Interest in corticosteroid therapy in COVID-19 has been rekindled after the results from Randomized Evaluation of COVid-19 thERapY (RECOVERY) Trial. However, the World health Organization has not ...recommended corticosteroid in the treatment of COVID-19. We sought to conduct a systematic review on the role of corticosteroid in the management of patients of COVID-19.
A systematic electronic search of PubMed, Cochrane and MedRxiv database using specific keywords was made up till June 17, 2020. Full text of all the original articles with supplementary appendix that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were retrieved and a detailed analysis of results were represented.
Of the 5 studies (4 retrospective studies and 1 quasi-prospective study) conducted for evaluating the role of corticosteroids, 3 studies have shown benefit, while 2 studies shown no benefit and there was a suggestion of significant harm in critical cases in one sub-study. RECOVERY trial is the only randomized controlled trial that has shown a significant reduction of death by 35% in ventilated patients and by 20% amongst patients on supplemental oxygen therapy with the dexamethasone, although no benefit was observed in mild cases.
While the results from retrospective studies are heterogenous and difficult to infer of a definitive protective benefit with corticosteroids, RECOVERY trial found a significantly better outcome with dexamethasone, mostly in severe cases. Nonetheless, more studies are needed to replicate the outcome shown in RECOVERY trial for a substantial conclusion.
•Corticosteroids have been tried in COVID-19 to improve the outcomes.•Retrospective studies have shown inconsistent results.•Recently conducted randomized RECOVERY trial has shown a significant benefit in severe and critical patients.
Remdesivir is a broad spectrum anti-viral drug that has shown to inhibit SARS-CoV-2, in vitro and in vivo. In absence of any effective treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19), remdesivir has ...been tried for a compassionate use in severe COVID-19. Newer randomized controlled studies that have recently become available, showed a mixed result. We aimed to systematically search the literature to understand the pharmacology and clinical effects of remdesivir in patients with COVID-19.
We systematically searched the PubMed, ClinicalTrial.Org and MedRxiv database up till May 5, 2020 using specific key words such as “Remdesivir” or ‘GS-5734″ AND “COVID-19” or “SARS-CoV-2” and retrieved all the article published in English language, that have reported the pharmacology and the clinical outcomes of remdesivir in patients with COVID-19.
Initial compassionate use of remdesivir has shown a fairly good result, but difficult to quantify, in the absence of control arm. While the very first double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial conducted in Wuhan, did not find any significant benefit compared to the control, the preliminary result of another similar multi-country trial has shown a significant faster time to recovery but without any difference in mortality.
Remdesivir has shown a mixed result in patients with COVID-19 with an acceptable side effect. However, jury is still out while awaiting the results from the forthcoming trials.
•Remdesivir has been recently given an Emergency Use Authorization for in-patients use in severe COVID-19 in both adults and children.•While the first double-blind, randomized-controlled trial (DBRCT) found no significant benefit with remdesivir compared to placebo, preliminary reports from another DBRCT showed a significant faster recovery, without any difference in mortality.•Interestingly, a short 5-days course of remdesivir was found to have a similar efficacy to a long 10-days course with a lesser side effect.
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•Phytic acid (PA) is generally considered as an antinutrient, though it also plays beneficial role in both plants and animals.•Phytic acid has beneficial as hypoglycemic, antioxidant ...and anti-bacterial agent.•In plant, it helps in seed germination and protect against biotic and abiotic stress.•Fine-tuning of PA can be done by physical, chemical and genetic intervention.
Phytic acid (PA), myo-inositol 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakisphosphate is the principal storage compound of phosphorus (P) and account for 65%–85% of the seeds total P. The negative charge on PA attracts and chelates metal cations resulting in a mixed insoluble salt, phytate. Phytate contains six negatively charged ions, chelates divalent cations such as Fe2+, Zn2+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ rendering them unavailable for absorption by monogastric animals. This may lead to micronutrient deficiencies in humans since they lack the enzyme phytase that hydrolyzes phytate and releases the bound micronutrients. There are two main concerns about the presence of PA in human diet. The first is its negative impact on the bioavailability of several minerals and the second is the evidence of PA inhibiting various proteases essential for protein degradation and the subsequent digestion in stomach and small intestine. The beneficial role of PA has been underestimated due to its distinct negative consequences. PA is reported to be a potent natural plant antioxidant which plays a protective role against oxidative stress in seeds and preventive role in various human diseases. Recently beneficial roles of PA as an antidiabetic and antibacterial agent has been reported. Thus, the development of grains with low-PA and modified distribution pattern can be achieved through fine-tuning of its content in the seeds.
In this work, A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor is designed for the selective detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) present in the sensing medium (PBS solution) using three kinds of ...2D materials i.e. graphene, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and mxene. Initially we introduce a basic design of Ti-Ag-Graphene based SPR biosensor for detection of CEA. After that, include the mxene and MoS2 layer between silver and graphene layer in basic Ti-Ag-Graphene structure separately for performance enhancement and also for comparative analysis. Over the graphene layer, bovine serum albumin (BSA) is deposited for the selective attachment of CEA biomarkers present in PBS solution in all structures. We find that the performance parameters are improved by the introduction of MoS2 and mxene as sandwiched between silver and graphene layers. The proposed design shows maximum sensitivity 144.72 deg./RIU and detection accuracy 2.24 for MoS2-Graphene based structure, which is better than other reported works. A comparative study shows that the MoS2-Graphene combination shows better performance as compared to Mxene-Graphene combination. This study may prove their importance to enhancement in sensitivity of SPR biosensors by using these 2D materials.
Manual harvesting is a physically demanding occupation with several work-related issues in which musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) happen most commonly. The risk factors for MSDs among manual ...harvesting farmers are not investigated properly in low and low-middle-income nations. Therefore, a study among 140 farmers of Rajasthan, India was carried out through the usage of Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) technique to identify ergonomic risks. χ2 analysis was used to find the relationship between the MSDs and various factors. Also, logistic regression methodology was applied to get the most influencing factor for MSDs in different body regions. The lower-back, fingers, shoulders and wrists/hands were the body parts in which more than 50% workers reported MSDs. MSDs in one or more body regions were found to be associated with age, daily working in farms, farming experience, gender, hand dominance and perceived work fatigue. The age was majorly associated with MSDs in all body regions except the shoulder and neck as per the outcome of logistic regression. The outcome of RULA grand score had been found higher than or equal to 5 in 92% of the farmers which give directions for further research and changes.
Plants are excellent sources of functionally bioactive compounds and essential nutrients. The phytochemical constituents have enormous potential in treating both plant and human diseases. Parkia ...timoriana (Yongchak/Zawngtah), one of the most important underutilized plants popularly consumed in Manipur and Mizoram states of Northeastern region of India, is known for its ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal values. A significant DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)), and Phosphomolybdate scavenging activity corresponding to high antioxidant potentials was shown by the extracts from different edible parts of P. timoriana. P. timoriana extract showed significant antibacterial potential against Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus subtillis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses of the extracts revealed the functional groups and bioactive compounds present in different edible parts of the plant. Characteristic peaks of phenols, carboxylic acids, alkenes, glycogen, alkyl halides, halogen, aliphatic amines, primary and secondary amines, esters, ether, aromatics, lipids, triglycerides, nitro compounds that had antimicrobial, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties etc. were observed. The GC-MS analysis also revealed the occurrence of 49 bioactive compounds that are known to possess a variety of pharmacological activities. Subsequently, in silico molecular docking studies of the identified bioactive compounds predicted potential anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first-hand report on the bioactive compounds of edible parts of P. timoriana extracts showing antioxidant, antimicrobial and pharmacological significance. This study can lead to the production of new herbal medicines for various diseases employing P. timoriana and perhaps leading to the creation of new medications.
Abstract
Sustainable concrete using recycled coarse aggregates from construction and demolition waste is gaining popularity in the construction industry, but has poor mechanical characteristics due ...to old cement mortar adhering to aggregate surfaces. This study uses two processes (abrasion treatment and cement slurry treatment) to modify the surface of recycled coarse aggregates (RCA) to minimize the strength loss of RCA and enhance the bonding properties of the concrete matrix and RCA. Surface-modified RCA replaced coarse aggregates in varying percentages, ranging from 0 to 100% in 25% increments. To comprehend the effects of surface-modified RCA, the workability, compressive strength, flexural strength, split tensile strength, microstructural characteristics (XRD, SEM, and EDAX), and modulus of elasticity of concrete are evaluated. Surface-modified RCA improves concrete’s mechanical characteristics, but abrasion-treated RCA has significantly greater strength than reference concrete up to 50% replacement level, while cement slurry treatment has slightly lower strength. Test findings reveal that among all the two processes of surface modifications of RCA, abrasion treatment is more effective and efficient. At 100% replacement level, surface-modified RCA by abrasion treatment reduces compressive, flexural, and split tensile strength by 10.89%, 10.42%, and 09.92% compared to reference concrete, while surface-modified RCA by cement slurry treatment reduces these values by 14.80%, 13.27%, and 12.76%. Surface modifications improve bonding properties of RCA and cement matrix, reducing porosity and resulting in dense and strong ITZs compared to unmodified RCA.
The grain size is one of the complex trait of rice yield controlled by a plethora of interaction of several genes in different pathways. The present study was undertaken to investigate the influence ...of seven known grain size regulating genes: DEP1, GS7, GS3, GW8, GL7, GS5 and GW2. A wide phenotypic variation for grain length, grain width and grain length-width ratio were observed in 89 germplasm. The correlation analysis showed a strong association among these three grain traits viz. GL, GW, GLWR and TGW which play important roles in determining the final rice grain size. Except for GW2, all six genes showed strong association with grain size traits. A total of 21 alleles were identified with an average of 2.1 allele/locus in 89 germplasm of which seven alleles were found to be favourable alleles for improving the grain size with the frequency range of 24 (26.97%) to 82 (92.13%); the largest was found in GS5 followed by GW8, GL7, DEP1, GS3 and GS7 genes. Through ANOVA, four markers (GS3-PstI, S9, GID76 and GID711) of three genes (GS3, DEP1 and GL7) were found significantly associated with all the three traits (GL, GLWR and TGW). Concurrent results of significant associations of grain size traits with other markers were observed in both analysis of variance and genetic association through the general linear model. Besides, the population structure analysis, cluster analysis and PCoA divided the entire germplasm into three sub-groups with the clear-cut demarcation of long and medium grain types. The present results would help in formulating strategies by selecting suitable candidate markers/genes for obtaining preferred grain shape/size and improving grain yield through marker-assisted breeding.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The interaction of a flexible system with a moving fluid gives rise to a wide variety of physical phenomena with applications in various engineering fields, such as aircraft wing stability, arterial ...blood progression, high structure reaction to winds, and turbine blade vibration. Both the structure and fluid need to be modeled to understand these physical phenomena. However, in line with the overall theme of this strength, the focus here is to investigate wind turbine aerodynamic and structural analysis by combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element analysis (FEA). One-way coupling is chosen for the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) modeling. The investigation is carried out with the use of commercialized ANSYS applications. A total of eight different wind velocities and five different angles of pitch are considered in this analysis. The effect of pitch angles on the output of a wind turbine is also highlighted. The SST k-ω turbulence model has been used. A structural analysis investigation was also carried out and is carried out after importing the pressure load exerted from the aerodynamic analysis and subsequently finding performance parameters such as deformation and Von-Mises stress.
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