Search

Background: The safety and tolerability of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) in patients with end-stage heart failure supported with left-ventricular-assist-devices (LVADs), irrespective of diabetes mellitus, is not known., Methods: A retrospective analysis of 31 outpatients implanted with LVADs as bridge-to-transplant (BTT) was conducted. Patients with biventricular support, aged under 18 years, who were discharged from the index hospitalisation, or were prescribed SGLT2i prior to their first outpatient clinic were excluded. Patient demographics, laboratory studies, pump haemodynamic and adverse event data was collected., Results: Sixteen (51.6%) of 31 patients were prescribed SGLT2i over median 101.5 days (37.5-190.8). No patients discontinued SGLT2i use or reported attributable adverse symptoms. No significant differences between patients prescribed SGLT2i compared to those SGLT2i-naïve were seen in: [1] renal function; [2] weight; [3] mean arterial pressure. There were numerically lower infection-related (n = 4 vs 7, HR 0.32 (0.08-1.28), p = 0.11) and haemocompatibility-related (n = 3 vs 4, HR 0.52 (0.09-2.83), p = 0.45) adverse events in the SGLT2i group, albeit non-significant., Conclusions: We found SGLT2i to be safe and well-tolerated in the BTT LVAD cohort with no significant difference in rates of infection or haemocompatibility-related adverse events with SGLT2i use. Larger studies will inform further beneficial effects of SGLT2i prescription in this cohort., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None to report., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, miRNA profiling of cells infected with lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) was conducted for the first time. When compared to mock-infected cells, LSDV-infected primary lamb testicle (LT) cells showed dysregulation of 64, 85, and 85 miRNAs at 12 hours postinfection (hpi), 48 hpi, and 72 hpi, respectively. While some of these miRNAs were found to be dysregulated at a particular time point following LSDV infection, others were dysregulated at all three time points. Analysis of the differentially expressed miRNA-mRNA interaction networks, Gene Ontology analysis of the predicted targets, and KEGG analysis of highly enriched pathways revealed several cellular factors/pathways involved in protein/ion/enzyme binding, cell differentiation, movement of subcellular components, calcium reabsorption, aldosterone synthesis and secretion, and melanogenesis. Some selected upregulated (oar-mir-379-5p, oar-let-7d, Chr10-18769, Chr2_5162 and oar-miR-493-5p) and downregulated (ChrX-33741, Chr3_8257 and Chr26_32680) miRNAs were further confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. These findings contribute to our understanding of virus replication, virus-host interactions, and disease pathogenesis, and the differentially expressed miRNAs and their cellular targets may serve as biomarkers as well as novel targets for therapeutic intervention against LSDV., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Salmonella and Campylobacter are common foodborne pathogens in chickens, but their persistence mechanisms within flocks are not fully understood. In this study, 4 groups of SPF Leghorn chickens (n = 50) were orally inoculated with 10 8 Salmonella Enteritidis and 10 8 Campylobacter jejuni, housed in BSL-2 rooms inside containers with autoclaved bedding and beetles (n = 200). Phase I (wk 1-3): the infected chickens remained in the containers and were then euthanized while beetles and litter remained in the container (group A), beetles were removed and litter remained in the container (group B), beetles remained and litter was removed (group C), and beetles and litter were removed (group D). Phase II (wk 5-7): autoclaved bedding was added to containers in groups C and D, and new SPF chickens (n = 50) were introduced and kept. Phase III (wk 8-20): all chickens were euthanized, and the litter and/or beetles remained in the containers for 17 wk. The prevalence of Salmonella Enteritidis and Campylobacter was significantly higher when detected by PCR compared to culture. In phase II, when infected chickens were removed and new chickens were introduced, 1 fecal sample in group B and 3 litter samples in groups B and C were found positive for Salmonella Enteritidis, and Campylobacter was still detected in groups A, B, and C litter samples, but not in beetles. In phase III, when all chickens were removed, Salmonella Enteritidis was identified in beetle samples from group A and the litter samples of all tested groups A, B, and C, and C. jejuni was positive in litter samples from groups A and B but not in the beetle. Sixty-nine days after removing infected chickens, culturable Salmonella was still found in beetles. Salmonella and Campylobacter were detectable in litter up to 127 d after removing infected chickens. This study highlights the transmission of Salmonella and Campylobacter via beetles and litter to new flocks in successive rearing cycles. Intensive control programs should target insect exclusion and implement strict poultry litter management or litter changes between flocks., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The practice of feeding raw meat-based diets to dogs has grown in popularity worldwide in recent years. However, there are public health risks in handling and feeding raw meat-based dog diets (RMDDs) to dogs since there are no pathogen reduction steps to reduce the microbial load, which may include antimicrobial-resistant pathogenic bacteria. A total of 100 RMDDs from 63 suppliers were sampled, and selective media were used to isolate bacteria from the diets. Bacterial identification, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) were conducted to identify antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The primary meat sources for RMDDs included in this study were poultry (37%) and beef (24%). Frozen-dry was the main method of product production (68%). In total, 52 true and opportunistic pathogens, including Enterobacterales (mainly Escherichia coli , Enterobacter cloacae ) and Enterococcus faecium , were obtained from 30 RMDDs. Resistance was identified to 19 of 28 antimicrobials tested, including amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (23/52, 44%), ampicillin (19/52, 37%), cephalexin (16/52, 31%), tetracycline (7/52, 13%), marbofloxacin (7/52, 13%), and cefazolin (6/52, 12%). All 19 bacterial isolates submitted for WGS harbored at least one type of AMR gene. The identified AMR genes were found to mediate resistance to aminoglycoside (gentamicin, streptomycin, amikacin/kanamycin, gentamicin/kanamycin/tobramycin), macrolide, beta-lactam (carbapenem, cephalosporin), tetracycline, fosfomycin, quinolone, phenicol/quinolone, and sulfonamide. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that feeding and handling RMDDs may pose a significant public health risk due to the presence of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, and further research and intervention may be necessary to minimize these risks.

Theileria orientalis Ikeda genotype, a parasite causing a disease in cattle that leads to significant economic challenges in Asia, New Zealand, and Australia, has been identified in seven U.S. States since 2017. Two previously validated PCR tests for Theileria followed by DNA sequencing were performed to test blood samples collected from 219 cattle in Alabama, USA, during the period of 2022-2023. Bidirectional Sanger sequencing revealed that the MPSP gene sequences (639-660 bp) from two cattle in Lee and Mobile Counties of Alabama exhibited a 100% match with those of recognized T. orientalis Ikeda strains, and showed similarities ranging from 76% to 88% with ten other T. orientalis genotypes. A high copy number of T. orientalis Ikeda was detected in the blood of infected cattle (ALP-1: 1.7 × 10 5 and 1.3 × 10 6 /mL whole blood, six months apart; ALP-2: 7.1 × 10 6 /mL whole blood). Although the confirmed competent vector for T. orientalis Ikeda, Haemaphysalis longicornis tick, has not yet been identified in Alabama, the persistent nature of T. orientalis Ikeda infection and the detection of a high pathogen burden in seemingly healthy cattle in this study suggest that other tick species, as well as shared needles and dehorning procedures, could facilitate pathogen transmission within the herd. Continued investigations are necessary for the surveillance of T. orientalis Ikeda and Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks in Alabama and other U.S. states, along with assessing the pathogenicity of T. orientalis Ikeda infections in cattle.

A series of acyl peroxy radical H-shifts were systematically studied using computational approaches. Acyl peroxy radicals were categorized into small- (ethanal-pentanal), medium- (hexanal and heptanal) and large-sized (octanal and nonanal) molecules. The H-shifts spanning from 1,4 to 1,9 were inspected for each studied system. For all acyl peroxy radicals, it is the combination of barrier heights and quantum mechanical tunneling that explains the yield of the peracid alkyl radical product. We used the ROHF-ROCCSD(T)-F12a/VDZ-F12//ωB97X-D/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory to estimate the barrier heights and the subsequent rate coefficients with the exception of the smallest acyl peroxy radical ethanal, for which MN15 density functional was applied. The estimated multiconformer H-shift rate coefficients were found to be in the range of 10 -2 s -1 to 10 -1 s -1 for the fastest H-migrations. The determined rates imply that these H-shift reactions are often competitive with other RO 2 loss processes and should be considered as a path to functionalization in modelling not only rural but also urban air quality.

During several epidemics, transmission from deceased people significantly contributed to disease spread, but mathematical analysis of this transmission has not been seen in the literature numerously. Transmission of Ebola during traditional burials was the most well-known example; however, there are several other diseases, such as hepatitis, plague or Nipah virus, that can potentially be transmitted from disease victims. This is especially true in the case of serious epidemics when healthcare is overwhelmed and the operative capacity of the health sector is diminished, such as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. We present a compartmental model for the spread of a disease with an imperfect vaccine available, also considering transmission from deceased infected in general. The global dynamics of the system are completely described by constructing appropriate Lyapunov functions. To support our analytical results, we perform numerical simulations to assess the importance of transmission from the deceased, considering the data collected from three infectious diseases, Ebola virus disease, COVID-19, and Nipah fever., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Nipah virus, which originated in South-East Asia is a bat-borne virus causing Nipah virus infection in humans. This emerging infectious disease has become one of the most alarming threats to public health due to its periodic outbreaks and extremely high mortality rate. We establish and study a novel SIRS model to describe the dynamics of Nipah virus transmission, considering human-to-human as well as zoonotic transmission from bats and pigs as well as loss of immunity. We determine the basic reproduction number which can be obtained as the maximum of three threshold parameters corresponding to various ways of disease transmission and determining in which of the three species the disease becomes endemic. By constructing appropriate Lyapunov functions, we completely describe the global dynamics of our model depending on these threshold parameters. Numerical simulations are shown to support our theoretical results and assess the effect of various intervention measures., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Anthropogenic activities have contributed hugely in enhancing various types of environmental toxicity. One of these is higher accumulation of toxic heavy metals in soil and plant tissues. Although many heavy metals act as essential component for the growth and development of plants when present in low concentrations but at higher concentrations it becomes cytotoxic. Several innate mechanisms have evolved in plants to cope with it. In recent years the mechanism of using miRNA to combat metal induced toxicity has come to fore front. The miRNA or the microRNA regulates different physiological processes and induces a negative control in expressing the complementary target genes. The cleavage formation by post-transcriptional method and the inhibition of targeted translational mRNA are the two main procedures by which plant miRNAs function. The heavy and enhanced metal accumulation in plants has increased the production of different kinds of free radicals like reactive nitrogen and oxygen which damage the plants oxidatively. Several plant miRNA are capable of targeting and reducing the expression of those genes which are responsible for higher metal accumulation and storage. This can reduce the metal load and hence its negative impact on plant can also be reduced. This review depicts the biogenesis, the mode of action of miRNA, and the control mechanisms of miRNA in metal induced stress response in plant. A detailed review on the role of plant miRNA in alleviation of metal induced stress is discussed in this present study., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Impact of COVID-19 pandemic has been immense. An innocent casualty of this disaster is medical education and training. Dermatology, which primarily deals with out-patient services, medical and surgical interventions, and in-patient services, was one of the worst hit. The National Medical Commission of India has implemented competency-based medical education (CBME) in Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprosy since 2019. The new curriculum relies on acquiring practical and procedural skills, training skills in research methodology, professionalism, attitude, and communication., Objectives: The study was undertaken to understand the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on postgraduate dermatology CBME training in India., Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based survey was carried out on postgraduate dermatology teachers and residents in India after obtaining ethics committee approval. An online semi-structured English questionnaire was administered by Google Forms. The calculated sample size was 366 dermatology faculty and 341 postgraduate students. Validity (Content validity ratio (CVR) ≥0.56) and reliability (Cronbach's alpha coefficient 0.7249) of the questionnaire were determined., Results: Among the 764 responses received, 51.4% reported that their institutes were converted to exclusive COVID hospitals. Domains of dermatology education affected were procedural training ( n = 655), bedside clinical teaching ( n = 613), outpatient department-based clinical teaching ( n = 487), bedside laboratory procedures ( n = 463), research activities ( n = 453), histopathology ( n = 412), and theory classes ( n = 302). To keep up with the teaching-learning process, online platforms were mostly utilized: Zoom Meeting ( n = 379), Google Meet ( n = 287), and WhatsApp Interaction ( n = 224). Teaching during ward rounds was significantly more affected in exclusively COVID institutes than non-exclusive COVID institutes ( P < 0.001). Psychomotor skill development suffered a major jolt with 26.7% of respondents reporting a standstill ( P < 0.001). Communication skills among students suffered due to social distancing, mask, and poor attendance of patients. According to 23.84% of respondents, formative assessment was discontinued., Conclusion: Online seminars, journal clubs, and assessments have been incorporated during the pandemic. Online modalities should be used as a supplementary method as psychomotor skills, communication skills, research work, and bedside clinics may not be replaced by the e-learning., Competing Interests: The authors certify that the study reported has not received any financial support from any pharmaceutical company or other commercial source. None of the authors or any first-degree relative of the authors have any financial interest in the subject matter discussed. The study was purely academic in nature., (Copyright: © 2023 Indian Dermatology Online Journal.)

The oxidation of aromatics contributes significantly to the formation of atmospheric aerosol. Using toluene as an example, we demonstrate the existence of a molecular rearrangement channel in the oxidation mechanism. Based on both flow reactor experiments and quantum chemical calculations, we show that the bicyclic peroxy radicals (BPRs) formed in OH-initiated aromatic oxidation are much less stable than previously thought, and in the case of the toluene derived ipso-BPRs, lead to aerosol-forming low-volatility products with up to 9 oxygen atoms on sub-second timescales. Similar results are predicted for ipso-BPRs formed from many other aromatic compounds. This reaction class is likely a key route for atmospheric aerosol formation, and including the molecular rearrangement of BPRs may be vital for accurate chemical modeling of the atmosphere., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Background Psychiatric morbidities, which are commonly seen in psoriasis patients, are often missed or ignored leading to poor quality of life. A lack of communication between psychiatrists and dermatologists leads to ignorance of psychiatric morbidities in psoriasis patients, which can eventually take a severe form. Therefore, both groups must collaborate to provide high-quality patient care. As there is a dearth of such studies in the North-Eastern part of India, this study aimed to highlight the above-mentioned problem. Aim The aim of this study was to study psychiatric morbidities in patients with psoriasis and to compare quality of life in psoriasis patients with and without psychiatric morbidities. Methods This study was a hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted in the Dermatology Department, Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh, Assam, India from July 2020 to July 2021. Ninety patients with psoriasis were included in the study and the diagnosis was confirmed by a consultant dermatologist, then the Mini International Neuro-psychiatric Interview Scale (M.I.N.I.; version 5.0) scale was applied to screen psychiatric morbidities. The diagnoses were confirmed using ICD-10 followed by dividing psoriasis patients into two groups, i.e. with and without psychiatric morbidities. After that the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) scale was applied to both groups and the domains of quality of life were compared. Results Our results showed that 61.1% of psoriatic patients had psychiatric morbidities, which is abnormally high compared to other dermatological disorders. The psychological domain of quality of life was the most affected (WHOQOL scale scoring of 38.12±6.67 vs. 48.76±6.21) in both groups of patients (i.e., with and without psychiatric morbidities), and the environmental domain was the least affected (56.67±10.65 vs. 64.67±8.18). Every domain of quality of life had a lower score in patients with psoriasis with psychiatric morbidities as compared to those without ( p <0.05). Conclusion Our results of 61.1% psychiatric morbidities in psoriasis patients emphasize the need for psychiatric evaluation in every psoriasis patient. The timely intervention of psychiatric morbidity in psoriasis patients with collaboration of psychiatrists and dermatologists will surely improve the patient's condition to some extent and, thus, their quality of life., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Kumar et al.)

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), caused by feline coronavirus (FcoV), is considered one of the most enigmatic diseases in cats. Developing effective drugs for FIP is crucial due to its global prevalence and severity. In this study, six antiviral drugs were tested for their cytotoxicity, cell viability, and antiviral efficacies in Crandell-Reese feline kidney cells. A cytotoxicity assay demonstrated that these drugs were safe to be used with essentially no cytotoxicity with concentrations as high as 250 µM for ruxolitinib; 125 µM for GS441524; 63 µM for teriflunomide, molnupiravir, and nirmatrelvir; and 16 µM for ritonavir. GS441524 and nirmatrelvir exhibited the least detrimental effects on the CRFK cells, with 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC 50 ) values of 260.0 µM and 279.1 µM, respectively, while ritonavir showed high toxicity (CC 50 = 39.9 µM). In the dose-response analysis, GS441524, nirmatrelvir, and molnupiravir demonstrated promising results with selectivity index values of 165.54, 113.67, and 29.27, respectively, against FIPV. Our study suggests that nirmatrelvir and molnupiravir hold potential for FIPV treatment and could serve as alternatives to GS441524. Continued research and development of antiviral drugs are essential to ensure the well-being of companion animals and improve our preparedness for future outbreaks of coronaviruses affecting animals and humans alike.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) has become the most important animal health problem in India due to high morbidity, mortality and production losses caused by it. A homologous live-attenuated LSD vaccine (Lumpi-ProVac Ind ) was recently developed by using a local LSD virus (LSDV) strain (LSDV/2019/India/Ranchi) in India which is likely to replace the existing practice of vaccinating cattle with goatpox vaccine. It is essential to differentiate the vaccine and field strains, if a live-attenuated vaccine has been used for control and eradication of the disease. As compared to the prevailing vaccine and field/virulent strains, the Indian vaccine strain (Lumpi-ProVac Ind ) has a unique deletion of 801 nucleotides in its inverted terminal repeat (ITR) region. We exploited this unique feature and developed a novel high resolution melting-based gap quantitative real-time PCR (HRM-gap-qRT-PCR) for rapid identification and quantitation of the vaccine and field strain(s) of LSDV., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None of the authors of this paper have any financial or personal relationships with people or organisations that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of the paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The World Health Organization's emphasis on the health benefits of functional foods and beverages that has contributed to the rise in its popularity globally. Besides these consumers have become more aware of the importance of their food composition and nutrition. Among the fastest-growing market segments within the functional food industries, the functional drinks market focuses on fortified beverages or products that are novel with improved bioavailability of bioactive compounds, and their implicated health benefits. The bioactive ingredients in functional beverages include phenolic compounds, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, peptides, unsaturated fatty acids, etc. which can be obtained from plant, animal and microorganisms. The types of functional beverages which are globally intensifying the markets are pre-/pro-biotics, beauty drinks, cognitive and immune system enhancers, energy and sports drink produced via several thermal and non-thermal processes. Researchers are focusing on improving the stability of the active compounds by encapsulation, emulsion, and high-pressure homogenization techniques to strengthen the positive consumer perspective in functional beverages. However, more research is needed in terms of bioavailability, consumer safety, and sustainability of the process. Hence, product development, storage stability, and sensory properties of these products are vital for consumer acceptance. This review focuses on the recent trends and developments in the functional beverages industry. The review provides a critical discussion on diverse functional ingredients, bioactive sources, production processes, emerging process technologies, improvement in the stability of ingredients and bioactive compounds. This review also outlines the global market and consumer perception of functional beverages with the future perspective and scope., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated considerable interindividual variability in postprandial glucose response (PPGR) to the same foods, suggesting the need for more precise methods for predicting and controlling PPGR. In the Personal Nutrition Project, the investigators tested a precision nutrition algorithm for predicting an individual's PPGR., Objective: This study aimed to compare changes in glycemic variability (GV) and HbA1c in 2 calorie-restricted weight loss diets in adults with prediabetes or moderately controlled type 2 diabetes (T2D), which were tertiary outcomes of the Personal Diet Study., Methods: The Personal Diet Study was a randomized clinical trial to compare a 1-size-fits-all low-fat diet (hereafter, standardized) with a personalized diet (hereafter, personalized). Both groups received behavioral weight loss counseling and were instructed to self-monitor diets using a smartphone application. The personalized arm received personalized feedback through the application to reduce their PPGR. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data were collected at baseline, 3 mo and 6 mo. Changes in mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGEs) and HbA1c at 6 mo were assessed. We performed an intention-to-treat analysis using linear mixed regressions., Results: We included 156 participants [66.5% women, 55.7% White, 24.1% Black, mean age 59.1 y (standard deviation (SD) = 10.7 y)] in these analyses (standardized = 75, personalized = 81). MAGE decreased by 0.83 mg/dL per month for standardized (95% CI: 0.21, 1.46 mg/dL; P = 0.009) and 0.79 mg/dL per month for personalized (95% CI: 0.19, 1.39 mg/dL; P = 0.010) diet, with no between-group differences (P = 0.92). Trends were similar for HbA1c values., Conclusions: Personalized diet did not result in an increased reduction in GV or HbA1c in patients with prediabetes and moderately controlled T2D, compared with a standardized diet. Additional subgroup analyses may help to identify patients who are more likely to benefit from this personalized intervention. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03336411., (Copyright © 2023 American Society for Nutrition. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In the United States (U.S.), consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits is below recommended levels. Enhancing access to nutritious food through food prescriptions has been recognized as a promising approach to combat diet-related illnesses. However, the effectiveness of this strategy at a large scale remains untested, particularly in marginalized communities where food insecurity rates and the prevalence of health conditions such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) are higher compared to the background population. This study evaluated the impact of a produce prescription program for predominantly Hispanic/Latino adults living with or at risk of T2D. A total of 303 participants enrolled in a 3-month observational cohort received 21 medically prescribed portions/week of fresh produce. A subgroup of 189 participants used continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) to assess the relationship between CGM profile changes and HbA 1c level changes. For 247 participants completing the study (76% female, 84% Hispanic/Latino, 32% with T2D, age 56·6 ± 11·9 years), there was a reduction in weight (-1·1 [-1·6 to -0·6] lbs., p < 0.001), waist circumference (-0·4 [-1·0 to 0·6] cm, p = 0·007) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) for participants with baseline SBP >120 mmHg (-4·2 [-6·8 to -1·8] mmHg, p = 0·001). For participants with an HbA 1c  ≥ 7·0% at baseline, HbA 1c fell significantly (-0·5 [-0·9 to -0·1] %, p = 0·01). There were also improvements in food security (p < 0·0001), self-reported ratings of sleep, mood, pain (all p < 0·001), and measures of depression (p < 0·0001), anxiety (p = 0·045), and stress (p = 0·002) (DASS-21). There was significant correlation (r = 0·8, p = 0·001) between HbA 1c change and the change in average glucose for participants with worsening HbA 1c , but not for participants with an improvement in HbA 1c . In conclusion, medical prescription of fresh produce is associated with significant improvements in cardio-metabolic and psycho-social risk factors for Hispanic/Latino adults with or at risk of T2D., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: David Kerr reports equipment, drugs, or supplies was provided by 10.13039/100011946Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Iron in blood cells has several physiological functions like transporting oxygen to cells and maintaining iron homeostasis. Iron is primarily contained in red blood cells (RBCs), but monocytes also store iron as these cells are responsible for the recycling of senescent RBCs. Iron also serves an important role related to the function of different leukocytes. In inflammation, iron homeostasis is dependent on cytokines derived from T cells and macrophages. Fluctuations of iron content in the body lead to different diseases. Iron deficiency, which is also known as anemia, hampers different physiological processes in the human body. On the other hand, genetic or acquired hemochromatosis ultimately results in iron overload and leads to the failure of different vital organs. Different diagnoses and treatments are developed for these kinds of disorders, but the majority are costly and suffer from side effects. To address this issue, magnetophoresis could be an attractive technology for the diagnosis (and in some cases treatment) of these pathologies due to the paramagnetic character of the cells containing iron. In this review, we discuss the main functions of iron in blood cells and iron-related diseases in humans and highlight the potential of magnetophoresis for diagnosing and treating some of these disorders., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation via thoracotomy has many potential advantages compared to conventional sternotomy, including improved inflow cannula (IFC) positioning. We compared the difference in IFC angles, postoperative, and long-term outcomes for patients with LVADs implanted via thoracotomy and sternotomy., Methods: A single-center, retrospective analysis of 14 patients who underwent thoracotomy implantation was performed and matched with 28 patients who underwent sternotomy LVAD implantations for a total of 42 patients. Inclusion required a minimum LVAD support duration of 30 days and excluded concomitant procedures. A postoperative CT-chest was used to measure the angle the between the IFC and mitral valve in two-dimensions and results were compared with three-dimensional reconstruction using the same CT chest. Outcome data were extracted from medical records., Results: There was no significant difference in gender, INTERMACS score, BMI, or age between the two groups. Median cardiopulmonary bypass time was longer in the thoracotomy group compared to the sternotomy group, 107 min (86-122) versus 76 min (56-93), p < 0.01. 3D reconstructions revealed less deviation of the IFC away from the mitral valve in devices implanted via thoracotomy compared to sternotomy, median (IQR) angle 16.3° (13.9°-21.0°) versus 23.2° (17.9°-26.4°), p < 0.01. Rates of pump thrombosis, stroke, and gastrointestinal bleeding were not significantly different., Conclusions: Devices implanted via thoracotomy demonstrated less deviation away from mitral valve. However, there was no difference in morbidity between the two approaches. 3D reconstruction of the heart is an innovative technique to measure angulation and is clinically advantageous when compared to 2D imaging., (© 2022 The Authors. Artificial Organs published by International Center for Artificial Organ and Transplantation (ICAOT) and Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Countries in the Indian subcontinent are currently facing a deadly epidemic of lumpy skin disease (LSD).  LSD is primarily a disease of cattle. Buffaloes may sometimes develop mild illness, however, other domestic animals are considered resistant to LSD. We confirmed the LSDV infection in camels as evidenced by skin nodules on the body surface of the affected camels, isolation of LSD virus (LSDV) and amplification of LSDV-specific gene segments from the skin nodules (PCR), nucleotide sequencing of the viral genome and, demonstration of anti-LSDV antibodies in serum. Phylogenetic analysis based on nucleotide sequencing of ORF011, ORF012 and ORF036 revealed that the virus (LSDV/Camel/India/2022/Bikaner) is related to the historical NI-2490/Kenya/KSGP-like field strains which are predominantly circulating in the Indian subcontinent. This is the first report wherein LSDV has been to infect camels., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None of the authors of this paper have any financial or personal relationship with people or organisations that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of the paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Following central nervous system (CNS) injury, the investigation for neuroinflammation is vital because of its pleiotropic role in both acute injury and long-term recovery. Agmatine (Agm) is well known for its neuroprotective effects and anti-neuroinflammatory properties. However, Agm's mechanism for neuroprotection is still unclear. We screened target proteins that bind to Agm using a protein microarray; the results showed that Agm strongly binds to interferon regulatory factor 2 binding protein (IRF2BP2), which partakes in the inflammatory response. Based on these prior data, we attempted to elucidate the mechanism by which the combination of Agm and IRF2BP2 induces a neuroprotective phenotype of microglia., Methods: To confirm the relationship between Agm and IRF2BP2 in neuroinflammation, we used microglia cell-line (BV2) and treated with lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli 0111:B4 (LPS; 20 ng/mL, 24 h) and interleukin (IL)-4 (20 ng/mL, 24 h). Although Agm bound to IRF2BP2, it failed to enhance IRF2BP2 expression in BV2. Therefore, we shifted our focus onto interferon regulatory factor 2 (IRF2), which is a transcription factor and interacts with IRF2BP2., Results: IRF2 was highly expressed in BV2 after LPS treatment but not after IL-4 treatment. When Agm bound to IRF2BP2 following Agm treatment, the free IRF2 translocated to the nucleus of BV2. The translocated IRF2 activated the transcription of Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4), causing KLF4 to be induced in BV2. The expression of KLF4 increased the CD206-positive cells in BV2., Conclusions: Taken together, unbound IRF2, resulting from the competitive binding of Agm to IRF2BP2, may provide neuroprotection against neuroinflammation via an anti-inflammatory mechanism of microglia involving the expression of KLF4., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

COVID-19 infection is a new disease and our knowledge is limited; day in and day out more and more interesting yet diverse observations are reported by the different research groups from different corners of the world. So, there is an urgent requirement of the invention of some effective and efficient drugs that can carry out the end of the deadly viral infection. Throughout the world, there have been many efforts carried out in different labs to invent such a drug and also identifying any pre-existing drugs which can carry out the killing of the virus. In this review, an effort has been made to understand the potential drugs which can be used against the SARS-CoV-2 viral infection. Again, the strategies on the current and the future drug discovery mechanisms against the SARS-CoV-2 are also mentioned. The different drugs made and the drugs re-used and also the drugs which are in the making process in different research laboratories across the world are also mentioned. To combat this unexpected crisis, we still need some more efforts from the different scientific communities around the world for finding a cure against this viral infection and this is needed to be done for the prevention of more loss of human life., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Despite persistent challenges, Bangladesh's dairy sector has been noticeable for a few decades. Although agriculture is the major contributor to GDP, dairy farming may play a crucial role in the economy by creating jobs, ensuring food security, and boosting the protein content of people's diets. This research aims to identify the direct and indirect factors influencing dairy product purchase intention amongst Bangladeshi consumers. Data were collected online using Google forms, and the convenience sampling technique was used to reach the consumers. The total sample size was 310. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate techniques. Structural Equation Modeling results reveal that marketing mix and attitude are statistically significant with the intention to purchase dairy products. Also, the marketing mix influences the consumers' attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. However, there is no significant association between perceived behavioral control and subjective norm on intention to purchase. The findings suggest developing better products, ensuring reasonable pricing, performing promotional strategies, and proper placement to attract and increase consumers' intention to purchase dairy products., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Physical activity (PA) provides numerous health benefits for individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, the threat of exercise-induced hypoglycemia may impede the desire for regular PA. Therefore, we aimed to study the association between three common types of PA (walking, running, and cycling) and hypoglycemia risk in 50 individuals with T1D. Real-world data, including PA duration and intensity, continuous glucose monitor (CGM) values, and insulin doses, were available from the Tidepool Big Data Donation Project. Participants' mean (SD) age was 38.0 (13.1) years with a mean (SD) diabetes duration of 21.4 (12.9) years and an average of 26.2 weeks of CGM data available. We developed a linear regression model for each of the three PA types to predict the average glucose deviation from 70 mg/dl for the 2 h after the start of PA. This is essentially a measure of hypoglycemia risk, for which we used the following predictors: PA duration (mins) and intensity (calories burned), 2-hour pre-exercise area under the glucose curve (adjusted AUC), the glucose value at the beginning of PA, and total bolus insulin (units) within 2 h before PA. Our models indicated that glucose value at the start of exercise and pre-exercise glucose adjusted AUC ( p  < 0.001 for all three activities) were the most significant predictors of hypoglycemia. In addition, the duration and intensity of PA and 2-hour bolus insulin were weakly associated with hypoglycemia for walking, running, and cycling. These findings may provide individuals with T1D with a data-driven approach to preparing for PA that minimizes hypoglycemia risk., Competing Interests: DDS is an independent consultant for Dexcom, Inc. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2023 Prasanna, Barua, Siller, Johnson, Sabharwal and DeSalvo.)

Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) is a serine-threonine kinase and is a major downstream effector of the small GTPaseRhoA. Upon activation, Rho/ROCK cell signaling pathway regulates cell morphology, polarity, and cytoskeletal remodeling. Recent years have highlighted the role of ROCK signaling pathway in the replication of diverse group of viruses. Cell contractions and membrane blebbing induced by certain group of viruses is mediated via ROCK signaling and facilitates virus replication by sequestration of cellular factors and anchoring them at replication sites (viral factories). Besides, ROCK signaling also stabilizes the nascent viral mRNA for its efficient transcription and translation and, regulates trafficking of the viral proteins. In addition, ROCK signaling is also involved in modulating the immune response to viral infections. This review describes the regulation of virus replication by ROCK signaling with the basic aim of defining it as a target for the development of novel antiviral therapeutics., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: In spite of the availability of multiple consensus statements on dermatophytosis management, different treatment approaches have been experienced in India and require more scrutiny to further update guidelines and improve patient care., Aim: To determine the different approaches in dermatophytosis diagnosis and management among dermatologists in India., Materials and Methods: A web-based questionnaire was created and validated by five panelists with experience of >15 years in dermatophytosis and then circulated to about 2,000 dermatologists in India in September 2021 for a real-world management scenario., Results: Out of 2,000 dermatologists, 459 responded. About half of the dermatologists (51%) routinely conduct potassium hydroxide mount (KOH) at the initiation of therapy. Similarly, about 53% of dermatologists initiate the management of dermatophytosis with combination therapy in all types of dermatophytosis for 4-6 weeks depending upon severity. Different types of combinations are being practiced, such as either two systemic and one topical, two topicals and one systemic, but the combination of one systemic and one topical (69%) is the most commonly practiced. Itraconazole (100 mg twice a day) and luliconazole are the most commonly prescribed antifungal medications. In case of non-response to routine dose of systemic anti-fungals, about 72% of dermatologists up dose them. Most of them continue these drugs for additional 1-2 weeks after clearance of the disease. Additionally, keratolytics and moisturizers are commonly prescribed. Additionally, 62% advise liver function tests (LFTs) at the initiation of therapy, whereas 72% advise monitoring adverse effects due to systemic antifungal drugs during treatment., Conclusion: Combination therapy stood out as the need of the hour in the current menace of dermatophytosis with timely monitoring of laboratory tests for adverse events due to the use of systemic antifungals for a longer duration., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Indian Dermatology Online Journal.)

In light of the high and rising prevalence of obesity, we studied females and males aged 25-54 years with excess weight in the Kolkata metropolitan region, one of India's main cities, to understand the perception, environmental determinants and health complications of obesity. We resorted to primary fieldwork. The close-ended quantitative survey questionnaire was designed to capture the perception and health complications of the sampled population, while a semi-structured interview guide comprising open-ended questions was prepared to capture the target population's in-depth views. Following the WHO guidelines on BMI and WC cut-off for Asian adults, the sampled population comprised females and males aged 25-54 with a waist circumference of 80 cm and 90 cm or higher, respectively, and a BMI of 25 or higher in the Kolkata metropolitan area. Using a concurrent mixed methods approach, we collected and analysed quantitative and qualitative data separately using descriptive statistics and inductive coding before combining them. In the study area, we completed 120 surveys and 18 in-depth interviews. Some environmental factors promoting obesity were the lack of access to healthy, fresh foods, lack of health awareness programmes, advertisements, and weather conditions in Kolkata. Interview participants also extended their concerns about food adulteration and the food industry. Participants confirmed that obesity could increase the risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol and heart disease. Further, participants felt squatting was challenging for them. Hypertension was the most common existing health complication found among the study participants. Participants suggested raising awareness, promoting and making access to healthy food and wellness programs more accessible, and regulating fast foods and sugary beverages at institutional, community and social/public policy levels to prevent obesity. Health education and better policies are required to combat obesity and related complications., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Unraveling the origins of the electrocatalytic activity of composite nanomaterials is crucial but inherently challenging. Here, we present a comprehensive investigation of the influence of different orbitals' interaction in the AuAgCu nanobowl model electrocatalyst during the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). According to our theoretical study, AgAuCu exhibits a lower energy barrier than AgAu and AgCu bimetallic systems for the HER, suggesting that the trimetallic AgAuCu system interacts optimally with H*, resulting in the most efficient HER catalyst. As we delve deeper into the HER activity of AgAuCu, it was observed that the presence of Cu allows Au to adsorb the H* intermediate through the hybridization of s orbitals of hydrogen and s, d x 2 - y 2 , and d z 2 orbitals of Au. Such orbital interaction was not present in the cases of AgAu and AgCu bimetallic systems, and as a result, these bimetallic systems exhibit lower HER activities.

Introduction: The popularity of organic food is in increasing trend due to the increased existence of synthetic food worldwide. Hence it is very important to know the knowledge level of city dwellers regarding various aspects of organic food and factors associated with their awareness level., Objectives: The primary objective of this research study is to develop a standardized knowledge test to assess the knowledge level of respondents regarding organic food and find out the factors behind elevated knowledge levels., Methods: A standardized knowledge test was developed comprising 26 knowledge items and pilot tested on 42 individuals. Difficulty index, discrimination index and point biserial correlation coefficient were calculated; only 21 knowledge statements were selected out of 26. The reliability coefficient and validity were checked and found satisfactory. The final knowledge test containing 21 knowledge statements was administered to 1050 respondents from various locations of the National Capital Region (NCR)-Delhi, India. After getting the knowledge score from each individual, it was classified as very low, low, medium, high and very high knowledge level. For determining factors contributing towards enhanced knowledge level, the correlation coefficient was calculated between independent socio-economic variables of each individual and their corresponding knowledge score. Regression analysis was also performed and developed a model to depict a relationship between the dependent variable i.e. knowledge level and independent variables., Results: Standardized knowledge test depicted that a major portion of respondents (62.0%) possessed very low, low and medium levels of knowledge, whereas 23.5 and 14.5% of respondents had high and very high levels of knowledge regarding organic food. Independent variables like gender, education, family size, family income, internet, mass media exposure and social participation had a positive relationship with the knowledge level of respondents. The results of regression analysis show that education (X 2 ), total annual income (X 3 ), gender (X 6 ), participation in various organizations like the club, societies, etc. (X 8 ), health consciousness of individual (X 11 ), perception of organic food (X 13 ); could explain the major share of ~62.1% of the variation in dependent variable i.e. knowledge level., Conclusion: The developed standardized knowledge test for the present study was found valid and appropriate research tool for evaluating the knowledge level of urban citizens regarding organic food. The majority of respondents had a positive attitude towards organic food but possessed low to medium knowledge levels regarding organic food. Occasional awareness campaigns and capacity-building programs regarding various aspects of organic food in educational institutes, residential societies and through mass media can be beneficial to society., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Barua, Satyapriya, Kumar, Sangeetha and Wason.)

Progeria is a rare genetic disease which is characterised by accelerated ageing and reduced life span. There are differing types of progeria, but the classic type is Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS). Within a year of birth, people suffering from it start showing several features such as very low weight, scleroderma, osteoporosis and loss of hair. Their life expectancy is highly reduced and the average life span is around 14.6 years. Research is going on to understand the genetic and molecular level causes of this disease. Apart from that, several studies are also going on to discover therapeutic techniques and drugs to treat this disease but the success rate is very low. To gain a better understanding about research developments of progeria more experimental models, drugs and molecular technologies are under trial. Different important aspects and recent developments in epidemiology, genetic causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options of progeria are discussed in this review., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Indian basil (Ocimum basillicum), lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) and coriander (Coriandrum sativum) leaves are a good source of aromatic oils; however, their extraction volume is low. Hence, two pre-treatment systems (ohmic-heating and ultrasonic) were devised for extraction of essential oils (EO) from the leaves of these three plant spp., which consequently enhanced the EO yield and saved the time and energy. First of all, an experimental set-up was developed for ohmic-heating pre-treatment which was subjected to the optimization of electric conductivity of lemongrass and coriander leaves at 26.25 V/cm and for Indian basil at 22.5 V/cm voltage gradient. An Experimental setup was also developed for ohmic heating-assisted hydro-distillation (OHD). Finally, conventional Clevenger hydro-distillation (CHD), OHD, ultrasonic-assisted conventional hydro-distillation (UACHD) and ultrasonic-assisted ohmic-heating hydro-distillation (UAOHD) methods were evaluated for their effectiveness in the extraction of the EOs. The OHD took 3.5 h time with 410 W power consumption compared to 5 h time and 500 W power consumption in CHD of sleeted leaves. Likewise, a saving of ~ 86% in time and 74% in energy consumption was observed for EO extraction through UAOHD over CHD. Quantity of EOs extracted from all three aromatic plant spp. leaves followed the trend of UAOHD > UACHD > OHD > CHD methods, respectively. Overall, ultrasonic pre-treatment coupled with ohmic-heating assisted hydro-distillation (UAOHD) proved as an innovative and effective clean EO extraction technology which took shorter extraction time and lesser energy consumption with better EO yield over the UACHD, OHD and CHD methods from the leaves of Indian basil, lemongrass and coriander., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The application of mineral-solubilizing, plant growth-promoting bacteria as inoculants offers a promising alternative to chemical fertilizers. In the present study, lithic bacterial isolates were evaluated for mineral solubilization and plant growth-promoting potential. Among the 57 lithic bacterial isolates associated with different rock samples collected from various locations in Meghalaya, India, nine K-solubilizing isolates, six S-solubilizing isolates, five P- and Si-solubilizing isolates, and three Zn-solubilizing isolates with notable indole-3-acetic acid and siderophore production, and ACC deaminase activity were selected for further study. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, isolates were affiliated to nine different genera (Arthrobacter, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Halopseudomonas, Bacillus, Neobacillus, Peribacillus, Pantoea, and Priestia). On performing rice seed germination potentials, Pantoea agglomerans BL26, Priestia megaterium BL9, Bacillus subtilis GP2, Halopseudomonas xinjiangensis BL29, and Pseudomonas sp. BM1 were selected for in vitro pot experiments, being the most potent isolates. Following inoculation, all five isolates were found to significantly enhance growth of rice plants (P < 0.05). The maximum shoot length increased due to P. megaterium BL9, the maximum root length increased due to H. xinjiangensis BL29, and the maximum plant fresh weight increased due to P. megaterium BL9. The findings concluded that these five lithic bacterial isolates have potent plant growth-promoting potential with possible prospection through field trials. To the best of available literature, this is a first report on the characterization of lithic bacterial isolates as mineral solubilizers and plant growth promoters., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: This study assessed the spatial dimension of urban-rural disparity in obesity prevalence and identified the determinants explaining the urban-rural gap in obesity prevalence in India., Methods: Using cross-sectional survey data from the 2015-16 National Family Health Survey, the prevalence rates of obesity were calculated for aged 15-49 years. Two multiscale geographically weighted regressions were performed separately from rural and urban spaces for Indian districts to examine the spatial relationship of the outcome variable and covariates at different geographical scales. Fairlie decomposition analysis was carried out to explore the contribution of each variable in the urban-rural gap., Results: The rural-urban obesity prevalence difference has increased in a decade time for India from 13.0 to 14.6. Urban counterparts tended to have more people with excess weight. 15 states had an urban-rural prevalence ratio of 2 or higher. The MGWR model showed that varying covariates operated at different scales, i.e. global, regional and local scales, and determined the spatial heterogeneity of obesity prevalence. The only variable, i.e. age (9.49 per cent), had contributed in reducing the gap. Conversely, the socioeconomic variables, i.e. income (96.39 per cent), education (4.95 per cent), caste (4.78 per cent) and occupation (3.11 per cent), had widened the gap., Conclusions: Even though this study evidenced the rural-urban gap in obesity prevalence, it indicated the gap's closing shortly, as it was witnessed in a few states. It is urgent to address the obesity epidemic, especially in urban India, due to its higher prevalence and prevent the further increase of prevalence in rural India, mainly because it shelters nearly 70 per cent of the Indian population., Competing Interests: The author have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Somdutta Barua. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Introduction There is ambiguity regarding usage of tranexamic acid for melasma in India, be it in its pre-administration evaluation, administration route, dosing or monitoring. Hence, we conducted this study to understand various tranexamic-acid prescribing patterns and provide practical guidelines. Materials and methods A Google-form-based questionnaire (25-questions) was prepared based on the key areas identified by experts from the Pigmentary Disorders Society, India and circulated to practicing dermatologists across the country. In rounds 2 and 3, the questionnaire was re-presented to the same group of experts and their opinions were sought. The results of the practitioners' survey were denoted graphically alongside, to guide them. Consensus was deemed when at least 80% of respondents chose an option. Results The members agreed that history pertaining to risk factors for thromboembolism, cardiovascular and menstrual disorders should be sought in patients being started on oral tranexamic-acid. Baseline coagulation profile should be ordered in all patients prior to tranexamic-acid and more exhaustive investigations such as complete blood count, liver function test, protein C and S in patients with high risk of thromboembolism. The preferred oral dose was 250 mg orally twice daily, which can be used alone or in combination with topical hydroquinone, kojic acid and sunscreen. Repeated dosing of tranexamic-acid may be required for those relapsing with melasma following initial tranexamic-acid discontinuation. Coagulation profile should ideally be repeated at three monthly intervals during follow-up, especially in patients with clinically higher risk of thromboembolism. Treatment can be stopped abruptly post improvement and no tapering is required. Limitation This study is limited by the fact that open-ended questions were limited to the first general survey round. Conclusion Oral tranexamic-acid provides a valuable treatment option for melasma. Frequent courses of therapy may be required to sustain results and a vigilant watch is recommended for hypercoagulable states during the course of therapy.

Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying postsurgical recurrence of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is rudimentary. Molecular and T cell repertoire intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) have been reported to be associated with postsurgical relapse; however, how ITH at the cellular level impacts survival is largely unknown. Here we report the analysis of 2880 multispectral images representing 14.2% to 27% of tumor areas from 33 patients with stage I NSCLC, including 17 cases (relapsed within 3 years after surgery) and 16 controls (without recurrence ≥5 years after surgery) using multiplex immunofluorescence. Spatial analysis was conducted to quantify the minimum distance between different cell types and immune cell infiltration around malignant cells. Immune ITH was defined as the variance of immune cells from 3 intratumor regions. We found that tumors from patients having relapsed display different immune biology compared with nonrecurrent tumors, with a higher percentage of tumor cells and macrophages expressing PD-L1 (P =.031 and P =.024, respectively), along with an increase in regulatory T cells (Treg) (P =.018), antigen-experienced T cells (P =.025), and effector-memory T cells (P =.041). Spatial analysis revealed that a higher level of infiltration of PD-L1 + macrophages (CD68 + PD-L1 + ) or antigen-experienced cytotoxic T cells (CD3 + CD8 + PD-1 + ) in the tumor was associated with poor overall survival (P =.021 and P =.006, respectively). A higher degree of Treg ITH was associated with inferior recurrence-free survival regardless of tumor mutational burden (P =.022), neoantigen burden (P =.021), genomic ITH (P =.012) and T cell repertoire ITH (P =.001). Using multiregion multiplex immunofluorescence, we characterized ITH at the immune cell level along with whole exome and T cell repertoire sequencing from the same tumor regions. This approach highlights the role of immunoregulatory and coinhibitory signals as well as their spatial distribution and ITH that define the hallmarks of tumor relapse of stage I NSCLC., (Copyright © 2022 United States & Canadian Academy of Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented global health crisis, rapidly transferred into a global economic and social crisis. The pandemic has threatened the world's commitment to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 as governments in developing countries have shifted their priorities from attaining SDGs, to providing urgent financial needs to save lives and prevent recession in hopes for a rapid economic recovery. The rerouting of public funding priorities has undermined the progress and achievement of SDGs. We employed a mixed-method and carried out a comparative study using pre- and post-public financial data of two developing countries in South Asia; Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A threefold analysis was conducted to investigate the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in two countries, the impact of the pandemic on external and internal public finance and the effect of the pandemic in shifting the policy priorities from SDGs to economic survival. This study found that both countries are highly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic and are suffering from the lack of financing from external sources through the private sector as well as an increasing foreign debt. There is mounting pressure on the fiscal balance in both countries., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1057/s41287-022-00558-6., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

Objective. Histology image analysis is a crucial diagnostic step in staging and treatment planning, especially for cancerous lesions. With the increasing adoption of computational methods for image analysis, significant strides are being made to improve the performance metrics of image segmentation and classification frameworks. However, many developed frameworks effectively function as black boxes, granting minimal context to the decision-making process. Thus, there is a need to develop methods that offer reasonable discriminatory power and a biologically-informed intuition to the decision-making process. Approach. In this study, we utilized and modified a discriminative feature-based dictionary learning (DFDL) paradigm to generate a classification framework that allows for discrimination between two distinct clinical histologies. This framework allows us (i) to discriminate between 2 clinically distinct diseases or histologies and (ii) provides interpretable group-specific representative dictionary image patches, or 'atoms', generated during classifier training. This implementation is performed on multiplexed immunofluorescence images from two separate patient cohorts- a pancreatic cohort consisting of cancerous and non-cancerous tissues and a metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) cohort of responders and non-responders to an immunotherapeutic treatment regimen. The analysis was done at both the image-level and subject-level. Five cell types were selected, namely, epithelial cells, cytotoxic lymphocytes, antigen presenting cells, HelperT cells, and T-regulatory cells, as our phenotypes of interest. Results. We showed that DFDL had significant discriminant capabilities for both the pancreatic pathologies cohort (subject-level AUC-0.8878) and the mNSCLC immunotherapy response cohort (subject-level AUC-0.7221). The secondary analysis also showed that more than 50% of the obtained dictionary atoms from the classifier contained biologically relevant information. Significance. Our method shows that the generated dictionary features can help distinguish patients presenting two different histologies with strong sensitivity and specificity metrics. These features allow for an additional layer of model interpretability, a highly desirable element in clinical applications for identifying novel biological phenomena., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

Background: World Health Organisation has described obesity as one of the most neglected public health issues. Initially, obesity was only a problem in high-income countries; however, at present, it is rising in middle and low-income countries as well, rapidly in India, especially in the urban areas. In the light of the increasing prevalence of obesity in India, it was worthwhile to study perception, risk factors and health behaviours in adult obesity holistically., Methods: This study resorted to a concurrent mixed methods approach, collecting and combining quantitative survey (n = 120) and qualitative interview data (n = 18). Female and male aged 25-54 years with a waist circumference of 80 cm and 90 cm or higher, respectively, and a BMI of 25 or higher were selected from Kolkata, India. Kolkata was chosen as the study area since it ranked 7th out of 640 districts, the highest among the five major urban cities in India, with around 41% of the female and 43% of the male population aged 15-49 years with a BMI of 25 or higher., Results: Participants confirmed that lifestyle was one of the main reasons for obesity. They believed that family history, social relations, behavioural factors, urbanisation, and time-poor were significant risk factors of obesity. Interview participants expanded that technology, lack of health education and self-care, and digital marketing of food influenced the risk of obesity. Participants confirmed that they wanted to lose weight to feel healthier. Most respondents claimed that they engaged in lightly to moderate-intensity physical activity. However, a discrepancy in opinion was observed between survey responses and interview participants' views on dietary behaviours. Participants confirmed that they rarely consulted health professionals and that the family had a minimal role in preventing obesity. Interview participants expanded that people should make better lifestyle choices at an individual level to prevent obesity., Conclusions: Health education is fundamental. Making better lifestyle choices is crucial, which would help increase the lifespan and health span and decrease the risk of diseases. In addition, social support and better policies are required to prevent the disease and any related complications., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality in patients requiring mechanical circulatory support and transplantation. There are no validated markers to predict major adverse kidney events (MAKEs), for which simultaneous heart-kidney transplant (SHKT) could offer improved survival. We evaluate renal histology in predicting MAKEs in transplant-listed patients., Methods: We identified 18 patients with renal histology consistent with CRS from 655 consecutive heart transplant-listed patients between 2010 and 2019. Biopsies were analyzed for glomerular, tubular, interstitial, and arteriolar changes tallied to give a biopsy chronicity score. The primary outcome, MAKE, was a composite of death, need for renal replacement therapy (RRT), or estimated glomerular filtration rate decline >50%. These were evaluated at 2 time points: before and following the transplant. Secondary outcomes included the individual components of the composite outcomes and the need for short-term RRT following the transplant., Results: The mean age was 52.3 y, 22% were female. Five patients did not survive to transplant. One patient underwent successful SHKT. MAKE occurred in 8 of 18 before the transplant and in 8 of 13 following the transplant. Neither outcome was predicted by baseline biochemistry. The biopsy chronicity score was significantly higher in patients with MAKE before transplant (4.3 versus 1.7, P = 0.024) and numerically higher in patients requiring short-term RRT following transplant (3.2 versus 0.7, P = 0.075). Contrary to limited previous literature, interstitial fibrosis did not predict any outcome, whereas tubular atrophy and arteriosclerosis were associated with MAKE before transplant., Conclusions: A higher biopsy chronicity score was associated with adverse kidney endpoints, raising its potential utility over standard biochemistry in considering SHKT referral., Competing Interests: The authors declare no funding and conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Transplantation Direct. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: A patient with a myelodysplastic neoplasm exhibited a karyotype with multiple complex chromosome 5 rearrangements. This patient appeared to have a catastrophic cytogenetic event that manifested as a treatment-refractory aggressive form of disease, which lead to patient demise within one year. Both the clinical presentation and disease course were unusual based on the medical history and morphologic findings. Such cases of myelodysplastic syndrome with multilineage dysplasia (MDS-MLD) with complex abnormalities are not reported in the literature., Case Presentation: The patient was a 62-year-old female who presented with pancytopenia and dyspnea. The morphologic appearance of the peripheral blood smear and bone marrow biopsy, along with flow cytometric findings, favored the diagnosis of MDS-MLD unclassifiable. Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with multilineage dysplasia (MDS-MLD), is an MDS characterized by one or more cytopenias and dysplastic changes in two or more of the myeloid lineages (i.e., erythroid, granulocytic, and megakaryocytic). The bone marrow, in particular, showed prominent dysplasia, including the presence of atypical megakaryocytes with small hypolobated morphology reminiscent of those typically seen in MDS with isolated 5q deletion. Cytogenetic analysis, including interphase and metaphase FISH, karyotype and SNP chromosomal microarray were performed, as well as DNA sequencing studies. Cytogenetic analysis showed a very complex karyotype featuring multiple 5q intrachromosomal rearrangements including a pericentric inversion with multiple interspersed deletions and monosomy 7. FISH studies showed a partial deletion of the PDGFRβ gene, and SNP chromosomal microarray and targeted panel-based sequencing identified biallelic loss of function of the TP53 gene. Based on the pathologic findings, the patient was treated for MDS but did not respond to either lenalidomide or azacitidine., Conclusion: The genetic changes described, in particular, the complex intrachromosomal rearrangements of chromosome 5, suggest the occurrence of a sudden catastrophic event that led to an aggressive course in the patient's disease. Conventional karyotyping, metaphase and interphase FISH, SNP chromosomal microarray and NGS helped to identify the complex genetic changes seen in this case. This highlights the importance of utilizing a multimodality approach to fully characterize complex chromosomal events that may significantly impact disease progression, treatment and survival., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: It was assumed that dietary habits might influence the status of COVID-19 patients. Aim: We aimed at the identification of association of dietary habits with the COVID-19 severity and hospitalization. Methods: It was a retrospective cross-sectional study (n = 1025). We used bivariate and multivariate analyses to correlate the association between self-reported dietary patterns and COVID-19 severity and hospitalization. Results: Dietary habits (black tea, milked tea, pickles, black caraway seeds, honey, fish, fruits, vegetables, garlic, onion and turmeric) were identified with lower risk of COVID-19 severity and hospitalization. Interestingly, the consumption frequency (one-, two- or three-times/day) of rice - the staple food in Bangladesh - was not associated with COVID-19 severity and hospitalization for comorbid patients. In contrast, a moderate rice-eating habit (two times/day) was strongly associated with the lower risk of severity and hospitalization for non-comorbid patients. However, for both comorbid and non-comorbid patients, consumption of black tea, milked tea, pickles and honey were associated with a lower likelihood of severity and hospitalization. Overall, a high consumption (three-times/day) of fish, fruits and vegetables, a moderate consumption of garlic, onion and turmeric spices and a daily intake of black/milked tea, and honey were associated with reduced risk of COVID-19 severity and hospitalization. Conclusions: To reduce the severity of COVID-19, a habitual practice of intaking black tea, milked tea, black caraway seeds and honey along with dietary habit (rice, fish and vegetables) and with a moderate consumption of ginger, garlic, onion, mixed aromatic spices (cinnamon + cardamom + cloves) and turmeric might be suggested.

The success of a species in future climate change scenarios depends on its morphological, physiological, and demographic adaptive responses to changing climate. The existence of threatened species against climate adversaries is constrained due to their small population size, narrow genetic base, and narrow niche breadth. We examined if ecological niche model (ENM)-based distribution predictions of species align with their morpho-physiological and demographic responses to future climate change scenarios. We studied three threatened Ilex species, viz., Ilex khasiana Purkay., I. venulosa Hook. f., and I. embelioides Hook. F, with restricted distribution in Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. Demographic analysis of the natural populations of each species in Meghalaya, India revealed an upright pyramid suggesting a stable population under the present climate scenario. I. khasiana was confined to higher elevations only while I. venulosa and I. embelioides had wider altitudinal distribution ranges. The bio-climatic niche of I. khasiana was narrow, while the other two species had relatively broader niches. The ENM-predicted potential distribution areas under the current (2022) and future (2050) climatic scenarios (General Circulation Models (GCMs): IPSL-CM5A-LR and NIMR-HADGEM2-AO) revealed that the distribution of highly suitable areas for the most climate-sensitive I. khasiana got drastically reduced. In I. venulosa and I. embelioides, there was an increase in highly suitable areas under the future scenarios. The eco-physiological studies showed marked variation among the species, sites, and treatments (p < 0.05), indicating the differential responses of the three species to varied climate scenarios, but followed a similar trend in species performance aligning with the model predictions., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Background: Accurate identification of mosquito species is essential for the development and optimization of strategies to control mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases. Problems with the morphological identification of mosquito species have led to the use of molecular identification techniques, in particular the Folmer cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) PCR system (FCOS), originally designed to identify a range of other invertebrates., Methods: As there can be difficulties identifying mosquitoes using FCOS, we re-evaluated the FCOS primers and developed a new COI-based SYBR PCR (the Auburn COI system-AUCOS) to improve the molecular identification of mosquitoes. Sequence data in GenBank for 33 species from 10 genera of mosquitoes were used to develop our AUCOS primers. Two molecular assays (AUCOS, FCOS) and morphological identification were carried out on mosquitoes collected from the field in Auburn, Alabama (USA) and on Saint Kitts., Results: With a convenience sample of individual mosquitoes comprising 19 species from six genera in Saint Kitts (n = 77) and Auburn (n = 48), our AUCOS provided higher-quality sequence data than FCOS. It also proved more sensitive than FCOS, successfully amplifying 67.5% (85/126) as opposed to 16.7% (21/126) of the samples. The species determined by morphology, or genus with damaged samples, matched that as determined by AUCOS for 84.9% (62/73) of the samples. Morphological classification was confirmed by FCOS with 81.0% (17/21) of samples producing utilizable sequences. While both FCOS and AUCOS correctly identified all the Aedes, Anopheles, Deinocerites, and Uranotaenia species in the study, identification of Culex species was less successful with both methods: 50.0% (3/6) by FCOS and 35.7% (5/14) by AUCOS., Conclusions: The AUCOS DNA barcoding system for mosquito species described in this study is superior to the existing FCOS for the identification of mosquito species. As AUCOS and FCOS amplify the same variable region of the COI, the large amount of existing data on GenBank can be used to identify mosquito species with sequences produced by either PCR., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

In this study, NiMo catalysts that have different metal loadings in the range of ca. 28-106 µg cm -2 were electrodeposited on the Ti substrate followed by their decoration with a very low amount of Au-crystallites in the range of ca. 1-5 µg cm -2 using the galvanic displacement method. The catalytic performance for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) was evaluated on the NiMo/Ti and Au(NiMo)/Ti catalysts in an alkaline medium. It was found that among the investigated NiMo/Ti and Au(NiMo)/Ti catalysts, the Au(NiMo)/Ti-3 catalyst with the Au loading of 5.2 µg cm -2 gives the lowest overpotential of 252 mV for the HER to reach a current density of 10 mA·cm -2 . The current densities for HER increase ca. 1.1-2.7 and ca. 1.1-2.2 times on the NiMo/Ti and Au(NiMo)/Ti catalysts, respectively, at -0.424 V, with an increase in temperature from 25 °C to 75 °C.

Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.