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Chest wall tuberculosis (TB) is often associated with primary pulmonary TB. Primary chest wall TB without any pulmonary involvement is a rare form of musculoskeletal TB and is relatively difficult to diagnose due to nonspecific symptoms. Without significant clinical indications, accepting the possibility of a tubercular origin in chest wall tuberculosis can be challenging, which can mimic a pyogenic abscess or tumor. To rule out potential mycobacterial causes, all abscesses in tuberculosis-endemic areas like India that are resistant to standard therapy must be investigated. Herein, we present a case of primary tuberculosis of the chest wall, which was treated successfully.

Mary Angelin,1 Padmavathi Gopinath,1 Vijaya Raghavan,1,2 Rangaswamy Thara,2 Faraz Ahmad,3 Arasamabattu Kannan Munirajan,1 Ravi Sudesh4 1Department of Genetics, University of Madras, Dr ALM PG Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Taramani Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600 113, India; 2Schizophrenia Research Foundation, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600 101, India; 3Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioscience and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India; 4Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Bioscience and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, IndiaCorrespondence: Ravi Sudesh, Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Bioscience and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India, Tel +91-9176028134, Email sudesh.ravi@vit.ac.in; sudesh.genetics@gmail.com Arasamabattu Kannan Munirajan, Department of Genetics, Dr. ALM PG Institute Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras, Taramani, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600 113, India, Tel +91-44-24547064 ; +91-9444460136, Email akmunirajan@gmail.com; akmunirajan@unom.ac.inBackground: Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous chronic psychiatric disorder influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Environmental factors can alter epigenetic marks, which regulate gene expression and cause an array of systemic changes. Several studies have demonstrated the association of epigenetic modulations in schizophrenia, which can influence clinical course, symptoms, and even treatment. Based on this, we have examined the global DNA methylation patterns, namely the 5-methylcytosine (5mC), 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC); and the global RNA modification N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation status in peripheral blood cells. First-Episode Psychosis (FEP) patients who were diagnosed with Schizophrenia (SCZ) and undergoing treatment were stratified as Treatment-Responsive (TR) and Treatment-Non-Responsive (TNR). Age- and sex-matched healthy subjects served as controls.Results: The methylation pattern of 5mC and 5hmC showed significant increases in patients in comparison to controls. Further, when patients were classified based on their response to treatment, there was a statistically significant increase in methylation patterns in the treatment non-responder group. 5fC and m6A levels did not show any statistical significance across the groups. Further, gender-based stratification did not yield any significant difference for the markers.Conclusion: The study highlights the increased global methylation pattern in SCZ patients and a significant difference between the TR versus TNR groups. Global 5mC and 5hmC epigenetic marks suggest their potential roles in schizophrenia pathology, and also in the treatment response to antipsychotics. Since not many studies were available on the treatment response, further validation and the use of more sensitive techniques to study methylation status could unravel the potential of these epigenetic modifications as biomarkers for SCZ as well as distinguishing the antipsychotic treatment response in patients.Keywords: schizophrenia, global methylation, treatment response, 5mC, 5hmC, m6A

The equiatomic face-centred cubic (FCC) CoNiCrFeMn alloy, known as the Cantor alloy, is renowned for its high ductility under extreme conditions, such as cryogenic temperatures. Despite this, it suffers from low hardness and yield strength (YS) and includes elements with significant supply concerns. This study introduces novel non-equiatomic CoNiCrFeMn alloys, designed using machine learning (ML)-assisted-high-throughput atomistic simulations to enhance sustainability and mechanical properties such as hardness and YS while maintaining the alloy's single-phase FCC structure. We incorporated two critical sustainability indicators, end-of-life recycling rate (EOL−RR) and lifetime (τ), to guide the alloy design process. Mean-flow stress (MFS), measured from the yield point to 15% strain during tensile tests, was used to assess and predict the mechanical properties. Two alloys, with cobalt contents of 12.5% and 21.5%, were developed and analysed. The Co12.5 alloy showed better sustainability (44% improvement in τ with almost the same mechanical properties), while the Co21.5 alloy exhibited better mechanical properties (20% improvement in MFS with almost the same sustainability) as the equiatomic system. Their stable FCC microstructures were confirmed through CALPHAD modelling and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of vacuum arc melted, as-cast samples. The results highlight the potential of integrating sustainability metrics into high-performance alloy design.

This study delves into the corrosion resistance enhancement of stainless steel through laser processing, focusing on the interplay between surface chemistry, morphology, and electrochemical properties. Two sets of 3 × 3 full factorial design of experiment (DoE) designs were employed to explore the influence of laser process parameters, including power, scan speed, frequency, and hatching distance. The findings underscore the superiority of reduced areal energy in producing optimal corrosion resistance 10 times better then unprocessed stainless steel, demonstrating the best results under optimized conditions of a 15 µm hatching distance, 250 mm/s scan speed, 100 kHz frequency, and 80 % power. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis reveals the predominant surface composition of iron and chromium oxides, with variations in the oxide combinations correlating closely with areal energy. Depth profiling revealed the transformation of oxide layers and highlights the importance of chromium-to-iron ratio in surface corrosion behaviour. Cyclic polarisation results demonstrate the formation of passive, transpassive, and pitting domains, with metastable pitting observed in some samples. The direct positive correlation recorded between corrosion current and Cr/Fe ratio underscores the significance of oxide composition in corrosion resistance. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) further confirmed the superior corrosion resistance of laser-processed samples to non-laser processed samples, with lower areal energy exhibiting higher resistance compared to higher areal energy. SEM morphology analysis revealed the removal of surface defects and the formation of a protective oxide layer in laser-processed samples, with lower areal energy samples exhibiting the lowest level of surface defects. The 3D optical profilometer measurements of corrosion pits corroborate these findings, with lower areal energy samples demonstrating the lowest pit depth and area, indicating superior corrosion resistance. Overall, this study provides comprehensive insights into optimizing laser processing parameters to enhance the corrosion resistance of stainless steel, offering valuable understanding and strategy for improving the metal surface corrosion resistance.

Introduction: Multiple Myeloma (MM) represents a malignant proliferation of plasma cells derived from a single clone. Imaging of the skeleton beyond symptomatic areas is useful for myeloma staging and subsequent follow-up for treatment response and disease relapse. Despite research comparing the Dixon sequence to conventional sequences in a variety of musculoskeletal disorders, there is a lack of studies regarding the Dixon sequence’s application in MM. Aim: To compare the contrast of MM focal lesions in all four T2-weighted Dixon and Conventional T1-weighted spin-echo and Short Tau Inversion Recovery (STIR) images. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Radiology at Kovai Medical Centre and Hospitals (KMCH), Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. All newly diagnosed and known cases of MM, either biopsy-proven or strongly suspected based on other diagnostic testing conforming to International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) criteria from December 2020 to July 2022, were included in the study. A total of 43 patients with 142 focal MM lesions were included. Contrast between focal MM lesions and surrounding bone marrow was calculated on T1-weighted spin-echo, STIR, and T2-weighted Dixon (all four) images. Statistical analysis was done using repeated measures of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni correction to control the type I error on multiple comparisons to find the significant difference between multivariate analyses. A probability value of 0.05 was considered a significant level for all statistical tools. Results: The study population consisted of 21 men and 22 women with a mean age of 65.3±8.6 years {Mean±Standard Deviation (SD)}. Contrast values in all four T2 Dixon images, STIR, and T1-weighted images were as follows: T2 Dixon Fat-only (FO) images (0.86.±0.09) (SD); range: (0.46-0.99), T2-weighted Dixon Water-only (WO) images (0.54±0.14) (SD); range: (0.14-0.82), T2 Dixon In-phase (IP) images (0.20±0.13) (SD); range: (0.02-0.41), T2-weighted Dixon Out-phase (OP) images (0.53±0.19) (SD); range: (0.12-0.87), STIR images (0.47±0.12) (SD); range: (0.12-0.73), and T1 images (0.23±0.12) (SD); range: (0.01-0.55). The mean contrast was highest on T2 Dixon fat-only images (p

Introduction: Rotator cuff tears are common musculoskeletal injuries, often associated with fatty degeneration (FD) of the rotator cuff muscles. While MRI has been the gold standard for assessing FD, dual-energy CT (DECT) shows promise in providing quantitative measurements. This study aims to compare FD quantification using DECT and MRI fat fraction values in patients with rotator cuff tears. Materials and Methods: Thirty patients diagnosed with rotator cuff tears underwent DECT and MRI scans for FD assessment. Imaging parameters and techniques were standardized for both modalities. Fat fraction values were obtained using region-of-interest (ROI) analysis. Results: The mean age of participants was 55.73 ± 10.16 years, with a majority classified as Goutallier stage 1. Significant differences were observed between fat fraction values measured by DECT and MRI. The ICC revealed moderate reliability (0.549, p

Abstract This paper presents the development of a model for Nd:YAG laser surface oxidation of 316L stainless steel. A full factorial design of experiments (DOE) are implemented to produce a model for the prediction of elemental composition and color. The elemental composition of the films produced where measured using an X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) and the color is measured using optical reflectance spectroscopy. Oxide layers produced have a Cr/Fe ratio in the range of 0.13–2.09, and highly controllable color variation via single‐pass laser process. The effect of the process parameters used such as power, frequency, and scan speed on laser‐induced oxides is examined with an aim to produce a model suitable for predictive control of the elemental composition and color of the oxide film. Surface morphology control via alteration of the laser power is an important factor for defining the resulting coloration. A new finding from this work is the discovery that within the range of laser surface processing parameters investigated, the molybdenum concentration is inversely proportional to the chromium concentration. This paper provides data required for control of 316L‐SS surface chemistry, and for the expansion of the current thermokinetic model to incorporate the mechanistic effect of molybdenum.

The relentless global population growth and the ever-increasing food demand pose formidable challenges to the agricultural sector. Farmers grapple with the ongoing challenge of wildlife-induced crop damage and human loss, which not only impedes food production but also exacerbates supply and demand imbalances. However, the rise of TinyML enables Edge AI as a promising avenue for implementing resource-efficient deep learning techniques on low-end edge devices. In this paper, we introduce an innovative solution that harnesses the power of Edge AI using tinyML-based deep learning algorithms in conjunction with the Internet of Things (IoT) for animal intrusion detection and deterrence system. The proposed system is developed to create remotely managed defense system tailored to safeguard vast agricultural expanses. It integrates a laser detection system and an AI-CAM with light weight deep learning algorithms for animal intrusion detection and classification. This system also ensures efficient animal deterrence and real-time monitoring for farmers, enabling them to assess the situation with the assistance of an intelligent rover build using IoT. This work emphasizes on proposing a light-weight deep learning model named EvoNet for animal classification. Results reveal that the proposed model achieves the highest accuracy at 96.7%, surpassing other models presented in this paper. However, for edge devices where compact file sizes are crucial, the model also offers comparable accuracy with file sizes as low as 1.63MB with the help of pruning and quantization techniques. This conceptualized solution has the potential to revolutionize agricultural wildlife management, ushering in a new era of crop protection and economic resilience.

Abstract Surface biofouling, corrosion, and wettability are important parameters to understand and characterize aluminum alloys to prevent the failure in marine environments. Antifouling technologies predominantly encompass chemical and biocidal approaches with negative environmental consequences. Therefore, this study focuses on a new method of producing non‐toxic and effective antifouling and corrosion‐resistant surfaces. In this study, ultrafast laser texturing is used to modify the surface of an aluminum alloy using a femtosecond laser system. Five different unique texture patterns are designed and fabricated using 3 W laser power, 100 kHz pulse repetition rate, and 4 mm s−1 scanning speed in order to make the aluminum surface antifouling and corrosion resistant. The non‐textured sample has a contact angle of 85° while the textured samples have contact angles of up to 157°. The contact angle increased with time up to 90 days of aging. Biofouling assessment is conducted using marine algae Nitzschia ovalis as a marine fouling test organism. A reduction of biofilm coverage of 79% is recorded from the laser‐produced star pattern texture. This study demonstrates that laser‐textured surfaces have the potential to mitigate the formation of biofilms on the surfaces while also providing a mechanism to control the relative level of corrosion.

Background and Objectives The purpose of this study is to evaluate and establish the accuracy of noninvasive methods, including third-generation dual-source dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) and proton density fat (PDF) fraction on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using three-dimensional multiecho multipoint chemical shift-encoded spoiled gradient echo (q-Dixon) sequence in the quantification of hepatic steatosis; with H1-MR spectroscopy (MRS) as the reference standard. Materials and Methods A total of 47 patients were included in this prospective study. We studied the accuracy of fatty liver detection using third-generation DECT using mixed set images (MSIs), virtual monochromatic images (VMIs), and MRI q-Dixon. The results were compared with H1-MRS. Data were analyzed using linear regression for each technique compared with MRS. Results Our study's correlation and linear regression analysis showed a good correlation between PDF values obtained by H1-MRS and MR q-Dixon methods (r = 0.821, r 2 = 0.674, p

Surface fouling is a major challenge faced within various engineering applications, especially in marine, aerospace, water treatment, food and beverage, and the energy generation sectors. This can be prevented or reduced in various ways by creating artificial surface textures which have fouling resistance properties. Ultrafast laser texturing provides an efficient method for the texturing of surfaces of different materials with high accuracy, precision, and repeatability. Laser texturing methods can enhance the production of well-defined surface nano- and microscale patterns. These surfaces with nano- and micro-scale patterning can be tailored to have inherent properties such as hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, and resistance to fouling. This review gives an overview of the various types of fouling that can occur, the properties affecting a surface's fouling resistance, as well as the latest physical and chemical strategies for the generation of antifouling surfaces. Surfaces architectures which have inherent antifouling capabilities are presented. This review focuses on the utilization of the higher precision laser-based texturing offered from femtosecond laser systems for enhance fouling resistance. The process parameters to fabricate these textures and the current state of art femtosecond laser sources are presented and discussed. The challenges and future research requirements in the field of laser-based methods to fabricate antifouling surfaces are presented.

Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS) is the rare but most severe form of antiphospholipid syndrome with multiple organ ischemia developing over a short period of time. CAPS should be considered when imaging suggests an acute and concurrent multiorgan ischemia, associated with positive antiphospholipid antibodies. As CAPS can have fulminant irreversible complications, its early recognition is important to initiate the treatment promptly. We present three patients of CAPS who were managed at our institution.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the detection rate of pulmonary nodules in ultrashort echo time (UTE) lung magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to compare it with computed tomography (CT) in oncology patients. Materials and Methods All individuals undergoing radiotherapy/chemotherapy/regular follow-up or visiting the oncology department and referred to radiology department for nodule detection, during the period of 1 year, were subjected to UTE lung MRI using the sequence Flash 3d_spiralvibe coronal 1.25 mm iso and high-resolution CT lungs and the images were analyzed. Results Among the total number of nodules detected in both lungs of all patients, nodules detected by CT were 241, and nodules detected by MRI were 212. The nodule detection rate by MRI was 87.96%. The detection rate of nodules for size equal to or more than 5 mm was nearly 100%. For nodules less than 5 mm, and equal to or more than 4 mm, MRI showed a comparable detection rate of 75%, while for nodules less than 4 mm, the detection rate was only 25%. Conclusion Our study results indicate that lung MRI had a near-complete detection rate for nodules equal to or more than 5 mm in size. Hence, in oncology patients who are undergoing regular follow-up of the lung nodules, lung MRI using UTE can replace low-dose CT, which in turn reduces the radiation dose to the patient.

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to compare the Image Quality, Contrast Medium Volume, and Radiation dose in renal angiography performed using Turbo Flash mode and dual-energy (DE) mode in the third-generation dual-source dual-energy CT. This prospective observational study was performed on renal donors who underwent CTA imaging as a pre-transplant workup. The study population was divided into two groups. Group A underwent DECT renal angiography. Group B underwent Turbo Flash Mode CT renal angiography. For group A, a contrast volume of 1 ml/kg and for group B at 0.5 ml/kg was administered. Image Quality was evaluated objectively by calculating CNR and SNR and subjectively by a 5-point scale. Radiation Dose analysis was done by noting CTDIvol and DLP on the scanner system and calculating effective radiation dose (ED). Results The subjective image quality scores for the Turbo Flash group were comparable with the DE group in qualitative image analysis. Additionally, in the Turbo Flash group, there was a reduction in contrast media and effective radiation dose by 47.5% and 32.7%, respectively. Nevertheless, mean attenuation of the abdominal arteries, CNR, SNR, and Noise (S.D) showed statistical significance between the two groups (p value

The present study explores the diversity and ecology of freshwater diatom in the Kanyakumari district, Tamilnadu. Six freshwater ponds namely, Thuckalay pond, Eraniel pond, Pampanvilai pond, Villukuri pond, Erachakulam and Thottiyodu pond were selected from Kalkulam Taluk in Kanyakumari district. A total of 27 taxa of 17 genera were recorded from these freshwater ponds. Among the freshwater diatom species, Gomphonema montanum was found to be the predominant species in all stations except St- 2. The correlation analysis between diatom density and physico-chemical parameters revealed a significant positive correlation of diatoms (Nitzschia sp., Navicula sp., Cyclotella meneghiniana and Stauroneis sp) with nitrate, phosphate and lead at sampling statins St- 2 and 6. CCA analysis revealed that the concentration of calcium, chloride, pH, alkalinity, silica, and ammonia were found to favor the occurrence of dominant species such as Cymbella turgiduta, Gomphonema sp., Rhopalodia sp., in St-3 and St-4. Among all ponds, certain parameters like total alkalinity, nitrite, phosphate, sodium, cobalt, potassium perhaps reflect the influence of agricultural waste, sewage waste, or anthropogenic activities. The statistical indices in coherence with the dominance of pollution indicator species such as Nitzschia palea, Melosira granulata and Cyclotella meneghiniana revealed that the stations St-2, 4 and 6 were heavily polluted, whereas St- 1, 3 and 5 were less polluted.

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neural system disorder that disturbs the mental activities and physical activities of human beings. Analyzing the symptoms and biosignal data of PD is crucially focused in medical research fields. The existing PD diagnosis models are limited to real-time issues, insufficient deep data extraction, and early monitoring problems. On the scope, the proposed Optimal Health Support and PD Analysis System (OHPAS) analyses the symptoms of PD using a deeply trained biosensors network environment. The novel system trains the biosensor network using complex Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) approaches. The environment of OHPAS sets up acoustic sensors (UT-PF), microphones (MC-1500 unit), and multimodal sensor units (MC-10 sensor). MC-10 is the sensor suite that has an accelerometer sensor, gyro sensor, and Electro Cardio Gram (ECG) sensor to observe the biosignals. For establishing the biodata analysis framework, OHPAS initiates the fusion of Variable Auto Encoder (VAER) and K-Means clustering techniques. This phase comprises dataset feature reduction, data regularization, and clustering operations to make the dataset effective for the training process. Finally, the Long Short Term Memory network (LSTM) uses the preprocessed dataset for computing the training dataset. The proposed OHPAS contributes novel features such as a real-time patient monitoring environment, effective sensor data reduction, distributed sensor data analysis, day-wise PD symptom prediction, reactive PD alerts, and accurate early detection solutions. Considering effective medical data analysis with minimal response time, the proposed model creates reactive body sensor network. Under this sensor platform, sensor modules contain proposed DL procedures in its internal memory for initiating data analysis practices. Consequently, the symptoms of PD are commendably detected and predicted with minimal response time. The experimental results indicate the proposed PD system outperforms the existing systems with 8% to 10% of better results.

Human serum albumin (HSA) nanoparticles are promising biocompatible, nontoxic, and non-immunogenic platforms for biomedical applications such as bioimaging and drug and gene delivery. The development of nonviral gene delivery vectors is a great challenge for efficient and safe gene therapy. Sulforaphane (SF) can stimulate the expression of antioxidant genes via activation of a nuclear transcription factor, the erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf-2). Here, we use polyethyleneimine (PEI)-stabilized HSA nanoparticles to stimulate endogenous antioxidant defense mechanisms in lung epithelial cells L-132 through the combinatorial effect of SF drug and antioxidant superoxide dismutase 1 gene (pSOD1 plasmid) delivered by HSA-PEI-SF-pSOD1 nanocomposites (NCs). The developed NCs demonstrated high biocompatibility (L-132 viability, >95%, MTT assay) and high antioxidant activity because of efficient entry of the SOD1 gene and SF-loaded NCs at a very low (3 μg) dose in L-132 cells. A high transfection efficiency of L-132 cells (∼66%, fluorescent microscopy) was obtained with the GFP-tagged transgene SOD1-GFP. We speculate that the antioxidant activity of HSA-PEI-SF-pSOD1 NCs in L-132 cells is due to the initial release of SF followed by subsequent SOD1 gene expression after three to four days of incubation. Hence, the developed HSA-based NCs can be efficient biocompatible nanocarriers for safe and effective drug and gene delivery applications to treat diseases with high oxidative stress due to combinatorial SF and SOD1 gene mechanisms.

As per the report of the United Nations, half of the fruits and vegetables loses annually. Industries are trying to reduce the postharvest loss by using coatings. Wax coating is the most preferred way to preserve fruits and veggies. Sometimes wax is mixed with some chemical compounds that are known to be carcinogenic. Recently many edible films have been developed using natural polymers to enhance the shelf life of food. The edible films act as a barrier between the food and the external environment to prevent the direct interaction of food with atmospheric gases and microbes, which reduce the rate of respiration, keeping the food fresh for an extended period. But, the cost of edible biofilms is high and restricted at the industrial level; the local fruits and vegetable vendors are not able to buy such costly biofilms. We have developed the solution for dip-coating and nanofiber coating using a blend of silk fibroin, PVA, honey and curcumin, which is a cost-effective method for fruits and vegetable vendors. The material used for coating is FDA approved. The techniques utilized for synthesizing the biofilm are electrospinning and dip-coating. Coating found to increase the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables.

A major threat that has surrounded human civilization since the beginning of the year 2020 is the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and significantly affected populations globally, causing medical and economic despair. Healthcare chains across the globe have been under grave stress owing to shortages of medical equipments necessary to address a pandemic. Furthermore, personal protective equipment supplies, mandatory for healthcare staff for treating severely ill patients, have been in short supply. To address the necessary requisites during the pandemic, several researchers, hospitals, and industries collaborated to meet the demand for these medical equipments in an economically viable manner. In this context, 3D printing technologies have provided enormous potential in creating personalized healthcare equipment, including face masks, face shields, rapid detection kits, testing swabs, biosensors, and various ventilator components. This has been made possible by capitalizing on centralized large-scale manufacturing using 3D printing and local distribution of verified and tested computer-aided design files. The primary focus of this study is, “How 3D printing is helpful in developing these equipments, and how it can be helpful in the development and deployment of various sensing and point-of-care-testing (POCTs) devices for the commercialization?” Further, the present study also takes care of patient safety by implementing novel 3D printed health equipment used for COVID-19 patients. Moreover, the study helps identify and highlight the efforts made by various organizations toward the usage of 3D printing technologies, which are helpful in combating the ongoing pandemic.

Background: Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in neonates requiring cardiac surgery. Feeding practices vary significantly across institutions and remain controversial. We conducted a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis to identify associations between feeding practices and necrotising enterocolitis. Methods: This study was carried out in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. A literature search was performed in November 2022 using the Cochrane Central Register, Embase, and Pubmed. Two investigators then independently retrieved eligible manuscripts considered suitable for inclusion. Data extracted included gestational age, birth weight, sex, nature of congenital heart lesion, type of operation performed, time on ventilator, ICU stay, hospital stay, post-operative feeding strategy, and complications. The methodological quality was assessed using the Downs and Black score for all randomised control trials and observational studies. Results: The initial search yielded 92 studies. After removing duplicates, there were 85 abstracts remaining. After excluding ineligible studies, 8 studies were included for the meta-analysis. There was no significant risk of NEC associated with pre-operative feeding [OR = 1.22 (95% CI 0.77,1.92)] or umbilical artery catheter placement [OR = 0.91 (95% CI 0.44, 1.89)] and neither outcome exhibited heterogeneity [I2 = 8% and 0%, respectively]. There was a significant association between HLHS and NEC [OR = 2.56 (95% CI 1.56, 4.19)] as well as prematurity and NEC [OR 3.34 (95% CI 1.94, 5.75)] and neither outcome exhibited heterogeneity [I2 = 0% and 0%, respectively]. Conclusions: There was no association between NEC and pre-operative feeding status in neonates awaiting cardiac surgery. Pre-operative feeding status was not associated with prolonged hospital stay or need for tube assisted feeding at discharge. HLHS and prematurity were associated with increased incidence of NEC.

Background: Periodontology is a fast-evolving field with newer insights into traditional periodontal diagnosis. Advances in periodontal disease diagnostic research are moving toward methods whereby periodontal risk can be identified and quantified by objective measures such as biomarkers. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in whole saliva of patients with chronic periodontitis. Materials and Methods: Whole saliva samples were collected from 85 patients: 30 patients with chronic periodontitis, 25 with gingivitis, and 30 periodontally healthy controls. To determine the clinical condition of each subject, the gingival index and clinical attachment level were measured. The salivary MDA levels were determined spectrophotometrically. Results: Higher salivary MDA levels (P < 0.005) were detected in patients with periodontitis compared to the healthy controls. There was no statistically significant difference in the salivary MDA levels between patients with gingivitis and healthy controls. Conclusions: Higher salivary MDA levels seem to reflect increased oxygen radical activity during periodontal inflammation. Thus, MDA can be used as a marker of oxidative stress in patients with periodontitis.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the worst pandemics to have hit the humanity. The manifestations are quite varied, ranging from severe lung infections to being asymptomatic. Hence, there is an urgent need to champion new tools to accelerate the end of this pandemic. Compromised immunity is a primary feature of COVID-19. Allium sativum (AS) is an effective dietary supplement known for its immune-modulatory, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antifungal, and anti-viral properties. In this paper, it is hypothesized that carbon dots (CDs) derived from AS (AS-CDs) may possess the potential to downregulate the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and revert the immunological aberrations to normal in case of COVID-19. CDs have already been explored in the world of nanobiomedicine as a promising theranostic candidates for bioimaging and drug/gene delivery. The antifibrotic and antioxidant effects of AS are elaborated, as demonstrated in several studies. It is found that the most active constituent of AS, allicin has a highly potent antioxidant and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging effect. The antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-viral effects along with their capability of negating inflammatory effects and cytokine storm are discussed. The synthesis of theranostic CDs from AS may provide a novel weapon in the therapeutic armamentarium for the management of COVID-19 infection and, at the same time, could act as a diagnostic agent for COVID-19.