Group SL Research Articles

Origin of Ligand and Acid Effects on the Pd-Catalyzed Regiodivergent Coupling Reaction of Indazoles and Isoprene: A DFT Study.

Comprehensive computational studies were carried out to explore the mechanisms and origin of regioselectivity in the Pd-catalyzed regiodivergent coupling reaction of indazoles and isoprene. Three different insertion models were investigated for regioselectivity 1,2- or 4,3-insertion with respect to the electrophilic sites on isoprene under two different ligands (L1 and L2) and acids ((PhO)2PO2H, (nBuO)2PO2H) via PdII-H species, allyl-π-PdII-O, and indazoles-acid-assisted PdII-π-allyl. The calculated results show that the PdII-π-allyl coordinated mechanism is the most preferred one. The noncovalent interactions between the less bulky ligand L1, substrates, and (PhO)2PO2- are found to be key factors for 1,2-insertion. The 4,3-insertion selectivity is primarily controlled by the steric repulsion of the t-Bu group of bulky ligand L2 and substrate, as well as the geometry distortion. Therefore, the regioselectivity difference of the 1,2- and 4,3-insertion on electrophilic sites is controlled by the synergistic effect of ligands and acids instead of the size of the ligand. Similarly, nucleophilic site selectivity at N1 or N2 of indazoles is governed by cooperative acid BF3 and solvent iPrOH rather than BF3 alone. Overall, our findings might open a new avenue for designing more efficient regioselective 1,2- or 4,3-addition or N1-/N2-selective nucleophilic reactions.

Comparison of the Low Back Pain Relief and Spread Level After Upper and Lower Lumbar Erector Spinae Plane Block

BACKGROUND: The erector spinae plane block (ESPB), which was introduced to manage the thoracic pain, is an ultrasound-guided technique that is relatively easy, less invasive, and safer. In spite of its technical ease and safety of ESPB, few studies have explored the analgesic efficacy and the exact spread level of injected local anesthetics. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to compare the analgesic efficacy and spread level of the upper and lower lumbar ESPBs . STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, randomized design. SETTING: The pain clinic of a tertiary university hospital. METHODS: This study included 84 patients with low back pain with or without leg pain who received lumbar ESPB at L2 (L2 ESPB group) or L4 (L4 ESPB group) using 10 mL of 0.2% ropivacaine mixed with 10 mL of the contrast medium. After finishing 20 mL of the local anesthetic mixture injection, a fluoroscopic examination was performed to evaluate the spread level. Analgesic efficacy was assessed using an 11-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS-11) and a Back Pain Functional Scale. RESULTS: The number of patients who showed excellent-to-moderate low back pain relief was 35 (83.3%) and 36 (78.5%) in the L2 and L4 ESPB groups, respectively. Significant reductions in pain on the NRS-11 and improvements in disability were found in both groups. The total number of vertebral segments to which the anesthetic drugs spread was significantly higher in the L2 ESPB group than in the L4 ESPB group (2.7 ± 0.5 vs 2.0 ± 0.2, P = 0.002). LIMITATIONS: The analgesic efficacy of lumbar ESPB was evaluated with only short-term outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Both the L2 and L4 ESPB groups demonstrated a significant reduction in low back pain and improvement in disability. The L2 ESPB group demonstrated a significantly increased spread level compared to the L4 ESPB group. KEY WORDS: Erector spinae plane block, spread level, low back pain, analgesic efficacy

Sulforaphane alleviates oxidative stress induced by oxidized fish oil in Litopenaeus vannamei by involving antioxidant capacity, inflammation, autophagy, and apoptosis

Sulforaphane (SFN) is an antioxidant. Unsaturated fatty acids are rich in fish oil, and they are indispensable fatty acids for aquatic animals to grow and reproduce. However, fish oil is easily oxidized, which could have adverse effects on aquatic animals. In this study, Litopenaeus vannamei was divided into four groups: fresh fish oil group (control group), oxidized fish oil group (OFO group), OFO plus low-concentration SFN group (OFO + SL group), and OFO plus high-concentration SFN group (OFO + SH group). A 28-day experiment was conducted, and the antioxidant capacity, inflammation, autophagy, and pathological characteristics were investigated to explore whether SFN could protect L. vannamei from oxidative stress induced by OFO. Results showed that OFO significantly increased the contents of MDA in hepatopancreas, muscle and serum, while high concentrations of SFN significantly decreased the MDA compared with the OFO group (P < 0.05). OFO significantly affected the expression of SOD, CAT, GST and HSP 70 and increased the expression of inflammatory-related genes (TNF and spz). SFN downregulated the expression of TNF and spz, upregulate Nrf2, heat shock protein 70 (HSP 70) and autophagy genes (ATG4, ATG5, ATG10, and ATG12) and stabilized the expression of apoptosis-related genes (caspase 2, caspase 3, and JNK, P < 0.05). In addition, histological analysis of hepatopancreas showed that OFO led to cavitation in the lumen, and the existence of SFN reversed this phenomenon. OFO also result in the apoptosis of the hepatopancreas of L. vannamei, and the existence of high-concentration SFN reduced its apoptosis. In summary, SFN is involved in the regulation of antioxidant capacity, inflammation, autophagy, and apoptosis to alleviate the oxidative stress induced by OFO in L. vannamei.

Physiological and immunological impact of methanolic lavender extract on female goldfish (Carassius auratus)

The integration of herbal medicine into the ornamental fish industry carries the potential to exert an impact on the overall health and welfare of the fish. In the present study, different levels of lavender extract (L), including control (L0) 1.5 (L1.5), 3 (L3), and 4.5 (L4.5) mg kg−1 feed were examined in goldfish (Carrasius auratus) broodstock during 56-day feeding period following air exposure stress test. Growth parameters, cortisol, biochemical, and immunological parameters in blood and mucus and. reproductive performance were examined. Notably, fish in the L3 group showed significant (p < 0.05) improvement in growth performance, as evidenced by significant increases in weight gain, specific growth rate, and average daily growth. After stress, fish in the L3 group showed the lowest cortisol and glucose levels in plasma and skin mucus (p < 0.05). Cholesterol and triglyceride levels showed a significant increase in the L3 group compared to other groups (p < 0.05). Fish in L3 showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in plasma and Complementary 3 and Immunoglobulin M The reproductive results indicated that broodstock in the group obtained a high fertilization rate, hatching rate, and larval survival (p < 0.05). This study indicated that 3 mg kg−1 lavender extract can promote fish performance, mitigate stress responses, improve immunity function and ameliorate reproductive performance; thus, lavender supplementation can be recommended as a practical method in the ornamental fish industry.

Impact of Innovative Emotion Training in Preschool and Kindergarten Children Aged from 3 to 6 Years.

Children's emotional abilities have been shown to be related to academic performance, peer acceptance, and in-school adjustment. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of innovative emotion training designed to promote the emotional abilities of 316 preschool/kindergarten children aged from 3 to 6 years old enrolled in public schools in the first three levels (L1, L2, and L3). Another objective was to examine the transfer effects on language comprehension and mathematics abilities. The emotion training (eight sessions) focused on the identification, comprehension, and expression of emotions and were co-constructed with teachers. Children were tested before and after the training on emotion, language, and mathematics skills. Results showed an improvement in emotional abilities in young children of L1 (3-4 years) and L2 (4-5 years) in the intervention group compared to those in the non-intervention group. Also, although children's emotion basic abilities were correlated with their language comprehension and mathematics abilities, the nature of this link was not demonstrated to be causal. Findings are discussed in regard to the influence of the level and in regard to links with academic variables.

On Some Weingarten Surfaces in the Special Linear Group SL(2,R)

We classify Weingarten conoids in the real special linear group SL(2,R). In particular, there is no linear Weingarten nontrivial conoids in SL(2,R). We also prove that the only conoids in SL(2,R) with constant Gaussian curvature are the flat ones. Finally, we show that any surface that is invariant under left translations of the subgroup N is a Weingarten surface.

Renoprotective Potency of Sitagliptin versus Pioglitazone in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: Impact on LncMIAT.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) represents one of the most important reasons for chronic kidney diseases due to the high level of blood glucose that destructs blood vessels. Objective: The present study focused on investigating the protective impact of sitagliptin on kidney complication in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in comparison to pioglitazone to examine which has the superior effect against the nephritic complication of DM. Methods: Eighty adult subjects were classified into four groups: control group, pioglitazone-treated T2DM patients (P group), sitagliptin-treated T2DM patients for less than one year (SL group), and sitagliptin-treated T2DM patients for more than one year (SM group). Blood samples were withdrawn from all subjects for analysis of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), vanin-1, kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), glyoxalase-1 (Glo-1), methylglyoxal (MG), cystatin-C, and interleukin-18 (IL-18) using competitive ELISA kits. Also, long noncoding myocardial infarction associated transcript (lncMIAT) was measured in whole blood using qRT-PCR. Results: The present study revealed that the lncMIAT expression level was significantly higher in the P group as compared to the SL group, SM group, or healthy control group. Additionally, serum NGAL, vanin-1, KIM-1, Glo-1, MG, and cystatin-C were significantly higher in the P group and SL group as compared to the SM group and healthy control group. Conclusion: Sitagliptin protected the kidney through downregulation of lncMIAT besides amelioration of kidney injury marker levels, which was more preferable than in pioglitazone therapy.

Exotic C⁎-algebras of geometric groups

We consider a new class of potentially exotic group C*-algebras C⁎(PFp⁎(G)) for a locally compact group G, and its connection with the class of potentially exotic group C*-algebras CLp⁎(G) introduced by Brown and Guentner. Surprisingly, these two classes of C*-algebras are intimately related. By exploiting this connection, we show CLp⁎(G)=C⁎(PFp⁎(G)) for p∈(2,∞), and the C*-algebras CLp⁎(G) are pairwise distinct for p∈(2,∞) when G belongs to a large class of nonamenable groups possessing the Haagerup property and either the rapid decay property or Kunze-Stein phenomenon by characterizing the positive definite functions that extend to positive linear functionals of CLp⁎(G) and C⁎(PFp⁎(G)). This greatly generalizes earlier results of Okayasu (see [30]) and the second author (see [40]) on the pairwise distinctness of CLp⁎(G) for 2<p<∞ when G is either a noncommutative free group or the group SL(2,R), respectively.As a byproduct of our techniques, we present two applications to the theory of unitary representations of a locally compact group G. Firstly, we give a short proof of the well-known Cowling-Haagerup-Howe Theorem, which presents sufficient condition implying the weak containment of a cyclic unitary representation of G in the left regular representation of G (see [14]). Also we give a near solution to a 1978 conjecture of Cowling stated in [10]. This conjecture of Cowling states if G is a Kunze-Stein group and π is a unitary representation of G with cyclic vector ξ such that the mapG∋s↦〈π(s)ξ,ξ〉 belongs to Lp(G) for some 2<p<∞, then Aπ⊆Lp(G). We show Bπ⊆Lp+ϵ(G) for every ϵ>0 (recall Aπ⊆Bπ).

The SL(2,R) Group Representations on Spaces of Holomorphic Functions on the Unit Disc

We can realise the representations of the group SL(2,R) on the unit disc. This is due to an isomorphism between the group SL(2,R) and the group SU(1,1). The discrete series representations for the group SL(2,R)given by\pi_{n}(g)\varphi(z)=\varphi (\frac{d z-b}{a-cz} )(a-c z)^{-n}, where n is an integer number,is on the Bergman space where n&gt;2 .Lang studies the discrete series on the group in the upper half-plane and on the unit disc. For n=1, the SL(2,R) representation is called the mock discrete series. The representation space of the mock discrete series is the Hardy space.In this article we describe the SL(2,R) representation on the Dirichlet space.

Discourse-based pronoun resolution in non-native sentence processing

Abstract Personal pronouns can potentially be resolved in logical syntax by means of variable binding (VB) or at the discourse-representational level through coreference assignment (CR). Previous research suggests that real-time reference resolution is guided more strongly by discourse-level cues in a non-native language (L2) than in a native language (L1). Here we use the VB/CR distinction to further test this hypothesis. Using eye-movement monitoring during reading and a complementary questionnaire task, we compared L1 German and L1 Russian/L2 German speakers’ resolution of object pronouns. While both our participant groups ultimately preferred CR over VB interpretations, only the L2 participants showed evidence of favouring a sentence-external CR antecedent from early on during processing. Our L1 group, by contrast, favoured a VB antecedent during processing. The observed L1/L2 processing differences reveal divergent antecedent search strategies, with L2 but not L1 speakers being primarily guided by discourse-level cues during real-time comprehension.

Lycopene Alleviates the Adverse Effects of Feeding High-Lipid Diets to Hybrid Grouper (♀Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ×♂E. lanceolatus).

It has been found that high-lipid diets (HLDs) disrupt lipid metabolism in fish, leading to an excessive accumulation of lipids in various tissues of the fish body. The objective of this study was to investigate if the inclusion of lycopene (LCP) in an HLD may mitigate the adverse consequences of excessive dietary lipid intake in hybrid grouper (♀ Epinephelus fuscoguttatus × ♂ E. lanceolatus). The experimental design incorporated a control group (L0), which was administered a diet consisting of 42% protein and 16% lipid. The diets for groups L1, L2, and L3 were developed by augmenting the control diet with 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg LCP, respectively. The duration of the trial spanned a period of 42 days. The results of the study showed that the weight gain rate (WGR) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) of the three LCP treatment groups (L1, L2, and L3) tended to increase and then decrease, with a significant increase in WGR and PER in L2 (P < 0.05). Visceral somatic index and hepatic somatic index tended to decrease and then increase in all treatment groups, with a significant decrease in L2 (P < 0.05). In serum dietary LCP significantly reduced triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) content and significantly increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) content (P < 0.05). In the liver, dietary LCP reduced TC, TG, and very LDL levels and improved lipoprotein lipase, hepatic lipase, fatty acid (FA) synthetase, and acetyl-CoA carboxylase activities. The number and area of hepatic lipid droplets decreased significantly with increasing LCP content. In the liver, the addition of appropriate levels of LCP significantly upregulated lipoprotein lipase (lpl) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (pparα). In summary, dietary LCP improves growth and reduces lipid deposition in the liver of hybrid grouper by increasing lipolytic metabolism and decreasing FA synthesis. Under the experimental conditions, the fitted curve analysis showed that the recommended LCP additions to the high lipid diet for juvenile hybrid grouper were 200-300 mg/kg.

Generalized Devil's staircase and RG flows

We discuss a two-parameter renormalization group (RG) flow when parameters are organized in a single complex variable, τ, with modular properties. Throughout the work we consider a special limit when the imaginary part of τ characterizing the disorder strength tends to zero. We argue that generalized Riemann-Thomae (gRT) function and the corresponding generalized Devil's staircase emerge naturally in a variety of physical models providing a universal behavior. In 1D we study the Anderson-like probe hopping in a weakly disordered lattice, recognize the origin of the gRT function in the spectral density of the probe and formulate specific RG procedure which gets mapped onto the discrete flow in the fundamental domain of the modular group SL(2,Z). In 2D we consider the generalization of the phyllotaxis crystal model proposed by L. Levitov and suggest the explicit form of the effective potential for the probe particle propagating in the symmetric and asymmetric 2D lattice of defects. Analyzing the structure of RG flow equations in the vicinity of saddle points we claim emergence of BKT-like transitions at Imτ→0. We show that the RG-like dynamics in the fundamental domain of SL(2,Z) for asymmetric lattices asymptotically approaches the “Silver ratio”. For a Hubbard model of particles on a ring interacting via long-ranged potentials we investigate the dependence of the ground state energy on the potential and demonstrate by combining numerical and analytical tools the emergence of the generalized Devil's staircase. Also we conjecture a bridge between a Hubbard model and a phyllotaxis.

The effects of different immunocastration protocols on meat quality traits and boar taint compounds in male Bísaro pigs

Immunocastration can be an alternative to surgical castration in Bísaro pigs when there is a need to keep animals on the farm until at least 8 months old. As an autochthonous breed, some particularities must be addressed when doing immunocastration, for which 3 different protocols were tested and two control groups were made with surgically castrated males (SC) and boars (Bo). Two protocols were made in prepubertal pigs, with two (E2) and three inoculations (L3) in the first cycle, and another in adults (A2) with only two inoculations. Physicochemical parameters and boar taint compounds quantification and sensory analysis of the meat from the studied pigs were assessed. Immunocastration provided intermediate values between surgically castrated pigs and entire males, with low levels of boar taint compounds. The L3 group provided closer results to SC, which was also corroborated by the sensory analysis. Although the other two protocols had no significant differences with Bo, there was a positive tendency towards them. As is, the L3 protocol was promising as a good alternative to surgical castration, maintaining the characteristic attributes of the Bísaro pig meat.

Smoking index and COPD duration as potential risk factors for development of osteoporosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer – A retrospective case control study evaluated by CT Hounsfield unit

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of smoking index (calculated as number of cigarettes per day × smoking years) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) duration on osteoporosis (OP)evaluated by opportunistic chest CT in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MethodsA total of 101 patients diagnosed with NSCLC were included in our cohort study. Among them, 50 patients with a history of smoking and COPD were assigned to the experimental group, while 51 patients without a history of smoking and COPD were assigned to the control group. Hounsfield unit (HU) value was measured by conventional chest CT to investigate the bone mineral density; and the mean values of axial HU value in the upper, middle and lower parts of T4, T7, T10 and L1 vertebral bodies were measured as the study variables. ResultsThere were no significant differences in gender, age, body mass index, type of lung cancer, clinical stage of lung cancer and comorbidities between the two groups (P = 0.938，P = 0.158，P = 0.722,P = 0.596,P = 0.813,P = 0.655). The overall mean HU values of T4, T7, T10, L1 in the experimental group were 116.60 ± 30.67, 110.56 ± 30.03, 109.18 (96.85–122.95), 94.63 (85.20–104.12) and 106.86 ± 22.26, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the control group (189.55 ± 34.57, 174.54 ± 35.30, 172.73 (156.33–199.50), 158.20 (141.60–179.40) and 177.50 ± 33.49) (P ＜0.05). And in the experimental group, smoking index and COPD duration were significantly and negatively correlated with HU values (r = −0.627, −0.542, P ＜0.05, respectively). ConclusionPatients with NSCLC who have a history of smoking and COPD exhibit a notably lower HU value compared to the control groups. Additionally, it has been observed that the smoking index and duration of COPD may be influential factors affecting bone mineral density in NSCLC patients.

Disentangling dyslexia from typical L2-learning in emergent literacy.

The present paper assessed how dyslexia can be identified in school children with another language than their first language. Participants were school children with Norwegian as their second language (L2), and two groups of children with Norwegian as their first language (L1): a control group (L1-Con), and a dyslexia group (L1-Dys). All were 2nd and 3rd graders who had attended Norwegian schools from 1st grade on. None of the individuals in L1-Con or the L2 group were identified with any learning disability. However, slow literacy progress was seen in some L2-children. The children were tested individually within the symptomatic and cognitive levels. Results were analysed in two steps: (1) group comparisons; (2) L2 individual profiles and tentative L2 subgrouping. An unexpected L2 profile showed language scores below norm, coupled with some scores within and some scores above norm within the cognitive domain. Case assessment of the L2 group resulted in three subgroups: one comparable to L1-Con, one comparable to L1-Dys, and one with a result in between these two groups. Low linguistic scores cannot be considered valid markers of dyslexia in L2. Within the cognitive domain, a variety of low scores can indicate dyslexia, while high scores can be compensatory.

Six dimensional homogeneous spaces with holomorphically trivial canonical bundle

We classify all the 6-dimensional unimodular Lie algebras g admitting a complex structure with non-zero closed (3,0)-form. This gives rise to 6-dimensional compact homogeneous spaces M=Γ﹨G, where Γ is a lattice, admitting an invariant complex structure with holomorphically trivial canonical bundle. As an application, in the balanced Hermitian case, we study the instanton condition for any metric connection ∇ε,ρ in the plane generated by the Levi-Civita connection and the Gauduchon line of Hermitian connections. In the setting of the Hull-Strominger system with connection on the tangent bundle being Hermitian-Yang-Mills, we prove that if a compact non-Kähler homogeneous space M=Γ﹨G admits an invariant solution with respect to some non-flat connection ∇ in the family ∇ε,ρ, then M is a nilmanifold with underlying Lie algebra h3, a solvmanifold with underlying algebra g7, or a quotient of the semisimple group SL(2, C). Since it is known that the system can be solved on these spaces, our result implies that they are the unique compact non-Kähler balanced homogeneous spaces admitting such invariant solutions. As another application, on the compact solvmanifold underlying the Nakamura manifold, we construct solutions, on any given balanced Bott-Chern class, to the heterotic equations of motion taking the Chern connection as (flat) instanton.

How and why can explicit instruction about L1 reduce the negative effects of crosslinguistic influence? Evidence from accuracy and reaction time signatures in L1 comprehension

This study revisits and extends McManus and Marsden (2019a) to better understand how and why providing additional explicit information (EI) about learners’ first language (L1) alongside EI and comprehension practice in the second language (L2) improved the accuracy, speed, and stability of L2 comprehension of the French Imparfait, a functionally complex and late-acquired target feature. Building on previous L2 research that has provided instruction about L1 without analyzing L1 knowledge/use, the current study examines learners’ item-by-item comprehension of L1 sentences that was completed during the L2 instruction to better understand the learning mechanisms at play in McManus and Marsden’s (2019a) findings. Two groups of English-speaking learners (L2+L1, L2+L1prac; N = 36) received the same EI about aspect in French, followed by comprehension practice of French and English sentences. The L2+L1 group received additional EI about aspect in English. Results showed no impact of the instruction on L1 accuracy in either group, but the speed of L1 comprehension changed over time in the L2+L1 group. It is argued that the L2+L1 instruction directed attention to and clarified crosslinguistic differences in how L2 and L1 express the same meanings, which rendered the L2 practice more effective for noticing Imparfait and developing appropriate strategies for processing L2 forms. Implications for theory-building and instructional design are discussed.

Comparison of three different dosages of low-level laser therapy on expression of cell proliferation and inflammatory markers following ovariohysterectomy in rats

The objective of the current study was to evaluate Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on the healing of incisional wounds following ovariohysterectomy in rats, by means of subjective histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis. A total of 72 female Wistar rats were categorised into four treatment groups (Group I; sacrification 4 hours following only one LLLT application, Group II; sacrification 7 days following only one LLLT application, Group III; sacrification 4 hours after two LLLT applications, and Group IV; sacrification 7 days after two LLLT applications). Each group was further divided into four different doses subgroups (Group Control [C, off mode LLLT application], L1 [1 J/cm2], L3 [3 J/cm2], and L6 [6 J/cm2]), with equal representation in each subgroup. Ovariohysterectomy was employed using two 2-cm-length midline abdominal incisions in the left and right sides of line alba. The Group C was assigned to the left side incision to each rat in the study. After irradiation, the tissue was subjected to histopathological analysis to determine the extent of mononuclear cell infiltration, edoema, and epithelialization. Additionally, immunohistochemical analysis was performed to evaluate the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (pCNA) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Group L1 and L3 significantly decreased mononuclear cell infiltration compared with Group C in all treatment groups (p < 0.05). Group L3 significantly decreased edoema compared with Group C in all groups except for treatment Group I (p < 0.05). Group L2 and L3 significantly increased epithelization in treatment Group IV (p < 0.05). Moreover, Group L2 and L3 significantly increased pCNA in all groups, while L2 and L3 significantly decreased iNOS expression in treatment Group II, III, and IV (p < 0.05). However, no statistical difference was found between subgroups of treatment Group I in iNOS expiration (p > 0.05). The results of the current examination demonstrated that LLLT can modulate mononuclear cell infiltration and edoema, and improve epithelization, as well as increase pCNA expression, whereas decrease iNOS expression during the wound healing process, therefore enhancing wound healing following ovariohysterectomy in rats.

Fermented Astragalus membranaceus could promote the liver and intestinal health of juvenile tiger grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus).

In order to understand the effects of fermented Astragalus membranaceus (FAM) on the liver and intestinal health of tiger grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus), this study was conducted. This study evaluates the effects of different levels of FAM on liver and intestinal tissue structure, serum biochemical parameters, intestinal digestive enzyme, and microbiota structure of tiger grouper. Fish were fed with diets (crude protein ≥ 48.0%, crude fat ≥ 10.0%) with five levels of FAM (L1:0.25%, L2: 0.5%, L3: 1%, L4: 2% and L5: 4%) in the experimental groups and a regular diet was used as the control (L0: 0%) for 8weeks. Compared with AM, the protein content of FAM was significantly changed by 34.70%, indicating that a large amount of bacterial protein was produced after AM fermentation, and its nutritional value was improved. FAM had significant effects on the growth performance of tiger grouper (p < 0.05). The high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was highest in L4 group, being significantly different from L0 group. The area and diameter of hepatocytes were lowest in L3 and L4, and the density of hepatocyte was highest in L4 group and relatively decreased in L5 group. The mucosal height and muscular thickness were highest in L3 group. The intestinal microbiota structure of tiger grouper was changed under the intervention of FAM. The lower abundance of potential pathogenic bacteria and higher abundance of probiotics colonization in the L4 group showed that the dose of FAM had the best effect on improving the health of intestinal microbiota. This study indicates that the addition of FAM in the feed contributes to liver health, improves intestinal morphology, and regulates the intestinal microbiota of tiger grouper. The addition ratio of 1%-2% is better for intestinal and liver health, and a high addition ratio will cause liver damage. Our work will provide a reference for the addition and management of FAM in the aquaculture industry.

PHARMACOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF LEVETIRACETAM AS ADD-ON DRUG TO EITHER PHENYTOIN OR SODIUM VALPROATE IN PATIENTS OF GENERALIZED ONSET TONIC-CLONIC SEIZURES HAVING BREAKTHROUGH SEIZURES: A RANDOMIZED AND COMPARATIVE STUDY

Objective: Breakthrough seizures are sudden and unexpected seizures that occur in people with epilepsy who generally have good control over the symptoms. The present study is aimed to compare phenytoin plus levetiracetam versus sodium valproate plus levetiracetam to control breakthrough seizures. Methods: A prospective, comparative study was carried out in Generalized onset tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) patients with breakthrough seizures in Gajra Raja Medical College, Gwalior (M.P.) from February 2021 to August 2022. Participants were randomly allocated to 2 groups, namely phenytoin + levetiracetam (PL) (n=62) and sodium valproate + levetiracetam (SL) (n=61). Patients in group PL received phenytoin at the dose of 200 mg twice a day in adults, 5 mg/kg/day in two divided doses in children plus levetiracetam 500 mg twice a day in adults and 30 mg/kg/day in three divided doses in children. Patients in group SL received sodium valproate 600 mg 3 times a day in adults, 30 mg/kg/day in three divided doses in children plus levetiracetam 500 mg twice a day in adults and 30 mg/kg/day in three divided doses in children. The mean reduction in seizure frequency and patients response to the treatment in the last 30 days were recorded before the start of therapy and at 3 and 6 months after therapy. Adverse drug reactions were recorded during the study period. Statistical analysis was performed using (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software. Results: Mean seizure frequency decreased by 59 and 85% in PL and by 59 and 91% in the SL group and is significant (p&lt;0.05) from baseline value at 3 and 6 months, respectively, in both the groups. SL group showed significantly (p&lt;0.05) better response, than PL group in controlling seizures at 6 months. Excellent response by patients was seen by 21% and 49% in PL and SL groups, respectively. Adverse effects noted during the study were mild, including somnolence, headache, dizziness, GIT stress, and fatigue, and responded to symptomatic treatment. Twenty-nine (29%) of PL cases and 6% of SL cases underwent fatigue as adverse drug reactions that showed better tolerability of the SL group. Conclusion: Sodium valproate plus levetiracetam is more efficacious and safer than phenytoin plus levetiracetam in the management of breakthrough seizures in GTCS patients.