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Asit Ray,1,2 Sudipta Jena,2 Biswabhusan Dash,2 Ambika Sahoo,2 Basudeba Kar,2 Jeetendranath Patnaik,3 Pratap Chandra Panda,4 Sanghamitra Nayak,2 Namita Mahapatra1 1Regional Medical Research Centre (Indian Council of Medical Research), Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar 751023, Odisha, India; 2Centre for Biotechnology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Siksha O Anusandhan University, Kalinganagar, Ghatikia, Bhubaneswar 751003, Odisha, India; 3Department of Botany, Sri Krushna Chandra Gajapati College, Paralakhemundi 761200, Odisha, India; 4Taxonomy and Conservation Division, Regional Plant Resource Centre, Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar 751015, Odisha, India Background: Hedychium coronarium Koen. (Zingiberaceae) is traditionally used as medicine in countries such as India, China, and Vietnam for treatment of various ailments including cancer. However, in spite of its implied significance in cancer treatment regimes, there are no reports so far involving the anticancerous attributes of H. coronarium ethanol extract (HCEE) on cancer cells and a more comprehensive study on its mechanism is still lacking. Materials and methods: The cytotoxicity of HCEE was evaluated by MTT and clonogenic survival assay. Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI), Hoechst 33342 staining, and TUNEL assay were performed to detect apoptosis. Cell cycle analysis was performed using PI staining. JC-1 and 2’,7’-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate assay were used to check the levels of MMP and ROS, respectively. Western blot analysis was carried out to measure the expression levels of proteins. Migration and invasion activity were assessed by wound healing and Transwell membrane assay, respectively. Results: Antiproliferative effect of HCEE was investigated in various cancerous and normal cell lines. Among these, HCEE significantly inhibited the survival of HeLa cells without affecting the viability of normal human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Annexin V/PI, Hoechst staining, and TUNEL assay showed HCEE induced apoptosis in HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner. HCEE promoted cell cycle arrest at G1 phase in HeLa cells by upregulating the levels of p53 and p21 and downregulating the levels of cyclin D1, CDK-4, and CDK-6. Moreover, HCEE treatment upregulated the expression of Bax and downregulated the expression of Bcl-2. Additionally, HCEE activated the caspase cascade by increasing the activities of caspase-9, caspase-8, and caspase-3. The expression levels of Fas ligand and Fas were also upregulated. Further, HCEE inhibited the migratory potential of HeLa cells by downregulating MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression levels. Conclusion: Our results indicate H. coronarium exerts antiproliferative and apoptotic effects against HeLa cells, and therefore may be used for treatment against cervical cancer. Keywords: apoptosis, cervical cancer, cytotoxicity, Hedychium coronarium extract, HeLa cell line

The increase in global temperature has led to a significant surge in energy consumption within the air conditioning industry, resulting in environmental deterioration. Electrochromic (EC) windows have emerged as a promising solution to address these challenges. Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) stands out among all metal oxide materials due to its remarkable EC properties, including substantial Li+ ion insertion capacity and multicolor capabilities. Despite the potential of V2O5, there remains a lack of comprehensive research on the structural and optical properties of V2O5 films with varying thicknesses. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the structural and optical properties of V2O5 thin films with thicknesses ranging from 46 to 344 nm. By employing the sol-gel spin coating method, V2O5 thin films were fabricated and analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry. The fabricated V2O5 thin films with thicknesses of 46-274 nm demonstrated an average film transparency of 83 %. XRD analysis further revealed that the V2O5 thin films reached their peak crystallinity at a thickness of 344 nm. Moreover, CV analysis revealed that the V2O5 device, with a thickness of 274 nm, exhibited a cathodic peak current of -1.63 mA, indicating its excellent ability to facilitate Li+ ion diffusion. Additionally, CA measurements displayed a high optical modulation of 37.78 %. Ultimately, this research contributes to the development of energy-efficient solutions for sustainable environmental practices.

Micromachining was performed in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) using X-ray lithography for the fabrication of miniaturized devices (microchips) for potential applications in chemical and genetic analyses. The devices were fabricated using two different techniques: transfer mask technology and a Kapton[R] mask. For both processes, the channel topography was transferred (1:1) to the appropriate substrate via the use of an optical mask. In the case of the transfer mask technique, the PMMA substrate was coated with a positive photoresist and a thin Au/Cr plating base. Following UV exposure, the resist was developed and a thick overlayer ([approximately]3 [[micro]meter]) of Au electroplated onto the PMMA substrate only where the resist was removed, which acted as an absorber of the X-rays. In the other technique, a Kapton[R] film was used as the X-ray mask. In this case, the Kapton[R] film was UV exposed using the optical mask to define the channel topography and following development of the resist, a thick Au overlayer (8 [[micro]meter]) was electrodeposited onto the Kapton[R] sheet. The PMMA wafer during X-ray exposure was situated directly underneath the Kapton[R] mask. In both cases, the PMMA wafer was exposed to soft X-rays and developed to remove the exposed PMMA. The resulting channels were found to be 20 [[micro]meter] in width (determined by optical mask) with channel depths of [approximately]50 [[micro]meter] (determined by x-ray exposure time). In order to demonstrate the utility of this micromachining process, several components were fabricated in PMMA including capillary/chip connectors, injectors for fixed-volume sample introduction, separation channels for electrophoresis and integrated fiber optic fluorescence detectors. These components could be integrated into a single device to assemble a system appropriate for the rapid analysis of various targets.