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Introduction: Lymphangioma is a malformation of superficial lymphatic vessels. Tongue lymphangiomas are relatively uncommon. Multiple treatment modalities have been reported, with variable treatment responses. Most of the traditional treatment modalities have a high recurrence rate. Case Report: We describe the use of coblation in the management of lymphangioma circumscriptum of the dorsum of tongue in two patients. Radiofrequency ablation of oral lymphangiomas showed early postoperative oral intake and minimal postoperative pain. There was no recurrence of disease on 1 year follow up. Conclusion: Improved wound healing, early postoperative oral intake and minimal postoperative pain, make radiofrequency ablation a highly valuable treatment modality for oral lymphangiomas and may be recommended as the treatment of choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glymphatic system is a system of specialized perivascular spaces in the brain that facilitates removal of toxic waste solutes from the brain. Evaluation of glymphatic system function by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has thus far been largely focused on rodents because of the limitations of intrathecal delivery of gadolinium‐based contrast agents to humans. This review discusses MRI methods that can be employed clinically for glymphatic‐related measurements intended for early diagnosis, prevention, and the treatment of various neurological conditions. Although glymphatic system‐based MRI research is in its early stages, recent studies have identified promising noninvasive MRI markers associated with glymphatic system alterations in neurological diseases. However, further optimization in data acquisition, validation, and modeling are needed to investigate the glymphatic system within the clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice straw lignin was extracted via alkaline hydrolysis and structurally characterized using FT-IR and 1H NMR spectra. Ethyl acetate extract of acid solubilized lignin was found to contain p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid and caffeic acid as major phenolic acids which were isolated and characterized using spectral data. Amides of isolated phenolic acids were synthesized by their reaction with propyl and butyl amines using microwave irradiation and analysed using spectral studies. Phenolic acids and amides were evaluated for their effect on pollen germination and tube growth in pumpkin. Pollen tube length was significantly increased with N-butyl-3-(3, 4-dihydroxyphenyl) acrylamide and N-butyl-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) acrylamide at 5 ppm concentration than the control. These results could be utilised in increasing pollen tube length of Cucurbita pepo while making interspecific cross between C. moschata and C. pepo in order to transfer hull-less character of C. pepo to virus resistant C. moschata genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep quality is a critical factor in human health and well-being, with implications for various physiological and psychological processes. Traditional methods of sleep data collection are often limited by the quality and reliability of the data due to issues such as recall bias and subjective interpretation. This research aims to propose a novel framework that objectively measures and evaluates sleep quality using smart thermostats equipped with motion sensors, providing noninvasive and effortless sleep monitoring. The study conducts a comprehensive analysis of sleep patterns, exploring the relationship between activity sensors and sleep quality. By analyzing behavioral characteristics, the study identifies periods or clusters of days that require attention in terms of health and stress levels. The approach ensures privacy, ease of access, and integrates environmental factors, enabling a comprehensive understanding of an individual’s sleep health. The findings suggest that this zero-effort technology can significantly enhance sleep monitoring at both individual and population levels, with implications for health monitoring, stress management, and personalized healthcare interventions. Future work will focus on expanding the data set, incorporating more variables, and integrating contextual data to further improve sleep quality analysis and support real-time health interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Canada, extreme heat occurrences present significant risks to public health, particularly for vulnerable groups like older individuals and those with preexisting health conditions. Accurately predicting indoor temperatures during these events is crucial for informing public health strategies and mitigating the adverse impacts of extreme heat. While current systems rely on outdoor temperature data, incorporating real-time indoor temperature estimations can significantly enhance decision-making and strengthen overall health system responses. Sensor-based technologies, such as ecobee smart thermostats installed in homes, enable effortless collection of indoor temperature and humidity data. This study evaluates the efficacy of deep learning models in predicting indoor temperatures during heat waves using smart thermostat data, to enhance public health responses. Utilizing ecobee smart thermostats, we analyzed indoor temperature trends and developed forecasting models. Our findings indicate the potential of integrating IoT and deep learning into health warning systems, enabling proactive interventions, and improving sustainable health care practices in extreme heat scenarios. This approach highlights the role of digital health innovations in creating the resilient and sustainable healthcare systems against climate-related health adversities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research and development of nanocomposites have become a scientific field of interest in the last decade. These are formed from mixtures of polymers and inorganic solids that combine to form a heterogeneous/hybrid material. They are a type of matrix added to nanoparticles to enhance mechanical properties and additional properties such as electrical, physical and optical properties, followed by size repositioning. These matrices are added in a concentration of about 0.5–2% in the nanocomposite structure. Minor changes in structure, composition, interfacial interactions and components or any exclusive properties may instigate the product. Regarding the method of preparation, the biopolymer and inorganic matrix are grown and polymerized in situ to create a nanocomposite material. The use of nanocomposites has increased its share of interest in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, as they can be used as a medicinal carrier due to their morphological properties, such as their surface and rheological properties. This comprehensive review aims to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of nanocomposites, their method of preparation, their types and the utility of nanocomposites as a controlled and targeted delivery system, their use to deliver anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and cardiovascular drugs, including their prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Most of the Veterans Administration (VA) population is either overweight or obese, which is a serious health concern. Medical weight management visits have traditionally occurred through in-person clinics. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced care delivery to virtual platforms. Methods:We compared weight loss with in-person versus telephone-based medical weight management (lifestyle counseling coupled with pharmacotherapy) delivered by physician and nurse practitioner visits during the pandemic. We designed a program evaluation utilizing a naturalistic (pragmatic) observational study structure, including both newly enrolled and previously established participants in the Minneapolis VA MOVE! program between 2017 and 2021. A "transition" cohort (n = 74) received in-person care from March 2019 to March 2020, and then transitioned to virtual care. A "new start" virtual care cohort (n = 149) enrolled after March 2020 was compared to a separate historical group (n = 180) that received in-person care between January 2017 and December 2019. Weight loss was accessed over a 9-month period in both cohorts. Results:Mean weight loss over 9 months was −6.5 ± 18.2 and −2.5 ± 13.3 lbs in the in-person and virtual phases of the transition cohort, respectively, without significant difference between the two phases (p = 0.22). Mean weight loss over 9 months in the new start (virtual) cohort was −14.4 ± 17.0 lbs compared to −16.7 ± 21.0 lbs in the historical cohort, without significant difference between groups (p = 0.44). Conclusions:In our naturalistic study in a single-site VA clinic setting, weight loss with telephone-based medical weight management during the pandemic was comparable to in-person care. These findings are important for veterans living in rural and/or underserved areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glymphatic system suggests the convective bulk flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) through perivascular spaces and the interstitial spaces of the brain parenchyma for the rapid removal of toxic waste solutes from the brain. However, the presence of convective bulk flow within the brain interstitial spaces is still under debate. We first addressed this argument to determine the involvement of the glymphatic system in brain waste clearance utilizing contrast-enhanced 3D T1-weighted imaging (T1WI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and confocal microscopy imaging. Furthermore, perivascular macrophages (PVMs), which are immune cells located within perivascular spaces, have not been thoroughly explored for their association with the glymphatic system. Therefore, we investigated tracer uptake by PVMs in the perivascular spaces of both the arteries/arterioles and veins/venules and the potential association of PVMs in assisting the glymphatic system for interstitial waste clearance. Our findings demonstrated that both convective bulk flow and diffusion are responsible for the clearance of interstitial waste solutes from the brain parenchyma. Furthermore, our results suggested that PVMs may play an important function in glymphatic system-mediated interstitial waste clearance. The glymphatic system and PVMs could be targeted to enhance interstitial waste clearance in patients with waste-associated neurological conditions and aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary goal of this study is to measure the improvement in early childhood educators' knowledge of the five social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies post-training in India. Furthermore, the aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of educators' training modules on the SEL knowledge of preschool educators. In addition, the aim is to support educators in contemplating their feelings and knowledge of SEL since it is vital for individual and career growth. However, studies concerning early childhood educators' SEL knowledge in Punjab, India, are scarce. As a result, this study investigated 100 preschool educators' knowledge of SEL competencies using a survey, a training session, and a self-reported questionnaire. The data were analyzed in SPSS, and pre and post-training results were compared using the paired samples t-test. The findings revealed a significant difference in educators' knowledge of SEL after training in the Ludhiana and Patiala cities of Punjab. The outcomes emphasize the importance of continuously and effectively training early childhood educators to develop their knowledge of SEL skills for self-growth and preschool students' holistic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a case study of a six-month-old male Pug with pyodemodicosis, a parasitic skin disease, complicated by ulcerative keratitis. The dog was successfully treated with fluralaner, cephalexin, and topical antimicrobial shampoo, as well as ophthalmic treatments. After eight weeks of treatment, there was a reduction in mite count and complete clinical recovery. The article provides a detailed account of the case history, observations, and treatment protocol, highlighting the effectiveness of fluralaner and autologous serum in managing pyodemodicosis and ulcerative keratitis in dogs. [Extracted from the article]

We consider an autonomous heat engine in simultaneous contact with a hot and a cold reservoir and describe it within a linear irreversible framework. In a tight-coupling approximation, the rate of entropy generation is effectively written in terms of a single thermal flux that is a homogeneous function of the hot and cold fluxes. The specific algebraic forms of the effective flux are deduced for scenarios containing internal and external irreversibilities for the typical example of a thermoelectric generator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical records are one of the crucial documents and a significant asset for anyone seeking treatment. Electronic health records (EHRs) have made a dynamic shift by making them easier to manage, facilitate and share among various stakeholders such as doctors, lab technicians, and insurance agents. EHRs are vulnerable to hacker, cybercriminal attacks, and data breaches. Once compromised, health records cannot be retrieved. As a result, patients must have control over who gets their EHRs, when they get them, and where they get them. To address the aforementioned issue, this paper proposes a blockchain-based secure record-keeping and trustworthy sharing system. In order to do this, a distributed off-chain storage architecture for large-scale medical data storage is developed, which overcomes the drawbacks of on-chain data storage and enhances scalability. The distributed storage, i.e., InterPlanetary File System, is a content-addressable storage that ensures the integrity of the content such that a slight modification in the stored EHR records results in a change in the obtained hash value. Furthermore, a Ciphertext Policy Attribute-Based Encryption (CP-ABE) algorithm integrated with blockchain technology is designed for fine-grained access control, allowing only authorized users to access specific EHR data based on their attributes. The combination of CP-ABE with blockchain technology provides a tamper-proof and verifiable audit trail of all data access and updations made to EHRs. This enhances accountability and ensures that the patients or owners can track and verify all actions taken on the data. To implement the proposed system, the Remix-Ethereum IDE is used. Smart contracts (SCs) are designed with access permissions so patients have complete control over their records. The scalability and immutability of the system is ensured by storing the hash of the encrypted EHRs on the blockchain and the actual encrypted records on IPFS. The security analysis of the proposed system is carried out by evaluating its resistance to various attacks. Additionally, potential security flaws in the proposed SCs are investigated using the Oyente tool. Different test cases are presented to demonstrate the functionality and cost analysis of the proposed system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glymphatic system has recently been shown to be important in neurological diseases, including diabetes. However, little is known about how the progressive onset of diabetes affects the glymphatic system. The aim of this study is to investigate the glymphatic system response to the progressive onset of diabetes in a rat model of type 2 diabetic mellitus. Male Wistar rats (n = 45) with and without diabetes were evaluated using MRI glymphatic tracer kinetics, functional tests, and brain tissue immunohistochemistry. Our data demonstrated that the contrast agent clearance impairment gradually progressed with the diabetic duration. The MRI data showed that an impairment in contrast clearance occurred prior to the cognitive deficits detected using functional tests and permitted the detection of an early DM stage compared to the immuno-histopathology and cognitive tests. Additionally, the quantitative MRI markers of brain waste clearance demonstrated region-dependent sensitivity in glymphatic impairment. The improved sensitivity of MRI markers in the olfactory bulb and the whole brain at an early DM stage may be attributed to the important role of the olfactory bulb in the parenchymal efflux pathway. MRI can provide sensitive quantitative markers of glymphatic impairment during the progression of DM and can be used as a valuable tool for the early diagnosis of DM with a potential for clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Millets are ancient grains, following wheat, that have been a fundamental source of human sustenance. These are nutrient-rich small-seeded grains that have gained prominence and admiration globally due to their super resilience in diverse climates and significant nutritional benefits. As millets are renowned for their nutritional richness, the demand for millet-based products increases. Hence, this paper aims in identifying the growing need for innovative processing techniques that not only preserve their nutritional content but also extend their shelf life. Design/methodology/approach: In traditional times, heat was the only means of cooking and processing of the foods, but the amount of damage they used to cause to the sensorial and nutritional properties was huge. Millets' sensitivity toward heat poses a challenge, as their composition is susceptible to disruption during various heat treatments and manufacturing processes. To cater to this drawback while ensuring the prolonged shelf life and nutrient preservation, various innovative approaches such as cold plasma, infrared technology and high hydrostatic pressure (HPP) processing are being widely used. These new methodologies aim on inactivating the microorganisms that have been developed within the food, providing the unprocessed, raw and natural form of nutrients in food products. Findings: Among these approaches, nonthermal technology has emerged as a key player that prioritizes brief treatment periods and avoids the use of high temperatures. Nonthermal techniques (cold plasma, infrared radiation, HPP processing, ultra-sonication and pulsed electric field) facilitate the conservation of millet's nutritional integrity by minimizing the degradation of heat-sensitive nutrients like vitamins and antioxidants. Acknowledging the potential applications and processing efficiency of nonthermal techniques, the food industry has embarked on substantial investments in this technology. The present study provides an in-depth exploration of the array of nonthermal technologies used in the food industry and their effects on the physical and chemical composition of diverse millet varieties. Originality/value: Nonthermal techniques, compared to conventional thermal methods, are environmentally sound processes that contribute to energy conservation. However, these conveniences are accompanied by challenges, and this review not only elucidates these challenges but also focuses on the future implications of nonthermal techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To study the biodistribution and toxicology of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) versus their bulk counterpart in young and adult male rats in a 28-day study. Methods: SeNPs were synthesized and conjugated with indocyanine green to assess comparative biodistribution by in vivo imaging and further characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, UV and ζ-analysis. The toxicity of bulk selenium was evaluated relative to its nano form by hematology indices, redox, inflammatory markers and histopathology. Results: Indocyanine green-conjugated nanoparticles showed preferential accumulation in the liver, followed by testis and kidney. The protective effect of SeNPs was more significantly observed in young livers than in adults compared with the bulk counterpart. Conclusion: Age-dependent monitoring and diagnosis of toxicity may need different biomarkers of selenium and may also provide better understanding of SeNPs as therapeutics. Selenium is an essential element in the body. Its bioactive properties can protect against neurological conditions, diabetes, cancer and other chronic disorders. However, selenium in various biological forms (bulk) can be toxic. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have unique properties which might prevent this toxicity, providing a potential alternative for selenium supplementation and therapy. However, more studies are needed to see where SeNPs localize in the body, as well as comparing their toxicology with conventional forms of selenium in different age groups. We synthesized and characterized SeNPs of 70–90 nm, then injected them into young and adult rats to see where they distributed in the body. This was compared with rats injected with bulk selenium. SeNPs showed preferential accumulation in the liver, followed by the testes and kidneys. Next, the toxicity profiles of SeNPs and bulk selenium were established by measuring a series of health markers in the liver. It was found that the protection against toxicity provided by SeNPs was more significant in younger rats. Our results demonstrate that the same dose may behave differently in different age groups and that bulk selenium induces different toxicities in young and adult rats compared with SeNPs, highlighting the importance of different indicators of health for the monitoring of selenium-related toxicity when designing selenium-based therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lip balm may be encountered as physical evidence in cases involving sexual assaults, homicides, and kidnappings. Lip balm can be used as corroborative evidence by providing a potential link between the victim, accused, and the crime scene. For lip balms to be used as evidence, it is important to understand the diversity and their aging process under different conditions. Therefore, in this study, ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy in conjunction with chemometric tools such as principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) has been used for the objective identification and differentiation of 20 brands of lip balms. Moreover, lip balms on different substrates and wearing effects over time were also investigated. The results show that the PCA‐LDA training accuracy was 92.5%, whereas the validation accuracy comes out to be 83.33%. A blind study using pristine samples was also performed which resulted in 80% PCA‐LDA accuracy. PCA‐LDA prediction of samples on various substrates showed a higher chemometric prediction accuracy for nonporous substrates (glass, plastic, and steel), than for porous substrates (cotton cloth, cotton swab stick, dry tissue paper, and white paper) for samples kept in room temperature and under sunlight for 15 days. The substrate study showed that the samples from various substrates could effectively generate respective spectra which can help in brand‐level identification even after several days. The present method demonstrates a potential for lip balm samples to be used in forensic casework applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rising demand for E-commerce, Social Networking websites, it has become essential to develop security protocols over the World Wide Web that can provide security and privacy to Internet users all over the globe. Several traditional encryption techniques and attack detection protocols can secure the data transmitted over public networks. However, hackers can effortlessly exploit them to acquire access to the users' sensitive information such as user ID, session ID, cookies, passwords, bank account details, contact numbers, private PINs, database information, etc. Researchers have continuously innovated new techniques to build a secure and robust system that cannot be easily hacked and manipulated. Still, there is much scope for novelty to provide security against contemporary techniques used by intruders. The motivation of this survey is to observe the recent developments in Cross-Site Scripting attacks and techniques used by researchers to secure confidential information. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) has been recognized as one of the top 10 online application security risks by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) for decades. Therefore, dealing with this security flaw in web applications has become essential to avoid further personal and financial damage to Internet users and business organizations. There is a need for an extensive survey of recent XSS attack detection techniques that can provide the right direction to researchers and security professionals. We present a complete overview of recent machine learning and neural network-based XSS attack detection techniques in this paper, covering deep neural networks, decision trees, web-log-based detection models, and many more. This paper also highlights the research gaps that must be addressed while designing attack detection models. Further, challenges researchers face during the development of recent techniques are also discussed. Finally, future directions are provided to reflect on new concepts that can be used in forthcoming research works to improve XSS attack detection techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Collaural fistula, also known as cervico-aural fistula, is a rare anomaly that accounts for less than 8% of all branchial cleft anomalies. These fistulas result from incomplete closure of the first branchial cleft during embryonic development. A 21-yearold female exhibited depression on the left-side of her face since childhood, accompanied by a fistula. She had a history of intermittent discharge and a tuft of hair emerging from it. Additionally, the patient reported left ear discharge and an opening in the floor of the External Auditory Canal (EAC). Diagnostic imaging, including X-ray fistulogram, ultrasound, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) neck fistulogram, played a crucial role in confirming the diagnosis of a collaural fistula. Surgical intervention involved excision of the fistulous tract and reconstruction of the EAC floor. The patient received antibiotic therapy, resulting in successful postoperative outcomes. The present case highlights the importance of recognising and appropriately managing collaural fistulas. When these fistulas are discovered early, along with a solid grasp of regional embryology and anatomy, there is a chance for better treatment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper is one of the most important transition metals in our body for various physiological functions. An imbalance in the homeostasis of copper in our body can lead to various neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's, and Menkes disease. As a result, there is a need for the detection of excess copper present in the environment and the human system. In this work, we have designed a quinoline-based fluorescent/colorimetric probe (QHS) for rapid and selective detection of copper ions via quenching of fluorescence/color change from yellow to peach which is visible to the naked eye. The probe displayed high selectivity towards copper(II), i.e., Cu(II) in the presence of different metal analytes in water samples. The sensing mechanism of the probe was confirmed by NMR, HRMS, IR spectroscopy, and SEM. The detection limit of Cu(II) ions was found to be 0.493 μM which is lower than the tolerable limit of copper (20 μM) in drinking water as per the EPA. The probe was also utilized for the visualization of Cu(II) in cell lines. The probe was also demonstrated for its application in real-time detection of aqueous samples using portable paper strips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the Internet of Things (IoT) has gained much popularity, increasing the flow of sensitive user data across the web. In addition, the adoption of fog and edge technologies for latency-sensitive applications aggravates the privacy issues in the scenario as the sensitive data are processed in the user vicinity. Furthermore, the presence of the processing layer near the user end increases the attack surface and thus attracts malicious or curious intruders. In this light, the authors present a stacked-ensemble privacy-preserving attack detection framework, P2ADF. The framework detects the popular man-in-the-middle (MiTM) and denial-of-service (DoS)/distributed DoS (DDoS) attacks in the fog-IoT setup with a maximum accuracy of about 99.98 percent. The proposed model is trained over benchmark datasets, say, IoTID20, TON_IoT, N-BaIoT, UNSW-NB15, and CICDDoS19. The performance of the proposed model is also compared to existing state-of-the-art approaches, and P2ADF outperforms them all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Of the various non invasive imaging methods available, carotid artery intima media thickness(CIMT) measurement by B mode ultrasound is recommended by American heart association. Measurement of the carotid intima media thickness by B mode ultrasound is relatively safe, non invasive and inexpensive method of assessment of subclinical atherosclerosis and being and independent predictor of atherosclerosis events. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 50 patients in the department of Medicine, Government Medical College, Amritsar. The study protocol was approved by the institutional ethics committee and the patients were enrolled in the study after obtaining written informed consent. The patients underwent basic history taking, clinical examination and relevant blood investigations including HbA1C and lipid profile were done. Patients were subjected to Carotid artery Doppler to measure carotid artery intima media thickness. Results: A multivariate analysis was performed to assess the various factors influencing the increase in the thickness of CIMT and among that we found a significant correlation occurred with factors like Age,FBS, HbA1c, total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, serum HDL, serum LDL, serum VLDL. All these parameters showed a positive correlation with CIMT which was statistically significant(p<0.05). Conclusion: The carotid intima media thickness is significantly increased in people with dyslipidemia. Lipid profile is associated with cerebral ischemia by increasing carotid intima media thickness. Chronic hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia both independently and cumulatively influence the Carotid intima media thickness [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are a subgroup of retrovirus which cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV infection leads to low levels of CD4+ T cells causing a weakened immune system, and consequently making the patients prone to opportunistic infection. The present study was conducted to monitor the correlation of opportunistic infections with CD4 counts and viral load in HIV patients. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 patients in the department of Medicine, Government Medical College, Amritsar. The study protocol was approved by the institutional ethics committee and the patients were enrolled in the study after obtaining written informed consent. All the patients were clinically examined, along with detailed history taking. CD4 count was measured with Sysmex CyFlow Counter System with CD4 easy count kit using the flow cytometry method. The results were then analyzed. Results: In the present study, the mean age of the patients was 34.6±10.29 years. There was a male preponderance (82% male vs 18% female patients). The majority of individuals (69.0%) were in WHO Stage IV and 31.0% of patients were in WHO Stage III. The mean CD4 count of patients was 115.27±60.46 cells/mm3 while the mean HIV viral load of patients was 98021.45±20236.58 copies/ml. HIV viral load has a positive correlation with opportunistic infection (r=.572, p=0.000). A significant negative correlation was found between CD4 and opportunistic infections (r=-.672, p=0.000). Conclusion: CD4 count and HIV viral load are essential biomarkers of HIV disease severity. CD4 counts are inversely related to the HIV viral loads. Monitoring the CD4 counts and HIV viral loads help monitor the HIV disease progression and can guide the prevention and treatment of various opportunistic infections on time and consequently providing a better quality of life to HIV patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuroinflammation is the major implication of neurodegeneration. This is a complex process which initiates from the cellular injury triggering the innate immune system which gives rise to damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) which are also recognized as endogenous danger indicators. These originate from various compartments of the cell under pathological stimulus. These are very popular candidates having their origin in the intracellular compartments and organelles of the cell and may have their site of action itself in the intracellular or at the extracellular spaces. Under the influence of the pathological stimuli, they interact with the pattern-recognition receptor to initiate their pro-inflammatory cascade followed by the cytokine release. This provides a good opportunity for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions creating better conditions for repair and reversal. Since the major contributors arise from the intracellular compartment, in this review, we have attempted to focus on the DAMP molecules arising from the intracellular compartments and their specific roles in the neurodegenerative events explaining their downstream mediators and signaling. Moreover, we have tried to cover the latest interventions in terms of DAMPs as clinical biomarkers which can assist in detecting the disease and also target it to reduce the innate-immune activation response which can help in reducing the sterile neuroinflammation having an integral role in the neurodegenerative processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2021 Student Debates of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) were held at the Annual Meeting in Denver, CO. The event was organized by the Student Debates Subcommittee (SDS) of the Student Affairs Committee (SAC). The theme of the 2021 Student Debates was "Transforming Entomology to Adapt to Global Concerns", with 3 topics. Each topic had an unbiased introduction and 2 teams. The debate topics were (i) Nonnative insect introduction is an ethical approach for counteracting proliferation and overpopulation of consumers, (ii) What is the best technology to control undesirable insect pests in urban and agricultural settings? and (iii) Compared to other solutions, like plant-based diets, insect farming is the best method to address rising human global food and nutrient supply demands. Unbiased introduction speakers and teams had approximately 6 months to prepare for their presentations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary airway sampling is always considered the chief diagnostic test for respiratory problems in dogs. The trans tracheal wash (TTW) technique is commonly used for collecting airway aspirates for cytological analysis and bacteriological examination. Tracheal lavage being the least invasive technique, requires local anesthesia or mild to moderate sedation and has been found beneficial in dogs with pulmonary diseases including pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, eosinophilic bronchopneumopathy, neoplasia, etc. In the present study, TTW was performed on ten clinically healthy adult dogs weighing more than 10 kg, using a 14 gauge IV cannula and disposable dog catheter (4FG, OD 1.30 MM) replacing the costly designed catheter. The study was performed with mild sedation using diazepam (0.5mg/kg) and ketamine (5mg/kg) combination intravenously in six dogs and only local anesthesia in another four dogs. Transtracheal wash fluid revealed low cellularity with alveolar macrophages as the predominant cell type, followed by respiratory epithelial cells, lymphocytes, eosinophils, and other cells (mast cells, plasma cells, goblet cells, basophils). This article summarizes an indigenous cost-effective TTW procedure for obtaining a representative cytological sample from the pulmonary airways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glucagon is secreted by the pancreatic alpha cell and has long been known to oppose insulin action. A lyophilized form of the hormone has been available to treat episodes of insulin-induced hypoglycemia in insulin-treated people with diabetes for decades, but the difficulty of use was a barrier to widespread utilization. Newer formulations of glucagon are stable at room temperature in single-use devices that many caregivers find are easier to use than the original glucagon emergency kit. In this review, we will review what is known about the role of glucagon in normal physiology and diabetes and then discuss how the research in this area has been translated into treatment for metabolic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sleep is an active, repetitive and reversible state of perceptual disengagement from the environment. A chronic lack or poor quality sleep increases the risk ofvarious disorders.Post graduate students is at the top of the list of sleep deprived individuals. Material and methods: A cross sectional study was conducted amongst the post graduate students of Government Medical College, Amritsar. All the post graduate students admitted to various pre, para and clinical departments during the years 2018, 2019 and 2020 formulated the sample size for this study.Semi structured proformae were developed for data collection. Chi-square test was applied, where p-value of <0.05 (on both sides) was considered to be statistically significant Results: According to PSQI poor sleep quality was among 178(58%) post graduate students, excessive daytime sleepiness according to ESS was among 120(40%) post graduate students and sleep hours <7 hrs were among 182 (66%) post graduate students. After compiling results of all three, 223(72%) post graduate students were found to be sleep deprived. Association of sleep deprivation with sleep hygiene and night duties was found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: Increased amount of workload on the residents and more number of night duties affect the sleep of the post graduate students and majority of them feel exhausted and fatigued after their night duties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Individuals working in the sex industry continue to experience many negative health outcomes such as sexually transmitted infections and HIV/ AIDS, owing to lack of knowledge, careless attitude, inaccessibility of contraceptives or practice of unprotected sex. Aims/objectives: To assess the targeted interventions done to improve the health of female sex workers (FSWs) in Amritsar. Material & Methods: This cross-sectional study, in 4 randomly selected hotspot areas under targeted intervention (TI) included 180 FSWs after obtaining written informed consent. We used one to one interview for collecting required information on structured questionnaire. The data was compiled using Microsoft excel and analyzed using EpiInfo07 by calculating proportions and inferential statistics. Results: Age of study participants ranged from 19-45 years and most (66%) belonged to middle socio-economic class. Majority (73%) were in the profession for 3-5 years. Majority i.e. 98% underwent regular health checkups and HIV testing conducted by T.I. site. None was HIV positive. All FSWs (100%) were provided condom regularly by T.I. site. 85% reported to have knowledge about STIs. 95% reported regular conduction of health education programs by T.I. site. Conclusion: Targeted interventions play a key role in conducting regular health check-ups of FSWs, imparting knowledge about STIs, its prevention and provision of condoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tumours in dogs are increasing day by day and the mainstay of treatment is surgery. Wide surgical resection of soft tissue tumour in dogs is mandatory to prevent recurrence but it leads to the formation of a large skin defect requiring skin reconstruction. Among the various skin reconstruction techniques, subdermal skin flap is a simple reconstruction technique which can be performed by harvesting full-thickness skin from the surrounding skin without using special instruments. The current study was aimed to evaluate the healing and recurrence of tumours in dogs after wide surgical resection of tumour and subdermal skin flap reconstruction. Methods: 20 dogs with soft tissue tumours presented to MSVH, GADVASU, Ludhiana, Punjab, during the period 2019-2020 were treated by wide surgical resection and subdermal skin flap technique. Routine clinico-physical, Hematobiochemical, Radiographic examinations, Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology, Histopathology and Culture Sensitivity Test were performed. Different types of flap were created according to the location of tumour and availability of the loose skin and wound healing was evaluated and complications recorded. Result: Healing of subdermal flap was seen in 15 dogs (75%) while necrosis of subdermal flap was recorded in 5 dogs (25 %) of the cases of which 4 of them had mobility of flap base and were located in ventral abdomen (n=4) and limb (n=1). Overall tumour recurrence was recorded in 3 dogs (15%) which were located in limbs of which 2 dogs had lung metastasis and the tumours were malignant. It can be concluded that single pedicle advancement flaps for thoracic region; bipedicle advancement flap for thoracic and abdominal regions; rotational flaps for lateral thoracic region and transposition flap for proximal limb region are feasible skin reconstruction techniques for the repair of large skin defects in dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum coherence is a prime resource in quantum computing and quantum communication. Quantum coherence of an arbitrary qubit can be created at a remote location using maximally entangled state, local operation and classical communication. However, if there is a noisy channel acting on one side of the shared resource, then it is not possible to create perfect quantum coherence remotely. Here, we present a method for the creation of quantum coherence at a remote location via the use of entangled state and indefinite causal order. We show this specifically for the superposition of two completely depolarizing channels, two partially depolarizing channels and one completely depolarizing channel along with a unitary operator. We find that when the indefinite causal order of channels acts on one half of the entangled pair, then the shared state loses entanglement, but can retain nonzero quantum discord. This finding may have some interesting applications on its own where discord can be consumed as a resource. Our results suggest that the indefinite causal order along with a tiny amount of quantum discord can act as a resource in creating nonzero quantum coherence in the absence of entanglement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free Space Optics (FSO) is one the most in-demand technology, and is used indoors, on the ground, in space, and even underwater. It is used to broaden communication access to places where bandwidth is insufficient or where difficult topography prevents the use of cable communications. One of the foremost communication challenges that contribute to the degradation of FSO performance is the environmental condition. Hilly regions experience heavy rainfall and have rough terrain which may demean the FSO link communication. In this work, for real-time rain rate analysis of the Meghalaya region two unique rain attenuation models are investigated for monsoon months from the years 2014 to 2020. Considering Marshall and Palmer's model and by employing 8, 16 and 32-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) schemes, radio-over-free space optical (RoFSO) system has been evaluated by varying FSO channel range, power and bit rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet-enabled devices are deployed by individuals for almost every task. The concept of cloud computing has proven to be beneficial for users as the processing, storage and analysis of data are performed at the cloud level. However, in the case of latency-sensitive applications, the notion is called-off as the overall response time is high. In this situation, fog computing outperforms the cloud. With fog computing, the necessary computations are performed at the edge of the network, and thus, latency is highly reduced. In parallel, the increase in smart devices around the globe has led to a considerable increase in sensitive user data across the Web, which needs to be secured. Furthermore, multidimensional security depends on various factors whose prioritization plays an important role in addressing security issues. In this context, the authors identify various fog computing security factors and their corresponding subfactors. The identified factors are evaluated for their impact on security at the fog level through the neutrosophic-analytical hierarchy process. Moreover, to corroborate the effectiveness of the proposed technique, the results obtained are compared to the results from conventional approaches such as Fuzzy-AHP and Classical-AHP and are found to be statistically correlated. The proposed mechanism can be used by security practitioners to systematically manage fog computing security factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem degradation is a major environmental threat. Beyond conservation, restoration of degraded ecosystems is a prerequisite to reinstate their ability to provide essential services and benefits. Most of the restoration efforts focus on aboveground restoration, that is, plants, under the assumption that establishment of plant species will reestablish the faunal and microbial species. While this may be true for some cases, it is not a general rule. Reestablishment of microbial communities by dedicated efforts is also necessary for successful restoration, as cycling of essential nutrients for plant growth and decomposition of organic matter is dependent on them. The role of microbial fertilizers and efficient organisms used in agriculture needs to be explored in restoration. Testing of symbiotic interactions between potential plant growth‐promoting Rhizobacteria and plants native to a degraded ecosystem can be conducted and utilized for successful establishment of plant species. However, utmost care must be taken while introducing new microbial species or non‐native plant species to an area, as they can adversely affect the resident microbial community. Techniques like phospholipid fatty‐acid analysis can be used for taxonomic identification of large microbial groups in non‐degraded reference ecosystems before introducing microbial species into a degraded ecosystem. For use of microbes in restoration, more studies on microbe‐plant interactions need to be conducted. For use of Soil Microbial Community (SMC) as indicators of restoration, their role and function in the ecology of the area need to be elucidated by employing all the available techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exact power optimization of a thermoelectric generator is performed under the simultaneous presence of internal and external irreversibilities—modeled as nonideal thermal contacts and Joule heating, respectively. We consider a modification of the constant properties model whereby thermal conductivity of the thermoelectric material has spatial dependence, giving an asymmetric fraction of the Joule heat dumped in each reservoir. In particular, with a linear form of this dependence, the heat leakage term drops out as well as Joule heat is dumped only on one side. Exact expressions for efficiency at maximum power in each of these regimes are derived and are compared at thermal impedance matching and close to equilibrium, where interesting, stepwise changes in efficiency at maximum power are observed. The present analysis leads to the inference that higher values of efficiency at maximum power are obtained when both internal and external irreversibilities are taken on the hot side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]