Search Results (7)

Mathematical models play a crucial role in evaluating real-life processes qualitatively and quantitatively. They have been extensively employed to study the spread of diseases such as hepatitis B, COVID-19, influenza, and other epidemics. Many researchers have discussed various types of epidemiological models, including deterministic, stochastic, and fractional order models, for this purpose. This article presents a comprehensive review and comparative study of the transmission dynamics of fractional order in epidemiological modeling. A significant portion of the paper is dedicated to the graphical simulation of these models, providing a visual representation of their behavior and characteristics. The article further embarks on a comparative analysis of fractional-order models with their integer-order counterparts. This comparison sheds light on the nuances and subtleties that differentiate these models, thereby offering valuable insights into their respective strengths and limitations. The paper also explores time delay models, non-linear incidence rate models, and stochastic models, explaining their use and significance in epidemiology. It includes studies and models that focus on the transmission dynamics of diseases using fractional order models, as well as comparisons with integer-order models. The findings from this study contribute to the broader understanding of epidemiological modeling, paving the way for more accurate and effective strategies in disease control and prevention. Full article

Cosmetics have always been in demand across the globe among people of all age groups. In the modern cosmetic world, nanostructured materials have proven hugely advantageous in producing cosmeceuticals or ‘nano-cosmeceuticals’ and various beauty products. The application of nanostructured materials in cosmetic products possesses some challenges in terms of short- and long-term safety and environmental issues, despite their growing popularity. The nanostructured particles in cosmeceuticals provide a targeted route of administration due to their high penetrability, site selectivity, high effectiveness, prolonged activity, and drug encapsulation potential. However, standard methods for toxicity evaluation may not be relevant for cosmeceuticals, leading to the need for an alternative methodology. This review article compiles detailed descriptions of all significant aspects of nanostructured materials in the cosmetics industry, which include the synthesis and characterization of relevant nanostructured materials for cosmeceuticals, state-of-the-art practices, mechanisms for the synthesis of advanced materials, toxicological concerns in terms of health risks in humans, and environmental concerns. Also, a proposal for new approaches in terms of regulatory measures to mitigate these problems has been suggested. The primary focus of this article is to provide a comprehensive outlook on this subject area and contribute to the exploration of new prospects and emerging roles of nanostructured materials in the cosmetics industry. Full article

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities have become essential and viable activities of corporations because of the increase in concern for environmental, social, and governance issues. The motive of this research is to measure the effect of ESG on the financial performance (FP) of healthcare corporations using the market-to-book value (MTB) ratio as a proxy of FP. A sample of 33 pharma companies in India from 2011 to 2020 has been considered. The study relies on the panel data method to assess the association between ESG and FP. The potential moderating role of competition has also been studied to simplify their relationship in this framework. The finding of this study is that there is a significant negative association between ESG and FP, and it is also found that when competition is used as a moderator, it results in a significantly positive impact on the ESG and FP of healthcare companies. This study increases the understanding of the association between ESG and FP and helps corporations to formulate corporate strategies and stakeholders to make investment decisions. The originality of this study is that it addresses the impact of competition on ESG and FP of the healthcare industry and will become foundational literature for future studies. Full article

Citrus is one of the main fruit crops cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Approximately half (40–47%) of the fruit mass is inedible and discarded as waste after processing, which causes pollution to the environment. Essential oils (EOs) are aromatic compounds found in significant quantities in oil sacs or oil glands present in the leaves, flowers, and fruit peels (mainly the flavedo part). Citrus EO is a complex mixture of ~400 compounds and has been found to be useful in aromatic infusions for personal health care, perfumes, pharmaceuticals, color enhancers in foods and beverages, and aromatherapy. The citrus EOs possess a pleasant scent, and impart relaxing, calming, mood-uplifting, and cheer-enhancing effects. In aromatherapy, it is applied either in message oils or in diffusion sprays for homes and vehicle sittings. The diffusion creates a fresh feeling and enhances relaxation from stress and anxiety and helps uplifting mood and boosting emotional and physical energy. This review presents a comprehensive outlook on the composition, properties, characterization, and mechanism of action of the citrus EOs in various health-related issues, with a focus on its antioxidant properties. Full article

Background: Extracts of medicinal plant like lemongrass offer a new choice for optional antimicrobial therapy against various oral microorganisms. The objective of this study was to assess, verify, and compare the antimicrobial effectiveness of locally administered 2% lemongrass gel and 10% doxycycline hyclate gel as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in treating chronic periodontitis. Method: This is a double-blind parallel arm randomized controlled study. Forty subjects were randomly divided into Group A and B for 2% lemongrass gel and 10% doxycycline hyclate gel, respectively. The clinical assessments of Gingival Index (GI), Plaque Index (PI), Probing Pocket Depth (PPD), and Clinical Attachment Level (CAL) together with microbial colony counts for Porphyromonas gingivalis, Actinomyces naeslundii, and Prevotella intermedia were done at baseline, 1st month, and 3rd month follow-ups. Results: The results showed there was a significant reduction in the mean scores of GI, PPD, and CAL clinical indices from baseline to the 1st and 3rd month follow-ups in both the 2% lemongrass gel and 10% doxycycline gel groups (p < 0.05). Similarly, there was significant reduction in mean CFU scores for all periodontal pathogens from baseline to 1st and 3rd month follow-ups in both the 2% lemongrass gel and 10% doxycycline gel groups (p < 0.05). Conclusions: It could be concluded that the local delivery of 2% lemongrass gel as an adjunct to scaling and root planing is effective and comparable to 10% doxycycline gel in the treatment of chronic periodontitis. Full article

This paper intended to explore and discover recent therapeutic agents in the area of medicinal chemistry for the treatment of various diseases. Heterocyclic compounds represent an important group of biologically active compounds. In the last few years, heterocyclic compounds having quinazoline moiety have drawn immense attention owing to their significant biological activities. A diverse range of molecules having quinazoline moiety are reported to show a broad range of medicinal activities like antifungal, antiviral, antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant and other activities. This study accelerates the designing process to generate a greater number of biologically active candidates. Full article

Industrial processes and anthropogenic activities generate huge amounts of wastes in the form of chemicals, such as heavy metals, dyes, fertilizers, pharmaceutically active chemicals, battery effluents and so on. When these chemicals are left untreated and discarded in the ground or surface waters, they not only cause pollution and harm the ecosystem but also cause toxic effects on the health of human beings, animals and food crops. There are several methods of removal of these toxic materials from the wastewaters, and adsorption by bio-sorbents has been demonstrated as one of the most inexpensive, efficient and convenient methods. Citrus is one of the largest grown fruit crops in the tropical and subtropical regions on the planet. After processing of the fruits at food processing industries, approximately half of the fruit mass is discarded as waste, which causes a number of pollution problems. Alternately, this biomass can be converted to bio-sorbents for the removal of harmful and toxic chemicals from the industrial effluents and wastewaters. The first part of this article contains a thorough review on the biotransformation of citrus waste for the production of biofuel and valuable compounds by fermentation involving microorganisms. The second and concluding part reviews the recent progress in biotransformation of citrus waste biomass (that may be remaining post-extraction of valuable compounds/biofuel generation) into efficient adsorbent substrate materials and their adsorption capacities. The article also includes the details of the synthesis process and mechanisms of adsorption processes. Full article