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Aim: There is no universally accepted treatment consensus for haemorrhoids, and thus, management has been individualized all over the world. This study was conducted to assess a global view of how surgeons manage haemorrhoids., Methods: The research panel of the International Society of University Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ISUCRS) developed a voluntary, anonymous questionnaire evaluating surgeons' experience, volume and treatment approaches to haemorrhoids. The 44 multiple-choice questionnaire was available for one month via the ISUCRS email database and the social media platforms Viber and WhatsApp., Results: The survey was completed by 1005 surgeons from 103 countries; 931 (92.6%) were in active practice, 819 (81.5%) were between 30 and 60 years of age, and 822 (81.8%) were male. Detailed patient history (92.9%), perineal inspection (91.2%), and digital rectal examination (91.1%) were the most common assessment methods. For internal haemorrhoids, 924 (91.9%) of participants graded them I-IV, with the degree of haemorrhoids being the most important factor considered to determine the treatment approach (76.3%). The most common nonprocedural/conservative treatment consisted of increased daily fibre intake (86.9%), increased water intake (82.7%), and normalization of bowel habits/toilet training (74.4%). Conservative treatment was the first-line treatment for symptomatic first (92.5%), second (72.4%) and third (47.3%) degree haemorrhoids; however, surgery was the first-line treatment for symptomatic fourth degree haemorrhoids (77.6%). Rubber band ligation was the second-line treatment in first (50.7%) and second (47.2%) degree haemorrhoids, whereas surgery was the second-line treatment in third (82.9%) and fourth (16.7%) degree symptomatic haemorrhoids. Rubber band ligation was performed in the office by 645(64.2%) of the participants. The most common surgical procedure performed for haemorrhoids was an excisional haemorrhoidectomy for both internal (87.1%) and external (89.7%) haemorrhoids - with 716 (71.2%) of participants removing 1, 2 or 3 sectors as necessary., Conclusion: Although there is no global haemorrhoidal treatment consensus, there are many practice similarities among the different cultures, resources, volume and experience of surgeons around the world. With additional studies, a consensus statement could potentially be developed., (© 2024 Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.)

A female, in her 60s, presented with pain and swelling of the right eye for 3 years. The radiological work-up revealed an extraconal solid-cystic orbital tumour suggestive of an epidermoid cyst. The patient underwent supraorbital craniotomy with a gross total excision of the tumour. An intraoperative diagnosis was sought, which on both squash smear and frozen section showed features of craniopharyngioma (CP), later confirmed on paraffin sections and immunohistochemistry. The orbit is a very rare site for ectopic CP, with only two cases reported in the literature. Many theories have been proposed to explain the occurrence of CP at ectopic sites. This report aims to provide insight into the different hypotheses of the pathogenesis of ectopic CP through a review of the literature., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: India relies primarily on direct smear microscopy for tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis. However, the low sensitivity of smear microscopy emphasizes the need to improve its performance. We recently described the development of 'TB Detect ' kit which showed improved performance over direct smear microscopy at National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) in India., Methods: The present study was aimed to assess the operational feasibility of 'TB Detect ' microscopy in field settings. This was evaluated by (i) assessing the performance of 'TB Detect ' microscopy vs. LED-fluorescence microscopy (LED-FM) on consecutive presumptive pulmonary TB patients ( n  = 5300) who attended Designated Microscopy Centres (DMCs, n  = 13) under 4 NRLs at Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Chennai, and New Delhi, and (ii) obtaining feedback from Scientists ( n  = 10) and laboratory technicians ( n  = 42) using semi-structured questionnaires under the following parameters: feasibility of initiation of 'TB Detect' microscopy in DMCs, sample preparation and testing, training, time-to-result, logistics, and troubleshooting. A scoring questionnaire was also used to assess 'TB Detect ' microscopy vs . LED-FM and statistical significance of the scores was calculated using paired t -test., Results: The overall positivity of 'TB Detect ' microscopy was 10.32% (547/5300) vs. 8.96% (475/5300) of LED-FM at all sites and the increment in positivity was significant ( p  = 0.019). In addition, 'TB Detect ' microscopy yielded an increment in smear grade status over LED-FM ( p  = 0.043). The feedback from the study-in-charge and kit users indicated that 'TB Detect ' microscopy was easily adapted in point-of-care settings. An analysis of scoring feedback suggested that it was easy to perform and observe in comparison to LED-FM ( p  < 0.005)., Conclusions: This study established the feasibility of 'TB Detect ' microscopy in field settings.

Introduction: Texture and radiomic analysis characterizes the tumor's phenotype and evaluates its microenvironment in quantitative terms. This study aims to investigate the role of textural and radiomic analysis parameters in predicting histopathological factors in breast cancer patients., Materials and Methods: Two hundred and twelve primary breast cancer patients underwent 18F-FDG PET/computed tomography for staging. The images were processed in a commercially available textural analysis software. ROI was drawn over the primary tumor with a 40% threshold and was processed further to derive textural and radiomic parameters. These parameters were then compared with histopathological factors of tumor. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis was performed with a P-value <0.05 for statistical significance. The significant parameters were subsequently utilized in various machine learning models to assess their predictive accuracy., Results: A retrospective study of 212 primary breast cancer patients was done. Among all the significant parameters, SUVmin, SUVmean, SUVstd, SUVmax, discretized HISTO&#95;Entropy, and gray level co-occurrence matrix&#95;Contrast were found to be significantly associated with ductal carcinoma type. Four parameters (SUVmin, SUVmean, SUVstd, and SUVmax) were significant in differentiating the luminal subtypes of the tumor. Five parameters (SUVmin, SUVmean, SUVstd, SUVmax, and SUV kurtosis) were significant in predicting the grade of the tumor. These parameters showcased robust capabilities in predicting multiple histopathological parameters when tested using machine learning algorithms., Conclusion: Though textural analysis could not predict hormonal receptor status, lymphovascular invasion status, perineural invasion status, microcalcification status of tumor, and all the molecular subtypes of the tumor, it could predict the tumor's histologic type, triple-negative subtype, and score of the tumor noninvasively., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Native T1 mapping is a non-invasive technique used for early detection of diffused myocardial abnormalities, and it provides baseline tissue characterization. Post-contrast T1 mapping enhances tissue differentiation, enables extracellular volume (ECV) calculation, and improves myocardial viability assessment. Accurate and precise segmenting of the left ventricular (LV) myocardium on T1 maps is crucial for assessing myocardial tissue characteristics and diagnosing cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This study presents a deep learning (DL)-based pipeline for automatically segmenting LV myocardium on T1 maps and automatic computation of radial T1 and ECV values. The study employs a multicentric dataset consisting of retrospective multiparametric MRI data of 332 subjects to develop and assess the performance of the proposed method. The study compared DL architectures U-Net and Deep Res U-Net for LV myocardium segmentation, which achieved a dice similarity coefficient of 0.84 ± 0.43 and 0.85 ± 0.03, respectively. The dice similarity coefficients computed for radial sub-segmentation of the LV myocardium on basal, mid-cavity, and apical slices were 0.77 ± 0.21, 0.81 ± 0.17, and 0.61 ± 0.14, respectively. The t-test performed between ground truth vs. predicted values of native T1, post-contrast T1, and ECV showed no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) for any of the radial sub-segments. The proposed DL method leverages the use of quantitative T1 maps for automatic LV myocardium segmentation and accurately computing radial T1 and ECV values, highlighting its potential for assisting radiologists in objective cardiac assessment and, hence, in CVD diagnostics., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Folate and vitamin B12 deficiencies in pregnant women are associated with increased risk for adverse maternal and infant health outcomes, including neural tube defects (NTDs)., Methods: A population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in two rural areas in Ambala District, Haryana, India in 2017 to assess baseline folate and vitamin B12 status among women of reproductive age (WRA) and predict the prevalence of NTDs. We calculated the prevalence of folate and vitamin B12 deficiency and insufficiency by demographic characteristics among 775 non-pregnant, non-lactating WRA (18-49 years). Using red blood cell (RBC) folate distributions and an established Bayesian model, we predicted NTD prevalence. All analyses were conducted using SAS-callable SUDAAN Version 11.0.4 to account for complex survey design., Results: Among WRA, 10.1% (95% CI: 7.9, 12.7) and 9.3% (95% CI: 7.4, 11.6) had serum (<7 nmol/L) and RBC folate (<305 nmol/L) deficiency, respectively. The prevalence of RBC folate insufficiency (<748 nmol/L) was 78.3% (95% CI: 75.0, 81.3) and the predicted NTD prevalence was 21.0 (95% uncertainly interval: 16.9, 25.9) per 10,000 live births. Prevalences of vitamin B12 deficiency (<200 pg/mL) and marginal deficiency (≥200 pg/mL and ≤300 pg/mL) were 57.7% (95% CI: 53.9, 61.4) and 23.5% (95% CI: 20.4, 26.9), respectively., Conclusions: The magnitude of folate insufficiency and vitamin B12 deficiency in this Northern Indian population is a substantial public health concern. The findings from the survey help establish the baseline against which results from future post-fortification surveys can be compared., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Astroblastoma is an uncommon circumscribed glial tumor mostly involving the cerebral hemisphere. The characteristic molecular alteration is meningioma (disrupted in balanced translocation) 1 (MN1) rearrangement. No definite World Health Organization grade has been assigned as both low- and high-grade tumors are known to occur. Tumors in the spine are extremely rare; to date only three cases have been reported in the literature. A vigilant microscopy and ancillary testing aid in diagnosis when the tumors present in unusual locations, as in our case. The prompt differentiation of this tumor from its mimickers is a mandate as modalities of management are different and not clearly established., (© 2024 Japanese Society of Neuropathology.)

The presence of a normal large blood vessel (LBV) in a tumor region can impact the evaluation of quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) parameters and tumor classification. Hence, there is a need for automatic removal of LBVs from brain tissues including intratumoral regions for achieving an objective assessment of tumors. This retrospective study included 103 histopathologically confirmed brain tumor patients who underwent MRI, including DCE-MRI data acquisition. Quantitative DCE-MRI analysis was performed for computing various parameters such as wash-out slope (Slope-2), relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV), relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF), blood plasma volume fraction (V p ), and volume transfer constant (K trans ). An approach based on data-clustering algorithm, morphological operations, and quantitative DCE-MRI maps was proposed for the segmentation of normal LBVs in brain tissues, including the tumor region. Here, three widely used data-clustering algorithms were evaluated on two types of quantitative maps: (a) Slope-2, and (b) a new proposed combination of rCBV and Slope-2 maps. Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery-MRI hyperintense lesions were also automatically segmented using deep learning-based architecture. The accuracy of LBV segmentation was qualitatively assessed blindly by two experienced observers, and Likert scoring was also obtained from each individual and compared using Cohen's Kappa test, and multiple statistical features from quantitative DCE-MRI parameters were obtained in the segmented tumor. t-test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were performed for comparing the effect of removal of LBVs on parameters as well as on tumor grading. k-means clustering exhibited better accuracy and computational efficiency. Tumors, in particular high-grade gliomas (HGGs), showed a high contrast compared with normal tissues (relative % difference = 18.5%) on quantitative maps after the removal of LBVs. Statistical features (95 th percentile values) of all parameters in the tumor region showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between with and without LBV maps. Similar results were obtained for the ROC curve analysis for differentiation between low-grade gliomas and HGGs. Moreover, after the removal of LBVs, the rCBV, rCBF, and V p maps show better visualization of tumor regions., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is a major global concern in females throughout the world with increasing incidence in India. Hence, early detection and prompt intervention will reduce morbidity and mortality associated with it. Multiple studies showed a promising role of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) in the evaluation and early detection of the disease. In view of the paucity of such studies in the Indian population, we assessed the role of mpMRI in the evaluation of EC by utilizing a 3T MR scanner. Objectives To assess the efficacy of mpMRI in detecting myometrial invasion and locoregional staging in suspected or diagnosed cases of EC. Materials and methods Nineteen cases of EC with mpMRI were included in the study, and 15 of these underwent surgicopathological staging. The preoperative staging was done using the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2009 staging system based on mpMRI findings and compared with postoperative FIGO staging. All the data were compiled in a Microsoft Excel (Microsoft® Corp., Redmond, WA) file and analyzed in Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS, version 21.0; IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Armonk, NY) using appropriate tools. Results In our study, EC was commonly seen in more than 50-year females with a predominant complaint being postmenopausal bleeding. EC most commonly appeared heterogeneously hyperintense on T2-weighted sequence (T2W) and areas of diffusion restriction on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in all cases. Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI (DCE-MRI) showed mild heterogeneous enhancement in all phases with better delineation of adjacent myometrial infiltration in the equilibrium phase. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters had significantly lower values in involved myometrium vis-a-vis uninvolved myometrium. A statistically significant correlation was seen between preoperative mpMRI FIGO staging utilizing T2W, DWI, DCE-MRI, and DTI with surgicopathological FIGO staging. Conclusion mpMRI, particularly T2W, DWI, DCE-MRI, and DTI, yields a significant correlation between MR imaging and histopathological findings in assessing myometrial infiltration and thereby could be helpful in preoperative staging and extent of lymph-nodal dissection., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institute Ethical Committee, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur, issued approval 778/IEC-AIIMSRPR/2019 dated 23/09/2019. At the convened meeting of IEC-AIIMS Raipur held on 07.09.2019, the IEC voted to approve the above-referenced protocol. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Pati et al.)

Background: ABO1020 is a monovalent COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. Results from a phase 1 trial showed ABO1020 was safe and well tolerated, and phase 3 trials to evaluate the efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety of ABO1020 in healthy adults are urgently needed., Methods: We conducted a multinational, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase 3 trial among healthy adults (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05636319). Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either 2 doses of ABO1020 (15 μg per dose) or placebo, administered 28 days apart. The primary endpoint was the vaccine efficacy in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 cases that occurred at least 14 days post-full vaccination. The second endpoint included the neutralizing antibody titers against Omicron BA.5 and XBB and safety assessments., Findings: A total of 14,138 participants were randomly assigned to receive either vaccine or placebo (7,069 participants in each group). A total of 366 symptomatic COVID-19 cases were confirmed 14 days after the second dose among 93 participants in the ABO1020 group and 273 participants in the placebo group, yielding a vaccine efficacy of 66.18% (95% confidence interval: 57.21-73.27, p < 0.0001). A single dose or two doses of ABO1020 elicited potent neutralizing antibodies against both BA.5 and XBB.1.5. The safety profile of ABO1020 was characterized by transient, mild-to-moderate fever, pain at the injection site, and headache., Conclusion: ABO1020 was well tolerated and conferred 66.18% protection against symptomatic COVID-19 in adults., Funding: National Key Research and Development Project of China, Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences from the CAMS, National Natural Science Foundation of China., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests W.-J.S., M.W., Y.W., and D.-D.Y. are employees of Abogen Biosciences. B.Y. is an employee and a board member of Abogen Biosciences., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Cardiac perfusion MRI is vital for disease diagnosis, treatment planning, and risk stratification, with anomalies serving as markers of underlying ischemic pathologies. AI-assisted methods and tools enable accurate and efficient left ventricular (LV) myocardium segmentation on all DCE-MRI timeframes, offering a solution to the challenges posed by the multidimensional nature of the data. This study aims to develop and assess an automated method for LV myocardial segmentation on DCE-MRI data of a local hospital., Methods: The study consists of retrospective DCE-MRI data from 55 subjects acquired at the local hospital using a 1.5 T MRI scanner. The dataset included subjects with and without cardiac abnormalities. The timepoint for the reference frame (post-contrast LV myocardium) was identified using standard deviation across the temporal sequences. Iterative image registration of other temporal images with respect to this reference image was performed using Maxwell's demons algorithm. The registered stack was fed to the model built using the U-Net framework for predicting the LV myocardium at all timeframes of DCE-MRI., Results: The mean and standard deviation of the dice similarity coefficient (DSC) for myocardial segmentation using pre-trained network Net&#95;cine is 0.78 ± 0.04, and for the fine-tuned network Net&#95;dyn which predicts mask on all timeframes individually, it is 0.78 ± 0.03. The DSC for Net&#95;dyn ranged from 0.71 to 0.93. The average DSC achieved for the reference frame is 0.82 ± 0.06., Conclusion: The study proposed a fast and fully automated AI-assisted method to segment LV myocardium on all timeframes of DCE-MRI data. The method is robust, and its performance is independent of the intra-temporal sequence registration and can easily accommodate timeframes with potential registration errors., (© 2024. CARS.)

Introduction: Revised guidelines for Tobacco-Free Educational Institutes (ToEFI) were laid down in 2019 and they provide for tobacco free environment leading to a healthy life, implementation of legal provisions, and recognition about various approaches available for tobacco cessation., Objective: To assess Madhyamik Vidyalays (MVs) for their compliance to the guidelines for ToFEI at the baseline using self-evaluation score card as part of operational research., Material and Method: A cross sectional study was carried out during March 2021 among 19 MVs of Pimpri-Chinchwad block in Pune District, Maharashtra using census sampling. Trained data collectors scored for all 9 ToFEI criteria including the mandatory one's and their weightage points were calculated., Results and Discussion: Eight {42%(0.21-0.64)} MVs had displays on tobacco-free area and awareness on the harms of tobacco displayed inside the premises and another three (16%(0.04-0.37)} had only the display of ToFEI signage at their boundary wall. No MV met with 4 or more criteria out of the total 9 criteria. The highest weightage of 29-30 out of 100 was achieved by only 2 {11%(0.01-0.30)} MVs and 5 {26%(0.10-0.49)} MVs achieved 0 points. No significance was given to tobacco free school probably because of untrained teachers and unawareness of the guidelines., Conclusion: This study demonstrates that minimal importance has been given to the revised ToEFI guidelines in making MVs tobacco-free. Hence, none of the them could attain the tobacco-free status., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The authors have none to declare., (Copyright © 2023 Tuberculosis Association of India. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The current study sought to investigate the associations of common genetic risk variants with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk in the north Indian population and to evaluate their utility in identifying GDM cases. A case-control study, including 300 pregnant women, was included, and clinical and pathological information was collected. The amplification-refractory mutation system (ARMS) was used for genotyping four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), namely FTO (rs9939609), PPARG2 (rs1801282), SLC30A8 (rs13266634), and TCF7L2 (rs12255372). The odds ratio and confidence interval were determined for each SNP in different genetic models. Further, attributable risk, population penetrance, and relative risk were also calculated. The risk allele A of FTO (rs9939609) poses a two times higher risk of GDM (p = 0.02, OR = 2.5). The CG and GG genotypes of PPARG2 (rs1801282) have half a lower risk of GDM. In SLC30A8 (rs13266634), the recessive model analysis showed a two times higher risk of having GDM, while the recessive model (TT vs. GG + GT) analysis in TCF7L2 (rs12255372) indicates a lower risk of GDM. Finally, the relative risk, population penetrance, and attributable risk for risk allele in all four variants was higher in GDM mothers. All four polymorphisms were found to be significantly associated with BMI, HbA1c, and insulin. Our study first time confirmed a significant association with GDM for four variants, FTO, PPARG2, SLC30A8, and TCF7L2, in the North Indian population., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Pleural effusion is due to the pathological accumulation of pleural fluid in the pleural space, 25%-30% of which may remain undiagnosed despite the combination of biochemical, microbiological, and pathological tests and closed pleural biopsy. Medical thoracoscopy may help physicians diagnose such cases. We aimed to study the diagnostic yield of medical thoracoscopy in patients with undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion and assess the safety profile of the medical thoracoscopy., Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 105 patients with undiagnosed pleural effusion. Medical thoracoscopy was performed using an Olympus semi-rigid thoracoscope (LTF 160 Evis Pleurovideoscope, Japan) as per standard protocol. Multiple pleural biopsies were taken and sent for histopathology examination, NAAT (nucleic acid amplification test), and MGIT (mycobacteria growth indicator tube). Post-procedure, the patients were evaluated for any complications., Results: A total of 105 patients were enrolled in the study. The mean ± SD age was 55.1 ± 13.6 years. Sixty-three (60%) patients were males. The diagnostic utility of medical thoracoscopy was found in 94 (89.5%) patients. The diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) was made in 34 (32.3%) patients, and 48 (45.7%) patients were diagnosed with malignant pleural effusion. Adenocarcinoma of the lung was the most common malignancy diagnosed (32 patients, 66.6%). Five (5.31%) patients had dual etiology of pleural effusion: tubercular and malignancy. The most common complication was chest pain following the procedure (99.4%). One patient developed pneumomediastinum and was managed conservatively. There were no major adverse events after the procedure., Conclusions: Medical thoracoscopy has a high diagnostic yield and favorable safety profile with minimal complications. Excessive reliance on the level of ADA (adenosine deaminase) may further delay the diagnosis. Dual etiologies like TB coexisting with malignancy should be considered in TB high-burden countries., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institute Ethics Committee, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur issued approval AIIMSRPR/IEC/2022/1056. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Behera et al.)

Background: Optimum planting date and appropriate fertilizer module are essential facets of chrysanthemum cultivation, to enhance quality yield, and improve soil health. A field-based study was undertaken over multiple growing seasons in 2022 and 2023, where six different planting dates, viz., P 1 :June 15, P 2 :June 30, P 3 :July 15, P 4 :July 30, P 5 :August 15 and P 6 :August 30 and two fertilizer modules, FM 1 :Jeevamrit @ 30 ml plant -1 and FM 2 :NPK @ 30 g m -2 were systematically examined using a Randomized Block Design (factorial), replicated thrice., Results: P 6 planting resulted in early bud formation (44.03 days) and harvesting stage (90.78 days). Maximum plant height (79.44 cm), plant spread (34.04 cm), cut stem length (68.40 cm), flower diameter (7.83 cm), stem strength (19.38˚), vase life (14.90 days), flowering duration (24.08 days), available soil N (314 kg ha -1 ), available P (37 kg ha -1 ), available K (347 kg ha -1 ), bacterial count (124.87 × 10 7  cfu g -1 soil), actinomycetes count (60.72 × 10 2  cfu g -1 soil), fungal count (30.95 × 10 2  cfu g -1 soil), microbial biomass (48.79 µg g -1 soil), dehydrogenase enzyme (3.64 mg TPF h -1  g -1 soil) and phosphatase enzyme (23.79 mol PNP h -1  g -1 soil) was recorded in P 1 planting. Among the fertilization module, minimum days to bud formation (74.94 days) and days to reach the harvesting stage (120.95 days) were recorded with the application of NPK @30 g m -2 . However, maximum plant height (60.62 cm), plant spread (23.10 cm), number of cut stems m -2 (43.88), cut stem length (51.34 cm), flower diameter (6.92 cm), stem strength (21.24˚), flowering duration (21.75 days), available soil N (317 kg ha -1 ), available P (37 kg ha -1 ) and available K (349 kg ha -1 ) were also recorded with the application of NPK @300 kg ha -1 . Maximum vase life (13.87 days), OC (1.13%), bacterial count (131.65 × 10 7  cfu g -1 soil), actinomycetes count (60.89 × 10 2  cfu g -1 soil), fungal count (31.11 × 10 2  cfu g -1 soil), microbial biomass (51.27 µg g -1 soil), dehydrogenase enzyme (3.77 mg TPF h -1  g -1 soil) and phosphatase enzyme (21.72 mol PNP h -1  g -1 soil) were observed with the application of Jeevamrit @ 30 ml plant -1 ., Conclusion: Early planting (P 1 ) and inorganic fertilization (NPK @ 30 g m -2 ) resulted in improved yield and soil macronutrient content. The soil microbial population and enzymatic activity were improved with the jeevamrit application. This approach highlights the potential for improved yield and soil health in chrysanthemum cultivation, promoting a more eco-friendly and economically viable agricultural model., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Calpain role has been shown in the cumulus cell-oocyte complexes and, corpus luteum. We investigated the association of calpains-1 and -2 in ovarian folliculogenesis using the Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat model and steroidogenesis in the human granulosa cells (hGCs). We induced PCOS in 42-day-old SD rats by letrozole oral gavage for 21 days. Premature ovarian failure (POF) was induced in 21-day-old SD rats by 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD). Ovulation and ovarian hyperstimulatory (OHS) syndrome were induced by pregnant mare gonadotropin (PMSG) + human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) treatments in 21 days SD rats, respectively. Steroidogenesis is stimulated in human granulosa cells (hGCs) by forskolin and the response of 17-beta-estradiol (E2) on calpains expression was checked in hGCs. The protein expression by immunoblotting and activity by biochemical assay of calpains-1 and -2 showed an oscillating pattern in the ovarian cycle. PMSG-induced follicular recruitment showed upregulation of calpains-1 and -2, but with no change during ovarian function cessation (POF). Upregulated calpain-2 expression and calpain activity was found in the hCG +PMSG-induced ovulation. Letrozole-induced PCOS showed downregulation of calpain-1, but upregulation of calpain-2. PMSG+hCG-induced OHS led to the upregulation of calpain-1. Letrozole and metformin separately increased the expression level of calpains-1 and -2 in the hGCs during luteinization. In conclusion, the expression levels of calpains -1 and -2 are increased with ovarian follicular recruitment by PMSG and calpain-1 is decreased in the PCOS condition, and letrozole and metformin upregulate the expression of calpains-1 and -2 during luteinization in the hGCs possibly via E2 action., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest in this manuscript., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Biology of Reproduction & the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted to correlate clinically, radiologically, and pathologically the mandibular invasion in carcinoma bucco-alveolar complex. All biopsy-proven oral cavity cancer cases (64 patients) were assessed clinically and radiologically for involvement of the mandible. Preoperative clinicoradiological findings were compared with postoperative histopathological findings. In our study, oral cancer was 4 times more prevalent in males as compared to females and clinical evaluation was found to be highly sensitive in predicting mandibular invasion. Orthopantomogram showed sensitivity of 66.6% and specificity of 100%. CT scan showed sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 46% whereas MRI showed sensitivity of 54.5% and a specificity of 96%. MRI correlates well with final histopathology in predicting size of tumor. Prevalence of bony invasion in carcinoma oral cavity was 18%. We noted an inverse relation with tumor differentiation and mandibular invasion, and none of the verrucous carcinoma lesions showed mandibular invasion. Association of clinical T and N staging with postoperative histopathology was found to be statistically significant. Despite recent advances in molecular biology, radiological techniques, and newer modalities like visual surgical planning, exact measurement of bone invasion is still challenging. At present, CT scan and MRI along with clinical evaluation are widely used to evaluate mandibular invasion in carcinoma oral cavity, and all these are complementary to each other. The recent progress in tissue engineering technologies and stem cell biology has significantly promoted the development of regenerative reconstruction of jawbone defects., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Indian Association of Surgical Oncology 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Pediatric high grade gliomas have undergone remarkable changes in recent time with discovery of new molecular pathways. They have been added separately in current WHO 2021 blue book. All the entities show characteristic morphology and immunohistochemistry. Methylation data correctly identifies these entities into particular group of clusters. The pediatric group high grade glioma comprises- Diffuse midline glioma, H3K27-altered; Diffuse hemispheric glioma, H3G34-mutant; Diffuse pediatric-type high-grade glioma, H3-wild type & IDH-wild type; Infant hemispheric glioma and Epithelioid glioblastoma/Grade 3 pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma and very rare IDH-mutant astrocytoma. However it is not always feasible to perform these molecular tests where cost-effective diagnosis is a major concern. Here we discuss the major entities with their characteristic histopathology, immunohistochemistry and molecular findings that may help to reach to suggest the diagnosis and help the clinician for appropriate treatment strategies. We have also made a simple algorithmic flow chart integrated with histopathology, immunohistochemistry and molecular characteristics for better understanding., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest There are no declaration of interest from the authors., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Context: This study involves simulating the process of inhibiting corrosion through the formation of micelles by surfactants and their deposition on iron (Fe) surfaces. The primary focus is on examining CTAB/SDS mixtures in aqueous solutions with different concentrations. Micelle properties, including size, shape, aggregation number, cluster size, and surfactant diffusion, were calculated and validated with experimental data. The coarse-grained Fe surface was modeled and validated against experimental water contact-angle data. Subsequently, the deposition of CTAB/SDS mixtures on the Fe surface and air-water interface was studied systematically. We found that the relative ratio of CTAB/SDS in the solution directly influences surfactant deposition behavior, which might impact the corrosion inhibition efficiency., Methods: All the MD simulations were performed using the GROMACS software with MARTINI2 force field and Martini polar water. The molecules are packed using PACKMOL software. Both NVT and NPT simulations are caried out at temperature and pressure of 303 K and 1 bar respectively, with a nonbonded interaction cut-off (r cut ) of 1.1 nm. The LJ potential was shifted from 0.9 nm to r cut , while the electrostatic potential was shifted from 0.0 nm to r cut . For electrostatics, reaction-field coulomb type is used, relative dielectric constant (epsilon-r) and the reaction field dielectric constant (epsilon-rf) are equal to 2.5 and infinity respectively. The dielectric constant below r cut is epsilon-r, and beyond the cut-off is epsilon-rf. Coulomb-modifier used as potential-shift which leads to shift in the coulomb potential by a constant such that it is zero at the r cut . This makes the potential of the integral of the force . The neighbor list was updated every 10 steps, employing a neighbor list cut-off equal to r cut . Using a polar water model, we used a constant time step of 0.02 ps throughout the simulation. The used epsilon-r = 2.5, is recommended for polar water., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers account for one-fourth of the global cancer incidence and are incriminated to cause one-third of cancer-related deaths. GI cancer includes esophageal, gastric, liver, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers, mostly diagnosed at advanced stages due to a lack of accurate markers for early stages. The invasiveness of diagnostic methods like colonoscopy for solid biopsy reduces patient compliance as it cannot be frequently used to screen patients. Therefore, minimally invasive approaches like liquid biopsy may be explored for screening and early identification of gastrointestinal cancers. Liquid biopsy involves the qualitative and quantitative determination of certain cancer-specific biomarkers in body fluids such as blood, serum, saliva, and urine to predict disease progression, therapeutic tolerance, toxicities, and recurrence by evaluating minimal residual disease and its correlation with other clinical features. In this review, we deliberate upon various tumor-specific cellular and molecular entities such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), tumor-educated platelets (TEPs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), cell-free DNA (cfDNA), exosomes, and exosome-derived biomolecules and cite recent advances pertaining to their use in predicting disease progression, therapy response, or risk of relapse. We also discuss the technical challenges associated with translating liquid biopsy into clinical settings for various clinical applications in gastrointestinal cancers., Competing Interests: Author ST was employed by Trivitron Healthcare Pvt Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Mondal, Shinde, Sinha, Dixit, Paul, Gupta, Thakur, Vishvakarma and Shukla.)

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor is considered one of the rarest benign tumors constituting 0.7% of all lung neoplasms. It was first described in 1939. We report a case of a 10-year-old child who presented with recurrent cough and fever. Chest radiography and computed tomography demonstrated complete involvement of right lung by the tumor. The tumor along with the affected lung was meticulously dissected from the surrounding structures and was delivered outside. The histopathology of the specimen revealed it to be inflammatory fibroblastoma., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Giant Cell Tumors of the skull are rare and mostly occur in the middle cranial fossa. Radiological investigations serve as adjunct modalities; however, histopathological confirmation is mandatory. Ten to forty% of GCTs may be recurrent. Complete surgical resection is the treatment of choice, however, partial resection with adjuvant radiotherapy can serve as a secondary alternative. Recurrent cases require post-op radiotherapy. Here, we describe a case of recurrent giant cell tumor of sphenoid bone in a young male, who underwent surgical resection twice, after which he was advised adjuvant radiotherapy and denosumab. The patient did not take radiotherapy., Competing Interests: Conflict of InterestThe authors cite no conflicts of interest., (© Association of Otolaryngologists of India 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Background: Organomodified nanoclays (ONC), two-dimensional montmorillonite with organic coatings, are increasingly used to improve nanocomposite properties. However, little is known about pulmonary health risks along the nanoclay life cycle even with increased evidence of airborne particulate exposures in occupational environments. Recently, oropharyngeal aspiration exposure to pre- and post-incinerated ONC in mice caused low grade, persistent lung inflammation with a pro-fibrotic signaling response with unknown mode(s) of action. We hypothesized that the organic coating presence and incineration status of nanoclays determine the inflammatory cytokine secretary profile and cytotoxic response of macrophages. To test this hypothesis differentiated human macrophages (THP-1) were acutely exposed (0-20 µg/cm 2 ) to pristine, uncoated nanoclay (CloisNa), an ONC (Clois30B), their incinerated byproducts (I-CloisNa and I-Clois30B), and crystalline silica (CS) followed by cytotoxicity and inflammatory endpoints. Macrophages were co-exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or LPS-free medium to assess the role of priming the NF-κB pathway in macrophage response to nanoclay treatment. Data were compared to inflammatory responses in male C57Bl/6J mice following 30 and 300 µg/mouse aspiration exposure to the same particles., Results: In LPS-free media, CloisNa exposure caused mitochondrial depolarization while Clois30B exposure caused reduced macrophage viability, greater cytotoxicity, and significant damage-associated molecular patterns (IL-1α and ATP) release compared to CloisNa and unexposed controls. LPS priming with low CloisNa doses caused elevated cathepsin B/Caspage-1/IL-1β release while higher doses resulted in apoptosis. Clois30B exposure caused dose-dependent THP-1 cell pyroptosis evidenced by Cathepsin B and IL-1β release and Gasdermin D cleavage. Incineration ablated the cytotoxic and inflammatory effects of Clois30B while I-CloisNa still retained some mild inflammatory potential. Comparative analyses suggested that in vitro macrophage cell viability, inflammasome endpoints, and pro-inflammatory cytokine profiles significantly correlated to mouse bronchioalveolar lavage inflammation metrics including inflammatory cell recruitment., Conclusions: Presence of organic coating and incineration status influenced inflammatory and cytotoxic responses following exposure to human macrophages. Clois30B, with a quaternary ammonium tallow coating, induced a robust cell membrane damage and pyroptosis effect which was eliminated after incineration. Conversely, incinerated nanoclay exposure primarily caused elevated inflammatory cytokine release from THP-1 cells. Collectively, pre-incinerated nanoclay displayed interaction with macrophage membrane components (molecular initiating event), increased pro-inflammatory mediators, and increased inflammatory cell recruitment (two key events) in the lung fibrosis adverse outcome pathway., (© 2024. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

BACKGROUND Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy (SHML), Rosai-Dorfman disease, or Rosai-Dorfman-Destombes disease (RDD), is a rare non-Langerhans cell of unknown etiology. This report is of a case of isolated SHML, or Rosai-Dorfman disease, presenting as a right atrial mass with involvement of the tricuspid valve in a 54-year-old woman. This case shows the challenges of diagnosing this condition in the heart and the challenges of treating this rare disease with the limited information on the efficacy of the treatment modalities. CASE REPORT A 54-year-old Asian woman presented to the Emergency Department with chest and right upper quadrant pain. Transthoracic echocardiogram and computed tomography angiography showed a right atrium mass at the level of the tricuspid valve, causing moderate-severe regurgitation. Partial tumor debulking with biopsies later showed pink-yellow soft tissue, with histopathology showing histiocytes demonstrating emperipolesis. The tumor was positive for CD68 and S100 and negative for CD1a, consistent with Rosai-Dorfman disease. Subsequently the patient received targeted therapy with cobimetinib, without worsening cardiac function or disease progression. CONCLUSIONS This case highlights the challenging histopathological diagnosis of SHML, or Rosai-Dorfman disease, particularly in non-lymphoid tissue, such as the heart. Obtaining tissue for diagnosis can be challenging in this organ. Treatment is challenging when the mass cannot be extracted completely, like in our case, because other forms of therapies are not well studied and warrant further investigation, such as cobimetinib, which is a MEK pathway inhibitor approved in 2022 by the US Food and Drug Administration for histiocytic neoplasms.

Background: Primary leptomeningeal lymphoma (PLML) without brain parenchymal involvement or systemic disease is very rare, comprising of approximately 7% of all primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSL). PLML is a diagnosis of exclusion which should be confirmed on biopsy after ruling out metastasis from systemic lymphomas and dissemination from PCNSL., Case Description: A 21-year-old patient presented with the chief complaints of headache, diplopia, decreased vision for five months, and a swelling on the left side of the forehead for four months. On radiology, a large, lobulated, extra-axial mass lesion along the left frontal region with its base towards dura noted. No parenchymal or subependymal CNS lesions were found on CT/MRI. Histopathology was reported as primary leptomeningeal CD30 positive diffuse large B cell lymphoma., Conclusions: PLML is a very rare meningeal tumor that requires a very high index of suspicion and is always a diagnosis of exclusion.

The subvalent silver kernel represents the nascent state of silver cluster formation, yet the growth mechanism has long been elusive. Herein, two silver nanoclusters ( Ag30 and Ag34 ) coprotected by TC4A 4- (H 4 TC4A = p - tert -butylthiacalix[4]arene) and TBPMT - (TBPMTH = 4- tert -butylbenzenemethanethiol) containing 6e and 4e silver kernels are synthesized and characterized. The trimer of the 2e superatom Ag 14 kernel in Ag30 is built from a central Ag 6 octahedron sandwiched by two orthogonally oriented Ag 5 trigonal bipyramids through sharing vertexes, whereas a double-octahedral Ag 10 kernel in Ag34 is a dimer of 2e superatoms. They manifest disparate polyhedron fusion growth patterns at the beginning of the silver cluster formation. Their excellent solution stabilities are contributed by the multisite and multidentate coordination fashion of TC4A 4- and the special valence electron structures. This work demonstrates the precise control of silver kernel growth by the solvent strategy and lays a foundation for silver nanocluster application in photothermal conversion.

Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Implants play a very crucial role in modern era of medicine and address several needs in all the medical specialties. Both essential and nonessential metals released from implants at high concentrations can impair biological functions and result in toxicity involving multiple systems of the body. Furthermore, the toxicity information is typically based on exposure through dietary intake and/or occupational/environmental exposure but, since the in vivo implant environment and its composition is different or unknown, individual implants toxic effects needs to be elaborated. Several clinical and nonclinical assessment tools are advised by FDA to evaluate biocompatibility issues, such as risk of immunological response, tissue destruction or overgrowth, and other adverse reactions. The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) Biocompatibility Guidelines state that biocompatibility end points caused by metallic implants includes cytotoxicity, sensitization, acute and chronic systemic toxicity, pyrogenicity, genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, implantation, hemocompatibility, reproductive abnormalities, developmental toxicity and biodegradation. Exposure to metal ions which acts as haptens can lead to both local and systemic hypersensitivity reactions which are generally believed to be a Type IV (delayed hypersensitivity) response. Currently, most assessment tools of implant associated hypersensitivity are based on skin sensitization which provides further scopes for research in understanding patient specific immune response causing systemic hypersensitivity.

The goal of the proposed study is to investigate the effects of three different power levels (30, 32 and 34 kV) and exposure time (2, 4 and 8 min) of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) atmospheric cold plasma treatment on the functional and physicochemical characteristics of taro starch. Investigations were done into how different treatments impact the multi-structural, functional and physicochemical attributes of taro starch. The findings showed that cold plasma treatments substantially impacted starch granule shapes (3.60-2.54 μm), such as reduced aggregations and developed fissures on granule surface due to the generation of an etching by plasma species and enhancement in the surface topography and roughness of treated starch as compared with native by SEM and AFM analysis. Besides this, no variations were detected in the functional groups of taro starch using FT-IR analysis after cold plasma treatments. However, the A-type pattern in the XRD did not affect it, while a reduction in relative crystallinity (14.20-11.50 %) was seen as a function of the active plasma species depolymerization. Furthermore, depending on the cold plasma voltage and treatment time, amylose content (20.12-15.98 %), paste clarity (24.48-31.27 %), solubility (0.41-65.53 %), freezing thaw stability (% syneresis) (32.10-42.58 %), color properties (L*, 94.79-97.52), whiteness index (79.37-84.66), molecular weight distribution (Peak 1, 12.79-5.35 × 10 8  g/mol; Peak 2, 4.20-1.56 × 10 7  g/mol) and in vitro digestibility (RDS, 64.10-64.08 %) significantly changed. So, based on these excellent properties, this study suggested that cold plasm-treated taro starch can be used in the field of food packaging material, functional food and pharmaceutical products. Therefore, a potential approach for physically altering starch is plasma treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors certify that none of their known financial conflicts of interest or close personal ties might have seemed to have influenced the research presented in this study., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) requires treatment with fluoroquinolone (FLQ) drugs, however, the excessive use of FLQ has led to the rise of extensively drug-resistant TB. In 2019, ~ 20% of total MDR-TB cases were estimated to be resistant to FLQ drugs. In the present study, we developed and evaluated the utility of high-resolution melt curve analysis (HRM) for the rapid detection of FLQ-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis for the first time directly from sputum samples. A reference plasmid library was generated for the most frequently observed mutations of gyrA gene and was used to discriminate between mutant and wild-type samples in the FLQ-HRM assay. The developed assay was evaluated on n = 25 MDR M. tuberculosis clinical isolates followed by validation on archived sputum DNA (n = 88) using DNA sequencing as a gold standard. The FLQ-HRM assay showed a 100% sensitivity [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 71.5 to 100] and specificity (95% CI: 39.7 to 100) in smear-positive category, and a sensitivity of 88.9% (95% CI: 77.3 to 95.8) with 84.2% (95% CI: 60.4 to 96.6) specificity in smear-negative category. The assay showed a high level of concordance of ~ 90% (κ = 0.74) with DNA sequencing, however, we were limited by the absence of phenotypic drug susceptibility testing data. In conclusion, HRM is a rapid, cost-effective (INR 150/USD 1.83) and closed-tube method for direct detection of FLQ resistance in sputum samples including direct smear-negative samples., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Predicting the taste of molecules is of critical importance in the food and beverages, flavor, and pharmaceutical industries for the design and screening of new tastants. In this work, we have built deep learning models to classify sweet, bitter, and umami molecules- the three basic tastes whose sensation is mediated by G protein-coupled receptors. An extensive dataset containing 1466 bitter, 1764 sweet, and 238 umami tastants was curated from existing literature. We analyzed the chemical characteristics of the molecules, with special focus on the presence of different functional groups. A deep neural network model based on molecular descriptors and a graph neural network model were trained for taste prediction. The class imbalance due to fewer umami molecules was tackled using special sampling techniques. Both models show comparable performance during evaluation, but the graph-based model can learn task-specific representations from the molecular structure without requiring handcrafted features. We further explain the deep neural network predictions using Shapley additive explanations. Finally, we demonstrated the applicability of the models by screening bitter, sweet, and umami molecules from a large food database. This study develops an in-silico approach to classify molecules based on their taste by leveraging the recent progress in deep learning, which can serve as a powerful tool for tastant design., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Introduction: Preeclampsia (PE) is a multiorgan disease of pregnant women. The main pathophysiology of PE is a trophoblastic invasion into maternal circulation leading to alterations in circulatory levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), inflammatory markers, and endothelin 1(ET1) levels. Therefore, the present study has explored the role of MMP-9 and ET1 and their association in PE. The advantage of the study is to provide insight into the pathology of PE. These markers may help in the early diagnosis and prognosis of PE., Objective: To investigate MMP-9 gene expression, ET1 level in PE cases and their correlation with blood pressure (BP), gestational age, weight, and height., Methods: The study design was a case-control observational study, which included 70 subjects in each case (PE) and controls (normal pregnant women (NPW)). Whole blood (250 ul) was utilized for RNA extraction (Trizol method) and synthesized cDNA as per manufacturer protocol. MMP-9 gene expression was analyzed by real-time PCR. Serum was utilized for ET1 estimation by sandwich ELISA., Results: The ET1 levels and MMP-9 gene expression were significantly increased in preeclamptic women as compared to controls. There was no significant correlation between MMP-9 gene expression and serum ET1 levels. However, a significant moderate association between systolic BP and diastolic BP with ET1 levels and MMP9 gene expression was seen in both PE and NPW., Conclusion: A significantly increased circulatory concentration of ET1 and MMP-9 gene expression in PE might be used as an early diagnostic as well as a prognostic marker of PE., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestAll authors declare no COI., (© Federation of Obstetric & Gynecological Societies of India 2022. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Structural transformation of metal nanoclusters (NCs) is of great ongoing interest regarding their synthesis, stability, and reactivity. Although sporadic examples of cluster transformations have been reported, neither the underlying transformation mechanism nor the intermediates are unambiguous. Herein, we have synthesized a flexible 54-nuclei silver cluster ( Ag54 ) by combining soft ( t BuC≡C - ) and hard ( n PrCOO - ) ligands. The existence of weakly coordinated n PrCOO - enhances the reactivity of Ag54 , thus facilitating the dicarboxylic acid to induce structural transformation. X-ray structural analyses reveal that Ag54 transforms to Ag 28 cluster-based 2D networks ( Ag28a and Ag28b ) induced by H 2 suc (succinic acid) and H 2 glu (glutaric acid), whereas with H 2 pda (2,2'-(1,2-phenylene)diacetic acid), a discrete Ag 28 cluster ( Ag28c ) is isolated. The key intermediate Ag17 that emerges during the self-dissociation of Ag54 was isolated by using cryogenic recrystallization and characterized by X-ray crystallography. The "tandem transformation" mechanism for the structure evolution from Ag54 to Ag28a is established by time-dependent electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and UV-vis spectroscopy. In addition, the catalytic activity in the 4-nitrophenol reduction follows the sequence Ag28c > Ag28b > Ag28a > Ag54 due to more bare silver sites on the surface of the Ag 28 cluster unit. Our findings not only open new avenues to the synthesis of silver NCs but also shed light on a better understanding of the structural transformation mechanism from one cluster to another or cluster-based metal-organic networks induced by dicarboxylates.

In view of WHO's "End-TB" strategy, we developed a non-invasive, urine-based ELISA, targeting 2 Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens namely MPT51 and MPT64 for extrapulmonary TB (EPTB) diagnosis. Suspected EPTB patients (n = 137) [Pleural TB, Abdominal TB and Tuberculous meningitis] were categorized in "Definite" EPTB (n = 10) [Xpert-MTB/RIF and/or culture-positive], "Probable" EPTB (n = 77) and "Non-EPTB" (n = 50) groups using defined composite reference standards. ROC-curves were generated using ELISA results of "Definite" EPTB and "Non-EPTB" groups for both antigens independently and cut-off values were selected to provide 86.3% (95%CI:73.3-94.2) specificity for MPT51 and 92% (95%CI:80.8-97.8) for MPT64. The sensitivity of MPT51-ELISA and MPT64-ELISA was 70% (95%CI:34.7-93.3) and 90% (95%CI:55.5-99.7) for "Definite" EPTB group and 32.5% (95%CI:22.2-44.1) and 30.8% (95%CI:20.8-42.2) for "Probable" EPTB group, respectively. Combining the results of both ELISAs showed a 100% (95%CI:69.1-100) sensitivity in "Definite" EPTB group and 41.6% (95%CI:30.4-53.4) in "Probable" EPTB group, with an 80% (95%CI:66.3-89.9) specificity. The results demonstrated the potential of urine-based ELISAs as screening tests for EPTB diagnosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Pleural tuberculosis (pTB) is a grave clinical challenge. A novel cell-free M. tuberculosis DNA (cfM.tb-DNA) probe-based-qPCR assay was developed for the diagnosis of pTB. Total cell-free DNA was extracted from pleural fluid (PF) and paired plasma samples and cfM.tb-DNA was quantified by probe-based qPCR targeting devR (109-bp) gene of M. tuberculosis in patients with pleural effusion. Patient categorization was done using 'Composite-Reference-Standard' formulated for the study. Assay cut-offs were determined from samples in the 'Development set' (n = 17; 'Definite & Probable' pTB; n = 9 and 'Non-TB'; n = 8) by ROC-curve analysis and applied to 'Validation set' (n = 112; 'Definite' pTB; n = 8, 'Probable' pTB; n = 34, 'Possible' pTB; n = 28 and 'Non-TB'; n = 42). cfM.tb-DNA qPCR had a sensitivity of 62.5% (95%CI; 24.4,91.4) in 'Definite' pTB category and 59.5% (95%CI; 43.2,74.3) in 'Definite & Probable' pTB category with 95.2% (95%CI; 83.8,99.4) specificity using PF. In plasma (n = 85), the assay had a sub-optimal sensitivity of 7.6% (95%CI; 0.95,25.1) with 88.2% (95%CI; 72.5,96.7) specificity in 'Definite & Probable' pTB group. Xpert MTB/RIF assay detected only six-samples in the 'Validation set'. Logistic regression analysis indicated that PF-cfM.tb-DNA qPCR provided incremental advantage over existing pTB diagnostic algorithms. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the utility of cfM.tb-DNA for pTB diagnosis in India., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is most common in women of reproductive age, giving rise to androgen excess and anovulation, leading to infertility and non-reproductive complications. We explored the ameliorating effect of naringenin in PCOS using the Sprague Dawley (SD) rat model and human granulosa cells. Letrozole-induced PCOS rats were given either naringenin (50 mg/kg/day) alone or in combination with metformin (300 mg/kg/day), followed by the estrous cycle, hormonal analysis, and glucose sensitivity test. To evaluate the effect of naringenin on granulosa cell (hGC) steroidogenesis, we treated cells with naringenin (2.5 μM) alone or in combination with metformin (1 mM) in the presence of forskolin (10 μM). To determine the steroidogenesis of CYP-17A1, -19A1, and 3βHSD2, the protein expression levels were examined. Treatment with naringenin in the PCOS animal groups increased ovulation potential and decreased cystic follicles and levels of androgens. The expression levels of CYP-17A1, -19A1, and 3βHSD2, were seen restored in the ovary of PCOS SD rats' model and in the human ovarian cells in response to the naringenin. We found an increased expression level of phosphorylated-AKT in the ovary and hGCs by naringenin. Naringenin improves ovulation and suppress androgens and cystic follicles, involving AKT activation., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background Scrub typhus is an important cause of acute febrile illness in children. It is one of the re-emerging infections in the Asia Pacific region. It is caused by the gram-negative bacteria  Orientia tsutsugamushi  and is spread by the bite of trombiculid mites. The initial symptomatology is nonspecific with fever, headache, vomiting, etc. The presence of eschar is said to be pathognomic. It is a systemic illness, and vasculitis is the basic pathogenic mechanism. Materials and methods A retrospective observational study was conducted in two medical colleges and associated hospitals of western Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Rajasthan, India. Case files of 21 confirmed cases of scrub typhus admitted from April 2021 to October 2022 were reviewed. Scrub typhus was suspected in children with acute undifferentiated fever, and suggestive signs and symptoms were confirmed serologically with IgM enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA). Demographic and clinical details were noted. Results During the study period, a total of 335 cases of acute undifferentiated fever were seen, and 6.2% of them were diagnosed as having scrub typhus infection on detailed investigation. The most common symptom was fever in 100% of them, vomiting in 57.1%, abdomen pain in 42.8%, and diarrhea in 19%. Maculopapular, erythematous rash was present in 19% of cases. None of the patients had eschar. Microvascular leakage was the main complication in 28.5%. Unusual complications seen were empyema and valvulitis in 4.7% of patients. Conclusion Scrub typhus is also seen in urban setups and in dry arid areas like Rajasthan and North West UP. So, relevant investigations should be a part of the evaluation in pediatric patients with acute undifferentiated fever. Eschar can be absent, and empyema and valvulitis are some uncommon complications. A high degree of suspicion and early diagnosis are essential as an undiagnosed infection is rapidly fatal., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Mukhopadhyay et al.)

Edible insects (EI) are also becoming as a part of the diet due to their nutritional value and health benefits in many regions of the world. These EI are inexhaustible sources accessible by garnering from the wild with high feed conversion efficiency. Appreciating the budding of EI in justifiable food production, enlightening food security and biodiversity conversion, is promising a sufficient supply of the insect resource for future food to the world. These insects are processed to develop new products, improve organoleptic and nutritional parameters as well as the extension of shelf life. In this review, we discuss the edible insect characteristics, the potential application of EI in food industry, processing, pretreatments, drying, extraction of edible compounds like protein, lipid and chitin various food products formulation, safety regulation. Availability of broad nutritional spectrum of EI includes protein, mono and poly unsaturaturated fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, amino aids and minerals has been used as an ingredient in development of various forms of food products such as flours in the form of whole insect powder, protein isolate, canned products, extruded products, hard candies, spreads, liquor infusion, cookies and other products., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India) 2022.)

Areca nut and slaked lime, with or without tobacco wrapped in Piper betle leaf, prepared as betel quid, is extensively consumed as a masticatory product in many countries across the world. Betel Quid can promote the malignant transformation of oral lesions as well as trigger benign cellular and molecular changes. In the oral cavity, it causes changes at the compositional level in oral microbiota called dysbiosis. This dysbiosis may play an important role in Oral Cancer in betel quid chewers. The abnormal presence and increase of bacteria Fusobacterium nucleatum , Capnocytophaga gingivalis , Prevotella melaninogenica , Peptostreptococcus sp., Porphyromonas gingivalis , and Streptococcus mitis in saliva and/or other oral sites of the cancer patients has attracted frequent attention for its association with oral cancer development. In the present review, the authors have analysed the literature reports to revisit the oncogenic potential of betel quid and oral microbiome alterations, evaluating the potential of oral microbiota both as a driver and biomarker of oral cancer. The authors have also shared a perspective that the restoration of local microbiota can become a potentially therapeutic or prophylactic strategy for the delay or reversal of lip and oral cavity cancers, especially in high-risk population groups.