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Green synthesis of NPs has gained extensive acceptance as they are reliable, eco-friendly, sustainable, and stable. Chemically synthesized NPs cause lung inflammation, heart problems, liver dysfunction, immune suppression, organ accumulation, and altered metabolism, leading to organ-specific toxicity. NPs synthesized from plants and microbes are biologically safe and cost-effective. These microbes and plant sources can consume and accumulate inorganic metal ions from their adjacent niches, thus synthesizing extracellular and intracellular NPs. These inherent characteristics of biological cells to process and modify inorganic metal ions into NPs have helped explore an area of biochemical analysis. Biological entities or their extracts used in NPs include algae, bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, viruses, yeasts, and plants, with varying capabilities through the bioreduction of metallic NPs. These biosynthesized NPs have a wide range of pharmaceutical applications, such as tissue engineering, detection of pathogens or proteins, antimicrobial agents, anticancer mediators, vehicles for drug delivery, formulations for functional foods, and identification of pathogens, which can contribute to translational research in medical applications. NPs have various applications in the food and drug packaging industry, agriculture, and environmental remediation.

Abstract The delivery of safe and effective radical cure for Plasmodium vivax is one of the greatest challenges for achieving malaria elimination from the Asia–Pacific by 2030. During the annual meeting of the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network Vivax Working Group in October 2016, a round table discussion was held to discuss the programmatic issues hindering the widespread use of primaquine (PQ) radical cure. Participants included 73 representatives from 16 partner countries and 33 institutional partners and other research institutes. In this meeting report, the key discussion points are presented and grouped into five themes: (i) current barriers for glucose-6-phosphate deficiency (G6PD) testing prior to PQ radical cure, (ii) necessary properties of G6PD tests for wide scale deployment, (iii) the promotion of G6PD testing, (iv) improving adherence to PQ regimens and (v) the challenges for future tafenoquine (TQ) roll out. Robust point of care (PoC) G6PD tests are needed, which are suitable and cost-effective for clinical settings with limited infrastructure. An affordable and competitive test price is needed, accompanied by sustainable funding for the product with appropriate training of healthcare staff, and robust quality control and assurance processes. In the absence of quantitative PoC G6PD tests, G6PD status can be gauged with qualitative diagnostics, however none of the available tests is currently sensitive enough to guide TQ treatment. TQ introduction will require overcoming additional challenges including the management of severely and intermediately G6PD deficient individuals. Robust strategies are needed to ensure that effective treatment practices can be deployed widely, and these should ensure that the caveats are outweighed by the benefits of radical cure for both the patients and the community. Widespread access to quality controlled G6PD testing will be critical.

Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae possess a new problem to health care professionals worldwide, which complicates and limits therapeutic options. It is one of the leading nosocomial bacterial pathogens, and the present study aims to determine the prevalence of ESβL producing K. pneumoniae isolates with their antibiotic susceptibility pattern in urine samples of the pregnant women with UTI. Materials and Methods: Using standard isolation and identification procedures a total of 41 isolates were obtained from 417 midstream urine samples of pregnant women with suspected UTI in Karnataka. The antibiotic resistance profile of each isolate was performed by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and ESβL production by standard phenotypic method. Results: Isolation rate of K. pneumoniae in pregnant women was 19.9% and overall incidence rate was 9.8%. Among the 41 K. pneumoniae isolates, 26 (63.4%) were ESβL producers and all were found to be Multi Drug Resistance (MDR). The antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) for the isolates revealed that the highest number of K. pneumoniae were resistant to ampicillin (75.6%) followed by, nitrofurontoin and cefuroxime (73.1%) and least to chloramphenicol (12.1%). ESβL producers were highly resistance to nitrofurontoin (69.2%) and cotrimonazole (65.2%) and lower resistance was (7.6%) to amaikacin, observed. A higher resistance pattern to these two antibiotics was observed against ESβL non producing K. pneumonia but lowest to polymyxin B (13.3%) instead of amikacin (26.6%). All the isolates were found to be susceptible to imipenem. Conclusion: Present investigation revealed high prevalence of MDR- ESβL producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, which indicates dire need for effective ESβL surveillance in the community by using cost effective antimicrobials agents.

The present research was conducted during the year 2020-21 in Dharwad district of North Karnataka. The expost facto research design was used in this study. Considering more number of Gowli families, six villages of Dharwad taluk were selected and from each village 20 respondents were selected randomly, constituting 120 samples for the study. The results indicated that 69.17 per cent of Gowlis belonged to the low adoption category. Cent percent (100%) of the Gowlis possessed local and crossbreed cow and upgraded buffaloes for milch purpose and 95.83 per cent had full adoption to keep watch on heat symptoms of cow/buffalo. In feeding practices, 98.30 and 63.34 per cent of them had partially adopted feeding 12 kg green fodder and 5 kg dry fodder per day per animal and feeding 1 kg of concentrates per every 2 kg milk yield, respectively. More than onetenth of Gowlis had fully adopted management practices for Haemorrhagic septicaemia (11.67%) and Black quarter (10.83%). Construction of dairy shed at a higher elevation was fully adopted by only 12.50 per cent of Gowlis and filtering of milk with a sieve or muslin cloth after milking was fully adopted by 76.67 per cent. Cent percent (100%) of Gowlis perceived these constraints as greater extent i.e., non-availability of green fodder, non-availability of emergency veterinary services and low milk yield, whereas, constraints perceived as lesser extent were lack of insurance of dairy animals (99.17 %). Variables such as Cosmopoliteness and Economic motivation had a positive and significant relationship with Adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is mainly a rabi season crop of India grown in diverse agroclimatic conditions under various cropping systems and a major pulse crop in Karnataka state. JG-11 and JAKI-9218 are two prominent chickpea varieties cultivated by farmers in Dharwad district along with Annigeri-1 (local variety). The study throws light on differences between the above chickpea varieties in terms of spread, productivity and income. The study was conducted in Dharwad, Navalgund and Kundagol taluks of Dharwad district of Karnataka state during 2020-21 with a sample of 135 chickpea farmers. A distinctive pattern of spread of the two varieties viz., JG-11 and JAKI-9218 was noticed. Initially, in the year 2018-19, the area under JAKI-9218 was greater than JG-11, but in the subsequent years area under JG-11 became greater than JAKI-9218, mainly due to farmers preference to JG-11 variety for its better resistance to fusarium wilt. The study found that the productivity and income of JG-11 and JAKI-9218 varieties had a narrow difference, but showed significant difference when compared with Annigeri-1 (local variety). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) provides Dairy Animal Management (DAM) training to the members of milk co-operative societies to provide knowledge on improved dairy management practices. The present research was conducted during 2020-21 in Dharwad district of Karnataka, where a branch of KMF is located and conducting the training programmes to its members regularly on improved dairy management practices. The present study was aimed to know the impact of DAM training on trainees, who were trained during 2017 and 2018, using a proportionate sampling method. A total of 120 respondents were selected from five taluks namely Dharwad, Kalghatgi, Navalgund, Kundgol and Hubballi. The results indicated that more than two-fifth (46.67%) of DAM trainees had high knowledge on improved dairy management practices, whereas cent percent of them had knowledge on specific aspects of management practices viz., dairy breeds, dairy housing, feeding, reproduction management. The variables viz., education, occupation, economic motivation, innovative proneness, social participation and mass media exposure were positively and significantly related to the knowledge level of trainees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research was conducted during the year 2020-21 in Dharwad district of North Karnataka taking into consideration more number Gowli families. Traditionally Gowlis are buffalo keepers. They are involved in dairy farming and animal husbandry from generations for their livelihood. Using the Ex-post facto research design, information was collected in six villages of Dharwad taluk at the rate of 20 respondents from each village, constituting 120 samples for the study. The results indicated that the majority of the Gowlis maintained the herd size of 9 to 26 livestock which were aged more than two and half years buffaloes (93.33%) and cows (64.16%) that were in the peak of economic milk yielding age and even in the herd composition majority (55.00%) had cows + buffaloes combination. Gowlis had a medium level of awareness on Improved Dairy Management Practices. They were well aware of breeds of cows and buffaloes. A majority (99.17%) of them were aware of heat symptoms like bellowing and mounting on other animals each followed by 97.50 per cent of Gowlis were aware of foot and mouth disease, whereas, 95.00 per cent were aware of colostrum feeding and 90.83 per cent of them were aware of filtering the milk with a sieve after milking. Variables such as Herd size, Herd composition, Cosmopoliteness and Economic motivation had a positive and significant relationship with Awareness of Gowlis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper attempted to study the performance of the Sthree Shakti Groups (SSG) in Dharwad district of north Karnataka. Twelve SSGs were identified from four taluks of Dharwad district in consultation with Child Development Project (CDP) Officers. The primary data about the groups were collected from group representatives and respected group members by using the schedule developed for the study. The results indicated that the majority (69.17%) of the respondents belonged to middle age, 37.50 per cent were illiterate and more than one third (35.00%) were practicing Agriculture + Dairy as their family occupation. More than two-fifth (42.50%) had medium annual income, 63.33 per cent had medium social participation. More than two-fifth (41.66%) of the SSGs belonged to the low organizational capacity category. More than twofifth (41.67%) of the SSGs were medium saving and credit category. Half of the group (50.00%) SSGs were found in the medium financial management category, followed by 50.00 per cent of SSGs were found in the medium microenterprise development category and 50.00 per cent were in high category of network and linkage. The majority (83.34%) of the SSGs were categorized into the high empowerment and influence category. More than 50.00 per cent (58.33%) of the SSGs belonged to the medium performance category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irrigation Water Management (IWM) being considered essential as it contributes to crop production all over the world. Nonetheless, water losses throughout the system, inefficient irrigation practices and lack of attention towards the proper maintenance of existing infrastructure were the constraining factors to achieve the benefits of sustainable use of water. Hence, this paper develops strategies to achieve sustainable water management of irrigation systems. Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted for industry professionals in the IWM sector in Sri Lanka as the main data collection method in this study. The collected data were analysed using a code-based content analysis based on the directed approach. The research findings identified four main categories of strategies, namely, engineering, management, operational and regulatory. The findings are substantially beneficial for industry practitioners in the water management sector to overcome the issues in IWM practices regarding the water use efficiency, equity of water distribution, environmental integrity and economic acceptability. This study can be further extended to prioritise the issues and strategies to statistically generalise the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visible light-mediated photocatalytic performance of the Mo-doped SnO2 (SnO2:Mo) nanopowders synthesized via cost-effective chemical method against methyl orange (MO) and rhodamine B (RhB) dyes has been outlined in this paper. Mo concentration in SnO2 is varied as 0 wt.%, 5 wt.%, 10 wt.% and 15 wt.%. The nanopowders were characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectra and photoluminescence. The (1 0 1) preferential growth observed for the undoped SnO2 is retained for all the doped samples. Uniform distribution of grains was observed from the SEM images of all the samples with grain size being reduced with Mo doping. XPS spectrum of the 10 wt.% Mo-doped sample confirmed that Sn and Mo exist in +4 and +6 oxidation states, respectively. The band gap of pure SnO2 decreased from 3.56 eV to 3.44 eV with Mo doping. Photocatalytic performance of pure SnO2 got enhanced with Mo doping and the 10 wt.% Mo-doped SnO2 sample exhibited maximum degradation efficiency of 90.23% against MO and 81.14% against RhB dyes. The results confirm that the SnO2:Mo nanopowders are well suited as an efficient catalyst for degrading organic dyes in waste water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles (Nps) of Ba (0, 1 to 5 at.%)-doped BiFeO3 were synthesized by a sol-gel route at 100 °C using tartaric acid as a chelating agent. The obtained results were studied by using XRD, SEM with EDAX, TEM, UV-vis diffusion reflectance spectra, VSM, and impedance analyzer. EDAX spectra confirmed the presence of Bi, Ba, and Fe in the samples. X-ray diffraction studies showed that BiFeO3 and Bi1−xBaxFeO3 samples exhibited the expected rhombohedral perovskite structure up to a Ba concentration of 3%, whereas 4 and 5% of Ba concentration exhibited the tetragonal phase. TEM studies indicate the particle sizes in the range of 08-28 nm. Reflectance spectra measurements showed a decrease in band gap with increasing Ba concentration. Magnetic properties indicated that the undoped BiFeO3 and Ba-doped BiFeO3 samples were ferromagnetic at room temperature. The dielectric constant (ε′) and loss (ε″) show large dispersion behavior. The dielectric constant increases with an increase of dopant concentration, but a very high value of the dielectric constant was noticed for x = 0.05. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective is to identify the HR issues of academic libraries, evaluation of performance and satisfaction level of LIS professionals. This study discussed about human resource management issues in academic libraries situated in old mamallapuram road (IT Highway), Chennai arts, science and Engineering institution by survey method, questionnaire tool used. 75 % of LIS professional expected thatgood remuneration or supportive management from HRM in academic institutions. Almost (90 %) all the library professionals expects motivation in publication in journals/conference/seminar/workshop by their respective college management. Library professionals involved in all the academic performance indicators like publication, continuing education programmes, organization of seminar/workshop, funded projects, and implementing new technologies like barcode, RFID, digital library in their institution. HR services in academic institutions motivate the professionals for their best performance in their department Academic performance of library professionals keenly watched by HRM and found that librarians and assistant librarians are score better performance than lower grade. 60% of the LIS professionals satisfied with all HR services provided by the academic institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver doped tin oxide (SnO2:Ag) nanopowders were synthesized by a simple soft chemical route with 0, 5, 10 and 15 wt% concentrations of Ag. The structural, morphological, optical, photoluminescence and photocatalytic properties of the synthesized samples were studied and the results obtained are reported in this paper. XRD studies confirm the polycrystalline nature of the synthesized samples. The undoped and doped samples exhibit a strong (1 0 1) preferential growth. Decreased crystallite size is observed with Ag doping. Nanosized grains were observed for the doped samples. Peak related to Sn–O–Sn lattice vibration is observed for both the undoped and doped samples in the FTIR spectra. Peaks related to oxygen vacancies were observed at 362 and 499 nm for all the samples in the PL spectra. Enhanced photocatalytic activity was observed for the doped samples and the SnO2:Ag nanopowder with 10 wt% Ag doping concentration exhibited maximum photodegradation efficiency against the degradation of methyl orange dye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the effect of (Mn + F) double doping on the structural, morphological, optoelectronic, magnetic and antibacterial properties of CdO thin films. Undoped CdO, Mn-doped CdO and (Mn + F) doubly doped CdO films exhibit face-centered cubic structure with a strong (1 1 1) preferential growth. Crystallite size value of the undoped film estimated using the Scherrer formula decreases with Mn doping and with double doping it increases. Cauliflower shaped nanostructures are evinced from the SEM images. Increased optical transparency is observed for the doubly doped films. The optical band gap value of the Mn-doped CdO film is found to be red shifted and for the (Mn + F) doubly doped films it is blue shifted which may be attributed to the Moss-Burstein effect. Ferromagnetic ordering is observed for the doped films. The doped films show increased antibacterial efficiency against K. pneumonia a gram −ve bacteria. The obtained results infer that the CdO films doubly doped with Mn (cationic) and F (anionic) ions exhibited better optical, electrical, magnetic and antibacterial properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sri Lanka has achieved 'malaria-free' status and is now in the phase of prevention of re-introduction of malaria. Imported malaria remains a challenge to resurgence of the disease. The diagnostic challenges encountered and the rapid response initiated to manage a Plasmodium infection, which was later confirmed as Plasmodium knowlesi, the first reported case from Sri Lanka, is discussed. Case presentation: An army officer who returned from Malaysia in October 2016 was found to be positive for Plasmodium both by microscopy and rapid diagnostic test (RDT) by the Anti Malaria Campaign Sri Lanka (AMC) during his third visit to a health care provider. Microscopy findings were suspicious of P. knowlesi infection as the smears showed parasite stages similar to both Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium falciparum. Nested PCR at AMC confirmed Plasmodium genus, but not the species. In the absence of species confirmation, the patient was treated as a case of P. falciparum. The presence of P. knowlesi was later confirmed by a semi-nested PCR assay performed at the Environmental Health Institute, National Environmental Agency in Singapore. The parasite strain was also characterized by sequencing the circumsporozoite gene. Extensive case investigation including parasitological and entomological surveillance was carried out. Conclusions: Plasmodium knowlesi should be suspected in patients returning from countries in the South Asian region where the parasite is prevalent and when blood smear results are inconclusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sol-gel synthesized SnO2 nanoparticles with an average size of 20.0 nm obtained at 100° C were gradually annealed to 800° C in air for 60 minutes. Crystal density, lattice volume and microstrain are found to be nearly constant with annealing temperature, which confirm the formation of monophase SnO2. The prepared powders were characterized for their structural, morphological, and electrical properties. Spherical particles in the nanoscale level, with the size increasing with temperature are observed from XRD, SEM and TEM results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basic pushover methods, which are in practice today, are considered not to be reliable for structures having significant higher mode participation. Efforts are being continued worldwide for modifying conventional nonlinear static procedures (pushover methods), to make them applicable for the seismic assessment of irregular building structures. This study aims at developing a load pattern to be used with the basic nonlinear static procedures for the analysis of two-dimensional reinforced concrete frames with vertically asymmetric setbacks. The accuracy of the basic nonlinear static procedures when applied to such buildings is also verified against the results of nonlinear dynamic analyses. The results are not conclusive in identifying any single pushover method absolutely suitable for such buildings. However, the load pattern proposed in this article can be used with all the basic nonlinear static procedures considered in this study, to obtain the displacement demands of bare frames with vertically asymmetric setbacks. Another load pattern is identified to predict their base shear demands. It is also understood that masonry in-filled frames cannot be analysed with a single load pattern throughout the analysis. A suitable method for analysing reinforced concrete frames with asymmetric setbacks using the basic nonlinear static procedures is evolved at the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin films of chlorine-doped cadmium oxide (CdO) with different Cl doping concentrations (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 at.-%) have been deposited on glass substrates by employing spray pyrolysis technique using perfume atomiser. The effect of Cl doping on the properties of the films was investigated. XRD (X-ray diffraction) patterns revealed that all the films are polycrystalline in nature having cubic structure with a preferential orientation along the (1 1 1) plane irrespective of Cl-doping level. Electrical studies showed that a minimum sheet resistance of 2.95 × 105 Ω sq− 1is observed for the film coated with 6 at.-% Cl. Improved optical transparency, widened band gap and reduced resistivity obtained make CdO:Cl films suitable for optoelectronic device applications, especially as window layer for solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin films of manganese-doped cadmium oxide (CdO:Mn) with different Mn-doping levels (0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 at.%) were deposited on glass substrates by employing an inexpensive, simplified spray technique using a perfume atomizer at 375 °C. The influence of Mn incorporation on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of CdO films has been studied. All the films exhibit cubic crystal structure with a (1 1 1) preferential orientation. Mn-doping causes a slight shift of the (1 1 1) diffraction peak towards higher angle. The crystallite size of the films is found to decrease from 34.63 nm to 17.68 nm with an increase in Mn doping concentration. The CdO:Mn film coated with 1 at.% Mn exhibit a high transparency of nearly 90 % which decreases for higher doping concentration. The optical band gap decreases with an increase in Mn doping concentration. All the films have electrical resistivity of the order of 10-4 Ωcm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three extraction methods were compared for their efficiency to analyze sitagliptin and simvastatin in rat plasma by LC–MS/MS, including (1) liquid–liquid extraction (LLE), (2) solid phase extraction (SPE) and (3) supported liquid extraction (SLE). Comparison of recoveries of analytes with different extraction methods revealed that SLE was the best extraction method. The detection was facilitated with ion trap-mass spectrometer by multiple reactions monitoring (MRM) in a positive ion mode with ESI. The transitions monitored were m/z 441.1→325.2 for simvastatin, 408.2→235.1 for sitagliptin and 278.1→260.1 for the IS. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.2 ng/mL for sitagliptin and 0.1 ng/mL for simvastatin. The effective SLE offers enhanced chromatographic selectivity, thus facilitating the potential utility of the method for routine analysis of biological samples along with pharmacokinetic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ensure food safety and quality, the development of rapid detection of mycotoxins using sensitive and accurate methods is essential. Zearalenone is one of the mycotoxins found in cereals, and its toxicity poses a serious risk to humans. For this concern, a simple ceria silver co doped zinc oxide (Ce-Ag/ZnO) catalyst was prepared by coprecipitation approach. The physical properties of the catalyst were characterized by XRD, FTIR, XPS, FESEM, and TEM. The Ce-Ag/ZnO catalyst was used as an electrode material for the detection of ZEN in food samples due to its synergistic effect and high catalytic activity. The sensor exhibits good catalytic performance with a detection limit of 0.26 µg/mL. Moreover, the efficiency of the prepared sensor was confirmed by selectivity in interference studies and real-time analysis in food samples. Our research is an essential technique for using trimetallic heterostructures to study the construction of sensors., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antigens in blood has high sensitivity in adults with acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but sensitivity in pediatric patients is unclear. Recent data suggest that persistent SARS-CoV-2 spike antigenemia may contribute to multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). We quantified SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) and spike (S) antigens in blood of pediatric patients with either acute COVID-19 or MIS-C using ultrasensitive immunoassays (Meso Scale Discovery)., Methods: Plasma was collected from inpatients (<21 years) enrolled across 15 hospitals in 15 US states. Acute COVID-19 patients (n = 36) had a range of disease severity and positive nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR within 24 hours of blood collection. Patients with MIS-C (n = 53) met CDC criteria and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (RT-PCR or serology). Controls were patients pre-COVID-19 (n = 67) or within 24 hours of negative RT-PCR (n = 43)., Results: Specificities of N and S assays were 95-97% and 100%, respectively. In acute COVID-19 patients, N/S plasma assays had 89%/64% sensitivity; sensitivities in patients with concurrent nasopharyngeal swab cycle threshold (Ct) ≤35 were 93%/63%. Antigen concentrations ranged from 1.28-3844 pg/mL (N) and 1.65-1071 pg/mL (S) and correlated with disease severity. In MIS-C, antigens were detected in 3/53 (5.7%) samples (3 N-positive: 1.7, 1.9, 121.1 pg/mL; 1 S-positive: 2.3 pg/mL); the patient with highest N had positive nasopharyngeal RT-PCR (Ct 22.3) concurrent with blood draw., Conclusions: Ultrasensitive blood SARS-CoV-2 antigen measurement has high diagnostic yield in children with acute COVID-19. Antigens were undetectable in most MIS-C patients, suggesting that persistent antigenemia is not a common contributor to MIS-C pathogenesis., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of Interest . G. B. S., A. M., N. M., P. B, J. J., N. P., and D. R. are employees of Meso Scale Diagnostics. N. B. H. receives unrelated research support from Sanofi and Quidel. J. E. S. has received unrelated research support from Merck. H. R. F. is an Advisor for LuciraHealth. A. G. R. reports grants or contracts from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to the institution outside of the submitted work; royalties or licenses from UpToDate for Pediatric Critical Care Section Editor; and is an unpaid Treasurer for International Sepsis Forum. All other authors report no potential conflicts. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Convenient and widespread serology testing may alter the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study seeks to leverage high-throughput, multiplexed serologic assays, which have been adopted as benchmarks for vaccine efficacy, to support large-scale surveys of SARS-CoV-2 immunity using finger-stick blood and/or saliva. Specifically, we optimized MSD's serology assays, which were analytically validated for serum, to test self-collected finger-stick blood and saliva samples to identify prior infection. We show that these assays can be used with FDA-registered specimen collection devices to obtain quantitative measurements for self-collected samples. First, we show that salivary antibodies are stable without refrigeration or preservatives for at least 5 days. We selected classification thresholds for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 N, RBD and Spike in finger-stick blood and saliva that provided 98% specificity in a set of individuals without known COVID-19 exposure. Using matched samples, we show that testing of saliva and finger-stick blood equivalently identified individuals with humoral responses to CoV-2 antigens. Moreover, we piloted a simple saliva collection kit that can be used to safely send samples through the mail using written instructions only. This work establishes key parameters to robustly assay self-collected finger-stick blood and saliva using quantitative immunoassays that could support large-scale serology testing., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The enantioselective desymmetrization via remote C(sp 2 )-H amidation of the prochiral 2,2-disubstituted cyclopentene-1,3-dione with N -methoxybenzamide has been developed. The overall process was catalyzed by a chiral bifunctional thiourea catalyst through a sequential conjugate-addition-elimination-tautomerization. This strategy provides rapid access to highly functionalized five-membered carbocycles, bearing an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center through remote stereocontrol in high yields with moderate to excellent enantioselectivities.

The delivery of safe and effective radical cure for Plasmodium vivax is one of the greatest challenges for achieving malaria elimination from the Asia-Pacific by 2030. During the annual meeting of the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network Vivax Working Group in October 2016, a round table discussion was held to discuss the programmatic issues hindering the widespread use of primaquine (PQ) radical cure. Participants included 73 representatives from 16 partner countries and 33 institutional partners and other research institutes. In this meeting report, the key discussion points are presented and grouped into five themes: (i) current barriers for glucose-6-phosphate deficiency (G6PD) testing prior to PQ radical cure, (ii) necessary properties of G6PD tests for wide scale deployment, (iii) the promotion of G6PD testing, (iv) improving adherence to PQ regimens and (v) the challenges for future tafenoquine (TQ) roll out. Robust point of care (PoC) G6PD tests are needed, which are suitable and cost-effective for clinical settings with limited infrastructure. An affordable and competitive test price is needed, accompanied by sustainable funding for the product with appropriate training of healthcare staff, and robust quality control and assurance processes. In the absence of quantitative PoC G6PD tests, G6PD status can be gauged with qualitative diagnostics, however none of the available tests is currently sensitive enough to guide TQ treatment. TQ introduction will require overcoming additional challenges including the management of severely and intermediately G6PD deficient individuals. Robust strategies are needed to ensure that effective treatment practices can be deployed widely, and these should ensure that the caveats are outweighed by  the benefits of radical cure for both the patients and the community. Widespread access to quality controlled G6PD testing will be critical.

Background: Sri Lanka has achieved 'malaria-free' status and is now in the phase of prevention of re-introduction of malaria. Imported malaria remains a challenge to resurgence of the disease. The diagnostic challenges encountered and the rapid response initiated to manage a Plasmodium infection, which was later confirmed as Plasmodium knowlesi, the first reported case from Sri Lanka, is discussed., Case Presentation: An army officer who returned from Malaysia in October 2016 was found to be positive for Plasmodium both by microscopy and rapid diagnostic test (RDT) by the Anti Malaria Campaign Sri Lanka (AMC) during his third visit to a health care provider. Microscopy findings were suspicious of P. knowlesi infection as the smears showed parasite stages similar to both Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium falciparum. Nested PCR at AMC confirmed Plasmodium genus, but not the species. In the absence of species confirmation, the patient was treated as a case of P. falciparum. The presence of P. knowlesi was later confirmed by a semi-nested PCR assay performed at the Environmental Health Institute, National Environmental Agency in Singapore. The parasite strain was also characterized by sequencing the circumsporozoite gene. Extensive case investigation including parasitological and entomological surveillance was carried out., Conclusions: Plasmodium knowlesi should be suspected in patients returning from countries in the South Asian region where the parasite is prevalent and when blood smear results are inconclusive.

A liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) method was developed and validated for the determination of piperine (PPR) on dried blood spots (DBS). DBS samples were prepared by spiking the whole blood with analyte to produce 30 µL of blood spots on specimen collection cards. Chromatographic separation was achieved on an Atlantis dC 18 column using acetonitrile and water (0.1% formic acid) (85:15, v/v) as mobile phase in an isocratic mode of elution at a flow rate of 0.75 mL/min. MS detection was carried out in electrospray positive ion mode for the target ions and monitored at m/z 286.1465 for PPR and 272.1303 for the internal standard (IS). The developed method exhibited a linear dynamic range over 0.01-2000 ng/mL for PPR on DBS. The overall extraction recovery of PPR from DBS was 92.5%. Influence of hematocrit and spot volume on DBS was also evaluated and found to be well within the acceptable limits. The method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic studies of PPR in rats.