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The current work focuses on predicting the buckling and free vibration frequencies (fn) of cenosphere reinforced epoxy based syntactic foam beam under varying loads. Critical buckling loads (Ncr) and fn are predicted using the differential quadrature method (DQM). Ncr and fn have been calculated for beams of varying cenosphere volume fractions subjected to axial load under clamped-clamped (CC), clamped-simply (CS), simply-simply (SS), and clamped-free (CF) boundary conditions (BC′s). Upon increasing the cenosphere volume fraction, Ncr and fn of syntactic foam composites increases. These numerical outcomes are compared with the theoretical values evaluated through the Euler-Bernoulli hypothesis and further compared with experimental outcomes. Results are observed to be in precise agreement. The results of the DQM numerical analysis are given out for the different BC′s, aspect ratios, cenosphere volume fractions, and varying loads. It is perceived that depending on the BC′s, the type of axial varying loads and aspect ratios has a substantial effect on the Ncr and fn behaviour of the syntactic foam beams. A comparative study of the obtained results showed that the beam subjected to parabolic load under CC boundary conditions exhibited a higher buckling load.

Introduction Traditional classroom teaching involves a process where knowledge is disseminated to students by the teachers through a one-way process. Such a learning environment makes students passive and muted, which can be improved by alternative teaching and learning (TL) methods like the flipped classroom (FC) technique. The FC approach involves a student-inclusive TL process. FC is a student-centered approach that benefits teachers and students by emphasizing the key information during the learning process. The present study aimed to understand the efficacy of the FC TL method and evaluate students' perception of FC among underachieving first-year medical students in learning physiology. Methods This prospective, descriptive, and cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 underachieving first-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students in the Department of Physiology at a tertiary care teaching hospital. All the participants were taught cardiovascular physiology through the FC method. The study subjects were asked to take a pretest including multiple choice questions a week before the study. The study period was four weeks, following which the students were asked to take a post-test. A questionnaire was used to understand the student's perception of FC. The responses to the questionnaire were graded based on the Likert scale.  Results The mean scores of the post-test (19.40±4.22) were significantly (p< 0.05) greater than those of the pre-test (12.43±4.26). Regarding the perception of FC, 68% (68/100) of students agreed that the objectives, methodology, and outcomes were well-defined. Around 39% (39/100) of students strongly agreed that the study material was adequate, relevant, and easy to learn. Nearly 58% (58/100) of the students agreed that the competencies are dealt with completely in every session. Roughly 16% (16/100) of students agreed that the classroom time is sufficiently utilized for peer-based learning. Many (61%, 61/100) students agreed that sufficient time was given for learning. About 34% (34/100) of the students strongly agreed that the assessment tools were relevant. About 56% (56/100) of students agreed and 21% (21/100) strongly agreed that the FC method helped them to improve their understanding of the subject. More than half (54%, 54/100) of the students agreed and 18% (18/100) strongly agreed that the FC promoted self-directed learning. Most students (71%, 71/100) believed FC to be an interesting and satisfactory learning experience. Conclusions The results indicate that most students believed FC was an effective and innovative TL technique. The FC method could help underachievers improve their cognitive skills and analytical thinking and enhance exam performance., Competing Interests: This project was accomplished as part of the Advanced Course in Medical Education (ACME) being implemented by the National Medical Commission(NMC) and carried out under the guidance of the nodal center for National Faculty Development, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Puducherry. The first author would like to acknowledge the support of Dr. Madusudhanan. P, Dr. Sree Rekha. J, Dr. Kadambari. D, Dr. Ravi Venkatachalam (college principal, Government Medical College, Srikakulam), and Dr. Ram Prasad (coordinator of Medical Education Unit, Government Medical College, Srikakulam), (Copyright © 2024, Shireesha et al.)

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of visual impairment globally. It occurs due to long-term diabetes with fluctuating blood glucose levels. It has become a significant concern for people in the working age group as it can lead to vision loss in the future. Manual examination of fundus images is time-consuming and requires much effort and expertise to determine the severity of the retinopathy. To diagnose and evaluate the disease, deep learning-based technologies have been used, which analyze blood vessels, microaneurysms, exudates, macula, optic discs, and hemorrhages also used for initial detection and grading of DR. This study examines the fundamentals of diabetes, its prevalence, complications, and treatment strategies that use artificial intelligence methods such as machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), and federated learning (FL). The research covers future studies, performance assessments, biomarkers, screening methods, and current datasets. Various neural network designs, including recurrent neural networks (RNNs), generative adversarial networks (GANs), and applications of ML, DL, and FL in the processing of fundus images, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and their variations, are thoroughly examined. The potential research methods, such as developing DL models and incorporating heterogeneous data sources, are also outlined. Finally, the challenges and future directions of this research are discussed., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2024 Bhulakshmi and Rajput.)

We present here the distal-C-H activation/functionalization of biphenyl scaffolds using aliphatic nitrile templates. The approach has demonstrated good to exclusive meta selectivities over a wide range of olefination and acetoxylation substrates. In addition, bis-olefination has been accomplished in a one-pot, sequential manner. Notably, this technique highlights the diversification of pharmaceuticals and natural products. Consequently, the temporary directing aliphatic template has been recovered quantitively from the coupled product.

Background: The clinical profile of hospitalized moderate-category COVID-19 patients has been understudied globally and in India., Aim: The present study was conducted to study the clinical profile and assess the proportions of patients who progressed to severe disease and its predictors among moderate COVID-19 patients., Materials and Methods: In this single-center observational study, 100 moderate-category COVID-19 patients as per Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) criteria of age ≥18 years of either sex, excluding pregnant females from February to November 2021, were studied by analyzing their clinical profiles and assessing Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA), National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS-2), and chest computed-tomography severity score (CTSS) to predict progression to severe disease. Severe disease was defined as per MoHFW criteria., Results: Out of 100 moderate-category COVID-19 patients, progression to severe disease was seen in 11 patients (11%), among which eight patients had expired, three patients were discharged, and the rest of the 89 patients (89%) who did not progress to severe disease were discharged. A higher age (62.2± 19.5 vs 54.8 ± 14.6 years), along with multivariate analysis revealing male sex (1.25 times), chronic kidney disease (2.86 times), leukocytosis (6.10 times), thrombocytopenia (1.04 times), anemia (9.3 times), a higher qSOFA score (3.6 times), and a higher NEWS-2 score on admission (1.56 times) had higher odds of progression to severe disease. A significant correlation ( P < .05) of qSOFA score with serum LDH, ferritin, and hs-CRP levels; CT severity score with the serum ferritin, IL-6, and LDH levels; and NEWS-2 with serum LDH, hs-CRP, and ferritin levels were found. Moreover, the NEWS-2 score was found slightly better than qSOFA on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, with an area under the curve of 85.8% and 83.2%, respectively, predicting progression to severe disease., Conclusion: Our study revealed male gender, chronic kidney disease, leukocytosis, anemia, thrombocytopenia, a higher qSOFA and NEWS-2 score on admission, and further, NEWS-2 score better than qSOFA on ROC curve analysis, with an area under the curve of 85.8% and 83.2%, respectively, in predicting severe disease among hospitalized moderate COVID-19 patients., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Background: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic caused enormous adverse socioeconomic impacts worldwide. Evidence suggests that the diagnostic accuracy of clinical features of COVID-19 may vary among different populations., Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and the WHO Global Health Library for studies evaluating the accuracy of clinical features to predict and prognosticate COVID-19. We used the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Tool to evaluate the risk of bias, and the random-effects approach to obtain pooled prevalence, sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios., Results: Among the 189 included studies (53 659 patients), fever, cough, diarrhoea, dyspnoea, and fatigue were the most reported predictors. In the later stage of the pandemic, the sensitivity in predicting COVID-19 of fever and cough decreased, while the sensitivity of other symptoms, including sputum production, sore throat, myalgia, fatigue, dyspnoea, headache, and diarrhoea, increased. A combination of fever, cough, fatigue, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus increases the odds of having a COVID-19 diagnosis in patients with a positive test (positive likelihood ratio (PLR) = 3.06)) and decreases the odds in those with a negative test (negative likelihood ratio (NLR) = 0.59)). A combination of fever, cough, sputum production, myalgia, fatigue, and dyspnea had a PLR = 10.44 and an NLR = 0.16 in predicting severe COVID-19. Further updating the umbrella review (1092 studies, including 3 342 969 patients) revealed the different prevalence of symptoms in different stages of the pandemic., Conclusions: Understanding the possible different distributions of predictors is essential for screening for potential COVID-19 infection and severe outcomes. Understanding that the prevalence of symptoms may change with time is important to developing a prediction model., Competing Interests: Disclosure of interest: The authors completed the ICMJE Disclosure of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author) and disclose no relevant interests., (Copyright © 2023 by the Journal of Global Health. All rights reserved.)

Aim and Objectives: This study aims to determine the effect on shear bond strength (SBS) and adhesive remnant score between two color change adhesives (CCAs) with reduced curing time using different high-intensity light emitting diode (LED) units., Materials and Methods: A total of 108 human first maxillary premolar teeth were randomly allocated into three principal groups (n = 36) based on the type of adhesives used. The adhesives include two CCAs: Transbond   Plus Color Change Adhesive (3M, St. Paul, MN, USA) and Grengloo (Ormco, Orange, CA, USA), and the conventional tooth-colored adhesive: Transbond XT (3M). Each principal group was further divided into three sub-groups (n = 12 each) based on the curing time and type of high-intensity LED units used for bonding the stainless steel brackets. Woodpecker iLED Light Curing Unit (Guilin Woodpecker Medical Instrument Co., Ltd., Guilin, China) was cured for three and six seconds, and the ELIPAR S10 LED Curing Light (3M) was cured for 20 seconds. Bonding of the brackets was done in a standardized manner following the manufacturers' instructions. All the samples were submerged in distilled water at 37 0 C for 24 hours. SBS testing was performed using an Instron machine, and adhesive residue on the debonded surface was examined and scored using a stereomicroscope. Statistical analysis was conducted using one-way ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc test., Results:  The results showed significant differences in SBS based on curing time and the type of adhesive resin used. The six seconds curing group exhibited the higher SBS values (15.5 - 22.82 Megapascals [MPa]) followed by the 20 seconds (12.17 - 18.14 MPa) and three seconds (11.31 - 11.74 MPa) groups. Grengloo adhesive demonstrated the highest SBS values among the three types of adhesives. The predominant adhesive remnant scores were 2 and 3., Conclusions:  Grengloo adhesive demonstrates superior bond strength compared to Transbond Plus and Transbond XT. Both Transbond Plus and Grengloo adhesives experience bond failure within the adhesive layer, regardless of the curing intensity or time., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Guravaiah et al.)

Magnetometers based on color centers in diamond are setting new frontiers for sensing capabilities due to their combined extraordinary performances in sensitivity, bandwidth, dynamic range, and spatial resolution, with stable operability in a wide range of conditions ranging from room to low temperatures. This has allowed for its wide range of applications, from biology and chemical studies to industrial applications. Among the many, sensing of bio-magnetic fields from muscular and neurophysiology has been one of the most attractive applications for NV magnetometry due to its compact and proximal sensing capability. Although SQUID magnetometers and optically pumped magnetometers (OPM) have made huge progress in Magnetomyography (MMG) and Magnetoneurography (MNG), exploring the same with NV magnetometry is scant at best. Given the room temperature operability and gradiometric applications of the NV magnetometer, it could be highly sensitive in the pT / Hz -range even without magnetic shielding, bringing it close to industrial applications. The presented work here elaborates on the performance metrics of these magnetometers to the state-of-the-art techniques by analyzing the sensitivity, dynamic range, and bandwidth, and discusses the potential benefits of using NV magnetometers for MMG and MNG applications., 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 © 2023 Zhang, Zhang, Widmann, Benke, Kübler, Dasari, Klotz, Gizzi, Röhrle, Brenner and Wrachtrup.)

Quantum sensors are known for their high sensitivity in sensing applications. However, this sensitivity often comes with severe restrictions on other parameters which are also important. Examples are that in measurements of arbitrary signals, limitation in linear dynamic range could introduce distortions in magnitude and phase of the signal. High frequency resolution is another important feature for reconstructing unknown signals. Here, we demonstrate a distortion-free quantum sensing protocol that combines a quantum phase-sensitive detection with heterodyne readout. We present theoretical and experimental investigations using nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, showing the capability of reconstructing audio frequency signals with an extended linear dynamic range and high frequency resolution. Melody and speech based signals are used for demonstrating the features. The methods could broaden the horizon for quantum sensors towards applications, e.g. telecommunication in challenging environment, where low-distortion measurements are required at multiple frequency bands within a limited volume., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

To elucidate the molecular mechanisms that manifest lung abnormalities during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections, we performed whole-transcriptome sequencing of lung autopsies from 31 patients with severe COVID-19 and ten uninfected controls. Using metatranscriptomics, we identified the existence of two distinct molecular signatures of lethal COVID-19. The dominant 'classical' signature (n=23) showed upregulation of the unfolded protein response, steroid biosynthesis and complement activation, supported by massive metabolic reprogramming leading to characteristic lung damage. The rarer signature (n=8) that potentially represents 'cytokine release syndrome' (CRS) showed upregulation of cytokines such as IL1 and CCL19, but absence of complement activation. We found that a majority of patients cleared SARS-CoV-2 infection, but they suffered from acute dysbiosis with characteristic enrichment of opportunistic pathogens such as Staphylococcus cohnii in 'classical' patients and Pasteurella multocida in CRS patients. Our results suggest two distinct models of lung pathology in severe COVID-19 patients, which can be identified through complement activation, presence of specific cytokines and characteristic microbiome. These findings can be used to design personalized therapy using in silico identified drug molecules or in mitigating specific secondary infections., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no competing or financial interests., (© 2022. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

Sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2) are recently approved drugs for the treatment of diabetes that regulate blood glucose levels by inhibiting reabsorption of glucose and sodium in the proximal tubules of the kidney. SGLT2 inhibitors have also shown cardiovascular (CV) benefits in diabetic patients. However, the therapeutic efficacy of SGLT2 inhibitors with respect to CV disease needs further investigation. Thus, the aim of the present study was to examine the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors, canagliflozin (CANA) and dapagliflozin (DAPA) in vitro under glucolipotoxic condition by treating cultured cardiomyocytes (H9C2) with high glucose (HG) and high lipid, palmitic acid (PA), to investigate whether inhibition of sodium glucose cotransporter could prevent any harmful effects of glucolipotoxicity in these cells. SGLT1 expression was measured by immunofluorescence staining and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Oxidative stress and apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry. Hypertrophy was measured by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and crystal violet staining. A significant increase in SGLT1 expression was observed in HG- and PA-treated cardiomyocytes. Also, a significant increase in reactive oxygen species generation and apoptosis was observed in HG+PA-treated cultured cardiomyocytes. HG- and PA-treated cardiomyocytes developed significant structural alterations. All these effects of HG and PA were attenuated by CANA and DAPA. In conclusion, our study demonstrates upregulation of SGLT1 induces oxidative stress and apoptosis in cultured cardiomyocytes. Thus, inhibition of SGLT1 may be used as a possible approach for the treatment of CVD in diabetic patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 American Chemical Society.)

This article describes the development of a new aliphatic nitrile-template-directed remote meta -selective C-H olefin functionalization reaction of arenes. Remarkably, unlike the previous reports, this process is feasible at room temperature and enabled the formation of products with excellent regioselectivity. The present protocol encompasses a broad spectrum of substituted dihydrocinnamic acids and olefins, producing meta -C-H olefinated products (up to 96% yield). In addition, the efficacy of the present method has been showcased by the synthesis of various drug analogues (e.g., cholesterol, estrone, ibuprofen, and naproxen). Significantly, the robustness of meta -olefination was also demonstrated by gram-scale synthesis. The new nitrile-based meta -directing template, in particular, could be easily synthesized in two steps and recycled under mild conditions.

Background: Health-care providers (HCP) engaged in demanding work like being involved in the care of COVID-19 positive and suspected cases are likely to have a lot of stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. It will be noteworthy to have an idea about the magnitude of the mental health problems in them to formulate effective intervention strategies for their well-being., Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine whether frontline HCP engaged in the treatment and care of COVID-19 positive and suspect cases experienced increased mental health problems., Methodology: Two hundred and fifty-one frontline HCPs engaged in COVID-19 duty and 97 nonfrontline (controls) HCP were assessed and compared using tools like General Health Questionnaire 12, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Appropriate statistical tools such as analysis of variance and Chi-square were used., Results: Frontline HCP who were directly involved in COVID-19 duty had a higher proportion (28.3%) of psychological morbidities as compared to 19.6% among controls; HCP-frontline had significantly 2.17 times chances of having psychological distress compared to HCP controls. Among, HCP-frontline 13.1% had clinical depression, whereas in the HCP control, this was 6.2%. Further, 20.3% of HCP frontline and 10.3% of HCP control had clinical anxiety, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P = 0.0011)., Conclusion: Frontline HCPs working in demanding work such as COVID-19 patient care are susceptible to psychological distress, anxiety, and depression which warrant urgent attention., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Industrial Psychiatry Journal.)

Pure spin current based devices have attracted great interest in recent days. Spin current injection into non-magnetic materials is essential for the design and development of such pure spin current based devices. In this context, organic semiconductors (OSCs) can be potential non-magnetic materials over widely explored heavy metals. This is due to the relatively low spin-orbit coupling of OSCs, which is essential to host the spin current with a large spin diffusion length and long spin-relaxation time. This research work demonstrates the harvesting of spin currents at the perylene diimide (PDI)/permalloy (Py) based OSC interface. The observed high linewidth broadening of 2.18 mT from the ferromagnetic resonance spectra indicates the presence of giant spin pumping from Py to PDI. The resultant spin-mixing conductance, 1.54 × 10 18 m -2 quantifies the amount of spin current injected from Py to PDI, which is in a similar range to ferromagnet/heavy metals., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Background: The medicinal properties of Syzygium sp., especially the antidiabetic property, date back to the ancient times. However, in the recent past, extracts from different parts of the Syzygium sp. have demonstrated promising anticancer activities in diverse cancer types, and now, attempts are being made to identify the active phytochemicals., Aims and Objectives: In this study, we intended to test the anticancer properties of phytochemicals extracted from the fruit of Syzygium cumini plant in ovarian cancer cells., Materials and Methods: A total of nine phytochemicals extracted from the S. cumini fruits using chloroform were tested for their anticancer activity in the ovarian cancer cell line PA-1. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide tetrazolium assay was performed to calculate the 50% inhibition (IC50) concentration and cell cytotoxicity values. Cell scratch assay was performed to assess the proliferation inhibition activity of the phytochemicals. Cisplatin was used as positive control., Results: Out of the nine phytochemicals tested, quercetin (QC), gallic acid (GA), and oleanolic acid (OA) were found active. QC and GA were most effective with more than 90% cell cytotoxicity at 2.5 µ g/ml and above concentrations and OA moderately effective up to 5 µg/ml serial concentrations. Cell proliferation was significantly inhibited by QC and GA and moderately but significantly by OA., Conclusion: Our data demonstrate the anticancer activity of QC, GA, and OA phytochemicals, which is consistent with the previous reports. However, this is the first report showing the anticancer activity of these phytochemicals derived from S. cumini in the ovarian cancer cells. These data suggest that there is a potential to develop these phytochemicals as anticancer therapeutic agents either as monotherapeutic agents or in combination with commonly used chemotherapeutic agents, which needs to be explored., Competing Interests: None

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) refers to a clinico-radiological entity with characteristic features on neuroimaging and rapid onset of nonspecific symptoms including headache, seizure, altered consciousness and visual disturbance. It is a neurotoxic state in response to the acute changes in blood pressure leading to vasogenic oedema. It is often but not always associated with hypertension. However, control blood pressure is one of the mainstays of management in such cases. Nitroglycerine (NTG) is a potent vasodilator and is one of the drugs for treatment of hypertensive emergencies. It is found to worsen the cerebral oedema in PRES which is considered due to failure of cerebral blood pressure autoregulation. Here, we report two such cases where patients with PRES deteriorated with NTG infusion. However, the neurological condition of the patients improved drastically the next day. NTG could have further enhanced vasodilation, thus aggravating developing PRES, after autoregulation was lost because of high blood pressure., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© Federation of Obstetric & Gynecological Societies of India 2021.)

Metabolic disorders are becoming more common in young population due to increased consumption of carbohydrate rich diet, lack of physical activity and stress. Fructose is used as a sweetener in many carbonated beverages and is a known inducer of oxidative stress and hypertension. Up-regulation of the double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) causes impairment in insulin signaling pathway and metabolic dysfunctions in type 2 diabetes mellitus. In the present study we investigated the role of PKR and associated pathways in high fructose (HF) and streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetes and whether indirubin-3-hydrazone (IHZ), a novel PKR inhibitor can reverse the HF and STZ induced diabetic impairments in Wistar rats. Diabetes was induced by feeding rats 20% high fructose in drinking water for 6 weeks and by giving a single dose of STZ (35 mg/kg., i.p) at the end of week 5. Glucose and lipid levels were measured by using assay kits. Expression of PKR and its downstream genes were determined by immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR and western blotting techniques. Histo-pathological studies were performed using H&E staining. Fibrosis was detected in insulin sensitive tissues and organs using Sirius red and Masson's trichrome staining and apoptosis by TUNEL assay. HF and STZ induced hyperglycemia, fibrosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation in liver, pancreas, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue are mediated via PKR pathway and its downstream effectors, and these effects were attenuated by PKR inhibitor IHZ. Thus, inhibition of PKR can protect insulin sensitive organs and tissues from HF induced diabetic impairments via the inhibition of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway.

A 52-year-old woman was referred to our department with multiple discharging sinuses and swelling in the right flank and iliac region for the past year. Ultrasound revealed a large collection in the right psoas muscle with the sinus tract reaching up to the skin in the right iliac region. Despite repeated attempts at drainage, the collection continued to increase in size. CT was requested and revealed a large heterogeneous irregular collection in the right psoas with fistulous communication with the cecum and skin with the erosion of the overlying ilium. Because of lack of vertebral involvement, enhancing internal septations, non-visualisation of the appendix and feculent material admixed with mucinous discharge from the sinus, pseudomyxoma retroperitonei secondary to ruptured mucinous neoplasm of the appendix was suspected. Mucoid material at the local site was sent for histopathology, which confirmed our suspicion. Our treatment plan after ileostomy was cytoreductive surgery along with adjuvant radiotherapy (40 Gy in 20 fractions) with chemotherapy (5-fluorouracil and folinic acid given for 30 weeks, once a week). However, after ileostomy, the patient refused further treatment, citing financial reasons., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2021. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Diamond quantum sensors are sensitive to weak microwave magnetic fields resonant to the spin transitions. However, the spectral resolution in such protocols is ultimately limited by the sensor lifetime. Here, we demonstrate a heterodyne detection method for microwaves (MW) leading to a lifetime independent spectral resolution in the GHz range. We reference the MW signal to a local oscillator by generating the initial superposition state from a coherent source. Experimentally, we achieve a spectral resolution below 1 Hz for a 4 GHz signal far below the sensor lifetime limit of kilohertz. Furthermore, we show control over the interaction of the MW-field with the two-level system by applying dressing fields, pulsed Mollow absorption and Floquet dynamics under strong longitudinal radio frequency drive. While pulsed Mollow absorption leads to improved sensitivity, the Floquet dynamics allow robust control, independent from the system's resonance frequency. Our work is important for future studies in sensing weak microwave signals in a wide frequency range with high spectral resolution.

Background: The prevalence of denture stomatitis has been shown to vary from 15% to 65% in complete denture wearers. In recent years, a number of studies across the globe have investigated the various biological effects of curcumin, curcumin, a polyphenolic compound derived from dietary spice turmeric, possesses diverse pharmacologic effects including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiproliferative and antiangiogenic activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of curcumin local application with common antifungal agent clotrimazole for the treatment of denture stomatitis., Materials and Methods: A randomised double-blind clinical trial with approval of institutional ethical committee consisting fifty participants divided into two groups (17 men-33 women) with the clinical signs and symptoms of oral candidiasis. The diagnosis was supported by microbiological cultures. Group A patients were prescribed the clotrimazole and Group B patients were prescribed the curcumin ointment which was dispensed in similar amber coloured bottles. Data were analyzed using Chi-squared tests, Wilcoxon's signed rank sum test and Mann-Whitney test., Results: The mean candidal colony counts before treatment in Groups A and Group B were 63.960 and 37.080, respectively. The mean candida colony counts after treatment in both the groups were 14.080 and 3.720, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups when mean candida colony counts were calculated before and after treatment. However, intergroup comparison between the two groups considering the mycological eradication showed that there was no statistically significant difference with P = 0.404., Conclusion: Topical application of curcumin as a natural ingredient could be an effective agent for the treatment of denture stomatitis as an alternative to regular clotrimazole therapy., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology.)

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), interleukin-17 (IL-17) and psychological stress are known to play a role in the pathogenesis of male infertility., Objective: To assess the association of MMP-9 with IL-17 and psychological stress in infertile men., Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 39 men with infertility diagnosed based on semen analysis and 39 subjects with normal semen analysis were included in the study. MMP-9 and IL-17 were estimated in both groups by ELISA. Perceived stress scale was used to assess psychological stress in controls and cases., Results: In infertile cases, MMP-9 and IL-17 were significantly increased when compared with controls (p = 0.046, p = 0.041 respectively). A significant association of MMP-9 was observed with IL-17 (r = 0.335, p = 0.037) and perceived stress scale (r = 0.329, p = 0.041)., Conclusion: IL-17 and stress increase MMP- 9 levels in infertile men., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Mary et al.)

Acute neurological problems are significant disorders of pre- and postpartum period in women. We analyzed the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) profile of patients presenting with peripartum encephalopathy over 2 years. Of 51 patients, MRI was abnormal in 40 patients and normal in 11 patients. Posterior reversible encephalopathy (13/40), cerebral venous thrombosis (6/40), and postpartum angiopathy (3/40) are the three most common causes of peripartum encephalopathy as identified in MRI. The other less common but important etiology include HELLP (Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelet) syndrome (2), osmotic demyelination (2), antiphospholipid syndrome (2), tubercular meningitis/cerebritis (3), pituitary hyperplasia with hemorrhage (2), postictal edema (2), cerebellitis (1), transient splenial lesion (1), and changes of old trauma and stroke (one each)., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest None declared., (Association for Helping Neurosurgical Sick People. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).)

Background: Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels are dependent not only on the average blood glucose levels over the preceding 2 - 3 months but also on the turnover of erythrocytes. Hyperthyroidism is known to be associated with an increase in erythrocyte turnover that may falsely lower the HbA1c in relation to the level of glycemia., Objectives: To assess the impact of medical correction of hyperthyroidism on HbA1c, independent of changes in the fasting plasma glucose and 2-hour post-oral glucose tolerance test plasma glucose., Methods: Adult patients with overt hyperthyroidism (n = 36) were tested for their hemoglobin, reticulocyte percentage, HbA1c and fasting and post-oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) 2-hour plasma glucose, both at baseline and following at least three months of near normalization of serum thyroxin on Carbimazole treatment., Results: Correction of hyperthyroidism in 36 patients was associated with an increase in the hemoglobin (P = 0.004) and a rise in HbA1c (P = 0.025), even though no significant change was observed in both the fasting (P = 0.28) and post OGTT two-hour plasma glucose (P = 0.54). Also, the proportion of patients with HbA1c ≥ 5.7% rose from 3/36 to 10/36; P = 0.016, while the proportion of patients with either abnormal fasting or abnormal post OGTT 2-hour plasma glucose or both did not show any significant change (P = 0.5). The sensitivity of HbA1c to diagnose prediabetes increased from 20% to 50% post- treatment., Conclusions: Glycated hemoglobin is falsely low in relation to glycemia in patients with untreated hyperthyroidism., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interests: None of the authors have any conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021, International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism.)

Background and Aims: Assessment of level of anesthesia after subarachnoid block (SAB) is essential. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of vibration sense as a criteria to determine the level of surgical anesthesia., Method and Materials: The study included patients, scheduled for various surgeries under SAB. The baseline values of vibration sense perception using VibraTip™, motor power using the modified Bromage scale, and sensory block by pinprick method were recorded preoperatively and at 5 and 7 min after administration of SAB. The correlation between vibration sense, loss of pinprick sensation, and level of anesthesia were assessed., Results: The concordance correlation coefficient between the pinprick and vibration sense at 5 min and 7 min showed poor strength of agreement with Pearson ρ (precision) being 0.4192 at 5 min and 0.4701 at 7 min., Conclusion: Vibration sense serves as a reliable indicator to assess the level of surgical anesthesia following SAB. Vibration sense testing with VibraTip™along with motor power assessment can be used as a tool for assessment of level of block. There is a poor correlation between level of vibration sense and pinprick., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Journal of Anaesthesiology Clinical Pharmacology.)

Atomic spins for quantum technologies need to be individually addressed and positioned with nanoscale precision. C 60 fullerene cages offer a robust packaging for atomic spins, while allowing in-situ physical positioning at the nanoscale. However, achieving single-spin level readout and control of endofullerenes has so far remained elusive. In this work, we demonstrate electron paramagnetic resonance on an encapsulated nitrogen spin ( 14 N@C 60 ) within a C 60 matrix using a single near-surface nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in diamond at 4.7 K. Exploiting the strong magnetic dipolar interaction between the NV and endofullerene electronic spins, we demonstrate radio-frequency pulse controlled Rabi oscillations and measure spin-echos on an encapsulated spin. Modeling the results using second-order perturbation theory reveals an enhanced hyperfine interaction and zero-field splitting, possibly caused by surface adsorption on diamond. These results demonstrate the first step towards controlling single endofullerenes, and possibly building large-scale endofullerene quantum machines, which can be scaled using standard positioning or self-assembly methods.

The advancement of nanoscience and technology relies on the development and utility of innovative techniques. Precise manipulation of photonic microcavities is one of the fundamental challenges in nanophotonics. This challenge impedes the construction of optoelectronic and photonic microcircuits. As a proof-of-principle, we demonstrate here that an atomic force microscopy cantilever and confocal microscopy can be used together to mechanically micromanipulate polymer-based whispering gallery mode microcavities or microresonators into well-ordered geometries. The micromanipulation technique efficiently assembles or disassembles resonators and also produces well-ordered dimer, trimer, tetramer, and pentamer assemblies of resonators in linear and bent geometries. Interestingly, an intricate L-shaped coupled-resonator optical waveguide (CROW) comprising a pentamer assembly effectively transduces light through a 90° bend angle. The presented new research direction, which combines mechanical manipulation and nanophotonics, is also expected to open up a plethora of opportunities in nano and microstructure-based research areas including nanoelectronics and nanobiology., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Recent research has been focused on the transition metal-catalyzed reactions. Herein we have developed nickel-catalyzed synthesis of 3-aryl benzofurans from ortho -alkenyl phenols via intramolecular dehydrogenative coupling. Notably, simple O 2 gas served as an oxidant, without using any sacrificial hydrogen acceptor. The strategy enabled the synthesis of 3-aryl benzofurans in good to excellent yields., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Backgrounds/aims: This study was done with the aim of assessing impact of surgery for chronic pancreatitis on exocrine and endocrine functions, quality of life and pain relief of patients., Methods: 35 patients of chronic pancreatitis who underwent surgery were included. Exocrine function assessed with fecal fat globule estimation and endocrine function assessed with glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), Insulin and C-peptide levels. Percentage (%) beta cell function by homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) was determined using web-based calculator. Quality of life (QOL) and pain assessment was done using Short form survey (SF-36) questionnaire and Izbicki scores respectively. Follow up done till 3 months following surgery., Results: Endocrine insufficiency was noted in 13 (37%) patients in the postoperative period compared to 17 (49%) patients preoperatively ( p =0.74). Exocrine insufficiency was detected in 11 (32%) patients postoperatively compared to 8 (23%) patients preoperatively, with denovo insufficiency noted in 3 (8%) patients ( p <0.05). The mean Izbicki score at 3 months postoperatively was remarkably lower compared to preoperative score (29.3±14.3 vs. 60.6±12.06; p <0.05). QOL at 3 months following surgery for chronic pancreatitis was significantly better than preoperative QOL (50.24±22.16 vs. 69.48±20.81; p <0.05)., Conclusions: Significant pain relief and improvement in quality of life among patients of chronic pancreatitis following surgery. However, worsening of exocrine function with only clinical improvement of endocrine function was also noted.

Quantum systems combining indistinguishable photon generation and spin-based quantum information processing are essential for remote quantum applications and networking. However, identification of suitable systems in scalable platforms remains a challenge. Here, we investigate the silicon vacancy centre in silicon carbide and demonstrate controlled emission of indistinguishable and distinguishable photons via coherent spin manipulation. Using strong off-resonant excitation and collecting zero-phonon line photons, we show a two-photon interference contrast close to 90% in Hong-Ou-Mandel type experiments. Further, we exploit the system's intimate spin-photon relation to spin-control the colour and indistinguishability of consecutively emitted photons. Our results provide a deep insight into the system's spin-phonon-photon physics and underline the potential of the industrially compatible silicon carbide platform for measurement-based entanglement distribution and photonic cluster state generation. Additional coupling to quantum registers based on individual nuclear spins would further allow for high-level network-relevant quantum information processing, such as error correction and entanglement purification.

Objective: The objective of this article is to investigate the influence of human parameters on qualitative assessment of labor productivity (LP) in the construction industry., Background: The theories involving workers have identified various parameters on physical efficiency, such as heart rate, relative heart rate, and calorie count, so as to improve the safety and social conditions of construction labor, thereby increasing LP. However, there is no direct emphasis on assessment of LP using human parameters related to physical strength., Method: An exploratory study was conducted on 17 construction workers by observing their task-level LP in real time at a construction site. Human parameters, such as age, body mass index (BMI), handgrip strength, and upper body muscle strength of the laborers, were measured at the construction site. Performance levels of these workers were placed in three categories, and each worker was assigned a typical weightage to each category when correlated to physical strength., Results: Labor categories among the human parameters that included middle age, normal-range BMI, and strong muscular strength were shown as having higher LP than others. A quantitative parameter called the Human Parameter Index (HPI) was developed based on the performance categories developed for an individual worker. Human parameters revealed a significant relationship with respect to task-level LP., Conclusion and Application: The study determines the influence of human parameters on LP in construction. Introduction of human parameters in the construction industry will help in assessment of LP for various labor-intensive activities.