Search

Radio Frequency (RF) sputtered germanium (Ge) thin films were deposited on glass substrate at in situ annealing temperatures of 400, 450, 500, 550, and 600 °C. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy revealed that the Ge films were initially amorphous but transformed to polycrystalline after annealing at 450 °C. Further annealing up to 600 °C resulted in improved crystallinity. Strain studies of the films using XRD and Raman showed compressive (out‐of‐plane) and tensile (in‐plane) strains, respectively, throughout all the annealing temperatures. The surface morphology of the films was recorded using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), which showed grain growth with annealing temperatures. The optical energy gap evaluated from absorption spectra for crystalline films decreased with annealing temperature, indicating improvement in crystallinity of films. The resistivity of the films deduced using current‐voltage measurements was found to decrease with annealing temperature, which can be attributed to enhancement in grain size. This study establishes a correlation between strain, grain size, optical energy gap, and electrical resistivity with temperature for Ge films deposited on glass substrates. Thus, the present study provides insights into variation in physical and electrical properties of films with in situ annealing temperature for their applicability in optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mouth cancer is the most frequent cancer of the head and neck in both older and younger people. Achyranthes aspera L. has been used in ethnotraditional and pharmacological applications since ancient times for a variety of disorders. This study was formulated to examine bioactive phenolic and flavonoid compounds from the ethanolic extract of Achyranthes aspera and their binding efficacy targeting growth factor receptors (GFRs) against mouth cancer through in silico molecular docking and simulation studies. Phytochemicals were investigated through the UHPLC technique. A molecular docking study was accomplished using docking software AutoDock 4.2, and MD simulation was executed through GROMACS software. Drug‐likeness, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity profiles of phytocompounds were evaluated using Molinspiration, Swiss ADME, OSIRIS Data Warrior tools, respectively. UHPLC analysis detected phenolics and flavonoids, viz., fisetin, rutin, and fumaric acid, which satisfied Lipinski's rule of five and pharmacokinetic properties. In molecular docking assessment, fisetin exhibited promising interactions with core targeted proteins VEGFR‐2 (B.E. = −8.30 kcal mol−1) and FGFR‐2 (B.E. = −7.64 kcal mol−1) of mouth cancer. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulation data demonstrated stable interactions with both VEGFR‐2 and FGFR‐2 proteins. This binding interaction and stability of A. aspera phytocompounds with therapeutic proteins might contribute to their therapeutic potential in mouth cancer management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture and changing environmental conditions are closely related, as weather changes could adversely affect living organisms or regions of crop cultivation. Changing environmental conditions trigger different abiotic stresses, which ultimately cause the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants. Common ROS production sites are the chloroplast, endoplasmic reticulum, plasma membrane, mitochondria, peroxisomes, etc. The imbalance in ROS production and ROS detoxification in plant cells leads to oxidative damage to biomolecules such as lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins. At low concentrations, ROS initiates signaling events related to development and adaptations to abiotic stress in plants by inducing signal transduction pathways. In plants, a stress signal is perceived by various receptors that induce a signal transduction pathway that activates numerous signaling networks, which disrupt gene expression, impair the diversity of kinase/phosphatase signaling cascades that manage the stress response in the plant, and result in changes in physiological responses under various stresses. ROS production also regulates ABA-dependent and ABA-independent pathways to mitigate drought stress. This review focuses on the common subcellular location of manufacturing, complex signaling mechanisms, and networks of ROS, with an emphasis on cellular effects and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant scavenging mechanisms of ROS in Poaceae crops against drought stress and how the manipulation of ROS regulates stress tolerance in plants. Understanding ROS systems in plants could help to create innovative strategies to evolve paths of cell protection against the negative effects of excessive ROS in attempts to improve crop productivity in adverse environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acrylamide (AA) is a carcinogenic compound that affects people due to its frequent use in laboratories and industry as well as the high‐temperature cooking of foods with high hydrocarbon content. AA is known to cause severe reproductive abnormalities. The main aim of this study is to evaluate the protective effect of rutin (RU), a phytoactive compound, against AA‐induced reproductive toxicity in female rats. Initially, rats were exposed to AA (40 mg/kg for 10 days). Therapy of RU was given after AA intoxication consecutively for 3 days. After 24 h of the last treatment, all the animals were sacrificed. The study evaluated reproductive hormones, oxidative stress markers, membrane‐bound enzymes, DNA damage, histological findings, and an in silico approach to determine the protective efficacy of RU. The results indicated that RU significantly protected against inflammation, oxidative stress, and DNA damage induced by AA, likely due to its antioxidant properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek, generally known as mung bean, is a crucial pulse crop in Southeast Asia that is renowned for its high nutritional value. However, its cultivation faces substantial challenges due to numerous abiotic stresses. Here, we investigate the influence of salt and drought stress on mung bean genotypes by evaluating its morpho-physiological traits and biochemical characteristics. This phenotypic analysis revealed that both salt and drought stress adversely affected mung bean, which led to reduced plant height, leaf senescence, loss of plant biomass, and premature plant death. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production increased under these abiotic stresses. In response, to prevent damage by ROS, the plant activates defense mechanisms to scavenge ROS by producing antioxidants. This response was validated through morpho-physiological, histological, and biochemical assays that characterized KVK Puri-3 and KVK Jharsuguda-1 as salt and drought sensitive genotypes, respectively, and Pusa ratna was identified as a drought and salt tolerant genotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focuses on characterizing the time–frequency aspects of seasonal temperatures in India by integrating the complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN) algorithm with the Hilbert–Huang transform (HHT) decomposition method. The investigation also explores the connections between maximum temperature (Tmax) and minimum temperature (Tmin) with global climate oscillations, such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Sunspot Number (SN), and Pacific Decadal Oscillations (PDO). The findings indicate that intra and inter-decadal modes play a pivotal role in influencing temperature series across various seasons, with notable changes observed in the amplitudes of inter-decadal modes for seasonal Tmin and Tmax. The analysis of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) reveals that IMF2 closely align to ENSO with a periodicity of 5–7 years, IMF3 to the sunspot cycle with a frequency of approximately 11 years, and IMF5 to PDO with a long periodicity exceeding 60 years. The association between the IMF components of Tmin and Tmax temperature series and the three climate indices is most evident for low-frequency modes, demonstrating a consistent evolution of trend components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: A school-based novel tobacco control model can play a crucial role in encouraging tobacco prevention and cessation among students. Tobacco use is a global public health concern, and targeting prevention and cessation efforts at a young age is essential to curb the long-term health consequences associated with tobacco consumption. Incorporating games, interactive activities, and educative movies can significantly enhance tobacco prevention and cessation efforts. This multifaceted approach engages individuals in various ways, making the message more memorable and impactful. By combining these elements, we can create a comprehensive approach that caters to different learning styles and preferences especially for younger audiences who are more accustomed to digital and interactive experiences. The key is to make the educational experience engaging, informative, and motivating, ultimately increasing the likelihood of successful tobacco prevention and cessation outcomes. Aim: To create a comprehensive and effective program that can raise awareness, prevent initiation and promote cessation of tobacco. Design: Pre-Post Intervention Quasi-Experimental Study. Setting: Schools across Bangalore city, India. Participants: High school Students. Methods: A 90-minute comprehensive session on tobacco awareness was developed for a classroom setting to educate, train, and promote positive changes in attitudes and behaviours among school children, which includes five components: an antitobacco short film, educational games and a mobile app, an interactive PowerPoint presentation, and small group activities for brainstorming and practicing resistance skills. These tools are strategically designed as motivational aids to encourage tobacco cessation and prevention. Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s): Knowledge enhancement, attitude change, behaviour modification, engagement and participation and program effectiveness. Measures used were pre-and post-intervention assessments, feedback from students, educators, and quantitative data analysis. Results: Results suggest students' positive perceptions of the games within the tobacco control model, specifically user‑friendliness (P < 0.05), usefulness (P < 0.01), and acceptability (P < 0.01), and higher intention to quit tobacco. This finding underscores the importance of creating engaging and well‑designed interventions, such as interactive games, to effectively influence School‑based Novel Tobacco Control Model for Encouraging Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Sujatha Sampangi Reddy1, Shwetha Venkataramana1, Rakesh Nagaraju1, Pavan Kumar Tupakula1, Ankita Kar1,2, Priyadharshini Ramkrishnan1, Divya Gupta1, Z. Ummu Salma3, Radha Prashanth4 Access this article online students' attitudes and behaviours related to tobacco use. Conclusions and Relevance: The school-based novel tobacco control model stands as a promising and relevant approach to addressing tobacco prevention and cessation among students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has become increasingly intertwined with the occurrence and severity of droughts. As global temperatures rise due to greenhouse gas emissions, weather patterns are altered, leading to shifts in precipitation levels and distribution. These exacerbate the risk of drought in many regions, with potentially devastating consequences. A comprehensive transcriptome analysis was performed on Keteki Joha, an aromatic rice from North East India, with the aim of elucidating molecular responses to drought. Numerous genes linked to drought were activated, with both ABA‐dependent and ABA‐independent pathways playing crucial roles. Upregulated genes were enriched with gene ontology terms with response to abscisic acid and abscisic acid‐activated signalling pathway, suggesting the existence of an ABA‐dependent pathway for drought mitigation. The upregulated genes were also enriched with responses to stress, water, heat, jasmonic acid, and hydrogen peroxide, indicating the presence of an ABA‐independent pathway alongside the ABA‐dependent mechanism. Weighted Correlation Network Analysis (WGCNA) identified 267 genes that specifically govern drought mitigation in Keteki Joha. The late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) gene family emerges as the most overrepresented in both RNA sequencing data and WGCNA analysis, suggesting their dominant role in mitigating drought. Notably, 31 LEA genes were induced in seedlings and 32 in mature stages under drought stress. The LEA3‐1, LEA14/WSI18, RAB16A, RAB16B, DHN1, DHN6, LEA1, LEA3, LEA17, and LEA33 exhibited and established co‐expression with numerous other drought stress‐related genes, indicating their inseparable role in alleviating drought. Consequently, LEA genes have been proposed to be primary and crucial responders to drought in Keteki Joha. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There is an unmet need for high-quality data for Robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) in the Indian population. Indian study group on partial nephrectomy (ISGPN) is a consortium of Indian centers contributing to the partial nephrectomy (PN) database. The current study is a descriptive analysis of perioperative and functional outcomes following RAPN. Methods: For this study, the retrospective ISGPN database was reviewed, which included patients who underwent RAPN for renal masses at 14 centers across India from September 2010 to September 2022. Demographic, clinical, radiological, perioperative, and functional data were collected and analyzed. Ethics approval was obtained from each of the participating centers. Results: In this study, 782 patients were included, and 69.7% were male. The median age was 53 years (interquartile range [IQR 44-62]), median operative time was 180 min (IQR 133-240), median estimated blood loss was 100 mL (IQR 50-200), mean warm ischemia time was 22.7 min and positive surgical margin rates were 2.5%. The complication rate was 16.2%, and most of them were of minor grade. Trifecta and pentafecta outcomes were attained in 61.4% and 60% of patients, respectively. Conclusions: This is the largest Indian multi-centric study using the Indian Robotic PN Collaborative database to evaluate the outcomes of robot assisted PN, and has proven its safety and efficacy in the management of renal masses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative injury is concerned with the pathogenesis of several liver injuries, including those from acute liver failure to cirrhosis. This study was designed to explore the antioxidant activity of Bacopa monnieri (BM) on Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) induced oxidative damage in Wistar albino rats. Aflatoxin B1 treatment (200 μg/kg/day, p.o.) for 28 days induced oxidative injury by a significant alteration in serum liver function test marker enzymes (AST, ALT, ALP, LDH, albumin and bilirubin), inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) along with reduction of antioxidant enzymes (GSH, SOD, CAT), GSH cycle enzymes and drug-metabolizing enzymes (AH and AND). Treatment of rats with B. monnieri (20, 30 and 40 mg/kg for 5 days, p.o.) after 28 days of AFB1 intoxication significantly restored these parameters near control in a dose-dependent way. Histopathological examination disclosed extensive hepatic injuries, characterized by cellular necrosis, infiltration, congestion and sinusoidal dilatation in the AFB1-treated group. Treatment with B. monnieri significantly reduced these toxic effects resulting from AFB1. B. monnieri per se group (40 mg/kg) did not show any significant change and proved safe. The cytotoxic activity of B. monnieri was also evaluated on HepG2 cells and showed a good percentage of cytotoxic activity. This finding suggests that B. monnieri protects the liver against oxidative damage caused by AFB1, which aids in the evaluation of the traditional usage of this medicinal plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE Patients with well-differentiated, low-grade metastatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) usually have a longmedian survival and require complex, expensive care over many years atmultidisciplinary centers. The cost burden for patients and institutions serves as a barrier to care. Understanding the drivers of these costs and whether intense monitoring adds value will help to optimize value-based care. METHODS We adapted the cost of care per patient per day (CCPD) validated methodology to measure cost while accounting for varying follow-up duration. We queried the Stanford NEN Database, which aggregates data from the electronic health record and other electronic sources, to study patients with metastatic NENs receiving regular care at Stanford. Current Procedural Terminology codes for services incurred during the monitoring period for each patient were mapped to the corresponding cost conversion factor and date in the Medicare fee schedule. RESULTS Two hundred two patients between 2010 and 2017 were studied with a mean CCPD of $119.11 in US dollars (USD); NEN-specific systemic therapy made up 55% of this cost. Somatostatin analogs were the costliest systemic therapy. Systemic therapy was the driver of cost differences among patients with various primary tumor types, stage of disease, tumor differentiation and grade, and functional hormone status. Patients in the most expensive CCPD group did not have a significant survival benefit (P 5 .66). CONCLUSION The CCPD methodology was effective in studying cancer care value in NENs. Systemic therapy, specifically somatostatin analogs, was the primary driver of cost, and intense monitoring and higher-cost care did not improve survival outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Oral lesions are common occurrences in day-to-day clinical scenarios. The accurate diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic intervention are crucial aspects of delivering effective oral health care. It is well-established that the appearance of a lesion itself serves as key diagnostic data, particularly in cases of clinical dermatology. The primary objective of this study is to assess the concordance between clinical evaluations and histopathological diagnoses of pathologies in the oral cavity. Materials and Methods: The questionnaire comprised 10 questions based on clinical photographs, ensuring patient anonymity by avoiding the sharing of identifiable information. The questions aimed to elicit a comprehensive diagnosis for various categories such as odontogenic lesions, salivary gland origins, infectious lesions, and precancerous lesions. Additionally, questions regarding appropriate investigations for each type of lesion were included. The questionnaire was distributed to a diverse group of participants, including undergraduate students (third and final year), interns, postgraduate students, and faculty members from various departments. Results: The present cross-sectional study involved 160 participants, consisting of 71 (44%) undergraduates (UGs), 32 (20%) postgraduates (PGs), 30 (19%) interns, and 27 (17%) faculty members. A total of 10 clinical cases were evaluated. Conclusion: Clinicians should remain focused on the varied causative features and potential diagnostic possibilities, which may necessitate the collection of additional detailed information and a thorough clinical assessment of the patient. In instances where the clinical diagnosis does not align with the etiological factors or the results of laboratory or radiological investigations, the pathology (biopsy report) serves as the ultimate diagnostic tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) limits long‐term survival in heart transplant (HTx) recipients. The use of biomarkers in CAV surveillance has been studied, but none are used in clinical practice. The predictive value of high‐sensitivity troponin I (hsTnI) has not been extensively investigated in HTx recipients. Methods: HTx patients undergoing surveillance coronary angiograms and enrolled in the Emory Cardiovascular Biobank had plasma hsTnI measured. CAV grade was assessed using ISHLT nomenclature. Multivariable cumulative link mixed modeling was performed to determine association between hsTnI level and CAV grade. Patients were followed for adverse outcomes over a median 10‐year period. Kaplan‐Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazard modeling were performed. Results: Three hundred and seventy‐two angiograms were analyzed in 156 patients at a median 8.9 years after transplant. hsTnI levels were positively correlated with concurrent CAV grade after adjustment for age, age at transplant, sex, BMI, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and history of acute cellular rejection (p =.016). In an adjusted Cox proportional hazard model, initial hsTnI level above the median (4.9 pg/mL) remained a predictor of re‐transplantation or death (hazard ratio 1.82; 95% confidence interval 1.16–2.90; p =.01). Conclusion: An elevated hsTnI level reflects severity of CAV and is associated with poor long‐term outcomes in patients with HTx. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess better effectiveness between regenerative endodontic procedures (REP) and apexification procedures (AP) with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and calcium hydroxide for inducing root end apex closure. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed and registered in PROSPERO-CRD42023398997. Electronic databases were searched for studies evaluating effectiveness of REP and AP in terms of survival rate, success rate, increase in root length, root width and decrease in apical diameter. Cochrane risk of bias (RoB) -2 tool was used for quality assesssment using RevMan 5.3. The risk ratio (RR) and standardized mean difference (SMD) was used as summary statistic measure with random effect model (P < 0.05). Nine studies were included in qualitative synthesis and eight studies for meta-analysis. Quality assessment revealed moderate to low risk of bias. The pooled estimate through RR and SMD favoured REP being superior to AP for better survival rate (RR = 1.01 (0.96 - 1.06)), success rate (RR = 1.09 (0.96 - 1.24)), increase in root length (SMD = 0.25 (-0.14 - 0.63)), root width (0.66 (0.22 - 1.10)) and decrease in apical diameter (SMD =0.66 (-0.51 - 1.83)). Funnel plot did not show any heterogeneity indicating absence of publication bias. REP significantly improved apical root end closure. AP are equally effective in forming calcific barrier, however it was concluded that regeneration procedures are comparably superior to apexification procedures with greater outcomes. Clinicians should consider employing the REP in cases when root development is severely deficient and where tooth's prognosis is hopeless even with an apexification procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate action plans are essential for climate mitigation and adaptation as well as to achieve climate and development goals like the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the development and implementation of climate action plans at multiple levels involve decision-making processes. In this article, we examine the barriers and opportunities to decision-making in climate action plans for adaptation at three different governance levels in India: national, sub-national and local. Through a literature review and analysis of case studies, we find that lack of usable climate information, institutional weaknesses and capacity of actors are critical barriers to decision-making at all three levels in India. We recommend that providing usable and accessible climate information, creating evidence and knowledge on adaptation, strengthening the science-policy interface and institutional mechanisms, as well as building the capacities of actors can contribute to better decision-making and achieving targeted climate action plans and SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant ATP-binding cassette (ABC) protein family is the largest multifunctional highly conserved protein superfamily that transports diverse substrates across biological membranes by the hydrolysis of ATP and is also the part of the several other biological processes like cellular detoxification, growth and development, stress biology, and signaling processes. In the agriculturally important legume crop Cajanus cajan, a genome-wide identification and characterization of the ABC gene family was carried out. A total of 159 ABC genes were identified that belong to eight canonical classes CcABCA to CcABCG and CcABCI based on the phylogenetic analysis. The number of genes was highest in CcABCG followed by CcABCC and CcABCB class. A total of 85 CcABC genes were found on 11 chromosomes and 74 were found on scaffold. Tandem duplication was the major driver of CcABC gene family expansion. The dN/dS ratio revealed the purifying selection. The phylogenetic analysis revealed class-specific eight superclades which reflect their functional importance. The largest clade was found to be CcABCG which reflects their functional significance. CcABC proteins were mainly basic in nature and found to be localized in the plasma membrane. The secondary structure prediction revealed the dominance of α-helix. The canonical transmembrane and nucleotide binding domain, signature motif LSSGQ, Walker A, Walker B region, and Q loop were also identified. A class-specific exon-intron pattern was also observed. In addition to core elements, different cis-acting regulatory elements like stress, hormone, and cellular responsive were also identified. Expression profiling of CcABC genes at various developmental stages of different anatomical tissues was performed and it was noticed that CcABCF3, CcABCF4, CcABCF5, CcABCG66, and CcABCI3 had the highest expression. The results of the current study endow us with the further functional analysis of Cajanus ABC in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compound B 7 b had the lowest ED SB 50 sb of 34 g mL SP -1 sp against I R. solani i , but many of the compounds in this cohort--both aminobenzoic acid benzylidene derivatives and aminotriazole derivatives--gave substantial activity against this organism. Against I M. phaseolina, i compound B 5 b showed maximum inhibition at all concentrations and compound B 5 b had the lowest ED SB 50 sb of 31 g mL SP -1 sp among the aminobenzoic acid benzylidene derivatives. The SP 1 sp H NMR spectra were recorded on a Bruker Avance II 400 MHz spectrophotometer for compound XIV and Bruker Avance Neo 500 MHz spectrophotometer for the rest of the compounds as noted, using tetramethylsilane as internal standard. Among the triazolyl benzamides, compounds B 12 b to B 15 b showed inhibition of more than 86% at the highest concentration, and compound B 13 b had the lowest ED SB 50 sb of 34 g mL SP -1 sp against I F. moniliforme i . [Extracted from the article]

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and the Internet of Things (IoT) have emerged as transforming technologies, bringing the potential to revolutionize a wide range of industries such as environmental monitoring, agriculture, manufacturing, smart health, home automation, wildlife monitoring, and surveillance. Population expansion, changes in the climate, and resource constraints all offer problems to modern IoT applications. To solve these issues, the integration of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and the Internet of Things (IoT) has come forth as a game-changing solution. For example, in agricultural environment, IoT-based WSN has been utilized to monitor yield conditions and automate agriculture precision through different sensors. These sensors are used in agriculture environments to boost productivity through intelligent agricultural decisions and to collect data on crop health, soil moisture, temperature monitoring, and irrigation. However, sensors have finite and non-rechargeable batteries, and memory capabilities, which might have a negative impact on network performance. When a network is distributed over a vast area, the performance of WSN-assisted IoT suffers. As a result, building a stable and energy-efficient routing infrastructure is quite challenging in order to extend network lifetime. To address energy-related issues in scalable WSN-IoT environments for future IoT applications, this research proposes EEDC: An Energy Efficient Data Communication scheme by utilizing "Region based Hierarchical Clustering for Efficient Routing (RHCER)"—a multi-tier clustering framework for energy-aware routing decisions. The sensors deployed for IoT application data collection acquire important data and select cluster heads based on a multi-criteria decision function. Further, to ensure efficient long-distance communication along with even load distribution across all network nodes, a subdivision technique was employed in each tier of the proposed framework. The proposed routing protocol aims to provide network load balancing and convert communicating over long distances into shortened multi-hop distance communications, hence enhancing network lifetime.The performance of EEDC is compared to that of some existing energy-efficient protocols for various parameters. The simulation results show that the suggested methodology reduces energy usage by almost 31% in sensor nodes and provides almost 38% improved packet drop ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, the rapid development, large volume, and global access of multimedia applications have demanded the shifting of network functionality from the central server to the near user. In recent times, Edge Computing (EC) and Information Centric Networking (ICN) have been presented as arising advances for content dissemination near the end user. The EC aims to provide content locally by reducing the burden of the core networks, while ICN allows content routing and forwarding based on content names directly. The inherent in-network caching feature of ICN facilitates caching by intermediate network nodes. The combined use of EC and ICN can efficiently handle content dissemination and ultimately improves user experience. In this regards, an ICN based edge caching scheme has been proposed for handling multimedia big data traffic in IoT based smart cities, while incorporating four caching attributes in its proposed design. Firstly, a layered network architecture has been presented that offers Device-to-Device (D2D) communication and ICN support at the application layer of Base station (BS) for utilizing caching of the requested content at edge of the network. Secondly, a decision on caching of contents at network nodes in layered network architecture has been presented based on various centrality measures, which supports efficient caching. Thirdly, this work offers caching of content near the delivery path in ICN network tiers, while leveraging near path caching for fast content dissemination. Lastly, reproactive caching where proactive caching is followed by reactive caching for controlling the network traffic during peak hours has been integrated in to the design model. The performance of the proposed scheme has been evaluated by conducting simulations in Icarus- an ICN caching simulator against various caching benchmark schemes. The results received from the experiments have shown significant performance improvement of our proposed scheme for different performance metrics including cache hit ratio, content retrieval delay, content path stretch, and internal link load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane receptors, attachment factors and various other membrane factors play a critical role in the specific attachment of virus particles to a cell surface. Researchers have been employing a range of model systems starting from receptor‐reconstituted lipid membranes to live cells for quantitative evaluation of virus‐receptor/attachment factor interactions. In this work, we show that giant plasma membrane vesicles (GPMVs) derived from adherent cells are a suitable cell‐mimicking model system to examine the binding of SARS‐CoV‐2 to cellular receptors. We evaluated the binding of cell‐cultured SARS‐CoV‐2 to GPMVs by imaging single virus particles with the wide‐field fluorescence microscopy technique. The GPMVs were derived from three different cell lines, i. e., Vero, HEK293T and A549. We compared the number of bound virus particles per cell, cell‐attached GPMV, and cell‐free GPMV of three different cell lines. We explain the observed trend in the data from the expression level of endogenous ACE2 protein and also, conclude that the protein is functional in GPMVs for virus and antibody binding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marfan syndrome causes a hereditary form of thoracic aortic aneurysms with worse outcomes in male compared to female patients. In this study, we examine the effects of 17 β-estradiol on aortic dilation and rupture in a Marfan mouse model. Marfan male mice were administered 17 β-estradiol, and the growth in the aortic root, along with the risk of aortic rupture, was measured. Transcriptomic profiling was used to identify enriched pathways from 17 β-estradiol treatments. Aortic smooth muscle cells were then treated with cytokines to validate functional mechanisms. We show that 17 β-estradiol decreased the size and rate of aortic root dilation and improved survival from rupture. The Marfan transcriptome was enriched in inflammatory genes, and the addition of 17 β-estradiol modulated a set of genes that function through TNFα mediated NF-κB signaling. In addition, 17 β-estradiol suppressed the induction of these TNFα induced genes in aortic smooth muscle cells in vitro in an NF-κB dependent manner, and 17 β-estradiol decreased the formation of adventitial inflammatory foci in aortic roots in vivo. In conclusion, 17 β-estradiol protects against the dilation and rupture of aortic roots in Marfan male mice through the inhibition of TNFα-NF-κB signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is understood about the risk factors and outcomes from candidemia in thoracic solid organ transplant recipients. Methods: This is a single‐center retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing heart or lung transplant between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2022. We performed two comparisons among heart and lung transplant recipients: (1) recipients with candidemia versus matched, uninfected recipients, and (2) recipients with candidemia versus recipients with bacteremia. Results: During the study 384 heart and 194 lung transplants were performed. Twenty‐one (5.5%) heart and six (3.1%) lung recipients developed candidemia. Heart recipients with candidemia were more likely to have had delayed chest closure (38.1% vs. 0%, p <.0001), temporary mechanical circulatory support (57.1% vs. 11.9%, p =.0003), and repeat surgical chest exploration 76.2% vs. 16.7%, p <.0001) than uninfected controls. Heart and lung recipients who developed candidemia were more likely to have been on renal replacement therapy prior to infection relative to uninfected controls (57.1% vs. 11.9%, p =.0003 and 66.7% vs. 0%, p =.0041, respectively). Heart recipients with candidemia had significantly lower post‐transplant survival and lower post‐infection survival relative to matched uninfected controls and heart recipients with bacteremia, respectively (p <.0001 and p =.0002, respectively). Conclusions: Candidemia following heart and lung transplantation is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Further research is needed to understand if heart recipients with delayed chest closure, temporary mechanical circulatory support, renal replacement therapy, and repeat surgical chest exploration may benefit from targeted antifungal prophylaxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is due to variation in the COL7A1 gene. The clinical phenotype and severity depends on the type of variation and domain of the affected protein. Objectives: To characterize the spectrum of COL7A1 variations in a cohort of DEB patients from India, to correlate these findings with clinical phenotypes and to establish a genotype-phenotype correlation. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study involving patients with DEB diagnosed on the basis of clinical manifestations, Immuno-fluorescence antigen mapping (IFM) and genetic analysis. A genotype-phenotype correlation was attempted and observations were further explained using IFM on skin biopsies and molecular dynamic simulations. Descriptive statistics were performed using SPSS version 20.0 with P values of <0.05 considered significant. Results: We report 68 unrelated Indian DEB patients classified as RDEB-Intermediate (RDEB-I), RDEB-Severe (RDEB-S) or DDEB based on the EB diagnostic matrix, immunofluorescence antigen mapping and genetic data. Of 68 DEB patients, 59 (86.76%) were inherited in a recessive pattern (RDEB) and 9 (13.24%) in a dominant pattern (DDEB). Limbal stem cell deficiency was seen in four cases of RDEB-S very early in the course of the disease. A total of 88 variants were detected of which 66 were novel. There were no hotspots and recurrent variations were seen in a very small group of patients. We found a high frequency of compound heterozygotes (CH) in RDEB patients born out of non-consanguineous marriage. RDEB patients older than two years who had oral mucosal involvement, and/or deformities, were more likely to have esophageal involvement. Genotype phenotype correlation showed a higher frequency of extracutaneous manifestations and deformities in patients with Premature Termination Codons (PTCs) than in patients with other variations. Molecular simulation studies in patients with missense mutations showed severe phenotype when they were localized in interrupted regions of GLY-X-Y repeats. Conclusion: This large study of DEB patients in South Asia adds to the continually expanding genetic database of this condition. This study has direct implications on management as this group of patients can be screened early and managed appropriately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distinct disease progression patterns of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus clade 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) indicate diverse host immune responses. SARS‐CoV‐2 severely impairs type I interferon (IFN) cell signaling, resulting in uncontrolled late‐phase lung damage in patients. For better pharmacological properties, cytokine modifications may sometimes result in a loss of biological activity against the virus. Here, we employed the genetic code expansion and engineered IFN‐β, a phase II clinical cytokine with 3‐amino tyrosine (IFN‐β‐A) that reactivates STAT2 expression in virus‐infected human cells through JAK/STAT cell signaling without affecting signal activation and serum half‐life. This study identified that genetically encoded IFN‐β‐A might stabilize the protein‐receptor complex and trigger JAK‐STAT cell signaling, which is a promising modality for controlling SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With continents and oceans in-between, sibling authors, one from a BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) nation and other from a G7 (Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United States) nation, propose christening bipolar disorder of publishing biomedical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The PRIMA/ENGOT‐OV26/GOG‐3012 (NCT02655016) trial was amended to prospectively evaluate the safety and efficacy of an individualized starting dose (ISD) regimen of niraparib for first‐line maintenance therapy in patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer. Methods: In the phase 3 PRIMA trial, patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer with a complete/partial response to first‐line platinum‐based chemotherapy (N = 733) were initially treated with a fixed starting dose (FSD) regimen of 300 mg once daily. Subsequently, the protocol was amended so newly enrolled patients received an ISD: 200 mg once daily in patients with baseline body weight < 77 kg or baseline platelet count < 150,000/µL, and 300 mg once daily in all other patients. Efficacy and safety outcomes were assessed by starting dose. Results: Overall, 475 (64.8%) patients were assigned to an FSD (niraparib, n = 317; placebo, n = 158) and 258 (35.2%) were assigned to an ISD (niraparib, n = 170; placebo, n = 88). Efficacy in patients who received FSD or ISD was similar for the overall (FSD hazard ratio [HR], 0.59 [95% CI, 0.46–0.76] vs. ISD HR, 0.69 [95% CI, 0.48–0.98]) and the homologous recombination–deficient (FSD HR, 0.44 [95% CI, 0.30–0.64] vs. ISD HR, 0.39 [95% CI, 0.22–0.72]) populations. In patients with low body weight/platelet count, rates of grades ≥3 and 4 hematologic treatment‐emergent adverse events, dose interruptions, and dose reductions were lower for those who received ISD than for those who received FSD. Conclusions: In PRIMA, similar dose intensity, similar efficacy, and improved safety were observed with the ISD compared with the FSD regimen. Results from the phase 3 PRIMA trial of niraparib first‐line maintenance therapy that prospectively evaluated fixed versus individualized dosing support the selection of a niraparib starting dose based on an individual's body weight and platelet count. In prespecified analyses, patients who received the individualized starting dose of niraparib experienced similar progression‐free survival and improved safety outcomes compared with patients who received the fixed starting dose of niraparib. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: To identify risk factors for disease progression or death and assess outcomes by risk categories in real-world patients with advanced ovarian cancer. METHODS: This retrospective study included adult patients from a nationwide electronic health record–derived deidentified database with stage III/IV ovarian cancer who received first-line therapy and had ≥12 weeks of follow-up after index date (end of first-line therapy). Factors predictive of time to next treatment and overall survival (OS) were assessed. Patients were grouped according to the cumulative number of high-risk factors present (stage IV disease, no debulking surgery or neoadjuvant therapy and interval debulking surgery, visible residual disease after surgery, and breast cancer gene [ BRCA ] wild-type disease/unknown BRCA status), and time to next treatment and OS were assessed. RESULTS: Region of residence, disease stage, histology, BRCA status, surgery modality, and visible residual disease were significant predictors of time to next treatment; age, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, disease stage, BRCA status, surgery modality, visible residual disease, and platelet levels were significant predictors of OS (N = 1,920). Overall, 96.4%, 74.1%, and 40.3% of patients had at least 1, 2, or 3 high-risk factors, respectively; 15.7% of patients had all four high-risk factors. Observed median time to next treatment was 26.4 months (95% CI, 17.1 to 49.2) in patients with no high-risk factors and 4.6 months (95% CI, 4.1 to 5.7) in patients with four high-risk factors. Observed median OS was shorter among patients with more high-risk factors. CONCLUSION: These results underscore the complexity of risk assessment and demonstrate the importance of assessing a patient's cumulative risk profile rather than the impact of individual high-risk factors. They also highlight the potential for bias in cross-trial comparisons of median progression-free survival because of differences in risk-factor distribution among patient populations. Does the total number of risk factors matter? Real-world outcomes in patients with #ovariancancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AP2/ERF (APETALA2/Ethylene Response Factor) is a family of transcription factors that play essential roles in regulating gene expression in response to various environmental stimuli, including biotic and abiotic stresses, hormone signaling, and developmental processes. Pisum sativum (L.), commonly known as garden pea, is a winter crop sensitive to high temperatures and can also be affected by extreme cold and drought conditions. This study performed a genome-wide analysis of AP2/ERF genes and identified 153 AP2/ERF genes in P. sativum. Based on the conserved AP2/ERF domain and sequence homology, they were classified into AP2 (APETALA2), ERF (Ethylene Response Factor), DREB (Dehydration responsive element-binding), RAV (Related to Abscisic Acid Insensitive 3/ Viviparous 1) and Soloist subfamily. The DREB and ERF subfamily were further divided into groups A1–6 and B1–B6. Tandem and segmental duplication events were more frequent in the ERF subfamily, which can have important implications for their evolution and functional diversification. Under cold stress, the expression of DREB1A was highly induced in leaves, whereas DREB1B was suppressed. Similarly, the DREB2A, DREB2C, DREB2E, and DREB2F were induced in leaves under drought stress. The putative target genes of AP2/ERF transcription factors are highly diversified, suggesting that they play essential roles in various physiological responses in plants, including responses to biotic and abiotic stresses as well as developmental processes. Thus, this study of AP2/ERF genes and their functions provides valuable insight into how P. sativum responds to different environmental conditions, including cold and drought stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic exposure to Ultraviolet B radiation (UV‐B) evokes a myriad of toxic signalling events in the irradiated skin. One of such response is ER stress, which is known to exacerbate photodamage responses. Also, recent literature has highlighted the adverse impact of environmental toxicants on mitochondrial dynamics and mitophagy. Impaired mitochondrial dynamics escalates oxidative damage and causes apoptosis. There have been evidences that support crosstalk between ER stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. However, mechanistic clarification is still needed to verify the interactions between UPR responses and mitochondrial dynamics impairment in UV‐B‐induced photodamage models. Lastly, plant‐based natural agents have garnered attention as therapeutic agents against skin photodamage. Thus, gaining mechanistic insights of plant‐based natural agents is required for their application and feasibility in clinical settings. With this aim in view, this study was performed in primary human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) and Balb/C mice. Different parameters regarding mitochondrial dynamics, ER stress, intracellular damage and histological damage were analyzed using western blot, rt‐PCR and microscopy. We demonstrated that UV‐B exposure leads to induction of UPR responses, upregulation of Drp‐1 and inhibition of mitophagy. Further, 4‐PBA treatment leads to reversal of these noxious stimuli in irradiated HDF cells, thereby, indicating an upstream role of UPR induction in mitophagy inhibition. Also, we explored the therapeutic effect of Rosmarinic acid (RA) against ER stress and impaired mitophagy in photodamage models. RA prevents intracellular damage via alleviation of ER stress and mitophagic responses in HDFs and irradiated Balb/C mice skin. The current study summarizes the mechanistic insights into UVB‐mediated intracellular damage and role of natural plant‐based agent (RA) in ameliorating these toxic responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: While dealing with the COVID-19-related morbidities and mortalities in general, its adverse impact on non-COVID-19 maternal mortalities was completely forgotten so our aim is to study the adverse consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on non-COVID-19 hospital births and non-COVID-19 maternal mortalities. Methodology: Retrospective observational study was done in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Swaroop Rani Hospital, Prayagraj, to compare the non-COVID-19 hospital births, referrals, and non-COVID-19 maternal mortalities during 15 months of pre-pandemic period (March 2018 to May 2019) and 15 months of pandemic period (March 2020 to May 2021 period) and to assess their relation to GRSI using chi-square test, paired T test and Pearson's Correlation Coefficient. Result: The total non-COVID-19 hospital births decreased by 4.32% in pandemic period as compared to pre-pandemic period. Monthly hospital births decreased drastically, to 32.7% during the end of the first pandemic wave and to 60.17% during the second wave. 67% increase in the total referral and a significant decrease in the quality of referral leading to significantly higher non-COVID-19 maternal mortality figures (p value 0.00003) during the pandemic period. Leading causes of mortalities were uterine rupture (p value 0.00001), septic abortion (p value 0.0001), primary postpartum hemorrhage (p value 0.002) and preeclampsia (p value 0.003). Conclusion: While the world is talking only about COVID deaths, increased non-COVID-19 maternal mortalities during the COVID pandemic need equal attention and call for more stringent government guidelines for the care of non-COVID-19 pregnant women as well during the pandemic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: We evaluated real-world outcomes in patients with advanced ovarian cancer (AOC) based on their cumulative risk profile and maintenance therapy (MT) status following first-line (1L) treatment. Methods: This retrospective observational study of a nationwide electronic health record-derived de-identified database included adult patients diagnosed with stage III/IV OC from January 1, 2011 to February 28, 2021, who received 1L therapy and had ≥ 12 weeks of follow-up after the index date (end of 1L therapy). Patients were grouped according to whether they received MT or active surveillance (AS) following 1L treatment and by the cumulative number of risk factors (RF) present (stage IV disease; no surgery/treated with neoadjuvant therapy and interval debulking surgery; had postoperative visible residual disease; and had BRCA wild-type disease/unknown BRCA status). Time to next treatment (TTNT) and overall survival (OS) were assessed with a cloning and inverse probability of censoring (IPC)-weighted Kaplan–Meier method. Results: Among 1920 patients, 22.2% received MT and 77.8% received AS. Median IPC-weighted TTNT and OS were 13.3 months (95% CI 11.7–15.8) and 39.1 months (95% CI 32.5–48.6) in the MT cohort, respectively, and 8.6 months (95% CI 8.0–9.5) and 38.4 months (95% CI 36.4–41.0) in the AS cohort, respectively. Almost all patients had ≥ 1 RF (MT 95.3%; AS 96.7%). Median IPC-weighted TTNT was shorter among patients with more RF in both cohorts (MT: 1 RF, 19.3 months, 95% CI 13.5–37.8; 2 RF, 17.2 months, 95% CI 12.8–20.2; 3 RF, 11.0 months, 95% CI 8.2–13.8; 4 RF, 7.0 months, 95% CI 6.2–8.8; AS: 1 RF, 17.7 months, 95% CI 13.5–22.3; 2 RF, 10.2 months, 95% CI 9.1–11.5; 3 RF, 6.5 months, 95% CI 5.8–7.4; 4 RF, 4.1 months, 95% CI 3.5–4.5). Conclusion: Regardless of RF number, MT was associated with longer TTNT in real-world patients with AOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicular Content Networks (VCNs) represent key empowering solution for content distribution in fully distributed manner for vehicular infotainment applications. In VCN, both on board unit (OBU) of each vehicle and road side units (RSUs) facilitate content caching to support timely content delivery for moving vehicles when requested. However, due to limited caching capacity available at both RSUs and OBUs, only selected content can be cached. Moreover, the contents being demanded in vehicular infotainment applications are transient in nature. The transient content caching in vehicular content networks with the use of edge communication for delay free services is fundamental issue and need to get addressed (Yang et al. in ICC 2022-IEEE international conference on communications. IEEE, pp 1–6, 2022). Therefore, this study focuses on edge communication in VCNs by firstly organizing a region based classification for vehicular network components including RSUs and OBUs. Secondly, a theoretical model is designed for each vehicle to decide its content fetching location (i.e. either RSU or OBU) in current region or neighboring region. Further, the caching of transient contents inside vehicular network components (such as RSU, OBU) is based on content caching probability. Finally, the proposed scheme is evaluated under different network condition in Icarus simulator for various performance parameters. The simulation results proved outstanding performance of the proposed approach over various state of art caching strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oblique ion beam induced spontaneous patterning opens up a simple and inexpensive route to fabricate useful nanoscale textured materials that have important implications in biosensors, optoelectronic devices, templates for liquid crystal orientation, etc. In this regard, the evolution of patterns over high density polyethylene surfaces induced by 100 keV Ar+ irradiation at off normal incidences of 30°, 40°, and 50° with a fluence of 5 × 1016 Ar+ cm−2 has been investigated. Structural modifications have been analyzed using high resolution X-ray diffraction. An increase in crystallite size and a decrease in parameters such as dislocation density (δ), microstrain (ϵ), and distortion (g) have been observed after oblique Ar+ irradiation with an increase in the angle of incidence from 30° to 40°. Atomic force microscopy analysis revealed that the wavelength of ripplelike patterns decreases from 3.19 μm to 2.51 μm, while its amplitude increases from 77.4 nm to 101 nm with an increase in the angle of incidence from 30° to 40°. Similarly, with an increase of oblique incidence to 40°, the root mean square (Rq) and average surface roughness (Rav) have been found to increase. These results are accredited to the curvature dependent sputtering and smoothing processes at oblique incidences. The possible correlation between ion beam sputtering induced patterning and the structural modification in the matrix has been established and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE Patients with metastatic cancer benefit from advance care planning (ACP) conversations. We aimed to improve ACP using a computer model to select high-risk patients, with shorter predicted survival, for conversations with providers and lay care coaches. Outcomes included ACP documentation frequency and end-oflife quality measures. METHODS In this study of a quality improvement initiative, providers in four medical oncology clinics received Serious Illness Care Program training. Two clinics (thoracic/genitourinary) participated in an intervention, and two (cutaneous/sarcoma) served as controls. ACP conversations were documented in a centralized form in the electronic medical record. In the intervention, providers and care coaches received weekly e-mails highlighting upcoming clinic patients with, 2 year computer-predicted survival and no prior prognosis documentation. Care coaches contacted these patients for an ACP conversation (excluding prognosis). Providers were asked to discuss and document prognosis. RESULTS In the four clinics, 4,968 clinic visits by 1,251 patients met inclusion criteria (metastatic cancer with no prognosis previously documented). In their first visit, 28% of patients were high-risk (< 2 year predicted survival). Preintervention, 3% of both intervention and control clinic patients had ACP documentation during a visit. By intervention end (February 2021), 35% of intervention clinic patients had ACP documentation compared with 3% of control clinic patients. Providers' prognosis documentation rate also increased in intervention clinics after the intervention (2%-27% in intervention clinics, P < .0001; 0%-1% in control clinics). End-of-life care intensity was similar in intervention versus control clinics, but patients ≥ with 1 provider ACP edit met fewer high-intensity care measures (P = .04). CONCLUSION Combining a computer prognosis model with care coaches increased ACP documentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transfusion of blood and blood products has many adverse effects and should be done only if patient benefits outweigh the associated risks. Current understanding of blood transfusion has improved dramatically, revolutionising the care of surgical, trauma, obstetric and critically ill patients. Most guidelines advise a restrictive approach for stable patients with non-haemorrhagic anaemia for red blood cell transfusion. The rationale for red blood cell transfusion has historically been to improve oxygen transport capacity and consumption-related parameters in anaemic patients. Current understanding casts serious doubts about the true potential of red blood cell transfusions to improve these factors. There may not be any benefit from blood transfusion beyond a haemoglobin threshold of 7 g/dL. In fact, liberal transfusion may be associated with higher complications. Guideline-based transfusion policy should be adopted for the administration of all blood products including fresh frozen plasma, platelet concentrates and cryoprecipitate etc. This should be integrated with clinical judgement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glutathione S-transferases are a multifunctional protein superfamily that is involved in diverse plant functions such as defense mechanisms, signaling, stress response, secondary metabolism, and plant growth and development. Although the banana whole-genome sequence is available, the distribution of GST genes on banana chromosomes, their subcellular localization, gene structure, their evolutionary relation with each other, conserved motifs, and their roles in banana are still unknown. A total of 62 full-length GST genes with the canonical thioredoxin fold have been identified belonging to nine GST classes, namely tau, phi, theta, zeta, lambda, DHAR, EF1G, GHR, and TCHQD. The 62 GST genes were distributed into 11 banana chromosomes. All the MaGSTs were majorly localized in the cytoplasm. Gene architecture showed the conservation of exon numbers in individual GST classes. Multiple Em for Motif Elicitation analyses revealed few class-specific motifs and many motifs were found in all the GST classes. Multiple sequence alignment of banana GST amino acid sequences with rice, Arabidopsis, and soybean sequences revealed the Ser and Cys as conserved catalytic residues. Gene duplication analyses showed the tandem duplication as a driving force for GST gene family expansion in banana. Cis-regulatory element analysis showed the dominance of light-responsive element followed by stress- and hormone-responsive elements. Expression profiling analyses were also done by RNA-seq data. It was observed that MaGSTs are involved in various stages of fruit development. MaGSTU1 was highly upregulated. The comprehensive and organized studies of MaGST gene family provide groundwork for further functional analysis of MaGST genes in banana at molecular level and further for plant breeding approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myofacial pain, a chronic painful condition of muscle origin, has numerous precipitating factors, if undiagnosed or left untreated could lead to compromised function and poor quality of life. In this case report, a female patient giving a history of 10 years of pain in the head and neck region was eventually diagnosed with myofacial pain secondary to bowing posture. The patient was successfully treated with combination of treatment modalities (TENS therapy, exercises, occlusal splint, etc.), which resulted in relief from chronic pain and improvement in quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiosarcoma (AS) is a rare malignant tumor of vascular or lymphatic epithelium, typically presenting as a bruise-like patch over the face or scalp in the seventh–ninth decades. Here, we report a case of cutaneous AS (cAS) in a 51-year-old male patient who presented with a cauliflower-like growth in the groin with skin-colored shiny flat-topped satellite papules in the surrounding areas, some of which were umbilicated. Based on examination, the patient was considered retro positive and the following differentials were considered: Buschke–Lowenstein tumor with giant molluscum, Kaposi sarcoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Histopathological examination suggested the diagnosis as AS, which was confirmed by immunohistochemistry that was positive for CD31 and CD34. The report highlights the unusual site and clinical presentation of cAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]