Efficacy and Safety of Rivaroxaban Versus Enoxaparin in Prevention of Recurrence of Venous Thrombo-Embolism Events in Cancer Patients: A Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of rivaroxaban compared to enoxaparin in patients diagnosed with cancer and venous thromboembolism. METHODS: A search of Pub Med, Scopus, and Google Scholar, from inception through April 2023 was conducted. Articles comparing rivaroxaban with enoxaparin in patients with cancer and VTE/PE/DVT were included. Review Manager Version 5.2 was utilised for the analysis of the following outcomes; VTE, PE, DVT, major bleeding, and mortality. RESULTS: A total of 8 articles and 2276 patients were included in the final analysis. Pooled analysis showed that rivaroxaban had a statistically insignificant reduced association with VTE occurrence (RR:0.83, 95% CI:0.58-1.18, P:0.3) as well as a statically insignificant reduction in major bleeding (RR:0.79, 95% CI:0.53-1.18, P:0.25). Analysis showcased that there was an insignificant reduction of mortality rivaroxaban as compared to enoxaparin (RR:0.74, 95% CI: 0.46-1.20, P:0.23). CONCLUSION: Rivaroxaban can serve as a viable alternative to enoxaparin, with no appreciable drawbacks, for preventing and managing VTE in patients with malignancy.

Demographic and Psychosocial Factors associated with Internet Addiction among the Pakistani Population during COVID-19: A Web-Based Survey.

This study aims to determine the burden of COVID19-induced internet addiction and related psychosocial factors among the Pakistani sample. A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to March 2021. An analytical cross-sectional survey was broadcast on the internet via a Google form completed by 1145 Pakistanis. Individuals aged 13 years and above with competency to comprehend English or Urdu language, currently residing in any province of Pakistan, having access to the questionnaire, and willing to participate were eligible to participate. Overseas Pakistanis were excluded from the study. The outcome is COVID19-induced internet addiction was measured using the validated tool Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT). In addition, symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and other psychosocial factors were assessed using the validated tool Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). Adjusted odds ratios with a 95% confidence interval were reported using multinomial logistic regression. Most participants were females and youth (between 20 and 24 years). The prevalence of problematic internet users (PIU) and addictive internet users (AIU) was 27.3% and 11.3%, respectively. The odds of extremely severe anxiety among AIU were approximately three times (Adj OR: 2.6 (1.1-7.1), followed by the odds of having extremely severe stress being about five times higher among AIU (Adj OR: 5.4 (1.6-17.6)) as compared to normal internet users (NIU). Amid COVID-19, the burden of internet addiction has surged among the Pakistani populace. This study identified that gender, marital status, depression, stress, anxiety, work situation, and mood changes during the COVID-19 pandemic are significantly correlated with problematic and addictive internet use. Preventative measures against the addictive use of the internet are needed to avoid or mitigate any serious mental health problems.

Thyroxine-loaded chitosan/carboxymethyl cellulose/hydroxyapatite hydrogels enhance angiogenesis in in-ovo experiments.

Angiogenesis is one of the most important processes in repair and regeneration of many tissues and organs. Blood vessel formation also play a major role in repair of dental tissue(s) after ailments like periodontitis. Here we report the preparation of chitosan/carboxymethyl cellulose/hydroxyapatite based hydrogels, loaded with variable concentrations of thyroxin i.e., 0.1 µg/ml, 0.5 µg/ml and 1 µg/ml. Scanning electron microcopy images (SEM) showed all hydrogels were found to be porous and solution absorption study exhibited high swelling potential in aqueous media. FTIR spectra confirmed that the used materials did not change their chemical identity in synthesized hydrogels. The synthesized hydrogels demonstrated good bending, folding, rolling and stretching abilities. The hydrogels were tested in chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay to investigate their angiogenic potential. Hydrogel containing 0.1 µg/ml of thyroxine showed maximum neovascularization. For cytotoxicity analyses, preosteoblast cells (MC3T3-E1) were seeded on these hydrogels and materials were found to be non-toxic. These hydrogels with pro-angiogenic activity possess great potential to be used for periodontal regeneration.

Development of K-doped ZnO nanoparticles encapsulated crosslinked chitosan based new membranes to stimulate angiogenesis in tissue engineered skin grafts.

Nanoparticles are well recognized for their biological applications including tissue-regeneration due to large surface area and chemical properties. In this study, K-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles containing porous hydrogels were synthesized via freeze gelation. The morphology and pore dimensions were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The chemical structural analysis of the synthesized hydrogels was investigated by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. In swelling studies, material containing ZnO nanoparticles with 2% potassium dopant concentration CLH-K2.0) showed greater degree of swelling as compared to all other materials. The degradation studied was tested in three different degradation media, i.e. phosphate buffer saline (PBS), lysozyme and hydrogen peroxide and relatively higher degradation was seen in hydrogen peroxide. The synthesized hydrogels were implanted on the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) to investigate their angiogenic potential. The CLH-K2.0 hydrogel stimulated angiogenesis greater than all other materials; blood vessels were attached and grown inside this scaffold, showing its strong angiogenic potential.