 at a feed rate was 1,200 kg/h. The results showed that peg-tooth clearance had no statistically significant effect on threshing performance, but grain purity (GP) increased with decreased peg-tooth clearance. Thus, decreased peg-tooth clearance affected grain breakage, while the threshing unit required a higher specific energy consumption (SEC), but threshing performance was not affected at a statistically significant level. Furthermore, reducing peg-tooth clearance and concave clearance did not affect threshing efficiency, percentage of broken grains breakage, and power requirements, but specific energy consumption was higher while losses decreased. Optimal parameters of threshing at maximum performance resulted in losses and grain breakage of no more than 2%. Threshing efficient was not less than 95%. Therefore, a concave rod clearance of not more than 25 mm, peg-tooth clearance of the threshing unit of between 125 mm and 150 mm, concave clearance and peg-tooth clearance were not more than 10 mm is recommended to farmers who may operate this unit.

Neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, epilepsy,depression, migraine etc. are affecting more and more elderly people’s day by day. Conventionalroute of administration to treat these diseases has to face a major hindrance that is bloodbrain and blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier to achieve desired concentration of drug atthe site of action for therapeutic effect. Hence, intranasal route of delivery is considered aspromising and alternative route to achieve desired goals. In last four decades, brain targetingstrategies are widely studied and considered having great potential by researchers; especiallyintranasal delivery owing to its benefits. Various nano formulations such as nanoemulsions,nanosuspensions, hydrogels, in situ gels, dendrimers and lipidic formulations are studiedwidely. Lipid nano formulations especially second generation nanostructured lipid carriersoffer greater advantages in terms of stability, fabrication techniques, scalability, drug loadingand drug targeting. Nanostructured lipid carrier (NLCs) constitute of two major componentsviz solid lipid and liquid lipid in a specific ratio. In this review, authors have discussed aboutthe possible synergistic actions of oils/liquid lipids with synthetic drugs resulting into greattherapeutic benefits.

Silver-nanoparticles (AgNPs) from leaf extract have gained considerable interest from years ago until recently. However, the potential of green-synthesised AgNPs as a conductive filler in polymer biocomposites has not been widely investigated. Herein, a series of biopolymersilver nanoparticle films were prepared by dispersing the suspension of Polygonum minus leaf mediated AgNPs into chitosan (CS) matrix via solution casting. In this work, the physicochemical properties of the composite films were evaluated, and structural property was analysed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The electrical conductivity and surface morphology were investigated by two-point probe and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. From the evaluation of moisture uptake, solubility and degradation tests, the rate of moisture uptake reduced as AgNPs concentration increased whereas the solubility and degradation rate increased with increasing addition of AgNPs. The FTIR analysis confirmed that there was no new covalent bond formed and suggested that AgNPs interact non-covalently with amine and hydroxyl groups of chitosan matrix. The conductivity of the CS-AgNPs films increased with one-order magnitude from 10-8 to 10-7 S/cm compared to pristine CS film. The percolation threshold was achieved at 20 wt% of AgNPs and the highest conductivity was achieved at 30 wt% AgNPs with the conductivity value of 3.20 x 10-7 S/cm. SEM micrographs revealed that the composite film with 30 wt% AgNPs exhibited smooth and homogeneous surface which agrees well with the conductivity results. This CS-Polygonum minus leaf mediated AgNPs composite film shows potential as an alternative for biodegradable biomedical implants, smart packaging and wearable electronics applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodegradable polymers are gaining attention as alternatives to non‐biodegradable plastics to address environmental issues. With the rising global demand for plastic products, the development of non‐toxic, biodegradable plastics is a significant topic of research. Aliphatic polyester, the most common biodegradable polyester, is notable for its semi‐crystalline structure and can be synthesized from fossil fuels, microbial fermentation, and plants. Due to great properties like being lightweight, biodegradable, biocompatible, and non‐toxic, aliphatic polyesters are used in packaging, medical, agricultural, wearable devices, sensors, and textile applications. The biodegradation rate, crucial for biodegradable polymers, is discussed in this review as it is influenced by their structural properties and environmental conditions. This review discusses currently available biodegradable polyesters, their emerging applications, and the challenges in their commercialization. As research in this area grows, this review emphasizes the innovation in biodegradable aliphatic polyesters and their role in advancing environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction While the COVID-19 pandemic may still be ongoing, we have simultaneously entered into the post-acute phase of COVID-19, which comes with its own challenges. This case series reports 11 patients of COVID-19 treated with corticosteroids who subsequently developed osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). Methods All consecutive patients diagnosed on MRI with ONFH from August 2020 to May 2021 and were retrospectively COVID-19 positive were included. The treatment administered for COVID-19 was retrieved and evaluated. The patients were managed for femoral head necrosis, and results were reported. Results Overall, 11 patients developed ONFH in a total of 16 hips. The severity of femoral head necrosis depended on the dose of corticosteroid administered during COVID-19. A high dose for a longer duration resulted in a higher ONFH stage (FICAT & Arlet ). Hips in the lower grade were treated conservatively, and in the higher grade were treated surgically. The follow-up scores of patients demonstrated steady improvement. Conclusions High suspicion of femoral head necrosis has to be considered in patients treated with corticosteroids for COVID-19 as it can aid in early detection and early intervention to preserve the native femoral head.

Mango on an average account approximately 75 per cent of total production quantity. India is the largest mango producer, accounting for about half of the world-wide mango production. Forecasting of area, production and price fluctuations are the key to provide support in decision making and proper planning for sustainable growth of farmers and other people who are dependent on horticulture. The prices of mango are affected by cultivated area and yield of mango but in other ways pre or post-harvest management also affects it. The problems regarding the price fluctuations arise due to seasonality in arrival and its perishable nature. Therefore, the present study was carried out with time series intervention modelling in forecasting area, productivity and prices of mangoes. In the current investigation, simple exponential smoothing (SES) implemented to develop the forecasting models for area and productivity of mango. Under the SES, the error measurements at different values of alpha (a) for forecasting of area and productivity were observed that the value 0.8 and 0.9 of alpha (a) showed minimum Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) error i.e. 3.11 per cent, and 12.73 per cent, respectively. The study also developed time series ARIMA models for forecasting the prices of the mango (Keshar and Alphonso) for Valsad markets of Gujarat. It was showed that ARIMA (6, 1, 2) and ARIMA (1, 1, 2) were found good models for forecasting the prices of the Keshar and Alphonso, respectively in Valsad district of Gujarat