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Background Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is used as quantitative parameter to evaluate myocardial function. However, interobserver variation, limited reproducibility, and dependence on pre-load and after-load reduces its accuracy. The fall in LVEF occurs very late, when myocardial dysfunction is already advanced. Myocardial strain measurements (especially global longitudinal strain) is a new parameter to detect myocardial dysfunction before derangements in LVEF. The aim of this article is to share our experience of this novel diagnostic tool. Methods Feature tracking method of strain assessment is performed using routine long and short axis cine images of cardiac MRI (CMR). Dedicated post-processing CMR software can perform off-line analysis and provide results in form of color-coded maps, percentage values as well as strain over time curve for each myocardial segments. Results Global longitudinal strain (GLS) is more sensitive than LVEF and can identify sub-clinical left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in various cardiomyopathies. It is also an important prognostic marker in serial assessment of heart failure patients. Regional differences in strain parameters can provide clues in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as well as amyloidosis. GLS is recommended as routine measurement in patients undergoing chemotherapy to detect LV dysfunction prior to fall in LVEF. Strain imaging can be applied to guide placement of the LV pacing lead in patients receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy. More clinical data is needed to evaluate its role in ischemic heart disease. Conclusion Strain imaging can identify LV dysfunction earlier than conventional methods and this opens a new perspective in risk stratification and therapeutic decision-making of various cardiac pathologies.

Therapeutic cargos which are impermeable to the cell can be delivered by cell penetrating peptides (CPPs). CPP-cargo complexes accumulate by endocytosis inside the cells but they fail to reach the cytosolic space properly as they are often trapped in the endocytic organelles. Here the CPP mediated endosomal escape and some strategies used to increase endosomal escape of CPP-cargo conjugates are discussed with evidence. Potential benefits can be obtained by peptides such as reduction in side effects, biocompatibility, easier synthesis and can be obtained at lower administered doses. The particular peptide known as cell penetrating peptides are able to translocate themselves across membrane with the carrier drugs with different mechanisms. This is of prime importance in drug delivery systems as they have capability to cross physiological membranes. This review describes various mechanisms for effective drug delivery and associated challenges

Two cases, one of a 6-old-year male and another of 18-year-old female with an intracranial lipoma of quadrigeminal region is reported. Intracranial lipomas usually occur in midline areas and are extremely uncommon with an incidence of 0.1% of all intracranial tumors. These were incidentally detected by computed tomography (CT) or by autopsy. Autopsy incidence of intracranial lipoma is 0.08-0.46%, while incidence of CT findings is not >0.03-0.06%. CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination usually lead to the diagnosis, because of the very low attenuation values of lipomas on CT and the short T1 and T2 on magnetic resonance. We describe the findings of imaging studies, including CT, MRI along with a brief review of the literature.

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is a common hip condition occurring in adolescents, with a prevalence of 10 cases per 100,000 children. It usually affects younger age group from 10 to 17 years. The condition is usually found to be coexistent with various other conditions such as obesity, growth surges, and endocrine disorders such as hypothyroidism, growth hormone supplementation, hypogonadism, and pan-hypopituitarism. Patients present with limping and a poorly localized pain in the hip, groin, thigh, or knee. Diagnosis of the condition is often delayed due to its nonassociation with trauma and hence increases the chances of developing various complications such as avascular necrosis, chondrolysis and deformity. Majority of researches of SCFE are from Europe and North America, while studies in Asian populations are rare. Delay in diagnosis of SCFE is usually due to patients presenting with knee pain. Imaging can thus aid in early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of the disease, which in turn reduces incidence of deformity and disability in the affected children. Bilateral hip radiography - anteroposterior and frog′s-leg lateral views and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are the radiological techniques that help in early diagnosis. MRI detects early physeal changes of both preslip and SCFE even when radiographs and computed tomography are normal. MRI should be routinely used to diagnose early SCFE in preslip stage to avoid further complications.

Morel-Lavallée lesion is a degloving injury occurring at the interface of the subcutaneous fat and the underlying fascia. The lesion usually results from shearing forces due to trauma separating the skin and subcutaneous tissue. We report here a case of a patient diagnosed with Morel-Lavallée lesion in the hip region.

Head injury is considered one of the single most important causes of subdural hematoma. Other cause include bleeding diasthesis. We report here a case of 70-year-old female patient with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) presenting with bilateral chronic subdural hematoma after an incremental high-dose of imatinib mesylate (IM) due to loss of complete molecular response. IM is useful to treat a wide range of diseases, including Philadelphia chromosome-positive CML, as it has high tolerability and low incidence of minor side effects. Hemorrhage is a rare complication of IM. IM is associated with reduced α2-plasmin inhibitor and platelet dysfunction. This case report emphasizes on the need to consider chronic subdural hematoma as atypical cause of headache in a patient of CML taking high-dose IM.

Cemento-osseous dysplasia is a group of disorders known to originate from periodontal ligament tissues. Florid cemento-osseous dysplasia clearly appears to be a form of bone and/or cementoid tissues restricted to jaw bones. This lesion is usually asymptomatic and is incidentally detected during routine radiographic examination. The diagnosis is made by clinical and radiographic examinations, and biopsy is not necessary. The patient must manifest the typical changes in at least two quadrants. An asymptomatic individual requires only a periodic follow-up to ensure that there is no change in the disease behavior. Surgical management is indicated only for a progressive lesion that produces orofacial disfigurement. This paper presents a rare case of a 60-year-old female who was clinically and radiographically diagnosed as having florid cemento-osseous dysplasia in the maxilla and mandible. Discussion is presented with emphasis on clinical and radiographic manifestations.

Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) presents a versatile approach for efficiently converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable products. However, poor electron uptake by the microorganisms from the cathode severely limits the performance of MES. In this study, a graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-metal–organic framework (MOF) i.e. HKUST-1 composite was newly designed and synthesized as the cathode catalyst for MES operations. The physiochemical analysis such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy showed the successful synthesis of g-C3N4-HKUST-1, whereas electrochemical assessments revealed its enhanced kinetics for redox reactions. The g-C3N4-HKUST-1 composite displayed excellent biocompatibility to develop electroactive biohybrid catalyst for CO2 reduction. The MES with g-C3N4-HKUST-1 biohybrid demonstrated an excellent current uptake of 1.7 mA/cm2, which was noted higher as compared to the MES using g-C3N4 biohybrid (1.1 mA/cm2). Both the MESs could convert CO2 into acetic and isobutyric acid with a significantly higher yield of 0.46 g/L.d and 0.14 g/L.d respectively in MES with g-C3N4-HKUST-1 biohybrid and 0.27 g/L.d and 0.06 g/L.d, respectively in MES with g-C3N4 biohybrid. The findings of this study suggest that g-C3N4-HKUST-1 is a highly efficient catalytic material for biocathodes in MESs to significantly enhance the CO2 conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Tobacco use and exposure to Second-Hand Smoke (SHS) are major health hazards for growing children and adolescents. Smokeless Tobacco (SLT) product consumption is a serious health issue both abroad and in India. Children and young people are more likely to be exposed to Secondhand Smoke (SHS) in India due to high population density. Aim: To assess physical anthropometric parameters and cardiac autonomic function tests among passive smokers and SLT users. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the department of Physiology Nootan Medical College and Research Centre, Visnagar from August 2023 to February 2024. The study was comprised of 100 participants including 50 non-smokers who chew tobacco and who have never been a passive smoker in Group-A (SLT) and 50 age-matched passive smokers who lived with at least one smoker or frequently interacted with smokers at work for at least three years before conducting this study was included in Group-B (Passive smoke or SHS). Anthropometric measurements were recorded. Cardiac autonomic function tests were done by using a Polyrite recording machine with mode “ECG” in Lead-II position among both groups. Results were expressed as mean±Standard Deviation (SD), and analysed by using unpaired student’s t-test. The p-value of

Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a common condition resulting in inflammation of the colon. Current treatments for this condition result in side effects in a significant proportion of patients and consequently alternative treatments are being sought. Probiotics are live microorganisms which have been used to treat other inflammatory conditions such as gastroenteritis and pouchitis. In this study, the evidence for the use of probiotics for the treatment of ulcerative colitis has been investigated. The current research suggests that conventional treatment combined with probiotic therapy does not provide any additional benefit over conventional treatment alone in patients with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis. There is limited evidence that probiotics may reduce disease activity. However there is not enough evidence to recommend the use of probiotics for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Larger, well designed randomized controlled trials are needed to determine whether probiotics are of benefit for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work describes a simple, accurate and validated UV spectrophotometric method for determination of trans-resveratrol loaded in ethosomal formulation. The method was validated for different parameters like linearity, precision, specificity, accuracy, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ) and robustness as per ICH guidelines. The wavelength maximum of resveratrol in phosphate buffer pH 7.4 was found to be at 307 nm. The method was found to be linear in the range of 8 to 38 μg mL-1 with a correlation coefficient (r²) of 0.9957. The accuracy of the method was studied by recovery study and % recovery was found to be in the range of 99.24 to 100.14 %. The method is simple, accurate and requires relatively inexpensive instruments. The proposed method can be successfully used for determination of trans-resveratrol loaded into ethosomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the effect of β-nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) on the growth of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) and its mechanism. Methods: Nematodes were randomly divided into blank control group and experimental groups with different concentrations of NMN (0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10 mg/mL). The impact of NMN on the growth of C. elegans was evaluated by measuring the body length changes of C. elegans in 13 days after adulthood. In addition, transcriptomics was used to explore the mechanism of NMN (1 mg/mL) in promoting nematode growth. Moreover, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to verify the sequencing results. Results: Compared with the blank control group, the average body length of C. elegans was significantly increased after feeding 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5 and 10 mg/mL NMN at 4 to 13 days (P

In order to reduce the interference of seasonal, geographical and other factors and explore the effect of different peak-temperature control strategies on the fungal community of Daqu, this study mainly applied the high-throughput sequencing technology to analyze and compare the fungal community in medium-temperature and high-temperature Daqus collected from the same core production region of high-quality Baijiu. The correlation between the fungal community in Daqu and the main physicochemical indices was also evaluated by combining redundancy analysis. The results showed that the overall population of fungi (characterized by the copy numbers of ITS1 region of rDNA) in high-temperature Daqu was smaller than that in medium-temperature Daqu, but the richness, diversity, and evenness of overall fungal community in the former were higher than that in the latter. Thermoascus, Pichia, Aspergillus and Rhizopus accounted for a higher proportion in medium-temperature Daqu, with Thermoascus aurantiacus as the absolute advantage. Thermomyces, Rasamsonia, Monascus, and Byssochlamys accounted for a higher proportion in high-temperature Daqu, with Thermomyces lanuginosus as the absolute advantage. Based on the random forest prediction model, the first ten key ASVs that could best explain the differences between the two Daqu communities belonged respectively to three major groups including Thermoascus crustaceus (for 5 ASVs), Thermomyces spp. (for 4 ASVs), and Thermoascus aurantiacus (for 1 ASV). The results of redundancy analysis showed that Aspergillus, Rasamsonia and Hyphopichia in two types of Daqu had a positive correlation with saccharifying power, Pichia had a strong positive correlation with acidity, and Thermoascus had a strong positive correlation with moisture. This study further clarified the diversity of fungal community and biomarkers in Daqus with different peak-temperatures, explored the correlation between the fungal community in Daqu and the main physicochemical indices, and provided a reference for the optimization of Daqu making process and the screening of functional strains.

Biallelic mutations in the ACP5 gene cause spondyloenchondrodysplasia with immune dysregulation (SPENCDI). SPENCDI is characterized by the phenotypic triad of skeletal dysplasia, innate and adaptive immune dysfunction, and variable neurologic findings ranging from asymptomatic brain calcifications to severe developmental delay with spasticity. Immune dysregulation in SPENCDI is often refractory to standard immunosuppressive treatments. Here, we present the cases of two patients with SPENCDI and recalcitrant autoimmune cytopenias who demonstrated a favorable clinical response to targeted JAK inhibition over a period of more than 3 years. One of the patients exhibited steadily rising IgG levels and a bone marrow biopsy revealed smoldering multiple myeloma. A review of the literature uncovered that approximately half of the SPENCDI patients reported to date exhibited increased IgG levels. Screening for multiple myeloma in SPENCDI patients with rising IgG levels should therefore be considered.

Background Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is an evidence‐based, guideline‐recommended intervention for patients recovering from a cardiac event, surgery or procedure that improves morbidity, mortality, and functional status. CR is traditionally provided in‐center, which limits access and engagement, most notably among underrepresented racial and ethnic groups due to barriers including cost, scheduling, and transportation access. This study is designed to evaluate the Corrie Hybrid CR, a technology‐based, multicomponent health equity‐focused intervention as an alternative to traditional in‐center CR among patients recovering from a cardiac event, surgery, or procedure compared with usual care alone. Methods The mTECH‐Rehab (Impact of a Mobile Technology Enabled Corrie CR Program) trial will randomize 200 patients who either have a diagnosis of type 1 myocardial infarction or who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting surgery, percutaneous coronary intervention, heart valve repair, or replacement presenting to 4 hospitals in a large academic health system in Maryland, United States, to the Corrie Hybrid CR program combined with usual care CR (intervention group) or usual care CR alone (control group) in a parallel arm, randomized controlled trial. The Corrie Hybrid CR program leverages 5 components: (1) a patient‐facing mobile application that encourages behavior change, patient empowerment, and engagement with guideline‐directed therapy; (2) Food and Drug Administration‐approved smart devices that collect health metrics; (3) 2 upfront in‐center CR sessions to facilitate personalization, self‐efficacy, and evaluation for the safety of home exercise, followed by a combination of in‐center and home‐based sessions per participant preference; (4) a clinician dashboard to track health data; and (5) weekly virtual coaching sessions delivered over 12 weeks for education, encouragement, and risk factor modification. The primary outcome is the mean difference between the intervention versus control groups in distance walked on the 6‐minute walk test (ie, functional capacity) at 12 weeks post randomization. Key secondary and exploratory outcomes include improvement in a composite cardiovascular health metric, CR engagement, quality of life, health factors (including low‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol, hemoglobin A1c, weight, diet, smoking cessation, blood pressure), and psychosocial factors. Approval for the study was granted by the local institutional review board. Results of the trial will be published once data collection and analysis have been completed. Conclusions The Corrie Hybrid CR program has the potential to improve functional status, cardiovascular health, and CR engagement and advance equity in access to cardiac rehabilitation. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT05238103.

Introduction:- Aging is a worldwide issue in our society, elderly people living in old age homes may suffer from sadness, pain, and isolation. Depression is a common condition in the elderly that negatively affects numerous parts of their lives. Autogenic therapy uses visual imagery and body awareness to promote a state of deep relaxation. A detached but alert state of mind called "passive concentration" must be achieved for autogenic therapy exercises to be carried out. DESIGN:- A quantitative approach using pre experimental one group pre test post test design. PARTICIPANTS:- 60 old age people were selected by using a purposive non-probability sampling technique. INTERVENTION:- Autogenic relaxation TOOL:- geriatric depression scale was used to assess the level of depression in old age people RESULT:- The Mean depression level before intervention is 14.23 while after intervention it is reduced to 11.83. It shows statistically significant change in the mean depression level before & after the autogenic relaxation session. CONCLUSION:- The findings of the study indicate that autogenic relaxation is effective in lowering the level of depression among old age people living in old age homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]