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Ferrocenyl-based compounds have many applications in diverse scientific disciplines, including in polymer chemistry as redox dynamic polymers and dendrimers, in materials science as bioreceptors, and in pharmacology, biochemistry, electrochemistry, and nonlinear optics. Considering the horizon of ferrocene chemistry, we attempted to condense the neoteric advancements in the synthesis and applications of ferrocene derivatives reported in the literature from 2016 to date. This paper presents data on the progression of the synthesis of diverse classes of organic compounds having ferrocene scaffolds and recent developments in applications of ferrocene-based organometallic compounds, with a special focus on their biological, medicinal, bio-sensing, chemosensing, asymmetric catalysis, material, and industrial applications.

Mastitis is a major challenge to the worldwide dairy industry in spite of the widespread implementation of mastitis control strategies. The major economic loss of all forms of mastitis results from reduced milk production. Because of the difficulty in controlling mastitis the disease will maintain its role in the foreseeable future. Identifying genes offers the opportunity to improve production efficiency, quality through utilizing them in breeding programs, developing therapeutic agents that can be used to alter disease attributes by altering gene expression. The Lactoferrin gene having significant association with mastitis has been identified which is an iron binding protein present in biological fluids. This protein is synthesized by mammary epithelium cells and neutrophils and secreted as non-haem iron binding protein. It is a glycosylated protein having antibacterial, antiviral, immune-modulatory and iron haemostasis properties. In addition to it modulates the immune response by decreasing the free radical formation and by down regulating LPS induced cytokines and is an potent activator of immunological functions such as granulopoiesis, cytokine production, antibody synthesis, natural killer cell toxicity, lymphocyte proliferation and complement activation and production of interleukins (IL-1), (IL-2) and TNF. The lactoferrin acts as a carrier of IGFBP-3 and allows translocation of extracellular IGFBP-3 into nucleus of bovine mammary epithelium cells. Its concentration increases during dry period and during mastitis concentration may increases several folds. Moreover it modulates the immune response by decreasing the free radical formation and by down regulating LPS induced cytokines and exhibits strong antimicrobial activity against a broad spectrum of bacteria (gram-positive & negative), fungi, yeasts and viruses and parasites. Lactoferrin acts as biomarker, antioxidant and vaccine adjuvant. This paper reviews the role of lactoferrin, its mechanism of action in regulation of mammalian host defense in combating mastitis which facilitates the inclusion of mastitis resistance in bovine breeding programmes.

In the present study, polymorphism of PRL gene at exon-3 and its association with milk production traits in Frieswal cattle was investigated. Prolactin (PRL) gene exert multiple effects on the mammary gland include mammogenesis, lactogenesis and galactopoiesis. In order to evaluate the PRL gene polymorphism, we used the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method. Blood samples were collected from randomly chosen 54 Frieswal lactating cows. Genomic DNA was extracted from venous blood by the method of John et al (1991) with slight modification and amplified by polymerase chain reaction technique. The PRL gene of the Frieswal cattle was amplified to produce a 156 bp fragment. The PCR products were electrophoresed on 2% agarose gel and stained by ethidium bromide. Then they were digested of amplicons with Rsa I, which revealed two alleles A and B. Data were analyzed using Pop Gene Popgene 32 software package and association was analyzed by simple analysis of variance model. In this population, AA, AB, and BB genotypes were identified with 0.315, 0.629 and 0.056 frequencies, respectively. Allele frequencies of A and B were 0.630 and 0.370, respectively. The significant (P<0.05) chi-square value in Frieswal cattle breeds showed that the studied population was not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. It is concluded from the results of present study that the animals of BB genotype for higher lactation length and AB genotype for lactation yield and animals of AA genotype for minimum service period may be selected for future breeding.

Background Anomaly detection is crucial in healthcare data due to challenges associated with the integration of smart technologies and healthcare. Anomaly in electronic health record can be associated with an insider trying to access and manipulate the data. This article focuses around the anomalies under different contexts. Methodology This research has proposed methodology to secure Electronic Health Records (EHRs) within a complex environment. We have employed a systematic approach encompassing data preprocessing, labeling, modeling, and evaluation. Anomalies are not labelled thus a mechanism is required that predicts them with greater accuracy and less false positive results. This research utilized unsupervised machine learning algorithms that includes Isolation Forest and Local Outlier Factor clustering algorithms. By calculating anomaly scores and validating clustering through metrics like the Silhouette Score and Dunn Score, we enhanced the capacity to secure sensitive healthcare data evolving digital threats. Three variations of Isolation Forest (IForest)models (SVM, Decision Tree, and Random Forest) and three variations of Local Outlier Factor (LOF) models (SVM, Decision Tree, and Random Forest) are evaluated based on accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and F1 Score. Results Isolation Forest SVM achieves the highest accuracy of 99.21%, high sensitivity (99.75%) and specificity (99.32%), and a commendable F1 Score of 98.72%. The Isolation Forest Decision Tree also performs well with an accuracy of 98.92% and an F1 Score of 99.35%. However, the Isolation Forest Random Forest exhibits lower specificity (72.84%) than the other models. Conclusion The experimental results reveal that Isolation Forest SVM emerges as the top performer showcasing the effectiveness of these models in anomaly detection tasks. The proposed methodology utilizing isolation forest and SVM produced better results by detecting anomalies with less false positives in this specific EHR of a hospital in North England. Furthermore the proposal is also able to identify new contextual anomalies that were not identified in the baseline methodology.

Background Healthcare programs and insurance initiatives play a crucial role in ensuring that people have access to medical care. There are many benefits of healthcare insurance programs but fraud in healthcare continues to be a significant challenge in the insurance industry. Healthcare insurance fraud detection faces challenges from evolving and sophisticated fraud schemes that adapt to detection methods. Analyzing extensive healthcare data is hindered by complexity, data quality issues, and the need for real-time detection, while privacy concerns and false positives pose additional hurdles. The lack of standardization in coding and limited resources further complicate efforts to address fraudulent activities effectively. Methodolgy In this study, a fraud detection methodology is presented that utilizes association rule mining augmented with unsupervised learning techniques to detect healthcare insurance fraud. Dataset from the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 2008-2010 DE-SynPUF is used for analysis. The proposed methodology works in two stages. First, association rule mining is used to extract frequent rules from the transactions based on patient, service and service provider features. Second, the extracted rules are passed to unsupervised classifiers, such as IF, CBLOF, ECOD, and OCSVM, to identify fraudulent activity. Results Descriptive analysis shows patterns and trends in the data revealing interesting relationship among diagnosis codes, procedure codes and the physicians. The baseline anomaly detection algorithms generated results in 902.24 seconds. Another experiment retrieved frequent rules using association rule mining with apriori algorithm combined with unsupervised techniques in 868.18 seconds. The silhouette scoring method calculated the efficacy of four different anomaly detection techniques showing CBLOF with highest score of 0.114 followed by isolation forest with the score of 0.103. The ECOD and OCSVM techniques have lower scores of 0.063 and 0.060, respectively. Conclusion The proposed methodology enhances healthcare insurance fraud detection by using association rule mining for pattern discovery and unsupervised classifiers for effective anomaly detection.

•Vitamin D deficiency is common in the Middle East.•Response to Vitamin D supplementation is genetically influenced.•SNPs in GC gene can predict response to vitamin D supplementation.•Carriers of rs4588/rs7041 in GC had lowest response to vitamin D supplementation. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of vitamin D–binding protein (DBP) gene polymorphisms in vitamin D metabolites before and after vitamin D supplementation. In all, 234 participants (126 women; 108 men) with vitamin D deficiency [25(OH)D <50 nmol/L] were given 50 000 IU of vitamin D supplements for 8 wk followed by daily maintenance of 1000 IU for 4 mo. Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs4588 and rs7041) in DBP coding gene were assessed. Baseline 25(OH)D was significantly in higher in participants with homozygous major genotype of rs7041 than other genotypes (P = 0.02). Postsupplementation 25(OH)D was significantly higher in participants with homozygous major genotypes of either rs4588 and rs7041 than other genotypes (P < 0.001). Participants with the minor allele of either rs4588 or rs7041 were 2.9 (1.9–4.5) times and 3.7 (2.1–6.6) times, respectively, more likely to be non-responders (postsupplementation 25 OHD <50 nmol/L) than those homozygous for the major allele at these locations (P < 0.001). Furthermore, participants with homozygous minor and heterozygous genotype of rs7041 were 6.2 and 4.2times more likely to be non-responders than those with the homozygous major genotype (P < 0.001) even after adjustments for age, sex, body mass index, baseline 25(OH)D concentration, and other alleles. Participants with homozygous minor and heterozygous genotypes of rs4588 were 4.1 and 12.4times more likely to be non-responders than those with homozygous major genotypes. These significant risks, however, were lost after adjustment. rs7041 and rs4588 variants of the DBP gene are associated with variations in 25(OH)D levels and efficacy of response to vitamin D supplementation in Saudi Arabian adults.

Background Metallo-β-lactamase (MBL)-producing isolates have a strong impact on diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. A high frequency of MBL-producing gram-negative bacilli has been reported worldwide. The current study was based on determining the incidence of MBL-producing imipenem-resistant clinical isolates and investigating the β-lactamase gene variants in strains conferring resistance to a carbapenem drug (imipenem). Methods A total of 924 gram negative isolates were recovered from a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, during a two-year period (July 2015 to February 2017). The initial selection of bacterial isolates was based on antibiotic susceptibility testing. Strains resistant to imipenem were processed for the molecular screening of β-lactamase genes. Statistical analysis for risk factor determination was based on age, gender, clinical specimen and type of infection. Results The rate of imipenem resistance was calculated to be 56.51%. Among the 142 strains processed, the phenotypic tests revealed that the incidence of MBLs was 63.38% and 86.61% based on the combination disc test and the modified Hodge test, respectively. The frequencies of bla TEM , bla SHV, bla OXA, bla IMP-1 , and bla VIM genes were calculated to be 46%, 34%, 24%, 12.5% and 7%, respectively. The co-expression of bla MBL ( bla IMP and bla VIM ) and bla ESBL ( bla TEM , bla SHV, bla OXA ) was also detected through multiplex and singleplex PCR. bla OXA , bla TEM and bla SHV coexisted in 82% of the isolates. Co-expression of ESBL and MBL genes was found in 7% of the isolates. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first report from Pakistan presenting the concomitant expression of bla OXA , bla TEM and bla SHV with bla IMP-1 and bla VIM in MBL-producing gram-negative bacilli.

Recently, mushroom production and cultivation of various bioactive components through submerged cultivation has drawn considerable attention of global community. Submerged cultivation is far more effective than fruiting bodies in bioreactors during which culture conditions can also be controlled. Various studies entail that it is possible to grow a wide variety of edible mushroom strains in submerged liquid cultures that yield a high content of biomass and bioactive substances, including enzymes, lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, by using such an approach that is safe for use in the food industry. This review will focus on the traditional methods and enlists various bioactive compounds that were frequently derived from the edible mushrooms while providing an extensive explaination about the submerged cultivation methods. In addition, the current study will also highlight the application of various culture conditions such as an increase or decrease in pH, inoculum sizes, temperature, dissolved oxygen content, and their subsequent impact on biomass production and the total yield of bioactive compounds. Current study would plausibly lead to the further exploitation of mushroom mycelia by the food industries and thus would definitely find their appropriate application as nutraceuticals, food supplements, and flavoring agents. Application and efficacy of lacto-fermentation and submerged cultivation would definitely produce safe, high-quality yield of biomass and bioactive substances by increasing the concentration of the amino acids that give food its umami flavors or by calculating the desired level of substances or components which make food inedible. This would encourage the food authorities to authorize mushroom-based high-quality bioactive substances encompassing nutraceutical content, which is crucial, most particularly for the food industries.

Objective: To validate if Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte ratio (NLR), Platelet-to-Lymphocyte ratio (PLR) or CALL score (a novel scoring model) predict worse prognosis such as need for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Admission and Mortality in COVID 19 patients. Study Design: Prospective observational cohort study. Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital Lahore, from Mar 2020 to May 2020. Methodology: Consecutive symptomatic patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection by RT-PCR were included. Patients’ age, gender, comorbids and labs data including complete blood counts and serum LDH was recorded. neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio and CALL Score were calculated. Main outcomes were need for Intensive Care Unit Admission/ventilator support and mortality. Results: A total of 125 patients were admitted with the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection. There were 35 (28%) Intensive Care Unit admissions, 17 (13.6%) required mechanical ventilation and 17 (13.6%) patients were deceased. Regression Analysis was done. For Intensive Care Unit Admission/ventilator support significant predictors were neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (p=0.03), age greater than 50 (p=0.02), moderate CALL score (p=0.02) and high CALL Score (p=0.004). For hospital deaths, significant predictors included neutrophil-tolymphocyte ratio (p=0.001) and age more than 50 years (p=0.01), CALL Score was not significant (p=0.3 & 0.9). Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (p=0.9 and 0.8) and Diabetes (p=0.1 & 0.6) were not significant. Conclusion: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and age more than 50 years are significant predictors for need for Intensive Care Unit Admission or Ventilatory support and in-hospital mortality. High CALL Score is a significant predictor of Intensive Care Unit Admission or ventilator support but not for in hospital mortality.