Analysis of events from sudden isolated dysarthria to diagnosis of myasthenic crisis: myasthenia gravis mimicking acute lacunar stroke-a case report.

BACKGROUND: Myasthenic crisis (MC) is a life-threatening complication of myasthenia gravis (MG), necessitating ventilation. Achieving a safe and timely diagnosis of myasthenic crisis with atypical, isolated presentation is a considerable challenge particularly in elderly patients, where myasthenia gravis can present with isolated dysarthria in rare instances, giving a clinical impression of lacunar stroke. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a compelling case of a 73-year-old Caucasian female presenting with abrupt onset of isolated dysarthria. Despite initial treatment for a presumed lacunar stroke, subsequent evaluations led to her diagnosis of a myasthenic crisis. Within 72 h of admission, the patient developed dysphagia and shortness of breath, requiring supplemental oxygen. The case highlights the sequential progression of events from the atypical presentation of isolated dysarthria and its course to the management of a myasthenic crisis. CONCLUSION: Our reported case focuses on the discussion of myasthenia that mimicked a lacunar stroke and was finally diagnosed at a critical time of medical crisis. This case highlights the imperative notion that isolated dysarthria in elderly individuals warrants vigilant monitoring for possible myasthenia gravis, given the low incidence of lacunar stroke presenting with only dysarthria.

Deciphering mycobiota and its functional dynamics in root hairs of Rhododendron campanulatum D. Don through Next-gen sequencing.

The Himalayas provide unique opportunities for the extension of shrubs beyond the upper limit of the tree. However, little is known about the limitation of the biotic factors belowground of shrub growth at these cruising altitudes. To fill this gap, the present study deals with the documentation of root-associated microbiota with their predicted functional profiles and interactions in the host Rhododendron campanulatum, a krummholz species. While processing 12 root samples of R. campanulatum from the sites using Omics we could identify 134 root-associated fungal species belonging to 104 genera, 74 families, 39 orders, 17 classes, and 5 phyla. The root-associated microbiota members of Ascomycota were unambiguously dominant followed by Basidiomycota. Using FUNGuild, we reported that symbiotroph and pathotroph as abundant trophic modes. Furthermore, FUNGuild revealed the dominant prevalence of the saptroptroph guild followed by plant pathogens and wood saprotrophs. Alpha diversity was significantly different at the sites. The heatmap dendrogram showed the correlation between various soil nutrients and some fungal species. The study paves the way for a more in-depth exploration of unidentified root fungal symbionts, their interactions and their probable functional roles, which may serve as an important factor for the growth and conservation of these high-altitude ericaceous plants.

Digital Alloy-Grown InAs/GaAs Short-Period Superlattices with Tunable Band Gaps for Short-Wavelength Infrared Photodetection.

The InGaAs lattice-matched to InP has been widely deployed as the absorption material in short-wavelength infrared photodetection applications such as imaging and optical communications. Here, a series of digital alloy (DA)-grown InAs/GaAs short-period superlattices were investigated to extend the absorption spectral range. The scanning transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution X-ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy measurements exhibit good material quality, while the photoluminescence (PL) spectra demonstrate a wide band gap tunability for the InGaAs obtained via the DA growth technique. The photoluminescence peak can be effectively shifted from 1690 nm (0.734 eV) for conventional random alloy (RA) InGaAs to 1950 nm (0.636 eV) for 8 monolayer (ML) DA InGaAs at room temperature. The complete set of optical constants of DA InGaAs has been extracted via the ellipsometry technique, showing the absorption coefficients of 398, 831, and 1230 cm-1 at 2 µm for 6, 8, and 10 ML DA InGaAs, respectively. As the period thickness increases for DA InGaAs, a red shift at the absorption edge can be observed. Furthermore, the simulated band structures of DA InGaAs via an environment-dependent tight binding model agree well with the measured photoluminescence peaks, which is advantageous for a physical understanding of band structure engineering via the DA growth technique. These investigations and results pave the way for the future utilization of the DA-grown InAs/GaAs short-period superlattices as a promising absorption material choice to extend the photodetector response beyond the cutoff wavelength of random alloy InGaAs.

From Flora to Pharmaceuticals: 100 new additions to angiosperms of Gafargaon subdistrict in Bangladesh and unraveling antidiabetic drug candidates targeting DPP4 through in silico approach.

Addition to the angiosperm flora provides essential insights into the biodiversity of a region, contributing to ecological understanding and conservation planning. Gafargaon subdistrict under Mymensingh district in Bangladesh represents a diverse population of angiosperms with a multifaceted ecosystem that demands re-evaluation of the existing angiosperm diversity of Gafargaon to update the status of angiosperm taxa and facilitate their conservation efforts. With this endeavor, a total of 100 angiosperm taxa belonging to 90 genera and 46 families were uncovered as additional occurrence in Gafargaon. The species in the area showcased a variety of life forms, including 63 herbs, 14 shrubs, 14 trees, and 9 climbers. Among the recorded taxa, Chamaecostus cuspidatus (Nees & Mart.) C.D. Specht & D.W. Stev. was selected for antidiabetic drug design endeavor based on citation frequency and ethnomedicinal evidence. A total of 41 phytochemicals of C. cuspidatus were screened virtually, targeting the Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 protein through structure-based drug design approach, which unveiled two lead compounds, such as Tigogenin (-9.0 kcal/mol) and Diosgenin (-8.5 kcal/mol). The lead candidates demonstrated favorable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties with no major side effects. Molecular dynamics simulation revealed notable stability and structural compactness of the lead compounds. Principal component analysis and Gibbs free energy landscape further supported the results of molecular dynamics simulation. Molecular mechanics-based MM/GBSA approach unraveled higher free binding energies of Diosgenin (-47.36 kcal/mol) and Tigogenin (-46.70 kcal/mol) over Alogliptin (-46.32 kcal/mol). The outcome of the present investigation would enrich angiosperm flora of Gafargaon and shed light on the role of C. cuspidatus to develop novel antidiabetic therapeutics to combat diabetes.

StackDPP: a stacking ensemble based DNA-binding protein prediction model.

BACKGROUND: DNA-binding proteins (DNA-BPs) are the proteins that bind and interact with DNA. DNA-BPs regulate and affect numerous biological processes, such as, transcription and DNA replication, repair, and organization of the chromosomal DNA. Very few proteins, however, are DNA-binding in nature. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an efficient predictor for identifying DNA-BPs. RESULT: In this work, we have proposed new benchmark datasets for the DNA-binding protein prediction problem. We discovered several quality concerns with the widely used benchmark datasets, PDB1075 (for training) and PDB186 (for independent testing), which necessitated the preparation of new benchmark datasets. Our proposed datasets UNIPROT1424 and UNIPROT356 can be used for model training and independent testing respectively. We have retrained selected state-of-the-art DNA-BP predictors in the new dataset and reported their performance results. We also trained a novel predictor using the new benchmark dataset. We extracted features from various feature categories, then used a Random Forest classifier and Recursive Feature Elimination with Cross-validation (RFECV) to select the optimal set of 452 features. We then proposed a stacking ensemble architecture as our final prediction model. Named Stacking Ensemble Model for DNA-binding Protein Prediction, or StackDPP in short, our model achieved 0.92, 0.92 and 0.93 accuracy in 10-fold cross-validation, jackknife and independent testing respectively. CONCLUSION: StackDPP has performed very well in cross-validation testing and has outperformed all the state-of-the-art prediction models in independent testing. Its performance scores in cross-validation testing generalized very well in the independent test set. The source code of the model is publicly available at https://github.com/HasibAhmed1624/StackDPP . Therefore, we expect this generalized model can be adopted by researchers and practitioners to identify novel DNA-binding proteins.

Impacts of long-term irrigation with coalmine effluent contaminated water on trace metal contamination of topsoil and potato tubers in Dinajpur area, Bangladesh.

Rapid depletion of groundwater and climate change mediated shifting precipitation pattern is forcing farmers to look for alternative irrigation options like wastewater. However, routine irrigation with trace metal contaminated wastewaters could potentially pollute soil as well as cause health risks through the consumption of food products grown in contaminated soil. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the trace metals build-up status in topsoil and potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers upon continuous irrigation with coalmine effluent contaminated wastewater compared to irrigation with groundwater and surface water over three consecutive years. Soil pollution status and human health risk associated with consumption of potato tubers grown on wastewater-irrigated soil was also assessed in this study. Three separate experimental sites differing in irrigation source (groundwater, surface water, and coalmine wastewater) were selected near Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited located at Parbatipur upazilla of Dinajpur district, Bangladesh. Nine trace metals namely arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) were estimated. Results showed significantly higher trace metal content in both soil and potato tubers due to wastewater irrigation. Wastewater suitability for irrigation regarding Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni and Pb were off the permissible level although the soil contamination with trace metals and their levels in potato tubers remained within the safety limit. Health risk assessment revealed that, consumption of potato tubers grown in wastewater-irrigated soil remained safe although health risk associated with Cr was almost at the border. The study exclusively highlighted the core massage that, trace metal contamination of both soil and potatoes cultivated in them was increasing alarmingly due to three years of wastewater-irrigation. Although the extent of contamination was below critical limit, it can potentially become hazardous in years to come unless wastewater-irrigation is checked. This study was successful to provide valuable insights regarding the potential environmental and human health threats that might arise due to unmindful irrigation of contaminated coalmine wastewater. Besides, this study should prove useful in strategizing safety measures for cropping under trace metal contaminated soils and for planning industrial effluent disposal to avoid agricultural soil contamination.

Improving the efficiency of a CIGS solar cell to above 31% with Sb2S3 as a new BSF: a numerical simulation approach by SCAPS-1D.

The remarkable performance of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS)-based double heterojunction (DH) photovoltaic cells is presented in this work. To increase all photovoltaic performance parameters, in this investigation, a novel solar cell structure (FTO/SnS2/CIGS/Sb2S3/Ni) is explored by utilizing the SCAPS-1D simulation software. Thicknesses of the buffer, absorber and back surface field (BSF) layers, acceptor density, defect density, capacitance-voltage (C-V), interface defect density, rates of generation and recombination, operating temperature, current density, and quantum efficiency have been investigated for the proposed solar devices with and without BSF. The presence of the BSF layer significantly influences the device's performance parameters including short-circuit current (Jsc), open-circuit voltage (Voc), fill factor (FF), and power conversion efficiency (PCE). After optimization, the simulation results of a conventional CIGS cell (FTO/SnS2/CIGS/Ni) have shown a PCE of 22.14% with Voc of 0.91 V, Jsc of 28.21 mA cm-2, and FF of 86.31. Conversely, the PCE is improved to 31.15% with Voc of 1.08 V, Jsc of 33.75 mA cm-2, and FF of 88.50 by introducing the Sb2S3 BSF in the structure of FTO/SnS2/CIGS/Sb2S3/Ni. These findings of the proposed CIGS-based double heterojunction (DH) solar cells offer an innovative method for realization of high-efficiency solar cells that are more promising than the previously reported traditional designs.

A qualitative Design and optimization of CIGS-based Solar Cells with Sn2S3 Back Surface Field: A plan for achieving 21.83 % efficiency.

Conventional Copper Indium Gallium Di Selenide (CIGS)-based solar cells are more efficient than second-generation technology based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si: H) or cadmium telluride (CdTe). So, herein the photovoltaic (PV) performance of CIGS-based solar cells has been investigated numerically using SCAPS-1D solar simulator with different buffer layer and less expensive tin sulfide (Sn2S3) back-surface field (BSF). At first, three buffer layer such as cadmium sulfide (CdS), zinc selenide (ZnSe) and indium-doped zinc sulfide ZnS:In have been simulated with CIGS absorber without BSF due to optimized and non-toxic buffer. Then the optimized structure of Al/FTO/ZnS:In/CIGS/Ni is modified to become Al/FTO/ZnS:In/CIGS/Sn2S3/Ni by adding a Sn2S3 BSF to enhanced efficiency. The detailed analysis have been investigated is the influence of physical properties of each absorber and buffer on photovoltaic parameters including layer thickness, carrier doping concentration, bulk defect density, interface defect density. This study emphasizes investigating the reasons for the actual devices' poor performance and illustrates how each device's might vary open-circuit voltage (VOC), short-circuit current density (JSC), fill factor (FF), power conversion efficiency (PCE), and quantum efficiency (QE). The optimized structure offers outstanding power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 21.83 % with only 0.80 µm thick CIGS absorber. The proposed CIGS-based solar cell performs better than the previously reported conventional designs while also reducing CIGS thickness and cost.

Assessment of genetic variation among wheat genotypes for drought tolerance utilizing microsatellite markers and morpho-physiological characteristics.

Drought is a major abiotic stress that severely limits sustainable wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) productivity via morphological and physio-biochemical alterations of cellular processes. The complex nature and polygenic control of drought tolerance traits make breeding tolerant genotypes quite challenging. However, naturally occurring variabilities among wheat germplasm resources could potentially help combating drought. The present study was conducted to assess the drought tolerance of 18 Bangladeshi hexaploid wheat genotypes, focusing on the identification of potent sources of diversity by combining microsatellite markers, also known as single sequence repeat markers, and morpho-physiological characteristics that might help accelerating wheat crop improvement programs. Initially, the genotypes were evaluated using 25 microsatellite markers followed by an on-field evaluation of 7 morphological traits (plant height, spike number, spike length, grains per spike, 1000-grain weight, grain yield, biological yield) and 6 physiological traits (SPAD value, membrane stability index, leaf relative water content, proline content, canopy temperature depression, and leaf K+ ion content). The field-trial was conducted in a factorial fashion of 18 wheat genotypes and two water regimes (control and drought) following a split-plot randomized complete block design. Regardless of genotype, drought was significantly damaging for all the tested traits; however, substantial variability in drought stress tolerance was evident among the genotypes. Spike length, 1000-grain weight, SPAD value, leaf relative water content, canopy temperature depression, proline content, and potassium (K+) ion content were the most representative of drought-induced growth and yield impairments and also correlated well with the contrasting ability of genotypic tolerance. Microsatellite markers amplified 244 alleles exhibiting 79% genetic diversity. Out of 25 markers, 23 was highly polymorphic showing 77% average polymorphism. Morpho-physiological trait-based hierarchical clustering and microsatellite marker-based neighbor-jointing clustering both revealed three genotypic clusters with 71% co-linearity between them. In both cases, the genotypes Kanchan, BAW-1147, BINA Gom 1, BARI Gom 22, BARI Gom 26, and BARI Gom 33 were found to be comparatively more tolerant than the other tested genotypes, showing potential for cultivation in water-deficit environments. The findings of this study would contribute to the present understanding of drought tolerance in wheat and would provide a basis for future genotype selection for drought-tolerant wheat breeding programs.

Evaluating the performance of efficient Cu2NiSnS4 solar cell-A two stage theoretical attempt and comparison to experiments.

In this work, copper nickel tin sulfide (Cu2NiSnS4) as an encouraging alternative absorber for thin-film photovoltaic devices is explored. Here, the Cu2NiSnS4 (CNTS) absorber-based heterojunction solar cell is designed through a two-stage theoretical approach using Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator in one-dimension (SCAPS-1D). Initially four different hole transport materials (MoO3, SnS, NiOx, and PEDOT.PSS) are incorporated at the back interface in experimentally configured Au/Cu2NiSnS4/ZnS/ZnO/ITO cell to boost the device outputs. The MoO3 semiconductor is anticipated as a hole transport layer (HTL) in the heterojunction Ni/MoO3/Cu2NiSnS4/ZnS/ZnO/ITO solar configuration. It is revealed that an appropriate band alignment can be formed at MoO3/Cu2NiSnS4 interface with less interfacial defects among other HTLs with CNTS absorber, thus improving the solar cell outputs. Efficiency is increased from 2.71% to 8.79% for the proposed CNTS-based solar cell. Further optimization is accomplished concerning thickness, defect states, and doping density of the various materials utilized in the heterojunction structure. Defect characteristics at the MoO3/Cu2NiSnS4 and Cu2NiSnS4/ZnS interfaces are also evaluated and optimized to boost the conversion efficiency significantly. Moreover, the effects of operating temperature and rear electrode work function on the outputs of the designed solar device are studied. The aforesaid two-stage optimization yields efficiency of 12.46% with VOC of 1.23 V, JSC of 12.66 mA/cm2, and FF of 79.78%. Therefore, these findings will facilitate the scientific communities to further progress an economical and extremely efficient CNTS-based solar device with a promising MoO3 HTL.

Insight into novel inhibitors from Sterculia urens against Cholera via pharmacoinformatics and molecular dynamics simulation approaches.

The underdeveloped countries with large populations are facing a grave global threat in the form of cholera. Vibrio cholerae, the etiologic agent of Cholera has drawn attention recently due to antimicrobial resistance and resulting outbreaks that necessitates establishment of novel medications to counteract virulence and viability of the pathogen. Sterculia urens Roxb. (Malvaceae) is an ethnomedicinally important tree, which harbors a good number of bioactive phytocompounds. In the present study, 53 phytocompounds of S. urens were screened against the promising target ToxT of V. cholerae employing structure-based drug design approach that revealed three lead compounds, viz., 4,4,5,8-Tetramethylchroman-2-ol (-8.2 kcal/mol), Beta-Bisabolol (-8.2 kcal/mol) and Ledol (-8.7 kcal/mol) with satisfactory ADMET properties. Molecular dynamics simulation for 150 ns unveiled notable compactness and structural stability for the lead compounds considering RMSD, RMSF, Rg, MolSA, PSA and protein-ligand contacts parameters. Molecular mechanics-based MM/GBSA binding energy calculation revealed Beta-Bisabolol (-66.74 kcal/mol) to have better scores than 4,4,5,8-Tetramethylchroman-2-ol (-47.42 kcal/mol) and Ledol (-65.79 kcal/mol). Enzymes were mostly found as drug target class, and Nabilone was found as a structurally similar analog for 4,4,5,8-Tetramethylchroman-2-ol. These discoveries could aid in revealing new antibacterial medications targeting ToxT to combat Cholera.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

On the frontiers of Twitter data and sentiment analysis in election prediction: a review.

Election prediction using sentiment analysis is a rapidly growing field that utilizes natural language processing and machine learning techniques to predict the outcome of political elections by analyzing the sentiment of online conversations and news articles. Sentiment analysis, or opinion mining, involves using text analysis to identify and extract subjective information from text data sources. In the context of election prediction, sentiment analysis can be used to gauge public opinion and predict the likely winner of an election. Significant progress has been made in election prediction in the last two decades. Yet, it becomes easier to have its comprehensive view if it has been appropriately classified approach-wise, citation-wise, and technology-wise. The main objective of this article is to examine and consolidate the progress made in research about election prediction using Twitter data. The aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state-of-the-art practices in this field while identifying potential avenues for further research and exploration.

Therapeutic Promises of Plant Metabolites against Monkeypox Virus: An In Silico Study.

The monkeypox virus was still spreading in May 2022, with the first case identified in a person with travel ties to Nigeria. Using molecular docking-based techniques, we evaluated the efficiency of different bioactive chemicals obtained from plants against the monkeypox virus. A total of 56 plant compounds were evaluated for antimonekypox capabilities, with the top four candidates having a higher binding affinity than the control. We targeted the monkeypox profilin-like protein, which plays a key role in viral replication and assembly. Among the metabolites, curcumin showed the strongest binding affinity with a value of -37.43 kcal/mol, followed by gedunin (-34.89 kcal/mol), piperine (-34.58 kcal/mol), and coumadin (-34.14 kcal/mol). Based on ADME and toxicity assessments, the top four substances had no negative impacts. Furthermore, four compounds demonstrated resistance to deformability, which was corroborated by normal mode analysis. According to the bioactivity prediction study, the top compound target class was an enzyme, membrane receptor, and oxidoreductase. Furthermore, the study discovered that wortmannin, a gedunin analogue, can behave as an orthopoxvirus. The study found that these bioactive natural drug candidates could potentially work as monkeypox virus inhibitors. We recommended further experimental validation to confirm the promising findings of the study.

Early recognition and management of maternal sepsis in Pakistan: a feasibility study of the implementation of FAST-M intervention.

OBJECTIVE: Maternal sepsis is the third leading cause of maternal mortality globally. WHO and collaborators developed a care bundle called FAST-M (Fluids, Antibiotics, Source identification and treatment, Transfer and Monitoring) for early identification and management of maternal sepsis in low-resource settings. This study aimed to determine feasibility of FAST-M intervention in a low-resource setting in Pakistan. The FAST-M intervention consists of maternal sepsis screening tools, treatment bundle and implementation programme. DESIGN AND SETTING: A feasibility study with before and after design was conducted in women with suspected maternal sepsis admitted at the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences hospital Hyderabad. The study outcomes were compared between baseline and intervention phases. In the baseline phase (2 months), the existing sepsis care practices were recorded, followed by a training programme for healthcare providers on the application of FAST-M tools. These tools were implemented in the intervention phase (4 months) to assess any change in clinical practices compared with the baseline phase. RESULTS: During the FAST-M implementation, 439 women were included in the study. 242/439 were suspected maternal infection cases, and 138/242 were women with suspected maternal sepsis. The FAST-M bundle was implemented in women with suspected maternal sepsis. Following the FAST-M intervention, significant changes were observed. Improvements were seen in the monitoring of oxygen saturation measurements (25.5% vs 100%; difference: 74%; 95% CI: 68.4% to 80.5%; p<0.01), fetal heart rate assessment (58% vs 100%; difference: 42.0%; 95% CI: 33.7% to 50.3%; p≤0.01) and measurement of urine output (76.5% vs 100%; difference: 23.5%; 95% CI: 17.6% to 29.4%; p<0.01). Women with suspected maternal sepsis received all components of the treatment bundle within 1 hour of sepsis recognition (0% vs 70.5%; difference: 70.5%; 95% CI: 60.4% to 80.6%; p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Implementation of the FAST-M intervention was considered feasible and enhanced early identification and management of maternal sepsis at the study site. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN17105658.

Lan(n+1)+xNin(n+5)+ySi(n+1)(n+2)-z: A Symmetric Mirror Homologous Series in the La-Ni-Si System.

A series of four homologous silicides have been discovered during systematic explorations in the central part of the La-Ni-Si system at 1000 °C. All compounds La12.5Ni28.0Si18.3 (n = 3; a = 28.8686(8), c = 4.0737(2) Å, Z = 3), La22.1Ni39.0Si27.8 (n = 4; a = 20.9340(6), c = 4.1245(2) Å, Z = 1), La32.9Ni49.8Si39.3 (n = 5; a = 24.946(1), c = 4.1471(5) Å, Z = 1), and La44.8Ni66.1Si53.4 (n = 6; a = 28.995(5), c = 4.158(1) Å, Z = 1) crystallize in the hexagonal space group P63/m and can be generalized according to Lan(n+1)+xNin(n+5)+ySi(n+1)(n+2)-z with n = 3-6. Their crystal structures are based on AlB2-type building blocks, fused La-centered Ni6Si6 hexagonal prisms, yielding larger oligomeric equilateral domains with the edge size equal to n. The domains extend along the c axis and show checkered ordering of the cationic and anionic parts, while all their atoms are located on mirror planes. Lan(n+1)+xNin(n+5)+ySi(n+1)(n+2)-z can be considered as a mirror series to the La-rich La(n+1)(n+2)Nin(n-1)+2Sin(n+1), where an exchange of the formal cationic and anionic sites, i.e., La and Si, occurs. The La-Ni-Si system is the first system where two such analogous series have been observed.

High-throughput virtual screening of marine algae metabolites as high-affinity inhibitors of ISKNV major capsid protein: An analysis of in-silico models and DFT calculation to find novel drug molecules for fighting infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV).

Infectious Spleen and Kidney Necrosis Virus (ISKNV) is linked to severe infections that cause significant financial losses in global aquaculture. ISKNV enters the host cell through its major capsid protein (MCP), and the resulting infection can lead to mass mortality of fish. Even though several drugs and vaccines are at various stages of clinical testing, none are currently available. Thus, we sought to assess the potential of seaweed compounds to block viral entrance by inhibiting the MCP. The Seaweed Metabolite Database (1110 compounds) was assessed for potential antiviral activity against ISKNV using high throughput virtual screening. Forty compounds with docking scores of ≥8.0 kcal/mol were screened further. The inhibitory molecules BC012, BC014, BS032, and RC009 were predicted by the docking and MD techniques to bind the MCP protein significantly with binding affinities of -9.2, -9.2, -9.9, and -9.4 kcal/mol, respectively. Also, ADMET characteristics of the compounds indicated drug-likeness. According to this study, marine seaweed compounds may operate as viral entrance inhibitors. For their efficacy to be established, in-vitro and in-vivo testing is required.

Concurrent Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Patients With Schizophrenia: A Retrospective Study From a Tertiary Care Centre in Sindh, Pakistan.

INTRODUCTION: The present study aimed to evaluate the proportion of concurrent symptoms of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCSs) among patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: A retrospective study was undertaken at the Department of Psychiatry, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Sindh, Pakistan between 1st March 2019 and 1st April 2020. All cases with diagnosed schizophrenia irrespective of gender, age, or ethnicity were eligible for the study. We excluded patients with acute psychosis due to isolated substance use disorder or any organic brain disease. The medical records for each patient were retrieved from the departmental database. Sociodemographic factors including age, gender, ethnicity, and presence of OCSs and other psychiatric comorbidities were recorded in a predefined pro forma. The presence of OCSs was noted by the attending psychiatrist during history taking as positive or negative. RESULTS: A total of 139 patients were included. A predominance of the male gender was noted. There were 63 (45.3%) patients with concurrent OCSs. Out of the total patients, 42 (66.67%) males and 21 (33.33%) females had OCSs. A total of 28 (44.44%) patients between 31 and 45 years of age had OCSs. Out of the 63 patients with OCSs, 36 (57.14%) had a history of substance abuse (p = 0.471). In the study, 17 (26.98%) Balochi and 19 (30.16%) Pashtuns had OCSs. However, the difference was statistically insignificant. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, OCSs were frequent in patients with schizophrenia, according to the current study. We discovered that males, individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 years, Balochis, Pashtuns, and those with a history of substance abuse were more likely to have OCSs. However, the difference was not statistically significant.

Sett priming with salicylic acid improves salinity tolerance of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) during early stages of crop development.

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.), a globally cultivated carbohydrate producing crop of industrial importance is being challenged by soil salinity due to its glycophytic nature. Water stress coupled with cellular and metabolic alterations resulting from excess sodium (Na+) ion accumulation is irreversibly damaging during early crop developmental stages that often results in complete crop failure. This study therefore aimed to explore the potential of salicylic acid as a sett priming material to mitigate the negative effects of salt stress on sugarcane during germination and early growth stages. Five doses of salicylic acid (0 [hydropriming] [control], 0.5 mM, 1 mM, 1.5 mM and 2 mM) were tested against three levels of salinity (0.5 dS m-1 [control], 4 dS m-1, and 8 dS m-1) within a polyhouse environment. Results revealed 11.2%, 18.5%, 25.4%, and 38.6%, average increase in final germination, germination energy, seedling length and seedling vigor index respectively with a subsequent reduction of 21% mean germination time. Investigations during early seedling growth revealed 21.6%, 17.5%, 27.0%, 39.9%, 10.7%, 11.5%, 17.5%, 47.9%, 35.3% and 20.5% overall increase in plant height, total leaf area, shoot dry matter, root dry matter, leaf greenness, relative water content, membrane stability index, proline content, total antioxidant activity and potassium (K+) ion accumulation respectively with a subsequent reduction of 24.9% Na+ ion accumulation and 35.8% Na+/K+ ratio due to salicylic acid priming. Germination, seedling growth and recovery of physiochemical traits were highly satisfactory in primed setts than non-primed ones even under 8 dS m-1 salinity level. This study should provide useful information for strategizing salinity management approaches for better productivity of sugarcane.

Evaluation of the FAST-M maternal sepsis intervention in Pakistan: A qualitative exploratory study.

INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization and partners developed and evaluated a maternity-specific sepsis care bundle called 'FAST-M' for low-resource settings. However, this bundle has not yet been studied in Asia. Our study sought to evaluate the perceptions of healthcare providers about the implementation of the FAST-M intervention in Pakistan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted at a public sector hospital in Hyderabad. We conducted three focus group discussions with healthcare providers including doctors, nurses, and healthcare administrators (n = 22) who implemented the FAST-M intervention. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used as a guiding framework for data collection and analysis. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach and deductive methods. RESULTS: Five overarching themes emerged: (I) FAST-M intervention and its significance including HCPs believing in the advantages of using the intervention to improve clinical practices; (II) Influence of outer and inner settings including non-availability of resources in the facility for sepsis care; (III) HCPs perceptions about sustainability, which were positive (IV) Integration into the clinical setting including HCPs views on the existing gaps, for example, shortage of HCPs and communication gaps, and their recommendations to improve these; and (V) Outcomes of the intervention including improved clinical processes and outcomes using the FAST-M intervention. Significant improvement in patient monitoring and FAST-M bundle completion within an hour of diagnosis of sepsis was reported by the HCPs. CONCLUSIONS: The healthcare providers' views were positive about the intervention, its outcomes, and long-term sustainability. The qualitative data provided findings on the acceptability of the overall implementation processes to support subsequent scaling up of the intervention.