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Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) infection in dogs is considered as one of the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in young dogs and continues to occur with high incidence worldwide. Despite a single-stranded DNA virus, CPV-2 possesses a high mutation rate which has led to the development of new variants from time to time. These variants are classically classified based on the amino acid markers present in the VP2 gene. In this study, we examined 20 different cases of CPV-2 infection from seven different states of the North East region (NER) of India. The near-complete genome sequences of all these isolates were subjected to phylodynamic and phylogeographic analysis to evaluate the genetic diversity and geographical spread of CPV-2 variants. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequences revealed residues characteristic of the ‘Asian CPV-2c lineage’ in all the 20 sequences confirming it as the dominant strain circulating in NER, India. The phylogenetic analysis based on the whole genome showed that all 20 sequences formed a monophyletic clade together with other Asian CPV-2c sequences. Furthermore, phylogeographic analysis based on the VP2 gene showed the likely introduction of Asian CPV-2c strain to India from China. This study marks the first comprehensive report elucidating the molecular epidemiology of CPV-2 in India.

Introduction: Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) outbreaks are caused mostly by viruses. During July-August 2023, there was a sudden spike in acute hemorrhage conjunctivitis cases in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. To identify the etiological and gain molecular epidemiology of the agent, the study was conducted. Methodology: Conjunctival swabs were collected from patients (n = 128) with presumed acute hemorrhage conjunctivitis visiting two tertiary care hospitals. Results: Enteroviruses infection was identified in 96 (75%) patients. In these patients, coxsackievirus A24 (CV-A24) infection was further confirmed by targeting the genetic regions of 3C protease and VP1. Furthermore, the study established the outbreak was caused by the genotype IV of CV-A24 with the highest genetic similarity with CV-A24 reported from Northeast India, China, and Pakistan circulating during the same period. The comparison of our study sequences with earlier Indian outbreak strains (2007) revealed four amino acid substitutions at the 3C region (“S21N,” “V30I,” “S66I,” and “V75I”) and three non-synonymous mutations at the VP1 region (“L16I,” “P21S,” and “N301D”). Conclusion: The study findings revealed that the AHC outbreak was caused by genotype IV of CV-A24 in this region. Molecular identification accompanied by phylogenetic analysis will be useful in studying the enterovirus epidemiology associated with AHC outbreaks.

Background: Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is characterised by open angles, raised intraocular pressure (IOP) and optic disc changes. Undetected glaucoma is the third leading cause of blindness. The study aims to correlate central corneal thickness and IOP with optic disc changes in POAG and to aid in the early detection and timely management of glaucoma to prevent advanced damage and vision loss. Methods: In this hospital-based prospective observational study, 50 cases (100 eyes) of POAG were selected after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Detailed history, ocular examination, visual acuity testing, slit-lamp examination, gonioscopy, ultrasound pachymetry for central corneal thickness (CCT), IOP with Goldmann Applanation Tonometry (GAT), fundus examination with +90D lens and visual fields on Humphrey’s automated field analyser were performed for all patients. Results: There was a statistically highly significant positive correlation between IOP and CCT in the right and left eyes (P < 0.01). There was a statistically very highly significant difference between mean IOP and mean corrected IOP in the right eye and left eye also (P < 0.001). There was a statistically very highly significant difference in IOP, CCT and fundus cup-to-disc ratio (CDR) with HAP staging (P < 0.001). Conclusions: IOP was positively related to CCT. Thinner CCT

Abstract This research paper explores the performance of electrorheological fluids, widely known as smart fluids, which are popular because they experience immediate changes in their characteristics when applied to exterior magnetic or electric field. On application of high voltage, the ER fluid alters its form to semisolid from viscous liquid within a few milliseconds, which is reversible. The reversible nature of ER fluid was employed to absorb vibrations during hard machining. In this research, the consequence of the application of electric field to the ER characteristics of numerous non‐Newtonian fluids with an accumulation of TiO2 and Al2O3 nano elements are investigated. The purpose of this research is to discover the ER sample, which has the highest viscosity, highest breakdown voltage, but less sedimentation. So the selected sample can be used in ER dampers for the purpose of shock absorption. The ER fluid behaves as a mainspring with nonlinear vibration features that are managed by an arrangement of ER fluid, the structure of plunger, and the constraints of applied electric field. In this research, we have employed steel metallic specimens made from EN24T of 302BHN and the machining experiments are conducted to attain the shape parameters that can reduce the tool vibration and help improve the process of cutting at the time of machining with minimum application of fluid utilizing hard metal inserts. In this work, cutting tool parameters were analyzed like cutting force, tool wear, tool vibration amplitude, and surface roughness. It was observed that ER damper has shown its better performance at 5KV. At 5KV, cutting force was the least, tool wear was the least, tool vibration amplitude was the least, and surface roughness was the least. The use of an ER fluid damper decreases tool vibrations and successfully enhances machining performance. The machining industry will be benefited with commercialization of this technique.

Abstract Objective To comprehensively evaluate the efficacy, safety, patient symptoms, and quality-of-life (QoL) of lubiprostone, linaclotide, and elobixibat as treatment for chronic constipation (CC). Design Systematic literature review (SLR) and meta-analysis (MA). Literature searches were conducted on PubMed and Embase using the Ovid platform. Methods SLR including randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies was conducted to identify the overall efficacy and safety of lubiprostone, linaclotide, and elobixibat. Thereafter, MA was performed using only RCTs. The number needed to treat (NNT) and number needed to harm (NNH) analyses were additionally conducted. Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome was efficacy regarding change in spontaneous bowel movements. Secondary outcomes included safety, constipation-related symptoms, and QoL. Results Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria for the SLR: 17 RCTs, 4 observational studies, and 3 single-arm trials. Feasibility assessment for the MA resulted in 14 studies available for safety data analysis, and 8 available for efficacy analysis, respectively. Three drugs showed similar efficacy in the MA and NNT analysis. However, the NNH analysis revealed distinct safety profiles: lubiprostone, linaclotide, and elobixibat were linked to the highest risk of nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, respectively. Conclusion The current study provides an updated overview of the efficacy, safety, patient symptoms, and QoL of the three drugs with different mechanisms of action for CC treatment.The findings could help physicians adopt an individualized approach for treating patients with CC in clinical practice.

In India, the incidence of mucormycosis reached high levels during 2021–2022, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to this, we established a multicentric ambispective cohort of patients hospitalised with mucormycosis across India. In this paper, we report their baseline profile, clinical characteristics and outcomes at discharge. Patients hospitalized for mucormycosis during March–July 2021 were included. Mucormycosis was diagnosed based on mycological confirmation on direct microscopy (KOH/Calcofluor white stain), culture, histopathology, or supportive evidence from endoscopy or imaging. After consent, trained data collectors used medical records and telephonic interviews to capture data in a pre-tested structured questionnaire. At baseline, we recruited 686 patients from 26 study hospitals, of whom 72.3% were males, 78% had a prior history of diabetes, 53.2% had a history of corticosteroid treatment, and 80% were associated with COVID-19. Pain, numbness or swelling of the face were the commonest symptoms (73.3%). Liposomal Amphotericin B was the commonest drug formulation used (67.1%), and endoscopic sinus surgery was the most common surgical procedure (73.6%). At discharge, the disease was stable in 43.3%, in regression for 29.9% but 9.6% died during hospitalization. Among survivors, commonly reported disabilities included facial disfigurement (18.4%) and difficulties in chewing/swallowing (17.8%). Though the risk of mortality was only 1 in 10, the disability due to the disease was very high. This cohort study could enhance our understanding of the disease’s clinical progression and help frame standard treatment guidelines.

Background: Bowen's disease (BD) is a precancerous in-situ squamous cell carcinoma and has a high recurrence rate with any single treatment modality, necessitating combination therapy for a successful outcome. Aim: This study aimed to the efficacy and safety of carbon dioxide (CO2) laser ablation followed by manual dermabrasion and intralesional 5-fluorouracil (IL 5-FU) injection as combination therapy for BD. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study comprising 29 clinically and histopathologically diagnosed BD patients with no history of prior treatment. Demographic characteristics and clinical examination of the lesions and regional lymph nodes were retrieved. All patients were subjected to CO2 laser ablation followed by manual dermabrasion and IL 5-FU injection. Results: Mean age was 61.93 ± 9.31 years with male preponderance (62.1%). Trunk (48.3%) was the most frequently involved site. Mean tumor size was 40.8 ± 16.4 mm (range: 15–86 mm). All lesions healed with a cure rate of 96.6%. Complications seen in patients included atrophic scarring with persistent post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in three patients (10.3%), secondary infection in two cases (6.9%), and hypertrophic scar with early keloid in one patient (3.4%). Recurrence was reported in one patient (3.4%). Limitation: The study was limited by retrospective study design, small sample size, and no comparison with standard therapy. Conclusion: Combination approach using carbon dioxide laser ablation followed by manual dermabrasion and IL 5-FU injection has been proved to be effective, efficient and safe with good functional, oncological and aesthetic outcomes in treating BD.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and sensor technology developments have sparked revolutionary shifts in a number of fields, including biometric Identification. In order to improve human identification processes, this research offers a novel method that integrates AI and many biometric image sensors. The accuracy, robustness, and susceptibility to spoofing assaults of conventional single-modal biometric systems are among their many drawbacks. To overcome these challenges, we introduce a secure multi-biometric system that relies on feature-level fusion to identify users. In the preprocessing step, fingerprint images undergo Min-Max normalization to mitigate variations in image quality. In order to extract high-level features from both raw Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals and Min-Max normalized fingerprint images, ResNet50, a deep convolutional neural network, is used. These extracted feature vectors are able to distinguish between the two modalities. We proposed boosted Xgboost as a classifier for authentication in the identification steps to improve performance. The proposed approach is simulated using Python. A comparison study for improved Xgboost is presented using measures for accuracy, precision-recall, and F1-Score. Across all comparative metrics, the technique achieves much better performance. According to experimental findings, the suggested multi-biometric systems are more effective, dependable, and robust than the existing multi-biometric authentication systems.

Summary: Background: Globally, most of the randomised trials with hypofractionation in patients with breast cancer have used 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy technique (3D-CRT). As facilities for 3D-CRT technique may not be available in low-resource settings, there is a need to see if hypofractionation is feasible and safe with 2-dimensional (2-D) technique. In this study, we compared a 3-week radiation schedule with a 2-week schedule of hypofractionated radiotherapy in patients with breast cancer with 2-D technique. Methods: The current study was an open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial. Patients with breast cancer, stage I-III, post mastectomy or after breast conservative surgery who needed adjuvant locoregional radiotherapy were randomised in the Department of Radiotherapy & Oncology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India; to 34Gy in 10 fractions over 2 weeks (2-week arm) or 35Gy in 15 fractions over 3 weeks to the chest wall and 40Gy/15#/3wks to breast and supraclavicular fossa (3-week arm). Boost dose when indicated was 8–10Gy/2–4#/2–4 days in both the arms. Patients were planned on a 2-dimensional (2D) simulator with 2 tangential fields to breast/chest wall and incident supraclavicular fossa field. Acute toxicity was assessed using the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) grading scale. Assessments were carried out weekly during radiotherapy and at 4 weeks after treatment by the physician. Cosmetic outcome was assessed using the Harvard/National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP)/RTOG scale. The toxicity rates between the two arms were compared using Fisher's exact tests. The trial was approved by institutional ethics committee and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT04075058. Findings: This study included 1121 eligible patients from June 2015 to December 2020. Median follow-up was 35 months (6–84 months). Mean age was 48 years (24–75 years). The patient characteristics were comparable between the two arms except for more mastectomies in the 3-week arm and more node-positive patients in the 2-week arm. There were more oestrogen receptor-positive tumors in the 3-week arm. Acute skin toxicities were comparable between the two arms. Grade 2 and 3 skin toxicity was 100 (18%) and 82 (15%); and 16 (3%) and 12 (2%) in the 3-week and 2-week arm (p = 0.21), respectively. Cosmetic outcome was assessed as Excellent or Good for 89% of patients in the 3-week arm as compared to 94% in the 2-week arm (p = 0.004). Interpretation: The two radiation schedules were comparable in terms of acute skin toxicity. The cosmetic outcome was better with the 2-week schedule. The preliminary findings indicate 2-week radiotherapy schedule with 2-D technique was better than the 3-week schedule in patients with breast cancer. However, disease outcomes and late-term toxicities need to be further checked. Funding: This study was funded by Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), India.

Background: Survivors of childhood brain tumours (SCBT) and teenage and young adult cancer survivors have an adverse cardiovascular risk profile, wh ich translates into an increased vascular mortality. Data on cardiovascular risk profil es in SCBT are limited, and furthermore, there are no data in adult-onset (AO) brain tumours. Patients and methods: Fasting lipids, glucose, insulin, 24-h blood pressure (BP), and body composition were measured in 36 brain tumour survivors (20 AO; 16 childhood-onset (CO)) and 36 age- and gender-matched controls. Results: Compared with controls, patients had elevated total cholesterol (5.3 ± 1.1 vs 4.6 ± 1.0 mmol/L, P = 0.007), LDL-C (3.1 ± 0.8 vs 2.7 ± 0.9 mmol/L, P = 0.011), insulin (13.4 ± 13.1 vs 7.6 ± 3.3 miu/L, P = 0.014), and increased insulin resistance (homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) 2.90 ± 2.84 vs 1.66 ± 0.73, P = 0.016). Patients showed adverse body composition, with increased total body fat mass (FM) (24.0 ± 12.2 vs 15.7 ± 6.6 kg, P < 0.001) and truncal FM (13.0 ± 6.7 vs 8.2 ± 3.7 kg, P < 0.001). After stratification by timing of onset, CO survivors showed significantly increased LDL-C, insulin, and HOMA-IR compared with controls. Body composition was characterized by the increased total body and truncal FM. Truncal fat mass was increased by 84.1% compared with controls. AO survivors showed similar adverse cardiovascular risk profiles, with increased total cholesterol and HOMA-IR. Truncal FM was increased by 41.0% compared with matched controls (P = 0.029). No difference in mean 24-h BP was noted between patients and controls irrespective of the timing of cancer diagnosis. Conclusion: The phenotype of both CO and AO brain tumour survivors is characterized by an adverse metabolic profile and body composition, putatively pl acing long-term survivors at increased risk of vascular morbidity and mortality.

Sanjana Satish,1 Jessica F Moore,2 Jay M Littlefield,3 Ian J Bishop,2 Kristin E Rojas2,4 1University of Miami Miller Medical School, Miami, FL, USA; 2Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA; 3SCL Health, Holy Rosary Healthcare, Miles City, MT, USA; 4Dewitt-Daughtry Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USACorrespondence: Sanjana Satish, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1600 NW 10th Ave &num;1140, Miami, FL, 33136, USA, Email Sanjana.satish@med.miami.eduAbstract: This review aims to summarize and assess key studies investigating the relationship between hormonal contraception and breast cancer risk. Approximately two-thirds of breast cancers express the estrogen receptor, and long-term exposure to estrogen is a debated risk factor for breast cancer development. This hypothesis is based on prior studies looking at reproductive risk factors (endogenous estrogen exposure) along with hormone replacement therapy (exogenous hormone exposure). Historically accepted reproductive risk factors include age at menarche, age at first delivery, and parity. Exogenous hormone exposure encompasses both receipt of hormonal contraception and menopausal hormone replacement therapy. This review highlights the reported risks associated with the most common hormonal contraception methods including oral, transdermal, and transvaginal routes. Large observational studies of the past and more recent works are summarized highlighting gaps in knowledge. Several themes emerge: difficulty accounting for well-established risk factors in analyses of epidemiologic studies, challenges determining whether associations between hormonal contraception and breast cancer are due to the exogenous hormones themselves or to increased engagement with the medical system, and discrepancies between statistically significant and clinically significant risk, odds, and hazard ratios. Understanding the strengths and limitations of these studies will help providers in and outside of oncology support women making decisions regarding both cancer risk-reduction and family planning.Keywords: breast cancer, contraception, family planning, oncology, breast neoplasm, cancer risk

Creating favorable climatic conditions for plant cultivation in growing facilities is directly linked to the stable operation of the heating system, especially during the winter months. Consequently, predicting the thermal regime of a space in the event of an emergency heating system shutdown is an extremely important task for the agricultural sector. Research object: cultivation facilities designed for year-round plant growth. Research subject: patterns of internal air temperature changes (both dimensional and dimensionless) during an emergency heating system shutdown. Research objective: to predict the thermal regime of the cultivation facility following an emergency shutdown of the heating system. Research methods: theory of regular thermal regimes, according to which the temperature field at all points of the cooled body (in this case, the heating system) changes uniformly, following an exponential law; computer-based software calculations. Research results: the internal air temperature in the industrial greenhouse will reach its critical value of 8 ℃ approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes after the heating system is turned off. The duration of the internal air temperature decrease from its initial value to the conditionally critical value of 8 ℃ is minimally affected by the total thermal losses and, on average, increases by approximately 0.2 hours for every 0.1 m²⋅K/W of the thermal resistance of the enclosure. Thus, the cultivation facility, as a construction object with relatively low levels of thermal protection, should be equipped with a heating system that meets higher reliability standards.

Ocular Ophthalmyiasis, a relatively rare condition, refers to the infestation of ocular and orbital tissues with fly larvae. It can be present in three forms, Ophthalmomyiasis externa being one of them. We present a case series of three cases of Ophthalmomyiasis externa, which presented with features of conjunctivitis. The larvae were removed mechanically and the patient was relieved of signs and symptoms on follow-up. Ophthalmomyiasis externa in human beings, commonly caused by Oestrus ovis is a rare entity in India.

Background and Aim: The Indian and global poultry industries suffer significant economic losses due to Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) infections, which adversely affect egg production, hatchability, weight gain, and feed efficiency in farms, thus decreasing the overall production efficiency. This study aimed to determine the percent positivity and phylogenetic analysis of MG, MS, and co-infection of both mycoplasmas in commercial poultry farms across different states of India from 2017 to 2021. Materials and Methods: A total of 3620 tracheal or choacal swabs were collected from breeder and layer farms showing clinical signs of avian mycoplasma infections from commercial poultry farms across India, and the percent positivites for MG, MS, and co-infection of both mycoplasmas were determined by Polymerase chain reaction using the 16S rRNA and vlhA genes amplification, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis was carried out by sequencing the mgc2 and vlhA genes of 2 samples of MG and 24 samples of M. synoviae to gain insight into the genetic variability of Indian strains. The data were then compared with other Indian strains, vaccines strains, and strains from other countries. Results: Our data shows the percent positivity of MG, MS, and co-infection of both MG and MS was 6.43%, 23.61%, and 15.49%, respectively. The phylogenetic relationship between MG and MS was determined using the vlhA and mgc2 genes, revealing two samples of MG and 24 samples of MS clustered with other Indian strains. M. synoviae MSM22 and previously studied M. synoviae MGS 482 clustered with vaccine strain M. synoviae MS-H. Conclusion: Mycoplasma synoviae infections in breeder, layer, and in both is predominant compared to MG across the states investigated in India. Sequenced samples of MG and MS showed evolutionary relationships with the previously studied Indian strains of MG and MS. These findings support our view that monitoring chickens for avian mycoplasma infections are of paramount significance. It further lends credence to the contention that such information will pave the way for the development of a home-grown vaccination control program and thus safeguard the poultry sector against mycoplasma infections.

Objective: To describe the clinical pattern of invasive fungal sinusitis in COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 cases. Methods: All patients affected by COVID-19 or having a history of COVID-19 infection with an invasive fungal lesion (mucormycosis/aspergillosis) of the paranasal sinuses, orbit, palate, brain, lung, skin/cheek, and dental has been evaluated for possible description in tertiary care hospital in May 2021. Results: Twenty-four patients presented with clinical signs and symptoms of fungal infection with a history of COVID-19. Paranasal sinuses were involved in all patients. Palatal involvement was seen in seven cases. Intraorbital extension was seen in 13 cases. Intracerebral involvement was seen in three cases. Comorbid type 2 diabetes was seen in 20 patients. The use of steroids was noticed in 16 cases. Our observation revealed that uncontrolled diabetes, overuse of steroids, increased ferritin levels, and low hemoglobin percentage are the main factors aggravating mucormycosis.

Background: South Africa reported a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, named 'Omicron,' to the World Health Organization on November 24, 2021. Scientometric analysis quantify all currently available written communication, the authors of that communication, and their citation analysis. The study's goal was to use the Scopus and Web of Science databases to look at the research metrics of Omicron publications published between January 1965 and March 2020. Methods: All scientific research outputs with the word 'Omicron' in the title were retrieved from the Web of Science (January 1965 to March 2022) and Scopus (January 1896 to March 2022) databases on April 10, 2022. The data was analyzed based on year-wise publications; leading authors; predominant journals in publishing, highly cited articles with citations; type of publications; subject classification, frequently used keywords, geographical distribution of publication, language, and more contributed institutions. Results: There were 1229 research outputs for WoS and 655 from Scopus. The number of publications for WoS increased from 22 in 1965 to 265 in 2022, while Scopus increased from 1 in 1896 to 356 in 2022. Both the databases identified the author Yuen KY as the highest contributor; Journal of Virology and Nature as the predominant journals; the Lancet as highly cited journal; majority as original articles; frequently used keywords as 'SARS-CoV-2'; the United States of America as the most productive country; majority publication in English. The publications were mainly on the subjects Chemistry and Medicine by WoS and Scopus, respectively. The most productive institute was the ‘University of California Systems’ by WoS and the ‘University of Hong Kong’ by Scopus. Conclusion: The term 'Omicron' first appeared in the domain of Chemistry in the late 18th century. The growth pattern of publication was not consistent. The above research metrics will be helpful to researchers in the coming days.

Abstract In most of the real time video processing applications, cameras are used to capture live video with embedded systems/Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) to process and convert it into the suitable format supported by display devices. In such cases, the interface between the camera and display device plays a vital role with respect to the quality of the captured and displayed video, respectively. In this paper, we propose an efficient FPGA‐based low cost Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) camera interfacing architecture for live video streaming and processing applications. The novelty of our work is the design of optimised architectures for Controllers, Converters, and several interfacing blocks to extract and process the video frames in real time efficiently. The flexibility of parallelism has been exploited in the design for Image Capture and Video Graphics Array (VGA) Generator blocks. The Display Data Channel Conversion block required for VGA to High Definition Multimedia Interface Conversion has been modified to suit our objective by using optimised Finite State Machine and Transition Minimiszed Differential Signalling Encoder through the use of simple logic architectures, respectively. The hardware utilization of the entire architecture is compared with the existing one which shows that the proposed architecture requires nearly 44% less hardware resources than the existing one.

Abstract MicroRNAs as cancer biomarkers in serum, plasma, and other body fluids are often used but analysis of miRNA in urine is limited. We investigated the expression of selected miRNAs in the paired urine, serum, cervical scrape, and tumor tissue specimens from the women with cervical precancer and cancer with a view to identify if urine miRNAs could be used as reliable non-invasive biomarkers for an early diagnosis and prognosis of cervical cancer. Expression of three oncomiRs (miR-21, miR-199a, and miR-155-5p) and three tumor suppressors (miR-34a, miR-145, and miR-218) as selected by database search in cervical pre-cancer, cancer, and normal controls including cervical cancer cell lines were analyzed using qRT-PCR. The expression of miRNAs was correlated with various clinicopathological parameters, including HPV infection and survival outcome. We observed a significant overexpression of the oncomiRs and the downregulation of tumor suppressor miRNAs. A combination of miR-145-5p, miR-218-5p, and miR-34a-5p in urine yielded 100% sensitivity and 92.8% specificity in distinguishing precancer and cancer patients from healthy controls and it well correlates with those of serum and tumor tissues. The expression of miR-34a-5p and miR-218-5p were found to be independent prognostic factors for the overall survival of cervical cancer patients. We conclude that the evaluation of the above specific miRNA expression in non-invasive urine samples may serve as a reliable biomarker for early detection and prognosis of cervical cancer.

Introduction: The Study Aimed To Compare The Results of Cryosurgery With Trichloroacetic Acid Chemical (TCA) Cautery For The Treatment of Hypertrophied Nasal Turbinates. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study of 70 patients with nasal obstruction due to hypertrophied nasal turbinates who were randomly divided in 2 groups of 35 each. In group 1, patients underwent inferior nasal turbinate reduction by cryosurgery and in group 2 patients with cautery by 50 % TCA. The patients were evaluated using SNOT-20 score pre and postoperatively on 6th month. Results: Significant improvement in symptoms was seen in 28 patients (80 %) in group 1 and in 10 patients (28.57%) in group 2..Improvement in average SNOT Score after cauterization of hypertrophied nasal turbinates by cryosurgery was from 55(severe) to 16(mild) and by TCA was from 54(severe) to 32(mod) in 6 months and this was statistically significant (p

Gallbladder cancer incidence shows characteristic geographic patterns. Here the authors perform a genomic analysis of gallbladder cancers in patients from countries with high incidence (South Korea, India and Chile) and identify ELF3 and other significantly mutated genes not previously associated with gallbladder cancer.

This work presents betanin dye-loaded TiO _2 -ZnO thin film solar cells for solar energy harvesting. The TiO _2 -ZnO nanocomposite was prepared by the one-step microwave-assisted technique. Structural studies exhibit mixed phases of rutile and wurtzite structure of TiO _2 and ZnO respectively. The morphological investigations of deposited TiO _2 -ZnO nanocomposite showed interconnected many-fold nanoflakes morphology. EDS confirms the formation of stoichiometric TiO _2 -ZnO nanocomposite films. An optical study demonstrates electronic transition with a bandgap energy range of 2.72 to 2.94 eV. Photovoltaic performance shows photocurrent from 1.62 to 2.73 mA cm ^–2 with the photovoltage of 659–795 mV in the range with a 3.25% photo-conversion efficiency for the sample of TZO3 dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSCs).

Atomistic simulations play an important role in unravelling the fundamental behavior of nanocrystalline (NC) metals/alloys. To ensure the validity of the simulated results, the initial NC structures must be representative of a real material to the extent possible. Using proper equilibration techniques, it must also be ensured that these NC structures reach a state of metastable equilibrium before probing their response. To this effect, the influence of simulated thermal equilibration of atomistic NC Ni structures on the resulting mechanical behavior is discussed in this work. It is shown that the well-equilibrated NC structures become stiffer in terms of both elastic response and yielding behavior and accumulate less residual strain upon unloading, thus, signifying the importance of proper equilibration. However, it is found that the regular equilibration method of thermal relaxations at 300 K, typically employed in atomistic modeling studies, takes significantly longer to drive the NC structures towards a metastable equilibrium state. Finally, an improved two-step equilibration method is presented that drastically expedites the equilibration process while resulting in the structural and mechanical properties comparable with the regular equilibration method performed for significantly larger simulation times. The major modification in the improved method involves: • Subjecting only the grain boundary and the surrounding atoms to thermal relaxations at relatively higher temperature.

Inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) is a disease of chickens characterized by acute mortality with severe anemia caused by fowl adenoviruses (FAdV). IBH is one of the most important re-emerging diseases worldwide. In India earlier IBH/ Hydropericardium Syndrome (HPS) outbreaks were mainly due to (FAdV) type 4; however, in recent outbreaks, other serotypes are involved, despite regular vaccination in breeders and young chicks. The aim of the present study was isolation and molecular characterization of FAdV associated with IBH in India. A total of 193 liver samples of IBH suspected broiler chickens were collected from different regions of India. Liver samples were initially screened by histopathology and further, a total of 127 samples which microscopically showed basophilic, intra-nuclear inclusion bodies were processed for FAdV detection. A total of 69 samples were found to be positive for Hexon gene in PCR, of which 28 were sequenced. These samples showed more than 94% sequence homology with FAdV2 and 97% with FAdV11, which was confirmed by Restriction Enzyme Analysis (REA). Tissue Culture Infective Dose50 (TCID50) and Egg Infective Dose50 (EID50) titer of isolated FAdV was found to be 106.5/ml. Pathogenicity study in SPF chicks showed 100% mortality up to Post Infection Day (PID)-6. These findings conclude that the prevalence of FAdV-11 is currently causing IBH outbreaks India. However, further genetic and pathogenic analysis of FAdV is required, which would provide useful information for the development of the efficient commercial IBH vaccine.

Background: Deformities and neuropathic chronic ulcers are the common features associated with leprosy-cured individuals that impact their quality of life and impair rehabilitation efforts. The challenging aspects for treatment of chronic wounds are the factors that inhibit healing. We reasoned that limited success of various therapeutic interventions could be due to the fact that leprosy-cured individual's physiology gets acclimatized to having a chronic wound that any therapeutic intervention is counterbalanced to maintain status quo at the wound site. Therefore, an alternative strategy would be to use biomaterials that gradually alter the wound site allowing the individual's physiology to participate in the healing process. Aims: Developing the human amnion (Amn)-derived biomaterial scaffolds and evaluating its use to heal chronic wounds in leprosy-cured but deformed persons (LCDPs). Materials and Methods: Using an enzymatic protocol, we have developed a rapid method to generate biomaterial scaffolds from discarded human Amn. A clinical trial on 26 LCDPs was performed with the biomaterial, and its wound-healing potential was then compared with LCDPs undergoing standard treatment procedure. Results: Biomaterial-based treatment of chronic wounds on LCDP displayed a higher efficiency in healing when compared to standard treatment. Conclusions: This study exemplifies that biomaterial-based treatment of leprosy-wounds offers an excellent affordable alternative for wound management. This study underlines the importance of involving both local wound environment and systemic effects for healing. In addition, we highlight wound healing as a necessity for successful rehabilitation and reintegration of leprosy-cured person into the society.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) was performed at the University of Missouri Research Reactor in mice bearing CT26 colon carcinoma flank tumors and the results were compared with previously performed studies with mice bearing EMT6 breast cancer flank tumors. Mice were implanted with CT26 tumors subcutaneously in the caudal flank and were given two separate tail vein injections of unilamellar liposomes composed of cholesterol, 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycer-3-phosphocholine, and K[nido-7-CH3(CH2)15–7,8-C2B9H11] in the lipid bilayer and encapsulated Na3[1-(2`-B10H9)-2-NH3B10H8] within the liposomal core. Mice were irradiated 30 hours after the second injection in a thermal neutron beam for various lengths of time. The tumor size was monitored daily for 72 days. Despite relatively lower tumor boron concentrations, as compared to EMT6 tumors, a 45 minute neutron irradiation BNCT resulted in complete resolution of the tumors in 50% of treated mice, 50% of which never recurred. Median time to tumor volume tripling was 38 days in BNCT treated mice, 17 days in neutron-irradiated mice given no boron compounds, and 4 days in untreated controls. Tumor response in mice with CT26 colon carcinoma was markedly more pronounced than in previous reports of mice with EMT6 tumors, a difference which increased with dose. The slope of the dose response curve of CT26 colon carcinoma tumors is 1.05 times tumor growth delay per Gy compared to 0.09 times tumor growth delay per Gy for EMT6 tumors, indicating that inherent radiosensitivity of tumors plays a role in boron neutron capture therapy and should be considered in the development of clinical applications of BNCT in animals and man.

An important task in content based video indexing is to extract text information from videos. The challenges involved in text extraction and recognition are variation of illumination on each video frame with text, the text present on the complex background and different font size of the text. Using various image processing algorithms like morphological operations, blob detection and histogram of oriented gradients the character recognition of video subtitles is implemented. Segmentation, feature extraction and classification are the major steps of character recognition. Several experimental results are shown to demonstrate the performance of the proposed algorithm

The indiscriminate release of industrial effluents, domestic sewage, agricultural runoff have resulted in extensive contamination of water and soil with heavy metals thereby causing hazard to flora and fauna and the aquatic ecosystem. Therefore, there is a need for biological monitoring studies to evaluate the toxic concentrations of various chemical compounds so that certain preventive measure can be taken to ensure the safety of the environment. Therefore, this study was focused at investigating few of the important heavy metals like zinc, chromium, cadmium, mercury and lead, in water along with sediments of the Jaikwadi dam. It has been found that the content of mercury was the highest in both water (15.24 - 18.21 μg/L) and sediments, it is followed by lead (14.31 - 18.38 μg/L), cadmium (1.95 - 2.29 μg/L), chromium (0.68 - 4.00 μg/L) and finally zinc (0.88 - 1.77 μg/L). High concentrations particularly of mercury and lead warrant studies for their remediation so that the concentration remains safe for the populace dependent on the water.INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTVolume-5, Issue-2, March-May 2016, Page: 75-88

Freshwater Bryozoa is one of the less explored or ignored animal groups from India. Kagzipura Lake, a rainwater fed water body was surveyed for three years to understand the diversity and distribution of bryozoan fauna. The present study depicts four Phylactolaemata bryozoans species as Rumarcanella vorstmani, Plumatella casmiana, Lophopodella carteri and Swarupella divina. The manuscript provides brief descriptions of these species, photomicrographs of statoblasts using scanning electron microscopy and colony characteristics.

Background and Objectives: Neonatal septicemia can be rapidly fatal if not treated promptly. A speedy laboratory diagnosis would improve the outcome. The BacT/ALERT 3D system (bioMerieux, Durham, North Carolina) is currently being used for laboratory diagnosis of blood stream infections. In the present study, a modified protocol was employed in which the broth was subcultured into two nutrient broth tubes and these tubes were used for biochemical tests and antimicrobial susceptibility testing to decrease the turnaround time. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, SDM College of Medical Sciences and Hospital, Dharwad from October 2010 to July 2012 after receiving clearance from the institutional ethics committee. Automated blood cultures of 250 neonates admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), clinically diagnosed to have septicemia, were performed using BacT/ALERT 3D. Bottles flagged positive within 72 hours of loading were processed for identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing using a modified protocol. The results were assessed for time saved in reporting in comparison with standard protocol. Student’s t test was used for statistical analysis. Results: Of the 250 cases studied, 117 cases yielded a positive blood culture giving a yield of 46.8%. The number of cases yielding monomicrobial growth were 73, which were included for further analysis. Of the remaining samples, 133 did not show growth, 11 were polymicrobial while 33 samples were flagged positive after 72 hours. Candida spp. grew in 34 cases, Gram negative bacilli grew in 28 cases and Gram positive cocci grew in 11 cases. In four cases, 66 hours were saved, 60 and 54 hours were saved in 18 cases each, 48 hours were saved in 27 cases, and 24 hours were saved in 6 cases. Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the most common isolates among Gram positive cocci and Gram negative bacilli, respectively, while C. guilliermondii was the most common Candida isolate. All Gram positive isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and linezolid. Most of the Gram negative isolates were susceptible to imipenem. Conclusion: This method can be employed in peripheral laboratory settings where there is no complete automation. Modification in processing blood culture can provide speedy identification and sensitivity report in blood stream infections. Time saved in reporting would play a crucial role in improving morbidity and mortality rates in neonatal septicemia.

The Large Cell (LC) motor neurons of the crab cardiac ganglion have variable membrane conductance magnitudes even within the same individual, yet produce identical synchronized activity in the intact network. In a previous study we blocked a subset of K+ conductances across LCs, resulting in loss of synchronous activity (Lane et al., 2016). In this study, we hypothesized that this same variability of conductances makes LCs vulnerable to desynchronization during neuromodulation. We exposed the LCs to serotonin (5HT) and dopamine (DA) while recording simultaneously from multiple LCs. Both amines had distinct excitatory effects on LC output, but only 5HT caused desynchronized output. We further determined that DA rapidly increased gap junctional conductance. Co-application of both amines induced 5HT-like output, but waveforms remained synchronized. Furthermore, DA prevented desynchronization induced by the K+ channel blocker tetraethylammonium (TEA), suggesting that dopaminergic modulation of electrical coupling plays a protective role in maintaining network synchrony.

Stem cells display a fundamentally different mechanism of proliferation control when compared to somatic cells. Uncovering these mechanisms would maximize the impact in drug discovery with a higher translational applicability. The unbiased approach used in phenotype-based drug discovery (PDD) programs can offer a unique opportunity to identify such novel biological phenomenon. Here, we describe an integrated phenotypic screening approach, employing a combination of in vitro and in vivo PDD models to identify a small molecule increasing stem cell proliferation. We demonstrate that a combination of both in vitro and in vivo screening models improves hit identification and reproducibility of effects across various PDD models. Using cell viability and colony size phenotype measurement we characterize the structure activity relationship of the lead molecule, and identify that the small molecule inhibits phosphorylation of ERK2 and promotes stem cell proliferation. This study demonstrates a PDD approach that employs combinatorial models to identify compounds promoting stem cell proliferation.

Background: Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) impairs patient quality of life (QOL). Rifaximin is an oral, nonsystemic antibiotic indicated for IBS-D. The objective of this secondary analysis was to evaluate rifaximin retreatment on IBS-related QOL in patients with IBS-D. Methods: Patients received open-label rifaximin 550 mg three times daily for 2 weeks. Clinical responders [simultaneously meeting weekly response criteria for abdominal pain (⩾30% improvement from baseline in mean weekly pain score) and stool consistency (⩾50% decrease from baseline in number of days/week with Bristol Stool Scale (BSS) type 6 or 7 stools) during ⩾2 of first 4 weeks posttreatment] who relapsed during an up to 18-week treatment-free observation phase were randomly assigned to receive two 2-week courses of double-blind rifaximin or placebo, separated by 10 weeks. A validated 34-item IBS-QOL questionnaire examined patient responses in 8 domains. Results: The 2579 patients receiving open-label rifaximin experienced a mean improvement from baseline in IBS-QOL overall score of 54.9%. Responders to open-label rifaximin ( n = 1074 of 2438 evaluable; 44.1%) had significantly greater improvement from baseline in IBS-QOL overall and all eight subdomain scores, including dysphoria, food avoidance, interference with activity, body image, and sexual function versus nonresponders at 4 weeks posttreatment ( n = 1364; p < 0.001 for all comparisons). A significantly greater percentage of responders to open-label rifaximin achieved the minimally clinically important difference (MCID; ⩾14-point improvement from baseline) in the overall IBS-QOL score versus nonresponders [ n = 561 (52.2%) versus n = 287 (21.0%); p < 0.0001]. Among 636 patients with IBS-D relapse, the MCID in the overall IBS-QOL score was achieved by a significantly greater percentage of patients receiving double-blind rifaximin versus placebo (38.6% versus 29.6%, respectively; p = 0.009). Conclusions: Open-label and blinded retreatment with a short course (2 weeks) of rifaximin improved IBS-QOL in patients with IBS-D [ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01543178].

The potential of multifunctional wound heal biomaterial relies on the optimal content of therapeutic constituents as well as the desirable physical, chemical, and biological properties to accelerate the healing process. Formulating biomaterials such as amnion or collagen based scaffolds with natural products offer an affordable strategy to develop dressing material with high efficiency in healing wounds. Using image based phenotyping and quantification, we screened natural product derived bioactive compounds for modulators of types I and III collagen production from human foreskin derived fibroblast cells. The identified hit was then formulated with amnion to develop a biomaterial, and its biophysical properties, in vitro and in vivo effects were characterized. In addition, we performed functional profiling analyses by PCR array to understand the effect of individual components of these materials on various genes such as inflammatory mediators including chemokines and cytokines, growth factors, fibroblast stimulating markers for collagen secretion, matrix metalloproteinases, etc., associated with wound healing. FACS based cell cycle analyses were carried out to evaluate the potential of biomaterials for induction of proliferation of fibroblasts. Western blot analyses was done to examine the effect of biomaterial on collagen synthesis by cells and compared to cells grown in the presence of growth factors. This work demonstrated an uncomplicated way of identifying components that synergistically promote healing. Besides, we demonstrated that modulating local wound environment using biomaterials with bioactive compounds could enhance healing. This study finds that the developed biomaterials offer immense scope for healing wounds by means of their skin regenerative features such as anti-inflammatory, fibroblast stimulation for collagen secretion as well as inhibition of enzymes and markers impeding the healing, hydrodynamic properties complemented with other features including non-toxicity, biocompatibility, and safety.

Hippocampal theta oscillations (4-12 Hz) are consistently recorded during memory tasks and spatial navigation. Despite several known circuits and structures that generate hippocampal theta locally in vitro, none of them were found to be critical in vivo, and the hippocampal theta rhythm is severely attenuated by disruption of external input from medial septum or entorhinal cortex. We investigated these discrepancies that question the sufficiency and robustness of hippocampal theta generation using a biophysical spiking network model of the CA3 region of the hippocampus that included an interconnected network of pyramidal cells, inhibitory basket cells (BC) and oriens-lacunosum moleculare (OLM) cells. The model was developed by matching biological data characterizing neuronal firing patterns, synaptic dynamics, short-term synaptic plasticity, neuromodulatory inputs, and the three-dimensional organization of the hippocampus. The model generated theta power robustly through five cooperating generators: spiking oscillations of pyramidal cells, recurrent connections between them, slow-firing interneurons and pyramidal cells subnetwork, the fast-spiking interneurons and pyramidal cells subnetwork, and non-rhythmic structured external input from entorhinal cortex to CA3. We used the modeling framework to quantify the relative contributions of each of these generators to theta power, across different cholinergic states. The largest contribution to theta power was that of the divergent input from the entorhinal cortex to CA3, despite being constrained to random Poisson activity. We found that the low cholinergic states engaged the recurrent connections in generating theta activity, whereas high cholinergic states utilized the OLM-pyramidal subnetwork. These findings revealed that theta might be generated differently across cholinergic states, and demonstrated a direct link between specific theta generators and neuromodulatory states.

Cryptocoryne cognata Schott is a threatened species distributed in the entire Konkan stretch covering Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra. It was rediscovered in 1990 after not being documented for one and half centuries. The data concerning its morphology, distribution and ecological preferences are presented in this paper in order to contribute to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) goals and to assist taxonomists in assessing and protecting this species from extinction in future.

A highly efficient synthesis of enantiomerically pure (S) and (R)-isomers of N-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)arylamides has been developed with good overall yields in a two step process. The key step involves the ring opening of the chiral epoxide with a nitrogen heterocyclic carbene (NHC) and further rearrangement to chiral N-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)arylamides in high yields and enantioselectivity. During the reaction, no erosion in chiral purity was observed.

An icosahedral closo-B122− scaffold based nano-sized assembly capable of carrying a high payload of Gd3+-chelates in a sterically crowded configuration is developed by employing the azide-alkyne click reaction. The twelve copies of DO3A-t-Bu-ester ligands were covalently attached to an icosahedral closo-B122− core via suitable linkers through click reaction. This nanomolecular structure supporting a high payload of Gd3+-chelate is a new member of the closomer MRI contrast agents that we are currently developing in our laboratory. The per Gd ion relaxivity (r1) of the newly synthesized MRI contrast agent was obtained in PBS, 2% tween/PBS and bovine calf serum using a 7 Tesla micro MRI instrument and was found to be slightly higher (r1 = 4.7 in PBS at 25 °C) compared to the clinically used MRI contrast agents Omniscan (r1 = 4.2 in PBS at 25 °C) and ProHance (r1 = 3.1 in PBS at 25 °C).

Motor neurons of the crustacean cardiac ganglion generate virtually identical, synchronized output despite the fact that each neuron uses distinct conductance magnitudes. As a result of this variability, manipulations that target ionic conductances have distinct effects on neurons within the same ganglion, disrupting synchronized motor neuron output that is necessary for proper cardiac function. We hypothesized that robustness in network output is accomplished via plasticity that counters such destabilizing influences. By blocking high-threshold K+ conductances in motor neurons within the ongoing cardiac network, we discovered that compensation both resynchronized the network and helped restore excitability. Using model findings to guide experimentation, we determined that compensatory increases of both GA and electrical coupling restored function in the network. This is one of the first direct demonstrations of the physiological regulation of coupling conductance in a compensatory context, and of synergistic plasticity across cell- and network-level mechanisms in the restoration of output.