Hyperthyroidism is a significant endocrine disorder characterized by excess synthesis and secretion of thyroid hormones. Although hypothyroidism has drawn more attention in India, hyperthyroidism represents a growing public health concern, particularly in iodine-replete regions where autoimmune etiologies increasingly predominate. This paper reviews recent epidemiological data, risk determinants, and the national context of thyroid function disorders, focusing on the prevalence and distribution of hyperthyroidism across India. Analysis draws on large-scale epidemiological studies, regional hospital-based surveys, and meta-analytic reviews. Overall, the prevalence of overt and subclinical hyperthyroidism in India ranges between 1–3%, with notable gender, age, and geographic variation. Determinants include autoimmune susceptibility, iodine intake patterns, environmental goitrogens, stress, and genetic predisposition. The findings underscore the need for continuous surveillance, targeted screening in vulnerable populations, and integration of thyroid health into national non-communicable disease programs.

Major sporting events are key vectors for building the image of a nation. The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar demonstrated that a country in the Arab Gulf region can successfully host a world-class event, generate measurable soft power gains and spread positive reputational capital across the region. This paper, based on a netnographic methodology, identifies five positive dimensions of transferable legacy: organizational excellence, cultural hospitality, quality of infrastructure, exceptional overall appreciation, and quantified soft power. It then examines how Saudi Arabia, host of the 2034 World Cup as part of its Vision 2030, can leverage each of these dimensions to accelerate its own national branding trajectory.

This paper presents a secure communication infrastructure for smart meter networks in electric utilities. The study addresses a major limitation in current advanced metering infrastructure research: communication security, monitoring, attack detection, and service continuity are often handled as separate topics. In actual utility operation, smart meter networks function within distributed environments that include field devices, gateways, concentrators, edge nodes, utility control platforms, and cloud-connected services. Such a structure creates exposure to unauthorized access, false data injection, message interception, privacy loss, and communication failure. To address these issues, the paper proposes a multi-layer framework that combines protected data transmission, distributed traffic monitoring, edge-level packet inspection, federated threat detection, and continuity support within one system model. The methodology evaluates the framework through communication, security, and reliability measures, including end-to-end delay, packet trust, detection accuracy, service availability, and recovery time. The discussion shows that the proposed framework maintains stable communication performance while improving attack detection and preserving partial operation during gateway failure, cloud disruption, and denial-of-service conditions. The results indicate that secure smart meter communication must be treated as a combined problem involving transmission protection, monitoring visibility, anomaly detection, and continuity of operation. The paper provides a practical model for future smart grid communication research and utility deployment planning.

Background: Premature rupture of membranes (PROM) increases early-onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) risk, raising morbidity and mortality. Neonatal sepsis presents nonspecifically, hindering early diagnosis. Procalcitonin (PCT) and other inflammatory markers are emerging as sensitive tools for timely detection. Objective: To find out the association between maternal serum procalcitonin level in preterm premature rupture of membrane patients with early onset of neonatal sepsis. Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted in the Fetal-Maternal Medicine unit of the Obstetrics & Gynecology department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, from January 2022 to December 2022. In this study, 99 preterm PROM patients were enrolled. After consent, the researcher interviewed each woman using a standardized questionnaire. Maternal venous blood (3ml) was collected aseptically on admission. Serum procalcitonin was measured via chemiluminescence (sandwich technique). Neonates were followed for EONS signs within 3 days, confirmed by CBC/CRP. SPSS 26.0 analyzed the data. Results: Most patients (53.5%) were aged 18–25 years (mean 25.2±5.1). Elevated maternal procalcitonin (>0.05 ng/ml) occurred in 61.6%. Neonatal survival was 90.9% (90/99); 9.1% died. Among 90 live neonates, 17.7% had lethargy/poor feeding, 10% respiratory distress. EONS was culture-confirmed in 8 babies (8.9%), all with elevated maternal procalcitonin (p=0.016, RR 1.74, 95% CI). Conclusion: Early-onset neonatal sepsis occurred in 8.9%, significantly linked to elevated maternal procalcitonin. Thus, maternal serum procalcitonin in preterm PROM is a useful, non-invasive biomarker for assessing EONS association.

Background: Rising caesarean section rates and concerns regarding maternal safety continue to shape modern obstetric practice, especially in low-resource settings. Therefore, this study assessed postpartum hemorrhage and perineal injury among women undergoing VBAC at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 16 April to 15 October 2023, enrolling 100 pregnant women with one or two prior caesarean sections planned for vaginal delivery. After ethical approval and informed consent, data were collected with a structured questionnaire, and women undergoing trial of labour after caesarean (TOLAC) were monitored using maternal and fetal parameters, partogram, and oxytocin as per protocol. Outcomes included induction to delivery interval, mode of delivery, and maternal complications, and data were analyzed in SPSS. Results: Among 100 VBAC cases, mean age was 29.8 ± 11.4 years, with most aged 20–30 years (58.0%) and 82.0% at ≥37 weeks gestation. Hemoglobin ≥11 g/dL was seen in 72.0%, and membrane status was nearly equal (intact 52.0%, ruptured 48.0%). Mean induction–delivery interval was 8.37 ± 5.3 hours, with 64.0% delivering within 7–12 hours. VBAC success was 76.0% and repeat caesarean 24.0%. Overall, 83.0% had no complications; PPH occurred in 9.0%, perineal injury in 3.0%, and no uterine rupture was noted. Conclusion: VBAC is a safe and effective mode of delivery in appropriately selected women, with low rates of postpartum hemorrhage and perineal injury.

Modern technology and digitalization have not merely reshaped the landscape of industrial design protection and the enhancement of justice under Annex IV of the Bangui Agreement; they have redefined the very conditions under which design rights can be asserted, challenged, and judicially enforced. As modern creative arts have migrated into virtual spaces, so has infringement become instantaneous and borderless, and as evidence increasingly takes digital form, the Justiciability of industrial design rights stands at a crossroads. This raises questions about the validity of design registrations, cross-border enforcement, and the evidentiary standards for proving infringement, which are central to determining whether a design dispute is suitable for judicial resolution. In response to these concerns, this paper examines the effectiveness of Annex IV in providing justiciable grounds for design owners to bring claims before adjudication bodies. Employing a doctrinal research method, it concludes that the Justiciability of industrial design rights is significantly challenged by technological advancements. This is because it is difficult to identify online infringers, secure digital evidence, and expedite action in cross-border online marketplaces, which allow counterfeiters to reach consumers quickly. It recommends, inter alia, recalibrating Annex IV to include modalities for digital filing, adopting a new substantive approach to examining designs during registration, strengthening inter-agency cooperation, training judicial personnel in forensic evidence, and ensuring legislative alignment with other regional and international standards.

Although she was never a formal or confessional Buddhist, there is ample evidence that Iris Murdoch was attracted to and heavily influenced by Buddhist theory and practice, and that such influences are evident throughout her novels and philosophical work. The principal aims of this article are to examine the evidence for the Buddhist influences on Murdoch and, further, to explore the Buddhist elements in her novels and philosophy. In particular, the Buddhist concepts of anatta (not-self), karuna (compassion), dukkha (suffering), and sati (mindful attention/awareness) will be explored and analysed as key drivers of the narratives in some of her most famous novels. This analysis will be supplemented and supported by references to Murdoch’s ethical and metaphysical writings, to biographies, her recently discovered poetry, and to commentaries on her life and work.

Background: Conventional approaches to sustainable development have been criticized for their technocratic orientation and limited engagement with the knowledge systems embedded in culture. The orientation toward relational well-being, ecological care, and ethical coexistence with nature is the foundation of indigenous epistemologies developed through long-term relationships with the environment. North India alone has thousands of communities with a rich culture of indigenous knowledge that has traditionally underpinned sustainable resource management, but is now marginalized by modern development and conservation policies. The Bhil, Gaddi, Bhotia, and Van Gujjar are only some of them. Objective of the study: To analyze the interrelationship and connection between indigenous epistemology and the concept of sustainable development. Method: The research will be conducted as a meta-analytical study grounded in anthropological and development research. It is based on secondary literature (e.g., ethnographic case studies and policy literature). It uses a comparative framework to examine indigenous knowledge practices, their interactions with formal development projects, and the institutional and ethical contexts that shape these interactions. Findings: The findings indicate that knowledge can be mixed in different ways, including integration, parallel use, adaptation, and co-management. Although these processes lead to synergies, e.g., improved healthcare, enhanced conservation, and community-based governance of ecosystems, they also expose tensions arising from power asymmetries, limited policies, and the loss of intergenerational knowledge. This paper concludes that context-specific, rights-based, and participatory approaches play a pivotal role in achieving culturally grounded, environmentally friendly, sustainable development.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative technology in modern orthodontics, redefining conventional diagnostic and therapeutic workflows through digital integration and predictive analytics. The incorporation of machine learning, deep learning, convolutional neural networks, and computer vision into orthodontic practice has significantly improved the accuracy of cephalometric landmark identification, malocclusion classification, treatment simulation, aligner therapy planning, and remote patient monitoring. Digital orthodontics, supported by intraoral scanners, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), three-dimensional imaging, and cloud-based systems, has created a robust data-driven ecosystem that facilitates AI-assisted clinical decision-making. AI-based software systems are increasingly capable of reducing operator variability, minimizing human error, and improving clinical efficiency while enabling personalized orthodontic care. Furthermore, teleorthodontics and AI-enabled remote monitoring systems have expanded patient accessibility and compliance tracking. Despite these advancements, important concerns remain regarding algorithm transparency, ethical considerations, data privacy, medico-legal accountability, and clinician dependency on automated systems. Current evidence suggests that AI should function as an adjunctive clinical tool rather than a replacement for professional judgment. The present review comprehensively discusses the evolution, applications, advantages, limitations, ethical implications, and future prospects of artificial intelligence in digital orthodontics. The article highlights the growing role of AI in precision orthodontics and emphasizes the need for standardized validation and responsible clinical integration.

The fast usage of Internet of Things (IoT) device in industrial and consumer settings has dramatically expanded on the attack surface of embedded systems. This paper explores firmware security through reverse engineering and analysis of a firmware image of an IoT style with two open-source tools: Binwalk and Ghidra. An artificial representation of the structure of typical Linux-based IoT firmware was produced by a controlled firmware image which had a SquashFS file system and compiled binaries. Embedded file systems and binaries were extracted using Binwalk and Ghidra was used to do the static analysis and decompilation of extracted executable files. The vulnerability analysis showed that there are a number of deliberately introduced security flaws such as hard-coded credentials, unsecured input handling functions and insecure configuration practices. The success of the method was shown by the successful recovery of the firmware filesystem and detection of these types of vulnerabilities with the help of the strict reverse-engineering tool. The paper shows the possible contribution of open-source tools to the analysis of firmware-level vulnerabilities and enhancing security testing of embedded IoT systems.

Background: Actinomycosis is an uncommon, chronic, granulomatous disease that can be mistaken for a malignant tumor. Abdominopelvic actinomycosis constitutes about 20% of all actinomycosis cases and may mimic malignancy, tuberculosis, or other abdominopelvic inflammatory diseases. This condition is more prevalent in women who use an intrauterine device. We report the case of a 38 year old female, known case of type 2 diabetes mellitus with a down 3 year history of right sided abdominal pain and discomfort, weight loss with a previous history of intrauterine device for 5 years she has undergone evaluation for her complaints at multiple times in a peripheral health care centers with colonoscopy and mucosal biopsies and treated for inflammatory bowel disease. CECT Enterogram showed wall thickening involving the IC junction and medial wall of caecum and she undergone laprotomy and right hemicolectomy. Histopathologic evaluation of surgical specimens showed actinomycosis in the caecal wall. The findings were immediately informed to the clinician and advised for a prompt further evaluation and management.

The rapid growth of packaging consumption has increased waste generation and placed pressure on existing waste management systems. Current research often treats packaging design, material selection, and recycling processes as separate domains, which limits effectiveness in practical settings. This study aims to develop a system level framework that connects sustainable packaging design with waste management processes across the full lifecycle. The proposed framework integrates material selection, production, logistics, consumption, and recovery stages within a unified structure. It incorporates a feedback mechanism in which waste system performance informs design decisions, supporting continuous adjustment based on observed conditions. Lifecycle mapping and performance evaluation are used to examine interactions among system components and to assess the impact of design choices on recovery efficiency and environmental outcomes. The results show that packaging systems achieve higher recovery rates, lower contamination levels, and improved material compatibility when design parameters reflect waste processing capabilities and user behavior patterns. The study also identifies the role of stakeholder coordination in improving system performance. The framework provides a structured method for evaluating and improving packaging systems within practical constraints and offers a basis for decision-making in sustainable packaging design and waste management integration.

Environmental monitoring requires rapid and stable methods for detecting chemical contaminants in water and air systems. Optical biosensor platforms offer a practical sensing approach because they convert molecular interactions into measurable optical signal changes, including absorbance, fluorescence, luminescence, and refractive index variation. This paper evaluates the performance of optical biosensor platforms for environmental contaminant detection under controlled laboratory conditions. The study focuses on two performance measures: detection sensitivity and measurement stability. Laboratory experiments used blank, low concentration, and higher-concentration exposure conditions, and the resulting optical signals were examined through baseline comparison, normalized response analysis, and repeatability assessment. The results showed stable baseline signals and clear response shifts after contaminant exposure. Low-concentration samples remained distinguishable from blank conditions, while higher concentrations produced stronger optical variation. Repeated measurements also showed acceptable consistency across exposure levels. These findings indicate that optical biosensor platforms can support low-level environmental contaminant detection when signal response and stability are evaluated together. The study presents a structured framework for assessing optical biosensor suitability in environmental monitoring applications.

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities including central obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and impaired glucose metabolism that significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The prevalence of MetS has risen worldwide due to sedentary lifestyles, urbanization, and dietary changes. Early identification of its clinical characteristics and predictors in hospital-based populations is important for effective prevention, timely diagnosis, and appropriate management of associated health complications. Objectives: To determine the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and predictors of metabolic syndrome among adults attending a hospital-based healthcare facility. Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Ibn Sina Diagnostic & Consultation Center, Uttara, from June 2018 to May 2019. A total of 226 adult participants were included. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, clinical measurements, and laboratory records. Variables included age, gender, BMI, blood pressure, and biochemical parameters. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) with descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests; p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Among 226 participants, the mean age was 42.6 ± 11.8 years, with 56.6% males. Metabolic syndrome was present in 86 (38.1%) individuals. The highest prevalence occurred in the 41–50 years group (30.2%). Overweight and obesity were observed in 40.7% and 24.8% respectively. Hypertension affected 51.3% participants. Abdominal obesity (46.0%) and low HDL (41.6%) were common components. Smoking (30.1%) and physical inactivity (68.1%) were notable lifestyle risk factors.

Introduction: Miliary tuberculosis represents one of the most severe and life-threatening forms of tuberculosis. It is characterized by widespread hematogenous dissemination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The present study aimed to describe the clinical, epidemiological, therapeutic, and outcome characteristics of miliary tuberculosis. Methods: We conducted a retrospective descriptive and analytical study over a two-year period, from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023. Medical records of patients hospitalized for miliary tuberculosis in the Department of Pneumology and Phthisiology at Moulay Youssef University Hospital, Rabat, Morocco, were reviewed and analyzed. Results: The mean age of patients was 43 years, with a male predominance (64%). A history of tuberculosis was found in 2 patients, and recent close contact with a tuberculosis case was identified in 5 patients. Four cases of miliary tuberculosis occurred following immunosuppressive therapy, including 3 patients who had previously received preventive anti-tuberculosis treatment. The clinical presentation was dominated by fever, night sweats, general condition deterioration, dyspnea, and cough. Extra-respiratory manifestations were observed in 17% of cases. Typical radiological findings were present in 91% of patients, while sputum smear microscopy was positive in 15%. Anti-tuberculosis treatment based on a four-drug regimen (ERIPK4) was initiated urgently in most cases. Complications occurred in 11 patients, including disease-related and treatment-related complications. The in-hospital case fatality rate was 17.7%. Conclusion: Miliary tuberculosis remains a severe and potentially life-threatening condition. Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of appropriate anti-tuberculosis therapy are essential to improve patient outcomes.