The Soft X-ray Imager(SXI)is part of the scientific payload of the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)mission.SMILE is a joint science mission between the European Space Agency(ESA)and the Chinese...The Soft X-ray Imager(SXI)is part of the scientific payload of the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)mission.SMILE is a joint science mission between the European Space Agency(ESA)and the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)and is due for launch in 2025.SXI is a compact X-ray telescope with a wide field-of-view(FOV)capable of encompassing large portions of Earth’s magnetosphere from the vantage point of the SMILE orbit.SXI is sensitive to the soft X-rays produced by the Solar Wind Charge eXchange(SWCX)process produced when heavy ions of solar wind origin interact with neutral particles in Earth’s exosphere.SWCX provides a mechanism for boundary detection within the magnetosphere,such as the position of Earth’s magnetopause,because the solar wind heavy ions have a very low density in regions of closed magnetic field lines.The sensitivity of the SXI is such that it can potentially track movements of the magnetopause on timescales of a few minutes and the orbit of SMILE will enable such movements to be tracked for segments lasting many hours.SXI is led by the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom(UK)with collaborating organisations on hardware,software and science support within the UK,Europe,China and the United States.展开更多
Screening tests for blood donations are based upon sensitivity, cost-effectiveness and their suitability for high-throughput testing. Enzyme immunoassay (EIAs) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies were the initial s...Screening tests for blood donations are based upon sensitivity, cost-effectiveness and their suitability for high-throughput testing. Enzyme immunoassay (EIAs) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies were the initial screening tests introduced. The ”first generation“ antibody EIAs detected seroconversion after unduly long infectious window period. Improved HCV antibody assays still had an infectious window period around 66 d. HCV core antigen EIAs shortened the window period considerably, but high costs did not lead to widespread acceptance. A fourth-generation HCV antigen and antibody assay (combination EIA) is more convenient as two infectious markers of HCV are detected in the same assay. Molecular testing for HCV-RNA utilizing nucleic acid amplification technology (NAT) is the most sensitive assay and shortens the window period to only 4 d. Implementation of NAT in many developed countries around the world has resulted in dramatic reductions in transfusion transmissible HCV and relative risk is now < 1 per million donations. However, HCV serology still continues to be retained as some donations are serology positive but NAT negative. In resource constrained countries HCV screening is highly variable, depending upon infrastructure, trained manpower and financial resource. Rapid tests which do not require instrumentation and are simple to perform are used in many small and remotely located blood centres. The sensitivity as compared to EIAs is less and wherever feasible HCV antibody EIAs are most frequently used screening assays. Efforts have been made to implement combined antigen-antibody assays and even NAT in some of these countries.展开更多
Reovirus is a double-stranded RNA virus with demonstrated oncolysis or preferential replication in cancer cells. The oncolytic properties of reovirus appear to be dependent, in part, on activated Ras signaling. In add...Reovirus is a double-stranded RNA virus with demonstrated oncolysis or preferential replication in cancer cells. The oncolytic properties of reovirus appear to be dependent, in part, on activated Ras signaling. In addition, Ras-transformation promotes reovirus oncolysis by affecting several steps of the viral life cycle. Reovirusmediated immune responses can present barriers to tumor targeting, serve protective functions against reovirus systemic toxicity, and contribute to therapeutic efficacy through antitumor immune-mediated effects via innate and adaptive responses. Preclinical studies have demonstrated the broad anticancer activity of wild-type, unmodified type 3 Dearing strain reovirus（Reolysin） across a spectrum of malignancies. The development of reovirus as an anticancer agent and available clinical data reported from 22 clinical trials will be reviewed.展开更多
AIM： To study the effect of combined omeprazole（Ome） and domperidone（Dom） therapy on asthma symptoms and pulmonary function in asthmatics with gastroesoph- ageal reflux. METHODS： We selected 198 asthmatics with ...AIM： To study the effect of combined omeprazole（Ome） and domperidone（Dom） therapy on asthma symptoms and pulmonary function in asthmatics with gastroesoph- ageal reflux. METHODS： We selected 198 asthmatics with gastro- esophageal reflux diagnosed by 24-h esophageal pH moni- toring to receive Ome 20 mg twice daily and Dom 10 mg three times daily or placebo for 16 wk （1：1 double-blind randomization）. Spirometry was done at baseline and after 16 wk of treatment. The primary outcome measures were： mean daily daytime and nighttime asthma symptom scores. Mean daily reflux symptom scores, albuterol use as rescue medication （number of puffs）, daytime and nighttime peak expiratory flow rate （PEFR）, postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second （FEVl） and postbronchodilator forced vital capacity （FVC） were secondary outcome measures. RESULTS： Comparison of mean change from baseline between antireflux therapy and placebo groups revealed significant reduction in daytime asthma symptom score （17.4% vs 8.9 %）, nighttime asthma symptom score （19.6% vs 5.4%）, reflux symptom score （8.7% vs 1.6%） and rescue medication use （23.2% vs 3.1%） after antireflux therapy compared to mean change in placebo group （P 〈 0.001）. There was significant improvement in morning PEFR （7.9% vs 0.2%）, evening PEFR （9.8% vs 0.5%）, FEW （11.1% vs 3.78%） and FVC （9.3%vs 1.52%） in the antireflux therapy group compared to placebo on comparng the mean change from baseline after 16 wk （P 〈 0.01） CONCLUSION： Combined therapy with Ome and Dom in adult asthmatics with gastroesophageal reflux may be beneficial by reducing asthma symptoms, rescuing medi- cation use, and improving pulmonary function.展开更多
BACKGROUND:Around 60%to 80%of patients with periampullary carcinoma are unresectable either due to distant metastasis or local vascular invasion.With the advancement of endoscopic interventional procedures,the role of...BACKGROUND:Around 60%to 80%of patients with periampullary carcinoma are unresectable either due to distant metastasis or local vascular invasion.With the advancement of endoscopic interventional procedures,the role of surgical bypass has diminished.However,surgical bypass is still appropriate in patients with unresectable disease discovered at the time of surgery.This study was conducted to assess the results of palliative surgical bypass for patients with unresectable periampullary carcinoma at our hospital,a tertiary referral center of Northern India. METHOD:The study group comprised 204 patients who had undergone surgical bypass for advanced periampullary carcinoma over the last 15 years. RESULTS:Between January 1990 and December 2004,204 patients(128 males,76 females)consisting of 179 patients with carcinoma of head of the pancreas,14 patients with ampullary carcinoma,8 patients with lower end cholangiocarcinoma and 3 patients with duodenal carcinoma underwent surgical bypass.Their average age was 51 years (range 20-78 years).Both biliary and gastric bypasses were done in 158(77.45%),biliary bypass alone in 37(18.13%) and gastric bypass alone in 9(4.32%).Biliary bypass was done by Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy,and gastric bypass by retrocolic gastrojejunostomy.The overall postoperative mortality and morbidity were 0.98%and 26.9%,respectively The patients who died had undergone previously endoscopic intervention.Complications included wound infection in 12.25%of the patients,bile leak in 5.12%,delayed gastric emptying in 5.38%,ascitic leak from drains in 8.8%,and upper gastrointestinal bleeding in 1.96%.The incidences of wound infection and bile leak both were significantly higher in patients who had had preoperative biliary stenting None of the patients who had undergone Roux-en-Y hepati cojejunostomy+retrocolic gastrojejunostomy required any intervention later in their life.CONCLUSIONS:Surgical bypass is a safe procedure with negligible mortality and minimal morbidity.It has not lost its relevance and is an 展开更多
<strong>Background: </strong>The Sustainable Development Goals commitment to Ending HIV/AIDS by 2030 requires sustained adequate investment. This study sought to examine the association between HIV/AIDS sp...<strong>Background: </strong>The Sustainable Development Goals commitment to Ending HIV/AIDS by 2030 requires sustained adequate investment. This study sought to examine the association between HIV/AIDS spending and outcomes in Thailand between 2008 and 2019. <strong>Methods: </strong>A quantitative secondary data analysis with time-series was conducted using a retrospective dataset of HIV spending and some selected outcomes including the number of people living with HIV (PLHIV), incidence and prevalence of HIV/AIDS, the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) and AIDS-related deaths. Data were obtained from a diverse set of sources. Descriptive statistics and univariate regression model were used to analyze HIV expenditure and outcomes. <strong>Results: </strong>HIV spending per PLHIV rose by two folds from $347 in 2008 to more than $600 in 2019, mostly financed by domestic sources. This increase of domestic resources per PLHIV was significantly associated with better HIV-related outcomes especially in the reduction of PLHIV and AIDS-related deaths through increased number of people receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, the spending per PLHIV varied across the three public health insurance schemes. Comparison of HIV expenditure and health outcomes across upper-middle-income countries shows Thailand is not highly ranked in terms of spending efficiency despite having made good progress. <strong>Conclusion: </strong>Domestic financing for HIV programs is indispensable for achieving the goal of ending AIDS. Despite significant improvement in HIV-related outcomes, challenges remain in achieving the 90-90-90 goal. The redesigning of payment methods should be considered to increase the efficiency of HIV financing. Other factors related to strengthening the health system should not be overlooked.展开更多
AIM: To assess the prognostic significance of cathepsin L, a cysteine protease that degrades the peri-tumoral tissue, in patients with pancreatic cancer.
Helicobacter pylori infection has been significantly linked to Peptic Ulcer Disease and Gastric Cancer.Metabolomic fingerprinting may offer a principal way of early diagnosis and to understand the molecular mechanism ...Helicobacter pylori infection has been significantly linked to Peptic Ulcer Disease and Gastric Cancer.Metabolomic fingerprinting may offer a principal way of early diagnosis and to understand the molecular mechanism of H.pylori-induced pathogenicity.The rationale of the study is to explore the underlying distinct metabolic mechanisms of H.pylori-induced PUD and to identify potential biomarkers for disease diagnosis and associated risks using Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.GC/MS-based analytical method was used to compare metabolic profiles of healthy controls(N=20)and peptic ulcer patients(N=45).Acquired metabolomic data were analyzed by constructing a diagnostic model using principal component analysis and a non-parametric two-tailed paired Wilcoxon analysis to identify disease-specific metabolic biomarkers.A total of 75 low-molecular-weight endogenous metabolites were detected during comparative metabolomic analysis of PUD vs.healthy gut tissues,among which 16 metabolites are being proposed to be diagnostic markers of Human PUD.Perturbations related to amino acids,carbohydrates,fatty acids,organic acids,and sterol metabolism were significantly revealed during this differential metabolomic profiling.Results convincingly suggest that metabolic profiles can contribute immensely in early diagnosis of the disease and understanding molecular mechanisms of disease progression for predicting novel drug targets for prophylactic and anaphylactic measures.展开更多
BACKGROUND Gastrointestinal stromal tumors(GISTs)originate from interstitial cells of Cajal.GISTs can occur anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract.Large lesions have traditionally been removed surgically.However,wi...BACKGROUND Gastrointestinal stromal tumors(GISTs)originate from interstitial cells of Cajal.GISTs can occur anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract.Large lesions have traditionally been removed surgically.However,with recent innovations in advanced endoscopy,GISTs located within the stomach are now removed endoscopically.We describe a new innovative endoscopic technique to close large and hard to access defects after endoscopic full-thickness resection of gastric GISTs.CASE SUMMARY We present a series of three patients who were diagnosed with a gastric GIST.All patients underwent full-thickness endoscopic resection.In all cases,for closure of the surgical bed,conventional endoscopic techniques including hemoclips,endoloop and suturing were unsuccessful.We performed a new technique in which we pulled omental fat into the gastric lumen and completely closed the defect using endoscopic devices.All patients performed well post-procedure and computed tomography was carried out one day after the procedures which showed no extravasation of contrast.CONCLUSION The omental plug technique may be used as an alternative to surgery in selected cases of gastric perforation.展开更多
Poly lactic acid is a biodegradable, biocompatible, and non-toxic polymer, widely used in many pharmaceuticalpreparations such as controlled release formulations, parenteral preparations, surgicaltreatment application...Poly lactic acid is a biodegradable, biocompatible, and non-toxic polymer, widely used in many pharmaceuticalpreparations such as controlled release formulations, parenteral preparations, surgicaltreatment applications, and tissue engineering. In this study, we prepared lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticlesfor topical and site targeting delivery of Norfloxacin by emulsification solvent evaporationmethod (ESE). The design of experiment (DOE) was done by using software to optimize the result, andthen a surface plot was generated to compare with the practical results. The surface morphology, particlesize, zeta potential and composition of the lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles were characterized bySEM, TEM, AFM, and FTIR. The thermal behavior of the lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles was characterizedby DSC and TGA. The prepared lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles of Norfloxacin exhibited anaverage particle size from 178.6 ± 3.7 nm to 220.8 ± 2.3 nm, and showed very narrow distribution withpolydispersity index ranging from 0.206 ± 0.36 to 0.383 ± 0.66. The surface charge on the lipid-polymerhybrid nanoparticles were confirmed by zeta potential, showed the value from t23.4 ± 1.5 mVto t41.5 ± 3.4 mV. An Antimicrobial study was done against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonasaeruginosa, and the lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles showed potential activity against these two.Lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles of Norfloxacin showed the %cumulative drug release of 89.72% in24 h. A stability study of the optimized formulation showed the suitable condition for the storage oflipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles was at 4 ± 2 C/60 ± 5% RH. These results illustrated high potential oflipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles Norfloxacin for usage as a topical antibiotic drug carriers.展开更多
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) records brain activity using electroencephalogram (EEG) headsets in the form of EEG signals;these signals can berecorded, processed and classified into different hand movements, which...Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) records brain activity using electroencephalogram (EEG) headsets in the form of EEG signals;these signals can berecorded, processed and classified into different hand movements, which can beused to control other IoT devices. Classification of hand movements will beone step closer to applying these algorithms in real-life situations using EEGheadsets. This paper uses different feature extraction techniques and sophisticatedmachine learning algorithms to classify hand movements from EEG brain signalsto control prosthetic hands for amputated persons. To achieve good classificationaccuracy, denoising and feature extraction of EEG signals is a significant step. Wesaw a considerable increase in all the machine learning models when the movingaverage filter was applied to the raw EEG data. Feature extraction techniques likea fast fourier transform (FFT) and continuous wave transform (CWT) were usedin this study;three types of features were extracted, i.e., FFT Features, CWTCoefficients and CWT scalogram images. We trained and compared differentmachine learning (ML) models like logistic regression, random forest, k-nearestneighbors (KNN), light gradient boosting machine (GBM) and XG boost onFFT and CWT features and deep learning (DL) models like VGG-16, DenseNet201 and ResNet50 trained on CWT scalogram images. XG Boost with FFTfeatures gave the maximum accuracy of 88%.展开更多
The eyes present unique opportunities and challenges when it comes to the delivery of pharmaceuticals.While absorption by this route is bungling,there are a few side effects with conventional dosage forms.Ocular inser...The eyes present unique opportunities and challenges when it comes to the delivery of pharmaceuticals.While absorption by this route is bungling,there are a few side effects with conventional dosage forms.Ocular inserts were prepared with prolonged release of drug and minimum swelling within cul-de-sac using aceclofenac.The work focused on treatment of conjunctivitis and cataracts by formulating ocular inserts of different polymeric combination of aceclofenac using hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose(HPMC,3% to 5%),chitosan(3% to 5%),poly vinyle alcohol(PVA,3% to 5%),methyl cellulose(MC,3% to 5%) as drug reservoir and ethyl cellulose(EC) polymer as rate controlling membrane by solvent casting technique with the objective of increasing contact time,achieving controlled release and greater therapeutic efficiency.The prepared ocular insert were then evaluated for physical appearances tensile strength,elongation at break(%),weight variation,uniformity of thickness,moisture absorption(%),pH,folding endurance,Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy,differential scanning calorimetry.Physicochemical characterization and in vitro transcorneal permeation studies reveals that,the prepared ocular insert formulations F2 and F8 containing HPMC and PVA had released their drug content,98.54% and 96.24%,respectively,over an extended period of 24 h.Hence these formulations were selected as best optimized formulations.It can be concluded that hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose is a good film forming hydrophilic polymer which shows potential agent for ocular drug delivery system.Incorporation of polyethylene glycol enhances the permeability of aceclofenac ocular insert and has perfect zero order release,proving a promising controlled release delivery system.展开更多
基金funding and support from the United Kingdom Space Agency(UKSA)the European Space Agency(ESA)+5 种基金funded and supported through the ESA PRODEX schemefunded through PRODEX PEA 4000123238the Research Council of Norway grant 223252funded by Spanish MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 grant PID2019-107061GB-C61funding and support from the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)funding and support from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA)。
文摘The Soft X-ray Imager(SXI)is part of the scientific payload of the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)mission.SMILE is a joint science mission between the European Space Agency(ESA)and the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)and is due for launch in 2025.SXI is a compact X-ray telescope with a wide field-of-view(FOV)capable of encompassing large portions of Earth’s magnetosphere from the vantage point of the SMILE orbit.SXI is sensitive to the soft X-rays produced by the Solar Wind Charge eXchange(SWCX)process produced when heavy ions of solar wind origin interact with neutral particles in Earth’s exosphere.SWCX provides a mechanism for boundary detection within the magnetosphere,such as the position of Earth’s magnetopause,because the solar wind heavy ions have a very low density in regions of closed magnetic field lines.The sensitivity of the SXI is such that it can potentially track movements of the magnetopause on timescales of a few minutes and the orbit of SMILE will enable such movements to be tracked for segments lasting many hours.SXI is led by the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom(UK)with collaborating organisations on hardware,software and science support within the UK,Europe,China and the United States.
文摘Screening tests for blood donations are based upon sensitivity, cost-effectiveness and their suitability for high-throughput testing. Enzyme immunoassay (EIAs) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies were the initial screening tests introduced. The ”first generation“ antibody EIAs detected seroconversion after unduly long infectious window period. Improved HCV antibody assays still had an infectious window period around 66 d. HCV core antigen EIAs shortened the window period considerably, but high costs did not lead to widespread acceptance. A fourth-generation HCV antigen and antibody assay (combination EIA) is more convenient as two infectious markers of HCV are detected in the same assay. Molecular testing for HCV-RNA utilizing nucleic acid amplification technology (NAT) is the most sensitive assay and shortens the window period to only 4 d. Implementation of NAT in many developed countries around the world has resulted in dramatic reductions in transfusion transmissible HCV and relative risk is now < 1 per million donations. However, HCV serology still continues to be retained as some donations are serology positive but NAT negative. In resource constrained countries HCV screening is highly variable, depending upon infrastructure, trained manpower and financial resource. Rapid tests which do not require instrumentation and are simple to perform are used in many small and remotely located blood centres. The sensitivity as compared to EIAs is less and wherever feasible HCV antibody EIAs are most frequently used screening assays. Efforts have been made to implement combined antigen-antibody assays and even NAT in some of these countries.
文摘Reovirus is a double-stranded RNA virus with demonstrated oncolysis or preferential replication in cancer cells. The oncolytic properties of reovirus appear to be dependent, in part, on activated Ras signaling. In addition, Ras-transformation promotes reovirus oncolysis by affecting several steps of the viral life cycle. Reovirusmediated immune responses can present barriers to tumor targeting, serve protective functions against reovirus systemic toxicity, and contribute to therapeutic efficacy through antitumor immune-mediated effects via innate and adaptive responses. Preclinical studies have demonstrated the broad anticancer activity of wild-type, unmodified type 3 Dearing strain reovirus（Reolysin） across a spectrum of malignancies. The development of reovirus as an anticancer agent and available clinical data reported from 22 clinical trials will be reviewed.
基金a research grant from the University of Delhi, No. 52301/01Glaxo Smithkline Pharmaceuticals Limited and Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd, No. 9834512
文摘AIM： To study the effect of combined omeprazole（Ome） and domperidone（Dom） therapy on asthma symptoms and pulmonary function in asthmatics with gastroesoph- ageal reflux. METHODS： We selected 198 asthmatics with gastro- esophageal reflux diagnosed by 24-h esophageal pH moni- toring to receive Ome 20 mg twice daily and Dom 10 mg three times daily or placebo for 16 wk （1：1 double-blind randomization）. Spirometry was done at baseline and after 16 wk of treatment. The primary outcome measures were： mean daily daytime and nighttime asthma symptom scores. Mean daily reflux symptom scores, albuterol use as rescue medication （number of puffs）, daytime and nighttime peak expiratory flow rate （PEFR）, postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second （FEVl） and postbronchodilator forced vital capacity （FVC） were secondary outcome measures. RESULTS： Comparison of mean change from baseline between antireflux therapy and placebo groups revealed significant reduction in daytime asthma symptom score （17.4% vs 8.9 %）, nighttime asthma symptom score （19.6% vs 5.4%）, reflux symptom score （8.7% vs 1.6%） and rescue medication use （23.2% vs 3.1%） after antireflux therapy compared to mean change in placebo group （P 〈 0.001）. There was significant improvement in morning PEFR （7.9% vs 0.2%）, evening PEFR （9.8% vs 0.5%）, FEW （11.1% vs 3.78%） and FVC （9.3%vs 1.52%） in the antireflux therapy group compared to placebo on comparng the mean change from baseline after 16 wk （P 〈 0.01） CONCLUSION： Combined therapy with Ome and Dom in adult asthmatics with gastroesophageal reflux may be beneficial by reducing asthma symptoms, rescuing medi- cation use, and improving pulmonary function.
文摘BACKGROUND:Around 60%to 80%of patients with periampullary carcinoma are unresectable either due to distant metastasis or local vascular invasion.With the advancement of endoscopic interventional procedures,the role of surgical bypass has diminished.However,surgical bypass is still appropriate in patients with unresectable disease discovered at the time of surgery.This study was conducted to assess the results of palliative surgical bypass for patients with unresectable periampullary carcinoma at our hospital,a tertiary referral center of Northern India. METHOD:The study group comprised 204 patients who had undergone surgical bypass for advanced periampullary carcinoma over the last 15 years. RESULTS:Between January 1990 and December 2004,204 patients(128 males,76 females)consisting of 179 patients with carcinoma of head of the pancreas,14 patients with ampullary carcinoma,8 patients with lower end cholangiocarcinoma and 3 patients with duodenal carcinoma underwent surgical bypass.Their average age was 51 years (range 20-78 years).Both biliary and gastric bypasses were done in 158(77.45%),biliary bypass alone in 37(18.13%) and gastric bypass alone in 9(4.32%).Biliary bypass was done by Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy,and gastric bypass by retrocolic gastrojejunostomy.The overall postoperative mortality and morbidity were 0.98%and 26.9%,respectively The patients who died had undergone previously endoscopic intervention.Complications included wound infection in 12.25%of the patients,bile leak in 5.12%,delayed gastric emptying in 5.38%,ascitic leak from drains in 8.8%,and upper gastrointestinal bleeding in 1.96%.The incidences of wound infection and bile leak both were significantly higher in patients who had had preoperative biliary stenting None of the patients who had undergone Roux-en-Y hepati cojejunostomy+retrocolic gastrojejunostomy required any intervention later in their life.CONCLUSIONS:Surgical bypass is a safe procedure with negligible mortality and minimal morbidity.It has not lost its relevance and is an
文摘<strong>Background: </strong>The Sustainable Development Goals commitment to Ending HIV/AIDS by 2030 requires sustained adequate investment. This study sought to examine the association between HIV/AIDS spending and outcomes in Thailand between 2008 and 2019. <strong>Methods: </strong>A quantitative secondary data analysis with time-series was conducted using a retrospective dataset of HIV spending and some selected outcomes including the number of people living with HIV (PLHIV), incidence and prevalence of HIV/AIDS, the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) and AIDS-related deaths. Data were obtained from a diverse set of sources. Descriptive statistics and univariate regression model were used to analyze HIV expenditure and outcomes. <strong>Results: </strong>HIV spending per PLHIV rose by two folds from $347 in 2008 to more than $600 in 2019, mostly financed by domestic sources. This increase of domestic resources per PLHIV was significantly associated with better HIV-related outcomes especially in the reduction of PLHIV and AIDS-related deaths through increased number of people receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, the spending per PLHIV varied across the three public health insurance schemes. Comparison of HIV expenditure and health outcomes across upper-middle-income countries shows Thailand is not highly ranked in terms of spending efficiency despite having made good progress. <strong>Conclusion: </strong>Domestic financing for HIV programs is indispensable for achieving the goal of ending AIDS. Despite significant improvement in HIV-related outcomes, challenges remain in achieving the 90-90-90 goal. The redesigning of payment methods should be considered to increase the efficiency of HIV financing. Other factors related to strengthening the health system should not be overlooked.
基金Supported by Grants from Indian Council of Medical Research,New Delhi and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research,New Delhi
文摘AIM: To assess the prognostic significance of cathepsin L, a cysteine protease that degrades the peri-tumoral tissue, in patients with pancreatic cancer.
基金the UGC,New Delhi awarding Maulana Azad National Fellowship to Ms.Gaganjot[Grant No.F1-17.1/2015-16/MANF-2015-17-PUN-53869]The authors would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the Researchers Supporting Project No.(RSP-2021/19),King Saud University,Riyadh,Saudi Arabia.
文摘Helicobacter pylori infection has been significantly linked to Peptic Ulcer Disease and Gastric Cancer.Metabolomic fingerprinting may offer a principal way of early diagnosis and to understand the molecular mechanism of H.pylori-induced pathogenicity.The rationale of the study is to explore the underlying distinct metabolic mechanisms of H.pylori-induced PUD and to identify potential biomarkers for disease diagnosis and associated risks using Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.GC/MS-based analytical method was used to compare metabolic profiles of healthy controls(N=20)and peptic ulcer patients(N=45).Acquired metabolomic data were analyzed by constructing a diagnostic model using principal component analysis and a non-parametric two-tailed paired Wilcoxon analysis to identify disease-specific metabolic biomarkers.A total of 75 low-molecular-weight endogenous metabolites were detected during comparative metabolomic analysis of PUD vs.healthy gut tissues,among which 16 metabolites are being proposed to be diagnostic markers of Human PUD.Perturbations related to amino acids,carbohydrates,fatty acids,organic acids,and sterol metabolism were significantly revealed during this differential metabolomic profiling.Results convincingly suggest that metabolic profiles can contribute immensely in early diagnosis of the disease and understanding molecular mechanisms of disease progression for predicting novel drug targets for prophylactic and anaphylactic measures.
文摘BACKGROUND Gastrointestinal stromal tumors(GISTs)originate from interstitial cells of Cajal.GISTs can occur anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract.Large lesions have traditionally been removed surgically.However,with recent innovations in advanced endoscopy,GISTs located within the stomach are now removed endoscopically.We describe a new innovative endoscopic technique to close large and hard to access defects after endoscopic full-thickness resection of gastric GISTs.CASE SUMMARY We present a series of three patients who were diagnosed with a gastric GIST.All patients underwent full-thickness endoscopic resection.In all cases,for closure of the surgical bed,conventional endoscopic techniques including hemoclips,endoloop and suturing were unsuccessful.We performed a new technique in which we pulled omental fat into the gastric lumen and completely closed the defect using endoscopic devices.All patients performed well post-procedure and computed tomography was carried out one day after the procedures which showed no extravasation of contrast.CONCLUSION The omental plug technique may be used as an alternative to surgery in selected cases of gastric perforation.
文摘Poly lactic acid is a biodegradable, biocompatible, and non-toxic polymer, widely used in many pharmaceuticalpreparations such as controlled release formulations, parenteral preparations, surgicaltreatment applications, and tissue engineering. In this study, we prepared lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticlesfor topical and site targeting delivery of Norfloxacin by emulsification solvent evaporationmethod (ESE). The design of experiment (DOE) was done by using software to optimize the result, andthen a surface plot was generated to compare with the practical results. The surface morphology, particlesize, zeta potential and composition of the lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles were characterized bySEM, TEM, AFM, and FTIR. The thermal behavior of the lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles was characterizedby DSC and TGA. The prepared lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles of Norfloxacin exhibited anaverage particle size from 178.6 ± 3.7 nm to 220.8 ± 2.3 nm, and showed very narrow distribution withpolydispersity index ranging from 0.206 ± 0.36 to 0.383 ± 0.66. The surface charge on the lipid-polymerhybrid nanoparticles were confirmed by zeta potential, showed the value from t23.4 ± 1.5 mVto t41.5 ± 3.4 mV. An Antimicrobial study was done against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonasaeruginosa, and the lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles showed potential activity against these two.Lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles of Norfloxacin showed the %cumulative drug release of 89.72% in24 h. A stability study of the optimized formulation showed the suitable condition for the storage oflipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles was at 4 ± 2 C/60 ± 5% RH. These results illustrated high potential oflipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles Norfloxacin for usage as a topical antibiotic drug carriers.
文摘Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) records brain activity using electroencephalogram (EEG) headsets in the form of EEG signals;these signals can berecorded, processed and classified into different hand movements, which can beused to control other IoT devices. Classification of hand movements will beone step closer to applying these algorithms in real-life situations using EEGheadsets. This paper uses different feature extraction techniques and sophisticatedmachine learning algorithms to classify hand movements from EEG brain signalsto control prosthetic hands for amputated persons. To achieve good classificationaccuracy, denoising and feature extraction of EEG signals is a significant step. Wesaw a considerable increase in all the machine learning models when the movingaverage filter was applied to the raw EEG data. Feature extraction techniques likea fast fourier transform (FFT) and continuous wave transform (CWT) were usedin this study;three types of features were extracted, i.e., FFT Features, CWTCoefficients and CWT scalogram images. We trained and compared differentmachine learning (ML) models like logistic regression, random forest, k-nearestneighbors (KNN), light gradient boosting machine (GBM) and XG boost onFFT and CWT features and deep learning (DL) models like VGG-16, DenseNet201 and ResNet50 trained on CWT scalogram images. XG Boost with FFTfeatures gave the maximum accuracy of 88%.
文摘The eyes present unique opportunities and challenges when it comes to the delivery of pharmaceuticals.While absorption by this route is bungling,there are a few side effects with conventional dosage forms.Ocular inserts were prepared with prolonged release of drug and minimum swelling within cul-de-sac using aceclofenac.The work focused on treatment of conjunctivitis and cataracts by formulating ocular inserts of different polymeric combination of aceclofenac using hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose(HPMC,3% to 5%),chitosan(3% to 5%),poly vinyle alcohol(PVA,3% to 5%),methyl cellulose(MC,3% to 5%) as drug reservoir and ethyl cellulose(EC) polymer as rate controlling membrane by solvent casting technique with the objective of increasing contact time,achieving controlled release and greater therapeutic efficiency.The prepared ocular insert were then evaluated for physical appearances tensile strength,elongation at break(%),weight variation,uniformity of thickness,moisture absorption(%),pH,folding endurance,Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy,differential scanning calorimetry.Physicochemical characterization and in vitro transcorneal permeation studies reveals that,the prepared ocular insert formulations F2 and F8 containing HPMC and PVA had released their drug content,98.54% and 96.24%,respectively,over an extended period of 24 h.Hence these formulations were selected as best optimized formulations.It can be concluded that hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose is a good film forming hydrophilic polymer which shows potential agent for ocular drug delivery system.Incorporation of polyethylene glycol enhances the permeability of aceclofenac ocular insert and has perfect zero order release,proving a promising controlled release delivery system.
