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Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) facilitate the translation of brain activity into actionable commands and act as a crucial link between the human brain and the external environment. Electroencephalography (EEG)-based BCIs, which focus on motor imagery, have emerged as an important area of study in this domain. They are used in neurorehabilitation, neuroprosthetics, and gaming, among other applications. Optimal Deep Learning-Based Recognition for EEG Signal Motor Imagery (ODLR-EEGSM) is a novel approach presented in this article that aims to improve the recognition of motor imagery from EEG signals. The proposed method includes several crucial stages to improve the precision and effectiveness of EEG-based motor imagery recognition. The pre-processing phase starts with the Variation Mode Decomposition (VMD) technique, which is used to improve EEG signals. The EEG signals are decomposed into different oscillatory modes by VMD, laying the groundwork for subsequent feature extraction. Feature extraction is a crucial component of the ODLR-EEGSM method. In this study, we use Stacked Sparse Auto Encoder (SSAE) models to identify significant patterns in the pre-processed EEG data. Our approach is based on the classification model using Deep Wavelet Neural Network (DWNN) optimized with Chaotic Dragonfly Algorithm (CDFA). CDFA optimizes the weight and bias values of the DWNN, significantly improving the classification accuracy of motor imagery. To evaluate the efficacy of the ODLR-EEGSM method, we use benchmark datasets to perform rigorous performance validation. The results show that our approach outperforms current methods in the classification of EEG motor imagery, confirming its promising performance. This study has the potential to make brain-computer interface applications in various fields more accurate and efficient, and pave the way for brain-controlled interactions with external systems and devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest fires are a global natural calamity causing significant economic damage and loss of lives. Professionals forecast that forest fires would raise in the future because of climate change. Early prediction and identification of fire spread would enhance firefighting and reduce affected zones. Several systems have been advanced to detect fire. Recently, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can be used for forest fire detection due to their ability, high flexibility, and inexpensive to cover vast areas. But still, they are limited by difficulties like image degradation, small fire size, and background complexity. This study develops an automated Forest Fire Detection using Metaheuristics with Deep Learning (FFDMDL-DI) model. The presented FFDMDL-DI technique exploits the DL concepts on drone images to identify the occurrence of fire. To accomplish this, the FFDMDL-DI technique makes use of the Capsule Network (CapNet) model for feature extraction purposes with a biogeography-based optimization (BBO) algorithm-based hyperparameter optimizer. For accurate forest fire detection, the FFDMDL-DI technique uses a unified deep neural network (DNN) model. Finally, the tree growth optimization (TGO) technique is utilized for the parameter adjustment of the DNN method. To depict the enhanced detection efficiency of the FFDMDL-DI approach, a series of simulations were performed on the FLAME dataset, comprising 6000 samples. The experimental results stated the improvements in the FFDMDL-DI method over other DL models with maximum accuracy of 99.76%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India, being an abundant source of minerals, Mineral exploration, on a large scale, is promising to provide good impact for the future of the country. India has a rich source of coal, bauxite, limestone etc. With the advent of remote sensing technologies capturing broader area, exploration of minerals has now become an appreciable problem. Satellite Cluster Images spanning over wider areas can effectively serve as a tool for mapping minerals, qualitatively and quantitatively. In this paper, an algorithm, based on decision tree classification, is developed to map minerals, specifically, coal and limestone for a specific region. Multi-temporal cluster images are employed to map dynamic change detection resulting in greater accuracy. In this paper, multi-temporal cluster images (Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS) are analyzed to map coal, limestone and 'no-mineral' regions with the help of the algorithm developed using decision tree classification. Classification results are compared with ground truth data for assessing its accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plumbagin (PLB), a member of the quinine family, mainly found in the plant Plumbago zeylanica Linn., potentially exhibit anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antifungal, neuroprotective, hypolipidemic and antibacterial activities. However, it has been well known that the application of PLB was limited owing to its water insolubility, instability and poor bioavailability. For decades, many attempts have been made to compensate for these disadvantages with the development of improved delivery platforms as the feasible approaches. This review aims to describe the various studies supporting the biopharmaceutical aspects of PLB. In addition, it includes a section devoted to discussing the challenges associated with the drug and strategies to improve the properties of PLB such as solubility, stability and bioavailability. Also, this paper summarizes the recent works on the design and development of novel delivery systems of PLB such as liposomes, niosomes, microsphares, nanoparticles, micelles, complexization, metal nanoparticles, crystals modification, etc., with the goal of harnessing the true difficulties of this multifunctional agent in the clinical arena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plumbagin (PLB), a member of the quinine family, mainly found in the plant Plumbago zeylanica Linn., potentially exhibit anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antifungal, neuroprotective, hypolipidemic and antibacterial activities. However, it has been well known that the application of PLB was limited owing to its water insolubility, instability and poor bioavailability. For decades, many attempts have been made to compensate for these disadvantages with the development of improved delivery platforms as the feasible approaches. This review aims to describe the various studies supporting the biopharmaceutical aspects of PLB. In addition, it includes a section devoted to discussing the challenges associated with the drug and strategies to improve the properties of PLB such as solubility, stability and bioavailability. Also, this paper summarizes the recent works on the design and development of novel delivery systems of PLB such as liposomes, niosomes, microsphares, nanoparticles, micelles, complexization, metal nanoparticles, crystals modification, etc., with the goal of harnessing the true difficulties of this multifunctional agent in the clinical arena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare disorder characterized by congenital malformations, progressive bone marrow failure, and predisposition to cancer. Patients harboring X‐linked FANCB pathogenic variants usually present with severe congenital malformations resembling VACTERL syndrome with hydrocephalus. Methods: We employed the diepoxybutane (DEB) test for FA diagnosis, arrayCGH for detection of duplication, targeted capture and next‐gen sequencing for defining the duplication breakpoint, PacBio sequencing of full‐length FANCB aberrant transcript, FANCD2 ubiquitination and foci formation assays for the evaluation of FANCB protein function by viral transduction of FANCB‐null cells with lentiviral FANCB WT and mutant expression constructs, and droplet digital PCR for quantitation of the duplication in the genomic DNA and cDNA. Results: We describe here an FA‐B patient with a mild phenotype. The DEB diagnostic test for FA revealed somatic mosaicism. We identified a 9154 bp intragenic duplication in FANCB, covering the first coding exon 3 and the flanking regions. A four bp homology (GTAG) present at both ends of the breakpoint is consistent with microhomology‐mediated duplication mechanism. The duplicated allele gives rise to an aberrant transcript containing exon 3 duplication, predicted to introduce a stop codon in FANCB protein (p.A319*). Duplication levels in the peripheral blood DNA declined from 93% to 7.9% in the span of eleven years. Moreover, the patient fibroblasts have shown 8% of wild‐type (WT) allele and his carrier mother showed higher than expected levels of WT allele (79% vs. 50%) in peripheral blood, suggesting that the duplication was highly unstable. Conclusion: Unlike sequence point variants, intragenic duplications are difficult to precisely define, accurately quantify, and may be very unstable, challenging the proper diagnosis. The reversion of genomic duplication to the WT allele results in somatic mosaicism and may explain the relatively milder phenotype displayed by the FA‐B patient described here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymerase chain reaction is a biological technology to produce ample number of DNA copies of a particular sequence. Three primary steps involved are de-naturation, annealing and extension. PCR techniques has a lot of applications in plant biology, diagnosis of influenza- human brucellosis- Salmonellae, cloning purpose, in the field of Dentistry, microbiology, forensic science etc., There are many types of PCR techniques such as RT-PCR, touchdown PCR, real time PCR, nested PCR, multiplex PCR, semi quantitative PCR, assembly PCR, asymmetric PCR, LATE- PCR, dial out-PCR etc., This paper is an attempt to give a brief idea about the various types of PCR techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moringa belongs to the family Moringaceae comprising 13 species of which Moringa oleifera is more widely cultivated. It is an economically important multipurpose tree with immense nutritional value and has significant potential to address malnutrition. In the present study, a total of 97 accessions collected from different districts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha were genotyped using 20 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to assess the genetic diversity and population structure. A total of 140 alleles were detected with the polymorphic information content value of 0.6832 and gene diversity 0.7292. Population structure analysis through a model- based approach divided the accessions into two subgroups. Molecular variance analysis using principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) summarized a 18.32% variation in the first 3 axes and analysis of molecular variance analysis indicates a 2% variance among the population with the remaining 98% variance attributed to variation within individuals. Cluster analysis based on unweighted neighbour-joining showed a clear separation of samples into two subgroups. Further comparison of the cluster subgroup showed high consistency with the STRUCTURE pattern and PCoA plot. The findings reveal a high diversity in the analysed genotypes from which a few distinct accessions could be utilized for further exploration based on their nutritional content and for conservation of nutritionally superior germplasm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Many studies investigating the bystander effect have used ionizing radiation to evaluate this phenomenon, whereas very few have determined whether genotoxic chemicals are also capable of inducing this effect. Here, we show that two such chemicals, mitomycin C, a bifunctional alkylating agent and phleomycin, a glycopeptide antibiotic of the bleomycin family, cause normal human B lymphoblastoid cells to produce media soluble factors that induce a bystander effect in unexposed cells. Ionizing radiation was used in parallel experiments to verify the existence of the bystander effect in these cells. Micronuclei in Cytochalasin B-blocked binucleated cells were used as the endpoint. Conditioned media obtained from cells exposed to mitomycin C induced a 1.5–3 fold increase, while conditioned media from phleomycin induced a 1.5–4 fold increase, and conditioned media from irradiated cells induced a 2–8 fold increase in micronuclei. We conclude that the bystander effect is not restricted to ionizing radiation, suggesting it may be a part of a general cellular stress response. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The recent upsurge of antibiotic-resistant infections has posed to be a serious health concern worldwide. In the present paper, the effect of shape & capping agent on the antibacterial activity (on Skin and Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) causing bacteria) of copper iodide (CuI) particles was probed. CuI synthesized without a capping agent was leaf-like, and that with one was prismatic in shape. XRD of the synthesized CuI confirmed their high crystalline nature and purity. The average crystallite sizes of capped and uncapped CuI were calculated to be 91.10 nm and 89.01 nm respectively from X-Ray powder diffraction data. The average particle size of capped CuI was found to be 492.7 nm and that of uncapped CuI was found to be 2.96 μm using HR-SEM analysis. The crystals obtained were further characterized using EDAX, FTIR spectroscopy and UV–Visible spectroscopy. Antibacterial activity of prismatic CuI capped with the flower extract of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis showed better activity than that of uncapped CuI. AFM analysis was carried out to confirm the proposed mechanism for antibacterial activity through the morphological changes on the bacterial cell wall in the presence of capped CuI. Molecular docking studies were performed to reaffirm the enhanced antibacterial activity of prismatic CuI further. The present study demonstrates the superior antibacterial propensity of prismatic CuI, consequently making it a potent antibacterial agent. • CuI was synthesized both by novel green route and direct precipitation method. • CuI was characterized using XRD, SEM-EDAX, UV–Visible and IR techniques. • Comparative analysis of the chemically and green synthesized CuI was investigated. • CuI-FE efficiently prohibited the growth of bacterial strains. • CuI-FE showed effective against UTI causing bacteria E. coli and S. faecalis bacteria at 200 μg/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrogels are three-dimensional, water-swollen structures composed mainly of hydrophilic homo-polymers or copolymers utilized in various fields. This review explains in detail about the various methods used in the synthesis of hydrogel, their loading mechanism, their swelling index, their chemical and physical properties, and also comparative analysis between chemo-drug and drug-entrapped hydrogel. In this, we will also discuss various applications of hydrogel, which aid in treating diseases, like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson disease, etc., using modified drug delivery mechanism. Though these diseases have various methods of treatment, they have a common ground and that is the need for definite amounts and a prolonged release of drugs which will be possible with the aid of hydrogels. The use of hydrogel is believed to be an upgrade in the medical field, and its involvement in treatments is considered to be sincerely encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoplates were synthesised via the calcination of zinc acetate along with orange peel powder at 500°C for 4 h. The phase purity and average crystallite size of the prepared ZnO nanoplates were determined using Debye-Scherer's formula from the most intense peaks of X-ray diffraction (XRD). Fourier transform infrared (FT IR) spectroscopy was used to ascertain the surface functional group and metal-oxygen bond in the sample. Diffuse reflectance (DRS) UV-Visible absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy were used to examine the optical property of the sample. Both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the prepared sample has plate-like morphology with different dimensions. The ZnO nanoplates showed enhanced photocatalytic activity against rhodamine B (RhB) under UV light irradiation within 60 min. In addition, the as-prepared ZnO nanoplates were also used for H9c2 cardiomyoblasts cells to find the activity against MTT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In reverse genetics studies, minigenomes of negative sense RNA viruses are used to model the process of virus replication and evaluate the virus rescue system in the course of construction of recombinant virus. In the current study, a minigenome (MG) rescue system for lentogenic D58 vaccine strain of Avian orthoavulavirus 1 (AOAV-1) (Newcastle disease virus) was developed to establish a reverse genetic system for this strain. Methods: The minigenome was constructed by assembling the trailer and leader regions of AOAV-1 D58 strain flanking the reporter gene, Aequorea coerulescens green fluorescence protein (AcGFP) in a modified transcription vector. Construction of this Minigenome was done using a simple restriction free technique-Splicing by Overlap Extension PCR. The constructed minigenome was evaluated for the reporter gene expression by transfection in T7 RNA polymerase expressing BSR/T7 cell line. Further, the replication and packaging ability of the constructed minigenome were also analyzed. Result: The reporter gene expression was confirmed in BSR/T7 cells which simulates the virus replication process and verifies the virus rescue system. In addition, this proves the applicability of restriction free cloning by Splicing by Overlap Extension (SOE) PCR for precise construction of the minigenome. The developed minigenome system can be used as a potential tool in the reverse genetic rescue of AOAV-1 D58 strain for the development of marker vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life (QOL) of postmenopausal women, in the rural areas of Puducherry and to find the associated factors. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done in the rural field practicing area of SLIMS, Puducherry. The sample size was 172 based on the previous study, and simple random sampling technique was used. The women who were receiving hormonal treatment, having chronic illness and those who refused to participate were excluded from the study. The sociodemographic information and menopause-specific QOL questionnaire were used, and data were analyzed using the SPSS 21. Results: In this study, mean age of the postmenopausal women was 61 ± 7.5 years, 42.4% belonged to socioeconomic status (SES) Class IV The prevalence of one or more symptoms of vasomotor, psychological, and sexual domains were 23.8%, 87%, and 68%, respectively. We found an association between SES and both vasomotor and psychological symptoms. Furthermore, age and psychological symptoms were associated. Conclusion: The menopause-related symptoms had a negative effect on the QOL of postmenopausal women. The study can help in creating awareness and also in helping in educating women for early identification of the frequent menopausal symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural flavonoid fisetin (FS) has shown anticancer properties but its in-vivo administration remains challenging due to its poor aqueous solubility. The aim of the study was to develop FS loaded pluronic127 (PF)-folic acid (FA) conjugated micelles (FS-PF-FA) by the way of increasing solubility, bioavailability and active targetability of FS shall increase its therapeutic efficacy. FA-conjugated PF was prepared by carbodiimide crosslinker chemistry. FS-PF-FA micelles were prepared by thin-film hydration method and evaluated in comparison with free FS and FS loaded PF micelles (FS-PF). The smooth surfaces with spherical in shape of FS-PF-PF micelles displayed smaller in size (103.2 ± 6.1 nm), good encapsulation efficiency (82.50 ± 1.78%), zeta potential (−26.7 ± 0.44 mV) and sustained FS release. Bioavailability of FS from FS-PF-PF micelles was increased by 6-fold with long circulation time, slower plasma elimination and no sign of tissue toxicity as compared to free FS. Further, the FS-PF-FA micelles demonstrated active targeting effect on folate overexpressed human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. The concentration of the drug needed for growth inhibition of 50% of cells in a designed time period (GI50) was 14.3 ± 1.2 µg/ml for FS while it was greatly decreased to 9.8 ± 0.78 µg/ml, i.e. a 31.46% decrease for the FS-PF. Furthermore, the GI50 value for FS-PF-FA was 4.9 ± 0.4 µg/ml, i.e. a 65.737% decrease compared to FS and 50% decrease compare to FS-PF. The results indicate that the FS-PF-FA micelles have the potential to be applied for targeting anticancer drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The [Cu (Neocup)(Triazine)H 2 O](NO 3) 2 complex has been synthesized. • The complex intercalates into the base pair of DNA. • The antimicrobial activities of bacteria and fungi are observed for the complex. • The complex has excellent anticancer activity against HepG2. In this paper, a new copper (II) complex with neocuproine and triazine has been synthesized and characterised. In the complex [Cu (Neocup)(Triazine)H 2 O](NO 3) 2 (where neocup=2,9-dimethyl-1;10-phenanthroline,Triazine=3-(2-pyridyl)5,6-diphenyl-1.2,4-triazine) is characterized by using UV Spectra, FT-IR, EPR, and thermal analyses. UV spectra, fluorescence spectra, and cyclic voltammetry techniques were used to determine the binding mechanism of the Cu (II) complex with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA). The stability of the prepared Cu (II) complex has been evaluated through the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy gab. In addition, the molecular docking studies were indicating the Cu (II) complex into the base pairs of CT-DNA. Furthermore, the Cu (II) complex was exposed to human liver cancer cell in vitro cytotoxicity assays, using the MTT assay, one can assess cellular metabolic activity as a sign of cell viability, proliferation, and cytotoxicity. The resultant complex shows potent cytotoxic behaviour against human cell lines (HepG2). The IC 50 and R2 values of an optimized complex of Cu (II) complexes are noted as 60.81 µg/ml, 19.19 µg/ml and 0.991%, 0.789% respectively. The results revealed that copper complex [Cu(Neocup)(Triazine) H 2 O](NO 3) 2 showed high potent cytotoxicity effects against human cell line (HepG2) than [Cu(phen)(tryp)I]. The complex has been implied for antibacterial properties against the staphylococcusaureus (Gram-negative (+Ve)) and the klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli (Gram-negative (-Ve)) bacterial strains and the antifungal activity against C.albicanspecies, respectively. The optimized results revealed that the Cu (II) complex exhibits excellent antibacterial and antifungal activity. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural flavonoid fisetin (FS) has shown anticancer properties but its in-vivo administration remains challenging due to its poor aqueous solubility. The aim of the study was to develop FS loaded pluronic127 (PF)-folic acid (FA) conjugated micelles (FS-PF-FA) by the way of increasing solubility, bioavailability and active targetability of FS shall increase its therapeutic efficacy. FA-conjugated PF was prepared by carbodiimide crosslinker chemistry. FS-PF-FA micelles were prepared by thin-film hydration method and evaluated in comparison with free FS and FS loaded PF micelles (FS-PF). The smooth surfaces with spherical in shape of FS-PF-PF micelles displayed smaller in size (103.2 ± 6.1 nm), good encapsulation efficiency (82.50 ± 1.78%), zeta potential (−26.7 ± 0.44 mV) and sustained FS release. Bioavailability of FS from FS-PF-PF micelles was increased by 6-fold with long circulation time, slower plasma elimination and no sign of tissue toxicity as compared to free FS. Further, the FS-PF-FA micelles demonstrated active targeting effect on folate overexpressed human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. The concentration of the drug needed for growth inhibition of 50% of cells in a designed time period (GI50) was 14.3 ± 1.2 µg/ml for FS while it was greatly decreased to 9.8 ± 0.78 µg/ml, i.e. a 31.46% decrease for the FS-PF. Furthermore, the GI50 value for FS-PF-FA was 4.9 ± 0.4 µg/ml, i.e. a 65.737% decrease compared to FS and 50% decrease compare to FS-PF. The results indicate that the FS-PF-FA micelles have the potential to be applied for targeting anticancer drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salmonella enterica serovar Kentucky is a frequent cause for clinical infections in human patients. They are isolated and reported with multidrug resistance from the foods of animal origin from various countries. However, studies inferring the colistin resistance are limited. Hence, the current study reports the genetic factors and genomic analysis of the colistin-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Kentucky strain COL-R for better understanding of its pathogenic potential and phylogenetic relatedness. The S. Kentucky strain COL-R was successfully isolated from chicken meat during ongoing surveillance of food of animal origin. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed resistance to cefoxitin, erythromycin, gentamicin, tetracycline, and most disturbingly to ciprofloxacin and colistin (broth microdilution method). Whole-genome sequence of the COL-R strain was subjected to various in silico analysis to identify the virulence factors, antimicrobial resistance genes, pathogenicity islands and sequence type. The S. Kentucky COL-R strain belonged to sequence type (ST) 198 with a high probability (0.943) of being a human pathogen. Besides presence of integrated phage in the S. Kentucky COL-R genome, 38 genes conferring resistance to various antimicrobials and disinfectants were also identified. Nucleotide Polymorphism analysis indicated triple mutations in gyrA and parC genes conferring fluoroquinolone resistance. Phylogenomic analysis with 31 other S. Kentucky genomes revealed discernible clusters with S. Kentucky COL-R strain latching onto a cluster of high diversity (geographic location and isolation sources). Taken together, our results document the first occurrence of colistin resistance in a fluoroquinolone resistant S. Kentucky COL-R strain isolated from retail chicken and provide crucial information on the genomic features of the strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The attempt was made to study the response of the dog having skin infection with various underlying causes to killed S.pseudintermedius antigen. PBMC were separated and sensitized with killed S. pseudintermedius for 24 hours. cDNA was made from extracted RNA and quantitative PCR were carried out for 8 cytokines with GAPDH as housekeeping gene. IL-6 was the cytokine which was expressed in a statistically significant high level in PBMC of healthy animals to killed antigen than PBMC of infected animals. Except for the IL-6, all other cytokines were expressed at high level in pyoderma animals than healthy control, demodicosis and allergy cases. In the present study, IL-1β, IL-8 and TNF-α were the cytokines that were up-regulated and, IL-6 and IFN-γ were down-regulated in demodicosis dogs with pyoderma at apparently significant level than the other tested cytokines. IL-4 was the only cytokine that was expressed in measurable quantity in allergic cases when compared to other cytokines. Thus, it was concluded that dogs with staphylococcal pyoderma infections developed a Th1/Th2 response to fight the infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dried scab material obtained from pigeon showing cutaneous form of avipox infection was inoculated in chorio-allantoic membrane (CAM) of 11-day old embryonated chicken egg. After an incubation of five days, CAM showed mild pock lesions. This CAM tissue was subjected to DNA isolation. Molecular confirmation of avipox virus was done by PCR amplification of P4b gene, which amplified at an expected product size of 578 bp. The amplified P4b gene was sequenced and phylogenetic analysis was done along with P4b gene sequences of other avipox viruses. Phylogenetic analysis showed that this avipox virus obtained from pigeon was grouped under sub-clade A2 along with other pigeonpox viruses. This confirmed that the causative agent of the avipox infection observed in pigeon was pigeonpox virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new family of biofunctionalized chitosan decorated nanocochleates-mediated drug delivery system was developed that involves uniquely combining nanocochleates with anticancer drug for controlled drug release, targeted delivery, improved bioavailability with reduced toxicity. This system was developed by loading of doxorubicin (DOX) to nanocochleates (DOX-NC) through conversion of negatively charged dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) phospholipid and cholesterol-bearing vesicles on addition of calcium ions, followed by encapsulation DOX-NC with folic acid conjugated chitosan (FA-CHI-DOX-NC). The release of DOX indicated strong pH dependence and implies hydrogen-bonding interaction between nanocochleates and DOX. Formulated FA-CHI-DOX-NC demonstrated higher in-vitro anticancer activity in folate overexpressed human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. The targeting effect for the FA-CHI-DOX-NC was also demonstrated. The concentration of the drug needed for growth inhibition of 50% of cells in a designed time period (GI50) was 9.1 µg/ml for DOX while it was decreased by 31.68% for the DOX-NC (6.2 µg/ml). Furthermore, the GI50 value of FA-CHI-DOX-NC was 4.4 µg/ml, i.e. a 51.64% decrease was observed as compared to DOX solution. Moreover, bioavailability of DOX from FA-CHI-DOX-NC increased by 4-fold with long circulation time, slower plasma elimination and no sign of tissue toxicity as compared to DOX solution. The proposed strategy is advantageous in terms of targeted drug delivery and has high potential to address the current challenges in drug delivery. Thus, the prepared new carrier offers a novel formulation that combines the unique properties of a biodegradable material, chitosan and nanocochleates for biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new family of biofunctionalized chitosan decorated nanocochleates-mediated drug delivery system was developed that involves uniquely combining nanocochleates with anticancer drug for controlled drug release, targeted delivery, improved bioavailability with reduced toxicity. This system was developed by loading of doxorubicin (DOX) to nanocochleates (DOX-NC) through conversion of negatively charged dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) phospholipid and cholesterol-bearing vesicles on addition of calcium ions, followed by encapsulation DOX-NC with folic acid conjugated chitosan (FA-CHI-DOX-NC). The release of DOX indicated strong pH dependence and implies hydrogen-bonding interaction between nanocochleates and DOX. Formulated FA-CHI-DOX-NC demonstrated higher in-vitro anticancer activity in folate overexpressed human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. The targeting effect for the FA-CHI-DOX-NC was also demonstrated. The concentration of the drug needed for growth inhibition of 50% of cells in a designed time period (GI50) was 9.1 µg/ml for DOX while it was decreased by 31.68% for the DOX-NC (6.2 µg/ml). Furthermore, the GI50 value of FA-CHI-DOX-NC was 4.4 µg/ml, i.e. a 51.64% decrease was observed as compared to DOX solution. Moreover, bioavailability of DOX from FA-CHI-DOX-NC increased by 4-fold with long circulation time, slower plasma elimination and no sign of tissue toxicity as compared to DOX solution. The proposed strategy is advantageous in terms of targeted drug delivery and has high potential to address the current challenges in drug delivery. Thus, the prepared new carrier offers a novel formulation that combines the unique properties of a biodegradable material, chitosan and nanocochleates for biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background of the Study: Ensuring the safety of Blood Donors is of utmost importance as is ensuring safe blood to the recipient, because, Blood Donors are the backbone of a Blood Transfusion service. This is of even more importance in case of first time donors, because, only if they are ensured of a pleasant experience they will be motivated to become regular repeat donors. This can be accomplished by way of preventing adverse reactions in the donor. Aims and objectives: To study the frequency of occurrence of adverse reactions in whole blood donors, to identify associated factors if any in the causation of donor adverse reactions and to formulate preventive strategies. Materials and Methods: Voluntary whole blood donors who donated in the Department (351 donors) and in camps (2152 donors) of the Dept. of Transfusion medicine, The TN Dr. MGR Medical University during the period June2005 to May 2007 were the subjects under study. Donors were accepted for donation after eliciting the history, answering the donor questionnaire form and after screening and certified to be fit by the Medical officer. Blood was collected in standard 350 ml blood bags. The donors were observed for any adverse reactions during or following donation. The adverse reactions, if any, were managed accordingly. Results: Out of the total 2503 donors observed, 33 had an adverse reaction - 23 (9 males, 14 females) had a vasovagal reaction, 4 had nausea and vomiting, 2 developed hematoma, 1 showed signs of tetany and 3 had transient seizures with loss of consciousness lasting a few seconds. Conclusion: Preventive strategies to avoid adverse reactions in donor should include: a) proper elicitation of donor history like time since last meal (>1 h is preferable if the donor has had a heavy meal), nature of their occupation and whether they had a good sleep on the day prior to donation b) proper screening procedures like ensuring adequate hydration of donors c) reassuring first time donors d) providing a comfortable couch at camp sites and proper phlebotomy techniques by an experienced phlebotomist e) ensuring adequate ventilation and a comfortable environment (preferably 24*C ) f) observing the donor for atleast 10 min post donation while he still remains on the donor couch and then sending him for refreshments and g) giving post donation instructions and h) donors experiencing adverse reactions should be moved to a separate area so that other donors do not get demotivated. At no point of time should a Donor be left unattended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is an economically significant viral disease that rampage dairy and other livestock industries in many countries. The disease is being controlled by the use of an inactivated vaccine. However, a recombinant marker vaccine, which avoids the use of live virus, may be an option for the unambiguous differentiation of infected animals from vaccinated animals. A recombinant baculovirus clone containing P1-2A-3C coding sequences of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotype O1 Manisa was generated. The FMDV structural proteins along with the 3C protease were expressed in Sf9 cells and the generation of virus like particles (VLP) was studied. The recombinant protein was formulated as vaccine using an oil adjuvant, ISA 206 and potency of the vaccine was tested in cattle. The vaccine had a potency value (PD50) of 5.01 and most of the vaccinated animals exhibited neutralizing antibody titers after two immunizations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A novel algorithm named NB+ which is an extended version of the traditional Naïve Bayesian algorithm has been presented in this paper. An exception occurs when there is an equal probability for the class label value in the Naïve Bayesian algorithm. The approach aims to suggest a solution with the help of a partial matching method. Consequently, the classification accuracy has drastically improved. Experimental evaluation has been done on various databases to show that NB+ algorithm outperforms the traditional Naïve Bayesian algorithm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: India like several other South East Asian and African countries continues to face the public health and economic problems associated with the disease. Our objective was to perform a limited sequence analysis of a portion of nucleoprotein gene of 22 rabies virus isolates obtained from domestic animals in Southern India during 2004–2005. These isolates were compared with rabies virus isolates originating from Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. The phylogenetic analysis showed that RV isolates in Southern India belong to genotype 1. They were similar to one another forming a single major genetic cluster not ordered by geography or species of origin. However, they were dissimilar to RV isolates in Northern India and in other parts of the world. The data indicated that dog rabies virus variants are the major circulating viruses and control of dog rabies would result in overall reduction in the burden and incidence of rabies in India. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aim: To evaluate the impact of pharmaceutical care on the clinical outcomes of patients enrolled in a pharmacist-coordinated diabetes management program in a rural health setup.Settings and Design: Patients were registered into 'control' and 'intervention' groups by randomization at three primary health centers. The study was an open-label parallel study.Materials and Methods: Medical records were prospectively reviewed. Capillary blood glucose level, blood pressure and demographic data were collected at baseline and at the follow-up visits. Pharmacists gave counseling to the intervention group during every visit and their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed with the Ferrans and Powers questionnaire.Statistical Analysis: Single factor ANOVA and the t-test were used to compare the results using SPSS version 0.9 software and MS Excel worksheets.Results: The intervention group (n = 104) showed well-controlled BMI, whereas the control group (n = 50) showed significant increase in the BMI. Mean blood glucose level in the intervention group reduced to 25 units from baseline (P = 0.0001) but was significantly increased in the control group (P = 0.0001). ANOVA showed that from the second follow-up onward there was significant decrease in blood glucose levels. Overall, the HRQoL scores increased by 45% in the intervention group and decreased by 2% in the control group.Conclusions: The pharmaceutical care program was effective in improving the clinical outcome and HRQoL of diabetes patients in rural India. Such 'pharmaceutical care' models should be fine-tuned and implemented widely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Rabies is an endemic, fatal zoonotic disease in the developing countries. Prevention and post-exposure therapy require safe and efficacious vaccines. The vaccine potency depends on the amount of immunogenic rabies viral glycoprotein antigen in the vaccine preparation. In order to estimate the rabies viral glycoprotein antigen, a specific monoclonal antibody was developed and used in an immuno-capture ELISA (IC-ELISA). The monoclonal antibody binds a conformational epitope on the natively folded rabies viral glycoprotein as indicated by specific, membrane fluorescence on unfixed, rabies virus infected murine neuroblastoma (MNA) cells and glycoprotein gene encoding plasmid transfected COS cells. In addition, the monoclonal antibody competes with and blocks a glycoprotein antigen site III binding monoclonal antibody (mAb-D1, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France). The monoclonal antibody was used in an IC-ELISA using an in-house standard to quantify the rabies viral glycoprotein antigen in 12 vaccine preparations with potency values ranging from 4 to 18IU. The results indicated a good correlation with the NIH mouse potency assay (r =0.83). The immuno-capture ELISA described in this study can be used to quantify the immunogenic rabies viral glycoprotein antigen in the inactivated rabies viral antigen preparation in a simple and rapid format, which enables better vaccine formulation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Malignant astrocytomas have been found to express P-glycoprotein (Pgp, mdr1 gene product). It was hypothesized that in addition to conferring multidrug resistance, Pgp is intimately associated with the development of astrocytomas. Accordingly, we studied the effect of PSC 833 (PSC, Novartis), a potent inhibitor of Pgp, on the growth of Pgp-expressing astrocytoma cells. The results showed that in all the cell lines tested, PSC (10–60 μM) inhibited the growth as well as induced cell death. Cells exposed to PSC exhibited DNA ladder characteristic of apoptosis. PSC-induced cell death could be reversed by Z-VAD-fmk, a general caspase inhibitor, indicating that PSC-induced cell death was characteristic of caspase-mediated apoptosis. These results suggest a novel therapeutic strategy in the treatment of malignant astrocytomas by inhibitors of Pgp. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An abstract of the article "First Report of Anthracnose Disease of Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) Caused by an Unknown Species of Colletotrichum," by V. Jayakumar, G. Kannamma Usha Rani, N. Amaresan, and S. Rajalakshmi is presented.