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Self-assembled small peptide-based nanoparticles (NPs) constitute a major section of the biomimetic smart NPs owing to their excellent compatibility and minimal adverse effects in the biological system. Here, we have designed a modified L -carnosine dipeptide analog, "Fmoc-β-Ala- L -His-(Trt)-o-methyl formate", which was assembled along with a modified single amino acid, Fmoc-Arg-(Pbf)-OH and zinc ions to form stable and mono-dispersed L -carnosine analog NPs (CaNPs) with inherent anti-cancer properties. Furthermore, the CaNPs demonstrated an average size of ∼200 nm, making them suitable to invade the tumor site by following the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Our studies depicted a remarkable cancer cell killing ability of the NPs of ∼82% in C6 glioma cells. Thereafter, cellular investigations were performed in C6 cells to analyze the influence of the NPs on cellular cytoskeleton integrity by using a phalloidin assay and anti-cancer efficacy by using calcein AM/PI, and an apoptosis assay further indicated their anti-cancer effect. Additionally, the NPs negatively impacted the ability of C6 cells to migrate across a premade scratch (∼44% wound closure) demonstrating their tendency to halt cancer cell migration and metastasis. Also, our NPs depicted ∼19.51 ± 0.17% permeability across the bEnd.3 transwell model establishing their BBB penetrability. Collectively, our results could positively implicate the successful anti-cancer potential of the minimalistic, biologically compliant, L -carnosine analog (Ca)-based nanostructures in glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-β) family consists of numerous secreted peptide growth factors that play significant roles in cell function, tissue patterning, and organismal homeostasis, including wound repair and immunity. Typically studied as homodimers, these ligands have the potential to diversify their functions through ligand interactions that may enhance, repress, or generate novel functions. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, there are only five TGF-β ligands, providing an opportunity to dissect ligand interactions in fewer combinations than in vertebrates. As in vertebrates, these ligands can be divided into bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and TGF-β/Activin subfamilies that predominantly signal through discrete signaling pathways. The BMP subfamily ligand DBL-1 has been well studied for its role in the innate immune response in C. elegans. Here we show that all five TGF-β ligands play a role in survival on bacterial pathogens. We also demonstrate that multiple TGF-β ligand pairs act nonredundantly as part of this response. We show that the two BMP-like ligands–DBL-1 and TIG-2 –function independently of each other in the immune response, while TIG2/BMP and the TGF-β/Activin-like ligand TIG-3 function together. Structural modeling supports the potential for TIG-2 and TIG-3 to form heterodimers. Additionally, we identify TIG-2 and TIG-3 as members of a rare subset of TGF-β ligands lacking the conserved cysteine responsible for disulfide linking mature dimers. Finally, we show that canonical DBL1/BMP receptor and Smad signal transducers function in the response to bacterial pathogens, while components of the DAF7 TGF-β/Activin signaling pathway do not play a major role in survival. These results demonstrate a novel potential for BMP and TGF-β/Activin subfamily ligands to interact and may provide a mechanism for distinguishing the developmental and homeostatic functions of these ligands from an acute response such as the innate immune response to bacterial pathogens. Author summary: The first line of defense upon exposure to a pathogen consists of innate immunity, which includes barrier functions and cell-cell communication. These cell-cell communication signaling pathways are highly conserved across species, enabling the use of simpler genetically tractable model organisms for their study. One such signaling pathway is the Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-β) pathway, which is conserved from invertebrates to vertebrates. TGF-β signaling ligands can be broadly divided into two major groups: the TGF-β/Activin group and the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) group. There is compelling evidence that heterodimers have biological activities that differ from homodimers, but to this time, heterodimers have only been observed within subfamilies and not across subfamilies. In humans, there are 33 TGF-β ligands. In comparison, there are only five ligands in the nematode C. elegans, providing an opportunity to dissect ligand interactions in fewer combinations than in vertebrates. In this work, we show that all five ligands contribute to survival on bacterial pathogens to different extents and with specificity concerning the pathogen. Strikingly, genetic evidence and structural modeling support the existence of cross-subfamily interaction between BMP and TGF-β/Activin ligands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Canada, extreme heat occurrences present significant risks to public health, particularly for vulnerable groups like older individuals and those with preexisting health conditions. Accurately predicting indoor temperatures during these events is crucial for informing public health strategies and mitigating the adverse impacts of extreme heat. While current systems rely on outdoor temperature data, incorporating real-time indoor temperature estimations can significantly enhance decision-making and strengthen overall health system responses. Sensor-based technologies, such as ecobee smart thermostats installed in homes, enable effortless collection of indoor temperature and humidity data. This study evaluates the efficacy of deep learning models in predicting indoor temperatures during heat waves using smart thermostat data, to enhance public health responses. Utilizing ecobee smart thermostats, we analyzed indoor temperature trends and developed forecasting models. Our findings indicate the potential of integrating IoT and deep learning into health warning systems, enabling proactive interventions, and improving sustainable health care practices in extreme heat scenarios. This approach highlights the role of digital health innovations in creating the resilient and sustainable healthcare systems against climate-related health adversities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence has become common in patients who have undergone catheter ablation. High neutrophil lymphocyte ratios (NLR) have been linked to an increased risk of recurrent AF. The research is, however, not conclusive. This meta-analysis addressed the value of easily accessible and affordable pre-and postablation NLR levels as indicators of AF recurrence in patients who had undergone ablation. We searched PubMed, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar for pertinent studies through May 2023. Using random effects models, the aggregated odds ratio (OR) of pre-and post-NLR and AF recurrence was estimated. Inter-study heterogeneity was described using I² statistics and leave-one-out sensitivity analysis. A p-value < .05 was considered statistically significant. The literature search yielded 270 studies, seven of which were included in this meta-analysis of 1923 patients who experienced AF recurrence after undergoing ablation. There are five retrospective and two prospective studies with a mean follow-up of 20.5 months. The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) of AF recurrence for preablation NLR was 1.33 (95% CI: 1.04-1.71, p < .01, I² = 95.49%), while the adjusted OR was 1.45 (95% CI: 0.87-2.43, p < .01, I² = 95.1%). The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) for postablation NLR was 1.21 (95% CI: 1.09-1.36, p < .01, I² = 85.9%), and the adjusted odds ratio (OR) was 1.28 (95% CI: 0.93-1.76), demonstrating significant heterogeneity (I² = 95.32%) with a p-value < .01. NLR was significantly associated with AF recurrence prediction. To detect AF recurrence, we recommend that clinicians add a simple NLR blood test to their diagnostic modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study aimed to assess the effect of weekend versus weekday hospital admissions on all-cause mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) 2020, identifying patients with co-existing AMI and COVID-19 admitted on weekdays and weekends. Baseline demographics, comorbidities, and outcomes were assessed. A multivariable regression analysis was conducted, adjusting for confounders to determine the odds of all-cause mortality. Among 74,820 patients, 55,145 (73.7%) were admitted on weekdays, while 19,675 (26.3%) were admitted on weekends. Weekend admissions showed slightly higher proportions of men (61.3% vs. 60%) and whites (56.3% vs. 54.9%) with a median age of 73 years (range: 62-82). The overall all-cause mortality had an odds ratio (OR) of 1.00 (95% CI, 0.92-1.09; P = 0.934). After adjusting for covariates, there was no significant associations between mortality and hospital type (rural: OR = 1.04; 95% CI, 0.78-1.39; P = 0.789; urban teaching: OR = 1.04; 95% CI, 0.94-1.14; P = 0.450) or geographic region (Northeast: OR = 1.16; 95% CI, 0.96-1.39; P = 0.12; Midwest: OR = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.83-1.17; P = 0.871; South: OR = 0.97; 95% CI, 0.85-1.12; P = 0.697; West: OR = 0.94; 95% CI, 0.77-1.15; P = 0.554). There was no significant difference in the rate of all-cause mortality among patients admitted for AMI and COVID-19 between weekdays and weekends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Birinder. Paul, Gurjot. Singh, Nahush. Bansal, Gaganeep. Singh, Gunchan. Paul Background: Dopaminergic medications administered to remedy motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease are associated with an enhanced risk for impulse [...]

Introduction Retrograde ureteroscopy with holmium laser lithotripsy (HLL) is a standard treatment for urolithiasis. Moses technology has been shown to improve fragmentation efficiency in vitro; however, it is still unclear how it performs clinically compared to standard HLL. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the differences in efficiency and outcomes between Moses mode and standard HLL. Material and methods We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases for randomized clinical trials and cohort studies comparing Moses mode and standard HLL in adults with urolithiasis. Outcomes of interest included operative (operation, fragmentation, and lasing times; total energy used; and ablation speed) and perioperative parameters (stone-free rate and overall complication rate). Results The search identified six studies eligible for analysis. Compared to standard HLL, Moses was associated with significantly shorter average lasing time (mean difference [MD] -0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI] -1.22 to -0.69 minutes), faster stone ablation speed (MD 30.45, 95% CI 11.56-49.33 mm3/min), and higher energy used (MD 1.04, 95% CI 0.33-1.76 kJ). Moses and standard HLL were not significantly different in terms of operation (MD -9.89, 95% CI -25.14 to 5.37 minutes) and fragmentation times (MD -1.71, 95% CI -11.81 to 8.38 minutes), as well as stone-free (odds ratio [OR] 1.04, 95% CI 0.73-1.49) and overall complication rates (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.39-1.17). Conclusions While perioperative outcomes were equivalent between Moses and standard HLL, Moses was associated with faster lasing time and stone ablation speeds at the expense of higher energy usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muskmelon wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis causes serious damage in muskmelon growing districts of Punjab. Keeping in view the importance of disease, the present study was conducted with an objective to identify the different races of muskmelon wilt using molecular techniques. Twenty isolates of F. oxysporum f.sp. melonis were collected in 2018 and 2019 from different locations of muskmelon growing areas of Punjab viz. Jalandhar (J) Kapurthala (K), Sangrur (S) and Patiala (P). Pathogenicity for the evaluation of prevalent races of F. oxysporum f.sp. melonis under Punjab conditions was performed on a set of five differentials viz. Charentais T, Charentais FOM-1, Charentais FOM-2, Margot and Isabelle under pot house conditions. After 2-3 true leaf stage, these differentials were artificially inoculated with spore suspension @ 1x106 /ml of twenty isolates of F. oxysporum f.sp. melonis. Findings indicated that out of total 20 isolates, 8 isolates belonged to race 1, 8 isolates belonged to race 1.2, 3 isolates belonged to race 2 and remaining 1 belonged to race 0. Therefore, race 1 and 1.2 were prevalent in Punjab. Genetic diversity among the twenty isolates of F. oxysporum f.sp. melonis was analyzed with the Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Based on cluster analysis, J2 and J4 isolates were outliers and they were genetically different from other isolates. It was concluded that Fusarium wilt of muskmelon caused by FOM was prevalent in all muskmelon growing districts of Punjab. These findings are considerably important and could be used for selection and integration of muskmelon wilt resistance gene into muskmelon breeding programmes for Fusarium wilt management under Punjab conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many augmented reality (AR) applications operate within near-field reaching distances, and require matching the depth of a virtual object with a real object. The accuracy of this matching was measured in three experiments, which examined the effect of focal distance, age, and brightness, within distances of 33.3 to 50 cm, using a custom-built AR haploscope. Experiment I examined the effect of focal demand, at the levels of collimated (infinite focal distance), consistent with other depth cues, and at the midpoint of reaching distance. Observers were too young to exhibit age-related reductions in accommodative ability. The depth matches of collimated targets were increasingly overestimated with increasing distance, consistent targets were slightly underestimated, and midpoint targets were accurately estimated. Experiment II replicated Experiment I, with older observers. Results were similar to Experiment I. Experiment III replicated Experiment I with dimmer targets, using young observers. Results were again consistent with Experiment I, except that both consistent and midpoint targets were accurately estimated. In all cases, collimated results were explained by a model, where the collimation biases the eyes’ vergence angle outwards by a constant amount. Focal demand and brightness affect near-field AR depth matching, while age-related reductions in accommodative ability have no effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Edentulous patients often complain about the instability of mandibular denture. To overcome that, implant.supported overdentures (IODs) have been applied as a good prosthetic option. Aims: The current study compared the changes in retentive force and patterns of surface wear of nylon rings of two stud attachments (ball and locator) upon cyclic loading. Subjects and Methods: Two implant analogs were fixed parallel to each other, 22 mm apart, in custom.made rectangular blocks for each attachment system. Ten nylon inserts of each attachment system were tested. Universal testing machine was used to measure the retentive force, and a low.value fatigue testing machine was used for cyclic loading of 2500 insertion.removal cycles. Surface changes of the components were evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Statistical Analysis Used: Paired Student's t.test was used to determine groups that were statistically significant. Results: The greatest retention loss rate, i.e., the difference between the initial retentive force and final retentive force was observed in the ball attachment (6.20 N) followed by locator attachment (3.70 N). The results were found to be statistically significant (d ≤ 0.001**). Upon SEM analysis, the nylon inserts of ball attachment revealed more surface wear compared to that of locator attachment. Conclusions: For greater retention and longer function, locator overdenture attachment should be preferred for implant overdentures over ball attachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The differential elastic scattering cross sections were measured for 25.2 (Sn‐Kα), 28.5 (Sn‐Kβ1,3), 37.4 (Nd‐Kα1), 36.8 (Nd‐Kα2), and 42.2 (Nd‐Kα1,3) keV X‐ray photons at 139° scattering angle in elements with 22 ≤ Z ≤ 83. The measurement was done in reflection mode experimental setup involving 50Sn/60Nd secondary targets excited with 241Am radioisotope. The scattered X‐ray photons were detected using a high‐resolution low energy germanium detector (horizontal configuration, FWHM = 300 eV at 59.5 keV) coupled with computerized multichannel analyzer. The intensity of X‐ray photons along with geometrical factors were calculated from the theoretical knowledge of K X‐ray fluorescence cross sections and measured K X‐ray yields from excited targets. The measured values of differential cross sections were compared with the theoretical available values based on form factor and second‐order S‐matrix (SM) approaches. The experimental values of cross sections exhibit a large deviation from modified form (MF) values for the elements with BK/Ein ≈1, where BK is the K‐shell binding energy of electrons and Ein is the energy of incident photon. These deviations in experiment results were smooth out by the inclusion of anomalous scattering factors (ASFs) to the MF values. The measured elastic cross sections were found to be ~7% lower than MFASF values and agree with SM values for all elements under investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rayleigh scattering differential cross sections for the 45.2 keV ( 66 Dy Kα 2 ), 46.0 keV ( 66 Dy Kα 1 ) and 52.1 keV ( 66 Dy Kβ 1,3 ) X-rays have been measured at 139° in 44 elements with 22 ≤ Z ≤ 90. The measurements were performed using a radiation source consisting of an annular 66 Dy foil excited by the 59.54 keV γ -ray photons from 241 Am radioactive source. Intensity of the incident photons along with other geometrical factors were determined by measuring the isotropically emitted K X-ray yields from targets and knowledge of the corresponding K X-ray fluorescence cross sections. The measured Rayleigh scattering cross sections are compared with those based on various form factor formalisms and the state-of-the-art S-matrix calculations to differentiate between their relative efficacies. The scattering cross sections based on the modified form factor (MF) formalism exhibit large deviations for the elements with electron binding energies in vicinity of the incident photon energy, and these deviations smooth out on inclusion of the anomalous scattering factors (ASFs) to the MF values. The cross sections based on the MF after including ASF's are found to be on an average higher by ~ 8% as compared to the measured ones. The S-matrix values exhibit in general good agreement with the measured cross sections for the elements with 22 ≤ Z ≤ 90. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work reports Rayleigh scattering cross section measurements for the 39.5 keV (Sm- Kα 2 ), 40.1 keV (Sm- Kα 1 ) and 45.4 keV (Sm- Kβ 1,3 ) X-ray photons in 35 elements with 26 ≤ Z ≤ 83 at backward angle of 139°. The scattering measurements were performed in reflection mode geometrical set up involving a secondary photon source consisting of Samarium ( 62 Sm) target excited by the 59.54 keV γ-rays from the 241 Am radioactive source. The scattered photons were detected using a low energy germanium (LEGe) detector. The product of detector efficiency, intensity of incident photons and other geometrical factors were determined by measuring the K X-ray yields from targets with 47 ≤ Z ≤ 59 and knowledge of the respective K X-ray fluorescence cross sections. The measured cross sections are compared with the theoretical cross sections based on the modified form factor (MF) formalisms and the second-order S-matrix approach. The experimental results demonstrate large deviations from the MF values for the elements with K shell binding energy (B K ) in vicinity of the incident photon energy (E in ), which smooth out with inclusion of the anomalous scattering factors (ASFs). The S-matrix values, in general, agree with the measured cross sections for all the elements under investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alignment of the L ( J = 3∕2) subshell vacancy states produced following selective photoionization in the L subshells of the Pb, Th and U elements have been investigated through the angular distribution measurements of the emitted L subshell X-ray lines. The L subshell of Pb, Th and U elements were excited by the incident K X-rays of Rb, Nb and Mo elements from secondary targets, respectively. The K X-rays were obtained from the secondary targets excited by the unpolarized 59.54 keV photons obtained from Am point source. The measurements were performed with tri-axial experimental setup over the angular range 90-154 by moving the source and keeping the target-detector assembly fixed. The error in the normalization of the L subshell X-rays were removed through the uniform mixing of the reference element into primary element and the simultaneous detection of the L ( J = 3∕2) subshell X-rays from primary element and isotropically emitted K ( J = 1∕2) X-rays from reference element without disturbing the experimental setup. The incident photon energy ( E ) from secondary target were selected in such way that B < E < B , B ( i = 1-3) being the binding energy of L subshell. The selective photoionization leads to reduction in the observed anisotropy due to shifting of unaligned vacancies fromthe L and L ( J = 1∕2) subshells to the L subshell ( J = 3∕2) through the Coster-Kronig (CK) transitions. The present measurements undoubtedly conclude that anisotropy in the L subshell X-ray emission, if present, is at the most of the order of theoretical evaluated value. The alignment measurements with and without applied external magnetic field (~0.6 T) does not significantly change the emission of the L subshell X-rays. Graphical abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many compelling augmented reality (AR) applications require users to correctly perceive the location of virtual objects, some with accuracies as tight as 1 mm. However, measuring the perceived depth of AR objects at these accuracies has not yet been demonstrated. In this paper, we address this challenge by employing two different depth judgment methods, perceptual matching and blind reaching, in a series of three experiments, where observers judged the depth of real and AR target objects presented at reaching distances. Our experiments found that observers can accurately match the distance of a real target, but when viewing an AR target through collimating optics, their matches systematically overestimate the distance by 0.5 to 4.0 cm. However, these results can be explained by a model where the collimation causes the eyes’ vergence angle to rotate outward by a constant angular amount. These findings give error bounds for using collimating AR displays at reaching distances, and suggest that for these applications, AR displays need to provide an adjustable focus. Our experiments further found that observers initially reach ∼4 cm too short, but reaching accuracy improves with both consistent proprioception and corrective visual feedback, and eventually becomes nearly as accurate as matching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Wireless Sensor Network is consist of spatially distributed autonomous sensor devices to cooperatively monitor physical or environmental conditions such as temperature, sound, vibration, pressure and pollutants etc. at various locations. WSN is highly prone to severe attacks and conventional techniques against these attacks are not desirable due to the resource constrained nature of the sensor devices i.e. low battery power, limited computation capability, bounded memory and energy resources, susceptibility to physical threat and the use of insecure wireless communication channels. Sensor nodes communicate via wireless links over limited frequency and bandwidth. However, there are still a lot of unresolved issues in wireless sensor networks of which security is one of the hottest research issues. The black-hole attack is one of the severe deniel-of-servie attack on wireless sensor network can be accomplished by dropping the data packets. The attack can be accomplished either selectively i.e. by dropping data packets for a particular destination or a randomly selected portion of the data packets or by dropping all the data packets in that network. In this paper, the IPSec (Internet protocol security) protocol based on symmetric key cryptography is used against black-hole attack in WSN. IPSec provides data security at the IP packet level. IPSec helps to create authenticated and confidential packets for IP layer. IPSec uses two efficient protocols i.e. AH (Authentication Header), ESP (Encapsulating Security Protocol). Each has their own specifications and functions. These protocols are operating in two basic modes that are: Transport Mode and Tunnel Mode. In the present work, ESP protocol is used in transport mode. It operates on DES-CBC algorithms for encryption/decryption and HMAC-MD5 algorithms are used for authentication. The performance of IPSec protocol is evaluated on the basis of metrics like throughput, total packet received, end-to-end delay and jitter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES:Gastrointestinal (GI) emergencies may cause substantial morbidity. Our aims were to characterize the national clinical and economic burden of GI visits to emergency departments (EDs) in the United States.METHODS:We performed an observational cross-sectional study using the 2007 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, the largest US all-payer ED database, to identify the leading causes for ED visits due to GI diseases and their associated charges, stratified by age and sex. Logistic regression was used to analyze predictors of hospitalization after an ED visit.RESULTS:Of the 122 million ED visits in 2007, 15 million (12%) had a primary GI diagnosis. The leading primary GI diagnoses were abdominal pain (4.7 million visits), nausea and vomiting (1.6 million visits), and functional disorders of the digestive system (0.7 million visits). The leading diagnoses differed by age group. The fraction of ED visits resulting in hospitalization was 21.6% for primary GI diagnoses vs. 14.7% for non-GI visits. Women had more ED visits with a primary GI diagnosis than men (58.5 (95% CI 56.0-60.9) vs. 41.6 (95% CI 39.8-43.3) per 1000 persons), but lower rates of subsequent hospitalization (20.0% (95% CI 19.4-20.7%) vs. 24.0% (95% CI 23.3-24.6%)). There were no differences in hospitalization rates between sexes after adjustment by age, primary GI diagnosis, and Charlson Comorbidity Score. The total charges for ED visits with a primary GI diagnosis in 2007 were $27.9 billion.CONCLUSIONS:GI illnesses account for substantial clinical and economic burdens on US emergency medical services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]