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The present study was aimed to investigate the potential anti-diabetic effects of Ficus arnottiana Miq. leaves against streptozotocin-induced diabetic model in experimental animals. The leaves of Ficus arnottiana were collected and processed into a powdered form, which was subsequently extracted using methanol as the solvent. The anti-diabetic activity of the resulting extract was evaluated at two oral doses (200 and 400 mg/kg) at two different doses (200 and 400 mg/kg). The parameters assessed in this study included blood glucose levels, C-peptide levels, and serum insulin levels. Furthermore, pancreatic tissue samples were subjected to histopathological analysis. Additionally, in vitro determination of a-amylase and a-glucosidase inhibition by the extract was carried out. The phytochemical screening of the extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, reducing sugars, and saponins. For anti-diabetic activity, the test extract significantly reduced blood glucose levels while increasing both serum C-peptide and serum insulin levels. Histopathological analysis of extract treated group depicted improved islets of Langerhans and an increase in centrally located beta cells. Furthermore, the extract significantly inhibited a-amylase and aglucosidase enzyme in-vitro. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that Ficus arnottiana (Miq) leaves extract exhibits antidiabetic activity. And the anti-diabetic effect of Ficus arnottiana (Miq) at 400 mg/kg was comparable to that of the standard drugs Glibenclamide (in-vivo) and acarbose (in-vitro). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cisplatin coined a term Metallodrug and later a tradition of Metallodrugs was established. Later, severe renal and metabolic toxicities of the platinum based drugs prompted the medicinal chemists to develop new and novel metallotherapeutics with different metal cores. Henceforth, chemists designed the metal complexes based on copper, cobalt, vanadium iron and zinc. These complexes were reported for their antibacterial, anticancer, antidiabetic and enzyme inhibitors. Later, chemists also focused on lanthanide metal ions and resulted in the design of metal complexes for the application of bio imaging cellular studies as well as chemotherapeutic agents. This review throws a light on the recent advances in the development of the samarium complexes as efficient and versatile biological agents. Samarium complexes based on various ligand systems and ancillary ligands have been mentioned in this review stating their biological efficacy and potency against variable cancer cell lines, their DNA interactive behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is evidence to suggest that M‐type phospholipase A2 (PLA2R) antibodies activate the mannose‐binding lectin (MBL) cascade, resulting in glomerular damage and proteinuria in patients with primary membranous nephropathy (PMN). Furthermore, there are few reports indicating that aberrant MBL activation is associated with endothelial dysfunction and accelerated atherosclerosis. While PMN is a common cause of adult nephrotic syndrome, and patients are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), there is a lack of research that explores the factors that contribute to this condition. This study aims to determine the MBL levels in PMN and their relation to the clinical activity and endothelial dysfunction in PMN. The MBL levels of 22 biopsy‐confirmed PMN patients were assessed at baseline and after 6 months of immunosuppressive therapy. In order to evaluate endothelial dysfunction in PMN patients, flow‐mediated vasodilation (FMD) was measured at baseline and after treatment. A total of 22 healthy controls were included in this study to measure MBL levels and FMD. A significant difference was observed between MBL levels in PMN patients and healthy controls (p <.01). MBL levels decreased significantly after immunosuppressive therapy (p =.04). The baseline MBL levels and FMD levels exhibited a strong correlation (Spearman correlation coefficient [ρ] = 0.51: p =.01). In conclusion, the study signals the activation of the MBL cascade and its association with endothelial dysfunction in PMN patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cells switch genes ON or OFF by altering the state of chromatin via histone modifications at specific regulatory locations along the chromatin polymer. These gene regulation processes are carried out by a network of reactions in which the histone marks spread to neighboring regions with the help of enzymes. In the literature, this spreading has been studied as a purely kinetic, non-diffusive process considering the interactions between neighboring nucleosomes. In this work, we go beyond this framework and study the spreading of modifications using a reaction-diffusion (RD) model accounting for the diffusion of the constituents. We quantitatively segregate the modification profiles generated from kinetic and RD models. The diffusion and degradation of enzymes set a natural length scale for limiting the domain size of modification spreading, and the resulting enzyme limitation is inherent in our model. We also demonstrate the emergence of confined modification domains without the explicit requirement of a nucleation site. We explore polymer compaction effects on spreading and show that single-cell domains may differ from averaged profiles. We find that the modification profiles from our model are comparable with existing H3K9me3 data of S. pombe. Author summary: DNA is folded into chromatin by wrapping it around histone protein octamers, forming a string of nucleosome beads. The chemical modifications on histone proteins along the one-dimensional string form a significant part of the epigenetic code. This code determines whether a chromatin region is likely to be active or repressed. How the chemical modification patterns arise, and their stability along the histone proteins is a question of great interest. While some players in this process are known, how the physical process of diffusion and reaction of the enzymes collectively dictate the pattern formation is unknown. In this work, we simulate histone modification spreading accounting for explicit diffusion and reaction of the essential constituents. We show that the diffusion and degradation processes of the constituents limit the size of the modification domain. We also show how the availability of enzymes and the compaction of the chromatin affect the spreading of the histone modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adoptive cell therapy with tumor-infiltrating T cells (TILs) has generated exciting clinical trial results for the treatment of unresectable solid tumors. However, solid tumors remain difficult targets for adoptively transferred T cells, due in part to poor migration of TILs to the tumor, physical barriers to infiltration, and active suppression of TILs by the tumor. Furthermore, a highly skilled team is required to obtain tumor tissue, isolate and expand the TILs ex vivo, and reinfuse them into the patient, which drives up costs and limits patient access. Here, we describe a cell-free polymer implant designed to recruit, genetically reprogram and expand host T cells at tumor lesions in situ. Importantly, the scaffold can be fabricated on a large scale and is stable to lyophilization. Using a mouse breast cancer model, we show that the implants quickly and efficiently amass cancer-specific host lymphocytes at the tumor site in quantities sufficient to bring about long-term tumor regression. Given that surgical care is the mainstay of cancer treatment for many patients, this technology could be easily implemented in a clinical setting as an add-on to surgery for solid tumors. Furthermore, the approach could be broadened to recruit and genetically reprogram other therapeutically desirable host cells, such as macrophages, natural killer cells or dendritic cells, potentially boosting the antitumor effectiveness of the implant even more. Our group developed an implantable device that (1) recruits T cells in situ, (2) genetically equips them with tumor-specific receptors, and (iii) rapidly expands and disperses them into solid tumor lesions. More specifically, the implant is based on a porous collagen scaffold (inherently supporting rapid T-cell migration), which is functionalized with a potent chemoattractant (CCL21) to recruit host T cells. To efficiently reprogram and expand recruited T cells within the scaffold, vectors encoding a tumor-specific receptor (chimeric antigen receptor in our study) and stimulatory anti- CD3/CD28 antibodies were co-encapsulated. All these components can be manufactured at large-scale and without the need to prepare a cellular product for each individual patient, and the final device can be frozen and stored until use. [Display omitted] • Rationally designed biomaterial scaffolds recruit, reprogram, expand and release human T cells. • Biomaterial scaffolds can efficiently transduce host T cells with tumor-specific CAR transgenes. • Scaffold-mediated in situ programming of CAR T-cells can improve survival of mice with established disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study emphasizes the enhancement in catalytic activity due to the formation of vacancies using dispersion corrected density functional theory. We observed that without vacancy formation, in general the edge site is an active site for hydrogen adsorption, while the lowest Gibbs free energy (ΔGH) is found to be for Janus HfSSe at the S-edge site. Furthermore, interestingly, due to the hindrance of the edge site, it facilitates only the Volmer-Heyrovsky reaction rather than the Volmer-Tafel. Among the mono vacancies, the Hafnium mono vacancy shows the lowest adsorption energy. We observed a competition between the evolution of H 2 S and H 2 gas in the case of HfS 2 -V Hf , whereas in the case of defected Janus and HfSe 2 , due to the presence of Se layers, we observed no competitiveness with H 2 S or H 2 Se gas with hydrogen gas. These defected materials exhibit lower reactional Gibbs free energy than a pristine monolayer due to its metallic nature. We observed that Hafnium vacancy enhances the HER activity, and pave the way for dominating Volmer-Heyrovsky reaction. [Display omitted] • HfS 2 and Janus HfSSe are potential candidates for photo-catalyst. HfSe 2 exhibits its potential use as an electrocatalyst. • The order of hydrogen adsorption efficiency is HfSSe > HfS 2 > HfSe 2. • Defect engineering is employed to enhance the catalytic efficiency of pristine compounds. • After defect creation, HfS 2 is most favourable for HER followed by HfSe 2 and HfSSe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We continue our study of Sierpiński-type colourings. In contrast to the prequel paper, we focus here on colourings for ideals stratified by their completeness degree. In particular, improving upon Ulam's theorem and its extension by Hajnal, it is proved that if κ is a regular uncountable cardinal that is not weakly compact in L, then there is a universal witness for non-weak-saturation of κ -complete ideals. Specifically, there are κ -many decompositions of κ such that, for every κ -complete ideal J over κ , and every B ∈ J + , one of the decompositions shatters B into κ -many J + -sets. A second focus here is the feature of narrowness of colourings, one already present in the theorem of Sierpiński. This feature ensures that a colouring suitable for an ideal is also suitable for all superideals possessing the requisite completeness degree. It is proved that unlike successors of regulars, every successor of a singular cardinal admits such a narrow colouring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Genital ulcer disease (GUD) is regarded as the most difficult conundrum for clinicians, as valid and rapid methods to diagnose them are limited, especially in India. The sexual behavior of an individual plays a role in the causation of GUD, and it depends on psychological, behavioral, and social well-being, which was significantly affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, the present study was undertaken to determine the etiology of genital ulcers by using simple, rapid microbiological methods and to study various factors associated with them. Materials and Methods: Various rapid tests like staining (Giemsa, Gram, and Diff Quick) and serology for antibody detection were used to diagnose agents causing genital ulcers among 71 suspected patients during the study period of 1 year. After due informed consent, sociodemographic and behavioral factors were recorded in proforma and analyzed. Results: Rapid tests could aid in diagnosing 47.9% of cases of GUD. Turnaround time was less than 60 minutes for all tests carried out. Genital herpes was the most common GUD followed by syphilis. Male gender (74.6%), age group of more than 34 years old (62%), literate (71.8%), and earning (70.4%) constituted most of the population presenting with GUD. Behavioral factors like promiscuity with a known person (83.1%) had a significant association (P 0.04) with GUD. Conclusion: Rapid diagnostic tests could assist in the early treatment of GUD cases. Factors like literacy, financial independence, and promiscuity with known individuals were associated with GUD in our study during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Takayasu Arteritis (TA) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting large blood vessels, particularly the aorta and its branches, making it a type of vasculitis. It is reported to be highly prevalent in Southeast Asian countries. Clinical presentations may vary, including headache, weight loss, malaise, fever, hypertension, visual disturbances, and musculoskeletal symptoms. Gangrene is a rare manifestation of TA, with relatively few cases reported globally. If gangrene is present, it is commonly noted in the lower limbs. Inflammation of the blood vessels caused by TA might lead to stenosis of the affected vessels. The underlying pathophysiology of gangrene development in TA is poorly understood but is mainly attributed to the occlusion of blood vessels. It is associated with inflammatory markers produced by lymphocytes and macrophages. Immunosuppressive drugs are recommended for symptomatic relief. Early diagnosis and intervention can be useful in managing TA, preventing adverse outcomes, and reducing its financial, social, and psychological consequences. This is a case report of a 32-year-old female, presented with gangrene and a history of rheumatoid arthritis. Further examination revealed a presentation of TA. The patient was managed by below-knee amputation for gangrene of the left leg and medical management for TA. Therefore, authors aim to draw attention to the diagnosis of TA and the rare associated morbidity, ‘gangrene,’ and the importance of timely intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater nitrate‐N isotopes (δ15N‐NO3− ${{\text{NO}}_{3}}^{-}$) have been used to infer the effects of natural and anthropogenic change on N cycle processes in the environment. Here we report unexpected changes in groundwater δ15N‐NO3− ${{\text{NO}}_{3}}^{-}$ for riparian zones affected by relict milldams and road salt salinization. Contrary to natural, undammed conditions, groundwater δ15N‐NO3− ${{\text{NO}}_{3}}^{-}$ values declined from the upland edge through the riparian zone and were lowest near the stream. Groundwater δ15N‐NO3− ${{\text{NO}}_{3}}^{-}$ values increased for low electron donor (dissolved organic carbon) to acceptor NO3− $\left({{\text{NO}}_{3}}^{-}\right)$ ratios but decreased beyond a change point in ratios. Groundwater δ15N‐NO3− ${{\text{NO}}_{3}}^{-}$ values were particularly low for the riparian milldam site subjected to road‐salt salinization. We attributed these N isotopic trends to suppression of denitrification, occurrence of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), and/or effects of road salt salinization. Groundwater δ15N‐NO3− ${{\text{NO}}_{3}}^{-}$ can provide valuable insights into process mechanisms and can serve as "imprints" of anthropogenic activities and legacies. Plain Language Summary: Human activities and their legacies can alter our environment and the imprints can last for a long time. Here, we show the groundwater stable nitrogen isotopes can provide new and unexpected insights into nitrogen processing and cycling in riparian zones affected by dams and road salt salinization. Using such metrics/indicators we can investigate the changes in process mechanisms and the thresholds at which they change. This knowledge will help us better manage environments impacted by human landuse. Key Points: Groundwater N isotopes revealed altered riparian N processing due to milldams and salinizationGroundwater δ15N‐NO3− ${{\text{NO}}_{3}}^{-}$ values changed along the riparian transect and in response to electron donor to acceptor (DOC:NO3− ${{\text{NO}}_{3}}^{-}$) ratiosLow groundwater δ15N‐NO3− ${{\text{NO}}_{3}}^{-}$ values were attributed to suppression of denitrification due to persistent anoxic conditions and salinization [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stream, floodplain, and wetland restorations enhance water quality and ecological function; however, soil health is prioritized infrequently in restoration planning and monitoring. Buried, historic, hydric soils—common across U.S. mid‐Atlantic valley bottoms beneath legacy sediments—are not included in most floodplain restoration designs, though they may retain favorable biogeochemical characteristics and host legacy microbial communities that could support ecosystem recovery if exhumed and preserved. To assess the efficacy of including historic hydric soils in floodplain restoration for nitrogen (N) removal, we characterized pre‐Euro‐American settlement wetland soils buried below legacy sediments and now exposed along incised streambanks across the mid‐Atlantic. We compared carbon (C) and N contents; C:N ratios; nitrate‐N and ammonium‐N concentrations; denitrification rates; functional genes for denitrification (nosZ) and nitrification (amoA for ammonia oxidizing archaea [AoA] + ammonia oxidizing bacteria [AoB]); and phospholipid fatty acid biomasses of historic wetland soils with contemporary wetland soils before and after an 1‐year incubation in a recently restored floodplain. Compared to modern wetland soils, historic hydric soils buried by legacy sediment are less nutrient‐rich, have fewer functional genes for and lower rates of denitrification, and possess significantly less microbial biomass. Following the 1‐year incubation, many of these concentrations, rates, and gene counts increased in historic soils, though not substantially. Ultimately, our results suggest that while inclusion of historic, hydric soils and their legacy microbiomes is valuable for N‐removal in floodplain restoration, the recovery of historic, hydric soils is predictably slow, and attainment of restoration goals, such as increased denitrification, may require multiple years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Erectile dysfunction is a major chronic condition affecting hundreds of millions of individual's worldwide and psychological experience of erectile dysfunction. Aims and Objective: To study an association between erectile dysfunction and its related psychological disorders. Methods and Materials: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study conducted in the department of psychiatry in Madhubani Medical College, Madhubani, Bihar, from 20th October 2023 to 15th February 2024 after getting approval from institutional ethical committee of the college. Data from 126 patients with ED aged 18--50 years were collected. The 5-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire, self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) were used to evaluate erectile function, anxiety and depression, respectively. Univariate analysis and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to explore the associated factors of depression and anxiety. Results: The prevalence of anxiety and depression among ED patients was 37.26% and 63.84%, respectively. The mean anxiety index score was 44.26 ± 5.78 points, and the mean depression index was 53.86 ± 8.20 points. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that worse ED, low education level, and smoking were positively associated with increased risk of anxiety and depression. Conclusion: The findings of this research found evidence of a causal relationship between MD and ED. But the mechanism of the association between MD and ED remains to be discovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The objective of present work was to develop and standardize UV-spectrophotometric method for estimation of Phenytoin in marketed formulation. Materials and method: UV-Spectrophotometric method was developed using 1 N NaOH as solvent. The developed method was standardized in terms of validation parameters such as simple, sensitive, precise, linear, accurate, robust, reproducible as per ICH Q2(R1) guidelines. For estimation of phenytoin in marketed formulation this newly developed method was successfully applied. Results: Phenytoin exhibits max at 218 nm and in the Beer's range 2 to 10 µg/ml Beer's law was obeyed. The limit of detection was found to be 1.71µg/ml and limit of quantification was found to be 5.20 µg/ml. Recovery of Phenytoin in marketed formulation was obtained in range of 100-106%. All the precision and repeatability results were observed within the accurate range less than 2%. Conclusion: The method was found to be simple, accurate, environment friendly, reproducible and marketed formulation of Phenytoin can be estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Urinary tract infections caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-E. coli) may occur as outbreaks due to common-source exposures. Yet, it is currently unknown if they cluster geographically as would be expected as part of an outbreak. Methods: We collected electronic health record data on all patients living in San Francisco with culture-documented community-onset E. coli bacteriuria in a safety-net public healthcare system from January 2014 to March 2020 (diagnosed < 48 h after hospital admission or in outpatient clinical settings without a hospitalization in the past 90 days). We assessed the presence of spatial clusters of (1) ESBL-E. coli bacteriuria episodes, and (2) individuals with any ESBL-E. coli bacteriuria episode, with Global and Local Moran's I. We evaluated differences in prevalence of bacteriuria recurrence by ESBL-production by Poisson regression. Results: Out of 4,304 unique individuals, we identified spatial clusters of ESBL-E. coli bacteriuria episodes (n = 461) compared to non-ESBL-E. coli bacteriuria episodes (n = 5477; Global Moran's p < 0.001). Spatial clusters of individuals with any bacteriuria caused by ESBL-E. coli were not identified (p = 0.43). Bacteriuria recurrence was more likely to occur with ESBL-E. coli (odds ratio [OR] 2.78, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2.10, 3.66, p < 0.001), particularly after an initial ESBL-E. coli bacteriuria episode (OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.82, 2.83, p < 0.001). Conclusion: We found spatial clusters of ESBL-E. coli bacteriuria episodes. However, this was partly explained by clustering within individuals more than between individuals, as having an ESBL-E. coli bacteriuria was associated with recurrence with ESBL-E. coli. These findings may help better tailor clinical treatment of patients with recurrent urinary tract infections after an initial episode caused by ESBL-E. coli. Key points: • In a large public healthcare system, from 2014 to 2020, we found spatial clusters of all extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-E. coli) bacteriuria episodes, but not at the individual level. ESBL-E. coli was more likely to cause recurrent bacteriuria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context • Kundur, Boswellia serrata Roxb. ex Colebr., is prescribed by Unani (Greco-Arab) scholars clinically under conditions similar to vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) and has been supported by recent pharmacological studies, but scientific evidence is scarce. Objectives • The study intended to investigate the drug’s scientific parameters and to compare its efficacy and safety to that of Miconazole nitrate (2% w/w) in treatment of VVC. Design • The research team designed a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Setting • The RCT was performed in the Department of Ilmul Qabalat wa Amraze Niswan at Luqman Unani Medical College Hospital and Research Center in Vijaypura, India, between November 2018 and March 2020. Participants • Participants were 40 married women, aged 18 to 45 years, who had been clinically examined and diagnosed with VVC. Interventions • Participants were randomly allocated to the Boswellia serrata (Kundur) group, the intervention group (n = 20), or to the miconazole group, the control group (n=20). The Kundur group took a one-gram tablet of Kundur as a vaginal insert every day at bedtime for 21 days, while the control group used vaginal suppositories with 100 mg of miconazole (2% w/w) every day at bedtime for seven days. Outcome Measures • The primary outcome measures were changes: (1) in vulval itching (pruritus), (2) in vaginal discharge, (3) in painful urination (dysuria), (4) in recurrent genital pain (dyspareunia), and (5) in quality of life (QoL). The secondary outcome measures were mycological clearing on a potassium hydroxide (KOH) test and a per-speculum pelvic examination for the presence or absence of curdy discharge, vulval erythema, and vulval swelling. Results • The response to the intervention was greater than that of the control in reducing pruritus vulvae and vaginal discharge. However, both drugs were equally effective in improving the rest of the parameters, including QoL. Conclusion • The VVC symptoms were equally and significantly improved in both the intervention and the control groups, and Boswellia serrata Roxb. ex Colebr. was shown to be efficacious in the management of VVC. Further studies with a rigorous design and larger sample size are needed to reinforce scientific evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Plasmacytoma, a localized tumor of monoclonal plasma cells without any clinical, radiological or physical evidence of plasma cell neoplasm (PCN), is a rare entity that accounts for 1% of PCN. Immunoglobulin M (IgM) extramedullary plasmacytoma of mediastinal region has never been reported and is a diagnostic challenge considering other differential diagnoses. Case presentation: We present the case of a 51-year-old African-American female with progressively increasing cough, dyspnea, and dysphagia for 6 months with a computed tomography (CT) scan revealing a subcarinal mass. The histopathological analysis of the mass reveals a diagnosis of lymphoma with plasma cell differentiation, with a differential of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and plasma cell neoplasm. The lymphoma panel via next-generation sequencing (NGS) and a myeloma-targeted fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) panel confirmed the diagnosis of IgM extramedullary plasmacytoma, an entity of rare occurrence. Treatment with radiation led to complete regression of the plasmacytoma with normal blood work-up. Conclusions: This report describes the challenges of diagnosing IgM extramedullary plasmactyoma. Our case report highlights the importance of cytogenetics and NGS in establishing a correct diagnosis that indeed has prognostic and therapeutic implications. Highlights: Distinguishing IgM plasmacytoma from other IgM-related disorders requires correlation with clinical, laboratory, and radiologic findings. Next generation sequencing and Fluorescent in-situ hybridization have diagnostic utility in hematological entities with plasmacytic differentiation. IgM plasmacytoma is a relatively curable hematological condition with an excellent prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operating temperatures considerably influence the energy storage mechanism of the anode of Li-ion batteries (LiBs). This effect must be comprehensively studied to facilitate the effective integration of LiBs in practical applications and battery management. In this study, we fabricated a novel anode material, i.e., copper–iron–tin–sulphide (Cu2FeSnS4, CFTS), and investigated the corresponding LiB performance at operating temperatures ranging from 10 °C to 55 °C. The CFTS anode exhibited a discharge capacity of 283.1 mA h g−1 at room temperature (25 °C), which stabilized to 174.0 mA h g−1 in repeated cycles tested at a current density of 0.1 A g−1. The discharge capacity at higher operating temperatures, such as 40 °C and 55 °C, is found to be 209.3 and 230.0 mA h g−1 respectively. In contrast, the discharge capacity decreased to 36.2 mA h g−1 when the temperature decreased to 10 °C. Electrothermal impedance spectroscopy was performed to determine the rate of chemical reactions, mobility of active species, and change in internal resistance at different operating temperatures. In terms of the cycle life, CFTS exhibited outstanding cycling stability for more than 500 charge/discharge cycles, with a 146% capacity retention and more than 80% coulombic efficiency. The electrochemical investigation revealed that the charge storage in the CFTS anode is attributable to capacitive-type and diffusion-controlled mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental test protocol for simulating the air-side fouling of heat exchangers, as well as metrics to characterize the extent of fouling undergone by the heat exchanger and its performance in clean and fouled conditions, were proposed in a companion paper. In this study, the air-side fouling of a finned microchannel heat exchanger is experimentally investigated according to the proposed protocol. Key test parameters influencing heat exchanger fouling are identified based on studies in the literature, and their impact is experimentally investigated. The effectiveness of in situ cleaning methods is also experimentally evaluated. Transient measurement data and photographs taken during the fouling process reveal the nature of fouling, while steady-state data quantify the degradation in heat exchanger performance due to fouling. This two-part study defines a generalized experimental approach to enable characterization and comparison of heat exchanger surfaces on a standardized basis, and provides detailed experimental data for modeling heat exchanger fouling that includes all necessary information to allow for model validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air-side fouling of heat exchangers has received much attention in the literature through both experimental and modeling studies. However, no standards currently exist that define a test procedure to experimentally foul heat exchangers and evaluate their performance in a fouled condition. This is evidenced by the variation in test procedures, fouling agents, metrics, and operating conditions reported. Based on a detailed review of past experiments, a standardized, repeatable test procedure is proposed that allows cross-comparison of data acquired in different laboratory facilities. The procedure generates time-resolved information on foulant buildup on the finned heat exchanger and the consequent impact on heat exchanger performance. Various fouling agents used in the literature and fouling deposits observed on field-installed heat exchangers are compared, and a representative fouling agent is recommended. A method is proposed to quantify heat exchanger fouling and metrics identified to quantify heat exchanger performance before and after fouling. This is the first of two companion papers on an experimental investigation of air-side fouling of heat exchangers. The companion paper presents experimental data obtained by implementation of the proposed procedure to investigate fouling of a finned microchannel heat exchanger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Fungal rhinosinusitis (FRS) sets in following the interactivity of fungi with Sino nasal tract when the immune system is subdued. Due to the varied clinical presentation of FRS with inconclusive evidence of imaging, mycological evaluation helps to identify and speciate the fungi. Fungal rhinosinusitis can be diagnosed with biopsy tissue and/or deep nasal swabs. This study was undertaken to know risk factors, and outcomes along with the utility of nasal samples with emphasis on deep nasal swabs in diagnosing fungal rhinosinusitis. Materials and Methods: A retrospective observational study was carried out on patients with suspected fungal rhinosinusitis (invasive and non-invasive). Both COVID-19-positive and -negative subjects tested by RT-PCR were included. Brief clinical history, associated comorbidities, risk factors, and outcomes were noted in these cases. Nasal swabs or tissue samplesfrom endoscopic biopsy obtained from patients were subjected to Gram stain, KOH mount, and culture on Sabouraud dextrose agar followed by slide culture for identification. Results: Of the 41 cases studied for FRS, 25 were males and 16 were females. Risk factors like post-COVID-19 infection was seen in 27 (65.8%), diabetes in 31 (75.6%), and use of steroid during COVID-19 treatment in 16 (39.02%) cases. Deep nasal swabs were received in 29 (70.7%) and tissue obtained after debridement in 12 (29.3%) cases. Rhizopus spp. was the most common fungi isolated followed by Aspergillus spp. Conclusion: Both COVID and non-COVID patients were diagnosed with invasive/ non-invasive fungal rhinosinusitis from deep nasal swabs/tissue in the present study. Diabetes was an important comorbidity in non-COVID patients with FRS. Deep nasal swabs aided early diagnosis for both invasive and non-invasive FRS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil health is not explicitly included in current stream and floodplain restorations. This may be one of the many reasons that stream restorations are not achieving their full restoration and ecological benefits. The lack of design and implementation procedures for providing healthy soils and the absence of specific soil metrics for evaluation are some of the reasons for the non-inclusion of soil health in floodplain restorations. Here, we have brought together a team of researchers and practitioners to provide a blueprint for the inclusion of soil health in floodplain restorations, with a specific emphasis on approaches that may be easily accessible for practitioners. We describe the challenges posed by current restoration procedures for physical, chemical, and biological soil conditions. The top ten soil metrics that could be easily measured and could be leveraged by practitioners to assess floodplain soil conditions before and after restorations were identified and selected. The best design and construction practices for improving soil health on floodplains are presented. We also recommend that the current crediting approaches and regulatory mechanisms for stream restorations be updated to incentivize soil health. The inclusion of soil health will help us attain the ecological services and functional uplift goals that are being targeted by environmental agencies and the restoration community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversity is a defining feature of India, a multireligious, multicultural, and multilingual country. Throughout its history, there have been cultural encounters with different ideas, beliefs, and people. Though Hindus constitute the majority, Muslims, Christians, Jains, Sikhs, and others have been a part of this mosaic and cultural engagements and negotiations continue even today between them. Therefore, cross-cultural adaptation is of paramount importance in the Indian multicultural context, where individuals interact with new and unknown cultures and are motivated to accommodate one another's cultural similarities and differences and are on the lookout for fundamental human commonalities. Religious leaders from the Indian Christian community naturally come under the category of persons who engage with individuals and groups from diverse cultures as an extension to their vocation of pastoral service. Subsequently, it may be noted that many Christian religious leaders have documented their personal experiences and cultural encounters which are chronicled as autobiographies that possibly will help us understand how the Christian clergy engage with the society at large, and how, as a part of the cross-cultural adaption process, they negotiate their social or cultural identities in a religiously and culturally diverse country like India. Two such autobiographies, titled "Unbeaten Paths" and "Kristana Karuneya Belakinalli" (In the Light of Christ's Mercy) written by a Roman Catholic priest and a Protestant priest, respectively, are considered in this study to understand how the two narrators not only engage in the exercise of identity negotiation, but also demonstrate just how they relate or connect to the social or cultural framework through the act of life writing. The purpose is therefore to examine how their life stories underline their encounters with the larger society, their experiences, and the religious, cultural, and linguistic challenges they faced. It is also important to observe the approaches they frequently employed to negotiate and integrate with the larger society, which prompted them to emerge as transcultural personalities. Therefore, the framework of transculturalism and the methodological approach of dialogical narrative analysis pioneered by Arthur W. Frank is employed in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Anemia continues to be a major public health problem worldwide, particularly among females of reproductive age in developing country settings. The prevalence of anemia in South Asia is among the highest in the world, mirroring overall high rates of malnutrition. Objective: 1) To estimate the prevalence of anemia and undernutrition among reproductive age group females. 2) To study factors associated with anemia and undernutrition among reproductive age group females. Material and Method: This was cross-sectional study, which was carried out from June 2011 to December 2012 at Nanded City in Maharashtra state among nonpregnant ever-married women of 15-49 years age with a sample size of 750 selected using probability proportional to size sampling technique. Percentage, Chi-square test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, and Student's t test were used for analyzing the data. Results: The prevalence of anemia among reproductive age group women was 554 (73.9%). 20.8% of women were undernourished and 4.1% were obese. There was a significant difference in the hemoglobin percentage of study subjects in relation to their age at marriage, weight, and body mass index (BMI). Mean BMI increases significantly as the age of women and duration of marriage increases. Conclusion: Nutritional status has a significant effect on the grade of anemia. Women of reproductive age groups are affected by anemia irrespective of age and parity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boosting the metabolism of immune cells while restricting cancer cell metabolism is challenging. Herein, we report that using biomaterials for the controlled delivery of succinate metabolite to phagocytic immune cells activates them and modulates their metabolism in the presence of metabolic inhibitors. In young immunocompetent mice, polymeric microparticles, with succinate incorporated in the backbone, induced strong pro-inflammatory anti-melanoma responses. Administration of poly(ethylene succinate) (PES MP)-based vaccines and glutaminase inhibitor to young immunocompetent mice with aggressive and large, established B16F10 melanoma tumors increased their survival three-fold, a result of increased cytotoxic T cells expressing RORγT (Tc17). Mechanistically, PES MPs directly modulate glutamine and glutamate metabolism, upregulate succinate receptor SUCNR1, activate antigen presenting cells through and HIF-1alpha, TNFa and TSLP-signaling pathways, and are dependent on alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase for their activity, which demonstrates correlation of succinate delivery and these pathways. Overall, our findings suggest that immunometabolism-modifying PES MP strategies provide an approach for developing robust cancer immunotherapies. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"MODI lipi" is one of the ancient scripts of Western India. Considerable work has been reported for various other ancient Indian languages except for MODI lipi. Its structural characteristics and non-availability of image database make MODI recognition challenging. The work reported in this paper comprises the creation of an image dataset for MODI handwritten characters and the development of a supervised Transfer Learning (TL)-based classification framework. It makes use of Deep Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN) Alexnet as a pre-trained network to transfer weights to retrain the network. This network is used as a feature extractor to extract features from different layers of the network. A Support Vector Machine (SVM) is trained on activation features to obtain classifier models. These models are investigated further for recognition accuracy and feature analysis. Subjective and objective measures are used to select discriminant deep features. We achieved recognition accuracies of 92.32% and 97.25% for Handwritten MODI character recognition and handwritten Devnagari character recognition, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Hemodynamic instability of patients during induction of general anesthesia is a very important clinical concern and it is a common event associated with negative results in clinical practice. During induction of anesthesia patients are exposed to pain full procedure such as laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation. This procedure is often associated with tachycardia, hypertension, arrhythmia and other undesirable hemodynamic changes. Hypotension and hypertension all through general anesthesia are independently associated with adverse results in patients having both abdominal and non-abdominal surgery. Majority of studies on ketamine/propofol admixture have evaluated critically ill patients in the emergency department with the evidence demonstrating a potential sparing eff ect on hemodynamics along with improved pain relief and sedation quality. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective randomized double-blind study was conducted in department of Anesthesia over a period of 1 year. Patients in the age group of 18 - 65 years with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status II and III who were to undergo elective general, urologic, orthopedic, plastic or gynecologic surgery were included in the study. Patients on chronic opiate therapy, psychotropic or sedative medications, patients with personality disorders, severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction (ejection fraction < 30%) and pregnant/lactating mothers were excluded from the study. Thus, a sample size of 40 patients per group was considered for our study. Results: In our study SBP, DBP, MAP which were recorded, before induction considered as the baseline, and after induction, were comparable between the two groups. SBP, DBP and MAP compared at 1, 3 and 5 mins after intubation showed statistically significant difference between the two groups with propofol-ketamine group showing better hemodynamic stability. The HR between both the groups at various time intervals were comparable and not considered statistically significant. Conclusion: Propofol plus ketamine can be recommended as a safe and effective combination for induction to attenuate haemodynamic responses to laryngoscopy and intubation, with superior haemodynamic stability compared to induction with etomidate alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bladder endometriosis, a rare but well-known condition with a high risk of morbidity, affects the bladder. A 43-year-old woman presented with a history of recurrent cyclical discomfort during urination. The patient had undergone a non descent vaginal hysterectomy to address the same symptom. Upon examination, a nodule was discovered between the bladder and vaginal vault. The diagnosis of bladder endometriosis was confirmed through cystoscopy and an Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The nodule was removed via transurethal resection, and histology confirmed it as endometriosis. After 12 months of follow-up, the patient's postoperative symptoms had completely resolved. Hormonal therapy was initiated, and there were no residual urinary symptoms, chronic pain, or cyclical pain. Women reporting urinary symptoms, particularly those with a history of pelvic surgery, should undergo evaluation for bladder endometriosis. The diagnosis of bladder endometriosis should be considered in women experiencing dysuria and bladder discomfort. A high index of suspicion is required to establish the diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The High-Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) on the NOAA and the MetOp satellite series have provided global sounding measurements since the late 1970s, spanning over 40 years. These measurements have been useful in climate change detection, numerical weather prediction, and development of long-term climate data records of profiles of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud climatology, upper tropospheric water vapor, outgoing longwave radiation, etc. However, the HIRS instrument is being replaced by the new generation of sounders such as the hyperspectral Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on recently launched satellites. In order to continue and extend the HIRS record, we use IASI measurements to simulate and derive HIRS-like data for the 12 HIRS longwave channels. The MetOp satellite operated by EUMETSAT carries both the HIRS and the hyper-spectral IASI instrument with accurate spectral and radiometric calibration, providing a great opportunity to consistently calibrate the measurements. The IASI radiances are convolved with the HIRS spectral response functions to produce IASI-simulated HIRS (IHIRS) for the longwave channels. In the present work, IHIRS data are collocated and compared with HIRS observed radiances on the same satellite to develop a calibration table for each of the ascending/descending orbits and cloudy and clear categories. The resulting inter-instrument calibrated IHIRS data was found to agree with HIRS brightness temperatures within 0.05 K for all longwave channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In everyday life, superior lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), with fast charging ability, have become valuable assets. The LIB performance of an anode composite copper cobalt tin sulphide (Cu2CoSnS4; CCTS) electrode, which was fabricated using a simple and easy hydrothermal method, was investigated. The electrochemical charge storage performance of the CCTS anode demonstrated sustainability, high-rate capability and efficiency. The CCTS anode exhibited a first discharge capacity of 914.5 mA h g−1 and an average specific capacity of 198.7 mA h g−1 in consecutive cycles at a current density of 0.1 A g−1. It had a capacity retention of ∼62.0% and a coulombic efficiency of more than 83% after over 100 cycles, demonstrating its excellent cycling performance and reversibility. It can be an alternative anode to other established electrode materials for real battery applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ancient Indian wisdom has a lot of knowledge with which one can balance his/her life and career. In the recent time the world has seen the adverse effects of the situations caused by Covid 19. The world has faced the complete shift from offline work module to online. This transition was not easy but the leaders made it possible. Leadership is all about knowing the business and getting the things done with people in mutually beneficial ways. Being said that the entrepreneurs or the leaders should know about 4 major things viz; Business, team building, self-motivation, and leadership. We can see the ancient Indian wisdom from 3 dimensions viz; spiritual, religious, secular ideas. Many people think that ancient Indian wisdom is 5000 years old and may not be of much relevance in today's era. But if we study it in detail, we can find it is still making sense. The knowledge representation in these Granthas e.g Bhagavad Geeta, Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The combined features of functional electronic devices have attracted significant attention because of high demand for promising energy technologies. Of particular interest are electrochromic (EC) supercapacitors, which can visually display the level of stored energy in real‐time. Here, we demonstrate the EC energy storage properties of pure and doped Prussian blue (PB) thin films fabricated using electrodeposition. The pure PB films produced various colours at different potentials during their charging‐discharging cycles, but they suffered from instability. To overcome this, we doped PB films with ruthenium (Ru), iridium (Ir), and molybdenum (Mo). Of the doped specimens, the Mo‐doped PB films exhibited the most promising EC energy storage properties, with a specific capacity of 399.7 F g−1 at 1 A g−1, a colouration efficiency of 110.2 cm2 C−1, and an excellent optical density difference of 0.92. The Mo‐doped PB films also demonstrated ultra‐fast colouration and bleaching behaviour within 3.25 and 4.04 seconds, respectively. Our experimental findings suggest that Metal‐doped PB films can be employed for practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal anaesthesia (or spinal anesthesia), also called spinal block, subarachnoid block, intradural block and intrathecal block is a form of neuraxial regional anaesthesia involving the injection of a local anaesthetic or opioid into the subarachnoid space, generally through a fine needle, usually 9 cm (3.5 in) long. It is a safe and effective form of anesthesia usually performed by anesthesiologists that can be used as an alternative to general anesthesia commonly in surgeries involving the lower extremities and surgeries below the umbilicus. Epidural anesthesia is a technique that may be used as a primary surgical anesthetic or as a resource for postoperative pain management. It is safe and relatively easy to learn and perform. Material and methods: This are a prospective study was conducted in the Department of Anesthesia at Khaja Bandanawaz Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalaburgi over a period of 1 year. Spinal anaesthesia was given under all sterilised precaution, 3 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine heavy using a 25-gauge Quincke's spinal needle through the L3-L4 intervertebral space in the sitting posture. Before giving the local anaesthesia, each patient throughout the technique asked to report verbally any time if he feels distress. Results: Duration to perform the procedure was significantly longer with epidural than spinal block. Intraoperative fluid requirement was statistically higher in Spinal than Epidural (p<0.0001). Duration of Surgery was significantly shorter in Spinal as compared to Epidural (p=0.0019). Systolic and mean blood pressure showed statistically significant reduction in Spinal as compared to Epidural (p<0.001). Duration of ambulation was significantly shorter in Epidural as compared to Spinal (p<0.001). Conclusion: Epidural anaesthesia can be a safe alternative to spinal anaesthesia for elective inguinal hernia repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims We aim to assess the influence of obesity on gastroparesis (GP) hospitalizations in the United States (US). Methods The National Inpatient Sample was analyzed from 2007-2017 to identify all adult hospitalizations with a primary discharge diagnosis of GP. They were subdivided based on the presence or absence of obesity (body mass index > 30). Hospitalization characteristics, procedural differences, all-cause inpatient mortality, mean length of stay (LOS), and mean total hospital charge (THC) were identified and compared. Results From 2007-2017, there were 140 293 obese GP hospitalizations accounting for 13.75% of all GP hospitalizations in the US. Obese GP hospitalizations were predominantly female (76.11% vs 64.36%, P < 0.001) and slightly older (51.9 years vs 50.8 years, P < 0.001) compared to the non-obese cohort. Racial disparities were noted as Blacks (25.49% vs 22%, P < 0.001) had higher proportions of GP hospitalizations with obesity compared to the non-obese cohort. Furthermore, we noted higher rates of inpatient upper endoscopy utilization (6.05% vs 5.42%, P < 0.001), longer mean LOS (5.71 days vs 5.32 days, P < 0.001), and higher mean THC ($53 373 vs $45 040, P < 0.001) for obese GP hospitalizations compared to the non-obese group. However, obese GP hospitalizations had lower rates of inpatient mortality (0.92% vs 1.33%, P < 0.001), and need for nutritional support with endoscopic jejunostomy (0.25 vs 0.56%, P < 0.001) and total parenteral nutrition (1.46% vs 2.33%, P < 0.001) compared to the non-obese cohort. Conclusions In the US, compared to non-obese, a higher proportion of obese GP hospitalizations were female and Blacks. Obese GP hospitalizations also had higher THC, LOS, and rates of upper endoscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In January 2021, India's drug regulator issued restricted emergency approval for COVISHIELD and COVAXIN, which were manufactured in India. In mid-January 2021, in India, there were 10.5 million confirmed cases and 0.15 million deaths. The objectives were to evaluate vaccine effectiveness (VE) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines made in India against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus disease 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Materials and Methods: A test-negative case-control study was conducted from May 2021 to December 2021 for a duration of 8 months among people attending a reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) center at a medical college hospital for RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2. The baseline characteristics and RT-PCR report were collected from the RT-PCR center. The exposure to COVID-19 vaccines was enquired via phone call or was checked with data available with the health authorities. Results: After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria and case and control definitions, a total of 380 participants (95 cases and 285 controls) were included. The adjusted VE of two doses of COVISHIED vaccine against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection was 52.2% (41.7 to 62.1), and that of a single dose was 40.88% (31.26 to 51.29). The adjusted VE of two doses of COVAXIN vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection was 39% (29.40 to 49.27). The overall VE was 48.20% (37.90 to 58.22) for two doses of any vaccines. Conclusions: Vaccines made in India were nearly 50% effective. Further new studies should be conducted as new variants of SARS-CoV-2 are emerging. We do not know the VE against the variants, and whether booster doses are required or not is not yet established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the major causes of mortalities worldwide. In the present research, new synthetic derivatives of thiazole were studied using isolated hearts and blood vessels of rats. The heart and thoracic aorta were tested with six new synthesized thiazole acetic acid derivatives (SMVA-10, SMVA-35, SMVA-40, SMVA-41, SMVA-42 and SMVA-60), and the data obtained were statistically analyzed and compared. Isolated rat hearts were used to record the changes in developed tension and heart rate, while thoracic aortas were used to measure the contractile response, before and after treatments. Analysis of the results indicated a significant (p < 0.01) increase in developed tension with the addition of SMVA-35, SMVA-40, SMVA-41 and SMVA-42, which was augmented in the presence of adrenaline without affecting the heart rate. On the other hand, acetylcholine significantly decreased the developed tension, which was significantly reversed (p < 0.01) in the presence of compounds (SMVA-35 and SMVA-60). However, in the presence of SMVA-35 and SMVA-40, acetylcholine-induced bradycardia was significantly (p < 0.01) reduced. Furthermore, only SMVA-42 induced a dose-dependent contractile response in the isolated blood vessel, which was abolished in the presence of prazosin. Therefore, it can be concluded that some of the new synthesized thiazole derivatives exhibited promising results by raising the developed tension without changing the heart rate or blood vessel function, which could be helpful in failing heart conditions. However, more research is required to fully comprehend the function, mechanism and effectiveness of the compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of dams in the contiguous United States are small, low-head dams that are no longer operational but can influence the water quality of contemporary stream ecosystems. Potential effects of low-head dams on stream nitrogen removal (denitrification) have been rarely quantified, and yet they can be an important part of the decision-making process of removing low-head dams. Here, we provide novel empirical data on potential denitrification rates and their biogeochemical controls above and below two mid-Atlantic low-head dams over a 2-year period. Our results show that low-head dams did not increase streambed potential denitrification in comparison to dam-free sections in the same rivers. In our study sites, potential denitrification above low-head dams was generally low (15.7 ± 3.5 µg N [kg sediment]−1 h−1) despite recurring events of water hypoxia (< 50% dissolved oxygen saturation) and high NO3− and DOC concentrations. Overall, we observed higher potential denitrification during winter samplings (9.2 and 50.1 µg N [kg sediment]−1 h−1 on average) and significant effects of sediment surface area and organic matter content on potential denitrification rates above the dams. Results from this study suggest limited effects of relic low-head dams on nitrogen removal and transport in stream ecosystems, and can contribute to the decision-making process of removing low-head dams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is the saline wash of the bronchial tree, which aids in diagnosing various pulmonary pathologies. The present study was contemplated with an aim to know the clinical, microbiological profile of BAL samples along with its sensitivity pattern and to assess its utility as a diagnostic tool. This was a prospective observational study, carried over 90 patients presenting with lower respiratory tract infections. The total microbial recovery rate from BAL was 39 (43.3%). The sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of BAL were found to be 76.4%, 89.7% and 90.6% respectively. Maximum isolates were bacteria (25.5%) followed by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) (16.6%) and fungi (1.1%). Predominant bacterial isolates were Gram-negative (81.5%) compared to Gram-positive (18.5%). Multidrug-resistance (MDR) in bacteria was seen in 59.2% of isolates. BAL is a valuable diagnostic tool to find not only bacterial but mycobacterial and fungal infections in patients with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). A trend towards LRTI with Gram negative infections is on the rise and they tend to be multi drug resistant. Hence checking susceptibility patterns is crucial to start evidence-based treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review presents an overview of recent advances and approaches in the metal-free synthesis of substituted 1,3-oxazole derivatives, which will enable organic researchers to identify the challenges in synthesizing these five-membered heterocyclic compounds. Specifically, 1,3-oxazole moiety containing compounds have been reported to possess a wide variety of applications, including in the medicinal, pharmaceutical, agrochemical and material sciences sectors. We classified these nonmetal-catalyzed synthetic approaches on the basis of their starting material's functionality that was used to synthesize 1,3-oxazole. This review covers the last six-year (2016–2021) of nonmetal catalyzed/mediated synthetic approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The European Medicines Agency (EMA) requires enhanced safety surveillance to be conducted for annual seasonal influenza vaccines with the aim of rapidly detecting any potential new safety concerns before the peak immunisation period of the vaccine in any given year. The aim of this study was to detect any clinically significant change in the frequency or severity of expected reactogenicity of the quadrivalent inactivated split-virion influenza vaccine (IIV4) during routine immunisation in Finland for the 2020/21 season. The primary objective was to investigate the frequency of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) occurring within 7 days following vaccination.Methods: Enhanced passive safety surveillance of individuals vaccinated with IIV4 was conducted from October 9, 2020 to November 30, 2020 across seven sites in Finland. The vaccinee reporting rate and ADR reporting rate were calculated and compared with known or expected safety data in order to identify any clinically significant changes.Results: Data were collected from 1008 individuals with 29 vaccinees reporting 82 suspected ADRs. Of these, 28 people reported 79 suspected ADRs within 7 days following vaccination, corresponding to a vaccinee reporting rate of 2.78% (95% CI: 1.85, 3.99) (ADR reporting rate, 7.84% [95% CI: 6.25, 9.67%]). The most frequently reported ADRs were injection site reactions (vaccination site pain, vaccination site erythema and vaccination site swelling) (n = 46, 2.28%), myalgia (n = 9, 0.89%) and headache (n = 8, 0.79%). No serious suspected adverse events were reported at any point post-vaccination and ADR reporting rates were in general lower compared to those reported for IIV4 in the 2019/20 surveillance study.Conclusion: No clinically significant changes in what is known or expected for IIV4 were reported for the 2020/21 season which supports the safety profile of this vaccine and will help maintain public confidence in influenza vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanadium metal complexes based on wide range of the ligands have been explored at a greater extent for their various biological potential, in the recent times. Schiff bases are one of such fascinating ligands with donor sites varying according to the ketone or aldehyde group used. Based on these, a novel PS1V1, bis-vanadium complex was synthesized using schiff base backbone. It was characterized by using UV, FTIR, EPR and Mass spectral studies. The DNA binding ability of the characterized complex, PS1V1, was explored using UV and Fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. Furthermore, DNA binding mode of PS1V1 was also ascertained using competitive fluorescent displacement assay performed in the presence of minor groove biding agent, Hoeshcst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel, well‐designed, silica‐supported magnesium ferrite nanorods were successfully developed at room temperature using the co‐precipitation method. The synthesized nanorods show an optical band gap of 3.1 eV, with the maximum wavelength absorptive at 334 nm. The average particle size is 36 nm with the FCC crystal structure by the X‐ray Diffraction technique (XRD). TGA achieved thermal stability of targeted mesoporous materials at 600°C. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE‐SEM) and High‐Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR‐TEM) techniques confirm the rod‐like structure. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and X‐Ray Fluorescence (XRF) studies reveal the presence of all elements in the composition. The synthesized nanorods are highly magnetic by the vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) technique, which shows a high coercivity value, that is, MgFe2O4@SiO2 is photocatalytically active. From BET analysis, the surface area, pore volume, and pore diameter are 19.2 m2 g−1, 2.46 cm3 g−1, and 5.10 nm, respectively. The experimental outcomes predict that the degradation efficiency (79%) of methyl orange dye was accomplished using MgFe2O4SiO2 nanorods within 270 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acrylamide (AA) is a hazardous chemical in various foods, including wheat-based products consumed globally. As AA has been linked to toxicity, reducing its levels in bread and other popular foods is crucial for risk management and safeguarding human health. Recent advancements in science and technology present an opportunity to collaborate and test novel ideas to address this issue on an industrial scale. Developing new concepts and mitigation processes for reducing AA concentration is necessary for food sectors. Previous research has explored strategies such as thermal processing, additives, and ingredient replacements to control AA formation in baked products. However, these approaches have resulted in nutritional and sensory changes in the final products. This review paper proposes a new concept for reducing AA levels in wheat products by implementing milling processing interventions during flour production. Techniques like milling intervention, flour fraction selection and blending, hybrid techniques, and particle size distribution adjustment can be explored to minimize AA formation while maintaining the nutritional, physical, and sensory qualities of baked/fried foods. This method can be implemented on a large scale in the wheat milling and baking industries. This report indicates that milling intervention strategies offer significant advantages over previous methods. This approach provides insights into processing applications that can be used to develop specialty flours specifically designed to minimize AA formation during further product processing. Developed specialty flours can contribute to lower AA levels in various baking/frying product industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-renewal and multilineage engraftment capacity of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are key properties leveraged for their clinical use in bone marrow transplantation. However, long-term blood reconstitution remains inefficient and is attributed to the functional heterogeneity in HSCs. Mitochondrial metabolism is one of the determinants of bone marrow (BM) HSC heterogeneity. Whether this regulation is an outcome of the diverse milieus that HSCs reside in or is an inherent property of the emergent HSCs is not known. Here we show that hematopoietic emergence during endothelial to hematopoietic transition (EHT) in the aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) region involves mitochondrial remodelling. While emerging HSCs have high mitochondrial activity, mature HSCs exhibit differential mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Pharmacologically lowering mitochondrial activity in the AGM promotes HSC maturation by upregulation of Wnt signalling. Likewise, knockout (KO) of a conserved mitochondrial protein Asrij causes reduced mitochondrial activity and expansion of the mature HSC pool in the AGM. Under homeostatic conditions, low MMP in mature HSCs promotes superior multilineage differentiation compared to high MMP. Single cell transcriptome analysis revealed that MMP low HSCs are myeloid biased, and arise before the lymphoid-biased MMP high HSCs in the differentiation trajectory, with elevated phosphoinositide3-kinase (PI3K) signalling. Additionally, asrij KO AGM shows expansion of the MMP low pool, which also correlates with increased PI3K signalling and myeloproliferation in the bone marrow. Thus, we show that lympho-myeloid bias in HSCs arises during definitive embryonic hematopoiesis and is determined by mitochondrial activity levels. Hence, dissecting the origin of functional heterogeneity in HSCs can be leveraged to enrich the desired HSC pool for efficient transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Constipation is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder. Medicines derived from nature are routinely used to treat it. The present study evaluates the gut stimulatory activity of Aloe musabbar (processed powder of Aloe vera) using in vitro and in vivo models for gut stimulatory activity. Materials and Methods. In vitro tests were conducted on isolated rat colon, guinea pig ileum, and rabbit jejunum, while in vivo study was performed using mice intestinal transit time. Aloe musabbar (A. musabbar) was tested at doses 0.2–200 mg/mL (in-vitro study) and 86.6 mg/kg (in vivo study). In vitro studies were done in the presence and absence of atropine sulphate (1 ng/ml). The results were statistically analyzed, and p < 0.05 was considered to indicate the significance. Results. A. musabbar exhibited dose-dependent increase in the smooth muscle contraction of isolated gut tissues. Presence of atropine minimized the contractile responses and shifted the dose-response curves towards the right-hand side. The intestinal transit time in mice was observed to be increased significantly (p < 0.01) in A. musabbar-treated animals, when compared with normal animals. Conclusion. A mild smooth muscle contraction induced by A. musabbar suggests that it can stimulate intestinal bowel movement without causing spasms. The diminished responses in the presence of atropine indicated that the gut stimulatory activity could be mediated partially through parasympathetic innervations. More studies are needed to determine the precise mechanism of action including the specific active ingredient responsible for the gut stimulatory activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hassan sheep is the third most populous breed of the five registered sheep breeds from Karnataka with limited studies on its morphological and carcass characteristics. Hence, the study was undertaken to know the present status of morphological and carcass characteristics of this breed. Methods: A total of 34 randomly selected flocks were surveyed and the data on various parameters were collected. The morphometrical data was collected on 344 sheep belonging to eight flocks from the breeding tract. The carcass characteristics were documented by slaughtering six male lambs (between nine to twelve months of age). Result: These sheep had varied coat colours viz. complete white (23.3%), white with light brown patches (58.1%) and white with black patches (18.6%) on head and neck region. It was observed that 40.4 per cent of males and only 1.4 per cent of females were horned. Atrophied ears were noticed in 2.3 per cent of these sheep. The average adult body length (cm), height at wither (cm), chest girth (cm), paunch (cm), ear length (cm), tail length (cm) and average adult body weight (kg) were 66.4±0.62, 65.03±1.45, 75.2±1.02, 76.5±1.38, 15.2±0.07, 11.5±0.07 and 32.7±2.03 in males and 63.8±0.85, 61.7±1.38, 71.8±2.32, 74.5±2.60, 15.0±0.34, 11.3±0.08 and 27.8±1.21 in females, respectively. The difference in body weight between males and females increased significantly over the age. The pre-slaughter weight (PSW), hot carcass weight (HCW) and dressing percentage recorded were 20.3±1.42 Kg, 9.5±0.23 kg and 46.80 per cent, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dielectric properties of coordination polymers has been a topic of recent interest, but the role of different functional groups on the dielectric properties of these polymers has not yet been fully addressed. Herein, the effects of electron‐donating (R=NH2) and electron‐withdrawing (R=NO2) groups on the dielectric behavior of such materials were investigated for two thermally stable and guest‐free Zn‐based coordination polymers, [Zn(L1)(L2)]n (1) and [Zn(L1)(L3)]n (2) [L1=2‐(2‐pyridyl) benzimidazole (Pbim), L2=5‐aminoisophthalate (Aip), and L3=5‐nitroisophthalate (Nip)]. The results of dielectric studies of 1 revealed that it possesses a high dielectric constant (κ=65.5 at 1 kHz), while compound 2 displayed an even higher dielectric constant (κ=110.3 at 1 kHz). The electron donating and withdrawing effects of the NH2 and NO2 substituents induce changes in the polarity of the polymers, which is due to the inductive effect from the aryl ring for both NO2 and NH2. Theoretical results from density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which also support the experimental findings, show that both compounds have a distinct electronic behavior with diverse wide bandgaps. The significance of the current work is to provide information about the structure‐dielectric property relationships. So, this study promises to pave the way for further research on the effects of different functional groups on coordination polymers on their dielectric properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]