Syed Nasir Abbas Bukhari

The current research work focuses on the extraction and optimization of the hydrogel (AVM) from the seeds of Artemisia vulgaris using Box–Behnken design-response surface methodology (BBD-RSM). The AVM was obtained through a hot water extraction process. The influence of different factors, including pH (U = 4 to 10), temperature (V = 25 to 110 °C), seed/water ratio, i.e., S/W ratio (W = 1/10 to 1/70 w/v), and seed/water contact time, i.e., S/W time (X = 1 to 12 h) on the yield of AVM was evaluated. The p-value for the analysis of variance (ANOVA) was found to be <0.001, indicating that the yield of AVM mainly depended on the abovementioned factors. The highest yield of AVM, i.e., 15.86%, was found at a pH of 7.12, temperature of 80.04 °C, S/W ratio of 1/33.24 w/v, and S/W time of 8.73 h according to Design-Expert Software. The study of the pH-responsive behavior of AVM in tablet form (formulation AVT3) revealed that AVM is a pH-responsive material with significantly high swelling at pH 7.4. However, less swelling was witnessed at pH 1.2. Moreover, AVM was found to be a sustained release material for esomeprazole at pH 7.4 for 12 h. The drug release from AVT3 was according to the super case-II transport mechanism and zero-order kinetics.

This study examined psychological health and coping strategies among faculty and staff at a Saudi Arabian university. A web-based self-administered survey was used to assess probable anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and coping strategies by using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and Brief-COPE scale, respectively. Of 502 participants (mean age 36.04 ± 10.32 years, male: 66.3%), 24.1% (GAD-7 ≥ 10) had probable anxiety. Anxiety score was significantly higher in females (p < 0.001), those with a history of COVID-19 infection (p = 0.036), and participants with less work experience (p = 0.019). Approximately 40% of participants met the criteria of probable depression, with females (p < 0.001) and participants with less experience having more depressive symptoms. Around one-fourth (27.7%) of study participants indicated probable PTSD (score ≥ 33), with higher symptoms in females (p <0.001), less experienced staff (p < 0.001), and academic staff (p = 0.006). Correlation analysis indicated a significant positive correlation between anxiety and depression (r = 0.844, p < 0.001), anxiety and PTSD (r = 0.650, p < 0.001), and depression and PTSD (r = 0.676, p < 0.001). Active coping, religious/spiritual coping, and acceptance were common coping strategies, while substance use was the least adopted coping method among the study participants. This study indicated a high prevalence of probable psychological ailments among university staff.