bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nanomedicine in Neuroscience: An Application Towards the Treatment of Various Neurological Diseases
Authors: Veerabathiran Ramakrishnan , Mohammed Vajagathali , Kalarani Iyshwarya Bhaskar
Published: May 2022

Absatract:

The effectiveness, cell viability, and selective delivery of medications and diagnostic substances to target organs, tissues, and organs are typical concerns in the care and prognosis of many illnesses. Neurological diseases pose complex challenges, as cerebral targeting represents a yet unresolved challenge in pharmacotherapy, owing to the blood-brain boundary, a densely com-pacted membrane of endothelial cells that prohibits undesired chemicals from reaching the brain. Engineered nanoparticles, with dimensions ranging from 1 to 100 nm, provide intriguing biomedi-cal techniques that may allow for resolving these issues, including the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. It has substantially explored nanoparticles in the previous century, contributing to sub-stantial progress in biomedical studies and medical procedures. Using many synthesized nanoparti-cles on the molecular level has given many potential gains in various domains of regenerative medi-cine, such as illness detection, cascaded cell treatment, tissue regeneration, medication, and gene editing. This review will encapsulate the novel developments of nanostructured components used in neurological diseases with an emphasis on the most recent discoveries and forecasts for the future of varied biological nanoparticles for tissue repair, drug inventions, and the synthesizing of the deliv-ery mechanism.
Crecimiento foliar y comportamiento diario de la fotosíntesis en plantas de fique cv Ceniza (Furcraea cabuya Trelease)
Authors: Cadena-Torres Jorge , Barragan Quijano Eduardo , Romero Ferrer Jorge Luis , Mercado Kelly
Published: May 2022

El presente estudio se llevó a cabo con el objeto de monitorear el crecimiento foliar, la emisión de hojas y el comportamiento diario de la fotosíntesis en plantas de fique cv Ceniza. Para lo anterior, en un cultivo comercial se seleccionaron plantas de fique a las cuales se les realizó un monitoreo semanal para determinar las ganancias en número, longitud, ancho y grosor de las hojas, durante un período de 154 días. En dos oportunidades durante el periodo experimental, se realizó también un monitoreo cada hora a las tasas de intercambio gaseoso durante los periodos de luz y oscuridad. Los resultados de crecimiento permitieron estimar un filocrono promedio de 8,65 días. El monitoreo a las tasas de intercambio gaseoso indicaron una baja conductancia estomática durante el período de luz. Sin embargo, a partir de las 15:30 h, la conductancia estomática se incrementó sustancialmente, manteniéndose a niveles máximos durante todo el período de oscuridad, para posteriormente decrecer a partir de las 09:30 h, del siguiente periodo de luz. Se encontró una alta correlación de la conductancia estomática con el déficit de presión de vapor y la temperatura foliar. Las máximas tasas de fijación de CO2 detectadas variaron entre 12,2 y 14,5 µmol m-2 s-1, las cuales se registraron entre las 19:19 y las 19:26 h, durante el período de oscuridad. Estos resultados corroboran el metabolismo CAM de las plantas de fique cv Ceniza.
Exploring the Risk of Suicide in Real Time on Spanish Twitter: Observational Study
Authors: García-Martínez Claudia , Oliván-Blázquez Bárbara , Fabra Javier , Martínez-Martínez Ana Belén , Pérez-Yus María Cruz , López-Del-Hoyo Yolanda
Published: May 2022

Background

Social media is now a common context wherein people express their feelings in real time. These platforms are increasingly showing their potential to detect the mental health status of the population. Suicide prevention is a global health priority and efforts toward early detection are starting to develop, although there is a need for more robust research.

Objective

We aimed to explore the emotional content of Twitter posts in Spanish and their relationships with severity of the risk of suicide at the time of writing the tweet.

Methods

Tweets containing a specific lexicon relating to suicide were filtered through Twitter's public application programming interface. Expert psychologists were trained to independently evaluate these tweets. Each tweet was evaluated by 3 experts. Tweets were filtered by experts according to their relevance to the risk of suicide. In the tweets, the experts evaluated: (1) the severity of the general risk of suicide and the risk of suicide at the time of writing the tweet (2) the emotional valence and intensity of 5 basic emotions; (3) relevant personality traits; and (4) other relevant risk variables such as helplessness, desire to escape, perceived social support, and intensity of suicidal ideation. Correlation and multivariate analyses were performed.

Results

Of 2509 tweets, 8.61% (n=216) were considered to indicate suicidality by most experts. Severity of the risk of suicide at the time was correlated with sadness (ρ=0.266; P<.001), joy (ρ=–0.234; P=.001), general risk (ρ=0.908; P<.001), and intensity of suicidal ideation (ρ=0.766; P<.001). The severity of risk at the time of the tweet was significantly higher in people who expressed feelings of defeat and rejection (P=.003), a desire to escape (P<.001), a lack of social support (P=.03), helplessness (P=.001), and daily recurrent thoughts (P=.007). In the multivariate analysis, the intensity of suicide ideation was a predictor for the severity of suicidal risk at the time (β=0.311; P=.001), as well as being a predictor for fear (β=–0.009; P=.01) and emotional valence (β=0.007; P=.009). The model explained 75% of the variance.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that it is possible to identify emotional content and other risk factors in suicidal tweets with a Spanish sample. Emotional analysis and, in particular, the detection of emotional variations may be key for real-time suicide prevention through social media.
Implementation of Evidence-Informed Behavioral Health Models to Improve HIV Health Outcomes for Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (Black MSM Initiative): Protocol for Program Evaluation
Authors: Hodge Sarah E , Johnson-Turbes Ashani , Flemming Shauna St. Clair , Passero Meredith , Tinsley Melinda , Iheanyichukwu Thelma ,   The Black MSM Initiative Study Group
Published: May 2022

Background

The HIV epidemic in the United States disproportionately affects Black communities. Nearly half of Black men who have sex with men (MSM) will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime. There is a significant unmet need for behavioral health care services among Black MSM, and untreated behavioral health needs make it less likely the person is retained in HIV care.

Objective

This paper offers a description of the Implementation of Evidence-Informed Behavioral Health Models to Improve HIV Health Outcomes for Black Men who have Sex with Men (Black MSM) Initiative, a program to integrate clinical care and behavioral health/supportive services for Black MSM with HIV. The Black MSM Initiative is funded through the Health Resources & Services Administration HIV/AIDS Bureau Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part F Special Projects of National Significance.

Methods

The components of the Black MSM Initiative include providing technical assistance to 8 Initiative demonstration sites; conducting a comprehensive and culturally responsive, mixed method, multisite evaluation; and disseminating evaluation findings and lessons learned to the RWHAP community.

Results

As of December 31, 2020, demonstration sites enrolled 809 clients in the multisite evaluation. The research team will continue evaluation data collection through December 2021 for analysis and dissemination starting in 2022. The Black MSM Initiative fully supports the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States Initiative.

Conclusions

In order to succeed, providers and programs will need to engage populations traditionally considered “hard to reach,” like many people receiving RWHAP services. Findings and lessons learned from the Black MSM Initiative will expand the tool kit of solutions to support and retain Black MSM in HIV care, furthering the goals of the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative and the RWHAP.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/36025
Existing Funding Sources in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy Research: Scoping Review
Authors: Bestwick Henry , Teh Jye Quan , Mowforth Oliver , Grodzinski Ben , Kotter Mark , Davies Benjamin
Published: May 2022

Background

Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is a common, disabling condition of symptomatic cervical spinal cord compression that requires significant research advances to improve patient outcomes. A James Lind Alliance Partnership recently identified the top research priorities for DCM. To effectively address these priorities, appropriate funding of DCM research is essential.

Objective

The aim of this paper is to review current funding in DCM research and highlight future research funding opportunities.

Methods

A systematic search of Web of Science for “cervical AND myelopathy” was conducted. Papers exclusively studying DCM with declared funding and published between January 1, 1995, and March 21, 2020, were considered eligible. Funding sources were classified by country of origin and organization type. A grant search was also conducted using Dimensions.ai (Digital Science Ltd).

Results

A total of 621 papers were included, with 300 unique funding bodies. The top funders were AO Spine (n=87); National Institutes of Health, USA (n=63); and National Natural Science Foundation, China (n=63). Funding sources in the USA (n=242) supported the most DCM research, followed by China (n=209) and Japan (n=116). Funding in the USA was primarily provided by corporate or nonprofit organizations (146/242, 60.3%), while in China, the majority of funding was from institutions (208/209, 99.5%). Dimensions.ai gives an estimate for the total declared grant funding awards for DCM-specific research. Data here showed 180 grants awarded specifically for DCM research, with a total value of US $45.6 million since 1996.

Conclusions

DCM funding appears to be predominantly from the USA, China, and Japan, aligning with areas of high DCM research activity and underpinning the importance of funding to increasing research capacity. The existing funding sources differ from medical research in general, representing opportunities for future investment in DCM.
Interest in HIV Prevention Mobile Phone Apps: Focus Group Study With Sexual and Gender Minority Persons Living in the Rural Southern United States
Authors: Jones Jeb , Edwards O Winslow , Merrill Leland , Sullivan Patrick S , Stephenson Rob
Published: May 2022

Background

Mobile health (mHealth) interventions, including smartphone apps, have been found to be an effective means of increasing the uptake of HIV prevention tools, including HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) tests and pre-exposure prophylaxis. However, most HIV prevention mHealth apps tested in the United States have been tested among populations living in areas surrounding urban centers. Owing to reduced access to broadband internet and reliable cellular data services, it remains unclear how accessible and effective these interventions will be in rural areas. In addition, gay and bisexual men who have sex with men and gender minority populations in rural areas experience enhanced stigma when compared with their more urban counterparts, and these experiences might affect their willingness and interest in mHealth apps.

Objective

This study aimed to conduct online focus groups with men who have sex with men and transgender and gender diverse populations in the rural southern United States to assess their interest in mHealth HIV prevention apps and the features that they would be the most interested in using.

Methods

Focus group participants were recruited from a larger pool of sexual and gender minority respondents to a web-based research survey. The participants indicated that they would be willing to participate in an online focus group discussion. Focus groups were conducted via secure Zoom (Zoom Video Communications Inc) videoconferencing. During the focus group discussions, participants were asked to discuss their experiences with HIV and STI prevention and how these experiences were affected by living in a rural area. They were then shown screenshots of a new app to promote HIV and STI prevention among rural populations and asked to provide their opinions on the app’s features. The transcripts of the discussions were reviewed and coded using a constant comparative approach.

Results

A total of 6 focus groups were conducted with 26 participants. Most participants were cisgender gay and bisexual men who have sex with men (19/26, 73%); the remaining participants were transgender men (2/26, 8%), were nonbinary people (2/26, 8%), or had multiple gender identities (3/26, 12%). Participants reported numerous barriers to accessing HIV and STI prevention services and accurate information about HIV and STI prevention options. Overall, the participants reported a high degree of interest in mHealth interventions for HIV and STI prevention and suggested several recommendations for the features of an app-based intervention that would be the most useful for rural residents.

Conclusions

These focus group discussions indicate that rural residence is not a major barrier to mHealth HIV and STI prevention intervention implementation and that there is a high degree of interest in these approaches to HIV and STI prevention.
Health-Related Quality of Life Outcomes With Regular Yoga and Heartfulness Meditation Practice: Results From a Multinational, Cross-sectional Study (Preprint)
Authors: Thimmapuram Jayaram , Patel Kamlesh , Madhusudhan Divya K , Deshpande Snehal , Bouderlique Ekta , Nicolai Veronique , Rao Raghavendra
Published: May 2022

BACKGROUND

Although the benefits of yoga are well established across the world, there are limited studies exploring the long-term interrelation between yoga, meditation, and health. Specifically, there is limited research exploring the differences in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among regular meditators and nonmeditators.

OBJECTIVE

This study explored the differences in 7 domains of HRQOL (including quality of life, ability to adopt a healthy lifestyle, ability to relax, frequency of nervousness and stress, coping with day-to-day stress, workplace productivity, and staying healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic) among practitioners of yoga and meditation.

METHODS

A cross-sectional, online survey was distributed to all members who participated in a 100-day yoga and meditation program, culminating in the International Day of Yoga event, organized by the Heartfulness Institute in partnership with the Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy, Ministry of Ayush, SVYASA Yoga University, and Patanjali Yoga Institute, India. The program consisted of daily virtual yoga, meditation, and speaker sessions. The data were analyzed by nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis tests for continuous variables and chi-square test for categorical variables.

RESULTS

A total of 3164 participants from 39 countries completed the survey. Mean age was 33.8 (SD 13.6) years. The majority of the participants were female (n=1643, 52%) and students (n=1312, 41.5%). Regular yoga and meditation practice was associated with a positive impact on all 7 domains of HRQOL (Mann-Whitney P<.05 and χ2 P<.05). Notably, experienced Heartfulness (≥2 years) meditators reported better outcomes in all the domains of HRQOL as compared to those not currently practicing this form of meditation and participants with ≤1 year of Heartfulness meditation experience (P<.05).

CONCLUSIONS

This is one of the first cross-sectional studies to explore HRQOL outcomes among participants of a 100-day virtual yoga and meditation program. Overall, a yoga and meditation practice was found to be an effective tool for promoting HRQOL. Regular yoga and meditation practice was associated with factors promoting health and well-being, with long-term meditation practice associated with increased benefits.
In-classroom effects of classroom-based interventions to reduce sedentary behavior and improve spinal health in primary school children: A systematic review (Preprint)
Authors: Fisher Dominic , Louw Quinette
Published: May 2022

BACKGROUND

School-based interventions to prevent the metabolic and musculoskeletal health risks associated with accumulation of sedentary behaviour have shown relative success. In resource limited environments, interventions that rely on teachers to delivery additional curricula or on parents’ engagement in learning materials may not be feasible. Interventions that alter the physical classroom environment and do not rely on additional capacity or are likely to succeed in reducing classroom sedentary behaviour.

OBJECTIVE

To systematically search, identify and summarize the effectiveness of classroom-based interventions aimed at reducing classroom sedentary behavior and improving spinal health.

METHODS

The review included experimental studies conducted exclusively in school classrooms that objectively measured classroom sedentary behaviour and spinal health measures. Four databases were searched in April 2021. Search terms related to sedentary behaviour, classroom sitting, classroom neck and back pain. Study findings were summarized in tables and a meat-analysis of homogenous review outcomes data was conducted.

RESULTS

Twelves experimental studies from high-income countries were included. Nine studies focused on SB and three on spinal health. All but one SB study reported decreases in classroom sitting time. The pooled medium-term effects of a subset of SB interventions showed a statistically significant decreases in sitting (p=0.03), while short and long-term effects were not significantly reduced (p=0.13 and p=0.23, respectively). A meta-analysis of spinal health studies reported statistically significant improvements in spinal behaviour during functional tasks (p=0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Classroom-based interventions aimed at reducing SB and improving spinal health may be effective without placing additional burden on teachers and parents. Standardized outcomes for school-based SB are encouraged so findings from various settings may be pooled to determine overall effect across studies.
Social Media Impact of Articles Published by Dermatology Residents during Medical School (Preprint)
Authors: Huang Austin , Zhu Harrison , Zhou Kelvin , Kirby R Parker , Dasari Nina , Calderara Gianmarco A , Cordova Kathryn , Sorensen Ryan , Bhatnagar Anshul , Kim Soo Jung
Published: May 2022

UNSTRUCTURED

Altmetric Score (AS) is a novel measure of publication impact that is calculated through an automated algorithm by the number of mentions on numerous social media websites including Twitter and Facebook. It may be advantageous to traditional bibliometrics in the context of analyzing medical student research, as AS peaks relatively quickly and measures qualitative data. The authors hypothesize that dermatology matriculants who graduated from higher-ranked medical schools published more articles with greater impact (i.e. higher AS) than those from lower-ranked institutions.
Objective Prediction of Next-Day’s Affect Using Multimodal Physiological and Behavioral Data: Algorithm Development and Validation Study (Preprint)
Authors: Jafarlou Salar , Lai Jocelyn , Azimi Iman , Mousavi Zahra , Labbaf Sina , Jain Ramesh C , Dutt Nikil , Borelli Jessica L , Rahmani Amir
Published: May 2022

BACKGROUND

Affective states are important aspects of healthy functioning; as such, monitoring and understanding affect is necessary for the assessment and treatment of mood-based disorders. Recent advancements in wearable technologies have increased the use of such tools in detecting and accurately estimating mental states (eg, affect, mood, and stress), offering comprehensive and continuous monitoring of individuals over time.

OBJECTIVE

Previous attempts to model an individual’s mental state relied on subjective measurements or the inclusion of only a few objective monitoring modalities (eg, smartphones). This study aims to investigate the capacity of monitoring affect using fully objective measurements. We conducted a comparatively long-term (12-month) study with a holistic sampling of participants’ moods, including 20 affective states.

METHODS

Longitudinal physiological data (eg, sleep and heart rate), as well as daily assessments of affect, were collected using 3 modalities (ie, smartphone, watch, and ring) from 20 college students over a year. We examined the difference between the distributions of data collected from each modality along with the differences between their rates of missingness. Out of the 20 participants, 7 provided us with 200 or more days’ worth of data, and we used this for our predictive modeling setup. Distributions of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) among the 7 selected participants were observed. For predictive modeling, we assessed the performance of different machine learning models, including random forests (RFs), support vector machines (SVMs), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and K-nearest neighbor (KNN). We also investigated the capability of each modality in predicting mood and the most important features of PA and NA RF models.

RESULTS

RF was the best-performing model in our analysis and performed mood and stress (nervousness) prediction with ~81% and ~72% accuracy, respectively. PA models resulted in better performance compared to NA. The order of the most important modalities in predicting PA and NA was the smart ring, phone, and watch, respectively. SHAP (Shapley Additive Explanations) analysis showed that sleep and activity-related features were the most impactful in predicting PA and NA.

CONCLUSIONS

Generic machine learning–based affect prediction models, trained with population data, outperform existing methods, which use the individual’s historical information. Our findings indicated that our mood prediction method outperformed the existing methods. Additionally, we found that sleep and activity level were the most important features for predicting next-day PA and NA, respectively.
Hubungan Kepatuhan Pengobatan Dengan Kualitas Hidup Pasien Gagal Ginjal Kronik Disertai Hipertensi dan Menjalani Hemodialisis
Authors: Yuliawati Agustina Nila , Ratnasari Pande Made Desy , Pratiwi I Gusti Ayu Santhi
Published: May 2022

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) could experience several problems, then reducing their quality of life (QOL). Medication adherence (MA), including HD is very important to improve the patient's QOL. This study aimed to analyze the correlation between MA and QOL and its related factors in ESRD patients. This cross-sectional study was conducted at a Public Hospital, Buleleng, Bali in September 2020. A sample of 89 people was obtained by the purposive sampling technique. The inclusion criteria for this study were ESRD patients aged ≥18 years, undergoing HD, filling out the questionnaire completely, and being able to communicate well. Data were collected using ERSD-AQ and EQ-5D-5L questionnaire, also medication records. Data analysis were performed by Perason’s rank correlation, Spearman’s rho, Kendall’s tau-b/c, Mann-Whitney U, or Kruskal Wallis test (CI 95%). Findings showed that mostly respondents were <60 years old (66.3%), male (71.9%), less than high school educational (68.5%), not working (69.7%), lower income (55.1%), having an ESRD duration of <3 years (67.4%), taking ≤6 item medicines (96.6%), having a mean (±SD) QOL-based on a utility value of 0.779±0.172 and a visual analog scale (VAS) of 60.79±18.04. Hence, there was no significant correlation between MA and QOL, as well as patient characteristics to MA (p>0.05).). Otherwise, patients aged <60 years, high levels of education and income, as well as the number of drug items received, tend to have a better QOL (p<0.05).
Faktor yang Mempengaruhi Persepsi dan Praktik Pelayanan Kefarmasian Apoteker selama Pandemi
Authors: Haulaini Shahiroh , Widayati Anna Wahyuni , Kristina Susi Ari
Published: May 2022

Since WHO announced that COVID-19 is a global pandemic, there have been various changes in health services, including pharmaceutical services. Pharmaceutical preparations, medical devices, and consumable medical materials are pharmaceutical products whose management is performed by pharmacists, so they must be managed wisely during this pandemic. This study aims to analyze what factors influence pharmacists' perceptions in doing pharmaceutical service during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted using a cross-sectional survey in which researchers distributed online questionnaires. Respondents were selected by convenience sampling with inclusion criteria: pharmacists who practice pharmacy services in Pharmacies and/or in Puskesmas and/or in clinics and/or in hospitals in the Riau Islands province; have not participated in qualitative research and are willing to become research respondents. One hundred and fifteen respondents filled out questionnaires. We analyzed descriptively and statistically with Mann Whitney, Spearman Rank, and Kruskal Wallis test in Jamovi version 2.0. The level of significance for all statistical tests was set at p < 0,05. The results showed that of the 6 independent variables: age, gender, place of practice, length of practice experience, experience attending training/seminar related to COVID-19, and external factors, none of them influenced or correlated with the dependent variable: the role of pharmacists in management, the role of pharmacists in clinical pharmacy services as well as the development of the role and capacity of pharmacists during the pandemic. So it can be concluded that there are no certain factors that affect the perception of pharmacists in doing pharmaceutical practices and services during pandemics based on statistical tests that have been done.
Antioxidant Activity of TEMON (Clitoria ternatea and Citrus sp.) as an Infused Herbal Tea
Authors: Widowati Wahyu , Wargasetia Teresa Liliana , Zakaria Teddy Markus , Marthania Meganita , Akbar Ria Aprilia Tri Puteri Permata , Gunadi Michael Sebastian , Halim Nathanael , Santiadi Sherly
Published: May 2022

Many people around the world believed that herbal tea had a lot of antioxidants contained in it, thus it was widely drunk all over the world. However, the antioxidant capacities of herbal tea may be various because it is affected by the usage of different plants as its primary ingredient. As a result, this study examines the antioxidant activity of herbal tea made from dried Citrus sp. and Clitoria ternatea flower petals. The antioxidant potential was assessed by performing a DPPH and H2O2 scavenging activity assay on 2,2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) scavenging activity assay, total phenolic, and flavonoid content assay, ABTS reduction, and FRAP assay. This study showed that pure telang (Clitoria ternatea) herbal tea has antioxidant properties. Dried Telang (Clitoria ternatea) tea had the highest activity of antioxidants as we refer to the results of it had the highest activity value in DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assay and also had the lowest IC-50 value. Followed by TEMON infusion which showed the second-highest antioxidant activity after pure telang infusion. The decrease in antioxidant activity in the mixture of telang and lemon was due to the mixture of lemons which tended to have the lowest antioxidant activity among the three types of infusions tested. The addition of dried lemon has the aim of enhancing the flavor of the tea infusion.
Ethnomedical Study of Plants as a Traditional Medicine on Respiratory System Disease in Cilongok, Banyumas, Indonesia
Authors: Wahyuningrum Retno , Pangestu Dondi , Budiman Arif
Published: May 2022

Indonesia is one of the most geologically complex regions globally and makes it one of the greatest of the world's biodiversity centers. But the primary data on medicinal plants in Indonesia is still lacking. Cilongok is a district in Banyumas located on the slope of Slamet mountain. It is one of the biodiversity areas in Java, Indonesia. Respiratory System Disease has become one of the top ten diseases in Banyumas Indonesia. This study aimed to explore information about the type of medicinal plants used for respiratory system disease and how to process it in Cilongok District, Banyumas Regency, Central Java. This study was descriptive survey research with semi-structured interviews of 68 informants. Data were qualitatively analyzed by interpreting the interview transcript and quantitatively to calculate the Species Use Value of those medicinal plants. The result showed that in Cilongok District, there were 40 medicinal plant species from 25 families used as traditional medicine in respiratory system disease and pounded as the most used method of preparation. Citrus aurantiifolia (Christm.) Swingle is the most used medicinal plant with SUV were 0.235, followed by Amomum compactum Sol. ex Maton (SUV 0.206), Zingiber officinale Roscoe (SUV 0.176), Kaempferia galanga L (SUV 0.176), and Zingiber officinale var Rubrum (SUV 0.147).
Phytochemical Screening and Antidengue Activity of Jatropha Multifida Extract against DENV-2
Authors: Yuniyanti Mia Munawaroh , Nugrahaningsih Dwi Aris Agung , Wahyuningsih Mae Sri Hartati
Published: May 2022

Cases of dengue infection are still high in various parts of the world and no antiviral has been found to treat dengue infection. Jatropha multifida is one of the herbs used by the community to treat dengue infection, but pre-clinical and clinical scientific evidence has not been carried out. Phytochemical screening of ethanol extract of Jatropha multifida leaves was carried out using thin layer chromatography. Cytotoxic assay was performed on Vero cells using the MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide). The cytotoxic concentration 50 (CC50) was determined using probit analysis. Anti-dengue test on dengue  virus serotype 2 (DENV-2) was performed on Vero cells and the RNA (ribonucleic acid) copy number was quantified using quantitative polymerase chain reactions ((qPCR). Phytochemical screening results showed that the ethanol extract of Jatropha multifida leaves contains flavonoid and terpenoid compounds. CC50 of the extract was found to be 651.8 µg/mL. The RNA copy number of the treated group was lower than the control group and the difference was significant. The ethanol extract of Jatropha multifida leaves has anti-dengue activity against DENV-2.
APPLICATION OF TWO ADVANCED DERIVATIVE SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHODS FOR SIMULTANEOUS ESTIMATION OF SALBUTAMOL SULPHATE, AMBROXOL HYDROCHLORIDE AND THEOPHYLLINE IN PURE AND COMMERCIAL FORMULATIONS
Authors: DAVE H. N. , MASHRU R. C.
Published: May 2022

Objective: Two advanced spectrophotometric methods have been proposed for the simultaneous determination of Salbutamol sulphate, Ambroxol hydrochloride and Theophylline in pure and pharmaceutical formulations. The proposed methods exclude the hectic steps of time-consuming sample preparations or purification or separation steps. There is no any spectrophotometric method has been avail for simultaneous estimation of the ternary mixture containing Salbutamol sulphate, Ambroxol hydrochloride and Theophylline.

Methods: The methods are derivative ratio spectra zero-crossing method and double divisor ratio spectra derivative method respectively. Both the methods are found to be rapid, accurate, precise, reliable and economical as well. The developed methods show best results in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection and limit of quantification for standard laboratory mixtures of pure drugs and marketed formulations.

Results: The range for Salbutamol sulphate, Ambroxol hydrochloride and Theophyllineare found to be 1-35 µg ml-1, 5-35 µg ml-1and 6-60 µg ml-1 respectively. For the derivative ratio spectra zero-crossing method, the values of the limit of detection are found to be 0.3161 µg ml-1, 0.2212 µg ml-1 and 0.2910 µg ml-1 and the values limit of quantification are found to be 0.9571 µg ml-1, 0.7412 µg ml-1 and 0.9671 µg ml-1 for Salbutamol sulphate, Ambroxol hydrochloride and Theophylline respectively. For double divisor ratio spectra derivative method, limit of detection values is found to be 0.3251 µg ml-1, 0.2591 µg ml-1 and 0.2640 µg ml-1 and the limit of quantification values are found to be 0.9870 µg ml-1, 0.8650 µg ml-1 and 0.8812 µg ml-1 for Salbutamol sulphate, Ambroxol hydrochloride and Theophylline respectively.

Conclusion: The common excipients and additives did not interfere in the determinations of any of the drugs while being analysed for commercial formulations. These two spectrophotometric methods, which determine SS, AH, and THE simultaneously, are simple, specific, accurate, precise, rapidly, and economically, indicating that they can be used routinely in pharmaceutical analysis. As a result, derivative spectrophotometry may be used effectively for the simultaneous determination of SS, AH and THE in the combined dosage forms without any prior separation of individual drugs.
Xuanzang’s Theory “Transliteration for Five Occasions” In Religious and Cultural Loanwords Translation
Authors: Shen Huijia
Published: May 2022

Monk Xuanzang, a great translator in the Tang Dynasty in China, once put forward the famous Buddhist sutra translation theory of “transliteration for five occasions”, that is, transliteration for mystery, for polysemy, for non-existence, for following the past and for respect. This article explains the connotation and limits of this theory, and comprehensively reveals its guiding role in the translation of religious and cultural loanwords as well as the important role in promoting the development of Chinese translation theory.
El indigenismo en el Centro Coordinador del INI en los Altos de Chiapas: un incentivo para el debate historiográfico
Authors: Monterrosa Cubías Luis Gerardo
Published: May 2022

Por medio de un esquema narrativo claro y bien hilvanado, con los actores del drama y el escenario etnográfico bien definidos, Stephen Lewis ofrece un abordaje histórico del Centro Coordinador Indigenista del INI en los Altos de Chiapas. Se trata de un estudio de caso en el que se analiza la implementación del proyecto indigenista en este estado del sureste mexicano: con sus logros, vicisitudes y un balance de su gestión. A lo largo de su disertación, situada en la segunda mitad del siglo XX y sustentada con numerosas fuentes de archivo, el autor rescata diversas aristas del trabajo de los indigenistas, como el teatro Petul y el empoderamiento de los líderes indígenas, lo que representa un incentivo para el debate historiográfico del periodo.
Paludismo y economía campesina
Authors: Ortega Gutiérrez Mauricio
Published: May 2022

En este libro el autor expone una dialéctica sobre la Salud-Enfermedad y de la epidemiología del paludismo en los Altos de Chiapas, alejándose de la concepción clásica institucional y de la meramente estadística de lo gubernamental. En cambio refiere las condiciones históricas en que los campesinos indígenas han desarrollado su actividad agrícola de subsistencia en los trabajadores y las relaciona con la evolución del paludismo en las cañadas. Es evidente, también, su desagrado con los enfoques propios de la epidemiología estatal; en suma el libro merece leerse atentamente por sus nexos importantes con la labor social.
El Negro Cimarrón. Ya’yejal J-Ik’al
Authors: Gómez Gómez Antonio
Published: May 2022

Con los negros escapados de las fincas y haciendas de los españoles inicia su historia en los relatos tradicionales en los Altos. Así algunos aparecen como espantagentes, ladrones de víveres y mujeres. Con su vida al margen de las comunidades locales y completos extraños en estos territorios la imaginación pudo disfrazar a estos negros con atributos de demonios y otras entidades convirtiendo así la lucha por la sobrevivencia, por la libertad y la satisfacción de las necesidades en las acciones de potencias oscuras a través de seres igualmente oscuros. La versión que aquí presentamos proviene de San Juan Chamula.
La economía política de swaps de monedas: derivaciones para la periferia global
Authors: Fernández Alonso José
Published: May 2022

El estallido de la crisis financiera en Estados Unidos en 2007-2008 y su expansión acelerada alrededor del globo incitaron un sinnúmero de cambios político-económicos internacionales, muy particularmente en lo ateniente a sus dimensiones monetarias y financieras. La emergencia del complejo de acuerdos de intercambio de divisas –swaps, conforme su voz inglesa- entre las autoridades político-monetarias de un colectivo heterogéneo de economías constituye, sin dudas, una de las expresiones más acabadas de dichos cambios. La República Argentina no quedó ajena a estas nuevas tendencias de la diplomacia financiera y monetaria contemporánea, al firmar sendos acuerdos con Brasil y China, en lo principal. El propósito del presente artículo es el de indagar los fundamentos y alcances del complejo emergente de acuerdos de intercambios de divisas. Concretamente, el artículo se propone escrutar, a la luz de la experiencia argentina reciente, si los acuerdos mentados constituyen la base de una reforma sustantiva de los sistemas monetarios y financieros o, por el contrario, se inscriben cual respuestas marginales a los desafíos institucionales del contexto.
Asociaciones Público-Privadas: fórmulas de financiamiento
Authors: Vicher Diana
Published: May 2022

En este trabajo se buscan distinguir las particularidades de las Asociaciones Público Privadas (APPs) respecto a formas históricas de asociaciones entre los sectores público y privado. Se auscultan sus alcances para brindar financiamiento al sector público. Es una aproximación teórico-descriptiva, con la pretensión de sintetizar la situación de las APPs y sus ventajas e inconvenientes. El estudio aborda la situación general al nivel internacional para ofrecer una panorámica de aspectos relevantes en torno a la utilidad efectiva que ofrece esta forma de contratación que se caracteriza por ofrecer financiamiento ante la escasez de recursos de los gobiernos para construir infraestructura y prestar servicios. En el ámbito geográfico y temporal busca proporcionar una panorámica sobre el surgimiento y utilización de las APPs en términos amplios, aunque refiriendo algunos aspectos concretos de Europa y América Latina.
Influence of radon gas removal on the oxygenation of thermal water bodies in the Paipa-Boyacá area
Authors: Rojas Arias Nicolás , Blanco-Zúñiga Cesar René , Rojas-Arias Sebastian Felipe
Published: May 2022

In this work, the effect of radon gas removal was studied for thermal water samples subjected to aeration and dissolved oxygen (DO) transfer processes. The prototype used in this work consisted of the application of a diffusion aeration system, usually used in water treatment processes, and the incorporation of a camera with the presence of LR-115 passive detectors, used for the measurement of radon gas. The Pylon ABC-6 active measurement method was used as a reference mechanism for radon gas concentration, while the dissolved oxygen measurement was measured simultaneously using a digital oximeter. The results obtained show that the DO transfer process is accompanied by an optimal removal of the radon gas present in the water samples, with a reception data of 1.5 ± 0.2 kBq·m-3, 61% of the value initially obtained. These data show that DO transfer processes have a great contribution to the removal of radon gas present in water bodies.
Isolation and Identification of Pathogenic Microorganisms associated with Electronic Devices from Healthcare Professionals in and around Chennai
Authors: Bhaskar Bhavani , Sumitha Ravindran
Published: May 2022

Electronic devices such as mobile phones, Bluetooth devices, electronic tabs, laptops, earphones and biometrics have all become an element in both the personal and professional life of human race. These electronic devices are in intense contact with us every day which might result in contamination of these devices and increase in the microbial load. Nowadays, the devices have become multiple interfaces leading to increase in the bacterial load and also the heat generated by various users make the devices a suitable breeding ground for the pathogenic organisms. The study is aimed at isolating and identifying microorganisms from electronic devices of health care professionals in and around Chennai. The study group was separated into the use of electronic devices like mobile phones, biometrics, laptops and electronic tabs utilized by doctors, nurses, interns and lab technicians. The samples were collected aseptically using sterile cotton swabs and transported to laboratory where isolation and identification of microbes were done using standard microbial testing. Total of 75 samples were collected in which 100% of the total sample were contaminated with heavy load of microorganisms. The species identified from the electronic devices were Pseudomonas sp., Bacillus sp., Streptococcus sp., Protease sp in abundance which is associated with pathogenic infections. Antibiotic sensitivity showed resistance against commercially available antibiotics on testing. Awareness among the health care professionals on personal hygiene and safe usage of the devices away from contamination are the possible ways to stay away from infectious pathogens.
Isolation, Characterization, and Optimization Studies of Bacterial Pigments
Authors: Fatima Meraj , Anuradha K.
Published: May 2022

Recent concern for human safety and environmental protection has rekindled interest in natural pigment sources. In comparison to synthetic pigments, microbial pigments show better biodegradability and environmental compatibility and are used in a variety of applications ranging from food to cosmetics. The areas of attention for economical pigment synthesis include the identification of novel microbiological sources and improvement of process parameters. The purpose of this research was to screen and identify microbial isolates capable of generating pigments with antimicrobial activity from a variety of soil samples. A total of six pigment-producing bacterial sps were able to isolate from various soil samples such as bore well digging sites, river shores, river beds, forest areas, dumping yards using the enrichment culture technique. All the isolates were morphologically and biochemically identified as Micrococcus sp producing two-color pigments i.e., yellow and orange, Serratia sp producing red and pink color pigments, Salinococcus sp producing orange color pigment, and Exiguobacterium sp producing yellow color pigment respectively. During optimization studies maximum pigment production was observed at pH 7, agitation at 90 rpm (rotations per minute) and 120 rpm, the temperature of 30°C and 37°C, inoculum size up to 2% with NaCl concentration of 2%, 4%, and 6% respectively. Optimization of nutritional parameters such as carbon source and nitrogen source it was found that glucose (1%) and yeast extract (0.1%) work the best. Extraction of the pigment from the fermented broth was done by solvent-solvent extraction method. UV-Visible spectrophotometry and Silica gel Thin-layer chromatography was used to detect the presence of carotene and prodigiosin in the extracted bacterial pigment. The crude bacterial pigments were tested for antimicrobial activity against clinical pathogens including E. coli, Klebsiella sp, Bacillus sp, Staphylococcus sp, and pseudomonas sp respectively. Among all the isolates, pigments of Micrococcus sp and Salinococcus sp showed comparatively good results. Further purification of the pigment will lead to discovering a promising drug in the pharmaceutical industry.
Urine Microscopy Score and Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio at Presentation are Good Biomarkers of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients with Upper Urinary Tract Infection when Assessed in Correlation with Virulence Factors of Escherichia coli and Blood Group Secretor Status
Authors: Thiagarajan Shanmugapriya , Stephen Selvaraj , Kumar Santosh , Charles Priscilla , Kanagamuthu Sarangapani , Ambroise Stanley , Viswanathan Pragasam , Chinnakali Palanivel , Ganesh Rajesh Nachiappa
Published: May 2022

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a leading cause of morbidity in urinary tract infection (UTI). We aimed to identify simple biomarkers and bacterial virulence factors associated with AKI in a setting of upper UTI due to uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). We designed a cross-sectional study to analyse biomarkers of AKI in upper UTI patients. A total of 2758 patients presenting to a tertiary care center with symptoms of upper UTI were assessed for the presence of diabetes mellitus, AKI, blood group non-secretors, urine microscopy and hemogram. 300 patients with UPEC in bacterial culture were studied for bacterial virulence factors by phenotypic and genotypic methods and the patients were followed up for a minimum period of two weeks. Patients with diabetes mellitus, non-secretors, Urine microscopy (UM) score > 2 and higher (> 3.9) neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) at initial presentation, were found to be significantly associated with AKI at presentation and predicted AKI at 7th and 14th day follow up. They were also significantly associated with need and increased duration of hospitalization. There was no association of virulence factors of UPEC with diabetes mellitus, AKI or need for hospitalization. However, virulence factors had a significant association (p<0.001)with non-secretors. UM score and NLR are simple tools to identify AKI at presentation and predict AKI during follow-up and the need for hospitalization. Patients with diabetes mellitus and non-secretors are also at higher risk of AKI. Non-secretors are significantly associated with both phenotypic and genotypic expression of virulence factors of UPEC.
Review of IoT Based Intelligent BINS and Smart Waste Management
Authors: Jais Prof. Vipin , Bhanarkar Tushar , Karkade Kunal , Kare Nikhil , Satekar Kuldeepak
Published: May 2022

Abstract: Urban India generates tones of wastes annually. Our country faces major challenges associated with waste management. Conventional garbage collection is not efficient since the authorities are not notified until the waste bin is full, and this leads to overflow of waste material. Efficient way of waste disposal and collection of disposed garbage is essential for a sustainable and clean India. This paper presents smart waste management using loT based waste bin for collection and monitoring the level of waste inside bin. The system is implemented using two ultrasonic sensors which is being controlled by Node MCU. One of the ultrasonic sensor detects the level of the waste in the bin and other detects the person approaching the bin to dispose the waste. This detection helps in automatic opening and closing of the lid. Servo motor is connected to the lid which serves the action of closing and opening of the lid. In this system, level of waste in the bin will be sent to concerned authorities. The loT data is stored and monitored using Blynk app. The proposed system is reliable, cost effective and can be easily implemented. Keywords: IOT, Smart Bin, Sensors, Sensor Network, Waste Management.
Meta-analysis of effectiveness of electroencephalogram monitoring of sustained attention for improving online learning achievement
Authors: Liu Enyun , Zhao Jingxian
Published: May 2022

The conclusions of previous studies have not been consistent regarding the effects of the use of electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring technology to improve the sustained attention and online learning achievement of students. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis of the results of
nine experimental studies. Results indicate that the combined effect of EEG monitoring during periods of sustained attention was moderately positive in improving students' online learning achievement (value of combined effect in the studies = .52). The greatest impact of EEG monitoring of
sustained attention regarding students' online learning achievement was found for an openended design challenge of immersive virtual reality (reminder feedback). No significant difference was found according to education level.