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This study investigated the medicinal potential of Lavatera cashmeriana , a plant traditionally known for its therapeutic properties. The aim was to identify the phytocompounds in L. cashmeriana leaf extract and evaluate its antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer effects. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was employed to characterize the phytochemical composition of the ethanol extract derived from L. cashmeriana leaves. The antimicrobial potential was assessed through the well diffusion technique, targeting Escherichia coli , Enterococcus faecalis , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Staphylococcus aureus , and Candida albicans . The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay was conducted to assess antioxidant capabilities, while cytotoxicity against the A549 cancer cell line was determined via the MTT assay. GC-MS analysis identified ten different compounds, with phytol, 1-Eicosanol, and 2,6,10-trimethyl,14-ethylene-14-pentadecne being the most prevalent. The extract exhibited notable antimicrobial efficacy against all bacteria with MIC values ranging from 62.5 to 250  µ g/mL. However, C. albicans did not respond. The extract exhibited antioxidative properties with an IC 50 value of 86  µ g/mL and cytotoxicity with an IC 50 value of 69.95  µ g/mL against the A549 cancer cell line. The results derived from this study supported the historical use of L. cashmeriana as a medicinal plant and suggested that it can potentially treat a wide range of medical ailments. The identified phytocompounds and the demonstrated antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer effects provide scientific evidence for its medicinal properties. However, further investigations are needed to fully understand its safety profile, efficacy, and mechanism of action before recommending it for therapeutic purposes., Competing Interests: The authors state that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Mohmmad Ashaq Sofi et al.)

The future of reactive nitrogen (N) for subtropical lowland rice to be characterised under diverse N-management to develop adequate sustainable practices. It is a challenge to increase the efficiency of N use in lowland rice, as N can be lost in various ways, e.g., through nitrous oxide (N 2 O) or dinitrogen (N 2 ) emissions, ammonia (NH 3 ) volatilization and nitrate (NO 3 - ) leaching. A field study was carried out in the subsequent wet (2021) and dry (2022) seasons to assess the impacts of different N management strategies on yield, N use efficiency and different N losses in a double-cropped rice system. Seven different N-management practices including application of chemical fertilisers, liquid organic fertiliser, nitrification inhibitors, organic nutrient management and integrated nutrient management (INM) were studied. The application of soil test-based neem-coated urea (NCU) during the wet season resulted in the highest economic yield, while integrated nutrient management showed the highest economic yield during the dry season. Total N losses by volatilization of NH 3 , N 2 O loss and leaching were 0.06-4.73, 0.32-2.14 and 0.25-1.93 kg ha -1 , corresponding to 0.06-5.84%, 0.11-2.20% and 0.09-1.81% of total applied N, respectively. The total N-uptake in grain and straw was highest in INM (87-89% over control) followed by the soil test-based NCU (77-82% over control). In comparison, recovery efficiency of N was maximum from application of NCU + dicyandiamide during both the seasons. The N footprint of paddy rice ranged 0.46-2.01 kg N-eq. t -1 during both seasons under various N management. Ammonia volatilization was the process responsible for the largest N loss, followed by N 2 O emissions, and NO 3 - leaching in these subtropical lowland rice fields. After ranking the different N management practices on a scale of 1-7, soil test-based NCU was considered the best N management approach in the wet year 2021, while INM scored the best in the dry year 2022., 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 © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Mitigating the atmospheric greenhouse effect while enhancing the inherent soil quality and productive capacity is possible through soil carbon (C) sequestration, which has a significant potential to counteract the adverse effects of agroecosystem level C emission through natural and anthropogenic means. Although rice is the most important food in India, feeding more than 60% of the country's population, it is commonly blamed for significant methane (CH 4 ) emissions that accelerate climate change. Higher initial soil organic matter concentrations would create more CH 4 under the flooded soil conditions, as reducible soil C is a prerequisite for CH 4 generation. In India, rice is generally cultivated in lowlands under continuous flooding. Less extensive organic matter breakdown in lowland rice agroecosystems often significantly impacts the dynamics of soil active and passive C pools. Change from conventional to conservation agriculture might trap a significant quantity of SOC. The study aims to investigate the potential of rice-based soils to sequester C and reduce the accelerated greenhouse effects through modified farming practices, such as crop residue retention, crop rotation, organic farming, varietal selection, conservation agriculture, integrated nutrient management, and water management. Overall, lowland rice agroecosystems can sequester significant amounts of SOC, but this potential must be balanced against the potential for CH 4 emissions. Management practices that reduce CH 4 emissions while increasing soil C sequestration should be promoted and adopted to maximize the sustainability of rice agroecosystems. This review is important for understanding the effectiveness of the balance between SOC sequestration and CH 4 emissions in lowland rice agroecosystems for adopting sustainable agricultural practices in the context of climate change., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

The utility of fungi as stabilizing and reducing agents in the biogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles is striking due to the production of large quantities of biomolecules of minute toxic residuals. During the current study, sunlight- and dark-assessed silver nanoparticles were synthesized from wasp nest fungus, Paecilomyces variotii , at different pHs. Synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) at 6 pH were found to be more prominent than at 7 and 8 pHs. AgNPs were within the 20- to 90-nm range and were polygonal and elongated in shape. FTIR spectra of light-mediated AgNPs showed diverse transmittance bands than the silver nanoparticles synthesized in the dark. The synthesized AgNPs were found with diverse antimicrobial activities against pathogenic MTCC bacterial strains, i.e., Staphylococcus aureus , Vibrio parahaemolyticus , Escherichia coli , Shewanella putrefaciens , and fungus, Candida albicans . Aqueous filtrate and filtrate-mediated AgNPs combined with methanol solvent extract of yeast extract manitol broth (YEMB) had more inhibitory effects on all bacteria and Candida albicans . Furthermore, the combined effect of AgNPs and methanol solvent extract from YEMB culture filtrate was found more effective against E. coli , while AgNPs combined with methanol solvent of aqueous filtrate had inhibitory effects on E. coli and Candida albicans., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Nayak, Prabhakar and Nanda.)

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) mainly originates from renal proximal tubules. Intriguingly, disruption of genes frequently mutated in human RCC samples thus far has only generated RCC originated from other renal tubule parts in mouse models. This hampers our understanding of the pathogenesis of RCC. Here we show that mTOR signaling, often activated in RCC samples, initiates RCC development from renal proximal tubules. Ablation of Tsc1 , encoding an mTOR suppressor, in proximal tubule cells led to multiple precancerous renal cysts. mTOR activation increased MEK1 expression and ERK activation, and Mek1 ablation or inhibition diminished cyst formation in Tsc1 -deficient mice. mTOR activation also increased MKK6 expression and p38MAPK activation, and ablation of the p38α-encoding gene further enhanced cyst formation and led to RCC with clear cell RCC features. Mechanistically, Tsc1 deletion induced p53 and p16 expression in a p38MAPK-dependent manner, and deleting Tsc1 and Trp53 or Cdkn2a (encoding p16) enhanced renal cell carcinogenesis. Thus, mTOR activation in combination with inactivation of the p38MAPK-p53/p16 pathway drives RCC development from renal proximal tubules. Moreover, this study uncovers previously unidentified mechanisms by which mTOR controls cell proliferation and suggests the MEK-ERK axis to be a potential target for treatment of RCC. SIGNIFICANCE: Mouse modeling studies show that mTOR activation in combination with inactivation of the p38MAPK-p53/p16 axis initiates renal cell carcinoma that mimics human disease, identifying potential therapeutic targets for RCC treatment., (©2021 American Association for Cancer Research.)

The role of tumor protein 63 (TP63) in regulating insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) and other downstream signal proteins in diabetes has not been characterized. RNAs extracted from kidneys of diabetic mice (db/db) were sequenced to identify genes that are involved in kidney complications. RNA sequence analysis showed more than 4- to 6-fold increases in TP63 expression in the diabetic mice's kidneys, compared to wild-type mice at age 10 and 12 months old. In addition, the kidneys from diabetic mice showed significant increases in TP63 mRNA and protein expression compared to WT mice. Mouse proximal tubular cells exposed to high glucose (HG) for 48 h showed significant decreases in IRS-1 expression and increases in TP63, compared to cells grown in normal glucose (NG). When TP63 was downregulated by siRNA, significant increases in IRS-1 and activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK (p-AMPK-Th 172 )) occurred under NG and HG conditions. Moreover, activation of AMPK by pretreating the cells with AICAR resulted in significant downregulation of TP63 and increased IRS-1 expression. Ad-cDNA-mediated over-expression of tuberin resulted in significantly decreased TP63 levels and upregulation of IRS-1 expression. Furthermore, TP63 knockdown resulted in increased glucose uptake, whereas IRS-1 knockdown resulted in a decrease in the glucose uptake. Altogether, animal and cell culture data showed a potential role of TP63 as a new candidate gene involved in regulating IRS-1 that may be used as a new therapeutic target to prevent kidney complications in diabetes.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to study the perception of residency trainers about an optimum residency program., Methods: A survey, using a pre-validated questionnaire, was conducted by the Academic and Research Committee of the All India Ophthalmological Society, in 2019-20 with questions directed to teachers in medical colleges and national board of examination's ophthalmology residency programs on demography, teaching experience, imparting clinical and surgical skills, ideal academic schedule and dissertation in the post-graduate residency program., Results: The response rate in the survey was 47.6%. Valid responses were obtained from 309 residency trainers. Of these, 132 of 309 (42.7%) were females. The mean age was 45.3 ± 9.5 years, range 26-68 years. The trainers believed that on a scale of 0-10, clinical skills teaching should be taught, mean ± SD: slit lamp 9.8 ± 0.7; indirect ophthalmoscopy 9.3 ± 1.3; gonioscopy 9.2 ± 1.5; perimetry 8.9 ± 1.5; OCT 8.4 ± 1.9; applanation tonometry 9.5 ± 1.2 and orthoptic evaluation 8.1 (±1.9). A resident should ideally perform independently surgeries (median, inter-quartile range IQR): SICS 50 (IQR 40-100); phaco 50 (20-60); pterygium excision 20 (10-40); DCR 10 (5-20); chalazion 20 (10-50), trabeculectomy 7 (5-15); strabismus 5 (2-10), LASIK and retinal detachment 0. Ideally there should be four lectures, four seminars, four case presentations, five journal clubs and four wet labs every month., Conclusion: Teachers expected their wards to become competent professionals. There was near unanimity about the content of clinical skills training, non-medical skills and academics, but there was a significant variation on extent of surgical training that should be imparted to the residents., Competing Interests: None

Objective: To compare the efficacy of intravenous acetaminophen and intravenous diclofenac sodium in the management of skeletal vaso-occlusive crisis among children with sickle cell disease., Design: Single blind randomized controlled trial., Setting: Tertiary care hospital., Participants: 104 children with sickle cell disease and skeletal vaso-occlusive crisis., Intervention: Intravenous acetaminophen at 10mg/kg/dose 8 hourly and intravenous diclofenac sodium at 1mg/kg/dose 8 hourly in 1:1 ratio., Main Outcome Measures: Reduction in pain score (50%), number of doses needed to relieve pain after 24 hours of drug administration and decrease in pain score at 1 hour., Results: A 50% reduction in pain score was seen in 35 (77.3%) and 10 (21.7%) children among acetaminophen and diclofenac sodium groups respectively (RR, 95% CI 3.6; 2.02-6.33, P< 0.001). The mean (SD) fall in pain score at 1 hour was significantly higher among intervention arm as compared to control arm [1.51 (0.5) and 1.06 (0.5); P<0.001]. Eight (17.4%) patients developed local phlebitis at the site of infusion among diclofenac group., Conclusions: Intravenous acetaminophen is a better alternative to intravenous diclofenac in children with skeletal vaso-occlusive crisis.

Synovial plicae are normal remnants of synovial membranes within the knee joint cavity and are usually asymptomatic. Pathological infrapatellar plica, which is mostly due to plica injury, may be a potential cause of anterior knee pain, but is often overlooked and under-reported on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This pictorial review illustrates the MRI findings of infrapatellar plica injury and associated knee injuries, with emphasis on its differentiation from the mimics of plica injury., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (© 2021. The Authors.)

Background: Iliolumbar syndrome is a frequent cause of chronic nonspecific low back pain. The cornerstone of its treatment lies upon the specific diagnosis of the iliolumbar syndrome. The ultrasound guided interventions have the potential for the specific diagnosis and treatment of the iliolumbar syndrome., Objective: To assess the role of ultrasound-guided intervention for the diagnosis and treatment of the iliolumbar syndrome., Materials and Methods: The study comprised of fifty-seven patients of nonspecific low back pain with the clinically suspected iliolumbar syndrome. Two-staged ultrasound-guided interventions were performed: Primary diagnostic and secondary therapeutic interventions. Favorable response after the injection of local anesthetic agent in iliolumbar ligament (defined as VAS score to ≥3) was classified as confirmed Ilio-lumbar syndrome. Clinico radiological efficacy after platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in confirmed iliolumbar syndrome patients was done., Results: Out of 57 patients, 45 (78.95%) were diagnosed with confirmed Iliolumbar syndrome after primary diagnostic intervention. The mean value of VAS at presentation was 8.02 ± 0.72 which was decreased to 3.16 ± 1.63; P < 0.0001. All 45 patients underwent PRP injection in iliolumbar ligament and 42 patients (93.33%) showed reduction in mean VAS score from 8 ± 0.67 (at presentation) to 0.89 ± 1.23 after 6 weeks follow up; P < 0.0001. Iliolumbar ligament thickness was decreased from the day of presentation (2.66 ± 0.22) to 6 weeks after therapeutic intervention (0.91 ± 0.42); P < 0.0001., Conclusion: The ultrasound guided diagnostic and therapeutic intervention were found to result in a specific diagnosis and remarkable recovery in the iliolumbar syndrome group of nonspecific low back pain patients., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Indian Journal of Radiology and Imaging.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened the humanity at a global level to a large extent by the burden of the disease with significant mortality and to a certain extent as a byproduct of the necessary efforts to contain the same. There is a significant impact on the health care system, as we not only have to contain pandemic, but continue to treat our non-COVID-19 patients in a safe and responsible manner. Ophthalmology practice in general and glaucoma in particular needs certain modifications and additional precautions while examining as well as managing these patients keeping their and our safety in mind. As the lockdown relaxations are in vogue we need to learn how to deal with our regular patients as well in addition to emergency care. This paper presents the consensus-based guidelines by an expert panel on how to restart glaucoma practice during this COVID-19 time. These guidelines will be applicable across the country and should help ophthalmologists and glaucoma specialist to restart their practices while safeguarding the patients and their own selves from getting infected., Competing Interests: None

Cataract is the second leading cause of preventable blindness on the globe. Several programs across the country have been running efficiently to increase the cataract surgical rates and decrease blindness due to cataract. The current COVID-19 pandemic has led to a complete halt of these programs and thus accumulating all the elective cataract procedures. At present with the better understanding of the safety precautions among the health care workers and general population the Government of India (GoI) has given clearance for functioning of eye care facilities. In order to facilitate smooth functioning of every clinic, in this paper, we prepared preferred practice pattern based on consensus discussions between leading ophthalmologists in India including representatives from major governmental and private institutions as well as the All India Ophthalmological Society leadership. These guidelines will be applicable to all practice settings including tertiary institutions, corporate and group practices and individual eye clinics. The guidelines include triage, use of personal protective equipment, precautions to be taken in the OPD and operating room as well for elective cataract screening and surgery. These guidelines have been prepared based on current situation but are expected to evolve over a period of time based on the ongoing pandemic and guidelines from GoI., Competing Interests: None

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays an important role in the characterization of vertebral lesions. Even if latest improvements in MRI permit to understand and suspect the nature of vertebral lesions and positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET-CT) gives information about lesion metabolism, biopsy is still needed in most cases. CT-guided percutaneous vertebral biopsy is a minimally invasive, safe and accurate procedure for definitive tissue diagnosis of a vertebral lesion. CT-guided vertebral biopsy is often the best alternative to a surgical biopsy. The purpose of this technical note is to discuss the approach-based techniques for CT-guided percutaneous vertebral biopsy.

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) disease is associated with tumors in many organs, particularly angiomyolipoma (AML) in the kidneys. Loss or inactivation of TSC1/2 results in high levels of HIF-α activity and VEGF expression. mTOR inhibitor (rapamycin) and the AMPK activator 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide (AICA)-riboside (AICAR) are currently used separately to treat cancer patients. Here, we investigated the effect of a novel combination of rapamycin and AICAR on tumor progression. Our data show that treatment of AML human cells with drug combinations resulted in 5-7-fold increase in cell apoptosis compared to each drug alone. In addition, drug combinations resulted in 4-5-fold decrease in cell proliferation compared to each drug alone. We found that drug combinations abolished Akt and HIF activity in AML cells. The drug combinations resulted in decrease in cell invasion and cell immigration by 70% and 84%, respectively in AML cells. The combined drugs also significantly decreased the VEGF expression compare to each drug alone in AML cells. Drug combinations effectively abolished binding of HIF-2α to the putative Akt site in the nuclear extracts isolated from AML cells. Treatment TSC mice with drug combinations resulted in 75% decrease in tumor number and 88% decrease in tumor volume compared to control TSC mice. This is first evidence that drug combinations are effective in reducing size and number of kidney tumors without any toxic effect on kidney. These data will provide evidence for initiating a new clinical trial for treatment of TSC patients., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Spray drying had been used to synthesize silica-carbon black nanocomposite micrometric granules with a uniform distribution of the two components. This was achieved by hindering the preferential diffusion of hydrophobic carbon and hydrophilic silica particles in the water droplets during evaporative assembly by introducing gum arabic as a stabilizing agent and network former. Both positive and negatively charged silica nanoparticles were used to check the stability of the sol and its effect on the morphology of the spray dried granules. X-ray and neutron scattering, complemented with electron microscopy, were used to investigate the correlation and distribution of the nanoparticles within the granules. Porous silica granules, having surface area of 157 m 2 /g, were obtained after removal of carbon black by calcination. An environment-friendly solar absorbing coating had been prepared using as synthesized granules., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The molecular mechanisms that couple glycolysis to cancer drug resistance remain unclear. Here we identify an ATP-binding motif within the NADPH oxidase isoform, NOX4, and show that ATP directly binds and negatively regulates NOX4 activity. We find that NOX4 localizes to the inner mitochondria membrane and that subcellular redistribution of ATP levels from the mitochondria act as an allosteric switch to activate NOX4. We provide evidence that NOX4-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) inhibits P300/CBP-associated factor (PCAF)-dependent acetylation and lysosomal degradation of the pyruvate kinase-M2 isoform (PKM2). Finally, we show that NOX4 silencing, through PKM2, sensitizes cultured and ex vivo freshly isolated human-renal carcinoma cells to drug-induced cell death in xenograft models and ex vivo cultures. These findings highlight yet unidentified insights into the molecular events driving cancer evasive resistance and suggest modulation of ATP levels together with cytotoxic drugs could overcome drug-resistance in glycolytic cancers.

Background: Residency training is the basis of good clinical and surgical practice., Purpose: The aim is to know the demographics, training experience, and perception of young ophthalmologists to improve the present residency programs in India., Setting: Young ophthalmologists trained in India., Methods: A survey was conducted by the Academic and Research Committee of the All India Ophthalmology Society, in 2014-2016 of young ophthalmologists (those trained between 2002 and 2012, with 2-10 years' postresidency experience) to gauge teaching of clinical and surgical skills during the postgraduate residency program., Statistical Analysis: Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16., Results: Of the 1005 respondents, 531 fulfilled inclusion criteria. Average age was 32.6 years (standard deviation [SD] 4). On a scale of 0-10, clinical skills teaching was graded as (mean, SD): Slit lamp examination (7.2, SD 2.8), indirect ophthalmoscopy (6.2, SD 3.3), gonioscopy (5.7, SD 3.4), perimetry (6.2, SD 3.2), optical coherence tomography (4.6, SD 4), and orthoptic evaluation (4.3, SD 3.1). The mean (SD) and median of surgeries performed independently was intracapsular cataract extraction 3.0 (14.9), 0; extracapsular cataract extraction 39.9 (53.2), 18; small incision cataract surgery 75.3 (64.4), 55; phacoemulsification 30 (52.6), 1; pterygium excision 31.5 (43.5), 15; dacryocystectomy 20.3 (38.1), 4; dacryocystorhinostomy 11.7 (26.2), 2; chalazion 46.4 (48.3), 30; trabeculectomies 4 (14.9), 0; strabismus correction 1.4 (4.9), 0; laser-assisted in situ Keratomileusis 1.5 (12.2), 0; retinal detachment 1.5 (12.5), 0; vitrectomy 3.0 (17.0), 0; keratoplasty 5.2 (17.8), 0; eyelid surgery 8.6 (18.9), 2 and ocular emergencies 41.7 (52.4), 20. Observed and assisted surgeries were more common. However, the range of grading was 0-10 in all categories., Conclusion: Residency training in India varies considerably from program to program. Standardization is needed to assure all graduates are competent and render consistent quality of service.

Purpose: To know the perception of young ophthalmologists about their dissertation and academics during residency training in order to improve the research output during present residency programs in India., Methods: A survey was conducted by Academic and Research Committee of the All India Ophthalmological Society, the world's second largest ophthalmic professional's organization, in 2014-2016 of young ophthalmologists (those who completed residency between 2005 and 2012) to gauge usefulness of dissertation or thesis during postgraduate residency., Results: There were 1005 respondents, of whom 531 fulfilled inclusion criteria. On a scale of 0-10, residents rated level of supervision of their dissertation as adequate (mean 5.9/10, standard deviation [SD] = 3.1, median = 6). The level of infrastructure available was for dissertation rated as 5.9/10 (median = 7, SD = 3.1), and 6.2/10 was the score that residents said about value added by the dissertation (median = 7). The dissertation was presented at local (33.5%), state (28.1%), national (15.4%), and international (4%) levels. Students, not supervisors, did most of the local and state level presentations. It was published in some forms at local 210 (39.5%), state (140, 26.4%), national (94, 17.7%), and international (39, 7.3%) levels. On a scale of 0-4, seminars (3/4) and case presentations were (3/4) rated higher than didactic lectures (2.2/4), journal clubs (2.2/4), and wet laboratory (1.1/4)., Conclusion: Peer-reviewed publications from Indian residency training dissertations were few. Residents felt dissertation added value to their training, but there was a huge range among the responses. Journal clubs and wet laboratories were not graded high in academic programs, unlike seminars and case presentations.

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 mediates hypoxia- and chronic kidney disease-induced fibrotic events. Here, we assessed whether HIF-1 blockade attenuates the manifestations of diabetic nephropathy in a type 1 diabetic animal model, OVE26. YC-1 [3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)-1-benzyl indazole], an HIF-1 inhibitor, reduced whole kidney glomerular hypertrophy, mesangial matrix expansion, extracellular matrix accumulation, and urinary albumin excretion as well as NOX4 protein expression and NADPH-dependent reactive oxygen species production, while blood glucose levels remained unchanged. The role of NOX oxidases in HIF-1-mediated extracellular matrix accumulation was explored in vitro using glomerular mesangial cells. Through a series of genetic silencing and adenoviral overexpression studies, we have defined GLUT1 as a critical downstream target of HIF-1α mediating high glucose-induced matrix expression through the NADPH oxidase isoform, NOX4. Together, our data suggest that pharmacological inhibition of HIF-1 may improve clinical manifestations of diabetic nephropathy., (© 2016 by the American Diabetes Association. Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered.)

Aim: The aim of this study is to ascertain the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in diabetic patients across the nation and attempt to establish history-based risk factors., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study of diabetic patients was conducted as an initiative of the All India Ophthalmological Society from 14th November to 21st November 2014. Known diabetics were evaluated voluntarily by members of the society at 194 centers using a structured protocol provided by the society for examination. The results were evaluated to ascertain the prevalence of DR in the population studied and to establish relation with gender, age, and history-based risk factors such as duration of diabetes, insulin use, and other end-organ disease using the Chi-square test., Results: A total of 6218 known diabetics were screened. Totally, 5130 data entry forms were considered suitable for further evaluation. About 61.2% were males, 88.6% were between 40 and 80 years of age, almost two-thirds of the patients were from the west and south zones, and over half had diabetes more than 5 years. The data set was predominantly urban 84.7% and 46.1% had no family history. DR prevalence in the entire data set was 21.7%. Prevalence was more in males (P = 0.007), diabetics more than 5 years (P = 0.001), those above 40 years (P = 0.01), insulin users (P = 0.001), and history of vascular accidents (P = 0.0014). Significantly 22.18% of patients detected with DR had a vision of 6/18 or better in the worse eye., Conclusion: The study reiterated the findings of earlier regional studies on a pan Indian scale and put data in perspective.

In a patient with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) and pulmonary atresia, treating the cardiac problem or the associated congenital illness is always a challenge. We describe the challenges and successful initial management of bilateral cataract to prevent visual loss in an infant with TOF with pulmonary atresia.

Hypoxia inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α) has a critical role in renal tumorigenesis. HIF-2α is stabilized in von Hippel-Lindau (VHL)-deficient renal cell carcinoma through mechanisms that require ongoing mRNA translation. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) functions in two distinct complexes: Raptor-associated mTORC1 and Rictor-associated mTORC2. Rictor-associated mTORC2 complex has been linked to maintaining HIF-2α protein in the absence of VHL; however, the mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Although Raptor-associated mTORC1 is a known key upstream regulator of mRNA translation, initiation and elongation, the role of mTORC2 in regulating mRNA translation is not clear. Complex assembly of the mRNA cap protein, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4 (eIF4)E, with activators (eIF4 gamma (eIF4G)) and inhibitors (eIF4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1)) are rate-limiting determinants of mRNA translation. Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that reactive oxygen species, mediated by p22(phox)-based Nox oxidases, are enhanced in VHL-deficient cells and have a role in the activation of Akt on S473, a site phosphorylated by the mTORC2 complex. In this study, we examined the role of Rictor-dependent regulation of HIF-2α through eIF4E-dependent mRNA translation and examined the effects of p22(phox)-based Nox oxidases on TORC2 regulation. We demonstrate for the first time that mTORC2 complex stability and activation is redox sensitive, and further defined a novel role for p22(phox)-based Nox oxidases in eIF4E-dependent mRNA translation through mTORC2. Furthermore, we provide the first evidence that silencing of p22(phox) reduces HIF-2α-dependent gene targeting in vitro and tumor formation in vivo. The clinical relevance of these studies is demonstrated.

This paper demonstrates replication of ultrafast laser-induced micro/nano surface textures on poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). The surface texture replication process reduces the processing steps for microtexturing while improving light trapping. Two methods are demonstrated to replicate surface microtexture, a simple mold method and an embossing method. The laser microtextured silicon and titanium surfaces with micro to nanoscale features have been successfully replicated. Optical characterization of the replicated microtextured PDMS surfaces is performed and the results agree with model predictions. The replicated microtextured PDMS film is applied on a silicon surface and optical characterization shows that surface reflectance can be suppressed over 55% compared to the control value.

A low-cost pulsed N(2)-laser has been used to successfully demonstrate the formation of self-organized conical microtexture in Si. The process is demonstrated in vacuum environment to avoid the use of SF(6) gas and sulfur incorporation. The microtexture is formed with an average structure height of ~15 um, base diameter ~10 μm, and tip-to-tip separation ~8 μm. Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy of individual conelike structure shows that the material remains free from impurity incorporation. We have shown that the laser-induced-damage-related absorption can be successfully restored after an hour annealing at 1000 °C, making the material an ideal candidate for photovoltaic and other photonic applications., (© 2012 Optical Society of America)

A femtosecond-laser-textured Si photodetector is reported. Broadband spectral optical response is detected from UV to NIR. A quantum efficiency of greater than 80% from 490  nm to 780  nm has been achieved. The quantum efficiency at 245  nm is 62%, which is comparable to UV-enhanced Si photodiodes. The bandwidth of a 250-μm-diameter device is 60  MHz.

We report a phenomenon of spontaneous formation of self-organized 2D periodic arrays of nanostructures (protrusions) by directly exposing a silicon surface to multiple nanosecond laser pulses. These self-organized 2D periodic nanostructures are produced toward the edge as an annular region around the circular laser spot. The heights of these nanostructures are around 500 nm with tip diameter ~100 nm. The period of the nanostructures is about 1064 nm, the wavelength of the incident radiation. In the central region of the laser spot, nanostructures are destroyed because of the higher laser intensity (due to the Gaussian shape of the laser beam) and accumulation of large number of laser pulses. Optical diffraction from these nanostructures indicates a threefold symmetry, which is in accordance with the observed morphological symmetries of these nanostructures.