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The papers in this special section focus on advanced machine learning algorithms for biomedical data and image processing. Researchers in machine learning including those working in computer vision, image processing, biomedical analysis, and related fields when tied with experienced clinicians can play a significant role in understanding and working on complex medical data which ultimately improves patient care. Developing a novel machine-learning algorithm specific to medical data is a challenge and need of the hour. Healthcare and biomedical sciences have become data-intensive fields, with a strong need for sophisticated data mining methods to extract the knowledge from the available information. Biomedical data contains several challenges in data analysis, including high dimensionality, class imbalance, and low numbers of samples. Although the current research in this field has shown promising results, several research issues need to be explored as follows. There is a need to explore novel feature selection methods to improve predictive performance along with interpretation and to explore large-scale data in biomedical sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multilabel scene classification has emerged as a critical research area in the domain of remote sensing. Contemporary classification models primarily emphasis on a single object or multiobject scene classification of satellite remote sensed images. These classification models rely on feature engineering from images, deep learning, or transfer learning. Comparatively, multilabel scene classification of very high resolution (V.H.R.) images is a fairly unexplored domain of research. Models trained for single label scene classification are unsuitable for the application of recognizing multiple objects in a single remotely sensed V.H.R. satellite image. To overcome this research gap, the current inquiry proposes to fine‐tune the state of the art convolutional neural network (C.N.N.) architectures for multilabel scene classification. The proposed approach pre trains C.N.N on the ImageNet dataset and further fine‐tunes them to the task of detecting multiple objects in V.H.R. images. To understand the efficacy of this approach, the final models are applied on a V.H.R. dataset: the U.C.M.E.R.C.E.D. image dataset containing 21 different terrestrial land use categories with a submeter resolution. The performance of the final models is compared with graph convolutional network‐based model by Khan et al. From the results on performance metrics, it was observed that proposed models achieve comparable results in significantly fewer epochs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly efficient, palladium‐catalyzed protocol for the regioselective ortho‐acyloxylation of 4H‐Benzo[d][1,3]oxazin‐4‐ones and various other heterocycles which includes indoline, 3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐benzo[b][1,4]oxazine, and 1‐methyl‐3‐phenylquinoxalin‐2(1H)‐one has been developed using C−H activation strategy. The protocol exploits the directing group property of nitrogen present in the heterocyclic framework to introduce the acyloxyl group onto heterocyclic compounds with excellent regioselectivity. The developed method offers a wide substrate and excellent functional group tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The pattern of skin morbidity in an area depends on climate, geography, socioeconomic status, nutrition, genetics, and habits of the community. Objective. The objective of the present study was to describe the morbidity profile of patients attending dermatology outpatient department in a tertiary care centre of Garhwal hills, North India. Methodology. This is a record based study carried out using the morbidity registers. Patient details, diagnosis, and treatment provided by physicians were documented in the morbidity register. ICD coding was done to categorize the patients. Results. The total number of new episodes of illnesses treated in the skin outpatient department during 2009–2014 was 47465. Adults (>18 years) constituted about 80.9%. Among adults, about 59.9% were males. Overall the infections of the skin and subcutaneous tissue were the most common (32.6%) followed by the disorders of skin appendages (19.8%), and dermatitis and eczema (18.8%). Of the total patients 16.9% were affected by dermatitis and 16.7% by acne. Psoriasis, urticaria, melasma, and vitiligo were present in 3.4%, 3.4%, 3.6%, and 3.3% patients, respectively. Conclusion. This knowledge will help in planning appropriate range services to meet the patients’ needs and help in training of health staff to meet these needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT An asymmetrically CPW-fed octagonal Sierpinski fractal antenna is designed for ultrawideband applications. It comprises of a second iterative fractal radiating patch, microstrip feedline and asymmetrical coplanar waveguide ground planes. An impedance bandwidth of 3.73 GHz to more than 20 GHz is achieved. Stable radiation patterns and desirable gain characteristics are observed. The simulated and experimental results are found to be in good agreement. The designed antenna structure has advantages of wide bandwidth and miniaturized dimensions over already reported UWB antenna structures. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1738-1745, 2016 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-level PWM dc-dc converters convert high dc voltage (>500 V) generally at the output of a three-phase ac-dc PWM rectifier in ac-dc converters to an isolated dc output voltage which can be used to power data center loads. Strict efficiency requirements at loads from 20% to 50% of full load of ac-dc converters for telecom applications have been introduced by energy star enforcing industries to improve efficiency of the dc-dc converter in an ac-dc converter powering data-center loads at those loads. High-efficiency requirements at low and mid loads in high switching frequency PWM dc-dc three-level converters implemented with MOSFETs can be achieved by reducing switching losses through optimized load adaptive ZVS for the entire load range. In this paper, a simple yet novel load adaptive ZVS auxiliary circuit for three-level converter is proposed for so that the resulting three-phase ac-dc converter can meet energy star platinum efficiency standard. The operation of the proposed dc-dc converter is described, analyzed, and validated by experimental results from an industrial prototype of a three-phase ac-dc converter comprising of a front-end three-phase boost PWM rectifier followed by the proposed converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this article, a compact third iteration inner tapered tree-shaped fractal antenna for ultrawideband applications is presented. The bandwidth is enhanced by using CPW ground plane and increasing the number of iterations. An impedance bandwidth of 4.3-15.5 GHz (113%) is achieved. The proposed third iteration antenna has nearly omnidirectional patterns at its resonance frequencies with an acceptable value of gain. The experimental and simulation results are found to be in good agreement. The proposed antenna has improved return loss performance and miniaturized size. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:559-567, 2015 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health services in India is mainly shared by the Public health sector, Private health sector and by some voluntary organizations, Public health services mainly serve the middle class and lower middle class population in India. Lack of funds and human resource is a major factor contributing to compromised services rendered in this sector. Objectives: The present study was planned to assess the quality of care provided and the patient's satisfaction level in the obstetrics and Gynaecology department of the Government Medical College hospital of Garhwal, Uttarakhand. Material & Method: The study was conducted as a hospital based cross sectional study. A predesigned structured questionnaire was devised and 5 newly admitted patients were interviewed daily between 5-7 pm for a period of two months. The infrastructure and other facilities were assessed by direct physical observation. Result: In the present study it was observed that the department is mainly suffering with lack of manpower and supply of essential drugs. Patients expect better services from the hospital as well as they conclude that the behaviour of the doctors and the paramedical staffs needs further improvement. Conclusion: The department needs better infrastructure, human resource facilities and there is a need to improve the quality of care as well as patient satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MacInnis and Baig modified Altemirs' original technique for sub-mental intubation. Instead of a lateral entry, they described a central entry just anterior to the sub-mental crease that does not carry the risk of damage to the lingual nerves, submandibular ducts and sublingual glands. We describe here our experience with this modified sub.mental intubation that also allows the operating surgeon to provide for a correct midline and optimal esthetics in case of panfacial trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human intestine contains an intricate ecological community of dwelling bacteria, referred as gut microbiota (GM), which plays a pivotal role in host homeostasis. Multiple factors could interfere with this delicate balance, including genetics, age, antibiotics, as well as environmental factors, particularly diet, thus causing a disruption of microbiota equilibrium (dysbiosis). Growing evidences support the involvement of GM dysbiosis in gastrointestinal (GI) and extra-intestinal cardiometabolic diseases, namely obesity and diabetes. This review firstly overviews the role of GM in health and disease, then critically reviews the evidences regarding the influence of dietary polyphenols in GM based on preclinical and clinical data, ending with strategies under development to improve efficiency of delivery. Although the precise mechanisms deserve further clarification, preclinical and clinical data suggest that dietary polyphenols present prebiotic properties and exert antimicrobial activities against pathogenic GM, having benefits in distinct disorders. Specifically, dietary polyphenols have been shown ability to modulate GM composition and function, interfering with bacterial quorum sensing, membrane permeability, as well as sensitizing bacteria to xenobiotics. In addition, can impact on gut metabolism and immunity and exert anti-inflammatory properties. In order to overcome the low bioavailability, several different approaches have been developed, aiming to improve solubility and transport of dietary polyphenols throughout the GI tract and deliver in the targeted intestinal regions. Although more research is still needed, particularly translational and clinical studies, the biotechnological progresses achieved during the last years open up good perspectives to, in a near future, be able to improve the use of dietary polyphenols modulating GM in a broad range of disorders characterized by a dysbiotic phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Sustained delivery of Host defense peptide (HDP) from inhalable PLGA MS induced changes in the cell wall integrity of Mtb by electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, which facilities introduction of small molecule anti-TB drugs into the microorganism to enhance killing. Highlights • A facile method to engineer PLGA-MS for pulmonary delivery of synthetic HDP. • Encapsulated HDP show activity against virulent TB bacteria both alone and with anti-TB drug. • Dose and time dependent Mtb inhibition was achieved without significant cytotoxicity. • HDP increase permeability of Mtb cell-membrane allowing enhanced access of anti-TB drugs to kill bacteria. • Synchronized delivery of suboptimal concentration of HDP may reduce the need for high dose of anti-TB drugs. Abstract Resistance to anti-Tuberculosis (anti-TB) drugs is primarily due to unique intrinsic resistance mechanisms that mycobacterium possess. The most important determinant of resistance is a peculiar hydrophobic and multi-layered mycobacterial cell-wall structure with mycolic-acid and wax-D, which restricts permeability of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs into bacteria. In this study, it was supposed that Host Defense peptides (HDP) which are known to permeabilize bacterial membranes may, therefore, help anti-TB antibiotics to target internal sites in bacteria. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effect of suboptimal concentration (10 µg/ml) of selected microencapsulated-HDP (Ub2-MS, K4-MS, and Aurein1.2-MS) with a standard anti-TB drug (Isoniazid, INH, 3 µg/ml). We also examined the combined effect of different concentrations of HDP-MS with a suboptimal concentration of anti-TB drug (INH, 1.5 µg/ml) which showed additive efficacy. A number of cationic HDP were encapsulated in inhalable microspheres (HDP-MS) and characterized for physicochemical and aerodynamic properties. These peptides were further evaluated for molecular mass by MALDI-TOF and random coil in its secondary structure as determined by circular dichroism. The anti-mycobacterial kinetics of selected HDP-MS (Ub2-MS, K4-MS, and Aurein1.2-MS) was evaluated against virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), both alone and in conjunction with anti-TB drug (INH). HDP-MS exhibited up to ∼3.02 and ∼3.41-log decrease in CFU as compared to blank-MS (drug free) and untreated control group in 96 h. The combination of HDP-MS with a suboptimal concentration of INH (1.5 µg/ml) showed superior antibiotic activity against Mtb. Our findings show that the enhanced efficacy is due to augmentation of membrane permeation by HDP which expedited the entry of TB drug into apparently the impermeant mycobacterial membrane which further enhances the effective efficacy of the drug. This phenomenon can reduce the need for high dosages and represents a novel paradigm for potential clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major threat to human health worldwide and development of novel antineoplastic drug is demanding task. BRM270 is a proprietary combination of traditional medicinal herbs, has been shown to be effective against a wide range of stem-like cancer initiating cells (SLCICs). However, the underlying mechanism and antitumor efficacy of BRM270 in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells have not been well elucidated till date. Here we studied the tumoricidal effect of BRM270 on human-CD133 + expressing stem-like HepG-2 and SNU-398 cells. Gene expression profiling by qPCR and specific cellular protein expressions was measured using immunocytochemistry/western blot analysis. In vivo efficacy of BRM270 has been elucidated in the SLCICs induced xenograft model. In addition, 2DG-(2-Deoxy- d -Glucose) optical-probe guided tumor monitoring was performed to delineate the size and extent of metastasized tumor. Significant ( P < 0.05) induction of Annexin-V positive cell population and dose-dependent upregulation of caspase-3 confirmed apoptotic cell death by pre/late apoptosis. In addition, bright field and fluorescence microscopy of treated cells revealed apoptotic morphology and DNA fragmentation in Hoechst33342 staining. Levels of c-Myc, Bcl-2 and c-Jun as invasive potential apoptotic marker were detected using qPCR/Western blot. Moreover, BRM270 significantly ( P < 0.05) increased survival rate that observed by Kaplan-Meier log rank test. In conclusion, these results indicate that BRM270 can effectively inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in hepatoma cells by down-regulating CyclinD1/Bcl2 mediated c-Jun apoptotic pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Dermatophytosis is a common infection of the skin, hair, and nails caused by dermatophytes, a group of filamentous fungi capable of digesting and obtaining nutrients from keratin. Dermatophytes comprise three important genera: Epidermophyton , Microsporum ,and Trichophyton. This study aimed to analyze the antifungal susceptibility patterns of Trichophyton mentagrophytes isolates using the epsilometer test (E-test) method. Material and methods This prospective observational study was conducted on clinically suspected cases of dermatophytosis. All samples, including skin scrapings, hair, and nails, were subjected to potassium hydroxide (KOH) examination followed by fungal culture. The Trichophyton mentagrophytes isolates were then subjected to antifungal susceptibility testing using the E-test method for the two most prescribed antifungals: itraconazole and fluconazole. Results In this study, one-third of the patients who tested positive for dermatophytosis belonged to the same family, with spouses being the most commonly affected. Tinea corporis was the most common clinical presentation, with Trichophyton mentagrophytes identified as the most common etiological agent. Itraconazole was more effective than fluconazole. Conclusion The current study demonstrated that antifungal susceptibility testing of dermatophytes using the E-test is easier and can be applied in routine laboratories as a screening method, serving as an alternative to broth microdilution., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institute Ethics Committee, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow issued approval 32/17. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Maurya et al.)

A Gram-negative-staining, aerobic, non-motile, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped and yellow-pigmented bacterium, designated R11HT, was isolated from a soil sample collected from a hexachlorocyclohexane dumpsite located at Ummari village, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strain R11HT and the type strains of species of genus Sphingopyxis with validly published names ranged from 93.75 to 97.85 %. Strain R11HT showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Sphingopyxis indica DS15T (97.85 %), followed by Sphingopyxis soli JCM15910T (97.79 %), Sphingopyxis ginsengisoli KCTC 12582T (97.77 %) and Sphingopyxis panaciterrulae KCTC 22112T (97.34 %). The DNA G+C content of strain R11HT was 63.5 mol%. DNA-DNA relatedness between strain R11HT and its closest phylogenetic neighbours was well below the threshold value of 70 %, which suggested that strain R11HT represents a novel species of the genus Sphingopyxis. The major polar lipids of strain R11HT were sphingoglycolipid and other lipids commonly reported in this genus, phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine. Spermidine was detected as the major polyamine. The chemotaxonomic markers in strain R11HT confirmed its classification in the genus Sphingopyxis, i.e. Q-10 as the major ubiquinone and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), C16 : 0 and C14 : 0 2-OH as the predominant fatty acids. Results obtained from DNA-DNA hybridization and chemotaxonomic and phenotypic analyses clearly distinguished strain R11HT from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain R11HT represents a novel species of the genus Sphingopyxis, for which the name Sphingopyxis flava sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is R11HT ( = DSM 28472T = MCC 2778T).

Here, we report the draft genome sequence (4.2 Mb) of Sphingobium quisquiliarum strain P25(T), a natural lin (genes involved in degradation of hexachlorocyclohexane [HCH] isomers) variant genotype, isolated from a heavily contaminated (450 mg HCH/g of soil) HCH dumpsite.