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Nine new species viz., Sycophila drupacea sp. nov., S. arnottiana sp. nov., S. religiosa sp. nov., S. virens sp. nov., S. infectoria sp. nov., S. wayanadensis sp. nov., S. batheri sp. nov., S. tinctoria sp. nov. and S. gibbose sp. nov. were described and reported from five different fig species, Ficus drupacea, F. arnottiana, F. religiosa, F. virens and F, tinctoria, from Wayanad regions of Kerala, India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical graph theory facilitates different tools that have significant applications in drug design and development. Recently Gutman et al., introduced a novel vertex‐degree‐based topological index called elliptic Sombor index and its application through geometric approach. This article focuses on chemical applicability of elliptic Sombor index through regression models using 22 benzenoid hydrocarbons. In this process, the chemical applicability of elliptic Sombor index with various physicochemical properties of benzenoid hydrocarbons through curvilinear regression models is carried out. The data of the statistical analysis shows that elliptic Sombor index is potential predictive index for the property polarizability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endogenous opioids are found in the central nervous system and multiple peripheral organs and affect the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonad axis at several levels in vertebrates. However, the influence of these opioid peptides on fish spermatogenesis is poorly studied. This investigation examined the impact of the opioid peptide dynorphin-A (DYN) on the pituitary–testicular axis in the tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus. Intraperitoneal injections of 5 µg DYN/day/fish for 21 days did not affect the early developmental stages of germ cells, but caused a significant decrease in the numbers of secondary spermatocytes and early and late spermatids compared with the controls. Although the mean area of the lobule was significantly decreased, there was a significant increase in the areas of the lumen and the interstitium in the DYN-treated group relative to controls. These results were concomitant with significantly lower serum levels of 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in DYN-treated fish than in controls. However, the serum level of cortisol was significantly higher in the DYN-treated fish group. Overall, these results, for the first time, indicate that DYN interferes with spermatogenesis at the late stage of meiosis, leading to impairment in spermiogenesis, possibly mediated through the suppression of 11-KT secretion in the testis and LH release from the pituitary. This study also suggests that DYN may bring about this inhibitory effect via activation of the stress axis in teleosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the involvement of β-endorphin (β-ERP) in vertebrate reproduction has been suggested, its role in testicular activity is not clear in fish. We describe the influence of β-ERP on spermatogenesis in a cichlid fish in the present paper. In comparison to the control group, the administration of β-ERP (3 µg) caused a significant increase in the number of spermatogonia-A and spermatids. Following treatment with β-ERP (6 µg), a significant increase in the number of spermatogonia-A was observed, whereas the numbers of all the other germ cells, excluding spermatogonia-B, significantly decreased in comparison to those in the control group. In addition, treatment of fish with 6 µg β-ERP resulted in a significant reduction in the dimensions of the lumen and seminiferous lobules, the level of immunopositive androgen receptor (AR) expression in Sertoli cells, and the percentage of luteinizing hormone (LH) immunolabeled in the pituitary compared to those in the control group or the group treated with 3 µg β-ERP. In contrast, the intensity of AR immunoreactivity and the percentage of LH immunolabeling were substantially increased in fish treated with 3 µg β-ERP compared to those in the control group. These findings reveal for the first time that a low dose of β-ERP stimulates the recruitment of spermatogonia as well as spermateleosis, whereas a high concentration affects the recruitment of germ cells prior to meiotic division in tilapia. These results suggest that β-ERP exerts modulatory effects at the testicular and hypophysial levels through alterations in AR expression and LH secretory activity, respectively, in teleosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is the most common noncommunicable disease and the fifth leading cause of death worldwide. Recent research has demonstrated that low Vitamin D levels and high Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) in middle-aged and elderly populations represent a risk factor for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Aim: To estimate the Vitamin D and VEGF levels in study subjects with T2DM and healthy controls and to correlate the Vitamin D level and VEGF with HbA1c % in study subjects with T2DM. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken from October 2014 to November 2016 at the Department of Medicine in collaboration with the Department of Biochemistry, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore. The study included 50 T2DM subjects on oral hypoglycaemic agents for five years and 50 age and sexmatched healthy controls selected randomly from the general population. In all the study subjects, Random Blood Glucose (RBG), LFT, Renal Function Test (RFT), HBA1c, serum Vitamin D, and serum VEGF were estimated. Student t-test and Chisquare/Fisher-Exact test were used to find the significance of study parameters between cases and controls. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to assess the risk factors for DM. Results: The mean age of the cases was 50.9±9.7 years and of controls was 49.76±7.7 years. Among the 50 cases, 19 (38%) were men and 31 (62%) were women. Among the 50 controls, 27 (54%) were men and 23 (46%) were women. The mean Body Mass Index (BMI) among cases was 27.21±4.59 and in controls was 24.82±2.63 (p-value=0.0016). The mean serum 25(OH) Vitamin D levels in cases were 11.39±3.32 ng/mL and in controls were 28.06±11.14 ng/mL (p-value <0.001). The mean serum VEGF levels in cases were 97.52±16.96 pg/mL and in controls were 56.37±17.74 pg/mL (p-value <0.001). Conclusion: The present study found that subjects with T2DM have lower serum 25(OH) Vitamin D levels and higher serum VEGF levels than those without T2DM. Serum Vitamin D decreases and serum VEGF-A levels increase with increasing HbA1c%, correlating with vascular complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports the first case of Colletotrichum fructicola causing anthracnose disease in karonda (Carissa carandas) in India. Karonda is a shrub native to the Himalayas and is valued for its fruit. Anthracnose, a fungal disease, can reduce fruit quality and yield, leading to economic losses. The symptoms of anthracnose were observed on karonda leaves in two fields in the Tumkur district of Karnataka state. The pathogen responsible for the infection was identified as Colletotrichum fructicola through DNA analysis and confirmed through pathogenicity tests. This research highlights the need for further investigation into the diversity and incidence of this disease and the development of effective control strategies. [Extracted from the article]

The outcome of a transformation of chemical structure into mathematical model results in numerical descriptor. The chemical compound of a molecule is encoded into a useful number called molecular descriptor. These numerical descriptors have significant importance in the applications of physico-chemical properties of QSAR/QSPR/QSTR studies. Motivated by the work of Vukicevic, Wiener index and Adriatic index are determined for a path attached to cycles of length ≥ 3. The attached cycle is gradually moved through the set of vertices of the path to study the variation of the Wiener index. It is found that the Adriatic index is equal for all such graphs but the Wiener index, however, appears to be different in every case and lengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topological descriptors play a significant role in the selection of leading molecules for studies/drug design/research. As these descriptors equip the quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) models with the physical and chemical properties of the compound, they have become alternative for traditional methods of screening the chemical libraries which is expensive and time consuming. The practicality of these descriptors in QSAR models have been largely demonstrated in the studies by various researchers globally. This study focuses on the chemical compound, carbon nanocone, for which nine degree based topological coindices are determined for CNCkp such as first Zagreb coindex (M¯1), second Zagreb coindex (M¯2), Randic coindex (R¯), reciprocal Randic coindex (RR¯), Forgotten coindex (F¯), Atom bond connectivity coindex (ABC¯), Geometric arithmetic coindex (GA¯), Sombor coindex (SO¯), SS coindex (SS¯). Accordingly, the structure of the nanocone is considered for k=4, 5, 6, and 7 for which numerical comparison is tabulated with respect to the graphs to understand the behavior of the coindices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The American Psychological Association defines trauma as "an emotional response to a terrible event...." Trauma can be experienced as a response to either physical or emotionally disturbing circumstances. The Journalism and the Pandemic Project from the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, in their global survey of journalists, have studied the impact of the pandemic on journalists across the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused varying degrees of disruptions in the personal and professional lives of journalists. Traumatic experiences like covering traumatic events up close, COVID-induced health issues, job loss, pay cuts, and insecurity at the workplace have consumed journalists like never before. Overwhelming emotions like shock, helplessness, loneliness, depression, and anxiety are some of the reactions observed by mental health experts. Indian journalists, too, like their counterparts across the globe, have had to take on the challenges posed by this unprecedented crisis. This article intends to study the impact of the pandemic on Indian journalists both from physical and emotional perspectives. The objectives of the study include—(a) to analyze the journalists' response to traumatic experiences during the pandemic, (b) to study the nature of trauma experienced by journalists during the pandemic, (c) to analyze how traumatic experiences affected the journalists, and (d) to explore and analyze how journalists managed to cope with the traumatic experiences. The study adopts social cognitive theory (SCT) as the framework. SCT comprises four goal realization processes: self-observation, self-evaluation, self-reaction, and self-efficacy. The four components are interrelated, and all influence motivation and goal attainment. Social cognition includes diverse processes linking the perception of social information with a behavioral response, including perception, attention, decision-making, memory, and emotion. The post-traumatic reactions include re-experiencing the traumatic event in flashbacks, recurrent nightmares, and intrusive memories, hypervigilant arousal, impaired concentration, depression, sleep disturbances, self-devaluation, avoidance of reminders of traumatic experiences, emotional detachment from others, and disengagement from aspects of life that provide meaning and self-fulfillment, which impair intrapersonal, interpersonal, and occupational functioning. The scope of the study covers the journalists' responses to traumatic experiences specific to the pandemic. The study adopts a mixed research method with a thematic analysis of the qualitative data from interviews of journalists followed by a factor analysis of the quantitative data from the survey of the journalists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil moisture estimation from agriculture fields using SAR measurements is a challenging process owing to the presence of vegetation canopy. In this study, the soil moisture (SM) is retrieved from multi-polarization airborne L- and C-band E-SAR data of different agriculture fields by using the radar parameter, Radar Vegetation Index (RVI). The retrieval methodology employs the semi-empirical Water Cloud Model (WCM) for vegetation-soil system modeling, followed by an inversion algorithm based on a Look Up Table approach. The impact of using different vegetation descriptors, both from in situ measured (Leaf Area Index, Wet Biomass and Vegetation Water Content) and radar derived (L-band RVI and C-band RVI), on the WCM inversion for SM retrieval is examined. The use of the RVI as the vegetation descriptor, which is obtained from C-band data, improves soil moisture retrieval with an RMSE of 7–8% volumetric soil moisture at L-band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this manuscript, a complete theoretical and experimental investigation of antibiotic agents Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and Trimethoprim (TMP) was performed at B3LYP, CAM-B3LYP, B3PW91/6-311++G (d,p) levels through DFT (density functional theory). The bond length and bond angles of SMX and TMP are calculated and compared with existence literature data. The global reactivity descriptors have been estimated from HOMO - LUMO energies to understand the stability and chemical reactivity of investigated molecules. The electrophilic sites present in the investigated molecules have been identified by using MEP. Mulliken atomic charge distribution has been analysed at three different levels of theories/basis set. The Non-linear optical parameters have been calculated for investigated molecules to understand their suitability in non-linear optics. The NBO study has been utilised to disclose the strongest inter-molecular interactions. The vibrational assignment of SMX and TMP molecules has been performed with the assistance of DFT coupled with the VEDA program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monoaminergic neurotransmitter 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is known to be involved in several physiological, behavioural and neuroendocrine functions in vertebrates. In this study, we investigated the distribution of 5-HT neuronal system in the central nervous system (CNS) of Sphaerotheca breviceps tadpoles at metamorphic climax stage. In the telencephalon, there was no 5-HT-immunoreactive (5-HT-ir) perikarya, but conspicuous fibres were observed in the olfactory bulb, pallium, subpallium and amygdala complexes. The preoptic area showed dense 5-HT-ir somata and cerebrospinal fluid contacting fibres, whereas a few varicose 5-HT-ir fibres were noticed in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. 5-HT-ir cells and fibres were found in the ventral, lateral dorsal subdivisions of the hypothalamus and in the nucleus tuberculi posterioris, but only 5-HT-ir fibres were localised in the periventricular area and pituitary gland. Numerous 5-HT-ir cells and/or fibres were detected in the thalamus, entopeduncular area and mesencephalic subdivisions. In the rhombencephalon, although 5-HT-ir cells and fibres were noticed in the subdivisions of the raphe nucleus and reticular formation, a moderate plexus of fibres was observed in the cerebellum, parabrachial nucleus and solitary tract. Distinct 5-HT-ir fibres, but no perikarya, were observed in the rostral spinal cord. Overall, extensively labelled 5-HT-ir cells and fibres in the CNS of the metamorphic tadpole suggest possible roles for the involvement of 5-HT in various somatosensory, behavioural and neuroendocrine functions during final stages of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are nearly 10.4 crores elderly in India, with 65% of them living in rural areas. Accessibility to healthcare is limited in rural areas. Primary care physicians deal with a fairly large number of patients from the geriatric age group. With the steady increase in the proportion of elderly, there is a corresponding increase in the prevalence of frailty. Frailty among the elderly leads to increased dependency, adverse health outcomes and mortality. Early identification and targeted interventions by primary care physicians could prevent these adverse outcomes and even reverse its occurrence. Knowledge about environmental and lifestyle influences on frailty would further assist primary care physicians to prevent and manage it optimally. Methods: We interviewed 502 participants (>60 years of age) from four taluks of rural Bengaluru. Participants with frailty scores of 3 and above were considered frail, scores of 1-2 were considered prefrail. Association of frailty with lifestyle and environmental factors were tested using the Chi-square test. A value of P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Prevalence of frailty was 24.70% and prefrailty was 62.75%. Elders in age group 60 to 74 years, those living alone or with others (other than the spouse), illiterate, working elders, elderly with less than two diagnosed comorbidities, elderly with low social score and low physical activity were associated with frailty. Conclusion: The young old population seems vulnerable to frailty. Health programs aimed at prevention, early detection and treatment of morbidities and frailty will improve their health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate the working of a compact, fast, and efficient plasma cleaner that utilizes the intense plasma generated in a radio frequency (RF) plasma reactor with metal electrodes. Our plasma cleaner’s effectiveness in cleaning substrates with different contaminants was studied and compared with a commercial plasma cleaner (HARRICK plasma PDC-32G-2) using optical imaging, water drop test and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). We used substrates contaminated with fingerprints, photoresist, and pump oil to study the cleaning performance of our plasma cleaner. Excellent substrate cleaning could be achieved in less than 2 min, which shows that the cleaning time is reduced by about 80% compared with the commercial plasma cleaner. The results also indicate that the cleaning performance is comparable or better than the commercial plasma cleaner, without even precleaning the substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A molecular structure can be described by a parameter, polynomial or matrix. The physico-chemical features, bio-activities of a chemical compound are predicted using the numerical descriptor called topological index. Topological indices remodel the data of molecular graphs into numerical characteristics which in turn improvises the discussion of structure property and activity relationship. The present work concentrates on obtaining the M-polynomial and NM-polynomial of porous graphene structure. Using these polynomials as tools, certain degree-based topological indices are retrieved. The applications of porous graphene are in the field of electrochemical energy storage, electrochemical sensor, electro-catalysis, DNA sequencing, biosensors and diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most significant tool of mathematical chemistry is the numerical descriptor called topological index. Topological indices are extensively used in modelling of chemical compounds to analyse the studies on quantitative structure activity/property/toxicity relationships and combinatorial library virtual screening. In this work, an attempt is made in defining three novel descriptors, namely, neighborhood geometric-harmonic, harmonic-geometric, and neighborhood harmonic-geometric indices. Also, the aforementioned three indices along with the geometric-harmonic index are tested for physicochemical properties of octane isomers using linear regression models and computed for some carbon nanotubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most consumed staple food crops, providing food to about half of the world population. Submergence stress is an important constraint in rice cultivation faced by rice growers globally. In Kerala condition, flood prone areas like Kuttanad, Pokkali, as well as low lying paddy fields are mainly affected by submergence. Sub1 is the major quantitative trait locus (QTL) that confers submergence tolerance to rice genotypes. Earlier researchers have already identified the presence of Sub1 gene in rice varieties showing submergence tolerance. Such rice genotypes are characterized by a higher survival rates and better yield even after 2 weeks of submergence stress. The advancement of marker assisted selection (MAS) have a striking impact on developing improved Sub1 varieties which can meet the increasing demand for submergence tolerant varieties. The present study was planned to ascertain the rice genotypes having submergence tolerance by in vitro phenotyping followed by marker assisted selection. Genotypes KAUM 7 and KAUM 19 showed a better survival rates than other test genotypes during in vitro phenotyping. Among the ten genotypes evaluated for submergence tolerance with the help of SSR markers, KAUM 7 and KAUM 19 were identified with Sub1 QTL. Besides, this finding lays the foundation for further researches on breeding for submergence tolerance in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graph theory offers experts with a useful tool called the topological index which analyses the characteristics of chemical compounds. Motivated by the recent work of redefined Zagreb indices ( R e Z G 1 , R e Z G 2 , R e Z G 3 ), novel topological indices such as Neighbourhood redefined first and second Zagreb indices ( N R e Z 1 , N R e Z 2 ) are proposed and computed for a molecular graph G of two carborundum structures. The correlation coefficient of N R e Z 1 , N R e Z 2 with ten properties of octane isomers are determined, of which entropy and acentric factor showed a good correlation. Also, the lower and upper bounds of redefined Zagreb indices are determined using classic results, Pólya–Szegö and Cauchy–Schwarz inequalities for simple graphs and trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the genotypic and seasonal variations affecting yield attributes of cocoa varieties. It mentions the impact of climate change and weather variability on arecanut and cocoa in humid tropics of India, along with discusses the climatic requirements for the growth and development of cocoa.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of stress on reproduction and the possible involvement of dopaminergic systems in the reproductive stress response in the mosquitofish Gambusia affinis. Exposure of fish to aquaculture stressors (four 10 min episodes of stress, each corresponding to a different stressor such as handling, chasing, frequent netting and low water levels), for a period of 30 days caused reduction in the mean numbers of stage I–IV follicles associated with lower number of pregnant females and embryos in most of the developmental stages compared with experimental controls. Besides, increase in the intensity of labelling and the per cent area of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH; a rate‐limiting enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of catecholamines)‐ immunoreactive (ir) neurons was observed in the preoptic area (POA) and the nucleus preopticus (NPO) regions of the brain concomitant with reduction in the labelling of gonadotropin releasing hormone–immunoreactive (GnRH‐ir) fibres in the proximal pars distalis (PPD) of the pituitary gland in stressed fish compared with experimental controls. Treatment of domperidone (DOM) caused an increase in the number of stage II and V follicles and promoted pregnancy rate concomitant with an increase in the number of embryos at various developmental stages compared with those of experimental controls. Similar treatment to stressed fish caused an increase in the number of stages I–V follicles compared with those in stress alone group. The GnRH fibres showed increased immunolabelling in stress + DOM treated fish compared with stress alone fish. On the other hand, TH‐immunoreactivity in the POA and the NPO regions was reduced in stress + DOM treated fish compared with stress‐alone group. These results suggest that stress inhibits follicular development and subsequent hatching success through the suppression of GnRH and that the inhibition appears to be mediated through dopamine, for the first time in a viviparous fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The present investigation was conducted to determine the influence of dopamine (DA) receptor agonist bromocriptine (BRO) on reproduction and onset of puberty in the viviparous fish Gambusia affinis. In the first experiment, the mean number of stage I and II follicles (previtellogenic) in 0.8 or 5 mg BRO treated fish did not show significant difference compared to those of experimental controls, whereas the mean number of stage III follicles were significantly lower in 5 mg BRO treated fish compared to experimental controls. However, treatment of 0.8 or 5 mg BRO resulted in significantly lower numbers of stage IV (early vitellogenic) and V (late vitellogenic) follicles compared to those of experimental controls. There was decrease in the percent occurrence of pregnancy and different stages of embryos in BRO treated fish compared with the experimental controls. Concomitant with this, sparsely distributed gonadotropin releasing hormone immunoreactive (GnRH‐ir) fibres were observed in the proximal pars distalis (PPD) region of the pituitary gland in BRO treated fish compared to those of dense accumulations of these fibres in the PPD region of the pituitary gland in experimental controls. In the second experiment, exposure of juveniles (25 DPH) to same doses of BRO for 45 days resulted in complete absence of vitellogenic follicles and presence of few GnRH‐ir fibres in 5 mg BRO treated juvenile in contrast to presence of vitellogenic follicles and dense aggregation of GnRH fibres in treatment controls. Overall, the results of the present investigation suggest that DA affects ovarian follicular and embryonic development and onset of puberty in viviparous species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome is a rare condition affecting between 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 10,000 patients after exposure to associated drugs.[[1]] It is a life-threatening condition with a mortality rate of about 10%, which necessitates early identification and treatment.[[2]] We describe a case of DRESS syndrome secondary to the use of chlorpromazine in a female with paranoid schizophrenia, the diagnostic challenge encountered, and the successful treatment of the condition with corticosteroids. Patients on chlorpromazine developing serious dermatological adverse effects should be assessed to rule out DRESS syndrome, in view of the high mortality rate in patients with DRESS syndrome.[[2]],[[13]] Further systematic clinical and genetic studies are needed to evaluate the association of DRESS syndrome and chlorpromazine. Drug-induced pseudolymphoma and drug hypersensitivity syndrome (Drug Rash with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms: DRESS). [Extracted from the article]

The hierarchical H/BEA zeolites were prepared by postsynthesis treatment. The portion of the parent H/BEA zeolite was treated with aqueous 0.1 M NaOH solution with different alkali volume to H/BEA zeolite weight (5, 10, 30,150, and 300 mL/g) ratios. The physicochemical properties of samples were evaluated by powder X‐ray diffraction, Pyridine Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, NH3 temperature programme desorption, Nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms, and magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The catalytic performance of various catalysts was investigated in solvent free acetalization of glycerol with formaldehyde. Among all the catalysts, a hierarchical H/BEA prepared by treating H/BEA with 5 mL aqueous 0.1 M NaOH solution per gram of H/BEA exhibited the highest specific surface area and high acidity. This optimal hierarchical H/BEA5 catalyst has shown an excellent catalytic activity with glycerol conversion of 78% and 1,3 dioxalane selectivity of 85% under mild operating parameters than reported. H/BEA5 was found to be highly stable and recyclable. The acetalization of glycerol with formaldehyde follows first order reversible using PseudoHomogeneous model. In present study, the activation energy for this reaction is found to be 46.95 KJmol−1 which is lower than reported. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 37: 797–807, 2018 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of Cerium doped zirconium oxide (Ce doped zirconia) nano fillers on electronic band structure and hence the optical absorption and emission properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) have been established. The solution casted PVA/CeZrO nanocomposite films were subjected to electronic (UV-Visible), fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and fluorescent spectral studies. The FTIR studies reveal a positive interaction between the CeZrO nano fillers and PVA matrix through hydroxyl groups. The electronic spectral studies reveal the changes in electronic band structure of composite with nano filler doping. The SEM images reveal homogeneous filler dispersions, while fluorescent spectral studies establish the dopant dependent photonic emission. The refractive index dispersion of developed films was established by single oscillator model developed by Wemple-Didomenico that shows a monotonic dependence on CeZrO loadings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earlobe keloids are commonly encountered in this era where ear piercing is routine in various traditions. Various medical and surgical methods have been tried for its management. Surgically, fillet flap surgery has better acceptability worldwide. Various difficulties are faced during keloid excision, and we hereby describe few innovative modifications (use of needle, hydrodissection, pressure dressing, bolster button) using cost-effective and simple materials (needles, dynaplast, buttons) to ease the excision of keloids. These have easy adaptability and also reduce the recurrence rate of earlobe keloids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective was to study the pathological features of emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN). Materials and Methods: A total of 11 nephrectomy specimens of EPN received in the surgical pathology section of a tertiary hospital in a metropolis city during the period 2005-2014 are included in this study. Clinical details were obtained from the patients' records. All the patients had undergone total nephrectomy. All the specimens were fixed in 10% buffered formalin and processed for paraffin wax sectioning. The sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin stain. Results: The most common symptoms were fever and costovertebral pain. Diabetes mellitus was present in 9 out of 11 cases and one case had calculus in the pelvis. One patient had underlying diabetes which was undiagnosed during the nephrectomy. Diagnosis of EPN was confirmed by the presence of gas and fluid in the renal tissue by computed tomography. The left kidney (nine cases, 81%) was more frequently affected than the right kidney (two cases, 19%). EPN occurred in 40-60 years of age (mean age 51.5%), and out of 11 patients, 8 (81%) were female. Escherichia coli was the commonly isolated organism from urine. Eight cases were of Type II EPN and three cases were Type I EPN. Histopathologic examination of all the cases of EPN showed acute suppurative (necrotizing) inflammation of renal parenchyma and perirenal tissues associated with vasculitis of vessels and infarction. Conclusion: EPN is most commonly seen in patients with diabetes mellitus, and E. coli is the most common causative organism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thymus, a lymphoepithelial organ, during the early fetal life originates from the superior neck and descends to the mediastinum. Embryological maldescent may lead to ectopic rests of thymic tissue along the pathway of its descent, neck being the most common site of ectopic thymic rests. Ectopic cervical thymoma is an extremely rare entity, showing a striking female preponderance whereas a mediastinal thymoma has a slight female preponderance. We characterized a case of ectopic cervical thymoma using conventional light microscopy and immunohistochemistry in a 40 years old male patient who presented with a neck swelling simulating a thyroid neoplasm clinically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intestinal parasitic infections are highly prevalent among the general population in developing countries and these infections can lead to a number of adverse effects. This study was done to determine the predominant intestinal parasitic infestations with haematological correlation among all age groups of patients attending tertiary care hospital. A total of 238 stool & blood samples were collected from the patients for examination and haematological analysis. Out of 238 stool samples, 52 (21.8%) showed presence of ova/cysts of Protozoa or helminths. Helminthic eggs were 14.3% and Protozoal cysts or trophozoites were found in 7.5% of them screened for the parasites. Among these Ancylostoma duodenale was found predominant with 10.5% followed by Entamoeba histolytica with 5.5% of total patients. In our study parasitic infestations was predominant in 41-60 yrs. The study showed a relationship between parasitic infestation and Hb, Platelet count, PCV and MCHC which was decreased in protozoal infestations. Their occurrence is quite low compared to other studies which suggests an improved awareness of hygiene. Prevalence of helminths was higher than protozoa in the present study. Hence, it is recommended that appropriate steps be taken at the district level to prevent such infections among pediatric and adult age groups in rural Devanahalli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the pattern of skin disorders seen among children attending a Medical College Hospital, Bangalore Methods: All children 18 y and below attending the Pediatric Dermatology OPD with skin diseases between the period of January 2011 and June 2011 were included in the study. Results: A total of 1,090 new cases (boys 589; girls 501) with 1,118 dermatoses were recorded during this period. Twenty eight children had more than one dermatoses. Most of the disorders were seen between 5 and 11 y age group. The most common dermatoses was infections and infestations (32.47 %) followed by eczematous eruptions and dermatitis (20.66 %), papulosquamous and related disorders (6.08 %) and pigmentary disorders (5.81 %). Insect bite reactions and papular urticaria formed 5.1 %. Acne was seen in 5.28 % of children followed by urticaria (3.67 %), photodermatoses 2.5 % and genetic disorders (3.04 %). Conclusions: In the present setting bacterial infections and scabies still remained the most common pediatric dermatoses followed by molluscum contagiosum and atopic dermatitis. Childhood psoriasis contributed to major part of the study among papulosquamous disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phytochemical composition, total phenolic and total flavonoid concentration, and antibacterial and antioxidant activities of the aqueous and methanol extracts of leaf and bark ofS. zeylanicumandS. claviflorumwere evaluated. The leaf and bark extract of both the species exhibited broad spectrum as its activities were independent of gram reaction. The phytochemicals present in the extracts included phenols, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, resins, and glycosides. The total phenolic concentration ofS. zeylanicumextracts equivalent to gallic acid was in the range of 141.22 to 667.63 mg.g−1of plant extracts, which correlated with antioxidant activity (reducing power). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The name of a condition in dermatology, gives a clue regarding the clinical feature, etiology, or histopathology of the disease. A disease might have been termed wrongly due to its resemblance to another known condition. Misnomers often mislead a physician regarding the etiology or histopathology of the condition. Here is a list of misnomers, with explanation, and the appropriate name in parentheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present work was to formulate and evaluate sustained release leuprolide acetate microspheres for treating prostate and breast cancer effectively. In order to improve patient compliance with fewer side effects like pain and hot flashes from the marketed product of implants. Sustained release Leuprolide acetate microspheres for two months depot which had been designed based on disease condition were prepared in the form of microspheres for subcutaneous administration for sustained release. Different formulations were prepared by following Solvent Evaporation technique (double emulsion) using synthetic biodegradable polymer like Poly (Lactide-co-Glycolide) acid. The formulations were evaluated for percentage yield, entrapment efficiency, surface morphology (SEM), particle size analysis, In-vitro drug release and stability studies. The in-vitro release of drug from the formulations were studied in pH 7.4 saline phosphate buffer solution, and it was found that the prepared microspheres were able to sustained the release of the drug upto two months of about 95.6%. The release of the drug from the microspheres was found to follow zero order kinetics. The optimized formulation of the microspheres containing polymer and drug was found to be compatible from FTIR studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viral neuraminidase inhibitors such as oseltamivir and zanamivir prevent early virus multiplication by blocking sialic acid cleavage on host cells. These drugs are effective for the treatment of a variety of influenza subtypes, including swine flu (H1N1). The binding site for these drugs is well established and they were designed based on computational docking studies. We show here that some common natural products have moderate inhibitory activity for H1N1 neuraminidase under docking studies. Significantly, docking studies using AutoDock for biligand and triligand forms of these compounds (camphor, menthol, and methyl salicylate linked via methylene bridges) indicate that they may bind in combination with high affinity to the H1N1 neuraminidase active site. These results also indicate that chemically linked biligands and triligands of these natural products could provide a new class of drug leads for the prevention and treatment of influenza. This study also highlights the need for a multiligand docking algorithm to understand better the mode of action of natural products, wherein multiple active ingredients are present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiment was conducted to estimate the protein content and inhibitory potential of different genotypes of okra and its wild relatives towards trypsin and chymotrypsin in in vitro. The wild relatives of okra possessed high protein content as compared to the cultivated genotypes. From wild relatives A. tuberculatus (90396 and 90515) contained high protein content up to 3.31 mg g-1 and 3.27 mg g-1 seed flour, respectively. The wild relatives of okra PIs from A. tuberculatus (90396 and 90515) inhibited the maximum trypsin activity i.e. upto 68.1 and 66.9 per cent, whereas, the chymotrypsin activity was found to be 68.4 and 65.8 per cent respectively. On the other hand VRO-3 and AKO-102 exhibited 63.3 and 62.2 per cent trypsin activity, also least chymotrypsin activity found upto 62.4 and 61.1 per cent. Since the proteinase inhibitors of wild relatives of okra possessed higher trypsin inhibitory potential than cultivated ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Down Syndrome (DS) is a genetic condition caused by a chromosomal abnormality and results in a characteristic appearance, learning disability and a variety of physical and medical features. . In India frequency of that occurrence is 2.2 per 1000 live births. Maternal age plays an important role in the frequency of Down syndrome. A wide variety of systemic (cardiovascular, hematopoietic, musculoskeletal, nervous) and oral anomalies (palate, oral opening, tongue, dental, periodontal and occlusion) are seen in Down syndrome children. Each individual may carry only limited anomalies which vary in its degree of severity and with age. These children require medical consultation and dentists do not need special skills or equipment to treat Down syndrome patients routinely in a dental office. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In developing countries, iron and zinc deficiencies are mostly attributable to poor bioavailability of iron and zinc. The study aimed at enhancing the bioaccessibility of minerals in high-phytate oilseed and cereal flour mixes by activating the intrinsic phytase of wheat flour. The flour mixes were fortified with iron and zinc separately for comparison. The flour mixes were incubated at optimum conditions of temperature and pH for phytase activation. Phytase activation enhanced bioaccessible iron by 43-162% in native and 40-168% in fortified wheat-soya, 83-192% in native and 97-240% in fortified wheat-groundnut flour mixes in relation to control flour mixes. Bioaccessible zinc was enhanced by 87-183% in native and 30-113% in fortified wheat-soya, 31-65% in native and 61-186% in fortified wheat-groundnut flour mixes. Endogenous phytase activation was effective in enhancing bioaccessibility of iron and zinc in native and fortified flour composites economically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of non neoplastic lesions are much more common in epididymis. Clinically, epididymal nodules are easily accessible to fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) procedure. There are very few literature reports documenting the role of cytology in evaluation of epididymal nodules. Thus, we studied patients presenting with palpable epididymis nodules in the out patient department (OPD) from a tertiary care general hospital. Aim: This study is aimed to put forth the diagnostic utility of FNAC in palpable lesions of epididymis. Materials and Methods: A total of 40 palpable epididymal nodules were aspirated as a routine OPD procedure as part of this study. Smears were fixed in isopropyl alcohol and air dried. In all the cases, wet fixed papanicoloau stained and air dried giemsa stained smears were studied. Zeihl Neelsen stain was performed in cases which yielded caseous aspirate. Results: Except for two cases of adenomatoid tumor of epididymis all other lesions were nonneoplastic and included 14 cases (35%) of tuberculous granulomatous inflammation, 10 (25%) cystic nodules (9 spermatoceles and 1 encysted hydrocele), 5 (12.5%) of nonspecific inflammations, 3 (7.5%) filarial infection, 3 (7.5%) sperm granulomas and 3 (7.5%) adenomatous hyperplasia of rete testes. Except for the two tumors, one adenomatous hyperplasia and one tuberculous lesion, no other lesion was excised. Follow up and response to therapy was available in 78% patients and resolution indicated appropriateness of the diagnosis. Conclusions: Thus, as most of the lesions in epididymis are non neoplastic responding to medical line of treatment and FNAC served to aid diagnosis of non specific inflammation and avoid surgical excision in most cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproducible and highly efficient protocols for shoot regeneration and genetic transformation mediated by Agrobacterium have been established for safflower ( Carthamus tinctorius L.). Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA 4404 with gus reporter gene and hygromycin ( hpt gene) as plant selection marker was used as the plant transformation vector. Genetic transformation experiments were carried out to evaluate the efficacy of various parameters such as genotype, seedling age, co-cultivation period, bacterial titer, enzymatic pre-treatment of target tissues, use of compounds that induce vir-gene enhancer, acetosyringone (AS), explant type and explant injury to enhance transformation efficiency. Transformation frequency was high when root and hypocotyl explants of 8-day-old seedlings of safflower cv. HUS-305 were co-cultivated with bacterial cell density of 0.5 OD during a period of 2 days followed by selection regime of 10-15-15 mg/l hygromycin. The frequency of rooting of the primary transformants was low (18.0%) when compared with the regenerated shoots (70.0%), and seven shoots survived on transfer to soil. The putative transformants were confirmed by β-glucuronidase (GUS) histochemical assay, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) and Southern blot analysis. With the optimized transformation protocol, putative transformed shoots were obtained with frequency of 51.0% within 8-10 weeks of culture initiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]