bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
OBSERVATIONAL STUDY ON PLACENTA ACCRETA SPECTRUM DISORDERS IN A TERTIARY CENTRE FOR TWO YEARS
Authors: Sai Sri Neeraja Sambana , Amulya C. , B. Usharani
Published: January 2023

Introduction: Incidence of placenta previa is 3-5per 1000 pregnancies. Placenta previa includes: i) Low lying placenta: when the lower edge of placenta is within 2cms distance from internal os. (ii) Placenta previa : when placenta lies directly over the internal os. The rising incidence of cesarean section combined with increasing maternal age, the number of cases of placenta previa and its complications, including placenta accreta spectrum (PAS), will continue to increase. Aims And Objectives:To analyse : Incidence Evaluate risk factors Maternal and Neonatal outcome Methodology: A retrospective study was conducted over a period of 2 years (august 2020 - august 2022) in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, King George Hospital, Visakhapatnam. A total of 144 pregnant women with placenta previa were enrolled in this study according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Systematic analysis was done with respect to their age, parity, gestational age, past obstetric history, period of gestation at delivery, mode of delivery, birthweight Criteria Inclusion: Singleton pregnant women with placenta previa confirmed by ultrasonography gestational age beyond 28 weeks were selected irrespective of their parity alive or dead fetus. Exclusion: Women with multiple gestation pregnancies are excluded to avoid overrepresentation of studying high risk women. Discussion: Incidence of Placenta previa in King George Hospital, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh over a period of 2 years is 1.0% as total no. of deliveries in that year was 13552 of which placenta previa were 144. Incidence was found to be maximum i.e.,37.5% among age of 20-24 age group, 11.1% in the age group of >30 years. Placenta previa incidence was highest among multigravida accounting for 76.3% of which 43.6% were previous c-sections and 33.3% were previous abortions Conclusion: Community level education regarding Safe Abortion Practices and Anemia correction should be done. Complete management and mock drills for PostPartum Hemmarhage management in cases of Placenta previa is important inorder to reduce the maternal and fetal complications Safe abortion procedures and also C section Audit should be done.
Organizational climate and psychological capital of university faculty members in Saudi Arabia: The moderating role of innovative organizational culture
Authors: Fahad AlMulhim Abdullah
Published: January 2023

The world is changing its impression of working methodologies. Development in each field of life has changed the association as well as the individual's way of life, conduct, and working environment. For this reason, the organizational climate has become a hot topic and is considered a primary influence in increasing employee abilities that further increase an organization’s overall performance. Therefore, this study aims to explore the relationship between organizational climate and psychological capital with the moderating role of innovative organizational culture. For this purpose, data were collected from 232 faculty members in full-time jobs at the leading university (Jouf University) in Saudi Arabia. SEM was applied to test the hypotheses. This study found that organizational climate positively impacts psychological capital, while innovative organizational culture is a significant moderator that builds the association between organizational climate and psychological capital. This study concluded that organizational climate is an imperative factor that enhances psychological capital, as psychological capital has an inordinate impact on the worker’s attitude, behavior, and performance, which is necessary for overall organizational performance. Hence, this study has theoretical and practical implications and leads the way for future exploration, such as in the context of higher educational institutions. It is explained that a healthy climate positively influences the psychological capital of faculty members, enhancing the work performed and the organization itself.
AcknowledgmentsThis work was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research at Jouf University under grant No. DSR-2021-04-0305.
The phenomenon of identity in the social construction of virtual reality
Authors:   Institute for Philosophy, Political Science and Religion Studies of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kurganskaya Valentina D. , Dunaev Vladimir Yu. ,   Institute for Philosophy, Political Science and Religion Studies of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Sagikyzy Ayazhan ,   Institute for Philosophy, Political Science and Religion Studies of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan,   Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
Published: January 2023

This paper examines the interactions between the processes of social institution virtualization, information and communication practices; as well as the processes of construction of valuesemantic structures of individual and collective identities. Authors support the idea that determining how a person generates virtual reality and how virtual reality develops a person is the primary focus of phenomenological analysis and socio-philosophical research on identity transitions in current circumstances. The early phenomenological texts of M.M. Bakhtin serve as an illustration of the virtuality presented in intentional identity formations. Authors demonstrated that the interactive modeling of the I-for-myself relationship to the virtual presence of the other is where the noetic-noematic field of identity is generated. The sociology of knowledge is among the most promising approaches for locating intentional identity structures in people’s and social groupings’ daily lives. The social construction of reality is seen as an objective socio-historical process that shapes the reality of the intersubjective world according to its paradigm. We argue that changes in the semantic contexts of individual and social community identification are shown to be functionally related to the virtualization of the information and communication field of intersubjectivity. Social groups no longer serve as the fundamental building blocks of social existence in the modern world; instead, they do exist virtually now. Authors do follow Z.Bauman’s idea that virtual groups, which emerge haphazardly and then abruptly disintegrate into so-called communities (Z. Bauman), become modeling systems of identity. The final statement of paper is that the emergence of the Internet acted as a catalyst for the explosive acceleration, and eventually as a primary method of global deployment, of the processes of formation of new types of identity, new models, and strategies for its construction through risky experiments and unrestrained play with various versions of one’s own identity.
Evaluation of parametric postprocessing of ensemble precipitation forecasts of the NCMRWF for the Vishwamitri River Basin
Authors: Yadav Rashmi , Yadav Sanjaykumar M.
Published: January 2023

Postprocessing of the ensemble precipitation data improves the bias and uncertainty induced in the numerical weather prediction (NWP) due to perturbations of the initial condition of atmospheric models. The evaluation of the NWP of short-range quantitative weather forecasts provided by the NCMRWF archived in TIGGE, for the Vishwamitri River Basin. The aim of the study is to perform univariate statistical postprocessing using six parametric methods and compare to find the best suitable approach among censored non-homogeneous logistic regression (cNLR), Bayesian model averaging (BMA), logistic regression (logreg), heteroscedastic logistic regression (hlogreg), heteroscedastic extended logistic regression (HXLR), and ordered logistic regression (OLR) methods for the Vishwamitri River Basin. The Brier score (BS), the area under curve (AUC) of receiver operator characteristics (ROC) plots, Brier decomposition, and reliability plots were used for the verification of the probabilistic forecasts. In agreement with the BS and AUC, the cNLR approach for postprocessing performed very well for calibration at all five grids and is preferred, whereas BMA and hlogreg approaches showed relatively poor performance for the Vishwamitri basin. The best post-processed ensemble precipitation will further be employed as an input for the generation of the hydrological forecasts in operational flood forecasting in the Vishwamitri River Basin.
Engaging boys in menstrual hygiene management (MHM) interventions in Bangladeshi schools: a pilot study to assess acceptability and feasibility
Authors: Khan Rizwana , Sarker Supta , Sultana Farhana , Alam Mahbub Ul , Mahfuz Mehjabin Tishan , Nuruzzaman Md. , Rofi Uddin Mohammad , Masud Abdullah Al , Khan Shaan Muberra , Hunter Erin C. , Unicomb Leanne , Rahman Mahbubur , Luby Stephen P. , Winch Peter J.
Published: January 2023

Educating boys about puberty and menstruation has been hypothesized to aid in reducing menstrual stigma and negative attitudes about menstruation. We developed and piloted a school-based intervention for girls and boys to increase knowledge about puberty and foster a more supportive environment for menstruating schoolgirls. In this sub-study, we conducted 24 formative in-depth interviews and four group vignette exercises for schoolboys to develop the intervention package. We then carried out pre- and postintervention surveys and conducted four follow-up focus group discussions to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and effects of the intervention package among schoolboys and to develop recommendations for scale up. During the formative phase, boys reported minimal knowledge concerning puberty but felt puberty education was vital for all. Following the intervention, boys' awareness of menstruation increased compared to baseline [PD: 15%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2, 29]. The reported comfort level of discussing puberty-related issues in a school club or with friends also increased [PD: 13%; 95% CI: 2, 24]. In focus groups, boys reported finding the sessions helpful and informative. Engagement of schoolboys, combined with well-delivered intervention materials and social and behavior change communication interventions is feasible and can contribute to a more supportive and girl-friendly environment in schools.
Modified version of the cross-correlation function to measure drought occurrence time-delay correlation
Authors: Mahmoudi Mohammad Reza , Zarei Abdol Rassoul
Published: January 2023

According to the importance of assessing the presence of time delay between the occurrence of various hydrological and meteorological phenomena, the study aim is to introduce a new method (with high ability and non-sensitivity to the abnormality of datasets and the existence of outliers) for determining the time delay in mentioned data series. In this research, a new measure to detect the time delay between two stationary time series (Non-Parametric Cross-Correlation Function or NCCF, called Spearman's CCF or SCCF) is introduced, which has very low sensitivity to abnormality of data series and also the existence of outliers in the data series. The numerical studies verify the ability of the proposed measure. In standard uniform and exponential (with mean 1) time series, at 100% of numerical analyses and in standard Gaussian time series at more than 60% of numerical studies, the ability of SCCF was more than the CCF. The applicability of the proposed measure in practice was also studied using the Reconnaissance Drought Index (RDI) data series of 20 stations over Iran during 1967–2019 in 1, 3, and 12-month time scales. The results of the practical study also proved the appropriate performance of the proposed model in all time scales.
One New Steroidal Saponin from the Leaves of Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A.
Chev.
Authors: Tan Tu Quang , Hai Yen Nguyen Thi , Mau Chu Hoang , Hung Nguyen Duc
Published: January 2023

:

The aim of this study is to isolate and identify new chemical constituents from Cordyline
fruticosa (L.) A. Chev. growing in Vietnam. Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A. Chev. (Synonym: Cordyline
terminalis L. Kunth), belongs to the Asparagaceae family, is one of the popular plants in folk medicine.
This plant has been used to treat various diseases, such as sore throat, neck pain, bloody urine,
kidney diseases, headache, infections of mammary glands, and inflammation in the digestive tract.
Previous study on the leaves of C. fruticosa (L.) A. Chev. reported the presence of cholestane glycosides
with cytotoxic activity. The leaves of Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A. Chev. were provided by a
flower shop in Thai Nguyen city, Vietnam in 2021 (21°35'53" N, 105°50'17" E). The extraction was
performed by the ultrasound-assisted method using the solvent EtOH/H2O. The crude extract was
chromatographed on silica gel to yield one compound. The structure elucidation of isolated compound
was determined by spectroscopic analysis 1D and 2D NMR, and mass spectroscopy (HR-ESI-MS in
positive mode). A new steroidal saponin was isolated from the leaves of Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A.
Chev. The structure of compound was determined as 26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-furosta-5,(25)27-
diene-1β,3β,22α,26-tetrol-1-O-β-D-glucopyranoside. Phytochemical study on the leaves of Cordyline
fruticosa (L.) A. Chev. lead to the isolation and elucidation of one new steroidal saponin. Previous investigation
on species of Cordyline genus revealed the presence of steroidal saponins, so this study
has a significant benefit to complete the chemotaxonomic data about saponins from genus Cordyline
and thus Asparagaceae family. The biological test of this compound should be further carried out in
the next study.
Up-to-date Combinational Polymeric Approaches for the Enhancement of Drug Absorption and Membrane Transductivity
Authors: Theodosis-Nobelos Panagiotis , Rikkou-Kalourkoti Maria
Published: January 2023

Many of the challenges concerning pharmaceutical compounds are involved in the tuning of
their physical properties and controlled and targeted drug delivery, in order to acquire the optimum therapeutic
effect. With these challenges in mind and with the recent emergence of advanced materials, various
combinational polymeric approaches have been applied. The use of coordination polymers, which are
hybrid inorganic-organic materials, consists of transition metals and multidentate organic ligands and
have been proven to prolong the release and increase the drug permeation rate of active pharmaceutical
ingredients (APIs). Another recent approach is the preparation of deformable polymeric nanoparticles
(DPN) that require the physical incorporation of a lipid in a polymeric micelle, offering flexible and deformable
phase properties. It has been shown that skin delivery efficiency could be increased due to this
deformable phase. Enhanced skin permeation was also observed when TAT peptides were chemically
attached to the DPNs. Other recent approaches, such as microarray patches, sustained release microspheres,
nanoparticles coated with biological membranes, nanosponges, and lipid-based nanoparticles,
modified by polymers, have also been able to improve the pharmacokinetic profiles of APIs and are also
discussed in this paper.
A Critical Review on Smartphone Based Determinations of Drugs
Authors: Shrivastava Alankar
Published: January 2023

Cell phones are like a notepad PC with their own working framework, processor, interior
memory, and top-notch camera focal points. Cell phones are more open and less expensive
than versatile analytical devices. The quantity of cell phone users overall outperformed 2 billion
in 2016 and it addresses more than a fourth of the worldwide population. There have been numerous
new articles on the utilization of cell phones as versatile detectors, bioanalytical equipment,
and instrument interfaces. The utilization of cell phones has opened doors for prognostic,
diagnostic, detection, observing, quantification, control, or making versatile applications, since it
can be very well utilized to run routine tests. Moreover it does not require a trained personnel and
it is convenient and considered a minimal-expense gadget. The development of analytical methods
is crucial in drug development. Improvement of existing and execution of new methodologies
are essential for the present-day analytical chemistry of drugs. Recently published studies focussed
on some of the applications of smartphone-based analytical methodologies in the last few
years for the determination of drugs in different matrices. The aim of the presented review was to
enhance the visibility of one of the fast and novel applications of smartphone technology. This
will help scientists and researchers to understand the recent developments and explore new possibilities
in this field.
A Compact and Efficient Brine Shrimp Hatching Device
Authors: Machado Cardoso Alexander
Published: January 2023

Background:

Artemia is considered an indispensable live food for rearing many
fish and crustacean larvae and can be used in toxicity tests as a safe, practical, and economical
method. It is straightforward to create and manipulate; however, many cysts do not
hatch as expected.

Methods:

A new device was used to hatch Artemia salina. The device includes a tubularshaped
reservoir, lid with a central hole, heater with a thermostat, air compressor, three porous
stones, funnel-shaped bottom, light source, collection valve, switch, and electrical outlet,
which permits better control of temperature and aeration in a single apparatus. Different
patent devices were used for comparative analysis.

Results:

Hatched eggs of Artemia showed that the device was 97% efficient; in comparison,
commercial and other devices hatched approximately less than 80% of the cysts. Although
Artemia is an easy-to-handle animal, the device described here facilitates changes in
the growth parameters and produces more nauplii larvae.

Conclusion:

This paper presents a new device that is effective, compact, and successful for
hatching brine shrimp cysts, thereby improving Artemia production.
Piezophiles: Quiddity of Extreme Pressure Devotees
Authors: Ruparelia Janki , Rabari Aniruddh , Joshi Nishra , Saraf Meenu , Kumar Jha Chaitanya
Published: January 2023

 Piezophiles are a sort of extremophilic organisms that nurture and survive
under extreme hydrostatic pressures up to 10 MPa (1450 psi = 99 atm). The diversity of
piezophilic organisms can be studied by swotting deep-sea environments that are
inhabited by diverse piezophiles from all three domains of life. Information about the
physiology and adaptive mechanisms of piezophiles have been obtained by the process
of collection and culturing of deep-sea microorganisms. The corporeal adaptations are
an absolute requisite for growth under high hydrostatic pressure in these deep-sea
environments. Piezophiles possess homeoviscous adaption of lipids and fatty acids
which varies with variation in the hydrostatic pressure. However, they contain
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (22:6n-3), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and
phosphatidylglycerol (PG) as major components, which help to acclimatize such an
extreme environment. The ability of piezophiles to tolerate ultra-high pressure, extreme
conditions, like low and high temperatures (2 °C– 100 °C) offers numerous
applications as discussed in this chapter. This chapter mainly presents piezophilic
microorganisms, including their diverse groups, their ability to raise and endure in
deep-sea environments with their molecular approaches and their several applications.
Metallophiles and Heavy Metal Bioremediation
Authors: Chettri Upashna , Ram Joshi Santa
Published: January 2023

Heavy metals, a group of naturally occurring elements present throughout
the earth’s crust are known to have wide biological implications. Anthropogenic
activities cause constant augmentation of heavy metals having a tremendous negative
impact on life forms in the environment with levels beyond safety. Microorganisms
invariably are the first group of organisms that are directly impacted by the
accumulation of heavy metals in the environment. Heavy metal toxicity is pronounced
amongst microbes which impacts change in microbial community composition and
function in any ecosystem. The intrinsic and acquired resistance properties have led to
the development of resistant bacterial communities in contaminated areas. A large
number of heavy metal tolerant bacteria have been isolated from various polluted sites
like industrial effluents, aquaculture, agricultural soils, foods, river water and
sediments. The determinants of resistance are both plasmid and chromosomal encoded
in bacteria. Amongst the various strategies of survival mechanisms employed by
bacteria, efflux system and enzyme detoxification are two general mechanisms
supplemented occasionally by resistance mechanisms like sequestration or
bioaccumulation. These strategies of resistance in bacteria are generally exploited in
bioremediation strategies. Due to the persistent nature and non-degradability of heavy
metals, it becomes difficult to clean up the pollutant from the environment and
moreover, the conventional treatments for heavy metal pollution are complicated and
cost-intensive. Therefore, microbial-based technology furnishes effective, economic
and eco-friendly applications for the bioremediation of heavy metals from
contaminated environments.
Applications of Extremophiles
Authors: Sen Urmimala , Kanti Mukhopadhyay Subhra
Published: January 2023

 Extremophiles are organisms that can survive in harsh environmental
conditions such as varying ranges of temperature, pH, high levels of salinity, extreme
pressure and high doses of radiation. They are distributed throughout the Earth’s
surface and water bodies. They are classified on the basis of their habitats and extreme
conditions they inhabit, like oligotrophs, thermophiles, psychrophiles, halophiles,
acidophiles, alkaliphiles, piezophiles and radiophiles. Extremophiles have a huge
impact on human life. Enzymes obtained from them are nowadays used in industrial
microbiology, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and medical diagnostics, bioremediation,
and in many more fields. With enormous commercial benefits and advanced scientific
techniques, researchers are investigating extremophiles for a better understanding of
their metabolism, and survival strategies for newer applications. This chapter focuses
on applications of different types of extremophiles in industry, scientific research,
medical science, and other fields. 
Deep Learning Transformer Models for Building a Comprehensive and Real-time Trauma Observatory: Development and Validation Study
Authors: Chenais Gabrielle , Gil-Jardiné Cédric , Touchais Hélène , Avalos Fernandez Marta , Contrand Benjamin , Tellier Eric , Combes Xavier , Bourdois Loick , Revel Philippe , Lagarde Emmanuel
Published: January 2023

Background

Public health surveillance relies on the collection of data, often in near-real time. Recent advances in natural language processing make it possible to envisage an automated system for extracting information from electronic health records.

Objective

To study the feasibility of setting up a national trauma observatory in France, we compared the performance of several automatic language processing methods in a multiclass classification task of unstructured clinical notes.

Methods

A total of 69,110 free-text clinical notes related to visits to the emergency departments of the University Hospital of Bordeaux, France, between 2012 and 2019 were manually annotated. Among these clinical notes, 32.5% (22,481/69,110) were traumas. We trained 4 transformer models (deep learning models that encompass attention mechanism) and compared them with the term frequency–inverse document frequency associated with the support vector machine method.

Results

The transformer models consistently performed better than the term frequency–inverse document frequency and a support vector machine. Among the transformers, the GPTanam model pretrained with a French corpus with an additional autosupervised learning step on 306,368 unlabeled clinical notes showed the best performance with a micro F1-score of 0.969.

Conclusions

The transformers proved efficient at the multiclass classification of narrative and medical data. Further steps for improvement should focus on the expansion of abbreviations and multioutput multiclass classification.
Patient Perspectives and Preferences for Consent in the Digital Health Context: State-of-the-art Literature Review
Authors: Kassam Iman , Ilkina Daria , Kemp Jessica , Roble Heba , Carter-Langford Abigail , Shen Nelson
Published: January 2023

Background

The increasing integration of digital health tools into care may result in a greater flow of personal health information (PHI) between patients and providers. Although privacy legislation governs how entities may collect, use, or share PHI, such legislation has not kept pace with digital health innovations, resulting in a lack of guidance on implementing meaningful consent. Understanding patient perspectives when implementing meaningful consent is critical to ensure that it meets their needs. Consent for research in the context of digital health is limited.

Objective

This state-of-the-art review aimed to understand the current state of research as it relates to patient perspectives on digital health consent. Its objectives were to explore what is known about the patient perspective and experience with digital health consent and provide recommendations on designing and implementing digital health consent based on the findings.

Methods

A structured literature search was developed and deployed in 4 electronic databases—MEDLINE, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, and Web of Science—for articles published after January 2010. The initial literature search was conducted in March 2021 and updated in March 2022. Articles were eligible for inclusion if they discussed electronic consent or consent, focused on the patient perspective or preference, and were related to digital health or digital PHI. Data were extracted using an extraction template and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results

In total, 75 articles were included for analysis. Most studies were published within the last 5 years (58/75, 77%) and conducted in a clinical care context (33/75, 44%) and in the United States (48/75, 64%). Most studies aimed to understand participants’ willingness to share PHI (25/75, 33%) and participants’ perceived usability and comprehension of an electronic consent notice (25/75, 33%). More than half (40/75, 53%) of the studies did not describe the type of consent model used. The broad open consent model was the most explored (11/75, 15%). Of the 75 studies, 68 (91%) found that participants were willing to provide consent; however, their consent behaviors and preferences were context-dependent. Common patient consent requirements included clear and digestible information detailing who can access PHI, for what purpose their PHI will be used, and how privacy will be ensured.

Conclusions

There is growing interest in understanding the patient perspective on digital health consent in the context of providing clinical care. There is evidence suggesting that many patients are willing to consent for various purposes, especially when there is greater transparency on how the PHI is used and oversight mechanisms are in place. Providing this transparency is critical for fostering trust in digital health tools and the innovative uses of data to optimize health and system outcomes.
A PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED SINGLE-BLIND STUDY COMPARING ALPRAZOLAM VERSUS CLONIDINE AND PREGABALIN AS PREANAESTHETIC MEDICATION IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING ELECTIVE LOWER LIMB SURGERIES
Authors: AHMED MAKKI MOHD FAZAL , RANI SEEMA , KUMAR SANJEEV , BANSAL PRANAV , SAINI RAHUL , GOYAL ABHINAV
Published: January 2023

Objective: The objective of the study was to study comparison of alprazolam versus clonidine and pregabalin as pre-anesthetic medication in patients undergoing elective lower limb surgeries.
Methods: The present study was undertaken to compare the effects of alprazolam 0.5 mg, clonidine 100 μg, and pregabalin 75 mg as premedicant drugs for the reduction of pre-operative anxiety. 90 patients of ASA Grades I and II, between 18 and 60 years, of either sex, undergoing elective lower limb surgery were divided into three groups of 30 patients each. Baseline anxiety level and level after 2 h of the drug were assessed. Side effects due to drugs were noted before going to OT (Post drug, i.e., 2 h after drug administration), after the completion of the surgery, and at 24 h.
Results: There is a significant post-drug reduction in s-STAI score, t-STAI score, and CGI score when compared to baseline values in all the Group’s A, C, and P. Side effects were mild and there were no serious adverse effects observed in all three groups. In Group A, 10% of patients complained of fatigue while in Group C, 13.3% of patients complained of dryness of mouth, and 10% of patients complained of headache 2 h post drug administration but in Group P, no side effect was noted.
Conclusion: Premedication with 0.5 mg alprazolam, 100 μg clonidine, and 75 mg pregabalin for control of pre-operative anxiety was comparable though pregabalin offered a significant advantage in terms of less side effects.
Cost–effectiveness of overactive bladder treatments from a US commercial and payer perspective
Authors: Murray Brian , Miles-Thomas Jennifer , Park Amy J , Nguyen Victor B , Tung Amy , Gillard Patrick , Lalla Anjana , Nitti Victor W , Chermansky Christopher J
Published: January 2023

Aim:
The cost–effectiveness of treatment options (anticholinergics, β3-adrenoceptor agonists, onabotulinumtoxinA, sacral nerve stimulation and percutaneous tibial stimulation [the latter two including new rechargeable neurostimulators]) for the management of overactive bladder (OAB) were compared with best supportive care (BSC) using a previously published Markov model.
Materials & methods:
Cost–effectiveness was evaluated over a 15-year time horizon, and sensitivity analyses were performed using 2- and 5-year horizons. Discontinuation rates, resource utilization, and costs were derived from published sources.
Results:
Using Medicare and commercial costs over a 15-year time period, onabotulinumtoxinA 100U had incremental cost–effectiveness ratios (ICERs) gained of $39,591/quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) and $42,255/QALY, respectively, versus BSC, which were the lowest ICERs of all assessed treatments. The sensitivity analyses at 2- and 5-year horizons also showed onabotulinumtoxinA to be the most cost-effective of all assessed treatments versus BSC.
Conclusion:
OnabotulinumtoxinA 100U is currently the most cost-effective treatment for OAB.
Una mirada sociodemográfica y antropológica a la vida laboral y familiar de las y los trabajadores guatemaltecos transfronterizos
Authors: Jasso Vargas Rosalba
Published: January 2023

Desde una mirada sociodemográfica y antropológica, Jéssica Nájera, en su libro Vivir de ambos lados del Suchiate: trabajo transfronterizo y vida familiar de guatemaltecos en Chiapas, explora la vida laboral y familiar de las y los trabajadores guatemaltecos transfronterizos. La investigación de esta autora es un excelente retrato de las formas particulares de reproducción social y cotidiana en el espacio cofronterizo de la región del Soconusco, Chiapas, y el departamento fronterizo de San Marcos, Guatemala. El aporte más valioso de la obra consiste en ofrecer una excelente categorización de las experiencias laborales transfronterizas.
GCMS and FTIR analysis of ethanol and methanol leave extract of Urena lobata (Caesar weed) for bioactive phytochemical constituents
Authors: Keke Collins Obinna , Nsofor Winifred Njideka , Kumabia Francis Koku Ras , Iloabuchi Godian Chima , Ejiofor Juliet Chioma , Osuagwu Olachi Lilian
Published: January 2023

This study was designed to apply the highly sophisticated biological and chemical characterization techniques–(GC-MS) Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and FTIR spectroscopy to screen for bioactive phytocompounds present in ethanol and methanol extracts of U. lobata .The leaves of the plant were collected from a farm in Umuode village in Osisioma Ngwa local government area of Abia state, Nigeria. Ethanol and methanol extracts of the leaves were prepared and analyzed using Buck M910 Gas chromatography system with HP-5MS column (30m in length x250µm in diameter x 0.25µm in thickness film). Analysis of functional groups in the phytocompounds were done using Buck scientific M530 USA FTIR.12 vibrational functional groups were revealed by the FTIR screening in the ethanol and methanol extracts of U. lobata leaves. Some of the functional groups were indicative of alcohols, phenols, aromatic compounds, unsaturated hydrocarbons, vinyl ethers, amines, isonitriles and aliphatic compounds. GC-MS analysis of the ethanol leaf extract revealed 41 bioactive compounds with the following being most abundant, 9-octadecenoic acid(16.8%), dodecenoic acid(13.43%),n-hexadecanoic acid(11.73%), octadecanoic acid (9.78%), 1-docosene(9.57%) while  the methanol extract revealed 47 bioactive compounds with the following  having the highest abundance, n-hexadecanoic acid (26.65%) and (9.11%), dodecanoic acid(6.89%), 1-docosene(6.06%), erucic acid(4.09%).These phytocompounds and many others present in the leaf have been reported to possess multiple therapeutic activities. This therefore explains the use of this leaf in ancient medicine to treat numerous disease conditions. It further implies that the leaf could be exploited for the formulation of therapeutic molecules.

Keywords: Urena lobata, GC-MS, FTIR, Spectroscopy, Phytocompounds, Functional group, Phytoconstituents
A study of the Effect of Yogic Interventions on Varicose Veins
Authors: Zulpe Rajashekhar , Sharma K. Krishna
Published: January 2023

Background: Varicose Veins are a valve incomitance disorder of the veins. Most persons who suffer from Varicose Veins very often do not get substantially relieved by the current medical treatment. A holistic approach to yoga has the potential to prevent, reduce incompetents and cure the increased valve competent condition. It can be treated by changing lifestyle and dietary habits. But Yoga and Ayurveda are available to help reduce the symptoms and curb the Varicose Veins.

Aims: The main purpose of this study is to find the effect of the yogic intervention on KSRP Police suffering from primary varicose veins.

Design: 56 KSRP Police suffering from primary varicose veins were selected from KSRP 7th Battalion Police, Mangalore for the study. The age of the subjects ed from 30 to 60 years. The design used for the study was a pre-post design. Simple Random sampling was used for the collection of the sample.

Methods: The study was performed with 56 KSRP Police who gave information regarding the daily activities of the Police; pre-post values for the study were assessed based on the primary varicose veins. Yogic techniques were used as an intervention for a period of 3 months.

Results: 90 days of Yoga Intervention resulted in significant changes in the score of the perceived parameters of questioners and doppler ultrasound test in the experiment group (p<0.001) compared to the control group.

Conclusion: Yoga and Ayurveda can increase the resistance to the infection of Varicose Veins. The holistic approach of yoga can prevent and reduce the Varicose Veins condition. Adopting the yogic techniques and Ayurvedic techniques properly removes the impurities of the Varicose Veins, and further stagnation can be prevented.

Keywords: Varicose Veins, Yogic Interventions, Ayurveda, KSRP Employees.
Head and neck cancer: hypofractionated adjuvant radiation therapy
Authors: Sokurenko V. P. , Karpenko A. V. , Lushchaeva T. A. , Ponezha T. E.
Published: January 2023

INTRODUCTION: Effect of adiuvant radiation therapy (RT) on oncologic outcomes is well-known and confirmed by different trials. Optimal time to start RT is 6–8 weeks after surgery. Increasing duration of RT delay beyond that interval leads to decrease in overall survival (OS) and makes loco-regional recurrence (LRC) more probable. However, more than 50% patients do not receive adjuvant treatment in time (Mitra S. et al., 2022). Overall treatment time (77–100 days) is another factor that influences effectiveness of adjuvant RT. In order to keep within that time limits non-conventional regimens of RT can be used.

OBJECTIVE: To test safety and feasibility of hypofractionated adjuvant RT in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity and oropharynx.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with stage III–IV squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity and oropharynx (n=11) who underwent surgery and have to recieve adjuvant RT in 8 weeks and more after surgery are included. Dose was delivered using Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) and simultaneous integrated boost.

RESULTS: Patients (n=11) completed RT successfully. Surgery-to-RT interval ranges between 9 and 15 weeks. Dose per fraction on high-risk-CTV varies between 2,5 and 2,75 Gy. Acute side-effects (oral mucositis grade II) presented after 27–32 Gy (11–13 fractions) in 9 patient out of 11 and reached maximum (oral mucositis grade III, radiation dermatitis grade II) at the end of the treatment.

CONCLUSIONS: Hypofractionated adjuvant RT (VMAT) can be safely used in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity and oropharynx and local acute toxicity can be controlled.
Methods of dosimetry-based treatment planning in radiopharmaceutical therapy. Part 2: Planning levels
Authors: Stanzhevskii A. A. , Maistrenko D. N. , Vazhenina D. A. , Sysoev D. S. , Vodovatov A. V. , Chipiga L. A. , Ryzhov S. A. , Petryakova A. V.
Published: January 2023

At the present time three most common approaches are used for the planning of the radionuclide therapy: administration of the fixed activity of radionuclide in radiopharmaceutical, or administration of activity normalized per unit of body mass or body surface. That may lead to significant deviations between the prescribed and real absorbed doses in healthy organs and tissues. These deviations are associated with differences in biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of radiopharmaceutical between models and real patients. That does not allow individual planning of the treatment course for each patient since data on the accumulated activity in source regions and organs at risk is limited and uncertainty is too high for the calculation of absorbed doses. Improvements in the reliability of the absorbed dose calculation can be achieved through the use of different imaging modalities (diagnostic nuclear medicine) for the quantitative assessment of accumulated activity of radionuclides in organs and tissues and distribution of radiopharmaceutical in healthy tissues. Planning of radionuclide therapy should be personalized. The current study was aimed at the analysis of the approaches the dosimetry-based planning of radionuclide therapy presented in the Report of International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements 96 «Dosimetry-guided radiopharmaceutical therapy», differentiated based on the possibilities of the nuclear medicine departments, including examples of levels of planning for most common radiopharmaceuticals. The results of analysis indicated that most optimal approach for Russian clinical practice is to transit to the requirements of planning level 1: to calculate and report administered activity considering patient body mass, type and stage of disease was well as prescribed clinical task. Requirements of planning level 2 are currently impossible to implement nation-wide, except for several nuclear medicine research facilities. Additionally, it is necessary to focus on the development of the methods of estimation of absorbed doses in major delineable organs.
Baseline volumetric parameters of PET/CT 18F-FDG and international prognostic index at patients with diffuse B-cell large cell lymphoma
Authors: Vinogradova Yu. N. , Tlostanova M. S. , Ivanova A. A. , Zelyanina M. I. , Ilyin N. V.
Published: January 2023

INTRODUCTION: Metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and Tumor lesion glycolysis (TLG) are used in 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron-Emission Tomography combined with Computed Tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) as biometric markers in whole tumor. International prognostic index (IPI) has been used during 30 years at patients with diffuse B-cell large cell lymphoma (DLBCL) for prognosis, use MTV and TLG was unknown. Our aims were to determinate the best statistical relationship between MTV, TLG and IPI in patients with DLBCL.

OBJECTIVE: Complex study of baseline volumetric parameters PET/CT with 18F-FDG at patients with DLBCL and assessment of their correlation with prognostic groups.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Baseline 18F-FDG PET/CT performed in 31 primary patients with DLBCL and evaluated SUVmax, MTV, TMTV, TLG, TTLG at different involved anatomic zones; correlation between PET biomarkers and prognostic groups of patients.

Statistics: The research materials were subjected to statistical processing using the methods of correlation and regression analyses.

RESULTS: SUVmax mean level didn’t discerned at patients of low and high-risk groups, but TMTV has been less in favorable prognostic, than in unfavorable groups (152±3.0 sm3 vs 890±178 sm3 p<0,01); the same TTLG (1291±474 g/ml×sm3 vs 7640±2067 g/ml×sm3 , p<0.01) and IMA (6.7±0.7 vs 9.2±0.6; p<0,01). All volumetric parameters have been less at patients with supradiaphragmatic lymph nodes, than infradiaphragmatic lymph nodes and bones too. Significant positive correlation was found between the TMTV u TTLG (p=0.965; p<0,001), between TMTV, TTLG and progressive disease risk (p=0.735; p=0.747; p<0,001). The regression analysis was derived to estimate the connection PET biomarkers and progressive disease risk.

DISCUSSION: The 30-year experience of using IPI in assessing the prognosis of patients with DLBCL has shown its insufficient effectiveness in many clinical situations, and the R-IPI prognostic model has been tested on a smaller number of patients and can only be considered additionally. We studied in detail the initial volumetric parameters of patients with DLBCL in different regions of the lesion and their relationship with the level of prognosis according to the IPI criteria. Our data on large values of volumetric parameters in the infradiaphragmatic areas and bones may be related to the worse prognosis in patients with these localizations. Further broader studies of the initial volumetric biomarkers of PET in DLBCL patients will contribute to the development of approximate boundaries of specific volumetric parameters for different tumor localizations.

CONCLUSION: The results obtained showed that the baseline volumetric parameters PET/CT at patients with DLBCL have significant connection with prognostic groups of patients and can be additional factors to influence of tactics of therapy.
Contextuality in composite systems: the role of entanglement in the Kochen-Specker theorem
Authors: Wright Victoria J , Kunjwal Ravi
Published: January 2023

The Kochen–Specker (KS) theorem reveals the nonclassicality of single quantum systems. In contrast, Bell's theorem and entanglement concern the nonclassicality of composite quantum systems. Accordingly, unlike incompatibility, entanglement and Bell non-locality are not necessary to demonstrate KS-contextuality. However, here we find that for multiqubit systems, entanglement and non-locality are both essential to proofs of the Kochen–Specker theorem. Firstly, we show that unentangled measurements (a strict superset of local measurements) can never yield a logical (state-independent) proof of the KS theorem for multiqubit systems. In particular, unentangled but nonlocal measurements—whose eigenstates exhibit ''nonlocality without entanglement"—are insufficient for such proofs. This also implies that proving Gleason's theorem on a multiqubit system necessarily requires entangled projections, as shown by Wallach [Contemp Math, 305: 291-298 (2002)]. Secondly, we show that a multiqubit state admits a statistical (state-dependent) proof of the KS theorem if and only if it can violate a Bell inequality with projective measurements. We also establish the relationship between entanglement and the theorems of Kochen–Specker and Gleason more generally in multiqudit systems by constructing new examples of KS sets. Finally, we discuss how our results shed new light on the role of multiqubit contextuality as a resource within the paradigm of quantum computation with state injection.
Evaluation of Requirement Engineering Best Practices for Secure Software Development in GSD: An ISM Analysis
Authors: Khan Rafiq Ahmad , Akbar Muhammad Azeem , Rafi Saima , Almagrabi Alaa Omran , Alzahrani Musaad
Published: January 2023

Technological advancement makes the world a global village. The immense
use of software systems has modernized human society in every aspect.
Thus, the security parameter is an important element that needs to be
considered while developing software systems. Considering the
significance of software security, it is important to consider the
security practices from the early phase of the software development life
cycle (SDLC), i.e., requirements engineering (RE). Hence, this study
aims to identify and categorize RE practices important to apply for
secure software development (SSD) in a geographically distributed
development environment. To study the RE practices concerning SSD, we
conducted a questionnaire survey with industrial experts in the global
software development (GSD) context. Furthermore, the interpretive
structure modeling (ISM) approach was applied to evaluate the
relationship between the RE security practice core categories. This
paper identifies 70 practices and classifies them into 11 fundamental
dimensions (categories) to assist GSD organizations in specifying the
requirements for SSD. The ISM results show the “Awareness of Secure
Requirement Engineering (SRE)” category has the most decisive influence
on the other ten core categories of the identified RE security
practices. With the help of empirical evidence and the ISM approach,
this work attempts to identify potential security practices and to give
a set of secure RE practices that can be used to improve the security of
the software development process.
Unsteady flow of Casson nanofluid through generalized Fourier's and Fick's law for heat and mass transfer
Authors: Wang Ye-Qi , Shafique Ahmad , Nisa Zaib , Asjad Muhammad , Nazar Mudassar , Inc Mustafa , Yao Shao-Wen
Published: January 2023

The purpose of this paper to explain the role and importance of fractional
derivatives for mass and heat transfer in Casson nanofluids including clay
nanoparticles. These particles can be found in water, kerosene, and engine
oil. The physical flow phenomena are illustrated using PDE and
thermophysical nanoparticle properties, and this paper addresses the Casson
fractional fluid along with chemical reaction and heat generation. The heat
and mass fluxes are generalized using the constant proportional Caputo
fractional derivative. The present flow model are solved semi-analytically
using the Laplace transform. We generated several graphs to understand how
various flow factors affect velocity. The acquired results reveal that
fractional parameters have dual behavior in velocity profiles. Velocity and
temperature are also compared to previous studies. Compared to the other
fractional derivatives results, field variables and proposed hybrid
fractional derivatives showed a more decaying trend. Furthermore,
significant results of clay nanoparticles with various base fluids have
been obtained.