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Background: Delays in diagnosing sepsis in children afflicted with thermal injuries can result in high morbidity and mortality. Our study evaluated the role of the biomarkers Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) as predictors of early sepsis and mortality, respectively, in this group of patients. Methods: This was a prospective evaluation of 90 pediatric burn cases treated at a tertiary care burn center in Northern India. Patients, aged 1–16 years, presenting within 24 hours of being burned, with >10% body surface area of burn injury were included in the study. Levels of PCT and CRP were measured on days 1, 3, 5, and 7. Patients were followed until discharge, 30th post-burn day, or death, whichever occurred first. Results: Sepsis was clinically present in 49 of 90 (54.4%) cases with a median 30% total body surface area (TBSA) of burns. Mortality was seen in 31 of 90 (34.4%) cases with a median of 35% TBSA burns. High PCT and CRP were seen in the sepsis group, particularly on days 3, 5, and 7. PCT was also significantly higher in the mortality group (days 1 and 3). Conclusions: While PCT was a good early predictor of sepsis and mortality in children with burns, CRP was reliable as a predictor of sepsis only. Both markers, however, can serve as adjuncts to culture sensitivity reports for diagnosing early onset sepsis and initiation of antibiotic therapy in appropriate patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Rajagopal. Srinath, Uday. Yanamandra, Anurag. Singh, Nupur. Aggarwal, Praneet. Kaur, Bhavya. Aggarwal, Shivendra. Shobhit, Gaytri. Duhan, Debashish. Paul, Sai. K Bareedu, Rajesh. Sahu, Anil. Menon Background: The COVID-19 pandemic [...]

The Spinel ferrites are a type of material with the chemical formula MB2O4, where M and B are transition metal ions. These materials have a spinel structure, which is made up of a cubic array of oxygen ions, with metal ions inhabiting both A(tetrahedral) and B (octahedral) sites. Spinel ferrites are versatile materials with excellent electrical and magnetic properties. The properties of spinel depend on several factors, including the preparation method, grain size, and the substitution of metal ions. The structural, dielectric, and magnetic properties of these ferrites should be altered by introducing different dopants. The broad range of applications for spinel structures includes electromagnets, where increasing the grain size can decrease residual loss. This paper discusses how changes in the metal ion site preference and the effect of grain size can impact various properties of spinel ferrites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional protein, initially identified in osteosarcoma cells with its role of mediating osteoblast adhesion. Later studies revealed that OPN is associated with many inflammatory conditions caused by infections, allergic responses, autoimmunity and tissue damage. Many cell types in the peripheral immune system express OPN with various functions, which could be beneficial or detrimental. Also, more recent studies demonstrated that OPN is highly expressed in the central nervous system (CNS), particularly in microglia during CNS diseases and development. However, understanding of mechanisms underlying OPN's functions in the CNS is still limited. In this review, we focus on peripheral myeloid cells and CNS-resident cells to discuss the expression and functions of OPN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycrystalline pristine and V3+ modified SnO2 NPs [Sn(1−x)VxO2 NPs, where x = 0, 0.05, and 0.10] were synthesized using conventional sol-gel reaction route and their physicochemical investigations were carried out. Crystal structure information of all the compositions carried out using X-ray diffraction technique revealed that Sn(1−x)VxO2 NPs, where x = 0, 0.05, and 0.10 exhibit tetragonal rutile type symmetry with space group P 4 / 2 m n m with phase pure crystallinity. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra showed presence of hydroxyl group (–OH) and Sn-O-Sn vibrations due to hump located at 615 cm−1 confirming the formation of NPs. Microstructural analysis depicted that the grain size decreased from 40.25 ± 1.57 nm to 33.96 ± 1.16 nm with incorporation of smaller V3+ ion in the crystal framework of host SnO2 matrix. Dielectric studies revealed that real part of dielectric constant ( ϵ ′ ) decreases with increasing the frequency of the applied bias. Maxwell Wegner model and Koop's phenomenology were implemented to support the result. The maximum value of dielectric permittivity also decreased with increasing V3+ ion in the compositions. I-V characteristics of pristine and V3+-modified SnO2 NPs illustrated non-ohmic behavior and depicted that the resistance of the host SnO2 decreases with V3+ doping. PL spectra studies showed a characteristic hump located at ≈ 409 nm belonging to violet emission due to charge exchange mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]