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Background: Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX) mouthwash has earned eponym of gold standard to treat or prevent periodontal disease. However, it has been reported to have local side-effects on long-term use. To explore a herbal alternative, the present study was carried out to evaluate the clinical antimicrobial activity of two mouth rinses. One containing 0.2% CHX and other containing herbal mouth rinse (HM). Methods: This randomized, crossover salivary bacterial counts, was carried out on a sample of 10 healthy volunteers rinsed for 1 minute with 0.2% CHX and for 1 minute with HM. Saliva samples were obtained before rinsing, and after 5 min, and 1, 3, 5 and 7 h. These samples were cultured both aerobically and anaerobically. Percentages of survival, in regard to baseline, were calculated for each time point. Results: Results were available both for aerobic and anaerobic salivary bacteria. Statistically significant difference is observed between Herbal and 0.2% CHX mouth wash at 1 hr (P < 0.05), 3 hrs (P < 0.01), 5 hrs (P < 0.01) as well as at 7 hrs (P < 0.001) and HM and 0.2% CHX mouth wash at 5 minutes after using mouth wash (P < 0.05), 1 hr (P < 0.05), 3 hrs (P < 0.01), 5 hrs (P < 0.01) as well as at 7 hrs (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Based on the results, this clinical study demonstrated that significant reduction of microbial activity was observed in 0.2% CHX when compared with HM containing bibhitaka, nagavali and salvodora persica as main ingredients.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to compare the flow abilities of four different root canal sealers namely, AH Plus, mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) Fillapex, Sealapex, and Adseal. Materials and Methods: According to the method proposed by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) specification 6876/2012 (root canal sealing materials), a volume of 0.05 ml of the cement was taken and mixed according to the manufacturer's recommendation and placed on a glass plate. At 180 ± 5 s after mixing, the second glass plate of 20 g was placed on top of the sealer, followed by the weight of mass 100 g to make a total mass on the plate of 120 ± 2 g. After 10 min from the start of mixing, the weight was removed and the diameter of the compressed disc of sealer was measured. The mean of five such values for each sealer was taken as the flow of the material. Results: The flow obtained for the sealers are as follows: 21.84 mm for Adseal, 20.01 mm for AH Plus, 22.43 mm for MTA Fillapex, and 19.84 mm for Sealapex. The results were expressed as arithmetic means, and the statistical analysis was then performed for the mean values using ANOVA and Tukey's tests using SPSS 16.0 and a value of

Background: Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative neonatal sepsis is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Mucosal colonization with these organisms in hospitals may predispose neonates to septicemia. Aims: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and pattern of colonization of neonatal preterm gut with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and identify risk factors associated with colonization. Settings and Design: The study was a prospective observational study done in a Level 3 neonatal unit of a tertiary care hospital. Methods: Stool samples from preterm babies were collected soon after birth and at 1 and 3 weeks of age after consent. Maternal stool sample was collected within 48 h after the delivery. Predetermined antenatal, neonatal, and environmental risk factors were recorded. Isolation and identification of organisms was done in a standardized manner; antibiotic susceptibility was done by the Kirby–Bauer method and results interpreted according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Results: Seventy-one percent of the babies were colonized by Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) at birth, and 100% were colonized by the end of the 1st week. The organisms commonly isolated were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, NFGNB (Nonfermenting Gram-Negative Bacilli), Pseudomonas, and Enterobacter. Sixty-eight percent of the babies were colonized with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing organisms, and 5% of the babies were colonized with carbapenem-resistant organisms (CROs). In the babies who developed culture-positive sepsis, 21% had concordance of strains in the gut and blood. There was no association between maternal and neonatal colonization. Conclusions: The results show that neonatal gut is colonized by GNB from birth onward. However, the rate of colonization with CRO is low. An association was also observed between colonization and late-onset sepsis.

Background: The analysis of salivary enzymes contributes to the clarification of pathogenesis and improvement in the diagnosis of periodontal disease. The present study aimed to examine the prospective association between smoking and periodontal disease progression and the effects of smoking on the following salivary biomarkers related to periodontitis: Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), acid phosphatase (ACP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatinine (CRE), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), urea (UA), free-hemoglobin (f-Hb), and neopterin. Materials and Methods: A total of 64 male patients aged 21–60 years were recruited and grouped as Group 1: 16 healthy nonsmokers, who had never smoked. Group 2: 16 smokers with gingivitis. Group 3: 16 smokers with moderate periodontitis. Group 4: 16 smokers with severe periodontitis. Stimulated saliva was collected for at least 5 min and clinical measurements; salivary biomarkers were assessed in automated analyzer. Results: Data showed significant correlation among salivary ACP, AST, LDH, CRE, BUN, UA, and f-Hb and neopterin levels showed higher in group 4 compared with other groups. Conclusion: This study indicated that smoking has several detrimental effects on periodontal tissues. A higher level of salivary biomarkers was seen in smokers with severe periodontitis. Hence, these biomarkers are helpful in future for the earlier detection of periodontal diseases progression and can also be used as potential salivary biomarkers for assessing smoking status and severity in chronic periodontitis.

Sepsis is a major cause of neonatal mortality and children born in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are at greater risk of severe neonatal infections than those in higher-income countries. Despite this disparity, there are limited contemporaneous data linking the clinical features of neonatal sepsis with outcome in LMICs. Here, we aimed to identify factors associated with mortality from neonatal sepsis in Vietnam. We conducted a prospective, observational study to describe the clinical features, laboratory characteristics, and mortality rate of neonatal sepsis at a major children's hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. All in-patient neonates clinically diagnosed with probable or culture-confirmed sepsis meeting inclusion criteria from January 2017 to June 2018 were enrolled. We performed univariable analysis and logistic regression to identify factors independently associated with mortality. 524 neonates were recruited. Most cases were defined as late-onset neonatal sepsis and were hospital-acquired (91.4% and 73.3%, respectively). The median (IQR) duration of hospital stay was 23 (13-41) days, 344/524 (65.6%) had a positive blood culture (of which 393 non-contaminant organisms were isolated), and 69/524 (13.2%) patients died. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (232/405; 57.3%), Klebsiella spp. (28/405; 6.9%), and Escherichia coli (27/405; 6.7%) were the most isolated organisms. Sclerema (OR = 11.4), leukopenia 4 mmol/L (OR = 3.4), extremely low birth weight (OR = 3.2), and hyperglycaemia >180 mg/dL (OR = 2.6) were all significantly (p

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is often associated with an inflammatory setting. A plethora of cytokines are secreted in this milieu, actively contributing to the progression of the disease; however, the extent of cytokine interaction and how it contributes to HCC development remains an enigma. In this regard, our analysis of available patient-derived data suggests that cytokines like interleukin-6 (IL-6) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) are enriched in HCC. We further analyzed the effect of these cytokines independently or in combination on HCC cells. Importantly, IL-6 was found to induce a STAT-3-dependent proliferation and mediate its pro-proliferative effects through activation and direct interaction with the p65 subunit of NFkB. Alternatively, TGF-β was found to induce a SMAD-dependent induction of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) coupled to growth arrest in these cells. Interestingly, the simultaneous addition of IL-6 and TGF-β failed to profoundly impact EMT markers but resulted in attenuation of IL-6-induced pro-proliferative effects. Analysis of the putative molecular mechanism revealed a decrease in IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) transcript levels, reduced expression of IL-6-induced STAT-3, and its nuclear localization upon addition of TGF-β along with IL-6. Consequently, a reduced p65 activation was also observed in combination treatment. Importantly, SMAD levels were unperturbed and the cells showed more TGF-β-like features under combination treatment. Finally, we observed that TGF-β resulted in enrichment of repressive chromatin mark (H3K27me3) coupled to growth arrest, while IL-6 induced an open chromatin signature (H3K4me3) associated with an enhanced expression of EZH2. Overall, for the first time, we show that TGF-β attenuates IL-6-induced effects by regulating the receptor level, downstream signaling, and the epigenome. Understanding the complex interactions between these cytokines can be imperative to a better understanding of the disease, and manipulation of cytokine balance can act as a prospective future therapeutic strategy.

The reproductive success of a male is limited by the number of females it can mate with. Thus, males deploy elaborate strategies to maximize access to females. In Nasonia, which are parasitoids of cyclorrhaphous flies, such reproductive strategies are thought to be restricted to competition among males for access to females in the natal patch. This study investigates whether additional strategies are present, especially the capability to identify which fly hosts contain adult females inside. Behavioural assays revealed that only one out of the four species, N. vitripennis, can distinguish which hosts specifically have adult female wasps, indicating a species-specific reproductive strategy. Results of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses and behavioural data suggest that female-signature cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are used as chemical cues, possibly emanating from within the host puparium. Further assays indicated that N. vitripennis males can also detect differences in the intensities of female-signature CHCs, giving them the capability to seek out hosts with maximum number of females. This study uncovers a previously unknown reproductive strategy in one of the most widely studied parasitoid wasps.

Introduction This study was conducted with an objective to analyze prevalence and risk factors associated with co-infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in HIV-positive patients with reference to their CD4+ T cell status. Materials and methods HIV-positive patients visiting the HIV clinic for CD4+ T cells testing at B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences were tested for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. Data regarding age, gender, mode of HIV transmission, duration of HIV diagnosis, antiretroviral therapy status, antiretroviral therapy duration, hepatitis B or C status, and CD4+ T cells count were collected via face-to-face interview, and hospital records. The data were entered in Microsoft Excel 2019 v16.0 (Microsoft, WA, USA) and statistical analysis was performed by using statistical package for social sciences, IBM SPSS® v21 (IBM, Armonk, New York). Results Out of 474 HIV-positive patients, HIV-HBV, HIV-HCV, and HIV-HBV-HCV co-infections were seen in 2.95% (14/474), 18.14% (86/474), and 2.53% (12/474) respectively. The primary route of infection was intra-venous drug use (IVDU) in those co-infected with HBV only (8, 57.14%), HCV only (46, 53.49%), and both HBV and HCV (8, 66.67%). HIV patients infected via IVDU were 2.40 times more likely to have HIV-HCV co-infection as compared to those infected via sexual route (AOR 2.40, 95% CI: 1.49,3.86). Similarly, HIV patients with CD4+ T cells count less than 350 cells/mm3 were more likely to have HIV-HBV-HCV co-infection as compared to those with CD4 count equal to and more than 350 cells/mm3 (AOR 13.84, 95% CI: 2.90,66.10). Conclusion HIV-positive patients are at high risk of hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C co-infection. Intravenous drug use, and lower CD4+T cells count are the most important risk predictors of co-infection. All HIV-positive patients should be carefully screened with hepatitis B and hepatitis C tests during their follow-up.

Licoisoflavone B, licochalcone A, and liquirtigenin are important flavonoids found in the medicinal plant Glycyrrhiza glabra and are known for their preventive and therapeutic potential against cancer. Extraction of these flavonoids in commercially viable quantities is a challenging task. Therefore, an attempt has been made to elicit the production of these flavonoids in tissue cultures of G. glabra. We investigated the effect of the biotic elicitor yeast extract (YE) on the production of three flavonoids in G. glabra callus cultures grown in a previously standardized nutrient medium consisting of Murashige and Skoog’s medium components supplemented with naphthalene acetic acid and benzyl amino purine. The YE elicitor was tested in the concentration range of 25–175 mg/l. At each elicitor concentration, a time-course analysis was also performed to determine the effect of the duration of YE treatment on flavonoid production. The effect of YE on the key enzyme of the phenylpropanoid pathway, phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), antioxidant enzymes, polyphenoloxidase (PPO), and peroxidase (POD) was also observed. The results revealed that 75 mg/l concentration of YE was most suitable for elicitation of biosynthesis of flavonoids in G. glabra cultures and more than a 2-fold increase in the production of all the three flavonoids was obtained. The activities of the enzymes, PAL, PPO, and POD, also increased significantly, suggesting that the stress response was elicited by YE. These results provide evidence of activation of phenylpropanoid metabolism and regulation of its key enzymes by YE, eventually leading to enhanced production of anti-cancerous flavonoids licoisoflavone B, licochalcone A, and liquirtigenin.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that generate bioelectricity from biodegradable waste have received considerable attention from biologists. Fungi play a significant role as both anodic and cathodic catalysts in MFCs. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a fungus with an ability to transfer electrons through mediators such as methylene blue (MB), neutral red (NR) or even without a mediator. This unique role of fungal cells in exocellular electron transfer (EET) and their interactions with electrodes hold a lot of promise in areas such as wastewater treatment where yeast cell-based MFCs can be used. The present article highlights the physico-chemical factors affecting the performance of fungal-mediated MFCs in terms of power output and degradation of organic pollutants, along with the challenges associated with fungal MFCs. In addition, to this comparative assessment of fungal-mediated bio-electrochemical systems, their development, possible applications and potential challenges are also discussed.

ABSTRACT The homologous recombination (HR) pathway has been implicated as the predominant mechanism for the repair of chromosomal DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) of the malarial parasite. Although the extrachromosomal mitochondrial genome of this parasite experiences a greater number of DSBs due to its close proximity to the electron transport chain, nothing is known about the proteins involved in the repair of the mitochondrial genome. We investigated the involvement of nucleus-encoded HR proteins in the repair of the mitochondrial genome, as this genome does not code for any DNA repair proteins. Here, we provide evidence that the nucleus-encoded “recombinosome” of the parasite is also involved in mitochondrial genome repair. First, two crucial HR proteins, namely, Plasmodium falciparum Rad51 (PfRad51) and P. falciparum Bloom helicase (PfBlm) are located in the mitochondria. They are recruited to the mitochondrial genome at the schizont stage, a stage that is prone to DSBs due to exposure to various endogenous and physiologic DNA-damaging agents. Second, the recruitment of these two proteins to the damaged mitochondrial genome coincides with the DNA repair kinetics. Moreover, both the proteins exit the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) once the genome is repaired. Most importantly, the specific chemical inhibitors of PfRad51 and PfBlm block the repair of UV-induced DSBs of the mitochondrial genome. Additionally, overexpression of these two proteins resulted in a kinetically faster repair. Given the essentiality of the mitochondrial genome, blocking its repair by inhibiting the HR pathway could offer a novel strategy for curbing malaria. IMPORTANCE The impact of malaria on global public health and the world economy continues to surge despite decades of vaccine research and drug development efforts. An alarming rise in resistance toward all the commercially available antimalarial drugs and the lack of an effective malaria vaccine brings us to the urge to identify novel intervention strategies for curbing malaria. Here, we uncover the molecular mechanism behind the repair of the most deleterious form of DNA lesions on the parasitic mitochondrial genome. Given that the single-copy mitochondrion is an indispensable organelle of the malaria parasite, we propose that targeting the mitochondrial DNA repair pathways should be exploited as a potential malaria control strategy. The establishment of the parasitic homologous recombination machinery as the predominant repair mechanism of the mitochondrial DNA double-strand breaks underscores the importance of this pathway as a novel druggable target.

Summary: Background: Typhoid fever is a major public health problem in low-resource settings. Vaccination can help curb the disease and might reduce transmission. We have previously reported an interim analysis of the efficacy of typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) in Nepali children. Here we report the final results after 2 years of follow-up. Methods: We did a participant-masked and observer-masked individually randomised trial in Lalitpur, Nepal, in which 20 019 children aged 9 months to younger than 16 years were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive a single dose of TCV (Typbar TCV, Bharat Biotech International, India) or capsular group A meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenA). Participants were followed up until April 9, 2020. The primary outcome was blood culture-confirmed typhoid fever. Cases were captured via passive surveillance and active telephone surveillance followed by medical record review. The trial is registered at ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN43385161 and is ongoing. Findings: From Nov 20, 2017, to April 9, 2018, of 20 119 children screened, 20 019 participants were randomly assigned to receive TCV or MenA vaccine. There were 75 cases of blood culture-confirmed typhoid fever included in the analysis (13 in the TCV group and 62 in the MenA group) over the 2-year period. The protective efficacy of TCV against blood culture-confirmed typhoid fever at 2 years was 79·0% (95% CI 61·9–88·5; p

The present work mainly highlights the simultaneous detection of four skin whitening agents i.e. hydroquinone (HQ), resorcinol (RS), catechol (CC) and 3,3′-dichlorobenzidine (DCB) in facial creams and body lotion. Among these, the first three are positional isomers of dihydroxybenzene so simultaneous separation is difficult with the conventional reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic technique (RP-HPLC). The selected skin whitening agents were detected in facial cream and body lotion using micellar liquid chromatography coupled to a photodiode array detector (MLC-PDA). In the present study, optimization of the method was accomplished using response surface methodology (RSM) with central composite design (CCD). The second-order polynomial model for predicting the optimal chromatographic run time was evaluated by the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and 3D response surface plots for the interactions between three variables were constructed. Three experimental parameters which were chosen as independent variables were; surfactant concentration (SDS), the volume percentage of organic modifier (OM) and pH of the mobile phase. The second-order polynomial model for predicting the optimal chromatographic run time was evaluated by the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and 3D response surface plots for the interactions between three variables were constructed. Three experimental parameters which were chosen as independent variables were; surfactant concentration (SDS), percentage of organic modifier (OM) and pH of the mobile phase. The second-order polynomial model for predicting the optimal chromatographic run time was evaluated by the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and 3D response surface plots for the interactions between three variables were constructed. Three experimental parameters which were chosen as independent variables were; surfactant concentration (SDS), percentage of organic modifier (OM) and pH of the mobile phase. The optimized mobile phase was 0.15 M SDS and 7% 1-butanol, buffered at pH 7 with 0.01 M NaH2PO4. The chromatographic run time for simultaneous determination of selected analytes was 7.5 min. The correlation coefficient (r2) values were satisfactory between 0.998–0.999 over the linear concentration range. Limits of detection (LODs) and the limits of quantification (LOQs) for the four skin whitening agents were in the range of 0.05–0.07 μg/mg and 0.11–0.14 μg/mg, respectively. Trueness (98.4–102.7%) and precision (< 4.3%) were acceptable. The developed method was fast, cost-effective, and green which could easily analyze complex matrices (facial creams, body lotion) without any pretreatment other than filtration. The results indicated that the MLC-PDA method proved to be more suitable for the simultaneous separation of selected positional isomers.

Background: Typhoid and paratyphoid fever (enteric fever) is a common cause of non-specific febrile infection in adults and children presenting to health care facilities in low resource settings such as the South Asia. A 7-day course of a single oral antimicrobial such as ciprofloxacin, cefixime, or azithromycin is commonly used for its treatment. Increasing antimicrobial resistance threatens the effectiveness of these treatment choices. We hypothesize that combined treatment with azithromycin (active mainly intracellularly) and cefixime (active mainly extracellularly) will be a better option for the treatment of clinically suspected and culture-confirmed typhoid fever in South Asia. Methods: This is a phase IV, international multi-center, multi-country, comparative participant-and observer-blind, 1:1 randomised clinical trial. Patients with suspected uncomplicated typhoid fever will be randomized to one of the two interventions: Arm A: azithromycin 20mg/kg/day oral dose once daily (maximum 1gm/day) and cefixime 20mg/kg/day oral dose in two divided doses (maximum 400mg bd) for 7 days, Arm B: azithromycin 20mg/kg/day oral dose once daily (max 1gm/day) for 7 days AND cefixime-matched placebo for 7 days. We will recruit 1500 patients across sites in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. We will assess whether treatment outcomes are better with the combination after one week of treatment and at one- and three-months follow-up. Discussion: Combined treatment may limit the emergence of resistance if one of the components is active against resistant sub-populations not covered by the other antimicrobial activity. If the combined treatment is better than the single antimicrobial treatment, this will be an important result for patients across South Asia and other typhoid endemic areas. Clinicaltrials.gov registration: NCT04349826 (16/04/2020)

Methyl red, a synthetic azo dye, was reported for not only being mutagenic but also its persistence has severe consequences on human health, such as cancer, alongside detrimental environmental effects. In the present study, the Pseudomonas putida OsEnB_HZB_G20 strain was isolated from the soil sample to study the catalytic activity for the degradation of methyl red dye. Another isolated strain, the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA 1_NCHU strain was used as an electroactive anodophile and mixed with the Pseudomonas putida OsEnB_HZB_G20 strain to see the effect of co-culturing on the power generation in single-chambered microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The Pseudomonas putida OsEnB_HZB_G20 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA 1_NCHU strains were used as co-culture inoculum in a 1:1 ratio in MFCs. This work uses isolated bacterial strains in a co-culture to treat wastewater with varying methyl red dye concentrations and anolyte pH to investigate its effect on power output in MFCs. This co-culture produced up to 7.3 W/m3 of power density with a 250 mgL−1 of dye concentration, along with 95% decolorization, indicating that the symbiotic relationship between these bacteria resulted in improved MFC performance simultaneous to dye degradation. Furthermore, the co-culture of Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a 1:1 ratio demonstrated improved power generation in MFCs at an optimized pH of 7.

The present study explores the use of carbon dots coated with Iron (II, III) oxide (Fe3O4) for its application as an anode in microbial fuel cells (MFC). Fe3O4@PSA-C was synthesized using a hydrothermal-assisted probe sonication method. Nanoparticles were characterized with XRD, SEM, FTIR, and RAMAN Spectroscopy. Different concentrations of Fe3O4- carbon dots (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 mg/cm2) were coated onto the graphite sheets (Fe3O4@PSA-C), and their performance in MFC was evaluated. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) of Fe3O4@PSA-C (1 mg/cm2) modified anode indicated oxidation peaks at −0.26 mV and +0.16 mV, respectively, with peak currents of 7.7 mA and 8.1 mA. The fluxes of these anodes were much higher than those of other low-concentration Fe3O4@PSA-C modified anodes and the bare graphite sheet anode. The maximum power density (Pmax) was observed in MFC with a 1 mg/cm2 concentration of Fe3O4@PSA-C was 440.01 mW/m2, 1.54 times higher than MFCs using bare graphite sheet anode (285.01 mW/m2). The elevated interaction area of carbon dots permits pervasive Fe3O4 crystallization providing enhanced cell attachment capability of the anode, boosting the biocompatibility of Fe3O4@PSA-C. This significantly improved the performance of the MFC, making Fe3O4@PSA-C modified graphite sheets a good choice as an anode for its application in MFC.

Due to the continuous depletion of natural resources currently used for electricity generation, it is imperative to develop alternative energy sources. Human waste is nowadays being explored as an efficient source to produce bio-energy. Human waste is renewable and can be used as a source for an uninterrupted energy supply in bioelectricity or biofuel. Annually, human waste such as urine is produced in trillions of liters globally. Hence, utilizing the waste to produce bioenergy is bio-economically suitable and ecologically balanced. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) play a crucial role in providing an effective mode of bioelectricity production by implementing the role of transducers. MFCs convert organic matter into energy using bio-electro-oxidation of material to produce electricity. Over the years, MFCs have been explored prominently in various fields to find a backup for providing bioenergy and biofuel. MFCs involve the role of exoelectrogens which work as transducers to convert the material into electricity by catalyzing redox reactions. This review paper demonstrates how human waste is useful for producing electricity and how this innovation would be beneficial in the long term, considering the current scenario of increasing demand for the supply of products and shortages of natural resources used to produce biofuel and bioelectricity.

Rationale and Objectives: To build a machine learning-based diagnostic model that can accurately distinguish adult supratentorial extraventricular ependymoma (STEE) from similarly appearing high-grade gliomas (HGG) using quantitative radiomic signatures from a multi-parametric MRI framework.Materials and Methods: We computed radiomic features on the preprocessed and segmented tumor masks from a pre-operative multimodal MRI dataset [contrast-enhanced T1 (T1ce), T2, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)] from STEE (n = 15), HGG-Grade IV (HGG-G4) (n = 24), and HGG-Grade III (HGG-G3) (n = 36) patients, followed by an optimum two-stage feature selection and multiclass classification. Performance of multiple classifiers were evaluated on both unimodal and multimodal feature sets and most discriminative radiomic features involved in classification of STEE from HGG subtypes were obtained.Results: Multimodal features demonstrated higher classification performance over unimodal feature set in discriminating STEE and HGG subtypes with an accuracy of 68% on test data and above 80% on cross validation, along with an overall above 90% specificity. Among unimodal feature sets, those extracted from FLAIR demonstrated high classification performance in delineating all three tumor groups. Texture-based radiomic features particularly from FLAIR were most important in discriminating STEE from HGG-G4, whereas first-order features from T2 and ADC consistently ranked higher in differentiating multiple tumor groups.Conclusions: This study illustrates the utility of radiomics-based multimodal MRI framework in accurately discriminating similarly appearing adult STEE from HGG subtypes. Radiomic features from multiple MRI modalities could capture intricate and complementary information for a robust and highly accurate multiclass tumor classification.

Introduction: The Glenoid Cavity (GC) of scapula has highly variable morphology. The rim of GC presents a notch in its upper and front part, because of this glenoid notch, various shapes of GC are found like pear, oval or inverted comma shaped. For total shoulder arthroplasty, knowledge of the shape and dimensions of the glenoid are important in the design and fitting of glenoid component. Various anatomical parameters of the glenoid like height, width, articular surface area, inclination, vault size and shape are relevant for prosthesis design. There is considerable natural variability in these parameters. Anatomical variations of GC are also important for understanding the various pathologies involving the shoulder joints. The present study tries to determine the measurements of various dimensions of the GC including the variations in its shape and surface area. Aim: To obtain the morphometric data and various shapes of the GC relevant to the central Indian population and to compare the data obtained from the present study with previous studies. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out on 150 dry, adult human scapulae of unknown sex, collected from the museum of Department of Anatomy, out of which, 67 were of right side and 83 of left side belonging to central Indian population of unknown sex and age. Morphological evaluation and morphometric measurements for GC were done in each scapula using digital vernier calliper. The height and anteroposterior diameter of the GC was measured at three different levels. Shape of the GC, based on the presence of a notch on the anterior glenoid rim, was noted as pear, oval or inverted comma shape. Results: The mean Superior-inferior (SI) diameter of the GC was observed as 33.84±3.08 mm on right side and 33.68±2.75 mm on left side. The mean Anterior Posterior 1 was 23.65±3.47 and 23.60±2.79 on right and left side, respectively. Anterior Posterior 2 was 14.98±2.41 and 14.16±2.23 on right and left side, respectively, whereas, Anterior Posterior 3 were 19.12±3.59 and 18.44±3.11 on right and left side, respectively. A 33.3% glenoid cavities were oval shaped, 50.66% were of pear shape and 16% were of inverted comma shape. Conclusion: The present study can be helpful to orthopaedic surgeons and biomechanical engineers during designing and fitting the implants for total shoulder arthroplasty. The size of the GC is known to be variable in different population. Hence, while designing the glenoid component of the prosthesis; smaller dimensions of the glenoid cavities in Indian population should be considered.

Introduction: The occurrence of invasive fungal infections has increased significantly worldwide, premature infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) along with other risk factors are at particular risk of these invasive fungal infections which lead to fungal septicaemia in newborns. Candidaemia is the most common form of invasive candidiasis associated with an unacceptably high mortality rates. Candida colonisation in neonates is considered the first step towards developing neonatal sepsis. Aim: To determine the prevalence of Candida colonisation and its characterisation among neonates admitted in NICU. Materials and Methods: The present study was a prospective cross-sectional study with 150 neonates included in the study. Swabs were taken from four different sites of each neonate and inoculated on Chocolate agar and Sabouraud’s Dextrose Agar (SDA) and incubated at 37°C for seven days. Candida species isolated were confirmed by gram stain, germ tube test, growth on Chromogenic (CHROM) agar and cornmeal agar. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11.0. Results: A total of 32 (21.3%) neonates had Candida colonisation. Twenty two (68.7%) were low birth weight and 24 (75%) were born premature. Perineum was the most common (56%) site of colonisation. Among Candida isolates, Candida tropicalis (63%) was the commonest followed by Candida parapsilosis (25%) and Candida glabrata and Candida albicans (6%). The risk factors identified were low birth weight, premature birth, use of antibiotics. Conclusion: Colonisation of preterm and low birth weight neonates by Candida species is a major risk factor and needs attention to avoid dissemination and life threatening infection.

Cyamopsis tetragonoloba and Prosopis cineraria are two legumes of the semi-arid region of Indian subcontinent which are unexplored with respect to their medicinal potential. Moreover, there is considerable lack in the comparative analysis of the biological properties of crude and enriched fractions obtained from the pods and seeds. Therefore, this study aims in investigating the effect of purification on the antioxidant and anticancerous activities of the extracts from the two legumes. This is the first study to purify an enriched methanolic fraction using Amberlite XAD7HP column chromatography followed by analysis using Thin Layer Chromatography. This matrix provided an economic and time efficient isolation of flavonoids and isoflavonoids from the seeds and pods of the above mentioned legumes. In addition, antioxidant activity carried out using DPPH assay showed that purification process did not contributed to enhanced antioxidant potential. However, inverse results were obtained during anticancerous activity assay on Huh-7 cell lines.

When observers view a perceptually bistable stimulus, their perception changes stochastically. Various studies have shown across-observer correlations in the percept durations for different bistable stimuli including binocular rivalry stimuli and bistable moving plaids. Previous work on binocular rivalry posits that neural inhibition in the visual hierarchy is a factor involved in the perceptual fluctuations in that paradigm. Here, in order to investigate whether between-observer variability in cortical inhibition underlies correlated percept durations between binocular rivalry and bistable moving plaid perception, we used center-surround suppression as a behavioral measure of cortical inhibition. We recruited 217 participants in a test battery that included bistable perception paradigms as well as a center-surround suppression paradigm. While we were able to successfully replicate the correlations between binocular rivalry and bistable moving plaid perception, we did not find a correlation between center-surround suppression strength and percept durations for any form of bistable perception. Moreover, the results from a mediation analysis indicate that center-surround suppression is not the mediating factor in the correlation between binocular rivalry and bistable moving plaids. These results do not support the idea that cortical inhibition can explain the between-observer correlation in mean percept duration between binocular rivalry and bistable moving plaid perception.

Lymphangioma circumscriptum is a microcystic lymphatic malformation localized to an area of the skin, subcutaneous tissue, and muscle which presents with vesiculo-papules or warty lesions, resembling a “frog spawn.” Keloids develop due to the proliferation of dermal tissue following skin injury. We present a case of lymphangioma circumscriptum with secondary infection and keloid formation treated with intralesional bleomycin.

Introduction: Target delineation variability is a significant technical impediment in multi-institutional trials which employ intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), as there is a real potential for clinically meaningful variances that can impact the outcomes in clinical trials. The goal of this study is to determine the variability of target delineation among participants from different institutions as part of Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) Radiotherapy Committee’s multi-institutional in-silico quality assurance study in patients with Pancoast tumors as a “dry run” for trial implementation. Methods: CT simulation scans were acquired from four patients with Pancoast tumor. Two patients had simulation 4D-CT and FDG-FDG PET-CT while two patients had 3D-CT and FDG-FDG PET-CT. Seventeen SWOG-affiliated physicians independently delineated target volumes defined as gross primary and nodal tumor volumes (GTV_P & GTV_N), clinical target volume (CTV), and planning target volume (PTV).Six board-certified thoracic radiation oncologists were designated as the ‘Experts’ for this study. Their delineations were used to create a simultaneous truth and performance level estimation (STAPLE) contours using ADMIRE software (Elekta AB, Sweden 2017). Individual participants’ contours were then compared with Experts’ STAPLE contours. Results: When compared to the Experts’ STAPLE, GTV_P had the best agreement among all participants, while GTV_N showed the lowest agreement among all participants. There were no statistically significant differences in all studied parameters for all TVs for cases with 4D-CT versus cases with 3D-CT simulation scans. Conclusions: High degree of inter-observer variation was noted for all target volume except for GTV_P, unveiling potentials for protocol modification for subsequent clinically meaningful improvement in target definition. Various similarity indices exist that can be used to guide multi-institutional radiotherapy delineation QA credentialing. Keywords: Target volumes, Contouring, Quality assurance, QA, Pancoast tumor, Thoracic

An ovarian cyst is the most common gynecological presentation. Majority are benign, with only a few being malignant. Epithelial ovarian tumors account for majority of ovarian neoplasm which usually present with vague symptoms of abdominal pain or asymptomatic and are detected incidentally. Spontaneous rupture of cystic tumors is an unusual presentation. We report here a case of ruptured serous borderline tumor in a young female.

Background: Chronic periodontitis might be associated with oral premalignant lesions, tongue cancers, and other oral neoplasms, which is a foremost public health problem throughout the world. The nutritional status of the patient with cancer becomes very important for tolerating the treatment course as most of the newly diagnosed patients with head and neck cancer are malnourished before treatment begins. Antimicrobial proteins are also essential contributors to maintaining the balance between health and disease in this complex environment. Therefore the aim of this study was to determine whether an association exists between the measures of nutritional status and the levels of antimicrobial proteins with the periodontal condition in newly diagnosed, untreated head and neck cancer patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 50 patients newly diagnosed with head and neck carcinoma were included. Saliva and plasma samples were collected, together with clinical periodontal recordings. Nutritional status parameters consisted of body mass index, serum albumin, hemoglobin, and total lymphocyte count. Cystatin C and lysozyme were the antimicrobial proteins. Results: A logistic regression model showed that periodontal parameters were inversely related to their nutritional status; however, antimicrobial protein levels showed to be directly related to periodontal condition. Conclusion: This study suggests an association between periodontal disease, nutritional status parameters, and antimicrobial protein levels.

Background: A new elastomeric impression material which is a combination of vinyl polysiloxane (VPS) and polyether (PE) elastomers called “polyvinyl ether silicone” (PVES) has been introduced with predictable accuracy and high-quality impressions. There is insufficient data on mechanical properties of this material. Materials and Methods: A comparative study of mechanical properties of VPS, PE, and PVES was carried out using light- and heavy-body consistencies of the three materials. Three standardized stainless steel molds were made to fabricate study specimens (n = 96). The specimens were tested for elastic recovery, strain under compression, tear energy, and tensile strength (TS) using the universal testing machine. Statistical analysis was done using two-way analysis of variance test. Results: Elastic recovery was higher in VPS as compared to other two materials. Strain under compression was higher for PE followed by PVES. Tensile energy was significantly higher in PVS while TS was higher in VPS, followed by PVES and PE. Conclusion: PVES tested was found to be more flexible with high tensile energy. This material can be preferred in cases with undercut areas favoring the removal of impressions without tear and distortion.

Background: Pathogenesis of most of the inflammatory process are associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS), derived from various metabolic sources and which may lead to direct or indirect tissue damage due to oxidative stress, resulting in periodontal diseases. Usually antioxidant systems are capable of removing free radicals, thereby preventing tissue damage from free radical. ROS can result in tissue damage, involving lipid peroxidation. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), malondialdehyde (MDA), and sialic acid (SA) in periodontally healthy and chronic periodontitis among nonsmokers and smokers and to determine their value as diagnostic markers for chronic periodontitis. Materials and Methods: A total of 90 male patients aged 20--60 years were recruited and grouped as Group 1: 30 Healthy nonsmokers, who had never smoked. Group 2: 30 nonsmokers with chronic periodontitis. Group 3: 30 smokers with chronic periodontitis. Unstimulated saliva was collected for at least 5 min and clinical measurements; SOD, GPx, MDA and SA were assessed using a spectrophotometric method. Results: Data showed a significant correlation between salivary SOD, GPx, MDA, and SA in group 1, group 2, and group 3. SOD and GPx were found to be lower and MDA and SA levels were found to be higher among smokers with chronic periodontitis. Conclusion: Reduced levels of antioxidant enzymes SOD and GPx and elevated levels of lipid peroxidation product MDA as well as increased levels of SA could be used as diagnostic markers to measure oxidative stress in periodontal disease associated with risk factor such as smoking.

The research study aimed to study the effect of short term exposure to light basically red, blue and white on the autonomic tone of essential hypertensive individuals. The objective was to find out the baseline cardiac autonomic function along with the effect of these lights on the cardiac autonomic function among them. Till date few if any study have been conducted upon the individuals with certain disorder as common as essential hypertension. This was a cross sectional observational study conducted in the institute itself that included 77 newly diagnosed hypertensive subjects who willingly participated in the study. After written informed consent, brief history taking with the help of self-made questionnaire and clinical examination, they were randomized to different intervention groups (IG) namely IG I (red) IG II (blue) and IG III (white). HRV analysis of the last 5-6 minutes of both the baseline and color exposure was finally analyzed using MS Excel version 13 and Graph Pad Prism version 7.05. Different HRV parameters have been found to be affected differently on different color exposures. Red has shown to have an impact, mainly on the sympathetic system whereas white showed a dominant vagal component thus acting as a parasympathetic regulator. On one hand, where no conclusive result was found on blue light exposure, white light showed the most prominent results affecting various time and frequency components of HRV like SDRR, TP, LF etc. The present study, both, contradicts as well as supports various other works done on the similar area of interest. One reason of such high variation in different results is because HRV is itself a very dynamic function affected by even a slight change in both the internal and external environment of the subject. As artificial lights of various colors are part and parcel of the aesthetics and designing of most of the work environment all over world, it is very pertinent to study its impact upon human health status. The outcome of the study may play a decisive role in the diagnostics and therapeutics of essential hypertension in days to come. Furthermore, on the basis of the present findings, a future study could be undertaken with bigger data base addressing the limitations of the present study to find some conclusive evidence in the area highlighted.

Weld seam identification with industrial robots is a difficult task since it requires manual edge recognition and traditional image processing approaches, which take time. Furthermore, noises such as arc light, weld fumes, and different backgrounds have a significant impact on traditional weld seam identification. To solve these issues, deep learning-based object detection is used to distinguish distinct weld seam shapes in the presence of weld fumes, simulating real-world industrial welding settings. Genetic algorithm-based state-of-the-art object detection models such as Scaled YOLOv4 (You Only Look Once), YOLO DarkNet, and YOLOv5 are used in this work. To support actual welding, the aforementioned architecture is trained with 2286 real weld pieces made of mild steel and aluminum plates. To improve weld detection, the welding fumes are denoised using the generative adversarial network (GAN) and compared with dark channel prior (DCP) approach. Then, to discover the distinct weld seams, a contour detection method was applied, and an artificial neural network (ANN) was used to convert the pixel values into robot coordinates. Finally, distinct weld shape coordinates are provided to the TAL BRABO manipulator for tracing the shapes recognized using an eye-to-hand robotic camera setup. Peak signal-to-noise ratio, the structural similarity index, mean square error, and the naturalness image quality evaluator score are the dehazing metrics utilized for evaluation. For each test scenario, detection parameters such as precision, recall, mean average precision (mAP), loss, and inference speed values are compared. Weld shapes are recognized with 95% accuracy using YOLOv5 in both normal and post-fume removal settings. It was observed that the robot is able to trace the weld seam more precisely.

In Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), routing algorithms can provide energy efficiency. However, due to unbalanced energy consumption for all nodes, the network lifetime is still prone to degradation. Hence, energy efficient routing was developed in this article by selecting cluster heads (CH) with the help of adaptive whale optimization (AWOA) which was used to reduce time-consumption delays. The multi-objective function was developed for CH selection. The clusters were then created using the distance function. After establishing groupings, the supercluster head (SCH) was selected using the benefit of a fuzzy inference system (FIS) which was used to collect data for all CHs and send them to the base station (BS). Finally, for the data-transfer procedure, hop count routing was used. An Oppositional-based Whale optimization algorithm (OWOA) was developed for multi-constrained QoS routing with the help of AWOA. The performance of the proposed OWOA methodology was analyzed according to the following metrics: delay, delivery ratio, energy, NLT, and throughput and compared with conventional techniques such as particle swarm optimization, genetic algorithm, and Whale optimization algorithm.

Abstract Background Oncogenic Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are closely associated with anal cancer which is high among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected males. There are no data regarding anal HPV infection and cytological abnormalities in HIV positive males receiving free therapy in the national program. Thus, this cross-sectional study was performed to assess the prevalence and risk factors of anal HPV infection and cytological abnormalities in HIV positive males. Methods We screened 126 HIV-positive male patients attending the antiretroviral treatment center (ART) between 2014 and 2015 with anal papanicolaou smear cytology and HPV-DNA testing. HPV-DNA was detected by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method with two consensus primer sets E6 and MY09/11 and further analyzed for the presence of various HPV genotype by Sanger sequencing. Risk factors associated with anal cytological abnormalities and HPV infection was analyzed by using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Results Out of 126, 52 were on antiretroviral therapy. 91% were married to female partners but during the study 48 (38%) gave positive history of anal intercourse with other men. Anal cytology was done in 95 patients, out of which 60 (63.15%) had cytological abnormalities. LSIL (low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions) was present in 27 (45%), ASCUS (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance) in 31 (52%) and ASC-H (atypical squamous cells cannot exclude a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion) in 2 (3.33%). In multivariate analysis, the risk factors for cytological abnormality were presence of history of anal intercourse (OR, 6.1; 95% CI, 2.0–18.7) and WHO stage III & IV (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.1–7.5). HPV-DNA was detected in 33/119 (27.73%) patients. The most prevalent HPV type in the study was HPV-16 (10.08%), other HPV types detected were 18,31,35,17,66,72,52,68 and 107 (17.65%). Conclusions High prevalence of anal cytological abnormalities in our study suggests that regular anal Pap smear screening should be done in HIV positive males in the ART center.

Abstract Background Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly aggressive disease, and the lethality of this disease stems from early metastatic dissemination where surgical removal cannot provide a cure. Improvement of the therapeutic outcome and overall survival of PC patients requires to understand the fundamental processes that lead to metastasis such as the gain of cellular migration ability. One such family of proteins, which are essential players of cellular migration, is Semaphorin. Previously, we have identified one of the Semaphorin family member, Semaphorin-5A (SEMA5A) to be involved in organ-specific homing during PC metastasis. We have also demonstrated that SEMA5A has a constitutive expression in PC cell lines derived from metastatic sites in comparison with low endogenous expression in the primary tumor-derived cell line. In this study, we examined whether constitutive SEMA5A expression in metastatic PC cells regulates tumor growth and metastatic potential. Methods We generated SEMA5A knockdown in T3M-4 and CD18/HPAF cells and assessed their phenotypes on in vitro motility, tumor growth, and metastatic progression. Results In contrary to our initial expectations, orthotopic injection of SEMA5A knockdown cells into nude mice resulted in a significant increase in both tumor burden and liver metastases in comparison with the Control cells. Similarly, we observed higher in vitro migratory potential with pronounced morphological changes associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a decrease in the expression of epithelial marker E-cadherin (E-Cad), increase in the expression of mesenchymal markers N-cadherin (N-Cad) and Snail and the activation of the Wnt-signaling pathway in SEMA5A knockdown cells. Furthermore, re-establishing SEMA5A expression with a knockdown resistant mouse Sema5A in SEMA5A knockdown cells resulted in a reversion to the epithelial state (mesenchymal-epithelial transition; MET), as indicated by the rescue of E-Cad expression and a decrease in N-Cad and Snail expression. Conclusions Collectively, our data suggest that SEMA5A expression maintains epithelial phenotype in the metastatic microenvironment.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a syndrome of immune dysregulation characterized by hyperactivation of the immune system, excessive cytokine secretion and severe systemic inflammation. HLH is classified as familial (FHL) when associated with mutations in PRF1, UNC13D, STX11, and STXBP2 genes. There is limited information available about the clinical and mutational spectrum of FHL patients in Indian population. This study is a retrospective analysis of 101 molecularly characterized FHL patients over the last 10 years from 20 different referral centers in India. FHL2 and FHL3 together accounted for 84% of cases of FHL in our cohort. Patients belonging to different FHL subtypes were indistinguishable based on clinical and biochemical parameters. However, flow cytometry-based assays viz. perforin expression and degranulation assay were found to be specific and sensitive in diagnosis and classification of FHL patients. Molecular characterization of respective genes revealed 76 different disease-causing mutations including 39 (51%) novel mutations in PRF1, UNC13D, STX11, and STXBP2 genes. Overall, survival was poor (28%) irrespective of the age of onset or the type of mutation in our cohort. Altogether, this article sheds light on the current scenario of FHL in India. Our data reveal a wide genetic heterogeneity of FHL in the Indian population and confirms the poor prognosis of FHL. This study also emphasizes that though mutational analysis is important for diagnostic confirmation of FHL, flow cytometry based assays help significantly in rapid diagnosis and functional validation of novel variants identified.

The recent advancements in the synthetic polymer chemistry have resulted in synthesis of potentially distinct conducting polymers that have found a wide range of applications from industry to biology. Among various conducting polymers, poly (diaminonaphthalene) (PDAN) and its derivatives have emerged as promising materials in constructing bio/chemical sensors and shown potential in quantitative and qualitative assays of a variety of bioactive molecules. It is, however, surprising that in spite of having unusual physicochemical properties of this typical polymer and its monomers, no comprehensive information about their sensing properties are available in the literature either as review articles or monographs. The present review article highlights a broad scenario of diaminonaphthalene (DAN) and its polymer-based nanostructured bio/chemical sensors providing insights into their functioning, structural composition, fabrication through various polymerization routes, and eventual applications in sensing different type of biochemically active molecules. Moreover, PDAN based Dual Gate Organic Field Effect Transistor has been modeled and substantially reviewed for their applications in sensing the biomolecules. The underlying present challenges in the area of PDAN based biochemical sensors and their future prospects have been critically examined and several issues to be addressed have also been raised.

Drought is the most prevalent unfavorable condition that impairs plant growth and development by altering morphological, physiological, and biochemical functions, thereby impeding plant biomass production. To survive the adverse effects, water limiting condition triggers a sophisticated adjustment mechanism orchestrated mainly by hormones that directly protect plants via the stimulation of several signaling cascades. Predominantly, water deficit signals cause the increase in the level of endogenous ABA, which elicits signaling pathways involving transcription factors that enhance resistance mechanisms to combat drought-stimulated damage in plants. These responses mainly include stomatal closure, seed dormancy, cuticular wax deposition, leaf senescence, and alteration of the shoot and root growth. Unraveling how plants adjust to drought could provide valuable information, and a comprehensive understanding of the resistance mechanisms will help researchers design ways to improve crop performance under water limiting conditions. This review deals with the past and recent updates of ABA-mediated molecular mechanisms that plants can implement to cope with the challenges of drought stress.