Thorax disease is a life-threatening disease caused by bacterial infections that occur in the lungs. It could be deadly if not treated at the right time, so early diagnosis of thoracic diseases is vital. The suggested study can assist radiologists in more swiftly diagnosing thorax disorders and in the rapid airport screening of patients with a thorax disease, such as pneumonia. This paper focuses on automatically detecting and localizing thorax disease using chest X-ray images. It provides accurate detection and localization using DenseNet-121 which is foundation of our proposed framework, called Z-Net. The proposed framework utilizes the weighted cross-entropy loss function (W-CEL) that manages class imbalance issue in the ChestX-ray14 dataset, which helped in achieving the highest performance as compared to the previous models. The 112,120 images contained in the ChestX-ray14 dataset (60,412 images are normal, and the rest contain thorax diseases) were preprocessed and then trained for classification and localization. This work uses computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system that supports development of highly accurate and precise computer-aided systems. We aim to develop a CAD system using a deep learning approach. Our quantitative results show high AUC scores in comparison with the latest research works. The proposed approach achieved the highest mean AUC score of 85.8%. This is the highest accuracy documented in the literature for any related model.
The provision of public goods and services to citizens is a significant responsibility of the government. The products include schools, hospitals, roads, and other infrastructure. This investment is essential to stimulate economic growth, create job opportunities, and improve living standards. The effect of development spending on economic growth has been shown in a significant amount of existing literature. However, there are still various opinions on the impact level of development spending on economic growth. Therefore, the goal of our research is to investigate the link between Malaysia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Development Expenditure (DE) based on the long-run and short-run vector error correction model (VECM) approach. The findings show that the long-term impact of GDP on development spending is positive, according to the results of the Johansen co-integration test. The long-run VECM also shows a positive correlation between GDP and government spending on development. Development spending and lag one GDP are negatively correlated. The short-run VECM shows a positive correlation between GDP and GDP lag. Unrestricted Vector Autoregressive (VAR) demonstrates that government spending on development has no discernible impact on GDP. According to the impulse response function (IRF) study, a GDP shock first has a negative effect on development spending before having a positive reaction. Although GDP might not be a strong indicator of DE in the near run, it becomes increasingly apparent over longer time frames, emphasizing the intricate relationship between macroeconomic factors and fiscal policy.
Global warming stimulates soil salinization and calcification, resulting in phosphorus (P) deficiency in arid and semiarid regions worldwide. Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) can enhance phosphorus availability, but their role has been less explored under arid and semiarid climatic conditions. A two-year consecutive field experiment was conducted to assess the effectiveness of PSB loading onto seeds, organic, and mineral fertilizers. The trial followed a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications for each treatment. There were five treatments: T1 was the uninoculated control with no fertilizer (Control), T2 was uninoculated with recommended NPK (NPK), T3 was PSB-inoculated wheat seeds (PSB-Seed), T4 was PSB-inoculated organic fertilizer (PSB-OF), and T5 was PSB-inoculated mineral fertilizer (PSB-MF). Results revealed that inoculation with PSB onto seeds, organic, or mineral fertilizer had a more pronounced impact not only on the vegetative development and yield of wheat but also on P contents in grains. It was observed that the PSB-inoculated mineral fertilizer treatment responded well, showing noticeable wheat biomass accumulation, grain yield, and improved P uptake in grain and straw. Interestingly, the highest uptake of nitrogen (N) in wheat grain was observed with both PSB-inoculated organic fertilizer treatment and PSB-inoculated mineral fertilizer treatment, highlighting the efficacy of slow-release nitrogen from organic fertilizer in addition to the impact of PSB. In conclusion, PSB inoculation on organic or mineral fertilizer has substantial potential in enhancing crop productivity and combating P deficiency in arid and semi-arid regions.
In the present time Natural products are considered to be symbols of protection in comparison to the synthetic product that are regarded as unsafe to human life and environment. Although a large number of synthetic drugs are being added to the world of present pharmacopoeia, but still no system of medicine in the world has been able to solve all the health problems, which include diseases like Cancer. Plant-derived compounds have played an important role in the development of several clinically useful anti-cancer agents. These include vinblastine, vincristine, the camptothecin derivatives, topotecan and irinotecan, etoposide, derived from epipodophyllotoxin, and paclitaxel (taxol). Several promising new agents are in clinical development based on selective activity against cancer-related molecular targets, including flavopiridol and combretastin A4 phosphate, and some agents which failed in earlier clinical studies are stimulating renewed interest. Therefore the search for innovative therapeutic constituents from plants is genuine and urgent. In India, there is an ocean of knowledge about medicinal plants and rich medicinal flora, but still only a few pearls have been searched as therapeutic agents. Key words: Cancer, Anti-cancer agents, Natural Plant Â
Chromoblastomycosis is a chronic fungal infection of the subcutaneous tissue. The infection usually results from a traumatic injury and inoculation of the microorganism by a specific group of dematiaceous fungi, resulting in the formation of verrucous plaques. The fungi produce sclerotic or medlar bodies (also called muriform bodies or sclerotic cells) seen on direct microscopic examination of skin smears. The disease is often found in adults due to trauma. We report a case of chromoblastomycosis in a 12-year-old child in whom the infection started when he was only 4 years old with secondary involvement of bones, cartilage, tongue and palatine tonsils. The child was not immunosuppressed.
Background: Chronic total occlusions (CTOs) present a significant challenge in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Accurate preprocedural assessment and planning are crucial for the success of these interventions. The J-CTO score has been widely used to predict the success of PCI in CTO cases, but recent developments have introduced the EuroCTO (CASTLE) score, which may offer advantages in complex cases. Objective: This study aimed to compare the predictive accuracy of the EuroCTO (CASTLE) score with the J-CTO score in determining the success of PCI in CTO cases, with a focus on their utility in preprocedural planning and risk assessment. Methods: Conducted at a tertiary cardiac care center in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, this analytical cross-sectional study involved 120 patients undergoing PCI for CTO from January 2023 to November 2023. Inclusion criteria were patients aged 18-80 years requiring PCI for CTO, while patients with acute coronary syndromes, pregnant women, or those refusing consent were excluded. Data on clinical, angiographic, and procedural characteristics were systematically recorded. The EuroCTO (CASTLE) and J-CTO scores were calculated based on established algorithms. Technical success was defined as effective revascularization of the CTO lesion with less than 30% residual stenosis and TIMI grade 3 antegrade flow restoration. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 25. Results: The mean age of the participants was 58.85 ± 11.1 years, with a male predominance (62.5%). Hypertension (67.5%) and hyperlipidemia (78.3%) were common comorbidities. The mean procedural time was 132.42 ± 5.11 minutes, and the mean fluoroscopy time was 41.19 ± 2.41 minutes. The J-CTO and EuroCTO (CASTLE) scores were 2.09 ± 0.70 and 1.91 ± 0.69, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed comparable predictive performance between the two scores, with slightly better discriminative ability in complex cases for the EuroCTO (CASTLE) score. Conclusion: Both the EuroCTO (CASTLE) and J-CTO scores effectively predict the success of PCI in CTO cases, with the EuroCTO (CASTLE) score showing potential advantages in more complex scenarios. These scoring systems are valuable tools for clinicians in preprocedural planning and risk assessment, enhancing the decision-making process in CTO interventions.
Alnus nitida is a monophyletic species of the Sino-Japanese belt i.e., western Himalayas and Hindu Kush region.The current study was aimed to explore vegetation structure, role of edaphic and climatic factors on distribution, plant zonation and conservation status of this Alder species in the western Himalayas and Hindu Kush parts of the Sino-Japanese region.The standard quadrat method was used for vegetation sampling.All the collected data were analyzed through Two-way Cluster Analysis, Cluster Analysis, Indicator Species Analysis and Canonical Correspondence Analysis using PC-ORD and CANOCO software's.Google Earth Path software (V 1.4.6) was used for the calculation of Extent of Occurrence (EOO) and Area Of Occupancy (AOO) in conjunction with IUCN red list criteria for evaluation of conservation status of Alnus nitida.A total of 146 plant species associated with Alnus nitida were reported belonging to 106 genera and 47 families from the region which clustered in 3 major zones.It was concluded that electrical conductivity, phosphorus concentration along with sandy loam soil condition and grazing pressure were the main environmental variables that play a significant role in vegetation structure, associated flora and distinct co-indicators of the Alnus nitida in the Sino-Japanese belt.The current study will provide a baseline for further comprehensive studies on Alnus nitida to explore its sustainable use and conservation priorities.
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