Considering the varied pharmacological prominence of thiazole and oxadiazole heterocyclic moieties, a unique series of bi-heterocyclic hybrids,
8a-h
, was synthesized in a convergent manner. The ...structures of newly synthesized compounds were characterized by
1
H-NMR,
13
C-NMR, and IR spectral studies. The structure-activity relationship of these compounds was predicted by examining their inhibitory effects against alkaline phosphatase, whereby all these molecules exhibited superb inhibitory potentials relative to the standard used. The kinetics mechanism was determined by Lineweaver-Burk plots which revealed that
8g
inhibited the studied enzyme non-competitively by forming an enzyme-inhibitor complex. The inhibition constant
K
i
calculated from Dixon plots for this compound was 0.42 μM. The allosteric computational study was coherent with the experimental records and these ligands exhibited good binding energy values (kcal mol
−1
). The hemolytic analysis revealed their mild cytotoxicity towards red blood cell membranes and hence, these molecules have potential to be nontoxic medicinal scaffolds for the treatment of alkaline phosphate-associated ailments.
Considering the varied pharmacological prominence of thiazole and oxadiazole heterocyclic moieties, a unique series of bi-heterocyclic hybrids,
8ah
, was synthesized in a convergent manner.
ObjectivesThis pilot study assessed whether a peer-supported, WhatsApp-assisted lifestyle modification intervention for weight reduction is feasible to execute a definitive trial.DesignA ...mixed-methods, single group, pretest and post-test, quasi-experimental study.SettingAzam Basti, an urban slum in Karachi, Pakistan.ParticipantsFifty participants (males and females aged 20–60) with a body mass index of >23 kg/m2, along with their nominated peers from the same family.InterventionUsing motivational interviewing techniques, a trained nutritionist delivered the lifestyle modification intervention to the participants and peers for 3 days after the baseline assessment and then once monthly for 1 year. The intervention was delivered in groups using WhatsApp voice calls. The education sessions mainly focused on dietary modifications, physical activity advice and peer-support assignments to achieve a 5% wt loss from the participant’s initial body weight.OutcomesThe feasibility measures included screening, recruitment, retention and monthly interview response rates. At 1 year, in-depth interviews (IDIs) with participants and peers were conducted to explore the facilitators, barriers, acceptability and experiences of the intervention. Changes in weight, calorie intake/day and calorie expenditure/day were also assessed.ResultsThe recruitment and retention rates were 32% (n=50/156) and 78% (n=39/50), respectively, while the response rate for monthly interviews ranged between 66% (n=33) and 94% (n=47). The mean weight loss at 1 year was 2.2 kg, and the reduction in mean calorie intake was 386 kcal/day. There were no changes in the mean calorie expenditure. During the IDIs, participants and peers reported intervention via WhatsApp and peer support as convenient, flexible and supportive.ConclusionsThe quantitative and qualitative findings of the current pilot study support the scale-up of this work with minor modifications to the screening method as well as close monitoring and motivational interviewing to improve adherence in terms of physical activity.Trial registration numberNCT05928338.
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•Synthesis of bi-heterocyclic scaffolds.•Structural characterization with spectral analysis.•Urease inhibition and structure-activity relationship.•Chemo-informatics and validation of ...Lipinski rule.•Molecular docking analysis to ascertain interactions.
Present work aimed to synthesize some unique bi-heterocyclic benzamides as lead compounds for the in vitro inhibition of urease enzyme, followed by in silico studies. These targeted benzamides were synthesized in good yields through a multi-step protocol and their structures were confirmed by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, EI-MS and elemental analysis. The in vitro screening results showed that most of the ligands exhibited good inhibitory potentials against the urease. Chemo-informatics analysis envisaged that all these compounds obeyed the Lipinski's rule. Molecular docking results showed that 7h exhibited good binding energy value (−8.40 kcal/mol) and was bound within the active region of urease enzyme. From the present investigation, it was inferred that some of these potent urease inhibitors might serve as novel templates in drug designing.
Hiccups, also known as singultus, are involuntary spasms of the diaphragm muscle followed by laryngeal closure involving a reflex arc. It is a relatively common phenomenon, usually transient and ...self-limiting. However, in medical settings, it could be much more serious and is often a sign of underlying pathology. When hiccups last for over 48 hours, they are referred to as persistent hiccups, and if they persist for more than a month, they are known as intractable hiccups. Current pharmacologic treatment of persistent or intractable hiccups mainly includes antidopaminergic drugs, which specifically antagonize the dopamine D2 receptor. Here, we present the case of a 54-year-old gentleman who was admitted under our care with a posterior circulation stroke specifically affecting the medulla. He was symptomatic with severe, persistent hiccups interfering with sleep and oral intake and unresponsive to all standard medications. After nearly two weeks, a trial of hydrocortisone was given, to which he responded dramatically. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only case of hiccups that has been successfully treated with hydrocortisone. The remarkable improvement seen in our patient when treated with hydrocortisone suggests hydrocortisone could be a useful agent in post-stroke hiccups that are unresponsive to traditional treatment for hiccups.
Ajuga bracteosa
is a medicinally important plant globally used in the folk medicine against many serious ailments. In the present study, effects of two significant elicitors, methyl jasmonate (Me-J) ...and phenyl acetic acid (PAA) were studied on growth parameters, secondary metabolites production, and antioxidant potential in adventitious root suspension cultures of
A. bracteosa
. The results showed a substantial increase in biomass accumulation, exhibiting longer log phases of cultures growth in response to elicitor treatments, in comparison to control. Maximum dry biomass formation (8.88 DW g/L) was recorded on 32nd day in log phase of culture when 0.6 mg/L Me-J was applied; however, PAA at 1.2 mg/L produced maximum biomass (8.24 DW g/L) on day 40 of culture. Furthermore, we observed the elicitors-induced enhancement in phenolic content (total phenolic content), flavonoid content (total flavonoid content) and antioxidant activity (free radical scavenging activity) in root suspension cultures of
A. bracteosa.
Application of 0.6 mg/L and 1.2 mg/L of Me-J, root cultures accumulated higher TPC levels (3.6 mg GAE/g DW) and (3.7 mg GAE/g DW) in the log phase and stationary phase, respectively, while 2.5 mg/L Me-J produced lower levels (1.4 mg GAE/g DW) in stationary phase of growth stages. Moreover, TFC and FRSA values were found in correspondence to TPC values in the respective growth phases at the similar elicitor treatment. Thus, a feasible protocol for establishment of adventitious roots in
A. bracteosa
was developed and enhancement in biomass and metabolite content in adventitious root was promoted through elicitation.
BackgroundChildren born small for gestational age (SGA) may experience more long-term neurodevelopmental issues than those born appropriate for gestational age (AGA). This study aimed to assess ...differences in the neurodevelopment of children born SGA or AGA within a periurban community in Pakistan.MethodsThis was a prospective cohort study in which study participants were followed from the pilot Doppler cohort study conducted in 2018. This pilot study aimed to develop a pregnancy risk stratification model using machine learning on fetal Dopplers. This project identified 119 newborns who were born SGA (2.4±0.4 kg) based on International Fetal and Newborn Growth Consortium standards. We assessed 180 children (90 SGA and 90 AGA) between 2 and 4 years of age (76% of follow-up rate) using the Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool (MDAT).FindingsMultivariable linear regression analysis comparing the absolute scores of MDAT showed significantly lower fine motor scores (β: −0.98; 95% CI −1.90 to –0.06) among SGAs, whereas comparing the z-scores using multivariable logistic regression, SGA children had three times higher odds of overall z-scores ≤−2 (OR: 3.78; 95% CI 1.20 to 11.89) as compared with AGA children.InterpretationSGA exposure is associated with poor performance on overall MDAT, mainly due to changes in the fine motor domain in young children. The scores on the other domains (gross motor, language and social) were also lower among SGAs; however, none of these reached statistical significance. There is a need to design follow-up studies to assess the impact of SGA on child’s neurodevelopmental trajectory and school performance.
PurposePakistan has disproportionately high maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. There is a lack of detailed, population-representative data to provide evidence for risk factors, ...morbidities and mortality among pregnant women and their newborns. The Pregnancy Risk, Infant Surveillance and Measurement Alliance (PRISMA) is a multicountry open cohort that aims to collect high-dimensional, standardised data across five South Asian and African countries for estimating risk and developing innovative strategies to optimise pregnancy outcomes for mothers and their newborns. This study presents the baseline maternal and neonatal characteristics of the Pakistan site occurring prior to the launch of a multisite, harmonised protocol.ParticipantsPRISMA Pakistan study is being conducted at two periurban field sites in Karachi, Pakistan. These sites have primary healthcare clinics where pregnant women and their newborns are followed during the antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal periods up to 1 year after delivery. All encounters are captured electronically through a custom-built Android application. A total of 3731 pregnant women with a mean age of 26.6±5.8 years at the time of pregnancy with neonatal outcomes between January 2021 and August 2022 serve as a baseline for the PRISMA Pakistan study.Findings to dateIn this cohort, live births accounted for the majority of pregnancy outcomes (92%, n=3478), followed by miscarriages/abortions (5.5%, n=205) and stillbirths (2.6%, n=98). Twenty-two per cent of women (n=786) delivered at home. One out of every four neonates was low birth weight (<2500 g), and one out of every five was preterm (gestational age <37 weeks). The maternal mortality rate was 172/100 000 pregnancies, the neonatal mortality rate was 52/1000 live births and the stillbirth rate was 27/1000 births. The three most common causes of neonatal deaths obtained through verbal autopsy were perinatal asphyxia (39.6%), preterm births (19.8%) and infections (12.6%).Future plansThe PRISMA cohort will provide data-driven insights to prioritise and design interventions to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes in low-resource regions.Trial registration numberNCT05904145.
An Unexpected Cause of Raised Procalcitonin Sabahat, Uzma; Thomas, Liza Mariam; Shaikh, Niaz Ahmed ...
Dubai medical journal,
12/2023, Letnik:
6, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
A 28-year-old female was admitted to hospital with a history of paracetamol overdose, a total of 18 g, 2 days prior to presentation. Other than nausea and mild abdominal pain she had no other ...symptoms and systemic examination was unremarkable. Laboratory tests showed slightly elevated liver enzymes and significantly elevated procalcitonin level of 97 ng/mL (normal <0.05 ng/mL). This septic biomarker was alarmingly high, though the patient had no clinical features of infection, and C-reactive protein – the other routinely done marker of inflammation – was normal. She received treatment with N-acetylcysteine for paracetamol overdose. Other than slightly elevated liver enzymes, tests of liver function were essentially normal. All investigations for underlying infection were negative. She had a short uncomplicated 5-day hospital stay. Her procalcitonin levels improved spontaneously and were significantly reduced though not yet normal at the time of discharge.
Background and Aims: In periodontal disease, pathogenic inflammatory factors hold a vital part in adverse pregnancy outcomes. In recent years, there has been a large amount of literature concerning ...the association between periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth (PTB) and low-birth-weight baby (LBWB). In the Middle-east region, reports indicate a higher rate of adverse pregnancy outcomes, and periodontitis is believed to be one of several risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes. This cross-sectional, epidemiological study aimed to investigate the prevalence of periodontal diseases among pregnant women in the Qassim region and its association as a possible risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Materials and Methodology: This was a cross-sectional, epidemiological study of 380 pregnant women from the 8th week postconception to parturition who were attending to Maternal and Children's Hospital in Buraidah, Qassim, KSA. The data were collected through questionnaire and oral examination. Plaque scores (Silness and Loe) and gingival disease scores (Ramfjord Periodontal Disease Index PDI) were used to assess oral hygiene status. The questionnaire data collected included gestational age, plaque control habits, previous incidences of premature birth, and awareness of expectant mothers about periodontal disease. Results: Data were collected for 380 participants. Our results based on the plaque index and PDI showed that all (100%) of these 380 pregnant women suffered periodontal diseases (gingivitis 78.9% and periodontitis 21.1%). The distribution of gingivitis was the highest among 3rd trimester patients and lowest among 1st trimester patients. Mild-to-moderate types of periodontitis (4 mm-5 mm) were more prevalent among the participants compared with severe (more than 6 mm) forms of periodontitis with a higher prevalence in the 3rd trimester (7-9 months) of gestational age. Conclusions: A very strong significant association of pregnancy and periodontal disease in the Saudi population (Qassim Region) and periodontal disease is risk factor for PTB and LBWB for these patients.
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