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Background: Vanillin, a phenolic aldehyde extracted from Vanilla planifolia pods, has various biological activities, however, little is known about its hepatoprotective role. In this study, we developed an acute liver injury murine model using lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and elucidated the hepatoprotective activity of vanillin. Methods: A pre-clinical study using a random sampling technique was conducted at Ziauddin University MDRL-1 and 2 labs, between March-December 2023. The inclusion criteria included 36 healthy male BALB/c. Six groups (n=6) of male BALB/c mice (25-30g) were used: Normal, LPS, Treatment groups (two different concentrations of Vanillin were intraperitoneally [I.P.] given to mice), toxicity, and positive control group respectively. The animals were pre-treated for four days and a single dose of LPS (2mg/kg) was I.P. administered one day before euthanizing animals. Using SPSS v.24, one-way ANOVA was performed followed by Tukey and Bonferroni’s post hoc for results comparison between different groups with p

Objective: To investigate the anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic properties of Solanum nigrum (SN) leaves extract in rats induced with complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA). Methods: 30 male Wistar albino rats were used in a 4 weeks pre-clinical experimental trial, which were split up into 5 groups as; Group-1 Negative (healthy) control (0.9% normal saline), Group-2 positive (diseased) control (0.9% normal saline), Group-3 Standard (Methotrexate 1.5mg/kg), Group-4 (Solanum nigrum 100mg/kg), Group-5 (Solanum nigrum 200mg/kg). To develop rheumatoid arthritis, 0.1mL of Complete Freund’s Adjuvant was administered intraarticularly in the right knee joints of all groups except the Group-1 at day 0. Knee joint circumference was assessed by using a Vernier caliper once a week. On the 29th day, pentobarbital 100mg/kg was injected intraperitoneally to induce anesthesia in all animals, and a cardiac puncture was done to extract 8ml to 10ml of blood for further investigations. 4 to 5ml of that blood was centrifuged and serum was separated to perform Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to analyze the pro-inflammatory mediators including IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, TNF-? and prostaglandin E2. SPSS version 22 was used to analyze the results and for intergroup and intragroup comparison ANOVA was applied. P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant at 95% confidence interval. Results: Knee joint circumference was significantly decreased in both standard and herbal groups when compared with the diseased controls, exhibiting SN efficacy as an anti-inflammatory agent. The ELISA showed a substantial rise in all pro-inflammatory cytokines in the positive control group. Both the herbal (G-4 & G-5) and standard (G-3) groups considerably reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, while SN200 showed maximum decline in inflammatory markers. Conclusion: Solanum nigrum can be used as an effective adjunctive with standard DMARDs like MTX to increase the efficacy in the treatment of RA.

The marvelous success in the field of molecular therapeutics is being witnessed by science over the past few decades. From single cell RNA sequencing to circulating cell free DNA detection in the blood, astonishing accomplishments have been achieved. These advancements, however, are still confronting the challenges of the old times, such as non-specificity, inter-individual variability, and off-target effects. Molecular medicine as a science has provided a platform to address these problems, by tailoring according to the molecular and genetic profile of the individuals to increase the specificity of the treatment, to reduce variability, and to minimize adverse side effects.

Fog Computing has emerged as a pivotal technology for enabling low-latency, context-aware, and efficient computing at the edge of the network. Effective task scheduling plays a vital role in optimizing the performance of fog computing systems. Traditional task scheduling algorithms, primarily designed for centralized cloud environments, often fail to cater to the dynamic, heterogeneous, and resource-constrained nature of Fog nodes. To overcome these limitations, we introduce a sophisticated machine learning-driven methodology that adapts task allocation to the ever-changing Fog environment's conditions. Our approach amalgamates K-Means clustering algorithm enhanced with fuzzy logic, a robust unsupervised learning technique, to efficiently group Fog nodes based on their resource characteristics and workload patterns. The proposed method combines the clustering capabilities of K-means with the adaptability of fuzzy logic to dynamically allocate tasks to fog nodes. By leveraging machine learning techniques, we demonstrate how tasks can be intelligently allocated to fog nodes, resulting in reducing execution time, response time and network usage. Through extensive experiments, we showcase the effectiveness and adaptability of our proposed approach in dynamic fog environments. Clustering proves to be a time-effective method for identifying groups of jobs per virtual machine (VM) efficiently. To model and evaluate our proposed approach, we have utilized iFogSim. The simulation results affirm the effectiveness of our scheduling technique, showcasing significant enhancements in execution time reduction, minimized network utilization, and improved response time when compared to existing machine learning and non-machine learning based scheduling methods within the iFogSim framework.

We have used emission spectroscopy to determine the plasma parameters of strontium in a glow discharge lamp. The excitation temperature is determined from the Boltzmann's plot method, and the electron density is measured from the Stark broadening of the observed spectral lines. Sr I line at 640.846 nm corresponding to 4d5p3F04→5s4d3D3 transition has been used for the determination of electron number density. Further, the electron number densities in the plasma are determined at different discharge currents. Spectral emission intensities of some selected lines display Frank-Hertz-type dips at two different discharge currents. The possible role of near-resonant collisions between long-lived metastable levels of Ne and Sr atoms in creating ionization of Sr II is highlighted. The competing collisional ionization and radiative decay of the levels such as 4p67p in Sr II and doubly excited 4d5p levels of Sr I is considered significant in this case. Our observations show that the electron number density changes linearly with the electric field for low-discharge currents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Insect populations and their dispersal can be altered by temperature changes. As a result, evaluating the effects of these changes on insect species' developmental stages is critical for establishing effective management measures. Methods: This study examined the developmental duration, growth, longevity, fecundity, and other population parameters in two generations of green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) exposed to four different temperatures (i.e., 27 °C, 30 °C, 33 °C, and 36 °C) for four different time intervals (i.e., 1 h, 3 h, 6 h, and 10 h). Results: The results indicated that nymph survival rate significantly decreased with exposure to 36 °C for 10 h in both generations (F1 and F2). The survival rate of 1st to 4th instars of F1 generation decreased by 85.0 %, 88.5 %, 85.7 %, and 83.7 % respectively at 36° C for 10 h exposure compared to the control (25 °C). Similarly, survival rate of 1st to 4th instars of F2 generation decreased by 83.7 %, 86.0 %, 82.2 %, and 78.7 %, respectively when exposed to 36 °C for 10 h compared to the control. The shortest longevity of both generations was observed under 33 °C and 36 °C exposure for 10 h. The highest and the lowest net reproductive rate (R0) for both generations was observed under exposure to 27 °C for 1 h and 36 °C for 10 h, respectively. The intrinsic rate of increase (rm) of the two generations reached the highest level under 27 °C exposure for 1 h and the lowest was recorded for the individuals exposed to 36 °C for 10 h. The highest finite rate of increase (λ = F1, 1.41 and F2, 1.42 d−1) for two generations was examined for the individuals exposed to 27 °C for 1 h. The values of life table parameters of both generations were significantly affected under exposure to 36 °C for 10 h. Conclusion: The combined effect of different temperatures and time intervals on biological and life table parameters of M. persicae studied first time in this study. Therefore, our research will help in estimating the modifications that a population of M. persicae may experience in response to heat stress.

Aphids are one of the most common insect pests in greenhouse and field crops worldwide, causing significant crop yields and economic losses. The objective of this study was to determine the mortality, enzymatic antioxidant activity and gene expression of cabbage aphids (Brevicoryne brassicae L.) in response to Trichoderma longibrachiatum T6 (T6) at different time points from Day 1 to 7 after inoculation. Our results showed that the highest mortality of B. brassicae was observed on Day 7 at a concentration of 1 × 108 spores ml−1 (73.31%) after inoculation with T6 compared with the control on Day 7 (11.51%). The activities of the enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) were increased by 52.98%, 44.77%, 48.26%, 49.39%, 45.13% and 39.67%, respectively on Day 3 after inoculation with T6 compared to the control. Howerver increased days post treatment (dpt) decreased the activities of SOD, POD, CAT, APX, GPX and GST enzymes by 20.79%, 21.05%, 13.75%, 20.45%, 25.38%, and 19.76% repectively on Day 7 compared to control. The transcript levels of SOD, POD, CAT, GPX, and GST genes were increased by 10.87, 9.87, 12.77, 6.22 and 4.07 respectively at Day 3 after inoculation with T6 in comparison to the control. However, the SOD, POD, CAT, GPX, and GST transcription levels decreased by 0.43, 0.44, 0.35, 0.52 and 0.47 respectively, compared to control at Day 7. Our results suggest that the T6 strain has a potential effect on the antioxidant activity and mortality of B. brassicae and therefore could be used as a natural biocontrol agent against B. brassicae in the future.

Technology is constantly advancing, and many individuals submit various video material to social networking websites such as YouTube or Facebook. Since it has become a source of income for many individuals across the world, it is becoming increasingly vital to utilize it in situations when you need to discover a specific person in several video recordings. Another option is to manually go through each video and try to discover the individual segment in order to extract it. Manual searching can take a long time, and it's practically difficult to find a specific video in which a person appears. A person can only focus for 20 to 30 minutes on average to recognize or identify the person in the video, and a video stream may take much longer. Due to the huge quantity of data gathered in the multimedia application, such as videos, a human conducting a video search manually may be difficult to do so properly in such cases. It is critical to automate the procedure in order to eliminate human error and the time it takes to identify the individual in the video footage. Given its popularity and use in applications ranging from our mobile phone games to high-end computers for future forecasting, artificial intelligence may be used to address many difficulties, including this one. In this work, a pre-trained facial recognition classifier known as the Linear Binary Pattern Histogram (LBPH) is utilized to recognize a person in video clips and provide recorded proof of each video in which a person appears, along with the time stamp of his or her visibility. Here, a method is proposed for identifying and tracking down a missing individual utilizing massive video data and Artificial Intelligence without the need for human participation.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was used for the quantitative analysis of elements present in textile dyes at ambient pressure via the fundamental mode (1064 nm) of a Nd:YAG pulsed laser. Three samples were collected for this purpose. Spectra of textile dyes were acquired using an HR spectrometer (LIBS2000+, Ocean Optics, Inc.) having an optical resolution of 0.06 nm in the spectral range of 200 to 720 nm. Toxic metals like Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, and Zn along with other elements like Al, Mg, Ca, and Na were revealed to exist in the samples. The %-age concentrations of the detected elements were measured by means of standard calibration curve method, intensities of every emission from every species, and calibration-free (CF) LIBS approach. Only Sample 3 was found to contain heavy metals like Cr, Cu, and Ni above the prescribed limit. The results using LIBS were found to be in good agreement when compared to outcomes of inductively coupled plasma/atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP/AES). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) campaign was conducted in February 2019 in Karachi where needle-free injectors were introduced for the administration of the fractional dose of IPV (fIPV) on a large scale. This study aimed to determine the impact of needle-free injectors on vaccination coverage. Methods In four towns of Karachi, fIPV was given using needle-free injectors “PharmaJet Tropis ID”. Whereas, in six towns full dose of IPV was administered to children of 4–59 months of age. Cluster surveys through rapid convenience assessment method were conducted after the completion of vaccination activity. Results A total of 33,815 households’ data was analyzed. Among these, 27,650 (82.8%) children were vaccinated. In fIPV areas, 85.3% of children were vaccinated compared to 79.5% in full dose IPV areas. A comparison of reasons for unvaccinated showed that 1.6% of parents do not give importance to vaccination in fIPV areas compared to 4.2% in full IPV areas (p-value

Objective: To evaluate the association of clinicopathological factors with radiation induced oral mucositis in patients with head and neck carcinoma . Methodology This cross sectional study was conducted at Department of Neurospine and Cancer Institute, Inclusion criteria were patients with confirmed non-metastatic carcinoma histologically, age range of > 20 and 70 years, patients requiring radical radiotherapy showing visible oral and oropharyngeal mucosa in the field of radiation (55 to 66 Gray). The exclusion criteria were: history of more than one tumour recurrence; prior history of radiation to the head and neck region; atypical liver and renal function; unusual haematological status; other deliberated medical conditions. Non-probability convenience sampling was used for assesment of oral mucositis. Data was analysed by using SPSS version 23. Results: A total of 30 patients were included. The mean age was 43 years (25-70 years) and 76.7% were males. Right sided buccul mucosa was most common primary tumor site, 70% cases belongs to middle-class families with 90% has no previous family history. Histological grade 2 and grade 2 and grade 3 mucositis was mostly reported. Tobacco chewing and betel nut chewing is the most common habit. The most common site affected is buccul mucosa, followed by the cheek and tongue. It has been observed that TNM staging and histological grading have shown significance in cases of oral mucositis. Conclusion: This study concludes that the oral mucositis is significantly associated with TNM staging and histological grading of tumors. Male gender, elderly age, middle to low socioeconomic status, tobacco and betal nut chewing , right sided buccal mucosa and stage II TNM staging. Grade 2 and grade 3 oral mucositis was the most frequent clinicopathological factors associated with the development of head and neck cancer. Although previous family is not very frequent in our study population.

The management of insect pests under fluctuating temperatures has become an interesting area of study due to their ability to stimulate defense mechanisms against heat stress. Therefore, understanding insect’s physiological and molecular response to heat stress is of paramount importance for pest management. Aphids are ectothermic organisms capable of surviving in different climatic conditions. This study aimed to determine the effects of short-time heat stress on green peach aphid Myzus persicae under controlled conditions. In this study, short-time heat stress treatments at different temperatures 27, 30, 33, and 36°C with exposure times of 1, 3, 6, and 10 h, respectively, on the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and oxidants, such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), were determined. The results showed that the short-time heat stress significantly increased the content of MDA of M. persicae by 71, 78, 81, and 86% at 36°C for the exposure times of 1, 3, 6, and 10 h, respectively, compared with control. The content of H2O2 increased by 75, 80, 85, and 88% at 36°C for the exposure times of 1, 3, 6, and 10 h, respectively, compared with the control. The SOD, POD, and CAT activities increased by 61, 76, and 77% for 1 h, 72, 83, and 84% for 3 h, 80, 85, and 86% for 6 h, and 87, 87.6, and 88% for 10 h at 36°C, respectively, compared with control. Again, under short-time heat stress, the transcription levels of Hsp22, Hsp23, Hsp27, SOD, POD, and CAT genes were upregulated compared with control. Our results suggest that M. persicae increased the enzymatic antioxidant activity and heat-shock gene expression as one of the defensive mechanisms in response to heat stresses.

Telomeres, markers for cellular senescence, have been found substantially influenced by parental inheritance. It is well known that genomic stability is preserved by the DNA repair mechanism through telomerase. This study aimed to determine the association between parents–newborn telomere length (TL) and telomerase gene (TERT), highlighting DNA repair combined with TL/TERT polymorphism and immunosenescence of the triad. The mother–father–newborn triad blood samples (n = 312) were collected from Ziauddin Hospitals, Pakistan, between September 2021 and June 2022. The telomere length (T/S ratio) was quantified by qPCR, polymorphism was identified by Sanger sequencing, and immunosenescence by flow cytometry. The linear regression was applied to TL and gene association. The newborns had longest TL (2.51 ± 2.87) and strong positive association (R = 0.25, p ≤ 0.0001) (transgenerational health effects) with mothers’ TL (1.6 ± 2.00). Maternal demographics—socioeconomic status, education, and occupation—showed significant effects on TL of newborns (p < 0.015, 0.034, 0.04, respectively). The TERT risk genotype CC (rs2736100) was predominant in the triad (0.6, 0.5, 0.65, respectively) with a strong positive association with newborn TL (β = 2.91,

The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a major economic pest in the United States and has recently become a significant concern in African and Asian countries. Due to its increased resistance to current management strategies, including pesticides and transgenic corn, alternative management techniques have become more necessary. Currently, silicon (Si) is being used in many pest control systems due to its ability to increase plant resistance to biotic and abiotic factors and promote plant growth. The current experiments were carried out at the College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China, to test the effect of Si on lifetable parameters and lipase activity of fall armyworm and vegetative and physiological parameters of maize plants. Two sources of Si (silicon dioxide: SiO2 and potassium silicate: K2SiO3) were applied on maize plants with two application methods (foliar application and soil drenching). The experiment results revealed that foliar applications of SiO2 and K2SiO3 significantly (P≤0.05) increased mortality percentage and developmental period and decreased larval and pupal biomass of fall armyworm. Similarly, both Si sources significantly (P≤0.05) reduced lipase activity of larvae, and fecundity of adults, whereas prolonged longevity of adults. Among plant parameters, a significant increase in fresh and dry weight of shoot, stem length, chlorophyll content, and antioxidant activity was observed with foliar applications of Si. Root fresh and dry weight was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher in plants treated with soil drenching of SiO2 and K2SiO3. Moreover, SiO2 performed better for all parameters as compared to K2SiO3 and control treatment. The study conclusively demonstrated a significant negative effect on various biological parameters of fall armyworm when plants were treated with Si, so it can be a promising strategy to control this pest.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women globally. The existing treatment options for breast cancer are largely associated with severe toxicities, and lower efficacies. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of non-toxic effective drugs against breast cancer. For this purpose, drug repositioning strategy was used to evaluate the anti-cancer potential of a library of heterocyclic drugs. The major advantage of drug repurposing is that the pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and toxicity profiles of drugs are well documented. In the current study, we screened 97 drugs of different chemical classes, and among them aripiprazole, an antipsychotic drug, was found to be sufficiently active against breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Aripiprazole showed a cytotoxicity (IC50 = 12.1 ± 0.40 μM) to MCF-7 cells, comparable to the standard anticancer drug doxorubicin (IC50 = 1.25 ± 0.34 μM). Aripiprazole was also found to be active against other cancer cell lines, including MDA-MB-231 (IC50 = 19.83 ± 0.27 μM), AU565 (IC50 = 18.02 ± 0.44 μM), and BT-474 (IC50 = 36.42 ± 0.12 μM). Aripiprazole significantly inhibited the cell cycle progression at subG0G1 phase, and enhanced apoptosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The drug was also able to significantly increase the nuclear condensation, and modulated the expression of certain genes involved in breast cancer, such as caspases 3, and 9, BAK-1, C-MYC, BCL2L1, BCL-10, and BCL-2. Further studies are needed to explore the effect of aripiprazole on intrinsic and extrinsic pathways of apoptosis in cancer cells.