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Inhibitor of differentiation (Id) proteins are helix-loop-helix (HLH) transcriptional repressors that modulate a range of developmental and cellular processes, including cell differentiation and cell cycle mobilization. ThePrimary human corneal stromal fibroblast (h-CSF) cultures were generated from donor human corneas. Human corneal myofibroblasts (h-CMFs) were produced by growing h-CSF in the presence of TGFβ1 under serum-free conditions. TheThe results indicate that Id3 overexpression does not alter the cellular phenotype or viability of h-CSFs. Overexpression of theId3 regulates TGFβ-driven differentiation of h-CSFs and formation of h-CMFs in vitro. Targeted

A characteristic rigid spatial arrangement of collagen fibrils in the stroma is critical for corneal transparency. This unique organization of collagen fibrils in corneal stroma can be impacted by the presence and interactions of proteoglycans and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in a corneal microenvironment. Earlier studies revealed that decorin, a leucine-rich proteoglycan in stroma, regulates keratocyte-collagen matrix assembly and wound healing in the cornea. This study investigated the role of decorin in the regulation of stromal fibrillogenesis and corneal transparency in vivo employing a loss-of-function genetic approach using decorin null (dcn(−/−)) and wild type (dcn(+/+)) mice and a standard alkali-injury model. A time-dependent ocular examinations with Slit lamp microscope in live animals assessed corneal clarity, haze, and neovascularization levels in normal and injured eyes. Morphometric changes in normal and injured dcn(+/+) and dcn(−/−) corneas, post-euthanasia, were analyzed with Masson’s Trichrome and Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS) histology evaluations. The ultrastructure changes in all corneas were investigated with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Injury to eye produced clinically relevant corneal haze and neovascularization in dcn(−/−) and dcn(+/+) mice while corneas of uninjured eyes remained clear and avascular. A clinically significant haze and neovascularization appeared in injured dcn(−/−) corneas compared to the dcn(+/+) corneas at day 21 post-injury and not at early tested times. Histological examinations revealed noticeably abnormal morphology and compromised collagen levels in injured dcn(−/−) corneas compared to the injured/normal dcn(+/+) and uninjured dcn(−/−) corneas. TEM analysis exhibited remarkably uneven collagen fibrils size and distribution in the stroma with asymmetrical organization and loose packing in injured dcn(−/−) corneas than injured/normal dcn(+/+) and uninjured dcn(−/−) corneas. The minimum and maximum inter-fibril distances were markedly irregular in injured dcn(−/−) corneas compared to all other corneas. Together, results of clinical, histological, and ultrastructural investigations in a genetic knockout model suggested that decorin influenced stromal fibrillogenesis and transparency in healing cornea.

Background Momordica charantia is evoloving as supplementary therapy in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Animal studies reveal its anti-diabetic and lipid lowering property. However, clinical studies with human subjects are very few. Objective To find out the effects of Momordica charantia supplements on glycemic and lipid profile among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients taking allopathic drugs. Method A comparative study was conducted in internal medicine department of B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan from July 2015 to May 2016 after ethical clearance. Twenty two uncomplicated type-2 diabetes mellitus patients were enrolled. Group A patients were supplemented with allopathic drug (oral anti-diabetic agents) only and Group B with add on treatment of 200 ml juice of Momordica charantia along with allopathic drug daily for ninety days. Fasting, post prandial blood sugar and lipid profile levels were compared between baseline and ninety days post supplementation. Data was collected and entry was done in Statistical Packages for Social Services version 20.0, using independent t test with p0.05. Result Add on treatment with 200 ml of Momordica charantia along with anti-diabetic drug daily significantly reduced fasting (p=0.0001) and post prandial blood sugar (p0.0001). Treatment with anti-diabetic drugs only reduced fasting (p = 0.0008) and post-prandial blood sugar but the reduction was not significant ((p =0.0001). There was improvement in lipid profile by both anti-diabetic drugs alone and Momordica charantia along with anti-diabetic drug, but it was not significant. Conclusion Add on treatment with 200 ml/day juice of Momordica charantia is effective in glycaemic control in type-2 diabetes mellitus patients as compared to the allopathic treatment alone.

Oral Lichen Planus (OLP) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease of the oral mucosa. The erosive variety of OLP is multifocal, ulcerative, and painful in nature. Patients with OLP have a higher risk of developing Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas (OSCCs). Here, authors presents a case of 49-year-old female patient presented to the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology with the chief complaint of burning sensation in the inner aspect of right cheek, since one year. A diffuse whitish area surrounded by erythematous area was present in the right buccal mucosa. Lesion was diagnosed primarily as erosive Lichen Planus (LP). She discontinued the medication and did not come for follow-up visits because of the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. After 10 months, she came back with pain and a diffuse swelling with indurated margin in the same region involving right buccal vestibule and retromolar area. After incisional biopsy it was found that the lesion has progressed to squamous cell carcinoma, and the patient was referred to the Department of Oral Surgery where segmental mandibulectomy was done with placement of free fibula graft. The OLP is considered as a potentially malignant disorder and patient should be advised to avoid additional risk factors such as tobacco and alcohol and should be followed at minimum one year interval as prognosis and patient survival is directly related to stage and grade of cancer at its initial diagnosis.

To determine patient acceptability of benefit-risk trade-offs in selecting treatment options for drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, including open brain surgery, laser ablation (laser interstitial thermal therapy [LITT]), and continued medications.A discrete-choice experiment survey was developed, consisting of 20 versions that were randomly assigned to respondents. Each version had 8 sets of constructed treatment alternatives, representing open brain surgery, LITT, or continued medical management. For each set, respondents indicated the treatment alternative they would choose first. Treatment alternatives were characterized by varying levels of chance of seizure freedom for at least 2 years (20-70%), risk of 30-day mortality (0-10%), and risk of neurological deficits (0-40%). Respondents' choices were analyzed using random-parameters logit models to quantify acceptable benefit-risk trade-offs. Preference heterogeneity was evaluated using latent-class analysis.The survey was administered to 2 cohorts of adult patients with drug-resistant epilepsy: a Duke cohort identified using diagnostic codes (n = 106) and a web-recruited panel with a self-reported physician diagnosis of drug-resistant epilepsy (n = 300). Based on mean preference weights, respondents who indicated a willingness to consider surgical intervention would accept a reduction in chance of seizure freedom from 70% to a minimum-acceptable benefit (MAB) of 23% if they could undergo LITT rather than open brain surgery. For a reduction in 30-day mortality from 1% to 0%, MAB was 52%. For a reduction in risk of long-term deficits from 10% to 0%, MAB was 39%. Latent-class analysis revealed additional choice patterns identifying respondent groups that more strongly favored continuing medications or undergoing surgery.Patients who are receptive to surgery would accept significantly lower treatment effectiveness to undergo a minimally invasive procedure relative to open brain surgery. They also were willing to accept lower treatment benefit to reduce risks of mortality or neurological deficits.

Because of high-value, the crops like Brassica have very low pest-damage thresholds, natural enemies alone are unlikely to replace use of high cost insecticides. However, conservation of natural enemy population is possible by avoiding or applying insecticides at reduced rates and use of habitat manipulation techniques such as ecological engineering, used in the present research work. The selected flower crops apart from hosting natural enemy it is also an alternate source of income to farmers. Among the intercrops, cineraria flower crop reported with less number of aphids and even attracted more number of syrphids as well as coccinellids can be exploited to use as intercrop.

In this Letter, the Logical Jaya optimisation is proposed as an extension of the Jaya optimisation algorithm to improve the cognitive workload (CW) assessment technique where channel selection for the EEG signal act as a binary optimisation problem. Channel selection is very crucial, time-consuming and requires expertise, specially when brain cognitive load is considered. The proposed approach is designed such that it not only improves the performance of the assessment model of CW but also reduces the computational cost. The approach also helps in the automation of brain analysis. The results obtained show that performance is improved by 22% than existing approaches to an average of >90% accuracy in different scenarios. The channels obtained using the approach also provided accurate active brain regions during CW analogous to previous studies.

Social work has historically engaged in pioneering interventions to improve the financial well-being of people. India is an interesting case as it has the highest number of unbanked people on one side and numerous policy interventions on the other. Using systematic review and Gioia methodology, we analyzed 24 years of financial inclusion policies. Our analysis revealed that the efficacy of policies was impeded by flawed designs, as the policymakers preferred ‘quick fixes’ over long-term solutions. Our study highlights the need for learning from the past and organizing complex information in a way that helps policymakers in taking informed policy design decisions.

Key Points: • First ever measurements with a high‐accuracy single‐particle soot photometer of black carbon (BC) concentrations in Arctic snowpack • Topography and BC emission flux strongly influenced latitudinal variations of mass concentrations and size distributions of BC • Measured BC mass concentrations 2–25 times lower than previously reported show the importance of revalidating climate models Black carbon (BC) deposited on snow lowers its albedo, potentially contributing to warming in the Arctic. Atmospheric distributions of BC and inorganic aerosols, which contribute directly and indirectly to radiative forcing, are also greatly influenced by depositions. To quantify these effects, accurate measurement of the spatial distributions of BC and ionic species representative of inorganic aerosols (ionic species hereafter) in snowpack in various regions of the Arctic is needed, but few such measurements are available. We measured mass concentrations of size-resolved BC (CMBC) and ionic species in snowpack by using a single-particle soot photometer and ion chromatography, respectively, over Finland, Alaska, Siberia, Greenland, and Spitsbergen during early spring in 2012–2016. Total BC mass deposited per unit area (DEPMBC) during snow accumulation periods was derived from CMBC and snow water equivalent (SWE). Our analyses showed that the spatial distributions of anthropogenic BC emission flux, total precipitable water, and topography strongly influenced latitudinal variations of CMBC, BC size distributions, SWE, and DEPMBC. The average size distributions of BC in Arctic snowpack shifted to smaller sizes with decreasing CMBC due to an increase in the removal efficiency of larger BC particles during transport from major sources. Our measurements of CMBC were lower by a factor of ~13 than previous measurements made with an Integrating Sphere/Integrating Sandwich spectrophotometer due mainly to interference from coexisting non-BC particles such as mineral dust. The SP2 data presented here will be useful for constraining climate models that estimate the effects of BC on the Arctic climate. Plain Language Summary Black carbon (BC) particles, commonly known as soot, are emitted from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. They efficiently absorb solar radiation and thus heat the atmosphere. BC particles emitted at midlatitudes and in the Arctic are deposited onto snow in the Arctic, accelerating snowmelt in early spring by absorbing solar radiation. These processes contribute to warming in the Arctic. Calculations of this warming effect by using numerical models need to be validated by comparison with observed BC concentrations in snowpack. However, there are very few accurate records of concentrations of BC in snow because of technical difficulties in making these measurements. We developed a new laser-induced incandescence technique to measure BC concentrations in snowpack and applied it for the first time in six Arctic regions (Finland, Alaska, North and South Siberia, Greenland, and Spitsbergen). The BC concentrations we measured were highest in Finland and South Siberia, which are closer to large anthropogenic BC sources than the other regions, where our measured BC concentrations were much lower. On average, our BC concentrations were much lower than those previously measured by different techniques. Therefore, previous comparisons of modeled and observed BC concentrations need to be re-evaluated using the present data.

During the data science age, many people tend to access health concerned information and diagnosis using information technology, including telemedicine. Therefore, many researchers attempting to work with medical experts as well as bioinformatics area. In the bioinformatics field, handling the genomic data of human beings becomes essential such as collecting, storing and processing. Genomic data refers to the genome and DNA data of an organism. Unavoidably, genomic data require huge amount of storage for the customized software to analyze. Recently, genome researchers are rising the alarms over big data.This research papers attempts in significant amount of reduction of data storage by applying data deduplication process in genomic data set. Data deduplication, ‘dedupe’ in short can reduce the amount of storage because of its single instance storage nature.Therefore, data deduplication becomes one of the solutions for optimizing the huge amount of storage spaces for genome storage.We have implemented data deduplication method and applied it to genomic data and the deduplication performed successfully by using secure hash algorithm, B++ tree and sub-file level chunking algorithm. The methods were implemented in integrated approach. The files are separated into different chunks with the help of Two Threshold Two Divisors algorithm and hash function is used to get chunk identifiers. Indexing keys are constructed using the identifiersin B+ tree like index structure.Thissystem can reduce the storage space significantly when there exist duplicated data. The preliminary testing is made using NCBI datasets

Scene image classification systems firstly need to locate the objects, and then classify the whole image. The color feature is importance to describe the properties of an image surface. The paper presents a framework for scene images to label local regions using color features. The paper uses maker-controlled watershed algorithm to segment the input image into regions. This paper uses the segmented regions as a basic input unit, and then extract Color Histogram (CH) and Color Moment (CM) features in HSV space. This system performs labeling using 3-layer Feed Forward Neural Network (FFNN) classifier. The system tests accuracy on public Microsoft Research Cambridge (MSRC) 9-class dataset.

In this research paper we have discussed the electrical, relaxor ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties of Neodymium (Nd) doped YCrO3 nanomaterial prepared by sol-gel method. The characterization of the samples is followed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM). Upon Nd doping the conductivity of the YCrO3 enhances and the samples show semiconducting behavior. It is also found that the dc activation energy is decreased with the increasing doping concentration. Dielectric permittivity supports the modified Cole-Cole model with dc conductivity contribution correction. Both the space charge and free charge carrier dependent conductivity values increase with the increase of doping content. The frequency dependent conductivity study suggests the Dyre's free energy barrier model. Diffused relaxation peak has been observed in different doped samples. The diffuseness factor γ increases with increasing Nd doping concentration. Enhanced relaxer ferroelectric behavior has been noticed with the increasing Neodymium doping content in YCrO3.

The benefits of enhanced recovery program (ERP) implementation include patient engagement, improved patient outcomes and satisfaction, better team relationships, lower per episode costs of care, lower public consumption of narcotic prescription pills, and the promise of greater access to quality surgical care. Despite these positive attributes, vast numbers of surgical patients are not treated on ERPs, and many of those considered “on pathway” are unlikely to be exposed to a majority of recommended ERP elements. To explain the gap between ERP knowledge and action, this manuscript reviewed formal implementation strategies, proposed a novel change adoption model and focused on common barriers (and corollary solutions) that are encountered during the journey to a fully implemented and successful ERP. Given the nature of this review, IRB approval was not required/obtained. The information reviewed indicates that implementation of best practice is both a science and an art. What many surgeons have learned is that the “soft” skills of emotional intelligence, leadership, team dynamics, culture, buy-in, motivation, and sustainability are central to a successful ERP implementation. To lead teams toward achievement of pervasive and sustained adherence to best practices, surgeons need to learn new strategies, techniques, and skills.

Myanmar language also known as Burmese language is a free order of word language and syntactic patterns of one word can vary based on the position and the structure in the sentence. There are many ambiguous part of speech (POS) tags on one word in the sentence of Myanmar text. This research work presents disambiguation for the POS of the words in written Myanmar text. We aim at removing this ambiguity on Myanmar word and assigning single POS to each word of sentence. This is demonstrated on the following ideas: (i) input the sentence and segmented into words using syllable segmentation rules and forward maximum matching approach with monolingual Myanmar dictionary and (ii) apply the Joint Entropy (JE) for POS ambiguous for each word in the sentence with monolingual Myanmar tagged corpus. Joint probability value could be given the useful and accurate disambiguation of POS for free order and structure of words in Myanmar text. The monolingual Myanmar tagged corpus and tagged dictionary are created including 620 sentences and 15,000 words, respectively. This study attempts practical word segmentation and POS tagging system which can really overcome bottleneck of the machine translation system for Myanmar to other languages and research activities related to natural language processing (NLP).

Objective To assess the long-term safety and efficacy of eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) monotherapy in adults with focal seizures (FS). Methods Study 050 was a long-term, multicenter, open-label (OL) safety extension of two conversion-to-ESL monotherapy studies in adults with refractory FS. After participating in Study 045 or 046, patients started on ESL 1600 mg once daily (QD) (or 1200 mg if they previously had a dose reduction), and could adjust the dose 400 mg/week to a dose between 800–2400 mg QD. Patients could add up to two additional antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). This post-hoc analysis focuses on the actual monotherapy subgroup, which included patients in Studies 045/046/050 who did not add additional AEDs. Study endpoints included treatment retention time, time on ESL monotherapy, change in standardized seizure frequency (SSF), change in quality of life (QoL) in epilepsy (QOLIE-31) and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores, and incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs); serious adverse events (SAEs), TEAEs leading to discontinuation, and TEAEs related to allergic reaction, hyponatremia and thyroid function were also evaluated. Results There were 274 patients in the Study 050 full intent-to-treat (ITT) population and 140 patients in the actual monotherapy subgroup. Median treatment retention time and time on ESL monotherapy were both >5 years. Median reduction in SSF from baseline was 66.4% in the full ITT population and 78.3% in the actual monotherapy subgroup; responder (≥50% reduction in SSF) rates were 62.4% and 74.3%, respectively. QOLIE-31 scores increased from baseline in the full ITT population and the actual monotherapy subgroup (4.1- and 7.5-point increases, respectively). MADRS scores decreased from baseline in both the full ITT population and the actual monotherapy subgroup (0.7- and 2.9-point decreases, respectively). TEAEs occurred in 85.4% of patients in the full ITT population and 81.4% of patients in the actual monotherapy subgroup. Incidences of SAEs and TEAEs leading to discontinuation, as well as dizziness, depression, fall, partial seizures with secondary generalization, and complex partial seizures, were higher in the full ITT population than in the actual monotherapy subgroup. Allergic reactions, hyponatremia, and hypothyroidism were infrequent, particularly in the actual monotherapy subgroup. Conclusions The results of this post-hoc analysis suggest that long-term treatment with ESL was effective and well tolerated, both as a monotherapy and in combination with other AEDs for FS. QoL and tolerability appeared to be better, and incidence of depression lower, in the patient population taking ESL as a monotherapy, compared with the population that included patients taking ESL as an adjunctive therapy.

Leiomyomas are benign uterine smooth muscle neoplasms with varied morphology that are well known to undergo secondary changes. Cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyoma is a rare and distinct form of leiomyoma that poses a diagnostic challenge for clinicians, radiologists, and pathologists and can be confused with malignant uterine neoplasms. Only a few cases have been reported so far in the literature. Here we report a case of a cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyoma in a 60-year-old woman, emphasize its gross and histological features, and provide a review of the literature.

Long-term measurements of black carbon (BC) aerosols by filter-based absorption photometers with a heated inlet (COSMOS) in different regions have been useful in elucidating spatial variati...

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Each disease is characterized by a diverse set of potential manifestations, which determine patients’ disease phenotype. Current understanding of phenotype determinants is limited, despite increasing prevalence and healthcare costs. Diagnosis and monitoring of disease requires invasive procedures, such as endoscopy and tissue biopsy. Here we report signatures of heterogeneity between disease diagnoses and phenotypes. Using mass cytometry, we analyze leukocyte subsets, characterize their function(s), and examine gut-homing molecule expression in blood and intestinal tissue from healthy and/or IBD subjects. Some signatures persist in IBD despite remission, and many signatures are highly represented by leukocytes that express gut trafficking molecules. Moreover, distinct systemic and local immune signatures suggest patterns of cell localization in disease. Our findings highlight the importance of gut tropic leukocytes in circulation and reveal that blood-based immune signatures differentiate clinically relevant subsets of IBD., Distinguishing clinical subtypes of IBD is critical for optimal treatments, outcome prediction, and better understanding of disease pathogenesis. Here the authors phenotype blood and intestinal immune cells by mass cytometry and identify signatures associated with distinct disease states.

We compare African-American and White clients receiving services at 13 rural and semi-rural community mental health agencies (CMHAs) and the impact of Medicaid on the use of crisis and outpatient services. SEM was utilized to model the indirect effect of crisis services between the association of Medicaid and total hours of outpatient services. We modeled the moderating effects of race using mixture modeling and latent class. The base model showed a non-significant indirect effect between having Medicaid and total hours of services through the use of crisis services (Indirect effect = 0.01, p = .98). African-American clients who received Medicaid were more likely to use crisis services ([Formula: see text], which was associated with increased hours of outpatient services ([Formula: see text]. In general, Medicaid was not related to increase service or crisis service usage. However, African-American clients access crisis services significantly more than White clients.

Background Glioblastoma is the most aggressive primary brain tumour diagnosed in adults. Despite intensive treatment of maximal safe resection and chemoradiotherapy, the prognosis remains grim due to invasive tumour cells. Current treatment and standard imaging methods are highly limited in terms of managing these invasive cells as they are often located outside the area of surgical resection and are generally resistant to chemoradiation. DTI appears to be a promising tool for imaging tumour cell invasion and predicting the site of recurrence especially when decomposed into its anisotropic (q) and isotropic (p) components. The aim of this study is to investigate the sensitivity of imaging biomarkers as predictors of recurrence. Material and Methods All pre-op and recurrence sequences were co-registered to the pre-op post-contrast T1-weighted images as reference. Co-registration of images was performed using FSL and ANTs. The ROIs for 49 patients with a primary diagnosis of GBM were segmented using 3DSlicer. Each voxel was assigned to one of four status: true negative, false negative, true positive and false positive. Sensitivity and specificity between the pre-op ROIs and the progression region were calculated using FSL. The significance of the differences in sensitivity and specificity between the ROIs was computed in MATLAB. Results The sensitivity for the contrast enhancing region was 48.77 ± 26.13 (Mean ± SD) and 62.40 ± 23.07 (Mean ± SD). The abnormal q alone has a significantly greater sensitivity than the contrast enhancing region (t = -2.7327, df = 96, p-value = 0.0075). The sensitivity for the ROI of combined contrast enhancement and abnormal q was 65.86 ± 23.29 (Mean ± SD). There is an even more significant increase in sensitivity when the contrast enhancing ROI is combined with abnormal q region (t = -3.4133, df = 96, p-value = 9.4123e-04) compared to when it is alone. There was no statistical difference in the specificities of the different ROIs. Conclusion Current surgical and radiation volumes focus solely on pre-op contrast enhancement. However, these results suggest that combining the abnormal q with the standard contrast enhancing region is a more sensitive predictor of tumour recurrence than contrast enhancement alone, while still retaining high specificity. The higher sensitivity is an indicator of correct identification of tumour recurrence while the high specificity correctly identifies normal brain, or non-recurrent regions. These results are currently being prospectively assessed in a multi-centre study (PRaM-GBM).

Parasitic weeds cause billions of dollars in agricultural losses each year worldwide.

Cuscuta species (dodders) are agriculturally destructive, parasitic angiosperms. These parasitic plants use haustoria as physiological bridges to extract nutrients and water from hosts. Cuscuta campestris has a broad host range and wide geographical distribution. While some wild tomato relatives are resistant, cultivated tomatoes are generally susceptible to C. campestris infestations. However, some specific Heinz tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) hybrid cultivars exhibit resistance to dodders in the field, but their defense mechanism was previously unknown. Here, we discovered that the stem cortex in these resistant lines responds with local lignification upon C. campestris attachment, preventing parasite entry into the host. Lignin Induction Factor 1 (LIF1, an AP2-like transcription factor), SlMYB55, and Cuscuta R-gene for Lignin-based Resistance 1, a CC-NBS-LRR (CuRLR1) are identified as factors that confer host resistance by regulating lignification. SlWRKY16 is upregulated upon C. campestris infestation and potentially negatively regulates LIF1 function. Intriguingly, CuRLR1 may play a role in signaling or function as an intracellular receptor for receiving Cuscuta signals or effectors, thereby regulating lignification-based resistance. In summary, these four regulators control the lignin-based resistance response in specific Heinz tomato cultivars, preventing C. campestris from parasitizing resistant tomatoes. This discovery provides a foundation for investigating multilayer resistance against Cuscuta species and has potential for application in other essential crops attacked by parasitic plants.

Understanding how roots modulate development under varied irrigation or rainfall is crucial for development of climate-resilient crops. We established a toolbox of tagged rice lines to profile translating mRNAs and chromatin accessibility within specific cell populations. We used these to study roots in a range of environments: plates in the lab, controlled greenhouse stress and recovery conditions, and outdoors in a paddy. Integration of chromatin and mRNA data resolves regulatory networks of the following: cycle genes in proliferating cells that attenuate DNA synthesis under submergence; genes involved in auxin signaling, the circadian clock, and small RNA regulation in ground tissue; and suberin biosynthesis, iron transporters, and nitrogen assimilation in endodermal/exodermal cells modulated with water availability. By applying a systems approach, we identify known and candidate driver transcription factors of water-deficit responses and xylem development plasticity. Collectively, this resource will facilitate genetic improvements in root systems for optimal climate resilience.

Purpose A significant remission of corneal fibrosis and neovascularization in rabbit eye in vivo was observed from a tissue-selective localized adeno-associated virus (AAV)5-Decorin (Dcn) gene therapy. This study sought to investigate 6-month toxicity profiling of this gene therapy for the eye in vivo using a rabbit model. Methods A small epithelial scrape followed by corneal drying was performed unilaterally in 12 rabbit eyes and either AAV5-Dcn (n = 6) or naked vector (n = 6) was delivered topically using a cloning cylinder technique. Contralateral eyes served as naive control (n = 6). Safety and tolerability measurements in live rabbits were performed periodically until month 6 using multimodel clinical ophthalmic imaging tools-a slit lamp, stereomicroscope, and HRT3-RCM in vivo confocal microscope. Thereafter, corneas were excised and subjected to hematoxylin and eosin staining, Mason trichome staining, propidium iodide nuclear staining, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses. Results Clinical eye examinations based on the modified Hackett-McDonald ocular scoring system, and in vivo confocal imaging of the cornea showed no signs of ocular toxicity in rabbit eyes given AAV5-Dcn gene transfer vs control eyes (P > 0.05) through 6 months after treatment. The histologic and molecular analyses showed no significant differences in AAV5-Dcn vs AAV naked or naive control groups (P > 0.05) and were in accordance with the masked clinical ophthalmic observations showing no abnormalities. Conclusions Topical tissue-targeted localized AAV5-Dcn gene therapy seems to be safe and nontoxic to the rabbit eye in vivo. Translational relevance AAV5-Dcn gene therapy has the potential to treat corneal fibrosis and neovascularization in vivo safely without significant ocular toxicity.

Modern sensors find their wide usage in a variety of applications such as robotics, navigation, automation, remote sensing, underwater imaging, etc. and in recent years the sensors with advanced techniques such as the artificial intelligence (AI) play a significant role in the field of remote sensing and smart agriculture. The AI enabled sensors work as smart sensors and additionally the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) has resulted into very useful tools in the field of agriculture by making available different types of sensor-based equipment and devices. In this paper, we have focused on an extensive study of the advances in smart sensors and IoT, employed in remote sensing and agriculture applications such as the assessment of weather conditions and soil quality; the crop monitoring; the use of robots for harvesting and weeding; the employment of drones. The emphasis has been given to specific types of sensors and sensor technologies by presenting an extensive study, review, comparison and recommendation for advancements in IoT that would help researchers, agriculturists, remote sensing scientists and policy makers in their research and implementations.

Background: The impact and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with rheumatic disease are unclear. We developed the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance Patient Experience Survey to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with rheumatic disease worldwide. Methods: Survey questions were developed by key stakeholder groups and disseminated worldwide through social media, websites, and patient support organisations. Questions included demographics, rheumatic disease diagnosis, COVID-19 diagnosis, adoption of protective behaviours to mitigate COVID-19 exposure, medication access and changes, health-care access and communication with rheumatologists, and changes in employment or schooling. Adults age 18 years and older with inflammatory or autoimmune rheumatic diseases were eligible for inclusion. We included participants with and without a COVID-19 diagnosis. We excluded participants reporting only non-inflammatory rheumatic diseases such as fibromyalgia or osteoarthritis. Findings: 12 117 responses to the survey were received between April 3 and May 8, 2020, and of these, 10 407 respondents had included appropriate age data. We included complete responses from 9300 adults with rheumatic disease (mean age 46·1 years; 8375 [90·1%] women, 893 [9·6%] men, and 32 [0·3%] participants who identified as non-binary). 6273 (67·5%) of respondents identified as White, 1565 (16·8%) as Latin American, 198 (2·1%) as Black, 190 (2·0%) as Asian, and 42 (0·5%) as Native American or Aboriginal or First Nation. The most common rheumatic disease diagnoses included rheumatoid arthritis (3636 [39·1%] of 9300), systemic lupus erythematosus (2882 [31·0%]), and Sjogren's syndrome (1290 [13·9%]). Most respondents (6921 [82·0%] of 8441) continued their antirheumatic medications as prescribed. Almost all (9266 [99·7%] of 9297) respondents adopted protective behaviours to limit SARS-CoV-2 exposure. A change in employment status occurred in 2524 (27·1%) of 9300) of respondents, with a 13·6% decrease in the number in full-time employment (from 4066 to 3514). Interpretation: People with rheumatic disease maintained therapy and followed public health advice to mitigate the risks of COVID-19. Substantial employment status changes occurred, with potential implications for health-care access, medication affordability, mental health, and rheumatic disease activity. Funding: American College of Rheumatology.

Background and Aims Vitamin D downregulates the in vitro expression of the gut-tropic integrin α4β7 on immune cells. The clinical relevance of this finding in patients with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that vitamin D is associated with α4β7 immunophenotypes and risk of vedolizumab [anti-α4β7] failure in IBD. Methods We performed single-cell immunophenotyping of peripheral and intestinal immune cells using mass cytometry [CyTOF] in vedolizumab-naïve patients with IBD [N = 48]. We analysed whole-genome mucosal gene expression [GSE73661] from GEMINI I and GEMINI long-term safety [LTS] to determine the association between vitamin D receptor [VDR] and integrin alpha-4 [ITGA4] and beta-7 [ITGB7] genes. We estimated the odds of vedolizumab failure with low pre-treatment vitamin D in a combined retrospective and prospective IBD cohort [N = 252] with logistic regression. Results Immunophenotyping revealed that higher 25[OH]D was associated with decreased α4β7+ peripheral blood mononuclear cells [R = -0.400, p Conclusions Low serum 25[OH]D is associated with α4β7+ immunophenotypes and predicts future vedolizumab failure in patients with IBD. Podcast This article has an associated podcast which can be accessed at https://academic.oup.com/ecco-jcc/pages/podcast

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract with an incompletely understood pathogenesis. Long-standing colitis is associated with increased risk of colon cancer. Despite the availability of various anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory drugs, many patients fail to respond to pharmacologic therapy and some experience drug-induced adverse events. Dietary supplements, particularly saffron (Crocus sativus), have recently gained an appreciable attention in alleviating some symptoms of digestive diseases. In our study, we investigated whether saffron may have a prophylactic effect in a murine colitis model. Saffron pre-treatment improved the gross and histopathological characteristics of the colonic mucosa in murine experimental colitis. Treatment with saffron showed a significant amelioration of colitis when compared to the vehicle-treated mice group. Saffron treatment significantly decreased secretion of serotonin and pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, in the colon tissues by suppressing the nuclear translocation of NF-κB. The gut microbiome analysis revealed distinct clusters in the saffron-treated and untreated mice in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis by visualization of the Bray–Curtis diversity by principal coordinates analysis (PCoA). Furthermore, we observed that, at the operational taxonomic unit (OTU) level, Cyanobacteria were depleted, while short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as isobutyric acid, acetic acid, and propionic acid, were increased in saffron-treated mice. Our data suggest that pre-treatment with saffron inhibits DSS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, modulates gut microbiota composition, prevents the depletion of SCFAs, and reduces the susceptibility to colitis.

Aim of the study was to develop optimised drug-in-adhesive (DIA) transdermal patch of duloxetine HCl. It is known that acrylic polymers having different functional groups play significant role in enhancing drug permeation. Among various permeation enhancers (PEs), Transcutol P exhibited most enhanced permeation (ER≈1.99) in terms of flux and Q24 compared to control group having no PE. Hence, a transdermal DIA patch having DURO-TAK 87-2287 as DIA polymer and TP as PE loaded with 40% DLX previously complexed with MeβCD and duly characterised (FTIR, DSC and SEM) was developed for in vivo study. Mean of maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under time-concentration curve (AUC0-72) in Wistar rats (n=6) for transdermal patch (10 mg/kg) was found to be 70.31±11.2 ng/ml and 2997.29±387.4 ng/ml*h respectively and these values were considerably higher than oral dose of DLX (20 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg). Albeit, T1/2 was higher in case of transdermal delivery but this was due to sustained behaviour of delivery system. These findings highlight the significance of both inclusion complexation and transdermal delivery of DLX using DIA patch for efficient drug absorption and thus reducing the dose of drug and related side effects.

Purpose To survey US Clinical Neurophysiology (CNP) fellowship program directors on the nature of CNP and related training programs, current recruitment cycle, and views for a standardized process. Methods A 23-question electronic survey was sent to all 93 US Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited CNP fellowship program directors from December 2020 to January 2021. Results The response rate was 60%. There was great variability in the number of CNP positions and CNP tracks offered. The following tracks were identified: 48% EEG dominant, 26% EMG dominant, 22% split equally between EEG and EMG, and 2% and 1% were neurophysiologic intraoperative monitoring and autonomic dominant, respectively. Of the responding institutions, 43% offered a second year of training options to CNP fellows, mainly in conjunction with Epilepsy fellowship, which was pursued by 25% of CNP fellows. Many programs indicated flexibility in their design between different CNP tracks or between CNP and other related training programs based on the available candidates. The median percentage of CNP fellowship positions filled over the last 5 years was 80%, and there was great variation in the recruitment timeline across institutions. Overall, 86% of program directors favored a universal timeline and 71% favored a formal match for CNP. The respondents were split between an independent CNP match (39%) and joining the initiatives of affiliate societies on a standardized process (61%). Conclusions There is significant heterogeneity in the makeup of the CNP fellowship programs and the recruitment process. The majority of CNP program directors are in favor of standardization of the recruitment process.

People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including ulcerative colitis are at risk for colorectal cancer. Despite available effective drugs used to treat IBD, many patients fail or lose response over time with some displaying drug-induced adverse events. Saffron (Crocus sativus) has been reported to have anti-inflammatory properties. Its protective role in IBD has not been explored extensively. To establish whether saffron treatment alleviates inflammation in experimental colitis. Colitis was induced in C57BL/6 mice with 3% DSS and treated with either saffron doses (7.5, 15, 20, 25 mg/kg body weight) or vehicle through daily gavage. On day 11, mice were euthanized and analyzed for gross and microscopic inflammation. Distal colon segments were collected for mRNA and protein expression of HO-1 protein and GPX2, (the downstream targets of NRF-2). Nrf-2 translocation from cytosol to nucleus was confirmed by immunofluorescence, and further Nrf-2 protein expression in nuclear and cytosolic fraction of colon was analyzed by immunoblot. Immune cells were isolated from the lamina propria of mouse colon for flow cytometry-based immunophenotyping. Colitis was also induced in C57BL/6 Ahr knockout and wild type mice to explore the involvement of Ahr-dependent pathways in saffron’s protective effect(s). The therapeutic effect of saffron was further validated in another TNBS model of colitis. Saffron 20 mg/kg body weight showed improved colon gross and histology features and led to better body weight, colon length, histology score, and reduced disease activity index (DAI). Saffron significantly decreased pro-inflammatory macrophages (M1), while increasing anti-inflammatory macrophages (M2) and IL10 + dendritic cells. Saffron treatment also enhanced CD3 + T and CD3 + CD8 + T cells followed by increase in different CD3 + CD4 + T cells subsets like CD25 + T cells, FoxP3 + CD25 + regulatory T cells, and CD4 + FOXP3 + CD25-regulatory T cells. Immunoblot analysis showed a significant increase in HO-1/GPX2 protein expression. With saffron treatment, Nrf-2 translocation into nucleus from cytosol also supports the involvement of Nrf-2 and its downstream targets in the protective effect of saffron. Further, we demonstrated that saffron in part exert anti-inflammatory effect through activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2)-dependent pathways. These data demonstrate saffron’s therapeutic potential and its protective role in part via Ahr/Nrf-2 pathways and regulatory innate and adaptive immune cells.

Telehealth visits result in high-quality care, with high patient and provider satisfaction. Strong evidence suggests that virtual physical therapy is noninferior to conventional face-to-face physical therapy for a variety of musculoskeletal disorders. Postoperative telerehabilitation has a strong positive effect on clinical outcomes, and the increased intensity telerehabilitation programs offer is a promising option for patients. Studies demonstrate effective virtual postoperative management. The novel coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has led to improved reimbursement for telehealth visits and accelerated widespread implementation of telemedicine. This article establishes experience and evidence-based practice guidelines for conducting telemedicine visits, with emphasis on the virtual physical examination.

Vertical distribution of aerosols and their composition in the lower troposphere is critically important for assessing the Earth’s radiation budget and their impact on monsoon circulation. We combine the extinction coefficient, particulate depolarization ratio obtained from CALIOP (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) for period of 11 years (2008-2018) over the Indian region to provide an unprecedented climatological overview of the physical and optical characteristics of quasi-aerosol layers and their source and formation mechanism throughout its annual life cycle in the free troposphere. The key findings includes: i)The quasi aerosol layer over the Indian region are found to be persistent between 4-6 km during all seasons and occasionally reach above 6 km and exhibited strong seasonal and regional dependency, ii) Layer thickness varies between 2.0 -3.0 km corresponds to primary peak are more frequent of about 80-90 % of cases over all six regions and while secondary layer occasionally forms (10-20 %), iii) The aerosol layer thickness increases by about 36.7 and 25% during summer and fall season compared to that of spring, and winter, iv) Layer-AOT showed year-to-year variations of up to a factor of two with a relative variability of about 15-23% (1σ), v) Trend in layer AOT is not very conspicuous and showed oscillatory pattern, vi) Depolarization ratios generally increase with height suggesting that the irregularity of aerosol shape increases with altitude, vii) The polluted dust and smoke are the major aerosol components of the observed quasi aerosol layer between 4 to 6 km for spring and fall season while these are the polluted dust during winter and summer.

Emotion is a crucial aspect of human health, and emotion recognition systems serve important roles in the development of neurofeedback applications. Most of the emotion recognition methods proposed in previous research take predefined EEG features as input to the classification algorithms. This paper investigates the less studied method of using plain EEG signals as the classifier input, with the residual networks (ResNet) as the classifier of interest. ResNet having excelled in the automated hierarchical feature extraction in raw data domains with vast number of samples (e.g., image processing) is potentially promising in the future as the amount of publicly available EEG databases has been increasing. Architecture of the original ResNet designed for image processing is restructured for optimal performance on EEG signals. The arrangement of convolutional kernel dimension is demonstrated to largely affect the model’s performance on EEG signal processing. The study is conducted on the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Emotion EEG Dataset (SEED), with our proposed ResNet18 architecture achieving 93.42% accuracy on the 3-class emotion classification, compared to the original ResNet18 at 87.06% accuracy. Our proposed ResNet18 architecture has also achieved a model parameter reduction of 52.22% from the original ResNet18. We have also compared the importance of different subsets of EEG channels from a total of 62 channels for emotion recognition. The channels placed near the anterior pole of the temporal lobes appeared to be most emotionally relevant. This agrees with the location of emotion-processing brain structures like the insular cortex and amygdala.

Despite being a focal issue to patients, the effect of diet on adult inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains underexplored with limited guidance. While promising clinical trials are currently underway, there is a need for further evidence-based recommendations. As such, we summarize the current evidence on various diets used in the treatment of IBD and also explore the potential applications of dietary data from related immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, to provide additional information to inform IBD providers. To date, there have been multiple diets investigated as adjunctive therapy in IBD, but many associated studies are small, non-randomized, and not controlled. Mediterranean, vegetarian/vegan, and reduced-calorie/fasting diets have been studied and have shown some positive results in other IMIDs, which may suggest potential applicability to those with IBD, but larger, well-designed clinical trials are needed for further guidance. Gluten-free and low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAP)diets do not appear to have an impact on IBD disease activity, but low FODMAP may potentially be helpful for those with concurrent functional gastrointestinal symptoms. Specific carbohydrate diets have been mainly assessed in children but show some potential in small adult studies.