Search

Summary: Background: There are limited global data on head-to-head comparisons of vaccine platforms assessing both humoral and cellular immune responses, stratified by pre-vaccination serostatus. The COVID-19 vaccination drive for the Indian population in the age group 18–45 years began in April 2021 when seropositivity rates in the general population were rising due to the delta wave of COVID-19 pandemic during April–May 2021. Methods: Between June 30, 2021, and Jan 28, 2022, we enrolled 691 participants in the age group 18–45 years across four clinical sites in India. In this non-randomised and laboratory blinded study, participants received either two doses of Covaxin® (4 weeks apart) or two doses of Covishield™ (12 weeks apart) as per the national vaccination policy. The primary outcome was the seroconversion rate and the geometric mean titre (GMT) of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid proteins post two doses. The secondary outcome was the frequency of cellular immune responses pre- and post-vaccination. Findings: When compared to pre-vaccination baseline, both vaccines elicited statistically significant seroconversion and binding antibody levels in both seronegative and seropositive individuals. In the per-protocol cohort, Covishield™ elicited higher antibody responses than Covaxin® as measured by seroconversion rate (98.3% vs 74.4%, p

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a risk factor for depression among women. Spousal alcoholism and marital quality are associated with both depression and spousal abuse Knowledge about the factors contributing to IPV in depression will enable us to have interventions to address IPV in tandem with treating depression. Objectives: (1) To estimate the prevalence of IPV in women treated for depression in a rural community health-care facility in Bengaluru Urban District. (2) To assess the association between IPV and various other factors in women treated for depression in a rural community health care facility. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among ever-married women above 18 years, registered under mental health program in the mental health clinic in Mugalur, Karnataka, and currently on treatment for depression. The women who consented were interviewed using structured questionnaires – WHOQOL-BREF, standard of living index, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Index of Spouse Abuse, family interview for genetic studies for reported alcohol use, and marital quality scale. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 49.7 ± 13.2 years. The prevalence of physical IPV and non-physical IPV was found to be 18% and 7%, respectively. Marital quality was significantly lower among women who experienced IPV. Women with husbands who ever used alcohol were found to have six times more risk of experiencing physical IPV, odd ratio 6.193 (1.595, 24.047). Conclusion: Health education, involvement of self-help groups, and awareness programs are required to alleviate IPV.

Trichoadenoma of Nikolowski is a rare benign cutaneous tumor, which is usually solitary, nodular and occurs on the face or buttocks any time during adult life. The morphological differentiation of trichoadenoma is situated between a trichofolliculoma and a trichoepithelioma with hair follicle-like direction of differentiation. We report this case of trichoadenoma in a 28-year-old man who presented with a solitary nodular and ulcerated swelling in the gluteal region, gradually increasing in size. Excision biopsy revealed characteristic features consistent with trichoadenoma. We report this case in view of its rarity.

Antibiotic resistance is a significant global health concern, and innovative antimicrobial agents are needed to combat this. A study aimed to synthesize and assess the antibacterial activity of sulfonyl piperazine hybrids linked by arylthioether-amide. Nine derivatives were evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Compounds 9b, 9e, and 9i showed significant antibacterial effectiveness, surpassing conventional medications. Molecular docking studies revealed strong binding affinities of these compounds to the DNA gyrase A binding pocket, highlighting their potential as antibacterial agents. The findings suggest that further research is warranted to explore the therapeutic potential, safety profile, and mechanistic insights of these compounds, particularly 9b and 9i, which show promise for future development as novel antibacterial agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have proposed a compact scheme for generating high-density and high-energy positrons by irradiating different shaped targets with an ultra-intense laser pulse, using 2D particle-in-cell simulations and numerical analysis. Our simulations show that the Breit–Wheeler process dominates positron production during laser-target interaction when a laser with an intensity of 4 × 10 23 W cm − 2 is used. We obtain a positron beam with an energy of 2.5 GeV and a total number exceeding 109, which is an improvement by two orders of magnitude compared to previous work with the same laser intensity. By using different shaped targets, we are able to generate a high-energy positron beam with low divergence. The yield of positron pairs depends on both the target and the laser parameters, and we have investigated how the shape of the target can enhance pair production and reduce divergence. Both of our analytical and simulation results demonstrate that this high-flux and low-divergence positron beam has direct applications in the field of medical and astro-physics that can be explored in the upcoming high intensity laser facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein we report the effect of samarium (rare earth metal) doping on the morphological, structural, optical, magnetic, dielectric, and electrical properties of copper–iron oxide ferrite composites [CuFe2−xSmxO4 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.075, and 0.1)] (abbreviated as SCFO). The CuFe2−xSmxO4-based ferrites were synthesized by the solution combustion technique. The morphological and structural features and elemental composition of these doped ferrites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV-visible spectroscopy. The analysis revealed improved structural features for (Sm3+)-doped copper–iron oxide ferrites and the formation of a homogeneous composite structure. Doping of a rare earth metal (Sm3+) into the Cu–Fe–O ferrite significantly enhanced the room-temperature electrical conductivity of the doped ferrite in comparison to its pure counterpart. The energy band gap value of the higher-concentration sample was found to decrease significantly in comparison to the pure ferrite due to enhanced charge density across the grain boundaries. Further, it was observed that (Sm3+) doping led to improved optical, magnetic, and dielectric response of the doped ferrites which was dependent on the concentration of the dopant. The dielectric constant of these doped ferrites was found to be higher at lower frequencies and decreased dramatically with increased frequencies due to the greater dielectric dispersion as well as electron hopping in the higher-frequency region. The magnetic properties showed strong dependence on both the sintering temperature and concentrations of (Sm3+) doping. The optical bandgap decreased significantly with the increase in concentration of (Sm3+) doping. In light of the ease of synthesis, improved electrical conductivity, and dielectric, magnetic, and optical properties, these SCFO ferrites hold promise as a potential material for optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]