Comparative study of single versus double time application of dinoprostone E2 gel on the induction of labor in term pregnancy and it’s fetomaternal outcomes

Background: Labor is defined as a cascade of effective uterine contractions leading to progressive effacement and dilatation of cervix resulting in the expulsion of the fetus, placenta and the membranes. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of single time and double time application of dinoprostone E2 gel and to compare fetomaternal outcomes after single and double application of dinoprostone E2 gel and its complications.Methods: This was a prospective observational study conducted on 200 pregnant females with a period of gestation ≥37 completed weeks between 1st January 2020 to 31st January 2021. Group A included females undergoing single time application of PGE2 gel and in group B, second dose applied after 6 hrs of first dose if there was no improvement in Bishop score. If necessary, oxytocin for augmentation of labor was started only 6 hrs after the last dose.Results: Mean age in group A was 24.38±4.37 years and in group B was 24.02±3.76 years and this difference was not found statistically significant (p>0.05). Majority of cases had vaginal delivery. In group A, 28% cases had LSCS delivery while in group B, 17% cases had LSCS delivery (p>0.05). There was significant increase in mean Bishop score after second dose of PGE2 gel in double application group by 3.24 assessed at 12 hours after induction. Double times application of gel resulted in a smaller number of failed inductions i.e.; 23 out of 100 cases in single application group and 7 out of 100 cases in double application group. Main maternal complication was nausea and vomiting which was 5% cases in group A and 11% cases in group B.Conclusions: Double times application of dinoprostone gel resulted in improved Bishop score, facilitates the process of induction, increased number of successful inductions, shortened application delivery interval and decreased cesarean section rate compared to single application. There was slight increase in maternal and fetal complications with double times application.

Licochalcone D Ameliorates Oxidative Stress-Induced Senescence via AMPK Activation

Increased oxidative stress is a crucial factor for the progression of cellular senescence and aging. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of licochalcone D (Lico D) on oxidative stress-induced senescence, both in vitro and in vivo, and explore its potential mechanisms. Hydrogen peroxide (200 µM for double time) and D-galactose (D-Gal) (150 mg/kg) were used to induce oxidative stress in human bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) and mice, respectively. We performed the SA-β-gal assay and evaluated the senescence markers, activation of AMPK, and autophagy. Lico D potentially reduced oxidative stress-induced senescence by upregulating AMPK-mediated activation of autophagy in hBM-MSCs. D-Gal treatment significantly increased the expression levels of senescence markers, such as p53 and p21, in the heart and hippocampal tissues, while this effect was reversed in the Lico D-treated animals. Furthermore, a significant increase in AMPK activation was observed in both tissues, while the activation of autophagy was only observed in the heart tissue. Interestingly, we found that Lico D significantly reduced the expression levels of the receptors for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) in the hippocampal tissue. Taken together, our findings highlight the antioxidant, anti-senescent, and cardioprotective effects of Lico D and suggest that the activation of AMPK and autophagy ameliorates the oxidative stress-induced senescence.

Global Structure of Determining Matrices for a Class of Differential Control Systems

This paper developed and established unprecedented global results on the structure of determining matrices of generic double time-delay linear autonomous functional differential control systems, with a view to obtaining the controllability matrix associated with the rank condition for the Euclidean controllability of the system. The computational process and implementation of the controllability matrix were demonstrated on the MATLAB platform to determine the controllability disposition of a small-problem instance. Finally, the work examined the computing complexity of the determining matrices.

Fundamental Results on Determining Matrices for a Certain Class of Hereditary Systems

Three major tools are required to investigate the controllability of control systems, namely, determining matrices, index of control systems and controllability Grammian. Determining matrices are the preferred choice for autonomous control systems due to the fact that they are devoid of integral operators in their computations. This article developed the structure of certain parameter-ordered determining matrices of generic double time-delay linear autonomous functional differential control systems, with a view to obtaining the controllability matrix associated with the rank condition for Euclidean controllability of the system. Expressions for the relevant determining matrices were formulated and it was established that the determining matrices for double time-delay linear autonomous functional differential control systems do not exist if one of the time-delays is not an integer multiple of the other paving the way for the investigation of the Euclidean controllability of generic double time-delay control systems.