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Time series RNASeq studies can enable understanding of the dynamics of disease progression and treatment response in patients. They also provide information on biomarkers, activated and repressed pathways, and more. While useful, data from multiple patients is challenging to integrate due to the heterogeneity in treatment response among patients, and the small number of timepoints that are usually profiled. Due to the heterogeneity among patients, relying on the sampled time points to integrate data across individuals is challenging and does not lead to correct reconstruction of the response patterns. To address these challenges, we developed a new constrained based pseudo-time ordering method for analyzing transcriptomics data in clinical and response studies. Our method allows the assignment of samples to their correct placement on the response curve while respecting the individual patient order. We use polynomials to represent gene expression over the duration of the study and an EM algorithm to determine parameters and locations. Application to four treatment response datasets shows that our method improves on prior methods and leads to accurate orderings that provide new biological insight on the disease and response.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in individuals with epilepsy and its impact on overall quality of life.Methods: One hundred and twenty patients diagnosed with epilepsy and 50 healthy controls were assessed on Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire Short-Form (CSFQ-14) to estimate the prevalence of sexual dysfunction. Epilepsy patients were additionally evaluated for psychiatric morbidity using structured diagnostic interview.Results: On CSFQ-14, 97.5% of epilepsy patients experienced sexual dysfunction, surpassing controls. CSFQ’s suggested cutoff norms revealed prevalence of impaired pleasure/arousal (97.5%) to be the most common dysfunction, followed by reduced desire (93.33%), orgasm dysfunction (89.16%), painful erection (61.7%), and painful orgasm (30%). Compared to healthy subjects, epilepsy patients displayed significantly higher prevalence of sexual dysfunction across all domains (P< .001). Patients with psychiatric morbidity had significantly higher prevalence of sexual dysfunction, when compared to those without psychiatric morbidity. Overall, the presence of sexual dysfunction had a significant negative impact on the quality of life.Conclusion: The present study suggests a very high prevalence of sexual dysfunction in epilepsy patients and emphasizes the need for holistic care in epilepsy patients. Healthcare providers must recognize and address sexual dysfunction to enhance the overall quality of life of patients with epilepsy.

Soil microbiomes continue to evolve and shape the human microbiota according to external anthropogenic and climate change effects. Ancient microbes are being exposed as a result of glacier melting, soil erosion and poor agricultural practices. Soil microbes subtly regulate greenhouse gas emissions and undergo profound alterations due to poor soil maintenance. This review highlights how the soil microbiome influences human digestion processes, mineral and vitamin production, mental health and mood stimulation. Although much about microbial functions remains unknown, increasing evidence suggests that beneficial soil microbes are vital for enhancing human tolerance to diseases and pathogens. Further research is essential to delineate the specific role of the soil microbiome in promoting human health, especially in light of the increasing anthropogenic pressures and changing climatic conditions.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is commonly comorbid with opioid dependence (OD). We wanted to compare the neurocognitive functions of OD subjects with or without HCV [HCV (+), HCV (–)] and healthy controls (HC).Methods: We recruited 40 adult subjects (age 18–55 years) in each group. HCV(+) group had a detectable viral load. Subjects with HIV or hepatitis B infection, head injury, epilepsy, or comorbid mental illness were excluded. We administered Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), trail-making tests A and B, and verbal and visual N-back tests (NBT) one week after opioid abstinence. The group differences in cognitive performance were adjusted for age and years of education. Effect size (ES) is expressed as Cohen’s D.Results: The HCV(+) and HCV(–) groups did not differ in potential effect modifiers (age and years of education) or confounders (age of opioid initiation, duration of use, dependence severity, tobacco use, and cannabis use) of neuropsychological functioning. HCV(+) showed significantly poorer performance than HCV(–) in SPM (P = 0.006; ES = 0.72). Both HCV(+) and HCV(–) performed worse than controls in IGT(P < 0.001; ES = 0.8) and visual NBT[P < 0.01 and ES > 1 for total errors]; HCV(+) had a larger ES of group difference than HCV(–). HCV(+) had higher error scores in verbal NBT than control.Conclusion: HCV(+) has poorer general intellectual ability and reasoning than HCV(–) persons and controls. Chronic HCV infection causes a higher magnitude of dysfunction in decision-making and visual working memory in opioid-dependent individuals.

Background: Left ventricular ejection fraction falls when the myocardium has already lost a significant portion of its functional capacity. There are conflicting data on whether diastolic dysfunction precedes systolic dysfunction after cardiotoxic chemotherapy. We aimed to study systolic and diastolic dysfunction after cardiotoxic chemotherapy and whether diastolic dysfunction can predict subsequent risk of systolic dysfunction. It was an observational prospective cohort study, and patients receiving cardiotoxic chemotherapy were included. Baseline, demographic, and clinical details were recorded. Echocardiographic measurements of left ventricular systolic function, global longitudinal strain, and diastolic function were noted at baseline, three months, and 6 months. Results: We included eighty patients. The mean age of the patients was 54.92 ± 7.6 years, predominantly females (80%). The mean left ventricular ejection fraction fell from 64.92 ± 1.96 to 60.97 ± 4.94 at 6 months. Low ejection fraction was seen in 8 (10%) patients at 6 months. The mean global longitudinal strain (GLS) at baseline was − 18.81 ± 0.797 and fell to − 17.65 ± 2.057 at 6 months, with 12 (15%) patients having low GLS (&lt; − 18). Grade 1 diastolic dysfunction was seen in 22 (27.5%) patients, and grade 2 diastolic dysfunction was seen in 3 (3.8%) patients at 6 months. There was a significant decrease in E/Aratio (inflow early diastolic velocity/Inflow late diastolic velocity), mitral tissue Doppler velocity, and an increase in isovolumic relaxation time, mitral valve deceleration time, and E/e′ (inflow early diastolic velocity/tissue Doppler mitral annular velocity), at three months and 6 months. Ejection fraction at 6 months was significantly and negatively correlated with diastolic dysfunction at three months (r= − 0.595, p= 0.02). Conclusions: Cardiotoxic chemotherapy is associated with early diastolic dysfunction. Early diastolic dysfunction predicts subsequent left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Background and Objectives: The role of therapeutic drug monitoring for ustekinumab in the treatment of Crohn’s disease has not been defined. This study aimed to explore the relationship of serum ustekinumab trough concentration (UTC) with clinical and biochemical disease outcomes in a real-world setting. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of Crohn’s disease patients treated at a single tertiary centre. Ustekinumab was given as a single intravenous induction dose, followed by maintenance subcutaneous injections every 4 to 8 weeks. Rates of clinical remission (Harvey-Bradshaw Index ≤ 4), biochemical remission (C-reactive protein &lt; 5 mg/l and faecal calprotectin &lt; 150 μg/g) and complete remission were assessed at baseline and at the time of UTC testing during maintenance therapy. The association between baseline variables and UTC was tested using linear regression. We also performed an external validation analysis of UTC cut-offs established in four previously published studies. Results: This study included 43 patients. Compared to 8-weekly dosing, a 2.49- and 2.65-fold increase in UTC was associated with 6-weekly and 4-weekly dosing respectively. However, there was no significant difference in clinical, biochemical or complete remission among the dosing groups. An external validation of previously published optimal UTC cut-offs found low predictive value for our patient population. Conclusions: In this study, dosing interval was the only determinant significantly associated with a higher UTC for patients on maintenance ustekinumab therapy. While a higher UTC may be achieved with dose escalation, it was not associated with improved rates of clinical or biochemical response in our cohort.

Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is the commonest congenital anomaly of urinary tract in children. It is mostly diagnosed after a urinary tract infection or during evaluation for congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract. High-grade VUR, recurrent pyelonephritis, and delayed initiation of antibiotic treatment are important risk factors for renal scarring. The management of VUR depends on multiple factors and may include surveillance only or antimicrobial prophylaxis; very few patients with VUR need surgical correction. Patients with renal scarring should be monitored for hypertension and those with significant scarring should also be monitored for proteinuria and chronic kidney disease.

Nephrotic syndrome in children is mostly idiopathic in origin. About 90% of patients respond to corticosteroids; 80-90% have at least one relapse and 3-10% become corticosteroid resistant after the initial response. A kidney biopsy is seldom indicated for diagnosis except in patients with atypical presentation or corticosteroid resistance. For those in remission, the risk of relapse is reduced by the administration of daily low dose corticosteroids for 5-7 days at the onset of an upper respiratory infection. Some patients may continue having relapses through adult life. Many country-specific practice guidelines have been published, which are very similar with clinically insignificant differences.

With the advent of targeted therapy in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), biomarker detection has become standard practice. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a few companion diagnostics as single gene assays to find these driver mutations. We report a case of NSCLC where initial molecular tests to detect epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-sensitizingmutations by an FDA-approved assay (Cobas® EGFRMutation Test v2) failed to identify the common EGFRmutation L858R. However, the latter was picked up on subsequent next-generation sequencing (NGS). Interestingly an additional single nucleotide variant K860I was also observed in the cis configuration. The false-negative result for L858R was assumed to be caused by the abrogation of complementarity for the probe binding site on the amplicon generated. The concurrent occurrence of L858R and K860I will not be detectable by Cobas® EGFRMutation Test v2 (FDA-approved companion diagnostic) despite its real-world intra and inter-laboratory studies demonstrating high accuracy.

Federated learning, a type of distributed machine learning, is used as local learning on large, distributed datasets produced by massive devices. It eliminates the need for data to be transported from end devices to a cloud or central server. In order to aggregate global models, it entails learning local datasets using models on devices and passing the learned parameters to a central server. The primary difficulty faced in federated learning for training is identifying devices at a given time. This paper primarily focuses on the analysis of the selection methodology for identifying the optimal sensor or device for training using federated learning algorithms. To make well-informed judgements, factors including device capabilities, network circumstances, privacy restrictions, and data quality are taken into account. The research indicates that the most suitable sensor or device should be dynamically chosen for each training iteration in order to optimize the federated learning process’s accuracy and performance. Utilizing the traditional learning patterns of supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning, a comparative analysis of the three approaches is presented in the paper. This comparison includes the efficacy and efficiency of the approaches, demonstrating enhanced training accuracy and resource utilization in different environments.

Present paper deals with an interesting species of Gloeophyllum collected from an angiospermous fencing pole in Bhaderwah region, District Doda of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Based on morphological features and phylogenetic analysis of the combined Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) and nuclear Large Subunit (nLSU) sequence data, it has been found different from the already described taxa within genus Gloeophyllum, hence described and illustrated as Gloeophyllum longisporum, a species new to science. The holotype specimen is deposited at the Herbarium, Department of Botany, Punjabi University, Patiala (PUN 10722).

To compare the safety and efficacy of valsartan/sacubitril (angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor [ARNI]) against enalapril (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor [ACEI]) in patients with acute heart failure at 6-month follow-up.

Background: Individuals with opioid dependence experience stigma and discrimination. Stigma can potentially reduce treatment-seeking and negatively affect treatment outcomes. We aimed to study the course of stigma and its correlates among patients receiving opioid agonist treatment (OAT).Methods: We recruited 51 subjects (aged between 18 and 45 years) registered in the OAT clinic from February to September 2019. We excluded subjects dependent on alcohol and other drugs (except for cannabis and tobacco), with severe mental illness, intellectual disability, and organic brain disease. We assessed the internalized and enacted stigma and quality of life at the treatment entry and after 3 months. Relationship of stigma with quality of life, socio-demographic, and other clinical variables were examined at the treatment entry.Results: Mean age of the subjects was 26.7 (± 5) years. At the end of three months, 33 (64.7%) patients were retained in the treatment. Internalized stigma correlated negatively with the social and environmental domains of quality of life. The strength of the correlations was modest. No significant correlation was found between demographic and clinical variables and internalized stigma and enacted stigma scores. Both internalized and enacted stigma scores reduced significantly at 3 months follow-up. The significance levels were retained even after controlling for the baseline quality of life scores. Stigma at the treatment entry did not predict early dropout.Conclusion: Despite higher severity at the treatment entry, the level of internalized and enacted stigma reduced significantly within three months of an outpatient-based OAT program.

Background: Post thyroidectomy hypocalcemia is a major sequel of thyroidectomy and continues to trouble the endocrinologists and the endocrine surgeons as there is no ideal predictive marker of hypocalcemia which has the potential to develop into a life-threatening complication. The role of early serum intact parathormone (iPTH) to predict post thyroidectomy hypocalcemia is becoming useful but the literature is still unclear regarding the optimal time of testing and the optimal cut-off value of serum iPTH. Patients and methods: This is a prospective cohort study of 111 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy in a tertiary care endocrine surgery referral unit. Serum iPTH was measured after 20 min and 4 h of surgery. Receiver-Operator characteristic Curve (ROC) was used to find out of the best cut-off value of S. iPTH 20 min and 4 h after surgery in predicting hypocalcemia. Results: Hypocalcemia was noted in 60 (54%) out of 111 subjects who underwent total thyroidectomy. The best cut-off values of Serum iPTH to predict hypocalcemia was found to be 4.28 pmol/l at 20 min post total thyroidectomy with a sensitivity and specificity of 81.7% and 51%, respectively. In addition, patients with malignancy or central lymph nodal dissection were significantly over-represented in the hypocalcemia group with serum iPTH above the threshold level of 4.28 pmol/l. Below the cut off level, parenteral calcium supplementation was required in 23% (17/74) subjects while the rate was only 5.4% (2/37) patients when serum iPTH was above the cut-off level. Conclusions: The decline of serum iPTH below a specific level after surgery has predictive value together with other factors strictly related to patient, the thyroid disease itself and surgery. The risk of development of hypocalcemia and consequent need for calcium supplementation should be evaluated by clinical assessment along with serum PTH measurement.

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has transformed our understanding of cellular responses to perturbations such as therapeutic interventions and vaccines. Gene relevance to such perturbations is often assessed through differential expression analysis (DEA), which offers a one-dimensional view of the transcriptomic landscape. This method potentially overlooks genes with modest expression changes but profound downstream effects and is susceptible to false positives. We present GENIX (gene expression network importance examination), a computational framework that transcends DEA by constructing gene association networks and employing a network-based comparative model to identify topological signature genes. We benchmark GENIX using both synthetic and experimental datasets, including analysis of influenza vaccine-induced immune responses in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from recovered COVID-19 patients. GENIX successfully emulates key characteristics of biological networks and reveals signature genes that are missed by classical DEA, thereby broadening the scope of target gene discovery in precision medicine.

Mycobacterium aviumis an emerging opportunistic pathogen, globally. Infections caused by M. aviumare laborious to treat and could result in drug resistance. This review discusses the importance of many factors including the cell wall in M. aviumpathogenesis, since this unique structure modulates the pathogen’s ability to thrive in various hosts and environmental niches including conferring resistance to killing by antimicrobials. More research efforts in future are solicited to develop novel therapeutics targeting M. avium. The complete eradication of M. aviuminfection in immunocompromised individuals would need a deeper understanding of the source of infection, unique underlying mechanisms and its uncharacterized pathways. This could, perhaps in future, hold the key to target and treat M. aviummore effectively.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of mobile health (mHealth) phosphorus management programs in hemodialysis (HD) patients.

Despite utilization of hepatitis C viremic organs for hepatitis C naïve recipients (HCV D+/R-) in other solid organ transplants, HCV viremic pancreata remain an unexplored source of donor organs. This study reports the first series of HCV D+/R- pancreas transplants. HCV D+/R- had shorter waitlist times compared to HCV D-/R-, waiting a mean of 16 days from listing for HCV-positive organs. HCV D+/R- had a lower match allocation sequence than HCV D-/R-, and this correlated with receipt of organs with a lower Pancreas Donor Risk Index (PDRI) score. All HCV D+/R- had excellent graft function with a mean follow-up of 438 days and had undetectable HCV RNA levels by a mean of 23 days after initiation of HCV-directed therapy. The rates of infectious complications, reoperation, readmission, rejection, and length of stay were not impacted by donor HCV status. A national review of potential ideal pancreas donors found that 37% of ideal HCV-negative pancreas allografts were transplanted, compared to only 5% of ideal HCV-positive pancreas allografts. The results of the current study demonstrate the safety of accepting HCV-positive pancreata for HCV-naïve recipients and advocates for increased utilization of ideal HCV-positive pancreas allografts.

Despite utilization of hepatitis C viremic organs for hepatitis C naïve recipients (HCV D+/R‐) in other solid organ transplants, HCV viremic pancreata remain an unexplored source of donor organs. This study reports the first series of HCV D+/R‐ pancreas transplants. HCV D+/R‐ had shorter waitlist times compared to HCV D‐/R‐, waiting a mean of 16 days from listing for HCV‐positive organs. HCV D+/R‐ had a lower match allocation sequence than HCV D‐/R‐, and this correlated with receipt of organs with a lower Pancreas Donor Risk Index (PDRI) score. All HCV D+/R‐ had excellent graft function with a mean follow‐up of 438 days and had undetectable HCV RNA levels by a mean of 23 days after initiation of HCV‐directed therapy. The rates of infectious complications, reoperation, readmission, rejection, and length of stay were not impacted by donor HCV status. A national review of potential ideal pancreas donors found that 37% of ideal HCV‐negative pancreas allografts were transplanted, compared to only 5% of ideal HCV‐positive pancreas allografts. The results of the current study demonstrate the safety of accepting HCV‐positive pancreata for HCV‐naïve recipients and advocates for increased utilization of ideal HCV‐positive pancreas allografts. Transplantation of hepatitis C viremic pancreata into hepatitis C naïve recipients yield excellent outcomes.

ABSTRACTTreatments with cytotoxic agents or viruses may cause Immunogenic Cell Death (ICD) that immunize tumor-bearing hosts but do not cause complete regression of tumor. We postulate that combining two ICD inducers may cause durable regression in immunocompetent mice. ICD was optimized in vitro by maximizing calreticulin externalization in human colorectal carcinoma (CRC) cells by exposure to mixtures of Oxaliplatin (OX) and human adenovirus (AdV). Six mm diameter CT26 or 4T1 carcinomas in flanks of BALB/c mice were injected once intratumorally (IT) with OX, AdV or their mixture. Tumor growth, Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TIL), nodal cytotoxicity, and rejection of a viable cell challenge were measured. Tumors injected IT once with an optimum mixture of 80 µM OX – AdV 25 Multiplicity of Infection (MOI) in PBS buffer were 17–29% the volume of control tumors. When buffer was changed from PBS to 5% dextrose in water (D5W), volumes of tumors injected IT with 80 µM OX-AdV 25 MOI were 10% while IT OX or AdV alone were 32% and 40% the volume of IT buffer-treated tumors. OX-AdV IT increased CD3+ TIL by 4-fold, decreased CD8+ PD-1+ TIL from 79% to 19% and induced cytotoxicity to CT26 cells in draining node lymphocytes while lymphocytes from CT26-bearing untreated mice were not cytotoxic. OX-AdV IT in D5W caused complete regression in 40% of mice. Long-term survivors rejected a contralateral challenge of CT26. The buffer for Oxaliplatin is critical. The two ICD inducer mixture is promising as an agnostic sensitizer for carcinomas like colorectal carcinoma.

Groundwater is emerging as vital resource in view of the changing climate and diminishing water surface availability. Due to the changing demographic and burgeoning demands for drinking water, the instances of over-abstraction and contamination are all pervasive. The pattern of groundwater quality deterioration and burdens of disease incidence manifest in Kashmir Himalayas as well. The geomorphological and cultural facets have strongly supported the occurrence and access to groundwater distribution and accessibility. The present study uses socio-geospatial approach for the first time in investigating the groundwater quality conditions and human health. This approach in concert with the spatial justice paradigm would definitely augment in water governance and public health discourse in South Asian geographies in general and world in particular. The study employed the physico-chemical and microbiological (30 sampled sites) parameters which largely suggest some selected pockets in the region faced with poor groundwater quality conditions and the significant disease incidence. Groundwater Quality Index, Disease Incidence, Sanitary Investigation Survey, and finally Prioritization modeling were done with embedded intersectionality of socio-cultural factors. The south and south-western region of the region indicates the microbial contamination owing to the improper sanitary conditions and unplanned waste disposal mechanism. This study voices for liberatory praxis for ‘just’ and safe spaces in terms of water governance and environmental rights which forms the kernel of nature-land relations in the discourse of environmental justice and egalitarian socio-spatial relations. This novel and methodologically pluralistic work of socio-ecological and epidemiological spectrum surely would be the trailblazing endeavor in dissecting the asymmetric nature-land dichotomies across the world.

Here, we identified a single tyrosine residue, Y499, in Aplysiacortactin that can be phosphorylated by Src2 and is important for filopodia formation in neuronal growth cones. Phosphorylated cortactin is enriched along the leading edge and filopodia and regulates both filopodia formation and elongation.

Since aerosols are important to our climate system, we seek to observe the variability of aerosol properties within cloud systems. When applied to the satellite‐borne Moderate‐resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the Dark Target retrieval algorithm provides global aerosol optical depth (AOD; at 0.55 μm) in cloud‐free scenes. Since MODIS' resolution (500‐m pixels, 3‐ or 10‐km product) is too coarse for studying near‐cloud aerosol, we ported the Dark Target algorithm to the high‐resolution (~50‐m pixels) enhanced‐MODIS Airborne Simulator (eMAS), which flew on the high‐altitude ER‐2 during the Studies of Emissions, Atmospheric Composition, Clouds, and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys Airborne Science Campaign over the United States in 2013. We find that even with aggressive cloud screening, the ~0.5‐km eMAS retrievals show enhanced AOD, especially within 6 km of a detected cloud. To determine the cause of the enhanced AOD, we analyze additional eMAS products (cloud retrievals and degraded‐resolution AOD), coregistered Cloud Physics Lidar profiles, MODIS aerosol retrievals, and ground‐based Aerosol Robotic Network observations. We also define spatial metrics to indicate local cloud distributions near each retrieval and then separate into near‐cloud and far‐from‐cloud environments. The comparisons show that low cloud masking is robust, and unscreened thin cirrus would have only a small impact on retrieved AOD. Some of the enhancement is consistent with clear‐cloud transition zone microphysics such as aerosol swelling. However, 3‐D radiation interaction between clouds and the surrounding clear air appears to be the primary cause of the high AOD near clouds. Since aerosols are important components of our climate system, we seek to use observations to quantify aerosol properties and their interactions with clouds. To study aerosols close to clouds, we adapt a well‐known aerosol retrieval algorithm used for satellite remote sensing (lower spatial resolution) and port to airborne remote sensing (higher spatial resolution). We apply the retrieval to observations collected over the southeastern United States during late summer 2013. The resulting product suggests that total aerosol optical depth (AOD) can be greatly enhanced near clouds. To validate, we compare this retrieved AOD to other data sets and find that the enhanced AOD near clouds is only partially observed by other sensors. This suggests that the enhanced AOD is primarily a cloud adjacency or 3‐dimensional radiative effect. High‐resolution, passive remote sensing measurements can characterize aerosol/cloud environments, thus helping to interpret global AOD data sets from more comprehensive but coarser‐resolution satellite retrievals. An aerosol retrieval algorithm is ported from a satellite sensor to a higher spatial resolution aircraft sensorThe retrieval is applied and compared with other data sets from a 2013 airborne field campaign over the southeastern United StatesComparative data suggest that retrievals of enhanced aerosol optical depth (AOD) near clouds are primarily an adjacency effect

Starting from point sources, wildfire smoke is important in the global aerosol system. The ability to characterize smoke near‐source is key to modeling smoke dispersion and predicting air quality. With hemispheric views and 10‐min refresh, imagers in Geostationary (GEO) orbit have advantages monitoring smoke over once‐per‐day sensors in low‐earth orbit (LEO). However, both can be inadequate in capturing the characteristics of smoke plumes close to their sources due to too‐coarse spatial resolution (both detector and product resolution), too‐sparse temporal resolution (from LEO sensors), and too‐conservative masking. In addition to satellite observations, the Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality experiment offered sub‐orbital enhanced‐MODIS Airborne Simulator (eMAS) imagery at 50 m pixel resolution—including multiple eMAS flight tracks over individual fires in short time periods. It provided opportunity to explore smoke plume characterization at various spatial and temporal scales and quantify the limitations of space sensors for describing smoke magnitude near source as well as its temporal evolution. Here we applied modified aerosol algorithm to different imagers, relaxing its masking to estimate smoke's aerosol optical depth (AOD) as close as possible to its source. We found that GEO sensors with nominal 1 km spatial resolution can match the much finer resolution eMAS retrieved mean plume AOD, as long as the retrieval spatial resolution is finer than the width of the plumes. However, the plume's maximum AOD may be drastically underestimated by satellite products. Starting from point sources, wildfire smoke is important in the global aerosol system. The ability to characterize smoke near‐source is key to modeling smoke dispersion and predicting air quality. Satellite‐based sensors provide important information about smoke plumes, however, by themselves can be inadequate in capturing the characteristics of smoke plumes close to their sources. In addition to geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite observations with 1–2 km spatial resolution observations at 10‐min intervals and low‐earth orbit (LEO) at 0.5–1 km resolution observations daily, the Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX‐AQ) experiment offered sub‐orbital (airborne) enhanced‐MODIS Airborne Simulator (eMAS) imagery at 50 m pixel resolution. With multiple eMAS flight tracks over individual fires in short time periods, FIREX‐AQ provided opportunity to explore smoke plume characterization at various spatial and temporal scales and quantify the limitations of space sensors for describing smoke magnitude near source as well as its temporal evolution. Here we applied a modified aerosol algorithm to all the different imagers, relaxing its masking to estimate smoke's aerosol optical depth (AOD) as close as possible to its source. We found that GEO sensors with nominal 1 km spatial resolution can match the much finer resolution eMAS retrieved mean plume AOD, as long as the retrieval spatial resolution is finer than the width of the plumes. However, the plume's maximum AOD may be drastically underestimated by satellite products. Remote‐sensed imagery of smoke plumes at different spatial and temporal resolutions are used to observe smoke magnitude and dispersion near fire sourcesHigh‐resolution, sub‐orbital imagery helps quantify limitations of lower‐resolution orbiting sensors for observing smoke's magnitude and evolutionSatellite products with spatial resolution less than the width of the plume can capture the mean but not the maximum smoke loading Remote‐sensed imagery of smoke plumes at different spatial and temporal resolutions are used to observe smoke magnitude and dispersion near fire sources High‐resolution, sub‐orbital imagery helps quantify limitations of lower‐resolution orbiting sensors for observing smoke's magnitude and evolution Satellite products with spatial resolution less than the width of the plume can capture the mean but not the maximum smoke loading

Background This study explored the relationship between personality attributes and substance use disorder (SUD). Research has identified specific personality dimensions, such as neuroticism, psychoticism, antisocial personality traits, paranoia, and anxiety, as contributing factors on the way to the initiation, continuation, and relapse of SUD.Purpose To explore this connection, we examined the personality profiles of subjects with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD).Methods A total of 928 subjects, 320 with AUD, 490 with OUD and 118 healthy controls (HC), in the age range of 16–65 years were recruited in the study. The Clinical Profile Sheet and the Multiphasic Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) were administered to HC and patients who fulfil the diagnostic criteria for substance dependence as defined by ICD-10 (WHO-1992).Results We found significant differences in personality profiles between individuals with OUD and AUD. Patients with AUD scored higher than OUD on the MPQ subscales for depression, mania, paranoia, and antisocial personality traits. All subscales of the MPQ showed elevated scores in subjects with SUD compared to HC.Conclusion Elevated scores on the MPQ subscales suggest that personality factors may contribute to the pattern of substance use and misuse in this cohort.

Background Shilajit a natural phytomineral has a proven record of treating many human body ailments.Purpose This study aimed to explore the influence of Shilajit on cell proliferation and apoptosis induction in oral cancer cells (OCC) and to comprehend the molecular mechanism associated with OCC migration.Materials and Methods Human gingival fibroblast (hGF) and OCC (KB-1 (KERATIN-forming tumor cell line HeLa)) were exposed to Shilajit solution dilutions. Cell growth and apoptosis were measured by MTT and Annexin-V tests (control/test group). Cellular morphology using an inverted microscope, cellular apoptosis using acridine orange/ethidium bromide dual staining, reactive oxygen species production analysis using 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) staining, and gene protein expression using real-time polymerase chain reaction test were used to measure study outcomes. The data enumerated were the average of three trial experiments. Categorical and numerical data were expressed as frequency distribution and means, respectively. Differences in groups (control/test; zero/24 h/48 h) were determined using Student’s t-test and one way analysis of variance, with probability ‘p’ value considered significant at ≤0.05.Results The viability of OCC exhibited a concentration and time-dependent response to Shilajit. Notably, Shilajit demonstrated selectivity against cancer cells. Through an examination of the Annexin-V apoptosis assay, it was observed that Shilajit induces apoptosis by upregulating the proapoptotic gene expression (p≤ 0.05) and downregulating antiapoptotic proteins (p≤ 0.05). Furthermore, the impact of Shilajit on cell migration decreased significantly when compared to control cells through modulating the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR) and chemokines gene expression.Conclusion Shilajit exhibited greater cytotoxicity, decreased OCC proliferation and migration, and initiated OCC apoptosis as equivalent to normal cells. These promising outcomes indicate that Shilajit holds potential as a robust, promising option for oral cancer treatment, underscoring the need for further research in this domain.

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ABSTRACTBackgroundIndia has been implementing active case-finding (ACF) for TB among marginalised and vulnerable (high-risk) populations since 2017. The effectiveness of ACF cycle(s) is dependent on the use of appropriate screening and diagnostic tools and meeting quality indicators.ObjectivesTo determine the number of ACF cycles implemented in 2021 at national, state (n = 36) and district (n = 768) level and quality indicators for the first ACF cycle.MethodsIn this descriptive study, aggregate TB program data for each ACF activity that was extracted was further aggregated against each ACF cycle at the district level in 2021. One ACF cycle was the period identified to cover all the high-risk populations in the district. Three TB ACF quality indicators were calculated: percentage population screened (≥10%), percentage tested among screened (≥4.8%) and percentage diagnosed among tested (≥5%). We also calculated the number needed to screen (NNS) for diagnosing one person with TB (≤1538).ResultsOf 768 TB districts, ACF data for 111 were not available. Of the remaining 657 districts, 642 (98%) implemented one, and 15 implemented two to three ACF cycles. None of the districts or states met all three TB ACF quality indicators’ cut-offs. At the national level, for the first ACF cycle, 9.3% of the population were screened, 1% of the screened were tested and 3.7% of the tested were diagnosed. The NNS was 2824: acceptable (≤1538) in institutional facilities and poor for population-based groups. Data were not consistently available to calculate the percentage of i) high-risk population covered, ii) presumptive TB among screened and iii) tested among presumptive.ConclusionIn 2021, India implemented one ACF cycle with sub-optimal ACF quality indicators. Reducing the losses between screening and testing, improving data quality and sensitising stakeholders regarding the importance of meeting all ACF quality indicators are recommended.

This study was designed to compare and detect possible differences between the metacarpal length (MCL) and all metacarpal length ratios in left - and right hands of female and male individuals of Haryanvi and J&K populations.